Video game victory poses have been around for almost as long as gaming itself. They can serve as a great way for a game's developers to show a character's satisfaction at having overcome a particularly challenging task or enemy while simultaneously mirroring the feelings of the players who helped them to achieve these epic victories.
As time has gone on, victory poses have become a lot more varied, with many games now giving players the power to decide which one they use. Some choose to use this power for evil, taunting fallen opponents in order to rub extra salt into their wounds. However, the best video game victory poses typically avoid such antics and are instead remembered for their cool or comedic nature rather than their trolling potential.
Mario's Shine Get! (Super Mario Sunshine)
Video game mascots are no strangers to victory poses, with Crash Bandicoot and Sonic the Hedgehog having busted out their fair share of iconic dances and poses over the past few decades. However, everybody's favorite Italian plumber has the pair well-beaten, if only for the sheer number of victory poses that Mario has treated players to over the many years since his debut.
There are plenty of great Mario victory poses to choose from but one of the more iconic examples can be found in Super Mario Sunshine. As one of the earliest 3D Mario games, the attention to detail that went into this pose was incredibly impressive for the era, but it's perhaps the poorly translated "SHINE GET!" that sometimes pops up alongside him which makes the pose so hard to forget.
Diddy Kong's Rap (Donkey Kong Country 2)
When most people hear the words "Donkey Kong" and "rap" together in the same sentence, their minds usually jump either to the DK Rap from the beginning of Donkey Kong 64 or some of the more questionable attempts at rapping found throughout the god-awful computer generated Donkey Kong Country animated series. However, there is a DK rap that predates both of these things, though the "D" in "DK" doesn't stand for "Donkey" this time around.
Having served as the second player in the first game in the fantastic Donkey Kong Country trilogy, Diddy Kong was given a leading role in the game's sequel, with Dixie replacing him as the sidekick. Upon completing a stage with Diddy, he'd pull out a boombox, put on a pair of sunglasses, and begin making adorable monkey noises in time with the background music. As far as video game victory poses go, it's definitely one of the best.
Chun-Li's Yatta (Street Fighter 3)
There are plenty of fantastic victory poses in the Street Fighter series, from Ryo's iconic back turn to Vega's yodeling in Street Fighter 5, but it's perhaps Chun-Li's Yataa pose from Street Fighter 3 which stands out the most. Not only is it incredibly cute, but it's also a surefire way to wind up a defeated opponent, which, for many, is what video game victory poses are all about.
It certainly helps that Chun-Li is one of the most popular Street Fighter characters of all time and has been on the scene since the series' breakthrough title (Street Fighter 2) hit arcades more than three decades ago. Its simplicity also works in the pose's favor and helps it to stand out even among some of its more elaborate peers.
FIFA's Dead Fish (FIFA 11)
There are a ridiculous number of goal celebrations in modern FIFA games, ranging from the Griddy to Ronaldo's iconic Siuu. A couple of them stand out more than others though, either due to their humorous nature or their ability to really rub it in the opposing player's face. When it comes to the latter, the Robot celebration popularized by Peter Crouch probably takes the cake, but it falls a little short of being the best celebration in FIFA.
That accolade arguably goes to the Dead Fish (aka the Brick Drop/Fall), which is a much less toxic goal celebration due to its shorter animation and comical nature. It's inspired real-world celebrations in other sports too, with Daniil Medvedev pulling off a Dead Fish after beating Novak Djokovic at the 2021 US Open and former Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Chris Moore cranking it out after hitting the end zone in an NFL match in 2017.
Final Fantasy's Fanfare (Final Fantasy 7)
Though the Victory Fanfare has been a part of the Final Fantasy franchise since its very first installment, it wasn't until Final Fantasy 7 that it truly became iconic. Perhaps it was the leap to 3D models or the higher-quality music that made 7's Fanfare stand out so much, or maybe it was seeing Cloud swinging his ridiculously large Buster Sword around above his head.
Whatever the reason, Final Fantasy's post-battle fanfare is arguably the best victory pose in gaming and a big part of what makes the series' battles so satisfying. Though 7 will no doubt take most of the plaudits for popularizing the idea, both Final Fantasy 8 and Final Fantasy 10 also deserve a special mention, as these games also featured incredibly iconic victory poses.