D&D 5E (2014) Who are the famous characters of D&D

[Blue Orange]

I think you really have 3 separate questions:

Characters known to D&D fans--everyone listed. I haven't seen much discussion of iconic monsters like the otyugh, beholder, and illithid.
Characters known to people into other forms of geek culture (fantasy novels, anime, etc)--maybe Drizzt and Raistlin? Minsc and Boo?
Character known to the general public--probably nobody, the dice and dragons are more famous.

 

[Burnside]

Because of Stranger Things, the most famous NAMES are now Demogorgon and Vecna, though both are now more associated with the Stranger Things characters.

After that, it’s Minsc and Boo. Those games sold a LOT of copies, many of them to folks who never played the TTRPG.

After that, Dungeon Master from the 80s cartoon is probably the most recognizable.

After that, I suspect Drizz’t is ahead of Raistlin, though neither is super recognizable if you’re not a Gen Xer with certain specific fandoms.

EDIT: Actually, the Critical Role characters are now probably ahead of Drizzt and Raistlin.

 

[Blue Orange]

Good call on Demogorgon and Vecna! (Fun test to see which fandom someone is coming in from: is it Demogorgon or the Demogorgon?)

I think Raistlin vs Drizzt is an 80s vs 90s thing.

 

[Burnside]

Good call on Demogorgon and Vecna! (Fun test to see which fandom someone is coming in from: is it Demogorgon or the Demogorgon?)

I think Raistlin vs Drizzt is an 80s vs 90s thing.

Drizzt showed up in more video games, including Baldur’s Gate I & II, which gives him a boost. Also Salvatore just kept writing him.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Thaco the Clown

 

[JiffyPopTart]

Minsc (and Boo)

Probably already been said, I'm not reading through 4 more pages to see

 

[Weiley31]

Bahamut!

 

[el-remmen]

The kids from the D&D cartoon, Venger, Dungeon Master, Tiamat, War Duke, etc. . .
(probably all already mentioned)

 

[mamba]

If D&D wants to create a multiplatform brand, they can't follow the Marvel path, they have to follow the LEGO brick road.

I don’t know, I see why they cannot go the Marvel road (no chars to build around), but focusing on the game is wrong too imo, that is at best a curiosity worth two movies and at worst something that makes people avoid seeing it.

To me they need to go Star Wars / LotR, lead with your settings but bring new chars / tell new stories. The one exception I would make is for the DL trilogy

 

[Benjamin Olson]

Honestly I think Critical Role characters had already eclipsed the name recognition amongst current D&D players, and D&D engaged people, of any characters whose fame rested on D&D novels even before they launched an animated series on Amazon. I think liveplays may have a bigger audience than D&D novels, and that, even if they don't, people remember the specific characters from a liveplay they spent a ridiculous number of hours with more vividly than they remember characters in a novel they read once years ago.

But that perspective is very generational. This is a hobby with a lot of people off in their own bubbles, where their conceptions of D&D's "main characters" crystalized decades ago. And that's awesome.

I do like the idea of liveplay characters being the most famous for the same reason I love various spellcasters being immortalized with spell names: because the most famous characters in a roleplaying game should be characters that started as someone's player character.