Shack Chat: Who is your favorite video game bunny?

With many celebrating Easter this weekend, it got us thinking about the holiday’s hopping mascot. There’s such a wide range of bunnies and rabbits throughout video game history, we figured this would be the perfect opportunity to select our very favorites.

Question: Who is your favorite video game bunny?

Bunnelby - Donovan Erskine, Pokemon trainer

Bunnelby’s Pokemon Y Pokedex entry states that it uses its ears like shovels, digging holes in the ground. How cool is that? Imagine what you could do with a team of them! I bet a few Bunnelbys would also create an awesome Easter Egg hunt.

Jumping Flash - Blake Morse, Robo Rabbit Revolutionary

While I may love bunnies more than Lennie in Of Mice and Men (I don’t hug nearly as hard as he does though), I had to give it up for a rabbit with a cold, steel, robotic heart like my own. I friggin’ LOVE the Jumping Flash series and am constantly pining for its revival. Its first-person hippity-hopping action is unmatched. I’ve never seen a game quite like it since its PS1 premiere, but I wouldn’t mind a modern take on the series. Or if someone just wants to build a giant robot bunny-gundam and give it to me, that would be cool too.

Turner from Lugaru/Overgrowth - Chris Jarrard, Has better opinions than fellow staffers

You can take solace in knowing that any other answers you see in this feature that aren’t Turner are objectively wrong. Not only is Turner the best bunny in all of videogame history, he also kicks the most ass. This isn’t even up for debate. Both Lugaru and its spiritual successor Overgrowth have the best martial arts combat of any video game. I think people didn’t take it seriously because Turner is a rabbit or because of console gamer bias. Turner was snapping necks and chopping up fools with hyper-efficient grace while the masses oogled at lame shit like Ghosts of Tsushima. I will admit that fans of Absolver or Toribash might have a legit argument, but those games don't have bunnies, so they are up for consideration here.

Louie, Bomberman Hero - Sam Chandler, Bomberman rules

What’s cuter than a bunny? A bunny you can ride as you yeet bombs at all kinds of enemies. It should come as no surprise that I’m a big fan of Bomberman, and it just so happens that Bomberman Hero has the best bunny in video games, period. Louie is a teal bunny that is more than willing to help Bomberman on his journey. He can jump, wall kick, and is all around a pretty swell guy. Shout out to the cute little bunnies in White Glacier in Bomberman 64 that drop hearts.

The Long Dark Rabbits - Bill Lavoy, Resident of Timberwolf Mountain

Since Easter is close I figured it was a good time to give a shout-out to all the helpful bunnies in The Long Dark. pic.twitter.com/fokJjsmYcn

— Bill Lavoy (@RumpoPlays) March 31, 2021

Easiest Shack Chat I’ve ever written, because my favorite rabbits in a video game are the many running around in The Long Dark. Bunnies are life in the Quiet Apocalypse. They can feed you, their hides can be turned into warm hats and mittens, and they can even act as an early warning sign of wolves in the area. Best of all, bunnies in The Long Dark are a great way to level up your shooting skills if you’re heavy on ammunition and bored out of your snowshoes.

Alice from Bloody Roar - TJ Denzer, News Beast

Bloody Roar was an absolute banger of a fighting game series and I wish it was still around. For those who don’t know, in Bloody Roar, the world is populated with people who can transform into animalized and hyperstrong versions of themselves. Alice is one such person - notably a white rabbit. Play on names and animals aside, Alice is a freaking awesome character in the series. Having been kidnapped and almost brainwashed and weaponized for her abilities, Alice escapes and uses her strength to help and look after other people like her.

Throughout the Bloody Roar series, Alice is an awesome central character and a fantastic fighter. Suitably, she utilizes her rabbit abilities for a fighting style based around a lot of tricky mobility, unique jumping and aerial options, and powerful kicking abilities, all of which are some of my favorite things in a fighter. Functionally, narratively, and visually, Alice is just cool as heck and a core reason among many that I would be thrilled to see Bloody Roar make a comeback.

Redmond - Whiplash (2003) - Greg Burke, Head of Video

I always thought that “Whiplash” was an underrated or even forgotten game. The fact that you use Redmond as a weapon as you Spanx (a long tail weasel) try to escape from a human laboratory. Redmond’s commentary just gets me throughout the game. If you’ve never played it you should check it out.

Peppy and Rabbit Mario - Steve Tyminski, Jump Around!

Easter is this weekend, so that gets everyone thinking about bunnies. Who are the top bunnies of gaming? You could say the Nintendo 3DS Badge Arcade rabbit would be a good choice. You could also say Bucky O’Hare and Jazz Jackrabbit could be good choices too One could go the Pokémon route with the likes of Azumarill, the aqua rabbit and Buneary. However, the real right answer is a two-for-one deal with Peppy Hare from Star Fox and the Rabbit Mario power-up from Super Mario Land 2. I remember putting hours into both Star Fox 64 and Super Mario Land 2 and love both of them. Honorable mention to Mips the rabbit from Mario 64 and yes, I do know too much about video game bunnies.

Peppy, I guess? - Bryan Lefler, cares not for video game leporids

Favorite video game rabbit is a tougher Shack Chat than I anticipated. There might be a healthy representation of the Leporidae family in digital interactive formats, but I struggle to come up with one that I care about in any significant way. Jazz Jackrabbit? Meh, PC platformers failed to resonate with me. The bunnies you are forced to catch in Mario games? Yeah, they can get turned into coniglio alla cacciatora and be paired with a nice red wine.

If there’s one Hare I respect in gaming, it’s gotta be Peppy. He’s a salt of the earth veteran that looks out for his friends and honors their memory. After escaping the forces of Andross and losing his best friend, James McCloud, Peppy stepped in as a mentor to the young orphaned Fox. He joined the new Star Fox team not as a leader with decades of experience over his crewmates, but as a trusted and valuable wingman, always ready to lend the perfect advice for any situation. Without Peppy, how would we ever know how to do a barrel roll or try a somersault? Sure you could read the manual, but in case you tossed it aside and slapped that cartridge in with reckless abandon, Peppy Hare has got your back.

As we approach Easter, I’d like to remember Rick May, ex-voice actor of Peppy Hare who passed away last year on April 8 due to complications from COVID-19. He was a prolific voice actor with work spanning generations of gaming. Thank you Mr. May for giving a voice to the most respected hare in gaming history.

Hunting for Wabbits - Ozzie Mejia, Vacationing Editor

Plans have been made for wabbit stew. See you all next week!

That's all of our picks for favorite video game bunny. We're sure you've got an answer of your own, so hop on over to the chatty down below and  let us know!

Shack Staff

Shack Staff stories are a collective effort with multiple staff members contributing. Many of our lists often involve entires from several editors, and our weekly Shack Chat is something we all contribute to as a group.