18. James
James Vega exists as Mass Effect 3’s new player insert. He’s a younger soldier who gets dragged into Shepard’s crew more or less by accident and seems pretty ignorant of the ways of the extended galactic society. So, he asks a lot of questions that a newbie might ask about why the Krogans and Turians hate each other and is pretty much a fish out of water for most of the game.
He can be endearing and heartfelt when he wants to be, and his friendship with shuttle pilot Steve Cortez is delightful. But he also flirts with female Shepard and the relationship systems in Mass Effect 3 never really let you put out that fire and also maintain a decent friendship with him. He feels like one final relic of a moment in Mass Effect that probably wouldn’t fly these days, and as the only character on this list who is only around for one game, he has the least amount of time to make a bigger impression.
