Oricon Monitor Research have recently conducted a survey with 1000 individuals to decide who is the most popular gaming character in Japan.

The group covered all demographics, with people chosen from multiple ages groups, and each gender being equally represented.

The character that came first obliterating the rest of the field was Mario, but Cloud Strife (Final Fantasy VII) managed to finish in a well fought second place, beating both Yoshi (Mario), Solid Snake (Metal Gear Solid) and Slime.

Surprisingly the Chocobo (Final Fantasy Series) was the second highest representative from the Final Fantasy franchise, finishing in a respectable seventh.

Source: Oricon