Great Games Shaggy Made Even Better

Against all odds, the internet has found a new champion in the form of Scooby-Doo's best friend, Shaggy Rogers. What began as a series of memes about Shaggy's unstoppable powers soon blossomed into a petition to add Shaggy as a DLC character in NetherRealm's Mortal Kombat 11. The petition has earned more than 300,000 signatures. The movement eventually garnered the attention of NetherRealm's Ed Boon, as well as Shaggy actor Matthew Lillard, who both eventually started retweeting the memes.

However, the hopes and dreams of Shaggy devotees everywhere were squashed when NetherRealm confirmed that Shaggy would not be making an appearance in Mortal Kombat 11, calling the whole thing "a dead meme." Despite the rabid fanbase and continued growth of the petition, the official Mortal Kombat Twitter account posted, "#RIPShaggy," seemingly sealing the deal.

This has naturally led to a new petition (which has received considerably fewer signatures) boycotting any purchases of Mortal Kombat 11 until NetherRealm and Warner Bros. Interactive agree to add Shaggy to the game in some capacity.

Though it seems as though Shaggy will never be officially available in Mortal Kombat 11, many enterprising fans have created mods that incorporate Shaggy and even some of his pals into popular video games. Even if NetherRealm doesn't understand his full potential (yet), it's time to take a look at some games that were made better when Shaggy graced them with his presence.

Though it appears Saitama, the infamous One Punch Man, probably won't be included in Jump Force, it's maybe just as well. Saitama may be capable of felling any opponent with a single strike, but he was never trained for this. Shaggy has joined the fight in Jump Force, the fighting game which pits several combatants from various Shonen Jump manga against each other in one epic tournament. This skin places Shaggy over Vegeta from Dragon Ball Z, notably keeping the Saiyan Prince's gloves, but swapping Vegeta's trademark armor in favor of Shaggy's classic bell bottoms and green t-shirt. Truly, Shaggy is a man who values comfort over security when he goes to war.

Even Vegeta's transformations are given to Shaggy, as in this clip, when Shaggy makes the leap to Super Saiyan Blue form. Though the mod only allows for one facial expression from Shaggy (for now), the character is fully voiced, reacting to hits and special moves with the character's unmistakable squeaky tenor. If you don't get a genuine thrill from hearing Shaggy let out a loud "ZOINKS" as he transforms, then you may not have the soul of a true warrior.

Grand Theft Auto V already kind of had its own version of Shaggy in the character of Wade, the eternally hungry scaredy cat who found himself caught up in Trevor's crew. This mod for Grand Theft Auto V just takes the next logical step and deposits Shaggy Rogers in Los Santos. This mod really does the Shaggy meme justice if you are using the game's invincibility cheat, as Shaggy will just run through gunfire with a carefree smile on his face. 

But that's not all. An extra skin will allow you to change your in-game dog, Chop, into the one and only Scooby-Doo. You can also mod your character's van into a destructive Mystery Machine. Basically, there are mods available to create everything Shaggy would need to make Vinewood his personal oyster.

While Shaggy and Scooby might not seem like the most obvious characters to drop into the world of Grand Theft Auto, we'd like to remind you that the city of Los Santos already has its fair share of g-g-g-ghosts. Just ask Jolene Cranley-Evans, the freaky specter that haunts Mount Gordo. While its unlikely that Shaggy will be able to unmask poor Jolene to reveal a cranky old prospector, one can always dream.

Resident Evil 2 is already a pretty incredible remake of a universally-loved game, but there's one thing that would make it even more hardcore: Shaggy Rogers. With this mod, you can replace Leon Kennedy with Shaggy and show the Umbrella Corporation that they picked the wrong town to mess with. 

This mean-mugging version of Scooby's best pal is still hilariously wearing Vegeta's gloves from the Jump Force mod. He's also equipped with the ability to fire energy blasts from his palms, making him more than a match for even an entire squad of Mr. X and his nine identical buddies. The fact that this Shaggy runs toward the monsters without a hint of fear not only improves Resident Evil 2, but the original characterization of Shaggy, as well.

Just imagine how much more efficient Mystery, Inc. would have been at foiling crimes if Shaggy rolled up to each haunted carnival or what-have-you with magical powers and a combat knife.

As described by AniTAY, the Ultra Instinct transformation in Dragon Ball Super "is a form of zen battle focus that removes the limitation of consciousness from a fighter. Instead they rely on their finally honed battle senses to move with no wasted movement." When one considers what a, like, relaxed dude Shaggy is, it's no surprise that he would eventually master this state of being.

And master it he has, as this mod for Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 proves. Whether it was the Scooby Snacks or just a well-deserved nap that helped him achieve this level of focus, Shaggy's more powerful than ever. Having obtained this state, Shaggy has no problem deflecting enemy attacks and repaying them in kind. 

Even at his full power, Broly, a character so popular (and powerful) that he's been the subject of four movies, isn't a match for Shaggy's newfound abilities. Players should be honored to control a warrior who has reached a level of skill that so few have managed.

Yes, not only has Shaggy been set loose against a horde of the undead, but his whole squad has been sent along with him. As if a heavily-armed Shaggy isn't intense enough, you haven't known intimidation until you've seen Velma with a shotgun. She's a little less "jinkies," a little more "hasta la vista, baby."

While incorporating the Mystery, Inc. gang into the world of Left 4 Dead 2 is already great, this video shows our heroes going up against a version of Left 4 Dead 2 that features a ton of other bizarre cosmetic changes. With the presence of a few further mods, this players' flashlight beam is replaced by an image of Marceline, the Vampire Queen from Cartoon Network's Adventure Time. Meanwhile, at least one of the enemy types has been replaced by a far greater ancient evil: a rampaging Shrek. 

The only bummer is trying to go back and watch a classic episode of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? after playing this mod. No matter the crime, these meddling kids aren't letting anyone get away with it.

In their review of Final Fantasy XV, PC Gamer called it "a flawed epic that makes the series relevant again." There's a good chance many of those flaws have finally been fixed with the addition of Shaggy. This mod, called "Shaggy Lucis Caelum," replaces Final Fantasy XV's main playable character of Noctis with Shaggy's unmistakable form. This is accomplished through utilizing the ghost-hunting hippie's character model from the game Scooby-Doo! Night of 100 Frights.

This character skin has a few oddities, such as glitching elbows and hands, which result in Shaggy having almost talon-like fingers. He also has a neck that's occasionally upsettingly long. These can be forgiven when players finally hit the road with the rest of the playable characters in their quest to take down the Niflheim Empire.

However, if you require any further proof of Shaggy's power, just look at this cutscene. The Leviathan doesn't stand a chance.

As this video proves, Shaggy is no stranger to the concept of running away. But what if he took that energy and applied it to stopping Dr. Eggman and saving all of his animal friends? What if Shaggy really had to go fast? That's presumably the thought process behind this Sonic Mania Plus mod, which was created by Gamebanana user Blue Whirl Sonic, who also created a skin that inserted popular Kirby and Super Smash Bros. character Meta Knight into Sonic CD. In this mod, players get to control the great speedster Shaggy as he teams up with the likes of Mighty the Armadillo against the robotic forces of evil.

With a new Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon series on the way, as well as a live-action movie, this mod shows that maybe it's time for Shaggy and Mystery Inc. to officially team up with the Blue Blur. After all, if KISS can do it (no, seriously), then why can't Sonic and Tails? Maybe they're afraid they won't be able to keep up with the fastest chicken in the business.

In their review of Dragon Ball FighterZ, Nintendo Life praised its "stunning visuals [and] intense action." Well, what could be more visually stunning and intense than the unexpected arrival of Shaggy? This mod replaces Beerus, the God of Destruction, with Shaggy, who (let's face it) is also a God of Destruction. Given Shaggy's notorious laziness and gluttony in the Scooby-Doo cartoons, he's kind of the perfect character to be swapped with the voraciously hungry, always sleepy Beerus. 

What truly pushes this one over into greatness is the fact that Beerus' original dialogue track remains, meaning Shaggy will openly mock the foolish mortals opposing him. This carries over into the cutscenes, with Shaggy casually preparing to destroy the Earth with a single energy blast. The attention to detail in this mod is impressive, especially when it comes to lighting and the reflections of the various energy attacks in the face of Shaggy's character model.

All in all, it's the best Dragon Ball FighterZ mod since Nicolas Cage's face was added to Frieza. Hopefully, this isn't even Shaggy's final form, and we'll have many more Shaggy appearances in video games to look forward to.