It's quite frequent to see things like character portraits in games, meant for the user's convenience, but occasionally there are a few depictions of them meant to portray them in-universe for the game's own characters for one reason or another - these two cases come to mind:
* Valkyrie in Xandra no Daiouken/Whirlo:
This is an interesting case, as this game is a prequel to the Legend of Valkyrie, starring Kurino, player 2 of Valkyrie's most famous game - and Valkyrie herself is a warrior descended from the heavens, giving her a religious connotation the games don't usually focus on much - but here she's depicted in a way reminiscent of ancient religious artwork, which diverges a bit from her actual depiction in the games:
In the actual game, she practically only appears in the ending, and is barely hinted at in the password screen:
Which, IMO, emphasizes her elusiveness as a mythical being.
For more on that series, this is a great guide: http://www.devimension.com/dvp_doc_database/dev_docu000.html
* Samurai Shodown 2:
In Charlotte's stage, you can find this painting depicting the game's final battle, which most of its cast:
Apparently the painting is even a plot point in Charlotte's story in the game - I vaguely recall reading something about the painting appearing spontaneously as an omen that prompt Charlotte to travel to Japan in the game. Regardless, a cool sight and a taste of the grand finale - for comparison with the actual battle in the game:
Are you aware of any similar cases?
* Valkyrie in Xandra no Daiouken/Whirlo:
This is an interesting case, as this game is a prequel to the Legend of Valkyrie, starring Kurino, player 2 of Valkyrie's most famous game - and Valkyrie herself is a warrior descended from the heavens, giving her a religious connotation the games don't usually focus on much - but here she's depicted in a way reminiscent of ancient religious artwork, which diverges a bit from her actual depiction in the games:
In the actual game, she practically only appears in the ending, and is barely hinted at in the password screen:
Which, IMO, emphasizes her elusiveness as a mythical being.
For more on that series, this is a great guide: http://www.devimension.com/dvp_doc_database/dev_docu000.html
* Samurai Shodown 2:
In Charlotte's stage, you can find this painting depicting the game's final battle, which most of its cast:
Apparently the painting is even a plot point in Charlotte's story in the game - I vaguely recall reading something about the painting appearing spontaneously as an omen that prompt Charlotte to travel to Japan in the game. Regardless, a cool sight and a taste of the grand finale - for comparison with the actual battle in the game:
Are you aware of any similar cases?