The 10 Most Evil Villains in Video Games
A brief explanation before we begin: there have already been countless lists of the best villains in video games in the past, and chances are no two are alike. However, I like to think that my list is different in some aspects because I haven't let things like the popularity of the character or the game they're in influence my decisions.Here are some stipulations I set:
- The character cannot be evil due to any sort of outside forces influencing them. If they had a rough childhood, if they're out for revenge, or if they're being forced by a more powerful villain, they're disqualified from being on the list.
- The character cannot at some point have assisted the protagonist.
- The character cannot show any sort of remorse, guilt, shame, or any other human traits towards their misdeeds.
- If the character believes they are doing good, they are off the list. I offer some compromise to that rule with any robotic or computerized characters, who generally don't believe in good or evil, but rather in "necessity."
So, as you can see from these guidelines, I wasn't just looking for evil. I was looking for EVIL.
Originally, this was meant to be a top 20 list, but since I can't post more than 10, here are the runners-up:
Chances are you aren't going to agree with everything on the list, but isn't that what makes lists like these great anyway?
Anyway, here's the top 10:
Bowser has done some very evil things that many have somehow forgotten or just don't know. Would you guys wish to live in a world where Bowser rules with an iron fist?
Bowser is pure evil. His goal to repeatedly kidnap Princess Peach is only fueled by the hate and envy he harbors towards Mario. His army is a group of henchmen that he doesn't care about - he doesn't even flinch as he places them near the greatest pits of danger, lava, deep holes, and is basically using them as a shield. He doesn't care for any other life other than his own and Princess Peach's.
And he is only desperate to keep Princess Peach alive for the sake of seeing the anguish in Mario as he himself saves the ability to feast over her.
One simply does not defeat Ganondorf. Imagine what would happen if Link didn't exist. Hyrule would be doomed. If Mario didn't exist, Bowser would still be stopped by Luigi, Yoshi, or even Peach herself. In fact, I think Bowser should be lower on this list.
Additionally, Nintendo, the company that created both Ganondorf and Bowser, confirmed that Ganondorf is actually stronger than Bowser. So, how is Bowser going to defeat Ganon if Ganon is actually stronger?
Lastly, in terms of actual villainy, Ganondorf is the video game counterpart of Satan (The Devil), while Bowser, according to theory, is more of a misunderstood character. So take that, Mario fanboys. Nothing you can say will make Bowser a better villain than Ganondorf.
How could Bowser even be considered a better villain than a deranged serial killer? Doesn't Ganondorf keep on getting repeatedly beaten? So, Ganondorf can only be defeated by the Master Sword? That's okay, we'll see how he deals with Supernova. And does Bowser ever kill anyone? No, he just kidnaps some princess and has a bunch of turtles trying to stop a short Italian man. Sephiroth, on the other hand, is like, "Screw kidnapping, I'll just stab the girl in the pink dress and smile while I pull my sword out." That's evil.
Plus, if there should be any comparison to the devil, well, Sephiroth is a perfect candidate. He's got a wing, was the best SOLDIER, and can pull off any evil deed any day of the week, just like how the devil was supposedly the most beautiful angel. That's similar. And he really doesn't value life. Hence, he wants to use Earth as a vessel to find a different planet. Last I checked, Ganondorf wants to rule the Earth. Sephiroth's like, "Nah, this place sucks, let me just kill every living thing here and start from scratch in my own twisted image." P.S. Ganondorf's ugly.
Undoubtedly, the most evil villain of all time, Kefka is an insane, narcissistic clown whose only goal is to destroy all things, including the world, ideology, and religion. The funny thing is, while villains like Ganondorf succeed in their plans but fail to completely execute them, Kefka does! Kefka actually betrays his alliances, unleashes the apocalypse, and becomes the God of Magic.
And when the heroes finally confront him, what does he do? Actually... He acknowledges his defeat. Knowing his end is near, Kefka takes his final bow with a brief, powerful speech and an amazing final battle. When all is said and done, Kefka's insanity, sadistic nature, failure to comprehend emotions, success in executing his plans, and his finale easily warrant him the title of the most evil villain of all time. (Fanboys eat your hearts out)
Probably the most evil villain in any non-fantasy game, or games in general.
- Responsible for detonating a nuclear weapon in the Middle East, killing over 30,000 Marines and many more civilians.
- "Doesn't flinch at human trafficking, torture, or genocide. He trades blood for money."
- As revenge for Zakhaev's death, he organized and executed a terrorist attack on a Russian airport, murdering hundreds of civilians, while killing the undercover CIA agent to make Russia believe the US was behind the attack.
- Organized biochemical attacks in Europe, killing thousands of civilians.
- Kidnapped the Russian president and his daughter, threatening to torture her in front of him for launch codes.
- Killed Soap, probably the most beloved protagonist aside from Captain Price.
- Has no shame in mass murder, showing absolutely no remorse in causing suffering to innocent human lives.
A truly irredeemable villain. Just pure evil.
Listen, the Joker should not be number one for necessarily being evil in the sense that he does not want to be evil. If you read up on him, you will quickly discover that he is a psychopath. His being evil is of no concern to him. He does not want money or attention. The only thing he wants is to cause suffering. He kills women and children. He tortures and manipulates. He is among the most evil people I have ever encountered as a villain, period. However, it is not by any fault of his own. He does it without feeling a single thing, so he smiles.
He takes lives away from people with a smile on his face. Not only is he a psychopath, but he is also a partial genius. The man is as strong, smart, and capable as his nemesis, Batman. He beat Robin as if it were nothing, leaving him in a pool of his own blood. Then he tied up both Robin and his mom and left them to rot with their thoughts. Oh, and he added a time bomb for good measure. He uses his own people as bait and kills anything in his path. The more pain he causes, the funnier it gets to him.
Lastly, the main reason, in my mind, that the Joker is the most evil being ever is that his worst enemy, the man who has put him in jail, ruined all his work, and constantly beats him, means nothing to him. He has completely figured out Batman. Consider this from "The Killing Joke": "All it takes is one bad day to reduce the sanest man alive to lunacy. That is how far the world is from where I am. Just one bad day. You had a bad day once, am I right? I know I am. You had a bad day, and everything changed." He refuses to kill Batman because it is too much fun to torture him, to see him run through the wringer for a justice that the Joker knows does not exist.
He knows that the life Gotham and any other entity strive for is a lie. And he knows that the amount of time you waste on being yourself, doing good things, and being ethical is a hilarious joke that pathetic excuses for human beings use to be seen as... more
Really, when you come down to it, Giygas isn't the real villain. It's Porky. Why? Well...
1. Giygas did brainwash Porky, but even after Giygas died, Porky stayed evil, and nobody else did.
2. Giygas did not intend to brainwash him or anybody else but did it because he was the embodiment of evil.
3. He's a self-centered, cruel, psychopathic jackass!
He wants to destroy a world out of boredom. Before doing so, however, he thought of turning most animals into cyborgs and sending Pigmasks (a weird version of Nazis) to do some bad stuff, like setting forests on fire and killing people. And he's also the one villain in video games who is truly immortal.
Dimentio is probably the most evil villain Mario has ever faced. He attempted to destroy all worlds just to replace them with his own. He achieves this by getting close to Count Bleck and ultimately betrays him.
He also used Mario, Luigi, Peach, and even Bowser to help him achieve his goals. By having them take care of Count Bleck, he could take control with the Chaos Heart and fuse with the mind-controlled Luigi to form the giant puppet monster, Super Dimentio. The most unique aspect of this character is that he believes his goals are good, while viewing those who oppose him as evil. No other Mario villain is like that. Plus, the similes - who doesn't love his similes? "You're just like a kid kiting in a storm!"
I honestly think he is one of the best video game villains. Yes, he is like Neo, but he still has his own moves. Also, you've got to like his overconfidence. Who the hell takes a phone call when two B.S.A.A agents are pointing guns at you? And he is probably the hardest boss fight I've ever done. It took me so many tries to defeat him, and I was even playing with someone! I've played many games and never died so many times trying to fight one boss.
I'd like to mention another villain I think deserves to be on this list: The Black Hand of Sauron. Now, his boss fight was not really epic at the end, but he is definitely evil. (Spoiler if you haven't played Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor) He killed Talion's wife and son right in front of him. Also, he destroyed the entire encampment Lithariel lived in, leaving just ashes. You can't tell me that isn't evil.
He's a sadist and psychopath (much more than the actual psychos), but that's what makes him a great and hilarious villain. His biggest villain moment might be tricking everyone into doing his bidding, summoning the Warrior (a powerful vault being), and shooting Roland in the back on your mission.
What makes this sadistic man funny is how he handles situations, such as the time when Jack tells you the story of a random dude charging at Handsome Jack with a spoon. While he laughs, Jack tells you how he grabbed the spoon and scooped out the man's eyes. It's psychotically funny.
Mephiles is an underrated villain in the grand scheme of things. Sonic 06 had one of Sonic's best narratives underneath a terrible game.
I love Mephiles. I love how his tracks sound like he's crawling up your back, whispering the most forbidden secrets of the world. His manipulations all make sense. Silver and Blaze don't trust this guy, but they're so desperate to defeat Iblis that they go along with this clearly mad hedgehog's plan.
His design is eye-catching in his first appearance. He is mysterious, suspicious, and clearly not to be trifled with. As the story progresses, we learn that Mephiles is more than an oddly powerful, shady hedgehog. He is an incomplete creature of pure darkness.
He mercilessly kills Sonic to make Elise cry. Mephiles has manipulated everyone across time and space. He is cruel, sadistic, and his voice is just perfect, giving him an eerie, eloquent, but powerful presence. He appears as a gentleman psycho on the surface, but in reality, he is a cruel, uncaring, inconsolable monster.
Somehow, it's all fun and games for both parties. That is, until she tries to kill you. Then it's fun and games with the threat of death constantly looming above your head, or below your feet, or in front of you with a laser pointed at your chest. GLaDOS was the villain who predated Marvel in terms of humor and cruelty.
There are so many good quotes of hers that are even applicable in real life. She even takes away your one and only "companion" not once, not twice, but four times, then tries to make you feel better by saying there's so many more. Shame on you, GLaDOS. The "Plenty of Fish" analogy does not apply here.
Shao Kahn epitomizes complete evil. He is brutal, experienced, deceitful, difficult to stop, and possesses an intimidating appearance.
His brutality is both well-known and feared. In terms of gameplay, he has powerful attacks derived from his sorcery, rendering him virtually noob-proof. Story-wise, he is the devil's parasite. As a conqueror, Shao Kahn's power is often underestimated because the people of Earthrealm stereotype him as being limited by the rules of Mortal Kombat. However, he plans to maintain this misconception.
Shao Kahn is intelligent, always having backup plans in case his primary plan fails. While winning tournaments is not his forte, invasion is. He has successfully conquered Edenia, a realm most consider superior to Earthrealm, except for Shao Kahn himself. He values Earthrealm for its ease of transport to other realms more than what lush Edenia had to offer.
His thousands of years of combat experience make him skilled, but it's his profession of invasion that truly defines his expertise. He devours the souls of all he conquers, amassing tremendous power. Shao Kahn's weaknesses are not easily exploited. Often, Earthrealm is saved more by luck than strategy. He is well aware of his power and often anticipates victory.
Typically, Raiden exploits his weaknesses, but in Mortal Kombat 3, where Raiden cannot participate in the tournament, Shao Kahn gains an advantage. It is luck that eventually leads to his downfall, forcing him to conceal his identity from Earthrealm for a while. At one point, he successfully takes over Earthrealm, but Raiden (who always has a trick up his sleeve) sends a message to his past self to alter the future, thus restarting the adventure.
Shao Kahn's intimidating appearance adds to his character. He is a gargantuan humanoid (do not believe me? Look up a picture of him unmasked), wields a hammer as tall as an average person, and his trademark mask is crafted from metal and part of a skull... more
Though it is stupid to blow up the world just to build a theme park, Eggman is a good villain. He uses animals to power robots, enslaved a galactic being, and nearly used a space station to destroy the world. Forget the turtle who can be killed by touching an axe.
In Sonic 2 (for the Master System and Game Gear), Eggman rescues Sonic from his death and then drops cannonballs to kill his own robot. Now tell me why Eggman should be on this list.
In Sonic Adventure 2, he launches Sonic into space and tries to blow him up. Point is, he has made mistakes, but come on. He has an IQ of 300. He is one heck of a villain.
A heartless villain, whose only intention is to get the ball behind you. It shows no mercy. It will never stop until it wins. It doesn't care about you. It's a madman, and you can't mediate with it. Bouncing the ball past you is more than evil.
Cold. Lifeless. Unthinking. Emotionless. Inhuman. It only has one primary directive in mind: your crushing defeat.
Impossible to beat. It just bounces back every time. It's impossible.
Why Andrew Ryan? Simple.
Andrew Ryan isn't your usual villain. His personality is well developed, and it's slowly revealed over the game. He's a man of ideals. He constructed a city at the bottom of the ocean. He's just... just... reactive!
I like Andrew Ryan, but I think Comstock is a better villain. Andrew is more complex, though.
He is the most evil Nintendo villain ever. Unlike Bowser, who has some standards and genuinely loves his son and is respected by his army, and Ganondorf, who at least had a tragic past (in Wind Waker), Ridley has no excuse. He kills because he enjoys it and is a complete psychopath to boot.
Case in point, the Metroid Manga. Ridley kills Samus's mother right in front of her and is responsible for the destruction of her home planet, later attacking her second home. Furthermore, Ridley loves mocking and insulting Samus about the death of her parents.
There's also the fact that, unlike most Space Pirates who want to conquer, Ridley's sole ambition is to simply torture and kill. He's as much of a monster inside as he is outside.
Giygas had such immense powers that even his own body couldn't handle them! He became an irrational being that only had the ability to dominate the world, manipulate living beings and objects, and even destroy the entire universe! He's rightfully referred to as the embodiment of evil.
In my opinion, that's what makes Giygas such a frightening antagonist, not necessarily his looks. Giygas makes most villains, even Ridley, look extremely weak!
Honestly, I was really surprised when I saw he wasn't on here. Giygas is perhaps one of the most nightmarish video game villains ever. Fighting Giygas is like fighting the very stuff that nightmares are made of. I think he at least deserves to be in the top 10.
Death Star worker: Boss, I accidentally went 499 miles per hour instead of 500. Darth Vader: Okay, for that mistake, I am going to choke you to death.
Crazy in the Force Unleashed. He sticks a lightsaber right through the apprentice's chest. EVIL.
Good guy turned bad guy, the most complex villain of all time.
This thing is EVIL. It destroyed humanity but kept five people alive for more than a hundred years so it could torture them every day.
M. Bison is what most people think of when they think of a Street Fighter villain. Unlike Akuma, who is hardly a villain (he sits in a neutral area between good and evil, an anti-hero at best), M. Bison does what he does to further his own plans, which often involve subjugating the planet under a ruthless dictatorship. His own power, Psycho Power, is pure negative energy, and can only be used once you expel the 'goodness' from your soul.
On top of that, he enslaves people, whom he uses for nefarious purposes. All of the characters in Street Fighter hate him, and to me, that signifies a good villain. He's not the best by any means, but I think he deserves a higher ranking on this list.
Did I ever tell you the definition of insanity?
You guys need to actually play this game to realize just how evil he was. Luca was a warmonger, intending to start more conflict in the middle of a ceasefire, burning down whole villages while calling humans worms and pigs. Heck, he even makes one hapless villager oink like a pig and then kills her right there. He was the face of Suikoden II that you really wanted to kill.
To do it, a total of 18 characters, 6 in 3 parties, and then a duel with the main hero of the game, plus a ton of plot-related arrows shot at him, will finally do him in. And his last words show that he left quite a legacy. There's a reason why he's always considered one of the most evil villains in an RPG, and that right there shows why.