Even before Bowser’s iconic 1985 debut Super Mario Bros.great villains have played a huge part in the ever-growing success of the video game medium. Numerous titles center around their protagonists’ struggle against the forces of evil, and as a result, their antagonists are among the most memorable characters in gaming history.
While cruelty isn’t necessarily a trait of every villain, it certainly goes a long way in identifying the danger they pose. Because of this, there are a handful of video game characters whose gruesome actions have left an indelible impression on fans that will not soon be forgotten.
10 Pyramid Head Butchers Multiple beloved characters
Silent Hill Series
as the Silent Hill As the series has slowly grown into a massive multimedia franchise, one thing has remained the same: its close connection to iconic villain Pyramid Head. Introduced in Silent Hill 2Pyramid Head is originally presented as a manifestation of the main character’s guilt, only to morph in later franchise installments into a character more akin to horror characters like Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger.
Most of what makes Pyramid Head so terrifying is its unsettling design and erratic movement, but its penchant for violence can’t be underestimated either. The monster kills several people directly in front of the player, many of whom are close friends/allies with the playable character.
9 Shao Kahn revels in deadly battle
Mortal Kombat
To be fair, the majority of the Mortal Kombat selection can be labeled as incredibly brutal thanks to their affinity for grotesque, over-the-top violence. However, even by their standards, the primary antagonist for several episodes of the series, Shao Kahn operates in a league of its own.
As ruler of the Outer World, Shao Kahn rules arguably the toughest and most ruthless empire in the Mortal Kombat universe. Unsurprisingly, Kahn took this position by force, and given his propensity for brutal executions, he almost certainly loved the conflict it brought.
8 Sephiroth enjoys causing emotional pain in the cloud
Final Fantasy VII
Before discovering the nature of his birth, Sephiroth was the pride of the Shinra Electric Power Company’s SOLDIER program. However, after learning that it was created during the group’s efforts to create the ultimate biological weapon, the super soldier went mad and descended into a spiral that eventually gave him the desire to destroy the world.
In particular, Sephiroth clearly expresses pleasure in tormenting Final Fantasy VIImain character, Cloud Strife. The villain’s brutal murder of Cloud’s ally, Aerith, is as surprising as any in video game history, and sadly joins a long line of atrocities committed by this silver-haired antagonist.
7 Ganondorf repeatedly teases the land of Hyrule
The Legend Of Zelda Series
Every great video game hero should have an equally compelling antagonist, and nowhere is this more evident than Link’s battle against the Prince of Darkness, Ganondorf. Ganondorf appears in most The Legend of Zelda games, plagues the land of Hyrule with its quest for absolute domination.
As the embodiment of the demon king’s hatred for the world, this villain has lost countless lives in pursuit of the Triforce, many of whom were his own loyal minions. His ability to deceive and destroy not only makes him one of the most memorable characters in the Zelda series, but also throughout gaming history.
6 Cook-Cook’s mistakes are unspeakably heinous
Fallout: New Vegas
The radioactive wasteland of precipitation have not been kind to any of its inhabitants. Deformed mutants, idealistic factions, and terrifyingly evil humans are scattered throughout every game in the franchise. That said, none compare to the horrors inflicted by Cook-Cook, the murderous chef who roams Fallout: New Vegas.
Cook-Cook has been confirmed to have killed several hapless travelers, but these crimes are just the beginning of the atrocities he committed. The pyromaniac burned countless others to varying degrees, sometimes deadly, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg to this horrific wasteland.
5 The Joker and Batman are polar opposites
Batman: Arkham Series
As surely as light creates shadow, Batman’s actions will no doubt be offset by the efforts of his nemesis, The Joker. These two are almost inseparable, especially in the first two parts of the Batman: Arkham series.
As the Joker becomes the inverse of Bruce Wayne, he regularly sows discord and strife in Gotham City. His obsession with the Caped Crusader forces him to hurt Batman as much as possible, resulting in an incredibly vicious villain with an infinite desire for revenge.
4 Mesteter wants to contaminate everything in the intervening countries
Elden Ring
With a name like the disgusting fattener, Elden RingTarnished’s most morally reprehensible was destined to become one of FromSoftware’s most vicious villains ever. After players find the Dung Eater trapped in the sewers below Leyndell, it quickly becomes apparent that the character has gone mad from his compulsion to inflict pain and suffering.
This serial killer is known for “defiling” his corpses, a term that thankfully remains undefined. Ultimately, he strives to imbue the Elden Ring with his breeding ground curse, transforming the Lands Between into a realm of cursed Omens.
3 Molag Bal’s sphere of influence is slavery and domination
The Elder Scrolls
The Elder Scrolls franchise has thrown many different enemies at its players, but none were as bad as the primary antagonist of The Elder Scrolls Online, Molag Bal. One of the 17 Daedric princes, Bal serves as the patron god of slavery, vampirism and domination.
Daedric princes are inseparable from the domains they rule, so Molag Bal’s relationship to strife and suffering is an integral part of his being. His repeated attempts to see the totality of The Elder Scrolls‘ mortal creatures speak to his overwhelmingly evil nature, making him the franchise’s most vicious adversary.
2 Diablo rules the burning hell with an iron fist
Diablo Series
It’s hard to be worse than the king of hell himself. Diablo, the titular antagonist of the diablo series, rules the Burning Hells with his six other siblings, the Great Evils. However, Diablo is the dominant power of the seven and holds the title “Ruler of Hell” over all other demons.
Each of the Great Evils is unimaginably evil, but of all these, Diablo clearly expresses the greatest pleasure in demanding suffering. While many of his brethren enjoy the destruction or conquest that comes with their work, the Ruler of Hell enjoys the literal terror he invokes. This evil mentality, coupled with his position in the game’s Underworld, makes him the cream of the crop when it comes to video game villains.
1 Lionel Starkweather derives a sick pleasure from the snuff films he commissions
manhunt
Rockstar Games has a reputation for hyperbolizing its characters to capture the absurdity of American life. But Lionel Starkweather, the main antagonist of Rockstar’s incredibly controversial title, manhunt, easily takes the crown as their cruelest of all time. Starkweather takes a sick, perverse pleasure from the snuff movies he directs throughout the game to such an extent that it often offers the few bits of comedy this title has to offer.
While the actions Starkweather makes the player commit are horribly shocking, what’s worse is his manipulation of the main character, James Earl Cash. He guarantees Cash freedom and the chance to save his family, but withdraws both offers without remorse. Lionel Starkweather demonstrates the depths of human depravity. Considering the number of snuff movies he’s likely directed, he’s arguably the biggest abomination in the Rockstar universe.
0 Comments