There are many popular, awe-inspiring and widely recognized video game characters throughout history that are revered by many gamers for their distinctive qualities or memorability. Typically, horns can mean evil, devilish, animal or inhuman characters, but that’s not always the case, as game history shows.
In video games, horned characters span different species, moral spectrums, and personality types, from fierce fighters and villains to lovable game heroes and protagonists on the lighter side of the moral compass. Some characters even move into the gray area between good and evil, battling their darkness or being held in high regard despite their faults and vices.
10 Iron Bull – Dragon Age Inquisition
Iron Bull is one of the optional party members and romance opportunities for the Herald of Andraste in the famous RPG dragon age inquisition, who identifies with the horned Qunari race. Iron Bull himself has a distinctive pair of horns and an eye patch, but is perhaps best known by fans of the beloved franchise for his potentially jaw-dropping betrayal and loved for his outspoken personality despite hidden agendas.
Iron Bull also features in one of the game’s funniest romance scenes, in which the characters Cassandra, Cullen and Josephine accidentally witness his impassioned encounter with the Herald.
9 Devil Jin – Tekken
Devil Jin is the evil counterpart and diabolical form of Jin Kazama, one of the most recognizable fighters in the world. Tekken franchisee. Devil Jin first appeared in Tekken 3 cinematics and is a playable character in Tekken 7. In the games, players see Jin struggle to get rid of the devil gene and attempt to destroy the cursed family blood trait for good, turning him into a demonic creature that is difficult to control.
Devil Jin is a fierce and skilled character to play, with traditional devil-style horns and accompanying wings, and is a favorite character among many fans of the franchise.
8 Nightmare – Soul Calibur
Nightmare is the main villain of the Soul Calibur fighting game franchise and is arguably one of the series’ most recognizable and memorable characters, as he wields the oversized Soul Edge blade inlaid with a sinister eyeball, as well as his sinister, damaged arm. He is a fierce, tank-like fighter that deals heavy damage and usually wears a horned helmet as part of his blue armor.
A fan favorite, Nightmare is an evil character and the living embodiment of Soul Edge, always hungry for more power.
7 Shao Kahn – Mortal Kombat
Shao Kahn is the main antagonist in Mortal Kombat and the ruler of Outworld trying to destroy Earthrealm as a paragon of pure evil. He is often seen wearing a skull-like, horned helmet with pointed shoulder pads and a strappy thorax. He is also known for his sinister soul-sucking skills, similar to the evil character Shang Tsung.
Shao Kahn is a playable character in Mortal Kombat 11 where he swings a huge hammer to devastating effect and wears a particularly elongated horned helmet.
6 hellboy
Hellboy is a renowned character created by Mike Mignola and stands out with his trimmed horns. although several hellboy movies have been made since the comics, few video games have been made of the character, with Hellboy as a playable character in injustice 2 in 2017 and in Hellboy: The Science of Evil in 2008.
Despite the lack of games, there is a strong hellboy fanbase and sometimes players have tried to create their own versions of the character in popular games like Elden Ring.
5 diablo
One of the bosses in the ever popular diablo franchise and the main boss of Diablo 2the character Diablo is a horned demon-like creature with a pointy back and can be a difficult enemy to defeat with his many resistances to various types of attacks.
Fans of the franchise are eager for the release of Diablo 4 may be curious to know if he is likely to appear in the game and what other bosses are likely to appear in the upcoming release.
4 Loki
Loki is the ultimate villain turned hero who rose to fame in the MCU and has appeared in many of the Marvel games since then, including Lego Marvel Superheroes even Fortnite. As the famous God of Mischief, Loki tends to wear an imposing gold horned helmet when ready to go into battle and is known in the movies for his funny jokes with Thor and many acts of betrayal.
At Disney’s LokiTV series fans got to see a slew of Loki variants, including the infamous Alligator Loki.
3 Spyro
Spyro was first released in the late 90s on PlayStation and all three Spyro games were later remastered for modern consoles in the Spyro: Reignited Trilogy. Fans play as the beloved purple dragon hero with yellow horns who flies and spits fire as he sets out to save his kin in this 3D platformer.
The character Spyro is instantly recognizable and memorable to many players, and he is also fondly adored for his sassy, fiery demeanor, but some players may not be aware that he was originally going to turn green and go by the name of Pete.
2 Bowser – Super Mario
First appearing in Super Mario Bros in 1985, Bowser is the franchise’s beloved adversary and nemesis of Mario and Luigi as the boss of the Koopa clan. While his most-repeated strategy is to kidnap Princess Peach, he’s done some other pretty weird things in the games over the years.
He is a large, intimidating character with two horns on his head, a pointed shell and punkish accessories. He is also known for using a flying clown-faced propeller-driven car to attack, as in the 1990 boss fight. Super Mario World on SNES.
1 icon
Gamers who grew up in the 90s might remember the gem of a game called iconDeveloped by Japan Studio and Team Ico for PlayStation 2 in 2001. It is a game that explores the adventures of a young horned boy named Ico, who is shunned from his village and helps rescue the female character Yorda from a castle.
Despite being over 20 years old, icon is still loved today and is praised by many for its groundbreaking game design, and Ico’s horns stand out as a memorable feature and iconic image of the game.
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