We often like to side with the hero of a story instead of the villain. We didn’t really want the Big Bad Wolf to blow the pigs’ houses down, did we? The issue, though, is that some video game antagonists are just dripping with personality and charisma, like pantomime villains. We don’t have to agree with them or condone their evil deeds to appreciate what fascinating characters they are. So much so, in some cases, that they become more iconic than the hero(es) themselves.
There are some important caveats here. Firstly, of course, it’s quite a subjective subject all around, and in some games, you actually play as the bad guy. Nonetheless, these are the villains that some fans would consider more legendary than the heroes.
What’s That Weapon?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)
7
Sephiroth
Final Fantasy 7
Final Fantasy 7 is among the most influential JRPGs ever released. Each member of the party, from the tragic Aerith to the enigmatic Red XIII and Cloud Strife himself, is instantly recognizable as a result. The original game got not only an extensive three-part remake series that’s still underway, but a sub-series with titles including Dirge of Cerberus and Crisis Core. I’d argue, however, that no character within the expanded Final Fantasy 7 universe is as iconic as Sephiroth.
His dark and tragic past, his legendary strength, and his silvery mane are all just parts of what makes the character. Villains who are pure malevolence just for the sake of it, while formidable, are just too one-dimensional for my taste, and I like the way that the original game drip-fed certain details about him, giving us certain windows into his past. I was fascinated by this character, and particularly enjoyed the flashback scene and the optional little recordings from Professor Gast that the player could watch in that house in Icicle Inn. We get only a complicated, mixed picture, because we don’t know the truth about Cloud and his own history for much of the game, but there are layers upon layers to Sephiroth’s villainy and what drove him to it.
A mighty magic and blade wielder, he also just has an absolute evil aura that he can tap into. That cutscene in the original game where he walks through the flames during his destruction of Nibelheim still gives me chills. Cloud just can’t compete with that.
6
Dracula
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
Dracula, of course, is one of gaming’s most recurring villains, having haunted the heroes of the Castlevania series for decades on end. Naturally, his arch-enemies, the Belmont family, are icons themselves, but there’s one particular series entry in which Dracula absolutely outshines the protagonist for me: 2001 Game Boy Advance title Castlevania: Circle of the Moon.
The game opens with yet another assault on Dracula’s castle, this time led by vampire hunter Morris Baldwin. Accompanying him are his son Hugh Baldwin and Nathan Graves, two apprentices. Dracula is unimpressed by the latter two young men, dismissing them as mere children and casting them down into the catacombs of the castle, where the player takes the role of Nathan. There’s a lot of angst from Hugh throughout the game, surrounding the fact that Nathan is the chosen whip-wielder, but Nathan’s ultimately quite forgettable. He does have the occasional nice one-liner (“You despicable blight” is quite Shakespearian), but otherwise, Dracula utterly steals the show here.
My favorite aspect of this game is the DSS system, through which the player collects cards to combine for different effects (serving as the title’s ability system). Outside of the mechanics, though, it’s Dracula’s sass and his final form at the very end that I appreciate the most every playthrough. He’s about four times the size of Nathan, with an odd sort of gigantic tail that splits into toothy mouths, the classic horror stomach-mouth, and the ability to rain down lasers, comets, and some kind of corrosive gas. He makes an impression, to put it lightly.
5
Micolash: Host of the Nightmare
Bloodborne
The Soulsborne games are well known for avoiding set protagonists. We play as the Tarnished in Elden Ring, the Ashen One in Dark Souls 3, and the Hunter in Bloodborne. This allows the player a lot of customization options for their avatar, but aside from an image on the box art and promotional materials, there isn’t really a set image of them. It’s the other characters, the beloved NPCs and some of the most formidable bosses and scariest monsters, who become icons.
Bloodborne‘s Micolash, Host of the Nightmare certainly doesn’t look like the scariest of bosses, but if you’ve ever been caught by his AoE spell A Call Beyond in that tiny room and one-shotted (which I have about thirty times in all my re-runs of Bloodborne), you’ll know not to underestimate this sorcerer. Being rage-inducing is just one iconic aspect of his design, though. There’s also his famous Mensis Cage (which you unlock on defeating him and is one of the most absurd fashionborne items of all), the deeply irritating chase sequence integrated into the boss battle, and his haunting, rambling dialogue. I’ve always appreciated the way that the series balances its typical challenging boss battles against hulking beasts with something sillier like this, and Micolash is still my favorite example.
That’s not to say that he’s just a strange encounter for the sake of it, though. He’s also of huge importance to the game’s lore, with his School of Mensis reaching out to the Great One, Mergo, and thus leading to the creation of the Nightmare of Mensis. In short, he’s responsible for a lot of the bizarre and terrifying things the Hunter witnesses in the latter part of the game.
4
Gruntilda Winkybunion
Banjo-Kazooie Series
Now, there’s no denying that Banjo and Kazooie are huge icons in their own right. I was there watching every Super Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC character reveal, and the bear and bird’s announcement was one of the most impactful. For me personally, though, the most hilarious witch in gaming, Gruntilda Winkybunion, is a bigger deal than her arch nemeses. I just can’t resist villains with an enormous amount of personality who are as silly as they are evil (Dr. Neo Cortex of the Crash Bandicoot series being another example).
She’s a witch cliche through and through, from her green skin to her malevolent cackle, broomstick, and cauldron, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t a legendary original creation. She’s a thorn in our heroes’ side throughout the whole series, and vice versa, sparking the duo’s original adventure in the first place through her kidnap of Banjo’s sister, Tooty (she was declared the fairest of them all and Gruntilda couldn’t handle it). In the first game, she pestered the pair throughout, mocked them as they attempted to collect enough musical notes to access her tower, and delivered some fantastic rhyming lines such as “now I will erase your Game Pak, because you had the need to hack!” This particular example, resulting from overzealous use of cheat codes, shows how cleverly she was implemented in the game.
Trapped underground on her defeat in the first title, she returns in the second in a skeletal form, only for her lifeforce-sapping machine to be destroyed leaving her nothing more than a still-wisecracking skull. She also sought to defeat the intrepid duo in Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts and the Game Boy Advance release Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty’s Revenge. She had precious little luck in either, but I just can’t help rooting for this hilarious hag.
3
Giovanni
Pokemon Series
Team Rocket is infamous in the Pokemon series, from the antics of Jessie, James, and Meowth in the anime to the endless battles against grunts in the games. Heading up the operation, of course, is the enigmatic Giovanni, who was originally the Gym Leader of Viridian City. Legitimate training limits your time for dastardly deeds, however, so Blue would take that job while Giovanni went on to grander schemes as Rocket’s leader.
How to Find Team Rocket Secret Hideout in Pokopia
Pokopia has plenty of secrets just waiting to be found by curious players. Here’s where to find the Team Rocket secret hideout.
Red and Blue reappear later in the games as formidable Trainers themselves, but it’s another case where they just don’t come close to the personality (and menacing aura) of Giovanni. Like a lot of older franchise fans, I was delighted by the Episode RR postgame content for Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, in which Team Rainbow Rocket attempts to gain control of the Aether Foundation, and so the Ultra Beasts. Yes, it felt like fanservice for the old guard, but it reminded fans of the Pokemon universe that Giovanni can still be relevant after all these years. He’s quite the powerhouse too, defending himself with alternative universe Admin including Ghetsis and Lysandre. Heading up a cast of other villains, you could even consider him the Dracula of the Pokemon series.
2
Pyramid Head
Silent Hill 2
Pyramid Head is often misunderstood. There’s no doubt that this being is one of the most iconic and horrifying in all of survival horror, but in true Silent Hill fashion, there’s something much deeper and more disturbing at work here than just a physical monster chasing its victims. First seen in the phenomenal Silent Hill 2, it haunts James Sunderland’s movements from that first appearance in the apartments, a shocking sight that, as intended, leaves the player uneasy immediately. Questions such as what is it, what does it want, and what will do began swirling in my mind, and I’ll never forget my first encounter with the entity professionally known as Red Pyramid Thing.
It’s not, perhaps, a villain in the more conventional sense. It represents something that Sunderland can’t run away from, and which may destroy him if he doesn’t face it: his responsibility for the death of his wife, Mary. Its design evokes the executioners of the town’s past, and the themes of regret and past trauma are all tied up in this being, as well as the other characters Sunderland meets in the town. With its foreboding appearance, brutal attacks, and monstrous weaponry, Pyramid Head always brings Resident Evil 5‘s Executioner Majini to mind for me. Silent Hill‘s villain, however, is more mysterious, more psychological, and much more frightening as a result.
For those who aren’t series fans, the character of James Sunderland would be difficult to pick out of a line up. Pyramid Head, however, is absolutely unmistakable, a unique and deeply disconcerting design that has made several ghastly appearances elsewhere in the series and the movies.
1
Handsome Jack
Borderlands 2
As a big fan of the Borderlands series, I’ve had mixed feelings about Handsome Jack. I’m one of those who really resonates with the games’ sense of humor, and I thought his first Borderlands 2 communications (Butt Stallion the pony and all) were hilarious as I settled into this foreboding, snow-covered world. He’s quite the sarcastic joker, but he’s also purely malevolent at times, and the pleasure he takes at the carnage he creates makes him all the more terrifying. There isn’t a hint of remorse about Jack in the second game, right to his defiant, ranting end.
He is, however, a rather more multi-faceted villain than many. He gets the benefit of a critical role in the story of Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, in which we learn of his ambitions for the Vault on the moon of Elpis and the conflict with the Lost Legion in order to acquire it. This Jack is quite ruthless, but he does not become the villainous Handsome Jack until the game’s conclusion, with his betrayal at the hands of a separate group of Vault Hunters (primarily Lilith) who prevent him from acquiring the Eye of Helios. This is the event, as we begin to see at the end of the game, that leads him to wrest control of Hyperion from its former CEO. He would then use it to terrorize the Vault Hunters of Borderlands 2.
I think Handsome Jack is a perfect “love to hate” kind of character. It’s clear that his voice actor Dameon Clarke is having a blast playing him, and he’s so full of energy and personality. I found it tragically fascinating watching the Pre-Sequel‘s plot evolve, knowing where the character was going, and it gave him a depth beyond his malevolence and wise-cracking. The playable Vault Hunters, meanwhile, were largely just interchangable voice-lines in terms of the overall plot. Even if Lady Aurelia Hammerlocke, with her Cryo-sniping playstyle, is my favorite Vault Hunter in series history.
