Significant amounts of video game play have led to this short list of the top ten villains in video games. In Part 1 of this article series Porky Minch (Earthbound), Andrew Ryan (Bioshock), Nemesis (Resident Evil), Jubileus (Bayonetta), and Magus (Chrono Trigger) all made the list either because they are classics that are without a doubt some of the best characters, or just extremely awesome in their fighting techniques. Polls to vote on battle pairings between heroes and villains will be posted on the Toonari Post Facebook page every week, so don’t miss your chance to have your comments and opinions in an article! You can also comment on this article to leave your vote.

Kefka Palazzo (Final Fantasy VI)

Kefka Palazzo is the main antagonist in Final Fantasy VI, whose appearance is that of an outlandish clown. He first works as a General for Emperor Gestahl, and was the first human to be infused with “Magetik” which granted him the ability to use magic but drove him completely insane. He brainwashes Terra (one of the main protagonists), he poisons the water by the Castle Doma (thus killing pretty much everyone in the Castle), and then becomes god-like enough to wipe out any who refuse to worship him.

He eventually becomes powerful enough to destroy the world. Kefka is a humorous villain, which is seen in his first appearance where he makes the men dust the sand off his feet when they are in the desert, not to mention his random dialogue such as “son of a submariner.” However, Kefka is revealed to be much more complex at the end of the game when it is suggested that Kefka wants to destroy everything because everything in life is passing. The player also gets the feeling that he has never had love, hopes, or dream.

GLaDOS (Portal series)

GLaDOS, short for Genetic Life-form and Disk Operating System, is not human; she is in fact an extremely advanced computer with complete control of the Aperture Science Facility. She is first believed to be just a guide for the player, Chell, but later shows her true colors when she attempts to kill the player. She is very manipulative, constantly coming up with excuses for the player not to attempt to kill her or to escape. She is also good at coming up with witty insults against the player (especially in Portal 2), often commenting about how the player is evil, fat, and adopted.

In both games her main goal is to kill the player; that is, until Aperture is taken over by Wheatley. Then her goal becomes taking over Aperture again and destroying Wheatley. She even agrees to work with the player in Portal 2, but this doesn’t, by any means, make her any less of a villain. Once she regains control she quickly moves on to more human testing which will most likely end in many casualties. Overall, this is one video game villain where players will enjoy the villain’s insults and may regret killing her.

Ganondorf (Legend of Zelda series)

The King of the Gerudo, wielder the Triforce of Power, and an accomplished sorcerer and swordsmen; Ganondorf  – or Ganon in his ‘demon form’ – is another villain everyone probably fought against during their childhood. However, unlike most villains from childhood games, Ganondorf is never silly or lighthearted; if anything, he is rather terrifying. Unlike many video game villains who make their presence known immediately, Ganondorf prefers to work from the shadows, often manipulating other villains or even the heroes to do his bidding.

The majority of the time the player is not even aware if Ganondorf is present in the game until very late into the game. His appearance does vary in the different games and even sometimes over the course of the same game. He seems to have two specifically different forms ,one humanoid and one bestial, usually looking a bit like a large boar and known as Ganon. Overall, this is a villain players anxiously wait to see!

Bowser (Mario series)

The fire-breathing Koopa King and generally the main villain of the Mario video games series, Bowser is most likely the first video game boss most players ever fought against. In simply kidnapping Princess Peach and taking over the Mushroom Kingdom, Bowser’s motivations normally are for domination or to lure Mario into a trap. However, in the Super Mario Galaxy series, his plans get even more grandiose when he plans to recreate the universe and dominate it.

He takes a much different turn in the Mario RPGs, such as the Paper Mario series, and the Mario and Luigi series. In these games he is not the primary antagonist and even acts as a playable character or main character and is seen as more humorous. Often seen in these games as a buffoonish bully who has a softer side, Bowser is a playful villain everyone will enjoying fighting against or fighting as.

Dormin (Shadow of the Colossus)

A disembodied entity promises the player, Wander, that he can bring back a girl named Mono from the dead if he takes down sixteen colossuses. The colossuses are large majestic creatures, the majority of them being basically harmless, which causes the player wonder whether it is right to slay these creatures. Once the player has taken down all the colossuses, Dormin then proceeds to possess the player, which causes a platoon of soldiers that was trying to prevent the death of the colossuses to shoot the player with arrows and be stabbed through the chest.

The entire time the player never sees Mono awaken, making everything the player achieved in the game look as if it was for nothing. Only after the player is destroyed does the player see that Dormin actually kept his promise and Mono is brought back to life. Even though Wander doesn’t fight Dormin in a boss battle, it doesn’t negate the fact that he manipulates all the events that occur in Shadow of the Colossus.

Now that you have a taste of the top ten villains, go vote in the polls on our Facebook page or comment at the bottom of this article. The villain pairings are: Andrew Ryan v GlaDOS, Kefka v Ganondorf, Magus v Dormin, Nemesis v Jubileus, and Bowser v Porky. Don’t miss your chance to contribute!

Jordan Fisher contributed significantly to the writing and research of this article.

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About the author

Alexa Robinson
I am a student at Florida Atlantic University in Jupiter, FL studying Philosophy and History. I am also a foil fencer and am interested in politics, cinema, music, books, and environmental issues. Reporting from St. Petersburg, Florida.

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