Top Five Game Villains

[Sepharos]

After countless hours of research, I've finally decided the top five game villains.
They are Ganon from Zelda, Saturos from Golden Sun, Ridley from Metroid, and Kefka with Sephiroth from Final Fantasy.
Allow me to explain to you why I've selected these characters.

First off, they all actually did something that affects the main character!
Ridley, oh, he just killed every human Samus ever knew as well as her family.
Ganon is just there to interrupt Links plans to do something with his life.
Kefka, he only minipulated Terra and killed nearly everybody in existence.
Sephiroth, not only killed Aerith, but also Zack, Clouds only true friend, how touching.
Saturos "killed" alot of friends and family of the main characters in the beginning of the game!

Now we move into the other aspects of the best villain, and why those such as Bowser were not chosen.
Well, it is quite simple, and that is they didn't successfully take over something for a period of time.
Ridley took over planet after planet with his space pirate cohorts.
Ganon took over Hyrule for a period of seven years, the current record for world domination.
Kefka took over the entire planet for a period of some time rivalling Ganon.
Sephiroth, well, this is where he starts to lose points, since he wanted to DESTROY the planet.
Saturos never really did anything like this, so he fails here.

Let's take a look at their break forme appearance, and how the look in their finalle forme.
Ridley is a dragon for crying-out-loud! He becomes even bigger by absorbing phazon!
Saturos looks like a badace with his awesome blue hair and face, that's it though.
Sephiroth has a wing, sure it isn't useful, but it sure looks badace.
This is the funny part, and where Ganon falls off his mount completely.
Kefka took over the world, and became a god.
Ganon took over the world, and became a pig.
Nice comparison, don't you think? I sure do- it shows how the mighty have fallen.

Most villains are overused through-out their respective serie, not all though.
Sephiroth only appeared as the main villain of one FFVII game, and was actually good for a time.
Kefka was used only once, because nobody wants to fight an insane man like him ever again.
Ganon is waaay overused, however, and his family tree must be wierd with all men and no women.
Ridley, is overused and never actually dies, even when shot and blown up with missiles into lava.
This is why Ridley reminds me of Bowser, he never dies, but how he returns always makes sense.
Unlike Bowser, who simply shows up with assumingly new skin, Ridley always is upgraded or "fixed".
Saturos wasn't really overused, since he.. <_< .. >_> ..dies in the first game.
I think he's a bit confused and misunderstood like Sephiroth, in most aspects.
He only wishes to help his own family, friends, and town from death and doom.
I guess this is that idiom, "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions." at work here.

What about their main goals? Did they accomplish them or fall short?
Kefka turned into a god, and thus definitively accompished his goal of world domination.
Ganon took over Hyrule and reformed the Triforce! Wait! What's that?
Oh yeah! Since he stood a foot away from the Triforce in Windwaker, he failed!
Ridley, well, nobody is sure of his goals, but I don't think he's accomplished them yet; poor fella.
Then again, it's hard to accomplish anything when you are shrieking all the time.
Sephiroth destroyed ShinRa, which I suppose was as close as he could ever have come.
Saturos wanted to light all of the lighthouses, which occured without fail.
I guess this makes Saturos the most successful villain in history!

Finally, their downfall, because every villain is either killed or..killed.
Kefka was killed because-- Wait... His death doesn't make sense at all!
He was a god, and Square Enix didn't really explain how he could have died!
Ridley was killed by the X, as shown in Metroid Fusion; the Federation really is blind.
Ganon, is your favourite sport tenis? Seriousely! Stop vollying the magik and get a REAL attack.
Sephiroth, like Kefka, really had no meaning or reason to actually die.
Saturos, ironically, died to light the lighthouses, which were then lit by those who killed him.

Well, there you have it. That's why they are my top five and how they are also pretty foolish.

[Big Gay Cell]

Incorrect.  Best game villain equals GLaDOS.  ;) 

I actually wouldn't be suprised that Saturos is somehow still alive.  When he and Menardi fell into the Venus Lighthouse, it was only assumed that they died.  Nobody ever confirmed that they were dead.  They just seem like too much of a pain in the ass to have died that easilly.

[Zhs2]

I don't sense good times ahead for the "look-at-me" rant topic, but I'll let it live. For now.

In that regard (Read: I'm up at two in the morning and I'm bored,) my rebuttals:

Kefka, he only minipulated Terra

Sure, Kefka put the crown on her head. But who's not to say that it wasn't an order from Emperor Gestahl? After all, he's the one who raised the child for evil in the first place.

Saturos never really did anything like [take over something for a period of time]

He owned Felix's life for however many years, I forget how long. Does that count? :neutral:

Ganon is waaay overused, however, and his family tree must be wierd with all men and no women.

lol. There's only one Gerudo male in the whole tribe, and it always happens to be Ganondorf. The rest are all female...

Kefka was killed because-- Wait... His death doesn't make sense at all!
He was a god, and Square Enix didn't really explain how he could have died!

When you are a video game hero and your enemy is *, you will win. No buts.

Ridley was killed by the X, as shown in Metroid Fusion; the Federation really is blind.

Ahh, but the spirit lives on forever!

[Sepharos]

Ganon is waaay overused, however, and his family tree must be wierd with all men and no women.

Yeah, I really screwed that one up, but I meant it the other way around, ya know.

[Digital_Mantra]

I like game villains that aren't just inherently evil for the sake of yin's yang. I like substance to the character, so much so that the villain might actually become an ally, or at the very least come to grips with their own actions.

Which brings me to my favorite Villain of all time (in games).

Krelian (Xenogears)

discuss.

[Hacker347]

One i've always  liked as a villain is:

                                                     DR. EGGMAN  :lol: eggman

[squishy_ichigo]

Dr. Ivo Robotnik?  He's not very evil or anything.  I kinda feel bad for the guy.

[Hacker347]

yeah, on m2k2 someone made him say penis  :lol:

[Hiroshi Mishima]

*really hopes this is okay since there's not much going on in this section of the forum*

For me, Sephiroth was just plain weaksauce. Yes, he killed. He killed a lot of people, but that doesn't make him a "good villian". For me, a good villian has to have both a reason to hate him, and a reason to like him. Sephiroth inspired nothing but pure, unbridled hatred in me. I never once pitied him, I never once cared about him, and I never once thought he had any character. He displayed signs of "author involvement", changes his personality because it's convenient, and felt like he was lacking in the proper motivation.

He didn't kill Zack, it was a couple of Shinra grunts who killed him. He only killed Aeris because she went alone and unprotected to the city of the ancients (which really didn't make a whole lotta sense and felt like it contradicted her character as being intelligent). In his flashback, he's seen as normal and even big brotherly, but we only have Cloud's word for it that he was any of that, and Cloud's mental stability/reliability is questionable at the best of times. Sephiroth discovers one thing which technically shouldn't have made a bit of difference if he'd been truly sane to begin with. One's origins shouldn't mandate how one has to think, and up until he found out, it apparently had no affect whatsoever on his personality, so why the switch? Because it was a convenient time for him to become a villian. It'd be more believable to think that Hojo planted all that stuff there for him to find, and then flipped a little switch in Seph's brain from "Normal" to "Psychopath". His reasons for doing anything aren't even all that clear. He wants to bring back his mother? The one whose head he SEVERED from her corpse and then spreads around? Yeah that was really helping. As you said, he wanted to destroy the world, nothing more and nothing less. That simple, narrow-minded view of things just doesn't make a good villian, he was too black and white. Oh, and talking. Sephiroth says like what... variations on about 3 things? "I'm going to kill you." "I will destroy this world." and "I am a god."


Gannondorf... Gannondorf is an interesting villian, one who I think doesn't get used to the best of his abilities. I also think he's suffered from too much continuity drift, as have many of the characters in the Zelda universe, which itself suffers from chaotic continuity as there is no real clear timeline. I believe Miyamoto actually said once that Zelda had no true timeline and that a lot of it is simply left to the player to decide, except that if there was a beginning, it was Ocarina of Time, which itself feels like a continuity error insofar as Link to the Past was concerned.

But no, I truly believe that Gannondorf, or Ganon as he was simply called originally (and I miss Pig Wizard Ganon..) could have been a better villian. Now it feels more like he's just tacked on for the sake of having all three characters in each game. The other problem with Ganon/Gannondorf is that he never truly had all that grand a motive. "Steal the Triforce, take over Hyrule". That's it? Just Hyrule? What about the world, or the galaxy, I mean gods, the thing sounds like it could do just about anything really. Which is why I DO give him points for trying to establish a deeper character, it just feels like a different Ganon than what he started out as, as a result. However, what I really like about Ganon/Gannondorf is that he is LIKEABLE. He's got an interesting personality, he's got Charisma and charm. But he's also evil, and is definitely someone you would not want to mess with (unless you were Link or something).


Kefka.. gods I'd have to say out of all the Final Fantasy villians, he's the best. He easilly has more charm and appeal than Gannondorf, and he's a whole lot crueller and more evil than Sephiroth. The man is a true villian, through and through. What I mean by that is he's polite enough to tell you his plans, maybe even sit down and have tea with you, but vile enough to then cut your throat and toss you in a river. And you actually see his character change and evolve over the course of the game's storyline. He starts out as some general with a flare for the dramatic, and slowly changes into this insideous monster... attacking his emperor and pushing his STILL LIVING body off the edge of a floating island. He fried an entire town of innocent people because it amused him. He didn't wanna destroy the world, he wanted to be a GOD who lorded over everyone, deciding who lived and died, he wanted to be worshipped... he had so many layers. Plus he was amusing at times.


Ridley... I can understand claiming that Ridley is an awesome character and I suppose a good villian because LIKE a good vilian he never stays down/never says die... but I'm not really sure how you can see him in the same light as other villians. He's certainly not a MAIN villian who's at the core of an important storyline, except maybe Super Metroid. Even in Prime 1 and 3 he seemed more a supporting villian/miniboss (not unlike Gilgamesh who I'll get to in a bit). Most of Ridley's character, personality, etc seems to be in the many comics, stories, etc, that people create for him. Which while sometimes good, many times awful, has no real say on the actual character. I could tell you that Kraid is my favourite Metroid villian (with Ridley shortly behind) solely because I LOVED his fight in Super Metroid, but that doesn't make him a good "villian" per say, just a good boss. And that's all Ridley's ever been in Metroid, another boss. His only truly shining moment was when he attacked Ceres, killed everyone and stole the hatchling before setting it to self destruct taking anyone left alive with it. And since all the "storyline" related stuff with Samus and him seemed to come AFTER Gunpei had officially ended the series, insofar as I'm concerned it's just Nintendo feeding the fanon.


Saturos I can't really comment on. Golden Sun gave me a headache on the GBA because the text was too fuzzy, although I do have it and someday would like to actually play more than an hour of it.


I suppose my 5 villians (if we're only counting villians and not bosses) would probably have to be:

(in no order)
Dr. Robotnik (I dislike the name Eggman)
Bowser (or King Koopa)
Ganon/Gannondorf
Dr. Wily
Kefka

Kefka and Ganon/Gannondorf I covered already.

Dr. Robotnik... in a way, he and Bowser share a lot in common for me, perhaps because they're both the iconic counterparts to two very well known characters/heroes. To be true, much like Ganon, they started out fairly simple as far as villians went (and to an extent, Dr. Wily as well). According to official canon which was available back when the game first came out, Dr Robotnik and Sonic used to be friends, until accident led to their bitter rivalry. That right there is rather cliched, but it isn't exactly a BAD source for a villian (Superman and Lex Luthor, anyone). And besides, since then his character has evolved in a progress way that isn't the same as Gannondorf's character drift. Robotnik wants own empire, plain and simple that is the core of it. Whether it's Robotropolis, taking over the world, or whatever else his heart desires. He yearns for something great, a legacy all his own. But like any GOOD villian, he knows that you don't destroy the world you want to control (and let's be fair, as cliche as taking over the world is, destroying it for the sake of destroying it is pretty pathetic). He's developed charm and appeal over the years as his character as expanded and become more pronounced, it's even been stated that he's something of a romantic. He does evil things, enslaves creatures, takes control of cities... hell he once conquered the whole of the Future in one of the games, now that says something about determination. He also doesn't let failure stop him, no matter how humiliating or devastating, and he isn't too proud that he won't set aside his differences with a rival if the bigger picture calls for it.


Bowser, in many respects, is like Ganon and Robotnik in that he started out shallow, and grew to be deeper and more meaningful. Even if, at the end of it all, he just wants to get a kiss from Princess Toadstool (I know Peach was her name all along, but I still like the old name) or maybe her kingdom, I suppose it depends on his mood. He's got flare, he's got humility, and he's got sheer determination. He's not as cruel as some villians, but when taken in a certain light it wouldn't be too hard to imagine Bowser and the Devil of the Mushroom Kingdom. Don't forget the Devil wasn't always evil, either, so it isn't surprising that Bowser is not always cruel, and he's not always kind. As I said, he's a guy who knows what he wants, and when he sets his eyes on something, he goes for it, whether or not he succeeds... I think Bowser has real charm, and he's got lasting appeal. He's not the evilest villian out there *coughKefkacough* but insofar as villians go, he's both dislikeable yet memorable. And in the end, being remembered is important for a villian (but it isn't the only important factor).


Dr. Wily... now this guy while starting out tame, is a real villian. He's not above killing, he's not above humiliating, and he's not above pulling the "I've reformed!" excuse. He's got balls of steel, pure personality, and he's willing to go to just about any length to achieve his goal. The fact that he constantly loses isn't the point, it's that he never gives in, even when he's been locked up! If you look at the various incarnations of Dr Wily in Classic Megaman, his one or two appearences in Megaman X, and even his reimagining in the Battle Network/Rockman.EXE series... you see a lotta things about him. He has passion and motivation. He sees Dr. Light as both an enemy, and a rival.. a nemesis he calls him in Megaman X4. "Our rivalry is what gives me motivation in life," he says to Zero in the opening. And he was also responsible for, whether he intended it or not, one of the greatest characters in the Megaman X series. Hell, he worked with Dr. Light to make Protoman, which is another great character and fan favourite of many (myself included).


Now for a couple of honourable mentions for charcters who are technically villians, but not really enough to BE villians. Especially when you view them in the full light.

Gilgamesh - He was awesome. He compliments you when you fight him, he's genuinely impressed with you and even likes you. He's a villian and he does bad stuff, but that's just the way he ended up being. Hell, even after his failures got him cast into another dimension, he came back to help you. He's a badass through and through, and while he's not very deep, per say, he's got charm and a personality that's appealing and memorable.

Dracula - Over the many Castlevania games, this guy's gotten one hell of a hard time. Brought back by people, resurrecting himself, at odds with his own son, even being reincarnated as a Human. He's evil, he delights in killing, but he's got a softer, gentler side. He genuinely loved Alucard's mother and grieved deeply for her. There are times when I really feel sorry for him, while there are other times where I can't wait to drive a stake through his heart.

The Bonnes - While this is technically a GROUP of villians (siblings) they're closer to Anti-heroes as they're never the main villian and often end up helping Megaman Volnut/Trigger by the end of the games they were in. They were even the main characters of the prequal. But not unlike Team Rocket, they're bad guys no matter how much you like them. However, I don't really consider them bad guys on purpose, but more of bad guys by accident and by circumstance.

Siekfreid/Zeigfried (can't recall the spelling) - In Wild Arms 1, this guy was the big bad. He was in charge, he knew what he was after, and by gods he tried his hardest to accomplish that. He went so far as to aide the heroes (secretly) in destroying his own mother (the mother of all the demons) once he learned she she simply wanted to devour the world and not conquer it as they'd been led to believe. Sadly, his mother's remains managed to get him in the end, taking over his mind and body. But he did fight back during the final battle, ready to drag her to hell with him. I think he came back in a later Wild Arms game... the third one I believe, or maybe it was Wild Arms 4...


Oh, and one last thing:

Kefka's power came from all the Magecite he collected, and the statues of the Goddesses. In the Final Dungeon, you systematically destroy the statues one by one, and most players will have amassed many of their own Magecite crystals and gotten the characters some powerful spells. Once you face Kefka in the end, with the power of magic on your side, your characters are practically demi-gods themselves. Don't forget what happened AFTER he was killed, during the credits. Hint, a similar thing happened in Secret of Mana.

Sephiroth belived himself a god because he'd gained access to Jenova, got aide from Hojo, and probably had a fair ammount of Materia on his side. Not unlike Kefka, however, Cloud and the others no doubt posessed a great ammount of the magical artifacts themselves (which was commented on in Advent Children, whether you count it as canon or not; I don't). I believe that it wasn't even truly Sephiroth you were fighting, but an extension of himself created by his manipulation of Jenova's body/powers/cells. When you fight him one-on-on as Cloud afterwards, you see quite clearly it's just a man vs a man.

Like a lot of RPGs... even if you go up against gods, by the time you get to them, are not your own characters similar to gods themselves? It's not always true, but it makes a hell of a lot of sense. In some cases, during the final battles, the character practically DO become gods. Go watch the final fights of Rogue Galaxy for proof of that, he practically goes Super Saiya-jin.