31-Day Mage Challenge: Day Twenty-One – “Favorite Video Game Antagonist”
5 min read
Yesterday was a day for the good guys, the warriors of light, the champions of justice. Today, we’re taking a walk on the wild side and exploring our favorite villainous bad guys. These are the evil emperors, kings, wizards, dragons, and mad scientists that we love to hate (scratch that, reverse it). So then…
“Who is your Favorite Video Game Antagonist?“
The Timely Mage
My favorite antagonist would probably be Gabranth from FFXII. While I typically like antagonists who are driven more by logic than emotion with an understandable, almost sympathetic goal (e.g. Luc from Suikoden III, Caius from FFXIII-2, Big Boss from MGS, Gaius from Tales of Xillia), Noah fon Ronsenburg’s well-written exchanges and amazing character design won me over. He may be more emotional than I tend to gravitate to but I can still sympathize with his plight and I can appreciate some of his qualities like his respect for honor and family.
The Black Humor Mage
I just finished this game recently, and yet my favorite antagonist has to be Shadar from Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch. He believes there’s no good in the world, and wants to void everyone’s lives to self-fulfill his own perception of the world. When you learn of his backstory, it’s pretty awful what he went through to make him that way. The White Witch from the same game was a really close second. She has a similar backstory and perception of the world. Her own story was as engrossing as Shadar’s, but the buildup wasn’t quite as impactful as Shadar’s. Although I do like her boss battle and design more than Shadar’s, learning of Shadar’s story has more of a connection to the protagonist and feels like a very personal ending.
The Rage Mage
It’s a tie! Wario and Waluigi. Probably the cheapest evil clones ever. Just throw “wah” before someone’s name in the Mario universe and suddenly they’re pure, flatulent evil? What’s next… Wapeach? Watoad? Wabowser? Warosalina? Wayoshi? Washigeru Wamiyamoto? …Zero Suit Wario?
The Green Screen Mage
This is also a toughy. There are so many villains that you love to hate and hate to love out there. There is one that has always sat near and dear to my heart. Mostly because of a silly voice I gave him when my brother and I played through this game, but also because he was a surprise villain. Who am I talking about? Dimentio from Super Paper Mario.
My first time going through this game, my brother, the Bluebonic Mage, was playing and I was giving voices to all of the characters. It was stupidly hilarious. For Dimentio, he had the voice of Juandissimo from The Fairly Odd Parents. When he fought you, he would take you into his own Dimension D, which I would change into Dimension S. “The S stands for Sexy! Which I am!” … It was funny at the time.
Another reason I have taken to him is because my brother had been making fun of me for always loving the main villains in games and movies and such at the time. He was impressed Dimentio was my favorite and I got to be like “Ha, Ha! I don’t only like main bad guys!” … And then we beat the game. SURPRISE!! He was the main villain all along. I got teased for that.
I love his powers, his way of talking, that ridiculous outfit. He just makes such a good Mario villain. The nostalgic feelings are only a part of why I love him so much. Ciao!
The White Out Mage
King Dedede is just great because he’s cute and he’s clumsy and he’s not all that intimidating. Though he can be hard to defeat at times, he is very lovable. I mean, c’mon, he’s chubby, he’s round, he’s got those big blue eyes and when he runs at you he falls on his face. Super cute! He was just trying to do the right thing in Kirby’s Adventure.
The Well-Red Mage
I considered both Bowser, Sephiroth, and Psycho Mantis for my top choice, but ultimately I had to give it to Kefka Palazzo of Final Fantasy VI. And no, it’s not just because he’s the antagonist of my favorite Final Fantasy game.
That iconic laugh, his ridiculous and quotable dialogue (“Son of a Submariner!”), his flashy apparel, his theme and final battle music “Dancing mad”, his twisted deeds that repulse even his own allies in disgust, his total disregard for all authority and life… Kefka is the perfect villain. He is what would happen if DC Comics and Final Fantasy collided: The Joker gains omnipotence (see Emperor Joker). Kefka also accomplished what barely any other villains ever have. He destroyed the world. Killed millions. Forever changed the face of the planet. He murdered his own boss, the pseudo-antagonist Emperor Gestahl.
Kefka never was a good man. At least no shred of humanity remains in him. He was the first test subject for experiments with magic-technology and the primitive processes warped his mind into a psychopathic general serving under the Emperor. He eventually develops a seriously dangerous god-complex.
His motivations also place him on a pedestal high above other villains. He doesn’t want money or fame or power. He doesn’t even crave chaos. He desires nihilism. He wants non-existence for everything. And he has the power to back it up making him the most capable, the most brutal, and the vilest villain in the Final Fantasy franchise. Further, he isn’t some sissy sympathetic villain. There’s no understanding with him or empathizing with him. Neither is he possessed or being controlled. He’s just an insane and wretched man. He’s pure, twisted, cruel, irredeemable evil. The perfect force to stand against the heroes of FFVI. Besides, who isn’t terrified by evil clowns?
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Rage mage is, as usual, a massive idiot.
Bowser is already a bad guy (always kidnaps Peach, has many kids, but no Miss Bowser, #JusSayin!) So that’s stupid.
As to WaYoshi *Shakes Head Sadly* you haven’t let Lord C down, you’ve let yourself down, which is worse when you think about it….
What you said about Kefka… Lord C’s like Datum!!! That’s me in real life! Workin hard to destroy everything cos I’m tired of being lonely, afraid & unwanted!!! Hooray!
I really can’t wait to play FF6 now!!!
Honourables: Psycho Mantis (PS2 or Cube) cos, I mean, C’mon, That was bad-ass!!!
Sephiroth cos cool (Mum issues yes, but I love my Mum more than my own life so agree!!!)
& The Boss (as explained in more detail elsewhere!)
King Dedede is Funny (Brawl does him proud too!)
But finally, & no-one else has said it… AGAIN!
The Magog Cartel! (Abe’s Oddysee/Exodus)
They eat all the native critters, then plan to eat their slaves, & then, jus in case you think they’re not bein enough of a drink, they make ALCOHOL out of their slaves Ancestors BONES & TEARS!!!
GOOD GOD Y’ALL!!!!
(I personally dug the lil bits in Exodus where the Slig announcer would have fake news broadcasts, ostensibly for other Glukkons to lie & say ‘It’s OK, Abe isn’t wreckin it, We’re all still filthy rich!
You should YouTube em, they’re fun!)
I like Officer Tenpenny from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. He begins the game as a very manipulative character, sharing information between the gangs of Los Santos to keep them fighting wars and intimidating the other characters, then it becomes apparent that he is actually a fairly desperate person, constantly forcing the player to kill people as the authorities obtain more information about him while he holds a stake in a major criminal gang. His acquittal causes a city to riot and he ends the game believing he will be able to recruit more police officers to his ideology in a desperate attempt to regain his status. He also provides some of the most interesting missions in the game.
I also like Volgin (one of the most vivid villains from a game) and Liquid Snake. I also find it interesting how the Metal Gear Solid games seem to show the life of Revolver Ocelot. I was surprised no one suggested Ganondorf though.
Albert Wesker from Resident Evil. It took two RPG rockets to the face, to end that shit!
Wow…this is actually a hard choice for me. I never really pay attention to the bad guys in a video game, lol
Hmmm…suppose I’d have to say Sephiroth.
Hard to argue with Sephiroth.
And speaking of the Joker…
At first, I didn’t think he’s a legitimate answer, because he’s not an original video game character. But then Batman: Arkham Asylum isn’t an original video game anyway, so…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2htwJZ6x1uc
Yeah, I’d count him. He’s certainly the greatest comic book villain there is. And Mark Hamill’s version is the best! I almost went with him but I decided for FF’s Joker, instead.
Bowser for me. The big spiky koopa guy never backs down, no matter how many times he fails to capture the princess and destroy the mushroom kingdom. I have to admire his tenacity. Plus I have fond childhood memories in Mario 64 of swinging him by the tail, and throwing him into well placed explosive devices nearby. Good times!
Oh I love Bowser so much (see the Day One Challenge)! He was pretty close to my top choice. Such an icon.
I agree with Black Humor Mage, Shadar would be my favorite as well
Ni no Kuni was a great game because of him!
Kudos for Kefka! Demented and actually successful in his plans. My answer is Sephiroth…. I know I know! You must be getting sick of me banging on about FF7 😛 lol.
Nah, don’t get me wrong. I love FFVII!
My favorite antagonist is from my favorite game/story FFVII and is the fallen hero Sephiroth. I love deep, complex, and sympathetic villains where just one little change, just one scrap of information would’ve literally changed the game. He exemplifies the Missing Mom/Terrible Dad paradigm (among many others) that seems to crop up everywhere (ASOIAF..Disney movies. No wonder Disney and Squeenix worked so well together!). Sephiroth was brought down by the corruotion that lived in his veins since birth, as he was searching for the answers to his origins. He found 30 year old half truths and lies. The crux of his tragedy is that it didn’t have to be that way, and it trickled down. He calls Cloud a puppet, but went from being a pawn of his awful father to being one of his “mother,” but he never knew who his real mother was, alas ;_;
I also love how meta nearly everything about him is. The background on his name has been a major focus of my religious studies for the past decade. No character anywhere in any medium has fascinated or broken my heart (no pun intended) more.
The Tyrant from Resident Evil saga…
These answers are just too good. Kefka is an excellent villain who is just plain evil. Dedede is a great antagonist for the opposite reason: he’s really just trying to help Dream Land and crazy Kirby won’t listen to reason.
My choice is going to be odd since it’s not an antagonist from a video game: Mike Tyson from Punch-Out!! This once renowned boxer stood at the end of Little Mac’s journey. He was the dream fighter, the dynamite kid. And he was nearly impossible to beat when I was little. Then again, I had trouble with Soda Popinski when I was younger. Still, just facing Tyson in the final bout is an incredible feat. He can knock you out so easily in the first minute or so. Even after that, he’s still so tough. It took me a whole 10 years to finally beat Tyson. Seeing his body hit the floor made me so ecstatic. In fact, when I finally beat him, I got so excited that I accidentally reset my NES and was cheated out of my victory ending. Anyway, that’s why my favorite antagonist in a video game is WaMike Tyson.
Haha! I had the biggest smile when you said Mike Tyson. He’s definitely a classic video game villain for that reason. A juggernaut! Lol “WaMike Tyson”!