While they might be terrifying in real life, welove a little bit of crazy in our video games.We’re drawn to subversion, and we thrive in digital violence when they’re wreaking havoc in a fit of psychotic rage.
Whether they’re pure evil or just misunderstood,unhinged characters can snap at a moment’s notice, and their unpredictability and unstable mental state always make things just a little bit more tense.
There are so many video game characters whose mere presence disturbs the normalcy of the world they inhabit, but these take the cake. Once they’re on a roll, they’re an explosive force of nature to be reckoned with, leaving none standing in their wake.
10 Video Game Villains We Love To Hate
What is a hero without a villain?
Warning: Spoilers ahead!
11Postal Dude
Nurse, He’s Out Again
While very little is known about this guy, even his real name, the Postal Dude is perhapsone of gaming’smost controversial characters,as thePostalseries is infamous for crude humor drenched in crazed, blood-soaked violence and revels in itsintentionally offensive nature.
He may seem like a chill guy at first, buthe can turn into a mass-murdering sociopath at the flick of a switch,shooting and slashing at any innocent bystander unlucky enough to be within his general vicinity.
He doesn’t have much of a conscience, nor does he feel anything at all when it comes to his murderous tendencies,often cracking jokes or making sardonic remarks while drenched in gore.
The Postal Dude takes the real-life concept of “going postal” and dials it up to 11, turning the titular Dude into a paranoid person with schizophrenia who thinks his killing spree is some sort of self-defense, all the while urinating on everything he can find.
10Junko Enoshima
Ultimate Despair
DanganRonpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Danganronpais known for many things. As one of themost popular visual novels, it’s got a crazy murder mystery premise,wacky character designs, and most importantly, its mascot, Monokuma, and its true identity: Junko Enoshima.
She may look like a typical gyaru high schooler, but she’s anevil, sadomasochistic young woman hellbent on inflicting as much despair as possibleon others and herself. Even the series' creator, Kazutaka Kodaka, intended for her to be “fully unsympathetic.”
Junko is evil for evil’s sake, is obsessed with the concept of despair, and isn’t above doing the most heinous crimes just to feel something.
9Kefka Palazzo
The New God Of Magic
Final Fantasy 6
Kefka is one ofFinal Fantasy’smost iconic villains, as he is the nihilistic court jester fromFinal Fantasy VIwhotransforms into a god that you have to fight,as per the JRPG formula.
You may recognizehis iconic laughand colorful jester’s outfit, and hisgleeful nihilismas he attempts to become the God of Magic and destroy all life and meaning in the universe.
With the help of his cult, Kefka issadistically cruel and maniacal, possessing a deep hatred of everything good in the world.
He’s the epitome of the “pure evil” villain, one who is impossible to sympathize with and does evil for evil’s sake.
Invulnerable To All Threats, Magical Or Physical
God of War
Baldur is the main antagonist ofGod of War (2018)andhunts Kratos and Atreus as they make their journey to scatter Faye’s ashes.
Like all Aesir, Baldur is blessed withinhuman strength and regeneration, physical or magical.But he’s got a little bit more of a sadistic, insane streak.
The God of Light was once described to be a bright and noble son of Odin and Freya. But once Freya learned from the Norns that he would die a “needless death,” she put aspell of invulnerability on his son, cursing him to an eternity of numbness.
While Baldur was effectively invincible, his inability to feel anything–not pain nor pleasure–drove him to insanity. It isn’t until Kratos and Atreus find out thatthe mistletoe renders him vulnerable,giving the God of War a chance to stop Baldur from killing Freya for good.
7Orin The Red
Lord of Murder
Baldur’s Gate 3
In your quest to remove the Mindflayer parasite from your brain inBaldur’s Gate 3, you eventually come face to face with theleaders of the Cult of the Absolute.
One of them is Orin the Red, Chosen of Bhaal, the Lord of Murder. As her title suggests, she is cruel and sadistic, and isa master of all things murderous and sadistic.
As a changeling, she also has theterrifying ability to shapeshift,as she pesters you through several disguises throughout Act 3, even going so far as to abduct one of your party members (or an orphan you take in) to force you to fight her.
Your story is also more tied to Orin’s if you play as the Dark Urge, as you would later find out thatshe was the one who betrayed you and gave you amnesia.
Orin is a deranged devotee of Bhaal and will do whatever it takes to prove herself, and eventually, her confident facade shatters when she finds out that Bhaal was just using her as a tool. Herboss fightis also surprisingly hard if you walk in unprepared.
6Vaas Montenegro
The Definition Of Insanity
While he is considered the secondary antagonist ofFar Cry 3,Vaas Montenegro stole the showas one of themost iconic villains in theFar Cryfranchise.
The leader of a group of pirates on Rook Island,Vaas is a dangerously unstable criminal who has a dry sense of humor,killing anybody who would even look at him the wrong way.
Vaas’s pride often drives him to extreme fits of violent rage, as protagonist Jason Brody’s mere presence makes him feel replaceable.
Michael Mando’s performance of Vaas’s “Insanity” speech is so iconic that it isone of gaming’s best monologues.
10 Most Arrogant Video Game Characters, Ranked
From Metal Gear Solid’s Liquid Snake to the dastardly Albert Wesker, here are some of gaming’s most arrogant characters.
5Trevor Phillips
Insanely Loyal
Grand Theft Auto 5
Asone of the three playable protagonistsofGTA 5, Trevor Phillips quickly secured his spot as one of gaming’s most iconic characters, thanks to Steven Ogg’s amazing performance.
Trevor is a career criminal who smuggles weapons and cooks and sells meth in the middle of nowhere and isprone to fits of uncontrollably violent rage, often resulting in at least a few people dying or being maimed.
While he is comically violent and erratic,Trevor is an immensely loyal friend and ally to Franklin and Michael.His psychotic nature makes him an unpredictable element in any of the gang’s heists, but when you need things broken, and people hurt, then Trevor’s your guy.
Trevor is an emotionally driven character who would do anything for his best friends, but that often brings them to violent odds when they disagree with his methods.
4Goro Majima
“Kiryuuuu-chan!”
Perhaps one ofthemostbeloved major charactersof theYakuzafranchise, Goro Majima, isn’t calledthe Mad Dog of Shimanofor no reason.
First introduced inYakuza 0as a well-mannered cabaret owner, Majima has emerged from life’s worst curveballs as a changed man.
Best known for his unpredictability and penchant for theatrical violence, Majima is perhaps one of thebest, silliest elements that shake up the crime dramaof the franchise.
But Majima isn’t just some crazed criminal wielding a baseball bat. He’s aselfless and honorable man who has a soft spot for his family.He’s also a surprisinglysuccessful business owner and charismatic leaderwhom his underlings look up to.
Majima’s obsession with killing Kiryu has become more of a running joke than a genuine threat, marking him as one of his closest rivals and allies.
The Loose Cannon
League of Legends
Jinx has come a long way since her debut inLeague of Legendsin 2013. Her appearance has always invoked a typicalmanic pixie dream girl vibe, later becoming one of the most iconic mascots ofLeague of Legends.
Jinx’s popularity skyrocketed when she became the star of Studio Fortische’s animated seriesArcane, as it expanded onher backstorywhile making hersisterhood with Vicanon.
Her love for wanton destruction and talking to her guns has evolved into more than just criminal mania, as she is agenius tinkerer and expert sharpshooter.
Thanks toArcane’spowerful storytelling, Jinx becomes anuanced representation of mental health and a status of violent resistance,beyond the caricature of an insane terrorist.
2Tiny Tina
Pop Goes The Bandit!
Borderlands 2
One thing about theBorderlandsseries is thateverybody is at least a little insane.You can’t survive Pandora without a touch of insanity, but nobody is as unhinged as the Queen of the Obscene–Tiny Tina.
A demolitions expert at the age of thirteen, Tina grew up on the hostile planet of Pandora and was saved and adopted by Roland and his fellow Vault Hunters.
Even as a child, Tina has a few screws loose and loves blowing stuff up,including the occasional bandit.She’s chronically impatient and hyperactive, and will gleefully stuff explosive candy in a bandit’s stomach if it means she gets to play with a psycho piñata.
Between running a crumpet-fueled tabletop RPG with her friends and launching rabbit-themed rockets, Tina is everybody’s favorite crazed girl.
