Video games have been going strong for a good four decades now and, in that time, players have taken on the role of quite a few heroes. But what good is a hero without a strong villain? This year, Guinness World Records asked gamers to vote on their top video game villains of all time. It should surprise few that Bowser earned the coveted top spot on Guinness’ list of 50. A few of the other entries, or at least their ranking, however, might be a bit shocking.
On a list of the “Top 50 Video Game Villains of All Time,” you might expect to see someone like Portal’s GLaDOS rank high on the list (In the number two spot, actually.) But what about Arkham Asylum’s The Joker at number three? He was a great villain, sure, but the number three video game villain of all time?
According to Guinness, more than 5,000 of their readers took part in the survey to conduct the following list, which appears in the 2013 edition of Guinness World Records: Gamer’s Edition. But whether you gree with the inclusions, omissions and rankings or not, Guinness writer Kevin Lynch certainly has the right idea about what this top 50 breakdown has to say about the world of video games.
“It was really interesting for us to put the vote out to our readers and see who their favorite villain was,” Lynch said. “I think what this list really reflects is that video game villains tend to be a lot cooler than the heroes they’re pitted against.”
Top 50 Video Game Villains of All Time
50. Hades (Kid Icarus)
49. Atlas (BioShock)
48. Jacqueline Natla (Tomb Raider)
47. Shepherd (Call of Duty)
46. Herobrine (Minecraft)
45. Solidus Snake (Metal Gear Solid)
44. Diablo (Diable)
43. Dr Robotnik (Sonic the Hedgehog)
42. Dr Neo Cortex (Crash Bandicoot)
41. Shao Kahn (Mortal Kombat)
40. Zoran Lazarevic (Uncharted)
39. Tabuu (Super Mario Bros.)
38. Kaos (Skylanders)
37. Wheatley (Portal)
36. Mother Brain (Metroid)
35. Ghirahim (The Legend of Zelda)
34. Dr Nefarious (Ratchet & Clank)
33. Xehanort (Kingdom Hearts)
32. Kessler (Infamous)
31. The Flood (Halo)
30. The Locust Hordes (Gears of War)
29. Vanitas (Kindgom Hearts)
28. Darth Vader (Star Wars)
27. Dr Wily (Mega Man)
26. Team Rocket (Pokemon)
25. Kefka Palazzo (Final Fantasy)
24. Police (Grand Theft Auto)
23. Zombies (Call of Duty)
22. Aliens (Space Invaders)
21. The Readers (Mass Effect)
20. N (Pokemon)
19. Zeus (God of War)
18. Alduin (Skyrim)
17. M Bison (Street Fighter)
16. The Covenant (Halo)
15. Andrew Ryan (BioShock)
14. Donkey Kong (Donkey Kong)
13. Psycho Mantis (Metal Gear Solid)
12. Albert Wesker (Resident Evil)
11. Vladimir Makarov (Call of Duty)
10. Creeper (Minecraft)
9. Liquid Ocelot (Metal Gear Solid)
8. Inky (PAC-Man)
7. The Borgias (Assassin’s Creed II)
6. Sephiroth (Final Fantasy VII)
5. Gary Oak (Pokemon Red/Blue)
4. Ganon (The Legend of Zelda)
3. The Joker (Batman: Arkham Asylum)
2. GLaDOS (Portal)
1. Bowser (Super Mario Bros.)
