Ever meet a character in a video game who is so hateable that it’s hard to resist the urge to slap the TV? Hope from Final Fantasy 13, for example, likes to wine a lot, and Abby from The Last of Us Part 2 did so many horrible things. These characters can make players irritated, but then there are the characters who are so self-absorbed that they see themselves as gods lording over swine.
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It may be their looks, powers, intelligence, or all of the above. These character types don’t just need a slap; they need a wedgie to come down from their high and mighty attitudes. These game characters are too into themselves and need a wake-up call, if they didn’t get one in their respective games already.
The entries for BioShock and Ratchet & Clank will contain spoilers.
Bowser (Super Mario RPG: Legend Of The Seven Stars)
The King Of All Koopas
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
- Released
- May 13, 1996
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E For Everyone
- Genre(s)
- RPG
The Mario series is full of weird enemies, but topping them all is Mario’s main baddie, Bowser. He comes to life in the SNES classic, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, wherein he loses his castle to another villain and is forced to join up with Mario.
Even though he should be grateful for the help in getting his castle back, he can’t miss an opportunity to brag about how he’s the best or that he’s the hero of the story and not Mario. It’s a tough guy persona that he seemingly needs to maintain just to make himself feel better, and he does this in both versions of the game, including the more easily accessible remake on Switch.
Handsome Jack (Borderlands 2)
Never Stops Talking
Borderlands 2
- Released
- September 18, 2012
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol
- Genre(s)
- Shooter
Handsome Jack is the main antagonist of Borderlands 2 and the president of the gun manufacturer Hyperion. Jack has lofty goals and isn’t satisfied with profits from selling weaponry; he wants the treasures and powers found only in Vaults. That’s why he’s constantly calling and chastising players for getting in the way of his plans.
He never misses an opportunity to brag about his looks, his powers as an executive, or how much cooler he is as a hero, which players can experience in a prequel, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. His character also gets some additional groan-worthy development in Telltale's Tales from the Borderlands.
Hojo (Final Fantasy 7)
He Never Asked If He Should
Final Fantasy 7
- Released
- January 31, 1997
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Blood, Fantasy Violence, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes
- Genre(s)
- RPG
Final Fantasy 7 is full of antagonists, more so than any other Final Fantasy game. Sephiroth ranks up there as number one since he is the main villain, but below him is the twisted Shinra scientist with no soul, Hojo.
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Even though he works for Shinra, Hojo doesn’t care about their goals because his ambitions are all about spitting in the face of god. He feels as though he was put on Earth to experiment on everything and everyone because he’s a genius. Hojo feels for no one, not even himself, but he sure does think he's special.
Ichiryusai Madarame (Persona 5)
Plagiarizes Children's Art
Persona 5
- Released
- September 15, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood, Drug Reference, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Social Simulation
Persona 5 ultimately boils down to an RPG about a group of teen thieves trying to change the hearts of corrupted adults by infiltrating their "Mind Palaces," akin to the mind games in Inception. One such dishonorable adult is Ichiryusai Madarame, a renowned painter across Japan who holds himself in very high esteem.
The cruel thing is, he plagiarizes the works of his students to get ahead and somehow manipulates them into thinking this is right because of how great he is as a "mentor." This leads to a big revelation in the game, which doesn’t need to be spoiled here. Suffice it to say Madarame is a narcissist through and through.
Andrew Ryan (BioShock)
Would You Kindly?
BioShock
- Released
- August 21, 2007
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- m
- Genre(s)
- FPS
Andrew Ryan is established early on in BioShock as the designer of Rapture, a vast underwater city. Built as a paradise, Ryan finds himself acting as a powerful god for what he accomplished, but he wants to come across as a gentle soul, even though his words are manipulative.
They’re quite literally manipulative because he pushes the protagonist to do his bidding by using code words, which is the big revelation in the game climax. Ryan then somehow becomes a godlike entity, like he dreamed of, by the end, before players can end his obsessive rule over the husk of Rapture.
Captain Qwark (Ratchet & Clank)
Never Meet Your Heroes
Ratchet & Clank
- Released
- November 6, 2002
- ESRB
- Teen // Mild Violence
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter, Platformer
Ratchet & Clank is the first game in the series, with Ratchet starting out as a mechanic who dreams of becoming a hero like Captain Qwark. Qwark is designed to be like the big-chinned heroes who can do no wrong, the kind found in radio dramas dating as far back as the 1940s.
He’s a hero to the galaxy, but the twist is that Qwark is a bit washed up, and to maintain his image, he works with villains or does nefarious things to set up chaotic situations, only to then jump in and save the day. It’s a big letdown for Ratchet, who looked up to him, but the good news is that the Qwark's vanity gradually declines in the Ratchet & Clank series over time.
Prince Laharl (Disgaea: Hour Of Darkness)
A Fight For The Throne
Disgaea: Hour of Darkness
- Released
- August 27, 2003
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- t
- Genre(s)
- Tactical, Strategy, RPG
Prince Laharl is the protagonist of Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, one of the wildest PS2 tactical RPGs of all time. After his father dies, Laharl takes over the throne, but he’s not ready for it. Laharl is not disciplined enough to know how to rule benevolently, instead thinking that his lineage gives him the right to rule no matter what.
This leads to a people's revolution, as Laharl's citizens want to usurp the throne. The whole game is a lesson for Laharl on how to become a better ruler and person in the underworld.
Disco Kid (Punch-Out)
A Bad Sport For Looking Good
Punch-Out!!
- Released
- May 18, 2009
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- e
- Genre(s)
- Fighting, Action
Disco Kid is one of the rival boxers in the 2009 Punch-Out!! Game that was released on the Wii. There’s no more prime example of a character who is painfully into himself than Disco Kid, as his looks are all that's important to his character.
He will even pause during a boxing match to look at himself in the mirror, confident that his boxing skills are so good that he doesn’t need to fully pay attention. It’s odd that a pretty boy like Disco Kid would want to be in a boxing match in the first place, since his face means everything to him.
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