Most video game villains are cut from a different cloth, boasting a level of power that is in a class of its own. These characters waste no time in showing who's boss, pulling from a near-limitless well to debilitate the heroes time and time again.
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At times, defeating these villains seems downright impossible because of how strong they seem. However, the heroes must win at the end of the day, and players see their favorite characters acquire the strength they need to become stronger than ever.
Sephiroth
Merges With The Lifestream To Become A Nigh-Omnipotent Figure
Final Fantasy 7
- Released
- January 31, 1997
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Blood, Fantasy Violence, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes
- Genre(s)
- RPG
Sephiroth is a villain who can magically appear anywhere he pleases, allowing him to use the element of surprise to take the heroes by surprise. It turns out that Sephiroth merged with the Lifestream after being thrown down the Nibelheim mako reactor, leading to his obsession with Jenova growing by the second.
Players must head to the Northern Crater to interact with his actual body, with the villain transforming into his Bizarro form before attacking the party as the iconic Safer Sephiroth. He's a force to be reckoned with, and his strongest attack summons a meteor that destroys every planet in the solar system before attacking the party for a ton of damage.
Shao Kahn
People Hate Fighting This Tyrant In Mortal Kombat Because Of How Overpowered He Is
Mortal Kombat 1
- Released
- September 19, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Genre(s)
- Fighting
Fans curse Shao Kahn's name whenever they have to face him in Mortal Kombat. He may indeed be the leader of Netherworld, but that doesn't justify just how easily he can wipe out an opponent's health bar with a few swings of his hammer.
Defeating this foe is an exercise in patience, to the point where some people prefer to spam moves and employ cheap strategies instead of fighting fairly. Shao Kahn is the biggest skill check in any Mortal Kombat game and has attained legendary status as a result.
The Reapers
Sovereign Was Just A Taste Of The Horrors To Come
Mass Effect Trilogy
- Released
- November 6, 2012
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- t
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Third-Person Shooter
Mass Effect is one of the greatest sci-fi RPGs of all time, with the first game introducing the threat of the Reapers for the very first time in the form of Sovereign. It's easily one of the most chilling reveals in gaming history, with this Reaper being so intimidating all by his lonesome.
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So, when it's revealed that the entire Reaper species will arrive soon to wipe out all life from the galaxy, it's nothing short of harrowing. The strength a single Reaper boasted was enough to bring the Citadel to its knees, and having to deal with an entire army of them sounded so impossible that Mass Effect 3's ending flubbed when it came to showing a reliable way to take out these sentient starships.
Lavos
A World-Eating Parasite Is Bound To Be Overbearingly Strong
Chrono Trigger
- Released
- March 11, 1995
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood
- Genre(s)
- RPG
It's only a given that Lavos is disgustingly powerful, given that he's a parasite capable of leeching all life from the world. After getting the Epoch, Crono and his allies still need a long time to defeat Lavos, since he's so powerful that fighting him in his current state is nothing short of suicide.
Even after the party becomes strong enough to take on this foe, Lavos is no slouch. Players must go through a boss rush that harkens back to all the encounters they won in the game before reaching Lavos' main body and throwing everything but the kitchen sink at this parasite in a bid to take it out once and for all.
Chakravartin
A Literal God
Asura's Wrath
- Released
- February 21, 2012
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Blood, Language, Partial Nudity, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action, Beat 'Em Up
It's only a given that a god who controls the entire universe would be one of the strongest video game characters of all time. Despite the flaws in Asura's Wrath, there's no denying that this game knows how to set up an intense spectacle with its bosses.
After this antagonist appears to stand in Asura's way, the players engage in a battle for the ages where the protagonist's anger overwhelms and strengthens him, eventually letting him beat down this all-powerful god. It's a bombastic ending to an underappreciated game that deserves more love.
Gaunter O'Dimm
A Devil With Immense Power Who Binds People Into Unfair Contracts
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- Released
- May 19, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
Hearts of Stone is an excellent expansion for The Witcher 3 and introduces what may just be the best antagonist in the series. Gaunter O'Dimm is a mysterious devil who can bind people into unfair contracts, something that Geralt and Olgierd know firsthand.
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He's an antagonist so powerful that he can bend the laws of space and time to serve his will. It's clear that CD Projekt Red wrote themselves into a corner with this foe, since the only way to defeat Gaunter O'Dimm is to beat him at his own game and solve one of his so-called unsolvable riddles in a bizarre dream sequence that seems tailor-made just to create an opening Geralt can exploit to defeat this foe.
Nyx Avatar
The Embodiment Of An Entity Hell-Bent On Destroying The World
Persona 3 Reload
- Released
- February 2, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Mature 17 / Blood, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
- Genre(s)
- JRPG, RPG, Life Simulation, Strategy
Nearly all Persona games have godlike beings as the final bosses, but none of them come close to Nyx in terms of sheer power. This malevolent being was going to bring an end to all of humanity, which was apparently an effortless task for it.
If players decide to stand against this foe, they must face off against multiple forms of Nyx before unlocking the final one. It's a lengthy and grueling battle, which the heroes don't even technically win, since the protagonist must sacrifice himself to seal Nyx and only manages to live till graduation because of the power of friendship.
Giygas
The Universal Cosmic Destroyer Is So Strong That He Can't Be Defeated Until The Heroes Travel Back In Time
Earthbound
- Released
- June 5, 1995
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood, Suggestive Themes, Crude Humor
- Genre(s)
- RPG
For such a cute and unassuming game, it's haunting to see just how nightmarish Giygas is. This alien being's malice and power are so strong that defeating him in the current timeline is impossible.
The heroes must travel back to a time when Giygas was in a state of relative infancy and beat him down, which is easier said than done. Even in this infantile state, Giygas is ridiculously powerful and requires a fair bit of effort from the player to defeat at the end of an invigorating adventure.
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