It's rare for Nintendo baddies to be anything but unambiguously evil. Shigeru Miyamoto has stated that the purpose of a game should be to give players a sense of accomplishment, so it's understandable why he'd be hesitant to pit players against a foe they'd feel bad for thwarting.
While baddies such as Ridley, Ganon, and countless others have been content to be as bad as they can be, there have been some deviations from the formula. Sometimes, a villain has an element of sympathy or boasts so much charisma that players might find themselves leaning more toward their side. These villains are hard to beat for entirely different reasons.
10 Wario's Greedy, But Ambitious
Wario made his debut as a villain in Super Mario Land 2 Six Golden Coins. He was created as a means for the developers to express their frustrations with working on a franchise they didn't create. Since then, Wario has become front and center in his own titles through subseries such as the Wario Land and Wario Ware games.
In contrast to the portly red plumber, Wario's interests are purely id-driven: the mass accumulation of wealth and treasure. However, during his greedy ventures, he somehow manages to unwittingly help those oppressed by a greater force than him.
9 Pious Augustus Showcases So Much Gusto In Eternal Darkness
Once a celebrated centurion who served under Caesar, Pious Augustus allied himself with the ancients during his quest to uncover their insidious tome. In the span of several centuries, Augustus has done their bidding, causing cataclysmic events throughout human history, such as the death of Charlemagne the Frank and the First World War.
The sheer energy and relish he shows when doing his master's work make him an effective baddie. It's never a dull moment when Pious is on the screen as he uses mind games on the heroes, mocks an ancient deity for falling from grace, and cackling over a fallen foe.
8 Edelgard From Fire Emblem Is Simultaneously Devoted And Ruthless
Fans might be hesitant to call most characters in Fire Emblem: Three Houses a definitive hero or villain. This is especially true in how their demeanor and alliances can vary wildly depending on what route players take during the campaign. In some routes. Edelgard is a fiercely loyal and determined ally and a champion for the common people.
However, some players have reservations about the actions she takes to overthrow the church, such as starting a war based on inaccurate information. Certain routes portray her in a considerably villainous light, regarding the church and all those who are aligned with it as foes that must be vanquished.
7 Skull Kid From The Legend Of Zelda Majora's Mask Just Wants A Friend
Skull Kid is notable for being one of the few Zelda antagonists to actually achieve his goal. Once he turns Link into a deku scrub, he successfully crashes the moon onto Termina. However, by the graces of the Ocarina, Link is able to go back in time to thwart Skull Kid's ambitions.
As the player progresses throughout the game with the fairy Tatl, they discover that the youth was a sad and lonely misfit who desperately wanted some companionship. Really, it's not too hard to view Skull Kid as just a mischievous punk who got a little in over his head.
6 The Eponymous Bunnies Overshadow The Famous Plumber In Mario + Rabbids
In this bizarre crossover with Nintendo and Ubisoft's Milan division, the mushroom kingdom gets invaded by the mischievous rabbids, who undergo strange transformations. Mario teams up with several of them to defend the kingdom and rescue his friends. The gameplay shifted to a turn-based strategy affair akin to XCOM.
The in-engine cutscenes showcase wonderful and lively character animations from enemies such as the phantom rabbid, the Kong rabbid, and countless more. Fans might find it surprising how much the furry invaders manage to upstage Mario in what's supposed to be his own title.
5 Bowser Is More Fleshed Out In The Mario RPGs
While Bowser has been framed as the Mario series' reoccurring villain, he has been more fleshed out in other games. In the RPG titles, Bowser is often portrayed in a much more complex light. Super Mario RPG and Superstar Saga see the king of the Koopas teaming up with Mario to take on bigger threats than him.
Paper Mario and The Thousand-Year Door even allow players to control Bowser in humorous side-scrolling platforming callbacks to the original Super Mario Bros. In another sidesplitting example, Bowser's Inside Story has the brothers navigating the insides of the aforementioned villain and helping him take on several foes.
4 Count Bleck Lost His Fiance In Super Paper Mario
Before donning the moniker of Count Bleck, the villain of Super Paper Mario once went by the name of Blumiere. Long ago, he stole a mysterious book known as the Dark Prognosticus to prevent its dark power from being misused. Injured in his quest, he was nursed to health by a kind woman named Timpani. The two fell in love, but Blumiere's father forbade their relationship and cursed his son's betrothed.
After a vain attempt to find her, Blumiere fell into despair and became the dark Count Bleck. He proceeds to force Bowser and Princess Peach into marrying each other to summon the Chaos Heart.
3 Lusamine Lost Her Betrothed In Pokémon Sun & Moon
Head of the Aether Foundation and mother of two, Lusamine's stated goal is the preservation of Pokémon. However, as the player progresses through the game, they'll discover that Team Skull aren't the only poachers around. It's not too long before the player and daughter Lillie discover a collection of frozen Pokémon.
It's speculated that her obsession started with the disappearance of her husband during his research on the Ultra Wormholes. In a vain attempt to get him back, she dedicated herself to harnessing the Ultra Beasts. While she becomes cold and hostile towards her children, Lillie insists that she was once kind and compassionate.
2 Princess Hilda Ties To Save Her Kingdom In A Link Between Worlds
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In Link Between Worlds, players are given aid by and eventually face off against a princess from another world – Princess Hilda. In contrast to baddies such as Ganon, Ghirahim, and Vaati, she isn't trying to destroy the world. In fact, it's quite the opposite: Princess Hilda desperate to save her own kingdom.
Unfortunately, her version of Link is a craven coward, leaving her no alternative but to take matters into her own hands. After tricking link into procuring the Triforce of Courage for her, she harnesses its power to protect Lorule at the expense of Hyrule.
1 Donkey Kong Sought Revenge Against His Captor
Players might not realize that the famous simian got his start as an antagonist before he became the hero of the Donkey Kong Country games. The premise behind the big ape's arcade debut is that he was mistreated by his owner Mario. Out of revenge, he liberated himself and kidnaped Pauline.
Ironically, players unfamiliar with this synopsis are completely unaware that they're controlling the very person who's responsible for this whole mess. If that wasn't bad enough, Mario even tortured Kong's son in the follow-up title – Donkey Kong Jr. It's really hard to blame DK for his reaction to all this.