While Nintendo is mostly known for creating some of the most iconic heroes in gaming, they’re also famous for creating several unique villains. These bad guys range from campy and hilarious to downright spooky, threatening each world that they arrive in. They may not always be successful, but they certainly leave an impact, leaving various worlds in fear that they could return.
As expected, many of Nintendo’s villains are extremely powerful, exhausting all types of abilities and resources to get the job done. Some of them succeeded in destroying entire worlds, forcing many heroes on journeys of revenge. Many others are legendary beings held in galactic prisons only to be released to wreak havoc on entire dimensions. Some are even entities created by pure darkness, threatening entire universes just by their mere presence alone. Nintendo has some scary foes in its lineup.
However, with how large the cast of villains is, it’s hard to pinpoint who would be the strongest of them all. Some antagonists come from entirely different universes, which make them even more challenging to pit against each other. That said, we’re taking all of their feats into account and putting each head to head to find who is the most dastardly and powerful of Nintendo’s villains.
With that out of the way, we’ll be exploring the most powerful Nintendo villains officially ranked. For the purposes of this list, we’re including both first-party and second-party characters. Third-party characters that are primarily featured on Nintendo consoles will not be included on this list.
25 Cuccos
The unassuming chickens of the Zelda universe don’t look like much. However, if you agitate them too much, then you’re in for a world of pain. In each of their appearances, attacking a Cucco enough will result in them unleashing a swarm of their brethren on their aggressor. If Link is the culprit, then it’s only a matter of time before he loses all his hearts, resulting in a Game Over. It’s crazy how strong these little animals are in comparison to the monsters in Hyrule.
24 Mike Tyson
Little Mac had a serious task before him when he had to take out a bunch of boxing champions only to face off against Mike Tyson. Tyson proved to be one of the strongest foes for many players, as he would often wipe the floor with Mac after he made one wrong move. While Tyson hasn’t appeared in the Punch Out series since his titular game, he left more than an impression on anyone that faced him. Later boxing champions would only pale in comparison.
23 Wolf
There are few pilots in the galaxy as sinister as Wolf O’Donnell.
Having connections to both Andross and Fox’s father, Wolf was a constant thorn in Star Fox’s side.
Skilled in most areas of combat on top of having expert knowledge of flying a ship, Wolf was one of the scariest people in the galaxy. He usually flies with the help of some friends who are more than a match for Fox, Falco, and the rest of the gang.
22 Ultimate Chimera
Mother 3 has some interesting foes, and the Ultimate Chimera certainly makes that list. Most may recognize it from its appearance in Super Smash Bros Brawl and Super Smash Bros Ultimate. In those games, the chimera is a stage hazard on New Pork City. One hit and fighters are sent flying off the screen (or the loss of a stock in the latter game). In Mother 3, touching an Ultimate Chimera would mean an instantaneous game over, making it one of the toughest monsters in that game.
21 Ghirahim
Ghirahim was the dastardly servant of the entity known as Demise (who we’ll get to a bit later). Erratic, full of himself, and a bit unhinged, he was one of the strongest enemies in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. He was known for being excellent with a blade and would often pick fights just for the sheer enjoyment of watching others suffer. He desperately wanted to best Link in any way he could. Unfortunately, the hero of Hyrule proved to be too strong for Ghirahim in the end.
20 Metroid Prime
Samus Aran has tackled a lot of monsters over her years as a bounty hunter, but one that proved extremely difficult was the Metroid Prime. A Metroid that was mutated by the mysterious substance known as Phazon, it took every piece of equipment that Samus had in order to take it down. However, even after its supposed end, the Metroid Prime would steal one of Samus’s suits and learn to reform itself as Dark Samus and fight her several times over.
19 King K. Rool
As goofy as King K. Rool is, there’s no denying that he is an effective antagonist for the citizens of DK Island. From the first Donkey Kong Country game, K. Rool already figured out how to imprison animals and even members of the Kong family. Having versatility in technology as well as fighting, K. Rool was a constant threat for Donkey Kong and his friends. Able to build a laser capable of destroying an entire island, K. Rool was willing to go to any length to destroy his foes.
18 Lynels
Anyone that has played The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild knows just how difficult Lynels are to defeat. Monstrous beings that wield both a sword and shield and a bow and arrow, they are versatile and hit extremely hard. Without proper protection, Link is destroyed in just one hit, and that’s just talking about the basic Lynels. As players progress in the game, they encounter even stronger Lynels that send out massive explosions of fire and take little recoil.
17 Mewtwo
While not the villain of the Pokémon games, Mewtwo was the antagonist for Mewtwo Strikes Back. Mewtwo was created to be a clone of Mew but ended up having one of the most savage hearts of any Pokémon.
This made Mewtwo extremely dangerous, often using its psychic powers to destroy and manipulate others.
It could stop attacks without lifting a finger, could change weather by waving its hand, and was even smart enough to create its own clones of existing Pokémon.
16 Andross
While Wolf might be a formidable foe for the Star Fox crew, Andross is the source of darkness in the Lylat System. This intergalactic monkey has all sorts of powers at his disposal. Being a sinister genius, his acts were deemed so terrible that he was banished to the planet Venom for the rest of his life. However, his work continued, and Andross ended up commanding one of the most impressive armies known in the galaxy. To this day, the Star Fox crew isn’t sure how to keep fighting him off.
15 Bowser
If there were an award for the most persistent Nintendo villain, Bowser would win it for sure. While often losing to Mario, there’s something to be said for the lengths that the King of Koopas is willing to go just to get his hands on Peach. With impressive machinery and armies at his disposal, Bowser always gives Mario a run for his money with each attempt. He has plenty of children who followed in his own footsteps and always seems to have a dastardly trick up his sleeve.
14 Porky
Porky is a villain from Earthbound and Mother 3, serving as the main antagonist of the latter. Like Ness and Lucas, Porky learned to use PSI as well but tried to destroy the heroes in the process. Often associated with his spider mech, Porky proved to be a serious challenge. After being exposed to time travel, Porky became immortal as well as learning how to perform attacks on a similar level to his master, Giygas. Porky appeared as a boss in Super Smash Bros Brawl.
13 Master Hand
When Nintendo characters come together, there is one entity pulling the strings the entire time: Master Hand. Nothing more than a floating hand, Master Hand had all sorts of attacks capable of taking down many characters like Mario, Kirby, and Donkey Kong. Master Hand could shoot lasers, fly through the air like a rocket, and even strangle its opponents. In Super Smash Bros for Wii U, Master Hand would go through many different forms before turning into the villainous Master Fortress.
12 Mother Brain
Mother Brain might be one of the weirdest foes in the Metroid series. Despite being a massive brain held in a glass jar, Mother Brain proved to be one of the most effective villains in the series. Sending all sorts of attacks at Samus, Mother Brain would eventually learn how to craft her own body, which effectively turned her into a mutant dinosaur. Being nothing but a brain, it allowed her to come up with some of the most intelligent advancements in the galaxy.
11 Metal Face
Xenoblade Chronicles had an entire host of powerful foes, but Metal Face remains one of the most powerful. Being a Mechonis that has a love for war and blood, Metal Face would fight without question and attack without warning.
Being a massive living machine, Metal Face could take just about any attack without taking any damage.
He can turn himself into a jet that can zoom across the world at high speeds. He also has a set of claws that can tear through nearly any substance.
10 Ridley
If there’s one villain that caused Samus the most grief, it was Ridley. Reportedly the cause for Samus being an orphan, the conflict between those two is personal. Make no mistake, though, Ridley is more than just a space lizard. He is an intelligent and sadistic being who commands many space pirates under his name. He was single-handedly responsible for some of the worst acts in the galaxy. Despite being defeated by Samus several times, Ridley always returns stronger than before, sometimes with cybernetic enhancements.
9 Nightmare
With a world like Dream Land filled with cutesy and happy people, it’s startling that a being like Nightmare would try and disrupt it all. Trying to take over the entire world by sending Dream Land’s citizens into a perpetual state of nightmares, this foe was one of the most dangerous beings Kirby had to face. He can throw out all sorts of dark attacks, can turn himself into a nearly invincible orb, and can only be damaged with the use of a Star Rod, which is an extremely rare item.
8 Ganon
In the land of Hyrule, there is no villain more feared than the Demon King himself: Ganon. Sometimes referred to as Ganondorf, this villain has embraced dark magic and seeks to send Hyrule into a new age.
Sometimes appearing as a man, other times appearing as a massive beast, there is no limit to the power that Ganon holds.
Possessing one section of the Tri-Force, Ganon was strong enough to even succeed in conquering Hyrule a few times in Ocarina of Time and Breath of the Wild.
7 Galacta Knight
While Meta Knight might be an impressive swordsman, he doesn’t really come close to one of the strongest beings in the galaxy: Galacta Knight. Taking Meta Knight’s appearance, but having angel wings, a lance, and a shield, Galacta Knight is surely one of the most dangerous foes in the Kirby universe. Stuffed with all sorts of mind-bending powers, there is almost to limit to what Galacta Knight can do. He was so powerful that he was sealed away to protect the universe.
6 Marx
Marx is a tricky character. After convincing Kirby to stop the sun and moon from fighting, it was all a ruse to get close to Nova. It was then that Marx made his one wish come true and became one of the strongest and most spooky monsters in the universe. He could split his own body in half, summon vines, and even summon black holes to try and end his foes. Marx’s abilities would later be reflected by Magolor in Kirby’s Return to Dream Land after he got his hands on the crown.
