The Five Best Japanese Villains in PlayStation Games - Article

by Craig S , posted on 11 November 2020 / 6,504 Views

This article was written in collaboration with Anna Nilsen.

Without Japan’s contribution to the world of gaming, today’s video games simply wouldn't be the same. Over the years, many memorable games and characters have come from the Land of the Rising Sun, and with the imminent release of PS5, now is an excellent time to look back at some of the best characters from the country's PlayStation games. There are, of course, numerous Japanese heroes and heroines in PlayStation games, but it's often the baddies that are the most memorable characters.

So, here is our selection of the five best Japanese villains who feature in PlayStation games.

5th - Alma

One of the most formidable bosses in the action titles Ninja Gaiden Black and Ninja Gaiden Sigma is the terrifying Alma. She's a tough cookie to beat, as she has six primary attack methods. She can unleash energy balls, rip up and throw pillars, charge at you with full speed, grab your legs, use a combo flip kick, and use her almost-inescapable bubble grab to stop you defeating her.

4th - Ash Crimson

Japan has a varied love of gaming, whether it's on home consoles, in arcades, or even online live casinos like Casumo. This applies to genres too, from puzzlers to RPGs, and one that's particularly popular is the fighting genre, with the King of Fighters series traditionally being one of its stalwarts. Unlike other main characters in the King of Fighters series, Ash Crimson is an evil character. His personal fighting style uses green-flamed pyrokinesis to attack enemies, and he's well-known for attempting to steal powers from other characters, leaving them helpless. Strangely, the western market’s response to the character was largely negative due to his appearance and fighting technique. But in Japan he's regarded as one of the best fighter villains of all time. Crimson has so far appeared in a staggering 14 different games.

3rd - Elysion

Elysion is one of the baddest of bad-asses from the action RPG game Dragon’s Dogma. Leader of the nihilistic cult Salvation, he creates death wherever he goes. Blinded in one eye (by his own hand), the powerful magician is skilled in Dark Magic. You're sure to shiver as you watch him raising skeletons from freshly-deceased humans, but it is perhaps his resemblance to Darth Sidious from Star Wars that makes his very appearance enough to make you want to hide behind the couch.

2nd - Berthold Gregor

Although other Japanese video game villains are more well-known than Berthold Gregor, he is unquestionably one of the most heartless and evil baddies ever depicted in a PlayStation game. Gregor hails from the cult classic Valkyria Chronicles series of strategy RPGs. He features in both the first game and Valkyria Chronicles III, as well as the Valkyria Chronicles anime series. The radical imperialist supports both the emperor and the Empire, and he will go to any lengths to protect it. According to Gregor, any country that does not bend to the will of the Empire deserves to be obliterated, and his fanatical beliefs enable him to carry out particularly cruel acts on his enemies.

1st - Albert Wesker

Originally included as a supporting character in the first Resident Evil game, Albert Wesker soon became one of the series’ leading antagonists. He loves to manipulate story events from the shadows and is well-known for being sadistic, cunning, intelligent, and power-hungry. The fact that Wesker wants to make the human race as we know it become extinct is enough to demonstrate his evilness. A traitor and enemy to most of Resident Evil’s heroes, this super-villain has appeared in an incredible 27 different games, including Umbrella Corps, Capcom Super League Online, Resident Evils 4 and 5, and many more.

6 Comments

GoOnKid (on 11 November 2020)

Wesker deserves the top spot.

AsGryffynn GoOnKid (on 12 November 2020)

I honestly didn't even expect Mr Shades Wesker to make it here. He's essentially Schwarzenegger Terminator, not the best antagonist in my opinion.

RJTM1991 (on 13 November 2020)

Wee nitpick here! Alma was manipulated. She wasn't truly bad, and even saves Rachel in the end. Doku and the Vigoor Emperor were the true villains in NG, NGB, and NGS.