Twi's Top Ten: Best Rare Villains

[Twi]

Alright this has been an idea I've had in my head for some time, and I figured it'd be kind of fun to do.

Now Rare games don't always have the best plots and whatever plots their games do have are cookie-cutter and unoriginal at best, but their characters are another story. Rare demonstrates this best through fun and memorable villains. You might think you know who's at number one, but before you scroll down further to look, note that the placement of the villains is based on their motivations, actions, and the implications that surround them.

So without further adieu, here is my Top Ten Best Rare Villains.

Number 10

UltraTech from Killer Instinct.

What we know about UltraTech from the strange semblance of a story Killer Instinct provides is that it is this seedy, corrupt corporation known for producing killer robots, genetic engineered bio-weapons and in some endings, the doom of humanity. That and they regularly hold a fighting tournament just because.

So why isn't UltraTech further up on the list? We don't even know if any of those things happened or not. Killer Instinct's "story" is so broken and filled with plot holes that what's canon and what isn't is really up to debate. Apparently, the individual character endings in the original Killer Instinct aren't even all canon, and Killer Instinct 2's time travel plot makes things even more confusing.

Still, UltraTech is more deserving on the list than say the Dark Queen from Battletoads or Malkil from Wizards and Warriors.

Number 9

Dastardos from Viva Pinata.

You might be thinking; "What? But wasn't Professor Pester the villain in Viva Pinata?" True, Pester is the main villain of Viva Pinata, but he's not nearly as sinister or disturbing as Dastardos. It's not at all hard to make a Pinata sick as any experienced gardener will tell you: not enough room for them? Sick. Eat bad candy? Sick. Lose a fight? Sick.

But wait too long to call upon the good Doctor and Dastardos will slither into your garden with not much standing in his way from "treating" the helpless pinata. He sings a merry tune while searching for the ailing pinata, and if he comes across it:

WHACK.

Yes, he goes and "kills" your Pinata. All because you either didn't get to it in time, or couldn't afford a cure.

You can stop him with a well placed statue of a certain Shaman however, but it only deters him for a little while longer. A Crowla or Sherbat can possibly distract him long enough if the Doctor is at work, or a well placed whack with the shovel works too. Also, just look at the guy. Christ, Rare.

Number 8

Baron Von Ghoul from Grabbed by the Ghoulies.

Okay so he isn't by any means a serious villain, nor is Ghoulies meant to be a serious horror game, but the Baron is a rather disturbing character when you think about it too much. For one, he's entirely off his rocker...plane...thing, and has an odd habit of kidnapping teenagers.

It seems the reason he does this is entirely because said teenagers either ridiculed his house as they passed (like Amber) or they just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Said kidnapped teenagers are found in some very...interesting positions throughout the manor itself. You'll find them hanging out of coffins, stuffed in freezers, sitting bound and gagged on a shelf. The worst is one girl tangled up in vines, wearing a short skirt, and with her legs spread apart no less! Intentional by Rare or not, the implications are disturbing.

Additionally, the scene before the boss fight with the Baron shows Crivens the butler having a "disagreement" with his master. Crivens is then revealed to be the Baron in disguise. The game isn't entirely clear on whether or not Crivens was the Baron throughout the entire game or just for that final scene.

Which begs the question: what happened to Crivens, and who was Crivens!Baron beating up?

Number 7

King K. Rool from the Donkey Kong Country series.

Okay so for a villain who commits heinous acts like stealing a hoard of bananas, it's not too surprising why he's so low on the list. However, what villain is such an ass that he pulls out a fake credits role to dupe the player and possibly kill them?

Anyways, K. Rool's evil acts escalate from game to game, as well as his number of siblings*cough*JapaneseVersion*cough* aliases. He kidnaps Donkey Kong in DKC2 which makes more sense than the bananas and kidnaps both Donkey and Diddy in DKC3. In DKC3 though, his villainy reaches it's peak when it's revealed that he's behind the creation of KAOS which, mind you, is powered by Donkey and Diddy as living batteries.

Take that, Bowser.

Number 6

Wizpig from Diddy Kong Racing.

Really now, Wizpig? Beating out K. Rool on the list? Unlike K. Rool in the later games who seeks revenge, Wizpig does what he does out of sheer boredom. He invades Timber's Island, claims it as his own, brain washes some of the inhabitants into working for him, leaves a good part of the cast homeless, and turns one of them into a frog. Pretty bad, right?

But not nearly as bad as what he supposedly does when a world no longer entertains him. He destroys it. Invades, toys with the inhabitants, and then annihilates the planet completely, and if you ever got to Future Fun Land for the real final boss, you'll know that he has the means to do it.

Rare has a history of stubborn antagonists to the point where even death won't stop them, and Wizpig is no exception. His rocket malfunctions and is sent exploding into the moon, and he's still shown to be alive in the end.

Take that, Grunty.

[Twi]

Number 5

Mizar/Barry from Jet Force Gemini.

Enslavement, mass murder, and global conquest bring Mizar/Barry closer to the top of the list than most villains. I've been told that the tribals are insanely annoying, but you still can't help but feel for them. However, what would otherwise be a pretty scary idea for a Rare villain isn't without his faults. Mizar/Barry's motivation is because he is jealous of his brother, the leader of the tribals, King Jeff.

Did I mention that Mizar/Barry also sent an asteroid hurtling towards Earth? Don't worry about it getting there anytime soon though; you've got to rescue all of the tribals for King Jeff before it'll even go anywhere. Good luck with that by the way.

Number 4

General Scales from Starfox: Adventures/Dinosaur Planet.

Although he and Mizar/Barry are very similar in terms of actions, what sets the two apart is that General Scales, for the most part, succeeded in his plan of total dominion over Dinosaur Planet. He tore the spell stones from their chamber and sent the Krazoa Spirits scattering. His army alone took control over the Cloudrunner Fortress and fought off the entirety of the Earthwalker army. Had Fox not arrived when he did, Scales' conquest would have gone on unopposed.
Unusual for a Rare game, Scales' minions were fairly organized and not nearly as bumbling or incompetent as K. Rool's Kremlings, or Gruntilda's Goons.

Scales even threatened genocide against the Snowhorn tribe, but opted to enslave them instead. Scales is also seen engaging in kidnapping and brutal torture.

My only real beef with this guy is that I looked forward to fighting him, but in the end he was hijiacked by normal Starfox Big Bad Andross.

Number 3

Gruntilda from Banjo-Kazooie.

Finally, right? You were wondering when she was gonna show up, yet surprisingly, not number one on my list. Although she is my favorite, she still doesn't match up to the final two on my list, but let me explain why she's here.

Like K. Rool, Grunty's acts of villainy get broader and more ambitious, at least between Kazooie and Tooie. She makes the jump from kidnapping to all out murder. Driven by vanity and revenge, she gleefully talks about sucking the life out of the Isle o' Hags so as to restore her body, and is successful at least when it comes to King Jingaling. She even kills her sisters in cold blood...err...one ton weight.

Another unusual thing about her, or for any villain, is that when she's given an easy opportunity to off the protagonist, she takes it. As soon as she's out of her hole, she's off and ready to blast Banjo's house right when he'd probably least expect. Had Mumbo not mentioned anything, she would have won then and there.

While she's quite a let down in Nuts & Bolts, you have to give her credit for coming down all the way from presumably Cauldron Keep, as a skull, just to get back at Banjo and Kazooie after eight long years.

Another thing I feel I ought to mention is Grunty's utter disdain for the environment and anything else that's living. We see a bit of this with K. Rool and his factories, but not nearly to the same extent as Grunty. It appears the only thing that Grunty Industries manufactures besides Big O' Pants and Twinklies is toxic waste. Additionally, Grunty owns Rusty Bucket Bay with its oil waters and hazardous waste pits. Grunty also undoubtedly polluted Clanker's Cavern as well.

Overall, Grunty is just a great and memorable villain, but we still have two more to go.

Number 2

Don Weaso from Conker's Bad Fur Day.

Alright, he has no plans for World Domination, we only see him visibly kill two people, and he doesn't seem all that threatening, but the Don has a few qualities that make him arguably more disturbing than any other villain mentioned so far.

Like Conker, the Don's sole motivation is money. He's the head of a Mafia-like organization and has free access to large explosives. He's also not one to pass up a "little job" if the price is right, even if it means gunning down someone like Berri who he might have had an affair with. We see him outright bludgeon one of his own henchmen to death with no proof as to whether said henchman even committed the crime.

Unlike other villains on this list who have some sort of comical quirk (Grunty's quizzes and sporting nature with Banjo, K. Rool's costume changes), Don Weaso has no such thing and is dead serious the whole time. Not only that, but he gets away with everything that he does. Using Conker to blow up the volcano, killing Berri, he doesn't pay for any of it in the end.

Don Weaso; he's cold, menacing, and if he "suggests you leave town," you might do well to listen to him.

Number 1

The Mystic from Kameo: Elements of Power.

For similar reasons to Don Weaso above, the Mystic is a cold and calculating villain. It's painfully obvious that she'll be a villain at the very start of the game, but what is scary is that none of the characters in the game seem to pick up on this. Continuing on this point, the podcast details a war between the Sargothans, a race that could predict the future not unlike the Mystic, and the Elves in which the latter completely destroyed the former, or so it was thought.

Quite some time before the game takes place, the Elves called upon anyone who knew how to use the Wotnot Book and Element of Power. A woman calling herself "the Mystic" steps forward, and even the same voice actress is used. This could imply that the Mystic that taught the Elves about the Wotnot Book and Element of Power could be the very same one that is encountered in the game. Each generation of Elfin rulers is accompanied by a Mystic who advises them on whatever they need guidance on.

Being the last Sargothan, it becomes clear the the Mystic snuck her way into favor among the Elves, and has been manipulating the Royal family for decades, maybe centuries, with her plot for revenge coming to fruition when she convinces Kalus that her family betrayed her.

The only three people who suspected anything about the Mystic were King Solon who is dead, Kalus who is encased in stone at the bottom of an ocean with Thorn, and Yeros who dismisses it as "the paranoid ramblings of an old man."

Also, the Mystic gets away with it. You can listen to the podcast for more about the other little things she duped and lied to the Royal Family about, including what really happened to King Solon.

Her cunning and ability to manipulate her foes with ease is why the Mystic is (IMO) the Best Rare Villain.


It's 12am I'm going to bed.

[Hey, I'm Grump]

I think there's only ever been around 10 antagonists in Rare's history.

[Dan]

While I've no idea how many, with more than 100 games I doubt the number is only 10.

[Smouvy]

Well, more than half of the games use the same antagonist.

I mean, DKC -> K.Rool, DKC2 -> K.Rool, DKC3 -> K.Rool, DK64 -> K.Rool
BK -> Grunty, BT -> Grunty, BKGR -> Grunty, NAB -> Grunty

etc.

Plus the really old games usually didn't have a real character as a final boss.

[Walecs]

Personally I understood from the first instant Mysticor was evil.

1. Gruntilda Winkybunion aka Grunty the Witch (Banjo-Kazooie)
2. Ze professor Von Kriplespac (Conker's Bad Fur Day)
3. Skedars (Perfect Dark)
4. Wizpig (Diddy Kong Racing)
5. Professor Pester (Viva Pinata)
6. May-Hem (Perfect Dark Zero)
7. Thorn (Kameo: Elements of Power)
I can't think anyone else.

[Twi]

I couldn't find a great amount of info on Perfect Dark's villains, otherwise they'd probably be on the list. I didn't want to have several villains from the same game series on one list either.

[Dan]

Wizpig is a pretty beastly villain

[Hey, I'm Grump]

My list would've included the Alien from BFD.

[Ty-chan]

Kameo's storyline is pretty deep for a Rare game, you got to admit. I never knew the Mystic was evil until I got to the scene were the Mystic wanted me to return with the Wotnot Book immediately. Basically, everything came together and I was looking forward to fighting her at the end. Of course, I was dissapointed.

[Twi]

I just wish more people knew about the podcast. The story is so much better when you know the backstory.

[Dylan Yoshi]

You forgot to mention how evil K. Rool was in DK64. His plan was to blow up DK Island with a giant laser gun!

I also would have chosen Thorn instead of The Mystic, since it seems he has a lot more motivation. But that's just me.

[Ty-chan]

Originally Posted by Dylan Yoshi

You forgot to mention how evil K. Rool was in DK64. His plan was to blow up DK Island with a giant laser gun!

I also would have chosen Thorn instead of The Mystic, since it seems he has a lot more motivation. But that's just me.

The Mystic created a devious plan to kill King Solon, which succeeded. Thorn never did that.

[Mandolin]

I'm not convinced Don Weaso really beats out Grunty.

[Dylan Yoshi]

Originally Posted by GoldenJiggies

The Mystic created a devious plan to kill King Solon, which succeeded. Thorn never did that.

Way to completely miss the point I was making. The Mystic was cunning and manipulative, but she had no motivation, with the possible exception of power which is kinda a weak motivation. Thorn on the other hand was a well intentioned extremist who wanted to put an end to the elves' oppression of the trolls.