The 10 Greatest Wizards In Video Games

There's no matching the skills of these masters of magic.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Magic. Being able to perform it automatically grants you boss status. Especially in video games, where knowing magic can do everything from heal your party members to summoning a Norse god to wreak havoc on every enemy on the screen. Yeah, magic is awesome, and so are these characters, who are bonafide wizards. To qualify for this list, the character in question has to be able to do at least some kind of magical spell (Believe us, we were this close to including that kid from the movie The Wizard because we wanted to be cute, but we held off. But yeah, this close). These wizards have to be able use magic or at least provide the illusion of using it. But no tricks.

10. Voldemort

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Game: Harry Potter and the Deathy Hallows Part 2

Yeah, Harry Potter is cool and all, but a lot can be said about a wizard who’s willing to say the death spell (Avada Kedavra!) as willingly as he is to sneeze. And while Harry Potter is the boy who lived and (Spoiler alert!) Voldemort is the one who dies, we still find old baldy the cooler wizard in gaming. How could we not?

9. "Wizard"

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Game: Dragon Warrior

So, a wizard approaches you in a forest…and he casts hurt. Unfortunately, that wasn’t a joke, because in k, wizards are roaming all over the country side, casting hurt on you and making you, well, hurt. They’re really not that hard to beat if you casts hurt right back on them, but they sure are a pain. And they look cool. Well, when they’re human and wearing a black robe, they look cool. No so much when they’re a lizard wearing yellow. Wizards shouldn’t be lizards that wear yellow.

8. Merlin

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Game: Gauntlet

There are many famous wizards in the history of literature, but none is probably more known than Merlin. And in Gauntlet, you can actually BE the man. But he may not be how you remember him in King Arthur’s stories. In the game, you’re more likely to see him shooting spells from across the screen and then hiding behind a pillar like a little girl, rather than blowing away dragons and destroying death. But hey, in how many other games do you get to play as Merlin the Wizard? We seriously don’t know. Gauntlet’s the only one we that we’ve played…or care about.

7. Magikoopa

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Game: Super Mario World

Making his first appearance in Super Mario World as the annoying wizard who would appear, shoot at you when you were climbing on a fence or something, and then disappear again, Magikoopa has made several appearances since then to torture you from afar and then, what else, disappear again. He was even supposed to be a racer in Mario Kart 64, but was pulled out to make way for Donkey Kong, that selfish ape. We would have preferred Magikoopa. Who doesn’t want to be a wizard? The answer to that is nobody. Nobody doesn’t want to be a wizard.

6. Xavier

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Game: Eternal Champions

All wizards need a wand of some kind, but warlocks use a staff, and that’s just what Xavier uses. His staff of power shoots out beams of green magic and even turns into a snake when it’s hurled, which is beyond badass. He also has the coolest music in the entire game for his level. Because when you’re a warlock who can do martial arts, it’s required.

5. "Warlock"

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Game: Warlock

In the game Warlock for Sega Genesis, you’re technically a druid who is out to DEFEAT a warlock. But that doesn’t mean you’re not armed to the nines with magical abilities, like magic bombs, healing spells, and even time reversal. You can even have up to 255 spells at your disposal, making him the most versatile wizard on this list. Oh, and the box for the game totally has a different title, which is “Beware the Ultimate Evil of Warlock.” Yep, we know. Best. Title. Ever!

4. Gandalf

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Game: Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Galdalf the White. Besides Merlin, there’s probably no more esteemed wizard in all of literature. And in The Return of the King video game, you can actually go on the path of the wizard and flail your staff around at the Battle of the Hornburg like it’s going out of style. Hey, at least you’re not shooting magic and then hiding behind some pillar like some other wizard on this list who we shall not name (But totally name-dropped at number 8).

3. Doctor Strange

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Game: Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3

Of all of the wizards on this list, Doctor Strange probably looks the most like a third-rate magician rather than a powerful sorcerer. His garish red cape isn’t doing him any favors. But that’s all just for show, because Doctor Strange is one of the most powerful wizards in all of fiction, and he kicks even more ass in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, where he can be seen sitting off to the other side of the screen and shooting off magic balls and reading from his book of spells, all without even breaking a sweat. Hey, when you’re as powerful as Doctor Strange, you don’t have to sweat. There’s a spell for that.

2. Mages

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Game: Final Fantasy

Black Mage, White Mage, Red Mage, Summoners, take your pick. With powerful spells used to damage your enemies or heal your party, they’re pretty much the hotshots on the team, with a white mage and black mage usually being essential as a pair. And hold up, wait a minute. With enough experience, they can even evolve into wizards themselves with even MORE powerful spells. If there’s been any celebrity in the Final Fantasy universe (Besides, you know, Sephiroth and Cloud), then it’s the black mages, with their blue robes and pointy yellow hats. Nobody else is more badass. Well, except for one other.

1. Shang Tsung

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Game: Mortal Kombat

The wizard who officially made, “Your soul is miiiine,” a catchphrase (Amongst nerds like us), Shang Tsung may have become a loser once Liu Kang arrived on the scene, but Shang can do something that no other wizard on this list can do—turn into his enemy. It’s this skill that’s made him the clear cut favorite of ours and also the wizard we’d most want to be like. Sure, as himself, he can only shoot fireballs, but when he’s Sub-Zero, he can shoot ice, and when he’s Johnny Cage, he can do a split and nail you in the nuts. Yep, good old Shang Tsung. He’s the coolest video game wizard ever, by far. Nobody’s messing with him. Nobody!

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