The 25 Most Feared Gods in Video Games

Video game characters can reach epic, and often god-like, proportions of being when they're imagined up by any title's developers.

We've seen plenty of horrifying creatures spring up in the annals of video game history—think about Giygas from Earthbound, or Nemesis from Resident Evil—but what about the villains and heroes who truly are gods? Like real, actual gods. How do regular, old bad guys compare to the battles we faced against established figures like Zeus or Poseidon? Or even demons that were constructed within their own video game mythology like Diablo's Baal or Skyrim's Alduin?

When gamers have to go up against opponents of this scale and magnitude, suddenly old-time foes like The Joker or Bowser can just no longer compare. And with Thor: The Dark World now in theaters and the mobile game now available on both iOS and Android, it's time to figure out who the best of these divine deities are, both good and bad. These are the 25 Most Feared Gods in Video Games.

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Game(s): Thor: God of Thunder

With Thor: The Dark World now in theaters, many have been itching to have another go with the Norse God of Thunder. The star of the self-titled video game in 2011, Thor awakened the Viking in us all, ripping through Ulik, Surtur and a fistful of Frost Giants, one mighty swing of Mjolnir at a time. Early reviews of the mobile version of Dark World have been more or less favorable, but we need a console version of this title to really sink our teeth into the action. Valhalla awaits.

Game(s): The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Also known as the Nordic God of Destruction, Alduin openly declares himself to be the first-born of Akatosh throughout Skyrim, just in case his scaly, fire-breathing exterior didn't make it clear enough that he absolutely means business. When poets and writers of old first imagined the stories of knights slaying mighty dragons, even they couldn't have conceived someone as purely evil and destructive as Alduin. However, that only makes your final battle with him all the more epic. Princesses may not be up for grabs, but glory runs aplenty.

Game(s): World of Warcraft

Housed inside the volcanic core of Blackrock Mountain, Ragnaros is the master of all things hot and heavy. There's always been a cartoonish quality to many of the WoW characters, but in the case of Ragnaros, he's about as physically intimidating as it gets in Azeroth. The master of all things fire-related, Ragnaros—depending on the mode you're playing in—is a three or four phase boss man who will demand 110 percent effort from any team you assemble to take him down. It'll take all your skill, and plenty of endurance, to finally put this god to rest.

Game(s): Diablo II: Lord of Destruction

Known as the Lord of Destruction, Baal is what is referred to in the Diablo universe as a Prime Evil. If you couldn't guess, this means that he's basically super, super evil. Indeed, Baal is so bent on destruction, that his kingdom consists primarily of a network of slaves building monuments day in and day out, simply so that Baal will have something to destroy when they're finished. Can you say tedious? As long as you're not the one in his path, though, you probably shouldn't complain. This spider-like demon god will have you for breakfast, lunch and dinner if you're not careful.

Game(s): Dissidia Final Fantasy

The final boss for Dissidia Final Fantasy, Chaos is the God of Discord, and a character who acts in direct opposition to Cosmos, the Goddess of Harmony, for the entire game. As you fight your way through Dissidia, it all leads up to a one-on-one with Mr. Big Nasty here. Chaos is a quintessential demon, pulled straight from the Biblical descriptions of Lucifer himself. The horns; the wings; the multiple arms, they all scream one thing to any and all challengers to this wanna-be Prince of Darkness: get ready to fight.

Game(s): The Tekken series

An Aztec deity, Ogre is the God of Fighting, which, obviously, makes him a pretty good fit for the Tekken series. As if being a god of combat wasn't enough, though, Ogre also has to hit you with his True Ogre form, a horrifying winged devil who sprouts wings and switches out a gang of serpents for his left arm. Oh, yeah, and then there's Monstrous Ogre. Just take a look at him. What else needs to be said?

Game(s): The Castlevania series

Death has taken on a couple of different forms in the Castlevania series, oscillating between the stereotypical Grim Reaper role, and then the actual God of Death. We're not really sure what the difference is between the two, but its one that has been demarcated by the game developers. Either way, it doesn't change the fact that Death is terrifying. C'mon, it's death we're talking about here. If we're not supposed to fear that then what do we fear?

Game(s): Xenogears

What would happen if God was made into machine? Xenogears gives us the answer: Deus. A self-aware robot bent on killing mankind, Deus is basically like the video gaming world's iteration of HAL 9000. The idea in and of itself is a terrifying one: unthinking, unfeeling machines methodically asserting their dominance over human life. This is why we should all fear the Singularity, you guys! Future! Fuuuuutuuuure!

Game(s): Dark Souls

Previously known as the Lord of Sunlight, Gwyn—father of the Gwynevere, the Queen of Sunlight—serves as the ultimate boss of Dark Souls, pitting himself against you as the final obstacle in the way of the First Flame. Gwyn is a knight cut from the same cloth as any of Camelot's most mythic heroes, except he may be even more powerful. Imagine if King Arthur and Zeus had a baby. It'd probably look something like Gwyn. Crazy fast, extremely powerful, and infused with flame, Gwyn presents a worthy and fitting conclusion to the Dark Souls adventure.

Game(s): Asura's Wrath

Other gods may have more powers or abilities than Gongen Wyzen, but one thing is for certain: they don't get any bigger than him. The final form of Wyzen—formerly an Eight Guardian General, and Powerhouse of the Seven Deities—Gongen is able to transform himself to be even bigger than Asura's Wrath home world of Gaia. However, with his enormous size comes equally large hubris. While his sheer mass is certainly terrifying, Gongen never fully uses it against, instead preferring to toy with you by keeping you, literally, under his finger. Find a way to use that cockiness to your advantage, and you'll take him down in no time.

Game(s): World of Warcraft

One of the five Old Gods, C'Thun once ruled over the young world until a gang of Titans came to wage war against the kingdom that had been built upon Azeroth. For years, C'Thun was presumed dead, all the while residing within the city of Ahn'Qiraj, in Silithus. With C'Thun, the eyes are what you have to watch out for, as he's likely to catch you with any one of his optics-related offenses, like the Eye Beams or his Dark Glare. "See no evil" just isn't a phrase that exists in his vocabulary.

Game(s): Bayonetta

Officially known as Jubileus, The Creator, the final boss of Bayonetta proves to be one of the most epic final opponents ever, offering a five-staged battle sequence followed by the Climax stage, wherein you have to drive the goddess straight into the sun. Jubileus dictates the Trinity of Realities present in the realm of Bayonetta: light, dark and chaos, so while taking her down may seem like a tall task. But, remember, with Bayonetta on your side, pretty much anything is possible. Yes, even defeating the creator of an entire universe.

Game(s): God of War III

Aquaman may be the butt of most everyone's joke when it comes to the super hero world, but you can be sure that Poseidon isn't about to get played like a fool. The watery overlord puts up a hell of a fight in God of War III, pulling out every aquatic stop you could think of in his battle against Kratos, summoning storms and underwater creatures while exerting divine control over all things H2O. Hydrophobes, beware. You may want to sit this one out.

Game(s): Altered Beast

Altered Beast isn't a title that many will remember, but it was something like a God of War of its day, following a resurrected centurion in his quest to save Athena from the Underworld. The primary antagonist of this plot was Neff, a shapeshifting Demon God who you fought through five different levels in order to finally free Athena. Casting himself into a different form for each level, Neff earned the fear of his opponents through the diversity of his abilities. Like, who else can turn from a crocodile worm to a rhinoceros-man?

Game(s): Black and White

For all of Black and White, you, yourself, are actually the god to be feared, wielding control over every living being in the kingdom you oversee. However, acting as a yin to your yang, Nemesis comes along to throw a cosmic wrench in everything for much of the game. In the end, this culminates in a showdown between your own creature and his, finally allowing you to get some sweet redemption against the demonic god who has been tormenting you the entire adventure. Revenge is sweet, isn't it?

Game(s): The Elder Scrolls series

Akatosh is never a god that you actually have to go toe-to-toe with in any of the Elder Scrolls games, but his pervasive influence throughout the series makes it clear that he isn't a force whom anyone should be underestimating. His appearance in Oblivion essentially confirms this, when he goes to battle against Mehrunes Dagon in the form of a giant, flaming dragon. By that, we mean a dragon made out of fire. Sound like someone you want to be crossing paths with? Didn't think so.

Game(s): Brutal Legend

Ormagoden is also known as the Eternal Fire Beast, Cremator of the Sky, and Destroyer of the Ancient World. How's that for a title? His name is a portmanteau of ore and armageddon, basically meaning that this dude absolutely means business. Boasting two, gigantic tusks, and a whole lot of fire, you were advised to stay on the good side of this Brutal Legend beastie. Because, y'know, if he could destroy an entire Ancient World, then he likely wasn't going to have any trouble dealing with you.

Game(s): Final Fantasy VI

Even with Final Fantasy VI's pixelated appearance, Kefka Palazzo still managed to strike fear in the hearts of every gamer who picked up an SNES to go up against the God of Magic himself. Kefka was twisted in the same way that the Joker is messed up. They're both the types of villains who see all the ills of the world as things to be toyed with, and human beings as being the primary instruments of their devilish games. Nothing was better than taking down Palazzo at the end of the game, solely because it meant the end of hearing his chilling, psychotic laughter.

Game(s): The Mortal Kombat series

Move over, Thor, because you've got some competition in the God of Thunder department. Ever since Mortal Kombat was released in 1992, Raiden has been an absolutely essential character of the series, in fact being one of just two characters to appear in every single Mortal Kombat game. His fighting abilities like flight, teleportation, and an exceptional command of lightning have made him a fan favorite for years, and his coolie hat has made him one of franchises' most recognizable figures around. After logging 21 years in this video game industry, Raiden wins fear, among other things, simply out of respect.

Game(s): God of War

The original God of War in God of War, Ares was an absolutely ruthless character, responsible for Kratos murdering his own wife and children. Don Corleone has nothing on this guy, because that is some next-level, cold-blooded action. In the end, Ares would get his comeuppence at the hands of Kratos, but as the primary antagonist for the first GoW title, Ares had everyone shaking in their boots right up until the very end.

Game(s): God of War III

What more can anyone say about Hades to make you fear him? He's the God of the Dead; the King of Hell. Yeah, the King of Hell. If that doesn't strike some fear into your heart, then you're more stone-cold than Sam Jackson in Pulp Fiction. Armored in his Helm of Darkness in God of War III, Hades was a god that you'd just been waiting and waiting to do battle with since the series began. And when the battle finally came to be, it was every bit as good as you'd hoped.

Game(s): God of War series

Kratos' ascension from Spartan soldier to God of War is one of the most epic tales in all of gaming. And while, luckily, you never actually have to face off against him, he's still ruthless and violent enough that he deserves to be feared. Kratos looks like the kind of guy who would just slap the shit out of cause he woke up in a bad mood. Wait, yes, that's definitely what he would do. Spare the blades, though, please?

Game(s): Demon's Souls

Little is known about the Maiden in Black except that she used to be one of the most powerful demons ever, and that now she spends most of her days dealing in souls. A very ho-hum existence, dealing in souls. It's like selling pork bellies or trading futures, right? Uhhhh...not quite. Many of her abilities may have been stripped, but when a demon like this has the keys to a human's inner heart, then you can be sure that they've got more power than any of us could imagine.