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- Primary Subject: Legacy of the Antagonist (Multi-Franchise Analysis/2026 Edition)
- Key Update: Recent remakes like Metal Gear Solid Delta and rumors of a Dark Souls 3 remaster are bringing these tragic backstories to a new generation.
- Status: Confirmed
- Last Verified: January 27, 2026
- Quick Answer: These villains break players because their evil acts stem from relatable trauma like betrayal, grief, or cursed immortality rather than a simple desire for power.
In years gone by, all games needed were truly evil villains who only sought power to rule the world and destroy the innocent lives within it. For a long time, that approach worked. However, we have recently seen a shift in industry approach. Developers stopped writing villains as obstacles and more as tragedies.
I’ve realized that the bosses who stick with me aren't the ones who were hard to beat. They’re the ones I didn’t want to fight in the first place. There is a specific kind of hollow feeling you get when you realize the person you just defeated was actually a victim of a world that never gave them a chance.
So with that said, here are five video game villains whose backstories will break you emotionally.
Ardyn Izunia (Final Fantasy XV)
Our first villain on this list is Ardyn Izunia from Final Fantasy XV. If I had to choose, I would say Ardyn Izunia is one of the most tragic villains Square Enix has ever written.
Now moving to this backstory, Ardyn was never meant to be the villain. He was chosen to save the world. He had the power to heal the Starscourge by absorbing it into himself. He saved thousands of lives at the cost of his own soul becoming corrupted. But you know what? The same gift destroyed him slowly.
Instead of being thanked, he was branded a monster by his own brother and the gods themselves, whom he served. His brother even took the throne while Ardyn was erased from history.
He has suffered for centuries. He watches the world praise a bloodline that exists because he was sacrificed. So, it was all that vengeance inside him that made him a villain.
Emet-Selch (Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers)
It is rare for an expansion pack to produce the best villain in gaming history, but Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers did exactly that, and we should thank Square Enix for this.
The thing that makes Emet-Selch a villain is that he remembers what Shadowbringers used to be like. The players who are currently in are much worse than they used to be. He spent thousands of years watching civilizations rise and fall, all while trying to find a way to bring his friends and family back to life.
The Boss (Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater)
Giving her a "villain" label, I think, would be highly unfair. As per the story, she defected to the Russians, and as the protagonist, Naked Snake, you have to hunt her down in order to avoid a major nuclear escalation. Interestingly, she was once the mentor of our protagonist herself.
But let me tell you a twist. She never defected to the Russians, but it was her own government that asked her to play the part of a traitor so the United States could avoid political fallout.
She knew from the start that her mission would end with her being murdered by her most beloved student, but she accepted it anyway.
I’ve played a lot of games, but few endings feel as heavy as this one. You are forced to pull the trigger yourself. The Boss sacrificed her life for her country, which disposed of her.
Baldur (God of War 2018)
Baldur initially appears as a straightforward antagonist. He seems violent, unstable, and obsessed with conflicts. God of War lets the player falsely believe that version of him for a long time.
Actually, Baldur's mother, Freya, blessed him with a spell that would protect him from all harm.
This spell made it so Baldur would not feel any pain. It also meant that Baldur would not be able to feel anything else. He could not feel happy or sad or anything like that. The spell that Freya did on Baldur really changed how he experienced the world.
But ask yourself: Was this actually a boon or a curse? He can’t feel physical touch, he can’t taste food, and he can’t feel warmth. He is essentially a ghost in a living body. Violence became the only way he could confirm his own existence.
Sif, the Great Grey Wolf (Dark Souls)
Including a wolf might seem weird, but if you have played Dark Souls, you know why Sif is on this list. Sif is not trying to take over the world. Sif is just guarding the grave of her master, Artorias, who died centuries ago. Sif is doing this because they care about Artorias.
There is a heartbreaking cinematic where she pins you down, whines in recognition, and then picks up her sword anyway. She doesn't want to fight you, but she knows that if you take the ring she’s guarding, you will meet the same dark fate as her master.
Many fans I remember said that, actually, they were looking like a villain fighting a wolf who was just protecting his master's final resting place.
It is the purest example of a villain who is actually just a victim of circumstance.
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