Throughout its history, Nintendo has championed female representation, particularly in its core franchises. From Samus Aran’s unforgettable gender reveal inMetroid, to the decision to name theZeldaseries after its princess rather than the actual playable character, Nintendo, to its credit, has never overlooked the importance of its feminine fandom.
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However, some girls don’t just wanna have fun, and whilethe Nintendo universe is rife with paragons of virtue and morality like Princess Peach, as well as cooler, more mysterious role models like Bayonetta, there are some iconic females who decided to use their talents for evil instead (or at least moderate irritation).
10Dr. Coyle – ARMS
The most recent entry on the list, Dr. Coyle is the final boss of Nintendo’s 2017 release:ARMS. Dr. Coyle is the director of the ARMS Laboratories, is responsible for creating the game’s chief antagonists Hedlok and Springtron, and, in classic sci-fi fashion (here’s looking at you, Dr. Octopus), has been experimenting on herself in the name of technological advancement.
Dr. Coyle was later added as a playable character, allowing players the opportunity to utilize her third arm and invisibility abilities in battle.
9Shadow Queen – Paper Mario
By the end ofPaper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, it becomes clear that Sir Grodus is nothing but a distraction from the true villain: the Shadow Queen. Having been trapped behind a door for a millennium, the extent of her wrath upon her release is perhaps not too much of a surprise, and consequently, she is often regarded asone of the most powerful opponentsin the entireMarioseries.
The most enduring image of the Shadow Queen is perhaps not that of her purest form, but her spirit controlling the body of Princess Peach, transforming the apple of Mario’s eye into a formidable foe.
8Medusa – Kid Icarus
Based on the Greek goddess of the same, Queen of the Underworld Medusa is the chief antagonist inKid Icarusand its sequels. Her story is effectively the oldest story, told time and time again through cultures: a fallen angel is banished to the underworld, and promises revenge.
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The extremely limited amount of releasesin theKid Icarusseries has stifled the potential of Medusa as an icon of the videogame industry, but her impact as one of the very first female villains cannot be overlooked.
7Twinrova – Zelda
While an honorable mention must be given to the Deku Tree’s Queen Gohma, by offering two for the price of one the title ofOcarina of Time’smost memorable female villain goes to Twinrova, the combination of the 400-year-old Gerudo twin witches Kotake and Koume.
After fighting Link together using their respective fire and ice powers, the twins merge to form Twinrova, utilizing both elements in a Double Dynamite Attack. Following their defeat, the sisters would both appear again inMajora’s Mask, this time helping Link in his adventure.
6Jessie – Pokemon
One half of the main antagonistic duo in thePokemonanime series (or a third if you count Meowth), Team Rocket’s Jessie didn’t actually appear inPokemon Red & Blueand was first conceived by the anime’s original head writer, Takeshi Shudo.
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Of course, due to the huge success of the TV series and its impact on thePokemonfranchise and canon as a whole, Jessie (along with partner in crime James) soon popped up inPokemon Yellow, battling the player on multiple occasions and holding poor old Mr. Fuji hostage in the Pokemon Tower.
5Dark Samus – Metroid
Around the turn of the century, Nintendo apparently realized what numerous sci-fi writers, and indeed psychologists, did before them: sometimes the hardest battle one can truly face is against oneself. Or (because that’s quite hard to portray in a video game) with their evil doppelganger. After the success (based upon infuriation elicited) ofOcarina of Time’sDark Link andMario Sunshine’sShadow Mario, theMetroidFranchisejoined the party with Dark Samus.
First appearing in the secret cutscene ending ofMetroid Primeas the reincarnation of the Prime being itself, Dark Samus would go on to become the main antagonist in the following two entries in the trilogy. She has all the same moves as you, but is quicker and more powerful! Who’d have thunk it?
4Captain Syrup – Wario
Despite being physically the anti-Mario, it is accurate to say that the chief object of Wario’s purest revulsion is not an Italian plumber, but a meddlesome pirate, and a female one at that. Captain Syrup is the main antagonist across theWario Landseries, although, due to Wario’s questionable morality, might better be described as an anti-villain.
Perhaps taking inspiration from the reveal of Samus Aran’s gender inMetroid, the American instruction manual for the firstWario Landreferred to Captain Syrup with only gender-neutral pronouns to protect the element of surprise.
3Gruntilda – Banjo-Kazooie
Though not always considered a Nintendo game (probably due to its appearance on the Xbox Live Arcade), the originalBanjo-Kazooiewaspublished by Nintendo as an N64 exclusive. Therefore, the application from the game’s main villain, Gruntilda Winkybunion, to be included in the list ought to be considered.
Grunty’s ultimate goal, like many a witch before her, is to become beautiful, by any means necessary. While this endeavor may ultimately fail, Gruntilda does manage to change her form throughout the series, later appearing as a Mecha-ghost, a skeleton, and a robot with a head in a jar.
2Birdo – Mario
Birdo is one of the more interesting characters in theMariouniverse, namely because she wasn’t designed for aMariogame at all. As many will already know, after the originalSuper Mario Bros.sequel was shelved for being deemed too difficult, the Japanese-only titleYume Kojo: Doki Doki Panicwas sufficiently Mariofied and released overseas asSuper Mario Bros. 2.
The recurring egg-spitting mini-boss, who became known as Birdo, survived the rebranding and would go on to golf, kart, and party with the rest of the Mario gang for decades to come. In more recent years, Birdo (or, if she prefers, Birdetta) hasbecome something of a hero for the LGBTQ+ community, and is often regarded as gaming’s first transgender character.
1Mother Brain - Metroid
The de facto commander of the Space Pirates, Mother Brain is the originalMetroidantagonist, providing the final boss battle in both the originalMetroidtitle (and its remakeZero Mission) andSuper Metroid. According to series co-creator Yoshio Sakamoto, Mother Brain wasan archetypal example of an AI system gone bad, created originally by the Chozo, but later gaining sentience and going berserk.
While in the originalMetroid, Mother Brain’s form is restricted to a literal brain inside a glass tank, inSuper MetroidMother Brain also possesses a face and giant humanoid body, allowing her to walk and shoot energy-draining attacks from her eyes and mouth.
