Villains are standard in video games; they constitute an obstacle for the player at one point or the other. You measure the difficulty of a game by the number of villains you have to encounter or how tough they are to defeat.

Video game developers can be naughty, though, as they make some villains so tricky to find, and when you find them, it is an uphill task to beat them. Sometimes, a player has to survive multiple tiers of warfare to get to see certain villains—then the final battle begins. We are not basing our list on video game villains that are difficult to defeat in battle but rather on villains that are difficult to meet. You will need to travel to hell and back to book a fight with these villains:

10 Death Bringer—Golden Axe

Golden Axe is an old-school game that was released by Sega in 1989. At the time, video game developers ensured that the enemies moved faster than you and sometimes tried to swarm you. The Death Bringer is the most difficult villain to handle in Golden Axe. He sits on the throne with an army of two skeletons fighting alongside him. The skeletons disappear as soon as you are able to knock Death Bringer’s axe out of his hands.

It’s easier to imagine killing Death Bringer than actually doing the deed. Firstly, a player needs to use all their magic to weaken him—we mean weaken only, not kill. Also, the player must use jump attacks to land a blow on Death Bringer because that is the only practical way to avoid his army of skeletons. You need to jump and time your hits so that you land a blow on Death Bringer while simultaneously avoiding his minions. Once a player kills Death Bringer, they have reached the end of the game.^[1]

9 Mundus—Devil May Cry

Devil May Cry is the first game in the Devil May Cry series. The protagonist is Dante, whose arch-enemy is Mundus. The storyline is that Mundus, a demon lord, murdered the mother of Dante, which put Dante on a revenge mission to eradicate all demons from existence. The plot of the game is straightforward: Dante gets to kill demon after demon until he reaches the Demon Lord, Mundus.

Mundus’s physical form is grotesque; he is a writhing mass of living tissue with three eyeballs and several hands. His personality is as bad as his appearance. He is depicted in the game as a sadist who has no compassion or empathy for his minions. Devil May Cry is no easy game. Only the most formidable players get to see Mundus as you must successfully battle from one demon to another.^[2]

8 M. Bison—Street Fighter II

M. Bison is a video game villain in Street Fighter II, a game that was made in the era when video game supervillains were particularly difficult to beat. His attire consists of a red military uniform adorned with large silver shoulder plates topped off with a cap. M. Bison is one of the most difficult video game evil bosses to encounter. A player must get rid of all other opponents before booking a fight with him. The opponents in this game are not easy to fight either, yet you must kill them all before you get a chance to fight M.Bison.

In the game, M. Bison is the leader of the criminal organization named “Shadaloo.” He is capable of performing several stunts to defeat the player of the game. Some of his moves include the Psycho Crusher, Double Knee Press, Head Press, and Somersault Skull Diver.^[3]

7 Ozma—Final Fantasy IX

Ozma is a villain in Final Fantasy IX. To be able to find this villain, a player needs to reach the Chocobo Air Garden. Unfortunately, getting to this level is a challenge because a player must get upgraded to the Gold Flying Status. This is your ticket to the Chocobo Air Garden, and it takes several hours of play before a player is qualified to meet Ozma.

Not only is it difficult to get to meet this supervillain, but it is also difficult to fight him. Ordinarily, he can resist all physical attacks without suffering harm. The only way to make him vulnerable to physical attacks is to complete the “Friendly Monsters” side quest. This is an ordeal on its own—and remember that the purpose of this side quest is to make Ozma vulnerable to physical attacks, not to kill it. Completing this side quest does not make the game easier in any way, though. We have no doubt in our minds that this supervillain deserves to be on this list.^[4]

6 The Cow King—Diablo II Resurrected

The Cow King is a supervillain in the video game Diablo II. It exists in the secret cow level. A player needs to kill Baal on each of the levels to be able to access their respective cow levels. The Cow King is a legend because only the most skillful players can access him. After killing Baal, the player will combine a Tome of Town Portal with Wirt’s leg in the Horadic Cube while in the Rogue Encampment. This is how to unlock the secret portal where the Cow King resides.

Take note that it is so much work to get to book a fight with the Cow King. The secret cow zone contains an army of Hell Bovines that will try to swarm the player and kill him. You must have honed your skills and amassed a lot of weapons to be able to survive the secret cow level.^[5]

5 Moon Presence—Bloodborne

Moon Presence is a video game supervillain that deserves to be on this list. Moon Presence is unique because he isn’t the most difficult villain in the Bloodborne game, but for a player to get to fight him, such a player must have been through hell. Aside from killing villains like Lady Maria, Ebrietas, and Gehrman, a player hoping to confront Moon Presence must have consumed three umbilical cord items found throughout Yharnam.

Do not be deceived; not all the umbilical cords come easy. You must fight your way to get to some of them. It is only after these umbilical cords have been consumed and Gehrman has been defeated that the Moon Presence descends into the arena for the final battle of the game.^[6]

4 Akuma—Super Street Fighter II Turbo

Akuma, otherwise known as Gouki in Japan, is a video game supervillain only tough players get to face. In order to meet Akuma, the player can play any character but must defeat all the preliminary opponents without losing a single credit. This is how tough it is to meet this video game supervillain. Booking a fight with Akuma is achievable but nearly impossible. To meet Akuma is comparable to surmounting Mount Everest, and the villain is a toughie to fight even if a player manages to meet him in the first place.

Akuma has the ability to easily escape from corner traps or bad situations with teleport. He is an overwhelmingly strong character with high-damage combos and specials. Akuma is capable of throwing two Hadokens in mid-air, and his higher attack strength and priorities mean that players who will survive the fight against him must be on their toes throughout the encounter.^[7]

3 Sigrun—God of War

Sigrun is a Valkyrie Queen and an optional video game villain in God of War. She is the leader of the nine Valkyries. Every Valkyrie in God of War is tough, but Sigrun makes the others look easy. Of course, we are not really surprised—that is why she is their queen, after all. To find Sigrun, a player must conquer the other eight Valkyries scattered in different locations within the game.

Once a player is done with the other eight, they proceed to the Council of Valkyries. This is a large open area filled with crumbling stone thrones. Once the player gets to the circle of seats, they need to take specific steps to summon Sigrun. The player places all the heads of the slain Valkyries on their respective seats. This conduct will make a black orb appear in the middle area, then the battle with Sigrun begins.

Sigrun is a quick and versatile villain who can quickly spell defeat for an inexperienced or ill-prepared player. Sigrun has the capacity to jump into the air with ease, which makes her quickly disappear from the view of the player. In order for a player to stand a chance to defeat her in battle, such a player must keep their eyes on Sigrun at all times.^[8]

2 Nemesis—Returnal

Returnal is a PS5-exclusive game. There are several villains in the game, but the most difficult of them all is Nemesis. This supervillain can be found in the third Biome. Before a player can think about challenging Nemesis, they need to have defeated other supervillains in the first three biomes. The list of threats in this game is endless—at one point, a player will have completely autonomous guns shooting at them, and a player will also get to meet the Kerberon, an alien lizard, and the Lamiadon, a flying creature, among other villains.

When you are done with all of these in the Overgrown Ruins, you then proceed to the Crimson Waste. If you are successful here, you head to the Derelict Citadel. This is where Nemesis is located. Nemesis does not fight alone; he has accomplices that will make your job of killing it much more difficult. Nemesis is a tough video game villain to beat, but that is not why he is on this list. He is on this list because a player needs to fight gallantly to get to him.^[9]

1 Yiazmat—Final Fantasy XII

Yiazmat is the final Elite Mark villain that a player will get to fight in the Final Fantasy XII game. There are 32 Marks and 12 other Elite Marks villains in the game. Each of these 32 Marks and 12 Elite Marks will be encountered in different locations and under different circumstances. A player must overcome them all before they will able to book a date with Yiazmat. Final Fantasy XII is one of the toughest video games ever made. Not only does it take you so much to come this far, Yiazmat itself is the most difficult of all the villains in the game.

We have no doubt that Yiazmat is the undisputed ruler of the video game villains that are the hardest to reach. In fact, only the best of the best players can book a date with it. Yiazmat has several devastating attack capabilities, and each of its moves has a five percent chance of causing instant death to the player it is confronting. It takes the average player two hours to be able to defeat this supervillain. At a point during the fight, the player confronting Yiazmat may need to hide to recoup their strength or even go to get more weapons to enable them to win the fight.^[10]

Research can get a little… boring. But every now and again, a challenge comes along that cannot be solved with run-of-the-mill experiments. That’s when scientists get creative and, daresay, a little weird. From teaching fish to drive (on land) to peeing on crops, here are some of the strangest quests researchers have embarked on!

10 How to Spot a Creep

What makes someone creepy? In 2016, a team of psychologists pondered this important question. Their goal was to draft a list of traits that could identify someone as an unsettling weirdo. To understand what people find creepy, the study interviewed 1,342 volunteers and asked them what made their skin crawl when meeting a stranger. Some of their answers were unexpected.

Sure, the participants found others creepy when there was an element of physical danger or when the people worked as clowns or looked unkempt. But other traits were more random. People who collect dolls, insects, or reptiles also made the list. Bird-watchers too. Laughing unexpectedly, smiling strangely, or licking your lips frequently can also make others want to keep their distance.^[1]

9 Enduring Brazil Nut Mystery Solved

When thinking about physics mysteries, a person might expect quantum stuff, invisible influences, and perhaps a particle or two. But some physicists wonder about nutty snacks. More specifically, why do large nuts, like Brazil nuts, always find their way to the top of the packet? Shouldn’t the heaviest nuts work their way down instead?

In 2021, scientists gave a bag of nuts a couple of good shakes. After each shake, the packet was scanned to get a 3D view of the contents. Incredibly, this revealed that size or weight had nothing to do with Brazil nuts rising to the top.

It’s their orientation. When a packet moves, say, while it’s being transported to a shop, the horizontal Brazil nuts eventually point upward (it took the scientists 50 shakes to achieve this). This provides more space for smaller nuts to consistently move downward and force the larger nuts up.^[2]

8 How to Echolocate

Researchers have known for a while that a small group of people can echolocate. In other words, they use tongue clicks or finger snaps—and not sight—to find their way around. But could this skill be taught to others, and how long would it take? The answer was surprising.

This study, which was published in 2021, discovered that both legally blind individuals and sighted people could be taught within 10 weeks to navigate with echolocation. Not only could they move around in a maze, but by interpreting the echoes that came back from their clicks, the volunteers could also recognize the orientation and size of objects inside the maze.^[3]

7 The Lost Letter Experiment

In 2012, anthropologists sprinkled 300 letters on the pavement of 20 neighborhoods in London. The idea was to test the altruism of people. If someone found a letter, would they go through all the effort that was required to deliver the mail to a total stranger’s house? These addresses were, in reality, the homes of the researchers who sat back and collected the letters as they rolled in.

Interestingly, about 87% of letters scattered in wealthier neighborhoods found their way back. In contrast, only 37% in poorer areas returned. The study found that ethnicity and population density had nothing to do with altruism. Instead, it was socioeconomic factors that needed more investigation to fully understand.

But for now, the scientists believe that fewer letters returned from disadvantaged areas—not because people care less—but because the hardships of life make them wearier and, therefore, less likely to pick up random letters on the pavement.^[4]

6 Pigs in Suitcases

Killers dump a lot of bodies in suitcases. Just like other crime scenes, the police need to know when the victim passed away. This triggered the world’s biggest experiment to learn more about the forensics of this harrowing habit. In particular, the researchers were interested in carrion insects.

When a corpse is left in the open, these insects colonize the body and provide a host of information. These flies and beetles can give forensic entomologists the time of death, reveal the presence of drugs, and whether the victim died elsewhere and in what type of location. A suitcase disrupts this process by hampering normal insect colonization.

To better understand this interference, a 2022 study placed stillborn piglets in nearly 70 bins and suitcases and left them outside. Remarkably, the carrion insects still provided critical information, just differently. By assessing how bugs and eggs clustered on the outside of the containers, which larvae made it inside, and the dead insects within, researchers could glean the basics of toxicology, body relocation, the circumstances and time of death, and how the weather influenced the pigs’ decomposition.^[5]

5 Peeing on Crops

Few people might eat a loaf of bread when they know the farmer peed on the wheat. But that’s a rather modern revulsion. For thousands of years, people used human urine as a fantastic fertilizer for crops. The practice vanished and now only exists in a few areas in Asia.

In recent years, scientists wondered if this ancient solution might help rural farmers. Especially those who live on nutrient-poor land where commercial fertilizer isn’t an option. Pee is free and packed with phosphorus, potassium, and nitrogen—everything a hungry plant needs. They launched a large-scale experiment in the Republic of Niger where they trained female farmers on how to use urine safely as a fertilizer.

After three years and 681 trials, these ladies produced millet crops that were 30% more bountiful than normal. The results were so well-received that years after the experiment ended, over a thousand women farmers in Niger continued to fertilize their crops with sanitized urine.^[6]

4 This Test Will Last 500 Years

A couple of years ago, a researcher found a petri dish he’d forgotten about for 10 years. Once he realized the dried bacteria it contained could be revived with a little hydration, it sparked an ambitious study. In 2014, it brought together scientists from Scotland, Germany, and the U.S. to figure out how long bacteria can survive. Thus, the 500-year experiment was born. (link 7)

It works like this. Two bacteria species were chosen and hermetically sealed in 800 glass vials. About 400 were encased in lead to reduce DNA damage from natural radiation. For the first 24 years, scientists will open a couple of vials every other year and examine the bacteria’s DNA health and viability. For the rest of the time, the remaining 475 years, vials will be opened and tested every quarter-century.

The chances that the bacteria samples will stay alive for 500 years are good. But the experiment might not survive. It requires the continuous collaboration of the UK, the U.S., and Germany. Who knows if future scientists will even stay loyal to the study? The box containing the vials might also get lost before the experiment is over.^[7]

3 Brains with Eyes (Sort Of)

Stem cells can be manipulated to turn into any type of cell. This trait allows scientists to create smaller versions of human organs, or organoids, to test and learn more about diseases. In 2021, researchers wanted to find a way to treat early retinal disorders. For this, they needed a tiny brain with eyes.

Past experiments have separately created brain organoids and eye organoids (not eyeballs but an earlier developmental stage called optic cups). But nobody has ever created a combination of the two.

In the new study, experiments eventually produced several brains with eyes. This organoid resembled a yellow blob with a pair of black dots. The latter were the optic cups that the researchers needed. Incredibly, the cups were light-sensitive and developed at the same rate as eyes in a human embryo. They even had corneal tissue and lenses. In the future, this somewhat creepy-looking organoid can help scientists to study eye disorders, treatments, and brain-eye interactions during embryonic development.^[8]

2 Turning Water into Metal

In theory, most materials can become metallic—if you squeeze them hard enough. When mightily mushed, their atoms or molecules crush together so tightly that they swap electrons. This, in turn, can give a substance metallic properties like conducting electricity. But turning water into metal faces special challenges.

First, it needs a big squeeze. About 15 million atmospheres’ worth. This kind of pressure is not something that most scientists have lying around the laboratory. Secondly, such an experiment requires alkali metals like sodium and potassium because they share electrons quickly—and they remove the need for ridiculous atmospheric pressure. The problem? Alkali metals tend to explode when they touch water.

In 2021, an experiment managed to do the impossible. They turned water into metal by slowing the explosive reaction to give the metals the time to share their electrons with the water. This was achieved by working inside a vacuum chamber and exposing the two alkali metals to water vapor. The resulting metal droplet only lasted a few seconds, but it resembled gold and conducted electricity.^[9]

1 The Fishmobile

Can fish avoid obstacles on land? Okay, fish and land don’t gel. But this didn’t stop researchers in Israel from building a car for goldfish. Kind of like an aquarium on wheels. The goal was to understand how fish learn to navigate and if their brains could handle a trip on land.

Six goldfish were trained to pilot the fish-operated vehicle or FOV. At first, the fish swam erratically but then seemed to grasp the situation and their movements became more deliberate and relaxed. Indeed, the goldfish quickly learned how to make the FOV drive forward, but it was harder to teach them to think outside the tank, so to speak.

But with simple obstacle training and a lot of treats, the fish stopped driving aimlessly around the room and headed straight for targets. Once they reached a target, they were rewarded with a snack. When obstacles were placed in their path, the fish learned to drive around them to get to the target—and something yummy. This proved that fish can be remarkably resourceful in challenging environments in order to find food.^[10]