There are over 700 games that released on the Nintendo Entertainment System. Roughly 40 of them are considered Role-Playing Games. Many of the oldest western RPGs were put on this console, and it is where the birth of JRPGs occurred.The genre was still trying to define itself at this time, but that didn’t stop developers from making multiple villains that would go down in history as iconic enemies. This list will highlight some of the best RPG villains from the first console that they became popular on.
10/10 Werdna (Wizardry: Proving Ground Of The Mad Overlord)
The original WIzardry was released in 1980, making it one of the oldest RPGs ever made. It was a massive influence on the genre in the west and was what I sounded like some of the earliest RPGs in the east.
Using a powerful magic amulet, Werdna creates a dungeon underneath a royal castle. He acts as the main protagonist of the original game, and returns as the protagonist of a later entry.
9/10 Darm (Ys 2: Ancient Ys Vanishes Final Chapter)
Ys was one of the oldest pioneers of action RPGs. The first two games were originally meant to be one game but were split in two due to hardware limitations.
The second entry reveals Darm is the origin of all magic and demons. Similar to Werdna, he also manages to stay relevant to a few later games in his series. Ys Origins expands his story a lot more than Wizardry 4 expands Werdna’s story.
8/10 Medeus (Fire Emblem Shadow Dragon And The Blade Of Light)
The original Fire Emblem was the very first Tactical RPG, in which Medeus serves as the final boss. Medeus also appears in the game’s direct sequel and many spin-offs. His story is a little more detailed than most villains from this era, even without the follow-up game storylines.
His race of Earth Dragons were on a population decline. Many refused to gain human form, as they viewed humans as lesser beings. Medeus was the only one who decided to transform. He causes multiple wars throughout Archanea.
7/10 Malroth (Dragon Quest 2: Luminaries Of The Legendary Line)
Malroth is a god of destruction summoned by Hargon upon his defeat. The game makes it clear that he is a threat to the entire world, making him feel like a much larger threat that previous antagonists on this list.
Additionally, his ability to cast Fullheal on himself at any point in the fight makes him one of the hardest final bosses from this era. Malroth also appears in many later entries in the series. The spin-off Builders 2 surprisingly manages to make him a beloved ally.
6/10 Duma (Fire Emblem Gaiden)
Duma is considered the war god of Valentia’s northern country of Rigel. He doesn’t show up in the flesh until the very end, but Fire Emblem Gaiden doesn’t hesitate at foreshadowing his presence.
While Medeus may have had a larger legacy, Duma’s oozing design makes him much more intimidating. His appearance makes it seem as if no normal weapon would be able to stop him.
5/10 Giygas AKA Giegue (Mother 1 / Earthbound Beginnings)
Giygas is an alien that was raised by the protagonist’s grandparents. George, his adopted father, examined his unique PSI powers when he was young. When he got older, his alien race forced him to invade Earth in an effort to make sure George’s PSI study couldn’t be used against them.
His background has more depth and emotion than almost every villain from the NES era. Although Giygas would lose in the original game due to hearing the lullaby his adopted mother would sing to him, he would eventually return to take over the world. In the prologue of Earthbound it is revealed he eventually won in the original timeline.
4/10 Garland / Chaos (Final Fantasy 1)
Garland is both the first and final boss seen in the original Final Fantasy. He gets killed by the party but gets revived as Chaos by his four minions. To accomplish this he created a time-space paradox where they’d continuously send each other through time to revive each other. His mastery over the timeline makes him an incredibly strong antagonist to overcome.
Both his forms went on to inspire many other villains from later Final Fantasy entries. For example, one of 9’s major antagonists is also named Garland. Even new entries like Strangers of Paradise contain this iconic villain.
3/10 Dragonlord (Dragon Quest 1)
Dragon Quest 1 is often considered the oldest JRPG. Being so, its influence on the genre is very noticeable. Dragonlord started the long-running trend of RPGs having dragon final bosses. Unlike most villains on this list, Dragonlord is actually a bit of a goofball, rather than a scary overpowered menace. That, however, actually makes him quite charming.
At the end of the game, he offers the hero a chance to share the world with himself. This creates a timeline split in the series. The timeline where the player sides with Dragonlord leads to the spin-off Builders series. Dragonlord appears in many other spin-offs and crossovers too. The sheer amount he appears in greatly overshadows Garland.
2/10 Zoma (Dragon Quest 3: The Seeds Of Salvation)
Throughout Dragon Quest 3, Baramos is set up as the main evil mastermind. After a long journey and a heroic triumph, the hero returns home. During what initially seemed like the final cutscene in the game, Zoma’s voice reveals that Baramos was merely a pawn. Zoma took over the underworld and forces the hero to travel there.
Once there, it is revealed that the entirety of the first two games takes place in hell. After the hero defeats Zoma, the hero is incapable of returning to his home world but is proclaimed the legendary Erdrick. Zoma’s final curse results in Dragonlord, Malroth, and other villains popping up in the distant future. The plot twist Zoma is a part of is one of many reasons the genre started taking off at a rapid pace in Japan.
1/10 Psaro The Manslayer (Dragon Quest 4: Chapters Of The Chosen)
Many greedy humans have constantly tried abusing Psaro’s love interest because she cries rubies. This made Psaro hate humanity. In an attempt to destroy all humankind he had children kidnaped, kingdoms slaughtered, and studied how to modify his own genome. All the game’s multiple protagonists directly feel the results of his evil actions. Once Rose is killed, Psaro uses the Secret of Evolution to evolve into a massive demon bug final boss which has 7 phases.
Unlike most main villains from this era, Psaro’s backstory can be sympathized with. Occasionally the player might even feel inclined to want Psaro to succeed. The remake’s extra chapter paints him in an even better light, as he learns to only hate bad humans, rather than humanity as a whole. Psaro even tries to make up for his past crimes. Out of all the NES RPGs that are still running, Psaro is the only one from the NES era that is still considered one of the best villains within their own series.
