Best Animal Villains In Games, Ranked

There are plenty of animal protagonists found in the world of video games, but there are also plenty of villainous animal antagonists who are just as memorable as their heroic counterparts.

Here’s a look at some of the best animal villains in gaming, but a few rules are going to be bent to narrow down who is qualified for the list. First off, mythical animals are allowed, despite not being real animals. They are based on real animals after all, so it only seems fair to let them in. Anti-heroes and animals that appear as boss fights are also fair game, especially those that are particularly iconic.

8 Shadow the Hedgehog

Edge Lord

• Sonic the Hedgehog franchise
• Japanese VA: Kōji Yusa (2001–present)
• English VA: David Humphrey (2001-2004), Jason Griffith (2004-2010), Kirk Thornton (2010-Present), Ian Hanlin (Sonic Prime show), and Keanu Reeves (upcoming movie Sonic the Hedgehog 3).

First up is a character that isn’t really a villain per se, but more of an antihero. Shadow the Hedgehog appears here as he is often known as the antithesis of Sonic the Hedgehog and his morals can be a little questionable since he is willing to do whatever is necessary to achieve his goals.

Shadow first appeared in Sonic Adventure 2 in 2001, and he was originally intended to be a pure villain to Sonic, but the positive fan reaction to his dark and brooding nature changed the way his character developed, becoming a rival of sorts to Sonic rather than a straight-up bad guy. His original design as a villain and his continuing feud with Sonic make him a compelling antihero to add to the other, more villainous characters listed here.

7 Oggdo Bogdo and Spawn of Oggdo

Space Frogs from Hell

• Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
• No voice actors because they are giant frog monsters

Next are two characters that are put together, because even though they are separate boss battles across two games, they are pretty much the same, even though Spawn of Oggdo is more difficult than the original Oggdo.

The first Oggdo Bogdo is a giant, frog-like predator, and boss fight found on the planet of Bogano in the Outer Rim that players can face while playing Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. He is then avenged by his child, Spawn of Oggdo, in the second game Star Wars Jedi: Survivor in a boss battle that is even more difficult (and causes a lot of rage quits around the world). These frog boys are some of the most frustrating animal boss fights in gaming.

6 Alduin

World Eater

• English VA: Daniel Riordan

Alduin is one of the major antagonists from across the Elder Scrolls franchises, and he makes the cut despite being a mythical dragon. As well as being known as the World-Eater, Aludin also has a reputation as the Twilight God and the First Dragon.

Although he is referenced in The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind, it is in The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim where he becomes a major threat, as he is the main antagonist of the game that the player will eventually need to defeat during the main questline. His huge stature, demonic dragon design, and major role in Skyrim make Alduin a prominent animal villain in gaming.

5 King Dedede

Penguin Perpetrator

• The Kirby Franchise
• Japanese VA: Shinya Kumazaki, Masashiro Sakurai (Super Smash Bros games, Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards)
• English VA: Ted Lewis

King Dedede is another character that was originally designed to be a villain but has since developed into more of a playful rival and even a friend to Kirby in the latest games. King Dedede is a giant blue penguin-like creature who wields a hammer and wears a fancy red and white royal robe.

Despite no longer being a villain in the Kirby games, Dedede still makes it onto our list as he did spend his first few appearances being a villain, such as in his first appearance in Kirby’s Dream Land where he stole the food from the residents of Dream Land simply to cause sadness among the people. Even though he has since turned over a new leaf, some – unlike Kirby – cannot forgive and forget his crimes.

4 Dingodile

Dastard from Down Under

• The Crash Bandicoot franchise.
• Japanese VA: Keisuke Ishida
• English VA: William Hootkins (1998), David Anthony Pizzuto (1999), Dwight Schultz (2003- 2004), Nolan North (2007), and Fred Tatasciore (2017to present)

There are all sorts of animal villains/minions in the Crash Bandicoot series, with some being more villainous and others converting to the side of good at some point in the series. Dingodile makes the cut for this ranking, as he is primarily an antagonist throughout the Crash games.

Dingodile is a half-dingo, half-crocodile hybrid, and by the time the events of Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time rolls around, he has retired from his role as a villain to open up his own diner (which serves only the worst possible food). When the diner is destroyed, he ends up pulled into an interdimensional rift and eventually teams up with Crash and his sister Coco along with an alternate version of Tawna Bandicoot.

Dingodile is an iconic animal villain thanks to his unusual hybrid design, iconic flamethrower weapon, and his thick tail, which he also uses against enemies. He was once simply a villain but is now more of a contractor (and a small business owner) who will offer help to friends and foes alike if it benefits him.

3 King K. Rool

Cruel Kremling

• The Donkey Kong Series
• Japanese VA: Toshihide Tsuchiya
• English VA: Chris Sutherland, Ben Campbell (Donkey Kong Country television show)

Some of the animals here have been morally gray rather than straight-up evil, but the same can’t be said for King K.Rool. As his little golden crown suggests, he is the ruler of the Kremlings (a crocodile-like species) from the Donkey Kong series. His name is also a dead giveaway when it comes to what type of ruler he is, as the Kremlings aren’t particularly fond of K.Rool because of his cruel nature, even to his own people.

K.Rool is a large, obese Kremling with an eye-catching golden belly, golden bracelets, and a red cape. He enjoys terrorizing his people, but his main role in the series is to play the villain to the Kongs. His hobbies include stealing the Kong’s bananas, likely to try and starve them, and kidnapping. K.Rool is a particularly volatile villain, with an unhinged nature that makes him unpredictable. His huge, misshapen, and somewhat crazy eyes only hint at the insanity that this Kremling is willing to impose on Kong and his subjects, making him a particularly noteworthy animal villain.

2 Donkey Kong

Bananarama

• The Super Mario and Donkey Kong series
• Japanese VA: Takashi Nagasako (2004 to present-universal VA from 2013 to present), Kōichi Yamadera (Donkey Kong Country animated series), Koji Takeda (The 2023 animated Super Mario BrosMovie).
• English VA: Soupy Sales (1983-1984), Garry Chalk(1989-1991), Charles Martinet (1994), Mark Betteridge (1994 to 1996), Grant Kirkhope (1993 to 2013), Richard Yearwood (Donkey Kong Country animated series), Sterling Jarvis (Singing voice in the Donkey Kong Country animated series) and Seth Rogen (The 2023 animated Super Mario Bros Movie).

Donkey Kong might be known as an ally to Mario and a standalone hero in his own right by gamers today, but he began life way back in 1981 as the title antagonist of the Donkey Kong arcade game. Mario was the protagonist of the game, and players would dodge barrels thrown by Donkey Kong to reach him and rescue his kidnapped victim Pauline.

All Donkey Kong did was throw stuff at Mario, but the game and his character were so popular that he ended up getting a fully fleshed-out backstory, his own game series, an animated television show, and even a family of fellow Kongs who would also get their own video games. Donkey Kong is much more than just a villain all these years after his initial conception, but his role as one of the first major animal antagonists in a game makes him one of the most iconic animal villains in gaming history.

1 Bowser

King Koopa

• The Super Mario series
• Universal VAs: Scott Burns (2002 to 2010), Kenny James (2005- present), Eric Newsome (2007),
• Japanese VAs in other media: Akiko Wada (1986), Masasharu Sato (1989), Takeshi Watabe (1991), Takanobu Hozumi (1993), Hiroshi Arikawa (1993), Naoki Tatsuta (1997), and Kenta Miyake (The 2023 animated Super Mario Bros Movie)
• English VAs in other media: Harvey Atkin (1989 to 1991), Rob Wallace (1992), Bruce Robertson (1994), Marc Graue (1994), Jack Black (The 2023 animated Super Mario Bros Movie)

Arguably one of the most iconic villains in gaming, Bowser wins the top spot despite being from a fictional species of turtle-like creatures called Koopas. In this ranking, he counts as a mythical animal of sorts, as despite his turtle-like traits, he also has various similarities to a dragon, such as his ability to breathe fire and certain elements of his appearance.

As mentioned, Bowser is not only an iconic animal/creature villain, but he is generally one of the most well-known and well-received bad guys in video game history. Following his debut in Super Mario Bros in 1985, Bowser has gone on to become a staple in the Mario franchise. His endgame goal usually revolves around kidnapping Princess Peach, conquering her kingdom, and making her his queen, which sounds a lot weirder than it actually is. It’s a simple premise, but one that connected well with gamers.

Bowser became even more popular after the release of the animated Super Mario Bros Movie in 2023, as the writers doubled down on his desire to make Peach his queen to the point where the character sings a song proclaiming his love for her (sung by his VA Jack Black). The song made it into the charts around the world. It’s clear that Bowser has become much more than a simple video game animal villain. He has become a pop culture icon in his own right, and because of this, he has more than earned his place as number one.