Back in Black

In Kingdom Hearts, the darkness that resides within an individual can take on its own corporeal form. These living manifestations are known as the Heartless, and they typically emerge when a person’s heart has been consumed. Sora is confronted by many Heartless replicas of himself, and he later gains the ability to transform into a shadowy figure. His Anti Form represents his inner darkness, and its decidedly more feral than any of his other forms are. Sora’s Anti Form runs around on all fours and specializes in blazingly fast combos. The form is wild and untamed, and Sora is unable to willfully activate it. When Sora taps into the power within his heart, his Anti Form is occasionally activated without warning. The form is strong and troublesome, and it symbolizes the dangers of being too power hungry.

Rock Pikmin are the most durable and resilient species of Pikmin. Their hard exteriors allow them to smash through glass or crystal with ease, and they’re also able to destroy shells and other forms of body armor. On the defensive side of things, Rock Pikmin can withstand stabbing attacks and endure most crushing forces. Unfortunately, they walk a bit slower than other Pikmin and they are unable to latch onto their enemies. They’re not any stronger than typical Pikmin either, so it’s generally a good idea to save them for specialized tasks. I love how different they are from their contemporaries, however. They’re essentially walking pieces of charcoal, and it’s implied that they merely use rocks as shells. They could be likened to hermit crabs in this capacity, but they still warrant a spot on this list since we never see them without their rocky facades.

I hope you like the “evil counterpart” trope, because it’s going to be prominently featured on this list. After Samus Aran defeated an aberration known as Metroid Prime, the hostile being managed to steal her Phazon Suit in a last-ditch effort to save itself. Shortly thereafter, the defeated antagonist emerged from a Phazon pool and was effectively reborn as a malevolent clone. Dark Samus is bestowed with all of Samus’ skills and abilities, and she also has a number of Phazon-based attacks at the ready. The terrifying creature can regenerate, brainwash her enemies, and produce copies of herself. The so-called Black Demon is a formidable foe despite showing signs of physical (and mental) instability, and she’s a master of deception. I’d rank her higher on this list if not for the fact that her color palette often consists of varying shades of blue.

Zelda II broke from convention in a number of ways. The side-scrolling sections were a huge departure for the series, and a greater emphasis was placed on RPG elements. It’s also one of the only games in the series that doesn’t feature Ganon as the last boss. Instead, Link faces off against his own shadow! Before he is able to claim the Triforce of Courage, Link has to defeat his dark doppelgänger as a final test. The initial battle against “Dark Link” was completely unexpected, but the ominous figure is now a recurring character in the Zelda franchise. If you count spinoff titles and cameo appearances, iterations of Dark Link have appeared in over a dozen games thus far. Dark Link’s existence is still shrouded in mystery, however, and has yet to utter a single word. This is one of the things that makes him so intriguing.

Shadow is an artificial hedgehog who was conceived as the ultimate life form. He’s bestowed with the same abilities as Sonic, but he’s not nearly as polite. Put simply, the brooding loner doesn’t play well with others. There’s nothing inherently wrong with being self-reliant, however. Shadow has a fierce independent streak, and this is what enables him to follow through on his ambitions. He’s often seen as Sonic’s dark counterpart, and the reason he was added to the series was because the designers wanted to explore the dichotomy between good and evil. Shadow might have a bad attitude, but he isn’t evil by any stretch of the imagination. He’s essentially an anti-hero, and this has contributed to his enduring popularity. Although Shadow gets a lot of flack for being an edgelord, he has more depth than most of the characters on this list.

Mortal Kombat is largely defined by colorful ninjas, but Noob Saibot’s claim to fame is an absence of color. He first appeared as a secret character in Mortal Kombat II, and no information about his past was revealed. He would only emerge when a player won fifty fights in a row, and this made him the most elusive character in the franchise. Most of the developers were unaware of his existence too, as Ed Boon added him into the game without telling anyone. Noob Saibot’s backstory was fleshed out in subsequent games, and he was identified as a Netherrealm wraith. He was also revealed to be the original Sub-Zero, which technically means that he was part of the original Motal Kombat roster. There is a lot of lore surrounding the character, but his solid black appearance was the only thing that defined him during his debut appearance.

Earthworm Jim was a an ordinary worm before an experimental super suit fell from the sky and turned him into a veritable superhero. An intergalactic bounty hunter named Psy-Crow was hired to retrieve this suit, and there were several reasons why he was the perfect man crow for the job. He’s relentless enough to chase Jim across the galaxy, and he’s not concerned with morals, ethics, or codes of honor. Crows are happy to feast on worms in real life, so it only made sense for Psy-Crow to be Jim’s arch-nemesis. Although he was merely a hired gun during his first outing, his role was expanded in the sequel and he became the main antagonist. He also had a prominent role in the animated series and even had his own action figure! Whether he’s tracking down bounties or kidnapping princesses, Psy-Crow’s heart is as black as his feathers are.

Jack Frost has become the face of the Megaten Tensei franchise, and this website has featured him on several countdowns. Black Frost might not be as iconic as his friendlier counterpart, but he’s just as entertaining. Black Frost was intended to be a dark counterpart to Jack, and he’s not coy about his wicked intentions. While Jack could be described as a mischievous prankster, Black Frost is a powerful entity that’s happy to embrace its demonic nature. You can’t always judge a book by its cover, but this adage doesn’t apply to Black Frost. His black skin is an accurate reflection of his black heart. Everything is relative, of course, so Black Frost seems relatively tame in a series that includes the likes of Beelzebub and Lucifer. Even though he’s unruly and belligerent, I’m always happy to add him to the demon compendium.

Mr. Game & Watch is a Renaissance man who was featured in over a dozen handheld games in the early 1980s. His inclusion in the Super Smash Bros. series made him relevant to younger generations, and I love how he retained his two-dimensional silhouette appearance and disjointed animations. Mr. Game & Watch has also made cameo appearances in some of Nintendo’s biggest games, and his historical importance cannot be overstated. Early video games were designed for monochromatic screens, so they would typically feature a single color on a black background. Handheld LCD games, in contrast, were usually comprised of black graphical elements overlaid on empty backgrounds. Mr. Game & Watch represent Nintendo’s entire line of handheld gaming devices on this list, and he also represents LCD technology as a whole!

The Black Mage was one of the six available character classes in the original Final Fantasy. The dedicated spellcasters lacked physical strength, but they made up for it with their powerful magic attacks. Although Black Mages were present in many Final Fantasy games, none were given a brighter spotlight than Vivi Orunitia. The little guy is defined his naivety, and he’s initially depicted as being shy, gullible, and withdrawn. Even though he was conceived as a militarized killing machine, he’s fearful of his own powers and questions his place in the world. Vivi wrestles with self-doubt and is reluctant to take on a heroic role, but he eventually gains self-confidence and develops a deeper sense of right and wrong. He has the innocence of a child, and it’s fascinating to watch him mature throughout the course of his adventure.