Nothing but Trouble!

I couldn’t make a list of gaming’s greatest mischief-makers without mentioning someone from Mischief Makers. I’ll concede that Professor Theo isn’t the most obvious candidate, but nobody in the game causes more of a raucous than he does. The brilliant scientist is repeatedly kidnapped, and his robotic assistant Marina takes it upon herself to rescue him on each occasion. Theo has a rather peculiar way of showing his gratitude, however. Instead of thanking Marina for her efforts, he tries to grope her. Invariably, she responds by punching his sorry ass into the stratosphere. This exact scenario plays out on numerous occasions throughout the course of the game. Theo sinks to even lower depths when he fakes his own death in a bid to elicit an emotional response from Marina. She’s not impressed by his antics and once again yeets him across the planet.

Although Junji Morikawa is mostly played for laughs, he’s still an absolute menace. He’s a second-generation zombie hunter and a martial arts master, but he’s also vulgar, perverted, and downright unlawful. As an expert in so-called “zomboid sciences”, Morikawa takes it upon himself to stop a zombie apocalypse. To that end, he finds a ditzy cheerleader named Juliet Starling and makes her his apprentice. Although Juliet becomes a proficient zombie slayer in her own right, some of her sensei’s methods are questionable. He incorporates lap dances and face-sitting maneuvers into her training sessions, and he also tricks her into doing cartwheels after mandating what kind of panties she has to wear. What an absolute joker! Juliet was under 18 at the time, but I’m sure Morikawa saw this as a minor detail, if you catch my drift.

In Japan, the term “mesugaki” is used to describe assertive young girls who go out of their way to tease adults or their superiors. These individuals are filled with sass and self-confidence, and their provocative behavior often borders on the inappropriate. This description fits Mutsiki Asagi to a tee. The headstrong schoolgirl is a natural prankster, and she’ll never pass up an opportunity to engage in mischief. She comes up with snarky nicknames for her classmates, and she has no qualms in revealing embarrassing secrets about her friends just for the fun of it. Mutsuki’s favorite target is her sensei, and she loves to make him uncomfortable. Her actions aren’t as vindictive as they seem, however, and she only riles him up because she wants an excuse to spend more time with him. If she didn’t like him, she’d probably give him a bag full of explosives.

As a member of a notorious zombie clan, Rottytops travels the countryside via caravan. She’s usually pre-occupied with delicious brains, but she grows fond of Shantae because the half-genie hero doesn’t immediately run away from her. Rotty continues to play tricks on her and occasionally threatens to eat her brains, but she genuinely views Shantae as her best friend. She doesn’t know how to communicate this sentiment, however, so her true intentions are clouded by mischief and unpredictability. At one point, she pretends to lose the use of her legs so Shantae will carry her through a spider-infested forest. Later, she stows away in Shantae’s luggage and disguises herself as a genie in order to spend time with her. These schemes are unnecessary, as Shantae welcomes Rotty’s company without the need for elaborate deceptions.

Ultros is merely a side character in Final Fantasy VI, and he’s primarily used as a source of comic relief. This is the third countdown he’s been featured on, however, and this website has given the impudent octopus more attention than Kefka! Ultros is always looking for ways to cause trouble, and he basically acts like a cartoon character. When he’s not making corny jokes, he’s likely hurling childish insults at his adversaries. (He also attempts to eat them on multiple occasions!) In one memorable scene, he tries to squash an opera singer by dropping a four-ton weight from the rafters. His elaborate pranks never pan out the way he hopes, but that doesn’t slow him down. He has more lives than arms, and he never misses an opportunity to sabotage the heroes. More often than not, he acts like a fool for his own amusement.

One of the central themes in Megami Tensei is the eternal struggle between order and chaos. Megaten demons run the gamut from lawful good to chaotic evil, and many of them are defined by mischief rather than malice. Jack Frost falls somewhere in between. His harlequin hat and jester collar make him look like a natural prankster, and he’s known for his unique sense of humor. He’s not as harmless as he seems, however, and he also has a menacing side. The little guy is responsible for the beautiful frost patterns that form on windows in the winter, and he uses his cute demeaner to lull people into a false sense of security. Although he usually acts like an innocent child, he’ll freeze you solid if he loses his cool. Sometimes, he’ll kill people just for the fun of it! In other words, Jack Frost is an ice guy, but he’s not always a nice guy.

Pokey Minch – known as Porky in Japan – is introduced as Ness’ arrogant neighbor. He’s largely defined by his obnoxious personality, and he’s constantly telling people how great he is. Predictably, he cowers in fear at the first sign of trouble. He loves playing pranks, and most of his actions could be attributed to his immaturity. Unfortunately, his mischievous antics become increasingly malicious over time. At various points, he joins a cult, kidnaps a young girl, and hijacks a helicopter. He also steals a Phase Distorter, travels through time, and becomes the right-hand man of an evil alien. He later declares himself the Pig King, builds a personal army, and uses them in a misplaced bid for world domination. No matter how much power he wields, Pokey always comes across as a snot-nosed brat. He’s a petulant child who makes trouble because he wants attention.

Louie works alongside Captain Olimar as a delivery person for a deep-space shipping company. While Olimar takes his job very seriously, Louie is always looking for ways to satiate his ravenous appetite. During his first assignment, he eats a valuable shipment of pikpik carrots and blames the transgression on non-existent space bunnies. This pushes his employer to the brink of bankruptcy, and Olimar’s ship has to be auctioned off as a result. Louie continues to wreak havoc in the years that follow. When an intrepid group of space explorers rescues him from a precarious situation, Louie pays them back by stealing all of their rations! He later embarks on a mission to rescue Olimar, but he loses interest in the assignment and decides to look for new creatures to eat instead. Louie’s selfish desires cause nothing but trouble for everyone he comes in contact with.

Clownpiece is a childish fairy with a playful personality. Sadly, her mischievous schemes often cross the line. Although many of her pranks are harmless, she has a knack for irritating others. The torch she wields can drive people insane, and she always knows how to make a stressful situation even more chaotic. The best example of this can be seen when she visits the Lunar Capital. After seeing an American flag planted in the Sea of Tranquility, Clownpiece clads herself in stars and stripes. The Moon landing is a contentious issue for the Lunarians, and they were not impressed when the Americans laid claim to their home. Wearing star-spangled attire on the Moon is akin to pouring salt in a wound, and the scenario is even more insulting since Clownpiece poses like the Statue of Liberty. She really knows how to piss people off.

Sans is a easy-going skeleton with a penchant for bad puns and low-brow humor. When he’s not mugging for the camera, he’s likely lounging around with his hands in his pockets. He comes across as apathetic and lazy, but his lackadaisical attitude is mostly played for laughs. In truth, Sans spends an inordinate amount of time playing harmless pranks. At various points, he loosens the cap on a ketchup bottle, puts paint in a telescope’s eye piece, and tries to pass fried snow off as some sort of delicacy. He also makes liberal use of whoopee cushions, and he even uses them when he introduces himself to new people. Sans has phenomenal cosmic powers at his disposal, and he’s willing to leverage them for cheap laughs. He can literally bend space and time to his will, and this makes his small-scale practical jokes seem even more ridiculous.