Why defeat a king when you can take down a god?
Many games strive to be unabashed power fantasies, and nothing makes you feel more powerful than smacking mortality into a deity. FromSoftware’s RPGs consistently involve cosmic horrors, and the likes of Queen Marika and the Moon Presence aren’t in the conversation for the strongest gods in gaming. Yeah, this article is filled with characters whose raw power breaks any scale.
Due to the nature of gaming, a disconnect often exists between lore and gameplay, allowing ultra-powerful planet-destroyers to be ultimately defeated by a warrior with a sword and health potions. That’s just the way things tend to play out, but that doesn’t mean these evil gods aren’t OP beyond belief. They definitely are.
- I will include characters who are not specifically described as “gods,” as long as they have achieved functional godhood.
- Their power cannot be metaphysical; it must have a physical component.
- Only characters created for games… no Dragon Ball gods, basically.
- Lore takes precedent over gameplay.
I know comparing characters from universes with different rules is inherently flawed, but we can still have fun with this.
7
Sargeras Is A Titan Who Doesn’t Fear Old Gods
World of Warcraft
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Image via Blizzard
Although technically described as a “Titan” rather than a god, WoW‘s Sargeras very much fits the archetype in every sense of the word. Titans basically act as gods of order, although this particular one seems to be a bigger fan of chaos, something he achieves through his Burning Legion. As a former Champion of the Pantheon, Sargeras was initially meant to act as creation’s defender, and he turned his back on his duty out of hatred for the Old Gods and the threat posed by the Void Lords.
The Void Lords are definitely stronger than Sargeras, as their power is essentially limitless in their realm. However, they cannot exist in physical reality.
Even though a (weak) argument could be made that he is chaotic good, Sargeras ultimately operates on nihilism on a cosmic scale. To fight back the Void Lords’ corruption, his solution is to wipe out all life in the universe, using his Burning Legion to reduce worlds to cinder. Although his power is purely physical, he reaches the absolute peak of that level, only being surpassed by a handful of fictional beings.
6
Bhunivelze Creates New Worlds
Final Fantasy 13 Trilogy (Mainly Lightning Returns)
- Impressive feat 1: Created a pocket dimension.
- Impressive feat 2: Created gods.
Remember the part about there being “a disconnect…between lore and gameplay”? Well, Final Fantasy‘s Bhunivelze is the second-worst offender, as Lightning Returns‘ stagger system can downright trivialize the fight by turning this universe creator into a helpless punching bag. Nevertheless, lore-wise, Bhunivelze is arguably the strongest evil god in a franchise that has no shortage of competitors.
Although he spends most of his existence as more of a concept, Bhunivelze becomes a real boy by the end of Lightning Returns, reaching his final multi-winged divine form. He reshapes worlds, creates lesser gods (Pulse, Lindzei, and Etro), begins destroying an entire universe, and uses an attack that detonates stars and planets. While he isn’t technically a true primordial creator like his mum, Bhunivelze is pretty darn powerful.
5
Alduin, A World-Eater Driven By Greed And Power
The Elder Scrolls
- Impressive feat 1: Consumes world/universes when their cycle ends.
- Impressive feat 2: Immortal (before he threw it away).
Remember the part about there being “a disconnect…between lore and gameplay”? Well, The Elder Scrolls‘ Alduin is the worst offender by a country mile, as he puts up a pathetic fight as Skyrim‘s final boss. That version exists after he abandoned his omnipotent World-Eater form to become a mean black dragon.
Before becoming an echo of his former glory, making him vulnerable to the Dragonborn’s attacks, Alduin existed as a natural cosmic being that represents the end of space and time. When a universe reaches its conclusion, he destroys it so that a new one can be born. He isn’t presented as a force of evil in this state, but he becomes one when he rejects his duty in search of tangible power that would let him rule over mortals (which is exactly what happens).
4
You Cannot Grasp The True Form Of Giygas
Mother / EarthBound
- Impressive feat 1: He grasps godhood himself.
- Impressive feat 2: Goes from an alien conqueror to a being who can destroy worlds, stars, and universes.
OK, now things are getting complicated. In Mother, Giegue (aka Giygas) is an alien warlord who comes to conquer Earth, and he is not extremely powerful by the standards of this article. However, by Mother 2 (aka EarthBound), Giygas has gone through the biggest glow-up in gaming history, a transformation so powerful that it couldn’t be contained within his body.
Technically, Giygas isn’t labeled a “god,” but he functions as one. He is described as the Embodiment of Evil, inspires religious devotion from the Happy-Happyism cult, and transcends space and time.
Although he might no longer have a natural form, Giygas remains an active character who influences the physical world and is explicitly a malevolent villain. His presence alone causes wildlife to mutate, volcanoes to erupt, and minds to bend. By the end of EarthBound, Giygas is so beyond understanding that the game literally tells you that you cannot fathom the form of his attacks.
When Buzz Buzz travels 10 years into the future, Giygas’s reign of terror has completely devastated the universe, destroying planets and civilizations. He eventually wipes out the entire universe.
3
The Time Devourer Wants To Consume Everything (And I Mean Everything)
Chrono Cross
- Impressive feat 1: Absorbed Dragon God
- Impressive feat 2: Transcends dimensions
- Impressive feat 3: Ultimate goal is to wipe out all space-time (and it can do it).
Well, that’s quite a title. Chrono Cross‘s Time Devourer lives up to its reputation by serving as the ultimate extinction event. Created from a combination of beings (Lavos, the Dragon Gods, and Schala), the Time Devourer can consume all space-time once it fully matures, becoming a cosmic horror that would make both Junji Ito and Lovecraft proud.
The Time Devourer’s mass is so beyond understanding that it basically warps the passage of time, causing civilizations from different eras to collide. Because it exists in the Darkness Beyond Time, this god isn’t anchored to a single planet or universe; instead, it absorbs parallel worlds and branches of time. If allowed to reach its final form, it would devour everything, to the point that it would seem like nothing ever existed.
2
Chakravartin Is Bigger Than You Can Imagine
Asura’s Wrath
- Impressive feat 1: Uses galaxies as projectiles.
- Impressive feat 2: Withstands Asura’s punches.
Finally, we have a gaming god who isn’t from an RPG! Fittingly, the exception comes courtesy of Asura’s Wrath, aka the most battle shonen game to ever exist. Visually, Chakravartin might be the most absurd video game god, along with being one of the most destructive. In fact, “god” doesn’t seem like the right word to describe the Spinner of Mantra.
Although it never directly states that Chakravartin created the universe, the game drops several hints that he might have done just that, even implying that he can destroy this world and create a new one. During his golden idol fight against Asura, Chakravartin throws literal galaxies as if they are just magical blasts, and he absolutely towers over entire star systems.
1
YHVH Is God
Shin Megami Tensei
- Impressive feat 1: Becomes the only god that matters.
- Impressive feat 2: Created Satan. Uses Satan.
- Impressive feat 3: Although not obsolete, he has dominion over an infinite multiverse.
In Atlus’ SMT, existence consists of an infinite number of parallel worlds and timelines, which help group the standalone stories into a multiverse. The multiverse was created by a formless being called Axiom; in turn, YHVH is speculated to be an avatar of this being, one shaped by observing humanity. While not initially evil, YHVH gradually becomes ego-driven, sees himself as the true god, and initiates a ruthless Legal system to ensure he remains the multiverse’s administrator.
While he didn’t birth reality, YHVH reshapes our world to fit his idea of a utopia in SMT 2 and 4, with his ultimate goal being to create a Thousand-Year Kingdom ruled by himself. He created Lucifer and Satan, and he used the latter to launch a nuclear war in SMT 2. He manufactures Armageddons, annihilates free will, and is immune to direct harm. He is basically immortal while in his cosmic form.
