The 10 Most Infamous Character Rivalries In Video Games, Ranked

Video game characters frequently face off against antagonists, supervillains, and rivals of all shapes and sizes. It helps sell a story, create an interesting conflict, and craft an excuse for the player to get involved in the rivalry on a more personal level. Whether it’s a battle between two genetically cloned brothers, or one man’s personal vendetta against a fascist ideology, the soil is ripe for some good storytelling.

Certain video game rivalries were one-off affairs, while others practically built entire franchises from the ground up. When two characters square off for all the miles, it’s sure to cause some mayhem, fireworks, and a lot of serious button-mashing.

10 Solid Snake Vs. Liquid Snake (Metal Gear Solid)

It could be said that this particular Metal Gear Solid rivalry is literally in the blood. Solid and Liquid Snake are both cut from the same cloth, err…DNA, as both are clones of the infamous Big Boss. They were developed in secret by the villainous Zero as part of his Les Enfants Terrible project, which was designed to create the ultimate breed of super-soldier.

Though neither knew much about the other before squaring off during the Shadow Moses incident, their rivalry was instantaneous and practically instinctual. Liquid Snake knew a lot more about the overall conspiracy than Solid Snake did, but in the end, he lost out to his twin in a battle before the FOXDIE virus killed him for good.

9 Ryu Vs. Ken (Street Fighter)

These two hotheads are best friends and the most intense rivals out there. Their competitive spirit was born from the fact that both trained under the same sensei, who taught them the secrets of the Hadou. After their training was complete, they remained friends but went their separate ways.

They’d eventually meet again during the Street Fighter tournaments where their rivalry spilled out into the open. With both considered evenly matched in terms of skill, it all boils down to who has the most potential. As such, Ryu and Ken keep duking it out to see who is the best in the world, without holding a grudge against one another.

8 The Master Chief Vs. The Covenant (Halo)

It’s doubtful that the Master Chief harbors a particular hatred for the enemy force known as the Covenant, but he’s certainly made it his life’s ambition to kill as many as possible. In fact, the Halo franchise claims he was born and bred for that very purpose as part of humanity’s controversial SPARTAN-II program.

To the Chief, combat is as easy as breathing, and the Covenant makes big, colorful targets to practice on. Though his focus has been drawn towards the Forerunners in recent years, the Covenant still represents a fractured threat that Master Chief keeps an eye on. He’ll square off against the Banished, a Covenant splinter group in the upcoming Halo Infinite, with the same amount of zeal as always.

7 B.J. Blaskowicz Vs. The Third Reich (Wolfenstein)

Nazis are fair game when it comes to combat, but B.J. Blaskowicz has turned hunting them into sport. Few guys on the planet loathe the Third Reich with as much passion as BBlaskowicz does, and he’s slain enough of them to make a name for himself as one of their greatest and most feared enemies.

Wolfenstein‘s Blaskowicz has his reasons for hating the Nazis, many of them personal. He’s thwarted their occult and technological and biological warfare plans several times and helped lead the resistance movement in an alternate timeline when the Reich won the war and took over America. If there’s a swastika in the vicinity, Blaskowicz will sniff it out and lay waste to it like it’s an instinct.

6 The Slayer Vs. Hell (DOOM)

It doesn’t matter whether he’s an ancient force of destruction or a battle-hardened Marine — the Slayer is to Hell what Raid is to a cockroach. Throughout the various DOOM games, this grunt has been ripping, tearing, and blowing demons to bits with either his bare hands or a multitude of punishing weapons.

It’s one of those rare situations where the denizens of pure evil cower in fear at the sight of a burly guy in green. With shotgun in hand, the Slayer wades into the blood storm and leaves nothing but decimated corpses in his wake. When it’s all over, he’s not interested in a shot of whiskey and a cigar — he’s looking for the next demonic horde to waste.

5 Cloud Vs. Sephiroth (Final Fantasy VII)

Cloud Strife has many, many reasons to loathe the villain known as Sephiroth. The latter is intent on destroying the world to praise his alien “mother” known as Jenova. Cloud stood in his way and became a target as a result. Sephiroth tormented him and shattered his life into a million pieces, only to do so all over again when he murdered Aerith right before Cloud’s eyes in cold blood.

The two would square off on the eve of Sephiroth’s defeat, in which he was thwarted when Cloud unleashed a powerful attack that killed him outright. Sephiroth later resurfaced to threaten the world again in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, but Cloud once again succeeded in delivering a killing blow, banishing him for good.

4 The Belmonts Vs. Dracula (Castlevania)

The uber-vampire Dracula has terrorized Transylvania for centuries, and his connection to Hell has allowed him to amass huge armies of evil spirits and undead warriors. Thankfully, there’s always been a Belmont around to whip him into shape (pun fully intended) and send him back to the abyss.

In the Castlevania storyline, Dracula is capable of being resurrected once a century, sometimes by human hands who wish to serve him as the Lord of Shadows. Until he gives up the fight and resigns himself to the pits of Hell, the Belmont bloodline will keep training new vampire hunters to infiltrate Castlevania and vanquish him once more.

3 Sub-Zero Vs. Scorpion (Mortal Kombat)

Heaven help anyone who gets between these two Mortal Kombat rivals. Scorpion and Sub-Zero represent the deadliest of enemies, with a burning hatred that gave rise to a bitter rivalry. It all started when the Lin Kuei warrior named Bi-Han murdered the man who would later become the vengeful wraith known as Scorpion.

The hatred for Bi-Han, who later became known as Sub-Zero, was relentless. Scorpion vowed to murder his former killer and take vengeance, which he succeeded in doing. This led Bi-Han’s younger brother Kuai Lang to assume the mantle of Sub-Zero and vow revenge against Scorpion. Realizing the fruitlessness of the cycle, the two managed to set aside their differences.

2 Link. Vs. Ganondorf (The Legend Of Zelda)

In the Legend of Zelda franchise, the land of Hyrule has had to contend with the villainous Ganondorf for untold centuries, which is how it works when a guy is destined to keep coming back over and over again to conquer the world. Luckily, various versions of Link have been there to stop him, usually with the power of a magical sword, some fancy moves, and skill with a bow and arrow.

Ganondorf usually gets his hands on the mystical Triforce, which grants him immeasurable magic ability and power. He’s also been known to take on a repugnant and demonic boar-like appearance known as Ganon. In either form, Link is ready, willing, and eager to take him down.

1 Mario Vs. Bowser (Super Mario Bros.)

Few rivalries are as old and bitter as this one, yet the feud continues. Mario and Luigi both faced off against the terrible Bowser in the original Super Mario Bros., only for the character to become a thorn in their side for years on end. Bowser’s plan to conquer the Mushroom Kingdom usually involved kidnapping the lovely Princess Peach, forcing the Italian plumber duo to leap into action.

Bowser has been thwarted by Mario countless times, even employing his children as pawns in his game from time to time. For all of Bowser’s bluster, size, and might, Mario keeps getting the upper hand. The question is whether Mario can hold out for the long run, until Bowser finally kicks the can, or throws in the towel for good.

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