Video games are full of villains of various sizes, backgrounds, and personalities. While some antagonists are obviously menacing, others don’t look like they’re evil. Appearances, however, can be deceiving, especially in the gaming world.
Whether it’s the character design, art style, or adorable voice acting, some enemies are just too cute to kill. Thesevillainsare more adorable than they are threatening, leading you to hesitate when it’s time to attack. Can’t we all just get along?
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While the concept of a walking, talking, slimy brain with tentacles seems disgusting, there is something about the Intellect Devourers in Baldur’s Gate 3 that make you hesitate when attacking. Their appearance is gross, but once you hear their childlike voices, you aren’t sure if they deserve violence.
The innocent and nervous nature of these creatures makes you feel as though you’re guiding a small, telepathic puppy to find its master. Of course, it’s attached to a hive mind trying to dominate the world, so it’s completely misleading.
Airy from Bravely Default starts out as an ally, but becomes an enemy after a major plot twist. While her betrayal stings, it was impossible to see coming with her adorable appearance and childlike demeanor. She’s simply too cute to hate.
The small fairy eventually turns into a monstrous caterpillar-like creature, revealing her true nature. Perhaps if players were not blinded by her beauty, they would have seen her for the treat she really is.
In the Kingdom Hearts series, players encounter small, Heartless creatures called Shadows. While they are a threat to you, they seem a little too cute to be truly bad.
Their vaguely humanoid forms and round heads make them seem child-like. They teeter around with large, glowing eyes, making it easy to forget they want to steal your heart. They’re too adorable to want to kill, and even when they’re gunning for you, it feels cruel to take them down.
In Tales Of Symphonia, Mithos is the primary antagonist. Despite being your enemy, it’s easy to misjudge him at the start due to his non-threatening appearance. His true form is a small, innocent-looking half elf with long, blonde hair.
He purposefully uses his cute appearance to infiltrate the group. The game uses this deception to further the surprise reveal that he is your enemy. Even once you know, it’s still a little hard to kill your old ally.
In Undertale, Flowey is a sentient garden flower who is initially friendly to you. A nice flower doesn’t seem harmful, right? Unfortunately, Flowey’s innocent appearance is a mask. His pleasantries are hiding the evil beneath.
The duplicitous flower is actually the main antagonist in the game. He is manipulative, murderous, and cunning, despite the adorable first impression. Every reveal about this character is more evil than the last, but even so, it’s hard to want to kill a sentient flower.
Slimeis a commonly widespread monster in the Dragon Quest games. The adorable raindrop creature is always smiling and looks completely non-threatening. While there are some domesticated slimes kept as pets, most are enemies.
The goofy, gelatinous monster is easily disposed of. Their power is limited, making them a weaker opponent with very few abilities, so many players feel guilty about taking them down. Fighting them feels a bit too much like kicking a puppy.
Final Fantasy
In the Final Fantasy games, Cactuars are an adorable, recurring enemy that look like cacti with arms and legs. Their eyes are dark and round, and they have oblong mouths, giving them a startled, cute expression. They’re so cute, they’ve become a mascot of the franchise.
The little green guys are quick and hard to hit, though their HP is fairly low. Even when they use their needles to attack, it’s hard to fight against the cute cacti people.
The Super Mario Brothers games are filled with adorable characters, both good and bad. Bowser Jr. is one of the more adorable foes in the game. Despite the attitude he inherits from his father, his appearance isn’t nearly as intimidating as Bowser.
His small shell and little fangs make all of his expressions and movements look sweet and charming rather than threatening. He’s just a kid mimicking his father, and the impressions make it hard to want to harm him.
Kirby is another game full of endearing characters. King Dedede is among them. As the main antagonist, he’s out to get Kirby, but it’s hard to take his efforts seriously when he looks like a pudgy, blue penguin.
Despite his charming appearance, he’s a greedy king who often neglects his duties to his kingdom. He fights Kirby often, though they’re more frenemies than straight up enemies. His charm and fuzzy red coat makes it seem wrong to beat him up.
The cutest enemies in gaming has to be the Shy Guys from the Super Mario franchise. The small cloaked figures look more lovable than menacing in their white masks with giant oval orbs. It’s almost like the mysterious characters are perpetually giving you puppy-dog eyes.
The lack of malice when they make their little taunting noise makes it hard to best them in a fight. It makes it even harder when you know they’re too shy to show their faces. They’re playful, charming, and don’t deserve to get hurt.
