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Majora is Nintendo's greatest villain

I've been revisiting the amazing Majora's Mask recently, and I'm more convinced than ever that Majora is Nintendo's greatest, most evil, most competent, and most terrifying villain.

Let me explain my reasoning.


He's cannot be reasoned with.

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Majora isn't after power or world domination. He isn't motivated by revenge, conquest, bloodlust or greed. His goal is murder-suicide. He's going to kill every single creature in the world, himself included.


He's a depraved sadist

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With only a few days left until his apocalypse triggers, he tortures the people of Termina through psychological manipulation, transfiguration and curses. He separates a loving couple, and destroys the soul of a boy's father. He finds Link, and takes away his body. He poisons the water and manipulates the weather, killing many.

He gains no material benefit from these manipulations. He does it because its fun.


He's competent

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His plan is perfect. His imprisonment of the Giants before summoning the moon ensures that no one will have time to stop him. He doesn't hide behind incompetent guards in a castle, waiting for the hero to kill him.

His downfall is a complete out-of-context event - a visitor from another universe with a Time-Machine. He could not have planned for this.


He dominates the mind of a lonely, frightened child throughout most of the game.

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One of his many depraved acts, evil for evils sake.


His manifestation is tremendously unsettling

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When he chooses to emerge from the mask, he is a fleshy, torn demon of a creature, all eyeballs and spiky cartilage. His screams and howls, and tentacles emerging from his torn arms, are unlike anything seen in Nintendo's mainstream series.


Link has to become a God to truly defeat him

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Link has dispatched multiple Ganondorfs, at least three Vaati's, Aghanim, General Onox, the Sorceress of Shadows, Zant of the Twili, Twinrova, the Nightmares of the Wind Fish, and his own inner darkness personified.

But to completely defeat Majora, he had to become the Fiece Deity.


In conclusion

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So there's my reasoning. He's probably the most depraved villain I know of in gaming. Excessively sadistic, no goals except torture genocide and death, and outstandingly competent. Also very interesting, in a psychopathic kind of way.

If Ganondorf is the evil-dictator of the Zelda series, then Majora is its Satan. I think its about time he returns from Hell to wreak havok on the land of Hyrule.

(Note - if you know of a more evil, competent, and depraved villain, please post them with reasoning. A picture and a "/thread" won't do).

Someone's gonna post Bowser aren't they?
 

Red

Member
Wasn't Majora originally some kind of huge, obese monster? I remember a comic or something where he is "killed" and becomes the mask.
 
Exdeath, Kefka and Zeromus come immediately to mind as being similar in that they are agents of chaos and seeking only destruction/oblivion. Come to think of it, the murder-suicide motivation seems to be a common Japanese fantasy trope.

But yeah, Majora is definitely Nintendo's only foray into the archetype and it's done pretty well.
 
Majora is a great villain that I think should return in some form, but for villains in Nintendo games, Giygas and Porky are better.

Giygas is an omnipotent godlike being that's destroyed its own mind, an all-powerful idiot that only cries out in pain and hatred. You can't comprehend his form or attack. He doesn't even have a sprite in battle.

Porky is a spoiled, pathetic, and thoroughly human brat who senselessly destroys the lives of other people without even thinking about it.
 
There are plenty of more disturbing villains. More competent ones as well since some have actually won. More evil and depraved? That's a tough one. Gonna have to think about it.
 

Oblivion

Fetishing muscular manly men in skintight hosery
Majora would have been a legitimate contender for the title if it wasn't for his horrendous second transformation.
 

Dragmire

Member
You make a good argument. I never thought of Majora that way, but it's definitely a creepy character in a creepy game (in a good way, of course).
 

Guevara

Member
The%20Wind%20Waker%20Part%2012%20Ganondorf_0001.jpg


Wind Waker had the best iteration of Ganondorf. That dude despised Hyrule so much because of jealousy. The same winds that brought life to Hyrule brought death and despair to his desert home.

Ganondorf wanted to revert the flood, Link and Zelda flooded Hyrule castle; Q.E.D. Ganondorf wuz right.
 

carlo6529

Member
Didn't really realise how twisted and evil majora is until you put all the things he did together like that. I beat the game a couple of times but never really thought about his character as a whole.

I would definately welcome him in another entry to the zelda series.
 
Mama Robotnik said:
We discuss the other Zelda's openly, mentioning their intricacies in open conversation, why not this one? Its eleven years old.

Legendary Warrior said:
I don't know why anyone would come into a discussion about a particular villain and not expect spoilers.


eosos said:
Cause the game is so new

All well deserved replies..

Although I am more interested in searching for and finishing this game now
 

EatChildren

Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
I always liked the idea that Ganondorf was to Majora as Sauron was to Morgoth.

It would be great if he was the main villain of Skyward Sword.
 

Articalys

Member
To be fair, you can beat the game without the Fierce Deity Mask, of course having it makes the final battle much much easier.

I agree with the overall argument though. Also that's some badass fanart. Can I get a source on the Deity/Wrath picture?
 

MisterHero

Super Member
Mama Robotnik said:
Someone's gonna post Bowser aren't they?
But he destroyed the entire universe and the game ended with that conclusion! That's something no other Nintendo villain has achieved.

Giygas' power and influence pervaded the world for 10 years when Ness and friends realized they had to time travel to stop him.

Ganon destroyed Hyrule (at least twice) but you have to consider that in OoT and LttP both "ruined futures" are the Sacred/Golden Realm and NOT the "real" Hyrule.

As awesome as those are, they do not equal BOWSER DESTROYING THE UNIVERSE
 

Dubble

Member
Majora is one of the few videogame villains - Kefka was already noted here - that legitimately creeps me out. He puts his face on the moon and divebombs the planet killing himself and everybody on it FOR NO OTHER REASON THAN JUST BECAUSE for corns sake.

Termina was an alternate universe with a lot of reflective versions of Hyrule. The setting adds to the creepiness. Given how many people are familiar with Hyrule due to Ocarina of Time, Termina just felt twisted and weird in general. It makes me wonder if we could see him again. I doubt it - I largely think Majora's story has been told and revenge doesn't totally fit in the scenario as he didn't desire it the first go round.

Still, of all of the many Zelda villains that aren't Ganondorf, Majora's definitely the strongest and most evil/malicious of the group.
 

EvilMario

Will QA for food.
Lando Jones said:
..damn son, no spoiler tags?!

This isn't 2000, son. And the title pretty much states what the thread is about.

By the way, good job, OP. Although I feel Porky from Earthbound takes the cake for me.
 

wwm0nkey

Member
As a kid to me it seems Majora thought it was all a game. The end result being if we lose everyone dies and there is no continuing from that point. He seemed childish but I think that is what was really scary about it for me, treating the fate of the entire planet like a children's game.

Its been awhile since I played it but thats what Ive though since I was a kid, could probably be wrong though since I havent played it in years.

EDIT: Also the way he dances and hops around in the final fight just made me think of a child and how he was clearly just treating the whole thing as a game.
 
The odd thing about Majora is that you don't even know he's a villain for most of the game. They always treat it as the Skull Kid, even giving you his backstory to make you sympathize with him and understand that he's a messed up kid who was corrupted by forces he couldn't understand.

Then his unconscious body drops and the Mask keeps floating.


There's no elaborate backstory given to WHY Majora's Mask wants to destroy Termina and wreck people's lives. He doesn't have any speeches. The only time the Mask itself talks is when it discards the Skull Kid. There are those odd children inside the Moon who wear masks and look like child versions of the Happy Mask Salesman, and the one wearing Majora's Mask gives you the Fierce Deity Mask and says that in the game you're going to be "the bad guy."

It's all very strange.
 

-KRS-

Member
I agree with the OP. I really can't think of another Nintendo-villain who is so purely twisted and evil. I think a dark, twisted game like Majora's Mask needs a villain like that. He definitely didn't feel out of place in that game even though he is so different from other Zelda-villains, because the game itself is also so different compared to other Zelda games.

Sadly I don't see Nintendo reviving him in a long time (not counting the inevitable Majora's Mask 3DS remake).

Great post OP.
 

GhaleonQ

Member
If we're accepting Nintendo-universe villains, then I'm going to have to upend this discussion permanently.

6a00e39824440288330120a5ec7a0e970c-800wi


You can read why here: http://www.mariowiki.com/Fawful

PLUS, I just found out that his Japanese name is "Gerakovitz," combining a classic generic evil villain surname with "geragera," the word for "derisive guffaw."
 

Big One

Banned
I could easily see Majora being a villain in Skyward Sword.

If it has a plot dealing with the fabled "Dark Tribe"
 
EvilMario said:
This isn't 2000, son. And the title pretty much states what the thread is about.

By the way, good job, OP. Although I feel Porky from Earthbound takes the cake for me.



My bad, I knew discussing how bad ass Majora was would be discussed, just not so much at what lengths Link would have to go to destroy him...

But you're all right asking for spoilers at this point is pretty dumb..
 

Ezalc

Member
I still think that the antagonist from FE4 is a much better villain in terms of shit he puts the protagonist through.
 

Davidion

Member
-Didn't really play much of Majora's mask
-Decides to google Majora
-Immediate gets wiki page for labia majora
-Is humored for evening
 

Instro

Member
GhaleonQ said:
If we're accepting Nintendo-universe villains, then I'm going to have to upend this discussion permanently.

6a00e39824440288330120a5ec7a0e970c-800wi


You can read why here: http://www.mariowiki.com/Fawful

PLUS, I just found out that his Japanese name is "Gerakovitz," combining a classic generic evil villain surname with "geragera," the word for "derisive guffaw."

Very underrated villain, the dude is fucking insane.

Regardless though, I love Majoras mask as a game and villain. If they are planning to change up the formula with SS, they should look towards MM for some inspiration.
 

GhaleonQ

Member
Ezalc said:
I still think that the antagonist from FE4 is a much better villain in terms of shit he puts the protagonist through.

As a serious answer, this is probably right. Address it, Robotnik!
 

-KRS-

Member
Where does one draw the line for Nintendo-villains though? 1st party EAD-only or 2nd party as well? I see people mentioning Earthbound and Fire Emblem, but those weren't created by Nintendo themselves. So should they be disregarded? :p
 
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