Summary
From heart-pumping FPS games to terrifying survival horrors, demons have been a regular fixture in video games for many years. Coming from the depths of hell to corrupt, burn, and kill, demons are the epitome of dark powers made flesh. Throughout the history of video games, demons have come in all shapes, sizes, and shades of chaos. They can be fun antiheroes or challenging boss fights.
While some video game demons are regular enemies, other demonic entities are the most powerful creatures in their unique universes. These characters are some of the most distinctive and loved in gaming history.They are powerful enemies, fun protagonists, and misunderstood villains.
The earlyDragon Agegames were defined by theirdark storylines and vibrant world-building. Where mages were seen as ticking time bombs that needed to be tightly controlled. InDragon Age, demons are real and can easily possess the weak-willed.
Within the world, there are many demon types, each one a specialist preying on an aspect of humanity. From hunger demons, lust demons, greed, or rage demons, these entities feed off negative emotions. The largest and most dangerous of these is the Pride Demon. These are known to be the most insidious, cunning, and cruel of the demon types and are powerful, monstrous creatures when revealed.
Throughout the games, the demons ofDark Soulscan be seen as a dying race. From the ruined civilization of Lost Izalith inDark Soulsto the fading strength of the Old Demon King inDark Souls 3. Like many things in the series, the demons are fading along with the First Flame.
However, the last powerful remnants of this race can be found at the end ofDark Souls 3. Found at the bottom of the Dreg Heap on the path to the Ringed City, players will face off against the Demon in Pain & Demon from Below. These two creatures are fast and deadly but hide a secret. Once defeated, they merge to becomethe Demon Prince. The Demon Prince is the toughest demon boss inDark Soulsand has deadly attacks that can easily kill players. Little is known about this character except he was defeated by Lorian and retreated beneath the earth. While he may be the last of the demons, he still fights with their ferocious strength.
Jin Kazama is the central protagonist of theTekkengame series. In the lore, he has beaten almost every character in the fighting game franchise, even without his devil powers. Once transformed, he is an unstoppable force that could only be defeated potentially by Devil Kazuya.
Devil Jin is the entity that inhabits the body of Jin Kazama, who inherited the devil gene from his father. The dark-winged demon only emerges when Jin is close to defeat and is powerful both as aplayable character and in the lore.
The cult horror seriesBendyblendsdark survival horrorwith classic cartoon aesthetics. Its main antagonist, the terrifying Ink Demon, is a powerful entity that is the master of the ink world players find themselves in. Throughout the games, the Ink Demon’s powers have changed and grown, as has its intelligence. From teleporting between ink portals inBendy and the Ink Machineto appearing out of nowhere with only a few seconds' warning inBendy and the Dark Revival.
The Ink Demon has infinite power and health. Players can only hide when it appears. It can create ink at will and change its physical form. Of all the video game demons, the Ink Demon may be one of the most sinister and powerful and is much more than a simple ravenous monster.
Dante has become one of the most belovedcharacters in video game historyand might well be one of the strongest. He is the son of a powerful demon named Sparda, and as a half-demon, he has access to incredible demonic powers. However, Dante has no desire for power, he uses them as a devil hunter, defeating evil wherever he finds it.
Throughout the series, Dante grows in power, taking on more demon abilities as he goes. While he may be only a half-demon, through the games, Dante regularly defeats powerful entities. Essentially undefeated in combat, Dante is one of the most overpowered characters in video game history.
Diablo
The namesake of the entire series, Diablo, is one of the Prime Evils, whose domain is the Realm of Terror. The character is one of the main antagonists ofDiabloand one of the most powerful. His mastery of fear makes him a dangerous foe, and while he is the youngest of the Prime Evils, Diablo is considered the greatest.
Looking much like the archetypical Satan character, Diablo is one of the great gaming villains and, in his time, has corrupted countless humans. He has returned many times throughout the series and is now considered almost unkillable.
Second only to Lucifer himself, Samael is a demon of immense power. Unlike most demons on this list, he does not act as an antagonist but as a character who helps the player throughout the game. Samael rules from the Red Court but keeps his own counsel. His agenda is a mystery to all but himself.
His origins are shrouded in secrecy, as he is an extremely ancient being. Even in times when his powers were diminished, he was a sought-after ally in the political wars of hell. He has a number of powers, which include time manipulation and conjuring. He is able to gift allies powers such as flight. It is said he is so powerful he could take the throne of hell if he wished.
First appearing inDoom 2, the Icon of Sin is one of the toughest boss fights in the entire Doom series. InDoom Eternal, he is the final boss of the base game and is essentially a walking demon tank with thick armor and flame-throwing abilities. It is strong, fast, and durable and only second in power to its maker, the Dark Lord.
With numerouspowerful demonsin the series, the Icon of Sin stands higher than most. His mere presence can warp reality and cause destruction on a massive scale. When on Earth, this power only grows, which would eventually, if not stopped, rip the dimension apart and bring it to hell. Few demons in gaming history have the power to destroy just by existing in a realm.
