Honestly, if you don’t have a nemesis in your life, are you even living? Everyone needs people in their lives that bring them joy, but just as much, they also need that special person who creates a burning hatred within their heart.

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A nemesis can come in many forms, whether be a feud between good versus evil or morally grey versus morally grey. Regardless the characters usually have hatred for one another, or at least at odds with each other most of the time

10 Wolfenstein Series- B.J. Blazkowicz and Nazis

Everybody hates Nazis. They are the epitomal bad guys of real life, so it should be no surprise there is a video game series about fighting against them. In the Wolfenstein games, B.J. Blazkowicz is the one man army against a technologically advanced Nazi regime. Blazkowicz has fought robotic dogs, SS Agents, and Mecha-Hitler throughout his service, but his enemy in the most recent games has been Wilhelm “Deathshead” Strasse who is the head of the SS Special Projects Division, which specializes in creating powerful weapons. Blazkowicz is incredibly resilient, and manages to survive anything thrown at him be it a years long coma or an internment camp. His Polish and Jewish heritage also make his campaign against the Nazis all the more sweeter.

9 Kirby Series- Kirby and King Dedede

This is more of a one-sided nemesis, as Kirby does not really care all that much about King Dedede or any of his plots. Dedede mirrors Kirby in a lot of ways. They both can puff themselves up to float, both can inhale enemies, and both love to eat. Most of the reasons why Kirby ever even fights Dedede is because of a misunderstanding between the two or because Dedede is possessed by a cosmic entity.

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In fact they work together a lot of times throughout the games. The reason why they are on this list, is because unlike some of the other nemeses on this list, Kirby and Dedede’s feud is silly and endearing rather than an actual hatred. This makes it a bit more unique and lovable.

8 Mortal Kombat Series- Sub-Zero and Scorpion

One has fire powers, the other can manipulate ice. No surprise they don't like each other. Mainly due to the meddling of Quan Chi, these two ninjas have been at each others throats even before the events of the Mortal Kombat tournaments. Sub-Zero essentially killed Scorpion. As a dead soul, Scorpion is lead to believe by Quan Chi that his family and clan were destroyed by Sub-Zero, when in actuality it was Quan Chi who killed them. This results in an revenant Scorpion seeking revenge against Sub-Zero. Scorpion does kill Sub-Zero, but his younger brother takes Sub-Zero’s mantle and starts the feud over. Eventually, Scorpion does eventually realize the truth and the two become allies against Quan Chi.

7 Street Fighter Series- Ryu and Akuma

Both are powerful fighters with the capability of using the Satsui No Haido, but while Ryu resists the power of the dark hado, Akuma embraces. Akuma is the brother of Ryu’s master, Gouken. Using the Satsui No Haido, Akuma kills Gouken (although this was retconned for him to only be in a coma), and Ryu seeks revenge against Akuma for the act. The main interest of Akuma is to fight worthy opponents, and because Ryu has the Satsui No Haido power, Akuma views him as the ultimate opponent. While Ryu hates Akuma, the same is not really true the other way around.

6 Metroid Series- Samus and Ridley

The relationship between Samus and Ridley goes back to when Samus was a child. As the head of the Space Pirates, Ridley leads a raid against Samus’s home planet for resources. The young Samus tries to befriend Ridley, but this results in Ridley attacking her, only to be intervened by her mother and father, who die in the process. Both Samus and Ridley held a grudge against each other. For Samus it was because her parents were murdered, and for Ridley, it was because Samus survived against him. Samus goes on to defeat Ridley on numerous occasions, with Ridley always coming back in some form or another.

5 Soul Series- Soul Edge and Soul Calibur

While they both appear to be inanimate swords, they are much more than that. Soul Edge was just an ordinary sword, but after being bathed in blood and hatred for numerous years, the sword became an evil entity known as Inferno. Anyone who wields Soul Edge becomes cursed and corrupted.

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Soul Edge was eventually conquered by the strong will of King Algol, but when his son wielded the sword he succumbed to its power and died. As revenge, Algol created Soul Calibur to directly combat Soul Edge. The two swords have since been in an endless combat with each other, and use different wielders throughout the games.

4 Mega Man Series-Dr. Light and Dr. Wily

Dr. Wily has been the main antagonist of the original Mega Man games throughout the whole series. While there is a definite argument that Mega Man is more of a nemesis to Wily than Light, truly all the events that happen within the games is just a robot match-off between Light and Wily. Wily and Light used to be friends, but soured into scientific rivals. Light always upstaged Wily, which infuriated Wily to point of wanting to exact punishment on Light and take over the world. Wily stole robots from Light and reprogrammed them to be his underlings, and as a result, Light created Mega Man to combat these robots. The feud between Light and Wily would go on for a series of games, although Light was never really ill intentioned towards Wily.

3 Sonic the Hedgehog Series-Sonic and Dr. Eggman

The feud between Sonic and Eggman has been going on since the first Sonic the Hedgehog game. While Dr. Eggman initially wanted to turn animals into robots, he has since moved on to simply wanting to take over the world and establish the Eggman Empire.

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Sonic has always managed to stop whatever Eggman’s plans are, but it has never dampened Eggman’s desire to do evil. That being said Eggman is kind of joke villain, and Sonic does not seem to take all that seriously.

2 Super Mario Series- Mario and Bowser

This one felt like a no-brainer. Mario and Bowser have been enemies since the first Super Mario Bros. game. Bowser’s goal has always been to kidnap the princess and takeover the Mushroom Kingdom, but this is always foiled by the Italian Plumber. The motives for either doing what they within the games is not really explained all that much other than Mario wanting to save Peach and Bowser wanting to either marry her or take over the kingdom. While they are enemies to one another, it is not always a violent feud, as they even go at it aggressively through sports and racing.

These three have been nemeses for literal lifetimes. In the events of Skyward Sword, Ganon is revealed to be the reincarnation of the Demon King Demise, who cursed both the Goddess (Zelda) and her Chosen Hero (Link) to forever be reincarnated along with him. Ganon has been the main antagonist for most of the Legend of Zelda games, and has taken over Hyrule numerous times. It has always been up to the reincarnated Chosen Hero, Link, and the Princess Zelda to fight against him. It is a battle that has literally spanned throughout lifetimes, as well as alternate timelines. If that is not a true nemesis feud, then we don’t know what is.

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