Happiness is a full inventory. Whether your pockets are stuffed to the brim with useful stuff, or there's a bunch of shiny pickups on the ground just waiting for you to stuff them in your backpack, it's a lovely state to be in. Inversely, having that stuff taken from you absolutely stinks, which is why it's so annoying when you encounter enemies that do just that.
Some of them swipe items from your inventory, some collect items from the ground before you can, and some can even swipe less tangible possessions like character buff. In this list, we'll go through the worst item burglars in games.
9 Imps - Castle Crashers
If you've ever played Castle Crashers, you already know the sheer amount of miscellany that drops onto the ground in the midst of a fight. Gold pieces, gems, food, and sacks of money litter the field by the time everyone's been knocked out. On certain levels, though, those sacks of money attract Imps, nasty little critters that run in from off-screen, grab the cash, point and laugh at you, and attempt to make off with it. If they make it to the other side of the screen, the cash is lost, but if you cut them off, you can smack the sack right out of their grubby little hands.
8 Like Likes - Legend Of Zelda Series
If ever there were a Zelda series enemy that made players go "nnnnnnnope!" it'd be the Like Likes. Even putting aside their extremely unsettling appearances — they look like one of those squishy water toys if it were full of sewage — the Like Likes have the immensely frustrating ability to devour non-essential equipment.
In Ocarina of Time, for instance, a Like Like will devour both Deku Shields and Hylian Shields, as well as Goron Tunics and Zora Tunics. The only things they can't eat, thankfully, are the regular Kokiri Tunic and the Mirror Shield.
7 Pluton - Kid Icarus Series
These thieving ogres have been bothering Pit since the NES days. Back in the original Kid Icarus, these pint-sized jerks would swipe the Arrows of Strength right out of Pit's quiver, leaving him bereft of ammo in hostile territory.
Their thieving habits only got worse in Kid Icarus: Uprising, as now they'll swipe dropped weapons from the ground and from Pit's inventory and attempt to make a break for it with them on their back. Unlike most thieving enemies, Plutons are surprisingly resilient, so if they swipe something you wanted, odds are good you're not getting it back.
6 Jestabocky - Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance
Did you see a pickup prize on the ground? Don't get your hopes up, it may be a Jestabocky in disguise. Besides disguising themselves to ambush Sora and Riku, Nightmare Jestabockies will gobble up any loose pickups, munny, or HP prizes that are lying around, and they won't cough them back up even if they're defeated. However, this annoying trait can be used to your advantage: if Sora or Riku has a Spirit Jestabocky as a partner, it'll collect prizes on Sora's behalf, as well as occasionally swallow enemies whole.
5 Sharks - Raft
Sharks often get a bad rep due to things like the Jaws movies. They're actually a vital part of the ocean ecosystem, eating up waste and cleaning the water. Of course, in the flooded world of Raft, where assorted waste is your lifeline, that puts you at odds with them. Sharks will regularly attack your floating refuge, tearing off large chunks if left unchecked. It's bad enough to lose part of your foothold in the water, but to make matters worse, if the destroyed section has any tools or objects on it, they'll get gobbled up as well. Don't blame the shark, he's just doing his job.
4 Spiteful Crows - Earthbound
One of the very first enemy types Ness encounters after the comet hits Onett are Spiteful Crows, obnoxious little birds dressed in sunglasses, and bowties. These little irritants will peck at Ness's eyes and flash large, rude grins, but if you're especially unlucky, they'll swipe items right out of Ness's pocket. This is especially frustrating since you encounter them so early in the game when healing items like cookies and burgers may be harder to obtain. Losing even one burger can be a major hindrance before Ness is strong enough to hold his own.
3 Sukaritts - Mega Man Legends 2
The vast majority of Reaverbots MegaMan encounters in both Mega Man Legends games are hostile by default, tackling him, shooting him, launching explosives at him, and so on. One of the few exceptions to this are the Sukaritts, strange Reaverbots with long, flowing skirts and antennae that resemble pigtails.
They'll skirt and dash around MegaMan but otherwise, ignore him. If he destroys another Reaverbot and drops some Refractor Shards on the ground, though, the Sukaritts let out a laugh and snatch them all up before MegaMan can. Rude.
2 Colibri - Final Fantasy XI
Added in the Treasures of Aht'Urgan expansion of Final Fantasy XI, a Colibri is a bright pink bird that resembles a cross between a toucan and a hummingbird. It can use a variety of magical effects, parroting back any White or Black Magic, but its strangest ability is "Snatch Morsel," which allows it to rip Food effects off any player it attacks. Now, presumably, if you have a Food effect, it means you already ate the food, so one can only surmise that this bird is shoving its entire beak down your throat to suck up the remnants of your lunch. There's a fun thought.
1 Carbuncle - Sonic Shuffle
Rather than the straightforward items you usually get in party games, Sonic Shuffle's item system revolves around Forcejewels. These gemstones come in a variety of colors and can be earned from events and mini-games, as well as purchased from the shop. However, one of these Forcejewels, the Carbuncle, isn't actually a Forcejewel at all, but a jewel-shaped fairy with an insatiable appetite. If it finds its way into your inventory, it'll start eating every other Forcejewel you have. When the other Forcejewels run out, it'll then eat itself. Talk about a deadly appetite.