In-depth analysis has revealed gamers love Handsome Jack more than any other video game villain while Batman's Joker is the most discussed by a very long way.
Villains are created with the intention of giving fans of stories someone to hate and root against. However, for one reason or another, sometimes fans fall in love with the villain. They might feel sorry for them or just think they are downright cool. Darth Vader, for example. Possibly the most well-known movie villain of all time, and someone Star Wars fans love despite his despicable actions.
In order to discover who the video game world's Darth Vader is, Ebuyer conducted analysis of social media over the past 12 months to see who gamers love most. Turns out our favorite gaming villain is Borderlands' Handsome Jack. 40% of all conversations on social media about Jack had a positive spin, which is a great return for a bad guy.
In a distant second place is Animal Crossing's Mr. Resetti on 23%, and then Final Fantasy 7's Sephiroth. That 18% of conversations threw Sephiroth into a positive light might be the most surprising revelation of all. He was added to Smash Ultimate during the assessment period which might explain that somewhat.
As for the video game villains we hate the most, Silent Hill's eerie Pyramid Head tops the list. It's unclear whether Silent Hill fans' frustrated discussions over the wait for a sequel or a remake counted towards Pyramid Head's total. In second is Alduin from The Elder Scrolls, and then the Blue Shell from Mario Kart in third. That's right, the Blue Shell is classed as a video game villain for the purposes of this study, and rightfully so.
As for which villains have been talked about most on social media over the past 12 months, Batman's Joker is far and away the winner. The Clown Prince Of Crime has been the subject of more than five million conversations in that time. Mario's nemesis Bowser is in second place, surpassing one million conversations, and it's another entry for Batman in third thanks to Scarecrow.