Most fans will be familiar with the driving force of the main quest in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim — Alduin, the World-Eater. His grand scheme of bringing back the enslavement of humans under dragons is what necessitates the Dragonborn taking up arms along with the Blades in order to stop his plans from seeing fruition.
Despite Alduin's central role, he hasn't exactly been free of criticism. In fact, he's often considered one of the weakest characters and villains in The Elder Scrolls universe. Fighting him in Sovngarde at the end of the story definitely feels underwhelming, and that's not the only issue or inconsistency that plagues the daunting main villain of Skyrim.
10 He's Weak
No matter what difficulty the player prefers to enjoy the game at, one of the greatest flaws that Alduin has is his weakness. Final boss fights should feel extremely challenging, especially at the end of such a long-winded plot like Skyrim's main quest. But in the difficulty department, Alduin just ends up flopping.
While there are some fan-made theories on why he might be weak at the final stage, that still doesn't mean he should be just another generic dragon for the Dragonborn to fight. There's really nothing special about finally facing off against him, which doesn't make sense given how important of a character he is.
9 He Lets The Dragonborn Live
Alduin is a bit of a special creature, like every dragon. They're somewhere between a beast and a divine creature, which is why they're often aware of things that mortals might not know. Chances are, Alduin probably knows that the Dragonborn is the chosen one of Akatosh, and, well... Dragonborn.
And yet, when he sees the Dragonborn in Helgen, he actually interrupts their execution at the hands of the Imperial Legion. Had he stood back, a simple Imperial executioner would have taken care of the Dragonborn on the spot and allowed him to realize his plans without the Dragonborn meddling, So, why did he step in?
8 His Soul Just Disappears
Let's go back to Sovngarde and that fateful battle that ensues at the end when the Dragonborn heads out with the other heroes of Sovngarde in order to take down Alduin once and for all. After an underwhelming confrontation, Alduin's body withers away, but his soul never gets absorbed by the Dragonborn.
Given that they've been able to take any dragon's soul so far, why can't they absorb Alduin's soul? Where does Alduin's soul go, then, if not into the Dragonborn? This part is never truly addressed, although it's hinted that Alduin could potentially return some time in the future.
7 He Refuses His Destiny
Alduin's wall and all of the tales surrounding him recount a very specific tale. In these stories, Alduin's main purpose is to be the World-Eater. He exists because he's meant to fulfill this somewhat twisted fate at some point in the history of Tamriel, because it has been foretold. Prophecies tend to be a pretty big deal in The Elder Scrolls.
And yet, Alduin actually refuses his destiny. There's no real reason for him to want to refuse it, but for some reason he prefers to instead try and take control of humanity and establish another era of draconian rule.
6 He Didn't Kill Paarthurnax
Paarthurnax is a legendary character in the game, and unlike Alduin, he's a definite fan favorite due to his timeless wisdom and complicated character design. Once allied to Alduin, he chose to betray him and allow mortals to take control of their own lives rather than enslave them.
During the main quest, Paarthurnax and Alduin actually confront one another, and Alduin could have had the perfect opportunity to end his traitorous former friend once and for all. And yet, for reasons not known or understood, he simply doesn't.
5 He Just Became Insane
It's never fully explained why Alduin became the way he did. There are no stories to explain his mentality, or why he in particular needed to be the World-Eater. It's said that he became insane and that's why he chose to reject his fate, but this seems like such an easy and vague explanation.
Considering he's the main villain, the lack of detail on his past and motivation is glaring. Even those well-versed in the lore will have a hard time trying to explain the insanity that seems to plague his foolhardy mind.
4 He Was Sent Forward In Time, Not Destroyed
During the vision the Dragonborn witnesses as they travel back in time, they'll see the moment when mortals managed to seal Alduin into the stream of time, and specifically sent him into the future.
This is a questionable choice of actions. It's almost as if they decided to simply make him a problem for the mortal races of the future, or hoped that somewhere far away in time someone would come up with a solution. Either way, it's strange that Akatosh didn't at the time figure out a way to choose a Dragonborn to defeat him before he was sent forward in time.
3 He Attacks Helgen
Helgen is a small, unassuming town in the southern parts of Skyrim. It's nothing special, aside from the fact that it almost served as the execution ground for Ulfric Stormcloak and the Dragonborn. Otherwise, however, it's just a tiny sleepy town that shouldn't be worth destroying.
Yet for some reason this is the first place that Alduin arrives at. Maybe he's there to witness the Dragonborn for the first time, but it seems weird that he would put all of his energy into demolishing this small human town while sparing the actual Dragonborn, considering it brings nothing to him.
2 There's No Rush To Kill Him
The moment the player has control over their character, there's an urgency in the air. They need to head to Riverwood, warn Jarl Balgruuf in Whiterun, and figure out a way to kill dragons. It's no secret that Skyrim is facing an insanely big threat at this point.
Still, there's really no sense of urgency in any of these things if the player simply chooses to meander from the beaten path of the plot. Alduin will wait forever if he must, and as long as the player hasn't done certain quests or interactions, most of the dragons won't even spawn from their burial grounds.
1 He Purposefully Gives Up His Powers
One of the most interesting theories offered as to why Alduin might be so underwhelmingly weak at the end of the game is the fact that since he's denying his fate as the World-Eater and planning on taking over the province instead, he has given up his powers and abilities.
This is a very legitimate argument, but brings up more questions. Is ruling over humans really that much more valuable than having so much power Alduin could simply consume everything? It just doesn't make sense for him to choose otherwise.