10 Unhinged Video Game Characters That Would've Made Perfect Villains
2. Raiden (Metal Gear Solid 2)
In 2001, Hideo Kojima introduced the world to Raiden, a whiny, generic-looking hero with the voice of Sonic the Hedgehog. Though he wasn't entirely loathsome, Raidens biggest flaw was that he simply wasn't an interesting character, especially compared to the previous hero of the franchise, Solid Snake. Despite his detailed backstory that involved being a child soldier, it was almost impossible to feel anything toward Raiden who looked and acted like a cardboard cutout pretending to be a human being. Though Raiden has evolved throughout the series and managed to win over some of the fans, its still almost impossible to care about the guy. He no longer looks boring, but his incredible abilities and aptitude for destruction render him a thoroughly unsympathetic character with little personality for the audience to relate to. So, make him a villain. Solid Snake has made a career out of fighting adversaries that outclass him physically, Raiden would fit right in with the likes of Liquid Snake, Grey Fox and Revolver Ocelot. Plus, it might finally make him somewhat interesting. His tragic backstory (the one thats been shoved down our throats for the past fifteen years) can act as his motivation for turning to the dark side and forming his own militia of hardened cyborg-soldiers. At the very least, it will justify Raidens creation and give him something to do in any future instalments of the series.
