Evil duos are a very common trope. Whether it's in movies, anime, or video games, a lot of iconic "bad guys" tend to come in pairs. It may not be as prevalent in gaming as it is in other forms of entertainment, but there are certainly cases of great havoc-wreaking duos that entrenched themselves in the memories of gamers throughout the years.
One would be hard-pressed to find evil couples who are as well-written and deep as the ones found in movies, such as Bonnie and Clyde or Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett. Nonetheless, gaming has had its fair share of evil-doing duos, with gamers able to defeat most of them during intense, cinematic boss battles.
7 Dracula And Death (Castlevania: Portrait Of Ruin)
The Castlevania series is no stranger to challenging bosses and cartoonishly evil characters, but the pairing of Dracula and Death in Portrait of Ruin definitely takes the cake for the most outlandishly malicious one of them all.
The dual boss fight against Death and Dracula is considered to be one of the most difficult ones in the series. It should come as no surprise, seeing as it is the final boss fight in Portrait of Ruin. With Death restlessly homing in on the player's position and dealing damage with a powerful scythe slash and Dracula teleporting around the room dealing ranged fire damage, this fight has certainly induced a fair share of rage quits back in the day.
6 Koume And Kotake (The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time)
The Koume and Kotake witch duo is the focal point of the Ocarina of Time's Spirit Temple. These sisters are responsible for kidnapping Nabooru, a Gerudo tribe leader who, like Link, is adamant about stopping Ganondorf in his tracks. It takes a fair share of time travel to actually be able to fight them, and even after reaching them as an adult, taking them on proves to be a mighty challenge.
The pair is incredibly difficult to hit at the start, as they fly around Link on magic brooms, shooting fire and ice in his direction. The only way to deal some damage to them at the start is by using ranged attacks and frequently switching targets. Later on, they morph into Twinrova, a giant witch capable of using both fire and ice. The battle tests the players' environmental awareness, but once they gain control of the field, it becomes quite straightforward.
5 Masa And Mune (Chrono Trigger)
Although they may not look like it at first glance, Masa and Mune are actually creatures of extreme power in the lore of Chrono Trigger (as well as its spin-off, Chrono Cross).
Players encounter them multiple times throughout Chrono Trigger's storyline. In the Middle Ages, Masa and Mune need to be fought to gain the Masamune legendary sword. When the player's party meets them again in Antiquity, they actually help them out with fixing the weapon. This means that whether it was the dark energy of Ocean Palace or something else entirely, something must have happened to the creatures between Antiquity and the Middle Ages to turn them hostile.
4 Frank Tenpenny And Eddie Pulaski (GTA: San Andreas)
Very few things are eviler than using one's position of power to exert total control and influence over another person. This is exactly what Officers Frank Tenpenny and Eddie Pulaski have done to CJ in GTA: San Andreas.
All throughout the game, the corrupt police officers have been using CJ's family ties to Los Santos's criminal underworld to blackmail him into doing their dirty work for them. They even went as far as imprisoning CJ's brother, Sweet, and gambling with his safety in order to coerce CJ into working for them.
3 Agni And Rudra (Devil May Cry 3)
Much like the Dark Souls games developed years later, the Devil May Cry series is all about slashing away at very difficult enemies in order to make one's way to even more difficult boss fights. One of the toughest fights in Devil May Cry 3 comes in the early stages of the game and has players square off against a demon duo of Agni and Rudra.
The pair is notorious for their flame and wind attacks, as well as the fact that killing one of them will only make the second one a lot more powerful. It will prompt the remaining demon to pick up its dead sibling's weapon, granting them access to a new arsenal of powers. It is one of those dual boss fights where killing off the first foe is merely the beginning.
2 Joker And Harley Quinn (Batman: Arkham Series)
Harley Quinn and Joker is an iconic duo that permeates all pop-culture spheres. Present in comic books, movies, and video games, these well-crafted villains don't only sow death and destruction whenever they make an appearance, but are also well-written, multilayered characters with understandable motivations.
Their appearances were the highlights of the Arkham series, and Harley's revenge plan after Joker's death was one of the most exciting plot points of these titles to date. With the announcement of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, players are surely excited to see the evil duo in action again. That is unless another release date delay disappoints them once again.
1 Lady Dimitrescu And Mother Miranda (Resident Evil: Village)
Although there are actually four antagonists in Resident Evil: Village who deserve a mention, it is Lady Dimitrescu who stole the show even before the game was released. Out of Miranda's three vassals, she is also the one who seemed to have the closest relationship with the Mother.
Lady Dimitrescu and Mother Miranda have really set the tone of Village, and their respective chapters were some of the most atmospheric sequences in recent Resident Evil games. As a duo who worked together and stopped at nothing to bring the notorious Cadou experiment to fruition, they deserve to be named amongst the best evil gaming duos, if only for their brutal means, which include literally splitting a newborn apart to form a vessel for Miranda's dead daughter.
