Most people love the holidays. It is a time for gift-giving, gathering with family and friends, and showing a little more kindness to others. Other people, however, are Grinches. These individuals may have their own reasons for disliking the holiday season. Maybe they aren’t the sentimental types. Maybe they just want a little quiet.
Maybe Christmas is a reminder of what they don’t have in their lives, and it makes it difficult for them to open themselves up to others and share the Christmas spirit. While they may not be particularly festive, many of them could still use a little bit of goodwill. Video games are populated with grinchy characters, though some are a lot more notable than others.
7 Wario Does No Giving And All The Taking
Wario’s first appearance was in Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins. He served as the main villain of the game and the anti-Mario who took over Mario’s castle. Wario would go on to appear in several other titles down the line, including his own Wario Land series, which spans the Game Boy handhelds and the Nintendo Wii, as well as the minigame-centric WarioWare series.
Wario is not exactly someone who would be in the Christmas spirit. He is all about number one and has an insatiable greed. He would have to be paid a fortune to attend any Christmas party. Furthermore, he doesn’t have that many friends outside the core WarioWare crew, so he would probably be more inclined to sit at home on the couch and engorge himself with junk food.
6 George Is A Real Humbug In Stardew Valley
George is Stardew Valley’s local grouch. He isn’t particularly warm and friendly, and he seems to complain about everything. George can usually be found in his home, sitting in front of the television.
He also complains about what is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year. Stardew Valley is full of wonderful events, including the Feast of the Winter Star, on the 25th day of Winter. In the town square, a celebration and exchange of gifts is held on this day. If one talks to George at this event, however, he will dismiss it with a “Humbug.”
5 Simon Cowell Has Nothing But Christmas Cheer
The 2000s brought the world some cultural mainstays, including the iPod and the reality show American Idol, where hopeful singers compete for America’s votes to make them the next music star. The series was canceled by Fox in 2016 but was revived by ABC shortly after. Among the judges of this show was Simon Cowell, the king of mean, who was infamous for his brutal insults.
The success of the show would spawn a PS2 and PC video game, where Idol hopefuls could get themselves roasted by Simon Cowell virtually. His bitterness and brutal honesty are not in line with the Christmas spirit, which is more focused on warmth and merriment.
4 The Dementors Will Drain The Christmas Cheer Out Of Everyone
In the Harry Potter universe, Dementors are dark-hooded figures tasked with guarding the Azkaban prison, which houses the wizarding world’s most notorious criminals. What makes these creatures particularly fearsome in the usually cozy world of Harry Potter is that they feed on the positive emotions of others.
Those in their presence feel nothing but sadness and hopelessness. In the Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban video game, Harry has to drag Ron away from a Dementor that boarded the Hogwarts Express as it literally sucks the joy out of him. The only reason this creature would want to be involved in anything related to Christmas is so that enough merry souls would be gathered for an all-you-can-eat buffet.
3 Not-So-Jolly Squally
Squall Leonheart is the central protagonist of Final Fantasy 8. Fans know him by his black coat, the scar on his face, and his signature gunblade: a weapon that requires immense skill to master. It would also be fair to say that Squall is not exactly the holly-jolly type.
He is rather brusque in the way he addresses people, deliberately putting up an emotional wall after what he assumed was his abandonment by his sister when they were both children. He essentially had to be coerced into dancing with his eventual love interest Rinoa at the Inauguration Ball. Given the tendency of individuals to share goodwill towards others, he might rather stay indoors and avoid people for the season.
2 Bowser Is A Mean One
Bowser is the big meanie of the genre-definingSuper Mario Bros. franchise. He is a monster with a tortoise-like build that commands an army of Koopa Troopas and desires nothing more than absolute power over the Mushroom Kingdom, which Mario protects.
Bowser is not exactly the giving type, as he typically likes to crash parties he wasn’t even invited to and he destroys everyone and everything that ends up getting in his way. It seems like the only person he really has a heart for is his son, Bowser Jr.
1 The Aliens Want Christmas, And Duke Nukem Is All Out Of Gum
He is the hero the world deserves and needs. Duke Nukem was one of the video game icons of the ‘90s, as he waged war against alien invaders that jacked his ride, while spouting cheesy one-liners from classic action movies.
In the expansion pack for Duke Nukem 3D, Nuclear Winter, the alien invaders have returned, brainwashing Santa Claus and effectively stealing Christmas. The violent visitors sport Santa hats and reindeer antlers. They also have evil sentient snowmen on their sides this time.