Top 10 Angry Video Game Characters

A lifelong martial artist, this self-announced “Master of the Fist” appears reserved at first. Yet Akuma is anything but, thanks to his acceptance of the principle Satsui no Hado or “surge of murderous intent”. He is a violent, aggressive, even ruthless combatant whose only restraint is in the face of opponents he deems weak, and that's more out of contempt than compassion. Against a fighter of equal strength, Akuma refuses to hold back in his brutality.

Animal Crossing's resident mole citizen has good intentions, but has one heck of a bug up his butt. Starting from the first game, Mr. Resetti serves as a guiding voice constantly instructing you to save when you close the game. His well-meaning and cautious tone gives way to frustration and agitated ranting, however, if you continually disobey him. He'll force you to repeat what he says, lecture you on the matter, and even reset all your progress if upset enough – though that's more just to mess with you.

Apparently even tiki masks can hold a grudge. Imprisoned by his own brother long ago, only freed by a fluke space station crash, The Great Uka Uka prides himself on his vengeful and hostile nature. He constantly plots to rule or destroy the world, fighting both his brother and other foes tooth and nail to do it. And woe befall you if you fail to carry out his will, for Uka Uka is not the forgiving type.

A sane mind, this is not. Vaas Montenegro, once a member of the Rakyat tribe, now commands the Pirates of the Rook Islands, contributing to the drug trade and general misconduct. Vaas' entire persona is one of flippancy and sudden mood shifts – one minute he's cordial and respectful, the next he's a raging lunatic who tries to set people on fire. He is utterly terrifying and not a force to be reckoned with lightly.

Just misunderstood, or outright malicious? That's the question that defines Cerberus' former Subject Zero, a young woman turned hardened criminal with an impressive rap sheet. Part of Jack's reputation, and thus her intimidating stature, comes from her mastery of biotic powers – which she uses to utterly brutalize her foes and cause untold destruction. Outside of combat, she's quick to anger and perfectly willing to pick a fight, though given her history we're anything but unsympathetic.

Wrath has never seen a more capable champion. Asura, once a respected Guardian General and loving family man, faces a most grievous betrayal by his own comrades and the loss of his family – and that's before his 12'000 year banishment. Most people would be furious, but Asura takes it a step further: he channels that rage into the utter destruction of the world's deities. A lot of games give us pissed-off characters, but it's rare for their quest to be both inspiring and cathartic.

Even in the apocalypse, people can still be jerks. In “The Walking Dead”, Larry is one of several survivors holed up in a store in Macon. Conversations soon reveal this seemingly level-headed army veteran to be a bitter, easily enraged man – overprotective of his daughter Lilly and capable of being frustrated to the point of heart failure. It doesn't help that he knows a thing or two about our character Lee Everett's past, and that he'll use it to undermine Lee's attempts to do good.

Though cute in design, these avian heroes are chiefly driven by revenge. The Birds, a diverse collective of bird species, soon face an egregious crime by their foes The Pigs; namely, the theft of their precious eggs. What follows can only be described as retaliatory slaughter: the Birds not only seek to reclaim their eggs, but actually fling themselves at the Pigs' structures in the hopes of annihilating the Pigs entirely. Pleasant visuals aside, that's pretty grim.

Los Santos was never the same once Trevor Philips showed up. Once a common criminal, presently a trafficker of drugs and weapons, this unmistakably psychotic man may as well be a walking checklist for angry behaviour: he's regularly irritable or snarky, he keeps his subordinates in line with aggression, and it takes only a little pressure to make him flip out. Trevor can even go into a rage-induced zen-like state in combat, soaking up bullets and delivering punishment. We'd say he should seek therapy, but we want to live.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:

Brutes
“Halo series” (2001-)

Alex Mercer
“Prototype” (2009)

Tank
“Left 4 Dead series” (2008-)

Raul Menendez
“Call of Duty: Black Ops II” (2012)

The Anger Core
“Portal” (2007)

Speaking of walking checklists, no one exemplifies anger quite like Kratos. A demi-god promoted to full-blown deity, the former Spartan is constantly haunted by the death of his family – and driven by his increasing hate of the Gods. Some kick a wall, some write angry internet comments, Kratos chooses to hunt down and slaughter the Greek pantheon in its entirety. Watching this embittered, enraged, utterly tormented man channel god-like power and unstoppable fury is something of a spectacle – and not one easily repeated.

Do you agree with our list? What’s your favorite angry game character? For more energized Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.