Top 10 Most Powerful Nintendo Characters Ever
#10: Bowser
Top 10 Bowser Battles
“Super Mario” franchise (1985-) Mario’s erstwhile nemesis, Bowser is king of the koopas, and has an enormous army at his disposal. But his power is more than just political. The huge, spiny turtle-dragon has wielded every weapon in the book in his efforts to capture Princess Peach and defeat Mario. These include everything from magic, to cars, to boxing top hats. His most readily available strength comes from his own body though, as he can breathe fire, sports plenty of claws and spikes, and often grows to enormous size, comparable to a kaiju. Mario may always defeat him, but Bowser always comes back.
#9: Shulk
“Xenoblade Chronicles” (2010) Shulk is a strong fighter throughout “Xenoblade Chronicles.” The blonde swordsman wields the Monado, an energy blade that also lets him use various Arts to enhance both his own abilities and those of his comrades. It also gives him visions of the future, which gives early warning of attacks, and would be borderline broken outside the constraints of a video game. The ending of “Xenoblade Chronicles” also features Shulk creating his own Monado, as well as influencing the creation of a new reality, although to what extent is a little vague. Regardless, Shulk is strong enough that we’re “really feeling” like he stands among Nintendo’s most powerful.
#8: Ridley
“Metroid” franchise (1987-) We were tempted to discuss Samus Aran, the frequent foe of Ridley, and the protagonist of the “Metroid” games. But let’s be real – Ridley is a huge, occasionally cyborg, alien pterosaur-dragon that’s also a space pirate! The most frequent thorn in Samus’ side, Ridley can fly, breathe fire, fire energy beams, and is freakishly strong. The draconic space pirate has had many forms over the years and they’re always terrifying and usually one of the final enemies Samus must face. Persistent, ruthless, and powerful, Ridley may always lose Samus, but we get the feeling he could defeat plenty of other opponents.
#7: Majora
“The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask” (2000) Although Ganon/Ganondorf is also a terrifyingly powerful “Zelda” villain, we’re going with the dark horse pick for this series. Majora is an eldritch entity contained with Majora’s Mask. Capable of possessing its wearer and performing various feats of magic, Majora can also manifest as various disturbing forms. These “wrathful incarnations” can move at high speed and dish out some powerful attacks with whip-like appendages. Majora’s strongest ability though is the influence it gains over the moon. Apparently able to inhabit and personify the celestial object, unless Link and the player repeatedly turn back time to avert it, Majora will cause an apocalypse by bringing it down on the world.
#6: Byleth
“Fire Emblem” franchise (1990-) The hero or heroine of “Fire Emblem: Three Houses,” Byleth’s abilities are basically whatever the player wants them to be. They can be pretty much every class in the game, so the full range of their powers can include magic, as well as nearly every weapon. Byleth’s specialties carry through most of them, however. They wield the Sword of the Creator, a sword that’s also a whip. But what puts them ahead of so many others is their Divine Pulse ability. This allows Byleth and the player to rewind time, averting disaster in battle. While it has a set number of uses, it’s still phenomenally powerful.
#5: Palutena
“Kid Icarus” franchise (1987-2012) She’s a literal goddess folks. That’s pretty dang strong! The goddess of light, Palutena grants Pit many of his angelic abilities, while also having plenty of incredible powers herself. Her control over light extends to generating energy blasts, creating huge columns of it, and even powerful lasers! Palutena can also fly, reflect projectiles, and she also has a form of clairvoyance, which she uses to gain insight into the opponents she and Pit face. Still, despite her divinity and strength, Palutena is still vulnerable to harm and she’s not quite among the best of Nintendo’s best.
#4: Giygas
“Mother” franchise (1989-2006) Ness might be one of the heroes of the “Mother” series, but even his psychic powers are no match for Giygas! An alien intent on eliminating PSI powers from Earth, Giygas develops into the ultimate evil. Formless, mindless and beyond mortal understanding, Giygas exerts his will over people and animals, corrupting them to do his bidding. Giygas is so powerful that conventional attacks don’t work and its own are incomprehensible. Its only weakness is prayer, or you might say human kindness and cooperation. By uniting the whole planet, Giygas is defeated. Still, there’s nothing more terrifying than the unknown and Giygas’ power seems limitless for much of its time in the games.
#3: Galeem & Dharkon
“Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” (2018) The “Super Smash Bros.” games have some truly awesome bosses with powers even greater than the Nintendo characters pitted against them. While Tabuu from “Brawl” is also a contender, the light and dark duo from “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” are even stronger. Galeem alone turns nearly every single playable character into spirits/puppets, including some on this list, and Dharkon is its equal counterpart. Galeem and Dharkon are the embodiment of light and darkness, respectively. The duo’s combined power nearly lets them dominate the entire universe to remake it in their images. While an unlikely hero manages to free the Nintendo characters and unite them to defeat the pair of powerful beings, it’s a close call.
#2: Arceus
Top 10 New Pokemon in Pokémon Legends: Arceus
“Pokémon” franchise (1998-) There are dozens of powerful Pocket Monsters out there. While Mewtwo has the reputation and the cool factor going for it, even that psychic powerhouse can’t compete with Arceus, outside of battle, at least. Said to be the progenitor of not only all Pokémon, but also the Pokémon universe, Arceus is the closest thing to a god in this series. And this shining deer-thing’s abilities in battle back that up – it has crazy stats and it can be any Pokémon type there is! Granted, Arceus can be confined by 10-year-olds in Pokéballs, but so can every other Pokémon. We can’t hold that against it.
#1: Kirby
The 10 BEST Kirby Games
“Kirby” franchise (1992-) We can practically see your eyebrows climbing up your foreheads! Yes – Kirby. This adorable pink puffball is the strongest Nintendo character out there. Why? Because he is what he eats, and he eats everyone and everything! Kirby can take anyone’s powers and make them his own. And sure, his main nemesis is a penguin with a mallet, but he has also defied eldritch horrors and gods alike. Remember when Galeem took out every Nintendo character but one? That one was Kirby. Sure, it’s probably because he’s Masahiro Sakurai’s favorite, but regardless of the reason, Kirby is far more powerful than most give him credit for. Plus, he’s just so dang cute.
