Revolver Ocelot (Metal Gear Solid, 1998)
Combing the right balance of humour, fighting skills, personality and leadership qualities, Revolver Ocelot has remained a love-hate character ever since his initial appearance in Hideo Kojima’s Metal Gear Solid in 1998. Yoji Shinkawa, the man behind the unique artwork in Kojima’s franchise, brought Ocelot to life with his spaghetti western outfit, trademark long hair and a moustache that only The Simpsons’ Ned Flanders or Tom Selleck could rival.
FOXHOUND’s formidable gunslinger is no stranger when it comes to working with men who have evil intentions, including Colonel Volgin (which pinpointed the origins of his unusual love for torture), Liquid Snake (acted as second-in-command to FOXHOUND’s squad leader) and Sergei Gurlukovich (who, funnily enough, he completely duped and betrayed to further his own objective).
Being the son of The Boss and The Sorrow, two decorated soldiers from World War II, Ocelot is a proven leader and warrior on the battlefield, with his résumé speaking for itself: he swiftly adopted CQC, the fighting technique his mother and her disciple Naked Snake created; led the Ocelot Unit at an early age during the midst of the Cold War; a founding member of the Patriots; and last but not least, he was a close confidant to Big Boss and, in the process, played a crucial role in his Diamond Dogs organisation — from what we’ve seen in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain’s trailers thus far, of course.
Ocelot serves as an essential asset for the Sinister Six to include in their hierarchy, but no doubt the remaining members will have to keep an eye out on the double/triple agent from Hideo Kojima’s franchise.
M. Bison (Street Fighter II: The World Warrior, 1991)
Although Capcom’s Street Fighter franchise has been a casualty of the company’s countless titles and add-ons produced for Street Fighter IV (e.g., Super Street Fighter IV, Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition and Ultra Street Fighter IV) — I mean, it took them long enough to announce Street Fighter V — everything about antagonist M. Bison captures the essence of someone who thrives on being evil.
Bison’s organisation, Shadaloo, fronts his ambition for taking over the world, while he selected some truly sinister, diverse personalities into his hierarchy: Sagat, Vega and Balrog. Furthermore, Bison’s representation as an evil dictator in the making who shares a deep hatred and rivalry toward the all-American hero Guile created the atmosphere for a Rocky IV-style showdown in Street Fighter II: The World Warrior.
The late, great Raúl Juliá brought a sense of charm, humour and much-needed personality to M. Bison in Street Fighter: The Movie, which was without a doubt one of the only redeeming factors from such a terrible adaptation — Bison dollars funding the Sinister Six, anyone? Taking his fantastic portrayal of the Shadaloo leader into consideration, couldn’t you see someone like Bison making a fine addition to gaming Sinister Six? (I certainly can!)
General RAAM (Gears of War, 2006)
The Oxford Dictionary’s definition for the word ‘sinister’: “Giving the impression that something harmful or evil is happening or will happen.” No villain in gaming matches this description word for word than Gears of War’s General RAAM. Epic Games’ third-person shooter title still remains one of the best exclusives Microsoft’s Xbox 360 ever had, and this is reinforced by its phenomenal multiplayer mode, stunning visuals and compelling narrative that was steered by General RAAM as the antagonist.
From the opening scenes of RAAM effortlessly eliminating Lieutenant Kim to his final confrontation with Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago, the Locust General brought a sinister, ruthless attitude that allowed his actions to speak louder than words ever could. Furthermore, RAAM’s presence was amplified through his ability to control the Kryll (bat-like creatures that could tear someone limb from limb) and equipped with a Troika, which made the first and final battle against him an extremely daunting task on insane difficulty.
Although RAAM would be one of two characters who would face a language barrier with other members of the Sinister Six — the other being Bowser, by the way — the Locust General brings the complete package a villain must have when they’re such a vital asset to the narrative.
Honourable mentions: Heihachi Mishima (Tekken, 1994), Doctor Eggman (Sonic the Hedgehog, 1991), Sephiroth (Final Fantasy VII, 1997), Haytham Kenway (Assassin’s Creed III, 2012), Giovanni (Pokémon Red & Blue, 1998) and Colonel Mael Radec (Killzone 2, 2009).