Highlights
- Not all Nintendo couples are sweet – evil duos like Joker & Harley Quinn bring dark undertones to the gaming world.
- Even in family-friendly Nintendo games, diabolical lovebirds like Jessie & James from Team Rocket stop at nothing.
- While Peach and Mario may be #couplegoals, there are evil pairs in Nintendo history that add a sinister twist to gameplay.
Peach and Mario have been the sweetest couple in video games since the princess made her debut in 1985. Since then, these lovebirds have appeared together in hundreds of games, movies, and pieces of merchandise.
It’s relatively easy to find cute, wholesome examples of Nintendo couples like Mario and Peach. It’s much more difficult to find evil couples in games, especially on Nintendo consoles, which are designed to be family-friendly and easy to play. Diabolical lovebirds, after all, could mean two bosses instead of one.
10 Best Married Couples In Gaming, Ranked
Gaming has showcased some pretty interesting married couples over the years. These lovebirds stand out as the best in the medium.
Despite the challenges, there are some examples of evil couples in Nintendo history. These duos may be antagonistic and cold-hearted, but the best of them still evoke feelings of #couplegoals.
7 The Floating Whirlindas – Luigi’s Mansion
Appeared In One Game Together
Luigi’s Mansion
- Released
- November 18, 2001
- Genre(s)
- Adventure
The Whirlindas used to be waltz champions, but when tragedy struck, they became ghosts, ruining their chances at future competitions. Now they twirl and whirl in the afterlife, bumping into Luigi until he can suck them up in his Poltergust 3000.
There are three floors in Luigi’s Mansion, but players will encounter the Whirlinda couple in the ballroom on the first floor. The checkerboard dance floor starts to spin, and once Luigi’s flashlight is off, the couple will appear. This waltzing duo is not as evil as other couples, but they can still cause serious damage.
6 Black Shadow & Luna Ryder – F-Zero
Appeared In Two Games Together
F-Zero: GP Legend
- Released
- November 28, 2003
- Developer(s)
- Suzak , Nintendo
- Genre(s)
- Racing
Black Shadow is the main antagonist in F-Zero, a futuristic racing game best known for its hero, Captain Falcon. In F-Zero: GP Legend, players get introduced to Rick Wheeler’s girlfriend, Haruka Misaki. She unwillingly becomes Black Shadow’s loyal servant and personal assassin, and as a result, acquires a new alias: Luna Ryder.
![Great Characters That Debuted On The SNES: Merle from Chrono Trigger (left), Captain Falcon from F-Zero (middle), and Fox McCloud from Star Fox (right)](https://static0.gamerantimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/collage-13.jpg)
5 Best Characters That Debuted On The SNES
These classic video game characters made their first appearance way back in the Super Nintendo era.
Luna Ryder unfairly gets lumped into the other half of this evil Nintendo couple. She was brainwashed by Black Shadow after 145 years of cryogenic freezing, so she really didn’t have a choice when it came to being evil. Thankfully, Captain Falcon ends up rescuing her before she begins to fully embrace her dark side. Luna is a playable character in F-Zero: GP Legend and F-Zero: Climax (Japan only release). However, for further proof of her evil ways, she’s extremely tough to unlock. Players must achieve first place in the Silver Cup on Expert difficulty to play as Luna.
5 Shao Kahn & Sindel – Mortal Kombat
Appeared In Two Games Together
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
- Released
- October 6, 1995
- Developer(s)
- Midway Games
- Genre(s)
- Fighting
One might not immediately think of Nintendo when discussing Mortal Kombat. However, it’s worth noting Mortal Kombat 3 was first released on the Super Nintendo after enjoying a run as a fun arcade game in the 1990s.
![Evil duos in video games feature image](https://static0.gamerantimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/best-evil-duos-in-gaming.jpg)
7 Best Evil Duos In Gaming, Ranked
The trope of the evil duo has been seen many times in video games, but these characters make the best evil pairs in gaming history.
Sindel was a playable character in that version of the game, and later as a DLC in Mortal Kombat 11 on the Switch. As the story goes, Sindel was forced to become Shao Kahn’s wife after he took over Edenia. Shao Kahn eventually fell in love with her, but since she was basically a hostage, Sindel never returned his affection. The characters are polar opposites. Shao is an evil dictator, whereas Sindel mostly has a kind nature. However, she did kill herself and take over her daughter’s soul, so she rightfully should be thought of as evil for that act alone. Plus, she’s downright malicious as a playable character.
4 Saturos & Menardi – Golden Sun
Appeared In Three Games Together
Golden Sun
- Released
- November 12, 2001
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
Saturos and Menardi in the Golden Sun franchise may be fearless warriors with reptilian features and the goal of destroying the land of Weyard, but they’re not so bad deep down. Their home is at risk, and like any loyal soldier, they’ll do whatever it takes to save it.
Despite their mutual goal, it remains unclear whether Saturos and Menardi are romantically involved. No matter how long it takes to play Golden Sun, players will never find out this couple’s true feelings towards each other. However, since the duo are the only surviving warriors of Puelle’s raiding party, it’s likely some romantic feelings were involved. Fantasy games are made for dreaming up fantasy couples, after all!
3 Joker & Harley Quinn – Batman: Arkham Trilogy
Appeared In Four Games Together
Batman: Arkham Trilogy
- Released
- December 1, 2023
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure
The Batman Arkham games have immersive voice acting, realistic graphics, and dark undertones. However, the most notable part of the games is the addition of one of the most wicked couples of all time: Joker and Harley Quinn. While the Arkham games aren’t exactly Nintendo exclusives, an exclusive collection, the Batman: Arkham Trilogy, was released exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.
These psychotic clowns have an on-and-off again relationship, to say the least. Harley falls in love with Joker while he is a patient at Arkham Asylum and later helps him escape from prison by smuggling in bombs. In exchange, Joker manipulates her, and uses her as a hostage to escape Batman, which is definitely not good boyfriend behavior. Joker and Harley Quinn are the epitome of evil and one of the most vile couples in not just gaming, but all of pop culture.
2 Jessie & James – Pokemon
Appeared In Six Games Together
Pokemon Let’s Go
- Released
- November 16, 2018
Diabolical schemes. Tricky disguises. A tyrannical boss calling the shots. Jessie and James have all the makings of an evil Nintendo couple. The duo are selfish beyond measure and will stop at nothing to obtain the best legendary Pokemon for themselves.
Jessie, James, and Meowth are part of Team Rocket, a group that’s been wreaking havoc in Pokemon games since Red, Blue, Green, and Yellow were released for the Game Boy. Later, the terrorizing trio showed up again in Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! for the Nintendo Switch. Jessie and James will stop at nothing to collect as many Pokemon as possible, but they’re famous for their ultimate mission: to ruthlessly outwit Ash and catch Pikachu so that he’s on their team instead.
1 Wario & Mona – WarioWare Franchise
Appeared In Twelve Games Together
WarioWare: Move It!
- Released
- November 3, 2023
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo
- Genre(s)
- Party Game
Wario is gruff, crude, and one of the most vile villains in Nintendo games. However, when it comes to Mona, he’s one big, fluffy marshmallow. He’s even written romantic letters declaring his unwavering love for her.
Mona isn’t necessarily diabolical, but don’t be fooled by her sassy adventurousness. Wario and Waluigi may be the more well known dastardly duo, but Mona deserves a bit of credit as well. This Nintendo character is responsible for some of the most brutal mini-games in the WarioWare series. For instance, in the version of WarioWare on GameCube, Mona hosts the “Strange” series of mini-games. The challenges include stopping a streetcar at just the right time with the brakes, cracking an egg over a constantly moving pan, and steering a paper plane through a narrow maze.
![Iconic gaming couples who aren't an item](https://static0.gamerantimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/pjimage---2022-01-26T054659413.jpg)
8 Iconic Gaming Couples Who Are Not An Item
These gaming characters are synonymous with each other but they are not officially together.