- 5/18/2025
It's time for a little digital payback! Welcome to WatchMojo, ad today we're counting down the greatest tales of retribution found in video games.
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GamingTranscript
00:00my vengeance ends now welcome to watchmojo and today we're looking at the
00:07best video games that focus on getting vengeance on your enemies since we'll
00:11be discussing plot details we're issuing a warning for major spoilers ahead help
00:16me and we will bring down everyone who hurt you number 20 fallout new vegas
00:23you got what you were after so pay up you're crying in the rain pally admittedly there's a lot more
00:31story to fallout new vegas than your quest for revenge which is why we're placing it so low
00:36however it does play a big role in setting up the story and building out the world during the
00:41opening hours players control a courier who's tasked with delivering the platinum chip a highly sought
00:47after data storage device but on their way they're robbed of it and shot in the head by a criminal
00:52named benny obviously you survive and you go looking for benny as soon as you're able once
00:58you track him down you can either choose to repay his unkindness or let him go it can't be a coincidence
01:04baby you and me were meant to work together or else what punk or else this
01:13number 19 call of juarez
01:20set in the late 1800s the first game in the call of juarez series follows two men seeking justice
01:35from two different perspectives the main character is billy a young man who returns from an unsuccessful
01:40search for fabled treasure to find his mother and stepfather murdered his step-uncle ray is a gunman
01:46turned preacher who believes him to be the culprit while ray hunts billy out of a desire for retribution
01:52billy goes on the run to uncover the truth and enact a little vengeance against those who were really
01:58responsible naturally not everything is what it seems though billy is at least able to clear his name
02:03by the end 17 years ago your mama ran off with another man you were still in her womb my only son
02:11my pride and joy i've been searching for you ever since number 18 legacy of kane soul reaver
02:19soul reaver remains the most beloved entry in the legacy of kane series and on top of it being because
02:31it's a pretty solid action adventure game the drive for vengeance at the heart of its main character is
02:37also captivating for the time it follows raziel a vampire lieutenant serving kane the protagonist from
02:43the first game unfortunately for raziel kane kills him at the beginning which prompts the elder god to
02:49revive him as a wraith while raziel seeks revenge against his former master his divine savior wants to put an
02:56end to kane to restore nazgoth the world that kane has decimated sadly kane escapes at the climax leading
03:03to further gains in the series you've never heard me raziel but this is not where or how it ends fate
03:13promises more twists before this drama unfolds completely number 17 shenmue series
03:20the most distressing thing about ryu hazuki's revenge story isn't so much the nature of it
03:37but the fact that the story never reaches a conclusion in the first game ryu returns to his family's dojo
03:43just in time to be emotionally scarred as a man named landy threatens to kill ryo if his father doesn't
03:50reveal the location of something called the dragon mirror ryu's father complies and is immediately
03:55killed afterwards the second game reveals that landy blames ryu's father for his own father's death
04:01yet things still end unresolved that's where things stood for a long time until shenmue 3 in 2019
04:08and yet ryu still didn't get to claim vengeance and probably never will bummer well they weren't from
04:15around here that's for sure there were two of them one had a shaved head with a tattoo on it
04:22number 16 red dead revolver son our troubles are finally over we hit a vein of gold as wide as a
04:32locomotive that runs clean through bear mountain while the redemption duology certainly features
04:37stronger games and revenge does play a role it's a much more central focus in the original game in the
04:43series red dead revolver it follows bounty hunter red harlow 12 years after the murder of his parents
04:49his father discovered gold but was betrayed by his prospecting partner leading to his and his wife's
04:55death at the hands of a greedy mexican army general and his ally an american mercenary while there are
05:01plenty of other fun gun slinging missions to embark on red's thirst for vengeance is the driving force
05:07and he eventually gets to quench that thirst getting revenge on all three men excuse me you edgar ross
05:15do i know you forgive me for starling you sir i have a message for you my name is jack marston
05:24you knew my father number 15 ninja gaiden master murai the hayabusa village
05:31mastered you revenge has been a staple in the ninja gaiden series since its inception when
05:41ryu hayabusa set out to avenge his father's death when the series was revitalized in 2004
05:47the developers knew not to leave out this key theme the plot follows ryu after his village is attacked
05:53his people slain and he himself is killed by an assailant who stole an ancient mystical sword his
05:59clan was protecting brought back to life by a spirit he then sets out to find all those responsible
06:05and give them a very violent end and if you've played ninja gaiden you know very violent is putting
06:11it lightly
06:11number 14 starcraft 2 heart of the swarm
06:22uh boys how about that evac
06:26damn you arcturus don't do this it's done if video games have taught us anything it's that if
06:35someone is presumed dead they aren't actually dead such is the case with sarah kerrigan who's abandoned to the
06:41zerg by the emperor of the tyran dominion arcturus menks instead of being killed kerrigan is assimilated
06:47and as the series progresses she becomes the queen of blades and is able to control the zerg
06:53while she's been wanting revenge since menks left her for dead it all comes to a close in heart of the
06:58swarm where she's the central focus of the game and able to finally get the vengeance she's been craving
07:03even if it hurts those closest to her
07:05you can never suffer enough for all the lies you've ruined arcturus
07:17number 13 asura's wrath
07:21this vengeance has been a long time coming
07:29asura is a demigod and one of several protectors of earth whose people give them power with energy
07:34through prayer called mantra in order to stop a near constant evil force the leader of these
07:40protectors kidnaps asura's daughter a priestess who can amass huge amounts of mantra they also
07:45frame asura for their emperor's murder before killing him which takes him about 12 000 years to
07:51come back from so yeah a little tit for tat is in order when asura does return he channels his fury
07:58into wiping out his former comrades one by one unfortunately he learns an all-powerful god is
08:04responsible for everything and then has to put a stop to that go figure number 12 middle earth shadow
08:10of mordor that is a perfect swing for killing chicken wouldn't want to hurt you just because you kill
08:19someone doesn't mean you're free from their wrath talion is a man who is hell-bent on destroying the black
08:24hand of sauron black hand in an attempt to summon the wraith of the elf lord kelebrimbor sacrifice
08:30talion his wife and his son in a ritual kelebrimbor does appear but instead of going to black hand
08:36he merges with talion the rest of the game is the two working together to restore kelebrimbor's memory
08:42so he can become stronger and talion using that strength to avenge his family
08:47number 11 the darkness
09:02it's the night of jackie estacado's 21st birthday and he's got some pretty big plans
09:23escaping the mafia's assassination attempts having a demonic force inhabit his body watching his
09:29girlfriend die and taking his own life due to his grief worst birthday ever fortunately or
09:36unfortunately depending on your viewpoint jackie's death is only the beginning of his story by giving
09:42into the darkness he succeeds in his quest for vengeance actually he does more than succeed as
09:48he not only kills the one responsible for his pain but he takes over the entire mob
09:53take his life so that i can take yours
09:57i mean you think hard don't make a hasty decision i could do a lot for a guy like you
10:05number 10 a way out
10:07hey hey i'm leo vincent
10:13in this co-op action adventure game the players control vincent and leo
10:17two recently acquainted incarcerated men with a desire to bust out
10:21however their grasp at freedom doesn't just come with missing the outside world
10:25they each want vengeance on a crime lord named harvey who framed vincent for the murder of his
10:30own brother and who backstabbed leo after they stole a rare diamond known as the black orlov
10:36the two bond as they plan and execute their escape plan eventually making their way to harvey and
10:41getting sweet revenge for their troubles there's a bit more to the story that we don't feel the need
10:46to spoil here but vengeance still encompasses both men
10:53number nine metal gear solid 5 the phantom pain while it doesn't have a fancy title like revengeance
11:01there's no denying our need for some payback after the events of ground zeroes no matter how short said
11:07events were on top of msf being destroyed chico and pause were tortured in truly despicable ways
11:13even after being in a coma for nine years big boss and miller were eager to fight for their lost
11:19comrades and we don't blame them one bit yes yes i know you would like to know how long
11:26i'm afraid it's been nine years number eight grand theft auto 4
11:35the thing that brings ex-soldier nico bellic to liberty city in the first place is vengeance
11:49he comes looking for the man who betrayed his unit a decade ago leading to an ambush where most of them
11:55were killed he eventually tracks the guy down and you can choose to kill him or set him free
12:00though you're much better people than us if you chose the latter your decision doesn't change the
12:06overall story but revenge also plays a part in the story's final quest you can either choose to work
12:12with or retaliate against dimitri who wronged nico earlier in the game either decision leads to nico
12:18losing someone close to him sending him on one final hunt for revenge
12:22you're a strange man you killed your best friends you betrayed everyone who ever came in contact with you
12:32you killed my cousin number seven dishonored
12:37you know someday villains will learn not to tell the heroes that they're the ones who destroyed their lives
12:52had lord regent not told corvo atano that he was the one who framed him for the death of the empress
12:58we probably wouldn't have our number seven pick to be fair it was corvo's execution day
13:03so lord regent was probably feeling extra cocky until corvo broke free thus begins his tale of
13:10vengeance a theme that carries over in the sequel where the empress's daughter now an empress herself
13:16follows in corvo's assassin footsteps in an attempt to regain her lost land when she's dethroned
13:21we thank you new grace save your thanks for now i give you the greatest gift of all
13:28family i present the lost sister of jessamine caldwin your rightful empress delilah caldwin
13:36number six sifu
13:38slow clap sifu is essentially an old school martial arts movie in video game form
13:50as such revenge is at the heart of its story it opens on the murder of your father by one of his
13:56former students you then get to grow up training thinking only of getting even and tracking down
14:01his accomplices one by one the game is most noteworthy for its hand-to-hand combat and
14:06roguelike structure which has you grow older upon each death but you do earn the satisfaction of
14:12tracking each target down and taking their life of course you then learn your father's killer had
14:17justifiable reasons for committing the crime showing that not everything is so black and white
14:22you were supposed to guard the talisman not steal it it's the only way to save them sifu
14:31number five the last of us part two
14:33they'll act like you heard of us or something
14:36because they have
14:39we can already hear the angry comments there's a vocal part of the fanbase who were displeased with
14:46the storytelling of the last of us part two mainly that ellie doesn't get revenge on abby the woman
14:52who murdered her father figure joel but that doesn't mean it isn't a story about revenge and a
14:57gut-wrenching one at that abby only sets out to take joel's life because of his actions in the first
15:02game which left her without a father and in ellie's quest for retribution she ends up committing horrific
15:08acts against the others responsible the story attempts to showcase how someone can lose themselves to
15:14violence and their desire for revenge whether it stuck the landing or not is down to your personal
15:19preference
15:24number four assassins creed 2
15:27father what's happened took a bit of a beating but i'm all right what of your mother and sister safe now
15:35wouldn't it be great if you can get in all the training you needed by reliving the memories of an assassin
15:41especially an assassin as charismatic as etzio aldidori we suppose the drawback would be having to live through etzio's
15:48tragic backstory we're barely introduced to the man before his father and brothers are killed leaving
15:55etzio to flee with his mother and sister before his death etzio's father tells him where to find his
16:00assassin tools and the rest as they say is computer generated history used to fight the templars number
16:07three max payne no no no god no please michelle oh baby
16:13why can't any badass lead character be allowed to settle down with their family
16:20such is the case for max payne an nypd detective who just lost his wife and newborn baby to junkies
16:27who were high on a brand new drug as if losing his family weren't enough max's longtime friend alex is
16:33also killed and max is framed for it this adds to the pile of reasons why max is on such a destructive
16:39path of vengeance how destructive you ask well it says a lot when the lead character actually smiles
16:46as he's arrested for all of his carnage woden grinned smugly it was the grin of a winner
16:51that made two of us number two ghost of tsushima
16:59uncle when mongol forces invade his homeland jinsakai survives as one of the only remaining samurai
17:11the other is his uncle lord shimura who's captured what follows is jinn's sole purpose to rid tsushima
17:18island of its invaders and avenge the horrors brought upon his people in doing so he leaves
17:23behind the idea of honor instilled in him using tactics that some would deem shameful jinn's
17:28transformation from noble warrior to fearsome ghost is surrounded by his thirst for vengeance
17:33and despite his methods we can't help but feel what we're doing is necessary that's not to mention
17:39several deep side characters on their own quest for vengeance such as lady masako who joins jinn
17:45after burying her entire family i buried my family one by one it took days
17:54but i'm going to leave you before we continue be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell
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18:13number one god of war series in that instant the glory he had reveled in turned to horror
18:22when you think of a brutal force of nature there's several characters who come to mind
18:27but nothing says enraged quite like kratos tricked into killing his family by aries he sets off on an epic
18:34quest for vengeance kratos not only kills aries but he takes his position as the god of war due to his
18:40anger at the gods in general kratos runs amok which evokes the wrath of zeus which gets kratos killed
18:46which makes him even angrier which means lots of violence blood and those aggressive spartan battle
18:52cries although kratos would mellow out in his old age during the norse era his bloodlust in greece is
18:59still the stuff of video game legends is there a riveting tale of vengeance we left off of our list
19:15well don't hold it against us but let us know about it in the comments below
19:19in the comments below
19:31you
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