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Gaming’s Grunge Gallery: The Top 10 Filthiest Characters Ever to Grace the Screen
From the pixelated classics to today’s high-definition worlds, video games have showcased a wild array of characters, including those who thrive in the muck and grime. These characters have left their dirty fingerprints on the hearts of gamers everywhere. Below, we’ll count down through the top 10 dirtiest video game characters who have ever roamed digital landscapes, leaving a trail of grime, gunk, and sometimes laughter in their wake.
10. Wario – Super Mario Series
Wario, known for his yellow and purple garb, is the greedy and repulsive adversary of Nintendo’s beloved plumber, Mario. This bulbous-nosed character from the ‘Super Mario’ series takes pride in his filthy lifestyle, from his love of rotten garlic to his grimy, treasure-filled castle. His personal hygiene is as questionable as his business ethics, often using dirty tricks to get ahead. Whether he’s competing in sports, racing karts, or hunting for treasure, Wario’s unclean methods are as much a hallmark of his character as his cackling laugh.
9. Boogerman – Boogerman: A Pick and Flick Adventure
A hero of the unconventional sort, Boogerman dives into action in his self-titled platformer game, where bodily functions are the weapons of choice. In a time when crude humor was the pinnacle of comedy, this caped crusader flicked boogers and belched his way through the dimension of X-Crement to fight off evil. His unwashed, mucus-covered costume and unabashedly gross superpowers are enough to secure his position on this list. The character’s design and abilities fully embrace the ’90s trend of gross-out humor in children’s entertainment, making him a standout figure in the pantheon of dirty video game characters.
8. Gruntilda – Banjo-Kazooie Series
Gruntilda Winkybunion, better known as Grunty, is a witch whose lack of cleanliness is overshadowed only by her foul schemes. The main antagonist of the ‘Banjo-Kazooie’ series, Grunty resides in a lair that is as filthy and disgusting as her personality. Her rhymes are laced with mentions of her grimy habits, and her obsession with beauty contrasts comically with her own neglectful hygiene. Whether she’s concocting evil plans or facing off against Banjo and Kazooie, Grunty’s messiness is a defining trait.
7. The Great Mighty Poo – Conker’s Bad Fur Day
In ‘Conker’s Bad Fur Day’, a game that’s no stranger to adult humor and unconventional characters, The Great Mighty Poo stands out. This singing pile of feces is a boss character whose operatic voice and filthy attacks are as hilarious as they are disgusting. Situated in the bowel-based stage of Sloprano, this character flings chunks of himself as weapons, creating an experience that is as bizarre as it is memorable. The Great Mighty Poo is not only a literal embodiment of filth but also a testament to the game’s irreverent approach to comedy.
6. Trashcan Carla – Fallout 4
The post-apocalyptic wasteland of ‘Fallout 4’ is home to many rugged survivors, but few are as memorably grimy as Trashcan Carla. As a traveling merchant, Carla’s name and grimy appearance reflect the world around her. Her stained clothing and gritty dialogue are a product of a life lived among the rubble and radiation of the Fallout universe. She’s a character that not only sells wares to the player but also sells the atmosphere of a world where filth and survival go hand-in-hand.
5. Dirty Arty – Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2 is a game celebrated for its attention to realism and detail, including how cleanliness affects social interactions. Dirty Arty, a character born out of a GameSpot video series, pushes these mechanics to their limit. This version of protagonist Arthur Morgan is the antithesis of an upstanding cowboy, reveling in his own filth and the reactions it earns from NPCs. Through neglecting baths and maintaining a layer of dirt that would make a pig blush, Dirty Arty showcases the depth of RDR2’s world and the consequences of poor hygiene.
4. Pokey Minch – EarthBound/Mother Series
Pokey Minch, also known as Porky, is the squalid human antagonist from the “EarthBound” series. His actions and character are repugnant, a true representation of moral decay. Throughout the series, Pokey deteriorates from a bully to a universal threat, who, by “Mother 3,” becomes encapsulated in a mechanical spider body. This not only reflects his inner corruption but also manifests as a literal symbol of filth and pollution, with his machine body appearing rusted, leaking unknown substances, and entwined in cables and wires like serpents of waste.
3.Leapers – Deadspace
Leapers in “Dead Space” are the stuff of nightmares, twisted and deformed by an alien infection. These former humans have become something unrecognizable, with elongated limbs and a mouth that seems to drip with the remnants of their last gruesome meal. As they leap and scuttle across the cramped corridors of the Ishimura, they bring a palpable sense of dread that is matched only by the gore and viscera that they leave in their wake. Their appearance is a grim reminder of the filth that can befall one’s body when overtaken by such a horrific affliction.
2. Marguerite Baker – Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
Marguerite Baker’s transformation in “Resident Evil 7: Biohazard” is not only terrifying but also deeply unsettling due to her filthy and grotesque appearance. Infested with insects and decay, her body has become a breeding ground for the Molded, and her dilapidated home mirrors her decay. Marguerite’s attacks involve swarming the player with bugs and striking with her elongated, grimy limbs. Her presence is a relentless barrage of disgust, a constant reminder of the filth that can consume a person both inside and out.
1. Master Belch/Barf – EarthBound/Mother Series
Taking the top spot of gaming’s grunge gallery is Master Belch—later known as Master Barf—in the “EarthBound” series. This sentient pile of vomit is one of the most literally filthy characters ever designed. He dwells in a foul-smelling factory where he produces an endless supply of sludge and recruits creatures by feeding them his own vomitous substance. In combat, Belch’s signature move is to spew nauseating gunk on the protagonists. With a name that leaves nothing to the imagination and an appearance that matches his repulsive lifestyle, Master Belch is the embodiment of video game filth, a character that players won’t soon forget after they’ve had the misfortune to encounter his stench.
