A common feature among popular characters in gaming, comics, anime, and many other forms of visual media is that they're recognizable by just their silhouette. This is no coincidence, as the silhouette test is commonly referred to when designing characters as a way of making them stand out and be memorable to audiences. Popular examples include The Simpsons and Pokemon, the latter of which often tasked its audience with guessing a silhouette in the "Who's That Pokemon" section of the anime.
It's not just heroes and protagonists who are able to stand out in a silhouetted crowd, as many iconic gaming villains also have distinctive outlines.
7 Bowser
Bowser's silhouette is easy to pick out of a crowd thanks to his enormous size, spiked shell, and tail, among other unique features. It also helps that Bowser is one of the most recognizable video game characters worldwide, as many people who have never even touched a gaming controller could identify King Koopa's silhouette.
Bowser made his first appearance as the villain in 1985's Super Mario Bros. and has been the villain in almost every other Mario game since. The Koopa king also appears in the many Mario sports and kart racing games, which has helped the character reach a huge audience around the world.
6 GLaDOS
GLaDOS' robotic appearance makes her silhouette laughably easy to pick out of a crowd, to the point where she probably wouldn't be included in an actual silhouette test due to how painfully obvious it would be to those familiar with the Portal games.
GLaDOS first appeared as the main antagonist in 2007's Portal, where she quickly became one of gaming's most beloved villains who players loved to hate. The character's popularity saw her make a grand return in Portal 2, where her dry humor was cranked up through the roof to the delight of many.
5 Lady Dimitrescu
Lady Dimitrescu is by far the most recently created character to make the cut for this article, having first appeared in the 2021 release Resident Evil: Village.
The villain's unique character model instantly made her a major talking point among the gaming community, particularly due to her height, which is believed to be 9 feet 6 inches. Along with her height, Lady Dimitrescu also stands out with her comically big hat, terrifying claws, and long cigarette holder that she often carries. All these features combine to create a design that cannot be mistaken for anyone other than the Resident Evil Village villain.
4 Big Daddy
Big Daddies are strong enemies who were incredibly intimidating to players when the first BioShock was released back in 2007, particularly due to their tremendous size, strength, and in some cases, speed.
Big Daddies come in a handful of different shapes and sizes, though anyone who has played the BioShock series will instantly be able to recognize one of their silhouettes, especially one that is equipped with their terrifying drills. Technically, these iconic figures also qualify as protagonists since BioShock 2 is played from a perspective of a Big Daddy.
3 Dr. Neo Cortex
Dr. Neo Cortex is the main antagonist of the Crash Bandicoot series. The evil scientist is first seen experimenting on Crash at the start of the original Crash Bandicoot before the platforming hero manages to break free. The pair have been at odds ever since, with Cortex often appearing as the final boss in Crash's many platforming adventures.
Cortex isn't always just a punching bag for Crash, however, as he was a playable character in the cult classic Crash Twinsanity, the recently released Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time, and the many racing and party games from the franchise.
2 Pyramid Head
It's not hard to see why the aptly named Pyramid Head makes this list. Along with his head that, believe it or not, looks like a pyramid, he also wields a ridiculously oversized sword that makes his silhouette easy to pick out of a crowd.
The villain first appeared in Silent Hill 2 as a tough reoccurring enemy and manifestation of the protagonist's guilt. It will be news to some that, like the aforementioned Cortex, Pyramid Head has been a playable character before. However, Pyramid Head's playable appearances don't come in Silent Hill games but in a variety of other games as a guest character, including Dead by Daylight and, for some reason, Super Bomberman R.
1 Doctor Eggman
Doctor Eggman (also known as Doctor Robotnik) is the main antagonist in the Sonic The Hedgehog series. He first appeared in the original Sonic The Hedgehog game and has gone on to be the main foe in a plethora of other games in the franchise. The villain stands out with his long thin legs, round body, and comically oversized bushy mustache.
To the surprise of many, the 2020 film Sonic The Hedgehog was a huge success, with its sequel also doing great numbers. Much of the film's success can be credited to the Doctor Eggman character, who is brilliantly portrayed by the comedy movie legend Jim Carrey. The films give Doctor Eggman a regular human appearance, though the character retains his signature mustache.