Best Villains Ever #10
Ghaleon (Lunar series)
The Lunar series of video games stands apart from the other fantasy worlds it’s quite frankly exactly the same as because of one thing: Ghaleon. Or, more specifically, Ghaleon as performed by John Truitt. This is a perfect example of voice acting being so bad it’s a selling point; the original Lunar: The Silver Star and Lunar 2: Eternal Blue on the Sega CD (and their Playstation reissues) are vastly superior to the other Lunar games exactly because of the character of Ghaleon. The dialogue and performance are completely over-the-top, which serves to elevate a banal, paint-by-numbers plot about an evil wizard conquering the world well above what it should be worth.
We’re talking performances like this. Seriously impressive stuff. The Lunar games are playable enough in their own right (though Eternal Blue is a touch on the stupidly-hard side), but Ghaleon’s the selling point. He’s what you’ll remember about the games long after all the dragons and goddesses and legendary heroes and stupid hats have faded from memory. On top of that, he’s the only villain I can think of offhand who has his own internet advice column. What more can you ask for?
