History Main / UltimateEvil

* GreaterScopeVillain: An entity that's more powerful/influential but less personally involved in the conflict than the BigBad.

* GreaterScopeVillain: The cause of all the story's bad events which the hero(es) must resolve.

[[redirect:UnseenEvil]]

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[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/OverTheGardenWall https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gf_beast.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:'''''Are you ready to see true darkness?''''']]

->''"You approach the door in the old, deserted house, and you hear something scratching at it. The audience holds its breath along with the protagonist as she/he (more often she) approaches that door. The protagonist throws it open, and there is a ten-foot-tall bug. The audience screams, but this particular scream has an oddly relieved sound to it. 'A bug ten feet tall is pretty horrible,' the audience thinks, 'but I can deal with a ten-foot-tall bug. I was afraid it might be a '''hundred''' feet tall.'"''
-->-- '''Creator/StephenKing''', ''Danse Macabre''

A villain-specific type of HeWhoMustNotBeSeen, Ultimate Evil is evil so horrifying it cannot be shown on screen. Used when nothing the art department could come up with [[TakeOurWordForIt could possibly be horrifying enough]]. Or because you have no budget for effects, and need an easy out (see ShakyPOVCam).

In some cases the Ultimate Evil is eventually shown on screen, perhaps because the heroes are finally at the end of the SortingAlgorithmOfEvil and need something tangible to oppose. These cases usually end in disappointment, and prove the original decision not to show anything correct. If said disappointment is intentional on the authors' part, then the villain is just TheManBehindTheCurtain.

Compare MonsterDelay. Sister trope of NothingIsScarier, where an entire story's terror factor relies on the invisibility of... whatever it is. YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm is sometimes used in conjunction with this trope; even those who attempt to look at the Ultimate Evil are unable to do so, in which case it's probably an EldritchAbomination.

In spite of the name, Ultimate Evil is all about not being seen, '''NOT''' about being the major force of evil in the setting (see instead: GreaterScopeVillain) or the most morally evil character imaginable (see CompleteMonster).

----
!!Examples:
[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* ''Anime/MaoChan'' parodies the trope with an alien that is too cute to be shown, as it causes all who gazed at it to swoon with heart shapes in place of their eyes. While the program never reveals the alien to the audience as per the trope, the shadow of the creature suggests an amoeba-like form with eye-stalks and possibly small tentacles as well.
* ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'': [[spoiler:The GreaterScopeVillain of the manga]] appears only in a [[MissingEpisode Missing Chapter]] that was never reprinted because [[RetCon the author felt it revealed too much too soon]]. We only catch a brief, unclear glimpse of [[spoiler:the [[GodIsEvil Idea of]] [[GodOfEvil Evil]], the entity responsible for Midland's woes that only the Godhand have met]].
* ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}''. While [[spoiler:Ronnie]] isn't technically a "demon", much less pure evil, supposedly his true form is such that humans can't even grasp it. Apparently, the only thing that registers in people upon seeing his true form is an utterly overwhelming feeling of fear. In series, this form is portrayed as just a fluttering shadow on a wall accompanied by a creepy, echoing voice.
* Sebastian's true form in ''Manga/BlackButler''. Although it has a physical manifestation, Sebastian tells Ciel to close his eyes, and the camera only gives us glimpses. There are black feathers. A lot of black feathers.
* Sedna in ''Anime/UmiMonogatari'' has no real form, only seen as a cloud of red sparkles.
* In ''Manga/FairyTail'', Zeref is played up as this for 200 chapters, with characters commenting on what a horrible killer he was whenever he's mentioned, several demons he created nearly killing people or being part of a character's tragic past, powerful wizards reacting to his name as though he were Voldemort, and evil cults forming dedicated to his worship. [[ExpectingSomeoneTaller When he finally]] [[KillerRabbit makes his debut...]]
** And now we have E.N.D., Zeref's most powerful demon and the Guild Master of Tartarus. Compared to Zeref, he's far more confusing: though most have claimed him to be a perfect example of this trope, [[spoiler:Igneel and Zeref himself have claimed that there is more to him than that, such that the former he refused to kill him even when he had the opportunity and the latter claimed to Natsu that, upon encountering him, it would be his choice on whether to kill him or not]]. [[spoiler: His true name is '''E'''therious '''N'''atsu '''D'''ragneel and he is in fact the undead demonic brother of Zeref Dragneel.]]
* ''Manga/DeathNote'' has the Shinigami King, the master of the creatures that feed on human lives. WordOfGod said that his image is too evil for human eyes. He was finally [[http://img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20080430212318/deathnote/images/b/bd/King_of_Death.jpg shown]] in a bonus chapter.
* Diavolo, [[TheDon leader of Passione]] in ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventure'', tries to invoke this on himself by erasing all traces of his existence, including killing anyone and everyone who's so much as even seen his face [[spoiler: including trying to kill his own daughter.]] His own Stand makes a full on-screen appearance long before he does, and anyone who even sees ''that'' is targeted for death. Ultimately this comes back to bite him in the ass, as not only does this obsession with not revealing his identity prove to be a FatalFlaw that makes it much harder for him to defeat the heroes, not only is he forced to reveal his face to the heroes anyway in time for the final battle, but [[spoiler: after Giorno subjected him to an [[FateWorseThanDeath infinite death loop with Gold Experience Requiem]], [[AllThereInTheManual supplementary materials]] reveal that he then stepped up and proclaimed that ''he'' was the leader of Passione all along, and nobody can say anything to the contrary because nobody alive outside of Giorno and his allies knew the boss' true identity anyway.]]
** Yoshikage Kira also attempts this, by blowing up anyone who even figures out his name, because as one chapter tells us, "Yoshikage Kira Wants a Quiet Life".
* The Akuma - the rank-and-file enemies in ''Manga/DGrayMan'' - are [[PoweredByAForsakenChild each powered by a human soul]] that gets more and more tortured and twisted as the Akuma grows in power and changes form. When a Level 4 Akuma - the most powerful form of Akuma seen thus far, each individual one being a OneManArmy that even Exorcist Generals struggle with - finally makes an appearance, the audience doesn't get to see what its soul looks like as they did whenever a new level of Akuma made an appearance, but it was apparently so grotesque to behold that one look caused Allen to [[BrownNote double over and vomit at the sight of it.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* DependingOnTheWriter, Doctor Doom's face is either apparently one of the most horrible visages in the Marvel universe or has scars that are either entirely absent or extremely small, exaggerated by [[LargeHam Doom's ego]] as life-endingly horrific. We never see under his mask.
** Current consensus is that both versions are true--originally it was a small scar, but the armour he has made to hide it was put on too early, before it was cooled, so he really does have horrifying burns all over his body. Also the scar was not caused by a laboratory explosion but by [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils the demon Mephisto]] scratching his face (the result of said experiment, followed by the explosion) and thus it wasn't simple vanity that drove him to do that; he rushed to put the armour on because he could still feel the demon attacking his face.
** [[http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs39/i/2008/359/8/e/The_Face_of_Doom__Dr_Doom_by_wordmongerer.jpg A guess from an artist on deviantArt.]]
** Count ''Otto'' von Doom's is shown for one panel in one of the ''ComicBook/{{Marvel 1602}}'' spinoffs. It's...not particularly pretty. Especially dark because Count Otto's sobriquet in the original series is "the Handsome".
** Doom's face is eventually [[http://www.blastr.com/sites/blastr/files/styles/blog_post_in_content_image/public/Scan-41-e1433352528222-600x409.jpg?itok=f3xGsWg_ shown]] in ComicBook/SecretWars2015. Interestingly enough, it was [[https://comicnewbies.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/doctor-dooms-new-look.jpg fully restored]] afterwards by Reed Richards at the end of the story.
* The Celestials in Marvel Comics are a group of SufficientlyAdvancedAliens that, for unknown reasons, judge whether worlds and their inhabitants are fit to continue living. Their motivations and origins are unknown, they never speak, and nobody even knows what they look like beneath their armor. The most recent time they visited Earth, they may have ''listened'' to the New Gods' arguments (as they judged in favor of Earth) but it's impossible to tell if this was truly their reason for doing so. The Celestials may in fact be EnergyBeings, with their "armor" actually being HumongousMecha bodies.
* In ''ComicBook/ElEternauta'', the true invaders are never to be seen, relying on several [[BodyHorror enslaved races]] to carry out their bidding. Essentially, all we get on them is that they are the "cosmic hatred".
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Strips]]
* The monsters under [[ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes Calvin's]] bed are rarely seen (apparently because they shrivel up and die upon exposure to light). Sometimes, though, you'll see parts of their body in the dark, which don't look terribly cuddly.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fanfiction]]
* In ''Fanfic/ChallengeOfTheSuperFriendsTheEnd'', the EldritchAbomination known as the Benefactor is never seen. Only its voice is heard arising from the air, and it sounds oddly comforting, parental, like a patient teacher.
* Based off ''Manga/ToLoveRu'', "[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10223400/1/To-Love-DEATH To-Love-DEATH]]" has a main antagonist that's a galaxy destroying zombie alien. Earth is next and nothing can be done to defeat him.[[spoiler: ''[[DownerEnding He cannot be stopped]]'']]
* By the time of ''FanFic/{{Eugenesis}}'', Unicron has become this, what with [[SealedEvilInACan being stuck inside the Matrix]]. Some of the villains of the piece worship him, but they don't make any effort to free him.
* "Doctor Who" Fanfic [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9827920/1/The-Door-of-the-Demon The Door of the Demon]] has the titular monster [[SealedEvilInACan imprisoned in another Universe]] that can be accessed through a sealed door hidden on a deserted moon. Only its claw is seen before the door closes. It is stated at the beginning of the story that "The Demon was said to have a face so hideous that anybody who saw it would [[EyeScream tear their eyes out]] rather than see it again."
* ''FanFic/{{Webwork}}'' has the entity referred to only as "IT", which represents Darkness in the BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil, and manipulates causality in Darkness' favor in its CosmicChessGame with "OTHER", its Light counterpart (which could arguably be called an Ultimate Good). IT is never described, never speaks, and is so immensely powerful that merely being in its presence ''terrifies'' Tarakudo.
* Just like in the original ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'' cartoon, this is BigBad Shendu's title in ''Fanfic/TheUltimateEvil'' (he IS seen very early, but only [[SealedEvilInACan as a statue]] on the wall and as a silhouette in flashback; he isn't seen in his true form at all until the end of the first story arc).
* The mysterious inhabitants of the Black Tower in ''Fanfic/TheKeysStandAlone: The Soft World''. Some people think they're an evil mirror image of the good Pyar gods in the White Tower. Some think the inhabitants were destroyed but their evil lives on. Certainly, no one has ever seen them. What's definitely known is that they're responsible for unleashing the Tayhil and their monsters on the unsuspecting world of C'hou, and that the only way to prevent total disaster is to put together the Nine-part Key and enter the Black Tower.
* In ''FanFic/TheShapeOfTheNightmareToCome'', the Nex is a literally unspeakable entity residing under the deepest levels of the [[HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace Warp]]. All that is known about it is that it did... ''something'' to the one ship that delved deep enough into the warp to encounter it. The author begins [[GoMadFromTheRevelation vomiting and babbling]] for a few minutes whenever the subject is brought up.
** The [[FanFic/TheAgeOfDusk sequel]] reveals that "Nex" is short for [[spoiler:[[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Nexus of Ever Fated Rising Madness, Hope of All Turned Black,]] [[OverlyLongName Doom to All the Beligerents and Their Gods, All Hail Doom Nightmares.]]]]
** In the same story, the "Ophilim Kiasoz" is implied to be an ancient Eldar superweapon, subverted by the C'tan Deceiver. It is described by its few survivors as an invisible, malevolent force, drifting from system to system. In its presence, life vanishes, and stars are said to "wither like rotten fruit." Is it alive? Is it a machine? No one knows, and [[TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow no one is in a hurry to find out.]]
* The crossover fic ''[[Fanfic/GuardiansWizardsAndKungFuFighters Guardians, Wizards, and Kung-Fu Fighters]]'' has the entity living at the bottom of the Shadow Realm. Whatever the hell it is, it's described as being like a god, being so powerful that it can control the [[EldritchAbomination Cavalcade of Horrors]] and [[EvilerThanThou terrify Tarakudo]] (who, it should be noted, has no problem standing up to said Horrors).
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film — Animation]]
* In Creator/{{Disney}}'s ''WesternAnimation/{{Bambi}}'', the Ultimate Evil known as "[[HumansAreCthulhu Man]]" is never shown on-screen.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film — Live-Action]]
* A magnificent example of Ultimate Evil is ''Film/TheLastWave'', which is all about the end of the world and about doom. There isn't a single effects shot.
* Ultimate Evil is the entire premise of ''Film/TheBlairWitchProject''. This is because the makers couldn't afford a really scary monster effect or suit. [[NothingIsScarier It ended up working better than if they had.]] There were, unfortunately, a few toy releases of the witch which [[spoiler: portrayed it as a [[http://www.cracked.com/article_19261_7-action-figures-that-managed-to-ruin-great-characters.html stereotypical movie monster]]]]. To be fair, these toy releases are not official.
* The same goes for the demon of ''Film/ParanormalActivity'', in which only footprints and the shadow of the demon are visible (3-toed footprints to make clear it isn't human).
* Many of the tenets of this trope evolved from the 1942 horror classic ''Film/CatPeople''. In that case, the film's budget was very low and the only special effects the production could afford was tatty off-the-rack "man in a cat suit" suits; the director thought it would be much scarier to not show the creatures at all but merely use cinematographic tricks and the actors' performances to ''suggest'' them. The effect worked, and has been endlessly copied ever since.
** The origin of this particular usage was dramatized in ''Film/TheBadAndTheBeautiful'', in which Kirk Douglas (playing a CompositeCharacter based partly on ''Film/CatPeople'' producer Creator/ValLewton) and Barry Sullivan spend a scene or two working on a B-movie called ''Cat Men''.
* Similarly, ''Film/{{Jaws}}'' also used this trope as a loophole to film a movie about a shark attack virtually without a shark, due to the ceaseless problems with their mechanical substitute. Given how bad the props are in the sequels, the wisdom of this move is all the more apparent.
** ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken'', in a parody of the reediting of the original ''Franchise/StarWars'' trilogy, had a sketch where Steven Spielberg announces his decision to redo the special effects in ''Film/{{Jaws}}''. The results are not pretty, to say the least.
* ''Film/{{Alien}}'' pulled the same trick; the director realized that while Creator/HRGiger's design was awesome and the creature did look scary in glimpses in the dark, it ran the risk of looking fake if it was too visible. When the special effects caught up with the design, we got ''Film/{{Aliens}}''. Although not really, because NothingIsScarier fully applies here.
** The design of the suits in ''Aliens'' were actually simplified (some only being leotards with bits and pieces of skin), not just to cut costs (because they needed a lot more suits), but to allow the actors a greater range of motion. In a well lit room the original would look ''far'' better, but because Creator/JamesCameron kept them either in the shadows or moving too fast to clearly see, he gets away with it beautifully.
* Bubba Ho-Tep of the eponymous ''Film/BubbaHoTep'' was shown in shadows for the majority of the film; it was [[HandWave handwaved]] that he's so powerful that he sucks the energy out of light bulbs, so whenever he's walking down a hallway the lights in front of him will suddenly flicker out, etc.
* Throughout most of the original ''Franchise/StarWars'' trilogy, Darth Vader's mask symbolized not only his evil, but the notion that his face must be so horrifying ''concealing it could not make it worse''. The fannish disappointment was rife when the mask was finally removed, and revealed what one fan called "Uncle Fester with blue sparkles". This was probably an intentional subversion. The notion that [[TheManBehindTheCurtain Vader underneath the frightening armor was intentionally made to be a broken and pathetic individual]] has been noted in numerous interviews. In Lucas's own words, Vader is less a monster and more "a sad man who made a deal with the Devil...and lost".
* Galactus in ''Film/FantasticFourRiseOfTheSilverSurfer'' is only shown as a massive cloud of smoke. This is likely because his common depiction in the comics is, frankly, rather silly looking. This helps because Galactus ''doesn't'' actually have a set form in the comics; different species perceive him differently, because [[YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm his true form is incomprehensible to lesser beings]].
** This is also similar to his depiction in the ''ComicBook/UltimateGalactusTrilogy''. There, he is a gigantic hive mind of city-sized robotic drones.
* SKYNET, the BigBad from the ''Franchise/{{Terminator}}'' franchise, has never been depicted on-screen (except for in various non-canonical video games and ''Ride/Terminator23DBattleAcrossTime'' ride). Justified in ''Film/Terminator3RiseOfTheMachines'' when it turns out that SKYNET is, in fact, the Internet. An avatar of SKYNET appears as a character in ''Film/TerminatorSalvation'', played by [[spoiler: Creator/HelenaBonhamCarter]]. Another avatar played by [[spoiler:Creator/MattSmith]] appears in ''Film/TerminatorGenisys''.
* In ''Film/ChildrenOfTheCorn1984'', He Who Walks Behind The Rows is never openly shown on screen. Presumably, the kids' murderous fanaticism was sufficiently horrifying that seeing the god/demon/spirit/whatever which they followed wasn't deemed necessary.
* Subverted in ''Film/{{Scrooged}}'', where a character actually calls the bluff of the menacing hooded figure that claims to be a supernatural creature, and looks under its robes. The ghost is genuine, and the view is not pretty.
* This was the original intent of Creator/JacquesTourneur (who directed the above ''Cat People'') in his 1957 ''Film/NightOfTheDemon'', preferring to show only smoking footprints and fiery clouds, but ExecutiveMeddling had a rubber-suit monster put into the ending ''and the beginning''. Still, most critics of this move agree it ultimately doesn't hurt the movie, and even those who think Tourneur was probably right agree that it is, at least, a really good monster suit.
* Used humorously in ''Film/{{Beetlejuice}}'' when he demonstrates to Adam and Barbara that he can be scary. ''Something'' happens with his face, but we [[TheUnreveal only see him from the back]]. In a movie filled with fun creepy special effects, the best one is the one we have to imagine.
* This trope can apply to mortal humans, too. In ''Film/RoadToPerdition'', UsefulNotes/AlCapone is deliberately kept off-camera to evoke a sense of mystery and dread about the most powerful criminal in UsefulNotes/{{Chicago}}, and the power that rests behind Frank Nitti.
* The monster from ''Film/{{Cloverfield}}'' is never directly seen until the end (and even then, it isn't that clear). We see glimpses of it at times earlier in the movie. There is, however, an official toy release of the monster showing its full body.
* Similarily, the alien from ''Film/{{Super 8}}'' (made by the same creator as ''Cloverfield'') is never directly seen until the end, when it is very clearly shown. Although, you can look closely to see its reflection sneaking up on someone the second night. Somewhat subverted in that [[spoiler: it isn't really evil, it just eats humans, and wants to go back to its home planet. And when we do see it, it appears as an oddly noble, sympathetic, and frightened creature.]]
* Death from ''Franchise/FinalDestination'', whose presence is usually indicated by things like shadows, gusts of wind, ominous phrases, etc. Its true form does show up in one of the spin-off novels.
* Satan in ''Film/TheGoldenChild'' is portrayed in this way. We don't see him, but see a typical FireAndBrimstoneHell through his point of view as he speaks in the Voice of the Legion.
* In ''Film/TheEvilDead1981'', and for most of [[Film/EvilDead2 the second]] (up until the end), and for the entirety of the third again, we don't actually see the spirit that is chasing the characters through the woods; it's represented almost entirely in [[ShakyPOVCam point-of-view shots]]. What makes this so weird is that the characters being chased will often look into the camera, scream, and flee, but then the camera will cut to another angle (not a POV shot) and the characters will seem not to be running from anything at all.
* ''Film/TheCabinInTheWoods'' both subverts this trope and plays it straight: we get to see almost all of the monsters in their full glory, under bright lights and for extended amounts of time- but the most we ever see of [[BigBad The Ancient Ones]] is [[spoiler: a giant fist raising out of the ground]] a the very end of the film.
** One monster we don't see is simply known as "Kevin". ''That is the only thing we know about it.'' According to most sources, such as deleted scenes, Kevin is a NiceGuy [[BewareTheNiceOnes who is actually a psychopathic serial killer]].
* This is the main point of the first ''Film/{{Cube}}'' movie. Apart from [[spoiler:Worth's connection to the titular cube]], no information whatsoever is ever given about the titular cube's creation, purpose or nature. The sequels give us progressively more information.
* ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'' never shows the true appearance of the {{Toon}} who killed Eddie Valiant's brother. Mind you, this Toon does eventually show up in the movie, but he's [[HumanDisguise disguised as a man]]. All we see under the [[LatexPerfection rubber mask]] are his {{red eyes|TakeWarning}} -- which are nightmarish enough on their own, given how they're constantly shifting and at one point ''morph into knives'' when he's "staring daggers" at Eddie.
* ''Film/TheAbominableSnowman'' never gives us a good look at its very mystical take on the [[BigfootSasquatchAndYeti yeti]]. We see claws here and there, and at the climax, a few of them appear in heavy shadows. As with many examples, though, they're not so much evil as they are [[SuperiorSpecies beyond our understanding]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Gamebooks]]
* ''Literature/LoneWolf''
** An example of Ultimate Evil appears in the ''first'' book of the series, ''Flight From the Dark''. If Lone Wolf ends up in the Graveyard of the Ancients, he'll stumble upon the tomb of an ancient king. If you hand him an IdiotBall and he opens the sarcophagus...
--->''You are in the presence of an ancient and timeless evil, far older and stronger than the Darklords themselves.''
** Revealed in the remake to be [[spoiler:Naar, the King of the Darkness, the true BigBad of the series, and literally the Ultimate Evil of the setting]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* The [[CosmicHorrorStory stories of]] Creator/HPLovecraft used Ultimate Evil quite a bit; sadly, movies and TV shows based on said stories don't use it nearly enough.
** Lovecraft himself is speculated to have been parodying overuse of the concept in the story [[http://www.dagonbytes.com/thelibrary/lovecraft/theunnamable.htm "The Unnamable"]], although it's hard to tell since he always wrote like that. It's definitely parodied [[http://www.gamejag.net/forum/index.php?/topic/14988-the-indescribable-on/?hl=indescribable here]].
** [[EldritchAbomination Ghatanothoa]] in "Out of the Aeons" was a kind of meta-example. It wasn't just that the readers weren't ever "shown" it (the narrator gave a partial description but didn't think he could even try to really explain what he had caught a glimpse of), but the real catch was that within the story, you really, really wouldn't want to see it. Just the sight of Ghatanothoa would turn a living human being into a petrified but living mummy. If you were magically warded against this effect, you might still die.
** At the end of ''Literature/AtTheMountainsOfMadness'', as the only survivors of the expedition are flying away from the titular location in MysteriousAntarctica, one of them looks back out the window and sees... something. He never tells the narrator what it was, but it gradually [[GoMadFromTheRevelation drives him mad]].
* The Crimson King, BigBad of Creator/StephenKing's meta-continuity among his novels, possessing various incarnations across dimensions, such as [[TheManBehindTheMan The Man Behind The]] BigBad of ''Literature/TheStand'', is constantly said to be the horrific source of all evil. However, behind-the-scenes VillainDecay sets in, and by the time he's revealed, [[spoiler:he's [[TheManBehindTheCurtain a gibbering old man in a red cloak]], who attacks the hero with weaponized Franchise/HarryPotter toys while continually screeching "Eeeee!" and is then erased by Patrick]]. Given the absolute terror he inspires in his subordinates (some of it due to firsthand experience), there has been elaborate {{Fanon}} created to explain this inconsistency.
** The degeneration of the main villain fits in with the overall theme of ''Franchise/TheDarkTower'', where everything is breaking down. Things fall apart, the center cannot hold...
** Just look at the ''Gunslinger Born'' Prequel comics--the Crimson King is this scary spider-demon-thing that is eating a person.
* The title character of ''Literature/{{It}}''. The forms that ARE seen, such as the infamous MonsterClown Pennywise, are based on childhood fears. [[spoiler: The giant spider form]] at the end was meant to be the most terrifying of the forms that humanity can "safely" comprehend. Beyond that, madness ensues.
** A secondary human villain was manipulated into bringing It a hostage and looks at It when It's not wearing a form and promptly keels over dead.
-->"It did not bother to dress when at home."
** And let's not forget poor George Denbrough, who made the mistake of reaching down into the sewer for one of the MonsterClown's balloons.
--->''George reached.\\
The clown seized his arm.\\
And George saw the clown’s face change.\\
What he saw then was terrible enough to make his worst imaginings of the thing in the cellar look like sweet dreams; what he saw destroyed his sanity in one clawing stroke.''
* ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', the eponymous villain Sauron is this, although he's not the [[GreaterScopeVillain biggest bad]] in TheVerse. He's mentioned often but never actually appears, deliberately, to heighten the sense of his unfathomable, mind-breakingly evil power. He is, however, given some description in supplemental material, and going by those it's better that we don't see what's really behind all this craziness.
** In the film adaptation, Sauron was given a full costume for the prologue, and was even intended to appear in the climax and duel Aragorn, before filmmakers realized how goofy that would be and digitally replaced him with a big troll. Still follows the trope though, in that we never see what he looks like underneath his armor.
** Sauron appears as the Necromancer in the film adaptations of ''Literature/TheHobbit'', and takes the appearance of a [[LivingShadow black, humanoid ghost]].
** ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'' suggests that it was difficult for him to take physical form, at least without The Ring's power.
** In the film he was never seen during the Third Age, although the giant fiery eyeball was mistakenly identified as his physical form by some viewers, including the 'Sauron blogger' who stated "I am not an evil lighthouse."
* The Minotaur in ''Literature/HouseOfLeaves''. In reality, the Minotaur isn't so much a character as it is a concept invented by characters journeying through the house to explain the uneasy feeling that they're being watched, followed, and hunted down by some horrific creature. Tom Navidson even calls it "Mr. Monster" at one point. It is only called the Minotaur by Zampanó, who later struck through every passage containing that title. The strike-throughs are actually provided by Truant, who reconstructed the passages after Zampanó ''attempted to destroy them.'' On at several occasions, he succeeds, most notably on pages 372-373, the former of which contains the phrase [2 pages missing] and the latter of which is a series of XXXXXXXX interrupted only by one word and one partial word, though the footnotes survived.
* A series of short stories by Robert W. Chambers leave us (and a young fan named Creator/HPLovecraft) wondering, "Just what the hell is ''Literature/TheKingInYellow''? Within the stories themselves it seems to be the script for an unproduced play, whose plot we only ever get glimpses of, but it's apparently incredibly disturbing and will usually drive those who read it insane.
* Just after the [[TheStoic stoic]] Franchise/DocSavage escapes through the entrance of [[ToHellAndBack a strange underground cavern]] he looks back [[spoiler: to see something [[LukeIAmYourFather or SOMEONE]] reaching out to him and [[HeroicBSOD screams for the first time in his life]]]].
* In ''Beyond the Deepwoods'', the first book of ''Literature/TheEdgeChronicles'', the Gloamglozer is handled this way... but according to its descriptions, seems to be a fairly underwhelming bogeyman not much worse than some of the threats you actually do see. [[spoiler: In an inversion of how this usually works, when it actually shows up toward the end of the book, it turns out to be something far, far worse: a grotesque and malevolent [[TheTrickster trickster]] with more than a little in common with {{Satan}}.]]
* Ultimate Evil is the subject of Creator/ArthurMachen's short story ''[[http://gaslight.mtroyal.ca/whtpeopl.htm The White People]]'', with elements of TheFairFolk. As written by Lovecraft:
--> "In Machen, the subtlest story ''The White People''is undoubtedly the greatest, even though it hasn't the tangible, visible terrors of ''Literature/TheGreatGodPan'' or ''The White Powder''."(to Robert E. Howard, 4 October 1930)
* Creator/AlanDeanFoster's ''Literature/HumanxCommonwealth'' [[TheVerse universe]] features a classic EldritchAbomination as its Ultimate Evil -- a galaxy-sized region of space in which no matter or radiation exists. Moreover, it is sentient and mobile, traveling across the universe in search of new galaxies to devour. It has been discovered by several species at various points in galactic history, even the most advanced of which could barely do more than find a way to flee. Naturally, Flinx, the protagonist of the series, is the ChosenOne who is said to be the key to its destruction. However, as scary as the concept is, the thing never actually gets to our galaxy before Flinx manages to destroy it, leaving its implacably hostile nature something of an in-universe TakeOurWordForIt.
* Played with by both main villains in ''Literature/{{Mistborn}}''. [[EvilOverlord The Lord Ruler]] is kept off page for most of the first novel, building up an air of mystery and fear about him; as a result, even though other main characters have met him before, [[ActionGirl Vin]] is stunned the first time she sees him and realizes he's a pretty ordinary-looking man. Later on, the ''real'' BigBad, [[OmnicidalManiac Ruin]] is portrayed for the first part of the third book as a completely inhuman force of nature. Later, it starts interacting with mortals in suprisingly humanlike fashion, using images of people they've known as its avatars. Vin speculates that this is just a mask, though [[spoiler: and she's proven right when she becomes a god herself and sees Ruin in his true form. What little description the reader gets could easily be summed up as "EldritchAbomination", proving that while the heroine can now face the villain on his own terms, he's still brain-breakingly horrible to mortals]].
* In ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'', the Dark One fits this trope perfectly. It's a nigh omnipotent evil god that has existed since the beginning of time and is the [[GreaterScopeVillain ultimate cause of all the conflict in the series]]. So far it's still mostly sealed away from reality, and even if it does break free, it's been implied that it probably doesn't have an actual physical form. The only time anyone has encountered it directly is when it communicated mentally with one of the Forsaken. Even then, we only hear its voice, and that alone was enough to make the person hearing it weep from a combination of agony and ecstasy. [[spoiler: Even when partially freed it takes the form of a vast void rather than anything humanlike]].
* The Nothing in ''Literature/TheNeverendingStory''. A bit more prominent in the film adaptation. It's not an entity or being so much as it is a cosmic force, simply erasing the world form existence.
* The Otherness in the ''Literature/RepairmanJack'' and ''Literature/TheAdversaryCycle'' books.
* The One, a GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere that shows up at the end of ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}''.
* Mog-Pharau, the No-God from the ''Literature/SecondApocalypse'' series, is so unnatural and {{Eldritch|Abomination}} that during the First Apocalypse, for the entirety of the time when it ''existed'', literally no creature could be born living. No one knows what it looks like or what it even is. It is sealed in an enormous floating black obelisk in the center of a furious whirlwind. Needless to say, those who believe the stories of the Apocalypse are very keen on preventing it from being resurrected.
* Creator/ManlyWadeWellman's short story "The Desrick on Yandro" has protagonist Literature/SilverJohn encounter a number of FearsomeCrittersOfAmericanFolklore, including the Behinder, which [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hidebehind is normally known for hiding behind things]] (as [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin the name implies]]), so nobody has ever seen it. John gets an eyeful of it, and immediately wishes he hadn't.
* In Caitlin Kiernan's ''[[Literature/TheRedTree2009 The Red Tree]]'', the protagonist gets fixated on a large oak tree and becomes convinced that it's really the mask for some sort of abomination. Of course, she's also suffering from SanitySlippage and has read her fair share of [[Creator/HPLovecraft Lovecraft]], so [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane who knows]].
-->. . . [The tree] seemed, in that moment, to have sloughed off whatever guise or glamour usually permitted it to pass for only a very old, very large oak. Suddenly, I felt, with sickening conviction, I was gazing through or around a mask, that I was being allowed to do so that I might at last be made privy to this grand charade. I saw wickedness. I could not then, and cannot now, think of any better word. I saw wickedness dressed up like a tree, and I had very little doubt that it saw me, as well. . . And I knew, if I did not look away, and look away quickly, that what I saw would sear me, and I'd never find my way back to the house.
* In ''Literature/TheHoundOfTheBaskervilles'', the presence of the Hound is implied in various ways -- legend, footprint, howling, rumoured sightings, the fact that people seem to have been chased by something -- but it's not seen by Dr. Watson (the point of view character) or other protagonists until the climax. Of course, a major part of the mystery is just what it is in the first place. Ultimately, [[spoiler: it turns out to be simply a large dog that is being used for a ScoobyDooHoax]].
* ''Literature/TheGraveyardBook'' features an unseen EldritchAbomination called the Sleer, which remains under this trope until the book's climax.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* The Wolf, Ram, and the Hart, aka the Senior Partners of Wolfram & Hart from ''Series/{{Angel}}'' are a great example of Ultimate Evil. A powerful and ancient cabal of demons that are the true power behind the series' main antagonists, they are ''never'' seen or even heard once. [[spoiler: The demon that appears for the Review was just possessed by one of them]]. Yet the series makes their influence an undeniable and terrible thing. By the end of the series, they ultimately prove to be an unstoppable force of Evil that Angel and company can only fight, but never defeat. In contrast to the First Evil, the Wolf, Ram, and Hart were once ordinary (and quite lowly) demons in primordial times. But when most of the more powerful demons died off (first by warring with each other, then being defeated by early humans and the original Slayer), and they managed to survive in the shadows, scheming and building up their power to the point that they're even more threatening than the First Evil.
* ''Series/BabylonFive'' gives us the Shadows, who are seen, but relatively rarely. They look like giant, really nasty spider/mantises, but they're usually invisible--saving on the CGI budget and adding to the fear factor: a Shadow could be ''anywhere'', lurking, spying.
** The Vorlons, who eventually prove to be evil (or rather, Lawful [[BlueAndOrangeMorality Blue]] to the point where it's indistinguishable from Evil), are only ever seen in their encounter suits--again, their natural form is too CGI-heavy to be used that much.
* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' has [[FinalBoss the First Evil]], a primordial being which claims to be the will of evil itself. An incorporeal being, it can take the form of anyone who has died (even if they're TheUndead or [[DeathIsCheap currently alive again]]), which it uses to very creepy effect. Then, about three times in the whole series, we get a brief glimpse of its apparent "true" form...which demonstrates the reason for this trope. [[http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/buffy/images/a/ad/First_Evil.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20070329210756 Random demony face]] just isn't a match for one of our beloved main characters acting like a twistedly cruel version of themselves.
* The Source on ''Series/{{Charmed|1998}}''. A good example of what's problematic with showing the Ultimate Evil, as well -- after several seasons of only being mentioned in passing he's finally revealed as a mysterious cloaked figure. With each sucessive appearance, the Source gets more stupid looking and more like a traditional BigBad, until finally he's killed off and replaced with new {{Big Bad}}s. (At this point, "Source of All Evil" is eventually revealed to be a title rather than a literal descriptor.)
* ''Series/DoctorWho'': [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E10Midnight "Midnight"]] has a chillingly effective Ultimate Evil. Unlike all of the Doctor's other adversaries, it has no shape or form and is only known by its influence on others. The Doctor proves to be utterly mystified and helpless against it, and [[spoiler:were it not for a HeroicSacrifice by the tour guide]], it would have succeeded in killing the Doctor. In its one appearance, it evokes the same fear from the Doctor that the Doctor usually inspires in other alien menaces, such as the Daleks.
* Reavers in ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' are never seen on-screen; only their ships and the after-effects of an attack are. This got turned on its head when they got revealed in ''[[TheMovie Serenity]]'' and [[VillainDecay proved, once again, why]] Administrivia/TropesAreNotBad.
* ''Series/OnceUponATime'' has two: the Darkness, an EldritchAbomination made from the darkness of all souls it ever bonds itself too all the way to its latest carrier (Rumpelstiltskin), and the Black Fairy, one of the most powerful practitioners of dark magic and the one who created the Dark Curse that the whole series was built around.
* The Family Channel had a short-lived series called ''Scariest Places on Earth'' which would use a night vision camera to capture the horrified expressions of those visiting the eponymous places and seeing the eponymous scary stuff, but that was it. Short-lived because '''nobody''' who watched the show once was stupid enough to want to watch it ''twice''.
* ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' portrays {{ComicBook/Darkseid}} as this.
* ''Series/UltramanGaia'' has its BigBad, the Radical Destruction Bringer (sometimes called the Root of Destruction). It's never actually seen or appears, but is responsible for the events of the entire series either directly or indirectly. All that we really know is that it hates Earth and sees the planet as a threat to the universe. [[spoiler:It pretty much vanishes after the final monster Zogu is destroyed, so many fans speculate its identity to have been Zogu.]]
* ''Series/UltramanMebius'''s big bad, the Alien Emperor/Empera Seijin, could fall into this category, an evil alien from a dead star that was very similar to the Ultra people who commanded the Four Heavenly Kings and armies of monsters and aliens throughout the millenia.
* The aliens in ''Series/TheXFiles'' were, for the entirety of the first season, represented by slo-mo and flashlights.
* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'': While all angels only appear on screen using [[WillingChanneler human vessels]] due to their true forms being [[YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm too intense for humans to perceive]], [[{{Satan}} Lucifer]] takes this farther than any of them. His true form is apparently so unbelievably horrible that Sam and Regina, having managed to see it only due being in a metaphysical realm that allowed them to, are left utterly traumatized by it.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Radio]]
* ''Radio/OldHarrysGame'': More like He Who Must Not Be Heard but the most frequently mentioned of the damned outside of the main characters is UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler, yet he never has any speaking roles, is never spoken to, and with the exception of one scene where he is explicitly in disguise, is never even spoken about in such a way that one can infer his presence.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* Pale Night, a demon lord from ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' fits this trope. She appears as a ghostly woman wearing a shroud. Her true form is so horrifying, though, that ''reality itself'' rejects it; the shroud is not hers, apparently, but something the multiverse forces on her. (This is implied to be because Obyrith demons themselves are chaotic beings of entropy and madness; the reason for their hideous forms is because the, for lack of a better term, ''intelligence'' of the Abyss is forced to adhere to the rules of a lawful universe to bring its servitors into being. Pale Night's true form, though, managed to break those rules.)
** Her deadliest attack is the ability to suppress her shroud for an instant. Unlike almost every other example in the game, if you succeed on the Will save against this ability, your character is considered [[WeirdnessCensor to have NOT comprehended what he saw, and blocked it out]]. Whereas if you fail they understand what they see and die instantly. If the character is ressurected, they will have no memory of what was seen.
** Late 2nd Edition and early 3rd Edition D&D also had Asmodeus, the Dark Lord of the Ninth, ruler of the Nine Hells of Baator. For much of 2nd Edition, particularly the ''TabletopGame/{{Planescape}}'' setting, the highest lords of Baator (especially Asmodeus) were shrouded in mystery, playing this trope conventionally. Then after the Archdevils were revealed, the mystery around Asmodeus had to be reestablished with ''A Guide to Hell'', a sourcebook that suggested Asmodeus is an illusion maintained by an impossibly ancient... ''thing'' that resides at the bottom of the Ninth Hell, in a miles-long spiraling trench called the Serpent's Coil. A later 3rd Edition book (''Fiendish Codex II'') gave more details, once again pulling back the veil of mystery on Asmodeus. ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' and 4th Edition have further rewritten Asmodeus for their own purposes, as he has become more popular among fans and writers both.
** [[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons D&D 3.5]] supplement ''Lords of Madness'' gives vague description of beings that predate even the [[TimeAbyss Aboleth]], all of which are [[EldritchAbomination Lovecraftian entities]] that aren't even given statistics (unlike the aforementioned Pale Night), only how their influence shaped Aboleth societies. Aboleths are creatures for whom the writers had to invent a new word to describe: ''unhuman''.
* Gwydion, a powerful SealedEvilInACan from the ''TabletopGame/{{Ravenloft}}'' setting, is never seen or described in the published products, [[spoiler: except for a few [[EldritchAbomination giant clawed tentacles]] reaching through the Obsidian Gate]].
* ''TabletopGame/{{Eberron}}'' has ''Kyber, the Dragon Below'', who is one of the three beings from the beginning of time and now ''is'' the underworld. Same goes for Eberron, who is the world, and Syberis, who is the Sky, but they are not considered to be evil. It's entirely possible the three progenitor dragons are just myths and metaphors for the surface world, underworld, and the planet's ring, though.
* ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'' LawfulEvil greater god Bane was originally portrayed this way, maintaining a grim mystique by operating secondhand through agents and only manifesting as a shadowy, faceless, menacing shape or a black gauntlet. The Avatar series put an end to this depiction - and to Bane himself for a few Editions - by trapping him in a mortal form and then killing him off.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}''. The four Chaos Gods and the Emperor of Mankind all get this treatment to varying degrees. The CosmicHorrorStory-flavored C'tan, sadly, do not.
** Not on the table, where they've basically been torn out of space and rammed into an airtight liquid metal skin. In their natural form they operate on a scale so large they were surprised when they found out that planets exist, let alone the little noisy things on them.
** It's hinted, barely implied by a few lines of text here and there, that '''something''' makes ''[[HordeOfAlienLocusts Tyranids]]'' flee to ''[[CrapsackWorld Warhammer 40000]]''. To give a sense of how terrifying such... ''whatever it is'' would be, it's said that if every single piece of ammunition in [=WH40K=] killed a Tyranid, there would still be enough Tyranids to kill the galaxy. This includes [[WeHaveReserves the Imperium]], [[MoreDakka the Orks]], and possibly even the forces of Chaos. [[FridgeHorror And something is making]] ''[[FridgeHorror them]]'' [[FridgeHorror flee]], with the implication that the Milky Way just happened to be in their path of escape.
** There's a version that Tyranids had already eaten the whole other universe and simply want to eat the Milky Way along. And it's even scarier. Though that's not known {{Canon}}. What IS canon is that the Tyranids already ate 3 other galaxies and it is very well possible they do that as preparation to eventually fight against... well, the thing they are presumably fleeing from.
* Yawgmoth, BigBad of ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'''s Weatherlight saga and the biggest villain the game has ever had, has never been depicted on any card. Even the tie-in novels are vague about his actual appareance. When he ''did'' finally appear in [[https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=464065 card form]], it shows him as his human self before he ascended godhood.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* An example in ''[[VisualNovel/FateStayNight Fate/stay night]]''; the heroes eventually find out that [[spoiler:the MacGuffin they are fighting for was actually corrupted some time in the past and has become the home of Angra Mainyu, the Zoroastrian Devil. He is a being that is 60 billion curses personified and the antithesis of human goodness. And he hates back.]] The only thing we get to see is basically pure evil that is leaking from it, and it is implied that it has no 'real' shape. [[spoiler:Except in the ''Heaven's Feel'' route, where it finally manages to manifest itself as a vaguely humanoid tangle of limbs and eyes. Luckily, it does not succeed in being properly born before it is obliterated.]]
** And then in Hollow Ataraxia [[spoiler:the trope is subverted. Angra Mainyu didn't exist until the Grail created him in accordance with the "wish" of the people who martyred Avenger: For there to exist an ultimate evil which they could blame for their own sins]].
** There's also the Beast-class Servants, seven (eight since one has two halves) powerful beings that each pose a threat to humanity simply by existing. There are several mentions of them and their members in various other [[Franchise/{{Nasuverse}} Type-Moon]] works, but they come into prominence in ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder''. Six of them have been confirmed thus far:
*** Beast I: [[spoiler: Goetia. The aggregate body of the 72 demons pillars of the Literature/ArsGoetia. He was created by Solomon to watch over mankind. However, he decided that humans are so pitiful that it would be better to incinerate the human order and use the energy produced to travel back in time to create a new humanity.]]
*** Beast II: Tiamat, [[Myth/MesopotamianMythology the primordial Mesopotamian Goddess of Chaos]] who wants to exterminate all life so she can go through the experience of giving birth to all life once again.
*** Beast III/L: [[spoiler:Kama/Mara, [[Myth/HinduMythology the Hindu/Buddhist God(dess) of Love]] having [[SplitPersonalityTakeover fallen prey to her darker half]] who wishes to drown humanity in depravity and pleasure until society itself breaks down.]]
*** Beast III/R: [[spoiler: [[VideoGame/FateExtra The Demonic Bodhisattva]], a DarkMessiah who seeks to fulfill her twisted idea of salvation upon the world.]]
*** Beast IV: Primate Murder, a being said to be the best existence at killing humans. [[spoiler: Fou, the RidiculouslyCuteCritter who's been accompanying you, turns out to be an alternate universe version of it.]]
*** Beast VI: [[Anime/FatePrototype The Beast]] [[Literature/BookOfRevelation of Revelations]]
* King Stan in ''VideoGame/OkageShadowKing'' is trapped in the form of a shadow for 95% of the game, citing that the entire world will shake in terror once he regains his True Form. It turns out to be less than impressive (although that chin ''is'' pretty scary).
* Demonica of ''VideoGame/StretchPanic'' is a monster so horrifying that merely ''seeing'' her causes Linda to die of fright. You must prevent her from entering the shack you are inside by following her shadow in the windows and attacking through the entrances she tries to use.
* Giygas, the BigBad of ''VideoGame/EarthBound'', is an Ultimate Evil in similar ways to Cthulhu. And he's a rare case where he's finally revealed, and [[NightmareFuel he's not only still terrifying, but probably]] ''[[NightmareFuel even more so]]'' than he was before, due to how [[SurpriseCreepy bright and kid-friendly the game was beforehand]]. This was probably more creepy for those who played the original ''VideoGame/MOTHER1'' where he was just a [[spoiler:kind of creepy thin alien in a fancy fishbowl.]] According to Giygas' right-hand, [[spoiler:Porky Minch,]] when Giygas was just an alien, he exerted a gigantic amount of energy and literally ''embraced'' the "Evil Power," becoming the Embodiment of Evil itself. Now Giygas manifests as a blood-red, swirling, spectral vortex emitting his screaming face; an incomprehensible being composed of raw Psionic power and pure evil. He's so evil now that he's devolved into a literal storm of negative power that can encompass the Universe and sentence it to eternal darkness. [[spoiler:In this state, he's incapable of rational thought and can no longer perceive the world around him, so Porky constructed a fleshy apparatus called the Devil's Machine as a way to re-allow Giygas to think straight. In the final battle, Porky decides to shut it off so he can present Ness and his friends his master, believing they are hopeless now as his master is nigh-invincible.]] In battle, [[YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm Giygas spews out random, unintelligible attacks so unknowingly strong that the Chosen Four are simply unable to decipher what's coming at them.]] Ironically, if you're wearing the Franklin Badge, you actually ''can'' grasp the true form of one of his attacks, as the Badge, which repels electricity-based attacks like PSI Thunder, will reflect the attack back, revealing it to be electrical in nature.
** ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER 3}}'' has a time-traveling [[spoiler:Porky]]. Just like Giegue/Giygas, one of his battle messages reads as "...?! What did [[spoiler:Porky]] do...?!".
* Parodied in ''VideoGame/StarControlII'': The cowardly Spathi live in perpetual fear of the TropeNamer, the '''[[DoomyDoomsOfDoom ULTIMATE EVIL!!!]]''' (emphasis theirs, every time). They know absolutely nothing about it, and have never even seen it, because (they claim) it always lurks just outside the range of their most advanced sensors. This is, of course, [[LogicalFallacies further proof of its nefarious intent]].
** The player may discover that the Spathis' [[spoiler: next-door neighbors are avatars of a ''real'' Ultimate Evil from another dimension.]] Hilarious as it would be, there's no way to point this out to the Spathi in the game.
** [[spoiler:The Spathi already know about the Orz, but don't associate them with the ULTIMATE EVIL.]]In fact, WordOfGod [[http://wiki.uqm.stack.nl/Ultimate_Evil suggests]] that it's merely a product of their paranoia.
* The Watchers in ''VideoGame/{{Drakengard}}'' are made out to be ineffable and all-powerful by their [[EnfanteTerrible servant]], solidifying their position as the Ultimate Evil in the game. [[spoiler:Except when they appear near the game's finale, they take a form that is indeed horrifying and morbid. Part of it probably comes from expecting the writers to play this trope straight, and the other part comes from the [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic symbolism]] latent in their appearance.]]
* ''Videogame/Drakengard3'' and its side materials reveal that [[spoiler:the true Ultimate Evil of the Drakengard multiverse (and by extension ''[=NieR=]'') is the Black Flower. This dark malevolent entity was somehow sealed away within Cathedral City, but not before a small piece of it was able to infect Zero, manifesting as the flower in her eye. Its influence slowly turns its host into a Grotesquerie Queen, the source of the lesser Grotesqueries aka the Watchers. The reason Zero sought out the strongest dragon Michael (and later raises his reincarnation Mikhail to become stronger) was because dragons, being the natural predator of the Flower, are the only ones who can truly destroy it.]]
* Subverted in ''VideoGame/DarkenedSkye'', where the BigBad, known as "He whose face must not be glimpsed" and universally feared by all, is ultimately revealed to literally be [[spoiler:a tiny maggot. As the heroine puts it: "He Whose Face Must Not Be Glimpsed? That's because he's too small to see!"]].
** Deliberately or not, [[spoiler:this might be a ShoutOut to [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]]'s enemy, Mister Mind. When he first appeared in the 1940's, it was over a year of comics before he appeared as anything but a voice over a radio, sending his Monster Society of Evil to wreak havoc. When he was finally revealed, his true form was... a superintelligent alien caterpillar about 4 inches long, wearing glasses]].
* The Dark Master Malefor of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfSpyro'' series was not seen in the first two games (Except in animated cut-scenes which are not very representive of his real appearance) or heard, until he finally appears at the ''very end'' of ''Dawn of the Dragon'', fufilling the trope completely. And he actually is every bit as horrific, powerful, and monsterous as he'd been made out to be. He's a purple dragon like Spyro, but he's far larger than normal and looks like a dragon straight out of the pits of Hell. He's also an OmnicidalManiac whose sole goal is to destroy the world, and he comes so close to succeeding the world is already starting to break apart when Spyro lets loose a WorldHealingWave.
* The eponymous ''VideoGame/{{Siren}}''. You hear its cry -- something like a distorted, unearthly air raid siren, in a play on the dual meaning of the word -- but you never actually get to see it. The SortingAlgorithmOfEvil skips right over it, taking you straight from the shibito to Datatsushi, The God That Fell, the creator of the siren, the shibito, and the red water.
** WordOfGod is that the siren is just the sound of Datatsushi, but this contradicts the game itself; a secret cutscene shows the fall of Datatushi and the first appearance of the siren, and there, the cry of the siren and the cry of Datatsushi are clearly two entirely different sounds, the siren responding to Datatsushi's scream.
* In ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic II'', you never actually see Darth Nihilus's face. The only scene where his mask is removed is done by a different character and his corpse is destroyed before you can look yourself. According to other sources, Nihilus is actually dead, and just takes the form of a mask and cloak through the force.
** Kreia implies that he has, through eons of hate, malice, dark side power and soul draining '''entire species''', become literally nothing but Evil with a lightsaber- making him possibly the only villain to ever hate himself out of the laws of reality.
* Inverted in ''Riddle of the Sphinx'': when you finally look inside [[spoiler: TheArkOfTheCovenant]], all you see of the [[spoiler: Ultimate Good]] is blinding white light.
* [[VideoGame/{{Zork}} "It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue."]]
** And in the fourth Zork game, they introduce the Ur-Grue, which is the progenitor of all grues and is capable of creating an aura of utter darkness around itself. Ya know how Grues don't show up if there's light? Yeah. He doesn't have that problem.
* The Vasari from ''VideoGame/SinsOfASolarEmpire'' are running away from a terrible, nameless evil that destroyed all of the inner colonies of their once-great empire. We never learn much more about it, because in their eagerness to get the game out, the developers forgot to include a campaign mode, and as a result [[AllThereInTheManual the plot ends at the beginning of the game]] and (until the expansion) [[ExcusePlot the lore serves only as an explanation for why the sides' units look and act the way they do]].
* At the end of ''VideoGame/CommanderKeen 4'', Keen is shown what his new enemies the Shikadi look like. All we're shown is his face going through horrified expressions. This game is shareware and its full version is free; naturally the player is promised that they'll get to see what the Shikadi look like if they buy the next game. [[spoiler: Apparently they don't look all that special.]]
* The menace in ''VideoGame/DarkFall: The Journal'' is never seen, although a monstrous figure does appear in ancient engravings and RoomFullOfCrazy art. ''Lost Souls'', a direct sequal, forgoes even this much, using an enigmatic symbol to represent the entity's presence and power.
* ''Franchise/SilentHill''. The town itself. Especially in ''VideoGame/SilentHill2''. This particular game is where this trope gets applied the hardest, as the town is unquestionably malevolent, and capable of shaping itself to inflict the most pain possible on its victims. However, despite multiple possibilities being offered, nothing ever really confirms for sure ''what'' makes the town the way it is, or ''why'' it does it. There's even some speculation that the God of the cult that lives there is actually also an illusion the town has created to inflict more suffering on the world. This probably done on purpose since ultimately, the town would be less scary if we knew why it was the way it is.
* This is invoked in ''VideoGame/ArcanumOfSteamworksAndMagickObscura'' in regards to Arronax. Arronax was a very real and very dangerous elven mage way back in the Age of Legends, and was sealed in the Void for his crimes. In modern times, he's treated as the ultimate evil, turning him into a folklore symbol instead of something real. [[spoiler:This allows the dark elves to infiltrate the Panarii religion, which was tasked with maintaining the seal that keeps him from returning, and trick them into ignoring their duty.]]
* [[NamesToRunAwayFromVeryFast Amon]], GreaterScopeVillain of the ''VideoGame/StarCraft'' franchise, was only ever seen as a distorted, possibly illusory face taunting the player in one mission, and a (possibly metaphorical?) [[NegativeSpaceWedgie dark cloud in space]] in the ending cinematic of ''Heart of the Swarm''. He intends to annihilate all life in the galaxy, for unclear reasons. In ''Legacy of the Void'', his true nature is revealed as a [[spoiler:Xel'Naga who turned against his own kind and exterminated them down to three individuals, himself included. He does have a physical form, hidden away in the Void, which pretty much resembles Cthulhu. He can also only be killed in the Void: if his physical incarnation in this universe is destroyed, his spirit will simply jump back to the Void where he can begin again.]]
* Depending on how you view them, [[spoiler:the titular VillainProtagonist [[EldritchAbomination Saya]]]] in ''VisualNovel/SayaNoUta'' could count. All the viewer gets to see is [[spoiler:her almost angelic-looking human form that only Fuminori can see (at least, angelic-looking compared to all the revolting MeatMoss that [[ThroughTheEyesOfMadness constantly assaults his vision,]])]] and the occasional tentacle from their true form, which has driven everyone who's seen it insane (unless they were already insane).
* Eve, the titular antagonist of ''VideoGame/ParasiteEve'', is an in-universe case of this, seeing as no one except Aya[[spoiler:and [[TheQuisling Klamp]]]] can ever get to personally see her, only the results of her "[[BodyHorror handiwork]]" on humans and animals. That said, the awakening mitochondria life forms that Eve manifests from are an invisible and omnipresent menace.
* ''Videogame/{{Undertale}}'' has two, both at the Genocide route: [[HumanoidAbomination The Fallen Child]], who only briefly appears at the end, and [[EldritchAbomination The Anomaly]] who being the player, never appears in the game, in fact almost no one knows you exist. [[EvilerThanThou Who turns out to be the bigger evil]] depends on whether or not the Anomaly [[HeelFaceDoorSlam has a change of heart and tries to make things right (and fails)]] or they decide to keep doing Genocide routes, [[EvenEvilHasStandards which makes The Fallen Child marvel at your depravity]].
* ''Videogame/AIWarFleetCommand:'' Whatever it is that is fighting the AI in the Extragalactic War. We know [[VestigialEmpire Spire]] remnants are a definite enemy and that stuff like [[GreyGoo the Nanocaust]] could well be "one of those things" that the AI needs its true fleet to battle. But the rest is apparently a damnably huge, permanently unidentified threat that could well be unified. We only know the AI believes it would kill humanity if left alone (something the AI itself is putting off in the meantime), and that it's apparently so bloody huge and dangerous it takes 99.9% of the AI's industrial might to merely keep it at bay. A unified, giga-industrialized intelligence with access to things like [[PlanetSpaceship Motherships]], [[PlanetDestroyer Planetcrackers]] and [[HopelessBossFight Flensers]] is throwing everything it has at the Extragalactic threat and it is ''not'' working.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Animation]]
* The Forbidden Power in WebAnimation/{{TOME}} is this for a good chunk of the series, mostly in Season 1. Becomes less so once its true nature and appearance are revealed towards the end, [[spoiler: though literally being MadeOfEvil gives it points for the Ultimate Evil category even when one considers its "Kajet" body.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* [[BigBad The Other]] from ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' has never been seen on screen and it's true form is unknown to everybody. The closest we get is [[spoiler: Lucrezia but that is likely a product of BrainUploading.]]
* In ''Webcomic/{{Kaspall}}'', a box shaped robe with one arm and a cane becomes horrific this way. Of course, knowing the things that it DID to its victims helps.
* Parodied with The Monster in the Darkness in ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', who is obliged to [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin stay in complete darkness]] all the time to avoid revealing what he is. Later he starts carrying an umbrella so that he's always got a shadow to stay in. Mind you, he's neither [[MinionWithAnFInEvil very ultimate]] [[TokenGoodTeammate nor evil]]. It ''is'' hinted that he's [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0475.html powerful]] and has a [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1037.html fearsome appearance]].
* ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'' features the Pa'anuri, a species of Dark Matter entities. They're unable to directly interact with baryonic (i.e. 'normal') matter in any way, and therefore cannot be seen, heard, or in any way detected or interacted with, with the exception of gravitic manipulation and wormhole generation. They also plot to destroy all non-baryonic life, due to the fact that baryonic life keeps learning to do manipulate gravity and create wormholes, and they find that annoying. They also have . A few books and a few years later, Digital imaging with gravitic instruments shows that they resemble twisted tendrils.
* ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'''s requisite example is Lord English, the EldritchAbomination summoned by the death of the universe so he can feed upon its remains. He isn't constrained by things like time, though. In fact, [[ArcWords he's already here.]] However, in the intermission between the 5th and 6th Acts, he does appear.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* [[Franchise/TheSlenderManMythos Slender Man]] seems to tip its toes in this, depending on the source. While [[FanNickname Slendy]] is universally portrayed as [[HumanoidAbomination an abnormally tall man in a business suit with no face]], there have been hints that he is some sort of shape-shifter, and that this is not his true form.
** In the few pictures you see him, he's always slightly out of focus and difficult to see amongst the trees. We can't even see his ''current'' form properly.
* Lo and behold the concentrated abomination that is [[Website/{{Cracked}} Popsicle Pete]]!
* Wiki/SCPFoundation:
** [[http://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-055 SCP-055]] is the most mysterious and potentially dangerous SCP contained by the [[Wiki/SCPFoundation Foundation]]. Its only known property is that it somehow erases any other information pertaining to it from all records and memory. As a result, ''no one'' remembers when or how the Foundation first acquired it. While it's entirely possible that the SCP is otherwise completely harmless, the Foundation isn't taking any chances and treats it like any other [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt Keter]] object. It is possible to remember what it ''isn't.'' Which somehow makes it worse. And what, so far, do people remember it isn't? Round, safe, or contained.
** Simliar to 055, [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-579 SCP-579]] is apparently so utterly horrible that ''the description is censored''. All that's revealed is the containment procedures...which involve sealing the thing in an alternate universe (which is itself created by ''another'' SCP--something that's strictly forbidden by the Foundation's MO). And the protocol in case of a breach? ''Destroy the alternate universe.'' And if even ''that'' doesn't work? Well...
--> In the event of an unsuccessful Action 10-Israfil-B, [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt no further action will be necessary]]. [DATA EXPUNGED]
** SCP-231, a group of women impregnated with {{Eldritch Abomination}}s by an evil {{cult}}, is rife with this. Of the seven, six have already given birth, resulting in greater casualties every single time, with implication that the seventh giving birth may cause TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. There is no description for any of the six Abominations already born. The photo that came with the document - whatever it depicted - has been censored away by the O5s. We don't get to know either what is the mysterious "Procedure 110-Montauk", regularly performed on SCP-231-7 to prevent her from giving birth to the final EldritchAbomination, only that it's something very cruel and inhumane which probably involves [[RapeAsDrama violent rape]] but has been confirmed by WordOfGod to be even worse than just that.
*** And what about its father? Exactly what the Scarlet King is varies depending on the author (as does everything in the SCP mythos), but he's either the manifestation of the border between modern enlightenment and old feudalism, out to bring the world back to a primitive, MightMakesRight state, or, considerably worse, a [[EldritchAbomination god born under the roots]] of the [[Wiki/TheWanderersLibrary Tree of Knowledge]], born with the curse of self awareness, [[StrawNihilist convinced that existence is suffering]], and [[OmnicidalManiac intent on freeing all that is from the pain of being]] by burning the Great Tree.
* WebOriginal/{{Zalgo}}, an EldritchAbomination whose mere existence causes things to [[BodyHorror distort in gruesome ways]]. The results of Zalgo's handiwork are seen often, but its true form is unknown (though a lot of fanart of it exists).
* The "evil force" in ''Literature/GreekNinja''. At first, no one knew who or what was behind it.
* The old page image was of "Cjopaze" from ''Roleplay/RubyQuest''. Or at least part of Cjopaze, stitched together from multiple images. Weaver was very, very careful to not reveal too much about the horror at once.
* Quite a few elements of ''Podcast/WelcomeToNightVale'', including the indescribable horrors that form Station Management, and, of course, Kevin's smile, which is... [[TheUnsmile oh God... that is not a smile]]. There's also the Man in the Tan Jacket, whose presence is instantly forgotten the moment he leaves, and who may quite possibly be {{Satan}} himself.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* Dr. Claw, the villain from ''WesternAnimation/InspectorGadget'' was [[TheFaceless never shown]] on the original animated series. For the first [[TheFilmOfTheSeries movie]], he was played by Rupert Everett, but was clearly meant to be a [[InNameOnly completely different]] villain. An action figure of Dr. Claw was made, when it was revealed that he [[spoiler: disappointingly looked like your [[http://doctorclaw.ytmnd.com/ stereotypical "Mad Scientist".]]]]
* ''WesternAnimation/DungeonsAndDragons'': The Nameless One, boss of [[BigBad Venger]], is a [[EldritchAbomination hugely powerful and evil being]] that destroys worlds only because it feels like it. Its body is permanently wrapped up in a massive tornado that reaches the clouds, and its real aspect is never shown. You can only see its glowing eyes.
* ''WesternAnimation/GormitiTheLordsOfNatureReturn'' gives us Obscurio, the supremely powerful leader of the Darkness Gormiti. While the toyline does feature a figure of him, he has not been seen in the series proper, only appearing as a spiritual entity [[spoiler:which hides in a specially-forged crown that possesses [[TheHero Toby]] in Episode 6]].
* Lo Pei refers to Shen Du as this in the ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'' episode "The Warrior Incarnate".
* ''Franchise/MastersOfTheUniverse'' gave us Horde Prime, the [[ManBehindTheMan man behind both Skeletor and Hordak]]. All we ever saw of him was a greenish glow, beneath which an outline of his body can be conceived, a section of his face with red eyes, and a huge mechanical fist.
* Similar to Darth Vader, [[BigBad Slade's]] mask is generally used as a symbol of absolute evil on ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans''. Unlike Vader, the viewer ''never'' gets to see what's beneath it- whenever it's torn off, what's revealed is either one of Slade's robot body-doubles, a quickly-concealed silhouette, or an undead skull. Of course, in the original comics Slade's a fairly ordinary looking middle-aged man, so the animated version probably shares that appearance.
** Subverted with Trigon from the same series, who for his first few appearances is just a deep voice, [[RedEyesTakeWarning glowing red eyes]], and a silhouette, but is ultimately revealed in all his glory when he breaks through into the mortal world. Think {{Satan}} ''on steroids''.
* Nergal Jr. of ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'' takes the form of a small boy with green eyes, as his real form shown off screen in his first appearance freaked out anyone who saw. However, in a much later episode when Billy angers him, he takes the form of a demonic creature for a few seconds. Whether this is his true form is uncertain, but it looks horrifying enough to be so.
** Even that green-eyed boy form is one he ''stole'' from the first person he met when he came up from the core of the planet. His original form is ''not'' shown except that horrifies the child (who is never heard of again in the show).
* XANA from ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko'' takes this trope UpToEleven, to the point it doesn't even ''have'' a face or even body to begin with, being an AI. For the whole series, the only thing we saw of it was its mooks, its attacks and a mysterious FacelessEye-like symbol.
* In ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooMysteryIncorporated'', [[BigBad the Evil]] [[SealedEvilInACan Entity]] is not shown to have a definitive form until the last episode where it's a mass of darkness with a mouth and eyes.
* Mentioned by name in ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'' by Agent Fowler to describe Unicron, who in this version is [[spoiler: the Earth's core. That is, the Earth accreted around the dormant body of Unicron.]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'' Eddy's brother is kept from being seen, his presence only indicated by the stories Eddy tells, and his legacy only shown by the terrified reactions of Rolf, Kevin, and Eddy (when they thought he had come back). [[spoiler: When we do finally see him, we see that he does mostly just look like Eddy, but coupled with his behaviors and the wildly frightening evil smiles and rather evil expressions he gives everyone, it's clear he is by far the greatest villain above the rest the show has to offer.]]
** Evil Tim. [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane Maybe.]]
* [[BigBad Fire Lord Ozai]] from ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' was kept from being seen for most of the series, and all we usually saw of him is a shadowy figure in his throne room. When he finally shows himself, he didn't look so intimidating. In subsequent episodes after this, however, his actions very much affirm how horrifically and terrifyingly evil he is out of every villain Aang has faced.
* Pictured above is [[BigBad The Beast]] from ''WesternAnimation/OverTheGardenWall'', who is ordinarily completely silhouetted. The one time we see him in full is briefly when the Woodsman shines his lantern on him, where [[spoiler:his skin appears to be covered in screaming faces.]]
[[/folder]]

----

*** And what about its father? Exactly what the Scarlet King is varies depending on the author (as does everything in the SCP mythos), but he's either the manifestation of the border between modern enlightenment and old feudalism, out to bring the world back to a primitive, MightMakesRight state, or, considerably worse, a [[EldritchAbomination god born under the roots]] of the [[Wiki/TheWanderersLibrary Tree of Knowledge]], born with the curse of self awareness, convinced that existence is suffering, and intent on freeing all that is from the pain of being by burning the Great Tree.

Sister trope of NothingIsScarier, where an entire story's terror factor relies on the invisibility of... whatever it is. YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm is sometimes used in conjunction with this trope; even those who attempt to look at the Ultimate Evil are unable to do so, in which case it's probably an EldritchAbomination.

* This was the original intent of Creator/JacquesTourneur (who directed the above ''Cat People'') in his 1957 ''Film/NightOfTheDemon'', preferring to show only smoking footprints and fiery clouds, but ExecutiveMeddling had a rubber-suit monster put into the ending ''and the beginning''. Still, most critics of this move agree it ultimately doesn't hurt the movie.

* Similarily, the alien from ''Film/{{Super 8}}'' (made by the same creator as ''Cloverfield'') is never directly seen until the end when it is very clearly shown. Although, you can look closely to see its reflection sneaking up on someone the second night. Somewhat subverted in that [[spoiler: it isn't really evil, it just eats humans, and wants to go back to its home planet.]]

* A series of short stories by Robert W. Chambers leave us (and a young fan named Creator/HPLovecraft) wondering, "Just what the hell is ''Literature/TheKingInYellow''?

* The Nothing in ''Literature/TheNeverendingStory''. A bit more prominent in the film adaptation.

* In ''Literature/TheHoundOfTheBaskervilles'', the presence of the Hound is implied in various ways -- legend, footprint, howling, rumoured sightings, the fact that people seem to have been chased by something -- but it's not seen by Dr. Watson (the point of view character) or other protagonists until the climax. Of course, a major part of the mystery is just what it is in the first place.

[[caption-width-right:350:'''Are you ready to see true darkness?''']]

* In Disney's ''Disney/{{Bambi}}'', the Ultimate Evil known as "[[HumansAreCthulhu Man]]" is never shown on screen.

[[folder:Real Life]]
* Depression. An overwhelming feeling of nothingness that exists only inside your own mind, forces you to feel as though life is empty and unfulfilling, and can even spurn you into suicide. You'll never see it. Doctors aren't even a hundred percent sure what causes it. But it's very real to whoever experiences it, although those people may not even understand it themselves. Because of YourMindMakesItReal, it can even cause you to feel [[EvilIsDeathlyCold unnaturally cold]] or induce madness as you try and figure out what's going on. Essentially as close to UltimateEvil as you can get in RealLife.
** ''Any'' mental illness could qualify for this - if the means through which you experience reality is disrupted, who's to say what's possible and what isn't? You can't see it, but it controls every aspect of your life like some horrible supernatural force. Schizophrenia will cause you to be assaulted by sights and sounds that aren't even there, people with bipolar's emotions and decisions are at the mercy of a ''something'' that controls them like an awful puppeteer...
[[/folder]]

* Dr. Claw, the villain from ''WesternAnimation/InspectorGadget'' was [[TheFaceless never shown]] on the original animated series. For the first [[TheFilmOfTheSeries movie]], he was played by Rupert Everett, but was clearly meant to be a [[InNameOnly completely different]] villain. An action figure of Dr Claw was made, when it was revealed that he [[spoiler: disappointingly looked like your [[http://doctorclaw.ytmnd.com/ stereotypical "Mad Scientist".]]]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooMysteryIncorporated'', the Evil Entity, the show's SealedEvilInACan BigBad, is not shown to have a definitive form until the last episode where it's a mass of darkness with a mouth and eyes.

* Giygas, the BigBad of ''VideoGame/EarthBound'', is an Ultimate Evil in similar ways to Cthulhu. And he's a rare case where he's finally revealed, and [[NightmareFuel he's not only still terrifying, but probably]] ''[[NightmareFuel even more so]]'' than he was before, due to how [[SurpriseCreepy bright and kid-friendly the game was beforehand]]. This was probably more creepy for those who played the original ''VideoGame/MOTHER1'' where he was just a [[spoiler:kind of creepy thin alien in a fancy fishbowl.]] According to Giygas' right-hand, [[spoiler:Pokey/Porky Minch,]] when Giygas was just an alien, he exerted a gigantic amount of energy and literally ''embraced'' the "Evil Power," becoming the Embodiment of Evil itself. Now Giygas manifests as a blood-red, swirling, spectral vortex emitting his screaming face; an incomprehensible being composed of raw Psionic power and pure evil. He's so evil now that he's devolved into a literal storm of negative power that can encompass the Universe and sentence it to eternal darkness. [[spoiler:In this state, he's incapable of rational thought and can no longer perceive the world around him, so Pokey constructed a fleshy apparatus called the Devil's Machine as a way to re-allow Giygas to think straight. In the final battle, Pokey decides to shut it off so he can present Ness and his friends his master, believing they are hopeless now as his master is nigh-invincible.]] In battle, [[YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm Giygas spews out random, unintelligible attacks so unknowingly strong that the Chosen Four are simply unable to decipher what's coming at them.]] Ironically, if you're wearing the Franklin Badge, you actually ''can'' grasp the true form of one of his attacks, as the Badge, which repels electricity-based attacks like PSI Thunder, will reflect the attack back, revealing it to be electrical in nature.