History Main / UltimateEvil

* ''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.]]

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, GodOfEvil) or the most morally evil character imaginable (see CompleteMonster).

Sister trope of NothingIsScarier, where an entire story's terror factor relies on the invisibility of...whatever it is. Odds are, if multiple gods are present in the setting (or not, even), this character is the GodOfEvil. Do not confuse with the GreaterScopeVillain, who is literally the most powerful evil force in a given setting. The Greater Scope Villain may well be Ultimate Evil in this sense as well, but it doesn't have to be, and less powerful evil things can get this treatment too. YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm is sometimes used in conjunction with this trope; even those who attempt to look at the Ultimate Evil are unable to do so.

Compare {{Eldritch Abomination}}s, which are just as freakishly powerful and mind-shattering, but more often callously indifferent than actively malignant, though there is some overlap. Not to be confused with CompleteMonster.

* In ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'', White Diamond, the implied head of the [[GodEmperor Great Diamond Authority]] that leads the oppressive [[TheEmpire Gem Homeworld]] (and who also has the most colonies of the four Diamonds) and the assumed GreaterScopeVillain of the series, never appeared or was directly mentioned until late in the fifth season. Before then, she only appeared as a stylized mural with the other Diamonds and as a silhouette and a close-up of her hand in a flashback.

[[folder: Real Life]]
* {{UsefulNotes/Depression}}. An incomprehensible force of destruction that exists only within your own mind, taking away from you everything you were or could be that prevents you from experiencing life itself the way it was meant to be lived. This monstrosity cannot even be seen, and understanding exactly what it is is difficult even for Depression victims, leading many to attempt to describe it using metaphors, or to not describe it at all. As if that wasn't bad enough, Depression has even been suggested to ''[[YourMindMakesItReal attack your physical body as well]]'', resulting in [[EvilIsDeathlyCold an unnatural cold]] and possibly even the immune system itself shutting down. If this isn't as close as it gets to UltimateEvil in reality...
** Other Mental Illnesses could qualify here as well. Basically anything that corrupts your understanding of reality, that cannot be seen or even comprehended, is pretty terrifying...
[[/folder]]

* 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 incomprehensibly powerful, unintelligible attacks]] so mighty 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.

* 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 his 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 incomprehensibly powerful, unintelligible attacks]] so mighty 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.

* 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.]] All of his battle messages read "[[YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm You cannot grasp the true form]] of Giygas' attack!", and he is shown on-screen as a swirly red... ''thing''. Maybe a literal storm made of evil. A storm that can literally encompass the entire universe and sentence it to eternal darkness. According to his 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. [[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, Giygas spews incomprehensibly powerful, unintelligible attacks so mighty 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.

* 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.]] All of his battle messages read "[[YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm You cannot grasp the true form of Giygas' attack!", and he is shown on-screen as a swirly red... ''thing''. Maybe a literal storm made of evil. A storm that can literally encompass the entire universe and sentence it to darkness. According to his right-hand, [[spoiler:Pokey/Porky Minch,]] when he was just an alien, he exerted a gigantic amount of energy and literally ''embraced'' the "Evil Power," becoming the Embodiment of Evil itself. [[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, Giygas spews incomprehensibly powerful, unintelligible attacks so mighty 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.

* 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.]] All of his battle messages read "YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm of Giygas's attack!", and he is shown on-screen as a swirly red... ''thing''. It's implied that this is not his true form, but what the Devil's Machine ''turned him into.'' Ironically, if you're wearing the Franklin Badge, you can grasp the true form of one attack, as the Badge's effect will reflect the attack back, revealing it to be electrical in nature.

* ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'': The true BigBad 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 the [[GodIsEvil Idea of]] [[GodOfEvil Evil]], the entity responsible for Midland's woes that only the Godhand have met.

* The Source on ''Series/{{Charmed}}''. 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 [[BigBad Big Bads]]. (At this point, "Source of All Evil" is eventually revealed to be a title rather than a literal descriptor.)

*** Beast VI: [[Literature/FatePrototype The Beast]] [[Literature/BookOfRevelation of Revelations]]

* 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. 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 the true Ultimate Evil of the Drakengard multiverse (and by extension ''Nier'') [[spoiler: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 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, 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.

* Depending on how you view her, the titular VillainProtagonist [[EldritchAbomination Saya]] in ''VisualNovel/SayaNoUta'' could count. All the viewer gets to see is 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 her true form, which has driven everyone who's seen it insane (unless they were already insane.)

* In ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'', White Diamond, the implied head of the [[GodEmperor Great Diamond Authority]] that leads the oppressive [[TheEmpire Gem Homeworld]] (and who also has the most colonies of the four Diamonds) and the assumed GreaterScopeVillain of the series, never appeared or was directly mentioned until late in the fifth season. Before then, she only appeared as a mural with the other Diamonds and as a silhouette and a close-up of her hand in a flashback.

* In ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'', White Diamond, the implied head of the [[GodEmperor Great Diamond Authority]] that leads the oppressive [[TheEmpire Gem Homeworld]] (and who also has the most colonies of the four Diamonds) and the assumed GreaterScopeVillain of the series, has yet to appear or be directly mentioned. She only appears as a mural with the other Diamonds and as a silhouette and a close-up of her hand in a flashback.

* [[BigBad The Beast]] from ''WesternAnimation/OverTheGardenWall'' 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.]]

* 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.

* ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'' LawfulEvil greater god Bane was originally portrayed this way, manifesting as a shadowy 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.

** The origin of this particular usage was dramatized in the fictional film ''The Bad and the Beautiful'', 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''.

** 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 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.

* 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.