When it comes to the ability to terrify, none match the skill of Doki Doki Literature Club's Monika. The president of the Literature Club, Monika has a smile that can brighten any room and powers that could destroy it in the same instant. Monika tops the villain power level charts and simultaneously has captured the hearts of fans. Warning: there will be Doki Doki Literature Club spoilers ahead - but only for the original game.
Doki Doki Literature Club is a visual novel and dating sim with a side of pure horror. The title has recently been reworked for consoles, and adds over 50% of the original game in new content. New players should be warned, however - while Doki Doki Literature Club seems like an innocent schoolyard love story at first, it quickly turns into something much more sinister.
Monika is at the forefront of the Literature Club, and the horrifying events that happen within it. What makes her one of the most terrifying villains in horror are her powers over the game itself. Her ability to pull strings behind the scenes, and even modify Doki Doki Literature Club's game files themselves, put her in a tier above all others in terms of sheer power.
Why Doki Doki Literature Club's Monika Is So Scary
Monika's title as the scariest evil is exacerbated by her slow descent into villainy. Before the events of the main game, Doki Doki Literature Club has side stories that showcase what Monika originally was; a nice, confident girl who wants her friends to be happy. Throughout the plot of the main story, Monika slowly becomes much more. She is the only character who is aware of exactly what is happening in game. She has the same omniscient awareness that the player has. She can recognize multiple playthroughs, character glitches, and when events that weren't supposed to happen transpire. Her god-like knowledge of in-game events are made even more unsettling by her powers, which turn her into what is essentially an undefeatable goddess.
Monika's power to control the game itself brings her into the top-tier of horror villains, and is one of the reasons why Doki Doki Literature Club is so highly reviewed. Doki Doki Literature Club, the video game itself, is under her control. She can remove character files at will, change dialog, and reset scenarios that glitch out. Imagine if her powers remained if transferred into another game like Resident Evil. No enemy, boss, or character would be able to go toe to toe with Monika. Even the most powerful of antagonists like Wesker or Eveline would be completely outclassed. She would simply delete them from existence - literally. Monika would be a near-Lovecraftian figure in any other game; a terrifying god whose powers cannot be comprehended nor trifled with.
Doki Doki Literature Club wouldn't be as horrifying as it is without the all-powerful Monika. In a genre ultra-focused on grotesque beings that can be beaten, Monika stands at the top through god-like power and a menacing obsession with control that's revealed throughout the events of the game. Unlocking the true ending of Doki Doki Literature Club can only be accomplished by the player removing her from the in-game files themselves. Her cutesy anime girl design may fool outsiders, but fans of Doki Doki know not to trifle with the president.