There are good kings and bad kings. There are just rulers, beloved by their people. There are ruthless tyrants who get fat on wealth while the commoners go hungry. There are warlords who engage in the conquest of their surrounding lands in order to install themselves as a greater authority. Just as well, there are kings that are simply symbolic – a cherished representation of legacy and prosperity for their state or province. Each of these archetypes have been explored at some point or another in the realm of video games. Just as well and perhaps more importantly, so have their enemies, because every king, good or bad, just or tyrannical, has enemies.

Sometimes those enemies to the authority that be are blatant and obvious, intent on a stalwart march to the throne to take the head that holds the crown. Other times they are shadowy, using intrigue and trust as their weapons before the moment of betrayal. The story of the king and his would-be assassins is a plot capitalized upon in many games, but to overthrow the crown takes something above and beyond your average character. The character or characters who kill a king by their own hands must often endure an excruciating journey of pain and torment. They must sometimes bide their time for what seems like an eternity until the crucial moment occurs. Sometimes, their part in the murder is sheer chance or a circumstance of events that they do not control. Whatever the cause, the kingslayer is a fascinating point of storytelling. And these are the best of them, the 10 Best Kingslayers in Video Games.

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