Undoubtedly, the Call of Duty (CoD) franchise is the crown jewel of the FPS franchise. Every year, Activsion gets a new developer, like Treyarch, and brings players a campaign to help tie together the franchises’ ever-expanding lore. It’s a known fact that every hero needs a good villain to fight, and over the past decade, the CoD franchise has had a variety of enemies.
From rogue soldiers to terrorists wanting to burn everything down, the antagonists of CoD games can be compared to action-movie villains. While we’ve seen some terrifying villains in the franchise, Activsion has completely dropped the ball by not bringing back one of the scariest forces we first fought in CoD World at War.
Activision Needs to Bring Back This Powerful Enemy From Call of Duty: World at War
It’s agreed within the Call of Duty community that World at War was one of the most unique entries in the franchise despite simply being another World War II Shooter at the time. The maps were spectacular, and the same can be said for the gunplay.
The game’s campaign was so challenging and violent that players legitimately winced during some missions or cutscenes. Lastly, to cap it all off, the game featured one of the most brutal villains we’d ever seen in the franchise: The Imperial Japanese Army.
In Call of Duty World at War, the Imperial Japanese Army is featured in a particular segment of the Pacific campaign. The Pacific front focused on assaults and naval battles between the United States and Japan. Throughout the campaign, American forces tried their best to reclaim islands held back by the Japanese Imperial Army.
There’s no doubt that Activision’s portrayal of the Japanese forces was spot on. The developers spent an incredible amount of time researching the actual World War II events to ensure they did justice to the lore in the game. When asked if the developers had come across anything interesting about the Japanese forces, here’s what the Studio Head, Mark Lamia, had to say:
We met with a reunion of the 1st division Marines last year, and it was a very moving experience. It’s the stories that blow us away – we heard firsthand accounts of banzai charges and sneak attacks. We heard about one enemy combatant that had his hands up, ready to surrender, but then he raised them a bit higher and two live grenades dropped out of his armpits. The Marines were dealing with a very different enemy, one that lived by the Bushido code. As we grew to understand this, we knew we had to make a very different game.
The Imperial Japanese Army clearly left its mark on the CoD franchise. The community’s love for this enemy led to their return to future games such as Black Ops II and Vanguard. However, it’s a shame that Activision hasn’t properly honored the Japanese forces with a major role in recent releases.
It’s clear that the next Call of Duty title needs a strong enemy like the Imperial Japanese Army; we don’t want some Middle East covert shenanigans. At the end of the day, who wouldn’t love going through the jungles with all those crazy kamikaze attacks? It’s peak Call of Duty warfare that every die-hard fan would love to experience again.
Who is the Villain in Call of Duty Black Ops 6?
Activision’s Black Ops subseries is known for its unique approach to storytelling, blending historical elements with fiction. In previous games, we’ve seen fictional versions of US Presidents such as John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan. The next Call of Duty game will take place during the Gulf War of the early 1990s and feature the controversial former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein as a villain.
For some historical context, Saddam Hussein was Iraq’s president from 1979 to 2003. His rule was marked by numerous conflicts and multiple human rights violations. After the US invaded Iraq in 2003, Hussein was ultimately captured, tried for his crimes against humanity, and given a death sentence in 2006.
It’s not the first time Hussein has been depicted in video games. He was featured in the Solider of Fortnute series, released in 2000 and 2002. However, it will be interesting to see how Activsion portrays this figure in Black Ops 6.
