Witches, sorceresses, enchantresses, and the like have long been a popular profession, class, and bloodline due to the myriad stories told through multiple mediums, but with games, in particular, they've remained a consistent source of incredible power and fun thanks to the flexibility and theatrics of the spells performed.
The release of the critically-acclaimed Bayonetta 3 shows once more that witches - and, by proxy, magic - remain an appealing concept and theme, and with games like Hogwarts Legacy and Forspoken (originally called WITCH after its Project Athia codename) hot on everyone's radar followed by the success over the years from the likes of Little Witch Academia and Hocus Pocus 2. It's clear that magic and the witches therein have compelled all into eternity.
Metallia - The Witch and the Hundred Knight
While most witches have the benefit of magic, spells, and more, few have the benefit of immortality (like Metallia does). Colloquially known as "The Swamp Witch," Metallia is both pompous and conceited, and her magic abilities know virtually no bounds as she will tear down anything that may be deemed a threat to the swamps she protects.
Metallia may prove to be a bit of a hothead, but her immortality and need to consistently protect anything and everything surrounding the swamps (and the impending danger of the world being rid by them) makes her consistently channel all her magic and tap into powers she didn't even know she had, which makes her more menacing.
Wilbell Voll-Ersleid - Atelier Ayesha
As cute as she is strong, Wilbell Voll-Ersleid is one of the best characters in the Atelier series as a whole; for Atelier Ayesha in particular, she proves to be an immense help in aiding Ayesha on her journeys (so much so that she's rarely taken out of rotation when players have the choice to switch characters).
Wilbell has a huge repertoire of skills that can be improved and adjusted upon at any point, and with moves that have a large area of effect, she easily wipes the field when hordes of enemies prove to be an obstacle (and can quickly defeat bosses when built strategically).
Hilda - Stella Glow
With titles such, as the Witch of Time and Witch of Destruction, Hilda has rightfully earned the monikers through the significant power she holds and the magic she's capable of. Though she can be menacing, however, she has a multi-layered personality that also looks after her subordinates, making her seem vulnerable in disguise.
In Stella Glow, she goes on a tirade of crystallizing the lands and people within it, all through song, and her power is so immense that the lead character is left with no choice but to find and team up with other witches in order to gather enough power to take her down.
Terra Branford - Final Fantasy VI
Although just about every old-school RPG like Final Fantasy has had a party system, there's usually a clear protagonist set for each - and Terra Branford is the very first character the player controls. She is also seen on the main cover of the game for Final Fantasy VI, with a clear outlook on her battles as a half-Esper—a creature capable of incredibly powerful magic.
With the ability to channel multiple forms and levels of magic that can be considered borderline dangerous, she's reluctant to use her powers. However, once she joins a rebel group looking to stop the empire that held her captive for her magic and experiments from taking over the world, she stops at nothing to channel everything she's got to create a better world.
Shanoa - Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
As the star of Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, Shanoa was a breath of fresh air for the series as she utilized magic, elements, and glyphs, over the usual whips and chains from the other great main protagonists in the series.
Her sense of power comes from a deep place of determination and need to restore the glyphs that claim her as a vessel. She also serves as a hunter looking to stop the return of Dracula and uses her wide knowledge of weaponry and magic to stop anything that stands in her way.
Yennefer - The Witcher
When it comes to The Witcher, both Triss and Yennefer are equally synonymous to the series as Geralt is. Yennefer, in particular, has had a difficult life, which has made her hard to trust the people around her. She also goes wherever benefits her most with little care for the people around her, giving her depth that most side characters in The Witcher tend to have.
The persistence of survival and making sure that she isn't taken advantage of has allowed Yennefer to hone her skills and utilize her magic in previously unthinkable ways, extending black magic far enough that she is even capable of necromancy.
Cia - Hyrule Warriors
Though Ganon has always been known to cause peril in Hyrule, Hyrule Warriors took a different approach, introducing a brand-new character, Lana, and her counterpart, Cia, into the game as powerful witches that represented the light and dark respectively. Cia was so immensely powerful that even after a multitude of bouts, Link and one of the most iconic video game swords of all time, the Master Sword, were still no match for the power Cia wielded.
After using her own life force to power her armies across Hyrule after her magic had faded, however, she would eventually come around. Once the campaign was complete, players could play as Cia freely to protect the dangers of Hyrule, completing missions and exerting a power that knew no bounds.
Morrigan - Dragon Age
Known as a Witch of the Wild, Morrigan is an immensely powerful sorceress that is key to the Dragon Age series as a whole, while also providing huge value to the growth of the main player character by teaching them specializations as she aids them in their adventure.
Though she can become both a companion and a romantic partner, her uncivilized upbringing has made her a terrifying force of power that should never be tested. She values independence and knowledge above all else despite any semblance of concern or endearment she may display, leading her to eventually become in a political position of power.
Alicia Claus - Bullet Witch
Though witches are known for using magic, Bullet Witch's unpredictable twist on what witches are capable of made the game stand out when it was released. It is still a unique adventure in its own right nearly fifteen years later with Alicia Claus, the main protagonist, wielding a gun and using that as her main form of combat over the magic-driven skill sets typically seen.
Alicia Claus's special broomstick-like gun is magically enhanced, however, as she slaughters a multitude of demons once they begin to take over the world. She quickly becomes recognized as a force to be reckoned with, undaunted by the size of a demon or hordes of mutated civilians, tearing apart anything in her way with powerful, unrivaled magic.
Jeanne - Bayonetta
Bayonetta's right-hand woman, long-time best friend, and occasional rival is just as powerful and capable as Bayonetta is in almost every way, with both having come from a line of Umbra Witches that protect and serve while fulfilling contracts.
Jeanne has plenty of time in every game to be experienced, and though her and Bayonetta's teaching are similar, they both have unique qualities that make playing Jeanne just as fun and powerful as Bayonetta. The duo is a great representation of yin and yang, and it's clear that Bayonetta wouldn't be who she is without Jeanne and vice-versa.