Antagonist Title: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

When you want to use a [[Character Title|character's name for a title]], you have several options. The most obvious choice is [[The Hero]]'s name, but you could also go with a [[Secondary Character Title]]. Or you could title it after your protagonist's primary antagonist.

 

 

This is one title you do not want to mix with [[I Am Not Shazam]] or [[Protagonist Title Fallacy]].

 

* ''[[Noein]]''

* ''[[Puella Magi Oriko Magica]]''. Oriko may not prove to be a ''villain'', but she's definitely an antagonist.

* ''[[Pluto]]'': the protagonist is detective Gesicht, hunting down robot [[Serial Killer]] Pluto.

 

== [[Film]] ==

* The film adaptation of ''[[Trilby]]'' was called ''Svengali'' after the story's villain.

** Apparently the Maitlands were originally supposed to be who the movie was named after. Beetlejuice was chosen after the character proved to be more interesting.

* ''[[The Jackal]]'': the title character is the assassin the FBI is hunting.

* ''[[Hollow Man]]''.

 

 

== [[Literature]] ==

** Note that in-universe, the title is meant to be a contraction of ''The Downfall of the Lord of the Rings and the Return of the King''.

** This is a major difference between the two Swedish translations, where the old one called the series ''Härskarringen ("The Master Ring")'', and the newer one bore the title ''Ringarnas Herre ("The Lord of the Rings")''.

* ''[[The Witches]]'' by Roald Dahl. The unnamed orphan is the protagonist.

* Many of the novellas about [[The Shadow]], by Walter B. Gibson in the 1930s.

* ''[[The Phantom of the Opera]]'': Disregarding the [[Draco in Leather Pants]] effect, Raoul and Christine are the protagonists in the original novel. [[Protagonist Title Fallacy]] applies.

** ''[[Christine]]''

** ''[[Cujo]]''

** ''[[IT]]''

** ''[[Misery]]''

* Three of the ''[[Redwall]]'' series books are named for the main villain or group of villains: ''Marlfox'', ''Doomwyte'', and ''The Sable Quean''.

 

 

 

 

== [[Tabletop Games]] ==

 

 

== [[Video Games]] ==

* A fairly large amount of [[The Golden Age of Video Games|golden age arcade games]], such as ''[[Donkey Kong]]'', ''[[Sinistar]]'', ''Centipede'', ''[[Space Invaders]]'', and ''[[Qix]]''.

* ''[[Parasite Eve]]''

* In Japan, ''[[Zone of the Enders|Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner]]'' is known as ''ANUBIS: Zone of the Enders'', which is the name of [[Big Bad|antagonist]] [[Omnicidal Maniac|Colonel Nohman]]'s [[Humongous Mecha|Orbital Frame]].

* While technically not a character, ''[[Metal Gear]]'' is the name of the eponymous bipedal tank the player faces at the end of the most games.

* ''[[Metroid]]'' and ''[[Metroid Prime]]''.

* The original title of ''[[Bad Dudes]] vs. Dragon Ninja'' was simply ''Dragon Ninja''.

* ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog|Dr Robotnik's]] [[Puyo Pop|Mean Bean Machine]]''.

* ''[[Diablo]]''.

* ''[[Hydorah]]''

* ''[[Castlevania]]'' is the castle in which Dracula lives, but in Japan, it's known as ''Devil's Castle Dracula'', referring to both the castle and its lord.

* ''[[Snatcher]]'', named after the race of bioroids that the player faces in the game.

* ''[[Soul Series|Soul Edge]]'', the first game in the series, was titled after the eponymous evil sword, which serves as [[Living Weapon|the primary motivating antagonist]] of the entire series. The name was changed to ''Soul Blade'' in the US for trademark reasons; later games were named after Soul Edge's [[Big Good|polar opposite,]] Soul Calibur. {{spoiler|However, Soul Calibur's [[Knight Templar|later actions]] seem to be bringing this trope back to the series...}}

** ''The Burning Crusade'' and ''Cataclysm'' also fit, in that every title boils down to "What is it that you have to stop" rather than "Whom"

* The [[Carmen Sandiego]] games (''Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?'', ''Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego?'', etc.) are all named for the antagonist, an elusive criminal mastermind that you, as an unnamed investigator, must track down.

* ''[[The Tale of Alltynex]]''

* ''Wario's Woods'' is the only game with Wario's name in the title (aside from ''Mario and Wario'', which lists the more obvious hero first) in which he is the antagonist. The protagonist is Toad, with support from Birdo.

 

 

== [[Western Animation]] ==

* ''[[The Pirates of Dark Water]]''

 

[[Category:Title Tropes]]

[[Category:Antagonist Title]]