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{{trope}}
{{Video Game Examples Need Sorting}}
* Durandal from ''[[Marathon Trilogy|Marathon]]'' could be this, depending on how one interprets him. He's a self-aware AI that was meant for operating doors and elevators on a colony ship, and he ended up bringing a lone ship from an alien race of slavers to the ship. He does this all as a part of a big gambit to [[It Makes Sense in Context|become God of the next universe]]. Despite his seemingly selfish goals, he does allow the humans that the Pfhor enslaved (which he used as his army) to return to earth on a captured Pfhor vessel. And he may honestly believe that he is humanity's only hope, as he does go out of his way to keep the Pfhor from [[Added Alliterative Appeal|finding]] Earth.▼
Examples of [[{{TOPLEVELPAGE}}]]s in [[{{SUBPAGENAME}}]] include:
▲* Durandal from ''[[Marathon Trilogy|Marathon]]'' could be this, depending on how one interprets him. He's a self-aware AI that was meant for operating doors and elevators on a colony ship, and he ended up bringing a lone ship from an alien race of slavers to the ship. He does this all as a part of a big gambit to [[It Makes Sense in Context|become God of the next universe]]. Despite his seemingly selfish goals, he does allow the humans that the Pfhor enslaved (which he used as his army) to return to earth on a captured Pfhor vessel. And he may honestly believe that he is humanity's only hope, as he does go out of his way to keep the Pfhor from [[
* A rare PLAYABLE example is Cole, protagonist of ''[[Infamous (video game series)|In Famous]]'', if you choose to play him that way.
** The main antagonist, Kessler, doing all the evil things with the best of intentions for the grim future in order to combat The Beast.
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** Fettel's case becomes a bit more understandable when you consider the fact that {{spoiler|his grandfather deliberately made him that way.}}
* ''[[Fire Emblem]]: Genealogy of Holy War'': while it appears that Alvis makes a [[Face Heel Turn]] and kills all of Sigurd's army, he actually has a [[Freudian Excuse]] and isn't really that much of a villain, especially considering that {{spoiler|his son is far, far worse.}} He gives Sigurd's son his [[Infinity+1 Sword]]. Yeah, killing him made a real difference...''not.''
** One can also argue that Zephiel in ''Fire Emblem 6'' is also an [[Anti-Villain]], even if he has a different [[Freudian Excuse]] for deciding that [[Humans Are the Real Monsters|Humans Are Bastards]].
** Definitely a valid argument - and all the Bern Generals except [[Smug Snake|Narshen]] count, given their dispositions: [[The Dragon|Murdock]] was loyal ever since [[Used to Be a Sweet Kid|his king was a young and kind-hearted prince]], and dies trying to hold off Roy's forces; [[Dark Magical Girl|Brenya]] goes into battle knowing her liege is dead and she will join him, entirely out of loyalty; and [[Big Brother Mentor|Galle]] feels he cannot turn sides even after {{spoiler|both Zeiss and Miledy}} try to convince him, because he's chosen his path and won't betray it.
** Fire Emblem (Rekka no Ken): the original Black Fang were heroes of the common folk for eliminating tyrannical members of their home country's government. It wasn't until [[Big Bad|Nergal]] showed up that they started attacking innocents.
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*** ''Not even'' Glen! He disagrees with Vigarde's plans, actively opposes Valter, and refuses to harm Eirika when he finds her. If Valter hadn't killed him, he probably would've been automatically recruited for the next map.
** Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn has Zelgius, {{spoiler|Deghinsea, and Sephiran.}}
*** Raven King Naesala straddles the line between this and [[Anti-Hero]], since his [[Chronic Backstabbing Disorder|allegiances shift]] during the game.
* Miles Edgeworth in the ''[[Ace Attorney]]'' series. He's portrayed as an [[Amoral Attorney]] willing to do anything to get a conviction and keep his perfect record at first, but eventually, it's revealed that his use of questionable tactics are a result of genuine trust in the police's work and a massive hatred for unpunished crime, instilled in him by childhood trauma and a truly [[Evil Mentor]]. Though the change that comes over him is not as drastic as a [[Heel Face Turn]], he's easily one of the most interesting characters in the series.
** The murderer in the circus case from ''Justice for All'' would also fall under this trope. It's pointed out that the tragedy of this case is that nobody was really a bad person.
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** Aria T'Loak, bitch-queen of [[Wretched Hive|Omega]]. She professes no virtues beyond self-interest, and permits all manner of crime but she does try to keep some semblance of order, such as enforcing a quarantine when a plague breaks out. In ''[[Mass Effect 3]]'', she recognizes the Reaper threat, and puts her own personal vendetta against the Illusive Man on hold to help you defeat the Reapers, uniting the various mercenary companies to back your cause - under her command.
* Ser Cullen and Ser Thrask of the Kirkwall Templars in ''[[Dragon Age II]]'' serve as the game's Anti-Villains, with Thrask seeking to aid mages on the run rather than executing them or seizing them and forcing them to join the Circle (he will, however, accept a peaceful surrender to prevent bloodshed), and Cullen turning against Knight-Commander Meredith once it becomes clear to him how crazy she has become after {{spoiler|Anders blows up the Chantry, and Meredith calls for the Right of Annulment on the Kirkwall Circle, and on the off-chance that Hawke supports the templars, she orders for Hawke's execution instead of arrest}}.
** On that topic,
** For that matter, the Knight-Commander herself. She saves the [[
* General Forsythe from ''[[Advance Wars]]: Days of Ruin'', though he declares war against the player's country in the game, barely qualifies as a villain. When [[Mad Scientist|Caulder]] offers him powerful, but horrible, weapons that could guarantee his victory in one of the early missions, he is appalled and flatly refuses. Shortly later, it is revealed that he does not kill POWs, considering it to be dishonorable. To top it all off, {{spoiler|when he loses the war, he accepts full responsibility for the war so as to spare his soldiers and lower-ranking commanders, accepting execution by the [[General Ripper|insane, power hungry Commander]] Greyfield.}}
** Even the declaration of war is ambiguous, considering that Davis is the one who says that Lazuria started it, and he probably heard this from Greyfield ([[Sarcasm Mode|paragon of honesty, that man]]). It's more likely that Greyfield started the war and told everyone that Forsythe did, while Forsythe hopes to end the war by defeating Greyfield. Forsythe is a [[Hero Antagonist]].
* Inuart in ''[[Drakengard]]'' goes from being [[The Lancer]] of your group to a [[Rival Turned Evil]] thanks to the [[Big Bad]]'s [[More Than Mind Control|brainwashing]], assuming the position of her [[The Dragon|Dragon]]. He comes to his senses when his true love is killed as part of the [[Big Bad]]'s plans, and then becomes a [[Well-Intentioned Extremist]], wanting to [[Necromantic|bring her back to life]]. Delusioned, perhaps, but one can't help feeling sorry for him and [[Unwitting Pawn|how he was manipulated.]]
* Meta Knight from the ''[[Kirby]]'' video game series. Although technically an opponent of Kirby, he's a rather enigmatic character who follows his own code of honor, and always [[Let's Fight Like Gentlemen|throws Kirby a sword and power-ups before their one-on-one battles]]. [[Word of God]] says that Meta's main antagonism towards Kirby is a result of the latter's tendency towards [[Nice Job Breaking It, Hero]] moments.
** King Dedede is not only an [[Anti-Villain]], but he probably got here BEFORE Meta Knight. [[Affably Evil]]? Check. Doggedly loyal to his minions? Check. Copious amounts of [[Foe Yay]]? Dear sweet god, check. Half the times they fight, Kirby only thinks Dedede's up to no good when he's actually not (or even [[
*** Dedede's Antivillain status is even included in the story mode for ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]. Brawl'' where he starts stealing the trophies (corpses) of various heroes from Wario, presumably because he's trying to complete the same evil task as the other villains. He takes them to his castle and puts strange Dedede pins on them. Turns out, these pins are time-release detrophyfiers that bring said heroes back to life just in time for them to become the final resistance against the real villain. Dedede even selflessly gives his own pin to whichever Princess he captured when he realizes that he doesn't have enough to save himself and the heroes.
*** This does not, however, excuse Dedede's vices, like his [[Crosses the Line Twice|gluttony, which started his antagonism with Kirby in the first game]], and his determination to better Kirby in anything, no matter how pointless, which, ironically, are qualities shared by Kirby and, occasionally, Meta Knight, respectively.
*** Both are such a light shade of [[Anti-Villain]] that fandom who don't know of the term often refer to them as a type of [[Anti-Hero]].
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** The Strigon Team from ''[[Ace Combat]] 6'' also fits. You can read their bios after downing their jets, and some have dialogue throughout the campaign. Most are soldiers loyal to their country, which had recently been through a brutal civil war. Their leaders, Voycheck and Pasternak, are very concerned about their squad mates' well-being, and {{spoiler|Voycheck eventually betrays his government in order to stop their plans to destroy a predominately civilian-filled city as a way of payback, even as Pasternak sacrifices himself (and his nigh-unstoppable super-plane) to save the lives of his wingmen when he realizes that the player character would easily shoot down all of them if they all came at him at once.}}
* Saturos and Menardi in ''[[Golden Sun]]'' and Agartio and Karst in ''[[Golden Sun]]: The Lost Age'' are interesting examples. In the first game, they appear completely ruthless and apparently want to light the 4 lighthouses to abuse the power of alchemy. After their defeat at the hand of the player, Felix, who was believed to be merely held captive by them, tries to continue their goal. In the second game, it is revealed that the "bad guys" were actually trying to ''save'' their homeland (and, by extension, the world) from destruction and were merely justifying the means. The heroes of the first game later join Felix's group in their quest to activate the lighthouses and actually work together with the replacement new "villain" couple.
* The Controller of ''[[Armored Core]] 3'' plays on this, as an interesting twist to the typical [[
* Reptile from ''[[Mortal Kombat]]'' is typically portrayed in a somewhat sympathetic light; while most of the villains are after absolute power, he is always attempting to resurrect his race, of which he is typically portrayed as the [[Sole Survivor]]. He is, however, still completely willing to kill for his [[Evil Overlord|masters]] in order to see this through. In most of his endings, Reptile is betrayed by his far more evil masters, and his goals are never realized.
* Magus of ''[[Chrono Trigger]]'' is a decent enough example. In 600 A.D. he's the Fiendlord, head of an army of magical demihumans waging war on humanity...officially. In the meanwhile, he's brooding in his keep, trying to summon and destroy the [[Eldritch Abomination]] that [[Dead Little Sister|took his big sister away]], drove his mother to madness, and destroyed his home, while his "generals" led the campaigns and are the only ones interested in the war. That said, he did kill the heroic knight Cyrus (in self defense?) and turned Frog into a...well, [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|frog]]. But hey, he has [[Pet the Dog|pet the cat]] moments.
** Magus was always a slightly cold person, as evidenced by your party's encounters with his youthful counterpart, Jacky/Janus. Losing his only friends (his sister and cat), to say nothing of becoming displaced in time, simply made him moreso, hence, while he could presumably care less about whether the Guardians or Ozzie's armies won the war, he still was a wicked enough person that he probably did enjoy inflicting suffering on others (assuming Frog's flashback of Cyrus' death didn't exaggerate Magus' cruelty).
{{quote|'''Ayla''': Strange boy... But not bad boy.}}
* Dhaos, the [[Big Bad]] of ''[[Tales of Phantasia]]'', appears to be a ruthless [[Sealed Evil in a Can]] that aims to destroy all of mankind. However, after his defeat by the heroes, he regrets that it didn't have to end that way and reveals that he was actually the leader of an alien planet named Derris Kharlan, which had become ravaged by a great war and was slowly dying without a tree of mana to support it. In order to obtain a mana seed, he came to Aselia, but that planet's mana tree, Yggdrasil, was in danger of dying itself due to the development of [[Magitek]]. He attempted to warn the leaders of the research in Midgard, beseeching them to stop, but when that failed, he decided that [[Humans Are the Real Monsters|Humans Are Bastards]] and waged war on Midgard to force them to stop Magitek research. The heroes feel guilty, as they've effectively doomed Derris Kharlan by killing its would be savior. In the end, Martel, the spirit of Yggdrasil, transforms Dhaos' body into a mana seed and transports it to his home planet.
** For that matter, the [[Big Bad]] in almost ANY [[Tales (series)]] game is an [[Anti-Villain]], although some more than others, since they may be revealed at the end of the game or the last few hours.
** The supposed [[Big Bad]] of ''[[Tales of Destiny]]'', Hugo Gilchrist, could count. {{spoiler|Turns out, he's being possessed by the true [[Big Bad]], Miktran/Kronos, to do every single one of his atrocities, and he only managed to save Rutee from being swept to the madness he's in, in the last moments of his sanity and could only tell everything just when he's on death's door.}} For that matter, a non-[[Big Bad]] example is Leon Magnus, who's only out for the safety of his surrogate mother figure, Marian, {{spoiler|who's being used by a possessed Hugo as a bargaining chip.}} Yes, this occurs in both the original and remake version.
** Shizel claims she is removing all the negative emotions from the world by destroying Eternia in ''[[Tales of Eternia]]'', except this is more of a case of {{spoiler|her being possessed by Nereid, the evil twin of Seyfert, and what better for the God of destruction to favor if not saving the world by destroying it?}} Another set of twists involved {{spoiler|her coming to her senses and using the Dark Fibril at the end instead of Meredy, thus saving her daughter's life.}}
** ''[[Tales of the Abyss]]'' features many Anti Villains, even if they barely fit into this trope, considering that their idea of saving the world would wind up destroying it in the process.
** ''[[Tales of Symphonia]]'' loves this trope. Almost every villain winds up being an [[Anti-Villain]] in their own way, even if some were moreso than others.
*** Even more in [[Tales Of Symphonia/Dawn Of The New World|the sequel]]. Richter continues this tradition even if there are some classic villains like Alice and Decus to try balancing it out.
** ''[[Tales of Legendia]]'' had this with the Ferines and the Raging Nerifes, the primary antagonists of the second half of the "Main quest". The game reveals that the Legacy dropped from another world and eventually became land. While it drops tantalizing hints throughout the game that {{spoiler|that it was the Ferines that come from another world}}, at the very end, it is instead revealed by Maurits that {{spoiler|the Ferines were the original inhabitants of the world of ''[[Tales of Legendia]]''. It was the Oerines, the people of the land, who came on the legacy and created land at the cost of many Ferines' lives. Moses puts it best when he said, "We're the invaders?!" thanks to many events happening in the history of Legendia where the Oerines had waged war on the Ferines.}}
*** And in the character quest, Schwartz, {{spoiler|the other half of Grune}}, was, acting like she was just granting the desires of mankind.
** ''[[Tales of Vesperia]]'' also uses this trope with the final [[Big Bad]], {{spoiler|Duke}}. While the first two Big Bads, Barbos and {{spoiler|Alexei}} were just greedy and cruel, {{spoiler|Duke}} becomes the [[Big Bad]] after deciding that [[Humans Are the Real Monsters|Humans Are Bastards]] thanks to the great war and {{spoiler|Alexei}} stupidly summoning the Adephagos, and winds up acting like Shizel and deciding to save the planet and not the people.
*** Except that {{spoiler|Duke}} also subverts it when {{spoiler|he is actually just knocked unconscious instead of being defeated after a two to three stage battle, then when Duke comes to his senses, he actually sees eye to eye with the main protagonists of the game and then joins them and ends up saving the day instead of keeping his ideals to the very end.}}
*** Although much closer to being a "true" villain than {{spoiler|Duke,}} even {{spoiler|Alexei}} could still be considered this because, as {{spoiler|he points out, his ultimate objectives are not all that different from Brave Vesperia's own objectives. Like them, he is attempting to end the Empire's stagnation and the various other problems in the world. The primary difference is that while Yuri is willing to use almost any means to reach his goals while working as a free man, and Flynn upholds Imperial law while attempting to reform the Empire from within, Alexei uses any and all means available to him, including resources outside of the Empire's sphere of influence. What cements him as this trope best is his own appeal to the party: "Not ONE of you believes the Empire is in the right!"}}
* The Magic Emperor from ''[[Lunar]]'' is a definite example. He plays a [[Genre Savvy]] [[Card-Carrying Villain]] for most of the game, but his motives are not entirely selfish. {{spoiler|He decides to take over the world because the goddess Althena abdicated her role and left humanity to fend for itself.}} His true desire is to save humanity from itself, as is made obvious by his clear anguish during his [[Face Heel Turn]]. {{spoiler|He also pulls a [[Heel Face Turn]] in the sequel.}}
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* Bian Zoldark from ''[[Super Robot Wars]] [[Original Generation]]'' (though apparently not in his original appearance in ''[[Super Robot Wars]] 2''). He interrupts a secret peace talk between the government and some aliens, starting a war in the process, and creates the Divine Crusaders under the premise that the government planned to surrender to the invaders, and only by overthrowing them and uniting mankind can the Earth be saved. What he doesn't mention is that he knew all along that the aliens were actually planning to betray them and enslave humanity, and he certainly wouldn't mind it at all if a group of heroes showed up that were capable of defending the Earth themselves. He even goes out of his way to make sure the protagonists make it to their final battle with him.
** In his previous appearances in ''[[Super Robot Wars]] 2/2G'', his actions are also based on the knowledge that aliens will be coming to Earth and, as things currently stand, would have no problems annihilating it. Unlike in [[Original Generation]] however, the player and characters in game have no idea that the aliens in question even exist, and Bian's motivation appears to be based on [[World Domination]], which is not really helped by the company he keeps.
* ''[[Darkstalkers]]'' has [[Cosmic Horror]] Pyron and [[Dark Messiah]] Jedah. Pyron was prime [[Big Bad]] material in the original games, considering that he's essentially [[Galactus]] except he destroys planets [[For the Evulz|for fun]], but the [[
* Virtually every human opponent in the ''[[Xenosaga]]'' series.
** Each of the Testaments has their own reason for supporting Wilhelm's manipulations of the universe's time-space. Albedo {{spoiler|wants to protect Jr. from Yuriev incarnate in Nigredo; Virgil wants to be reunited with a Realian who taught him compassion, Febronia; and Kevin wants to be reunited with his dead mother and Shion.}} Voyager, however, is still a prick.
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* ''[[Touhou]]'' is ''loaded'' with these, almost to the exclusion of anything else. Virtually every [[Big Bad]] was simply misunderstood, or didn't realize the risks that their actions entailed, and could be convinced to stop...just as soon as the requisite [[Defeat Means Friendship|shooting was through]]. In fact, after the eleventh game featured a villain who actually had a [[The End of the World as We Know It|blatantly destructive and evil goal]], the game's creator, ZUN, decided to go for a far more light-hearted sequel.
** In fact, even Utsuho (the aforementioned evil villain) had an [[With Great Power Comes Great Insanity|excuse]], and went more or less back to her [[The Ditz|old self]] after the events of the game. She is still the evilest Touhou character, though; so, to compensate, in the sequel, we got final boss Byakuren "[[Messianic Archetype|Youkai Jesus]]" Hijiri...
*** [[White and Grey Morality|No one in Touhou is really evil]]. Utsuho had a good reason, too, in addition to her [[With Great Power Comes Great Insanity]] excuse. She [[Poor Communication Kills|misunderstood Kanako's explanation]] that her power over nuclear fusion could be used to 'fulfill the wishes of both the Underworld and the Surface World'. This actually meant providing nuclear power for the Kappa's technology, who were working for Kanako, but being a Hell Raven (and kind of an [[What an Idiot!|idiot]]), as in a [[Blue and Orange Morality|youkai that lives in the fires of hell]], her interpretation was to [[Well-Intentioned Extremist|wreathe the whole world in flame and rule over it since, from her point of view, that's a good thing]].
*** That tree, [[Sealed Evil in a Can|Saigyou]] [[When Trees Attack|Ayakashi]].
* [[Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds|Count Bleck]] from ''[[Super Paper Mario]]''. How many [[Big Bad
** To a lesser extent, Bowser himself qualifies as this in some games (like ''[[Paper Mario (franchise)|SPM]]'' and ''[[Super Mario RPG|SMRPG]]''), but they have affected his evilness and he unwittingly shows he is even slightly capable of goodness. Also, from ''[[Super Mario Sunshine]]'' on, he has become more and more incompetent and his attempted "evil plots" are defective (especially in the Party games) and would never work, whether Mario defeats him or not. The ''Galaxy'' games are another
* From ''[[Final Fantasy]]'':
** ''[[Final Fantasy VI]]'''s General Leo [[My Country, Right or Wrong|may have worked for the bad guys]], but he's [[A Father to His Men|the model of honorable conduct]] throughout the game. He [[Badass Normal|refused]] [[Magitek]] infusion, holds back his forces at the siege of Doma in order to minimize casualties on the other side, and apologizes to your party for the atrocities [[The Empire]] committed during the course of the game. This is especially in contrast with ''another'' general in the army, [[Omnicidal Maniac|Kefka,]] {{spoiler|and Leo even fights and [[Heroic Sacrifice|dies]] trying to stop Kefka from slaughtering the escaped Espers and collecting their power later in the game.}}
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** The Guardians of Neo Arcadia in ''[[Mega Man Zero]]'' (especially Harpuia) are even more sympathetic.
*** Also, Craft, who was only a villain for two reasons. The first, because [[Big Bad|Weil]] controlled Neo Arcadia and could kill anyone he wanted with that power over the Reploids and humans. The second, so that Craft could rescue and protect Neige before Area Zero was destroyed. It ended up making him [[Love Makes You Crazy|go Maverick]] and fire [[Kill Sat|Ragnarok's]] laser cannon [[Heel Face Turn|RIGHT AT WEIL]].
* The titular [[Evil Overlord
* [[Final Fantasy IV|Golbez]] is this in ''[[Dissidia Final Fantasy]]''. He's downright polite when facing off against the heroes, saving the [[Defector From Decadence|trash-talking]] for when dealing with the other villains in Chaos' faction. {{spoiler|And reflecting his [[Heel Face Turn]] from the original game, he turns out to be a [[Stealth Mentor]] for Cecil. By the end of the game, his role in the story can [[Good All Along|hardly be called antagonistic.]]}}
** In the prequel, ''Duodecim'', {{spoiler|Kuja}} is very similar to Golbez. Unfortunately for everyone involved, he gets [[Brainwashed]] by Kefka via application of [[Fake Memories]] near the end, ensuring his full-on villainy in the original.
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** In the first Dissidia, Jecht acted as an [[Anti-Villain]], as he only ended up fighting alongside Chaos so he could find his son Tidus and go home with him. {{spoiler|It's later revealed that he wasn't even a Warrior of Chaos from the start, but was originally a Warrior of Cosmos. It was implied that the only reason he switched sides was because the Emperor had him brainwashed by Chaos.}}
* Certain characters in ''[[Saya no Uta]]''. Yeah, Fuminori has crossed the [[Moral Event Horizon]] at some point, and continues to [[Kick the Dog]] by regarding Yoh as his sex slave after Saya mutates him. Still, you gotta pity him when he loses his beloved Saya, the one person who comforted him. His condition he's had from before the story started. Can't really blame him for hating everyone other than Saya. Saya, for her part, just wanted to find love, but it is in her nature to die and mutate the planet's entire population, and she also meant it as a gift for him to make his life still worth living after her's ended. Meanwhile, Kouji and Dr. Tanbo are out to kill the two of them, but only to avenge Yoh and to save humanity, respectively. And let's also mention Yousuke, who only killed his wife and daughter, and then tried to rape Saya because of psychosis after Saya corrupted his brain earlier on.
* {{spoiler|Ashur}} from ''The Pitt'' DLC of ''[[Fallout]] 3''. Based on what you hear and learn about him as the story goes on, he seems like a textbook [[Evil Overlord]]. Then you meet him yourself, and find out that {{spoiler|he's really just a (mostly) honest, fair-minded ruler who genuinely cares about his city and family, and actually takes no pleasure in his use of slaves and intends to release all of them once the mutation cure can be distributed.}} By this point, it looks like {{spoiler|Ashur}} is the good guy and ''{{spoiler|Wernher}}'' is the true villain. In fact, if it weren't for the fact that {{spoiler|Ashur's}} main servants are [[
** Also, to some degree, [[The Dragon|Colonel Autumn]]. While he seems to be just as ruthless as his superior, in the last encounter, he reveals that {{spoiler|he intends to use the water purifier to bring water to the local population, and that he did everything to prevent [[President Evil|President Eden]]'s planned total genocide from occuring.}}
*** [[President Evil|President Eden]] himself could also count, as he genuinely believe his own PR and thinks that what he is doing is for the good of the people. He has heroic goals (restoring humanity/America and providing the whole world with food/clean water/safety) but has been misled to {{spoiler|believe the only way to achieve this is to "purify" the world by wiping out all strains of mutation by killing anyone mutated.}} He is arguable redeemable if {{spoiler|your speech is high enough that you can convince him he is making a huge mistake, and he will listen to you}}.
** The best example was probably [[The Master (trope)|The Master]] from the original Fallout. He wants to forcibly turn every living human on the planet into super mutants, however, he has a very good reason. He believes that humans will just tear themselves apart fighting unless they are all one race, which you can't really argue with since you live in a nuclear wasteland precisely because humans fought, and because he believes super mutants are better at surviving, which, once again, is really solid because they are stronger than humans and are completely immune to radiation. He also holds no ill will against humans as a whole; in his new world order, humans would be allowed to live the rest of their lives safe and under the protection of his army, though he wouldn't allow them to breed. However, you can reveal to him that this plan won't work because his mutants are sterile (and not very bright), and he'll do something few other villains ever do: realize his plan won't work and just stop. That's it, not even a fight. He'll realize that everything he thought he was doing for the greater good was actually not good for anyone, and will be so stricken with grief upon realizing this that he'll kill himself and destroy the mutant army. [[Tear Jerker|It's sad, really, as he's probably the most sympathetic character in the entire game.]]
** {{spoiler|Dr. Mobius}} in ''[[Fallout: New Vegas]]'' DLC ''Old World Blues''. While you're told by the Think Tanks that he's going to doom them all, the true story is that {{spoiler|Mobius is the sanest of the scientists in Big MT, who, upon realizing that his former compatriots are all dangerous lunatics, reprogrammed their personalities into being stuck in a repetitive cycle and antagonized them with robo-scorpions to give them something to focus on, hoping that they won't try to leave and terrorize the outside world.}} When you finally meet him, {{spoiler|he's actually a kindly yet a bit senile old man whose own psychotic behavior is mostly due to his addiction to Mentats and Psycho.}}
* In ''[[Knights of the Old Republic]] II'', Darth Revan was given almost exactly the same treatment as Thrawn up in the Literature section. Even though {{spoiler|you could make Revan as genuinely evil as you wanted in ''Knights 1''}}, both Kreia and Goto refer to Revan as something of an [[Magnificent Bastard|enlightened despot]], and that his master plan, [[Xanatos Gambit|whether he won or lost his initial campaign]], was to leave the galaxy strong enough to take on an even greater threat from outside the galaxy.
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* [[Alternative Character Interpretation|Depending on how you play the game,]] ''[[Heavy Rain]]'''s {{spoiler|Scott Shelby}} counts. {{spoiler|Throughout the game, he saves the [[Hooker with a Heart of Gold]] from being beaten by a former client, stops a convenience store robbery, prevents a woman's suicide attempt while also caring for her baby, and brings down a [[Psychopathic Manchild]]. Oh, and he also goes around drowning kids, all so he can force their fathers to go through [[Death Trap|DeathTraps]] because he had a terrible childhood.}} Ah, the wonders of [[Grey and Gray Morality]].
** And, {{spoiler|in the ending where only he and Ethan survive,}} he is so impressed with {{spoiler|Ethan's}} tenacity that {{spoiler|he offers to ''let Ethan kill him'', having finally seen a father willing to sacrifice everything for his son.}}
* Like with ''[[Xenogears]]'' above, the [[Does This Remind You of Anything?|oddly similar]] ''[[Wild
** Cocytus member Ptolomea is [[A Father to His Men]], and has a strong streak of honor to him even as he's cooperating in committing acts of terrorism. {{spoiler|When he finally dies, his last request to his adversaries is trying to protect the lives of his men.}}
** [[Goldfish Poop Gang|Liz and Ard]] have ulterior motives for working with [[Western Terrorists|Odessa]], in that they believe it will help them {{spoiler|repair their spaceship so they can return home}}.
** {{spoiler|Irving Vold Valeria is finally revealed to be [[The Chessmaster]] of most of the game's events, having founded and bankrolled Odessa's operations while simultaneously doing the same for ARMS, in an [[Xanatos Roulette|elaborate gambit]] to force Filgaia to somehow mobilize all its resources to get ready to fight against an approaching [[Eldritch Abomination]] gradually devouring the universe.}}
* Before ''The Burning Crusade'' [[Flanderization|derailed his character into a one-dimensional madman]], Illidan Stormrage of ''[[Warcraft]]'' spent much of ''[[Warcraft III]]'' as one of these after {{spoiler|consuming the Skull of Gul'dan and turning into a half-demon, half-night elf hybrid}}. He goes through the rest of his appearances using increasingly-dangerous and morally-questionable means to fulfill his goals, {{spoiler|allies with the series [[Big Bad
** [[Well-Intentioned Extremist|Kael'thas Sunstrider]] also counts pre ''[[World of Warcraft]]'', where he was also derailed into card carrying villainy, considering he was left with no other apparent option to save his people during the events of [[Warcraft III]].
* By the end of ''[[
* [[Conversational Troping|Conversed about]] in ''[[Persona 3]] Portable''. Junpei doesn't like anti-villains, because they're not as satisfying to beat. {{spoiler|1=If you played the original PS2 game beforehand and already know about his relationship with [[Dating Catwoman|Chidori]] and friendship with [[Tragic Monster|Ryoji]], you'll understand the irony.}}
* ''[[Pokémon Black and White]]'' has {{spoiler|N, who's a particularly [[Tear Jerker|heartbreaking example]]. Let's recap: all he wanted to do throughout the entire game was to liberate Pokemon from trainers, who he believed were abusing and enslaving them. And then you find out that the entire team he was meant to be in control of was just a front for [[Big Bad|Ghetsis]] to trick the world's trainers into releasing their Pokemon so he'd have no opposition, and he manipulated N into spreading this word and asserting himself as a hero so Reshiram/Zekrom would appear before him and Ghetsis could indirectly ([[Offing the Offspring|or directly]]) have control over them as well. And that he deliberately raised N to fulfill this role, segregating him from people and letting him be raised by Pokemon who had been abused by trainers, so he'd believe that [[Humans Are
* [[Star Control|The Ur-Quan.]] Especially the green Kzer-Za. Sure, they enslave other races and they're merciless to those who disobey them, but that's all due to their [[Freudian Excuse]], which they will explain once you learn the [[Arc Words]]. In addition to their sympathetic backstory, they also seem to have a sense of honor; if you [[Nonstandard Game Over|surrender to them]], they promise to spare your crew. They are also willing to let you peacably leave their space (once) if you warn them about the return of the cause of their [[Freudian Excuse]], regardless of you still being their enemy.
** [[Omnicidal Maniac|Their genocidal brethren]], the Kohr-Ah, are less sympathetic...but since they share the same background, they may still qualify.
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** The Prince himself may count. He spends the entirety of the game as the Hero until {{spoiler|the very end of the game, where he places his own wishes/emotions not only ahead of the safety of the world, but the wishes of Elika herself, by undoing all he did throughout the game in order to resurrect her, releasing all the evil back into the world.}}
* King Logan in ''[[Fable]] III'' is revealed to be one. While he is directly responsible for many terrible things (such as deforestation, making Reaver in charge of industry, and abandoning Aurora) he is revealed to {{spoiler|only be doing this to save everyone in the long run.}}
* Big Boss in ''[[Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake]]'' probably qualifies as one. When fighting Kyle Schneider, he reveals that Big Boss was the one who saved his resistance from the Outer Heaven bombings commenced by NATO (in case you're wondering why this is notable, it's because Schneider was opposing Big Boss's group, Outer Heaven).
** Not just him, but his mentor, The Boss from [[Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater]], counts as well. She was branded as a traitor of America even though {{spoiler|she was actually a [[Fake Defector]] who was just trying to defend her country from the inside of Russia and would bear the World's hate on her shoulders to do so. It's her [[Tear Jerker|death by the hands of Big Boss himself]] that turns him into an [[Anti-Villain]] in the first place.}}
** Solidus Snake created a terrorist group to oppose the Patriots, but he only intended to do so because the Patriots were trying to eliminate everything America stood for (Liberty, for one thing), and he also took in people no one else wanted (eg, Ocelot and Olga, who ironically [and unfortuately for him] turned out to be Patriot agents, although the latter was an unwilling agent), and not out of any desire for power. It's also hinted before the mass RAY battle that although he intended to kill Raiden, he was saddened to have to do so, especially when the Patriots essentially brainwashed Raiden.
* ''[[Assassin's Creed]]'' has Templars, the main antagonists of the game who murder innocent people and attempt to conquer the world. The catch? They have exactly the same goal as the protagonists - world peace - except that the Templars would rather be quick about it and use {{spoiler|ancient mind control technology, instead of letting people decide for themselves.}} Another example of an Anti-Villain would be Rodrigo Borgia, who, after his {{spoiler|defeat in [[Assassin's Creed II]], softened up a lot and attempted to have the real big bad, his own son, assassinated to prevent him from causing further harm.}}
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* Albus from ''[[Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia]]''.
* Yasha in ''[[Asura's Wrath]]'' who despite following the cause, starts to question weather the other Demi-gods way of trying to stop vlitra via {{spoiler|Stealing human souls}} is the right way. {{spoiler|Deus, to a lesser extent, is one of these as well}}.
* ''[[Dragon Fable]]'': Vayle {{spoiler|also known as the Necromantress}} joined Noxus {{spoiler|because he promised to help her revive her brother, Edgar, who Noxus killed just because he happened to be just another person in Noxus' way}}. She notably is not at all happy with the PC and Artix {{spoiler|after they destroyed the spirit crystal housing Edgar's soul}}. Later got an upgrade into near-full hero status.
** Xan is also motivated by more than simply killing stuff with fire. {{spoiler|Understandably, he's still pissed at Warlic for being a spoiled, immature dick and trapping Jannia in a crystal.}}
* [[God of War (series)|Kratos]] is a [[Villain Protagonist|Type II Anti-Villain]], [[Evil vs. Evil|when he's not a]] [[Sliding Scale of Anti-Heroes|Type V Anti-Hero]].
* Arantir from ''[[Dark Messiah of Might and Magic|Dark Messiah]]'' was determined to {{spoiler|keep your demon sovereign father from opening up back into the world, but to do so, he needed souls to empower the barrier. Being a necromancer with a large following, his decision was to terrorize the city of Stonehelm (a major setting) and kill the people living there. Hence near the end of the game how he said quote "A few lives for an entire world. Quite a bargain, really."}}
* A straight up playable example from the [[Grand Theft Auto (series)|Grand Theft Auto]] series. Carl "C.J." Johnson from [[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas|San Andreas.]]
** Niko Bellic as well in [[Grand Theft Auto IV|GTAIV.]]
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