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{{trope}}
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{{quote|''Do not offer them riches, they care not for your coin. Do not offer them surrender, they care not for victory. Offer them nothing, for they come only to murder.''
|'''On the [[The Fair Folk|Dark]] [[Our Elves Are Better|Eldar]]''', ''[[Warhammer 40,000]]''}}
A common conceit of the sci-fi and fantasy genres (and especially games of those genres) is the notion of not an organization, not a clan, not a city, but an entire ''race'' of bad guys who [[Card-Carrying Villain|brag about how
▲{{quote|''Do not offer them riches, they care not for your coin. Do not offer them surrender, they care not for victory. Offer them nothing, for they come only to murder.''|'''On the [[The Fair Folk|Dark]] [[Our Elves Are Better|Eldar]]''', ''[[Warhammer 40000]]''}}
▲A common conceit of the sci-fi and fantasy genres (and especially games of those genres) is the notion of not an organization, not a clan, not a city, but an entire ''race'' of bad guys who [[Card-Carrying Villain|brag about how]] '''''Evil''''' they are. All of the racial members behave evilly, because - let's face it - ''[[Star Trek (Franchise)|Star Trek]]'' would've been really boring if [[The Kirk|Kirk]] had to interview every Klingon he met before punching them out. This may sometimes go so far that a [[Final Solution]] against the defined-as-evil race is portrayed [[Would Be Rude to Say Genocide|in a quite cheerful light]].
How, exactly, these folk have [[Planet of Hats|unanimously embraced one ethos]] (especially [[Evil Will Fail|one so detrimental to the survival of the group]]), when [[Disproportionate Retribution|humans have been known to kill each other over how many fingers are used in a ritual blessing]], is often unknown and inconsequential. When the ethos is [[Justified Trope|justified]], often the race is explicitly artificial in origin, rather than natural. Their nature is determined by the evil individual who created them as slaves/warriors/
▲Though the [[Trope Namer]] is ''[[Dungeons and Dragons]]'', this trope is actually [[Older Than Dirt]] -- are there any myths and folk tales that ''don't'' have some creatures that are portrayed as always evil? Naturally, its subversions have also existed for quite a long time.
▲How, exactly, these folk have [[Planet of Hats|unanimously embraced one ethos]] (especially [[Evil Will Fail|one so detrimental to the survival of the group]]), when [[Disproportionate Retribution|humans have been known to kill each other over how many fingers are used in a ritual blessing]], is often unknown and inconsequential. When the ethos is [[Justified Trope|justified]], often the race is explicitly artificial in origin, rather than natural. Their nature is determined by the evil individual who created them as slaves/warriors/etc -- thus dodging the problem that [[Children Are Innocent]]. This is often reinforced by having their society believe in [[Asskicking Equals Authority]]...and in this case, anyone weak (read: good) will be killed ''very'' quickly.
Expect the national dress to be [[Spikes of Villainy]] and [[Evil Makeover|black leather]], the reason for keeping pets to be [[Kick the Dog|kicking]], and their language to be the [[Black Speech]].
The [[Defector From Decadence]] typically comes from this stock, usually with [[Good Witch Versus Bad Witch|some qualifier]] or after having become an [[Ascended Demon]]. Having an ancestor from such a race usually qualifies a character's evil (or potential for it) as being "[[In the Blood]]".
It's quite common for a fantasy [[Big Bad]] to have an
May be the subject of a [[Genocide Dilemma]]. This is [[Planet of Hats]] when evil is the hat. For evil professions like pirates and hitmen, see [[Villain
A member of a fictional race holding the same unjustified and false belief about humans would likewise be Fantastic Racism. For cases where humanity, aliens, or predators really are this trope, see [[Humans Are
Be careful when writing these: may lead to [[Unfortunate Implications]].
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See also [[What Measure Is a Non-Human?]], [[My Species Doth Protest Too Much]], and [[Scary Dogmatic Aliens]]. Compare [[Lawful Stupid Chaotic Stupid]]. Contrast [[Always Lawful Good]]. Should not be confused with [[Chaotic Evil]].
{{noreallife|no group of people can be accurately described with blanket statements.}}
=== Add Examples, ya scum! Get crackin! If ''He'' catches you lollygagging, you knows what will happen! ===▼
▲
== Anime
* Most of the Saiyans in ''[[
* The Mazoku, from ''[[Slayers]]''. Given that they [[The Heartless|literally feed on negative emotions]], they have a lot more reason to be this way than most examples of this trope.
** Also, they are pretty much demons, whose stated goal is to [[Omnicidal Maniac|end existence]]. It's just how they were created. Oddly enough, the Dragons, servants of the gods, are oftentimes [[Black and Gray Morality|morally ambiguous]]. {{spoiler|This moral ambiguity is a major point of the entire 3rd season.}} Throw in that [[Lovable Traitor|Xellos]], a Mazoku, can sometimes be [[Affably Evil|friendly and helpful]] when not actively trying to end existence, you get a fair amount of moral ambiguity. At one point Xellos {{spoiler|helps save the world, because he [[The Only One Allowed to Defeat You|and the Mazoku of the ''Slayers'' dimension want to end it themselves]]}}.
*** Played utterly straight with trolls and other monsters (it is based on ''[[Dungeons
* It is [[Justified Trope|justified]] in ''[[
** ''[[
** ''[[
* ''[[
* Ditto for the mazoku from ''[[Violinist of Hameln]]''. There actually are {{spoiler|two exceptions}}, but the rest pretty much feel that their calling is to torment humanity [[For the Evulz]]. (Sure, their whole race exists through magical power gained by {{spoiler|consuming human blood and souls, but regular mazoku cannot extract it}}, so [[For the Evulz|evulz]] still is the driving reason for their atrocities.)
* Subverted in ''[[Chrono Crusade]]'' (although differently, depending on which version you're watching). In the manga, this seems to be the case at first (with Chrono being the only exception), but it turns out that the Sinners are more complex than that, and even among other demons {{spoiler|most of them are simply following orders in a corrupt culture that can't even remember how they got that way in the first place, making them practically victims of a bureaucracy who simply refused to question WHY things were the way they were}}. In the anime, the Sinners are portrayed as more blatantly evil, while the rest of the demons seem contractually obligated to {{spoiler|play "villains" for God in order to keep humanity in line}}, making them a bit more like [[Punch Clock Villain
* The crows in ''[[Princess Tutu]]'' are shown this
* In ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam SEED
** But since Blue Cosmos is, by the period the series take place in, very clearly shown to be an organization of such people, completely gone off track from its original purpose, this shouldn't be a surprise. LOGOS just exists to keep wars happening because hey, it's good for business. That confirms the [[Complete Monster]] status of Earth Alliance.
** There's not a single decent member of the Zanscare Empire in ''[[Mobile Suit Victory Gundam
*** Not quite - the Zanscare army is usually portrayed as being heartlessly and irredeemably monstrous, but there are exceptions to that, the most outstanding example being Mathis Walker.
*** Perhaps the easiest way to understand why zanscare is so reviled is a) their brutality (there are a lot of death penalties, or [[Fate Worse Than Death|even worse punishments]]) b) that there aren't any inspiring ''leaders'' capable of producing riveting speeches, something that Zeon has had more than any other faction. Instead, they rule by manipulating a woman who represents purity, thus not earning any favors from the audience.
** The Veigans in [[Gundam AGE]] are all fanatically loyal to Lord Ezelcant without exception. Deeming the extermination of all non Veigans from their prized Eden
* The New Blood, or, at least, those directly related to Sicks in ''[[Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro]]''. For a long time, they intentionally bred so that the most evil would be the one to reproduce. Eventually, they actually became an entirely separate species, according to Sicks.
* Lampshaded in ''[[Kyo Kara Maoh
{{quote|
'''Wolfram:''' A holy sword?
'''Yuri:''' It's not?
...
'''Gwendal:''' Of course it's a demon sword! }}
* The youma from ''[[Claymore]]'', who live entirely to eat humans.And the awakened beings, whose nature is also to feed on humans, but are far more dangerous.
* The Diclonius from ''[[
** Though, by the end of the manga, {{spoiler|we find out that the Diclonus are descendants of the Oni from ancient times (with Lucy being the only true genetic descendant), and that their need to kill humans stems from their demonic ancestors genetically encoding them to want to seek revenge on their destroyers.}}
*** But, {{spoiler|the man who believed that turned out to not be a Diclonius at all, bringing that whole origin into question.}} It was {{spoiler|suggested that Lucy was just the result of a genetic mutation in her mother.}}
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** Note that this is really an in-universe belief in ''Soul Eater''...when a character is found to be a witch and does a [[Face Heel Turn]], it's her belief in this and that other people will instantly assume it that causes it, not an innate drive. Once other characters convince her that she doesn't ''have'' to be evil if she doesn't want to, it's actually shown that others are perfectly willing to be proven wrong and think her being a good witch is neat.
* Hollows in ''[[Bleach]]'' are considered to be an entire race of evil spirits, driven to eating anything living or dead (including each other). Their more evolved "[[Bishonen Line|Arrancar]]" counterparts have been portrayed as having different dispositions, including Good (Nel).
* The evil, thieving, drunk, cowardly, scumbag-y mice from ''[[Black Cat Detective]]''.
* Vampires in Hellsing are mostly like this. Good vampires, like Seras, are a very special exception. It is not clear if the transformation to a vampire brings out the worst of person or if all vampires are all irredeemably evil. It is possible that since the survival of a vampire requires killing people for blood and souls at some point all vampires simply give up to their blood lust. At one point one vampire even comments on how he and his comrades can never enjoy things normal people enjoy, but are forced to live a life of a monster.
** Most of the vampires we see in the series were Card Carrying Villains ''before'' becoming vampires, being vicious war-mongers. Who were also Nazis. In their case, becoming vampires didn't turn them evil. It just gave them fangs.
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== Comic Books ==
* The Wolrog Empire in ''[[Strontium Dog]]'' is composed entirely of [[Neutral Evil]] baddies.
* [[Big Bad|Torquemada]] in ''[[Nemesis the Warlock]]'' claims that all aliens are
* Subverted in [[DC Comics]] of the early-to-mid [[Silver Age]]. That era almost invariably depicted alien cultures as having made a ''choice'' between [[Good Republic, Evil Empire|Good Republic and Evil Empire]]. Every alien race was assumed capable of both "good" and "evil", and "evil" regimes could always be overthrown, while "good" ones could always be subverted.
* [[Marvel Comics]] has several examples:
** The Skrulls, the most recurring evil race and, in fact, the first one created by Lee and Kirby. The Kree are evil as well, but we usually see them though a pariah that turned to the light side (usually using the name "Captain Marvel"), rather than as a full evil race.
** The Brood ([[Expy|Expies]] of the aliens from ''[[Alien (
*** In ''[[World War Hulk]]'', Broodling manages to make a decent play at being good, but when she tried to reproduce, she ended up having to kill her own spawn to save some children from them.
** The Dire Wraiths from ''[[ROM Spaceknight]]'' wholeheartedly embraced evil. Their planet was so supernaturally suffused with corruption that [[Galactus]] ''[[Too Spicy for Yog-Sothoth|couldn't eat it]].'' The Wraiths were about as close to being literal demons as a flesh and blood race can hope to be, and they took pride in it. While one Wraith did try to make a [[Heel Face Turn]] after disguising himself as a family man for years and [[Becoming the Mask|discovering love and kindness were actually pretty nice]], his comrades taught his son how to be evil, and the boy took to their lessons so well that he eventually murdered his parents. The Dire Wraiths actually enforce evil by indoctrinating it into their young so decent Dire Wraiths are the exception rather than the rule.
** The Deviants, an evil race created by the Celestials when they created the Eternals and the Humans (or, in later retcons, just the deviants and Eternals).
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== Fan
* In crossover [[Alternate Universe]] fics, usually with the ''[[Stargate Verse]]'', the Twelve Colonies from ''[[Battlestar Galactica
* The Muk and bug-type Pokémon in the ''[[
* In the ''[[Mass Effect]]'' fanfic
* The Uchiha are usually portrayed as this in ''[[Naruto]]'' fanfic, except for Mikoto, Itachi, Obito and, on '''rare''' occasions, Sasuke.
* From ''[[My Immortal]]'', the [[Designated Villain|Preps]] are always antagonistic and [[Informed Wrongness|evilly preppy]].
== Films -- Animation ==
* In ''[[The Tale of Despereaux]]'', even the narrator states that rats are always greedy, dirty, unheroic, and terrified of the light, with the exception of Rascuro {{spoiler|who falls to the dark side for a while after he tries ''not'' to be
* The vikings of the film ''[[How to Train Your Dragon (
* Disney applied this trope to [[Mulan
** And Pixar with [[Cars|Lemons.]]
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== Films -- Live Action ==
* The aliens from ''[[Independence Day]]''
** Basically, '''99%''' alien invasion movies ever made. Because, you know, they declared war on us first, so they must all be evil! Exceptions and subversions include [[
* ''[[
* Gremlins from, well, ''[[Gremlins]]''. Gizmo is the only member of the species who is good, and you'll notice that he never becomes a gremlin himself. The other Mogwai spawned from Gizmo also apply, but they're somewhat more benign than the full Gremlins.
** Most Gremlins are Always Chaotic Neutral<small>/</small>Stupid. It's really only Stripe who was pure evil.
** The [[Affably Evil]] Brain Gremlin from "Gremlins 2: the New Batch" probably falls a little closer to Neutral Evil.
* The goblins in ''[[Troll 2]]'' fit the bill pretty well. All of them want a tasty snack of the humans in the movie, and the best part is that [[Family-Unfriendly Aesop|they are all vegetarians too]]!
* The martians in [[Mars Attacks
** It's worth noting that the cards on which the movie was based subverted this, showing a much more peaceful organization of martians who opposed the invasion. Of course, given that, in the same set, humanity invaded Mars, kicked their asses while the war machines were off to Earth, and it eventually ends in Mars blowing up, it leads to the most unfortunate of implications. Or further villainization of the aggressive side of the populace for ruining it for everyone.
* The Djinn race from ''[[Wishmaster]]''.
* The Deadites in all three ''[[Evil Dead]]'' films, as well as the Army of the Dead in the third ''Army of Darkness.''
** [[Justified Trope|They're posessed by demons and/or evil spirits]]. Demons are angels that follow Satan, and thus, are also evil.
* ''[[Star Wars]]''
** A very literal example of this in the form of the Tusken Raiders, who, as far as the movies go, never seemed to be portrayed as anything other than [[Chaotic Evil]]. In ''[[The Phantom Menace]]'', they show up very briefly, and even then, it's just to randomly shoot at podracers. In ''[[Attack of the Clones]]'', they kidnapped and tortured Anakin's mother, killing her when Anakin finally shows up, though Anakin's massacre of them is treated as [[Kick the Dog]] moment [[If You Kill Him You Will Be Just Like Him|nonetheless]] And in ''[[A New Hope]]'', they are shown to be [[No-Holds-Barred Beatdown|savagely attacking]] random human beings into unconsciousness and [[Kick the Dog|stealing the vehicles of said unconscious human beings]].
*** In the Expanded Universe there is one Tusken Jedi who initially seems to be an exception. Then, after surviving Order 66, he becomes evil anyway when he embraces the Tuskens' ruthless culture. [[Star Wars Legacy|Fast forward a few centuries]], and he's a [[Big Bad]] in his own right. The Tuskens' way of life is [[Rape, Pillage and Burn]] incarnate, so it's understandable that good people don't appear among them.▼
** Jawas are really no better. While far more subtle than the Tusken Raiders, Jawas are the [[Snake Oil Salesman|Snake Oil Salesmen]] of Tattoine, often selling defective technology to gullible moisture farmers. Watto - the greedy junk dealer from ''[[The Phantom Menace]]'' - learned such tricks from Jawas, but despises them, and just ''knows'' they're always sneaking into his lot to steal his best merchandise.
** Hutts. With egos larger than they are, they believe themselves superior to all other creatures and are notorious gangsters. The [[Expanded Universe]] book ''The Planet of Twilight'' feature Beldorion, a Hutt Jedi who was once an exception, but just like the aforementioned Tusken Jedi, he went insane after surviving Order 66, becoming no better than other Hutts, and ''deadlier'' than most, [[Acrofatic| able to fight with a lightsaber and move with uncanny speed for a creature his size.]]
▲** In the Expanded Universe there is one Tusken Jedi who initially seems to be an exception. Then, after surviving Order 66, he becomes evil anyway when he embraces the Tuskens' ruthless culture. [[Star Wars Legacy|Fast forward a few centuries]], and he's a [[Big Bad]] in his own right. The Tuskens' way of life is [[Rape, Pillage and Burn]] incarnate, so it's understandable that good people don't appear among them.
** Naturally, this is the case with Sith Lords. Seeing as their power is derived from the Dark Side of the Force, which is in turn, an embodiment of negative emotions like hate, fear, envy, and anger. While many might claim Darth Vader to be an exception, this is not true, as the moment he renounced the Dark Side by slaying Palpatine in an epic [[Heroic Sacrifice]], he ceased being a Sith Lord.
== Gamebooks ==
* Both used and subverted in the ''[[Lone Wolf]]'' franchise. Those beings created directly by [[Big Bad|Naar]], the [[God of Evil|God of Darkness]], such as Agarash and the Darklords, have his essence in place of the souls that living creatures possess, accounting for their
** Also, anyone described as "swarthy" is ''not to be trusted''.
* Orcs and goblins in the ''[[Fighting Fantasy]]'' books are always evil. Dark elves are an interesting case - in most books, they are portrayed as powerful and very, very evil, but in ''Night Dragon'', they become allies against the [[Eviler Than Thou|eviler]] [[Big Bad|Night Dragon]]. The first one the player meets explains that he doesn't want to see his entire race destroyed, just as the PC, a human, would not want to see all human wiped out.
** The book ''Titan'', which serves as [[All There in the Manual|the backgrounder]] for the world that most Fighting Fantasy books are set in, subverts this trope with the Halfhand brothers. The humans Rerek and Myzar Halfhand, and their human followers, invaded and slaughtered a nation of orcs that were living in a fertile territory that the humans wanted. The book [[
== Literature ==
* In ''[[The
** Now, the Silastic Armorfiends of Striterax -- ''they'' were about as evil as one could get in ''Hitchhiker''.
{{quote|
** And ironically not nearly as dangerous as the amiable but misguided Krikkiters. Even if they {{spoiler|were finishing the job of the Armorfiends.}}
* [[Subverted Trope|Subverted]] and/or [[Deconstructed Trope|Deconstructed]] repeatedly in ''[[
** The [[Puppeteer Parasite|Yeerks]] are built up as a monolithically evil species who enslave other races because they're dicks. However, we later learn that Yeerks without hosts are almost blind and deaf, and can only swim about feebly in small pools; thus, the fact that they possess other species is understandable, if not commendable. Later still, we encounter Yeerks who do not agree with enslaving other species and either enter a voluntary commensal relationship, or live out their lives in Yeerk Pools. Eventually, in the far future, they generate artificial bodies to live in which have no minds of their own.
** Taxxons are vicious, cannibalistic monsters who are constantly in the grip of an absolutely irresistible hunger, and who apparently voluntarily submitted themselves to Yeerk domination. However, they are also intelligent, and there is a group of rebels on their home world fighting against the Yeerks. Their vicious nature is a result of evolving on one of the harshest planets in the galaxy. In the end, {{spoiler|they all morph into pythons and live out their lives as animals to escape the constant hunger}}.
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** The Howlers were actually a fascinating [[Deconstructed Trope|deconstruction]]. They were created by the [[God of Evil]] / [[Eldritch Abomination]] Crayak, and had spent at least thousands of years wiping out countless species across the galaxy for no apparent reason. Cassie, however, refused to believe they were Always Chaotic Evil if they were truly sentient. When Jake eventually morphs one and gets to experience its natural instincts, he finds out {{spoiler|that their minds are closest to ''dolphins.'' They're childlike and playful, and [[Innocent Aliens|honestly don't know]] that other species have sentience until the Animorphs infect their [[Hive Mind]] with their own memories}}.
*** {{spoiler|This book was written [[Science Marches On|before we gained a better understanding of what dolphins are really like]].}}
** The Hork-Bajir ''seem'' evil (they look like dinosaurs with knives stuck all over them), but once we meet free Hork-Bajir, they turn out to be peaceful and good-natured. They didn't even have a concept of war before the Yeerks invaded their planet; when Dak first gets attacked by a Hork-Bajir-Controller, he literally ''cannot'' understand what's happening, since the thought of another Hork-Bajir purposefully hurting him had never occurred to him before.
*** The arm-blades and leg-blades are for harvesting tree bark, their main food source. They were, in fact, genetically engineered by the natives of their homeworld to keep the world's decidedly fragile ecosystem stable by acting as an entire species of arboretum-keepers.
* Arguably, the Canaanites in "[[
** The '''ENTIRE WORLD''' was this in the time of Noah, hence why God decided to pull a [[Kill'Em All]] with the [[Great Flood]].
* The Sranc (and similar races) in R. Scott Bakker's ''[[Second Apocalypse]]'' are Always Chaotic Evil to the point of routine [[Kick the Dog|canine injury]].
** They're referred to as "weapon races" on several occasions, and it's stated pretty specifically that the Consult used a combination of magic and stranger things (that is, science) to create them. We see one of the races' perspectives, and they're basically sex-crazed, intelligent dogs who get off on
* The good witches of [[L. Frank Baum]]'s ''Oz'' books were a subversion of witches as Always Chaotic Evil.
** As well, in [[The Film of the Book]] ''[[The Wizard of Oz (
* Averted and subverted in most of the works of [[Edgar Rice Burroughs]]. Several races in his science fiction novels appear to be evil, but on closer inspection, it is usually revealed that they are evil because of some aspect of their culture rather than anything inherent. The vicious nomadic Green Men in his Martian novels turn out to be violent because [[Abusive Alien Parents|their culture disdains affection and families and actively punishes parents who try to treat their children lovingly or even find out who their children are (they lay eggs and randomly shuffle them before they hatch)]]. The cannibal men of U-Gor in the seventh Martian novel turned to cannibalism out of desperation because their [[President Evil]] enforced policies that led to starvation. The hideous Coripies from the [[Pellucidar]] novels are antisocial and violent because they kill women who have a lot of children to control their population, making women [[Abusive Alien Parents|hate their children]], and men avoid sexual relations with any woman they like. The Mahar of Pellucidar seem to be evil at first, but turn out to have a sense of justice and honor.
** Also, the Mahar don't know humans are anything other than animals, since they are totally deaf and communicate through telepathy, and thus can't hear human speech. The resident [[Absent-Minded Professor]] claims it's not really telepathy, they just project their thoughts through [[Another Dimension]], but the distinction is lost on me. (Admittedly, totally missing human tool-using and such, even for a Paleolithic culture like most of Pellucidar, seems pretty [[Too Dumb to Live]] for a species which is supposed to be at least as smart as humans, probably smarter....)
** The Wieroo in the Caspak trilogy come a little closer, in that we're never explicitly told why they developed their sadistic religion. But when you discover that your entire race is doomed because you can't produce fertile women...except that you ''can'' reproduce with normal humans...who unfortunately consider you hideous monsters, and thus will never willingly sleep with you...well, it's still awful, but unsurprising that something had to give.
* The countries and, thus, races in the ''[[Belgariad]]'' are dramatically stereotyped: the Drasnians are sneaky [[Chaotic Neutral
** In the sequel series, the ''Malloreon'', however, the author takes great pains to humanize at least some of the bad guys, usually by adding them to the protagonist's adventuring party. At that point, the Angarak nations get more distinguished by their individual [[Planet of Hats|hats]] than the fact that they're evil.
*** The author handwaves this by having the "races" be the product of selection by the gods: Chaldan, god of the Arends, values courage over brains. So when he got to select his chosen people, he picked accordingly, and things got predictably out of hand from there. Likewise, the Angaraks were bad guys in large part because they were driven to it by a bad god who wasn't pushing them in the sequel, being dead.
*** The author also justifies this in the Belgariad by stating that the three "bad guy" countries are controlled by a rigid and invasive religious heirarchy of the cruel god. This means that, for the Belgariad, all the antagonists are products of a chaotic evil society. The most "liberal" of the three is still populated by people who fear the priest caste. The fourth "bad guy" country is governed by a more cosmopolitan and urbane group, and, thus, is less chaotic.
**** In fairness, the Nadraks and Thulls are never really presented as evil. The Nadraks tend to be more closely aligned with the Drasnians than their fellow Angaraks, and the Thulls are straight up victims of Angarak society and will quite happily surrender to any western force that happens by just to get away from the Grolims.
* The dark elves (a.k.a. moredhel, a.k.a. Brotherhood of the Dark Path) from [[Raymond E. Feist]]'s ''Midkemia'' series are presented as ruthless, murderous, and unscrupulous. In an interesting twist, they are literally of the same blood as the eledhel, the High Elves of the series. It's explained that their differences are solely cultural, and that their cruel tendencies are mostly due to the lingering influence of their former dragon rider masters, the destructive Valheru. They're shown to have grey areas, and have [[Proud Warrior Race Guy]] and [[Noble Demon]] tendencies. Occasionally, a moredhel will leave his or her people and join the eledhel, after which, he or she is considered an eledhel.
** The Pantathians are snake-people who are described and shown to be [[Reptiles Are Abhorrent|alien and destructive in their very natures, with no chance of redemption]] (even a Pantathian that's hatched from its egg literally minutes earlier will attack any non-Pantathian on sight). But they're justified by {{spoiler|having been created by an evil mistress as minions.}}
** Not to mention the various extradimensional creatures, such as the demons and the Dread, neither of which have ever been shown doing anything ''besides'' trying to destroy the world and devour all life.
*** They're justified by being too alien to life on our plane to coexist peacefully with it.
** The Dasati in the ''Darkwar'' subseries are introduced as
** The one race in the Riftwar-verse that is utterly and irredeemably evil is the Valheru, a.k.a. The Dragon Lords. Beings of nigh-godlike power, who ride dragons throughout the multiverse, looting whatever worlds capture their fancy, and killing and eating all manner of other creatures, including each other. While not sadistic, the Valheru are power-hungry, completely immoral, and so powerful that they cannot be allowed to be free...well, anywhere.
*** Though the novels themselves point out that the Valheru aren't so much ''evil'' as they are ''other'' - they come from a time when [[Blue and Orange Morality|good and evil were meaningless concepts]], unlike the modern world after new gods arose, and as such, can't really be allowed free reign anywhere in it because they upset the balance of the universe just by doing what Valheru do (which is to say, whatever they please).
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** And Romsca, {{spoiler|though she doesn't last very long either.}}
** The biggest exception to this rule is at the end of ''Marlfox'', when almost all of the rats under the Marlfoxes' control do a [[Heel Face Turn]] and become peaceful.
*** Brian Jacques, the author of the Redwall series, has explained on his website that most of his animal creations are based on the mythological interpretations of the
** Notably [http://www.somethingawful.com/d/news/bargain-book-bin-3.php parodied] by [[Something Awful]].
* The various Shadowspawn from ''[[The Wheel of Time]]'' are a case of the "artificially created to be evil" variety, being genetically engineered to be the Dark One's slaves.
** Notably, with different kinds of Shadowspawn, we see different variations on this trope. [[Our Orcs Are Different|Trollocs]] and [[Winged Humanoid|Draghkar]] are basically exceptionally violent, bloodthirsty animals who are too stupid to know what they're doing is wrong. The ''gholam'' has human intelligence but is a straightforward living weapon and quite proud of that fact. The Myrddraal, though, are definitely the creepiest - the commanders of the Shadowspawn, they are absolutely emotionless and driven to conquer the world for [[God of Evil|the Dark One]]. They derive no pleasure from anything except inflicting pain (and even then, they don't show it - the fact that they go out of their way to do it in the first place is the only indicator that they like it) and have a heavily implied fetish for raping human women, which almost always drives the victim insane (why they do that is probably best left unknwon). It's very telling that the Dark One himself uses a modified Myrddraal, Shaidar Haran, as his [[Mouth of Sauron|mouthpiece]].
* Have you ever seen a [[The Shadow Over Innsmouth
** [[Neil Gaiman]] played with this in his short story ''[[A Study in Emerald]]''. However, it does acknowledge the evil-alignment at the end, when {{spoiler|it is implied that the detective-hero is not actually Sherlock Holmes, but his antagonist, who is working against the evil he perceives in the Great Old Ones, ''is''}}.
*** Considering that it's blatantly stated that the Old Ones eat people, and that the peace they brought to the Earth is one of terror and subjugation, I'd say he's not playing with it that much.
** It doesn't help that Lovecraft treats actual races in a very similar manner (read the descriptions of the cultists in ''The Call of Cthulhu'' for a fine example), besides creating several inbred communities in rural America and the infamous fishmen of Innsmouth, who stand out as an ugly, racist metaphor concerning immigrants. The entire basis of Lovecraft's horror is set firmly upon the idea that anything alien or different is terrifyingly evil and he was apparently rather open about his xenophobia, even going so far as to tell his Jewish wife that he thought mixed marriages were a bad idea.
*** To be fair, Lovecraft also had no trouble in writing about degenerate, barbaric white people, and did it with far greater frequency than lauding against the blacks.
** His racism aside, the
** To answer the question: yes, in ''[[The Laundry Series|The Jennifer Morgue]]'' by [[Charles Stross]].
*** Heck, in ''The Fuller Memorandum'', it turns out that one of them is working for The Laundy itself and does a phenomenal job there.
* Averted in the case of the Elder Things. The narrator even praises their determination:
{{quote|
* Subverted in [[China Mieville]]'s ''[[
* The Mijaki in Karen Miller's ''[[Godspeaker Trilogy]]'' that had to be contained with their own land so they wouldn't overrun the world, which, of course, they do.
* The Dead in Garth Nix's ''[[Old Kingdom]]'' trilogy. They were originally humans, [[Zombie Apocalypse|but have been reanimated]]. They'll suck the Life out of anything even if they ''aren't'' allied under a necromancer. Being an animated, twisted sin against the cosmic order will do that to ya.
* The Urgals from Christopher Paolini's ''[[
** Subverted later in the series, when we learn that Urgals have organized society and were misled by Galbatorix; they start helping the Varden after they realize what a screwup the whole arrangement was.
** The Ra'zac are this trope played straight.
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* R.A. Salvatore plays with this trope in his [[Forgotten Realms]] books. [[The Legions of Hell|Denizens of the Abyssal planes]] fit the trope; drow mostly stay true, with one very notable exception (and a small group of Chaotic Good drow that end up dead); orcs were monolithically portrayed as such until Obould showed up and started civilizin' the lot.
* The Koloss in [[Brandon Sanderson]]'s ''[[Mistborn]]'' trilogy, explained in the third book by appropriately horrific sorts of mutation and mind control. Played with in the form of Kelsier, the Legendary Hero Whose Name The Masses Whisper In The Iron Grip Of The Evil Emperor, who thinks of everyone on the opposing side as Agents Of The Darkest Evil Who Must Be Purged. Most of his crew, while on board with the whole rebellion thing, are deeply unnerved.
* Tolkien and ''[[
** As a devout Catholic who believed in the concept of spiritual salvation, the idea of an entire race of irredeemably evil creatures was one of Tolkien's major sticking points with his own work. He spent much of the latter part of his life as a writer trying to [[Justified Trope|justify it]]. In the end, he never did come up with an explanation that satisfied him.
** The makers of the movie trilogy were concerned that the idea of a race being evil by definition [[Unfortunate Implications|seemed racist]], claiming that [[Values Dissonance|in Tolkien's time, people didn't mind such stuff]]. Hence, the added scene where Uruk-Hai are created from the earth in Saruman's dungeons. This is not mentioned in the book, but is one of the author's earlier drafts for their origins, as an attempt at the "artificial origin" justification.
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*** In the Silmarillion, it is pointed out that some of the Easterlings (those led by Chieftain Bor) remained loyal allies to the Elves of Beleriand. It's also noted that most of those who became Morgoth's vassals did so out of fear rather than malice.
** The Orcs themselves were not inherently evil, it's simply that they were never given the opportunity to be anything else. They were raised in a culture that encouraged hoarding and greed, and the differences between them incited the violent tendencies bred into them by years and years of the same lifestyle. In an Orc culture, cooperation is a bad idea because it lessens your own chances of survival in a dangerous situation (i.e. leave your partner to the wolves and escape on your own).
*** And Tolkien was generally quite good at giving individual Orcs distinct
*** In one letter, Tolkien points out that some orcs are capable of [[Proud Warrior Race|courage and tribal loyalty]] if nothing else, and that they wouldn't have been able to function as well if they were ''completely'' evil
** Haradrim and other Men who were called "fallen" were tricked into obeying Sauron, probably much as the Numenoreans fell centuries earlier.
** Tolkien also treated [[Big Badass Wolf|wolves]] this way, taking his cue from mythologies in which wolves are always evil.
* The "Trolls" in ''[[The Apocalypse Troll]]'' by David Weber. Though only one is technically featured, the rest are described as just as psychopathic, manipulative, and [[Omnicidal Maniac|omnicidal]]. They're really robots, but with the apparent ability to choose not to kill everything in their
** Unfortunately, they're not robots. They're [[Brain In
* [[Defied Trope|Defied]] in ''[[Dragon Keeper Chronicles|DragonFire]]''; one of Leetu Bends' contacts is a bisonbeck [[Reverse Mole]], who has done a [[Heel Face Turn]].
* The [[New Jedi Order|Yuuzhan Vong]] are initially introduced as being pretty much pure evil down to the last warrior, but it turns out that they're caught up in the stranglehold of a [[Religion of Evil]] that is manipulated by their insane leadership. Over the course of the later books, we're introduced to Vong who are more human, for lack of a better word, and in the end, a lot of them wind up doing a [[Heel Face Turn]] or committing suicide when they find out that the gods they were fighting for were either horribly misinterpreted or (in one case) didn't exist at all.
** That said, they're still [[Scary Dogmatic Aliens]].
** Yeah, but that's a cultural thing (due to living under a [[Religion of Evil]] for millennia). There's nothing in the Vong's genetic makeup that causes them to be evil, and several of them are given sympathetic POV's later in the series (Nen Yim, Harrar, Vua
* In the ''[[
** The more recent books have subverted this with ShadowClan being nothing more than a rival Clan, and most opposition come from WindClan instead.
** Also subverted with ''Bluestar's Prophecy'', where ThunderClan faces the most opposition from RiverClan, and never had to deal with ShadowClan. It seems that different Clans end up being seen as "evil" depending on the political atmosphere (''ThunderClan'' was actually branded as evil for a while early in ''Bluestar's Prophecy'' after their {{spoiler|1=unprovoked raid on WindClan camp}}).
** The cats tend to [[Xenofiction|see]] [[Humans Are Cthulhu|humans]] (or twolegs, in the language of the clans) like this. After all, some people [[Humans Are
* Played straight in the ''[[Chronicles of Thomas Covenant]]'' with the Cavewights (though it is established that they weren't always evil), and subverted with the ur-viles. Despite their name, the latter are less evil than they are alien and inscrutable, and are allied with the [[Big Bad]] only to advance their own ends. {{spoiler|In the second and third series, they apparently decide that helping the heroes advances said ends better. Unfortunately, as they either can't or won't speak English, we're not entirely sure what those ends ''are''...}}
* There are probably more examples in ''[[Perry Rhodan]]'' than anyone would care to mention here, but just in the newest arc (which started only a few weeks ago) there is a race of Big Bads (who can't really die) who have genetically grown really bad mooks at their disposal, in almost unlimited quantities.
* The Grik in Taylor Anderson's ''Destroyermen'' series, although "Always Lawful Evil" would be more accurate, and in the third book, the Alliance meets a member of a different but related species that's not evil.
** Further, in the fourth book, the Alliance finds some Grik who, {{spoiler|possibly as a result of being cut off from their army for several months, are willing to surrender and give peace a chance. Grik are berserkers, more or less; they '''don't''' surrender. But '''these''' do}}.
* Although they don't go 'round cackling about it (much), the Melnibonean culture in [[Michael Moorcock]]'s [[The Elric Saga|Elric]] series is pretty much evil by definition. Torture, slavery, betrayal, cruelty, sadism, and ruthlessness are prized traits in their "civilization." Essentially, the decaying race of Melnibone is a decadent form of [[Evil Is Cool|evil elves]]. Elric is by far the best of them, and even he is a Grade-A [[Anti-Hero]] who betrays his kingdom because even he feels that Melnibone as a whole [[Impaled
** Melniboneans are, in fact, the inspiration for [[Dungeons
*** And of Winnowill from ''[[Elf Quest]]''.
* The Others from ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]'', from what little we've seen of them. Some fans find this disappointing, considering the otherwise heavily gray morality of the rest of the series's cast.
** The gray-ish morality is still somewhat present here, since the [[Arch Enemy]] of the [[God of Evil]] that the Others' serve is an extreme example of [[Good Is Not Nice]], and to a ''lot'' of characters it even looks more a case of [[Evil Versus Evil]]. That said, there are plenty of characters in ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]'' who are and always have been [[Complete Monster|blacker than black]], such as [[The Caligula|Joffrey]], [[The Brute|Gregor Clegane]], and [[Torture Technician|Roose]] and [[Serial Killer|Ramsay Bolton]], amongst others, are arguably even ''worse'' than the Others, in terms of the evil they have actually commited on-screen.
* Averted or perhaps subverted with the [[Dark Is Edgy|dark]] [[The Fair Folk|court]] in ''Wicked Lovely''. They often seem to be
** They aren't evil, just cruel. They have to be, they feed off the darker emotions (rage, lust, fear, pain, etc).
{{quote|
* ''[[
** Played with in ''Unseen Academicals''. Mr. Nutt learns that he is not a goblin as he has always believed; he is an orc, a race seen as this trope. He expects everyone to hate him, but the people of Ankh-Morpork are rather blase about it at this point, having dealt with and accepted (to varying degrees) trolls, vampires, zombies, and golems. "Mild interest" is pretty much the worst reaction he gets.
*** In fact, it's the authorities (read Vetinari, Margolotta, Ridcully) that think once the truth gets out, both Nutt and the public will go insane from the knowledge, resulting in much violence from both sides. They end up ''really'' underestimating just how much weirdness the Ankh-Morpork public is used to (with most of the weirdness originating from the authorities themselves). The most interest Nutt gets is a fashion magazine article (everyone else is ''far'' more interested in the newest supermodel to hit town).
*** It also plays with {{spoiler|the notion that orcs are grotesquely tortured and mutated elves; in this case, yes, except replace "elves" with humans, because nasty as elves are, there's no one for inventive cruelty quite like a human}}.
* In ''[[The Guardians]]'', both the nosferatu and the demons are
* The Garuns in the [[Great Alta Saga]].
* From ''[[The Dresden Files]]'':
** All three kinds of vampires are regarded as this by the White Council, and it's largely accurate. Black Court vampires are pretty much straight-up killing machines, Red Court are vicious predators who can at least put on a veneer of humanity to manipulate their victims, but are completely dominated by bloodlust. White Court are a subversion (or possibly deconstruction) - they are essentially composed of a human and demon in symbiosis, and while the demon is an
** Ghouls are vicious, predatory creatures who tend to be the supernatural community's go-to Psychos for Hire.
** Winter Court fairies aren't neccesarily ''evil'' ([[Blue and Orange Morality]] is in full swing with ''all'' fairies) but they're pretty uniformly harsh, unforgiving, and dangerous, even when they're legitimately trying to be helpful.
** Demons are a pretty straight example, as are Fallen Angels (though in this case, they're Fallen ''because'' they're evil, not the other way around).
* In ''Jim Butcher's'' ''[[Codex Alera]]'' series, this is averted and played straight. The Marat and Canim are both considered mindless killing machine races by the Alerans, {{spoiler|until Tavi gets to know them.}} The Vord play this straight, obeying mind-controlled direction from their Queens, whose Purpose is to subsume all life into their race.
* Justified in John Ringo's [[Council Wars]] series. The Changed who make up the majority of New Destiny's military forces may be innocent victims, but thanks to the engineering of [[Complete Monster]] and [[Mad Scientist]] Celine Reinshafen, they're evil, raping, pillaging, killing machines to the core. When they aren't just [[Dumb Muscle]], who are also evil.
* Played with the Fammin in the [[Chronicles of the Emerged World]]. They were created by the resident [[Big Bad]] Aster as his faithful and ruthless soldiers, but there are some members called the "Wrong Ones" who have feelings and free will, but are forced to obey orders as their names [[I Know Your True Name|are magical spells]]. {{spoiler|After Aster's death, the Fammin lose any hostile behaviour, and so the free people decide to let them live in peace.}}
* Trolls and Goblins in [[Shadow Keep
* The title race in S.M. Stirlings ''Shadowspawn'' series, except for Adrian, the [[Defector From Decadence]], although since Adrian is that way from having been kidnapped and raised by a human, it's implied there might be hope for others, {{spoiler|which is why he kidnaps his children in the second book from [[Brother-Sister Incest|his sister, their mother]].}}
* Trolls in ''[[Liavek]]'' are ''said'' to be this. It's hard to be sure, since only one troll is shown. He fits, but since we never see another one...
* Ewu are treated this way in ''[[
* In the ''[[The Berenstain Bears]]'' cartoon and spin-off ''Bear Scouts'' series, the weasels, led by Weasel McGreed are depicted this way. Every weasel character encountered by the protagonists is evil, with no exceptions.
* In ''[[The Chronicles of Narnia]]'', certain races, such as Ogres, Hags, and Minotaurs, are always this way. In ''[[Prince Caspian]]'', Caspian and his followers immediately reject the idea of recruiting the few surviving Ogres and Hags for their army, even though they have a common enemy. Partially averted in the second and third films, in which the Minotaurs have [[Heel Face Turn|turned good]].
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== Live-Action TV ==
* The orgs of [[Power Rangers Wild Force]]
* Cylons in
** Indeed, the logical impossibility of an
{{quote|
** The Cylons in the original series were not created by humans, but by an entirely different and now-extinct race. They were more like a weapon that got out of control than a species in their own right, as the newer series's Cylons were.
* In ''[[
** How would you feel if someone told your gods they sucked (meaning ''you'' suck for worshipping them) and made them abandon you?
*** Been [[Hollywood Atheist|told that]] several times. Never had a desire for genocide.
** The Shadows are a pretty good example, being an [[Ultimate Evil]] race.
** It's worth noting that their isolationist culture is the main obstacle for any chance of a peaceful resolution. Also, their revenge isn't aimed against all the people or races of the
** Also, the Shadows' intent was to SOW chaos on other races but, themselves, are not inherently chaotic. They're methodical, patient, and organized.
* Subverted in ''[[Brimstone (TV series)|Brimstone]]''; the escaped souls are often evil, and
** The show ''[[
* In ''[[
** This is an unusual case because, even though the show's vampires are explicitly
*** Further subverted by characters like Spike and Harmony - despite being evil, both were capable of caring about human beings (the Summers girls and occasionally the witches for Spike; Cordelia and Fred for Harmony) and being volutarily helpful towards those they liked. Harmony even stopped killing people so that she could advance in a workplace run by the "good guys".
*** This also leads to [[Fridge Brilliance]], as vampires and demons were presented as
* ''[[
** The Daleks: mutated aliens in travel machines who are only capable of hate and negative emotions due to being bred that way by [[Mad Scientist]] Davros. They simply are made to believe Daleks are a supreme race and, [[Doctor Who
*** In "[[Doctor Who
*** A story in [[
*** The Daleks' evil was hammered home '''really hard''' in "[
{{quote|
'''Dalek:''' Exterminate! [[Black Dude Dies First|*Shoots him*
** The Cybermen: the originals had lost all their emotions due to replacing almost all their body parts with machinery, and couldn't see ''why'' someone wouldn't want to "Become like us". The new series' version is closer to the Daleks, but still have the desire to convert instead of just killing everyone.
** The Sontarans: [[Proud Warrior Race Guy
*** The best subversion of this would be the Sontaran in the episode "A Good Man Goes To War". After being punished for something his clone pod did, he's forced into the worst Sontaran punishment possible - caring for the weak and dying - a nurse. He goes around healing the people wounded in battle, nursing newborns, and even comes to help the Doctor rescue {{spoiler|Amy and her child}}. In the end, when he's {{spoiler|killed in battle}}, we discover that he no longer considered himself a warrior.
** The Weeping Angels: Abstract alien entities from the "Dark Age" of the universe when the Time Lords were ascending to prominence, known to be filled with all manner of evil creatures. They are, apparently, the ideas of living things come to life to torture and kill us, which is a pretty scary concept. Their normal way of killing someone is actually rather nice- they send you back in time to a point where you can and will lead a full and happy life, dying on the day you return to your normal timeline, which is usually from old age and nothing bad. They do this because they feed off of your "potential" energy and that means its in their interest to make your life as wonderful as possible. But don't let that fool you- the entire race are is composed of evil, sadistic psychopaths and if they are well-fed and don't really need to do that to you, they will kill you [[For the Evulz]], and it will be a nasty, violent death if the [[Gory Discretion Shot
** {{spoiler|The Silence: have manipulated thousands of creatures over millenia, you look away from them and forget that they were ever there. Implied to have caused the TARDIS to explode at the end of last season, which would have [[Apocalypse How|destroyed the Universe]].}}
** In many ways, the Time Lords are also this, with the Doctor himself being the Drizz't of the bunch (and perhaps a few others like the Corsair, Romana, etc).
*** Or are they? While they've undoubtably done some evil things, they seem to be trying to prevent the end of the universe, {{spoiler|which will apparently happen if the Doctor lives long enough.}} They may possibly have some kind of good motivation, it's been kept too ambiguous so far.
* The Reavers in ''[[Firefly]]''. It's never quite explained why they don't kill/rape/eat each other, even though they travel in such massive groups.
** As revealed in the movie, ''[[
** And that woman was part of a team sent to investigate why all communication with the planet had stopped. When the crew of Serenity check out the place, they note that everyone just laid down and died, and there are no signs of violence whatsoever.
** One could use the facts of the movie to [[Retcon]] "Bushwhacked" as the lone survivor of the ship being the only one of the crew to react in the "Reaver" way to the Pax. The Reavers, who can sense this, left him alone and murdered the rest of the crew in front of him, then left him to change as a second booby-trap (the first one being the little thing that Kaylee had to disable to free Serenity).
* The Goa'uld in ''[[Stargate SG-1]]''. Thoroughly [[Justified Trope|justified]] in the RPG supplement on the System Lords, where it's described as a stacking effect of the circumstances of their evolution, their genetic memory, and their use of the sarcophagus. The Goa'uld queen Egeria, the progenitor of Tok'ra, spawned an entire subrace of [[My Species Doth Protest Too Much]].
** This is repeatedly emphasized in episodes of the show like "Crossroads" and "Absolute Power". As Daniel notes, being a Goa'uld is like being "born with the memories of a thousand Hitlers." After researching the device more thoroughly, Daniel eventually revised that as simply causing madness and
* With the occasional episodic exception, the Wraith in ''[[Stargate Atlantis]]'' also fit this trope. While their treatment of humans is explained by the fact that [[To Serve Man|we're essentially tasty cows to them]], they're still excessively sadistic about it. Their dietary needs also fail to justify their consistently dickish behaviour towards ''each other'', as well.
** There isn't enough food to go around, hence all of the fighting between the Hives. Their dietary needs are ''exactly'' why they fight each other.
*** Even without the whole "war over food" thing, Wraith society seems very ruthless and survival-of-the-fittest oriented. I.e. the [[Klingon Promotion]] seems widely accepted, and Queens are often shown treating their subordinates like dirt. Not that there weren't historical human cultures that largely shared these values.
** They seem to have dialed it back ''slightly'' in the last couple of seasons of the show, with slightly less [[Large Ham]] gloating from some of the Wraith characters. Also, in "The Queen", the Wraith Commander expresses concern over the lives of his men, and the enemy Wraith.
* The Borg in the later ''[[
** Except for individuals like Hugh, and some kind of subconscious [[The Resistance|resistance]] on Voyager.
** The [[Star Trek:
*** Though episodes like "Day of the Dove" were the exception rather than the rule. [[Star Trek V:
** Initially played straight with the Jem'Hadar, with an infant Jem'Hadar who quickly turns out exactly how everyone warned Odo he would. But eventually averted with a few individuals later, who show some traits of [[Proud Warrior Race]] (mostly these are [[You Have Outlived Your Usefulness|immediately killed]]).
*** The Jem'Hadar and Vorta were both justified as species genetically manipulated by [[Voluntary Shapeshifting|The Founders]] to fight their wars for them. Both were addicted to a substance only the Founders could provide, and were indoctrinated in the idea that [[God Guise|the Founders were gods]]. Generally, they were [[Expendable Clone
** ''Spectactularly'' averted with the Romulans. Even though they are [[The Federation]]'s oldest and most persistent foe, most Romulan characters are depicted as being nuanced, sympathetic, and even extremely honourable, even if they are a little arrogant or deceptive. Even the unambiguously villainous ones like Tomalak are depicted more as a [[Worthy Opponent]] than anything else. Interestingly, probably the most evil Romulan in canon, Commander Sela, is a [[Half-Human Hybrid]].
** Played straight (with one exception) with the Kazon on ''[[Star Trek: Voyager
* In ''[[Andromeda]]'' the Magog are obligate carnivores who need to kill their prey themselves to start the digestive process, prefer sentient "food", and lay their eggs in the stomachs of other humanoids. Nietzscheans are genetically engineered superhumans who follow a themepark version of [[Friedrich Nietzsche]]'s philosophy mixed with a heavy dose of [[Social Darwinism]] and overthrew the Systems Commonwealth causing the Long Night. But the Andromeda Ascendant's crew includes one of both species, Rev Bem is a Magog converted to a non-violent religion called Wayism while Tyr Anasazi was a Nietzschean mercenary who saw the Andromeda as a way to further his own interests.
** Although, in season 3 Tyr left the crew and tricked the major Nietzschean Prides into believing he was the genetic reincarnation of their founder Drago Museveni and attempted to conquer the galaxies. He is then replaced by Telemachus Rhade, a descendant of loyalist Nietzscheans who were [[My Species Doth Protest Too Much|rather ashamed]] of the rest of their species.
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== Mythology and Religion ==
* Demons/fallen angels in ''[[
** Any ethnic group who opposed [[Protagonist-Centered Morality|the Israelites]] are portrayed this way in ''The Bible''. According to ''The Bible'', the Canaanites were so uniformly evil that [[God]] Himself commanded a genocide against them. [[Rule of Cautious Editing Judgment|Whether you agree with this assessment or not is another matter, which]] '''[[Rule of Cautious Editing Judgment|shall not be discussed.]]'''
** Occasionally, you have a fallen angel who [[Noble Demon|doesn't seem to have gone full-subterranean.]] In Jewish folklore, Asmodeus is sometimes regarded as ''attending synagogue'', and even does better than ''Solomon'' on some matters of morality (although, given that Solomon apparently lapsed in matters towards the close of his reign...). Some angels, such as Sammael and Zaphkiel, are both good ''and'' evil. The ''[[Half-Human Hybrid|offspring]]'' of angels and humans are a different story. They're called "Nephilim" ("fallen" or "ruinous") for a reason. In fact, 1 Enoch posits that the reason for the Flood was that if they weren't drowned out, ''the Nephilim would have devoured the world down to the bedrock''. And even ''after'' that, the Nephilim wouldn't be done; they will just persist as evil spirits. In other words, the vast majority of demons were ''undead Nephilim''.
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** In the case of the Jotnar, it wasn't so much "evil" as "chaotic", and this was justified in that the Jotnar were properly understood to be a tribe of gods who personified chaos, rather than a "race" ''per se''. The later conception of them as "giants" is mostly a result of the Christian influence on later folklore.
* In many myths, ghosts only wish to inflict pain on the living even if they were good people in life.
** Likewise with
* This trope goes back to [[Older Than Dirt]] Mesopotamian examples: the Allu, Asakku, Gallu, and Rabisu.
== Tabletop Games ==
* The trope name comes from ''[[
** Originally, every type of monster or creature would simply have an entry for "Alignment" stating one [[Character Alignment]] or another, without any modifiers; not only did it imply that pratically all creatures of that type had the alignment, but it wasn't even brought up that there could be any other way.
** In-universe, the "usually evil" nature of some races is justified by their racial deities, such as Lloth for the Drow and Gruumsh for the Orcs, being evil. These gods also work very hard to make sure that their worshippers are just as bad as they are, and any that ''aren't'' tend to end up on the gods' hit list. Good deities tend to respect free will more than the evil ones, so their races have evil, good, and neutral people. Human alignment is all over the place since they don't have a racial deity to call their own. In some cases, an evil race will also have been created by an evil god.▼
** In 3.0+ this was relaxed, by inserting "often", "usually" or "always" in front of the alignment descriptor, to indicate how strong a tendency, cultural or otherwise, the race in question had to be of the alignment. This also created the phrase "Always [[Chaotic Evil]]". Later the only races who are always one alignment or another are those who are somehow "tied" to good or evil (or law or chaos), such as demons, angels, and other spiritual creatures; or those without sufficient Intelligence to recognize alignment, which are always [[True Neutral|neutral]] unless the previous rule overrides it. (Lemures, lowest of the devils, don't have an Intelligence score but are still Always Lawful Evil.) Of course, mortal "bad guy" races are still marked as "usually evil", which is probably close enough to this trope as to make no difference.
** The ''[[Eberron]]'' campaign setting for ''D&D'' 3.5 has gone so far as to explicitly discourage the use of the alignment section of a monster's stats, even for those who are "tied" to a certain alignment. The core book also makes clear that "evil" does not equal "kill on sight" -- the tavern owner overcharges for draft and cheats on his wife; are you gonna put the sword to his neck like you would with Lord Dark Von Doompantsington XIII?▼
▲** In-universe, the "usually evil" nature of some races is justified by their
▲** The ''[[Eberron]]'' campaign setting for ''D&D'' 3.5 has gone so far as to explicitly discourage the use of the alignment section of a monster's stats, even for those who are "tied" to a certain alignment. The core book also makes clear that "evil" does not equal "kill on sight"
** On that last note, the supplements ''Book of Vile Darkness'' and ''Exalted Deeds'' make it clear that neither good nor evil can be defined as "nice and naughty", and those that don't devote their life to either actually qualify as neutral. Presumably, this is why a rogue isn't necessarily evil, even though theft is frowned upon.
** Players themselves seem to [[Special Snowflake Syndrome|like subverting]]
{{quote|
::*
:* [[Planescape]] gets into the details, such as 1/5 (!) of Alu-fiends (half-succubi) being nonevil, even though technically they count as lesser Tanar'ri. The setting more emphasizes general philosophies.
{{quote|
:* ''Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse'' seems to have done away with such classifications, and applied a [[Rousseau Was Right]] policy for sapient beings, at least for now. The only monsters in the book presented as definitely Evil are unique beings like Yeenoghu and Geryon, who are intended to be [[Big Bad]]s of a campaign. All other monsters who usually fit this Trope (even devils, demons, and undead beings) are labeled "Typically Evil", with Lawful or Chaotic added after "Typically". The book also has information on humanoids traditionally portrayed as Evil (like orcs, goblins, bugbears, and kobolds) used as playable PCs. This is even addressed in the entry for yuan-ti, where it says, "However a yuan-ti looks, they have the power to pursue great good or evil in the multiverse."
* As of the most recent edition, ''[[
* ''[[Warhammer Fantasy Battle]] Fantasy'' is rather dark for a fantasy setting, though not quite to the extent of ''[[Warhammer
** Ogres are on this list for a somewhat different reason than other races. They live in a society that is based only on one rule. Might makes right. Their god could easily be a weird mix of Slaanesh and
* For reasons beyond, everyone in ''[[Warhammer
** The Dark Eldar ultimately subvert the trope. They can only stay alive and young by murdering and torturing as many people as possible, so their entire culture is based around killing and butchering people. And if they can't find people of other races to do it to, [[Chronic Backstabbing Disorder|well...]] However, they are still considered part of the larger race of Eldar by their kin, who vary wildly in [[Character Alignment]]. It is possible for Dark Eldar to get sick of being [[Chaotic Evil]] and join some other Eldar faction, ultimately blending in entirely with their new comrades. With that said, any Eldar living in [[Wretched Hive|Commorragh]] is going to be evil... or prey.
** Then there are the Orks, who just have no fear of death, think killing is loads of fun, and aren't smart enough to realize that the other species disagree (though the [[Blood Knight|other]] [[Omnicidal Maniac|species]] themselves [[Manipulative Bastard|don't]] [[Complete Monster|help]]). In fact, in any ''non''-[[Crapsack World]], they'd probably be a pretty big subversion of this trope.
* Carrying on from the [[H.P. Lovecraft
* ''[[Rifts]]'' uses this trope about as much as everyone above, but also provides the interesting case of the Faustians in the ''[[Space Opera|Phase World]]'' setting: An
** There is also a possible justification in an NPC's history in ''Rifts Mercenaries'': a "renegade" Tauton's story talks about how he was basically ''taught'' to hate and be almost mindlessly aggressive against other races. He didn't like it, and got out as soon as he could.
* The Steve Jackson Games' RPG ''[[
** Well, in the canonical story, Bright Lilim are very rare, but yeah, many players ''love'' playing Bright Lilim, for the same reason people like playing good-aligned Drow in Dungeons and Dragons and stuff like that: because people like to be "original".
* In ''[[Exalted]]'', we have demons, who may or may not have anything against gods, mortals, and Exalts ''personally'', but are completely incapable of disobeying their vengeful progenitors, the [[Eldritch Abomination|Yozis]].
** Also, anything infected with [[Hate Plague|Gremlin Syndrome]].
** As with many Exalted tropes, this one is implied to be more complex than at first glance: in the Roll of Glorious Divinity II, it's implied that demons are literally ''[[Allergic to Love|afraid of love]]'', because the Yozis have ground it into them that there is no such thing as love without pain. Besides [[Love Redeems|certain plot hooks]], this begs the question: [[Trauma Conga Line|what kind of life must a demon lead?]]
** Mainly averted with the rest of the setting - even [[I'm a Humanitarian|Varatjul and the Dune People]] have an explanation for what they do (the Varatjul because [[Moral Myopia|they don't view other humans as being truly sapient]]; the Dune People are [[Crazy Survivalist
* ''[[Magic:
** Even still, Phyrexians in their newest form seem to move away from this trope. Ever since the Phyrexians took over Mirrodin, turning it into New Phyrexia, there have been five different factions corresponding to each of the five colors, and each being lead by a praetor, each with their own brand of pitch-black evil...Except the red praetor, Urabrask the Hidden, who, true to his red mana alignment, is a lot more individualistic and merciful than the other praetors, and therefore leads the only Phyrexian faction capable of free will and compassion. Probably due to this, he is the only Phyrexian leader who plots against the other praetors not simply to gain power but to actually work against Phyrexia as a whole. This is mainly due to the fact that Phyrexia's primary goals strongly go against two of red's strongest points: freedom and emotion.
== Video Games ==
* Pretty much anything a player is expected to kill in a video game falls into this trope. The vast majority of the time, one's foes are irredeemably evil and deserve to die for no other reason than that they oppose the player. There's no diplomacy, no bargaining; [[Violence Is the Only Option|the only reasonable response is death.]]
* Deconstructed in ''[[Xenoblade Chronicles]]''. [[The Messiah|Shulk]] swears revenge on [[Killer Robot|the Mechon]] following [[Doomed Hometown|their attack on his home]]. This isn't seen as a particularly bad thing as they're just soulless killing machines... {{spoiler|then it turns out that the Faced Mechon actually have members of his own Homs species inside them. Worse still is the fact that the Mechon ''aren't'' the native species of Mechonis... the Machina, who are just as humane as the Homs and who built the Mechon, are. Upon realising that his [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge]] against the inhabitants of the Mechonis would take sentient life, he ultimately swears off it and begins his [[Character Development]].}}
* The residents of Xylvania in [[Battalion Wars]] take this to such extremes that they're practically a parody. They're [[Putting
* The qunari in ''[[Dragon Age II]]'' are made out to be this because of their reputation as militant conquerers. In reality, they're more like a race of [[Blue and Orange Morality|Lawful Blue]] [[Well-Intentioned Extremist|Well Intentioned Extremists]]. Unfortunately, their negative image is far too often exploited by the local [[Manipulative Bastard
* [[Lampshade Hanging]] in ''[[Star Control]] II'': the Ilwrath [[Card-Carrying Villain|position]] ''[[Card-Carrying Villain|themselves]]'' [[Card-Carrying Villain|as supremely evil.]] If the player confronts them over this ("[[Logic Bomb|If your actions are judged by your society as correct, aren't you, in fact, good?]]"), they tie themselves into a logical knot before deciding to attack the player for being annoying.
** Subverted in the case of the [[Big Bad]] race(s) of the Ur-Quan. While the first game portrayed them as typical [[Evil Overlord
** Also played straight with the Dnyarri, the former psychic slave-masters of the Ur-Quan and the Sentient Milieu, who are confirmed by anyone who knew of them to have been an entire race of [[Complete Monster
** The Umgah, while not as aggressively malevolent as the Ilwrath, are a race of rather cruel [[The Trickster|tricksters]]. Some of their "practical jokes" include tricking the cowardly Spathi into fighting for the Ur-Quan instead of being placed under a protective shield, tricking the Ilwrath into committing genocide on the Pkunk, and inadvertently reviving one of the aforementioned Dnyarri in an effort to start a war within the Hierarchy (this one [[Hoist
* Originally, the monsters that the title brothers of ''[[Super Mario Bros.]].'' fought were just generically evil. (Indeed, Bowser's original title was Daimaou, or "Great Demon King".) However, later games with [[Role
* In general, in most old action video games (''[[Metroid]]'', ''[[Mega Man (
** Even in those games, there are subversions: ''[[Metroid]]'' featured the baby Metroid of the second and third games, ''[[Mega Man (
** In the [[
** Also nicely subverted in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
{{quote|
{{spoiler|'''Midna:''' Link... He... he spoke.}} }}
* ''[[
* The first two ''[[
** In another example, the Eredar were originally represented as an irredeemably evil race of demons who corrupted the mightiest warrior among the [[Precursors|Titans]] into the [[Big Bad]] and enslaved the Orcs. Inexplicably, they became a race of honorable beings who were corrupted ''by'' the [[Big Bad]]'s own festering corruption. This happened through a [[Retcon]] in the ''World of Warcraft'' [[Expansion Pack]] ''Burning Crusade'', after the third game and its expansion as well as four books and a trilogy presented them as ''completely'' evil. The creator of ''Warcraft'', Chris Metzen, has admitted this was something of a train wreck, but sticks by his decision.
** However, many enemy races, particularly the Gnolls, the Harpies, the Troggs, nearly all demons, the Naga, and the Murlocs ''are'' (almost)
** The Vrykul are not the nicest folk, and are usually presented as enemies of the Alliance and Horde, but some are approachable and reasonable. Their darker counterparts the Kvaldir, however, are a different story. Corrupted by Helya, this degenerate offshoot of the race are beyond redemption.
** The Black Dragonflight is this after Neltharion became corrupted and his name was changed to Deathwing, as they enjoy killing and only follow orders from dragons strong enough to kill them. The other dragonflights consider them beyond redemption. {{spoiler|The one possible exception being an uncorrupted black dragon egg.}}
** Some demons like the Nathrezim (aka. the [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast|Dread Lords]]), Ered'ruin (Doomguards), Sayaad (Incubi), and Mo'arg(felguards seem to have always been evil. The entire race is so evil that their ''mere existence'' convinced [[Big Bad|Sargeras]] that the Titans' mission to bring order to creation was futile.
* Kamal Re'x, the leader of the Hierarchy's invasion of Earth in ''[[Universe At War]]'', gives this trope as an excuse for their
* ''[[Final Fantasy XI]]'' has the player start off thinking that all beastmen are scum, but then has you find out that most of them are fighting the player races for various reasons. The Quadav are only in conflict with Bastok due to the fact that Bastok kinda tried to take over the Quadav's homelands, and have since been in constant combat with them over land and resources. Then, there are the Goblins, who are less evil and more [[Honest John's Dealership|willing to do anything to make a buck.]]
* The Gnosis of the ''[[
* Tediz in [[
* In the ''[[
** And if their Pokedex entries are correct, Gyarados, Tyranitar and Hydreigon seem to have a natural tendency towards violence. You could view them as dangerous animals and not truly evil but one qualifier for chaotic evil is being too dumb or simple to know any better...
* Subverted in ''[[
** Though it could be argued that they were never evil, they just weren't on the side of the humans. It wasn't good vs evil, just one side vs another, even if they did use the undead and other "evil" things.
* The ''[[Mass Effect]]'' series subverts this a lot; the [[Eldritch Abomination|Reapers]] are the only ones that fit best.
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** ''The'' best subversion comes from the geth. They were the robotic mooks that served Saren Arterius in the first game, acting as your main opponents at the time, returning in the second game as less prevalent, but still recurring adversaries. In the first game, the geth worship Saren's ship, Sovereign, as a god - the pinnacle of synthetic evolution - and were responsible for driving their creators out of their homeworld. As it turns out, the geth were starting to discover their place in the universe at large, but the quarians essentially jumped the gun out of a paranoid fear over their robotic "slaves" turning on them. Furthermore, the geth you faced in the first and second games are from a splinter group that believe their future should be guided by more advanced pseudo-lifeforms. The main hub of geth just want to be left alone to build their Dyson Sphere and achieve true unity; they even take care of the quarian homeworld in the absence of their creators. {{spoiler|If given the chance, they'll agree to share the homeworld with their creators, and even enthusiastically help them rebuild and readjust their immune systems to their old planet.}}
** The vorcha are universally seen as aggressive, unpleasant, and vermin-like murderers, salvagers, and graverobbers; the only ones you encounter are Blood Pack mercenaries, as well as a group that created and distributed a plague on a station filled with millions. However, like Tolkien's orcs, the vorcha are more a product of their environment than anything else; they only live twenty years, use combat as their main form of communication, are literally beaten into serving as cannon fodder for their mercenary ringleaders, and tend to grow up in a world where the slightest ounce of water is treated as treasure. Some background Codex-like trivia paint the vorcha as miners, settlers, and brewers, and there is also mention of vorcha trying to colonise a high-gravity world.
** The yahg are the only other species played straight thus far, having a vicious pack mentality, a brutal nature even worse than that of the krogan, and butchering a peaceful ambassadorial envoy when they made first contact, as well as finding equality in general to be offensive, but we only ever meet ''one'' - on a DLC, no less.
** Played absolutely straight with the Collectors, though. According to Mordin, they have "no soul" and "must be destroyed".
*** Again, this one fits the "artificially created" part, as they've been twisted by the Reapers and are mind-controlled by them.
**** Furthering this point, in the From Ashes DLC for Mass Effect 3, Collectors are seen as nothing more than husks. It is possible that all communication is done by {{spoiler|the Eldritch Abomination Harbinger}}.
* Subverted in ''[[Disgaea]]''. Although the demons in this series openly claim that they're
* ''[[
* ''[[The Elder Scrolls]]'' averts this for the most part, as none of the various races and creatures are inherently evil, not even the Vampires. Daedra are probably Always Chaotic Neutral, though.
** Played straight with the Dragons in ''[[Skyrim]]''. According to {{spoiler|Paarthunax, the one exception to this rule,}} all Dragons are inherently tyrannical and seek power. {{spoiler|And even he has to resist the urge to revert to form everyday.}}
** The Falmer weren't originally like this, but they have become twisted monsters after suffering for centuries under the rule of the Dwemer.
* ''[[Fable (
* The Super Mutants were portrayed as this in the first ''[[
** On the other hand, the Master really and truly thought he was doing what was right.
** Also somewhat justified, as most Super Mutants suffer severe brain damage during their conversion that leaves them without the mental capacity to be much more than [[The Usual Adversaries]]
** The Legion, Fiends, and Powder Gangers, however, are viewed as the evil factions of the game. Most if not all companions who are sane will turn against you if you side with the Legion for whatever reason (either due to being a complete monster, to achieve Caesar's goals, or because they conflict with the Legion's interests), and even it's former Legate and co-Founder does not look too highly on the Legion and finds the Republic more tolerable.
* The Brutes and Prophets from ''[[Halo]].'' Though the only three Prophets ever characterized in any depth being the three that know without a doubt that humanity must die for the good of the Covenant.
** Averted in the [[Expanded Universe]] and ''[[Halo Wars]]''. The Brutes aren't always evil, if the [[Worthy Opponent|Brute]] [[A Father to His Men|Chieftain]] is counted. Also, some fight dialogue in the series hints that Brutes have personal lives and genuinely think what they are fighting for is right.
*** Also averted with the Prophets in the [[Expanded Universe]] books. There ''have'' been decent Prophets, but [[Complete Monster|Truth]] is not one of them.
* Lurkers in ''[[Jak and Daxter]]'' started out like this. They underwent a [[Heel Face Turn]] by ''Jak II'', however.
** Only to be replaced by Metal Heads and promptly [[Chuck Cunningham Syndrome|disappear from the series]].
** [[The Corruption|Dark]] [[Precursors|Makers]] also qualify.
* The Cragmites of ''[[Ratchet and Clank Future Tools of Destruction]]'' are shown to be this. Emperor Perceval Tachyon (the only one we see in the game {{spoiler|before he found the dimension that they were banished to and brought them back}}) wants to [[Take Over the World|take over the galaxy]], and REALLY wants to pop Ratchet's head {{spoiler|because the Lombaxes banished the Cragmites, raised Tachyon as one of them regardless of his origins, and because Ractchet's father was the guardian of the Dimensionator (the machine which teleported the Cragmites away)}}; but still, there are no lifeforms who are neutral to Ratchet in the universe...
** The Blarg from [[Ratchet
* The Bydo from ''[[R
* Most of the creatures you can recruit without resorting to torture in ''[[Dungeon Keeper]]'' are like this. Oddly enough, there is a hero-aligned Horned Reaper in the final mission of the first game, a creature who is often depicted as being the granddaddy of ALL the evil creatures in the game.
* The Darkspawn of ''[[Dragon Age]]'' ''Origins''.
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*** Demons are merely a sub-set of spirits, many of whom are shaped by Valour, Justice, Faith, and the like. It's just that [[True Neutral|the benevolent ones mind their own business]] instead of attempting leave the [[Spirit World]], minus a few exceptions; those that do can end up becoming demons anyway, like how Justice was twisted into Vengeance by his host's anger.
** Played with in the case of {{spoiler|the darkspawn, according to the Architect. He states that the darkspawn are evil because the Song of the Old Gods forces them to be, and that if they are "freed" using Grey Warden blood, they attain sapience and free will. While the Architect is morally gray, with a darker past, a reckless disregard for consequences, and a very poor understanding of humans, you do meet at least one of his Disciples who proves to be downright heroic - though being a darkspawn, he still spreads the Taint accidentally.)}}
* The Minions of ''[[Overlord]]'' are all of the [[Laughably Evil]] type. They follow the will of any current [[Evil Overlord
* [[The Heartless]] in ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'' are a sort of "souless evil" who seem to attack everyone on sight and have no personality.
** Ditto the Nobodies, though this is disputed out-of- and in-universe.
* In the ''[[
** Interestingly, status as "good" or "evil" is based only on choices made during random events; your civilization can embark on massive campaigns of galactic genocide and still be considered "good".
* The Grox race from ''[[Spore]]'' are a race of cyborgs and almost always conduct raids on random races, making them being viewed as the galaxy's ultimate evil. {{spoiler|This is actually a subversion, as the Grox are only reacting to the threat posed by oxygen-breathing life forms that gain the power of space flight, and inevitably use terraforming to spread their deadly (to Grox) oxygenated atmospheres to other planets. You can even ally with them, if you both prove yourself willing to spare Grox-inhabited worlds your terraforming AND prove your own race to be a powerful ally against other oxygen-breathing races, mostly by making a complete mockery of intergalactic law, blowing up their planets with wild abandon, and exhibiting the ability to survive in spite of the entire rest of the galaxy declaring war on you.}}
* ''[[
* For ''[[Return to Krondor]]''...Demons, Shadows, Goblins, Trolls, Ghouls, Vampires, Nighthawks, Zombies, Sidi's Necromancers, Izmali Assassins, and Bear's Mercenaries. Does that cover it? Oh, and at least two of these groups will form into alliances against you and James will wonder how that could be.
*
* The [[Scary Dogmatic Aliens|Skedar]] from ''[[Perfect Dark]]''. Their only goal seems to be the extermination of the [[The Greys|Maian race]] and they don't seem to care how many humans they have to kill to do it.
* [[Discussed Trope|Discussed]] in ''[[The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim]]'' with Paarthunax, a dragon who chose to rebel against [[Big Bad|Alduin]] and aid the humans fighting his rule. He explains that dragons have an innate nature to dominate and destroy, and that he has overcome his own nature through thousands of years of constant meditation, and every day he has to struggle with his own inner nature which is driving him to hop off his mountain, fly down among the humans, and start eating and ruling over them. When confronted for his [[Retired Monster|past crimes]], he replies thusly:
{{quote|
* The ''[[X Universe]]'' has [[Space Pirates]], Yaki ([[Yakuza]] <small>[[Recycled in Space|IN SPACE!]]</small>), [[
== Webcomics ==
* The Dimension of Pain demons from ''[[Sluggy Freelance]]'' are quite openly evil, even using the phrase "How evil" as the highest form of praise. Their hatred of anything good is taken to comedic extremes, from being unable to stand the smell of flowers, to being called "dysfunctional" if they don't fight enough with their family, to considering a relaxing massage a form of torture. Despite this, many of them still manage to have their own distinct personalities. They may all be evil, but, like with human beings, greed and stupidity usually get in the way.
** Many of the named characters among them seem to act evil towards humans, but not to each other. Others are humorously evil (or something) even amongst their own kind, for example, eating each other randomly.
* The major theme of the ''D&D''-based webcomic ''[[Goblins]]'' is pointing out that ''usually'' [[Chaotic Evil]] really does only mean ''usually''...as well as exploring the root causes behind this, and whether it's even true (which, while debatable in real life ethics, is stated to be so in the rulebooks). To this end, the protagonists have run across a surprising number of evil humans and other typically good or neutral races (including [[Complete Monster
** As an expected result of this conflict, a [[Knight Templar]] has already appeared.
* ''[[The Order of the Stick
** Subverted in a short series of strips in which the Order meets a group of [[White Sheep|teenaged goblins]] who are good-aligned -- for the explicit reason that it cheeses off their parents, who are Evil. "Listen to me, young man, you will drink the blood of the innocent and you will LIKE IT!"▼
Unlike ''Goblins'', the setting is close to entirely consistent with the ''D&D'' source material. Out of several arcs involving a stuffed up [[Knight Templar]] Paladin who "generously" gives the main character Roy time to "improve" his behavior. He eventually gets her guard down by apologizing—then condemns her for her own faults. This is similar to the way in which "evil" races are treated - while the [[Heroic Comedic Sociopath|sociopathic serial killer]] in the troupe is occasionally given a free pass because he's [[Hobbits|a halfling]] (often harmless and jovial and cute) -- or more likely because, overall, he does more good than harm, even if not ''quite'' intentionally.
▲** Subverted in a short series of strips in which the Order meets a group of [[White Sheep|teenaged goblins]] who are good-
** Redcloak's entire character arc from ''[[Start of Darkness]]'' can be seen as a [[Deconstruction]] of this trope: {{spoiler|the goblins are formally designated as Evil Cannon Fodder by the gods, which doesn't sit too well with him when his family is slaughtered by crusading paladins. His ultimate goal is to give his race equal standing among the other major species of the world, but he slowly takes more and more horrific actions pursuing his plan to do so -- thus becoming the very thing that he objects to being labeled as. Is he evil because goblins are inherently evil, or because he has been designated as such?}}
*** Well, if you include hobgoblins, one hobgoblin sacrificed his life to save his leader's (even though Redcloak never did much to earn any loyalty). This is a pretty impressive "good" action, right? Except his leader is evil.
*** It's Lawful. [[Lawful Evil|The other part of the default hobgoblin alignment]].
*** The question then would be: "Would that same goblin push a Good aligned character under the falling boulder?"
** {{spoiler|Doubly}} subverted when the Order of the Stick first runs into the Linear Guild. Vaarsuvius's counterpart is a dark elf named Zz'dtri who {{spoiler|claims that he}} isn't evil, even though his race is
** The Darth Vaarsuvius arc explores this as well. Vaarsuvius casually killed a black dragon in the Wooden Forest during the sidequest to get Roy's starmetal. No one had any moral qualms about it (not even [[Knight Templar|Miko]]), because black dragons are
** What's more, two later comics show the full unpleasant ramifications of V's actions. {{spoiler|By casting that Familicide spell, V not only killed off 1/4 of the black dragon population, but many [[Half Human Hybrids]] that were actually [[Chaotic Good]], as well as their (relatively) innocent full-human mothers. The comics are [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0842.html here] and [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0843.html here].}}
* Rats are Always Evil in ''Freaks N Squeeks''. It goes with [[What Measure Is a Non-Cute?]]
* Demons in ''[[Dan and
** Cubi, on the other
** The fae, on the other hand, seem to be Always [[Chaotic Neutral]].
* Some of the early humor of ''[[Yet Another Fantasy Gamer Comic]]'' depended upon this concept, as the comic has its roots entirely in older editions of ''D&D''. For example, when the beholder Bob cheats on [[
* ''[[Tech Infantry]]'' has the Bugs, created as a living biological weapon by a race of [[Sufficiently Advanced Aliens]] to use as a [[Redshirt Army]] against a race of alien [[Body Snatcher
* ''[[The Challenges of Zona]]'' has the [[Our Orcs Are Different|Orc stand-ins]], the Urtts, who [[Word of God]] assures us are all just plain evil, and we shouldn't give any pity to the ones maimed, charred, and dissected by the Heroes. Yes, even their [[Half-Human Hybrid|half-human bastards]].
* Elves in ''[[8-Bit Theater
** The other races aren't much better. ''8-Bit Theater'' is a [[Crapsack World]], after all.
* Parodied by way of [[Not So Different]] in [https://web.archive.org/web/20120720140607/http://badgods.com/orc.html this] ''Bad Gods'' comic by Lore Sjöberg.
* In ''[http://www.harkovast.com/?id=17 Harkovast]'', the Nameless Race cannot speak or think but are described as constantly marching to war. They have yet to do anything other than attack people, and are generally killed without mercy by the story's heroes.
* Due to misconception and propaganda, everyone in ''[[
* Much like the above, werewolves in ''[[Cry Havoc]]'' are inaccurately portrayed by the church as
* In ''[[Looking for Group]]'', elves are supposedly this, but almost every elf we meet is actually pretty decent or has a [[Freudian Excuse]] to justify the alignment. The main character is actively trying to go against his race's reputation, and is ''the'' character most concerned with the morality of the group's actions. The undead may be this, but we only meet one group of them, and they are controled by the [[Token Evil Teammate]].
* ''[[Slightly Damned]]'': [[Averted Trope|Averted]] with Demons, although it is indicated that Buwaro is the only exception.
* [http://www.thebeastlegion.com/issue-02-page-01-the-attack-begins/ The Shadow Nexus] from ''[[The Beast Legion]]'' are a group of deadly generals each with their own Beast forms, who's sole aim is to create chaos across the land of Lithopia and crush any who oppose the will of their Master, Dragos. In the very second issue, they invade the palace of Lithopia with full force, leaving only destruction in their wake.
* The demons in ''[[
== Web Original ==
* In ''[[
* The Cthonians from the ''[[Global Guardians PBEM Universe]]''. But then, they are based on Lovecraft's Deep Ones.
* Averted for many traditional "monster races" in ''[[Tales of MU]]'', especially the subterranean elves (don't call them "Dark Elves", and "Drow" is a serious racial slur up, there with "spider jockey" and "cowl head") who simply have [https://web.archive.org/web/20110810230624/http://talesofmu.nfshost.com/story/bonus-stories/bonus-story-meditations a bad reputation due to cultural misunderstandings]. Played more straight with Demons and Ogres, as well as {{spoiler|[[Our Mermaids Are Different|mermaids]]}}.
* Deconstructed in ''[[The Salvation War]]''. The society in hell actively encouraged [[Chronic Backstabbing Disorder]], [[You Have Failed Me...]], [[We Have Reserves]], and [[Shoot the Messenger]]. The result was an inefficient and unstable society that collapsed once it came under external pressure. Lampshaded on several occasions by baldrick defectors.
* ''Heavily'' subverted in [http://bogleech.com/mortasheen.htm Mortasheen], where no creatures are inherently evil (well, except for the Dolfury), and they're all as loyal to their trainers as any Pokemon would be. Yes, that includes the [[Our Demons Are Different|scary mind-raping Devilbirds]] and the [[Eldritch Abomination|horrible, maddening Unknowns]].
* This trope is comprehensively picked to pieces in ''[[The Return (
* ''[[
* Largely averted in ''[[Adylheim]]'' where none of the playable races are defined by their race. Granted, this is partially a virtue of it being a [[Grey and Gray Morality]] world. Some of the non-playable races, such as trolls, have a tendency to fall into this category though.
* There's also Sara Waite from the [[Whateley Universe]].
* The ktuvoks in [http://www.zompist.com/virtuver.htm the world of Verduria]. Their entire society is based on [[Brainwashed|Brainwashing]] humans who are less advanced than they into obedient slaves, and they are so good at it that if humans are freed from their control, [[Stockholm Syndrome|the humans will ally themselves with the ktuvoks willingly]]. In addition, they attack all free human civilizations, using their slaves as [[Mooks|Cannon Fodder]], laying everything to waste and commiting every war crime in the book. They have no culture or learning to speak of, and merely steal the innovations of other races. And the worst part? The ktuvoks are severly restricted to where on the planet they can live; they cannot survive away from swamps. The only reason they take over much of the continent and turn humans into loyal [[Complete Monster]] slaves is [[For the Evulz]].
== Western Animation ==
* Supposedly, the Rhubarbarians from "Duke and the Great Pie War', a ''[[
* On ''[[The Fairly
* The Decepticons in most versions of the ''[[Transformers]]''. (Though the Decepticon Octane {{spoiler|defected to neutral after he got in hot water with [[Ax Crazy|Galvatron]]}}.
** There are also the [[Transformers Generation
** To say nothing of Dinobot from ''[[
** The Quintessons are almost always this.
** The spawn of [[Omnicidal Maniac|Unicron]] are almost always every bit as evil as their master. {{spoiler|The Minicons from ''Armada'' were an exception, though they were created for the sole purpose of giving the Autobots and Decepticons something to fight over.}}
* Both invoked and averted on ''[[
** Demona herself is one of very few evil gargoyles, the race as a whole is supposedly [[Always Lawful Good]], having a near biological drive to protect and safeguard the places that they live and those places' inhabitants. It is, however, up to the individual gargoyle clans how they choose to interpret these drives, ranging anywhere from "Stay the hell away from my caves, filthy human scum" to "Here I come to save the daaaaay!"
* The above fable of the Frog and the Scorpion is parodied in ''[[Robot Chicken]]'', [http://robotchicken.wikia.com/wiki/In_My_Nature here.]
* On ''[[Jimmy Two-Shoes]]'', weavils, so far, have been shown to be a race made up of completely [[Jerkass]] creatures who love to torment the citizens of Miseryville.
* Birds in [[Happy Tree Friends]] are usually hostile...particularly the [[Morally
** ''[[Everything Is Trying to Kill You|Everything is out to get the HTF gang.]]''
* The Irken race, from which [[Invader Zim]] hails, is, as far as we know, entirely bent on conquering vast swaths of space. Zim himself may be an exaggeration of the Irken racial personality, but each Invader introduced seems to enjoy large death machines and lots of destructive fire.
* Hornets and sewer rats in ''[[The Penguins of Madagascar]]'' seem to be this way. There are no species which can really be described as [[Always Lawful Good]], so it may be a case of [[Black and Grey Morality]] as applied to whole species.
* ''[[Futurama]]'' has a species of evil leeches, the "Dark Ones". All of the species lived at a single puddle, and yet all their evil was useless against a bag of cement, used to prepare the ground to be turned into a parking lot.
* The Changelings from ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
* The Wart Mongers from ''[[The Smurfs]]'' are at first believed to be a race with no redeeming values at all, being brutish, greedy, boorish bullies who [[Bad Is Good and Good Is Bad| enjoy being ugly and disgusting]] while hating everyone. The Smurfs have a very hard time trusting [[Zorro| the heroic]][[Shout Out| Masked Croaker]] when he shows up, but it quickly becomes clear he is, indeed, the [[White Sheep]] among them.
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