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{{trope}}
[[File:crazybitch 1868.jpg|link=Exiern|
{{quote|''"It is such a quiet thing, to fall. But far more terrible is to admit it."''
|'''Kreia'''|''[[Knights of the Old Republic|Knights of the Old Republic II]]''}}
Few things are [[Villainous BSOD|more crushing]] than realizing [[Obliviously Evil|that you're one of the bad guys.]] You exclaim "[[My God, What Have I Done?]]?" and perhaps shed [[Tears of Remorse]]. Or in some cases, you realise you're even worse than you thought you were. Either way, it's [[Epiphany (trope)|the moment you know you're in the wrong]].
It may lead to [[The Atoner]], a [[Redemption Quest]], or [[Redemption Equals Death]], or, if the author is feeling particularly vindictive, to [[Deadly Change-of-Heart]]. Conversely, may turn a [[Well-Intentioned Extremist]] [[Necessarily Evil]], or force them to admit that there is [[No Place for Me There]]. There's also the possibility to [[Ignored Epiphany|ignore the realization.]] Sometimes these people were just [[Punch Clock Villain|working for someone]] who turned out to be doing horrible things. A common form is to [[Kick the Wrong Dog]] and/or [[Being Evil Sucks]].
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* The final climax of the 2003 version of ''[[Astro Boy (anime)|Astro Boy]]''. For the entire series, Dr. Tenma had been trying to guide Astro so that he would eventually become the most powerful robot in the world, able to rule over all humanity. However, all this time, Astro had been fighting for peaceful man-machine coexistence. So in their final conflict, Tenma and Astro meet in the abandoned Laboratory 7, {{spoiler|where most of Tenma's angst originated, first with his real son then with Astro's original incarnation}}. What finally ended the battle wasn't strength of arms at all, but Astro {{spoiler|forgiving Tenma for everything he did. He suddenly realizes that the robot he built himself had shown himself to be ''more human than him'', and he finally surrenders.}}
* ''[[A Certain Scientific Railgun]]'': When Accelerator first gained his powers, he killed many people without intending to. He later participates in a project with the goal of increasing his power, so that no one would dare challenge him again and get hurt. Said project consisted of slaughtering thousands of Sisters (clones of the third-most powerful esper). At the end of his fight with Touma, Accelerator realizes that the Sisters he'd been slaughtering for power are also human. This eventually leads to his [[Heel Face Turn]] and becoming a main protagonist.
== Comic Books ==
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* In ''[[Scott Pilgrim]]'', the entire point of {{spoiler|Negascott}} is to get Scott to recognize his own faults as a person and to understand that he's played a part in the failures of his past relationships rather than just blaming others.
* Paradoxically, inverted in [[The Flash]], after one of Flash's friends accuses [[Reed Richards Is Useless|Flash of not using the full extent of his abilities to help people.]] The friend then realizes the best way to make the Flash a better hero is to become a villain who'd push him to be one.
== Fan Works ==
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* In ''[[Team 8]]'', Sakura overhears Naruto warning Lee about the fact that she is actually not a nice person to anyone other than Sasuke, and realizes, after some thought, that he is correct.
* In the ''[[Babylon 5]]/[[Mass Effect]]'' [[Crossover Fic]] ''The Babylon Effect'' Matriarch Benezia decides to stop at Beta Durani to have a little talk with a caputured Minbari Shai Alyt on the way to a Peace Mission to Minbar. After pointing out that the Minbari had killed an Asari Matriarch during an earlier battle during the war and that, by the Minbari's logic, the Asari had every right to exterminate ''them'', among other things. The Shai Alyt has a combination of this and a [[Oh Crap]] moment realizing that there are only two ways their war with the Terran Systems Alliance will end; either they make peace with them, or the Citadel Council will crush them like a grape.
== Film ==
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* In ''[[Dogma]]'', Loki has a moment like this when he hears Bartleby claim that God unfairly favours humans over angels and that therefore they are entitled to kill a bunch of them if that means they get to return to Heaven.
{{quote|"My God. I've heard a rant like this before... You sound like the Morning Star... You sound like [[The Devil|Lucifer]], man! You've fucking ''lost'' it! You are not talking about going home, Bartleby, you are talking fucking ''war on God!'' Well fuck that! I've seen what happens to the [[Pride|proud]] when they try to take on the throne... [[Screw This, I'm Outta Here|I'm going back to Winsconsin.]]"}}
== Literature ==
* Ian Hunter of ''[[The Unicorn Chronicles]]'' spends the first book, plus a great deal of flashback, being on the side of his great-great-and so on- grandmother, who is trying to destroy luster and the unicorns, all to 'rescue' his daughter. Upon finding her, she yells at him for hurting her friends, and after he gets dumped in the middle of nowhere, he realizes that Beloved is a monster and he's been on the wrong side for the past ten or so years.
* A halfway one from [[The Secret River]]: Thornhill says that he is "not a bad man", but is doing "something only the worst of men could do"
* In [[Terry Pratchett]]'s ''[[
** She goes to her {{spoiler|[[And I Must Scream|not quite death]]}} still insisting she's the good one, but Granny's insistence otherwise has rattled her somewhat. Granny, though, has on multiple occasions made a point of saying that only people who don't know better can actually be bad; if you know the difference between right and wrong, you can't choose wrong.
** Subverted in ''Wyrd Sisters'' when Granny Weatherwax forces the [[Complete Monster|monstrous]] queen of Lancre to see her [[True Self]]. Instead of repenting, the queen declares that given the chance to start over she would've done everything the same, only harder. {{spoiler|She then suffers [[Karmic Death]]...sort of.}} Which would make the above point "if know the difference... and are sane..."
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** Later, when Harry {{spoiler|is dead in Ghost Story}}, he realizes what his decisions in the previous book did to his friends, especially Molly. {{spoiler|It turns out that accepting a devil's bargain in front of your partially-reformed warlock wizardling apprentice is a ''bad'' idea, and that she learns from your example.}}
* In one of the [[Iron Warriors]] short stories, the renegade [[Space Marine]] Ardaric Vaanes realises that yes, he's become a Traitor Marine. At first, however, he doesn't ''care''.
== Live-Action TV ==
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* Done rather nicely in [[iCarly]] with Nevel, who was as close to a [[Big Bad]] as the show got. After spending the series doing everything he could to destroy iCarly, he gets caught on video being his mean, [[Jerkass]] self to a little girl who'd accidentally bumped into him. Not only does this ruin his life, it shows him what he's ''really'' been like. He pretty much says [[My God, What Have I Done?]] and makes a token effort to change his ways. Ultimately, the iCarly gang help him do so and he performs a [[Heel Face Turn]] as a result.
* ''[[The Big Bang Theory]]'' had an episode with two unrelated stories about this. One centered arounnd reuinion between Leonard and a former bully, during which time he began to realize how much he'd hurt Leonard {{spoiler|until he wakes up the next morning fully sober up and reverts to his older self}}. The other centered around {{spoiler|Penny}} realizing that she used to be a bully and trying to overcome her guilt upon realizing how much she hurt her classmates.
== Music ==
* Happens twice in ''[[Razia's Shadow: A Musical]]'' by Forgive Durden. First, when {{spoiler|Ahrima goes into the darkness and Barayas (the Spider) convinces him that the only way to make people respect him is to make them fear him. He destorys the lamps, and is banished. In Toba the Tura, he laments "Oh, [[My God, What Have I Done?|what have I done]]?"}}. Second, {{spoiler|Pallis. After accidentally stabbing his brother, Adakias, he begs and pleads for him to fight and stay alive. Though he was aware of his evil intentions, he didn't mean to take things so far}}.
* The second half of [[David Bowie]]'s "Cygnet Committee," wherein the second narrator first gleefully describes the violence he and his allies have turned to, but slowly sees it to be antithetical to his ideals.
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyuJI73Uxns "The Truth beneath the Rose"] by [[Within Temptation]] seems to be about this.
{{quote|''I believed it would justify the means
''It had a hold over me
''Blinded to see
''The cruelty of the beast
''Here is the darkest side of me
''(Forgive me my sins)
''The veil of my dreams
''Deceived all I have seen
''Forgive me for what I have been. }}
* Bob has a small one in [[Zombie Apocalypse|"Re: Your Brains"]] by [[Jonathan Coulton]], which doesn't seem to effect him much.
{{quote|''I'm not a monster, Tom
''Well, [[Elite Zombie|technically I am]]
''I guess I am. }}
* Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds song "The Curse of Milhaven"
{{quote|''Since I was no bigger than a
''they've been saying I was evil
''that if bad was a boot then I'd fit it
''that I'm a wicked young lady,
''but I've been trying hard lately
''Oh fuck it! I'm a monster! I admit it! }}
* "I Was Wrong" by Social Distortion.
{{quote|''When I was young, I was so full of fear
''[[Jerkass Facade|I hid behind anger, held back the tears]]
''It was me against the world, I was sure that I'd win
''[[Break the Haughty|But the world fought back, punished me for my sins]]
''I felt so alone, so insecure
''I blamed you instead, made sure I was heard
''And they tried to warn me of my evil ways
''But I couldn't hear what they had to say
''I was wrong, self-destruction's got me again
''I was wrong, I realise now that I was wrong }}
* Happens in the middle of [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKQYZUU63QM "Crusade"] by [[Voltaire (musician)|Voltaire]], after the narrator has slain one of the reportedly evil dragons he was crusading against.
{{quote|''The dragon fell upon the ground
''{{'}}Twas then I heard a whimpering sound
''A dragonling to his father clung
''Who only fought to protect his young. }}
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* In [[Ravenloft]], having a Heel Realization is the only way a darklord can escape his/her [[Ironic Hell]] realm. The sourcebook does note that people actually ''capable'' of having a Heel Realization would never have become darklords in the first place.
▲== Theater ==
* The stage version of ''[[Little Shop of Horrors]]'' climaxes when Seymour Krelborn realizes what he's aided and abetted for a little fame and a shot at the woman of his dreams. Confronting [[Man-Eating Plant|Audrey 2]] he damns them both, [[Not So Different|"You're a monster, and so am I!"]] {{spoiler|He is then [[Downer Ending|promptly eaten]].}}
* Valjean and Javert in ''[[Les Misérables (theatre)|Les Misérables]]'' - see Literature, above, although the episodes with Petit Gervais and Marius are sometimes omitted, the realizations following directly from the Bishop's undeserved gift to Valjean and Valjean's decision to spare Javert. Here, with Javert having been upgraded from "recurring nuisance" to "deuteragonist," an explicit parallel is drawn, Javert having a solo that's a [[Dark Reprise]] of Valjean's.
== Video Games ==
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* In ''[[Asura's Wrath]]'', Yasha spent the last 12,000 years going along with the plans of the same people who killed his sister and his brother-in-law, enslaved his niece, and regularly slaughter people for their souls. All for the sake of the "cause"—preventing the complete destruction of humanity at the hands of the Gohma. He justified it by believing with all his might that it truly was the only way to save humanity in the long run. Confronting Asura again and seeing how much power he's attained ''without'' mass human sacrifice helps Yasha realize that Deus' plan ''isn't'' the only way to save the world. When Asura calls Yasha and the other Deities fools for killing ''seven trillion people'' as part of their plan to "save" the world, Yasha agrees.
=== Visual Novels ===▼
▲== Visual Novels ==
* In ''[[Tsukihime]]'', Akiha route, you can, at one point, kill Ciel ({{spoiler|thus, failing her test of Shiki's humanity}}), prompting Shiki to assume he IS a natural-born killer, after all, and give in to [[The Dark Side]]. Needless to say, it's a bad ending game over.
** Part of Kohaku's route {{spoiler|has her realize much quicker than in Hisui's route that maaaaybe she should have picked a different hobby than plotting the utter annihilation of the Tohno family, even if Makihasa wasn't [[Complete Monster|the world's nicest guy after his Inversion Impulse began]].}}
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** Also, in the fifth case, Edgeworth finds that {{spoiler|he's already guilty of using forged evidence, and the forged evidence was used to give a death sentance to a serial killer.}} He wasn't aware of it at the time ({{spoiler|he himself didn't forge the evidence, and he was convinced at the time that it was the real deal}}), but it really came to bite him in the ass when people found it out and started to call him out on it. Even when they find out {{spoiler|who forged the eivdence and why, sort of clearing his name a bit}}, he couldn't forgive himself for it...and it's implied that {{spoiler|it's one of the many things that pushes him to leave the prosecutors office for a year, leaving what appears to be a suicide note}}.
* In [[Katawa Shoujo]], in Act 4 of Shizune's route, {{spoiler|she realizes that she has been taking those closest to her for granted and pushing people close to her away. She thus resolves to, with Hisao's help, repair her friendship with Misha, and also says she will be less competitive in the future}}.
== Web Comics ==
* In ''[[Exiern]]'', Tiffany hates Theresa for several bad reasons: They are both under a [[Gender Bender]] spell (and Theresa doesn't share Tiffany's whiny attitude about it), the guy Tiffany tries to tell herself she's not in love with seem interested in Theresa, and they (Tiffany & Theresa) are equally bigoted against each other's culture. After [[Love Interest|Denver]] give her the appropriate "[[What the Hell, Hero?]]", Tiffany finally realize what a bitch she has been to Theresa. See page illustration above.
* Happens in ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20100617164342/http://shadesofgrey.rydia.net/comic.html Shades of Grey]'': the [[Well-Intentioned Extremist]] angel dude after he meets two nice - but traumatized - demons and freaks out.
* Subversion: Cale'anon of ''[[Looking for Group]]'' believes he has turned evil {{spoiler|after killing a little boy}} and tries to act accordingly, but really, he [[Poke the Poodle|isn't made of the right (or wrong) stuff]].
* Parodied in ''[[Ansem Retort]]''.
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** At one point, Gil Wulfenbach goes into a huge rant about how he always tries to be a [[Nice Guy]] but all that does is make people think that [[Extreme Doormat|he is weak and that they can take advantage of him,]] and so the only time he can make people listen to reason is by beating the crap out of them first. And then he realises, to his horror: "This must be how my father feels ''all the time!'' "
* ''[[8-Bit Theater]]'' example:
{{quote|'''Sarda:''' Well. Um. No. You're '''all''' selfish monsters who need to die for the good of '''everyone else'''. [http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/05/26/episode-1132-whos-the-end-boss/
** Ironically, Sarda doesn't seem to realize or care that he is the one that enabled them to do so much damage in the first place. Stable time loops are delicious like that.
* Though not a villain, [[The Japanese Beetle]] had a moment where he realized he's a creep, and set about [[Character Development|trying to become a decent person and a real hero]].
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Don said nothing.
"You never would listen to me about Royal ideals," Slately said, frowning. "Honor, sacrifice, dignity, decorum, station...loyalty, bravery... You were too polite to me, Don. You couldn't simply say I was no Royal ideal myself."'' }}
* In ''[[Dominic Deegan]]'', after spending most of an arc in denial ("I am a good man!"), Bulgak finally realizes that he is [https://web.archive.org/web/20110303192800/http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2010-11-24 "a selfish, damned fool."]
* ''[[Walkyverse|It's Walky!]]'': [[Dark Action Girl|Sal's]] fall from grace has led her to retrieve an [[Amplifier Artifact]] which she is [[Moral Event Horizon|poised to use to destroy about 2/3rds of the world with]]. Walky brings her back from the brink by presenting her with her ex-boyfriend Danny, who is pretty much the only person she will still let herself care about. Her tough-girl persona collides with her desire for Danny to think well of her and [[Villainous BSOD|she collapses into a crying heap in Danny's arms]]. Afterwards, she becomes [[The Atoner]] for the next few story arcs, resolving to willingly serve out her prison sentence [[Play-Along Prisoner|despite her superpowers meaning she can escape whenever she wants]].
** Her Heel Realization is illustrated by having Sal's hair, which had fallen over her left eye and covered it during her entire [[Dark Action Girl]] phase [[Good Hair, Evil Hair|to illustrate how she wasn't letting herself see everything going on around her]], [[Expository Hairstyle Change|falling away from her face as she sees and recognizes Danny's presence]].
* In ''[[Endstone]]'', when about to [[Mind Rape]] her [[Parental Substitute]], [https://web.archive.org/web/20120625182359/http://endstone.net/2009/06/15/issue-1-page-22/ Cole wonders why she is doing these terrible things -- for a panel].
* ''[[Bobwhite]]'', during a summer story arc, Cleo realizes, [http://www.bobwhitecomics.com/?webcomic_post=20090707 "I'm such a terrible employee that I made a child cry."]
* In ''[[Order of the Stick]]'' Varsuvius not too long ago made a [[Deal with the Devil]] or devils plural in this case and using her acquired power {{spoiler|cast an epic level spell that killed black dragons family and anyone even tangentially related to them}} at the time though she or he realized they'd done wrong, it wasn't till now just [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0843.html how wrong they had gone] truly hit them.
* ''[[Devil Bear]]'' had plushies from Gener-ahh-city [http://www.thedevilbear.com/comics.php?p=257 trying to explain] their plan. «Huh. Ya know, when I say it like ''that''…»
== Web Original ==
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* Cracked.com offers a helpful list of [http://www.cracked.com/article_15021_5-signs-that-youre-villain-in-hollywood-action-movie.html 5 Signs That You're The Villain In An Action Movie], including details like acknowledging one's own [[Red Right Hand]] and the possibility of being an [[Evil Brit]].
* The ''Escapist'' series ''Doraleous and Associates'' had an episode where the titular heroes-for-hire realized they were working for the bad guys. They immediately switched sides.
* In [
* The original Dove was a vigilante crimefighter from the ''[[Global Guardians PBEM Universe]]'' who was active between 1989 and 1995. He considered himself a hero helping to defend ordinary people from street criminals. His usual modus operandi was to hunt any criminal whom he thought "got away with it"; that is, whenever he disagreed with a "not guilty" verdict. When captured, he was confronted with the fact that he wasn't a defender of the public, but rather just another serial killer and the idea horrified him to the point that he hung himself while awaiting trial.
* Phase of the [[Whateley Universe]] is a fourteen-year-old who was kicked out of the richest family on the planet, the Goodkinds, when he turned into a mutant: the Goodkinds are notoriously anti-mutant, supporting the [[Knight Templar|Knights of Purity]] and the semi-governmental Mutant Commission Office (MCO). Goodkinds, including the boy Phase used to be, have supported the MCO with billions of dollars over the years. Phase has defended the MCO to his new (mutant) friends at [[Super-Hero School|Whateley Academy]], even though there are rumors that the MCO has kidnapped hundreds of young mutants who were never seen again. In "Ayla and the Grinch", Phase has to face the fact that the MCO really ''has'' been kidnapping, and "disappearing", young mutants, and he is partly responsible, since he helped fund the MCO.
* Throughout ''[[
** "Now the nightmare's real; now Dr. Horrible is here...."
== Western Animation ==
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{{reflist}}
[[Category:Narrative Devices]]
[[Category:Internal Conflict Tropes]]
▲[[Category:Heel Realization]]
[[Category:Esoteric Trope Names]]
[[Category:Redemption Tropes]]
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