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Rebel Leader: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
{{quote|''"The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers."''
|'''Princess Leia Organa''', ''[[Star Wars]]: [[A New Hope]]''}}
It can be a cruel life in a typical fantasy story. [[The Empire]] rules the land with an iron fist, the [[Evil Overlord]] is slowly but steadily taking over the world, or a [[The Evil Prince|new government]] ruthlessly takes power. The people are oppressed and overtaxed, but the enemy is just too powerful for anyone to overcome. What can they do?
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Other variations of this trope include a [[Dark Messiah]], a leader who is a very questionable 'savior', or perhaps a [[Doomed Moral Victor]] if the odds are ''really'' that bad.
{{examples}}▼
▲{{examples}}
== [[Anime]]
* Lelouch from ''[[Code Geass]]'' leads the Black Knights, but plays the facade of a grand rebel leader when he's actually using them for his own ends.
** Well, is it that huge a difference, when the Japanese just want freedom for Japan, while Lelouch wants to cause the downfall of the Britannian Empire occupying it? "You used us!" sounds pretty hollow in the series, when Lelouch essentially uses them not only to get what they want, but to help all the other oppressed people on the planet, as well.
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* Kamina in ''[[Gurren Lagann]]''. Simon and Kittan also show signs of this, although Simon doesn't become the official leader until Team Dai-Gurren are done rebelling.
== [[Comic Books]] ==▼
== Card Games ==▼
* ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]'''s Mercadian Masques block had a creature type called, well, Rebel. Basically, it involves bringing creatures out from your library. Lin Sivvi, who rebelled against the Phyrexians on Rath, fits this trope, and was actually a bit of a [[Game Breaker]] back in the day. More recent Rebel leaders aren't quite so broken: Koth, Jor Kadeen, Melira, and Kemba had so game-breaking about them in the Scars of Mirrodin block.▼
▲== Comic Books ==
* Princess Sally in the Archie ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' comics.
== [[Fan Works]] ==
* ''[[Half Life: Full Life Consequences
== Fanfic ==▼
▲* [[Half Life: Full Life Consequences|John Freeman, Gordon Freeman's Brother and saver of humans.]]
* In ''[[Winter War]]'', with the war lost, Seireitei occupied, and Yamamoto dead, this role falls to Captain Ukitake.
* ''[[Star Wars
▲* [[Star Wars|Princess and Senator Leia Organa]]. The [[La Résistance|Rebel Alliance]] has a number of leaders, from political leaders (Mon Mothma, Bail Organa) to military leaders (General Dodonna, Admiral Ackbar, and others), but there's no doubt, especially after Alderaan's destruction, who the symbolic flame of the Rebellion is.
** Leia's mother, Padme Amidala, probably counts as well, seeing as the deleted scenes from ''Revenge of the Sith'' have her forming the Rebellion with Bail Organa and Mon Mothma.
** To a point, Luke Skywalker—destroyer of the Death Star, founder of Rogue Squadron, not to mention last of the Jedi—qualifies as well.
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* Mariana from ''[[The Rundown]]'', who leads a group of rebels against the [[Corrupt Corporate Executive]] Hatcher and his forces.
== [[Literature]] ==▼
▲== Literature ==
* Kelsier from the first ''Mistborn'' book. He has the rugged good looks, defiant grin and questionable end-justifies-means morality, and is also something of a [[Dark Messiah]] and a self-styled [[Doomed Moral Victor]].
** Given a twist with Quellion, a character from the third book who is in many ways a dark shadow of Kelsier, who shows that it's not always pretty when one of these guys actually succeeds in taking power. In his attempts to eradicate all traces of the old system, Quellion becomes just as tyrannical as the decadent nobility ever were. {{spoiler|Of course, it didn't help that the [[Big Bad]] was prodding him in that direction}}.
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* Florian in Lloyd Alexander's ''Westmark'' trilogy seems to be genuinely concerned with what's best for the people, but is willing to be ruthless when necessary. His lieutenant, Justin, goes further into [[Well-Intentioned Extremist]] territory.
* Enjolras - the leader of the Friends of the [[Incredibly Lame Pun|ABC]], the student revolutionaries from ''[[Les Misérables]]'' - is this, down to the possibly questionable choices he makes during the barricades.
* From ''[[The Inheritance Cycle]]'', there's Ajihad, the leader of the [[The Revolution Will Not Be Vilified|Varden]]. Also his daughter Nasuada {{spoiler|after he is killed}}.
== [[Live-Action TV]] ==▼
* Blake from ''[[Blake's 7
▲== Live-Action TV ==
▲* Blake from ''[[Blake's 7|Blakes Seven]]'' is a Rebel Leader of the genuinely dedicated but morally hazy variety.
* ''[[Babylon 5]]'': Both Captain Sheridan and Mars Resistance leader Tessa Holloran.
== [[Oral Tradition]], [[Folklore]], Myths and Legends ==
* Zeus, against his father Cronus and the Titans.
* Satan, in ''[[Paradise Lost]]'' and other works.
* King David, although supposedly partly by accident.
▲* ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]'''s Mercadian Masques block had a creature type called, well, Rebel. Basically, it involves bringing creatures out from your library. Lin Sivvi, who rebelled against the Phyrexians on Rath, fits this trope, and was actually a bit of a [[Game Breaker]] back in the day. More recent Rebel leaders aren't quite so broken: Koth, Jor Kadeen, Melira, and Kemba had so game-breaking about them in the Scars of Mirrodin block.
== [[Video Games]] ==
* ''[[Half-Life
* The Heretic in ''[[Halo 2]]'', who is killed by the Arbiter. The Arbiter later takes this role, ironically.
* Odessa Silverburg in ''[[Suikoden]]'', until Tir (the hero) takes over. The protagonist in most, if not all, of the other Suikodens.
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* Pandra in ''[[Blaze Union]]'' is one of the nastiest varieties of the trope; he may have originally rebelled out of the people's interests, but has degenerated into being worse than most bandits. As he intends to thieve, pillage, and rape his way through the country, he has a tendency to get curbstomped by the heroes quite often.
* Abraham Reyes of ''[[Red Dead Redemption]]'' is a negative version of this, being an egotistical [[Glory Hound]] whose talents solely consists of using fancy words to rile up peasants. Of course, [[Not in This For Your Revolution|John doesn't care]] as long as Reyes can get him to Bill Williamson and Javier Escuela (which he does). {{spoiler|In the epilogue, as Presidente he does not improve Mexico in any way and becomes [[Meet the New Boss|just another dictator.]]}}
* White/Hawk in ''[[Alter AILA]]'' definitely qualifies.
* ''7.62 High Calibre'' has Tanya Tormens as the leader of the rebel group trying to overthrow the coup-established government of Algeira, and you can choose to support her efforts, put her down, or play her against the government until you're forced into choosing sides. Interestingly, she's the daughter of the dictator of Palinero, the neighboring country that was the location of the previous game in the series, who himself came to power in a military coup.
* Russian dissident Grigor Illyanich Stoyanovich and General Sergei Molotov from ''[[Empire Earth]]''.
* ''[[The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim]]'' brings us Ulfric Stormcloak. Of course [[Grey and Grey Morality|how evil his enemies are and how moral he is is up for debate]]. While the [[A Nazi by Any Other Name|Thalmor]] are [[Obviously Evil]] and [[The Empire]] signed a peace treaty, they hardly did it by choice, the conflict Ulfric started [[Nice Job Breaking It, Hero|weakened them further]] (and gave the Thalmor an excuse to ensure the ban on Talos worship, something Ulric complained about and was initially ignored, was being enforced) and the non-Nords (particularly the [[Dark Is Not Evil|Dark Elf]] refuges and [[Lizard Folk|Argonians]]) of the city are freely abused with [[Fantastic Racism]] (especially those who don't want to take sides in the war). {{spoiler|His treatment of the Forsworn also echoes his complaints about the Empire and it's implied the Thalmor have manipulated him into starting a civil war (while he was a POW, after being captured while serving in the Imperial army) to weaken Skyrim.}}
** Meanwhile, the Forsworn has their own in Madanach, the King in Rags, who wants to see the Reach and its people granted independence. However, it's quite a stretch to call him a good guy, seeing as he's fully willing to commit genocide on the Nords if he gets his way. The game also implies that his warriors [[Complete Monster|are cannibalistic rapists who wear the skin and bones of their victims as their armour.]]
* ''[[Shin Megami Tensei]]: [[Devil Survivor 2]]'' has Ronaldo Kuriki, ironically representing the Law alignment.
== [[Web Comics]] ==
* In ''[[The
▲* In ''[[The Order of the Stick|Order of the Stick]]'', the paladin Thanh is 'nominated' to lead the resistance in {{spoiler|Azure City}}.
** The position originally belonged to Haley, until she and Belkar had to leave in order to {{spoiler|resurrect Roy}}.
* The Summoner and the Sufferer from ''[[Homestuck]]'' lead two major upheavals in Alternia and are also {{spoiler|Tavros and Karkat's ancestors}}. The former is responsible for Alternia becoming a [[Teenage Wasteland]] while the latter is so infamous even mentioning the symbols of his rebellion in one's private journal is grounds for execution. Not that this stops {{spoiler|Mindfang}} from talking about it.
== [[Western Animation]] ==▼
▲== Western Animation ==
* Jet from ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'' seems to fit the typical rebel hero, right down to causing a love triangle, until the kids learn how far he's willing to go.
* In ''[[The Legend of Korra]]'' we have the [[Big Bad]], Amon, who is leading an anti-bending movement.
* [[Badass Normal|Caleb]] from ''[[WITCH (animation)|WITCH]]''. When he's 15.
* [[All There in the Script|Lard Nar]] on ''[[Invader Zim]],'' though he and the rest of [[La Résistance|the Resisty]] only appeared in one episode [[Too Good to Last|before the show got canceled]].
* T.J. Detweiler from ''[[Recess]]'' for the rest of the students.
== [[Real Life]] ==▼
▲== Real Life ==
* [[Older Than Feudalism]]: Spartacus is a classical historical example, as well as Boudicca and Hereward the Wake.
* In that context Assyrian history springs to mind, which mostly consisted of very brutal conquest and the invariable (and even more brutally quelled) rebellions afterwards. [[wikipedia:Marduk-apla-iddina II|Marduk-apla-iddina II]], known as Merodach-Baladan from ''[[The Bible]]'' was particularly tenacious.
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