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{{trope}}
[[File:A Grudge Too Far.png|400px|thumb|link= Total War: Warhammer]]
{{quote|'''[[Only Sane Man|Joachim]]:''' We're all with you, sir. But consider this. We are free. We have a ship, and the means to go where we will. We have escaped permanent exile on Ceti Alpha V. You have defeated the plans of [[The Captain|Admiral Kirk]]. You do not need to defeat him again.
'''[[The Chessmaster|Khan Noonien Singh]]:''' He'' tasks ''me to! He tasks me, and I shall have him! [[Determinator|I will chase him 'round the Moons of Nibia, and 'round the Antares Maelstrom, and 'round perdition's flames before I give him up.]]|''[[Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan|Star Trek II the Wrath of Khan]]''}}
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Contrast [[Forgiveness]].
{{examples}}▼
▲{{examples}}
== Anime and Manga ==
* Sasuke Uchiha of ''[[Naruto]]'' has allowed revenge to motivate almost every single action he takes. ''Everything'' he does in the first half and most of the second half of ''[[Naruto]]'' is done to become strong enough to face Itachi. These actions include charging in half-cocked to fight Itachi when he was nowhere near ready, getting excessively jealous when a "failure" starts surpassing him, [[Face Heel Turn]]-ing to the enemy, ''killing'' said enemy and absorbing his powers, and gathering his own team to help him. You would think that Sasuke might chill out a tiny bit after he finally succeeds, but nooooo. When Sasuke learns {{spoiler|his (now late) older brother did everything he did for ''Sasuke's'' sake}}, he sets out on a ''whole new'' rampage of revenge, this one {{spoiler|directed at the Leaf Village itself and the current aspirant for Hokage (Danzo) in particular. You know it's bad when Danzo, not exactly a saint himself, calls him on it and has a valid point.}} Gets even worse when he abandons his new team because he's too impatient to wait for them to catch up, and {{spoiler|stabs through Karin simply because Danzo took her hostage and it was too much effort on his part to help her. Remember, she is his only medic at this point.}}
** Weirdly, he intends to keep a promise he made to Naruto about his revenge, {{spoiler|namely that he'll fight and kill Naruto first, to the exclsion of all others.}}
** There's also Pain, who lost so many loved ones to ninja society that he set about to effectively destroy it so thoroughly people would be too scared to even ''consider'' making war. When that fear wore off, as Pain was certain it would, he would lather, rinse, repeat.
*** It should also be noted that the cornerstone of Pain's beliefs and plan is that he thinks ''[[Humans Are
** To his credit, Naruto himself is doing everything in his power to ''avert'' this lately. Despite his own desire for revenge on Pain for {{spoiler|killing Jiraiya, and [[Not Quite Dead|almost killing Hinata]] as well as killing many Leaf Villagers}}, Naruto is able to rein in his feelings and instead ultimately wins without killing him {{spoiler|which pays off ''far'' better}}. Most recently he's been trying to get the Raikage to not try and kill Sasuke for attacking his brother.
** Speaking of which, the Raikage is perfectly willing to ''{{spoiler|lose an arm (and a leg, but was stopped before that could happen)}}'' to achieve his revenge.
*** However, he subverts/averts it later when {{spoiler|he learns his brother is OK, and apparently decides to forget about Sasuke entirely.}}
** This is noticeably averted with Shikamaru. He has a motive to Sasuke that isn’t so different (his teacher died at the hands of the insane priest Hidan, and Asuma meant everything to him). But nevertheless, he does consider Ino’s offer to trap Hidan instead (even if she was more of a supporter in the fight than Shikamaru himself was), but her mind powers probably wouldn’t work on someone insane.
* Sosuke Nekome, one of the main characters of ''[[Dennou Coil]]'', is obsessed with ruining the MegaMass corporation for causing his father's death and ruining his reputation. He's willing to sacrifice anything or ultimately kill anyone who gets in the way of this plan, even the twelve-year-old protagonists Yasako and Isako. {{spoiler|Fortunately his little brother ''does'' possess reason and [[Heel Face Turn
* In ''[[Bleach]]'', {{spoiler|Gin Ichimaru follows Aizen so he can learn how to kill him. Apparently, Gin came across Aizen's mooks after they took a piece of his childhood friend Rangiku's soul. He wanted revenge. For over a 100 years, Gin waited for the perfect moment! Aizen knew all along and was simply interested in what sGin would do. Then, when he FINALLY attacks, Aizen survives and kills him easily.}}
* Then there's Lockon Stratos {{spoiler|(that is, Neil Dylandy)}}, from ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam 00]]'', whose ''whole motivation'' turns out to be revenge against the people who bombed his family. At one point, the terrorist leader who caused their deaths tries to divide the Gundam Meisters by telling Lockon that his teammate Setsuna used to belong to his group; Lockon points his gun at Setsuna and says (paraphrased) "I know you couldn't have done it, but just let me shoot you so I can feel better."
** Later on, he goes out in a badly damaged Gundam and missing one eye because the aforementioned terrorist was on the battlefield and he refused to let the guy get away in the time it would have taken to fix the Gundam and regenerate his lost eye. {{spoiler|Which ends up causing Lockon's death because the guy picks up on his new blind spot and exploits it, despite a sterling [[Determinator]] attempt by Lockon to [[Taking You with Me|take him along for the ride]].}}
* An earlier [[Gundam]] example is Kamille Bidan, of ''[[Zeta Gundam]]'', who in the first episode gets himself thrown into military prison for attacking a Titan, and then beaten up for physically assaulting a military police officer, in both cases because of ultimately petty reasons. Even his [[Gundamjack]], which goes on to cause him [[Downer Ending|so much misery]], is motivated by pointless
* Lelouch from ''[[Code Geass]]''. His revenge not only leads to millions of deaths, despite what happens in the end, but also screws up more of his plans than they should have been.
* In ''[[Dragonball Z]]'', Frieza could have chosen to escape, but he spends his remaining energy trying to get rid of Goku
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** Another, very chilling, example is [[Super-Powered Evil Side|Super Saiyan 2 Gohan]] willfully prolonging his [[Curb Stomp Battle]] against Cell, partly for this trope, and [[For the Evulz|party for his own sadistic amusement]]. It [[Nice Job Breaking It, Hero|backfires]] ''[[Epic Fail|spectacularly]]'', as Cell suffers an epic [[Villainous Breakdown]] and attempt a [[Suicide Attack]] that could've [[Earthshattering Kaboom|destroyed the whole Earth]], had his father [[The Messiah|Goku]] [[Heroic Sacrifice|not stepped in sacrificed himself for the sake of everyone]], {{spoiler|[[Senseless Sacrifice|which ultimately failed]]}}.
* Sentinel 3, AKA the "Avenging Sentinel" from ''[[Franken Fran]]'' becomes addicted to vengeance {{spoiler|even setting up his own non-combat allies to be killed just to have excuse for it}} because the act of vengeance feels really good. And it's not [[Combat Sadomasochist|like this]] or [[Orgasmic Combat|like that]], just knowing you're avenging someone {{spoiler|even someone ''you set up to die in the first place''}} produces that same kind of high.
* Guts from ''[[Berserk]]''. He and his lover Casca were the sole survivors of the dreaded Eclipse {{spoiler|which was caused by their former friend and leader, Griffith, [[Face Heel Turn|selling them and all of their comrades in the Band of the Hawk out to the Godhand]] [[Deal with the Devil|in order to become a demon lord]] so that he could fulfill his life-long dream after a year of crippling torture. [[To Make a Long Story Short|To make a long and sad story short]], neither Guts nor Casca come out [[Go Mad
* ''[[Master of Martial Hearts]]'' has the villains take Revenge before Reason, common sense, sense of decency and even basic logic.
* The defining trait of ''[[One Piece]]'' villain Hody Jones. Despite having never suffered from it firsthand, he craves revenge against the human race for crimes against Fishmen and Merfolk and will do anything to achieve it. This anything includes sabotaging attempts by other characters to reconcile and live peacefully with humans so they can continue to justify themselves.
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* Engi from ''[[Yumekui Merry]]'' starts sliding into this in her pursuit of Heracles, willing to risk the life of her vessel, Yui, and going against her friends if it means avenging her sister.
== Comic Books ==
* When Hal Jordan came back from the dead some of the people he tried to kill prior to his death wanted revenge. This trope comes into play when you consider that they discover upon his resurrection that Jordan had been possessed by a cosmic parasite and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
* The [[Word of Dante|Yves Rodier]] finished version of ''[[Tintin]] and the Alph-Art'' has {{spoiler|Rastapapolous so willing to kill the titular character (who continuously screwed up his plans and operations) that his plan to do so would also inevitably lead to [[Taking You with Me|killing himself in the process.]]}}
* In ''[[All Fall Down]]'', this motivates {{spoiler|Pronto}} into selling out his friends to get his powers back.
* Beautifully subverted in ''[[Sin City]]: Hell and Back''. When mob boss Wallenquist hears that one of his operations was completely shut down by an ex-soldier, his subordinates start making plans to track and kill the guy. Instead, Wallenquist points out that there's [[Pragmatic Villainy|no profit in revenge]] and no point in pursuing a fight with someone who's leaving town anyway. He may be a [[Complete Monster]], but he knows what's in his own best interest.
== Film ==
* ''[[Star Trek II: The
* [[The Captain|Captain Picard]] in ''[[Star Trek:
* In the
** {{spoiler|In an overlap with [[Cut Lex Luthor a Check]], he could have just taken his ship to Romulus after escaping from the Klingons ([[Deleted Scene]]), even after capturing [[The Spock|Spock]]. Then he could have given the future tech to his people, and they could have taken on the Federation and the Klingon Empire, thus assuring the safety he wanted.}}
** {{spoiler|He probably ''would'' have beforehand, except that some time between Kirk's birth and the rest of the movie he got captured by Klingons and his crew had to rescue him.}}
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'''Ahab:''' Talk not to me of blasphemy, man; I'd strike the sun if it insulted me. For could the sun do that, then I could do the other. }}
* This is what leads to Liu Bei's downfall in ''[[Romance of the Three Kingdoms]]'' after {{spoiler|Guan Yu}} is killed, leading to a [[Heroic BSOD]], and prime minister Zhuge Liang's advice on priorities is ignored; the resultant failed attempt at revenge costs {{spoiler|his sworn brother Zhang Fei's life, the ruination of his army by Lu Xun's fire attack, his own health (and eventually life), any realistic hope of an alliance between the kingdoms of Shu-Han and Wu, ''and'' the ascension of the throne of his easily manipulated son Liu Chan}}.
* The Sponsor in ''[[Star Trek: Department of Temporal Investigations]]'' has a little of this. First by maliciously deleting from history the temporal agent who attempted to identify him (rewriting the timeline so she was never born) and then, when other agents were nonetheless able to use her last, shielded transmission to find him, having this to say:
{{quote|"If that revenge backfired and led to my arrest, then all the more need for the revenge itself to stand".}}
* Throughout the [[Star Trek Novel Verse]], Bajorans are prone to holding grudges and vendettas long past the point of reason; this is particularly noteworthy in the ''[[Terok Nor]]'' series. In the first book, their stubborn commitment to stewing over wrongs both real and imagined becomes a fatal flaw when Dukat decides it's the perfect means of controlling them. All he has to do is fan the flames of their anger against a preferred target, and they'll be too angry and focused to see his agenda unfolding around them.
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== Tabletop Games ==
* ''[[Exalted]]'': So. Let's say that you are the ghost of a First Age god-king, who has been empowered by the dead gods that once ruled Creation to go out and drag the whole place screaming into the maw of Oblivion. They have power over you that is paramount, and [[You Have Failed Me...|do not show favor to those who screw up]]. So what have you spent the last several years doing? You've been tracking down the reincarnations of the people who tormented you in the First Age, and making their lives hell over and over again. You have let plans that could put a serious cold sore on Creation's lips, including a ''zombie plague'', char on the back burner because you are so busy fucking over the people who tormented you millennia ago. You are Eye and Seven Despairs, and you are, in the eyes of your colleagues, utter dogshit.
* In ''[[Warhammer Fantasy Battle]]'' the Dwarves. Every time. They are determined to avenge every slight, and never, ever forgive. And just to make sure they don't forget either, they have a giant book called the Book of Grudges in which they write them all down. They're currently going slowly extinct, and a fair amount of the blame goes to their refusal to cooperate with the other races because at some point in centuries past they were wronged by them. That, and their literal inability to stop taking revenge. Every time they take revenge, and lose a dwarf doing it? Write it down in the book.
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* Tech Kraken, pupil of the late [[Hero Antagonist]] Phantom in the ''[[Mega Man Zero]]'' series. Knowing that Zero retired Phantom before the end of the first game, Kraken decided to join [[Big Bad|Dr. Weil's]] army to get revenge on Zero. He openly stated that he doesn't care about the repercussions of working under a [[Complete Monster]] like Weil, because he just wants to avenge his mentor. Fortunately, Kraken loses all of his desire for revenge after his final defeat in Zero's hands, and gives Zero his blessing in defeating Dr. Weil once and for all.
* In ''[[God of War]] III'', Kratos is so completely blinded by his desire to kill Zeus and eventually all the gods, he refuses to listen to other people who tell them that, like, maybe ''killing the sun'' in pursuit of Zeus wouldn't be such for a good thing for the world at large. Nope, he's got to have his vengeance! Eventually however he starts to see the consequences of his actions {{spoiler|and chooses to sacrifice himself to give the power of hope to humanity in an attempt to salvage the world he obliterated.}}
* In [[Mass Effect 2]], {{spoiler|Zaeed wants the head of Vido Santiago on a pike in the worst way. The two started the Blue Suns merc group together. Vido wanted to hire Batarians because they were cheaper, but Zaeed considered them a little too hardcore. Vido circumvents Zaeed by betraying him and shooting him in the face. Zaeed attempts to get his revenge later with the help of Commander Shepard, but ends up endangering the lives of innocent refinery workers in the process. A Paragon player can go so far as to deck Zaeed across the face in a [[What the Hell, Hero?]] diatribe, and deprive Zaeed of his revenge attempt and save the plant workers instead. Renegade players can go along with Zaeed's
** {{spoiler|The Paragon option works because you make it look like you were going to leave him there like he would have the other people. He calms down a bit. Enough so that he won't get himself killed on the Suicide Mission.}}
** This political stance in the Quarian fleet regarding the Geth is personified by Admiral Han'Gerrel.
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* ''[[Dragon Age Origins]]'' has a heroic example: If you choose to spare Loghain at the Landsmeet, [[The Lancer|Alistair]] will permanently leave the party. However, it's possible to get him to stay {{spoiler|as King of Ferelden}} and save Loghain's life [[Guide Dang It|if you take proper precautions]]. If so, by [[Dragon Age II]] he'll calmed a bit about this, though he's still quite bitter towards Loghain.
** If you don't carry over the save game from ''Origins'' into ''[[Dragon Age II]]'', you are given three choices for the outcome of the first game. The default choice has Loghain survive and Alistair become king.
* In ''[[Dragon Age II]]'',
** Ironically, in the endgame, if you {{spoiler|refuse to kill Anders, Sebastian}} will swear to ''raise an army and burn Kirkwall to the ground'' in revenge for {{spoiler|the destruction of the Chantry}}, rather than reserving his revenge for {{spoiler|Anders and Hawke}}, despite having just condemned {{spoiler|Anders for killing innocent people}}.
* ''[[Prototype (video game)|Prototype]]'', where Alex Mercer kills countless people to get revenge on the people who turned him into what he is, overturning their operations whenever he finds an opportunity. As a direct consequence, Manhattan becomes a war-zone. {{spoiler|This is, of course, one of the few things remaining from the ''original'' Mercer, whose corpse was reanimated after he died [[Taking You with Me|trying to take the rest of the world down with him]].}}
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== Webcomics ==
* Lord Horribus from ''[[Sluggy Freelance]]'' wants revenge on Torg ''bad'' (well, technically he wants redemption for having let Torg escape, but they both come down to tearing Torg into tiny, meaty bits). He proves willing to sacrifice the demons's entire [[Demonic Invaders|invasion attempt]] just for the chance of killing Torg.
* In ''[[Schlock Mercenary]]'', Ms. Damico kidnaps two people who cost her some money. Petey, a near-godlike AI who can wage war on whole galaxies, offers to buy his friends' freedom for 25 times the amount Damico lost. [http://www.schlockmercenary.com/d/20101010.html She refuses, instead demanding "satisfaction"].
** In a (technically) heroic example, this trope is the only thing that can make Tagon say [[Screw the Money, I Have Rules]]. When he's offered a huge fee to rescue Xinchub from certain death, he refuses, because he and his soldiers hate Xinchub so much.
* In ''[[Get Medieval]]'', crimelord Broat personally flies out to the backwater planet his deposed rival Torquel Hane is stranded on (France in 15th century Earth, to be exact) to personally kill, rather leave him stuck somewhere he has no ability or desire to leave. Why? Because Torquel wasn't suffering enough.
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== Western Animation ==
* David Xanatos of ''[[Gargoyles]]'' always defied this trope, believing that [[Know When to Fold'Em|revenge is a sucker's game]].
** This in contrast to may characters like Demona and MacBeth (and even most of the heroes on the occasions their [[Berserk Button
* In the ''[[Turtles Forever]]'' animated movie, the [[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2003|2003 Shredder]], after being beaten so many times by his Turtles and discovering [[The Multiverse]], decides to go to the source (the [[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mirage|Mirage comics universe]]) and destroy all reality. He doesn't seem to care that this would kill him as well.
* Depth Charge from ''[[Beast Wars]]'' is a Maximal driven by an all-consuming need to take revenge on the sadistic [[Psycho Prototype|Rampage]], who personally killed and ate the all of the former's friends for a laugh. He'll blow off any order if Rampage is anywhere nearby.
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* Courtney spends much of the latter half of [[Total Drama World Tour]] sabotaging ''her own team'' to get revenge on [[Perky Goth|Gwen]] as well as Duncan who was her boyfriend at the time for kissing behind her back.
* ''[[Invader Zim]]''. The writers point out that the only reason he hasn't taken over the world is because he gets caught up in pointless battles like finding out if Dib threw that muffin at his head during lunch {{spoiler|by hooking him up to a mind control machine and making him live out a vivid, decades-long fantasy life.}}
* In ''[[Batman: The Animated Series]]'', Jimmy the "Jazz Man" was more focused on making sure
** And in the film, ''[[Batman: Mask of the Phantasm]]'' we have {{spoiler|Andrea.}}
{{quote|'''{{spoiler|Andrea}}''': I'm not saying it's right or even sane, but it's all I have left, so either help me or get out of the way!}}
* Arcee's obsession with Airachnid in ''[[Transformers Prime]]'' is made of this, since the latter was the one who {{spoiler|killed her partner Tailgate}}. This also applies with Starscream after {{spoiler|she finds out he was the one who killed Cliffjumper}}. Fortunately by the end of "Partners", she was able to put her desire for revenge behind her.
** As of ''Crossfire'', she swerved right back into it.
*
* Averted in ''[[South Park]]'' with Scott Tenorman. Instead of simply killing Cartman (his mom had begged him not too), he decides to reveal to Cartman that he had killed his own father and then fed his flesh to his half-brother. It’s a pretty impressive revenge scheme.
{{reflist}}
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[[Category:Villain Ball]]
[[Category:Character Flaw Index]]
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