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{{trope}}
[[File:
The ruler of an Empire, usually but not always [[The Empire]]. Historically, Emperors outranked Kings, so when you need an authority figure to convey the highest possible power and rank, you can't get any higher than making them
If a ruler is known as
▲The ruler of an Empire, usually but not always [[The Empire]]. Historically, Emperors outranked Kings, so when you need an authority figure to convey the highest possible power and rank, you can't get any higher than making them [[The Emperor]] (unless you go to [[The Pope]], or into the speculative realms of [[Celestial Paragons and Archangels]], [[Demon Lords and Archdevils]], and [[Galactic Conqueror]]). The next steps down are [[God Save Us From the Queen]], [[The Woman Wearing the Queenly Mask]], [[The High Queen]], [[She Is the King]], [[The Good King]] and [[President Evil]].
▲If a ruler is known as [[The Emperor]], it's almost a sure sign that he's an [[Evil Overlord]]. Kings, Lords, and Presidents are as likely to be good as they are to be bad, but somehow [[The Emperor]] is almost always the story's heavy. This is probably for the same reasons as [[Good Republic Evil Empire]].
In Western media, characters known as
▲[[The Emperor]] is often distinct from the [[Evil Overlord]] in that he's much more likely to be the ruler of the world, or at least the ruler of the largest and most influential country in it, instead of simply being a Sauron/Kim Jong-Il [[President Evil]] cackling it up over in Latveria/[[Mordor|Mordorland]]. Besides being evil, you can often expect [[The Emperor]] to be the [[Big Bad]], especially if you're in a Fantasy setting. They will frequently invoke [[Authority Equals Asskicking]], which can often make them the most dangerous man on the planet.
▲In Western media, characters known as [[The Emperor]] will almost inevitably be [[Evil Overlord]] [[Big Bad|Big Bads]]. Only in historic plotlines involving the leaders of the real-life Roman Empire will they get any sympathetic depiction at all, and even then they're usually portrayed unflatteringly. In contrast, in China and Japan Emperors actually served as legitimate rulers for most of recorded history, and thus Eastern media (particularly Chinese wuxia films, but also occasionally anime) do have the occasional non-evil Emperor. However, if the Emperor is legitimate and non-malevolent, his role in the plot is usually purely as a background character; plot-significant Emperors usually serve in the role of [[Big Bad]].
* The [[Evil Overlord]], a very standard [[Big Bad]] (often complete with [[Spikes of Villainy]] and [[Shoulders of Doom]]), is essentially a cliche bully who, despite having no real diplomatic or political skills, has attained his position through [[Asskicking Equals Authority|strength or special combat skills]]; if this is seen as too oafish, a very powerful [[Evil Sorcerer]] or [[Emperor Scientist]], who still lacks subtlety, will suffice. Expect him to abuse his followers, intimidate his subordinates, [[Tin Tyrant|wear battle-armor all the time]], and be [[Large and In Charge|built like a tank]]. The [[Legions of Hell]] and most [[
* The [[True Final Boss|Shadow Emperor]] is an extremely powerful form of
▲[[The Emperor]] can be divided into four main types:
* The [[President Evil|President Charisma]], typically a leader of [[Eagle Land]], is a [[Villain
▲* The [[Evil Overlord]], a very standard [[Big Bad]] (often complete with [[Spikes of Villainy]] and [[Shoulders of Doom]]), is essentially a cliche bully who, despite having no real diplomatic or political skills, has attained his position through [[Asskicking Equals Authority|strength or special combat skills]]; if this is seen as too oafish, a very powerful [[Evil Sorcerer]] or [[Emperor Scientist]], who still lacks subtlety, will suffice. Expect him to abuse his followers, intimidate his subordinates, [[Tin Tyrant|wear battle-armor all the time]], and be [[Large and In Charge|built like a tank]]. The [[Legions of Hell]] and most [[Always Chaotic Evil]] races are this guy's [[Mooks]]. A [[General Ripper]], if significantly promoted, is a more intelligent derivative of this type.
* The [[Reasonable Authority Figure|Benevolent Emperor]]. Usually located in East-Asia ([[Fantasy Counterpart Culture|or an equivalent]]), the wise king is a [[Exactly What It Says
▲* The [[True Final Boss|Shadow Emperor]] is an extremely powerful form of [[The Emperor]], who rules from [[Man Behind the Man|behind-the-scenes]] with much Machiavellian scheming, delegating much of his powers, and almost always has a [[Hidden Agenda Villain|hidden agenda]]. Though they are usually not as physical as [[Blood Knight|Blood Knights]] like the [[Evil Overlord]], they will probably have hidden magic or [[Psychic Powers]]. [[Star Wars|Emperor Palpatine]] (who was originally President Charisma) and [[Code Geass|Charles zi Britannia]] are prime examples. Of all these types, the Shadow Emperor will be the most likely to try and obtain [[Immortality]]. He's likely to be [[The Ghost]] for at least the first part of the story, usually operating through [[Mooks]] or [[The Dragon]].
▲* The [[President Evil|President Charisma]], typically a leader of [[Eagle Land]], is a [[Villain With Good Publicity]], who always puts on a good face for the public, but is probably a conniving [[Manipulative Bastard]] behind the scenes. A more [[Truth in Television|realistic]] and politically-oriented emperor, he is often a [[Take That]] at the nation's current administration (or somebody else's). An [[Engineered Public Confession]] is one of his more common foes. Examples include most [[President Evil|President Evils]], and virtually all fictional references to [[Richard Nixon]]. The [[V for Vendetta|Norsefire]] leader attempted to be this, and most other [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]] [[Expy|expies]] will usually come off as one (in his own country, anyways).
▲* The [[Reasonable Authority Figure|Benevolent Emperor]]. Usually located in East-Asia ([[Fantasy Counterpart Culture|or an equivalent]]), the wise king is a [[Exactly What It Says On the Tin|benevolent]] (if usually distant from the heroes and their struggle) leader, who sides with the heroes when he finally shows up, and acts more as a promoted spiritual guide or priest than pure authority. The few western examples will just be an expansion of the wise [[Royal Blood]] 'True King'. The Emperors of [[Mulan|Mulan's China]], [[Order of the Stick|Lord Shojo]], and [[The Last Samurai|The Last Samurai's Japan]] are prime examples. A President Charisma may be confused for this before [[The Reveal]].
** A common derivative is a once-great benevolent Emperor who has grown senile and surrounded by corruption.
** A [[Knight Templar]] Emperor tries to be this, but usually ends up becoming one of the above.
** Messiah-Emperors usually qualify as one of these, though like all benevolent leaders ([[Warhammer 40
** Roughly half of the [[The Roman Empire|Roman Emperors]] depicted in fiction will be of this sort. The other half will be [[The Caligula|Caligulae]] to a man.
This trope isn't necessarily related to [[God-Emperor]], but it may.
See also [[Just the First Citizen]]. [[Do Not Confuse With]] the [[Black Metal]] band [[
Of course, just because the trope is titled "The '''Emperor'''" doesn't preclude the existence of actual '''[[Distaff Counterpart|Empresses]]''', as some of the examples in both fiction and [[Real Life]] illustrate.
{{examples}}
== Anime & Manga ==
* Souther from ''[[Fist of the North Star]]'' follows the [[Evil Overlord]] template to a tee. He calls himself the "Saint Emperor" and has his minions kidnap children to use as slave labor in the construction of a giant pyramid dedicated to his dead master, and he is one of the few villains in the series to hand Kenshiro an outright defeat.
* The [[Big Bad]] Emperor Charles di Britannia in ''[[Code Geass]]'' presides over a [[World Half Empty]], and does everything in his power to keep it that way. {{spoiler|This appearance is actually a front for his plans to cause [[Instrumentality]]}}.
* The [[Big Bad]] of ''Vision of Escaflowne'' is the Zaibach Empire's Emperor Dornkirk, [[Beethoven Was an Alien Spy|who is actually Sir Isaac Newton]], and is currently a 200-year-old man inside a pickle jar with a telescope attached.
* ''[[Samurai
* In ''[[Digimon]]'', Ken's villain persona "the Digimon Emperor" fits this trope as well as his name would suggest. A whip-wielding [[Evil Overlord]] with a Floating Base of Doom and a costume which includes gold shoulder pads and a cape, his goal is to enslave all Digimon and take over their world. All at the tender age of eleven, too.
* Azusa Masaki Jurai, the Juraian Emperor in [[Tenchi Muyo!]], is an interesting case. In the anime he is somewhat of a jerk, [[All There in the Manual|but actually]] leans to the Benevolent Emperor category, and is a kind of [[The Ditz|a ditz]], easily controlled by his mother-in-law, for whom he still keeps an immense crush, despite being [[Happily Married]] (twice). You see, [[Royally Screwed
** His mother-in-law can control him '''''more''''' than because he has a crush on her. She's one of the most dangerous people in the universe to anyone: to her enemies because she is an expert tactician and leader; to her allies because she loves to use them for humor, often causing sheer chaos.
* Shi Ryuuki from ''[[Saiunkoku Monogatari]]'' is a rare benevolent emperor and a main character of his show.
* Emperor Hotohori or Saihitei from ''[[Fushigi Yuugi]]'' is another example of a [[Reasonable Authority Figure|Benevolent Emperor]] who genuinely cares and works for the improvement of his nation. {{spoiler|When he first visited Tamahome's house, he was surprised by the poverty he found there and is seen making a mental resolution to do something about the problem, although Tamahome was his rival in love.}} He also went to war for his country and died fighting.
* ''[[Grenadier]]'' gives us a benevolent Empress, {{spoiler|though she is imprisoned and impersonated by her identical (villainous) bodyguard for the most of the story, so her ''other'' identical bodyguard has to free her}}.
* ''[[Crest of the Stars]]'' has the Humankind Empire Abh as it's series focus and at the top is none other than Empress Ramaj. A relatively benevolent figure considering she responded to provocation by plunging half of humanity into war with the other half.
* [[The Empire]] in ''[[Legend of Galactic Heroes]]'' is, naturally, ruled by
** {{spoiler|His natural death of old age one third through the series kicks off an imperial civil war between the old noble houses who seek to keep the status quo, and a reformist faction of the military and lesser houses led by Reinhard. Reinhard wins a crushing victory and takes effective control of the empire, eventually disposing of the Goldenbaum dynasty nonviolently and establishing the Lohengramm dynasty in its stead. Reinhard becomes a democratic reformer and rules as an enlightened and quite benevolent emperor, though he thinks nothing of using his imperial authority to force reforms through.}}
* And here's a fascinating absence. Japan, home of anime, is ruled by an emperor. Yet in any anime set in the "real" Japan, modern, historical, or future, the actual emperor of Japan '''''never''''' makes an appearance. Ever. Go on, try to think of any remotely successful anime where a real Emperor of Japan has so much as a cameo.
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== Comic Books ==
* Ming the Merciless of ''[[Flash Gordon (
* ''[[Star Wars Legacy]]'' is a comic that takes place a [[Time Skip|hundred and fifty years]] after the movies. The Sith are all over the place, the Empire is back in power, there is an Emperor - but the Sith and the Empire aren't on the same side. Emperor Fel(confirmed as the descendant of [[Ace Pilot|Soontir Fel]] and the sister of [[Improbable Piloting Skills|Wedge Antilles]], possibly also Leia and Han) isn't quite evil, though in [[Darker and Edgier|that setting]] there's not a whole lot of difference.
** [[Big Bad]] Darth Krayt ''also'' uses the title Emperor (of the Sith and Sith-aligned Imperials). So the series has ''two'' emperors, one unambigiously evil, and the other ruthless but well-meaning. In fact, Roan Fel's empire not only lets women and aliens serve as stormtroopers, but also has more reasonable economic solutions and foreign policy. The remnants of Fel's empire even join the Jedi to fight Krayt's resurgent Sith.
* Tsar Vladimir the Conqueror in ''[[Nikolai Dante]]'' is somewhere between the evil overlord and shadow emperor.
* [[Fables]] seems to have been written by someone taking notes from this page. The Emperor: Spikes of evil and shoulders of doom, check. [[Nigh Invulnerable]] in battle, check. Built like a tank, check. (He's maybe
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* Emperor Palpatine of ''[[Star Wars]]'' is probably the archetypical example, being an [[Evil Overlord]], the series' main [[Big Bad]], and an incredibly powerful Sith Lord famous for blasting people with lightning.
* ''[[The Mummy Trilogy|The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor]]'' features the Emperor of China (who knows Kung Fu and has superpowers) as the main villain.
* In ''[[Hero (
* The Chinese Emperor in ''[[Mulan]]'' is depicted as noble and wise, even grandfatherly.
* ''[[Gladiator (
* The Emperor of the Galaxy from ''[[Starcrash]]''. An interesting subversion is that the Emperor is one of the Good Guys.
* Shen from ''[[Kung Fu Panda 2]]'', who is the tyrannical peacock ruler of China who actually wants to threaten his subjects with a barrage of cannons and destroy kung fu.
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* Emperor Jagang is a ''communist'' [[Evil Overlord]] and the [[Big Bad]] of the ''[[Sword of Truth]]'' series, especially the later books in the series. Protagonist Richard Rahl also rules an Empire, although he doesn't use the title himself.
* In ''[[The Chronicles of Narnia]]'', Aslan's father was known as the [[God|Emperor-Across-the-Sea]]. Also, when the Pevensie children are made rulers of Narnia, one of Peter's titles as High King is ''Emperor of the Lone Islands''.
* ''[[The Neverending Story (
* Leto Atriedes II, the God Emperor of ''[[Dune]]''. And before him, Shaddam IV.
** All Padishah-Emperors and Paul and Leto II can be traced back to the ruling dynasty of the Old Empire. The Corrino line was founded by Faykan Butler (who took the name Faykan Corrino at crowning) and his wife, who is descended from the Old Emperors. Paul Atreides also has Corrino lineage through his grandmother Helena.
* Emperor Gregor Vorbarra of ''[[Vorkosigan Saga|The Vorkosigan Saga]]'' matures over the series into a noble, good-hearted, and just ruler. If you didn't frequently get to see him in non-Emperor mode he'd be too good to be true. Contrasted (sort of) with Emperor the haut Fletchir Giaja of Cetaganda, who isn't precisely ''evil'' per se, but is definitely not someone you'd trust further than you could comfortably spit a dead rat.
** Contrasted much more directly with his grandfather, the late Emperor Ezar Vorbarra, who was such a scheming bastard that he died praying there was no such thing as an afterlife, because he knew the kind of welcome he'd get if there actually was one. But all his
* In David Wingrove's ''Chung Kuo'' series, each of the Seven T'ang, or kings, rules a part of the world-city Chung Kuo, and together they exercise a sort of collegial emperorship.
* Emperor Mage Ozorne of 'The Immortals' series by Tamora Pierce.
* In David Eddings' Belgariad Emperor Zakath of Mallorea is depicted as being effective, ruthless and icily insane. In the Malloreon {{spoiler|his insanity is revealed to be a major plot point and we get to know all the whats and whys and he becomes a full fledged member of the good side.}}
* David Eddings likes this trope. In the Tamuli, Emperor Sarabian is personally charming, intelligent and one of the few people at court who isn't corrupt. Bizarrely, {{spoiler|his eventual coup which overthrows the quasi-democratic government and institutes an absolute monarchy under martial law is something of a [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]]}}.
* In [[Belisarius Series]] Byzantine Emperor Justinian is on the whole a [[Reasonable Authority Figure]] but he is paranoid and power hungry. He turns out to be a good emperor but [[Good Is Not Nice]]. His enemy the Malwan Emperor Skandagupta by contrast is something of a [[The Caligula|Caligula]] which indeed is standard operating procedure for Malwan nobility.
* In N. Perumov's "Diamond Sword, Wooden Sword", we have a '''good''' emperor, fighting against the [[The Magocracy|evil Magocracy]], which turns out not so evil (and by fighting them he [[Nice Job Breaking It, Hero|actually helps the true baddies]], though he understands this in time to help ruin their plans). He is ruthless enough (when needed), however, to be a realistic emperor portrayal.
* In the ''[[Sten]]'' series (Bunch, C and Cole, A), the Immortal Emperor starts out as a pretty nice guy, devoted to ''laissez-faire'' capitalism, and long-forgotten recipes and skills, who only sends in the troops when the realm is genuinely threatened with instability. It helps that he has a nigh-unbreakable monopoly on AM2, the fuel that the Empire runs on, and it is worth noting that someone developing/finding another source of AM2 counts as a threat of destabilising the Empire. {{spoiler|1=And then a ''successful'' assassination attempt and a random bit of meteor damage to his resurrection ship turn him into a megalomaniacal despot who is not only ridiculously tyrannical, but no longer capable of supplying AM2 and, more importantly, ''no longer immortal''}}.
* In ''[[
* Emperor Titus from the two ''[[Dark Lord of Derkholm]]'' books by Diana Wynn Jones is a case of a benevolent emperor being surrounded by corruption. He was shown in a very positive light, in sharp contrast to the corrupt politicians of the senate trying to undermine his authority and kill his sister for being of marsh-woman blood.
* Emperor Mornhaven of the ''[[Green Rider]]'' series. He's the heir to the Emperire of Arcosia, although after sailing to Sacoridia and losing contact with the Empire he declares himself Emperor of a new empire, Mornhavia.
* Empress Lionstone XIV of the early ''[[Deathstalker]] series was the original [[Big Bad]] and after her death she stayed a boogey-man. Not even [[Eldritch Abomination|the Recreated]] could truly supplant her.
* King Gorice of Witchland in E. R. Eddison's ''[[
* [[God-Emperor|The Lord Ruler]] in ''[[Mistborn]]'' is somewhere between the [[Evil Overlord]] and Shadow Emperor types {{spoiler|until he's killed off. In the last book [[Badass Bookworm|Elend]] becomes Emperor, and though he tries his hardest to be a Benevolent Emperor he's very worried about following in the Lord Ruler's footseps}}.
== Live Action TV ==
* The Dalek Emperors from ''[[
* ''[[I, Claudius]]'', across its truly epic span, takes in [[Brian Blessed|Augustus]] (who only avoids looking evil by comparison to what comes after him), his scheming [[Magnificent Bastard]] of a wife [[The Man Behind the Man|Livia]], her son Tiberius (a colossal pervert and largely useless as a ruler), the original [[The Caligula|Caligua]] (for more detail, consult his page), the titular Claudius (unwillingly thrust onto the throne, but proves rather good at it - except for his complete blindness to the machinations of his ''own'' scheming first wife), and, in its last moments, Nero. Anyone who comes away from a complete viewing without at least ''some'' republican (in the original sense) sentiment brewing in their breast should be barred from ever holding any kind of political office.
* The emperor of the Centauri Republic in ''[[Babylon
* [[Power Rangers|Lord Zedd]], [[Unholy Matrimony|with]] Rita Repulsa as his Empress.
== Tabletop Games ==
* [[Catch Phrase|The Emperor protects!]]... Ok, well, The [[God-Emperor]] of Man in ''[[Warhammer
** The fluff suggests that the Emperor was actually a pretty decent guy, and the Imperium's current [[Moral Event Horizon]]-crossing policies (i.e. galactic genocide against all non-humans) are misinterpreted perversions of the Emperor's original intent.
*** Just to make this more complicated...the more we have seen about him, especially in the [[Horus Heresy]] series, the more he seems to be a morally ambiguous figure straddling the line between [[Messianic Archetype]] and [[Well-Intentioned Extremist]]. He definitely wants the best for humanity, but in the interests of this he [[Flat Earth Atheist|ruthlessly suppresses religion]] in an attempt to starve the Chaos Gods, and, while not as xenocidal as his later "regents", offers human colonies influenced by alien socities the stark choice of abandoning their prior ways and alliances or complete destruction. He is also quite the dick to his clone-sons, out of an insufficiently justified belief that his intelligence and psychic powers grant him an [[Omniscient Morality License]].
* The Other [[Warhammer Fantasy Battle]] has tons, all of them run on [[Authority Equals Asskicking]]. Here's a list
** Emperor Karl Franz of [[The Empire]], one of the few half-decent people in the setting. He rides a griffin into battle.
** Lord Settra of the Tomb Kings, bosses around ''other'' Tomb Kings.
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* Emperor Strephon in the ''[[Traveller]]'' default time of the gurps version is a [[Reasonable Authority Figure]].
* Queen Abrogail II of Cheliax in ''[[Pathfinder]]''. Though she doesn't bear the title of empress, she still rules over not just Cheliax but also the neighboring lands of Nidal and Isger, who follow her edicts through puppet governments.
* First the Giovanni dinasty and later the Barbados dinasty in [[Anima: Beyond Fantasy]]. Not only Emperors (Empress in the case of the current one), but also the head of the [[Crystal Dragon Jesus|Church of Abel]].
== Video Games ==
* ''[[
* ''[[
* Ganondorf from ''[[The Legend of Zelda]]'' series is arguably this, considering that he repeatedly is shown as ruler of the whole Dark World, a shadow mirror of the game's world.
** He would become one whenever he takes over Hyrule on top of whatever dark realm he had control of at the beginning of the game, otherwise, he's referred to as "The King of Evil" (or "Thieves", before the evil).
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* ''[[The Elder Scrolls]]'' series features the rare Western example of a benevolent (albeit Roman-like) Emperor, who also happens to be 1) your boss in all of the games (in one way or another), and 2) [[Patrick Stewart]].
** Though in ''Daggerfall'', he fulfils the Shadow Emperor role. Still less evil than most of them, though.
** Also, he's kind of the exception in-Universe too. A lot of Emperors in his geneaology ranged from [[Affably Evil]] to [[Complete Monster
** However, in ''[[Skyrim]]'', the player only meets Emperor Titus Mede II {{spoiler|at the end of the Dark Brotherhood questline, where he's your target.}} He comes off as a [[Reasonable Authority Figure]] and remarkably calm for a man {{spoiler|facing his killer.}}
* An alien Emperor is the [[Big Bad]] and final boss of ''MDK 2''. He's so big that part of the fight involves him eating you, and you fighting his internal organs.
* Emperor Percival Tachyon, the [[Big Bad]] of ''[[Ratchet and Clank Future Tools of Destruction]]''. "Emperor" is likely a self-imposed title, but he has conquered a galaxy, so not many folk are in a position to object.
* ''[[Tales of the Abyss]]'' has Emperor Peony IX, a Benevolent
* Since ''[[Avernum]]'' features [[The Empire]], it makes sense that it features emperors as well. Emperor Hawthorne was a [[Big Bad]] in ''Avernum 1''. After your adventuring party assassinates him, Empress Prazac takes charge and is definitely benevolent. She gets assassinated in turn at the start of ''Avernum 5'' and the choices your adventuring party makes decides who becomes the next emperor.
* The Emperor of Cantha in ''[[Guild Wars]]'' is shown to be a decent and well-meaning man, but one who's hopelessly out of touch with the people he rules.
* One player in each galaxy plays the emperor in ''[[Imperium Nova]]''. Because an actual player plays the emperor, the style of rulership in the game is quite varied. Every one of them is inevitably labeled an [[Evil Overlord]] by his or her opponents.
* Emperor Solarius of ''[[Overlord]] II'' is of the Shadow Emperor variety, having risen from power by taking advantage of the people's fear of magic due to the plague {{spoiler|which he himself unintentionally caused}} by presenting himself as something of a [[Dark Messiah]] out to exterminate magical beings. He's never seen personally addressing his people, a duty he leaves for his [[Professional Butt
* Emperor Geldoblame of ''[[Baten Kaitos]]'' is an obvious [[Evil Overlord]]. He eventually {{spoiler|gets deceived and betrayed by [[The Man Behind the Man|Melodia]]}}, but that's not to say he didn't have it coming.99
* The Emperor is the [[Big Bad]] in ''[[Secret of Mana]]'', sending out his [[Co-Dragons|Dragons]] to undo seals on the [[McGuffin|Mana Seeds]] in order to unleash a [[Forgotten Superweapon]] in order to rule the world! {{spoiler|But gets taken out by the [[Man Behind the Man]] Thanatos, who wishes to destry it.}}
* The usual [[Big Bad]] of ''[[Mortal Kombat]]'', Shao Kahn. In storyline, Onaga came before him, though.
* [[Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3]] has Emperor Yoshiro, who also believes in [[Authority Equals Asskicking]].
* Emperor Strada from ''[[Asura's Wrath]]'', a Rare good guy example. {{spoiler|He gets killed off by Lord Deus in the second episode of the game}}
* ''[[
* In a figurative sense we have [[Street Fighter]]'s Sagat, whose [[Red Baron]] title is "Emperor of Muay Thai". He has no political power, but '''is''' one of the most [[Badass]] fighters in the whole series.
* Out of all the rulers seen in [[Fire Emblem]], the ones that hold the Emperor/Empress title are few:
** [[Fire Emblem Akaneia]]: {{spoiler|Hardin}};
** [[Fire Emblem Jugdral]]: Second Generation's {{spoiler|Alvis, formerly the Duke of Velthomer, who becomes Emperor after marrying the Princess of Grandbell and unifying a good part of the continent under his leadership}}. Also, {{spoiler|Celice at the end of the game}}.
** [[Fire Emblem:
** [[Fire Emblem Tellius]]: Sanaki, Empress of Begnion. {{spoiler|Though technically speaking, the true Empress should be her long-lost older sister, [[Rags to Royalty|Micaiah]]; she becomes the Queen of Daein instead.}}
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== Web Comics ==
* In ''[[The Inexplicable Adventures of Bob]],'' Princess Voluptua's dad is the Emperor of the local space empire (which includes Earth, though humanity is unaware of it). She clearly has some issues with him, as do his subjects the [[Our Dragons Are Different|dragons of planet Butane]], but there have been no indications that he is actually evil.
* ''[[Drive (
* [[Karate Bears]] have [http://www.karatebears.com/2011/05/empire.html a very SMALL empire.]
== Web Original ==
* In ''[[
== Western Animation ==
* Averted in ''[[
* Emperor Kuzco, the antihero of ''[[The Emperor's New Groove
* In ''[[Transformers]]'', the Decepticon leader commonly carries the title of Emperor of Destruction.
== Real Life ==
* Western tradition of this can all be traced back to the Emperor of Rome, who during their reigns ruled one of the greatest empires in the world. There were rulers from earlier eras (e.g. Alexander the Great, the High Kings of Persia) who had a similar level of power and authority as the Roman Emperors, but the title originated with Caesar Augustus from ''Imperator'', or "commander", as Rome had historical reasons to oppose anyone who claimed the title of King.<ref>Augusts didn't invent the term; it had already used for some time for successful military commanders - notably, it could not be bestowed by authority, only proclaimed by a general's own soldiers - and was considered one of the highest honours in republican society. In that respect, Augustus was simply the latest of many ''imperatores''. Even he himself didn't personally attach the current sense to it, since he always claimed to be [[Just the First Citizen]], preferring the less formal title of "''princeps''" or "chief" if he had to be singled out for special status. Nevertheless, it was thanks to Augusts and the tradition he established that it did acquire its modern usage, so in that sense, it did indeed originate with him.</ref> Similarly, the German and Russian words "Kaiser" and "Czar" are both derived from "Caesar"
* Many polities outside of the West, such as Ethiopia, China, Japan, and the Incas also had imperial titles. Persian rulers claimed the title Shah of Shahs (King of Kings), and both the Persians and the Ottoman Sultans used the imperial title Padishah (later popularized in the Dune novels). ▼
In the Dark and Middle ages, European rulers calling themselves "emperor" were specifically invoking [[The Roman Empire]]. The 'Byzantines' were a continuation of the Roman state so their claim was obvious, the 'Holy Roman Empire' laid claim to the former Roman empire in the West which (initially) they contested with Constantinople, the Russian Czars and Ottoman Sultans both claimed to be Byzantinian continuations, and Serbia and Bulgaria both based it on Roman/Greek traditions. It was only later, probably after [[Napoleon Bonaparte]]'s self-appointment to the post, that "emperor" became a title in aristocracy removed from ancient Rome.
* Interesting [[Real Life]] twist on the trope: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Norton Norton I, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico]. He wasn't really a ruling emperor; he was just some British guy who [[Cloudcuckoolander|went a little bonkers]] following a bad trading deal that left his funds in shambles. [[Ensemble Darkhorse|He was still quite popular among the inhabitants of San Francisco, though]].▼
Even then, the title was usually only claimed when either (a) the country was really frickin' big or powerful (Mexico, Brazil, and Napoleonic France being prime examples) and/or (b) if the new monarch wanted to make some kind of political point: the Kings of [[Prussia]] declared themselves [[Imperial Germany|German Emperors]] to make themselves higher-ranked than other German kings (like the one of Bavaria) without having to demote them; Napoleon III did it to link his regime to that of his uncle; the rulers of Austria needed a new title after the [[Holy Roman Empire]] disappeared and didn't want to step down in rank; Queen Victoria had herself declared Empress of India to make it clear that Britain was more powerful than Germany (and because she didn't want to be outranked by her daughter, who had married the heir to the German throne); and a couple others besides. However, [[wikipedia:Jean Bedel Bokassa|Jean-Bédel Bokassa]]'s short-lived Empire was little short of a farce.
▲* Many polities outside of the West, such as Ethiopia, China, Japan, and the Incas also had imperial titles. Persian rulers claimed the title Shah of Shahs (King of Kings), and both the Persians and the Ottoman Sultans used the imperial title Padishah (later popularized in the Dune novels).
▲* Interesting [[Real Life]] twist on the trope: [
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