The Empire: Difference between revisions

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{{quote|''"To ravage, to slaughter, to usurp under false titles, they call empire; and where they make a desert, they call it peace."''|'''Tacitus''', Roman historian}}

The [[Evil Counterpart]] to [[The Republic]], the [[Foil]] to [[The Kingdom]], the [[Shadow Archetype]] to [[Hegemonic Empire]], and [[The Rival]] to [[The Federation]], The Empire wants to be the [[One World Order]]. Amassing [[The Evil Army]], it sets out to conquer all of its neighbors by force of arms. Taking cues from history, it [[Putting On the Reich|often resembles the historic Roman, German, Russian/Soviet, or Chinese empires in some way]]. Led by [[The Emperor]], who is usually also an [[Evil Overlord]], [[Emperor Scientist]] or [[God-Emperor]] or by some kind of [[Corrupt Church|theocratic]] [[Path of Inspiration|cabal]]. A theocracy of a [[Religion of Evil]] will almost certainly be The Empire. None of these apply to depictions of the British Empire, which was led at the height of its power by a Size 50 Matron otherwise known as [[Queen Vicky]].

The [[Evil Counterpart]] to [[The Republic]], the [[Foil]] to [[The Kingdom]], the [[Shadow Archetype]] to [[Hegemonic Empire]], and [[The Rival]] to [[The Federation]], The Empire wants to be the [[One World Order]]. Amassing [[The Evil Army]], it sets out to conquer all of its neighbors by force of arms. Taking cues from history, it [[Putting on the Reich|often resembles the historic Roman, German, Russian/Soviet, or Chinese empires in some way]]. Led by [[The Emperor]], who is usually also an [[Evil Overlord]], [[Emperor Scientist]] or [[God-Emperor]] or by some kind of [[Corrupt Church|theocratic]] [[Path of Inspiration|cabal]]. A theocracy of a [[Religion of Evil]] will almost certainly be The Empire. None of these apply to depictions of the British Empire, which was led at the height of its power by a Size 50 Matron otherwise known as [[Queen Vicky]].

If [[The Empire]] does not pose itself outright evil, it may represent itself as the Lightbearer of Civilization, Defender of Faith, Domain of Law and Order, The Co-Prosperity Sphere, Central State of Humankind or Legitimate Regent of Humanity. The Empire may be highly civilized, wealthy, organized, and/or vital, or corrupt, bureaucratic, sybarite and/or ossified. It may be militaristic and imperialistic, or pacifistic and turned inwards. If [[The Empire]] actually is on the ''good'' side, it may be [[The Kingdom]]. If the Emperor is an elected official and the Empire consists of independent or semi-independent domains, it may actually be [[The Federation]].

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* Zaibach in ''[[Vision of Escaflowne]]''.

* The Principality of Zeon in ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam]]''. Despite the misnomer (the head of state's official title was Sovereign), it practiced all the human rights abuses and genocidal tendencies seen in any given "Evil Empire". The twist, however, is that they played the victim card throughout and made it seem like they were ''forced'' to declare war on the the [[The Federation|Earth Federation]] to gain their independance; in fact, the One Year War is known as the Zeon War for Independance on their side. And if that wasn't bad enough (since when does one invade other countries to declare secession?), the truth of the matter is Side 3 had already gained independance under the previous leader Zeon Zum Daikun, the same man that the Zabis (specifically the patriarch Degwin) assassinated to gain control of Side 3. Overall, Zeon is definitely the "evil empire" of the Gundam universe, in spite of having a legion of diehard fans that would say otherwise.

** Also the Zanscare Empire of ''[[Mobile Suit Victory Gundam ~~(Anime)~~|Victory Gundam]]'' which was bigger, stronger and more brutally oppressive then even Zeon was.

** Also the Zanscare Empire of ''[[Mobile Suit Victory Gundam|Victory Gundam]]'' which was bigger, stronger and more brutally oppressive then even Zeon was.

*** Zanscare was definitely more brutal; their main goal was to telepathically devolve humanity to a general infantile state and execution was a standard punishment for failure in their ranks. As for "bigger" or "stronger", however, that's up for debate, as they don't seem to have matched Zeon's OYW territorial expansion.

** The Crossbone Vanguard and the Jupiter Empire of ''[[~~Gundam~~ F 91]]'' and ''[[Crossbone Gundam]]''. The Crossbone Vanguard was essentially a pirate themed Zeon-wannabe militia, which sought to establish an aristocratically ruled dominion in Side 4, Cosmo Babylonia. Unlike Zeon however, it actually succeeded, but Cosmo Babylonia ended up collapsing on its own. The Jupiter Empire was more or less a precursor to Zanscare, which sought to eradicate all life in the Earthsphere and then rule over the resulting wasteland. It also practiced many of Zanscare's tendencies, such as executions being commonly used for punishment.

** The Crossbone Vanguard and the Jupiter Empire of ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam F91]]'' and ''[[Crossbone Gundam]]''. The Crossbone Vanguard was essentially a pirate themed Zeon-wannabe militia, which sought to establish an aristocratically ruled dominion in Side 4, Cosmo Babylonia. Unlike Zeon however, it actually succeeded, but Cosmo Babylonia ended up collapsing on its own. The Jupiter Empire was more or less a precursor to Zanscare, which sought to eradicate all life in the Earthsphere and then rule over the resulting wasteland. It also practiced many of Zanscare's tendencies, such as executions being commonly used for punishment.

* An aversion of this trope is the Lyzelle and Elmekia Empires of ''[[Slayers]]''. The latter isn't even visited in-series (although it's stated that it's [[Idiot Hero|Gourry's]] homeland), while the former holds two cities, one being a peaceful, bustling epicenter of trade, and the other is an otherwise peaceful village that hosts a magical tree with healing properties and [[Stuff Blowing Up|gets blown up twice.]] If there ''is'' an evil country among in the Inner World, it's its only duchy, Kalmaart, home of the one city where a dreaded assassin lives, and (only in the novels) a village that worships the world's [[Big Bad|Dark Lord.]]

* Amestris in the manga version of ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist]]'' (the anime version is more benign). It's stated that over the past 400 years, Amestris has conquered numerous nations, and is currently at war with Aerugo, Creta and Drachma. The Amestrian government is currently planning to {{spoiler|use the entire nation in a transmutation circle to raise an immortal army using the slain souls of the numerous soldiers who have died over the years}} in a plan to conquer its remaining neighbors. {{spoiler|Or rather, this is what [[Big Bad|Father]] has led the Amestrian government to believe. In reality, it's the crux of [[A God Am I|his own bid for godhood.]]}}

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* The Kushan Empire from ''[[Berserk]]''.

* This is the Methuselah's form of government in ''[[Trinity Blood]]''.

* Played Straight, then subverted in [[Zoids Chaotic Century]] with the Guylos Empire. They get the fancier equipment and the more villainous characters who seek to sow strife, but while initially an antagonizing force, it is discovered that it is mostly through the manipulations of the high-ranking nobleman Gunter Prozen that caused war to break out and, once the rightful ruler is returned to power, the Guylos Empire becomes a vital ally to the heroes and a more benevolent force. It keeps the name "Guylos Empire", however.

* Played Straight, then subverted in [[Zoids: Chaotic Century]] with the Guylos Empire. They get the fancier equipment and the more villainous characters who seek to sow strife, but while initially an antagonizing force, it is discovered that it is mostly through the manipulations of the high-ranking nobleman Gunter Prozen that caused war to break out and, once the rightful ruler is returned to power, the Guylos Empire becomes a vital ally to the heroes and a more benevolent force. It keeps the name "Guylos Empire", however.

== Film ==

* The Galactic Empire from ''[[Star Wars]]''. In the [[Star Wars Expanded Universe]] it continued to fight the New Republic for years, losing ground. Then, in the [[Hand of Thrawn]] Duology, Supreme Commander Pellaeon made peace between the [[Vestigial Empire|Imperial Remnant]] and the New Republic.

* The Confederacy in ''[[CSA Confederate States of America]]''. First, [[Alternate History|they conquer the North]]. Then, they conquer a good deal of Central America ([[Truth in Television]], as that was the Confederate's plan if they had won the war). Then, as an Axis country in [[World War II]] they conquer Japan. A throwaway line suggests they've recently done the same to the Middle East.

* The Confederacy in ''[[CSA: Confederate States of America]]''. First, [[Alternate History|they conquer the North]]. Then, they conquer a good deal of Central America ([[Truth in Television]], as that was the Confederate's plan if they had won the war). Then, as an Axis country in [[World War II]] they conquer Japan. A throwaway line suggests they've recently done the same to the Middle East.

* One Nation Earth in the [[~~Apocalypse (Film)|~~Apocalypse]] film series by Cloud Ten Pictures. The design of [[Sigil Spam|their logo]] is based on the Eye Of Providence pyramid design of the Great Seal of the United States.

* One Nation Earth in the [[Apocalypse]] film series by Cloud Ten Pictures. The design of [[Sigil Spam|their logo]] is based on the Eye Of Providence pyramid design of the Great Seal of the United States.

* The [[People's Republic of Tyranny|United Citizen's Federation]] of ''[[Starship Troopers]]'' is this, being a Federation [[In Name Only]].

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== Comics ==

* Russia in ''[[Nikolai Dante]]''.

* The Eggman Empire in ''[[~~Archie Comics~~ Sonic the Hedgehog (~~Comic Book~~)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'', named after [[Big Bad|Dr. Eggman.]]

* The Eggman Empire in ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (comics)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'', named after [[Big Bad|Dr. Eggman.]]

* The Negation. They even rewrote the laws of physics!

* [[Empire]]. [[Exactly What It Says On the Tin|Full stop.]]

* [[Empire]]. [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|Full stop.]]

* Water & Power in ''[[Tank Girl]]'', corrupt corporate conquistadors.

* the Colonisation Industrial Companies in ''[[Universal War One]]''.

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== Literature ==

* [[Mordor]] and its client states (Harad, Umbar, Rhun, and Khand), ruled by Sauron, in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' by [[~~JRR~~ ~~Tolkien~~ ~~(Creator)~~|JRR Tolkien]].

* [[Mordor]] and its client states (Harad, Umbar, Rhun, and Khand), ruled by Sauron, in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' by [[J. R. R. Tolkien|JRR Tolkien]].

** Also the Morgoth's empire in ''[[The Silmarillion]]''.

** Saruman attempted to set up one at Isengard, but failed.

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*** On the other hand, the dominant human 'good guy' societies, Gondor and Arnor, offspring of Numenor's uncorrupted minority, are also empires, especially Gondor, which at its height controls most of the southern reaches of the area mapped by Tolkien. Later, Aragorn, the leader of the 'good guys' reunited Arnor and Gondor and establishes the 'Reunuted Kingdom, which is a very large, civilized, and decent empire.

* In David Wingrove's ''[[Chung Kuo]]'' series, the world is run by the Seven and called Chung Kuo.

* The Galactic Empire in [[~~Isaac Asimov (Creator)|~~Isaac Asimov]]'s ''Empire'' and ''[[Foundation]]'' novels is a state which has already achieved this goal in the distant past - by the end of the ''Foundation'' series, the Foundation is on its way to achieving the same. Partially subverted in that Asimov doesn't treat these either of these political entities as overtly villainous.

* The Galactic Empire in [[Isaac Asimov]]'s ''Empire'' and ''[[Foundation]]'' novels is a state which has already achieved this goal in the distant past - by the end of the ''Foundation'' series, the Foundation is on its way to achieving the same. Partially subverted in that Asimov doesn't treat these either of these political entities as overtly villainous.

** Asimov's Empire is explicitly modeled on [[The Roman Empire]], and the Foundation's therefore bears some resemblance to Byzantium, the Greek-centered "Eastern Roman Empire" that lasted a thousands years longer - but not exactly, as it was set up specifically to reestablish the Empire within a single millennium.

* Although the Terran Empire in [[Marion Zimmer Bradley]]'s ''[[Darkover]]'' novels didn't start this way, by the time of its collapse it was a full-blown example of this trope.

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* The CoDominium (CD) in ''Falkenberg's Legions'' by Jerry Pournelle. Technically [[The Alliance]], consisting of the United States and the USSR, the CD becomes an interstellar empire, with Earth's nations really disliking the Alliance. It's also collapsing, because the US and USSR still hating each other.

** Eventually the CoDominium military forces leave the Earth when the USA and USSR blow each other to pieces (and other nations join in), to relocated on the planets Sparta and St. Ekaterina, where they found a full-bore aristocratic empire of their own. The last line of 'The Prince of Spartans' is ''AVE. AVE LYSANDER, IMPERATOR''

* Inverted, played with and otherwise [[Deconstruction|Deconstructed]] in the ''[[~~Honor Harrington (Literature)|~~Honor Harrington]]'' series. Manticore may finally revel in some good old-fashioned imperialism, but that doesn't stop them from being ''the nice guy'' of the series, while alleged [[The Federation|Federations]] are either corrupt bureaucratic monstrosities that are falling apart at the seams (League), or alternate between that and bloody tyranny (Haven). Although Haven has gotten a lot better lately. You can make a pretty good case that are now as much the "good guys" as anyone else. Right now the only reason they're fighting Manticore is over a ''really big'' misunderstanding (details would be a major spoiler).

* Inverted, played with and otherwise [[Deconstruction|Deconstructed]] in the ''[[Honor Harrington]]'' series. Manticore may finally revel in some good old-fashioned imperialism, but that doesn't stop them from being ''the nice guy'' of the series, while alleged [[The Federation|Federations]] are either corrupt bureaucratic monstrosities that are falling apart at the seams (League), or alternate between that and bloody tyranny (Haven). Although Haven has gotten a lot better lately. You can make a pretty good case that are now as much the "good guys" as anyone else. Right now the only reason they're fighting Manticore is over a ''really big'' misunderstanding (details would be a major spoiler).

** Indeed, the only true black in the series now are the [[Corrupt Corporate Executive|people behind genetic slavery]] -- everyone else is various shades of gray.

** [[The Empire]] of Manticore replaced the [[The Kingdom]], but is really more of [[The Republic]] and [[The Alliance]] becoming [[The Federation]]. But [[The Federation]], aka the Solarian League acts far more like [[The Empire]], specifically Rome with a stable and rich core but provinces providing the tribute and funds to run the rest of the league. Then there's the [[The Republic]] of Haven, really the [[People's Republic of Tyranny|The People's Republic of Haven]]. No one is quite who they say except the Andermani. They're an Empire like they say they are, but a Prussian model.

* In [[CS ~~Lewis~~ ~~(Creator)~~|CS Lewis]]'s ''[[The Horse and His Boy]]'', Calormen is a mild instance of this. Although it is not entirely bent on conquest, the book features an attempt to conquer Archenland, and the promise that will help conquer Narnia. The curse on Rabadash is explicitly described as making life easier for small countries nearby, as he can not conquer them himself, and is afraid of the power generals would amass if they did so for him.

* In [[C. S. Lewis|CS Lewis]]'s ''[[The Horse and His Boy]]'', Calormen is a mild instance of this. Although it is not entirely bent on conquest, the book features an attempt to conquer Archenland, and the promise that will help conquer Narnia. The curse on Rabadash is explicitly described as making life easier for small countries nearby, as he can not conquer them himself, and is afraid of the power generals would amass if they did so for him.

* The Instrumentality of Mankind in the eponymous series by [[Cordwainer Smith]]. However, the Instrumentality is very, very unusual.

** In fact, trying to give an encyclopedic explanation of how it governs, its structure, its people's, history or even its policies wouldn't explain it with any justice.

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* The Hrum Empire in the [[Farsala Trilogy]], which was based on [[Ancient Rome]].

* The Imperial Order in the ''[[Sword of Truth]]''. Richard himself also inherits the D'Haran Empire, and starts adding to it. His is a [[Your Mileage May Vary|good]] version.

* In [[Robert E Howard]]'s "The Hyborian Age", the [[Backstory]] to [[Conan the Barbarian]], Aquilonia's greed for conquest destroyed the Hyrkanians even though their civilization was flourishing.

* In [[Robert E. Howard]]'s "The Hyborian Age", the [[Backstory]] to [[Conan the Barbarian]], Aquilonia's greed for conquest destroyed the Hyrkanians even though their civilization was flourishing.

** In "[[~~The Scarlet Citadel (Literature)|~~The Scarlet Citadel]]," Conan is lured into a trap so that an empire can extend itself by annexing Aquilonia.

** In "[[The Scarlet Citadel]]," Conan is lured into a trap so that an empire can extend itself by annexing Aquilonia.

* The Wasp Empire in Adrian Tchaikovsky's ''[[Shadows of the Apt]]'' series.

* The Global Community in the [[Left Behind]] series. Christ's Millennial Reign in ''Kingdom Come'' only [[God Is Evil|gets viewed as this]] by [[La Résistance|the Other Light faction]] due to the [[Death's Hourglass|100 years of age limit for unbelievers]] imposed on the "naturals" who enter or are born in this time period.

* In ''[[The Chathrand Voyages]]'', two of these form the center of the storyline; Arqual is fairly progressive and cosmopolitan, but also aggressively expansionistic, while its [[Arch Enemy]] the Mzithrin is an insular, theocratic regime. Neither empire is exactly what you'd call "nice"- we see more of Arqual's oppression of its subject peoples up close (because many of the main characters are Arquali or from Arquali-occupied territory), but the Mzithrin have the dubious distinction of producing the [[God-Emperor|Shaggat]] [[Complete Monster|Ness]].

* The Kingdom of Witchland and its many vasall states in E. R. Eddison's ''[[~~The Worm Ouroboros (Literature)|~~The Worm Ouroboros]]''.

* The Kingdom of Witchland and its many vasall states in E. R. Eddison's ''[[The Worm Ouroboros]]''.

* ''[[An Exercisein Futility]]'' has the Kalharian Empire. They aren't so bad, really, provided they conquered you a long time ago.

* [[David Eddings]] has played with the concept. The ''[[Belgariad]]'' and related works has the Tolnedran Empire, which is one in name only, in order to concrete its [[Fantasy Counterpart Culture|similarity to Rome]], and the Mallorean Empire, which in the first series is nothing more than a source for countless [[Mooks|cannon fodder]] and in the sequel is [[Expansion Pack World|expanded and explored in greater depth]], revealing a rich and diverse multiculture who almost universally serve the [[Big Bad]] only because they're forced to, and are freed from his grip by the end of the series without any major political upheavals. The ''Tamuli'', sequel to the unrelated ''[[Elenium]]'' series, similarly explores the Tamul Empire in a similar way.

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* The Earth Alliance in ''[[The History of the Galaxy]]'' series, despite the name, had all the makings of an empire. The President ran things by himself and didn't need anybody's permission to declare an [[The War of Earthly Aggression|all-out war against the colonies]], justifying that they needed to offload extra population (a single city on Earth is mentioned to have a population of billions) and the colonies wouldn't go fo it (they never actually asked the colonies outright). Their way of subjugating a colony? No declaration of war, although the sudden nuking of two major cities probably counts as one, followed by an invasion. When the invasion is unexpectadly repelled, the fleet admiral has the planet so thoroughly nuked that it remains uninhabitable for the next 1000 years. What follows is the First Galactic War, with the [[La Résistance|Free Colonies]] desperately trying to hold their own against the much more advanced and militarized Earth Alliance. After 30 years, the colonists finally manage to defeat the Alliance, and only because one of the Alliance top brass has decided that the war should end and turned off many defenses in the Solar System.

** The [[Human Aliens|Harammins]] had their own empire, including two slave races. However, they deliberately contained themselves in a large star cluster, never expanding, remaining static for nearly 3 million years with rulers suffering from [[Immortality Immorality]].

* A non-evil variant in [[Harry Turtledove]]'s ''[[Worldwar ~~(Literature)~~]]'' with the [[Lizard Folk|Race]], to the point where they can't conceive of any other form of government but absolute monarchy. This belief is further reinforced by the two previous races they subjugated, also reptilians. So when they arrive to Earth (which they call Tosev-3), they are baffled by (among many other things) by the wide variety of forms of government present on this planet. The only word they can come up with these forms of government in their language is "not-empires". Voting is derisively called "snout-counting". The Race have a Manifest Destiny-like belief on a galactic scale. They see their Emperors as ruling the entire galaxy (if not universe) by divine right. Their "evilness" can be described with the glee they express when they slaughter human soldiers or drop nuclear bombs on cities. They only reason they hold off on using nukes is because they [[Pragmatic Villain|don't want to damage the planet]], which they want to settle. They're also highly [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking|hypocritical]].

* A non-evil variant in [[Harry Turtledove]]'s ''[[Worldwar]]'' with the [[Lizard Folk|Race]], to the point where they can't conceive of any other form of government but absolute monarchy. This belief is further reinforced by the two previous races they subjugated, also reptilians. So when they arrive to Earth (which they call Tosev-3), they are baffled by (among many other things) by the wide variety of forms of government present on this planet. The only word they can come up with these forms of government in their language is "not-empires". Voting is derisively called "snout-counting". The Race have a Manifest Destiny-like belief on a galactic scale. They see their Emperors as ruling the entire galaxy (if not universe) by divine right. Their "evilness" can be described with the glee they express when they slaughter human soldiers or drop nuclear bombs on cities. They only reason they hold off on using nukes is because they [[Pragmatic Villain|don't want to damage the planet]], which they want to settle. They're also highly [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking|hypocritical]].

* Magravandias in [[Storm Constantine]]'s ''[[~~Chronicles of Magravandias (Literature)|~~Chronicles of Magravandias]]''.

* Magravandias in [[Storm Constantine]]'s ''[[Chronicles of Magravandias]]''.

* Every major power is an Empire in [[Belisarius Series]]. The difference is not between Evil empire and good "something besides empire", it is between "that's just how humans arrange their affairs empire", and "Really evil empire".

* Fred Saberhagen's ''The Empire of the East'' is about the war between the [[La Résistance|Free Folk]] and the titular [[The Empire|empire]]. This one is one of the more thoroughly evil examples.

* The Yeerk Empire in ''[[~~Animorphs (Literature)|~~Animorphs]]'', complete with conqured planets and slave races.

* The Yeerk Empire in ''[[Animorphs]]'', complete with conqured planets and slave races.

* The Enterran Empire from [[The Diving Universe]]. The main character, Boss, keeps claiming that she doesn't have any particular desire to come into conflict with it; but the events of the novels cause her to keep butting heads with it again and again, and things seem to be inevitably marching towards all-out war.

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*** Interestingly, neither the Romulans nor the Klingons have an emperor, even though that's not a requirement to be considered an empire. The Romulans are officially controlled by the Praetor (at least until STO, where Sela ousted the last Praetor and declared herself Empress), although he has little political power and mostly controls the fleet with the Senate running everything else. The Klingons have the High Council, with the Chancellor being the de-facto Emperor, although the position is not hereditary. They used to have Emperors, but haven't had one for centuries. Then the clone of Kahless (their first Emperor) shows up, but he's made Emperor in name only and holds no actual power. NOTE: This was actually common practice for real life empires that lasted into the latter 19th century or early 20th century, as power shifted away from the monarchies to more higher up politicians. For example, Otto von Bismarck ran Prussia and later the German Empire in all but name, while there were several periods in the Ottoman Empire where the Grand Vizier actually ran things as opposed to the Sultan.

** According to some non-canon sources, the Terran Empire arose from the American Empire, which was originally a much more militaristic and strength-based United States, before Teddy Roosevelt renames it and crowns himself Emperor. Interestingly, unlike a typical monarchy, the title of the Emperor is not hereditary. In fact, very few Emperors actually died of old age. Most were assassinated by those who then took up the mantle. Only one actually retired.

* The Alliance of ''[[~~Firefly (TV)|~~Firefly]]'', though since the main characters are all [[Anti-Hero|anti-heroes]], it's suggested that from another point of view the Alliance might be considered [[The Federation]]. However, the Academy, which is a subset of the Alliance, is firmly on the side of evil.

* The Alliance of ''[[Firefly]]'', though since the main characters are all [[Anti-Hero|anti-heroes]], it's suggested that from another point of view the Alliance might be considered [[The Federation]]. However, the Academy, which is a subset of the Alliance, is firmly on the side of evil.

** And then [[The Movie]] came and the Alliance crossed the [[Moral Event Horizon]] with what went down on Miranda. No shades of gray ''here!''.

*** At least not until the Operative shows up on Serenity's dock with a [[Heel Realization]] to get off his chest, suggesting that even the Alliance has members too moral to tolerate that, and isn't unanimously 'evil'.

**** They also didn't want to cause what happened on Miranda and view it as [[My Greatest Failure|their greatest failure]].

* The Scarrans ''and'' the Peacekeepers, mortal enemies in ''[[~~Farscape (TV)|~~Farscape]].''

* The Scarrans ''and'' the Peacekeepers, mortal enemies in ''[[Farscape]].''

** They're both bad enough that Crichton feels that destroying the ''entire universe'' is a better option than allowing either side to gain supremacy over the other.

* The Dalek and Sontaran empires in ''[[Doctor Who]]''. Subverted in the Classic Series with the Draconian Empire, which is more [[The Kingdom]] than anything else.

* The Federation in ''[[Blake's Seven|Blakes Seven]]'', despite the sarcastic name.

* The Zangyack in ''[[~~Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger (TV)|~~Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger]]''.

* The Zangyack in ''[[Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger]]''.

* In ''[[Andromeda]]'', the [[Nietzsche Wannabe|Nietzschean]] plan during their rebellion against the [[The Federation|Systems Commonwealth]] was to form a strong Nietzschean Empire with the Drago-Kazov pride forming the ruling dynasty. However, during the last major battle of the war, the Battle of Witchhead, a large Nietzschean fleet (constituting 15% of their total strength at the start of the conflict) suffers heavy losses when they destroy the last [[Space Navy|High Guard]] ships ({{spoiler|with some help from Hunt}}). No longer having a strong position, the Drago-Kazov pride is unable to stay in charge, reducing the unified Nietzscheans into a bunch of squabbling prides who are more concerned with power than creating civilization. Cue 300 years of total chaos.

** The Commonswealth itself originally started as the Vedran Empire before it became more egalitarian and switched to a republican form of government.

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** The Imperium is notable for it's sheer scale, A million worlds and with a population in the ''quadrillions'', it fights thousands of wars at any given moment, its soldiers number in the trillions, and it has existed for ten thousand years. One man, even the greatest man, is nothing, even the death of millions matters little in the Imperium.

** They are also both interesting in that they see the other as the violent expansionist empire. Though the Tau are also [[The Federation]] made up of many different races including human turncoats while the Imperium wipes out all alien life they find.

** Various Chaos Warlords (both human and [[Deal ~~With~~ the Devil|not-quite-]][[Eldritch Abominations|humans-any-more]]) also sometimes manage to carve out they're own mini-empires, usually numbering a few dozen or hundred worlds. These are either eventually crushed by an Imperial Crusade or collapse into anarchy because, you know, [[Always Chaotic Evil|they're chaos...]]

** Various Chaos Warlords (both human and [[Deal with the Devil|not-quite-]][[Eldritch Abominations|humans-any-more]]) also sometimes manage to carve out they're own mini-empires, usually numbering a few dozen or hundred worlds. These are either eventually crushed by an Imperial Crusade or collapse into anarchy because, you know, [[Always Chaotic Evil|they're chaos...]]

* The Third Imperium of Traveller is more like [[The Federation]] with hereditary nobles than an example of this.

** Though the first and second Imperiums may have been (and why the second one fell).

* [[Greyhawk]] has the Empire of Iuz, while the [[Forgotten Realms]] has Thay.

* In the [[Points of Light]] [[Dungeons and Dragons]] setting, the empire of Bael Turath was most definitely this, even forcing their entire populace into a [[Deal ~~With~~ the Devil]] when the empire was in danger of collapsing due to their own decadence.

* In the [[Points of Light]] [[Dungeons and Dragons]] setting, the empire of Bael Turath was most definitely this, even forcing their entire populace into a [[Deal with the Devil]] when the empire was in danger of collapsing due to their own decadence.

* Inverted in [[Anima Beyond Fantasy]] with the Empire of Abel and the Azur Alliance -as well as before things got screwed up, when the Empire is described as a benevolent entity (at least for humans and not supernatural stuff)-.

* Inverted in [[Anima: Beyond Fantasy]] with the Empire of Abel and the Azur Alliance -as well as before things got screwed up, when the Empire is described as a benevolent entity (at least for humans and not supernatural stuff)-.

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* The ''[[Final Fantasy]]'' series uses this trope on multiple occasions.

** ''[[Final Fantasy II (Video Game)|Final Fantasy II]]'' has the Empire of Palemecia, which conquers, destroys, and enslaves seemingly for the heck of it. Partway through the game the Emperor {{spoiler|[[Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?|kills the devil and usurps his throne]]}}. And as if that weren't enough to make him a [[Badass]], {{spoiler|the expanded GBA release reveals that his "good" side has also taken over the equivalent of Heaven}}.

** ''[[~~Final Fantasy VI (Video Game)|~~Final Fantasy VI]]'' has an empire called...well, "The Empire" (it was renamed "Gestahlian Empire" in the GBA release) as the main antagonist for most of the game. As if it weren't clear enough, the intro shows the emperor giving the Nazi salute to his subjects. {{spoiler|''They're'' not the dangerous ones.}}

** ''[[Final Fantasy VI]]'' has an empire called...well, "The Empire" (it was renamed "Gestahlian Empire" in the GBA release) as the main antagonist for most of the game. As if it weren't clear enough, the intro shows the emperor giving the Nazi salute to his subjects. {{spoiler|''They're'' not the dangerous ones.}}

** In ''[[~~Final Fantasy VII (Video Game)|~~Final Fantasy VII]]'', Shinra fits the mold of [[The Empire]], though it's nominally an [[Mega Corp|electric company... with its own army, and control of most of the world.]]

** In ''[[Final Fantasy VII]]'', Shinra fits the mold of [[The Empire]], though it's nominally an [[Mega Corp|electric company... with its own army, and control of most of the world.]]

** In ''[[~~Final Fantasy IX (Video Game)|~~Final Fantasy IX]]'', Queen Brahne is in the process of creating one of these until {{spoiler|her death}}.

** In ''[[Final Fantasy IX]]'', Queen Brahne is in the process of creating one of these until {{spoiler|her death}}.

** ''[[~~Final Fantasy XI (Video Game)|~~Final Fantasy XI]]'' includes the Empire of Aht Urghan, which makes up the setting for it's named expansion. It rules over the Aradijah continent with an iron grip, and is in constant war with various Beastmen factions and the Far Eastern army. Bioweapons, chimeras, electric harnessing and Blue Mages are the result of Aht Urghan's technology. The best part is that the player character works as a mercenary/double agent for the big bad Empire for the entire plot.

** ''[[Final Fantasy XI]]'' includes the Empire of Aht Urghan, which makes up the setting for it's named expansion. It rules over the Aradijah continent with an iron grip, and is in constant war with various Beastmen factions and the Far Eastern army. Bioweapons, chimeras, electric harnessing and Blue Mages are the result of Aht Urghan's technology. The best part is that the player character works as a mercenary/double agent for the big bad Empire for the entire plot.

** ''[[~~Final Fantasy XII (Video Game)|~~Final Fantasy XII]]'' has the Archadian Empire, which embodies this trope, and the Rozarrian Empire which seems more benevolent, but is only peripherally involved in the story.

** ''[[Final Fantasy XII]]'' has the Archadian Empire, which embodies this trope, and the Rozarrian Empire which seems more benevolent, but is only peripherally involved in the story.

** ''[[~~Final Fantasy Type Zero|~~Final Fantasy Type-0]]'' has the [[Meaningful Name|aptly-named]] Milites, which is conquering most of the world at the time the game opens.

** ''[[Final Fantasy Type-0]]'' has the [[Meaningful Name|aptly-named]] Milites, which is conquering most of the world at the time the game opens.

** The [[Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles]] series has had a few. The original game takes place a while after the [[Cute Bruiser|fall of the Liltian Empire]], and [[Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Crystal Bearers|Crystal Bearers]] takes place in the reign of it's revival. There was also an [[Precursors|Ancient Empire]] in the past of ''[[Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Echoes of Time ~~(Video Game)~~|Echoes of Time]]'', led by a powerful [[Emperor Scientist]]. {{spoiler|Who is the game's immortal [[Big Bad]].}}

** The [[Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles]] series has had a few. The original game takes place a while after the [[Cute Bruiser|fall of the Liltian Empire]], and [[Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Crystal Bearers|Crystal Bearers]] takes place in the reign of it's revival. There was also an [[Precursors|Ancient Empire]] in the past of ''[[Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time|Echoes of Time]]'', led by a powerful [[Emperor Scientist]]. {{spoiler|Who is the game's immortal [[Big Bad]].}}

* Another video game example is Valua in ''[[~~Skies of Arcadia (Video Game)|~~Skies of Arcadia]]''.

* Another video game example is Valua in ''[[Skies of Arcadia]]''.

* The ''[[Suikoden]]'' games have the Scarlet Moon Empire and the Harmonian Empire.

* While not always directly antagonistic, the Holy Lodis Empire is easily the largest military force in the ''[[Ogre Battle]]'' and ''[[Tactics Ogre]]'' games and makes its presence known similarly to the Harmonians listed above.

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* [[The Empire]] in ''[[Drakengard]]'', also fighting its own [[The Federation|federation]] called The Union.

* ''[[The Elder Scrolls]]'' series contains an unusual subversion, in that the Empire is generally treated as fairly benevolent. By [[The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim|Skyrim]], they've lost a lot of power and have become somewhat corrupt, but they are still more benevolent than most examples of this trope. The Aldmeri Dominion plays this trope straight.

* If it's a ''[[Fire Emblem]]'' game it has one of these. Generally the Empire has somehow fallen into the power of some [[Sealed Evil in A Can|dark evil God]]. ''[[Fire Emblem Tellius ~~(Video Game)~~|Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance]]'''s Daein and its King Ashnard are the best fitting, the others are all 'correct' but with a few details of note.

* If it's a ''[[Fire Emblem]]'' game it has one of these. Generally the Empire has somehow fallen into the power of some [[Sealed Evil in a Can|dark evil God]]. ''[[Fire Emblem Tellius|Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance]]'''s Daein and its King Ashnard are the best fitting, the others are all 'correct' but with a few details of note.

** The sequel, ''[[Fire Emblem Tellius ~~(Video Game)~~|Radiant Dawn]]'', gives this role to Begnion, which, unlike Daein, actually is an empire. The Dawn Brigade of Daein, the Greil Mercenaries of Crimea, and the empress of Begnion end up fighting against the corrupt senate of Begnion.

** The sequel, ''[[Fire Emblem Tellius|Radiant Dawn]]'', gives this role to Begnion, which, unlike Daein, actually is an empire. The Dawn Brigade of Daein, the Greil Mercenaries of Crimea, and the empress of Begnion end up fighting against the corrupt senate of Begnion.

** ''[[Fire Emblem Akaneia|Monshou no Nazo]]'' offers an interesting case - the country of Akaneia was a kingdom, then Hardin came to the throne and renamed it as an empire, changing practically nothing else about it save for its motivations. It's the antagonistic country of ''Monshou''.

* ''[[Halo]]''

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** The latter being an allusion to the real-life [[wikipedia:Second Triumvirate|Second Triumvirate]]. To be fair, the Triumvirate has no territories it controls, just a network of agents and blackened ruins where they have attacked. It is explicitly stated they don't care who rules as long as the Jedi are wiped out, since they would be unchallenged to do anything they want.

** Both of those pale in comparison with the True Sith Empire, hiding in the Outer Rim, gathering strength to attack the weakened Republic. In fact, according to the novel ''Star Wars: The Old Republic: Revan'', Revan is the only reason why the Sith Emperor doesn't immediately strike at the Republic, which, thanks to Revan himself, is quite vulnerable to attack. Instead, he manages to keep the Emperor doubting for 300 years before the attack finally happens.

* Despite the name, the United Earth Federation of ''[[~~Supreme Commander (Video Game)|~~Supreme Commander]]'' is very much an empire, and a military dictatorship at that. Slavery of sorts is practiced, and there's at least some degree of restrictions on political freedom-the Infinite War began when outlying colonies began rejecting Earth rule and joining the Aeon. Earth's response was military in nature, one thing lead to another, and the Infinite War kicked off.

* Despite the name, the United Earth Federation of ''[[Supreme Commander]]'' is very much an empire, and a military dictatorship at that. Slavery of sorts is practiced, and there's at least some degree of restrictions on political freedom-the Infinite War began when outlying colonies began rejecting Earth rule and joining the Aeon. Earth's response was military in nature, one thing lead to another, and the Infinite War kicked off.

** No, you're thinking of the Earth Empire, the UEF is what's left of the Empire and overall much nicer.

** The UEF is still explicitly a military dictatorship-only a fraction of the UEF's population is allowed to vote, all the top officials are military personnel, active or retired, and oppression by military police is still in effect.

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* ''[[World of Mana|Secret of Mana]]'' has an empire simply called [[The Empire]] that wants to harness the power of the Mana Fortress. A group in one of its towns was formed to work against it.

* The East European Imperial Alliance from ''[[Valkyria Chronicles]]'' is your standard Empire.

* ''[[~~Arc the Lad (Video Game)|~~Arc the Lad]]''

* ''[[Arc the Lad]]''

** The Dilzweld Empire. Their army seems unstoppable-- at the start of the game, they are about to attack The World Alliance (Huh, kinda sounds like [[The Federation]], don't it?), the grouping of the other five mighty nations, and they are certain they can win. Although, they might have some trouble with that, considering whole platoons of their gun-packing Army (they have mechs and airships, too) are defeated with little difficulty by a group of adventurers armed with a sword, an axe, a bow, and some kind of barbed fishing fly on a string.

** The Romalian Empire were actually somewhat competent and are the cause of all the problems in the series. The Academy from ''Arc the Lad 3'' fit this trope too, albeit they are a collection of scientists and scholars.. with platoons of soldiers with heavy machine guns and plans to rule the world.

*** Romalia is a subversion: it started as a ''commercial'' empire, because a Romalian merchant was the first to discover spirit stones and to use them as an energy source: When Arc the Lad start, Romalia has been the world first super-power for already 1000 years, thanks to its control of the energy supplies, and things started to go really bad only one generation ago.

* [[Destroy All Humans|The Furon Empire]]

* [[Destroy All Humans!|The Furon Empire]]

* ''[[Free Space]]'' has the Ancients' Empire in its [[Backstory]], which fell [[Precursors|8,000 years before the game begins]], annihilated by the [[Omnicidal Maniac|Shivans]]. The [[Backstory]] is told from the Ancients' point of view, chronicling their rise and fall, painting them somewhat sympathetically as victims of the "Cosmic Destroyers"... it's easy to forget that they were a galaxy-spanning war machine conquering planets and enslaving species left and right: "''And we saw other advanced life, and we subdued it, or we crushed it...''" The Shivans could almost be seen as the heroes in this case.

** The Vasudans are also governed by an Empire, though it seems to be a fairly benevolent one. It's also specifically mentioned to be a Parliamentary Empire. Indeed, the Vasudans' survival and economic prosperity following the devastation of their homeworld is largely attributed to their current Emperor, who is quite progressive and favors further integration with the Terrans in the sequel.

* The [[Mega Neko|Kilrathi]] Empire, from the ''[[Wing Commander (~~Video~~ ~~Game~~)|Wing Commander]]'' series.

* The [[Mega Neko|Kilrathi]] Empire, from the ''[[Wing Commander (video game)|Wing Commander]]'' series.

* ''[[Super Mario Bros]]'' has the Bowser Empire/Kingdom, or whatever it's called. Heavily militarised, run by a despotic monarch and frequently invading the Kingdom... but oddly, in later games it's shown that not only are Bowser's soldiers [[Punch Clock Villain|mostly just doing their jobs]], they actually [[Benevolent Boss|like, respect and admire Bowser]], and are quite loyal and proud. (if not understandably scared of pissing off the giant super-strong turtle-dragon king)

* ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' has the Bowser Empire/Kingdom, or whatever it's called. Heavily militarised, run by a despotic monarch and frequently invading the Kingdom... but oddly, in later games it's shown that not only are Bowser's soldiers [[Punch Clock Villain|mostly just doing their jobs]], they actually [[Benevolent Boss|like, respect and admire Bowser]], and are quite loyal and proud. (if not understandably scared of pissing off the giant super-strong turtle-dragon king)

* Inverted with the Lanvaldear Kingdom and the Malkuth Empire in ''[[Tales of the Abyss]]''. Through Luke's POV, Malkuth Empire should be the [[Big Bad]] and his own kingdom Lanvaldear is good. Turns out, neither is really good nor bad. If anything, Malkuth Empire is shown to have a much more benevolent.

* Played quite straight in the MMORPG Pardus, where the Empire has won every war it was involved in up to this point(no, I'm not talking about the backstory either). This is even more surprising when you consider that the Empire(along with the other factions, The Federation and the Union) is completely player run!

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* The, well, Empire in ''[[Gratuitous Space Battles]]'', which is one of the most powerful galactic civilizations, a technologically-advanced powerhouse that has existed for thirty thousand years and counting and is bent on conquering what parts of the galaxy they haven't taken yet. Their "Emperor" is a bit "under the weather" - no one's seen him in about a thousand years or so, but the Empire itself keeps marching along.

* Bronquia in ''[[Yggdra Union]]'' {{spoiler|except not.}}

* The Galaxy-spanning Taiidan Empire in ''[[~~Homeworld (Video Game)|~~Homeworld]]'' can perhaps best be described as what would have happened if the Galactic Empire from ''[[Star Wars]]'' had been allowed to remain intact for 4000 years. Not very pretty.

* The Galaxy-spanning Taiidan Empire in ''[[Homeworld]]'' can perhaps best be described as what would have happened if the Galactic Empire from ''[[Star Wars]]'' had been allowed to remain intact for 4000 years. Not very pretty.

** The [[Backstory]] reveals that the Hiigarans were pretty imperialistic in the old days, boldened by the fact that they had one of the three original hyperspace cores, giving them immense power. They use it to transport their fleet past the Taiidani defense lines right above the Taiidani homeworld, raining destruction on it. After the Bentusi interfered and took away their core, and wiped out a sizable chunk of their fleet, the vengeful Taiidani struck back and drove the Hiigarans from their homeworld, which they took for themselves as repayment.

* Caesar's Legion in ''[[Fallout New Vegas]]'', modeled off of Imperial Rome, have the Evil part down, adopting traditions of cultural extinction and genocide, slavery and crucifixion. Their objective in the game is to establish the Empire part.

* Caesar's Legion in ''[[Fallout: New Vegas]]'', modeled off of Imperial Rome, have the Evil part down, adopting traditions of cultural extinction and genocide, slavery and crucifixion. Their objective in the game is to establish the Empire part.

** Caesar however still thinks they're [[The Horde]], and wants Vegas to be their Rome thus making them a true Empire.

* [[Eien no Aselia]] has the Sargios empire, the strongest nation on the continent. The people are actually perfectly content since they don't have to do any of the fighting and are benefited by the imperialistic nature of the empire.

* The Junaris Empire of [[Vanguard Bandits]]. The largest nation on the continent, they came into power by rebelling against the [[The Kingdom|Pharastia Kingdom]] and continue to war with them to the current day. They're the most consistent enemy on every path in the game.

* The Empire of the Rising Sun in [[Red Alert 3]]. All hail [[Star Trek|Emperor Sulu!]].

* The Empire of the Rising Sun in [[Command and Conquer Red Alert 3]]. All hail [[Star Trek|Emperor Sulu!]].

** Interestingly, if you win the game as the Empire, Emperor Yoshiro grants you the rank of shogun. Historically, the shogunate usually held all the power in Japan, while the Emperor was merely a figurehead.

* The Terran Empire in ''[[Ground Control]] II'', originally the Draconis Empire, who renamed themselves after conquering Earth. They then spend centuries solidifying their hold on the Inner Sphere colonies and building up their military. They then strike out at the [[The Alliance|Northern Star Alliance]], crushing all resistance mercilessly. The leader of the Terran fleet is Imperator Vlaana Azleea, AKA the Butcher of Ariel, charged by [[The Emperor]] to bring all the colonies under Imperial control, even if it means bombing them into nothingness. The Empire is partly modeled after the Roman Empire, including the ranks (imperator, centurion) and the fact that their foot soldiers are called legionnaires.

* ''[[Universe At War]]'': The Hierarchy play the stereotypical role of an Empire. Their a galaxy spanning race that has conquered countless worlds, and strip mine them for their resources(and by resources it includes all of its living inhabitants).

* In the ''[[X (~~Video~~ ~~Game~~)|X-Universe]]'', the [[Proud Warrior Race Guy|Split Dynasty]] and [[Scary Dogmatic Aliens|Paranid Empire]] are opposed to the Argon Federation and Kingdom of Boron. The Split are the straighter version in that they're the only member of the Commonwealth that still practices slavery. Still, morality in the series is kinda grey; overall the only thing that makes either side good or evil is that the last time the two sides went to war, the Split and Paranid were the aggressors.

* In the ''[[X (video game)|X-Universe]]'', the [[Proud Warrior Race Guy|Split Dynasty]] and [[Scary Dogmatic Aliens|Paranid Empire]] are opposed to the Argon Federation and Kingdom of Boron. The Split are the straighter version in that they're the only member of the Commonwealth that still practices slavery. Still, morality in the series is kinda grey; overall the only thing that makes either side good or evil is that the last time the two sides went to war, the Split and Paranid were the aggressors.

== Web Comics ==

* ''[[Order of the Stick ~~(Webcomic)~~|Order of the Stick]]'': Elan's father Tarquin not only controls his own three-pronged empire, but he uses his [[Dangerously Genre Savvy|understanding of the world's narrative structure]] to deduce that it MUST succeed for a significant amount of time...or else there would be no drama in a lone hero opposing it someday!

* ''[[The Order of the Stick|Order of the Stick]]'': Elan's father Tarquin not only controls his own three-pronged empire, but he uses his [[Dangerously Genre Savvy|understanding of the world's narrative structure]] to deduce that it MUST succeed for a significant amount of time...or else there would be no drama in a lone hero opposing it someday!

* The Souballo Empire from ''[[Our Little Adventure]]'' is probably going to be the main antagonistic force of the comic.[[Ragtag Bunch of Misfits|The adventuring group]] is about to get on a boat to the continent where its holds a huge foothold.

* The Wulfenbach Empire from ''[[~~Girl Genius (Webcomic)|~~Girl Genius]]''.

* The Wulfenbach Empire from ''[[Girl Genius]]''.

* In ''[[Nip and Tuck]]'' [[Show Within the Show]] ''Rebel Cry'', the Federation is an Empire.

* ''[[Last ~~Res 0 rt~~]]'' has the People's Republic of Celigo, which is allied with the [[Church of Happyology|Star Org]] (and it's up for debate which half is really in control).

* ''[[Last Res0rt]]'' has the People's Republic of Celigo, which is allied with the [[Church of Happyology|Star Org]] (and it's up for debate which half is really in control).

* ''[[~~Homestuck (Webcomic)|~~Homestuck]]'': It's never seen in action being that the main characters are all teenagers, but the Alternian Empire from which the [[Troll|trolls]] hail was reportedly a formidable and dominating conquering force constantly at war across the universe, seeking to conquer and add more territories to its own. After hundreds - possibly thousands - of years of this, the [[Brown Note|Vast Glub]] and the [[Colony Drop|meteor apocalypse]] on Alternia [[Apocalypse How|put an end to that]].

* ''[[Homestuck]]'': It's never seen in action being that the main characters are all teenagers, but the Alternian Empire from which the [[Troll|trolls]] hail was reportedly a formidable and dominating conquering force constantly at war across the universe, seeking to conquer and add more territories to its own. After hundreds - possibly thousands - of years of this, the [[Brown Note|Vast Glub]] and the [[Colony Drop|meteor apocalypse]] on Alternia [[Apocalypse How|put an end to that]].

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* ''[[Tech Infantry]]'' has several factions, both human and alien, that occasionally or always fit this trope. The Earth Federation was determined to be the only government of the human species, and aggressively expanded at the expense of various alien empires, who were trying to do the same to them. Then they get replaced by the Middle Kingdom after one faction finally wins the seemingly endless human civil war, and they are even worse in this department. Various alien empires, from the [[Bug War|Arachnids]] to the [[Scary Dogmatic Aliens|Jurvain]] also fit the trope.

* ''[[Decades of Darkness]]'' has the *USA and the Brazilian Empire.

* In the [[~~Chaos Timeline (Literature)|~~Chaos Timeline]]... well, since this is a realistic (hi)story, it's a question of your POV. The New Roman Empire, the German Technocracy and others might all qualify.

* In the [[Chaos Timeline]]... well, since this is a realistic (hi)story, it's a question of your POV. The New Roman Empire, the German Technocracy and others might all qualify.

* ''[[Open Blue]]'' has two rival empires, Avelia (A mix of Imperial Spain and Great Britain) and Sirene ([[Imperial Germany]]), and a [[Vestigial Empire]], Yaman (Imperial Russia). The [[Backstory]] features the Iormunean Imperium, a [[Fantasy Counterpart Culture]] to [[Ancient Rome]], as [[Precursors]] armed with weapons [[Religion Is Magic|blessed by their god]] who suffered a [[Gotterdammerung]]. Ironically, the three present empires are all part of a larger ''[[The Federation|Federation]]'', the Axifloan Coalition.

* [[Fun ~~With~~ Acronyms|The Galactic League of Extraterrestrial Exploration]] from [[Starship]]

* [[Fun with Acronyms|The Galactic League of Extraterrestrial Exploration]] from [[Starship]]

* The Enforcers of the Plot Continuum, the [[Protectors of the Plot Continuum|PPC's]] [[Evil Counterpart]], are dedicated to [[Multiversal Conqueror|multiversal conquest]] and apparently already rule large sections of their multiverse. On finding out about the prime multiverse, it's been hinted they've now set their sights on it.

* The Sith Council and The Galactic Empire are modern fations in ''[[The Gungan Council]]'' that have the most planets out of any other faction.

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*** Originally, Firelord Sozin (Ozai's grandfather who started the war) wanted to spread the Fire Nation's culture and prestige all over the world by establishing illegal colonies on the [[The Kingdom|Earth Kingdom's]] land. After the genocide of the Air Nomads due to Sozin's fear of the reborn Avatar his descendants suffered extreme [[Motive Decay]] and more than a little [[Sanity Slippage]].

* The Irken Empire on ''[[Invader Zim]]''.

* ''[[Thundercats ~~(Animation)|ThunderCats~~]]'' and ''[[Thundercats 2011 ~~(Western Animation)~~|ThunderCats (2011)]]'' reveals that the [[Catfolk|Cats]]' civilization, though initially presented as [[The Kingdom]], has become this, through a belief that [[Cats Are Superior]], and serious cases of [[Future Imperfect]] and [[Written By the Winners]]. Though not straight-up evil, it's clear that [[Proud Warrior Race|militarism]], [[Animal Jingoism]], [[Fantastic Racism]] and a [[Fantastic Caste System]] are all a part of everyday life. So while it's a nuanced take on the trope, one can easily have mixed feelings when the [[Lizard Folk|Lizards]] and [[Big Bad]] Mumm-Ra destroy it.

* ''[[Thundercats]]'' and ''[[Thundercats 2011|ThunderCats (2011)]]'' reveals that the [[Catfolk|Cats]]' civilization, though initially presented as [[The Kingdom]], has become this, through a belief that [[Cats Are Superior]], and serious cases of [[Future Imperfect]] and [[Written by the Winners]]. Though not straight-up evil, it's clear that [[Proud Warrior Race|militarism]], [[Animal Jingoism]], [[Fantastic Racism]] and a [[Fantastic Caste System]] are all a part of everyday life. So while it's a nuanced take on the trope, one can easily have mixed feelings when the [[Lizard Folk|Lizards]] and [[Big Bad]] Mumm-Ra destroy it.

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** While the details of the Habsburg empire are a bit complicated the essence is easy to understand once you realize that it was simply the ''reductio ad absurdum'' of the feudal system. The Family, instead of holding the one dynasty/one kingdom model which we(rather erroneously in fact) tend to imagine, held all the crowns of several at once. Think of [[The Emperor]], not as wearing one crown but a whole bunch stacked on top of each other. This arrangement was in fact more common then might be thought; Queen Elizabeth for instance holds England, Scotland, and Wales, as well as being the [[Feudal Overlord]] of the Channel Islands. Her ancestors once held the Electorate of Hanover. Likewise(if I remember)the President of France share's the rulership over Andorra with the bishop of something or other. What made the Habsburgs unique was how far they took this system. The Habsburg empire was not illogical; in the sense of following the laws and customs of the time as far as they could logically go, the Habsburgs were so logical they were ridiculous.

* The French had various periods in which they were this, the [[Napoleon Bonaparte|Napoleonic Empire]] and the French colonial empire of the mid-19th to mid-20th century being the most notable.

* [[Dichter Und Denker|German philosopher]] Oswald Spengler claimed in his non-fiction book ''[[~~The Decline of the West (Literature)|~~The Decline of the West]]'' that every culture/civilization eventually will end in this. Rome, [[Imperial China]], the Muslim world and other cultures did, Western civilization isn't yet there. (He wrote the book in the 1920s.)

* [[Dichter Und Denker|German philosopher]] Oswald Spengler claimed in his non-fiction book ''[[The Decline of the West]]'' that every culture/civilization eventually will end in this. Rome, [[Imperial China]], the Muslim world and other cultures did, Western civilization isn't yet there. (He wrote the book in the 1920s.)

* [[Nazi Germany]], as well as the many territories it conquered and subjugated. In its heyday it encompassed an area stretching from the Atlantic Ocean all the way to the Caucasus mountains, and from the Polar circle to the North African desert - not counting the enormous colonial empire under [[Les Collaborateurs|Vichy French]] control.

** Elements of the Nazi leadership (including [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]] himself, notably) envisioned the creation of a Greater Germanic Reich of the German Nation (''Großgermanisches Reich Deutscher Nation''), which would consist of Greater Germany (Germany plus Austria and Czechia), the Netherlands, Flemish-speaking Belgium and France, the Channel Islands, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, the Aaland Islands, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Greenland, German-speaking Switzerland, even more of France, part of Yugoslavia, and eventually ''even parts of [[Fascist Italy|Italy]]'', together with all the territory conquered in the east (Poland, the Baltic states, Belarus, Ukraine, Moscovia, etc). Had they succeeded, it would have been one of the largest contiguous empires in history - and the most brutal.

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*** A good portion of those 20 million or so were killed off by the Soviets themselves, whether as a product of Stalin's regime or as part of the [[Scenery Gorn|scorched earth]] tactics that the Red Army employed against the Nazis. Indeed, the Soviet Union was an "Evil Empire" since its inception; just look at the things they did in the Ukraine (Holodomor), Poland (Katyn Forest) and in Russia itself (Red Terror, among other things). Even the Nazis thought they were inhumane, which in itself is funny considering they were unofficial allies in the beginning (thanks to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact).

*** Not just the Soviets: A lot of Communist countries practiced imperialism. Take Vietnam after the [[Vietnam War]] ended: The Vietnamese, shortly after being reunified, proceeded to conquer Cambodia, Laos, and they almost conquered the Phillipines.

* There's been debates on whether the [[Eagle Land|United States Of America]] counts as an "Empire" during the last half of the 20th Century and into the 21st, as it is currently the most dominant nation politically, economically and culturally. A superpower nation defined by its opposition to the [[Dirty Communists|Soviet Union]], it meddled in the politics of smaller nations across Asia, Africa and Latin America as part of the [[Cold War]]. While the government is a "Federal Republican Democracy" with limits on its power, the foreign policy is influenced heavily by The President of the United States, AKA Leader Of The Free World and arguably the most powerful man on the planet. Adding to this is that the United States had the ideology of "Manifest Destiny" that made it get more than half of it's territory by taking it from other nations (Mexico, Spain, France and Philippines), leases military bases across the globe, and still holds territories in the Caribbean and South Pacific. The argument ''against'' the U.S. counting as an Empire is that for all that, the United States never openly established itself as one by title or by overt takeover of foreign nations after having expanded its borders to the Pacific Ocean in the 1800s (even with [[The War On Terror|the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan]] the U.S. worked quickly to establish local governments... whether they've been successful is open to debate).

* There's been debates on whether the [[Eagle Land|United States Of America]] counts as an "Empire" during the last half of the 20th Century and into the 21st, as it is currently the most dominant nation politically, economically and culturally. A superpower nation defined by its opposition to the [[Dirty Communists|Soviet Union]], it meddled in the politics of smaller nations across Asia, Africa and Latin America as part of the [[Cold War]]. While the government is a "Federal Republican Democracy" with limits on its power, the foreign policy is influenced heavily by The President of the United States, AKA Leader Of The Free World and arguably the most powerful man on the planet. Adding to this is that the United States had the ideology of "Manifest Destiny" that made it get more than half of it's territory by taking it from other nations (Mexico, Spain, France and Philippines), leases military bases across the globe, and still holds territories in the Caribbean and South Pacific. The argument ''against'' the U.S. counting as an Empire is that for all that, the United States never openly established itself as one by title or by overt takeover of foreign nations after having expanded its borders to the Pacific Ocean in the 1800s (even with [[The War on Terror|the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan]] the U.S. worked quickly to establish local governments... whether they've been successful is open to debate).

** To more precisely evaluate whether or not the US is an empire, one needs to define precisely what an empire ''is''. "Is it imperialism to influence the activities of governments ''you'' helped create?" seems to be the big question here. While it's true that US foreign intervention always worked towards establishing local governments, many wonder [[Your Mileage May Vary|just how independent]] such governments are from the nation that facilitated their creation. As with everything else, only time will tell...