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Villainous Valour: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
{{quote|''"Odd," he said, "how willing they are to grant a man the quality of courage in battle. They have only tradition to go on, and yet not one of them questions it. Not one of them, in fact, fails to stress it."''
|''[[The Daughter of Time]]''}}
▲''"It was an enemy's tribute..."''|''[[The Daughter of Time]]''}}
This is one method for avoiding doldrums from having a [[Boring Invincible Hero]]. Scenes of [[Villainous Valor]] show the antagonists to be outmatched, forcing them to rely on daring, cunning, skill and determination to hold their own against the heroes, or at least go out with a little dignity. They sometimes even [[Last Villain Stand|continue a hopeless battle]] for higher reasons than spite! This often results in a tense back-and-forth as the heroes' raw power is set against whatever the villains brought.
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Compare [[Worthy Opponent]]. See also [[Evil Virtues]].
{{examples}}
== Anime and Manga ==
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* This appears many times in the ''[[Gundam]]'' series. Of course, given the [[Gray and Gray Morality|nature of the universe]], it makes sense.
** Several versions feature enemy [[Ace Pilot|aces]] piloting machines that are no match for the Gundams, but able to hold their own thanks to superior skill.
*** Early on, Zechs Marquise of ''[[Gundam Wing]]'' managed to disrupt Heero's descent despite him being in a 15-year-old mech while Heero was in what may have been the most powerful Gundam at the time and just curb stomped his two wingmen. Then there are the characters like Walker and Otto, who perform [[Heroic Sacrifice
**** And then there's the final battle, where the Earth's forces exclusively use said 15-year-old mech despite the fact that their enemies are state-of-the-art [[Mecha-Mooks]] that give even the Gundams a hard time.
*** Char was introduced this way: the Gundam had been shown invulnerable to the Zaku II used by Zeon at that time, then Char arrives in another Zaku and makes clear the only thing SAVING Amuro is said invulnerability of the Gundam. Later [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshaded]] by Ramba Ral, who, upon having his Gouf destroyed by the Gundam, remarks that Amuro only won because the Gundam was more powerful. Later inverted in the final battle: Char finally has a mobile suit that is superior to the Gundam, but the only reason Char pulls a draw is that Amuro dragged the fight so the rest of the Federation armada would be able to attack Zeon's space fortress without having to deal with Zeon's most capable shipkiller.
*** Another UC example, from the original series: right after Ramba Ral's introduction, the ''White Base'' is sighted by a group of Zeon soldiers who, knowing that the Gundam was on board and hoping to be allowed to return home, decided to take on the Gundam in spite of knowing well they were underequipped. They nearly destroy the Gundam after nearly dying placing time bombs on it, and after Amuro narrowly disarms the last they decide to be good sports and, dressed as civilians, come to the ''White Base'' to say hi (Bright sees right through it but [[Worthy Adversary|allows them to leave]]). Particularly worth of note because nobody will ever be more successful than them against the Gundam until Amuro use it as a bait to take down [[The Rival|Char]].
*** And no one can forget Garma Zabi kamikaze-ing his ship into the ''White Base'' or Dozle Zabi's [[One-Man Army]] attack on [[The Federation]].
** The early parts of ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam 00]]'' have this in spades, as the pilots of Celestial Being crash around invincibly and the rest of the world scrambles to keep up. You even see [[Mook
** ''[[Zeta Gundam]]'' has Captain Ben Wooder an [[Elite Mook]] and [[Mauve Shirt]] who appeared in episodes 17-20. Initially little more than a [[Smug Snake]], Wooder quickly proved to have an intense dedication to carrying out his orders, no matter what he had to do to make them possible. When supremely powerful Cyber-Newtype Four Murasame deserted, leaving the ''Tsudori'' without a pilot for the [[Weapons of Mass Destruction|Psyco Gundam]], Wooder climbed into the cockpit himself, despite having no experience with it and no Newtype powers. That alone would probably qualify him, but it's his exit in Episode 20 that really cements his status. With Four defeated, and the rest of his ship's mobile suits out of commission, Wooder orders the rest of his crew off the ''Tsudori'' and prepares to ram the ''Audhumla'' with it. When Four returns and tries to stop him, he shoots her himself. When Kamille tries to stop the ''Tsudori'' and steal a rocket booster off of it, Wooder climbs into a gun turret and tries to shoot the Mark II Gundam down himself, despite the danger this presents to the ship. His bravery is such that it inspires a number of his men to stay behind and make the [[Heroic Sacrifice]] with him.
* Fights in ''[[Hellsing]]'' are often shown more from the villains' perspective, and we get to see their horror/resolve while Alucard goes [[One-Winged Angel]] and [[Evil Laugh|cackles like a madman.]] You may even feel a whisper of sympathy for the Nazi Vampires as a SR-71 Blackbird crashes down on their heads and a shadowy [[Eldritch Abomination]] bursts out of the flames to destroy them.
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** Deidara has some of this during his first fight, as Gaara had him on the ropes for much of the fight (due in part to Deidara's own overconfidence) and even crushed his arm at one point. But even then, Deidara still managed to win through his stylish brand of cunning and tactical brilliance.
** Ditto Deidara against Sasuke, depending on who you consider the villain at that time.
** {{spoiler|Kisame}} was willing to die for his cause<ref>Of course one could say that he was tricked into fighting for a cause other than his own</ref>.
* Seen in episode 4 of ''[[Katanagatari]]'' with the Maniwa Insect Squad and Nanami. [[Mugging the Monster|Sort of.]] [[Mook Horror Show|It was quite scary.]]
* Almost certainly intentional, at the end of the first season of ''[[Code Geass]]'', Lelouch finally gets the upper hand over the arrogant, racist Cornelia... in the most douchy way possible, and inspires her and her men to put up a valiant defence against overwhelming odds that ends up making her look like the hero. Cornelia might qualify as this before as her greatest virtue is her valour, but this is the first time she's truly outmatched.
* It's possible to overlook the fact that [[Green Thumb|Shi]][[Musical Assassin|rabe]] is actually the bad guy for her fight in [[Mahou Sensei Negima]] considering {{spoiler|A. she has [[Broken Bird|a legitimate reason for her behavior]] B. was outnumbered six to one C. [[Anti-Villain|has good intentions]] and D. showed some awesome [[Plucky Girl]] and [[Undying Loyalty]] credentials since she was fighting for the guy [[I Owe You My Life|to whom she owes her life]]. The fact that this resulted in Asuna being put back on the ritual altar without any means of getting her back off of it only hits you a moment later.}}
** There's also Fate's first fight with [[Showy Invincible Hero|Jack Rakan]]. Going into the fight, Jack is clearly show to be much stronger than Fate, but Fate keeps fighting despite clearly losing, and actually managed to hurt him, which is definitely
* [[Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann|Viral]]. [[Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain|Constantly.]]
* [[Uchuu Senkan Yamato]] has some, starting from Domel, who, after his master plan to destroy the ''Yamato'' backfires at the last moment, try to stop it and the doom it brings for Gamilas by blowing up himself with the ship, to Deslar, who, in spite of being the [[Big Bad]] of the first series and [[The Dragon]] in the second, is an extremely brave character (and, in spite of inferior technology, much more effective against the ''Yamato'' than the generals of the White Comet Empire) who later pulls a [[Heel Face Turn]]. Later the third season gives us one combined with [[Rooting for the Empire]]: we are first introduced to the Bolar Federation as one of their fleets try and fails to fight a Galman fleet (shown crewed by Gamilas people, usually the villains), and, later, one of their officers, Ram, is shown as a sympathetic character who dies in battle after apologizing for unwillingly involving Earth in the war between Bolar and Galman. Only later we find out that the Bolar are space Nazis, and then that the Galman soldiers that attacked the ''Yamato'' are [[Well-Intentioned Extremist|Well Intentioned Extremists]] working for the post-[[Heel Face Turn]] Deslar.
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{{quote|And when a new arrival asks about the one to whom even Hela bows her head ... the answer is always the same ... he stood alone at Gjallerbru ... and that answer is enough.}}
* It's been noted that Silver Age villain Whiplash I/Blacklash must have had solid steel cojones, given that he repeatedly goes up against Iron Man armed with...a titanium whip and nothing else, no power armour, no magic, no lasers, no nothing.
** Consider the Sportsmaster. A Silver Age villain who went up against Green Lantern with ''sports equipment''. When you're taking on a guy armed with the most powerful weapon in the universe, and all you've got is a baseball bat and some hockey pucks, you are practically generating your own gravity well by the sheer size of your IMMENSE NEUTRONIUM BALLS.
== Fan Works ==
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* In the movie ''[[Five Minutes To Live]]'', the evil gangster played by Johnny Cash takes a hostage (six year-old Ron Howard) in order to escape from the police. He quietly tells Ron that he has nothing to fear; Johnny would never kill a kid. When this doesn't stop the police from shooting at him, he's outraged, and you can't help but agree with him.
* Colonel Miles Quaritch from ''[[Avatar (film)|Avatar]]'' is a killer who attacked a civilian target with incendiary bombs. But some people can't help admiring his sheer determination when things don't go his way. Hell, at one point he is [[Incendiary Exponent|set on fire]] and he waits until his AMP suit is prepared to drop before putting the fire out.
* The [[Those Wacky Nazis|Nazis]] in several scenes of ''[[Inglourious Basterds]]'' come across as very human. The Nazi
** Even for the audience, as the film's primary target audience is Americans, given that Zoller is hailed as a hero for single-handednly killing hundreds of American soldiers.
* In Ryuhei Kitamura's ''[[Versus]]'', [[No Name Given|"The Man"]] finds himself lying battered, lacerated and [[Blood From the Mouth|hacking blood]] before the newly energized hero. However, when the hero tosses him his sword, he rises and prepares to give a good accounting of himself even though he knows he doesn't stand a chance. In the [[DVD Commentary|Director's Commentary]], Kitamura described that as the "spirit of Versus." {{spoiler|Also, depending on how you take that business in the epilogue, it's possible that the ''whole movie'' was a case of [[Valiant Villainy]].}}
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* Riley Biers from ''[[Twilight (novel)|Eclipse]]''. Fighting for his lover, and actually putting up a good struggle against a werewolf after losing a hand.
* The bomb maker from the beginning of ''[[Casino Royale]]'' probably earns quite a few fans with his skill at [[Le Parkour]] as [[James Bond (film)|James Bond]] chases him.
** They hired Sebastien Foucan, a real-life urban free running champion, for that chase sequence. Yeah, no ''wonder'' it was impressive.
* The Jamaican gangster King Willie from ''[[Predator]] 2'', who believes that the titular Predator is actually a demon spirit. Despite this, after it approaches him, he calmly [[Sword Cane|whips a sword out from his cane]] and duels the damn thing, even though it had single-handedly slaughtered a large portion of his gang as well as the rival Colombian gang.
* Ironbar in ''[[Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome]]''. At one point, while he's hanging from a pipe extended off the side of a speeding train, the train goes over a bridge, and he repeatedly has to hoist his body over metal substructures studded along the span's length. It's impressive that the actor/stuntman was even able to shoot the scene.
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* The Sheikh's [[Number Two]] in ''[[Taken]]'' puts up quite a fight against Liam Neeson's character, even after being wounded by him. He's fighting for his Sheikh, after all.
* Uncle Les in ''[[Braindead]]'' spends most of the film as just a lecherous, repulsive [[Jerkass]]. Then the climax hits, and he surprisingly becomes quite a zombie-killing badass, with a [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]] where he single-handedly takes out about twenty of them with a pair of cleavers.
== Literature ==
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* In the first trilogy in SM Stirling's [[Emberverse]], [[Dark Action Girl]] Tiphaine Rutherford (later Tiphaine d'Ath) performs a daring rescue/kidnapping on the good-guy Mackenzies' own land, finds herself outnumbered four-to-one in a confrontation with a quartet of Rangers, and is betrayed by a member of her own band, who attacks while he's in full armor and she's in her civvies. She's not a nice person, and her objectives are often questionable at best, but it's hard not to applaud the combination of courage, dexterity, and quick-wittedness with which she consistently beats the odds.
* In the [[Dale Brown]] novel ''Air Battle Force'', several scenes are dedicated to the Taliban detachment's brave struggle against their numerically and technologically superior enemies.
* In [[John C. Wright]]'s ''[[War of the Dreaming]]'', this role goes to Manannan, king of the [[Mooks|Selkies]], who knows that if the Great War comes about, his people are going to suffer horrible casualties if the Dark Side
* In [[Soon I Will Be Invincible]], [[Villain Protagonist|Dr. Impossible]] is a supergenius with mild superstrength and limited invulnerability. The fight scene where he goes from quietly drinking his coffee to fighting off an entire team of superheroes despite being ludicrously outnumbered and overpowered is one of the best in the book.
* The Sardaukar in [[Dune]]
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== Live Action TV ==
* Almost certainly the reason for Spike's early popularity on ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'', being simultaneously the first vampire adversary of Buffy to be depicted as more than a soul-less monster, and the first to avoid the [[Curb Stomp Battle
** He's also just really, really cool.
* On shows such as ''[[
* Hilary Briss on ''[[The League of Gentlemen]]''. Creepy as hell though he may be, he's presented as the [[Villain Protagonist]] of his own arc, and you sort of want him to escape.
* An episode of the classic [[World War Two]] series ''[[Combat! (TV series)|Combat!]]'' called "The Cossack" had the most tenacious German soldier of all time. In the teaser, he fails to blow up a strategically important bridge during the German retreat, and tries to complete the task before the rest of the American army comes through. He infiltrates the local Church and disguises himself as the town priest. He manages to keep his disguise with all the Americans around him, making up cover stories for his German accent ("I'm Swiss.") and being near the bridge ("I'm going fishing.") on the fly, even managing to get away with killing the young Catholic GI who sees through him without anyone seeing. It was almost disappointing to see him fail in the end, he'd worked so hard up to that point.
* Happens to [[Evilutionary Biologist|Davros]], of [[Complete Monster|all people]], in the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' story "Revelation of the Daleks". Even though he's as nasty as usual, it's hard not to respect him for having apparently found himself completely alone on the planet, with none of his usual allies, and still got himself into the top position.
** This could apply to the Daleks themselves. No matter what The Doctor does to them, they still manage to keep themselves going.
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== Newspaper Comics ==
* In Chester Gould's ''[[Dick Tracy]],'' once the villains' evil plans have been foiled, they often end up going on the run, and are usually quite ingenious in their attempts to get away. This sometimes makes them seem sympathetic, even if we've seen them acting like [[Complete Monster
== Professional Wrestling ==
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== Tabletop Games ==
* Though the [[The Empire|Imperium]] is most often presented as crumbling, it is still the most powerful faction in ''[[Warhammer
** In the [[Inquisitor]] guide ''[http://www.games-workshop.com/MEDIA_CustomProductCatalog/m1320038_Using_Space_Marines.pdf Using Space Marines]'', the author recommends this as a way to deal with ludicrously powerful Space Marine PCs. We are reminded that [[Honor Before Reason|Space Marines don't sneak about]], so the enemy will likely have plenty of chances to lay ambushes and traps before the rampaging behemoth.
** Virtually any faction in Warhammer gets moments of this really.
* [
== Theatre ==
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** Later causes divisions between those humans who respect this and those who do not.
* In [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSDfxde8fSg this video] that is violently opposed to the [[The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim|Skyrim]] [[Memetic Mutation|arrow to the knee meme]], a [[Hollywood Nerd|short, fat, nerdy guy]] goes to type the arrow joke into a youtube comment when the game's main character bursts out of the screen, [[Kneecapping|kneecaps]] the nerd with arrows to both knees, then begins to strangle the nerd and tell him how much he sucks for [[Never Heard That One Before|liking meme jokes]]. He goes to [[Cut His Heart Out with a Spoon|make some gory and violent death threats]] should the nerd ever do it again. The nerd responds by [[Defiant to the End|making an arrow to the knee joke]]. Sure, it gets him [[Killed Mid-Sentence]], but as the top rated comment on the video says "I have to admit, the nerd has balls."
* Displayed by [[Adolf Hitler]] of all people during his second appearance in ''[[Epic Rap Battles of History]]''. He's ready to rap (against Darth freakin' Vader) only seconds after having been thawed from carbonite, a process that is agonising, debilitating, and blinding. He then goes on a veritable roll, hitting every single one of Vader's [[Berserk Button
== Western Animation ==
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** In the same episode, after {{spoiler|[[Nice Job Fixing It, Villain|Ozai unlocks Aang's Avatar State]], he manages to dodge [[Super Mode|Avatar State]] Aang's [[Sphere of Power]] for several minutes, even managing to get a few attacks off. Still doesn't work.}}
*** Particularly amazing considering that he was fighting someone channeling the power of a thousand Avatars at once. He may have been the strongest and most skilled non-Avatar bender ever.
**** Being fair, he's greatly amped by the powr of Sozin's Comet at the time he's doing that. Under normal circumstances he'd have had no chance vs. a fully-realized Avatar. Still, he put in an immensely impressive showing.
** And of course there's Zuko attempts at defeating Aang in the first season despite getting curbstomped every time they meet. This along with Zuko's woobie status can easily drive a viewer to root for him simply out of sympathy.
* In ''[[Justice League Unlimited]]'', the [[Villain Episode]] "Task Force X" followed a band of [[Badass Normal]] [[Boxed Crook
* The trecherous general from [[Sym-Bionic Titan]]. Yes he betrayed Galaluna, but he could have fought and killed Lance easily with his [[Power Armor]] or let the Mutrati tear him apart, instead he opts to fight him in a fair sword fight. Granted he was considered much more skilled than Lance, but it takes guts to take on a prodigy like Lance with just a sword when he could have finish him off without a second thought.
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[[Category:Action Adventure Tropes]]
[[Category:Villains]]
[[Category:Villainous Valour]]▼
[[Category:Knight in Shining Tropes]]
[[Category:Alliterative Trope Titles]]
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