10 RPG Heroes Who End Up Joining The Bad Guys

What’s more dramatic than a villain turning into a hero? That’s right! A hero turning into a villain!

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One way to increase the drama of a piece and create some tension is to make a previously good-aligned character fall to the dark side. While this must be frustrating for the characters involved, it’s certainly an exciting thing to witness as a player.

Whether they’re secretly evil, tempted by power, outright brainwashed, or were sort of evil-all-along, these villains all share one thing in common: they used to be on the side of the good guys. As a result, expect spoilers inclusive for the games we’re looking at today.

Orson

Fire Emblem is full to the brim with turncoats, though they usually end up joining your side, not leaving it. Orson, however, is one such example of a character who ends up descending into evil.

While he is initially an ally of Ephraim’s and is controllable in one chapter, the death of his wife shakes Orson to his core. He betrays the sibling protagonists in return for the resurrection of his beloved and while this resurrection is clearly faulty, Orson is more than happy to abandon his morals for one last chance at matrimonial bliss.

Faize

This green-haired Eldarian has something of a sad story in Star Ocean: The Last Hope. Faize is first presented as part of a rescue team seeking to aid crashed ships and he joins Edge, Reimi, and the rest of the Calnus crew.

The tragedy occurs when the antagonists of the game destroy a fleet of Eldarian ships, destroying many of them. Faize, weakened by his sorrow and shock, is possessed by an entity known as the Grigori and is turned against his shipmates and friends, eventually becoming the game’s final boss.

Kain

Kain swaps sides so often in Final Fantasy 4 that you never really know whether to trust him or not. Despite that, Kain definitely did start the game as a good guy – you can tell just from his interactions with Cecil during the prologue that he’s a good egg.

The reveal at Fabul that Kain is now on the side of the malevolent Golbez is one of the first nasty twists that Final Fantasy 4 is so fond of, beginning a tradition of jaw-dropping moments that spans the entire Final Fantasy series.

Claus

Claus is Lucas’ older twin brother and plays off of him quite nicely with his brash personality contrasting well with Lucas’ timidness, and he is the focus of two very harsh reveals in Mother 3. The first is that he has apparently died from a fall at the end of the first chapter.

The second, more shocking revelation is that he actually survived and was turned into the incredibly powerful Masked Man by the villains. His is another very tragic story and his final moments in the game are one hell of a tearjerker.

Bastila Shan

Bastila is quite an impulsive Jedi from Knights of the Old Republic, tasked with looking after the player character to make sure they don’t fall to the dark side of the Force. At one point in the story, she is captured by resident big bad Darth Malak and turned to the dark side after being exposed to his hatred.

This being a BioWare game, it is of course possible to redeem Bastila and bring her back to the light if the circumstances are right (for example, if she has been romanced by a male character) but it’s also possible you join her on the dark side.

Yu Narukami

Persona 4 is a game spent playing detective after a slew of murders strikes the town of Inaba. Depending on your choices towards the end of the game, you can either find out who the murderer is and confront them or miss out on the truth and reach a bad ending.

There is, however, another ending, in which Yu Narukami (the main character’s canon name) confronts the murderer all by himself. And then, when asked what he will do with this information and a crucial piece of evidence, sides with the murderer and protects their identity. It’s very out-of-character for Yu to betray his team like that, but it’s a possibility.

Beat

Being thrust into the Reaper’s game of The World Ends With You must be one of the most traumatizing events that could happen to you. Add to that the death of a sibling and it’s hard not to empathize with Beat’s decision to join up with the Reapers.

Although he manages to redeem himself and eventually become Neku’s partner in the third week of the game, he does have a pretty impressive showing as a villain, including a very tough boss fight.

Sephiroth

It’s quite often forgotten that Sephiroth was once very well-known as a hero, with his rank, sword, and even his haircare routine being hot topics of conversation. Knowing this side of him makes his truly epic villainous breakdown at Nibelheim all the more striking.

We get to see a glimpse of his more personable side during the flashback scenes of Final Fantasy 7 and we can only hope that this is something that Square Enix will expand upon in the next installment of the Remake.

Popola And Devola

These redheaded twins are fantastic allies over the course of Nier Replicant, giving you quests and tips and even lighthearted moments to soften the dramatic blows that Yoko Taro is renowned for.

It comes as quite a shock, then, when they are revealed at the end of the game to be androids tasked with facilitating a project that would end up with the replicants of the game (read: the main cast) being wiped out. When Nier goes against this, they become a difficult and tragic boss fight.

Riku

Kingdom Hearts is well-known for its dramatic twists, changes of heart, and intensely complex storyline. In comparison to later events in the series, Riku’s fall to darkness is refreshingly easy to understand.

Driven by his desire for power and under the malevolent tutelage of Maleficent, Riku is easily manipulated towards the dark side and becomes a recurring villain for Sora until his eventual redemption. And then things get complicated. Very complicated.

Link Source : https://www.thegamer.com/rpg-heroes-who-become-villains/