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Developed, relatable antagonists

Zen

Zen

The Wise Ones
Member
Nov 1, 2017
9,657
Wherefore does man whom fortunes spurn
Take life in hand for tables turned
Journey forth in make believe
Retrieve lives he lost to sea

Across time and space in grieve
Across the river of styx with glee
All to see them hale again
Into brackish waters hence

Wandering soul of twilight's lair
Regretful mourning its piercing glare
Only that whence we despair
Toward lowly heavens onerous dare
Desolate, desperate, angry, longing

And tired


What antagonists are fully developed, relatable characters whose motivations go beyond mere good and evil? Not content to be villainous, but have ambition, drive, goals, and philosophy?

Final-Fantasy-XIV-Emet-Selch.jpg
 
FarSight XR-20

FarSight XR-20

Member
Jan 4, 2018
8,617
Pixy "Solo Wing" (Ace Combat Zero)

<< You and I are opposite sides of the same coin. When we face each other, we can finally see our true selves. There may be a resemblance, but we never face the same direction. >>

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Cerulean_skylark

Cerulean_skylark

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account.
Banned
Oct 31, 2017
6,408
Zen said:
Wherefore does man whom fortunes spurn
Take life in hand for tables turned
Journey forth in make believe
Retrieve lives he lost to sea

Across time and space in grieve
Across the river of styx with glee
All to see them hale again
Into brackish waters hence

Wandering soul of twilight's lair
Regretful mourning its piercing glare
Only that whence we despair
Toward lowly heavens onerous dare
Desolate, desperate, angry, longing

And tired


What antagonists are fully developed, relatable characters whose motivations go beyond mere good and evil? Not content to be villainous, but have ambition, drive, goals, and philosophy?

Final-Fantasy-XIV-Emet-Selch.jpg
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...


I get that people find Emet-Selch "relatable".
But the amount of apologists who have cropped up around who is effectively a mass genocidal murderer is troubling.
I find it personally hard to relate to what amounts to the extermination of billions of sentient people to hold onto a bygone past.
 
Biestmann

Biestmann

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,412
300


Kuro from Ori and the Blind Forest. Lost her children and sought revenge for her senseless loss. Her story made me cry.
 
Wood Man

Wood Man

Member
Oct 30, 2017
5,449
Jowy in Suikoden 2. Worst he did was assassinate Annabelle but his main ambition was to rise through the ranks to end the war. Even plotting against Luca Blight who's the true monster of the story.

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ventuno

ventuno

Member
Nov 11, 2019
1,958
Emet is the best FF villain with no competition IMO, but there's a difference between understandable and relatable.

Another personal favorite is

Lucifer's Nocturne incarnation. I found him to be the side I could align with easiest since his angle was all about breaking the cycle once and for all (don't mind the apocalypse).
 
TheMrPliskin

TheMrPliskin

Member
Oct 26, 2017
3,564
I don't know that I would consider Emet Selch to be relatable at all, given what his entire objective is. That being said he's certainly an antagonist with a good amount of depth and they really humanise him, without ever really washing away the fact that what he's doing is awful.

Throwing my vote in the ring for the New Antagonist in Persona 5 Royal. The modern take on Persona has had a real issue with it's villains being basically cartoonishly evil so I was surprised when Royal had one of the more sympathetic and relatable antagonists I've come across in a game in recent memory. Their actions are well intentioned, would actually have a positive outcome and you fully understand how they end up with the mindset they have.
 

Deleted member 4869

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
7,753
Ardyn Izunia from Final Fantasy XV is near the top of that list. He was screwed up for being too good and too altruistic.

Favorite villain in all of Final Fantasy.

55e11cfc86cbde62782de179a2224f93.jpg
 
Noriea

Noriea

Member
Nov 8, 2017
575
Thought of Emet when clicking this post, and yeah, more understandable than relatable But the best final fantasy villain by far.
 
IronFalcon1997

IronFalcon1997

One Winged Slayer
Member
Jun 11, 2018
1,798
Ishida said:
Ardyn Izunia from Final Fantasy XV is near the top of that list. He was screwed up for being too good and too altruistic.

Favorite villain in all of Final Fantasy.

55e11cfc86cbde62782de179a2224f93.jpg
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Click to shrink...
He's a wonderful villain as well! It's a shame the main game was a tad light on his backstory there (although he's still great) but after Episode Ardyn he is one of the best villains in a game ever
 

Melody

Member
Oct 28, 2017
797
Said it before and I'll say it again, Emet is an understandable character but if you're saying he's relatable then that's pretty gross that you think killing millions is "relatable."

The fanboyism around Emet is really creepy and makes me uncomfortable with some of the 14 community who says "they'd do the same."
 
Loanshark

Loanshark

Member
Nov 8, 2017
1,637
I think Rafe in Uncharted 4 was well realized, and his beef with the Drake bros was actually pretty well founded.
 
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