History AlasPoorVillain / VideoGames

** ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain'': Skull Face: While he was a douchebag for most of the game, it's hard not to feel sorry for him during his final moments, slowly dying in pain after being crushed and his limbs (except his left arm) dismembered by Kaz and Big Boss, all while he begged to be killed. But then he got killed by Huey, and then he yelled "REVENGE!"

** ''VideoGame/HyruleConquest'' gives a [[TearJerker truly heartwrenching]] one with Ganon, [[AdaptationalHeroism of all people]]. As if his DarkAndTroubledPast and [[WellIntentionedExtremist Well-Intentioned Extremism]] weren't enough, he dies cornered by the Hylian army and betrayed by Bongo, [[VillainousBreakdown desperately crying and not even opposing Princess Zelda]], [[KickThemWhileTheyAreDown who mercilessly cuts him down]]. Then the content of his book, where he had written of his plans for the Triforce, is revealed: childish drawings of a peaceful world where Hylians and Moblins live happily together, with all the people who died in the war resurrected.

%%* ''VideoGame/NieR'', particularly NewGamePlus, is ''made'' of this trope.

*** After both Berkut and his girlfriend Rinea (who had been turned into a Witch after Berkut sold her soul to Duma) are defeated, the mortally injured Berkut still refuses to give up or to see Alm as his cousin rather than his enemy, and urges Alm to give him the killing blow. But as Alm insists that he never wanted to be Berkut's enemy... Rinea's now-free soul appears in front of the group, speaking kindly to Berkut even after what he did to her, [[TogetherInDeath telling him to come with her so they can find their own empire.]] Berkut is flabbergasted [[TearsOfRemorse and seems to be crying]] as he tells [[ActualPacifist Rinea]] [[WomenAreWiser that she always was right]], begs her to forgive him, and accepts her offer to go away with her. Then he makes peace with Alm and, before definitely dying, gives him [[TragicKeepsake a ring that belonged to his late mother]] and begs him to make Valentia a land where no one will be corrupted by the gods again.

*** In the case of Cid, it hits especially hard when the player [[FridgeBrilliance realizes]] that Cid only started neglecting his family ''because'' Venat contacted him. After his defeat, [[GracefulLoser Cid calmly accepts his loss]], tells Venat he enjoyed the years they've spent working together, and shares a short quiet conversation with his son. Balthier is especially saddened by his death, asking him if there was no other way. Cid sadly retorts he should spare his pity elsewhere.

** The end of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX'' had Kuja dying at the base of the Iifa Tree. Being a fluke with a crushingly short life-span made him cruel and nihilistic, but only when he was defeated by the heroes and had nothing left to live for did he realize too late what it means to really live. This also gets a callback in ''Dissidia''.
*** In the same game, Brahne's death is a surprisingly solemn moment. In spite of all the atrocities she did, Garnet still loses her mother when she dies. Although it's a little played with. While Garnet is (understandably) saddened by her death, the other party members (like Vivi) on the other hand feel sad for Garnet, not really for Brahne.

*** Vayne is one of the most affable and - dare one say it - ''likeable'' antagonists in the series due to the inherent humanity behind his actions, and though he ''does'' KickTheDog on occasion, he's a WellIntentionedExtremist ''par excellence'' with good emphasis on the "Well-Intentioned" part of that description. His genuine love and compassion for his cute little brother Larsa helps immensely.
*** In the case of Cid, it hits especially hard when the player [[FridgeBrilliance realizes]] that Cid only started neglecting his family ''because'' Venat contacted him. Balthier is especially saddened by his death, asking him if there was no other way.

* At least half of the main antagonists in ''VideoGame/{{Yakuza}}'' qualifies. ''VideoGame/Yakuza1'' has Akira Nishikiyama and Reina, who are Kiryu's best friend who turned villain, ''VideoGame/Yakuza2'' has Ryuji Goda, ''VideoGame/Yakuza3'' has Yoshitaka Mine, ''VideoGame/Yakuza0'' has Hiroki Awano and Homare Nishitani, ''VideoGame/Yakuza6'' has Takumi Someya, and finally, Ryo Aoki/[[spoiler:Masato Arakawa]] and Jo Sawashiro in ''VideoGame/YakuzaLikeADragon''.

* A non-death example happens with King Dedede in ''VideoGame/KirbySuperStarUltra'''s Revenge of the King; after being defeated by Kirby one last time as [[CoolMask Masked Dedede]], Dedede sulks through the desert at sunset, depressed to have failed to defeated his fated rival yet again despite how hard he worked. He is then followed by the Waddle Dees, signifying that even though this would be the last time Dedede would actively try to fight Kirby, he still has his loyal subjects to support him all the way.

*** [[spoiler:Johnny Kiebitz's death. In singleplayer, we see him what happened to him (and the Lost MC) after The Lost and Damned. He is a train wreck all these years due to drug use and when he angrily confronts Trevor, he gets murdered while the latter is enraged by the discovery of Michael's survival. In GTA Online Halloween 2023, Johnny reappears as a ghost at the same place where he died and repeats some of his final words and calls Trevor's name. Poor guy can't seem to pass on to the afterlife.]]

** ''Videogame/GrandTheftAutoV'' has [[spoiler:two examples, depending from the player's option:]]

** Alice, [[CheerfulChild the little girl]] [[ObliviouslyEvil who didn’t know any better]], and finally realizes [[DeadAllAlong her happy dream]][[HappyEndingOverride is finally over…]]

*** This actually happens so often in the first game, that one of the most notable assassination targets is an aversion of this trope. When Altair asks Majd Addin if, like the other Templars, he'll try to justify his crimes as being done for a greater good, Addin merely scoffs at him, saying that [[ForTheEvulz he murdered people for fun]], because [[AGodAmI it made him feel like a god]]. Altair, who has been steadily becoming sympathetic towards his targets as the game's gone on, decides to show Addin exactly what happens to people who put themselves above others [[KickTheSonOfABitch by shanking him in the neck]].

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'': Wiegraf Folles and his sister Milleuda, who both started off well-intentioned and were arguably more heroic than the ''heroes'' during Chapter One. Wiegraf eventually went too far, what with joining the CorruptChurch and selling his soul to the Lucavi, but still...Milleuda, in contrast, was sympathetic until the end - being ''forced'' to kill her to progress in the game is a ''notorious'' PlayerPunch.

'''Ulfric:''' [[TearJerker No...but I belong to her]].

* Lara does ''not'' feel good at all about the death of [[spoiler:Larson]] in ''VideoGame/TombRaiderAnniversary''. That they had a history together, that he [[TokenGoodTeammate really wasn't that bad of a guy]], and that Lara really didn't want to pull the trigger but had no choice certainly didn't help either: she's visibly distraught after watching him die and even briefly has a brief OutDamnedSpot moment over it. That moments earlier in the game he, unbeknownst to Lara, went out of his way to ''save her life'' by "accidentally" shoving The Kid and then missing his shot on purpose, doesn't make it any easier for the audience either.

* In ''VideoGame/FarCryPrimal'', [[HandsomeHeroicCaveman Takkar]] and his tribe, the Wenja, must contend with Ull, the [[BadassInCharge warchief]] of the [[AllCavemenWereNeanderthals Udam tribe]], who constantly launch attacks on the Wenja "softbloods" to murder and [[IAmAHumanitarian consume]] them. Later on in the game, however, [[spoiler:we learn that Ull has two children to take care and is desperately trying to save his tribe from "skull fire", a mysterious and lethal disease. The Udam are consuming Wenja because they think it will cure them of their disease. And once Takkar confronts Ull for the last time at his cave, once he gives him a lethal wound, Ull desperately staggers away from Takkar in an attempt to prevent Takkar from murdering his baby. Takkar, feeling SympathyForTheDevil, agrees to raise Ull's children for him to make sure they don't die of "skull fire" like their people, and respectfully says "Walk free" when Ull dies.]]

* Many examples in the ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'' franchise:
** Grom Hellscream in ''VideoGame/Warcraft3''. Despite slaughtering his way across two entire planets, despite embracing demonic corruption twice over, despite condemning his people, and despite frequently jeopdardising the future of the Horde...his HeroicSacrifice and death scene in Reign of Chaos makes up for it. Almost.
** The final moments of [[FallenHero Arthas Menethil]] in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' surprisingly fit this. Despite constantly hearing that nothing remains of Arthas himself, there's still enough for him to cling to his father's specter in search of some final comfort as he lies dying. Somewhat eclipsed by the ensuing HeroicSacrifice.
** Given Illidan's official [[TheWoobie Woobie]] status throughout much of ''Warcraft'' lore, his death (by betrayal, no less) at the end of the Black Temple raid dungeon is tragically empty. WhatASenselessWasteOfHumanLife indeed.
** [[spoiler:Garrosh Hellscream's death in a duel against his old mentor Thrall in ''Warlords Of Draenor'' has many players feeling sorry for Garrosh, [[AlasPoorScrappy despite his well-hated status in the fandom]]. It doesn't help that his accusations towards Thrall aren't exactly wrong, and Thrall's refusal to acknowledge his partial responsibility for Garrosh's fate ends up making Thrall look like the bad guy.]][[note]]It should be noted that Thrall decided to make amends for his part in enabling Garrosh's reign of terror by cheating in a duel so he would be forcefully demoted to the bottom of the Shaman class... which bites everyone in the ass when he can no longer lead during an even worse crisis, mirroring the way he abandoned the Horde in the first place.[[/note]]
-->[[spoiler:''"YOU made me Warchief! You LEFT ME to pick up YOUR! PIECES! YOU... FAILED... MEEEE!"'']]
** Kil'Jaeden in the ''Legion'' expansion. As he lays there dying, knowing that the heroes are going to escape his TakingYouWithMe attempt, he lays bare his DespairEventHorizon motivations for joining the Legion itself. Velen silently touches his forehead before teleporting out, signifying that he had forgiven Kil'jaeden's many millennia-long vendetta against both the Draenei faction and Velen himself.
-->'''Kil'Jaeden''': I was always envious of you. Your gift. Your faith. Your vision. I never believed that Sargeras could be stopped. Perhaps... you will prove me wrong.
* Kitaniji from ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou'' fits this well. He, upon realising he has failed to save Shibuya, leaves it in Neku's hands, accepting his fate for Shibuya's sake.

*** Even a mini-boss in the ''final stage'' gets one. Hestia, one of Duma's witches, holds resentment towards her sister Sonya who ran away and averted being transformed, but [[DyingAsYourself regains her will as she dies]] and says she should've lived her life as she saw fit, like Sonya did.

*** Eremiya. She's the one to blame for Clarisse being the way she is (and Katarina, and Roro, and Roro's clones...), then when it's time to finally beat the bitch, it's like [[DecapitatedArmy a moment to celebra]] - [[YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle what's]] ''[[YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle this]]''?! She once was a genuinely good person but Gharnef put her under MindRape when she fell into despair after witnessing the deaths of the orphans she originally cared for during the war, turning her ''into'' a Mega-Abusive-Bitch? And now, while she's dying, he completely restores her memories of who she once was, laughs, and lets her bleed to death in complete despair? ... Ouch. Just... ''ouch''! For a character who didn't even exist in the original game, that's some pretty powerful woobie material right there. There's a '''very good''' ''reason'' Gharnef earns more loathing than the game's actual BigBad, [[FantasticRacism Medeus]].
** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar'', several people Tear Jerked over Arvis, who was actually similar to Lyon, and wasn't entirely the evil bastard he would appear to be if you took him in context. (One FreudianExcuse later) He was actually shown to be trying to ''[[PetTheDog stop]]'' the Child Hunts that were going on. Even Seliph, [[YouKilledMyFather whose father was murdered]] by Arvis, later says that Arvis does not deserve to be demonized in history.

*** A vast majority of fans were [[TearJerker bawling]] at the death of Lyon, quite possibly the most likable main villain in the history of the game. Mostly because he [[EnemyWithin wasn't the villain...]]

*** Orson also qualifies. Despite betraying his homeland of Renais to the Grado forces, it's made clear that he only did it because the death of his wife broke him completely, leaving him open to manipulation by having her (half-assed) resurrection offered in exchange for his compliance. He becomes more physically-emaciated each time he appears, and in his last appearance (where you kill him), he's gone completely off the deep end talking to a shade of his wife - his last word is her name. Ephraim, Eirika and Seth all show sadness at how far he fell, not able to bring themselves to hate him despite all that he did.

** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' mostly does its best to avoid this with the majority of villains simply being [[CardCarryingVillain openly evil]] and anyone important having an UnexplainedRecovery. Nevertheless there are two examples.

*** Edelgard becomes a major antagonist on all routes unless you choose to teach the Black Eagles house to which she belongs and agree to join her in the Holy Tomb. However, her death on the Verdant Wind(Golden Deer) and Silver Snow(join Black Eagles but don't side with Edelgard) routes is a surprisingly somber affair. Edelgard, defeated, tells Byleth that the conflict will continue as long as she is alive and begs her former teacher to finish her off. As Byleth prepares to comply, Edelgard's last words are to express how she wished Byleth could have walked the same path as her. On the Azure Moon(Blue Lion) route, this is slightly downplayed, since after being defeated by Byleth and Dimitri in the final battle, Edelgard throws a dagger at Dimitri's shoulder rather than surrender, although her reasons for doing so are left open to interpretation. However, Dimitri takes no pleasure in killing her in self-defense despite his years-long obsession with killing her for revenge, and wistfully talks about her if he and Byleth achieve an S Support.
*** On the Crimson Flower route(join Black Eagles and side with Edelgard), Dimitri is only a villain from Edelgard's perspective, as while he has sided with [[BigBad Rhea]] despite her morally questionable actions, he is fighting to defend his homeland. In most circumstances, he spends his final moments ranting about wanting to kill Edelgard in revenge, unaware that she is not responsible for the tragedy that claimed the lives of the people most dear to him, before she sadly finishes him off. If Dimitri's retainer Dedue is defeated before he can transform into a Demonic Beast, he will crawl over to Dimitri with the last of his strength, reassure Dimitri that his life was not in vain, and die together with him.

* ''VideoGame/{{Galerians}}'' wants you to feel bad for all the titular Galerians. AxeCrazy psychic superhumans though they may be, they are just pawns in a [[AIIsACrapshoot deranged A.I.'s]] [[GodhoodSeeker bid at godhood]] in the end. This leads to some serious SelectiveCondemnation, in that the protagonist [[ContemplateOurNavels navel-gazes]] after killing Galerians, but offs security guards and research personnel without a second thought.

** SelfDemonstrating/GLaDOS and Wheatley. Neither of them die, but during the core transfer, [=GLaDOS=] screams in pain and it's terrifying. Wheatley shoots right into antagonist territory, destroying her power. And then you transfer them ''again'', and throw him into space, and he gets an absolutely heartbreaking apology monologue. It makes you wonder who to feel sorry for at that point.