History AlternativeCharacterInterpretation / Videogames

** As with any good RPG protagonist, the [[PlayerCharacter Sole Survivor]] falls into this. Aside from the "new" personalities that the player(s) is able to imprint upon them, there's their [[SuddenlyVoiced vocal responses]] to people. Is their somewhat understated voice acting, occasionally awkward facial animations, stilted and shortened sentences, and [[DeadpanSnarker near-constant bitter sarcasm]] just limitations of the game's technology and part of the game's writing, or representative of how (after the [[TraumaCongaLine nightmarish opening sequence]]) they're continually suffering through a HeroicBSOD combined with PTSD/SurvivorGuilt and are [[KnightInSourArmor trying to use sarcasm as a coping mechanism]]? Further complicating matters is the fact that the [[AllThereInTheManual canon backgrounds]] for the male and female Sole Survivors (respectively) are a retired combat veteran-turned-househusband that fought in the Battle of Anchorage (one of the most horrific conflicts during the Resource Wars) and a retired military lawyer-turned-housewife that recently gave birth. Both of those origins mean that it's more than possible for the male Sole Survivor to be suffering from shell-shock, and the female Sole Survivor is suffering from a form of post-partum depression.

* Eothas of ''VideoGame/PillarsOfEternity'' qualifies even in-game, thanks to lack of information on his motives during The Saint's War. Outwardly, he seemed to go kind of insane, invoking AGodAmI and LightIsNotGood in a campaign of brutal conquest. However, there are some characters - including those who know far more about the situation than most - who suspect he was actually the OnlySaneMan among the pantheon, who took [[WellIntentionedExtremist drastic measures]] to [[spoiler: save the world]] because no one else could or would. Unfortunately, [[PoorCommunicationKills he never really explained himself,]] leaving the entire thing an AmbiguousSituation.

* ''AlternativeCharacterInterpretation/Undertale''

** Rise: A girl that isn't ashamed to show how much she loves the MC and knows she doesn't need to be an idol to have friends or a hypocrit, that keeps flirting with him and becomes a singer again as soon as she can?

** Rise: A girl that isn't ashamed to show how much she loves the MC and knows she doesn't need to be an idol to have friends or a hypocritical bitch, that keeps flirting with him and becomes a singer again as soon as she can?

** Adashi's EstablishingCharacterMoment was him vomiting after seeing Mayumi's corpse. [[spoiler: Was it all an act since Adashi was the one to kill her? Or was it out of genuine shock and horror of seeing her body after he thought he committed the perfect crime and got away with it?]]

* On the surface, Debora of ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV'' is a shallow, conceited, self-absorbed RichBitch, a sharp contrast with her pampered sweet little sister Flora. Nearly everything she says makes it clear that in her view, [[ItsAllAboutMe It's All About Her]]. However, she can also be read as an extremely '''TSUN-TSUN''' {{Tsundere}}, a DefrostingIceQueen who fights to keep any vulnerabilities safely hidden behind a veneer of all-consuming {{Pride}}. Despite being [[SpoiledBrat spoiled rotten]], it's made clear that she's TheUnfavorite compared to her [[PuritySue dear, gentle, sweet sister, who's loved by everyone]] while Debora herself is regarded with dismay. And if at least part of her attitude is a front, then the next question is: how much of it is an act, and how much is simple self-confidence?

** There's also [[RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething Elder Arthur Maxson]], the new leader of the [[BadassArmy East Coast]] [[TheOrder Brotherhood of Steel]]. Is he a [[FantasticRacism racist]] demagogue [[AGodAmI pretending to be a god]] that relies on [[FakeUltimateHero faked victories]] [[MilesGloriosus to keep his power]] and is only concerned with turning the Brotherhood into a fascist dystopia that he can use to [[OmnicidalManiac wipe out all non-human life]]? Is he a [[WellIntentionedExtremist well-intentioned]] [[WarriorPrince warrior king]] whose racism is, [[KickTheDog while cruel]], [[FreudianExcuse somewhat sensible]] considering his childhood in the [[DeathWorld Capital Wasteland]]? Is he a [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold kind man with a gruff exterior]] [[HeroicBSOD who's seen too many of his fellow soldiers]] [[WarIsHell die horrifically in battle with mutated life]], and his current crusade in the Commonwealth is [[TheAtoner him desperately trying to make up]] [[MyGreatestFailure for his past mistakes]]? Or is [[AChildShallLeadThem he still a child at heart]], who, after the ''hellish'' [[TraumaCongaLine upbringing]] he suffered through after the deaths of the [[ParentalSubstitute Lyons]] [[PrecociousCrush family]] and near-collapse of his entire homeland, is [[TheDeterminator trying to do his damndest]] to keep his loved ones alive and (supposedly) save the world from what he sees as monsters ([[JerkassHasAPoint which commonly are]]) while [[NobleBigot fighting against his internalized racism]] ''and'' being in '''way''' [[HonorBeforeReason over his head]] [[BornUnlucky to a near-laughable extent]]?

* On the surface, Debora of ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV'' is a shallow, conceited, self-absorbed RichBitch, a sharp contrast with her SpoiledSweet little sister Flora. Nearly everything she says makes it clear that in her view, [[ItsAllAboutMe It's All About Her]]. However, she can also be read as an extremely '''TSUN-TSUN''' {{Tsundere}}, a DefrostingIceQueen who fights to keep any vulnerabilities safely hidden behind a veneer of all-consuming {{Pride}}. Despite being [[SpoiledBrat spoiled rotten]], it's made clear that she's TheUnfavorite compared to her [[PuritySue dear, gentle, sweet sister, who's loved by everyone]] while Debora herself is regarded with dismay. And if at least part of her attitude is a front, then the next question is: how much of it is an act, and how much is simple self-confidence?

* Tai from ''VieoGame/GearsOfWar'' may have been a little bit psychotic ''before'' he was mentally broken and DrivenToSuicide by Locust torture.

** As with any good RPG protagonist, the [[PlayerCharacter Sole Survivor]] falls into this. Aside from the "new" personalities that the player(s) is able to imprint upon them, there's their [[SuddenlyVoiced vocal responses]] to people. Is their somewhat understated voice acting, occasionally awkward facial animations, stilted and shortened sentences, and [[DeadpanSnarker near-constant bitter sarcasm]] just limitations of the game's technology and part of the game's writing, or representative of how (after the [[TraumaCongaLine nightmarish opening sequence]]) they're continually suffering through a HeroicBSOD combined with PTSD/SurvivorsGuilt and are [[KnightInSourArmor trying to use sarcasm as a coping mechanism]]? Further complicating matters is the fact that the [[AllThereInTheManual canon backgrounds]] for the male and female Sole Survivors (respectively) are a retired combat veteran-turned-househusband that fought in the Battle of Anchorage (one of the most horrific conflicts during the Resource Wars) and a retired military lawyer-turned-housewife that recently gave birth. Both of those origins mean that it's more than possible for the male Sole Survivor to be suffering from shell-shock, and the female Sole Survivor is suffering from a form of post-partum depression.

** Augustus Cole is TheBigGuy of the game's FiveManBand. A former Thrashball player (essentially an {{Expy}} of the NFL), he always shown to be upbeat and fearless, usually spouting some sports-related terminology ("We're going into overtime," and "Get back in the game, Baby!" are both things he says upon reviving a downed teammate). He is only playable as the viewpoint character once in the entire series, for half a chapter in ''Gears of War 3.'' In that chapter, he starts hallucinating (or possibly just vividly reminiscing, since it occurs on the field of his team's home stadium, where he later the best games of his career), seeing his enemies as players on a rival Thrashball team as he recklessly charges across the battlefield. After this, one has to wonder if maybe Cole has been so upbeat and fearless because ''he was playing Thrashball in his head for the entire war''.

* It's surprisingly easy to interpret the [[VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto GTA protagonists]] as [[VigilanteMan Vigilantes]]. When you think about it, most of their victims are criminals, serial killers, gang-bangers, mobsters, drug traffickers, corrupt officials, or terrorists. For all their evil actions, they do far more damage to the criminal underworld than the police ever did.

* ''VideoGame/GuildWars'' canon gives a bit of a mixed message about the undead lord Palawa Joko. The background lore and the Battle of Jahai bonus mission seem to portray him as a genuine ''EvilOverlord'', and teaser lore for Guild Wars 2 reveal that [[spoiler:he will succeed at conquering Elona]], but in all his other appearances he seems [[HarmlessVillain somewhat inept]] and comical at times. Some of the fans have tried to reconcile these, taking into account that Joko's something of a DracoInLeatherPants and the fact that his non-Battle of Jahai appearances were [[spoiler:during an EnemyMine with the player character]] by saying that Joko was ''ObfuscatingStupidity'' to make sure he seemed like the lesser threat and gain your sympathy, and generally keep the status quo intact (The game does not give you a choice).

* Vergil from ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' is ostensibly a power-hungry villain, but some fans believe this hunger developed from being too weak to save his (and Dante's) mother from demons when they were younger. His bio in ''[[VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3 Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3]]'' seems to support [[FailureKnight this]] [[NeverBeHurtAgain view]].

** Dante's final line (complete with a CheshireCatGrin) in ''[=DMC3=]'' right before he and Lady team up to kick demon ass ("Well bring it on! I love this! This is what I live for! I'm absolutely ''crazy'' about it!") makes him look like a bit of a BloodKnight when it comes to demon hunting. However, when you consider all of the crap he had to deal with in no more than the span of a day or two (never mind Dante [[spoiler:mourning Vergil's "death"]] not too long before that moment), it wouldn't be out of the question to interpret this as a physically and emotionally exhausted guy ''[[StepfordSmiler forcing]]'' himself to enjoy this fight. It's not even completely incongruent with Dante's LetsGetDangerous moments across the board or his spiel to Trish in [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry2 the first game]] that he's in the business with the hopes of eventually [[YouKilledMyFather hitting the jackpot and avenging his family]].

* [[VideoGame/{{Doom}} Doomguy]]: OneManArmy fighting to save the universe, or BloodKnight extraordinaire?

* ''VideoGame/DustAnElysianTail''- being filled with [[MoralDissonance unintentional]] grey morality- has wildly interpretative characters.

* The [[BigBad Institute]] in ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 4}}''. Are they true {{Science Hero}}es, doing [[IDidWhatIHadToDo whatever is necessary]] for the future of mankind? Deeply flawed but redeemable {{Well Intentioned Extremist}}s with admirable goals who just need guidance from an InternalReformist leader to help the synths and repair relations with the Commonwealth? Intelligent and well-intentioned scientists held back by a corrupt government, [[BelievingTheirOwnLies cultural indoctrination]], [[WeakButSkilled lack of resources]], and a particularly nasty case of {{Bystander Syndrome}}? Cowardly {{Insufferable Genius}}es and slavers ranging from myopic to sociopathic, hiding behind their vastly superior tech to avoid a well-deserved retribution from the surface? Or [[KnowNothingKnowItAll arrogant posers]] whose technology and scientists are merely stolen and imitated, kept shiny with a hearty helping of slave labor?

** Is [[SealedEvilInACan Lorenzo Cabot]] ''really'' as evil as his son [[BadassBookworm Jack]] says he is? First and foremost, there's the fact that [[spoiler: ''[[PoweredByAForsakenChild Lorenzo's]]'' {{Alien Blood}} is the source of the immortality serum that Jack and the rest of his family utilize, which keeps them [[TheAgeless eternally young]] and superior to baseline humanity]]. That can't help but color their relationship, as Jack will likely [[spoiler: want to keep his father alive in some form so he and his family can reap the [[LivingForeverIsAwesome benefits of immortality]]]]. Additionally, many of the Sole Survivor's Good-aligned companions [[CryForTheDevil pity Lorenzo's plight]], and actually ''approve'' of the Survivor freeing him. Lorenzo, after being released, then proceeds to [[spoiler:[[PaterFamilicide ruthlessly kill his entire family]]... which is ''kinda'' justified considering he's been [[AndIMustScream locked up in a small room for over four centuries]]]]. If freed, Lorenzo will also stay [[AffablyEvil unfailingly polite]] to the Sole Survivor, and will even offer him [[spoiler:vials of his blood]] whenever the player asks (and [[spoiler:Lorenzo's blood is one of '''the''' most useful items in the entire game]]) afterward. Most notably, [[HollywoodPsych Lorenzo isn't nearly as crazy as Jack tries to make him come across]], as he's never portrayed as being psychotic and is perfectly lucid - just [[TheUnfettered utterly ruthless]].
*** However, in support of Jack, there's the fact that not only is Jack Cabot (and his family in general) one of the [[NiceGuy nicest persons]] the Sole Survivor will come across in post-apocalyptic Boston, but that [[spoiler:[[TheDeterminator he's been struggling for every moment]] of those four centuries trying to develop a cure for his father's [[AxCrazy Ax-Craziness]]]]. Additionally, if a cure for Lorenzo's insanity ''was'' developed, it's made clear that it would've been able to [[spoiler: still preserve Lorenzo's immortality (and, by extension, the rest of the Cabot family's)]]. Jack also seems to be [[spoiler:[[MyGodWhatHaveIDone genuinely horrified to be forced to]] [[SelfMadeOrphan kill his own father]]]], and he and the rest of his family are clearly [[spoiler: wracked with grief for a long time afterwards, suggesting that they don't ''only'' see him as a free supply of immortality serum]]. The source of Lorenzo's insanity - [[spoiler:the alien artifact fused to his head]] - is also shown to make Lorenzo an [[OneManArmy exceptionally dangerous person]] - he has [[spoiler:[[MindOverMatter powerful telekinesis]], [[SuperToughness more health than a Deathclaw and skin tougher than a full suit of Combat Armor]], and [[CharmPerson can charm "weak-minded" people to his will]], with an entire tribe of [[AlwaysChaoticEvil Raiders]] worshiping him as a {{Dark Messiah}}]]. In addition, Lorenzo's still [[LackOfEmpathy a rather cruel man]] (one of the first things the Sole Survivor will find Lorenzo doing after being released is [[KickTheDog brutally killing a group of innocent Ghoul settlers]] [[MadScientist because he was interested in how Ghoul physiology differed from baseline humanity's]]). The above being considered, and it's hard not to see [[TooPowerfulToLive Lorenzo as too dangerous to keep living]] (especially since his ending in the related quest [[KarmaHoudini will let him keep]] [[spoiler:his alien artifact]], meaning that he ''stays'' [[AxCrazy Ax-Crazy]]). Finally, while many of the Sole Survivor's Good-aligned companions approve of ''freeing'' Lorenzo, just as many approve of ''killing'' him.
** As with any good RPG protagonist, the [[PlayerCharacter Sole Survivor]] falls into this. Aside from the "new" personalities that the player(s) is able to imprint upon them, there's their [[SuddenlyVoiced vocal responses]] to people - Is their somewhat understated voice acting, occasionally awkward facial animations, stilted and shortened sentences, and [[DeadpanSnarker near-constant bitter sarcasm]] just limitations of the game's technology and part of the game's writing, or representative of how (after the [[TraumaCongaLine nightmarish opening sequence]]) they're continually suffering through a {{Heroic BSOD}} combined with [=PTSD=]/survivor's guilt and are [[KnightInSourArmor trying to use sarcasm as a coping mechanism]]? Further complicating matters is the fact that the [[AllThereInTheManual canon backgrounds]] for the male and female Sole Survivors (respectively) are a retired combat veteran-turned-househusband that fought in the Battle of Anchorage (one of the most horrific conflicts during the Resource Wars) and a retired military lawyer-turned-housewife that recently gave birth. Both of those origns mean that it's more than possible for the male Sole Survivor to be suffering from shell-shock, and the female Sole Survivor is suffering from a form of post-partum depression.

* ''AlternativeCharacterInterpretation/DanganRonpa''

* ''AlternativeCharacterInterpretation/FireEmblemThreeHouses''

** Mention must be made of the ''other'' ambiguously sympathetic Xehanort incarnation: [[spoiler:Young Xehanort]], who plays the role of TheHeavy throughout ''Dream Drop Distance''. Is he every bit as wicked as the rest of the gang or was he coerced into [[spoiler:jumping through time to help his future selves and [[TheFatalist is now resigned to that duty]] [[BecauseDestinySaysSo because the rule of time travel states you cannot change events already meant to transpire]]]]? The fact that [[spoiler:Xehanort is responsible for his own StartOfDarkness]] is bad enough, but things get really eye-crossing when [[spoiler:Young Xehanort even admits he doesn't fully know what will come next; all he can be assured of is that the memories in his heart of his time travel experience [[StableTimeLoop will spur him on to enact the events in the future he'll lose knowledge of upon returning to his era]]]]. It wouldn't be far-fetched to write him off as a victim of circumstance as opposed to an actual villain. Furthermore, he's [[PunchClockVillain rather impersonal in his efforts against the heroes]] (abnormal when you consider that the various other Xehanorts are not above [[KickTheDog kicking puppies with glee and reckless abandon]]), he's the only one of the bunch who [[spoiler:is ''not'' corrupted by darkness]], and [[spoiler:the fight with him at the end of the game, as per WordOfGod, was due to a VillainOverride by the elder Master Xehanort]]. Going past this, this is [[spoiler:Master Xehanort (who is painted in his backstory as more kindly and noble character who merely yearned to explore other worlds--[[ShadowArchetype much like Riku]]--and [[WellIntentionedExtremist had understandable albeit morally gray motives]]) ''before'' [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope he careened into villainy at breakneck speeds]]]]. [[AmbiguouslyEvil The question of how emotionally vested he is in his group's master plan and how evil he is truly up in the air.]] Case in point: [[Creator/BenDiskin his voice actor]] [[http://www.khinsider.com/news/Exclusive-KHInsider-Interviews-Ben-Diskin-3022 was deliberately told when recording to not make the character sound outright villainous]] and was even [[ActingInTheDark given his lines out of context]] so that his performance would be just as detached as [[ColdHam the actual character]].

** Dante in ''[[VideoGame/DevilMayCry2 2]]''. With the game's placement at the farthest end of the timeline so that Capcom can continue to conveniently forget the black sheep of the series (at least until ''[[VideoGame/DevilMayCry5 5]]'' came along many years later), ''something'' had to have happened to our favorite devil hunter between games to explain the glaring dichotomy [[TheStoic his personality]] presents when juxtaposed against ''every other'' depiction of the character. Perhaps Dante finally mellowed out over the years, but some fans even go as far as to [[SurvivorGuilt offer up]] [[KillEmAll theories of a]] [[SoleSurvivor more cataclysmic nature]]. And the with the retcon to [[AnachronicOrder the timeline]] as of ''[[VideoGame/DevilMayCry5 DMC5]]'' that now places ''2'' before the events of ''4'', a common explanation is that Dante is having a depressive episode as a reaction to the events of the original game (namely [[spoiler:Vergil's death]]), a funk that he doesn't [[HesBack fully recover from]] until [[spoiler:meeting Nero--his nephew--in ''4'']]. (This line of thought is also a popular justification for Dante's less colorful personality in ''[[Anime/DevilMayCryTheAnimatedSeries The Animated Series]]''.)

** It's possible, however unlikely, that Dante as depicted in ''[=DMC3=]'' and ''[=DMC4=]'' is actually something of a GeniusDitz, spitting out cliche one-liners and corny catchphrases while at the same time dishing out obscene amounts of punishment to the damned in the most stylish fashion imaginable.

** Dante's final line (complete with a CheshireCatGrin) in ''[=DMC3=]'' right before he and Lady team up to kick demon ass ("Well bring it on! I love this! This is what I live for! I'm absolutely ''crazy'' about it!") makes him look like a bit of a BloodKnight when it comes to demon hunting. However, when you consider all of the crap he had to deal with in no more than the span of a day or two (never mind Dante [[spoiler:mourning Vergil's "death"]] not too long before that moment), it wouldn't be out of the question to interpret this as a physically and emotionally exhausted guy ''forcing'' himself to enjoy this fight. It's not even completely incongruent with Dante's LetsGetDangerous moments across the board or his spiel to Trish in the first game that he's in the business with the hopes of eventually [[YouKilledMyFather hitting the jackpot and avenging his family]].
** Dante in ''2''. With the game's placement at the farthest end of the timeline so that Capcom can continue to conveniently forget the black sheep of the series (at least until ''[[VideoGame/DevilMayCry5 5]]'' came along many years later), ''something'' had to have happened to our favorite devil hunter between games to explain the glaring dichotomy [[TheStoic his personality]] presents when juxtaposed against ''every other'' depiction of the character. Perhaps Dante finally mellowed out over the years, but some fans even go as far as to [[SurvivorGuilt offer up]] [[KillEmAll theories of a]] [[SoleSurvivor more cataclysmic nature]].