History AntiHero / VideoGames

* ''Super Snail'' from [=QCPlay=] Limited has its titular protagonist being the latest of the ChosenMany by Gaia, to save the world from the Demon Gods. That said, he's no paragon as he murders some surviving members of the ChosenMany who either got lost in transit or went AWOL and even gets a chance to blackmail a kindly old god. What keeps this from jumping into DarknessInducedApathy territory is that [[BlackComedy it's all played for laughs]].

* [[Characters/DarksidersHorsemen The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse]] in ''VideoGame/Darksiders''. While they are the one who actively cleanse the ruined Earth of both Angels and Demons and the closest there is to the franchise's heroes, they are all depicted as extremely ruthless and brutal, highly amoral {{Blood Knight}}s who will stop at nothing to achieve their goal of protecting Balance. Even if it means committing genocide against their own race in the distant past.

* [[Characters/DarksidersHorseman The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse]] in ''VideoGame/Darksiders''. While they are the one who actively cleanse the ruined Earth of both Angels and Demons and the closest there is to the franchise's heroes, they are all depicted as extremely ruthless and brutal, highly amoral {{Blood Knight}}s who will stop at nothing to achieve their goal of protecting Balance. Even if it means committing genocide against their own race in the distant past.

* Iori Yagami, introduced in ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters95'' as an enemy (and later TheRival) of series protagonist Kyo Kusanagi. K' (from ''KOF '99''), one of Kyo's many {{clon|ingBlues}}es, is also like this, though he brings more [[TheStoic stoicism]] to the table in contrast to Iori's [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity occasional bouts of madness]].

** Cecil as a dark knight in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'' is this during the intro, where he kills innocent magicians for a crystal, believing it's the right thing to do for his king. After Mist Cave, [[spoiler:as the bomb ring destroys Rydia's hometown,]] however, he becomes a ChaoticGood at best.

* Meta Knight from the ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'' series, an Anti-Hero [[HeroAntagonist Antagonist]]. He often opposes Kirby because of the latter's ChaoticGood nature (and the trouble it tends to cause). However, he's not nice about it -- he once tries to take over Dream Land because he feels it would be a much better place if he were in charge instead of King Dedede.

* Wario, although debuting as a villain, became an anti-hero in the ''VideoGame/WarioLand'' and ''VideoGame/WarioWare'' series, even once agreeing to help free a hidden figure from a music box in exchange for getting to keep all the treasure he finds on the way. He also helped Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi rescue Princess Peach from Bowser in ''Super Mario 64 DS''. Although his current incarnation is neither a hero nor a villain, just really, really greedy.

* VideoGame/SlyCooper goes without saying. His M.O. is thievery after all.

* The Star Wolf team in ''VideoGame/StarFox'' started as a generic "[[EvilCounterpart evil Star Fox]]" group, but in sequels, the team becomes more anti-heroic. The removal of the two "scum" characters Pigma (a traitor) and Andrew (nephew of the main villain in Star Fox 64) and the addition of a ladies' man named Panther (who falls in love with a character on the heroes team) gave them an opportunity to work with Star Fox.

* Agent 47 from the ''VideoGame/{{Hitman}}'' series, could be seen as an anti-hero, seeing that he is a hitman who will get the job done. But only in that strictly way, as you can play either as 1 target assassin or a full nominal psycho with a gun. In a more storywise fashion, he is pretty moral, for example: The plot of the second game kicks off with him trying to rescue his priest friend from the Russian Mafiya.

* In the ''VideoGame/JakAndDaxter'' series, Jak started out as a fairly standard hero, then became an UnscrupulousHero after two years of torture and Dark Eco experimentation at the beginning of ''VideoGame/JakIIRenegade''. He then gradually became a PragmaticHero through the events of that game as his rage against the Baron subsided. By the end of ''VideoGame/Jak3Wastelander'', he has developed further into a KnightInSourArmor, as he's considerably warmed up to most of his allies.

* Mira, from ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic 2'', has some...interesting...views on how to deal with men, has a well-deserved reputation as one of the best bounty hunters in the galaxy, and has a temperamental streak a mile wide. She also has a deep-rooted respect for life and a strong personal code of honor; sometimes she comes across as an Anti-Hero and sometimes as a more traditional hero. If you choose dark-side options up until the critical choices in the first game and then take the light-side final options, you get a character who looks like this.

* ''VideoGame/MaxPayne'' eventually comes out as a hero (at least in the first game...), but he freely acknowledges that he's not trying to be a good guy about a quarter of the way through the first game. He's way beyond trying to do something good, and is only doing what's left.

** He also acknowledges, indirectly, his own choices and course in his life with a simple line in Max Payne 2:

* The Bard of ''VideoGame/TheBardsTale'' is mostly a ChaoticNeutral {{Jerkass}} whose primary goal is "Coin and Cleavage" rather than any heroic deed. He's only spurred on by the main quest to save the princess for the opportunity to shag her at the end. This trope is {{deconstructed}} in that [[spoiler:acting like a hero and SavingTheWorld doesn't benefit him at all. The Evil Ending is the Happy Ending, where he gets to screw the demon princess. And in the Neutral Ending, he's no kind of hero ''or'' villain, and gets to party it up with some dancing undead.]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}}'' blurs the line between this and AntiVillain so much it's scary when you think about it. The guy that officially beats the BigBad in the first game just did it to take his power into himself. The villain of ''Vampire Savior'' [[WellIntentionedExtremist is trying to kill everyone because it's the only way demons have a shot at beginning anew.]] Morrigan is a {{Horny Devil|s}} if ever there was one, but never displays any genuinely evil feelings. Alien Pyron was responsible for killing the dinosaurs and laying waste to thousands of planets, and yet in his Vampire Savior ending, decides humanity's worthwhile enough to keep around. The person who will one day become the leader of humanity is so [[BreakTheCutie mentally scarred]] it'll be a wonder if she doesn't kill us herself. The Yeti guy reeks of being a BoisterousBruiser, until he reveals his people are going to make war on humanity. There are legitimate heroes, they're just not important.

* Lara Croft in the Core-designed ''Franchise/TombRaider'' games is a hero overall, but she isn't exactly a noble person; In the [[VideoGame/TombRaider first game]] (and [[VideoGame/TombRaiderAnniversary the remake]]), Lara is willing to kill people who got in her way when she tried to claim the Scion pieces and slaughters animals ([[EverythingTryingToKillYou though they do attack her]]). In the [[VideoGame/TombRaiderII second game]], Lara kills even more animals, though every human she kills are a part of a dangerous Italian mafia. [[VideoGame/TombRaiderIII Game three]] has Lara appear incredibly selfish and greedy; she attacks a tribe and their leader for their artifact, breaks into a U.S. government facility to steal their artifact, attacks security guards in a museum when she broke in to steal an item for someone, and when she tries to escape from Antarctica, she runs into a helicopter pilot and gladly shoots him dead to steal his helicopter so she could escape. Granted, Lara does prevent the artifacts she hunts down from being misused by people who want to use the artifacts for a more evil purpose, but her methods are very immoral at best.\\

* The Bard of ''VideoGame/TheBardsTale'' is mostly a ChaoticNeutral {{Jerkass}} whose primary goal is "Coin and Cleavage" rather than any heroic deed. He's only spurred on by the main quest to save the princess for the opportunity to shag her at the end. This trope is {{deconstructed}} in that [[spoiler: acting like a hero and SavingTheWorld doesn't benefit him at all. The Evil Ending is the Happy Ending, where he gets to screw the demon princess. And in the Neutral Ending, he's no kind of hero ''or'' villain, and gets to party it up with some dancing undead.]]

* The hero from ''[[VideoGame/DefJamSeries Def Jam: Fight for NY]]'' fits this trope like a bloodied, torn glove, one with the fingers cut out so it can wear expensive diamond rings. No matter how you make him look or sound, he comes across as being as arrogant as the real-life rappers he fights. He even [[spoiler: cheats on his girlfriend with Carmen Electra, if you so choose.]] He kills three of his opponents outright: [[spoiler: Trejo, by throwing him onto the tracks of a subway; Sticky Fingaz, by throwing him into the ring of fire that Sticky surrounded them with; and Crow, by throwing him out a window.]]

** [[Characters/DisgaeaHourOfDarkness Laharl]] is a demonic EvilOverlord, and KillerRabbit, particularly in ''VideoGame/DisgaeaHourOfDarkness''. Quote: "I shall burn a true vision of horror into that empty head of yours!" [[spoiler: Even though ThePowerOfFriendship gets to him in the end, he remains a stubborn anti-hero, refusing to acknowledge this.]]
** Mao, from ''VideoGame/Disgaea3AbsenceOfJustice'' is the Evil Academy's top honor student, a position acquired by disregarding all of the rules and being as much of a {{delinquent|s}} as possible. He develops into an anti-hero after [[spoiler: the "Hero" title he stole starts affecting his mind and his repressed guilt over the betrayal of his father surfaces.]] Much like with Laharl, [[spoiler: he refuses to acknowledge ThePowerOfFriendship in the end.]]

** Some of the recruitable characters qualify ([[TokenEvilTeammate Morrigan]], [[HitmanWithAHeart Zevran]], [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Sten]], [[HeroicComedicSociopath Shale]], to some extent [[BoisterousBruiser Oghren]], and arguably even [[spoiler: Leliana by virtue of being an Atoner]]). The sequel ups the ante; only [[KnightInShiningArmor Aveline]] fits a truly heroic mold, and she has strong CowboyCop tendencies.

*** Debatable. When Rosa is kidnapped, once, it's by Golbez, who does so as much to put Kain in his place as to humiliate Cecil. While Kain does insist on fighting Cecil while brainwashed, his lines emphasize a desire for recognition and superiority, not violence for its own sake. Additionally, since there's no real hint as to any of these feelings when he's not being brainwashed and based on [[spoiler: Golbez's brainwashing as seen in the DS version, though it was written in the original script,]] it can be inferred that he was susceptible to brainwashing especially because he had no intention on acting on those feelings and had been trying to repress them.

** Delita from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'' unites the world [[spoiler: under his own iron fist by deceiving and killing greedy to evil nobles while outmaneuvering the CorruptChurch attempting to control him]]. He's quite debatable whatever he's this or AntiVillain, but at least Ramza never has to fight him.

* Jacket from ''VideoGame/HotlineMiami'' is definitely one of these. Yes, most of his victims are criminal lowlifes, but the ways he murders them are so needlessly violent and brutal that it really makes you question if he really is the "hero". The only things that prevent him from becoming a full-on VillainProtagonist are [[MoralityPet his girlfriend and Beard]], who manage to keep him grounded in reality, [[spoiler: and once they are murdered by Richter, Jacket promptly flies into a RoaringRampageOfRevenge]].

* If the player chooses so, Cole [=MacGrath=] from ''VideoGame/{{inFAMOUS}}'' can become an anti-hero, and in the second game's evil ending [[spoiler: can wipe out all non-superhumans.]]

* Iori Yagami, introduced in ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters '95'' as an enemy (and later TheRival) of series protagonist Kyo Kusanagi. K' (from ''KOF '99''), one of Kyo's many {{clon|ingBlues}}es, is also like this, though he brings more [[TheStoic stoicism]] to the table in contrast to Iori's [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity occasional bouts of madness]].

* ''VideoGame/MasterOfTheMonsterLair'': Owen and Kate are either [[Analysis/AntiHero Type 2 or Type 3]]. They're doing what they do for the sake of world peace, but they sometimes use some unscrupulous tactics to get what they want, including [[spoiler: forging a letter from the Devil Prince threatening to murder the town mayor, in order to get his permission to build a 10th floor]]. They also have no problem killing enemies, even ones who offered to spare their lives. (See WhatMeasureIsANonHuman, in its page.)

* ''VideoGame/{{Persona 5}}'': in comparison to the world-saving heroes of ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'' and the Franchise/ScoobyDoo-esque amateur detectives of ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'', the protagonists of this game are a band of [[PhantomThief Phantom Thieves]] operating outside of the law in order to right the wrongs committed by some of the most corrupt adults around.

-->'''Veradux:''' Alright, [[spoiler: the Baron]]'s gone. Let's kill this whoopy superhero and leave!\\

* The ending of ''[[VideoGame/SoulSeries SoulCalibur IV]]'' [[spoiler: for Siegfried involves him and [=SoulCalibur=] covering him, Soul Edge, Nightmare and the world in crystals, creating a "utopia without wars or suffering". The question is, is this what Siegfried, or [=SoulCalibur=] (or both!) wants?]] Considering the BlackAndGrayMorality of this chaotic setting, it would be easier to list the characters who aren't Anti-Heroic in some way or another. Most of the cast consists of [[YouKilledMyFather revenge seekers,]] [[TheAtoner atoners]], [[IJustWantToBeBadass glory]] [[BloodKnight seekers,]] and [[KnightTemplar renegade]] [[WellIntentionedExtremist extremists who would stop at nothing to see peace returned, no matter what the cost]]. It almost seems as a necessity, considering the terrifying, heartless [[EldritchAbomination foes]] [[AxCrazy which they face]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Wasteland}}'' allows the player to be this, sometimes veering into VillainProtagonist levels -- but considering the Desert Rangers represent the only real force of law in the Wasteland, you're ''still'' better than the alternative. ''VideoGame/{{Wasteland 2}}'' continues the trend by allowing you to be an utter bastard to the people you're supposed to protect -- only this time, too many villainous acts will get you expelled from the Desert Rangers, [[spoiler: triggering a shorter, alternate storyline where you overthrow them and take over for yourself.]]

* In ''VideoGame/{{XIII}}'', the title character seems to be this way at first; [[spoiler: Him being betrayed by the other numbered conspirators and left for dead with no memory. The 13th conspirator was named Steve Rowland and was a military general involved with the plot to takeover the United States. However, you later find out that the real Steve Rowland did die from betrayal, and the character you play is really a capable soldier named Jason Fly. Jason agrees to have plastic surgery to look like Steve Rowland in order to shake up the numbered conspirators and force their hand -- making him the HeroProtagonist all along.]]

** [=McCree=] is of the [[TheAtoner atoning]] version. He is a former outlaw, and now fights the good fight.

*** Even Mario himself comes off as overly self appreciative and cocksure to the Japanese audience, though this qualification as an anti-hero is more of a cultural nuance.

* Zero from the ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' series toes the line on this, as he isn't afraid to kill whatever stands between him and his goal; even his girlfriend, Iris, although the event scarred him mentally. On the other hand, he's always fought on the "good guy" side and wants to see Ciel (and by extension, X's and Dr. Light's) ideals of peace and coexistence between humans and Reploids come to fruition [[spoiler:even to the point he willing commits a HeroicSacrifice to stop [[BigBad Dr. Weil]] from destroying that peace]]. As he said in ''Zero 4'' [[spoiler:before said sacrifice]]: