History Main / GoodRepublicEvilEmpire

* The Erebonian Empire and the Republic of Calvard from the ''VideoGame/TrailsSeries'' plays with this in a surprising realistic way. From an outsider's perspective, the expansionistic and militaristic Erebonian Empire seems quite evil, but in fact it has quite a complex history and political intrigue of mulitple factions, including noble families and political reformists, making it severely grayer than most other Empires in fiction and especially in a JRPG. The democratic Republic of Calvard, while yet to be directly explored, already showed signs of not being that much better than Erebonia. [[spoiler:''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsIntoReverie'' actually begins to invert the trope, as Erebonia has given up one of its occupied territories and is undergoing significant reforms to shake off its negative reputation, while at the same time Chancellor Osborne's actions have caused Calvard to elect a PresidentEvil to office.]]

** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'' has the Adrestrian Empire, although it is soon to be headed by Edelgard, who is a good figure willing to right the wrongs its dark past has caused. The students hailing from the Empire are all good-natured people as well. [[spoiler:This is complicated by the second part of the story, where Edelgard instigates a war and invades the rest of the continent. Due to the [[BranchingPath nature of the game]] [[GrayAndGrayMorality and writing]], whether this trope is played straight still depends on the player's action and values. On the one hand, Edelgard's reasoning for starting the war is [[UnreliableNarrator based on false information]] and no matter how one cuts it, her action leads to the death of countless people, leaving her empire as the unquestionable dominant power of the continent should she come out the victor. On the other hand, the [[CorruptChurch core of her argument]] has merits, she is portrayed with varying degree of sympathy depending on the route (with her own framing her as arguably more of an [[AntiHero Anti-Hero]]) and should she [[WellIntentionedExtremist succeeds]], the Empire manages to bring about a meritocratic golden age that is portrayed just as positively as the outcome of any other route.]] The Holy Kingdom of Faerghus is presented as noble and is backed by the SaintlyChurch, but its leaders instigated the Tragedy of Duscur massacre of minority citizens in the past after accusing them of regicide without solid evidence, and there are quite a few defectors causing problems in the present after losing status or a loved one due to the Church's teachings. Meanwhile, the Leicester Alliance, the polity closest in form to a classic republic, is: (1) rather far from being exactly democratic or representative [[HereditaryRepublic as it's led by a council of high nobility with positions transferred via inheritance]], and (2) [[AHouseDivided extremely prone to factional in-fighting]], with [[WeAreStrugglingTogether many ruling nobles pursuing their own selfish interests over those of their compatriots]].

* Subverted in ''VideoGame/IronStorm''. Turns out that both TheFederation (for which your character is fighting) and TheEmpire are actually similar. In fact, [[spoiler:both are provided with war materials by [[TheManBehindTheMan the same American corporation]] who are actively preventing the war from ending because they get profit from it]].

* Played with in ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'', the [[TheFederation NCR]] is generally [[BigGood good organization]] but wealthy individuals like [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Brahmin barons]] and hawkish military personnel now run the NCR Senate and Presidency, leading to excessive bureaucracy, which in turn has led to the government becoming slow and inefficient. Plus same barons have created an underclass as ghouls and super mutants, once valued citizens, are now openly bigoted against (think the civil rights movement in reverse) and their territory isn't secure from rapid territorial expansions. Meanwhile, across the Colorado River, [[TheEmpire Caesar's Legion]] has set up a horrible society based on Roman beliefs mixed with extensive slavery, sexism, and bigotry; yet the leaders of the Legion are generally intelligent, thoughtful people trying to make lives better ([[JediTruth from a certain point of view mind you]]) and have (somewhat) because they turned Arizona from a living hell-hole to an ok place to live. Raider tribes are gone, roads are even safer than in the NCR and (male) merchants make a killing because the Legion's forced conscription means that they do not have taxes in the traditional sense. To residents in the contest Mojave wasteland, the NCR is a good faction, but they'll "steal their wealth and freedom" if they take over and the Legion is just hated on principle.

* Averted in ''LightNovel/CrestOfTheStars'' where war between monarchistic Humankind Abh Empire and democratic United Humankind is shown to be the case of GreyAndGrayMorality with neither side being completely good or bad. Partially inverted with the Abh Empire being ALighterShadeOfGray of this conflict.

* ''LightNovel/EvenThoughImAFormerNobleAndSingleMother'' has a Kingdom that's run by TheGoodKing and is where main character Shirley currently lives, and an Empire plagued by problems like excessive taxes, corrupt nobles, illegal drugs and slavery. The Empire originally wasn't that bad, but after its previous emperor and empress died, [[RoyalBrat Albert]] succeeded them and caused it to enter its current state.

* Subverted in ''LightNovel/Overlord2012'' with the Re-Estize kingdom and Baharuth empire; while Re-Estize's ruler is TheGoodKing, his kingdom is rife with inequality, rampant crime and [[AristocratsAreEvil scheming, selfish, short-sighted and arrogant nobles]] that he's largely powerless to stop, while TheEmperor, despite having come into power through bloody, machiavellian means, despite still being ruthless by necessity, is largely a ReasonableAuthorityFigure who genuinely seeks to improve his populace's lot and assigns positions according to meritocratic principle rather than connections, wealth or birthright.

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The villains, on the other hand, will usually be a [[TheEmpire totalitarian dictatorship]] led by a single EvilOverlord, a [[TheEmperor supreme king or emperor]] or [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen evil queen]], or sometimes a [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen queen or empress]]. The dictator may have a council of advisers, but with the exception of TheStarscream, none of them are in any doubt as to who is really the boss. If there is such a council, it will be hand-picked by the BigBad rather than being elected or passing some sort of qualification test, and will often include TheDragon.

The good guys are often democratic members of TheFederation, or at least led by some sort of council. If there is a monarch, they (TheGoodKing, the HighQueen, accompanied by TheWisePrince, and/or the PrincessClassic) will always listen to their advisers and, if they has a veto, would never dream of overruling the prime minister or chief commander. The SupportingLeader is often a member of this council. In some cases, the council's commitment to consensus rule may get in the way of taking action against the villains; this can provide drama for an episode, as the [[FiveManBand heroes]] have to take matters into their own hands and act without the approval of their bosses.

The good guys are often democratic members of TheFederation, or at least led by some sort of council. If there is a monarch, she (it's usually a princess, occasionally a [[TheHighQueen queen]], as WomenAreWiser) will always listen to her advisers and, if she has a veto, would never dream of overruling the prime minister or chief commander. The SupportingLeader is often a member of this council. In some cases, the council's commitment to consensus rule may get in the way of taking action against the villains; this can provide drama for an episode, as the [[FiveManBand heroes]] have to take matters into their own hands and act without the approval of their bosses.

The villains, on the other hand, will usually be a [[TheEmpire totalitarian dictatorship]] led by a single EvilOverlord, a [[TheEmperor supreme king or emperor]] (and this time [[TheUnfairSex it's usually a man]]), or sometimes a [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen queen or empress]]. The dictator may have a council of advisers, but with the exception of TheStarscream, none of them are in any doubt as to who is really the boss. If there is such a council, it will be hand-picked by the BigBad rather than being elected or passing some sort of qualification test, and will often include TheDragon.

** Subverted in ''EV Nova'', wherein it is ''the Federation'' that is TheEmpire (due to the elected government being suborned by one of its [[StateSec intelligence agencies]]), and the Auroran Empire is really [[TheAlliance a loose confederation]] of {{Proud Warrior Race Guy}}s that believe in AsskickingLeadsToLeadership. Meanwhile the Polaris government is a caste system ruled by the Kel'ariy.

* Subverted in ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2'', in which, at the start of the game, protagonist Rex had been told of the growing military tensions between the Empire of Mor Ardain and the Kingdom of Uraya, leading the player to believe this trope to be in effect. This isn't helped by the fact that the party was pursued for a time by Ardainian soldiers, headed by Special Inquisitor Mòrag, who wanted to take the Aegis into custody. However, it emerges that Mòrag is in fact a ReasonableAuthorityFigure who had only sought to remove the Aegis from the equation to prevent a possible repeat of the destructive Aegis War from centuries prior; she backed off after observing Rex and deeming him to be responsible enough to handle this power. As well as this, Niall, the young Emperor of Mor Ardain, detests militarism and would much prefer to rule peacefully through diplomacy than by conquest. The Empire's expansionist policies and its occupation of the Gormott province 50 years before the events of the game were rooted in the fact that their home Titan is on its last legs and will die of natural causes within likely a few generations at best, and Niall in the present has had to fight the {{War Hawk}}s in his own Senate on matters of militarism vs diplomacy. [[spoiler:After a FalseFlagOperation caused by the terrorist group Torna capturing and firing an excavated LostSuperweapon (itself a violation of Niall's orders to stop such excavation) under Mor Ardain control at Urayan troops in a neutral zone, Niall is willing to deescalate matters by offering Uraya exclusive surveying rights to the neutral zone, halted Ardainian excavation in the area, possibly shared control over the Gormott province; and even pulls a HeroicSacrifice to save Urayan Queen Raqura from a massive explosion, though he gets better.]] Meanwhile, Uraya is shown to have various societal issues of its own, such as social stratification that leaves many lower-class citizens starving due to rationing on a "first-come-first-served" basis, as well as a military that relies heavily on mercenaries and in some cases isn't afraid to brutalize said citizenry out in the open.

* Subverted in ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2'', in which, at the start of the game, protagonist Rex had been told of the growing military tensions between the Empire of Mor Ardain and the Kingdom of Uraya, leading the player to believe this trope to be in effect. This isn't helped by the fact that the party was pursued for a time by Ardainian soldiers, headed by Special Inquisitor Mòrag, who wanted to take the Aegis into custody. However, it emerged that Mòrag was in fact a ReasonableAuthorityFigure who had only sought to remove the Aegis from the equation to prevent a possible repeat of the destructive Aegis War from centuries prior; she backed off after observing Rex and deeming him to be responsible enough to handle this power. As well as this, Niall, the young Emperor of Mor Ardain, detested militarism and would much prefer to rule peacefully through diplomacy than by conquest. The Empire's expansionist policies and its occupation of the Gormott province were rooted in the fact that their home Titan was on its last legs, and Niall simply wished to be able to provide for his people.

* Played straight and subverted in ''{{Franchise/Gundam}}'' metaseries, both TheFederation and TheEmpire [[GrayAndGrayMorality never portrayed as completely good or evil]], TheGoodKingdom is often the only one that's LawfulGood or NeutralGood, but tend to be powerless and portrayed as a victim of the war raging between aforementioned larger factions.
* While the protagonists of ''Manga/PumpkinScissors'' are part of TheEmpire, one gets the impression that this trope still applies in respect to them and the enemy nation of the Republic of Frost.

* Subverted in ''Anime/ZoidsChaoticCentury'', where a Republic and Empire are at war, but neither side is portrayed as particularly villainous. (besides a few GeneralRipper types and an EvilChancellor on the Empire side).

* Played with in ''Manga/ShoukokuNoAltair'', with the lead country of Türkiye being a stratocracy rather than a republic, where the military manages affairs of state, but is still described as highly meritocratic and egalitarian. This is contrasted with the brutally expansionistic [[TheEmpire Balt-Rhein Empire]], which routinely commits RapePillageAndBurn across the continent. Needless to say, the story doesn't pull many punches telling the reader who the good guys and bad guys are.
* ''LightNovel/EvenThoughImAFormerNobleAndSingleMother'' has a Kingdom that's run by TheGoodKing and is where main character Shirley currently lives, and an Empire plagued by problems like excessive taxes, corrupt nobles, illegal drugs and slavery. The Empire originally wasn't that bad, but after its previous emperor and empress died, [[RoyalBrat Albert]] succeeded them and caused it to enter its current state.

** Subverted in ''EV Nova'', wherein it is ''the Federation'' that is TheEmpire (due to the elected government being suborned by one of its [[StateSec intelligence agencies]]), and the Auroran Empire is really [[TheAlliance a loose]] [[FeudalFuture confederation]] of {{Proud Warrior Race Guy}}s that believe in AsskickingEqualsAuthority. Meanwhile the Polaris government is a caste system ruled by the Kel'ariy.

** As of the current ''Literature/FateOfTheJedi'' series, [[TheRemnant the Imperial Remnant]] (which has recently decided to start calling itself "The Empire" again, though most people don't) is led by Chief of State Jagged Fel, who was imposed on the Empire against its will during the peace after the previous series. Fel, as the dashing, handsome young leader of the Galactic Alliance's biggest ally (and fiance to Jaina Solo), is a prominent socialite on Coruscant and is constantly harassed by the paparazzi. The Moffs aren't particularly happy about the above situation. Amusingly, Fel comes off as ''less'' autocratic than the head of the supposedly democratic Galactic Alliance (itself headed by an appointed unelected Chief of State, [[AxeCrazy Natasi]] [[FemmeFatale Daala]]).

This trope originates in the wake of the success of anti-monarchical revolutions, UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution and UsefulNotes/TheFrenchRevolution. The American Revolution is commonly invoked as an example of brave Americans fighting for democracy and freedom from the tyrannical British monarchy. [[note]]Although, ironically, the war was a {{subversion}} of this trope, seeing as both sides were democratic: Britain was a ''constitutional'' monarchy, remember. The Americans were also backed by the absolute monarch of France UsefulNotes/LouisXVI who would invite his own revolution in turn; ''which was inspired by the very revolution he'd supported''[[/note]] The French Revolution is also portrayed like this though with greater focus on [[ReignOfTerror fears of mob rule,]] with the [[TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized revolutionaries more likely to be shown as]] {{Well Intentioned Extremist}}s or HeWhoFightsMonsters. In either case, neither revolution is shown in the context of its time and place, with attention to its complexity and multiple causes. So it directly feeds into this trope's [[BlackAndWhiteMorality binary opposition]] between a [[AlwaysLawfulGood Republic that is Good]] and an [[AlwaysChaoticEvil Empire or Kingdom that is Bad.]] What both revolutions did achieve was that it was the first time it was proved that a republic can govern and rule over a large area of land, taking apart what was formerly believed to be the main argument in favor of Kingdoms, that republics were good for city states but not for large areas.

* While the protagonists of ''Anime/PumpkinScissors'' are part of TheEmpire, one gets the impression that this trope still applies in respect to them and the enemy nation of the Republic of Frost.

** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'' has the Adrestrian Empire, although it is soon to be headed by Edelgard, who is a good figure willing to right the wrongs its dark past has caused. The students hailing from the Empire are all good-natured people as well. [[spoiler:This is complicated by the second part of the story, where Edelgard instigates a war and invades the rest of the continent. Due to the [[BranchingPath nature of the game]] [[GrayAndGrayMorality and writing]], whether this trope is played straight still depends on the player's action and values. On the one hand, Edelgard's reasoning for starting the war is [[UnreliableNarrator based on false information]] and no matter how one cuts it, her action leads to the death of countless people, leaving her empire as the unquestionable dominant power of the continent should she come out the victor. On the other hand, the [[CorruptChurch core of her argument]] has merits, she is portrayed with varying degree of sympathy depending on the route (with her own framing her as arguably more of an [[AntiHero Anti-Hero]]) and should she [[WellIntentionedExtremist succeeds]], the Empire manages to bring about a meritocratic golden age that is portrayed just as positively as the outcome of any other route.]] Meanwhile, the Leicester Alliance, the polity closest in form to a classic republic, is: (1) rather far from being exactly democratic or representative [[HereditaryRepublic as it's led by a council of high nobility with positions transferred via inheritance]], and (2) [[AHouseDivided extremely prone to factional in-fighting]], with [[WeAreStrugglingTogether many ruling nobles pursuing their own selfish interests over those of their compatriots]].
* Played with in ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'', the [[TheFederation NCR]] is generally [[BigGood good organization]] but wealthy individuals like [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Brahmin barons]] and hawkish military personnel now run the NCR Senate and Presidency, leading to excessive bureaucracy, which in turn has led to the government becoming slow and ineffecient. Plus same barons have created an underclass as ghouls and super mutants, once valued citizens, are now openly bigotted against (think the civil rights movement in reverse) and their territory isn't secure from rapid territorial expansions. Meanwhile, across the Colorado River, [[TheEmpire Caesar's Legion]] has set up a horrible society based on Roman beliefs mixed with extensive slavery, sexism, and bigotry; yet the leaders of the Legion are generally intelligent, thoughtful people trying to make lives better ([[JediTruth from a certain point of view mind you]]) and have (somewhat) because they turned Arizona from a living hell-hole to an ok place to live. Raider tribes are gone, roads are even safer than in the NCR and (male) merchants make a killing because the Legion's forced conscription means that they do not have taxes in the traditional sense. To residents in the contest Mojave wasteland, the NCR is a good faction, but they'll "steal their wealth and freedom" if they take over and the Legion is just hated on principle.

* In ''VideoGame/GatlingGears'', you know that something's not quite right when you start out as a member of the corrupt, industrialist Empire, fighting against the free government known as the Freemen. [[spoiler: [[HeelFaceTurn You switch factions after the prologue]]]].
* Played with in ''VideoGame/TearsToTiara2''. TheEmpire is evil. But only because it was taken over by CorruptChurch. [[TheHero Hamil]] wishes to return it to what it was. [[spoiler: In the end he reinstates the senate, but leads discussion as the first citizen.]]

* Though many subversions exist, ''VideoGame/UnderDefeat'' gives a rare ''inversion''. The players are on the side of the Empire, which has reflections to Nazi Germany with its language and SS uniforms, but but are wanting peace. Whereas, the seemingly democratic Union is using the ceasefire to their advantage by building heavy weapons to bring to the Empire's doorstep.

* Creator/GoreVidal's ''Literature/{{Creation}}'' points out how this rarely works out as simply as it does in HistoricalFiction. He notes that the Persian Empire were an abolitionist, multi-cultural empire where women had some amount of freedom and social rights and authority, as opposed to the Greek City States of Athens and Sparta, which are slave-owning, aristocratic and decidedly less fair to women.

[[folder: Tabletop Games]]

* The Erebonian Empire and the Republic of Calvard from the ''VideoGame/TrailsSeries'' plays with this in a surprising realistic way. From an outsider's perspective, the expansionistic and militaristic Erebonian Empire seems quite evil, but in fact it has quite a complex history and political intrigue of mulitple factions, including noble families and political reformists, making it severely grayer than most other Empires in fiction and especially in a JRPG. The democratic Republic of Calvard, while yet to be directly explored, already showed signs of not being that much better than Erebonia.