History Main / Greed

* In the [[AnimatedMusicVideo animated video]] to Music/{{Disturbed}}'s version of ''[[Music/{{Genesis}} Land Of Confusion]]'', the giant fat man (called [[FanNickname Big Daddy]] by many) is either an AnthropomorphicPersonification of greed or big industry. When [[{{Mascot}} The Guy]] kills him, he explodes, revealing that inside he was full of money and nothing else at all.

*** One griffin in particular, known by some fans as [[FanNickname 'Gimme Moore']] seems especially obsessed with getting paid, even to the point where she leaves Rainbow Dash to her probable death because she had no more money to give.

* The major villains of ''VideoGame/{{Persona 5}}'' correspond to the SevenDeadlySins. The fifth major boss of the game is fast food company CEO Kunikazu Okumura, and he embodies Greed, far more in the ambitious sense, but as a CEO who shows no care for his employees and prioritizes the bottom line, he does show a yearning for money as well. Far from satisfied with being an extremely wealthy business owner, he wishes to enter the political world, despite showing absolutely no talent or skill for that field. While the Phantom Thieves initially pursue him due to him being on the top of an online poll demanding changes of heart, what ''really'' sets them off is how he puts his daughter [[LonelyRichKid Haru]] up for an ArrangedMarriage with the son of a member of the Diet in order to expand into politics, and not only does he view Haru as little more than a bargaining chip/a walking womb, but said son is all too eager to practice the [[MaritalRapeLicense]] trope on her. Tying all of this together is that his Shadow's demonic form is that of Mammon, the demon who classically represents the sin of greed.

* ''Webcomic/{{Unsounded}}'': Human greed is what destroyed the Inak homelands. When they were unearthed they had many [[AntiMagic first materials]], so people killed them and destroyed their villaiges for it. Then forced the survivors to convert to their religion and be second class citizens treated like slaves.

* In ''Webcomic/{{Freefall}}'', one of Sam's major motivations is to get rich, ideally to him by way of the path of least resistance. Sam is a saint, however, compared to Mr. Kornada, who is so intent on acquiring every credit he can get his grubby hands on that he's willing to sacrifice the lives of the entire colony. Sam and Kornada act as one anothers' {{Foil}}s for a big chunk of the comic.

* In ''Webcomic/TheBestGamepiecePhotocomic'', the convenience store manager (introduced [[https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/The_Best_Gamepiece_Photocomic/5641301/ here]]) writes up his employees if they talk about anything not sale-related, requires customers to pay in order to be able to complain, and imposes a toll to ''leave the building''.

* In ''Webcomic/BrawlInTheFamily'', [[http://brawlinthefamily.keenspot.com/comic/434-goldflower-2/ not even Mario is immune.]]

* In ''Webcomic/{{Sinfest}}'', [[http://www.sinfest.net/view.php?date=2006-07-13 the bank tries to guilt Seymour over this.]]

* ''LightNovel/ThatTimeIGotReincarnatedAsASlime'': The Unique Skill [Greed] is part of the [[SevenDeadlySins Sin Series]] set of Skills and involves the manipulations of "desire". The user can MindControl others by exerting their desire over them whether over prolonged exposure or a less subtle forceful altercation. They can also amplify the desires of others to influence them, and it can even [[SuperEmpowering strengthen the user or others]]...[[CastFromLifespan by burning out their souls]]. The most powerful technique is ''inverting'' the targets innate desire to live into a desire to ''die'', acting as a OneHitKill. Its owner is Mariabell Rosso, a [[{{Reincarnation}} Reincarnated Otherworlder]] born into a powerful noble human family and who is set to inherit the power of the Rosso family, which make her the ''de facto'' power behind one of the strongest shadowy organizations in the Western world and something she is ''very'' keen on achieving. [[spoiler:The major weakness of the Skill, however, is that it [[NoSell won't work]] on someone whose desires are greater than her own. She finds such an idea ridiculous...until she learns the hard way one of her [[PretendToBeBrainwashed supposed pawns]], Yuuki Kagurazaka, is one such person, and makes the reveal right after she made a ''very'' grave error that left her vulnerable and kills her while [[PowerParasite taking [Greed] for himself]].]] The Skill later evolves into the Ultimate Skill [Mammon, King of Greed], which boosts its power to RealityWarper levels.

** Princess Morbucks is a LonelyRichKid from a family so wealthy, her allowance alone amounts to ImpossiblyCoolWealth. However, after WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls reject her application for membership, she decides to become a villain out of jealousy that she can't be a superhero too. Forgetting the fact that she could have just used her wealth to found a superhero group herself.
*** But, of course, being a superhero wasn't the point. She wanted to be a ''Powerpuff Girl'' specifically. She was denied this. And ''no one'' denies her.

* "Literature/TalmaGordon": Captain Gordon committed many terrible deeds out of desire for money.

The thing about Greed is that it's ''never'' satisfied - as soon as the thing sought after is obtained, the obtainer starts craving more, and more, and more, ''ad infinitum''. It's an addiction.

** There's also a card aptly named "Greed" which details the downfall of such a thing as at the end phase of every turn the player takes damage for every card the drew (which is the constant greed in context of the game)

* The given moral of "Literature/{{Pintosmalto}}" is that a cheater can't be mad for getting cheated, but another moral about greed can be read as well. After all, had the queen not wanted the beggar girl's riches after she'd already stolen the merchant's daughter husband, she'd only have missed out on the (suspicious) possessions of the beggar. She'd still had the boy and wouldn't have been robbed.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}}'', Flynn's motivation -- he even, with NoHonorAmongThieves, escapes with the goods and without his partners. Only with CharacterDevelopment does he try to make amends. We also get some HiddenDepths about his childhood dream, inspired by stories of very rich man who could, consequently go anywhere and do anything.
* Greed is a major motif in ''Anime/SpiritedAway'', as it affects characters both the human world (Chihiro's parents who consume the food at the carnival without permission) and the SpiritWorld (the workers of the bathhouse who lust for gold). No-Face becomes [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity powerful, yet insane]] when he feeds off the greed of the workers.

* Tin Lum Yin the BigBad of ''Cage'' and ''Cage 2 the Arena of Death'' is defined by his greed. he gets a lot of money through his illegal fighting ring and will kill people who don't pay up when their fighters loose. At the end of the first film when [[TheProtagonist Billy]] kills another contestant in the ring, Yin tries to get him killed by his champion so he doesn't loose money, and when that fails, he sets him up to be killed in a different fight, even betting a million dollars that he looses. Of course, when he looses the bet, he just orders his men to kill Billy, his friends, and the man he lost the bet to just do he doesn't loose his money. In the sequel, despite Billy having crushed his ribs, Yin is more interested in manipulating him into becoming his new champion than he is in getting revenge, even doubling the price of viewing when he learns that Billy will die soon.

** Both Jadis and more so, Uncle Andrew, in ''Literature/TheMagiciansNephew''. Digory's own theft of the Apple was forgiven due to his desire to give it his mother for its (assumed and later verified) healing powers.

* ''Literature/{{Waltharius}}'': King Gunther demands of Walther to surrender to him both Hiltgunt and the two chests of gold he brought with him from Hunland, arguing that, as the gold is taken from Attila's treasury, it rightfully belongs to him because of the tribute his father had formerly paid to Attila. Though Walther offers a compromise, which Hagen advises him to accept, Gunther refuses to settle for less and instead orders his champions to fight. His behavior draws much criticism from Hagen, who demonstratively renounces his right to a share of the spoils, and comments the unfolding desaster with a speech on the evils of avarice (v. 857-69).

** Waluigi, altough he prefers to sneak behind people's backs to obtain his prize. He even tried to steal a treasure chest from Wario.

* Sector Carina in ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiStrangeJourney''. A massive shopping mall, warped by a demonic viewpoint on Humanity's excesses and obscene desire for more possessions. Fittingly, the resident Tyrant, Horkos, is a demon obsessed with devouring ''everything'' - food, energy, inanimate objects, ''people'', '''''his own servants'''''... And the worse thing is, when finally confronted, [[SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped he calls out Humanity]] on being even more greedy and materialistic than he.

* In Composer/{{mothy}}'s ''Franchise/EvilliousChronicles'', Gallerian (played by Kaito), a judge, accepts bribes from customers to make them "innocent". The reason he needs this money is to help his "daughter" Michelle (played by Miku) and to collect the SevenDeadlySins in order to restore her condition. Later, he is bribed by a general for mass murder and lets him walk free. This eventually causes a civil war and he is killed in a fire. He is then faced with "the Master of the Hellish Yard" who tells him he can be saved if he gives up his money. He refuses to give his fortune to anyone and is sent to Hell, where he hopes to make the place a utopia for himself and his "daughter" after he collects the sins. In other words, his greed was an InvokedTrope.

* Arl Rendon Howe of ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' is driven by an unhealthy mix of Greed, [[AmbitionIsEvil Ambition]], and [[GreenEyedMonster Envy]]. [[FamousLastWords His last words say it all:]]

* This is a recurring motif in the ''VideoGame/{{Uncharted}}'' series, especially among the villains. They won't stop trying to get whatever priceless MacGuffin they're searching for, even if that means traipsing through war zones or death. This is also what did in the pirate colony, Libertalia, from the [[VideoGame/Uncharted4AThiefsEnd fourth game]]. The pirates were pulling a LongCon to rob the settlers of all their money and then turned on each other in a brutal GambitPileup, meaning no one got the money. Notably Nadine from that game is the only villain to survive because she specifically walks away from the job when she realizes it's gone off the rails even though that means she won't get her cut of the treasure.

* WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'':
Daffy Duck desires material wealth as much as he desires the [[GloryHound cheering and worshipping of others]]. Whenever he sees something shiny he goes completely, hysterically ballistic and doesn't pay any attention to whether the other person in the same vicinity has noticed it or cares about it, for him it is taken for granted that they 'll want to claim ''his'' gold.
-->''It's MINE, you understand!? Mine, all mine! Get back in there! Down! Down! Down! Go! Go! Go! Mine! Mine! Mine!''

* "Literature/HanselAndGretel"'s WickedStepmother begrudges her stepchildren their food and has them abandoned so they will not have to feed them. Although sometimes she has the excuse that there is a famine, in some variants, she just resents spending anything on them.

* "Literature/{{Cinderella}}"'s WickedStepmother is often depicted as wanting Cinderella's inheritance for her daughters' dowries.

** Mr. Krabs put a toe over the MoralEventHorizon when he sold his most loyal employee, [=SpongeBob=], to the Flying Dutchman for the grand total of...'''[[TooDumbToLive sixty-two cents]]'''. Even [[EveryoneHasStandards Squidward]], who ''hates'' [=SpongeBob=], called him out on it. Cue MyGodWhatHaveIDone...and then the Flying Dutchman dumps [=SpongeBob=] back onto Mr. Krabs, partly because StatusQuoIsGod, but mostly because he's ''[[PityTheKidnapper too damn annoying]]'' to keep in Davy Jones' locker.
%%* Kaz from ''WesternAnimation/HiHiPuffyAmiYumi''.

* In the ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' mythos, Greed is often seen as the biggest handicap that dwarves have as a race. They even have a god who embodies the concept called Abbathor, and while their other gods don't like him, they accept him as their own, as he sides with them against traditional enemies of the dwarves, like orcs. This gives dwarves a bad reputation at times, because their gods grudgingly accept the embodiment of Greed as one of their own.

* Viper from ''Manga/KatekyoHitmanReborn'' is a [[EnfanteTerrible baby]] who cares about nothing but money. He frequently attempts to charge his own team members for favors or just to watch him fight, and he complains if he has to do something for free. His alias, Mammon, even means greed.

* [[Anime/GhostSweeperMikami Reiko Mikami]] could very well take the crown for this trope. It seems there's nothing she won't do to get a little more money.

---> '''Ragyo:''' And soon even [[spoiler:your little sister]] will return to me.

--> '''Artemis''': If it makes you crazy, is it really a good idea to use it?\\
'''Paul''': ''(shrugs)'' Good idea, bad idea. It’s the ring I have.

[[folder:Fan Fic]]

* BigBad of ''VideoGame/JaggedAlliance 2'' [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Deidrana]] usurped the throne of a backwater country [[{{Ruritania}} Arulko]] and was milking its natural resources dry and practically starving its population before your team intervened.

* Greed is basically the reason [[Videogame/StarFox Pigma Dengar]] is so repugnant. He sold out the people who were supposed to be his friends to [[BigBad Andross]] just for the money, and a reward is basically his only motivation for doing anything. His greed made him so untrustworthy that his new team, Star Wolf, eventually kicked him out.