History Main / HiddenVillain

* Pagan Min in ''VideoGame/FarCry4'', where he is depicted as a BigBad who rules Kyrat with an iron fist with [[LaResistance The Golden Path]] being the ones fighting against his rule led by Amita or Sabal. When you complete the game however, [[spoiler:either leader you side with will reveal their true colours to the player, as they either turn Kyrat into a theocratic nation where non-believers and non-supporters of the Golden Path are killed for their 'betrayal' against their nation, or a quasi-socialist state that recalls aspects of [[UsefulNotes/{{Cambodia}} The Khmer Rouge]] along with the recruitment of ChildSoldiers for the sake of protecting their drug industry. This revelation show that they're similar to Pagan Min's rule, and this can all be prevented if Ajay Ghale were to just [[ForWantOfANail sit down and enjoy that Crab Rangoon]]]].

* ''VideoGame/HorizonZeroDawn'': Whatever sent the signal that turned GAIA's subfunctions into independent entities.

* The sidestory "Shadows of the Jungle" of ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines'' is told in an ApocalypticLog format, and it's not revealed until the very final entry who's the one behind the vicious Bug Pokémon attacks. [[spoiler:It's a female bloodliner who controls them like a goddess or HiveQueen of sorts, and not a Legendary Pokémon as the crew had initially assumed]].

** When Amelia answers her mother Freya's call and tells her that she caught the culprit of the café arson, Freya warns her that they're [[UnwittingPawn "just a puppet"]] and that someone else is "pulling the strings". However, Freya doesn't tell her their identity because she believes that it would put Amelia in danger.

** ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair'' has Monokuma again, and he reveals that the new cast has a traitor among them as well, but since [[spoiler:Sakura, Mukuro, and Junko are a little too busy being dead]], it can't possibly still be them. [[spoiler:Indeed Sakura and Mukuro are dead, and the traitor this time ([[TheMole for a given value of traitor]]) is [[GamerGirl Chiaki Nanami]]. As for Monokuma, [[HijackedByGanon it's Junko again, converted into an AI program of her]], and there is another mastermind: Izuru Kamukura, [[TomatoInTheMirror the real identity of the main character Hajime Hinata]] pre-mindwipe.]]

* ''VideoGame/{{BlazBlue}}'': The BigBad isn't revealed until the console-only [[GoldenEnding True Ending]] of ''Calamity Trigger'', and isn't fought until ''[[OddlyNamedSequel2ElectricBoogaloo Continuum Shift]]''. [[spoiler:And even then, that game's True Ending reveals him to be a DiscOneFinalBoss, and it goes straight into TheDogWasTheMastermind.]]
** [[spoiler: And then AllThereInTheManual suggests that no; he was the BigBad all along.]]
*** [[spoiler: And then in ''[[VideoGame/BlazBlueChronoPhantasma Chrono Phantasma]]'' it turns out that his so called puppet was the real mastermind all along and the Terumi was her UnwittingPawn. Why? Because the puppet is possessed by the 'thing' Terumi and Relius called forth: The Goddess of Death, Izanami. And for the record, yes, Izanami does all the planning backstage, leading you to believe that Terumi really look like the BigBad in charge. She might not be so hidden if you have read the aforementioned AllThereInTheManual, but still.]]
*** [[spoiler:The last installment ''[[VideoGame/BlazBlueCentralFiction Central Fiction]]'' finally puts the matter to rest. Terumi -- or rather his true identity ''the Susanoo Unit'' -- is and always has been the true villain.]]
* [[spoiler: OmnicidalManiac EldritchAbomination Ouroboros]], the source of corruption, is this in ''VideoGame/BravelyDefault'', since he only appears in person during the final chapter. He also shares the role with [[spoiler:his servant]], the mysterious “Evil One” [[spoiler:A.K.A [[FairyCompanion Airy]]]].

* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'': The main villain of ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureGoldenWind Golden Wind]]'', Diavolo, is only known as [[TheDon the Boss]] of Passione for the majority of the arc, and in all his appearances until near the very end, he's either TheFaceless with his face completely shadowed over, or appearing as his SplitPersonality Vinegar Doppio (who he ''physically morphs into'', so Doppio doesn't even look like him). In this case, he ''wants'' to be a completely hidden to maintain his power forever, to the point of killing anyone, even [[OffingTheOffspring his own daughter]], who could possibly threaten his rule, be it someone who tries to find out anything about him, has even seen his face, or shares his own blood.

* The head of Leviathan in ''[[Comicbook/GrantMorrisonsBatman Batman, Inc.]]'' is shown as a mysterious figure in white robes and a skull mask, until TheReveal in ''Leviathan Strikes!'' that [[spoiler:her identity is Talia al Ghul]].

* The Comedian's murderer and the person responsible for the events of ''Comicbook/{{Watchmen}}''. It turns out that [[spoiler:Adrian Veidt AKA Ozymandias is behind it, [[KnightTemplar all in the name of]] [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans world peace]] of course.]]

* The Elder One of ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' is kept a mystery for the first act of the game, until the quest "[[WhamEpisode In Your Heart Shall Burn]]" where it is revealed to be none other than [[spoiler:Corypheus, the villain of the ''Legacy'' {{D|ownloadableContent}}LC of ''Videogame/DragonAgeII'']].

* In ''Videogame/{{Xenogears}}'' [[spoiler:Miang, the avatar of Deus]] is the BigBad who has been manipulating events for the last 10,000 years [[spoiler:in preparation for Deus' rebirth.]]

* Slade in ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' starts out like this, being introduced in the first episode as a shadowy [[TheChessmaster Chessmaster]], but not even ''named'' or revealed to the heroes until later (and it's even longer before they meet him face-to-face and learn of his plans). Also a HiddenAgendaVillain, ironically -- meaning that for his first few appearances, ''all'' we know about him is that he exists and is up to no good.

* In ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'', the seven leaders of [[TheOmniscientCouncilOfVagueness The Light]] had their images hidden when communicating to their operatives. It wasn't until the episode "Revelation" that they are revealed to be [[spoiler:Vandal Savage, Lex Luthor, Ra's Ahl Gul, Queen Bee, Ocean Master, The Brain, and Klarion]], all who had appeared or were mentioned [[spoiler:with the exception of Savage]].

** Milos Columbo seems to be villain of ''Film/ForYourEyesOnly'' at first, but he's just a RedHerring to cover up the real mastermind: [[spoiler:Aris Kristatos]].

** : The identity of Wiseman, the leader of the [[OurDemonsAreDifferent Phantoms]], is kept hidden for most of ''Series/KamenRiderWizard'', with him either giving orders from behind a curtain or only appearing in his Phantom form. It takes until the final few episodes for us to learn his true identity, where he's revealed to be [[spoiler:Sou Fueki aka the White Wizard, the ostensible BigGood of the series]].

** The Conduit, his boss, is also this to a greater degree.

* While ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' introduced its main antagonist quite early on, the first [[Anime/FullmetalAlchemist 2003 anime version]] plays this straight.

* Pagan Min in ''VideoGame/FarCry4'', where he is depicted as a BigBad who rules Kyrat with an iron fist with[[LaResistance The Golden Path]] being the ones fighting against his rule led by Amita or Sabal. When you complete the game however, [[spoiler:either leader you side with will reveal their true colours to the player, as they either turn Kyrat into a theocratic nation where non-believers and non-supporters of the Golden Path are killed for their 'betrayal' against their nation, or a quasi-socialist state that recalls aspects of [[UsefulNotes/{{Cambodia}} The Khmer Rouge]] along with the recruitment of ChildSoldiers for the sake of protecting their drug industry. This revelation show that they're similar to Pagan Min's rule, and this can all be prevented if Ajay Ghale were to just [[ForWantOfANail sit down and enjoy that Crab Rangoon]]]].

** The anonymous caller who claims to be Amelia's frenemy and was the one who sabotaged Esme's van refuses to reveal their identity because it would be "a lot less fun". Yuka at least knows that they're from Global Megacorp because the threat letter they sent to Eve was made of high-quality paper, had "beautiful" ink on it, and had the company's logo ripped from its top.

** The anonymous caller who claims to be Amelia's frenemy and was the one who sabotaged Esme's van refuses to reveal their identity because it would be "a lot less fun".

-->''"An iron golem, forged from the weapons of war, told me this once: When one kills from a distance and does not show himself, it speaks of weakness. It is how a *coward* fights."''

** When Amelia answers Freya's call and tells her that she caught the culprit of the arson, Freya warns her that they're [[UnwittingPawn "just a puppet"]] and that someone else is "pulling the strings". However, Freya doesn't tell her their identity because she believes that it would put Amelia in danger.

* ''VideoGame/LoveAndPies'': When Amelia answers her mother Freya's call and tells her that she caught the culprit of the café arson, Freya warns her that they're [[UnwittingPawn "just a puppet"]] and that someone else is "pulling the strings". However, Freya doesn't tell her their identity because she believes that it would put Amelia in danger.

* ''VideoGame/LoveAndPies'': When Amelia answers her mother Freya's call and tells her that she caught the culprit of the café arson, Freya warns her that they're "just a puppet" and that someone else is "pulling the strings". However, Freya doesn't tell her their identity because she believes that it would put Amelia in danger.

* Pagan Min in ''VideoGame/FarCry4'', where he is depicted as a BigBad who rules Kyrat with an iron fist with[[LaResistance The Golden Path]] being the ones fighting against his rule led by Amita or Sabal. When you complete the game however, [[spoiler: either leader you side with will reveal their true colours to the player, as they either turn Kyrat into a theocratic nation where non-believers and non-supporters of the Golden Path are killed for their 'betrayal' against their nation, or a quasi-socialist state that recalls aspects of [[UsefulNotes/{{Cambodia}} The Khmer Rouge]] along with the recruitment of ChildSoldiers for the sake of protecting their drug industry. This revelation show that they're similar to Pagan Min's rule, and this can all be prevented if Ajay Ghale were to just [[ForWantOfANail sit down and enjoy that Crab Rangoon]]]].
* [[spoiler:Yomiel, "The Manipulator"]] from ''VideoGame/GhostTrick''.

* The Inaba killer in ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}''. [[spoiler: It's Detective Adachi.]] Foreshadowed quite well due to the game being (except Knox's 2nd due to its nature) very compliant to the concept of FairPlayMystery. Who's even ''more'' hidden is [[spoiler: Izanami, aka the nameless gas station attendant, who gave Adachi, Nametame and the protagonist their powers in order to test humanity.]]

** Every ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' game, due to being a murder mystery series, has both the individual cases (except for the {{Reverse Whodunnit}}s) and the overall story that always hides the true BigBad until the last case. The main prosecutors are almost always [[DiscOneFinalBoss decoys]], with the exception of Klavier Gavin [[HeroAntagonist who is never positioned as a villain]].

* ''Franchise/KamenRider';

* ''Franchise/KamenRider'

* The first ''ComicBook/SinCity'' story hid the SerialKiller Kevin until halfway through. Because of the movie, which actually shows him performing the killing of Goldie, most people realize who he is but it was a specific mystery at first.

** Pictured above: the BigBad of the movie ''Film/{{Spectre}}'' is Franz Oberhauser, who briefly appears early in the film, but his true name ([[spoiler:[[CanonCharacterAllAlong Ernst]] [[HijackedByGanon Stavro Blofeld]]]]) isn't revealed until his later appearance near the climax, as is his status as TheManBehindTheMan for the previous antagonists in the rebooted series.

* In ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'', it isn't even hinted that there might be something moving behind the scenes until the end of the second book. Said Hidden Villain was chased after for ''over ten years'', and the most tangible evidence that they existed was [[spoiler:the traitor Peabody, who was immediately removed from the equation]]. It is finally [[spoiler:confirmed in ''Literature/ColdDays'', and taken UpToEleven when it is implied the villain ''may not even be from our reality''. Then the aftermath of the final battle in ''Literature/BattleGround'' reveals that "Nemesis" has been the GreaterScopeVillain of the series all along, and TheManBehindTheMan towards Ethniu (using the Titan as its UnwittingPawn), when Harry manages to put the pieces together, with only he and Lara Raith being aware of its involvement. Its true identity is "He Who Walks Beside", one of the three Walkers who serve the Outsiders -- beings from outside reality and seek to bring about the end of all Creation]].

* Pictured above: the BigBad of the Film/JamesBond movie ''Film/{{Spectre}}'' is Franz Oberhauser, who briefly appears early in the film, but his true name ([[spoiler:[[CanonCharacterAllAlong Ernst]] [[HijackedByGanon Stavro Blofeld]]]]) isn't revealed until his later appearance near the climax, as is his status as TheManBehindTheMan for the previous antagonists in the rebooted series.