History Main / InsaneAdmiral

* The General in ''{{Z}}''

* Kefka from FinalFantasyVI [[hottip:*:Technically a general, but only one level under TheEmperor]] was made conspicuously insane after an experiment GoneHorriblyWrong, and becomes obsessed with acquring personal power at all costs. Why TheEmperor allows this [[FridgeLogic is never explained]], but presumably it has to do with the MightMakesRight military structure of many video games.

In fictional military settings, the brass tend to be a bit unstable. Frequently they become so obsessed with their own pet projects that they endanger [[TheFederation federation security]]. Other times their brazenness and/or [[GeneralRipper paranoia]] almost leads to wars. They may be a ConspiracyTheorist with authority investigating the heroes, or they may be covering up for their own good. They could be a GeneralRipper obsessed with the enemy, or they could be cowards who fears public exposure of their own wrongdoings.

* Patrick Zala of ''GundamSeed'' is an utterly paranoid and psychotic GeneralRipper, with both WhatTheHellDad and genocidal tendencies, who wants to exterminate every Natural in existence in {{Revenge}} for an attack on a ZAFT colony. His right-hand man, Commander Rau Le Creuset is [[spoiler:even worse, being an OmnicidalManiac who's out to get everyone on ''both'' sides killed]].

* PlayedForLaughs in ''HotShots!'' with Admiral Benson, an amicable kook who tries to order the whole ''fleet'' to turn around and go back when his Admiral's hat blows off while on deck.

[[folder: Table Top Games]]

* Admiral Greyfield (Sigismundo in the Europe version) in ''AdvanceWars Days Of Ruin''.

* Admiral Zhao from ''[=~Avatar: The Last Airbender~=]''. [[OmnicidalManiac He tried to kill the moon]] for crying out loud.

* Admiral Bell in ''VarneyTheVampire'', while protective of his family and a generally decent guy, acts like a complete lunatic in most situations.

* The Valuan admiralty of ''SkiesOfArcadia'' has a problem with this. Admirals Galcian, Ramirez, and [[MeaningfulName De Loco]] are all nuts (and evil), while Alfonso is incompetent (and evil) and Vigoro is... eccentric (and not so much evil as amoral). Small wonder the only two competent, sane admirals come off as the sympathetic villains of the lot...

* Admiral Zhao from ''[=~Avatar: The Last Airbender~=]''. He tried to kill the moon for crying out loud.
* The General and the lieutenant from ''CouragetheCowardlyDog'' are humorous examples of this.

->''"I'm proud to say I've written another insane admiral. They must put something in the water at Federation Headquarters."''
-->--'''Ronald D. Moore'''

[[folder: Live Action TV]]

*** Admiral Jameson violated the Prime Directive by providing weapons to both sides in an armed conflict
*** Admiral Norah Satie ruthlessly investigated the crew of the ''Enterprise-D,'' believing that there was a traitor among them. When her investigation proved fruitless she became rather unhinged.
*** Admiral Pressman conducted secret (and illegal) tests involving a Federation cloaking device and lied to other officers about it

* Major General Steele from the ''{{MASH}}'' episode "The General Flipped at Dawn"

[[folder:Web Comics]]
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* Admiral Zhao from ''AvatarTheLastAirbender''. He tried to kill the moon for crying out loud.
* The General and the lieutenant from CouragetheCowardlyDog are humorous examples of this.
---> '''The General''': "Good thing the money we paid that farmer with was made from experimental rocket-fuel!" *Detonates cash*

'''[[RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement No Real Life Examples Please]]'''

** Really, the list of admirals in ''Star Trek'' who are not either insane or generic talking heads is awfully short.

Makes their organizations look incompetent, but presumably the Insane Admirals are just the ones we see... 95% of the brass in any given organization are probably decent folk, but never do anything 45-minute drama-worthy. Please note this applies only to officers who are at command level, no one below the rank of Naval Captain/Army Colonel/Airforce Group Captain applies here, see TheNeidermeyer for those.

Makes their organizations look incompetent, but presumably the Insane Admirals are just the ones we see... 95% of the brass in any given organization are probably decent folk, but never do anything 45-minute drama-worthy.

* ''StarTrek''
** ''StarTrekTheOriginalSeries''
*** ''Whom Gods Destroy" - Garth of Izar, a former Starfleet Fleet Captain who develops megalomania and ends up in the asylum on Elba II.
** ''StarTrekTheNextGeneration''
*** Admiral Jameson violated the Prime Directive by providing weapons to both sides in an armed conflict
*** Admiral Norah Satie ruthlessly investigated the crew of the ''Enterprise-D,'' believing that there was a traitor among them. When her investigation proved fruitless she became rather unhinged.
*** Admiral Pressman conducted secret (and illegal) tests involving a Federation cloaking device and lied to other officers about it
* ''BattlestarGalactica'' (2000's): Admiral Cain, of course.
* ''BabylonFive'': Colonel Ari Ben-Zayn.
* PlayedForLaughs in ''TheNavyLark'' with a parade of insane Vice-Admirals, and Commodores over the years. However, the actual [[EveryonecallsHimBarkeep Admiral]] in charge, while being a bit out of date and overbearing, was more often than not a BenevolentBoss and on more than one occasion the OnlySaneMan.
* Admiral Zhao from ''AvatarTheLastAirbender''. He tried to kill the moon for crying out loud.
* Anyone with the rank of Colonel or above in ''CatchTwentyTwo''
* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Queeg Captain Queeg]] in ''TheCaineMutiny'', both the original novel and the FilmOfTheBook. His bizarre behavior eventually causes a subordinate to relieve him of command.
* Captain Sawyer from the ''HoratioHornblower'' books.
* Major General Steele from the ''{{MASH}}'' episode "The General Flipped at Dawn"

* General Patton in HarryTurtledove's {{Timeline-191}} series

* General Bowe in the SCPFoundation.
* Captain Matthew Marcus from ''{{Exosquad}}''.

* From ''DrStrangelove'', General Jack D. Ripper.

* Admiral Zhao from ''AvatarTheLastAirbender''. He tried to kill moon for crying out loud.

* Major General Steele from the ''MASH'' episode "The General Flipped at Dawn"

* PlayedForLaughs in ''TheNavyLark'' with a parade of insane Vice-Admirals, and Commodores over the years. Slight subversion in that the actual [[EveryonecallsHimBarkeep Admiral]] in charge, while being a bit out of date and overbearing, was more often than not a BenevolentBoss and on more than one occasion the OnlySaneMan.
* Admiral Zhao from AvatarTheLastAirbender. He tried to kill moon for crying out loud.

* Grand Admiral Thrawn averts this hard.

* Captain Sawyer from the {{HoratioHornblower}} books.

* General Patton in HarryTurtledove's timeline-191 series