History Main / StealthMentor

* Played with in the episode "The Doctor Is Sin" of ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers''. Dr. Henry Killinger turns it around by acting as a mentor for most of the story, then revealing that he's actually evil. And yet he's not a TreacherousAdvisor because there is no treachery; it's as much the fault of Dr. Venture's GenreBlindness that he didn't catch on until the end that he was being transformed from a failing super-scientist into an effective super-villain. When he declines to go evil, the two part ways amicably.

* [[spoiler:Discord]] of all characters acted like one in the Season 4 premiere of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''. [[spoiler:Whether he was just dicking Twilight Sparkle around for his own amusement or legitimately trying to help is up in the air, but he definitely ''did'' tell her exactly what she needed to hear to succeed.]] The season 9 finale deconstructs this: Discord's plan to [[spoiler:bring back Equestria's worst villains and have them attack Canterlot]] in a genuine effort to boost Twilight's confidence]] backfires horribly as it leaves her thinking her previous achievements were all a lie. [[WhatTheHellHero He doesn't get out without plenty of callouts.]]

* [[spoiler:Discord]] of all characters acted like one in the Season 4 premiere of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''. [[spoiler:Whether he was just dicking Twilight Sparkle around for his own amusement or legitimately trying to help is up in the air, but he definitely ''did'' tell her exactly what she needed to hear to succeed.]]

* Mrs. Lorelei Granger, the strict teacher in the novel ''Literature/{{Frindle}}''.

* Miles Edgeworth steps up to this role in ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyJusticeForAll'', where he subtly coaches Phoenix into learning what a defense attorney ''really'' fights for ([[FigureItOutYourself without actually telling him]]). Many years later, in ''Dual Destinies'', he's still trying to provoke Phoenix into being the best attorney he can be, up to and including quietly pulling some strings to help Phoenix (who was disbarred) get his license back.
* Implied with [[TheDitz Herlock Sholmes]] in ''VisualNovel/TheGreatAceAttorney''. In both games, Sholmes will make a [[SherlockScan Dance Of Deduction]] of a suspect and jump to a wrong conclusion with InsaneTrollLogic, leading to the player (as Naruhodo) and Susato having to locate the actual clues with which Naruhodo and Sholmes will reach the true deduction from. However, during the final chapter of the second game, Sholmes [[spoiler:and his old partner Yujin Mikotaba both]] work to deduce and locate the true murderer without any in-game course correction at all. This and Sholmes's own claim hints that Sholmes' incorrect first deductions are meant to refine and test Naruhodo's own deduction ability.

* Proto Man in the ''WesternAnimation/MegaMan'' cartoon might be considered one at few times but it's highly debatable (maybe if it would have been finished one could judge reliably).

* In security parlance, a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Team Red Team]] is a group that launches fake attacks against various assets in order to gauge responses and test security holes. What puts them in this trope is that the attacked group doesn't know that it's a fake attack until it's over (just as they would in real life).
* In computer security, a [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_hat_(computer_security) White-Hat hacker]] may occasionally pose as an attacker and attacks on a company's digital infrastructure to test the system's defense. This is also known as "[[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penetration_test penetration test]]", an authorised simulated attack on a computer system to look for the weaknesses.

The Stealth Mentor's motives may vary: some genuinely have the hero's best interests at heart, while others may be grooming him as a WorthyOpponent - in the most lethal scenario this may be part of a plan in which MyDeathIsJustTheBeginning. If he is a true villain and needs the hero to be more powerful as part of an EvilPlan, it's INeedYouStronger instead.

* Ovan from ''Franchise/DotHack Conglomerate'' is a Stealth Mentor of sorts to Haseo. All his actions in the story are directed at making Haseo stronger than himself [[spoiler:so that Haseo can ''kill him''. No Ovan isn't really TheAtoner but his death ''would'' really set many things right. And he knows it. Too bad he is virtually unkillable... and that's where Haseo joins the game (pun unintended).]] Ovan was actually a straight up mentor for Haseo before their mutual (and very close) friend, Shino, fell into a coma.

* It's possible that Bartholomew Kuma in ''Manga/OnePiece'' may be this and not as LawfulNeutral as he lead you to believe. It wasn't so much that he spared the Straw Hats, but his next encounter with them, which wasn't too long after their first battle with them, [[spoiler:he teleported all of them to different islands where they could learn and/or improve their skills. Confirmed in chapter 591.]]

* ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'': Hiei, a NobleDemon who tries to keep his true loyalties ambiguous, has a tendency to greet Yusuke by randomly attacking him - to test how strong Yusuke has become. Since Hiei was originally recruited into Team Urameshi through a forced DefeatMeansFriendship, the first few times he does this Yusuke can't quite be sure he isn't actually trying to kill him.

** It's not just [[spoiler:Mazer Rackham]]. Colonel Graff, who is the head of Battle School, uses this as standard operating procedure. He's specifically ordered all the adults in Battle School to do everything they can to make Ender as miserable as possible and never, ever come to his aid - even to save his life.

* In the Franchise/HarryPotter series, Severus Snape displays elements of this, hating Harry but ultimately being an effective teacher. Snape taught Harry how to duel and ''Expelliarmus'' and the spell he's "most famous for", saved Harry countless times and inadvertently gave him the poison lesson that eventually saved Ron's life. Most notable is ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince,'' where he teaches Defense Against the Dark Arts and provides a number of useful lessons to Harry and the others. It's often believed that Dumbledore was invoking this trope in that example, since he knew that [[spoiler: he only had about a year to live]].

* A short story based on ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' featured a wizard who had fought a battle against another for time immemorial. When his opponent surrenders, he finds out that his opponent was his creator and had merely been training him to fight a battle that the creator found too frightening to even contemplate. The story ends with temporary peace having been found with the creator wizard's destruction, but the creation staring out and waiting for the new host to arrive...
* Vergere, of the ''Franchise/StarWars'' ExpandedUniverse novels, trains Jacen Solo this way, while pretending to be working for the Yuuzhan Vong, setting up Jacen to bring about their downfall… [[RetCon then she turns]] [[AssPull out to be a Sith]].

* Simultaneously inverted and played straight in season one of ''Series/TheFlash2014''. [[spoiler: Inverted because unknown to Barry [[ManipulativeBastard Dr. Wells]], the man responsible for teaching him to use his powers, is actually [[EvilAllAlong The Reverse Flash.]] However it's also played somewhat straight because while Thawne is actually Barry's enemy he's also seriously trying to train him rather than defeat him since he needs his help to return to the future.]]

* Although his role varies from game to game, Meta Knight is sometimes implied to be this to Franchise/{{Kirby}} - most notably in Kirby's Adventure, where he shows up to toss Kirby [[InvincibilityPowerUp invincibility lollipops]] about as often as he sends his underlings to attack him.

* Albedo in ''VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}}'' [[spoiler:put Jr. (aka Rubedo) through all sorts of hell in order to force him to deal with and resolve his emotional issues and mend their tortured relationship. Though by mend, Albedo meant "provoke Jr. into killing him", since Albedo is otherwise immortal and Jr. is his only anti-existence. He basically spends the majority of ''Episodes I'' & ''II'' teaching Jr. exactly how to kill him, then prodding into a place where he's mentally-ready to kill him. And then with his dying breath he pretty much tells Jr. to go use what he's taught him against the ''real'' bad guys]]. Ah, brotherly love.

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* In ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'', [[spoiler: Chao Lingshen]] borders on this. While she does act as a true enemy in a WellIntentionedExtremist sense, attempting an EvilPlan to stop a future disaster, some aspects of her actions and responses suggest that she at least believed that, if he could become strong enough to defeat her, Negi might be able to stop the catastrophe himself. She makes several moves to aid Negi and encourage him to grow stronger, and when fighting frequently tells him to push further and give everything he has to beat her.

* ''Anime/{{Scryed}}'' features a deathmatch near the end of the series between [[spoiler: Ryuho]] and [[spoiler: Jigmar]]. When he loses, [[spoiler: Jigmar]] confesses that he only fought in order to make [[spoiler: Ryuho]] realize his full potential.

[[folder:Fan Fiction]]
* In ''FanFic/FateRevelationOnline'' Kayaba implemented the Death Game setting and Thaumuturgy Patch so players would be forced to learn magecraft and the proper mindset for practicing it.

* ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor'': Gigolo, [[spoiler:also known as Loki]], takes on this role. He explains the situation with the Bels, [[spoiler: tells you about the Devil's Fuge (indirectly saving your life)]] and explains the different paths and their outcomes near the end of the game. And while he pretends everything he does is because [[ItAmusedMe it amuses him]], he gives the PlayerCharacter one hell of a WhatTheHellHero if you decide to listen to Yuzu and run away from your responsibilities, disregarding all his good advice in the process. The fact that [[spoiler:you can fuse him after you defeat him]] can be interpreted as a his way of giving you even more help to not screw things up in your NewGamePlus.

* Waka from ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}''.

* In ''[[VideoGame/Yakuza1 Yakuza Kiwami]]'', after serving his 10-year sentence, the first person to approach Kiryu is Majima, who's been waiting to get the chance to fight him. But due to how rusty his fighting skill has gotten, Majima decides to help him get back in shape by setting up any opportunities to fight him. Emphasis on the "Stealth" part of "Stealth Mentor", because the remake's "Majima Everywhere" system is literally what it is: Majima is ''anywhere'' and ''everywhere''.

* The Old Man aka[[spoiler:King Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule]] in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'' is this for the opening section. Appearing as just a random citizen of the world who found his way to the area and settled in. He teaches both the player and Link, who is an AmnesiacHero, about the world and how to interact with it, all while seemingly doing normal everyday task. When Link wants to leave the plateau area, which is notably elevated and would be too dangerous to climb down normally, he task Link with activating several shrines in exchange for giving up a glider to help him leave. Link and the player after activating the shrines, and discovering the spirit orbs and be used to increase health or stamina, are let in on the truth: [[spoiler: It has been 100 years since Link fell in battle after Calamity Ganon seemingly won, before retreating into the Castle. Link was put into the Shrine of resurrection to revive him and this was all a test to make sure Link was ready to begin the steps to retake Hyrule. The King then hands you the means to leaving the plateau safely and disappears, only reappearing at the very end.]]

* The Old Man aka[[spoiler:King Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule]] in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'' is this for the opening section. Appearing as just a random citizen of the world who found his way to the area and settled in. He teaches both the player and Link, who is an AmnesiacHero, about the world and how to interact with it, all while seemingly doing normal everyday task. When Link wants to leave the plateau area, which is notably elevated and would be too dangerous to climb down normally, he task Link with activating several shrines in exchange for giving up a glider to help him leave. Link and the player after activating the shrines and discovering the spirit orbs and be used to increase health or stamina, is let in on the truth: [[spoiler: It has been 100 years since Link fell in battle after Calamity Ganon seemingly won, before retreating into the Castle. Link was put into the Shrine of resurrection to revive him and this was all a test to make sure Link was ready to begin the steps to retake Hyrule. The King then hands you the means to leaving the plateau safely and disappears, only reappearing at the very end.]]

The polar opposite of the TreacherousAdvisor, the Stealth Mentor is a TricksterMentor who poses as an antagonist for much of the story but ultimately reveals that all of their actions have been a sneaky way of [[MiseryBuildsCharacter forcing the hero into becoming stronger]]. A subtrope of the ReverseMole, can overlap with the MysteriousProtector or any variant of WaxOnWaxOff. This character type will inevitably be an EnigmaticMinion to the heroes at ''some'' point prior to their reveal. [[ILetYouWin Any losses will be revealed to be intentional]].

* Chase Young in ''WesternAnimation/XiaolinShowdown'' -- but he's trying to convert Omi to evil, so he's not a ReverseMole.

* This is [=ProtoMan=]'s MO in the original ''VideoGame/MegaMan'' games. In ''VideoGame/MegaMan7'' he even gives Mega Man his Proto Shield if he beats him, and admits that his brother has nothing left to learn.

* Ovan from ''Franchise/DotHack Conglomerate'' is a StealthMentor of sorts to Haseo. All his actions in the story are directed at making Haseo stronger than himself [[spoiler:so that Haseo can ''kill him''. No Ovan isn't really TheAtoner but his death ''would'' really set many things right. And he knows it. Too bad he is virtually unkillable... and that's where Haseo joins the game (pun unintended).]] Ovan was actually a straight up mentor for Haseo before their mutual (and very close) friend, Shino, fell into a coma.

* [[AloofBigBrother Itachi Uchiha]] was apparently one for Sasuke Uchiha in ''Manga/{{Naruto}}''. He made Sasuke hate him so much that he would spend his entire life training to get strong enough to kill him, and upon his death transferred his strongest techniques to him to protect him from Tobi. His methods were a little [[MindRape harsher]] than most of the examples on this page, but he got the job done... [[NiceJobBreakingItHero too bad what Sasuke decided to do with this power, really.]]
* The 'Lost Episode' of ''Manga/LoveHina'' reveals that Motoko's older sister uses this: Initially, she appears to be downright antagonistic and unreasonable, but towards the end it's revealed that she's really just doing it to force Motoko to grow stronger.
** This is a near dead-accurate description of Tsuruko's introduction in the manga, although she did have a right to be irritated with the kid.

* In ''Manga/CardcaptorSakura'' it's a bit more complex because of Sakura's reaction. The basic trope is there: [[spoiler: Eriol]] is a good guy and a mentor figure, but he creates trouble so Sakura will put her own magic on the Clow Cards (the Cards would die otherwise). On the other hand, Sakura has no idea that he is the one behind this, and treats him as just another of her friends.
* It's possible that Bartholomew Kuma in ''Manga/OnePiece'' may be this and not as LawfulNeutral as he lead you to believe. It wasn't so much that he spared the Straw Hats, but his next encounter with them, which wasn't too long after their first battle with them, [[spoiler:he teleported all of them to different islands where they could learn and/or improve their skills. Confirmed in chapter 591.]]
* Ovan from ''[[Franchise/DotHack .hack Conglomerate]]'' is a StealthMentor of sorts to Haseo. All his actions in the story are directed at making Haseo stronger than himself [[spoiler:so that Haseo can ''kill him''. No Ovan isn't really TheAtoner but his death ''would'' really set many things right. And he knows it. Too bad he is virtually unkillable... and that's where Haseo joins the game (pun unintended).]] Ovan was actually a straight up mentor for Haseo before their mutual (and very close) friend, Shino, fell into a coma.
* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'': As an introduction to the Bount arc, three modsouls torment the main cast. They were constructed by Urahara to prepare the team for the appearance of the Bount.
** Gin Ichimaru, too, though he wasn't intentionally trying to teach Ichigo. He only viewed Ichigo as his "successor" to defeat Aizen when he's about to die, way after he gave Ichigo that {{TheReasonYouSuckSpeech}}. Still, the speech helped Ichigo identify his shortcomings.
* ''Anime/MobileFighterGGundam'': [[spoiler: Master Asia is a very fitting example, Schwarz Bruder probably qualifies as well, though he is hardly an antagonist most of the time.]]
* In the 2003 ''Anime/AstroBoy'' anime, MadScientist Dr. Tenma creates a series of ever-stronger robots to push his estranged "[[ReplacementGoldfish son]]" to his physical and ethical limits, in order to make Astro into a worthy [[WeCanRuleTogether ruler]] for robot-kind.
* Scavenger takes this role in ''Anime/TransformersArmada'': while undercover among the Decepticons, he puts on a big show of taunting Hot Shot for the latter's lack of skill. This turns out to be a way to sneak him some combat tips.
* Amnael/[[spoiler:Professor Daitokuji]] acts this way to Judai in ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'', dueling him to test his skill and make sure he's ready for the final battle against Kagemaru. In the dub, Yubel also acts this way to Jaden (in her/his/its own twisted way), believing Jaden tormented Yubel to make her/him/it stronger and doing the same to him. Compared to Amnael, Yubel's mentorship [[BreaktheCutie has]] [[MindRape much]] [[TeachHimAnger more]] [[SuperPoweredEvilSide dramatic]] [[FaceHeelTurn consequences]].
* Antinomy is this towards Yusei in ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds'', acting like he's on Z-One's side so that he could duel Yusei and teach him the Delta Accel Synchro technique required to beat Z-One.
* Meta Knight in the ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'' [[Anime/KirbyRightBackAtYa anime]] counted as this early on (before he revealed himself to be good, of course), and was only working for King Dedede to stop the monsters ordered from Nightmare Enterprises/Holy Nightmare Company while keeping on the king's good side. Once Kirby came into the picture, Meta Knight also ended up training him. Of course, King Dedede was so stupid he didn't figure it out, even after TheReveal.
* ''Manga/ShinaDark'' has the rare protagonist Exoda acting like this to the entire citizens of Shina Dark. The only one however who could see what he really was trying to do is his butler.
* ''Anime/{{Scryed}}'' features a deathmatch near the end of the series between [[spoiler: Ryuho]] and [[spoiler: Jigmar]]. When he loses, [[spoiler: Jigmar]] confesses that he only fought in order to make [[spoiler: Ryuho]] realize his full potential.
* A rather dark mentoring in ''Manga/HunterXHunter'' for Gon and Killua at the hands of CombatSadomasochist and EvilClown Hisoka, who does whatever he can to drive and move Gon to become even stronger, with the ultimate goal of waiting for him to become just as strong as he his, ''so he can fully enjoy killing him''. To make this clear how terrible this will be Gon fighting him right now, when he's extremely weak, gives ''Hisoka'' [[{{Squick}}raging boners.]]
* Satsuki Kiryuin of ''Anime/KillLaKill'' forces the protagonist, Ryuko, to fight harder and harder battles with the promise that she'll reveal the full details of Ryuko's father's death should Ryuko manage to defeat all of Satsuki's minions and Satsuki herself. [[spoiler:Episode 18 reveals that this was all to make Ryuko into a powerful ally against her mother and the Life-Fibers, while also weeding out the weaklings of her own forces and revealing the weaknesses of the Elite Four's combat uniforms so they could be strengthened.]]
* Kamina of ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann''. Most of his HotBlooded IdiotHero moments are done to [[BigBrotherMentor encourage Simon]] to man up.
* ''Manga/ThePromisedNeverland'' has a variation of the trope. Emma, Norman, and Ray have discovered that their idyllic orphanage is, in fact, a {{People Farm|s}}. Their hope to get everyone out is hampered by the fact that some of the children are infants and toddlers, and even the older ones aren't well suited to a life on the run. They also have to execute their plans without alerting their "Mom" Isabella or her assistant, Sister Krone, who are already suspicious. Finally, they can not tell the other kids what's going on either, since they may not be believed or get turned in since they trust Isabella. In order to prepare everyone for escape while letting none of them know what's going on, the protagonists train the kids without their knowing it via games of tag, hide-and-seek, and so on, making sure as many as they can teach learn the basics of how to run and hide without even them being aware of it.
* In ''Manga/TokyoGhoul'', [[spoiler:[[HeroKiller Kishou]] [[TheAce Arima]] and [[BigBad Eto]] both]] are this to Kaneki in the long run. [[spoiler:Eto/Sen]] is a more straight-forward, albeit [[KnightTemplar malevolent]], example, tormenting him repeatedly until her true plan for him is revealed. Less straight-forward is [[spoiler:Arima, who begins the sequel as his mentor and ParentalSubstitute]]. But he turns out to have a hidden agenda in training Kaneki, which is only revealed after a brutal confrontation between mentor and student. [[spoiler:Arima had been grooming Kaneki to ''kill him'', as part of a decade-long alliance with Eto intended to produce a MessianicFigure capable of taking down [[GovernmentConspiracy V]]. After Kaneki defeats Eto, the partners begin the final steps of their plan, but it's only after Arima dies that Eto reveals the truth to Kaneki and entrusts him with leading their revolution and taking down [[FinalBoss Furuta]]]].

* Mr. Mxyzptlk, [[RealityWarper reality warping]] enemy of {{Superman}}, is sometimes implied to be one of these, DependingOnTheWriter.
* The vampire lord [[LooksLikeOrlok Drago]] served as one to ComicBook/{{Vampirella}}. After she became infected with a demonic entity that threatened to possess her, he instructed her to seek out and feed on powerful demons to get cured even though he considered her [[EnemyMine his enemy]]. When the deed was done, she thought she was sent on a SnipeHunt by Drago, but then he challenges her to a fight and reveals the demonic blood was necessary so she could fight ''him''. Vampi defeats him and he allows her to feed on his blood so she could purge the entity of her body which was [[ThanatosGambit his plan all along]].

* Mr. Miyagi's training in ''Film/TheKarateKid'' has been moved to the discussion section; don't think we haven't thought of it.

* Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) in ''Film/UpInTheAir'' seems to be the hero (or antihero) but he is in fact the mentor to the actual hero, Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick).
* Jigsaw from the ''Franchise/{{Saw}}'' movies sees himself as this, more so for some individuals than others. It almost never works, and, except in some cases, he doesn't feel any remorse or disappointment when they fail and die.

* In ''Literature/EndersGame'', [[spoiler:Mazer Rackham]] does this to Ender, with the difference that he fully acknowledges his aim from the beginning in the page quote.
** It's not just [[spoiler:Mazer Rackham]]. Colonel Graff, who is the head of Battle School, uses this as standard operating procedure. He's specifically ordered all the adults in Battle School to do everything they can to make Ender as miserable as possible and never, ever come to his aid - even to save his life.
* Vergere, of the ''StarWars'' ExpandedUniverse novels, trains Jacen Solo this way, while pretending to be working for the Yuuzhan Vong, setting up Jacen to bring about their downfall… [[RetCon then she turns]] [[AssPull out to be a Sith]].

* In the earlier Literature/{{Discworld}} novels, [[TheChessmaster Lord Vetinari]] was a StealthMentor to [[ByTheBookCop Sam Vimes]], deliberately [[ObstructiveBureaucrat obstructing]] Vimes's investigations to make Vimes angry enough to try harder. He stopped after accidentally [[BreakTheBadass going too far]] one time.
* In ''Literature/LogansRun,'' the Sandman who has been tracking Logan and Jessica through their run turns out to be [[spoiler: Ballard, the man who's "lived a double lifetime" and shuttles those who can survive away from Earth to Sanctuary.]]

* ''Series/{{Chuck}}'': [[spoiler: Bryce Larkin? Maybe]]

* ''Series/MahouSentaiMagiranger'' has [[spoiler: TheDragon Wolzard]] do this ''subconsciously''. Turns out he's actually [[spoiler: the Magirangers' presumed-dead father]] gone BrainwashedAndCrazy, and his suppressed good side is what forces him to act as a mentor to the Magirangers even as he tries to kill them.

* Simultaneously inverted and played straight in season one of Series/TheFlash2014. [[spoiler: Inverted because unknown to Barry [[ManipulativeBastard Dr. Wells]], the man responsible for teaching him to use his powers, is actually [[EvilAllAlong The Reverse Flash.]] However it's also played somewhat straight because while Thawne is actually Barry's enemy he's also seriously trying to train him rather than defeat him since he needs his help to return to the future.]]

* [[spoiler:"Dr. Polito/SHODAN]] from ''VideoGame/SystemShock2'', who pretty much uses you to destroy an alien race that's infected the ship.
* Dimentio in ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario''. His early monologues and actions reveal that he is trying to secretly help Mario and the other heroes become stronger in order to defeat BigBad Count Bleck. His motives, however, are less than pleasant. (Unfortunately, this is undermined by the same scene in which he pulls [[TheReveal The (fake) Reveal]] on the heroes. After explaining his intent to defeat Bleck, he asks them for their help. Agreeing repeatedly results in a NonstandardGameOver. Oops.)
** That's less of an undermining than it seems. Before and during his request the game drops a few blatant hints that he wants to kill Bleck to follow his own plans or world domination, so it's less that the game ruins the Reveal more that it we figured it out (or at least realized he couldn't be trusted) earlier and were waiting for it to be fully explained.
** The Black Chest Demons in ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor'' make a huge show of being SealedEvilInACan and placing terrible curses on Mario when their chests are unlocked, but all of the "curses" in question are actually [[CursedWithAwesome beneficial abilities that are necessary to progress through the game]]. The last Chest Demon pretty much gives the game away when Mario, by this point having caught on, asks him to stop putting up the pretense and just curse him already; he sheepishly admits that he's been rehearsing his schtick for the length of his confinement, and requests that he be allowed to perform it anyway, to which Mario agrees. [[spoiler: Some in-game lore implies that the demons are, in fact, the spirits of four PrecursorHeroes who defeated the game's BigBad the first time around and trapped her soul; cursing their own souls to be sealed in chests after death was her last act of vengeance before she went dormant.]]

* ''VideoGame/DisgaeaHourOfDarkness'': Mid-Boss! [[spoiler:Or, rather, King Krichevoshky.]]
* In ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy'', [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV Golbez]] is given this role, because it would be extremely awkward if after all that happened in his original game [[spoiler:about him making peace with Cecil in the end of the game (as well as being revealed as his brother)]], he'd willingly turn his back and smack Cecil around ForTheEvulz. [[spoiler: He's also implied to be [[RedemptionEarnsLife the only Chaos warrior to survive the 13th Cycle]], in that he doesn't [[EverythingFades vanish with dark energy]] after being defeated, but simply retreats.]]

* Waka from ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}''.

* In ''VideoGame/LunarEternalBlue'', [[spoiler:Ghaleon]] plays this role. He's unable to directly oppose the BigBad himself because [[spoiler:he died 1000 years earlier, when he was the BigBad of the first game of the series. Zophar's magic restored him to life to act as his [[TheDragon Dragon]], and Zophar can withdraw that magic at any time he chooses, instantly killing Ghaleon. Thus, his only option is to go along with Zophar's plans while providing enough covert training to the heroes that they can defeat his new boss.]] Once the heroes figure out what he's up to, [[spoiler:he admits it, since they're now strong enough, happily fading away to join his long-dead best friend Dyne in death]].

* In ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaLordsOfShadow'' [[spoiler:the Old God Pan]], after aiding you throughout the game [[spoiler:suddenly attacks you at the gates of the Land of the Dead. Throughout the battle he tests Gabriel's prowess and shows him the proper way to fight against another wielder of Light and Shadow Magic.]] All so that Gabriel will be prepared to face the true BigBad [[spoiler:{{Satan}}]].
* Although his role varies from game to game, Meta Knight is sometimes implied to be this to Franchise/{{Kirby}} - most notably in Kirby's Adventure, where he shows up to toss Kirby [[InvincibilityPowerUp invincibility lollipops]] about as often as he sends his underlings to attack him.
* In Westwood Studio's 1997 game based on the film ''VideoGame/BladeRunner'', Graf acts as one to the protagonist Ray [=McCoy=].
* Played with in ''VideoGame/RadiantHistoria''. [[spoiler:Heiss]] thinks he's doing this, but he didn't count on his protege ''disagreeing with him'' once he revealed his real motives and continuing to oppose his plans.
* ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor'': Gigolo, [[spoiler:also known as Loki]], takes on this role. He explains the situation with the Bels, [[spoiler: tells you about the Devil's Fuge (indirectly saving your life)]] and explains the different paths and their outcomes near the end of the game. And while he pretends everything he does is because [[ItAmusedMe it amuses him]], he gives the PlayerCharacter one hell of a WhatTheHellHero if you decide to listen to Yuzu and run away from your responsibilities, disregarding all his good advice in the process. The fact that [[spoiler:you can fuse him after you defeat him]] can be interpreted as a his way of giving you even more help to not screw things up in your NewGamePlus.
* ''[[VideoGame/XcomEnemyUnknown XCOM: Enemy Unknown]]'': [[spoiler: The Uber-Ethereal reveals that the entire alien invasion was essentially a TrainingFromHell, preparing humanity to combat something even worse.]]
** [[spoiler: Subverted in that in XCOM 2, the Ethereals actually keep humanity happy and delighted while kidnapping multiple humans for experiments and preparing the said humans to be possessed by the Ethereals]]
* In ''VideoGame/TalesFromTheBorderlands'', Vasquez claims that his horrible mistreatment of Rhys was all to motivate him to become better than his tormentor and groom him for the corporate world. He uses his own mistreatment at the hands of Handsome Jack as the basis for this, thinking that Jack was being a Stealth Mentor to him and had singled him out specifically as a protege when really Jack was just plain treating him badly, like he treats everyone else. [[spoiler:Jack's own VirtualGhost doesn't even remember Vasquez at all until he realizes that Vasquez was the bald guy he used to stick money to]].
* In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'', Snake is sent to kill his mentor and mother figure, The Boss, who seems to have defected to the Soviet Union. However, throughout each encounter, she seems to continue mentoring him despite his mission to kill her. He improves in CQC bit by bit, she helps him multiple times throughout, such as escaping capture from the enemy, and continuously provides him greater philosophy about the nature of war, soldiers, duty to one's country and ideals, etc. In the end, it's clear that she's proud of who he's become. [[spoiler:This is because it's her mission to be killed by him and she wants him to be able to live up to the title that he would gain by killing her]].

* [[spoiler:[[DiscOneFinalBoss Beatrice]]]] turns out to be this for Battler in ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'', despite spending the first half of the series as a sadistic {{Troll}}. [[spoiler:It was all an act; she ''wanted'' Battler to win the game they were playing, but unfortunately he doesn't realize this until she's dead.]]

* Miles Edgeworth steps up to this role in ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorney: Justice For All'', where he subtly coaches Phoenix into learning what a defense attorney ''really'' fights for ([[FigureItOutYourself without actually telling him]]). Many years later, in ''Dual Destinies'', he's still trying to provoke Phoenix into being the best attorney he can be, up to and including quietly pulling some strings to help Phoenix (who was disbarred) get his license back.

* In ''Webcomic/SparklingGenerationValkyrieYuuki'', [[spoiler:Most of the attacking creatures turned out to have been sent by Odin as tests]].
* Vriska in ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' uses this justification to explain some of her eviller acts, like giving the main antagonist the powers of a god just so John, her student, would have to become stronger to beat him. {{Deconstructed}} in that it's shown to be the egotistical madness that it was, and none of the other characters approve of her actions.
** Troll Blackrom (a mating relationship based on hatred instead of love) seems to sometimes contain elements of this.
*** Near the end Terezi explicitly says that one of the factors of blackrom is that much of the hate for your target comes from frustration at all the potential good things about them being covered by their disgusting flaws.

* Chase Young in ''WesternAnimation/XiaolinShowdown'' -- but he's trying to convert Omi to evil, so he's not a ReverseMole.
* Proto Man in the ''WesternAnimation/MegaMan'' cartoon might be considered one at few times but it's highly debatable (maybe if it would have been finished one could judge reliably).
* [[spoiler:Discord]] of all characters acted like one in the Season 4 premiere of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''. [[spoiler:Whether he was just dicking Twilight Sparkle around for his own amusement or legitimately trying to help is up in the air, but he definitely ''did'' tell her exactly what she needed to hear to succeed.]]

* The musical ''The Fantasticks'' has the romantic version.

* Vergere, of the ''StarWars'' ExpandedUniverse novels, trains Jacen Solo this way, while pretending to be working for the Yuuzhan Vong, setting up Jacen to bring about their downfall… [[RetCon then she turns]][[AssPull out to be a Sith]].