History Main / TheSyndicate

* ''Literature/TailsOfTheBountyHunter'' has the Quintuple Cartel, an intergalactic criminal organization dealing with smuggling drugs and weapons, various assassinations, and conducting deals with several big-time criminals in the galaxy. They even have a DirtyCop in their pocket who runs his own police force and a MadScientist who creates chemical weapons to be used in warfare.

* The Dark Hand of ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'' is originally portrayed as this, having connections to nearly every major international crime out there. Because of VillainDecay, however, it is no longer the case.
* Of course, there needs to be a mention of THE number one syndicate in all of western animation... MAD from ''WesternAnimation/InspectorGadget''.
* ''[[WesternAnimation/{{Huntik}} Huntik: Secrets & Seekers]]'' has The Organization, which reportedly has agents the world over, has the power to erase bank accounts, and can even take over governments.
* Mentioned in [[WesternAnimation/ACharlieBrownChristmas A Charlie Brown Christmas]]. Lucy remarks that "We all know that Christmas is a big commercial racket. It's run by a big eastern syndicate, you know."

* ''{{Series/Hightown}}'': Cape Cod's drug trade is run by Frankie Cuevas Jr.'s gang.
* ''Series/TheIndianDetective'': Gopal Chandakar's gang is indicated to run Mumbai's organized crime. They're shown as international also, getting drugs from Kenya and shipping them to Canada.
* ''{{Series/Pandora}}'': The Hypatia Syndicate seems to be the main organized criminal group in Human space, with their hands in extortion and slave trafficking.
* ''Series/TheWire'': The New Day Co-op is a sort-of example of this, a loose alliance of Baltimore drug kingpins who share money and resources.

* A few such syndicates exist in ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'', and from time to time you'll be asked to infiltrate their corporate headquarters during your missions.
* In the ''TabletopGame/OldWorldOfDarkness'', The Syndicate is the economic arm of the [[TabletopGame/MageTheAscension Technocracy]].

* The [[TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering Orzhov Syndicate]]. Officially, they're a church. [[BlatantLies Officially]]. Everybody on [[CityPlanet Ravnica]] knows that they're in charge of big business as well as organised crime... and if you owe the Orzhov a debt, you're going to pay it off, even after death.
* The Free Enterprise secret society in ''TabletopGame/{{Paranoia}}.''
* Pretty much how [[TheFairFolk Dark Eldar]] society is organised in ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}''. They live in an impossibly vast inter-dimensional city called [[MeaningfulName Commorragh]], and it is ruled and enforced by the Kabals, which are basically like a mix between crime syndicates, pirate fleets, and the old medieval Italian city state families. They constantly battle for dominance through political and military means, with the Kabalite Warriors being made-men, and Archons are basically Godfathers. A warrior can climb the ranks of a Kabal [[KlingonPromotion by killing those ranked above him]].

* ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'':
** ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoViceCity'': Tommy Vercetti's criminal organization operates as a powerful organization based in and around Vice City.
** ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'': Trevor Philips Enterprises/Incorporated/whatever Trevor feels like calling it is a criminal enterprise run by local lunatic Trevor Philips. While the "organization" itself consists solely of Trevor, his neighbors and anyone he forces to do his bidding, throughout the game he quickly takes over the criminal enterprises of the desert as well as having connections to Mexican cartels (though his plans to work with the Triads falls flat). He's also not above hiring others to do his dirty work such as the protagonists of the Online multiplayer mode.

* Classic PC hit ''Videogame/{{Syndicate}}'' featured... [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin you guessed it]], a Syndicate. And the player plays a team of its agents, no less. While they're no strangers to playing dirty, the implication is that most of their income is from at least semi-legitimate sources[[note]]the backstory indicates that the eponymous Syndicates began as [[MegaCorp Megacorps]]that grew powerful enough to emasculate national governments -- at which point criminal syndicates took advantage of the undermined law enforcement to assassinate and bribe their ways into control of the corporate boards.[[/note]].
* ''Creator/JohnWoo Presents VideoGame/{{Stranglehold}}'', being the sequel to classic Hong Kong film ''Film/HardBoiled'', has three of them: the Golden Kane headed by Yung Gi, the Zakarov syndicate headed by Damon and Vladimir Zakarov, and Dragon Claw headed by Mr. Wong.
* Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse:
** The Black Sun criminal syndicate, which exists in some form or another during every period of the GFFA. Though dissolved after the Vong War, it makes a comeback during the Legacy era.
** The Zann Consortium from ''[[VideoGame/EmpireatWar Empire at War: Forces of Corruption]]'' essentially evolves into a galaxy-wide syndicate by the end of the campaign.
** The Exchange in the ''[[VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic Knights of the Old Republic]]'' games.
* The Guild in ''VideoGame/JadeEmpire.''

* In ''VideoGame/EVEOnline'', there is an entire region of 0.0 (lawless) space called [[http://eve.wikia.com/wiki/The_Syndicate The Syndicate]]. It was once described as a good place for a vacation by a Gallente Senator.
** Their allies, [[http://eve.wikia.com/wiki/Serpentis Serpentis Corporation]] and [[http://eve.wikia.com/wiki/Angel_Cartel Angel Cartel]] are little different.
*** All three, however, have had this status dulled as of late by their more grey morality in comparison to the EvilerThanThou Sansha's Nation, which is something like The Syndicate [[JustForFun/XMeetsY meets]] ReligionOfEvil.
* [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin The Syndicate]] in ''[[VideoGame/JakAndDaxter Jak X]]'' that is run by [[VillainousGlutton Krew's]] rival gang leader and practically ''runs'' [[ViceCity Kras City]]. Fixes all the [[BloodSport Combat Races]], [[SeriousBusiness hires mercenary drivers]], [[spoiler: sabotages Jak's vehicle, and kills Blitz's father, though that happened before the game's events.]]
* Shadaloo from ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' started out as this, but as the series progressed, became more of a NebulousEvilOrganisation.
* The plot of ''VisualNovel/AceAttorneyInvestigations'' centers around an international smuggling syndicate.
* Nile in ''VisualNovel/HotelDuskRoom215''.
* The Z Syndicate from ''VideoGame/CustomRobo''. Strangely, the organization was originally formed for benevolent purposes, before the lieutenants decided to make it a criminal group and ousted their leader.
* ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes: Going Rogue'': has [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin the Syndicate]]. Essentially, after the [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt Hamidon Wars]], [[EvilCounterpart Emperor Cole]] began cracking down on organized crime. This only caused it to "get more organized," and in the end, every gang in the city had banded under the name of the Syndicate. Players will run across members of the Syndicate, whose [[MirrorUniverse Primal Earth]] counterparts are heads of other gangs.

* The Pizza Bat corporation in ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes2DesperateStruggle'' is in control of a mafia the size of a small army. Needless to say, they pretty much run the city.
* The Syndicate in ''VideoGame/SaintsRowTheThird'' is a consortium of three powerful gangs, firmly in control of the city of Steelport and environs. The Saints themselves run a media empire and essentially become the world government by the fourth game.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsA2'' has Khamja, a shadowy criminal clan so powerful that it basically runs the country the game takes place in.
* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'', the Syndicate of [[WretchedHive Ul'dah]] is actually an official part of the city-state's ruling government, alongside the [[RoyalBlood Sultanate]]. Most major decisions are made by vote with the Syndicate members and the Sultana. It's common knowledge that the Syndicate are corrupt and only looking out for themselves, and the Sultana is essentially reduced to a figurehead despite her efforts. [[spoiler: When she tries to dissolve the Syndicate ''and'' the Sultanate to give power to the people in Ul'dah, she's ''assassinated'' by a psychotic member of the Syndicate (who is then killed immediately because he was too busy ''gloating''), though it turns out that another member of the Syndicate intercepted the plan and faked the assassination to out the psychotic usurper...so that ''he'' could then control the Syndicate ''and'' the Sultanate.]] Basically, Ul'dah is full of self-serving people that push the selfless people out of their way.
* ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedSyndicate'' (what a surprise): This time around, the Templars exert control over London through drug trade and organizing local street thugs (along with a few legal but horrible means, like child labor). Your protagonists have the option of forming their own good-aligned syndicate to combat them.

* ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind'' has the Camonna Tong, the native Dunmer [[TheMafia Mafia]]. They're involved with nearly every seedy operation going on in Vvardenfell, particularly smuggling and drugs. They invert the RuthlessForeignGangsters trope, as they are much more ruthless than their Imperial import counterpart, the ThievesGuild, who avoids murder and generally practices HonorAmongThieves. The way they operate is very Mafia-esque, with Orvas Dren as the kingpin of the operation while they conduct business out of [[LegitimateBusinessmensSocialClub legitimate bars and taverns]]. More recently, they've even gotten involved with the [[ReligionOfEvil Sixth House cult]], whose promises of driving the Empire out of Morrowind meshes well with the Tong's utter hatred of outlanders. The Tong has two members of the [[ProudMerchantRace House Hlaalu]] council in their pocket, and also have control over the Fighters Guild [[spoiler:due to controlling the faction leader's gambling debts]]. As if that weren't all bad enough, they also take it upon themselves to [[SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil enforce Morrowind's pro-slavery laws]], which includes hiring bounty hunters to ruthlessly hunt down escaped slaves while they themselves are known to use slaves as drug mules. Finally, their leader, Orvas Dren, is planning to have his brother, [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure Duke of Vvardenfell]] Vedam Dren, assassinated.
* ''VideoGame/FightingForce'' Has [[BigBad Zeng]] running one.
* ''VideoGame/MegaManX7'' has Red Alert, whose full name is the Red Alert Syndicate. It originally forms to help regulate the Mavericks, then gets [[HijackedByGanon manipulated by Sigma]] into using [[VoluntaryShapeshifting Axl]] to collect the DNA-Data of powerful Reploids to power Red Alert up. The game's intro FMV showcases Axl's KillAndReplace tactic to get to his assassination target, a criminal from a rival faction, by impersonating the target's right-hand man. They also use captured Mavericks as mooks, take civilian hostages and engage in terrorism in an attempt to get Axl back [[HeelFaceTurn when he defects to the Maverick Hunters]].
* ''VideoGame/StreetsOfRage'' has a criminal group only known as the Syndicate and their activities involve controlling several major areas like a downtown city, a bridge, factories, and so on. The Syndicate also controls the police and other government agencies, thus people that aren't with the corrupt groups can't do anything to stop them. The third game has the Syndicate set up bombs all over the city to distract the police while they kidnap and replace the Chief of Police (or the General in the Japanese version) with a robot duplicate. The entire organization is run by a single man who goes by Mr. X.
* Any MegaCorp [[OneNationUnderCopyright Empire]] from ''VideoGame/{{Stellaris}}'' with the "Criminal Heritage" civics is explicitly called a "Criminal Syndicate", unless they also have "Gospel of the Masses" in which case they're a "[[PathOfInspiration Subversive Cult]]" instead.
* The Evil Syndicate from ''VideoGame/NicktoonsUnite'' are named as such, though in practice they fit closer to the LegionOfDoom trope.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

* Demon Card in ''Anime/RaveMaster''.
* Enfant in ''Anime/{{Madlax}}'' is an international NebulousCriminalConspiracy with fingers in every criminal enterprise from weapon smuggling to political corruption to fueling a WarForFunAndProfit.
* Les Soldats in ''Anime/{{Noir}}'', although they also venture quite far into the AncientConspiracy territory. Indeed, the main conflict in the organization revolves between those who emphasize the AncientConspiracy angle, and those who just perceive themselves as The Syndicate - that is, the idealists and the pragmatists.

* Meiousei aka Pluto in ''Manga/DetectiveSchoolQ''.
* ''Manga/CaseClosed'' has The Black Organization.

* Intergang from the ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'' comics falls into this, and is a credible threat even to powerful superheroes because they get their weapons and technology from Franchise/TheDCU's ultimate BigBad and EvilOverlord, {{ComicBook/Darkseid}}. (They also make a few appearances in ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'' and ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' cartoons.)
** More recently, reinvented as the [[ReligionOfEvil Church of Crime]]. Same deal, only with fewer Apokaliptan superweapons, and more [[MultipleReferencePun Apocalyptic revelations]].

* In ''ComicBook/{{Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles|Mirage}}'', the Foot are supposed to be this, although they're not terribly effective at it. The Shredder and his men, it is eventually revealed, are pretty much a rogue faction of the main group (which mostly remains unseen outside the no-longer-canon Vol. 3), and the fact that Karai needs the turtles in order to stop the warring between factions does not bode well for the group as a whole. In the current story arc, it is revealed that most of the clan the world over had been killed by a group of mysterious warriors. So yeah...
* The Singh Brotherhood of ''ComicStrip/ThePhantom'' is a powerful criminal organisation which traces its origin back to the Viking Age.

* Vulture, in the 1950s ComicBook/MartianManhunter strips, was a shadowy criminal group led by the enigmatic [[DiabolicalMastermind Mr. V]]. They flummoxed both J'onn and the police with their zany schemes, and every time that J'onn thought he'd finally caught Mr. V, it would turn out to be just another one of his {{Body Double}}s.

* The ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures''/''WesternAnimation/{{WITCH}}'' crossover ''Fanfic/GuardiansWizardsAndKungFuFighters'' establishes that the Dark Hand seen in canon was actually just the North American branch of a worldwide organization. Due to [[EvilPowerVacuum Valmont's arrest]], the North American branch was devastated by [[EnemyCivilWar infighting between officers trying to take over]]; by the start of the story, the Asian branch leader, Chang, has come to fill the void and rebuild, and seems to be doing a great job at it. [[spoiler: Later, it's [[TheReveal revealed]] that the Dark Hand's ''true'' purpose is to manipulate the world's governments into accepting the existence of the supernatural and weaponizing it, in order to [[WellIntentionedExtremist protect Earth from other worlds]]. Oh, and they've [[RunningBothSides secretly controlled Section 13]] all along.]]
* ''Fanfic/TheNewAdventuresOfInvaderZim'': Early in Season 2, we're introduced to the Green Claw Syndicate, which is stated to be the most powerful criminal organization in Irken space, outright controlling the planet [[WretchedHive Slumia]].

[[folder:Film]]
* Pick a [[HeroicBloodshed Hong Kong triad film]]. Any triad film.
* ''Film/{{Payback}}'' pits AntiHero Porter against a syndicate. Just a slight bit of [[PlayingWithATrope playing]] and LampshadeHanging goes on as it's discussed at several points that the movie's syndicate actually used to be called The Syndicate, but changed its name to The Outfit while Porter was recovering from his wounds.
* In ''Film/PointBlank'', Lee Marvin battled a remarkably organized crime organization which was explicitly referred to as "The Syndicate". ''Film/TheOutfit'' was a loose sequel to ''Point Blank'', and ''Film/CharleyVarrick'' inhabited a similar world
* The Umbrella Corporation in the ''Film/ResidentEvil'' movies.

* The Organization in the Virgil Tibbs adventure ''The Organization''.
* ''Film/MissionImpossibleRogueNation'' sees such a group actually called "The Syndicate", made up of discredited former agents from intelligence services from around the world. Their origin was not entirely criminal... The use of the name is a nod to the more conventional mob-like Syndicate from the TV series (mentioned below).
* ''Film/GameOfDeath'': In the 1978 version, Dr. Land's group even calls itself the syndicate, resides in the Red Pepper restaurant, controls the whole martial arts industry and takes its fair share out of bets.

* The ArchEnemy of Literature/SherlockHolmes, Professor Moriarty, is the head of a mighty criminal organization filled with "a hundred broken fighting men, pickpockets, blackmailers, and card sharpers at the other, with every sort of crime in between." Holmes deduces that it is responsible for nearly all the undetected crimes in London, even powerful enough to threaten entire nations.

* Umbra Corporation from ''Literature/AGameOfUniverse'' by Eric Nylund.

* The Shadow Fist Society from ''Literature/WildCards''. They're a rag tag bunch of street gangs united by DiabolicalMastermind Kien Phuc, and they easily rival, if not exceed, the influence of the local Mafia family. Part of it is that they willingly accept and employ [[DifferentlyPoweredIndividual Jokers and Aces.]]
* OlderThanRadio: ''Les Habits Noirs'' (''Literature/TheBlackCoats'') novels by Creator/PaulFeval, written from 1863 to 1875.
** And he had an earlier prototype in the Literature/GentlemenOfTheNight
* The House of the Jhereg in the ''Literature/{{Dragaera}}'' novels is mostly composed of this. Members of the House ''can'' be uninvolved in any real crime (as Jhereg allows entrance to those born into the nobility or cast out of other Houses by simply buying your way in, and while the House is disreputable it's still socially better than being a barbarian or peasant, there ''are'' other reasons to join), but the criminal organizations within it have no actual employees who aren't members. (Customers being preyed on, people being forced into criminal relationships, but not [[HonorAmongThieves potentially valued colleagues]].) While a combination of social pressure, fate and divine interference conspire to keep House Jhereg firmly within this trope, the details have changed over the Empire's vast lifespan - at times the House has represented an anarchy of street gangs, guerrilla fighters and commandos, or a secret society. At the "present" time of the books, there are actually two criminal organizations in House Jhereg, mostly nonintersecting: the Right Hand of the Jhereg, which functions as this trope, and the Left Hand, which has a monopoly on the ways in which sorcery can be used illegally and which is organized in a cell structure, more like a spy network or a cult. These hire each other as needed but have differing interests at the top levels which prevent unification.
* Milo's syndicate in ''Literature/CatchTwentyTwo''.

* Literature/TimeScout's criminal empire is composed of TheMafia, TheMafiya, the {{Yakuza}}, and many {{Corrupt Politician}}s

* Franchise/StarWarsLegends:

* In ''Literature/TheIronTeeth'' web serial, the Broken Wheel Company disposes of goods for the various bandit bands in the Iron Teeth mountains. They are also rumored to be involved in assassination and other illegal activities.
* ''Literature/TheSilerianTrilogy'': The Honored Society is a fantasy version, where water wizards extort tribute from people by controlling their water supplies, cutting it off if they refuse. Additionally, they have assassins who will kill whoever displeases them, but can also be hired to get revenge on others' behalf, though it's ''extremely'' costly. They're divided into competing factions under individual water lords with their own territories. While banned by the foreign Valdani who rule Silerian, they can't really be stamped out given their absolute control of the water supplies. After the Valdani leave, they move to rule openly over the entire island.

* Pick a CriminalProcedural. If it doesn't have The Syndicate, pick the next one: it's bound to be in.
* ''Franchise/StarTrek'':
** Several shows in the franchise, including ''[[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Deep Space 9]]'', have the Orion Syndicate, although since most of the major characters were (essentially) military personnel it tended to be more of an around-the-edges nuisance than a direct threat.
*** ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' reveals that [[spoiler: in the 32nd century, the Andorians have left TheFederation (along with many other planets) and joined the Orions in forming the Emerald Chain, an NGOSuperpower that's a serious threat to what's left of the Federation]].
** "A Piece of the Action" in ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' has Kirk arrange for the formation of a syndicate of mobs. It's all for a good cause, of course: the planet in question is run ''by'' mobs straight out of 1920 Chicago, so The Syndicate is the closest equivalent to TheFederation for the moment, and it helps to keep the Iotians working together.
* In ''Series/TheXFiles'', the OmniscientCouncilOfVagueness is actually called "the Syndicate" (among other things). They are [[spoiler:an international conspiracy of politicians and businessmen who discovered the existence of aliens after the RoswellIncident, and a few years later managed to negotiate a temporary truce with the homicidal aliens, buying themselves a few decades in return for assisting the alien colonization]].

* The infamous Shocker of the long running children's TV show ''Franchise/KamenRider'' definitely fits into this one considering that it spawned a lot of evil organizations after.

* The [[Series/MissionImpossible Impossible Missions Force]] faces off against The Syndicate several times.

* The Franchise/StargateVerse has the Lucian Alliance, a network of drug smugglers and black market dealers that developed into a consistent secondary threat to the Tau'ri after the Goa'uld Empire collapsed.
* In Lolly's flashback episode of ''Series/OrangeIsTheNewBlack'', the voices in her head tell her that a couple of bike cops work for the Syndicate, who in turn work for Starbucks who don't want her selling her own homemade coffee.
* The ''Series/BlakesSeven'' episode "Shadow" has the Terra Nostra ([[TheMafia Cosa Nostra]] RecycledInSpace) whose main revenue is the illegal drug Shadow. Our anti-heroes attempt (unsuccessfully) to [[TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilised buy their help in their struggle]] against the Terran Federation. [[spoiler:TheReveal is that Shadow is being harvested on a planet directly controlled by the President of the Federation, and Terra Nostra is just another means of controlling the populace, this time via its criminal underbelly.]]

* ''Series/CarnivalRow'': The Black Raven, the Fae crime gang Vignette joins. It appears to control most crime within the Burgue, or the Row at least. Vignette gets a job [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numbers_game running numbers]].

* ''{{Series/Defiance}}'': Detak Tarr's crew seems to be the only game around in terms of criminal groups, which makes him the unchallenged kingpin within the underworld.

* ''Manga/DetectiveConan'' has The Black Organization.

* Intergang from the ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'' comics falls into this, and is a credible threat even to powerful superheroes because they get their weapons and technology from Franchise/TheDCU's ultimate BigBad and EvilOverlord, {{ComicBook/Darkseid}}. (They also make a few appearances in the Superman and WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague cartoons, but as a lesser threat).

* The ArchEnemy of SherlockHolmes, Professor Moriarty, is the head of a mighty criminal organization filled with "a hundred broken fighting men, pickpockets, blackmailers, and card sharpers at the other, with every sort of crime in between." Holmes deduces that it is responsible for nearly all the undetected crimes in London, even powerful enough to threaten entire nations.

** To hear James Bond tell it, SMERSH itself was one of these. They have no compunction against working with gangsters like Mr. Big, career criminals like Goldfinger, or serial killers like Red Grant (not as unlikely as it sounds- the US, at least, has historically used crime lords as intelligence agents).

* The ''Series/BlakesSeven'' episode "Shadow" has the Terra Nostra ([[TheMafia Cosa Nostra]] InSpace) whose main revenue is the illegal drug Shadow. Our anti-heroes attempt (unsuccessfully) to [[TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilised buy their help in their struggle]] against the Terran Federation. [[spoiler:TheReveal is that Shadow is being harvested on a planet directly controlled by the President of the Federation, and Terra Nostra is just another means of controlling the populace, this time via its criminal underbelly.]]

* The ''Front Mission'' franchise has two of these -- one in the main Front Mission universe and another in the Gun Hazard universe.

** In the [[VideoGame/FrontMissionGunHazard Gun Hazard universe]], "The Society" led by Henry Sherwood.

* ''VideoGame/WatchDogs'': The Chicago South Club isn't just your typical [[TheIrishMob Irish mob group]] they are an organization that controls all of the Windy City through Mayor Donovan Rushmore.

* ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind'' has the Camonna Tong, the native Dunmer [[TheMafia Mafia]]. They're involved with nearly every seedy operation going on in Vvardenfell, particularly smuggling and drugs. They invert the RuthlessForeignGangsters trope, as they are much more ruthless than their Imperial import counterpart, the ThievesGuild, who avoids murder and generally practices HonorAmongThieves. The way they operate is very Mafia-esque, with Orvas Dren as the kingpin of the operation while they conduct business out of [[LegitimateBusinessmensSocialClub legitimate bars and taverns]]. More recently, they've even gotten involved with the [[ReligionOfEvil Sixth House cult]], whose promises of driving the Empire out of Morrowind meshes well with the Tong's utter hatred of outlanders. The Tong has two members of the [[ProudMerchantRace House Hlaalu]] council in their pocket, and also have control over the Fighters Guild [[spoiler:due to controlling the faction leader's gambling debts]]. As if that [[SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil weren't all bad enough]], they also take it upon themselves to enforce Morrowind's pro-slavery laws, which includes hiring bounty hunters to ruthlessly hunt down escaped slaves while they themselves are known to use slaves as drug mules. Finally, their leader, Orvas Dren, is planning to have his brother, [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure Duke of Vvardenfell]] Vedam Dren, assassinated.

* ''VideoGame/MegaManX7'' has Red alert, whose full name is the Red Alert Syndicate. It originally forms to help regulate the Mavericks, then gets [[HijackedByGanon manipulated by Sigma]] into using [[ShapeShifter Axl]] to collect the DNA-Data of powerful Reploids to power Red Alert up. The game's intro FMV showcases Axl's [[KillAndReplace kill-and-replace]] tactic to get to his assassination target, a criminal from a rival faction, by impersonating the target's right-hand man. They also use captured Mavericks as mooks, take civilian hostages and engage in terrorism in an attempt to get Axl back [[HeelFaceTurn when he defects to the Maverick Hunters]].

* Donald Westlake's Parker novels featured one of these, run along 60s corporate lines. Parker had some trouble with them in the first few novels, but arranged a détente of sorts after helping a new leader ascend to power. Parker even did a couple of jobs for them thereafter on a strictly cash basis.

** ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoViceCity'': Tommy Vercetti's criminal organization ([[http://gta.wikia.com/wiki/Vercetti_Gang Vercetti crime family]]) operates as a powerful organization based in and around Vice City.

-->'''Hoyt:''' "I'm a hunter myself. The noblest of professions. But you know, I like to hunt real game. I can offer you travel to slave markets in Rio, Hong Kong, New York. This is a global enterprise. Globalisation is the future, bringing things from far away to me."

* The unnamed crime syndicate run by Mr. X in the ''VideoGame/StreetsOfRage'' trilogy.

* The ''Front Mission'' franchise has two of these - one in the main Front Mission universe and another in the Gun Hazard universe.

* [[Franchise/StreetFighter Shadaloo]] started out as this, but as the series progressed, became more of a NebulousEvilOrganisation.

* Of course, there needs to be a mention of THE number one syndicate in all of western animation... [[WesternAnimation/InspectorGadget MAD]].

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan'': L. Thompson Lincoln's outfit is this (in fact, he was probably meant to be Kingpin, the example listed under Comics). He's the secret identity of The Big Man of Crime in New York, and bit players in the underworld think he's a myth- meanwhile, Lincoln himself is publicly believed to be an odd-looking philanthropist. By season 3, there's a three-way struggle over his power base between him, the standard Mafia, and the growing supervillain community.

* In ''Film/PointBlank'', Lee Marvin battled a remarkably organised organised crime organisation which was explicitly referred to as "The Syndicate". ''Film/TheOutfitOutfit'' was a loose sequel to ''Point Blank'', and ''Film/CharleyVarrick'' inhabited a similar world

*** And two films later, we have ''Film/{{Spectre}}'' itself, which make Mr White, the BigBad of ''Film/QuantumOfSolace'' and ''Film/CasinoRoyale2006'' to hide away. [[spoiler:Turns out Quantum was a subsidiary of SPECTRE.]]

* ''Filme/GameOfDeath'': In the 1978 version, Dr. Land's group even calls itself the syndicate, resides in the Red Pepper restaurant, controls the whole martial arts industry and takes its fair share out of bets.

Not to be confused with a short-lived Creator/{{BBC}}1 GameShow hosted by Nick Ross, [[Series/TheSyndicate a longer-lived drama of that name]] or the companies which distribute NewspaperComics to the papers themselves or the [[VideoGame/{{Syndicate}} video game of the same name]]. Compare the NebulousCriminalConspiracy and NebulousEvilOrganisation. Funnily enough, in Spanish "Sindicato" means both "Syndicate" and "Trade Union" (the same goes for the French "syndicat"). [[MilkmanConspiracy Make of that what you will]].

* The Black Dragon to which Kano belonged and their rival parent group the Red Dragon from ''VideoGame/MortalKombat''. Likewise, Sub-Zero's Lin Kuei and their rivals, the Shira Ryu, to which Scorpion once belonged. The White Lotus Society, to which both Liu Kang and Kung Lao belonged, is the "good guy" variant of this trope.

* The House of the Jhereg in the ''Literature/{{Dragaera}}'' novels.

* ''VideoGame/FarCry3'': Hoyt's criminal organization is an immensely powerful organization dedicated in drug trade and human trafficking. And as if that was not enough, he has an army of bloodthirsty mercenaries at his disposal.

* ''{{Series/Pandora}}'': The Hypatia Syndicate seems to the main organized criminal group in Human space, with their hands in extortion and slave trafficking.

** Several shows in the franchise, including ''Deep Space 9'', have the Orion Syndicate, although since most of the major characters were (essentially) military personnel it tended to be more of an around-the-edges nuisance than a direct threat.

** In the main Front Mission universe, the "Grimnir" led by Morgan Bernard (who also functions as the series BigBad).

* ''VideoGame/FrontMission'' has two of these - one in the main Front Mission universe and another in the Gun Hazard universe.

** In the Gun Hazard universe, "The Society" led by Henry Sherwood.

Not to be confused with a short-lived Creator/{{BBC}}1 GameShow hosted by Nick Ross, [[Series/TheSyndicate a longer lived drama of that name]] or the companies which distribute NewspaperComics to the papers themselves or the [[VideoGame/{{Syndicate}} video game of the same name]]. Compare the NebulousCriminalConspiracy and NebulousEvilOrganisation. Funnily enough, in Spanish "Sindicato" means both "Syndicate" and "Trade Union" (the same goes for the French "syndicat"). [[MilkmanConspiracy Make of that what you will]].

* The Red Dragon in ''Anime/CowboyBebop''. The whole reason Spike was almost killed the first place was because they wanted to [[HeKnowsTooMuch silence him after he tried to leave.]]