History WoobieSpecies / VideoGames

** The Gerudo gradually turn out to be this. They're introduced in ''Ocarina of Time'' as a race of DesertBandits ruled by Ganondorf, but they're revealed to be pretty nice once freed from his influence. ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' reveals that the harshness of their desert homeland is what drove Ganondorf to TakeOverTheWorld in the first place. By the time of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'', they openly consider his origins as one of their own to be a shameful blemish on their tribe's history. On a more comedic level, the fact that they're a OneGenderRace means that they have some serious troubles interacting with men without intimidating them.

* Downplayed in the ''Franchise/{{Disgaea}}'' series with the Prinnies. On the one hand, they are a ServantRace who are forced to perform slave labor for angels (for free) and demons (for low-pay) with their masters often ranging from strict at best to unnecessarily cruel at worst. They also have the inexplicable ability to explode when thrown, [[PotentialVideoGameCruelty so even the player is free to abuse them by using them as grenades in battle.]] On the other hand, within each Prinny is the soul of a sinful human and the entire system is meant to be a sort of cosmic community service, giving them the chance to earn their redemption and reincarnate.

** The entire [[spoiler:[[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds Ur-Quan]]]] civilization was enslaved by tyrannical [[TheHypnotoad Hypnotoads]] and reclaimed their freedom only after a lengthy campaign of mind control-disrupting self-torture. Small wonder [[spoiler:half of them became control freaks and the other half became {{Omnicidal Maniac}}s.]] Even with more perspective the [[spoiler: Ur-Quan]] are very unfortunate. They evolved largely solitary, with an inborn dislike and fear of each other, and had to learn to suppress and control their own territorial instincts to come together into a society. When leaving their homeworld they attacked the first alien ships they saw, but the Taalo were patient and they stopped, and found to their shock that these rock-shaped aliens didn't set off their territorial instincts at all in person, even if other aliens did. They entered into galactic civilization ''again'' suppressing their nature, eager to find ways to participate and contribute that didn't involve too much direct contact with aliens that they instinctively hated, but the Sylandro describe them as "great friends". And then they found the Dynarri, who discovered that they were highly susceptible to mind control and took over galactic civilization. The Taalo were immune to mind control, so the Dynarri had the [[spoiler: Ur-Quan]] wipe them out, and the sentient species of the galaxy were viciously pruned back, any who made less able slaves wiped out. ''Twenty five centuries later'', after being bred into two distinct subspecies, the discovery that Dynarri released their control on someone dying or in excruciating pain was made, and [[spoiler: Kzer-Za]] injected himself with a nasty poison so he could [[HeroicSacrifice spread this knowledge before dying in agony]]. [[spoiler: Ur-Quan]] everywhere immediately started hacking off their own limbs, stabbing themselves with broken glass, et cetera so they could rush and try to kill their masters. When they had cleared enough to be able to organize they developed devices they could plant in their own brains to cause immense, constant agony without harming their bodies, and so leave them able to fight without fear. They did this for ''years'' and were terrified of being enslaved again, guilty about the Taalo, and fearful of all the species that in previous eras they would have carefully worked with. The relative patience and civility of even [[spoiler: the more genocidal Ur-Quan]] is remarkable.

* ''VideoGame/Unreal'': The Nali are a peaceful race who have had their planet invaded and been enslaved by the Skaarj, who kill them in [[CruelAndUnusualDeath exceedingly cruel ways,]] such a crucifixion, if they ever rebel. In-game, the Skaarj and their minions try to kill any Nail they see for [[ForTheEvulz basically no reason,]] and there's a scripted sequence where some [[SlaveMooks Kraal]] [[KickTheDog shove a Nali off a floating island to his death.]]

%%Good Evening Editors, If you wish to add more woobies, please consult the cleanup thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=15391212720A38366900&page=1

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'': The ''Shadowbringers'' patch gives us the [[spoiler: [[BenevolentPrecursors Ancient Amaurotines]] - who would become the Ascians]], a race of gentle and idealistic people who suffered the worst lost possible. [[spoiler: From what we see of ([[UnreliableNarrator admittedly, Emet-Selch's romanticized view of]]) them, they were a race of near-immortal giants who never knew premature death or disease, a truly Utopian society of people with no wants for shelter, food or happiness with magics so powerful they could create life just by thinking. They never knew war, and any disagreement was settled in a forum of debate where people civilly argued over their differences. The only negative shown is still a subjective one in their only allowed physical individuality being their masks, but besides that their freedom of thought and artistic pursuits were encouraged. When their world was facing an apocalyptic threat that had already wiped out an untold number of their people, they sacrificed half of the surviving numbers of their race ''three times'' to summon Zodiark, revive the world, then summon Hydaelyn as a result of the only division their people had ever known. The biggest takeway, which all of the characters agree with is that Amaurot and that ancient world deserved ''none'' of what happened to it, and it was an unmitigated tragedy what happened and the measures they had to take to save it, and understand why the Ascians seek to bring it back even though they still can't sympathize with the [[WellIntentionedExtremist lengths they go to]] for it.]]

** Ralts are highly attuned to the emotions of people and Pokémon. If one senses hostility, they will get scared and hide.

** [[CassandraDidIt Absol]] can sense when natural disasters are about to occur and try to warn people about it, but the fact that they can't vocalize mean that they were mistaken as the ''source'' of said disaster, and often get abused and chased out of the area they're living in as a result. ''X and Y'''s pokedex entry uses the past tense regarding that rumor though, so maybe the myth has died off.

* ''Franchise/DragonAge'''s elves have not had it easy, that's for sure. Their original homeland was invaded by the Tevinter Imperium, and they were enslaved. They were freed after they helped Andraste overthrow the Imperium and established a new homeland. This was invaded by the Chantry (which was founded by Andraste's followers) because they didn't help stop the blight that was going on at that point, and are now either second class citizens living in walled off alienages in the cities, or in the forests, where they try to reclaim their heritage, and even then are often seen as troublemakers. It gets worse in ''Videogame/DragonAgeInquisition'' with TheReveal that [[spoiler:everything they knew about their homeland was wrong. The Elven Empire was just as bad, if not ''worse'' than Tevinter and Orlais, with an immortal nobility that enslaved lower class elves.]] The blood-writing the Dalish put on their faces to honor their gods? [[spoiler:Those were originally ''slave brands'' nobles put on their slaves to honor the gods.]] The final nail in the coffin is [[spoiler:an Ancient Elf]] admitting that [[spoiler:the Elven Empire destroyed itself in a civil war. Tevinter simply scavenged the remains.]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'':

* The Floaters/[=Archons=], as revealed in ''VideoGame/XCOMChimeraSquad'', were created through "cruelty bordering on hatred." Previous games mentioned how their physical bodies were slapdash amalgamations of leftover Muton shoved into a robotic torso, but we learn here that they were '''not''' [[EmptyShell Empty Shells]]. Their control method was [[AndIMustScream to subject their still-conscious mind to permanent agony]], lessened only when they obeyed the Ethereals' directives. Even worse, they avert BeingTorturedMakesYouEvil; when the horrified humans built them a psionic LotusEaterMachine to live in, they're actually peaceful, shy due to their trauma, and often turn their psionic projections into elephants just to play with whoever visits them. Yet, it's only 20 years after you first encounter them that you finally have the option [[VideogameCaringPotential to capture them instead]].

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'': The ''Shadowbringers'' patch gives us the [[spoiler: [[BenevolentPrecursors Ancient Amaurotines]] - who would become the [[ [[BigBad Ascians]]]], a race of gentle and idealistic people who suffered the worst lost possible. [[spoiler: From what we see of ([[UnreliableNarrator admittedly, Emet-Selch's romanticized view of]]) them, they were a race of near-immortal giants who never knew premature death or disease, a truly Utopian society of people with no wants for shelter, food or happiness with magics so powerful they could create life just by thinking. They never knew war, and any disagreement was settled in a forum of debate where people civilly argued over their differences. The only negative shown is still a subjective one in their only allowed physical individuality being their masks, but besides that their freedom of thought and artistic pursuits were encouraged. When their world was facing an apocalyptic threat that had already wiped out an untold number of their people, they sacrificed half of the surviving numbers of their race ''three times'' to summon Zodiark, revive the world, then summon Hydaelyn as a result of the only division their people had ever known. The biggest takeway, which all of the characters agree with is that Amaurot and that ancient world deserved ''none'' of what happened to it, and it was an unmitigated tragedy what happened and the measures they had to take to save it, and understand why the Ascians seek to bring it back even though they still can't sympathize with the [[WellIntentionedExtremist lengths they go to]] for it.]]

** [[TheCassandra Absols]] can sense when natural disasters are about to occur and try to warn people about it, but the fact that they can't vocalize mean that they were mistaken as the ''source'' of said disaster, and often get abused and chased out of the area they're living in as a result. ''X and Y'''s pokedex entry uses the past tense regarding that rumor though, so maybe the myth has died off.

* The Floaters / Archons, as revealed in VideoGame/XCOMChimeraSquad, were created through "cruelty bordering on hatred." Previous games mentioned how their physical bodies were slapdash amalgamations of leftover Muton shoved into a robotic torso, but we learn here that they were '''not''' [[EmptyShell Empty Shells]]. Their control method was [[AndIMustScream to subject their still-conscious mind to permanent agony]], lessened only when they obeyed the Ethereals' directives. Even worse, they avert BeingTorturedMakesYouEvil; when the horrified humans built them a psionic LotusEaterMachine to live in, they're actually peaceful, shy due to their trauma, and often turn their psionic projections into elephants just to play with whoever visits them. Yet, it's only 20 years after you first encounter them that you finally have the option [[VideogameCaringPotential to capture them instead]].

** [[http://www.halopedia.org/Unggoy Grunts]] are just SlaveMooks that mostly have no real qualm with humanity. Usually they're too tiny and weak to be a threat. [[GoddamnedBats Usually]]. Plus, they can be really funny to listen to, [[http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/-d7IiiyukTc&rel=1 like here]].

%%Good Evening Editors, If you wish to add more woobies, please consult the cleanup thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=15391212720A38366900&page=1
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* ''VideoGame/StarControl'':
** The entire [[spoiler:[[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds Ur-Quan]]]] civilization was enslaved by tyrannical [[TheHypnotoad Hypnotoads]] and reclaimed their freedom only after a lengthy campaign of mind control-disrupting self-torture. Small wonder [[spoiler:half of them became control freaks and the other half became {{Omnicidal Maniac}}s.]] Even with more perspective the [[spoiler: Ur-Quan]] are very unfortunate. They evolved largely solitary, with an inborn dislike and fear of each other, and had to learn to suppress and control their own territorial instincts to come together into a society. When leaving their homeworld they attacked the first alien ships they saw, but the Taalo were patient and they stopped, and found to their shock that these rock-shaped aliens didn't set off their territorial instincts at all in person, even if other aliens did. They entered into galactic civilization ''again'' suppressing their nature, eager to find ways to participate and contribute that didn't involve too much direct contact with aliens that they instinctively hated, but the Sylandro describe them as "great friends". And then they found the Dynarri, who discovered that they were highly susceptible to mind control and took over galactic civilization. The Taalo were immune to mind control, so the Dynarri had the [[spoiler: Ur-Quan]] wipe them out, and the sentient species of the galaxy were viciously pruned back, any who made less able slaves wiped out. ''Twenty five centuries later'', after being bred into two distinct subspecies, the discovery that Dynarri released their control on someone dying or in excruciating pain was made, and [[spoiler: Kzer-Za]] injected himself with a nasty poison so he could [[HeroicSacrifice spread this knowledge before dying in agony]]. [[spoiler: Ur-Quan]] everywhere immediately started hacking off their own limbs, stabbing themselves with broken glass, et cetera so they could rush and try to kill their masters. When they had cleared enough to be able to organize they developed devices they could plant in their own brains to cause immense, constant agony without harming their bodies, and so leave them able to fight without fear. They did this for ''years'' and were terrified of being enslaved again, guilty about the Taalo, and fearful of all the species that in previous eras they would have carefully worked with. The relative patience and civility of even [[spoiler: the more genocidal Ur-Quan]] is remarkable.
** The Androsynth, although they are not, strictly speaking, a separate species: they are humans, just like the Earthlings. First, they get enslaved by the rest of humanity. Then, after they finally escape and settle a planet of their own, they get enslaved again, this time by the Ur-Quan Kzer-Za. Then, when they start doing research into inter-dimensional fatigue (looking for a way to escape slavery again? Remember, they escaped from slavery the first time by discovering hyperspace, the first humans to do so), the Ariloulaleelay, who had worked so hard to protect humanity from the Orz, do nothing to warn them of the dangers. Sure enough, they break the dimensional barrier and unleash the Orz, who proceed to wipe them out in some mysterious manner. The games hardly acknowledge how tragic and unfair their fate was. In the second game, Earth seems perfectly happy to welcome the Orz to the New Alliance, never mind that the Orz had already wiped out half the human race.

* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'': The Gorons are a peaceful race of rock people that face the threat of extinction at the hands of [[BigBad Ganondorf]] twice. When he demands they hand over the Spiritual Stone of Fire and they refuse, he blocks off Dodongo's Cavern, cutting off their food source so that they'll starve to death. Things become even worse for them seven years later, as it's revealed that Ganondorf has revived the Goron-eating dragon Volvagia and has imprisoned all the terrified Gorons to feed them to it as a showing of his power. Fortunately, Link is able to save them both times and is rewarded the title of 'sworn brother' for his troubles.
** The Gerudo gradually turn out to be this. They're introduced in ''Ocarina of Time'' as a race of DesertBandits ruled by Ganondorf, but they're revealed to be pretty nice once freed from his influence. ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' reveals that the harshness of their desert homeland is what drove Ganondorf to TakeOverTheWorld in the first place. By the time of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'', they openly consider his origins as one of their own to be a shameful blemish on their tribe's history. On a more comedic level, the fact that they're a OneGenderRace means that they have some serious troubles interacting with men without intimidating them.
** The Sheikah in ''Breath of the Wild''. The backstory establishes that after their {{Magitek}} was used to help defeat Calamity Ganon, the other peoples of Hyrule banished them from the kingdom out of fear that the technology would be used against them afterward. Even after this, 120 Sheikah sealed themselves up in the Shrines for 10,000 years waiting to help the future Hylian Champion fight Ganon once again. This is also [[MistreatmentInducedBetrayal the reason]] the Yiga Clan decided to ally themselves with Ganon.

* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'':
** The Dunmer (Dark Elves) have a long series of hardships throughout their history, but the absolute worst is the TraumaCongaLine leading up to the events of ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]''. As a result of ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]''[='s=] main quest and the ''Tribunal'' expansion, they've lost their {{Physical God}}s who have protected them for thousands of years. Following the [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion Crisis]], Red Mountain erupts, destroying Vvardenfell and rendering much of mainland Morrowind (their homeland) uninhabitable under choking ash. ''Then'' the Argonians, a long-time SlaveRace of the Dunmer, invade and capture the habitable southern areas. The surviving Dunmer are now packed into northern Morrowind, the barren rock of Solstheim, and into eastern Skyrim, where they are discriminated against and looked down upon by the natives there.
** The Orcs are an IronWoobie Species. They were turned the way they were by their patron god being devoured, they've faced oppression and racism from just about every other race - particularly the Bretons and Redguards, their immediate neighbors - and every time they manage to carve some land for themselves and found a nation of their own, it doesn't last. But they take this all in a stride, and have become all the stronger because of it.
** [[LizardFolk Argonians]] have a long history of being enslaved and marginalized by the other races, especially the Dunmer. As of ''Skyrim'', they've become a little less deserving of sympathy after they've invaded the Dunmeri homeland of Morrowind, though it's arguably payback for what the Dunmer did to them.
* ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'':
** [[http://www.halopedia.org/Huragok Engineers]], initially TrueNeutral pacifist critters who just like fixing technology, late in the war many of them end up defecting to the UNSC because of how the Covenant has been mistreating them, such as having bombs strapped to them.
** [[http://www.halopedia.org/Unggoy Grunts]] are just SlaveMooks that mostly have no real qualm with humanity. Usually they're too tiny and weak to be a threat. [[GoddamnedBats Usually]]. Plus, they can be really funny to listen to, [[http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/-d7IiiyukTc&rel=1 like here]].
* The enslaved whales in the Dolphins' Nightmare section of ''VideoGame/EccoTheDolphin: Defender of the Future''. The two Ecco meets are being used [[PoweredByAForsakenChild to power the Hanging Waters]]. In the same reality, the Outcast dolphins come across as a species of {{Jerkass Woobie}}s - they're jerks to the other marine life as much as all dolphins are in that reality ([[ItMakesSenseInContext since their ancestors had Compassion stolen from them]]) but are constantly abused by the Clan dolphins.

* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':
** [[TheCassandra Absols]] can sense when natural disasters are about to occur and try to warn people about it, but the fact that they can't vocalize mean that they were mistaken as the ''source'' of said disaster, and often get abused and chased out of the area they're living in as a result. ''X and Y'''s pokedex entry uses the past tense regarding that rumor though, so maybe the myth has died off.
** Cubone is the original Pokémon Woobie, and appears to have been designed to harp on this trope as hard as possible. Cubones are orphans, having been separated from their mother at a young age (and, in a just-a-bit-creepy development, wear said mother's skull as a helmet). They avoid interacting with others and at night, they can be seen staring at the moon and crying, since it reminds them of their mother. Their species name is "Lonely Pokémon."
* [[spoiler:Shades]] from ''VideoGame/{{Nier}}'' [[spoiler:were infected with White Chlorination Syndrome, watched their world get destroyed, and gave up their human bodies]]. Some of them went insane, were forced into cryogenic sleep, and then treated as monsters by their clones and slaughtered.

* ''VideoGame/{{Paladins}}'':
** Goblins are a SlaveRace who have been forced to work in a gold mine under terrible conditions with little to no compensation. Fortunately, a goblin named Ruckus learned how to repurpose a mining MiniMecha into a war machine and rebelled against his enslavers.
** Ska'drin are a demon-like species who are looked down upon by every other species who see them as evil monsters. They've almost been wiped out at least twice and most ska'drin live in fear, resorting to filing off their horns and tucking their tails to hide their true identity. However, one young ska'drin named Talus is proud of his heritage and strives to show others that ska'drin are good people.

** The Forsaken were former members of the Scourge, but regained their consciousness after the Lich King lost some of his power. Many of them have memories of devouring their loved ones as mindless undead. Even after their faculties were restored, they couldn't understand Common anymore because of the rot affecting their minds, almost like a stroke victim. Any of the surviving humans rejected them in understandable horror, since the Scourge had nearly wiped humanity off the planet. They were forced into an uneasy alliance with their former enemies, the Horde. Ultimately this is played with though; they're more of a JerkassWoobie species thanks to their BlackAndGreyMorality.

* [[spoiler:Shades]] from ''VideoGame/{{Nier}}'' [[spoiler:were infected with White Chlorination Syndrome, watched their world get destroyed, gave up their human bodies]]. Some of them went insane, forced into cryogenic sleep, and then treated as monsters by their clones and slaughtered.

** The Dunmer have a long series of hardships throughout their history, but the absolute worst comes by the time of ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'', where their homeland is buried by an erupting volcano and invaded, forcing them to disperse into other lands as refugees... only to be discriminated against and looked down upon by the natives there.

** Argonians have a long history of being enslaved and marginalized by the other races, especially the Dunmer. As of ''Skyrim'', they've become a little less deserving of sympathy when they invade the Dunmers' homeland of Vvardenfall, though it's arguably payback for what the Dunmer did to them.

** The angara, from ''Andromeda''. Four hundred years before the game begins, they were separated from one another by a nasty case of NegativeSpaceWedgie going off in their backyard, which also massively screws up the environment of most of their worlds, with their homeworld's ecology going into overdrive. Then, three hundred years later, they've managed to rebuild when [[ScaryDogmaticAliens the kett]] show up. Initial first contact is joyous and promising. Then the kett abduct and kill their leaders, and cripple their military, and spend the next eighty years trying to eradicate the angara, bombing what little's left of their cities into rubble. The end result is the angara, a people that pride themselves on family and unity, are now massively distrustful of any aliens, and no longer have any real desire to see what else might be out there, in case it tries to backstab them again.