Line #20 BadPowersGoodPeople/VideoGames


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2	!! Examples of BadPowersGoodPeople in Video Games
3	* ''Videogame/AsheronsCall'' introduced [[PowerOfTheVoid Void Magic]] late in its run as an alternative to War Magic. Despite being a dark themed school of magic it wasn't considered any more evil than the other four schools (War, Life, Creature, and Item)
4	* ''VideoGame/BaldursGateII'':
5	** The good-aligned Bhaalspawn including good [=PCs=] [[spoiler:and Imoen]]. Good people... whose [[SemiDivine divine heritage]] leaves them capable of transforming into unholy killing machines with a burning desire to slaughter everything nearby. Even when you can keep control of the slayer form, it still dings your KarmaMeter.
6	** Also, there's Cernd, a druid who can transform into a [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent werewolf]]. In the ''Forgotten Realms'' setting, werebeasts are usually ChaoticEvil[[invoked]] unless they find a way to control it, but Cernd is very mature and easygoing, and actually one of the most peaceful characters you can recruit. [[BewareTheNiceOnes Just don't get him angry]].
7	* ''VideoGame/BaldursGateIII'':
8	** There is nothing stopping you from being a warlock, or a cleric of an evil god, but still acting in a heroic manner. The same goes for the scary psychic powers you can unlock by absorbing mind flayer tadpoles.
9	** Deconstructed to hell and back with Wyll, who is a FolkHero who is beloved by the common people of the Sword Coast as the "Blade of Frontiers". He is also a Warlock whose powers were granted to him by a DealWithTheDevil, and the devil in question, Mizora, is ''NOT'' a very nice person. Wyll, on the other hand, is a compassionate young man dedicated to doing good, even with powers that come from a wicked source. His patron forces him into morally questionable territory and he has to sacrifice ''much'' to ensure he keeps these powers, leaving the question open as to whether it's all worth it.
10	** [[TheOathbreaker The Oathbreaker Knight]] is a former Paladin who lost his holy powers and replaced them with necromantic magic after breaking his Oath ([[ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight albeit for a very good reason]]). He personally believes in this, stating that an Oathbreaker's wicked powers can be used in the service of good, which the player can choose to do as an Oathbreaker, themself.
11	* Ysuran from ''VideoGame/BaldursGateDarkAlliance II'' is a {{necromancer}} who draws magic power from the [[TheDarkSide Shadow Weave]], but he's on the side of the good guys and is even described as possessing a strange desire to help everyone he comes across. [[spoiler:Downplayed by the fact that he learned his powers while working for terrorists, [[AmnesiacDissonance but has forgotten his past due to a magical accident.]]]]
12	* [[spoiler:Malpercio]] from the ''VideoGame/BatenKaitos'' games. Despite making a DealWithTheDevil for dark powers, they're just normal people who are desperate to stop [[HumanoidAbomination something far worse]]. By extension, [[spoiler:Sagi]] could also qualify, seeing as how [[spoiler:he gets his power from a chunk of Marno, the latter being a part of Malpercio]].
13	* Bayonetta and the entire Umbra Witch clan from the ''{{VideoGame/Bayonetta}}'' franchise fall into this. They make contracts with demons, basically selling their souls to go to hell (called Inferno in this game) when they die, and in turn gain the ability to summon said infernal demons to slaughter their enemies (normally angels). They can [[BulletTime slow down time]] with the express purpose of using this ability to combo and kill their foes while they can't defend themselves, and can even [[ColdBloodedTorture summon horrible torture devices]] to kill their opponents as brutally as possible. Even so, they are never depicted as evil for a couple of reasons. First, they're needed to represent TheSacredDarkness opposite their counterparts and fellow guardians of [[MacGuffin the Eyes of the World]], the Lumen Sages, who possess [[LightEmUp light-themed]] versions of their powers. Second, [[LightIsNotGood angels are decisively not on the side of humanity]], while a few demons (but far from all) are suggested to be [[DarkIsNotEvil much nicer than you'd think]].
14	* ''Franchise/BlazBlue'':
15	** [[OneManArmy Ragna]] [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast the Bloodedge]] is a wanted outlaw armed with the [[ArtifactOfDoom Azure Grimoire]] and has the "Soul Eater" ability to drain health from people to restore his own. Also, his [[FinishingMove Astral Finish]] involves his {{BFS}} turning into a SinisterScythe and him turning into... [[EldritchAbomination something]] and utterly destroying his opponent right down to their [[DeaderThanDead souls]]. Despite this, he's [[DarkIsNotEvil actually]] a JerkWithAHeartOfGold. The only reason he's not a complete NiceGuy is because his life ''really'' [[JerkassWoobie sucks]].
16	** Naoto Kuragane of ''[[VideoGame/BlazBlueCentralFiction Central Fiction]]'' [[CanonImmigrant and]] ''Bloodedge Experience'' is also a pretty friendly fellow for a guy who ''[[BloodyMurder creates weapons using his own blood]]'' [[spoiler:and is also technically undead]].
17	* Miriam from ''VideoGame/BloodstainedRitualOfTheNight'' was implanted with magic crystals that empower her with the ability to control supernatural demonic forces, at the cost of her body slowly crystallizing if her powers are used in excess. Despite this, she is a kind, brave and just woman who uses her powers to protect those she cares about.
18	-->'''Miriam:''' Our power doesn't make us good or bad. Our choices do.
19	* ''VideoGame/{{Boktai}}:''
20	** After his HeelFaceTurn, Sabata becomes this. Though he has almost exclusively evil powers, using a gun powered by darkness and hate and having a body imbued with dark mater, he fights for the sake of all humanity for no reason other than "[[ScrewDestiny screw the will of the galaxy]]." [[spoiler:In the second game he even develops some [[DarkIsNotEvil non-evil powers that reflect the moon]].]]
21	** Similarly, when Django is turned into a vampire he becomes this. Even in spite of not being fully conscious and basically running on instinct, and even in spite of running around sucking the blood of enemies and hiding in a coffin from the sun, he ''still'' [[HeroicWillpower makes his way through a dungeon, slays the Immortal ruling it, and drags them back to the Pile Driver to purify them]]. [[spoiler:After being cured and retaining the ability to change between human and vampire at will, though, using his darkness powers too much will earn you a worse ending -- the game implies if you use them too much you'll get DrunkOnTheDarkSide and become BadPowersBadPeople]].
22	** Carmilla the Crying Witch, one of the Immortals from the first game, is revealed to be this in the third. Her backstory is she was once a human who was shunned for her unnatural powers, which The Count took advantage of to turn her into a monster, and while "good" might be a touch too strong since she's mostly just motivated by her love of Sabata, she basically does whatever she can to support him and becomes a full ally in the third game.
23	* ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}'' Most of [[GoodBadGirl Moxxi's]] guns have some sort of LifeDrain like effect but aren't considered evil. A downplayed example as she is more of an AntiHero than a straight up good guy. Also, as the series' MsFanservice who ReallyGetsAround, it could be a {{Stealth\|Pun}} DoubleEntendre since her weapons all "suck" HP from the enemy.
24	* ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}''
25	** ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaAriaOfSorrow'' and ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaDawnOfSorrow'':
26	*** Soma Cruz has Dracula's main power of controlling monsters (and stealing their powers). [[spoiler:It turns out that Soma is the {{reincarnation}} of Dracula.]] It's [[MultipleEndings up to the player]] to determine whether he turns evil.
27	*** Genya Arikado is specifically noted to have similar dark powers to Soma, but is very strongly on the side of good. [[spoiler:He's actually Alucard under an alias--more on him below.]]
28	** Alucard from ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaIIIDraculasCurse'' and ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight'', among other entries, is Dracula's dhampyr son. As such, he inherited many of his father's abilities, including Dracula's signature TeleportSpam (with dark meteors and fireballs). However, he sides with humanity in memory of his mother, Lise, and in fact took the moniker of {{Alucard}}[[note]]His birth name was Adrian Fahrenheit Tepes[[/note]] to show his ''opposition'' to his evil father.
29	* In ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'' and its sister game, ''City of Villains'', players can create heroes with skeletal wings, dark miasmic powers that suck the life from the enemy and hide allies in shadows, and the ability to nuke whatever's left until it glows.
30	** The ''Going Rogue'' expansion allows characters to freely switch alignment. So you can have a demon summoning hero or an empathetic villain.
31	** Canon character Infernal is a controller and binder of demons, who [[DarkIsNotEvil looks a lot like one himself]]. He's firmly with the good guys, though his MirrorUniverse version[[note]]It's telling that Infernal is the only signature hero who has the same costume/name as their Praetorian counterpart[[/note]] shows us how easily his powers could corrupt him.
32	** There are quite a few characters like this. Positron is basically a nuclear bomb in a tin can. Desdemona (''Going Rogue'''s Poster Girl) is a reformed demon summoner. Sea Witch can summon the ghosts of the dead to do her bidding, yet spends most of her time fighting the evil Cage Consortium. Oh, and [[MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch every Warshade ever]].
33	** An extra odd variant of this trope is with the "villain" Scirocco. Scirocco received his powers from a magic sword, but because he was not TheChosenOne, a booby-trap curse went off on him preventing him from using the sword's powers for what was in his heart. The curse-makers assumed that anyone who'd steal the sword would try to use it for evil, no one counted on the thief being good, so Scirocco's every attempt to use his powers for good goes [[DoomMagnet horribly wrong]]. He became a villain because if he can't do good directly he at-least wanted to be a good influence on the forces of evil; A sad case of this trope crossed with YouCantFightFate.
34	* The Occultist in ''VideoGame/DarkestDungeon'' draws power from [[spoiler:the [[BigBad Heart of Darkness]] itself]] to use against its forces, including summoning demonic tentacles and being possessed by it in some virtues and afflictions. Overlaps with TheDogBitesBack and DarkIsNotEvil.
35	* Donovan Baine in ''VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}}'' is a Dhampyr, or half-vampire. As such he is a powerful foe owing to being a creature of the night, and is shown in the questionably-canon anime to be a very powerful and resilient character. However, he laments over his 'cursed blood', looks after an emotionless psychic orphan, appears to be a pious Buddhist monk and generally does what he can to help protect humans from the less benevolent Darkstalkers. All of this with a demon broadsword as tall as he is on his back. Hsien-Ko and Mei-Ling (Lei-Lei and Lin-Lin in Japan) are lesser examples.
36	* ''VideoGame/{{Diablo}}'':
37	** {{Necromancer}}s in the franchise are an order devoted to maintaining the BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil, but because Hell has the upper hand 90% of the time, in practice most of them are strictly heroic. Many [=NPCs=] are uneasy about a necromancer PC -- especially those with dead friends who might get reanimated -- yet he's firmly on the side of saving the world from the Prime Evils.
38	** The Witch Doctor in ''VideoGame/DiabloIII'' has scores of horrific powers, and a [[NightmareFetishist fascination with the macabre]]. However, he or she is genuinely nice, heroically inclined, a WarriorTherapist and a lot more personable than {{the stoic}} other classes.
39	* The player can follow this path if they choose in ''Videogame/{{Dishonored}}''. The EnigmaticEmpoweringEntity, The Outsider, occasionally bequeaths powers like teleportation and summoning swarms of rabid rats to those he finds "interesting," just to see what they would do with them. The frequency of those gifted immediately abusing their powers, like Daud (professional assassin) and Granny Rags (insane ritualist), is so high that the Outsider is considered the local [[TheAntichrist Anti-Christ]]. Despite this, the player character Corvo Attano can refrain from using the more horrifying powers and instead pursue a non-lethal, low chaos run, to which the Outsider will comment on in a confused yet approving manner.
40	* ''Franchise/DragonAge'':
41	** ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins''
42	*** Jowan is a [[BloodMagic blood mage]], but while he does cause a few problems--most notably [[spoiler:poisoning Arl Eamon]]--he also shows regret for his actions and expresses a desire to fix his mistakes. If sent into the Fade to [[spoiler:fight the demon possessing Connor]], he will never consider making a deal. Or if told to leave, he'll [[spoiler:take on a new name for himself and help others escape the Blight.]] According to WordOfGod, Jowan was supposed to have been a companion to the PlayerCharacter, but was downgraded to just a NPC due to time shortage.
43	*** The Mage Warden can quite happily learn blood magic and run around turning enemies into messy red stains, backing this up with a heavy focus on Entropic magic (which includes spells based around fear, death, and weakness), but they can also be a FriendToAllLivingThings who tries to solve problems diplomatically, only resorting to blasting people into goo when that fails.
44	*** Also, in the Warden's Keep DLC you can make use of the research of a Grey Warden blood mage who has learned to unlock power from the taint in a Grey Warden's blood. If you choose to do this you get a couple of nifty tricks for your character based on their class.
45	*** You can make friendly, snarky Alistair a Reaver in the first game, or play one yourself, and if you unlocked the specialisation in a previous play-through you don't even need to taint the Holy Grail equivalent with dragon blood to do so. Reavers are warriors who have powers gained from malevolent spirits which are based around creating auras of pain and drinking the souls of the slain.
46	** [[CuteClumsyGirl Merrill]] of ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' is a practicing [[BloodMagic blood mage]], demon summoner, and is [[BlackMage the only mage on the team incapable of healing others]]. Despite this, she's unfailingly kind, sweet, and naive, and wishes no harm to anyone, having turned to dark powers in the hopes of using them to aid her clan in regaining their lost glory. [[GameplayAndStorySegregation Outside of gameplay]], she never expresses a desire to use said demons and blood magic ''on people''; she mostly turned to those avenues for utilitarian purposes. [[DeconstructedTrope This also ties into]] Merrill's FatalFlaw. ''Merrill'' knows that she would never use blood magic for nefarious purposes, so she doesn't understand why no one is willing to give her the benefit of the doubt despite the art's long and ugly history.
47	** ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' introduces Dorian, a magister who defected from Tevinter because he got tired of the corruption and slavery. Being generally kind and noble, if a bit arrogant and snarky, doesn't stop him from being a practicing necromancer, though unlike Blood Magic it isn't completely taboo so much as it is simply seen as somewhat creepy (though certain companions take issue with the idea of binding spirits to one's will).
48	** Most Mages in Thedas would argue this is the case, despite the Andrastian Chantry and Qunari's [[BadPowersBadPeople claims]] to the contrary. While there are always going to be a few who abuse magic, most want nothing more than to be allowed to practice their magic freely and live in peace. Just because they ''can'' throw fireballs at people, doesn't mean they ''will''. Sometimes, the treatment of mages can cause them to [[ThenLetMeBeEvil become exactly what the others expect/fear of them]]. An escaped Qunari mage in ''WebVideo/DragonAgeRedemption'', when caught and asked why, explains that after being told all his life that he was a [[AlwaysChaoticEvil dangerous, destructive thing]] he [[ThenLetMeBeEvil decided to ''accept'' that truth]].
49	** The Grey Wardens are revealed to owe their success to this. During the Joining Ritual, they willing imbibe Darkspawn blood in order to take [[TheCorruption the Taint]] into themselves, granting them increased strength, stamina and complete immunity to the Blight spread by the Darkspawn as well as the ability to sense said Darkspawn. Sadly, this [[PowerAtAPrice comes at the cost]] of only giving them [[YourDaysAreNumbered roughly thirty years]] [[DeadManWalking left to live]], before they eventually succumb to its effects.
50	* In ''VideoGame/DungeonsAndDragonsOnline'', a player can build a mage character as a necromancer and slowly become a [[OurLichesAreDifferent lich]] over time as they reach max level... and be LawfulGood[[invoked]] all the way. In fact, it's impossible to be any moral alignment but good or neutral, though lawful and chaotic are still open.
51	* ''VideoGame/EldenRing'':
52	** The Tarnished can be this trope if they utilize the various BloodMagic, Scarlet Rot, and Frenzied Flame incantations and weapons you can find. All three powers draw from Outer Gods who, though [[BlueAndOrangeMorality not exactly evil]], are ''very'' bad influences on the Lands Between, but in the hands of the Tarnished they're weapons like any other. [[spoiler: The Frenzied Flame can also help you save your companion Melina from having to sacrifice herself, though you'll be locked in to a DownerEnding if you don't purge the flame from yourself before the final boss.]]
53	** The Demigod Malenia was "[[BlessedWithSuck blessed]]" in utero with Scarlet Rot, which when unleashed is a fearsome power capable of devastating entire fiefdoms. Unfortunately for the Rot, Malenia herself is a noble person who considers the extra power not worth being a WalkingWasteland and has struggled to repress the Rot for her whole life, only ever losing control twice: once in the backstory when she faced Radahn, and for the second phase of her boss fight.
54	* ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim''
55	** The Dragonborn is considered the ''ultimate'' Dragonslayer due to their ability to [[YourSoulIsMine devour the souls]] of slain Dragons to gain their knowledge and power, as well as their [[InstantExpert instant mastery]] of [[SuperScream the Thu'um]] which allows them to [[RealityWarper reshape reality]] to their will. Over the course of the game, they learn Dragons Shouts that allow them to freeze or ignite enemies, tear their souls out or bend them [[MoreThanMindControl to their will]].
56	** Serana in the ''Dawnguard'' expansion, who despite being a [[MonsterLord Vampire Lord]] and {{Necromancer}}, is one of the [[FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire friendliest]] and most loyal companions in the game.
57	* ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'':
58	** Ereshkigal, Sumerian Goddess of the Underworld, is portrayed this way. Being a death goddess, her powers tend to revolve around death, disease, cold, etc. She is also often shown with souls being placed in cages. Ereshkigal herself, however, is actually a caring and dutiful goddess who genuinely wants the souls under her dominion to be happy. Those cages are actually comfortable housing, despite their appearance. The event focusing around Ereshkigal is all about how she desperately wants to do nice things and make the Underworld of Kur a nice place, but absolutely none of her divine powers enable her to actually do that.
59	** The Foreigner class are Heroic Spirits fueled by the Literature/CthulhuMythos. They're nearly all on your side and will use their LovecraftianSuperpower to defend Earth and Proper Human History from alien gods' invasions, including their own patrons.
60	* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy''
61	** Blue Mages (and various equivalents) in several games can learn attacks & magics that are unique to enemies (pretty much Bad Powers by definition), but are the good guys. Special mention goes to the Blue Mage in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXI'', who are SuperSoldiers of the Aht Urhgan empire who are created by having the essence of a monster implanted in them and have to struggle to hold onto their humanity as they continue to devour monster essence to learn their spells. If they fail to hold onto themselves, they fall to the monster within and turn into a Mindflayer, with older/stronger Blue Magi in-story often throwing themselves into battles they hope will kill them or being assassinated out of fear they've become so strong that they could cause massive loss of life if they turn.
62	** The powers of the [[DarkIsNotEvil Dark Knights]] usually involve inflicting suffering, bear such ominous names as "Charon" and in at least [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV one game]] were shown to have the ability to drive their users insane, but plenty of good guys in the series fall into this class.
63	** Black Mages also fall into this, as their powers all revolve around [[ElementalPowers attacking with elements]], [[PoisonousPerson poison]] and [[TakenForGranite various]] [[OneHitKO other]] [[CastingAShadow maladies]]. This is particularly prevelent in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX'', in which [[ChildMage Vivi]] is persecuted against at times because of his similarity to [[spoiler:Kuja's army of black mages, for which he was the prototype]].
64	** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'': Vincent Valentine is a former-[[TheMenInBlack Turk]]-turned-victim-of-a-[[MadScientist mad-scientist]] who, as a result of said lunatic's mad science, can [[VoluntaryShapeshifting transform]] into a [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent Demonic Werewolf]], FrankensteinsMonster, a HockeyMaskAndChainsaw [[SlasherMovie Slasher Villain]] and Chaos, a devil whose purpose is to kill all things on the planet. Though he is obviously a tortured soul with a lot of emotional baggage, he is still firmly on the side of good and teams up with Cloud and his RagtagBunchOfMisfits to save the world.
65	** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'':
66	*** The Arcanists' Guild is a scholarly society devoted to the mastery of GeometricMagic. Said magic manifests partly as summoning familiars or dealing NonElemental damage, but its most popular use is [[PoisonousPerson spreading plague and infecting crowds of enemies with crippling diseases]].
67	*** Black Magic is considered forbidden in Eorzea, due to the combination of its inherently destructive nature and the immense drain it places on TheLifestream (to the point that its overuse, along with White Magic, caused an Umbral Calamity[[note]]White Magic, conversely, is considered permissable, but very heavily regulated[[/note]]). This, of course, doesn't stop the [[PlayerCharacter Warrior of Light]] from taking it up and using it in the service of good.
68	*** The [[BlackKnight Dark Knight]] is considered a dangerous and wicked figure by the Ishgardian orthodoxy and others in positions of power and influence. The lore of the game, and the game's questline for the job, [[{{Deconstructed}} deconstruct]] this, as the job's history is intrinsically tied to the ideal of punishing those considered to be above the law, leading to Dark Knights being vilified by the powers that be. And, of course, nothing is stopping the player from taking up the vocation and still being a good guy.
69	*** The Hero's Gauntlet dungeon pits the player against phantasms of Warriors of Light from other shards against them, who only seek to destroy darkness. One such encounter is against a Necromancer, who despite the dark origins of such powers is trying her damndest to prove that she too can be a hero.
70	*** The ''Endwalker'' expansion introduces the Reapers, a group of assassins armed with {{Sinister Scythe}}s who've [[DealWithTheDevil made a contract with the Voidsent]] in exchange for being able to draw upon [[CastingAShadow the powers]] [[YourSoulIsMine of said fiends.]] As Voidsent are {{Life Drain}}ing abominations native to the void, a world shard that was swallowed by a tide of darkness, you may expect the Reapers to be monsters who just happen to fight worse monsters at best... In actuality, they were just simple farmers (hence the scythes) who made the deal with the Voidsent out of desperation in order to be able to defend themselves against outside aggressors and FantasticRacism back when Garlemald was still a country of scared refugees surviving in hellish frozen wastes instead of a Magitek empire. Also, ''you'' [[Characters/FinalFantasyXIVMeleeClasses can become a Reaper]], making you the edgiest saviour of the world in the entire ''Final Fantasy'' franchise.
71	* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade'' has Canas, who invites himself along when he hears that your army is going to [[IDontLikeTheSoundOfThatPlace the Dread Isle]], is insistent that "dark magic" is a biased term, and is rather nice given that the main villain is a [[GuideDangIt (seemingly)]] textbook example of BadPowersBadPeople. He's very kind (if absent-minded), is clearly in love with [[TheGhost his wife]], and offers to teach one of the younger members of the army to read when he learns that she can't.
72	* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemEngage'' has [[spoiler:Veyle (at least when she's in her right mind). She's the daughter of the Fell Dragon Sombron with all of the evil zombie-raising, dark magic-slinging powers that implies, but she's firmly devoted to peace. It doesn't get any more "Bad Powers, Good People" than bringing back the recently deceased [[TheHero Alear]] as a zombie so they can continue to fight Sombron.]]
73	* Several class options for the player character in ''VideoGame/GrimDawn'' use dark powers. The Occultist is a devotee of the Witch Gods that can summon hellhounds, inflict plagues, or conjure flying eyeballs that explode in splashes of acid. The Necromancer summons skeletons or amalgamations of corpses and has an arsenal of spells based on decay and draining the life of enemies. Any version of the Taken still fights to save what's left of humanity from the Aetherials and Cthonians. Even the Taken's specific powers count, as both their unnatural strength and ability to [[ThinkingUpPortals open Riftgates]] is a leftover of being possessed by an Aetherial that left before you died.
74	* Dark Magic, despite not being in and of itself evil, has a very bad reputation in the world of ''VideoGame/{{Guenevere}}'', making the heroic sorceress Morgana (and potentially Guen herself) examples of this trope.
75	* ''Franchise/GuildWars'':
76	** ''VideoGame/GuildWars'':
77	*** Necromancer [=NPCs=] tend to be either morally ambiguous, or have a somewhat skewed view of right and wrong. The Master of Whispers, however, is a genuinely heroic and wise old man in charge of a secret, ancient organization dedicated to watching for and battling forces of evil. The fact that he fights using plagues, curses, and the corpses of fallen enemies is irrelevant.
78	*** And of course, Necromancer is a valid PC class. There are no alignments, no KarmaMeter and no moral choices, so the necromancers are just as heroic as all the other players (and in cutscenes, no one seems disturbed by the [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Bonehorrors, Bonefiends and Vampiric horrors]] that follow you around.)
79	** ''VideoGame/GuildWars2'' plays this trope even more straight. The Necromancer class is still just as valid in the PlayerCharacter's hands, but there are even more necromancer [=NPCs=] that are shown to be perfectly good, heroic, and well-adjusted people who just happen to fight using plagues, dark rituals, and undead minions. A necromancer named Trahearne even serves as the BigGood in the Personal Story.
80	* ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'':
81	** [[Characters/GuiltyGearSolBadguy Sol Badguy]] is a Gear, a species that is equated to demons, but he is ultimately a well-meaning person, [[GoodIsNotNice albeit not quite a pleasant one]].
82	** [[CulturedBadass Slayer]] is a very powerful [[OurVampiresAreDifferent vampire]] that sometimes drinks his wife's blood dry (in front of his foes) and the founder of the Assassin's Guild, but he used his powers only for good, even the guild originally before he retired was meant to put down evil people. After retirement (mostly in Accent Core story-line) he guides and advises other characters. Also his wife [[{{Immortality}} can't die]] so he can't suck her to death even if he wanted to. And he's a really nice guy all in all.
83	* ''VideoGame/{{Hexen}}'': The [[ReligionIsMagic Cleric]] is one of the main [[PlayerCharacter heroes]] and a pious man of the cloth, yet his power set includes [[LifeDrain sucking the life force]] out of his enemies, burning them alive, and summoning a horde of angry ghosts to rip them to pieces.
84	* In ''VideoGame/HogwartsLegacy'', even though you can play the [[PlayerCharacter Student]] as a selfish {{jerkass}}, they're still [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold firmly on the side of good]]. The game has no KarmaMeter, meaning that learning and spamming the three [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique Unforgivable Curses]] at any enemy unfortunate enough to cross their path won't change a thing about their moral disposition. It's helped by the fact that you simply can't target anyone that isn't an AssholeVictim. Additionally, [[spoiler:one of the most moral characters in the game defeated the GreaterScopeVillain with the Killing Curse]].
85	* In ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'', Riku ends up in this dilemma after being released from [[BigBad Ansem's]] control in the first game. [[spoiler:He assumes Ansem's form and dark powers again after ''358/2 Days's'' events in order to capture Roxas, knowing full well he may be screwing himself by doing so.]] Thankfully, it's resolved by the end of ''II''.
86	* ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'':
87	** Nasus is actually a good person, but uses powers considered evil. For starters, he brings ''death'', steal's people's life, gets stronger when he kills people with an attack, desecrating ground with spirit fire, and aging them to slow them down.
88	** The Grey Order consists of rebel Noxians who broke off from Noxus due to its evil, and study dark magic without malice. Their representative Champion is CreepyChild Annie who certainly looks terrifying and uses dark magic to inflict fiery death upon her foes, but is, if not outright good, certainly not evil.
89	** Kassadin has the powers of the Void, the same power coming from the CuteMonster Kog'Maw that drove [[MadProphet Malzahar]] evil. However, he only gave into the Void powers to ''protect'' Valoran from the Void creatures.
90	** Zac is a bioengineered BlobMonster LivingWeapon designed by Zaun, the city-state that produced such [[SarcasmMode charming]] people as Singed, Warwick, and Viktor. He looks like Film/{{Flubber}} impersonating [[Franchise/DragonBall Majin Buu.]] Personality-wise, he's Franchise/{{Superman}}.
91	* ''VideoGame/{{Kirby}}'':
92	** Kirby's primary power is to [[CannibalismSuperpower eat enemies whole]] and [[InstantExpert master their abilities the moment he swallows them]]. However, he is also undeniably sweet and friendly and is always willing to protect Dream Land and his friends from any threat when needed. Kirby is pretty much what you [[JustEatHim get if you gave]] [[EatingTheEnemy a vorarephile]] the status of TheChosenOne.
93	** [[ZigzaggedTrope Zigzagged]] with King Dedede. He has an inhale ability like Kirby, [[BadPowersBadPeople but was originally an antagonist]] in [[VideoGame/KirbysDreamLand the first game]]. Afterwords though, [[HeelFaceTurn he becomes a close ally of Kirby]] and usually only fights him if there's either a misunderstanding or if he's possessed.
94	** Gooey is a sentient and wayward piece of [[DarkIsEvil Dark Matter]], and yet is every bit as heroic as Kirby.
95	* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfSpyroDawnOfTheDragon'': After being exposed to [[BigBad Malefor's]] corruption in the first game, Cynder was given the powers of Fear, Poison, and Shadow to go alongside her natural Wind element.
96	* In ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' and ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', Shepard can learn Dominate, which {{Mind Rape}}s an enemy into fighting for you for a short time. Paragon Shepard is just as capable of using it as Renegade Shepard.
97	* In ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'', a combination of KarmaMeter and GameplayAndStorySegregation means that no matter how many Dark Chips you use, Mega Man's personality stays exactly the same. He is always the hero, even if he relies upon his SuperPoweredEvilSide in every battle.
98	* In the ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' series, Samus is characterized somewhere between good and neutral. In ''VideoGame/MetroidFusion'' she's infused with some Metroid DNA and gains some of their vampiric ability allowing her to absorb the X Parasites. [[spoiler: In ''VideoGame/MetroidDread'', her Metroid nature becomes fully realized as she learns to drain the energy from other monsters and bad guys.]]
99	* Talion in ''VideoGame/MiddleEarthShadowOfMordor'' / ''VideoGame/MiddleEarthShadowOfWar'' is a undead Ranger brought back to life by Celebrimbor, an Elvish wraith with the power to brainwash his enemies and take control of their minds. Both work together to protect Middle-earth from Sauron's evil forces, mainly by brainwashing his orcs and turn them against each other. However in the second game, [[spoiler:Celebrimbor is revealed to have gone mad with power and plans to rule Middle-earth himself by enslaving Sauron rather than destroying him making him a case of BadPowersBadPeople. Talion on the other hand becomes a even stronger example of this trope when he turns into an ''heroic Nazgûl'' when he is forced to take a Ring of Power to survive without Celebrimbor since he refuses to be on board with his plan, replacing most of his blue colored wraith effects with a sickly green glow associated to undeath and gaining the ability to summon revenant warriors. While he succumbs eventually and finally turns fully into an agent of the Dark Lord, he delays Sauron's armies even as what is effectively a Lich long enough for the Fellowship's journey to begin]].
100	* ''{{VideoGame/Moonrise}}'': Any of the supernatural creatures in ''Moonrise'' can easily kill, maim, and perpetuate harm...but they choose not to, for the most part.
101	* The Lich in ''[[VideoGame/NexusWar Nexus Clash]]'' is a necromantic arsenal of doom that [[MakeThemRot rots]] everything it touches (and sometimes even a few things that it doesn't). The Revenant is a vampiric warrior class that can drain the life and soul of victims and go into a blood frenzy. Despite this, it's possible to attain angelic levels of goodness while playing either class.
102	* ''VideoGame/NieR'': Emil is even-tempered and very gentle, but he also possesses a set of cursed eyes that instantly petrify anyone he looks at. He lives alone in a remote mansion with his faithful butler because he's afraid of accidentally petrifying anyone he gets near. Eventually, however, he finds a certain amount of joy in using his powers to aid your quest, stating directly that it's nice to be able to put them to good use for once. Then, later on, he [[spoiler:merges with his monstrous 'sister']] and turns into a terrifying, floating [[TheGrimReaper Grim Reaper]] lookalike, with devastating magical powers, and a face that can turn strong men pale. And he's STILL one of the nicest people you're ever likely to meet. He might accidentally destroy a few villages when he loses control of his destructive might, but he'll feel REALLY bad about it afterwards.
103	* ''VideoGame/PhantomBrave'': Marona is the most kind-hearted necromancer ever.
104	* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':
105	** Dark-type Pokémon are called "Evil" in Japan and their attacks largely consist of inflicting pain or simply [[CombatPragmatist cheating]]. However, it's established canon that any Pokémon is only as bad (or good) as its trainer.
106	** [[OlympusMons The lake trio]] in ''VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl'' games are said to be able to [[LaserGuidedAmnesia steal people's memories]], [[BrainwashedAndCrazy control their will]], and [[EmptyShell remove their emotions]], and, in fact, this is what the main villain was using them for -- but they end up helping you save the world, and then go back home peacefully so you can catch them. Though to be fair, those are really just outgrowths of their original abilities as the respective incarnations of Knowledge, Will, and Emotion used as defensive weapons.
107	** Absol are a friendly species who are well-known for trying to stop disasters, but get the blame for them at times (mainly by the elderly). They also have an unfortunate aura that kills fainthearted people who look at them when Mega Evolved, which is why they're generally non-violent and despise Mega Evolution.
108	* Alex Mercer of ''VideoGame/{{Prototype}}'' has an entire skillset based around the concept of [[CannibalismSuperpower eating people and using their biomass to fashion weapons]]. To get to the bottom of the conspiracy, [[BrainFood he eats people involved in it]]. If he needs a disguise, [[KillAndReplace he eats someone and assumes their form]]. [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity The aforementioned eaten people are in his head]]. [[SociopathicHero He's still the closest thing the game has to a hero]], though, because at least he's trying to stop the infection threatening to destroy Manhattan, and the GovernmentConspiracy is even worse than he is.
109	* ''VideoGame/PunishingGrayRaven'': The power to control the [[TheVirus Punishing Virus]] is generally associated with the antagonists of the game, the Ascendants. However, two unambiguously heroic characters are known to have this power; [[spoiler:[[AllLovingHero Liv]], in her Empyrea frame]] uses it draw the Punishing Virus out of the infected, while [[spoiler:Noan]] has been known to use it to force Corrupted to [[PsychicAssistedSuicide commit suicide]] in order to protect other soldiers.
110	* This is discussed in ''VideoGame/TheReconstruction''--the "Noxious" element is directly opposed to the "Holy" one, and it's generally perceived as purely destructive, so the PC who specializes in it tends to worry about whether it will corrupt him. He's one of the nicer folks around, though, and eventually, he decides that DarkIsNotEvil.
111	* ''VideoGame/RuneScape'': After the player character is forced to learn {{Necromanc\|er}}y, they make a conscious effort to differentiate from their usually-evil peers by asking the dead for their assistance instead of forcing their cooperation, and leaving them alone if they should refuse. While even [[TheGrimReaper Death]] himself is a bit skeptical of this approach, the dead prove to be more than willing to lend their power to the player in order to fight against [[AncientEvil Rasial]], who is attempting to enslave all of the dead in order to bring about TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. After the player character defeats him, they point out to [[ThisCannotBe an incredulous Rasial]] that they won because [[ThePowerOfFriendship they did not fight alone]]. Rasial begrudginly admits that [[GoodIsOldFashioned the player's approach to Necromancy was something he never even considered trying in thousands of years]], and [[GracefulLoser concedes that this makes them the superior necromancer]].
112	* The ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' series has Mudo skills, which are based on darkness and can be used by both demons and humans.
113	** You can become one if you gun for the Freedom ending in ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIIINocturne'': you have the power to call forth myriad demons and unleash an UnholyNuke on command... and intend to use that power to save everyone from themselves and to ultimately restore the world to how it was before.
114	** ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'' has another example in one character who's closer to bad ''purpose'' good people. The entire reason for his existence is call Nyx to bring The Fall. However, due to gaining human form by means of a particular event ten years prior to the game, he is willing to at least try to delay The Fall even though he thinks that it is inevitable either way.
115	** From ''VideoGame/Persona5'' you have the Phantom Thieves of Hearts. While the thieves themselves are all genuinely good people who want to improve the way things are in society, several times they bring up the moral implications of using their powers. Stealing a person's distorted desires is more or less akin to [[BrainwashingForTheGreaterGood brainwashing]] their targets into confessing to whatever crimes they committed. While mucking with a person's head like that is certainly questionable, and quite possibly ''deadly'' should it go wrong, the people they target are often so ludicrously detestable in character, and so entrenched in positions of power and respect that they're normally untouchable, that stealing their hearts is pretty much the only way they have of getting them to take any responsibility for their actions.
116	* Clarissa "Claris" Snowflake, from ''VideoGame/SakuraWars2019'', is the latest in her family to wield the magic power of libromancy. This causes a great deal of distress for Claris, as libromancy has a long and bloody history of use in the service of warfare and destruction, while she is a gentle young woman who simply wants to write stories. It takes some convincing to finally let her realize that even though her power may be evil in origin, she could use it in the service of the greater good.
117	* [[Franchise/SilentHill Alessa Gillespie]]'s [[RealityWarper powers]] are pretty much as far toward the "bad" end of the power spectrum as you can get. The character, though, is actually trying to ''prevent'' the end of the world, [[spoiler:by destroying herself before she can birth the Order's god]]. Her goal makes her the antagonist in ''VideoGame/SilentHill3'', but even there, the only person who she seems to want to harm is [[spoiler:herself]].
118	* Kerrigan in ''VideoGame/StarCraftIIHeartOfTheSwarm'' is a former FallenHero who was, in the previous games, one of the most reckless and vicious villains. After being partially turned back to normal at the end of the previous opus, she is now more of a sympathetic AntiHero who actually tries to be a better person. Her powers still consists in unleashing a HordeOfAlienLocusts to slaughter her enemies, though.
119	* ''Franchise/StarWars'':
120	** In both ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' games, a character CAN choose powers that go against his/her alignment, but the cost to force power will be greater unless you have high Wisdom and Charisma score. This goes both ways; as healing powers cost more to a dark-sider.
121	** Jolee Bindo in the first game is a well meaning Grey Jedi who can use dark force powers just as well as light, but that's because he's neutral aligned [[NeutralInNameOnly with a slight leaning towards light]]. Even then, his high Charisma score makes up for it.
122	** The Jedi Exile in the second game is revealed over the course of the game to be a [[HumanoidAbomination living Wound in the Force]], capable of unwittingly creating [[MagneticHero Force bonds]] with people and [[PowerParasite drawing the Force from those around them to empower themselves]], akin to a [[ThePowerOfTheVoid Force black hole]]. Despite this, according to ''Literature/{{Revan}}'' and ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'', the Jedi Exile is held to have canonically remained on the Light Side.
123	** [[NobleDemon Light-side Sith]] are perfectly viable in ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'', and can be kind, honest, and honorable people whilst still utilizing the Dark Side and its gifts of Force Lightning and rage-driven nastiness in combat. [[HonorBeforeReason Lord Praven]] is a notable example in the Jedi Knight storyline; he's an honest and honorable BloodKnight willing to give the player character an even chance of stopping his plot. [[spoiler:It is possible to [[HeelFaceTurn redeem]] him after beating him]]. A later expansion also allows Jedi characters to use Sith combat styles without issue.
124	** In ''VideoGame/JediKnightJediAcademy'', Kyle specifically tells you that Force powers aren't inherently good or evil, it's how you use them that counts. For some reason, this doesn't keep Luke and him from berating you if you do decide to only use the "Dark" powers. That said, Kyle himself openly uses Force Lightning as a light-sider. The PlayerCharacter, Kyle's apprentice Jaden Korr, is established in ''Literature/{{Crosscurrent}}'' to have a natural affinity for the Dark Side (like Master Mace Windu) which becomes a significant source of angst for him. Kyle eventually helps him move past his self-doubt and realize that his usage of the Dark Side is only a problem if he lets it become one.
125	** ''VideoGame/TheForceUnleashed'' shows this in the form of Galen Marek/Starkiller. Granted, he [[VillainProtagonist starts out bad as Vader's secret apprentice]], but as the game goes on, he finds himself fighting for the very side he was sent to destroy and [[HeelFaceTurn declares himself to be a Jedi in the end]]. Even so, he frequently uses Force Lightning every few seconds, and in the sequel, he (or rather, his GeneticMemory clone) gets the ability to max out his power by tapping into his fury, and using it to channel his attacks into unstoppable blasts.
126	* ''Franchise/StreetFighter'':
127	** While not evil in itself, the Satsui no Hadou roughly translates as 'the surge of murderous intent'. The known practitioners are all good (Ryu and Ken), not true users (Sakura based her style off of Ryu's), have perfected it to the point where the desire to kill is suppressed (Gouken) or morally neutral (Akuma/Gouki, who is driven to be the best fighter in the world, and will not kill a weak opponent, but will not hesitate to utterly destroy a strong one).
128	** There is also the Psycho Power, which is stated to be pure negative energy. Its creator, [[PhysicalGod Ingrid]], is a decent person, if something of a LittleMissSnarker. [[BadPowersBadPeople M. Bison, its most notorious user, on the other hand...]]
129	*** Ed and Falke, both genetic clones of M. Bison, have the ability to use Psycho Power. They, however, use this against Bison and his plans, as they both harbor resentment toward him.
130	* ''VideoGame/{{Suikoden}}'':
131	** The Soul Eater Rune - as its name suggests - consumes the souls of friends and foes alike, but both of its known wielders are good guys through and through. At the end of the [[VideoGame/SuikodenI first game]], [[spoiler:Windy attempts to take the Soul Eater from Tir by force, but it refuses to accept her as it's master, even though, as she said herself, she was its ideal host, reveling in death and destruction, just like the Soul Eater]]. The Night Rune allows the existence of night creatures like zombies, but it's also only been used by good guys to slay vampires and such. Finally, while the Moon Rune, with its ability to bestow vampirism, has been used for evil purposes, its original bearer used it to save people who traveled into her forest and allowed the vampires she created to thrive without the need of blood.
132	** [[VideoGame/SuikodenIV The Rune of Punishment]] burns through a ''lot'' of bearers and ''does'' have a few 'bad guys' for bearers...but it isn't picky, and overall, its bearers tend toward unfortunate bystanders with varying degrees of innocence before an ArtifactOfDoom fused itself to their hand.
133	* The clothier in ''{{Videogame/Terraria}}'' fights by hurling {{Hellfire}} bolts shaped like skulls. He will only use it against enemies that threaten him or other friendly [=NPCs=].
134	* Oleander from ''VideoGame/ThemsFightinHerds'' uses a TomeOfEldritchLore with a EldritchAbomination [[SealedEvilInACan trapped inside of it]]. Even though she uses dark magic to fight in combat and is shunned by her land as a result from it, [[DarkIsNotEvil she is still unambiguously good]].
135	* ''VideoGame/Vampyr2018'': Jonathan E. Reid is a doctor turned into a vampire who uses his powers to save London from an mysterious epidemic, regardless if he is played as an good or bad vampire. Even more so when it turned out [[spoiler:he was sired by an vampire EldritchAbomination with the explicit purpose to save London from disaster]].
136	* ''VideoGame/VermintideII'': Sienna's [[DownloadableContent DLC]] Career has her switch from [[PlayingWithFire pyromancy]] to {{necromanc\|er}}y -- BlackMagic that [[YourSoulIsMine steals souls]], [[DesecratingTheDead desecrates the dead]], and [[ThisIsYourBrainOnEvil corrupts most users towards evil]]. Nonetheless, she insists she's "still your Auntie Sienna", fighting to protect the world from the forces of Chaos... and ignoring the [[HearingVoices ghostly voices]] that urge her to do terrible things.
137	* Ashley in ''VideoGame/WildARMs2'' gains the power of the evil Lord Blazer very early in the game, and spends most of it determined that evil power can be used for good reasons.
138	* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'':
139	** Warlocks, Shadow priests, death knights, and demon hunters all make use of darker forms of magic (fel, void, and unholy).
140	** Void elves have their very beings infused with the force that grants Shadow priests their power, but they're generally all good people.
141	* Kasandra from ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2'' radiates bad luck wherever she goes, but the ensuing calamities (things which she has no idea she's actually behind) only strengthen her profound optimism and eagerness to help people out.
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Context BadPowersGoodPeople / VideoGames