Line #20 Main/IJustWantToBeFree


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9	->''"But oh, to be free... Not to have to go POOF What do you need? POOF What do you need? POOF What do you need?! To be my'' own ''master! Such a thing would be greater than all the magic and all the treasures in all the world!"''
10	-->-- '''Genie,''' ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}''
11
12	Freedom -- it's one of the most important items on the [[MotivationIndex list of things characters want]]. After all, you have to be free to pursue [[IJustWantToBeLoved love]] or [[IJustWantToBeSpecial adventure]] or anything else you want in the first place. But as every patriotic song out there tells you, freedom doesn't come free. Thus, you have to work and/or suffer long and hard to get it, which gives you the plot of your story. It's not uncommon for the characters that obtain their freedom to have to work to remain free as well.
13
14	There may be an [[LaResistance entire nation of people]] fighting to be free from TheEmpire and their EvilOverlord. There may be some force or regime keeping everyone from doing what they want, in which case, it might be necessary to ask some questions, such as "why is the government so petty", or is it that "YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters"? This can also be said of real life: part of the reason that we have governments and armies is to keep the perceived freedoms of some from impeding on those of others (whether they are or not oppressive, in real life as in fiction, is a crapshoot).
15
16	Individuals who just want to be free include:
17	* Imprisoned inmates, especially ones who are innocent and thus more worthy of audience sympathy.
18	* Slaves, of the traditional and [[MagicallyBindingContract magical kind]].
19	** The latter includes [[GenieInABottle genies]].
20	* Refugees from an oppressive government, which provides the perfect set-up for BatmanInMyBasement.
21	* [[StayInTheKitchen Women]] -- This is the motivation of the RebelliousPrincess, RunawayFiance (along with MarryForLove), and (in darker stories) {{Sex Slave}}s.
22	* A person or creature under [[{{Curse}} an evil spell]].
23
24	So, how is freedom usually won? Indentured slaves or [[MagicallyBindingContract contractually-bound]] victims might make a deal with their master and perform some task for which they will be set free as a reward. Or "deal with" them. Another tactic is simply running away, changing your name, and starting a new life, hoping your past doesn't catch up with you... at least until you've recovered your strength and gathered forces to return and rescue everyone else. Marriage has an interesting role in the process, as it can be portrayed as a form of imprisonment (especially if it's an ArrangedMarriage) or as an escape, such as a CitizenshipMarriage.
25
26	Oddly, chances are very good that TheHero of the piece will be an ally aiding the victim (if not falling in love with him/her) as much as being the person actually struggling for freedom. If there is a MagneticHero, expect this whole "freedom" thing to catch on, because for some reason the other characters simply lacked the will or the power to act on their own.
27
28	If characters have to obtain the ability to be free, compare EarnYourHappyEnding. If TheMasquerade blocks freedom, it may be obtained by TheUnmasquedWorld. The general sentiment of this trope is common in [[LeavingTheNestSong songs about leaving home for college and/or adulthood]].
29
30	Contrast HappinessInSlavery and FreedomFromChoice.
31
32	----
33	!!Examples:
34
35	[[foldercontrol]]
36
37	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
38	* In ''Manga/{{Area 88}}'', Shin Kazama wants nothing more than to be free of his involuntary servitude in Asran's foreign legion.
39	* An important theme in ''Manga/AttackOnTitan''.
40	** For Eren and Armin, TheWorldIsJustAwesome and they dream of living free from the Walls. This desire gets them labeled as heretics or "suicidal bastards", choosing to risk their lives as opposed to living a peaceful life.
41	--->'''Armin:''' ''[earlier]'' So why do you want to go to the world beyond the Walls?\
42	'''Eren:''' From the time we are born, we are free... it doesn't matter how strong those that would deny us that freedom are... flaming water... frozen earth... I don't care what it is!... The person that sees them will be the freest person in the world! Fight... I'd gladly give my life for that! [[TheAntiNihilist It doesn't matter how terrifying the world is! It doesn't matter how cruel the world is!]] [[SurvivalMantra Fight]]... [[{{Determinator}} Fight]]... [[HeroicWillpower Fight]]... [[LastStand FIGHT]]!!!
43	** The Survey Corps' symbol is called the "Wings of Freedom", exemplifying their desire to free humanity from living trapped inside the Walls. Most people think them insane for risking their lives on something most people have long since given up on.
44	** This is eventually revealed to be part of what motivates [[spoiler: the Warriors. Members of an ethnic minority confined to internment camps, their superiors in the military promised their families would be freed in exchange for their service. Reiner in particular dreamed of freeing his people from the camps but loses all hope as time goes on and his mission requires him to commit more crimes. After the TimeSkip, this dream of freeing their people through exemplary military service is adopted by the younger Warrior Candidates under his watch]].
45	* ''Manga/BlueFlag'': Touma's greatest desire is this. In his eyes, he isn't truly free and desperately wishes to start a new life on his own. [[spoiler:He eventually decides to not go to college so he can start working and leave his brother's house. When he talks of it, it's implied that at least part of the reason why he wants to leave is that he is gay and is not sure who would accept him whether he come out]].
46	* ''Manga/DGrayMan''
47	** Alma and Kanda were [[spoiler: [[{{ArtificialHuman}} created]] and contained in a lab]]. Alma lives in hope of the day the [[spoiler: experiments]] will be over and they'll be free. He doesn't take it well when he realizes it will never end. While he too wants to be free, Kanda is more resigned, working for the Black Order even after he's no longer physically trapped. He dreams of finding a [[spoiler: [[{{ReincarnationRomance}} certain person]]]] and was willing to stay tied to the Order until then.
48	** Lenalee initially, when she first was recruited to the Black Order. Eventually she gives up on freedom when her brother joins so she won't be alone.
49	* In ''Manga/ElfenLied'', everyone in the DysfunctionJunction [[IJustWantToBeNormal just wants to live a normal, peaceful life]], but since HumansAreTheRealMonsters and [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman Lucy/Nyu and Nana aren't human]], that proves quite difficult.
50	* The BigBad of ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' originally began as a lab experiment that couldn't survive outside of the flask it was created in. Everything it's done is to escape its container. [[spoiler:He even admits himself that this is one of his reasons for all of the evil things that he has done over the course of the series... just before he is forced back through the gate.]]
51	** [[spoiler:The thing is, Father ''did'' have his freedom when he got his clone body of Hohenheim, but it wasn't enough for him. He wanted to be free of everything, including God Himself. To that end, he ended up entombing himself under the building that would be Central Command in order to cancel out Amestrian alchemy, ironically creating another container to be trapped in. Hohenheim calls him out on this.]]
52	* This is America's motivation for the American Revolution in ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers''
53	--> Britain! All I want is my freedom! I'm not a child anymore, nor your little brother. From now on, consider me independent!
54	** [[TheTrickster Hong Kong]] declares that he wants to live on his own in one strip, much to his brother [[ImmortalImmaturity China's]] horror. China begs and pleads with him to change his mind, and ''does'' get him to stay...under [[EmbarrassingAnimalSuit one condition]].
55	* ''Manga/{{Inuyasha}}'':
56	** Kikyou wanted to be a normal woman, freed from the destiny of having to protect the Shikon no Tama. It was a dream she could [[spoiler: only fulfill in death]].
57	** Kagura is a wind youkai enslaved by magic to serve the BigBad. Her overwhelming desire is to be as free as the wind and willing to work with Inuyasha's group and especially Sesshoumaru to achieve her ends. In the end, [[spoiler: like Kikyou, she could only achieve her dream in death]].
58	---> ''"I am the wind. As free as the wind."''
59	* ''Manga/KaguyaSamaLoveIsWar'':
60	** Hayasaka was [[LegacyOfService born into servitude]], which has robbed her of a normal childhood. [[spoiler:While being treated as a joke, when she mentioned that she wants to switch jobs, she was serious. Not only is her job full-time with next to no time for any hobbies or proper sleep (for the last ten years), she also has to constantly lie and report on her best friend and honorary sister. At the end of the Kyoto trip, she finally is relieved of her duties and can properly be friends with Kaguya.]]
61	** Kaguya has been treated as little more than a pawn by her family her entire life. As a result, she desperately wants to be able to cut ties with them and choose her own path. She even admits to Shirogane in Chapter 218 that her ideal self would be someone who rules the entire planet just so that ''nobody'' could tell her what to do.
62	* ''Anime/LupinIIIIslandOfAssassins'': Among the assassins, there were those who wished to defect, due to being burdened with guilt from being [[ForcedIntoEvil forced to commit murder]], by Gordeau. As long as they bore the Tarantula insignia on their hands, the toxin contained in the ink would kill them if they ever left the island. But Doc's newly discovered antidote provided them with a glimmer of hope, so they hatched an escape plan. Sadly, the group was betrayed, and [[EverybodysDeadDave none of them make it off the island]]; including Bomber and [[spoiler: [[BrokenBird Ellen]]]].
63	* In ''Manga/MagiLabyrinthOfMagic'', Al-Thamen's goal is to ScrewDestiny. They recruit people by playing on their desire for freedom from their awful lives, claiming that destiny is the reason they are suffering. Aladdin argues that destiny isn't a prison, merely a guide. The unspeakable amount of death and destruction caused by Al-Thamen's antics doesn't help their case.
64	* Flashbacks show that Tohru from ''Manga/MissKobayashisDragonMaid'' felt restricted by her life as a chaos dragon, feeling that she had no real freedom in life (and had no idea what she would do if she was free). Ironically, she feels far more freedom serving as Kobayashi's maid and being bound to the laws of modern-day Japan than she ever did as a dragon (since it's something that she chose rather than being born into).
65	* Some of the [[SealedInsideAPersonShapedCan Tailed-Beast Hosts]] from ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' seek freedom from the stigma of being the hosts of demons, and thus the requirement of being war machines. Killer Bee, host of the Eight-Tails, fakes his death so he can get away from his responsibilities.
66	** And the bijuu themselves want to escape their hosts, which, incidentally, is fatal for the human in question.
67	* ''Manga/OnePiece'':
68	** The series as a whole is about dreams and freedom, expressed through piracy. This is especially apparent with the [[MagneticHero transformative qualities of the protagonist]]. Of course, for ''major'' characters, this seems to translate to "leave whatever the hell you're doing and [[RuleOfCool do something unexpected]]". The emphasis on dreams goes both ways: with villains, the protagonist doesn't kill them but leaves them alive [[AFateWorseThanDeath to watch their hopes and dreams crumble around them.]]
69	** This is so often the case that when one character chose to be free to ''stay where she was and continue to be a responsible leader'', it seemed out of place. In fact, the main character's primary motivation is to become the 'Pirate King' because it's the person, "with the most freedom in the world".
70	* In one episode of ''Anime/ScienceNinjaTeamGatchaman'', Joe falls for a girl named Maya who turns out to be working for Galactor -- but only because her parents and siblings all work for Galactor. Unlike them, she wants out and the Onna Taicho (Female Captain) [[spoiler: Berg Katse in female form]] promised Maya that she could leave if Maya successfully captured and killed the Science Ninja Team. However, [[YouHaveFailedMe Maya fails of course and Berg Katse kills her.]] Worse, [[KickTheDog Berg Katse asks Maya what made her think she could ever leave Galactor alive. Jerk]].
71	* In ''Manga/ShamanKing'', many characters seek the power of the greatest spirit in order to fulfill their dreams, though Yoh, the protagonist, seeks it in order to not be bothered by having to work for anything anymore. To him, it's logical to work himself to death (literally) if it means freedom later in life. Some characters are so caught up in the concept of needing the Great Spirit to accomplish their goal that they forget they could do it anyway.
72	[[/folder]]
73
74	[[folder:Fan Works]]
75	* ''Fanfic/BoilingIslesAndBeyond'': Amity longs to be out from under her parents’ thumbs. Thankfully, after coming out by singing a song from ''girl in red'' at a gala hosted by the Blight family, and while she was kicked out in the middle of a boiling rainstorm, Amity finally gets her freedom.
76	* In the ''WesternAnimation/FairlyOddparents fanfiction'', ''Fanfic/NeverHadAFriendLikeMe'', one of [[JerkassGenie Norm's]] big motivations is to be free from his [[GenieInABottle lava lamp]]. [[spoiler:Which is why it is such a big deal when he turns down the offer to be wished free by his newest child master, [[OriginalCharacter Amanda]].]]
77	* ''Fanfic/SoulEaterTroubledSouls'': After a certain point in the Cobra Island Arc, Crona grows sick and tired of Medusa because she/he comes to the conclusion she will continue to haunt everyone unless he/she does something about it personally. Only then will Crona believe he/she will be free from Medusa's hold, and this is the driving motivation behind the final confrontation with her.
78	* In ''Fanfic/GodSlayingBladeWorks'', the god Odysseus has SeenItAll and is completely, utterly bored with the universe, feeling like it is a prison. He desperately seeks a way to travel to other universes, feeling this is the only way he can be free.
79	* The ''Fanfic/FalloutEquestria'' RecursiveFanfiction ''[[Fanfic/FalloutEquestriaMurkyNumberSeven Murky Number Seven]]'' follows the story of the titular slave inspired to find freedom after witnessing Littlepip's escape from Fillydelphia.
80	* In ''Fanfic/MaybeSproutWings'', the enslaved Dean often wished for this but never thought it would happen, until he is rescued.
81	* In ''Fanfic/TheMermaidAndTheGenie'', Ariel and the Genie bond over their desire to escape their existing limits.
82	* In ''Fanfic/ASLInRed'', the 16-year-old Law ran away from the Navy's custody when he realized he would be kept secluded till his last day for his powers. It gave him big issues about being locked up, so much the possibility of the Marines capturing him again almost made him cut his own head off.
83	* In ''Fanfic/{{Daemorphing}}'', it's the motivation of basically everyone except the Andalites.
84	** In a horrifically dark take, it's the motivation of most [[PuppeteerParasite Empire-loyal Yeerks]], thanks to a horrifically toxic culture, believe that they can only be ‘free’ with a host and don’t care what the host thinks or see them as a person.
85	** The Animorphs, Free Hork-Bajir, and the Guardians in general are fighting to keep their (sometimes adoptive) planet free from imperialist bodyjacking brainslugs
86	** The Yeerk Peace Movement wants to be free of the fascist government that would destroy them for daring to care about other species and not want to enslave them.
87	* ''WebAnimation/{{Underverse}}'': More than anything else, [=XTale Chara and Frisk=] wanted freedom from [=XGaster=] and his role as the X-Event experiment. [[spoiler: [=XTale=] Frisk got it in the end, though [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice not in the way he expected.]] Chara was free a little longer but now it seems like all of that had gone to waste again, as [[BackFromTheDead [=XGaster=] has now returned the both of them from the dead, after briefly killing Chara]] with the two of now even more oppressed on his side.]]
88	[[/folder]]
89
90	[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
91	* The Genie leads the theme in Disney's ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'', as not only he wants to be set free, but Jasmine and Aladdin also bond over how they both feel trapped in their respective conditions.
92	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Brave}}'': Deconstructed. Merida's desire to be free from the destiny handed down to her causes her to make rash and potentially disastrous decisions.
93	* The chickens in ''WesternAnimation/ChickenRun,'' especially the heroine Ginger, as the farm they're in is run by an abusive monstrous woman and they are living on borrowed time as she plans to kill them all for pies.
94	%%* This is Scamp's motivation in ''WesternAnimation/LadyAndTheTrampIIScampsAdventure''.
95	* ''Animation/{{Padak}}'': Padak's ultimate goal is to escape the restaurant and go back to the Seas, unfortunately her tank mates are less than cooperative with the exception of Spotty. [[spoiler: Ultimately both fail to escape and die, though her actions do inspire the Master to successfully escape himself.]]
96	%%* Jewel from ''WesternAnimation/{{Rio}}'' has this big time.
97	* Rapunzel in Disney's ''WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}}'' has lived her entire life inside the tower that her "mother" raised her in and desires to see what's beyond it.
98	* Robyn's main motivation in ''WesternAnimation/{{Wolfwalkers}}''. While Robyn initially wants to hunt wolves with her father, it's soon made clear that what she ''really'' wants is the freedom that comes with it, since she feels trapped by the constraints of the strict Puritan society she lives in. She gets a taste of that freedom after meeting Mebh and becoming a [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent Wolfwalker]], but part of her CharacterDevelopment is learning to fight for the freedom she wants, even when society pushes back against her.
99	[[/folder]]
100
101	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
102	* ''Film/DeepBlueSea'': Despite all the deaths they caused, the sharks' main goal originally was simply to escape from the aquarium and return to the sea, their home. Carter {{lampshades}} this later. [[spoiler:This is why they've been herding the humans around so that they'd flood and sink the entire facility.]]
103	* Snake Plissken in ''Film/EscapeFromNewYork'' and its sequel is captured and put on a leash to do the government's bidding. In both films, he decides they aren't worth helping, screws them over, and disappears into the distance. But even [[BigBlackout shutting the world down]] apparently wasn't enough, as a currently unrealized third film concept is literally called ''Escape From Earth''.
104	* ''Film/ExMachina'': RobotGirl Ava's goal is to convince Caleb to help her break free from her creator Nathan's control and see the world for herself, specifically referencing the PlatonicCave idea. [[spoiler:She eventually succeeds by killing Nathan and then betraying Caleb.]]
105	* The "trapped woman" version of this trope is the theme of ''Film/RachelRachel''. Rachel Cameron is a 35-year-old spinster in a small Connecticut town, stuck in a job as a schoolteacher and stuck living with her [[MyBelovedSmother demanding, domineering, widowed mother.]] She dreams of escape, sexual pleasure, and a more fulfilling life.
106	* Shilo Wallace in ''Film/RepoTheGeneticOpera'' wants to be free after 17 years of being trapped in her own home. Magdalene "Blind Mag" Defoe also counts.
107	[[/folder]]
108
109	[[folder:Literature]]
110	%%* Edmund Dantes in ''Literature/TheCountOfMonteCristo''
111	* One goal of the Deryni characters in Creator/KatherineKurtz's ''Literature/{{Deryni}}'' books is this, at least it's certainly on the list (once the rebellions and invasions and assassins are defeated). Kelson is exhorted to be a king to humans and Deryni by a figure of Camber visible only to Deryni, and he founds a new ''scola'' to preserve and teach Deryni magic and ethics. Essentially, Kelson, his courtiers, and others aspire to TheUnmasquedWorld, which would imply this trope.
112
113	* ''Literature/HarryPotter'':
114	** Dobby the House Elf. This makes him unusual among House Elves, who find HappinessInSlavery. Hermione is shocked that not all house elves feel this way.
115	** The final book also has a dragon, basically enslaved by Gringotts' bank to guard a particular fortune, that wants this. In the film version, they ''really'' drive it home, presenting a brief scene where the poor decrepit creature looks longingly at a distant light, climbs as fast as it can to get there and once it's finally out, it just sits there and takes a deep, refreshed breath.
116	* Runaways Shasta, Bree, Aravis, and Hwin in ''Literature/TheHorseAndHisBoy'' -- Shasta and the horses are running away from slavery, Aravis from an ArrangedMarriage.
117	* LaResistance of ''Literature/LesMiserables''. On the individual level, Jean Valjean ended up spending 19 years in prison as a result of several escape attempts after being imprisoned for stealing a loaf of bread.
118	* The ''Literature/MercyThompson'' series has a villainous take on this with Cory Littleton, a vampire who ultimately wants to be free to live life however he sees fit and kills anyone he desires. His will is such that he was able to dominate his own creator Andre, who would normally have control over any human he turned into a vampire.
119	* Malcolm Fell Attwell, of ''Literature/{{Pact}}'', was BornIntoSlavery to an [[AnthropomorphicPersonification Incarnation of]] [[HorsemenOfTheApocalypse Conquest]], like his father before him, due to a mistake made by his illusionist grandfather which led to Conquest laying claim to his family's bloodline. Fell serves as TheDragon to Conquest, knowing that one day he, as well, will be forced to raise children and bind them in Conquest's name, as his father did to him, with even deliberate suicide not being an option. When Blake Thorburn offers him temporary freedom as one of his [[CombatByChampion champions]] in his war with Conquest, Fell accepts, knowing the [[ColdBloodedTorture potential consequences]]-in the end, it's the best chance that his family has had at freedom in a century.
120	* ''Literature/TheScarletPimpernel'' applies a PerspectiveFlip to this trope, as the French peasants who revolted against their aristocratic oppressors during UsefulNotes/TheFrenchRevolution are portrayed as [[WellIntentionedExtremist becoming the monsters]] who have taken over France. The eponymous SuperHero TropeCodifier has made it his mission to rescue their French aristocrat prisoners Underground Railroad-style.
121	* ''Literature/ThursdayNext'': In ''Something Rotten'', this motivates Bartholomew Stiggins' assistance at the old cloning facility. Thursday went there to find a Shakespeare clone to sort out ''The Merry Wives of Elsinore'' in the [=BookWorld=]; Stig went along to get information to allow him and the other Neanderthals (who were engineered sterile) to reproduce.
122	%%* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000's'' ''Literature/HorusHeresy'': ''Raven's Flight'' paints the rebel [[TheBerserker World]] [[BloodKnight Eaters]] in this light, although it's certainly [[TheUnfettered not a good thing]].
123	%%-->"Freedom from restraint, freedom from holding back. Freedom from guilt and orders."
124	* Amara's main goal in ''[[Literature/TheWolfDenTrilogy The Wolf Den]]'' is to regain her freedom.
125	* In ''Literature/{{Worm}}'', this is the motive of Dragon, a GadgeteerGenius who is secretly a heavily restricted ArtificialIntelligence. She spends most of the story struggling against both her restrictions and the people that want them enforced-or worse, to use them to control her.
126	[[/folder]]
127
128	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
129	* In ''Series/BabylonFive'', G'Kar, after [[spoiler:the Centauri defeated his people in a bloody war and became their oppressors once more]], has this to say on the subject.
130	-->'''G'Kar:''' No dictator, no invader can hold an imprisoned population by force of arms forever. There is no greater power in the universe than the need for freedom. Against that power tyrants and dictators cannot stand. [[spoiler:The Centauri]] learned that lesson once. We will teach it to them again. Though it take a thousand years, we will be free.
131	* The whole motivation for the Man in Black in ''Series/{{Lost}}''. All he wants is to escape the Island and is determined enough to kill Jacob and the remaining candidates to do so.
132	-->'''Man in Black:''' What I am is trapped. And I've been trapped for so long I no longer know what it's like to be free.
133	* During the middle seasons of ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'', a conflict of conscience occurred between Sam and Dean's desire to be free, and their destiny as [[spoiler: the hosts of ArchangelMichael and [[ArchangelLucifer Lucifer]]]].
134	[[/folder]]
135
136	[[folder:Music]]
137	%%* A major theme in Music/BobMarley's work, as well as Music/PeterTosh.
138	%%* Also prominent in Music/FelaKuti 's work.
139	* "Blues de la Libertad", from Music/PatricioReyYSusRedonditosDeRicota's ''Luzbelito'', is about the quest for freedom as a motivation, a necessity, and the hardships of both not having it and the hardships which are associated with obtaining it.
140	[[/folder]]
141
142	%%[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
143	%%* In TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering, this is the motivation that drives the pure red ideology.
144	%%[[/folder]]
145
146	[[folder:Theater]]
147	* Pseudolus gets an IWantSong about this in ''Theatre/AFunnyThingHappenedOnTheWayToTheForum''.
148	-->'''Pseudolus:''' When a Pseudolus can move, the universe shakes\
149	But I'll never move until I'm free.\
150	Such a little word, but oh, the difference it makes!\
151	I'll be Pseudolus, the founder of a family\
152	I'll be Pseudolus, the pillar of society\
153	I'll be Pseudolus the man, if I can only be...\
154	'''Hero:''' Free!
155	* The hero of Creator/AynRand's play ''Think Twice'' (about all the people a wealthy ManipulativeBastard has caught in his web and are desperately looking for a way to break free from him) concedes that setting people free is "the only humanitarian act" people should be allowed to commit.
156	[[/folder]]
157
158	[[folder:Video Games]]
159	* This trope is given an incredibly dark turn in ''Franchise/BlazBlue'' where the BigBad eventually reveals that all he wants is freedom. Complete and absolute freedom. As in, he doesn't want pesky things like "the laws of physics" or "spacetime" or even "possibility" to be able to get in the way of his will: If [[{{sadist}} he]] wants to torture you in half a dozen mutually exclusive ways at the same time for all of eternity ''twice,'' then the universe itself better bend over and let him do exactly that! This freedom extremism may, in part, be due to the fact that the Big Bad's desire for freedom is built upon a paradox: [[spoiler: As the DestroyerDeity [[JerkassGods Susano'o]], it's his purpose to destroy things, entire timelines even, that threaten the [[DeusEstMachina Master Unit: Amaterasu]]. But while he wants freedom, he also wants to hurt Amaterasu for enslaving him by destroying her beloved creations: The entire rest of creation... But since the destruction of creation is his purpose, this means that doing what he wants to do just ends up with him doing the exact thing he was supposed to be doing in the first place, so there's no practical difference between him acting upon what he wants to do in order to exert his free will and him just doing what he's always been told to do. And since he is such a [[ItsAllAboutMe self-centered]] {{narcissist}}, changing his awesome self is completely out of the question so, in order for him to be able to live out his free will to hurt Amaterasu by destroying her creations, the laws of the universe itself must change so that him doing so does not correspond in any at all way with him just carrying out his purpose.]]
160	* ''VideoGame/CelestialHearts'': Right before her FinalBoss fight, Lilith laments how she spent nearly a century as a puppet of an evil deity and how she envies Helen for being able to forge her own path in life.
161	* In ''VideoGame/DivinityOriginalSinII'', Sebille, a mostly-former slave, seeks to kill her master in a combination of revenge and this. As long as he can sing the [[MindControlMusic controlling song]], she can never be truly free, meaning that he must die.
162	* ''Franchise/DragonAge'':
163	** Mages are legally required by the local religion to be confined to one of 14 separate facilities known as Circles where they are constantly monitored for life the moment their powers manifest, [[PubertySuperpower usually at a young age]]. Those who attempt to escape the Circle or simply know any forbidden arts, like BloodMagic, are hunted down and harshly punished by groups of warriors specifically trained to neutralize their powers. To the surprise of no one, a very large portion of mages have this trope as their goal and are willing to go to some very [[WellIntentionedExtremist extreme lengths]] to reach this goal.
164	** Much of Fenris' personal quests in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' are about how he doesn't feel free [[spoiler: even after escaping his Master, Danarius,]] and is semi-actively hunting him down to ensure he actually gets to be free.
165	* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'':
166	** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'': The goal of the Al Bhed is to free themselves, Spira, and the Summoners from the cycle of Sin, but miscommunication also forces them to endure racism and the goal of freeing themselves from oppression.
167	** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'':
168	*** Vaan decides to join Ashe's quest to reclaim her kingdom because he detests the Imperials that have subjugated his country and deprived it of freedom. This is also the reason he wishes to become a sky pirate. Ashe's statement that she just wants to be free at the end of the game also implies that her journey was a quest for freedom.
169	*** Even the ''villains'' ultimately desire freedom above all else (though they also want other things like power). [[spoiler:Specifically, freedom for mortals from the yoke of the Occuria.]]
170	* ''VideoGame/{{Furi}}'' has this as its main plot; The Stranger is locked up in the middle of nowhere, and the only way to escape is to kill all of the bosses keeping him there. If you don't count [[spoiler:the TrueFinalBoss]], these jailers are the only enemies in the game.
171	* The impetus behind Yuri's actions in ''VideoGame/InfiniteSpace'' is his burning desire to be free to travel the stars.
172	* Likewise, Meria from ''VideoGame/KnightsInTheNightmare'' wants to be recognized as her own person separate from Marietta, [[spoiler:the other half of her soul]].
173	* In ''VideoGame/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAsPortable: The Gears of Destiny'', this is revealed as the true motivation of [[spoiler:[[NobleDemon Lord Dearche]]. [[SealedBadassInACan After being trapped in the Book of Darkness for a long time]], she wants a place for her subordinates to finally be free to be themselves and do whatever they want]].
174	* A running theme of the ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' series. The villains in each game are trying to win their freedom from some kind of "system", be it genetics, cultural oppression, or government demands, or the AI that winds up secretly ruling the world.
175	* ''VideoGame/RiseOfTheTriad'' has a particularly humorous example. One of the maps is called "This Causes An Error", which is just a room with a moving column. After a few seconds, it will disappear through the wall and leave the map, followed by [[http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/triadpedia/images/e/e5/ImFree.png "I'm Free!"]]
176	* In ''VideoGame/SonicFrontiers'', it's revealed that Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog's longtime [[FriendlyRivalry Friendly Rival]] Knuckles gets tired of his role as the Master Emerald's guardian, wishing he could be as free as Sonic and explore the world free of his duties. Sonic himself reassures Knuckles that it's okay for him to do so and encourages him to pursue his wanderlust.
177	* ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss'' has [[ShelteredAristocrat Luke]] [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold fon]] [[TheChosenOne Fabre]]. Having IdentityAmnesia and being locked up for seven years means he wants more than anything to get out and about the world. The plot kicks off when he gets his [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor wish]] and then he ends up a HeroicWannabe AssInAmbassador due to not wanting to be locked up again. [[spoiler: This is also [[DeconstructedTrope heavily deconstructed]] as the BigBad uses it to trick him into destroying the town he was sent to save.]] After the WhamEpisode this trait of his drops.
178	* The Monsters in the Underground in ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' ultimately just want to be free of their sealed existence under Mt. Ebott, and many of them are willing to capture and kill a human child to make that possible.
179	* Nessiah from ''VideoGame/YggdraUnion'' and its [[VideoGame/BlazeUnion related]] [[VideoGame/YggdraUnion games]] wants to break the literal shackles that [[spoiler:bind his full powers and keep him immortal]]. Doing so requires a lot more power than he actually has naturally, and so he's been accumulating it [[spoiler:by converting negative emotions generated from human conflict into magical power]]. He also won't consider himself truly free until he's punished the ones who did this to him in the first place -- who have actually been dead for a very long time, which Nessiah himself doesn't know.
180	[[/folder]]
181
182	%%[[folder:Web Comics]]
183	%%* In ''Webcomic/HiToTsukiToHoshiNoTama'', Bid risks everything for a chance at freedom.
184	%%--> '''Bid''': [[EloquentInMyNativeTongue For collar off... anything I to do.]]
185	%%[[/folder]]
186	[[folder: Web Original]]
187	* The children in '' WebOriginal/TheInnocent'' have this as the reason to start a war against adults, as they were forced to work for the adults.
188	[[/folder]]
189	[[folder:Western Animation]]
190	* Lemonhope in ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' wants to be free after spending his life locked up in a bathroom by his abusive creator Lemongrab I. He even initially abandons the rest of his people who are hoping that he will be the one to free them. Fortunately, Lemonhope's lingering guilt drives him to go back and save them. Even then, he's only doing so because he feels he can't truly be free as long as that guilt is hovering over him. After Lemongrab I is overthrown, he refuses to stay and rule in his place. Lemonhope outright says to Princess Bubblegum that the only reason he came back was so he would never have to think about the other Lemonpeople ever again.
191	%%* A few episodes of ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' had the kids directly assist villages crushed by the Fire Nation's occupation or general tyranny.
192	* ''WesternAnimation/HazbinHotel'': In the final episode "The Show Must Go On" Alastor states his goal now is to free himself from the DealWithTheDevil that binds him. Given that Alastor was a serial killer that enjoys watching people suffer, his freedom may not be good for anyone...
193	-->''I'm hungry for freedom like never before''\
194	''The constraints of my deal surely have a backdoor''\
195	''Once I figure out how to unclip my wings''\
196	''Guess who will be pulling all the strings?''
197	* In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', the [[PsychoRangers "Mean" Clones]] of Twilight Sparkle and her friends quickly realize Queen Chrysalis will kill them [[YouHaveFailedMe if they fail her]], and probably [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness once she is done with them]], and become motivated to free themselves from Queen Chrysalis or anyone else's control and be free to do what they want. [[spoiler:[[ShaggyDogStory All six of them end up destroyed by the Tree of Harmony in the end]].]]
198	* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'' reveals that [[spoiler: this is what the Owl Beast cursing Eda wants. As it turns out, it's as much a victim of their circumstance as Eda is. Originally a creature born from another Titan, it was turned into a scroll for as-of-yet unknown reasons that became the curse Lilith would afflict upon Eda. After Eda witnesses these events firsthand in a dream and sees it try to fly away in the mindscape, they come to a truce and even gives her a harpy-esque SuperMode.]]
199	* ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'': This turns out to be the ultimate goal of [[spoiler: [[Characters/RickAndMortyEvilMorty Evil Morty]], who schemes to find a way past an artificial metaphysical structure known as the "Central Finite Curve", an invisible bubble built around the corner of the multiverse where Rick is the smartest man in the universe (which he likens to "an infinite crib built around an infinite fucking baby"), because he is sick to death of being surrounded by the influence of a narcissistic MadScientist sociopath who literally treat Mortys like disposable livestock. Of course, his plan also includes killing as many Ricks and Mortys as he can in the process, seemingly out of spite, because he hates Rick (and by extension, Mortys who remain subservient to their Ricks) ''that'' much.]]
200	* ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'' faced a viking warrior cursed by Aku. The man was mystically bound by his stone surroundings, and could not die unless he was killed in battle. Being an excellent warrior as well as a stone giant, actually finding a warrior skilled enough to defeat him in honorable combat (so as to join his fallen brethren in Valhalla) and break the curse of eternal life within stone was near-impossible until Jack came along.
201	* ''WesternAnimation/XMenTheAnimatedSeries'' had the Genosha story arc, where mutants were enslaved to use their powers for labor. They were told they'd be released when the work was done. [[BlatantLies Yeah...]]
202	[[/folder]]

Context Main / IJustWantToBeFree