Line #18 Main/LikableVillain


1	->''"Villains aren't bad guys. They're just... misunderstood. Villains know what they want and they go for it. I can respect that."''
2	-->-- '''Marina''', ''VideoGame/Splatoon2''
3
4	This is the SuperTrope for the cases where villains have qualities that make them more likable. This kind of thing easily leads into AntiVillain when more than a smidgen of these tropes is added. See also the SlidingScaleOfAntagonistVileness. Contrast HateSink (which is when a character is intentionally made to be unlikable) and for some examples, CompleteMonster (where the villain is so repugnant and despicable that there's nothing positive to say about them).
5
6	May or may not be UnintentionallySympathetic.
7
8	!!Evoking Admiration
9	* MemorialForTheAntagonist: The heroes respect the villain in death.
10	* WorthyOpponent: Someone admires their adversary for being a challenging and honorable opponent.
11
12	[[AC:For the audience:]]
13	* EvilIsCool: Audiences find the villain to be awesome.
14	* LoveToHate: The audience loves the villain precisely because of how vile they can be.
15	* MagnificentBastard: The audience likes the villain because their plans are far grander in scope and execution than those of the heroes.
16	* RootingForTheEmpire: The audience actually wants the bad guys to win.
17
18	!!Attachment to Other People
19	* AntagonistInMourning: The bad guy feels sorry for the hero's death.
20	* DefrostingIceQueen: A cold-hearted person shows signs of warming up and becoming nicer.
21	* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: The villain cares about their mother.
22	* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Not even bad guys lack people that they love and care about.
23	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: The character is often a jerk, but sometimes proves that they're not a completely bad person, even becoming good guys.
24	* KindheartedCatLover: Character has the redeeming quality of owning a pet cat that they love dearly.
25	* MoralityPet: A loved one of the villain who brings out their positive qualities.
26	* SympathyForTheHero: The villain shows sympathy or pity for the hero.
27	* VillainousParentalInstinct: The villain cares for their children.
28
29	!!Bravery
30	* VillainousValour: The villain shows great bravery when they're in danger.
31
32	!!Friendliness
33	* AffablyEvil: The villain is a friendly sort in spite of having evil intentions.
34	* FriendlyEnemy: The bad guy is so chummy with the hero that it's easy to forget that they are the hero's enemy.
35	* PoliteVillainsRudeHeroes: The villains are friendly and polite, while the heroes are rude jerks.
36
37	!!Good Intentions
38	* ObliviouslyEvil: The villain doesn't know that what they're doing is wrong.
39	** NonMaliciousMonster: A non-sapient creature that isn't malevolent and is only acting out of animal instinct with no concept of morality.
40	* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: The villain believes that their actions are okay if the result is making the world a better place for everyone.
41	* WellIntentionedExtremist: The villain is only doing wrong because they have noble intentions.
42
43	!!Having a Sense of Humor
44	* EvilIsHammy: The villain is a LargeHam.
45	* LaughablyEvil: The villain has numerous humorous moments and quirks.
46	* HammyVillainSeriousHero: When the villain's funny antics contrast the hero's seriousness in those moments.
47
48	!!Intelligence
49	* EvilGenius: A villain who is highly intelligent.
50	* VillainHasAPoint: The bad guy makes a point that the Hero acknowledges as true.
51	* WickedCultured: A villain who has a taste for the finer things in life.
52
53	[[AC:For the audience:]]
54	* StrawmanHasAPoint: The audience agrees with the points made by the character they are supposed to be against.
55
56	!!Morality
57	* AntiVillain: The villain has noble and sympathetic motivations.
58	* EvenEvilHasStandards: There are some misdeeds so heinous that even villains refuse to do them or are appalled by them.
59	* LovableRogue: (When they’re not the hero) Breaks the law for their own benefit, but is still likable nonetheless.
60	* NeverHurtAnInnocent: The villain only wants to bring harm to people who have actually done them wrong. Innocent people who did nothing are to be spared.
61	* NobleDemon: The villain has a genuine CodeOfHonour.
62	* NobleTopEnforcer
63	* VillainousEthicsDecay
64
65	!!Normalcy
66	* GoKartingWithBowser: The heroes and the villains socialize without harming each other.
67	* PunchClockVillain: The character is only a villain as their job. Off the clock, they're as normal and friendly as any other person.
68	* VillainsLoveEntertainment: Just like anyone else, villains like to have fun.
69
70	[[AC:For the audience:]]
71	* VillainsOutShopping: Showing the bad guys taking a break from villainy and doing the same things normal people do is a good way to humanize them.
72
73	!!Pitifulness
74	* DrivenToVillainy: Someone's misfortunes drives them into becoming the bad guy.
75	** ThenLetMeBeEvil: The villain wants to be better and tries to demonstrate it, but nobody will accept their change (or doesn't believe it) despite genuinely trying. Ultimately the villain stops trying to be good and decides if they will be ''treated'' like a villain, then they will just ''be'' a villain.
76	* ForcedIntoEvil: The villain became a villain because they had no choice.
77	* TragicVillain: The villain became evil because of sad misfortunes they endured.
78
79	[[AC:For the audience:]]
80	* AlasPoorVillain: The villain dies and their death is portrayed as sympathetic.
81	* HarmlessVillain: The villain is incapable of being a real threat.
82	* IneffectualSympatheticVillain: The villain keeps failing and getting humiliated no matter how hard they try.
83	* JerkassWoobie: The audience feels that even though this character was bad, they still didn't deserve the misfortunes they suffered.
84	* MinionWithAnFInEvil: A henchman who is too nice and ineffectual to be evil.
85	* MookHorrorShow: The hero beating up the bad guys is shown from the bad guys' perspective and has the hero portrayed as being like a movie monster.
86	* VillainousUnderdog: The villain is severely outclassed by the hero, but keeps trying to defeat them anyway.
87	* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: An unfortunate character's misery drives them to attempt to cause a lot of destruction and death.
88
89	!!Sex Appeal
90	* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Women find bad men more attractive.
91	* SexyVillainsChasteHeroes: The villains have more sex appeal than the heroes.
92
93	[[AC:For the audience:]]
94	* DracoInLeatherPants: The audience portrays a character as being nicer when they are canonically a horrible person.
95	* FoeYayShipping: Fans ship the hero with the villain.
96
97	!!Understanding Their Point of View
98	* FreudianExcuse: A villain or jerk is the way they are because of something bad that happened to them in the past.
99	* EvenEvilCanBeLoved: The hero has some emotional attachment to the villain.
100	* SympatheticMurderer: Someone who takes a life is portrayed as having a sympathetic and justifiable reason for killing the person.
101	* SympathyForTheDevil: Someone admits feeling bad for the bad guy.
102
103	[[AC:For the audience:]]
104	* CryForTheDevil: The audience feels bad for the villain.
105	* StartOfDarkness: The moment in the villain's life where they first became evil.

Context Main / LikableVillain