Line #56 Main/TheWitchHunter


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12	[[quoteright:349:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/witch_hunter_bogdan_tomchuk.png]]
13	[[caption-width-right:349:"Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live." -- [[Literature/BookOfExodus Exodus 22:18]]\
14	[-[[https://www.artstation.com/artwork/lVdzo5 Image]] by [[https://www.artstation.com/bogdanartist Bogdan Tomchuk]]. Used with permission.-]]]
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19	->''Send for the General, there's witches to burn\
20	The day of your judgment draws nigh\
21	In torment and torture, the bringer of pain\
22	Disciples of Satan will die''
23	-->-- '''Music/{{Saxon}}''', "Witchfinder General"
24
25	Let's say you live in a fantasy setting, but no, you aren't having it easy. [[DarkFantasy This ain't no happy-singing-rainbows-and-fairies kind of fantasy you've got here]], and there's a problem. Perhaps [[EvilSorcerer the resident wizard]] isn't too much into [[MentorArchetype helping upstart heroes]], or something has to be done with that "[[ReligionOfEvil persecuted religious community]]" at the corner before you [[VirginSacrifice run out of virgins]]. Or it could even be something a bit more [[EvilIsPetty mundane:]] maybe the local count thinks the mole on that kindly old lady's chin is ''really'' gross.
26
27	WhoYouGonnaCall This guy.
28
29	The Witch Hunter is the grim, broody, [[BadassLongcoat badass-longcoated]], and nice-hatted guy who is always prepared to lead a WitchHunt, but beware, for this guy, as much as he is [[WellIntentionedExtremist well intentioned]] and [[SoulsavingCrusader soul-saving]], often [[KnightTemplar leaves that pesky sort-them-out trade to the Lord]], and he tends to be [[PrinciplesZealot a bit creepy]] about [[LawfulStupid his principles]]. He can be seen handing out the TorchesAndPitchforks, and "BurnTheWitch" is his favourite solution. Due to these traits, a witch hunter is usually a perpetrator of VanHelsingHateCrimes either out of genuine hatred, or mere cruelty and profit; thus, when the Witch Hunter appears, he is usually a villain or (in settings where witches are actually [[AlwaysChaoticEvil evil by default]]) a ''very'' dark AntiHero.
30
31	While we are at it, Van Helsing, the {{Trope Namer\|s}} for one of the above-mentioned tropes, hunted a vampire instead of witches, but even the standard ones are rarely above an occasional hunt after [[VampireHunter a vicious vampire]] or [[DemonSlaying demon]]. That said, witches generally have different connotations than most other classic monsters, due to the [[RealitySubtext uncomfortable reality]] of historical {{witch hunt}}s, which killed a lot of [[WidowWitch innocent people]]. Vampires and werewolves don't have that same historical baggage, and although you may get the occasional FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire or heroic werewolf who is able to ResistTheBeast, they're still a lot more likely to be cast as AlwaysChaoticEvil monsters. Therefore, the VampireHunter is typically a relatively uncomplicated hero in a way that the Witch Hunter is not.
32
33	A witch hunter may receive [[SupernaturalAid supernatural help]], whether from angelic or divine patrons or from being some sort of HalfHumanHybrid -- this often takes the form of ReligionIsMagic or HolyBurnsEvil. However, most of them are plain, baseline humans, which in stories where magic is real and their foes really are magic users, makes them BadassNormal. Having said that, for a witch hunter to operate, magic isn't really needed -- its appearance just makes the difference between being [[IDidWhatIHadToDo a harsh]], but possibly (depending on the role of magic in the work and [[SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism the story's cynicism]]) needed protector from supernatural threats, and a fanatic with few redeeming features (if any at all).
34
35	An AntiMagicalFaction is often filled with these.
36
37	A whole religion made of these guys is a ChurchMilitant, but they don't actually have to be [[BadassPreacher ordained]], or even a part of church structure. When they are, they are usually part of a ChurchPolice. While some of them were specifically trained to perform their duties, they tend to be freelancers, working alone or within a small team (institutionalized witch-hunting is a slightly different matter in trope terms). Since they often face the need to investigate the nature of the threat before [[BurnTheWitch dealing with it]], many are more than a bit of an OccultDetective, and, of course, the Witch Hunter is quite a case of the HunterOfMonsters, especially if he also goes after supernatural monsters. If a witch hunter is also adept at using magic, and lives in a more modern or contemporary setting, he may be a BlueCollarWarlock.
38
39	Subtly differs from MageKiller: a Mage Killer is empowered to be resistant to magic and/or especially [[TacticalRockPaperScissors powerful against magic-users]], while a Witch Hunter is ideologically opposed to their very existence ([[WindmillCrusader whether they really exist or not]]), and believes that MagicIsEvil. The two can overlap -- maybe a Mage Killer chose that path because of a grudge against mages, or maybe a Witch Hunter stocks up on DepletedPhlebotinumShells and AntiMagic wards as a professional necessity. They may even exist independently of each other, depending on the setting's treatment of UnequalRites.
40
41	Compare with DemonSlaying and VampireHunter. Don't confuse with ''Manhwa/WitchHunter'' or ''Anime/ElCazadorDeLaBruja''.
42
43	----
44	!!Examples:
45	[[foldercontrol]]
46
47	[[folder: Anime & Manga ]]
48	* The {{Magical Girl}}s of ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' exist to fight {{Eldritch Abomination}}s which are called "witches". Of course, there is a dark twist. [[spoiler:Because of the way [[TheCorruption magic works]] in the Puella Magi universe, every Magical Girl is doomed to [[AndThenJohnWasAZombie become a Witch]].]]
49	* ''Manga/SoulEater'': There's an academy dedicated to training them ([[EquippableAlly and their weapons]]) to slay witches and corrupted humans. Maka, TheHero, even has a special technique called "Witch Hunter". As of chapter 98, [[spoiler: they've actually made attempts to make peace and team up with the witches (the witches are considered evil because they, [[TokenHeroicOrc mostly]], have an inherent urge to destroy...but right now, they ''really'' need [[EldritchAbomination something]] destroyed).]]
50	* Several associations in ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'' do this, but given the rules of the setting, they are [[TalkingTheMonsterToDeath Arguing The Witches To Death]] with logic-fueled swords, and thanks to them, {{Fair Play Whodunnit}}s exist.
51	* ''Anime/WitchHunterRobin''. Pretty much ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin, and [[BadassLongcoat resembles the]] [[TheMenInBlack description]] [[BurnTheWitch pretty well]].
52	[[/folder]]
53
54	[[folder:Comic Books]]
55	* In ''ComicBook/BlackMagick'', Aira is a witch hunting organization which kills those guilty of abusing magical powers. Unlike most examples of the trope, they explicitly state that magic itself is not evil and it is not their goal to kill all magic users, rather it is their duty to kill those who have succumbed to BlackMagic and used their powers to corrupt the minds of others.
56	* Silver Dagger and the Imperator, two of ''ComicBook/DoctorStrange'''s foes. The former is a genuine witch hunter, whereas the latter is more of a MageKiller.
57	* ''Magazine/DoctorWhoMagazine'': In "Witch Hunt", Clara is dressed as a witch for Halloween when she is transported through time to TheCavalierYears where she runs afoul of the Witchfinder General Matthew Hopkins.
58	* Hansel from ''ComicBook/{{Fables}}''. However, he is a vile and sadistic man who knows full well that the women he targets and executes are innocent. He's venting his frustration that he can't do anything to real witches, such as Frau Totenkinder, the one who tried to eat him and his sister; and he even murdered his sister when she started learning magic.
59	* ComicBook/JohnConstantine from the ''ComicBook/{{Hellblazer}}''. He is a modern day sorcerer (or occultist) and fights other occultists for various reasons; either he just wants to save the day, for his personal gain, or just to show off who is the best sorcerer there is.
60	* Sir Edward Grey is a heroic example from the ''ComicBook/{{Hellboy}}'' and ''ComicBook/{{BPRD}}'' verse, who eventually got his own spinoff series, ''Witchfinder''. He's a 19th century British paranormal investigator who, among other exploits, killed a trio of witches attempting to assassinate the Queen--earning himself knighthood and the official title of Witchfinder from the Crown. Though he's initially biased against magic-users from non-Christian traditions (as shown in "Lost and Gone Forever") he quickly grows more open-minded. In any case, he only executes those who use magic for malicious ends.
61	* Rondel, the title character of ''ComicBook/{{Hillbilly}}'', is a purely heroic take on this trope, using [[WeaponOfXSlaying the Devil's own meat cleaver]] to hunt down the {{wicked witch}}es that haunt the hills. Most MagicIsEvil in this setting, and when Rondel meets an extremely rare [[GoodWitchVersusBadWitch good witch]], he recognizes that she's not a threat and leaves her alone.
62	* In ''[[ComicBook/BatmanGrantMorrison The Return of Bruce Wayne]]'', when Bruce Wayne was stranded in Puritan times, he got a job as a witch hunter, mostly using his forensic knowledge to help clear the names of innocent women accused of being witches. Ironically, the only real witch in the story is the girlfriend he meets there, Annie, who isn't evil. Unfortunately, Bruce's ancestor Nathaniel Wayne is the traditional religious zealot who targets any woman for being unusual. He hangs Annie before Bruce can get there.
63	* ''ComicBook/TheUltraverse'' had Witch Hunter, a.k.a. Maria [=DeLorentti=], a member of the Seventh Sign, a secret organization dedicated to the eradication of evil supernatural forces. Unlike more traditional witch hunters, she hunted witches in a {{Stripperific}} outfit featuring a NavelDeepNeckline rather a BadassLongcoat and a nice hat. She still carried a {{BFS}}, though.
64	* ''ComicBook/Zatanna2010'': A group of generic witch hunters attempt to assassinate Zatanna in issue #15, under the belief that all magic is evil.
65	[[/folder]]
66
67	[[folder:Fan Works]]
68	* If we are willing to [[WitchWithACapitalB widen the definition of "witch" a little]], there is Witch Hunter of ''Fanfic/BurnTheWitchMiraculousLadybug'', an Akumatized villain who was created by a bout of outrage at Lila Rossi's [[ConsummateLiar blatant, unrelenting lying]] and who has all of the symbolism of this trope, including [[TorchesAndPitchforks brainwashing Paris into going full Inquisition on Lila]]. The fact that Rossi [[LesCollaborateurs is an accomplice of Hawk Moth]] who gets Akumatized often probably also would fit as witchcraft.
69	* ''Fanfic/HalloweenUnspectacular'': The antagonists of the third edition's main StoryArc are the Witchfinder-Generals, an organization founded by King James I to hunt down and kill all magic users, regardless of whether they're good or evil. Worse, they've survived to the modern day as an AncientConspiracy which has no problem eliminating anyone in their way, including innocent bystanders.
70	* ''Fanfic/TheHaremWar'': The [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5639518/59/The-Harem-War Earls of Darby]] in the Harry Potter fanfiction is considered a long line "ruthless and very effective witch and wizard hunters for whom mercy was not a word in their vocabulary." They are considered the boogie man of pure-blood families. [[spoiler:It turns that it was a wizard of the Potter family, the current one being Harry Potter.]]
71	* Fanfic/ThePrayerWarriors are an ''extremely'' aggressive and fundamentalist version. They hunt ''[[RougeAnglesOfSatin Stan]][[HollywoodSatanism ists]], who, due to the [[DesignatedHero intolerance, general stupidity, and serious villainous tendencies]] of the heroes, come off as [[DesignatedVillain better than the protagonists]].
72	* ''Fanfic/ThePurge'': [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12140398/1/The-Purge Harry Potter]] goes through his [[spoiler: mother's]] family tree and finds out he is a descendant of the famous witch hunter Matthew Hopkins. He decides to take up his ancestor's work. [[spoiler: It turns out Lily had the same tendencies.]]
73	[[/folder]]
74
75	[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
76	* Creator/VincentPrice plays an evil witch hunter in the 1970 ''Film/CryOfTheBanshee''. Lord Edward Whitman is just as much a bastard as Hopkins from ''Film/WitchfinderGeneral'' (see below), and his crimes are horrific enough that the title sidhe is called upon to destroy him and his family, most of whom are just as vicious as him.
77	* ''Film/{{Doctor Strange\|2016}}'': [[spoiler:Mordo ends up taking this position at the end of the movie as the events convince him that there are too many sorcerers out there breaking the natural laws. As a sorcerer himself, this overlaps with HunterOfHisOwnKind.]]
78	* Literature/HanselAndGretel grew up to be ''Film/HanselAndGretelWitchHunters''. They are heroic slayers of evil witches, though it is eventually revealed that [[spoiler:Hansel and Gretel's mother was a White Witch, a trait which she passed on to Gretel]].
79	* In ''Film/TheLastWitchHunter'', this is, as you may guess from the title, Kaulder's job, although he's a far cry from the KnightTemplar that his kind is stereotyped to be: he only goes after criminal witches that harm humans, doesn't kill them unless forced to, and rather than rendering judgment himself he turns his marks over to TheMagocracy to be tried.
80	* ''Film/RedRidingHood'': Father Solomon, hunts down witches and werewolves. Like most examples, he will make wild accusations and liberally use torture against suspects (who are entirely innocent). However, there ''is'' also a real werewolf who he tries to stop (ineffectually).
81	* ''Film/TheSudburyDevil'': The protagonists, John Fletcher and Josiah Cutting, are NewEnglandPuritan witchfinders who travel around Massachusetts Bay Colony investigating allegations of devilry. The film was inspired by the director's Website/YouTube character, WebVideo/TheWitchfinderGeneral.
82	* ''Film/Warlock1989'': Giles Redferne is a witch hunter [[FishOutOfTemporalWater transported from the 17th century]] to kill the evil Warlock who [[YouKilledMyFather murdered his wife]]. He's actually a pretty nice guy, going out of his way to save as many innocent bystanders who fall prey to the Warlock as possible. He only has his salt-coated whip, knives, and some limited knowledge of the Warlock's weaknesses to defeat him.
83	* Creator/VincentPrice plays the eponymous ''Film/WitchfinderGeneral'', which is based on the historical figure of the 17th century "witchfinder" Matthew Hopkins. This is not a fantasy movie, and Hopkins is portrayed as neither a grim hero nor a KnightTemplar fanatic; he's a cynical opportunist and a deeply evil man, exploiting the [[WitchHunt superstitions]] of those around him for personal gain.
84	[[/folder]]
85
86	[[folder:Literature]]
87	* ''Franchise/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': In ''Night of the Living Rerun'', Samantha Kane, the Slayer of 1692, operates openly as a witch hunter in addition to slaying vampires. However, she is no KnightTemplar and interrupts a KangarooCourt to ask reasonable questions about how much evidence there is against the accused, with the judge reluctantly respecting her authority.
88	* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'':
89	** The Cunning Man from ''Literature/IShallWearMidnight'' is practically an AnthropomorphicPersonification of Witch Hunters.
90	** The Omnian Church ([=Pre-=]''Literature/SmallGods'') used to hunt down and burn witches, but then again, they used to burn just about everybody. Now they just give witches informational pamphlets, which isn't nearly as bad. (Granny Weatherwax's view is that they hunted old women who didn't know what was going on -- if they'd tried burning ''actual'' witches, they wouldn't have done so for long, as the Cunning Man found out.)
91	** Parodied in ''Literature/AHatFullOfSky'' by giving Miss Tick the title "witchfinder". She's a witch who finds young girls with the talent and helps them deal with it.
92	* Within the ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'', wizards and witches view the [[MagicKnight Wardens]] somewhere between cops, witch hunters, and the bogeyman. Even Harry Dresden, a magical heavyweight as wizards reckon these things, has nightmares about them.
93	** In one of Harry's cases, the crime scenes are magically tagged with the quote "Suffer not a witch to live."
94	** Harry famously looks the part, even though he's the sort of person a witch hunter would hunt.
95	** In one of the short stories Karrin Murphy, Harry's sometimes-sidekick and cop chick, explains how Harry's moments of power are so viscerally terrifying that she understands how people could start hunting witches.
96	** Over the course of the series, Harry develops a reputation in the supernatural community as a thug who [[spoiler:occasionally murders gods and talks flippantly to angels]], and because they don't know most of the details of the cases or [[BlueAndOrangeMorality have the ability to understand his motivation]], they default to a view of him much like this trope.
97	** In a moment of desperation, [[spoiler: the Wardens recruited Harry. He gets to experience the trope from the other side.]]
98	* Evil wizards had essentially regressed much of the world from the 19th century to TheDungAges in Tamara Siler Jones's ''Dubric Byerly'' trilogy -- a DarkFantasy mixed with forensic mystery. These "mages" were beaten back by a crusade from a country that escaped this fate and after this victory, Dubric Byerly -- a [[EvilStoleMyFaith lapsed]] warrior-priest who's become an inspector, is tasked by the king with hunting those that still remain.
99	* {{Downplayed}} in ''Literature/TheFactoryWitchesOfLowell'' -- Mill Agent Mr. Boott believes the factory girls' strike is the result of the mill girls being possessed or otherwise influenced by occult forces (rather than the natural outcome of raising the girls' rent without a commensurate raise in pay, or the thirteen-hour work days in dangerous factories prompting the girls to stand up for better conditions and wages). He publicly accuses them of having a witch within their ranks, even going so far as to call Hannah the "queen of their coven." He's partially right in that Hannah ''is'' a witch using her magic to ensure the success of the strike, but Boott never has a chance to make good on his threats to call in an official witch hunter [[spoiler: before the mill owners capitulate to the demands and Boott gets the boot for not breaking the strike]].
100	-->Mr. Boott crossed himself, then thought better of it. Witchcraft? No, there hadn't been a witch in New England for two hundred years. Besides, what worker would go that far? This wasn't Lancashire; this was Massachusetts. And yet...\
101	These girls were so very defiant.\
102	Mr. Boott crossed himself again.
103	* One of these guys, referred to as simply "The Witchfinder," plays a small but important role in the [[TheDungAges Dung Ages]] prologue of ''Literature/TheFestering''. He's less interested in actually finding witches (assuming any exist) and more interested in just having a lot of political and religious clout in the English town of Garth, accusing and executing people on a whim in order to instill fear in the locals. His main role in the story is having PatientZero for ThePlague executed and buried without treatment and study, thereby ensuring the disease will return to threaten future generations in Garth.
104	* ''Literature/GoodOmens'': Played with. While played straight in Agnes Nutter's case, Witchfinder Sergeant Shadwell, a modern professional witch hunter, doesn't get much work these days.
105	* ''Literature/{{Otherverse}}'': Witch Hunters are a form of Aware, those who have seen past the {{Masquerade}} and lost much of their Innocence, forfeiting protections against magic users and supernatural creatures. While the exact ideology of Witch Hunter groups can vary, any Aware that chooses to become a Witch Hunter is likely to be a fanatic in some form, and so they're infamous for not distinguishing between good and bad practitioners to the point most WouldHurtAChild. Most of the hunters that appear in ''Literature/{{Pale}}'' work for a Canadian Witch Hunter group called the Lighthouse, which organizes survivors of monster attacks, arms them, and deploys them in cells. The Hunters that appear in ''Pale'' have a shoot first and ask questions later policy, which leads them into conflict with essentially every protagonist and antagonist faction until they bite off more than they can chew by breaking into the Carmine Contest on the logic that supernatural forces are clearly trying to keep them out, at which point they are promptly conscripted into the contest and killed by the other contestants.
106	* ''Literature/PrincessesOfThePizzaParlor'': In ''Boyfriends and Other Minor Annoyances'': As Bianca says, they exist, and as the narration indicates, they're inquisitors from the Order of San Matabruy:
107	-->''Witch. Hunter. Hunts witches. It can't be that difficult.''
108	* ''Literature/RetiredWitchesMysteries'': Book 3 features Antonio de Santiago, "a witch's boogeyman", who was originally a member of the Spanish Inquisition and very good at finding and torturing witches until the witches themselves magically enslaved him to do their bidding. He's summoned this time to find the killer of Makaleigh Verza, a member of the Grand Council of Witches. While initially hostile to Molly, he becomes more reasonable after realizing her innocence, and that she genuinely wants to help solve Makaleigh's murder.
109	* ''Literature/TheSacredThrone'': Wizards can become [[{{Hellgate}} portals to hell]], so the Order is tasked with hunting down wizards according to the martyred Emperor's edict "suffer not a wizard to live". The Order has since degenerated to becoming tyrannical fanatics of the TorchesAndPitchforks set who are as much into RapePillageAndBurn as they are actually hunting wizards.
110	* ''Literature/SolomonKane'': Solomon is a quite unambiguously good case and likely the TropeCodifier. Even the slouch hat, worn by Kane, wound up on many characters who followed his legacy when GorgeousPeriodDress would be out of place.
111	* ''Literature/SwordOfTruth'': The Blood of the Fold are an organization of these, who firmly believe {{magic is evil}} and all magic users are banelings (i.e. serve the [[GodOfEvil Keeper]]). Similarly the Imperial Order loathes magic because of the inequality it entails, though in the short term both use this out of necessity.
112	%%* ''Literature/TheWardstoneChronicles''.: Both the Spook and the Quisitor The major difference is that the Spook a) has some magical knowledge himself and b) cares whether the women accused of witchcraft are actually guilty.%%Explain how they fit the trope.
113	%%* Mathias Thulmann, main protagonist of the short stories by C.L. Werner set in ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' universe (and the guy portrayed on the trope image above) certainly qualifies.%%How and why?
114	* ''Literature/TheWitchlands'': The Hell-bards are an elite unit whose job is hunting down witches who didn't register with the government or committed a crime.
115	[[/folder]]
116
117	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
118	* ''Series/{{Blackadder}}'': The Witchsmeller Pursuviant, who finds the title character guilty of witchcraft via an over-the-top KangarooCourt. Being ''Blackadder'', Pursuviant is merely a lunatic who falsely accuses people in droves for witchcraft either over InsaneTrollLogic or petty spite, and [[EvilIsPetty Edmund made the mistake of insulting him within earshot]]. Less conventionally for the series however, Edmund is saved after Pursuviant ends up suffering a KarmicDeath when he spontaneously combusts in what is heavily implied to be an act of ''real'' witchcraft he overlooked, [[spoiler: by Edmund's mother, Queen Gertrude]].
119	* ''Series/Charmed1998'': In the fourth season finale a witch hunter, played by Creator/BruceCampbell, blackmails the Charmed Ones into helping him track down another witch by threatening to expose their own powers. Once he has the witch he's looking for he tries to [[BurnTheWitch burn her at a a stake]]. Luckily the Halliwells catch up to him and save their fellow witch.
120	* ''Series/DoctorWho'': In "The Witchfinders", the TARDIS team arrives in 17th Century Lancashire where the local landowner has already executed by drowning 36 people who have been accused of witchcraft. The Doctor flashes her psychic paper which identifies her as the Witchfinder General. Before she can get much done however, a man masked and cloaked in black turns up who appears to be the classic Witch Hunter, only to reveal himself as a CampGay King James I [[KingIncognito traveling incognito]]--unfortunately no less dedicated to stamping out witchcraft. The Doctor, amusingly, finds herself demoted to Witchfinder General's Assistant when she tries using the psychic paper on his Majesty.
121	* ''Series/GoodOmens2019'': Thou-Shalt-Not-Commit-Adultery Pulsifer was a witchfinder, while Shadwell tries to be one as well, recruiting Pulsifer's descendant Newton. Adultery found at least one witch but [[TakingYouWithMe died when he burned her (and the fifty pounds of gunpowder under her skirts) at the stake]], Shadwell never realizes how close he was to a witch and witch-related people, while Newton stumbled upon a witch mostly on accident.
122	-->'''Anathema:''' You know, you're not actually a bad witchfinder. After all, you found me.
123	* ''Series/{{Kaamelott}}'': Subverted. The local Witch Hunter is a complete and utter dumbass and the epitome of ActivistFundamentalistAntics who tries to set fire to anyone he disagrees with (pagans, magic-users, heretics, women, Myth/KingArthur...). In the pilot, he suffers a minor brain freeze when Arthur points out that his sword is magical (and thus heretical) before trying to have Arthur burned, and ends up tied at his own stake. His final appearance has him declare he's become a paladin, demand Arthur's sword, and prove himself incapable of defeating the village idiot in a swordfight.
124	%%* ''Series/MaddigansQuest'': The Witchfinder. Atypically for this trope, she's a woman.
125	* ''Series/MayfairWitches'': In the scenes of Scotland from the past, the first Mayfair witch is nearly [[BurnTheWitch burned at the stake]] by a witchfinder who comes to hunt witches. Then in the present we see an extreme Christian sect whose leader openly advocates this to modern witches, taking credit for one woman being burned alive recently.
126	%%* ''Series/Merlin2008'': The Witchfinder. However, he [[spoiler: was actually fabricating all of his evidence.]]
127	* ''Series/MotherlandFortSalem'': The Camarilla, an ancient group of them thought destroyed by General Alder, reappear in the first season finale, proving deadlier than before as they managed to duplicate witches' powers [[{{Magitek}} using technology]]. Their goal is the total extermination of witches.
128	* ''Series/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch'': Brad is a descendant of Witchhunters and can subconsciously sense magic when a spell is made in his presence. Its the main reason why he's an ass to Sabrina, who happens to be the girlfriend of his best friend.
129	* ''Series/TheWheelOfTime2021'': The Whitecloaks (at least their Questioners) are now portrayed this way, with their introduction showing Eamon Valda burning an Aes Sedai at the stake after he'd mutilated her by cutting off both her hands. They also call Aes Sedai "witches" disparagingly.
130	* In ''Series/TheWitchfinder'' a failing witchfinder transports a suspected witch to a trial that could change his fortunes, but first he must deal with the worst possible travel companion and road-free trip across the country gripped by civil war, famine, and plague.
131	[[/folder]]
132
133	[[folder:Manhwa]]
134	* ''Manhwa/WitchHunter''. People with special powers unite in a battle against genuine witches.
135	[[/folder]]
136
137	[[folder:Music]]
138	* Carl Douglas, best known for the song "Kung Fu Fighting", had a song called "Witchfinder General", which was specifically about the Creator/VincentPrice [[Film/WitchfinderGeneral movie]].
139	* Horror-themed metal band Music/{{Ghost}} has a song called "Stand By Him", whose lyrics allude to ''Literature/MalleusMaleficarum'', a book that claims to teach readers how to be a real-life version of this. The song itself is about a witch who was burned at stake by a witch hunter (or perhaps a group of such) named [[RedBaron The Witch Hammer]] and now rises up to [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge seek vengeance]].
140	-->''The Witch Hammer struck her down''
141	-->''On our Sabbath, she's unbound''
142	%%* Saxon's song "Witchfinder General"
143	[[/folder]]
144
145	[[folder:Roleplay]]
146	* ''Roleplay/SurvivalOfTheFittest's'' Uriel Hunter is a religious zealot dedicated to 'cleansing' the island, believing it to be infested by demons and Satanic minions. His weapon of choice, naturally, is fire.
147	[[/folder]]
148
149	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
150	* ''TabletopGame/AnimaBeyondFantasy'': Inquisitors are far more this than a ChurchPolice, and extending their work to hunt supernatural/non-human entities too[[note]]Paradoxically even if they hunt supernatural stuff, they have supernatural abilities, which are considered by the Church to be a gift from God[[/note]]. [[BurntheWitch Burning at the stake]], sometimes after [[ColdBloodedTorture torture to extract information from them]], is the usual fate for those they capture and don't kill on the spot.
151	* ''TabletopGame/HunterTheVigil'': Many Hunters fit the description quite well, too, but the closest types are the Malleus Maleficarum and the Knights of the Order of St. George. The Malleus are basically the Inquisition with machine guns, bearing both holy rituals and a "kill 'em all and let God sort 'em out" policy. The Knights are a division of the Anglican Church that pursue sorcerers almost exclusively and use "divine magic" ([[spoiler:really rituals learned from an EldritchAbomination]]) to sabotage magic.
152	* ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' [[http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/inquisitor includes an Inquisitor class]]. The iconic Inquisitor could only look more like this trope with a burning heretic at her feet, though in personality and outlook she is a far cry from the stereotyped angry witch hunter and more of a kind-hearted scholar who happens to engage in the grim business of monster-hunting. The Inquistor class even has an archetype (class variant) ''called'' Witch Hunter, who drops some of the Inquisitor's abilities to counter beasts and discerning lies and alignments for [[MageKiller abilities aimed at arcane spellcasters]].
153	* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'': Witch hunters are a specialized order within the Empire tasked with hunting down heretics, magic-users, cultists, monsters and the undead and exterminating them with extreme prejudice. The relatively recent legalization of magic within the bounds of the Imperial-approved Colleges infuriates them. They're uniformly dogmatic and ruthless figures, wholly convinced of their own righteousness and of the corruption of their targets, and the profession tends to gravitate towards abuses of power with a certain regularity. In early editions of the game they often worship Solkan, the god of order and revenge, while later versions of the game[[note]]where Solkan was {{retconned}} out of existence[[/note]] has the witch hunters belong to the Holy Order of the Templars of Sigmar (or Order of Sigmar for short).
154	* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': [[Characters/Warhammer40000Inquisition The Holy Orders of the Emperor's Inquisition]] have three branches devoted to hunting daemons (Ordo Malleus), heretics (Ordo Hereticus), and aliens (Ordo Xenos), each of which has a militant arm: the Grey Knights (an entire chapter of psychic SpaceMarines), the Sisters of Battle (an AmazonBrigade that [[KillItWithFire loves burning witches and heretics]]), and the Deathwatch (a corps of expert Space Marines from various chapters). The Inquisition in general is closest to the traditional "witch hunter", down to the longcoat and hat. Despite the clear descent of Inquisitors from Solomon Kane, both Warhammers likely popularized the image of the Witch Hunter enough that some fans [[OlderThanTheyThink think it was Games Workshop's creation.]]
155	* ''TabletopGame/WarhammerAgeOfSigmar'': The Order of Azyr serves as the spiritual successor of, and is largely based on, the Witch Hunters of ''Warhammer Fantasy Battle''. Aside from hunting down cults, killing daemons, and dealing with [[WildMagic rogue Endless Spells]] and such, they also hunt down more mundane threats as part of their StateSec duties. Interestingly, from the background of the GaidenGame ''Warhammer Quest: Cursed City'', it's possible to be kicked out of the Order for being ''too'' zealous and paranoid. The possibility of [[GodEmperor Sigmar himself]] physically showing up and personally yelling at them for getting it wrong gives them a lot more oversight than their predecessors had.
156	* ''TabletopGame/WitchHunterTheInvisibleWorld'' is a horror game set in an alternative earth that can best be called a Literature/SolomonKane story with less sexism, racism, and cultural superiority. Witch Hunters are individuals from any place that have learned secrets once woven into the Seal of Solomon. They use this to fight against supernatural terrors that serve the Adversary, a cosmic evil being (or group) whose identity is unknown (most Witch Hunters equate the Adversary with the BigBad of their religion, such as the Christian Satan, hence the name). Since the core rulebook focuses on Europe and the Americas in the 17th century, most Witch Hunters will be a walking embodiment of this trope. The remainder are this trope only seen through the culture they come from. For example, imagine this trope, only the hunter happens to be from the Ottoman Empire. With a little work, your Witch Hunters are this trope in [[RecycledInSpace any pre-Industrial time and culture]].
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159	[[folder:Video Games]]
160	* In ''VideoGame/DemonsSouls'', [[DealWithTheDevil Mephistopheles]], along with her [[TheDragon Dragon]], [[ProfessionalKiller Yurt The Silent Chief]] are members of a group of assassins known as the [[MurderInc Soul Society]], their duty is to hunt down every single person who practices the [[SoulPower Soul Art]], although the latter is [[AxCrazy more interested in killing every single existing human]].
161	* In ''VideoGame/{{Disciples}}'' games, the Empire unit Squire can be upgraded to be a Witch Hunter, which is resistant against magical attacks.
162	* Witch Hunter is a premade character class in both ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind'' and ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion''. In their description, it's noted that their purpose is to combat cults and necromancers. In gameplay terms, their skills gravitate towards being a MageMarksman, taking elements from the archer and thief classes and the schools of destruction, conjuration and mysticism.
163	* ''VideoGame/TheEndTimesVermintide'' features Viktor Saltzpyre, a classic Warhammer witch hunter. He captured one of the characters in the game and hired the other as a mercenary to help guard her, meaning his witch hunting is responsible for three of the five heroes being in town when the action in the game commences.
164	* ''VideoGame/GrimDawn'' has the Inquisitors of the Luminari order, charged to protect [[TheEmpire Erulan]] from witches, cultists, renegade arcanists, and other occult dangers. Playable Inquisitors are skilled with ranged weapons and make use of runic magic and replicas of arcane artifacts that the Luminari have captured and studied. Inquisitor Creed is the SupportingLeader and closest thing to a BigGood on humanity's side, willing to work with necromancers and the witches of Ugdenbog to fight against the Aetherials.
165	* The immortal protagonist of ''VideoGame/KnightsContract'' was originally this trope. After WhoWantsToLiveForever set in, he ended up joining forces with the witch who cursed him in hopes of a [[DeathSeeker way to die]].
166	* In ''VideoGame/MordheimCityOfTheDamned'', also set in the ''Warhammer'' universe, the Witch Hunters are available as DownloadableContent. Witch Hunters normally operate alone, but after the destruction of [[WretchedHive Mordheim]], the Grand Theogonist gathered several of his agents and granted them the post of captain and a commission sanctioning any action deemed necessary to redeem the lost city and restore Sigmar's grace - or failing that, purge it all in holy fire. Each warband is a small posse with one of these Captains at its head, joined by other junior witch hunters, warrior priests, errant knights and other motley fanatics, all looking to bring death to mankind's enemies in the service of Sigmar and mankind's other gods.
167	* In ''VideoGame/TheWitcher3WildHunt'', the Witch Hunters of the Eternal Flame are a fanatical faction bent on tracking down and exterminating anyone using magic or occult practices, as well as magical non-human creatures. The ones in the free city of Novigrad are responsible for the worst atrocities, but they tend to pop up all over the North, hunting down mages and other creatures deemed abhorrent by their faith - including those creatures and mages who are completely benign. They're unfriendly toward Geralt, the game's protagonist, because he's a mutant Witcher, but a combination of powerful friends and the fact that [[OneManArmy Geralt can butcher a dozen of them in less than a minute]] leads to them ''usually'' leaving him be.
168	** The Witchers themselves can be considered Witch Hunters, though they are less "empowered by faith" and more "tried and true tactics and lore". They hunt and destroy the supernatural monsters that plague humanity, and also occasionally moonlight as warriors for hire, or sorcerer-killers.
169	* ''VideoGame/WitchHunterIzana'': No really. More seriously the titular witch hunter Izana hews closely to the archetype, complete with bad attitude and impressive hat. Interestingly she is an outspoken proponent for the necessity of such a role, and is willing to argue about it. It helps that the current situation is making just killing everyone who disagrees with her unlikely to work.
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172	[[folder:Webcomics]]
173	* In ''Webcomic/FarStarSummerSchool'', the Far-Star coven does their best to appear like a normal summer school to avoid the wrath of a group of witch-hunters.
174	* Despite the name, the protagonist of ''[[Creator/RalphHayesJr Witch Hunter]]'' is actually an {{Aversion}} of this trope. While he has the power to see people's sins, and therefore the power to identify the very evil, he is insistent that this doesn't give him the authority to dispense some kind of vigilante justice. The one time he directly attacks a group of evildoers, it's because they've just kidnapped a girl and are about to rape her. His more usual M.O. is to simply tip off the police, since he can generally spot when someone has just committed a crime, and the nature of his powers tells him a lot about what crime was committed (different sins have different appearances).
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177	[[folder:Web Original]]
178	* Creator/AtunSheiFilms has WebVideo/TheWitchfinderGeneral (of the Colony of Massachusetts Bay), a strongly devout, iron-hearted witchfinder from 17th century Massachusetts.
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181	[[folder:Western Animation]]
182	* In the ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' episode "The Witches of Langley", Principal Lewis is revealed to be a Witch Hunter, having descended from a long line of them. He hunts Steve when the latter begins to use "Blood Magic" at Pearl Bailey High School. Notably, he is tolerant of witches using their magic for good, even working with Good Witches Snot, Toshi and Barry to stop Steve when he becomes mad with power.
183	* On one "Rita and Runt" segment of ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' set in colonial Salem, Massachusetts, a witch hunter is after Rita, claiming she's a witch's familiar.
184	* ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'': Alden Bitterroot is an IdenticalAncestor of [[ConspiracyTheorist Mr. Crocker]] who is not only a fraudulent witch-hunter, but an actual witch himself.
185	* In ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'' we discover that [[spoiler: Philip Wittebane, the man who would become [[Characters/TheOwlHouseEmperorBelos Emperor Belos]]]], was a Witch Hunter before his arrival on the Boiling Isles. Given his history, he was most likely involved in the Connecticut Witch Trials. He even insists his title is "Witch Hunter General", a play on Matthew Hopkins' self-given title in real life.
186	* Tim the Witch-Smeller from ''WesternAnimation/SabrinaTheAnimatedSeries'' has the distinct honor of being one of the [[BewareTheSillyOnes silliest]], [[NotSoHarmlessVillain scariest]], and most dangerous villains the show has ever produced.
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189	[[folder:Real Life]]
190	* [[UrExample A notorious example from real history]] is [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Hopkins Matthew Hopkins]], the original "Witchfinder General". During the UsefulNotes/EnglishCivilWar, Hopkins traveled through eastern England at the head of a team of self-styled witch-hunters; within two years -- from 1645 to 1647 -- he and his accomplice John Stearne caused the deaths of about 300 women, who were executed by hanging. Though Hopkins claimed to have a mandate from the English Parliament, this was probably a lie (the title "Witchfinder General" was his own invention) -- however, Parliament obviously tolerated his actions. As if that wasn't enough, Hopkins's book ''The Discovery of Witches'', which he published shortly before his death in 1647, helped to spread the witch-craze to the New England colonies, where it immediately sparked a wave of {{witch hunt}}s, up to and including the Salem Witch Trials of the 1690s which still used Hopkins's methods.
191	* Heinrich Kramer, a Dominican monk and Inquisitor and the author of the ''Literature/MalleusMaleficarum'' (i.e. ''Hammer of the Witches'', 1486), a treatise on witches and a tutorial on how to conduct witch trials. Kramer was also responsible for the so-called ''Hexenbulle'', a papal bull which Kramer used to prompt several witch trials. He claimed to have led 200 witches to execution. Again, there is little reason to believe his empty boasts; Kramer and reality were not always on speaking terms and he was regarded by many people who knew him as a paranoid loon even in his own lifetime. Additionally, Kramer was also a rampart misogynist who possibly viewed every female as being TheVamp (There's a REASON a non-zero amount of people compared him to Disney's portrayal of Frollo). The ''Malleus'', much like ''The Discovery of Witches'' after it, caused great harm after it was taken up during the witch-hunting craze of the 1500s-1600s (the Pope had sanctioned witch trials after his book was released, but this wasn't acted upon then).
192	* Witch Smellers were found in some African tribes, and the hunts they kicked off could be devastating in their effects, but they didn't always have it their way. According to legend some Zulu witch hunters tried this on UsefulNotes/ShakaZulu. He outsmarted them and it ended badly for them.
193	* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurentius_Christophori_Hornaeus Laurentius Hornaeus]], AKA "The Evil Reverend from Torsåker", an extremely zealous witch hunter in 17th Century Sweden. Assisted by two "wiseboys", who claimed to be able to identify witches from otherwise invisible marks, and using methods such as dunking children in freezing water to make them testify against their relatives, Hornaeus managed to get 71 people (a tenth of his congregation) convicted for witchcraft and executed,[[note]] For comparison, the total number of people ever executed for witchcraft in Sweden is about 400.[[/note]] and he would most likely have continued if higher and saner authorities had not intervened. Hornaeus’ grandson Jöns Hornaeus, who wrote an account of his grandfather's life, claimed that people were still afraid to go near the house where "the Evil Reverend" had lived sixty years later.
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Context Main / TheWitchHunter