Line #3 PlayingWith/VillainProtagonist


1	'''Basic Trope''': The main character, viewpoint character, and protagonist of a story, is also the story's villain.
2	* '''Straight''': [[TheEmperor Emperor Evulz]] is the protagonist of the story ''Emperor Evulz [[TakeOverTheWorld Takes Over the World]]'', which contains ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin ([[TinTyrant of course]]). He acts in every way like a traditional EvilOverlord BigBad, but is the main character who narrates the story.
3	* '''Exaggerated''': Evulz is a both a CompleteMonster and CardCarryingVillain, who mercilessly and repeatedly [[BreakingTheFourthWall breaks the fourth wall]] to {{lampshade\|Hanging}} how he's the villain.
4	* '''Downplayed''':
5	** The focus necessarily isn't on Evulz, but it ''is'' focusing on the misadventures of [[TheDragon General Drake]], [[EvilGenius Head Scientist Butcherstein]], and [[TheBrute Clay the Psychopathic, Left-Handed Glaswegian]].
6	** NominalHero protagonist
7	** AntiVillain Protagonist
8	** The characters in the story [[GreyAndGrayMorality can't be neatly divided into good guys and bad guys]], but on the shades of grey within the show, Evulz is [[BlackAndGreyMorality an obviously darker shade of the morality spectrum]].
9	** The protagonist is a WellIntentionedExtremist and genuinely believes that [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans his actions will create a better world]]. He ''might'' have been an actual hero, if not for the [[ShootTheDog horrific measures]] he takes to achieve his goals.
10	** "Villain" maybe too strong of a word, but the protagonist is certainly a {{Jerkass}}.
11	** The protagonist is a LovableRogue GentlemanThief based on the stereotypical thief in the average heist movie, and [[NobleDemon has some sort of]] [[HonorAmongThieves strict]] [[ThouShallNotKill moral]] [[CodeOfHonor code]].
12	** [[ALighterShadeOfBlack The protagonist is evil but his enemies are much worse.]]
13	** [[TokenEvilTeammate Despite being evil, the protagonist works with the good guys]].
14	** UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist
15	** Villain {{Deuteragonist}}.
16	** VillainEpisode.
17	* '''Justified''':
18	** [[CharacterNarrator The story is Evulz writing down his memoirs for posterity]]: Obviously he'll not be able to use anyone but himself as the viewpoint character.
19	** [[FramingDevice Evulz is on trial]].
20	** Its an EvilVersusEvil setting, and thus would be impossible to have anyone but a villain be the main character.
21	** The story is about [[ObliviouslyEvil Evulz']] HeelRealization.[[note]]Yeah, we all know about this [[ItWasHisSled sled]], by now.[[/note]]
22	* '''Inverted''':
23	** The HeroAntagonist, who is typically the main opponent of a Villain Protagonist.
24	** HeroProtagonist and VillainAntagonist, the traditional roles for the good guy and bad guy in most stories.
25	* '''Subverted''':
26	** The story starts of with Emperor Evulz for the first half of the book, before suddenly switching viewpoint and main-characterhood to [[TheHero Bob Badass]] instead.
27	** Emperor Evulz is GoodAllAlong.
28	** Emperor Evulz does start out as unreptantly evil, but he gradually becomes less evil, or outright makes a HeelFaceTurn.
29	* '''Double Subverted''':
30	** It eventually switches back to Evulz for the final chapters, who remains the protagonist for the rest of the book. The parts narrated by Bob [[ShaggyDogStory turn out to be unimportant in the grand scale of the story's narrative]].
31	** Evulz is an UnreliableNarrator who really is a villain, but has been trying to paint himself more sympathetically.
32	* '''Parodied''':
33	** Evulz starts the story by beating up the narrator and taking his protagonist-hood via HostileShowTakeover. The entire rest of the story concerns Evulz abusing his narrator privileges to turn the narrative into a bad case of HerCodeNameWasMarySue, while the Bob tries to break free from the story and boot Evulz out of the narrator seat.
34	** Emperor Evulz is a bumbling HarmlessVillain and the story is about his [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption repeated failures]] in proving himself to be [[BewareTheSillyOnes more competent than he seems]].
35	** Despite still being villainous and heroic respectively, Evulz constantly makes heroic speeches that would fit right in with TheCape, while the hero Bob [[FauxHorrific cackles and raves like a supervillain on his plans for world peace.]]
36	* '''Zig Zagged''':
37	** The story constantly switches viewpoint characters. Emperor Evulz is only one of them and is only the protagonist ever so often.
38	** The protagonist is a HeelFaceRevolvingDoor
39	** The protagonist is in a {{Video Game\|s}} where depending on your choices, you can either be a VillainProtagonist, a HeroProtagonist, or a [[GreyAndGrayMorality neither good or evil]] protagonist.
40	** The protagonist is Elliot, a NiceGuy [[MeanCharacterNiceActor who's most-well known for playing the villain Emperor Evulz]] in a ShowWithinAShow.
41	* '''Averted''':
42	** Emperor [[NonIndicativeName Evulz]] is TheHero. The story is a standard following of his [[TheHerosJourney hero's journey]] to take down [[BigBad Bob Badguy]].
43	** NoCampaignForTheWicked
44	* '''Enforced''':
45	** The writer wants to make a story where the main character is a bad guy who gets defeated at the end so we can see the rise and fall of a villain.
46	** The writer wants to make the villain the main character for the audience to relate and identify with.
47	* '''Lampshaded''':
48	-->'''Emperor Evulz''': "Admire me? You fools. Do you not know that I'm the villain of this tale."
49	* '''Invoked''': The land was taken over by the Forces of Goodness long ago; what with there being no more conflicts, the only way the story can have anything to do is if it follows up-and-coming wannabe Emperor Evulz on his path to upsetting the status quo.
50	* '''Exploited''': The antagonists know that [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall Evulz is the protagonist]], so they create their own HeroAntagonist just to stir up a conflict between them.
51	* '''Defied''': Evulz begins the story by ensuring us all that he is the hero, and this will not be one of those 'follow the villain stories'.
52	* '''Discussed''': Evulz and Bob have a discussion over the traditional narrative roles of hero and villain, and note that so far Evulz has been the one to go through the traditional hero's journey even though his goal is the evil one.
53	* '''Conversed''': Evulz and Bob are watching a show where the villain is the main character, and have the above conversation.
54	* '''Deconstructed''':
55	** Having Evulz in charge does in no way lessen his villainy, causing the whole story to turn into a serious case of BlackAndGrayMorality where the distant and ineffectual heroes have no connection to the audience and the only people given care and attention are unsympathetic and evil. All the events that would normally be OffscreenVillainy in a traditional story gets described in livid detail, showcasing just how horrible villains are in such stories and how many lives get lost while the heroes tarry and go through their personal flaws and demons.
56	** Due to being a villain ''protagonist'', Evulz is as disgustingly overpowered as you'd expect a hero to be. This allows him to [[CurbstompBattle absolutely lay waste]] [[OmnicidalManiac to any and all opposition in his way]], causing him to be a KarmaHoudini who [[TheBadGuyWins can get away with anything]] because nobody is strong enough to actually challenge his might.
57	** After using the power of NewGamePlus to rebirth himself, Evulz becomes Malevulz. However due to the butterfly effect, he [[KarmaHoudiniWarranty eventually gets his ass kicked]] by the heroes who make it a point to ensure that Malevulz is DeaderThanDead.
58	* '''Reconstructed''': When the heroes finally turn up, they turn out to be good and nice people, even as Evulz's viewpoint tries (and fails) to paint them in an unflattering light. Evulz eventually gets defeated in a traditional fight in the climax, with the final chapters being him lamenting his position from inside his TailorMadePrison and swearing eternal vengeance as goodness and light falls across the liberated land once more.
59	* '''Played For Laughs''': Emperor Evulz is an UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist or a HeroicComedicSociopath with a 'villanous' goal, LaughablyEvil, or a HarmlessVillain whose 'EvilPlan' is villainous but completely harmless.
60	* '''Played For Drama''': Emperor Evulz does some truly horrifying things. The story treats him with every bit of reverence as deserved and does not sugarcoat any of his horrible deeds.
61	----
62	Now follow this link back to VillainProtagonist if it pleases you, your vile troperness.
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64	%% Optional items, added after Conversed, at your discretion:
65	%%
66	%%* '''Implied''': ???

Context PlayingWith / VillainProtagonist