History Main / SerialKiller

Serial killers can further be divided into '''Organized''', '''Disorganized''' and '''Mixed'''. Organized their crimes carefully and often well in advance, and are thus always premeditated. They try to maintain a high level of control over the crime scene and bring with them the items they use to incapacitate and kill their victims. They may even hold a stable job and have a good education, and appear [[TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse perfectly normal in every way]]. Such people are very likely to be TheChessmaster. The latter are much more impulsive and careless; their crimes may or may not be premeditated, and they are recklessly executed when they are (often with a random weapon) without due care for witnesses or leaving evidence. These tend to be poorly educated, unemployed or without steady employment, have no or very few friends, and a known of history of mental illness. Mixed have traits from both categories.

* '''Supernatural''' killers are what happens when a normal, flesh and blood killer for any of the above types dies. Or rather, ''[[TheUndead doesn't]]''. He may discover EvilMakesYouMonstrous, get turned into a [[OurVampiresAreDifferent vampire]] or [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent werewolf]], or linger on as a [[OurGhostsAreDifferent ghost]]. Alternatively, he may be a mortal with magical powers from a [[DealWithTheDevil demon]], or a spectre who needs to kill to [[BodySnatcher keep control of his host]], or almost anything paranormal as long as he keeps killing. This usually makes them (perhaps literal) nightmares, as they [[ThePunishment suffer]] from a HorrorHunger, gain superpowers, and are [[NighInvulnerability nigh unkillable]]. This is one kind of ResurrectedMurderer.

* '''Supernatural''' killers are what happens when a normal, flesh and blood killer for any of the above types dies. Or rather, ''[[TheUndead doesn't]]''. He may discover EvilMakesYouMonstrous, get turned into a [[OurVampiresAreDifferent vampire]] or [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent werewolf]], or linger on as a [[OurGhostsAreDifferent ghost.]] This usually makes them (perhaps literal) nightmares, as they [[ThePunishment suffer]] from a HorrorHunger, gain superpowers, and are [[NighInvulnerability nigh unkillable]]. This is one kind of ResurrectedMurderer.

Many potential Serial Killers get caught quickly because they use an MO that makes their crimes easy to detect and identify, have such a strong compulsion to murder that they literally cannot stop themselves even when they know they are under suspicion and/or police surveillance, or (often mixing with the formmer) have such a twisted perspective that it simply does not occur to them that they're leaving evidence behind. Some may even taunt police as if it were a game and derive further thrill from it. Exceedingly few RealLife serial killers actually want to be caught, and even these few are mostly invoking an extremely twisted form of ItsAllAboutMe and NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity; they want to be seen as extraordinary.

* '''Mission-Based''' -- The killer [[KnightTemplar believes that their actions are]] [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans for the greater good]], or in the service of some higher purpose, because they are performing some kind of social, political, philosophical, or religious service, generally targeting people they blame for society's ills, or view as sinful, distasteful, or dangerous. Though they may be deluded, they are not psychotic like the Visionary killer, having a rough grasp on reality. In fact, this is the only version of this trope that stands a remote chance of applying to a heroic character, [[VillainHasAPoint if they're correct about their victims being the sort of people who deserve to die]] [[ViolenceIsTheOnlyOption and who can't be dealt with in any other way]]. {{Vigilante|Man}} killers are a sub-type of this.

* '''Power/Control''' -- These murderers kill because it makes them feel powerful. Often (though not always) the type who were [[FreudianExcuse mistreated or abused as children]], they are driven more by insecurity or rage than by any pleasure they might get out of killing, though that might eventually play a part. If rape is involved, it is not, like a Hedonistic killer, motivated by lust, but as another means of dominating the victim. Very often involves [[ColdBloodedTorture torture]], and[=/=]or [[BoundAndGagged binding the victim in some fashion]], though neither of these are requirements. If they're ''extremely'' sadistic, they may even want to TakeOverTheWorld.

* '''Angels of Death''' are similar, but kill patients for feelings of power and control, or sometimes [[WellIntentionedExtremist serial mercy-killing (or believe their crimes to be such)]], and are thus harder to trace. Again, usually women, though Harold Shipman -- British doctor and the most prolific serial killer in the world -- falls into this type.

* '''Murderers of [[DisposableSexWorker prostitutes]]''', which is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin. Most often, a Serial Killer starts with killing a prostitute, and a Serial Killer's victims are likely to be mostly or even only prostitutes (such as UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper, the UrExample of Serial Killers); in fact, it's not uncommon for such a murderer to ''target'' prostitutes, as they believe to be doing a ''favor'' to society by killing them, which makes these killings a type of Mission-Based Serial Killing. Another reason is that sex-workers are easier victims, working in dangerous locations and with strong reason not to call the police. The growth of products like Only Fans and Paypal, which incidentally give sex workers more agency and better ability to screen their clients, has made it safer.
* '''Sexual Predators''' are killers who lure victims to their death with promises of sex or intimacy, or simply chatting the victim up. May drug their victims to make it easier. Usually Lust killers, but other motives are suspected in certain cases.
* '''Sexual Sadists''' are lust killers who torture their victims before killing them; the torture is usually more important than the actual murder. The torture may be psychological and can last for a matter of seconds or minutes, or it can last for hours or days, depending on the offender.
* '''[[TheSociopath Antisocial]]''' killers are those suffering from a severe case of a personality disorder. Impulsive and impatient, they pathologically violate social norms and values, such as repeatedly committing serious and petty crimes. Serial murder is usually just one of many crimes they regularly commit, and they often do so in the course of other crimes, such as robbery, rape, and various forms of [[ManipulativeBastard manipulation]].
* '''[[IAmAHumanitarian Cannibalistic]]''' killers hunt down people so they can eat their flesh. Other times they do it out of curiosity after they've killed someone, the {{cannibal}}ism not having been the primary motive for the murder. [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Dahmer Jeffrey Dahmer]] is a well-known real life example of this type. Franchise/HannibalLecter is the most iconic fictional example.

** '''{{Cop Killer}}s''' are the other way around, killing actual police either [[GoodCopBadCop decent policemen]] or [[CorruptCop foul]], they kill with the belief that they are above the law.

* '''Power/Control''' -- These murderers kill because it makes them feel powerful. Often (though not always) the type who were [[FreudianExcuse mistreated or abused as children]], they are driven more by insecurity or rage than by any pleasure they might get out of killing, though that might eventually play a part. If rape is involved, it is not, like a Hedonistic killer, motivated by lust, but as another means of dominating the victim. Very often involves [[ColdBloodedTorture torture]], and[=/=]or [[BoundAndGagged binding the victim in some fashion]], though neither of these are requirements. If their ''extremely'' sadistic, they may even want to TakeOverTheWorld.

* '''Power/Control''' -- These murderers kill because it makes them feel powerful. Often (though not always) the type who were [[FreudianExcuse mistreated or abused as children]], they are driven more by insecurity or rage than by any pleasure they might get out of killing, though that might eventually play a part. If rape is involved, it is not, like a Hedonistic killer, motivated by lust, but as another means of dominating the victim. Very often involves [[ColdBloodedTorture torture]], and[=/=]or [[BoundAndGagged binding the victim in some fashion]], though neither of these are requirements.

Serial Killer plots tend to be men killing women, although ''Series/TheBill'' subverted this. This is [[TruthInTelevision somewhat realistic]], however, because in the real world, the vast majority of serial killers are men — or, more exactly, men tend to murder in ways that make it easier for them to get caught. Female serial killers will typically be Angels of Death and may work in health care or similar vocations. In fiction, they'll often have a TortureCellar or do their killings in a SinisterSubway.

* '''Supernatural''' killers are what happens when a normal, flesh and blood killer for any of the above types dies. Or rather, ''[[TheUndead doesn't]]''. He may discover EvilMakesYouMonstrous, get turned into a [[OurVampiresAreDifferent vampire]] or [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent werewolf]], or linger on as a [[OurGhostsAreDifferent ghost.]] This usually makes them (perhaps literal) nightmares, as they [[ThePunishment suffer]] from a HorrorHunger, gain superpowers, and are [[NighInvulnerability nigh unkillable]].

* '''Murderers of [[DisposableSexWorker prostitutes]]''', which is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin. Most often, a Serial Killer starts with killing a prostitute, and a Serial Killer's victims are likely to be mostly or even only prostitutes (such as UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper, the UrExample of Serial Killers); in fact, it's not uncommon for such a murderer to ''target'' prostitutes, as they believe to be doing a ''favor'' to society by killing them, which makes these killings a type of Mission-Based Serial Killing.

A counterpart to the SerialRapist; it's not uncommon for the tropes to overlap, seeing how MurderersAreRapists and all. Compare with PsychoForHire, where a job that requires killing people is used by villains to act out their sadism. See also HuntingTheMostDangerousGame, where someone makes an actual sport out of killing people. The killer feared by other killers is a SerialKillerKiller.

Serial killers are very much TruthInTelevision, but we must ask that [[NoRealLifeExamplesPlease real life examples not be listed here]] -- there are [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_serial_killers_by_country plenty of examples of them]] on TheOtherWiki.

Many potential Serial Killers get caught quickly because they use an MO that makes their crimes easy to detect and identify, have such a strong compulsion to murder that they literally cannot stop themselves even when they know they are under suspicion and/or police surveillance, or (often mixing with the formmer) have such a twisted perspective that it simply does not occur to them that they're leaving evidence behind. Some may even taunt police as if it were a game and derive further thrill from it. Exceedingly few RealLife serial killers actually want to be caught, and even these few are mostly invoking an extremely twisted form of ItsAllAboutMe/NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity; they want to be seen as extraordinary.

Incidentally the majority of RealLife serial killers fall under hedonistic.

Serial killers can further be divided into '''Organized''' and '''Disorganized'''. The former plan their crimes carefully and often well in advance, and are thus always premeditated. They may even hold a stable job and have a good education, and appear [[TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse perfectly normal in every way]]. Such people are very likely to be TheChessmaster. The latter are much more impulsive and careless; their crimes may or may not be premeditated, and they are recklessly executed when they are, without due care for witnesses or leaving evidence. These tend to be poorly educated and not in steady employment.

Many potential Serial Killers get caught quickly because they use an MO that makes their crimes easy to detect and identify, or have such a strong compulsion to murder that they literally cannot stop themselves, even when they know they are under suspicion and/or police surveillance. They may even ''enjoy'' it more if they know the cops are watching — yes, they see it as some kind of game. And finally, some of them are so sick and broken that they ''want'' to get caught.

* '''[[IAmAHumanitarian Cannibalistic]]''' killers hunt down people so they can eat their flesh. Other times they do it out of curiosity after they've killed someone, the cannibalism not having been the primary motive for the murder. [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Dahmer Jeffrey Dahmer]] is a well-known real life example of this type. Franchise/HannibalLecter is the most iconic fictional example.

!!Example subpages:

!!Other examples:
[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
* [[spoiler:Claudandus]] from ''WesternAnimation/{{Felidae}}'' personally kills a huge number of his fellow cats as part of his plan to create a MasterRace.
* Syndrome from ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'' is this, even if he is never called that (this being Disney and all). He systematically murders [[spoiler:the world's superheroes basically because he's jealous they're "special" and he's not.]]
* Mr. Hitcher from ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventuresHowISpentMyVacation'' seems to be one, as he's a chainsaw-wielding psychopath who escaped from a maximum-security prison.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Myths & Religion]]
* Myth/ClassicalMythology: When Theseus travels on the road to Athens, he encounters numerous bandits who have unique murder methods. Theseus [[ATasteOfTheirOwnMedicine offs them with their own methods]]. These includes:
** Polypoetes, who beats people to death with his club.
** Sinis, who ties people between two trees that he has bent down. Then, he let go of the trees, ripping them in half.
** Sciron, an elderly man who asks passersby to wash his feet as a sign of respect. When they bend over to comply, he punts them off a cliff and into the jaws of a sea monster at the bottom.
** Cercyon, who challenges passersby to wrestling matches, then kills them after they have lost.
** Procrustes, who invites passersby to [[InnOfNoReturn stay the night at his place]]. If they are too short for the bed, he stretches their bodies until they fit. If they are too tall for the bed, he chops off the excess. If they fit just right, he would swap the bed for a different sized bed so he could still kill them.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* In ''TabletopGame/MutantsAndMasterminds'', Jack-a-Knives, the Murder Spirit, manipulates people into this role.
* The ''TabletopGame/NewWorldOfDarkness'' has slashers, humans who find themselves compelled to kill. Strangely enough, [[VillainProtagonist they're playable]], and you can opt for a game in which the people the slashers kill often [[MoralEventHorizon deserve]] [[LaserGuidedKarma it]]. Each slasher archetype, or Undertaking, has two tiers: Ripper (steps above your standard serial killer, but still conceivably human) and Scourge (outright supernatural incarnation of murder).
** Also the rules presented allow you to make every character seen on this page:
*** Avenger/Legend: Paul Kersey from ''Film/DeathWish'' starts killing criminal punks, but eventually becomes so fed up with "the filth on the streets" that he becomes ''Film/{{Candyman}}'', haunting the urban projects.
*** Brute/Mask: Mickey from ''Film/NaturalBornKillers'' gets off on killing so much that he trades all that makes him human -- language, literacy, the ability to be around others -- to become [[Franchise/FridayThe13th Jason Voorhees]], unkillable but lurking in the woods for the pain human contact causes.
*** Charmer/Psycho (Hypno in ''Hunter'' 2E): Reverend Powell from ''Film/TheNightOfTheHunter'' gets by on the thin veneer of humanity for so long that it eventually turns inside out and he becomes the freak you can't help but stare at, not unlike ComicBook/TheJoker.
*** Freak (Undesirables in ''Hunter'' 2E)/Mutant: The families from ''Film/TheHillsHaveEyes2006'' take to the caves and degrade until they become [[Film/TheDescent the Crawlers]].
*** Genius (Virtuoso in ''Hunter'' 2E)/Maniac (Puppeteer in ''Hunter'' 2E): [[Literature/TheSilenceOfTheLambs Hannibal Lecter]] [[HannibalLecture tells people how much they suck so many times]], he comes to believe he must teach people to overcome their flaws via traps and sadistic choices ''a la'' [[Franchise/{{Saw}} Jigsaw]].
** Over in the ''TabletopGame/OldWorldOfDarkness'' are the Euthanatos of ''TabletopGame/MageTheAscension'', a group of the mission-based style. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] to some extent as there really ''are'' a number of monsters out there, and they're warned against judging too quickly. Although they have to be careful and not turn into the hedonistic type, otherwise they might become one of their colleagues' next targets.
** ''TabletopGame/ChangelingTheLost'' makes mention of Ernest Marker and the Shrike. The former is a serial child murderer, the latter is a True Fae named after the bird that impales animals on thorns. She had considered taking Marker back to Arcadia, but then she became curious about just how his madness worked. As she studied him, she became so interested in his insanity that (as far as "sanity" counts for TheFairFolk) ''[[HumanityIsInfectious she went mad exactly the same way]]''. Now the two have pooled Marker's knowledge of the mortal world and the Shrike's ages of hunting experience, planning the most heinous crime in human history...
* Subverted in the ''TabletopGame/{{Ravenloft}}'' adventure ''Hour of the Knife''. What seems like a hunt for Jack-the-Ripper {{expy}} "Bloody Jack" is complicated by the revelation that [[spoiler:A) "Jack" is a doppelganger, and B) the killings aren't insane at all, but a murderous ritual to empower an artifact-caliber cursed knife]].
* In ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' the Vigilante class is well suited to this. Their dual identity defeats efforts to find the killer through scrying, and emphasize deflecting suspicion by being a well-respected member of the community, while secretly specializing in attacking from stealth and downing a single target swiftly. They have three archetypes that are even better suited to the role: the Cabalist, who's associated with dark magic and blood sacrifice, the Hangman, who specializes in choking people to death, and...[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin the Serial Killer]]. The other two are [[DarkIsNotEvil sinister but can be heroic]] (the Hangman's description suggests it's executing condemned criminals who escaped justice), but the last has to be evil. It leaves a CallingCard, and murders so brutally it gives those who inspect the body nightmares.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Rippers}}'' - Dr. John Dee, the Elizabethan sorcerer, becomes Jack the Ripper. Oddly as Jack the Ripper, he's initially a heroic figure (he was hunting succubi among prostitutes) and with Van Helsing, he created "the Rippers" - a monster hunting group. Then he goes off the deep-end and makes villainous organization "the Cabal".
* Spite of ''TabletopGame/SentinelsOfTheMultiverse'' is, well, let's just say he's a horrible person and a vicious serial killer and leave it at that. We don't need to go into the messier details. Besides, they're all in the nightmare fuel and character sheet pages anyway.
* There have been several in ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'': the Mealtime Killer, the Emerald City Ripper, the Mayan Cutter and his copycats, and the "We are Free" killer(s) are just a few.
* In the dystopian future of ''TabletopGame/SLAIndustries'', between the endemic violent entertainment and hopeless dreary lives of Mort City's inhabitants, serial killers are commonplace. The deadliest of these are ex-operatives who have gone rogue and taken to killing for fun. The most famous of the serial killers is the immortal, pumpkin-masked Halloween Jack.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theater]]
* ''Theatre/ArsenicAndOldLace'' pits OnlySaneMan Mortimer Brewster against two separate serial killers: his old maiden aunts, Abby and Martha, who poison lonely old men as a "charity" and bury them in their cellar (falling under Visionary as they are clearly insane); and his older brother Jonathan, who is a psychotic murderer with kills all over the world (falling under Power/Control). When they discover each other's crimes, they wind up comparing notes, BodyCountCompetition-style, which is played for BlackComedy.
* In the ''Theatre/MrsHawking'' series: Part VI: ''Fallen Women'' concerns the hunt for Jack the Ripper, one of the most famous historical serial killers of all time.
* ''Theatre/SweeneyToddTheDemonBarberOfFleetStreet'': In a rare [[TragicVillain sympathetic]] ([[AvertedTrope but not]] [[SerialKillerKiller noble]]) example, Sweeney Todd becomes one of these [[spoiler:after he fails to kill Turpin]].
** Even more applicable in the original penny dreadful ''Literature/TheStringOfPearls'', in which he's just a Hedonistic sociopath out to profit - in every unspeakable way possible - from his victims.
* While not in the original Novella, Edward Hyde becomes this in ''Theatre/JekyllAndHyde''. The opening of act two is a sequence of him [[spoiler:killing off the majority of St. Jude's Board of Governors]].
[[/folder]]


[[folder:Visual Novels]]
* ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' has multiple serial killers, by definition [three or more murders, with time between each one]. A list of serial killers and the people they killed are as follows:
** Joe Darke (Edward Jones, Jason Knight, Edith Kirby, Rachael Moss, Jeb Bates, Neil Marshall [[spoiler:Except he didn't kill the last one. Things are more complicated than it seems.]]) Technically, he's a ''spree'' killer, but the game identifies him as a serial killer. [[spoiler:If he had actually killed Neil Marshall, then he ''would'' be a serial killer. Since this murder was the only one they were actually able to get him on, that's probably why official police documents refer to him as a serial killer.]]
** ProfessionalKiller Shelly de Killer ([[spoiler:Juan Corrida]], many unseen others as mentioned through in-game conversations)
** [[spoiler:Dahlia Hawthorne (Valerie Hawthorne, Terry Fawles (by proxy), Doug Swallow. Attempted to murder Diego Armando, Phoenix Wright, and Maya Fey)]]
** Sirhan Dogen, another ProfessionalKiller ([[spoiler:Di-Jun Huang]], many unseen others)
** [[spoiler:Kristoph Gavin]] comes close, and succeeds in the bad ending of ''Apollo Justice''. ([[spoiler:Zak Gramarye, Drew Misham, Vera Misham in bad ending]])

** The BigBad of ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyDualDestinies'' counts, having three named victims (Metis Cykes, [[spoiler: Bobby Fulbright]], Clay Terran) by the end of the game.
** ''VisualNovel/TheGreatAceAttorney'' has "The Professor," who systematically killed four people with a hunting dog (inspiring the [[WritingAroundTrademarks Sholmes]] novel ''Literature/TheHoundOfTheBaskervilles'') and fatally stabbed Barok van Ziek's brother Klint. [[spoiler: Except not really. Klint himself was The Professor, and he only killed one person willingly. Then someone found out about it and blackmailed him into killing the others, which he didn't want to do and felt great remorse over. While the man thought to be the Professor did kill Klint, it was through an honorable DuelToTheDeath which Klint consented to [[DeathSeeker even though he knew he would lose]], either because he knew he was outmatched or because he was [[ThrowingTheFight intending to lose on purpose]], making it more of a SuicideByCop than an actual duel]].
* The most common type of criminal in ''VisualNovel/CauseOfDeath'', due in part to the efforts of [[DiabolicalMastermind the Connoisseur]] to ''cultivate'' them when possible. We have Power/Control ([[BigBrotherBully the Maskmaker]], [[EvilOldFolks Zero]], arguably [[ShockAndAwe Livewire]], [[ForScience the dispenser of Nightmare]]), Hedonistic ([[HuntingTheMostDangerousGame the Hunter]], [[NotGoodWithRejection the Ladykiller]]), and Mission-Based ([[HeWhoFightsMonsters the Hand of Justice]], [[PsychopathicManchild the Boogeyman]]).
* ''VisualNovel/CemeteryMary'': [[spoiler:Reginald Tetra]] is the Blackwood Butcher killing innocent people, usually the elderly via a special antifreeze. [[spoiler:He does this so that [[{{Yandere}} Mary will show up at their funerals where he can stalk her]].]]
* ''Franchise/{{Danganronpa}}'':
** Genocide(r) Syo/Jack/Jill from ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc'' is apparently well-known enough in-universe that they're one of the first suggestions when the students are speculating on the identity of the mastermind who locked them in the school. Genocider is rumored to have killed thousands of young men, writing "BLOODBATH FEVER" (or "BLOODLUST") on the wall of each scene in the victim's blood and crucifying them with hand-made scissors. When a student turns up crucified in the locker room, with the aforementioned message, it becomes clear Genocider is indeed among them. [[spoiler:Except that Genocider, who is Fukawa's SplitPersonality, [[NotMeThisTime didn't kill Fujisaki]]; Togami strung the body up to resemble her MO in order to make the trial more interesting.]] Genocider is a Hedonistic type, [[spoiler:as all the boys she's killed were Fukawa's crushes]], and is therefore (somewhat ironically) the ''least'' likely to kill in the DeadlyGame, as not using her normal MO wouldn't satisfy her, and using it would make the culprit obvious, and Syo is [[PragmaticVillainy pragmatic enough]] to avoid that.
** Played with in ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair''. Early into the game, the same set-up that Genocider Syo has is run though again, with the killer Kirakira Seigi/Sparkling Justice and their MO being introduced, and then a character being killed with the serial killer's calling card left nearby. [[spoiler:It turns out to be a ruse, as the killer is trying to get somebody else out of the game through a perceived loophole in the rules, and pretends to be the aforementioned serial killer to get everyone to vote for her quickly without thinking too hard about the circumstances surrounding the murder.]]
** Chapter 3 of ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'' reveals [[spoiler:the rather [[ObviouslyEvil threatening-looking Korekiyo Shinguuji]] is one of these, specifically a Misson-based type (early on in the game, he even admits that he has the appearance of a potential murderer). In a similar case to Genocider Syo, all of his victims are women, meant to become friends with his deceased older sister in the afterlife. He almost reaches triple digits, with the deaths of Angie and Tenko bringing him closer to his goal, and before he is executed, his only regret is not reaching this goal.]]
* Discussed in ''VisualNovel/DaughterForDessert''. Kathy talks about the true crime shows that she watches at one point, and they go over which serial killer that Kathy sees in the protagonist.
* ''VisualNovel/ExtraCaseMyGirlfriendsSecrets'': As Marty goes through loops to investigate Sally's secrets, [[spoiler:he learns that her alter ego, "Seira"/Shadow, killed her boyfriends in order to sew their body parts into her first boyfriend, John.]]
* Hinimizawa Syndrome in ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'' tends to induce people to become the Visionary type with the revenge subtype. Most notable case akin to a serial killer being [[spoiler:Shion Sonozaki]].
* ''VisualNovel/KaraNoShoujo'': There are three serial killers, though one has disappeared from the police radar a few years back. They all appear to be a mix of type one and two.
* In ''Nanairo Reincarnation'', the villain is a lust killer who targets lonely young women. Makoto needs to expose the killer’s crimes so that the ghosts of his victims can find closure and move on to the afterlife.
* The ''VisualNovel/NineSeries'' has the mysterious Evil Eye User, who kills people by turning them to stone with the power of their eponymous Evil Eye. Uncovering their identity and stopping them forms the crux of the series' plot.
* [[spoiler:SHIKI]] in ''VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}}'' in the routes [[spoiler:where he's in control over Roa.]] He doesn't actually enjoy killing and unlike [[spoiler:Satsuki]] he isn't doing it to live. He just doesn't possess the power to stop. It's revealed that he's trying to find and kill [[spoiler:Shiki because their mind-connection is driving him mad, but he can never find him because he was given false information about what he looks like.]] So instead he kills [[spoiler:women who bear a resemblance to his sister Akiha]] because he wants to drink their blood.
* ''VisualNovel/ZeroTimeDilemma'' has [[spoiler:the attractive and seemingly-normal Mira]], AKA the Heart Ripper, a sociopathic killer who can't comprehend human emotions and who cuts the hearts out of their victims in a vain attempt to understand them.
[[/folder]]

Over the last few years, daytime soaps have had an unusually high number of serial killers. ''Series/OneLifeToLive'' has had at least two in as many years. It's the chic way for producers to pare down their casts.

Sometimes they are more like a so-called {{Spree Killer}}, i.e. someone who goes on a murderous rampage in a smaller area over a shorter time. In fact, this is more common than actual serial killers, though characters often confuse the two, as time constraints mean the killings in a story usually take place over the space of a few days, whereas real serial killers by definition usually have weeks, months, or years between their kills.

* ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' has five serial killers, by definition [three or more murders, with time between each one]. A list of serial killers and the people they killed are as follows:

RealLife serial killers are usually divided into 4 categories, and fictional killers tend to fall into one or more of these categories as well, if not by design, then by their nature.

** Genocide(r) Syo/Jack/Jill from ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc'' is apparently well-known enough in-universe that they're one of the first suggestions when the students are speculating on the identity of the mastermind who locked them in the school. Genocider is rumored to have killed thousands of young men, writing "BLOODBATH FEVER" (or "BLOODLUST") on the wall of each scene in the victim's blood and crucifying them with hand-made scissors. When a student turns up crucified in the locker room, with the aforementioned message, it becomes clear Genocider is indeed among them. [[spoiler:Except that Genocider, who is Fukawa's SplitPersonality, [[NotMeThisTime didn't kill Fujisaki]]; Togami strung the body up to resemble her MO in order to make the trial more interesting.]] Genocider is a Hedonistic type, [[spoiler:as all the boys she's killed were Fukawa's crushes]], and is therefore fairly safe to be around during the DeadlyGame, as killing in any way other than their usual MO would be boring, and if anyone else turned up crucified everyone would immediately know it was Genocider Syo.