History ChekhovsGunman / VideoGames

*** Konoe, the CEO of Madicce who was the King of Osaka and was trying to arrest the Phantom Thieves for delusional reasons in the second half of the game, can be met as soon as during Sendai, after Natsume's defeat.

*** The BigBad herself, [[spoiler:Lyblac]], is one as well. [[spoiler:She's first seen at the Ravus Manor Gate after completing Therion's first chapter, as part of a mundane sidequest that some random guard is crushing on. Turns out, events in all eight playable travellers' lives can be traced back to her efforts to resurrect Orsterra's GodOfEvil.]]

*** The BigBad herself, [[spoiler:Lyblac]], is one as well. [[spoiler:She's first seen at the Ravus Manor Gate as part of a mundane sidequest that some random guard is crushing on. Turns out, events in all eight playable travellers' lives can be traced back to her efforts to resurrect Orsterra's GodOfEvil.]]

* Queen Umbra's two daughters and CoDragons from ''VideoGame/ChildOfLight'' are briefly and anonymously mentioned early on in the story, but aren't brought up again until about the halfway point. The elder ends up being OutOfFocus, but it's played straight with the younger. [[spoiler:Technically, Norah/Nox appears earlier than this, but her true identity [[BitchInSheepsClothing and personality]] aren't fully revealed until about halfway through.]]

* In ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'', the seemingly generic Dark Jedi to whom [[GuestStarPartyMember Trask Ulgo]] [[HeroicSacrifice sacrifices himself so you can escape]] is later revealed to be [[spoiler: Darth Bandon, Malak's apprentice]]. You also meet Mission, Zaalbar, Canderous, and Calo Nord in the Taris Lower City before they become important characters.

** ''[[VideoGame/CognitiveDissonance Mother: Cognitive Dissonance]]'' gives us Zarbol. He joins the party just like everyone else to find the pieces of the Apple on Enlightenment and keep them safe from Giegue and that's about it. [[spoiler: He is actually Buzz Buzz from ''VideoGame/{{EarthBound}}'', sent back in time to give Ness a warning about the threat of Giygas]].

* Near the start of ''VideoGame/{{Shantae}} and the Pirate's Curse'', Shantae encounters two vacationing girls in Saliva Island that she helps as part of a puzzle. [[spoiler:Near the end of the game, they're revealed to be the Ammo Baron's latest recruits and are in charge of calibrating and firing the [[{{BFG}} Palace Disruptor Canon]]]].

* In ''VideoGame/VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines'', [[spoiler:Jack, the first person you interact with, along with The Cab Driver responsible for getting the Main Character around Los Angeles, turn out to be responsible for ''everything'' that has happened throughout the game. The Cab Driver is even heavily implied to be ''Cain'', the ''Father of all Vampires''! Amusingly, if the player chooses to play as a [[MadOracle Malkavian]], this plot twist is {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d during dialogue with some characters, though it is difficult to spot without having played through the game at least once]].

* ''VideoGame/UnrealII'': The Kai are a peaceful species that perform menial tasks for humans. [[spoiler:However, it turns out that the DNA of an EldritchAbomination species is hidden in their genetic structure: the Tosc, the creators of the Artifacts you've spent the whole game retrieving]].

** Unlike the other members of Organization XIII, we never see Marluxia, Larxene, and Luxord's Somebodies in ''Birth by Sleep''. They are late additions to the group, do not have connection with the others, and seem to be fillers at first glance. That is, until ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsX Union χ]]'' reveals that [[spoiler:Marluxia and Larxene are the Nobodies of Lauriam and Elrena, two of the Dandelions handpicked by Master Ava to lead the Keyblade wielders after the Keyblade War.]] Luxord is mentioned in ''III'' to [[spoiler:also be a Keyblade wielder from the distant past]], and the secret ending of ''III: [=ReMind=]'' suggests that [[spoiler:Luxord may have hailed from Quadratum, the world where Yozora came from.]]
** Vanitas is a being of darkness, but he seems to be disconnected from the Heartless (he is associated with the Unversed, who represent emptiness). In ''Birth by Sleep'', it's explained that Vanitas is Ventus' LiteralSplitPersonality, the personification of his darkness, but in ''III Re:Mind'', he refutes this by stating that he has been a separate being from Ventus since the very beginning. ''Union χ'' finally reveals that [[spoiler:in the distant past, Ventus became the unwitting host of "Darkness", one of thirteen entities who split from the original χ-Blade. Another "Darkness" became the source of all Heartless. Despite being entities of darkness, the thirteen have distinct personalities, which may explain why Vanitas and the Heartless are separate despite being on the same side.]]

*** The secret ending of ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII]]'' is a twofold, since the character teased, Yozora, actually appeared earlier in the game as part of an in-universe game.

* [[spoiler:Xion appearing as Ven to Xigbar]] in ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2''.
** Similarly, [[spoiler:Xemnas and "Terra"[[note]]We'll leave you to play ''Birth By Sleep'' by yourself to figure why "Terra" is in quotes.[[/note]]]] appearing as {{Bonus Boss}}es in the ''Final Mix'' [[UpdatedRerelease Updated Rereleases]].
*** Don't forget [[spoiler: Aqua's armor and Keyblade in the Chamber of Repose within Hollow Bastion]] also in ''Final Mix''.
** In the beginning of the first game, a strange man in a brown robe appears and leaves some cryptic words. In the DiscOneFinalDungeon, the robe man returns to possess Riku and reveals himself as [[BigBad Ansem]]. And then in ''Dream Drop Distance'', [[spoiler:it turns out that Ansem showing up on the Destiny Islands way back then was actually part of a massive time travel gambit, and his being there would later allow his younger self to travel to that point and enter the Sleeping Worlds to mess with Sora's head]].
** Xigbar in ''II'' was an entertaining, if forgettable, member of Organization XIII who mentioned once that he knew Keyblade wielders before Sora. ''Birth by Sleep'' reveals [[spoiler:Xigbar may just be the only character in the entire series who knew everything that was going on. As Braig he worked for Master Xehanort, and when Xehanort got amnesia after possessing Terra Braig was the one who pushed him down the path to fulfill their plans]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Subnautica}}'' has the ''[[spoiler:Peeper]]'' of all things as this. [[spoiler:The most common, abundant and regular looking fish in the game. Turns out the little guys were commanded by the Sea Emperor to bring all types of Flora and Fauna to the aquarium after [[ThePlague the Carar outbreak]], and further modified to carry and distribute Enzyme 42 by [[AirVentPassageway traveling through the ventilation system]]. In summation, the only reason the planet is still alive during the game is because of them.]]

* In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'', an unnamed Circle mage at Ostagar objects to Cailan's plan to have [[PlayerCharacter The Warden]] and [[TheLancer Alistair]] light the beacon for the army - and is promptly slapped down for his impudence by a nearby priestess. [[spoiler: He turns out to be Uldred, a {{blood mag|ic}}e who later becomes the demon-infested stage boss of the Circle Tower]].

* At the beginning of ''VideoGame/OctopathTraveler'', you meet a random guy named Kit who bums a Healing Grape from you and makes a couple of sporadic appearances in some minor sidequests afterwards looking for his missing father. [[spoiler:Turns out he's the son of the man who wrote Tressa's journal, saved Alfyn from a deadly disease as a boy, and was eventually corrupted into Redeye, and the BigBad wants to use him as a vessel to resurrect the local GodOfEvil.]]

** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV'': At the beginning of the DS remake, the player character and his father are sharing boat with Rodrigo Briscoletti and his two daughters Nera and Deborah, with no indication they will be important later. After getting off the boat, the player character will not see them again until the midpoint of the second act, when he has to decide who he will get married to.

*** Speaking of which, The Trickster Norstein Bekkler is an inversion of this trope combined with a GuideDangIt: He appears as a special character, but is simply the introduction to several minigames, which have almost no impact on the actual game.[[spoiler: However, later you are required to find someone who can produce a Clone of Crono to save the poor boy from oblivion. Guess who you have to find?]] Granted, you don't actually have to accomplish this task to continue with the game, but [[spoiler: reviving the main character is kinda important]].

* In ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUsPartII'', one of the doctors that was killed by Joel at the end of the first game to save Ellie turned out to be Abby's father. Abby's infamous killing of Joel at the beginning of the second game kickstarts the entire plot off.

*** The mage origin has Cullen, a minor character you speak to once, show up later in the game as the only surviving templar after the Circle tower is overrun by demons. He plays a big role in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' as the second-in-command to Knight-Commander Meredith and has an even bigger one in ''[[VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition Inquisition]]'' as an advisor and possible love interest.
** The elven Gods are mentioned only in codex entries in Origins and are barely heard about until ''[[VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition Inquisition]]'', where they are revealed to play a huge role in the overall plot.

* In ''Videogame/DisgaeaHourOfDarkness'' Mid-Boss starts out as a speedbump and doesn't get much better. Sure, he can pick up Flonne's holy pendant without getting burned, but that's probably because he's [[HarmlessVillain too lame to actually be evil]]. At the end of the game, it turns out he's [[spoiler: the spirit of King Krichevskoy, Laharl's father, who's been working with the Seraph to test if Laharl is ready to be the Overlord]].

* In ''Videogame/Hitman2SilentAssassin'', if the player takes the Sniper route during the first St. Petersburg mission, they can see a man wearing a brown jacket. He turns out to be Final Boss. If the player kills him, the mission will fail.

*** The blind beggar, Padros, [[spoiler:was once a member of the elite Templar guard charged with keeping commoners away from the [[{{Precursors}} Sosiqui]] artifact known as the [[{{MacGuffin}} Gaealith]]; he was blinded and cast out of the order for suggesting that the Gaealith's gifts of healing and immortality should be shared with all. He's also the ringleader of the plot to escape the city.[[note]]Also, an old friend of his encountered later in the timezone turns out to actually be a younger [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld Elliot Sinclair]], mentioned above, who inverts this trope.[[/note]]]]
*** The pilgrim is eventually revealed to be [[spoiler:the {{Reincarnation}} of [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld Siddha Biwawa]], a major figure in Shangri La's mythology. The very last step of the Shangri La story is to convince him to use his powers of transmutation to return the Shangri La [[LostTechnology Legacy fragment]] to its [[{{MacGuffin}} true form.]][[note]]It's also implied in the ending that the original Biwawa may have been a [[{{Precursors}} Sosiqui]] all along.[[/note]]]]
*** The farm boy is [[spoiler:TheChosenOne as seen in the visions granted to the city's shaman by the third piece of the Legacy. The shaman says that the farm boy is the one who will use the Legacy fragment ([[{{MacGuffin}} 'The Totem']]) to bring peace to [[ArchaeologicalArmsRace the battle of the Two Brothers]], actually the alien species Cyrollan and Qo'Thalas.[[note]]Possibly subverted in this case as [[PropheticFallacy what the shaman seems to be actually seeing]] is the PlayerCharacter ''disguised'' as the farm boy bringing the Totem to the future.[[/note]]]]

* '' VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory'' has Durmite, a seemingly random boss fought within the first few hours of the game. [[spoiler:She is revealed to hold the first Star Cure and must be fought again in her sage Wisdurm form to get the Cure]].

* In ''VideoGame/{{Metroid}} Fusion'', Samus mentions that her new ship's onboard AI reminds her of her old CO, Adam Malkovich, who had died. It turns out that [[spoiler:he actually is Adam, revealed when he says [[SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay something only Adam would say]]]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Mother}}''

** The first few days in ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'' have over half the future Social Links making quick appearances.

** ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'':

** ''VideoGame/{{Persona 5}}'':

** In both of the [[VideoGame/PokemonColosseum Gamecube]] [[VideoGame/PokemonXDGaleofDarkness Pokémon games]], you meet a stout and kind old man 15 minutes into the game. [[spoiler: They are the leaders of Cipher, the crime syndicate terrorizing Orre, and they are the final bosses of their respective games]].

* ''{{VideoGame/Subnautica}}'' has the ''[[spoiler:Peeper]]'' of all things as this. [[spoiler:The most common, abundant and regular looking fish in the game. Turns out the little guys were commanded by the Sea Emperor to bring all types of Flora and Fauna to the aquarium after [[ThePlague the Carar outbreak]], and further modified to carry and distribute Enzyme 42 by [[AirVentPassageway traveling through the ventilation system]]. In summation, the only reason the planet is still alive during the game is because of them.]]

* Golyat in ''[[VideoGame/TearsToTiara2 Tears to Tiara 2]]'' first show up commanding his legions to crush Hispania's rebellion. As he retreats, [[TheHero Hamil]] offers him land grants for his veterans if he switch sides, something TheEmpire did in its heyday. He admits the offer is very enticing but it's too late and they'll loose. [[spoiler: Fast forward to the final approach on Alba Longa, as the party wonder if any of TheEmpire's legions will switch sides, they find him having already put the city under siege and is waiting for them]].

* Stage 2 of the ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'' game ''Perfect Cherry Blossom'' features the nekomata Chen as midboss and boss. She is written off as an unhelpful nuisance, like most bosses before Stage 4. [[spoiler:In the Extra Stage, she returns as the midboss - she's the shikigami of Ran Yakumo, the Extra Boss and herself shikigami to [[BonusBoss Phantasm Boss]] Yukari Yakumo]].
** But wait! It gets better with [[spoiler:Kogasa in ''Undefined Fantastic Object'']]. [[BrickJoke Surprise!]] [[spoiler:And again in ''Ten Desires''!]]
** In ''Subterranian Animism'', the cat miniboss in Stage 4 [[spoiler: turns out to be Orin, the main boss ('''and''' miniboss) of Stage 5. And she shows up again as the miniboss of the final stage]].

** ''VideoGame/Persona5ScrambleThePhantomStrikers'':

** ''VideoGame/{{Mother 3}}'' gives us Leder, the incredibly tall, [[TheQuietOne silent guy]] standing by the bell at the start of the game who you probably ignored, and later disappears without a trace following the time skip. [[spoiler: Turns out that he was entrusted to be the only one to retain any memory of the events that lead up to the settlement of civilisation on the Nowhere Islands, and thus, he was imprisoned by the Pigmask Army in hopes that no one would be able to learn the truth]]. Who knew?