History MagnificentBastard / VideoGamesMToZ

** [[AIIsACrapshoot MB]], aka [[TragicVillain Melissa Bergman]], was created as a clone of [[Characters/MetroidMotherBrain Mother Brain]] by Galactic Federation scientists on the BOTTLE SHIP in order to control their bioweapons, specifically the Metroids. Gaining emotions, the resulting attempt to reprogram her as well as the [[EtTuBrute seeming betrayal of her "mother", Doctor Madeline Bergman]], sent her on a [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge rampage against the scientists, using the monsters to slaughter them]]. MB then cultivated the bioweapons and sent the BOTTLE SHIP on a collision course with the Galactic Federation HQ, hoping to wipe it out. Meeting [[Characters/MetroidSamusAran Samus Aran]], MB successfully won her trust by pretending to be Madeline, sending the BountyHunter to die in Sector Zero at the hands of nigh-invulnerable Metroids. Her plans foiled and confronted by Samus and the real Madeline, MB almost surrendered peacefully with her mother's tearful apology, only dying while fighting against aggressive Galactic Federation soldiers.

* ''Videogame/SoulHackers2'': Raven, aka "[[MalevolentMaskedMan Iron Mask]]", is a traumatized veteran from Yatagarasu overseeing the [[OrphanageOfLove Komodori Orphanage]] and motivated to create [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans a world without conflict]] by using the Covenants. To do this, Raven murdered the original Iron Mask and stole his identity to join the [[NebulousEvilOrganisation Phantom Society]] and use his knowledge of Yatagarasu to organize an operation that kills Arrow--Raven's top student--and [[HeroKiller the majority of Covenant holders]]. While heroine Ringo revives the majority of his victims, Iron Mask kills the legendary Mangetsu Kuzunoha and orders the demon Zenon to devour his body to prevent Ringo from resurrecting him. When Ringo's team decides to attack Iron Mask during a Full Moon, when Zenon is at his weakest, Iron Mask lures them into a trap before torturing Ringo to force her sister Figue to give her Covenant, failing only thanks to a combination of Figue's unique nature and Mangetsu's hidden discoveries. Ultimately, the unmasked Raven asks the protagonists to avoid involving the Orphanage on their fight and dies congratulating Arrow for surpassing him and Milady for avenging her lover.

* ''VideoGame/{{Tenchu}}'': Lady Kagami is the leader of Lord Toda's shinobi. Disgusted with how the world treats ninja, Kagami goes behind her master's back to build up an army and empire of her own. Manipulating the war between Toda and Gohda, Kagami takes advantage of Toda's defeat to murder him and declare the birth of the Burning Dawn. Convincing the amnesiac ninja Tatsumaru he is her loyal subordinate, Kagami slowly begins to fall in love with him for real. Finally masterminding an attack on Gohda's fleet, Kagami attempts to seize control of Japan itself.

** Giliath Osborne is the [[RedBaron Blood and Iron Chancellor]] of Erebonia and the final antagonist of the Erebonia arc. After the death of his wife and the fatal attack on his son Rean Schwarzer, he [[DealWithTheDevil makes a deal with]] Ishmelga to save his son's life in exchange for his own service to bring about the Great Twilight, and played the role of ostensibly loyal servant while planning against him to [[GoodAllAlong destroy Ishmelga and his curse]]. To bring about the Twilight, he starts by taking advantage of "unfortunate accidents" in order to force nations into merging with Erebonia or risking destruction, and succeeds almost every time using just his words. Surviving being shot, he starts biding his time and allows the Noble Faction to undermine itself and gaining more power for himself before he reveals he survived the attack. Manipulating [[GreaterScopeVillain Ouroboros]], he then takes over their Phantasmal Blaze Plan for himself, and forces them to work for him instead if they want to see their plans to fruition. In the end, when the Great Twilight has been fulfilled, he rushes the final Rivalry in order to prevent it from happening at the height of the war and allowing Rean to defeat him and go on to destroy Ishmelga once and for all.

** [[Characters/TrailsSeriesEreboniaChancellorOsborne Giliath Osborne]] is the [[RedBaron Blood and Iron Chancellor]] of Erebonia and the final antagonist of the Erebonia arc. After the death of his wife and the fatal attack on his son Rean Schwarzer, he [[DealWithTheDevil makes a deal with]] Ishmelga to save his son's life in exchange for his own service to bring about the Great Twilight, and played the role of ostensibly loyal servant while planning against him to [[GoodAllAlong destroy Ishmelga and his curse]]. To bring about the Twilight, he starts by taking advantage of "unfortunate accidents" in order to force nations into merging with Erebonia or risking destruction, and succeeds almost every time using just his words. Surviving being shot, he starts biding his time and allows the Noble Faction to undermine itself and gaining more power for himself before he reveals he survived the attack. Manipulating [[GreaterScopeVillain Ouroboros]], he then takes over their Phantasmal Blaze Plan for himself, and forces them to work for him instead if they want to see their plans to fruition. In the end, when the Great Twilight has been fulfilled, he rushes the final Rivalry in order to prevent it from happening at the height of the war and allowing Rean to defeat him and go on to destroy Ishmelga once and for all.

** [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds Alessa Gillespie]] is a powerful psychic born to Dahlia, a wicked head of the [[{{Cult}} Order]]. Used in a ritual to birth the Order's God, Alessa fights back by [[VideoGame/SilentHillOrigins telepathically communicating with trucker Travis Grady]], having him construct the Flauvos to regain her strength and retaliate. Separating half of her soul to be happily adopted by Harry Mason and his wife, Alessa resists seven years of torture before [[VideoGame/SilentHill luring back her other half]] to stop Dahlia's plans for good. Manipulating Harry, Alessa ensures God's birth is corrupted and it is defeated by Harry before reincarnating herself as a baby to be lovingly raised by him. [[VideoGame/SilentHill3 Leaving a failsafe]] to kill her own reincarnation should the Order try to use her to birth God again, Alessa is determined to save humanity from the cult at all costs.

* ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcomInfinite'': [[VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}} Jedah Dohma]], the "DarkMessiah," [[TheManBehindTheMan masterminded the entire convergence]] of the Marvel and Capcom universes by convincing Lady Death herself to unite them for the sake of "equilibrium." Unfettered in his noble intentions of offering salvation, Jedah became worthy of wielding the Soul Stone and uses it to create a symbiote. Also convincing the likes of Dormmamu and Firebrand to his side, such an alliance pays dividends when Morrigan and Ghost Rider lead a charge in taking his Infinity Stone and destroying his symbiote, allowing him to escape unscathed. Although defeated, the worlds remain merged in addition to his biggest obstacle, Ultron-Sigma, being removed from the playing field, leaving the ever-ambitious Demon Lord none the worst for wear.

* ''VideoGame/TheOuterWorlds'': [[SympatheticMurderer Ruth Bellamy]], one half of the twins comprising the authentic identity behind "[[ActionGirl Halcyon Helen]]", the preeminent actress in the Halcyon colony. Embarking on a relentless quest for retribution upon uncovering [[ArcVillain Administrator Ludovico]]'s sinister plot to spread slug-like parasites through the new Brown Spectrum, Ruth goes on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge after Ludovico has her twin sister, Belinda, killed due to the two sharing the identity of Helen, prompting Ruth to astutely exploit this mishap to dismantle key elements of the conspiracy. With strategic prowess, she stays ahead of [[PlayerCharacter the Unplanned Variable]], revealing the truth and engaging in a formidable battle against Ludovico with the aid of her [[NeighborhoodFriendlyGangsters SLUG]] allies, nearly halting Brown Spectrum's perilous spread. In the route where she allies with the Unplanned Variable, she imparts her sagacity, guiding them to thwart Ludovico's scheme by spreading an anti-parasitic remedy, ensuring her sister's murderer meets a deserved fate in both story divergences.

* ''VideoGame/MafiaIII'': [[RogueAgent John Donovan]] is an eccentric yet equally ruthless and effective rogue CIA agent with a strong loyalty to both his friends and his country. Assisting his friend and comrade Lincoln Clay in his crusade against [[BigBad Sal Marcano]], Donovan provides him with various intel on Marcanos operations and possible allies. After wiretapping most of New Bordeaux and even Marcano and his closest lieutenants, Donovan helps Lincoln devise various assassination methods, including drugging the funeral of Southern Union leader Remy Duvall with LSD, sinking the cruise ship of Lou Marcano and infiltrating and burning down Tommy Marcanos boxing ring. Teaming up with Lincoln to stop his traitorous comrade Alridge from selling a nuclear missile in hopes of destroying America, Donovan proves himself as a highly skilled gunfighter who can keep up with Lincoln himself. Having set up an alliance with Marcanos three biggest rivals, Donovan advises Lincoln to kill them once Marcano is dead, reasoning that one of them will eventually do the same to him. Hauled before a senate hearing for his involvement in Marcanos death, Donovan proudly confesses before revealing the head senator as a conspirator in John F. Kennedys assassination alongside Marcano. Killing the senator while warning his allies that they are next, Donovan escapes the building as the only major criminal [[KarmaHoudini to escape justice in every ending]].

* ''Franchise/{{Metro}}'' series:
** ''[[VideoGame/MetroLastLight Last Light]]'': [[ChummyCommies Pavel Morozov]] is a cunning yet [[AffablyEvil affable]] soldier of the [[DirtyCommunist Red Line]] who manages to escape from a Nazi concentration camp while taking Artyom Chyornyj with him where they bond throughout their journey. With Pavel's friendship with Artyom only surpassed by his [[UndyingLoyalty loyalties]] to the Red Line, Pavel drugs Artyom and takes him to his superior, Czeslav Korbut, to be interrogated before being sent to Venice. Getting captured in Venice, Pavel is able to escape from his imprisonment before meeting with Korbut, where Pavel is assigned to unleash a [[TheVirus bioweapon]] into the D6 bunker to weaken its defense line for Korbut's invasion, while ambushing Artyom upon seeing him.
** ''[[VideoGame/MetroExodus Exodus]]'':
*** [[MinorMajorCharacter Saul]] is a [[AlmightyJanitor high-ranking member]] of Munai-bailer who plots to [[TheStarscream overthrow]] the Baron and replace him with a BodyDouble for Saul to [[TheManBehindTheMan manipulate]] into running the gang under Saul's direction. Working with Giulnara Khakimova to assassinate the Baron, Saul attempts to kill Artyom when he interferes with his plans. If Artyom decides to let Saul live, Saul will later appear and tasks Artyom with killing the Baron for him, promising to reward him if he completes this task, even providing Artyom weapon upgrades and supplies to help him.
*** ''The Two Colonels'' [[DownloadableContent DLC]]: [[DrivenToVillainy General Anatoly Semyonovich "Tolya" Vinogradov]] is the leader of OSKOM who tries to protect the people living under the highly radiated city of Novosibirsk, having his soldiers kill any mutants coming close to his community. Becoming more [[IDidWhatIHadToDo pragmatic]] as the decrease of medicine needed to defend against high radiation becomes more apparent, Tolya decides to confiscate the medicine from people who hoard it and redistributes it such that everyone can have it, especially children. When there is no medicine left and the citizens decides to riot, Toyla unleashes chlorine gas to kill both the rioters and his own men, [[MercyKill believing]] that he's sparing them all from a worse death and arranges to have the High Command killed when they decide to abandon him before [[DrivenToSuicide taking his own life]] after learning about the death of his son.

* ''VideoGame/OriAndTheBlindForest'': [[{{Cephalothorax}} Gumo]] is [[LastOfHisKind the last of the Gumons]] who would come to embrace the darkness consuming Nibel. When Ori and Sein try to retrieve the Water Vein in their quest to restore light in Nibel, Gumo would steal the Water Vein from them before luring them to his trap and cunningly outpace them. When Ori saves Gumo from one of his traps, [[IOweYouMyLife a grateful]] Gumo willingly surrenders the Water Vein to Ori and later saves him from [[BigBad Kuro]]. Gumo would then use the Light Vessel to [[BackFromTheDead revive]] Ori's adoptive mother, Naru, before reuniting her with Ori and help them raise the egg Kuro left behind, officially becoming part of their family.

* ''VideoGame/ProfessorLayton'':
** [[DiabolicalMastermind Jean Descole]] is Hershel Layton's [[CainAndAbel older brother]] who became an archaeologist and criminal mastermind to take revenge on Targent for taking his parents away from him and his brother. Seeking to uncover the Azran legacies in order to reveal the civilization's secrets, he built advanced machines and [[ManipulativeBastard manipulated others]] through blackmail, preying on a father's grief, and [[MasterOfDisguise impersonating allies]] to get what he wants. In his civilian identity of Desmond Sycamore, he allied with Layton to oppose Targent, now led by their father, and unlock the secrets of the Azran before betraying him upon acquiring the key to the sanctuary. He ultimately [[HeroicSacrifice takes a laser blast meant for Luke and sacrifices his life along with his brother]] to stop the Azran golems from destroying the world. Resurrected by Aurora, he parts ways with Layton on good terms and sets out on a new adventure with his butler Raymond by his side.
** ''VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonVsPhoenixWrightAceAttorney'':
*** High Inquisitor Darklaw was a childhood friend to Espella until she accidentally caused a fire in the town, killing almost everyone. She gets revenge on the Storyteller for her father's suicide. She [[MasterOfDisguise disguised herself as the great witch]] to lure Layton and Luke into Labyrinthia so they could reveal the truth. She tricks everyone to believe Layton was turned to gold when he was really knocked out. Until she revealed herself as the identity of the great which saves Espella from committing suicide before being in [[HeelFaceTurn peace with Storyteller and Espella]].
*** The Storyteller is the father of Espella who decides to take the bell with his friend Newman in an attempt to save the town only for the two to burn thanks to Newman's daughter Eve. He decides to make the story real after Espella was traumatized by the incident to prevent her from thinking she is the Great Witch Bezella. Using hypnosis ink and silver water to trick the town into believing he's making the story real. After revealing his fake death he lives in peace with his daughter and Eve after stopping the witch trials.

* ''VideoGame/{{Sifu}}'':
** [[PlayerCharacter The Student]] is the Sifu’s child who vows vengeance on the Dawn group that [[YouKilledMyFather killed their father]]. Preparing their pursuit of {{revenge}} for 8 years, The Student hunts down their targets one at a time, brutalizing and killing any in their path while finding information about their next target and using the Talisman to [[BackFromTheDead resurrect]] themselves whenever they die. Eventually tracking down and killing their father’s killer, Yang, The Student is sent back in time to restart their quest, where they eventually learn to forgo their thirst for revenge and spare all of their targets, achieving enlightenment and teaching students martial arts at their father’s old school.
** [[BigBad Yang]] is the leader of the Dawn group who orchestrates an attack on his former Sifu’s school where he kills the Sifu and steals a Talisman that could bring his wife and daughter {{back from the dead}}. To master the Talisman’s powers, Yang builds The Sanctuary, where he uses his powers to heal people and teaches them kung-fu, creating an army loyal to him. Battling The Student, Yang deduces that their Talisman has repeatedly resurrected them, so he attempts to swipe their Talisman before killing them, succeeding when the Student decides to follow the [[PacifistRun path of Wude]] with implications that Yang resurrected them [[VillainRespect out of respect]].

* ''VideoGame/Sly3HonorAmongThieves'': [[EvilFormerFriend Dr. M]] is a manical mandrake hellbent on pilfering the Cooper Vault for his own. Having felt unappreciated by the Coopers for years, Dr. M gains the deed to Kaine Island and the Cooper Vault, then turns the entire place into an impenetrable fortress with [[CrazyPrepared all sorts of clever traps]] and subversive technology while Sly tries in vain to penetrate the Vault. When Sly and his gang try to infiltrate the island, Dr. M outsmarts and defeats them all consistently, then fakes a loss just so he can plant a tracker on Sly and bypass the Vault's security. Despite their differences and his hatred for the Coopers, Dr. M shows ample respect to Bentley and Murray for standing toe-to-toe with him, and ends up [[DeathByMaterialism choosing to buried with the collapsing Vault]] rather than survive, his lifelong dream of gaining access to it finally realized.

* ''VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesShreddersRevenge'': [[BigBad The Shredder]], once again the nefarious leader of the Foot Clan, comes up with a plan to finally destroy the Turtles and [[TakeOverTheWorld conquer New York]]. Launching yet another invasion, he has his minions recover scattered pieces of Krang's suit, forcing the Turtles to give chase after him. Interfering himself multiple times, he fights them himself before revealing that the whole chase was a diversion for his real plan, which was to convert the Statue of Liberty into a giant mech to crush the Turtles. Even when they triumph over it, Shredder pulls out a vial of Muatgen and transforms himself into [[OneWingedAngel Super Shredder]], fighting them in one last brutal fight.

* ''Franchise/TombRaider'':
** ''VideoGame/RiseOfTheTombRaider'': [[BigBadFriend Ana]] is a member of [[AncientConspiracy Trinity]] who was tasked with assassinating Richard Croft. Successful in seducing Richard, she was unable to carry out her mission solely because she herself [[InLoveWithTheMark genuinely fell in love with him]]. Suffering from lung cancer, Ana was determined to find the Divine Source to cure her disease and make herself immortal by having her brother Konstantin, [[TheWomanBehindTheMan whose life she manipulated]], find it for her and uses ReversePsychology to get Lara Croft involved in the search. Ana later has Konstantin choke herself in front of Lara to get the Divine Source’s location from her only stopping the charade when she realizes Lara doesn’t know where it is also and offers her a chance to join Trinity. When Lara refuses and escapes, Ana follows her to the Atlas’s location where she retrieves it from Lara and uses it to find the Divine Source. Though wanting to use the Divine Source to avoid death, The lengths and risks Ana is willing to go through proves her boldness and determination, eventually concluding that being killed by the Divine Source or Trinity are both better ways to go out over slowly dying from her disease.
** ''VideoGame/ShadowOfTheTombRaider'': [[WellIntentionedExtremist Pedro Dominguez]] is the BigBad of the final installment of Lara Croft’s Origins trilogy and the GreaterScopeVillain for its entirety. Born Amaru in the secret Mayan city [[HiddenElfVillage Paititi]], he would be adopted by Trinity leader Gualtiero de Luca Dominguez who showed him life outside Paititi. Working his way up to becoming the leader of Trinity he would use their resources to make himself ruler of Paititi and the head of the Cult of Kukulkan, while removing their previous leaders from power. Befriending Richard Croft, he would have him killed when he learned of Richard Croft's intent to expose Paititi to the outside world. Learning about Key of Chak Chel and the Silver Box of Ix Chel, he would plan to use it to remake the world so that it would no longer pose a threat to Paititi having Lara Croft unknowingly retrieve both artifacts for him. Finding himself battling and losing to Lara, Dominguez uses his final moments to ask Lara to protect Paititi, showing his devotion to his beloved city to the end and gaining sympathy from the woman whose [[YouKilledMyFather father Dominguez killed]].

** ''VideoGame/WatchDogs2'': [[ExpressiveMask Reginald "Wrench" Blechman]], is a destructive member of [=DedSec=] whose love for [[BombThrowingAnarchist causing anarchy]] is matched by his humorous wit, spontaneous brilliance, and loyalty to his allies. Getting Marcus Holloway recruited to [=DedSec=] Wrench helps his friend accomplish many stunts to get people to join the cause, with Wrench personally stealing a robot and sneaking into the Tidis Corporation before blowing up their building, while leaking their shady dealings to the public and would play a role in Dusan Nemec's arrest by destroying all of his backup drives. Leaving [=DedSec=], Wrench would seek vengeance on [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Thomas Rempart]] after he stole all of robot designs, going to [[VideoGame/WatchDogsLegion London]] to steal the [=BrocaBridge=] that made the robots operable. Encountering Aiden Pearce, Wrench would free him from Rempart's captivity and gives him a bomb disguised as the [=BrocaBridge=] to set a trap up for Rempart. When Aiden ends up in a coma, Wrench collaborates with Skye Larsen to use the [=BrocaBridge=] to revive Aiden before continuing his vendetta on Rempart, preventing him from escaping London before handing him over to Albion.

** [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds Alessa Gillespie]] is a powerful psychic born to Dahlia, a wicked head of the [[{{Cult}} Order]]. Used in a ritual to birth the Order's God, Alessa fights back by [[VideoGame/SilentHillOrigins telepathically communicating with trucker Travis Grady]], having him construct the Flauvos to regain her strength and retaliate. Separating half of her soul to be happily adopted by Harry Mason and his wife, Alessa resists seven years of torture before [[VideoGame/SilentHill luring back her other half]] to stop Dahlia's plans for good. Manipulating Harry, Alessa ensures God's birth is corrupted and it is defeated by Harry before reincarnating herself as a baby to be lovingly raised by him. [[VideoGame/SilentHill3 Leaving a failsafe]] to kill her own reincarnation should the Order try to use her to birth god again, Alessa is determined to save humanity from the cult at all costs.

* ''VideoGame/SleepingDogs'': [[{{OneManArmy}} Wei Shen]] is an officer of the law with a dark side to him. Joining the undercover operation to take down the Sun on Yee, Wei quickly gains the approval of many of the triad members through his incredible tenacity, competence and loyalty to the triad. Acting as the brains of the Water Street Boys, Wei manages to both talk his way out of Winston Chu murdering him by revealing Ming as a traitor in the gang and mastermind a successful raid on Dogeyes' drug manufacturing plant that saves the gang from the wrath of Uncle Po. After successfully murdering the dreaded triad enforcer, Liu Shen Tong, Wei breaks protocol after believing that Henry "Big Smile" Lee has to die and single handedly defeats Lee and his entire gang, bringing in a much better rule by Broken Nose Jiang and her loyalists. Affable, fearless and intelligent, Wei repeatedly shows he has more then one razor-sharp way to get his work done.

* ''VideoGame/{{Skylanders}}'' franchise:
** ''Trap Team'' (2014):
*** [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent Wolfgang]] is a member of the [[LegionOfDoom Doom Raiders]], and proves to be more cunning than his appearance and temper would suggest. Tasked by The Golden Queen to retrieve Kaos to power a time machine, he and Dr. Krankcase trap and capture him, with Wolfgang proceeding with his plan. Taking Kaos for himself, telling Krankcase that he's just preparing the machine, he takes over Time Town and proceeds to shoot down the Skylanders' ship when they arrive. Upon cornering him, he reveals his true plan to travel to the future and take it over, succeeding by the time the Skylanders arrive in the future, planning to hypnotize the rest of the population using his Big Bad Woofer. Taking his defeat and HeelFaceTurn well, Wolfgang proves to be one of the Skylanders' trickiest foes.
*** [[GentlemanThief Nightshade]] is a master thief who follows The Darkness, and plots to steal the Dark Eye of Unvisibility from the Midnight Museum so he can steal everything in the Skylands. Evading the security and beating the Skylanders to the punch by the time they get there, he evades both the Skylanders and the security, and when cornered, fights the Skylanders head on, using shadow clones and the Museum's pillars to gain the upper hand. When defeated and if captured, he takes his defeat in stride, and [[HazyFeelTurn happily lends his skills to help the Skylanders.]] In ''Ring of Heroes'', he swipes the [[MacGuffin Book of Dark Magic]] while the Skylanders are busy fighting Wolfgang and has them lured to his mansion. After being cornered and defeated, he gives the Book to the heroes, only to reveal that it was a fake, having already sent the real book away. He then uses the confusion to escape, wishing the Skylanders good luck on their quest.
** ''Imaginators'' (2016): [[BrainMonster Brain]] is the self-proclaimed "[[LastOfHisKind last of the Ancients]]" who was sealed away for thousands of years. Coming into contact with Kaos, he happily assists him in harnessing Imagination Magic, using it to create progressively more powerful minions. Convincing Kaos into freeing him, he takes advantage of the Skylanders finding and freeing him, finding Kaos and using his vast powers to brainwash a chunk of Skylands to do their bidding, while also equipping the lair with an impenetrable force field. During the final battle, he finally gets fed up with Kaos' attitude and helps the Skylanders defeat him out of revenge. Knowing he's outnumbered, Brain successfully bargains to aid the Skylanders by showing them where trouble is happening, managing to become a professor for the Academy and [[HeelFaceTurn ends up sincerely enjoying his new job]].
** ''Pirate Seas'' Level Pack & ''Giants'': Captain Dreadbeard is the leader of a gang of pirates that specialize in card games. Arriving to the island, he and his crew beats every civilian at Pirate Cards and are imprisoned as a result, leaving Dreadbeard to pillage the village of its treasure. Having his men challenge anyone who opposes him, he pretends to be the Skylanders final challenger, only to reveal that he was distracting them while he captures the mayor's daughter, escaping with both her and the riches. When the Skylanders corner and challenge him again, he takes his loss well and releases Jess while promising to return. Returning in ''Giants'', it's revealed he took over a carnival and is willing to give out an engine to anyone that beats him, a promise he lives up to when beaten at Skystones. He then joins Flynn's crew, offering the Skylanders a rematch anytime they want.
* ''VideoGame/Sly3HonorAmongThieves'': [[EvilFormerFriend Dr. M]] is a manical mandrake hellbent on pilfering the Cooper Vault for his own. Having felt unappreciated by the Coopers for years, Dr. M gains the deed to Kaine Island and the Cooper Vault, then turns the entire place into an impenetrable fortress with [[CrazyPrepared all sorts of clever traps]] and subversive technology while Sly tries in vain to penetrate the Vault. When Sly and his gang try to infiltrate the island, Dr. M outsmarts and defeats them all consistently, then fakes a loss just so he can plant a tracker on Sly and bypass the Vault's security. Despite their differences and his hatred for the Coopers, Dr. M shows ample respect to Bentley and Murray for standing toe-to-toe with him, and ends up [[DeathByMaterialism choosing to buried with the collapsing Vault]] rather than survive, his lifelong dream of gaining access to it finally realized.
* ''VideoGame/TheSniper2'' (2003): [[AntiVillain Gabriel "Gabe" Armitage]] is a former CIA agent turned [[ProfessionalKiller assassin]] who seeks revenge on those who ruined his life. Kidnapping C.A. during a gunfight and holding her hostage, Gabe creates a cure for the Tacklmacain virus using her special blood. Looking to stop the mafia's plan to launch Tacklmacain across America with a warhead to sell fake vaccines, Gabe deduces that his former boss Robert Bernaldi and Senator Belini are the masterminds, assisting Harry Spencer in taking them both out and dismantling the warhead. Using his final moments to locate his ex-girlfriend, traitorous CIA agent Abby, Gabe is able to shrug off her bullets and kill her, concluding his revenge.

* ''VideoGame/MegaMan'' franchise:
** ''VideoGame/MegaManX5'' & ''VideoGame/MegaManX6'': [[PsychoSupporter Dynamo]] is the suave and chill [[TheDragon right hand man]] to [[BigBad Sigma]] in ''X5''. After having effortlessly implanted a virus to the Eurasia Space Colony and set it on a crash course to Earth, Dynamo was then tasked to bother and distract X and Zero twice. Despite this, he shares no real animosity or hatred towards the Maverick Hunters, is [[AffablyEvil genuinely polite and respectful towards them]], and has no real desire in trying to kill them. After his second fight with X and Zero, [[VillainRespect he compliments their strength and power]] and uses his cunning by leaving as [[KnowWhenToFoldEm he knows that he will likely die if he continues to stall X and Zero]]. Reappearing in ''X6'' having collected multiple Nightmare Souls in order to get stronger, he encounters and fights X and Zero and compliments their fighting power and skill once again before fleeing mostly unharmed.
** ''[[VideoGame/MegaManZero Zero]]'' series: [[CyberNinja Hidden Phantom]] is the leader of the Zan'ei Army and the most professional of the Four Guardians of Neo Arcadia. Before encountering Zero in front of an old factory, Phantom scatters bombs throughout the building in an attempt to further hinder the heroes. As a ninja, Phantom makes use of several different tricks and tools during the fights against him, showcasing his skills. His desire to [[NobleDemon help others while destroying Mavericks]] is strong enough for him to make a final attempt to kill Zero before he dies. After being encountered in Cyberspace [[VideoGame/MegaManZero3 over a year later]], he decides to test Zero's resolve after having learned that his body is a weaker version of Omega's. Upon defeat, Phantom reacts with dignity, [[DareToBeBadass urging Zero to show the world what he's truly capable of]].
** ''[[VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork Battle Network]]'':
*** [[FourStarBadass Baryl and Colonel.EXE]] are the sons of Dr. Wily, forming the backbone of Netopia's Network Corps as their Supreme Commander. In response to Nebula's threat to the world, Baryl forms a team of experienced Operators in order to liberate areas under their control. [[BigGood Baryl leads Team colonel with authority and efficiency]], eventually succeeding in taking down Nebula and their Dark Chip factory. Later returning as Dr. Wily's right-hand man, Baryl and Colonel act as enemies to Lan and [=MegaMan=] before being convinced to act according to their personal desires. When [=MegaMan=] is controlled by the remaining Cybeast during the FinalBattle, Colonel frees him and destroys the Cybeast, [[RedemptionEqualsDeath sacrificing himself in the process]].
*** [[ConsummateProfessional Dark Miyabi]]/[[SuddenNameChange Dusk]] and [=ShadowMan=].EXE are seasoned mercenaries who serve the highest bidder. [[VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork2 First seen having been recruited by the NetMafia Gospel]], Miyabi uses [=ShadowMan=] to delete all of the [=NetNavis=] in the Yumland area. Later taking part in a siege against [=SciLab's=] Mother Computer, [=ShadowMan=] uses his underlings to protect himself from the Ultimate Blaster that was supposed to delete him, having to go down in a fair fight. [[VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork5TeamColonelAndTeamProtoman Later being recruited into Team Colonel]], Dusk decides to test Lan and [=MegaMan=] through a series of challenges to see if they're worthy of him. Their experience is vital to overthrowing the villainous group Nebula. Dusk is eventually revealed to have mentored [[VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork6CybeastGregarAndCybeastFalzar Dark Scyth]] in deleting Navis, molding him into a competent Operator.
** ''[[VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork3WhiteAndBlue Battle Network 3: White and Blue]]:'' [[LargeHam Noboru Sunayama]] is the showy and bombastic host of the [[TournamentArc N1 Grand Prix]], and secretly an operative of the WWW who aims to prove the power of the organization by defeating [[TheAce Chaud and ProtoMan]]. Entering the N1 himself with the help of a disguise and a robotic drone, Sunayama makes a point to wow the audience the entire way, including seeming deathtraps on a survival segment of the N1 show that are actually perfectly safe, and even restraining his own [=NetNavi's=] murderous impulses to avoid making the match with Chaud too anticlimactic. After dramatically revealing his identity, he takes Chaud's father hostage and [[SadisticChoice attempts to ransom him for ProtoMan]]. A consummate showman who [[GracefulLoser takes his defeat with dignity]], Sunayama is one of Wily's most charismatic underlings.
** ''[[VideoGame/MegaManStarForce Star Force]]'' series:
*** ''Star Force 2'': [[GuardianEntity Hollow]] is an EM Wave being created by Dr. Vega to [[ReplacementGoldfish replace her lover Altair]], who later became [[HypercompetentSidekick her most competent ally]]. Quiet yet ruthless, Hollow blackmails Sonia with Geo's safety to track Mu in the Bermuda Maze before getting her to fight him. Secretly following them to Mu, he sets them up and Solo to eliminate each other before he and Hyde steals the [=OOPArt=] from Mega Man to revive Mu, with it he and Vega launch their world conquest to create Neo Mu, [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness as he dispose Hyde and Solo]]. Anticipating Mega Man coming, he resurrects his old foes before confronting him, nearly trapping him in the void if it weren't for Solo. When he sensed Vega in danger after Mega Man defeated Le Mu, Hollow returns to her side, taking down Mega Man before shielding Vega from Le Mu's explosion, dying from it, but using his final moments to call Altair to save and redeem Vega in his stead to free his master's burden.
*** ''Star Force 3'': [[DoubleAgent Heartless]] is a spy who plays her targets for fools while achieving her agendas. An agent of WAXA, Heartless was tasked [[TheMole to spy on Mr. King]], working for him as his [[DragonWithAnAgenda right-hand]], while secretly learning his tech. Setting his downfall with him in the palms of her hands, modifying his orders to her benefit, getting him to eliminate her main threat Joker and giving her access to his weapons, sabotaging them while framing her actions on Jack and Tia. With Joker gone and King distracted by Jack and Tia, Heartless uses this chance to eliminate King, [[BodyguardBetrayal using his Noise to shut his system and eliminate him]], before revealing her true allegiance to Geo and giving him the plan to stop Meteor G and save Kelvin.

** ''[[VideoGame/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance Deadly Alliance]]'': [[NobleDemon Nitara]] is a [[OurVampiresAreDifferent vampire]] whose realm, Vaeternus, was conquered by [[Characters/MortalKombatShaoKahn Shao Kahn]]. Seeking to free it, Nitara finds the Portal Sphere, an orb which, if destroyed, will free Vaeternus. Since the Portal Sphere was being submerged in lava, Nitara decided she needed the cyborg Cyrax to obtain it. Earning Reptile's loyalty with a Saurian artifact, Nitara has him damage Cyrax's teleportation device. Nitara, having the means to travel the Realms, offers to send Cyrax home if he retrieves the Portal Sphere for her. Cyrax agrees and Nitara keeps her word, afterwards destroying the Portal Sphere. One of the few to save her homeworld from Shao Kahn--all by her own cunning--Nitara was willing to use underhanded means, but all to save her home and people.

* ''VideoGame/RhythmHeavenMegamix'': [[ThresholdGuardians Paprika]] is the eldest of the Gatekeeper Trio who deals in challenges and difficult tests. Alongside his brothers, he interrupts Tibby's journey to return home to Heaven World on four occasions, running gates based on the Endless Games for the player to clear each time. Outside of the main campaign, he also manages the Challenge Train and [[NoDamageRun Perfect Campaigns]], with his titular group of the former consisting of [[NintendoHard some of the most difficult tasks in the game]]. Despite [[{{Sadist}} enjoying seeing the player struggle with his objectives]], Paprika [[GracefulLoser gladly accepts defeat should the player succeed]], rewarding them with Flow Balls to purchase Rhythm Games at the Café.

** ''[[VideoGame/Uncharted4AThiefsEnd A Thief's End]]'''s "Chapter 5": The [[StoryWithinAStory fictionalized version]] of [[EvilOldFolks Hector Alcázar]] presented by Sam Drake is an affable, devious crime lord who serves as one of the game's most memorable characters despite his status as a fabrication. Having concocted a [[PrisonEscapeArtist foolproof breakout scheme]] from the prison he's locked inside, using everything from hired guns to explosives planted strategically, Alcázar drags Sam along with him for their escape, saving his life many times over. Escaping the prison with ease as intended, Alcázar then reveals he saved Sam as well so Sam could finally track down Henry Avery's treasure, Alcázar threatening him into seeing the mission through and promising to be there when Sam finds it so as to take his share, before [[PetTheDog handing the thirsty Sam a drink of water]] and pointing him to the closest town politely.

** ''[[VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork Battle Network]]'': [[FourStarBadass Baryl and Colonel.EXE]] are the sons of Dr. Wily, forming the backbone of Netopia's Network Corps as their Supreme Commander. In response to Nebula's threat to the world, Baryl forms a team of experienced Operators in order to liberate areas under their control. [[BigGood Baryl leads Team colonel with authority and efficiency]], eventually succeeding in taking down Nebula and their Dark Chip factory. Later returning as Dr. Wily's right-hand man, Baryl and Colonel act as enemies to Lan and [=MegaMan=] before being convinced to act according to their personal desires. When [=MegaMan=] is controlled by the remaining Cybeast during the FinalBattle, Colonel frees him and destroys the Cybeast, [[RedemptionEqualsDeath sacrificing himself in the process]].

* ''VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonVsPhoenixWrightAceAttorney'':
** High Inquisitor Darklaw was a childhood friend to Espella until she accidentally caused a fire in the town, killing almost everyone. She gets revenge on the Storyteller for her father's suicide. She [[MasterOfDisguise disguised herself as the great witch]] to lure Layton and Luke into Labyrinthia so they could reveal the truth. She tricks everyone to believe Layton was turned to gold when he was really knocked out. Until she revealed herself as the identity of the great which saves Espella from committing suicide before being in [[HeelFaceTurn peace with Storyteller and Espella]].
** The Storyteller is the father of Espella who decides to take the bell with his friend Newman in an attempt to save the town only for the two to burn thanks to Newman's daughter Eve. He decides to make the story real after Espella was traumatized by the incident to prevent her from thinking she is the Great Witch Bezella. Using hypnosis ink and silver water to trick the town into believing he's making the story real. After revealing his fake death he lives in peace with his daughter and Eve after stopping the witch trials.

* ''VideoGame/MarvelHeroes'': [[Characters/MarvelComicsDoctorDoom Doctor Doom]] is the ruler of Latveria, and the first BigBad of the story. Hacking into Tony Stark's archives, Doom discovers the existence of the Cosmic Cube, and seeks to harness its reality-warping powers for himself. Doom employs various supervillains to keep the heroes occupied while he continues with his plans behind the scenes, [[PlayingBothSides using both sides]] to gather various powerful artifacts for him. Once he has gathered all the artifacts, Doom promptly destroys them to ensure that they would not be used against him. He also employs Mister Sinister to clone the mutant Bishop, utilising the mutant's energy absorption powers as a conduit to safely harness the Cube's energy. With the Cube's powers, Doom intends to reshape the world [[InTheirOwnImage in his own image]]. Returning from his defeat, Doom exposes the Skrull's secret invasion of Earth and forms an EnemyMine with the heroes to stop them. A cold and taciturn schemer, Doom always stayed one step ahead of the heroes, and came close to attaining the power he had long sought.
* ''VideoGame/MarvelUltimateAlliance'':
** [[Characters/MarvelComicsDoctorDoom Doctor Doom]] is the charismatic leader of the [[LegionOfDoom Masters of Evil]]. Before the events of the game, Doom stole top secret information from ComicBook/{{SHIELD}} on how to deal with Asgard should it ever become a threat. Doom then refined the plan as a way to steal the All-Father Odin's godly powers for himself. Through a series of clever diversionary tactics, Doom constantly stays one step ahead of the heroes as he gathers all the necessary tools he needs to defeat Odin. Colluding with the God of Mischief Loki, Doom successfully conquers Asgard and defeats Odin in battle. Not wanting to share Odin's power with his lieutenants, Doom implements a series of {{Uriah Gambit}}s to have the heroes take out his lieutenants for him. He quickly consolidates his control over the entire world, using his newfound powers to crush any form of resistance, and brainwashing the remainder of Earth's heroes into his loyal servants. A brilliant mastermind who managed to ascend to godhood, Doom establishes himself as a truly diabolical genius.
** [[Characters/MarvelComicsLoki Loki]] is a member of Doctor Doom's Masters of Evil, seizing an opportunity in the Masters to fulfil his dream of conquering Asgard. Despite being its newest member, Loki manages to quickly ingratiate himself into Doom's inner circle as his NumberTwo. Disguising himself as the [[TheStarscream traitorous Mandarin]], Loki frames him for the chaos the Masters had caused in Atlantis. The deception worked, giving the Masters the necessary distraction to carry on with their plans undeterred. Loki then leads an invasion on Asgard with an army of super-soldiers and overthrows Odin as King of Asgard. Even as the heroes turn the tide, Loki has one final trump card--the [[AnimatedArmor Destroyer Armor]]. Supposedly defeated, Loki disguises himself as ComicBook/NickFury, tricking the heroes into freeing the armor from its prison for him. Upon revealing his deception he proceeds to hijack control over the Destroyer Armor and attempts to crush the heroes once and for all. A master of deception, Loki proves himself to be Doctor Doom's most invaluable ally.

* ''Franchise/SpiderMan'' video games, by release date:
** ''VideoGame/SpiderMan2000'': [[Characters/MarvelComicsOttoOctavius Dr. Otto Octavius/Doctor Octopus]] serves as the [[BigBad secret mastermind]] of the game's plot. [[FalselyReformedVillain Faking redemption]] so as to divert suspicions from himself, Ock leads a breakout of New York's most dangerous supervillains and harvests the power of alien symbiotes for his plans. Using the villains to distract Spider-Man while personally pulling off heists to further his research, Ock also kidnaps [[Characters/BlackCatMarvelComics Black Cat]] to prevent her from aiding Spider-Man and keeps the psychotic Characters/{{Carnage}} under his control. Ock successfully unleashes hundreds of symbiotes across New York City before revealing his plans to further humankind's progression as a species by forming symbiosis with the alien lifeforms, proudly bragging that those who do not share his vision will be crushed by it in his "new world."
** ''VideoGame/SpiderManTheMovie'': [[EgomaniacHunter Kraven the Hunter]] is hired by [[Characters/SpiderManTrilogyGreenGoblin Norman Osborn]] to kill [[Characters/SpiderManTrilogySpiderMan Spider-Man]], a task he takes on for free, citing the "thrill of the hunt" is enough payment for him. Taking over the zoo, he lures Spidey over and has him trapped in a deadly obstacle course, infecting him with a virus to keep him from escaping and promising to give him the cure if he beats him. As Spider-Man navigates the traps, Kraven uses a sniper to hunt the hero himself. When Spider-Man beats the course, Kraven personally fights him, using the boobytrapped environment and his rifle to gain the upper hand, while also being willing to fight physically when found, utilizing his strength, throwing knives, and a strength potion to battle him. [[VillainRespect Praising Spider-Man's skills throughout all of this]], he willingly submits when beaten, [[IGaveMyWord giving Spider-Man the cure as he promised]].
** ''VideoGame/SpiderMan2'' (PC Version)'s "Mysterio's Calamity": Mysterio, Quentin Beck, is a master illusionist hired by Doctor Octopus to stop Spider-Man from foiling his plan. Trapping Spider-Man in a deadly illusion, Mysterio places several traps inside to catch Spider-Man off guard. Luring him to his secret giant turret when he looks to be losing, upon his defeat, Mysterio admits to being a mere distraction to Spider-Man before he disappears from the scene.
** ''VideoGame/SpiderManFriendOrFoe'': Mysterio is the true mastermind behind the PHANTOM threat. Abducting several supervillains and brainwashing them all, Mysterio uses them and his developed PHANTOM soldiers to collect the symbiote shards scattered across Earth and duel Spider-Man. After Spider-Man manages to collect the shards himself, Mysterio lures him to Nepal and swipes the collected shards, revealing his plans to create an army of unstoppable PHANTOM troops with them. When Spider-Man is forced to don the black suit and confronts Mysterio, the villain fights Spidey to a near standstill, and faces defeat at the wall-crawler's hands by simply sneering the hypocrisy that Spider-Man had to weaponize the symbiotes to beat him.
** ''VideoGame/TheAmazingSpiderMan2'':
*** [[Characters/MarvelComicsTheKingpin Wilson Fisk]] is once again portrayed as a criminal mastermind and expert opportunist. Pretending to have reformed from his criminal ways, he partners up with Oscorp to create a more effective police force, secretly planning to use them to wipe out his rivals and take over the city. In the meantime, he allows [[Characters/CarnageCletusKasady Cletus Kasady]] to kill other criminals so that the civilians are intimidated enough to trust him, later having him captured and experimented on by Oscorp, led by [[MasterOfDisguise the Chameleon]] disguised as the head doctor. He also hires Kraven to befriend Spider-Man and trick him into eliminating his rivals as well. After Spider-Man arrests Kasady, he launches a city-wide crime spree under the alias "the Kingpin" and attempts to take over the city alongside his gang and some corrupt cops. Fighting Spider-Man himself when confronted, [[BadassNormal proving to be a match for the hero despite lacking powers]], he takes advantage of the sudden rampages of several supervillains to claim Oscorp as its new CEO and winning over the city's trust, [[TheBadGuyWins effectively winning in the end]].
*** [[EgomaniacHunter Kraven the Hunter]] is a vigilante who seeks to turn Spider-Man into the "Ultimate Prey", teaming up with Wilson Fisk to do so. Befriending Spider-Man and offering to help him track down the "Carnage Killer", he teaches Spider-Man how to track criminals and follow them to their hideout, a technique that the hero would adopt for himself later on. Upon uncovering a map of Carnage's targets and mapping out where he'll strike next, the two arrive and capture Cletus Kasady, though not after Spider-Man goes against his instructions to wait a bit longer to strike. When Peter figures out his deceptions, Kraven, anticipating that he'd find out eventually, catches him in a trap and takes him to city park, where he faces him in a one-on-one fight, utilizing his skills to combat him. Eventually being bested, he willingly gives Peter information on the Kingpin's whereabouts, claiming that "[[VillainRespect he earned It]]".
** ''VideoGame/SpiderManPS4'':
*** Felicia Hardy, the current [[Characters/BlackCatMarvelComics Black Cat]], is a brilliant master thief that steals for the thrill of it – but only choosing to rob those who can afford it or those that "deserve" it. In the main game proper, Cat leads Spidey on a hunt for her Cat Dolls challenging him to stop her from stealing $50 million dollars worth of loot. This was all a ruse, with the loot being a lure to distract Spidey while her Dolls shut down the police department's security systems, allowing Cat to recover her confiscated equipment. In The Heist DLC, Black Cat is working to steal Maggia drives that contain financial information for Hammerhead, telling Spidey that he has her son hostage and letting Spidey believe he might be the father. This was a lie so that she could recruit Spidey's help in stealing the drives for herself and she promptly fakes her own death, only resurfacing one last time to save Spidey from Hammerhead and give him information on how to take down the Mob boss for good. A thief at heart, Felicia nonetheless has a strong conscience while still loving Spider-Man, while fully using this to her ruthless advantage.
*** [[RoguesGalleryTransplant Taskmaster]] has been hired by a mysterious organization to evaluate Spider-Man, choosing if he's worthy of being recruited. He does this by setting up challenges all over Manhattan to be completed, even in [[LetNoCrisisGotoWaste places where he didn't start a conflict]]. After Spider-Man completes some of these challenges, Taskmaster ambushes him for a surprise fight, attempting to kill him with the techniques he's memorized. Upon realizing his opponent still has some tricks left, [[KnowWhenToFoldEm he quits early to gain more data]] for a second fight. After being defeated again, he tells Spider-Man that his client pays six figures, taking his refusal to join in stride. In the end, Taskmaster departs with a smoke bomb, [[KarmaHoudini escaping without facing justice]].
*** "The Heist" [[DownloadableContent DLC]] chapter: [[GentlemanThief Walter Hardy]], the former Black Cat, is just as devious as his daughter. Faking his death years ago to protect himself and his daughter from the Maggia, Hardy manages to get a hold of Spider-Man’s phone number and disguises himself as a cop right on top of a police station. Calling himself Detective Mackey, Hardy tricks Spider-Man into uncovering loot he hid years ago. When Spider-Man finishes up, Hardy leaves with his loot, knowing Spider-Man won't tell his daughter the truth because Spider-Man is a "decent guy." He also asks Spider-Man to look after Felicia. While only featured in a simple side-mission, Hardy more than lives up to his anecdotes as a brilliant criminal.
** ''VideoGame/SpiderManMilesMorales'': Aaron Davis, Miles' affable uncle, is the retired mercenary, Prowler. Quickly finding out that Miles is the new [[Characters/UltimateSpiderManMilesMorales Spider-Man]], Aaron begins to worry about his nephew's well-being, and returns to his criminal activities for the sake of trying to protect Miles. When Miles reveals that his friend Phin is the leader of the Underground, Aaron convinces Miles to infiltrate the group by lying to Phin that he wants to help her cause. Afterwards, when Miles tells Aaron that Phin's found out Miles' identity, Aaron suggests that Miles meets up and has an open talk with Phin after she finds out Miles' identity, truthfully using this as an opportunity to inform Krieger where he can capture Tinkerer on the condition that they don't harm Spider-Man. Later, Aaron tranquilizes and imprisons Miles as he's heading to Roxxon Plaza, making sure he stays out of danger even at the cost of other innocent lives. Despite his selfish nature, Aaron did everything in his power to protect his family until Miles made him see the error of his ways, and publicly reveals all of Krieger's crimes at the cost of turning himself in.

** Okina Matara is the mastermind behind the unusual flow of seasons, using her ability to pour energy into anything through their backs as a show of power [[AttentionWhore to remind everyone that she exists]], as well as to replace her unwitting servants. In ''[[Manga/TouhouSangetsusei Visionary Fairies in Shrine]]'', she turns a large number of fairies into stone cherries in order to draw out Hell's intentions, eventually getting a hold of one of their fairies and ordering the latter to come back to Hell's bigshots and tell of Okina's existence, effectively setting herself up as Gensokyo's deterrent against intruders. In ''[[VideoGame/HifuuNightmareDiaryVioletDetector Violet Detector]]'', she messes around with a human from the Outside World, Sumireko Usami, by splitting the latter's consciousness and body, then giving the body to a dream soul and convincing that soul that it's the real Sumireko; Okina only reveals the trick when the fake meets the real deal, and promptly strips the fake of its borrowed powers to make the duel fair. With the potential to remake Gensokyo from the ground up with her powers, Okina consistently makes her ends meet without ever truly giving away her entire hand, reinforcing Gensokyo's mysticism and safety from outside forces in the process.

** ''VideoGame/TouhouTenkuushouHiddenStarInFourSeasons'': Okina Matara is the mastermind behind game's unusual flow of seasons, using her ability to pour energy into anything through their backs as a show of power [[AttentionWhore to remind everyone that she exists]], as well as to replace her unwitting servants. In ''[[Manga/TouhouSangetsusei Visionary Fairies in Shrine]]'', she turns a large number of fairies into stone cherries so she can draw out Clownpiece and force the latter to come back to Hell's bigshots and tell of Okina's existence, effectively discouraging their plans of invading Gensokyo. In ''[[VideoGame/HifuuNightmareDiaryVioletDetector Violet Detector]]'', she splits Sumireko's consciousness and body, giving the body to a dream soul and convincing it that it's the real Sumireko; Okina only reveals the trick when the fake meets the real deal, promptly stripping the fake of its borrowed powers to make the duel fair and ultimately humble Sumireko. In ''[[VideoGame/TouhouGouyokuIbunSunkenFossilWorld Sunken Fossil World]]'', she goads everyone into suppressing Yuuma ahead of schedule, knowing that they will still fail given [[FeedItABomb Yuuma's powers]]; when Flandre succeeds, Okina concludes a deal with Yuuma to gain joint ownership of the Hell of Blood Pools. In stark contrast to [[AnonymousBenefactor Yukari]]'s capricious but benevolent side, Okina's machinations weight more toward serving [[ItsAllAboutMe her own ego]], with any benefits consolidating her hold on her dominion, Gensokyo.

* ''VideoGame/RhythmHeavenMegamix'': [[ThresholdGuardians Paprika]] is the eldest of the Gatekeeper Trio who deals in challenges and difficult tests. Alongside his brothers, he interrupts Tibby's journey to return home to Heaven World on four occasions, running gates based on the Endless Games for the player to clear each time. Outside of the main campaign, he also manages the Challenge Train and [[NoDamageRun Perfect Campaigns]], with his titular group of the former consisting of [[NintendoHard some of the most difficult tasks in the game]]. Despite [[{{Sadist}} enjoying seeing the player struggle with his objectives]], Paprika [[GracefulLoser gladly accepts defeat should the player succeed]], rewarding them with Flow Balls to purchase Rhythm Games at the Café.

* ''[[VideoGame/LittleBigPlanet Sackboy: A Huge Adventure]]'' (2020): [[VillainousHarlequin Vex]] initially comes off as a generic supervillain until his [[NotSoHarmlessVillain true colors]] are revealed. Planning to use a machine to throw Craftworld into [[ChaosIsEvil chaos]], Vex kidnaps the residents of Loom and has them work on his machine, while purposely letting Sackboy escape. After seemingly dropping his plans in the process and later fighting in an underwhelming manner when encountered, Vex eventually reveals to Sackboy that he dropped them on purpose so that he can get the {{MacGuffin}}s which power his machine for himself, stealing them all from him and engaging him in a much more intense battle. Even after seemingly been defeated, it's revealed that Vex escaped and activated the Topsy-Turver already, planning to replace the Tree of Imagination with it to become a god. [[NearVillainVictory Nearly winning in the end]], Vex proves to be the craftiest foe Sackboy's faced yet.

** ''[[VideoGame/Uncharted4AThiefsEnd A Thief's End]]'''s "Chapter 5": The [[StoryWithinAStory fictionalized version]] of [[EvilOldFolks Hector Alcázar]] presented by Sam Drake is an affable, devious crime lord who serves as one of the game's most memorable characters despite his status as a fabrication. Having concocted a [[PrisonEscapeArtist foolproof breakout scheme]] from the prison he's locked inside, using everything from hired guns to explosives planted strategically, Alcázar drags Sam along with him for their escape, saving his life many times over. Escaping the prison with ease as intended, Alcázar then reveals he saved Sam as well so Sam could finally track down Henry Avery's treasure, Alcázar threatening him into seeing the mission through and promising to be there when Sam finds it so as to take his share, before [[PetTheDog handing the thirsty Sam a drink of water]] and pointing him to the closest town politely.

* ''VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonVsPhoenixWrightAceAttorney'': High Inquisitor Darklaw was a childhood friend to Espella until she accidentally caused a fire in the town, killing almost everyone. She gets revenge on the Storyteller for her father's suicide. She [[MasterOfDisguise disguised herself as the great witch]] to lure Layton and Luke into Labyrinthia so they could reveal the truth. She tricks everyone to believe Layton was turned to gold when he was really knocked out. Until she revealed herself as the identity of the great which saves Espella from committing suicide before being in [[HeelFaceTurn peace with Storyteller and Espella]].

** [[BigBad Helen, the Administrator]], is the enigmatic head of TF Industries and the [[LargeHamAnnouncer bombastic coordinator]] of the century-long turf war between the Mann brothers. Deliberately prolonging the war by giving both brothers--and herself--life-extending machines powered by [[AppliedPhlebotinum Australium]], the Administrator uses trickery and espionage to keep the mercs in line, assassinates anybody remotely problematic through her right-hand Miss Pauling, and manipulates the US senate into handing over their Australium reserve by promising to shoot a monkey into space. When suddenly blindsided by the appearance of Gray Mann, the Administrator swiped Mann Co.'s Australium supply under everyone's noses, and seized every last piece of it in the world over the course of several months through murder and deceit. When her supply runs out and she's forced to confront her own mortality, [[FaceDeathWithDignity Helen downs the last vial of Australium she's got]], ready to settle one final debt.

** ''[[VideoGame/MegaManZero Zero]]'': [[CyberNinja Hidden Phantom]] is the leader of the Zan'ei Army and the most professional of the Four Guardians of Neo Arcadia. Before encountering Zero in front of an old factory, Phantom scatters bombs throughout the building in an attempt to further hinder the heroes. As a ninja, Phantom makes use of several different tricks and tools during the fights against him, showcasing his skills. His desire to [[NobleDemon help others while destroying Mavericks]] is strong enough for him to make a final attempt to kill Zero before he dies. After being encountered in Cyberspace [[VideoGame/MegaManZero3 over a year later]], he decides to test Zero's resolve after having learned that his body is a weaker version of Omega's. Upon defeat, Phantom reacts with dignity, [[DareToBeBadass urging Zero to show the world what he's truly capable of]].

*** ''Star Force 3'': [[DoubleAgent Heartless]] is a spy who plays her targets for fools while achieving her agendas. An agent of WAXA, Heartless was task [[TheMole to spy on Mr. King]], working for him as his [[DragonWithAnAgenda right-hand]], while secretly learning his tech. Setting his downfall with him in the palms of her hands, modifying his orders to her benefit, getting him to eliminate her main threat Joker and giving her access to his weapons, sabotaging them while framing her actions on Jack and Tia. With Joker gone and King distracted by Jack and Tia, Heartless uses this chance to eliminate King, [[BodyguardBetrayal using his Noise to shut his system and eliminate him]], before revealing her true allegiance to Geo and giving him the plan to stop Meteor G and save Kelvin.

* ''[[VideoGame/MirrorsEdgeCatalyst Catalyst]]'': [[NobleDemon Dogen]] is the "Crime Czar of Glass" who poses as a [[EvilChef high society chef]]. When Faith accidentally sabotages one of his deals, rather than punish her, Dogen instead offers her a job, recognizing her clear skills and talent and offering her mother's drawing as payment. When Faith fails to complete the job, he remains unsympathetic to her plight, yet still pulls strings to ensure that Faith only spends a year in prison, saving her from exile. Upon her release, he orders her to destroy the Anansi corporation, uncaring that his plan would kill all those inside because they owe him. Upon Noah's death, Dogen gives Faith the [[BrutalHonesty harsh words]] she needs to rise up from her despair, convincing her to go after Gabriel Kruger despite the seemingly impossible nature of the task. Following Kruger's death, Dogen then refuses to clear her debt, reasoning that if he did so, [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes he'd have no reason to see her anymore]], and he'd much prefer to continue their business relationship.

** ''VideoGame/OctopathTravelerII'': [[TheStrategist Kazan]], the Eagle of Ku, is the nation's finest military strategist and one of Hikari's staunchest allies--at first. Introduced as a [[PragmaticHero pragmatic and manipulative hero]], Kazan shows off his cunning in the early chapters by tricking Hikari into signing up for gladiatorial combat in Montwise to supposedly cover his gambling debts, only to spin the situation into a full-on rebellion that ends with the gladiators [[SlaveLiberation freeing themselves from their corrupt captors]]. Ultimately, though, "Kazan" is [[EvilAllAlong no friend of the heroes]]: his real name is Oboro, an embittered orphan of war who ingratiated himself with King Jigo Ku to manipulate Hikari's entire story, including the rise and fall of Mugen. A member of the Moonshade Order, every single manipulation and gambit he lays out is for the purpose of seeing Vide the Wicked God rise and destroy what he sees is a hopelessly corrupt world. The final member of the Order left standing at the end, Oboro calmly sacrifices his own life to see Vide's advent through, remaining [[TheUnfettered utterly convinced to the end that the world would be better off dead than suffering]].

* ''{{VideoGame/Sorcery}}'' Video Game adaptation:

** ''VideoGame/WildArms2'': [[WellIntentionedExtremist Commander Irving Valeria]] leader of ARMS is [[HeroicLineage a descendant of the Sword Mage's bloodline]] who wanted to be a hero. However, when he was unable to pull the legendary Argetlahm to stop the encroaching [[EldritchAbomination Kuiper Belt]] from consuming the world, Irving decided to rely on his intellect to save all of Filgalia. Funding the terrorist organization Odessa, he hass them try to TakeOverTheWorld, while creating ARMS as a special team formed to oppose them in hopes that the victor will forcefully unite the world regardless of who wins. With Odessa's defeat, Irving used his newfound authority to stop the emerging Kuiper Belt, as the world leader to execute his well-prepared plan to stop it. When the plan fails, Irving moves to his final contingency: [[HeroicSacrifice he and his sister sacrificing themselves]] to make the Kuiper Belt have a physical form so it can be killed, explaining the truth to Ashley in his final moments with his only regret being not there in the world's happy future. A man who wants to save the world no matter what, Irving is willing to do any to fulfill his family's bloodline.