History Main / NotBrainwashed

** [[spoiler:Chloé Bourgeois/Miracle Queen is manipulated by Hawk Moth into joining him willingly due to her newfound resentment towards Ladybug for not giving her the [[TransformationTrinket Bee Miraculous]] and allowing her to be a superhero anymore (although that was for the safety of her and her family since Hawk Moth knew her secret identity) and like Lila, allows Hawk Moth to akumatize her of her own will so she can get revenge.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/Ben10'' fanfiction ''[[https://m.fanfiction.net/s/4267279/1/Hero-High-Sphinx-Academy Hero High: Sphinx Academy]]'', the group of super powered agents working with Pharaoh are explicitly instructed to act as if they have been brainwashed to serve him when out in public. The reason? They are his friends and he planned it so if his plans did fail they would be absolved of their actions.

** [[spoiler:[[BigBad Aizen]]'s]] Zanpaktou can cast illusions that can fool anyone, if they have ever seen the sword using its power. [[spoiler:However, Tousen is blind, thus unable to see the sword. It is then revealed that he joined Aizen of his own will.]]

* In ''Videogame/EarthBound'', Ness's "friend" Porky ([[DubNameChange aka Pokey]]) is often seen with brainwashed humans, even claiming to have been brainwashed and subsequently freed following the Happy Happy Village incident. Halfway through the game, he finally just flat out admits that he is actually working for Giygas of his own volition.

* In ''Videogame/FinalFantasyIVTheAfterYears'', this trope was used when Kain - who was repeatedly brainwashed in the first game - insists that he is acting under his own volition when he attacks several of his former allies. It is later discovered that he wasn't brainwashed at all... [[spoiler: He was an EnemyWithout]]

** Played with in Orihime's case when [[spoiler:she was kidnapped to Hueco Mundo. At first, everyone thinks Aizen mindwashed her, but actually she was [[SadisticChoice forced to come along as to save her friends]]. Aizen then says [[FromACertainPointOfView she came of her own accord]]]], and the less... brainy Espada try to twist this even more to say [[BlatantLies she is one of them]], even trying to convince ''her'' about it as a part of the massive BreakTheCutie process they're subjecting the poor girl to. Only for the lectures to be [[ShutUpHannibal put down]] by ''Ichigo'' of all people.

** ''Series/KamenRiderExAid''; some time into the story, the previously-deceased Kiriya Kujo is revived by Masamune Dan as an extra ally for the villains' side. Emu is convinced that Masamune has reprogrammed him into working for him, so attempts to reprogram him with [[MidSeasonUpgrade Maximum Mighty X]]. Only for Kiriya to kick him and reveal that he was working for Masamune entirely of his own free will. [[spoiler:[[MetaphoricallyTrue But as it turns out, Kiriya was simply pretending to be loyal to Masamune]] [[FakeDefector in a bid to get close enough to steal the Proto Gashats]]]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheLEGOMovie2TheSecondPart'', Lucy, Metalbeard, Benny, Metalbeard and Unikitty are brought to a spa-center in the Sistar System run by Balthazar as a means of enticing them to Queen Watevra Wa-Nabi's machinations. When the spa's treatments fails to do so with Lucy, they lock her in a room where they play an upbeat EarWorm pop song that seemingly brainwashes the others. This is made all the more creepy when Emmet and Rex are off exploring a StepfordSuburbia not too far off, with the missing Justice League [[OutOfCharacterAlert acting overly nice and covered in glitter]], all singing to the song as they chase them as if they were mentally reconditioned zombies. It is not until later when it is revealed that the inhabitants of the Sistar System were GoodAllAlong, the various supposedly brainwashed Master Builders ''sincerely'' liking the Sistar System's upbeat and inclusive ways.

* ''Series/KamenRiderDecade''; on Diend's world, everyone is brainwashed into subservience by Jashin 14, seemingly including Diend's brother, Junichi. But when Jashin is defeated and his mind control broken, it's revealed that Junichi wasn't brainwashed and had actually been working with the villain completely of his own volition from the very start.

* In ''[[Anime/ParallelTroubleAdventureDual Duall]]'' Kazuki assumes that [[spoiler: Mitsuki Sanada]] has been hypnotized to fight him since the same thing had happened to Mitsuki Rara earlier. Turns out that [[spoiler: she had willingly agreed to help the Rara army so that they would help her and Kazuki return to their own world]]. Once she realizes how close she came to killing Kazuki and how dumb her choice was she keeps the truth to herself.

* Ruthlessly exploited in the backstory of ''Literature/HarryPotter''. Many Death Eaters were able to escape punishment by claiming to have been under the mind-control Imperius Curse. While there really ''were'' a lot of Death Eaters only there because of the Imperius, willing Death Eaters like the Malfoys exploited the fact that it's really hard to prove whether the curse has been cast in order to walk free.

* Most of the enemies fought in ''VideoGame/EyesOfHeaven'' are protagonists brainwashed by anomalies (and in some cases brought BackFromTheDead), as indicated by a purple aura around them. However, most characters who were villainous do ''not'' have the aura (though some do, like Stroheim and Akira); those who served Dio in the first place continue to do so, Diego is a mercenary, Kira (and his future self, disguised as Kosaku) just wants to escape being hunted by the Joestars, and Joshu is still a brat even ''after'' he's de-brainwashed. [[spoiler: Funny Valentine initially allied with Heaven Ascension Dio of his own free will, but later on betrayed him and only fought the protagonists to test their strength. Either way, he was unaffected by the anomalies.]]

* A positive example in ''{{Fanfic/Spellbound}}''; Adrien and Marinette have known each other for a year before they "meet" at school, but he doesn't want Chloe to know that, or she'll likely retaliate against Marinette out of jealousy. So, he "introduces" himself to Marinette with a song that includes a MindControl effect - knowing that she's unwittingly protected from such effects by the enchanted jewellery he's previously given her. Chloe recognises the effect and assumes that he's just toying with Marinette for his own amusement. Plagg and Tikki, on the other hand, are quite alarmed by his behaviour, and he has to do some fast talking. Marinette is oblivious to the magic and just finds his over-the-top singing amusing.

* On ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark,'' Henrietta ''herself'' believes that she's been brainwashed to turn from a {{Goth}} to an {{Emo}} ([[FandomRivalry which is totally different]]!) It turns out to be a prank done by a reality TV show, with Henrietta being suggestible enough to fall for it. Seeing how embarrassed she is, her friends play along with the idea that she really was mind controlled. In the same episode, [[spoiler:Firkle]] turns out to be TheMole rather than even fake-brainwashed, though he wasn't in on the prank either.

* ''VideoGame/ElderScrollsVSkyrim'' has a minor example pop up in background dialogue. Hang around the keep in Riften and you will hear Jarl Laila Law-Giver ask her court mage to work out what sort of mind control or possession has taken hold of her son recently. Said mage has to break the news that, in all likelihood, her son genuinely ''does'' support the Imperials.

* In ''Videogame/EarthBound'', Ness's "friend" Pokey is often seen with brainwashed humans, even claiming to have been brainwashed and subsequently freed following the Happy Happy Village incident. Halfway through the game, he finally just flat out admits that he is actually working for Giygas of his own volition.

* ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'': Unlike Adora, Catra didn't fall for the Horde's propaganda and knew all along about their true villainous nature, but [[LackOfEmpathy simply didn't care.]] She honestly can't believe that Adora didn't know the truth.

* In the 90s, when Colossus abandoned the ComicBook/XMen for ComicBook/{{Magneto}}'s Acolytes, his team-mates -- specifically ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}--wanted to believe that he was under mind-control; Colossus immediately denied it and for a while it was the official explanation that he was not being compelled. Eventually Professor X decided that Colossus had committed this FaceHeelTurn because of an undiagnosed brain injury (he had a huge dent in his head at the time and was trapped in his armored form. This led to an ''ComicBook/{{Excalibur}}'' issue where Xavier [[SuperDickery has Colossus's ex-girlfriend trick him into coming back to Earth so they can abduct him]], then treats the injury. It was specifically asked by one of the characters, "what do we do if he still wants to go back to the Acolytes after we heal him?" The answer turned out to be "we let him go back" and that's exactly what Colossus did - though the healing did give him a bit of additional clarity, and his stated purpose was to act as [[TheHeart a conscience for the team]]. It was kind of refreshing. He remained an AntiVillain with the Acolytes for a few years, real-time, which only ended when the Acolytes' space station was destroyed and the survivors got scattered across the Earth, forcing the team's disbandment.

* In the 90s, when Colossus abandoned the ComicBook/XMen for ComicBook/{{Magneto}}'s Acolytes, his team-mates -- specifically ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}--wanted to believe that he was under mind-control; Colossus immediately denied it and for a while it was the official explanation that he was not being compelled. Eventually Professor X decided that Colossus had committed this FaceHeelTurn because of an undiagnosed brain injury (he had a huge dent in his head at the time and was trapped in his armored form. This led to an ''ComicBook/{{Excalibur}}'' issue where Xavier [[SuperDickery has Colossus's ex-girlfriend trick him into coming back to Earth so they can abduct him]], then treats the injury. It was specifically asked by one of the characters, "what do we do if he still wants to go back to the Acolytes after we heal him?" The answer turned out to be "we let him go back" and that's exactly what Colossus did. It was kind of refreshing. He remained an AntiVillain with the Acolytes for a few years, real-time, which only ended when the Acolytes' space station was destroyed and the survivors got scattered across the Earth, forcing the team's disbandment.
* Not quite brainwashing, but ComicBook/{{Quicksilver}} had underwent a FaceHeelTurn (to WellIntentionedExtremist) during- and served as the BigBad of-''ComicBook/HouseOfM'', and followed it up with a lot of, if not outright ''villainous'', morally questionable and inherently selfish actions, such as stealing and unleashing the [[ComicBook/TheInhumans Terrigen Mists]] on the Earth in an effort to restore the powers of de-powered mutants. After ''ComicBook/SecretInvasion'', when it emerged that several heroes and villains had been replaced by shape-shifting Skrulls, Quicksilver explained his previous actions by claiming that he has been replaced as well- cue a private moment with his Inhuman daughter, Luna, who points out that she is a LivingLieDetector and tells him she knows he is making it all up, and is guilty as sin.

* ''VideoGame/ElderScrollsVSkyrim'' has a minor example pop up in background dialogue. Hang around the keep in Riften and you will hear the jarl ask her court mage to work out what sort of mind control or possession has taken hold of her sone recently. Said mage has to break the news that, in all likelihood, her son genuinely ''does'' support the imperials.

** [[spoiler:Nathalie Sancoeur/Catalyst is in on Hawk Moth's secret, and allows herself to be akumatized to aid him in one of his most dangerous plans.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'', most of the akumas are BrainwashedAndCrazy victims of the series' BigBad Hawk Moth. However, four people have allowed themselves to be akumatized of their own volition.

* In ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'', most of the akuma are BrainwashedAndCrazy victims of the series' BigBad Hawk Moth. However, four people have allowed themselves to be akumatized of their own volition.

** [[spoiler:Chloé Bourgeois/Miracle Queen is manipulated by Hawk Moth into joining him willingly due to her newfound resentment towards Ladybug for not giving her the [[TransformationTrinket Bee Miraculous]] and allowing her to be a superhero anymore (although that was for the safety of her and her family since Hawk Moth knew her secret identity) and like Lila, allows Hawk Moth akumatize her of her own will so she can get revenge.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'', most of the akuma are BrainwashedAndCrazy victims of the series' BigBad Hawk Moth. However, three people have allowed themselves to be akumatized of their own volition.