History Main / TheEmperor

* Emperor Gregor Vorbarra of the ''Literature/VorkosiganSaga'' matures over the series into a noble, good-hearted, and just ruler. If you didn't frequently get to see him in non-Emperor mode he'd be too good to be true. Contrasted (sort of) with Emperor the haut Fletchir Giaja of Cetaganda, who isn't precisely ''evil'' per se, but is definitely not someone you'd trust further than you could comfortably spit a dead rat.

* Shi Ryuuki from ''LightNovel/TheStoryOfSaiunkoku'' is a rare benevolent emperor and a main character of his show.

* ''LightNovel/CrestOfTheStars'' has the Humankind Empire Abh as it's series focus and at the top is none other than Empress Ramaj. A relatively benevolent figure considering she responded to provocation by plunging half of humanity into war with the other half.

* Emperor Jircniv in ''LightNovel/Overlord2012'' is a (mostly) benevolent example. Although he is known as "[[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast The Bloody Emperor]]" for his ruthless culling of the nobility upon coming to power, most of these nobles were rich parasites draining the country. Jircniv seems to genuinely desire to better the lives of his people, and he turned the Baharuth Empire into a prosperous country very much contrasting the rotten cesspit of corruption that is the Re-Estize Kingom. Ainz himself likes to observe him remotely using scrying spells to learn from his leadership style.

* Anaander Mianaai from ''Literature/AncillaryJustice''. She's not ''evil'', exactly, but she does oversee the aggressive militaristic expansion of her multi-system [[TheEmpire empire]] to create a buffer zone for the [[BigDumbObject Dyson's Sphere]] at its center, and she has no problem with turning people into meat puppets for her ships' AIs. Oh, and she oversees everything personally by using [[HiveMind thousands of linked identical clone bodies]] and [[BodyBackupDrive has been alive for a few thousands years]].

Of course, just because the trope is titled "The '''Emperor'''" doesn't preclude the existence of actual '''[[DistaffCounterpart Empresses]]''', as some of the examples in both fiction and RealLife illustrate. [[WomenAreWiser An Empress is likely to be depicted more sympathetically than an Emperor]], often incorporating elements of TheWomanWearingTheQueenlyMask (if mature) or the less-frivolous PrincessTropes (if youthful). Less sympathetic female rulers are more often [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen queens]]. However, some older works do [[HeirClubForMen presuppose]] that the occupant of the throne is always an Emperor, never an Empress Regnant.

The ruler of an empire,[[note]]As in "a monarchy whose ruler is titled 'emperor' or 'empress'", not in the broader senses of "a political state of any government form that has an extensive territory under its centralized authority" or "a group of states or other territories that owe allegiance to a foreign power".[[/note]] usually but not always TheEmpire. Historically, Emperors outranked Kings, so when you need an authority figure to convey the highest possible power and rank, you can't get any higher than making them The Emperor (unless you go to UsefulNotes/ThePope, or into the otherworldly realms of {{Galactic Conqueror}}s, DemonLordsAndArchdevils, CelestialParagonsAndArchangels, and at the most accepted highest tier, GodEmperor). The previous steps are GodSaveUsFromTheQueen, TheWomanWearingTheQueenlyMask, TheHighQueen, SheIsTheKing, TheGoodKing and PresidentEvil.

* The [[PresidentEvil President Charisma]], typically a leader of EagleLand, is a VillainWithGoodPublicity, who always puts on a good face for the public, but is a conniving ManipulativeBastard behind the scenes. A more [[TruthInTelevision realistic]] and politically oriented emperor, he is often a TakeThat at [[AcceptablePoliticalTargets the nation's current administration]] (or somebody else's). An EngineeredPublicConfession is one of his more common foes. Examples include virtually all fictional references to UsefulNotes/RichardNixon. The [[ComicBook/VForVendetta Norsefire]] leader attempted to be this, and most other [[UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler Hitler]] [[{{Expy}} expies]] will usually come off as one (in his own country, anyways).

If a ruler is known as The Emperor, it is almost a sure sign that he is an EvilOverlord and the BigBad of the story, or ''at least'' a major villain, especially if you are in a {{Fantasy}} setting. Kings, Princes, and Presidents are as likely to be good (TheGoodKing, TheWisePrince, PresidentSuperhero) as they are to be bad (TheCaligula, TheEvilPrince, PresidentEvil) but somehow The Emperor is almost always a villain of some sort. This is probably for the same reasons as GoodRepublicEvilEmpire. Though, the Emperor is often distinct from the EvilOverlord in that he is much more likely to be the ruler of the world, or at least the ruler of the largest and most influential country in it, instead of simply being a Sauron/Kim Jong-Il dictator cackling it up over in Latveria[=/=]{{Mordor}}land. They will frequently invoke AuthorityGrantsAsskicking, which can often make them the most dangerous man on the planet.

At the same time, Emperors have a tendency to be {{Disc One Final Boss}}es. It is very common for a villainous version to be hyped up as the main villain initially, before being superseded by a GreaterScopeVillain (perhaps a SealedEvilInACan that [[EvilIsNotAToy they released]]), TheManBehindTheMan, or TheDragon [[DragonTheirFeet after their defeat by the heroes]] and/or after [[TheStarscream betrayal]] from within their organization. When used like this, it is often for escalation purposes, as the initial Emperor is usually fairly normal within the setting besides his political power and ([[AuthorityGrantsAsskicking sometimes]]) exceptional skills, wheras their successor [[DragonInChief often has far more intimidating powers at their command]].

* Emperor Ganishka of ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' is of the EvilSorcerer[=/=]EvilOverlord variety. His typical [=M.O.=] is of the Shadow Emperor variety, although [[AuthorityGrantsAsskicking he can back it up]] with a great deal of magical mojo when required.

* ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert3'' has [[Creator/GeorgeTakei Emperor Yoshiro]], who also believes in AuthorityGrantsAsskicking.

** Only in later eras did the title become removed from a continuation of the Roman Empire, and became used when a country was really frickin' big or powerful, prime examples being Mexico, Brazil, and [[UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte Napoleonic France]]. Other times it was used to make a political point: the Kings of UsefulNotes/{{Prussia}} declared themselves [[UsefulNotes/ImperialGermany German Emperors]] to make themselves higher-ranked than other German kings (like the one of Bavaria) without having to demote them (German unification being conducted by integrating the existing German states into a federal structure rather than starting from scratch); Napoleon III did it to link his regime to that of his uncle; the rulers of Austria needed a new title after the UsefulNotes/HolyRomanEmpire disappeared and didn't want to step down in rank; Queen Victoria had herself declared Empress of India to make it clear that Britain was more powerful than Germany (and because she didn't want to be outranked by her daughter, who had married the heir to the German throne)[[note]]Victoria strongly considered the title of "Empress of Great Britain, Ireland and India" and officially upgrading the United Kingdom itself into an empire, but her Prime Minister, UsefulNotes/BenjaminDisraeli, convinced her that merely adding "Empress of India" to her existing title of "Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland" would be more acceptable to the public.[[/note]]; and a couple others besides. However, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Bedel_Bokassa Jean-Bédel Bokassa's]] short-lived Empire was little short of a farce.

If a ruler is known as The Emperor, it is almost a sure sign that he is an EvilOverlord and the BigBad of the story, or ''at least'' a major villain, especially if you are in a {{Fantasy}} setting. Kings, Princes, and Presidents are as likely to be good (TheGoodKing, TheWisePrince, PresidentSuperhero) as they are to be bad (TheCaligula, TheEvilPrince, PresidentEvil) but somehow The Emperor is almost always a villain of some sort. This is probably for the same reasons as GoodRepublicEvilEmpire. Though, the Emperor is often distinct from the EvilOverlord in that he is much more likely to be the ruler of the world, or at least the ruler of the largest and most influential country in it, instead of simply being a Sauron/Kim Jong-Il dictator cackling it up over in Latveria[=/=]{{Mordor}}land. They will frequently invoke AuthorityEqualsAsskicking, which can often make them the most dangerous man on the planet.

At the same time, Emperors have a tendency to be {{Disc One Final Boss}}es. It is very common for a villainous version to be hyped up as the main villain initially, before being superseded by a GreaterScopeVillain (perhaps a SealedEvilInACan that [[EvilIsNotAToy they released]]), TheManBehindTheMan, or TheDragon [[DragonTheirFeet after their defeat by the heroes]] and/or after [[TheStarscream betrayal]] from within their organization. When used like this, it is often for escalation purposes, as the initial Emperor is usually fairly normal within the setting besides his political power and ([[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking sometimes]]) exceptional skills, wheras their successor [[DragonInChief often has far more intimidating powers at their command]].

* The EvilOverlord, a very standard BigBad (often complete with SpikesOfVillainy and ShouldersOfDoom), is essentially a cliché bully who, despite having no real diplomatic or political skills, has attained his position through [[AsskickingEqualsAuthority strength or special combat skills]]; if this is seen as too oafish, a very powerful EvilSorcerer or EmperorScientist, [[ObviouslyEvil who still lacks subtlety]], will suffice. Expect him to [[VillainousDemotivator abuse his followers, intimidate his subordinates]], [[TinTyrant wear battle-armor all the time]], and be [[LargeAndInCharge built like a tank]]. The LegionsOfHell and AlwaysChaoticEvil races are this guy's {{mooks}}. A GeneralRipper, if significantly promoted, is a more intelligent derivative of this type.

* Emperor Ganishka of ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' is of the EvilSorcerer[=/=]EvilOverlord variety. His typical [=M.O.=] is of the Shadow Emperor variety, although [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking he can back it up]] with a great deal of magical mojo when required.

** [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Volume 1]]: The Saturnain Emperor rules over the bodies orbiting Saturn with an iron fist, has developed a ranking within the nobility based entirely on AsskickingEqualsAuthority with failures in battle harshly punished, and is plotting to invade earth using abducted human slaves to build the infrastructure needed to do so. For bonus points he looks like a horned Devil.

* ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert3'' has [[Creator/GeorgeTakei Emperor Yoshiro]], who also believes in AuthorityEqualsAsskicking.

* On the other hand, in SequelSeries ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', when Kuvira usurps Earth King Wu, she declares her new nation the Earth Empire, and herself its [[SheIsTheKing Emperor]]. One of the cases where AuthorityEqualsAsskicking -- or rather, AsskickingEqualsAuthority, as she conquered her way to the title.

* ''Webcomic/DriveDaveKellet'': The current Emperor killed his uncle for the position, and framed one of the protagonists. He fits the President Charisma description above.

* The Western tradition of this trope can be traced back to [[UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire the Emperors of Rome]], and in particular [[UsefulNotes/{{Augustus}} Caesar Augustus]], who during their reigns ruled one of the greatest empires in the world. The word "emperor" derives from the Latin term ''Imperator'', or "commander" (it's also where we get the word "imperative" from), as Rome had historical reasons to oppose anyone who claimed the title of ''Rex'' (king).[[note]]Augustus didn't invent the term; it had already used for some time for successful military commanders--notably, it could not be bestowed by authority, only proclaimed by a general's own soldiers--and was considered one of the highest honours in republican society. In that respect, Augustus was simply the latest of many ''imperatores''. Even he himself didn't personally attach the current sense to it, since he always claimed to be JustTheFirstCitizen, preferring the less formal title of "''princeps''" (itself a contraction of "Primus Inter Pares" which translates as "First Among Equals" and is the root of the word "Prince") or "chief" if he had to be singled out for special status. Nevertheless, it was thanks to Augusts and the tradition he established that it did acquire its modern usage, so in that sense, it did indeed originate with him.[[/note]] Similarly, the German and Russian words "Kaiser" and "Czar" are both derived from "Caesar".

** As noted above, the status of the British monarchs is complicated, Wiki/TheOtherWiki even has an extra article for [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Emperor British Emperor]].

* According to Wiki/TheOtherWiki England had already been technically an empire since [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statute_in_Restraint_of_Appeals 1533]], however the titles King and Kingdom were retained. It is however unknown, what effects the Acts of Union had on this…

* TheEmpire in ''Anime/LegendOfGalacticHeroes'' is, naturally, ruled by The Emperor, an inherited title of the ruling House Goldenbaum, whose dynasty has continued unbroken since the Empire's foundation. The emperor at the beginning of the series is Friedrich IV, a peace-loving old man who never aspired to the throne due to [[SpareToTheThrone being far down on the list of claimants in his youth]]. He's uninterested in ruling or the ongoing war with TheFederation and content with living in peace and enjoying the finer things in life, like his private rose garden, and lets his chief of staff and admirals run things. He's consequently quite impotent as an actual ruler, but reasonable and harmless and quite fond of main character Reinhart von Lohengramm.

* ''ComicBook/{{Legacy}}'' is a comic that takes place a [[TimeSkip hundred and thirty years]] after the movies. The Sith are all over the place, the Empire is back in power, there is an Emperor - but the Sith and the Empire aren't on the same side. Emperor Fel (confirmed as the descendant of [[AcePilot Soontir Fel]] and the sister of [[ImprobablePilotingSkills Wedge Antilles]], possibly also Leia and Han) isn't quite evil, though in [[DarkerAndEdgier that setting]] there's not a whole lot of difference.

** And to top it off, his [[Creator/NorioWakamoto seiyuu]] was given the FanNickname of "Emperor Wakamoto".

* Emperor Hirohito is the namesake of ''Film/{{Emperor}}''. As portrayed near the end, [[spoiler: he's actually really awesome!]]

Of course, just because the trope is titled "The '''Emperor'''" doesn't preclude the existence of actual '''[[DistaffCounterpart Empresses]]''', as some of the examples in both fiction and RealLife illustrate. [[WomenAreWiser An Empress is likely to be depicted more sympathetically than an Emperor]], often incorporating elements of TheWomanWearingTheQueenlyMask (if mature) or the less-frivolous PrincessTropes (if youthful). Less sympathetic female rulers are more often [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen queens]].

* In ''Film/{{Hero}}'', the Emperor of China fills an ambivalently antagonistic role. The heroes of the story want to kill him due to the losses they suffered in his war to unify the five kingdoms into a single country (they were from the four losing kingdoms), and because they consider him as a tyrant. Ultimately the main character decides to spare the Emperor's life, since unifying the kingdoms is the only way to stop them from constantly fighting each other and thus bring peace. Regardless, midway through the film a failed assassination fight scene shows the Emperor is perfectly capable of matching a master swordsman blow-for-blow.

* The Western tradition of this trope can be traced back to [[UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire the Emperors of Rome]], and in particular [[UsefulNotes/{{Augustus}} Caesar Augustus]], who during their reigns ruled one of the greatest empires in the world. The word "emperor" derives from the Latin term ''Imperator'', or "commander" (it's also where we get the word "imperative" from), as Rome had historical reasons to oppose anyone who claimed the title of King.[[note]]Augustus didn't invent the term; it had already used for some time for successful military commanders--notably, it could not be bestowed by authority, only proclaimed by a general's own soldiers--and was considered one of the highest honours in republican society. In that respect, Augustus was simply the latest of many ''imperatores''. Even he himself didn't personally attach the current sense to it, since he always claimed to be JustTheFirstCitizen, preferring the less formal title of "''princeps''" (itself a contraction of "Primus Inter Pares" which translates as "First Among Equals" and is the root of the word "Prince") or "chief" if he had to be singled out for special status. Nevertheless, it was thanks to Augusts and the tradition he established that it did acquire its modern usage, so in that sense, it did indeed originate with him.[[/note]] Similarly, the German and Russian words "Kaiser" and "Czar" are both derived from "Caesar".

* Shi Ryuuki from ''LightNovel/SaiunkokuMonogatari'' is a rare benevolent emperor and a main character of his show.

* ''Manga/OnePiece'' has the Four Emperors (Yonko), the four most powerful pirates in the world, and the rulers of the New World. Currently among them is:
** Shanks, generally the nicest one and Luffy's childhood idol.
** Big Mom, a woman who doesn't give a damn about anything except her candy.
** [[spoiler:Blackbeard, major contender for overall series BigBad]]
** Kaido, who is the closest to the actual trope in terms of being an EvilOverlord.
** Former includes [[spoiler:Whitebeard, the WorldsStrongestMan, who died at the Paramount War]].
*** The story later introduces [[spoiler: Im, the secret leader of the World Government who rules over the 170 nations therein and is the only person who can sit on the Empty Throne]].

* Many evil factions in ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' are Empires. Especially in the older series. This, off course, means that these factions are led by Emperors. Examples are Emperor Aton, leading the [[Series/KagakuSentaiDynaman Tailed-People Clan Jashinka Empire]], Underground Emperor Zeba leading the [[Series/HikariSentaiMaskMan Underground Empire Tube]] and Emperor Ackdos Gill, leader of the [[Series/KaizokuSentaiGokaiger Space Empire Zangyack]]