History Main / TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized

* In ''Manga/OnePiece'', the success of the Revolutionary Army's ideals being spread around the world? Mostly owed to good-old-fashioned warfare. [[TheRevolutionWillNotBeVilified Then again, against the corrupt World Government, not exactly a hard choice.]]

* In ''Film/TheHungerGamesMockingjayPart2'', once the rebels take the fight to the Capital, you can see their tactics become more brutal and morally ambiguous. For example, when President Snow offers to open his mansion as a refugee camp, the rebels disguise themselves as refugees to get close enough to open fire, completely disregarding the fact that actual refugees and civilians are in their line of fire. It also doesn't help that [[spoiler:[[FullCircleRevolution President Coin wanted to restart the Hunger Games using Capital children, and it's implied she will replace Snow as dictator.]] Thankfully, Katniss and Plutarch manage to save the revolution from collapsing in on itself]].

* ''Film/AcrossTheUniverse'': The anti-war group Lucy is in turns violent after the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_University_protests_of_1968 Columbia University occupation]] gets shut down. She walks in on them building pipe bombs, and says sorrowfully that she thought it was the government who used them. Later they [[HoistByHisOwnPetard accidentally blow themselves up]].

-->-- '''UsefulNotes/MaximilienRobespierre'''. [[DeathByIrony He was later guillotined]]

* Between 1980 and 1983, the ''Franchise/StarWars'' fandom was inundated with stories speculating on how -- or if -- Han Solo might be thawed out of the carbonite in which he'd ended ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack''. One particularly memorable story, "The Revenant", had him being unfrozen ''thirty years later''. Leia is dead, Chewbacca is dead, Lando is dead ... and Luke, who arranged Leia's death to bring a group of unaligned planets to the Rebellion's side, is First Citizen of a New Republic oppressive as ever the Empire was.

* Played for BlackComedy in ''VideoGame/ToothAndTail''. The entire plot hinges on a sort of reenactment of the UsefulNotes/SpanishCivilWar '''[-[[RecycledInSpace WITH CUTE ANIMALS]]-]''', where a civilisation of animals refuse to eat grains and plants even though they're not in shortage and instead promote the "civilised virtue" of a carnivorous diet. The four factions, the Longcoats (republican capitalists), Commonfolk ([[RedScare communists]]), Civilised (the priesthood and noble class) and the KSR (StateSec) are actually NotSoDifferent and only guided by a single principle: they want meat and don't want to share. When the pigs ([[CarnivoreConfusion who are docile and kept as livestock]]) start to die out due to over-consumption, the warring factions start ''eating each other's fallen''. [[spoiler:And then in the end it turns out the pigs had actually been secretly feigning their death, and once the factions have exhausted themselves in fighting each other, the pigs rise up and kill them all.]]

The anti-trope to TheRevolutionWillNotBeVilified, this is a considerably DarkerAndEdgier version of LaResistance. This is different from the TheRemnant, in that [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin the remnant are the leftover of the Empire after it has fallen]]. However, it is important to mention that these rebels tend more often than not to be portrayed heroically (at least at first). The rebels are all {{antihero}}es at best, as brutal or more so than their enemies. At worst, for every idealist there are five thugs who signed up for the looting and/or psychos who just want an excuse to rape and kill people (if the RebelLeader is one of these, then it might be an indication that the rebellion is villainous in this case, or, at the very least, is one hell of a FallenHero if they weren't always like that). No matter whose side you're on, it's sacrifice, honor, duty, and "shut up and follow orders!" They will usually be led by a rebel version of GeneralRipper, or possibly a subversion of that archetype. The more desperate the circumstances, the more brutal the rebels get; expect lots of RapePillageAndBurn on any village that they even ''suspect'' isn't sympathetic to their cause, ColdBloodedTorture and other forms of extreme cruelty towards [=POWs=], and lots of MakeAnExampleOfThem to frighten those who are on the fence into supporting them, often in the form of [[CruelAndUnusualDeath horrifically brutal]] [[PublicExecution public executions]]. Depending on the nature of the conflict, genocide may or may not wind up entering the picture; if the ruling power is largely comprised of one specific ethnic or religious group, it's probably a safe bet that all members of that group will be targeted, and if the revolution is successful under these circumstances, a FinalSolution of some sort is all but guaranteed.

* The main recurring villain of the ''VideoGame/MetalSlug'' series is the Rebel Army and its leader, General Morden, though there's not much room for story in the ''Metal Slug'' franchise so you never really get to see the Rebel Army do anything particularly evil beyond gaining power and shooting at the protagonists. [[AllThereInTheManual Supplementary materials]] depict Morden as a madman driven to insanity by the death of his son - caused by an intelligence failure on the part of the Regular Army, who wants to TakeOverTheWorld, and his appearance is modeled after real-world dictators like Saddam Hussein.

** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'' takes place during the Skyrim CivilWar, which pits the [[VestigialEmpire crumbling Cyrodiilic Empire]] against the [[HornyVikings Nordic]] Stormcloak rebels, led by [[RebelLeader Ulfric Stormcloak]]. The war itself is a sterling example of GreyAndGrayMorality and BothSidesHaveAPoint in action, neither side is "right", and both sides have negative aspects. That said, the actions of the Stormcloaks do cause them to fit the bill as violent revolutionaries in line with this trope. Most Stormcloaks display a noticeable degree of FantasticRacism against non-Nord races (with plenty of "Skyrim is for the Nords" rhetoric), especially toward the refugee Dunmer, and their rebellion is perceived by Empire-supporters as [[HonorBeforeReason ill-timed and short-sighted]], especially in the face of the true threat of the [[AntiHumanAlliance Aldmeri Dominion]]. Further, Ulfric has taken some rather "uncivilized" (at least from the perspective of his opponents) actions leading up to the war. When the Reachmen (see below) captured the Nord city of Markarth, Ulfric led the Nord militia which aggressively and violently drove the Reachmen from the city. Further, Ulfric instigated the civil war itself by killing High King Torygg in a duel to the death for the throne. (It is an archaic but legitimate practice among the Nords.) Stormcloak wins by using the [[LanguageOfMagic Thu'um]] to kill Torygg. Victorious, Stormcloak and his followers feel that he should be the named the new High King of Skyrim. The Jarls of Skyrim, who vote for the new High King, [[SuccessionCrisis are torn]] due to Stormcloak's use of the Thu'um being seen as cheating. Eastern Skyrim secedes under Stormcloak's leadership, while western Skyrim (backed by the Empire) support Torygg's widow, Elisif, for the throne.

* Both the UFLL and APR in ''[[VideoGame/FarCry Far Cry 2]]''. Sure, they both claim to be fighting for their people's best interests, but really they're both as corrupt and vicious as each other. [[spoiler:The game's ending has the player rejecting both factions and siding with The Jackal, and [[KillEmAll killing every named leader in either faction]].]]
* ''[[VideoGame/FarCry Far Cry 4]]'' has the Golden Path, a large group of rebels opposing [[BigBad Pagan Min]], the current king of Kyrat. Just like in [[VideoGame/FarCry Far Cry 2]], the rebels claim to have the country's best interest at heart, but you eventually see that they're really no different than the people they're fighting against. [[spoiler: Hell, they're even worse. At least the Royal Army never ''[[WouldHurtAChild killed babies]]'' or [[ChildSoldiers forced children to work/fight for them]] by threatening to kill their families.]]

The anti-trope to TheRevolutionWillNotBeVilified, this is a considerably DarkerAndEdgier version of LaResistance. This is different from the TheRemnant, in that [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin the remnant are the leftover of the Empire after it has fallen]]. However, it is important to mention that these rebels tend more often than not to be portrayed heroically (at least at first). The rebels are all {{antihero}}es at best, as brutal or more so than their enemies. At worst, for every idealist there's five thugs who signed up for the looting and/or psychos who just want an excuse to rape and kill people (if the RebelLeader is one of these, than it might be an indication that the rebellion is villainous in this case, or, at the very least, is one hell of a FallenHero if they weren't always like that). No matter whose side you're on, it's sacrifice, honor, duty, and "shut up and follow orders!" They will usually be led by a rebel version of GeneralRipper, or possibly a subversion of that archetype. The more desperate the circumstances, the more brutal the rebels get; expect lots of RapePillageAndBurn on any village that they even ''suspect'' isn't sympathetic to their cause, ColdBloodedTorture and other forms of extreme cruelty towards [=POWs=], and lots of MakeAnExampleOfThem to frighten those who are on the fence into supporting them, often in the form of [[CruelAndUnusualDeath horrifically brutal]] [[PublicExecution public executions]]. Depending on the nature of the conflict, genocide may or may not wind up entering the picture; if the ruling power is largely comprised of one specific ethnic or religious group, it's probably a safe bet that all members of that group will be targeted, and if the revolution is successful under these circumstances, a FinalSolution of some sort is all but guaranteed.

* AVALANCHE in the ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' games are the protagonists, but certainly not civilized -- ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' itself starts with these rampaging eco-terrorists committing a massive bombing, killing a lot of innocent people -- and then the next day, they do it all over again! Not to mention the fact that some of the members (read: Barret) act thuggishly when ''not'' on the job too.
** That's the revived AVALANCHE. The original incarnation of AVALANCHE seen in ''VideoGame/BeforeCrisis: VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' was even more ruthless.

-->-- '''UsefulNotes/MaximilienRobespierre'''... [[DeathByIrony who was later guillotined]]

* In ''Film/{{Che}}'', UsefulNotes/CheGuevara makes no bones about the fact that violence is a necessary part of revolution. He openly admits in his speech at the UN to having overseen the executions of both former members of the Batista regime and people convicted of conspiring against the Castro government. He also rejects the head of the Bolvian Communist Party's call to hold off an armed revolution and try for a political solution, insisting that imperialism ''cannot'' be defeated peacefully, and that an armed struggle is the only path to freedom.

* The rebels in ''Proof Of Life'' most certainly count. After they stopped receiving monetary aid from the USSR for the revolution, the guerrillas turned to farming coca and kidnapping important foreigners to get ransoms. They also have little qualms about shooting civilians or police officers. Of course, they were DirtyCommunists to begin with, but by the time of the film have basically turned into normal criminals.

* The Danish film ''Flame And Citron'' (2008). The title characters are assassins for the Danish resistance, but find their superior is using them to kill people to cover up his own crimes.

* In ''Literature/ThePowderMageTrilogy'' it opens with the hero leading a coup against a corrupt king. The revolution quickly escalates to mass public beheadings of the nobility, riots, and war.

* The Survey Corps, from ''Manga/AttackOnTitan''. They try to avert this trope as long as they can, but then the government sends in the 3DM death squads (think about how awesome 3D-Maneuver gear has been used against Titans. Now think about what would happen if you traded the blades for guns installed in the grapple controls.) and sends in serial killer Kenny [[spoiler:Ackerman]], so they have to step up their game. Armin murders a hesitating Secret Servicewoman to save Jean, and it gets worse from there.

* The Reverse Organization from ''Manga/LetterBee'' have typically been displayed as not terribly nice people, but the government they've been rebelling against has shown hints of being equally not nice, particularly if half the things Reverse has said about them are true. However, they may have [[MoralEventHorizon exceeded this trope and gone on to just straight 'evil']] following recent chapters, wherein they [[spoiler: used an innocent young nun as a human sacrifice, essentially destroying her soul and condemning her to a slow death in order to lure in a gigantic armor bug to attack the capital.]]

* ''Metropolis'': The Zone 1 rebels are shown to lash out against the defenseless robots, and launch a violent assault against the Marduks working for the Red Duke. Ultimately, they fail because their uprising was engineered by their opposition, and the rebel leader falls to a trap alongside his troops.

* FanFic/TravelsThroughAzerothAndOutland presents the Defias Brotherhood as completely nihilistic and destructive.

* In ''Franchise/{{Naruto}}'', perennial antihero Sasuke Uchiha announces he intends to become Hokage and change the world so that no-one will have to suffer like he did. [[spoiler:He later clarifies that he intends to do so by sealing away the Tailed Beasts and killing the Five Kage while they're still trapped in the Infinite Tsukuyomi, as well as anyone else who tries to stop him, starting with Naruto]].

** "The Beautiful" are a terrorist organization comprised of young [[OurElvesAreBetter Altmer]] in the Summerset Isles, which uses public assassinations and general mayhem as a means to promote modernity and [[BlackAndGrayMorality to oppose]] the ''other'' branch of Altmeri extremism represented by [[ANaziByAnyOtherName the Thalmor]].

* ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'', the flashbacks to the mid-1860s in the manga around the beginning of the Jinchuu arc and the Remembrance {{OVA}}s, and Ishida's group in Peacemaker Kurogane. However, in reality, the first wave of "Patriots of the Restoration" was a lot worse than shown in Ruro Ken, murdering any merchant who had dealings with westerners.

* The Survey Corps, from ''Manga/AttackOnTitan''. They try to avert this trope as long as they can, but then the government sends in the 3DM death squads (think about how awesome 3D-Maneuver gear has been used against Titans. Now think about what would happen if you traded the blades for guns installed in the grapple controls.) and sends in serial killer Kenny [[spoiler:Ackerman]], so they have to step up their game. Armin murders a hesitating Secret Servicewoman to save Jean, and it gets worse from there.
* ''Anime/GenmaWars'': The Ninjas are a group of force-powered humans and renegade Genma that oppose the brutal and tyrannical Genma regime... By pillaging their innocent human serfs and robbing whatever tribute they pay to the Genma overlords. Despite calling themselves freedom fighters, in reality, their leader [[JerkAss Dan]] has no interest in overthrowing their enemies and is interested only in leeching off the humans and making their lives even harder than it already is.

* ''ComicBook/VForVendetta'': V makes no bones about the fact that he is a terrorist. [[note]]But he also recognizes that such a person (or monster) has no place building or living in the new world that will rise from the ashes of the old (the one he plans to burn down). He is an agent of death and destruction, a weapon to be cast away when it has served its purpose.[[/note]]

* In the Franchise/MarvelUniverse, Skrull Kill Krew.
* ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'': The comic, much as it is a satire of zero-tolerance policing, also satirizes freedom fighters. Mega City One is a totalitarian PoliceState, the terrorists are ''democratics''. The regime is incredibly brutal, but rebel movements like Total War have no problem with killing millions of people in their own city by detonating nuclear bombs.
* ''ComicBook/RobinSeries'': Tim manages to stumble into the middle of a revolution in the small dictatorship of Transbelvia where, while their opponents are still worse, the revolutionaries do such things as blow up places full of civilians to try and kill members of the regime who happen to be visiting.

* This is a major issue in ''ComicBook/BeastWarsUprising''; the Resistance has noble motives for rebelling against the Builders, but Lio Convoy’s “[[ShootTheDog no matter the cost]]” attitude quickly leads to them becoming a bunch of ultra-ruthless psychos that are hardly any better than the Builders and drive out all the sane members for [[SarcasmMode the hideous crime]] of not playing jump rope with the MoralEventHorizon. By the end, [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone Lio comes to deeply regret everything about the Resistance]] and [[spoiler:the [[EarnYourHappyEnding happy ending]] only comes about, in-part, because the most of the radicals die [[HeelRealization or learn their lessons]] in the Vehicon Apocalypse.]]
* ''ComicBook/{{Micronauts}}'' featured the royal family of Homeworld as good guys, displaced from their home by violent revolutionaries under the leadership of the ObviouslyEvil Baron Karza. Karza's rhetoric seems to involve a lot of class warfare elements, with him promising immortality to the commoners.

* The rebellion against the tyrannical Governor in the ''[[Literature/TheCrewOfTheCopperColoredCupids Copper-Colored Cupids]]'' short story ''[[https://thecrewofthecoppercoloredcupids.wordpress.com/2019/09/28/the-resurrection-of-the-wellsians/ The Resurrection of the Wellsians]]'' turns out to be planning to use the (insanely dangerous) resurrected aliens to aid their cause, just like the Governor's side which they criticize for doing so.

* This was the foundation behind the ''Theatre/TheScarletPimpernel'' franchise, with the underlying story being about a brave and heroic British aristocrat seeking to rescue French aristocrats from the revolution and its guillotines. The revolutionaries are portrayed as bloodthirsty, malicious and ignorant, whilst the audience's sympathy is expected to lie with the aristocrats who are being butchered in droves.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' has the land of Galt, a pastiche of Revolutionary France, which has devolved into a blood-soaked anarchy where different factions within the former revolution ascend and fall by whipping up the mobs against each other, resulting in an endless cycle of bloody revolution punctuated with gratuitous guillotining. They're so bad that everyone regards Galt as a pocket of blood-crazed madmen, with even the country of Andoran (a post-War of Independence America pastiche, who were inspired by the first Galtan revolution) and the goddess Milani (goddess of revolution and the opposition of slavery and tyrants), looking down on Galt and wanting nothing to do with it.
* ''TabletopGame/HunterTheVigilDarkAndLight'' features the People's Guard, a [[TabletopGame/HunterTheVigil Hunter Conspiracy]] whose roots date back from the French Revolution, and whose focus is on hunting and overthrowing supernatural beings they feel are ruling and oppressing mortals. While this sounds good on paper, their favourite targets are the overall benevolent [[TabletopGame/PrincessTheHopeful Nobles]], and they are infamous for being ''very'' violent in their methods, resorting to public executions by [[OffWithHisHead beheading]].

* VideoGame/{{Brigador}} has two factions rising up against the brutal dictatorship that lorded over the third-world planet of the game - the "Solo Nobre Concern", a collection of {{Mega Corp}}s that fight against the Loyalist government so they can establish their hypercapitalist regime, and pay their mercenaries to destroy property and kill civilians, and the Corvids, a far-left collection of radical collectivists, anarchists, and other far-left philosophies that use suicide bombers disguised as civilians and civilian centers as {{human shield}}s. Both sides rampage through populated cities with glee
* The Scoi'a'tel in ''Franchise/TheWitcher''. The game does go to great lengths to explain the understandable grievances that led to their formation and continued existence (being conquered, treated as second-class citizens, and subjected to violence and pogroms by the humans, including their former allies), but also makes it very clear that they are ruthless murderers who attack civilians regardless of innocence, sometimes in particularly gruesome ways, rather than the oppressing government's armed forces. Quite a few Dwarven and Elven [=NPCs=] express their profound dislike for them.[[note]]At one point early on, a member tries to convince Geralt to let him take some crates of medical supplies. The contents are actually torture weapons that only work on unarmored civilians. Which they use to prominently assassinate an unarmed civilian (who happened to be Geralt's contact in the city). They justify this by revealing he was a drug pusher, making addicts of elvish teenagers so he can force them into drug-controlled slavery and/or prostitution. Or at least that's what the moderate dwarves and elves say. So, that one particular incident was probably justified, but over time they start fighting wars and prioritizing citizen targets.[[/note]]
* The Defias Brotherhood in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' may count as an example of this. The Defias began as a group of disgruntled stonemasons who were cheated by their government. Unfortunately, they became too heavily involved with criminal elements and ended up robbing and killing the peasants.
** [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent King Genn Greymane]] repeatedly refers to the Northgate Rebels of [[VictorianLondon Gilneas]] as [[YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters terrorists]]. Since they have hidden an important quantity of explosives in the capital, he might not be entirely wrong. Additionally, the general pointlessness of the civil war (on both sides) puts a point on it. [[RebelLeader Rebel Lord]] [[MemeticBadass Darius Crowley's status]] helps a little.
* The Takers in ''[[VideoGame/{{Geneforge}} Geneforge 2]]'' (and to a lesser extent in ''Geneforge 1'' as well). Then a fair chunk of the rebellion (especially the [[OurDragonsAreDifferent drakons]]) in ''Geneforge 3''-''5''.
* Rebels are always bad guys in the ''VideoGame/FreeSpace'' series, most notably the Neo-Terran Front, a violent [[FantasticRacism anti-Vasudan]] rebel organization that believes it can forge an alliance with OmnicidalManiac StarfishAliens, and the Hammer of Light, a band of ScaryDogmaticAliens who believe that the aforementioned StarfishAliens are the prophesied "Great Destroyers" who must cleanse the universe to prepare it for the enlightened (i.e., the Hammer of Light themselves).

* In ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'', there are secessionists, known as Insurrectionists, who want to break off from the UNSC (they mostly appear in ExpandedUniverse material, outside of a few brief appearances in ''VideoGame/HaloWars'' multiplayer and a few in-game mentions from ''VideoGame/HaloReach'' onward ). At the beginning of their campaign, they were viewed sympathetically, as all they wanted was their independence. This view largely ended when they began killing people (most infamously when one group deliberately nuked the Haven [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arcology arcology]], killing two million civilians and injuring 8.3 million), and now they're squarely in this trope.
* The Renegades from ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'' are a group dedicated to fighting the organization that "guides the world," Cruxis. How do they do this, you may ask? [[spoiler:It's implied that most of the time, when a Chosen fails in the Journey of Regeneration, it's because the Renegades kill them, thus prolonging the cycles of Regeneration. Hell, even after forming an alliance, Yuan still resorts to his plan to hold Lloyd hostage and force Kratos to undo the seal. Even Kratos seems to acknowledge that Yuan is serious with his threats.]]

* Played straight in ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerGenerals'' with the Global Liberation Army. Your first mission involves "liberating" a local village by flooding the valley it is in, wiping out half of the village in the process. Your ''second'' mission involves stealing aid supplies from more poor villagers, and you are ''explicitly ordered'' to shoot the villagers if they are taking supplies and level their homes. The third mission involves a massive riot and leveling and looting half a city, and by the final mission, you've [[spoiler:gassed a major Chinese city.]] [[MoralEventHorizon Any doubt that the GLA are not utter bastards]] is wiped away very, ''very'' quickly.
* ''VideoGame/ArmoredCore'' is filled a bunch of extremely violent rebel movements who are either a) A fake movement or b) plans to start their rebellion by causing as much destruction.
* ''[[VideoGame/JustCause Just Cause 2]]'' has The Reapers led by Bolo Santosi and the Ular Boys led by Sri Iriwan. The path to "revolution" for both is to get Rico Rodriguez to, in Bolo's own words, turn Panau into a "smoldering ruin".
* In ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare'', Khaled al-Asad's revolution in his [[{{Qurac}} unnamed Middle-Eastern nation]] is explicitly shown to be brutal and violent, as the player experiences it from the perspective of the deposed President of the country as he's driven through the street. At first there's beatings and arrests in the streets, followed by civilians being shot as they run away and execution squads shooting people in the street. It ends with the President being marched into a square and executed on international television.
* The revolution in ''VideoGame/ValkyriaChroniclesII'' is essentially a racial purge led by racist nobles opposing the Archduchess for revealing her Darcsen (FantasyCounterpartCulture equivalent of Jews) roots. Later on, it's revealed that [[spoiler:it's really just a coup for Count Gassenarl to usurp the throne]].
** ''VideoGame/ValkyriaChroniclesIII'': Some Darscen and Darscen-sympathizers return the sentiment; [[WrittenByTheVictors if they're going to be blamed for something their ancestors tried to ''prevent'']], [[TheScapegoat and treated like cattle by ''all'' factions]], [[ThenLetMeBeEvil why shouldn't they fight back]]?
* The mage revolt in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' is very brutal, and when [[OnlySaneMan Thrask]] goes down the hotheads take control and run away with it.

* In ''VideoGame/BioShockInfinite'', the floating city of Columbia is controlled by Zachary Comstock and the Founders, xenophobic white-supremacists who brutally oppress all black, Irish, Chinese and Indian citizens within the city. Opposing them is the Vox Populi, made up largely of the people mistreated by the Founders and led by Daisy Fitzroy. [[WellIntentionedExtremist The Vox Populi's grievances are understandable]], but they have degenerated into vicious marauders who mercilessly bully and butcher the citizens of the city. When the revolt gets underway, Booker and Elizabeth come across the aftermath of many a firing squad and towards the end, Fitzroy [[spoiler: even tries to kill Booker and Elizabeth.]]
-->'''Vox Populi member:''' Your homes are ours! Your lives are ours! Your wives are ours! It all belongs to the Vox!
-->'''Booker [=DeWitt=]:''' When you get down to it, the only difference between Comstock and Fitzroy is how you spell their name.
** This was however highly controversial on release, and Ken Levine [[AuthorsSavingThrow in response to criticism]] provided a {{Retcon}} in the DLC ''Burial at Sea'' [[spoiler:where Daisy Fitzroy was against her extreme violence and that it was an act imposed by the Luteces to serve as StealthMentor for Elizabeth]]. The rest of the Vox Populi, however, still firmly qualify for this trope.
* The NSF [[note]] National Secessionist Force[[/note]] from ''VideoGame/DeusEx''. The game starts with [=JC=] going after them to retrieve a couple crates of plague cure they stole to give to the poor. Whether they should be considered terrorists or {{Well Intentioned Extremist}}s is rather up for debate. All part and parcel of the game's GreyAndGreyMorality.
** The higher ups in the organization seem to be {{Well Intentioned Extremist}}s at best. However, for the lower-ranking members, dialogue that can be had with a bum being hassled by NSF mercs indicate that the NSF happily takes anyone in and arms them, and some people just use that as a chance to get free guns and ammo to do whatever they want.
** Enough investigation of NSF terminals reveals the higher ups do ''not'' approve of the worst behavior you see NSF grunts involved in, such as hostage taking and robbery, and are deeply concerned about the effects of this behavior on public perception of their cause. Yet they also recognize such behavior is hardly surprising, given that by necessity their organization is largely made up of poorly trained would-be revolutionaries of all descriptions fighting against a ruthless enemy that outguns them badly, causing bad decisions to be made in the heat of the moment.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Syndicate}}'' (2012), the Syndicates are unquestionably evil by 20th/21st century Western standards. However, the Subverters opposing them are BombThrowingAnarchists who are unable to offer any alternatives other than "kill as many bourgeois as possible", with leader of the New York branch Kris Delaney gleefully anticipating the civilian collateral damage. It's hinted that a less militant wing of the Resistance is working on a more scientific solution, but you don't see them in the game.
* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls''
** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'' takes place during the Skyrim CivilWar, which pits the [[VestigialEmpire crumbling Cyrodiilic Empire]] against the [[HornyVikings Nordic]] Stormcloak rebels, led by [[RebelLeader Ulfric Stormcloak]]. The war itself is a sterling example of GreyAndGrayMorality and BothSidesHaveAPoint in action, neither side is "right", and both sides have negative aspects. That said, the actions of the Stormcloaks do cause them to fit the bill as violent revolutionaries in line with this trope. Most Stormcloaks display a noticeable degree of FantasticRacism against non-Nord races (with plenty of "Skyrim is for the Nords" rhetoric), especially toward the refugee Dunmer, and their rebellion is perceived by Empire-supporters as [[HonorBeforeReason ill-timed and short-sighted]], especially in the face of the true threat of the [[AntiHumanAlliance Aldmeri Dominion]]. Further, Ulfric has taken some rather "uncivilized" (at least from the perspective of his opponents) actions leading up to the war. When the Reachmen (see below) captured the Nord city of Markarth, Ulfric led the Nord militia which aggressively and violently drove the Reachmen from the city. Further, Ulfric instigated the civil war itself by killing High King Torygg in a duel to the death for the throne. (It is an archaic but legitimate practice among the Nords.) Stormcloak wins by using the [[LanguageOfMagic Thu'um]] to kill Torygg. Victorious, Stormcloak and his followers feel that he should be the named the new High King of Skyrim. The Jarls of Skyrim, who vote for the new High King, [[SuccessionCrisis are torn]] due to Stormcloak's use of the Thu'um being seen as cheating. Eastern Skyrim secedes under Stormcloak's leadership, while western Skyrim (backed by the Empire) support Torygg's widow, Elisif, for the throne.
** The Reachmen, also known as "Witchmen", are the native Bretons (racially, not culturally) of "the Reach," a region along the border between High Rock and Skyrim. They are a [[BarbarianTribe tribal]] people, primitive in [[FurBikini dress]] and [[RockBeatsLaser technology]], led by shamans, who practice elements of [[{{Druid}} nature]] and [[OurGodsAreDifferent Daedra]] worship, primarily Hircine. From the time of the Alessian Empire (in the mid-1st Era) through the 4th era, they've [[OccupiersOutOfOurCountry maintained an insurgency]], warring against any outside conquerors attempting to claim the Reach for themselves. In the 4th Era, with the [[VestigialEmpire crumbling Empire]] distracted by the [[GreatOffscreenWar Great War]], the modern Reachmen lashed out and even briefly captured a [[HornyVikings Nord]] city. Though they were defeated and chased off by a Nord militia, the survivors regrouped in the hilly countryside of the Reach and became the Forsworn, [[YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters terrorists]] in all but name. While the Forsworn definitely [[VillainHasAPoint have good reasons to feel angry]], the wholesale slaughter of civilians combined with the practice of human sacrifice and alliances with thoroughly nasty monstrosities kind of ruins the 'noble rebel' effect. The [[RebelLeader Forsworn's leader]], Madanach the "King in Rags," acknowledges this, saying "there are no innocents in war, only the guilty and the dead."
** "The Beautiful" are a terrorist organization comprised of young [[OurElvesAreBetter Altmer]] in the Summerset Isles, which uses public assassinations and general mayhem as a means to promote modernity and [[BlackAndGrayMorality to oppose]] the ''other'' branch of Altmeri extremism represented by [[ANaziByAnyOtherName the Thalmor]].
** The 2nd Era Stros M'Kai uprising saw a group of [[MasterSwordsman Redguards]] capture the strategically important island of Stros M'Kai from Imperial forces while slaying the (admittedly corrupt) Imperial Governor. The Septim RisingEmpire was forced to make several concessions to Hammerfell in order to regain the island and restore order. The series' [[GaidenGame spin-off]] game ''Redguard'' takes place during this uprising (with the protagonist Cyrus accidentally becoming the leader).
* The Chots from ''VideoGame/{{Messiah}}'' were originally rebels against the dictatorial rulers of Earth, but with time have degenerated into a society of sewer-dwelling, savage cannibals. They don't even remember their origins anymore and don't fight for any cause (save for that of having enough people to eat.)

* The Rebels in ''VideoGame/FTLFasterThanLight'' are the bad guys, and heavily implied to be human supremacists.
* ''The Pitt'' DLC for ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'' has an overarching theme of GrayAndGreyMorality, exemplified in the struggle between Ashur's brutal slave regime trying to engineer a cure for the mutations plaguing the place, and Wernher's rebellion who want to just as brutally take the cure by force. [[spoiler: Also, the cure is a baby]].

* ''VisualNovel/AnOctaveHigher'' has Libertad, an extremist group that resents the upper classes of Overture for their wealth and easy access to [[ManaPotion Mana Potions]] and wants to improve the miserable lot of the proletariat. Their motives may be commendable, but their members are not above attacking people on the street to steal their Mana. [[spoiler:After the TimeSkip, they only get worse.]]
* The Freemen of the Dales from ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' are deserters from the armies of both Empress Celene and Gaspard de Chalons who became weary of fighting a civil war and are attempting to claim the Dales. They are incredibly violent and will attack both the Inquisition and refugees fleeing the civil war on sight. As well, they are the [[UnwittingPawn unwitting pawns]] of the Elder One, as they were coaxed on by his servants and are used to transport red lyrium through the Dales to be used by the Red Templars.
* Invoked by characters pulling the strings in ''VideoGame/AviaryAttorney''. The RebelLeader is angry but inclined towards justice, fairness, and nonviolence, and the revolutionaries tend to listen to her. But [[spoiler:certain members of her inner circle believe that a civilized transfer of power won't lead to ''them'' getting power and go to [[FalseFlagOperation very]] [[InTheBack gory]] [[ThanatosGambit lengths]] to rile up her and the police and turn the revolution bloody]].
* The "Settlement Defense Front" (SDF) from ''VideoGame/CallofDutyInfiniteWarfare'' organize themselves as a revolutionary group that is fighting against an oppressive and overreaching terrestrial government ([[TheFederation the United Nations Space Alliance]]). However they are violent and inhumane, slaughtering both military and civilian targets across the Solar System. Their real goal seems to be controlling the supply of Earth's fuel by disrupting the various outposts across the Solar System and seizing them.

* The main recurring villain of the ''VideoGame/MetalSlug'' series is the Rebel Army and its leader, General Morden, though there's not much room for story in the ''Metal Slug'' franchise so you never really get to see the Rebel Army do anything particularly evil beyond gaining power and shooting at the protagonists. [[AllThereInTheManual Supplementary materials]] depict Morden as a madman driven to insanity by the death of his son - caused by an intelligence failure on the part of the Regular Army, who wants to TakeOverTheWorld, and his appearance is modeled after real-world dictators like Saddam Hussein.
* In ''VideoGame/DetroitBecomeHuman'', Markus can choose to lead a violent revolution. North supports this mentality and will like him more if he chooses this path, but [[ActualPacifist Josh]] will resent him, [[spoiler:and ends up dying if the final stand is a violent rebellion instead of a peaceful protest.]]
* The Praetorian Resistance in the "Going Rogue" expansion of ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'' has two distinct factions. One of them, the Wardens, want to handle things with minimal loss of innocent life. But the Crusaders, the other major faction, are of a "whatever it takes" mindset, and as such are not averse to such tactics as taking hostages, blowing up hospitals, or even [[spoiler:setting off a neutron bomb in Nova Praetoria]].

* ''TabletopGame/TechInfantry'' has various rebel factions, from the Christian Federation and their penchant for suicide-ramming freighters into enemy vessels, to the Liberation and their campaign of terror-bombings. Even the Resistance has as their main gripe the fact that supernaturally-powered humans are forced to serve in the Tech Infantry SpaceMarine forces. These forces are fighting against [[BugWar alien Bugs]] that want to eat everyone, other aliens that want to kill all humans and take their planets as living space, and still other aliens who want to enslave humans and work them all to death. This makes their occasionally violent tactics seem a bit extreme. Although the Earth Federation and the Middle Kingdom that replaces it are both quite nasty, the aliens -- especially the Bugs -- are usually worse, and the endless rebellions, mutinies, and civil wars make it darn hard to fight the Bugs as a united front.
* ''Literature/AWorldOfLaughterAWorldOfTears'' sees the nonviolent Civil Rights Movement collapse thanks to a drastic misreading of the political climate by President Disney. Martin Luther King, Jr. gets publicly egged, destroying his credibility, and the movement falls under control of the Nation of Islam. One word: ''jihad''.

* The main antagonists of the first season of ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' are the Equalists, a revolutionary group dedicated to seizing more power for [[MugglePower non-benders]] and attempting to [[AntimagicalFaction bring down bending all together.]] After a terrorist attack in a public event, they end up ''bombing the city''--and while the show can't explicitly say civilians died, anyone looking at the wreckage knows they did.
** The Red Lotus in season 3 desire to bring down the very concept of government so that humanity as a whole will be free and live as they should, with no nations of any kind and in total anarchy. [[BombThrowingAnarchists Suffice to say]], they're quite ruthless and violent, and ultimately their efforts end in vain as most of them end up dead or see the arrival of a true tyrant in Kuvira, after their actions destroyed the Earth Kingdom.

* The Supertrooper riot in ''[[WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfTheGalaxyRangers Galaxy Rangers]]''. They were [[SuperSoldier created from birth to be living weapons]]. A CorruptBureaucrat circulates PsychoSerum in the barracks, and the Troopers go berserk, believing that their creators are out to kill them. With the sole exception of the youngest (who was at the shooting range at the time), they all go PhlebotinumRebel, ''kill'' one of their handlers on-screen (possibly more off-screen), and escape.
* ''WesternAnimation/LibertysKids'' takes a surprisingly sophisticated look at UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution for its intended audience. For instance, while it treats the overall goals of the American Independence as a good thing, the negative elements like mob violence, slavery and the privations Native Americans suffered in the conflict are not overlooked while the British/Loyalist side are allowed to express their point of view.
* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'': While Rose Quartz’s rebellion is portrayed sympathetically, the show makes no bones about the fact that they killed many of their fellow gems and caused a fair amount of destruction, both directly and indirectly. They could’ve been far worse though; [[spoiler:Bismuth wanted to go the extra mile by [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope massacring the Diamonds and anybody who stood with them]]. Rose Quartz (who was, in secret, a Diamond herself) [[ShootTheDog bubbled her and covered up her fate]] expressly to prevent the rebellion from going down this path.]]