History ManipulativeBastard / VideoGames

* ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClank2002'': Ultimate Supreme Executive Chairman Drek deserves a mention here. He's quite good at what he does, has an impressive voice (done by Kevin Michael Richardson) and has eyes that are large, shiny and blueish with no pupils.

* ''VideoGame/MasterDetectiveArchivesRainCode'': The entirety of the Amaterasu Corporation has taken Kanai Ward under its control, with no one able to defy its rule. However, in the context of the story, [[spoiler:[[BigBadEnsemble Makoto Kagutsuchi and Yomi Hellsmile]], the company CEO and the Amaterasu Peacekeepers director respectively, who successfully trick other people into doing their work for them while their pawns are none the wiser. Said manipulation spans the whole game's plot.]]

* Half of the cast from ''Franchise/MetalGear''. Liquid Snake and Solidus Snake are famous for tricking the heroes. However, the award of biggest manipulative bastard needs to go the Patriots and Revolver Ocelot.

* In the ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' series you can get out from/make almost any/every situation if your Speech skill is high enough...this depending on if you are good or evil. In ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'' alone -- when playing Good -- you can negotiate with/seduce a man to give up his plan of blowing up a town or -- as evil -- manipulate him into doubling the reward if you want to blow up the bomb for him.

* [[EvilIsSexy I-no]] from ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'' is an allegory of this trope. And she loves it.

** Zazz and Akari took advantage of Eliza's loneliness to make her Zetacorp's press secretary and make her dependent on the company for validation.

* In ''VideoGame/SoulCalibur V'', Tira pulls this on Pyrrha to ensure the latter will be the next host for Soul Edge.
* Sarah Kerrigan from ''VideoGame/{{Starcraft}}'' can get everyone, especially Zeratul, to do what she wants even after everyone knows [[spoiler:she's a bad zerg]]. In Zeratul's case, she mainly does this by [[spoiler:getting the Matriarch to tell him to go along with it]]. She takes advantage of Arcturus's sentimentality about Korhal too.
** Technically, though, the biggest manipulator would have to be the [[TheVirus Zerg]] [[HiveQueen Overmind]].
* [[spoiler:Albert Silverberg]] of ''VideoGame/SuikodenIII'' [[spoiler:manipulates ''everyone'' into the events of the game '''just''' to show the world that yes, he is indeed a Silverberg and improve his reputation of being a genius Chessmaster. Then he casually derails the whole thing and [[KarmaHoudini waltzes away]], leaving players to hope that a future game will let them [[BreakTheHaughty get their revenge]]]].
* ''VideoGame/SuikodenIV'' has Graham Cray, who turns the entire country of Kooluk into his UnwittingPawn in order to [[spoiler:flush out and reclaim the Rune of Punishment]].

* There's no way [[VideoGame/SystemShock SHODAN]] couldn't be one of these. Particularly in the [[VideoGame/SystemShock2 second installment]]. When she first contacts you, she pretends to be the [[DeadAllAlong dearly departed]] Dr. Janice Polito, until you finally make it into her office on Deck 4. There, she will explain how her creations, The Many, are her enemies as well, and then, well, she becomes more of a slave driver than a manipulator, except that she continuous to give you cyber modules so you could be tempted to embrace her cybernetic philosophy. So, sure SHODAN threatens you to accomplish the tasks she gives you, and she coldly insults you every step of the way, but there's no denying that SHODAN's influence is one of the scariest things about her.
* ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'' has Yukari, especially in Silent Sinner in Blue, or the numerous fanfics, plays this role all the time.
-->'''[[NinjaMaid Sakuya]]''': Whatever. Stop lying and give up your schemes, now.\\
'''Yukari''': (Which lies and schemes is she talking about? It's hard to keep track of them all...)
** Seiga Kaku from ''Ten Desires'' has become this in numerous fan works. It's much thanks to her having kickstarted the plot of ''Ten Desires'' about 1400 years prior by putting the idea of conquering Japan with an elaborate immortality/religious war scheme into Toyosatomimi no Miko's head.
** Seija Kijin from ''Double Dealing Character'' has also gained a reputation for small scale manipulation by having started a "societal upheaval" by tricking [[PintsizedPowerhouse Shinyoumaru Sukuna]]... "Small scale" because if you are a species of {{youkai}} infamous for being dishonest you need a HorribleJudgeOfCharacter, like [[UnwittingPawn Shinmyoumaru]], for your trickery to ever be successful.

* [[spoiler:Fontaine]] from ''VideoGame/{{BioShock|1}}.'' Three words: [[spoiler:Would you kindly?]]
* And from ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear''[='=]s SpiritualSuccessor, ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'', we have [[CardCarryingVillain Hazama]] / Terumi Yuuki who, so far, has manipulated everyone (except for [[GuileHero Rachel Alucard]] and [[SpannerInTheWorks Makoto Nanaya]]) into [[UnwittingPawn playing him straight into his hands]]... And, yes, when I said ''"everyone"'', I really '''meant''' everyone. [[spoiler:Including the [[DefeatingTheUndefeatable triple minded, omniscient supercomputer]], Takamagahara.]]
** [[spoiler:However, he's been killed by Hakumen, and it turns out that all along ''he'' was playing into Izanami's hands.]]
** Hazama's partner in crime Relius Clover is a fine manipulator too; he's spent years trying to play piano with his son Carl's emotions, often for nothing more than amusement. He tricked into helping him create Ignis. In [[spoiler:her legendary Bad Ending, he mind rapes the above Makoto into borderline catatonia]] when even Hazama, himself a pro, failed to do much. Recently he's been trying, with considerably less success, to play Litchi.

* [[spoiler:Metal Sonic]] from ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'' fits this trope well. Despite being seen right in the beginning, he worked behind and in the scenes, and manipulated ''everyone'' to the point where [[spoiler:he almost won, had it not been for the teams collecting the emeralds.]]
** Dr. Eggman has been shown to be this at times in the [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog Sonic]] series. He has tricked Knuckles on several occasions, tricked Tails into revealing he had a fake Chaos Emerald, and has, at one point, tricked Sonic to get to the center of a machine that would unseal Dark Gaia and break Sonic out of his SuperMode.

*** Sheogorath, the Daedric Prince of [[MadGod Madness]], has [[CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass shown to be very bit]] as manipulative as any other Daedric Prince when he wants to be. The ''16 Accords of Madness'' show him using {{Batman Gambit}}s to win bets with fellow Daedric Princes [[EgomaniacHunter Hircine]], [[YourWorstNightmare Vaermina]], and [[AllTheOtherReindeer Malacath]]. Additionally, he proves to be one in ''Online'''s Mages Guild questline, mostly for [[ItAmusedMe his own amusement]], much to the detriment of Archmage Shalidor.

*** [[WesternAnimation/TheLionKing Scar]] is this in ''Kingdom Hearts II''. Like in the movie, he succeeds in convincing Simba that he's responsible for Mufasa's death, leading Simba to run away from home. Even once he comes back as a Heartless, he still manages to play on Simba's insecurities and put him into a state of doubt.

* In ''Videogame/GhostTrickPhantomDetective'': [[spoiler: The main antagonist, Yomiel, is a literal Manipulator who's in a quest for revenge against everyone involved in his death]]

** Samara's loyalty mission has her daughter Morinth, an asari [[HornyDevils sex demon]] who manipulates people into melding with her, killing them and making herself more powerful.

** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'''s ''Dawnguard'' DLC shows the Ideal Masters to be this. The Ideal Masters are immortal beings who [[WasOnceAMan were once powerful mortal sorcerers]]. After finding their mortal forms to be too weak and limiting, they entered Oblivion as [[EnergyBeing beings of pure energy]] and settled an area of "chaotic creatia", forming the [[SpiritWorld Soul Cairn]]. The Ideal Masters are most infamous for their [[YourSoulIsMine trafficking in souls]] and they have a HorrorHunger to add more. Individuals seeking power have been known to contact the Ideal Masters, who have been known to grant it in exchange for more souls (often including the soul of the individual in question), usually through JerkassGenie and DealWithTheDevil means. When Valerica struck a deal with the Masters to protect her in exchange for souls, they didn't tell her that the soul they ''really'' wanted was her's.

* ''VideoGame/NaufragarCrimson'': Hyo plays the entire party like a fiddle to get them to find coins for him and help him extend his lifespan.
** When Lance discovers his adopted father Luhar is dead, [[spoiler:Hyo promises to revive the latter if Lance kills Athena.]]
** He instructs [[spoiler:Oragibe knights to kidnap Jarret's sister Retsi in order to make Jarret more likely to join the party in their journey to Oragibe.]]
** His greatest example of this is [[spoiler:pretending to be Kyo in order to get Athena and Jarret to trust Lance, making it easier for Lance to attempt to kill Athena.]]
* ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'':
** The Practical Incarnation gets a woman who ''knows'' he's a ManipulativeBastard but is still in love with him [[spoiler:to accompany him to her certain death so he can have a spy in the place where she'll die]]. He creates a holy text [[spoiler:quite possibly wholecloth in order to get a member of a race that freed itself from slavery and despises the notion to swear fealty to him]]. He gets a blind archer [[spoiler:to effectively sell himself to him]]. Manipulative? Oh yes. Bastard? Yes.
** And, depending on how you play the game, the player character can be as well. If you're smart enough, you can actually out-manipulate the above Bastard.
* Half of the cast from ''Franchise/MetalGear''. Liquid Snake and Solidus Snake are famous for tricking the heroes. However, the award of biggest manipulative bastard needs to go the Patriots and Revolver Ocelot.
* ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'': Albert Wesker.
** In ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil1'', he blackmails Barry into betraying Chris and Jill by holding Barry's family hostage so the three would kill each other.
** In ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil5'', he captures Jill, turns her into his slave against her will, and forces Chris to fight against her, for the same reason as before.
* ''VideoGame/EVEOnline''. One of the main ways to succeed at ''EVE Online'' is to become a manipulative bastard. It's not the only way, but most players are bound to go this path.
** The most infamous example being Cally - aka ''Dentara Rast'' - who, after forming a corporation called the EVE Intergalactic Bank (EIB), transformed his above-board loan dispensing enterprise assisting new corporations with start-up capital and the sale of desirable tools and other in-game items (complete with loans and associated repayment schemes) into what is arguably regarded as one of, if not ''the'', largest scams ever legally conducted in a video game. From the initial start-up capital for ''his own'' corporation (100 million ISK - EVE's in-game currency), Cally utilised various means such as verbal misdirection, inventing a friend (Peter) to whom he had "entrusted" the reins of the corporation and, at one point, even ''faking his own death'' (in the eyes of his fellow EVE players) to rake in a cool 790 '''billion''' ISK; increasing his own money almost eight thousand fold. The best part of the whole scheme? The ''sixteen-minute'' video where he admits to and brags about the entire thing.
--->'''Cally:''' I didn't break any rules. I didn't hack into your accounts and take the money. You gave it to me. And there's ''nothing you can do about it''.
* Kurow Kirishima of ''VideoGame/RivalSchools'' is best described as Capcom's loving tribute to [[Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam Paptimus Scirocco]]. Think Scirocco... with ''claws''. They even have the [[Creator/BinShimada same voice actor]].
* ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClank2002'': Ultimate Supreme Executive Chairman Drek deserves a mention here. He's quite good at what he does, has an impressive voice (done by Kevin Michael Richardson) and has eyes that are large, shiny and blueish with no pupils.
** His [[VideoGame/RatchetAndClank2016 reimagining counterpart]] is no slouch either (in [[WesternAnimation/RatchetAndClank the movie, he's voiced by]] Creator/PaulGiamatti), ([[ComicallyMissingThePoint though with pupils this time]]) with him manipulating the Galactic Rangers to get [[spoiler:tricked into getting into the Deplanetizer's core safely]]. [[spoiler:Too bad he gets betrayed ''himself'' by Dr. Nefarious.]]
* [[EvilIsSexy I-no]] from ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'' is an allegory of this trope. And she loves it.

* The ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'' series seems to love this kind of villains. Kil'jaeden The Deceiver is probably the biggest of these, doing countless {{Gambit Roulette}}s behind the scenes and rarely, if ever lose his cool.
** Every single member of the Black Dragonflight you meet are manipulative bastards in their own right, seemingly a requirement to be a black dragon, even the ones who aren't downright evil such as Sabellian aka Baron Sablemane and the supposedly purified Wrathion manipulated the player character for a great deal and only showing them their true form and purpose when they have trusted the player character enough.
*** Lich King Ner'zhul himself, he manipulated Kel'Thuzad, Arthas and Dar'khan Drathir, aiming at their desires (thirst for knowledge, revenge and power).
*** Gul'dan was the first ManipulativeBastard in the entire ''Warcraft'' franchise, even before the character of Kil'jaeden was fleshed out.
* Lord Galcian of ''VideoGame/SkiesOfArcadia''.

* In the ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' series you can get out from/make almost any/every situation if your Speech skill is high enough...this depending on if you are good or evil. In ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'' alone - when playing Good - you can negotiate with/seduce a man to give up his plan of blowing up a town or - as evil - manipulate him into doubling the reward if you want to blow up the bomb for him.

** Kreia digs into Atton's subconscious and holds his past over his head like an axe for the whole game, ensuring he remains loyal to the Exile. When she meets Mandalore later, she casually namedrops Revan, and then promising an answer to "the question that burns within his shell" - which likely boils down to "Why did he abandon me?" - to ensure ''his'' loyalty to the Exile. She also pokes and prods at Brianna, stoking her jealousy of Visas. Her manipulative behaviour is best exemplified by an optional scene in the game -- if Atton and the Exile develop enough trust between them, Atton [[spoiler:tells the exile of his murder of several Jedi during the war, some former comrades of the Exile. The Exile accepts this and forgives Atton.]] Atton, having done this, confronts Kreia, and states that she has no power over him any longer. Kreia's Response?
--->'''Kreia:''' If you thought I had any power over you in the first place then you were more of a fool than I thought. However, never forget, traitor, the feeling of guilt you had, and know that I can make you recall that feeling at - any - moment. Now, leave me, [[spoiler:murderer.]]
** A less magnificent example is Atris. She has the lowest-ranked Handmaiden join the Exile (the Handmaidens are supposed to kill Jedi who fall to the dark side). Then Atris tells the others that Handmaiden left of her own accord so that ''they'll'' kill her [[spoiler:if she discovers her SecretLegacy and trains in the Force--which, in Atris' very narrow worldview, would constitute falling to the dark side]]. Atris is also the person who [[spoiler:called the conclave on Katarr and deliberately stayed away so she could observe what was killing the Jedi]].
* There's no way [[VideoGame/SystemShock SHODAN]] couldn't be one of these. Particularly in the [[VideoGame/SystemShock2 second installment]]. When she first contacts you, she pretends to be the [[DeadAllAlong dearly departed]] Dr. Janice Polito, until you finally make it into her office on Deck 4. There, she will explain how her creations, The Many, are her enemies as well, and then, well, she becomes more of a slave driver than a manipulator, except that she continuous to give you cyber modules so you could be tempted to embrace her cybernetic philosophy. So, sure SHODAN threatens you to accomplish the tasks she gives you, and she coldly insults you every step of the way, but there's no denying that SHODAN's influence is one of the scariest things about her.
* [[spoiler:Metal Sonic]] from ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'' fits this trope well. Despite being seen right in the beginning, he worked behind and in the scenes, and manipulated ''everyone'' to the point where [[spoiler:he almost won, had it not been for the teams collecting the emeralds.]]
** Dr. Eggman has been shown to be this at times in the [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog Sonic]] series. He has tricked Knuckles on several occasions, tricked Tails into revealing he had a fake Chaos Emerald, and has, at one point, tricked Sonic to get to the center of a machine that would unseal Dark Gaia and break Sonic out of his SuperMode.
* [[spoiler:Master Li]] of ''VideoGame/JadeEmpire'' is the epitome of Manipulative Bastardry. He pulls off a ''20 year'' {{plan}} (only saved from being a GambitRoulette because he is ''always'' in control of it) perfectly, [[spoiler:even anticipating crash sites of flyers and manipulating family who assumed he survived a blizzard after being chucked around by a deity ''and'' to still be looking for him. He knew about and relied on Sun Hai doing that. All hail the Glorious Strategist!]]
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'': Apart from all his standard BatmanGambit (in relation to Ramza,) and his own {{plan}} amid everyone else's GambitRoulette, Delita may be seen as a Manipulative Bastard towards Ovelia if you think that he never truly loved her. Duke Barrington was one too towards Rapha and Marach, even if the former realized it very early on. Zalbaag and Dycedarg could also count on Ramza's passion for their own ends.

** [[VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIIINocturne Aradia]], in her case, strings along an emotionally-vulnerable woman across a DeathWorld filled with demons with the promise of giving her a Reason - the necessary philosophy/impetus to create a new world through the power of Kagutsuchi. It turns out she keeps withholding the promised Reason because ''she cannot and never could imagine it''. [[spoiler:Aradia's been lying through her teeth the entire time - only humans can conceive Reasons; what she needed was the woman's ''faith'' and hope her protege, the Demi-Fiend, was receptive to her. When it became apparent that was not the case and that she was not going to win, Aradia invoked ScrewThisImOuttaHere. To her credit, she ''did'' try and get her follower with her ([[GodsNeedPrayerBadly possibly to keep Aradia alive]]), but her emotional manipulation had drained the poor woman to the point she no longer cared even about her own life.]]
* ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'':
** The Gravemind deserves a nomination for convincing a super-advanced ArtificialIntelligence whose sole function and goal was his destruction to join him. ''Literature/HaloSilentium'' reveals that he did the same to [[spoiler:the very Forerunner who was in charge of the military fighting him, doing so by manipulating said Forerunner into diving off the slippery slope]].
** The Prophet of Truth, the other major antagonist of the original trilogy, is also an example. Much emphasis on the 'manipulative' and ''much'' emphasis on the 'bastard'. Truth is the one who kicked off the war against humanity in the first place, after finding out that ''humans'' are the Reclaimers and may, in fact, be descendants of the Forerunners (which is later shown to be untrue). Realizing that this knowledge would prove to be the Covenant's undoing, he manipulates Prophet politics into electing himself and his co-conspirators as Hierarchs by claiming that humans are hoarding Forerunner relics and must pay for this insult.
* [[spoiler:Sakaki]] of ''VideoGame/DotHackGU'' is an interesting case. Some people can see the manipulative bastardry from the beginning, others don't realize it until [[spoiler:his]] victim does. Full details: [[spoiler:Sakaki is practically mindraping Atoli from the beginning, and always turning her away from everyone and towards himself. This is very similar to the Orochimaru gambit of taking an already heavily abused victim, and then twisting them around your little finger. He even then admits to the whole thing fully aware that Atoli is in ear shot, but unable to do anything about it.]]
** [[spoiler:He himself is a pawn of the game's MagnificentBastard Ovan.]]
* ''VideoGame/YandereSimulator'' offers a female variation in Ayano/Yandere-chan. As her nickname suggests, she is a {{yandere}} who is willing to do anything to win the object of her affections. She can make a murder look like a suicide so that she doesn't draw attention to herself, she can improve her social skills and charm people into doing whatever she wants, she can get rid of a rival by framing her for murder, theft, or cheating, etc. Just what kind of person she is and how far she's willing to go is dependent on the player.

* In ''VideoGame/MitadakeHigh'', you are either this or a [[UnwittingPawn puppet of everyone else]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'': Kil'jaeden the Deciever is ''[[TheChessmaster made]]'' of equal parts this and LawfulEvil, if the [[MeaningfulName sobriquet]] didn't make it obvious enough.
* Sarah Kerrigan from ''VideoGame/{{Starcraft}}'' can get everyone, especially Zeratul, to do what she wants even after everyone knows [[spoiler:she's a bad zerg]]. In Zeratul's case, she mainly does this by [[spoiler:getting the Matriarch to tell him to go along with it]]. She takes advantage of Arcturus's sentimentality about Korhal too.
** Technically, though, the biggest manipulator would have to be the [[TheVirus Zerg]] [[HiveQueen Overmind]].
* ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'':
** The Illusive Man knows just the right words to say and just the right favors to grant to ensure that you'll give him everything he wants. [[spoiler:At least until the endgame, where Shepard can refuse to give him the Collector Base.]] He's so manipulative that even if you don't believe his bull for a minute, you'll end up working for him anyway because almost every ''other'' source of assistance (the Council, Alliance, etc.) has turned against you just for being ''associated'' with Cerberus. Exactly as planned. The third game further reveals that [[spoiler:he purposely chose more sympathetic Cerberus operatives such as Kelly Chambers, Kenneth Donelly and Gabriel Daniels to be on the second Normandy's crew because he knew Shepard would be more receptive to them than some of his more questionable underlings; even [[IceQueen Miranda]] was a bastion of morality compared to some of his other agents]].
** Samara's loyalty mission has her daughter Morinth, an asari [[HornyDevils sex demon]] who manipulates people into melding with her, killing them and making herself more powerful.
* ''VideoGame/OdinSphere'':
** Odin and Gwendolyn will refer differently to each other (princess versus valkyrie, father versus king) in order to provoke different reactions. Any time Odin wants something from Gwendolyn, he'll play on her emotions, interchanging familial address with knighthood rank.
** The Three Wise Men. Each is stationed as a powerful advisor for the three main kingdoms in Erion, and all are working to bring forth the coming of Armageddon.
** Ingway, who manipulates Cornelius, the Wise Men, Odette, and even Velvet, who is his twin sister, all in the name of achieving his goal.
* In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' you have [[spoiler:Bhelen Aeducan]], who outplays the character in the beginning of the Dwarven Noble origin. [[spoiler:He tricks you in to believing that your eldest brother Trian is out to kill you for being a contender for the throne, frames you for killing him, and votes for exiling you and stripping you of everything and to be sent to the Deep Roads. If the player trusts Bhelen they can even choose to kill Trian themselves, just as he planned.]] You can even forgive him for that exact reason, word for word. [[spoiler:Bhelen]] and his assistant will be shocked but pleased that you admit that he played by the rules of Orzammar unfair and square.
* [[spoiler:Fontaine]] from ''VideoGame/{{BioShock|1}}.'' Three words: [[spoiler:Would you kindly?]]
* Michael Thorton of ''VideoGame/AlphaProtocol'' is stated in the intro to be hired into the titular organization due to being this.
* ''VideoGame/DeusEx'':
** Bob Page creates a plague to infect most of the United States. Having also created the vaccine, he brags about how much power and manipulation he has over even the most powerful people.
** By extension, Walton Simons is head of FEMA. During an emergency, (such as the one created by his boss's plague), Walton Simons gets to take control over most of the government, overstepping even the president of the United States. He's apparently such a manipulative bastard that there are casual NPC conversations about what a swell guy he is.
** Then again, both Page and Simons likely have a skilled PR department [[VillainWithGoodPublicity devoted to making them look like upstanding citizens]]. Better examples would be [[DragonLady Maggie Chow]] who plays her allies, the [[TheTriadsAndTheTongs Red Arrow Triad]] into a gang war with Luminous Path to ruin them both and when confronted by JC, she tries to distract him with a RedHerring despite having [[spoiler:a squad of [=MJ12=] soldiers stationed inside her apartment]].
* ''VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution''
** There exists CASIE augmentations that give its owner an enhanced ability to read a person's reactions and exhale resistance lowering pheromones. Activating this aug turns Adam Jensen into a ''[[WishFulfillment player controlled]]'' Manipulative Bastard.
** [[spoiler:Zhao Yun Ru]] actually manages get the better of Adam Jensen with a reasonably convincing DamselInDistress impression. There is also speculation that [[spoiler:Megan Reed]] is this, along with Femme Fatale, especially given the post-credit ending.
** Bob Page, from the first game, is shown to be this back in 2027, from what little we see of him. [[spoiler:the post-credit ending has him happily welcoming Megan in joining him in his efforts, and insisting that he be called by his first name.]] In ''The Missing Link'', an email sent from him sent to a concerned researcher about the ethics of the projects being undertaken shows his skill in writing a heartfelt letter, and the post-script has him playfully telling the researcher to call him Bob, along with a smiley face.
* [[spoiler:Albert Silverberg]] of ''VideoGame/SuikodenIII'' [[spoiler:manipulates ''everyone'' into the events of the game '''just''' to show the world that yes, he is indeed a Silverberg and improve his reputation of being a genius Chessmaster. Then he casually derails the whole thing and [[KarmaHoudini waltzes away]], leaving players to hope that a future game will let them [[BreakTheHaughty get their revenge]]]].
* ''VideoGame/SuikodenIV'' has Graham Cray, who turns the entire country of Kooluk into his UnwittingPawn in order to [[spoiler:flush out and reclaim the Rune of Punishment]].
** Another example from ''IV'' is the [[SmugSnake elder of Na-Nal]]. After you fight some Kooluk soldiers trying to liberate the island, he captures you and reveals that he's allied with Kooluk, then forces you to go and steal a remedy from the HiddenElfVillage so he can score even more points with TheEmpire by healing the soldiers you wounded. [[spoiler:Unfortunately for him, it turns out the Elven Elder is an even bigger bastard who ''predicted'' Na-Nal's elder would do this and ''lets'' you steal a poisonous 'remedy'. Na-Nal's apparent betrayal does NOT go over well with the rest of Kooluk's occupying forces...]]
* In ''VideoGame/SuikodenTierkreis'', it turns out that [[spoiler:Danash VIII]] deliberately engineered the tension between the Magedom ruler's [[UsefulNotes/ForTheLoveOfMany multiple wives]]. The three consorts are constantly competing for their husband's attention and affection, and thus go out of their way to prove themselves the one willing to do the most to support and strengthen the Magedom... leading them to do things like [[TheWoobie turn their children into tools]].
* [[GodOfEvil Fain]] of ''{{VideoGame/Lusternia}}'' is a ConsummateLiar Manipulative Bastard. [[spoiler:It's unclear how much of this was [[FaceHeelTurn his natural personality]] and how much is the result of his exposure to [[TheCorruption Soulless essence]]; it's hard to even pinpoint the moment he JumpedOffTheSlipperySlope, since he [[IDidWhatIHadToDo defends his actions]] to the last. He ''still'' has followers, amongst mortals and Gods!]]
* In both ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyII'' and ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy'', TheEmperor is a Manipulative Bastard, in his original game wheeling and dealing with ''God'' and ''the Devil'' and ''winning'', and in ''Dissidia'', playing every side against the other in a ploy to [[spoiler:rule all of existence. It's very late in the game when the other villains figure out his plans in their entirety and ''still'' can't stop him, the heroes never figure them out properly]]. But the most interesting twist is that this is integrated into playing as him in ''Dissidia'' -- his playstyle is called "Trap Master", and is unique in that it revolves around forcing his opponent into traps or into situations where they cannot stop his virtually undodgeable ChargedAttack from executing. In other words, in order to use the Emperor effectively, the ''player themself'' has to be a Manipulative Bastard!
* Midna in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'' is quite manipulative when her relationship with Link starts out. She manages to take advantage of Link's concern for Ilia to get him to be a pawn in her quest to stop Zant. However, she's hit hard by some CharacterDevelopment and becomes [[BecomingTheMask Link's partner for real.]]
* Fenrich from ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea 4|A Promise Unforgotten}}'' has a long streak of supporting his somewhat gullible NobleDemon lord, Valvatorez, through scheming and manipulation of the people around him -- including Valvatorez himself.
* In ''VideoGame/SoulCalibur V'', Tira pulls this on Pyrrha to ensure the latter will be the next host for Soul Edge.
* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'', Jihl Nabaat often pulls this on Sazh by claiming to ensure his son's safety but is really trying to snuff out the other l'Cie.
* Kyrie of ''VideoGame/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAsPortable: The Gears of Destiny'', who spends most of the game [[WildCard going from one side to another]], taking advantage of different characters' naivete, and playing around with the truth to achieve her personal goal [[spoiler:of saving her world]]. This gets a LampshadeHanging in the PlayableEpilogue, which has the other characters consoling her after she lost a duel, [[BackhandedCompliment mentioning how she's still unbeatable when it comes to underhanded tactics]].
--> '''Kyrie''': Nyaha~n. Why is it that I feel like I'm not being praised one bit?
* During a ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsCompact3'' scenario, The [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamWingEndlessWaltz Mariemeia]] troops then says that they trusted those people too much but that's fine since there's enough firepower here anyway to get Mariemeia back. To their everlasting regret, they find out that they're absolutely wrong. Heero note that it's over and Quatre says that even now, there are still people that cannot let go of Dekim's ambitions. Folka says that's probably not it, Mizal probably manipulated and incited them into taking action. Zechs Merquise asks if this Mizal is someone who was the mastermind behind this and [[Anime/AuraBattlerDunbine Shou Zama]] says that if they don't take him out, then incidents like the Mariemeia uprising could occur again in the future.
* Clear ''VideoGame/{{Do|nPachi}}DonPachi'' and unlock the second loop and [[spoiler:Colonel Longhena]] reveals that the "Mechanized Aliens" you've been fighting [[spoiler:are actually ''your allies'' that he tricked you into slaughtering. He then declares his intent to have you killed with his special forces (i.e. the second loop of the game).]]
* ''VideoGame/GoldenSunDarkDawn'' has Alex fulfill this role, and so far, almost everything has worked out. [[spoiler:Save for the fact that he did not get the ultimate power of the Golden Sun itself due to the Wise One finding loopholes in his vague orders.]]
* ''VideoGame/TheTuringTest'': [[spoiler:TOM, in several ways. The crew members were implanted {{Mind Control Device}}s that allow TOM to influence their behaviour. Besides, TOM is also able to manipulate in the "classic" way, Mikhail wrote in his journal about how TOM encouraged the crew to worry about Mikhail's mental health and requested that he retired away from the crew. Not to mention it awakened Ava and sent her to Europa, despite knowing once she set foot there she wasn't allowed to return. At one point Ava calls TOM out on this, something TOM doesn't bother with denying, arguing people are always manipulated and it's not necessarily a bad thing.]]
* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls''
** Several of the series' [[OurGodsAreDifferent Daedric Princes]] fit. To note:
*** Azura is the Daedric Prince of Dawn and Dusk, and is heavily associated with prophecy. The fact that she [[TheChessmaster actively works]] to ''ensure'' that her prophecies come to fruition is something she'd rather you ignore. Although she is never overtly deceitful, the way Azura [[XanatosGambit always gets what she desires in the end]], and how titanic events always follow her interventions, can be portrayed as disturbing. A good example is her behavior during and following the events of ''Morrowind''. While Azura takes on a highly benevolent image in helping to free the Dunmer (and Tamriel in general) from the threat of [[BigBad Dagoth Ur]], the primary reason why the [[PlayerCharacter Nerevarine]] is actually sent to Vvardenfell is to undermine and destroy the [[DeityOfHumanOrigin Tribunal]] (who defied her, stole her worshipers, and [[TheRashomon may have]] killed her previous champion, Nerevar). Actually defeating Dagoth Ur is just good PR "icing on the cake" while she actually gets what she wants when the 4000-year reign of the Dunmeri {{Physical God}}s is brought to an end. In addition, Azura herself played a highly active role in bringing about the destruction of Morrowind in the years that followed, as she only warned a handful of her followers to leave (allowing for the rest to [[ChekhovsVolcano die horribly]] as punishment for turning on her). She is also the only party during and after the events of Morrowind to end up with ''everything'' she wanted (Dead or otherwise indisposed Tribunal, her former worshipers are firmly hers again, those who didn't worship her are enslaved and destroyed, [[VillainWithGoodPublicity amazing PR]]...)
*** Boethiah, the Daedric Prince of Plots, could be considered the very ''embodiment'' of this trope along with ChronicBackstabbingDisorder. Included within his sphere is murder, assassination, deceit, betrayal, treason, the ''unlawful'' overthrow of authority... Historically, he pulled this when he "ate" Trinimac, [[HijackingCthulhu used Trinimac's voice]] to deceive the group that would become the Chimer into following him, and then (along with Azura and Mephala) leading the Chimer to Morrowind where they would make the worship of these three "good" Daedra their primary religion.
*** Similarly, Mephala is a Daedric Prince whose sphere is "obscured to mortals", but who is associated with manipulation, lies, sex, and secrets. She too could be considered the very ''embodiment'' of this trope. She exists to "fray the web" of mortal relationships and interferes in the affairs of mortals [[ItAmusedMe for amusement]]. She takes a particular joy in the betrayal of trust or minor slights tearing entire towns or ''nations'' apart.
*** This is a trait of Molag Bal, Daedric Prince of [[TheCorrupter Domination and Corruption]] and the closest thing in the ''ES'' universe to a true GodOfEvil. Molag Bal greatly enjoys manipulating mortals into furthering his schemes. Indeed, the main difference between Molag Bal and [[DestroyerDeity Mehrunes]] [[OmnicidalManiac Dagon]] is that while Dagon will invade and inflict destruction upon mortals with his LegionsOfHell and cultists, Molag Bal will instead manipulate mortals into destroying ''themselves''.
*** Meridia, a Daedric Prince associated with LifeEnergy, [[LightIsNotGood Light]], and [[ProudBeauty Beauty]], proves to be one in the plot of ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsOnline Online]]''. After [[GodWasMyCopilot revealing her true identity]], the [[PlayerCharacter Vestige]] will call her out for using him/her. Meridia will counter that she thinks of them as nothing but [[UnwittingPawn a pawn]] in a grand game and that's up to the Vestige themselves if they make the most of it or not.
*** Sheogorath, the Daedric Prince of [[MadGod Madness]], has [[CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass shown to be very bit]] as manipulative as any other Daedric Prince when he wants to be. The ''16 Accords of Madness'' show him using {{Batman Gambit}}s to win bets with fellow Daedric Princes [[EgomaniacHunter Hircine]], [[YourWorstNightmare Vaermina]], and [[AllTheOtherReindeer Malacath]]. Additionally, he proves to be one in ''Online'''s Mages Guild questline, mostly for [[ItAmusedMe his own amusement]], much to the detriment of Archmage Shalidor.
*** Hermaeus Mora, oddly enough, qualifies as well. As the Prince of Knowledge, this would seem an unusual aspect to take on; however as its sobriquet ''[[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast The Gardener of Men]]'' hints, Hermaeus Mora has a proclivity for manipulating and cultivating people to its ends. Mora's gifts of forbidden knowledge can cause its petitioners to seize upon possiblities that speak to their deepest, most flawed desires; all while ignoring the greater context surrounding them, such as in the cases of Miraak and Septimus Signus
** From the series backstory, Tiber Septim was the [[FounderOfTheKingdom founder]] of the Third Tamriellic Empire who [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence ascended after his death]] as [[DeityOfHumanOrigin Talos]], the Ninth Divine. While [[HistoricalHeroUpgrade Imperial orthodox history]] treats him more like a GuileHero, the more heretical works instead paint him as this, stating that he was not above using betrayal and assassination to get what he desired and forge his Empire.
---> ''"If you are of no use to Tiber Septim, he will see to it that you are of no use to his enemies either..."''
** In ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'', Hlaalu Helseth, King of Morrowind, proves to be this along with TheChessmaster. He fails to capture the throne of Wayrest during the events of ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIDaggerfall Daggerfall?]]'' He returns to his mother's homeland and captures the throne there. The former King Llethan is old and weak? [[spoiler:Helseth [[MasterPoisoner poisons him]] and usurps his throne, killing Llethan's chosen heir in the process]]. Some "[[PlayerCharacter Nerevarine]]" character is making news in Vvardenfell? He sends the Dark Brotherhood to kill the Nerevarine who he perceives as a threat to his rule. [[spoiler:When that fails, Helseth gets the Nerevarine to work for ''him'']]. The in-game book [[http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:A_Game_at_Dinner A Game at Dinner]] also provides a great example, in which Helseth roots out a spy using a BatmanGambit along with BluffingTheMurderer while [[SubvertedTrope Subverting]] CarryingTheAntidote.
** During the 200 year TimeSkip between the events of ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'' and ''Skyrim'', the [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Thalmor]], an Altmeri religious extremist group, prove to be ''exceptionally'' manipulative bastards. First, they [[StealingTheCredit took credit]] for ending the [[LegionsOfHell Oblivion Crisis]] which brought them fame and power in their homeland. They then had [[RegentForLife Potentate]] [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure Ocato]] assassinated to further destabilize the Empire 10 years after the Crisis. As provinces started to secede, they annexed Valenwood in order to reform the [[AntiHumanAlliance Aldmeri]] [[TheEmpire Dominion]] of old and give them a buffer state between their homeland and Cyrodiil, the home province of the Empire. They [[BlatantLies took credit]] for resolving a crisis with the moons that brought them Elsweyr as a client state. They goaded the [[LizardFolk Argonians]] into invading Morrowind following the [[ColonyDrop Red]] [[ChekhovsVolcano Year]], essentially depriving the Empire of two more former provinces. They imposed the ban on [[DeityOfHumanOrigin Talos]] worship which, in addition to their torture of [[RebelLeader Ulfric Stormcloak]] during the [[GreatOffscreenWar Great War]], led to strife and eventually civil war in Skyrim. Essentially, they've spent two centuries devastating the Empire with their machinations while building up their own strengths in order to deliver the final blow to the Empire.
** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'''s ''Dawnguard'' DLC shows the Ideal Masters to be this. The Ideal Masters are immortal beings who [[WasOnceAMan were once powerful mortal sorcerers]]. After finding their mortal forms to be too weak and limiting, they entered Oblivion as [[EnergyBeing beings of pure energy]] and settled an area of "chaotic creatia", forming the [[SpiritWorld Soul Cairn]]. The Ideal Masters are most infamous for their [[YourSoulIsMine trafficking in souls]] and they have a HorrorHunger to add more. Individuals seeking power have been known to contact the Ideal Masters, who have been known to grant it in exchange for more souls (often including the soul of the individual in question), usually through JerkassGenie and DealWithTheDevil means. When Valerica struck a deal with the Masters to protect her in exchange for souls, they didn't tell her that the soul they ''really'' wanted was her's.
* Tlacolotl in ''VideoGame/NexusWar'' games is a BadBoss [[TheSociopath Sociopath]] who is universally [[ZeroPercentApprovalRating despised]] by the other members of the pantheon. He's still a distressingly successful player of the CosmicChessGame that drives the series because he knows who ''else'' despises and distrusts whom, and he's a master of manipulating other gods into wasting their resources in petty fights with each other while he moves his own pieces into place. Some examples of his schemes include [[spoiler:suckering [[BlackAndWhiteInsanity Namm]] into banishing [[CassandraTruth Azazel]]]] and [[spoiler:engineering Haldos' [[LeeroyJenkins failed bid]] to overthrow the death-god Hashaa.]]
* ''VideoGame/RandalsMonday'': [[spoiler:The business bum.]]
* Professor Tsuchida of ''VideoGame/PeretEmHeruForThePrisoners'' really couldn't care less about the hapless tour group he ropes into joining him during his exploration of the underground ruins. But he's entirely capable of using various tricks to keep them around and ensure they keep helping him out.
* ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'':
** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestI'': The Dracolord's infamous "We can rule together" deal was actually not without precedent; it wasn't a random offer. The Hero actually did desire to have a kingdom of his own, thus the Dragonlord was playing upon something he secretly yearned for. In ''VideoGame/DragonQuestBuilders'', though he makes something of the same deal, he shows this level of cunning in how much he'd actually been watching events progress. He knew about the Builder's manipulation by Rubiss and how she'd forsaken them for wanting to actually save the world, and painted his deal this time as their freedom to live and create in peace.
** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIII'': In one of the scenarios used to determine the player's personality, a king is about to lead his country to war, unaware that his wife has orchestrated everything to get her hands on their fortune.
** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIV'': Aamon manipulates Psaro's love for Rose and disdain towards humanity until gradually turning him into a human-hating Well-Intentioned Extremist, and later on a full blown Omnicidal Maniac.
** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVII'': Gasputin's plan: Make a deal with the Priest of Labres to spare the village if the priest lets himself be transformed, swearing that no harm will come to Labres so long as he lives as a monster. Then send the hideous priest back to Labres and wait for the citizens to lynch him, effectively negating his sacrifice by ending the priest's life with their own hands.
** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIX'': Larstastnaras tried to take control of the plains by bending Batkhaan's ear, the village chief of Batsureg.
* [[spoiler: Edgar Ross]] to John Marston in ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption''. The former sends John out on a suicide mission to [[spoiler: capture or kill his old gang members]] by [[spoiler: kidnapping John's wife and son]] to force him to cooperate, believing that John would end up dead. However, since John managed to survive and return alive, [[spoiler: Ross]] would then allow John to return home to his family for a little while, giving John (and the player) a false "happy ending" feeling, only to [[spoiler: send the US army to slaughter them all.]]

** The Gravemind deserves a nomination for convincing a super advanced {{AI}} whose sole function and goal was his destruction to join him. ''Literature/HaloSilentium'' reveals that he did the same to [[spoiler:the very Forerunner who was in charge of the military fighting him, doing so by manipulating said Forerunner into diving off the slippery slope]].