History SealedEvilInACan / VideoGames

** In [[VideoGame/SonicFrontiers]], the game’s big bad and the greater-scopevillain [[spoiler:The End]], It's an EldritchAbomination that it has been sealed on the island archipelago by the Ancients with the help of the Chaos Emeralds. However, it breaks free when Sonic is tricked into setting The End loose.

** SatanicArchetype Giratina was imprisoned in the [[VoidBetweenTheWorlds Distortion World]] millennia ago for being a rampaging monster. [[DarkIsNotEvil He's chilled out since then, though.]]

** ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed'' has [[CosmicHorror Dark Gaia]], who was sealed within the planet by his light counterpart [[spoiler:a.k.a. ''Chip'']] in a neverending cycle of planetary death and rebirth.

** Also in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'', there once was a tree in the Great Forest of Moore used to seal up evil spirits. Eventually, the power of those spirits corrupted the tree, filling it with dark magic and their evil desires. The tree then assumed a human shape and left the forest to wreak havoc. That tree became Exdeath; an example of sealing so much evil away that the can ''itself'' turns evil.

* In ''VideoGame/TombRaider'' and the remake, ''VideoGame/TombRaiderAnniversary'', [[spoiler:Natla was locked in limbo for thousands of years after using her powers for evil.]]

** Shuyin of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2'' is a special case. In one sense, he is still sealed within the Den of Woe, but in another sense he is free to wander around within the body of first [[spoiler:Nooj]], then [[spoiler:Baralai]]. It’s implied that his fight in the Den of Woe is with an echo of his hatred, and the fight with him as the FinalBoss is with the real thing. Also, while his goal is indeed to break free of his prison and destroy the world, this is because he's a WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds, not an UltimateEvil.

* In ''VideoGame/HollowKnight'', you have the rare example of a Sealed Can inside of a Sealed Can ([[LeakingCanOfEvil though they both aren't doing a good job of staying truly sealed]]). Early in the game, you discover the Black Egg Temple, a place later confirmed to be where the final boss is, but requiring you to [[KillEmAll vanquish three Dreamers to unlock it]]. As the game goes on, you can eventually discover that [[spoiler:it is essentially a way of sealing off the Hollow Knight, who was a hollow vessel created to contain the Infection, and with it, [[LightIsNotGood the Radiance]]. The TrueFinalBoss is contained within the FinalBoss, which is contained within the temple.]]

** In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', [[spoiler:are revealed to be more like Sealed WellIntentionedExtremist in a Can. Their true goal is to ''preserve'' organic life in the long run by "resetting" civilization to prevent the KillEmAll RobotWar that their creator the Catalyst believes is inevitable.]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Metroid}}'':

* The Furies in ''VideoGame/BattleZone1998'' are [[PreCursors Cthonian]] war machines, whose biometal hulls are infused with the essence of ancient Greek warriors who were dying on the battlefield before being collected, giving them a certain psychotic bloodlust. In their bid to stay ahead of the Americans in the [[AlternateHistory 1960s Biometal wars]], the Soviets start building Fury craft from blueprints and tech they've found scattered throughout the Solar System. Predictably, things go pear shaped, and [[spoiler: most of the Soviet forces are destroyed before they announce a ceasefire with the Americans and merge their forces. It's then up to Grizzly One and what's left of the American and Soviet forces to save the Solar System before the Furies blow up Earth like they blew up the Cthonian homeworld -- now known as the [[EarthShatteringKaboom Asteroid Belt]].]]

* ''VideoGame/EarthBound'': Giygas is first encountered in the Devil's Machine, which seals away his warped consciousness. Subverted in that Giygas can still damage Ness and his friends while sealed away, but played straight when [[RivalTurnedEvil Pokey]] unleashes Giygas' true form by turning the machine off.

* Seems to be somewhat of a recurring theme in the ''Franchise/ShiningSeries''. Evil guys try to unseal something worse;

* Occurs in the first three installments of the ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' series. At the end of the first one [[BigBad Mundus]] is resealed in the can due to Dante's inability to fully kill him.

* In the first ''VideoGame/{{Avernum}}'' / ''VideoGame/{{Exile}}'' game, there is the Haakai Lord Grah-Hoth, who was sealed in a bottle before the game begins. Despite being unable to directly act, the game reveals him to be manipulating events, such as aiding the Slith against the humans who imprisoned him.

* In ''VideoGame/AgeOfMythology'' the cyclops Gargarensis is on a mission to free Kronos from Tartarus in return for godhood. [[spoiler: He fails. Kronos gets out in the expansion, but gets buried right back in by Gaia.]]

** Zemus in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'', who, despite being sealed in [[spoiler:the Lunarian Moon]] was still able to influence events in the world in an almost successful attempt to effectively kill all humans. Notably, he is never ''released'' from his can; you raid it.
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'''s previous generation of heroes, the Braves of Dawn, used the power of the Crystals to seal away Exdeath, who then surreptitiously began to drain the power of the Crystals (either personally or through manipulation.) Additionally, the player learns that, prior to Exdeath, the sorcerer Enuo was the first to harness the power of the Void, and waged war with it until he and all his [[CosmicHorror obscenely powerful demons]] were thrown into the Dimensional Rift. The [[UpdatedRerelease Advance version]] expands upon this by letting the player explore Enuo's prison and vanquish him for good.
** Also in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'' there once was a tree in the Great Forest of Moore used to seal up evil spirits. Eventually, the power of those spirits corrupted the tree, filling it with dark magic and their evil desires. The tree then assumed a human shape and left the forest to wreak havoc. That tree became Exdeath; an example of sealing so much evil away that the can ''itself'' turns evil.
** The Warring Triad of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'', who started the War of the Magi, sealed themselves away after realizing the destruction they had wrought upon the world, and the Espers hid them away in their own underground kingdom. Then Kefka came and released them, destroying the balance of magic and devastating the world. The resulting cataclysm also released Humbaba, Deathgaze, and the eight dragons; monsters sealed within the earth long ago.

* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance'' uses the trope, with the characters believing that Lehran's Medallion contains an evil god that flooded the entire world save Tellius. So at the end not only do the heroes fight Ashnard in order to liberate Crimea, but also to prevent him from unleashing a dark god. [[spoiler:However, the true nature of the relic is revealed in the sequel ''VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn'', and the heroes are the ones who free Yune, the Goddess of Chaos, rather then letting the negative energies of war do it. As it turns out, Yune was actually SealedGoodInACan who just happened to mess up (the Great Flood); in fact, the BigBad is Ashera, the goddess everyone had been praying to throughout both games, who [[IceQueen purged her emotions]] (forming Yune) to avoid another Great Flood.]]
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar'' wins "strangest method of resurrecting", with 2 half siblings being [[AliensMadeThemDoIt brainwashed in order to breed a vessel]] for the dark god they are descended from.

* ''VideoGame/KirbySqueakSquad'' plays with this one a little. What started as a hunt for stolen strawberry shortcake leads to Dedede getting smacked down on false suspicions, Kirby chasing all over the world to get his snack back from the titular menace [[spoiler:only for the chest allegedly supposed to hold the shortcake stolen away by [[TheRival Meta Knight]], and when HE gets smacked down, the Squeaks grab the chest and let loose [[GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere Dark Nebula]]. For such a simple protagonist the plot for these can get quite complex, especially given Meta Knight grabbed the chest away just to prevent [[BigBad Dark Nebula]] from being released.]] The best part is that through all of this, you get the feeling that Kirby is still being motivated only to retrieve the cake.
** Possibly the only case in the Kirby series where opening the can isn't a case of NiceJobBreakingItHero takes place in the Meta Knightmare Ultra mode of ''[[VideoGame/KirbySuperStar Kirby Super Star Ultra]]'' where Meta Knight questions NOVA, a mechanical, wish granting comet, about an extremely powerful warrior named Galacta Knight who was sealed away because his powers were too great. Immediately after this he orders NOVA to break the seal on this incredibly powerful evil just so he can kick its ass.

** And there was also Bongo Bongo, the Evil Shadow Spirit from ''Ocarina of Time' that was sealed in the Bottom of the Well.

** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'', the GodOfEvil Demise was sealed by the goddess Hylia. His servant Ghirahim [[spoiler:who is actually Demise's sword]] seeks to free him [[spoiler:and succeeds. In the end, Link seals away Demise again within the newly forged Master Sword.]]

* In ''VideoGame/LuigisMansion'', major ghosts that Luigi encountered were once imprisoned inside portraits, but were released by King Boo once E. Gadd captured Boolossus. Eventually they are recaptured by Luigi and put back in their portraits, including King Boo himself... although in [[VideoGame/SuperMario64DS the next game]] he has apparently been released to fight Mario. He is killed this time and next time he is fought (in this case by [[VideoGame/SuperPrincessPeach Peach]]).

** In ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiPartnersInTime'', [[spoiler: at the end it is revealed that Princess Peach seals Elder Princess Shroob, the leader of the Shroobs, inside the Cobalt Star. When the star is pieced back together, she is released, and fights the Mario Bros. She is defeated, and eventually killed when she possesses Bowser and the Mario Bros. trick him into hitting her with his fireballs while aiming for them.]]
** Antasma in ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiDreamTeam''. About a thousand years ago he was sealed away in the Dream World by the Pi'illo people, who ended up getting turned to stone by his last act. And then, when everyone finds out Luigi can open Dream Portals by sleeping... he manages to capture Princess Peach, and then escape back to the real world just a short while later. Guess that can was ludicrously ineffective then...

** In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' [[spoiler:are revealed to be more like Sealed WellIntentionedExtremist in a Can. Their true goal is to ''preserve'' organic life in the long run by "resetting" civilization to prevent the KillEmAll RobotWar that their creator the Catalyst believes is inevitable.]]

** The titular creature from the first ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime'' game was sealed within he impact crater. In the original version, the Space Pirates managed to free it by digging under the seal, although it later escaped from them and returned to the crater, and you have to open the seal to fight it. In the European release/Player's Choise version, it was never released.

* In ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor'', the plan of the antagonists is to [[spoiler: summon the Shadow Queen, who can only be summoned into a princess (read Peach). Upon release, the Queen promptly reduces the head of the antagonists to, well, a head, and plans to conquer. Unluckily for her, Mario arrived at the same time.]]

* ''VideoGame/WarioLand'' games and other ''Wario'' have had a few cases of this:

** Similarly, possibly the entirety of the Golden Pyramid in ''VideoGame/WarioLand 4''.
** ''VideoGame/WarioWorld'' had him accidentally unleash the sealed evil in a can at the very beginning, aka the Black Jewel, which was taken from some kind of treasure chest by Wario and his obsession with treasure, and that then turned his entire castle into a parallel dimension of sorts and what not.
** [[spoiler:Terrormisu (alias Tiaramisu)]] in ''VideoGame/WarioMasterOfDisguise'', the ancient demon who [[spoiler:was sealed inside the Wishstone that Wario was trying to piece together.]]

* In ''Yuletide Legends: The Brothers Claus'' Santa's evil brother Varyk was trapped in a snowglobe for 500 years before tricking Tinsel the elf into setting him free.

* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' has a species of them, the [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Spiritomb]]. Sure, sealing [[Mystical108 108]] souls into a single [[CosmicKeystone keystone]] makes economic sense, but by the time they get out, they've [[IAmLegion merged into a single, massively pissed off Pokémon]] whose Ghost-Dark typing means it has no natural weaknesses (prior to getting a Fairy-type weakness in Gen VI anyway), and is pretty powerful to boot. [[CapturedSuperEntity You can catch one]], though to unseal it so you can fight it takes a [[GuideDangIt somewhat occluded]] SideQuest, and the place you release them [[NightmareFuel is a bit intentionally creepy]].
** Spiritomb could actually be SealedArmyInACan, due to its composition being 108 individual spirits that just happened to [[FusionDance fuse together]].

* In ''VideoGame/AgeOfMythology'' the cyclops Gargarensis is on a mission to free Kronos from Tartarus in return for godhood. [[spoiler: He fails. Kronos gets out in the expansion, but gets buried right back in by Gaia.]]

* As revealed in the tale of Nagoshi no Gi, Kakuya from ''VisualNovel/SpiritHunterNG'' is an ancient evil doll that was sealed away [[spoiler:inside a mirror]] via a ceremonial rite. However, one of the spiritualists in charge of sealing her lost his powers, causing the seal to weaken and Kakuya to slip through into the world again.
* Malefor, aka The Dark Master from ''[[Franchise/SpyroTheDragon The Legend of Spyro]]'' series. [[spoiler:He was born as a purple dragon, like Spyro, some countless generations ago. He was taught how to master the elements, but kept gaining more power, resulting in the Elders banishing him to exile. He took on the title of The Dark Master, where his malice was so great that it split the Earth, creating the Mountain of Malefor, also known as the Well of Souls, where he was imprisoned. In ''A New Beginning'', he sends out Cynder to open the convexity portal to free his soul, which she succeeds in, though Spyro frees Cynder from his control, causing the portal to implode. In ''The Eternal Night'', Gaul uses the lunar eclipse of the celestial moons (that causes non-stop darkness for a short while) to seemingly resurrect Malefor. But it's revealed by Malefor in ''Dawn of the Dragon'' that this was merely all a ruse to get the real one to free him to the Well of Souls to do so, who was it? [[NiceJobBreakingItHero Poor Spyro]].]]
** Also, the Destroyer counts, as its sole purpose for existing is to destroy the world but it slept below a volcano until Malefor awakened it to destroy the world. A rare case of one Sealed Evil In A Can freeing another.
* You can't take two steps in ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'' without encountering some ancient EldritchAbomination or terrible Sith Lord locked away for anywhere between decades to millennia, several being canned by the [[AbusivePrecursors Rakata]]. There's the Imprisoned One on Tatooine, the Esh-Kha and World Razer on Belsavis, Tulak Hord's manservant Khem Val on Korriban, Sel-Makor on Voss, the Dread Masters, [[HeelFaceRevolvingDoor Darth Revan]] in a secret Imperial prison, the list goes on.

* ''VideoGame/{{Shantae}} and the Pirate's Curse'' has the Pirate Master, a great evil from the past who was sealed in a lonely grave on a small island after all the full genies of the world performed a HeroicSacrifice. Unfortunately, he was unexpectedly revived when a new source of Dark Magic suddenly appeared before the start of the game.

* In ''VideoGame/MetroidPrimeHunters'', "the ultimate power" broadcast in a telepathic message throughout the galaxy is actually [[spoiler: the sealed evil Gorea, originally a [[GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere Giant Space Flea]] run amok and the presumed source of the message.]] This is one of the few cases where the good (the Alimbics) weren't strong enough to kill the evil, just entangle its energy with theirs in the Seal Sphere and hide it in a pocket dimension. [[spoiler: You arrive at the Seal Sphere only to see the other Hunters pounding away at it like idiots. They break it open, then stare as the core of the Seal Sphere (the Alimbics' energies) is snatched by Gorea, who proceeds to impale all of them with tentacles from the Sphere and steal their energies (weapons). You saw this coming, or at least you WOULD if you've scanned at least 25% of the Alimbic lore hanging around the place... Anyway, this leaves you to clean up the mess (kick Gorea's ass).]]

** Manjimaru has the Root Clan trying to revive Yomi.

** Fourth Apocalpyse has the Dark Society trying to revive their Absolute God.

* ''VideoGame/DawnOfWar'', the original one, has an absolutely beautiful example. An ancient demon imprisoned in a stone manipulates Orks into attacking human cities on the planet. Space Marines come to the rescue and do what {{space marine}}s do best -- spill ungodly amounts of Orkish and human blood -- just so at the end, the demon can reveal that [[spoiler:the entire planet had previously been converted into a blood altar for releasing him]]. Bonus points: most characters wanting to use demon or its power for their own end up badly.

* All games in the ''VideoGame/{{Ys}}'' series use this trope, e.g. Darm in I and II (who was disguised as the Black Pearl, also an ArtifactOfDoom), Galbalan in III, the Ancient City and Arrem in IV, the lost city of Kefin and its king, Jabir, in V, and the Ark of Napishtim in VI.

** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV'' has Bjorn the Behemoose, a mountain-sized ancient demon. Rodrigo Briscoletti's ancestor sealed him away in the past, and it is his family's duty to make sure it stays sealed.

** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV'' has Bjorn the Behemoose.