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1Terrorists, assassins, murderers, killers, poisoners, rapists, drug dealers, kidnappers, counterfeiters, robbers, muggers, burglars, thieves, bootleggers, conmen, [[ArsonMurderAndJayWalking and little cheats]]. These characters will tend to be involved with CrimeAndPunishmentTropes.
2
3Villains like the CorruptCorporateExecutive, CorruptPolitician, or TheEmperor and other LawfulEvil villains are per definition not included, even if you may consider them as a kind of criminal. Since HiredGuns usually work for the highest bidder, they often fall into a legally grey area, though some are just outright criminals. Also, don't list more fantastic villains like the MadScientist, [[EvilSorceror evil wizards]], or {{Evil Overlord}}s here.
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5!!Tropes:
6[[index]]
7[floatboxright:
8'''UsefulNotes:'''
9+ {{UsefulNotes/Criminals}} (real life)
10
11'''Categories:'''
12+ ConMan
13+ HiredGuns
14+ OrganizedCrimeTropes
15+ PirateTropes
16+ SmugglingIndex
17+ StealThisIndex
18+ TerrorismTropes
19]
20* AffectionatePickpocket: A character tries to disguise picking someone's pocket as an affectionate hug.
21* AfricanTerrorists: Ruthless militants from Sub-Saharan Africa.
22* TheAggressiveDrugDealer: He really doesn't want to hear "no" from potential customers.
23* AllBikersAreHellsAngels: Outlaw biker gangs are often styled after the Hells Angels.
24* AmbiguousCriminalHistory: A character is implied to have committed a serious crime(s) in the past, but it isn't known exactly what offense(s) they've committed.
25* ArmsDealer: Someone who illegally smuggles weapons to sell them to the highest bidder, including criminal gangs and terrorist organizations.
26* TheArtfulDodger: Crafty, street-wise homeless child.
27* BackAlleyDoctor: A doctor without a medical license operating illegally.
28* BalkanBastard: Criminals from Albania and former Yugoslavia.
29* BanditClan: A clan or family of criminals who rob people in the rural countryside.
30* {{Bandito}}: Mexican bandits.
31* BanteringBaddieBuddies: A duo of hired guns who provide bloodshed and witty banter.
32* BlackWidow: A woman who marries men and then kills them.
33* BlatantBurglar: You can tell this person is a criminal because they wear such stereotypical garb as masks and shirts with black and white stripes.
34* TheBluebeard: A man who marries women and then kills them.
35* BombThrowingAnarchists: Militant anarchists who want to overthrow the government and all forms of centralized authority through acts of terrorism.
36* BoxedCrook: You can die in prison, or you can do us a favor and get out.
37* CaptainNemoCopy: An {{Expy}} of [[Literature/TwentyThousandLeaguesUnderTheSea Captain Nemo]].
38* CannibalClan: A family who [[ImAHumanitarian eat people]].
39* TheCartel: Latin American gangsters and mobsters.
40* ClandestineChemist: Someone educated in chemistry decides to use their knowledge for illegal purposes, such as the creation of drugs or poisons.
41* ClassyCatBurglar: A skilled, sexy, mysterious female thief, who is just as agile and elegant as a cat.
42* CleanupCrew: Criminals who enter a crime scene to hide or destroy evidence.
43* CopCriminalFamily: A lawbreaker and law-enforcer are related, often causing conflict between them.
44* CopKiller: Someone who murders a police officer.
45* TheCracker: A hacker who uses their skills for non-harmless applications.
46* CriminalAmnesiac: Amnesiac characters are convinced by the villains that they are on their side.
47* CriminalConvention: A social gathering for crooks and outlaws.
48* CriminalDoppelganger: An IdenticalStranger who happens to be a [[EvilDoppelganger notorious criminal]]. This may result in their non-criminal lookalike getting in trouble with the law.
49* CriminalCravesLegitimacy: A villain wants to live a "normal" or much-improved life and resorts to criminal enterprise to do it.
50* CriminalFoundFamily
51* CrookedContractor: A sleazy, sketchy contractor who does extremely poor work and dodges accountability whenever something they did catches up with them.
52* CrooksAreBetterArmed: When criminals have better weapons than the police do.
53* DamnItFeelsGoodToBeAGangster: [[EvilIsCool Organized crime looks very fun]]!
54* DangerousDeserter: A soldier who has abandoned their military post and is now a ruthless fugitive.
55* {{Delinquents}}: Young hoodlums who commit petty crimes.
56* DesertBandits: Robbers who attack travelers in remote desert regions.
57* DetectiveMole: Someone investigating a crime turns out to have been secretly complicit in it.
58* DiabolicalMastermind
59* DigitizedHacker: Hacker who enters cyberspace and operates within it.
60* DirtyCop: A police officer who is not above engaging in criminal activity themselves.
61* TheDon: A crime boss, the leader of TheMafia or TheSyndicate.
62* EcoTerrorist: A radical environmental activist who's willing to resort to illegal or even violent methods to try and save Mother Nature.
63* EvilParentsWantGoodKids: Some criminals want their kids to be honest citizens.
64* EvilPoacher: Someone who illegally hunts wild animals, especially if they're legally protected species.
65* TheFagin: Someone who teaches children how to steal for them.
66* FameThroughInfamy: Someone does something heinous just to get on the news and be famous for it.
67* TheFamilyThatSlaysTogether: A family of ruthless murderers.
68* TheFamilyForTheWholeFamily
69* FantasticTerrorists: Terrorists who use methods that only exist in their SpeculativeFiction setting.
70* FarEastAsianTerrorists: Ruthless militants from East/Southeast Asia.
71* FilmFelons: Crooks pretend to be filmmakers so they can use the cover of making a movie to keep their crimes under wraps.
72* FingerSnappingStreetGang: A street gang advances on someone while rhythmically snapping their fingers.
73* FirefighterArsonist: Firefighters who can't resist starting the fires themselves.
74* FiveFingerDiscount: Thieves who engage in pickpocketing, or stealing things on a person's body through stealth and trickery.
75* FootballHooligans: Obsessive football/soccer fans who are prone to bouts of drunken violence against fans of rival teams.
76* FriendInTheBlackMarket: A shady merchant who sells illegally obtained products.
77* FromCamouflageToCriminal: An ex-military veteran who uses their combat training and experience to enter a life of crime.
78* {{Gangbangers}}: Criminal thugs who are members of street gangs, which are smaller and less powerful than major criminal syndicates but no less ruthless or dangerous.
79* GangOfHats: A crime group which differentiates themselves from others with a gimmick.
80* {{Gayngster}}: A gay gangster.
81* GenericEthnicCrimeGang: Criminal gangs tend to be mostly or completely comprised of people from a common ethnic background.
82* GentlemanThief: A ManOfWealthAndTaste who steals for sport.
83* GetawayDriver: Someone who helps a criminal escape the scene of a crime (for example a robbery) by zooming away in a vehicle.
84* GettingHighOnTheirOwnSupply: When a drug dealer is also a drug addict, frequently using their own product whenever they're not selling it.
85* GreaserDelinquents: The iconic leather-wearing, cigarette-smoking, slicked-hair-sporting, trouble-making subculture of the 50s and 60s.
86* HackedByAPirate: Hackers using pirate imagery as their CallingCard.
87* TheHighwayman
88* HillbillyMoonshiner: Someone who illegally produces alcohol despite laws which ban or restrict this activity.
89* HitmanWithAHeart
90* HolyHitman: A ProfessionalKiller that makes references to the Good Book.
91* HonestJohnsDealership: Illegitimate salesmen who trick their customers into buying shoddy merchandise.
92* HonorAmongThieves: When criminals demonstrate professional courtesy and respect for their colleagues.
93* HostileHitchhiker: When someone allows a suspicious stranger to take a ride in their car, only for that stranger to turn out to be some sort of armed robber, escaped convict, SerialKiller, or another dangerous criminal.
94* HumanTraffickers: Criminals who illegally transport live people, often moving [[TheIllegal undocumented migrants]] across international borders, and sometimes [[MadeASlave selling them into slavery]].
95* HuntingTheRogue: For rogue agent deserters from organizations they served.
96* ImpersonatingAnOfficer: When a criminal disguises themselves as a cop as a cover for their actions.
97* IndispensableScoundrel: A shady character who is kept around because their skills and body of knowledge are too invaluable to lose by killing or imprisoning them.
98* InvasionOfTheBabySnatchers: Non-humans kidnapping babies.
99* IrishExplosivesExpert: A (Northern) Irish terrorist who knows how to make and use bombs. Oftentimes a veteran of UsefulNotes/TheTroubles.
100* TheIrishMob: Irish gangsters and mobsters.
101* JackTheRipoff: A murderer who takes inspiration from the M.O. of a famous serial killer.
102* JapaneseDelinquents: Japanese petty criminals that are not exactly like the {{Yakuza}}.
103* JustAGangster: [[Film/TheGodfather When life thinks to get them out]], this person [[RussianReversal pulls themselves back in]].
104* JustLikeRobinHood: A thief who steals from the rich and gives to the poor.
105* JustifiedCriminal
106* KarmicThief: A person who only steals from bad people.
107* KillerCop: A murderous police officer.
108* KingOfThieves: The leader of a big gang of muggers, robbers, and pickpockets.
109* KosherNostra: Jewish gangsters and mobsters.
110* LawmanGoneBad: A criminal who formerly worked for the police.
111* LoanShark: If you borrow money from this thug, you better pay back your debt to him or else.
112* LondonGangster: British gangsters and mobsters.
113* LovableRogue: They break the law at least somewhat for their own gain, but are charming and affable enough for the audience to root for them.
114* LowerClassLout: Working-class and poor people being depicted as this.
115* MadBomber: Someone who's planting and detonating a lot of explosives in public places.
116* TheMafia: Italian gangsters and mobsters.
117* TheMafiya: Russian gangsters and mobsters.
118* MasterForger
119* MiddleEasternTerrorists: Ruthless militants from West Asia or North Africa.
120* MinorWithFakeID: A teenager gets a fake ID to pretend to be older.
121* TheMobBossIsScarier: The head honcho of the gang is feared and respected for a good reason.
122* TheMostWanted: The top list of fugitive criminals wanted by the law.
123* MurderersAreRapists: A criminal who rapes their victim before killing them.
124* NaughtyNarcs: A narcotics officer who accepts bribes from drug dealers.
125* NeighbourhoodFriendlyGangsters: Local criminals try to protect their neighbors and communities from other bad guys.
126* NoHonorAmongThieves: Though this doesn't always work. Many criminals tend to [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder be disloyal to one another]].
127* NotoriousParent: Someone's father or mother who turns out to be an infamous fugitive criminal.
128* TheOldConvict: An elderly prison inmate who's been serving a very long sentence.
129* {{Outlaw}}: A fugitive criminal, especially a bandit living in a [[TheWildWest lawless frontier region]].
130* OutlawCouple: A duo of criminals who are married or in love with each other.
131* PedophilePriest: A priest who sexually abuses children.
132* ThePeepingTom: People who get their sick kicks by spying on others.
133* PercussivePickpocket: A thief pickpockets something off of someone, disguising the act as an accidental bump on the street.
134* PetRat: Ill-repute crook secretly working for a good-repute boss.
135* PhantomThief: A thief archetype known for being elusive.
136* {{Pirate}}: Criminals who sail around in water to rob boats and ships passing by.
137* PirateGirl: A female pirate.
138* PlayfulHacker: Hacks computers for fun.
139* PoeticSerialKiller: A SerialKiller that operates on DeathByIrony.
140* PredatoryProstitute: A sex worker who is also a criminal in other ways.
141* ProfessionalKiller: Also known as contract killers, hitmen, or assassins. These people commit murder in exchange for monetary payment.
142* ProtectionRacket: An extortion scheme where gangsters force business owners to pay them if they don't want to risk damage to their livelihoods.
143* {{Pyromaniac}}: If someone is so obsessed with fire that it leads to them committing arson.
144* TheQuincyPunk: A negatively stereotyped, even violent 1970s / '80s punk character.
145* TheQueenpin: A female mob boss.
146* RabidCop: A sadistic police officer who really enjoys [[PoliceBrutality beating the crap out of suspects]].
147* RageAgainstTheLegalSystem: Convicted and/or incarcerated criminal seeks revenge against authorities for his punishment.
148* RecruitingTheCriminal
149* ReformedCriminal: They used to be a criminal, but are now on the straight and narrow path.
150* RetiredOutlaw
151* RightWingMilitiaFanatic: Far-right-wing American terrorists who really distrust the US federal government.
152* RobinHoodlum: A copy of Robin Hood that's a villain or a {{Jerkass}}.
153* RogueAgent
154* RogueSoldier
155* RoguishPoacher: Someone who hunts animals illegally, but does so more for sustenance rather than greed or thrills.
156* RoguishRomani: Romani gangsters and mobsters.
157* RuthlessModernPirates: Unromanticized pirates from the present day.
158* TheRustler: A thief who specializes in stealing cattle, horses, or other livestock.
159* RuthlessForeignGangsters: Immigrant criminals who are more dangerous than the native-born criminals.
160* SatisfiedStreetRat: An orphaned kid who has turned living on the street to their advantage.
161* SerialKillerKiller: A serial killer who preys on other murderers.
162* ScoundrelCode: Even career criminals are sometimes expected to follow a code of behavioral conduct, for [[EvenEvilHasStandards moral]] or [[PragmaticVillainy practical]] reasons.
163* SchlubbyScummySecurityGuard: Frequently criminals.
164* SerialKiller: A murderer who gradually kills multiple individual victims, one after another.
165* SerialRapist: A rapist who sexually assaults a series of individual victims.
166* ShadyLadyOfTheNight: A prostitute who is hired to be an informant, a hitman, or to do criminal activites other than sex.
167* ShadyScalper: People who sell items of limited availability (e.g. tickets, toys) but jack up the prices. What they do is sometimes not actually ''illegal''... but still pretty crummy.
168* SiblingsInCrime: A group consisting of brothers or sisters who commit crimes together.
169* SkyPirate: Pirates in the air.
170* SouthAsianTerrorists: Ruthless militants from South Asia.
171* SpacePirates: {{Pirate}}s InSpace
172* SpreeKiller: A mass-murderer who kills multiple people during a quick rampage.
173* StealingFromTheTill: Embezzlement.
174* StupidCrooks: Criminals who are too incompetent and moronic to commit a successful crime.
175* SubmarinePirates: Pirates ''under'' the sea.
176* SuperMobBoss: A gang leader or mob boss who's tough enough to be considered a {{supervillain}}.
177* SympatheticMurderer
178* TheSyndicate: A big and powerful criminal organization.
179* TattooedCrook: Criminals with tattoos, usually to display gang affiliation.
180* TerminallyIllCriminal: A character commits a crime or engages in regular criminal activity after learning (or while so) they have a fatal disease.
181* TerroristsWithoutACause: These criminals commit quasi-terrorist acts with a thin veneer of political ideology.
182* TheatrePhantom: A Phantom of the Opera rip-off.
183* ThemeSerialKiller
184* ThievesCant: Code-words used by professional criminals to discreetly discuss their illegal affairs.
185* ThievesGuild: When all illegal activity is strictly controlled and regulated by a criminal organization.
186* ThoseWackyNazis: Neo-Nazis are often [[WhiteGangBangers members of prison/street gangs]], or terrorists who commit violent crimes for ideological reasons.
187* TotalitarianGangsterism: Gang-controlled neighborhoods are very unpleasant for law-abiding citizens who live in them.
188* TheTriadsAndTheTongs: Chinese gangsters and mobsters.
189* VenturousSmuggler: An adventurous scoundrel who transports illegal cargo for a living.
190* VigilanteMan: A person who isn't a cop decides to pursue and fight criminals, which often involves using illegal methods to do so.
191* WesternTerrorists: Ruthless militants from the Americas, Europe, or Oceania.
192* WhiteCollarCrime: Not all criminals are involved with drugs, sex, or violence. White-collar criminals use fraud, scams, and other dishonest tactics to steal money from people.
193* WhiteGangBangers: Criminal thugs of non-Hispanic white European descent, as opposed to gangsters of other ethnicities.
194* {{Yakuza}}: Japanese gangsters and mobsters.
195* TheYardies: Jamaican gangsters and mobsters.
196[[/index]]

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