Fest's Character Corner: The Redeemed Villain

Every story has a villain of some sort, a primary antagonist. These characters are often representative of the exact opposite of the hero. Sometimes the primary villain is close with the protagonist in a story, typically experiencing some sort of event that pushes them apart, down opposing paths. These characters have always been of great interest to me as they represent the risk of falling and also the possibility for redemption.

Often in stories where the antagonist and protagonist are close there is a potent sense of drama that just isn't generated by the more generic villain types. This really gives certain stories some intense depth and great dynamics.

These kinds of villains also seem to find themselves in a position to redeem themselves in some way and return to the light, so to speak. A good example of this type of character would be Kratos, from Tales of Symphonia. Kratos is a character that assumes both the role of hero and villain in Symphonia, often serving as a mentor to the game's protagonist, Lloyd, when he's in a helpful mood. His shifts between good and evil help direct the game's story and flesh out Lloyd's conflicted feelings in regards to Kratos' allegiance.

It is revealed later in the game that Lloyd is actually Kratos' son, a revelation that shocks Llyod, who believed his parents were dead. Similarly, Kratos had believed his entire family was killed in a battle and had lost all meaning in his life. These events pushed him to his former comrade Mithos, the primary antagonist in Symphonia.

Kratos is a constantly conflicted character who is forced to choose between his comrades and his son, ultimately siding with his child to destroy the organization he helped build. The drama between Kratos and Lloyd is also quite interesting as they both have very different perceptions of the world. Kratos is an aloof character who takes very little interest in the world around him while his son fights desperately for even the smallest semblance of peace.

The redeemed villain is always something I like to see in a story and seeing games take that concept further is always nice. Having the ability to use a former villain as a new ally is always a good feeling and makes for deeper character connections.

Another example of this type of character is Jaffar from the original Fire Emblem game. This character's nickname is "The Angel of Death", given to him by the primary antagonist of the series, Nergal, after he found Jaffar as a child, sleeping on a pile corpses. He was trained as an assassin and seems to possess literally no emotions or remorse for those he kills. It is explained that he was under Nergal's control and that his actions were not his own but even after Jaffar escapes Nergal's control he still lacks emotions, for a while anyway.

Upon meeting a female rookie assassin by the name of Nino, Jaffar begins to change. The two of them are put on a mission together to assassinate a prince but when the moment comes for Nino to kill him she hesitates and cannot bring herself to do it. Upon realizing that the mission failed, Jaffar and Nino's employer turns on them both, seeking their death. Jaffar is wounded severely and expects Nino to kill him, respecting the order's way of killing the weak. Nino refuses and nurses Jaffar back to health, which baffles him.

At this point you're actually able to recruit both Nino and Jaffar into the main protagonist, Eliwood's/Hector's, party as they attempt to destroy Jaffar's old master, Nergal. Jaffar decides to stay with the party and protect Nino, whom he eventually falls in love with. In staying with Eliwood, Jaffar seeks to redeem his past actions and atone for all the lives he has taken. Through conversations with the other characters a significant change occurs in this character as he begins to develop an emotional component as he fears for Nino's life.

Overall I would say that these are some of the most interesting and dynamic characters that can be placed into a story. They represent the reality that there is the potential for even a good man to fall into the clutches of evil while also showing that even the filthiest soul can find redemption.