2010-06-06, 09:22 | Link #1 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2003
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Stories where the Enemy is within
OK, basically I'm wondering what good quest stories have a party journeying to face some great evil, and at the very end they find out that one of their comrades was the ultimate enemy all along, and had just been deceiving them. Note that the enemy deceived them, I don't want something like Hamelin where, if I understand right...
Spoiler:
Naturally, the term "villain" can be somewhat loose. One of the things I love most about anime and manga is that they generally recognize better than many that no party is truly and completely "evil", but that all sides have reasons to fight, even if their reasons are wrong or based on a lie or mistake. The person can have plenty of reason to trick his comrades and pretend to be on their side. One setup I'd thought of, though I don't know of it ever happening in any work, has the party enter the enemy's home base, castle, etc. only to find that their enemy isn't there. Suddenly, a dear friend and comrade of the hero's, the party member he trusts most, thrusts his sword straight through the hero's back. |
2010-06-06, 09:38 | Link #2 |
Me, An Intellectual
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: UK
Age: 33
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Doesn't going into a story expecting it kind of ruin the moment?
Well, I can only think of a book example. It's the first book of the Soldier's Son Trilogy by Robin Hobb, and to a certain extent the second book, aswell. But not the third book. I think what you're looking for is The Mole.
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2010-06-06, 10:23 | Link #5 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Texas
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I third these two series. Especially Bleach in what happens during the Soul Society arc.
I would probably throw in Betterman. The protagonists spend the entire series trying to try the spread of a deadly virus and what caused it in the first place. Spoiler for Spoiler:
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2010-06-06, 10:43 | Link #6 |
DRRR!!
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: The Netherlands
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Ga-Rei -Zero-
Yomi. ;_; The Skull Man In neither series the main character becomes the big bad or is actually defeated - for good. But both leads become powerful villains and are the big bad's of one arc at least. The Skull man doesn't have the main lead becoming the bad guy until the end though, since it's a prequal of sorts (to cyborg 009). |
2010-06-06, 11:36 | Link #7 |
Special
Join Date: Apr 2008
Age: 34
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Definitely Death Note.
------------------------------------ SPOILER ALERT! ---------------------------------------------- The main protagonist is evil (even though he thinks what he's doing is justice), and nobody knows of it. Oh, and he even 'joins' forces with the ones trying to catch the unknown criminal , just to backstab them ultimately. I'd also second, of course, Bleach and Code Geass. Another suggestion would be Berserk, it fits your criteria, with on exception: the 'enemy' is actually part of a gang, until the last episode, when he does some very bad stuff to the others . Unfortunately that is all that comes to my mind, if I remember anything else I'll let you know. |
2010-06-06, 12:24 | Link #9 | |
Inactive Member
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2010-06-06, 23:09 | Link #10 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2003
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Quote:
I suppose that knowing that something is going to happen can take away from the moment. This doesn't diminish my appreciation of the work though. I've had enough cases where I'd reach the midpoint or end of a story to find its conclusion dull or offensive, however, that I don't generally mind knowing something's coming. In some cases, if the story is risky, I deliberately jump forward and glance through the last chapter to be sure (unfortunately "risky" often includes both "brilliantly good" and "burn-author's-house-to-ground bad"). Anyway, a lot of great stories are based on other works, and hold faithful to them, so it's not that big a deal to come in knowing what's waiting at the finish. Last edited by Seiryuu; 2010-06-07 at 22:06. |
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