Warriors Fanfics: Specialized Writing Guide

Villains (not Antagonists)

July 2, 2019

This section specifically focuses on the villains. Villains are not necessarily antagonists by default, as an antagonist is someone or something that opposes the protagonist's goals. It goes over common uses for villains and how to make them more effective.

There is no shortage of antihero/antagonist centered stories out there. In many fictional worlds, the antagonist captivates audiences more than the protagonist. This means the villain is being pushed aside as a go-to trope. Audiences grow tired of the enemy who, with no reason or motive, seeks to do something that no one (no one) wants. But villains do not have to suck. To put it bluntly, writers and industries make them suck. We will talk about that now.

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PUBLIC ENEMY NUMBER ONE

The villain is an evil character; their motivations, actions, or personality can be considered evil when they go against the established norm of the universe they inhabit. It is one of the most common archetypes in human history, and has spanned religion, region, language, and folklore. Warriors is no exception. It has several villainous characters. As I said earlier, the villain does not have to be the antagonist. It just ends up that way in most stories.

An example for context. I will go over villains in other fictional worlds and describe why they are villains rather than just antagonists:

- Warriors - Two obvious examples: Tigerstar and Scourge. Tigerstar's initial evil was killing Redtail so he could advance in rank. He also teamed up with Scourge to dominate the forest. He also encouraged Brambleclaw to kill his half brother, Hawkfrost. Yes he got a backstory, but it did not justify or explain why he wanted to subjugate and conquer. Scourge, while also having a backstory, cannot be justified enough to be sympathetic. He wants to control the forest and expand his BloodClan. He even betrays his partner, Tigerstar, by killing him in cold blood in the middle of a battle. Neither are particularly well-written, but they are classic uses of the archetype.

- My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic - Despite what you may think of its fandom, we have plenty of villains in this children's show. Tirek, a centaur who can absorb other's magic, is an obvious example. His end goal is simply to become more powerful, and is supposed to be one of the show's representations of selfishness. Magical theft is a pretty high crime in this universe, so Tirek is pretty high up there on the most wanted list for the inhabitants of Equestria. He is straight up a villain. The same kind you would find on 80's Saturday morning cartoons.

- Naruto - This anime is over 20 years old. And it took almost as long to reveal its main villain: Madara Uchiha. He is what you would call a sympathetic villain. His goal was to end all wars, famine, poverty, and everything else bad about the world. His means: lock everyone in a state of perpetual hypnosis, letting them psychologically live out their idealized lives (a little like The Matrix). Are his intentions good? Yes. Are his means? No. Not in the Naruto universe.

- Star Trek (any series) - Villains have been kept out of regular appearances in this famous fictional universe. The show tries to portray different psychologies and moral viewpoints. Therefore, villains generally do not get a place in the show. The ones that do show up are given one-off or very minor roles in any given narrative. Even Khan and Dukat, two of the most evil main characters in Star Trek, stay away from being all-out evil. They are antagonists. And while they are considered bad, others in the universe sympathise (and even help) these characters for reasons other than causing discord or malice.