Best Games With A Protagonist Who Is Deemed A Traitor

Heroes aren’t always the symbol of peace, as some must face a greater enemy: society. The world develops with many ideas being recorded, but not always perfectly. Some societies aren’t always connected to the same page as the protagonists due to several factors, like the majority ideals, twisted tales, or authoritative influence. Sometimes, the protagonist is forced to take actions that weren’t meant to happen, which results in greater casualties.

A traitorous protagonist is placed at a huge disadvantage, as few places are safe to relax and gain enough resources. It’s a difficult immersive journey that requires a solution to purify the twisted minds of society and the protagonist’s tainted name.

Spoiler Warning: Major plot spoilers are discussed in the entries below.

Dragon Quest 11: Echoes Of An Elusive Age

Malicious Luminary

Dragon Quest XI foretells the story of a great hero being reborn to save the world of Erdrea. The protagonist was shown to be the reincarnated hero, with the Luminary symbol etched into his hand since birth. Once he grew into adulthood, he began his destined journey by meeting the king of Heliodor, one of the largest cities of Erdrea.

This plan completely backfired as the king deemed the reincarnated Luminary as a Darkspawn, a dangerous threat to destroy the world. He forced the Luminary into the dungeons to await his unfavorable fate before escaping. This forces the king to order his army to chase and capture the ‘Darkspawn’ to eliminate it, thus pitting the protagonist against the powers that be.

Trials Of Mana

Broken Bonds

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Released

April 24, 2020

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OpenCritic Rating

Strong

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Trials of Mana links all six heroes to travel for the one solution to their personal predicaments. All of them were forced away from their home territories, with Kevin being one of the few to leave in disagreement. Once he lost his friend Karl and rejected his nation’s invasion plan, the Beast King threw him out. He was left with nothing but a strong vow to return stronger to stand against the corrupted Beast King.

The two other heroes that were forced to leave were Angela and Hawkeye. Both dealt with mysterious influences that shifted the leaders’ ideals, making them reject the newer goal shifts. They were proclaimed traitors once they fled their homes, hoping to recover their kingdoms’ senses.

Final Fantasy 12

Fractured Ties To Country

Final Fantasy XII focuses on multiple characters with its main populous cast. One of the main characters is Balthier, who became an Archadian Judge at an early age. He lived with his father, who was noticeably changing for the worst with his deteriorating sanity. Balthier couldn’t handle his father’s new personality any longer, which influenced him to revoke his Judge title and run off to become a sky pirate.

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Basch was another character who had his highly respected title broken. He was tasked to protect his Dalmascan king from the Archadian invaders before some figure framed him for assassinating the Dalmascan king he was sworn to protect. Basch was found guilty of this event, entitling him as the King Slayer before being locked in the dungeon to await his dreaded punishment.

Assassin’s Creed Rogue

Tainted Brotherhood

Assassin Creed Rogue reveals how an Assassin and a Templar have closely resembling ideals. It starts with Cormac accepting a mission to retrieve an artifact hidden in Lisbon. The successful retrieval resulted in an earthquake, destroying the once-lively city. This huge consequence was correctly predicted by the Assassins, accepting the huge risk of murdering innocents for their goals.

The growing guilt and weakening faith influenced Cormac to steal the artifact manuscript and flee from the Brotherhood. This would ultimately cut his ties with the Assassins once he was chased and shot off the cliff. Though his former comrades declared him dead, he was rescued before devoting his loyalty to the Templars. He would use his Assassin skills to spot and eliminate his former Assassin allies for the Templar’s goals.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3

Breaking The Link

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Released

July 29, 2022

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Publisher(s)

Nintendo

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OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

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Xenoblade Chronicles 3 followed a destined fate from the trio representatives of Agnus and Keves. The three-man squads would collide in a battle to complete their investigation on a device until a giant beast interrupted to join the fray. What made the situation more chaotic was the fact that the device activated, which fused the two recon squads into giant creatures similar to the beast.

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The beast realized what had happened before activating a symbol in the sky. This symbol would make the two squads enemies for everyone, no matter which home faction they visit. This forces the unshackled party to cooperate and take down the Flame Clocks to release their friends from the Consuls’ control.

Persona 5 Royal

Social Ideals

Persona 5 Royal is all about rebelling against the corruption of society. The Phantom Thieves slowly gained popularity by taking down authorities who abused their rule for selfish gains. As the group challenged higher-ranked people, they were praised by the wider public.

It wasn’t until later in the story that they were forced into a serious predicament. Despite targeting the mastermind behind everything and exposing his crimes, the people still believed the corrupted politician was in the right. The people turned on the Phantom Thieves, who were once seen as a heroic team, greatly impacting their name and fame for the worst as actual fugitives.

Prince Of Persia: The Lost Crown

Immortal Betrayal

Prince Of Persia: The Lost Crown follows one of the newest members of The Immortals, Sargon. After completing a harrowing mission, the team was forced into action immediately to save Prince Ghassan’s sudden capture. Once the Immortals chase after the Prince’s captors, their team fractured under the cursed Mount Qaf.

When Sargon finally reached Prince Ghassan, Vahram (the leader of The Immortals) appeared to slay the Prince. Sargon resisted in vain against his leader’s overwhelming might, resulting in his fall from the fight. Once he regained consciousness and platformed his way out of Mount Qaf’s sewers, he found The Immortals hunting him, having been informed that he was a traitor. They were told he murdered the Prince of Persia for his own gains, forcing each Immortal to challenge their former teammate.

Asura’s Wrath

Framed

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Released

February 21, 2012

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Asura’s Wrath is seen through Asura’s eyes after a particular event he was forced into. His meeting with Emperor Strada resulted in the ruler lying lifeless on the ground with Asura’s hands painted in his blood. Asura was found guilty of murder and stripped of his title as one of the Eight Guardian Generals.

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After awakening from his eternal sleep, he witnessed the world still corrupted by the Gohma. Nothing changed for him except for the new gods, who renamed themselves the Seven Deities. They weren’t too pleased to meet the wrathful being as they challenged him with their larger army and new powers.

Final Fantasy 4

Justice Within Dark

Final Fantasy 4 takes place in the Baron Kingdom, where Cecil follows the king’s orders to exercise his dominating reign over the world. Completing conquest missions had soured Cecil’s view of the king, which made him question if he was doing the right thing. This slip of doubt cost him his higher rank as the king forced him on a low-rank delivery quest to Mist Village. He needed to eliminate the Eidolon, a mist dragon, to reach the blocked village.

Once he eliminated his target and reached his destination, the Carnelian Signet activated to bomb the village. The village had a summoner to protect them, though she perished once Eidolon fell. Cecil realized his actions, and he determined to rebel against the Baron King. Despite his revelation, his previous actions have already worsened his appearance to the world. It would be a long journey to make up for what he had done while forming a resistance against the Baron King.

Darksiders

Guilty Ride

Darksiders is set on Earth where Heaven and Hell follow a peaceful treaty to avoid apocalyptic war until man is prepared to face them. During this moment, the four horsemen will join the fray. After hearing the Apocalyptic call, War made his way to Earth to fulfill his fate, though he realized his siblings weren’t present with angels and demons already fighting in the land of helpless man. He was forced to face hostile beings from both Heaven and Hell before being overtaken by the chaotic events.

The Charred Council greeted War’s return with intense scolding for breaking the peace treaty through the early Apocalypse. War denied their accusations since he witnessed the war occurring before his arrival. Despite his words, he was blamed for the end of man, which left the rider with no choice but to return to Earth to search for evidence to clear his tainted name.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna ~ The Golden Country

Burdened Blade

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Released

December 1, 2017

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Nintendo

OpenCritic Rating

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Strong

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Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna ~ The Golden Country reveals the events that tainted Mythra and Jin for over 500 years. They were both involved in the Aegis War to push back against Malos’ attempt at world destruction. Mythra knew about her destructive capabilities, avoiding the use of her full power until she emotionally lost control. Malos used her full-powered rage and Siren to destroy the Tornan titan, resulting in many casualties.

This event stained the historical records since both Aegis were seen as threatening weapons to the world. It traumatized Mythra while twisting Jin’s perspective of humans. As Mythra hid to keep her powers in check, Jin joined Malos on the journey to rescue the blades from their cursed eternal fates.

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