[Bakushi]

I've always liked the villians/darker characters growing up. Like Shadow the Hedgehog, Itachi Uchiha, Loki, The Goblin King, etc. (Of course there will also be heroes that I like...like Batman, nothing beats Batman) Sometimes it's because I could sympathize with the character or possibly even relate to why they turned into a villain or something. Though some of the villians I've come to like a lot confuses me a bit. They are terrible people, that have done horrible things. It makes sense to dislike a character like that but yet I like them though -- a lot.

Examples:

The Joker (Batman) ~~ My first favourite villain

~We all know the joker, crazy, unpredictable, and just wants to watch the world burn.
((Why I like him: He's so entertaining, he's funny, insane and just a great villain in contrast to Batman's seriousness))

Izaya Orihara (Durarara!!)

~He toys with people, and basically orchestrated chaotic events just so he could see how people would react.
((Why I like him: He's very intriguing to me, and he's one of those "loveable" jerk sort of characters))


Reaver (Fable II + III)

~He too is basically a psychopath, he's smug, disloyal and just messes with you just to see what would happen.
((Why I like him: Similar to Izaya, except it's easier to hate him later))


The Major (Hellsing Ultimate)

~Started WWIII just for the sake of destruction's sake. (Similar to the Joker really)
((Why I like him: I have a thing for the crazies I guess, his insane grin and enthusiasm is infectious at times, and it doesn't help that his English voice is adorable))

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There are times I do indeed dislike these characters (I ended up hating Reaver later because he is just a sly jerk and every time you do what he says in the game everything was ruined) and of course I dislike it when they do said horrible things. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm a pretty happy and compassionate person and if you saw me, or were just getting to know me, you'd have no idea I liked these sort of things. If I had to guess why I like these guys, the first thing that makes sense to me is that I'm drawn to these characters' confidence, general charismatic nature and ability to not care what others think. *shrugs* Not to mention I also really liked Hannibal Lector, and Dexter....Oh wow I just realized they're all pretty much psycho/sociopaths too. （￣□￣；）

Does this happen to you fellow INFPs? Or other personality types? Or anyone....?
Or is this just me. (ノಠ ∩ಠ)ノ彡( \o°o)\

 

[the401]

hmmm just a word of advice: it seems that there aren't many active" INFP anime fans" so hmmmm it could become a little awkward........

my advice would be just keep it at "villains" and not examples of anime characters lol

anyways just my opinion on this.

NOTE: im an anime fan

 

[Ametcitra]

Oh, yeah. I can very easily sympathize with villains. My INFJ friend always gets really upset when I go: oh, but the poor villian though. When we watch movies.
I can relate to basically any well-written villain.
I can't come up with any exact examples. Probably that white peacock in the Kung Fu Panda movies... and uh... Hm.

 

[Morpheus83]

I don't think it's weird to love and hate the same villains: characters can do 'horrible' things based on distorted principles that can be applied to different ends, and/or the same characters can be victims of society themselves, their choices and identities borne out of repressive as well as oppressive societies. This is one kind of 'humanised' villain who's pretty much the flipside of traditional 'goody' heroes/heroines.

'Psychopathic' villains who live only to violate and transgress are interesting, IMO, because their deeds (and social responses to their deeds) reveal naturalised 'truths' in certain societies. In a sense, traditional heroes are 'boring' because they work within an ideological framework that reinforces the status quo in which 'common sense' and 'goodness' are taken for granted. By being an affront to all kinds of standards and sensitivities, 'psychopathic' villains--especially those who have 'unconventional' moral codes--have the potential to shake us out of social complacency.

 

[Bakushi]

hmmm just a word of advice: it seems that there aren't many active" INFP anime fans" so hmmmm it could become a little awkward........

my advice would be just keep it at "villains" and not examples of anime characters lol

anyways just my opinion on this.

NOTE: im an anime fan

Thank you for the advice but....only two of the main examples I listed were from anime. The Joker is from various cartoons, and of course the Dark Knight movie. Reaver is from a video game series. Also those happened to be my top favourites, and the characters which confused me the most about liking so much. Maybe I should have added the extra gifs for Hannibal Lector, Dexter and The Goblin King too... (〃￣ω￣〃ゞ

@Ametcitra ~ My Dad can get a little upset/confused when I comment on how I sympathize with villains too. (He's an ISFJ I believe) And of course, the "stereotypically" or painfully obviously evil villains I have no sympathy for.
But oh wow, the Peacock from Kung Fu Panda, I definately sympathized with him, more so than Tai Lung from the first movie even.
@Morpheus83 ~ Thank you that helps me understand this all a little better. I do indeed find the sociopathic villains very interesting, and they tend to captivate my attention far far more than any heroes ever have. Your explanation is exactly why I liked most of these characters (especially the ones highlighted on my list). These characters are able to expose certain aspects of human nature that heroes would probably never do. Usually the "darker" side of humanity of course. It's always intriguing to see how they operate within their own perceived goals/morals/motives which are so different from the general ones characters tend to have, Especially how devoted they are to sticking to it and how persistent they are at making it an actuality.

This sort of is an opposite to me, I'm usually taken where inspiration leads me but that's not always a good thing. Once it's "gone" then I move on to something else, because of this I have a lot of unfinished projects.

 

[Thread Killer]

It's probably INFPs like us in the movie industries who are responsible for all of those terrible "let's tell the story from the villian's perspective" movies.

 

[modern]

Klaus Mikaelson from the vampire diaries

I kinda hurt for that guy. All he wants is family, but every move he makes is judged as wrong.

 

[bigstupidgrin]

I just like characters with depth and dimension. If that means an anti-hero, cool, if that means a two-dimensional villain that could either redeem themselves or stab you in the heart, cool. Or villains like Joker that just want chaos. I like rooting for chaos sometimes, it's an escape for me.

I'm marathoning the show Community in preparation for the next season. Something cool the writers did with the ensemble cast in early seasons is that in any given episode, one character could play the villain's role. Usually involving a character's signature flaw. Jeff Winger's manipulative/women chasing tendencies; Abed's mechanical method of fitting in OR his Tommy Wiseau-esque film making style, Troy's inability to give up the jock image, Shirley's intolerance for other religions, Brita's SJW gone wrong-stereotype, Anna's perfectionism, and Pierce's ignorant racism/aggressive method of fitting in.

 

[kylar005]

I tend to write a lot and my protagonists tend to end up as bad people.
They often start out as the nice, innocent ones but as the story goes on turns bitter, cynical and do very questionable things.
I realize that kind of reflects me B)

 

[nichya]

I love misunderstood villains, especially when they have a softer core d'aaaw. It puzzles some people apparently, once I was given a sure everyone loves the bad boys comment which I thought was extremely shallow v.V how can not they see what I see? Don't you see that it is rather easy to love the hero? when the villain could use a hug.

 

[mushr00m]

Id probably choose Hannibal Lector as a genuinely interesting villain, he actually has loyalties to who could have been a potential victim - Clarice. I find that balance very endearing in some way. Norman Bates in Psycho - his psychological condition and idiosyncratic habits. Not really sympathy or affinity though, just a strong interest in the character formation.

 

[sensei.of.slow]

I believe I relate to the anger. Blind rage looks different when it does something (however debatable its justice) than when it simply paralyses..

 

[dreamingthroughlife]

I write too, and villains are much more enjoyable to write than the heroes. I'm in the process of creating an unexpected villain for a story right now. There are some movies where I sympathized with the villain and in one case, didn't think a villain deserved to die so I wrote an alternative ending fanfic where he didn't. I also sympathize with the villains' minions or henchmen. They are among my favorite characters. In the case of the movie I described above, (where I wrote an alternative ending), that particular villain had a henchman who I loved SO much I wrote an entire fanfiction story about him, even though he was minor and one-dimensional in canon. I expanded his character to make him more real. It's crazy I know.

 

[Bakushi]

@Itsmyhead ~ Oh wow I think you're right. Now that I think about that makes a lot of sense (*≧▽≦)ﾉｼ))
@bigstupidgrin ~ I feel the same way about the Joker and characters like him. I can't help but feel a bit odd or guilty even rooting for him, but like you said, it's a sort of escape.

...That reminds me, I need to finish watching Community. I love that show so much. It's too funny. ｡ﾟ(TヮT)ﾟ｡
Is that the newest season that they had the "villain special"? I'd love to watch that~

@kylar005 ~ When I first started writing stories I tended to do that too. I thought it was a bad thing so I stopped doing that for a while. However recently I find myself doing that again or just the other way around, where the villain starts out as such and then converts to the "good side". But yes, I feel like the villains I have the highest affinity for definitely reflect a "darker" me in a way.

*insert evil laughter*

@nichya ~ "Sure everybody likes bad boys" does sound shallow. ~(>_<~)
I guess it's hard for some people to understand that its not that they're bad, it's about sympathizing with them and seeing their past, motives and relating to it in a way and actually feeling bad or even rooting for them in the end. We should have a villain hugging rally where we just collect all the villains that deserve a hug...if the particular villain isn't inclined to shoot before asking questions about what in the world is going on that is (ᗒᗜᗕ)՛̵̖
@mushr00m ~ The fact that he prefers to "eat the rude" is a reason (a morbid one) that I kinda root for him. Not to mention his impeccable manners and his fine taste in everything from music to fashion. It's the dark but classy characters that also captivate me the most. If his friends aren't rude, or aren't "in his way", he sees no reason to turn them into tomorrows fine dinner. That's polite in his own way I suppose.

@dreamingthroughlife ~ I don't find it crazy. In fact I can see myself doing the same thing. Villains can "get away with" a lot more things than a hero can (unless it's anti-hero). Plus can be more complex. Taking a one-dimensional character and expanding him/her sounds like a pretty fun project to be honest.

Out of curiosity, what movie were you describing~? (｀・ω・´)”

 

[dreamingthroughlife]

Out of curiosity, what movie were you describing~? (｀・ω・´)”[/QUOTE]

I don't wanna say, it seems so childish for a grown woman to write fanfic based on a cartoon movie. It's animated. 'Sall I'm saying.

 

[Tactical Poet]

Out of curiosity, what movie were you describing~? (｀・ω・´)”

I don't wanna say, it seems so childish for a grown woman to write fanfic based on a cartoon movie. It's animated. 'Sall I'm saying.

I almost misread that as Anime = Cartoon = childish. Which is a separate and really big landmine in itself. People who consume anime are far more sensitive to this.

Just consider that some fairy tales we're meant for adults as well. So no worries.

 

[Tristan Jay]

Interesting topic, and I've been puzzled by my own tendency as well.

I like Charley and India in Stoker. Kevin Klein's character in A Fish Call Wanda is so mean and crass and contemptible, yet so much fun to watch and laugh about. I never quite latched on to Snape from Harry Potter, maybe because the key information we need about him comes so late in the game (the scene from The Order of the Phoenix helps it along, but, again that's still in book 5 out of 7).

Roy Batty from Blade Runner is a great character, though he's not necessarily villainous (and Ridley Scott seems to be on the same page as this particular topic). I love that scene where he gets the chance to confront his god/creator and tell him that he's not satisfied with the way he's been made...and the feeling in Roy (a machine!) is enough to get a flinch.

There's a movie called Wicker Park, which I thought would be boring, except for Rose Byrnes character. Josh Hartnet's character, and the girl he keeps searching for I found to be a blandly boring good looking couple, and Josh Hartnet's character is a hypocrite. Yet Rose Byrne's character, I felt sympathy for, and I rooted for her. I felt bad for where she is left, emotionally, at the end of the movie: despite the "wicked" things she had done, she was a character that really grew, I felt. The movie was corny, and I was disappointed at the ending, yet Rose Byrne's character made the movie worthwhile.

John Simm's version of the Master in Doctor Who is so charismatic and funny, and wonderful at poking fun at the usual trappings of DW: "Laser screwdriver! Who'd have sonic?"

 

[Tad Cooper]

Yeah I've tended towards feeling sorry for/liking the villain best in most things. I think it's maybe seeing them acting in a way you could never act, so you feel a sense of almost admiration for them? Kind of like when friends of mine act really quickly, grab opportunities and dont seem to dwell on things.
I write on and off and find my main characters always tend to be fairly amoral or in it for themselves (actually, it's the same in pathfinder too). I don't really get why, but they become that way.