History Main / AmnesiacVillainJoinsTheHeroes

* ''VideoGame/TheCaligulaEffect2'': [[spoiler:[[MadBomber Marie Mizuguchi]] in the previous game was an outright sociopath who jumped at the chance to kill the Go Home Club simply [[ForTheEvulz for her own amusement]]. One memory wipe later, [[TeamMom Marie Amabuki]] is a kindhearted, loyal member of the group. One pivotal choice determines whether or not she goes off the deep end again once she remembers who she was.]]

If the villain remembers his past he will suffer from an identity crisis, [[AmnesiacDissonance questioning his real identity]], which may lead to several outcomes:
# The villain suffers from a mental breakdown.

There are several factors that can affect the outcome. If the villain in question is treated with kindness by the heroes, he may take ThePowerOfFriendship into consideration, especially if he never felt love and friendship before. If he's treated badly by the heroes, either because [[ReformedButRejected they're not convinced that he's now on their side]] or by one person who [[AccuserOfTheBrethren repeatedly rejects his attempts to do good]], he may decide that it's better off to stay evil, sometimes [[ThenLetMeBeEvil becoming exactly what they accused him of]]. In some cases, the villain will stay evil [[UndyingLoyalty out of loyalty to his own organization]], refusing to betray the other villains who trusted him. Last but not least, whether the villain would [[HeelRealization realize his past deed was damaging]].

* ''[[https://m.fanfiction.net/s/7915586/1/Lost-and-Found Lost and Found]]'' (a ''Franchise/TransformersGeneration1'' fanfic by [[Tropers/{{Kenyastarflight}} Kenya Starflight]]): Due to an accident with a new and improved version of Wheeljack's old Immobilizer, Megatron gets reduced to a sparkling with no memories of his old self. Adopted by Optimus and renamed Metronix, he's given a new chance at life. Eventually, the Decepticons kidnap him and try to turn him back, but since he's learned what his old self was like and is horrified by it, he fights back to stay Metronix... [[spoiler: and in the process accidentally uses the Immobilizer to turn Starscream, Soundwave, his cassettes and Shockwave into amnesiac sparklings too. All of them are consequently given a second chance to grow up as Autobots, and end up much happier in their new lives. A post-epilogue chapter shows that the same thing later happens to the Stunticons, though ''they're'' zapped on purpose rather than accidentally.]]
* ''Fanfic/ThePhoenix'' has this as its premise. Zuko, having been scarred and banished by his father the Fire Lord, ends up nearly drowning with a head-injury saving one of his crewmen during a storm. He washes ashore with amnesia and is found by Team Avatar, the very group he was looking for for all of these years. He joins them, unaware of his past or mission, and by the time he remembers who he is, he has decided that helping the Avatar defeat his father would be the best course action for everybody.

* ''Fanfic/YuGiOhArcVPendulumsFifthSwing'': The premise of the fic is that Zarc, the BigBad of ''Anime/YuGiOhArcV'', is found in a park and hit with amnesia early in the series. Without any memories of the events that ledd him to becoming the bloodthirsty Demon Duelist in the first place, he becomes a geniunly friendly and honorable entertainer. However, much of his bloodlust remains, which horrifies him and he's actively trying to push down.

* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverseTheMovie:'' BigBad Spinel is hit with her own rejuvenator early on in the movie, reverting her to her original form: [[spoiler:a harmless (if eccentric) playmate for Pink Diamond, now Steven.]] She sticks around with Steven for most of the movie, but unfortunately Steven needs to restore her memory to deactivate the [[DoomsdayDevice injector]] she planted on Earth.

* In ''Literature/KingsOfTheWyld'' this happens to [[spoiler: Larkspur/Sabbatha]] after she was injured fighting Saga. [[spoiler: It's ambiguous whether she was pretending all along or if she was actually amnesiac and then regained her memories, but she does have a genuine Main/HeelFaceTurn at the end.]]

* Part of the premise of ''Series/DarkMatter2015''. Six people (a woman, four men and a teenage girl) awaken from stasis on the spaceship ''Raza'' with no idea who they are or why they're there and name themselves [[YouAreNumberSix One through Six]] as a placeholder in the order they woke up. The FirstEpisodeTwist, once they're able to recover some of the files in the ship's database at the end of the pilot, is that apart from Five (the teenager) they learn their given names and that they were a crew of brutal mercenaries used as deniable enforcers by the [[MegaCorp corporate overlords]]. Most of them are [[AmnesiacDissonance appropriately horrified]] and help defend the mining colony they were hired to exterminate. From then on they [[ThatManIsDead stick with the numbers]] and try to reform their ways as much as one realistically can when one is already a hunted criminal. Their revenue still usually depends on illegal activity, but they avoid the mass murdering sort, shifting into the "outlaws with a heart of gold" archetype and sometimes trying to [[WeHelpTheHelpless save the galaxy]] with varying degrees of success. If Season Four had happened, the ''Raza'' crew would have accepted an offer to become agents of the Galactic Authority and have their records wiped clean, thus officially joining the heroes. Then again, the G.A. has been shown to have a mix of sincere and very corrupt officials and engage in some questionable practices itself.

* A variation occurs in ''Series/TheOuterLimits1995'' episode "[[Recap/TheOuterLimits1995S5E8BlankSlate Blank Slate]]". At the beginning of the episode, an amnesiac man asks a woman for help, because he's being pursued by some [[TheMenInBlack MIBs'.]] Throughout the episode, as they're on the run he uploads some missing memories into his brain and discovers that at some point in the past [[MadScientist he had been carrying out some questionable experiments.]] As he's about to upload his final memories, the woman tells him that maybe he shouldn't upload them, that maybe he erased those memories because he didn't want to remember them anymore, and he destroys them. Just, then the [=MIBs'=] catch up to them, [[ProfessorGuineaPig and tell the man that his experiment on erasing memories was a success,]] and to go back to the lab and continue his research. When they refuse, the [=MIB's=] overpower the couple, and the episode closes with the man having uploaded his memories and the woman strapped to a chair, begging him not to experiment on her, only for him to say she should be thanking him for making her forget something she doesn't want to remember anymore.
* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'': Happens in the space of one episode in Season 7 when Dean seeks out the help of a genuine faith healer named Emmanuel, who Dean immediately realizes is [[spoiler: [[BigBadFriend Castiel]], who had previously gotten DrunkOnTheDark side and was presumed dead.]] Emmanuel joins Dean and Meg on a road trip to help Sam, and he regains his memory when he smites some demons at the end of the episode. This results in a combination of outcomes 1 and 3.

* ''VideoGame/TheCaligulaEffect2'': [[spoiler:[[MadBomber Marie Mizuguchi]] in the previous game was an outright sociopath who jumped at the chance to kill the Go Home Club simply [[ForTheEvulz for her own amusement]]. One memory wipe later, [[TeamMom Marie Amabuki]] is a kindhearted, loyal member of the group. One pivotal choice determines whether or not she goes off the deep end again once she remembers who she was]].
* ''VideoGame/DragonBallZBudokaiTenkaichi'' features a WhatIf saga titled "Fateful Brothers" in which Goku's evil brother Raditz suffered amnesia like Goku himself did in ''Manga/DragonBall'' and became a good guy for a while. Being an adult, the EasyAmnesia eventually wears off, and after waffling back and forth between his newfound heroism and original villainy he ultimately [[spoiler:leaves Earth and collides his Attack Ball with Vegeta's in a HeroicSacrifice to protect his brother one last time]].
* Heavily implied in ''VideoGame/AITheSomniumFiles''. Kaname Date lost his memories six years before the game began, which is also when the Cyclops Killings took place. His boss and coworker both insist that the events are a coincidence and that he has nothing to do with the case. [[spoiler:It's ultimately subverted. He inhabits the body of the Cyclops Killer due to a case of GrandTheftMe that caused him to lose his memories. His original identity was a KillerCop, but he was already on the heroes' side when the body swap and memory loss took place]].
* ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'': Lostbelt 7 starts with the BigBad [[spoiler:U-Olga Marie]] attacking the hores before they even arrive, only for a giant green entity popping up out of nowhere and destroying both the BigBad and Chaldea's ship. The impact resulted in the BigBad having amnesia, and joining the heroes for answers. [[spoiler:The protagnist and Mash treat her as a friend, because U-Olga Marie is the probably brainwashed and already amnesiac Olga Marie, and the two regard not being able to save her life in the beginning of the game as [[MyGreatestFailure their greatest failure]].]] Another villain calls out the Chaldea crew on not telling the truth to the BigBad, and once she does regain her memories she has quite the morality crisis, especially once [[spoiler:EldritchAbomination ORT makes her realize how her invasion on Earth looks like from the victim's perspective.]]
* This is part of TheReveal in ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'': [[spoiler: the {{player character}} is actually [[PredecessorVillain Darth Revan]], who had his/her mind wiped by the Jedi Council to ensure that (s)he would no longer be a threat to the galaxy. Following this, the player can decide whether to remain heroic or else take over as the new Dark Lord of the Sith.]]
* ''Videogame/{{Littlewood}}'': It turns out that the EvilOverlord that was defeated prior to the game's beginning fell victim to the unexplained phenomenon that made the PlayerCharacter an AmnesiacHero. On top of this, it's revealed that some now-neutralized exterior factor had a hand in making the man into an EvilOverlord in the fist place, so the end result is effectively a guilt-ridden man wearing the EvilOverlord's face. Good thing the PlayerCharacter is in the middle of rebuilding and repopulating a village that is already harboring a couple of other outcasts. The PlayerCharacter can go as far as ''marrying'' the amnesiac former EvilOverlord.
* ''Franchise/MortalKombat'': Before the events of ''VideoGame/MortalKombat3''. Kabal was a member of Black Dragon who was victim of Shao Kahn's extermination forces and left for dead. He was disfigured, the reason why he has to use a gas mask permanently, and with his memories gone joining to Earthrealm forces against Shao Kahn. He eventually regained his memories after [=MK3=], as seen in his next appearance in ''VideoGame/MortalKombatDeception'', in which he not just comes back to Black Dragon clan, he also wants to remake the organization from the ashes.

* The postgame of ''[[VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeonExplorers Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time, Darkness, and Sky]]'' has you defeat [[spoiler:Darkrai, TheManBehindTheMan of the main plot.]] After his defeat, [[spoiler:Darkrai]] loses his memories, and can be found wandering random dungeons where he can then be recruited into the team.

* ''WesternAnimation/XiaolinShowdown'': The Season 2 finale has [[RobotMaster Jack Spicer]] accidentally turn himself good when he brought the Reversing Mirror into the Yin Yang World, reversing his own spirit in the process. He remains with the heroes until needing to enter the Yin Yang World again, resetting his spirit back to evil (but not before creating a good clone of himself in the meantime.) He is eventually reunited with his good half though.

* ''VideoGame/DragonballZBudokaiTenkaichi'' features a WhatIf saga titled "Fateful Brothers" in which Goku's evil brother Raditz suffered amnesia like Goku himself did in ''Manga/DragonBall'' and became a good guy for a while. Being an adult, the EasyAmnesia eventually wears off, and after waffling back and forth between his newfound heroism and original villainy he ultimately [[spoiler:leaves Earth and collides his Attack Ball with Vegeta's in a HeroicSacrifice to protect his brother one last time]].

* Part of the premise of ''Series/DarkMatter''. Six people (a woman, four men and a teenage girl) awaken from stasis on the spaceship ''Raza'' with no idea who they are or why they're there and name themselves [[YouAreNumberSix One through Six]] as a placeholder in the order they woke up. The FirstEpisodeTwist, once they're able to recover some of the files in the ship's database at the end of the pilot, is that apart from Five (the teenager) they learn their given names and that they were a crew of brutal mercenaries used as deniable enforcers by the [[MegaCorp corporate overlords]]. Most of them are [[AmnesiacDissonance appropriately horrified]] and help defend the mining colony they were hired to exterminate. From then on they [[ThatManIsDead stick with the numbers]] and try to reform their ways as much as one realistically can when one is already a hunted criminal. Their revenue still usually depends on illegal activity, but they avoid the mass murdering sort, shifting into the "outlaws with a heart of gold" archetype and sometimes trying to [[WeHelpTheHelpless save the galaxy]] with varying degrees of success.
** If Season Four had happened, the ''Raza'' crew would have accepted an offer to become agents of the Galactic Authority and have their records wiped clean, thus officially joining the heroes. Then again, the G.A. has been shown to have a mix of sincere and very corrupt officials and engage in some questionable practices itself.

* A variation occurs in ''Series/TheOuterLimits1995'' episode "Blank Slate". At the beginning of the episode, an amnesiac man asks a woman for help, because he's being pursued by some [[TheMenInBlack MIBs'.]] Throughout the episode, as they're on the run he uploads some missing memories into his brain and discovers that at some point in the past [[MadScientist he had been carrying out some questionable experiments.]] As he's about to upload his final memories, the woman tells him that maybe he shouldn't upload them, that maybe he erased those memories because he didn't want to remember them anymore, and he destroys them. Just, then the [=MIBs'=] catch up to them, [[ProfessorGuineaPig and tell the man that his experiment on erasing memories was a success,]] and to go back to the lab and continue his research. When they refuse, the [=MIB's=] overpower the couple, and the episode closes with the man having uploaded his memories and the woman strapped to a chair, begging him not to experiment on her, only for him to say she should be thanking him for making her forget something she doesn't want to remember anymore.

* ''WesternAnimation/XiaolinShowdown'': The Season 2 finale has [[RobotMaster Jack Spicer]] accidentally turn himself good when he brought the Reversing Mirror into the Yin Yang World, reversing his own spirit in the process. He remains with the heroes until needing to enter the Yin Yang World again, resetting his spirit back to evil (but not before creating a good clone of himself in the meantime.)