History Main / ArmiesAreEvil

->''This had given Atro a chance to argue the worth of warfare as the breeder of courage and manliness and the weeder-out of the unfit, but the very line of his argument had forced him to concede the effectiveness of guerrillas, organized from below, self-disciplined. “But that only works when the people think they're fighting for something of their own — you know, their homes, or some notion or other,” the old man had said. Shevek had dropped the argument. He now continued it, in the darkening basement among the stacked crates of unlabeled chemicals. He explained to Atro that he now understood why the army was organized as it was. It was indeed quite necessary. No rational form of organization would serve the purpose. He simply had not understood that the purpose was to enable men with machine guns to kill unarmed men and women easily and in great quantities when told to do so. Only he still could not see where courage, or manliness, or fitness entered in.''
-->-- '''Shevek''', ''Literature/TheDispossessed''

->''"Just miles from our doorstep, hundreds of men are given weapons and trained to kill. The government calls it 'the Army.' But a more alarmist name is: '''The Killbot Factory'''."''
-->-- '''Kent Brockman''', ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''

* Played pretty straight in ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}'': the [[ThoseWackyNazis Letzte Battalion]] and the [[KnightTemplar Vatican Army]] are unquestionably evil, and cause equal devastation when they converge upon London. The latter are so much evil in particular that Father Anderson [[spoiler:ends up killing Maxwell, their leader, after he goes on a maniacal power trip and orders them to murder everyone in the city]].

* Played pretty straight in ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}'': the Last Battalion and the Vatican Army are unquestionably evil. The later so much that father Anderson [[spoiler:ends up killing Maxwell]].

* In ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'', General Ironwood brings a portion of the Atlas Military with him as security for the Vytal Festival in Beacon Academy. Since the actions of the series BigBad are becoming noticeable, he feels that this is a sign of protection that will deter aggressors. BigGood Ozpin states that a guardian is a symbol of protection, while an army is a symbol of conflict. The masses will be on edge, wonder what threat a force so large is meant to fight, and their negativity will in turn attract the Grimm.

* ''{{Literature/Gate}}'', simultaneously averts this and plays it straight. Averted in that the JSDF is portrayed as almost universally humane and egalitarian, always helping the people of the fantasy world their occupying; played straight in that just about every military force ''not'' the JSDF (on both sides of the titular gate) is portrayed as consistently in the wrong, and is constantly subjected to routine [[MookHorrorShow Mook Horror Shows]].

*** Played with in that there are Imperial Guard regiments like the [[DeathSeeker Death Korps of Krieg]] and the [[ArmyOfThievesAndWhores Salvar Chem Dogs]] that have some pretty dark themes and are consequently filled with some pretty nasty characters. And then you have to consider [[GeneralRipper how bloodthirsty and amoral some of the upper brass can be]].

* Deconstructed in ''Machinima/HalfLifeButTheAIIsSelfAware''. The U.S. Military starts wiping out everyone at Black Mesa following the Resonance Cascade as in [[VideoGame/HalfLife the original game]]. Since their strategy consists of bombing everything they can and charging in guns blazing at any enemy they run into rather than use actual tactics, and Black Mesa actually providing them with most of their funding and weapons, [[RealityEnsues the whole operation falls apart thanks to massive casualties and quickly burning through their resources.]]

* ''VideoGame/DeadRising'', featuring the standard "scary guys with assault rifles and gas masks who try to kill you to cover up everything" depiction of the U.S. Military that appears in countless other works such as VideoGame/{{Prototype}}, ''VideoGame/HalfLife'', VideoGame/TheCrazies, etc.

* ''{{Literature/Gate}}'', simultaneously averts this and plays it straight. Averted in that the JSDF is portrayed as almost universally humane and egalitarian, always helping the people of the fantasy world their occupying; played straight in that just about ''every'' military force not the JSDF (on both sides of the titular gate) is portrayed as definitively in the wrong, and sustained to routine [[MookHorrorShow Mook Horror Shows]].

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' does this many times for humor, normally involving Captain Zapp Brannigan, but it all goes wrong, leaving the gang to sort things out. This also happens in the movie ''Beast with a Billion Backs''. Of course, Zapp isn't so much evil as a narcissistic, incompetent MilesGloriosus, who doesn't understand the consequences of his behavior. Still applies though.

* The ''Literature/InDeath'' series: Creator/NoraRoberts seems to believe in this trope. Just check out ''Purity in Death'', ''Survivor in Death'', and ''Creation in Death'' if you want proof!

* Many ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' games have this, starting with the [[TheEmpire Palamecian Empire]] soldiers in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyII II]]'', the Red Wings in ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV IV]]'', the Imperial Army in ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI VI]]'', the Shinra army and {{S|uperSoldier}}OLDIER in ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII VII]]'', the Galbadian army in ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII VIII]]'' and PSICOM in ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII XIII]]''. All of these engage in various atrocities including razing population centres, terrorizing civilians, deforestation, theft and pillaging, scorched earth tactics, abuse of prisoners of war, summary execution and general acts of oppression. Interestingly, the regular Shinra soldiers and the Galbadian army share almost identical uniforms, including the 3 eyed visor helmets, despite being in different universes.

* In ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'', General Ironwood brings a portion of the Atlas Military with him as security for the Vytal Festival in Beacon Academy. Since the actions of the series BigBad are becoming noticeable, he feels that this is a sign of protection that will detour aggressors. BigGood Ozpin states that a guardian is a symbol of protection, while an army is a symbol of conflict. The masses will be on edge, wonder what threat a force so large is meant to fight, and their negativity will in turn [[EmotionEater attract the]] [[TheHeartless Grimm]].

Historically, the English-speaking world has been highly suspicious of ''standing'' armies, especially as opposed to local citizen militias. Standing armies were seen as the tool of distant and oppressive centralizing despots, while local militias defend the rights of the people. As a result, Britain subjected the Army to very tight budgetary scrutiny and tended to keep it small and largely overseas; the US did much the same thing upon independence. This is part of why Britain has a Royal Navy, but not a Royal Army. Eventually, both Britain and the US were forced by the circumstances of history to adopt the conventional model of large standing armies; however, while suspicion of the military has all but disappeared, traces of the old attitude remain in the form of the US protection of the "right to bear arms", and the tradition in both countries of organized, state-supported but locally-controlled militias lives on in the form of [[HomeGuard the National Guard in the US and the Territorial Army (now renamed the Army Reserve) in Britain]], as well as the British tradition of tying military units to specific locations. Also historically, people on the rest of the world may well see militaries in this light due to the many, many, MANY military dictatorships that were set up in the interwar period in Europe and in Latin America before and during the UsefulNotes/ColdWar. Turns out setting up a DayOfTheJackboot in your own country isn't good PR.

Historically, the English-speaking world has been highly suspicious of ''standing'' armies, especially as opposed to local citizen militias. Standing armies were seen as the tool of distant and oppressive centralizing despots, while local militias defend the rights of the people. As a result, Britain subjected the Army to very tight budgetary scrutiny and tended to keep it small and largely overseas; the US did much the same thing upon independence. This is part of why Britain has a Royal Navy, but not a Royal Army. Eventually, both Britain and the US were forced by the circumstances of history to adopt the conventional model of large standing armies; however, while suspicion of the military has all but disappeared, traces of the old attitude remain in the form of the US protection of the "right to bear arms", and the tradition in both countries of organized, state-supported but locally-controlled militias levies on in the form of [[HomeGuard the National Guard in the US and the Territorial Army (now renamed the Army Reserve) in Britain]], as well as the British tradition of tying military units to specific locations. Also historically, people on the rest of the world may well see militaries in this light due to the many, many, MANY military dictatorships that were set up in the interwar period in Europe and in Latin America before and during the UsefulNotes/ColdWar. Turns out setting up a DayOfTheJackboot in your own country isn't good PR.

Historically, the English-speaking world has been highly suspicious of ''standing'' armies, especially as opposed to local citizen militias. Standing armies were seen as the tool of distant and oppressive centralizing despots, while local militias defend the rights of the people. As a result, Britain subjected the Army to very tight budgetary scrutiny and tended to keep it small and largely overseas; the US did much the same thing upon independence. This is part of why Britain has a Royal Navy, but not a Royal Army. Eventually, both Britain and the US were forced by the circumstances of history to adopt the conventional model of large standing armies; however, while suspicion of the military has all but disappeared, traces of the old attitude remain in the form of the US protection of the "right to bear arms", and the tradition in both countries of organized, state-supported but locally-controlled militias lives on in the form of [[HomeGuard the National Guard in the US and the Territorial Army (now renamed the Army Reserve) in Britain]], as well as the British tradition of tying military units to specific locations. Also historically, people on the rest of the world may well see militaries in this light due to the many, many, MANY military dictatorships that were set up in the interwar period in Europe and in Latin America before and during the UsefulNotes/ColdWar. Turns out setting up a DayOfTheJackboot in your own country isn't good PR.

* ''VideoGame/HorizonZeroDawn'': Played with. The one military character seen in the Old World recordings is General Aaron Herres, who was a ReasonableAuthorityFigure. However, ''[[MyGodWhatHaveIDone himself]]'' believes this by the end, [[spoiler:especially as he considers the legacy of his chosen trade to be [[ApocalypseHow the extinction of all life on Earth]] - and his one redeeming act to be [[PyrrhicVictory protecting Project Zero Dawn]] by having humans go extinct first. His final act is to condemn his life's work and beg for forgiveness from the generations yet to be born]].

* In the early ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' titles, [[ASpaceMarineIsYou Doomguy]]'s backstory has him [[DefiedTrope defying this trope]] by beating his commanding officer to a bloody pulp for ordering him to shoot civilians. Even in the game itself, the Union Aerospace Corporation's mishaps, which cause the demons to invade Mars' moons and later Earth, happen more by accident than by their ambition getting the better of themselves. Even in ''VideoGame/Doom3'', the UAC is somewhat amoral, but still above the actions performed by the demons and by BigBad [[MadScientist Malcolm Betruger]]. Played straight though in ''VideoGame/Doom2016'' where they have degenerated into a borderline cult of evil in their attempt to find a new power source to save Earth from its energy crisis, and most of them have since been [[KarmicDeath killed]] or transformed by the Lazarus Wave.

** It still kinda makes you feel weird when you realize that ''every one'' of those goofy soldiers who work with Ed participated in the Ishval Genocide, and have individually killed more innocent people than most of us will ever even ''know by name''. And that's just the rank and file -- [[PersonOfMassDestruction State Alchemists]] such Mustang and Armstrong have personally torched and crushed several ''thousand'' people each.
*** And were left with serious emotional scarring. WarIsHell, and this war seemed pointless.
*** So just like the rank and file Nazi soldier they are not so subtle expies of.
*** Rather subtle as far as Nazis go. They're actually supposed to be expies of Japanese Imperial Soldiers, with the Ishvalans being Ainu expies. The similarities with the Germans are cosmetic as far as the European-expy countries go, and because Japan and Germany were both Axis Powers.