This page is Spoilers Off.
open/close all folders
Anime & Manga
Light Yagami: Since Kira has appeared six years ago, wars have stopped and global crime rates have been reduced by over 70%. But, it's not enough. This world is still rotten with too many rotten people! Somebody has to do this! When I first got that notebook all those years ago, I knew I had to do it. No, I was the only one who could. I understood that killing people was a crime. There was no other way! The world had to be fixed! A purpose given to me! Only I could do it. Who else could have done it and come this far?! Will they keep going?! The only one, who can create a new world, is me.
Near: ...No. You're just a murderer, Light Yagami. And this notebook is the deadliest weapon in the history of mankind. If you had been a normal person and had used this notebook once out of curiosity, you would have been surprised and scared of what had happened, regretted what you had done, and never used this notebook again. To speak of extremes, I can actually understand those who would use this notebook for their personal interests and kill a couple of people, and even think that they're normal. But you yielded to the power of the notebook and the Shinigami and have confused yourself with a god. In the end, you're nothing more than a crazy Serial Killer. That's all you are. Nothing more... and nothing less.
Vegeta: You believe your own lies, all this lofty crap?! You can't build utopia by hunting down people! Even gods!
Future Zamasu: We know you can't understand the beauty of this.
Goku Black: It's beyond the limitations of your feeble mind.
Future Zamasu: We know you can't understand the beauty of this.
Goku Black: It's beyond the limitations of your feeble mind.
Alibaba: Cassim... what are you doing? The monarchy is finished. There's no need for more bloodshed. So why are you doing this? Answer me, Cassim!!!
Cassim: I'd like to know... what you're doing. Equality? No king? When did I ever say I wanted that? [...] Listen, Ali Baba. Do you think royal brats should live like royalty? And slum brats should spend their lives in the slums? Well, I don't. We're all human. That's why... Anyone has the right to be the king!
Alibaba: So you're saying... you just wanted to be king? I won't let you destroy anything else for your personal ambition!!
Cassim: I'd like to know... what you're doing. Equality? No king? When did I ever say I wanted that? [...] Listen, Ali Baba. Do you think royal brats should live like royalty? And slum brats should spend their lives in the slums? Well, I don't. We're all human. That's why... Anyone has the right to be the king!
Alibaba: So you're saying... you just wanted to be king? I won't let you destroy anything else for your personal ambition!!
"For the Warlock Realm to live on, proceed! Spread your absolute blackness of magical darkness so that I may be ruler of all!"
Comic Books
Luthor: I saw how to save the world! I could have made everyone see. I could have saved the world if it wasn't for you!
[Superman knocks Luthor out]
Superman: You could have saved the world years ago if it mattered to you, Luthor.
[Superman knocks Luthor out]
Superman: You could have saved the world years ago if it mattered to you, Luthor.
Luthor: If anything, I'm a humanitarian. The agreement was that Brainiac would leave. He would leave humanity alone to grow and prosper and become all it could become. That's what I wanted.
Batman: You're not a humanitarian, Luthor. You're a fool. And a criminal.
Luthor: Listen to me. Brainiac was only going to take those who wanted a free lunch. The lazy. The sick. The undisciplined. Those who looked to others to save them. The humanity that remained here on Earth would have been capable of anything. Don't you see? Mankind could have been free from its predisposition to care for its weaker element. It would no longer be measured according to the lowest common denominator. You, Bruce. You're human. Think of what our world might be like if the criminal element alone, those who want for what other people have earned, was gone.
Batman: And so you trusted in an alien robot to make this possible? Brainiac hates all living things. Nuclear Armageddon was always his plan for those who remained.
Luthor: No. This would not have happened if you had all just laid down and died.
Batman: You're not a humanitarian, Luthor. You're a fool. And a criminal.
Luthor: Listen to me. Brainiac was only going to take those who wanted a free lunch. The lazy. The sick. The undisciplined. Those who looked to others to save them. The humanity that remained here on Earth would have been capable of anything. Don't you see? Mankind could have been free from its predisposition to care for its weaker element. It would no longer be measured according to the lowest common denominator. You, Bruce. You're human. Think of what our world might be like if the criminal element alone, those who want for what other people have earned, was gone.
Batman: And so you trusted in an alien robot to make this possible? Brainiac hates all living things. Nuclear Armageddon was always his plan for those who remained.
Luthor: No. This would not have happened if you had all just laid down and died.
"You don't want to be a hero. You just want to be super."
— Power Girl, Power Girl (2009)
"I will take a dozen cities-in-the-bottle back to repopulate my home world, where a plague wiped out my people! Then I will restore all the cities to their original size and have a new empire to rule, as before!"
— Brainiac, "The Super-Duel in Space"
"I once told Optimus I killed for the sake of killing. I wanted him to hurt me, you see - because when he hurts others, he hurts himself. And the thing is, when those words were in my head, I didn't think I meant them; but when they left my mouth, I realised that I did. If the world thinks you're a monster, what does it matter? The world is wrong. But when you start to think of yourself as a monster..."
— Megatron, The Transformers (IDW)
"Ah Rose. I could tell you that I've seen ten of thousands die for nothing, and that at least my bodies serve a purpose... that my attempts at transplants are all in the name of science... but the truth is that when people take you for a monster, there's only one thing left for you to do... exceed their expectation!"
— Jeronimus Quint, Undertaker: The Shadow Of Hippocrates
Aftermath: NO!!! I only did this to make them understand — to make the world better.
Supergirl: I know. But that doesn't mean you're right.
Supergirl: I know. But that doesn't mean you're right.
Fan Works
"All you seek is power, Veran. You steal raw power to use as your own and then reap the harvest of the destruction you sow with it. You say that you sought to avenge your fallen people, but in reality all you want is to satisfy your own bloodlust!"
— Zelda to Veran, Bound Destinies Trilogy: Wisdom and Courage
Alpha: Five, please assimilate him too. Please... forgive me. I just want to help you.
Chibaku: ...no. It's just an excuse. You just want to be proved right.
Chibaku: ...no. It's just an excuse. You just want to be proved right.
"All your claims to my father about how much you needed him as an heir for when your time came, about how Talia and him would bring your dreams to fruition, and yet, when the Grim Reaper finally came knocking, what did you do? You take my big brother hostage to try and force Damian to give his body up to you. Because in the end, your legacy has never been about your family, has never been about bettering the world. It's only ever been about you. And guess what? Every single person here (The League of Assassins/Shadows) paid the price for it, and had nothing to show for it. All because they fell for your bullshit, all because they failed to see what you really were: a self-obsessed coward who is so high on himself that he's deluded himself into believing that his wish to make the world pay for his own tragedies is for its own good. All because you found some magic hot springs that made you live a little longer than the rest of us. What a sad story all around."
— Jason Todd, one day at a time (Nyame)
Besides, he preferred not to share knowledge of any sort, as the more his ants knew, the more complicated they made things, and the more trouble they were to manipulate 'For The Greater Good.'
He'd never quite completed that phrase out in public. People always imagined the tag line 'for the greater good of the world', or 'society in general', but every time he spoke it he completed it in the privacy of his own mind the way he actually meant it, 'for the greater good of Albus Dumbledore.'
He'd never quite completed that phrase out in public. People always imagined the tag line 'for the greater good of the world', or 'society in general', but every time he spoke it he completed it in the privacy of his own mind the way he actually meant it, 'for the greater good of Albus Dumbledore.'
— Albus Dumbledore, Partially Kissed Hero
Starlight Glimmer: You... you dare say that to me?!
Twilight Sparkle: I do. And do you know why? Because what you did... they're not the actions of somepony who tried to fight against an injustice. They're the actions... of a child. A child who never learned how to grow up! A child loses her friend, and in the sadness that follows, she shuts herself away. She tells herself that what happened was the fault of the cutie marks, that they must have something wrong with them. She never stops to consider the prospect of making new friends, or by trying to contact her old one. She brings her misery and isolation on herself. She tried to make everypony else feel worse, just to make herself feel better.
Twilight Sparkle: I do. And do you know why? Because what you did... they're not the actions of somepony who tried to fight against an injustice. They're the actions... of a child. A child who never learned how to grow up! A child loses her friend, and in the sadness that follows, she shuts herself away. She tells herself that what happened was the fault of the cutie marks, that they must have something wrong with them. She never stops to consider the prospect of making new friends, or by trying to contact her old one. She brings her misery and isolation on herself. She tried to make everypony else feel worse, just to make herself feel better.
"I have something to say. [...] Whoever is committing these attacks is not doing so for Faunus rights, they're doing this because they're a hateful, bigoted monster just looking for an excuse to kill, but is still so utterly cowardly, they refuse to show their face to the public."
— Winter Schnee, War of Remnant: A RWBY Anthology
Films — Animation
Drago: You see, I know what it is to live in fear. To see my village burned, my family taken. But even as a boy, left with nothing, I vowed to rise above the fear of dragons and liberate the people of this world.
Hiccup: Then why a dragon army?
Drago: Well, you need dragons to conquer other dragons.
Hiccup: Or maybe you need dragons to conquer people. To control those who follow you... and to get rid of those who won't.
Drago: [chuckles] Clever boy.
Hiccup: Then why a dragon army?
Drago: Well, you need dragons to conquer other dragons.
Hiccup: Or maybe you need dragons to conquer people. To control those who follow you... and to get rid of those who won't.
Drago: [chuckles] Clever boy.
Ares: Don't you get it? You're as broken as they are. But my world... My world will be perfect. No more pain, no more conflict. No more injustice. No humanity.
7723: You are very evil.
Ares: Ah, agree to disagree.
7723: You are very evil.
Ares: Ah, agree to disagree.
— Next Gen
"Sorry, I don't see any patriotism here. All I see is a psycho who's latched onto an excuse to kill people and who's so stupid he doesn't realize he's being used by Luthor."
— Batman to Major Force, Superman/Batman: Public Enemies
Bellwether: We're on the same team, Judy! Underestimated, under-appreciated, aren't you sick of it?! Predators, they may be strong and loud, but prey outnumber predators ten-to-one. Think of it. 90% of the population united against a common enemy. We'll be unstoppable!
(later)
Judy: So that's it? Prey fear predator and you stay in power?
Bellweather: Yeah, pretty much.
(later)
Judy: So that's it? Prey fear predator and you stay in power?
Bellweather: Yeah, pretty much.
— Zootopia
Films — Live-Action
Jafar: I wish nothing but glory for the kingdom of Agrabah.
Jasmine: No. You seek glory for yourself. And you would win it off the backs of my people!
Jasmine: No. You seek glory for yourself. And you would win it off the backs of my people!
Caesar: Trusted Koba, like brother.
Koba: Caesar brother to humans! Koba fight for ape. Free ape!
Caesar: Kill ape. Koba fight for Koba. Koba belong in cage!
Koba: Caesar brother to humans! Koba fight for ape. Free ape!
Caesar: Kill ape. Koba fight for Koba. Koba belong in cage!
Steve Clark: People are gonna know when I get out of here.
Edgar Caldicott: That’s right Steven, they will know. They’ll know because you’ll be better. Adolescence is a minefield... but soon, you’ll be fully equipped to walk right through it.
Steve Clark: Yeah, straight A’s in a leather jacket and every now and then you rape and kill.
Edgar Caldicott: To cure cancer, you gotta kill a few white mice.
Steve Clark: Meet the musical little creatures that hide among the flowers.
Edgar Caldicott: That’s a battle I didn’t win. You’ll be different. I know so much more now: she wasn’t that bright to begin with.
Edgar Caldicott: That’s right Steven, they will know. They’ll know because you’ll be better. Adolescence is a minefield... but soon, you’ll be fully equipped to walk right through it.
Steve Clark: Yeah, straight A’s in a leather jacket and every now and then you rape and kill.
Edgar Caldicott: To cure cancer, you gotta kill a few white mice.
Steve Clark: Meet the musical little creatures that hide among the flowers.
Edgar Caldicott: That’s a battle I didn’t win. You’ll be different. I know so much more now: she wasn’t that bright to begin with.
Thanos: I thought by eliminating half of life, the other half would thrive... but you've shown me that's impossible. As long as there are those that remember what was, there will always be those that are unable to accept what can be. They will resist.
Tony: Yep. We're all kinds of stubborn.
Thanos: I'm thankful... because now, I know what I must do. I will shred this universe down to its last atom... and then, with the stones you've collected for me, create a new one, teeming with life... that knows not what it has lost, but only what it has been given. A grateful universe.
Steve: Born out of blood.
Thanos: They'll never know it... because you won't be alive to tell them.
Tony: Yep. We're all kinds of stubborn.
Thanos: I'm thankful... because now, I know what I must do. I will shred this universe down to its last atom... and then, with the stones you've collected for me, create a new one, teeming with life... that knows not what it has lost, but only what it has been given. A grateful universe.
Steve: Born out of blood.
Thanos: They'll never know it... because you won't be alive to tell them.
Holly: After all your posturing, all your little speeches, you're nothing but a common thief.
Hans: I am an exceptional thief, Mrs. McClane. And since I'm moving up to kidnapping, you should be more polite.
Hans: I am an exceptional thief, Mrs. McClane. And since I'm moving up to kidnapping, you should be more polite.
— Die Hard
The High Evolutionary: All I wanted to do… was to make things… perfect!
Rocket: You didn't want to make things perfect. You just hated things the way they are.
Rocket: You didn't want to make things perfect. You just hated things the way they are.
"The Circle isn't helping anyone! You're not helping anyone cross over! You're sacrificing them to the Witch of the Woods!"
Harry: You "heroes" killed a dozen people this week. What are you going to do next week?
Davis: (flatly) Kill a dozen more.
Davis: (flatly) Kill a dozen more.
Magneto: Why do none of you understand what I'm trying to do? Those people down there — they control our fate and the fate of every other mutant! Well, soon, our fate will be theirs.
Wolverine: You're so full of shit! If you were really so righteous, it'd be you in that thing.
Wolverine: You're so full of shit! If you were really so righteous, it'd be you in that thing.
— X-Men
Literature
Cyan's father: This is our income stream. It's all we have. If we lose this, we lose everything. We become homeless. All of us. There are no jobs here. There's fierce competition for even retail jobs in every city in the state. They're not going to hire us.
Cyan: So you admit that this is all about you being unemployable.
Cyan: So you admit that this is all about you being unemployable.
"Apex's goal in building Mechagodzilla is ostensibly to fight fire with fire, shutting down threats by using the only thing that can go toe to toe with a Titan. In the long term, however, Apex and its CEO Walter Simmons are looking to establish a new era of corporate dominance. 'Mechagodzilla would basically be the largest policeman ever created,' says writer Zach Shields. 'This giant apex predator would be under Apex control, so by proxy it would be either the world's policeman, or a bully.'"
— Godzilla vs. Kong art book One Will Fall — The Art of the Ultimate Battle Royale
"You can stop pretending you're killing me for a cause. You're not. You're killing me because you like it, Dean. You're not a vampire; you're worse. They're like tigers. You're a cannibal."
— Claire Danvers to Dean, Morganville Vampires: Carpe Corpus
'"You've gone to great lengths to make us the monsters, Fallon. You talk of how we cannot control our bestial impulses, our appetites. About how those different from you must be eliminated, for safety, or converted to a form you find acceptable. But here we stand, different. We could stop every beating heart in this place. In this town. We could rampage across the world, creating more and more of our own kind. But we do not. Do you know why? Because we are not monsters. We are you, given a curse that most of us never sought but came to accept. Would we return to our human state if given the chance? Some would. Some would not. But forcing us, with the knowledge that you will destroy so many in the process... That's not mercy, Fallon, no matter what you pretend. It's murder."
— Amelie to Rhys Fallon, Morganville Vampires: Daylighters
O'Brien: You understand well enough how the Party maintains itself in power. Now tell me why we cling to power. What is our motive? Why should we want power? Go on, speak.
Winston Smith: You are ruling over us for our own good. You believe that human beings are not fit to govern themselves, and therefore—
[O'Brien electrocutes Winston for his wrong answer]
O'Brien: That was stupid, Winston, stupid! You should know better than to say a thing like that. Now I will tell you the answer to my question. It is this. The Party seeks power entirely for its own sake. We are not interested in the good of others; we are interested solely in power. Not wealth or luxury or long life or happiness: only power, pure power. [...] One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship.
Winston Smith: You are ruling over us for our own good. You believe that human beings are not fit to govern themselves, and therefore—
[O'Brien electrocutes Winston for his wrong answer]
O'Brien: That was stupid, Winston, stupid! You should know better than to say a thing like that. Now I will tell you the answer to my question. It is this. The Party seeks power entirely for its own sake. We are not interested in the good of others; we are interested solely in power. Not wealth or luxury or long life or happiness: only power, pure power. [...] One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship.
The Lady: The town was failing, sweet. We are bound to the people of Gentry, bound to help them, even when they wouldn't consider it a service. Even when the cost to them is great.
Mackie: Help them. Yeah, you help them all right. Help their kids into coffins. Help them cover their houses in amulets. You think you're a god, but you're just a monster.
Mackie: Help them. Yeah, you help them all right. Help their kids into coffins. Help them cover their houses in amulets. You think you're a god, but you're just a monster.
"I think you saw a chance to be an emperor, and you took it. You wanted power, Taravangian — so you could give it up. You wanted to be the glorious king who sacrificed himself to protect everyone else. You have always seen yourself as the man who must bear the burden of leading. [...] Because you like it. [...] Because you want to be known as the one who saved us."
— Dalinar Kholin, Rhythm of War
Live-Action TV
Walter White: Skyler, all the things that I did, you need to understand...
Skyler: If I have to hear, one more time, that you did this for the family—
Walter: I did it for me. I liked it, I was good at it, and I was really... I was alive.
Skyler: If I have to hear, one more time, that you did this for the family—
Walter: I did it for me. I liked it, I was good at it, and I was really... I was alive.
— Breaking Bad, "Felina"
Clifford DeVoe: Within a day, all soldiers will lay down their arms. Every nuclear weapon will be disarmed within six months. Poverty, famine, disease... eradicated. We will clean up the streets. People will put down their idiot phones and become curious again, and I will be there to teach them. I, not you, will save this godforsaken world.
Barry Allen: No... you'll just control it. You wanna take away free will.
Barry Allen: No... you'll just control it. You wanna take away free will.
"I'm simply creating a world free of conflict. The screams of humans will replace the birds chirping at dawn. Doesn't that sound nice?"
— Isaac, Kamen Rider Saber
Expanoid: We're the good guys here.
Dave Lister: But you kill people!
Expanoid: No-one said we couldn't have a little fun now and again.
Dave Lister: But you kill people!
Expanoid: No-one said we couldn't have a little fun now and again.
Lex Luthor: We must put faith in ourselves, but instead we look up to him with big glassy eyes because we think he's invincible. It's my duty to dispel the world of that notion. And when he dies, they wil finally wake up and see him for what he really was: a false god.
Lena Luthor: At least he's a good man.
Lex: He is NOT a man! I WAS THE MAN OF TOMORROW! NOT HIM! NOT HIM!
Lena: So it was all ego, then.
Lex: No, it's science. I want to see if the Kryptonian pretender can bleed.
Lena Luthor: At least he's a good man.
Lex: He is NOT a man! I WAS THE MAN OF TOMORROW! NOT HIM! NOT HIM!
Lena: So it was all ego, then.
Lex: No, it's science. I want to see if the Kryptonian pretender can bleed.
"You aren't doing this for your people. You don't care about our mothers. You just want to kill men. Not one or two, but all of them. Yeah, you want to burn down the whole damn house."
—Calliope McTeer to Adrielle Cuthbert, Tidelands (Netflix)
Video Games
Matias Torres: Don't you see Three Strikes?! Ten million lives will be saved at the cost of a mere million lives!
David North: You liar! You just want to kill people! We won't let you!
David North: You liar! You just want to kill people! We won't let you!
Kat: I thought we were fighting for freedom!
Dante: It was his freedom we were fighting for. Not yours.
Dante: It was his freedom we were fighting for. Not yours.
— DmC: Devil May Cry, regarding Vergil
While it may be hard to accept at first, you deserve what happened to you. I know, I know, it's hard to hear. But it's the truth. We are the cause of our own fates. If you had acted better in the past, you wouldn't be here right now. The sooner you accept that the sooner you can start to heal. And I can help you with the healing process.
[...]
Each patient file comes with a description of their traumas and how to trigger them. Constantly remind patients that their trauma was their own doing. Never validate any signs of healthy change. More patients means more money.
[...]
Each patient file comes with a description of their traumas and how to trigger them. Constantly remind patients that their trauma was their own doing. Never validate any signs of healthy change. More patients means more money.
—The Preacher/Jason Sunray, The Exorcism of Annabelle Sunray
Lysandra: How much is enough, Kratos? When will it end?!
Kratos: When the glory of Sparta is known throughout the world.
Lysandra: The "glory of Sparta"? You did this for yourself!
Kratos: When the glory of Sparta is known throughout the world.
Lysandra: The "glory of Sparta"? You did this for yourself!
Master Xehanort: The world needs someone to stand up and lead. Someone strong, to stop the weak from polluting the world with their endless darkness. Someone to dictate their destiny.
Sora: If so... you're not that person, Xehanort. A real leader knows that destiny is beyond his control... and accepts that.
Sora: If so... you're not that person, Xehanort. A real leader knows that destiny is beyond his control... and accepts that.
Princess Hilda: Give me your Triforce of Power, Yuga! We mustn't be defeated! If we are, Lorule will be lost forever! [Beat] Come now, obey me! Give it to me at once!
Yuga: Ha ha ha ha... my dear, sweet deluded Hilda! What care have I to save your crumbling kingdom? It's no better than that hideous Hyrule. When the Triforce is mine, I plan to remake Lorule in MY image.
Yuga: Ha ha ha ha... my dear, sweet deluded Hilda! What care have I to save your crumbling kingdom? It's no better than that hideous Hyrule. When the Triforce is mine, I plan to remake Lorule in MY image.
Tiones Walpurgis/the Spirit of the Dream: Our paradise was perfect until... you showed up. Even if the world was built on lies and confabulation... there was no pain. Everybody could be happy, freed from the pain and suffering of the real world. It was THE dream world!
Fels: Do not bend the truth, fallen spirits. You no longer own a physical form... so draining the life out of livings is the only way to continue this world. Everyone who has been taken into this world will eventually die - consumed by this fantasy you call dream.
Bell, Liliruca, and Eina: ...!!
Fels: This so-called paradise is a nightmare of death. Happiness promised here is false and temporary. Acknowledge your sins, Dream Violas.
Fels: Do not bend the truth, fallen spirits. You no longer own a physical form... so draining the life out of livings is the only way to continue this world. Everyone who has been taken into this world will eventually die - consumed by this fantasy you call dream.
Bell, Liliruca, and Eina: ...!!
Fels: This so-called paradise is a nightmare of death. Happiness promised here is false and temporary. Acknowledge your sins, Dream Violas.
— Memoria Freese, "Nightmare Academia" campaign
"Maybe I was wrong about you… I was wrong. You're not greedy… you're bat-shit INSANE!"
— Raiden to Senator Armstrong, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
"Even the stoic Sichte swallowed that drivel about a world just for Magi. Hook, line, and sinker, no less! Magnificent!"
— Iris Zeppelin, RosenkreuzStilette
Silver: I won't let anyone get in my way! I'll change the past and save the world!
Shadow: Mephiles isn't trying to help you create a better future... he's trying to eliminate the past.
Shadow: Mephiles isn't trying to help you create a better future... he's trying to eliminate the past.
"I could see the truth of Amon while he spoke to me... He claims his cause is noble, but only darkness and rage fester within."
— Rohana, StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void
Dimentio: I have been watching you. You are the only ones who can stand up to Count Bleck. So... I have a favor to ask. Will you help me... destroy the count?
Luigi: What are you talking about?! You want to betray him?!
Dimentio: Betray him? Ah ha ha ha. Oh, no. It is Count Bleck who has betrayed ME! He said he would destroy all worlds and create a new, perfect world in their place. But he was lying! He plans to obliterate every world, and then keep them all in ruin.
Tippi: ......!
Dimentio: I have always known about his nefarious goal. But I could never hope to stop him on my own. I feigned loyalty to him as I searched for someone who could defeat him with me! Well, you see... That is why... I rescued the princess from brainwashing. It's also why I sent you to The Underwhere to fix the broken Pure Heart. And why I freed a man to be reunited with his brother... Now do you see?
Tippi: You've... been helping us all this time?
Dimentio: Ahhh, you've got me pegged. Now, how about you return the favor? I'll give you the power you need to crush Count Bleck... Just fight by my side!
[…]
Super Dimentio: Now the Chaos Heart is mine! I will use this to destroy all worlds... and create perfect new ones! So, shall we get started? Now I have all I need... to become the king of all worlds!
Luigi: What are you talking about?! You want to betray him?!
Dimentio: Betray him? Ah ha ha ha. Oh, no. It is Count Bleck who has betrayed ME! He said he would destroy all worlds and create a new, perfect world in their place. But he was lying! He plans to obliterate every world, and then keep them all in ruin.
Tippi: ......!
Dimentio: I have always known about his nefarious goal. But I could never hope to stop him on my own. I feigned loyalty to him as I searched for someone who could defeat him with me! Well, you see... That is why... I rescued the princess from brainwashing. It's also why I sent you to The Underwhere to fix the broken Pure Heart. And why I freed a man to be reunited with his brother... Now do you see?
Tippi: You've... been helping us all this time?
Dimentio: Ahhh, you've got me pegged. Now, how about you return the favor? I'll give you the power you need to crush Count Bleck... Just fight by my side!
[…]
Super Dimentio: Now the Chaos Heart is mine! I will use this to destroy all worlds... and create perfect new ones! So, shall we get started? Now I have all I need... to become the king of all worlds!
Yuri Barkov: What I did... I did for Ursun.
Be'lakor: You did it for yourself! Took what your heart desired. Look how you've reveled in your dark baptism.
Be'lakor: You did it for yourself! Took what your heart desired. Look how you've reveled in your dark baptism.
Visual Novels
Yujin Mikotoba: Lord Stronghart... you appear to be in something of a hurry to wrap things up. I wonder why...
Mael Stronghart: .........
Mikotoba: We've heard you state time and again during these proceedings... ...that everything you did was in the interests of protecting British law and order.
Stronghart: And I stand by that. Without the Reaper, we could never have achieved the reduction in crime the capital has seen.
Ryunosuke Naruhodo: Objection! What about Inspector Gregson then?
Stronghart: ...!
Kazuma Asogi: And Dr Wilson. They were no criminals. You used them to achieve your ends... and then you had them killed!
Ryunosuke: However you dress it up... there was nothing fair or just about that!
Mael Stronghart: .........
Mikotoba: We've heard you state time and again during these proceedings... ...that everything you did was in the interests of protecting British law and order.
Stronghart: And I stand by that. Without the Reaper, we could never have achieved the reduction in crime the capital has seen.
Ryunosuke Naruhodo: Objection! What about Inspector Gregson then?
Stronghart: ...!
Kazuma Asogi: And Dr Wilson. They were no criminals. You used them to achieve your ends... and then you had them killed!
Ryunosuke: However you dress it up... there was nothing fair or just about that!
— The Great Ace Attorney: Resolve, Case G2-5: "The Resolve of Ryunosuke Naruhodo"
"They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions, but not yours! You never had good intentions, only lies to protect yourself with while blaming another. You, professor, are the embodiment of the dark age of the law!"
— Athena Cykes to Aristotle Means, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies, Case 5-3: "Turnabout Academy"
Web Animation
Adam: This could've been our day! Can't you see that!?
Blake: I never wanted this! I wanted equality! I wanted peace!
Adam: What you want is impossible! But I understand because all I want is you, Blake. And as I set out upon this world and deliver the justice mankind so greatly deserves, I will make it my mission to destroy everything you love.
Blake: I never wanted this! I wanted equality! I wanted peace!
Adam: What you want is impossible! But I understand because all I want is you, Blake. And as I set out upon this world and deliver the justice mankind so greatly deserves, I will make it my mission to destroy everything you love.
— RWBY, "Heroes and Monsters"
Webcomics
"You — you're just putting a bunch of imaginary goblins in the future ahead of the ones alive right now! Aren't you their leader?? They follow you! You're just a... a big phony, talking about stuff like equality and justice to make yourself feel better about shoving them off a cliff! I don't think you care about them — you just feel bad about not caring!!"
— Minrah to Redcloak, The Order of the Stick
Web Originals
"Zaheer is basically a crazy homeless guy who waxes philosophical but is actually just a crazy homeless guy."
— A YouTube comment on this video
Dr. Okorie: Oh, who am I talking to? The woman who helped shore up apartheid. You're about as liberal-minded as Margaret Thatcher. (...) Drop the act. We're not fascists, and you're no liberator. You're a thug.
Crocker: You're a thug for tyrants. I'm a thug for principle.
Dr. Okorie: Bullshit. You could have spent the last ten years tearing down dictators and building up bridges, instead of siccing the actual tyrants on us. With your abilities, and the clout you used to have, you could've helped kill tyranny stone dead. Why didn't you? (...) Your motives are transparent. It was all laid out in that first note you sent, remember? You needed someone to blame, and you made up a reason. All this death and destruction because you couldn't cope with what you'd lost, with the fact that it was nobody's fault but yours. You tried to make it everybody's fault.
Crocker: You're a thug for tyrants. I'm a thug for principle.
Dr. Okorie: Bullshit. You could have spent the last ten years tearing down dictators and building up bridges, instead of siccing the actual tyrants on us. With your abilities, and the clout you used to have, you could've helped kill tyranny stone dead. Why didn't you? (...) Your motives are transparent. It was all laid out in that first note you sent, remember? You needed someone to blame, and you made up a reason. All this death and destruction because you couldn't cope with what you'd lost, with the fact that it was nobody's fault but yours. You tried to make it everybody's fault.
Web Videos
Sam: You're not the good guy, Dream. Don't pretend like you're the good guy. We both know that's not true.
Dream: I don't think that I'm a bad guy...
Sam: How are you not the bad guy?
Dream: Well, I think, y'know... Good people do bad things... I think, y'know–
Sam: Bad people do bad things.
Dream: Good guys, bad guys...
Sam: So what you did to Tommy? You were just a good guy, doing a bad thing? Making a mistake?
[Beat]
Dream: Look, just don't tell Quackity.
Dream: I don't think that I'm a bad guy...
Sam: How are you not the bad guy?
Dream: Well, I think, y'know... Good people do bad things... I think, y'know–
Sam: Bad people do bad things.
Dream: Good guys, bad guys...
Sam: So what you did to Tommy? You were just a good guy, doing a bad thing? Making a mistake?
[Beat]
Dream: Look, just don't tell Quackity.
Western Animation
"Growing up, we were taught that the Fire Nation was the greatest civilization in history, and somehow, the war was our way of sharing our greatness with the rest of the world. What an amazing lie that was. The people of the world are terrified by the Fire Nation. They don't see our greatness. They hate us! And we deserve it. We've created an era of fear in the world. And if we don't want the world to destroy itself, we need to replace it with an era of peace and kindness."
— Prince Zuko to his father Fire Lord Ozai, Avatar: The Last Airbender, "The Day of Black Sun, Part 2"
Lex Luthor: I don't expect everyone to understand what I'm doing at first, but in the end... we'll have a single worldwide army! One that will ensure protection against aliens! No one will dominate the Earth again.
Batman: Except for you.
Lex Luthor: Well, someone has to be in charge...
Batman: Except for you.
Lex Luthor: Well, someone has to be in charge...
Grant Walker: My world will have no crime, violence or pain.
Robin: You can add free will to that list!
Walker: A small price to pay for order.
Batman: Your order — for your select few!
Walker: Excuse me, but I fail to see the problem with that!
Robin: You can add free will to that list!
Walker: A small price to pay for order.
Batman: Your order — for your select few!
Walker: Excuse me, but I fail to see the problem with that!
Omni-Man: You're doing this for nothing. Being a part of the empire will make Earth better than it ever was.
Invincible: And what if they resist?
Omni-Man: That's why we're here. To keep them from resisting. To show them how wrong they are, how pointless it is. That they can be part of something bigger... or die.
Invincible: And what if they resist?
Omni-Man: That's why we're here. To keep them from resisting. To show them how wrong they are, how pointless it is. That they can be part of something bigger... or die.
Galatea: Maybe that's because I'm the real hero here. Your Justice League is a bunch of dangerous loose cannons, and I'm going to shut you down.
Supergirl: Who do you think you're kidding? You don't care about what the League does. Admit it. You just wanna beat me.
Supergirl: Who do you think you're kidding? You don't care about what the League does. Admit it. You just wanna beat me.
Luz: Belos says he's trying to save humanity and we're saying we wanna save our families, so isn't that the same thing, d-don't these feelings come from the same place?
The Titan: You assume Belos's goal comes from a genuine place. But that man doesn't care about anything but his need to be the hero in his own delusion. And because of that, he fears what he can't control.
The Titan: You assume Belos's goal comes from a genuine place. But that man doesn't care about anything but his need to be the hero in his own delusion. And because of that, he fears what he can't control.
Evil Morty: They literally all say that. They all have that excuse. It's all part of their system: None of them have to be responsible, they're all victims of themselves. "Oh, it's so hard to be a genius!" [hand on his heart] Couldn't you just die?
Morty Prime: Well, what are you doing about it?
Evil Morty: Jack shit — I'm leaving.
Morty Prime: Well, what are you doing about it?
Evil Morty: Jack shit — I'm leaving.
Cartman: It's not my fault you guys turned evil, Kenny!
Kenny: You are the bad guy, fat boy! YOU!
Cartman: I'm going around making the world a better place!
Kenny: For you! You're making the world a better place for YOU!
Cartman: ...Right, that's what superheroes do.
Kenny: You are the bad guy, fat boy! YOU!
Cartman: I'm going around making the world a better place!
Kenny: For you! You're making the world a better place for YOU!
Cartman: ...Right, that's what superheroes do.
