Anime & Manga
"Krillin can't be brought back to life with the Dragon Balls a second time and I REFUSE TO TAKE THE DEATH OF MY BEST FRIEND SITTING DOWN! He was a good man, one of the bravest I've ever known! The fate this bastard dealt him was the last thing he deserved! Before I'm done, he will bleed!"
— Goku to King Kai on why he let Frieza reach 100% full power, Dragon Ball Z Kai
"I don't care who you are, it doesn't change that you are my enemy."
— Mikazuki Augus to Carta Issue, Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans
"They’re all laughing. You’re laughing at the cost of Itachi’s life laughing together completely ignorant of everything. Your laughing voices sound like contempt and mocking me now, I will change those laughs to screams and wails."
Leif: Come back home with me Thorfinn. You've done enough! Come with me!
Thorfinn: Enough? What would you know? What the hell do you know about what I've been through?
Leif: Huh?
Thorfinn: As long as Askeladd lives and breathes and shits I haven't done enough!! It's not enough!!
Thorfinn: Enough? What would you know? What the hell do you know about what I've been through?
Leif: Huh?
Thorfinn: As long as Askeladd lives and breathes and shits I haven't done enough!! It's not enough!!
Comic Books
Ben Daimio: So you're here to execute me, that it? With a knife?
Johann Kraus: It can do the job. You'll see.
Daimio: Maybe, but can you?
Kraus: I haven't thought of anything else for months. It's gnawed at me - like a parasite. Your death was the only way I was going to be free of it. I really believed that. But it's not true, and now I know it. That thing inside me is gone. I'm myself again, I think. So no, killing you won't be easy for me. But you still have to DIE!
Johann Kraus: It can do the job. You'll see.
Daimio: Maybe, but can you?
Kraus: I haven't thought of anything else for months. It's gnawed at me - like a parasite. Your death was the only way I was going to be free of it. I really believed that. But it's not true, and now I know it. That thing inside me is gone. I'm myself again, I think. So no, killing you won't be easy for me. But you still have to DIE!
—B.P.R.D.: Hell on Earth - The Long Death
Film - Live Action
Vengeance has consumed you. It's consuming them. I am done letting it consume me.
— T'Challa/Black Panther, Captain America: Civil War
Deputy Mitch Rogers: Why don't you let the state police handle this?
Sheriff Will Teasle: Look! Look at him. Look at him! That's Art Galt, boy. He and I were friends when your mama was still wiping your nose! Now he's dead. He's dead because of that psycho out there. Now you listen, boy, and you listen to me good. I'm gonna get that son of a bitch and I'm gonna pin that Congressional Medal of Honor to his liver. And I'm gonna do it with you or without you.
Sheriff Will Teasle: Look! Look at him. Look at him! That's Art Galt, boy. He and I were friends when your mama was still wiping your nose! Now he's dead. He's dead because of that psycho out there. Now you listen, boy, and you listen to me good. I'm gonna get that son of a bitch and I'm gonna pin that Congressional Medal of Honor to his liver. And I'm gonna do it with you or without you.
Winston: What have you done?
John: ...Finished it.
John: ...Finished it.
"You've got an overdeveloped sense of vengeance. It's going to get you into trouble one of these days."
—Count Tyrone Rugen, The Princess Bride
Joachim: Sir. May I speak? We're all with you, sir, but consider this. We are free. We have a ship and the means to go where we will. We have escaped permanent exile on Ceti Alpha V. You have proved your superior intellect, and defeated the plans of Admiral Kirk. You do not need to defeat him again.
Khan: He tasks me. He tasks me and I shall have him. I'll chase him round the moons of Nibia and round the Antares maelstrom and round perdition's flames before I give him up. Prepare to alter course.
"I will not sacrifice the Enterprise. We've made too many compromises already, too many retreats. They invade our space, and we fall back. They assimilate entire worlds, and we fall back. Not again. The line must be drawn here! This far, no farther! And I will make them pay for what they've done!"
—Jean-Luc Picard, Star Trek: First Contact
Literature
"Revenge is a powerful motivator, and this Stackhouse wouldn't be the first to ignore his own best interests in an effort to get it"
—Tim, The Institute
Live-Action TV
Thomas Angel: In case you've forgotten something, old buddy, we're in the narcotics business and not the revenge business. Now you've got the distribution pipeline set up from China and I've got the best distribution outlet there could possibly be and I don't see that revenge has got anything to do with it.
General Chow: You are not of my culture. Perhaps you should ask your father about the laws of silence, the omerta of the American underworld. Perhaps he can explain revenge to you.
General Chow: You are not of my culture. Perhaps you should ask your father about the laws of silence, the omerta of the American underworld. Perhaps he can explain revenge to you.
Jenny: Uncle, this is insanity! People are going to die!
Enyos: Yes. It is not justice that we serve. It is vengeance.
Enyos: Yes. It is not justice that we serve. It is vengeance.
[The Scooby Gang has discovered that Giles has gone to get revenge on Angelus for killing Jenny.]
Willow: So Giles is gonna try to kill Angel then?
Xander: Well, it's about time somebody did.
Willow: Xander!
Xander: I'm sorry, but let's not forget that I hated Angel long before you guys jumped on the bandwagon. So I think I deserve a little something for not saying "I told you so" long before now. And if Giles wants to go after the, uh, fiend that murdered his girlfriend, I say, "Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!"
Buffy: ...You're right.
Xander: Thank you.
Buffy: There's only one thing wrong with Giles' little revenge scenario.
Xander: And what's that?
Buffy: It's gonna get him killed.
Willow: So Giles is gonna try to kill Angel then?
Xander: Well, it's about time somebody did.
Willow: Xander!
Xander: I'm sorry, but let's not forget that I hated Angel long before you guys jumped on the bandwagon. So I think I deserve a little something for not saying "I told you so" long before now. And if Giles wants to go after the, uh, fiend that murdered his girlfriend, I say, "Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!"
Buffy: ...You're right.
Xander: Thank you.
Buffy: There's only one thing wrong with Giles' little revenge scenario.
Xander: And what's that?
Buffy: It's gonna get him killed.
Michael: Revenge is a waste of time.
Fiona: Yeah, so is watching TV and eating candy. You do it because it feels good.
Fiona: Yeah, so is watching TV and eating candy. You do it because it feels good.
Nothing makes a smart man stupid like a thirst for revenge. As you know, I speak from experience.
— Sherlock Holmes, Elementary, "Details"
Moze: You two are living proof that revenge makes you crazy.
Cookie: Crazy for more revenge!
Cookie: Crazy for more revenge!
Tabletop Games
There is a victory that I must obtain regardless of the consequences.
— Dragstrider, Luard, Cardfight!! Vanguard
"There are some who have lost everyone and everything. They actively seek out the Eldrazi, eager for the smallest measure of vengeance."
— Munda, ambush leader, Breaker of Armies
, Magic: The Gathering
, Magic: The GatheringNot even a threat to the entire Multiverse could persuade them to put aside their feud.
Dwarfs are as strong and unbending as stone (and some would say as forgiving) and grim as the mountains they live in. From Karaz-a-Karak, the most ancient of the Dwarf holds, the last High King of the Dwarfs wages a never-ending battle against Orcs, Goblins and other evil creatures. Each year Dwarf numbers dwindle. Each year the war becomes more desperate. Each year the enemies of the Dwarfs become more numerous. In my mind the wisdom of continuing this struggle is doubtful, even if its heroism is not. But as long as one of their warriors draws breath, the Dwarfs will not set aside their axes or forget their grudges.
— Hieronymous of Nuln, Imperial historian, Warhammer
Dwarf King: Because you annoyed one of my brothers, this is going into the BOOK OF GRUDGES!
Ravandil the Elf: Wh-what?! When the fuck did I do that now?!
Dwarf King: According to my friend it was around two days ago, when you stated "Can you please move?" As then you deeply insulted him by walking around him instead of letting him BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF YOU!
Ravandil the Elf: And that's a fucking crime?!
Dwarf King: It should be. Wait.... I'm the king! Now it is!
Ravandil the Elf: Look, I'm just going to go out here right now. No hard feelings?
Dwarf King: Sure. Just give me your name and address first.
Ravandil the Elf: How come?
Dwarf King: So we can come and BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF YOU later.
Ravandil the Elf: Wh-what?! When the fuck did I do that now?!
Dwarf King: According to my friend it was around two days ago, when you stated "Can you please move?" As then you deeply insulted him by walking around him instead of letting him BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF YOU!
Ravandil the Elf: And that's a fucking crime?!
Dwarf King: It should be. Wait.... I'm the king! Now it is!
Ravandil the Elf: Look, I'm just going to go out here right now. No hard feelings?
Dwarf King: Sure. Just give me your name and address first.
Ravandil the Elf: How come?
Dwarf King: So we can come and BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF YOU later.
—Ravandil's Quest, which is only slightly exaggerating the Dwarfs' grudges.
, which is only slightly exaggerating the Dwarfs' grudges.Such was the demented architect's need for vengeance that, in exchange for eight jade Warsphinxes, he enlisted the aid of Arkhan the Black, who raised a mighty bridge of bones through dark sorcery to span the Black Mountains. Ramhotep's statuesque army marched across, and the cities of Ubersreik and Grunburg were all but destroyed - despite the fact that every soldier to have been involved in their destruction of his precious masterpiece had been dead for at least 170 years.
—Warhammer: Tomb Kings Army Book (8th edition)
Video Games
"A man seeking vengeance rarely cares with him logic."
— Fahook Ubduhl, Dead to Rights
Athena: As we speak, the war for Olympus rages on and mankind suffers.
Kratos: Let them suffer. The death of Zeus is all that matters.
Kratos: Let them suffer. The death of Zeus is all that matters.
"I am filled with rage... but not so much as to be blinded by it."
— Karst, Golden Sun: The Lost Age
Tommy Vercetti: There goes my careful planning blown to shit, thanks to you! You screwed up real good, Lance!
Lance Vance: He killed my brother. What do you expect me to do, mow his lawns?
Lance Vance: He killed my brother. What do you expect me to do, mow his lawns?
Sophia is remembered only as your former comrade, a revolutionary who betrayed the great cause of the Revolt for the sake of revenge.
Let these people burn! Vido dies! WHATEVER THE COST!
— Zaeed Massani, Mass Effect 2
Sonya: Raiden needs him. Without Quan Chi, we can't restore Liu Kang or the other revenants. You'd leave them trapped? Like you were?
Hanzo/Scorpion: Only Quan Chi concerns me.
Hanzo/Scorpion: Only Quan Chi concerns me.
"The wizard from another world, Parallel Nightmare, had given up on ruling the kingdom in favor of exacting revenge on the heroes of Team Kirby."
—Narration, Super Kirby Clash
Web Animation
The Anti-Hero: I will kill him...
The Chosen One: Why kill him? What did 'he' do to you? Is the damage he did reversible? Is diplomacy still an option? Why did 'he' cross you in the first place? Why not use 'eye for an eye' rather than revenge? Couldn't you seek help in your quest for revenge? Maybe 'he' crossed someone else? Would vengeance solve the underlying problem?
The Anti-Hero: Shut up...
The Chosen One: Why kill him? What did 'he' do to you? Is the damage he did reversible? Is diplomacy still an option? Why did 'he' cross you in the first place? Why not use 'eye for an eye' rather than revenge? Couldn't you seek help in your quest for revenge? Maybe 'he' crossed someone else? Would vengeance solve the underlying problem?
The Anti-Hero: Shut up...
— Terrible Writing Advice, ANTIHEROES
Western Animation
"It's a touching offer, and clearly in my best interest, but I'm far too vindictive. So FUCK YOU, ASS-BAGS!"
— Toot Braunstein, Drawn Together
"This rage train ain't stoppin' till I thump those three twerps!"
— Kevin, Ed, Edd n Eddy's Big Picture Show
Vax: What the fuck are you doing? Running off and risking this entire mission, and you point that thing at me? And for what?
Percy: For what!? Stonefell helped slaughter [my family] and laughed while it happened. I am the sole surviving de Rolo! I will have my vengeance! And no one will stand in my way!
Percy: For what!? Stonefell helped slaughter [my family] and laughed while it happened. I am the sole surviving de Rolo! I will have my vengeance! And no one will stand in my way!
I've heard ENOUGH. I don't CARE about "potential" or "resources". [...] I want my Cluster, and I want that planet [Earth] to DIE. Just make that happen.
—Yellow Diamond, to Peridot, Steven Universe
Real Life
"The most fearsome adversary is the one willing to be destroyed for revenge."
The world would be a happier place than it is if acquisitiveness were always stronger than rivalry. But in fact, a great many men will cheerfully face impoverishment if they can thereby secure complete ruin for their rivals.
— Bertrand Russell, Nobel Prize of Literature, 1950
