Discussion Main / ObviouslyEvil

I wonder. Does 'Obviously Evil' only work on the perspective of the audience? Of course we all know that if character A is Obviously Evil, then we know right off bat. But what of the other hapless characters who had no idea about 'Obviously Evil' and not meant to be Genre Savvy to realize, do they immediately fall into Horrible Judge of Character or What An Idiot for still working with that Obviously Evil guy, even if they are a little uneasy on that kind of working?

The Sengoku Basara entry is a good example. True, we may know that Nobunaga there is ramping up all the Evil Tropes, thereby making him a shining example of Obviously Evil. But then, are we supposed to make it like "Everyone who trusted him are idiots!". Never mind that:

• Nagamasa is supposed to be his brother-in-law, thus he's obliged to have some familial bonds and 'trust'.
• Ieyasu at that time was still a little kid and him not betraying Nobunaga was more or less because of his personal honor of never betraying those his clan allied with, rather than not being aware that Nobunaga is an evil SOB.

That and just because you're Obviously Evil, doesn't mean you must always show your 'Badge of Evil' in public everywhere you walk, right?

Hey, I've been wondering about the following: Is there any trope for obviously evil aura's, like black or purple, constricting, suffocating miasma surrounding somebody with a face that makes you want to run away? I've seen this pop up several times, especially in Manga and Anime, but there is no page for something like that here…