I never really found a problem with a villain being evil for the sake of being evil I've been so burnt out on villans with noble or sympathetic motivations that sometimes I just wanna see a dude be a bastard just for the sake of being a bastard Idk maybe that's just me
That's a valid point! There's always an exception to every rule and tip. You are right that the sympathetic villain trope is very mainstream right now, so it might be the perfect time to do something different!
@@MonitorComics SINCE WHEN DO PEOPLE IN REAL LIFE NEED A REASON TO BE BAD? AND PASSING OFF JINGOISM AS THE GREATER GOOD IS INSANE. VILLAINS AND HEROES ARE NOT THE SAME, OR ELSE RAPE OR A SERIAL KILLER KILLING KIDS WOULD BE MORALLY THE SAME AS SAVING KIDS AND NOT RAPING. THIS IS JUST MORAL NIHILISM OR RELATIVISM. AND THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A STORY THAT REVOLVES AROUND ONE VILLAIN THEREFORE A VILLAIN NARRATIVE IS BAKED INTO THE STORY AND A STORY WITH EVER CHANGING VILLAINS, SO VILLAINS DO NOT NEED SOME OUTLANDISH MOTIVATION TO JUSTIFY WHY THEY ARE BAD.
@@MonitorComicstbh with u sometimes seeing a villain with corrupt ideologys instead of a clear reason is more better in some cases like dio for example he has no clear reason for why he does what he does but ppl still love him as a character I'm not saying all the villains must have no reasoning cuz it will feel overused but putting 1 or 2 characters that have no clear reasonings or just bad reasons can be a bit nice
@@fbafoundationalbuck-broken6011ur wrong most of this killers do have reasons past experiences the way they were raised or just doing it for the thril not my words
DBZ seemed to go for the "If you can't beat em, join em" approach, which may not preferred by some people. It never bothered me personally because of the simplicity DBZ aims for. But one of the best villains I've seen is probably Meruem from HxH. He shows that just because someone is human doesn't mean they have humanity
Shouldn’t the message be the opposite? Meruem started out not caring one bit about humans other as a food source but learned to value humans and even learned love at the end.
Thanks for the advice, guys! I really like Vegeta from Dragon Ball Z when he went from a bad guy to an ally... But, I also like Goku Black or Zamasu's story because it's like placing Goku in the antagonist position for a certain arc.
Been developing my characters' designs and generally knew which direction I was going to go with the story. This changed my entire mind on my story and now I've set a very high goal. Something that will even make the reader question their owm morality. High goal but I can do it. Thanks for this video.
I usually write more than one villain in my stories. The villains in the beginning are normally bad guys that hurt people or monsters depending on the story. I use these villains to show the strength of the protagonist and provide a conflict for them to grow or learn from. My main antagonist motives are usually wanting to destroy because of past events in their life or wanting to gain power to control everything. You can also have multiple people or a group as an antagonist. Best example I can think of for that is the Akatsuki from Naruto. Villains are very fun to write.
For vegeta tbh I see it as they really had no choice to become bad or good at first vegeta was raised to be what he is a saiyan but later even though he joined the z fighters as having no choice he didn’t have nowhere to go do he might as well then he was still very stubborn and didn’t care much which I see as pretty good character progression as it takes years later he was still hot headed but still showing love sometimes would do evil things and even accepted he was going to hell then fully became a great dad
I mean sometimes creating a character with just corrupt and wrong ideologys instead of "oh this tragic thing happened to me therefore im bad" just sounds better
I am currently writing a story. Its about word where villian wins before main character was born. Vilian is scared of loosing his power in word so he manipulate peoples belive he saved word from "bad guy" (the guy who tries to stop him) main character decides to become warrior (propaganda manipulate him) that is fightning against people who were supporting the "bad guy ". One day villian nocice mcs stranger ability that makes him invincible but villian isnt dumb so he decides to make mc one if his students to make his ability stronger before he absorbs him with his ability. After few arcs the "bad guy" kindnap him told him truth after that he starts traning to be able defeat villian but after while his friends "saves him" but during time they are saving they damaged big red crystal that contains Anti hero...
I like the concept of villains and heroes being the same, it's just perspective because there are so many jokes about in video games how you the "hero" probably kill more people than the "bad guys" and usually your character doesn't have a motive because a lot of games use a blank insert to put you into. It also forces one to not just make your villain just some big bad who's bad because well the story needs a villain, which helps to create better villains. I'm not sure who my favourite villain is as I tend to prefer the conflict creators over the major antagonist. Examples I can think of include Seto Kaiba from YuGiOh!, especially in the Duellist Kingdom arc where essentially he has the same motive as Yugi, to save a family member, and it tests how far characters are willing to go for it. I also like Togami and Nagito from Danganronpa for how they test the rest of the cast and particularly the protagonists. Nagito in particular is interesting because of how he builds on the themes and ideals of the previous protagonist.
I also like how the book series A Series of Unfortunate Events stars with a relatively simple villain hero dynamic with the villain being some guy who wants to steal their fortune but as the series progresses the heroes are forced to do more and more corrupt things to survive and the lines between good and evil get more and more blurry.
Super useful and straight to the point video! I feel like it can't be stressed enough but its so true, villains are heros just from another perspective. Its good writing advice that'll hopefully bring some more meaningful villian characters into existence haha.
I really enjoyed the video and I like what he was discussing in the villain needs to have a motivation and depth. Lately, there has been an over-saturation of stories with sympathetic villains; villains who are actually trying to do what they think is right. This isn't inherently bad but it's gotten so that almost everyone thinks a villain needs a tragic backstory and some type of noble ambition. Not every villain needs to be sympathetic. What they do need however is an understandable motivation. On poorly written children's cartoons, one might see a villain working on destroying the world. Many people might wonder "Don't you live on this world too? What is your plan after it's destroyed?" Villains need a motive that makes sense. Maybe they are completely chaotic and self-destuctive. Okay, but you need to show it. The audience needs to understand what the villains goal is and why they would want such a thing.
Favorite villain would be from Fist Of The North Star, Rio, Kira, and Diavolo from Jojo. Its more but those i can think of cuz the power shifting dynamic of the storyline
Umm I don’t think Kira had to break into Reimi’s house, butcher her, slit her dogs throat and than nail it to a wall or murder (and basically mental torture the girlfriend) the douche couple that bumped into him and than talked shit on the train…Kira is a well written character but you can’t just ignore stuff like that and say “Kira only kills when he has to”. Kira is a psycho without a doubt, even though he may just want a “quiet life” he murders woman and collects their hands out of his depraved fetishes.
@@MonitorComics heres the things I struggle with Ive had this one recurring means idea and the main characters are bad guys and criminals but how do you make the main criminal a villain. It makes no sense to me. You may know.
@@thugwillywonka For a character to be a "villain," they just need to do the "wrong" things. Characters like Light from Death Note, Lelouche from Code Geass, Alucard from Hellsing, Lupin from Lupin The Third, etc are all villains AND protagonists By definition, if your main character is a criminal and doing bad things, they would be considered a villain
@@thugwillywonkao make your main criminal a villain when your other characters are also criminals and gangsters, make sure your villain does things that are considered “criminal” even among criminals, crossing lines in the more personalized moral codes that the other criminals hold in high regard For example: A mobster betraying his allies to get to position of significantly higher power, a position that you make the readers *think* he cannot possibly be torn down from after having gained it, only for the other characters to remain loyal to eachother and take him down together. Everybody knows that criminals don’t like a snitch, or frankly anyone who betrays them. Loyalty is an important virtue to anybody who puts their trust in others.
I think my favorite antagonist from anime would be a tie between Muzan and Scar, but aso including cartoon would obviously be Zuko. Scar and Zuko were intriguing characters who got so much development on their characters and their arcs were so satisfying to watch. And showed me a vast difference of antagonist and villain (Scar vs Father and the Homunculi, and Zuko vs. Firelord Ozai) I haven't read Demon Slayer so I only know as far as the show's given us, but Muzan is interesting to watch. There's much more to him then just making demons even if it appears he's very controlling but there's other emotions too like fear. which is an emotion that rarely ever is shown in villains. And I can't wait to find out. Thanks for the video! It's really got me thinking on my antagonists and I'm wondering if I'm doing enough or too much for them. Essentially, they want things to run their way bc of their past as a neglected child, becoming somewhat of a tyrant. Now originally, I had them be the second hand to the true villain who gives them their rule in exchange of obtaining a rare material and service. I feel like it could work well but now I trying to think the motivation of the true villain. The rare material is a key to opening a portal to our world essentially, to pull in more humans. But I don't know why they want to do this and now it's really bugging me.
Scar, Muzan, and Zuko are great choices! I completely agree!! Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts! With your situation, I think you are on the right path with the villain who is the second hand. With the big bad, I do think that "why" is important, so once you figure that out you should have a better understanding of the actions they take to get that!
This helps a lot for villian creation one villians that I’m try replicate is death from puss in boots last wish that character although minimal screen time braught fear both to audience and main hero puss in boots I’m trying find way create that level of tension for my villian characters love your videos🎉🎉🎉
A villain I thought of is one that wants to prove to his older siblings that he can be strong too, as he was born the weakest of his eight brothers and sisters. But because he is not human, he never developed proper emotions, so he never really feels bad about what he does to humans or any other race. On the surface, he seems like a cruel and heartless person, but inside, he's kinda just confused about how to get his family's attention, which is why he does all his evil plans due to a feeling of inferiority compared to his siblings, so he bullies and bosses (never truly having the heart to actually kill) those he sees below him to make himself feel stronger, as he thinks it'll finally make his family notice and respect him for once. (Sorry I'm not good at explaining things so this probably sounds like a horrible villain)
@@MonitorComics thank you! Do you think it's possible you could do a video on a way to make redemption arcs? I've been following your channel for a while and using the advice you give.
I have an idea on what would make an interesting video from you, it's "How Important is a Manga's Artwork?" I ask that because of how subjective art could be and how any given series look could make or break readers on reading it. For example, I'm not a big fan on how "JoJo's" art style looks, due to how realistic the artwork is, but won't deny how much detail Araki puts into it, while I prefer manga with a more stylized & cartoony look like "One Piece" & "Fire Force", the former's art-style being considered controversial among those who haven't & have read it due to how silly & cartoonish it looks. I would also like you to make a point on how quality of artwork ≠ quality of writing, with HxH being a good example, due to the manga being infamous for it's sketch-like artwork, but is well-loved for telling a very deep and nuanced story for a Battle Fantasy Shōnen, which some would consider a deconstruction of the genre as a whole
True! After posting the video I did regret that one part because technically villains CAN be protagonists Especially in stories that are ABOUT bad guys like Joker, Suicide Squad, death note etc If I could I'd rephrase that part a bit lol
Can you do "how to write a mecha story"? Best bad example i can think of is Darling in the Franxx, definitely not the way to make a mecha. One thing i know to consider is "What kind of mecha do you wanna make?" Real or Super? Titanfall and Pacific Rim are pretty good examples of good real mechas A few more things to consider 1. The title of the mecha series. To my experience, a lot of Japanese mechas and their series have some pretty ridiculous titles that are either complete nonsense or something unnecessarily complicated like Getter Robo, Gurren Lagann, Neon Genesis Evangelion, etc. While with real mechas, you may have some simpler names like Jaegers, Titans, Destroyers, Armoured Cores, Metal Gears, Juggernauts, or even acronyms like Mecha Earth Guard Attack System eXtra Large Robot (Megas XLR) 2. Movement, don't have the mechas doing a gym routine while fighting, limit their movement to just walking, running, jumping (if they have strong hydraulic or rockets) and overall, don't pull an Uprising.
Yes I can add it to my list of future topics! For the titles specifically, I believe they do that for branding. It's really hard to copyright a single word title like "Titans" "Destroyers" etc, especially when it is a common word. Plus, they want people to be able to find their series if they look it up, just typing in "destroyer" or "jaeger" or "titans" could end up with thousands of non-related results. Even though Neon Genesis Evangelion is a ridiculous title, it's hard to forget and when you look it up, that's all you will find
@@MonitorComics few more things i forgot to mention Characters: there are 2 kinds of characters in mecha stories from what I've seen, a teen or a soldier. Super robots especially some well-known ones always have teen piloting the robots. I understand it's supposed to be relatable but i just find it kinda annoying with a lot of the dramatic moments. Real robot wise, a lot more emphasis on soldiers and mercenaries wearing actual armor. Usually stories for real robots are a lot more simple and "grounded". The mechas design: real robots feel a bit more serious with it's mech. Let's be honest, Pacific Rim would've been way less serious if Gipsy Danger was wearing Kamina's sunglasses. Other than that, real robots usually have inhuman anatomy Avoid the "all female/females only" troupe: I honestly despise these kinds of anime. Screaming, underaged girls wearing uniforms that aren't even practical irl is just, uuuuuugggghhhhh, i hate it. Good thing they (kinda) don't anymore. Names of the individual mechas: as much as i do like super robots, i just can't take the names seriously, some of them do sound pretty cool (Gundam and Votoms). Pacific Rim is a good example of cool names, here's my attempt at Jaeger names; Oblivion Midnight, Tiger Gambit, Delta Clasher, Sigma Vigilante, Suppressor Hellfire. Or simply give them designations
How do you write a villain who has the same ultimate goal as the hero. Eg fletcher from whiplash, Andrew wants to be great and fletcher wants to make him great. How do you write a situation like that
How to make a good villain make them threatening they should add tension to the story and make it so it seems no character is safe. They should also be equal or stronger than the "hero" in some way whether that be physical power, money, intelligence, manipulation to name a few.
The one o like about Dio is his childish "be the strongest" and "take over the world" really messed people up, to the point where the universe get reset
My favorite villain is Scar from FMA, because he's not trying to take over the world, he just wants justice for those of his country who were killed for a stupid reason.
Monitor i got a question, whats the policy of real people existing in your universe, i have a character who is an elvis presley fan and i wrote that as part of his character
Cameo's or references like that are usually OKAY as long as it's not a main part of the story, and it isn't a bad representation/message towards them Since its a fan and not the person itself, you could argue it's parody or paying homage, so I think you should be fine as long as you aren't doing anything too crazy You would only run into problems if for example, you made Elvis a character in your story
At the moment, I only take a look at completed storyboards or finished comic pages, mostly because I don't have the time or energy to look at a ton of scripts or ideas. So if you have completed pages or storyboards just DM me on Twitter or Instagram and I'd be happy to give feedback!
Thanks for making the video! It was really insightful! If you don't mind me asking but how does copyright work for ongoing series? Do you have to copyright each individual chapter since it wasn't apart of the batch you sent it with the initial copyright submission or does every chapter after the copyright automatically becomes copyrighted... idk very hard to understand cuz I know once you copyright everything you've made previously is protected. But what about what comes after? Thanks again for the video😤😤😤
When you are trying to copyright something, the EASIEST way to do it is when you have enough content done, for example the first volume. If you have 3 volumes completed, you could also file all of them as one and only pay the copyright fee once. If you choose to do the process BEFORE you have a completed piece of work, you will need to fill out additional forms as more gets completed. When an entire book is done, you could even submit a new form so it's organized better Here is what I found online "Your application needs to include a copy of the work you’re trying to protect. The regulations call for the best and most complete edition of the work. While you’re applying for a copyright to your comic, you’ll be submitting the application before the comic is complete, so the Idea Structure form and/or some version of the script should be the first deposit. Of course, book itself will inevitably change as you develop the final product. The Copyright Office has supplemental forms you can use when you’re ready to submit the finished work, or if the book changes completely, you can file a new form." I am by no means a legal expert, so I recommend looking into the copyright process for your specific country and state! Hopefully that helps!
3:37 That’s my only gripe the "for the greater good" type villains man do they seem so fake, it works when the villain is inhuman/robotic like ultron but for humans that constantly sin it’s just not it, I remember loving Madara as a kid but as I grew up I’m like this seems like a load of Bull, it’s childish to imagine everyone in peace, the world isn’t white it’s grey and will always be grey, Garou, obito, madara and aizen are just blind to this, heck they changed thanos in the mcu from being a selfish villain killing half the universe for tribute to the goddess of death as a booty call, to a righteous "for the greater good" giving up his wealth and power loving Jan as a farmer 😑 🧢 I hate fake shit and that’s the most fakest thing I’ve heard, thanos loves battle he’s a warlord a genius of the mystic arts he knows his verse well he knows that galactus was made for that sole purpose to eat planets and keep the universe in balance 🤦♂️ so this makes the mcu villain seem not only fake but ignorant if his own world. Irl ppl are selfish Andrew Tate will never give up his money fame and strength for others, he worked hard to get there, there selfish they can’t claim one women they need multiple he even explained how easy it was to manipulate these girls, So I just can’t take it when I see that troupe I can smell the bull 😂
I've a character who if I introduce once peaple are going to think he's a bad guy but my plan is to make him show up kill someone and leave without hurting any of the protagonists friends
He's like Frieza a space pirate who only cares about his business and and his henchmen and my plan for him is to kill one of his men for disobeying his orders
@@blvckfuriza5259 Sounds cool! Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts! That would be a great way to make your characters AND readers believe they are going to be an antagonist! If they end up being neutral or good, it'll have more impact!
Also I like to point out that there is nothing wrong for a former villain to join the hero. One needs as much allies as one can especially when facing an even greater threat. I don't know why GummKid find it cringe, but it can be entertaining. Just need to do it right.
I can't entirely agree that Dio, Kars and Frieza are poorly written characters. Based on the previous videos of how to write a villain, they are still good examples of a villain should be, not easy to beat, a driving force for a hero to overcome and have a strong presence. Their motives might not be complex but they are in a force of nature in their respective series.
What if the villain isn't human but a monster since the main villain in my project is a lovecraftian monster who rules hell and is obsessed in destruction and suffering
That's totally fine! That type of setup can be seen a lot in horror films, comics, games etc. Thanks for taking the time to watch the video and leaving a question!
I think it depends on how you set it up in your story and what your story is about. It is fine if the villain of the story is a monster. You just have to focus on how they are introduce to the story and their goals as well as how the protagonist of your story is going to deal with this monster. But remember that there is a deference between having a goal and following instincts. Most moster and horror movies, the monster is just going off insticnts to hunt and kill for food or they are in it's territory. While other monster like the one you want for your story have a goal they want to achieve. If the monster is a god like being then they should have a goal they want to achieve or a plan that can help them achieve it. You can also have the protagonist be the one that released this monster onto the world by accident or was tricked into releasing it. Good luck with your story.
@@robertfitzgibbons2165 the monster in my story is somewhat sinister like the joker but I had loosely based it off of the leviathan and the way it's introduced is similar to Cthulhu and scp 001 the scarlet king
@@jda7667 That sounds interesting. Sinister like the joker makes it hard to predict what it will do and if it is as strong as the leviathan, than it will be difficult to beat. You have a great idea so far.
Thats like poorest reading i ever heard of dio . Dio start out just wanting Wealth , do to his upbring and death of his mother.his goal was to have the wealth all to him self. after failing to break Jonathan mentally he decide to gain his trust so that he could later kill his adopted father . Kars mostly want to be ultimate life form setting a score with his enemies .
Who Is Your FAVORITE Villain Character?
Frieza from dragon ball
Garou from one punchman
@@blvckfuriza5259 Great choices!
Funny Valentine From Steel Ball Run
shigaraki from my hero academia
@@sodaanimates4862 Great pick!
I never really found a problem with a villain being evil for the sake of being evil
I've been so burnt out on villans with noble or sympathetic motivations that sometimes I just wanna see a dude be a bastard just for the sake of being a bastard
Idk maybe that's just me
That's a valid point! There's always an exception to every rule and tip. You are right that the sympathetic villain trope is very mainstream right now, so it might be the perfect time to do something different!
@@MonitorComics SINCE WHEN DO PEOPLE IN REAL LIFE NEED A REASON TO BE BAD? AND PASSING OFF JINGOISM AS THE GREATER GOOD IS INSANE.
VILLAINS AND HEROES ARE NOT THE SAME, OR ELSE RAPE OR A SERIAL KILLER KILLING KIDS WOULD BE MORALLY THE SAME AS SAVING KIDS AND NOT RAPING. THIS IS JUST MORAL NIHILISM OR RELATIVISM.
AND THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A STORY THAT REVOLVES AROUND ONE VILLAIN THEREFORE A VILLAIN NARRATIVE IS BAKED INTO THE STORY AND A STORY WITH EVER CHANGING VILLAINS, SO VILLAINS DO NOT NEED SOME OUTLANDISH MOTIVATION TO JUSTIFY WHY THEY ARE BAD.
@@MonitorComicstbh with u sometimes seeing a villain with corrupt ideologys instead of a clear reason is more better in some cases like dio for example he has no clear reason for why he does what he does but ppl still love him as a character I'm not saying all the villains must have no reasoning cuz it will feel overused but putting 1 or 2 characters that have no clear reasonings or just bad reasons can be a bit nice
@@fbafoundationalbuck-broken6011ur wrong most of this killers do have reasons past experiences the way they were raised or just doing it for the thril not my words
DBZ seemed to go for the "If you can't beat em, join em" approach, which may not preferred by some people. It never bothered me personally because of the simplicity DBZ aims for. But one of the best villains I've seen is probably Meruem from HxH. He shows that just because someone is human doesn't mean they have humanity
Great points! Thanks for taking the time to share!
Shouldn’t the message be the opposite? Meruem started out not caring one bit about humans other as a food source but learned to value humans and even learned love at the end.
Thanks for the advice, guys! I really like Vegeta from Dragon Ball Z when he went from a bad guy to an ally... But, I also like Goku Black or Zamasu's story because it's like placing Goku in the antagonist position for a certain arc.
Of course! Thanks for taking the time to watch! Goku Black was definitely a cool villain!
Kars wanted to be the ultimate human so that he could advance his race to survive in the sun but the mask ended up corrupting him
Been developing my characters' designs and generally knew which direction I was going to go with the story. This changed my entire mind on my story and now I've set a very high goal. Something that will even make the reader question their owm morality. High goal but I can do it.
Thanks for this video.
That's awesome to hear! You got this! Thanks for taking the time to watch the video and leaving a comment!
I usually write more than one villain in my stories. The villains in the beginning are normally bad guys that hurt people or monsters depending on the story. I use these villains to show the strength of the protagonist and provide a conflict for them to grow or learn from. My main antagonist motives are usually wanting to destroy because of past events in their life or wanting to gain power to control everything. You can also have multiple people or a group as an antagonist. Best example I can think of for that is the Akatsuki from Naruto. Villains are very fun to write.
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts! Completely agree! Sometimes "minor villains" are necessary for reasons like you explained!
For vegeta tbh I see it as they really had no choice to become bad or good at first vegeta was raised to be what he is a saiyan but later even though he joined the z fighters as having no choice he didn’t have nowhere to go do he might as well then he was still very stubborn and didn’t care much which I see as pretty good character progression as it takes years later he was still hot headed but still showing love sometimes would do evil things and even accepted he was going to hell then fully became a great dad
I mean sometimes creating a character with just corrupt and wrong ideologys instead of "oh this tragic thing happened to me therefore im bad" just sounds better
These are things I have already learned in TV Tropes, but they are useful. The Florida Villain Tier Template really is funny!😄
I am currently writing a story. Its about word where villian wins before main character was born. Vilian is scared of loosing his power in word so he manipulate peoples belive he saved word from "bad guy" (the guy who tries to stop him) main character decides to become warrior (propaganda manipulate him) that is fightning against people who were supporting the "bad guy ". One day villian nocice mcs stranger ability that makes him invincible but villian isnt dumb so he decides to make mc one if his students to make his ability stronger before he absorbs him with his ability. After few arcs the "bad guy" kindnap him told him truth after that he starts traning to be able defeat villian but after while his friends "saves him" but during time they are saving they damaged big red crystal that contains Anti hero...
I swear whenever I’m stuck on a certain aspect of my writing you just so happen to release a video giving advice on that subject
I'm really glad to hear that! I hope this video was able to help a bit!
How to write a team archetype?
Like the magnificent seven ,five man band , elite four and trio.
I can definitely add it to the list! Thank you for the video suggestion!
A sympathetic villain that isn’t too interesting without their backstory
When the antagonist is well written u will have sympathy, remorse and have love for the villain. Thats art.
Was nervous, but hell, yeah.
All good bro it turned out fine! I was super tired on the day we recorded this lmao
I like the concept of villains and heroes being the same, it's just perspective because there are so many jokes about in video games how you the "hero" probably kill more people than the "bad guys" and usually your character doesn't have a motive because a lot of games use a blank insert to put you into.
It also forces one to not just make your villain just some big bad who's bad because well the story needs a villain, which helps to create better villains.
I'm not sure who my favourite villain is as I tend to prefer the conflict creators over the major antagonist. Examples I can think of include Seto Kaiba from YuGiOh!, especially in the Duellist Kingdom arc where essentially he has the same motive as Yugi, to save a family member, and it tests how far characters are willing to go for it.
I also like Togami and Nagito from Danganronpa for how they test the rest of the cast and particularly the protagonists. Nagito in particular is interesting because of how he builds on the themes and ideals of the previous protagonist.
I also like how the book series A Series of Unfortunate Events stars with a relatively simple villain hero dynamic with the villain being some guy who wants to steal their fortune but as the series progresses the heroes are forced to do more and more corrupt things to survive and the lines between good and evil get more and more blurry.
0:09 0:18 Well Said. 1:09 1:29 2:01 4:30 5:13 5:57 6:15 6:50 7:08 7:22 Thank You! 7:33 8:42
Should include spoiler tags for berserk and probably JoJo, I've seen both but the two reveals are big spoilers
Super useful and straight to the point video! I feel like it can't be stressed enough but its so true, villains are heros just from another perspective. Its good writing advice that'll hopefully bring some more meaningful villian characters into existence haha.
Yesss for sure! Thanks for taking the time to watch Peach!
this is so underrated wth
I really enjoyed the video and I like what he was discussing in the villain needs to have a motivation and depth. Lately, there has been an over-saturation of stories with sympathetic villains; villains who are actually trying to do what they think is right. This isn't inherently bad but it's gotten so that almost everyone thinks a villain needs a tragic backstory and some type of noble ambition. Not every villain needs to be sympathetic. What they do need however is an understandable motivation. On poorly written children's cartoons, one might see a villain working on destroying the world. Many people might wonder "Don't you live on this world too? What is your plan after it's destroyed?" Villains need a motive that makes sense. Maybe they are completely chaotic and self-destuctive. Okay, but you need to show it. The audience needs to understand what the villains goal is and why they would want such a thing.
one thing I like to keep in mind about villains is they are the heroes of their own story. they think that they are in the right.
Yess! Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts!
Favorite villain would be from Fist Of The North Star, Rio, Kira, and Diavolo from Jojo. Its more but those i can think of cuz the power shifting dynamic of the storyline
I would add... in visual story telling, I would look at the power and look of the villains to be interesting when put up against the heroes.
Umm I don’t think Kira had to break into Reimi’s house, butcher her, slit her dogs throat and than nail it to a wall or murder (and basically mental torture the girlfriend) the douche couple that bumped into him and than talked shit on the train…Kira is a well written character but you can’t just ignore stuff like that and say “Kira only kills when he has to”. Kira is a psycho without a doubt, even though he may just want a “quiet life” he murders woman and collects their hands out of his depraved fetishes.
This video will help me so much villains are an easy thing to mess up but sometimes and easy thing to do good you just have to know how to make them.
Facts! I'm happy this video could help a bit! Thanks for taking the time to watch!
@@MonitorComics heres the things I struggle with Ive had this one recurring means idea and the main characters are bad guys and criminals but how do you make the main criminal a villain. It makes no sense to me. You may know.
@@thugwillywonka For a character to be a "villain," they just need to do the "wrong" things.
Characters like Light from Death Note, Lelouche from Code Geass, Alucard from Hellsing, Lupin from Lupin The Third, etc are all villains AND protagonists
By definition, if your main character is a criminal and doing bad things, they would be considered a villain
@@MonitorComics thanks idk why I havnt thought of that thanks for the help you help your fans so much
@@thugwillywonkao make your main criminal a villain when your other characters are also criminals and gangsters, make sure your villain does things that are considered “criminal” even among criminals, crossing lines in the more personalized moral codes that the other criminals hold in high regard
For example: A mobster betraying his allies to get to position of significantly higher power, a position that you make the readers *think* he cannot possibly be torn down from after having gained it, only for the other characters to remain loyal to eachother and take him down together. Everybody knows that criminals don’t like a snitch, or frankly anyone who betrays them. Loyalty is an important virtue to anybody who puts their trust in others.
I think my favorite antagonist from anime would be a tie between Muzan and Scar, but aso including cartoon would obviously be Zuko. Scar and Zuko were intriguing characters who got so much development on their characters and their arcs were so satisfying to watch. And showed me a vast difference of antagonist and villain (Scar vs Father and the Homunculi, and Zuko vs. Firelord Ozai) I haven't read Demon Slayer so I only know as far as the show's given us, but Muzan is interesting to watch. There's much more to him then just making demons even if it appears he's very controlling but there's other emotions too like fear. which is an emotion that rarely ever is shown in villains. And I can't wait to find out. Thanks for the video!
It's really got me thinking on my antagonists and I'm wondering if I'm doing enough or too much for them. Essentially, they want things to run their way bc of their past as a neglected child, becoming somewhat of a tyrant. Now originally, I had them be the second hand to the true villain who gives them their rule in exchange of obtaining a rare material and service. I feel like it could work well but now I trying to think the motivation of the true villain. The rare material is a key to opening a portal to our world essentially, to pull in more humans. But I don't know why they want to do this and now it's really bugging me.
Scar, Muzan, and Zuko are great choices! I completely agree!! Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts! With your situation, I think you are on the right path with the villain who is the second hand. With the big bad, I do think that "why" is important, so once you figure that out you should have a better understanding of the actions they take to get that!
This helps a lot for villian creation one villians that I’m try replicate is death from puss in boots last wish that character although minimal screen time braught fear both to audience and main hero puss in boots I’m trying find way create that level of tension for my villian characters love your videos🎉🎉🎉
I'm happy this video could help! Thanks for taking the time to watch and leaving a comment! That's a great goal to strive towards!
A villain I thought of is one that wants to prove to his older siblings that he can be strong too, as he was born the weakest of his eight brothers and sisters. But because he is not human, he never developed proper emotions, so he never really feels bad about what he does to humans or any other race. On the surface, he seems like a cruel and heartless person, but inside, he's kinda just confused about how to get his family's attention, which is why he does all his evil plans due to a feeling of inferiority compared to his siblings, so he bullies and bosses (never truly having the heart to actually kill) those he sees below him to make himself feel stronger, as he thinks it'll finally make his family notice and respect him for once.
(Sorry I'm not good at explaining things so this probably sounds like a horrible villain)
That sounds really interesting! I really like that idea! Thanks for taking the time to share!
@@MonitorComics thank you! Do you think it's possible you could do a video on a way to make redemption arcs? I've been following your channel for a while and using the advice you give.
@@spinoanimations1130 I can add it to my list of future topics! Thanks for the video suggestion and support! I'm glad my videos can help!!
What abt the villain in Juujika no rokunin he literally wants to be the first guy to kill someone without a reason
I remember that even Stan Lee himself said that there is no true villain. Every villain is the hero of their own story.
True!!
I have an idea on what would make an interesting video from you, it's "How Important is a Manga's Artwork?"
I ask that because of how subjective art could be and how any given series look could make or break readers on reading it. For example, I'm not a big fan on how "JoJo's" art style looks, due to how realistic the artwork is, but won't deny how much detail Araki puts into it, while I prefer manga with a more stylized & cartoony look like "One Piece" & "Fire Force", the former's art-style being considered controversial among those who haven't & have read it due to how silly & cartoonish it looks.
I would also like you to make a point on how quality of artwork ≠ quality of writing, with HxH being a good example, due to the manga being infamous for it's sketch-like artwork, but is well-loved for telling a very deep and nuanced story for a Battle Fantasy Shōnen, which some would consider a deconstruction of the genre as a whole
That's a great idea! Thank you for the video suggestion! I will definitely add it to my list!
"all villains are antagonists"
Eren Jaeger: hold my beer
In all seriousness though, great video!
True! After posting the video I did regret that one part because technically villains CAN be protagonists
Especially in stories that are ABOUT bad guys like Joker, Suicide Squad, death note etc
If I could I'd rephrase that part a bit lol
@@MonitorComics lol it's all good, you do pretty much address it later into the video and generally you are right, it was a great video so no worries!
Can you do "how to write a mecha story"? Best bad example i can think of is Darling in the Franxx, definitely not the way to make a mecha. One thing i know to consider is "What kind of mecha do you wanna make?" Real or Super?
Titanfall and Pacific Rim are pretty good examples of good real mechas
A few more things to consider
1. The title of the mecha series. To my experience, a lot of Japanese mechas and their series have some pretty ridiculous titles that are either complete nonsense or something unnecessarily complicated like Getter Robo, Gurren Lagann, Neon Genesis Evangelion, etc. While with real mechas, you may have some simpler names like Jaegers, Titans, Destroyers, Armoured Cores, Metal Gears, Juggernauts, or even acronyms like Mecha Earth Guard Attack System eXtra Large Robot (Megas XLR)
2. Movement, don't have the mechas doing a gym routine while fighting, limit their movement to just walking, running, jumping (if they have strong hydraulic or rockets) and overall, don't pull an Uprising.
Yes I can add it to my list of future topics! For the titles specifically, I believe they do that for branding. It's really hard to copyright a single word title like "Titans" "Destroyers" etc, especially when it is a common word. Plus, they want people to be able to find their series if they look it up, just typing in "destroyer" or "jaeger" or "titans" could end up with thousands of non-related results. Even though Neon Genesis Evangelion is a ridiculous title, it's hard to forget and when you look it up, that's all you will find
@@MonitorComics few more things i forgot to mention
Characters: there are 2 kinds of characters in mecha stories from what I've seen, a teen or a soldier. Super robots especially some well-known ones always have teen piloting the robots. I understand it's supposed to be relatable but i just find it kinda annoying with a lot of the dramatic moments. Real robot wise, a lot more emphasis on soldiers and mercenaries wearing actual armor. Usually stories for real robots are a lot more simple and "grounded".
The mechas design: real robots feel a bit more serious with it's mech. Let's be honest, Pacific Rim would've been way less serious if Gipsy Danger was wearing Kamina's sunglasses. Other than that, real robots usually have inhuman anatomy
Avoid the "all female/females only" troupe: I honestly despise these kinds of anime. Screaming, underaged girls wearing uniforms that aren't even practical irl is just, uuuuuugggghhhhh, i hate it. Good thing they (kinda) don't anymore.
Names of the individual mechas: as much as i do like super robots, i just can't take the names seriously, some of them do sound pretty cool (Gundam and Votoms). Pacific Rim is a good example of cool names, here's my attempt at Jaeger names; Oblivion Midnight, Tiger Gambit, Delta Clasher, Sigma Vigilante, Suppressor Hellfire. Or simply give them designations
How do you write a villain who has the same ultimate goal as the hero. Eg fletcher from whiplash, Andrew wants to be great and fletcher wants to make him great. How do you write a situation like that
How to make a good villain make them threatening they should add tension to the story and make it so it seems no character is safe. They should also be equal or stronger than the "hero" in some way whether that be physical power, money, intelligence, manipulation to name a few.
Very true!
What I'm making a villain who seems to be the main villain but then turns out to be controlled by someone far more stronger
The one o like about Dio is his childish "be the strongest" and "take over the world" really messed people up, to the point where the universe get reset
My favorite villain is Scar from FMA, because he's not trying to take over the world, he just wants justice for those of his country who were killed for a stupid reason.
YESSS, Great pick!
Monitor i got a question, whats the policy of real people existing in your universe, i have a character who is an elvis presley fan and i wrote that as part of his character
Cameo's or references like that are usually OKAY as long as it's not a main part of the story, and it isn't a bad representation/message towards them
Since its a fan and not the person itself, you could argue it's parody or paying homage, so I think you should be fine as long as you aren't doing anything too crazy
You would only run into problems if for example, you made Elvis a character in your story
@@MonitorComics awesome thank you!! Yeah he isnt a main character its just being a big elvis fan its a part of his personality
I have a comic book im trying to make and i would like some 1 on 1 critique to see irf theres anything i could change
At the moment, I only take a look at completed storyboards or finished comic pages, mostly because I don't have the time or energy to look at a ton of scripts or ideas. So if you have completed pages or storyboards just DM me on Twitter or Instagram and I'd be happy to give feedback!
Great video but could you post less manga spoilers
Thanks for making the video! It was really insightful! If you don't mind me asking but how does copyright work for ongoing series? Do you have to copyright each individual chapter since it wasn't apart of the batch you sent it with the initial copyright submission or does every chapter after the copyright automatically becomes copyrighted... idk very hard to understand cuz I know once you copyright everything you've made previously is protected. But what about what comes after? Thanks again for the video😤😤😤
When you are trying to copyright something, the EASIEST way to do it is when you have enough content done, for example the first volume.
If you have 3 volumes completed, you could also file all of them as one and only pay the copyright fee once.
If you choose to do the process BEFORE you have a completed piece of work, you will need to fill out additional forms as more gets completed. When an entire book is done, you could even submit a new form so it's organized better
Here is what I found online "Your application needs to include a copy of the work you’re trying to protect. The regulations call for the best and most complete edition of the work. While you’re applying for a copyright to your comic, you’ll be submitting the application before the comic is complete, so the Idea Structure form and/or some version of the script should be the first deposit. Of course, book itself will inevitably change as you develop the final product. The Copyright Office has supplemental forms you can use when you’re ready to submit the finished work, or if the book changes completely, you can file a new form."
I am by no means a legal expert, so I recommend looking into the copyright process for your specific country and state! Hopefully that helps!
Dr Hawkins
great choice!
3:37 That’s my only gripe the "for the greater good" type villains man do they seem so fake, it works when the villain is inhuman/robotic like ultron but for humans that constantly sin it’s just not it, I remember loving Madara as a kid but as I grew up I’m like this seems like a load of Bull, it’s childish to imagine everyone in peace, the world isn’t white it’s grey and will always be grey,
Garou, obito, madara and aizen are just blind to this, heck they changed thanos in the mcu from being a selfish villain killing half the universe for tribute to the goddess of death as a booty call, to a righteous "for the greater good" giving up his wealth and power loving Jan as a farmer 😑 🧢
I hate fake shit and that’s the most fakest thing I’ve heard, thanos loves battle he’s a warlord a genius of the mystic arts he knows his verse well he knows that galactus was made for that sole purpose to eat planets and keep the universe in balance 🤦♂️ so this makes the mcu villain seem not only fake but ignorant if his own world.
Irl ppl are selfish Andrew Tate will never give up his money fame and strength for others, he worked hard to get there, there selfish they can’t claim one women they need multiple he even explained how easy it was to manipulate these girls,
So I just can’t take it when I see that troupe I can smell the bull 😂
I've a character who if I introduce once peaple are going to think he's a bad guy but my plan is to make him show up kill someone and leave without hurting any of the protagonists friends
He's like Frieza a space pirate who only cares about his business and and his henchmen and my plan for him is to kill one of his men for disobeying his orders
@@blvckfuriza5259 Sounds cool! Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts! That would be a great way to make your characters AND readers believe they are going to be an antagonist! If they end up being neutral or good, it'll have more impact!
Also I like to point out that there is nothing wrong for a former villain to join the hero. One needs as much allies as one can especially when facing an even greater threat. I don't know why GummKid find it cringe, but it can be entertaining. Just need to do it right.
I can't entirely agree that Dio, Kars and Frieza are poorly written characters. Based on the previous videos of how to write a villain, they are still good examples of a villain should be, not easy to beat, a driving force for a hero to overcome and have a strong presence. Their motives might not be complex but they are in a force of nature in their respective series.
What if the villain isn't human but a monster since the main villain in my project is a lovecraftian monster who rules hell and is obsessed in destruction and suffering
That's totally fine! That type of setup can be seen a lot in horror films, comics, games etc. Thanks for taking the time to watch the video and leaving a question!
I think it depends on how you set it up in your story and what your story is about. It is fine if the villain of the story is a monster. You just have to focus on how they are introduce to the story and their goals as well as how the protagonist of your story is going to deal with this monster. But remember that there is a deference between having a goal and following instincts. Most moster and horror movies, the monster is just going off insticnts to hunt and kill for food or they are in it's territory. While other monster like the one you want for your story have a goal they want to achieve. If the monster is a god like being then they should have a goal they want to achieve or a plan that can help them achieve it. You can also have the protagonist be the one that released this monster onto the world by accident or was tricked into releasing it. Good luck with your story.
@@robertfitzgibbons2165 the monster in my story is somewhat sinister like the joker but I had loosely based it off of the leviathan and the way it's introduced is similar to Cthulhu and scp 001 the scarlet king
@@jda7667 That sounds interesting. Sinister like the joker makes it hard to predict what it will do and if it is as strong as the leviathan, than it will be difficult to beat. You have a great idea so far.
@@robertfitzgibbons2165 Great points!
Why is Madara in the thumbnail with this title?
Madara is literally a main villain in the series
Honestly, you could be a villain and understand what you're doing isn't good.
true!
07:19
What manga is this?
Shaman King!
5:34 what manga is that
Deadman Wonderland!
@@MonitorComics thanks
Tell me you haven’t seen DBZ without saying you haven’t seen DBZ lol
👍
Thats like poorest reading i ever heard of dio .
Dio start out just wanting Wealth ,
do to his upbring and death of his mother.his goal was to have the wealth all to him self.
after failing to break Jonathan mentally he decide to gain his trust so that he could later kill his adopted father .
Kars mostly want to be ultimate life form setting a score with his enemies .
Eeeeee
1st
Thanks for watching so early!!