Criminals in Video Games Who Got Away With Their Crimes

Key Takeaways

GTA’s Michael De Santa avoided jail time with a new identity swap, which allowed him to walk free from his old life of crime. He also appears largely unpunished by the one he resumed under his current name.
Sly Cooper’s life of crime persists across the series. He evades capture with help from friends, as well as his frenemy, Inspector Carmelita.
Despite being depicted as an amoral villain, Fire Emblem’s Aversa is treated sympathetically post-defection.

As a seasoned gamer with years of battle under my belt, I must say, I’ve seen some villains who were truly despicable, but none quite like these two. Aversa and M. Bison, they’re a pair for the history books, each with their own unique brand of evil that has left a lasting impact on their respective worlds.

Many people have expressed the idea that crime isn’t profitable. Yet, its allure of potential big gains can attract those seeking wealth or just the excitement it offers. But, the dangers and repercussions associated with it don’t vanish entirely, making it a risky endeavor.

Despite video games often presenting various fantasies, they frequently portray characters involved in criminal activity that go unpunished or have their punishments minimized or avoided. Though the possibility of facing consequences may be implied, the severity of these outcomes can often be reduced or eliminated entirely. Here are several game characters who committed crimes but served less than their full sentences or even managed to avoid equivalent penalties.

5 Michael De Santa

Grand Theft Auto Five

Criminals in Video Games Who Got Away With Their Crimes

Despite Michael De Santa having served time in the past, most of his criminal activities were dismissed. A corrupt Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent, Dave Norton, proposed a deal to this criminal: offering him a new identity in return for implicating his associates in a trap. With plans to disassociate himself from Trevor and Brad anyway, and with concerns for the safety of his family, Michael accepted the offer. Since then, Michael has not been incarcerated for any of his crimes. As time passes, records under his original surname, Townley, are gradually being expunged as he was effectively “killed off” as part of the staged operation.

Following years of inactivity, primarily due to a strained family bond, Michael found himself once again entangled in a life of illicit activities, involving numerous robberies and murders. Interestingly, in the world of Grand Theft Auto games, criminal acts are typically encouraged and rewarded. Despite this, after collaborating with Franklin and Trevor to eliminate their adversaries, Michael starts to feel his age catching up, questioning his suitability for a life of crime. In passing, Franklin mentions that Michael has taken on a role as a producer at Richards Majestic Studios within the Grand Theft Auto Online universe. This transition occurred during the events portrayed in Grand Theft Auto Five.

4 Sly Cooper

The Sly Cooper Series

As a cunning raccoon gamer, I step into the shoes of Sly Cooper, a dapper thief who’s got a rich heritage of swiping from crooks, just like my ancestors. Usually accompanied by my pals Bentley and Murray, we’re a team that’s always up to something. Now, let’s be clear, what I do for a living involves a fair bit of pilfering. But Inspector Carmelita Montoya Fox is never far behind, hot on my trail, vowing to lock me away for good. Yet, there’s an interesting twist: she might just have a soft spot for the Cooper clan, as her feelings for me seem to run deeper than professional duty. In fact, things got even more complicated when I pulled off a clever ruse, feigning amnesia and wiping out my old life – and somehow, that won her heart.

Despite a heartrending childhood that left him an orphan due to family turmoil, he’s managed to evade proper punishment for his wrongdoings. He was incarcerated in The Contessa’s prison but swiftly collaborated with his companions to break free. Unlike many villains who desire his demise, he consistently outmaneuvers them before they can execute their plans. Furthermore, his leniency with Carmelita frequently leads to her inability to apprehend him.

3 Ron DeLite

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Trials and Tribulations

A character who gets away with their crimes seems much more egregious in a series directly focused on the justice system. Nonetheless, the bashful Ron DeLite is played sympathetically. He once worked for KB Security, saving his future wife, Desiree, from being mugged. However, her spending habits were too excessive for his salary to cover their expenses. To this end, he attempted to steal confidential but potentially lucrative info from his boss to save their marriage. This was a difficult decision, in part due to his wife’s hatred of criminals. However, his boss, Kane Bullard, caught Ron and had him fired.

Unfazed, Ron adopted the role of the enigmatic thief, Mask☆DeMasque, initiating his criminal career by pilfering a gem called the emanon’s tear. Unfortunately, this elusive figure was apprehended by the overconfident detective, Luke Atmey, who subsequently extorted Ron into carrying out additional thefts orchestrated by Atmey, in return for financial compensation.

In Atmey’s scheme, Ron was intended to be the one blamed for Kane Bullard’s murder. Bullard, a dealer of information, extorted Atmey due to his involvement in illegal activities. This led Atmey to kill Bullard and guide Ron to the crime scene. Phoenix managed to clear Ron of the murder charge, but he was never truly punished for his actions, as they were essentially pinned on Atmey during the trial.

Moreover, Desiree surprisingly accepted Ron’s burglaries, viewing his distinctive tag as a sign of a bolder and more honorable criminal. Not long after Ron’s court cases, the DeLites launched a venture concentrating on rehabilitating thieves while also providing them with blueprints for robberies. They were later spotted in the spin-off game, Prosecutor’s Gambit, seemingly considering another theft, but no evidence suggests they faced punishment for it.

2 Aversa

Fire Emblem: Awakening

In the Fire Emblem series, many stories center around situations that could be considered murder, but characters who commit such acts often find ways to avoid punishment due to various circumstances. Typically, these murders are justified by a perceived necessity or the rules of war. The game rarely encourages the player to take an innocent life.

In many stories, adversaries are portrayed as antagonists who either exert oppression or obstruct paths toward a potential greater good. Crimes such as burglary and breaking-and-entering might be viewed as attempts to counteract oppressive forces rather than being overly brutal or malicious in their depiction. However, what happens when a character known for excessive cruelty and malice is repositioned on the side of righteousness?

In the captivating game titled “Fire Emblem: Awakening,” there’s an intriguingly clear demonstration of this concept. Major antagonists in this game, who have been oppressors in the past, can even join forces with The Shepherds. A character like Aversa is portrayed as a wily fox, continually causing trouble for the player. Her actions include murdering individuals to resurrect an evil dragon and sometimes for her own twisted pleasure. For instance, she kills one of her underlings when he fails in his duties, a fate often met by villainous subordinates. Aversa is also responsible for the assassination of Phlia, Emmeryn’s lead guard, who tried to save her life after Gangrel took her captive. It’s suggested that her crimes extend beyond those shown onscreen, including multiple murders. In most stories, such a major evil would meet their end due to their actions. However, in this game, Aversa survives, adding an extra layer of intrigue.

In contrast, Aversa is portrayed with a touch of empathy. Her singular affection towards Validar, Robin’s father, is highlighted. Despite knowing his lack of reciprocation, she remains by his side, driven by the memory of when he saved her life. Yet, a detachable narrative titled “The Wellspring of Truth” unveils that this wasn’t entirely true. Instead, Aversa belonged to a village that was devastated by the Grimleal. They kept her alive for a unique ability she possessed – likely Shadowgift, which enables the use of dark magic in any “magic” class, unlike just dark mages.

She’s deeply embarrassed by this truth and flees to the Shepherds. Yet, despite becoming a new hero, she still maintains her mysterious allure, even managing to court a male Robin, bestowing upon their daughter, Morgan, her legendary Shadowgift. If she makes it through the war, rumor has it that she returned to her old village, starting anew as an ordinary girl, trying to make up for lost time. Her “penance” primarily involves working with the Shepherds, which within the main storyline is mostly about their final battle, as most other issues are resolved at this point.

1 M. Bison

The Street Fighter Series

In the realm of Street Fighter games, M. Bison is notoriously known as the dominant antagonist. Interestingly, for the first time in the series, he will be offered as DLC in Street Fighter 6, while most other games have him as a permanent member of the main roster due to his significant influence. He heads the illicit group Shadaloo, dealing in weapons and biochemical substances. Bison has left a trail of grief behind him, most notably causing the deaths of Chun-Li’s father and Guile’s friend, Charlie. Additionally, under his control, Shadaloo abducted and mind-controlled numerous young women, transforming them into his deadly assassin squad, the dolls.

The exact power of his organization has waxed and waned over the years, but one constant is each of his “deaths” being greatly exaggerated. This likely has to do with the Street Fighter series developers wishing to consistently keep its most iconic villain present as a playable character. That said, this also has the subtext of him remaining virtually unpunished for the vast number of crimes committed in his name, seeing as his “deaths”, which can be read as such a punishment, never stick. He even survived in the Street Fighterlive-action movie canon, which is harsher in hindsight once one considers Raul Julia (Bison’s actor) passed away shortly after the film’s release.

Despite his persistent resurrections, there’s been a noticeable downturn in the power and influence of his criminal empire lately. In Street Fighter 3, they were depicted as “fallen,” while in Street Fighter 6, he opted to create a new organization instead of reviving the old one. Although it seems this dictator won’t be going anywhere anytime soon, there is an increasing number of individuals determined to stand up against him – whether driven by personal duty or thirst for vengeance.

2024-09-17 18:34