Poll of the Day > What are some characters in media who do awesome long-term planning?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Spoilers listed as (name of character) from (show). Tugging on the strings to make events play out?

Like Dante in Count of Monte Cristo, Light in Death Note, Lelouche from Code Geass, the guy from the illusionist, maybe even Bran from Game of Thrones (but the show doesn't revolve around him so meh).

If it's somewhat of a cat-and-mouse story it's a plus but not necessary.

Leaving out characters unless it's just a given within the first few minutes who it's about.

The entire Zero Escape series (video game). Some of the best storytelling in any medium. Murder mystery type stuff, but also hints of Saw (bomb collars, poison bracelets, and acid showers).

The Good Place (TV), premise is that someone died and went to The Good Place by accident, she then has to fabricate her entire backstory and gets tangled up in a lot of lies trying not to get caught.

Breaking Bad speaks for itself, really.
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Batman
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the voting arc of hunterxhunter is some of that for sure
never 360d on a character so quick
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The antagonist in Oldboy

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Reverse flash. Man is patient as fuck with how long some of his plans can take. At least in the tv show.
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Mead posted...

The antagonist in Oldboy

That movie changed me as a person
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Gone Girl probably qualifies.

Hereditary has this as well.

There are a lot of games that this applies to, mostly with respect to villains. OoT's Ganondorf is probably the most iconic example.

Darkest Dungeon?

Your Turn to Die.

Some of the characters in the Ace Attorney series, I suppose.

MGS has a good bit of this.

This applies in varying degrees to some of the antagonists from FFIX (it failed for both antagonists), X (Yevon, the Church... maybe Auron/Jecht could count but eh), XII (Vayne/Venat/Cid are probably the most straightforward examples of this from the mainline games), XIII (obvious), XV (again, fairly obvious)

Tales of Symphonia, the entire setting revolves around a globe-sized long-term plan and manipulation on every level. There are individual examples within the game of characters either doing this or trying and failing to do this, several of whom are not antagonists.

Tales of the Abyss, this applies to both informed members of the Order of Lorelei and to the God-Generals that oppose them. One group does it much, much better than the other group.

Tales of Berseria, mostly on Melchior's part but it does apply to two others as well.

Happens several times in the Castlevania series, though the narratives are fairly threadbare in those games comparably. From LoI, CoD, OoE, DoS, AoS, and LoS. Spoilers: Matthias, Zead, Dracula in a couple of the games, Barlowe , Celia, and Alucard *rare heroic example*. Zobek.

Applies to the antagonists of Bayonetta 1, I suppose.

*shrug* Just some stuff off the top of my head. From those listed, I think Gone Girl is probably the best example of what you're looking for.
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The totally just ruler of Ankh-Morpork
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Mead posted...

The antagonist in Oldboy

If only he put half as much effort into not fucking his sister where someone could see it.
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Golgo13


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Light Yagami in Death Note.

Sora from No Game No Life.

Angelo from 91 Days. (Maybe)

See also episode 5 (iirc) of Joker Game.

David Xanatos

Walter White

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