10 Video Game Villains Who Switched Sides (To Fight Something Worse)
9. Yuri Goes From No Russian To Makarov Hater - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III
"No Russian" is one of the most controversial scenes in Call of Duty's history, but it is also one of the defining moments of the greatest redemption arcs in the series. That is, the defection of Yuri.
Yuri is a Russian soldier who acts as the antagonist and one of the henchmen of the Ultranationalist Makarov. In both Modern Warfare II and III, he is seen working alongside Makarov, committing countless war crimes and killing people by the dozen, in hopes of advancing their goal of turning Russia into the world's greatest superpower.
Although Yuri is loyal to Makarov, in Modern Warfare III, his unwavering support begins to crack as he reflects on all the atrocities he committed, like shooting up an entire airport, for example.
Yuri's final straw is witnessing his boss detonating a nuclear bomb and causing the deaths of thousands of innocent civilians. From that point on, he recognizes that Makarov is a greater threat than random political squabbles and decides to join Price and Soap in order to prevent Makarov from starting World War 3.
The soldier is ultimately killed, but his defection in the name of the greater good is still well recognized.