10 Video Game Villains Who Were Secretly Your Ally All Along

Everyone loves a good enemies-to-lovers story, but there is another great foes-to-friends trope that the gaming world doesn’t utilize so often, even though its potential is genuinely great:

The villain who’s secretly your ally.

These are the types of antagonists who’ll say, “You’re not so different, you and I,” and mean it in a completely sincere and amicable way. Their goals usually align with your characters, and although they are working for the opposition, in reality, they actually try to help aid you on your quest.

Whether it’s an actual former ally, a confused idealist trying to make things right, or someone who simply ended up on the wrong side of the barricade, these villains aren’t there to harm you. They secretly cheer you on as you progress through the story, until it’s finally their time to reveal they’ve been your friends all along.

Let’s examine their true motivations together so that the reveal doesn’t happen too late when you play. The last thing you’d want is to kill these friendly villains before they show you who they truly are.

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Notable new game spoilers for Baldur's Gate 3 are within.

Jetstream Sam is easily one of the most popular and memorable characters in Metal Gear Rising, and that's saying something considering he's surrounded by cyborg ninjas and one buff senator with a fondness for nanomachines and omelettes.

A big part of his following can be attributed to his personality, mainly his cool as a cucumber attitude and a strong sense of justice that makes him act like a real samurai straight out of the Edo period.

His moral compass is also why Jetstream Sam is secretly rooting for Raiden in his fight against Armstrong and Desperado. Although he's a part of the organization, he didn't join it of his own free will, and he doesn't want Armstrong's vision of the world to come to fruition.

Throughout the story, Sam does terrible things to Raiden, like cutting off his hand during their first encounter, but he always spares him at the last second. The reason for that is that he’s trying to prepare Raiden for the confrontation with the rest of Desperado’s members.

He’s definitely a tough teacher, but without his lessons, Raiden would stand no chance against his fellow soldiers.

Besides, who could stay mad at a man with such a dashing smile?