Is Sebastian LaCroix evil? *POSSIBLE SPOILERS*

[King Malus]

my friends and i have been having a bit of a debate recently: does LaCroix actually qualify as the villain of the game? we know he is considered the antihero, and he proves to be a backstabber throughout the game, and no one seems to actually like LaCroix, but is he truly diabolical? it is suggested at end of the game that he fears the Kuei-Jin, and he says he wants to eradicate them from L.A then build an empire, but does that make him evil?

personally i dont think he is actually evil, at least compared to andrei. i'd say hes just a really ambitious, impatient, arrogant, and rather frightened vampire who is fighting for his foothold in L.A. That doesnt excuse him from his backstabbing nature though...

any thoughts on my question?

[Argent Blood]

I don't think he is genuinely evil, he just falls into the "Evil by circumstance" trope. Meaning that nothing he does before he has the sarcophagus, and knowledge of the key, could really be considered evil.

I'd suppose that his reasons for doing so would be the fact that, it is all to obvious that even within Downtown itself, and even any other part of LA, the area that he polices as Prince, not one Vampire shows any respect for him, save for the player(should you want to play a Camarilla Loyal Vampire),and Strauss(but even he isn't fond of him). I'm not really counting the sheriff, mostly because you don't know what he thinks about the situation.

[vio]

like most of the best villains, he genuinely believes that he is in fact doing the right thing and everyone is to naive to understand that. his ambitions are definitely evil though, whether he realises it or not

[Lehiff]

The mere fact that we can actually discuss this to me just show how well-written this game is...you usually don't have many doubts about the motivations of antagonists in video games. He seems pretty evil to me, but thankfully not a clichéd evil, more like a ruthless politician or CEO trying to beat his competitors by any means necessary. Andrei is clichéd evil, but he's damn cool so he can get away with it.

[King Malus]

i agree with you when you say that this game is very well written, Lehiff. the diologue is witty and flowing, the character are well thought out and complex, and the storyline is intricate and flexible.

i also agree that LaCroix is more like the ruthless CEO. however i still don't believe that LaCroix is really evil. indeed, he reminds me of the young lex luther from the smallville series, who is absolutely ruthless if he sets his mind to do something, if quite a bit darker.

[MalaksBane]

What is evil?

Tung already hints at your own evilness and most hunters would easily regard all kindred as evil.

Everyone involved in the Jyhad can be seen as 'the villain', in the end every kindred is trying to gain power and maintain their unlives as long as they can and all means to that end are basically part of their repertoire. LaCroix, Strauss, Andrei, Ming and in a way, your character, even Nines and Jack are all villains.

[King Malus]

a fair enough question and a fair enough statement.

i suppose that for this question you should all go off of your own personal definition of evil, as the concept tends to change from person to person.

[gonin]

As evil as the System

He is a bureaucrat, so he may be quite a jerk, and rather manipulative, evil, i don't think, is the right word.

[Grey_Ghost]

personally i dont think he is actually evil, at least compared to andrei.

I don't really think LaCroix or Andrei should be considered evil. LaCroix is greedy. LaCroix is manipulative. LaCroix is dishonorable. But evil? No.

As for Andrei, well, he's Sabbat. And technically, the Sabbat aren't evil. They just have different beliefs and a different code of conduct than the Camarilla and the Anarchs. The Sabbat believe Caine and the Antideluvian 3rd generation are not only real, but a real threat as well. And so the Sabbat seeks to do whatever is necessary to prevent the prophesied Gehenna. Even if that means breaking the Masquerade to deal with those they believe are being manipulated by the Antideluvians. The Camarilla and the Anarchs believe that if Caine and the Antideluvians were ever real, that they are long dead and pose no threat.

[Lukeatus]

Evil in this game...? Depend on your point of view.

Great game...

Great characters... I don't think any of the characters are really evil... Well, we obviously see Andrei as evil because he fleshcrafts humans. But in his point of view, it's like how humans slaughter livestock. He trully believes that the acients (antidiluvians and such powerful kindred) will arise from their torpor and consume everyone, so his actions from his point of view is justified. He fights to stop that from hapenning and the camarilla from leading kindred to Gehenna. So fights on...

The Kuei-Jin Pristess is the most "evil" character in the game from our point of view simply because she believes in her kind's superiority to kindred. She doesn't want any kindred in her domain, period. To us kindred, that has to be evil....

But Lacroix? No, definitely not evil, just self-centered, cold who will do anything to achieve his goals. Once he sees that you'd follow him no matter what (if you chose to do so) he'll say that you have earned your place at his side. All he wants is the power to crush the opposition and restore L.A. to Camarilla rule.