Ardyn is one of the most tragic villains I've encountered. He spent his life saving people from the demonic scourge, was ultimately rejected because of his method, was betrayed by his brother, watched his love die at his brother’s hands, was cast into exile and imprisoned for two thousand years, was found by people who wanted to use him, was plagued by visions and memories of his past and by his grief at what he lost, was denied the vengeance that he finally decided he wanted by the gods who forsook him, and was informed that his only choices were to play the role of villain for the Chosen King to purge or spend eternity suffering as he already had for so long.

If the story had taken place in his time instead, Ardyn would have been the hero, not the villain.

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