This list was deleted on January 6, 2006 after 745 edits (see Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/List of anti-heroes). It had existed since 2003.
This is a list of anti-heroes. Central or supporting characters who do negative things but are (mostly) heroic in nature.
- Adam in The Shape of Things by Neil LaBute
- Archie Rice in The Entertainer by John Osborne
- Donald in The Philanthropist by Christopher Hampton
- Felix Humble in Humble Boy by Charlotte Jones
- Guy in My Night with Reg by Kevin Elyot
- Jack Gurney in The Ruling Class by Peter Barnes
- Laurence in Abigail's Party by Mike Leigh
- Michael Cartts in Japes by Simon Gray
- Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard
- Stephanie Washburn in The Eclipse by Joyce Carol Oates
- Tom and Amy Bates in Brimstone and Treacle by Dennis Potter
- Vladimir and Estragon in Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett
- Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
- Sweeney Todd in "Sweeney Todd" by Stephen Sondheim
- Alan Sherwood in Altered States by Anita Brookner
- Alex DeLarge in A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
- Alexander Portnoy in Portnoy's Complaint by Philip Roth
- Alice (as well as some other characters) in King Solomon's Carpet by Barbara Vine
- Artemis Fowl II in the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer
- Anita Blake in the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series by Laurell K. Hamilton.
- Arthur Abdel Simpson in The Light of Day (filmed as Topkapi) and Dirty Story by Eric Ambler
- Asa Leventhal in The Victim by Saul Bellow
- Barnaby Gaitlin in A Patchwork Planet by Anne Tyler
- Barry Lyndon (aka Redmond Barry) in The Luck of Barry Lyndon by William Makepeace Thackeray (also in the film Barry Lyndon by Stanley Kubrick)
- Bernard Marx in [[Brave New World]] by Aldous Huxley
- Bartleby in [[Bartleby the Scrivener]] by Herman Melville
- Billy Fisher in Billy Liar by Keith Waterhouse
- Carrietta White in Carrie by Stephen King
- Case in William Gibson's Neuromancer
- Cenodoxus in The Legend of the Damnation of the Good Doctor of Paris by Jacob Bidermann
- Chance in Being There by Jerzy Kosinski
- Charlie in The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
- Cheradenine Zakalwe in Use of Weapons by Iain M. Banks
- Conan the Cimmerian in stories by Robert E. Howard
- Chris Chambers in Stand By Me by Stephen King
- The Creature in Frankenstein
- Des Esseintes in Against the Grain by Joris-Karl Huysmans
- Dmitri Ravinoff or Raven in Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
- Don Birnam in The Lost Weekend by Charles Jackson
- Don Juan in Don Juan by Lord Byron
- Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter series (specifically Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince) (note: this is debated)
- The Dragon King in Robert Stanek's In the Service of Dragons books
- Elric of Melniboné in stories and novels by Michael Moorcock
- Erik in the Phantom of the Opera
- Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser fictional characters created by Fritz Leiber
- Felix Nasmyth in Budding Prospects by T.C. Boyle
- Gerald Tarrant in The Coldfire Trilogy by C.S. Friedman
- Glen Selvy in Running Dog by Don DeLillo
- Grendel in Grendel by John Gardner
- Gruban Malić in Hero on a Donkey by Miodrag Bulatović
- Hamlet in Hamlet by William Shakespeare
- Harry Keogh in the Necroscope series by Brian Lumley
- Harry Paget Flashman in the Flashman books by George MacDonald Fraser
- Heathcliff in 'Wuthering Heights' by Emily Brontë
- Heracles in The Twelve Labors in Greek Mythology
- Holden Caulfield in Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
- Humbert Humbert in Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov.
- Jacopo Belbo in Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco
- Jarom Tyrranth in Robert Stanek's The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches books
- Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
- Jim Dixon in Lucky Jim, by Kingsley Amis
- Joe Christmas in Light in August, by William Faulkner
- John Wheelwright in A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
- Leopold Bloom in "Ulysses" by James Joyce
- Lestat in Interview with the Vampire and its sequels by Anne Rice (some of the other vampires are arguably anti-heroes, while others are pure villians)
- Long John Silver in Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
- Luke Wakefield in Mr Wakefield's Crusade by Bernice Rubens
- Marc Remillard in The Saga of Pliocene Exile by Julian May
- Mark Crawley (as well as some other characters) in A Vicious Circle by Amanda Craig
- Martin Brock in 12 Step Fandango by Chris Haslam
- Meursault in L'Étranger or The Stranger by Albert Camus
- Michael Corleone in The Godfather by Mario Puzo
- Miles Derry in One of the Guys, novel by Robert Clark Young
- Moist von Lipwig in Terry Pratchett's novel Going Postal
- Oedipus in Oedipus Rex
- The narrator/Tyler Durden in Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
- Peter Jernigan in Jernigan by David Gates
- Pinkie Brown in Brighton Rock by Graham Greene
- Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo
- Raistlin Majere in most of the core Dragonlance novels by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
- Raoul Duke in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
- Renton in Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh
- Rincewind from Terry Prachett's Discworld books
- Roland Deschain in The Dark Tower series, by Stephen King
- Roy Hobbs in The Natural by Bernard Malamud
- Samuel Vimes in Terry Pratchett's Discworld books
- Sathar in Robert Stanek's The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches books
- The Shrike, from the Hyperion series by Dan Simmons
- Shylock in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice
- Smith in The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner by Alan Sillitoe
- Soames Forsyte in the Forsyte novels by John Galsworthy
- Spud in Trainspotting and Porno by Irvine Welsh
- Steerpike in the Gormenghast novels by Mervyn Peake
- Stevens in The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
- Sydney Carton in A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
- Takeshi Kovacs in Altered Carbon and sequels by Richard Morgan
- Thomas Covenant in The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever by Stephen R. Donaldson
- Tom Ripley in the "Ripliad" series by Patricia Highsmith.
- Túrin Turambar in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth universe
- Underground man, unnamed narrator in Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky
- Victor Mancini in Choke by Chuck Palahniuk
- Virgil Adams in Alice Adams by Booth Tarkington
- Wei XiaoBao in The Deer and the Cauldron by Jin Yong
- Winston Smith in Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
- Yossarian (John) in Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
- Zaphod Beeblebrox from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
- Edmund Pevensie from The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S.Lewis
- Achilles in The Iliad by Homer
- Gerontion in Gerontion by T.S. Eliot
- Henry in The Dream Songs by John Berryman
- Satan in Paradise Lost by John Milton
- Turin Turambar in Lays of Beleriand by J.R.R. Tolkien
- Warren Harding in Two Poems About President Harding by James Wright
- Æon Flux in Æon Flux
- Alfred J. Kwak
- Alonzo Harris in Training Day
- Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars series, particularly Episode II and Episode III (though he is considered a full villain when he enters the persona of Darth Vader)
- Ash Williams in Evil Dead, Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness
- Battra in Godzilla vs Mothra
- Beavis and Butt-Head in Beavis and Butt-Head Do America
- Benjamin O'Ryan in Suspect Zero
- The Bride in Kill Bill
- Butch Coolidge, Vincent Vega and Jules Winfield in Pulp Fiction
- Captain Benjamin L. Willard in Apocalypse Now
- Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean
- Chip in The Cable Guy
- Chris Taylor in Platoon
- The Crow in The Crow
- Dante Hicks and Randal Graves in Clerks.
- Dominic Toretto in The Fast and the Furious
- Dr. Peyton Westlake in Darkman
- The Dude in The Big Lebowski
- Ellie and Jimmy Hudson in Cursed
- Eric Draven in The Crow
- Godzilla in Godzilla series
- Han Solo in Star Wars
- Hando in Romper Stomper
- Hannibal Lector in Silence of the Lambs
- Harold and Kumar in Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle
- Harry Callahan from the Dirty Harry films
- Harry Lime in The Third Man
- Hawkeye Pierce in M*A*S*H
- Jack Skellington in Tim Burton'sThe Nightmare Before Christmas
- Jay and Silent Bob in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
- Jimmy Smith Jr. (Rabbit) in 8 Mile
- Jimmy the Saint in Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead
- John Constantine in Constantine
- Johnny in Naked
- Josey Wales in The Outlaw Josey Wales
- Karl Childers in Sling Blade
- Leon in The Professional
- Lester Burnham in American Beauty
- The MacManus Brothers in The Boondock Saints
- Martin Blank in Grosse Pointe Blank
- Max Rockatansky in Mad Max
- Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy
- Monty Brogan in 25th Hour
- Napoleon Dynamite in Napoleon Dynamite
- Napoleon Wilson in Assault on Precinct 13
- Nikita in Nikita
- Norman Bates from Psycho series
- Peyton Westlake in Darkman
- Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame
- Rex in Babe (film)
- Richard Chance in To Live and Die in L.A.
- Rick Blaine in Casablanca
- Riddick in The Chronicles of Riddick and Pitch Black
- Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon
- Saya in Blood: The Last Vampire
- Shirotsugh Ledatt in Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise
- Shrek and Donkey in Shrek
- Snake Plissken in Escape From New York, Escape From L.A.
- Sgt. Todd 3465 in Soldier
- Tommy Callahan in Tommy Boy
- Tony Montana in Scarface
- The Man With No Name in Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy
- The Trader in Waterworld
- Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver by Martin Scorsese
- Tyler Durden in Fight Club
- Verbal Kint in The Usual Suspects
- Walker in Point Blank (or as it was remade: Porter in Payback)
- Wanda Gershwitz in A Fish Called Wanda
- Willy Wonka in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
- The Warriors in The Warriors
- Xander Cage in XXX
- Zach Mayo in An Officer And A Gentleman
- Aquaman (specifically his more recent portrayals) (DC Comics)
- Batman (DC Comics)
- Bizarro (DC Comics)
- Black Adam (DC Comics)
- Black Cat (Marvel Comics)
- Cable (Marvel Comics)
- Catwoman (DC Comics)
- Cerebus the Aardvark by Dave Sim (Aardvark-Vanaheim)
- The Creeper by Steve Ditko (DC Comics)
- Daredevil (Marvel Comics)
- Deadpool (Marvel)
- Dr. Manhattan in Watchmen from DC Comics
- Dwight McCarthy from Sin City
- Elektra (Marvel Comics)
- Emma Frost (Marvel Comics)
- flaming carrot (bob burden)
- Foolkiller(Marvel Comics)
- Ghost Rider (Marvel Comics)
- Golgo 13 by Takao Saito
- The Goon (Dark Horse)
- Green Arrow (DC Comics)
- Guy Gardner (DC Comics)
- Harley Quinn from (DC Comics)
- Hellboy (Dark Horse)
- Hitman (DC Comics)
- Howard the Duck (Marvel Comics)
- The Incredible Hulk (Marvel Comics)
- Huntress, (the Helena Bertinelli version) (DC Comics)
- John Constantine (Vertigo)
- John Difool (The Incal)
- Johnny the Homicidal Maniac by Jhonen Vasquez (Slave Labor Graphics)
- Juggernaut (Marvel Comics)
- Klarion the Witch Boy, (particularly in his 2005 miniseries) (DC Comics)
- Kraven the Hunter (Marvel Comics)
- Light Yagami (Death Note)
- Lady Death (Lady Death Comics) (Chaos! Comics, Crossgen, and Avatar Press)
- Lobo (DC Comics)
- Magneto (Marvel Comics)
- Marv from Sin City
- Metabarons (Humanoids Publishing)
- Monstergirl from Young Heroes in Love (DC Comics)
- Namor the Sub-Mariner (Marvel Comics)
- Nexus by Mike Baron and penciler Steve Rude
- The Punisher (Marvel Comics)
- Quinlan Vos from Star Wars (Dark Horse Comics)
- Rayek in Elfquest (Warp Graphics, later DC Comics)
- Rorschach in Watchmen (DC Comics)
- Sandman (Vertigo)
- Spawn (Image Comics)
- Spectre (DC Comics)
- The Thing (Marvel Comics)
- V (Vertigo (comics))
- Vegeta and Piccolo from Dragon Ball Z (Bird Studio/Akira Toriyama)
- Venom (Marvel Comics)
- Wolverine (Marvel Comics)
- Belkar Bitterleaf - Order of the Stick
- Black Mage - 8-bit Theatre
- Bun-Bun - Sluggy Freelance
- Dogbert - Dilbert
- Garfield - Garfield comics
- Gaston Lagaffe
- Nearly the entire cast of Something Positive
- Rat - Pearls Before Swine
- Seto Kiba -"Yu-Gi-Oh"
- Al Bundy in Married with Children
- Alan Shore and Denny Crane in Boston Legal
- Al Swearengen in Deadwood
- Amuro Ray and to a different extent Char Aznable in the anime Mobile Suit Gundam
- Angel from Angel and Buffy the Vampire Slayer (as well as most of the characters from the Buffyverse of which include Buffy, Willow Rosenberg, Anya Emerson/Anya Jenkins/Anyanka/Aud, Spike/William the Bloody, Faith Lehane, Rupert Giles, Andrew Wells, Illyria, Cordelia Chase, Lorne and many, many others).
- Archie Bunker in All in the Family
- Bart Simpson in The Simpsons
- Beka Valentine in Andromeda
- Bender Bending Rodriguez from Futurama
- Benjamin Sisko from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
- Bernard Black in Black Books
- Sgt. Bilko in The Phil Silvers Show
- Blooregard Q. Kazoo in Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends
- Brian Kinney in Queer As Folk
- Cassandra in Sabrina's Secret Life
- Certain district attorneys in the Law & Order franchise, particularly Jack McCoy and Abbie Carmichael.
- Christian Troy in Nip/Tuck
- Cole Turner aka Belthazor from Charmed
- Daffy Duck in Looney Tunes
- Dastardly and Muttley
- Dave Lister in Red Dwarf
- David Brent, Tim Canterbury, and Gareth Keenan in The Office
- Dee Dee in Dexter's Laboratory
- Detective Harvey Bullock in Batman: The Animated Series
- Diana in the PAX made for TV movie Mermaids
- The Doctor from Doctor Who (most notably as portrayed by actors; William Hartnell, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and Christopher Eccleston but many consider the Doctor to be an antihero in general).
- Dr. Eddie "Fitz" Fitzgerald in Cracker
- Edmund Blackadder in Blackadder
- Elim Garak in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
- Eric Cartman in South Park
- Flippy in Happy Tree Friends
- Garfield in Garfield and Friends
- Gary Oak from the Pokemon anime
- Gendo Ikari and to a different extent Shinji Ikari in Neon Genesis Evangelion
- Dr. Gregory House in House
- Hawkeye Pierce in M*A*S*H
- Heero Yuy in Gundam Wing
- I. R. Baboon in I Am Weasel
- InuYasha from InuYasha
- Jack Bauer on 24
- Jack Spicer in Xiaolin Showdown
- James Ford, better known as "Sawyer", in Lost
- Jinxfrom Teen Titans after "Lightspeed"
- Joel Dawson in Bonus Stage
- Kerr Avon and, to varying degrees, several of the other characters in Blakes Seven
- Lina Inverse in the Slayers series
- Luke Spencer in General Hospital
- Malcolm Reynolds in Firefly
- Merrick Baliton/Lunar Wolf Ranger in Power Rangers: Wild Force.
- Michael Garibaldi in the sci-fi series Babylon 5
- Miroku (InuYasha) from the anime series InuYasha
- Mojo Jojo in a few episodes of The Powerpuff Girls
- Mugen from Samurai Champloo
- Prince Zuko From Avatar: The Last Airbender
- Quantum Ranger in Power Rangers Time Force
- Raven in the Zoids: Chaotic Century and Zoids: Guardian Force anime
- Raven from Teen Titans
- Nearly the entire cast of Red vs Blue
- Rex Balsom in One Life to Live
- Rick Hunter in the animated show Robotech
- Ricky, Julian and Bubbles in Trailer Park Boys
- Rokusho in Medabots
- Rose/Thorn the Huntsgirl in American Dragon: Jake Long
- Roy Rooster of the U.S. Acres cartoons on Garfield and Friends
- Ryan O'Reilly in the HBO television series, Oz
- Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune in Sailor Moon, particularly Sailor Moon S
- Saito Hajime from Rurouni Kenshin
- Sasuke Uchiha in the early story arcs of Naruto (he later becomes a flat-out villain).
- Scar from Fullmetal Alchemist- in the beginning of the series, he is depicted as a villain and slowly becomes an ally near episode 41.
- Scooby-Doo and Shaggy from Scooby-Doo
- Sesshomaru from the Inuyasha anime
- Shinn Asuka in the Gundam SEED DESTINY anime
- Slade from Teen Titans the End trilogy
- Spenser and Hawk in Spenser: For Hire
- Spike Spiegel in the Cowboy Bebop anime
- Stephen "Patch" Johnson on Days of Our Lives
- Stewie Griffin in Family Guy
- Strong Bad from Homestar Runner
- Terra in Teen Titans
- Terrence & Philip in South Park
- Tony Soprano in The Sopranos
- Urd in the Ah! My Goddess TV series
- Valerie Gray in Danny Phantom
- Vic Mackey in The Shield
- Victor Meldrew in One Foot in the Grave
- Xena from Xena Warrior Princess
- Yamato Ishida, Ken Ichijouji, BlackWarGreymon, Ruki Makino, Impmon, Kouji Minamoto and Kouichi Kimura in Digimon
- Zev (later Xev) Bellringer in Lexx
- Zim of Invader Zim
- Mr. 47 (Tobias Rieper) in the Hitman series
- Blanka, Cammy and Zangief in Street Fighter
- Alice in American McGee's Alice
- Anton Slavik in Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun
- Black Bomber in Bomberman
- Arthas in Warcraft 3
- Kratos Aurion in Tales of Symphonia
- Bass in the Mega Man series
- Caleb in Blood
- Captain Qwark of Ratchet & Clank (Specifically in Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal)
- Canderous Ordo and Jolee Bindo in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
- Carl "CJ" Johnson in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
- Claude Speed/Claude in Grand Theft Auto 2 and Grand Theft Auto III
- Dante and his father Sparda both of the Devil May Cry series
- Nearly the entire cast of Darkstalkers
- The player character in Doom
- Dr. Eggman from the Sonic series (Recent games have put Eggman as being neutral. he wants to conquer the world, but he values life and will protect the planet if it is threatened. Also, the Eggman in Sonic Heroes is actually Metal Sonic in disguse, so that doesn't count.)
- Duke Nukem from the Duke Nukem series of games.
- The protagonists of Fear Effect series
- Garrett in the Thief series
- Grey Fox and Big Boss in the Metal Gear series
- Guybrush Threepwood from the Monkey Island series by LucasArts
- The Hacker (also known as Employee 2-4601) in System Shock
- Heihachi Mishima from the Tekken series
- Illidan Stormrage in Warcraft 3
- Iori Yagami from the King of Fighters series
- James Earl Cash in Manhunt
- Kain in the Legacy of Kain series
- Karst, Agatio, and Alex in Golden Sun: The Lost Age
- Kerrigan and Zeratul in Starcraft
- Knuckles the Echidna in the Sonic the Hedgehog series (early Genesis games; in newer games such as Sonic Heroes and Shadow the Hedgehog, Knuckles can be more accurately described as a hero.)
- Kyle Katarn in the Star Wars Dark Forces series
- Kreia in Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
- Kratos in God of War
- Laharl from Disgaea: Hour of Darkness
- Lyle in Phantasy Star 3
- Magus in Chrono Trigger
- Malcolm, the villain turned player-character in the Legend of Kyrandia series
- The Marine Combat Engineer from Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil
- Marta Louise Velasquez, the main character of Traffic Department 2192
- Max Payne and Mona Sax in the Max Payne series
- Meta-Knight in the Kirby series
- The Prince Predator in Aliens versus Predator 2
- Raziel in the Legacy of Kain series
- Riku in the Kingdom Hearts series
- Your Rival from the Pokémon Games
- Rune in Phantasy Star 4
- Ryu Hayabusa in Ninja Gaiden
- Sam Fisher from the Splinter Cell series
- Samurai Goroh from the F-Zero series
- Scorpion in the Mortal Kombat series
- Seifer Almasy from Final Fantasy VIII
- Shadow the Hedgehog in the Sonic the Hedgehog series
- Sol Badguy in the Guilty Gear series
- Solid Snake\Big Boss in Metal Gear Solid series
- Squall Leonhart from Final Fantasy VIII
- Tanner in the Driver series
- The player character in Unreal
- The unnamed player character in System Shock 2, affectionately called Goggles in some fan communities. Also known as The Soldier.
- Tommy Vercetti in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
- Toni Cipriani in Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories
- Vladimir in Max Payne (not Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne)
- Wario in the Wario Land series
- Wes from Pokémon Colosseum
- Wolf O'Donnell from the Starfox series
- Yuri Hyuga from the Shadow Hearts series
- John Cena from WWE
- Kevin Nash as Diesel from WWE
- nWo Wolfpac from WCW
- Stone Cold Steve Austin from WWE
- The Undertaker from WWE