If you’re like most storytellers, Reader, you spend a good deal of time creating your Legendary Characters.

But what about the other guys. You know the ones. I’m talking about the…

The Bad Guys

The bad guys of the story we know so well.

They’re your evil scientists

Your human rights violators

Your…

…love interests?

That’s right, Reader, antagonist does NOT equal villain. So let’s dive into why and how to use 1 or all 3 of these in your next story.

Villains

First off, VILLAINS are any character who does something morally unforgivable from the point of view (POV) of the reader.

Why the reader and not—say—the Legendary Character, you ask? Because the morality of the point-of-view character is determined by the society in which the story is set, and that could be vastly different than ours.

Or the character could become morally corrupt during the course of the story, like in A Portrait of Dorian Gray. Or they could have been morally bankrupt from the get-go, like Light Yagami in Death Note.

It’s important to remember that from Light’s point of view, he’s the hero of the story despite being clearly villainous to us, the reader.

Adversaries

ADVERSARIES are any character whose actions put them in opposition to the Legendary Character.

In a sports story—like my absolute fav Haikyu!!—the opposing teams are all adversaries to your Legendary Character and their goal of making it to Nationals (or sport equivalent). However, that doesn’t make them villainous.

One of the two Legendary Characters in Haikyu!!, Shoyo Hinata is particularly skilled at befriending former adversaries when they are no longer in opposition to him. Much like Asta in Black Clover and Mash in Mashle: Magic and Muscles.

Antagonists

An ANTAGONIST (foil) is the main character in opposition to the Legendary Character.

Which means in love stories, the main antagonist IS the love interest. Mr. Darcey, anyone?

In my absolute favorite book, The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater, the two Legendary Characters Sean Kendrick and Puck Connolly are each other’s main antagonists in a yearly death race. Both have a desperate need to win, and since neither is a “bad guy,” you’re rooting for them both.

However, only ONE can win the deadly race across the shore on the backs of the mythical water horses. And the moment you realize that, you find yourself searching for the true villains in the story.

That is why knowing if your character is a villain, an adversary, or an antagonist is so extremely important. Because it helps the readers know whom they’re supposed to root for and who they probably shouldn’t.

This isn’t to say you can’t have stories with true villains. You know, the genocidal maniacs that seem straight out of the Saturday morning cartoons.

But what if I want all of them…?

And it is possible to have a story that incorporates villains, adversaries, and antagonists like Carry On or Mashle: Magic and Muscles.

Or a story where characters switch roles over the course of the narrative, such as in Full Metal Alchemist or Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation.

Just remember: the most important thing when building your “bad guys” is to know what their purpose in the story will be. Main obstacle, minor inconvenience, or worst human in existence. You get the idea.

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Well, Reader, now that you know the differences between the 3, you’ll be able to take your villainous storycaft to the next level.

Until next time, this is your friendly neighborhood storytelling Kat wishing you a wonderfully creative week.

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Your cohort in storytelling,

Kat Vancil

🐱

PS 👉 If you have Hulu or Netflix, you can watch Black Clover and see great examples of villains, adversaries, and antagonists in action all in one story. There’s also My Hero Academia, which is another excellent example.

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The Beat: Where storytelling meets cultural analysis Many professionals have trained themselves to sound acceptable, digestible and nice, which often means smaller than the truth. I'm Lisa Weiss, a 3X Emmy-winning storyteller who helps people describe their work without reducing themselves. Your most interesting parts shouldn't be the ones you hide. In The Beat, you'll find storytelling prompts that unlock your voice, book recommendations that expand your thinking, and analysis of how stories shape our professional lives. Lisa Weiss, founder of Storybeat Studio Subscribe​

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