The Greatest Backstab in All of Video Games

What's the very greatest betrayal you've ever suffered in a game? It could be a character you were emotionally attached to, one whose treason took you by surprise, or one who was just so damn good at it that you had you stop and give a round of applause.

WARNING: As if this needs to be said, the thread will contain many unmarked spoilers, since things would be a little cumbersome otherwise. Proceed at your own peril.

I'll name a few of my own to start:

Otsdarva/Thermidor (Armored Core: For Answer)
Armored Core is pretty much Backstab: The Video Game, but this one deserves special mention. It's vaguely hinted that Otsdarva is the former ace pilot for Rayleonard, a corporation which was destroyed by the protagonist of Armored Core 4. In 4A he seems to have gotten along well enough, having moved to Omer Science, which rose from Rayleo's ashes, and rejoining the great corporate war. He later joins you in the battle against White Glint, the former AC4 protagonist and last surviving Core of Line Ark, pretty much the only people who don't want to take over the world and aren't complete sleazeballs. You figure he'd jump at a shot for revenge, but unfortunately his boosters malfunction and he sinks into the sea... OR DOES HE(????). He later resurfaces (no pun intended) as Thermidor, the ruthless leader of ORCA and the new anti-establishment champion. One story path allows you to first join ORCA, then go against their tenets and pointlessly slaughter ten million people, at which point he rejoins the corporate sleazeballs in a temporary truce to take you down.

So let's recap: First he was frontstabbed by White Glint, then he backstabbed the corporations, then you backstab him, then he un-stabs the corporations to backstab you back. Whew. Like I said, no series does the backstab tango quite like Armored Core.

Yurt, the Silent Chief (Demon's Souls)
This fella is sitting in a prison cell in one of the creepier locales of the game. You can tell something's off about him right away; but it's pretty easy to dismiss in a game where half the people want you dead and the other half are probably going to want you dead later. So hey, you rescue the guy, and he goes back to the Nexus like a good little NPC. And he hangs out on the second floor all by himself, as opposed to nearly every other NPC. Ok, little weird. Still, no big deal. Fast-forward to the next boss you defeat, and he starts assassinating the other NPCs one-by-one. Let this go on long enough and he comes after you, too. And if you kill him first, you're visited by his contractor, who offers you the chance to take his place! And a few of the items she offers up are enticing indeed.

Eric Sparrow (Tony Hawk's Underground)
What. A. Dick. Eric doesn't just betray you, he spits in your face over and over. After every time you save his neck, he finds a way to leave you eating dirt while he soars to stardom. He "forgets" to sign you up for a competition, he steals credit for your craziest stunts, he leaves you locked in a runaway tank which he took for a drunk joyride... And the worst part is that he does it without a second thought. Always spinning up a wild tale to back up his stories, always ready to justify his behavior when you confront him. He is an assbag, and he takes every opportunity to remind you of it. The funny part is, he creates most of the conflict that lets you climb the skate-star ladder.

 

Shuji Ikutsuki - Persona 3
Jesus, this guy and the game itself. It surprised me and pissed me off. The whole time he worked as the supervisor for SEES and told the group that if they explored Tartarus and destroyed the twelve Shadows on the days of the full moons, they would be able to make Tartarus and the Dark Hour disappear. After they had beaten all twelve Shadows, the Dark Hour still comes up at midnight and everyone is all "lolwut" about it. They ended up going to Tartarus to see what happened and they see him and Aigis at the entrance. What really pissed me off was that he used Aigis and reprogrammed her to go against everyone. Ikutsuki ended up practically crucifying everyone be offerings to Nyx, the boss at the end of the game. Aigis luckily snaps out of it and releases everyone. But Ikutsuki ends up killing Mitsuru's father, which only pissed me off even more. >> I hate him. I'm glad he gets shot and falls off of Tartarus.

Al Mualim - Assassin's Creed
He was another guy that pissed me off. But he did give me a vibe that made me think he was bad. He was Altair's mentor. I haven't played the first game in a while but the whole time, Altair is going to different cities and whatnot. I believe they talk about the Apple of Eden and Altair ends up finding out that Al Mualim was going to use the Apple of Eden against everyone. So they end up fighting and he dies. And then in Revelations you see everyone go against Altair and think he betrayed everyone, which only made me mad at everything.

I know another one of Persona 4, but I'd rather not say since I just know this person betrays everyone and not the full details.

 

I actually remember Eric Sparrow, and I really liked that game back in the day.
I know I've played games with big betrayals in them but I can only name a three, all of them Star Wars games actually.

Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy - Rosh Penin
So you train together, in a new Jedi Academy after the six films under Luke Skywalker's principality and Kyle Katarn's tutelage you are paired with another student, Rosh Penin. He's there eager, excited to be a Jedi, and competitive to a high degree. He also and one point says that you are holding him back from his true potential, obvious signs of jealousy and anger and guess where he ends up... Yep, the dark side, he goes missing on a trip and when you investigate and find him next, you must fight him.
It's good he is redeemed in the end... But will you let him be redeemed?

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed - Darth Vader
Darth Vader is a bad guy, sure, but he's not usually stupid about the way he does things. So it's a bit of a shock when he first (yes, first) stabs you in the back (literally as he ignites his own lightsaber) and then throws you into the deep vastness of space. No wonder that relationship didn't continue into the fourth film, no?

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords - Darth Traya
Now this was the biggest shock to me in mos of my gaming history, this mentor and companion, this tutor and friendship that you almost form is instantly destroyed when she appears to attack the Jedi Masters you've gathered and then stuns you, telling you to hunt her down. This Master who has helped you connect you back to the force after you lost it then wants to severe it and the entirety of the force altogether.
Did not see that coming, but it's one hell of a twist, no?

EDIT: Oh god I forgot Ikutsuki and Al Mualim completely, they're are both very good.
I don't know why but I felt that Ikutsuki was going to betray your SEES at one point or another. He wasn't a relevant plot character for the story at all, so that left one thing.

 

.....

Spoiler

Seriously speaking.

Riku - Kingdom Hearts
I'll be unoriginal with my first one, he did betray his best friend and it did surprise me during my first play through. He took Sora's keyblade, his girlfriend, and brought upon the destruction of allot of things. Heck he was darkness seeking mad at the tail end of the game until he came to his senses.

Wheatley - Portal 2
Computerized balls betraying you, this is why it's best to stick with cubes. Wheatley helps you throughout the first part of the game in order to take down the lovable computer baatch GLaDOS, all goes well when he assumes control of the system to help your character escape the prison known as the enrichment center. That is until he goes stark, raving mad with power and tries to kill you. Never trust computers. This one surprised me, but didn't shock me too bad because I didn't think they'd end the game so quickly.

There are plenty more, I just can't recall them for some reason. Nice one about Darth Vader PaW, it really did shock me at first when he just beat the crap out Starkiller, one of my favorite scenes in the game.

 

Anise Tatlin - Tales of the Abyss
After having her in your party for so long, almost throughout the whole of the game actually (And I tell you, this game is LOONG) it's kinda emotional when this happens. Especially considering why she does it and the consequences of her doing it. However she does come back into the party afterwards so it's all good.

Raven - Tales of Vesperia
Being one of the most humorous party members in the entire game -not to mention suspicious- Raven finally reveals his true colours during the second half of the game, where he kidnaps one of your other party members and eventually ends up fighting you as his other identity, Captain Schwann. And he does come back to join the party a bit afterwards, after he almost sacrifices himself for the party as a building collapses on top of them :/

Van - Tales of the Abyss
Considered the main character's "master" and the one he trusts most, when this dude backstabs you at the end of the first third of the game, you know something bad is gonna happen. He tricks the main character into believing that he can save the world and become a hero if he follows his orders. What actually takes place is the destruction of a huge city and the loss of thousands of lives, and the one who caused it was the main character, under the orders of Van. He is also the final boss of the game too so, yeah.

Matt Engarde - Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Justice For All
This guy was the biggest ****** in history, as your client, he tricks you into believing he is innocent of a murder. However, it is revealed in the last Investigation of the game that, infact, he had hired an assassin to do the murder for him. This, along with the fact that he gets said assassin to kidnap your partner and hold her for ransom, just so he could attain a complete aquittal, gives him the right to the title of Biggest ****** in the History of Ace Attorney.

 

While it's not officially betrayal, i always found that kid in pokemon blue, default name as Red, cruel. I mean, it says he's your best friend, then he gets there and picks the weakness to your pokemon. Some friend, attempting to screw you over at every turn. HE EVEN TAKES YOUR POKEMON LEAGUE TITLE.

 

Kessler isn't really a backstabbing considering a backstabbing usually means the person was your friend/ally and then betrays you in some manner.
Kessler was never an ally or friend of Cole, not like a classic backstabber would be, so I wouldn't probably include it, but meh...

 

I hope these count as betrayals, bad memory is bad, so I remember only two characters right now.

Dahlia Hawthorne - Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney series
This girl is a downright b*tch! Not even exaggerating with this. Pretended to love a guy just to get revenge on her father, attempted to kill at least four people and succeeded twice, and made a guy kill himself in court. One of the people she tried to kill was Phoenix Wright himself, masking the intention with pretending to love him. I'd say that's a bit of betrayal right there, along with the others she decieved.

Arvel the Swift - Skyrim
Come on, you defeat a huge-ass spider and he promises to tell you about the Golden Claw, then once you free him he frolicks off into the temple yelling "You fool, why should I share the treasure with anyone?!" Okay, maybe this one is a bit silly, but it's one I can actually remember.

 

I agree completely.
After this occurred, he burned at my hands.
<3 Destruction Spells.

 

Havoc Squad (minus Aric) - Star Wars: The Old Republic:
I saw these guys as my main quest givers for the majority of the game, especially Tavis. Then, when the Ord Mantell story quests were about complete, BOOM they defected on me. It caught me by surprise, since I never thought these guys as traitors. Not only that, but they went the extra mile and joined the Empire. My choices throughout the game show that both me and my Character (Lt. Xibbid) want to kick some traitorous ass.

I'll edit more in if I remember.

 

If your currently playing Corpse Party please skip my post or if you like to be spoiled read it anyway :P

Ayumi Shinozaki from Corpse Party
In the last chapter (Chapter 5) if you dont get Yuka away from Kizami, Yoshiki wont go back to the haunted elementary school with Ayumi then she lets jealousy get the best of her when Naomi questions her intelligence and burn Naomi's piece of the paper doll Ayumi finds in front of Naomi when they reunite her and Satoshi again so Naomi wont get saved from the school and go home. She later kills Naomi in hopes of going back home with Satoshi until she finds out hes been controlled by the darkening and she ends up laughing losing her mind which leads you to the WRONG END screen. Life does suck when you screw your friends over doesn't Ayumi-Chan? Well you deserve it cuz Naomi was your only way out and you killed her!!! D8<

 

Wheatly was pretty bad, but it was easy enough to get over. Besides, the real shocker is who you partner up with later on.

Harry Flynn-Uncharted 2

Not being very original here either, but his betrayal left me a bit surprised and quite pissed. I was new to the game, so I didn't expect much plot development until after the museum heist. Regardless, he's still a total dick for his actions in the end of the game.

 

Kalas from Baten Kaitos

This one gets me the most. The main character of the game, the one you spend so much time and energy leveling up and equipping, the first character you played as, he's the one who betrays the team? Not only does it feel like wasted effort, but his was the kind of character you couldn't help but like.

 

This one probably doesn't really count, since he always had ulterior motives from the beginning, but . . .

Atlas from BioShock ~
I was so mad when I found out about this guy. I mean, I spent the entire game doing crap for him, helping him out, and then I go and kill Andrew Ryan because Fontain's over here filling my head with all of this stuff, which is all mostly true, but spinning it his way. And I actually believed him when he said he had a family. I myself felt bad for the guy, I thought we were gonna escape together, but no~o~o, he was a power-hungry son of a bitch. D<

Al Mualim from Assassin's Creed ~
Dude, this was the one I never expected, even though I felt I should have. Still, the guy, had me kill a whole bunch of Templars, and if he was a traitor to the Creed, why would he have me kill his allies? I guess he wanted the Apple for himself, it's been a while since I've played the first game, so I've got not much more than that.​

 

Al Mualim-Assassin's Creed
I know fourth or fifth guy to mention him, but common. Master Assassin and Templar? Mind was blown when I first played the game.

Zeke Dunbar-inFamous
Ok, I thought this guy was cool. Hanging with the hero, trying to pick-up chicks, drinking, being your friend, and all that jazz. But first, he lets Alden escape, and then, he takes the sphere and gives it to Kessler!? I was so shocked and pissed at the same time He tried to make up for it in the end, but still.

Fara-Prince of Persia Sands of Time
I know the vision showed she would take the dagger, but my sword to!? And here I thought after all we did.......and "then some", I still couldn't believe it. I had to run away from pitiful sand monsters just to get a new sword.

Angeal-Crisis Core FFVII
When he went missing, I just hoped it was because he was kidnapped or something, but then right when you have Hollander where you want him, Angeal appears and defends him! I'm glad Zack didn't draw his sword on him. I don't think I could have. But the sad times roll over when afterward I met an angel.

Reznov-Call of Duty W@W-B.O
Man this dude was my war hero. I loved him in W@W and it was an honor fighting along side him. And I was stoked when we fought together again in B.O. That is until I learn the whole time he had been dead since Vorkuta. And the fact that he brain controlled me, that was just cold dog. Cold as the Cold War.

 

Backstabbers eh...?

Final Fantasy VII - Sephiroth
Okay the whole 'Jenova is my mother' thing did set him off his rockers as he killed Nibelheim's villagers and burnt it down , not mention betraying Cloud who looked up to him as inspration, I should throw Yuffie in here in too sicne she steals you materia when you return to Wutai and runs away.

Final Fantasy VIII - Seifer
He puts the whole of Balamb Garden at risk by holding the Presidient captive briefly, telling Edea the location of it and always fought Squall for 'living his dream and destroy the world yatta yatta'"

Final Fantasy IX - Kuja
Yes, Kuja gets such a wonderful mention, he dumps Zidane as a baby into Gaia just for fear of him becomign stronger and provided Brahne her Black Mages and kills her in the end with Bahamut and finally killing Garland who told him the truth of his lifespan.

Persona 3
Agreed with Shinji's weird desires to bring the Fall, I'd say he had a few screws lose.

Jak 3
Veager kills Jak's father Damas without Jak realizing it until he mentions it.

 

Oh man, I forgot all about Angeal and Zeke. Yeah, those were pretty bad.