Moral ambiguity is the name of the game in Hogwarts Legacy, as fans realize they may or may not be the true hero of the main storyline. While the narrative of the game clearly states the villain is Ranrok, the protagonist of the game must engage in monumental amounts of bloodshed to reign victorious over the “threat”.
There is a sense of hypocrisy in the universe regarding what is okay for a hero versus a villain. These aspects of the game have made fans question who is actually the villain at the end of the day, and how this morally gray area plays out with the different houses and players’ perspectives.
The Blood Could Be On The Player's Hands Or Ranrok's
Depending On Perspective, This Game’s Narrative Could Go Either Way
Custom Image by: Tom Wilson
User Strange_Music posted a picture of their character sitting with their cat, with the simple statement, “When you reflect on whether their blood is really on Ranroks hands or your own.” While the statement was humorous, it ended up resonating with a lot of players who did agree that their character was closer to a villain than initially thought. User Hyfrith said that, while playing, they had to use the narrative that their character was an “anti-hero vigilante” in order to justify the amount of killing. They also shared a humorous post from their character’s perspective, stating:
As the last Poacher in the camp disintegrates screaming into a pile of ash, I flick the blood of these evil wizards off my wand. "It's shameful what you've done to helpless beasts!" I declare in disgust to the pile of human corpses now stacked against some crates in the corner.
Righteous fury still coursing through me, I leave the camp. Just outside I encounter some so-called "dark mongrels" minding their own business. Just wolves, really. Beasts.
Ah well, I could do with some hides.
"Incendio!" I roar, and charge in to battle…
This was a popular narrative among other players, who either upvoted the comment or shared their own justifications for playing, such as theinfernumflame saying they could only play as a Slytherin as it made the most sense with all the killing required of the character, especially if players’ looked at their character as a future Dark Lord. Some fans even hoped that in the sequel, this character would return as the main villain.
Our Take: Right Or Wrong? Who Is The Real Hero In Hogwarts Legacy?
Embracing The Villain Could Be Good For The Universe
Harry Potter in general is a world full of hypocrisy. The “good guys” are often quick to kill their enemies. As VoidSpaceCat put it, “The whole moral conundrum in HP with killing is very weird considering they are kind of still a bit backwards in the wizard society and killing being nowhere near as vilified in the 1900s as it is today.” Yet in Hogwarts Legacy, there is a real brutality I do not think exists in the other pieces of Harry Potter media, and I certainly can see how our character is the villain.
Hogwarts Legacy has a lot of potential, and Hogwarts itself is beautiful. It’s just a shame you’re busy being a hero instead of a student there.
The immersion that comes from playing as this character takes away some of the distance they might have felt in other games or from even watching the movies. Putting players in the shoes of these characters certainly makes it clear that they are not only morally gray but pretty much on equal footing with villains. I thinkHogwarts Legacy should lean into the villain arc for the next game, and build a whole universe where players really can understand every character’s motive.
Custom Image by: Tom Wilson
Custom Image by: Tom Wilson 
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