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This is alist of fictionalanarchists, including the source material in which they are found, their creators, the individuals who interpreted them as anarchists during development (if not originally created as such), and short descriptions of each.
An anarchist is a person who rejects any form of compulsory government (cf. "state") and supports its elimination. Anarchism is apolitical philosophy encompassing theories and attitudes which reject compulsory government[1] (the state) and support its elimination,[2][3] often due to a wider rejection of involuntary or permanentauthority.[4] Anarchism is defined byThe Concise Oxford Dictionary of Politics as "the view that society can and should be organized without a coercive state."[5]
However, fictional anarchists are subject to the personal interpretations and opinions of Anarchism held by the creator, and as such may imbue negative anarchist stereotypes. Further, characters may be interpreted as anarchists by second parties involved in their development. The inclusion of these characters may be controversial, but is necessary for purposes of objectivity. This provides a means by which social attitudes regarding anarchism and anarchists may be studied and compared to those of other eras and cultures.
Characters who are popularly considered "anarchic", but who are not specifically identified as anarchists by their source material, are excluded.
Asuperhero known for hisliberal progressive characterization. Appearing inGreen Arrow and various other comic books published byDC Comics, he was created byMort Weisinger andGeorge Papp in 1941. He was revamped in 1969 byDennis O'Neil, who characterized him as a political progressive and dubbed him an "anarchist".[10]
A violentpunk, wanted criminal, and tank commander. She was created in 1988 byJamie Hewlett &Alan Martin for their independent comic series,Tank Girl.[13]
An anonymous, Englishterrorist with enhanced strength, reflexes, and mental capacity. He is perhaps a genius or merely insane, and acts as anallegorical force foranarchy.[9] He was created byAlan Moore andDavid Lloyd for their 1982 comic series,V for Vendetta.
An agent of theAnarchist League, inThe Last of the Masters (1954), byPhilip K. Dick. Edward Tolby is among a trio of anarchists tasked with investigating rumors of a government in hiding near a remote mountain valley. His daughter and comrade, Silvia Tolby, is kidnapped by a military scouts. After infiltrating the state, Edward assassinates thehead of state, the last "government robot", and rescues his daughter.[16]
Corky Laputa
An avowed anarchist who sows chaos in various ways inThe Face byDean Koontz.
A French-Canadian anarchist inFoxhunt (2022) by Luke Francis Beirne.[24]Foxhunt follows a group of ex-pat writers in London in the early years of the Cold War. Allard, a central character, explicitly identifies as an anarchist. She writes for and edits a London-based magazine after leaving Montreal, where she operated a radical print-shop.[25]
The Mechanic (a.k.a.Crocodile &Anarchisto de Barcelona)
An anonymous escaped convict, driven mad by his association with anarchists, and who never reveals his true name, inAn Anarchist (1905), byJoseph Conrad. He denies being an anarchist, but is still labeled one by the narrator at the end of the story.[23]
An agent of theAnarchist League, inThe Last of the Masters (1954), byPhilip K. Dick. Robert Penn is among a trio of anarchists tasked with investigating rumors of a government in hiding near a remote mountain valley. En route his group is intercepted by spies of the state, who are ordered to kill the agents. Of the three, Penn does not survive, though the spies die with him.[16]
An agent of theAnarchist League, inThe Last of the Masters (1954), byPhilip K. Dick. Silvia Tolby is among a trio of anarchists tasked with investigating rumors of a government in hiding near a remote mountain valley. She is kidnapped by military scouts after falling unconscious in a car wreck. She is taken to the government center and questioned by thehead of state, the last "government robot". Her father, Edward Tolby, assassinates the robot and rescues her.[16]
A knife fighter and assassin, and member of an underground terrorist cell, inAnarchists (Anakiseuteu) (2000). The role of Dol-Suk is played by Lee Bum-Soo.[34]
Amartial artist, and member of an underground terrorist cell, inAnarchists. Lee Geun is portrayed by Jeong Jun-ho. (Anakiseuteu) (2000).[34]
Lily Cruz/Ivy Aguas
A strong woman vowing revenge against the corrupt and terroristic/fascistic Ardiente political clan responsible for her family's loss, inWildflower She is portrayed byMaja Salvador In this 2017-2018 Philippine political action-crime-suspense epic.
An inmate in a World War II era German prison camp, captured while trying to assassinatefascists. He is played byFernando Rey inSeven Beauties (Pasqualino Settebellezze) (1975).[39]
A college student, activist, and self-proclaimed "people's poet" in the 1982BBC television series,The Young Ones, created and performed byRik Mayall. Rick is ahypocritical,tantrum-throwingattention-seeker, and fan ofCliff Richard. It is implied in the final episode that contrary to hisproletarian pretensions, he is from an upper class,Conservative background. He and his co-stars die in the final episode of the series when, having robbed a bank, the bus they are escaping in falls over a cliff and explodes.[40] Mayall created "Rick" as one of several characters he portrayed during his solo act atThe Comedy Store, during the early 1980s. Mayall co-createdThe Young Ones with then girlfriendLise Mayer during the same period. Injecting the character into the series, it was pitched to the BBC and subsequently picked up for production.
Sweeney
A promiscuoussquatter, and DJ who works at a record store inThe Anarchist Cookbook (2002). Sweeney (Johnny Whitworth) is one of the squatters who falls under the control of the nihilist, Johnny Black, through an addiction to cocaine.[35]
Sang-Gu
A member-in-training of an underground terrorist cell inAnarchists (Anakiseuteu) (2000). Sang-Gu (Kim In-Kwon) is adopted into the terror cell after they rescue him from a public execution. Orphaned after his family was killed during a village massacre, he traveled to Shanghai to take part in revenge killings against Japanese politicians. He becomes an apprentice to each of the senior cell members, but gravitates to Seregay, and is the only witness to Seregay's death. As the only surviving member of the cell, the narration of the film is told from his perspective decades later.[34]
Seregay
An expertmarksman and assassin, and member of an underground terrorist cell in theKorean film,Anarchists (Anakiseuteu) (2000). Seregay (Jang Dong-gun), is an old comrade of Lee Geun, and a victim of torture at the hands of Japanese interrogators, leading to a self-destructiveopium addiction. After failing a mission, he is ordered by his leftist leaders to redeem himself by taking part in an impossible assassination mission. Surprisingly, he succeeds, but is betrayed by another assassin sent to be sure he is killed.[34]
An anarchist, terrorist, and criminal gang lord, created by producer and screenwriterBruno Heller for the television series Gotham, and played by actorCameron Monaghan. The character acts as a tribute and forerunner to the Batman supervillain Joker, as well as exploring the mythology of the character.
Yorgi
An anarchist, terrorist, and criminal gang lord, in the filmxXx (2002). Yogi (Marton Csokas) was an officer in theRussian army during theSecond Chechen War, until he and his subordinates grew disgusted by the corruption of the government and the deaths of their own comrades. They mutinied, and reorganized as acriminal organization,Anarchy 99, named for the year their rebellion. In an effort to eliminate government on a global scale, he builds an automated submarine,Ahab, that will anonymously launch deadly gas at several cities worldwide, in the hope that the resulting social turmoil will initiate a breakdown in global order, leaving only a condition of "anarchy". He is killed by Xander Cage, who then successfully neutralizes the poison aboard theAhab.[42]
She dies early in season three of the series, sacrificing herself to save the lives of her shipmates. In reality, actressVirginia Hey was unable to continue playing the character, as the makeup effects were harming her kidneys.[44]
Antagonist of the third season of Nickelodeon TV seriesThe Legend of Korra. Zaheer is a self-described Anarchist and leader of the terrorist organization Order of the Red Lotus. Zaheer's goal throughout the series is to create a worldwide society based on the principles of freedom and chaos by overthrowing all world governments and killing the Avatar. Though born a non-bender, Zaheer gains the ability of airbending after Harmonic Convergence, which he becomes greatly adept gaining the ability of flight, a technique that no other airbender in the show has been shown to have.
Swift Wind
A recurring character in the Netflix animated seriesShe-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018). Swift Wind, aPegasus, gained the ability to speak and think alongside various magical abilities following his transformation from ahorse. Soon afterwards, he decided to dedicate himself to the cause of freeing horses from stables acrossEtheria. While never overtly referred to as an anarchist, Swift Wind does express a desire to "dismantle unjusthierarchies", and subscribes to a belief which he summarizes under the slogan "freedom, equality, and hay for all".
A philosophy professor withAIDS, Tom Collins is a major character in theAmericanTony Award- andPulitzer Prize-winningrockmusical,Rent (1996), byJonathan Larson. He is the friend and former roommate of several characters, including Roger, Mark, Benny, and Maureen, and is Angel's lover. During musical numbers, the performer playing Tom singsbass.[45] The character is inspired by "Colline", a character inLa bohème, byGiacomo Puccini.[46]
^"Anarchism".Encyclopædia Britannica. 2006. Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service. 29 August 2006
^"Anarchism".The ShorterRoutledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 2005. P. 14 "Anarchism is the view that a society without the state, or government, is both possible and desirable."
^Bakunin, Mikhail,God and the State, pt. 2.; Tucker, Benjamin,State Socialism and Anarchism.; Kropotkin, Piotr,Anarchism: its Philosophy and Ideal; Malatesta, Errico,Towards Anarchism; Bookchin, Murray,Anarchism: Past and Present, pt. 4; AnIntroduction to Anarchism by Liz A. Highleyman
^Slevin, Carl. "Anarchism".The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Politics. Ed. Iain McLean and Alistair McMillan. Oxford University Press, 2003.
^"Anarchik".A Rivista Anarchica Online (in Italian). anarca-bolo. February 2005. Retrieved19 October 2007.
^abcdeAs early as the first issue, references to anarchism, including thecircle-A andKropotkin, are made, however the members ofThe Invisibles are not identified within the text until the second volume. "American Death Camp"The Invisibles, volume 2 #11 December 1997DC Comics; "The Tower"The Invisibles, volume 2 #22 February 1999DC Comics. Within the comic The Invisibles are generally represented as an organization against all forms of oppression and for total liberation. As such, anarchism is only one facet of their larger world view.
^abMoore, Alan; Loyd, David (2005).V for Vendetta. United States:Vertigo. p. 296.ISBN1-4012-0792-8.A FOR ALAN, Pt. 1Archived 5 March 2007 at theWayback Machine, an interview by Heidi MacDonald, in which Alan outlines the core theme of the story being that of an ethical and political battle between Anarchy and fascism, and that V is an anarchist. InA FOR ALAN Pt. 2Archived 21 March 2006 at theWayback Machine, Alan explains that V is neither hero nor villain, but an allegorical force for Anarchy. Evey later assumes the same role in the story. Comicon.com/thebeat/ Accessed 24 January 2007
^WhenDennis O'Neil recreated the character in 1970, he envisioned him as "a hot-tempered anarchist to contrast with the cerebral, sedate model citizen who was the Green Lantern."BulletPoints Reviews of Green Lantern/Green Arrow v.1, Raging Bullets.com. Accessed 18 January 2007
^Carter, Mason (11 June 2025).Her Name is Anarchy: a novella (1st ed.).ISBN979-8287716509.
^abRooum, Donald (1 July 1985).Wildcat Anarchist Comics. United Kingdom: Freedom Press. p. 48.ISBN0-900384-30-1.
^The character, Tank Girl, self-identifies as an anarchist inTank Girl: Apocalypse #3 (January 1996), byAlan Grant andAndy Pritchett.
^abcEdward Tolby, Silvia Tolby, and Robert Penn self-identify, and are identified by other characters, as anarchists repeatedly. Anarchism is also the explicit theme of the story.Dick, Philip K. (1987).The Philip K. Dick Reader. United States:Citadel Press. p. 422.ISBN0-8065-1856-1.
^The character, Stubby, self-identifies as an anarchist within the text of the story,The Anarchist: His Dog, by Susan Glaspell. The e-text ofLifted Masks: Stories is made available online byProject Gutenberg. Gutenberg.org. Accessed 22 February 2007.
^Flynn, Vince (2007).Protect and Defend. United States:Simon & Schuster, Inc. p. 416.ISBN978-0-7432-7041-0. Karstev is clearly identified as an anarchist in the novel, and leads a successful anarchist revolution in Russia and subsequent terrorist campaigns internationally. He writes an anarchist treatise,The Laws of Human History.
^The narrator, Leo Gold, identifies himself and others as anarchists at a fictional anarchist convention within the text of the story, part ofThe Anarchists Convention (1979) short story anthology.
^Chesterton, G.K. (1908).The Man Who Was Thursday. United Kingdom:J. W. Arrowsmith Ltd. p. 330.
^abcConrad, Joseph (2000).A Set of Six. United Kingdom:Classic Publishing. p. 805.ISBN0-7426-2662-8. The unnamed mechanic, referred to as "Crocodile" and "Anarchisto de Barcelona" denies being an anarchist, but is labeled one by the narrator at the end of the story. However, two other characters, Simon and Mafile, are more clearly identified as anarchists within the text. The e-text ofA Set of Six is available online throughProject Gutenberg. Gutenberg.org. 22 February 2007
^Beirne, Luke Francis."Foxhunt".Baraka Books. Baraka. Retrieved8 August 2022.
^Beirne, Luke Francis (April 2022).Foxhunt (1st ed.). Montreal: Baraka Books. p. 280.ISBN9781771862714.
^White, T.H. (1987).The Book of Merlyn. United Kingdom:Ace Books. p. 193.ISBN0-441-00663-9. Merlyn self-identifies as an anarchist with the line "I am an anarchist, like any other sensible person." The character further elaborates upon his philosophy, railing against collectivist ideologies such as communism andfascism. The character also rebukes the notion that a communist state can "wither away" to lead to a condition of anarchy, and takes a firmantimiliterist stance.The Book of Merlyn is the final part ofThe Once and Future King series.
^abConrad, Joseph; Wilson, Robert Anton (1907).The Secret Agent. United Kingdom:Methuen Publishing Ltd. p. 442.
^Robinson, Phil Alden; Lasker, Lawrence."Sneakers"(PDF). Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 14 May 2021.
^The character, Dennis, identifies himself and other characters around him as anarchists within the film with the quote: "We're ananarcho-syndicalist commune."
^abcdeThe main characters repeatedly self-identify as anarchists throughout the script of the film, inAnarchists (Anakiseuteu) (2000).
^abcdefPuck, Johnny Red, and Karla, repeatedly identify themselves and several other characters as anarchists throughout the script of the film.
^Manning, Richard; Beimler, Hans; Kolbe, Winrich (8 April 1990). "Allegiance".Star Trek: The Next Generation. Episode 66. Syndication.Jean-Luc Picard refers to Esoqq as an anarchist, "You, the anarchist, reject authority in any form..." Another character, Tholl, engages Esoqq in discussion:
Tholl: ...I've heard about your race. You're uncivilized– you have no laws, no system of government– Esoqq: The Chalnoth have no use for laws or governments! We are strong– we obey no one. Tholl: You live in anarchy, murdering one another...
^abThe main characters repeatedly self-identify as anarchists throughout the script of the film.
^ab"By then he'd befriended the libertarians." 22:02 "He'd sell books on anarchy and revolutionary pamphlets to the customers. 27:16
^The character, Pedro, self identifies as an anarchist with the line: "I'm a death expert; an old anarchist whose bombs didn't work..." The character describes his failed attempts to assassinate fascist leaders which led to his capture, and laments that amidst the "order" of the Germans, a "new man in disorder" must emerge to save the world.
^Neil identifies Rik as an anarchist with the line, "But you haven't got an MP Rik, you're an anarchist."Elton, Ben; Mayall, Rik; Mayer, Lise (12 June 1984). "Sick".The Young Ones. Season 2. Episode 11. 2:22 minutes in. BBC. BBC Two.. Moments later, Rik quotes Proudhon: "Oh, stop being so blinking bourgeoisie! All property is theft, Vyvyan."Elton, Ben; Mayall, Rik; Mayer, Lise (12 June 1984). "Sick".The Young Ones. Season 2. Episode 11. 2:53 minutes in. BBC. BBC Two. Further references are made to anarchist quotes or symbolism. A standard part of the costume of Rik consists of a black jacket with acircle-A written on its back. The character also associates with a fictional organization known as "the Anarchist Society."Elton, Ben; Mayall, Rik; Mayer, Lise (30 November 1982). "Bomb".The Young Ones. Season 1. Episode 4. 10:10 minutes in. BBC. BBC Two.
^Director Rob Cohen identifies Yorgi and the members of Anarchy 99 as anarchists during a commentary track included in the DVD release of the film.
^Zhaan identifies herself as an anarchist in the first episode after being asked why she was imprisoned: "Because on my home world, even among my kind, I was... something of an anarchist. Actually, I was theleading anarchist."– "Premiere". Prowse, Andrew; O'Bannon, Rockne.Farscape.Sci Fi Channel. 19 March 1999. No. 1, season 1.
^The character, Tom Collins, is identified twice within the script of the musical as an anarchist. Once by the character Mark, "Enter Tom Collins, computer genius, teacher, vagabond anarchist, who ran naked through the Parthenon," and again later by the character Angel, "And Collins will recount his exploits as an anarchist..."
^Larson, Jonathan (1997).Rent ("Leap of Faith"). Interviews and text: McDonnell, Evelyn, with Silberger, Katherine. New York, New York: HarperEntertainment HarperCollins. pp. 18–37.ISBN0-688-15437-9.
