Most paranoid ruler

Setzer · Post by **Setzer** » 2004-03-17 06:02am

Which ruler from fantasy or real life has been most obsessed about keeping his or her hold on power, and crushing all possible usurpers?

I nominate the Torumekian Emperor from the Nausicaa manga.
He makes Stalin look trusting
He even considers his children threats. His sons have had to play the role of bumbling fools all their lives so their father wouldn't think they could overthrow him. They even deliberately mismanaged the Torumekian war effort to maintain their carefully crafted image as idiots.

Imagine if one of Stalin's generals deliberately bungled the '42 counterattack, and instead of shooting him, Stalin kept him in place, since he believed someone so incompetent was no threat to him.
That's what the Torumekian emperor is like.

SyntaxVorlon · Post by **SyntaxVorlon** » 2004-03-17 01:04pm

Hamdo, his madness is enough to inspire murderous outrage in ANYONE
Ghandi would have beat him to death with a spiked club if he'd known him.

Hamdo is probably the most paranoid character I've ever seen.

General Zod · Post by **General Zod** » 2004-03-17 01:05pm

in real life i'd have ot hand it to Hitler. he was pretty obsessive and paranoid in his last few months.

Fantasy, i'd give it to Kefka, of course.

Setzer · Post by **Setzer** » 2004-03-17 02:25pm

I doubt Hitler was more paranoid then the Torumekian Emperor.
Hitler congratulated successful generals.
The Torumekian emperor would have assassinated them as possible threats.

aphexmonster · Post by **aphexmonster** » 2004-03-17 02:50pm

Setzer wrote:I doubt Hitler was more paranoid then the Torumekian Emperor.
Hitler congratulated successful generals.
The Torumekian emperor would have assassinated them as possible threats.

seconded ...

close runner up

Rasputin .... with good cause

Stormbringer · Post by **Stormbringer** » 2004-03-17 03:01pm

Ivan the Terrible

Post by **fgalkin** » 2004-03-17 03:16pm

Surely you mean Ivan Grozny.

(grozny |= terrible).

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

Setzer · Post by **Setzer** » 2004-03-17 06:33pm

Stormbringer wrote:Ivan the Terrible

What did he do to top His Magesty of Torumekia?

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2004-03-17 06:35pm

Hitler's level of paranoid as minor compared to nay real player for this title, his apartment in Berlin was guarded by a single solider at the front door, as was his retreat in Bavaria. You could walk up and shake his hand, or shoot him through the heart a couple times per day.

Anyway Kim Jong-il of North Korea wins this, he's had purges, he rounds up twins and puts them in state orphanages fearing they might one day overthrow him, rules the most closed nation on earth, has entire divisions of bodyguards, a vast network of deep bunkers, and underground runway for an escape plane and is also insane or close too it.

Trytostaydead · Post by **Trytostaydead** » 2004-03-17 06:45pm

Sea Skimmer wrote:Hitler's level of paranoid as minor compared to nay real player for this title, his apartment in Berlin was guarded by a single solider at the front door, as was his retreat in Bavaria. You could walk up and shake his hand, or shoot him through the heart a couple times per day.

Anyway Kim Jong-il of North Korea wins this, he's had purges, he rounds up twins and puts them in state orphanages fearing they might one day overthrow him, rules the most closed nation on earth, has entire divisions of bodyguards, a vast network of deep bunkers, and underground runway for an escape plane and is also insane or close too it.

Now, that's interesting. Is he insane, or was he born and raised into that role?

Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi · Post by **Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi** » 2004-03-17 07:14pm

Sea Skimmer wrote:Hitler's level of paranoid as minor compared to nay real player for this title, his apartment in Berlin was guarded by a single solider at the front door, as was his retreat in Bavaria. You could walk up and shake his hand, or shoot him through the heart a couple times per day.

Anyway Kim Jong-il of North Korea wins this, he's had purges, he rounds up twins and puts them in state orphanages fearing they might one day overthrow him, rules the most closed nation on earth, has entire divisions of bodyguards, a vast network of deep bunkers, and underground runway for an escape plane and is also insane or close too it.

And all while his country's people starve and he brags about his nuclear arsenal as well.

The Aliens · Post by **The Aliens** » 2004-03-17 10:10pm

Kim Jongil can say he wants a million people in his back garden by the next morning, and there will be a million people there. he's a complete butjob and easily the most paranoid dictator currently alive.

PrinceofLowLight · Post by **PrinceofLowLight** » 2004-03-18 12:47am

Kronus from Greek mythology ranks up there.

Is that thing about Kim rounding up identical twins because he thinks they will one day overthrow him for real? That's just...biblical.

Stormbringer · Post by **Stormbringer** » 2004-03-18 12:51am

Setzer wrote:
Stormbringer wrote:Ivan the Terrible
What did he do to top His Magesty of Torumekia?

He personally killed his kid and pretty much worked his way down. He distrusted his wife, kids, and everyone else and wasn't shy about simply putting them to death, idiot or not.

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2004-03-18 01:15am

Trytostaydead wrote:
Now, that's interesting. Is he insane, or was he born and raised into that role?

Well his father ruled the country for decades and was just as crazy, so its likely some of both.

PrinceofLowLight wrote:
Is that thing about Kim rounding up identical twins because he thinks they will one day overthrow him for real? That's just...biblical.

Its real, an article on it was posted here a while ago.

Uraniun235 · Post by **Uraniun235** » 2004-03-18 02:09am

I thought it was triplets.