When looking for the stereotypical "bad guy" in common literature and culture, there is normally a thick black line separating good and evil, making it easy for those of us looking to find the villain. What I've noticed about Dark Souls is that, for the most part, there are no true villains--simply misguided heroes or unfortunate victims. Following is a quick rundown of the enemies (important characters) in-game and why they're not so bad.
Now, we know that demon and dragon-based characters have it in for humans as established in Demon's Souls, so I'm assuming "evil" by default on the following bosses: Asylum/Taurus/Capra/Stray demon, Demon Firesage, Centipede demon, Moonlight butterfly, Undead dragon, Gaping dragon, Hellkite dragon, etc. Also, it's important to note that the Iron Golem isn't sentient (I believe...), it is merely a machine with a soul that allows it to be animated. Please correct me if you feel any of the above information is wrong.
Gods/Humans, etc.:
Havel the Rock: We know he was a friend of Gwyn's and an apostle to Gwyn's uncle, Allfather Lloyd. He was a bishop of the Way of the White (same as Petrus of Thorolund and the like, if my memory serves me right). And we know that, at some point, he turned hostile towards Gwyn and was foiled in his attempt to destabilize him (this is evident by the occult club with his equipment in Anor Londo--since occult weapons are considered "god killers", it is safe to presume a coup. I assume his rage resulted from Gwyn's allegiance with Seath the Scaleless, as Havel hated magic, so Seath would be a physical manifestation of his hatred and Havel would feel betrayed by their friendship). His failed attempt on Gwyn's life resulted in him becoming hollow and being locked away in the basement watch tower "by an old friend" (there is some speculation that this is Gwyn; others disagree, and still others doubt that the figure in the watchtower is Havel, though I believe he is). As far as Havel being good or evil: bottom line, he had his political allegiance, and it was shaken. Regardless of events leading up to his imprisonment, he attacks the player, leading some to believe he is an "evil" character; however, a) he is hollow, so he cannot be held accountable, and b) it is safe to assume that, had Havel not been hollow, he would have gladly helped you in your endeavors to kill Gwyn and Seath (assuming you found him after you talked to Frampt or Kaathe).
Gwyn: In the ancient lore, Gwyn fought the greatest threat to the newly-born life: the dragons. This action would make him a paragon figure, in my mind. Furthermore, he sacrificed himself and his soul to keep the First Flame burning in order to preserve what he though was the best course of action in order to maintain life (at least, that's how I see it). Based on this position, I find it difficult to see Gwyn as the antagonist. He was an ideologist, and he stuck to his beliefs--which were far less extreme than your average run-of-the-mill dictator. It seemed that he was reasonably removed from the lives of his people (which I see as a good thing, since too much influence from the gods would be detrimental to human growth)--though this could just be a result of his hollowing. When he attacks you in the Kiln, it is simply because he is hollowed from putting his life into the kindling of the First Flame--quite a heroic gesture, I'd say--so, like Havel, he cannot be held accountable as he is no longer in control. Furthermore, however, were he to be in standard form, it is likely that he would attack you anyway, assuming you were sent to succeed him--but this is only a natural response. He is most assuredly an enemy, but I just don't get the "evil" vibe off of Gwyn.
Ornstein/Smough/Dark Sun Gwyndolin: I feel like these three belong together in a "misguided" trio. For argument's sake, I will assume that we all think that the main character (that is, you) is the best guided--that is, most correct--figure in the game. Given that standpoint, assume the following about the above characters: 1) Their loyalty guides their actions (and they are loyal to Gwyn, and by proxy, Gwynevere); therefore, they are honorbound to protect the daughter of Gwyn, and 2) They are misguided, but not "evil".
My rationale is as follows: Dark Sun Gwyndolin projects the illusion of his sister with Anor Londo's best interests at heart. This illusion leads Ornstein (as one of Gwyn's four knights) to protect her with his life, as he is sworn to do so (by contract when he started working with Gwyn--such a covenant would be consistent with knighthood through the ages). Smough is, unfortunately, a sociopath who enjoyed killing too much and was thus unable to become a knight of Gwyn (speaking volumes for Gwyn's judgement and morals)--he is the exception the the "misguided but not evil" rule, as he can be written off as a generally murderous bastard with no moral value. He follows Ornstein because Ornstein keeps him in check and guides him, but the second Ornstein is out of the way (providing the player chooses that path), Smough goes rampant. Ornstein, being honorbound, is simply serving Gwynevere and, by extension, Gwyn, in his mind--but it's all an elaborate ruse by DSG, who thinks he's doing the right thing, etc., etc., etc. Basically, you have a bunch of people acting out of love--not hatred--who stand between you and your target. I'd say that Ornstein and Dark Sun Gwyndolin fall under the "good" category. Screw Smough.
Sif: I chose Sif as the next character because he, similarly to Ornstein and Gwyndolin, falls under the category of acting out of love. I'll assume you are familiar with the story of Artorias and Sif, and the alternate scene you will see should you travel to the DLC area before visiting Sif--partially (mostly) because it's such a sad story and I'm all out of tissues. Sif is honorbound, like Ornstein, to protect something (in this case, the Covenant of Artorias). He acts not out of primal rage (like the demons), but out of love for his master, honoring his last wish. It can also be assumed that Artorias figured that anyone powerful enough to get past Sif would be worthy of wearing the covenant, but that's just speculation on my part.
Priscilla: I only killed her to get the dagger and the lifehunt scythe. She's one of the few bosses in the game who will not attack you unless you attack them. Think of it this way: she is the unholy spawn of a dragon and a human (Seath may be her father; not sure though, can someone confirm?) exiled to a world where she could be free of prejudices and persecution. You waltz into her comfortable painted abode. She has every right to kill you simply for exhibiting such damn poor manners, yet she softly implores you to leave. After what she's been through, the fact that she isn't a homicidal maniac is a wonder. That's worth some serious "good" points right there.
Seath the Scaleless: We know that Seath went absolutely bonkers over his obsession with finding mortality. I'm sure there's more to it than this, but I believe he attacks you because he's nuts and you're the enemy, nothing more. I don't see any ulterior motives, though some reference has been made to the valley of the drakes and the possibility that Seath, having attained a form of immortality, was creating a new army of dragons to take on the humans and gods again--but only a crazy old duke would attempt such a thing. Seath's willingness to assist humanity in its struggle against the dragons (or rather, godkind) speaks for his allegiances, and if he was allied with Gwyn, whom I consider to be a paragon figure, then it's also hard to see him as evil.
Nito: I have very little on Nito. The fact that you can form a covenant with him suggests that his rationale for attacking you is purely situational--hell, if I was the first of the dead and some heavily armed bugger dropped down into my light-defying abode after hacking and slashing through a bunch of my skeleton pals, I might be a little put off too. Silliness aside though, if anyone has any other ideas on Nito, I'd greatly appreciate them.
Four Kings/Quelaag: I literally have no idea. The 4 Kings are presented as a product of corruption by the Abyss, which is pure evil as far as I'm concerned, so they're no bueno--but I know nothing about them lore-wise. Same goes for Quelaag--she's half crag-spider-demon-lookin'-thing, so there's that, but I don't know why we're supposed to think she's evil, or if we are (her little smile before the fight indicates to me that she relishes the opportunity to attack the player; this could indicate a demonic bloodlust, or a personal vendetta--I'd need more info to know for sure).
Bed of Chaos: My memory is failing me, but I seem to remember the witches of Izalith making some sort of royal screw-up, and now they're in this tree-demon-type-thing form and they have been so for the past 200/0 years (can't remember if it's hundred or thousand). Again, I know very little, but I never really took the bed of chaos seriously, to be honest. If the witches are embedded and suffering, I think it's wonderful that the player can go in and "set them free", but I really don't know too much--again, input would be greatly appreciated.
Ceaseless: The other boss that doesn't attack you on sight, Ceaseless is a compendium of sadness and suffering. I'll assume your familiarity with the story, but basically, you (yes, you, they player, you cruel SOB) walk up to him and either steal his only source of comfort (thereby sending him into inconsolable rage) or shoot him in the face with an arrow (thereby sending him into inconsolable rage). He will not attack unless strongly provoked, suggesting empathy and remorse (which we know are key aspects to his story). You can't help but feel awful for Ceaseless. He's definitely not a bad guy, just a victim of unfortunate circumstances.
Pinwheel: There's a lot of speculation and not a whole lot of evidence towards what/who Pinwheel is/was; basically, it all boils down to him being a victim of a tragedy involving the death of his family, somehow (extremely vague) overpowering Nito, bringing the family back but screwing up in the process and thus becoming the monstrosity that he/she/it currently is, and the rest of Pinwheel's life consists of extracting humanity to survive. Again, it's all extremely thin, but it would explain why Nito suddenly becomes hostile and active outside of his coffin (which is why I was confused earlier about Nito being your covenant master and then going cray-cray on you). Killing Pinwheel would give Nito his power back, presumably. Either way, Pinwheel is another misguided victim of harsh events leading to desperation, much like many characters in Dark Souls.
So far, that's all I've got on character integrity--I didn't cover the DLC bosses because I haven't got around to playing the DLC area or snooping around any of those bosses (with the exception of Artorias, poor guy). Any feedback would be greatly appreciated--I'm sure I'm not the only one to notice that there isn't an overwhelming abundance of "bad guys" in Dark Souls (at least, not in the conventional sense).
Now, we know that demon and dragon-based characters have it in for humans as established in Demon's Souls, so I'm assuming "evil" by default on the following bosses: Asylum/Taurus/Capra/Stray demon, Demon Firesage, Centipede demon, Moonlight butterfly, Undead dragon, Gaping dragon, Hellkite dragon, etc. Also, it's important to note that the Iron Golem isn't sentient (I believe...), it is merely a machine with a soul that allows it to be animated. Please correct me if you feel any of the above information is wrong.
Gods/Humans, etc.:
Havel the Rock: We know he was a friend of Gwyn's and an apostle to Gwyn's uncle, Allfather Lloyd. He was a bishop of the Way of the White (same as Petrus of Thorolund and the like, if my memory serves me right). And we know that, at some point, he turned hostile towards Gwyn and was foiled in his attempt to destabilize him (this is evident by the occult club with his equipment in Anor Londo--since occult weapons are considered "god killers", it is safe to presume a coup. I assume his rage resulted from Gwyn's allegiance with Seath the Scaleless, as Havel hated magic, so Seath would be a physical manifestation of his hatred and Havel would feel betrayed by their friendship). His failed attempt on Gwyn's life resulted in him becoming hollow and being locked away in the basement watch tower "by an old friend" (there is some speculation that this is Gwyn; others disagree, and still others doubt that the figure in the watchtower is Havel, though I believe he is). As far as Havel being good or evil: bottom line, he had his political allegiance, and it was shaken. Regardless of events leading up to his imprisonment, he attacks the player, leading some to believe he is an "evil" character; however, a) he is hollow, so he cannot be held accountable, and b) it is safe to assume that, had Havel not been hollow, he would have gladly helped you in your endeavors to kill Gwyn and Seath (assuming you found him after you talked to Frampt or Kaathe).
Gwyn: In the ancient lore, Gwyn fought the greatest threat to the newly-born life: the dragons. This action would make him a paragon figure, in my mind. Furthermore, he sacrificed himself and his soul to keep the First Flame burning in order to preserve what he though was the best course of action in order to maintain life (at least, that's how I see it). Based on this position, I find it difficult to see Gwyn as the antagonist. He was an ideologist, and he stuck to his beliefs--which were far less extreme than your average run-of-the-mill dictator. It seemed that he was reasonably removed from the lives of his people (which I see as a good thing, since too much influence from the gods would be detrimental to human growth)--though this could just be a result of his hollowing. When he attacks you in the Kiln, it is simply because he is hollowed from putting his life into the kindling of the First Flame--quite a heroic gesture, I'd say--so, like Havel, he cannot be held accountable as he is no longer in control. Furthermore, however, were he to be in standard form, it is likely that he would attack you anyway, assuming you were sent to succeed him--but this is only a natural response. He is most assuredly an enemy, but I just don't get the "evil" vibe off of Gwyn.
Ornstein/Smough/Dark Sun Gwyndolin: I feel like these three belong together in a "misguided" trio. For argument's sake, I will assume that we all think that the main character (that is, you) is the best guided--that is, most correct--figure in the game. Given that standpoint, assume the following about the above characters: 1) Their loyalty guides their actions (and they are loyal to Gwyn, and by proxy, Gwynevere); therefore, they are honorbound to protect the daughter of Gwyn, and 2) They are misguided, but not "evil".
My rationale is as follows: Dark Sun Gwyndolin projects the illusion of his sister with Anor Londo's best interests at heart. This illusion leads Ornstein (as one of Gwyn's four knights) to protect her with his life, as he is sworn to do so (by contract when he started working with Gwyn--such a covenant would be consistent with knighthood through the ages). Smough is, unfortunately, a sociopath who enjoyed killing too much and was thus unable to become a knight of Gwyn (speaking volumes for Gwyn's judgement and morals)--he is the exception the the "misguided but not evil" rule, as he can be written off as a generally murderous bastard with no moral value. He follows Ornstein because Ornstein keeps him in check and guides him, but the second Ornstein is out of the way (providing the player chooses that path), Smough goes rampant. Ornstein, being honorbound, is simply serving Gwynevere and, by extension, Gwyn, in his mind--but it's all an elaborate ruse by DSG, who thinks he's doing the right thing, etc., etc., etc. Basically, you have a bunch of people acting out of love--not hatred--who stand between you and your target. I'd say that Ornstein and Dark Sun Gwyndolin fall under the "good" category. Screw Smough.
Sif: I chose Sif as the next character because he, similarly to Ornstein and Gwyndolin, falls under the category of acting out of love. I'll assume you are familiar with the story of Artorias and Sif, and the alternate scene you will see should you travel to the DLC area before visiting Sif--partially (mostly) because it's such a sad story and I'm all out of tissues. Sif is honorbound, like Ornstein, to protect something (in this case, the Covenant of Artorias). He acts not out of primal rage (like the demons), but out of love for his master, honoring his last wish. It can also be assumed that Artorias figured that anyone powerful enough to get past Sif would be worthy of wearing the covenant, but that's just speculation on my part.
Priscilla: I only killed her to get the dagger and the lifehunt scythe. She's one of the few bosses in the game who will not attack you unless you attack them. Think of it this way: she is the unholy spawn of a dragon and a human (Seath may be her father; not sure though, can someone confirm?) exiled to a world where she could be free of prejudices and persecution. You waltz into her comfortable painted abode. She has every right to kill you simply for exhibiting such damn poor manners, yet she softly implores you to leave. After what she's been through, the fact that she isn't a homicidal maniac is a wonder. That's worth some serious "good" points right there.
Seath the Scaleless: We know that Seath went absolutely bonkers over his obsession with finding mortality. I'm sure there's more to it than this, but I believe he attacks you because he's nuts and you're the enemy, nothing more. I don't see any ulterior motives, though some reference has been made to the valley of the drakes and the possibility that Seath, having attained a form of immortality, was creating a new army of dragons to take on the humans and gods again--but only a crazy old duke would attempt such a thing. Seath's willingness to assist humanity in its struggle against the dragons (or rather, godkind) speaks for his allegiances, and if he was allied with Gwyn, whom I consider to be a paragon figure, then it's also hard to see him as evil.
Nito: I have very little on Nito. The fact that you can form a covenant with him suggests that his rationale for attacking you is purely situational--hell, if I was the first of the dead and some heavily armed bugger dropped down into my light-defying abode after hacking and slashing through a bunch of my skeleton pals, I might be a little put off too. Silliness aside though, if anyone has any other ideas on Nito, I'd greatly appreciate them.
Four Kings/Quelaag: I literally have no idea. The 4 Kings are presented as a product of corruption by the Abyss, which is pure evil as far as I'm concerned, so they're no bueno--but I know nothing about them lore-wise. Same goes for Quelaag--she's half crag-spider-demon-lookin'-thing, so there's that, but I don't know why we're supposed to think she's evil, or if we are (her little smile before the fight indicates to me that she relishes the opportunity to attack the player; this could indicate a demonic bloodlust, or a personal vendetta--I'd need more info to know for sure).
Bed of Chaos: My memory is failing me, but I seem to remember the witches of Izalith making some sort of royal screw-up, and now they're in this tree-demon-type-thing form and they have been so for the past 200/0 years (can't remember if it's hundred or thousand). Again, I know very little, but I never really took the bed of chaos seriously, to be honest. If the witches are embedded and suffering, I think it's wonderful that the player can go in and "set them free", but I really don't know too much--again, input would be greatly appreciated.
Ceaseless: The other boss that doesn't attack you on sight, Ceaseless is a compendium of sadness and suffering. I'll assume your familiarity with the story, but basically, you (yes, you, they player, you cruel SOB) walk up to him and either steal his only source of comfort (thereby sending him into inconsolable rage) or shoot him in the face with an arrow (thereby sending him into inconsolable rage). He will not attack unless strongly provoked, suggesting empathy and remorse (which we know are key aspects to his story). You can't help but feel awful for Ceaseless. He's definitely not a bad guy, just a victim of unfortunate circumstances.
Pinwheel: There's a lot of speculation and not a whole lot of evidence towards what/who Pinwheel is/was; basically, it all boils down to him being a victim of a tragedy involving the death of his family, somehow (extremely vague) overpowering Nito, bringing the family back but screwing up in the process and thus becoming the monstrosity that he/she/it currently is, and the rest of Pinwheel's life consists of extracting humanity to survive. Again, it's all extremely thin, but it would explain why Nito suddenly becomes hostile and active outside of his coffin (which is why I was confused earlier about Nito being your covenant master and then going cray-cray on you). Killing Pinwheel would give Nito his power back, presumably. Either way, Pinwheel is another misguided victim of harsh events leading to desperation, much like many characters in Dark Souls.
So far, that's all I've got on character integrity--I didn't cover the DLC bosses because I haven't got around to playing the DLC area or snooping around any of those bosses (with the exception of Artorias, poor guy). Any feedback would be greatly appreciated--I'm sure I'm not the only one to notice that there isn't an overwhelming abundance of "bad guys" in Dark Souls (at least, not in the conventional sense).