Oppressive and totalitarian leaders have become a common thread among the villains of Far Cry games, as antagonists are the stars of the show for Ubisoft's iconic first person shooter series. Their bombastic and sadistic personalities are some of the most unique characters in video games in any Ubi game, let alone villains. Whether it was Vaas from Far Cry 3 or the Seed family from Far Cry 5, the series has had a wide variety of different flairs of insanity, and Far Cry 6 certainly won't be stopping that trend anytime soon.
The sixth game in the franchise has only had one teaser so far, but there's already a lot known about the villain's personality. Anton Castillo, the main antagonist of Far Cry 6, is the totalitarian dictator of the fictional Caribbean country of Yara. If that sounds familiar, it's because he fills a similar position as Pagan Min did in Far Cry 4, who was also a dictator-like character in fictional Kyrat. Both being autocratic leaders, Pagan Min and Anton Castillo do have quite a bit in common, even though their demeanor and personality couldn't be more different.
Anton Castillo's Messiah Complex
Though Far Cry 6 itself isn't releasing until early 2021, pre-release coverage and insights by Ubisoft and Anton Castillo's actor Giancarlo Esposito have revealed quite a bit about the character. Anton Castillo comes from a long line of Yaran leadership, with his father before him also being president of the country. Anton's father was executed in front of him during a political revolution, which shaped the next few decades of his life into becoming the ruthless dictator he is in Far Cry 6. He spends the next several years crafting another revolution to take back the government and leadership of Yara, of which he believes was stolen from him and his family.
That leads up to the events of Far Cry 6, nearly fifty years later. Anton Castillo has reclaimed his place as "El Presidente" of Yara and leads the country with a proverbial iron fist. He's a cold and calculated autocrat, who firmly believes the prosperity of Yara will be built on economic wealth at all costs. Anton employs several work camps and forced labor to any who opposes his absolute rule, as he fully intends to "sacrifice the freedom and lives of anyone who stands in his way." All the while, he's grooming his son Diego Castillo to take his place as the sole leader of Yara. Far Cry 6's antagonist is already impressive, despite not much known about his actions during the game yet.
Pagan Min's Eccentric Sadism
Pagan Min has "inherited" a very different legacy in Far Cry 4's kingdom of Kyrat. He was born into the Golden Triangle drug cartel, but was far different from his drug lord father. He adopted the moniker of "Pagan" because of how he seized control of Kyrat utilizing his own private army. Pagan's ambitions far outweighed his father's control over the cartel, and upon his father's death, he seized control of the drug cartel and began to expand. Many of his father's subordinates didn't take too kindly to his expansions, and plotted a coup. Fully aware of his likely downfall, Pagan instead chose a different path. He moved his private army to Kyrat, took advantage of a civil war, and installed himself as the all-powerful leader of this small Himalayan country.
This leads to the events of Far Cry 4, where players are forced to take down Pagan Min and restore peace to the country. Pagan Min is an incredibly eccentric villain, relishing in his enacted violence as if it has no impact on the world around him. Pagan consistently calls the player, Ajay, adopting a father-like demeanor in attempts to reason or joke with him throughout the story. Pagan Min often gives the impression that he really doesn't care about any consequences or the ramifications of his actions, as he only cares about his wealth and power, and Kyrat happened to be the perfect avenue for him to cultivate both.
Two Vastly Different Autocrats
At their foundational core, both Far Cry 4's Pagan Min and Far Cry 5's Anton Castillo have a lot in common. Both characters take advantage of a tenuous political situation for their own personal gain, and become autocratic leaders of their respective countries. That being said, beyond those core archetypes, Pagan and Anton take very different approaches to doing so. They both fulfill a similar archetype as someone seizing power from a ravaged state, but Pagan does so solely for his own personal wealth. It's arguable that Anton genuinely cares about the country of Yara, and has seized governmental control only because it was taken away from him. Anton believes his oppression is genuinely good for the country's prosperity, whereas frankly Pagan Min doesn't care about Kyrat.
Their personalities are far different from one another as well. Both are charismatic leaders, but in two very different fashions. Pagan Min is eccentrically sadistic, but Anton Castillo's sadism is much more honed and methodical. The same will likely be applied to Anton's actions throughout Far Cry 6, as Pagan is more likely to act on a whim compared to Anton's calm and calculated authoritarianism. Anton's far more reserved and seemingly intelligent compared to Pagan's selfish haste. Anton has a vision for Yara's prosperity, whereas Pagan Min had a vision for his prosperity.
Far Cry 6 releases on February 18, 2021 for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.