Chaotic Neutral: Definition, Characteristics, & More

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Get a peek into the mind of a chaotic neutral character

Co-authored by Lonny Foran and Mason Martinez, BA

Last Updated: April 22, 2024 Fact Checked

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What does chaotic neutral mean?

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Chaotic Neutral Characteristics

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Chaotic Neutral Values

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The 8 Character Alignments

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Expert Interview

You may be familiar with character creation if you’ve ever played roleplaying games like Dungeons & Dragons. To create a well-rounded character, you have to understand their morals and ethical outlooks on life. That’s where the Character Alignment System can help! Chaotic Neutral is one of the nine alignment types. It represents characters who don’t believe in good or evil and, instead, in doing what’s best for themselves. Refer to this comprehensive guide to learn all about the Chaotic Neutral character type.

Things You Should Know

Chaotic Neutral is one of the nine Character Alignment types that originated from D&D. It defines a character’s moral and ethical outlook on life.
A Chaotic Neutral character strives for freedom and individuality above all else. They will break any rules to do what’s best for them.
These characters are known for being unreliable, unpredictable, and selfish. However, they try not to harm others severely, which keeps them from being evil.

Section 1 of 4:

What does chaotic neutral mean?

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Chaotic Neutral is one of the nine Character Alignments from D&D. A character’s Alignment System represents their moral and ethical outlook on life, the universe, and everything in between. It’s to create “ideals” for characters to live up to in roleplaying games like Dungeons & Dragons. ^{[1]
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- A neutral character is neither good nor evil. Their actions and behaviors are meant to benefit only them. However, they may not engage in evil acts like murder.
- On the other hand, good characters strive to help society, and evil characters will go to any lengths to get what they want.
- The Character Alignment system is popular amongst many successful novelists, playwrights, screenwriters, and video game designers because it helps create complex fictional characters. ^{[2]
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- Popular characters: Captain Jack Sparrow, Deadpool, Catwoman, Hulk, Loki, Zuko from Avatar, Vegeta from Dragonball Z, and Harley Quinn.
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Chaotic Neutral characters strive for absolute freedom and individuality. The next time you watch TV, pay attention to the character that plays by their own rules. They often go against the status quo, which refers to society’s current social structure of values, and strive to fulfill their agenda—even if it means ruining their relationships. ^{[3]
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Research source} These characters have one thing on their mind: their freedom and individuality.
- Loki, the God of Mischief in the MCU, is an excellent representation of a Chaotic Neutral character. He uses trickery and mischief to get away with whatever he wants. Whether that means working for Thanos or going against him, he decides how the current situation will help him succeed. ^{[4]
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- What separates Loki from being “Evil” is that he has moments where he helps those he cares about, like his brother Thor.
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A Character Alignment chart is a cross-shaped axis. Picture a cross or a lowercase “t” shape. The vertical line determines how good or evil someone is, while the horizontal line represents how well a character can play by the rules or not. A Chaotic Neutral character is at the center of the Alignment chart, where both lines meet because they’re neither good nor evil and make their own rules. ^{[5]
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- In comparison, a Chaotic Evil character would be someone who ranks low on both the vertical line and horizontal lines. ^{[6]
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Section 2 of 4:

Chaotic Neutral Characteristics

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Chaotic Neutral’s value their individuality above all else. They are known for marching to the beat of their own drum, and they’ll never back away from a challenge. However, that doesn’t mean they’re always fair challenges—they are tricksters, after all!
If a Chaotic Neutral plays by society’s rules, it’s likely because they have a secret agenda they’re plotting. Following the rules is only considered acceptable if there’s mischief or trickery involved. These characters are infamous for playing pranks on others for their entertainment, which provides the audience with some good comic relief. ^{[7]
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One of the great things about playing a Chaotic Neutral character is being able to be unpredictable. No one else knows your next move, making for an exciting game or media. Being unpredictable coincides with being chaotic. This may mean starting an unexpected challenge, running off the prize, or betraying a family member. The choice is yours!
Since Chaotic Neutrals are wary of rules, organizations, and authorities, anyone who agrees with society is automatically on this character’s radar. Chaotic Neutrals follow one agenda, and that’s their own. They’ll break laws just for the fun of it, and they’ll never pass up the opportunity to have some fun. ^{[8]
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The only thing Chaotic Neutrals are reliable about is being unreliable. This goes hand-in-hand with their unpredictability; when you think you can count on them, they surprise you by doing the complete opposite. Once you identify a Chaotic Neutral character, remember they love themselves more than they’ll ever love you.
While they may seem untrustworthy, Chaotic Neutrals can be very convincing and practical when making alliances. They believe in exchanging favors, so if you do something for them, they’ll happily do something for you as long as it’s entertaining.
Chaotic Neutrals are me-first, everything else-second kind of people. So, don’t let that surprise you. However, what separates them from Evil characters is that they’ll still try to avoid engaging in actions or behaviors that may severely harm others, especially those they have an alliance with.

Section 3 of 4:

Chaotic Neutral Values

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They like to live life outside of the bounds of rules. They believe life itself is chaos, so why control it? Instead, they prefer to indulge in the pleasures of life, like gambling or temporary relationships. They believe in moving with the flow of life, making decisions on a whim, which others may call impulsive. Doing so reminds these characters that they’re free to make good or bad choices. As long as it’s their decision to make.

Section 4 of 4:

The 8 Character Alignments

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Lawful Good A lawful good character is expected to act as a good person. They strive to promote the greater good by following society’s established procedures or rules. They are systematic, orderly, and conscientious individuals. ^{[9]
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- Popular characters: Superman, Captain America, Spiderman, Yoda, Princess Leia, and T’Challa.
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Neutral Good Characters trying their best to be good people are often classified as Neutral Good. They work alongside the law and similar authorities to uplift and support the rules set in place. However, they believe too many laws can restrict people’s freedom, so sometimes it’s necessary to break them. ^{[10]
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- Popular characters: Wonder Woman, Batman, Thor, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Katara from Avatar.
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Chaotic Good A Chaotic Good character follows their own moral compass, even if what they define as “good” doesn’t agree with the rest of society. These characters don’t enjoy being told what to do and will go against others if their instincts tell them to. They are rebels with a conscience and a cause. ^{[11]
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- Popular characters: Robin Hood, Hawkeye, Wolverine, Doctor Strange, Gwen Stacy, and Iron Man.
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Lawful Neutral Lawful Neutral individuals are often figures of authority or workers of an established government or organization, like soldiers or warriors. They value order and organization. These characters are reliable and honorable to their cause, whether good or evil. ^{[12]
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- Popular characters: Amanda Waller, Black Widow, Nick Fury, Flash, James Bond, and Severus Snape.
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True Neutral These characters don’t feel strongly about whether things are good, evil, lawful, or chaotic. They do what seems to be a good idea to them. They believe in balance and avoid having to pick being on the “right” side of things. These characters don’t follow a moral code and only act on the best things for themselves. ^{[13]
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- Popular characters: Han Solo, Winter Solider/Bucky Barns, Rocket Raccoon, Drax the Destroyer, and Daredevil.
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Lawful Evil A Lawful Evil villain will take what they want within the limits of the rules set in place by themselves or the authorities they align with. They care about tradition and loyalty but disregard freedom and dignity. These characters are very organized and intentional, making them extremely dangerous and more likely to succeed in their mission. ^{[14]
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- Popular characters: Darth Vader, Sith, Boba Fett, Lord Voldemort, Lex Luthor, and Azula from Avatar.
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Neutral Evil These villains do whatever they want when they want so long as it benefits only them. They come across as ruthless because they don’t care who they must hurt or kill to get their way. They’re destructive, corrupt, and lack morals and ethics. ^{[15]
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- Popular characters: Quentin Beck from Spiderman, Thanos, The Riddler, Jafar from Aladdin, and Dracula.
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Chaotic Evil Hot-tempered, vicious, violent, and unpredictable characters are Chaotic Evil. They are ruthless and strive to watch the world around them burn to get what they want. ^{[16]
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- Popular characters: The Joker, Ultron, Ares, Freddy Krueger, and Michael Myers.