One of my favorite story plots – and for some reason the one I seem to encounter the least – is a good redemption arc.

If you’re unfamiliar with redemption arcs, they’re basically plotlines wherein a “bad guy” becomes good. Over the course of the story, these characters reckon with the errors of their ways and put in the work to be a better person, sometimes even joining ranks with those they once considered their enemies. The alternative is a villain arc, in which a good character slowly descends into evil.

These are some of the most compelling plots in today’s era. People love a good bad guy, and morally gray characters have been a mainstay in literature for some time now. Watching these characters grow and change can add so much depth to a story.

Redemption arcs create emotional resonance.

Watching a character struggle to choose the right path can evoke strong emotions in us as readers. We connect with characters who must overcome their flaws and mistakes – it humanizes these characters, which often brings them into a new light.

It’s easy to hate bad guys because fiction is often black and white. Good must always triumph over evil, et cetera. But redemption arcs mirror real life complexities. People make mistakes, and redemption stories show that change is possible, reflecting the human capacity for growth. Looking at these characters from that angle suddenly makes them relatable, and you might even ask yourself if you are really so different from them after all.

When it comes to storytelling, redemption arcs add several valuable layers. You get character depth as you understand their psychology, character evolution as they confront their flaws, and you get the suspense that naturally comes with your uncertainty about their success. All of which create a rich story experience.

It can also be cathartic to watch these characters redeem themselves. It’s emotionally satisfying. We like to watch characters take their destinies into their own hands.

It has to be the right “bad guy,” though.

Redemption arcs seem to work best when it’s not the main villain, but one of the smaller villains. In some cases, these characters did not set their sights on villainy to begin with – they were abused, neglected, or emotionally manipulated by the actual villain. While they did make bad choices, they were ultimately just a pawn in someone else’s cruel game. This leaves room for a nuanced, character-driven redemption story while not removing the need to fight the main bad guy.

In Avatar: The Last Airbender, there’s no chance a redemption arc for Fire Lord Ozai would ever make sense. But for Prince Zuko, Ozai’s son whom he abused and turned into a child soldier, brims with redemption potential as he wars with himself over catching the avatar. Another example can be found in Catra’s character in the Netflix adaptation of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power.

In Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy had similar potential, though mostly unrealized in the canon series. He was Harry’s biggest bully in each of the books, and was later recruited to join the Death Eaters (Voldemort’s army). But Draco was still just a kid through most of this, with bad parents and worse options. He is clearly more and more distraught as the series goes on. Who could Draco have been if he’d had better adults in his life? Even the movie creators felt this potential, and had gone so far as to film an alternate ending wherein Draco threw his own wand to Harry during the final battle to defeat Voldemort. Fan fiction writers have absolutely run away with ideas for his redemption, popularly through Draco/Hermione love stories.

They don’t always have to be true villains, either. Nesta’s story in A Court of Silver Flames is also a redemption arc – and she was never an actual bad guy. Just a prickly bitch.

On the flip side, watching characters succumb to their evil tendencies can be just as compelling, if a little heartbreaking, too. A great example of this is Snow’s descent in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. This is the arc we will more often see for our “main” bad guys.

Send me recommendations. Please.

If you’ve read or watched a story with an exquisite redemption arc – please tell me. I need more of these stories in my life.