Pagan Min

Li
Pagan Min (蒲甘明) is the main antagonist of Far Cry 4. Pagan is the autocratic self-proclaimed King of the Kingdom of Kyrat, and the former Mountain Master/Dragon Head of the Triad Empire.
He returns as the protagonist in the second DLC released for Far Cry 6 entitled Pagan: Control.
==Background==
Pagan Min was born in Hong Kong in 1966, the son of a Golden Triangle drug lord. Min was extravagant and flamboyant, unlike his father, Gang Min, who was old fashioned and whom he deemed to be a 'dinosaur'. They had a tumultuous relationship due to his son's flamboyance. His father would belittle Pagan by claiming he was his daughter and telling him he deserved the bullying he faced at school. Very little is known about Pagan's unnamed mother, except that she was a British expatriate living in Hong Kong. The signature pink color he often wears is an homage to his mother, whom he seemed to deeply love and care for.https://www.eurogamer.net/far-cry-4s-villains-magnificent-suit-explained
Pagan grew to be a skilled and deadly gangster in his father's triad but became increasingly indulgent with his power. Gang froze his son's financial accounts for uncontrollable spending sprees on what he deemed wasteful, such as flashy cars and reckless sexual relationships, including with other men. Pagan missed the point and did even more gangster dirty jobs for his father, who refused to unfreeze his accounts. As Pagan still refused to change his ways, Gang confronted Pagan over these liaisons, clearly considering them humiliating, but after he physically struck Pagan, Pagan retaliated by killing him.
Following his father's death and his inheritance of control of the cartel, Min adopted the moniker 'Pagan', in tribute to a Burmese King of the Konbaung dynasty who slaughtered his family in order to gain power. Min had ambitions beyond the small-time operations of his cartel and began to build considerable assets and a large private army, causing severe tensions with many of his allies, who began plotting his downfall. 
After killing his father there was a wave of assassination attempts against him, either by some factions within the gang who wanted to avenge Gang, or by rivals who sought to take advantage of the group's instability. Not wanting to keep fighting what he perceived as pointless gang wars in Hong Kong forever, Pagan and his adopted sister Yuma Lau settled all scores, left Hong Kong, and led the loyal Triads and mercenaries to find new gang territory elsewhere.
They eventually found the chaotic Kyrat, a far cry from the consolidated hierarchy in the Hong Kong underworld. Kyrat was being ravaged by the First Kyrati Civil War between the supporters and opponents of the already fallen monarchy. Pagan and Yuma chose to ally with the Royalists and in order to gain their trust, brought forward a distant royal heir for the Royalists to continue their cause and reinstate the royal family. 
The forces of the two vast triad gangs led by Pagan and Yuma were further strengthened when they hired more mercenaries in the region. After months of bloody fighting against the Nationalists, the Royalists stormed the Royal Palace and attempted to crown the young heir to the throne. Min, however, betrayed the Royalists by killing the boy heir, taking the throne for himself, and brutally purging the Royalist leadership of his opponents. Min's betrayal led to Second Kyrati Civil War with the formation of the Golden Path resistance movement in 1987, who were committed to his downfall.
Up against Min's well trained and well-armed mercenaries, the Golden Path, led by Mohan Ghale, met with little success. This led to tensions between Mohan and his wife, Ishwari Ghale. Ishwari wished to fight alongside the Golden Path, an activity deemed unsuitable for her by her husband, who instead chose to send Ishwari to Min's palace as a spy. 
Ghale's intention was that Ishwari would be sufficiently shocked by the horrors there that she would no longer wish to fight, however contrary to his expectations, Ishwari excelled in her role as a spy and Pagan came to trust her deeply, regarding her as intelligent and charming. Mohan sought to use this trust to their advantage and even had his and Ishwari's son Ajay sent to the palace to bolster Ishwari's cover story. This plan eventually backfired when Ishwari and Pagan fell in love and Ishwari bore a daughter with him named Lakshmana Min.
Mohan later found out about the affair and murdered Lakshmana before her second birthday. Mohan was soon killed by an enraged Ishwari, who then fled with her three-year-old son Ajay to the United States of America, causing Min to become a recluse. 
After befriending Paul Harmon, Pagan Min often visited Paul and his family in the US, where both also managed to find out the address of Ishwari and Ajay. Pagan Min held back the urge to meet her however, as doing so might result in her moving elsewhere to hide from him again. 
Several years later, Pagan learned of Ishwari's death and Ajay's impending return to Kyrat to spread her ashes.
==Far Cry 4==
Pagan is introduced to the player when Ajay, son of Mohan and Ishwari, returns to Kyrat to return his mother's ashes to Lakshmana. Ajay is given no guidance from his mother as to who or what Lakshmana is. Pagan learned of Ajay's passage via the border with India and gave orders for Ajay's bus to be intercepted. The operation is botched, as the soldiers tasked with stopping the bus open fire on it when Golden Path members emerge. Immediately after, Pagan arrives via helicopter. Pagan becomes angry with the commander because his orders were to stop or capture the bus, not shoot the bus. He stabs the commander in the neck with his pen multiple times, killing him. Pagan then realizes that Ajay is alive and helps him up off the ground, hugging him and saying he would "recognize those eyes anywhere" in reference to Ishwari. Pagan takes a selfie with Ajay and then has a bag placed over his head.
Ajay, along with his guide Darpan, is brought to Paul "De Pleur" Harmon's compound. Ajay, Paul, Darpan, and Pagan are sat at a dinner table where Pagan properly introduces himself to Ajay and explains his intentions. Pagan is noticeably bothered that Ajay does not remember who he is, and that Ishwari never told Ajay about Pagan. Darpan is caught texting the Golden Path for help, which leads to Pagan stabbing Darpan in the back and mocking his call for help as futile. De Pleur takes Darpan away for interrogation. Pagan wants to continue speaking with Ajay, but takes a phone call, leaving Ajay to himself. Ajay takes this opportunity to escape the compound and meet up with the Golden Path rebels. 
Throughout the game, Pagan frequently interacts with Ajay via radio and consistently displays a warm attitude toward him despite Ajay supporting the Golden Path, albeit he is sometimes irritated (such as when Ajay kills Pagan's body double outside of Utkarsh or destroys his solid gold statue). Though they are not related by blood, Pagan often displays a father-like demeanor toward Ajay, showing what he refers to as 'tough love' and, at times, going so far as to guide Ajay and even save his life. This is probably because he knew Ajay as a small child when he was having his affair with Ishwari; Ajay no no doubt reminds Pagan of Ishwari.
After storming the Royal Palace, Ajay is presented with the choice to either kill Pagan, or spare his life. If the player kills Pagan the message will appear that "The King is Dead". Later on, Ajay will call either Amita or Sabal, (whichever one the player chose to keep alive and keep in power), to inform them that Pagan is dead. Either Amita or Sabal will ask him if they "found Lakshmana". Ajay will respond that he never found out what this meant, but it isn't important. Amita/Sabal will answer that all that matters is that Kyrat is free and the hard part with the war is basically over.
If the player spares Pagan, Ajay will sit down across from him to eat some food he had prepared for his arrival to the palace. As Pagan eats, he will ask Ajay if he had killed either Amita or Sabal, but will then give the answer that he already knows who he killed and who he didn't kill. Pagan then says to Ajay that whomever of the two is left alive, that he's just giving away his country to them, since he intended to pass down the crown of Kyrat's monarchy to Ajay as the new leader. He suggests to Ajay that he could take back his power if he wanted to, saying to him, "You're half way there. One down, one to go. Not that I want to put ideas into your head. But at least now we know you have a taste for doing what it takes," bluntly suggesting that he kill whichever of them is left. 
Pagan leads Ajay back to a small shrine dedicated to Lakshmana, so that he can let go of the ashes. Pagan will explain the truth to Ajay about his past with Ishwari, and that Lakshmana is his half-sister. Min explains he used Lakshmana's passing as an excuse to "do whatever he wanted", just as Ajay used his mother's ashes the same way. At the door of the shrine, Pagan says to Ajay that once he gives his Mother the proper resting she deserves here in the shrine, he will come out a king. Once Ajay enters the shrine, he leaves his mother's urn beside Lakshmana's, letting them to rest peacefully together as mother and daughter.
Once Ajay leaves the shrine, Pagan will depart in his helicopter leaving Kyrat in Ajay's hands while saying that he is "keeping the helicopter". It is rumored that Pagan struck a deal with the Chinese government for asylum and that he may be going there. The player can choose to either let Pagan flee unharmed, or shoot Pagan's helicopter down and kill him. If the helicopter is destroyed, the text "The King is Dead" will appear, similarly to had he shot Pagan inside the Palace. Afterwards, Pagan's body can be found and searched at the crash site. If Pagan lives and leaves Kyrat, he will leave behind a radio message, immensely inebriated, on Royal Radio.https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cAtpx_AhTlc.
Alternatively in a secret ending, if Ajay remains at the compound at the start of the game long enough, Pagan will return, grateful he stayed and apologizing for his lengthy absence, citing that Golden Path terrorists were found near the area as an explanation of him having abruptly left. Pagan brings Ajay to Lakshmana's shrine, where he reveals that Lakshmana is actually Pagan's daughter with Ishwari, whom Mohan had killed. After Ajay leaves his mother's urn at Lakshmana's shrine, Pagan asks if Ajay is feeling better and if he got it out of his system. Ajay nods in approval and Pagan leads him back onto the helicopter while suggesting to him, "Maybe now we can finally shoot some goddamn guns".
==Far Cry 6==
Pagan Min is the protagonist of the Far Cry 6 DLC, "Pagan: Control". The DLC itself is presented as a survival game depicting Pagan Min's mental struggle through the use of what appears to be either hallucinations of people from Pagan's life, or manifestations of his thoughts choosing to appear as people from his life. This indicates that while these events have strong links to canon, they are potentially not true, as Min could be either an unreliable narrator, or what is shown could be heavily influenced by his own perceptions and feelings.
The DLC primarily has Pagan chasing after and trying to rescue and/or reunite with his family: Ishwari, Ajay, and Lakshmana, though this impossible gathering emphasizes that the events taking place are most likely within Pagan's own mind, as Ishwari and Lakshmana should be dead, and Lakshmana, who was not even two years old yet when she died, looks notably older than she should be. The DLC ultimately centers on Pagan trying to work through his complex personal problems and insecurities, with a particular emphasis on learning to overcome the loss of his family, and confronting the evil he's done throughout his life.
===Far Cry 6 DLC: Control Trivia===
*At the end of Far Cry 6's DLC "Control", the secret ending features a cassette recording for Ajay left by Pagan, who was fully aware of the CIA involvement in Kyrat. He did not like the US meddling around in his affairs' so he made a secret stockpile of nuclear warheads stashed right underneath his temple. He states that they are "pointed right at America, probably somewhere near Montana to be exact." This would correlate with the nuclear ending of Far Cry 5, however, this narrative contradicts the background information about a widening global conflict reported in the news heard on the radio in Resistance camps and while riding in cars - Far Cry 5 clearly identifies North Korea as the most likely source of the nuclear strikes. 
*The Tyrant, a doppelganger of Pagan, is theorized to be his younger self as he has knowledge of Pagan's past, with particular attention paid to his cruelty and mistakes he made. He could also potentially be a manifestation of Pagan's sadism or tyrannical thoughts and feelings.
**The Tyrant is potentially meant to represent Yin for Pagan, as Pagan is Chinese, and the character is clearly darker and represents his particularly more vengeful and cruel qualities. He also wears a dark suit rather than Pagan's trademark pink suit.
**The Yang could arguably the hallucination of Lakshmana, who is golden/light in colour and visibly radiant, dressed in fine clothes. She could represent Pagan's love for his family, and his desire to do good.
*The DLC seems to imply that Pagan perceives specific people in his life as threats to his happiness and security, particularly: Mohan Ghale, Yuma, his own father, Ajay, various Golden Path soldiers, and the Tyrant, though this obviously means he seems himself as one of his own enemies.
*The version of Mohan Ghale in Pagan's mind asks him if he plans on blaming him for everything that's gone wrong in his life, or if he has realized yet that is unhappy simply because he hates himself.
*A scene between Pagan and Yuma insinuates that Yuma was responsible for informing Mohan about Lakshmana.
*The Tyrant accuses Pagan of viewing Yuma as a mother instead of as a sister, and tells him he was desperate for and needed a mother figure. He refers to Yuma's desire to end Pagan's affair with Ishwari, as Yuma "taking away his toys".
**Pagan seems to acknowledge the pain he caused Yuma during this time of his life, and says that he did love her, "in his own way".
*When Ishwari tells Pagan that she plans on fleeing to the United States, Pagan gets angry and tells her that regardless of their daughter's death, Ishwari "belongs" to him and isn't going anywhere. Ishwari gets angry at this and storms out, and Pagan apologizes, saying "that wasn't me."
**Ishwari's voice later tells Pagan that she had expected him to follow her to the US but that he never came.
**In reality, he visited the US several times and found her address but didn't visit, as doing so might result in her moving elsewhere to hide from him again. 
==Personality and Traits==
Pagan Min is known for his flamboyant dress, eccentric violence, and generally, unconcerned approach even to highly climactic events. Pagan started out as an opium-dealing crime lord in Hong Kong, but over the years he grew tired of running his father's criminal empire and wanted more. His greed and extreme narcissism led him to desire to rule his own nation, with Kyrat being his prime candidate. Pagan's rule of Kyrat is very much characteristic of a ruthless autocrat, reminiscent of totalitarian personality cults. He controls all media in Kyrat, which he floods with propaganda, and seems to come up with new laws and regulations on a whim. He can be extremely merciless, going as far as to kill a child in order to secure power for example, though his periods of particularly infamous brutality were mostly in his youth, and since the loss of his family he seems to have resigned himself mostly to passive indifference and cruelty.
Pagan is a rather soft-spoken sort of person, rarely expressing emotions stronger than minor annoyance, though his anger, when incensed, can be dangerously destructive. He has a tendency to remain calm and reserved, even in extremely upsetting or tense situations. His attitude towards Ajay, despite Ajay working with the Golden Path and making an attempt on his life, is strangely warm and father-like. He seems to view Ajay’s gradual destruction of his regime, and his takeover of Kyrat, almost as entertainment, and on occasion even takes steps to aid him in that endeavor. Pagan himself claims that he wants to change Kyrat and bring the nation into a glorious future from the ashes of the old society. Whether or not there is a single slice of truth in that, as he seems to only take care of his own needs, is unknown. 
Despite his calm and otherwise charming demeanor, he can also behave in highly disturbing or possessive ways, such as when he consumed part of Ishwari's ashes. He can sometimes be sadistic, taking pleasure in tormenting, scaring, or intimidating others. He drinks heavily and it's implied he does various drugs, such as cocaine. It's not clear if he has always abused substances, or if he only started doing so after the loss of his family. By the time Ajay meets him, he seems very disinterested in running the country and only wants to act on fleeting, hedonistic and self-indulgent impulses. He tells Ajay that when he first visited Lakshmana's shrine, he walked in a sane man and came out "like this". 
In the Far Cry 6 DLC, the hallucination of Lakshmana accuses Pagan of only pretending to care about Ishwari's pain. She says that while Pagan claims he was dismantling the religion in Kyrat because of the harm it did to Ishwari and others, it was actually because Pagan was jealous of her. He believed that as the king, he deserved the love and worship the Tarun Matara was receiving. Since this Lakshmana is obviously not real, this could be a reference to Pagan's own thoughts and insecurities. This is further enforced by a scene of Ishwari and Pagan meeting for the first time, when Ishwari bows, and Pagan is delighted at the idea of a "goddess" bowing to him.
Even though he has the characteristics of a classic overt narcissist, Pagan respects the concept of family, and loved Ishwari and Lakshmana deeply, blaming the Golden Path for their deaths, though it's obvious he also struggles internally with his own responsibility in their fates and has trouble acknowledging this. Despite his desire for a family and deep personal connections, Pagan is simultaneously a recluse in his royal palace, passing off the burden of leadership to his governors Yuma Lau, Noore Najjar, and Paul "De Pleur" Harmon. Yuma, in particular, has become resentful of Pagan, lamenting that he has become weak and soft compared to the ruthlessness of his younger self. Yuma blames Ishwari for this change in Pagan's disposition, suggesting that Pagan's love for Ishwari caused him to temper the former strength which Yuma was initially drawn to. 
Ishwari's positive influence on Pagan is unquestionable: Close reading of Mohan Ghale's Journal implies that Pagan met with other Golden Path leaders for peace talks around the time Lakshmana was born. In one of his calls to Ajay, Pagan mentions that Ishwari once convinced him to sponsor students studying medicine in Singapore. They never return, so Paul "dealt with their families" in Kyrat, while Pagan's contacts in Singapore tracked them down and gave each a "fitting end". He also admits to Ajay that he earned the worst of his reputation right after Lakshmana was killed and Ishwari fled Kyrat, but acknowledges that his grief was just an excuse to do whatever he wanted anyways. 
== Trivia ==
*Pagan treats Ajay like his son even though they are not related. Pagan is very patient with Ajay, at one point in the Durgesh Prison DLC very clearly reading from a book on how to compliment him.http://kyraticouture.tumblr.com/post/108757517132/well-daddys-tower-didnt-go-boom-boom
**Pagan Min is not the uncle of Ajay, but in one of the radio chats, he says, "Just checking in on my favorite nephew" and referred to himself as "Uncle Pagan". 
*Pagan Min shares the same name as the real-life ruler of the Burmese Kingdom who was 9th King of Konbaung Dynasty in 19th century, though he killed his brothers to gain the throne, not his father (as the developers mistakenly claimed).2014 June 13, GameInformer: The Face of Evil - A Look at the Far Cry 4 Controversial Villian. Retrieved 2018 October 3.
*Pagan's voice actor, Troy Baker, is a prominent voice actor known for such roles as Joel in The Last of Us, Booker DeWitt in BioShock Infinite, The Joker in Batman: Arkham Origins, Talion in Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, Kanji Tatsumi in Persona 4, Jack Mitchell in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, in addition to numerous others.
**Troy Baker has stated that his portrayal of Pagan was partly inspired by Christoph Waltz's portrayal of Hans Landa in the Quentin Tarantino film Inglourious Basterds. He also recalled that he was given the part when a casting assistant walked in during his audition, at which point he improvised and, still in character as Pagan, declared that he intended to murder her in front of casting directors.
* Pagan's rule is potentially influenced by real life Cambodian dictator Pol Pot, notably the fact that his inner circle including himself are all ethnic Chinese, just like most of Pol Pot's regime inner circle and Pol Pot himself. Both ruled over Indic civilizations with Dharmic influenced cultures. Pagan's regime was backed up by a wave of Triads from Hong Kong, similar to how Pol Pot's regime was backed by over 15 000 of "advisors" from China. Pagan Min and Pol Pot both share a hatred of religion, and their reign saw rampant destruction of religious sites.
*Pagan had a body-double, Eric, who has been surgically altered to look like Pagan Min and show up for most of his public appointments, including the money portraits and a solid gold statue. Eric is from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, and so, is not even Chinese, but has the correct cheekbones to pose as his double.
**Pagan mentions having a previous body double named Jeong who started out diligent but then went completely berserk and damaged Pagan image by ramdomly beheading people and drinking their blood. Later on he attempted to sneak into Disneyland using a fake passport with the name "Pàng Xióng" on it, which translates to "Fat Bear". https://href.li/?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiDiMk_Pdcc This resulted in his death, either because he was mistaken for the real Pagan Min by their numerous enemies, or executed by Pagan Min regime.
*He is shown to have a liking towards fashion. He is angered in the prologue cutscene when the man he stabbed to death stains his shoes with blood. He also at one point tells Ajay he's gotten a suit made for him, as he dislikes the way Ajay dresses, citing that he finds denim and sneakers to look cheap or uncomely.http://the-vigilant-vigilante.tumblr.com/post/107744475573/pagan-min-ajay-i-hope-you-dont-mind-but-i-took
* A 22.86-centimeter figurine of Min was available through the Ubisoft Store.
*Shooting Pagan Min at the dining table prevents the player from returning Ishwari's ashes to the Lakshmana Memorial, even if Ajay makes the trek back. However, the player can loot Pagan's corpse if they choose, and obtain the pen which he used to stab the commander in the beginning of the game.
**There is a glitch where Pagan's corpse can be looted multiple times if the player keeps fast-traveling out of the area and traveling back, giving the player an unlimited supply of lapel pins and golden pens, and in turn, unlimited rupees.
*Pagan tells Ajay he is not interested in men, even though it's confirmed he had sexual relationships with them in his early life. It's possible he was bisexual but no longer considers himself to be. He could also for whatever reason, be lying to Ajay.
*The Pen that Pagan carries with him everywhere is a gift from Ishwari. It has an engraving on it from her. In the Far Cry 6 DLC, he tells Ishwari that he'll "think of her every time he uses it". 
**Pagan's pen is based on a 149 solid gold Montblanc from its appearance and price.
*Pagan Min is in Far Cry 5 as a bobblehead and there is a special Pagan outfit the Deputy can wear.
*Pagan is a huge fan of Kanye West. He describes his Twitter feed as “gold” and would love to “shoot the breeze” with him sometime.
*He is the first antagonist in the series that is a military dictator followed by Antón Castillo. 
**Unlike Pagan Min, Castillo is a native of his game's setting, as well as a conservative in his attire and mannerisms. He also came to power through free elections rather than deception and violence. 
==Gallery==
=== Far Cry 4 ===
1234556.jpg|Concept art
SS1-big 157602.jpg|Pagan Min as he appears in Far Cry 4 key art
Far-Cry-4-s-Pagan-Min-Isn-t-the-Father-of-the-Protagonist-Wants-to-Be-Friends-449186-2.jpg|Ditto, another variant with him resting his left hand on a stressed Golden Path member's head.
Pgan.jpg|Ditto
Pagan-min-far-cry-4-hd-wallpaper-2.jpg|Ditto
005.png|Ditto
157.png|Ditto
315.png|Full body of Pagan Min in another key art
Fc4 game-guide characters-paganmin 181648.png|Full render of Pagan Min
002.png|Pagan in Far Cry 4 CGI Trailer
Paganminnn.png|Ditto, another variant
004.png|"Welcome to Kyrat!"
FC4ScreenShot 5 147865.jpg|"I hate when things get out of control"
Fc4 screen paganmin portrait e3 140609 4pmpst 1402296002.jpg|Pagan after violently killing one of his men.
Pagan.png|Pagan, soon after looking at Ajay.
Pagan5.jpg
AjayAndPagan.png|Ajay and Pagan's "selfie".
Pagan1.jpg
PaganChopper.png|You and I, are gonna tear shit up!
Paganmin6.png|"Ajay Ghale, our guest of honour"
Paganmin5.png|"You have been a naughty little shit, haven't you?"
Pagan11.jpg
067.png
Paganmin.png|"I came in a sane man and came out... like this"
Paganmin2.png
King Min Kyrat (32).jpg|In King Min's Kyrat
076.png|Pagan's CGI model
077.png|Ditto, another variant
071.png|Pagan in game model
File:10256920 924291987583560 7048255632391065979 o.jpg
288.png|As appears in Far Cry 4 Concept art
144.png|Young Pagan in propaganda poster, appears in Far Cry 4 Battles of Kyrat
145.png|Ditto, another variant
7L65fa07.png|Pagan in the The King is Dead Trophies's icon
FC4 Divya's Travel Blog - Pagan Thangka.jpg|Pagan Min's thangka ("Divya's Travel Blog")
008.png|Ditto, uncropped.
File:Farcry4 character pagan min 01.jpg|Render
=== Far Cry 5 ===
Fc5 specialoutfit Pagan Min.png|The Pagan Min Special Outfit for male players in Far Cry 5.
FC5 Pagan.png|Pagan Appears in Far Cry 5 Madness Bobblehead
=== Far Cry: Rite of Passage ===
Pagan Min Father.jpg|Young Min and his father
Young Yuma Lau 1.jpg|Pagan and teenage Yuma
Rite of passage 2 page18.jpg
Lakshmana Min 1.jpg|Pagan and his family
Lakshmana Min murder.jpg|Pagan the day his daughter dies
=== Far Cry 6 ===
Pagan Min easter egg FC6.png|Pagan Min on the front cover of a magazine in Yara.
==References==
cs:Pagan Min
it:Pagan Min
ru:Пэйган Мин
Category:Far Cry 4 characters
Category:Far Cry 5 mentioned characters
Category:Far Cry 6 characters
Category:Antagonists
Category:Male characters
Category:Player determined
Category:Playable characters
Category:Main characters