Thugs are violent criminals with little respect for the law and society's norms, engaging in street-crime, thefts, and crimes that involve more muscle. They are usually quick to anger and become involved in gangland violence or vice in later life - they can also be Inmates who continue to engage in gangland activities even while imprisoned as members of prison-gangs. They are usually not as organized as the "professional criminals" and are used as enforcers or "muscle" within gangs, engaging in extortion, intimidation and other activities that require a more brutal approach.

Some thugs remain as violent Anarchists rather than gangsters in later life, these types of criminals are commonly known as Hooligans and are infamous for their glorification of violence and lawbreaking - Hooligans often engage in casual acts of violence for the sheer "fun" of it and thus commonly overlap with Barbarians.

They are very similar to Gangsters, but they are often much more violent, vicious or cruel. They are not cowards, are always willing to fight, and can take pleasure in trying to intimidate, rob or shoot people weaker than themselves. Usually they come from the "underworld." Basically, thugs are villains of the brutal, thuggish variety.

They can also be a slightly downgraded version of a Brute, but they're usually on a medium scale from a Abuser to a Homicidal villain.

Wealthy villains can also be added to this category as well, since Thugs are not always limited to just street criminals or prison inmates.