History Main / BewareTheHonestOnes

** Sam Vimes, (Carrot's superior) also gets treated like this on some occasions. Notably, the city's MagnificentBastard lord, Vetinari, has said that someone [[TheLastDJ who is too honest to play the game makes those who are playing (like the city's nobility) nervous]], and Vetinari finds that to be quite useful. Also, when Vimes goes back in time in ''Literature/{{Night Watch|Discworld}}'', Vetinari's aunt makes a similar observation.

** Ned stark is probably the most well-known example. He puts HonorBeforeReason and inadvertently furthers [[spoiler:Petyr Baelish]]'s [[ThePlan plan]] purely because he insists on being honest and giving his treasonous opponents a fair chance. Indeed, it is precisely the fact that he puts HonorBeforeReason [[spoiler:that leads Baelish to regard him as expendable; he is too unpredictable and incapable of being negotiated with]].

* Suzaku of ''Anime/CodeGeass'' -- because of his idealism, he acquires a major case of ChronicBackstabbingDisorder.

** Hundreds of years previously, [[VisualNovel/TheGreatAceAttorney Barok van Zieks]] was the same way. Despite his scary reputation, the man is genuinely committed to finding the truth and really wouldn't mind losing if people didn't mysteriously turn up dead every time that happened.[[spoiler: The conspiracy behind all the murders of people Barok failed to convict had to keep him in the dark, because he would ''absolutely'' turn them in if he knew, despite one of the major players being his boss.]]

* Ned Stark from ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire''. He puts HonorBeforeReason and inadvertently furthers [[spoiler:Petyr Baelish]]'s [[ThePlan plan]] purely because he insists on being honest and giving his treasonous opponents a fair chance. Indeed, it is precisely the fact that he puts HonorBeforeReason [[spoiler:that leads Baelish to regard him as expendable; he is too unpredictable and incapable of being negotiated with]].

* Nao Kanzaki starts the ''Manga/LiarGame'' described accurately as "Foolishly Honest," meaning she expects everyone else to be just as honest as she is by nature. As the Game progresses, however, Nao begins to prove herself perfectly capable of deception and manages several [[Awesome/AnimeAndManga Crowning Moments of Awesome]] through it. In fact, her lies have frequently ''relied'' on people being aware of her honest nature, since no one stops to think ''she'' might be lying. She also makes use of her [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower honest nature]] to become a MagneticHero, as she's the only person in the game who can be trusted to not have ulterior motives.

* ''VisualNovel/ApolloJusticeAceAttorney'': In a world where many of the prosecutors are [[AmoralAttorney Amoral Attorneys]], Klavier Gavin only cares about uncovering the truth behind whatever crime he's prosecuting, not about maintaining a perfect win record. This infuriates the killers when they try to frame whoever Apollo's defending, as they fully expect Klavier to back up their false testimony in order to obtain a guilty verdict. He doesn't. Not even when the killer is [[spoiler:someone he knows personally]].

* Yoh Hinamura of ''Manga/CryingFreeman'' discovers that a large group of assassins dressed like civilians are converging on him in the “Journey to Freedom” story arc. They expect him to panic and try to fight his way to safety (and be killed, naturally). They are horrified to learn that he instead called the police on himself, confessed to a murder, and was transported away safely to jail, because they realize that he will not be detained or prosecuted and is now free to seek revenge on them all.

* Nao Kanzaki starts the ''Manga/LiarGame'' described accurately as "Foolishly Honest," meaning she expects everyone else to be just as honest as she is by nature. As the Game progresses, however, Nao begins to prove herself perfectly capable of deception, and manages several [[Awesome/AnimeAndManga Crowning Moments of Awesome]] through it. In fact, her lies have frequently ''relied'' on people being aware of her honest nature, since no one stops to think ''she'' might be lying. She also makes use of her [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower honest nature]] to become a MagneticHero, as she's the only person in the game who can be trusted to not have ulterior motives.

** It's often implied that Superman knows this... and [[IKnowYouKnowIKnow Batman knows Superman knows this]]. The lie is mostly to satisfy the rest of the league (Superman may dislike Batman's tactics, but he trusts that Bruce knows what he's doing and where to draw the line; however, if this became public, it might give license to less careful heroes to imitate Batman). Superman not acknowledging Batman's less savory tactics means the disagreement never spills into more public setting. Similarly, Batman will make it painfully clear to anyone who catches him in his lie and threatens to report him (thus making it an issue) that Superman probably already knows and hasn't done anything about it. If someone as honest as the Big Blue Boy Scout is cool with it, then it's cool.

* ''Series/Daredevil2015'': When Wilson Fisk does speak the truth, he's careful with his words as he's twisting the truth to get people to do things that benefit him. He convinces Ray Nadeem that he's a reliable source by providing information on an Albanian syndicate that the FBI are desperate to shut down. Then, after cementing his credibility, Fisk is able to spin the truth to trick Nadeem into thinking Nelson & Murdock were accomplices to him when they were actually the ones who put him away.

* Matsuda from ''Manga/DeathNote''. He's honest and idealistic to a fault, and more often than not makes a nuisance of himself. However, his attempt to infiltrate the Yotsuba Group provides vital information, even though it backfires, and [[spoiler:when Light Yagami reveals himself as Kira and starts gloating, [[BewareTheNiceOnes Matsuda is the first to whip out his gun and start shooting.]]]] This is, incidentally, something like the true inverse of BadGuysDoTheDirtyWork — the closest surviving thing to a good person does the shooting.

* Matsuda from ''Manga/DeathNote''. He's honest and idealistic to a fault, and more often than not makes a nuisance of himself. However, his attempt to infiltrate the Yotsuba Group provides vital information, even though it backfires, and [[spoiler:when Light Yagami reveals himself as Kira and starts gloating, [[BewareTheNiceOnes Matsuda is the first to whip out his gun and start shooting.]]]] This is, incidentally, something like the true inverse of BadGuysDoTheDirtyWork — the closest surviving thing to a good person does the shooting.

* Tenma from ''Manga/{{Monster}}'' is deemed untrustworthy by his director for choosing to operate on the patient who came first, as opposed to the patient off of whom he'd profit more.

* Tamiya attempts to wrest back control of the Manga/LycheeLightClub from Zeera once the group approaches the MoralEventHorizon. Very fittingly, his epithet is "Bullet of Truth" and he is often shown as the most obviously upstanding member of the nine.

* Yoh Hinamura of ''Manga/CryingFreeman'' discovers that a large group of assassins dressed like civilians are converging on him in the “Journey to Freedom” story arc. They expect him to panic and try to fight his way to safety (and be killed, naturally). They are horrified to learn that he instead called the police on himself, confessed to a murder, and was transported away safely to jail, because they realize that he will not be detained or prosecuted and is now free to seek revenge on them all.

%%* [[spoiler:Ozymandias]] from ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}''. No one saw that coming. %% Zero-Context Example

[[folder:Fan Fiction]]

* Euphemia terrifies politicians in ''Fanfic/CodeGeassThePreparedRebellion'' because she's determined to root out corruption in Area 11 and can't be bought off. Since they can't comprehend the idea of an honest politician, they assume Euphemia can't be bought because she's already been bought and waste time trying to figure out who bribed her and what their motives are.

[[folder:Film]]
* ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean'': Jack Sparrow [[LampshadeHanging hangs a lampshade]] on this in [[Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanTheCurseOfTheBlackPearl the first movie]]. In [[Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanAtWorldsEnd the third movie]], he pulls it off himself: Pirates can only be counted on to be greedy bastards, which is why there hasn't been a Pirate King in a while (the position is democratically-elected, and they all vote for themselves). So when the vote comes up, [[spoiler:Jack surprises everyone by voting for Elizabeth, making her win with two votes]]. He is definitely not an example himself, as he lies constantly and even the page quote is him being dishonest about his dishonesty.

-->Me, lie? Never! The truth is much more fun.

* In ''Literature/DragonBones'', the nobleman Haverness is known for his honesty. He's the last one who would be told about a revolution against the king, as he takes his oaths so seriously that he'd be sure to betray all the plans immediately. However, the king is stupid enough to not take into account that he himself has accepted responsibility for the protection of the nobles who have sworn allegiance to him. And Haverness' loyalty is not only to the king but also to the people under ''his'' protection. [[spoiler:A revolution takes place, with the justification of ScrewTheRulesTheyBrokeThemFirst.]]
* Victor Cachat, the young spymaster for the New Republic of Haven in the ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' series, is an idealist. He puts himself through and into Hell over his moral issues. He is also [[TheDeterminator the most ruthless SOB in the entire setting]] when he needs to be.
** Several of Honor's own rivals have been left aghast at her willingness to drag some odious maneuver of theirs out into the open when they had assumed that she would "play the game" the same way they would. It helps that her very refusal means they have no ammo for doing the same to her.
* In Creator/DanAbnett's ''Literature/GauntsGhosts'' novel ''Necropolis'', Sturm's attempt to make his plans without input from the other Imperial Guard officers is betrayed by Daur, who merely says, in his defense, that the officers had the appropriate security clearance.
** In ''Warmaster,'' Gaunt himself [[spoiler:foils a coup against Warmaster Macaroth simply by telling him about it. The conspirators were planning to make Gaunt the new warmaster, but Gaunt's loyalty surpasses his ambitions.]]

-->'''Ben:''' Jacinta asked if her new skirt made her bum look big and Argent said, "Yes." Her teacher asked her if she'd done her homework and Argent said, "No." When she was asked why, Argent said her stepmother and father had a big fight about sex and she was too angry to write about diatoms for her Biology homework.
-->'''Penny:''' Oh, I see. Ouch.
* Anaiya of the Blue Ajah in ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' is described this way. Her lack of deceit continues to confuse the other plotters in the White Tower. Also, Cadsuane does this deliberately.
** Galad is probably the best example in the series of this trope. His stepsister says of him, "He always does the right thing, no matter who it hurts." He is introduced to the main characters and the reader when he calls the guards to deal with a peasant boy ([[TheChosenOne Rand]]) who has fallen over the wall of the royal palace and is being taken care of by the crown princess. She's apparently in no danger, and her brother is with them too, and no one wants Rand to be possibly thrown in jail over an innocent accident, but to Galad the rule about how to handle intruders doesn't allow for exceptions. Later, he joins the [[KnightTemplar Whitecloaks]] on the strength of their ascetic philosophy, even though his mother and sister are members of or at least connected to the Aes Sedai, who the Whitecloaks all see as Satanic witches. Still later, when he suspects that his superior officer in the Whitecloaks raped and killed his stepmother, [[spoiler: he kills him. In a [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome perfectly legal ritual duel]], no less, and [[YouKillItYouBoughtIt gets Valda's rank and Blademaster status afterwards]]. She's alive, but his superior did sexually assault her, and [[PostRapeTaunt taunts Galad about it]]. Bad idea.]] He later moderates this stance somewhat after a talk with [[spoiler: his stepmother, who observes she should have tried to break him of the BlackAndWhiteMorality illusion earlier]], and uses a few {{Armor Piercing Question}}s to make him think.
* Adviser Arfarra from Yulia Latynina's ''Literature/WeiEmpire'' cycle might fit - while almost the entire Weian establishment is either corrupt or negligent, Arfarra is neither, but is instead a truly ruthless (but consistently, if not obviously idealistic) KnightTemplar who has been described as being "capable of ''anything'' in matters that ''didn't'' affect his own interests" (as opposed to the character that described him thusly, who is capable of anything in matters that ''did'').
* Carrot from the Literature/{{Discworld}} Watch novels frequently triumphs because he is so honest and straightforward that the scheming, backstabbing people of Ankh-Morpork don't know how to deal with him. (Being strong enough to knock out a troll in a bar fight helps too...) Later on, he acquires a good dose of cunning but [[ObfuscatingStupidity maintains the image]] and scrupulous honesty - in ''Literature/MenAtArms'' he's trying to get some information out of a Guild leader, and tells him, with a very serious air, that if the guildmaster doesn't do what he wants, he will, unfortunately and very much against his will, be forced to "carry out the order I was given just before entering." Said order? To leave quietly if the guildmaster refused to help. However, the guildmaster assumes it to be more along the lines of "break a few arms" and, in a panic, relents. His then commander, Sergeant Colon, is astonished that someone would not simply bluff on a bad hand, ''but with no cards''.

* From ''Literature/HarryPotter'', Snape doesn't really lie to Harry. He hates him, [[IdenticalGrandson his father]], his [[MessyHair untameable hair]]. He doesn't really lie to Dumbledore. He was a Death Eater because he wanted to be one. He doesn't dislike the cause. He detests Muggles and his lineage. It's nigh impossible to lie to Voldemort. [[spoiler: He even '''told''' him he fancied Lily Potter, Voldemort just wouldn't hear of it.]] Fans spent years debating whether his attitude yet conflicting behavior meant he was on the good side, on the bad side, or on his own, but he was never that much of a [[TheChessmaster chessmaster]] and his goal was never ''that'' complex. [[spoiler:He was just a Death Eater who made a HeelFaceTurn because he '''really''' loved Lily Potter.]]
* Meursault in ''Literature/TheStranger''. It never occurs to him to lie, even to save his own life. Why would his life need saving? Oh, because he's facing the death penalty for having shot a man. For no reason. Unless "the sun was bright" counts as a reason.
* In Creator/RobertAHeinlein's ''Literature/TimeEnoughForLove'' Lazarus Long comments that "business" politicians are usually honest (in the sense that they stay bought simply because that's the best way to stay in business) whereas "reform" politicians tend to be ''stupidly'' dishonest, [[KnightTemplar because they are capable of doing literally anything that they believe is in the best interests of the "People."]]
* Subverted in the works of Creator/AynRand where the characters who serve their self-interest ''are'' the idealistic ones. The untrustworthy villains are those who claim they want nothing for themselves and will steal anything for the "common good".

* In ''Literature/AConfederacyOfDunces'', Ignatius is not necessarily evil, but his convictions and rigidity drive the entire plot. At the very outset, his obstinance almost gets him arrested, and things spiral from there.
* Ned Stark from ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire''. He puts HonorBeforeReason and inadvertently furthers [[spoiler:Petyr Baelish]]'s [[ThePlan plan]] purely because he insists on being honest and giving his treasonous opponents a fair chance. Indeed, it is precisely the fact that he puts HonorBeforeReason [[spoiler:that leads Baelish to regard him as expendable; he is too unpredictable and incapable of being negotiated with.]]
* In ''The Resurrection of Literature/FatherBrown'', the titular priest immediately and repeatedly denies that there was anything miraculous about his seeming resurrection from the dead. It later turns out that [[spoiler: his mock death and resurrection had been arranged by his enemies, who were planning to later denounce him as a fraud. They couldn't imagine that Father Brown would be too honest and humble to claim a miracle for his God and Church.]]
* ''Literature/{{Illuminatus}}'' references "Celine's Laws", #3 of which is, "An honest politician is a national calamity." Meaning that while ordinary dishonest politicians are usually content to line their pockets and preserve the status quo, the true believers who try to change society only end up passing more restrictive laws.

* In ''Literature/RecordOfGrancrestWar'', Siluca's upbringing in an academy full of backstabbing, greedy assholes made her capable of dealing with any social situation...except conversations with country boy [[IdealHero Theo]]. His LoveConfession is actually hilarious because of this — you can ''see'' Siluca going through her mental toolbox and coming up short. [[spoiler:Though after taking a minute to think, she shows that [[TheBigDamnKiss she can be honest about her feelings too]].]]

* Michael in ''Series/PrisonBreak''. Linc knows he is going to be executed, but at least he has the satisfaction of knowing that Michael went to college and will have a good life. Except not, because Michael cannot let Linc die for a crime he didn't commit so he gets himself sent to prison on purpose to rescue him.
** Michael's idealism is a source of conflict throughout the show. It takes place in a CrapsackWorld so they should probably run far away, but Michael wants to take down the company.

* ''Series/Daredevil2015'': When Wilson Fisk does speak the truth, he's careful with his words as he's twisting the truth to get people to do things that benefit him. He convinces Ray Nadeem that he's a reliable source by providing information on an Albanian syndicate that the FBI are desperate to shut down. Then, after cementing his credibility, Fisk is able to spin the truth to trick Nadeem into thinking Nelson & Murdock were accomplices to him when they were actually the ones who put him away.
* In the second season of ''Series/{{Heroes}}'', Mohinder gets caught up in some [[GreyAndGreyMorality morally-grey subterfuge]]. But, unfortunately, he's an idealist, he doesn't want anyone to get hurt, he tells the truth at the worst possible time and [[BadLiar seems terribly inexperienced at fibbing]], and he tends to switch sides just because he trusts too easily. So he repeatedly manages to blow up everybody else's plans.
-->'''Mohinder:''' Let me put it this way. We do it my way, or I blow the whistle right now. Tell Bennet everything.\\
'''Bob:''' Bennet is dangerous. You saw what he did to his mentor in the Ukraine.\\
'''Elle:''' Don't you think if push came to shove, he'd do the same to you?\\
'''Mohinder:''' No. I don't.\\
'''Elle:''' ''(to Bob)'' He's adorable. Can I keep him?
** Peter Petrelli, as his brother Nathan explains to fellow schemer Tracy, is a similar type:
--->"You and I, we think alike. Someone like you, I can trust. Peter's... he's unpredictable. He's got it in his head he's gonna save the world, and that is not how it's gonna end. He is gonna end up getting all of you killed."

* ''VisualNovel/ApolloJusticeAceAttorney'': In a world where many of the prosecutors are [[AmoralAttorney Amoral Attorneys]], Klavier Gavin only cares about uncovering the truth behind whatever crime he's prosecuting, not about maintaining a perfect win record. This infuriates the killers when they try to frame whoever Apollo's defending, as they fully expect Klavier to back up their false testimony in order to obtain a guilty verdict. He doesn't. Not even when the killer is [[spoiler:someone he knows personally.]]

* Komaeda in ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair''. He's chaotic, unpredictable, suicidal, and absolutely obsessed with his vision of hope. He's also totally honest about his goals and how they might contradict those of the other students. He cannot be swayed to commit murder because he hides no secret desires for Monokuma to prey on, but he also has no problem with participating in the Killing Game as a ''victim'' because of his bizarre views about tragedy leading to hope, and happily tells the rest of the class that if they want to kill him, he'd help out. [[spoiler: The only piece of information he deliberately hides is the one that drove him across the DespairEventHorizon; the fact that the class were former members of Ultimate Despair.]]

* Saxony Canterbury of ''Webcomic/{{Thunderstruck}}'', who forms uneasy alliances with a KnightTemplar organization willing to kill for sex in a chapel, a witch who killed his sister for a HumanSacrifice and ''{{Satan}} himself''...all for the sake of two teenage girls.

* In ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'' Jones warns Antimony about Coyote, stating that "Coyote is no liar, therein lies the danger."

* The Reverend Darren Englund, in the Literature/WhateleyUniverse stories. He's so idealistic and so concerned about protecting the planet from demonic threats that he hires assassins to kill a ''schoolgirl'', which leads to an invasion of the SuperheroSchool Whateley Academy. On the other hand, the girl in question ''is'' prophesied to become The Kellith, whose spawn will wipe humans from the earth. Interestingly enough, before the incident, she had already killed her own future self, theoretically negating that possibility. Also, if anything would make Kellith go evil, the stuff this guy does would. Considering his 'hate-filled sermons', he might just be a straight-out KnightTemplar. Him helping to rescue Kerry in "Angel in Father John's Basement" helps.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'', [[spoiler:Dreadwing]] loses faith in the Decepticon cause and betrays Megatron [[spoiler:by giving the Autobots the Forge of Solus Prime, giving them a fighting chance,]] when he realizes that Megatron doesn't really appreciate honor and loyalty.
* In ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'', Dinobot has no problem with Megatron's plan of [[spoiler:going to prehistoric earth to kill the original Optimus Prime while he was in his 4 million year stasis.]] His initial problem with Megatron was he got them stranded on the [[spoiler:incorrectly assumed]] wrong planet and Megatron's cowardice in the face of a challenge to honorable combat when called out on his incompetence. Later, when Megatron is proven right, Dinobot temporarily switches sides back to Megatron until Megatron proves to be the liar once again. Throughout his time with the Maximals, Dinobot makes no secret that he still views himself as a Predacon and will return to them once they get back to Cybertron.