History Main / GoodIsNotSoft

[[quoteright:315:[[MassEffect http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Screenshot_Studio_capture_104_3832.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:315:"You even ''think'' about coming after your brother, and this bullet will be waiting for you."]]

* [[MassEffect Commander Shepard]], as a [[NeutralGood Para]][[TheMessiah gon]], could be named after the trope. S\he really is genuinely nice, caring, loving, and willing to PistolWhip someone who's crossed the MoralEventHorizon or beat down some {{Jerkass}}, or help kill a CompleteMonster in cold blood. [[PapaWolf And don't EVER hurt his]]/[[MamaBear her crew and friends.]] [[BerserkButton It will probably be the]] [[{{Badass}} last mistake you make.]]

** She also banished her beloved MoreThanMindControl affected sister to the moon for a thousand years, because she was trying to commit genocide and Celestia wasn't powerful enough to remove said mind control. That is firm leadership, ladies and gentlemen (though Celestia, by all appearances, ''did'' [[TearJerker lose sleep]] over ''that'' decision).

** She also banished her beloved MoreThanMindControl affected sister to the moon for a thousand years, because she was trying to commit genocide and Celestia wasn't powerful enough to remove said mind control. That is firm leadership ladies and gentlemen (though Celestia by all appearances ''did'' [[TearJerker lose some sleep]] over ''that'' decision).

* [[BigGood Princess Celestia]] of ''WsternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' is a loving, understanding flying magic unicorn who nevertheless sealed her arch-foe Discord in stone for at least a millennium, and Discord implied he was conscious the whole time. Celestia didn't lose any sleep over it because Discord is evil.

* [[BigGood Princess Celestia]] of ''MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' is a loving, understanding flying magic unicorn who nevertheless sealed her arch-foe Discord in stone for at least a millennium, and Discord implied he was conscious the whole time. Celestia didn't lose any sleep over it because Discord is evil.

Maybe TheHero knows that the criminal will break out of the CardboardPrison. Maybe the villain has placed TheCape in a kill or be killed situation and said hero kills for the greater good, taking on the moral consequences of their actions. Or it may simply be the WellIntentionedExtremist needing to TalkToTheFist before they fall off the MoralEventHorizon.

** She also banished her beloved MoreThanMindControl affected sister to the moon for a thousand years, because she was trying to commit genocide and Celestia wasn't powerful enough to remove said mind control. That is firm leadership ladies and gentlemen.
** It should be noted that Celestia by all appearances ''did'' [[TearJerker lose some sleep]] over ''that'' decision.

* Mariko "Spirit" Tanaka of WingCommander is the nicest, kindest, gentlest creature in the series. Then she goes kamikaze on a Kilrathi held space station her fiance is on.

** She also banished her beloved MoreThanMindControl affected sister to the moon for a thousand years, because she was trying to commit genocide and Celestia wasn't powerful enough to remove said mind control. That is firm leadership ladies and gentlemen.

* {{Spiderman}} is an example in that he does want to help, being the TropeNamer for ComesGreatResponsibility. That responsibility does not extend to his fighting style, which is fairly brutal. Some storylines revolve around him becoming more vicious, usually after donning the [[SuperpoweredEvilSide black suit]].

* {{Robocop}} follows three directives: serve the public trust, protect the innocent, uphold the law. Nothing is said about blowing away killers, or brutalizing a suspect before bringing them in.
* DirtyHarry has no qualms about working outside the law or even torturing suspects, but he does try and lead a normal life.

* LoisAndClark plays with this idea when Superman is seen throwing a crook into a police van, the first hint that there's something wrong with him.
* {{Angel}} seeks redemption, and a reformed Faith simply wants to have fun when she doesn't need to save the world. Their methods are not soft.

* Optimus Prime of TransformersPrime is one of the nicest, most purely heroic characters imaginable. He's also a giant alien war-machine and willing to brutally kill an opponent who has proven irredeemable.

* [[MassEffect Commander Shepard]], as a Paragon, could be named after the trope. S\he really is genuinely nice, caring, loving, and willing to PistolWhip someone who's crossed the MoralEventHorizon or beat down some {{Jerkass}}, or help kill a CompleteMonster in cold blood. [[PapaWolf And don't EVER hurt his]]/[[MamaBear her crew and friends.]] [[BerserkButton It will probably be the]] [[{{Badass}} last mistake you make.]]

* [[MassEffect Commander Shepard]], as a [[NeutralGood Paragon]], could be named after the trope. S\he really is genuinely nice, caring, loving, and willing to PistolWhip someone who's crossed the MoralEventHorizon or beat down some {{Jerkass}}, or help kill a CompleteMonster in cold blood. [[PapaWolf And don't EVER hurt his]]/[[MamaBear her crew and friends.]] [[BerserkButton It will probably be the]] [[{{Badass}} last mistake you make.]]

** The moment that perhaps cements this more than anything else in many fan's eyes is the ending to Overlord, where a scientist forced his autistic brother to communicate with the Geth, in the most barbaric way, then pleads with Shepard to allow it to continue. The bad option is to allow it but break his jaw and show disgust over his actions. The good one however is for Shepard to take David to refuge, dodge shots fired at him\her, optionally [[PistolWhip smash the scientist's face in]] and threaten to kill him.

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[[folder: Anime and Manga]]

This is not a unusual trait of the TechnicalPacifist. Common in GoodIsNotNice and GoodIsNotDumb works. The FriendlySniper will likely be this. See also SlidingScaleOfAntiHeroes and SlidingScaleOfIdealismVsCynicism.