History Main / GoodIsNotSoft

[[folder:Real Life]]
* In UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, right after the fall of UsefulNotes/{{France}}, UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler was certain that UsefulNotes/{{Britain}}, whom he considered fellow Aryans he didn't want to fight anyway, would fold up after that defeat and surrender. However, Prime Minister UsefulNotes/WinstonChurchill not only gave powerful speeches that his nation was not going to give up, but did more. Namely, he ordered British forces to sink idled French warships at Mers-el-Kébir, killing 1,297 French servicemen, to make sure UsefulNotes/NaziGermany could not use them against Britain. In doing that, Hitler was shocked to realize Churchill was not only talking tough, he also wasn't kidding around at how far he would go to fight the Nazis.
* Really, most people in real life are like this to some degree. Would you be compassionate towards someone who tried to hurt (or worse) your kid? Or another family member of yours? Or even one of your friends?
* In 1990, children's television host Creator/FredRogers sued the Missouri chapter of the KKK. They had made a series of recordings imitating his voice and his television show, Series/MisterRogersNeighborhood, but with racist content. He won.
[[/folder]]

* Really, most people in real life are like this to some degree. Would you be compassionate towards someone who [[WouldHurtAChild tried to hurt your kid?]] Or another family member of yours? Or even one of your friends?

* Really, most people in real life are like this to some degree. Would you be compassionate towards someone who [[AdultFear tried to hurt your kid?]] Or another family member of yours? Or even one of your friends?

[-[[caption-width-right:230: Franchise/{{Batman}}, one of the most prominent examples of this trope in fiction. Also pictured: his [[Characters/BatmanTheJoker foil and arch-nemesis]], who is more FauxAffablyEvil.]]-]

* In this day and age when a world power can project itself, many terrorist groups and dictators have learned that countries who are dedicated to maintaining order in the world are not going to just sit idly by and let them get away with things, such as Saddam Hussein invading Kuwait and getting smashed by the UN for it, or Gaddafi's Libya and the terrorist group ISIS getting smashed by UN air power when the world took action.

[[quoteright:230:[[Franchise/{{Batman}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/funnyhowthingsturnout_6804.jpg]]]]
[-[[caption-width-right:230: Franchise/{{Batman}}, one of the most prominent examples of this trope in fiction. Also pictured: his [[ComicBook/TheJoker foil and arch-nemesis]], who is more FauxAffablyEvil.]]-]

The character isn't necessarily an AntiHero, VigilanteMan or may not even be portrayed as GoodIsNotNice. He could be a genuinely friendly, sociable, caring person, always looking out for his friends and family and trying to do the right thing. Such a character would have to be compassionate to his enemies, right?

Actually, no. Unlike the GoodIsNotNice character, someone who falls under this trope actually ''is'' an [[NiceGuy amicable and affable person.]] It's just that this niceness doesn't extend to giving free passes to the truly vile and horrific among their enemies. They are the reason why the villain should BewareTheNiceOnes, especially since they aren't gonna wait to be angered or snap before the inevitable beatdown/killing begins. The Good Is Not Soft character ''will'' find them, ''will'' stop them and ([[CruelMercy if they're lucky]]) ''will'' kill them before they can hit that BerserkButton. Then they'll ([[WasTooHardOnHim usually]]) go home to enjoy dinner and settle in for a good night's sleep.

This isn't an unusual trait of the TechnicalPacifist; the GentleGiant won't have an issue with it, either. Common in GoodIsNotDumb works. If the character is a {{Jerkass}} rather than a NiceGuy, then they fall under GoodIsNotNice. Compare/contrast BewareTheNiceOnes who are reactive rather than proactive. LawfulGood characters fit this trope perfectly, especially if their duty is to reward good and punish evil. See also AntiHero and SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism. Compare AffablyEvil where a villain instead of a hero has these personality traits. May result in the villain calling out a NotSoDifferentRemark when {{lampshade|Hanging}}d. Also can tie into ItGetsEasier if the character is enough of an experienced killer that they are able to get on with a relatively normal life after they've pulled the trigger.

This isn't an unusual trait of the TechnicalPacifist; the GentleGiant won't have an issue with it, either. Common in GoodIsNotDumb works. If the character is a {{Jerkass}} rather than a NiceGuy, then they fall under GoodIsNotNice. Compare/contrast BewareTheNiceOnes who are reactive rather than proactive. LawfulGood characters fit this trope perfectly, especially if their duty is to reward good and punish evil. See also AntiHero and SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism. Compare AffablyEvil where a villain instead of a hero has these personality traits. May result in the villain calling out a NotSoDifferent speech when {{lampshade|Hanging}}d. Also can tie into ItGetsEasier if the character is enough of an experienced killer that they are able to get on with a relatively normal life after they've pulled the trigger.

* In 1990, children's television host Fred Rogers sued the Missouri chapter of the KKK. They had made a series of recordings imitating his voice and his television show but with racist content. He won.

[-[[caption-width-right:230: Franchise/{{Batman}}, one of the most prominent examples of this trope in fiction. Also pictured: his [[ComicBook/TheJoker foil and arch-nemesis]], who is more EvillyAffable.]]-]

* GoodIsNotSoft/{{Other}}

[[folder:Comic Strips]]
* ''ComicStrip/ThePhantom'': Old jungle saying: "The Phantom is rough with rough-necks." Another one: "When the Phantom is rough, he is very rough." These are typically cited when he's beating people up. He's a TechnicalPacifist who likes to get criminals to a proper trial, and nice and helpful towards friends and innocents, but he gives out plenty of brutal beatings. (Of course, they don't leave people actually injured much, so he gets off easily.) One of the cruelest things he does could be the fact that he tattoos people he punches with his Skull Mark -- a bit of a snap judgement against everyone who opposes him, who are never innocent but could be PunchClockVillain {{mooks}} -- but this seems to be more about the RuleOfCool than any consideration of the long-term effects.

Actually, no. Unlike the GoodIsNotNice character, someone who falls under this trope actually ''is'' an amicable and affable person. It's just that this niceness doesn't extend to giving free passes to the truly vile and horrific among their enemies. They are the reason why the villain should BewareTheNiceOnes, especially since they aren't gonna wait to be angered or snap before the inevitable beatdown/killing begins. The Good Is Not Soft character ''will'' find them, ''will'' stop them and ([[CruelMercy if they're lucky]]) ''will'' kill them before they can hit that BerserkButton. Then they'll ([[WasTooHardOnHim usually]]) go home to enjoy dinner and settle in for a good night's sleep.

This isn't an unusual trait of the TechnicalPacifist; the GentleGiant won't have an issue with it, either. Common in GoodIsNotDumb works. If the character is a {{Jerkass}} rather than a NiceGuy, then they fall under GoodIsNotNice. Compare/contrast BewareTheNiceOnes who are reactive rather than proactive. LawfulGood characters fit this trope perfectly, especially if their duty is to reward good and punish evil. See also AntiHero and SlidingScaleOfIdealismVsCynicism. Compare AffablyEvil where a villain instead of a hero has these personality traits. May result in the villain calling out a NotSoDifferent speech when {{lampshade|Hanging}}d. Also can tie into ItGetsEasier if the character is enough of an experienced killer that they are able to get on with a relatively normal life after they've pulled the trigger.

-->-- '''Literature/{{Discworld}}''', ''Discworld/MenAtArms''

[-[[caption-width-right:230: Franchise/{{Batman}}, one of the most prominent examples of this trope in fiction. Also pictured: his [[ComicBook/TheJoker foil and arch-nemesis]], who is more [[FauxAffablyEvil Evilly Affable]].]]-]

[-[[caption-width-right:230: Franchise/{{Batman}}, one of the most prominent examples of this trope in fiction. Also pictured: his [[ComicBook/TheJoker foil and arch-nemesis]], who is more [[FauxAffablyEvil "Nice" is not Good]].]]-]

This isn't an unusual trait of the TechnicalPacifist. Common in GoodIsNotDumb works. If the character is a {{Jerkass}} rather than a NiceGuy, then they fall under GoodIsNotNice. Compare/contrast BewareTheNiceOnes who are reactive rather than proactive. LawfulGood characters fit this trope perfectly, especially if their duty is to reward good and punish evil. See also AntiHero and SlidingScaleOfIdealismVsCynicism. Compare AffablyEvil where a villain instead of a hero has these personality traits. May result in the villain calling out a NotSoDifferent speech when {{lampshade|Hanging}}d. Also can tie into ItGetsEasier if the character is enough of an experienced killer that they are able to get on with a relatively normal life after they've pulled the trigger.

[-[[caption-width-right:225: Franchise/{{Batman}}, one of the most prominent examples of this trope in fiction. Also pictured: his [[ComicBook/TheJoker foil and arch-nemesis]], who is more [[FauxAffablyEvil "Nice" is not Good]].]]-]

''Do not mistake '''kindness''' for '''weakness.'''''

This trope has the potential to slide into or be [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation interpreted as]] PayEvilUntoEvil, if the hero's method of ending the villain's threat is excessively cruel. Different viewers will have different ideas about what qualifies as being excessively cruel to a villain. Even so, this trope will most likely lead to him being [[HeWhoFightsMonsters just as bad as the villain if taken too far.]]

* [[GoodIsNotSoft/AnimeAndManga Anime & Manga]]
* [[GoodIsNotSoft/ComicBooks Comic Books]]
* [[GoodIsNotSoft/FanWorks Fan Works]]
* [[GoodIsNotSoft/{{Film}} Film]]
* [[GoodIsNotSoft/{{Literature}} Literature]]
* [[GoodIsNotSoft/LiveActionTV Live-Action TV]]
* [[GoodIsNotSoft/{{Other}} Other]]
* [[GoodIsNotSoft/VideoGames Video Games]]
* [[GoodIsNotSoft/WesternAnimation Western Animation]]

Actually, no. Unlike the GoodIsNotNice character, someone who falls under this trope actually ''is'' a amicable and affable person. It's just that this niceness doesn't extend to giving free passes to the truly vile and horrific among their enemies. They are the reason why the villain should BewareTheNiceOnes, especially since they aren't gonna wait to be angered or snap before the inevitable beatdown/killing begins. The Good Is Not Soft character ''will'' find them, ''will'' stop them and ([[CruelMercy if they're lucky]]) ''will'' kill them before they can hit that BerserkButton. Then they'll ([[WasTooHardOnHim usually]]) go home to enjoy dinner and settle in for a good night's sleep.

!!Examples
[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* Houtarou Oreki from ''Anime/{{Hyouka}}''. As an individual, Houtarou is introvert, aloof and apathetic, but hardly a bad person. However, he's not above [[MagnificentBastard blackmailing others if it will save him energy in the long run]].
* Dr. Kenzo Tenma from ''Manga/{{Monster}}'' is an excellent example. While a genius neurosurgeon, he's a humble, principled and compassionate doctor, loved by his patients. His only obvious flaw is his habit of manhandling those who offend his sense of justice. But when it becomes clear that he must go on a manhunt in order to save innocents from the monster he unwittingly unleashed on the world, he soon [[TookALevelInBadass takes a level in Badass]] and becomes a fearsome {{vigilante}}.
* ''Franchise/DragonBall'':
** [[FutureBadass Future Trunks]] is a NiceGuy that is very polite, and values life having come from a BadFuture where all the protagonists have died. However, he's a CombatPragmatist who is very serious in battle aiming to kill his opponents and even willing to fight his own allies if the situation calls for it. Such as when his father Vegeta wanted to aid Semi-Perfect Cell to become perfect. Trunks warns Vegeta that he will blast him to stop Cell but Vegeta thinks Trunks is too soft to shoot at his own father. [[OhCrap Trunks proves Vegeta WRONG.]]
** [[TheHero Goku]] when he was a kid/teen. This is especially demonstrated when he mercilessly kills King Piccolo and his children for murdering his friends. He also destroys the Red Ribbon Army with his own hands and kills his foes even when they're fleeing for their lives. He downplays this trope as an adult, due to the combination of him [[ThouShaltNotKill showing mercy to his enemies]], thus [[DefeatMeansFriendship making them into friends]] and mostly enjoying fighting for the [[SpiritedCompetitor competitive aspect]]. Although, some traits of this remains like him [[CruelMercy letting Frieza live with the shame of being defeated by a mere monkey]] and blasting Frieza when he shot him in the back. [[spoiler:After accepting that Frieza is irredeemably evil and too dangerous to live, he atomizes him with a Kamehameha]]. He was also more than willing to kill Cell and Buu, not offering them the chance to walk away; in fact, in the case of Cell, while the other Z-Fighters were horrified at the sight of Gohan basically torturing Cell to death, Goku was more concerned that Gohan was taking too long and wanted him to finish Cell off before he got desperate. [[BerserkButton And when properly enraged, he will beat his enemies to a bloody pulp]].
** Gohan when his BerserkButton is pressed. When he loses control, people tend to get seriously hurt or killed. Just ask Frieza, Cell, and Super Buu.
** [[TopGod Zen'O]] seems to be this. While he's generally friendly and reasonable, instantly befriends Goku [[WhatsUpKingDude because he treats the former so casually,]] he [[spoiler: or rather, his future counterpart, doesn't think twice before destroying fallen god Zamasu (and the whole timeline) after the guy kills everybody in the multiverse except the heroes.]] [[spoiler: Unfortunately, he's not that good.]]
** In fact, it can be said that most of the heroes ([[GoodIsNotNice except Vegeta]]) are this at some way or another.
* The heroes in ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'' all have this trait in spades. Are you good, a woman or a child? They'll protect you and nurture you with a smile on their face. Are you evil? YouAreAlreadyDead.
* ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'': Nanoha is one of the nicest people around and always tries to communicate with her enemies first. That does not mean she won't blast her opponents ''[[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill hard]]'', if necessary, which may include students, friends or daughters. The fandom tends to refer to this behaviour as a kind of "Listen or be shot. Fail to listen, be shot again." mentality.
* Belldandy of ''Manga/AhMyGoddess'' is the [[AllLovingHero sweetest, kindest, most nurturing person]] imaginable. She'll go out of her way to help anyone and would never raise her voice in anger. Oh, and she's also an [[PhysicalGod unspeakably powerful being]] and the very incarnation of BewareTheNiceOnes, so don't get any ideas about taking over the world or harming her loved ones. Ever.
* ''Manga/YuYuHakusho: Poltergeist Report'' is a spinoff movie that basically turns all the protagonists into hot-blooded shonen versions of this. Even the {{Jerkass}} or more annoying characters like Genkai, Hiei, and Keiko have shades of it or at least [[TookALevelInKindness take a level in kindness]].
** Kurama is very friendly and kind-hearted, but Hiei once states "He's even more cutthroat than I am when it comes to battle." One of the [[TranquilFury most chilling ways]] they showed this was when he had a demon who threatened his mother under his power and begging for his life.
--->'''Roto''': You believe in mercy, don't you?\\
'''Kurama''': No. [causes a plant to bloom and erupt from Roto's body]
* Luffy from ''Manga/OnePiece''. He's generally an oblivious person with a good heart, but has shown quite capable of taking on anyone, even his friends, if he feels they've done wrong.
** In the first chapter, when Shanks and his crew approach Higuma and his mountain bandits, who have beaten Luffy up and are planning on killing him, one of them points a gun at Shanks' head, only for him to be unfazed and ask if the bandit would risk his life. Lucky Roux then [[SuperSpeed quickly appears near the bandit]] and [[BoomHeadshot kills him with a headshot]]. The other bandits are shocked and outraged, but Ben Beckman says they're not dealing with saints and Shanks says that he can ignore being insulted, spat on and having drinks poured on his head, but he will not stand for anyone threatening his friends.
** This is the usual attitude the followers of Moral Justice in the Marines show, notable examples being Smoker and Kuzan.
* Celty Sturluson is -- underneath her fearsome reputation as the [[HeadlessHorseman Headless Rider]] of Ikebukuro -- easily the most sympathetic and benevolent figure in ''{{LightNovel/Durarara}}''. Nonetheless, her fearsomeness is fully justified whenever she's dealing with lowly street thugs.
* Shunsui Kyouraku of ''{{Manga/Bleach}}'' is easily the friendliest and most laidback of the captains. Despite that, he ''will'' do his job, even the more violent parts, when it comes down to it. In his very first arc, after giving [[GentleGiant Chad]] an opportunity to run away from the fight, he cuts him down. [[spoiler:He killed Starrk, who was actually a Reluctant AntiVillain. And he pushes back against the Central 46 when he thinks they're hindering the Gotei's military readiness.]]
* Touma Kamijou of ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex''. He's compassionate to just about everyone, and many scenes show him helping out complete strangers who he just happened to pass by. He's also fairly upbeat despite his perpetual bad luck. However, threaten or harm someone on his watch, and he ''will'' punch your lights out. [[spoiler:Even if you are a PhysicalGod and ''WorldWar3'' stands in his way.]]
* The main characters of ''Everyday is Sunday'' are just two normal, well-meaning people who support each other when in trouble, but they won't hesitate to catch or get back at criminals who've done wrong.
* Hanji from ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'' is generally a sweet, friendly and funny person. But any senior officer of the Survey Corps is ''not'' someone to trifle with as [[spoiler:the Female Titan]] found out and Pastor Nick learned the hard way.
* Toale from ''LightNovel/TheLegendOfTheLegendaryHeroes'' is one of the sweetest people you'll ever meet, especially in a world full of [[AntiHero Anti-Heroes]] and [[SociopathicHero Sociopathic Heroes]]. Don't think for a moment, however, that he doesn't understand war or that sometimes, you have to be harsh to get things done.
* The main crew of Manga/SnowWhiteAndSevenDwarfs are either made up of those falling on the AntiHero end of the spectrum or characters who are this. They're great and honestly nice people, and Takeru in particular averts WhatMeasureIsAMook, but that still doesn't mean that he won't blow you up if you attack his friends.
* The titular ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'' is a NiceGuy and is known to go out of his way to help others. But if you manage to tick him off by harming innocents or his friends, you will be in a world of pain.
* This is a common trait among some of the most powerful people in ''Manga/MagiLabyrinthOfMagic''.
** Aladdin is a very sweet and friendly boy who goes out of his way to help others and detests war but hurting his friends or innocent people will cause him to deliver a beatdown and even then he will not kill you.
** Sinbad cares for the people of his country deeply and treats everyone with respect. However anyone associated with Al-Thamen will be mercilessly annihilated and he will resort to any measures to protect his country.
** Scheherazade is a benevolent ruler of Reim and she has a naturally kind disposition to those she meets. That being said, she can be utterly ruthless in protecting the affairs of her country and making sure that the Reim empire continues to expand.
** Muu is friendly to everyone he meets by default but anyone who threatens Scheherazade or Reim should be prepared to face him first.
** Ugo was initially presented as a protector and friend of Aladdin but when Judar was about to seriously injure Aladdin, Ugo stepped in and destroyed him with raw physical power. In an earlier episode when Aladdin rushed to save Kou;s princess, he was ambushed by renegade Kou empire soldiers. Ugo completely obliterates them about 30 of them [[DynamicEntry upon arrival,]] [[note]]All that was left of them were rocks covered with blood.[[/note]] Aladdin either does not notice this or [[WhatMeasureIsAMook does not care. ]]
* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' has several characters that fit this trope, given that most of the named characters are or were members of their respective nation's military.
** Naruto himself often has shades of this. He is genuinely friendly to most people and is incredibly kind to his friends. This doesn't mean, however, that he can't kick your arse hard should you prove to be an enemy, and god help you if you [[BerserkButton hurt one of his precious people]].
** Perhaps the best example is Kakashi Hatake. He is kind and laid back with his students and colleagues yet is capable of instantly becoming a pragmatic, efficient, and ruthless fighter should you be an enemy of his nation or worse yet if you try to harm his comrades or loved ones.
** Kakashi's childhood friend Might Guy is a prime example as well. On the surface he is an overly energetic and naive fitness/martial arts fanatic who constantly calls upon the power and goodness of youth. Yet he is shown on several occasions to be a warrior of near equal skill to Kakashi and willing to fight to the death to defend his allies. In later arcs he [[spoiler: Sacrifices himself by fighting Madara to the death, after the latter had essentially become a physical god, in order to buy time for Naruto and the reinforcements to get to the battlefield to save his allies]]
** Choji Akimichi also qualifies. He is one of the more laid back and personable people in the entire series, and has a rather strong moral compass, but he is still a Konoha shinobi and is willing to die defending his comrades. In the Sasuke Retrival Arc he [[spoiler: volunteers to stay behind to block Jirobo's persuit of Team Shikamaru, and not only manages to defy the odds and win the fight but absolutely destroys Jirobo when the latter insults Shikamaru, becoming the first member of Naruto's generation to kill an opponent outright]].
* Ran Mouri from ''Manga/DetectiveConan'' is all sweet, kindness and gentleness and is willing to help people, whether they're friend or foe. But being a national-level karate user, she won't hesitate to take anyone down when her loved ones are in danger.
* While the Outer Senshi and the Sailor Starlights of ''Franchise/SailorMoon'' fall more into the realm of GoodIsNotNice, the Inner Senshi are heroic, kind-hearted young girls who value ThePowerOfFriendship and they abhor the idea of putting innocent people at risk. They have also taken down countless youma and have actually killed the main villains of the manga upon transforming for the first time.
** Usagi may be the forgiving, selfless, pure heroine of the series, but she is rather terrifying when genuinely angered. In the manga, she is far more likely to just off the villain than try to forgive them if they bring harm to her friends and family. Even in the anime, she actually wanted to kill Katarina when she was forcibly turned into a youma rather than heal her, because Katarina was the reason for Minako being a HeartbrokenBadass.
** Makoto is a nurturing, generous girl who wouldn't hurt anyone that didn't mistreat others. She just wants to be accepted by her peers, and she is strongly encouraging of those who wish to pursue their dreams. But for the people she does witness bullying others, she will threaten them, and do her best to rough them up. Being an EmpoweredBadassNormal who is freakishly strong without becoming a Senshi, this means trouble for those who do get on her bad side. She is the Senshi of Courage, after all.
** Minako is friendly and cheerful, and willing to be late for class to stand up for people she sees getting picked on. She is also willing to fight bullies in the same manner as she fights youma, just barely shy of killing them. As Sailor V, she often beat youma to death with her fists and feet, and even her own high heels. She is also the one who disemboweled Queen Beryl for attacking Sailor Moon, and even kicked Makoto into unconsciousness for trying to harm Usagi (mind you, Makoto was brainwashed). Hell, she even killed [[spoiler: her one true love]] for being an enemy in disguise. Minako is ''brutal'' when it comes to her mission and dealing with enemies of the Senshi.
* Arslan in ''Anime/TheHeroicLegendOfArslan'' is often seen by others as being a weakling due to his effeminate appearance, naivete and compassion for others. However, he is a capable fighter by his own right and he is fiercely dedicated to his friends, including outright threatening someone for the first time because they had placed Daryun in danger.
** And for that matter, Daryun himself. Absolutely heroic to his own side, consistently kind and gentle with Arslan (if a bit overprotective), but when in battle he is ''utterly terrifying'': intense, utterly badass, and without a single shred of mercy for those foolish enough to stand against him.
* Ash and his companions in the ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' are thoroughly altruistic and playful, and tend to be forgiving to even villains or jerks....[[TheAtoner when they seek it]]. When you act like a douche or try to steal or harm Pokemon however, expect them to unload their most powerful Pokemon onto your team or even ''you''. It isn't rare for them to be so infuriated by the scheming of the likes of Team Rocket that they'll get a beating from their Pokemon ''after being defeated''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* Franchise/{{Superman}}, being a FlyingBrick and all, tries to exert the least amount of force he can to resolve a situation. But if a villain [[MoralEventHorizon crosses the line]], [[BewareTheSuperman they're in for a world of hurt]]. In one issue, Major Force (trope-namer for StuffedIntoTheFridge) [[BullyingADragon mocks Superman]] for being "too polite". In response, Superman [[BodyHorror melted him]] into a [[http://web.archive.org/web/20170516002155/https://arousinggrammardotcom.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/supermanmoment10.jpg pile]][[http://web.archive.org/web/20170516001929/https://arousinggrammardotcom.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/supermanmoment11.jpg of]][[http://web.archive.org/web/20170516002303/https://arousinggrammardotcom.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/supermanmoment12.jpg slag.]] He lived through it, but that's [[AndIMustScream not much of a comfort]].
** Superman's NoHoldsBarredBeatdown of the Elite in [[SupermanVsTheElite What's So Funny About Truth, Justice, and the American Way and its film adaptation, Superman Vs. The Elite]] is a horror to behold. And the Elite were nominally on his side before they started taking things too far...
* Comicbook/{{Supergirl}}'s kind-hearted, caring and compassionate. This causes a lot of villains to underestimate her. Then they learn the hard way that she's also a short-tempered, fierce, vicious fighter with power to crush mountains and little patience for evil guys.
* Franchise/SpiderMan is an example in that he does want to help because it's his responsibility. 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]].
** Though its often mentioned that when dealing with people like Kingpin or Doctor Octopus or just everyday criminals, he has to decrease his strength considerably as he could kill someone with little effort. The events that lead to ComicBook/EndsOfTheEarth, and later, ComicBook/SuperiorSpiderMan started because even holding back, constantly engaging in physical combat with Spider-Man over the course of years had damaged Octopus' body so much that it eventually just started shutting down completely.
** Then came the day that he explained to Kingpin that his web-shooters in fact do have lethal applications, and he's been using them as non-lethal tools for his entire career entirely conscious of the fact. There is a remarkable difference between a faceful of webbing and a ''lungful of webbing''.
* Some members of the ComicBook/XMen fall into this category, those who are firmly idealistic or genuinely want to do good also use their mutant powers to shoot EyeBeams or MindRape.
* [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]] is basically one of the nicest guys in comics, possibly the biggest nice guy there is, even in a universe that includes Superman. He often takes great pains to offer his enemies a chance to surrender, try to talk them down first, and when he has to fight, usually opts for the least amount of force possible. And if after all of that, if you still insist on endangering innocent people, then he is going to fight as hard as he can to stop you, and feel no guilt about the shape you're in afterwards. He gave you every chance to avoid it, after all.
* Death from ''ComicBook/TheSandman'' is the best person you want to be with at a time of, well, death. A really sweet, caring person, she's also TheGrimReaper and when the need arises she can be really scary.
* [[DependingOnTheWriter Some]] interpretations of Franchise/{{Batman}}, specifically [[Series/{{Batman}} Batman]] and ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'', have Batman\Bruce Wayne as this. The various Robins however, and the original Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) fit closer.
** ComicBook/{{Nightwing}} is this trope straight up. He acquired his attitude from Superman, but he learned how to deal with criminals from Batman.
** Though usually TheCape, [[ComicBook/Batgirl2000 Cassandra Cain]] can be absolutely terrifying if angered. In one instance, a hired assassin kills one of his own allies to get a clear shot at her. This angers her so much that she ''stops his heart'' for several seconds, to give him a good idea of what he had just done.
* ''Comicbook/FantasticFour'' Ben Grimm "The Thing" both figuratively and literally, he is one of the 4's most popular member, and is good with kids. But if anyone dares to harm his family and friends he'll pummel them to paste.
* Comicbook/DoctorStrange is noble and a good judge of character, which means he will often spare villains whose intentions aren't wholly evil, particularly when they merely got in over their heads. But for the irredeemable? He won't offer them the chance to try again. The only ones he spares are the ones he ''can't'' permanently DePower or kill.
* Franchise/WonderWoman has always been an icon of kindness and nobility, preferring peace and diplomacy to war and aggression. Yet, of all of the members of the Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica, she alone has never hesitated to use lethal force when it was needed, reminding everyone the Amazons are, at heart, still a [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy proud warrior race]].
* Miyamoto Usagi from ''ComicBook/UsagiYojimbo'' is kind, courteous, and soft-spoken, and he will try to talk his way out of bad situations before they turn violent. That ''is'' a principle of ''bushido,'' albeit one that isn't very widely observed in the world Usagi inhabits. But those who oppress the weak or try to harm Usagi's friends or family will discover that he's just as diligent about following the martial code of ''bushido'' as well. A regular deliverer of the CurbStompBattle or even SingleStrokeBattle.
* Most of the protagonists in Comicbook/{{Fables}} have adopted this view, given the cynical nature of the setting and their desperate circumstances. While none of them are really cruel, there's very little any of them would ''not'' do for the safety and survival of their loved ones.
* ComicBook/{{Nova}}: Richard Rider is one of the most idealistic heroes Marvel has, and a very firm believer of ThouShaltNotKill, for example when dealing with a violent assassin who is trying to catch him and re-[[BrainwashedAndCrazy assimilate]] him, he refuses to kill her, instead just knocking her out. However, he is not above killing when there is literally no other option, as [[OmnicidalManiac Annihilus]] learned the hard way.
* ComicBook/TheAvengers, as a whole, strictly practice ThouShaltNotKill, ''not'' [[LoopholeAbuse Thou Shalt Not Maim]]. During his stint as Captain America, ComicBook/BuckyBarnes's preferred tactic for dealing with {{Mooks}} was {{Kneecapping}}. ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}} once [[ImprobableAimingSkills ricocheted an arrow so it hit a villain in the back of the neck, paralyzing him]].
-->'''Hawkeye''': "He'll live. Not ''well'', but he'll live."
* Old jungle saying: "ComicStrip/ThePhantom is rough with rough-necks." Another one: "When the Phantom is rough, he is very rough." These are typically cited when he's beating people up. He's a TechnicalPacifist who likes to get criminals to a proper trial, and nice and helpful towards friends and innocents, but he gives out plenty of brutal beatings. (Of course, they don't leave people actually injured much, so he gets off easily.) One of the cruelest things he does could be the fact that he tattoos people he punches with his Skull Mark -- a bit of a snap judgement against everyone who opposes him, who are never innocent but could be PunchClockVillain {{mooks}} -- but this seems to be more about the RuleOfCool than any consideration of the long-term effects.
* Believe it or not when in the general public or just interacting with people who aren't criminals or scumbags, ThePunisher, Frank Castle can be fairly civil and even polite. It seems he only goes full on scary, nightmare vigilante with the people he's either shaking for information or actively hunting.Honestly, outside of his Punisher work, Frank is actually a pretty decent guy.
* [[ComicBook/{{X23}} Laura Kinney]] demonstrates even from her first appearance in ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution'' to be this: first going on a utterly understandable RoaringRampageOfRevenge due to her abuse by forcing Logan into a confrontation, then realizing Hydra is her real target foregoes NonLethalKO and attempts to drive off Wolverine so he won't be caught in the crossfire. She puts up with the abuse Zebra Daddy deals out to her and his girls and it's only when she is gunned down and he tries to kill her friends that she acts. Bred to be a LivingWeapon Laura exhausts every other option first, no matter how inane it may be. Trying to buy one of her old pimp's girls so she won't be abused anymore for example, then when the issue is forced not only kill him and his goons, but everyone linked to said abuse.
** ''ComicBook/AllNewWolverine'' has her as more or less the moral center of the Marvel universe with even the likes of Strange and Steve Rogers being antagonistic, as well as for the most part a complete softie to the point when Fin Fang Foom attacks her solution is to use herself as DistractedByTheSexy. ''For the most part'' Laura is a complete softie: when attacked her beating the Alchemix soldiers after her to near death is her holding back. She slices the Taskmaster's hand off. She wipes the floor with Old Man Logan. And has no problem fighting Cap, Fury, Shield, or anyone else that threaten her.
* In ComicBook/{{Empowered}} the Maidman (one of Empowered's very few friends) is one of the few nice-guy vigilantes in a field dominated by douchecapes, but he says, "I find that severe physical and emotional trauma works wonders for disincentivizing even the most dedicated miscreants.... If necessary, career-ending injuries are a helpful tool for dissuading continued supercriminality."
* ''ComicBook/MyLittlePony'' is a prime example of this. [[SugarBowl No, really]]! In the original series comics, the ponies' leader Majesty had the power of transmutation, and though she ''didn't'' do it to ''everyone'' who displeased her, there were several occasions on which the enemy's punishment was being TakenForGranite. Some were left in AndIMustScream condition. (Chalk ''that'' up to the writers being hesitant to have an enemy killed outright... most readers agreed, though, that showing the villains as still sentient and cursing their defeat ''doesn't'' count as softening their sentence when they've been left in the form of ''bubbles that will endlessly float around the moat of their castle.'')
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* ''Fanfic/ACrownOfStars'':
** The people of Avalon are pretty nice and kind. Their enemies are the kind of people prone to mistake goodness and compassion for weakness and folly. Every time they have fought them, though, the Avalon folk have proved they are not pushovers.
** This is especially applicable to their divine rulers, Daniel and Rayana. They are compassionate, kind monarchs, driven to help everyone in need and committed to protect their subjects. Threaten or hurt innocents, though, and... it is told that Daniel sometimes shows mercy, but Rayana doesn't do it. Whoever harms children finds out why she is the patron deity of {{Mama Bear}}s.
* [[Fanfic/DeliverUsFromEvilSeries Mortality]] has this with [[TheWatson Watson.]] Smith had to find out [[TooDumbToLive the hard way]] why [[BewareTheNiceOnes pissing off]] a [[NiceGuy gentle soul]] like him by [[BerserkButton messing with]] a [[GreatDetective detective]] is....not a smart choice, and generally [[DeadlyDoctor un-survivable.]]
** The captured criminal too. He was an ''idiot'' for [[VillainsWantMercy begging for mercy in playing a part in Holmes's whereabouts.]] He gets [[TranquilFury calmly, coldly]] murdered. Basically? Screw around with his [[LivingEmotionalCrutch friend]] [[OhCrap and it's not survivable.]] You'll get ''murdered''.
* Manga/{{Naruto}} in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8702285/1/The-Ninth-Sekirei-Pillar The Ninth Sekirei Pillar]]'' largely only wants to protect those close to him and keep Sekirei from being bonded to abusive Ashikabi. If this requires killing Ashikabi, starting a gang war, or crippling/killing their employees, then that's what's going to happen.
* [[Manga/{{Naruto}} Sarutobi]] in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9968858/1/She-Who-Dwells-In-Eternity She Who Dwells In Eternity]]'' seals an infant Naruto away in order to prevent the Kyuubi from escaping again (as it's unknown how it got free from Kushina) with intentions of unleashing the Kyuubi upon Konoha's enemies and sealing it into a new infant should Konoha ever need its power. He might hate himself for it, but he'll do what's necessary to protect Konoha.
* In ''FanFic/{{Fractured}}'', a ''Franchise/MassEffect''[=/=]''Franchise/StarWars''[=/=]''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}'' [[MassiveMultiplayerCrossover crossover]] and its sequel ''[[FanFic/SovereignGFCOrigins Origins]]'', this comes up a lot. Given the universes involved, it makes sense.
** Samantha Shepard bounces all over between this trope, GoodIsNotNice, and even AntiHero (to the point of NominalHero at her [[HeroicBSOD worst]]). She [[CharacterDevelopment gets better]] eventually.
** Urdnot Wrex, [[BloodKnight given his species]], is as "kind" as you're going to get from a krogan. That doesn't stop him from [[TheChessmaster plotting the downfall]] of more violent/backward-looking krogan in the interest of trying to save the species. He's happy to let his rivals off each other, saving him the trouble.
** Admiral Grayson and the Trans-Galactic Republic definitely count. They'll protect and assist less-advanced species, but anyone who ends up on the wrong side of their [[EnergyWeapon turbolasers]] and [[MileLongShip huge]] [[TheBattlestar Star Dreadnaughts]] is [[TooDumbToLive dead]].
** Though most of the cast from ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}'' falls into GoodIsNotNice, Moxxi stands out for taking in the [[StreetUrchin homeless]] and [[BrokenBird hopeless]] Jackie Jakobs, as well as being a MamaBear--arranging the murder of a [[DirtyOldMan Hodunk]] who had untoward designs on her daughter Ellie. She even stands by Jackie as a [[ParentalSubstitute mother figure]] when she has no where else to turn.
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6999519/1/The-Pride-of-Sunnydale The Pride of Sunnydale]]'', Xander tortures a vampire by nailing her upside down to a pillar, breaking her legs, and puring holy water on her to get information on the Master.
* ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'' has a number of these.
** Thor (formerly James Potter) is a devoted father to Harry, a loving boyfriend to Jane, and an all round NiceGuy. He's TheWisePrince, a FriendToAllChildren [[ObfuscatingStupidity and even willing to play up]] his FishOutOfWater tendencies to amuse others. He is also a PhysicalGod who can devastate entire planets, a WarriorPrince, first among a pantheon of nigh immortal [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy warrior gods]] and a truly terrifying PapaWolf. Rest assured, if you harm someone he loves, he will show you the true meaning of 'the Wrath of God' and only hesitate in utterly obliterating you if he's setting an example for his son or if Steve Rogers asks him to.
** Charles Xavier is a polite, gentle and kindly man. He is a pacifist at heart, happiest when he is teaching, and has very strong views on psychic ethics. He is also a BadassPacifist, and as Weapon X found out, if you come after one of his, he will utterly ''destroy'' you. He is also willing to drop very sincere threats to the near universally [[TheDreaded respected/feared]] Doctor Strange, and slaughter demons by the thousand. He warns [[spoiler: Essex]] that he knows every psychic trick the latter does and more besides, so if he doesn't comply, Xavier ''will'' just open up his mind like an orange.
** Jean Grey is described as 'big sister to the world', most particularly to [[spoiler: her SeparatedAtBirth twin sister Maddie Pryor]] and her formerly estranged cousin, Harry Potter. She is warm, kind, and genuinely lovely, taking those who need it under her wing, and functioning as TeamMom to the young X-Men. She is also the most powerful psychic ever born, capable of feats of power at 17 on par with a [[PhysicalGod Greater God or a Queen of Faerie]], and informs Agent Coulson very calmly that she doesn't trust SHIELD after how HYDRA hid in plain sight amongst them, considering them to be potentially NotSoDifferent, and therefore if they even ''breathe'' the wrong way towards Harry or [[spoiler: Maddie]], she will single-handedly bring SHIELD down around his ears.
** Steve Rogers is, well, Captain America, and practically the dictionary definition of NiceGuy. He is also [[spoiler: father, grandfather, and great-grandfather to a moderately sized family by Peggy Carter]], something he finds out towards the end of the first book. In the sequel, when [[spoiler: Harry and Carol (his great-granddaughter)]] are kidnapped by the Red Room, his response is to consider it calmly, get as much information as he can, make sure that an enraged Thor can keep his temper... and then personally goes to kick down the doors of the Kremlin and inform the Russian President that if they don't get [[spoiler: Harry and Carol]] back, and the heads of those responsible on a platter, there will, as they say, be repercussions.
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10561760/11/What-Happens-in-Vegas What Happens in Vegas]]'', after [[WesternAnimation/TeenTitans Raven]] crashes Johnny Rancid's motorcycle, Robin tells the team to "Go check and make sure he's still alive. And if he's somehow still intact enough to fight back, blast him until he's not."
* [[Manga/LoveHina Keitaro Urashima]] in ''FanFic/ContractLabor'' is friendly, polite, and a caring big brother figure. He will also beat up, torture, and kill as necessary anyone who threatens or harms someone he cares about.
* Robin in ''FanFic/FireEmblemAwakeningInvisibleTies'' is generally pleasant and easy to get along with, but on the battlefield, he shows no mercy. Case in point: he admits to Lucina in chapter 21 that after all of the atrocities Gangrel committed against Ylisse, if he were in Chrom's shoes, he would have gladly mounted the Mad King's head on a pike and paraded it through the streets of Ylisstol.
* ''Fanfic/MassEffectHumanRevolution'': Adam Jensen is one of the few good people in a CrapsackWorld. Ever polite and considerate, he is always thinking of others before himself. He really wants to practice ThouShaltNotKill. He has no qualms against punching people out or taking AnArmAndALeg. And if you're far enough beyond the line, he won't even regret it.
* In ''FanFic/TheInfiniteLoops'', Equestria is declared to be sanctuary to all visiting loopers; whether you want to join in the fun, get some much-needed therapy for whatever trauma ails you, or just be left alone and not have to deal with anything at all for once, you have it, no questions asked. You can do whatever you want, as long as you don't cause trouble or hurt anyone. The ponies are nice like that. But if you ''do'' try to start anything, you'll find out that they're ''anything'' but soft.
* ''Fanfic/TheNextFrontier'': [[VideoGame/KerbalSpaceProgram The Kerbals]] are a ProudScholarRace of {{Bold Explorer}}s and scientists who haven't known real war in decades, but their first interstellar mission uses a starship that is quite well armed, and they also aren't above employing a bit of subtle GunboatDiplomacy by being quite up-front (purely in the spirit of full disclosure, of course) about [[KzintiLesson just what their FTL drive is capable of doing to a planet]].
* WordOfGod considers Queen Majesty to be this in the [[Fanfic/TheElementsOfHarmonyAndTheSaviorOfWorlds Hasbroverse]], due to her depiction in the [[ComicBook/MyLittlePony G1 comics]].
* Spitandvinegar seems to like this trope, generally used with canonically kind characters who have [[BreakTheCutie been through a lot]].
** Bucky Barnes in ''Fanfic/AintNoGrave''. For a traumatized, mentally ill, semi-amnesiac, former [[SympatheticSentientWeapon tortured brainwashed assassin]], he's surprisingly kind and amiable to his friends and innocent civilians, and he does his best to be a conscientious ParentalSubstitute to his unofficial foster children. But since his traumatic backstory is all Hydra's fault, he's not inclined to show Hydra loyalists any mercy, even if they're noncombatant scientists. And his VigilanteMan efforts can be pretty brutal.
** [[FluffyTheTerrible "Honey"]] in ''Fanfic/ExceptItAbideInTheVine'', an AlternateSelf of Steve Rogers from a Hydra-ruled dystopian AlternateUniverse. If you aren't a member of the fascist conspiracy that killed his best friend, used his boyfriend as their dehumanized killing machine, and turned the world into a fascist hellscape, he's as kind as any other Steve Rogers. If you ARE, he'll kill you and be glad of it. (The characters from LighterAndSofter universes find this a bit disturbing.)
* In ''FanFic/SugarPlums'' Ume is a very nice and empathic person to her friends, her siblings and to nonshinobi whom she's very popular with because they aren't used to shinobi treating them with respect. This doesn't change the fact that she is a very potent warrior with an in story body count higher than most of the Rookie Nine. If you threaten her or anybody she cares about she will not hesitate to kill you, usually in the fastest most efficient way possible.
* [[WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse Leni Loud]] is considered by the fanbase to be the nicest kid in her family and the fanfic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12320880/1/Mall-Rats Mall Rats]]'' uses the characterization flawlessly. Then some jocks decide that it's a good idea to push around Lincoln in front of her. Leni tries to get them to leave peacefully but they ignore her. So she kicks the crap out of them.
* In [[http://riafire.deviantart.com/art/Reverse-Falls-Mabel-Rises-Page-5-597151845 this]] ''FanFic/ReverseFallsAU'' fan comic, Pacifica Northwest is portrayed as kind, curious, and adventurous GranolaGirl. But, as the evil version of Mabel finds out, she's ''not harmless''
--> '''Reverse!Mabel''': [[ThisCannotBe But you're, damn, a hippie]]! How then will you explain your insane actions?\\
'''Reverse!Pacifica''': [[WorldOfCardboardSpeech You know, when I first met you, thanks to you I realized that not everything in this world can be solved by being nice. And desperate times call for desperate measures]]!
* ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines'':
** Clair, the Blackthorn Gym Leader, is depicted as this. She can be strong-willed and doesn't go easy on her challengers, but is very nice to those who earn her respect. That being said, she has little-to-no tolerance for [[SmallNameBigEgo people with an ego bigger than they can back up]], and is very fond of [[BreakTheHaughty knocking them down a peg or two to teach them their place.]]
** Steven Stone, the Hoenn Champion, has many virtues, but "patience" is not one of them, and he makes that point clear to a group of Team Zenith grunts to get them to spill the beans about their plans.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyondReturnOfTheJoker,'' ComicBook/TheJoker is actually furious to learn that, unlike "the real Batman," Terry is willing to fight dirty.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheBookOfLife'':
** Manolo Sanchez is a NiceGuy and loves to play the guitar. ''Don't'' piss him off.
** La Muerte is a sweetheart. But, has her limits. And when they are pushed, she is one not to be messed with.
* ''WesternAnimation/SupermanShazamTheReturnOfBlackAdam'' shows us what happens when you push a nice guy too far. When Black Adam tries to murder a hostage, the newly empowered Captain Marvel has no problem delivering a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown to the villain. BewareTheNiceOnes in the extreme.
* Pretty much any Disney hero falls into this, but a special mention should go to Simba from ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing''. He's kind and playful with his friends and after finding out that Scar killed his father and made him look like he did it ([[MyGodWhatHaveIDone even to himself, which he had been running away from since he was a kid]]), he still forgave his life and let him go...however, he's more than willing to fight for his kingdom, he beat Scar quite good before letting him go and when he fell to the fire and the hyenas ate him, Simba made no gesture to help him or care about him.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'', there's Bob and Helen Parr, better known as [[SuperStrength Mr. Incredible]] and [[RubberMan Elastigirl]], respectively. They don't believe in using lethal force, do their best to protect civilians and save lives, and even exchange a sigh of "I love you" in the middle of a battle. But just because they ''don't'' kill doesn't mean that they ''can't''--they choose not to, and there's a big difference (see: Bob taking out a massive group of {{Mook}}s in a few seconds, or Helen knocking out a robber with a single punch without even looking at him). And God have mercy on your soul if you dare to [[MamaBear touch their]] [[PapaWolf children]]. Not to mention every time a hovercraft explodes with one of Syndrome's henchmen inside.
** It seems as if the trope is going to be [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] when Bob is captured by Syndrome for the first time and (mistakenly) believes Helen and the kids are dead: he tries to grab the villain, but ends up snatching Mirage instead (and only because Mirage protected Syndrome by pushing him out of the way). Bob threatens to crush Mirage if Syndrome doesn't free him, but the villain calls his bluff, calling him "weak" when he lets her go. This leads to Mirage [[DiscussedTrope bringing up]] the trope with Syndrome later, pointing out that valuing life isn't a weakness, and ''not'' valuing it isn't a strength, and eventually leads her to a full-on HeelFaceTurn later in the film. Unfortunately, by that point, Bob's had some time to think about his family's death, and he's now more than willing to ''very'' slowly squeeze Mirage's throat so that she'll feel every second of her death. It's only by gasping out that his family survived that she's able to survive herself. Later, when Syndrome [[spoiler: kidnaps Jack-Jack]], Bob's solution is to [[CarFu ''throw a freaking CAR'' at the villain]], which blows up his aircraft [[spoiler: and inadvertently kills him]].
** [[AnIcePerson Frozone]] follows a similar policy--he doesn't use deadly force either, and is a polite, cheerful, wisecracking guy. But he's also perfectly willing to completely encase someone in ice, [[AndIMustScream leaving them completely immobile, but alive and aware of their surroundings.]] The movie ''does'' go out of its way to prove that this isn't lethal--the policeman who gets this treatment is clearly shown moving his eyes, and other officers discover him immediately afterward, so it will probably be a question of quickly defrosting the guy. But still, the potential side-effects (hypothermia, etc.) and [[FridgeHorror deeper implications]] (what happens if the cops don't defrost him correctly?) mean he's plenty capable of doing real damage.
** Heck, even [[CloudCuckoolander Edna Mode]] falls under this trope. She's a fashion designer for superheroes, and serves as a large source of comic relief in the film. But she also gets two moments of pure harshness. When she asks if Helen really knows what Bob has been up to, [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness all semblance of joking vanishes]] as she repeats the question so pointedly that it sounds like a statement: "Do you ''know'' where he is." Later, when Helen has a HeroicBSOD upon discovering Bob's secret return to heroism, Edna [[ArmorPiercingSlap smacks her around a bit]] and tells her that she needs to pull herself together and save her husband.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* A general theme in a lot of crime movies is that cops that are honest, nice, and humane are a lot more effective at dealing with crime than cops that are [[DirtyCop corrupt]], [[{{Jerkass}} arrogant]], or [[RabidCop brutal]]... and should not be crossed. Ask [[Film/{{Serpico}} Frank Serpico]], [[Film/{{Changeling}} Lester Ybarra]], and [[Film/FallingDown Martin Prendergast]].
* Just about every Creator/JackieChan character fits this trope.
* John Russell (Creator/GeorgeCScott) in the 1980 horror film ''Film/TheChangeling''. He is a composer of classical music and a [[GentlemanAndAScholar thoroughly nice individual]]. But he's pretty much [[NervesOfSteel impossible to frighten]]. Probably one of the [[TheStoic toughest]] protagonists in the genre of {{horror}}.
* Like the Steve Rogers example below, the Film/{{DC Extended Universe}} version of ComicBook/{{Superman}} is every bit the [[NiceGuy altruistic and compassionate individual]] one expects him to be, as demonstrated in his rescue of the soldier firing at him during the battle of Smallville. He also does not hold back his phenomenal strength in his battles with similarly superpowered opponents like the Kryptonians and [[spoiler: Doomsday]], frequently throwing devastating shockwave-creating punches; and when left with absolutely no choice, [[spoiler: ''[[NeckSnap snaps]]'' Zod's neck.]]
* ''Film/DirtyHarry'' has no qualms about working outside the law or even torturing suspects, but he does try and lead a normal life.
* Samuel Gerard in ''Film/TheFugitive'' and its SpinOff sequel ''Film/USMarshals''. Sam is [[TeamMom sweet and caring]] toward his team and innocents, but [[AFatherToHisMen threaten someone dear to him]] and you're playing with fire.
* In addition to the examples of this trope taken from the novels, the film incarnation of ''Film/HarryPotter'' is slightly more ruthless than his book counterpart -- most clearly demonstrated from the exchange he shares with Umbridge in ''[[Film/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix Order of the Phoenix]]'' before the latter is dragged off to [[NothingIsScarier an unseen fate]] by a herd of centaurs.
-->'''Umbridge:''' Potter, do something! ''Tell them I mean no harm!''\\
'''Harry:''' Sorry, Professor. [[IronicEcho I must not tell lies.]]
** ''[[Film/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows Deathly Hallows Part 1]]'' also has the disturbing sequence where happy-go-lucky Ron Weasley [[spoiler: advocates for the killing of a Death Eater]] and kind-hearted Hermione [[spoiler: appears to almost agree, ultimately compromising and performing a MindWipe on the mook instead, which the film leaves unclear as to whether she just turned him into a vegetable or not.]]
* Peter Jackson's [[Film/TheHobbit Middle-earth]] [[Film/LordOfTheRings Universe]]:
** Gandalf. Old man with a humorous streak and a frail appearance, loves children, warm and good-hearted person throughout. Also a PhysicalGod wizard who has no qualms with slaying trolls and orks by the thousands, or contemptuously knocking out Denethor with his staff when the latter starts raving for his troops to abandon their posts and flee.
** Bilbo Baggins is generally a friendly and polite fellow who prefers to use his wits to get out of a situation rather than use a sword. But when [[spoiler: Thorin is about to be decapitated by an orc leader, Bilbo flings himself at the orc and kills him]].
** Frodo Baggins tames Gollum by pointing his sword at his throat, threatening to cut it if he does not release Sam.
** A more subtle example: Aragorn, probably the most noble human character, sees Boromir pick up the Ring. He orders him to give it back to Frodo--with one hand on his sword, prepared to attack Boromir if the Ring's power takes control of him. [[spoiler:Which happens near the end of the movie, when Aragorn isn't around.]] [[OurElvesAreBetter Elrond]], on the other hand, is shown to have ''not'' been capable of friendly fire when the Ring hypnotized Isildur during the previous battle with Sauron.
* The titular character in the film adaptation of ''[[{{Film/Madeline}} Madeline]]'' is this. She's quite friendly, if mostly a DeadpanSnarker, towards her classmates, and happens to smile at the good, and frown at the bad. However, she soon develops a [[{{HateAtFirstSight}} hatred]] towards her new neighbor, [[{{BadassBiker}} Pepito]], and even attacks him at one point. She's not afraid to confront Lord Covington over his plans to sell the "Old House in Paris", and also goes to confront the BigBad after [[spoiler: seeing him kidnap Pepito]]. And don't forget about her famous line to the tiger at the zoo.
* [[ComicBook/CaptainAmerica Steve Rogers]] in the ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'' is shown to be one of the nicest, sweetest people you would meet. However, when fighting HYDRA and the invading Chitauri he is merciless, including throwing HYDRA soldiers off airborne aircraft and hacking off Chitauri arms.
** Also ComicBook/BlackWidow, who is capable of showing great kindkindness and affection (in particular to Steve Rogers, Bruce Banner, and Barton [[spoiler: family]]) and is capable of joking with Steve about setting him up on a date while at the same time mercilessly killing mercenaries and HYDRA mooks. Played with slightly in that she is [[NoodleIncident legitimately disturbed by some of her past kills]].
* In ''Film/MirrorMirror'', the sweet Snow White convinces the Evil Queen to [[spoiler: accept defeat by eating the poisoned apple that was meant for Snow, essentially committing suicide.]]
* Dalton from ''Film/RoadHouse'', who tells his fellow bouncers to always "Be nice, until it's time to not be nice."
* Franchise/{{Robocop}} follows [[RestrainingBolt three directives]]: serve the public trust, protect the innocent, uphold the law. Nothing is said about not coldly blowing away killers, or not brutalizing a suspect before bringing them in (laws concerning how to handle arrested criminals have changed slightly in future Detroit). In the second film, he is programmed with several hundred more directives aimed at improving OCP PR, but those directives make him a terrible police officer. Instead of arresting criminals, he starts lecturing them on the immorality of their actions, while they happily go about their criminal business.
* Most of the ''Enterprise'' crew in the reboot ''Film/StarTrek'' [[Film/StarTrekIntoDarkness franchise]] are friendly and decent people who would go out of their way to help others but they can and ''will'' break protocol, especially if it means [[TrueCompanions protecting one of their own.]] And you're [[OhCrap screwed]] if you piss them off.
** After his offer to help [[BigBad Nero]] and his crew (who had kill hundreds of Starfleet cadets and officers, tortured Pike and [[spoiler: destroyed Vulcan]]) was rejected, [[TheKirk Kirk]] wasted no time ordering to fire on the ''Narada'' to make sure they don't survive.
*** Not to mention Spock being quite willing to kill every crew member on that ship to save Earth.
** In the sequel, Spock [[BerserkButton loses it]] when [[spoiler: Kirk died]] [[BewareTheQuietOnes and proceeds to beat the living crap]] out of [[spoiler: [[BigBad John Harrison/Khan]]]], including [[BewareTheQuietOnes brutally breaking his arm.]]
** Sulu convincingly threatened Harrison to stand down with the experimental torpedoes. [[spoiler: Although Harrison knew something about those torpedoes that Sulu didn't...]]
---> '''Leonard "Bones" [=McCoy=]:''' Mr. Sulu, remind me never to piss you off.
** In ''[[Film/StarTrekBeyond Beyond]]'', Kirk [[spoiler:drops (half of) a starship onto the traitor who caused them to crash.]]
* ''Franchise/StarWars'' plays with this trope, especially ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'' and [[TheHero Luke Skywalker.]] For a film that showed the heroes as more IncorruptiblePurePureness, some viewers were surprised to see Luke using powers ''generally associated'' with the Sith like Force Choke. In this instance, it was used to demonstrate he was sliding towards TheDarkSide.
** According to the ''Return of the Jedi'' {{Novelization}}, Leia unconsciously uses the Force to help her when [[spoiler:[[TheDogBitesBack she sends Jabba where he belongs]]]].
** And R2-D2 and C-3PO [[ShootTheDog pull an]] ISurrenderSuckers [[ShootTheDog on the Imperials]].
** It plays it better with [[TheLancer Han Solo.]]
** ''Obi-Wan'' is subject to this at the end of ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'' after chopping off three of Anakin's limbs, and leaving him ''to burn to death''.
* ''Film/{{Swordfish}}'': If not the Trope Namer, close to it. Though the "Good" part is really [[WellIntentionedExtremist questiinable.]]
-->'''Gabriel''': I like you, you're on my good side. But don't confuse kindness with weakness. ''(points pistol at Stanley's head)'' Now get in the car.
* ''Film/TheToxicAvenger'': The tittle hero, Toxie. Formally a 98 pound wimpy mop-boy who worked at a health club. After a freak accident, he was mutated into The Toxic Avenger. He uses his newfound power to help people -- from saving lives to simply opening jars for people. And he is a very devoted boyfriend to his love interest, Sara -- a blind woman who loves him as a person. He met her after saving her from being raped by robbers, and walks her home because those same robbers shot her guide dog. However Toxie is nowhere near as nice to villains. He has tromatons, which make it instinct to sense and destroy evil. But he kills in a very over the top manner, and seems to get sadistic glee from it. One example includes him tearing off a man's arm, laughing and hitting him across the head with it. Then later he shoves the man into a pizza oven.
* ''Film/{{Transformers}}'': The Autobots are some of the nicest beings you'll meet, but they don't go easy on the Decepticons, and they rip them apart limb from limb.
** In the third film, [[spoiler:Optimus Prime himself brutally dispatches Megatron and then mere moments later, his fallen mentor Sentinel Prime -- the latter while he's trying to explain his actions and ''begging Optimus not to shoot''.]]
---> '''Megatron''': After all, [[spoiler:[[TemptingFate Who would you be without me, Prime?]]]]\\
'''Optimus Prime''': [[spoiler:[[PreMortemOneLiner Time to find out.]]]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* Charlotte from ''Literature/AlongTheWindingRoad''. While she's optimistic and gives everyone the benefit of the doubt, that doesn't mean you can [[spoiler: try to murder her friend/boyfriend]] and get off scot-free. [[spoiler: Or even necessarily live.]]
* Cassie from ''{{Literature/Animorphs}}'' is kind, the peacemaker of the group, willing to risk herself even for enemies...and once manipulated a guy into [[ShapeshifterModeLock being trapped as a rat for the rest of his life]], which he considered a FateWorseThanDeath. On another occasion, the team made a deal not to harm a Yeerk when they were stalemated against; upon learning that he was a SerialKiller who killed humans and ''ate other Yeerks,'' Cassie actually demanded his immediate death.
* Clockpunk of "Literature/ClockpunkAndTheVitalizer" goes off on The Vitalizer when [[spoiler:making her escape]].
--> '''Dolores''': "Here's what we're going to do, Vitalizer. I’m going to keep beating you with my binds. It will be agonizing. The only way to lessen it up will be to get this pole from around me."
* Literature/TheCulture is a hedonistic post-scarcity society whose citizens mostly live to entertain, educate and enlighten themselves and their peers and spread their beneficial lifestyle to others, but at the edge of their ethics are apocalyptically powerful starships and agents who will do any kind of dirty business to protect and expand the Culture's interests, and anyone who tries to harm them learns a fatally hard lesson in why it was a bad idea.
--> "You might call them soft, because they're very reluctant to kill, and they might agree with you, but they're soft the way the ocean is soft, and, well; ask any sea captain how harmless and puny the ocean can be."
** Every few books it's mentioned that the key piece of advice among other societies regarding hostility toward the Culture is simply "Don't Fuck With The Culture." Inevitably this is ignored to personally horrific results.
* The Felcraft family in ''Literature/DanceoftheButterfly'' has many members who are cultured, polite, kind, etc., but they are very capable in conflicts ranging from diplomatic to physical violence. Lilja Perhonen is also very nice and polite, and she will hold her own in any fight.
* This is a recurring trope in the Literature/{{Deryni}} novels:
** In ''The King's Justice'':
*** After Kelson's forces defeat Sicard [=MacArdry's=] Mearan rebels, Kelson denies Sicard's request for single combat, orders his archers to surround Sicard and his men, and calls for a bow:
----> "But you—you can't just cut me down like a dog," Sicard said weakly.\\
"Indeed?" Kelson said, calmly laying an arrow across the bowstring. "Sicard, I can and shall cut you down ''precisely'' like a dog, if I must. For, like a rabid dog, you have ravaged my lands and slain my people. Now, will you and your men surrender, or must I do what I would rather not?"
*** Kelson goes on to tell Sicard that his surviving son is dead, and when Sicard still refuses to surrender, Kelson puts an arrow through Sicard's eye.
*** After Kelson Truth-Reads Loris and Gorony, he orders his guards not to converse with them or answer any of their questions, saying "I want them to sweat a little, wondering what I have in store for them." A week later in the great hall at Laas, Archbishop Cardiel and Bishop [=McLain=] swiftly pronounce Loris and Gorony guilty of the charges against them and surrender them to secular judgement. Kelson immediately orders them hanged right there in the hall.
** In ''King Kelson's Bride'':
*** Mátyás learns of his brothers' plan [[spoiler: to kill Liam at his ''killijálay'']] and comes up with his own plan: [[spoiler: he has one of the four Moving Wards (magical guardians for the ceremony) murdered]], making it look like a jealous husband was responsible, so Kelson can take his place.
*** Liam Mind Rips Mahael after the ''coup d'etat'' fails, then orders his guards to impale him and the corpse of a dead co-conspirator outside the family burial ground ("that his ancestors may witness his shame"), with the surviving Teymuraz to bear witness in person. Liam specifies that this be done before the ceremony is over and later commands the bodies be left in place the full three days and nights the law requires.
* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}''
** The page quote comes from ''Discworld/MenAtArms''. Later in the novel (and in other Discworld novels featuring the City Watch), recurring character Carrot Ironfoundersson proves that he fits the trope very well indeed. He's all niceness, idealism, and goodwill towards all, which means that when he has to mete out justice, he simply does it without gloating or qualm.
** See also Carrot's boss, Commander Samuel Vimes, who actively and relentlessly seeks to bring justice to a world where everyone is a bit of a bastard. He will also fight trolls, dwarves, vampires, golems, werewolves, and other supernatural monstrosities with nothing more than his bare fists and cunning.
** Granny Weatherwax is similar to Vimes, only she has actual magic powers. She defeats vampires by infecting their blood with her own essence, but stops short of [[FateWorseThanDeath scattering their ashes into space, thus dooming them to millions of years of undeath before the possibility of reconstitution]].
* Four from ''Literature/{{Divergent}}''. From not letting up in his training of Tris to begin with to [[spoiler:shooting Eric]], he's a good guy, but not particularly coddling.
* In ''Literature/DragonBones'', Ward is a genuinely nice guy who loves his siblings and protects everyone in need of protection. However, he has no problem with killing bandits, even if they're younger than he -- as his aunt Stala always says, either you kill them, or they'll kill you. Neither does he have qualms about [[spoiler: making his castle collapse over his enemies, by killing his friend Oreg. Oreg's death was a HeroicSacrifice, but the enemies didn't see it coming, they were misled by the fact that Ward acted very kind towards them, as that's his default. Of course, as he's a good guy, the castle was evacuated before the enemies entered it.]]
* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles''
** The Knights of the Cross are modern-day {{paladin}}s who will do their best to persuade the Denarians, DemonicPossession collaborators, and victims to escape the thrall. If they do surrender, even if the Knights know the person is insincere, they cannot harm him anymore. If they refuse, though, the Knights have absolutely no compunction against killing them.
-->'''Harry to Denarian who just "surrendered":''' People like you always mistake compassion for weakness. Michael and Sanya aren't weak. Fortunately for you, they are good men. [[spoiler:Unfortunately for you, ''[[{{Kneecapping}} I'm not]]'']]''.
** That moment is one of Harry's best Good Is Not Soft moments. He is the all-time champion of ChronicHeroSyndrome, putting his life on the line over and over against dark wizards and {{Eldritch Abomination}}s. However, he ''will'' finish you off if he needs to and won't lose sleep over it. [[spoiler:The leader of the Denarians learns this when Harry is strangling him to death. Michael, a Knight of the Cross, would have stopped the moment the leader is unconscious. Harry just pulls the rope harder]].
** Karrin Murphy. She tries to be a ByTheBookCop, with varying degrees of success, has a strong sense of Justice. If someone or something threatens her friends, her family, or the citizens of Chicago, she does ''not'' care if the one doing the threatening is a human, wizard, troll, faerie, or fallen angel, she will utterly wreck their shit.
** Thomas Raith is a FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire who feeds on the emotional psyche of his victims, namely lust. He tries to be a good person and not destroy humans who he would frequently feed upon. However, once when [[spoiler:a cultist for an ancient dark god tried using Harry to inadvertently spread the god's name, after her plot was stopped, Thomas tracked her down and killed her by feeding on her during sex]].
** Ebenezer [=McCoy=] is Harry's second mentor. He taught Harry after Harry killed his first evil mentor who was trying to brainwash him. He teaches Harry about life and the Laws of Magic. A good natured, if gruff man of principles. He will do what he believes is the morally right action. [[spoiler:And as the sole Wizard with the power and authority to break the Laws of Magic without going insane from the magical taint, he has killed many with magic. He once took down an enemy fortress by dropping a satellite on top of it. With a single spell, he ripped the life force out of one hundred mercenaries, and a second swipe to claim the other hundred who were left]].
** ArchangelUriel and his fellow Angels of the Lord are all Good beings. However, they are not permitted to interfere with Freewill unless the mortal in question is directly interfering with their Duty.
*** Uriel is personally responsible for the final plague upon Egypt, killing all the First Borns.
*** In ''Skin Game'' Uriel [[spoiler:after ''choosing'' to give his Grace of God to a retired Knight who chose to help Harry once again, Uriel is now mortal. He helps defend the Knight's home and kills one of the villain's mortal followers with a kitchen blade to his neck]].
*** When Harry sees an Angel of Death waiting over a good man who might die, Harry thinks he can beat her into either helping the man or just leaving. The Angel makes it very clear by [[IKnowYourTrueName reciting his full name in the proper enunciation]], she can stop any attack of his without trying. She then explains her job isn't to kill the mortal, but guard the soul as she would guide it to its final resting place.
* In ''Literature/TheFairyChronicles'', Mother Nature, while a benevolent being, is terrifying in some of her forms, such as quicksand or hurricanes.
* ''Literature/HarryPotter'':
** From the last novel; [[spoiler:innocent housewife Molly Weasley's cry of "NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!" right before she kills the powerful, insane sociopath threatening her daughter is an excellent example.]]
** Hermione Granger as well. She's a generally nice and helpful girl, but she will not scruple to blackmail an amoral reporter, lure a sadistic teacher into a trap or disfigure (slightly) a [[AddedAlliterativeAppeal traitorous teenage tattle-tale]]. She might also be quite vicious when [[WomanScorned scorned]].
** The desperate circumstances in ''Deathly Hallows'' drive several of the heroic characters to, among other things, resort to using the "Unforgivable" Imperius and Cruciatus Curses.
** Neville Longbottom. He embodies the best traits of his house, is kind to everyone who will let him be, helps whenever he can, and doesn't seem to have the heart to hold a grudge. During the Battle of Hogwarts, he leads a group of students in throwing Mandrakes at the Death Eaters. Mandrakes, for the record, are plants with a ''massive'' InstantDeathRadius. That's right, tick Neville off and he won't play around or try to punish you, he'll bring out a ''magic nuke'' and [[{{WhyDontYouJustShootHim}} kill you dead.]]
* A common trend throughout the Literature/HonorHarrington series. This becomes especially pronounced as the Star Empire of Manticore finds itself in conflict with the Solarian League. The League's the biggest baddest star nation around, and has been for centuries. However, [[VillainForgotToLevelGrind their hardware is far behind Manticore and its contemporaries]] due to active warfare in that area for the past couple decades. The end result is that Manticore has been able to {{Curb Stomp|Battle}} Solarian forces even when horrifically outnumbered (which is what the League is best at). Nearly every engagement with Solly forces has thus followed a pattern:
** When Manticorans and Solarians come into conflict, the Manticorans order the Solarian units to surrender. Solarian officers refuse with varying degrees of arrogance, prompting the Manticorans to recap their past total victories against Solarian forces, and (knowing how easily they can just destroy their enemies) [[DontMakeMeDestroyYou do everything possible to make them surrender]]. Should the Solarian commander prove TooDumbToLive, however, the Manticorans don't hesitate to blow the Sollies out of space. After [[spoiler:Manticore and Haven sign a military alliance]], the Havenites, who are no strangers to this trope, [[spoiler:get in on the action]].
** Much like the page quote, Sir Aivars Terekhov summarizes this trope simply and concisely when faced with a Solarian gendarme brigadier who tries to use hostages groundside to prevent him from landing. The following quote comes shortly before Terekhov [[spoiler:obliterates the brigadier and her ground base with an orbital kinetic strike]], compliments of the Royal Manticoran Navy.
--->Why do people like you always assume you're more ruthless than people like me?
* Peeta Mellark from ''Literature/HungerGames'' is a kind, gentle young man whose signature hobbies are baking and painting. This does not mean he will not kill to protect himself or those he cares about.
* Patroclus in ''Literature/TheIliad'' is this -- he's definitely the wiser one of his friendship with Achilles, practical, compassionate enough to comfort Briseis, faithful, skilled at healing, and (at least compared to other warriors) seems to be remarkably well-balanced. He also has plenty of wrath of his own, and is ''brutally'' efficient in battle, even [[BondOneLiner vaunting over the occasional fallen enemy]]. (Most modern readers are likely to see Hector as the most definite good guy in the work, along with maybe Priam, so he might qualify as well.)
* True throughout ''Literature/TheLeonardRegime''. There are several characters who are entirely selfless, but regularly kill their enemies.
* Frodo Baggins in ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings''. [[TheChampion Sam]] begins to despair of Frodo's constant mercy toward the (in Sam's eyes) explicitly untrustworthy Gollum -- [[OhCrap until]] [[BewareTheNiceOnes Frodo explicitly and rather]] [[TranquilFury coldly threatens to kill]] Gollum if he betrays them.
-->''[[TheChampion Sam]] looked at his master with approval, [[OhCrap but also with surprise]]: there was a look on his face and a tone in his voice that he had not known before. It had always been a notion of his that the kindness of dear Mr. Frodo was of such a high degree that it must imply a fair measure of blindness.''
* Another Tolkien example in ''Literature/TheChildrenOfHurin'': when Túrin gets hospitality from his mother's kinswoman, the long-suffering Aerin, he tells her that she is a true friend but has a soft heart. Later, when the Easterlings attack her hall for revenge after Túrin has left, Aerin [[TakingYouWithMe sets fire to the building and perishes with her enemies]].
* Percy Jackson in ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians'' is a caring guy. However, he is perfectly capable of doing deeds that scare even Annabeth to protect his friends.
* This can be considered the [[PlanetOfHats hat]] of the "ideal" Terran in ''Literature/PerryRhodan'', as usually exemplified by the eponymous protagonist, his more personal friends, and most anybody under his command. Especially earlier in the series when morality is a bit more black-and-white yet, humans as a species are traditionally almost always willing to get along peacefully or even be friends with just about anybody else -- but they're also quite aware that they live in a universe where not everybody exactly ''likes'' them and so remain ready and willing to deal as decisively as necessary with obvious enemies as well. The Solar Empire didn't have one of the most respected war fleets (and some of the biggest [[BattleStar battleships]]) in the entire galaxy for no reason and wasn't shy about using it in defense of itself and its allies either.
* In Creator/ElmoreLeonard's ''Pronto'', Italian-born mafioso Tommy Bucks considers Americans to be soft and prides himself on being a hard man who can kill someone in cold blood without a second thought. US Marshal Raylan Givens is an honest American police officer and thus Tommy assumes that Raylan is ultimately soft. He holds unto this belief until the very end when he finally realizes that Raylan is quite willing and capable of just shooting Tommy dead in the middle of a crowded restaurant.
* The team members of ''Literature/RainbowSix'' are pretty decent people. It's noted that all of them are family men (though the video games with the expanded roster subverts this,) get along well with each other, are {{Reluctant Warrior}}s and love a non violent solution if one presents itself. They are also the Foreign Legion, an international special forces BadassCrew who slaughter terrorists when needed, the FriendlySniper team plan and execute a gut shot on one who murdered a sick girl, John and Ding torture, and get angry enough to threaten not to help the Swiss next time there's an incident when they won't help after the team was threatened.
* In ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'', basically every character who is good and doesn't die the moment things get tough.
** Ser Bonifer the Good, a [[TheFundamentalist famously uptight and religious knight]], surprises Jaime by being this. After Bonifer rebukes Jaime for Jaime's vengeful urges towards the Brave Companions, (a rogue mercenary group who have been raping and murdering their way across the countryside and who cut off [[MasterSwordsman Jaime's]] sword hand) Jaime mockingly asks if Bonifer would forgive the men instead after catching them. Bonifer replies that if they showed true repentance for their crimes, he would indeed forgive them and pray with them -- before sending them to be executed.
--->'''Ser Bonifer:''' Sins may be forgiven. Crimes require punishment.
* Marvin from ''Literature/TheTenetsOfFutilism.'' He's usually mild-mannered and friendly. However, when Sasha (the 'protagonist') orders her cult followers to [[spoiler: commit female genital mutilation upon Marvin's sister for no logical reason,]] he ''isn't happy.'' At all. Marvin tries to get Sasha killed using his resources as a reporter. This actually ends up helping her, but it's the thought that counts.
* ''Literature/TortallUniverse''
** In the final ''Literature/ProtectorOfTheSmall'' book, Keladry orders her men to kill every member of an enemy scouting party because they're in enemy territory, so they can't hold prisoners and absolutely can't let anyone escape to sound the alarm. She's not happy about it, but she does it.
** In the same book, Neal bespells an abusive man so that any strike hurts ''him'', not the victim. Neal is normally a wisecracking healer, but as he's just had to heal a bruised and underfed servant of the man's, he wants to make sure it doesn't happen again.
** Lady Sabine of Macayhill in ''Literature/ProvostsDog''. Friendly and pleasant to Tunstall, Goodwin, and Beka, but she casually suggests that Beka kill Yates Noll, a violent man who beats his sister and tries to hit Beka for making conversation at the Nolls' bake stall. When Beka reminds her that this would be slightly illegal, Sabine's not even slightly abashed.
-->'''Sabine:''' Oh, I forgot--I'm in Corus again. They care about things like that here."
* Lissa Dragomir from ''Literature/VampireAcademy'' may be a gentle soul, but she will hurt you if you mess with the ones she loves. [[spoiler:She once got Wade Voda to use a baseball bat to trash his own room and she was going to force him to further hurt himself. All he did was take advantage of a human feeder]].
* ''Literature/VorkosiganSaga'':
** In ''Literature/{{Barrayar}}'', Cordelia ends up leading a small team of people into the [[spoiler:capital to save Miles' uterine replacator]]. This ends up going not quite to plan, and she winds up confronting [[spoiler:Vidal Vordarian in his rooms. She tells him to stop the war. He declines... so she has him decapitated, carries his head away in a bag, and burns the Imperial residence down behind her]]. She explains the expedition to her husband and his would-be allies as "shopping" and offers to show them what she bought. They become very cooperative.
** It should be noted that Cordelia had been thought by the natives to be incapable of such a thing ( [[spoiler: the Big Bad's final words are an attempt to say "you can't do this," trunctated in midsentence to "you can't."]] ), due to her background as being an immigrant from an extremely logical and civilized culture. When she learns that she has earned the respect of Barrayar's ruling elite, she is '''enraged''' that her actions should be considered more heroic than the less violent but considerably more difficult, painful, and tortuous ordeals that two other women had gone through. Her husband Aral also gets points for repeatedly killing people without hesitation in order to accomplish such goals as ending the sexual and physical abuses of a P.O.W. camp. His virtues are recognized by Emperor Ezar when making Aral the Regent, "you are the one man who I know, by the far flung ashes of Mad Emperor Yuri, who does not want to be Emperor."
* Dr. Tachyon from ''Literature/WildCards'' is a very good example of this trope. He is a genuinely good and compassionate person, fiercely loyal to his friends and generally very nice and caring. But was raised as a prince in an aristocratic alien culture with cutthroat politics, and if you happen to be his enemy, don't expect him to fight fair or show any mercy. Even cold-blooded murder is not averse to him if it is necessary and morally justifiable.
* Pretty much a requirement of any Hero in ''Literature/SuperPowereds'' and ''Literature/{{Corpies}}''. The TrainingFromHell a prospective Hero must receive weeds out anyone, who lacks the determination to protect everyone else from supervillains. It also weeds out anyone far too aggressive for his or her own good, so only the most stable and worthy get to become Heroes. That said, most Heroes do their best to immobilize foes rather than kill them, unless there is no other choice. Even Titan, arguably the (physically) strongest person in the world, only uses a tiny fraction of his true strength during fights. Even then, back in the day, the name "Titan" would send villains running.
* Felicity Chambers of ''Literature/HereticalEdge'' just wants to stop genocide of non-humans and protect innocents. If you push her into a corner, or she decides you have to die to accomplish that? You die, probably in a very brutal way. Like getting a sandstorm stuffed into your lungs.
** Then there's Headmistress Gaia Sinclaire. She wiped a state off the map to stop an otherwise unbeatable invasion. You know that stretch of ocean south of Alabama and west of Florida? It used to be the state of DeSoto, then Gaia blew it up to stop the Fomorians.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:LiveActionTV]]
* Clarke from ''Series/{{The 100}}'' is an AllLovingHero who would really prefer it if no one got hurt, not even people who have been her enemies. However, she's also a PragmaticHero, and if it looks like there's no way out of a situation without ''someone'' getting hurt, she won't hesitate to do the hurting.
* ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'': pretty much applies to all the main characters, save Ward. They're nice, kind-hearted folks as long as you're not a HYDRA mook or head -- or [[spoiler: Grant Ward]] -- in which case they'll kill you in cold-blood or order same. Coulson, May, Skye (especially [[spoiler: after she gets her superpowers, though she is later shown slaughtering a group of HYDRA soldiers using a regular gun]]), Bobbi, Hunter (a close-to-comic-relief character who midway through Season 2 [[spoiler: commits an unambiguous cold-blooded murder of a HYDRA leader on Coulson's orders, with Bobbi watching]]), and even Simmons, [[spoiler: who attempts to murder Ward and spends most of Season 2 devising ways to kill people with superpowers]].
* Laurel Lance in {{Series/Arrow}} is generally kind to those around her and has made a career of helping those who need it most, but that doesn't mean she's going to let the bad guys get away with abusing people.
* Oliver starts out as JudgeJuryAndExecutioner but eventually takes up ThouShaltNotKill. After a while in this mode, we find out his attitude on it stops short of the Batman level; killing isn't a non-option, it's just a ''last resort.'' {{Mooks}} in his way get the fight taken out of them with tranq or taser arrows. {{Mooks}} chasing him once his work is done get left in the dust with smoke or flashbang arrows. The VillainOfTheWeek gets captured. ...And villains who convince him they're too dangerous to live get ''pointy'' arrows. Also, 'captured' can still mean "impaled to the wall [[OnlyAFleshWound through a non-fatal part of your body]]."
* In ''Series/BabylonFive'', Captain John Sheridan's father taught him to never start a fight, but to always finish it. He sticks to this for the entire series. He almost always waits for his opponents to shoot first, but will not hesitate to [[CombatPragmatist use any tactic in the book]] and overwhelming force afterwards.
* President Laura Roslin from ''Series/BattlestarGalactica2003''. On a show full of GreyAndGrayMorality she was one of the most unambiguously good characters in the cast, but God help you if you got between her and what she thought was best for the fleet, because she wouldn't hesitate to [[ThrownOutTheAirlock throw you out the airlock]].
* Jane Doe of ''Series/{{Blindspot}}'' exemplifies this trope, so caring and devoted to those caught up in the incidents she's part of as well as her teammates. She will also stop you, shoot you, punish you, to stop the threat whether it be terrorism or domestic abuse, and when told to back off she does so.
* ''Franchise/{{Buffyverse}}'':
** Faith of both shows has matured into this. A seriously [[NiceGuy nice girl,]] caring, and points out EvenEvilHasLovedOnes. She's also up for maiming and killing human and demon alike, even her deadbeat father. In season nine, after slicing off the arm of a gun toting gangster, then burning drug dealers alive, she brings up the proper arrangements for their bereaved families. Even when she was introduced, she proved to have what it takes: aside from being genuinely nice, she would say a dumped Buffy is a good Buffy (because of how aggressive a fighter she was after Scott dumped her) before sabotaging Scott's future conquests on Buffy's behalf, then lending a kind ear to a pissed Xander before going behind Buffy's back to [[DirtyBusiness kill Angel,]] since for all Faith knew he was still capable of being the grand master villain of the series.
** Buffy herself. If you're human and not cutting up dead bodies or killing children, she's quite nice. If you are, then she's all for prison, death, PrisonRape then [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs death]], basically having a soul makes such actions inexcusable.
*** When Angel is poisoned and Buffy learns that Slayer blood is the cure in Season 3 of ''Buffy'', her rather scary initial plan is to force the psychotic Faith to him to feed on, dead or alive. When that doesn't work, Buffy offers herself to feed on, which Angel absolutely refuses. So Buffy punches him in the face until the blows anger him enough to vamp out, then she makes him feed on her.
** The Scooby Gang as a whole. They're all nice kids and Giles is a British Gentleman, but they've killed a lot of monsters.
** Giles, very much so. Most extreme example? Smothering a wounded Ben to death rather than risk Glory coming back. Before doing the deed, Giles cryptically remarks, "[Buffy's] a hero, you see. She's not like us." He wanted to spare Buffy from doing it.
** Wesley, from very early on in ''Angel'' and perhaps as early as his appearances on ''Buffy'', shows he is willing to torture the bad guys to protect his friends. He's also the one who sends a whole bunch of optimistic villagers on a suicide mission because it's the most effective plan, keeps a girl in a closet for months while he's [[spoiler: trawling the ocean for Angel, who tried to kill him]], and shoots [[spoiler: his father]] without hesitation to protect Fred. It turns out [[spoiler: to be a robot]], but he didn't know that, and he still did it.
** Angel. He actually ''is'' a nice guy most of the time, but he can switch to ruthless at the drop of a hat and he has a hundred years of doing extremely horrible things to people for giggles to draw on. It is also not a good idea to go after people he cares about.
** Team Angel as a whole. Doyle is probably the softest member and he doesn't last very long.
* Most of the main cast of ''Series/CriminalMinds'' are friendly and personable people, but since their job is hunting extremely dangerous serial killers they're all prepared to kill if they have to. Hotch is a particularly notable example, as he's a stern but fair boss who's almost invariably kind and polite both at home and on the job, but he will not hesitate to put a bullet in a bad guy's skull in order to save innocent lives.
* ''Series/CSIMiami'': Horatio Caine genuinely cares about crime victims. He's not so pleasant with those who committed the crimes.
-->"You murdered thirteen people. You're a killer. You enjoy death. I hope you enjoy yours."
* Claire Temple from ''Series/{{Daredevil 2015}}'' is an ER nurse who first met the eponymous hero when she hauled him bleeding from a dumpster and tended his wounds when he refused to be taken to a hospital, and she continues to stitch him up on occasion, as well as have a minor [[LoveInterest romantic subplot]]. You'd expect a nurse to be nurturing, gentle, meek, and generally an AllLovingHero, right? As it happens, while Matt[=/=]Daredevil is interrogating a {{Mook|s}} in order to find a kidnapped child in a human smuggling ring, she goes from too horrified to speak to instructing Matt precisely how best to make him ''[[ColdBloodedTorture hurt]].'' She is brisk, calm and will not accept Matt nearly dying in her apartment and then leaving without explaining how he's any better than the people he goes after. A reason she helped him in the first place is that she believes the scum of Hell's Kitchen deserve punishment, having seen the pain they cause on a daily basis in the ER.
** The titular character himself counts. He goes for bone breaks to incapacitate his opponents and can be quite brusque when dealing with civilians as Daredevil. But he's as gentle as possible when dealing with victims, especially children. A good example of this is "Cut Man", where he tears through a small army of human traffickers, then takes his mask off so the little boy he's rescuing won't be scared.
* In the Disney adaptation of ''Series/DoctorSynTheScarecrow'', Syn is a generous vicar who abhors killing... and spends his nights dressing as a {{Scary Scarecrow|s}} with an EvilLaugh who terrorizes the king's taxmen, leading a band of smugglers who are themselves frightened of him. When Syn learns of TheMole in his band, his first instinct is to put on a display so horrifying that nobody else will even consider double-crossing him and does so by ''lynching'' the traitor following a KangarooCourt. Only afterwards do we see that it was faked.
* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
** From at least [[TheChessmaster Seven]] onward, the Doctor himself is this. He's sent some bad guys to rather harsh endings to protect the innocent, has put good people in the line of fire or done otherwise unkind things as part of [[GambitIndex various gambits]], and has often had to make choices between bad and worse. These things heavily weigh on him, but if it's between [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E2TheFiresOfPompeii destroying Pompeii]] and letting the Pyroviles take the whole ''world,'' it often falls to him to throw the switch.
** While it has been a large part of the other Doctors in the series before and since, this trait has been deeply explored during the run of the [[Creator/DavidTennant Tenth]] Doctor.
--->'''The Doctor:''' If I don't like your plan, it will end. \\
'''Mr. Finch:''' Fascinating. Your people were peaceful to the point of indolence. You seem to be something new. Would you declare war on us, Doctor?\\
'''The Doctor:''' I'm so old now. I used to have so much mercy. You get one warning. That was it.
** One of the Doctors is explicitly described as this. The Ninth Doctor is a GoodIsNotNice {{Jerkass}} who thinks he is better than everyone else. The Tenth Doctor is the complete opposite, fascinated by humanity and its foibles, genuinely caring and nice -- and anyone who threatens them dies, no mercy, no second chances.
** And then we have [[UpToEleven the]] [[TheNthDoctor Eleventh Doctor]], who demonstrates a great deal of compassion and caring for his friends. But that doesn't stop him from trying to wipe out [[OmnicidalManiac the Daleks]], erasing The Weeping Angels from time, and tricking the Silents into ordering their own execution at the hands of mankind. The Eleventh Doctor practically [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] this in the episode [[Recap/DoctorWhoS32E7AGoodManGoesToWar "A Good Man Goes to War"]].
--->'''Madame Kovarian:''' The anger of a good man is not a problem. Good men have too many rules.\\
'''The Doctor:''' Good men don't need rules. Today is not the day to find out why I have so many.
** The Twelfth Doctor is also one not to be messed with. When he finally emerges from the locked TARDIS to confront the Boneless (beings from a 2D universe who like to "flatten" people), he tells that he tried to reason with them. Since they have rejected his attempts, he dubs them monsters and sends them back to their own universe, pointing out that most of them will probably not make it. Later, he is willing to [[spoiler:kill Missy, but Cyberman!Brigadier does the job for him (she gets better)]].
* From ''Series/{{Firefly}}'', The interaction between Mal and Crow in 'The Train Job'. Crow gloats and threatens. Mal barely says a word...until he kicks Crow close enough to Serenity's engine to be sucked into it.
* Every member in Team One in ''Series/{{Flashpoint}}'' are very likable and friendly people off the field. Their first course of action is usually to talk with the hostage taker without any violence but they will not hesitate to pull the trigger on anyone threatening a hostage. And if someone [[BerserkButton threatens a team member...]]
* ''Series/GameOfThrones'':
** Like A Song of Ice and Fire above, this trope works with Daenerys Targaryen, who is forced into a arranged marriage with a barbarian king. She quickly takes to the customs of her new husband's society and pushes him to treat her as an equal, which earns his respect. She begins standing up to her abusive brother, as well as to the practice of RapePillageAndBurn. After her baby is threatened, Daenerys approves of death by immolation, an act she would later do herself. She frees the slaves of her tribe and promises those who would harm them will [[BewareTheNiceOnes die screaming,]] sets about bringing justice to the cities she comes across, and shows that she is a master at DisproportionateRetribution.
** The Starks are beloved in their own lands for being heroic, kind, and for their ability to keep the peace and rule wisely, but they don't do that by being pushovers. Those who bring them harm should expect from them the same mercy that they dish to House Stark. In fact, they have killed most perpetrators of the infamous Red Wedding, such as Arya killing Walder Frey, and also, by the end of Season 6, the Starks have completely wiped out House Bolton, who was mostly responsible for their suffering.
*** Ned Stark is one of the most honorable and noble characters in the series, particularly amongst the nobility but also happens to be hard, stoic and difficult to connect with for outsiders, who subsequently view him as cold and (at times) terrifying and his first scene shows him personally beheading a man for desertion. However, he clearly does love his wife, children, and bannermen, and refuses to be involved in plots that would endanger the lives of children (up to and including Daenerys Targaryen, who's in her mid teens) while all the while being one of the fiercest warriors in Westeros.
*** Being one of the most compassionate men in all of Westeros has not hampered Jon Snow's skill with the sword or his ability to kill a white walker general and his willingness to [[LikeFatherLikeSon personally execute traitors in the manner his father Ned taught him and Robb]].
*** Though Sansa never really loses her compassionate heart, six seasons of virtually nonstop trauma see her become hard, unforgiving, and iron-fisted when it comes to her enemies and those of her House. Ramsay discovers this most righteously.
* General Gaines in ''Series/YouMeAndTheApocalypse''. A caring and surprisingly gentle man, polite even to people who make his life difficult, but he will kill anyone who endangers humanity or his loved ones without so much as blinking.
* Nick in ''Series/{{Grimm}}''. Despite his more brutal and merciless ancestors, Nick himself is a fairly reasonable Grimm who follows within the law of what a good police officer would do, including having Wesen friends/allies. However, he begins to use his reputation as a Grimm to terrify several Wesen into giving him the information he needs and ''will'' shoot to kill to protect himself or someone else.
* In ''Series/HogansHeroes'', Colonel Hogan and his subordinates are definitely the good guys, but they're not afraid to get their hands dirty with sabotage and assassinations.
* On ''Series/{{Justified}}'' this is a defining characteristic of US Marshal Raylan Givens and the other Kentucky Marshals. In the opening scene of the series vicious killer Tommy Bucks found out that when Raylan tells you to leave town in 24 hours, you do so or Raylan is more than willing to shoot it out with you in broad daylight. Two seasons later mobster Wynn Duffy found out that Raylan is more than willing to play Russian Roulette with him because Duffy would not answer questions about a cop's murder.
** In the same vein Chief Deputy Marshall Art Mullen might seem like an old man with bad knees but if you really piss him off he will go "old school" on you with a phone book.
** Deputy Marshal Tim Gutterson is a nice fellow who likes to joke around but in an instant he can turn into a ColdSniper and put a hole in a hostage taker's head.
** Deputy Marshal Rachel Brooks might have a chip on her shoulder about being a petite, black woman but when she is disrespected she will not hesitate to bring down men twice her size.
* All the ''Franchise/KamenRider'' series have protagonists who will not hesitate to pummel and Rider Kick the monsters of the week and their mooks to death. Special mention goes to Series/KamenRiderAmazon defeated his enemies not with fancy moves and cool weapons and kaboom endings to the fight, but by ''ripping'' the MonsterOfTheWeek apart with his bare claws and teeth and the serrated edges of his gloves. However, if you don't happen to be an evil monster, he's the nicest guy you'll ever meet. He's a FriendToAllChildren, FriendToAllLivingThings, and so forth. He once even saved a monster from being executed by his bosses for failing to defeat him! That monster became an ally for most of the rest of the series.
** Series/KamenRiderKuuga has basically the nicest Kamen Rider of the entire franchise as its main hero, but he is just as dedicated to protecting innocents as the rest of the Riders. And for Heaven's Sake, [[BewareTheNiceOnes don't make him genuinely angry]]. The merciless monster that managed that was left whimpering in terror by the time Kuuga finally finished him off.
* The Series/{{Leverage}} team is all this, especially [[GoodIsNotNice Nate]] and [[DirtyBusiness Eliot]]. If you've been royally screwed over by a CorruptCorporateExecutive, they will move heaven and earth for you. [[OhCrap If, however, you]] ''are'' a CorruptCorporateExecutive ... Put best in the "Cross My Heart Job", where Nate [[TranquilFury calmly]] informs a man who kidnapped a woman's daughter to blackmail her into stealing a heart transplant from a dying 15-year-old how he will utterly destroy him if he ever tries anything like that again.
* In the series four finale of ''Series/{{Merlin}}'', the sweet, gentle, friendly Merlin carefully and deliberately murders Arthur's EvilUncle Agravaine in cold blood. Okay, Agravaine ''had'' just drawn a knife on him, but a) Merlin could have easily dealt with the knife without harming the man holding it, and b) Agravaine had just discovered Merlin's secret, and Colin Morgan's performance makes it very clear that Agravaine wasn't leaving that cave alive.
** In the finale, [[spoiler: Merlin single-handedly ends the Battle of Camlann by raining [[ShockAndAwe torrents of lightning]] down upon Morgana's army, forcing them [[AttackAttackRetreatRetreat into a full retreat]] despite outnumbering Camelot forces three-to-one]].
** In the first episode of series five, sweet, gentle, friendly Gwen [[spoiler: swiftly sentences her servant to death for treason, though she later reveals she had no plans on actually killing the girl. It was merely a trap to lure her father to Camelot to obtain information about Morgana.]]
*** It happens again in the season finale. [[spoiler: Only this time, she outgambits the accomplice and actually executes her.]]
* Leroy Jethro Gibbs from ''Series/{{NCIS}}''. Thinking of threatening his family or his team? [[PapaWolf Bad idea.]] Gibbs was a [[SemperFi Marine]] sniper. There is no mercy in a [[BoomHeadshot head shot]] from a mile away.
** Actually applies to most of the other field agents in the series: Tony, Kate, Ziva, [=McGee=] and others on the team are depicted as friendly, fun-loving folks but will not hesitate to take a life. In fact one early episode has Gibbs strongly criticize [=McGee=] for hesitating before taking a shot (to be fair, [=McGee=] is the only one, whose previous job didn't involve carrying a weapon).
* Similarly, the lead characters of ''Series/NCISLosAngeles'' are often depicted clicking back into "normal life" (personal interests and hobbies, romance, making jokes) even though many of their missions end with a high body count.
* Ruby[=/=]Red in ''Series/OnceUponATime'' is the free spirited yet kindhearted version of Literature/LittleRedRidingHood. She is also the wolf and treated as a vicious, LittleRedFightingHood.
** A better example might be [[TheChosenOne Emma Swan,]] who while good is decidedly more pragmatic than her parents. In "Good Form", she, Regina, and Snow White are trying to convince a Lost Boy to help them. After playing nice fails, Regina mentions she could simply tear his heart and force him to help. Snow is horrified (it's wrong), but Emma doesn't just agree she ''holds Snow back'' so Regina can do it. She later makes it clear to Snow she will do [[IDidWhatIHadToDo whatever it takes]] to save Henry.
** Snow herself has shades of this, a proper...ProperLady, she's also a hunter who back in the day would execute those who deserved it and in present day conspired to murder Regina's mother, and after a bout of MyGodWhatHaveIDone jams to Music/JoanJett while rocking a bow and arrow to get over it.
* In ''Series/TheOriginals'', Elijah may be the kindest, fairest, and most honorable of his siblings, but mess with his family, and you might just end up with your heart literally ripped out of your chest.
* Carter Grayson, the Red Ranger from ''Series/PowerRangersLightspeedRescue''. He's a [[ByTheBookCop by the book fireman]], determined to save people's lives, but he has shown to be one of the most agressive rangers in the franchise. In the first episode, he tried to run over the monster of the week with a jeep and displayed a willingness to kill the [[SixthRanger Titanium Ranger]] durring his debut episode, before Ryan's HeelFaceTurn.
* ''Series/{{Scandal}}'': [[TheHero Olivia.]]
* John from ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'' is one of the [[NiceGuy nicest people]] you could hope to meet and it's quite easy for people to take a liking to him, even if they've just met him. But he is willing to shoot you if you happen to piss him off or [[BerserkButton threaten someone he cares about.]] That [[NiceGuy sweet, gentle guy]] can-AND will kill you and walk away without a qualm of conscience. [[BadassAdorable And look very adorable]] while doing it.
** He ''did'' see active service in Afghanistan, so that lowers your survivability if you ''really'' piss him off by messing with his friend, as well as the ImprobableAimingSkills John has.
** Mary too. She is shown to [[CoolBigSis genuinely like Sherlock]], and most certainly seems to get along with [[TeamMom Mrs. Hudson]], as well, despite the fact she's an [[CoolOldLady old lady.]] But she was an assassin from the CIA. Plus, her husband is an adrenaline junkie who, like her, is not one you'd want to mess with. It doesn't help she's an adrenaline junkie herself. You don't want to mess with her, and don't get any ideas about messing with John-or Sherlock. Pissing off those two by attacking the other?[[WhatAnIdiot Lame idea.]] It doesn't help that [[BadassAdorable John]] and [[RetiredBadass Mary]] are [[ImprobableAimingSkills darn good shots.]]
** Sherlock himself. Threaten [[TeamMom Mrs. Hudson]] and he'll give you a serious beating, then throw you out a window. If he's convinced you're stalking his best friend's fiancee, then he will watch you closely. And most of all, he makes it very clear that while he's on the side of good, he doesn't see himself as being one of the angels.
-->'''Sherlock:''' [[BadassBoast Oh I may be on the side of the angels, but don't think for one second that I am one of them.]]
* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'': Compared to other Starfleet captains, Benjamin Sisko was quite willing to do things like poison a planet or participate in a murder conspiracy for the greater good, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-YyL7X4CWw though he might not be too happy about it]].
-->"I lied. I cheated. I bribed men to cover the crimes of other men. I am an accessory to murder. But the most damning thing of all... I think I can live with it. And if I had to do it all over again, I would."
** The Federation as a whole, while fairly idealistic, is very capable of doing hard, even cruel, things when needed. Especially in ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries''.
** All the ''Franchise/StarTrek'' crews can fall under this trope, being friendly, peaceful explorers, but [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Captain Picard]] may be the MostTriumphantExample. Any adversary that underestimates the polite, [[GuileHero diplomatic]], [[CulturedBadass Earl Grey-sipping, Shakespeare-quoting]], FatherToHisMen does so at their ''extreme'', if not terminal, peril. There's a ''reason'' why the [[ProudWarriorRace Klingons]] ask him to settle disputes for them.
* In the ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' episode [[Recap/SupernaturalS02E22AllHellBreaksLoosePartTwo "All Hell Breaks Loose, Part Two" (S02, Ep22)]], Jake does not believe Sam is willing to kill, as he was unwilling to finish Jake when he had the upperhand in Cold Oak, but Sam is determined not to make that mistake twice.
* In ''Series/{{Tenko}}'' Marion is perfectly ready to let the other women rip [[spoiler: Verna]] apart for her betrayal if she refuses to talk.
* The ''Franchise/PowerRangers.'' [[NeverSayDie Yes, them]]. While the ''majority'' of their enemies are non-human {{Card Carrying Villain}}s and a MonsterOfTheWeek created on the spot, not all are. However, the few times a major enemy was a human who'd turned into some monstrous form to TakeOverTheWorld, well... if you do monstrous things, you get what monsters get. There was even a time or two when someone transformed against his will could not be saved and had to be taken down when it was between him and innocents or a teammate. It's even glossed over less than you'd expect a Y7 show that's the poster child for NeverSayDie to do. For example, just before Tommy - yes, ''that'' Tommy - has to [[spoiler: slay the villain once known as Terrence Smith,]] we see a flashback to a photo of his original human self just before [[spoiler: Tommy applies the FinishingMove]]. Don't endanger his students, just... don't.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]
* "Mr. Niceguy" from ''Lost and Found'' by Creator/WillSmith is about how other celebrities treat him like a joke, but if he wanted he could buy out the stations they work for and leave them in the dirt... but it's not his style, because he's a nice guy. It even contains the lyrics "Sometimes y'all/Mistake nice for soft".
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Pro Wrestling]]
* A consistent trait of Wrestling/JohnCena's persona is that he openly welcomes any challenge for any reason. ("If you want some, come get some"). He will accept and he will fight you with just as much effort and motivation as if you are The Undertaker and Wrestling/ShawnMichaels (the 'Respect' part of [[PunctuatedForEmphasis Hustle. Loyalty. Respect]]). And if you do manage to beat him, he will [[GracefulLoser sincerely congratulate]] you, and even [[DefeatMeansFriendship go to bat for you if needed]]. However, if you misjudged yourself or him and you're not up to task, he will have [[SinkOrSwimMentor no mercy or hesitation about steamrolling you]]. Now, this would be perfectly acceptable ... except this aspect of his gimmick is [[DownplayedTrope downplayed]] if not outright ignored. So, he is often cast as [[TheCape fighting morally]] even when he doesn't have that. This leads to [[ProtagonistCenteredMorality the multiple]] [[{{DesignatedHero}} narrative]] [[MoralMyopia disconnects]] in his feuds, when simply going with this trope and SinkOrSwimMentor would be easier to take, even fresh and novel.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Religion and Mythology]]
* Myth/NorseMythology:
** Thor is a HotBlooded BoisterousBruiser who spends most of his time drinking, eating and killing giants. Thor is humanity's best line of defense against the giants, who would otherwise destroy the world of men, and the stories told about Thor indicate that he truly does care for humanity.
** Though the argument could be said that this applies to almost all the Aesir. Yes they seem like a pantheon of berserker warrior types, but they are pretty honorable and if you interpret Ragnarok literally a lot of them sacrifice themselves to see evil devastated in the final battle for the fate of the universe. Thor is simply the most obvious example
* Myth/EgyptianMythology:
** Horus and Ra. Horus is a vengeful warrior god who goes out of his away to avenge cosmic wrongs done against the universe. Ra routinely went to battle the evil serpent god Apep to stop the destruction of the world.
** Another one from Egyptian Mythology is Sekhmet. Holy crap, Sekhmet. The lion-headed goddess who not only utterly wasted an attempted coup against the gods by almost drowning the world in blood, she was also known as She Who Mauls and One Before Whom Evil Trembles. She is a vicious goddess, but her rage is against evil.
* Any deity from the [[Myth/HinduMythology Hindu pantheon]] who represents the destroyer aspect. Most notably Durga who defeated a terrible demon, Kali who was known for her fury against evil beings, Shiva who is related to a number of incidents of unmitigated spiritual badassery, and Indra who famously slew the dragon-like Asura Vitra releasing all the waters of the world.
* Hercules/Heracles of Greek lore. Yes he did a number of things as atonement for actions he committed under a supernaturally induced frenzy, but he genuinely fought for what was right.
* Lugh of Celtic mythology. The king of the Tuatha De Danann earns a place here for vanquishing Balor and utterly devastating the rest of the Fomori Army.
* Cuchulainn from Irish Celtic lore also falls under here. He is one of the most beloved Celtic heroes in mythology and a total badass to top it all off. He even managed to fight of an army tied to a standing stone while mortally wounded and died standing. According to some sources, a standing death was a true hero's death.
* Marduk of Babylonian mythology who managed to slay the mad progenitor goddess Tiamat, and used her body to create the world. He was also a deity of justice.
* Tengri of Turko-Mongol religions falls under this. He was the God the sky and the storm and was directly responsible for punishing wrong doings on the earth.
* From the Apache peoples of North America we have Fire Killer of Enemies and Child Born of Water who according to legend slew a number of terrible monsters that preyed on the human race.
* Notably, {{God}} from the three Abrahamic Faiths. As noted throughout Literature/TheBible, He is compassionate to those in need, especially to those who turn to Him for counsel, aid or solace. But He has no qualms whatsoever with punishing someone when they've done evil and are unrepentant of it. UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} is the same way, though in His case, He directed it towards Satan, the corrupt merchants and moneylenders in the temple, and the manipulative Pharisees and Sadduccees.
* Also from Abrahamic lore, the Cherubim. The Cherubim were not tiny, Cupid-like goodie two-shoes: they were God's soldiers. Their original appearance was very similar to those winged, human-headed, bull- or lion-bodied creatures depicted in Assyro-Babylonian art. (In Ezekiel's vision, they're described with four heads: lion, eagle, bull, and human male.)
* The ArchangelMichael is notably a patron of soldiers and policemen.
* Mars from Roman religion was actually [[AdaptationalHeroism quite a different figure from Ares of Greek mythology]]. One of his nicknames was Mars the Avenger.
* A not as widely known example comes from pre-Christian Armenian mythology. Vahaghn was a bit like the Armenian version of Thor and was known in legend as a slayer of evil dragons and is one of it's most beloved heroic figures. Just like Thor, he was also a thunder god.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]

* In a Universe as [[CrapsackWorld twisted]] as [[TabletopGame Warhammer 40,000]], The [[GentleGiant Salamanders]] Space Marine Chapter stand out for being one of the few Chapters that will [[ProHumanTranshuman actively protect civillians]] and being [[NiceGuy pleasant people]] in general. However, they are also considered to be among the [[MightyGlacier toughest]] and their preferred way to attack can be.....[[PlayingwithFire unpleasant]]. Also, pray to your dark gods if you [[BerserkButton fire upon civillains]].

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Toys]]
* ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'': The Toa, though goodness and softness does depend on the individual Toa, they are all supremely powerful warriors dedicated to protecting the innocent. Best summed up in the 2006 storyline by Lewa, fighting one of the Piraka.
-->'''Lewa:''' Peace loving, not weak.
* ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'': Most versions of [[BigGood Optimus Prime]] tend to be this, especially if pushed too far. Even the original Generation One versions (both comic and animation) had their moments.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''Franchise/MassEffect'''s Commander Shepard, as a [[NeutralGood Para]][[MessianicArchetype 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 villain in cold blood. [[PapaWolf And don't EVER hurt his]]/[[MamaBear her crew and friends.]] [[BerserkButton It will probably be the]] last mistake [[OhCrap you ever make.]]
** The moment that perhaps cements this more than anything else in many fans' eyes is the ending to Overlord, where a scientist forced [[spoiler:his autistic brother]] to communicate with the geth, in the most barbaric way, then pleads with Shepard to allow it to continue. The Renegade option is to allow it but [[EvenEvilHasStandards break his jaw and show disgust over his actions]]. The good one however is for Shepard to refuse, dodge shots fired at him/her, optionally [[PistolWhip smash the scientist's face in]] and threaten to kill him.
--->'''Shepard''': "You even think about coming after your brother and ''this bullet'' will be waiting for you." [[note]] You can go full Paragon in this ending where Shepard's voice is barely suppressed rage, or take the neutral options where s/he doesn't bother holding back how pissed s/he is and lets him utterly have it.[[/note]]
** Upon meeting Gavin Archer again in ''3'' as part of a team of ex-Cerberus defectors, Shepard makes it clear that even though they going to save him along with everyone else from the Cerberus forces assaulting the base, they ''still'' have nothing but utter contempt for him! Shepard also can mention that David is still safe and been rescued from [[spoiler: Grissom Academy]], but Gavin is still not going to get within a light-year of him!
** Another example comes up in [[TearJerker I Remember Me.]] If Shepard has the Colonist background s/he was attacked and nearly taken by Batarian slavers when s/he was [[DangerousSixteenthBirthday sixteen.]] Because this becomes common knowledge Shepard is asked to talk to a girl who was taken by slavers and is DrivenToSuicide. The Paragon ending has Shepard [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments save her,]] then the officer who asked for help despairs the point in fighting if they can't even keep little girl safe.
--->'''Shepard''': To make people who do these things pay. It's not the severity of punishment that deters crime, it's the certainty.
** The above is one of the few times that Paragon Shepard is ''[[RageBreakingPoint absolutely furious]]''.
** A Renegade Shepard, on the other hand, is a good demonstration of the sister trope, GoodIsNotNice, in that Renegade Shepard can be a real {{Jerkass}} yet no matter how bad s/he can be Shepard is still trying to save the galaxy.
** In ''Lair of the Shadow Broker'', the special Paragon solution to dealing with a hostage situation is to have Shepard do a BadassBoast mentioning either the Paragon or Renegade choices for two of the most extreme actions in the previous game and saying that the hostage taker had better have a better plan than hoping a hostage will deter you. Although the ''intent'' was to intimidate the hostage taker into letting their guard down so Liara could free the hostage, there's a strong implication that if it had really come to that, Shepard wasn't bluffing.
*** If you don't have the Renegade/Paragon points or just decide not to use those options, you can demonstrate that Shepard is '''not''' bluffing by shooting '''through''' the hostage to get the villain. To the injured hostage, Shepard says, "You'll live."
** A full list for just Shepard showing how Good Is Not Soft would take all day, but here's his/her [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech reaction]] to criticism for all the human lives lost when Shepard gave the order to save the Council during the Battle of the Citadel.
---> '''Shepard''': [[HeroicSacrifice The Alliance lost eight cruisers]]: ''Shenyang'', ''Emden'', ''Jakarta'', ''Cairo'', ''Seoul'', ''Cape Town'', ''Warsaw'', ''Madrid''. And yes, [[TheDeadHaveNames I remember them all]]. Everyone in the Fifth Fleet is [[BigDamnHeroes a hero]]. The Alliance owes them all medals, the Council owes them a lot more than that. ''And so do you!''
** Liara counts as well. A curious, well meaning archeologist, her time with Shepard meant she TookALevelInBadass. After Shepard supposedly dies, Liara becomes obsessed with getting him\her back. During Redemption, she plays nice with shady characters like The Illusive Man, but fends off rape attempts by killing her attackers. After she hands Shepard over to Cerberus in the hope s\he can be brought BackFromTheDead, Liara becomes an information broker where she taps her inner [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Dark!Willow]] and threatens to flay people alive. But the GoodIsNotNice facade is a weak mask and when Shepard finds her she all but breaks down over her obsession and feelings of betrayal to him\her.
*** Her introduction in the third game has her being [[AirVentEscape chased through an air vent]] by two Cerberus troopers. She drops out of the vent, then uses her biotics to immobilize the troopers in mid-air when they try to follow. And then executes both of them. A DoubleTap for each of them.
** Turians in general, and Garrus in particular, show that not only are they [[SpaceRomans incredibly polite and friendly, they're exceptionally ruthless and militaristic.]] Their combat philosophies directly reflect this: they hit the enemy with absolutely overwhelming force to end the fight as soon as possible.
** None of Shepard's TrueCompanions are soft, but not all are good. The "good" squad members would qualify for no other reason than anyone who follows Shepard winds unhesitatingly racking up an astronomical kill count, but others qualify for other reasons. An incomplete listing of the characters following this trope includes...
*** Fan favorite Garrus Vakarian is incredibly nice guy who genuinely tries to do the right thing. He was essentially a CowboyCop in Mass Effect 1 and in Mass Effect 2 killed so many crime lords in a WretchedHive the population called him [[spoiler: Archangel]].
*** Kaiden Alenko and Ashley Williams both are loyal, decent Alliance marines who willingly follow Shepard into hell in the first game and show no compunctions about gunning down minions of the BigBad and criminals. Despite coming into conflict with Shepard due to [[LockedOutOfTheLoop being left in the dark about the current situation]], they remain firmly on the side of humanity and the Council, doing their best to protect innocent people.
*** WrenchWench Tali'Zorah nar Rayya starts the series as a slightly shy, sweet-tempered girl on her [[RiteOfPassage Pilgrimage]]. In her first scene, she kills attackers trying to bring her down with an explosive and spends the rest of the series in the thick of heavy fighting.
*** Captain David Anderson shows these traits when he serves as a mentor and leader. The ExpandedUniverse shows he has no problem dealing with the bad guys with force, as he was also the first ever N7 (human special operations). In the third game, he [[spoiler: not only leads the entire human resistance on Earth as an alien fleet tries to harvest humanity for many months, but then leads the ground forces which make the suicide run when TheEnemyGateIsDown]].
*** Samara is a civil, regal, somewhat distant but unfailingly polite member of a strict monastic order. Her code of honor demands she gun down criminals (or [[NeckSnap snap their necks]]) in cold blood.
*** Mordin Solus. [[BeigeProse Generally atoning for past acts. Decent person.]] Introduced as [[OmnidisciplinaryScientist former special operations agent turned scientist turned physician.]] Runs clinic in WretchedHive. Has killed many gang members. Leave him alone out of fear.
---> '''Mordin:''' "Lots of ways to help people. Sometimes heal patients; sometimes execute dangerous people. Either way helps."
*** Jacob Taylor is a decent man working for a questionable organization. When he discovers his [[spoiler: father has spent ten years living in a puerile sexual fantasy by forcing his crew to eat neurotoxic food]], he has no problem seeing to his death or to his incarceration. "[After] what happened here, I should vent his head!"
*** Thane Krios is attempting to atone for a lifetime as an assassin, so despite good intentions he may not count as "good." He has absolutely no compunction about killing villainous wrongdoers and is introduced when he kills a crime lord and then prays for forgiveness.
--->'''Thane:''' Removing evil from the world is not the same as creating good.
*** Kasumi Goto is a master thief. That's literally the only negative thing you can say about her. She's nice (very sympathetic to the other characters, [[BrokenBird particularly]] [[AxCrazy Jack]]), kind (saved a little girl from slavers), friendly, and sociable, with her input on morally ambiguous decisions showing high morals. She's also a devastating GlassCannon that uses stealth to stab enemies in the back, so skilled that Spectres consider her a WorthyOpponent and when mocked about her dead lover she goes into a quiet rage before taking out a crime king's invincible gunship. And the thieving part? Turns out she's now doing it from casinos and giving the proceeds to war victims. You can stop her, but letting her proceed is the ''paragon'' option.
*** The ExpandedUniverse anime film Paragon Lost portrays James Vega as a young, idealistic soldier -- but a highly effective commando leading his squad against mercenaries and racers. By the events of ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', he has a slightly darker persona, but still remains loyal to the mission of saving humanity and the rest of the galaxy.
*** Steve Cortez is a nice guy mourning the death of his husband and a competent Alliance pilot. Since he never enters ground combat, many players overlook that he's a complete badass. Not only does he fly into a hot LZ in just about every mission (an act of great courage), but he scores an impressive number of kills in air-to-air combat. [[spoiler:In "Leviathan" he finally did enter ground combat in a limited capacity. But in Citadel, he fights more directly. Maybe not as a squadmate, but he joins one of the other two teams, filled with your badass squadmates and holds his own.]] By a similar token, Jeff "Joker" Moreau, pilot of your CoolStarship, is a DeadpanSnarker with HiddenDepths who is quite personable. He seems positively ecstatic when his ship the Normandy delivers killing blows to enemy ships.
*** [[spoiler: EDI]], as an AI, can literally be inspired to modify her central directives towards what can only be called humanitarian virtues and loyalty. If this happens, she states that her overwhelming priority is no longer her own survival. Other things -- people -- are worth fighting for to the death.
*** By ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', Miranda has become this. She is willing to go to any lengths to keep her sister safe from her father and when she finally sees his greatest atrocity, Sanctuary, leaves messages to refugees to stay away from it at all costs. This doesn't stop her from [[KickTheSonOfABitch murdering]] her [[AssholeVictim father]] the second he lets her sister go.
*** Wrex becomes this if he survives the first game, becoming the leader of the krogan race. He knows that if the [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy krogan]] do not make serious changes, then they are going to die out. [[AsskickingEqualsAuthority He assumes his authority with violence if he has to]] and if others refuse to go along with the reforms, they're left in the dust.
--->'''Wrex''': ''*headbutts a dissenting Clan leader*'' Speak when spoken to, Uvenk! I will drag your Clan to glory whether they like it or not!
** Let's face it, Mass Effect is a whole ''[[WorldOfBadass world]]'' of Good Is Not Soft. There's a reason this crew is able to win a war against an endless horde of [[EldritchAbomination cyborg Old Ones]].
** In ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda'', the concept of Paragon vs. Renegade personality changes is abandoned. Now, Ryder is free to be a little of both. He/She is depicted in cutscenes as friendly, charming, humourous, {{Adorkable}} (especially during romance-related portions of the game) and generally a good guy/girl. At the same time, however, many missions require the killing of other humans and intelligent aliens, or standing by as someone else does it, and rarely does Ryder or any of the team show any remorse - even when encountering people expressing grief over the people they've killed. IDidWhatIHadToDo is the overriding mantra.
* ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'': Jun Kazama is TheChosenOne and pure as the driven snow. This does not mean however she isn't devilishly effective in a fight, possess a series of powerful moves...brutal even, or in no shape to [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu punch out Cthulhu.]] Or go all MamaBear. Or as the latest game suggests go downright demonic in the pursuit of good.
** DependingOnTheWriter, her being NotGoodWithPeople can have her descend to GoodIsNotNice, or at least not friendly.
** Her niece Asuka is another great example. Nice, friendly, gets along well with the likes of Lei (a cop) and Leo (very moral knight\soldier archetype,) and BullyHunter ''extraordinaire'' aiming to take down her cousin [[BigBad Jin,]] ''hard.'' In fact when they first met she tries to revive him, then punches him into a wall because he was an AccidentalPervert.
** Good is not Soft does not even begin to describe [[MeaningfulName Angel.]] Of all the characters she is the closest to the BigGood, capable of {{Flight}}, shoots FrickinLaserBeams, fights exactly like Kazuya or Devil, and will genuinely mess you up. With most people she's lovely, doesn't matter if they're good, evil, DarkerAndEdgier, BigBad, whatever. With something like Ogre however she's downright ''frightening.''
* By the very nature of the series, most of the heroes in fighting games are this. ''StreetFighter?'' Chun Li, Guile, and Cammy as a good girl are very caring individuals, justice minded, Guile's a family man, and they are among the best fighters in the series. ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}?'' See above. ''Franchise/MortalKombat?'' You are expected to ''murder'' your opponent after a fight, with [[TheHero Liu Kang]] turning into a dragon to rip them in half, Raiden electrocuting them until they blow up, Stryker blowing their head clear off, and they can do this to the other good guys.
* Mariko "Spirit" Tanaka of ''VideoGame/WingCommander'' is the nicest, kindest, gentlest creature in the series. Then she goes kamikaze on a Kilrathi held space station her fiancé is on.
* ''Franchise/StarWars: VideoGame/DarkForcesSaga'' has Kyle Katarn, who through the course of the games was with the Empire, became a rebel, then a Jedi, fell to TheDarkSide, gave up the Force, became a Jedi again for revenge, then began teaching others. His view of the Force and how to act is it's less about what you do, but how you do it. A good person for example can use bad means to achieve a good end, Good Is Not Soft in action.
** Tellingly, ''VideoGame/JediKnight'' had a good and bad ending, dependent in part on what Force powers Kyle chooses. In ''VideoGame/JediAcademy'', Luke will praise Jaden if s\he chooses light side powers or a mix, or become concerned if more dark powers are chosen... but, perhaps because you're ''Kyle's'' apprentice, even if you choose entirely dark powers you will be able to choose the light side ending.
* ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' uses this trope along with IncorruptiblePurePureness. The backstory of the first game has the Jedi believing that good has to be soft, even with the Mandalorians running rampant. Revan, Malak, the Exile and others disagreed, believing that Good Is Not Soft and defied the order to save the galaxy.
** As far as characters go, Bastila believes that a single misstep no matter how minor will doom a person, yet the likes of Carth or Mission believe Good Is Not Soft and are portrayed as being more light sided than Bastila.
** Between the two games, it turns out that the Jedi Masters take their own stance on Good Is Not Soft. While they are happy to let the galaxy burn, they also MindRape Revan and attempt to strip the Exile of her force powers.
*** The Jedi council's take on Good Is Not Soft also relates to their principles -- believing there is a greater danger in jumping feet first into war, the council refuse to bend their resolve and be drawn into a fight with the Mandalorians, no matter how many innocents they slaughter. To the rest of the galaxy, GoodIsNotNice is the most charitable way to view this stance.
** If you remain Light Side after defeating Bastila, she will express amazement that the Dark Side did ''not'' make her stronger, nor did the Light Side make you weak. This is foreshadowed by Juhani thinking the same thing. Malak will express the same, resigned revelation if you defeat him and offer to turn him back to the Light Side.
** Juhani is a soft spoken Jedi and of all the characters is the most concerned about being light sided. That's because she did fall before. Quite kind, caring and helpful, she's also rather vicious and utterly pissed at what's been done to her, to the point of indulging TheDarkSide unless talked around, then becoming frightened of what she could have done.
** The Jedi Exile in the second game. Canonically light-sided, fought as a General in Revan's army during the Mandalorian Wars and afterwards was the ''only'' one to return to the Jedi Council to face the music. Was also responsible for [[spoiler: giving the order to deploy the Mass Shadow Generator on Malachor V, wiping out every single living thing on the surface and in orbit, ''including'' most of their own fleet]]. Despite their obvious guilt, throughout the game the Exile can repeatedly argue why it ''[[NecessarilyEvil had]]'' to be done, since it ended the War in one fell swoop.
** Queen Talia is the BigGood of the Onderon questline and the light side choice. She also wants to execute her traitorous cousin Vaklu right in the throne room because she knows he's so popular that he won't be imprisoned and remain a threat. And while you ''can'' talk her out of it, you don't ''have'' to. You can stand by and watch without gaining any dark side points.
* ''Most'' Republic characters are this way come ''Videogame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'', dancing on the edge of HeWhoFightsMonsters. Grandmaster Satele will admit that there are weapons that should never be used. General Garza will likely disagree. Supreme Chancellor Suresh started her life as an Imperial slave, and became governor of Taris [[spoiler: only to lose it when the Imperials charge in and sabotage the rebuilding efforts]] and the only question there is ''how much'' of her policies are fueled by wanting revenge. Yet, all three in game are {{reasonable authority figure}}s the Republic players. Likewise, messing with Havoc Squad, the Barsen'thor, the Hero of Tython, or Ace the Smuggler is not the wisest policy if you value your lives. However, when your opponents blow up unarmed farming worlds, enslave all non-humans, kill or subject Force Sensitives to TrainingFromHell with no choice in the matter, and are led by an AxCrazy theocratic cabal surrounding a EldritchAbomination Emperor who wants to ''[[OmnicidalManiac devour all life in the galaxy]]'' so he can [[AGodAmI be a God]], then the Republic's less-than-angelic tendencies are [[BlackAndGrayMorality pretty damned justified]].
* Kasumi of ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'' is the nicest, kindest, gentlest character in the series (notice a trend?) She gets run off from her ninja clan and then succeeds in not only finding her brother but killing the man who attacked him, then [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu destroys the most powerful bio-weapon in human history]], all [[{{Determinator}} while fending off constant assassination attempts]] and [[ReluctantWarrior proclaiming she does not want to fight]].
* ''Dishonored'' has this with Corvo Attano. Even if you spare all of your assassination targets, they all end up wishing you'd just killed them instead. [[spoiler: High Overseer Campbell gets expelled from the Overseers and it becomes illegal to assist him in any way, shape or form. He ends up a Weeper. The Pendletons have their tongues cut out, their heads shaved and get forced to work in their own mines. Lady Boyle is taken away in a boat by her StalkerWithACrush, never to be seen again. The Lord Regent gets his confession about causing the plague and having the Empress killed broadcasted all over the city.]]
* In ''VideoGame/{{Myst}}'', Atrus is an archetypal AbsentMindedProfessor, creating {{Portal Book}}s to fantastic worlds and living according to an extremely optimistic worldview, but after being betrayed and imprisoned by his own sons, and his library destroyed, when finally released he takes the books where the sons have been trapped and [[FateWorseThanDeath burns them]]! Then, in order to save his wife, Atrus goes on to create a trap book for his [[ArchnemesisDad egomaniacal father]].
--> '''Atrus''': People talk about my sons, and the evil things they did, but still I remain strangely mute. I do not discuss my own actions that day, or the ''rage'' I felt when I burned the two Linking Books that had snared them.
** The fourth game retcons this, by revealing that the sons were not killed when he burnt the books, but simply trapped in the prison ages for the next 20 years. At the urging of both his wife and youngest daughter, he eventually decided to see whether they had reformed in their exile and could be allowed to be freed, writing a special linking chamber into each Age to visit them in safety.
** In one tie-in novel, he agrees to lead a slave revolt in battle, despite his reservations about warfare and his lack of military experience.
* In ''VideoGame/BaldursGateII'', many of your Good-aligned party members, particularly [[ThePaladin Keldorn]], [[TheBerserker Minsc]], [[KnightInShiningArmor Mazzy]], and (in the Enhanced Edition) [[BareFistedMonk Rasaad]] qualify. [[spoiler:[[TheRedMage Aerie]] [[TookALevelInBadass is also]] this by ''Throne of Bhaal''.]] All are genuinely kind, altruistic people who are nevertheless ''very'' proactive in buttkicking for goodness. The PC can [[WarriorTherapist play]] [[ChronicHeroSyndrome this]] [[VideoGameCaringPotential way]] too.
* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', although Aerith Gainsborough is very kind to most people and she can be very understanding, she doesn't hesitate to challenge anyone who gives her a hard time. She's ready to break into Don Corneo's mansion on her own without thinking of her own safety before Cloud stops her. After Cloud, Aerith, and Tifa break into Don Corneo's bedroom, Aerith threatens to "rip them off" if the Don doesn't tell them what they want to know. She isn't afraid to let Cait Sith know what she thinks of him when she learns that he's a spy. And of course, she isn't afraid to head by herself to the Forgotten City to summon Holy even though it's only logical that Sephiroth will most likely try to stop her.
* Three characters in ''VideoGame/BlazBlueContinuumShift'' have their first fight in Story Mode against Hazama, and one of them is [[{{Jerkass}} Jin Kisaragi]]. The other two sit nicely in this trope.
** Litchi Faye-Ling may be a doctor and a former medical officer at Sector Seven, but she still has a strong moral compass and an IQ above room temperature -- when Hazama comes a-knockin', she is unafraid to sass at him and, when that doesn't get him to leave, draw Matenbo to evict him by force. [[spoiler:While he does offer her the opportunity to join NOL in exchange for the chance to save Arakune after that fails, she doesn't believe he'll hold his end of the bargain one bit, and only winds up ForcedIntoEvil out of desperation over her own condition. Even when she is under the Librarium banner, she isn't afraid to chew out Relius over his [[HarmfulToMinors bad]] [[AbusiveParents parenting]] (this, sadly, convinces him to set Ignis upon her and Carl). Litchi is not afraid to step into 'evil' territory, do things she didn't like and stain her already perfectly good image and reputation in order to pursue good deeds, that's how much 'not-so-soft' she is.]]
** Makoto Nanaya is no different despite being an Intelligence Division Lieutenant (under Captain Hazama himself, at that) -- it's sundry that her loyalties are more to her friends than any government. [[spoiler:When Hazama tries to assassinate Jin in ''Slight Hope'', she is swift to call him on it and, when negotiations fail, parry the knife and attempt to beat the shit out of him. When that doesn't succeed and Jin has to freeze Hazama to get them both to safety, this only changes her priorities somewhat -- to save her friends ''from him''. In her bad ending, she has the gall to call Relius out on sending a still-injured Jin to what appears to be certain death against Ragna the Bloodedge and, again, demand he step aside lest she knock him on his ass ([[NightmareFuel/BlazBlue for all the good that does her]]), and even in the good ending she has no hesitation in ''demanding'' an explanation from Hazama about all the crap he tried to pull.]]
* In ''VideoGame/GalacticCivilizations'' the humans are seen by most races as very soft, as they are diplomats by nature and will always try to solve their problems peacefully. The resident warrior/bully race, the Drengin, pity humanity particularly, and decide to show the rest of the universe just how pitiful it is. They convince another race, the Xendar, to start a war with the "soft" race. Needless to say, humanity reveals that [[HumansAreWarriors millennia of internal warfare]] have grown a very hard shell beneath the soft crust; it promptly mobilizes and [[CurbStompBattle curb-stomps]] the Xendar back to their homeworld. After the Xendar die altogether due to interference by the Drengin, Humanity disbands its army and goes back to being peaceful and polite with everyone as if nothing had happened. The Drengin decide it's a wise idea to leave the "soft" race the hell alone.
* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' may be the nicest character alongside with [[TheSmartGuy Tails]] and [[{{Moe}} Cream]], but anytime he encounters [[BigBad Dr. Eggman]] or any other villain, expect him to not only go start kicking their asses, but also say some [[DeadpanSnarker snide]] and/or [[SmugSuper cocky]] remarks about them while doing it. Noticeable examples of this are when in ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'', he cruelly mocks a defeated and despairing Metal Sonic, which is only justified considering how evil Metal was beforehand, and in ''[[VideoGame/SonicStorybookSeries Sonic And The Secret Rings]]'', Sonic in his [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Darkspine]] form brutally seals Erazor Djinn away for being so irredeemable and then throws his lamp into a pool of molten metal for good measure.
** Knuckles the Echidna is shown to be a selfless and caring hero who risks his life to save pretty much anyone in spite of his [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold tough demeanor]], but he won't hesitiate to deal with a villain with his spiked fists if they aren't willing to listen. And don't even think about stealing the Master Emerald and use it for evil purposes.
** Despite being GoodIsNotNice, Shadow the Hedgehog has shown to care for others, which includes his two teammates Rouge and Omega and his deceased surrogate sister Maria. When he fights against an evil foe, he has shown no second thoughts about using lethal force on them. [[VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog The Black Arms]] learned the hard way that this also means no compunctions against genocide when dealing with exceptional evil. He also won't hesitate to fight the heroes if they get in the way of his current goals.
** [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure Chaos]] is a water being who shown to be peaceful and friendly with Tikal and the Chao, but for those who would [[PapaWolf do any harm on them]], he will show no hesitation in going [[UnstoppableRage psychotically wrathful]] in killing them, as the greedy echidna clan had soon suffered dearly. [[DisproportionateRetribution Unfortunately]], he was filled with [[MadGod so much anger that he destroyed Station Square]], which only took Sonic to purify him with the positive powers of the Chaos Emeralds.
* Kei "Edge" Nagase of ''VideoGame/AceCombat5TheUnsungWar'' has this strange preoccupation, being a combat pilot, of not wanting to kill anyone and regreting Osea going to war with Yuktobania. Soft spoken, loyal to her flight lead (Bartlett and Blaze), and well liked by her team, she also comes across as very much a pacifist who would have much preferred to meet enemy pilots on airshow circuits rather than battlefields. That's the same Nagase who -- after being shot down and forced to flee on foot -- turns the table on enemy soldiers sent to capture her and ends up holding them at gunpoint, fights like a demon (literally in one case where the enemy pilots claim mythical demons had taken her over after she kills a good number of them [[spoiler:in retaliation to the death of her fellow teammate Chopper]]), and punches out a higher-ranking officer whom she finds out to be a traitor. She might not like wars, but if she finds herself in one, she is ready and willing to sweep aside all oppositions in her quest to end it.
* [[{{Franchise/SuperMarioBros}} Mario]], [[{{Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda}} Link]], and [[{{Franchise/Metroid}} Samus]] are Creator/{{Nintendo}}'s textbook examples of this trope. Mario is FunPersonified, Link is a KnightInShiningArmor and AllLovingHero, and Samus is a [[TheStoic stoic]], [[TheQuietOne quiet]] professional. Every one of them is a OneManArmy capable of taking on the greatest evils of his/her respective universe and their functionally [[WeHaveReserves endless hordes]] of {{Mooks}}. Villains underestimate them at their peril.
* Lara Croft in the ''Franchise/TombRaider'' [[VideoGame/TombRaider2013 reboot]]. She's still an AntiHero, but more of the [[ClassicalAntihero traditional type]] than the "modern" type, and she's much more pleasant than her previous incarnations.
* Sophitia Alexandra may be PurityPersonified and one of the most unambiguously good characters in the VideoGame/SoulSeries, but her fighting style is quite brutal and she is certainly not afraid to fight dirty, including moves like {{Groin Attack}}s and {{Neck Snap}}s. And while she is an ApologeticAttacker, she does so with an air of confidence and dignity. She is genuinely sorry she has to hurt her opponents, but she is ''not'' going to let anything stop her.
* Serah Farron from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII2''. She's kind-hearted, friendly and cute, a stark contrast to her gruff badass [[CoolBigSis Big Sis]] Lightning. However, like Lightning, she's a hardcore {{Determinator}} and ActionGirl, and if she's ''really'' pushed, she's just as dangerous as her big sis.
* Most of the main cast in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX.'' Of the seven heroes, Auron and Khimari qualify unquestioningly. You could make really strong arguments for Wakka, Tidus, and Lulu, and even Rikku and Yuna have their moments of this.
* Most of the Vault Hunters from ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands 2}}''. Even though a few of them lean towards being {{Sociopathic Hero}}es, for the most part they're doing their level best to protect those on Pandora who can't protect themselves. They're also some of the most unambiguously badass people on the planet, who think nothing of mowing down hordes of bandits, dangerous wildlife, or robots.
* Xian Mei and John Morgan of ''VideoGame/DeadIsland'' would make [[Franchise/ResidentEvil Chris and Jill]] fall to their knees in reverence. They are committed to helping everyone, very sympathetic to the victims of the outbreak and caring to those caught up in the outbreak. They are also capable of slaughtering half the population of Banoi and Palanai with ease and turn bloodthirsty when coming across those irredeemably evil.
* Sora of the ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' series is this. He travels to different worlds, helping out people in need and befriending them in the process. He is also openly rude to any villain he encounters throughout his journey, and more die at his hands than get arrested or escape. He's also not afraid to fight any [[{{WouldHitAGirl}} women]] and [[{{WouldHurtAChild}} children]] who work for or are villains. So, if you piss him off, prepare to die.
* The Assassins in ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'' are this. Their ideology is based around free will and self-determination, and they're generally good guys. However, as you might guess from the name, their ModusOperandi is assassinating the key people on the other side.
* In ''VideoGame/AWitchsTale'', Queen Alice did what needed to be done to stop the Eld Witch, including sacrificing a princess to create the seal and denying the Eld Witch's daughters reincarnations.
* Thrall from ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' probably qualifies. In addition to being a visionary leader who strives for peace among the warring factions, he's also just generally a nice guy. But he's also a fierce warrior who won't hesitate to crack some heads with Doomhammer when occasion requires; most notably, he was seconds away from [[spoiler: executing Garrosh on the spot for his crimes, before Varian Wrynn interrupted.]]
* The Tenno of ''VideoGame/{{Warframe}}''. Millennia old beings who are dedicated to restoring balance and order the solar system. They are genuinely out to help the civilians who currently suffer under a number of tyrannical [[TheEmpire regimes]], and are even known to [[EnemyMine assist those regimes]] when dealing with [[EvilerThanThou the]] [[TheVirus Infestation]]. Their standard means of restoring balance is to conduct [[HitandRunTactics hit and run attacks]], [[StealthExpert assassinate high profile targets]], steal and sabotage their enemies technology, or [[OneManArmy brutally slaughter their way through entire battalions of enemy troops]].
* [[BadassPreacher Joshua Graham]] AKA The Burned Man in ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas''. He's a mormon missionary and the former [[TheDragon Legate]] of [[TheEmpire Caesar's Legion]]. His in-game karma is good and [[NiceGuy he's very friendly towards you]]. The catch? [[PapaWolf He's sworn to protect the local tribes]] from the [[AlwaysChaoticEvil White Legs]], a monstrous tribe that massacred his homeplace and has come to Zion Valley to finish the job. Joshua's solution to the problem is [[KillEmAll massacring the entire tribe]], and he's [[BloodKnight just as brutal]] as he was in the Legion. Fortunately, he can be talked out of killing the White Legs leader.
--> '''Joshua''': [[BadassBoast Make no mistake. This is an extermiation]].
* ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' franchise: The notable sizes of cute/innocent females (Sheeda, Nino, Lilina, etc) and the main lords (Marth, Sigurd, Roy, etc) are of the high tier MagikarpPower and/or GameBreaker. Their personalities are genuinely decent, but they're still soldiers who develop to hurl down the toughest opponent soldiers and monsters and to fight for what is right.
* Ajay Ghale of ''VideoGame/FarCry4'' leans towards this characterisation. He's the only ''Far Cry'' protagonist so far to have a KarmaMeter, which increases if you perform certain Karma side missions, most of which entail rescuing hostages, avenging the abuses of Pagan Min and his forces, and protecting locals from animal attacks. By the end of the game, he'll be something of a saint. He's also a ''Far Cry'' protagonist, however, with [[BloodKnight all that]] [[OneManArmy entails]] [[KnifeNut as well]].
* In ''VideoGame/SidMeiersAlphaCentauri'', Lady Deidre Skye of the Gaia's Stepdaughters. Their ideology leans towards eco-friendly policies and pacifism, but this doesn't mean they're pushovers. They, along with the [[AnimalWrongsGroup Cult of Planet]] and the [[ScaryDogmaticAliens Caretakers]], have the ability to capture, train and breed the native fauna. She may well declare war on your nation to stop you polluting or overexploiting, or just to prove that your lack of empathy for Planet will [[SuperweaponSurprise bite you in the ass]], and send hordes of alien worms and spore launchers to deal with you. One in-universe material, entitled "Our Secret War" and written by Deidre, details how the Gaians waged a successful war against the Spartan Federation, a group of [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy militant, warlike survivalists]], by using mind worms against them, and ''nobody knew the Gaians were the ones behind the attacks''. Eco-hippie girl just got a lot more fucked up... or badass, depending on your view.
-->'''Lady Deidre Skye''': "As the writhing, teeming mass of Mind Worms swarmed over the outer perimeter, we saw the defenders recoil in horror. "Stay calm! Use your flame guns!" shouted the commander, but to no avail. It is well known that the Mind Worm Boil uses psychic terror to paralyze its prey, and then carefully implants ravenous larvae in the brains of its still-conscious victims. Even with the best weapons, only the most disciplined troops can resist this horrific attack."
** From the expansion pack, Foreman Domai of [[ChummyCommies the Free Drones]] and Datajack Sinder Rose of [[PlayfulHacker the Data Angels]]. Domai's end goal is a social democratic society where the people work together to ensure everyone is happy and prosperous, while Rose's end goal is an anarchist society with maximum personal liberty for everyone. Domai is also the most explicitly violent and politically aggressive leader, and Rose wouldn't think twice about sending a probe team to hack into your network and steal all your secret weapons to turn them on you.
* The [[PlantPerson Sylvari]] of ''VideoGame/GuildWars2'' may be in many senses beautiful, hopelessly idealistic, aligned-to-good, kind and compassionate folks who are naive to much of the harsh realities of Tyria, and they may very well be more attuned to nature than any other race in the world -- but they constantly remind other, tougher races that roses possess thorns, and their trained soldiers are capable of being just as lethal on a battlefield as most other trained soldiers of other races.
-->'''Thermain (Sylvari NPC)''': I am no placid gardener, no gentle guardian. Thorns bite, vines choke -- and I kill.
* Several characters from ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' qualify to some extent, due to the cast being something of a DysfunctionJunction, the most clear cut example is definitely Sans the skeleton. He's among the nicest and friendliest people you'll meet in the game (which is saying a lot), with a laid-back personality, goofy sense of humor, and very close relationship with his younger brother, Papyrus. From the moment he introduces himself onward he treats you like an old pal, despite the fact that humans and monsters have a very ugly history, and he'll pop up throughout the game to give you advice, peddle healing items to you, or just have a nice chat over lunch. However, it becomes clear over time that his HiddenDepths run deep; toward the end of the game, he'll reveal that [[spoiler:he actually had every intention to kill you the moment he laid eyes on you, only not doing so because of a promise he made to somebody else, and he's actually been stalking you throughout the game because he knows about the VideoGameCrueltyPotential you could indulge in at any given moment.]] This doesn't disqualify his alignment as a good character -- practically every character in the game wanted to do the same at some point due to the aforementioned species divide -- but it's still telling that he was willing to [[spoiler:stone-cold murder a defenseless child in order to preserve peace among monsters.]] It doesn't stop there: while he'll take most of your behavior, however villainous, in stride throughout most of the game, he will not take it well [[HeroicBSOD at]] ''[[HeroicBSOD all]]'' if you [[spoiler:[[BigBrotherInstinct kill Papyrus]].]] And if you kill enough monsters -- enough to get him to finally break his resolve and [[spoiler:bar you from the game's ending, knowing you'll destroy the whole world if you reach it -- then you'll be faced with far and away the most difficult challenge in the game: [[FinalBoss a boss battle again him]]. CombatPragmatist doesn't even ''begin'' to cover what you'll be up against...]]
* Phoenix Wright in the ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' series is, aside from his DeadpanSnarker moments, is a very friendly guy and will defend you to the bitter end in court if he believes you're innocent. However, if he finds the true culprit behind the crime, Phoenix ''will'' tear that person apart with logic and evidence in such a way that the guilty party will have a VillainousBreakdown when they are forced to confront the truth. Likewise, Phoenix's partner, Apollo Justice, is also an easy going guy (if a bit easy to rile up), but he'll be on you like a hawk if he sees that you're not as innocent as you claim. He gets quite intense in ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneySpiritOfJustice'' where he was willing to risk his own life while guards had guns pointed at him in order to bring down justice against [[spoiler: Ga'ran, the Queen of Khura'in]] when he's able to correctly deduce that the person is the true murderer of the victim and the murderer of [[spoiler: Apollo's biological father]].
* ''VideoGame/GhostReconWildlands'': Nomad and the Ghosts rip on each other, [[SirSwearsALot swear like dock workers,]] use torture and intimidation on civilians and want no part of getting involved in Bolivia's civil war, but their targets are [[AcceptableTargets drug cartels]] and their allies, and Nomad does help the people affected by the conflict anyway.
* The Phantom Thieves of Hearts in ''VideoGame/Persona5''. When not on the job, they're a bunch of affable, easygoing high-schoolers trying to live a normal life. When on the job, however, they ruthlessly punish evildoers by the process of HeelFaceBrainwashing, even sending out calling cards to their major targets to let them know they're next.
* In ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' series, the Aedra, [[OurGodsAreDifferent "original spirit"]] beings who sacrificed large portions of their divine power during the [[CreationMyth creation]] of Mundus, the mortal plane, are seen as [[GodIsGood uniformly benevolent]], highly regarded, and worshiped as the [[SaintlyChurch primary religion]] throughout most of Tamriel. However, several instances in history have seen them get tough. Two of the most prominent:
** After they realized that [[TheMaker Lorkhan]] [[TricksterGod tricked]] them out of their power in order to create Mundus, they got even. How? They [[GodIsDead "killed" him]], tore out his heart ("divine center"), and tried to destroy it. When it proved indestructible, they cast it down into the world he had them create where his spirit would be forced to wander.
** When [[FounderOfTheKingdom Alessia]] and her Nedic people ({{Precursors}} to most of the [[HumansAreSpecial races of Men]]) were [[SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil enslaved]] and [[KickTheDog tortured]] by the Daedra worshiping [[OurElvesAreBetter Ayleids]], the Aedra sent aid. Not only did mankind win the war, the Ayleids were [[FinalSolution driven to extinction]] as a unique race.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Originals]]
* Linkara from ''WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall'' is generally a nice guy, but is perfectly willing to commit cold-blooded murder on his enemies. In fact, he's done this so much that [[spoiler:he started to turn evil, possibly subverting the trope]].
* The Church Knights of ''Literature/FromWintersAshes'' may be dedicated to dealing with terrible things so you don't have to, but that doesn't mean one might not [[https://fromwintersashes.wordpress.com/2015/03/31/chapter-2-0-examination/ stick a sword through your hand and drag you around by it to teach you a lesson.]]
* [[Literature/TheJournalEntries Pendorians]] are kind, generous people who never consider using force to impose their will on other cultures. They also react badly to things like Pendorians being kidnapped. One kidnapping was mentioned to have ended in the destruction of a city. Another caused an interstellar war aimed at killing everyone connected to the kidnapping.
* ''Literature/{{Reds}}'': The UASR is portrayed as a decent nation with a leadership devoted to social and economic equality for all citizens. That being said, their nation's early history is marked by what is arguably political persecution against those believed to be trying to destroy American democracy, complete with {{Kangaroo Court}}s and ''summary execution''. (Though to give them their due, once stability was restored the government had a major MyGodWhatHaveIDone moment and undid as much of the damage as they could.) And it is stated that World War II was an even bloodier affair. Whether or not this extra bloodshed was their doing hasn't been revealed yet, but it's clear they are ready for a fight.
* Chaka of the Literature/WhateleyUniverse: she's cheerful, considerate, happy-go-lucky... and she kicked Montana's butt when he crossed the line with her friend. When she had to deal with Lycanthros, she broke half his ribs and smashed his face in with moonsilver.
* Taylor, protagonist of Literature/{{Worm}}, is a [[TheWoobie perennial bullying victim]] and wannabe superheroine, who, even as she [[TheInfiltration infiltrates a gang of supervillains]], [[ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules refuses to spend any of her share of the ill-gotten gains]], has managed to temporarily incapacitate a regenerating supervillain who [[TheDeterminator becomes more powerful as the fight continues]]. Her way of ensuring that he doesn't get back up before the authorities arrive? Calmly use a knife to [[EyeScream remove his eyes]], since they'll regenerate... eventually.
* In ''WebVideo/DontHugMeImScared'', [[NoNameGiven Red Guy]] is the tallest (and presumed oldest) of the main trio. He's also TheStoic to extreme levels (virtually never raising his voice or getting upset), and shows compassion to his friends. But in Episode Four ("Computers"), he gets sick of the insane, babbling Teachers making trouble, and starts fighting back: he calls out Colin the Computer for his stupidity and even tries to shut him down (Yellow Guy and Duck Guy ''never'' touch the Teachers), refuses to be taken in by the clicks and whistles the computer offers, and escapes the "digital world" Colin creates through sheer force of will. [[spoiler: Granted, this gets Red Guy "killed"--or at least warped out of the reality of the show--but in Episode Five, he's still trying to save his friends by calling them from the real world. Red Guy even ends up saving the day in Episode Six by unplugging the device that seems to be powering the horrific reality he and his friends once inhabited.]]
* ''Literature/TheAngloAmericanNaziWar'': [[TheAlliance The A4]], despite fighting a brutal war, spend tons of valuable resources trying to help civilians and offer food to any enemy that surrenders. But what do they do to a nation that [[FinalSolution enslaved and murdered tens of millions]], unleashed deadly gas attacks, [[spoiler: murdered members of the British Royal Family, and turned [[OmnicidalManiac all of France into a wasteland]] out of sheer spite?]] Well:
** The Nazi Reich endures [[spoiler: horrific nuclear and biochemical attacks. Berlin and Nuremberg are not just destroyed, but rendered ''uninhabitable for centuries'']].
** When Nazi soldiers decide to impersonate British soldiers and murder civilians in order to scare civilians away, Special Forces hunt them down without mercy.
** [[spoiler: Per treaty Germany is permanently broken into 15 permanently-occupied administrative districts to ensure another horror doesn't come back from the grave. In 2007 (almost half a century after the end of the war) a group of nationalists tried to militarily revolt to unite Germany, the A4 responded by ''obliterating'' the city of Stettin by orbital bombardment]].
** In a more personal example, a respectable Kansas soldier who lost several of his comrades in war was implied to have abandoned his guard duty [[spoiler: so that a group of Polish survivors could take brutal revenge on a group of former concentration camp commandants]].
* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': Humanity struggles to survive in a world full of monsters who seem to exist solely to [[CrapsackWorld destroy humans]]. As a result, the Huntsmen that protect people from the [[TheHeartless Creatures of Grimm]] need to give no quarter just to survive. The very first lesson [[ExtranormalInstitute Beacon Academy]] teaches its new students consists of [[BigGood Professor Ozpin]] launching the teens over a cliff into a monster-filled forest, with the [[SinkOrSwimMentor warning]] that they need to kill everything that moves because the teachers won't come to their rescue. At the same time, Professor Oobleck challenges his students to understand what their motivation for becoming Huntsmen actually is. This challenge causes Team RWBY in particular a crisis of faith as Weiss (who joined to restore honour to her family name), Blake (who joined to atone for the crimes of her past) and Yang (who joined to experience the thrill of danger) begin to realise their personal desires are [[YouAreNotReady restricting their growth]]. Oobleck is extremely pleased when the girls' realise the most important duty of being a Huntsman is to protect the vulnerable and innocent... and no matter how brutal the world, or their lessons, this is the one thing they [[HeWhoFightsMonsters must never forget]].
** Ruby, meanwhile, exemplifies the trope. She's easily the friendliest, most [[WideEyedIdealist idealistic]], and most compassionate of the titular team. She's also, at this point, maimed two villains and potentially killed a large number of [[{{Mook}} Mooks]], without hesitation or remorse.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* In ''Webcomic/TheBullysBully'', to BB bullying bullies are her lullabies, she is the nicest kindest girl you can imagine, makes every effort to use reason, but when it comes to the crunch she beats down and later [[MindRape mind rapes]] bullies.
* In ''Webcomic/{{Freefall}}'', Max Post [[http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff2500/fc02418.htm nails this trope in a glorious speech.]]
-->''Sam'': Fear vs. Hope. Hardly an even match.\\
''Max'': That's because you think of hope as something light and fragile. My version of hope has calluses and dirt under the fingernails and isn't above bringing brass knuckles to a fight.
* ''Webcomic/{{Megatokyo}}'''s Ping is usually very kind and innocent, since she's a RobotGirl built for live-action DatingSim-ing; but threatening her, or her friends, will ''literally'' activate [[http://megatokyo.com/strip/252 Berserk]] [[http://megatokyo.com/strip/256 Mode.]]
-->'''Ping''': Sorry about the mess. I had to make a bad man go away.
* Julie seems to be becoming this way in ''Webcomic/OurLittleAdventure'' as the [[CharacterizationMarchesOn story progresses.]]
* In ''WebComic/StandStillStaySilent'', JustBeforeTheEnd, Iceland took radical measures to protect its population against ThePlague, which included destroying boats of refugees if they don't give the proper signal.
* Saxony Canterbury from ''Webcomic/{{Thunderstruck}}'' is basically a good guy, and he never loses his cool. Ever. But it's not a good idea to [[http://talesfromthevault.com/thunderstruck/comic123.html convince him you are a threat]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender''
** Most of the Gaang fit this, being a team of heroic TrueCompanions who seldom hold back when all hell breaks loose. At the climax, every single one of Gaang's friends was urging him to kill the BigBad, and when [[spoiler: Zuko pulled his long overdue HeelFaceTurn]], Katara openly threatened to kill him if he ever looked like he would hurt Aang, and she clearly meant it.
** Iroh also fits this trope to a T. He's a [[CoolOldGuy kind old man]] who puts up with his nephew's {{Jerkass}} behavior, gives tea to random strangers... and cheerfully maims people who stand in his way.
** Avatar Kyoshi. Though definitely good, she did not believe in ThouShaltNotKill and never hesitated to give an enemy what was coming to him. Like a soldier, if an enemy needed dealing with, he got dealt with and that was that, no regrets.
*** It should be noted that ThouShaltNotKill was Aang's own personal conviction (part of his background as an airbender), and not an aspect of The Avatar. In fact, each and every previous life he accessed while meditating on the misty island was agreed on the point of [[IDidWhatIHadToDo doing what's best for the planet]] even though it might be unpalatable to his ethics. Avatar Yangchen, the previous Air Nomad Avatar and thus sharing Aang's pacifist religious beliefs, advised him that his duty as Avatar is to protect the world at ''any'' cost, even if means sacrificing his own morality.
** For that matter, Aang himself. Pacifistic, vegetarian, friendly, [[spoiler: and take away Ozai's firebending so he can't be a threat again. Seeing how a bender considers their bending to be an essential part of their being, not unlike their very soul, this is a very unpleasant experience, very much a FateWorseThanDeath from Ozai's perspective ([[AssholeVictim not that Ozai didn't deserve it, though]]).]]
** Monk Gyatso in Book One. The temple was subject to a surprise attack by overwhelming force of supercharged firebenders. This particular Airbender corpse was found atop a pile of at least 20 firebender soldiers. Said temple was the one where Aang learned his pacifistic ways.
* The titular character of ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' is this. If you're her friend she's fun and joking, if a bit egotistical. To enemies she's a terrifying BloodKnight, more than willing to give a complete beat-down, and it's pretty clear that she would have been willing to kill at least one of her opponents if she hadn't been...[[IAmNotLeftHanded interrupted]]. In Book Two [[spoiler: she actually does kill her uncle Unalaq]], and doesn't express any problem with it. Book Three shows that she's not alone: in the final episodes, Mako, Suyin, and Tonraq do not hesitate to use lethal force on their opponents.
* Terry from ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' is far kinder than his mentor, but while he ''is'' Batman and like Bruce will not actively kill, unlike Bruce, he won't [[SaveTheVillain save villains]] [[SelfDisposingVillain from their own fate]].
-->'''Mook''': I like to watch the crocodiles eat 'em. It's fascinating.\\
''*Terry fights them off, the same mook going into the water with them*''\\
'''Terry''': You're right. [[IronicEcho It is fascinating]]. (ScreamDiscretionShot)
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheDreamstone'', the Land of Dreams, despite being a Sugar Bowl in every other regard, is actually far more prone to violence than the Urpneys, and can be rather brutal (if not sometimes borderline sadistic) towards those that try to steal their stone, [[TrappedInVillainy willingly or not]].
* WesternAnimation/KimPossible, a Disney character no less, is really caring and helpful, even more so as she matures. She has tried to reason with the villains at times, but most episodes have her resorting to her fists to resolve problems.
** Ron too. He is sweet, and goofy. He's been a distraction for Kim. The only villains that were KilledOffForReal were the ones that [[BerserkButton threatened Kim's life.]] [[BewareTheSillyOnes That gets him furious.]]
* The original ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTVSpecials'' demonstrated this trope at times as well. The series' first villain, Tirek, was straight-up ''killed'' -- though "obliterated" might be a better way of putting it -- by the Rainbow of Light. Their weapon of choice might be a CareBearStare, but the Franchise/CareBears these ponies ain't.
* [[TheHighQueen Princess]] [[BigGood Celestia]] of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' is a loving, understanding ruler who nevertheless [[SealedEvilInACan sealed]] her ArchEnemy [[GodOfEvil Discord]] [[TakenForGranite in stone]] for more than a millennium -- a period for which Discord [[AndIMustScream was conscious the whole time]]. Celestia didn't lose any sleep over it because of [[ManipulativeBastard his]] [[TheSociopath personality]], and the same goes for the Mane Six after they manage to reseal him. Though they subvert this later when they set Discord free to give him a second chance.
** She also banished her beloved sister to the moon for a thousand years, because the latter was trying to bring about TheNightThatNeverEnds -- which would've had [[OmnicidalManiac omnicidal consequences]]. ''That'' is firm leadership, ladies and gentlemen (though Celestia, by all appearances, ''did'' [[TearJerker lose quite a bit of sleep]] over ''that'' decision).
** [[spoiler:"A Canterlot Wedding"]] features the villain [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Queen]] [[VileVillainSaccharineShow Chrysalis]] threatening the population of Equestria with an attempted invasion. Consequently, it also features the Chrysalis having to deal with Princess Celestia shooting FrickinLaserBeams at her face. [[spoiler:To everyone's surprise -- [[DoesNotKnowHisOwnStrength including her own]] -- [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu Chrysalis proves powerful enough to defeat Celestia]], but [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome none of the fandom seemed to care]].]]
*** It's worth noting that [[spoiler: in this case, Chrysalis, who's the queen of an EmotionEater race, was pretty much beyond all power limits during the battle, as she'd been feasting on the love between Shining Armor and Princess Cadence. In the sixth season finale, when faced with the prospect of fighting Celestia (and all of the other Mane Cast) again, she promptly turned tail and fled]].
** [[SorcerousOverlord King Sombra]]'s case is very similar to Discord's in nearly every respect. Bonus points for the method with which he is dispatched upon his return ([[spoiler:he is the first and only antagonist in the show to be KilledOffForReal]]).
*** Oh, and Sombra's fate when Celestia and Luna took him down in the past? His physical form was ripped apart and his soul was sealed under the arctic ice.
** The Mane Six are like this too. Twilight Sparkle might be among the most diplomatic and patient members of the cast, but threaten her friends or loved ones and you better be prepared to face weapons-grade magic. [[LightningBruiser Rainbow Dash]] and [[BadassNormal Applejack]], the former especially, being the most athletic members of the group, tend to waste little time in putting their considerable physical abilities to use despite their respective fun-loving and level-headed natures. Even [[FunPersonified Fun Ponified]] [[GenkiGirl Pinkie]] [[CloudCuckooLander Pie]] (who becomes abruptly terrifying when her {{Berserk Button}}s are pressed and wields a cannon[[note]]a [[AbnormalAmmo party cannon]], mind you, but a cannon nonetheless[[/note]] in combat), [[AllLovingHero sweet]] and [[ShrinkingViolet timid]] [[FriendToAllLivingThings Fluttershy]] (whose MamaBear instincts manifest in the form of a superpower called "[[DeathGlare the Stare]]"), and the sophisticated, [[ProperLady ladylike]] Rarity (who was kicking angry manticores in the face by ''the second episode'') will gladly step up to the plate if you pose a large enough threat.
--->'''Rarity:''' Fighting's not really my thing, [[TheFashionista I'm more into fashion]], ''[[MoodWhiplash but I'll rip you to pieces]] if you touch one scale on his cute little head!''
** Rarity gets special mention because she is shown using martial arts stances. The others have abilities that can be ''turned'' to combat. ''Rarity,'' on the other hand, ''set out to master asskicking'' at some point ''before'' she knew she'd be up against monsters with some regularity, and has no fear about leaping into the fray against creatures several times her size.
* WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls fit this trope to a T. Generally sociable and friendly, they even manage to get along with several members of their RoguesGallery when the villains aren't actively doing something evil. Nonetheless, their typical approach to crime-fighting is "[[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown beat the ever-loving shit out of the bad guys and dump their broken bodies in jail]]."
* Optimus Prime of ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'' is [[IdealHero 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. It doesn't matter if you used to be his friend. It doesn't matter if you used to be his ''mentor''. It doesn't matter whether you're a human he could easily crush in a fair fight, another Transformer he's on roughly equal footing with, or even a god-like being like Unicron. Once you've crossed that line, nothing else matters any more. You're going down, and going down HARD.
** This is a trait shared by many Autobots (and [[WesternAnimation/BeastWars Maximals]]) throughout the ''{{Franchise/Transformers}}'' franchise, both figuratively and literally. Optimus just tends to embody it best. When your race has "war machine" as a species trait, you tend to be ready when push comes to shove.
** In the G1 cartoon, during a flashback to his first meeting with Megatron and being rebuilt into Optimus, there is a scene where he just blasts holes into 'con after 'con after 'con. In ''WesternAnimation/TransformersTheMovie'', Optimus literally runs over one Decepticon and blasts several others before he confronts Megatron.
** Alpha Trion qualifies for this as well, for rebuilding him. After all, he knew warriors would be needed, so when two of his friends were injured, he didn't just rebuild them as they were -- he rebuilt them as badass Decepticon-slayers. Imagine waking up in the hospital with an ArmCannon in preparation for the next time you ran into the guy who put you there.
* While they're not like this in [[AdaptationOverdosed all incarnations]], the [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2003 2003 version]] of the Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles certainly fall into this territory. They have no qualms about killing but are generally pretty nice to their friends, and even when they bicker, you can still tell they love each other.
** One particular instance came when Michaelangelo, the most lighthearted member of the group, pulled the pins off the grenades that a soldier of an invading alien force was carrying. He makes a quip about having done so ''right'' before the grenades detonate... with the soldier still carrying them.
* Lion-O from ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats2011'' would seem to be soft compared to other Cats, since he is the only one willing to try and convince his enemies to stand down and show them kindness. However, this kindness does not extend to their bosses, such as when he defeats the king of the rats Ratar-O without hesitation. He also doesn't let his compassion get in the way when innocent lives are at stake, such as blowing several Lizard fighters out of the sky in the season finale.
* In ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice,'' [[TheDragon Psimon]] assumes that because [[SuperpowerLottery M'gann]] is a cheerful, friendly NaiveNewcomer, she'll fall apart with a BreakingSpeech and a selection of her worst fears. It works for about a minute. [[MindRape Then she gets PISSED]]. (Something which [[HeWhoFightsMonsters becomes a bit too common]] after the TimeSkip, to the point that the much gruffer GoodIsNotNice hero Superboy calls WhatTheHellHero.)
-->'''Psimon:''' [[OhCrap Now now, my pretty. I know you don't want to do anything you'll regret]].\\
'''Miss Martian:''' You don't know me AT ALL!
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Real Life]]
* In UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, right after the fall of UsefulNotes/{{France}}, UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler was certain that UsefulNotes/{{Britain}}, whom he considered fellow Aryans he didn't want to fight anyway, would fold up after that defeat and surrender. However, Prime Minister UsefulNotes/WinstonChurchill not only gave powerful speeches that his nation was not going to give up, but did more. Namely, he ordered British forces to sink idled French warships at Mers-el-Kébir, killing 1,297 French servicemen, to make sure UsefulNotes/NaziGermany could not use them against Britain. In doing that, Hitler was shocked to realize Churchill was not only talking tough, he also wasn't kidding around at how far he would go to fight the Nazis.
* In this day and age when a world power can project itself, many terrorist groups and dictators have learned that countries who are dedicated to maintaining order in the world are not going to just sit idly by and let them get away with things, such as Saddam Hussein invading Kuwait and getting smashed by the UN for it, or Gaddafi's Libya and the terrorist group ISIS getting smashed by UN air power when the world took action.
[[/folder]]