History Main / LovableRogue

* ''Literature/TheSunneInSplendour'': The charismatic Ned, the future King Edward IV, is introduced seducing his little brother Richard's nanny while Richard becomes lost in the forest. When Richard refuses to tattle on his brother, Ned realizes he's got an ally. Ned is not only TheCasanova but a WarriorPrince who soon gets himself crowned and wins over the common people. He does his best to rule fairly, but he does alienate key allies when he marries for love and marrying for love doesn't stop him from having a DecadentCourt with mistresses aplenty. The moralistic Richard grows up to be frustrated with his brother's carousing but never stops being loyal.

%%* Ostap Bender, ConMan in Soviet Russia in 1920s in ''Literature/TheTwelveChairs'' and ''Literature/TheLittleGoldenCalf'' by Ilf and Petrov and its adaptations.

* ''Literature/TheWitchOfKnightcharm'': Emily's roommate Megumi was a thief even before she joined the evil WizardingSchool known as Myth/TheScholomance, and she's primarily at her new school to gain the power she needs to crush her enemies, but her enemies are horrible gangsters, all the people she steals from that we see or hear about are evil too, she's willing to help Emily stay alive and withstand the crueler students at their school, and she's a very nice person as long as you don't get on her bad side.

%%* ''Manga/SpaceAdventureCobra'': Cobra. That is all.
%%* [[Manga/MagicKaito Kaito]] [[Manga/CaseClosed KID]].
%%* Nami from ''Manga/OnePiece'' is this at the beginning of the series, and still has bits and pieces of this personality as the story progresses.
%%** All of the Straw Hats are this to varying degrees, especially Luffy.
%%* Dirt from ''Webcomic/{{Magician}}'' though he is a bit more roguish than lovable at the start.
%%* In ''Anime/YuGiOh'', Katsuya Jonouchi ran with a bunch of JapaneseDelinquents before he met Yugi.

* Gene Starwind from ''Manga/OutlawStar''. He's a heavy drinker, a womanizer, doesn't pay his debts, and is a self-proclaimed "outlaw" (often treasure hunting and pirate-fighting, but not afraid to hoodwink and steal from the Galactic Police if he must). Yet, everyone loves him because he has a spunky personality and keeps promising he'll pay them back when he "Makes it big".

* Mika of Jatkosota High School in ''Anime/GirlsUndPanzer'' is this. A beautiful and capable tank commander who is admired by her peers, she is also a noted kleptomaniac even by the standards of her school.
* ''Anime/GreatPretender'' has Laurent Thierry, a globe-trotting con man who's made himself filthy rich scamming wealthy jerks, and who also isn't above manipulating his own friends to achieve his ends. However, his marks are all [[AssholeVictim horrible people]] who have also committed far worse crimes, and he frequently uses his cons to get enough information on them to turn them over to authorities... after he makes off with their money like a bandit.

* ''ComicBook/{{Hellblazer}}'': John Constantine sometimes qualifies -- if you're watching from a distance. If you're ''personally'' acquainted with him, you'd be more inclined to say that he is a prick, since sometimes his only goal is taking care of his own interests, and he can exploit others ruthlessly. But most of the time he's saving the world, which makes him an [[AntiHero anti-hero]].

* The Black Fox, a GentlemanThief foe of Franchise/SpiderMan, has this vibe going for him. So much so that Spider-Man actually lets him escape from their first few encounters because he just can't bring himself to send the Fox to jail.

* ComicBook/{{Catwoman}} has been this trope in the comics for over twenty years, though it doesn't stop [[VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs certain adaptations]] from just treating her like a villain.

* ''Fanfic/DungeonKeeperAmi'' has Jered, a mercenary thief turned treasurer, occasional spy and one of the closest friends and advisers for [[ADungeonIsYou Keeper]] [[Manga/SailorMoon Mercury.]]
* ''Roleplay/TheStrexFamily'' has an entire group of them -- the "reverseverse Strexes"'s raison d'etre is basically "steal everything in sight".

* ''Film/DungeonsAndDragons2000'' has two: Ridley Freeborn and Snails, both Commoner thieves living under the brutal FantasticCasteSystem of Izmir. Despite Ridley's ego and bigotry against Mages and Snails' cowardice, the two are ultimately noble at heart: Snails [[spoiler: sacrifices his life to help his friends continue their quest]] and Ridley slowly gets over his bigotry and comes to value things greater than himself.
* Creator/DouglasFairbanks essentially invented this archetype for film and based his whole career on it: ''Film/{{The Thief of Bagdad|1924}}'', ''Film/TheBlackPirate'', ''Film/{{Robin Hood|1922}}'', ''Film/{{The Three Musketeers|1921}}'', ''Film/TheGaucho'', ''Film/{{The Mark of Zorro|1920}}'', ''Film/DonJuan'', etc.

* Phil Moscowitz, the hero of the Creator/WoodyAllen comedy ''Film/WhatsUpTigerLily?'', who identifies himself as one when giving his name and occupation and whose lecherous behavior certainly fits the type.
* Daniel Dravot (Creator/SeanConnery) and Peachy Carnehan (Creator/MichaelCaine) from ''Film/TheManWhoWouldBeKing''. They're unscrupulous con men who set out to use modern weaponry and tactics to manipulate a small nation into appointing them kings, with the intent of making off with hoards of treasure, but for most of the film, you can't help but root for them. This is very much a matter of AdaptationDistillation, since the original characters in the Kipling story are not particularly attractive, and Kipling doesn't pretend they are
* ''Franchise/StarWars'':
** Han Solo. He seems to be so lovable that all the pretty rotten things he has done seem so justifiable that they don't seem to sink in. Particularly in the ''Han Solo'' trilogy, but also in many other EU books, he has conned a number of people, smuggled what is basically the hardest spice (SW equivalent of drugs) available, stolen, forged government documents, entered Imperial services under a false ID, [[FakingTheDead faked his own death]], cheated at games of chance, betrayed several employers, led a picket ship on a chase that resulted in its complete destruction, bribed an Imperial officer, freed slaves (morally good, but technically illegal), led a raid on a former employer's base, resisted arrest a whole lot of times, kidnapped Leia, and killed numerous people (though all of them were at least directly or indirectly trying to kill him at the time). In some instances, these acts were justifiable by being morally good or because he didn't have any sort of choice, but in other cases, they were purely selfish acts to get what he wanted. Essentially, the only two lines he consistently has shown is an unwillingness to kill anyone in cold blood and a [[SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil refusal to take a direct part in any type of slavery operation]] (he would work for slavers in other matters though).
** [[Literature/TheThrawnTrilogy Talon Karrde]] has been said by his creator to be based on what Han Solo might have become in the years since the films if he hadn't fallen for Leia. Karrde developed from there -- it's hard to imagine ''Solo'' running a large and well-organized smuggling/information brokering group -- but the basic idea is the same. He's NotInThisForYourRevolution, he has no love for the Empire but doesn't see the profit or point in open resistance, and he does have a sense of honor. The audiobook version of ''Heir to the Empire'' even felt the need to give him a Spanish accent.
** ''Film/TheLastJedi'' sets up the hacker DJ as a successor to Han; a JerkWithAHeartOfGold crook who joins up with the heroes for his own benefit, only to end up a genuine part of the team. [[spoiler:Then it's subverted. He's quirky and friendly on the surface, but [[JerkWithAHeartOfJerk he's still a selfish criminal deep down]] and he sells out Finn and Rose the second things go sideways. He's not given any sort of redemption arc like Lando either; [[KarmaHoudini the First Order pays him and he leaves]], though he ''is'' left [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone visibly shaken by his actions]].]]

* Captain Jack Sparrow, from the ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean'' movies, is a mix of this and MagnificentBastard. He has his own peculiar code of honor and can be heroic when he wants, but is highly pragmatic and values his own skin over everyone else's.
-->'''Cdre Norrington:''' You are without a doubt, the ''worst'' pirate I've ever heard of.\\
'''Cpt J. Sparrow:''' But you ''have'' heard of me.\\
''[after the Captain's escape]''\\
'''Lieutenant:''' [[MagnificentBastard That's got to be the best pirate I've ever seen]].\\
'''Cdre Norrington:''' So it would seem.
%%* The Dread Pirate Roberts from ''Film/ThePrincessBride''.

* Yuri from ''Film/LordOfWar'' is a very prolific, very successful ArmsDealer, selling weapons to the worst kinds of dictators and mass murderers, and doesn't feel much remorse for being indirectly responsible for the thousands, possibly millions of deaths caused by his weapons. And yet, his amoral and aloof attitude is exactly why he's so charming. He doesn't sell weapons [[NotInThisForYourRevolution out of politics]] or [[NothingPersonal a personal vendetta]], but because it's a business to him, and he's a really good businessman who takes care of his customers. His likability is improved because he doesn't flinch when being threatened with own weapons, casually entertains special requests from his customers like he were recommending wine, and the people he deals with are [[CompleteMonster infinitely worse]] than he is.

* ''Film/RepoTheGeneticOpera'' has Grave-Robber, who is, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin obviously]], a graverobber. He's also a drug dealer who sleeps in a dumpster, but he is very, very lovable.
* Bob, the title character of ''Film/TheGoodThief''. Even the cop who's after him has a soft spot for the guy.

* Rick O'Connell in ''Film/TheMummyTrilogy''. The fact that he started as a soldier in the [[LegionOfLostSouls French Foreign Legion]] until his unit was wiped out, only adds to his rogue status.
* ''Film/PlunkettAndMacleane'''s titular Macleane definitely fits the bill in spite of his thieving and gambling ways.

* ''Film/{{Cartouche}}'', loosely based on the life of the titular French highwayman (see below in "Folklore").
%%* Abu in ''Film/TheThiefOfBagdad1940''.
%%* Eames in ''Film/{{Inception}}''.

* "Professor" Harold Hill, of ''Theatre/TheMusicMan'', is this, with a heavy emphasis on the Lovable part (since he's also TheCharmer).
* Private Hook in ''Film/{{Zulu}}''. Note artistic liberty here; the historical Private Hook was no malingerer, not in any way a disciplinary problem, and fought even more bravely in the battle than the film portrays him as doing. His surviving relatives walked out of the premiere when they saw how he'd been portrayed.

* ''Film/WonderWoman2017'': "Chief" is a smuggler, but he's honorable, friendly, and honest, and when the Veld townsfolk offer him money for help in saving their town he [[ThinkNothingOfIt turns them down]].
* The Pecos Kid is even described as this in his on-screen introduction in ''Film/YellowHairAndTheFortressOfGold''.

* ''Franchise/LupinIII'' follows the exploits of the titular thief as he attempts to woo Fujiko (or any other attractive lady), and steal anything that amuses him. A bit less lovable in the manga, but often more of a rogue.
* Green, from ''Manga/PokemonAdventures'', fits this description at first. She consistently cheats and lies, and shows absolutely no signs of a conscience or caring for anyone but herself, yet she and Red manage to remain on almost friendly terms. She gets nicer and gives up thievery by the end of the first arc, but still keeps some lovable and roguish qualities.

* Ali al-Saachez from ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam00'' is a subversion; his men love him for his fun nature, and he ''does'' take care of them, often fighting Gundams by himself because he knows only he can match them in direct combat. However, he's also a BloodKnight who cares only for chaos and slaughter; if it's not him causing a civil war, it's making children kill their parents to prove their devotion to the cause, or just random murder for the sake of it. [[DracoInLeatherPants Though it hasn't really stopped the]] [[LoveToHate actual audience from enjoying him anyway]].
%%* Most of the principal cast of ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}'', especially Isaac and Miria.

%%* ''Manga/SpaceAdventureCobra'': Cobra. That is all.
%%* Dark in ''Manga/DNAngel'' most definitely fits this trope!

%%* Dorian Gloria, the thief from ''Manga/FromEroicaWithLove'', who is essentially a gay Lupin III.

* Basically ''everyone'' in any of Creator/RyohgoNarita's works. There's basically ''no'' unambiguously straight [[TheCape Capes]], or even simple "squares" in his stories, and everyone is more or less involved in some shady dealings, from [[LightNovel/{{Durarara}} petty gang wars]] to [[LightNovel/{{Baccano}} bootlegging]] or [[LightNovel/{{Vamp}} serial murder]], and ''most'' of these people (for a given understanding of the word) are charismatic enough to get the pass from the audience, even when [[DracoInLeatherPants they're actual villains]]. The exceptions are few and far between.

A person who breaks the law, for their own personal profit, but is nice enough and charming enough to allow the audience to root for them, especially if they [[ThouShaltNotKill don't kill]] or otherwise seriously harm anyone. It helps that none of their victims are anyone we know or that they've [[AssholeVictim made sure the audience knew they were jerks]], which makes it [[PayEvilUntoEvil "okay" to steal from them]]. For extra points, he may even [[JustLikeRobinHood give some of his takings to the poor]]. The most legitimate way to make this trope work is by making the rogue a JustifiedCriminal who steals only to survive in an uncaring world that leaves him with no other option, ESPECIALLY if the laws are unfair and benefit a select few at the expense of others, including the rogue.

* ''Manga/InuYasha'': Miroku has no qualms about lying, drinking, womanizing, conning and stealing, being determined to enjoy life to its fullest, but he later shows that he's also loyal, wise, and is ready to help and protect others even with his own life. Although there is pressure on him to produce an heir that can avenge his death (and also inherit the same curse), his womanizing is an inherited character flaw. His grandfather's womanizing nature is what allowed his ArchEnemy to curse the family line in the first place. Miroku's flaws therefore run in the family.

* Lampshaded in the ''Manga/DeathNote'' fic ''FanFic/ACureForLove'' when L indirectly calls Light one... [[ItMakesSenseInContext to his face.]] Mello and Matt better qualify.
* ''FanFic/AFarGreenCountry''. Elden is a deserter and a thief. Also, Durus and Surad are thieves. The story presents all three characters as protagonists: Elden became a thief for his own survival, and Durus and Surad become his allies.

** ''[[Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1]]'' and ''[[Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol2 Vol. 2]]'': Peter Quill aka Star-Lord is a thief, a con man, and a womanizer, but he's so charming that it's hard to hold these things against him.

* ''VideoGame/FireEmblem'':

* People who went against the system and smashed its unjust laws were a common fixture of Creator/AynRand's novels. Howard Roark from ''Literature/TheFountainhead'', for instance, burned down his own building rather than let his architectural vision be compromised, and was played by the rugged, square-jawed Creator/GaryCooper in the film adaptation. Most of the main characters in ''Literature/AtlasShrugged'' also qualify, but special mention goes to Francisco D'Anconia, a pirate who serves as John Galt's right-hand man while posing as a RichIdiotWithNoDayJob, and Ragnar Danneskjöld, a fellow pirate who steals from relief ships bound for famine-struck countries. He, quite literally, ''steals food from starving children.'' (He keeps most of the profits, too.) Nevertheless, he is presented as a charming hero, at least partly because it's implied by the narrator that those relief goods never would have reached the starving children anyway, and that the aid was propping up the corrupt governments who were responsible for the famine to begin with.

** On the law's side there's [[DefectiveDetective Jimmy McNulty]]. He breaks rules that he considers unjust, cares more about catching murderers than busting petty corner dealers, and refuses to juke the stats to make crime look artificially low. His[[HandsomeLech inveterate womanizing]] has already cost him a marriage, but his heart is decent enough that his eventual love interest, Beadie, seems [[MaybeEverAfter willing to give him a second chance]] in the end. And unlike the traditional CowboyCop, he disdains violence and shows of force, favoring cerebral (if illegal) investigative work.

* Omar, from ''Series/TheWire'' definitely falls under this category. He makes his living ripping off drug dealers and is constantly killing people. But he has a moral code of "all in the game" and he is just too lovable for the audience not to, well, love.

* Miguel & Tulio from ''WesternAnimation/TheRoadToElDorado'' are a pair of Spanish con artists who upon washing ashore in the New World are mistaken as gods by the local people of El Dorado. While mostly just in it for the gold, their tenure as "gods" is mostly benevolent (if a little eccentric).
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTheMovie2017'': Capper the anthropomorphic cat is described by Rarity as "charming" (he claims "Charming's my game") and appears to have quite a few friends in Klugetown. He also tries to sell the Mane Six to pay off a debt but ends up pulling a HeelFaceTurn.
* José Carioca, introduced in ''WesternAnimation/SaludosAmigos'' and further developed in ''WesternAnimation/TheThreeCaballeros'', is a tribute to the Brazillian romantic ideal, the ''malandro'', a heartbreaking scoundrel that doesn't quite obey the law. José stays away from the violence, but he's perfectly willing to engage in a bit of mischief while wooing the ladies.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* This trope is {{invoked|Trope}} in ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' to describe [[http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=006414 the difference between the Rogue and Thief classes]].

* Though he claims otherwise at first, Varden of ''Webcomic/{{Inverloch}} is really a decent fellow who comes to really care about the group (especially Lei'ella). He got into thieving mainly because of emotional issues about his MissingMom and his dad's shipping business going bust due to politics and stayed in it because he enjoyed it and he was good at it. [[spoiler:Lei'ella becomes his partner for a while, but eventually convinces him to follow his dad's footsteps after a dangerous job.]]

* [[PirateGirl Isabela]] from ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' sits here [[TheLadette with a drink]] and [[KnifeNut a few knives]] most of the time, if only because of her easygoing nature and the fact that the loss of her ship has forced her into [[ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything a lack of pirating recently.]] [[spoiler:It can be subverted when she abandons Hawke and Kirkwall to the Qunari at the climax of Act II. If the player has her at at least 50 friendship/rivalry though, [[ChangedMyMindKid she'll come back.]]]] There's also the fact that she lost her ship in the first place because she refused to carry a shipment of slaves. Zevran and Varric also count. One of them is a charming assassin with some degree of conscience, the other is a witty information man.

** ''Film/TheLastJedi'' sets up the hacker DJ as a successor to Han; a JerkWithAHeartOfGold crook who joins up with the heroes for his own benefit, only to end up a genuine part of the team. [[spoiler:Then it's brutally subverted. He's quirky and friendly on the surface, but [[JerkWithAHeartOfJerk he's still a selfish criminal deep down]] and he sells out Finn and Rose the second things go sideways. He's not given any sort of redemption arc like Lando either; [[KarmaHoudini the First Order pays him and he leaves]], though he ''is'' left [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone visibly shaken by his actions]].]]

** And back in the main party, Haley Starshine definitely qualifies-- we don't see her do much on-panel lawbreaking, but she was a prolific thief prior to joining the party, and while her quest to literally save the world takes priority, she won't turn down an opportunity to enrich herself along the way, as seen [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0577.html here]].

** And back in the main party, Haley Starshine probably qualifies, even though we almost never see her actually break any laws (at least, in the strip itself). We see her doing a sneaky burglary and theft in the prequel ''On the Origin of [[PlayerCharacter PCs]]'', and likewise in [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0577.html this online comic strip]]. Suffice to say, in ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' the Thief or Rogue has been a character class from the beginning, and a life of crime does not mean a thief character is automatically considered ''evil'' in alignment, he just cannot be ''lawful''.

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See also GentlemanThief, KarmicThief, VenturousSmuggler, RoguishPoacher, JustifiedCriminal, and JustLikeRobinHood. Contrast EvilHero, where a person with a NobleProfession is evil.

%%* Tasslehoff from ''Literature/{{Dragonlance}}'' could count as this.

The [[RougeAnglesOfSatin g comes before the u]], ladies and gentlemen. That is, unless you're talking about [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogGUN Rouge the Bat]], who [[AccidentalPun just happens to be]] a good example of this trope, [[MsFanservice in more ways than one.]] If the charming person is a villain instead of an AntiHero, then they are described as being AffablyEvil. The audience will usually ''not'' root for a villain, even if he or she is AffablyEvil. [[RootingForTheEmpire Usually.]]