History Main / NominalHero

'''NoRealLifeExamples, please.'''

[[folder:FanFic]]
* In ''Fanfic/NarutoVeanganceRevelaitons'', Ronan [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Beelzbub]] is a tyrannical king who fights against the forces of evil, especially when they kidnap one or more of his girlfriends, but it's often hard to see them as being worse than he is considering that he's also an abusive boyfriend, will persecute those who don't share his tastes and a jerk to ordinary people like shopkeepers.
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* In ''{{LightNovel/Baccano}}'', the Rail Tracer [[spoiler:(Claire Stenfield)]] of , [[spoiler: saves a train and its passengers from being hijacked from two enemy factions, all the while [[HighHeelFaceTurn winning the heart]] of a [[TheSpeechless silent beauty]]. Nevermind that he's a trained mafia assassin who brutally murders dozens of people from both factions and [[BreakTheCutie tortures]] a [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld little boy]].]]

* ByronicHero lelouch from CodeGeass.

* In ''KingdomHeartsII'', Maleficent, while still not "good" in any sense of the word, is allied with the heroes in a common goal.

* byronicHero lelouch from CodeGeass.

* Even without a HeelRealization, an EnemyMine, the lesser of evils in an EvilVersusEvil or ALighterShadeOfBlack story, a SociopathicHero, NobleDemon, TokenEvilTeammate, or UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist can have an EvenEvilHasStandards moment and fight for good for the same reasons an IdealHero would. A NominalHero has no such standards.

** Eugene Greenhilt from swore a BloodOath to defeat Xykon the Sorcerer because the latter killed his mentor, but he was the one who muttered "yeah, whatever," afterwards. He was a horrible father, an inattentive husband, and the small amount of interest he has in Xykon being defeated is only because that oath he swore is keeping him from resting. He's only ''barely'' inside heaven in the afterlife. Note that when his son Roy died and went to heaven, Roy was able to get much further inside heaven because unlike Eugene, he actually gave a damn and did everything he could to fulfill the family oath.

** Zapp Brannigan is a cowardly, vain, selfish, ignorant, womanising Jerkass whose incompetence is of epic proportions, and whose battle plans often if not usually call for callously sacrificing thousands of lives in order to further his own career. Nonetheless, he is a key asset for [[TheFederation DOOP]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'', "The Coon" is an imcompetant KidHero who, being Eric Cartman in disguise, cannot comprehend good from evil (he attacks a man romantically kissing his girlfriend for attempted rape), and the large amount of time is more interested in gaining a mystique and fame than actually doing something benevolent. When another genuinely competant KidHero, Mysterion (Kenny in disguise), steps in and overshadows him, he actually joins forces with a villain to put him out of action (albeit still perfectly convinced he is doing good and Mysterion is actually a dick). Amusingly, The Coon is a ''much'' more competent villain than he is a hero.

** Zapp Brannigan is a cowardly, vain, selfish, ignorant, womanising JerkassWoobie whose incompetence is of epic proportions, and whose battle plans often if not usually call for callously sacrificing thousands of lives in order to further his own career. Nonetheless, he is a key asset for [[TheFederation DOOP]].

* {{Dexter}} is at the far, dark end of this to the point where he could fairly be considered simply a likeable VillainProtagonist, being a SerialKiller who is [[strike: moral]] clever enough to restrict his victims to other evildoers.

* Boredom. These characters are basically fighting for good because they don't have anything better to do. They don't care if the heroes actually succeed, they just enjoy the adventure. A SociopathicHero or TheTrickster might have this motivation.

* In ''{{Literature/Baccano}}'', the Rail Tracer [[spoiler:(Claire Stenfield)]] of , [[spoiler: saves a train and its passengers from being hijacked from two enemy factions, all the while [[HighHeelFaceTurn winning the heart]] of a [[TheSpeechless silent beauty]]. Nevermind that he's a trained mafia assassin who brutally murders dozens of people from both factions and [[BreakTheCutie tortures]] a [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld little boy]].]]

* In "{{Marathon}}", not only does Durandal make it quite clear that he is only fighting the Pfhor as a means of escaping the end of the universe, [[spoiler: he is the one who brought the Pfhor to Tau Ceti in the original game, an action that resulted in the deaths of nearly everyone in the colony.]]

* In the [[{{Sherlock}} 2010 BBC modernization]], Sherlock Holmes [[{{Lampshade}} describes himself]] as a "[[{{SociopathicHero}} High-Functioning Sociopath]]", and cautions Dr. Watson, "Don't make people into heroes, John. Heroes don't exist, and if they did, I wouldn't be one of them," showing not only that his motivations are not those of a typical straight hero, but also that he has a very cynical worldview.

* Over the course of his development, Kerr Avon in {{Blakes Seven}} varies from {{Token Evil TeamMate}} to a {{Jerk With A Heart Of Gold}} but loses all sympathetic qualties towards the end of series 4 when he tries to kill Villia in cold blood. He's still fighting the LawfulEvil federation but he only cares about saving himself.

* Over the course of hive development Kerr Avon in Blake's7 varies from TokenEvilTeamMate to a JerkWithAHeartOfGold but loses all sympathetic qualties towards the end of series 4 when he tries to kill Villia in cold blood. He's still fighting the LawfulEvil federation but he only cares about saving himself.

* [[BloodKnight Augus]] in "Asura'sWrath" only joined the Eight Guardian Generals so he could have exciting battles.

* Severl of the protaganists of BaldursGateDarkAlliance 2. Vhaidra wants to hone her skills as a monk so she can take bloody revenge against the assassins who murdered her family, and Borador, as a result of a debt owed to the elves, wants to get his hands on as mouch coin as he can. Dorn is a borderline exmple since his motivation comes across as equal parts 'make the realms a better place' and 'earn as much glory for myself and seduce as many women as I can.'