History Main / NominalHero

* [[spoiler:Severus Snape]] in the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' books does have something of a moral compass, in that he aims to [[TheAtoner atone]] for his mistreatment and inadvertent betrayal of TheLostLenore by avenging her death. He doesn't care much for anyone else, though, as evidenced by his general nastiness... [[spoiler:though this may have changed under the years of working with Dumbledore, taking into account his reply to Dumbledore on the lives he couldn't save, and risking blowing his cover to attempt to save Lupin's life at the start of ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows Deathly Hallows]]''.]]

* In ''ComicBook/SamAndMaxFreelancePolice'', Max considers it a compliment to be called a grade-A sociopath, and was even dubbed the most terrifyingly dangerous force in the universe by ''the villain'' in Season One of the Telltale games. The only thing that really seems to keep him in line is his less sociopathic partner. In most other media, both Sam and Max qualify as this, with their loose moral compass mostly putting them on the side of good because while they are unhinged sociopaths, they prefer to direct their brand of justice on people who really deserve it.

* In ''ComicBook/SamAndMaxFreelancePolice'', Max considers it a compliment to be called a grade-A sociopath, and was even dubbed the most terrifyingly dangerous force in the universe by ''the villain'' in Season One of the Telltale games. The only thing that really seems to keep him in line is his less sociopathic partner.

* Selina Kyle in ''{{Series/Gotham}}'' qualifies for this trope.

* Many of the heroes in ''Literature/{{Worm}}'' are morally dubious or in it for the sake of their own careers. The clearest example is Shadow Stalker - a thrill-seeking psychopath with a [[StrawNihilist poorly articulated philosophy]] that serves only the purpose of [[BewareTheSuperman placing her at the top of the food chain]] and regularly brutalizes or kills criminals when she thinks she can get away with it.

** Arguably this can be applied to all the crew (with the exception of Book, whose motivations are unclear though his loyalty less so), who are on the crew for either financial gain or survival. Though there are moments of sincere heroism that even Mal can't ignore - such as returning the medicine they stole (only Jayne objects), helping out the whores (which only Jayne agrees to when he realises it'll get him free whore sex), and risking everything to out the secret behind the Reavers (even Jayne agrees to this).

* ''Series/TheSopranos'': Tony Soprano is a con artist, a thug, a womanizer, a thief, a murderer, an extortionist, and an adulterer. But the things separating him from a VillainProtagonist are his genuine love for his family, kindness to his friends, occasional pangs of guilt and moments of vulnerability, and the fact that his friends (and enemies) are even worse than he is. It actually makes him seem like a milder case of the trope....and then he loses much of it by season 6B and the finale.

* ''Series/TwentyFour'' protagonist Jack Bauer skirts along this trope during the show's eight seasons, but manages to stay away from it for the most part. The sequel mini-series "Live Another Day," however, shows that he's officially entered this territory due to how much his experiences in the show's original run have soured him. He comes out of hiding to save the day again solely because he learned that his old flame Audrey and her father and his former boss James Hellar were in danger, and displays a much more ruthless attitude than he did during the original series, including shooting a group of people in order to incite a riot for a diversion and [[spoiler:outright murdering the main villain of the first half of the season with little provocation even after she's been successfully captured, a stark contrast to the original seasons where he primarily killed only in self-defense or if someone [[ItsPersonal murdered someone important to him]]]].

* The Light Warriors in ''Webcomic/EightBitTheater'' (with the exception of [[TokenGoodTeammate Fighter]]) only possess the distinction of being protagonists due to showing up at the recruiting station at the right time. Both in-story and by WordOfGod, they are far worse than any of the monsters they end up facing. The worst of the lot are Black Mage (a pure VillainProtagonist and an OmnicidalManiac who wants to deliver the world to [[GodOfEvil Chaos]]) and Thief (a kleptomanic JerkAss MiserAdvisor and race elitist who's only in it to screw over as many people as possible). Red Mage is an amoral {{Munchkin}} who's in it for the XP but will happily commit atrocities toward that end. Fighter, on the other hand, is an IdiotHero who is only going along with the others because he [[HorribleJudgeOfCharacter thinks they're actually on the side of good]]. Still, the epilogue has them being credited as the individuals who started the events that led to the world being saved. That is, by being responsible for the world-ending threat in the first place.

* Captain Hammer of ''WebVideo/DoctorHorriblesSingAlongBlog'''s ''only'' qualification as a hero is that the guy he's fighting is trying to get into a supervillain organization. He may look like TheCape, but underneath his dashing, larger-than-life demeanor is a misogynistic, self-centered, bigoted glory hound who's far more interested in his image than in actually helping people. This makes him the [[HeroAntagonist antagonist]] of the story, set against the nerdy, TechnicalPacifist, ShrinkingViolet [[VillainProtagonist protagonist]], Dr. Horrible.

* ''WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall'': Linkara fell into this trope during the Lord Vyce arc, becoming gradually more self-centered and obsessed in his fight against his enemy to the point of being abusive to his friends. The hard light hologram replica of himself he leaves behind to do reviews while he goes on a walkabout to figure out why his magical abilities shut down reflects this perfectly: it turns evil not because it was buggy or corrupted, but because [[GoneHorriblyRight it was a perfectly accurate reflection of Linkara at the time it was created.]]

* Wrestling/AllysinKay's HeelFaceTurn in Shine Wrestling began with Kay [[TakeThatAudience insulting her own fans]] and ended with her embracing them after all her friends "betrayed" her and she had no one else to turn to. This betrayal consisted of Kay's friends proclaiming that Kay was NOT TheLeader of their PowerStable and making what they thought was a good business decision even though Kay was against it. All the initial violence in the resulting feud was instigated by Kay, something ''Sweet Saraya'' called [[EvenEvilHasStandards her out on]], and when not feuding with her former friends Kay continued to try and force the Shine promotion to give her what she wanted by "destroying innocent girls". What made Kay a baby face was that the friends she betrayed had made five on one {{no holds barred beatdown]]s of genuine baby faces their modus operandi, the business she was against was them merging with an even [[TheBully crueler]] power stable and after her face turn none of the "[[HorribleJudgeOfCharacter innocents]]" Kay was destroying [[AssholeVictim were actually innocent]].

* [[Wrestling/AndradeCienAlmas La Sombra]], La Máscara and especially Rush, the most hated man in Wrestling/{{CMLL}}, only avoided being officially designated rudos by the latter's sheer insistence that they were merely "Los Ingobernables, técnicos diferentes", and that the other técnicos they typically opposed like Volador Jr. and Wrestling/{{Mistico}} were still their brothers.

* Similarly, Wrestling/RandyOrton still acted as a heel after his 2010 [[HeelfaceTurn face turn]], [[KickTheDog beating]] [[KickTheSonOfABitch up]] anyone who gets in his way.

* ''SelfDemonstrating/{{Deadpool}}'' is a NobleDemon SociopathicHero. He easily eclipses even Comicbook/ThePunisher, as he frequently finds it ''funny'' to casually torture, dismember, and murder people. Though in later years, Deadpool has become more and more heroic, to the point where he's a solid AntiHero in the place of his old Nominal Hero status. [[spoiler: To the point where he was the OnlySaneMan and the conscience of the X-Men's Black Ops squad under Wolverine who thought that killing the kid who was Apocalypses' reincarnation is just wrong. Throughout the arc, he became more and more heroic too via CharacterDevelopment, and even convinced the kid to join the Jean School for the Gifted so he can use his powers for good instead of evil.]]

* The Clipper, a "hero" from the Great Depression era who is mentioned in Franchise/TheFlash. While he gunned down poor people driven to crime by desperation, and then cut off the tips of the ears of the survivors, he lived in a fancy mansion and had it easy. He's quoted as having said "it doesn't matter if they're guilty, it matters if they're dead!" indicating he didn't even bother to check if his victims were innocent.

* ''[[ComicBook/{{Hellblazer}} Hellblazer's]]'' John Constantine is also a milder case. But being an AntiHero, many of his battles are because he was being forced to comply, for personal gain (ready to sacrifice anyone), or simply just being bored and want to do some shit.

* ''[[Comicbook/SubMariner Namor]]'' can veer between this and UnscrupulousHero depending on the book and [[TheAgesOfSuperHeroComics era]]. [[WildCard Unless he's the villain of the piece.]]

* {{ComicBook/Sabretooth}} usually tends to be this. If he's working with the heroes, it's because he was forced to and / or had something to gain. Other instances, he's tried to do right by a love interest. Holly & Bonnie are examples. He's not a hero when he meets either of them, but was very protective of them, and would've possibly settled down with them had they survived. During the ''{{ComicBook/AXIS}}'' event, Creed was [[HeelFaceBrainwashing inverted]] into a hero due to a spell gone wrong by ComicBook/ScarletWitch. He starts off as a truly heroic figure wanting to atone for his sins, even refusing to kill for a time. During ''ComicBook/UncannyXMen2015'', his nominal hero tendencies returned after developing feelings for ComicBook/MonetStCroix, whose well-being he cared more about than anyone else. He's still inverted & repentant, but when Monet is around, [[AlwaysSaveTheGirl his priorities shift]].

* In ''Comicbook/SamAndMaxFreelancePolice'', Max considers it a compliment to be called a grade-A sociopath, and was even dubbed the most terrifyingly dangerous force in the universe by ''the villain'' in Season One of the Telltale games. The only thing that really seems to keep him in line is his less sociopathic partner.

* From ''Comicbook/{{Watchmen}}'', the Comedian: a thrill-killing BloodKnight, rapist, war criminal and all-around PsychoForHire (and he's actually a more sympathetic version of the trope, believe it or not).

* ''Series/{{Dexter}}'': The titular character 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 was disciplined at a young age to channel his sociopathy toward killing other evildoers. By the end of Season 7, he is 100% VillainProtagonist

* Amos from ''Series/TheExpanse'' (who is very reminiscent of a heavily {{Flanderiz|ation}}ed Jayne) only seems to stick around with the others out of personal loyalty and/or UnrequitedLove for Naomi and because he has nowhere else to go, at least in Season 1.

* ''Series/{{Firefly}}'': Jayne is working for Mal only because Mal offered him more money and his own bunk. When given the offer he immediately shot the mercenaries he was currently working for and sided with Mal. He makes it clear throughout the series that he would do the same again if a better offer came along... Maybe. The big lug goes through a ''lot'' of CharacterDevelopment in thirteen episodes and one BigDamnMovie and shows regular signs of HiddenDepths.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* The Light Warriors in ''Webcomic/EightBitTheater'' (with the exception of [[TokenGoodTeammate Fighter]]) only possess the distinction of being protagonists due to showing up at the recruiting station at the right time. Both in-story and by WordOfGod, they are far worse than any of the monsters they end up facing. The worst of the lot are Black Mage (a pure VillainProtagonist and an OmnicidalManiac who wants to deliver the world to [[GodOfEvil Chaos]]) and Thief (a kleptomanic JerkAss MiserAdvisor and race elitist who's only in it to screw over as many people as possible). Red Mage is an amoral {{Munchkin}} who's in it for the XP but will happily commit atrocities toward that end. Fighter, on the other hand, is an IdiotHero who is only going along with the others because he [[HorribleJudgeOfCharacter thinks they're actually on the side of good]].
** Still, the epilogue has them being credited as the individuals who started the events that led to the world being saved. That is, by being responsible for the world-ending threat in the first place.

* The Midnight Crew in ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' are a group of bloodthirsty, vicious criminals. The only thing that keeps them from being outright {{Villain Protagonist}}s of the first Intermission is the fact that the gang they're facing off against, the Felt, is even worse and is led by the GreaterScopeVillain of the whole story.

* [[WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall Linkara]] fell into this trope during the Lord Vyce arc, becoming gradually more self-centered and obsessed in his fight against his enemy to the point of being abusive to his friends. The hard light hologram replica of himself he leaves behind to do reviews while he goes on a walkabout to figure out why his magical abilities shut down reflects this perfectly: it turns evil not because it was buggy or corrupted, but because [[GoneHorriblyRight it was a perfectly accurate reflection of Linkara at the time it was created.]]

* [[WebVideo/TheSpoonyExperiment Spoony]] (the character, not Creator/NoahAntwiler) is a sleazy pervert and a confirmed rapist as both WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic and WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick found out the hard way. The Chick herself is a sociopath with no qualms when it comes to tormenting and manipulating her best friend.

[[folder:{{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]
* In the Anime version of ''Anime/AfroSamurai'', the title character is something of a tragic example of this; he is not without some humanity in him, but ends up burying it in his all-consuming pursuit of vengeance and adherence to his brutal code of honor, to the point where it's not clear whether he's a Nominal Hero or a VillainProtagonist. Afro's goals are, effectively, identical to those that he fights, and a strong argument could be made that the audience only sympathizes with him because we saw his back story, and didn't see theirs. The manga (and by extent, the original doujin) just turn him into a full-on villain.

* In ''Manga/{{Bastard}}'', NobleDemon Dark Schneider has some PetTheDog moments, but on the whole is an egocentric JerkAss and sadist who openly admits that as soon as he takes down the BigBad of the series, he will subjugate the world through mass-murder and warfare. He also shamelessly gropes girls and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking treats almost everyone rudely]].

* Guts of ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' fits here. His phase as the vengeance-obsessed Black Swordsman takes this UpToEleven, though. An utterly ruthless warrior who cared about nothing except killing demons, and would not lift a finger to help innocents caught in the crossfire, considering them small fry without the strength to truly live, and in many cases, he could be seen as even more horrifying than the Apostles that he was driven to kill. Only after finding Casca again has he been able to mellow out, though not exactly move out of this territory ([[AlwaysSaveTheGirl since, besides his friends, he's only been concerned with keeping her safe]]). He also has to deal with a particularly nasty EnemyWithin that represents who he used to be.
** Most of Guts friends and allies, pre-Eclipse and post-Eclipse, are in this territory as well. The original Band of the Hawk are probably one of the most likeable examples [[HiredGuns as far being mercenaries goes]], since they were hired by the Kingdom of Midland and became its national heroes (despite still having little heroic motivations). Guts' current TrueCompanions are all following him for various reasons that also aren't really heroically charged, but they end up doing some good wherever they go.

* In ''Manga/BlackClover'' a huge problem with the Magic Knights is that they aren't really good people. Several of them want to help their country, but a huge part are just elitist nobles and {{Royal Brat}}s. Zora's backstory included how he decided to become a vigilante mage that attacks Magic Knights after witnessing a two of them causing a ruckus in a tavern, demanding service for their good deeds and them attempting to [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil rape the waitress]], as well as learning that [[spoiler:Magic Knights killed his father, who was the first peasant to become a Magic Knight and they didn't wanted to be associated with him]]. The man Zora is introduced attacking, the vice captain of the Purple Orcas, turns out to have just been about to attack an old lady who begged him for help to find her missing granddaughter, because he was too tired to do it.

* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'': Mayuri's sole interest is to work for the advancement of scientific discovery and much of his science does prove beneficial to Soul Society. For example, he's the person the [[CombatMedic Fourth Division]] goes to when a patient needs organ transplants. However, he's a sociopath who doesn't care at all for his subordinates and sees everybody as either a tool or a research experiment (which are often cruel and sadistic in nature); he'll go to any lengths ForScience WordOfGod states he's an example of necessary evil.

* Masaru "Kodama" Kodaka of ''Manga/{{Bokurano}}'', is fighting to save the world like everyone else, but not only does he not care about collateral damage, he thinks it's a good thing, since he sees people as divided into those who deserve to survive and those who do not, and thinks that his father (of the former type) would benefit from being able to rebuild.

* Mello from ''Manga/DeathNote'' is this with hints of an UnscrupulousHero. But despite intending to catch [[VillainProtagonist Kira]], he is more than willing to shoot anyone in his way, become a mob boss, kidnap innocent girls, and in the manga, threaten the President to sabotage his rival so that said rival can't catch Kira.
** Near also fits in a similar way; his sole goal lies in "winning the game," and he is far from opposed to putting others in the line of fire or (as Matsuda suggests he might have) using the Death Note himself in order to do it. Unlike their predecessor, both Mello and Near are more preoccupied by personal ambitions and competition than the actual idea of doling out "justice," which is maybe why their target -- the VisionaryVillain [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans Kira]] -- never develops the same WorthyOpponent respect for them as he had for L.
** Matt, despite being third in line to succeed L, doesn't seem terribly interested in the Kira case, and to have only gotten involved in it [[OnlyFriend for Mello's sake]].
** There are actually hints that L himself fits into the Boredom category and doesn't so much care for justice as he does for the challenge, and thus distraction, a case will provide him. The fact that he only takes on cases with at least a certain amount of people murdered, or those that personally interest him, supports that, as well as the fact that the authors have said many times that L and Light are [[NotSoDifferent two sides of the same coin]]. Light was bored out of his mind, found the Death Note, and with it something to sufficiently distract himself from the ennui of his daily life. L, who, as the world's top three detectives, has been shown several times to [[ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem not care about playing by the rules]] if it furthers his cases, thereby keeping him occupied the same way Light does; only he's still only the good side of the law because of his detective status--even if sometimes that's only because there's simply ''no one above him'' to reign him in.

* ''Manga/DesertPunk'' gives us more than one:
** Kanta has no real redeeming moral qualities and doesn't care about anything except money, boobs and staying alive. However, much of his work ends up being vaguely heroic because of the jobs he's assigned tend to be things like "Take out this gang terrorizing our town." [[spoiler: By the end of the series he crosses the MoralEventHorizon and does a FaceHeelTurn.]]
** Junko is equally amoral and only not a villain because her job is taking out people who tend to be worse [[spoiler: and like Kanta, she ultimately pulls a FaceHeelTurn]].
** Rainspider is a heartless enforcer for [[LoanShark loan sharks]] and implied deviant who has a tendency to abandon his teammates when battles are stacked against them. However, he's [[LaughablyEvil hilarious]], and always follows his fleeing by a BigDamnHeroes moment at the right time. He's kind of more likable than Kanta, if no morally better.

* ''Franchise/DragonBall'':
** In ''Anime/DragonBallZ'', Vegeta goes through a Nominal Hero phase as part of his slow but eventual HeelFaceTurn, starting in the Namek arc as a VillainProtagonist seeking to overthrow his former master, and in the Cell and Buu arcs, defending Earth, but only for his own selfish reasons. After [[spoiler: his death and subsequent pseudo-revival in terms of coming back to Earth for one day]], he fights for the Earth for the sake of defending it for the first time.
** While the anime and moreso the English dub made him an outright hero, Goku in the manga just likes to fight stronger opponents and get stronger himself. ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'' has caused something of a BrokenBase as it [[TruerToTheText favors the original character interpretation]]. One episode in particular has Goku himself saying that he's not a hero, just a guy who wants a good fight; however, he does also say that if he sees someone in trouble then of course he'll help them out, because it's the right thing to do.
** Bardock, in [[Anime/DragonBallZBardockTheFatherOfGoku his original special]], certainly qualifies; he opens the story by wiping out an entire race with no small amount of satisfaction. The only redeeming quality to him is his genuine relationship with his crew, which is what motivates him to rebel against Freeza.

* In ''Manga/ElfenLied'', NobleDemon Bando has some PetTheDog moments, but he's largely a egocentric {{Jerkass}} and sadist who joins the SAT to legally kill ForTheEvulz or for {{revenge}}, particularly towards Lucy after his fight with her. He does get CharacterDevelopment in the manga, giving him [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold a softer side and redeeming features]], though he still retains his obsession with killing Lucy. The anime adaptation just turns him into a full-on villain without any redeeming moral qualities whatsoever.

* ''Anime/FairyTail'' gives us Laxus Dreyar, who is only in the title guild because his grandfather runs the place. [[spoiler: That's actually the source of his rage: he believes he's seen as "the guildmaster's grandson" and not his own person. After being booted out and spending six months or so traveling and finding himself, he returns and softens into a PragmaticHero.]]

* Xiaxi, the protagonist of ''Manhua/GoddessCreationSystem'', is intentionally morally ambiguous. Her only goal is to survive, but in order to do so she has to cause young men to fall in love with her even though she has zero intention of ever reciprocating and has every intention of abandoning them the moment they do. Despite her completely selfish motivation, she just so happens to be an otherwise good influence on her targets: The wild Mingluan becomes more focused, the narcissist Mingyi becomes more thoughtful and less selfish and the impulsive and lazy Jun'er starts shaping up to be a responsible and mature leader.

* ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'':
** Domon Kasshu of ''Anime/MobileFighterGGundam'', at least in the first half of the series. What we know about his brother (and the Devil Gundam) certainly shows that stopping him ''would'' be a good thing, but Domon is ruled by his bitterness and anger until he obtains enlightenment and masters Meikyou Shisui. He'll even rudely barge into others' battles just to get information, and has no problem roughing people up to get answers either.
** ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam00'' has a few; Hallelujah Haptism, the SuperpoweredEvilSide of ReluctantWarrior Allelujah Haptism, and Lockon Stratos, who seems like a regular hero but hides a powerful desire for revenge. Nena Trinity becomes one the second season by virtue of being against Ali Al-Saachez and [[BigBad Ribbons Almark]], who are much, ''much'' worse than her.

* Giuse of ''Manga/GunslingerGirl'', albeit with shades of an UnscrupulousHero. As he reveals to Henrietta, he's only nice to her until things go to hell and Henrietta is "reset to factory settings", leading Giuse to take a ''very'' steep dive over the DespairEventHorizon and [[TookALevelInJerkass treat her like he does practically everybody else]] following the realization that he could do nothing to help her. [[spoiler: Later on, though, he thinks his behavior led Henrietta to frag him during the nuclear power plant strike.]]

* ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}'': The TV series' version has Alucard (since in the OVA/manga, he's more of a VillainProtagonist). The only reason he can be considered [[TheHero a hero]] is that he happens to be bound to the right KidWithTheLeash. Not only is he a monster who [[BloodKnight enjoys shedding blood]], but he's also aware enough of this fact to declare that only a man can kill someone like him. Alucard is made more sympathetic by his [[NobleDemon sense of honor]] and the fact that [[BlackAndGrayMorality his enemies are even worse than him]], but he is by no means a nice guy (though this isn't actually clear until the end of the TV show, mind you).

* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'':
** ''Manga/StardustCrusaders'':
*** [[TheHero Jotaro]] [[JapaneseDelinquents Kujo]] starts out as this, wanting nothing to do with the battle against [[BigBad DIO]]. However, he loses this trope when he learns [[EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas his mother's life is on the line]].
*** [[TeamPet Iggy]] has absolutely no desire to help the others, runs at the first sign of trouble, and the only reason he's even tagging along is because the Speedwagon Foundation forced him to. His only real heroic moments come near the end of the Part with his fights against [[FeatheredFiend Pet Shop]] and [[TheDragon Vanilla Ice]].
** [[{{Yandere}} Narciso Anasui]] from ''Manga/StoneOcean'' is a [[AxCrazy psychopathic murderer]] who is only on the side of the heroes out of love for the main protagonist, Jolyne Cujoh. Over the course of the story, he [[CharacterDevelopment mellows out slightly]], with him developing genuine concern for his allies, but never quite moves out of NominalHero territory.
** ''Manga/SteelBallRun'':
*** Johnny Joestar is a once famous jockey whose [[AbandonTheDisabled life fell apart]] as a result of a gunshot leaving him [[CareerEndingInjury paralyzed from the waist down]]. After learning that the power of [[SpectacularSpinning The Spin]] could potentially restore the use of his legs, he sets off on a continent-spanning race with [[{{Deuteragonist}} Gyro Zeppeli]]. At the start of Part 7, Johnny is an insecure individual plagued by self-hatred and motivated by an admittedly self-serving goal. However, thanks some CharacterDevelopment, he grows into a man [[TheDeterminator determined to get his life back and will not hesitate to kill those that stand in his way]]. With that said, Johnny does have [[EveryoneHasStandards lines he's unwilling to cross]].
*** Diego Brando, while assisting the heroes on multiple occasions, is ultimately just pursuing his goal to win the Steel Ball Run.

* ''Anime/KillLaKill'''s [[TheHero Ryuko Matoi]] plays with this: While she's a good person who cares for Mako and her family, she's not fighting Satsuki and [[AbsurdlyPowerfulStudentCouncil the Elite Four]] to overthrow them and bring peace to Honnouji Academy, she's doing it because she believes that they know [[YouKilledMyFather who killed her father]]. She eventually grows out of this, though.

* ''{{Manga/Kingdom}}'' has Kanki, who would be one of the most despised villains in the series if he wasn't on the side of the protagonists (and is still hated by many of the more morally upright heroes). He is a General who will ruthlessly do anything at all to achieve a victory, no matter what. Whether this means wearing enemy uniforms, setting entire towns ablaze, allowing his men to pillage and rape, or even create horrific forests of civilian corpses, nothing is out of the question. And, unlike [[TheHero Shin]] and his compatriots, he doesn't fight because he believes in unification - he fights for the wealth and power that comes from success, and because he is ''very, very good'' at what he does.

* Nao Yuuki of ''Anime/MaiHime'' strongly believes that the Himes should use their powers for whatever they want, but allies with them to stop the Searrs foundation. [[spoiler:And then she is attacked by the other Himes when they think she attacked Yukariko, [[EyeScream loses an eye]] and undergoes a FaceHeelTurn.]]

* ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'': Endeavor is the second-highest ranked hero in Japan, only surpassed by All Might. He's also a petty bastard with an obsessive desire to become Number 1, and abused his wife and children in order to reach that goal through his "favorite son", Shoto. Of course, most of the world is blissfully ignorant of his failings as a husband and father, so they just see him as an extremely efficient superhero with a giant stick up his ass. [[spoiler:CharacterDevelopment has him slowly trying to become more heroic in personality once he finally achieves that Number 1 spot and has a talk with All Might on what it means to be the "Symbol of Peace". Ultimately, he comes to realize the error of how he had treated his family and resolves to [[TookALevelInKindness be a better hero and rebuild his relationship with his loved ones.]]]]
** One somewhat PlayedForLaughs is Minoru Mineta. He's a massive pervert, coward, and [[AcquiredSituationalNarcissism sudden egomaniac whenever he actually succeeds at something]] and he admits that he initially wanted to become a hero because they were cool (and thus have people, especially girls, like him.) However, he is going through CharacterDevelopment as he passes his big hero exam, noting that people don't become heroes to be cool, they are cool because '''are''' heroes. He proceeds to use his wit to pass the exam and even save his comrade (which he didn't have to do to pass, but doing so shows his growth.)

* Boa Hancock from ''Manga/OnePiece'' is of the "Relationships" type. She has a {{Love Interest|s}}, Luffy, and some {{Morality Pet}}s (her sisters and to a lesser degree Nyon and Rayleigh) that she cares about, and she has a genuine FreudianExcuse, but otherwise she is ''quite'' the ruthless and selfish bitch who literally [[KickTheDog kicks dogs]] ([[CrossesTheLineTwice and baby seals and baby kittens]]) and [[TakenForGranite petrifies]] people on a whim.

* ''WebComic/OnePunchMan'' has several examples, which helps underscore its critique of superheroes being a paid government service like the police and fire department. S-Class hero Metal Knight only cares about developing his weapons technology, and sees protecting the innocent as a side-effect. A-Class hero Amai Mask is a {{Bishonen}} pop idol who cares more about appearance than saving lives, and has enough sway with the Hero Association that he gets a say over which heroes are allowed to advance to S-Class. The protagonist Saitama initially only cares about getting fans, but [[WhatYouAreInTheDark his actions when the cameras are off]] show that he's actually very noble deep down. Genos also starts the series as an example of the Revenge variation of this trope but grows out of it thanks to interacting with Saitama. A major defining moment comes with the alien invasion that caps off the first season of the AnimatedAdaptation: Saitama and Genos help fight off the invaders while Metal Knight and Amai Mask only show up after the battle is over, the former to salvage the alien spaceship for tech, and the latter so he can bawl out the other heroes for not doing a good enough job (in his opinion) and [[EstablishingCharacterMoment slaughter some aliens who had already surrendered]].

* ''Anime/PantyAndStockingWithGarterbelt'' has Panty and Stocking Anarchy, who are incredibly rude and selfish and usually have no desire to help others. They only fight the bad guys because it slowly earns their way back into Heaven.

* Kyo of ''Manga/SamuraiDeeperKyo'' -- pretty much see the description of Dark Schneider, except in Sengoku Japan and with no interest in world domination.

* Natsumi Hinata from ''Manga/SgtFrog'' is Earth's primary defender from the Keronians...even when they're dong something good or just nothing at all. Oh, and Angol Mois the {{Human Alien|s}} ApocalypseMaiden [[MoralMyopia is one of her best friends.]] That said, she does care for her friends and family, even her weaker brother, Fuyuki, so she's not completely heartless.

* In ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'', Lina Inverse and Zelgadis Graywords both fall in this category in different ways.
** Lina is fully conscious of her status as one of the greatest magical prodigies in the world, and is not above using her vast power to intimidate and extort food/treasure for herself.
** As far is Zelgadis is concerned, he is hell-bent on [[IJustWantToBeNormal changing his chimeric body back to normal]], and is even nastier than Lina in the intimidate/extort department. He ''will'' help save the world....if it'll save himself really.
** TokenEvilTeammate Xellos is a much straighter example.

* From ''Anime/{{Texhnolyze}}'', [[HotScientist Doc]] and [[TheStoic Ichise]]. The former being interested in the pursuit and propagation of Texhnolyze technology, regardless of how it aids others, while the latter, while not actively out to hurt anyone, has little to no qualms about hurting people for even stopping him in the street, shows little hesitance or guilt in caving in a man's skull with his bare hand, and is attached to the people around him purely out of [[BecauseYouWereNiceToMe personal interest]] or even [[ExtremeDoormat because they asked him to]], rather than any idealism or heroism.

* In ''Anime/ValvraveTheLiberator'', [[{{Deuteragonist}} L-Elf]] is this, firmly contrasting to the more typical protagonist, [[TheHero Haruto.]] He's on the good guys side because it will help him get what he wants, and really only sees them as tools, not allies.

* ''Manga/ZetsuenNoTempest'':
** Mahiro states that his only goal is avenging his sister's death, and that his saving the world is incidental to that. [[TookALevelInKindness Later on, he does seem to care about the world's well-being.]]
** Megumu initially wants to become a hero to ''impress his ex-girlfriend''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* In ''VideoGame/{{Ace Combat Zero|TheBelkanWar}}'', Cipher on the Mercenary path. As opposed to Soldier, on this path he's willing to take out ''anything'' not specifically on his side, be it enemy combatants, disabled enemy units, or even civilians on occasion.

* [[BloodKnight Augus]] in ''VideoGame/AsurasWrath'' only joined the Eight Guardian Generals so he could have exciting battles. [[spoiler:4 of all]] the Seven Deities are [[spoiler:implied to be]] this.

* Copen in the ''VideoGame/AzureStrikerGunvolt'' series is the type of person who fights the right people for the wrong reasons. He is fueled solely by bitter vengeance and FantasticRacism and has personally declared war against every single Adept on the planet until either they drop dead or he does. It just so happens that most of the Adepts he kills (at least on-screen) are much worse on the moral compass than he is. The sequel goes a long way in humanizing Copen while maintaining that his justifications for terminating Adepts with extreme prejudice is wrong; the revelation that [[spoiler:his biological sister was born an Adept]] leaves him deeply conflicted, and by the game's ending [[spoiler:he considers himself beyond saving and cuts ties with his family for their own protection]].

* Several of the protagonists of ''VideoGame/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 much coin as he can. Dorn is a borderline example, 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.'

* ''Franchise/BlazBlue'':
** Kokonoe has a few soft spots here and there, but REALLY has no problems in nuking a whole city just so she can claim the frag of Terumi's head... never mind thousands and thousands of innocents who will die along the way. That said, it is '''very''' much a last resort, to the point where she's willing to undergo self-experimentation on her own brain before legitimately considering the nukes.
** Yuuki Terumi himself was forced to be part of the Six Heroes and he did not care for anyone at all. Once they succeeded to defeat the Black Beast, the EvilHero Terumi betrayed his "comrades" when he had the opportunity so he can continue with his EvilPlan.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Blood}}'', Caleb spends the entirety of both his games killing everything that moves. The only reason he's the good guy is, excluding a few mimes and other innocents, everything that moves is part of the world-spanning [[ReligionOfEvil Cabal]]. Keep in mind, Caleb is an ex-member of the Cabal himself, and he didn't quit because he disagreed with their goals or ideals; it's just that his boss's greater plan involved killing Caleb and his friends, and Caleb took exception to that.

* Most of the Vault Hunters in ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands 2}}'' are not particularly upstanding people. Axton is motivated by money, [[GloryHound glory]] and the chance of a worthy enemy; [[TheSpook insofar as anything about Zer0 is nailed down]], it's that he likes to kill things; Gaige isn't all the way sane; and Krieg is [[TheBerserker a rampaging murder machine]].
** Salvador the Gunzerker is heavily implied to be a mass-murdering criminal, responsible for [[AxCrazy lots and lots of deaths]], [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and other assorted crimes.]] So much so that he's managed to rack up a ridiculously large bounty as seen on posters throughout the game. The only reason he became a Vault Hunter is probably because doing so would allow him to continue to cause chaos ''while searching for treasure at the same time.''

* ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaLordsOfShadow'': Said Lords of Shadow are the EnemyWithout of the original heroes of the Brotherhood, and have terrorized the Old World with hordes of monsters. However, due to a combination of MutuallyAssuredDestruction and fear of the REAL demons clawing their way from Hell, they've been forced to become the secret guardians of Earth - the license to kill anyone for fun is just a small bonus. Unfortunately, Zobek got sick of this détente with his bickering siblings and decided to take the fight to Hell for LevelGrinding... and got possessed by Satan for his trouble.
** In the sequel, Dracula has to save the world from Satan or he'll be tortured for eternity. He wouldn't care otherwise.

* In ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'', you can recruit [[spoiler:Magus]] as an OptionalPartyMember. He doesn't really care about doing the right thing, and only aids you because you're his only shot at getting revenge on the BigBad.

* ''VideoGame/ConkersBadFurDay'': Conker's primary interest is in stumbling home in one piece, and (with some exceptions), he's not doing anything heroic without some serious compensation.

* Demitri Maximoff from ''VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}}''. He only confronts PlanetEater Pyron and DarkMessiah Jedah because they are a threat to his plans in conquering the Makai, and treats everyone who aren't his servants with great disdain.

* Isaac Clarke, the protagonist of the ''Franchise/DeadSpace'' series. In ''[[VideoGame/DeadSpace 1]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/DeadSpace2 2]]'', he's just an ordinary engineer who wanted to survive the Necromorph ZombieApocalypse. In [[VideoGame/DeadSpace3 the third game]], he literally had to be coerced to get back into the fight, and even then only agreed because he learned his ex-Girlfriend was in peril. However, near the end of all three games, he ends up pulling a HeroicSacrifice, willingly entering a situation that would likely result in death in order to end the greater threat[[note]] Returning to Aegis VII to bring the Marker back to its pedestal in ''1'', assaulting an overrun Earth Gov base to destroy the Golden Marker in ''2'' (which would cause a station overload), and staying behind to kill a Brethren Moon before it could find and consume the rest of humanity in ''3''. In all cases, when Isaac made his decision, he was in or right next to an escape shuttle[[/note]].

* Rufus of ''VideoGame/{{Deponia}}''. His main goal of escaping the titular trash planet for Elysium is entirely selfish, he is arrogant, rude and beyond egotistical, and much of the first game is him using, manipulating, and outright backstabbing other people in order to achieve his goals. The "intentional" part comes due to the fact he's actually a {{Deconstruction}}. Its made clear that ''nobody'' likes Rufus precisely because he's such an asshole, most, if not all of the series' crises are directly his fault, and he is ''constantly'' called out for his actions. In fact, in the sequel, [[spoiler:Lady Goal abandons the other Goals and all of Deponia to certain doom ''just'' so she could get away from Rufus after everything he's done to her]].

* The [[PlayerCharacter Material Defender]] from the ''VideoGame/{{Descent}}'' games. Even in Descent 3 after the Red Acropolis people rescue him, he makes clear he's just in it for the money (and revenge on Dravis). That said, he does have some PetTheDog moments such as saving hostages in the first two games and saving a trapped medical frigate full of sick and hurt people in the third game.

* Many of the Grey Wardens in the ''Franchise/DragonAge'' universe qualify as this. The Wardens will take people of any background with sufficient talents at killing darkspawn, whether they're warriors, thieves, murderers, or even blood mages - anyone is acceptable as a candidate [[spoiler: as long as they're able to survive the Joining]]. The Wardens have broad powers of conscription that are honored by most governing bodies, so many Wardens are pressed into service against their will.
** Oghren is a warrior who fights because thats what he was trained to do and his training left him going stir crazy in dwarven civilization. He joins you to find his wife and stays with you because it means he can start swinging his axe again. Nothing more.
** Morrigan is a witch with a dark background and little to no regard for the well being of others. She's only with you because her mother told her to come and only helps because killing the darkspawn is in her own best interest (though she can develop an attachment to the main character, depending on how you play).
** Shale is a golem who likes to squish things and see blood fountain, especially if those things have feathers, and is mostly following the Warden around because it's something to do after spending thirty years as an amnesiac statue.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Drakengard}}'', Caim is this in the first game. The only thing that made him "heroic" in the first place was the fact that he was fighting against an evil empire that was [[ALighterShadeOfBlack even worse.]] Once they're defeated, he defaults back to [[KillEmAll RIP AND TEAR.]]

* In the ''VideoGame/{{Fable}}'' games:
** In ''VideoGame/FableI'', the Heroes' Guild espouses this mindset, with its Guildmaster teaching that each Hero should strive for greatness but choose their own moral path. The Hero of Oakvale might pursue noble quests for [[PunchClockHero money]], [[GlorySeeker fame]], {{Revenge}} against his family's killers, [[BloodKnight the thrill of combat]], or [[ItAmusedMe personal amusement]] -- or turn evil for any of the same reasons. One quest NPC even asks whether the Guild is here to help them out or murder them this time.
** Reaver from ''VideoGame/FableII'' and ''[[VideoGame/FableIII III]]''. He tries to double cross the hero at least twice and only helps the hero because [[spoiler: the BigBad proceeds to double cross him when Reaver tries to turn the hero over to him]].

* In the numbered ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' games, an evil player character could be seen as this, since you have the freedom to blow of civilian’s heads with absolutely zero provocation, enslave children and nuke cities. However, this is somewhat moderated by the main story pitting you against monsters who want to wipe out the vast majority of the remaining human race. With ''New Vegas'', the player has the option of becoming a full-blown VillainProtagonist by siding with Caesar’s Legion, as they bring the region under the grip of a nation endorsing rape, slavery, child molestation and murder for public entertainment.

* In ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'', Kratos, to the point that, particularly after [[VideoGame/GodOfWarI the first game]], many consider him an outright VillainProtagonist, even worse than the people (or gods) he's trying to kill. In which case the gods themselves become Nominal Hero antagonists. Their motivations for opposing Kratos are purely selfish, and they have little concern or empathy for humanity itself. [[spoiler: This gets ''epically'' flipped on its head in the finale of the [[VideoGame/GodOfWarIII third game]] which reveals that the Gods were actually heroic until Kratos opened PandorasBox in the first game to beat Ares. The evils from inside infested and corrupted the Gods and twisted them from benevolent leaders into despotic bastards. Kratos is so shocked by this reveal, as well as the realization that he's caused and inflicted so much pain and destruction in his quest for revenge, that he kills himself and releases the powers of hope in order to give humanity a chance to survive on their own.]] [[spoiler: Or not. Kratos makes a triumphant return in ''VideoGame/GodOfWarPS4'', [[CaptainObvious pretty much alive]] and raising a son, but now OlderAndWiser, and considers his time as the Ghost of Sparta to be the darkest acts committed by him.]]

* Hat Kid from ''VideoGame/AHatInTime'' is a "Leave me alone"-type example, not that [[HeroicNeutral she isn't a nice person]], but [[NotInThisForYourRevolution all she really cares about is getting her time pieces back]] so she can go home. [[spoiler:Notably, save for a couple of disparate exceptions, she doesn't even do much to save the day or make the world a better place: pretty much all of the major characters and worlds have problems or conflicts that go unresolved in her journey to get the time pieces back, like the cursed state of the Subcon Forest or the Mafia of Cooks controlling Mustache Girl's island (though you ''do'' have the option of letting her keep a single time piece to help fight them off in the end), and in a couple of cases she leaves things worse off like the Arctic Cruise.]] This could be seen as FridgeLogic when you consider she's a time traveller and most likely doesn't want to do anything that might alter history anymore than losing the time pieces she already has.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Hexen}} II'', two of the heroes are the Assassin (who wants to prove she can kill the most powerful and best protected being on the planet) and the Necromancer (who has a problem with Eidolon being more feared than him).

* Dark Pit from ''VideoGame/KidIcarusUprising''. He isn't too concerned with the war between the gods. He just likes beating up monsters. [[spoiler:After the time skip he gets more involved in order to make sure Pit remains alive (since he learns his existence depends on Pit's).]]

* One of ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters''' main characters, Iori Yagami (introduced in 1995 as the rival of Kyo Kusanagi), plays this role. A loner and a very angry and consumed character, he lives to see the defeat of Kyo and won't stop until that happens. He does do genuinely heroic things ([[TeethClenchedTeamwork even teaming up with Kyo]] when the situation warrants it) but only so that he can [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou resume thirsting for Kyo's blood]]. He has no friends and has attacked his own team members in the past (be it willingly or unwillingly when his Orochi blood goes out of control).

* In ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'', Maleficent, while still not "good" in any sense of the word, is allied with the heroes in a common goal of stopping the Organization, and helps the good guys out at least twice.

* Joel from ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUs''. 20 years of hardcore survival [[AfterTheEnd in a world long]] [[ZombieApocalypse gone to Hell]] and [[spoiler:the death of his young daughter Sarah]] have left him an extremely bitter and almost nihilistic middle-aged man who will cross ''any'' moral line to survive in a harsh world. However, he is given the task to escort Ellie, a young girl [[spoiler:who may be the key to curing the plague]], to a holdout on the other side of America. He's ''not at all'' doing it because he cares about the ongoing factional conflict, or because he cares about Ellie's well-being [[note]][[spoiler:(initially)]][[/note]] or because [[spoiler:his doing so could end up saving mankind from extinction]]; he's doing it to get his guns back.
** Eventually his priorities do change, but even then he still remains this. [[spoiler:Ellie is ALL he cares about to the point that he slaughters the Fireflies when he learns they plan to dissect Ellie to learn how she's immune to the cordyceps. Marlene tells Joel that Ellie would want to give her life if it could save humanity, and that Joel even realizes that its what Ellie would want. Joel still shoots Marlene and then tells Ellie that the Fireflies gave up trying to cure the fungus, which Ellie seems to realize is a lie.]]

* ''VideoGame/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAsPortable: The Gears of Destiny'':
** Levi the Slasher, while being [[BoisterousBruiser a cheerful sort]], is mainly a ChallengeSeeker and had accidentally saved several towns in [[spoiler:[[DeathWorld Eltria]]]] since she loves taking down the powerful monsters that happen to be threatening them.
** Former BigBad and current AntiHero Lord Dearche is a CardCarryingVillain that has saved TheMultiverse in her quest to gain unlimited power, and is currently reversing the decay of a planet on its last legs as part of her plan to "[[TakeOverTheWorld conquer]]" it. At least, [[NobleDemon that's her story and she's sticking to it]].

* In ''VideoGame/{{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 ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'':
** Zaeed Massani is a ruthless revenge obsessed merc on Commander Shepard's team. During his loyalty mission, he burns an entire refinery to the ground while callously disregarding the innocent lives trapped inside just to get revenge on another merc who screwed him over 20 years prior. In ''Mass Effect 3'' he becomes an UnscrupulousHero through character development.
** Aria T'Loak is a crimelord who allows slavery, drug running and pretty much anything else as long as it doesn't undermine her power. She is however willing to aid Shepard to some extent, and seems none too fond of Ardat-Yakshi or the Collectors. Probably both [[PragmaticVillainy for practical reasons]] and [[EvenEvilHasStandards on principle]]. In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', she helps you out of self-preservation because, as she puts it, the reapers are a threat to ''all'' existence, including hers, so it's [[PragmaticVillainy "within (her) interests"]] to help Shepard.
*** By default, ''everyone'' in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' is either this or StupidEvil, depending on whether or not they side with Shepard, seeing as s/he's the best bet to stop the Reapers, [[KillEmAll who have made their intentions very, very clear.]]
** This trope is actually a plot point in the first game, where Saren is believed to be a hero throughout the galaxy and is well-liked by many. In reality he's a ''very'' amoral KnightTemplar who is willing to cause many civilian casualties as long as he gets the job done and is a severe racist. His popularity in the galaxy means that a big problem in the game's opening act is actually convincing the Citadel Council that he's not on their side anymore and has to be brought in.

* ''VideoGame/MetalGear'':
** Meryl, Psycho Mantis, and Liquid [[InformedFlaw claim that]] Solid Snake is a SociopathicHero who enjoys combat and killing, with the latter two telling him that he's far worse then they are. However, Psycho Mantis and Liquid are mass murdering psychopaths attempting to 'kill as many people as possible' and bring on a Darwinist 'warrior's paradise' respectively, which makes their attacks on him border on HypocriticalHumor and possibly UnreliableNarrator as well.
** [[EnforcedTrope Enforced]] in the ''[[VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain Metal Gear Solid V]]'' duology, which shows Big Boss becoming more and more monstrous during his ProtagonistJourneyToVillain.

* In the first ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes'', Travis Touchdown. The only thing that makes him any kind of hero is that the rest of the assassins are sociopaths. Later, though, his motivation becomes more heroic.

* The protagonists of the ''VideoGame/{{Prototype}}'' series are vengeful [[HumanoidAbomination shapeshifting monsters]] whose primary goals are revenge. They do save the city of Manhattan from the villains of their respective games and genuinely care about those closest to them, but both Alex Mercer and James Heller acknowledge that they are not particularly morally upstanding people.

* In the final stages of ''VideoGame/{{RefleX}}'', [[spoiler:the Phoenix is thoroughly trashed by ZODIAC Virgo and its pilot killed, causing its AI to take over and transform into ZODIAC Ophiuchus. It then proceeds to tear up Virgo, and later the other ZODIAC units. At first, the people of earth hail the Ophiuchus as its savior from the "Winged Menaces", but the Ophiuchus is not interested in protecting humanity, only dueling with the other ZODIAC units until they are all destroyed, no matter how much collateral damage happens in the process. The damage and death toll pile up, and before long, humanity sees Ophiuchus as [[HeWhoFightsMonsters simply yet another menace to the planet]]]].

* The Daemoness in ''VideoGame/{{Sacred}}: Underworld''. At the start of the game she gets stabbed in the back by her master, Anducar, and has a prophetic vision that working alongside the other heroes is her best chance of getting revenge.

* ''VideoGame/{{Sacrifice}}'': The player takes the role of Eldred who use to be a tyrant on his own world, then when his own people turn against him he summoned the demon Marduk to defeat them, then Marduk proceeded to destroy everything else. He is really regretful of having to kill a dragon, but is ok with slavery.

* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'':
** All of Team Dark, who only ever join up with the rest of the good guys when something even worse comes along, and it gets too big to ignore. The most straight up example is [[AntiHero Shadow]], mostly in [[VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog his own game]]. After ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'' had him pull a HeelFaceTurn, he protects the world only because [[MoralityChain Maria]] wanted him to, or to boost his ego and superiority over others as the Ultimate Lifeform. Shadow has been shown as willing to cross any line to succeed his mission and goals, which may or may not be for the good of Earth. Most of the time, it is, but it's always about Shadow [[ItsAllAboutMe achieving his own ambitions first]].
** As for the rest of Team Dark, E-123 Omega only ever does anything either because it involves his goal of getting revenge on Eggman for abandoning him for other robots, or because Shadow and Rouge asked him to help them out. Rouge the Bat's main motivation in being a government spy is her obsession with the world's most famous jewels, which she expects to be rewarded with.
** Eggman is this when he is fighting against the Deadly Six in ''VideoGame/SonicLostWorld'' [[spoiler:until all the Deadly Six meet their final defeat]]!

* The VideoGame/SpeedRunners are supposed to be superheroes, but all we see them do in game is race each other. In the in-game comics, it is shown that they are getting in the way of the police by running through crime scenes, and their use of items is dangerous to civilians.
** While the main character is more than willing to stop a series of bomb threats in New Rush City, he seems to care more about running than anything else as he deliberately refuses to help people at times, such as [[spoiler: the runner known as The Falcon]].

* Lord Scourge in ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'' is a Sith Lord who is a companion to the Jedi Knight class; he sides with the Jedi to stop the [[OmnicidalManiac Sith Emperor]] from destroying the entire galaxy. In the back story he was responsible for [[spoiler: Revan's capture and the Exiles death because he saw that they would fail in defeating the Emperor]]. By the end of the Jedi Knight storyline, he is credited as a hero of the Republic, which both him and [[BigGood Satele Shan]] really don't like the idea of.

* In the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' series, more particularly in his own spin-off games, Wario frequently ends up doing a lot of good in defeating various bad guys, but he usually only does it when he's competing with them for treasure. Otherwise, he couldn't care less. WordOfGod notes that Wario doesn't really care about ''anything'', he just wants to keep doing what he wants.

* The entire party in ''VideoGame/TalesOfBerseria'' except for Laphicet and Eleanor are fighting for personal reasons instead of some noble cause. Velvet is driven by revenge, Rokurou wants to kill someone from his past, Eizen's target is part of the enemy group, and Magilou's along for the ride because she's bored and wants to see how things turn out.

* Harold Berselius in ''VideoGame/TalesOfDestiny2'' is an amoral MadScientist who just wants to kill a goddess, no other questions asked. Otherwise she's only considered good because she's on the side of the Er'thers, who are fighting the genocidal racist aristocratic Aetherians. While she does have PetTheDog moments, she also experiments on people without their consent and threatens to join Elraine at a point. Essentially, everything she does is for her own amusement, and our heroes' quest provides her with a lot of it.

* Luke in ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss'' for the first third of the game. Our “hero” is functionally a child, having been kept inside and away from people ever since an accident stripped him of his memory, leaving him a moody, selfish and arrogant ShelteredAristocrat brat with little people skills or knowledge of the world. He is then told that he is TheChosenOne, which does very little to help his already over-inflated [[ItsAllAboutMe ego]] and [[SmallNameBigEgo sense of entitlement]]. This is made even worse by the encouragement of his mentor, the only person he truly respects. Luke continues to become more whiny and insufferable until the game's WhamEpisode kicks in, where he's [[WhatTheHellHero called out on his actions]] by the entire party. It takes a few more [[MindRape rather]] [[BreakTheCutie unpleasant]] [[AndIMustScream experiences]] [[TraumaCongaLine all in a row]] before he finally [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone snaps out]] [[CharacterDevelopment of it]].

* Garrett of ''VideoGame/{{Thief}}'' doesn't really give a damn about anyone other than himself. He winds up in the "hero" role primarily out of circumstance: the BigBad is usually (in addition to their main plan) gunning for him personally for one reason or another. Also, it's of no benefit to him if The City is destroyed, then where would he do his thieving?

* Lara Croft in the UsefulNotes/PlayStation ''Franchise/TombRaider'' series is an archaeologist that is willing to kill anyone who stands in her way and destroy priceless objects as long as she can collect the fabled artifacts she had researched on. The only reason Lara can be considered "good" is because she's usually trying to get to the artifacts with power before the villains do so that they can't abuse them. If Lara does manage to work with someone, she only helps them as long as it helps her reach her goal. By ''[[VideoGame/TombRaiderChronicles Chronicles]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/TombRaiderTheAngelOfDarkness Angel of Darkness]]'', Lara becomes a total bitch to everyone. The Crystal Dynamics reboots scale her back a bit. In the first reboot (''[[VideoGame/TombRaiderLegend Legend]]'', ''[[VideoGame/TombRaiderAnniversary Anniversary]]'', and ''[[VideoGame/TombRaiderUnderworld Underworld]]'') Lara's motivations are more personal, and in ''Anniversary'' she shows scruples against killing other people (while she seems to have given them up in ''Legend'' and ''Underworld'', ''Legend'' at least introduces the mooks by having Lara overhear a conversation where they discuss their orders to kill her on sight). The second [[VideoGame/TombRaider2013 reboot]] features a [[ActionSurvivor younger, less experienced Lara trying desperately to survive]].

* The titular ''VideoGame/{{Tomba}}'' Sure he's a nice guy and sure he goes out of his way to help a ''lot'' of people along his journey, but all he ultimately cares about is getting back his grandfather's bracelet. Had the Koma Pigs not stolen it he'd have been more than content to sit back and relax as they [[WorldGoneMad did their thing]] to the island.

* Gensokyo, the setting of the ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'' games, is ''run'' by these. [[{{Miko}} Reimu Hakurei]] is, at best, motivated by a desire for her life to be predictable mixed with not wanting it to be too boring, either, and is at worst solely motivated by the [[{{Greed}} possibility of getting donations]] and being a SlaveToPR. [[CuteWitch Marisa Kirisame]] is one part motivated by the prospect of [[KleptomaniacHero getting to loot]] [[StickyFingers magical artifacts]] from the villain's lair, one part the opportunity to upstage [[TheRival Reimu]] and one part [[BloodKnight getting to kick someone in the teeth]]. [[{{Vampire}} Remilia Scarlet]] is more interested in alleviating her own boredom and maintaining her power than actually fixing Gensokyo's problems (and she's not the harmless kind of vampire, either). [[DeityOfHumanOrigin Sanae Kochiya]] is interested in spreading the worship of and gathering faith for her ancestor-goddesses. [[HalfHumanHybrid Youmu Konpaku]] fights because [[MyMasterRightOrWrong her mistress says so]], as does Remilia's maid Sakuya Izayoi, who is also implied to have done something ''really'' [[DarkSecret nasty in the past]]. And [[RealityWarper Yukari Yakumo]] is the MagnificentBitch who founded Gensokyo as a FantasticNatureReserve and everything she does is to further the survival of {{youkai}}, up to and including striking up deals with the humans that favor ''them'', because she knows that if humans become content and don't feel as threatened by youkai, they'll lose their edge and become easier prey. Her colleague, Okina Matara, isn't much better; she stirred up trouble just to make everyone in Gensokyo (native and permanent residents alike) remember her and is disliked by many of Gensokyo's residents due to her (intentionally cultivated) AmbiguouslyEvil vibes.
** Subverted with the first later on in that as [[CharacterDevelopment Reimu matures]], she does later missions out of a sense of duty, even if she's [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold reluctant to admit it]]. Unfortunately, this places her to be manipulated by the above Yukari and has at least once led to her accidentally contributing to an invasion of the moon.

* Tyler Smith in ''Clear Vision'', whose motive is sole money [[spoiler:and later to save his beautiful wife]], in every shooting he does regardless if the targets in question are actually evil.

* If one does a PacifistRun in ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' after having previously done a [[KillEmAll Genocide run]], the ending will acknowledge the fact that the player has already dirtied their hands and so must effectively be the "did it because they were bored" variant of this trope.
** To parallel this is the fact that [[spoiler: upon discovering his SAVE ability, Flowey first used this power to solve everyone's problems and become friends with everyone, just as the player likely did before reaching the point where this is revealed. Flowey describes these activities and the friendship of the monsters as "amusing... for a while."]]

* Grom Hellscream and Illidan Stormrage of ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'': the first is an amoral BloodKnight and the other is a subject obsessed with demonic power.
[[/folder]]

* An AccidentalHero, [[IJustWantToBeNormal Reluctant Hero]], or UnlikelyHero is at least as likely to turn out to be a ClassicalAntihero at heart.

** [[{{Yandere}} Narciso Anasui]] from ''Manga/StoneOcean'' is a [[AxeCrazy psychopathic murderer]] who is only on the side of the heroes out of love for the main protagonist, Jolyne Cujoh. Over the course of the story, he [[CharacterDevelopment mellows out slightly]], with him developing genuine concern for his allies, but never quite moves out of NominalHero territory.

*** Johnny Joestar is a once famous jockey whose [[AbandonTheDisabled life fell apart]] as a result of a gunshot leaving him [[CareerEndingInjury paralyzed from the waist down]]. After learning that the power of [[EverythingsBetterWithSpinning The Spin]] could potentially restore the use of his legs, he sets off on a continent-spanning race with [[{{Deuteragonist}} Gyro Zeppeli]]. At the start of Part 7, Johnny is an insecure individual plagued by self-hatred and motivated by an admittedly self-serving goal. However, thanks some CharacterDevelopment, he grows into a man [[TheDeterminator determined to get his life back and will not hesitate to kill those that stand in his way]]. With that said, Johnny does have [[EveryoneHasStandards lines he's unwilling to cross]].

* ''{{ComicBook/Sabretooth}}'' usually tends to be this. If he's working with the heroes, it's because he was forced to and / or had something to gain. Other instances, he's tried to do right by a love interest. Holly & Bonnie are examples. He's not a hero when he meets either of them, but was very protective of them, and would've possibly settled down with them had they survived. During the ''{{ComicBook/AXIS}}'' event, Creed was [[HeelFaceBrainwashing inverted]] into a hero due to a spell gone wrong by ComicBook/ScarletWitch. He starts off as a truly heroic figure wanting to atone for his sins, even refusing to kill for a time. During ''ComicBook/UncannyXMen2015'', his nominal hero tendencies returned after developing feelings for ComicBook/MonetStCroix, whose well-being he cared more about than anyone else. He's still inverted & repentant, but when Monet is around, [[AlwaysSaveTheGirl his priorities shift]].

* The third [[ComicBook/CaptainMarVell Captain Marvel]], Genis-Vell, ending up becoming this during a period of madness (caused by Entrophy.) Genis becase something of a VillainProtagonist with a severely warped sense of justice and rabid sense of entitlement. Rick Jones, to whom Genis was molecularly bonded, constantly opposed him and (rightly) questioned Genis's sanity. On one occasion, Genis bestowed powers upon a serial killer whom his friend Rick Jones had testified against in order to get the killer to stalk both Rick and his wife, Marlo. After putting Rick through absolute hell to the point where death seemed certain, Genis then executes the serial killer and explains to Rick that all of this was to teach Rick that he only lived on Genis's own whims, and that he was ''never to question him again''. He does get better after freed from Entrophy's control.

* [=MacNamara=] (James Cagney) in ''Film/OneTwoThree''. He cheats on his wife, neglects his children, and all of his actions are motivated entirely by self-interest. To get the prize job in London (for which he already has bought a new umbrella) he has no scruples to destroy the happiness of a young couple, make vanish the marriage documents from the registry office, frame the bridegroom as an American spy, destroying his intended career and at the very least ensuring that he spent several years in prison. Then unfortunately it turns out the bride, the only daughter of [=MacNamara=]'s boss is pregnant...

* [[spoiler:Severus Snape]] in the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' books does have something of a moral compass, in that he aims to [[TheAtoner atone]] for his mistreatment and inadvertent betrayal of TheLostLenore by avenging her death. He doesn't care much for anyone else, though, as evidenced by his general nastiness... [[spoiler:though this may have changed under the years of working with Dumbledore, taking into account his reply to Dumbledore on the lives he couldn't save, and risking blowing his cover to attempt to save Lupin's life at the start of Deathly Hallows.]]

* Invasion angles have a tendency to create faces by default, since no matter how disagreeable a heel is he still represents the company the fans came to see, that those jerks are getting in the way of. Ray Gonzales, who was directly responsible for bringing Wrestling/{{AAA}} luchadors into WWC in the first place and only fell out with them when they stopped doing what he told them, is a prime example, since, hey, he's still a Puerto Rican fighting the foreigners in the Puerto Rican company. In fact, this can apply to invaders that have simply been around longer than more recent arrivals, such as the W*ING wrestles becoming {{face}}s in Wrestling/{{FMW}} when IWA Japan and Víctor Quiñones's Puerto Rican Army came in. [[ForeignWrestlingHeel The Dominican]] Los Compadres and Los Broncos becoming faces when different foreign wrestlers came into WWC and the Dominicans were nominal faces again when wrestlers from the ''Puerto Rican'' independent circuit came into WWC. There are a few aversions though, as Wrestling/{{Carlito C|olon}}aribbean Cool remained a heel when Savio Vega invaded WWC with IWA PR(mainly because his argument to Vega about not being a tecato just made fans think he was {{lazy|bum}} instead). Another was Averno, El Texano Jr and El Terrible taking advantage of first Los Independientes attack on Wrestling/{{CMLL}} to blindside Brazo de Plata, Jon Strongman and Wrestling/{{Mistico}}, as they ran out to stop the independent circuit invaders.

* Hat Kid from ''VideoGame/AHatInTime'' is a "Leave me alone"-type example, not that [[HeroicNeutral she isn't a nice person]], but [[NotInThisForYourRevolution all she really cares about is getting her time pieces back]] so she can go home. [[spoiler:Notably, save for a couple of disparate exceptions, she doesn't even do much to save the day or make the world a better place: pretty much all of the major characters and worlds have problems or conflicts that go unresolved in her journey to get the time pieces back, like the cursed state of the Subcon Forest or the Mafia of Cooks controlling Mustache Girl's island (though you ''do'' have the option of letting her keep a single time piece to help fight them off in the end), and in a couple of cases she leaves things worse off like the Arctic Cruise]].
** This could be seen as FridgeLogic when you consider she's a time traveller and most likely doesn't want to do anything that might alter history anymore than losing the time pieces already have.

* [[WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall Linkara]] fell into this trope during the Lord Vyce arc, becoming gradually moremore self-centered and obsessed in his fight against his enemy to the point of being abusive to his friends. The hard light hologram replica of himself he leaves behind to do reviews while he goes on a walkabout to figure out why his magical abilities shut down reflects this perfectly: it turns evil not because it was buggy or corrupted, but because [[GoneHorriblyRight it was a perfectly accurate reflection of Linkara at the time it was created.]]

* In ''VideoGame/{{Blood}}'', Caleb spends the entirety of both his games killing everything that moves. The only reason he's the good guy is, excluding a few mimes and other innocents, everything that moves is part of the world-spanning [[ReligionOfEvil Cabal]].

* The vast majority of Gaulish villagers in ''ComicBook/{{Asterix}}'' are like this. They're only heroic at all because they're fighting against TheEmpire, which they mostly just pick on, usually for fun, rather than make any serious rebellion against them. They have two reasons for fighting them -- they love fighting (even turning on each other when Romans aren't available) and they're incredibly set in their ways, usually even when the Roman way is better. They started out intended more as a RagtagBunchOfMisfits LaResistance, but got {{Flanderiz|ation}}ed into this mostly because it's funnier. Asterix, Obelix and Getafix are much nicer people, though.

* ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'': Endeavor is the second-highest ranked hero in Japan, only surpassed by All Might. He's also a petty bastard with an obsessive desire to become Number 1, and abused his wife and children in order to reach that goal through his "favorite son", Shouto. Of course, most of the world is blissfully ignorant of his failings as a husband and father, so they just see him as an extremely efficient superhero with a giant stick up his ass. [[spoiler:CharacterDevelopment has him slowly trying to become more heroic in personality once he finally achieves that Number 1 spot and has a talk with All Might on what it means to be the "Symbol of Peace". Ultimately, he comes to realize the error of how he had treated his family and resolves to [[TookALevelInKindness be a better hero and rebuild his relationship with his loved ones.]]]]

* In ''ComicBook/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'', Hyde, Griffin, and Nemo are a pair of serial rapists and murderers, and a psychopathic pirate, respectively, who are offered an official pardon if they'll turn those qualities against the Empire's enemies. In the [[Film/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen film version]], Griffin is replaced by LovableRogue Rodney Skinner, and Hyde and Nemo get a makeover. In the second volume of the comic, Griffin [[spoiler:eventually becomes a straight up villain when he betrays humankind to the Martians]]. His characterization never really changes, though, which shows how nominal a hero he was to begin with.

* Gensokyo, the setting of the ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'' games, is ''run'' by these. [[{{Miko}} Reimu Hakurei]] is, at best, motivated by a desire for her life to be predictable mixed with not wanting it to be too boring, either, and is at worst solely motivated by the [[{{Greed}} possibility of getting donations]] and being a SlaveToPR. [[CuteWitch Marisa Kirisame]] is one part motivated by the prospect of [[KleptomaniacHero getting to loot]] [[StickyFingers magical artifacts]] from the villain's lair, one part the opportunity to upstage [[TheRival Reimu]] and one part [[BloodKnight getting to kick someone in the teeth]]. [[{{Vampire}} Remilia Scarlet]] is more interested in alleviating her own boredom and maintaining her power than actually fixing Gensokyo's problems (and she's not the harmless kind of vampire, either). [[DeityOfHumanOrigin Sanae Kochiya]] is interested in spreading the worship of and gathering faith for her ancestor-goddesses. [[HalfHumanHybrid Youmu Konpaku]] fights because [[MyMasterRightOrWrong her mistress says so]], as does Remilia's maid Sakuya Izayoi, who is also implied to have done [[DarkSecret something ''really'' nasty in the past]]. And [[RealityWarper Yukari Yakumo]] is the {{Magnificent B|astard}}itch who founded Gensokyo as a FantasticNatureReserve and everything she does is to further the survival of {{youkai}}, up to and including striking up deals with the humans that favor ''them'', because she knows that if humans become content and don't feel as threatened by youkai, they'll lose their edge and become easier prey. Her colleague Okina Matara isn't much better, as her main concern is to make everyone in Gensokyo (native and permanent residents alike) to remember her, yet she is disliked by some of them due to her AttentionWhore and totalitarian nature.