History Main / RageWithinTheMachine

* Preston from ''Film/{{Equilibrium}}''. Unlike many of these, he succeeds in taking down the local tyranny.
* Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz from ''Film/InglouriousBasterds''. As an enlisted man, he killed 13 Gestapo officers, plus he has the honor of dying while doing what he loved best -- stabbing an already dead Nazi in the back of the head with a large knife.

* ''Manga/OnePiece'': Twenty years ago, when the Marines were ordered to prepare a fleet in case a [[AlphaStrike Buster Call]] was summoned to [[ItsTheOnlyWayToBeSure destroy Ohara]], giant Vice Admiral Jaguar D. Saul protested that their only crime was researching the [[SuppressedHistory Void Century]] and the Poneglyhps, and that surely [[DisproportionateRetribution wiping out an entire island just for that was excessive]]. When he was ignored, Saul deserted from the Marines and tried to make his way to Ohara in order to warn them. Circumstances would see to it that [[YouAreTooLate his warning did not reach them in time]], so Saul did the next best thing and tried to attack the Buster Call ships by himself in order to at least delay Ohara's destruction while its inhabitants escaped. In the end [[HumanPopsicle he got himself frozen]] by Vice Admiral [[AnIcePerson Kuzan]] (future Admiral Aokiji) for his trouble, while [[SoleSurvivor the only person to escape Ohara]] was an eight-year-old Nico Robin.

* ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor''. Izuna knows that the government is planning to [[spoiler: eliminate Tokyo to get rid of all the demons]], but will follow through with the plan "for the good of the country". Of course, she'd rather not resort to this option, and as a result, will help the main characters in some of the endings.
* ''VideoGame/DeusEx''. [[spoiler: JC Denton starts out as a UNATCO (United Nations Anti-Terrorist Coalition) Agent, but he rebels after a few missions when his brother shows him proof that his bosses are corrupt and serving a CorruptCorporateExecutive.]]

* In ''VideoGame/DreamfallTheLongestJourney'', Kian Alvane is sent to Marcuria by the occupying [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Azadi]] to kill the rebel leader. While there, especially after meeting April Ryan, he [[HeelRealization starts realizing]] that what the Azadi are doing may not be the will of the Goddess. [[spoiler:At the end, when he realizes that April is actually the rebel leader, he refuses to kill her.]] [[VideoGame/DreamfallChapters In the next game]], he joins [[LaResistance the resistance]].

* Paul Proteus from Creator/KurtVonnegut's ''Player Piano''.
* Equality 7-2521 from ''Literature/{{Anthem}}'' by Creator/AynRand.

* Equality 7-2521 from ''Anthem'' by Creator/AynRand.

* In ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'', right after Ichigo stops the [[KillItWithFire Sokyoku]] from executing Rukia, Captains Ukitake and Kyoraku work in tandem to activate an artifact specifically designed to destroy it, having felt that the entire execution had veered too far into DisproportionateRetribution territory and become highly suspicious of the circumstances leading to it. While Captain Commander Yamamoto decides to personally punish his former students for their actions, [[spoiler:[[FakingTheDead Aizen]] would prove that they were [[ManipulativeBastard entirely justified]] in their suspicions]].

* In ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'', right after Ichigo stops the [[KillItWithFire Sokyoku]] from executing Rukia, Captains Ukitake and Kyoraku work in tandem to activate an artifact specifically designed to destroy it, having felt that the entire execution had veered too far into DisproportionateRetribution territory and become highly suspicious of the circumstances leading to it. While Captain Commander Yamamoto decides to personally punish his former students for their actions, [[spoiler:[[FakingTheDead Aizen]] would prove that they were [[TheChessmaster entirely]] [[ManipulativeBastard justified]] in their suspicions]].

* ''Literature/TheBible'':
** Judas started to doubt Jesus and, in the end, betrayed him, leading to the crucifixion. It is debatable whether it counts, though.
** According to quite a few religious (and some secular but metaphysically inclined) philosophers, this is the default state of humanity: being in opposition to a larger cosmic purpose and instinctively driven to ScrewDestiny regardless of the outcome. There is as much disagreement on whether this is a good thing or a bad thing as there is on what said cosmic purpose actually is (or if it's there at all).

* General Crozier and Cardinal Ravenwood from ''WesternAnimation/{{Metalocalypse}}''.

->'''Xavier March''': What do you do if you devote your life to discovering criminals, and it gradually occurs to you that the real criminals are the people you work for? What do you do when everyone tells you not to worry, you can't do anything about it, it was a long time ago?\\
'''Charlie Maguire''': I suppose you go crazy.\\
'''Xavier''': Or worse. Sane.

Compare to BigBrotherIsEmployingYou, MyCountryRightOrWrong, MyMasterRightOrWrong, InternalReformist, JustFollowingOrders, and mostly DefectorFromDecadence. These characters may ResignInProtest when they are finally pushed too far.

* The ''StarWars'' ExpandedUniverse novel ''Literature/DeathStar'' has a loyal Imperial agent assigned to firing the planet-destroying superlaser begin to question his faith in TheEmpire after the destruction of Alderaan. Eventually, this leads him to a crucial moment of indecision when he is ordered to fire on the rebels on one of Yavin IV's moons which gives the rebels time to fire the fatal shot which destroys the eponymous station. This also serves to explain why the laser fires more quickly on Alderaan than during the climax of the movie.