History Main / ReformedButNotTamed

* On ''WesternAnimation/IceAge'', Diego pulls a HeelFaceTurn after befriending Manny and Sid, and remains a [[DeadpanSnarker sarcastic prick]], but with a [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold heart of gold]].

* HumansAreBastards and HumansAreTheRealMonsters → HumansAreFlawed

* AbusiveParents → ToughLove

* Dinobot from ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'' was a Predacon who made a HeelFaceTurn and joined the Maximals right in the first episode. However, he did it for completely selfish reasons (seeking revenge against his former leader) and kept his Predacon philosophy and attitude even while working with the Maximals, frequently leading to arguments between them. Still, he also was a NobleDemon from the start, so he managed to get along with them eventually. [[spoiler:As the story progresses, he go through a lot of CharacterDevelopment and ends up doing a HeroicSacrifice.]]
** Similar to Dinobot, [[spoiler:Blackarachnia]] ended up joining the Maximals while keeping the attitude she had as a Predacon.
--->''"Even when I'm good, I'm still bad."''

* ''WesternAnimation/KipoAndTheAgeOfWonderBeasts'': [[spoiler: Scarlemagne for most of Season 3. His character development continues from the end of Season 2 where he goes from Kipo's prisoner to someone aware he's changing and going along with it reluctantly to someone who sees Kipo as a younger sister, genuinely believes in her vision for a better world, and will do anything to see it come to fruition. Which includes killing the new BigBad Dr. Emelia, until Wolf convinces him otherwise. But even then in the final battle, he's laughing maniacally as he did when he was still a villain.]]

* Joshua Graham from ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' actually had a HeelFaithTurn after becoming one of the most ruthless and cruel men in the Legion. Even though he now fights for a noble cause, he still retains his ferocity and KillEmAll mentality. A [[PlayerCharacter Courier]] with a silver enough tongue may be able to stay his hand against [[AntiClimaxBoss Salt-Up]][[DirtyCoward on-Wounds]] and make him cool down his militancy, however.

* In ''[[Machinima/Supermarioglitchy4sSuperMario64Bloopers SMG4]]'',[=SMG3=], the evil counterpart of [[AuthorAvatar SMG4]], long time villain and main antagonist of the [=YouTube=] arc gave up on trying to usurp [=SMG4=] and ruin his life after finding his true purpose as Guardian of the Internet Graveyard and slowly develops mutual respect for [=SMG4=] over the Genesis and Revelations Arcs but his villainous tendencies never left him. He'll still make a grab for ultimate power if the chance presents itself and ruin Christmas just to be a dick.

* ''Anime/DragonBallZ'':
** Vegeta goes from villain to [[TeethClenchedTeamwork reluctant allies of the heroes]] on Namek, joins the fight against the androids because [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou doesn't want them to kill Goku before he can]], and temporarily turns evil again during the Buu Saga. At the end of the Buu Saga, he pulls a genuine HeelFaceTurn by sacrificing himself in an attempt to kill Buu, then later reviving all of the people he has killed while he [[MoreThanMindControl deliberately allowed himself to be hypnotized by Babidi's spell earlier]] as well as making peace with Goku. Even then, he still retains his gruff attitude.
** Piccolo is the same way. Even though [[MoralityPet Gohan]] was the reason he softened up and became a part of the good guys, he still remains aloof and distant toward the other fighters. Even after it's clear to everyone that Piccolo is a genuine hero now, he still claims to be "the Devil", for example.
** Both of them moved further by the time of ''Anime/DragonBallSuper''. Piccolo has mellowed out considerably, though he's still rather aloof. Apparently he actually spends time eating with Goku's family, and he babysits Pan when both Gohan and Videl are busy. Vegeta... Well, he's still very much Vegeta, but he cares deeply for his Earth family despite his attempts to not show it, and there are moments for him that border on NotSoAboveItAll.

* Much like the [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure2 game continuity]], Shadow in ''Anime/SonicX'' pulled a HeelFaceTurn by sacrificing himself to save the world from the Space Colony ARK. In the Metarex saga, however, Shadow returns (with his memories erased), still the PerpetualFrowner, still cold and aloof around others, and still ruthless in his goals, even to the point of fighting Sonic and his friends if it's necessary. Believe it or not, he's largely more ruthless and less personable than his game incarnation (who mellowed out a bit more after [[VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog his own title game]]).
* Seto Kaiba from ''Anime/YuGiOh'' was FauxAffablyEvil at first. Even if he's undergone some CharacterDevelopment and even if he's helped Yugi and his friends, he still remains a grumpy, arrogant, and insufferable {{Jerkass}} (and his [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold heart of gold]] doesn't show that much unless it involves his brother [[MoralityPet Mokuba]]). Also, he is still [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou obsessed with defeating Yugi]].
* ''Manga/SaintSeiya'' examples:

* In ''Manga/KaguyaSamaLoveIsWar'', Kaguya lets go of her ambition to be President, and is proud to support people not like [[TheSocialDarwinist her father]]… but she still takes glee in intimidating political threats and is often inconsiderate of her personal servant. Her CharacterDevelopment manifests as increased willingness to apologize and recognize her mistakes when people call her out for them, rather than never making similar mistakes again.

* Magma in ''Manga/DrStone'' was the ArcVillain of the TournamentArc, whose goal was to become the village chief by any means necessary, including murder -- the only thing keeping him from having an actual body count is the fact that his victim Gen [[ProperlyParanoid hid makeshift armor and blood packs under his clothing]]. After he's been dealt with, Senku manages to win Magma over to his side by promising that science can show him wonders beyond anything he'd ever imagined; Magma agrees, but insists "If you show me any boring crap I'll kill you!". Even though he becomes a valuable member of the "Power Team", he's still a hot-headed JerkJock whose ''first'' impulse is to [[AttackAttackAttack charge in headfirst]] and [[MurderIsTheBestSolution kill their opponents without regret]], forcing Nikki to rein him in via TapOnTheHead or [[GroinAttack Boot to the Soft-n-Danglies]].

* ''Franchise/BackToTheFuture'': Biff Tannen in the new timeline where he has his own auto detailing business. In [[Film/BackToTheFuture the first film]], it's implied Biff is willing to stiff George on a waxing job (until George pushes the issue), and in [[Film/BackToTheFuturePartIII the third film]], he gets aggressive and yells "Butthead" at Marty when he thinks he's some stranger stealing his cleaning supplies. If Biff has genuinely reformed, than it shows he still hasn't fully lost his edge.

* In ''Literature/LucifersStar'', Cassius Mass, the protagonist, underwent a HeelFaceTurn (from the perspective of the rest of the galaxy) when he abandoned serving the [[TheEmpire Archduchy of Crius]]. He became a criminal instead and still holds the same disdain for the Commonwealth and other enemies of his nation from before the war. He does, however, do his best to fight against his people's TheRemnant, though, since they're awful-awful people.

* Daylen in ''Literature/ShadowOfTheConqueror'' used to be an EvilOverlord who would [[OffingTheAnnoyance order executions for the smallest infractions]]. After setting out on his RedemptionQuest, he is determined to NeverHurtAnInnocent but retains his HairTriggerTemper and [[PayEvilUntoEvil penchant for brutality]].

* ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}''

* Magus of ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'' appears to be a stone-cold, intimidating {{Jerkass}} villain before and after your first confrontation with him. Should you forgo the second showdown, Magus realizes that you and he share the same goals and he joins you — as a stone-cold, intimidating {{Jerkass}} hero.

* The [[VideoGame/BatmanArkhamKnight Arkham Knight]] keeps his lethal ways after adapting the much more heroic [[spoiler:Red Hood]] identity.
* The player characters in ''Raid: WWII'' are criminals from their homelands that are drafted into service by the British military to fight against the Nazis. By doing so, they will be pardoned for all their crimes, but they won't be acknowledged as heroes in the public eye. They become the AntiHero archetype where they do anything to kill Nazis in any way possible to reduce Hitler's power. On top of that, the crew are also allowed to steal the Nazis' gold and other valuables to keep for themselves. While the crew are still committing heinous crimes, they are doing so for the greater good, since their enemy is ''far'' worse and are a huge threat to the world. None of the crew members mind being in service and prefer it over going back home and being jailed or executed for their original crimes.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}'', the BigBad of the game turns out to be [[spoiler:Morceau Oleander, [[TheNapoleon a pint-sized, military-crazed coach]] who's been turned into a would-be world conqueror by Psitanium poisoning agitating [[FreudianExcuse his unresolved personal issues]]]]. ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts 2}}'' shows that while the real [[spoiler:Coach Oleander]] is a pretty amiable guy, he's still rather belligerent and obsessed with building [[DistinctionWithoutADifference "peace machines"]] to violently deal with psychic threats to the world.
** ''VideoGame/PsychonautsInTheRhombusOfRuin'': [[spoiler:While inside his mind, Raz returns Loboto's moral compass to him, which Loboto thought he had lost long ago. Once Raz steps out of his mind, Loboto realizes that what he's doing is wrong and orders his guards to free Raz and his friends... only to trigger his lab's self-destruct mechanism before telling everyone to leave. He's reformed, but he's still insane.]]

'''Twilight Sparkle''': *Rolls eyes, then smiles a little*

* Goro Akechi in ''Fanfic/StartAgain'' thanks to a time-travelling Haru reaching and blackmailing him to stop him from killing Wakaba Ishhiki, which also [[spoiler:prevents him from joining the Conspiracy like in the old timeline]] and leads him to becoming a genuine Phantom Thief. That said, he still thinks that mental shutdowns and psychotic breakdowns (or rage fugue, as he calls it) are valid strategies against their enemies, and at one point [[spoiler:gave a man set as Haru's fiance a rage fugue so he would end the engagement and allow Haru to continue stopping her father's palace]].

* Wario of the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' started as a villain in ''[[VideoGame/SuperMarioLand2SixGoldenCoins Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins]]'' and as a VillainProtagonist in ''VideoGame/WarioLand''. After that, while he isn't all that villainous anymore, he still retains his lust for money and is still a jerk because of it. The enemies he's pitted against in his own outings [[BlackAndGrayMorality are usually far worse than he is]], which, when coupled with Wario's own shortcomings and slapstick nature of his games, makes it hilariously easy to root for him as the "hero" in those situations.

* In ''[[Machinima/Supermarioglitchy4sSuperMario64Bloopers SMG4]]'',[=SMG3=], the evil counterpart of [[AuthorAvatar SMG4]], long time villain and main antagonist of the YouTube gave up on trying to usurp [=SMG4=] and ruin his life after finding his true purpose as Guardian of the Internet Graveyard and slowly develops mutual respect for [=SMG4=] over the Genesis and Revelations Arcs but his villainous tendencies never left him. He'll still make a grab for ultimate power if the chance presents itself and ruin Christmas just to be dick.

* ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}'' has Susie, a [[TheBerserker berserker]] monster party member who prefers to solve everything through violence instead of using the morally rewarding [[PacifistRun mercy system]]. She mellows out an becomes freindlier by the end of the first chapter, but she's still rather rude and her [=ACTs=] will usually involve a harmless form of aggression.

* ''VideoGame/BaldursGateIIThroneOfBhaal'': [[spoiler:Sarevok]], if you allow him to join your party and you're not following an evil path. He will help you, with his former ambition now long gone, but still remain evil (unless certain choices are made during the game).
** Possibly enforced or subverted in the popular semi-official mod ''Ascension'': the BigBad will offer him the possibility to betray you, at that point he might refuse (even if still evil) or straightly join, according to previous choices.

* ''VideoGame/BaldursGateIIThroneOfBhaal'': [[spoiler:Sarevok]], if you allow him to join your party and you're not following an evil path. He will help you, but still remain evil (unless certain choices are made during the game).

* ''VideoGame/StarCraft:HeartOfTheSwarm'': To a certain extent, Kerrigan might be this. Despite being morphed back to a human form at the end of ''Wings of Liberty'', she still bears a lot of grudge and resentment against Mengsk, while still being capable of controlling the Zerg, and refuses Raynor's pledges of leaving with him because "until Mengsk lives, there can be no ''us''". After she is deceived into thinking that Raynor is dead, she pursues a full-scale quest for revenge against him. While definitely not being anymore the murderous Queen of Blades, and showing crescent mercy and care for the innocent, she kills Warfield in a burst of rage, and goes to the point of dooming to death a Protoss colony that threatened her (stating that both parties killed members of the other faction and so, from her point of view, everybody was guilty of killing). She then returns to Zerg form, although in the Primal Zerg form, which is free from the evil influence of Amon, and eventually sieges Mengsk's fortress. Here she is ultimately willing to spare innocent victims, allowing Valerian and Raynor to evacuate the city before her final assault.

* ''VideoGame/BaldursGateIIThroneOfBhaal'': [[Spoiler:Sarevok]], if you allow him to join your party and you're not following an evil path. He will help you, but still remain evil (unless certain choices are made during the game).

* ''VideoGame/StarCraftHeartOfTheSwarm'': To a certain extent, Kerrigan might be this. Despite being morphed back to a human form at the end of ''Wings of Liberty'', she still bears a lot of grudge and resentment against Mengsk, while still being capable of controlling the Zerg, and refuses Raynor's pledges of leaving with him because "until Mengsk lives, there can be no ''us''". After she is deceived into thinking that Raynor is dead, she pursues a full-scale quest for revenge against him. While definitely not being anymore the murderous Queen of Blades, and showing crescent mercy and care for the innocent, she kills Warfield in a burst of rage, and goes to the point of dooming to death a Protoss colony that threatened her (stating that both parties killed members of the other faction and so, from her point of view, everybody was guilty of killing). She then returns to Zerg form, although in the Primal Zerg form, which is free from the evil influence of Amon, and eventually sieges Mengsk's fortress. Here she is ultimately willing to spare innocent victims, allowing Valerian and Raynor to evacuate the city before her final assault.

** Both of them moved further by the time of ''Anime/DragonBallSuper''. Picollo has mellowed out considerably, though he's still rather aloof. Apparently he actually spends time eating with Goku's family, and he babysits Pan when both Gohan and Videl are busy. Vegeta... Well, he's still very much Vegeta, but he cares deeply for his Earth family despite his attempts to not show it, and there are moments for him that border on NotSoAboveItAll.

* EvilReadhead → FieryRedhead