History Main / ReluctantWarrior

* In ''Literature/{{Twilight}},'' the older vampire, Carlisle, is considered less dangerous than those several hundred years his junior because of his reluctance to harm a living being, even if it's trying to kill him.

* Kasumi from the ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'' series always tries to avoid conflict until either she sees there's no other choice (it's even one of her pre-battle [[CatchPhrase Catch Phrases]]) or gets her BerserkButton pressed.

* ''ComicBook/RobinSeries'': Tim starts out his tenure as Robin treating it like a temporary position he'll eventually quit. He ends up quitting twice only to be pulled back in by the knowledge that his training makes him invaluable and sitting on the sidelines when he knows he could be helping save lives isn't something he can really stand. By the time the title is taken from him he no longer feels this way and moves on to the identity of ComicBook/RedRobin in response.

Because of these conflicting impulses, straight heroes who are Reluctant Warriors will spend a lot of time agonizing over their choices and circumstances, but somehow manage to keep the {{Angst}} under control (well, until the villain tries to BreakThemByTalking about their [[NotSoDifferentRemark similarities]]). An AntiHero or AntiVillain who is a Reluctant Warrior (it ''can'' happen) likely has some underlying good goal and means well -- for [[WellIntentionedExtremist loose]] [[NobleDemon definitions]] of [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans "well"]] -- and nonetheless laments but will not hesitate to use force.

* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED'': Kira Yamato starts out as a Reluctant Warrior, who tries to spare his enemies, but ends up killing a ''lot'' of them. He's eventually able to upgrade to TechnicalPacifist, much to the improvement of his mental health. Athrun may qualify in ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSeedDestiny''.

* Nanashi in ''Anime/SwordOfTheStranger'' keeps his sword sheathed with a peace knot preventing him from drawing it because [[spoiler: he complied to his superior's order to execute a mother and her child during a raid and had nightmares about it ever since.]] This doesn't stop him from defending himself [[spoiler: or Kotaro]] through other means, including flinging a boiling pot of water over an enemy soldier's head and crushing another's throat with the butt of his sheath. [[spoiler:He finally breaks the knot and unsheathes the blade during the FinalBattle.]]

* ''ComicBook/TheGoddamned'': Cain's immortality makes him invincible and his age leaves him little patience for the savages that plague the badlands, so while he is perfectly willing to slaughter his way out of a tidelwave of wild-men, he won't actively seek out a fight.

* Jessamine Lovelace from ''Literature/TheInfernalDevices''. Although she's no ActualPacifist. She just really, ''really'' hates the Shadowhunter world.
* Bowbaq, from the "Cycle of Ji" series by french novelist Pierre Grimbert, is an ActualPacifist who has to take up arms when a bunch of fanatical killer priests are sent to kill his family, his friends, and himself. This might have to do with him being able to mentally communicate with animals (with restrictions on the species of animals he can communicate with).

* [[TheMedic Clarke]] of {{Series/The 100}} spends a great deal of her time trying to prevent as many deaths as possible. Unfortunately, they live in a CrapsackWorld where everyone is trying to kill everyone, so she has to kill people anyways, just keep her own people alive.
* ''Series/AliasSmithAndJones'': Even as outlaws, Heyes and Curry both fit this trope. Their whole modus operandi for train- and bank-robbing is to secure the maximum amount of loot with no casualties whatsoever. Kid Curry seems unlikely as a Reluctant Warrior, but although he is a {{Gunslinger}} par excellence, he really, really, really doesn't want to shoot anyone. The rationale for his becoming a phenomenally fast draw is that the faster he can draw the gun, the less likely the chance that he'll actually have to fire it. And the only two times he DOES actually shoot someone are when they draw on him first, and even in those circumstances he hates having been placed in that position.

* ''Series/{{Firefly}}'': Both Dr. Simon Tam and Shepherd Book, though Book is also TheAtoner because he was a formidable warrior once and regretted how many he killed. River also qualifies. She may be a horrifically brutal and efficient killing machine, but she doesn't ''[[IJustWantToBeNormal want]]'' to be one, and is terrified of her abilities.

** Most of the Federation as such would also fall under this category in that they keep up with their neighbors as best they can technology wise but try not to use force unless needed.
** Spock generally can be described as one unless he feels it is absolutely necessary to use force, like he did when counseling Kirk not to show weakness to the [[SpaceRomans Romulans]] in "[[Recap/StarTrekS1E14BalanceOfTerror Balance of Terror]]."

* The Academy faction in ''VideoGame/TerraInvicta''. When the first signs of alien life show up, they're initially hopeful, looking forward to peaceful, mutually beneficial cooperation as equals. After observing the aliens' activities, however, the Academy quickly realize the aliens are hostile (unlike the GenreBlind Protectorate) and prepare for war. However, even during that war, the Academy's end goal remains finding some way to make an equal peace with their would-be invaders, instead of simply expelling them from the solar system or destroying them outright.

* Post-World War 2 Germany as a whole. After the shock of what JustFollowingOrders can lead to, the new German constitution gave every German citizen the right to refuse military service, to prevent instrumentalization of German people by the occupying powers. In the face of the UsefulNotes/ColdWar, the creation of a [[UsefulNotes/WeAreNotTheWehrmacht new German army]] was highly controversial and required a legal loophole to reintroduce conscription, despite violating the constitution. It wasn't until the Yugoslav Wars in the '90s, when genocide was happening right next to [=EU=] borders, that German aircraft engaged in combat action, and even that was extremely controversial. Caught in the frenzy of late 2001, Germany supported the invasion of Afghanistan with equipment and technical specialists and later took control of the mostly pacified Northeast in a mission to "provide security for the population and projects for the development of local security forces". A landmark was reached in 2009 when the Minister of Defense first admitted that German troops in Afghanistan were dealing with "conditions similar to war", which was criticized by many other politicians, who went to great lengths to reassure that [[ImplausibleDeniability German troops were not involved in any war]]. At the same time, Germany has the world's 7th largest defense budget and is the world's 3rd largest weapons exporter after the US and Russia. While Germany hates to use military force, it's [[BecauseImGoodAtIt really good at]] [[GermanicEfficiency making weapons.]][[note]]Good at making weapons? How about good at making '''anything'''.[[/note]]

* ''Franchise/KamenRider'' has this as a recurring theme. Many Kamen Riders would rather not fight. Some actively detest fighting, while others would rather just stay out of it for one reason or another. However, when it comes down to it, they fight because they know that if they don't, then innocent people will be hurt.

* In ''Film/AppointmentVenus'', Lionel Fallaize is an artist who refused to join up when the war started because he dislikes violence, uniforms and people telling him what to do. However, after getting caught up in the plan to rescue Venus, he sees Vogel about to shoot Mooreland, he jumps at Vogel to get Vogel's attention and [[TakingTheBullet takes the bullet]] intended for Mooreland. Later, when his wound is being tended, he says that he doesn't know what came over him, but he was compelled to act when he saw what was happening, and the implication is that he intends to sign up when the squad gets back to Britain.

* In ''Film/AppointmentWithDeath'', Lionel Fallaize is an artist who refused to join up when the war started because he dislikes violence, uniforms and people telling him what to do. However, after getting caught up in the plan to rescue Venus, he sees Vogel about to shoot Mooreland, he jumps at Vogel to get Vogel's attention and [[TakingTheBullet takes the bullet]] intended for Mooreland. Later, when his wound is being tended, he says that he doesn't know what came over him, but he was compelled to act when he saw what was happening, and the implication is that he intends to sign up when the squad gets back to Britain.

* Spock on ''Franchise/StarTrek''. The Federation as such would also fall under this category.
** Speaking of Spock, in'' Bread and Circuses'' he and [=McCoy=] are thrown into a [[GladiatorGames death match against gladiator-style warriors]] on a new planet. While the alien opponent is coming at him with a sword, Spock constantly plays defensive, choosing to dodge the blows while insisting that he "does not want to injure" him, leading to the watching crowd concluding that "the pointy-eared barbarian" is about to get killed. However, when he notices that the much less action-oriented [=McCoy=] is in danger, Spock deals with his opponent in the space of a second and darts over to save his frenemy.

* Shizuo Heiwajima from ''LightNovel/{{Durarara}}'' takes this trope to its logical extreme: he's a vocal violence-hating pacifist who happens to have SuperStrength and a ''very'' [[HairTriggerTemper severe rage disorder]] that leads him to respond to the mildest irritation with - you guessed it - violence. [[IAmAMonster He is fully aware of]] [[HypocrisyNod the hypocrisy of that statement.]]

* ''VideoGame/FugaMelodiesOfSteel'' originally presents Malt and the rest of the kids as this, as they are children suddenly tasked with the heavy burden of fighting on the frontlines of a war, and are understandably mortified when they take their first life. During intermissions, you would sometimes have to ''lie'' to [[TheBabyOfTheBunch Mei]] by telling her that you are only destroying [=UMGs=] and that no one is really dying. However, through both the manipulations of the voice on the radio as well as learning how deep the Berman Empire's villainy runs do they start growing out of this mentality, realizing that the only way to make the Berman Army stand down is to make them.

* ''Manga/OnePiece'': The Revolutionary Dragon is revealed to have been this in the past. However, after the World Government [[LeaveNoSurvivors razed Ohara]] via [[ItsTheOnlyWayToBeSure Buster Call]], [[MoralEventHorizon he could not stand their despotic tyranny anymore]] [[ThisMeansWar and went on to found]] [[LaResistance the Revolutionary Army]] even though he hated violence.
* Hiiragi in ''Manga/PsychoStaff'' is this. Also, [[IJustWantToBeNormal he just wants to be normal]] and hates fighting.

* ''Manga/SaintSeiya'' has Andromeda Shun, who, after four seasons and at least three movies, refuses to give up on the idea of non-violently settling problems, and talking to his enemies in the hopes of reasoning with them. He has the unfortunate tendency to combine this noble character with MartyrWithoutACause and almost ''giving away his life'' on a few occasions... but when push comes to shove and the enemy proves they are a monster, he ''will'' fight and kill them if need be. To his credit, he's caused at least one HeelFaceTurn among his opponents, and [[spoiler: held back and ''throttled'' a [[DemonicPossession body stealing god]] through sheer love of peace]].
* ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'': So how's the teaching job going, Negi? As the series progresses, he's getting less and less reluctant, getting [[SuperpoweredEvilSide dangerously close]] to the edge.
* ''Manga/DragonBall'': Gohan, especially in the Cell Saga, before Goku's death. Gohan refuses to get mad enough to blindly kill Cell in a RoaringRampageOfRevenge because he [[ThouShallNotKill doesn't want to kill anyone]]. It takes Android 16's deathbed speech about how it is okay to kill to protect the innocent and then subsequent death at Cell's hand to get Gohan to let it loose. After defeating Cell, Gohan stops training to focus on his studies, because unlike [[BloodKnight his dad]], he fights solely to protect people, not because he enjoys it.

* Hiiragi in ''Manga/PsychoStaff'' is this. Also, [[IJustWantToBeNormal he just wants to be normal]] and hates fighting.
* ''Anime/TheVisionOfEscaflowne'': Van Fanel is constantly told he needs to attack more aggressively -- [[BerserkButton at first...]]
* Haku of ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' hated fighting and killing, but also desired nothing more than to see Zabuza's wishes fulfilled. In his final battle, despite having many opportunities to do so, he never struck a fatal point with his senbon despite it significantly extending the battle.

* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED'': Kira Yamato starts out as a Reluctant Warrior, who tries to spare his enemies, but ends up killing a ''lot'' of them. He's eventually able to upgrade to TechnicalPacifist, much to the improvement of his mental health. Athrun may qualify in ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSeedDestiny''.
* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'': Kira Izuru believes the true essence of combat is "despair". As such he despises battle, despite the fact that when he actually ''does'' fight seriously he's a complete gangster.

* ''Manga/BoboboboBobobo'' parodies this trope with Bojiggler, a {{Bishonen}} warrior that expresses his hatred for fighting [[HypocriticalHumor by pounding the living daylights out of his enemies.]]
* In ''Manga/{{Freezing}}'', Kathy Lockhearte is a sweet, rather meek girl who wants to one day become a novelist and raise a loving family. Too bad for her that she naturally possesses the potential to become one of the most powerful [[ActionGirl Pandoras]] on the planet, and her {{Jerkass}} father constantly pressured her into becoming the "world's savior" more to boost his own political career than to actually, well, save the world.

* ''Anime/MartianSuccessorNadesico'': Akito Tenkawa starts off as one, only wanting to serve as a cook aboard the titular ship.
* Yang Wen-li of ''Literature/LegendOfTheGalacticHeroes'' hates war and violence. However, he is a genius tactician, and living in a turbulent time means he is [[TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive thrust into action time and time again]]. Several characters have remarked on the contradiction between his attitude and action.
* ''Manga/FutureDiary'' protagonist Yukiteru starts off as an [[ShrinkingViolet antisocial wallflower]] who would prefer to stay out of trouble. Too bad he's in a [[ThereCanOnlyBeOne Battle Royale for godhood]] with twelve other people, almost all of whom are directly targeting ''him''. The one who isn't is a [[AxCrazy homicidally]]-[[StalkerWithACrush obsessive]] {{Yandere}}. Despite being frequently scared shitless OnceAnEpisode and not being at all enthused about killing, he's killed [[spoiler: just as many diary owners as her]] before [[spoiler: Taking A Level In Badass]], by which point [[spoiler: the trope gets subverted]].
* Nanashi in ''Anime/SwordOfTheStranger'' keeps his sword sheathed with a peace knot preventing him from drawing it because [[spoiler: he complied to his superior's order to execute a mother and her child during a raid and had nightmares about it ever since.]] This doesn't stop him from defending himself [[spoiler: or Kotaro]] through other means, including flinging a boiling pot of water over an enemy soldier's head and crushing another's throat with the butt of his sheath. [[spoiler:He finally breaks the knot and unsheathes the blade during the FinalBattle.]]
* Luluco of ''Anime/SpacePatrolLuluco'' wants nothing more than [[IJustWantToBeNormal to live an normal, uneventful life]]. Unfortunately, she has to work with the Space Patrol to earn enough money to unfreeze her father. This isn't helped by the fact that [[OnlySaneMan her coworkers are insane]].

* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': Buffy is very much one, especially during the high school seasons. Giles has to do everything short of grabbing her by the hair.
* ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'': Parodied in a snippet: "I'm starting a war for peace."
* ''Series/StargateSG1'': Daniel Jackson often has to reconcile his idealist ways with the more pragmatic ways of his friends. Sometimes he wins, sometimes they do, depending on the episode.

** Speaking of Spock, in'' Bread and Circuses'' he and [=McCoy=] are thrown into a DeathMatch against gladiator-style warriors on a new planet. While the alien opponent is coming at him with a sword, Spock constantly plays defensive, choosing to dodge the blows while insisting that he "does not want to injure" him, leading to the watching crowd concluding that "the pointy-eared barbarian" is about to get killed. However, when he notices that the much less action-oriented [=McCoy=] is in danger, Spock deals with his opponent in the space of a second and darts over to save his frenemy.
* Lee "Apollo" Adama on ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|2003}}''. He's a crack pilot and tactician, second only to Starbuck, but finds it difficult to carry out orders he has ethical problems with, and actively questions the decisions behind them on occasion.
* ''Series/BabylonFive'':
** Sheridan's mantra is "We will not start the fight, but we will finish it!" He lives up to it, as in almost all battles he commands, he allows the enemy to make a first shot.
** In a novel Sheridan's predecessor Sinclair said during his introductory speech to the recruits of the newly found organisation of Rangers, that those who'd joined to have revenge on [[ScaryDogmaticAliens Shadows]] are not welcomed there, as the ultimate goal of the organisation is to save lives, ''all'' lives, including those of Shadows, if it's possible.
* ''[[Series/{{Highlander}} Highlander: The Series]]'': Methos is the oldest living immortal at 5,000+ years. In the present, he prefers to stay out of the Game and usually avoids fights. However, every now and then some other immortal will try to force the issue, only to learn the hard way that there's a damn good reason he's survived as long as he has.
-->''"Just because someone doesn't '''like''' to fight, doesn't mean they '''can't'''."''
* [[TheMedic Clarke]] of {{Series/The 100}} spends a great deal of her time trying to prevent as many deaths as possible. Unfortunately, they live in a CrapsackWorld where everyone is trying to kill everyone, so she has to kill people anyways, just keep her own people alive.
* ''Series/WonderWoman'': In the pilot episode, Wonder Woman states both hers and all of [[HiddenElfVillage Paradice Island's]] views on violence...right after beating up her agent. Granted he had just [[BullyingADragon pulled a gun on her]].
-->'''Ashley Norman:''' Please. Don't hurt me!\\
'''Wonder Woman:''' Hurt you? Where I'm from we try never to hurt people.

* In ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', despite being one of the most powerful characters, Grace hates fighting and was brought to tears the one time she had to unleash her full strength on someone (despite that someone being the OmnicidalManiac [[AGodAmI God-wannabe]] who abused her for years). She's training to become a MartialPacifist so she has more options than "cower in corner" or "tear to shreds".

* ''Manga/DragonBall'': Gohan, especially in the Cell Saga, before Goku's death. Gohan refuses to get mad enough to blindly kill Cell in a RoaringRampageOfRevenge because he [[ThouShallNotKill doesn't want to kill anyone]]. It takes Android 16's deathbed speech about how it is okay to kill to protect the innocent and then subsequent death at Cell's hand to get Gohan to let it loose.

* Goku from ''Manga/DragonBall'' grew up to be this (especially the horrible judge of character part) seeing as how he loves to fight but never sets out to kill, even when he is forced to (mostly in the English dub. He doesn't kill in the original either, but that's because he wants to fight them again - he's pretty much the exact opposite of reluctant to fight). He actually has the lowest body count in the series, of the ''important'' characters at least. As a child, he wasn't too concerned about having a large body count. An example is the time he went on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge and destroyed the entire Red Ribbon Army when he was a kid (though they DID piss him off really badly by killing Upa's dad, among other deeds) and also the killing of Demon King Piccolo and his minions. And of course, he kills plenty of people in the movies, though those aren't canon.
** Gohan is another great example, especially in the Cell Saga, before Goku dies at least. Gohan refuses to get mad enough to blindly kill Cell in a RoaringRampageOfRevenge because he doesn't want to kill anyone. It takes Android 16 deathbed speech about how it is okay to kill to protect the innocent and then subsequent death at Cell's hand to get Gohan to let it loose.

* Nanashi in ''Anime/SwordOfTheStranger'' keeps his sword sheathed with a peace knot preventing him from drawing it because [[spoiler: he complied to his superior's order to execute a mother and her child during a raid and had nightmares about it ever since.]] This doesn't stop him from defending himself [[spoiler: or Kotaro]] through other means, including [[spoiler: flinging a boiling pot of water over an enemy soldier's head and crushing another's throat with the butt of his sheath.]]

* Goku from ''Manga/DragonBall'' grew up to be this (especially the horrible judge of character part) seeing as how he loves to fight but never sets out to kill, even when he is forced to. He actually has the lowest body count in the series, of the ''important'' characters at least. As a child, he wasn't too concerned about having a large body count. An example is the time he went on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge and destroyed the entire Red Ribbon Army when he was a kid (though they DID piss him off really badly by killing Upa's dad, among other deeds) and also the killing of Demon King Piccolo and his minions. And of course, he kills plenty of people in the movies, though those aren't canon.

* In Creator/AlanDeanFoster's ''Literature/TheDamned'', every soldier in [[TheAlliance the Weave]] is this. Most of the Weave races abhor even the thought of violence, and the ones that can bring themselves to fight do so with much distaste. Their foes, the psychic influence-wielding [[ScaryDogmaticAliens Amplitur]], do not like to fight either, but their fanatical belief in uniting all species beneath the banner of "The Purpose" drives them to do so, and they don't hesitate in genetically modifying species under their rule in order to make them better fighters. The only species that enjoys fighting is [[HumansAreWarriors humanity]]. The Weave manages to recruit humankind, and the only thing that frightens them more than having humans as allies is the possibility of humans falling under the Amplitur's control.

Nonetheless, they stand by their ActualPacifist ideology and continually try to give peace a chance, even when doing so verges on being a HorribleJudgeOfCharacter when offered to irredeemably evil opponents. Sadly, they will ''still'' rack up a body count. Even so, they won't give up trying to hold to their HeroicVow, even if it's functionally a FrequentlyBrokenUnbreakableVow. They keep trying since they know that pure pacifism will cause more problems than solve, even if it means having to fight and kill again.

* Bowbaq, from the "Cycle of Ji" series by french novelist Pierre Grimbert, is an ActualPacifist who has to take up arms when a bunch of fanatical killer priests are sent to kill his family, his friends and himself. This might have to do with him being able to mentally communicate with animals (with restrictions on the species of animals he can communicate with).

* ''Series/AliasSmithAndJones'': Even as outlaws, Heyes and Curry both fit this trope. Their whole modus operandi for train- and bank- robbing is to secure the maximum amount of loot with no casualties whatsoever. Kid Curry seems unlikely as a Reluctant Warrior, but although he is a {{Gunslinger}} par excellence, he really, really, really doesn't want to shoot anyone. The rationale for his becoming a phenomenally fast draw is that the faster he can draw the gun, the less likely the chance that he'll actually have to fire it. And the only two times he DOES actually shoot someone are when they draw on him first, and even in those circumstances he hates having been placed in that position.

** Before the [[GreatOffscreenWar Last Great Time War]], the Doctor was a ScienceHero for whom lethal force was the last resort but still [[TechnicalPacifist a valid one]]. After the war...they still are. ''During'' the war, on the other hand, they fought on the front line until there was no other option but nuking both sides to save the universe.

* Lee "Apollo" Adama on ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|2003}}''. He's a crack pilot and tactician, second only to Starbuck, but finds it difficult to carry out out orders he has ethical problems with, and actively questions the decisions behind them on occasion.

* ''VideoGame/FugaMelodiesOfSteel'' originally presents Malt and the rest of the kids as this, as they are children suddenly tasked with the heavy burden of fighting in the frontlines of a war, and are understandably mortified when they take their first life. During intermissions, you would sometimes have to ''lie'' to [[TheBabyOfTheBunch Mei]] by telling her that you are only destroying [=UMGs=] and that no one is really dying. However, through both the manipulations of the voice on the radio as well as learning how deep the Berman Empire's villainy runs do they start growing out of this mentality, realizing that the only way to make the Berman Army stand down is to make them.

* Cream the Rabbit of ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'' is a prime candidate. She's a gentle, caring young girl who hates violence and will try to resolve any conflict without it. When forced to fight, however, she and her pet Chao Cheese can seriously lay the smack-down on some robots. Somewhat averted in ''VideoGame/SonicChronicles'' where all of her special abilities [[WhiteMage revolve around healing and buffing the party.]] [[GameBreaker Though that doesn't keep her from being a horrifyingly powerful asset when paired up with a tank like Knuckles or Omega.]]

* Yang Wen-li of ''Anime/LegendOfGalacticHeroes'' hates war and violence. However, he is a genius tactician, and living in a turbulent time means he is [[TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive thrust into action time and time again]]. Several characters have remarked on the contradiction between his attitude and action.

* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'': Shinji Ikari. At first, he pilots so that [[BandageBabe Rei]] wouldn't have to. Then, he pilots because he wants [[WellDoneSonGuy recognition]] from his estranged father. After [[WhamEpisode Bardiel]], [[MortonsFork he quits because he's afraid of hurting innocents but shortly afterwards, he pilots again because if he doesn't, people will get hurt anyway]]. Therefore, he has no choice but to sit in that fucking cockpit he hates like no tomorrow.

* Piffany in ''Webcomic/{{Nodwick}}'' is perhaps [[TastesLikeDiabetes nauseatingly]] [[NiceGuy nice]], but can and will fight alongside her teammates when faced with the forces of naughtiness.

* ''Fanfic/ThroughHerEyes'':Ruby will fight humans if she really needs to, but she is much more comfortable fighting Grimm, to the point that her performance drastically suffers during a spar with Yang against Pyrrha and Ren.