History Main / RousseauWasRight

* For how infamously dark the series is, ''Franchise/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' has this theme. Every single villain is either a WellIntentionedExtremist or out for {{Revenge}}. The witches are [[spoiler:former Magical Girls who were corrupted and turned into monsters and are just trying to MercyKill humanity]], while the antagonistic Magical Girls are [[spoiler:trying to fight against the system that has set them up to become witches]]- or, in the case of [[spoiler:Kagari]] from ''Manga/PuellaMagiSuzuneMagica'', she wants to avenge a loved one. Even the HateSink, [[spoiler:Kyubey/Incubator is trying to save the universe, and]] has BlueAndOrangeMorality which leads them to [[spoiler:attempt maximization for energy production even after Madoka has created a system where no one needs to suffer]]. The other biggest examples are [[spoiler:Madoka/Gretchen and Homura/Homulily themselves]], who become two of the greatest threats to the universe [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds because]] of the TraumaCongaLine they suffered, and because of their [[LoveMakesYouEvil love for each other]].* ''Manga/QueenMillennia'': It's said that humanity was once as pure as Mayu, but Queen Millennia's team have introduced conflicts to them to speed up their development, something Yayoi regrets.

* This pops up on Series 12, Episode 6 of ''Series/{{Taskmaster}}'' where the prize task asked contestants to bring items for each other. Greg is disappointed that, rather than bringing things to mock, humiliate, or demean each other, the contestants went out of their way to actually buy nice things for each other like a gorgeous painting of a dog Gus has always wanted, with Gus being so touched he outright said Desiree ''deserved the 5 points'' for bringing in such a lovely item. When Morgana ''and'' Alan promise to give the painting to Gus if they win, [[EvilCannotComprehendGood Greg utterly loses it]].

--> '''Gus:''' [[GoodFeelsGood We've defeated the format of your show]].

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[[caption-width-right:350: Even on dreary days, people will still help each other.]]

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* ''Anime/TheVisionOfEscaflowne'' has the good guys and the WellIntentionedExtremist antagonists. It does have [[PsychoForHire Dilandau]] but he is [[spoiler:the [[JekyllAndHyde inverted personality]] of Celena Schezar, Allen's "dead little sister". Which makes Celena, the opposite of Dilandau in every way, likely the nicest person in the entire world, while Dilandau cannot be counted since he is not a human being found normally in nature.]]
* Dr. Tenma operates on this principle at the beginning of ''Manga/{{Monster}}''. The main conflict of the series is Tenma's idealism versus Johan's nihilism. In the end, [[spoiler: Tenma's idealism wins out, as he saves Johan's life, but Johan still refuses to change]].
* Creator/YoshiyukiTomino's ''Anime/BrainPowerd'' is a series in which no one is truly, completely evil. The Reclaimers are dangerous but misguided, and people always have a reason why they act a certain way. Yes, even the show's resident SmugSnake Jonathan has some good in him that can be brought out. If ''[[Anime/MobileSuitVictoryGundam Victory Gundam]]'' was the work of a [[CreatorBreakdown depressed man]], ''Brain Powerd'' is the work of a man who has overcome his depression.
* At least a few episodes per series of the ''[[Anime/PokemonTheSeries Pokémon anime]]'', as well as [[Anime/PokemonTheFirstMovie the first movie]], are devoted to the theme of "there are no bad Pokémon, only mean/abusive/neglectful trainers." The implication is that bad ''people'' as well are just the result of a bad upbringing.

* ''Manga/WithTheLight'' has a lot of this. While there are people who are insensitive or antagonistic towards the autistic Hikaru or his mother's struggles in raising him, you can count the people who do so entirely out of spite on one hand. Most everyone else is just uneducated about Autism.
* Mashina Hiro's next work, ''Manga/FairyTail'', largely continues these trends (minus the {{mooks}} thing). Perhaps best demonstrated in the Cursed Island Arc, which ends with [[spoiler:the main villain getting past the baggage he had from his former master and fellow students and [[HeelFaceTurn reforming]] along with his entire team]].
* ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'' fits the trope. Many people like fighting, but the only really Evil person seems to be Chachazero, a powerless [[PerversePuppet doll]] of Evangeline's. Even demons are quite decent people. PoorCommunicationKills and CycleOfRevenge provide a steady supply of conflict though. A lot of antagonists could've pulled Negi to their side if they bothered to explain their goals. Although even Chachazero has been able to show restraint, at the end of the Kyoto arc [[spoiler: she just scares Chigusa so badly that she faints, as opposed to using her [[{{BFS}} freaking huge knife to actually do some damage]].]] Special mention goes to [[spoiler:the Lifemaker's puppets]], who genuinely believe they are doing the right thing because [[spoiler:all except Fate are programmed to be loyal to their creator]]. The only one who is kind of a dick about it is [[spoiler:Secundum, who got on the Lifemaker's nerves so much that he specifically created Fate without unlimited loyalty and zeal]]. The only character who's outright evil with no AntiVillain tendencies or FreudianExcuse of some kind is PsychoLesbian[=/=]BloodKnight Tsukuyomi, who has some [[StalkerWithACrush serious]] [[AttemptedRape issues]] regarding Setsuna (and is generally Joker-level insane).

* ''Anime/MazingerZ'': the "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4YmG7oPuo4 Theme of Z]]" seems to think RousseauWasRight. Kouji and his friends meet many people who behave like jerks but deep down are not bad people, and BigBad Dr. Hell's reasons for being evil are he was TheWoobie when he was young. However, this series somehow manages to mix this trope with HumansAreBastards.
* Most of ''Manga/KimiNiTodoke'''s supporting characters are popular girls and jock guys who befriend the shy, outcast protagonist without any ulterior motive (unless there's an out-of-left-field [[ThePlan scheme]] coming)
* ''Kero Kero Chime'' comes pretty close. There's only ''one'' human in the entire series that's actually evil, with most of the conflicts coming from misunderstandings or well-meaning efforts. The track record is similarly good for non-humans: [[spoiler:Although his minions are pretty nasty, even the Demon King himself turns out to be not that bad -- he's completely reformed by the time the main cast meets up with him.]]
* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''. No, seriously. The series may be best known for its ruthless cynicism, bleak tone, and disturbing content, but some reading between the lines reveals the conclusion to suggest that all human beings really want is to be loved and accepted, and that the things they do, no matter how twisted, are merely the result of fear, self-hatred, and lack of understanding for themselves and others.

* In all of ''Literature/KyoKaraMaoh'', there have been perhaps two {{Big Bad}}s that are not redeemed. One of them is literally SealedEvilInACan, and the other [[spoiler:becomes a mindless puppet for said SealedEvilInACan]].

* There are two major villains in ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'', and ''both'' of them have good intentions: [[spoiler: Lordgenome suppresses the growth of humanity in order to avoid getting the attention of the Anti-Spirals, who, in turn, want to destroy humanity in order to prevent them from ''destroying the universe'' through overuse of spiral energy.]]
** Even though they have similar names, this is not Rossiu. Though it might be a call out, as Rossiu eventually learns a lesson and starts to believe more along the lines of this trope.
* ''Anime/SonicX'' has at least one moment that alludes to this; during the Metarex saga, the dub tries to explain Knuckles' getting tricked by Eggman by saying that he believes everybody is capable of good, or of turning over a new leaf.
* In ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemist2003'', [[spoiler: Wrath is a sweet young boy and doesn't become a raging psychopath until Envy feeds him some red stones, which seems to imply that the Philosopher's Stone is partly responsible for making the homunculi as evil and cruel as they are]].
* ''Franchise/{{Naruto}}'' is all but constructed around this principle. It's made clear that the people of the other villages are no different than the people of Konoha, and that even the most vile villains of the series began as decent people who were driven to madness and cruelty by some horrible trauma. In fact, the ultimate theme seems to be redeeming villains and ending the pointless cycle of hatred that was responsible for creating the various ninja wars and conflicts.
* Light Yagami of ''Manga/DeathNote'' [[ZigZaggingTrope zig-zags]] this, but it really may all depend on your personal [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation stance on the character]]. On the one hand, Light, [[spoiler:upon losing all memories of ever being a serial killer, instantly reverts into a LawfulGood and trustworthy young man, suggesting that the power of the Death Note truly is corrupting]]. On the other hand, [[spoiler:Near points out that A), ''had'' Light been a genuinely decent and righteous person, the first time he used the Notebook would also have been the last[[note]]like the original Kira, Taro Kagami[[/note]], and B) if he had just been a normal person, he might have used it a few times for personal gain[[note]]like Misa, who wanted Kira to love her, or Higuchi, the CorruptCorporateExecutive[[/note]].]] [[EvilAllAlong And his monstrous god complex ostensibly tosses both theories out the window]]. The only hint we're ever given behind all of the underlying sadism, narcissism, grandiosity, manipulation, black-and-white-thinking, and paranoia is that his creator confirms he was a perfectionist that had to manipulate himself into believing the first deaths he caused were entirely justified, and that he made the world a better place because of it.
* The Music/DaftPunk movie ''Anime/Interstella5555'' shows that not every human like the BigBad is evil. When the humans of Earth discovered the Crescendolls are aliens kidnapped from their planet and enslaved, the humans did everything to bring them back to their home planet.
* This is a major theme in the ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' franchise, where everyone (regardless of how they were born) has the capacity to do good, and most antagonists will undergo a HeelFaceTurn if given the chance. This is best demonstrated in ''[[Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAs A's]]'', which is flat out GoodVersusGood, and the closest thing to an evil character is a WellIntentionedExtremist. Though this is averted in the movie series with [[spoiler:Phi Maxwell]], a man who, though [[BitchInSheepsClothing seemingly nice]], ''is'' depicted as pure evil.
* For how infamously dark the series is, ''Franchise/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' has this theme. Every single villain is either a WellIntentionedExtremist or out for {{Revenge}}. The witches are [[spoiler:former Magical Girls who were corrupted and turned into monsters and are just trying to MercyKill humanity]], while the antagonistic Magical Girls are [[spoiler:trying to fight against the system that has set them up to become witches]]- or, in the case of [[spoiler:Kagari]] from ''Manga/PuellaMagiSuzuneMagica'', she wants to avenge a loved one. Even the HateSink, [[spoiler:Kyubey/Incubator is trying to save the universe, and]] has BlueAndOrangeMorality which leads them to [[spoiler:attempt maximization for energy production even after Madoka has created a system where no one needs to suffer]]. The other biggest examples are [[spoiler:Madoka/Gretchen and Homura/Homulily themselves]], who become two of the greatest threats to the universe [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds because]] of the TraumaCongaLine they suffered, and because of their [[LoveMakesYouEvil love for each other]].
* ''Manga/RecordOfRagnarok'' runs on the premise that [[HumansAreGood humans are basically decent and would only become malicious under extreme circumstances]]. Most of the human characters have their more unsavory traits [[AdaptationalHeroism removed]] (such as Lu Bu's ChronicBackstabbingDisorder tendency and Adam and Eve's willful disobedience that led to their exile). Even Jack the Ripper--a man described in-universe as "the worst humanity has to offer"-- is portrayed as a [[UsedToBeASweetKid decent child]] who only [[IJustWantToBeLoved wants to be loved]], and eventually becomes a hedonistic SerialKiller after he realises that his mother, the only person he thought had loved him, only wanted to use him to bait his wealthy father and save her from a life of poverty, [[HiddenDisdainReveal and that she doesn't really love her son as a person.]]
* Zigzagged in ''Manga/TheKindaichiCaseFiles''. The series almost unfailingly portrays the ArcVillain of each case as {{Sympathetic Murderer}}s who are only DrivenToVillainy because they have been pushed through the DespairEventHorizon by their murder victims, and even the one killer who ''isn't'' motivated by revenge for a loved one is still depicted as a TragicVillain haunted by the guilt of his past crimes and desperate to put his criminal past behind him. The same can't be said for their {{asshole victim}}s (at least, not always), as many of them are genuinely petty {{Jerkass}}es who tormented the would-be killers out of jealousy, spite, or guilt.
* ''Manga/QueenMillennia'': It's said that humanity was once as pure as Mayu, but Queen Millennia's team have introduced conflicts to them to speed up their development, something Yayoi regrets.
* ''Manga/ShamanKing'': Yoh firmly believes that people who are [[InvisibleToNormals able to see ghosts]] can't be truly evil, just horribly misguided at worst. Despite the universe desperately trying to prove him wrong, he's ultimately right: every single "evil" character has a tragic backstory and a legitimate FreudianExcuse for hating humanity, including OmnicidalManiac Hao, and most if not all of them [[spoiler:end up performing a HeelFaceTurn and manage to turn over a new leaf after being revived in the finale.]]

* The majority of stuff by Creator/GrantMorrison. One could say that the CentralTheme of Morrison’s works is that ''everyone'' has the potential to be an awesome hero.

* Most Creator/{{Pixar}} films are more on WhiteAndGreyMorality most of the time rather than stick to typical ''good vs evil''.
** If the above was the case, it's possibly the descriptions for the monsters themselves in ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc'' and ''WesternAnimation/MonstersUniversity.'' With the exception of Randall that is...
** This trope can be said about the villains in all the ''Franchise/ToyStory'' movies.

* ''Film/SupermanReturns'': From the mouth of Superman's late father Jor-El: "They can be a great people, Kal-El, if they wish to be. They only lack the light to show the way. For this reason above all, their capacity for good, [[MessianicArchetype I have sent them you... my only son]]." Does any more need to be said?
** Played out further in ''[[Film/{{ManofSteel}} Man of Steel]]'', in which Superman has to decide whether to side with his alien race or defend the people of Earth. In the end, he chooses Earth due to their potential for kindness and heroism. The biggest example being Lois Lane, who figures out that Superman is Clark Kent but keeps it a secret solely out of altruism.

* With the exception of the organ traders, this is the main tragedy of ''Film/SympathyForMrVengeance''. This fact makes the ensuing spiral of vengeance even more tragic.
* Powerful example in ''Film/{{Circle}}''. After almost hour of this being a cruelly AvertedTrope [[spoiler: topped off with TheSociopath BitchInSheepsClothing FinalGuy Eric willingly gets a little girl, a pregnant woman and her unborn child killed in the DeadlyGame in order to save his own worthless hide (seemly proving HumansAreBastards) when Eric is transported back to Earth by the aliens he discovers the majority of the voted winners of other games are pregnant women and children… proving most people ''[[HumansAreGood are actually good]]'' and he’s a pathetic minority, not the norm. Something judging by [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone the look on his face]] when he sees the other winners, just hit home to him.]]
* The Venus Project, thoroughly discussed in the second ''Zeitgeist'' movie, is built around the assumption that greed, corruption, and ignorance are not intrinsic human qualities but were instead drilled into us by the harsh primeval environment and later, by our obsolete social institutions.
** Which is kind of ironic, considering the movies themselves allege almost ''everything that ever happened'' is part of an [[AncientConspiracy evil conspiracy]].
** Even though it's not apparent in the first film, the combined message of movies is that conspiracies like those mentioned in the first film are naturally occurring in the world, due to the system based on people and groups fighting each other for every and any advantage they can get. And honestly, that view is actually quite logical. While it is insane to believe in every conspiracy out there, we should understand that secrecy, subversion, and sabotage are a big part of the world, and they always have been.
* ''Film/{{Casablanca}}''. ''Everyone'' is a bright-eyed idealist disguised as a cynic -- Rick the KnightInSourArmor, Louis the PunchClockVillain, even the local crime lord. Either that or a [[ThoseWackyNazis Nazi]].
* Spencer Tracy as [[IrishPriest Father Flanagan]] in ''Film/BoysTown'': "There is no such thing as a bad boy."

* The Anti-Nazism speech made by Creator/CharlieChaplin in ''Film/TheGreatDictator'', in which Chaplin tells the audience, "You have the love of Humanity in your hearts! You don't hate! Only the unloved hate! The unloved and the unnatural."
* ''Film/WorldWarZ'' has a number of instances where people unite and support and help each other during the outbreak. The biggest example of this is in Israel, where the government opens its border to Arab refugees. People of all faiths then join together in singing and prayer. It's quite a turn for a zombie movie, a genre famous for portraying human survivors as either expendable or [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters as an even bigger threat than the zombies]]. Unfortunately, the noise draws in the zombies...

* ''Film/TransformersRevengeOfTheFallen'': Both Jetfire and Wheelie come to embody this. The former defected from the Decepticons after being jaded by the constant wars the Fallen was launching. The latter only worked for the Decepticons out of fear and was happy to join Sam and his gang.
* The [[AnAesop Aesop]] of Loki's character arc in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse. As explored in ''Film/{{Thor}}'', he was not born evil and is not a monster. His villainy in that film is largely a product of his messed-up upbringing. Even when he's at his worst in ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'', a small spark of goodness remains within him, even as he tries so hard to [[IgnoredEpiphany ignore it]]. It's especially evident in his scene with Thor, where Loki sheds a single tear and immediately dismisses it as a sentiment. Loki's fall from grace is played up as tragic in both movies. Then in ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld'' and ''Film/ThorRagnarok'', he slowly crawls [[HeelFaceTurn back into the light]], and [[spoiler:in ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar,'' he [[RedemptionEqualsDeath sacrifices himself]] for his brother, proving that in spite of his past misdeeds, he was truly good at heart]]. [[Series/Loki2021 This even affects]] [[spoiler: a past version of himself that tried to escape in ''Film/AvengersEndgame'' to come around faster upon knowing what would have happened to him.]]

* At least a few episodes per series of the ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' anime, as well as the first movie, are devoted to the theme of "there are no bad Pokémon, only mean/abusive/neglectful trainers." The implication is that bad ''people'' as well are just the result of a bad upbringing.

* This is a frequently-explored theme in Volume 2 of ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}''. New members Victor, Xavin, and Klara each come with baggage (Victor may or may not be fated to become an OmnicidalManiac, Xavin is a JerkAss, and Klara is an InnocentBigot with trust issues) but their new teammates believe that they can be guided into becoming heroes.
* ''Franchise/SpiderMan'' comics, especially at their best live and breathe on this idea. That incident with letting the robber run straight past him, taught Peter that doing the right thing matters more than anything else in the world, sometimes even including love, happiness and getting revenge for a lost loved one. Peter believes in caring for others so hard, [[https://mediachomp.com/spider-man-comic-about-a-homeless-girl-is-heartbreaking/ just one homeless girl who was a fan of him that he missed on street and is on death’s door by the time he finds her — breaks his heart even though she died loving him.]]
** One Marvel ChristmasSpecial has J.Jonah at the children’s ward trying and failing to teach the kids that Spidey is a selfish freak and only met with a collective “No you’re wrong geezer” as all the children share stories about how Spider-Man has visited and comforted them in their illness, including the terminal cases.

* A recurring theme in ''Franchise/{{Superman}}''. Superman's belief is that all sentient life at the very least begins as being inherently good. This belief is his motivation to be a superhero (to be a symbol to others) and often comes up when he's battling criminals; as long as they don't cause serious harm to others, Superman will be incredibly nice to them and try to help them reform, as he genuinely believes that there's good in them. In this regard, he's often contrasted with Franchise/{{Batman}}, who believes that HumansAreFlawed.

* Jack Kirby's ''ComicBook/NewGods'' series made this into a prevailing theme as well. The evil residents of Apokolips are treated as having become the way they are due to the appalling conditions they were raised in. In direct contrast, Highfather New Genesis celebrates unspoiled youth, and in spite of personal struggles, his subjects are always the good guys.
* Surprisingly crops up often in ''ComicBook/IronMan'' comics in between all the BrokenAce sagas. Tony Stark does actually care for others, despite often coming across like nothing more than a rich asshole. For example how did Stark end up revealing his identity in the comics after years of keeping it secret to everyone? [[https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQKDPeKTkDdS0y7x6KvxoxK-MDx02YI2rvFiA&usqp=CAU Just saving a boy’s dog]], something that infuriated his SpoiledBrat LoveInterest at the time. Later during the ''ComicBook/CivilWar2006'' era despite being arguably at his absolute worst, Tony still personally pays for Aunt May’s hospital treatment after she’s sniped by Kingpin. This surprising merciful side to his personality was even evident at the beginning as Tony expressed pity towards ComicBook/BlackWidow despite Natasha having fooled and tried to kill him — he still felt truly bad for her and this well before her eventual HeelFaceTurn to good.
* Generally implied to be the case in ''ComicBook/{{Violine}}''. The villains are primarily motivated by greed. One of them, when offered the chance to turn his life around, eagerly takes the opportunity and even designates someone to smack him upside the head if he ever shows signs of relapsing into his old greedy ways. Two end up losing their memories because of fumes they breathed in, which leads to both looking at their lives objectively, being disgusted by their actions, and striving to [[TheAtoner make up for everything]]. The end of the series also implies that [[spoiler:Violine's abusive foster mother would experience a similar change of heart, hence her brother choosing to have her breathe the fumes and come out a nicer person.]] Violine, meanwhile, worries that [[spoiler:her real mother]], who was very nice before breathing the fumes, might have ended up horrible. [[spoiler:It turns out that no, she kept her original personality and is the same as she was before, once she regains her memories.]]
* Shockingly ''ComicBook/ImmortalHulk'' comes to this conclusion despite being one of the darkest, most cynical and most disturbing Marvel runs of all time and full of HumansAreTheRealMonsters, mercy and compassion wins out in the end. For example in Issue #13 Crusher Creel the Absorbing Man decides to help Bruce against his now demonic father Brian Banner simply because it’s the right time thing to do, in spite of Brian mocking him for acting the hero after committing so much crime. [[spoiler: Then there Issue 50# where The One Above All asks Hulk standing over the wrenched Samuel Sterns aka the Leader (who’s done nothing but hurt him), will he become “The Left Hand of Strength” or “The Right Hand of Mercy”, [[https://2.bp.blogspot.com/MYPi5Tnai79loQs9IUXxkRG99wfVHjNjyX_EEvlrpdNCBoEj_Nw6BDEfHcvHpBeqBxKAnHHpX2-LaLRT8RGs7uF8qSNxtW88trc5B0B64WWcSUid1ANAkg9YmqxwCqgL1GUhyAkd4A=s1600?rhlupa=MjAwMTo4MDAzOjE2NDA6ZTEwMDplNTdhOmZlOGU6MTAxZDo5ZDMx&rnvuka=TW96aWxsYS81LjAgKGlQaG9uZTsgQ1BVIGlQaG9uZSBPUyAxNl81IGxpa2UgTWFjIE9TIFgpIEFwcGxlV2ViS2l0LzYwNS4xLjE1IChLSFRNTCwgbGlrZSBHZWNrbykgVmVyc2lvbi8xNi41IE1vYmlsZS8xNUUxNDggU2FmYXJpLzYwNC4x Hulk picks mercy]]. Mercy, if anything is the greatest feat of strength Bruce can pull off after all he’s been through.]]
* This was the CentralTheme of ''ComicBook/Batgirl2000''. The main protagonist herself was a girl raised to be a deadly assassin but chose to become a hero instead.
* In ''ComicBook/XMen2019'' despite all the often justified actions to the contrary Charles Xavier still loves and cares for humanity and while he’s stopped being soft or willingly to TurnTheOtherCheek concerning their attempts to wipe him and all other {{mutants}} off the face of the earth anymore (in some fairness, Krakoa openly intends to outlive/replace mankind) he still hasn’t let go of his naive dream of coexistence and never will.

* The majority of stuff by Creator/GrantMorrison. One could say that the CentralTheme of their works is that ''everyone'' has the potential to be an awesome hero.

Compare HumansAreGood. Contrast HobbesWasRight, HumansAreBastards, and HumansAreTheRealMonsters. See also DefaultToGood, BlankSlate, ConditionedToAcceptHorror, MoreThanMindControl, NurtureOverNature, UsefulNotes/StockholmSyndrome, WhiteAndGreyMorality, GreyAndGrayMorality, GoodVersusGood, BothSidesHaveAPoint, and ThenLetMeBeEvil. If a heroic, WideEyedIdealist character believes this but is ''[[SubvertedTrope plain wrong]]'', then GoodCannotComprehendEvil.

* In ''VideoGame/NancyDrew: The Creature of Kapu Cave'', the culprits as it turns out were actually not bad people, they had [[spoiler: just fallen on some bad times and tried to speed up the terms of an inheritance that would state that they would get land and money if the Hilihili research centre were to close, and had thought up a ''very'' thorough plan to cause the Hilihili research centre to close. Upon completion of the game, they immediately turn themselves in to the authorities, and according to Nancy's monologue, it takes a while for them to figure out just ''what'' exactly they did that was illegal.]]

Compare HumansAreGood. Contrast HobbesWasRight, HumansAreBastards, and HumansAreTheRealMonsters. See also DefaultToGood, BlankSlate, ConditionedToAcceptHorror, MoreThanMindControl, NurtureOverNature, StockholmSyndrome, WhiteAndGreyMorality, GreyAndGrayMorality, GoodVersusGood, BothSidesHaveAPoint, and ThenLetMeBeEvil. If a heroic, WideEyedIdealist character believes this but is ''[[SubvertedTrope plain wrong]]'', then GoodCannotComprehendEvil.

** ''Shadow at the Waters Edge''. The culprit wasn't motivated by greed and [[spoiler: while Rentaro's creations ''can'' potentially cause Nancy's death when they malfunction and pin her underwater, he only intended to scare her away so the Ryokan would close. He didn't want to do this out of malice, he simply felt the Ryokan was holding Miwako back and that they would have a better shot doing something much bigger. It's also implied that he has an AmbiguousDisorder, so he would have found it socially harder to tell Miwako his feelings.]]

* ''Fanfic/{{Odaliaverse}}'' actually brings up the philosophy in question during a conversation between [[spoiler:the prime timeline's version of Camila and Amity.]] The former tries to argue about the meaning of said philosophy to try dissuade the latter from [[spoiler:painting Odalia as an irredeemable monster]], and instead paint [[spoiler:her]] as the end result of the environment around [[spoiler:her.]] Still keeping in mind that horrible things were done in the process, too.

* This trope surprisingly fits the works of ''Creator/JohnSteinbeck''. His works are about types of people who lived in the Clutch Plague such as hobos, tramps, and people struggling for work but made the characters relatable enough to make them very sympathetic. Sympathetic enough to make yourself feel bad with the horrible DownerEnding comes at the end.

* This Trope is true for the most part in ''Franchise/PowerRangers''. Even the biggest [[JerkAss Jerkasses]] tend to have a hidden [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold heart of gold]], and all but the most vile, [[ForTheEvulz over the top]], and [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman freaky looking]] villains tend to have their occasional PetTheDog moments, if not an outright HeelFaceTurn.

* In ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'', a LS character with a high persuade can prove this trope works 60% of the time, as you can convince plenty of the Dark Side characters you speak with to put down the shiny red saber. Some, like [[spoiler: Kel Algwinn and Juhani]] don't take much work at all, while others like [[spoiler: Yuthura Ban and Bastila]] are a bit more of a crapshoot.

* ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'': When Ashi was a child, she had curiosity for life outside the cult but was never allowed to learn compassion and was overtaken by her terrible upbringing. [[spoiler:When she sees Jack treating a ladybug with respect, she rediscovers her inner goodness and chooses to end her maliciousness.]]

* ''Manga/ShamanKing'': Yoh firmly believes that people who are [[InvisibleToNormals able to see ghosts]] can't be truly evil, just horribly misguided at worst. Despite the universe desperately trying to prove him wrong, he's ultimately right: every single "evil" character has a tragic backstory and a legitimate FreudianExcuse for hating humanity, including OmnicidalManiac Hao, and most if not all of them [[spoiler:end up performing a HeelFaceTurn and manage to turn over and new leaf after being revived in the finale.]]

* This trope surprisingly fits the works of ''Creator/JohnSteinbeck''. His works are about types of people who lived in the Great Depression such as hobos, tramps, and people struggling for work but made the characters relatable enough to make them very sympathetic. Sympathetic enough to make yourself feel bad with the horrible DownerEnding comes at the end.

* Seems to be borne out by the series premise of ''Series/DarkMatter'': a crew of ruthless mercenaries whose crimes are so extensive that they're on the galaxy's most wanted list and [[TheDreaded spoken about in rumor and whisper]] awaken from stasis aboard their ship in the pilot episode with all their memories erased, and upon learning about themselves from the ship's database, decide to defend the mining colony that Ferrous Corp (one of many evil [[MegaCorp Mega Corps]] in the setting) sent them to exterminate. They are literally reduced to [[BlankSlate Blank Slates]] with more of a tendency towards good than bad.
* ''Series/DoctorWho'' - The Doctor believes this... most of the time. Occasionally, the humans around them prove them wrong. Doesn't seem to stop them from giving the {{Patrick Stewart speech}}es, though.

* In ''Series/{{Warehouse 13}}'' [[spoiler: [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds H.G. Wells]] ]] was originally a person who believed that humans were brilliant and the future would be an amazing place, but when her daughter was murdered she stopped believing in humans but still believed the future would be a utopia, only again to lose that faith when she wakes up in the 21st century and saw that things were worse.

* This is a running theme in ''Manga/OnePiece'', playing quite a bit with the idea that the real power of AsLongAsThereIsOneMan is the people that can be inspired by someone crazy enough to make a stand, while many of the conflicts stem from {{Anti Villain}}s like the Marines doing NotQuiteTheRightThing, with the solution just as often being {{Moral Pragmatis|t}}m. The side stories following defeated villains take it farther, frequently exposing unexpected HiddenDepths, [[EvenEvilHasStandards standards]], and redemptions during the TraumaCongaLine the characters usually go through.

* ''Anime/TheVisionOfEscaflowne'' has the good guys and the WellIntentionedExtremist antagonists. It does have [[PsychoForHire Dilandau]] but he is [[spoiler:the [[JekyllAndHyde inverted personality]] of Celena Schezar, Allen's "dead little sister". Which makes Celena, the opposite to Dilandau in every way, likely the nicest person in the entire world, while Dilandau cannot be counted since he is not a human being found normally in nature.]]

* In all of ''Literature/KyoKaraMaoh'', there have been perhaps two {{Big Bad}}s that are not redeemed. One of them is literally SealedEvilInACan, and the other [[spoiler: becomes a mindless puppet for said SealedEvilInACan]].

* ''Franchise/{{Naruto}}'' is all but constructed around this principle. It's made clear that the people of the other villages are no different than the people of Konoha, and that even the most vile villains of the series began as decent people who were driven to madness and cruelty by some horrible trauma. In fact the ultimate theme seems to be redeeming villains and ending the pointless cycle of hatred that was responsible for creating the various ninja wars and conflicts.

* This is a frequently-explored theme in Volume 2 of ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}''. New members Victor, Xavin and Klara each come with baggage (Victor may or may not be fated to become an OmnicidalManiac, Xavin is a JerkAss, and Klara is an InnocentBigot with trust issues) but their new teammates believe that they can be guided into becoming heroes.

* Generally implied to be the case in ''ComicBook/{{Violine}}''. The villains are primarily motivated by greed. One of them, when offered the chance to turn his life around, eagerly takes the opportunity and even designates someone to smack him upside the head if he ever shows signs of relapsing into his old greedy ways. Two end up losing their memories because of fumes they breathed in, which leads to both looking at their lives objectively, being disgusted by their actions and striving to [[TheAtoner make up for everything]]. The end of the series also implies that [[spoiler:Violine's abusive foster mother would experience a similar change of heart, hence her brother choosing to have her breathe the fumes and come out a nicer person.]] Violine, meanwhile, worries that [[spoiler:her real mother]], who was very nice before breathing the fumes, might have ended up horrible. [[spoiler:It turns out that no, she kept her original personality and is the same as she was before, once she regains her memories.]]

* ''Fanfic/CodexEquus'': This is essentially the Vertusians' philosophy of "[[https://www.deviantart.com/comments/1/787594426/4932929594 True Good]]". To simplify it, the Vertusians believe that all sapient creatures are born inherently good, and that circumstances and corruption, not [[HobbesWasRight one's own nature]], are what makes them turn to evil. While still possessing emotions like desire, followers of True Good pursue their desires and help others with theirs without needing to exploit them or expect a reward in return, respectively. "[[NecessarilyEvil Constructive Evil]]" is considered part of True Good because it involves directing one's worst flaws/impulses towards positive ends, like punishing the genuinely wicked. The goal of the Vertusians, up to [[GodOfGood Virtucrat Fairytale]] herself, is to recreate the world at large into a {{Utopia}} where no one has any need for evil even for constructive purposes, even though Fairytale genuinely does not wish those who practice Constructive Evil any harm. However, True Good ends up deconstructed in light of [[BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil how the world works]] - the world not only cannot exist without evil, it ''[[GoodNeedsEvil needs]]'' evil in order to continue surviving, let alone function properly. And by implication, True Good calls for the eradication of all evils, which includes beings like Temnobog, who, [[spoiler:due to being the living bisected half of High King Bogolenya]], literally cannot live without his twin brother, Belyolen, as one would die if the other dies. [[GodOfTheDead Moon Ray Vaughoof]] also compares True Good to [[https://www.deviantart.com/comments/1/884432948/4933045389 throwing out all the Hell-Realms in the world while keeping only the Heaven-Realms]]. The Vertusians themselves are at a loss in regards to replacing evil with a better alternative, and it's through the existence of [[{{Mordor}} Malrègnar]] that they are able to continue existing at all without massive consequences. However, it's reconstructed as True Good ''does'' have truth to it - the fact that all sapient creatures are born with the ability to choose to be evil yet are naturally inclined to be good [[spoiler:implies that there are higher forces at work who ''wanted'' the world to function that way... and that whoever created ''those'' higher forces is ultimately ''the'' BigGood of ''the entire setting'']].
* ''Fanfic/TheFlashSentryChronicles'': This is essentially used to justify the fate of The Cult of Shadow. The group was a group of criminal cultists that caused tremendous suffering and death, all in the name of their leader Shadow Corrupter. However, it is noted how most of them have [[TragicVillain suffered in someway themselves in the past]], and crossing paths with Shadow made them worse since he kept them at their lowest to make it seem like they had no choice but to serve him. Thus, after they were defeated by Team Flash in The Lost City, [[spoiler:Faust]] decides that most of them deserve a second chance. So, with the exception of Shadow Corrupter and one of his CoDragons, Armalum, all the other members have [[LaserGuidedAmnesia all of their memories erased except for their own names]], in the hopes that without Shadow's influence on them they can better themselves. This is played straight for most of the amnesiac members, since when they are briefly seen again in a flashback in "A Returning Storm" they are all happy with their lives now and have been given a home by a group of kind ponies. The only subversion is [[TokenEvilTeammate Storm Blade]], who leaves the group due to refusing to accept not knowing about his past and sets out on a quest to find out who is responsible for his stolen memories and make them pay, not caring about any lives he destroys in the process, and feeling zero remorse when he learns about his past as a criminal and killer.

--> '''Batman''': [[EvilCannotComprehendGood "What were you trying to prove? That deep down, everyone is as ugly as you?]] [[ShutUpHannibal You're alone!"]]

* ''Film/{{Casablanca}}''. ''Everyone'' is a bright-eyed idealist disguised as a cynic-- Rick the KnightInSourArmor, Louis the PunchClockVillain, even the local crime lord. Either that or a [[ThoseWackyNazis Nazi]].

** This is a prominent theme throughout the trilogy, where most of the major villains are sympathetic and victims of forces beyond their control. Peter still sincerely believes there's good in Doctor Octopus when he appeals to him at the end of the second film, and is proven right when Octavius has a HeelRealization and pulls a RedemptionEqualsDeath. Sandman is just a KnightTemplarParent who committed an AccidentalMurder and then became the victim of a FreakLabAccident, and New Goblin also pulls a HeelFaceTurn. All three movies also have scenes where completely ordinary citizens come to Spidey's aid, or at least express support of him. The one major exception to this is Eddie Brock/Venom, who openly says he likes being bad.

* In ''Film/WonderWoman1984'', the BigBad Maxwell Lord gets his hands on the Dreamstone, which can grant any wish, and becomes its AnthropomorphicPersonification, giving ''him'' the power to grant wishes (at the expense of [[LifeDrain draining the life]] of the people who make them). Through the use of television, he offers everyone in the world the chance to have anything they want, and billions of people begin making selfish requests. [[spoiler: In the end, Wonder Woman uses this trope rather than fighting Maxwell, urging people to see the beauty of the planet and how their selfishness is destroying it. Every citizen of Earth--Maxwell included--[[MyGodWhatHaveIDone sees the error of their ways]] and immediately renounce their wishes, breaking the Dreamstone's power and emitting a WorldHealingWave.]]

* This trope surprisingly fits for the works of ''Creator/JohnSteinbeck''. His works are about types of people who lived in the Great Depression such as hobos, tramps, and people struggling for work but made the characters relatable enough to make them very sympathetic. Sympathetic enough to make yourself feel bad with the horrible DownerEnding comes at the end.

** ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' may appear to be black and white morality at first, but several points in the story suggest otherwise. Tellingly, Elrond's comment that no one is born evil, not even Sauron, and when they see the dead eastlander and wonder what caused them to do what they did. Moreover, in the appendices, it clearly shows Sauron thought, at least at first, that he was in the right, which reeks of Rousseau Was Right.

* ''Literature/TheFarawayPaladin'': Protagonist Will Maryblood, who died as a {{hikikomori}} in Japan, is given a second chance at life in a fantasy world by the goddess of reincarnation. He's raised to adulthood by three {{undead}} former heroes who teach him everything they know, and becomes a paladin of the goddess who saved him. This is pretty much the tone of the series: even characters who seem sketchy at first, like Bishop Bagley, turn out to be at least decent if not outright heroic, and even sometime ArcVillain Stagnate is a WellIntentionedExtremist who hopes to remove the possibility of grief from the world by eliminating death. Only the demons and the foul-dragon Valacirca are true villains, and even Valacirca recognizes Will as a WorthyOpponent.

* In the [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Buffyverse]], everyone with a soul has a natural urge to do good, though bad people ignore this. Human beings who commit crimes while having souls are thus considered in some ways more tainted than soulless vampires, who are evil because they have no conscience in the first place, but humans are also more capable of redemption (like Faith, for example) without having to be magically re-ensouled. It's an in-universe matter of debate whether to treat re-ensouled vampires like Angel and Spike as reformed villains or separate, innocent people, since they only committed atrocities when their souls weren't present (and not during their human lives as Liam and William), even though they remember all of it.

* ''Series/DoctorWho'' - The Doctor believes this... most of the time. Occasionally, the humans around him/her prove him/her wrong. Doesn't seem to stop him/her from giving the {{Patrick Stewart speech}}es, though.

* In Season 5 of ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'', Gabriel gives a speech to this effect to Lucifer, telling him God was right about humans being the greatest of his creations, since unlike demons and angels they know they have flaws and try to overcome them.

* This is the overarching story with Unknown Species 10-C in ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' season 4. They launch a Dark Matter Anomaly into the Beta Quadrant, wrecking havoc across the cosmos, obliterating planets with seemingly no rhyme or reason. As the season goes on, we learn more about the DMA and ultimately come to realize that [[spoiler:Species 10-C is ObliviouslyEvil, just trying to find a way to power their InvisibilityCloak to protect them from the universe at large. They're ultimately met in a FirstContact, convincing them to stand down and stop.]]

* ''TabletopGame/InNomine'': The Menunim firmly believe that humans are fundamentally good and naturally inclined towards becoming their best selves. As such, they mostly limit their interventions to gentle pushes and subtle influences, as they believe that that's all that's truly needed to influence people towards goodness.

* ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}'' and its sequels all have three human villains [[spoiler:(Coach Oleander, Dr. Loboto and Lucrecia Mux)]] who, as it turns out, were originally normal people made evil because of something that happened to them in the past. [[spoiler:Coach Oleander had childhood trauma as well as resentment stemming from getting kicked out of the military that contributed to his SanitySlippage, Loboto was raised by his psychic-hating parents who gave him a lobotomy just so he could be "normal" (and this event is implied to have been behind his insanity and losing his moral compass), and Lucrecia went insane over accidentally killing her sister and chose to embrace the identity of a madwoman rather than give into the guilt, her PTSD manifesting as her Maligula alter ego.]] All three of them end up getting redeemed at the end, and the only villain who refuses to redeem himself is [[spoiler:Gristol Malik, a spoiled former prince whose family took advantage of Lucrecia and was the cause behind her madness.]] The mental villains usually avert this, but this is justified by the fact that they are mental constructs usually representing bad or negative thought processes.

* ''Webcomic/DICETheCubeThatChangesEverything'': There are a lot of selfish people in the series, but the manhwa argues they have the right to follow own dreams, and most Dicers have a FreudianExcuse of some kind. Author's notes state that aside "maybe" [[spoiler:Teacher Kim and X's father]], nobody is truly evil.

* ''Webcomic/TheDragonDoctors'' tends to take this attitude. Most problems the Dragon Doctors encounter derive from either chance events or well-meaning accidents (or both), and most of the actual villains that cross their path have histories that explain what drove them there, demonstrate redemptive traits or both.

** ''WesternAnimation/ReadyJetGo'': Jet is an AllLovingHero to makes it a point to treat every living thing with kindness, even those who are mean to him, because he loves them so much. We later learn that the resident douchebag of the cul-de-sac, Mitchell Peterson, has a heart of gold deep down, and his rude behavior stems from deep-seated emotional issues.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}},'' though it's never explicitly stated, brings the Rousseau principle home through making each of its recurring characters as complex and 3-dimensional as possible. Even the SpinOff comic, ''Bad Guys,'' calls its team of [[TheAtoner former ne'er-do-wells]] the ''"Redemption Squad."''

* ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'': When Ashi was a child, she had curiosity for life outside the cult but was never allowed to learn compassion and was overtaken by her terrible upbringing. [[spoiler:When she sees Jack treating a ladybug with respect she rediscovers her inner goodness and chooses to end her maliciousness.]]

* The ''VideoGame/{{Mother}}'' series. In ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER|1}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Earthbound}}'', the BigBad, an EldritchAbomination, [[spoiler:is defeated by reminding him of the feeling of love]]; in ''VideoGame/Mother3'', the BigBad [[spoiler:never really repents but ends up happy with his fate, while TheDragon gives up thanks to the memory of his mother]]. Basically, ThePowerOfLove and ThePowerOfFriendship are always the final key to victory here. And it [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools works]].
** Also, most villains you beat up in ''VideoGame/EarthBound'' (Frank, Everdred, Mr. Monotoly) [[DefeatEqualsFriendship turn good afterwards.]]

* In [[Anime/FullmetalAlchemist the first Fullmetal Alchemist anime]], [[spoiler: Wrath is a sweet young boy and doesn't become a raging psychopath until Envy feeds him some red stones, which seems to imply that the Philosopher's Stone is partly responsible for making the homunculi as evil and cruel as they are]].

* Zigzagged in ''Literature/{{Victoria}}'', where some villains ''are'' presented as truly irredeemable, but the overall view of people in general is ultimately rather optimistic. Much emphasis is placed on the fact that the masses are cowed and apathetic only due to mind-numbing propaganda and pressure to conform from the evil authorities, and people flock to the good guys' banners as soon as they present a better alternative to the corrupt status quo. And when the people are given the clearly stated choice between good and evil, the majority eventually choose good. However, this only applies to the people living in Victoria, most or all of which are white heterosexual Christians. [[AvertedTrope Other races, creeds, and sexual identities are considered]] AlwaysChaoticEvil by the narrative, deserving of being nuked or sold to slavery.