History Main / YouDidTheRightThing

When the hero lets the BigBad go, or refuses to [[KillHimAlready off]] a dangerous character (thanks to the KarmicDeath scenario), he will sometimes be quite depressed that justice wasn't served. Invariably, his [[TheLancer Lancer]] will tell him, "YouDidTheRightThing". Invariably, this will never satisfy the hero.

A common subversion is to have the YouDidTheRightThing speech, then have the hero say, "I was out of bullets," or other conveyance that he was un''able'', rather than un''willing'', to kill.

* When Anakin ends up beheading Count Dooku in ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'', he gets a bit bent up about it considering it wasn't the Jedi way. [[EvilMentor Palpatine]], however, ensures him that [[YouDidTheRightThing he did the right thing]], since Dooku was far too dangerous. Of course, this might be NotQuiteTheRightThing, as this ends up being one step for Anakin in [[FaceHeelTurn turning to the dark side]].

* In ''Anime/GirlsUndPanzer'', Yukari has this opinion about Miho's decision to [[spoiler:abandon the flag tank in the finals of the last tankery tournament to save the crew of another one from drowning]], resulting in [[spoiler:her old school being defeated for the first time in a decade]], and her decision to transfer and give up tankery. She says that [[spoiler:the teammates Miho saved are]] likely grateful for Miho's decision, [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming and she is proven correct]].

* When Anakin ends up beheading Count Dooku in ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'', he gets a bit bent up about it considering it wasn't the Jedi way. [[EvilMentor Palpatine]], however, ensures him that [[YouDidTheRightThing he did the right thing]], since Dooku was far too dangerous. Of course, this might be NotQuiteTheRightThing, as this ends up being one step for Anakin in [[FaceHeelTurn turning to the darkside]].

-->'''[[spoiler:Katara:]]''' Was it because I was too weak, or because I was strong enough not to?

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!!Examples

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* Ezylryb sums it up well for Soren in ''WesternAnimation/ALegendOfTheGuardiansTheOwlsOfGaHoole'' after the latter [[spoiler:kills [[BigBad Metalbeak]]]].

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* Ezylryb sums it up well for Soren in ''WesternAnimation/ALegendOfTheGuardiansTheOwlsOfGaHoole'' after the latter [[spoiler:kills [[BigBad Metalbeak]]]].

Contrast YouDidEverythingYouCould

* Standard sitcom line delivered to a protagonist like the NaiveEverygirl who chooses to be nice to or understand The AlphaBitch, a favorite BrokenAesop.
* In ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOps2'', you're given a SadisticChoice as Farid. [[spoiler:Either you shoot Harper to maintain Farid's cover, or attempt to shoot Menendez and get shot to death for trying.]] Choosing the former will have Mason tell Farid that he had no choice. Farid, still [[HeroicBSOD in shock]], is then led away by Salazar.
* Twice, after the war in ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}''. Jake's most heinous act by far was flushing the Pool ship's pool into space, which killed approximately seventeen thousand unhosted Yeerks. After the battle, Cassie meets with Erek, who is shocked and disgusted that Jake would do such a thing. Defending Jake, Cassie heatedly replies that Jake "did what he had to do":
--> '''Erek:''' "I see. He feels guilty."
--> '''Cassie:''' "No. Not guilty."
--> '''Erek:''' "Then what?! He used me, blackmailed me, manipulated my programming to get me to crack the engine systems and take control of the ship."
--> '''Cassie:''' "You drained the Dracon beams."
--> '''Erek:''' "What did Jake expect me to do? I had given him control when he needed it. I wasn't going to enable him to kill."
--> '''Cassie:''' "Jake had Rachel with Tom. Rachel and Tom are both... And the ship got away anyway. Thanks to you."
--> '''Erek:''' "And I'm supposed to feel regret because Jake ordered his cousin to take out his brother and I wasn't going to let him kill everyone else on the Blade ship?! So, you too, huh Cassie?"
--> '''Cassie:''' "Jake did what he had to do."
--> '''Erek:''' "Did he? Somebody flushed the onboard pool into space. Did he have to do that too? They were unhosted Yeerks. They were harmless!"
--> '''Cassie:''' "We needed a div -"
--> '''Erek:''' "A what? A what did you need? A diversion?! You're telling me you needed a diversion so Jake massacred seventeen thousand sentient creatures?! A diversion''?!"
** Similarly, during the war crimes trial of Visser One, one of the Visser's defense lawyers says that Jake himself should be under indictment as a war criminal for his actions. Jake, who has been clinically depressed for some time due to guilt, is cut deeply by this remark. Cassie, Marco and Ax later tell him that his actions were, if not wholly moral, were completely necessary; furthermore, Cassie makes the case that "you can't equate the victim and the perpetrator" when it comes to war crimes.
** The book itself leaves things a bit more up to reader interpretation, and it's obvious that the characters saying so were significantly less sure of what they were saying than they would like to be.
* Said by the detectives to many a suspect on ''LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'' who decides to cooperate and help nail the worst bad guy.
* Said by Iroh to Zuko on ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' when he gives up on his latest crazy scheme to find Aang... an episode before the stress of doing something so against his {{Determinator}} nature drives him into a feverish frenzy.
** Later said by [[spoiler:Aang to Katara following her SwordOverHead moment with her mother's killer]].
*** Subverted. It left no reassurance for her. [[{{Glurge}} She even questions why she did it.]]
-->'''[[spoiler: Katara:]]''' "Was it because I was too weak, or because I was strong enough not to?"
* When Anakin ends up beheading Count Dooku in ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'', he gets a bit bent up about it considering it wasn't the Jedi way. [[EvilMentor Palpatine]], however, ensures him that [[YouDidTheRightThing he did the right thing]], since Dooku was far too dangerous. Of course, this might be NotQuiteTheRightThing, as this ends up being one step for Anakin in [[FaceHeelTurn turning to the darkside]].
* Inverted in ''Literature/{{EndersGame}}'', when Ender needs reassurance from Bean that he did the right thing in [[spoiler: completely ''crushing'' Bonzo.]]
* Said by Midori to Mai in ''Anime/{{Mai-HiME}}'' at the start of the [[ThereCanBeOnlyOne HiME Carnival]] arc when Nao reminds her of what happened to Alyssa, whose child Mai had destroyed. After she leaves, Midori told Mai that she had no choice, since Alyssa was planning to nuke the school from orbit (it was the only way to be sure).
** And the fact that they didn't know [[spoiler: what destroying a Child does]] at the time. [[spoiler:Unbeknownst to them, the victim was, [[AssholeVictim rather than anyone innocent, the head of the Searrs foundation responsible for the entire invasion]] and a conspiracy to control the [=HiME=] Star]]
* ''Series/BabylonFive'':
** Zack is acting as a double agent between the legitimate forces of government and the KnightTemplar forces looking to overthrow them. Just about everyone tells him he's doing the right thing at one time or another. He finds this less than comforting.
** In an earlier episode, a doctor kills an escaped prisoner in self-defense. Franklin tells her "YouDidTheRightThing" she replies "I did the necessary thing, this is not the same as the right thing."
* Used by Slim at the end of ''Literature/{{Of Mice And Men}}''
** "You hadda, George. I swear you hadda."
* Stated word-for-word by Kermit the Frog, playing as Captain Smollet, in MuppetTreasureIsland after Jim Hawkins lets Long John Silver escape with the treasure. Moments later we learn that out of the ''Hispanola'''s jolly boats, Silver took the one that was...unsafe.

* An interesting case occurs in the ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' fic ''Fanfic/HowIBecameYours'', Katara gets this after bloodbending [[spoiler:Mai]] to death. From the author's perspective, it is the right course of action. Many viewers, however, disagree, as bloodbending, the primary function of which is to control the victim's actions, could have been used to merely incapacitate the victim, and it doesn't help that the victim was [[UnintentionallySympathetic more sympathetic]] [[DieForOurShip than the]] [[RonTheDeathEater author intended]].

* In ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', the loyalty missions sometimes offer the opportunity to say this on Paragon options (Renegade has less concern over morality or squadmates' feelings) when you talk your squadmates out of doing something you believe they will regret, such as in Garrus' loyalty mission, in which you can persuade him not to kill the teammate who betrayed him and led to the rest of their group's deaths. At the end of the game, [[spoiler:if you destroy the Collector base]], the rest of the group will unanimously approve regardless of how moral or loyal to Cerberus they are.

* In ''Fanfic/PerfectionIsOverrated'', similar to the MaiHime example above, Mai tells this to Shizuru after killing Hitomi's child to save her and Natsuki results in [[spoiler:Hitomi's own]] death, saying that Shizuru, like she did back when she destroyed Alyssa's Child, chose to do what she believed to be right.
* Ezylryb sums it up well for Soren in ''LegendOfTheGuardiansTheOwlsOfGaHoole'' after the latter [[spoiler:kills [[BigBad Metal Beak]]]].

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* Dr. McCoy pretty much says this in ''Film/StarTrekIIITheSearchForSpock'' after Kirk [[spoiler:is forced to self-destruct the ''Enterprise'']].

* In ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'', Kaien's last words to Rukia as she performs[[hottip:*:In the manga, her sword is at her side, and she has to stab him as he's lunging at her. In the anime, he seems to fall on her sword]] a MercyKill on him as he is possessed by Metastacia. [[HeroicSelfDeprecation Rukia mentally disagrees with this]], as she believes that she ran away (on her and Kaien's captain's orders) because she was afraid to face him, came back because she couldn't bear the shame of doing nothing and stabbed him because she was unable to see him in pain, and [[MyGreatestFailure bears the weight of her guilt for years]]. While she earns Kaien's siblings forgiveness, she later learns that [[spoiler:Metastacia's body returned to Hueco Mundo and got absorbed by Aaroniero, with Kaien's body and memories along with it. Rukia realizes she could not even say she was freeing him by doing so]], leading her to once again question what she did and have a temporary HeroicBSOD.

* When Anakin ends up beheading Count Dooku, he gets a bit bent up about it considering it wasn't the Jedi way. [[EvilMentor Palpatine]], however, ensures him that [[YouDidTheRightThing he did the right thing]], since Dooku was far too dangerous. Of course, this might be NotQuiteTheRightThing, as this ends up being one step for Anakin in [[FaceHeelTurn turning to the darkside]].