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The Charmer

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The Spider and the Fly, by Eugen de Blaas (1889). Guess who is who?

The Jack-the-Lad. Cocky, cheeky and devil-may-care, he's the type of guy you can't help but like, even as he's wrapping you around his little finger. Especially if you're a woman — most of the time — and the Charmer knows this all too well. If the filing cabinet he needs to get into is guarded by a pretty secretary, all he has to do is smile, and he'll walk out with the file he wants and the secretary's phone number.

There's definitely a hint of The Casanova about him, but he's generally a lot kinder, more decent and less concerned solely with getting his end away; where the Casanova would ultimately do anything, no matter how underhanded, to score a conquest, only to discard her once he's achieved his pleasure, the Charmer knows what the limits are. He certainly doesn't mind the fact that he can have any woman he wants, but he'd never stoop so low as actually take advantage, and is often a lot more chivalrous in his dealing with women. The Charmer generally doesn't set out to break hearts; it just seems to be an unfortunate byproduct. But even if he's Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places, the Charmer's usually too relaxed in his lifestyle to really consider changing.

Also, where sex is the The Casanova's ultimate driving goal, with the Charmer it's usually a welcome extra; he often has bigger fish to fry, and ultimately knows his priorities. If he's not the main character, then he's a loyal friend (even if the main character is seething with jealousy at how easily things — and women — seem to come to the Charmer).

In short, what separates the Charmer from the Casanova is sincerity.

Some examples also include cases where the Charmer isn't even actively trying to flirt and/or seduce — nor are they 'playboys', being merely naturally charismatic.

Compare with The Casanova, Chick Magnet, Prince Charming, All Girls Want Bad Boys and Ethical Slut. Often fills the role of a Loveable Rogue or The Trickster. Sometimes, he's so charming that Even the Guys Want Him. In a group, they're likely to be The Face for their ability to get along with anyone, or (for more manipulative examples) The Social Expert.


Examples:

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    Anime & Manga 
  • Thor Regus of The Creation Alchemist Enjoys Freedom is not only the main character but is quite skilled at the art of flattery where women are concerned. He wins over Mabel, the Demon King's handmaiden, by praising her charm points, wins over Agnis, literally coaxing her out of her shell, by pointing out how gorgeous she is, and even wins over Demon King Rukia herself by calling her "cute." He does flatter Princess Sophia too, but she's won over more by his courage and strength of character.
  • It has been revealed in D.Gray-Man that Allen Walker might not be so oblivious to his entrancing looks, and is actually capable of turning up his charm (complete with Bishie Sparkle) to get his way. He actually managed to seduce a robot (a male one at that) in order to get it to sacrifice itself so that other people wouldn't have to, and it's implied that he could do the same to other humans if it weren't for his qualms about hurting them.
  • Kabru from Delicious in Dungeon. His handsome face and smooth behavior charms many girls. When he met Shuro's new party, two female members are immediately charmed by him. Marcille gets briefly flustered when he smiles at her. He's aware of it and uses it to manipulate others.
  • Durarara!!'s Rokujou Chikage spends half of his quest for vengeance against the Dollars instead charming the pants off of every girl he meets.
  • Akira Takizawa from Eden of the East. In the first episode, he effortlessly convinces a random person to hand over his pants (Akira was naked) and bluffs himself out of being arrested. Due to the fact that he had to show his genitals in both cases, fans speculated that he had some sort of hypno-penis. He has money, power, a mysterious past, may be a terrorist, and rides a motorcycle. However, he is also very charismatic, affable, spontaneous, and uses his money and power to save the country. In other words, he's the perfect fusion of the bad boy and the Nice Guy. However, the anime handles his characterization well enough that his relationship with the heroine is believable and well done.
  • Hayate of Hayate the Combat Butler, with the small caveat of him not actually realizing he has the hearts of so many girls. A chapter of the manga even shows it blatantly.
  • Ayumi from Hyakko is a special case, in that she is female and actually quite shy. Still, she has the power to wrap both men and women around her finger simply by means of her cute demeanor.
  • I Got My Wish and Reincarnated as the Villainess (Last Boss)!: In Luna's perspective, Karen is a "Natural-born Charmer who is Dangerously Cute" in the "The Saint and the Four Knights"'s canon, and was able to conquer all 4 romantic interests of the Game easily. What Luna isn't expecting is that she can even charm women (i.e. Elizabeth) as well.
  • Lupin III: Features one of these as the titular character. This trope gets subverted in that the Femme Fatale tends to be the one winning the "who seduces who" game, but implied that Lupin likes it that way.
  • Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun:
    • Mikoshiba wants to be this, and to the outside observer he certainly is. But unfortunately his habit of using Dating Sim quotes to hide the fact he's a Shrinking Violet who Cannot Talk to Women often leads to him charming his way into situations that he'd rather avoid.
    • This is perhaps the most famous talent of Mikoshiba's Bifauxnen classmate Kashima, and it's not just her fangirls that she can turn on the charm to; it's worked on Mikoshiba and Wakamatsu as well. When they first met, it even briefly worked on Sakura, who's otherwise very strictly Nozakisexual.
  • Tamaki Suou from Ouran High School Host Club. As the Prince type of the club's various stereotypical Bishounen arch-types, being The Charmer is his selling point. He can easily make the ladies swoon (except the one he's interested in who doesn't fall for it), and overall is a very kind, friendly person. He thinks every woman is beautiful in her own way, and while he does up his charm for the club's clientele, his comments are always genuine.
  • Barnaby Brooks Jr. (the "Bunny" of Tiger & Bunny) definitely didn't get into superheroics for the chicks — but he certainly doesn't mind the female attention (and frequently panders to it "because it's part of the job"), despite having no obvious romantic interests.
  • Azuma from Yandere Kanojo. He was so cool that the only person so far immune to his charm is Manabu, his grandson, because he's exposed to him so much (Azuma is his guardian) and he had to become his grandpa's Straight Man.
  • Jaeha from Yona of the Dawn. He's Bishounen but knows how to be polite and courteous to women, but will seduce women just by using his charisma and gentlemen charm.

    Comic Books 
  • Astro City has Manny Monkton, publisher of Bulldog Comics and Consummate Liar. Even people who known Manny's manipulative skills can't help but admire his bravado.
    Eli: "He's a good talker. Besides, I'm used to him. And life, well, life would be a lot duller without him around."
  • In Hunter's Hellcats, the team's Con Man Snake Oil is a ladies man who is constantly flirting with the beautiful women the Hellcats inexplicably encounter on their missions.
  • Kate Kane tends to flirt with women in social settings if she's single. She was even able to land a relationship with Renee Montoya while Renee had her pulled over for speeding and while possibly drunk. As a vigilante, she's used this skill while undercover on a few occassions to get information or access to people.
  • Armando from The Scorpion. He could easily be The Casanova but sex is not his primary goal. It's just another weapon in his arsenal.
  • Nightwing: Dick Grayson is probably the most famous example on the DC universe. While he has had a ton of beautiful girlfriends, and all women in the superhero community seem to agree that he is the most eligible bachelor of their profession, Dick has rarely taken advantage of the fact. He has remained faithful to his past long term relationships with Starfire and Barbara Gordon. In fact, his charm has taken him to the point of several supervillainesses sexually assaulting him.
  • Dwight in Sin City has every female character after him with the possible inclusion of mute assassin, Miho.
  • Wonder Woman (1987): Angle Man says American women are too suspicious of guys giving them compliments and that he's much more popular with the ladies in Europe, but that doesn't stop him from dishing out compliments with every breath when he's facing Donna, she even addresses him as "Sir-Charms-a-Lot".
  • X-Men:
    • Gambit has a secondary mutation that allows people to fall under his charm- but only those who don't realize what he's doing. However, this has only ever been used twice and most of the time he uses his natural charm.
    • Nightcrawler is a notorious charmer and flirt, even against his enemies.
    • Sunspot's devil-may-care charm is described as 'almost irresistible', and lures people into believing that he doesn't have ulterior motives in mind (which, especially in later years, is far from the truth).

    Comic Strips 
  • Modesty Blaise: Danny Chavasse, one of Modesty's lovers and a former operative of the Network. Being able to charm any woman is his gift. As Willie explains it:
    It's never just bedroom stuff with Danny...Somehow he knows whatever a woman needs most—that's 'is gift.

    Fan Works 
  • crawlersout: Gellert Grindelwald's public face is this — even with knowing his goals and his planned methods to achieve them, people can't help but flock to him whenever he appears. Even Fem!Harry, normally unflappable and well-versed with people like Grindelwald, couldn't help but be flustered when they first meet. However, she could still tell there was something off about him, and this was before she finds out his name — at which point she becomes one of the few people to see past the charade, knowing full well all the terrible things he is going to do within the next decade.
  • In the Discworld of A.A. Pessimal, canonical character Victor Tugelbend returns to Ankh-Morpork after a long time away. A misfit still looking for an easy job largely in the warm with no heavy lifting, he is instantly recruited to the City Watch by the wily Captain Carrot and finds a niche as a detective in the Cable Street Particulars. One thing Carrot has noted is that women want to talk to Victor. At length, and often, because they so want to talk to him, they take no care as to what they are saying and tend to babble a little... the fact he is now a policeman gets lost somewhere down the line.
    • There is also Henri LeBalouard, a teacher at the Assassins' Guild School. He is suave, sophisticated, and worked in Deniable Diplomacy before opting to semi-retire and pass his skills on to a new generation. He likes his drinks shaken but definitely not stirred, and teaches a course module in making inventive and witty quips over the warm corpse of a recently inhumed foe. A very stylish spy, he also charms and captivated women everywhere. Very few are immune. Building on a brief in-canon description which emphasises the suspicious resemblence to a spy and agent in another universe, a fuller picture of Monsieur LeBalouard is drawn here.
  • The Karma of Lies: Adrien clearly fancies himself as one, expecting to be able to smooth over any arguments or problems with a dazzling smile and a few appeasing words. This is part of his Wrong Genre Savviness; he expects things to work like they do on TV, and that he's running on Protagonist-Centered Morality. Suffice to say, that's not the case, and his act falls apart alongside his Karma Houdini Warranty unraveling.
  • Star Trek: Phoenix: Captain James Liang has something of an earned reputation as a ladykiller. He's courteous, polite and charming by default, and quite enjoys flirting with pretty women. When Sunset and Cadeneza meet him at his bar he casually greets them with poetic compliments; later, while he keeps his behavior strictly professional while on his ship, he has no trouble switching back to his charming old rogue act in more relaxed settings when talking to female company who has indicated that she's interested in that kind of conversation. When Sarah is besides herself with nervousness at the thought of dating again, it takes him maybe two sentences to ease himself past that and have her swooning.
  • The Story of Apollo, Daphne and Luca: An Italian Tragedy: Alberto instantly gains the admiration of many of Luca's classmates (especially Sofia, who wastes no time in shamelessly flirting with him) thanks to his genuinely charimastic, adventurous and pleasant personality.

    Films — Animated 

    Films — Live-Action 
  • As with his TV series counterpart, Templeton 'Faceman' Peck in The A-Team film. It helps that he's played by Bradley Cooper.
  • In Fallen Angel, Eric Stanton is a darker version of this trope, and uses his charm to romance a girl for her fortune.
  • Jean-Paul Audry in Grand Slam. He is a French playboy whose job it is to seduce the only woman with a key to the building holding the diamonds.
  • The Hunger Games: Peeta's strongest quality is his ability to win over the audience, and even his fellow tributes, with his magnetic personality and lies.
  • James Bond: Applies to Timothy Dalton's, Pierce Brosnan's and Daniel Craig's Bonds, who generally treat women with a bit more respect in comparison to the previous versions of the character. There is at least one Bond Girl in each movie whom they sincerely like.
    • M invokes this trope in GoldenEye when she says, "...[your] boyish charms, though wasted on me, obviously appealed to that young woman I sent to evaluate you." The front cover of GQ's Nov. 2012 issue even used this trope's title as Brosnan's Bond most defining feature.
  • Lucien Carr in Kill Your Darlings manages to seduce everyone who crosses his path.
  • Arguably Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean. He charms not only the women, but also the men and all the fans!
  • Oskar Schindler of Schindler's List is introduced as very very charismatic person, making friends out complete strangers almost immediately. He uses this trait to make connections and work his way into German business, and later to mask his plot to save the lives of his Jewish workers.
  • Dr. Hannibal Lecter from The Silence of the Lambs, despite being a cannibalistic serial killer. It makes his stunningly violent escape all the more shocking, as his charms had allowed us to forget his true nature.
  • Star Wars:
    • Han Solo managed to woo Princess Leia.
    • And even more so is Han's second-best friend Lando Calrissian. While Han has a rugged charm, Lando goes for the sophisticated route.
    • Anakin Skywalker manages to impress Padme with a cheesy pickup line, and while he's only 9 years old, their relationship already has romantic undertones when he leaves for his Padawan training.
  • Thor: Ragnarok: Loki effortlessly entertains the guests at one of the Grandmaster's festivities with an anecdote that viewers only hear the tail end of ("There was a wormhole in space and time beneath me. At that moment, I let go"), which elicits chuckles from the partygoers. This scene strongly suggests that it's Loki's silver tongue which allowed him to sweet talk his way into the Grandmaster's good graces and avoid being subjected to the gladiator games; exploiting his charisma to obtain a very high position on Sakaar within a short time period is second nature for The Trickster. Moreover, Loki is able to convince Korg, a complete stranger, to let him take command of the latter's group of rebels with a simple, "Well, you do seem like you're in desperate need of leadership." Instead of feeling insulted by a random guy who believes he can do a better job, Korg is delighted by Loki's offer.
  • X-Men Film Series
    • X-Men: First Class: Charles uses his bubbly exuberance and his psychic powers to pick up women in pubs on campus. Michael Fassbender has admitted that he had portrayed Erik Lehnsherr as being captivated by Xavier's charisma.
      Fassbender: The first thing that James [McAvoy] did was he brought a little mischief, a little bit of a rebel to Professor X. Which I think really was very clever because looking at it from where Erik is standing, there was something about that he found very endearing, and he was charmed by this man. I think that's why the fans really react to the bromance thing, there's a real sort of Butch Cassidy element that he brings to it, James, which I thought was really smart.
    • X-Men: Days of Future Past: Allegedly the mutant power of one John F. Kennedy.
    • X-Men: Apocalypse:
      • When Moira informs Charles that her investigation in Cairo is classified, he wraps up his bald-faced lie about having Level 5 clearance with a twinkle in his eye and a winning smile. Since he doesn't appear to be using his telepathy, Moira completely buys what he's selling with his charm because she then gives him a summary of what she had discovered about En Sabah Nur's cult.
      • During the jet ride to Cairo, Quicksilver (who is a stranger to all of the X-Men present except for Beastnote ) freely admits that he's a "total loser," but instead of sounding pathetic, his allies are amused and charmed by his self-deprecation. While it's not strictly part of canon, this commercial portrays Peter Maximoff as a romantic suitor when he tries to woo a young woman with his super-speed. Since this ad was approved by the producers, we can infer that it's part of his personality to court a lady with roses and candlelight.

    Literature 
  • A Court of Thorns and Roses: To further contrast Tamlin, Rhys is very smooth-talking.
  • Isaac Asimov and Janet Asimov's The Norby Chronicles: Fargo Wells is Jeff's much more handsome and much older brother. He's not as disciplined and tends to flirt/harass women, although he tries to rein it in now that he's gotten engaged to Albany Jones (the cop who wrote down his address while arresting him). It's almost inadvertent how he charms even non-human women, proving he's still as charming as ever.
  • Discworld:
  • Molly Carpenter in The Dresden Files. Used her skills to remove her bra without taking off her shirt and a few ice cubes to score a lead. And a date. Molly was excited about the latter, while Harry was happier with the former.
  • In Firebird (Lackey), Ilya has a way with the ladies and is willing to be patient to get what he wants. According to the bannik, the spirit of the bathhouse, women are prone to talk when men aren't around and they all speak highly of Ilya, even after they've moved to higher stations (and, hence, into his older brother's or father's beds). In fact, one of the reasons his brothers want him dead is because he's so well liked by women.
  • The Han Solo Trilogy: Han is well aware of how easily he can charm women, his grin being especially useful, and does so often.
  • Peeta shows signs of this in The Hunger Games although it's less about him being able to make women want him sexually, and more about him being able to make all of Panem root for him (and, making them root for Katniss). He lacks the Fire to be a revolutionary, but has the best acting skills out of any of the Tributes. His love is the exact opposite. Although if you believe Johanna Mason in the second film, the whole world wants to sleep with him.
  • Spinnock Durav from The Kharkanas Trilogy seems fairly aware of his charisma, but hardly uses it for malicious means. It means, however, that he doesn't shy away from challenges, like his shameless flirting with his allegedly lesbian Captain Finarra Stone demonstrates. It works, too.
  • Fulbert from Malevil. He uses his charm and his Bad Habits to become the religious leader of a village after World War III. He convinces everyone that he can be trusted with the food, supplies, and weapons and then rules with an iron fist.
  • Hoskins, in The Moving Toyshop by Edmund Crispin, can charm any woman by offering her chocolates and telling her not to be alarmed.
  • Archie Goodwin in the Nero Wolfe stories, who will routinely be called upon to try and charm his way past a pretty woman at some point in a case. Wolfe, who has little understanding of or ability with women, seems to view Archie's gift of charming the ladies as almost supernatural, although Archie himself demurs and points out that he's not quite the ladies man Wolfe seems to think he is.
  • Of Fire and Stars: Nils is apparently quite popular with the ladies. Mare teases him about his conquests, noting in amusment that he's surprised when Dennaleia pays no attention, as it's one of the times that a woman has not. He's a kind man who treats everyone like they matter equally, which is how he woos them (though his good looks of course help).
  • Scavenge the Stars: Boon is relentlessly charming and affable and able to get people to do what he wants with his honeyed words. It's to the point he even convinces a rich woman to give him her hat with just a few charming words here and there.
  • A Song of Ice and Fire:
    • Tyrion Lannister is very good at charming his enemies, most notably when he convinced Bronn of Blackwater to fight on his behalf during his trial at The Vale, and soon after convinced the Burned Men and the Stone Crows, two gangs of barbarians, to fight alongside the Lannisters.
    • Renly Baratheon has a magnetic personality and manages to convince half a continent to support his claim to the throne, even though he's only fourth in the line of succession. His court seems to truly love him. His elder brother Robert used to be one too, before he got crowned and became a bitter drunk.
    • Oberyn Martell, The Red Viper of Dorne, is another example. He is so beloved by the people of Dorne that when he is murdered, they immediately want to declare war on Westeros out of vengeance.
  • Jay in the Spaceforce (2012) novels uses his looks and charisma as a means to an end in his job as an agent for the Taysan Empire, seducing (or at least wooing) willing women for information or to gain a foothold. It is always a double-edged sword, however, as such behaviour is a criminal offence in the Empire, and he is driven by a desire for women which easily leads him into trouble.
  • Downplayed in The Stranger Beside Me, as Ted Bundy is described as being well-liked, but never on the top of the social ladder.
  • Tantei Team KZ Jiken Note: Kuroki "The Social Expert" may not have the intention to involve in Aya romantically, but the way he speaks to her always charms her, to different extent.
  • Ivan Vorpatril of the Vorkosigan Saga, the protagonist's cousin, foil, and recurring sidekick. He can pour his mojo on thick and is amazingly handsome. Since Miles is a manic genius far above Ivan's level (and prone to roping his poor cousin into all manner of trouble) but also a funny looking and socially awkward "mutie", each has complexes about the other.

    Live-Action TV 
  • Finn of The 100 has "game", according to a fellow cast member; he spends a large part of the pilot successfully flirting with Octavia and tucking a flower into her hair, but is also charming Clarke and trying to get her to laugh.
  • Invoked on American Pickers; when they run into trouble convincing a collector to part with an item or make a suitable deal, Frank sometimes decides that it's time to "bring out the bearded charmer."
  • Gob from Arrested Development. When auditioning, the actor was asked to play a guy who thought he was charming. But it wasn't quite working, so they stopped him and said, "No, this guy - this guy's charming. Don't try to play charming. Just be charming."
  • Better Call Saul: In complete contrast to the rest of his family, Lalo Salamanca is an extremely affable figure who can smooth talk his way out of, and into, many situations. He demonstrates this when he completely charms the widow of Werner Ziegler to get what he's after. This does not make him any less dangerous than the other Salamancas and, when combined with his combat prowess and intelligence, makes him arguably the single most dangerous member of his family.
  • Boy Meets World:
  • Sam Axe from Burn Notice has a Running Gag of the girlfriends and dates that the other characters rarely want to hear about. Towards the end of the series, he's settled on just the one lady friend. He might be exaggerating his skill, but he spends most of the series as the only one with contacts in law enforcement. (They tend to operate outside the law, and the Prequel movie reveals that Sam arranged his own retirement, with an honourable discharge).
  • Richard Castle of Castle (2009). He is far too sweet to be a full-blown Casanova, and is actually tipped straight into Ladykiller in Love once he meets Beckett.
  • When it comes to women, Sergeant Wilson from Dad's Army is especially debonair, effortlessly flirting and attracting the attention of women, often to the exasperation of Mainwaring, who detests Wilson's flirtatious manner (such as when he is flirting with Mainwaring's nurse, some of the ladies signing up to join the Home Guard, or even the young woman serving drinks at a social event). In the episode "Man Hunt", Wilson asks an attractive young woman to let him come in and look at her knickers, when it is suspected they may have been made of material from a German pilot's parachute (as a result of one of Walker's many black market schemes); in response to this request, the young woman eagerly agrees and invites Wilson inside. This prompts Walker (who was forced to remain outside with Mainwaring after the young woman invited Wilson inside) to remark to Mainwaring about the "extraordinary influence" Wilson has over women. This was apparently inspired by John Le Mesurier himself; on one apparent occasion while in make-up, Bill Pertwee watched incredulously as Le Mesurier sweet-talked a make-up girl into taking his watch off, winding it up, and putting it back on to save Le Mesurier from having to do it himself while it was on his own wrist.
  • Dirk Benedict is quite famous for his characters that often fall into this trope; his well-known ones being Templeton 'Faceman' Peck in The A-Team and Lieutenant Starbuck in Battlestar Galactica.
  • Doctor Who:
    • Whatever else happens to be part of his current incarnation, the Doctor is always an extremely charismatic individual, ranging from being endearingly dorky to irresistibly sexy, from a strong but warm side presence to a whirlwind of attention, from having a charming smile to being a force of borderline Glamour - all depending on the incarnation. He will often use his force of personality and likeability to get what he wants, even if that's often at best weird and at worst morally reprehensible. For one really specific example of charm manipulation, see the Third Doctor quickly seducing Liz and flirting her into getting his TARDIS key for him in "Spearhead from Space" (though she loses interest when she realises he's tricked her). See also the way the Fourth Doctor manipulates Lawrence Scarman into helping him out in "Pyramids of Mars" just by smiling and touching him on the arm, despite having spent all of the preceding conversation constantly insulting him.
    • Captain Jack Harkness is a rare bisexual (well, omnisexual) version in Doctor Who and Torchwood.
  • Vincent Chase, on Entourage. Women throw themselves at him wherever he goes.
  • Friends: Monica and Rachel's unseen upstairs neighbor in "TOW Chandler Can't Remember Which Sister". The guy removes the carpets from his apartment so now the girls can hear every footstep and conversation. Any time someone goes up to try and ask him to quiet down he's so affable and charming that they end up either apologizing to him or, in Phoebe's case, sleeping with him. Even the guys fall for it—when they go upstairs to confront him about cheating on Phoebe, they can be heard angrily yelling at him until he says something to pacify them and they're then chatting pleasantly with him.
  • Game of Thrones:
    • Renly is described as this by Olenna Tyrell in "Dark Wings, Dark Words", when Sansa says that Renly was very gallant, and Olenna then adds "...charming and very clean. He knew how to dress and smile..." Mace Tyrell liked Renly enough to crown him king, although this may be more due to Renly marrying Mace's daughter. Loras says people want to serve Renly and be near him because of his kindness in "The Wolf and the Lion". Renly proves to get along with everyone in his entourage, down to common soldiers, in "What Is Dead May Never Die".
      Loras: People love you. They want to serve you because you're kind to them. They want to be near you.
    • During Season 5, Tyrion manages to win over a skeptical whore in Volantis, with no money and unable to fall back on his family name. He can't go through with sleeping with her, but it's impressive smooth-talking nonetheless.
    • Salladhor claims to be this, and considering how affable he is and his Really Gets Around reputation he's likely right.
    • Euron is very charismatic and magnetic, easily turning the Ironborn crowd to his favor at the Kingsmoot, and he seems to impress Cersei as well.
  • The House Of Eliot: Jack, the devilishly handsome bohemian photographer who lives downstairs.
  • The Irregulars: Spike uses his charm and smooth-talking skills to get information out of people, distract guards and get out of trouble when caught.
  • Eliot Spencer from Leverage is always the one they send in to flirt with the female cop, security guard, secretary, parking attendant, or whatever. He always gets the information he needs, even when they send him in as the IT guy. He often ends the episode going home with one of the female side characters.
    • All the characters except Parker demonstrate this trope to a degree. It's kind of a necessary trait of the worlds best grifters and thieves.
  • Tom Magnum in Magnum, P.I.. For that matter, most other private detectives of the Philip Marlowe school fit this trope as well.
  • The Man from U.N.C.L.E.: Napoleon Solo in the 1960s spy series, when he's not being The Casanova, Chivalrous Pervert, or Handsome Lech as required by that week's episode.
  • Patrick Jane of The Mentalist has a lot of this going on, although he's definitely got other motives for his actions; he does seem to genuinely enjoy flirting with Lisbon, if only because it pisses her off.
  • Gwaine from Merlin fits this trope perfectly. He flirts with Guinevere (going so far as to put a flower in her hair) but backs off instantly when it becomes clear she's not interested. The next time they meet, they share a friendly hug.
  • Mr. Lucky seems to be as lucky with the ladies as he is with cards, dice, etc. Andamo also has his moments.
  • Tony DiNozzo of NCIS. At least, that's what he tells everyone. As it's a crime drama, the only times we get to see him use the skill is when it blows up in his face comedically. (And one VERY serious time.)
  • Noah's Arc: Ricky. It seems he acquires virtually any man he sets his eyes on.
  • Shawn Spencer in Psych is almost the dictionary definition of this trope. In one episode, he walks into a police questioning room where an engaged couple (whom he has not actually met before this moment, let us note) are describing how their priceless wedding ring has been stolen. Within a minute, he's nabbed himself an invitation to their high-society wedding, and ends up hosting the bachelor party, scoring a date with the maid of honour until it's revealed she's behind it all and delivers the best man's toast at the wedding. He's also a perfect illustration of the 'loyal-but-love-to-hate-him' kind, as his life-long best friend Gus (and everyone else around him) is frequently exasperated at how easily things seem to come to him despite the fact that he usually does bugger all work towards it.
  • John Watson from Sherlock, though certain episodes (most notably in the "A Scandal in Belgravia" and "The Hounds of Baskerville" episodes of season 2) have him vacillating between this and The Casanova. Amusingly, all the work he puts into charming the ladies is instantly undone once the girls have had a conversation or two with his best friend, Sherlock, whose rudeness coupled with his (largely inadvertent) disruptions of John's dates makes them dump John before he manages to get anything going.
  • James T. Kirk of Star Trek: The Original Series is infamous for this. He does it even when, as a Starfleet captain he could reasonably get what he needs through other means.
  • John Sheppard of Stargate Atlantis. This had led to several mishaps however, such as him electrocuting himself when trying to strike a casual pose against his prison bars.
    • He is the only man on Atlantis who slept with a living Ancient. Indisputable.
      Rodney McKay: Word of caution? The whole "Captain Kirk" routine is problematic to say the least, let alone morally dubious.
      John Sheppard: What routine?
      Rodney McKay: The romancing of alien priestesses? It's very 1967 of you.
  • Footman Edward Barnes in Upstairs Downstairs, constantly cheerful and cheeky, pinching the maids' bottoms and smiling. He settles down happily with parlour maid Daisy. All this serves as contrast when he returns from World War One with a bad case of shell shock.
  • Josh Lyman on The West Wing. He has fangirls screaming his name at events the president goes to, he has wannabe groupies on online forums and he has an uncanny ability of making women interested in him simply by walking into them (usually not on purpose).
  • James West and Artemus Gordon from The Wild Wild West, a rare example of both leads in a series filling this role.

    Music 
  • The song "Personality" bu Lil Dicky featuring T-Pain talks about how he devolved this kind of personality because he was not excessively attractive.
  • Macabre's "The Ted Bundy Song" notes that the infamous Serial Killer would lure in women using his charm.

    Professional Wrestling 
  • During the 1950s, there was El Gran Lothario, who impressively managed to seduce women(and men) up until the mid 1980s in the National Wrestling Alliance. Lothario wasn't immune to his own charm and could be distracted by mere drawings of himself. And when he was done, he went on to manage "Sexy Boy" Shawn Michaels.

    Roleplay 
  • Hyeon from Dawn of a New Age: Oldport Blues is a flirtatious 'bad boy' whose devil-may-care attitude has attracted hordes of girls to him. He mentions in passing that he has a bad habit of dating the various front-runners they get for his tribute band.

    Tabletop Games 
  • Dungeons & Dragons: This is the main reason to play a bard. They are charisma personified, 'convincing' all kinds of people, monsters, and even gods into doing what they want. A typical roleplayer will shape them into The Casanova, while a munchkin will turn them into a brainwashing support unit through sheer force of personality.

    Toys 
  • In BIONICLE, Jerbraz claims to have been this before he was rendered permanently invisible:
    Jerbraz: I was one of the most handsome and dashing members of my little group of friends, back when I could be seen. Now, I have to rely on my charm alone to make an impression. Oh, that and this nasty sword, which conveniently turned invisible with me. So if you see someone's head go flying off for no apparent reason... it's not your imagination.

    Video Games 
  • Ezio Auditore da Firenze of Assassin's Creed II, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood and Assassin's Creed: Revelations. When he's not actually stabbing people in the neck, he's the very picture of smooth, even in his old age. We actually never see him strike out with a woman (except once, on his very first attempt — and even then, he makes a smooth recovery). He simply always succeeds.
  • Dragon Age II:
    • Varric Tethras is, somewhat strangely, a dwarven version of this: Cool, witty and very handy with his crossbow Bianca. Word of God has said that no matter what danger he's in, the moment you let Varric begin to talk, he's won.
    • Hawke, the protagonist, if played with the Sarcastic/Charming personality, is capable of spinning a tale to make Varric proud. In Dragon Age: Inquisition if Hawke is killed, Varric tells a story about how some thugs were sent to attack Hawke for some of his/her uncle's debts. They found Hawke waiting for them with a deck of cards. S/he was so charming that they kept playing until the guards showed up and arrested them. Afterwards, a few of them still liked Hawke so much that, after getting out, they became regulars at Hawke and Varric's weekly card games.
  • In The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, Skink-in-Tree's-Shade is one as the Master Trainer of Speechcraft, along with being The Social Expert. He even has the Mages Guild rival Great House Telvanni viewing him as a Worthy Opponent.
  • Ferdinand from Fire Emblem: Three Houses manages to charm most of the girls he has supports with, including Hilda, who is a master of charming boys into doing things for her. Appropriately he has a decent charm stat with good growths to match.
  • Lancelot of Guenevere is charismatic, congenial, and quite a hit with the ladies.
  • Ellis from Left 4 Dead 2 may sometimes act like a boy half his age, but his sheer playfulness makes him all the more adorable. Anyway, he makes a great foil to snarky, well-dressed Nick.
  • Kyle from Lunar: The Silver Star seems to have this effect on women, including his obvious love interest (which sometimes borders on Belligerent Sexual Tension), Jessica.
  • Mass Effect
    • In Mass Effect, Shepard (male or female) is very capable of playing this role, particularly if you take him/her down the path of The Paragon.
    • Mass Effect: Andromeda:
      • Jaal, once he defrosts around his teammates, starts charming all the females on the team, even managing to render Cora momentarily speechless. Since the angara are an emotionally forward people, it's not entirely clear if he's flirting or not. But he definitely finds humans and asari attractive.
      • In their romance subplot, Cora will accuse Scott Ryder of being charming early on, when he tries talking to her while she's annoyed about how things in Andromeda have gone so far.
  • A Running Gag in Octopath Traveler is how Cyrus manages to charm basically any woman he speaks to. Unlike your standard example of this trope, he's not actually trying to charm anyone, he just tends to speak his mind. This actually gets him into trouble because of his status as a Clueless Chick-Magnet, and he even manages to charm Primrose, whose entire profession (dancer) is based around charming people.
  • The Bard class from One Way Heroics has naturally higher Charisma than any other classes, giving them an easier time recruiting other characters.
  • Leon S. Kennedy from Resident Evil is this. He's got that likeable, dorky-but-cool thing going on. At least Ashley seems to think so.
  • Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns
    • Wayne from Westown is an absolute charmer with any person he talks to. His pleasant and friendly nature enchants people, leading to him not only having quite a fanclub around, but even men get along well with him. Brad even lampshades his personality by saying that anyone can end up knee-deep in a conversation with Wayne without even noticing that it happened.
    • Hinata from Tsuyukusa ends up being a charmer when it comes to his work. While chatting with a customer, he can assess them well enough to know what they are looking for in the store, but also knows what he has to say and let the customer hear, to get them to spend more money.
  • Nash, the Suiko-verse's resident superspy, knows all about kind answers turning away wrath, &c., &c. He's also described as handsome in-game, and even has some luck getting Chris Lightfellow, Knight in Shining Armor extraordinaire to lighten up. Before the fans get their OTPs in a knot, though, he's married by the time Suikoden III rolls around. Though we never find out who his wife is, apparently she's a real handful (Fanon leans toward The Vamp).
  • Zelos from Tales of Symphonia is such a Charmer he even gets a power around this idea, allowing him to seduce female NPCs into giving him Gald and items.
  • Baptiste of Overwatch — when he isn't being a stoic, unflinchingly capable Combat Medic — is a smooth, laid-back flirt that seems to get along with just about everyone and has a history of romantic admirers. Unfortunately for him, his implied relationships tend not to last, but this is more to do with him being a defector of Talon who's always on the run more than anything of his actual personality. Heck, he still has decently friendly relationships with former comrades such as Sombra and Mauga.
  • Yoshimo from Baldur's Gate 2. Being the game's only single-class thief (which is a near-essential party member to deal with traps), Yoshimo appears to have been made to fit into any party and any playstyle. He is True Neutral and will as such never leave you unless you really go out of your way to tank your reputation, and he has no conflicts with any other potential party member. His banters all underline how easily likeable he is, with everyone from the Lawful Good paladin Keldorn to the Chaotic Evil berserker Korgan either outright liking him, or at least having no issues with him staying in the party. This turns out to be because the game is practically inviting you to bring him with you to Spellhold in act 3, where he has a major storyline role and opens a spot for Imoen to join you without having to leave anyone behind.

    Visual Novels 
  • Klavier Gavin from Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, who seems to ooze charisma from his pores, considering how many fangirls he has (in-game and Real Life, to boot).
  • The Count in Halloween Otome takes almost every opportunity to flirt with Emma, and his ability to charm women is seen in other instances, too.
  • Sakazaki Yuuya of Hatoful Boyfriend can come off as this. He's a Teen Superspy slash School Idol who's endlessly friendly and flirtatious but also absolutely easygoing. His nature is actually startlingly secretive, but he's entirely aware that turning on the charm and making things into entendre tends to distract people from their questions.
  • In Fate/hollow ataraxia, Lancer has a habit of flirting with girls, many or all of them being ones that Shirou knows. Shirou labels some of these pick-up attempts as sexual harassment and even tells Himuro how to cockblock Lancer when he pulled a move on the her and her two friends.

    Webcomics 

    Western Animation 
  • Jet from Avatar: The Last Airbender. His initial appearance had him manipulating both Katara and Aang through his smooth talk and bad-boy charm.
  • Ben 10:
    • In Ben 10: Omniverse, his Incursean form, Bullfrag, is even more of this. His sweet talking manages to turn the "naturally cold-blooded" Princess Attea, who at the time had him at gunpoint, into a blushing, stuttering mess.
  • DOTA: Dragon's Blood: Due to the image of Dragon Knight he tries to live up to, and his own honestly caring nature, Davion has gained the sympathy of practically every person he has met. He seems to have friends everywhere, and in every party, people seem to be draw naturally to him. He also seems to get attractive women easily, but he doesn't go out of his way to chase after them, knowing where the limits of properness are. And all of his one night stands and past lovers seem to still be amicable with him.
  • Dr. Hartford from Galaxy Rangers is just as good a charmer and fast-talker as he is a Techno Wizard. Of course, Social Engineering attacks (aka "con jobs") in real life ARE a time-honored way to get past network security...
  • The Legend of Korra: Bolin, who has a habit of sneaking his fangirls in to watch his Pro-Bending matches for free.
  • Teen Titans (2003) brought Comic-standard Kid Flash in the middle of the final season. His first big chance to do good is when he swiped the stolen goods out of the Thieving Hive Five's hands... Except for Jinx. He swapped out the stolen necklace for a rose. When he gets a chance to meet her at "her own speed" he doesn't want to bring her in, he just wants to talk. Throughout the episode he continues to try and reach her as a normal person, despite Jinx's constant abuse. He's so persistent that by the penultimate episode, Jinx has left the Hive and joined the Titans in the big battle. He even refers to her as "A friend".
  • Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles: Yuichi Usagi to Chizu

    Real Life 
  • Giacomo Casanova could be considered the Trope Codifier, given that his name is now a byword for seduction, though it's ambiguous as to whether or not his charm was sincere.
  • Will Smith is particularly well-known for this vibe in his films and for being cast as this type of character.
  • John F. Kennedy was known for his boyish and charming demeanour.
  • Bill Clinton is notorious for his reputation with the ladies and for charming voters, to the point that he remained popular even after the Monica Lewinsky scandal.
  • A non-sexual version, Barack Obama is also known for his suave demeanour but is happily married.
  • Henry Kissinger scored more than any man in the history of Washington D.C., including Bill Clinton and Donald Trump.
  • Sir. Walter Raleigh. It's even alleged that he had an affair with Elizabeth I, "the Virgin Queen".

 
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"Flirt Alert!"

Captain Underpants flirts with the lunch lady, Edith, who just so happens to have a massive crush on his actual identity, Mr. Krupp.

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