Basic Trope: A character who is stupidly devoted to neutrality.
- Straight:
- Bob the Balanced seeks to preserve the Balance Between Good and Evil by deliberately opposing good and evil people and performing an even mix of good and evil actions.
- Neutral Nate refuses to take any action or decision for or against anything, because he believes that would mean he could no longer be seen as neutral.
- Exaggerated:
- Bob thinks he's the only neutral character because he does both random acts of kindness and kills thousands of innocents day by day.
- Nate is a neutral character who believes that there is no good or evil people despite evidence proven otherwise.
- Nate’s house is about to be blown to pieces with him inside by insane terrorists. He still refuses to take action, not because he wants to die, but because he believes that if he does something he will have made a position for himself.
- Downplayed:
- Bob the Balanced is just as mean to good people doing the right thing as he is to evil people committing horrible atrocities, giving them very passionate lectures about the Balance Between Good and Evil and insulting them to their face even when they're helping people (including himself) out with mundane stuff like fixing the TV. But if they're helping him not get eaten by a bear or the like, he shuts up.
- Netural Nate will often use the Golden Mean Fallacy as a way to make a compromise between good and evil people.
- Justified: Neutral Nate comes from a town where the concept of morality doesn't exist and he doesn't need anyone telling him what to do, good or bad.
- Inverted:
- Eve the Extreme seeks to destroy all neutrality in the universe.
- Chaotic Stupid, Lawful Stupid, Stupid Good, Stupid Evil
- Subverted:
- Nate opposes both the heroes and villains, but for the heroes, it's not just because they are heroic, but because Nate believes that they're just as bad as the villains. For example, he could...
A) ...know the heroes personally and be aware that they are Sociopathic Heroes, Heroic Comedic Sociopaths, and Nineties Anti Heroes who just want to kill things and thus are just as evil as the bad guys.
B) ...be deeply cynical and believe that anyone who acts like heroes is just in it to get glory and rewards.
C) ...have had a bad experience with them in the past. They've had Character Development since then and wouldn't act the same way if the situation came up again, but Nate isn't about to let them that close. - Bob stops caring about the Balance Between Good and Evil or decides to take a moderate and careful approach to maintaining the balance of good and evil or now believes that good and evil will find a way to balance themselves out no matter what he does.
- Nate opposes both the heroes and villains, but for the heroes, it's not just because they are heroic, but because Nate believes that they're just as bad as the villains. For example, he could...
- Double Subverted: Nate finds out they're actually good people and still treats them badly, mostly for not being neutral.
- Parodied:
- Bob keeps and accounts the exact number of good and evil acts he does in a journal so that he doesn't forget to balance it out.
- Bob stays at home and eats chips all day as opposed as saving the world and himself only because he believes it'll maintain the balance of good and evil.
- Nate establishes a club where morally neutral people sit back, chat, and watch the heroes and villains kill each other 24/7.
- Zig Zagged: Bob the Balanced performs a selfless act, and then helps a tyrant retain control of his nation- because he genuinely believes that the tyrant's overthrow would lead to something worse. But he then he steals from merchants instead of paying for stuff, simply because he doesn't want to make things too nice.
- Averted:
- Nate is True Neutral not because of any deeply-held beliefs, but because it helps him achieve his personal goals.
- Bob only believes in the Balance Between Good and Evil because he thinks it makes the good in the world much more special and thus treats the heroes with respect and even if he would choose to watch TV and play video games over fighting crimes and saving the world.
- Enforced:
- Lampshaded: "I don't care about what's right and wrong. I care about the balance, so beat it!"
- Invoked: Master Yiko, a true neutral himself, teaches Nate about the balance of good and evil.
- Exploited: Troperia convinces the Stupid Neutral faction to not intervene in their conflict with Wikitopia by citing the balance. The war may not actually be about balance, but as long as the Stupid Neutral side thinks it is, Troperia can use that to advance its own goals.
- Defied:
- Bob realizes that acting this way will earn him a lot of enemies, both good and bad, so he decides to keep it subtle.
- Master Yiko tries to teach Bob about the Balance Between Good and Evil... and, most importantly, how not to become unbalanced himself in his pursuit of it.
- Discussed: ???
- Conversed: ???
- Deconstructed:
- Nate's blind devotion to neutrality has earned him a Neutrality Backlash. People might hate their enemies, but Nate's neutrality makes him come off as selfish or untrustworthy.
- Bob may say that he's just seeking a balance, but his strict code and willingness to commit evil acts for no reason other than balancing some metaphorical checkbook mean he's actually Lawful Evil.
- Reconstructed: Bob acts to bring balance to the world without resorting to doing evil. He'll support tyrannical regimes to prevent war and massive anarchy, but he'll also prevent the tyrant's forces from abusing citizens or enforcing the worst laws.
Go Back to Stupid Neutral. Just be sure to press the Forward Button afterwards to balance yourself out.
