History Main / TrueNeutral

* In ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'', Mr. UsefulNotes/GameAndWatch has no comprehension of good and evil. [[ExploitedTrope This allows him to be very easily tricked by Tabuu]], and all it takes for him to defect to the heroes is [[AttentionDeficitOohShiny Peach's parasol]].

* Those OnlyInItForTheMoney, such as HiredGuns, [[BountyHunter Bounty Hunters]], [[ProfessionalKiller Professional Killers]], and PrivateMilitaryContractors, who typically are motivated by neither a righteous nor diabolical cause.

* A non-affiliated and unprejudiced ProfessionalKiller.

* Those OnlyInItForTheMoney, such as HiredGuns, [[BountyHunter Bounty Hunters]], [[ProfessionalKiller Professional Killers]], and PrivateMilitaryContractors,
who typically are motivated by neither a righteous nor diabolical cause.

* Those OnlyInItForTheMoney, for neither a righteous nor diabolical cause.

* Near from ''Manga/DeathNote''. Although he tries to emulate the LawfulNeutral L, it is obvious that he doesn't have anywhere near as much of a sense of justice. Indeed, he's only chasing after Kira because [[LaserGuidedTykebomb he's the guy who chases after Kira]], and ethics and motivations have nothing to do with it.

* There are several neutral characters in the Franchise/{{Transformers}} universes:
** In ''ComicBook/TheTransformersMarvel'', Neutrals are hunted down for spare parts for the Decepticons.
** In the [[ComicBook/TheTransformersRobotsInDisguise ''Robots In Disguise'']] and [[ComicBook/TheTransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye ''More Than Meets The Eye'']] comics of IDW's Transformers comics, they are called [=NAILs=] -- Non-Aligned-Indigenous Lifeforms. They're a sizable group and include many former Autobots and Decepticons who grew disgusted enough with the war that they deserted. Following the end of the war and dissolution of both armies, the [=NAILs=] effectively form the largest 'faction'.
** A Neutral Femme once flirted with Barricade in the Movie comics letters page with an offer of Bad cop/Bad cop pretending to be Good Cop, and he warned her that Starscream calls Neutrals "Target Practice" -- although that didn't stop him from flirting right back with her.
** Flatline in ''ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW2019'' is so dedicated to the Cybertronian version of the Hippocratic Oath that he treats ''everyone'', being seen treating terrorist leader Shockwave (whose existence was kept under strict secrecy) in one issue and later seen tending to wounded civilians in another. During the Decepticon coup, he stands alongside Ratchet in attempting to stop a group of Decepticons from barging into their hospital to hunt down Autobot sympathisers, and later still is to be shown to be the only medical officer who ''didn't'' abandon Iacon to join Optimus Prime (unlike his fellows Ratchet and Hoist).

* Doctor Manhattan from ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'', to the absolute extreme. He's just stopped viewing life from a human perspective altogether and cares almost nothing for anything else than observing pretty physics. It helps that he's a NonLinearCharacter, meaning that he already knows everything he's ever going to do and has no free will.
* {{Creator/Marvel}}'s ''ComicBook/{{Civil War|2006}}'' arc had characters that fell firmly in the number 7 group. In particular, [[ComicBook/FantasticFour Ben Grimm]] (The Thing) -- who ran off [[UnfortunateImplications to France]] rather than choose a side and end up fighting one teammate (Mr. Fantastic, Pro-Reg) or the other two (Sue and Johnny Storm, Anti-Reg).
* ''ComicBook/SubMariner'': Namor of Creator/MarvelComics doesn't ''quite'' qualify; at any given time he can fall into any of the alignments by virtue of having drastically different motives from most of the Marvel Universe and a disorder that manifests as drastic character changes due to his HalfHumanHybrid biology. He goes here because he averages out as True Neutral, and he's the only person who can effectively have a reputation as both good and evil without anyone giving him lip about it (if only because he could kick the [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk Hulk]]'s ass). He's a member of Professor X's Illuminati (good) and ComicBook/NormanOsborn's Cabal (evil), ''at the same time''. And he's not acting as TheMole for either group, since neither knows that he's a member of the other.

* ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'': Kite Man is probably this, as despite ostensibly being a villain, other than robbing a few places he [[HarmlessVillain never seems to actually do anything villainous]], and indeed is usually [[ButtMonkey looked down on by other supervillains]] due to his lame power (he has a giant retractable guide which allows him to sort of glide but not truly fly) and lack of menace.

* ComicBook/{{Galactus}} is beyond your petty morality and insipid human judgement: He is what he is. And what he does is ''hunger''.
* [[Franchise/MarvelUniverse The Watcher]] watches. That's it! (That and host all the "ComicBook/WhatIf" comics, but still.) His job is the universe's biggest voyeur!
* ComicBook/DonaldDuck and [[ComicBook/DisneyDucksComicUniverse Uncle Scrooge]], DependingOnTheWriter. Creator/CarlBarks noted that their ability to serve as either the hero or villain of a story made them infinitely more interesting to write for, as opposed to the generally moral ComicBook/MickeyMouse.
* The Qaron from ''ComicBook/{{Empire}}'' come across as this. Their agenda is alien to the characters they're dealing with, and their [[OmniscientMoralityLicense ability to see the future]] causes them to behave in a way that seems totally amoral.
* Frau Totenkinder from ''{{ComicBook/Fables}}''. She's kind to those who show her respect and good manners, but more than willing to crush her enemies or those who treat her rudely. She also gains power from the blood of babies. Ultimately, she's on no one's side but her own.
* ComicBook/DeathsHead, Freelance Peacekeeping Agent. He'll do anything as long as he's paid, and paid well.
-->''...I didn't care about their cause in the slightest. If the king had hired me, I'd have happily killed the rebels!''
* ''ComicBook/{{Robin|1993}}'': Scarab has a reputation as an assassin but she's more of a combatant for hire who will without question take a job where one of her directives is to avoid killing or doing any serious damage and doesn't care who her employer is so long as they pay.
* Peter Parker in ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' starts out just wanting to be left alone, until his indifference towards a criminal results in the death of his uncle. Afterwards, he becomes the NeutralGood Spider-Man we know today.
* ComicBook/{{Spawn}} switches between this and NeutralGood, DependingOnTheWriter. Understandably so; caught between the LawfulEvil KnightTemplar [[LightIsNotGood angels]] and ChaoticEvil LegionsOfHell, he's bound to express some apathy. He still helps people but mostly wants to [[HeroicNeutral be left alone]].
* In ''ComicBook/TheSagaOfCrystarCrystalWarrior'', the conflict is OrderVersusChaos, with the [[CrystallineCreature Crystal Warriors]] on Order's side and the [[MagmaMan Magma Men]] on the side of Chaos. Neutrality is officially represented by the character Feldspar, who is crystalline from the waist up and made of magma from the waist down.

%%* ComicStrip/{{Wormy}} the dragon is true neutral in increasingly complex ways.
* Wally from ''ComicStrip/{{Dilbert}}'' is completely apathetic, as are most of the others after overexposure to management; when someone dies while working in the office, Dilbert does nothing because that way someone else has to do the paperwork.

* Harry Potter in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8527691/27/An-Incomplete-Potter-Collection The Devil Ashikabi]]'' doesn't really care about good or evil and only cares about laws to the extent necessary to keep himself out of prison. He keeps Karasuba on a leash because it's his job to and when it's no longer his job, he doesn't bother. His only reaction to her killing someone/something is annoyance that she always makes sure to splatter him with the blood. Even choosing to go to Hogwarts is something he does because he's becoming bored with ordinary school.

* Lambdadelta from ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'' seems to be the fourth variety seeing as she does whatever she can to make sure both sides are equal or close to it, [[spoiler:like in episode 6 where she throws popcorn to prevent one character form killing/denying another]].
* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'': [[HeroicNeutral Ryuuken's]] apparent alignment, for at least the past several years. He outright refuses to support any major faction—Shinigami, Quincy, or otherwise—and while he clearly prefers things orderly he is willing to break rules (his own and other people's) to get things done. He was apparently NeutralGood, or even LawfulGood, as a teenager...and recent events may be pushing him to a NeutralNoLonger fate.

%%* Sesshomaru from ''Manga/InuYasha'' falls here after his HeelFaceTurn.


%%* Thorfinn of ''Manga/VinlandSaga''.

* Charden Flamberg of ''Manga/BlackCat''. Unlike his comrades, he has genuine reasons for hating Chronos and follows the BigBad to do so, but he leaves when he realizes that Creed's ego has taken over.
* Papillion of ''Manga/BusoRenkin''. He doesn't want to kill humans and burn the world to ash, but he's not going to help anyone out unless he gets something out of it.
* In ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'', [[spoiler:Kyubey is one of these. Despite behaving in an extremely creepy manner at all times, he's only watching for the well-being of the universe, even though during the main plot that causes a huge amount of death and suffering. After the finale, it can be seen that he keeps the same personality but behaves in a much friendlier manner. But that's not because he changed, he still has the same goal, it's just that in the new universe the most straightforward way of achieving it looks friendlier.]]
%%* Roger Dunstan, his doji Milleiu and Fushimi Agari from ''Manga/KarakuridoujiUltimo''.
%%* The eponymous Lain Iwakura from ''Anime/SerialExperimentsLain''.
%%* Also, Ai Enma, the titular ''Anime/HellGirl''.
* ''Anime/{{Texhnolyze}}'': Ichise, who has an obsessive drive to survive and doesn't care whose side he's on.
%%** Also Doc, who wants to research and experiment with Texhnolyzation.
* ''Manga/FairyTail'':
** Ultear Milkovich is an interesting example. She only turned to evil for comfort and compensation for her horrible past. However, after being betrayed by said evil, she made a HeelFaceTurn and joined LawfulNeutral Jellal to better herself.
** Mystogan from the same series also fits. His own life is of top priority but when push comes to shove, he will step in to help if he was needed.
** Kagura Mikazuchi is this to a fault. Unlike Erza, she is quite anti-social and only seeks revenge against [[spoiler:Jellal]] through the death of her brother Simon. [[LadyOfWar From everything we know about her, she is still quite a mystery, but deep down we learn she isn't a cold-hearted person]], [[YamatoNadeshiko just a strong and shy woman.]]

* Despite what Junko Enoshima [[UnreliableExpositor would have you believe]], Izuru Kamukura of ''Anime/Danganronpa3TheEndOfHopesPeakHighSchool'' falls squarely here. After the whole "lobotomized to create a {{Transhuman}}" thing, he has almost no emotion besides soul-crushing boredom and only loosely associates with Enoshima because she told him she could liven up his life with the unpredictability of despair. Even then, he prefers to passively observe what she does rather than participate. His only motivations are having his boredom relieved, protecting himself, and [[spoiler:getting revenge for his LoveInterest Chiaki Nanami, whose murder at Enoshima's hands is the only reason he turns on her, not any sense of moral goodness]].
* Ymir from ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'' is a rather special example. At first she was a rather uncooperative character, with only a [[LesYay heart for Krista.]] But as the story unfolds she's actually fairly nice, even if she is [[spoiler: a Titan Shifter. Though the shock of becoming a monster surprised her like any normal person would be. Thus after unintentionally eating Marcel and willingly aiding her friends, she [[ApologeticAttacker pleaded for a pardon for her carnage]], then disappeared to live her own life without regrets.]]

* Meguro, the title character of ''Manga/MeguroSanWaHajimeteJanai'', is such an [[ExaggeratedTrope exaggerated]] version of the ExtremeDoormat and the EmotionlessGirl that she practically [[EmptyShell has no will or personality at all]]. She never speaks unless answering a direct question, and, because she has no desires, will do whatever is asked of her without ever questioning it.
* ''Manga/ChainsawMan'':
** [[Characters/ChainsawManDenji Denji]], the first protagonist, is a fundamentally selfish individual whose only real GoalInLife is to find some kind of happiness, and his loyalty is easily won by any amount of kindness or generosity. While he eventually [[spoiler: becomes a superhero]], he's too morally flexible to be truly called "good" (such as prioritizing [[SkewedPriorities a cat's life over a teenager and a car full of the elderly]]) and doesn't particularly care about following or defying an established order; Denji fights devils and learns to live a better life, and that's just fine with him.
** The second protagonist, Asa Mitaka, is the same breed from a different angle. Her entire life has been spent suffering for and because of others, and she can barely muster the energy to care about other people or even herself most of the time. She barely even believes her own thoughts saying that GoodFeelsGood, and is [[TheDitherer too indecisive]] to commit to being evil like [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Yoru]] wants her to; all she wants is to survive and [[GuiltComplex soothe her endless well of guilt]].
* Though there are also arguments for ChaoticEvil, ChaoticNeutral, LawfulNeutral, and LawfulEvil, the way Majima describes himself in ''Anime/LycorisRecoil'' points to a belief he falls completely in the middle; he doesn't believe in malice or benevolence, order or disorder, or much else on the morality spectrum. All he wants is to bring out the truth of what's going on and balance out the world so no faction comes out ahead. This belief is the foundation of his plan with his terrorist attacks, because he believes the Japanese government, through DA, has tipped the scales in their favor too far and thinks terrorism and crime need to equal things out. Majima is potentially even a deconstruction of people who knowingly and willingly follow the idea of True Neutral, as his focus on maintaining neutrality, which he attributes with what is ''right,'' gets a lot of people hurt in the process that wouldn't be if he didn't work so hard to maintain what he believes to be the status quo.

* Kevin Mask in ''Anime/UltimateMuscle'' entered the stage as NeutralEvil (beating up or killing [[KickTheDog humans and superhumans alike]] for kicks and joining the dMp [[FreudianExcuse to spite his overbearing father]]), but soon left for the True Neutral camp (only beating up worthy adversaries in the ring, but not shying away from dirty tricks and killing opponents). Come the Demon Seed arc, he appears to have completed the switch to NeutralGood -- or at least ChaoticGood (challenging the Devil Superhumans to save Meat, all for the good of humanity).
* Fred Lou from ''Manga/OutlawStar''. His business policy is "Don't ask questions" and (with exception to Gene, whom he's in love with) "Don't take credit." There's even a scene where Fred calls in to alert Gene about the Kei Pirates' arrival. How does he know they're on Sentinel? Because he ''sold them their weapons''. Twilight Suzuka also falls into this trope, mainly due to her wavering between LawfulNeutral and ChaoticNeutral in the series and her apathy. She adheres to strict codes about assassination, but is willing to twist the letter, if not the spirit, of her code when it suits her purpose. She travels with the Outlaw Star and is a loyal crew member in crisis, but in everyday life walks alone from the others, neither contributing money towards the expenses, nor racking up further expenses.

* Aoshi Shinomori of ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'' during the Kenshin-gumi's first encounter with him. He and his men are former shinobi currently serving as mercenaries to a drug lord, though what they really want is to [[BloodKnight fight the epic battle they didn't get to during the revolution]] due to their lord choosing negotiated surrender instead. After a whole lot of CharacterDevelopment he switches to NeutralGood.
* Kino of ''Literature/KinosJourney'' is interested in traveling and observing the world. Period. She's pretty adamant about not interfering; it takes some pretty special circumstances for her to do so. [[spoiler:She once listened to a man explain to her how he killed a woman's family and then decided to become TheAtoner and protect her... Kino then passively watched as said woman shot him dead.]] She makes company with villains and heroes, and contemplates what drives both. ''Do not'', however, think that this means she's submissive; she will kill anyone who attacks her or stops her travels without hesitation and without remorse.
* The Data Overmind from ''Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya'', which seeks to maintain the status quo so that it can monitor the series' eponymous character. Yuki, the android interface which it uses to interact with the show's characters initially follows this alignment as well, but as she develops a more independent personality, she drifts more towards NeutralGood.
** And then we have Kyon of course. Sure, he saves the world and genuinely cares about the Brigade members, especially Yuki, but then he also likes to be a cynical jerk. Above all is his sheer apathy to everything. With his CharacterDevelopment, though, he becomes more compassionate, and is easily NeutralGood at the end of the day.
%%** Also, Sasaki from the same series. How close she is to becoming NeutralEvil is anyone's guess.
* ''Manga/OnePiece'':
** Dracule Mihawk doesn't seem to really care about anything short of finding someone who can surpass him in swordsman skills. He takes a passing interest in Zoro and Luffy, which is why he doesn't kill the former after their [[CurbStompBattle hopelessly one-sided duel]]; as for Luffy, during the Whitebeard War saga he decides to attack him without holding back just to see if [[BecauseDestinySaysSo fate]] will really somehow miraculously save his life despite his best efforts.
%% ** Crocodile starts out somewhere in the NeutralEvil range: posing as a legitimate businessman and government-sanctioned "hero" of a country his secret organization is working to overthrow so that he can found a new military regime (also, [[LostSuperweapon superweapon]]). After his defeat, he passes on an opportunity to escape prison out of sheer disinterest, only to escape later on [[EnemyMine by joining our heroes]] to fight in the War of the Summit, wherein he was on the side of [[WildCard exactly no one]]: He started out wanting to take Whitebeard's head, rebuffed an offer to join forces with Donquixote Doflamingo, and then saved both Ace and Luffy, just to spite the Marines. What he's up to next is anyone's guess.
** Nico Robin was this when she used to be an AntiVillain whose only goal was survival and was Crocodile's right hand. Later on, when she joins the Straw Hats, she becomes NeutralGood.
* Shizuru from ''Anime/MyHime'' starts out taking a relaxed approach to everything (her official bio states that one of her pet peeves is "being rushed") but eventually becomes NeutralEvil when [[spoiler:she receives her powers and comes to feel that [[LoveMakesYouEvil violence is the only way to keep her from being separated from Natsuki]].]]

* Near from ''Manga/DeathNote''. Although he tries to emulate the LawfulNeutral L, it is obvious that he doesn't have anywhere near as much of a sense of justice. Indeed, he's only chasing after Kira because [[LaserGuidedTykebomb he's the guy who chases after Kira]], and ethics and motivations have nothing to do with it.
** Ryuk, and apparently the Shinigami in general. He leans a little towards Chaotic Neutral due to him dropping the title ArtifactOfDoom into the human world just because he's bored and wants to see [[ItAmusedMe what will happen]]. Other than that, though, he just watches what happens, and makes it clear that he has no sense of loyalty or emotional attachment to the person who finds the notebook (Light, in this case), and rarely interferes with anything. Still, Ryuk doesn't seem to be evil or overly malicious, and he has enough decency to call Light out when he's emotionally abusive to Misa.
* Genkai of ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'' holds a tournament to determine her successor, and is willing to train whoever wins, even if it is an assassin or a demon. In the Dark Tournament, she admits that she is not a champion of justice, but she fights against those she dislikes, which includes [[spoiler:her former teammate Toguro]].
* In ''Anime/CodeGeass'', there's Lloyd Asplund, C.C., and Diethard Reid. C.C. is practically moral apathy personified.
* Nathan Mahler from ''Anime/BloodPlus'' is BigBad Diva's chevalier but he is completely apathetic to her organisation's plan to replace humanity with chiropterans. Not only does he refuse to take orders from TheDragon Amshel, he often prevents other villains from killing Saya despite the fact that Saya is the major threat to Diva's plan. The only thing he is concerned with is the happiness of Diva, which in the end turns out to be completely irrelevant to her plan to turn all humans into chiropterans. Throughout the series, Nathan remains a distant observer of how the two queens of vampires struggle against each other and where that struggle leads to.
* ''Manga/{{Golgo 13}}''. Duke Togo seems to live by one single rule: if someone meets his hefty fee and explains their motives for wanting another person dead, Golgo 13 will put a bullet in said person's head in a laughably improbable manner. [[ContractOnTheHitman As long as you do NOT double-cross him, of course]]
* Benny from ''Manga/BlackLagoon''. Ultimately, he isn't willing to cross the line entirely into the villain territory occupied by most of the rest of Roanapur, but he's certainly no charity case either and merely ''associating'' with Revy is probably soul-staining enough to keep him off the straight and narrow.
%%** Rock, as of El Baile de los Muertos, has become this.
%%** Roberta fits this before and after her breakdown.
* ''Literature/ClassroomOfTheElite'' has its protagonist Kiyotaka Ayanokouji. Despite acting kind, if somewhat aloof around others, [[spoiler:his true motive is only to maintain his current lifestyle and not be sent back to the facility he was raised. Deep down, he only views most of his classmates as tools, and the few people he is close to can be best classified as either 'people whom he does not want to make tools out of' or 'people who are too useful to let go'. He gains attraction from the girls mostly through calculated moves to earn their trust and make them easier for him to manipulate. He's fairly amoral and only wants to protect himself and will only help people if it advances said goal.]] Though in the novel, that last one is considerably toned down compared to the anime.
* So Touma from ''Manga/{{QED}}'', who prefers to be laid back than getting involved in cases. But LawfulGood Kana makes him do it anyway.
* ''Literature/RecordOfLodossWar'' has the fourth variant down pat in the form of Karla, whose goal seems to be the preservation of balance -- when two kings clash in the battlefield and one falls, she quickly blasts the other from afar.
* [[spoiler:Fai D. Flowright, [[SpellMyNameWithAnS or however you choose to spell it]]]] from ''Manga/TsubasaReservoirChronicle''. While he bears no actual malice to any of the main characters--and, indeed, repeatedly demonstrates that he's grown close to all of them--the fact remains that he knows a hell of a lot more than they do about what's on from the very beginning of the series and doesn't say anything because [[spoiler:he's technically working for the BigBad]]. He becomes NeutralGood when all of his dirty secrets come out and his friends help him move beyond his [[TheWoobie many, many personal issues]].
** [[spoiler:Clone!Syaoran]] belongs here too. It's true that he does a large number of absolutely ''horrible'' things once he appears on the scene, but this is less due to him being "evil" and more because he's a moral-free construct programmed to complete the task he was made for [[ImplacableMan by any means necessary]]. [[spoiler:He also performs a HeroicSacrifice-slash-HeelFaceTurn for the protagonists when he attacks his creator Fei Wong Reed, demonstrating that he's developed a heart of his own]].
* Hei and, in fact, most Contractors in ''Anime/DarkerThanBlack''. The reason being that becoming a contractor means losing most of your emotions. They can only look at everything in the world from a completely indifferent standpoint, and simply do not care about anything going on around them. For this reason alone, most contractors become mercenaries, willing to work for the highest bidder. Not having any emotions or caring about anything doesn't mean they can't turn against you if they think you're trying to bully them or do them wrong though. They'll kill you in a heartbeat if you anger them.

* Lambdadelta from ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'' seems to be the fourth variety seeing as she does whatever she can to make sure both sides are equal or close to it, [[spoiler:like in episode 6 where she throws popcorn to prevent one character form killing/denying another]].
* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'': [[HeroicNeutral Ryuuken's]] apparent alignment, for at least the past several years. He outright refuses to support any major faction—Shinigami, Quincy, or otherwise—and while he clearly prefers things orderly he is willing to break rules (his own and other people's) to get things done. He was apparently NeutralGood, or even LawfulGood, as a teenager...and recent events may be pushing him to a NeutralNoLonger fate.
* Switzerland and Liechtenstein from ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers''. Switzerland shoots and yells at people when they disturb him, mostly, and hides his care for others except for his younger sister. Liechtenstein is sweet and gentle like a NeutralGood but doesn't generally go out of her way to help others. This actually becomes a plot point in ''[[TheMovie Paint it White]]'' where their very neutrality (among other things) actually ''saves'' them from the AlienInvasion going on elsewhere. [[spoiler:They even spend an intimate, seemingly quiet picnic for most of the movie, totally unaware of the mess outside.]]
** Some fanworks portray Austria post-[=WW2=] as a reluctant example of this trope (given how Austria was essentially forced into it as a UsefulNotes/ColdWar buffer in real life). In the series itself, he seems to bene more LawfulNeutral: he objects to UsefulNotes/MariaTheresa's orders and isn't thrilled when Germany comes for him under instructions, but follows them anyway.
** Canonically, one could place [[EnigmaticMinion Egypt]] here. He doesn't have much of a role, outside hanging around Turkey and Cyprus from time to time. Egypt mostly keeps to himself, appearing only for historical significance (that is whenever someone interacts with him). As a character, Egypt is [[EnsembleDarkhorse quite underdeveloped]] but that only makes him all the more endearing.
%%* Sesshomaru from ''Manga/InuYasha'' falls here after his HeelFaceTurn.

** Really, all three of the EVA pilots are True Neutral to some extent (though Rei leaning more towards LawfulNeutral and Asuka leaning more towards ChaoticNeutral). All three of them don't really have any selfless reason for being an EVA pilot, with Asuka doing it for [[GloryHound some sort of recognition]] and Rei doing it [[MyMasterRightOrWrong because Gendo tells her to]], though they all have some layer of sympathy to refrain from being entirely selfish.
** Pretty much all of the Angels fall into True Neutral. They don't express any malice or sadism towards humanity, they simply follow their one objective: to unite with Lilith. The fact that it will destroy the world is merely a byproduct of that union. Kaworu Nagisa, especially, holds no malice.
* Truth, the closest thing that the ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist''-verse has to a deity, is best understood as this alignment. He has no active involvement in human life, neither rewarding the good nor punishing the bad. However, if an alchemist infringes upon the laws of nature and comes before Truth, he upholds the laws of EquivalentExchange by taking an organ or limb from them (which he does with sadistic glee), but in exchange, they gain the ability to do alchemy without a transmutation circle. While he's certainly a [[JerkassGods jerkass]], Truth ultimately shows just enough benevolence to not fit any evil alignment. As stated in the series, his purpose is to discourage the humans who try to enter the domains of God. He can also be seen as the AnthropomorphicPersonification of the world (which is how he describes himself if asked). Neither good nor evil, but a representation of the natural laws of the universe, which of course take no sides.
** Yoki, a former CorruptBureaucrat is also True Neutral, but in a different way. He's a coward that initially acts cruelly to subordinates but ends up being brought low and eventually figures out that he won't get his ass kicked so often if he acts like less of a jerk. He's not evil, good, lawful, or chaotic enough to be anything but True Neutral.
%%** Hohenheim, Lust and Sloth in [[Anime/FullmetalAlchemist2003 the 2003 anime version]] also count.

* Shiki Ryougi of ''Literature/TheGardenOfSinners'' fame. Especially true of her so-called "third personality", which makes an appearance near the end of the story. [[spoiler:It is a personification of the Origin. That is to say, the beginning and end of anything and everything. It is both omnipotent and omniscient... but for that reason is also absolutely neutral, completely uncaring about literally ''anything'' and unwilling to bother to do anything either. Probably for the best, all things considered...]]

* ''Franchise/DragonBall'':
** Vegeta is a very... ''unique'' case. For the majority of ''Anime/DragonBallZ'', it was damn near impossible for anyone to know exactly ''who'' he was truly fighting for, as his motivations would seemingly change at the drop of a hat. It got to the point where his alignment was questioned and even lampshaded by several characters InUniverse, especially Z-Fighters, considering that they were usually the ones that would end up having to clean up all the messes he creates. As far as how the show depicts him and how he develops, this is how he aligned himself throughout the show: Saiyan Arc -- ChaoticEvil, Namek Arc -- NeutralEvil, Freeza Arc -- NeutralEvil[=/=]LawfulEvil/True Neutral, Android Arc -- True Neutral, Cell Arc -- True Neutral[=/=]ChaoticNeutral[=/=]ChaoticGood and Majin Buu Arc -- ChaoticGood/[[spoiler:ChaoticEvil]][=/=]NeutralGood[=/=]LawfulGood. Yeah, Vegeta was a ''very'' complicated and conflicted character.
** Android 17 and 18, despite being programmed to murder Goku, show little to no interest in actually doing so, despite the constant reminder from Android 16 that their mission was to kill Goku. When they ''did'' show interest, it was out of pure boredom. Android 17 even states himself that killing Goku was not a priority for him and was nothing more than "a chore" or "a game".
** Shenron is this. If you have the Dragon Balls and summon him, you get a wish and he'll grant it if he's able. Hence why arcs involving them were focused on keeping the Dragon Balls out of the hands of evil beings like early Vegeta and Frieza.

* Lucoa from ''Manga/MissKobayashisDragonMaid'', while formerly LawfulGood, [[AllPowerfulBystander tends to distance herself]] from the OrderVersusChaos conflict among other dragons in the present. Most of the other dragons also start leaning this way the longer they stay on Earth. She justifies this stance because she ''used'' to be a god who has directly influenced the course of human progression numerous times in the past, and even in dragon form, her powers still surpass ''every other dragon by leagues''.

* Bill from ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'' fits the [[IncrediblyLamePun bill]] best. While he genuinely cares for his fellow survivors and sticks his neck out for them on a regular basis, on one of the many occasions when the team was escaping to a rescue vehicle (in this case, a train) he deliberately refuses to do so much as stop for two seconds to save a hapless doctor behind them from being eaten alive. Zoey [[WhatTheHellHero chews him out]] on this later. His response? [[BadassBoast "We look after our own!"]] Justified, since the doctor had possibly zero combat experience against the infected (Zoey, Bill, Louis, and Francis had been engaging the infected for 2 weeks) and would become TheLoad to the team. On top of this, it would be likely that Bill or someone else would be yanked off the train by the incoming horde if the train had slowed down or stopped. Bill had also said to the doctor and two other people earlier that if they fell behind, they were on their own.

* The Triforce in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZelda'', being an IntelligentArtifact but also TrueNeutral, is this. Like [[Anime/DragonBallZ Shenron,]] the one to possess all three pieces will get their wish. Ironically, it was the wish of a ''good'' character in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' that destroyed the original land of Hyrule in the Adult Timeline.

* From the ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' series, Naomi Hunter, who tries to kill Solid Snake by injecting the FOXDIE virus [[ItsPersonal to avenge her "brother" Frank Jaeger]], but later shows regret for what she has done. She also defects from Otacon to Ocelot in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4'' of her own free will in order to eliminate the Vamp to atone for her own sin.

* Franchise/{{Shrek}} is a prime example of true neutral. He's a mixture of "BystanderSyndrome" and "HeroicNeutral" (with a bit of BlueAndOrangeMorality). In the first film, the main conflict is started because he was driven out of his house, not for any noble goals like justice for the fairy tale creatures who were driven to his swamp. The rest of the movies conflicts start either ''[[DeconstructedTrope because]]'' [[DeconstructedTrope of his true neutral morality]], [[VillainsActHeroesReact because he was driven to do things]], or [[TakeAThirdOption both]].

* The Balance in ''TabletopGame/{{Anathema}}'' creates shrouds and forces them to kill, but it only does this strictly out of necessity. If it fails to do this, the world will become so overpopulated that humanity will destroy itself. It makes no claims to be either good or evil and is entirely impersonal. All it cares about is keeping the human population at a level that the planet can sustain.

* {{Creator/Marvel}}'s ''ComicBook/CivilWar'' arc had characters that fell firmly in the number 7 group. In particular, [[ComicBook/FantasticFour Ben Grimm]] (The Thing) -- who ran off [[UnfortunateImplications to France]] rather than choose a side and end up fighting one teammate (Mr. Fantastic, Pro-Reg) or the other two (Sue and Johnny Storm, Anti-Reg).

** Anakin Skywalker. He just as easily makes friends with the ChaoticEvil Chancellor as the LawfulGood Obi-Wan. While he dislikes restrictions and laws, he still follows orders because it's all he's known. The only people he cares about are his immediate friends, and his goals are related only to solving an immediate problem (saving Padmé, avenging his mother, becoming the most powerful man in the galaxy). He skirts between good and evil, law and chaos, before finally settling on LawfulEvil.

* TheDitherer..

* In ''Film/{{Megamind}}'', Metro Man is ultimately True Neutral. He puts on a good front of being a perfect hero who always saves the day, but deep down he just wants to retire and pursue his own modest dream of a music career. While he's implicitly not selfish enough to completely abandon Metro City until he's absolutely sure Megamind isn't going to go completely off the rails without himself to keep his old rival in check, neither is he selfless enough to put aside his own petty interests for the greater good if it can be avoided.

* Aisling from ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfKells'' is a HeroicNeutral type of true neutral. She tries to ward off Brendan when they first meet, but not out of any malicious or antagonistic intentions, but rather so she and her forest can be left alone. She warms up to Brendan shortly after they meet, however.

* In ''[[ComicBook/CrystarCrystalWarrior The Saga of Crystar, Crystal Warrior]],'' the conflict is OrderVersusChaos, with the [[CrystallineCreature Crystal Warriors]] on Order's side and the [[MagmaMan Magma Men]] on the side of Chaos. Neutrality is officially represented by the character Feldspar, who is crystalline from the waist up and made of magma from the waist down.

%%* ComicBook/TheSandman; Death, Desire, and Despair are True Neutral.

->''"Now, I'm told y'all are hired killers. Also, I wanna make it clear that this is ALL I've been told. Ol' [[VideoGame/Left4Dead Whitaker]] don't pass judgment, and he don't take sides. RED, BLU — your money's all green here."''

* ''ComicBook/SubMariner'': Namor of Creator/MarvelComics doesn't ''quite'' qualify; at any given time he can fall into any of the alignments by virtue of having drastically different motives from most of the MarvelUniverse and a disorder that manifests as drastic character changes due to his HalfHumanHybrid biology. He goes here because he averages out as True Neutral, and he's the only person who can effectively have a reputation as both good and evil without anyone giving him lip about it (if only because he could kick the [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk Hulk]]'s ass). He's a member of Professor X's Illuminati (good) and ComicBook/NormanOsborn's Cabal (evil), ''at the same time''. And he's not acting as TheMole for either group, since neither knows that he's a member of the other.

* [[MarvelUniverse The Watcher]] watches. That's it! (That and host all the "ComicBook/WhatIf" comics, but still.) His job is the universe's biggest voyeur!

* ''Anime/RecordOfLodossWar'' has the fourth variant down pat in the form of Karla, whose goal seems to be the preservation of balance--when two kings clash in the battlefield and one falls, she quickly blasts the other from afar.

* Zuko in the first season of ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' technically served the Fire Nation but, being banished, was totally ostracized from the rest of them, meaning he and his crew stood as their own individual force.

* Lapis Lazuli from ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' stands in the middle in every sense. She chafes at the idea that the needs of other species should be considered before her own, yet clearly and strongly disagrees with the EvilEmpire her race has become. She’s willing to hurt others to fulfill her own goals but does her best to accomplish them bloodlessly if she can. Unfortunately, this has made her an enemy of pretty much every faction, who all find themselves unable to trust someone who will not commit to their cause. While she does put down roots on Earth, she's still not allied with the Crystal Gems or their rebellion, only sticking around because she enjoys the company of [[KidHero Steven]] and (eventually) [[SixthRanger Peridot]]. [[spoiler: When she discovers Earth might once again get caught in the crossfire of a war with Homeworld, she regretfully decides its best to abandon the planet and flee into deep space rather than select a side.]]

* [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Homer Simpson]] defaults to this. Given no other motivators, he generally just wants to laze about watching TV and drinking a beer. The few things he actually does are usually out of self-interest or a feeling of duty as a husband and father (though he makes it clear he doesn't enjoy it). When truly motivated, he runs the gamut of NeutralGood, ChaoticGood, and ChaoticNeutral.