Black and Gray Morality: Difference between revisions

** Soichiro, his wife, and his daughter are described by the creators as being the only totally good characters. The other task force members seem decent as well, even if Matsuda runs into some [[Not So Different]] issues.

* ''[[Hellsing]]'', where the protagonists include a viciously [[Heroic Sociopath|sociopathic]] super-vampire and the master who has to sanction his actions. On the other side you have [[Knight Templar]] [[Church Militant]]s and a Nazi remnant organisation who employs baby-eating synthetic vampires, would-be rapists and have as a leader someone who wants to plunge the world into war and destruction [[For the Evulz]]. Seras is the only main character that might truly qualify for "white" status.

** Even Isaac and Miria, who are the most innocent and purehearted ones of the lot, are robbers wanted by the FBI.

* Many of the Shinigami from ''[[Bleach]]'' are [[Good Is Not Nice|not terribly nice people]], and they have done some not terribly nice things, including the employment of psychotic killers and have looked the other way on at least one instance of genocide. So how are these people ([[Conspiracy Redemption|eventually]]) on the same side as the heroes? Because they do it in order to keep the world from ending, and because the other team wants to ''eat your soul''.

 

== [[Fanfic]] ==

* ''[[Exoria]]'' has the nation of Valent conducting a surprise invasion of both Hyrule and Gerudo. It is implied through the [[Fictional Document|Exoria Files]], however, that neither Hyrule nor Gerudo are exactly "white", though, and hints have been dropped insinauting that Valent may have a very good reason for launching a continent-wide invasion.

* The New Earth Government from ''[[Aeon Natum Engel]]'' and ''[[Aeon Entelechy Evangelion]]'' is much, much more ruthless than its ''[[Cthulhu Tech]]'' counterpart, and the Migou have a very good reason for invading Earth.

* ''[[The Element of Crime]]''. A more than questionable [[Anti-Hero]] pursuing a [[Serial Killer|child killer]], (un)assisted by [[Bad Cop, Incompetent Cop|the worst police force ever]] in the [[Crapsack World|crumbling ruins of dirt poor]] [[Wretched Hive|and morally corrupt]] [[After the End|post World War II Germany]]? If this isn't it, then…

* The [[Villain Protagonist]]s in ''[[The Final]]'' are a group of [[Teens Are Monsters|teen]] [[Loners Are Freaks|outcasts]] who [[Cold-Blooded Torture|torture]] and [[Beauty to Beast|mutilate]] their school's [[Alpha Bitch|popular]] [[Jerk Jock|kids]] as revenge for a lifetime of humiliation. As one can figure from the last sentence, neither side in the situation is all that nice. The only real "good" guy is Kurtis—and even that's pushing it, seeing as how he {{spoiler|kills Andy in cold blood}}.

* A staple of [[Film Noir]].

* ''[[Star Wars]]'' is a clear example of [[Black and White Morality]], but ''[[Revenge of the Sith]]'' alludes to Black and Gray

* ''[[The Thick of It]]'' and its film ''[[In the Loop]]'' both have this view on the morality of humanity and the political workplace. Here, ''no'' character is without his or her flaws, and are all varying degrees of moronic, cowardly, backstabbing, manipulative, or just generally unpleasant bastards in general, all more concerned with keeping their jobs than with doing the right thing.

* ''[[Profit]]'': However, the [[Villain Protagonist|protagonist]], Jim Profit, might be the character with the blackest take on morality.

* The British miniseries ''[[Ultraviolet]]''. On one side is a cabal of vampires who plot to enslave humanity in order to save us from ourselves (thus eradicating their food supply). On the other is a shadowy government organization that answers to no one and follows a very end-justifies-the-means kind of program.

* ''[[Heroes (TV series)|Heroes]]'' has most of the many characters with some sort of fatal flaw, but none of them fit this trope more than Bob Bishop. He is introduced at the start of season 2 as a reasonable man, directing a previously villainous company, and trying to steer the way forward to a brighter future for everyone. Although there are subtle hints as to his true motives, he appears to listen to Mohinders advice over the [[Depopulation Bomb|shanti virus]]. However in episode 9 it's revealed that Mohinder and viewers alike [[Horrible Judge of Character|were a little wrong]]. It's made clear he [[Professor Guinea Pig|experimented on his daughter]] leaving her as a [[Psycho Electro|psychopath]]. From then on, none of the characters [[Manipulative Bastard|trust him]].

* Most of the gamelines in [[Old World of Darkness|both]] [[New World of Darkness|incarnations]] of the World of Darkness present a system where the playable factions are some shade of Grey and are opposed by a faction who is Black. The majority of [[Vampire: The Requiem|vampires]] vs [[Exclusively Evil|Belial's Brood]], the Pentacle Orders vs the [[Ancient Conspiracy|Seers of the Throne]], the [[Changeling: The Lost|regular Changelings]] vs [[The Quisling|Loyalists]] to the [[The Fair Folk|True Fae]], and [[Artificial Human|Prometheans]] vs [[Body Horror|Pandorans and (most) Centimani]]. The exception would be the werewolves, with the main factions being the Tribes of the Moon vs the [[Well-Intentioned Extremist|Pure]], who are both Gray. The Black faction in that gameline (the Bale Hounds, worshipers of [[Cosmic Horror|the Maeljin Incarna]]) mostly sit on the sidelines. They are also one of the only things the other two can agree on [[Enemy Mine|fighting against]].

** In ''[[Genius: The Transgression]]'', the Peerage deliberately chose to be Grey because if you have a Genius go off on his own he'll often become [[Complete Monster|Illum]][[The Unfettered|inated]], and if the choice is between accepting jerks or have them wander off and turn into Mengele, you'd better get used to putting up with jerks. The Storyteller is advised to keep the players wondering whether the [[Ancient Conspiracy]] Lemuria is really that bad compared to the barely human nutbars in high-up positions in the Peerage. (The "black" role here is played not so much by modern Lemuria, which is just going through the motions, but by [[Empty Shell|Clockstoppers]], the Illuminated, and the occasional Hollow Earth Nazi or Phantom Slaver Yeti.)

* Morality is a very minor point in [[Shadowrun]]. Generally characters don't question whether it is right to take a job, they question [[Kleptomaniac Hero|how much they get paid]]. Though some groups [[Even Evil Has Standards|draw the line at assassination]].

* Though there ''are'' heroes in ''[[Eberron]]'', they are few and far between. In the core Eberron setting book, there's only 1 high-level Good NPC, and she is a young girl who only has such power while in the same city as the Silver Flame (a metaphysical source of elemental good) itself. And that person is responsible for trying to make sure her church full of Knight Templars doesn't cause too much death and destruction.

* In both ''[[Fable (video game series)|Fable]]'' games, you can be as evil as they come, and still be expected to defeat the [[Big Bad]]. Thus, making you the Black, and Jack/Lucien the Gray.

* In ''[[Knights of the Old Republic]]'', you're going to kill Malak no matter what your moral persuasion. Carth even explicitly uses this to rationalize staying with you after {{spoiler|[[The Reveal|finding out who you really are]].}} Of course, the Jedi might also qualify for this, given that {{spoiler|they might or might not have erased your memory and turned you into a drone so that they could use you to uncover [[Artifact of Doom|the source of Malak's power.]]}} You can try to turn him, and if you do he'll repent as he lays dying. Even a character you had ''just'' previously turned back to the Light side will act surprised you even made the effort, though.

* ''[[Fallout]]'' revels in this. Aside from the entirety of the game world's premise, every single organization or group of people in the game are either gray or black. For example, the [[Knights Templar|Brotherhood of Steel]] works towards a better future for humanity by trying to save every single piece of technology and creating a utopia for its members, but is generally disdainful of, and ignores, other people not in the Brotherhood of Steel. In the third game, the East Coast branch becomes more humanist, but suffers a schism early on in their history that leaves them horribly ineffective at actually helping people aside from keeping a radio station on air, they also shot Ghouls on signt, something not even [[The Empire|The Legion]] does.

** In fact, some quests are there to hammer this point home, most notably the infamous ''Tenpenny Towers'' quest.