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Good Is Impotent: Difference between revisions
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''Good's unreliable!
''Good may be thankable,
''Evil is bankable!''
|'''Lucy''', ''[[Jekyll and Hyde (theatre)|Jekyll and Hyde]]'', "Good And Evil"}}
For whatever reason—someone is magically divided into their "light" and [[Evil Twin|"dark" halves]], or an encounter with a [[Sufficiently Advanced Alien]]—the cast and crew have to deal with a "pure good" (and occasionally an identically powerful pure evil) entity.
Regardless of the circumstances, the pure good entity will be a complete and total wuss. Militant pacifist, empathic to a ridiculous degree, incapable of defending itself, and generally utterly useless till the main cast reunites it somehow with its evil, depraved and (of course) effective and proactive side.
This probably accounts for the shock and horror with which most [[Media Watchdogs]] greet heroes who are, shall we say, [[Anti-Hero|less than touchy-feely about how they deal with the villain of the week]]. "Good," after all, is supposed to be
The seeming impotence of Good in general might be because [[Good Hurts Evil|good no longer hurts evil]]. May explain why the [[Balance Between Good and Evil]] is needed because [[Villains Act, Heroes React|Evil will get things done]], while the presence of Good reins in the [[Ambition Is Evil]] to prevent harmful and destructive actions, thus ensuring that Evil's proactivity will be channeled into things of which Good approves.
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{{examples}}
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
* The entire series of ''[[Othello (manga)|Othello]]'' is based on this trope, albeit the "evil" Na-na is different personality and not a literal "new" version of Ya-ya.
* In ''[[Dragon Ball]] Z'', Buu's internal conflict splits him into good and evil halves. While good Buu is far from impotent, he is still bested by his evil side and is absorbed into the more powerful Super Buu. Later on, when Buu is extricated from Super Buu, it is revealed that "Fat Buu" was created when the Grand Supreme Kai was absorbed by the original, pure evil, Kid Buu.
** ''[[Dragon Ball]]'' initially inverted this, however, with Kami and Piccolo. Kami split into a good and evil half to ensure that he could work as Earth's "God" (God in this series is actually a job position) without the evil in him causing him to abuse his power. The evil half that become Piccolo Daimou, was in fact much weaker than Kami. The 2nd Piccolo being stronger is due to an inversion of [[Villain Forgot to Level Grind]], with the training Piccolo did allowing him to surpass Kami.
* In one ''[[Slayers]]'' made-for-video movie, a magic mirror creates [[Evil Twin|opposite clones]] of Lina Inverse and Naga. To the villain's horror, these turn out to be simpering, useless "good" copies that won't fight. This leads to his ''greater'' horror when he realises what this must make Lina.
== [[
* ''[[The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen]]'''s Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde are the embodiment of this trope, in one package. Hyde even explains to the rest of the League why he has been getting stronger and stronger while Jekyll had been getting correspondingly weaker: as the embodiment of Jekyll's id, Hyde has all the drives and ambitions, leaving Jekyll with nothing.
* In ''[[Watchmen (comics)|Watchmen]]'', the superheroes come in three flavours: sympathetic and ineffectual, sociopathic and effectual, and [[Physical God|Dr. Manhattan]].
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== [[Literature]] ==
* The ''[[Animorphs]]'' book ''The Separation'' [[Averted Trope|averts]] this with Rachel—neither sides are explicitly good or bad. They each got half of the components of her personality at random. The "good" side was given Rachel's tactical and strategic abilities, leaving the "evil" side with just the blood rage and ability to fight. The end of the book results in the evil Rachel grudgingly having to work alongside the good Rachel because evil Rachel can't plan or strategize worth squat, so is totally unprepared for any reaction to changing battle situations other than "kill something."
* Subverted in ''[[A World Gone Mad]]''. Wally's evil half is lazy, hedonistic, and has zero impulse control, spending all his time chasing women and watching TV. Wally's good half is proactive and driven to actually solve the problem at hand (to relieve the suffering of others). The good half probably has an aversion to violence, but since Wally's a stealthy-type "sneaker" that's not really an issue anyway.
* Played with in ''Il visconte dimezzato'' by Italo Calvino. When the protagonist is split in two halves, one good and one evil, the evil side is a ruthless bastard, while the good side is kind and generous but rather ineffectual.
* ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' has this; Manwë, ruler of the universe under Illuvatar, is practically a [[Cloudcuckoolander]], while [[Big Bad|Morgoth]] is very much capable of getting things done. However, the things he gets done are seldom particularly ''useful'', and the gods wisen up by the end (and are more active in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', even though only one of them is even named there).
* In ''[[A Wrinkle in Time|A Swiftly Tilting Planet]]'', this is somewhat averted: the "good" people are proactive, strong, and willing to face evil, at least to give it a stern talking-to. But the wicked people are tolerated in the communities because they're ''better at things'' - one woman who is racist against Indians is the best midwife in the village, and Gedder the evil sumbitch is able to teach others how to farm.
* Most any portrayal of a stereotypical angel. Ironic, since in [[The Bible|Judeo-Christian scripture]], angels are portrayed as warriors or executioners just as often as they are as messengers, and usually have to tell any humans who recognize what they are not to be afraid.
* Lord Vetinari claims this to Vimes in ''[[
* This is and [[Good Is Not Nice]] is what usually leads to [[Star Wars Expanded Universe|Jedi purges]]. In many eras, Jedi candidates are harvested from infancy or early childhood, cut off from and forbidden "attachments" (family, love, and any close bonds) or strong emotions, cultivated in relative isolation in temples and enclaves, and restricted from anything that challenges the prevailing dogma unless they're Master rank. This is all to make it so the product of this system never succumbs to the Dark Side. Then, they're sent out into the galaxy into the thick of galactic conflict as fighters (who can't strike unless in defense), exposing them to things that would make Audie Murphy wince, while being forbidden the comforts that even a common soldier would get (like friends, lovers, or a family to come home to)...And then The Order ''wonders'' why so many of them snap and start carving up planets?
* While it's not so much "good" as "good intentions," the [[Green-Sky Trilogy|Kindar]] have done such an awesome job of banishing conflict, crime, and [[Newspeak|even words like "anger,"]] that their society is killing itself. Their Erdling counterparts are still hippies by our standards, but their acceptance of their emotional darker side makes them more robust.
* In ''[[The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant]]'', the Creator - who created the entire universe of the Land mind you - is unable to interfere in his creation's affairs because if he did so, he would cause an instant end of the world. He only has some power over what specific human is summoned to the Land in the extremely rare cases where someone in that world decides to use a summoning ritual, but he has to come into consensus with Lord Foul about the choice. Meanwhile the evil god Lord Foul is trapped inside the universe, ruining everyone's day on a regular basis.
== [[Live
* The classic ''[[Star Trek: The
* ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' subverted it: A demon splits Xander into two, but while one half is meek and the other assertive and strong, neither is "good" or "evil" (although both are convinced that the other half is the demon [[Wrong Genre Savvy|presumably because they've seen this plot before]]).
** And both sides love Anya and try to protect her from the other one. Before they get put back together, Anya expresses an interest in trying out [[Twin Threesome Fantasy|having two Xanders…]]
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'''High Lister/Rimmer''': "Apologies, brother. I seem to have stained thy knife with my blood. Allow me to furnish you with a fresh knife." }}
* On ''[[American Gothic]]'', no matter how hard Dr. Crower and Gail fight for Caleb's rights, and no matter how much Merlyn uses her angelic powers to protect him, Caleb is inexorably drawn into Buck's orbit and everyone seems helpless to prevent it, or even expose Buck's evil. It doesn't help that the sheriff is a [[Villain with Good Publicity]] and that both Matt and Gail are hardly immune to mind games or [[Evil Is Sexy|temptation]], but even Merlyn is made out to be decidedly weaker than her adversary—and gaining more power to face him [[Not So Different|almost pushes her too far]].
== [[Tabletop Games]] ==
* ''[[Eberron]]'' enforces this by making all powerful good aligned NPCs have limited mobility. The honored ancestors of the Undying Court either cease to exist if they leave their home or physically can't, Jaela Daran, the 11 year old Flamekeeper ([[Crystal Dragon Jesus|pope]]), loses most of her power if she leaves Flamekeep (Vatican) and the max level Druid Oalian is an immobile tree. This was done so that the [[Player Character]]s are always the real heroes (unlike [[Forgotten Realms|a certain other setting...]]), but can still receive magical aid if they seek it out.
== [[Video Games]] ==
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* ''[[Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World]]'' plays this mostly straight, as Emil is a cowardly little runt who can barely swing a sword while his "[[Super-Powered Evil Side|Ratatosk Mode]]" is a cruel and powerful [[Blood Knight]]. {{spoiler|Subverted in the closing act of the game when Emil seals away his Ratatosk personality and turns out to be just as powerful. In fact, his Mystic Arte has been confirmed statistically to be more powerful than Ratatosk's even without the latter's extension.}}
* ''[[Black and White]]''. Good gods suck, plain and simple. They take longer to get set up and are much easier to impede. All of the useful miracles are considered evil to use, while the best you will manage with good is crappy shield miracles which an evil god can and will beat down easily.
** YMMV: Evil is quicker and easier, but patient builder God who [[Shoot the Dog|only shoots the dogs]] when there aren't other options can amass more worshippers, resources, and a larger sphere of influence over time. Plus, the evil way of playing wastes resources (especially wood) that could be reinvested in your empire.
** Made quite better in the sequel. In B&W2, 'Good' Gods rely on impressing foreign towns to join your own, whereas 'Evil' Gods use military forces to conquer other towns and defend them. Done properly (read: [[Viewers are Morons|Ones that don't use military units after being told that military is a Evil Thing]]), Good Gods are [[Barrier Warrior]]s whose walls stop enemies in their tracks, and the occasional [[Kill It with Fire|Fireball Miracle]] used to destroy a troop or two doesn't dent one's Good Rating.
* Implied in ''Star Wars: [[Knights of the Old Republic (video game)|Knights of the Old Republic]]'' somewhat. In a gang war between the 'good' Hidden Beks and 'bad' Black Vulkars, the good guys are losing and they're the side you have to join. Also, the good guys are losing at the beginning of the game when the Endar Spire is overtaken by the Sith. Finally, Malak, the '[[Dark Lord]]' and [[Big Bad]] of the game does a good job conquering most of the galaxy and has an army of loyal [[Mooks]]. Might makes wrong in Star Wars, it seems.
** You can actually [[Discussed Trope|discuss this with Carth]], who points out that Malak hasn't won ''yet'' and probably was only winning because of the foundation Revan built. It's also known that Revan was defeated, costing the Sith their competant leadership - Malak is so [[Stupid Evil]] that his tactical sense only goes as far as "burn the whole planet." Carth also remarks in the tomb of Ajunta Pal that the Dark Side's weakness is that it eventually consumes itself.
** It also factors into the backstory, especially if The Exile is arguing with Atris or one of the other lost Masters. The Jedi were busy navel-gazing while Mandalore the Indomitable was leading his people on a rampage that got as far as Duro. Had Revan ''not'' disobeyed the Council by going to war, then the whole galaxy would have either speaking ''Mando'a,'' and/or been a satellite state for the True Sith.
== [[Web Comics]] ==
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* Done in Disney's ''[[Aladdin (Disney film)|Aladdin]]'' series, but not with the main characters. Instead, they go to China and meet two identical twins, Zin and Zang, one evil and aggressive and the other good and meek. The twist is that neither has actual power until they merge into a dragon, and the alignment of the dragon depends on who forces the merge. When the evil one causes it, the dragon rampages and burns villages. When the good one finally grows a spine and takes control (which frightens the evil one for some reason), the dragon fixes everything.
* Played with in ''[[Johnny Bravo]]'' when the villain of a [[Star Trek]] episode challenges Johnny to a battle between good and evil. He is assisted by two intimidating mooks, while Johnny is paired off with a choir boy who immediately runs away. Johnny still wins however, because the mooks are dumber than he is, and the villain is a [[Sissy Villain|wimpy]] geek who can't even slap him without hurting his wrist. What makes this weirder is that this episode happened after Johnny was turned into a bumbling idiot who screams like a girl and is beaten up by little boys on a regular basis.
* Done in an episode of ''[[Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness|Kung Fu Panda Legends of Awesomeness]]'' where Po, in his usual shenanigans, splits himself into his Yin and Yang half after glimpsing into the Mystical Mirror of Ying and Yang. While Bad Poe was ruthless, powerful, and even cunning (as when he sneaked up and imprisoned Shifu during his monologues where he realized Po's bizarre behavior was the result of the mirror), Good Po was overly flattering, nonviolent, extremely gullible (Bad Poe tricked him into trapping himself into a pillory just by asking him nicely) and even a little dumb (he thought he couldn't escape even though the keys Bad Po dropped were right in front of his feet and the pillory wasn't even locked in the first place as Good Po demonstrated when he retrieved them). Subverted in the end where Good Po intentionally undergoes multiple [[Amusing Injuries]] to weaken Bad Po so that the Furious Five will be able to make him gaze into the mirror again and reunite the two halves (since both Pos share each others' pain), then tricking him into destroying a replica while thrusting the real mirror into his face, regaining his old self.
* It's implied that this is the reason why Ron is a [[Bumbling Sidekick]] in ''[[Kim Possible]]''. The few times he's hit with a [[Mirror Morality Machine]], he becomes focused and dangerously competent. So competent that the [[Rogues Gallery|established bad guys]] who encounter him, respect him.
== [[Real Life]] ==
* Jainist monks in India don't wear clothes (so they can't crush insects in them), sweep the ground they're walking on (so they can't tread on bugs), and sometimes even wear a cloth before the mouth, so they can't suck in flies.
** While less extremely ascetic, some Buddhist monks are also very careful to avoid harming even the smallest creature, carrying bells to warn insects and the like of their approach.
* The Talmud teaches that without the "evil impulse", mankind would spend all of its time praying and studying God's Torah. [[Balance Between Good and Evil|Evil is therefore necessary, even good to a certain extent]], because it makes people do good things like marry, build houses, and start businesses, which are all good because God wants human beings to create things on Earth. [[It Makes Sense in Context|Err... that might make sense.]]
** [[Truth in Television|Although many ultra-Orthodox Jews do in fact spend the vast majority of their time praying and studying God's Torah rather than building houses or starting businesses.]]
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**** ''Ahem.'' It makes sense because if humans ''stopped'' taking care of their worldly needs and having kids, the human race would disappear within a generation. If all such activity ''is'' evil, then it's a necessary evil...
* The [[The Federation|United Nations]] is almost universally recognized as an organization with [[Wide-Eyed Idealist|noble aims]], but is often criticized for being unable to get anything of substance done.
* Though Martin Luther King and Ghandi's non-violent methods of protest certainly weren't "impotent" in the sense that they accomplished what they intended to, they did leave the protesters impotent in the sense of being unable to defend themselves from physical attack.
** Both these men would draw the distinction that "Passive Resistance" is an ACTIVE form of protest and social change. The "passive" aspect refers to the non-violent nature of the resistance. You don't just stand there and let yourself get beaten, you get back up and keep marching in protest without resorting to a violent response.
** "Everything in moderation," seems to be the simplest way to put it. Prayer is nice, but starvation isn't so nice.
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{{reflist}}
[[Category:Goodness Tropes]]
[[Category:Characterization Tropes]]
▲[[Category:Good Is Impotent]]
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