Hidden Heart of Gold: Difference between revisions

 

Compare [[Villains Out Shopping]], [[Think Nothing of It]]. Contrast with [[Jerk with a Heart of Jerk]].

{{examples}}

* ''[[Magical Project S]]'': Even though Konoha Tough was portrayed as a rude girl that tortures Misao and Samy with intentions of ruling the world, she actually helps Misao by hitting the monster of the week, shows proper care to the popular kid and eventually becomes nicer at the end of the series.

* Don't know if it counts, but in an episode of ''Zoku [[Sayonara, Zetsubou-sensei]]'', Itoshiki reveals that he's actually doing good for society when people aren't looking.

*** Yup. They were his only chance of getting home, and he had a quest to complete at the same time, so he was pretty much ''forced'' to stay with them. No heart of gold there.

* Evangeline of [[Mahou Sensei Negima]] tries to keep up her reputation as a horribly evil mage, but everyone who actually knows her realizes that that's not really the case. Eva has to keep reminding them that she's ''really'' actually evil, because if she doesn't they keep forgetting.

** Even more is Olivier Mira Armstrong. She lives by the philosophy of [[Social Darwinist|"survival of the fittest" for everyone]], but when her scout team is devoured by Pride and her superior prevents her from sending a search party to find them, her response is [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|slash him with sword]] [[Mama Bear|and shove him into wet cement]], [[A Father to His Men|and send the search party anyway]]. When she sends the search party, she tells them that they only have 24 hours to find the missing scout team. If they don't return before the 24 hours is up, they'll be sealed in the tunnel. However, she gave the guard a broken watch, so the search party would not be entombed in the tunnel even if they went over the time limit. When the leader of the search party thanks her for this gesture, she tells him she has no idea what he is talking about. She makes her contempt for her [[Gentle Giant|younger brother Alex]] clear both physically and verbally, but was horrified when he got pummeled badly by Sloth.

** Greed also qualifies. A massive egomaniac who operates on an [[It's All About Me]] lifestyle, everything he does is under pretensions of helping his goal to obtain everything in the world. He calls his subordinates 'possessions', and will only work with people if they're working ''for him''. But this avarice of his extends to not wanting his 'possessions' taken away from him, which means he'll watch out for and protect his underlings, ''[[Papa Wolf|fiercely]]'', and will stop at nothing to get back at anyone who dares harm them. He'll even dismiss people to keep them out of harms way if they are injured or otherwise not up to the task of fighting. It takes right up until the final battle and some egging on for him to finally admit that his 'greed' was really only a desire for friends.

* Gintoki of ''[[Gintama]]'' occasionally does questionable things, but has always come to people's rescue, even if he has to put his own life on the line.

 

* In Captain Shakespeare's case in the ''[[Stardust (film)|Stardust]]'' film, he has a fearsome reputation as a remorseless killer pirate that would be completely demolished if word of his [[Nice Guy]] [[Flamboyant Gay]] [[True Self]] were known.

** Hilariously, {{spoiler|[[The Not-Secret|his crew knew all along]].}}

** Dustin Hoffman's character didn't "help [Andy Garcia's character] to steal the credit" - Garcia planned to confess in a suicide note; Hoffman risked his life in order to blackmail Garcia into tearing up the note, going back inside and taking the credit (which makes him "uncomfortable") in order to keep up all the "do-gooder" stuff, which Hoffman realizes is Garcia's natural role in life, in contrast with Hoffman's card-carrying Jerkass.

 

** Another Discworld example: the recovering-alcoholic Captain Vimes lives, as a bachelor, in a bare room with few possessions. His colleagues speculate about why this is, since he earns more than they do, and it's suggested he spends it all on drink. Turns out he gives more than half his pay {{spoiler|to the widows and orphans of Watchmen killed in service}}. His oldest colleague knows, but is aware that Vimes doesn't want it known widely.

* In ''[[Skulduggery Pleasant]]'', Springheeled Jack saves Valkyrie from being murdered by Billy Ray Sanguine, then realises that he helped Skulduggery, and asks Valkyrie not to reveal it.

** This may also be due to the fact he doesn't want Skulduggery to know he's escaped from prison. Because you're pretty much screwed when you have Skulduggery Pleasant and/or Tanith Low on your heels, [[Incredibly Lame Pun|no matter how springy they are.]]

{{quote|'''Bahzell''': I did remember as how you'd always said a man looks after his own in this world, and lucky he is if he can do it. I'd not thought it through then, but it came to me that perhaps 'his own' was after taking in just a bit more people than I'd first supposed you meant."

'''Bahnak''': It was that, but it's not so very wise to be letting those as wish you ill realize that it does, now is it? }}

* In ''[[Labyrinths of Echo]]'' after Sir Max had to comfort a freshly-widowed lady (night shifts in an organization that deals with magical crimes implicitly include "help the witness restore sanity enough to report coherently" job), she commented on the wearer of Mantle of Death being actually a nice man. He smiled and responded "Just don't talk about this in the city, or I'll not be able to work normally". Not that he enjoys sinister reputation as such, but it mostly keeps people from annoying him and a lot of his job boiled down to intimidation of yet another stupid petty criminal simply by arriving, after which all that needs to be done is to record hasty confessions and [[Bring My Brown Pants|wipe the puddle below]].

 

** In fact, Winchester's best moments tended to come when he was separated from the rest of the camp in a plot of his own. For instance, in "Morale Victory", while Hawkeye and BJ were trying to sort out a party, he was helping the pianist who had lost the use of his hand. And again in "Run For The Money", while they were helping Father Mulcahy with the race, he was helping a bullied soldier who stuttered.

** He also ran halfway across the city when he heard Ted had been in a car crash and was in the hospital, and then tried to pass it off as having just been randomly wandering around the area (no one believes him for a second).

** However, his heart of gold only applies to his friends and family. For other people, he's a complete and utter [[Jerkass]], occasionally swerving dangerously close to [[Complete Monster]] territory with regards to his treatment of women.

{{quote|Oh, and Barbie? Let's say word were to leak out that Dr. Cox was doling out the feel goods... I'll make you pay. You have no idea. ''Huge''.}}

* [[Glee|Sue Sylvester]] has one, though she doesn't use it any more than she needs to, and will often [[Hand Wave]] it as a selfish act.

** She also takes a zero tolerance stance on homophobic bullying.

** He shows a few moments of compassion to others too.

** The first episode shows he used to be a cocky, religious idealist but losing the Battle of Serenity Valley and the surrender of the Independence forced him to bury his heart of gold under layers of bitterness.

** Then again, he also said [[Ironic Echo|"remember not to trust me."]]

* Veronica in [[Better Off Ted]] does this regularly, often hiding her good intentions behind the company agenda.

 

** He will also say it to Coach, but only very rarely.

** Nick has a combination of both [[Jerkass]] lines and extremely sympathetic lines (you can hear them all in the audio listing). While some lines are callous, especially regarding Ellis or Rochelle's deaths, in others his rather simple lines are delivered with heart-felt grief or compassion (even for Ellis). Especially true for Coach's deaths, some of which sound like Nick is utterly crushed by the loss of the heart of the team.

* Don Paolo does this in ''[[Professor Layton and the Unwound Future]]''. Despite being Layton's self-determined nemesis, the [[Big Bad]] of the first game, and also causing trouble in the second game, he comes to the aid of the heroes, most notably by {{spoiler|repairing Layton's car (and giving it [[Crazy Awesome]] upgrades) so the professor can rescue his adopted daughter, who has been kidnapped}}. When Layton attempts to thank him, he snaps at him. "Don't get emotional on me, Layton. I'm only doing this for Flora."

** [[The Stoic|Sten]] is also guilty. If put in the travelling party with him, Leliana will remark that she caught him doing things like "dangling string for a kitten." Sten, of course, vigourously denies this, claiming [[Blatant Lies|he was helping it train.]]

{{quote|Leliana: Softie!}}

* {{spoiler|Dr. Kauffman}} in the end of ''[[Silent Hill: Shattered Memories]]'' gently telling {{spoiler|Cheryl}} that {{spoiler|her father is dead and that she needs to go on with her life.}}

 

* ''[[Rusty and Co.]]'' has Robespierre the barbarian. "[http://rustyandco.com/comic/level-3-17/ But if talkie-box tell ''anyone'' Robespierre showed uncharacteristic gesture of affection...]"

* In ''[[Eerie Cuties]]'' Layla saved Nina and another girl from Arman's crazy arm, and she "[[Hypocritical Humor|wouldn't do that for any - Hey! Who are you?]]".

 

== [[Web Original]] ==

 

* Duncan from ''[[Total Drama Island]]''. When DJ loses his pet bunny, he lures a new one close by with food and pretends it must have just been hiding. His "girlfriend" catches him, and he denies it at first only to admit he lost a pet once too and didn't want DJ to suffer like that. He got called on it again in a later episode by Lashawna, (his girlfriend told her) when she denied his claim that he was completely heartless.

** The final episode of TDA showed that he would wake up in the middle of the night to tuck Harold in while he's sleeping. All together now: awwww.

* Rattrap of ''[[Beast Wars]]'' wears his callous contempt for everyone and determination to put himself first like a badge of honor. Too bad it's not really true.

{{quote|'''Moe''': ''[Grabbing Flanders]'' If this gets out, [[Cut His Heart Out with a Spoon|the next words you say will be muffled by your own butt.]]}}

* Zuko from ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'' definitely has this during the first two seasons {{spoiler|before his [[Heel Face Turn]], after which his Heart of Gold is no longer hidden}}.

* In the ''[[Cow and Chicken]]'' episode "Karate Chick", the school bully who steals Chicken's lunch money [[Punch Clock Villain|reserves the weekend for charity work]].

 

{{reflist}}