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{{trope}}
▲[[File:CastleAT_1914.jpg|link=King Arthur|right]]
{{quote|''"Blade with whom I have lived, blade with whom I now die.
''Serve right and justice one last time.
''Seek one last heart of evil, still one last life of pain.
''[[The Last Dance|Cut well old friend, and then... farewell.]]"''
|'''Sir Orrin Neville-Smythe''', ''[[The Flight of Dragons]]''}}
The medieval knight who fights baddies, woos ladies without deliberately seducing them, [[Incorruptible Pure Pureness|behaves honorably]], and saves the day with his [[Cool Sword|sword]]; but also, any hero who behaves similarly. Invariably [[Lawful Good]] and [[The Fettered|honor bound]]. First appeared in the [[Chivalric Romance]]. Lately has a very high incidence of having a [[Bodyguard Crush]] and [[Rescue Romance]].
A cultural trope in Europe since medieval times, most good knights practice something called [https://web.archive.org/web/20100123205411/http://www.astro.umd.edu/~marshall/chivalry.html chivalry], [[Honor Before Reason|Honor]], and [[Emotions vs. Stoicism|Self-Control]] and occasionally [[Nature Adores a Virgin|chastity]]. Prone to rescuing the [[Damsel in Distress]], or delivering her from [[Malicious Slander|false accusations]], often whilst bearing [[The
Often invoked to describe a man who
▲A cultural trope in Europe since medieval times, most good knights practice something called [http://www.astro.umd.edu/~marshall/chivalry.html chivalry], [[Honor Before Reason|Honor]], and [[Emotions vs. Stoicism|Self-Control]] and occasionally [[Nature Adores a Virgin|chastity]]. Prone to rescuing the [[Damsel in Distress]], or delivering her from [[Malicious Slander|false accusations]], often whilst bearing [[The Ladys Favour]]. The [[Knight in Shining Armour]] was a frequent victim of [[The Dulcinea Effect]]: medieval [[Chivalric Romance|Chivalric Romances]], indeed, portrayed knights who fell in love with a ''[[Peerless Love Interest|princesse lointaine]]'' merely on hearing her described, without even seeing her - though his love and heroism usually [[Single Woman Seeks Good Man|won her heart]]. Another occupational hazard is [[Chronic Hero Syndrome]], [[Knight Errant|Knights Errant]] being charged to [[Walk the Earth]] righting wrongs until a worthy quest shows up.
▲Often invoked to describe a man who acts -- well, ''chivalrously'' toward women. The term may be used in more cynical works to indicate a [[Wide Eyed Idealist]]. In fact, until recently this trope was almost never used except for deconstructions/subversions, keeping it in [[Dead Unicorn Trope|Dead Unicorn]] territory (even the [[Ur Example]] of the straight usage of trope, [[King Arthur]], messed around with it a lot) until the one-two punch of [[Disney]] and [[Dungeons and Dragons]] saw this trope's stock rise like crazy.
The "shining" originally referred to the way his armor and weapons were kept in good condition, as opposed to the rust that accumulated for less competent knights. Most knights will be depicted wearing plate, despite its appearing relatively late in the era of knights.
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See: [[Samurai]] for a Japanese equivalent.
As knights were also humans like any other, they mostly weren't like this, although it would be ''extremely'' cynical and most certainly false to say that none of them were like this. It's best to describe it as an ideal to which most knights aspired, at least publicly. True, the average knight was more interested in pig farming than warfare, but the chivalric code defined them as a class.
When [[Prince Charming]] is a
See [[Lord Error
If the
[[Animated Armor]] will appear as this, all the way to [[The Reveal]].
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Subtrope to [[Ideal Hero]]. See also [[Shining Goodness]].
{{examples
== Anime and Manga ==
** The Skull Knight doesn't do a lot of lady-wooing, preferring to act as a [[Mysterious Protector]] to Guts and Casca, but he's perhaps the closest thing so far to a
▲* ''[[Berserk (Manga)|Berserk]]''
▲** The Skull Knight doesn't do a lot of lady-wooing, preferring to act as a [[Mysterious Protector]] to Guts and Casca, but he's perhaps the closest thing so far to a [[Knight in Shining Armor]] in the ''Berserk'' universe, particularly when he {{spoiler|[[Big Damn Heroes|saves Guts and Casca from being finished off by Griffith and the Godhand at the end of the Eclipse]]}}. Fan rumor is rampant that the guy is {{spoiler|Emperor Gaiseric, the guy who unified Midland}}, who may have gone through {{spoiler|a similar ordeal when Void was incarnated as a Godhand}}, explaining {{spoiler|his stone-cold hate for the Godhand in general}}. And the guy is a complete [[Badass]] to boot.
** Griffith, aside from leading a pack of mercenaries, fits this perfectly during the [[Flash Back|Golden Age arc]], making for a nice, juicy [[Deconstruction]].
** [[Badass Grandpa|Azan]] the [[Red Baron|Bridge Knight]], despite his advanced age.
* ''[[Record of Lodoss War]]'', Due to its ''[[Dungeons
* Mist from ''[[Knights]]'' does his best at this despite being a [[Hero
* ''[[Digimon]]'': There is a large group of Digimon called the "Royal Knights". As the name would suggest, they are a group of thirteen (not all of them have been revealed yet, but [[Word of God]] states that there are thirteen members) [[Power Levels|Mega-level]] Digimon who all resemble a cross between a classic Knight and a [[Humongous Mecha|mecha]]. They are supposedly a group of "good guys" who work for the [[World Tree|God of the Digital World]], but every one of their appearances so far has introduced them as antagonists of the [[Knight Templar]] or [[Brainwashed and Crazy|brainwashed]] variety. They're not all-exclusive to the group, though. A few of them have been partners to human characters in the series: Tai and Matt's Omnimon, and Takato/Guilmon as Gallantmon are two good examples. These ones weren't actual members of the Royal Knights,
* In ''[[Katekyo Hitman Reborn]]'', with the way that Tsuna is constantly afflicted with the [[Dulcinea Effect]], the current Arc's [[Big Bad]] Byakuran even [[
* Amati of ''[[Spice and Wolf]]'' is actually a very successful merchant, but he offers a not-so-small ''fortune'' to alleviate the debts of the pagan wolf deity/traveling nun Horo, and rescue her from Lawrence. He'd only seen her twice when he made the decision, and he presents his intention with a written contract and a proclamation in front of a small crowd. Horo points out he's not really in love with ''her'', so much as the idea of rescuing a beautiful [[Damsel in Distress]] in a knightly way.
* ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha]]'': Female Example: [[Lady of War|Signum]].
* * Kururugi Suzaku from ''[[
* The eponymous ''[[Revolutionary Girl Utena]]'' aspires to be this, initially entering the plot to avenge the honor of a friend and staying to [[Rescue the Princess]]. [[Arc Words|But was that really such a good idea?]] The idea is gender-flipped, subverted, deconstructed, and reconstructed throughout the series.
* Uryū Ishida in ''[[Bleach]]'' is an Archer in Shining Armor. Very chivalrous and generally well mannered, has a weak spot for women, especially Orihime, also tried to protect Rukia when she was powerless and even spared the life of his female opponent, mercy he doesn't show to others of her kind. Contrary to his popular image he is also one of the most capable leading characters in the series, having fought tough opponents and held his own against enemies far stronger than himself. The Quincy, people of whom he is supposedly [[Last of His Kind]]. also had a medieval Christian knight theme given to them by the author.
* Allen Schezar of ''[[Vision of Escaflowne]]'' is this from start to finish. He always does the right thing, even when it hurts. Plus, his armor is a [[Humongous Mecha]].
* The Belkan knights, particularly the [[Lady of War]] Signum, in the ''[[Lyrical Nanoha]]'' series operate on a mix of Western chivalry and bushido.
* ''[[The Slayers]]'' parodies this, and the [[Prince Charming]] idea. Both Lina and Sylphiel have an image of a prince, noble, heroic, handsome, blond, clad in white, riding on a white charger. Then they meet Amelia's father, Phil, who technically fits almost all the requirements (except the blond hair and he is not handsom), but shatters Sylphiel's fantasy of a prince into tiny little pieces. Literally shatters. A piece of Lina's actually [[Anvil
== Comic Books ==
* ''[[Seven Soldiers]]'': Both Shining Knights of the Seven Soldiers of Victory.
* ''[[Captain Atom]]'': Captain Atom's daughter [[
* The Black Knight in Marvel Comics is a litteral one.
* In [[Marvel Comics]]' outer space stories, the [[Hollywood Cyborg|Spaceknights]] of Galador also aspire to this ideal, but arguably only [[ROM Spaceknight|Rom]] ever truly achieved it. One story even has Rom encounter the frozen form of [[King Arthur]], still waiting for the day he will reawaken to save Britain from some future calamity, and Rom feels an instant, instinctive kinship with him.
* Mytho from ''[[Princess Tutu]]'', in his true form as the Prince from the fairytale the story revolves around, fits this trope almost perfectly (except he has no armor and rescues maidens while dancing on a magically formed pillar of flower petals). Also subverted with Fakir, who is the reincarnation of the Knight from the story but [[Jerkass|doesn't behave]] like the stereotypical knight.
* ''[[Strawberry Panic
* ''[[Monster (
* In ''[[Frank and Ernest]]'', Frank, as a knight, complains of having to dress on a cold morning.▼
== Film - Animated ==
* By the end of ''[[Snow White and
* The climax of ''[[Sleeping Beauty (Disney film)|Sleeping Beauty]]'' is a battle with Prince Philip up against Maleficent to save Princess Aurora.
* As ''[[Shrek]] 2'' opens Prince Charming has adventured, overcoming many obstacles and climbing the high tower in order to rescue Fiona, finding instead a cross-dressing wolf. It turns out that there was an old promise that Charming would be able to marry Fiona. He turns out to be both a parody and a deconstruction.
* After Princess Odette is kidnapped in ''[[The Swan Princess]]'', Prince Derek becomes determined to find her. Once he does he plans to break the spell on her by making a vow of everlasting love.
* ''[[
* ''[[Enchanted]]'' begins with Prince Edward saving Giselle from a troll and they plan to get married the next day.
== Film - Live-Action ==
* John Boorman's ''[[Excalibur (
* In ''[[Time Bandits]]'', knights appear in Kevin's bedroom. Then, at the end, one of the sets of champions the dwarfs bring to fight Evil is a group of knights.
* William Thatcher in ''[[A
* ''[[Tristan and Isolde]]'': The British knight Tristan.
* The eponymous Leopold of ''[[Kate and Leopold]]'' is a nobleman from 1876, swept into modern times, who believes that Kate requires a chaperone on her date with her boss so he offers to go with her to protect her from his obvious intentions. When she refuses he tells her boss, "Some feel that to court a woman in one's employ is nothing more than a serpentine effort to transform a lady to a whore." Imagine the look on a purse-snatcher's face when Leo rides him down on horseback.
{{quote|
''[bag snatcher throws down the bag and flees, onlookers applaud]'' }}
* “Gotham's White Knight,” District Attorney Harvey Dent in [[The Dark Knight Saga]] is trying to help bring down the criminal empire in Gotham.
* Jedi Knight, Qui-Gon Jinn in ''[[The Phantom Menace]]'' will defy the council to to help supposed pathetic life forms.
* ''[[Prince Charming (
* In the film version of ''[[Ella Enchanted]]'' Prince Charmont gallantly saves Ella's life exactly three times, first from a speeding carriage, second from an ogre's boiling pot and then despite himself he has her back in the court battle.
* At the end of ''[[Ever After (
* When Vivian of [[Pretty Woman]] was a little girl she would pretend she was a princess... trapped in a tower by a wicked queen. And then suddenly this knight... on a white horse with these colors flying would come charging up and draw his sword. And she would wave. And he would climb up the tower and rescue her.
== Literature ==
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* ''[[The Dresden Files]]'': Michael Carpenter, the noble Knight of the Cross, fits this trope to a T. Complete with kevlar-lined shining armour. He even met his wife by saving her from a fire-breathing dragon.
** Nope, not a lesser fire-breather. The Fist of God has slain a cosmic deity to save his (future)wife.
* Sparhawk, from the [[David Eddings]]' ''Elenium'' trilogy, fits the spiritual heroism of this trope even as he rejects its superficial aspects. Ironically, Sparhawk's own mental image is the aging, weather-beaten, not-especially handsome professional soldier he is, rather than a romantic hero, and the affections of his formerly [[
** Played with slightly with Sir Bevier and by extension the rest of the Cyrinic Knights from the same series who are ''literal''
** Sir Mandorallen from David Eddings' ''[[Belgariad]]'' saga (and its sequel, the ''Malloreon'' saga) is a textbook example of the
*** Everything you need to know about Mandorallen is summed up in this exchange from ''Castle of Wizardry'', wherein Mandorallen is escorting the Rivan Queen out to the center of a field to address over fifty thousand heavily-armed, potentially hostile soldiers during a ''very'' tense diplomatic stand-off. It's important to note that Mandorallen is speaking here with ''absolutely no irony whatsoever''.
{{quote|
* In [[Poul Anderson]]'s ''[[Three Hearts and Three Lions]]'', the hero Holger is thrown in a world where the Matter of France, Charlemagne and his paladins, is fact, and both becomes a
* ''[[Forgotten Realms]]'': There's a rather nice paladin in ''The Threat from the Sea'' trilogy {{spoiler|(never mind that he once was pious enough to carry the symbol of his divine patron... and then hurl it to sea)}}, but though he eventually acquires a mount (''[[Horse of a Different Color|sort of]]''), he never wears heavy armor {{spoiler|(after all, he's a ''seaman'')}}. Complemented with the usual
* ''[[Dragonlance]]'' has the Solamnic knights (see [[Tabletop RPG]]'s examples below). In particular Sturm Brightblade, who holds to the Oath and Measure upheld by his father, even though {{spoiler|he was never actually knighted}} and most people he knows hold the order in scorn.
* ''[[A Connecticut Yankee in King
* Despite his [[Sliding Scale of Anti
* Subverted in ''[[Second Apocalypse]]'' with Sarcellus, who turns out not to be what he looks like, to say the least.
* ''[[The Deed of Paksenarrion]]'': Played straight with the eponymous character in the trilogy by [[Elizabeth Moon]]. Paks is intentionally designed to be a Paladin from [[Dungeons
* The [[Chivalric Romance
* In [[Patricia
* ''[[
* Costis in ''The King of Attolia'' of Megan Whalen Turner's [[Sounis]] series. Not only does he have "a sense of honor as wide as a river," but he actually spends quite some time hoping that his armor is shiny enough for the King's critical eye.
* Guy Crouchback in [[Sword of Honour]] by [[Evelyn Waugh]] consciously sees himself as a throwback to this. As one of the points is that no one else is honorable, perhaps he is also a [[Knight in Sour Armor]]. But despite that, he fits the mold.
* Frank Yerby's ''The Saracen Blade'' describes the hero's friend Gautier of Montrose as "a true knight" and specifically states he was "one of the few" who lived up to the best ideals of knighthood and did a bit to redeem [[The Crusades|the period]] from savagery.
* As an adaptation of the Arthurian legends, Gerald Morris' ''[[
* The Knights of Khryl in ''[[
* Sir Nigel Loring, of ''[[The White Company]]'', fits this to the letter.
* In ''[[The Guardians]]'', Hugh was a medieval knight sincerely striving towards honor and chivalry when he met Lilith. She taunts his naivete by nicknaming him "Sir Pup". He was rewarded for his life of honesty with the [[Personality Powers|Gift]] of lie detection.
* ''[[Bolo]]'': The eponymous [[Tank Goodness|supertanks]] of [[Keith Laumer]]'s series are intentionally programmed with this notion in mind.
* ''The Knight In Rusty Armor'': The Knight is this twenty four hours a day. {{spoiler|[[Subverted Trope|Subverted]] as he only does this because he'll be appreciated by others for it. Indeed, the armor is also a metaphor for hiding one's [[True Self]], and when he sheds it, so he does this trope}}.
* ''[[
** The Red Cross Knight told the king to never forget the poor people, and gave to them the rich gifts that he had been awarded for slaying the dreadful dragon that had been terrorizing the countryside.
** The knight bade his lady stand apart, out of danger, to watch the fight, while the beast drew near, half flying, half running.
* [[King Arthur]], of the Knights of the Round Table. Perhaps best known in ''[[Le Morte
** [[King Arthur]]'s most trusted knight Sir Lancelot.
** Galahad, from ''[[An Elegy for
* Though she has aspects of a [[Knight in Sour Armour]], [[A Song of Ice and Fire|Brienne of Tarth]] is mostly this trope.
** On the other hand, Jaime Lannister is a [[Deconstruction]]. At first he appears appears the perfect
* Dalinar from ''[[
* Since Eleanor has a crush on a knight in [[The Royal Diaries]] ''Eleanor: Crown Jewel of Aquitaine'' she wants him to be her bodyguard. Once when they are attacked Clotaire the Strong pulls her into his saddle and races her back to the safety of the castle.
* In "The Last Hero", one of the earlier novels (1931) of [[The Saint]], Simon Templar takes backstage to his gallant and tragic associate Norman Kent, who falls in love hopelessly with Templar's girlfriend Patricia Holm (who hardly notices him) and at the end of the book sacrifices his life to let Templar and his other comrades-in-arms escape the current villain and fight again another day. A book called "Knights Errant of the Nineeteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries" by Caroline Whitehead and George Mc Leod says it all: "Norman Kent is an archetypal knight-errant. Though formally a man of 20th Century England, he lives (and dies) by the Code of Chivalry. He loves totally his Lady, Patricia Holm - who, like Don Quixote's Dulcinea, is not aware of that love. He is totally loyal to his Liege Lord, Simon Templar. Like Sir Gawain in "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight", Norman Kent takes on the threats to his Lord. Not only physicial threats to life and limb, but also the sometimes inavoidable need to take dishourable acts which would have reflected badly on the reputation of King Arthur/Simon Templar is taken on, wholly and without reservation, by Sir Gawain/Norman Kent."
* John Moore's ''Slay and Rescue'' has a prince named Charming, sent by his father's chancellor to rescue fair maidens all over the place (the theory is that it keeps him too busy to try to take over the throne).
* In [[Devon Monk]]'s ''[[
* In the early 17th century in which the [[1632|''Ring of Fire'' novels]] take place, [[Knight in Shining Armor|Knights in Shining Armor]] were at about the time they would soon evolve into [[Officer and a Gentleman|Officers and Gentlemen.]] In any case there were [[Aristocrats Are Evil|not many of either]] hanging around at the time. But Janos Drugeth, a Hungarian warrior, would probably fit. He is extremely honorable and pious, and loyal to his King. He probably does even have a breastplate somewhere among his gear and he probably does keep it polished as rust wouldn't do, which would make that a literal as well as figurative trope. However he is mainly shown wielding a sword which is a [[Combat Pragmatist|mundane]] if well-kept sword.
== Live Action TV ==
▲* One is summoned by accident in ''[[Charmed (TV)|Charmed]]'', thanks to Paige.
** In "The Girl in the Fireplace": The Doctor does a [[Super Window Jump]] on a white horse to save the lady from evil. The chivalrous parallel is increased by the fact that in doing so, he's trapping himself in time.
▲* ''[[Doctor Who (TV)|Doctor Who]]''
▲** In "The Girl in the Fireplace": The Doctor does a [[Super Window Jump]] on a white horse to save the lady from evil. The chivalrous parallel is increased by the fact that in doing so, he's trapping himself in time.
** The Doctor takes up a [[BFS|big sword]] in a duel to decide the fate of Earth as the planet's champion during "The Christmas Invasion".
* Sir Thomas Grey, 'Quite the Knight of the Realm' as an outlaw observes in one episode of ''[[Covington Cross]]''. Sir Thomas' sons William, Richard and Cedric are aspiring knights - as is his only daughter! On the other hand his eldest son wants to be a cook...
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* ''[[Bones]]'': Angela refers to Booth as a "knight in shining FBI standard-issue body armor".
* ''[[Criminal Minds]]'': In the first season finale the Un Sub is suffering from the delusion that Reid and the team are this. It's also been stated in the special features that they attempt to write stories about knights in shining bulletproof vests, and end up with what the show is.
* Adam in ''[[
* Alistair in one episode of ''[[As Time Goes By]]'' shows up dressed as a Knight in Shining Armor to help him win Judy's affection.
* Prince Eric Greystone of ''[[Wizards and Warriors (TV series)|Wizards and Warriors]]'' (the TV series, not the video games), [[Hair of Gold|golden haired]] and usually clad in gold lame. Honorable to the point of folly - or beyond. His even hunkier brother Prince Justin on the other hand is a total subversion of the Trope.
* Lancelot in ''[[Merlin (TV series)|Merlin]]'', albeit only briefly until he is thrown out for being a commoner. Meanwhile, Prince Arthur is becoming one, and part of the point of the series is Merlin helping Arthur become one.
* Although not a literal knight David Shephard in ''[[Kings]]'' fulfills all the other qualifications and as a soldier could be said to be the modern equivalent of a knight.
* Jamie Reagan in ''[[Blue Bloods]]'' is a cop not a knight but plays to this trope in the sense of dedicating his live to protecting [[Order Versus Chaos|order]], being loyal to his family and comrades, [[We Help the Helpless|helping the helpless]] and in general putting [[Honor Before Reason|honor]] ''way'' before reason. And wearing a [[Bling of War|cool uniform]]. Call him a Knight in shining blue cloth.
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** Fantasy buff Chip from ''[[Power Rangers Mystic Force]]'' was thrilled to find out "knight" is an actual rank <ref>It seems to go for the more heavily armored Ranger-like characters, but we'll see if that term continues beyond that series [[Power Rangers Operation Overdrive|and the next]] once it comes time to adapt ''[[Tensou Sentai Goseiger]].''</ref> and strives to reach it so he can be a knight in shining armor. [[Sixth Ranger|Daggeron, the Solaris Knight]], fits the bill quite well already, though again, any Ranger tends to. However, Daggeron's the one who gives the most stereotypically "knightly" lines like "I'd rather die with honor than live without it." [[Noble Demon]] Koragg, also of knight rank, gives such speeches, but {{spoiler|it's actually his true self bleeding through the brainwashing; he actually doesn't want to fight the Rangers at ''all.'' Pre-evil Koragg taught Daggeron everything he knows.}}
* ''[[Scrubs]]'': [[Her Codename Was Mary Sue|Sir Percival]] in the fairytale Perry Cox tells his son in a [[Something Completely Different]] episode.
* [[The Ace|The Groosalaugg]] from ''[[
* In ''[[Have Gun — Will Travel]]'', Paladin, as the name suggests, although he wears what looks more like a villainous oufit if you go by traditional [[Color Coded for Your Convenience]]. In some of the darker stories stories he can come off as more of a [[Knight in Sour Armor]], when dealing with more disgusting individuals his bitterness can shine through.
* William admits that he's in love with his queen, Shannon, but out of respect for his honor code as a knight he does not want to break up her relationship with her fiancé, Miles, in the ''[[House MD]]'' episode ''Knight Fall''.
* ''[[Tin Man (TV series)|Tin Man]]'': Cain's no knight, but he ''did'' vow to be the princess's protector. When the crew is riding to DG's rescue in part 3, he's got the white horse.
== Music ==
* The song ''Glory of Love'' by Peter Cetera
{{quote|
''From a long time ago
''Just in time I will save the day
''Take you to my castle far away. }}
* The [[Faith Hill]] song ''This Kiss''
{{quote|
''"How does love get so off course?
''All I wanted was a white knight with a good heart,
''soft touch, fast horse.
''Ride me off into the sunset, baby I'm forever yours. }}
* The [[
{{quote|
''I'm not the one you'll sweep off her feet
''Lead her up the stairwell
''...Now it's too late for you and your white horse
''To come around. }}
* The country song "Suds In The Bucket" by Sara Evans.
{{quote|
''Her folks shoulda seen it comin' - it was only just a matter of time
''Plenty old enough - and you can't stop love
''She stuck a note on the screen door - "sorry but I got to go" }}
== Newspaper Comics ==
▲* In ''[[Frank and Ernest]]'', Frank, as a knight, complains of having to dress on a cold morning.
== Tabletop RPG ==
* ''[[Dungeons
▲* ''[[Dungeons and Dragons (Tabletop Game)|Dungeons and Dragons]]'': The [[Always Lawful Good|paladin]] class was based on [[Knight in Shining Armor]] archetype in general and supposedly ''Three Hearts and Three Lions'' in particular. Paladins are more like holy crusaders empowered with divine magic, though.
** Sturm Brightblade of the ''[[Dragonlance]]'' D&D saga is the epitome of this trope played straight {{spoiler|except for not actually being a knight until shortly before his death}}. His fellow Knights of Solamnia are not quite so ideal but, with a couple of (important) exceptions, are generally good.
** The ''Player's Handbook II'' from late in ''D&D'' 3rd Edition introduced the knight class, which is a lot like the paladin but without magical abilities. The knight's abilities focus on mounted combat, [[Combat
** The 1st edition Cavalier class, introduced in that era's ''Unearthed Arcana'', was closer to the "standard" Arthurian knight. For a while, the Paladin class was a subclass of the Cavalier instead of the Fighter.
** Paizo's [[Pathfinder]] RPG has brought the Paladin full-circle with the "Shining Knight" archetype, complete with bonuses to mounted combat and riding skill.
* In ''[[Warhammer Fantasy Battle]]'', all noble Brettonians aspire towards becoming true knights in shining armour. Grail Knights, who have been found pure in heart and soul and blessed by the [[Enigmatic Empowering Entity|Lady of the Lake]], all qualify for this trope by definition. The Empire also has several noble knightly orders, but their modernization means that the chivalric ideals are not as predominant there as in Brettonia.
* ''[[Magic:
** The [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=White%20Knight White Knight], polar opposite of the game's [[Black Knight]]. However, game mechanics normally prevent the two from engaging each other in combat...
** The ''Shards of Alara'' expansion features Bant, a [[Planet of Hats|plane of]]
* Chaosium's ''Pendragon'' game is based on the stories of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.
* TSR's ''Knights of Camelot'' game also covered the Arthurian knighthood setting.
* ''[[GURPS]] Camelot'' explores roleplaying in the Arthurian saga in three flavors -- historically-accurate, as depicted by medieval storytellers, and the modern high-fantasy concept. It's only in the latter that the literal shining armor can be found, but both medieval and modern versions include all the other elements.
== Video Games ==
* ''[[Fire Emblem]]: [[Fire Emblem Elibe|Blazing Sword]]'':
** Parodied with Sain in , who acts like this [[Chivalrous Pervert|just so he can get women]]. The only result is that his comrade, Kent, repeatedly tells him to drop it and get back to work.
** Played straight as an arrow with Seth and Geoffrey.
* ''[[
* ''[[
** Ditto ''[[Neverwinter Nights 2]]'' with Casavir. Granted, he has all the personality of a brick, but he's a chivalrous paladin nevertheless.
*** In the first game, Lady Aribeth, Paladin of Tyr, thr god of Justice is a rare female example. {{spoiler|Her fall towards evil after seeing the city she had sacrificed so much for execute her fiancé for a crime he is innocent of (he was made a scapegoat and the people condemning him are fully aware of it) as well as the blatant injustice committed in the name of the god of justice is the main plot of the game}}
** As his banters reveal, Keldorn may go closer to [[Knight in Sour Armor]]
* Prince Rurik of ''[[Guild Wars]]'', doubling as [[The Scrappy]] for many.
* Flynn in ''[[Tales of Vesperia]]''.
* "Knight" is a playable class in ''[[The Elder Scrolls]].'' In an expansion pack for the fourth game, the player can found his own holy order of shiny-armored knights.
* The Knight class in ''Runes of Magic'' is apparently inspired by this trope.
* [[The Hero|Cecil]] in ''[[
* Steiner in ''[[
* Basch in ''[[
* The Warrior of Light in ''[[
* Ky Kiske from [[Guilty Gear]]. Prior to the events of the game, he's the commander who willingly risked his life to save people even if the situation seemed hopeless or even if the person to be saved [[Manipulative Bitch|was questionable.]] An in ''XX'' Ky continues to be a noble public servant as a high ranking police officer. In ''Overture'', his popularity and charisma earns him the position of a king.
* Samara in [[Mass Effect 2]], even going so far as to give a [[Knight Errant]] (perhaps with a bit of Samurai) as the closest human equivalent to her order. Though she is much more [[Lawful Neutral]] than [[Lawful Good]].
* Alistair, in ''[[Dragon Age]]'' is mostly this. On top of all that, he's also a {{spoiler|[[Prince Charming]]}}, as you learn over the course of the story. Covers a lot of bases, does our boy Alistair.
** See also: [[Estrogen Brigade Bait]]. Do want.
** Something of a subversion is found in ''Awakening'' with the Spirit of Justice. A Fade Spirit based on the concept of Justice, it is eventually trapped in the corpse of a Grey Warden named Kristoff. It then joins your party as a
* {{spoiler|Oersted}} from [[Live a Live]] is this trope. Demon-slaying, princess-saving, the whole nine yards. {{spoiler|Then, the whole concept is brutally [[Deconstruction|deconstructed.]]}}
* ''[[Soul Series]]'': [[Gender Flip
* Balmung of the ''[[.hack|.Hack//]]'' series (all incarnations) is probably one of the straightest examples in quite a while. While the setting of the series is an MMORPG, Balmung specifically investigates circumstances which could easily get him hurt in the real world. However, he has a strong moral code on issues of lesser significance, such as a strong distaste for hacking and player harassment. He also has a penchant for swooping in at the last moment to save other characters:
** In Sign, Balmung only appears in one episode, but rushes in to distract the Phase monster so that Subaru and company can escape.
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** His status as this in-universe even extends to {{spoiler|Newly born AI Aura taking his character template for use as an automated defender of the World.}}
* [[TCTRPG|The Colour Tuesday]]: Kyle fits this; he only rebels when its clear his sister will die if she does not recieve medicine that he can't leave town for because of an arbitrary law. (Apparently its the wrong "season") He's consistently the most polite and level-headed character, and doesn't think twice {{spoiler|about [[Heroic Sacrifice|sacrificing his relationship with Alex and his powers]] to cross the magical flames which separate him and the medicine he carries from his sister.}} Thankfully this isn't necessary.
* Edrick/Loto from ''[[Dragon Quest]]'' is one of the earliest examples for Japanese RPG history by saving a princess in distress and defeating an evil dragonlord ''[[One
* [[The Legend of Zelda|Link]], while not a knight by job, has been an ideal hero who saves the princess and the land of Hyrule from Evil overlord Ganon since 1986.
* ''[[Kid Icarus: Uprising]]'' makes it clear that Pit is one, as he is [[Undying Loyalty|endlessly loyal]] to [[God of Good|Palutena]] and will always fight for the human race, even though the game also shows that [[Humans Are
* ''[[
== Webcomics ==▼
* ''[[Goblins]]'': Big-Ears is made of this trope. Kore, on the other hand, is a rather brutal subversion.
* Sir Toby, from Chivalry and Knavery. A Christian knight (who happens to be an anthropomorphic lion), who is kind, brave and extremely strong. And patient, otherwise he would have run screaming from Kira and Ulf. According to his character description, he believes that there is good in everyone-amazingly, his time with the two of them hasn't beaten that belief out of him.
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* ''[[Squid Row]]'' [http://squidrowcomics.com/?p=1060 A knight in a shining hatchback, anyway]
* Esten in ''[[Roza]]''. Even if lacking the armor and resembling a [[Bounty Hunter]].
* In ''[[Rusty and Co
* In ''[[Sinfest]]'', [
* In ''[[Our Little Adventure]]'', [http://danielscreations.com/ola/comics/ep0052.html after a rogue tricks a wizard into identifying their scrolls, he gives her the one she needs, and she gushes that he's her knight in shining armor.]
== Web Original ==
* In ''[[
== Western Animation ==
* Silverbolt, from ''[[Transformers]]: [[
{{quote|
▲* Silverbolt, from ''[[Transformers]]: [[Beast Wars (Animation)|Beast Wars]]'', is a usually tongue-in-cheek example of this type. He's not a parody so much as a walking [[Lampshade Hanging]], complete with trumpet fanfares when he speaks. It really helps that both his animals - one a wolf, the other an eagle - are typical 'noble' animals. (which sorta makes a Griffin an even more noble animal)
▲{{quote| '''Blackarachnia''': Oh no. You're not saving my life again? Even after I ''shot you''?<br />
'''Silverbolt''': It's my duty, ma'am, as a Maximal and as a heroic character. }}
* Although most D&D adaptations (as in the cases of ''Record of Lodoss War'' and ''Dragonlance'') play the trope straight, the trope is subverted in the ''[[Dungeons and Dragons (
* The recurring ''[[Gummi Bears]]'' character Sir Victor, the White Knight, was a classic
* Shining Knight of ''[[Justice League Unlimited]]''. Especially played up in "Patriot Act" where he and a mutated [[General Ripper]] do battle while they argue what duty to one's country means.
* Sir Giles in [[Disney]]'s animated featurette of [[The Wind in
* ''[[
* ''[[The Flight of Dragons]]'': Sir Orrin Neville-Smythe is set on fire by dragon's flame. He withstands the heat long enough to hurl the now-flaming sword into the heart of the black dragon, then collapses next to his fallen love.
* In ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
== Real Life ==
* William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke, was the younger son of a minor nobleman who went on to serve the royal family of [[The House of Plantagenet|Henry II of England]] and be given the hand and estates of Isabel de Clare.
* The point of chivalry, as a code of honor, was to put behavioral restrictions on the
** Of course reasonably well-disciplined infantry could kill or frighten horses with a [[Blade
** The demise of chivalry was not the lower classes overcoming the upper classes. Rather, it was the nature of the warfare itself. In the end the generals noticed that a professional soldier who has trained for warfare for all his life was a far more valuable as an [[Officer and
* History and language provide a subversion. The word "knight" ultimately comes from "cnicht", [[Anglo-Saxons|Anglo-Saxon]] for "retainer". Which was kind of like this only not. A guardsman of a powerful earl or King, a cnicht was expected to be brave, and even to die with [[Samurai]]-like fanaticism should the battle [[The Battle of Maldon|go amiss.]] And indeed that ideal was kept up. Being cultured was not particularly expected -- at least, not in the same way. He was not expected to be in the least bit like a dandy off duty as some of the more absurd portrayals of the later [[Knight In Shining Armor]]. Nor was he expected to have good table manners. Culture to him would have meant listening to a well-told tale, the bloodier, the better. Piety was not expected or rather you could not tell the behavior expected of a real Christian cnicht from that of a pagan. [[Courtly Love]] did not exist though he was naturally supposed to be respectful to his lord's female relatives. In fact said lord would probably rather he not give signs of courtly love [[Defiled Forever|for obvious reasons.]] Elaborate and ridiculous respect to enemies was no where part of his idea of honor. Unlike the later breed of knights, regular ransoms seem to have been no routine part of warfare and he was more likely to just die and be left to rot if he lost. The biggest difference is that though he would have ridden routinely for mobility's sake, he generally fought on foot. There are records of cavalry pursuits of routed troops but this was after an infantry battle. On the whole the Saxon Cnichts would have indeed been tough customers, and certainly shared some qualities with "Knights" but quite a bit was lost in translation. In fact he was closer in spirit to an stereotypical viking than a knight.
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