Martial Pacifist: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
{{quote|'''Prard'ras'kleoni''': "If we hesitate too long before launching a counterattack, the subsequent battle will take place near the nursery and risk injury to the [[Wouldn't Hit a Girl|women]] and [[Wouldn't Hurt a Child|children]]. [[Never Hurt an Innocent|That is unacceptable.]]"
'''Chak Fel''': "I thought launching attacks in general was unacceptable to the Chiss."
'''Prard'ras'kleoni''': "[[The Dog Shot First|They fired first.]] They are now fair game."
|''[[Survivors Quest]]''}}
{{quote|"Don't hit at all if it can be humanly avoided, but never hit softly!"
|[[Theodore Roosevelt]]}}
He doesn't like fighting; he doesn't want to fight. He will always seek a peaceful solution if he can, and only fight when he must. But if, indeed, he ''must'', WATCH OUT.
The inverse of [[Arrogant Kung Fu Guy]] (and often a direct foil to such a character), and just as prevalent among martial artist characters. ▼
▲The inverse of [[Arrogant Kung Fu Guy]] (and often a direct foil to such a character), and just as prevalent among martial artist characters.
The peaceful kind, that is. Disciplined. Kind. Personable. [[Friend to All Children|Good with children]]. You know the type. If there's an [[Old Master]] who isn't a total [[Jerkass]], you can bet he follows the Path of Peace. A Martial Pacifist will often try to solve his problems with words first, and fists a distant second, typically resorting to violence only as a last resort. However, when that happens, he will mop the floor with anyone dumb enough to challenge him. But unlike his arrogant counterpart, he will not kill you unless he has no other choice, as [[Thou Shalt Not Kill|killing usually goes against everything that he stands for]].
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Somewhat of an example of [[Truth in Television]]; many martial arts schools emphasize the importance of levelheadedness and use of fists only when no other option is available. (Want to know why you rarely hear about a karate black belt losing his temper and killing his wife? ''Discipline.'') There is a sect of martial arts society that believes quite rigorously that any use of their skills in a non-life threatening situation (including tournaments and sometimes even sparring) is a perversion of the art.
Compare [[The So-Called Coward]], [[Let's Get Dangerous]], [[Minored in Asskicking]], and [[Badass Pacifist]]. See also [[Technical Pacifist]]. Contrast [[Reluctant Warrior]], who believes exactly the same things the Martial Pacifist does but is constantly forced to fight and lacks their fighting power and ability to use non-lethal force. Contrast [[Suicidal Pacifism]], where no amount of danger can convince the guy to fight. If a
{{examples}}▼
▲{{examples}}
== Anime and Manga ==
* Gohan from ''[[Dragonball Z]]''. He has the potential to become the strongest person in the universe, but he hates watching people get hurt. The only reason he fights is for self-defense, or for the defense of others.
** His father Goku isn't quite as pacifistic: he quite enjoys fighting. However, he does ''not'' enjoy causing pain or hurting people; he likes fighting as a sport. [[Berserk Button|Hurting innocents is an excellent way to get him really mad at you]].
* Parodied with Amelia's father Prince Phil in ''[[Slayers]]''. He is a [[Love Freak|passionate devotee to the concept of justice]] who greatly prefers to try and settle things with peaceful discussion, but is not only [[Face of a Thug|very savage-looking]] (he's been described as resembling a dwarf built to the scale of an ogre, and Lina Inverse mistook him for a bandit chief when she first saw him) but also prone to leaping headfirst into the fray with aggressive wrestling and kung fu moves that he gives goofy names. “PACIFIST CRUSH!” “GOODWILL TO ALL MANKIND KICK!” In fact, he's so strong a fighter he once managed to kill a demon with his bare hands. Amelia normally specializes in [[White Magic]] and [[Elemental Powers|Shamanist magic]] but she's quite willing to get physical when she feels inclined (one of her homebrew spells, the Visfanrank, actually equips her with magical boxing gloves for punching out demons.) She's usually too aggressive to count as a
* In ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist]]'', Scar's master is one of these.
* Kenshin Himura from ''[[Rurouni Kenshin]]'', who was once a ruthless assassin, uses a reverse-blade sword because of his oath not to kill people again. When villains go too far, Kenshin's [[Super-Powered Evil Side|Battousai mode]] takes control, and he drops all traces of
** Though he did indirectly kill {{spoiler|Shishio, by [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|fighting him until his condition cause all the water to evaporate from his body, causing his spontaneous combustion.]]}}
*** Hey, when you're explicitly stated to only be able to {{spoiler|stand fifteen minutes of fighting before something bad happens to your body, it's your own fault for not keeping an eye on the watch and asking to take a break.}}
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* Toki of ''[[Fist of the North Star]]''. When he does fight, he's strong enough to go toe-to-toe with [[Big Bad]] Raoh, and even when he does kill, he does so in a way that makes the victim feel great pleasure instead of horrible, [[Your Head Asplode|head-explody]] pain.
* Haru Glory, in the manga ''[[Rave Master]]'' believes that [[Rousseau Was Right]] and that people shouldn't fight each other, and only goes into battle reluctantly. However, given that he's [[The Hero]] of an action-heavy manga spanning upwards of thirty volumes, he's reluctantly forced to go into battle quite often. He still somehow manages [[Thou Shalt Not Kill|not to kill any of his opponents]], although some of them die soon after defeat anyway ...
* Hiroki Sugimura of ''[[Battle Royale]]'' manga. He may look intimidating as he is the tallest boy in the class and is a kung-fu master, but he is actually a shy and gentle boy who dislikes to use violence unless it is his last resort.
* After getting some [[Character Development]] (and a crazy-powerful [[Super Prototype]]), Kira Yamato of ''[[Gundam Seed]]'' becomes one of these.
** Quatre Raberba Winner from [[Gundam Wing]] is similar. His first appearance has him telling his enemies to surrender, only attacking when they refuse to listen. That's how he wins Trowa's trust in their first encounter. He also praises Zechs and Noin in Endless Waltz for defeating so many of Mariemaia's soldiers without killing them.
* Doctor Tofu Ono of ''[[Ranma ½
** He did against the toad hermit in the anime. He seems like an efficient pressure-point fighter.
* [[Code Geass|Sir Bismark Waldstein aka the Knight of One]] might be the most powerful of the Knights of Rounds, but he openly says that he's not thrilled to use his impressive fighting skills unless it's ''really'' needed and that he views mere unrestrained violence as ignoble and unworthy.
* Lynn Kylie/Kaifun from ''[[Macross]]'' is a very skilled and handsome martial artist, but in his conversations with Rick/Hikaru and Lisa/Misa he states his disdain for the military. However, despite him not going around and picking fights, he's shown as quite the [[Jerkass]] too, specially to his cousin and protegée Minmay...
* ''[[Sora wo Kakeru Shoujo]]'' has freaking ASIMO who knows kung fu but wants to be friends with everyone due to prolonged contact with Sakura.
* ''[[Bleach]]'' has several. [[Brilliant but Lazy|Kyoraku Shunsui]] and Hisagi Shuuhei are the most obvious examples, and Kira Izuru may qualify as well, though with overtones of [[Reluctant Warrior]]. Kaname Tousen tries to portray himself as this, but considering he {{spoiler|cut off Grimmjow's arm to stop him from causing any more trouble}} he's not fooling anyone.
** His suggestion that "Killing without purpose is only murder. But killing with purpose... is justice!" also seems to suggest that he's less averse to violence than he initially seems.
*** And really, crippling someone as violent as Grimmjow seems like a pretty good way to decrease bloodshed.
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** Starrk is an example as well.
*** Starrk is debatable. He doesn't have a moral objection to fighting, he's just too lazy to want to do it.
**** Well he
* In ''[[Naruto]]'' the kind, gentle Hinata Hyuga dislikes fighting and tries to avoid it when she can, but fights surprisingly hard if she has no other choice, especially if Naruto, the boy she loves, is involved.
** Also, Shikamaru tends to dislike fighting and tries to avoid anything "troublesome". He even dubbed himself the "number one coward" because of this. However, he is willing to put his life on the line when duty calls.
** Uchiha Itachi, the resident [[Aloof Big Brother]] who ran a [[Zero-Approval Gambit]] (including, but not limited to slaughtering his entire clan, [[Mind Rape|mind raping]] his own little brother on several occasions, joining an evil organization in order to keep his village safe, and just acting like an all-around dick and committed [[Suicide by Cop|suicide by little brother]] in an attempt to keep the peace, never gets into a fight if he can avoid it, despite his disgusting amount of skill.
* This is pretty much the defining character trait of [[Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple|Kenichi Shirahama]]. A peaceful young man who only took up martial arts to stop being bullied, he often tries to talk his way out of fights first, and will even walk away from those who challenge him, only resorting to violence if he has no other choice ([[Nobody Calls Me Chicken|or if a challenger calls him a coward]]).
** Also, several of his masters. None of them will actually kill you (well, [[Friend to All Living Things|Apachai]] might do it accidentally) but Akisame and Ma Kensei are the most notable.
** After the Ragnarok arc, the conflict between the
* [[Astro Boy]] doesn't really ''like'' fighting, but [[Badass Adorable|you better not push him]].
* Yellow of ''[[Pokémon Special]]''. Sweet-tempered and happy-go-lucky, she hates fighting so much that it pains her to fight her attackers, and sometimes even [[The Medic|heals]] them afterward. Her first option when facing an enemy is to run away. She even tries to figure out ways to immobilize her opponents without actually hurting them. However, when push comes to shove, she ''will'' fight if she has no other choice and [[Beware the Nice Ones|watch out]], as she has the ability to make her normally low-leveled Pokemon to get ''[[Super Empowering|abnormally stronger]]'' in a mere few ''seconds''.
* Parodied (like everything else) in [[
* Gintoki from ''[[Gintama]]'' once used to be a mighty warrior with the nickname "[[Red Baron|White Demon]]" who led the war against aliens' invading Japan. Nowadays, he is working as a free-lancer, willing to take in any odd jobs to pay the rent. Like the Kenshin example above, while he avoids using force and acts like an idiot from time to time, he will not hesitate to commence asskicking should the need arises.
* The title character from ''[[Kimba the White Lion]]'' is a [[Wise Prince|diplomatic leader]] who prefers not to fight, [[Beware the Nice Ones|but don't]] [[Killer Rabbit|make him angry]].
* [[Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind|Princess Nausicaa]]. She's QUEEN of this trope.
* [[Bare-Fisted Monk|Don Fua]] in ''[[Gunnm]]: Last Order'', as he's a [[Foil]] to his [[Rival]] [[The Ace|Zekka]], who is an [[Arrogant Kung Fu Guy]].
* [[Badass Princess| Rebecca]] from ''[[One Piece]]''; while she would likely show no mercy to s [[Arch Enemy| Donquixote Doflamingo]] - who murdered her grandfather and sentenced her to a life sentence as a "convict gladiator" - she rarely kills otherwise, despite being undefeated as a gladiator. Of course, it's very likely she just has more respect for her fellow doomed fighters, as they were the only ones who did ''not'' see her as a remorseless monster, something believed by most citizens of Dressrosa due to Doflamingo's lies.
== Comic Books ==
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* [[Spider-Man]] is not a martial artist but once he grew up, he would normally try to talk his opponents down and then restrain them with webbing. Of course, talking rarely works and the webbing only works part of the time, resulting in a prolonged battle.
** As of Spider Island, Pete has had some serious martial arts training {{spoiler|enough to fight at the level he could before his spider sense was shut down previously}}, thus playing this trope straight.
* Surprisingly, ''[[Sin City]]'' has one: Wallace. He is very polite and often asks to be left alone before having to pull out his Navy SEALS martial arts training. At one point, he is even seen meditating.
* [[Superman]] of the DCU. Considering how greatly he out
** His famous [[World of Cardboard Speech]] in ''[[Justice League]]'' is pretty much an outline of this Trope.
** In fact, most of the action in a Superman comic involve Superman simply getting in the way of the attempted kill strikes of villains who want to cause death and destruction for their own purposes. Only villains who really ''are'' as strong as Superman (or have a plan to attack him that doesn't involve physical force) typically exchange blows in a standard duke 'em out fashion. In fact, when one alien
* [[Ultimate Marvel|Ultimate]] Thor. He consistently attempts to reason with opponents, but can at the drop of a hat prove why he is known far and wide as the most powerful being in his universe (and several neighboring universes, as well).
* [[Storm]]. Unless circumstances dictate otherwise, she will often be the first to offer a reasonable, peaceful solution. She tries her best to adhere to a strict "[[Thou Shalt Not Kill|no-kill]]" code, and despite being one of the most [[Superpower Lottery|powerful]] [[X-Men]] on the roster, actively works to ensure that she does as little harm to her adversaries as possible. Of course, [[Beware the Nice Ones|her tolerance does have its limits.]]
▲== Fan Fiction ==
* The popular ''[[Deva Series]]'' has Laura Sims who, despite having the sworn [[Thou Shalt Not Kill]], is a subversion of the trope, preferring to talk ''after'' the defeating her opponent.
* ''[[DC Nation]]'' has a few. Raven, as mentioned above. Hugh Fulbright, one of Earth's Blue Lanterns. [[Granola Girl]] Fauna. The Nation-verse [[Green Arrow]] Connor Hawke also follows this path, as he never abandoned his faith in this universe.
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* The [[Big Bad]] from ''[[The Transporter]] 3'' seems to honestly consider himself a pacifist. This does nothing to stop him from trying destroy half the Ukraine for [[Villain Ball|no apparent reason]] or temper him when he tries to stab Frank to death.
* ''[[Ip Man]]'' from the eponymous film, who refused the call to start a martial arts school and prefers to talk his opponents down. Of course, if pushed, he will fuck you up. He starts his martial arts school in the sequel, but still prefers to talk rather than fight, and hasn't lost any of his ass-kicking ability.
* [[Sergeant York]].
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*** In ''Survivor's Quest'', Luke is shown the Redoubt, a star cluster that is more or less the last refuge of the Chiss people, should their military fall to something. Luke idly comments that with a sanctuary like this, the Chiss can afford to let their enemies take the first shot. Chaf'orm'bintrano takes offense to this.
{{quote|"That has nothing to do with the Redoubt. It is completely and purely a matter of honor and morality. The Chiss are ''never'' to be the aggressor people. We cannot and will not make war against any until and unless we have been attacked. That has been our law for a thousand years, Master Skywalker, and we will not bend from it."}}
* In the Anita Blake series, Richard is introduced as a
* Atticus Finch, from [[To Kill a Mockingbird]]. His children's hot tempers and constant scrapping are an aggravation to him, and he has no interest in having his honour defended. He believes in the law, and his courtroom manner is polite and gracious even to opposing witnesses who are clearly hostile towards him. Also, he can kill a charging rabid dog with one shot right between the eyes (maybe a little to the right) because the sheriff doesn't think he can make the shot at that distance. Note that this means that with a mad dog charging towards him ''and his children'', his hands don't shake in the slightest.
* ''Sisterhood'' series by [[Fern Michaels]]: Yoko Akia is very much this. She is usually calm and peaceful. However, she beat Harry Wong, the second greatest martial artist in the world and [[Arrogant Kung Fu Guy]], in a sparring match before going out on a date with him. Indeed, no one in the series has been able to beat her in a fight! In other words, do ''not'' get on her bad side if you know what's good for you!
== Live Action TV ==
* The Doctor from ''[[Doctor Who]]''. Although if the circumstances call for it, he is willing to kill. [[Beware the Nice Ones|A lot.]]
* Kwai Chang Caine and his Shaolin masters in the original ''[[Kung Fu]]'' TV show.
* Although he doesn't know martial arts, David Banner is also a martial pacifist in ''[[The Incredible Hulk]]''. "[[Memetic Mutation|Mister McGee, don't make me angry]]. [[Unstoppable Rage|You wouldn't like me when I'm angry]]."
* Playfully parodied in ''[[The Middleman]]''. Dub-Dub describes herself as a pacifist but cheerfully beats others up with whatever weapon comes to hand should the need arise. Lacey is similar.
* ''[[Juken Sentai Gekiranger]]'' has the seven Kensei, martial arts masters who have taken a vow not to fight. They now serve as mentors for the Rangers.
* Gabrielle from [[Xena: Warrior Princess]] is a
* ''[[Babylon 5]]'' has John Sheridan, war hero, the man who defied the first Ones and led the effort to throw them out, but who, when recording a message to his unborn child, started with the words his own father told him, "Never start a fight; always finish it."
* Marshall from [[How I Met Your Mother]]. Shown to be a competent fighter, but only when he has to back-up one of his friends.
* Starfleet itself in ''every'' incarnation of ''[[Star Trek]]''. While most crews have a hard time following the Prime Directive at times, they all attempt to always seek a peaceful solution with enemies, ''always'' help mediate relations between ''other'' enemies, and never start a conflict. But for those who won't listen, so be it.
** Vulcans especially. Most of them are the coldly logical intellectual type who you'd never expect to be dangerous. In fact, the whole purpose of the Vulcan Nerve Pinch was because [[Gene Roddenberry]] didn't see Spock as the type who'd resort to violence to subdue a foe. Of course, as the episode "Amok Time" shows, Spock - and any other Vulcan - can fight like a trained gladiator is the need arises.
== Mythology ==
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== Tabletop Games ==
* The Children of Gaia from ''[[Werewolf: The Apocalypse]]'' have a reputation in-game as hippies, and it's not entirely unearned; of all the tribes of the Garou Nation, they're the ones most likely to try and convince other Garou to look deeper into the issue, examine all the sides, and maybe find a non-violent resolution if possible. They're still warriors for Gaia, and also the ones who know that if no peaceful means of resolution is possible, then it's time to go absolutely rip-shit.
* The various "Sacred Vow" Feats from the ''[[Dungeons and Dragons]]'' 3.5 supplement, ''The Book of Exalted Deeds'' tend to end up this way. They forsake an earthly vice (such as sex, drugs, or violence) in order to gain massive bonuses both to resist it and to seek an alternate path. For example, a Monk who has taken Vow of Poverty, Vow of Peace, and Vow of Nonviolence is
== Video Games ==
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** Epileptic? He uses two Open Palm exclusive attack styles and is obsessed with things being in their appropriate place.
*** He also uses Tempest style, magic that only works well in the hands of Closed Fist users. And he's ''very'' good with it.
**** It's possible he's realized that he has two hands (which is to say, he might've figured out how to harmonize the two seemingly-opposed philosophies).
* The Shaolin monk Chinnen from the ''Power Instinct'' series of fighting games is an intentional subversion, being a selfish know it all who's likely to pound you for looking at him the wrong way. His idea of meditating is passing out after binge drinking.
** Lynn Baker from ''Rage of the Dragons''. She's one of the types who practices martial arts as a means of spiritual fulfillment and all that.
** Elias, a Catholic priest from ''Rage of the Dragons'' and ''Power Instinct Matrimelee'', as well. While he abhors violence in general, he recognizes that there are times when there is no other alternative, and that the Father will understand and forgive.
* Liu Kang from ''[[Mortal Kombat]]'' can be an example. Despite the copious gore in the games' fatalities, Liu Kang is the only character with a fatality that isn't actually fatal, because of his time with the Shaolin having taught him peace.
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== Web Comics ==
* [[MAG
* [[Powerpuff Girls Doujinshi]]: We all know that Samurai Jack is a
== Web Original ==
* The heroic Dove from the ''[[Global Guardians PBEM Universe]] is a
* Corrie, Cambria, Phylis, and Spark from ''[[The Gungan Council]]'' would all wish not to harm another being, yet they're all ready to kick ass when needed.
* Ashpaw, the [[Genius Bruiser]] in ''[[Tasakeru]]''.
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* Uncle Iroh from ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'', who was largely this way even before the loss of his son. For one thing, ({{spoiler|he [[Death Faked for You|only pretended to kill the last dragon]], so they could live in peace}}).
** This is part of the philosophy of the Air Nomads. Aang lives up to this, except when in the [[Super Mode|Avatar State]]; in fact, a minor plotline in the last season revolves around the question of whether he could set aside his pacifism and [[Thou Shalt Not Kill|kill Ozai]]. {{spoiler|He [[Take a Third Option|took a third option]].}}
* ''[[Samurai Jack]]'' himself was taught this from an early age by many cultures, including the Shaolin monks.
** In fact, Jack is quick to draw the blade against opponents, who are [[What Measure Is a Non-Human?|invariably robots]]. The few that are ''not'' robots, however, he hesitates. In one episode, his readiness to fight gets him in trouble when Aku uses his anger to create Mad Jack, a [[Evil Twin|clone of Jack that knows only anger]]. As they fight, Jack begins to look more like Mad Jack, until it's almost impossible to tell them apart (and they set the whole forest on fire). Jack is only able to defeat Mad Jack by meditating to restore his inner calm, which results in Mad Jack vanishing. Jack is ''noticeably'' [[Character Development|slower to anger in subsequent episodes]] as a result.
* Jackie Chan from ''[[Jackie Chan Adventures]]'' is something of a variation of this trope, though less on the disciplined side. While constantly saying he doesn't want to resort to violence... he tries to run away. Naturally, being Jackie Chan, it's used for a comedic edge and he will end up fighting. [[Rule of Cool|And he has every reason to!]]
* Parodied in [[Futurama]] episode "Godfellas". The Monks of Teshuva try to bluff Leela and Fry with their martial arts skills; but when Leela calls their bluff, they immediately back down and admit to being [[Actual Pacifist
* [[Legend of the Dragon]] has Ang as this. He thinks about responsibility instead of power, prefers to think before acting, and he felt his sister Ling deserved to be the Golden Dragon. Well, guest what? He was chosen to be the Golden Dragon instead of her! He does prove to be quite the fighter when he has to be.
* [[Hey Arnold!]] had an episode about Arnold learning to become one after overusing his martial arts skills and crossing the [[Moral Event Horizon]].
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** He tells a story in his autobiography(?) in which he's at a bar, and a biker-type comes up behind him and insists on taking his seat. Chuck complies without saying a word. Shortly thereafter, the biker realizes that he just took Chuck Norris' seat. He walks over to Chuck, now sitting in a booth and asks why Chuck didn't simply beat him up. Chuck's reply: "What would it prove?"
* [[wikipedia:Gichin Funakoshi|Gichin Funakoshi]] was the founder of modern karate. He recounts in his autobiography how, in the chaos of post-war Japan (when he was in his seventies), someone tried to mug him. In Funakoshi's memorable phrase 'his stance was full of holes', so Funakoshi stepped in and held the guy by the balls until the police arrived. He follows this story by a description of how ashamed he felt later, considering that he had abused his art.
* [[Jet Li]] has gone on record saying he's never been in a real life fight and hopes never to be in one and is strongly against the use of martial arts for violent ends. [https://web.archive.org/web/20070220115923/http://www.jetli.com/jet/index.php?l=en
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Characterization Tropes]]
[[Category:Martial Pacifist]]
[[Category:Pacifist]]
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