Mysterious Protector: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

{{quote|"Oh look, it's the mysterious powerful ally that follows us around but doesn't really join our group!"

 

A common element in [[Shojo]] stories, particularly of the [[Magical Girl]] variety: the secretive figure who appears in a moment of need, aids the heroine, and then vanishes again. He doesn't always do much—a word of advice or encouragement, or a single attack that distracts the enemy for a critical instant—nor does he even have to be even as powerful as the heroine. But his interventions are critical to her survival or the maintenance of her morale.

{{examples}}

 

* Tuxedo Mask from ''[[Sailor Moon]]'' pretty much epitomizes the trope, although his counterpart from ''[[Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon]]'' is anything but.

** The Moonlight Knight from the Makaiju arc of ''Sailor Moon R''. {{spoiler|Then again, he ''is'' an expy of Tuxedo Mask himself, whom split up from Mamoru's subconscious desire to help Usagi despite having been afflicted with [[Laser-Guided Amnesia]]. Once Mamoru recovers his memories, Moonlight Knight reveals himself as Mamoru's other half and disappears, with Mamoru becoming Tuxedo Mask again from then on.}}

* Haji during a good part of ''[[Blood Plus|Blood+]]''.

* Ao no Kishi/Blue Knight in ''[[Tokyo Mew Mew]]''. Alto the cat may also qualify.

** And Oujirou's brother, Icchan, is a non-romantic example.

* [[Hayate the Combat Butler]] parodies this in an early episode; When Hayate is about to be taken away by the [[Yakuza|"Very Nice People"]], Nagi shows up wearing a goofy mask and calling herself "Mask the Money".

* Haku in ''[[Spirited Away]]'' certainly counts, although his development happens over the course of a single movie rather than a TV series.

** He helped Chihiro several times throughout the course of the movie, remarking that despite not remembering anything else about his past, he remembers her. It is later revealed that {{spoiler|when Chihiro was a child, she fell into his river and he had rescued her.}}

* Limone in ''[[Wedding Peach]]''. Though here {{spoiler|he ends up with Yuri aka Angel Lily, [[The Smart Guy]], and not Wedding Peach herself -- she ends up with Yosuke/Viento}}.

* ''Far'' from romantic, and the series is heavily [[Seinen]], but the Skull Knight in ''[[Berserk]]'' is the reason that Guts decided to go back to the Band of the Hawks after leaving Griffith, and {{spoiler|is the only reason that Guts and Casca make it out of the Eclipse and the Band of the Hawks arc alive}}.