Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Difference between revisions
→Anime & Manga
(Import from TV Tropes TVT:Main.SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan 2012-07-01, editor history TVTH:Main.SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan, CC-BY-SA 3.0 Unported license) |
|||
(43 intermediate revisions by 18 users not shown) | |||
Line 1:
{{trope}}
[[File:Aladdin Rules Achmed Drools..png|350px|thumb|right|link=Aladdin (1992 Disney film)|Above left to right; [[Jerkass]] Prince Achmed get rejected by the princess. Below left to right; A poor street rat gives bread he stole to less fortunate children and gets the princess. <ref> Source: [[Aladdin (1992 Disney film)]] </ref>]]
{{quote|'''Eddie Valiant:''' Seriously, [[What Does She See in Him?|what do you see in that guy]]?
'''Jessica Rabbit:''' He makes me laugh.|''[[Who Framed Roger Rabbit?]]''}}
[[All Girls Want Bad Boys]]?
Line 7 ⟶ 8:
Hardly. [[Everyone Loves Blondes|Blondes]] prefer gentlemen. As do [[Brainy Brunette|brunettes]], [[Fiery Redhead|redheads]], [[Bald of Awesome|bald women]], little old ladies with white hair and girls with [[Amazing Technicolor Hair]].
The heroine, like the hero, tends to be much more mature and likable than in [[All Girls Want Bad Boys]]; frequently they've been burned by a [[Second Love|previous lover]], and generally they've matured. But it is not necessary. Any heroine who finds the hero attractive exactly for his more admirable qualities falls under
It does create a plot problem, insofar as the heroine has to neither fight her common sense nor reform the hero for a [[Happy Ending]]. As a consequence, the writer needs some other method of [[Earn Your Happy Ending|generating conflict]].
The heroine is [[Wrong Guy First|initially attracted to the Bad Boy,]] but does not see the scale of the issue; he is one of [[The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything]], or she sees only trivial faults, or she believes what he says about past behavior. Or she believes [[I Can Change My Beloved|she can change him]] with the power of [[Love Redeems|like-OMG true love]]
It does not have to be a romantic rivalry; the [[Mad
Or the [[Dating Catwoman|heroine]] may not be good, and have to [[High Heel Face Turn|reform]] to win the good man; never underestimate [[The Power of Love]].
She may have been seriously burned by the first love, and think [[Silly Rabbit, Romance Is for Kids]]; [[The Power of Love]] will have to overcome her reluctance. Or it was with a Bad Boy and she is confused; she thought she felt love when it was really adrenaline, and is now [[Oblivious to Love]] that doesn't come with danger packaged in.
Or they face no internal problems, but external forces try to tear them apart. [[Star
Or the hero or heroine (or [[Twice Shy|both]]) face difficulties in admitting their attraction. One of them might even be in a preexisting
Frequently [[Victorious Childhood Friend]]. Compare to [[Understanding Boyfriend]].
{{examples
== Anime & Manga ==
* ''[[X 1999]]'': The relationship between the [[Defrosting Ice Queen|initially frigid and distant]] [[Lady of War|Arashi]] and the [[Plucky Comic Relief|cheerful, sweet and caring]] [[The Lancer|Sorata]] is a textbook example of this trope.
Line 37:
* ''[[Berserk]]'' plays it straight between [[Badass|Guts]] and [[Hot Amazon|Casca]]. It's not Guts' [[Testosterone Poisoning|ultra-macho behaviour]] nor his ability to destroy a whole army single-handedly that made Casca fall for him, it's rather his righteousness, his consideration towards her as well as their [[Not So Different]] backgrounds. The series then deconstructs the trope cruelly [[It Got Worse|as the Eclipse goes down]] and {{spoiler|Griffith-turned-Femto brutally rapes Casca to insanity and taints her unborn child right in front of Guts}}. Yet Casca was attracted to Griffith because she thought he was a formidable man after [[Rescue Romance|he saved her from servitude and prostitution]]. The same can be said as for the Griffith-Charlotte couple.
* ''[[Gunnm]]'' plays with this trope a bit. Alita falls like a brick for the idealistic and sweet boy Yugo, but he isn't much into her and turns out to be {{spoiler|a spine thief}}. When Alita finds out however, she doesn't care. {{spoiler|And when Yugo finally seems ready to return Alita's feelings, he dies.}}
* In ''[[Baccano
* In ''[[
* In ''[[Battle Royale]]'', it's revealed that pretty much half the girls in class harbored a crush on protagonist Shuya (and he [[Oblivious to Love|was completely oblivious to it all]]). And to drive in the idea of how they seek a "good" man, Shuya is revealed to be one of the most [[Wide
** The "bad girls" in the class all fall into this category. They've all slept with numerous
* In ''[[H 2]]'', Haruka comments in an early chapter that all the guys she's ever liked have turned out to be jerks. Noticing the way she's looking at Hiro, his childhood friend Hikari comments "I don't think you're off this time". She isn't.
* In ''[[Axis Powers Hetalia]]'', we have the [[Action Girl]] Elisaveta/Hungary. She is head over heels in love with her ex-husband and current boyfriend, Roderich/Austria, who's a [[Neat Freak]] [[White Prince]]. "My heart is Austrian territory!", she tells to Seychelles in the original script of [[Dating Sim|Gakuen Hetalia]]. (Although she rarely minds [[Yaoi Fangirl|seeing him being felt up by other males]]...)
Line 46:
** Also, possibly one of the reasons for the [[Kuudere|Sweden]]/[[Cloudcuckoolander|Finland]] pairing being so popular. Sweden is afflicted with a bad case of [[Face of a Thug]], but he's very sweet and gentle underneath.
* ''[[Tokyo Mew Mew]]'' gives us Ichigo Momomiya, a sweet, slightly [[The Ditz|ditzy]] girl who has an adorable crush on, and eventually develops a romance with Masaya Aoyama, who's a really nice guy. Sort of subverted later, {{spoiler|as despite being a good-hearted person, Masaya is also her [[Mysterious Protector]]... '''''and''''' the [[Big Bad]]. But his and Ichigo's [[The Power of Love|love conquer it all in the end]].}}
* Allen Walker from ''[[D
* ''[[Shakugan no Shana]]'': It is Yuji Sakai's kind and friendly personality that draws both Shana and Kazumi toward him.
* [[Eureka Seven|Eureka]] falling for friendly and sensitive Renton for his good-nature fits this trope like a glove.
** And {{spoiler|Anemone falling for Dominic.}}
* Keiichi Morisato from ''[[Ah! My Goddess
* In ''[[Freezing]]'', the fact that Kazuya Aoi is respectful and kind towards the ''very'' troubled Satellizer makes her develop affection towards him.
* Lacus Clyne falls for [[Nice Guy]] and male [[Shrinking Violet]] Kira Yamato in ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam
* Oscar from ''[[Rose of Versailles]]'' develops a romance with Andre, who's described as a "very sensitive and passionate young man", and a "true working-class hero".
* One of the things that makes ''[[Kimi
* In ''[[
* ''[[Monkey High]]'': [[The Ojou|Dignified]], [[Defrosting Ice Queen|aloof]] Haruna falls for [[Keet|Macharu]]. Why? He was the first person who went out of his way to befriend her in spite of her cool demeanor. Plus, he's [[Adorkable]] and has a fun sense of humor that gets even Haruna.
* ''[[Rosario
* ''[[Spice and Wolf]]'': Holo sometimes makes unfavorable remarks about Lawrence's soft-heartedness, but his kindness is probably the main thing he has going for him. That said, she does cultivate him to be more assertive and outgoing to an extent. And she dislikes it when he holds back from risky business endeavors for her sake.
* ''[[Chrono Crusade]]'' plays this trope straight, with the [[Hot
* ''[[One Piece]]'':
*
** It is unlikely that ''any'' fictional character has tried harder to find a husband than Charlotte Lola has, having asked - at last count - 4452 men to marry her, including all of the male members of the Straw Hats, even the non-human Chopper and the undead Brook. They all said no. If [[Gonk| her appearance]] doesn't turn them away, her habit of coming on too strong will; it tends to be the first thing she asks upon meeting men. Luckily, she takes rejection in stride, and she still shows no signs of giving up.
*** Ironically, Charlotte left her mother's employ in order to escape an [[Arranged Marriage]], something Big Mom did with many of her daughters to extend her family's influence. Charlotte's attitude is, if she ''ever'' marries, it will be to someone ''she'' chooses.
*** And {{spoiler|[[Earn Your Happy Ending| she ''finally'' succeeded on the 4453rd try]], with Goti (a member of Capone Bege's crew) falling in love with her, and their wedding illustated on the cover of chapter 993.}}
* ''[[Naruto]]'': While all the other girls like Sakura and Ino were drooling over "[[All Girls Want Bad Boys|bad boy]]" Sasuke, Hinata Hyuuga never even noticed him, preferring the nice, cheerful, neglected titular character, Naruto Uzumaki.
** Asuma Sarutobi is a [[Former Teen Rebel]], but by the time he got together with the local [[Team Mom]] Kurenai, he had matured into a well-loved [[Team Dad]].
* While Hikaru's attraction to Kyousuke Kasuga in ''[[Kimagure Orange Road]]'' comes from her accidentally seeing him use his [[Psychic Powers]] and thinking he's the most awesome guy around, Madoka's own crush on him comes from how Kyousuke is among the few males at their school [[No Guy Wants an Amazon|who treats her as a person instead of just fearing her.]] (Well, the other guy who does it from the start is Yusaku but he's smitten with Hikaru instead, while Hatta and Komatsu ''only'' start talking more to Madoka once Kyousuke does so.)
* [[Captain Tsubasa|Tsubasa Ohzora]] might be a member of the [[Chaste Teens]] Group, but outside of the soccer fields he's a very kind-hearted guy. No wonder Sanae and Kumi (and lots of nameless fangirls, in the TV series) fall in love with him. Double if you adhere to the [[Fanon]] theory about the old anime series having [[Ship Tease|a mostly implied]] [[Love Triangle]] between Tsubasa, Sanae, and "bad boy" Koujirou Hyuuga.
** Actually, the pilot manga chapter directly alluded to this trope. There ''was'' a [[Love Triangle]] between main guy Taro Tsubasa, main girl Aki Yamazaki (who'd later become Sanae) and [[Hot
** There's also the sweet [[Fragile Flower]] Yoshiko. She's completely in love with Matsuyama, a kind and responsible [[Team Dad]].
* ''[[
* The flighty and boy-crazy Sonoko Suzuki from ''[[Detective Conan]]'' ultimately swears by the trope as her long-distance boyfriend is the [[Adorkable]] [[Gentle Giant]] Makoto Kyougoku. Her best friend Ran Mouri does so too, as the guy she likes is the [[Amateur Sleuth]] Shinichi Kudou who is very protective of his loved ones and has a strong sense of justice (And unbeknownst to them, he's living with her... as her sort-of little brother Conan Edogawa)
** And recently, {{spoiler|local [[Action Girl]] Miwako Satou}} joned the group, by {{spoiler|choosing [[Nice Guy]] Takagi over [[White Prince]] Shiratori.}}
*** Not to say that {{spoiler|Shiratori is a Bad Boy. He's a bit of a jerk, but he's an honest cop, a quality that he's had ever since he was a child... Which helps him win the heart of local [[Hot Teacher]] Sumiko Kobayashi, who he [[Rescue Romance|helped]] when they were children}}.
* Genderflipped in ''[[Toradora
* ''[[Hana
* In ''[[Tiger and Bunny]]'', Karina ends up falling for the [[Humble Hero|selfless]], [[The Messiah|hyper-]][[Chronic Hero Syndrome|compassionate]] Kotetsu. Likewise, Tomoe (Kotetsu's late wife) started warming up to him once it became apparent that the supposed [[Delinquent]] was skipping classes to perform after school superheroics rather than to get into pointless fights like she assumed.
* ''[[Honoo no Alpen Rose]]'' has the kind and sweet Jeudi falling since the beginning for the [[Nice Guy]] Lundi, despite the Count's pursuing and the appearance of [[Teen Genius]] Leonhardt.
* Shiranui Hansode in ''[[Medaka Box]]'' loves Zenkichi because he is [[Nice Guy|"too sweet to stomach"]]. He is the one person she would never truly betray. [[I Want My Beloved to Be Happy|She's even willing to support his attempts to woo Medaka]] even though she ''hates'' Medaka.
* ''[[D.N.Angel]]'' has every female fall for the phantom thief Dark, with the exception of {{spoiler|Riku Harada}} who falls in love with the [[Nice Guy|sweet, good-natured Daisuke.]]
* ''Gakuen Babysitters'': The protagonist Ryuuichi Kashima is shown to be incredibly popular with girls due to his [[Nice Guy]] behavior and [[Friend to All Children|fondness for kids]]. In particular, [[Shrinking Violet|Ushimaru]] is shown to be smitten with him, and [[Tsundere|Inomata]] [[Defrosting Ice Queen|defrosts]] upon seeing his hard work in taking care of the kids at the academy.
* This trope is consistent regarding all the couples in ''[[Junjou Romantica]]'', be it for one or both parties.
* ''Osomatsu-san'': In "Jyushimatsu Falls in Love", [[Broken Bird|The Country Girl]] fell for [[Keet|Jyushimatsu]] because [[Must Make Her Laugh|he made her laugh]] and thus [[Rescue Romance|saved her]] from [[Driven to Suicide|committing suicide]]. {{spoiler|[[Did Not Get the Girl|They didn't end up together]], sadly, but that was more because of personal circumstances keeping them apart.}}
** Really, this applies to all the brothers: The main reason they can't get a girlfriend is because they're [[Jerkass|rude]], [[No Social Skills|socially inept]], and all around [[Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonist|terrible people]].
* Despite her dislike of muscular guys, Hibiki Sakura from ''[[How Heavy Are the Dumbells You Lift?]]'' falls in love with the bodybuilder Naruzo Machio because of his good nature.
* Despite Souma Mizuno from ''[[Fire in His Fingertips]]'' being [[A Man Is Always Eager|quite assertive when it comes to sex]], Ryo Fujihashi falls in love and eventually becomes his girlfriend because of his reliability and likes her for who she is unlike her last boyfriend who broke up with her [[Toilet Seat Divorce|just because she wanted to go to the same college as him.]] Likewise when he tried to change himself to be good enough for her, she changed him back, liking him the way he is.
== Comic Books ==
* ''[[Blacksad]]'' has Alma Mayer who simply wants a man who will be dedicated enough to bring her to Niagara Falls.
* Jean Grey choosing Cyclops in ''[[X-Men (Comic Book)|X-Men]]'' over Wolverine. (Before she died, anyway.)
* Diamondback, a villainess member of the Serpent Society, dated [[Captain America (comics)]] and offered to drop crime for him on their first meeting. She took awhile getting around to it, but she [[Heel Face Turn|did do it]].
* [[Fantastic Four|The Invisible Woman]] always chooses to remain with her husband, [[The Smart Guy|Mr. Fantastic]], instead of indulging in her physical attraction to [[Bad Boy|Namor the Sub-Mariner]].
* Although [[Catwoman]] sometimes gets sick of [[Batman]]'s sense of honor, she is in love with him because of his righteousness and kindness towards her.
** Earth-2 Catwoman fell for Batman (after she had
* Also from the Batman comic books, Stephanie Brown (Spoiler/[[Batgirl 2009
* In ''[[Watchmen]]'', Laurie eventually realizes that Jon really loves her. Although his detachment from humanity caused him to be used as a walking murder weapon during the Vietnam war, she's attracted to his omniscience, his virility and his power over her. She also realizes that, as a god, he's unable to care for her the way a normal guy could. So she ends up with {{spoiler|the nerdy, mild-mannered, fat, balding, initially impotent Dan Dreiberg, and they live happily ever after}}.
* Lois Lane (eventually) for Clark Kent, before she found out he was also [[Superman]]. That freaked her out a little, but she decided that since he's still a [[Nice Guy]] and Clark is his natural personality, it would be foolish to throw him over.
* [[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]], after seven seasons of screwing two "good" (according to her screwed-up definition of soul + dead + still walking + penis + about as old as Independent America = good) vampires, a genetically-altered idiot soldier, and a one-night stand with a college sleazeball, she goes after the one good man who had pined for her way back in high school. Only to find that he was now in love with her little sister, Dawn.
* In ''Jennifer Blood'', the title character fell in love with and married a mild-mannered, goofy, and good-natured accountant precisely because he was the opposite of every
* [[Rose-Haired Girl|Henrietta]] from ''[[Minimonsters]]'' follows this trope to a T. She used to be a [[The Woobie|perpetually depressed]] [[Broken Bird]] who had to deal with being an [[Ill Girl]] {{spoiler|and having a particularly vicious [[Super-Powered Evil Side]] [[Split Personality Takeover|trying to take over]]}}. After meeting the [[Nice Guy|nice]], [[Adorkable]] genius [[Dogged Nice Guy|Frank]], who helps her {{spoiler|deal with the aforementioned [[Super-Powered Evil Side]]}}, she falls head over heels for him and becomes much happier and cheerful. It's an interesting contrast with the other main girls, [[Cute Witch|Piruja]] and [[Perky Goth|Guillotine]], who follow the [[All Girls Want Bad Boys]] trope instead.
== Fairy Tales ==
* In ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20131204113312/http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/authors/grimms/57goldenbird.html The Golden Bird]'', the prince who brings back the golden bird for his father also brings back a princess; when his brothers try to kill him and threaten her, she does not stop grieving until the prince returns alive. Similarly in ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20130718151331/http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/firebird/stories/birdgrip.html The Bird Grip]'' and ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20060523212750/http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/firebird/index.html Tsarevitch Ivan, the Fire Bird and the Gray Wolf]''.
** In some versions, the other brothers try to force the princess to marry one of them. She keeps them away by clawing at the eyes of whoever comes near her, but quickly recognizes the youngest brother when no one else does and welcomes him back.
* In ''[http://www.mythfolklore.net/andrewlang/392.htm The Golden Mermaid]'', the mermaid refuses to leave the body of the murdered youngest son, who actually carried out [[The Quest]], even when his older brothers threaten her.
* ''[[Beauty and The Beast]]'' has this trope written all over it. The heroine is terrified at first by the Beast's monstrous appearance, but eventually falls in love with him when she realizes that [[True Beauty Is
** She falls in love with him after he underwent serious [[Character Development]] to overcome his selfishness and temper. He truly learned to love her, and became gentle, even {{spoiler|a [[I Want My Beloved to Be Happy]] and a [[Disney Death]]}}.
Line 103 ⟶ 112:
== Films -- Live-Action ==
* In the 1956 film classic ''High Society'', [[Rich Bitch]] Tracy Samantha Lord (played by [[Grace Kelly]]) falls in love with Mike Connor, a bad-boy-type reporter (played by [[Frank Sinatra]]) sent to cover her wedding with George Kittredge, (a more strict man, played by John Lund) while being wooed by her ex-husband, C.K. Dexter-Haven (a [[Nice Guy]] played by [[Bing Crosby]]). George is angry at Tracy, but Dexter forgives him, and the wedding ceremony that was meant to be for Tracy and George ends up being for Tracy and Dexter instead (to make up for the fact that they initially eloped).
* ''[[X-Men (
* In ''[[The Adventures of Robin Hood (
* In ''[[The Rocketeer (
** Well, that he's phony, and that he's {{spoiler|a Nazi spy.}}
* In ''[[Who Framed Roger Rabbit?]]'', Jessica is madly in love with Roger, for the reason cited above. After Eddie saved the day, she gave him a cool "My hero" and pounced on Roger for a [[Sickeningly Sweethearts]] moment.
** Furthermore, when Eddie incredulously asks for confirmation that she's married to Roger, [[Betty Boop]] responds with "What a lucky gal."
* Neha, the heroine of the Bollywood movie ''Dostana'' doesn't end up with either of the two good-looking guys, Sam and Kunal, who are willing to lie and cheat their way into her heart. She falls for Abhi instead, a kind family man.
* In ''[[Just Friends (
* In ''Rab ne Banadi Jodi'', the heroine chooses her nerdy Husband over the [[Jerk
* ''[[
* Most of [[Tyler Perry]]'s movies have this. Usually the woman is someone who has serious problems (i.e. on drugs, single parent) and resists at first, then falls in love.
* From ''Where The Heart Is'', Novalee was initially with her [[Jerkass]] boyfriend Willy Jack, having no one else and carrying his baby at the time, until he [[Kick the Dog|abandoned her at a Wal-Mart.]] Ultimately, she fell in love with {{spoiler|and married}} Forney, the local librarian.
Line 119 ⟶ 128:
* The titlular ''Honey'' starring Jessica Alba, was attracted to the sweet and friendly barber compared to the big-time producer who made unwanted sexual advances to her and then fired her when she declined.
* Isabel and Donald in ''Mozart and the Whale''. In this case there was no question of choosing a bad boy over Donald. The problem was that they were ''both'' autistic and thus constantly [[Tear Jerker|and very painfully]] stepping on each others emotional toes.
* In ''[[
* In ''[[Tucker and Dale Versus Evil]]'' Allison rebuffs [[Jerkass|Chad's]] creepy advances and eventually falls in love with the awkward yet decent hillbilly [[Nice Guy|Dale]].
* In [[Kate and Leopold]] Kate says that Leopold is handsome, honest, courteous. Stands when you walk in a room. Brings you brioche in bed. She realizes that he is someone who came along who knew exactly what she wanted without asking.
* In ''[[Captain America:
* In ''[[The Whole Nine Yards]]'', Jimmy "The Tulip's" wife Cynthia falls for Oz mostly because he's a really nice guy.
* In ''[[The Mask]]'', Tina falls in love with [[Nice Guy]] Stanley Ipkiss. At the end, when Stanley asks her if she really wants him to get rid of the Mask since that means she'll be stuck with just him, she promptly throws the Mask into the river herself.
* Victor and Ilsa in [[Casablanca]]. Rick counts too, [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold]] that he is.
* ''The World's End'': [[The Chick|Sam]] proves to have outgrown her teenage [[All Girls Want Bad Boys]] mentality when she chooses [[Nice Guy|Steven]] over [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold|Gary]].
== Literature ==
* In [[Jane Austen]]'s ''[[Pride and Prejudice]]'', while Darcy's apparent arrogance puts Elizabeth off, she is won over by the revelation of his actual dealings with Wickham, [[Nice to
** Indeed, all her heroines are won by good men. Usually after being temporarily interested in and/or pursued by thorough cads.
* ''[[
* Faramir in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' wins Eowyn this
* In ''The Unhandsome Prince'' by John Moore, the character who insists she is entitled to marry a handsome prince is shocked and repelled by one brother of the unhandsome prince she disenchanted; she seriously considers marrying the unhandsome prince. As he has fallen in love with someone else in the meantime, she ends up marrying the third brother, who is both handsome and nice.
* In [[Piers Anthony]]'s ''[[
* In ''[[Harry Potter]]'', female lead Hermione Granger has a long-running [[Belligerent Sexual Tension]]-style attraction to fundamentally good guy Ron Weasley. The thing that finally pushes her to [[Geeky Turn On|kiss him senseless]]? It's when Ron realizes in a panic that the House Elves are unprotected during the Battle of Hogwarts. Which is this trope to an almost absurd level, since the welfare of House Elves has long been a moral cause close to Hermione's heart, and one that had opened her up to general ridicule in previous books (''especially'' from Ron). Although it's worth pointing out there's a difference between forcing unwanted freedom on them, and trying to make sure they don't get killed.
** And even Hermione's brief love interest Viktor Krum, although he's introduced as an intimidating world-class athlete from a rival school, turns out to be a pretty nice guy.
Line 139 ⟶ 149:
** On the flip side, the two biggest cases of lust instead of love - Riddle Sr. and Merope and Bellatrix and Voldemort - all involve men that are ''very'' not nice. Riddle Sr. was shown to be extremely shallow and cruel, and had no qualms about abandoning his unborn child.
* From the [[Star Wars Expanded Universe]]: it is explicitly stated several times in profic (and a lot more in fanfic, but that's us mushy shippers for you) that this is exactly why [[Kuudere|Mara Jade]] fell in love with Luke Skywalker; she admires his idealism, honor, and willingness to give most everyone a second chance. In [[Outbound Flight|Survivor's Quest]] she affectionately calls him "[[Farm Boy]]", and says in the narration that she's both exasperated by and loves the fact that he's always four or five rungs higher up on the [[Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism]] than she or almost anyone else is.
** This is a large part of why Maris Ferasi, who was in a relationship with a coarse, suspicious smuggler, idolized [[Outbound Flight|Commander Mitth'raw'nuruodo]]. She saw him as like the high-minded people she knew in school, but the ''mature'' version, grounded in reality. [[Cultured Warrior|Cultured]], [[Omniglot|intelligent]], [[Officer and
* In [[John Hemry]]'s ''A Just Determination'', [[Incorruptible Pure Pureness|Paul Sinclair]] testifies on behalf of a captain whom he neither liked nor respected, did not think a good officer, and never wanted to serve under again, because while the man had done wrong,
* [[Edgar Rice Burroughs]]'s heroines chose the hero for his heroic
* In the [[Doctor Who Expanded Universe]] [[Eighth Doctor Adventures]], Trix falls in love with Fitz because he's honest and trustworthy. The degree to which these particular positive traits are only relative to the fact she's a bit of a [[Femme Fatale]] and a [[Master of Disguise]] to boot is debatable, but he is indeed caring, sensitive, and dependable. He's also a consummate [[Deadpan Snarker]], a [[Man Child]] to the point of getting on her nerves, and a [[Chivalrous Pervert]], but all told, he is indeed a good man.
* From ''[[Holes]]'', we have Miss Katherine who fell for Sam the onion man because he was a generally friendly [[Nice Guy]], compared to Trout Walker, who was rich, disrespectful, loud, and stupid. [[Star
** We also have Sarah, who married the sweet Eliya Yelnats despite the fact that he was apparently cursed. Eliya himself could be considered a gender-flipped version, since he initially pursued the idiotic Myra and ended up [[Happily Married]] to the sensible and capable Sarah.
* The "Beta Male" theory is explained in detail in ''[[
* In the ''[[Dresden Files]]'', Margaret La Fey ultimately found happiness with Malcolm Dresden, who is always described as a genuinely good guy.
* This was Christopher Stasheff's in-story explanation for why gorgeous [[Heroes Want Redheads|redheaded]] [[Hot Witch|witch]] Gwen chose to marry "lean, well-muscled, ugly" Rod Gallowglass:
{{quote|
* In the ''Mage Storms'' trilogy of the ''[[Heralds of Valdemar]]'' series, this more or less sums up [[Nice Guy]] Karal and [[Genki Girl]] Natoli's relationship, although neither realizes it at
* In [[Patricia
* In ''[[
* ''[[In Death]]'': Even though Eve and Roarke's relationship may have started out as [[All Girls Want Bad Boys]], it seems to have turned into this. Coltraine and Alex Ricker had an [[All Girls Want Bad Boys]] relationship, but she broke that off, and got together with Li Morris, the relationship of which clearly has this trope written all over it.
* ''Sisterhood'' series by [[Fern Michaels]]: After getting rid of their cold-blooded murderer bad boyfriends, Countess Anne de Silva and Isabelle Flanders are single once again. In the book ''Home Free'', Anne forms a relationship with Fergus Duffy and Isabelle forms a relationship with Abner Tookus. Fergus and Abner are geniune good men.
* ''[[Wuthering Heights (
* In [[Edgar Rice Burroughs]]'s ''[[
* In [[
* In ''[[
* [[Vorkosigan Saga]] has some rather complicated versions of this. Cordelia falls for Aral who is a dark and rather Gothic character at first glance and has a [[Dark and Troubled Past]]. But he is at heart a good man.
**Alys falls for Simon who is in [[The Spymaster|a dirty business]], but personally a devoted lover.
**Tej falls for Ivan who has a [[Ladykiller in Love|questionable personal life]] but is always loyal to his friends and his honor. And certainly does treat her like a gentleman.
***Given the selection back on Tej's homeworld, Ivan is a saint.
**There are a few straighter examples. Emperor Gregor is just plain nice and Laisa goes for him whether or not he is an Emperor.
== Live-Action TV ==
Line 164 ⟶ 178:
* ''[[Friends]]'': At first, Rachel did not know [[Romantic False Lead|Paolo]] was a nasty guy. When she realised he was, she complained to Ross that what she really wants is a nice guy, a sweet, caring guy etc. IIRC she did this more than once before they finally got together. Also Monica dated the [[Badass]] from her high school days and got to ride his motorcycle... but he hadn't ever grown out of that old persona and still lived with his parents, so she relished dumping him. And her two main long-term boyfriends in the show were Richard and Chandler, who both fit the "Nice Guy" stereotype pretty well.
** Don't forget Pete. Sure, he's a little obsessed, but he was still "stupidly charming", as he described himself, and also a billionaire who took Monica to Italy for pizza on their first date. (At least until he went crazy.)
* Charlotte from ''[[Sex and
** Two factors certainly helped. One, he was her divorce lawyer and sort-of emotional anchor. Two, [[Kavorka Man|despite his average looks he was VERY good in bed.]]
** Both Miranda and Samantha's respective men, Steve and Smith, fit this as well. Smith was as sweet and loyal as he was [[Ms. Fanservice|Mr. Fanservice]], and Steve is the embodiment of what women say when they wish they could meet a nice man. Big... never at any point resembled this trope.
* In ''[[
** While Prue is known to have been attracted to [[All Girls Want Bad Boys|bad boys]], the only man she was ever in love with was her season one [[Cop Boyfriend]] Andy, who pretty much fits the "Nice Guy" stereotype to a tee.
* In ''[[Beauty and
* In ''[[Firefly]]'' Kaylee has a crush on Simon. Simon can't figure out what to do about it.
** Also, Zoe is [[Happily Married]] to Wash, who is decidedly not a bad boy.
Line 175 ⟶ 189:
* In ''[[Chuck]]'', Sarah Walker is a [[Action Girl|tough, fighting-geared spy]] who falls in love with the show's titular character, a nice, caring, normal guy who she's protecting.
* Rachel and Quinn both choose the sweet, [[The Ditz|ditzy]] Finn over the [[Troubled but Cute]] Puck in ''[[Glee]]''.
* Amy with Rory from [[
{{quote|
* Guinevere from ''[[Merlin (TV series)|Merlin]]'' shows no interest in prattish Arthur whatsoever until he begins to show some humility.
* Mildred Hubble in ''Weirdsister College'' found herself attracted to the bad boy and [[Jerkass]] Nick Hobbes but eventually chose nice guy Ben instead.
* In [[Magnum,
* Anna on ''[[Downton Abbey]]'', who believes her love Mr Bates is a good man even when he doesn't.
* ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' deconstructs and then reconstructs the trope. Buffy definitely has a thing for bad boys and when she tries to have a relationship with nice guy Riley it doesn't work out because he feels he can't compare to Angel, and Buffy clearly doesn't love him like she loved Angel and later Spike. The reconstruction comes in when we see that, while Buffy does need some darkness in her men, she really does want a good man as she only truly falls in love with Spike after his full [[Heel Face Turn]].
Line 189 ⟶ 203:
== Music ==
* The premise of the Joan Baez song "If I Knew" which is
Line 198 ⟶ 212:
== Video Games ==
* Almaz's eventual marriage to [[Ax Crazy]] Princess Sapphire in ''[[Disgaea]] 3'' qualifies. Also linked to [[Laser
* In ''[[Odin Sphere]]'', Gwendolyn started out hating Oswald (her marriage was a punishment and Oswald was once her enemy), but she eventually discovers his true colors. He's a [[Jerk
* In ''[[Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots]]'' there are two examples. There's {{spoiler|Naomi}} who fell for {{spoiler|Otacon}} and then there's {{spoiler|Meryl}} who fell for and married {{spoiler|Johnny who turned out to be a good guy.}}
* Subverted in ''[[Wallace and Gromit|Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures]]'', Felicity Flitt who at first had a thing for Wallace (who is a very nice guy) even commenting on how she likes his kindness and selflessness, {{spoiler|1=in the end goes for the [[Jerkass]] Duncan McBiscuit (who was always trying to woo her)}}. Mind that [[Chaste Hero|Wallace]] [[Allergic to Love|is relieved by this]].
* Accounts for some of the appeal of Alistair's [[Romance Sidequest]] in ''[[Dragon Age]] Origins''.
Line 213 ⟶ 227:
** Eliwood, Guy, Heath, Wil, Kent, Erk, Harken, Lowen, Matthew, and Lord Pent from FE 7.
** Prince Ephraim, Artur, Seth, Franz, Joshua, Ross, Forde, Saleh and Kyle from FE 8.
*** And played with in the case of Gerik. He has the ''perfect'' Bad Boy appearance (well-toned body, a sexy scar across his face, [[Badass
** Geoffrey and Haar in FE 9 and 10.
* ''[[Final Fantasy VII]]''. [[Victorious Childhood Friend|Tifa]] loves Cloud for the shy awkward guy that he is, rather than the faux badass persona he displays through the early parts of the game.
Line 220 ⟶ 234:
* This is exactly why Alicia Melchiott and Juno Coren fall for the sweet, peaceful, nature-loving Welkin Gunther in ''[[Valkyria Chronicles]]''.
** Also: Lynn and Karl, Varrot and Largo, and Edy and Homer, if their [[Ship Tease]] is anything to go by. ''And'' Rosie and Zaka in the anime. Heck, even [[Dark Action Girl|Selvaria]]'s feelings for Maximillian stem from the fact that {{spoiler|he saved her from a [[Fate Worse Than Death]] at a young age}}.
* Jaheira's marriage to Khalid in ''[[
* Colette and Sheena, the two female leads in ''[[
* Pretty much any girl that falls for [[The Legend of Zelda|Link]], considering that most of them only know him because he saves their butts from whatever evil is at hand.
* In the ''[[Tokimeki Memorial]]'' series, the kinder, the more affectionate, and the more attentive you are towards basically all the winnable girls of the series, the deeper they will fall in love with you. But this is especially true with the [[Broken Bird]] characters of the lot, {{spoiler|Mira Kagami}}, Kaori Yae, and {{spoiler|Hotaru Izumi}}, who have been burned by [[Love Hurts|previous painful experiences with others]] (the first being on a {{spoiler|[[Revenge of the Nerd]]}} crusade after continuous heartbreak, the second having suffered of {{spoiler|[[Et Tu, Brute?]] after [[Taking the Heat]]}}, and the third still suffering of
* All of the [[Love Interests]] for the Female Protagonist in ''[[Persona 3]] [[Updated Rerelease|Portable]]'' are this. To wit, Akihiko Sanada is standoffish and [[Oblivious to Love]] but mostly is because he's still hurting from his [[Dead Little Sister]], Shinjiro Aragaki has a [[Badass]] exteror but has a [[Hidden Heart of Gold]], Ryoji Mochizuki is a [[Casanova Wannabe]] but is kind hearted and Ken Amada is a [[Cute Shotaro Boy]] with a [[Precocious Crush]]. (And if you count [[Mission Control|Theodore]] as a love interest of sorts, he also qualifies here.)
* Similarly, in ''[[Persona 4]]'' the [[Silent Protagonist]] will get the affections of the girls with more ease when he shows them kindness and understanding, thus helping them resolve their issues.
* The trend is repeated in ''Persona 5''. The protagonist may be a cocky [[Phantom Thief]] with a (albeit undeserved) criminal record, but the reason the girls fall for him is because he's a [[Nice Guy|sweet, compassionate person]] who goes his way and beyond to help them with their issues.
* In [[Guilty Gear]], Elphelt's entire theme suggests she's trying to find a husband. She dresses like a bride, and many of her attacks have a wedding-theme, like a bouquet used as a sword, popping champagne like a projectile, and placing the opponent on wedding cake, which she slices in two. Her OTK move is a shotgun version of a [[Love Potion]], forcing the opponent to fall in love with her. Sadly, while this last move assures victory, it does not assure capitulation, especially with characters like Venom and Zato, who are in love with someone else.
== Webcomics ==
* In ''[[The Inexplicable Adventures of Bob]]'', Jean has said that the reason she fell for Bob is that he is a "genuinely nice guy,'' although she does frequently complain that he's not very bright.
* In ''[[Sinfest]]'', Fuschia's attraction to Criminy is due to [https://web.archive.org/web/20110629031640/http://www.sinfest.net/archive_page.php?comicID=3077 his kind hearted nature]. That and [[What Beautiful Eyes!|his eyes]].
* Haley Starshine's love for Elan in ''[[Order of the Stick]]'', very much so. She describes him as [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0772.html "the best man
** Inverted and lampshaded [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0794.html here], with [[All Girls Want Bad Boys]].
{{quote|
* In ''Long Exposure'', this is the basis for [[Official Couple|Mitch and Jonas]]'s relationship. [[Loving Bully|Mitch]] fell for Jonas when he told him he liked him [[All of the Other Reindeer|when no one else did]]. [[Lovable Nerd|Jonas]] was put off by Mitch's bullying behavior, and only started reciprocating when Mitch [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold|showed his inner kindness underneath his mean exterior]].
* ''[[Sakana]]'' has these examples:
** A guy-guy example: {{spoiler|After [[Nice Guy|Taisei]] treats him as his friend despite his [[Jerkass]] behavior and shoves him with genuine compliments, [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold|Yuudai]] finds himself attracted to him in less than a day, enough to defend him when someone treats him rudely. And like [[One Piece|Boa Hancock]] above, there is a [[Because You Were Nice to Me|sad]], [[Domestic Abuse|sad]] [[Dark and Troubled Past|reason]] [[Tear Jerker|for this]].}}
** If there's one thing the local [[Town Girls]] have in common, is that they subscribe to this trope. "Cashier Girl"/{{spoiler|Chie}} has been interested in [[Nice Guy|Jiro]] {{spoiler|ever since she was a kid}}. Her sister "Angry Lady"/{{spoiler|Mori}} broke up with her [[Your Cheating Heart|cheating]] [[Disposable Fiancé|fiancé]] and is [[Ship Tease|frequently shipped]] with Jiro's brother [[Hot-Blooded|Taro]] who, [[Hair-Trigger Temper|issues aside]], is a [[Nice Guy]] [[Birds of a Feather|who has a lot in common with her]]. The sisters' friend Sango, meanwhile, has a very evident crush on the [[Nice Guy|lovable]] [[Funny Foreigner]] [[Significant Green-Eyed Redhead|Jan]].
== Western Animation ==
* There was an episode of ''[[All Grown Up!]]'' where Betty said something along the lines of "All girls date a Z, but then they settle down and marry a Howie."
** Though this episode was a subversion overall-everyone but Kimi thought Z was a badboy, but he was a genuinely nice, if quiet, guy who just liked to dress a
* ''[[My Life
* ''[[Kim Possible]]'' dated the nice guys. [[My Girl Is Not a Slut|The two of them]].
* The reason Aelita fell for Jeremie in ''[[Code Lyoko]]'' seems to be his persistence in helping and trying to make her happy without seeking thanks or reward.
* Heloise, the sadistic [[Mad Scientist|girl genius]] who works for a company that brings misery to others in Miseryville; falls for the sweet, [[The Pollyanna|optimistic]], ''[[Jimmy Two-Shoes]]''. According to [[Word of God]], one reason is that there's "something about sweet, innocent guys that appeals to the last shred of humanity in her". [https://web.archive.org/web/20111225030519/http://edwardkay.net/blog/2009/04/30/illustrator-wanted-jimmy-two-shoes-goes-to-asia-oz/comment-page-1
* ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]''
** Also Mai seems to have been attracted to Zuko in the first place, exactly because he was not a megalomanic [[Aristocrats Are Evil|evil aristocrat]] like his father and his sister. They only get back together after he gets over his anger issues (during the [[Troubled but Cute]] phase he is in for the early half of the series) and returns to being a nice friendly young prince. While she's seriously pissed about him leaving in the dark of the night to join the Avatar, she's impressed enough by his descision to do the right thing that she fights Azula to cover his escape.
** Ty Lee, who was also inspired by Mai's aforementioned turn to finally revolt against Azula as well, has typical Fire Nation college party dudes dreaming about being with her. Yet who's she got a crush on? [[Plucky Comic Relief|Sokka]].
** In ''[[The Legend of Korra]]'', both [[The Hero|Korra]] and [[The Ojou|Asami]] settle for this after their failed relationships with [[Tall, Dark and Handsome|Mako]]. {{spoiler|Uniquely, this makes [[Bi the Way|both girls]] [[Official Couple|fall for each other and become a couple]].}}
* In ''[[Codename: Kids Next Door]]'', there are three examples of this:
** [[Genki Girl|Numbuh 3]] gets exasperated whenever [[The Napoleon|Numbuh 4]] acts like a [[Jerkass]]. Instead, she loves him for his [[Hidden Heart of Gold|inner]] [[Tsundere|kindness]] and [[Pet the Dog|sweetness]] towards her. It goes also the other way around: He loves her because she's a [[The Cutie|cute]], [[Kawaiiko|adorable]] [[Nice Guy|sweetheart]], fully confirmed when he shows nothing but scorn at her [[Jerkass]] [[Evil Counterpart|Negative Counterpart]]. {{spoiler|They end up [[Happily Married]], obviously.}}
** [[The Quiet One|Numbuh 5]] had a slight [[Precocious Crush|crush]] on [[Nice Guy]] Maurice. Also, [[Ship Tease|subtle hints]] indicate {{spoiler|she loves [[Pungeon Master|Numbuh 2]], an [[Adorkable]] [[Nice Guy]] who also fits this trope by going after her after pinning up for her evil older sister. They end up [[Happily Married]] too.}}
** Both his {{spoiler|ex-}}girlfriend [[Clingy Jealous Girl|Lizzie]] and [[Reasonable Authority Figure|Numbuh 362]] love [[The Hero|Numbuh 1]] very much, who is an [[Sugar and Ice Personality|aloof sweetheart]]. {{spoiler|In his case, he ends up with [[Did Not Get the Girl|none of them]], since he was in space at that point.}}
* The only problem that ''[[Phineas and Ferb]]'' fans can find with Candace's [[Love Interest]] Jeremy is that he's so ''ridiculously'' nice that he seems ''too'' perfect. Which is probably good, because a less calm and understanding guy might not be able to handle a girl as neurotic and excitable as her.
** For that matter, we could probably count [[The Chick|Isabella]] and [[Oblivious to Love|Phineas]] for the [[Toy Ship]] version, or Linda and Lawrence for a [[Happily Married]] take on this.
* In ''[[Winx Club]]'', Bloom, Flora, Tecna, Layla/Aisha, and even Stella's [[Love Interest
* In ''[[Hey Arnold!]]'', [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold|Helga]] [[Tsundere|Pataki]]'s relationship with Arnold plays this trope. Her crush started when, after [[Parental Neglect|her parents]] forget to get her to kindergarten (due to them being busy [[Parental Favoritism|wooing]] her [[Stepford Smiler|seemingly perfect sister]] [[Broken Ace|Olga]]) on a rainy day, [[Nice Guy|Arnold]] [[Because You Were Nice to Me|gave her an umbrella, complimented her trademark bow, and gave her his snacks for lunch, giving her the attention she needed for the first time]]. From them on, she has adored him, but [[Broken Bird|her massive issues]] prevent her from showing it, resorting to [[Loving Bully|bullying him]] to cover it.
** Arnold himself is an example of the gender-flipped version. He had many crushes on seemingly lovely girls, and he grew out of them when they showed either [[Bitch in Sheep's Clothing|they're not as nice as they seemed]] (Summer) or simply [[All Love Is Unrequited|don't reciprocate his feelings]] (Lila). More to the point, it's seen in many episodes he would return Helga's affections if she just stopped to be so bullying and mean to him and showed her [[Hidden Heart of Gold|sweet, kindhearted true self]] to him. {{spoiler|Which is fully confirmed in ''The Jungle Movie'', as Arnold finally reciprocates her feelings when she fully shows her noble personality, and they become an [[Official Couple]] at last.}}
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Love Tropes]]
[[Category:Single Woman Seeks Good Man]]
|