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{{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?]]''}}
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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 Scientist's Beautiful Daughter]] often feels conflicting loyalties between the hero and her father, and has to learn the extent of his evil before she is willing to support the hero whole-heartedly.
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.
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Or they face no internal problems, but external forces try to tear them apart. [[Star-Crossed Lovers]] frequently fall under this, as does [[It's Not You, It's My Enemies]]. This was particularly popular in the 1700s when romantic comedies were typically not stories about falling in love, but stories about getting married without being written out of the will.
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]].
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* ''[[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!]]'', [[Scars Are Forever|scarred]] [[Pyromaniac]] [[Kuudere|Nice Holystone]] is in a relationship with her [[Victorious Childhood Friend|longtime friend]] Jacuzzi Splot, who has got to be the [[Chaste Hero|most]] [[Apologizes a Lot|nonthreatening]] [[Sorry I Fell on Your Fist|man]] [[The Messiah|in]] [[Martyr Without a Cause|America]]
* In ''[[Ai Yori Aoshi]]'', [[Memetic Mutation|everyone is]]
* 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-Eyed Idealist|idealistic]], [[The Messiah|naive, kind-hearted]] boys in the entire series.
** 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]]...)
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* In ''[[Future GPX Cyber Formula]]'', Asuka Sugo doesn't return the affections of the [[Royal Brat]] rich kid and racer Randoll, she instead went for the sometimes temperamental but [[Nice Guy]] Hayato, who also happens to be her [[Victorious Childhood Friend|longtime friend]].
* ''[[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-Blooded]] [[Tsundere]] [[Action Girl]] Rosette and the [[Shrinking Violet]] [[Nice Guy]] Chrono, who also qualify as a mild example of [[Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy]].
* ''[[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]].
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** 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!]]''; The protagonist Ryuuji is actually interested in the bright and cheerful Minori in contrast to most of his male classmates, who are smitten with [[Lovable Alpha Bitch]] Ami Kawashima instead. {{spoiler|Of course, his interests change to Taiga as they get to know each other... though Taiga has to [[Character Development|tone down the worst part of her]] [[Tsundere
* ''[[Hana no Ko Lunlun]]'' is a [[Magical Girl]] series in which the titular heroine searches for a [[MacGuffin]] through Europe. The closest to a [[Love Interest]] that she has is a handsome photographer named Serge, who's a [[Nice Guy]] and some more and keeps helping her when she needs it.
* 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.
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* 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|Batgirl IV]]) was in a relationship with a sleazy douchebag who knocked her up and left her to fend for herself. Her next boyfriend was [[Nice Guy]] [[Robin|Tim Drake]], who took care of her during her pregnancy, brought her to birthing classes, and even crossed hundred of miles in one night just to see her at the hospital during her labour.
* 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.
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* 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 ==
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** Indeed, all her heroines are won by good men. Usually after being temporarily interested in and/or pursued by thorough cads.
* ''[[Audrey Wait]]'': All of the successful romantic leads are decent, all around reliable guys.
* 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 ''[[Xanth]]'', the Gorgon fell in love with the Good Magician Humphrey after he prevented her from turning everyone she saw to stone. So she went to his castle, where he would answer any question in return for a year's service, to ask, "Will you marry me?" He made her work the year. He explains to Dor that while he knew from the beginning that he would say "Yes," she was just infatuated with the man who had rescued her from her curse; after a year working for him, she would know him well and thus know whether ''she'' wanted to marry ''him''. A bit later, the Gorgon tells Dor she realized this and asks Dor what sort of man would do such a thing. Dor realizes that only a good man, a man worth marrying, would do such a thing. So they do.
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** 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 a Gentleman|noble]]... Of course, she's the [[Wide-Eyed Idealist]] character, and Thrawn's [[Draco in Leather Pants|much]] [[Shoot the Dog|darker]] [[Divide and Conquer|than]] [[Manipulative Bastard|that]], even if he does possess the qualities she sees. Thrawn does [[The Ishmael|tell Car'das]], who sees [[Magnificent Bastard|Thrawn]] a little more clearly, not to disillusion her, because true idealists are so rare, and he wouldn't want to be responsible for crushing even one.
* 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, the charges against him were [[Disproportionate Retribution|excessive]]. Jen Shen's original view of this is that it's crazy ... but on reflection, she finds it an attraction.
* [[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-Crossed Lovers|It doesn't end well for them,]] [[Tear Jerker|alas.]]
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* 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|[I]f a beautiful woman is betrayed often enough, she will begin to value trustworthiness, warmth, and affection more than romance. At least, she will if she is the kind of woman to whom love is the goal, and romance just the luxury....}}
* 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 A. McKillip]]'s ''The Book of Atrix Wolfe'', the [[Scullery Maid]] Saro is sent to deliver a tray of food to the prince in the haunted and half-ruined hall. She drops it; [[Nice to the Waiter|he takes the blame for startling her, especially after she had braved the ghosts and owls, and offers her a white lily]]. She goes back to the kitchen dreaming of him.
* In ''[[Crime and Punishment]]'', Dounia ends up marrying Razumihin instead of the rich but immoral Luhzin.
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* ''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 (novel)|Wuthering Heights]]'' deconstructs this along with [[All Girls Want Bad Boys]]. It shows that Catherine is unable to resist the attraction of bad boy Heathcliffe and how her attempting to keep a relationship with Edgar proves destructive for both of them.
* In [[Edgar Rice Burroughs]]'s ''[[The Monster Men]]'', Bulan's heroic defense of Virginia wins her
* In [[P. G. Wodehouse|PG Wodehouse]]'s ''Uneasy Money'', Bill's recovery from Claire's rejection occurs when he imagines the ideal girl she should have
* In ''[[The Last Dove]]'', Adrian is much more of a good man at heart, though he seems like a dark, evil Wolf at first.
* [[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 ==
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== Music ==
* The premise of the Joan Baez song "If I Knew" which is
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** 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.
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* Colette and Sheena, the two female leads in ''[[Tales of Symphonia]]'', are both in love with [[Nice Guy]] [[The Hero|Hero]] Lloyd Irving for this very reason.
* 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,
* 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|'''Sabine:''' Sure, women like me swoon for a hero, but that's only because deep down, [[I Can Change My Beloved|we think we can change them]]. But me, I'm done with that now. I want a nice, safe, reliable mass-murderer that I can depend on.}}
* 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 as a Teenage Robot]]'' hints that Jenny will eventually pick Sheldon because she's sick of smooth operators, and wants someone sweet and sincere. Sheldon walks by, and she greets him, still wondering where she can find someone like that. Confirmed by [[Word of God]] after the series' cancellation.
* ''[[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.}}
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[[Category:Love Tropes]]
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