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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 [['''Single Woman Seeks Good Man]]'''. This can range from liking his sense of humor, to appreciating his poetry skills, all the way to his [[Heroic Sacrifice]]. [[Rescue Romance]] is often a form of this. The [[Nice Guy]], [[The White Prince]], the [[Knight in Shining Armor]], the [[Nice Jewish Boy]], the male [[Shrinking Violet]], [[The Dutiful Son]], the [[Keet]], or the male [[The Pollyanna|Pollyanna]] wins the heroine's heart. Immature and hormonal souls may wonder [[What Does She See in Him?]], but the heroine is much more likely to end up [[Happily Ever After|happy]] this way.
 
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 she can change him with the power of [[Love Redeems|like-OMG true love]] -- after—after all, [[Reformed Rakes]] [[Blatant Lies|make the best husbands.]] Then he [[Kick the Dog|actually does something bad]], and she is shocked by his behavior. Or a crisis arises and the [[Miles Gloriosus]] fails where the hero rises to the occasion; this is a frequent complication of [[The So-Called Coward]] plot. This can also occur when they get together, and a [[Romantic False Lead]] appears to create complications.
 
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.
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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 relationship -- andrelationship—and since he's such a nice guy, he's not going to stomp on his current girlfriend's heart or go after someone who's already taken.
 
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]] -- at—at least [[Beware the Nice Ones|most]] [[Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass|of]] [[Let's Get Dangerous|the]] [[Cowardly Lion|time]], anyway...
* In ''[[Ai Yori Aoshi]]'', [[Memetic Mutation|everyone is]] [[Single Woman Seeks Good Man]] [[Harem|for Kaoru]].
* 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 sleazebags -- almostsleazebags—almost exclusively for cash, yet all they really want is a nice guy who cares about them. Hirono Shimizu is one of the aforementioned girls with a soft spot for Shuya; Yoshimi Yahagi is in love with her boyfriend Yoji Kuramoto, who despises the bad things she's done but loves her anyway. The most notable example, however, is the head honcho, [[The Vamp|Mitsuko Souma]]. She doesn't give a damn about any guy who lusts after her, but is deeply distressed when Yuichiro Takiguchi, the only person who was ever kind to her, dies.
* 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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** 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|Tsundereness]]ness ''and'' start resolving her issues with her family, for their relationship to work, thus acquiring her own set of [[Nice Girl]] traits.}} Taiga as well, in her attraction to [[Nice Guy]] Kitamura {{spoiler|and later to Ryuuji, who's a [[Nice Guy]] too.}}.
* ''[[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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* [[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 reformed -- thisreformed—this was not a [[Love Redeems]] situation).
* 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 man -- allman—all hardened ruthless criminals -- shecriminals—she had ever known in her life. In her own words, her husband is the kind of man her evil uncles would have dismissed as "weak", because he's the kind of man who makes society work instead of preying on it.
 
 
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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 way -- admittedlyway—admittedly from [[Loving a Shadow|a shadow]].
* 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 traits -- eventuallytraits—eventually. [[Culture Clash]] and misunderstandings complicate matters even on top of their usual [[Damsel in Distress]] separations.
* 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 first -- Karalfirst—Karal because he's too self-conscious, and Natoli because she's [[Gadgeteer Genius|more obsessed with technology]] than with boys. At least at first. They work it out in the end.
* 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 heart -- evenheart—even when she {{spoiler|thinks he's the [[Creating Life|product]] of her [[Mad Scientist]] father's experiments.}}
* 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 been -- bravebeen—brave, honest, kind -- [[Love Epiphany|and realizes that it matches Elizabeth]].
* In ''[[The Last Dove]]'', Adrian is much more of a good man at heart, though he seems like a dark, evil Wolf at first.
 
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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|Badassery]]ery)... but personality-wise he's a very serene and sweet-natured [[Team Dad]], which is ''exactly'' the reason why Tethys and Marisa are in love with him.
** 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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* 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 [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 [[she's]] ever met"], and him being so good makes her want to be a better person.
** 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.}}
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* 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, and even Stella's [[Love Interest|Love Interests]]s have been shown to be really decent guys. [[Belligerent Sexual Tension|Musa... not so much.]] (Though he ''does'' go through [[Character Development]].)
* In ''[[Hey Arnold!]]'', [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold|Helga]] [[Tsundere|Pataki]]'s relationship with Arnold plays this trope.
 
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