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Neutral Good: Difference between revisions
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One of the differences between [[Lawful Good]] and [[Neutral Good]] is that [[Lawful Good]] will ''always'' hate [[Chaotic Evil]], and even when the [[Chaotic Evil]] character is the resident [[Token Evil Teammate]] they will just barely tolerate them. On the other hand, [[Neutral Good]] characters may accept and sometimes even be friends with a [[Chaotic Evil]] character (as long as they're on the same team).
[[Neutral Good]] states may be [[Utopia|really nice places to live]], but depending on how [[Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism|idealistic]] the setting is, they may be [[Crap Saccharine World|deluding themselves]]. [[Neutral Good]] characters tend to suffer more personal conflicts in [[Grey and Grey Morality]] settings with [[Order Versus Chaos]] themes.
However, before you all run up to this alignment expecting it to hand out unconditional love and [[The Cake Is a Lie|free cake]] a small word of [[Beware the Nice Ones|caution]]: if this alignment is combined with [[Good Is Not Soft|Good Is Not ]] ''[[Good Is Not Soft|Soft]]'', things can get [[Vigilante Man|interesting]] and you could end up with a [[Discworld|Granny Weatherwax]] Type neutral good character. That is to say, someone who will always, always do what they believe is right, and won’t let either [[Lawful Good|laws]] or [[Chaotic Good|personal freedoms]] get in their way. If played properly alongside [[Good Is Not Nice|Good Is Not ]] ''[[Good Is Not Nice|Nice]]'', this trope can be downright [[Knight Templar|scary]].
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* Even though there are some situations where they can't always use this method, [[Lawful Good]] characters believe the best way is to have a specific, strict code of conduct, whether self-imposed or codified as a law. Their first impulse when making a moral decision is to refer back to this code; those with externally imposed systems (codes of laws, hierarchies, etc.) will try to work within the system when those systems go wrong. Depending on whether they are more Lawful or more Good, they will either refuse to break the code even though it would hurt someone, or else break it only very reluctantly, and only when it would hurt someone if they kept their code. [[Lawful Good]] characters have to be very good at [[Taking a Third Option]].
* [[Neutral Good]] characters are indifferent to [[Order Versus Chaos]], and their only interest is in doing good. They will use whatever means will promote the most good, whether that means tearing down a code of laws, following a code of laws, creating an orderly society, causing the breakdown of harmful kinds of order, or staying away from society altogether. Their only goal is to do good, full stop.
* Most [[Chaotic Good]] characters don't constantly break the law, but they cannot see much value in laws (or, for weaker-CCGs, do not see the value in laws that do not function solely to punish evil). They believe that their own consciences are their best guides, and that tying themselves to any given code of conduct would be limiting their own ability to do good. They do not get along with anyone who tries to instill any kind of order over the [[Chaotic Good]] character or others, believing these people to be restricting their freedom and the freedom of others; however, most [[Chaotic Good]] characters will respect the right of others to impose strong codes of conduct on themselves. [[Chaotic Good]] characters often focus very strongly on individual rights and freedoms, and will strongly resist any form of oppression of themselves or anyone else.
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* [[Knight in Shining Armor]], if not [[Lawful Good]]
Others, such as the [[Ideal Hero]], [[The Messiah]], and [[Friend to All Living Things]], can vary between [[Lawful Good]], [[Neutral Good]] and [[Chaotic Good]].
{{examples}}
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== Anime and Manga ==
* [[Shaman King|Yoh]] Asakura is definitely one, more concern about saving people who were trying to kill him than killing them, and his neutral outlook on things infuriate the [[Light Is Not Good|X Laws]] who believe themselves to be [[Lawful Good]].
* [[Yamato Nadeshiko|Kasumi Tendo]] of ''[[Ranma ½|[[Ranma
* [[Magical Girlfriend|Belldandy]] of ''[[Ah! My Goddess]]'' is an [[Physical God|even]] [[Friend to All Living Things|more]] [[The Messiah|extreme]], [[Mama Bear|and]] [[Plucky Girl|considerably]] [[The Determinator|more]] [[Beware the Nice Ones|formidable]] [[Kikuko Inoue|counterpart]] to [[Yamato Nadeshiko|Kasumi]].
* Jim Hawkings of ''[[Outlaw Star]]''. Despite his age, he's the most mature and responsible member of the group, being the one who handles all of the cash, finds jobs for them, pays the bills and otherwise devotes himself to the exasperating task of organizing and caring for [[Chaotic Neutral]] slacker Gene Starwind. What keeps him from being [[Lawful Good]] is the fact he's a [[Child Prodigy]] hacker who often uses his code-breaking skills in less than legal ways. Melfina is probably also an example of this.
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** Post [[Character Development]] Quatre Rebarba Winner from [[Gundam Wing]].
** Kira Yamato from ''[[Gundam Seed]]'', particularly after he becomes an [[The Messiah|almost saintly]] [[Martial Pacifist]]. In the same series, Murrue Ramius. She recognizes the value of the law and tries to abide by it as much as she can, but follows her own conscience first, even if it means breaking laws or military regulations in the name of the greater good. Also, Lacus Clyne.
** Allelujah Haptism from [[Mobile Suit Gundam 00]]. Most of his teammates in the formerly [[Necessarily Evil]] organization Celestial Being shifted to this alignment in season 2.
** From ''[[Gundam AGE]]'', Grodek Ainoa, the captain of the battleship Diva, surprisingly falls into this alignment rather than [[Lawful Good]]. His [[To Be Lawful or Good|going against the incompetent federal authority]] in rescuing the civilians from a fallen colony [[Jumping Off the Slippery Slope|immediately strips him of the lawful status]]. {{spoiler|However, he descends into a [[True Neutral]] in Episode 15.}}
*** -- And of course, Flit Asuno {{spoiler|-- [[Jumping Off the Slippery Slope|or...]] [[True Neutral|at least, this is what he starts as...]]}}
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* China and Taiwan from ''[[Axis Powers Hetalia|Hetalia]]''. China tends to be kind-hearted and rather nice unless either [[Money, Dear Boy|he wants to make money]] or [[Beware the Nice Ones|is pressed too far]], Taiwan is mostly [[The Cutie]] and acts cheery and cute to everyone.
** Also Vietnam and Thailand. Viet is the [[Cool Big Sis]] of the Asians, while Thailand is very much a [[Nice Guy]] but it seems he may not be above tricking people to get what he wants and needs.
** Lithuania, Canada and Finland, too. They all seem to be among [[Nice Guy|the most genuinely nice]] members of the cast -- again, [[Beware the Nice Ones|until pressed too far]].
** Iceland starts as [[True Neutral]], but after the [[Hetalia Bloodbath 2010]] he shifts towards this alignment.
** North Italy and Spain gear towards this alignment too, contrasting with [[Lawful Neutral]] Germany and [[Chaotic Good]] Romano.
** Belgium, as the [[Cool Big Sis]] of the Benelux, fits here too and offers contrast with Romano and her [[Chaotic Neutral]] brother, the Netherlands.
** Monaco seems to be [[Lawful Good]] as it befits a [[Non Royal Princess]], but her love of gambling may put her here.
== Comic Books ==
* [[Wonder Woman]] is arguably this, as she tends to be able to break rules (her own and those of society) when the situation calls for it but also doesn't needlessly break them (she is an ambassador to Man's World, after all).
* ''[[Civil War (Comic Book)|Civil War]]'' more or less locked [[Captain America (comics)]] into Neutral Good, though some would still argue he's [[Lawful Good]]. Considering that he has twice given up his name because he disagreed with the actions of the American government, there's definitely an argument that he's been [[Neutral Good]] for a long time. Simultaneously, [[Iron Man|Tony Stark]], who had long been more of a [[Millionaire Playboy]] hero that did what he felt was right, became [[Lawful Good]]/[[Lawful Stupid]] at the same time.
* [[Spider-Man]] alternates between this and [[Chaotic Good]]. What sets him most into this area is his motivation: he's a good guy because his Uncle Ben would have wanted him to be a good guy. He's not battling injustice or upholding the law; he's doing the right thing for the sake of doing the right thing.
* The [[GL Blue Lantern Corps/Characters|Blue Lantern Corps]] is composed of hopeful individuals who are equally concerned with helping everyone, whether evil or good, chaotic or lawful. They are the [[Badass Pacifist]] corps, if there ever was one.
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* Will Turner from ''[[Pirates of the Caribbean]]''. He really would like to be [[Lawful Good]], and he does his best at it, but...well, piracy is [[In the Blood]].
* The eponymous heroine of ''[[Amelie]]'', who pretty much makes being altruistic and bringing happiness to people around her the point of her daily life - within the rules if possible, but (mildly) breaking them if need be.
* Mr. Miyagi from [[The Karate Kid]] is the utterly perfect [[Cool Old Guy]] example. He is an incredibly skilled martial artist, and kind teacher but wouldn't harm a fly (figuratively speaking) [[Martial Pacifist|other than in the sake of defense of himself or another.]]
* The eponymous [[The Goonies|Goonies]] are mostly this alignment if not Chaotic Good.
* In the ''[[Tron]]'' universe, Lora Baines-Bradley, Roy Kleinberg, and their digital counterparts Yori and Ram, seem to fall here. They do have respect for order and law, but more respect for what's right.
** Lora is the one convincing [[Lawful Good|Alan]] that they should warn [[Chaotic Good|Flynn]] about Dillinger.
** Roy is a quiet, unassuming guy who ends up being the primary motivator behind "Flynn Lives." He'll exhaust the legal and proper methods, and then get into the computer hacking.
** In a deleted scene, Yori pulls off a highly-illegal power transfer just to give her "husband" a properly sexy welcome home, but otherwise is [[The Engineer|a simulation debugger]].
** Ram's not as driven to destroy Master Control as he just wants to get back to his job calculating insurance rates. {{spoiler|Even when he's de-rezzing}}, he's more focused on [[The Power of Friendship]] than anything else.
** Quorra in ''[[Tron: Legacy]]'' also fits here. Her youth and "more aggressive strategy" is a bit at odds with the elder Flynn's approach, but she is also much more reverent and orderly than [[Chaotic Good|Sam]].
** In the [[Alternate Continuity]] of [[Tron 2.0]] Jet also qualifies. He's been in some trouble with the law over [[Playful Hacker|unauthorized computer access]], but cleaned up his act, enjoying his job building games. He's fairly laid back and easy-going, (''"Life's short, Pop, I plan to enjoy it"''), but will step up to heroic measures if pushed into it by circumstance.
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** The Big Three (male) heroes all seem to be linked to one of the goods, although there's a good deal of ambiguity. Perrin, despite his "simple blacksmith" protests, seems very fond of an ordered society, which dovetails in nicely with the pack mentality of his wold friends. Matt, of course, as the [[Loveable Rogue]], would be the representative of chaos in the group, although this gets tempered quite a bit as the series goes on.
* [[Badass Bookworm]] Mikael Blomkvist from [[The Millennium Trilogy]].
* The three protagonists of the [[Green-Sky Trilogy]]. [[The Messiah|Raamo]] finds many of the laws and rituals baffling and illogical, and supports something only if it's in the greater interest of peace and joy. Neric eventually lands here once Raamo's aid helps him ditch some of his cynicism. Genaa claws her way up to here from [[Lawful Neutral]] once Raamo and Neric open her eyes to the truth {{spoiler|and she discovers her father is alive}}
* In ''[[The Dresden Files]]'', Sanya, the Russian Knight Of The Cross, appears to be more ambivalent about following laws and order, and is more devoted to the simple act of rescuing innocents and fighting evil.
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** Hurley is another example of [[Neutral Good]]. Ben Linus becomes this at the end of the series.
* Both JD and Turk from ''[[Scrubs]]'' are this in contrast to the rebellious natures of Dr. Cox and the Janitor and the more traditionalist beliefs of Carla and strictness of Kelso. Turk even speaks out to Carla at one point that tradition is not as important to him as to her.
* Justin in ''[[Wizards of Waverly Place]]'', althought meant to be a by-the-book character, is a example of this.
* ''[[Chuck]]'': Well, Chuck. Placed in a very difficult situation, he works with the NSA and CIA in order to stop bad guys (I think he leans toward Lawful), but is completely devoted to his friends and family, and is willing to buck authority in order to do the right thing. Think of all the times he didn't stay in the car.
* Eiji Hino, aka [[Kamen Rider OOO]], helps anyone he comes across and has no plans for the future. At the same time, he accepts long-term contracts with enthusiasm if they will help him help others.
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{{quote|'''JC Denton''': I never had time to take the Oath of Service to the Coalition. How about this one? I swear not to rest until UNATCO is free of you and the other crooked bureaucrats who have perverted its mission.}}
* [[Terse Talker|Mordin]] [[Deadly Doctor|Solus]] of ''[[Mass Effect]] 2''. Has distinction of being Neutral Good [[Well-Intentioned Extremist]]. Compassionate individual. Believes in helping all those in need. Also willing to [[Shoot the Dog]] if necessary. Done so by {{spoiler|upgrading [[Depopulation Bomb|Genophage]]}}. Feels action necessary. Feels immense guilt. Became doctor in [[Wretched Hive|Omega]] as result.
** To a lesser extent (and with more pronouns and articles) Commander Shepard, especially on the Paragon path. S/he routinely rejects laws that s/he finds to be immoral or unjust, while upholding those s/he views as necessary.
** Several of your other party members, such as [[The Engineer|Tali,]] [[Nice Guy|Jacob,]] and [[Hot Scientist|Liara]] could fit this alignment as well.
** Possibly one of the best examples of this alignment would be [[Hot Amazon|Ashley]]. She's ultimately on the side of good, but also somewhat [[Hot-Blooded]] and isn't adversed to [[Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?|shooting first]] in order to end problems. This is best shown in how she will gun down Wrex is you don't talk him down on Virmire and when she pulls a gun on ''Shepard'' in the third when {{spoiler|Udina}} claims that Shepard has come to assassinate the Council, before Shepard explains that they are trying to ''stop'' an assassin sent by {{spoiler|Udina}} ''himself'' as part of a coup.
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** Of course, this is because (MAJOR spoiler) {{spoiler|He has had a spirit ,the Hand of Fate, summoned into him since before his birth to shape him into a leader to unite the various fragmented countries and end their petty infighting}}
* Dawn Star In ''[[Jade Empire]]'' - She is kind, shy, and VERY high up on the Open Palm side of the [[Karma Meter]]. She is first to cheer when your character does something selfless. She respects the law of nature, but the Empire? Not so much. {{spoiler|Yes, you CAN corrupt her when you play Closed Fist.}}
** From the same game, Henpecked Hou. Generally nice guy, doesn't much care one way or another about the forces of Order and Chaos, but finds Closed Fist actions pretty questionable.
* Recette Lemongrass from ''[[Recettear]]'' can easily be seen as this. She is generally well-liked by the local citizens of Pensee, and is easily one of the nicest people in the town. However, she is commonly rather irresponsible and doesn't even fill her own accountings (and really doesn't even [[Cloudcuckoolander|understand why they are nessecary]]), which Tear comments angrily upon at the end of the game when she finds out that all the pages in the book are blank. As to this, she's nowhere near responsible enough to be [[Lawful Good]], but is still far from reckless enough to be [[Chaotic Good]].
* Gabriel Belmont from ''[[Castlevania: Lords of Shadow]]'', though a [[Byronic Hero]] with a [[Selfish Good|selfish]] goal of his own. Unlike [[God of War|Kratos]], Gabriel has much good inside his heart, and is aware of the world corrupted by darkness. While carrying the duty as a Brotherhood of Light, he would not hesitate to do things outside the norm of the Brotherhood (such as {{spoiler|upgrading his whip with spikes}}) to bring back the light to the world, thank to the guidance of his dead childhood love, [[Victorious Childhood Friend|Marie]]. In spite of [[Hannibal Lecture|the villains constantly denouncing him as]] [[Not So Different]] from themselves, the only things he would ever kill are aggressive evil creatures.
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* [[Touhou]] has 2 characters that exemplifies [[Neutral Good|Neutral Goodness]]: Keine Kamishirasawa and Byakuren Hijiri. The former isn't afraid to fight Reimu to protect her people, and Reimu is the de-facto pillar of order in Gensokyo. The latter is [[The Messiah]] for the [[Youkai]] in Gensokyo, despite being a human. Both of them ([[Sealed Good in a Can|especially Byakuren]]) pays dearly for their ideals.
* ''[[Metroid]]'': Samus Aran probably falls here overall, as she has worked closely and obediently with the Galactic Federation in Prime 3 and most of Other M, but she's a Bounty Hunter so that she can be free to tell the Federation to sod off when they get evil, as was the case in the finales of Fusion or Other M.
* Leliana In ''[[Dragon Age]]: Origins'' will often dance between this and [[Chaotic Good]]. She's a born again follower of the of the Maker, and the Chantry. She believes in doing good as it is the Makers will. but she can't quite shake her roguish [[Chaotic Good]] or even [[Chaotic Neutral]] past. Whether she stays on the Neutral Good or goes back to her roguish lifestyle depends on the players actions and what is said to her through the course of the game. AKA whether or not she is hardened.
* In [[Dragon Age II]], Aveline's early [[Character Development]] transforms her in to this. She continues to uphold the law and is still very much by the book... it just skews a little when her friends are involved. She still berates them to no end, though.
* The world of [[Tekken]] may have taken a dive in [[Darker and Edgier]] turn. However, [[Gentle Giant|King]] [[Masked Luchador|II]] remains true to his personality as a orphanage owner, [[Friend to All Children]] and is still a generally positive [[Nice Guy]] who doesn't tolerate evil (in Scenario Campaigns, he clearly does not approve both Jin and Kazuya for their World War III attempts), and can be genuinely forgiving, even if you committed such a [[It's Personal|personal]] [[You Killed My Father|crime]] to him (as Marduk can attest). [[Nature Hero|Julia Chang]] can also count with her dedication to save nature and still a pretty decent girl overall.
* Despite most of his lines and values leaning towards [[Lawful Good]] Cole Phelps of [[LA Noire]] can be nudged towards this alignment depending on the player's choices. These include letting an acomplice to a minor crime get of scott free and convicting a paedophile who's clearly planning to harm kids despite most of the evidence leaning towards another suspect.
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* Sir James Eglamore from ''[[Gunnerkrigg Court]]''. He alternates between enforcing the Court's rules, and [[Not Cheating Unless You Get Caught|encouraging Antimony to be smarter about breaking them]]. He's also willing and able to use lethal force to protect his students.
* Agatha Heterodyne from ''[[Girl Genius]]'' (except when she is [[Science-Related Memetic Disorder|working on something]] in which case she is [[Chaotic Neutral]]) is a generally nice person who wants to reclaim her birthright and goes out of her way to help people. She does not actively oppose [[The Empire]], they just happen to think she is the most dangerous person on the planet, {{spoiler|and they may be right}}.
* Fighter of ''[[
* In ''[[The Inexplicable Adventures of Bob]],'' Bob runs into almost constant trouble with the government in the form of [[Men in Black (film)|Agent Ben and Agent Jerry,]] to the point that Jerry has called him an [[Anarchy Is Chaos|anarchist.]] That said, Bob has far too great a love of boring stability to be called an anarchist by anyone ''but'' [[Lawful Stupid|Jerry.]] Mostly, he just tries to be decent to people, and help them out of jams... and occasionally prevent horrible world-shattering catastrophes if it seems like nobody else is going to do it.
* Julie, the protagonist of ''[[Our Little Adventure]]'' officially, but even her own group members think she's a bit too [[Lawful Good|uptight and a keener.]]
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* Aang from ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'', complete with [[Friend to All Living Things]] and [[The Messiah]], not to mention going against the evil government. Avatars in general seem to be [[Neutral Good]] by default.
** <s>[[Retired Badass|General]]</s> [[Cool Old Guy|Iroh]] is clearly [[Neutral Good]] with his concern over balance and injustice.
** After going through [[True Neutral|all]] [[Chaotic Neutral|neutral]] [[Lawful Neutral|alignments]] ([[Neutral Evil|except for one]]) during the series first, {{spoiler|Zuko seems to}} end up here. However, as the sequel book "The Promise" shows, he still struggles with working out what, exactly, counts as "good".
* [[The Messiah|Ren]], from ''The [[Pirates of Dark Water]]'', although he sometimes leans towards [[Lawful Good]] or even [[Stupid Good|just too damn nice for his own good]].
* The ''[[Justice League]]'' incarnation of the Flash. Apart from generally trying to help ''everyone'', whether they appreciate it or not, he has also managed to talk [[Good Is Not Nice|Batman]] out of using the [[Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique]] and got all the information they needed by having a friendly chat with the villain (and even got him to turn himself in!).
* [[Kid Appeal Character|Bumblebee]] from ''[[Transformers Animated]]''. He doesn't always follow orders from his superiors, but he is still consistently good. He has never disobeyed orders to do bad things (although he has done so to do [[Leeroy Jenkins|rash things]]).
** Most other [[Kid Appeal Character|Hot Rod/Hot Shots]] fall under this, or [[Chaotic Good]].
* [[The Simpsons|Lisa Simpson]] seems to fit here pretty well, due to her moral standards and her status as the [[Only Sane Man|Only Sane]] <s>[[Only Sane Man|Man]]</s> [[Only Sane Man|Woman]]. She tries to, and usually succeeds at following laws and rules that exist, but she is more than willing to break said rules when she believes it's the right thing to do. She's lacks the laid-back and the outright rebellious nature of Bart, but she is a bit too willing to break norms and traditions to be [[Lawful Good]].
* [[King of the Hill|Bobby Hill]] fits this alignment fairly well. Much of the comedy of the series comes from the tensions between him and his father [[Lawful Neutral|Hank]].
* Timmy Turner of ''[[The Fairly Odd Parents]]''. Especially during the 4th and 5th seasons, Timmy would at least try to do the right things even if they were occasionally against the rules. One example is the TV movie "Abra Castastrophe" where he reveals Cosmo's and Wanda's existence to his parents and [[Evil Teacher|Mr. Crocker]]. Revealing them is of course is against the rules, however, it freed his fairy godparents from the clutches of Crocker. Another example is the recent "Wishology Trilogy" where he bribes Vicky, his evil babysitter and one of his enemies, to save the lives of his family, friends and indeed the universe.
* Robin from ''[[Teen Titans (animation)|Teen Titans]]'' ''tries'' to be [[Lawful Good]], but his willingness to use chaotic and occasionally morally ambigious means if he feels the situation demands it probably shifts him more to here particularly when Slade is involved. Starfire (who is very lawful in some respects and very chaotic in others) and Raven may also fit here.
** Perhaps the truest representation in the main Titans Team is Beast Boy. Sometimes he can come off as [[Chaotic Good]], but that has more to do with his status as the team's [[Wacky Guy]]. When you get right down to his motivations he does what he does because it is ''right.''
* [[Only Sane Man|Stan]] [[The Everyman|Marsh]] from ''[[South Park]]''. While [[The Smart Guy|Kyle]]'s [[Chaotic Good]] , [[Fat Bastard|Cartman]]'s [[Neutral Evil]] (or [[Chaotic Neutral]] / [[Chaotic Evil]]) and [[The Quiet One|Kenny]]'s [[True Neutral]].
** Later season shift this a bit with Kyle actually being more of the [[Neutral Good]] role (except in moments when Cartman him into [[He Who Fights Monsters]] territory) with Stan veering much more into [[True Neutral]] or [[Chaotic Neutral]] territory.
* ''[[Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers|Galaxy Rangers]]'' - Niko falls here. She's a little more willing to bend regulations and keep something quiet if speaking openly is going to harm someone, essentially splitting the difference between [[Lawful Good|Zachary]] and [[Chaotic Good|Doc]].
* [[SpongeBob SquarePants]], more so before the first movie, the rest of the time, including pre movie he is [[Chaotic Neutral]].
* Clockwork from ''[[Danny Phantom]]''. He alternates between breaking the rules and following them--the constant is that whatever course of action he takes is the one that is best for the time stream. However, he may come across as [[True Neutral]] or even [[Lawful Neutral]], since his best interests (for the time stream) do not always coincide with the protagonists' best interests (for themselves and the people around them).
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