Character Witness: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}{{Needs Image}}

 

Like [[Androcles' Lion]], but with people. The hero goes out of their way to help an "inconsequential" [[Innocent Bystander]], often at personal risk either to himself or reputation. Later on, if he's [[Clear My Name|set up by the villain]] and it looks ''just'' like the [[Untrusting Community]] of [[Crazy Survivalist]]s is really going to kill him... out pops <s> [[Androcles' Lion]]</s> the '''Character Witness''' ready to [[Laser-Guided Karma|repay their kindness]] with [[Fighting for Survival|life saving timing]]. Usually, they're a [[Wasteland Elder]] or a [[Reasonable Authority Figure]] whose voice has weight, or just [[Disaster Scavengers|a child he befriends]] who is adept at [[Shaming the Mob]].

 

Contrast [[Disproportionate Reward]], [[No Good Deed Goes Unpunished]], and [[Zombie Advocate]].

 

* The little fox kid in ''[[xxxHolic]]'' who vouches for Watanuki in the Demon Parade. Earlier, Watanuki had given him an arrow tail, which is a powerful ward against evil (and the "demons" in the parade are of the [[Dark Is Not Evil]] variety). So when the demons threaten to eat him and his friend, the fox kid steps up and proves his good nature by showing them the arrow piece.

* In the first episode of ''[[Samurai Champloo]]'', we see an arrogant noble standing in the middle of a crowded road, harassing and threatening a commoner who had bumped into him, until [[The Stoic|Jin]] [[Master Swordsman|effortlessly cuts through his bodyguards]] [[I Was Just Passing Through|for standing in his way]]. By the end of the episode, he has been captured and is about to be executed for the offense. [[Plucky Girl|Fuu]] has some fireworks [[We Need a Distraction|she plans to use to free him]], but she doesn't have anything with which to light them. No points for guessing who reaches up from the crowd with a match.