39,327
edits
Celibate Hero: Difference between revisions
m
Mass update links
(Import from TV Tropes TVT:Main.CelibateHero 2012-07-01, editor history TVTH:Main.CelibateHero, CC-BY-SA 3.0 Unported license) |
m (Mass update links) |
||
Line 18:
** He or she can't let go of [[I Let Gwen Stacy Die|the memory of a dead lover]], especially if he or she feels they're [[Dead Little Sister|responsible for the person's death]].
* Rare today is the idea that the hero's powers ''rely'' on him or her [[Virgin Power|remaining celibate]], or that he is celibate out of religious or moral conviction. Most commonly this is found in fantasy settings, which may feature religious orders or mystical powers that may be influenced by sexual activity. Male examples, of course, are never in a setting based in the real world, because [[A Man Is Not a Virgin|a man is never, ever a virgin, and don't you dare claim otherwise!]]
* He or she simply [[Does Not Like Women|does not like]] [[Does Not Like Men|the opposite sex]] (more common among [[Anti
* He or she does not feel that he or she is worthy of being loved (for any number of reasons).
* He or she carries some sort of curse that is passed down from parent to child, so he/she is simply trying to end the curse.
* [[Sorry, I'm Gay]] surrounded by an [[Unwanted Harem]].
* Rarely used in any notable works today in any media for reasons other than religious beliefs or medical disability. If for religious reasons, it is often depicted by bringing attention to the fact, usually in the form of temptation. Expect Buddhist (or any other celibate or abstinence associated religion) characters seeking to abstain from physical distractions to fit in here often.
* Occasionally a case of [[Unsettling Gender Reveal|a Hero everyone thinks is male actually being female]], and pretending to be celibate, asexual or otherwise uninterested in physical relationships (and may be a case of [[Hates Being Touched|panicking whenever touched at all for this very reason]]) in order to avoid discovery. You can pretty much guarantee that someone is going to try and pounce her anyway, and discover their true identity. If it's an ally, they'll probably be sworn to secrecy, but let it get out somehow anyway. If they're an enemy, you can be assured they'll use it against the Hero, especially if she continues to keep it a secret from her fellow teammates.
Line 32:
Contrast [[Loved I Not Honor More]].
{{examples
== Anime and Manga ==
Line 43:
* [[Neon Genesis Evangelion (Anime)/Characters|Shinji Ikari]] of ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion]]'' shrinks from any and all potential relationships, romantic or not, because it's just too painful and frightening for him. This eventually makes him snap in ''End of Evangelion''.
** It's not like he has any good choices in the relationship department - while he has mutual chemistry with both the girls he works with, they both are bags of issues potentially even worse than him.
* Light, the [[Anti
** Even when {{spoiler|Light plays a truly spectacular [[Memory Gambit]] and temporarily turns good}}, his feelings for Misa are still unclear. He is clearly concerned for her safety, and treats her much more warmly, but since this change applies to the way he treats everyone, it need not suggest real "love". Of course, even if he wanted to progress their relationship further, being {{spoiler|handcuffed to L 24/7 would make it somewhat difficult.}}
** L also deserves mention. Although he reacts more positively to Misa's kiss on the cheek than Light does, he probably views love and even meaningful friendship as [[Married to The Job|something of a distraction]]. This is complicated further by his [[No Social Skills|awkwardness.]] [[Word of God]] notes that Near and Mello were originally intended to be L's sons -- but there's nothing in the plotline or the [[Word of God|interviews with the creators]] that suggest they stuck with the idea.
Line 107:
** With the [[Retroactive Continuity|Reboot]] it seems the whole Talia thing was consensual. He still wasn't proud of it though.
* Tim Drake, Robin III, is celibate. Whether this is an intentional editorial decision or many writers independently not wishing to age the teenage character is a matter of [http://www.comicsalliance.com/2010/11/11/tim-drake-celibacy-icon/ some debate]. He's certainly had opportunities, though not as many as [[Anything That Moves|Robin I]].
* Catholic-Boy-Scout-type ''[[Tintin (Comic Book)]]'' has it easy when it comes to resisting carnal sins. There are [[The Smurfette Principle|almost no women in the cast of his adventures]], and the few that appear are hardly what anyone would consider "appealing". (Well, let's be honest here -- Hergé Remi didn't draw noticeably attractive ''men'' with any great frequency, either.) He may count as a [[Chaste Hero]] too, since the whole issue of romance is never mentioned in relation to him.
* [[Lucky Luke]], being a lonesone cowboy who keeps moving and rarely stays anywhere more time than it's required to solve a case, has absolutely no interest for women or any relationships, though unlike Tintin, the subject is aborded; in "La Fiancé de Lucky Luke" especially, Luke mentions his opinion about both marriage and love, making it clear he is, not only uninterested, but almost revulsed (to the point he almost refuses a mission that consists in escorting a large group of women, fearing they might attempt advances on him... and they do). Notably, he has a female [[Platonic Life Partners]] with [[Tomboy|Calamity Jane]].
* Rorschach in ''[[Watchmen]]'' is depicted as having a total fear of anything sexual, which is implied to be the result of [[Freudian Excuse|traumatic childhood experiences]]. Possibly extreme enough to be a [[Deconstruction]].
Line 162:
* Raistlin Majere, antihero of the ''[[Dragonlance]]'' books. Actively manipulating the lovesick, annoying Crysania to his advantage, he resists the temptation to actually do anything with her because A) it's beneath a mage of his stature, B) he can't afford to be distracted from his "Overthrow the Gods for No Good Reason" project, and C) he had sex once before and was crap at it. And, though it's not explicitly stated, suspicions are that, were he to actually try anything as physically vigorous as sex with Crysania, he'd probably just wind up coughing blood all over her and collapsing into a heap, which, whatever way you look at it, isn't very romantic. There is possibly some inconsistency over whether Raistlin actually ever had sex or not. The Legends trilogy very strongly implies that he did, with one of Caramon's ex-girlfriends but ''The Soulforge'', which covers the time period it would have happened equally strongly implies he remained a virgin (there is a girl, again a lover of Caramon and there appears to be budding mutual affection but... well read it yourselves).
** You forgot to mention Crysania had THE hots for him. He could have done anything with her, without even having to resort to magic or anything. For such a brilliant wizard, he's actually quite stupid.
** There was a short story called "Raistlin's Daughter", which implied he may have had a daughter, in the more or less conventional way and was [[Laser
* In ''[[Lamb]]'', Joshua was told by an angel that he could never "know" a woman, but never explained exactly was meant by that. Josh and Biff take it in the Biblical sense, and so Joshua remains celibate his whole life (though Biff gets around enough for the both of them).
* ''[[The Obsidian Trilogy (Literature)|The Obsidian Trilogy]]'', written by [[Mercedes Lackey]] and James Mallory, features a hero who remains chaste and celibate -- virginal and unmarried, respectively -- for a year and a day in return for his life being saved by a unicorn. The penalty for breaking his vow, since his life was saved, will of course be death by goring. While the first woman he meets is his sister, and the next woman he finds himself intrigued by is the queen of the elves and happily married, the third woman he is attracted to is neither attached nor unattractive nor uninterested in him...
Line 186:
** Knowing of the faultiness of such a pledge, the slave traders who own The Unsullied castrate the slaves for just this purpose. The slave trader proudly points out that while the Night's Watch and Kingsguard ''claim'' celibacy, The Unsullied are the only ones who are truly, well, unsullied.
* Pretty much [[Author Tract|every single main character]] of [[HP Lovecraft]]'s stories is too busy being chased by tentacled monsters and/or slowly losing his sanity to get involved in any kind of romantic and/or sexual relationship.
* Joscelin Verreuil in the ''[[
* In the [[Kate Daniels]] novels by Ilona Andrews, Kate remains celibate for much of her adult life. Partly because she thinks friends and lovers will distract her from her mission in life, partly because everyone close to her dies violently (her mother, her father, her mentor, and her friend), partly because [[Can't Have Sex Ever|sex would expose her secrets]], partly because any guy powerful enough to protect himself from [[Its Not You Its My Enemies|the skeletons in her closet]] probably didn't get that kind of power by being ethical, but mostly just because she's afraid of being hurt or rejected.
* Drizzt in Bob Salvatore's [[Forgotten Realms]] novel series followed this trope for some time. He wasn't interested in casual sex. His first contact with sex was witnessing a graduation ritual for female priests, that involves the summoning of a 5-meter-tall demon. His first and so far only girlfriend was once involved with his presumed-dead best friend; and things got complicated when he was rescued from hell. Eventually, Drizzt allowed himself to love, and started getting some regularly. {{spoiler|[[Stuffed in The Fridge|Then she died.]]}}
Line 242:
*** On the other hand, he does disapprove of shipboard romances and might be trying to hold himself to his own standards. Considering how both of his shown dalliances ended, he might think that a relationship would only distract him, and he might not be wrong.
* Michael Westen on ''[[Burn Notice]]'' has rebuffed Fiona multiple times, citing his personal history, their problematic past history, her enjoyment of violence, the danger to everyone around him (which of course doesn't stop him from calling them to help with cases), the distraction, his higher purpose of finding out who burned him, and his patriotism.
** Not to mention that when they ''are'' together, [[Destructo
* Patrick Jane on ''[[The Mentalist]]'' has apparently made a [[Heroic Vow]] to avenge his wife before indulging in pleasures of the flesh. He turned down two attractive ladies at a bar who made a pass at him, flashing his wedding ring and telling them he was married. Jane sometimes flirts with women, but it usually ends with the outing of a suspect.
* Cmdr. Ed Straker of ''[[UFO]]'' is manifestly celibate after an acrimonious divorce, after the loss of his son to his successor, and the death of his son, even thought a variety of attractive and eligible women have a go at him (e.g. Lt. Barry). His reaction to the rampant libido shown by the rest of his staff ranges from cold disregard to amusement.
Line 293:
* Flik from ''[[Suikoden]]'' has refused a lot of suitors who flirt with him, especially Nina, because he has made a vow to be loyal to his first lover Odessa... even though she's already dead.
* Ivy from the ''[[Soul Series]]'' series, amazingly, is strictly celibate despite being ''[[Fetish Fuel]] incarnate''. This is due to her [[Sealed Evil in A Can|cursed lineage]], which she doesn't want to risk passing on to a child.
** Also, [[Warrior Monk]] [[Simple Staff|Kilik]]. According to ''IV'', he's well aware of fellow [[True Companions|travelling mate]] [[Anime Chinese Girl|Chai]] [[Action Girl|Xianghua]]'s romantic feelings for him, but doesn't want to reciprocate for two reasons. '''1)''' Xianghua [[You Remind Me of X|reminds him of]] his [[Onee
*** It should be noted that this is a bit of a departure from ''III'', where Kilik either flat-out asks Xianghua to be with him (his ending) or is [[Oblivious to Love]] to her [[Ship Tease|hints]] (her ending). Then again, in their endings, they had finally destroyed Soul Edge, which was a non-canon scenario.
*** Additionally, Xianghua's daughter Leixia is confirmed to be a playable character in ''V'' ([[Time Skip|which is set seventeen years after the fourth game]]). It turns out that Kilik is ''[[Did Not Get the Girl|not]]'' the father, much to the surprise/dismay/anger of many.
* As much as the Shippers want to deny it, Link from ''[[The Legend of Zelda (Franchise)|The Legend of Zelda]]'' typically just rescues the princess and leaves it at that. Of course, in a series with humungous amounts of [[Ship Tease]], one can't help but think it's because the developers couldn't decide on which girl to pair him up with.
** Especially blatant in ''[[The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time (Video Game)|The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time]]'': Despite being 12 years old, Link is [[Chick Magnet]] incarnate. Let's count them: Kokiri Sage Saria, Farmer Girl Malon, Zora Princess Ruto, Probably Princess Zelda and even Gerudo sage Nabooru makes a comment in that direction! Still, he manages to avoid all of them, even the one who tried to get him engaged with her. ''[[The Legend of Zelda the Wind Waker (Video Game)|The Legend of Zelda the Wind Waker]]'' mostly tried to avoid giving Link such an [[Unwanted Harem]], with Medli instead being slightly attracted to Prince Komali, the two girls on Windfall island either having different problems or already being in love, and Aryll being, well, his sister. Only the creepy fairy-queen is seen flirting with him and she's never seen again after that.
** Meanwhile, Link and Zelda broke their years long [[No Hugging, No Kissing]] agenda in ''[[The Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks (Video Game)|The Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks]]''. But it doesn't go beyond the hugging part. (And Link had a rather uncomfortable look on his face when Zelda hugged him; then again, his [[Something Else Also Rises|hat's tip rose.]]) Also, the game features absolutely no other female characters that could paired up with Link, except if you are a fan of [[Squick|Granny]]-[[Shotacon]].
** This is technically subverted if you count ''[[The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess (Video Game)|The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess]]''. The character of the Hero's Shade is heavily implied to have been a previous Link, most likely the one from ''Ocarnia of Time'', and even tells the titular Link of that game that the techniques he is teaching him are not to leave their bloodline confirming that they are of the same family line. So it seems that at least one Link got busy at one point.
*** The Hero's Shade = ''OoT''!Link theory [http://www.zeldauniverse.net/zelda-news/hyrule-historia-reveals-oot-links-cameo-in-twilight-princess/ has been confirmed by] [[Word of God]], adding further credence to the above.
** Subverted in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Video Game)|Skyward Sword]]''. At the opening of the game, it is clear Link and Zelda are at least extremely close childhood friends, but no romantic interactions go through between them. There is almost one before a tornado sent by Ghirahim drags Zelda to the surface and Link goes on a quest to save her. {{spoiler|By the end of the game, however, Zelda and Link decide to stay on the surface, and the Royal Family in future games has to be built somehow...}}
* [[Mega Man Zero (Video Game)|Zero]], after his tragic first girlfriend, [[Mega Man X (Video Game)|Iris]], {{spoiler|who he killed, accidentally, by his own hands}}, likes to keep things merely professional with future female co-workers from now on, as seen with ''X8's'' Layer (although he's also [[Chaste Hero|oblivious]] to her feelings)
** Doesn't stop the [[Ship Tease|ship teasing]] between him and Ciel, though.
Line 320:
* Nathan Hale is the [[Celibate Hero|Celibate Smart Guy]] in ''[[The Dreamer]]''.
* The Reverend Theo of ''[[Schlock Mercenary (Webcomic)|Schlock Mercenary]]'' is a literal version, since he took a vow of chastity. He eventually gets married, averted the trope but keeping true to his vow.
* Howlett, [[The Hero]] in [[Daily Grind]], is madly in love with Jolene, the [[Big Guy|Big Gal]] in the comic's [[Five
* Lancelot du Lac in the early years of ''[[Arthur King of Time and Space]]'' (in the Contemporary Arc he was studying to be a minister). Then the plot happened.
* Gary from [[Dubious Company]], as explained by [[Mr. Exposition|Team Exposition]] on the whereabouts of the rest of the team:
Line 328:
{{quote| JOHN: anyway, my point is, who even cares about all that? <br />
JOHN: romance and dating are dumb and boring. we are legendary heroes, and we have bigger fish to fry. like that smug fatass over there on the horizon. }}
* Marlene of ''[[Jet Dream (Webcomic)|Jet Dream]]'', apparently indifferent to sex of any sort, thinks of [[Gender Bender|her sex change]] as a minor inconvenience that occasionally gets in the way of [[For Science!|Doing Science]]. The occasional urge can be dealt with easily enough by using [[A Date With Rosie Palms|her Jet Dream Vibrostick]]. This attitude [http://tgcaps.com/caps/modcomics/suedenim/jetdream/mjdr01/mjdr1_01.jpg.php doesn't last forever], though.
| |||