Took a Level In Kindness: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

A [[Jerkass]] softens over time, and becomes either a [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold]] or not a jerk at all. Usually this can be due to [[Character Development]]. [[Badass Decay]] and [[Heel Face Turn]] may be involved as well. In some cases this may be a case of [[Characterisation Marches On]]; as the series progresses, the writers realised that a nicer character fit the changing tone better than the original idea.

 

{{examples}}

* Sakura Haruno from ''[[Naruto]]''. She goes from a [[Jerkass]] [[Tsundere]] who beats up Naruto and swoons over Sasuke, to a more vulnerable but quite more kind-hearted [[Combat Medic]]. To be fair, she showed signs of [[Character Development]] even ''before'' she got her iconic [[Important Haircut]]: a scene in the Haku and Zabuza arc has her giving candy to a [[Street Urchin]] and then cries [[Tender Tears]] when she learns how Tazuna's home is due to Gato and his group.

** After his [[Defeat Means Friendship|defeat]] by Naruto, Neji goes from an [[Jerkass]] [[Arrogant Kung Fu Guy]] who [[Kick the Dog|harshly beat his cousin Hinata]] to a generally nice guy who shows concern when she is injured and supports her crush on Naruto.

* ''[[Inuyasha]]'': Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru, Kouga, and Kagura all experience this at varying speeds and to varying degrees.

 

* In ''[[The Best Night Ever]]'', a core focus of the story is Prince Blueblood [[Character Development|taking several levels in kindness]].

 

* The film ''Son Of [[Godzilla]]'' is the start of showing the King Of The Monster's more loving fatherly side. Especially towards the end where he {{spoiler|embraces his new son to keep him from freezing to death.}}

* In ''[[Bad Santa (film)|Bad Santa]]'', the main character starts being a complete [[Jerkass]], but eventually becames a [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold]].

 

* The Grinch, from ''[[How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (novel)|How the Grinch Stole Christmas]]'', provides the page quote.

* Ebeneezer Scrooge from ''[[A Christmas Carol]]''.

* Matteo in ''[[Someone Else's War|Someone Elses War]]'', who goes from a snobby, condescending brat to a loving young man who will risk his life and compromise his ideals if it means saving his friends.

 

* Cordelia on [[Angel]] went through this.

** So did Faith. She becomes even kinder and more morally centered than before her [[Face Heel Turn]], to the point where some fans claim Faith is better, [[Buffy-Speak|gooder]] than the rest of the cast.

* Ziva David from ''[[NCIS]]'' has in the past couple of seasons evolved softer qualities including a [[Big Brother Instinct|big sister instinct]] for McGee. Though it may be those aspects of her personality were always there and she needed to feel at home on the team.

 

* Riku from [[Kingdom Hearts]] goes from [[Arrogant Kung Fu Guy]] to [[Rival Turned Evil]] in the first game, but at the end snaps out of it and spends [[Kingdom Hearts II]] as [[The Atoner]].

* Duncan from ''[[Dragon Age Origins]]'': In a universe as dark and depressing as Dragon Age can be, right from the start of the game Duncan is a beacon of hope before the player becomes one. {{spoiler|Unfortunately, he doesn't last very long.}}

** If he survived the first game, [[Hitman with a Heart|Zevran]] has been spending most of the time frame that [[Dragon Age II]] encompasses only killing the [[Murder, Inc.|Crows]] that try to track him down. Okay, nothing too new, and Zevran was always much more [[Hidden Heart of Gold|laid-back]] than one would expect from an ex-assassin, but {{spoiler|then when the Dalish offer him sanctuary in Act 3, he turns them down to hide out in the nearby caves so that none of them will get caught in the crossfire.}} Considering this is the man who casually admitted he [[Token Evil Teammate|enjoyed killing]] ([[Even Evil Has Standards|to an extent]]) and has killed innocents, or gotten them killed through his actions more than once, in the first game, this is quite the [[Character Development]].

** No, that was near the end of the first game where he realized he was being a jerk after finding out that {{spoiler|Drek was targeting his home planet.}}

* The rival Silver from [[Pokémon]] could count as this. He goes from a cruel, harsh person, but eventually becomes friendlier towards the player and his own Pokemon- to the point where his Golbat evolves into a Crobat after reaching high happiness.

* Miles Edgeworth from the [[Ace Attorney]] series goes from being the ruthless Demon Prosecutor, concerned only with maintaining his perfect prosecution record even through shady means, to pursuing the truth for truth's sake and being a genuine friend and ally to Phoenix, Maya, and others (most notably, {{spoiler|making an impromptu international flight and taking on the role of defense attorney - something he could get into trouble for if caught - simply because Phoenix needed him}}). By the time we see him in [[Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth|his most recent appearance]], he's willing to risk loss of career and arrest in order to help Kay Faraday.

 

* Karkat in ''[[Homestuck]]'' becomes less of a [[Troll]] and more interested in the success of his prior antagonists. And if he's not a [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold]], at least he's a shrewd enough leader to know when to play [[Team Mom]] for the other trolls.

** John, too. As he becomes more of a [[The Messiah|Messiah]]—especially when contrasted with the other kids' [[Character Development]], which often took them in darker directions—it can be hard to remember that this is the same guy that who, in his first pesterlog, responded to Dave's gleeful discovery of a bottle of apple juice by joking that it might actually be full of pee.

 

* Stan Smith from ''[[American Dad]]''. He still has his Jerkass moments, but the show's [[Character Development]] did him a lot of good.

** The large majority of the Smith family have gone in a similar direction to a lesser extent (par Roger who [[Took a Level in Jerkass|swerved several times in the opposite direction]], likely to balance the more sympathetic characters by acting as a [[Token Evil Teammate]].

* Buford from ''[[Phineas and Ferb]],'' who was a bully in his first appearance, a [[Punch Clock Villain]] in his second, and afterward only makes token attempts to pretend he doesn't like everybody else.

* Film historian Leonard Maltin notes that when [[Mickey Mouse]] first arrived on the screens, he was hardly a model of good behaviour. Mickey soon evolved into [[The Everyman]], with the [[Jerkass]] torch being passed to [[Donald Duck]].

* [[Alpha Bitch|Heather]] from [[Total Drama Island]] used to be a mean [[Jerkass]], but due to all the [[Laser-Guided Karma|hell that]] people put her through, she suddenly changes to be nicer, starting with the [[Unpopular Popular Character|unlucky Cody]].

* In ''[[Regular Show]]'', [[Fat Idiot|Muscle Man]] has undergone this. Formerly a [[Jerkass]], he's become a [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold]] who views Mordecai and Rigby as friends.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Characterization Tropes]]