History DarkIsNotEvil / AnimeAndManga

* ''Manga/CardCaptorSakura'' has both a "Shadow" card and a "The Dark" card, neither of which are evil.

* ''Anime/DigimonFrontier'' once has a lecture about how dark and light are opposite, but neither is inherently evil, resulting from the heroes encountering some strange but harmless creatures on the Dark Continent. This foreshadows [[spoiler:[[CastingAShadow Kouichi's]] HeelFaceTurn and his status as perhaps the kindest and gentlest of the Chosen, and the ManBehindTheMan turning out to be a vaccine-type angel Digimon with the appearance of a child (named after [[{{Satan}} Lucifer]], [[FridgeBrilliance a prime example of]] LightIsNotGood).]]

* Deshwitat, the main character from ''Manhwa/{{Rebirth}}'' is a dangerous Dark Power-loaded half-vampire bent on killing [[BigBad Kalutika]], ''[[LightIsNotGood The God of Light]]'' because [[spoiler:he was once close friends with Desh when Kal was still human, and after a godly-powers-releasing HeroicBSOD cursed a mutual friend with immortality, killed Desh's girlfriend in front of him because of Desh's failure to rescue Kal's sister, turned Desh into stone for 300 years, annihilated the [[strike:[[Franchise/StarWars Galactic Senate]]]] Council of the Gods, resurrected or cloned Desh's girlfriend and made her his consort, and is now plotting the destruction of the human and vampire races because of his [[FreudianExcuse really miserable childhood]]. LightIsNotGood indeed...]]

* Shoya Ishidha the protagionist of ''Anime/ASilentVoice''. In both the anime and [[Manga/ASilentVoice manga]], he doesn't look the traditional bishie drama romance hero, with his dark Tetsuo-esque spikey hairdo and lanky and unkempt appearance, worst still as a kid he was TheBully being feckless and vicious. He completely plays this straight later on after the TimeSkip being a very compassionate person as TheAtoner who cares deeply for his friends ''especially'' Shouko Nishimiya his DisabledLoveInterest, whom he used to bully cruelly. [[spoiler: Making the moment where he personally saves her from commiting suicide at the cost of falling himself incredibly powerful.]]

[[quoteright:350:[[Manga/{{Berserk}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gutsdine.png]]]][[caption-width-right:350:Don’t worry little one, he’s “A Monster that ''''''''eats'''''''' Monsters”.]]


The majority of anime/manga examples are themselves an example of the cultural differences between Japan and the US. Contrary to the Anglosphere, in the East, [[DarkIsNotEvil good guys wear black]] and [[LightIsNotGood bad guys wear white]].

** Joseph Joestar from ''Manga/BattleTendency'', besides his signature green scarf which he loses, he tends to wear darker colors and is an irrating trolling delinquent to almost everyone he meets, in contrast to his NiceGuy grandfather Jonathan. Even the vampified Straizo is ''almost'' convinced that Joseph isn't a hero, yet when he tests him by holding a girl hostage and rips out one of her teeth and the immediate reaction is an UnstoppableRage, Straizo's estimation (before getting beaten) that Joseph is actually good as Jonathan deep down - is proven correct. He saves the entire world not too long after.
** During the events of ''Manga/StardustCrusaders'', Jotaro Kujo wears a black outfit and is a JapaneseDelinquent, and while he gives off the attitude of a [[TheStoic stoic]] loner, he's a [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold genuinely caring person]] deep down and is an overall heroic character.
** Giorno Giovanna from ''Manga/GoldenWind'' is the son of series BigBad, DIO, wears a dark blue suit in the manga ([[AdaptationDyeJob though it's changed to pink in the anime]]), and in the anime, [[spoiler:upon becoming the new [[TheDon Don]] of Passione, starts wearing a black suit]]; however, he's an AntiHero at worst and [[NeighborhoodFriendlyGangsters joins Passione with the heroic goal of ending the drug trade]].
** Like her previously mentioned father, Jolyne Cujoh from ''Manga/StoneOcean'' is this, being a {{delinquent}} in dark clothing with a [[ArachnidAppearanceAndAttire spider]] [[AnimalMotifs motif]], yet is still an overall heroic character.
** Non-[=JoJo=] example: Robert E. O. Speedwagon from ''Manga/PhantomBlood'', a scarred-face ruffian in a dark suit from the streets, who makes his first appearance trying to mug the AllLovingHero Jonathan. It soon turns out Speedwagon is a JerkWithAHeartOfGold who helps Jonathan stop Dio, and by the time of later parts he's become the GreaterScopeParagon of the series.
** Lisa Lisa from ''Battle Tendency'' is a AloofDarkHairedGirl who puts Joseph and Caesar through TrainingFromHell and is largely a callous and impatient BadassTeacher. On the inside however, she's very warm, loving and very heroic [[spoiler:being Joseph's MissingMom. She definitely passed down her ActionGirl traits to her great, great grandaughter Jolyne.]]

** Surprisingly, Guilimon, one of the nicest and friendliest Digimon in existence, is a ''Virus'' type.

** Guts, also known as the [[BlackKnight Black Swordsman]] isn't [[TheBerserker exactly]] [[AntiHero by-the-book good]] and especially looks like a villain [[NobleMaleRoguishMale compared to Griffith]] (though Griffith is [[LightIsNotGood far more villainous than Guts is]], especially when you take the Eclipse into consideration), but he's willing to constantly fight the real evil until the final consequences (to himself) must be worth something, not counting the fact he's actually a JerkWithAHeartOfGold [[BruiserWithASoftCenter who protects the innocent]]. Also given the CrapsackWorld that Guts has to live in, he comes out looking like Sir frickin' Gawain.

** Her sister Veronica could also count. Sure, she loves to kill, but she does it as quickly as possible so they don't suffer. Of course, when she first see the outcome of a "[[JustForPun Fran-periment]]", she does what any sane person would do: scream.

** José, the master of the (former) guild Phantom Lord, has Darkness magic as his primary one. He's not a nice guy, but he's at least not really evil. He's just cocky.

* Pro hero Gang Orca is an enormous man who looks like a humanoid orca whale. People tend to be afraid of him when they see him and granted, he can also intimidate trainees he’s working with. But he’s still a hero
* Ectoplasm. A nearly six foot humanoid with a bald, jet black head and grinning white teeth that give him a skeletal look. You’d be forgiven for thinking he’s a villain but he’s one of the hero teachers.

** Nico Robin, AloofDarkHairedGirl who is proficent in assassinations, causally breaks necks and spines, and whose epithet for the longest time was "Devil Child". Yet Robin is really a compassionate person, a TeamMom to her crew, a FriendToAllChildren and would rather die herself than let her friends get killed by the Government (they vetoe this however). [[spoiler:Robin's SuperMode seen in Onigashima, "Demonio Fleur", is another case of this: it's a literally a massive black devil with sharp teeth, wings and horns; but since the opponent she used the technique on (Black Maria) ''really had it coming'' Robin comes out smelling like roses.]]

** Piccolo becomes this in ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' and onward. He's still a green skinned, sharp toothed, purple blooded, demon-like (actually alien) fighter who wears darker gi, brutalises his foes (espeically in the movies) and has demonic-themed attack names like "Hell Zone Grenade". But he's also one of the Z-Fighters, as close as an uncle to Son Family and is very capable of pulling a BigDamnHeroes.

* Spike, Jet and Faye of ''Anime/CowboyBebop'' fame. All three of them with their smoking and wardrobe look like criminals compared to GenkiGirl Ed, and they even have the attitude of criminals too, Faye espeically seems like the archetypal FemmeFatale on the surface. In actuality they are good people beneath their cynicism and spend their lives hunting down actual criminals and often fighting people like Vicious, Mad Pierrot and Vicent Volaju who are DarkIsEvil.

* Victorique de Blois from ''Literature/{{Gosick}}'' is an [[ElegantGothicLolita Elegant Gothic Lolita]] with detective skills worthy of Sherlock Holmes himself. However, she hardly takes credit for her genius, seeing the challenge itself as more of a [[VictoryIsBoring way to avoid boredom]], than anything materialistically rewarding.

* Victorique de Blois from [[Literature/Gosick]] is an [[ElegantGothicLolita Elegant Gothic Lolita]] with detective skills worthy of Sherlock Holmes himself. However, she hardly takes credit for her genius, seeing the challenge itself as more of a [[VictoryIsBoring way to avoid boredom]], than anything materialistically rewarding.

* In ''Worrysome Girl'', this occurs in a surprisingly cute H-Manga about [[PeekaBangs a girl]] that's feared due to her resemblance to [[Literature/TheRing Samara/Sadako,]] so much so that even her non-Slasher Smile creeps them out. When the male lead has to return to the lockerroom to get his clothes, he catches her rubbing one out while smelling said clothes [[BeautifulAllAlong with her eyes finally shown]] as [[IJustWantToBeLoved she]] gives an AnguishedDeclarationOfLove. He promises that he'll masturbate in kind to her before bed before going on to have sex with her in the courtyard to prove how much he loves her and isn't afraid of showing it though are surprised to not be caught. From then on, they become an open couple with her hair clipped back.

* ''LightNovel/NyarukoCrawlingWithLove'' stars a number of characters who outright call themselves Malign Deities (in Japanese 邪神, ''jashin''), bear the names of figures from the Franchise/CthulhuMythos, and may in fact '''be''' the [[ATrueStoryInMyUniverse direct inspiration]] for said figures[[note]]It remains vague as to whether it was these characters, their relatives/ancestors, or completely unrelated members of their species who inspired Lovecraft[[/note]]. But looking at the specifics:

** In general [[KiManipulation Armament Haki]], when used by the heroes like Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Law and Jinbe is a case of this. It makes the fighter's arm or leg go black and metalic looking, and in the anime even has a demonic looking purple haze around it when activated; but when used by the MainCharacters it's a force for good. Averted when the villains use it, espeically Vergo and Pica, who have full body Armament Haki and are cases of DarkIsEvil.

** With the exceptions of [[CoDragons Envy and Pride]], the Homunculi in the [[Anime/FullmetalAlchemist 2003 anime]] play this trope much straighter than their manga/''Brotherhood'' counterparts, by virtue of [[AntiVillain being played]] [[TragicVillain more sympathetically]]. The ''biggest'' example of this is [[spoiler:Lust]], who eventually turns her back on [[BigBad her master]] [[HeelFaceTurn to help the Elric brothers]].