History JerkWithAHeartOfGold / Anime

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!A
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* ''Manga/AliceAcademy'' has a great example in Natsume Hyuuga, who is pretty much horrible to Mikan from the get-go and [[{{Tsundere}} remains so even as he gradually falls for her]]. His behavior towards Mikan changes in small steps over the course of the manga, and he has gotten to the point where he would [[AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther give his own life for her sake]]. But all in all, while he is rather cold towards most others you do sense his innate kindness, especially through his interactions with Ruka or You-chan. You also eventually find out that [[spoiler: his sister was being kept hostage and he was [[DeclarationOfProtection doing everything he could to protect her]]]].
%%* ''Manga/AngelSanctuary'' has Yue Kato and Sakuya Kira.
* ''Anime/AshitaNoNadja'' has Black Rose ([[spoiler:aka Keith Harcourt]]), a thief who mind-breaks the nobles he steals from and teases Nadja for a lot of things, such as stealing her first kiss. But as it turns out, he is JustLikeRobinHood, and is acting on the wishes of his dear, dead mother.
%%** Antonio Fabiani.
* ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'':
** Captain Levi from is utterly stone-faced and rude to his subordinates, has the FaceOfAThug, and is often thought of by both characters in-universe and fans as callous. He's actually [[AFatherToHisMen incredibly compassionate and cares about his troops]], even willing to ignore his SuperOCD to take the hand of a bloodied and dying soldier and reassure him in his last moments.
** Jean begins the series as a selfish Jerkass who cares only about getting himself into the Military Police. After the [[TragicBromance death of his best friend]] in the battle that [[DoomedHometown nearly destroyed his hometown]], he abandons his selfish ways to join the Survey Corps. Emphasized when he comforts Armin after [[spoiler: their captor molested him when he was dressed as Historia]].
* Many characters in ''Webcomic/AxisPowersHetalia'' act like this at some point or another, being jerks to each other during conflicts but genuinely showing kindness and concern for younger nations, animals or their subordinates: America, England, France, Germany, Austria, Prussia...
* Kagura from ''Manga/AzumangaDaioh'', she is hyper-competitive and barely takes her studies seriously, yet she once helped a foreigner with his luggage, has helped against cats that frequently bite Sakaki, and even when she acts like a full-up jerk, she never means any harm. Tomo and Yukari also qualify; in their case, the "jerk" part is much more apparent due to how they (sometimes deliberately) act as jerks, but their hearts of gold are still there.
** Mr. Kimura is a possible deconstruction of the trope. Yes, he's an unapologetic {{ephebophile}} who stalks and harrasses some of his students, but on the other hand he frequently donates large sums of money to charity, cleans up litter when he finds it, has a loving wife and family, seems to be a genuinely good teacher, and once prayed for peace on Earth as part of a prayer ritual... but all of this doesn't change the fact that he's still an unapologetic ephebophile who stalks and harrasses some of his students.

!B
* From ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'':
** Guts is violent, cruel, cold, and obsessed with his personal goals, which are often achieved at great cost or risk to others. But he genuinely cares about the people around him, is a compassionate leader, and his distant, uncaring demeanor seems to come from a desire to keep people away from the danger he's constantly in. It ... doesn't always work out that way.
** Serpico is extremely cold, and mainly concerned with Farnese, but because of it, won't complain when occasionally being heroic.
* ''Manga/BlackBird'': Kyo can be a complete and utter JerkAss.... However, he ''does'' love Misao, is willing to [[HeroicSacrifice die for her]] and do anything to make her happy, [[PetTheDog and can be incredibly sweet and gentle to anyone smaller or weaker than himself]] (particularly [[FriendToAllChildren children]], which is why Tarou is so devoted to him).
* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'':
** Byakuya Kuchiki is shown to be arrogant and very snobby (possibly to do with his noble family upbringing), but he has been proven on more than one occasion to be fiercely devoted to his sister, Rukia.
** Same goes for his lieutenant, Renji Abarai, who is very HotBlooded and loyal to those he cares for, including Rukia.
** Kensei Muguruma, and his lieutenant Mashiro, get along like an ice cube and the sun, [[spoiler:but when the Wonderweiss started beating the shit out of her, the first thing Kensei did was go and save her, [[IWasJustPassingThrough then deny that was his intention.]]]] He also saved Hisagi from a Hollow when he was young and tried to get him to smile, although he did it in a hilariously frightening manner.
%% ** Moe Shishigawara and Riruka Dokugamine.
* Domyoji Tsukasa of ''Manga/BoysOverFlowers'', who manages to be a sympathetic male lead despite frequently beating up random bystanders.

!C
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%% * Li Xiaolang and Li Meilin in ''Manga/CardcaptorSakura''
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* Dola from ''Anime/CastleInTheSky''. She's a crusty, tough-talking old lady who is abrasive, bossy, and even controlling of her boys. She even tries to kidnap Sheeta (and steal her crystal) at the beginning of the movie. Later on, she grudgingly agrees to let Pazu help her save Sheeta and agree to take them aboard her ship. (While she's playing chess with her husband, who questions her about her affections for the kids, her response is, "Whaddaya mean by that, ya old fool?! I'm after treasure. That's all." Deep down, however, she's actually a softhearted person who comes to admire Pazu and Sheeta for their loyalty toward each other. (She does a brief double-take, though, when she overhears Pazu telling Sheeta that Dola is "much nicer than she pretends to be.")
* Muta from ''Anime/TheCatReturns'' is literally called a JerkWithAHeartOfGold at one point. He fits the build exactly. He has to be coaxed into helping others for selfish reasons, but for friends he's willing to fight an entire kingdom.
* In ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'', Accelerator and Stiyl were both introduced (and still are) as totally heartless characters, but were shown to have a heart of gold whenever it comes to their [[MoralityPet loved ones]] (Last Order and Index respectively).
* Tomoya Okazaki from ''VisualNovel/{{CLANNAD}}'', who tries to project the image of a wangsty, cynical lazy ass, delights in twisting the truth for practical jokes on anyone and everyone (leading to some impressive amounts of confusion and misunderstanding among the more naive cast -- Nagisa especially), and tries to look all bored and detached. Yet he ends up trying to help the main characters of every arc, without a second thought, and has been seen to cry at the ends of some of the arcs, in ManlyTears, or open frustration and sadness.
* Helen, from ''Manga/{{Claymore}}'', was introduced as a total bitch toward the main character, and a bully among the warriors in general (second only to Undine, who is just pretending to be a jerk). But once you get to a level of understanding with her - maybe even save each other's lives in the process - [[PowerOfFriendship you have Helen's back till the end]], [[PowerOfTrust and she'll never let you down.]]
* In ''Anime/CodeGeass'', Lelouch is a snarky MagnificentBastard who calls concepts such as "justice" and "honor" jokes and talks down to most people. Despite this, he goes out of his way to protect and look after those close to him, even his best friend-turned-[[TheRival rival]] and his MysteriousWaif partner with a SugarAndIcePersonality.
* ''Manga/ACruelGodReigns'':
** Lorenzo constantly torments Ian, treats Marjorie like a child, and cheats on Claire with Pascal. Despite this, he has some redeeming moments. He comforts Nadia when Ian falls for Jeremy, even attempting to confront Ian about it. He tries to convince Claire that Marjorie should be given more freedom, and also rescues Jeremy from Pascal's drug-induced abuse.
** Ian also fits, by caring about Jeremy, but often gets too angered by Jeremy’s failures, and his attempts to help are… ''off''.

!D
* Kurosaki/[[spoiler:Daisy]] from ''Manga/DengekiDaisy'' qualifies by being rude and obnoxious in-person. But over the phone... ''incredibly'' charming.
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%% * Daichi from ''Manga/DennouCoil''.
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* Chilchuck from ''Manga/DeliciousInDungeon'' is this. In one chapter, he constantly complained about how the party's behavior will get them all killed someday and how he is willing to lie to them so they won't make him go further. But then he's struck speechless when it's pointed out he just didn't want his friends to die. He's a snarker, but his friends are the most important thing to him.
* Kogoro Mouri from ''Manga/DetectiveConan'' is lecherous, alcoholic, and has a HE-UUUGE ego. And let's not forget about the way he treats Conan for simply being smarter than him. However, don't let that fool you: he has shown to [[PapaWolf care deeply for his family]], especially his [[OverprotectiveDad "little girl", Ran.]] He also reprimands Heiji's father for going too far in punching Heiji and making him bleed. When one of his friends was murdered under his very nose in a HotSpringsEpisode [[spoiler: and the killer was ''another of his friends''.]] [[CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass For one time, the guy was awesome.]] [[GeniusBruiser SERIOUSLY awesome.]]
* Cross Marian of ''Manga/DGrayMan'' fits. He has shown he has his JerkAss moments. But, he's not a complete jerkass. The manga has shown many hints and instances to illustrate that Cross isn't heartless, and while many people aren't fond of him, there's many people who apparently think very highly of him. Allen says he lives off lovers and acquaintances. So he's apparently someone you could be fond of, and even want to help, should he care to show his kinder side. He's shown protectiveness, empathy, sadness, concern, and hesitation. Although, most of these things are shown when it comes to Allen and women.
* Rika of ''Anime/DigimonTamers'' goes from {{Jerkass}} to this thanks to CharacterDevelopment and her DefrostingIceQueen status. By the end of the series, she's pretty much gotten rid of most of the "jerk" tendencies.
* ''Manga/DragonBall'' and ''Anime/DragonBallZ'':
** Piccolo (Jr.), son of Piccolo (''Dragon Ball'''s most powerful villain), finally [[AvengingTheVillain kills the hero]], then [[TrainingFromHell mentors]] the hero's son, [[MoralityPet Gohan]], and later [[HeroicSacrifice sacrifices his life]] to [[RedemptionEqualsDeath save said Gohan]]. Piccolo [[CharacterDevelopment eventually becomes]] the closest thing the TrueCompanions have to a TeamDad.
** On a much smaller scale, Yajirobe. A belligerent glutton who’s been around since ''Dragon Ball'', and who loudly declares he wants nothing to do with the other Z-Warriors, ''still'' always ends up coming to their aid when they really need it.
** Vegeta himself becomes one in the TimeSkip following the Cell Games, where he becomes a loving, if not [[WellDoneSonGuy distant]], father to main timeline Trunks, and he's become more attached to Bulma. He also performs a selfless HeroicSacrifice on Majin Buu later onward, and fights with Goku on friendly terms for the first time against Kid Buu, also fighting for the Earth for the first time. At the end, he's a stark contrast to the callous, self-absorbed {{Jerkass}} that came to destroy Earth years ago. This is best shown in ''Battle Of Gods'', where he swallows his pride and tries to please Beerus, and absolutely [[UnstoppableRage loses it]] when he [[BerserkButton sla]][[PapaWolf ps Bulma]].
** Mr. Satan is a glory-stealing, loudmouthed buffoon with [[SmallNameBigEgo an overly inflated ego]], but he's genuinely well-intentioned and willing to help when push comes to shove, even if it puts him in active danger.
* Rouce, a.k.a. Red Lightning a.k.a. Mink's father in ''Manga/DragonHalf''. A once-renowned warrior whose recent "exploits" consist of fighting his dragon wife, hitting on any attractive woman (regardless of her availability), faking life-threatening diseases to get out of hunting for food, and [[PervertDad pulling down his own daughter's pants]], it seems the only thing he's good at now is lying. However, he does get a moment of off-panel awesomeness by singlehandedly slaughtering a horde of monsters about to eat his wife and daughter. Though he appears to be sleeping when the two return to camp, the blood on his sword (and trademark "R" cut on the monsters' corpses) make it pretty clear that he's the one who saved them.
* Shizuo Heiwajima from ''LightNovel/{{Durarara}}'' acts like a complete JerkAss at some points, but it turns out that, when you don't activate his HairTriggerTemper, he's actually just a socially inept sweetheart. He deeply cares about his brother and basically anybody who isn't Izaya Orihara.

!E
* ''Manga/{{Eyeshield21}}'':
** Youichi Hiruma never refers to anyone by their real name, only by his personal nickname, and all his personal nicknames start with "fucking" (toned down to "damn" in Viz's translation of the manga). (Sena is "Fucking Shrimp", Mamori is "Fucking Manager", and then there's his best friend Kurita, "Fucking Fatass", and so on.) He's a violent gun nut who slings a constant string of verbal and physical abuse on his team, uses blackmail to get his way like some people say "please", and lies like it was going out of style. He also ''never'' fails to reward perseverance, dedication, and effort as long as the team doesn't suffer for it, has his own unique brand of showing affection which he doles out with regularity, and puts himself through [[strike:''all'' the same crap that]] '''worse''' crap than he puts everyone else through. \\
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One notable scene was when an exhausted Yukimitsu made it to the top of the Tokyo Tower, as part of Hiruma's tournament to get more teammates. However, Yukimitsu's bag of ice, that he was suppose to bring up to the tower, had all melted. But secretly, Hiruma slipped in an ice cube and congratulated him for making it. \\
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Another example is when an enraged Gaoh was rampaging in the stands looking for someone who insulted someone he considered a WorthyOpponent, Hiruma jumped in front of Mamori and Suzuna to protect them from harm.
** Agon at the end, reveals a kind heart by shaving his head to give Unsui inspiration to play for himself. This, after dozens of chapters acting as a bully to everyone.
** Linebacker Habishira. Mostly out of blackmail, but even after being released by Hiruma so they can practice, they still help Deimon out a lot.
** [[AffablyEvil Marco.]] All he wanted to do was win the Christmas Bowl for his girlfriend, Maria, and show her the rising sun after the victory, but lost sight when Maria disproved of using Gaou as a weapon.

!F
* Gajeel, from ''Manga/FairyTail'', says he didn't save Natsu from getting fried alive by Laxus because he [[TrueCompanions cares for him]]; instead, he just wanted to [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou make sure Natsu was around to get his revenge on]].
* In ''Manga/{{Freezing}}'', the third years may be major, ''major'' jerks who were obsessed with beating the crap out of the main character for unjustified reasons, but they're still soldiers trained to save humanity from [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch Abominations]]. During the Academy Siege, they were in the front lines covering for everybody else.
* Kyou Sohma from ''Manga/FruitsBasket''. Despite being a jerk to ''everyone'', he develops great affection for Tohru, whom he eventually [[spoiler:falls in love with.]]. He hates Yuki, but he does seem concerned when the latter collapses because on an asthma attack. Also, he clearly cares for [[ChildhoodFriend Kagura]] despite her {{Tsundere}}/{{Yandere}} tendencies towards him.
* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'':
** Edward Elric acts like a jerk to many characters - including his younger brother Alphonse, who constantly has to apologize for him in the trend of "Don't take it personally, he's like that with everybody."
** Greed, who is named after the [[SevenDeadlySins sin of avarice]], isn’t as selfish and insensitive as he claims to be, or as his name would imply. He genuinely ''cares'' for the objects and people he “owns”, and is occasionally quite serviceable.
--> Nice to meet ya, kid! I'm Greed. [[{{Foreshadowing}} Wanna be friends]]?
** Roy Mustang frequently appears callous and arrogant to those (Ed in particular) who don't understand his past and/or motives.
** Olivier Armstrong seems cold, unforgiving and hard as nails, but while she won't forgive weakness from her underlings, she'll walk over hot coals for them all the same. For example, when some of her troops were going down a deep hole, under instructions from Captain Buccaneer that they should seal the door after twenty-four hours, the Major-General made sure to issue the man tasked with tracking those hours with a ''broken watch''.
* Takuto, the male protagonist of ''Anime/FullMoonOSagashite'', is snarky, anti-social, occasionally rude ("baka" is his favorite word), he will always say the exact opposite of how he truly feels… Yet when nobody's looking, he'll do something incredibly sweet. Just make sure you don't blink, because you'll miss it. By the end of the anime series, [[CharacterDevelopment his jerkish side pretty much vanishes]]. [[spoiler:His last action is to sacrifice his life and soul to save Mitsuki from her cancer. A heart of gold as well as it can be defined, indeed!]]
* Tasuki in ''Manga/FushigiYuugi'' is a thieving, HotBlooded, hard-drinking HeManWomanHater who is constantly offending the hell out of his teammates with obnoxiously blunt remarks both intentional and [[NoSocialSkills unintentional]]. But he's also ferociously loyal to the group, cries the hardest at [[spoiler:Nuriko's death]], reams out [[BrainwashedAndCrazy brainwashed]] Tamahome for ''hurting Miaka's feelings'' and breaking her arm. To top it off, he is nearly [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown beaten to death]] making a YouShallNotPass sacrifice for her.
* ''Anime/FutureGPXCyberFormula'':
** Naoki Shinjyo started out as a {{Jerkass}} when he lashes out at his team's mechanics and gets angry over his poor driving skills despite being TheAce, but once Miki Jounouchi blames him for having no respect towards mechanics and [[CharacterDevelopment he proves himself as a true racer]], he begins to show more of his softer side.
** Karl Lichter von Randoll also started out as a arrogant racer when he puts down other racers, saying that he's better than anyone, but after the race with Hayato in the Spanish race [[BreakTheHaughty that ended in his defeat]], he slowly softens up and begins to have a sense of chivalry.

!G
* The FallenAngel and main protagonist of ''Manga/GabrielDropOut'', Gabriel is for the most part an apathetic and rude GamerChick, who disregards the very values she used to live by. Even still, she does occasionally have a few redeeming moments:
** While Gab herself won't admit it, Vigne acknowledges that she does have a caring side to her, stopping by Vigne's house during one of her sick days to not only check up on her, but to deliver her homework and refreshments which Gab purchased with what little remaining money she had.
** In episode 11 she helps Satania keep the dog she rescued by begging the owner of Satania's building to allow pets and even agreeing to work an extra day at the coffee house, all without telling anyone.
** While she still loses an awful lot of time, money and effort on her MMORPG, it's fair to say that she is still a healer type in-game, like when she began playing in the first place when she had the best intentions.
** In the second OVA, she breaks the rules to give a critically injured blind girl her sight back.
** There's also Satania, a boisterous and petty demon girl who adopts the stray dog that keeps stealing his melon bread because she cannot abide for it to be put down at a dog pound. She even gives the dog the bigger half of her melon bread when they reach Hokkaido. Even Gabriel is moved by the gesture and even pulls some strings behind Satania's back for her to be able keep the dog.
* In ''Manga/GakuenBabysitters'', Chairman Morinomiya, despite coming off as a cold, old woman most of the time, has shown many instances to be very kind and caring toward her adoptive grandchildren. Even during times where she would vent her busy schedule, after receiving an invite from Kotarou for a play she immediately had things rescheduled so she could attend.
* Azusa Mizutani from ''Manga/GakuenOuji''. The guy is pretty much a dick, especially towards Okitsu, often insulting or igoring her. He also doesn't understand when he's being tactless and hurting her feelings. He does often try to make up for it when he realizes, such as standing up for her and coming to her aid when she needs him. Unfortunately, he tends to go back to [[IgnoredEpiphany being a dick again a few chapters later]].
* Midou Ban in ''Manga/GetBackers'' has a mocking nickname for nearly everyone (monkey trainer, thread spool, computer boy, etc.), is selfish, sneaky, gropes women constantly, and is generally just not a nice guy to be around... unless your name is Ginji, and you get to see that "Ban-chan" is really just a cuddly, misunderstood dork.
* Batou from ''Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex'' is basically a good guy, but he can be a bit of a jerk. More played straight in [[Manga/GhostInTheShell the manga]], where he's a DeadpanSnarker who's VitriolicBestBuds with his old friend, [[ActionGirl The Major]].
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%%* Kyoushiro Shirogane from ''Anime/GingaDensetsuWeed''.
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* ''{{Manga/Gintama}}'':
** Gintoki Sakata is rude and snarky to almost everyone and often scoffs off other people's problems as none of his business. However, when push comes to shove, his kindness and sense of honor pushes him beyond humanly possible limits and the juxtaposition certainly makes him seem that much more awesome. Even more, he might risk his ''own life'' in order to help the needed ones.
** Hijikata from the Shinsengumi is even harsher than Gintoki, but if the situation is very serious, he'll do whatever he can to help those in need of assistance.
* Chiharu Eniwa of manga series ''Manga/GirlGotGame'' argues, shouts, and fights at Kyo almost as soon as he meets "him". Chiharu does have a short temper, but he's actually nicer than he lets on. When he does help someone (usually Kyo), he'll often say "I'm only helping so you don't get mad at me later," or some other half-hearted excuse.
* In ''Manhua/GoddessCreationSystem'' Ming Zhu views Xiaxi as an obstacle to her marrying the prince, so she kidnaps her. However, while the prince and his uncle both think Ming Zhu will probably murder Xiaxi, she never actually threatens to harm her at all. She attempts to bribe her to leave and when that fails enters into a basically fair competition, though one where Xiaxi is at a disadvantage. When she ends up losing, she frees her, admits that Xiaxi was right about the relationship not being a good idea from the start and seems to view her as a new friend.
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%%* ''Manga/{{Gravitation}}'': Eiri Yuki.
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* ''Anime/{{Gundam}}'' anime franchise:
** ''Anime/MobileFighterGGundam'': Domon Kasshu has to be the Gundam poster boy for this trope. He's got zero manners, major anger issues, and drives his partner ''nuts''; in fact he's basically a straight-up JerkAss at the start and ''matures'' into this trope. But he's also a FriendToAllChildren, [[WorthyOpponent respects his rivals]], and does a good job as a WarriorTherapist when he doesn't need one himself.
** ''Anime/AfterWarGundamX'': Witz Su is brash, rude, and unapologetically mercenary, but he's using his pay to help his family and does care for his friends a great deal.
** ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSeedDestiny'':
*** Shin Asuka initially seems to be a troubled youth with authority problems and chews out anyone who tries to help him in most ways, and as the series goes on, it becomes more and more obvious that he is a genuinely nice person. He’s even willing to take care of [[spoiler: the enemy Gundam pilot, Stella]].
*** Yzak Joule, after some well-deserved character development: aggressive, stand-offish and generally a Jerkass, he expresses care for Athrun when he's reassigned ("Don't get killed until then..."), and although he's still pretty aggressive by the time ''SEED Destiny'' rolls around, he's [[spoiler:covertly working for Lacus]].
** ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam00'' has Lyle Dylandy, who pretends to be a lazy HandsomeLech in the beginning, but that's an act designed for two effects, one is to protect another character from falling in love with him via LovingAShadow [[spoiler: because she idolized his dead twin brother]], and the other is part of a more complicated DoubleAgent scheme. [[BecomingTheMask in the beginning, at least.]]
** ''Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam'':
*** Kamille Bidan is in possession of ''huge'' {{Wangst}} and can be a big MoodSwinger, but he also genuinely cares for those he loves and tries to help them.
*** His rival, Jerid Messa, is more brutal. Basically, he's a huge JerkAss, but if you ''do'' manage to make him care for you, he'll genuinely do so... before you eventually suffer the CartwrightCurse.
** ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamAGE'': Woolf in the first generation. He enjoys annoying his crewmates and tries to nab the Gundam from Flit, but he looks out for Flit in combat. By Gen 2 he's still a cocky maverick, but much more of a mentor figure.
* Van of ''Anime/GunXSword'' will dismiss someone’s plea to rescue their town because it has "nothing to do with" him, but then he'll think better of it, especially after his MoralityPet Wendy prompts him a little (or gives him an outright scolding). Speaking of Wendy, he takes her for granted much of the time and occasionally treats her rudely, but if she's sick, in danger, or even just unhappy, he acts surprisingly tender towards her.

!H
* ''Manga/HajimeNoIppo'':
** Mamoru Takamura only cares about boxing, and therefore takes it very seriously if a boxer disgraces himself, and he respects a boxer that fights well, regardless of the results of the fight. Aoki and Kimura get especially surprised of him when he approaches Ippo, not to mock him, but to congratulate him after [[spoiler:he loses against Date Eiji]]. He was also extremely brokenhearted after the “Bear” incident. Because [[spoiler:Nekota had killed the very same bear that he had spared on account of her caring for her cubs]], he literally ''cries''. For a guy that beats up his fans and [[GagPenis grabs people's cocks in the shower]] on a regular basis, this shows that he at least has some kind of idea of common sense.
** Also Takeshi Sendoh, who is HotBlooded and a borderline BloodKnight... but actually started fighting to ''protect'' people rather than hurting them in purpose.
* ''Anime/HanaukyoMaidTai''. Konoe, especially in ''La Verite''. She starts off very stern and strict with Taro, but ends up becoming friendly toward him
* ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'':
** The titular character is selfish, bossy and arrogant, but she does treat the [[TrueCompanions Brigade members]] very well, like after Kyon fell into a coma in Disappearance and when Yuki fell sick because of the Sky Canopy Dominon in “Snow Mountain Syndrome”. Most recently seen in the end of the beta storyline of Dissociation.
** Kyon is prone to presenting himself as a world-weary DeadpanSnarker, but he's a deeply compassionate person who treats everyone equally and seriously in thought, if not in action.

!I
* ''Manga/InuYasha'' has the titular half-demon, who is frequently abusive to his companions, physically and verbally. When Kagome describes his behavior to her friends in the modern world, they all consider him a Juvenile Delinquent. Despite this, he is very protective of his TrueCompanions, and trying to hide his feelings of love for Kikyo and Kagome.

!J
* ''Manga/{{Jin}}'' has Nokaze and Tanosuke, both of whom come across as rather jerkish in their first appearances. As they and Jin get to know each other better, they slowly reveal their hearts of gold - Nokaze collects money to pay for treatment of her co-workers and Tanosuke buys Jin's debt when the doctor has to lend money to save a courtesan Tanosuke has made pregnant.
* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure''
** Joseph Joestar, as he appears in ''Battle Tendency'', is a short-tempered youth who is prone to picking fights, but [[EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas he cares deeply for his grandmother]], such that when he was caught up in a mid-air hijacking as a child, he brutalized his assailants not because they hit him, but because their hitting him caused him to accidentally stain the sweater his grandma gave him with blood. He also goes out of his way in his first appearance to help a kid who picked his pocket when he gets jumped by a pair of crooked cops.
** Jotaro Kujo, from ''Stardust Crusaders'', is not a very nice man by his own admission: he starts fights at school with students and teachers, considers female students fawning over him a pain in the ass, skips the bill at restaurants if he dislikes their food, and gets annoyed by his mother's doting nature. Nonetheless, he is not only fiercely loyal and protective of his friends, but is willing to travel halfway across the world to save his mother from DIO's curse.

!K
* Layla Hamilton from ''Anime/KaleidoStar'', the BrokenBird who is as tough on herself as she is on new recruits to the Kaleido stage, and has quite the daddy issues.
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%%* Kujyou Kazune of ''Manga/KamichamaKarin''.
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* Tomoe from ''Manga/KamisamaKiss'' is normally sarcastic, rude and highly critical of just about anything Nanami does. But if anybody else tries to insult her and/or criticize her, he is quick to come to her defense. If you hurt or threaten Nanami in any way, shape, or form, you're in for a world of pain.
* In ''Manga/{{Karneval}}'':
** Gareki, who is {{Tsundere}}, still has a weak spot for Nai’s innocence (though it won't spare the poor kid getting bonked in the head, and all the other annoying brats in the world can go rot for all he cares).
** Hirato seems to effectively hide how much he cares for his crew and how often he makes certain of Nai's safety.
** Akari is harshly vocal about Hirato's apparent callousness toward his crew and the people essentially under his care, before turning around and doing essentially the same thing.
* Gokudera Hayato, of ''Manga/KatekyoHitmanReborn'', is kind of a jerk, especially to Yamamoto, but just check out how [[HoYay affectionate and caring]] he gets whenever Tsuna's around...
* ''Anime/KenichiTheMightiestDisciple'':
** Tanimoto acts like a JerkAss towards Kenichi, but when push comes to shove, he's willing to throw his lot in with the Shipaku Alliance.
** Nijima seemingly doesn't care about the desires or well-being of the Shinpaku Alliance (especially Kenichi), but he has shown that his ''is'' willing to stick out his own neck for the team when he really needs to.
** Akira Hongo, the "God Fist" of YAMI's One Shadow Nine Fists, looks and acts like a very aloof fighter, but over time he is revealed to have been [[AFatherToHisMen a very good mentor]] to his now-deceased prize student Sho Kanou (and later, to Kanou's fellow students under him as well), and he didn't take it very well when he learned that Kanou had died at the end of the D of D Tournament arc. It's also indicated that he's always respected the bond between master and student [[spoiler:(hence the reason he advises Sakaki to go support Kenichi instead of fighting the Demon Fist, which he does himself)]] and Kenichi [[PetTheDog earns his respect]] for standing up for Kanou's [[RedemptionEqualsDeath self-sacrifice]] to protect Miu during the aforementioned D of D.
* Ryuko Matoi from ''Anime/KillLaKill'' is [[HotBlooded short-tempered]], [[SirSwearsALot foul-mouthed]], and is 99% of the time driven solely by revenge. Beneath her rough exterior, however, is a kindhearted girl who cares deeply for her loved ones and is willing to help anyone in trouble, just as long as they don't try to get eye candy from her, and when she's given the chance to kill the two people who caused her the most misery, she decides to forgive them.
* While Pauley Cracker from ''Manga/KimbaTheWhiteLion'' can be sarcastic and pushy, he cares deeply for his friends and is willing to do whatever it takes to help them.
* ''Manga/KimiNiTodoke'' presents Pin, the [[ApatheticTeacher apathetic homeroom teacher,]] who shows little to no sympathy for any of his pupils, goes out of his way to embarrass people and generally just acts really rudely to just about everyone. Despite this, though, his PetTheDog moments and occasions on which he actually gave pretty good advice have shown that he's not so bad, deep down.

!L
* The Shinka, in the anime for ''LightNovel/LoveChunibyoAndOtherDelusions'', is always abrasive towards everyone else in the club. However, the fact that she joined their beach vacation is a telltale sign that she's far friendlier to them than she'd ever like to admit. Her heart of gold is especially highlighted in Episode 9, [[spoiler:when she actually gives Rikka advice on romance.]]
* Vita from ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha''. She has something of a fiery temper and is rude to everyone but Hayate. At the same time, she's violently protective of those she cares about (which, by the time of ''[=StrikerS=]'', is pretty much the entire main cast). Although the jerk part faded as the series went on.

!M
* Alto Saotome from ''Anime/MacrossFrontier'' acts like a jerk to a lot of people and (in the beginning) mutters about how much he hates his home, Frontier, but in spite of it does everything he can to protect it. The BelligerentSexualTension between him and ({{Tsundere}}) Sheryl leads to the obvious conclusion.
* ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'':
** Chamo, the WeaselMascot, is a DirtyOldMan in ermine form, and constantly tries to manipulate people for his own gain... but he never puts his own goals above the safety of the rest of group, tries to make sure everybody else benefits along with him, and generally tries to make himself as useful as possible, even when an ermine generally wouldn't be able to do anything.
** Ayaka Yukihiro has her moments of charm as well -- when she's not being a RichBitch and {{Ojou}} -- she shows herself to have strong principles and be genuinely quite caring of others.
** Tosaka constantly bullies Ako, and constantly complains about her, Negi, and everyone else. He willingly [[spoiler:turns over the evidence that could send Negi to prison at no cost after blackmailing him with it, even though Ako volunteered all of her rights and was willing to essentially become his slave for life.]] Tosaka implies that while that is what she might have meant, some rather nastier things may have happened as well if she'd gone through with it. However, he also tells Negi that his MissingMom, Arika, [[spoiler:was an extraordinary person, and he cherishes the memory of the single time he met her (when Tosaka was a mere StreetUrchin) very fondly.]] And later, he chooses to make a HeroicSacrifice, TakingTheBullet [[spoiler:for Ako.]]
** Dynamis seemed to be an AloofBigBrother[=/=]villain, who is completely condescending to Fate’s QuirkyMinibossSquad, saying what a shame it is that Cosmo Entelecheia has gone from being a massive organization to relying on four little girls to do their dirty work. Then he ''thanks'' those same minions for staying with the organization, because without them it would have been impossible for them to have gotten as far as they have, and that they should be proud of themselves for surpassing the Cosmo Entelecheia of the past. Koyomi even [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] Dynamis’s surprisingly caring speech.
** Chisame, being the [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Woman]] in her class, remains pretty [[DeadpanSnarker snide and sarcastic]] as she gets drawn into Negi's magical adventures. However, she repeatedly demonstrates that she cares deeply for him and her classmates, and wants to be off adventuring with them, despite her [[{{Tsundere}} protests to the contrary]].
** While Evangeline for the most part insists on playing TokenEvilTeammate to Negi and the gang, she is constantly giving them advice and has rescued them from life-threatening situations on more than one occasion.
* Himari's possessor, in ''Anime/MawaruPenguindrum'', is an entity that horribly insults a young girl like Ringo all over when summoning her a Shoma to her presence, and some episodes later summons both of them again... [[spoiler: to give a Ringo, who has just had a HeroicBSOD, some space to cry about her huge troubles.]] During which, it is ''still'' calling her mean names.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Medabots}}'':
** Couch Mountain seems like a cruel man who makes students run laps for no reason, and seems to be doing deals with shady characters. In reality, he was trying to buy land to put up a park for poor children. And then, in the end, he makes the main characters run some ''more'' laps for staying up late.
** Lead bully Samatha might also be one of these, charitably keeping around her totally incompetent minion Spyke and often helping the heroes out when they really need it. She just does a damn good job at hiding it (and does actually fire Spyke in one episode, though not without provocation).
* Hitoyoshi Zenkichi from ''Manga/MedakaBox'' definitely qualifies, he moans about having to do things all the time, will chew someone out in a moments notice, gives up ''constantly'' and he goes to extreme lengths to show how awesome he is [[spoiler: (in one week he tried out every club the school had to offer earning the nickname Bukatsu Storm)]], but if you even think about doing something to one of his friends he will make sure you go down, [[MartyrWithoutACause even if he has to go down with you]].
* Taishou from ''Manga/MekkoRarekko'' is a great example. At first, Taishou was a bit of a bully and a {{Jerkass}} towards Buchi his only friend in the first two volumes. But the reason that the two are friends is because back in second grade when Taishou saw that Buchi was being bullied, he wanted to help him out. And its not just because he felt it was the right thing to do. Taishou was bullied a lot in first grade. One could even call it torture and when he saw that Buchi was being bullied, it reminded him of his DarkAndTroubledPast and he didn't want to see someone else go through the pain of being bullied.\\\
As noted above, Taishou still isn't the greatest person in the beginning of the series. Because he grew jealous of Buchi working on a project with Fukami, instead of with him he ends up [[spoiler: raping Buchi. After a [[GetAHoldOfYourselfMan punch to the face]] from Fukami, he realized what he had just done and he breaks down in tears. He gets much better in the third issue after [[TookALevelInKindness he takes a level in kindness]] and he goes from a {{Jerkass}} to a JerkWithAHeartOfGold.]]
%%
%%
%%* Kaito Doumoto from ''Manga/MermaidMelodyPichiPichiPitch''.
%%
* ''Anime/LesMiserablesShojoCosette'' has Eponine as an adult. She is still mean as an adult, but she is much more troubled by her actions, outright hinders her father's criminal attempts when she is not avoiding associating with them, and generally comes as sympathetic and regretful of her mistreatment from... everyone she wronged.
* ''Manga/MissKobayashisDragonMaid'':
** Tohru is pretty amicable towards her friends and especially [[LoveInterest Kobayashi]]. But if you're neither, she probably hates you.
** Saikawa is HotBlooded and confrontational, but the main reason Kanna considers Saikawa her BestFriend is because she is a very sweet and doting girl who is not shy on telling Kanna [[SchoolgirlLesbians how much she loves her]].
* Mitsuba from ''Manga/{{Mitsudomoe}}'' has a dismissive and superior attitude towards everybody. Yet, she just as often slips up and reveals that there's some genuine kindness in her. One of her earliest examples is the replacement pencil cases Futaba made. Mitsuba kept using hers well after her sisters no longer were.
%%
%%
%%* Rin and especially her assistant, Mimi, in ''Anime/{{Mnemosyne}}''.
%%
* ''Manga/{{Muhyo and Roji}}'':
** While Toru Muhyo is typically fairly cold, showing either irritation with or disdain for those around him, he often does this to teach Roji [[StealthMentor subtle lessons]], and typically goes out of his way to get the best possible result for the ghosts he deals with, even when he seems to be taking a harsh stance on them.
** Rival Executor Daranimaru Goryo may appear a ruthless bastard, but he actually shows genuine concern for his assistant Ebisu, and even [[ManlyTears cries over him. Twice.]]
* ''Manga/MurasakiiroNoQualia'': Tenjou acts like a jerk towards Yukari but has actually always been doing her best to try to understand her better. This attitude only manifested after the event in their past.
* Lunar, of ''Manga/MyBrideIsAMermaid'', starts as a BitchInSheepsClothing, but there are a few incidents that make it clear that she really does care about Nagasumi, at least a little.
* Yuta Shimada of ''Manga/MyMonsterSecret'' is typically an epic-level ButtMonkey whose creepy skirt-chasing leads to a lot of karmic punishment, but he does occasionally get his times to show that he does have some redeeming traits, the most prominent of which is his loyalty to his friends. He was a ShipperOnDeck for [[TheHero Asahi]] literally from Chapter 1, is always polite and friendly towards Asahi's LoveInterest Youko, and helps them out when things start looking bad near the end of the series. In a later chapter when Shiho is actively trying to seduce Shima, he explains that he turned her down because she recently got rejected, and even he isn't so scummy as to take advantage of a girl in emotional distress. All this gets lampshaded in the final chapters, where the principal outright tells Shima "You're actually kind of tolerable when you're looking out for your friends."

!N
* Several characters from ''Anime/NadiaTheSecretOfBlueWater'' qualify.
** Nadia herself wavers between being a complete JerkAss and a NotGoodWithPeople sort of person, but in the canonical episodes of the story, she fits into this trope. Aside from being suspicious of other people, she has a nasty, quick temper and gets angry quite easily, misunderstanding everyone's actions at the drop of a hat. That said, she is also shown growing to care for Jean, as evidenced by her attempt to comfort him about his father's death, and even [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming suggesting him to build another aircraft to cheer him up.]] She even brings him a half-baked dish of seaweed. She's also [[DefrostingIceQueen transformed by the end of the show]] into a genuinely caring person. [[spoiler: She sacrifices her Blue Water's power to resurrect Jean, and even marries him.]]
** Captain Nemo is very reserved most of the time, and sometimes makes harsh decisions. However, he’s fundamentally a good person who cares for his crew and mainly wants to stop Gargoyle from destroying the world. He even comes to see Jean as a surrogate son and has a soft spot for Nadia. [[spoiler: It turns out he's her father.]]
%%
%%** Grandis Granva, most definitely, although Sanson and Hanson could both qualify, too.
%%
* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'':
** In Part I, the eponymous character (Naruto Uzamaki) was a brash, temperamental brat fond of picking fights with everyone and completely lacking in social graces, but he was also surprisingly kind to people like Inari and one of the few to interact with Gaara as an equal rather than with fear or hate. During ‘’Shippuden’’, his childish behaviour is downplayed, as he matured both emotionally and physically over the TimeSkip. Justified in that he was a pariah of sorts because of him being the jinchuuriki. He was ostracized and thus developed as he did. When people actually showed kindness to him, we get to see that he cares deeply for his friends and loved ones.
** Sasuke Uchiha, on the other hand, is a complicated issue. He fed a tied-up Naruto during the bell exam, in violation of the test instructions. The scene where he saved Naruto's life and told Naruto that it was his duty to save Sakura, where he said he didn't want to lose those important to him doesn't leave any opening for interpretation. He ''was'' a JerkWithAHeartOfGold... sadly, the emphasis is on ''was''. Although since the second stage of the Fourth Shinobi War, he may be turning good again, [[spoiler:because he chose to protect the Hidden Leaf Village rather than destroy it]].
** Sai is introduced as an abrasive JerkAss, but mellows out while Naruto establishes bonds of friendship and camaraderie with him. He tends to make insulting comments from time to time, but typically in misguided attempts to become friends with Naruto and Sakura.
* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'': Asuka Langley Soryu is an angry and temperamental {{Tsundere}}, but despite that, she still tries to be compassionate to Shinji; this even more visible in the manga version, post her initial appearance in Volume 4. Unfortunately, he's just too [[ShrinkingViolet secluded]] to open up to her, leading to many angry confrontations between the two over his cowardice and her arrogance.
* Magari Kazuma of ''Manga/{{Nora}}'' spends the first two volumes of the series treating the titular HotBlooded demon like a misbehaving puppy and most of his classmates like idiots, claiming flatly to make decisions based solely on which outcome will most benefit or least inconvenience him, and being generally bastardly to everyone. And yet... he will do anything to protect the people around him, often foregoing magic and just leaping irrationally to their defense, quite at odds with his normal MagnificentBastard-in-training persona. And you really don't want to imply that [[FantasticRacism humans are inferior]]; the results are [[BerserkButton not pretty.]]
* Nezumi from ''[[LightNovel/{{No6}} No. 6]]'' is nasty to most people, and violent at the very least provocation. But he also sings to Dogkeeper's dying pack members to ease their suffering, to say nothing of what he'll do [[HoYay where Shion is concerned]].

!O
* Haru Jigokumeguri from ''Manga/{{Ojojojo}}'' is a unique case in that the jerk part is actually subconscious due to a bad case of BecomingTheMask. While she is a genuinely sweet girl, she often finds herself slipping into her RichBitch persona and acting condescending to those around her, including her friends and boyfriend (though she gets better as the story progresses).
* ''Manga/OnePiece'':
** Roronoa Zoro acts distant and somewhat insensitive to others, but has shown himself willing to go through Hell and high water for his TrueCompanions. Most of his PetTheDog moments deal with MoralityPet, Chopper.
** Nami, who is TheScrooge, is also hiding a heart of gold. She was introduced as a thieving jerk. It seemed to be an act in order to help her village from a ruthless gang lord, but after she was freed from her debt, she made it apparent that she was still as greedy and manipulative as ever…which is justified to an extent, due to the fact that her family was very poor before her village was taken over. She has shown a soft spot for women and children and, thanks to CharacterDevelopment, even was willing to give up part of her wealth to [[BoisterousBruiser Rolling Lola]] out of thanks. She eventually is able to forgave a former member of the gang that had terrorized her village and tried to help him win back a kidnapped mermaid friend with a large part of the wealth collected by the crew.
** Smoker revealed his heart of gold in one brief scene. A little girl with a 3-layer ice-cream cone bumps into him, and instead of getting pissed at her for staining his suit, he gives her money to buy a 5-layer ice-cream cone, and apologizes to her.
** Curly Dadan is Luffy and Ace's foster mother. She isn’t very kind towards her young men, constantly complaining about how much of a nuisance they are, and can’t even praise without calling them “idiots” or “assholes”. Despite this, she is [[MamaBear very protective]] of them.
** Dr. Kureha [[DrJerk is anti-social, has next to no bedside manner, and takes whatever she feels like as payment for her services]], but had a VitriolicBestBuds relationship with Dr. Hiraluk and cares about her protege Chopper, even if she chases him away when he goes to join the Straw Hats so that he doesn't see her cry. Chopper also has some shades of this, as whenever he's complimented he starts insulting the one giving the compliment and saying he doesn't need their praise while grinning ear-to-ear and doing a HappyDance.
** Pekoms of the Big Mom Pirates comes across as very abrasive yet when he saw that the Strawhats saved his family and home he broke down in tears of joy and thanked them on his hands and knees. He was also go to lie to Big Mom's face that he did not see them; if only Capone wasn't there also.
* Parodied in the first episode of ''Anime/OsomatsuSan'', where the brothers [[OutOfGenreExperience turn the show into a typical idol anime]] to increase viewership. Karamatsu's idol form establishes himself as a [[TroubledButCute lovable bad boy]] by thoroughly mocking the new show's heroine and then making it up to her by [[HeroicSacrifice diving in front of a car to save an absurdly tiny puppy]].

!P
* Officer Ohta, ''Anime/{{Patlabor}}''. He once went to an [[ArrangedMarriage arranged date]], did like the girl quite a lot... and helped her out when he learnt that she was in love with someone else and the guy was in serious trouble.
* From the ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' franchise:
** ''{{Anime/Pokemon}}'' anime:
*** Drew, from the Hoenn arc, loves switching between {{Jerkass}} and PetTheDog moments while interacting with May.
*** Trip from ''Best Wishes'' also starts out as a {{Jerkass}}, gradually reveals a SugarAndIcePersonality in his "[[HoYay interactions]]" toward Ash.
*** Besides her villainy, Jessie of Team Rocket really is a jerk: she has a harsh personality, a leadership style that ranges from "despot" to "tyrant", and is self-centred to boot. Despite this, she cares deeply for her friends and her Pokémon and has several times sacrificed her own happiness on their behalf. (See Chansey, Dustox, every Team Rocket Breakup Episode ever.)
** ''Manga/PokemonAdventures'':
*** Black is introduced with {{Jerkass}} attitudes, (see his treatment of Bianca during the first gym battle), but he's not malicious, he's just way too excitable most of the time and forgets to consider others when focused on his own dreams. After he's been [[WhatTheHellHero called out on this,]] he has made an effort to stop acting like a jerk to people.
*** Gold is also a fantastic example of this. He is lazy and arrogant, and he Constantly refers to Crystal as "Super Serious Gal" just to annoy her. But his heart's in the right place and he does care for others.
%% Really, Ruby, Sapphire, Green, Blue, and Emerald could fit the bill as well.
%%* Yasumi, from ''Manga/{{Potemayo}}''.
%%
* Hayate from ''Manga/{{Pretear}}'', the TallDarkAndSnarky knight who pushes people away out of fear [[spoiler:of creating another BigBad.]]
* Randou, from ''Manga/PrettyFace'', went to such an extreme in JerkAss behaviour that basically everyone he was in contact with either fear or hate him. The only exception to that is his crush, Kurimi, who sees the heart of gold within him. Eventually the gold part becomes more noticeable.
* ''Manga/ThePrinceOfTennis'': Kaoru Kaidoh, master of “The Snake” (In professional circuits, the Buggy Whip Shot), enjoys acting like an aggressive cobra around other players. Cold stares, heavy breathing, and frightening glares. All of this is hiding his heart of gold; in the anime, he nearly drowns ''trying to save a puppy''.
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%% The characters below are Zero Context Examples. Please add more context (how are they a jerk AND how do they Pet the Dog) before un-commenting them.
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%%
%%** The [[KidHero main character]] is rude to tennis players who aren’t as skilled as he is. That’s pretty much everyone.
%%** Jin Akutsu (ex JerkAss)
%%** Akaya Kirihara
%%** Ryo Shishido
%%** Genichirou Sanada
%%** Hiyoshi Wakashi
%%** Kevin Smith (after going through both BreakTheHaughty ''and'' CharacterDevelopment)
%%** Keigo Atobe
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* Fakir, the jerkish, controlling guardian of Mytho in ''Anime/PrincessTutu'', who turns out to be using the tough exterior to hide his fear [[spoiler:of being killed in service as Mytho's "Knight" and being a failure in the end.]]
* Kyoko from ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica''. She's very callous and selfish, advocating that magical girls should only use their powers [[ComesGreatPerks for their own benefit]]. In her first appearance she would have killed Sayaka if Homura hadn't intervened, but after learning the AwfulTruth that [[spoiler:magical girls are basically [[OurLichesAreDifferent liches]]]], she becomes much less antagonistic. Her heartbreaking backstory makes it clear that when she says magical girls should be selfish, she really is trying to help Sayaka by preventing her from making the same mistakes she did. Her shift away from jerkassitude is made clear when she saves Sayaka from Homura, in an ironic reversal of their first encounter. Her heart of gold becomes especially apparent after [[spoiler:Sayaka becomes a witch and she tries to [[IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight bring her back]]. This fails, and Kyoko [[TakingYouWithMe uses a suicide attack on Sayaka]] so that she won't have to die alone.]]

!R
* ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'': While Genma Saotome may be selfish and abusive towards Ranma, he still cares about his son. In a CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming, he gives a young Ranma his blanket when both are cold.
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%%** Ranma Saotome
%%** TheRival, Ryoga.
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* ''Manga/RosarioToVampire'':
** Gin slowly [[CharacterDevelopment develops]] from a HandsomeLech who describes all of his relationships as “conquests” into one of these. It begins with him taking the blame for causing problems on campus [[spoiler:although it was actually one of his ex-girlfriends who was at fault]], as well as becoming a OneManArmy against the Fairy Tale organization because [[spoiler:they were messing around with his friends, specifically Sun, the one girl who has [[DefeatMeansFriendship gone toe-to-toe with him and gained his respect]].]]
** Inner Moka as well, first introduced as cold and uncaring towards everyone around her. As the series goes on, she starts to become more appreciative towards her friends, [[spoiler:and eventually falls in love with Tsukune by the end of the manga]].

!S
* ''Franchise/SailorMoon'':
** Mamoru Chiba/Tuxedo Mask, the title character's love interest, starts out as a DeadpanSnarker "snob" who enjoys teasing Usagi about everything. Even after he’s revealed to be the Tuxedo Kamen/Mask that’s been rescuing the girls, he insists on MaliciousMisnaming Usagi as Dumpling[=/=]Bun-head (“Meatball Head” in the [[Anime/SailorMoon anime]]'s Creator/DiC dub.
** Rei Hino/Sailor Mars is impatient, cocky, and easily the most critical of Usagi out of the Inner Senshi. A few times, Rei had even goaded other Senshi into mistreating Usagi as well. Rei also made a little girl cry in the [=SuperS=] season. Yet she is [[UndyingLoyalty staunchly loyal to Sailor Moon]], comforting Usagi when she is in true distress, [[DyingMomentOfAwesome gave her life to keep Sailor Moon safe twice]], and stands up for Sailor Moon when the Starlights berate her. She is also protective and encouraging towards Ami Mizuno/Sailor Mercury.
** Makoto Kino/Sailor Jupiter, is a {{Subverted|Trope}} example. She is assumed to be a violent bully because of her temper, but she's actually very sweet after becoming friends with Usagi, and is one of the most patient and motherly of the Inner Senshi.
** [=ChibiUsa=] spent a good part of the R season antagonizing Usagi, even though Usagi saved [=ChibiUsa=]'s life as Sailor Moon many times, often getting seriously hurt in the process. Even after [=ChibiUsa=] learned that Usagi was Sailor Moon, she still had such a low opinion of Usagi that she couldn't bring herself to respect Usagi as Sailor Moon, and stole Usagi's Silver Crystal brooch, which eventually led to Rubeus kidnapping the Senshi. Nevertheless, she grows to appreciate and admire Sailor Moon (though she never misses an opportunity to insult her) and the rest of the Senshi with time. [=ChibiUsa=] also develops a heartwarming friendship with [[IllGirl Hotaru]]/[[ApocalypseMaiden Sailor Saturn]], and would give her life to protect her.
** Haruka Tenoh/Sailor Uranus: She may be harsh towards the Inner Senshi, especially Sailor Moon, but after Sailor Moon [[spoiler:saves Hotaru from Pharaoh 90 while sacrificing the Holy Grail in the process]], and later proves herself against Uranus and Neptune, Haruka finally accepts Usagi's fate as MessianicArchetype.
** Minako Aino/Sailor Venus comes off as this to an extent in ''Manga/CodenameSailorV'' (less so in the anime). She is brash, fist-happy, and constantly treats Artemis like crap (which genuinely hurts him). But she regularly defends fellow students from bullies, will endure a great amount of hardship in the name of her mission, and would protect Sailor Moon with her life (and expects the other Senshi to do so).
** Shingo Tsukino can be rude and annoying to Usagi just like [[AnnoyingYoungerSibling most younger siblings]] and is pretty snarky, but he genuinely loves his sister and worries about her safety. The two basically have a normal sibling relationship: they may argue and annoy each other, but when things are serious, their family bond trumps all.
** Kou Yaten/Sailor Star Healer is the most harsh, arrogant and antisocial of the Starlights, but she means well and is determined to find Princess Kakyuu.
* Genjou Sanzo, from ''Manga/{{Saiyuki}}'', makes ([[IneffectualDeathThreats empty death threats]]) at his companions, calls them his servants, and often employs physical violence on them. BUT, he rescues Goku and keeps the kid around even though there's no advantage in doing so, gives a pep talk veiled in rudeness to [[spoiler: Yaone and Dokugakuji during "Against the Stream" so they'd get over their confusion]], repeatedly says he won't interfere, won’t help, and is not on anyone's side, but then proceeds to do so, often with an [[IWasJustPassingThrough excuse]].
* ''{{Manga/Saki}}'':
** Touka Ryuumonbuchi comes off as something of a RichBitch who's full of herself. It turns out that her entire reason for recruiting the Ryuumonbuchi team was to create a strong team so that her cousin Koromo, a mahjong prodigy who has been isolated since the deaths of her parents, can face many strong opponents and make friends. Touka also, in spite of her intense but [[UnknownRival one-sided rivalry]], has her butler Hagiyoshi fix Nodoka's stuffed penguin Etopen, partly on Koromo's request.
** Hiroe Atago often taunts and insults her opponents, but Hisa, the recipient of such taunts, realizes, while in the midst of a nervousness-triggered HeroicBSOD that Hiroe wants her to play at her best so she can enjoy herself. Hiroe is also quite nice to her teammates, particularly her younger sister Kinue.
%%
%%
%%* Half of the cast of ''Manga/SamuraiDeeperKyo'', though some of them are ''really'' hidden.
%%** Kyo stands out as his CharacterDevelopment advances
%%** Bontenmaru
%%** Shinrei
%%** Hishigi
%%
%%* ''Anime/SamuraiPizzaCats'':
%%** [[TheDragon Bad Bird]] sometimes, especially when his childhood friend Carla is around.
%%** Guido
%%
* In ''Anime/SCRYed'', Kazuma is known as a mercenary who will take just about any job if the pay is right, but he always becomes emotionally invested in the outcome when he's found out that his target has been [[KickTheDog abusing people, or threatening children, or generally]] doing anything that makes the audience say [[PayEvilUntoEvil "Kazuma, please kick his ass"]]. After a confrontation with HOLY, [[spoiler: his best friend dies]], and he abandons all strategy to [[HeroicBSOD madly swings his fist at anything with a HOLY logo on it]].
* Ban from ''Manga/TheSevenDeadlySins'' comes up as a jackass who doesn't care about anything but himself and the stuff he steals. His backstory, however, reveals that when he went after the elixir of immortality, Elaine told him that if he were to take the elixir, the forest surrounding it would die. Ban promptly decided that it wasn't worth it (claiming that the wild berries used in one of his favorite drinks was grown in that forest). He may be a thief, but he is not a monster.
* Megumi, of ''Manga/ServantXService'', tends to frequently verbally bitchslap everyone, particularly Hasebe and Ichimiya. On the other hand, she's shown to be quite the CoolBigSis figure for Touko, and generally gives Lucy advice that is actually sound in context. She also goes out of her way to help [[spoiler:save Hasebe and Lucy's relationship.]]
* Giroro of ''Manga/SgtFrog'' is normally a hard-boiled warrior, but he's proven that he's willing to go all out to protect the squad. And even moreso, Natsumi. He also shows his softer side to [[EverythingIsCuterWithKittens his cat.]]
* Kiyoshiro, from ''Anime/ShatteredAngels'', begins his characterization by ripping dresses off of female students. His heart of gold is shown when his brother convinces him to change his behaviour.
* Yuuki Natsuno, in ''Manga/{{Shiki}}'', is cold and distant towards others, not to mention he hates the village he lives in, but when a vampire attack occurs he isn't afraid to put his life on the line to stop them.
* ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'':
** Zelgadis, especially for the anime, is cold and arrogant, because he [[IJustWantToBeNormal just wants to be human again]], and he cares for his companions, especially for Princess [[GenkiGirl Amelia]]. In the original novels, though, he is more of a straight-up JerkAss.
** The novel-exclusive character [[TheRival Luke]] has similar justifications to Anime! Zelgadis.
* ''Anime/SonicX'':
** Knuckles is a friendly rival with Sonic, but very anti-social and short-tempered. Despite this, he maintains a complicated relationship with Rouge.
** Rouge is often selfish and greedy, but she cares about Topaz, her partner, and has a complicated relationship with Knuckles.
* ''Manga/SoulEater'':
** Black*Star often seems so full of himself he hardly has time to care about anyone else, but he does care for his scythe, and is willing to "share the stage" with Tsubaki. While he fights Crona (with brute force, as always), he ''does'' attempt to create DefeatMeansFriendship by insisting that Crona could have someone to rely on in him, the one around whom the world revolves (or something to that effect). He also goes off to get revenge for Maka while she is recovering from a battle, and flies into a panic when Soul is hospitalized.
** Soul is usually the DeadpanSnarker that appears to only really care about advancing himself, but he also cares for Maka, and regularly protects her from harm.
** Mifune is one of the best swordsmen in the world and regularly faces off against Black*Star, yet carries around candies for children and swings his sword for a small child witch named Angela.
** On the one hand, Stein’s MadScientist tendencies (dissecting scythes ForScience) are disturbing when not played for laughs, while on the other hand, it becomes clear over time that he ''does'' care about the people around him.
* Sara Werec, of ''Anime/StrainStrategicArmoredInfantry'', is clearly a good person, and ''we'' (the audience) already know that. She's had to put away her kind and friendly nature because she blames herself for her dead schoolmates and [[ItsPersonal just wants to stop her brother]]. The “Space Squadron”, however, think she’s acting selfish and aloof.
* [[BadassBookworm Manabizaki]] from ''Manga/{{SWOT}}'' is more concerned with studying than with people. He insults people and treats everyone as beneath him since he has "the greatest brain in the universe." Or, at least, he ''claims'' not to care. He's come to the rescue of a wimpy male classmate (later a friend) more than once and an ex-delinquent girl he's developed a crush on. His [[{{Tsundere}} sputtered and obvious]] excuse? The people attacking them were making too much noise for him to study. Or he was just on the way to a test/class/study-session and the guys were in the way.

!T
* Wakatake of ''Literature/TanteiTeamKZJikenNote'' is egocentric and has a bad temper. However, it is quite obvious that he doesn't seem to have much evil intentions, has a hart of justice, and will help out his friends when the need arises.
* Asada from ''Manga/TeamMedicalDragon'' frequently acts like a misogynistic, perverted, carefree {{Jerkass}}. Then a patient gets in with an improbable injury, he saves the day and proceeds to lecture everyone about how the patients' well-being is the most sacred priority.
* Kittan Bachika from ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'' usually comes off as loud-mouthed and a DrillSergeantNasty, but he's ultra-protective of his sisters (even their eye-appealing curvaceous figures) and puts his life before that of his team. [[spoiler: Tragically, this is what leads him to make a HeroicSacrifice.]]
%%
%%* {{Crossdresser}} Izumi Kido from ''Manga/TenshiNankaJaNai''.
* Nishiki Nishio from ''Manga/TokyoGhoul''. When first introduced, he's described as having an abrasive personality that makes most people wary of him and repeatedly tries to kill Kaneki over petty misunderstandings. Later on, however, he turns out to be deeply devoted to his [[InterspeciesRomance human girlfriend]] and after being hired on at Anteiku, becomes a good friend to both Kaneki and Touka. His voice actor even describes him as a {{Tsundere}}, pushing others away out of fear of being betrayed.
%%* Ryou Shirogane from ''Manga/TokyoMewMew''.
%%
* Sayaka from ''Manga/TonariNoKashiwagiSan'' is a jerk by her own admission, and tries to maintain that perception, but will help out if she can. She even wrote study notes for Yuuto, who she has a notably frosty relationship with.
* ''LightNovel/{{Toradora}}''
** Taiga, who has a short fuse, ferocious temperament and generally tsundere nature, but donates anonymous presents to orphans at Christmas and other things of that ilk.
** Ami, who begins more a BitchInSheepsClothing but with a bit of CharacterDevelopment turns into someone who is merely hugely sarcastic and not averse to a spot of schaudenfreud.
* Nicholas D. Wolfwood, from ''Manga/{{Trigun}}'', insults you, beats you up out of "affection" and struggles with the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism by sadistically killing bad guys. This is all because he's actually an altruistic and generous dude. The “violent jerk” traits are toned down in the anime, leaving a cocky and pessimistic attitude.

!U
* Ataru Moroboshi, of ''Manga/UruseiYatsura'', who combines this with being a CasanovaWannabe. It's strongly hinted that the reason [[MagicalGirlfriend Lum]] loves him so much is because she can see the noble parts of him that most others (including himself) can't.

!V
* Hamel, the titular ''Manga/ViolinistOfHameln'' (manga continuity only). He purposely humiliates people, charges exorbitant prices for anyone who hears his music, plans zany schemes to make money, actually uses his friends as ammunition and is so selfish he'd rather eat his crow companion than go hungry for even a little while. And believe it or not, ''he really is a good guy underneath it all.''

!W
* Sawamura Takeshi, in ''Manga/WaGaNaWaUmishi'', because the main character Rintarou rubs him the wrong way. He's not above hitting and threatening Rin frequently, but he's also saved Rin's life more than once. Whenever there's a job to be done he's the man to do it. Grumbling all the way.
* ''Anime/WolfsRain''
** Tsume always acts tough and cynical, frequently arguing with the other wolves, and doubting their belief in Paradise. Still, he becomes protective of them, especially the younger wolf Toboe, who idolizes him.
** The human, Quent. When he's not obsessed with wolf-hunting, he can be a fairly decent guy, if you buy him a drink.

!Y
* ''Anime/YuGiOh'':
** Seto Kaiba is an arrogant male RichBitch, who rips up rare cards just so that he can have the only copies in the world. But his asshole attitude is because he’s made himself hard to take care of his younger brother, Mokuba, whom he is fiercely protective of. He actually was a JerkWithAHeartOfJerk when first introduced (and even tortures Mokuba in the manga after he loses a game), but Dark Yugi's Mind Crush destroyed the evil in his heart, letting him rebuild himself as a JerkWithAHeartOfGold.
** Katsuya Jounouchi (Joey) is a juvenile delinquent who used to bully Yugi. He stopped because Yugi was trying to protect ''him'' from older bullies. He never forgets this debt, and pushes himself to win the Duelist tournament for his little sister’s eyesight operation.
* ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'':
** Hiei is a jerk, long past his initial appearance. His favourite target of mockery is Kuwabara, mostly for his weakness and stupidity. [[spoiler: Late in the series it’s revealed that Kuwabara is the only pureblood human in the gang, marking him as exceptionally strong for the category.]] But his re-introduction as Yusuke’s ally reveals that he’s being driven by the desire to protect his sister. After working together, Hiei also seems to respect his allies, and becomes a loyal companion.
** Yusuke Urameshi is a street fighter, juvenile delinquent, and generally has an extremely negative outlook on life. In-series he’s called out on lacking the basic manners of being a human being, but he cannot stand those who hurt the innocent, and is EXTREMELY protective of his friends.
** Kazuma Kuwabara is in competition with Yusuke for “The Toughest Juvenile Delinquent” in their entire school. Both are daily brawlers and the lowest scoring students in the entire school. Although Yusuke treats him as an UnknownRival, the rest of the school is usually just as afraid of either one. But when a teacher threatens to get one of Kuwabara’s gang mates to lose their job, Kuwabara accepts any humiliation, and studies as hard as he can to help his friend. When a demon comes to make Kuwabara commit evil acts, he can’t even steal a comic book properly.
* Yanda from ''Manga/{{Yotsuba}}'' is an example. He makes himself an enemy of Yotsuba very quickly; he frequently taunts her and makes fun of her, even to the point of making her cry sometimes. Even the adults consider Yanda a fool and usually side with Yotsuba, but it's easy to see Yanda doesn't act out of spite and is a big kid himself. This is most clearly obvious when Yotsuba is sad after her beloved teddy bear is damaged and only Yanda can shake her into action by pestering her. When she begins to sulk after finding out Yanda will go camping with her family and friends, he even lets the other children draw eyes on his eyelids to make her laugh.
----

** ''Manga/PokemonSpecial'': Black is introduced with {{Jerkass}} attitudes, (see his treatment of Bianca during the first gym battle), but after he's been [[WhatTheHellHero called out on this,]] he has made an effort to stop acting like a Jerk to people.
%%** Gold, in a Administrivia/ZeroContextExample.
%% Gold is also a fantastic example of this. He is lazy and arrogant, and he Constantly refers to Crystal as "Super Serious Gal" just to annoy her.

%%** Gold, in a ZeroContextExample.

** Guts is violent, cruel, cold, and obsessed with his personal goals, which are often achieved at great cost or risk to others. But he genuinely cares about the people around him, is a compassionate leader, and his distant, uncaring demeanor [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation seems to]] come from a [[JerkassFacade desire to keep people away]] from the danger he's constantly in. It ... doesn't always work out that way.

* Helen, from ''Manga/{{Claymore}}'', was introduced as a total bitch toward the main character, and a bully among the warriors in general (second only to Undine, who is [[JerkassFacade another case altogether]]). But once you get to a level of understanding with her - maybe even save each other's lives in the process - [[PowerOfFriendship you have Helen's back till the end]], [[PowerOfTrust and she'll never let you down.]]

* Cross Marian of ''Manga/DGrayMan'' fits. He has shown he has his JerkAss moments. But, he's not a complete jerkass. The manga has shown many hints and instances to illustrate that Cross isn't heartless, and while many people aren't fond of him, there's many people who apparently think very highly of him. Allen says he lives off lovers and acquaintances. So he's apparently someone you could be fond of, and even want to help, should he care to show his kinder side. He's shown protectiveness, empathy, sadness, concern, and hesitation. Although, most of these things are shown when it comes to Allen and women. He could very well be a victim of JerkAssFacade.

** ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam00'' has Lyle Dylandy, who pretends to be a lazy HandsomeLech in the beginning, but that's a JerkAssFacade designed for two effects, one is to protect another character from falling in love with him via LovingAShadow [[spoiler: because she idolized his dead twin brother]], and the other is part of a more complicated DoubleAgent scheme. [[BecomingTheMask in the beginning, at least.]]

** Nami, who is TheScrooge, is also hiding a heart of gold. She was introduced as a thieving jerk. It seemed a JerkassFacade in order to help her village from a ruthless gang lord, but after she was freed from her debt, she made it apparent that she was still as greedy and manipulative as ever…which is justified to an extent, due to the fact that her family was very poor before her village was taken over. She has shown a soft spot for women and children and, thanks to CharacterDevelopment, even was willing to give up part of her wealth to [[BoisterousBruiser Rolling Lola]] out of thanks. She eventually is able to forgave a former member of the gang that had terrorized her village and tried to help him win back a kidnapped mermaid friend with a large part of the wealth collected by the crew.

* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'': Asuka Langley Soryu is an angry and temperamental {{Tsundere}}, but despite that, she still tries to be compassionate to Shinji. Unfortunately, he's just too [[ShrinkingViolet secluded]] to open up to her, leading to many angry confrontations between the two over his cowardice and her arrogance.

** Piccolo (Jr.), son of Piccolo (''Dragon Ball'''s most powerful villain) finally [[AvengingTheVillain kills the hero]], then [[TrainingFromHell mentors]] the hero’s son, [[MoralityPet Gohan]], and later [[HeroicSacrifice sacrifices his life]] to [[RedemptionEqualsDeath save said Gohan]]. Piccolo [[CharacterDevelopment eventually becomes]] the closest thing the TrueCompanions have to a TeamDad.

* Gajeel, from ''Manga/FairyTail'', says he didn't save Natsu from getting fried alive by Laxus because he [[TrueCompanions cares for him]], instead, he just wanted to [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou make sure Natsu was around to get his revenge on]].

** Knuckles is a friendly rival with Sonic, but very anti-social and sort-tempered. Despite this, he maintains a complicated relationship with Rouge.

!C
%%

* Domyoji Tsukasa of ''Manga/HanaYoriDango'', who manages to be a sympathetic male lead despite frequently beating up random bystanders.

** Seto Kaiba is an arrogant male RichBitch, who rips up rare cards just so that he can have the only copies in the world. But his asshole attitude is because he’s made himself hard to take care of his younger brother, Mokuba. He actually was a JerkWithAHeartOfJerk when first introduced (and even tortures Mokuba in the manga after he loses a game), but Dark Yugi's Mind Crush destroyed the evil in his heart, letting him rebuild himself as a JerkWithAHeartOfGold.

* Shizuo Heiwajima from ''Literature/{{Durarara}}'' acts like a complete JerkAss at some points, but it turns out that, when you don't activate his HairTriggerTemper, he's actually just a socially inept sweetheart. He deeply cares about his brother and basically anybody who isn't Izaya Orihara.

** Some instances hinting to the possibility. WordOfGod says Cross wanted to empathize with Allen as little as possible, but still ends up caring for him. His true feelings sipping when he spoke to Allen in HQ. Chapter 206, episode 13 of D.Gray-Man Hallow. Cross has to care for traumatized Allen shortly after picking him up. Cross has to cook for Allen, feed him, change his dirty clothes, and wash his soiled bed-sheets. Allen finally speaks, which Cross reports to Mother. She is instantly happy. But despite Allen finally starting to snap out of his trauma, Cross is not happy because Allen's personality has changed. Instead of being rude and rebellious like he was, he is now acting like Mana. She asks Cross if it really matters, since Allen is a sacrifice to be lost one day. Cross pauses, but then says she's right, and once Nea is reborn, it'd be so-long to Allen. Then he states that he couldn't care less what happens to Allen. Mother, in present time, calls Cross an idiot, and says he really did care about Allen, otherwise Allen wouldn't look the way he did when he showed up at church again after so long. [[Spoiler: Cross meets up with Allen in Nea's sub-conscious in chapter 222. He thanks Allen for being the host, and wants Allen to rest peacefully now. He admits that he never wished for Allen's destruction, which solidifies the fact that he was lying when he said he didn't care what happened to Allen.]]

* Cross Marian of ''Manga/DGrayMan'' fits. He has shown he has his JerkAss moments. But, he's not a complete jerkass. The manga has shown many hints and instances to illustrate that Cross isn't heartless, and while many people aren't fond of him, there's many people who apparently think very highly of him. Allen says he lives off lovers and acquaintances. So he's apparently someone you could be fond of, and even want to help, should he care to show his kinder side. He's shown protectiveness, empathy, sadness, concern, and hesitation. Although, most of these things are shown when it comes to Allen and women. He could very well be a victim of JerkAssFacade. But we haven't seen enough of his character yet.

* The Shinka, in the anime for ''LightNovel/LoveChunibyoAndOtherDelusions'', is always abrasive towards everyone else in the club. However, the fact that she joined their beach vacation is a telltale sign that she's far friendlier to them than she'd ever like to admit. Her heart of gold is especially highlighted in Episode 9, [[spoiler:when she actually gives Rikka advice on romance.]]

** Ian also fits, by caring about Jeremy, but often gets too angered by Jeremy’s failures, and his attempts to help are… ''off''.

* Cross Marian of ''Manga/DGrayMan'' fits. He has shown he has his JerkAss moments. But, he's not a complete jerkass. The manga has shown many hints and instances to illustrate that Cross isn't heartless, and while many people aren't fond of him, there's many people who apparently think very highly of him. Allen says he lives off lovers and acquaintances. So he's apparently someone you could be fond of, and even want to help, should he care to show his kinder side. He's shown protectiveness, empathy, sadness, concern, and hesitation. Although, most of these things are shown when it comes to Allen and women. He could very well be a victim of JerkAssFacade. But we haven't seen enough of his character yet.

* ''Manga/AliceAcademy'' has a great example in Natsume Hyuuga, who is pretty much horrible to Mikan from the get-go and [[{{Tsundere}} remains so even as he gradually falls for her]]. His behavior towards Mikan changes in small steps over the course of the manga, and he has gotten to the point where he would [[AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther give his own life for her sake]]. But all in all, while he is rather cold towards most others you do sense his innate kindness, especially through his interactions with Ruka or You-chan. You also eventually find out that [[spoiler: his sister was being kept hostage and he was [[DeclarationOfProtection doing everything he could to protect her]]]].

* Tomoe from ''Manga/KamisamaKiss'' is normally sarcastic, rude and highly critical of just about anything Nanami does. But if anybody else tries to insult her and/or criticize her, he is quick to come to her defense. If you hurt or threaten Nanami in any way, shape, or form, you're in for a world of pain.

* Taishou from ''Manga/MekkoRarekko'' is a great example. At first, Taishou was a bit of a bully and a {{Jerkass}} towards Buchi his only friend in the first two volumes. But the reason that the two are friends is because back in second grade when Taishou saw that Buchi was being bullied, he wanted to help him out. And its not just because he felt it was the right thing to do. Taishou was bullied a lot in first grade. One could even call it torture and when he saw that Buchi was being bullied, it reminded him of his DarkAndTroubledPast and he didn't want to see someone else go through the pain of being bullied.
** As noted above, Taishou still isn't the greatest person in the beginning of the series. Because he grew jealous of Buchi working on a project with Fukami, instead of with him he ends up [[spoiler: raping Buchi. After a [[GetAHoldOfYourselfMan punch to the face]] from Fukami, he realized what he had just done and he breaks down in tears. He gets much better in the third issue after [[TookALevelInKindness he takes a level in kindness]] and he goes from a {{Jerkass}} to a JerkWithAHeartOfGold.]]

** In Part I, the eponymous character (Naruto Uzamaki) was a brash, temperamental brat fond of picking fights with everyone and completely lacking in social graces, but he was also surprisingly kind to people like Inari and one of the few to interact with Gaara as an equal rather than with fear or hate. During ‘’Shippuden’’, his childish behaviour is downplayed, as he matured both emotionally and physically over the TimeSkip.
*** Justified in that he was a pariah of sorts because of him being the jinchuuriki. He was ostracized and thus developed as he did. When people actually showed kindness to him, we get to see that he cares deeply for his friends and loved ones.

*** Besides her villainy, Jessie of Team Rocket really is a jerk: she has a harsh personality, a leadership style that ranges from "despot" to "tyrant", and is self-centred to boot. Despite this, she cares deeply for her friends and her Pokémon and has several times sacrificed her own happiness on their behalf. (See Chansey, Dustox, every Team Rocket Breakup Episode ever.)

* Genjou Sanzo, from ''Manga/{{Saiyuki}}'', makes ([[IneffectualDeathThreats empty death threats]]) at his companions, calls them his servants, and often employs physical violence on them. BUT, he rescues Goku and keeps the kid around even though there's no advantage in doing so, gives a pep talk veiled in rudeness to [[spoiler: Yaone and Dokugakuji during "Against the Stream" so they'd get over their confusion]], repeatedly says he won't interfere, won’t help, and is not on anyone's side, but then proceeds to do so, often with an [[IWasJustPassingThrough excuse]].

* Sara Werec, of ''Anime/StrainStrategicArmoredInfantry'', is clearly a good person, and ''we'' (the audience) already know that. She's had to put away her kind and friendly nature because she blames herself for her dead schoolmates and [[ItsPersonal just wants to stop her brother]]. The “Space Squadron”, however, think she’s acting selfish and aloof.

* ''Manga/{{Yotsuba}}'':
** Yanda is an example. He makes himself an enemy of Yotsuba very quickly; he frequently taunts her and makes fun of her, even to the point of making her cry sometimes. Even the adults consider Yanda a fool and usually side with Yotsuba, but it's easy to see Yanda doesn't act out of spite and is a big kid himself. This is most clearly obvious when Yotsuba is sad after her beloved teddy bear is damaged and only Yanda can shake her into action by pestering her. When she begins to sulk after finding out Yanda will go camping with her family and friends, he even lets the other children draw eyes on his eyelids to make her laugh.