History Main / BadAssPacifist

* Tohru Honda from ''Manga/FruitsBasket'' [[spoiler:[[IKnowYouAreInThereSomewhereFight speaks gently]] to Akito Sohma, who is in the midst of her VillainousBreakdown... and it ''works''. (To put it on perspective, she did this towards an older woman who is lashing out in both fear and madness-- ''and has been swinging a bloodied knife around''.) When Tohru nearly falls victim to DeathByFallingOver, rather than gloat, Akito screams for help, marking the beginning of her HeelFaceTurn]]. And even earlier, she successfully got [[spoiler:Kyo]] to calm down when [[spoiler:he was in his cursed form -- again in perspective, cursed!Kyo is foul, huge, smells like rotten flesh, and also totally desperate, as it's the trademark of the cat's position as TheUnfavorite]].

* St. Thomas Becket in ''Film/Becket'' (both the film and the play it is based on), who knows that King Henry II's knights have come to assassinate him, but who stoically conducts mass in the cathedral awaiting his death.

* Henry of ''Anime/DigimonTamers'' is this trope and like many things in his series, is a Deconstruction. He focuses so thoroughly on the Pacifist part (due to a traumatic incident where he misused his martial arts skill and injured another child badly) that he endangers himself and others. His character arc is learning that [[SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped there are times when you have to fight for the greater good.]]

* High-level priests of [[HealerGod Chalana Arroy]] fall into this category, along with the goddess herself. As detailed in ''VideoGame/KingOfDragonPass'', she can not only heal conventional illnesses, injuries, and even bring people BackFromTheDead, but she can arguably cure '''[[BeyondTheImpossible any condition that can be construed as one of the above]]'''. For instance, said resurrection ability comes from healing the "Mark of Certitude" under [[DontFearTheReaper Humakt's]] tongue, allowing his final death to not always be final if she intervenes.

* High-level priests of [[HealerGod Chalana Arroy]] fall into this category, along with the goddess herself. As detailed in ''VideoGame/KingOfDragonPass'', she can not only heal conventional illnesses, injuries, and even bring people BackFromTheDead, but she can arguably cure '''[[BeyondTheImpossible any condition that can be construed as one of the above]]'''. For instance, said resuurection ability comes from healing the "Mark of Certitude" under [[DontFearTheReaper Humakt's]] tongue, allowing his final death to not always be final if she intervenes.

* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desmond_Doss Desmond Doss]]. The man was a conscientious objector and became a medic in World War II, serving in the Pacific Theatre (where medics were [[ShootTheMedicFirst specifically targeted]] by the [[ValuesDissonance Japanese Army]]). He lowered 50-100 wounded men down a cliff face. The low estimate was supplied by Doss, the high estimate given by the Army. 16 days later, he [[JumpingOnAGrenade stepped on a grenade to save 3 other soldiers]], and [[MadeOfIron survived]]. And as he was being taken away on a stretcher, he saw another guy who was worse off and ordered the stretcher-bearers to deal with that man instead. He crawled 300 metres to safety with another man, at one point [[TakingTheBullet taking a sniper bullet]] [[BoomHeadshot that had been aimed at that man's head]]. For his courageous actions above and beyond the call of duty, he received the Medal of Honor.

* [[Series/MisterRogersNeighborhood Fred Rogers]] [[note]]was [[UrbanLegend not a military sniper]], but he[[/note]] once faced down a [[HauledBeforeASenateSubCommittee hostile U.S. Senate committee]] that was threatening to cut a $10 million government grant for Creator/{{PBS}}. He simply gave a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXEuEUQIP3Q six-minute speech]] describing his TV show. The grant was ''increased'' to $20 million.

-->-- '''Shulk''', ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles''

* ''{{LightNovel/Slayers}}'': Prince Phil '''thinks''' he embodies this trope. He has the badass part down pat, but [[BoisterousBruiser fails on the pacifist part]]. He's known for ironically-named martial arts moves like "PACIFIST CRUSH!" and "GOODWILL TO ALL MANKIND KICK!".

* In ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'', Ash's Bulbasaur became this when he became a mediator for the feuding Grass and Water type Pokémon at Professor Oak's lab.

** Perhaps the most badass moments from her come during the ''[[Comicbook/BatmanNoMansLand No Man's Land]]'' story arc. With a ruined Gotham officially severed from the rest of the country, she stays behind to run a free clinic for anyone who needs it. When AxCrazy serial killer Victor Zsasz is brought there unconscious and critically injured, she doesn't hesitate for a moment to save his life, knowing full well that he is likely to kill again, and quite possibly make Thompkins herself his next victim. Soon, Killer Croc arrives to finish Zsasz off, and Thompkins manages to get him to leave peacefully, telling him that he'll have to go through her to get to Zsasz. And once he wakes up, predictably he has his mind set on killing people at the clinic, and she again manages to talk him out of it.

[[folder:Fan Fiction]]

* ''FanFic/MyLittleMagesTheNightmaresReturn'': Just like in canon, Fluttershy would prefer not to fight, if possible. However, this doesn't mean she won't [[spoiler:bring plants to life and]] immobilize you as she does with the Diamond Dogs.

* ''Fanfic/TheFlowerPrincessAndTheAlchemist'': Orihime shows ''dangerous'' signs of being this, if her first confrontation with [[SerialKiller Scar]] is anything to go by. She might not be able to tear you down ''[[ActualPacifist physically]]'', but she sure as hell can tear a person down ''[[BreakThemByTalking psychologically]]''. Al once innerly remarks how ''[[BewareTheNiceOnes scary]]'' this is. Given that this story takes place about [[TimeSkip half a year]] after [[DamselInDistress her rescue from Hueco Mundo]], [[FridgeHorror did she take a cue or two from]] [[{{Manga/Bleach}} Aizen]]?

* Disney's {{WesternAnimation/Pocahontas}} never picks up a weapon but she stops an entire war from breaking out by putting herself between her father and the man he's about to execute. Notable in that she's a member of a ''warrior'' tribe.

* ''{{Film/Matewan}}'': Kenehan mentions encountering these while he was in Fort Leavenworth military prison during UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, after he sees Few Clothes carrying a gun. They were Hutterite (similar to the Amish-Kenehan calls them Mennonites here mistakenly) conscientious objectors and refused to cut their beards or wear clothes with buttons when they got into prison, as this was, along with bearing arms, against their religion. The guards then punished them by handcuffing them to the cell bars for eight hours a day, but even though it made the cuffs cut into their wrists, causing wounds, then eventually gangrene, they never broke, and kept tearing off the buttons with their teeth. He says he's never seen any braver men, and they were only there because they ''refused'' to use violence. TruthInTelevision-two Hutterite brothers died there from mistreatment, while many more (from the Hutterites and other groups) suffered as a result of their imprisonment.

* {{Music/Savatage}} wrote a couple of songs relating to Badass Pacifists.

* Orpheus qualifies in ''{{Theatre/Hadestown}}''. By the time the show is done, Orpheus has descended to Hadestown, made his way in way making the stones weep, endured a beating at the hands of Hades' workers, and [[spoiler:starts the downfall of Hadestown as an authoritarian regime.]] Put best with the show's advertising: A kingdom will fall for a song."

* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout|1}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 2}}'' lets you play as one; using guile, intelligence, and charisma, you can do damn near anything, including [[spoiler: talking the ''final boss'' into killing himself]], all without taking a single life or even holding a gun. Also present to a lesser extent in ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'', although there are some people you need to kill. It's ''almost'' back in full force in ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'', able to convince the final boss to back off if you're a good enough talker, but you need to murder at least one person on every route as a quest objective.

* Franchise/{{Pokemon}} has some cases that are done through game mechanics: Neither Wobbuffet nor Pyukumuku are even capable of learning direct damage attacks, and both just sit there taking hits, but they can give their opponents problems anyway, with Wobbuffet relying on {{Attack Reflector}}s and Pyukumuku setting up moves for indirect damage. In a related sense, the Swagger-Foul Play combo functions like this, with knockouts inflicted through repeated use of StopHittingYourself.
* In ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' series, the legendary Tongue (ancient [[HornyVikings Nord]] warriors who were masters of the [[LanguageOfMagic Thu'um]]) Jurgen Windcaller became one following his HeelFaithTurn, and instilled this philosophy in his [[OldMaster Greybeard]] followers. When the other Tongues tried to "shout" he and his teachings down, [[TurnTheOtherCheek he didn't fight back]]. Instead, he "swallowed" their words for three entire days to prove his mastery. This caused them to acknowledge his superiority and wisdom in the Voice. Despite the strength such a group may possess, he set the Greybeards' policy of non-intervention in worldly affairs, and of studying the Voice as a way to honor the gods. In ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'', it takes the [[PlayerCharacter Dragonborn]] (a mortal blessed with the immortal soul of a [[OurDragonsAreDifferent dragon]] by the [[DragonsAreDivine draconic]] TopGod Akatosh who the Greybeards are sworn to teach and serve) to convince them to help end the dragon menace to Skyrim, and even then they only offer their monastery as a neutral meeting ground for the warring {{Civil War}} factions to hammer out a ceasefire agreement.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* The Ultimate Diplomat from ''WebComic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja'', who can make trained soldiers and ninjas sheepishly throw their weapons away with a single sentence of chastisement.

* Oskar Schindler saved over 1,200 Jewish people during the Holocaust by employing them in his factories.

** This hidden trait is best shown through [[BitchInSheepsClothing Eria]], her [[ShadowArchetype Shadow Archetype]].

* Orpheus qualifies in ''Theatre/Hadestown''. By the time the show is done, Orpheus has descended to Hadestown, made his way in way making the stones weep, endured a beating at the hands of Hades' workers, and [[spoiler:starts the downfall of Hadestown as an authoritarian regime.]] Put best with the show's advertising: A kingdom will fall for a song."

* ''Webcomic/AxisPowersHetalia'' fanfic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11886910/1/Gankona-Unnachgiebig-Unità Gankona, Unnachgiebig, Unità]]'': At first glance, Italy seems to be a coward. After all, he would rather run from a fight than engage in one. However, it's because he would rather be hurt than hurt others. He ''can'' fight, what with being a swordsman who can rival [[{{Samurai}} Japan]] in battle and has [[SuperSpeed superspeed]].

** Worf becomes one in the episode "Birthright". Worf finds a Romulan prison camp, where Klingons have been held prisoner for so long, their children don't even realize it's a prison, they think it's a refuge from the war. The Romulan commander is proud that they have created a place where Romulans and Klingons can live in peace, but Worf sees that it has come at the price of the young Klingons being ignorant of their culture and their heritage. Without committing or encouraging a single act of violence, Worf teaches the young Klingons about their heritage. Even as the Romulan commander threatens to execute Worf, he doesn't fight back because he wants the Klingons to see how threatened the commander is by Worf, despite his non-violence, so that they will see that their home is really a prison.

* ''Series/TheWire'': In the antepenultimate episode of season 1, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LSo8_fBE_k the police and a SWAT team are about to arrest Avon Barksdale in his office]]. Sitting in their car, Jimmy [=McNulty=] and Cedric Daniels are unimpressed with the show of force. So the two proceed to simply walk up the stairs to the office like a walk in the park, wordlessly put the handcuffs on Avon, then walk out. The only words being when [=McNulty=] tells Stringer, "[[BadassBoast Catch you later]]."

* St. Thomas Becket in ''Film/Becket'', who knows that King Henry II's knights have come to assassinate him, but who stoically conducts mass in the cathedral awaiting his death.

* Father Gabriel in ''Film/TheMission''. He's first introduced to us as a missionary risking his life by climbing up a treacherous waterfall to minister to Guarani Indians, who, just a few days earlier, had crucified and drowned one of his colleagues. In his final scene at the end of the movie, Father Gabriel offers non-violent resistence against the Portuguese soldiers sent to destroy the mission by conducting Mass and stoically awaiting his own death from a barrage of musket balls and flaming arrows.

** King's disciple and one of the youngest leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, John Lewis, also practiced non-violence, famously led the march over the Edmund Pettus Bridge and got his skull cracked open for his efforts. He survived, and rose up to become a Congressman for over 30 years until his death at the age of 80 in 2020, inspiring generations of young people and leaders with his message of love and peace, even [[UsefulNotes/BillClinton counting]] [[UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush various]] [[UsefulNotes/BarackObama Presidents]] as his friends. He was also a bona fide CoolOldGuy, publishing [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_(comics) an autobiographical comic book]], as well as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ATwisIrtfg participating in crowd surfing]].

* ''[[Franchise/ShinMegamiTenseiPersona Persona]]'':