History Main / BeautyEqualsGoodness

* Wrestling/AllJapanWomensProWrestling had a tradition of having larger, less attractive wrestlers as {{Heel}}s (e.g. Dump Matsumoto, Wrestling/BullNakano, Wrestling/AjaKong), and pitting them against smaller, cuter {{Face}} wrestlers. However, all three examples either went through {{heel face turn}}s or became faces by default at some point, while the cutest most popular baby faces, the Crush Gals, were forced into retirement and [[TheResenter ended up returning as resentful heels]] using [[BecameTheirOwnAntithesis the same tactics]] employed by their old enemies).

* In ''Animation/{{Gandahar}}'', Sylvain immediately assumes that the Deformed, a race of mutants, must be evil on account of their grotesque appearances. They quickly prove him wrong.

* Fairytales and folklore are chock-full of this so much that in many cases "ugly" is shorthand for 'completely deficient as a human being in every conceivable way possible.' But be wary. The ShapeshiftingLover, if male, may be hideous before the change, and a hideous old woman may be enchanted and truly young and beautiful.

* ''LightNovel/TrinityBlood'' subverts this beautifully. Deitrich is described as having "the face of an angel and the heart of a devil". Despite his beautiful appearance, he's evil. In addition, during the final battle in the anime Cain's ultimate form resembles a heavenly angel, while Abel's ultimate form resembles a demon from hell.

* The ''Franchise/{{Shrek}}'' series has an inverted variant: it has an ogre as the hero, and the love of his life becomes an ogress herself at the end of [[WesternAnimation/Shrek1 the first film]]. By contrast, the handsome Prince Charming from [[WesternAnimation/{{Shrek 2}} the second]] and [[WesternAnimation/ShrekTheThird third films]] is a bratty, immature, villainous twit. Interestingly, the not-so physically attractive Shrek's heroics and the comparatively more physically attractive Prince Charming's malice also collectively create an [[InvertedTrope inversion]] of this trope at the very same time.

* Subversion: The ''Franchise/{{Shrek}}'' series has an ogre as the hero, and the love of his life becomes an ogress herself at the end of [[WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}} the first film]]. By contrast, the handsome Prince Charming from [[WesternAnimation/{{Shrek 2}} the second]] and [[WesternAnimation/ShrekTheThird third films]] is a bratty, immature, villainous twit. Interestingly, the not-so physically attractive Shrek's heroics and the comparatively more physically attractive Prince Charming's malice also collectively create an [[InvertedTrope inversion]] of this trope at the very same time.

* MakeUpIsEvil: In older workds, only an evil character would have no natural beauty and so have to resort to ''paint''.

** The doctor who [[spoiler:turned an extremely skilled but still human assassin into the superhuman Koro-sensei]] looks rather attractive at first; then he starts referring to his secret human test subject as a disposable guinea pig ("he doesn't have a family registry so it doesn't matter if he dies"), smashes a vial of ''something'' on an assistant's head, and strikes his other assistant/slave/[[spoiler: wife via arranged pity-marriage]] on the head with a computer tablet ''repeatedly''. By the time [[spoiler: the (first/original) God of Death]] KO's him through a solid plexiglass barrier his good looks have gone a bit off.

** When the Rogue Titan makes its debut, the audience immediately knows it to be different from the other titans as it not only saved Mikasa from being eaten but possesses a far more toned and better-proportioned body than the average titan. [[spoiler: It's actually played with- humanlike proportions are common to most Titan Shifters, most of whom are morally ambiguous at best.]]

** There are many [[UglyHeroGoodLookingVillain good-looking bad guys and bad-looking good guys]] but Chapter 764 is a little special: Every single [[{{gonk}} grotesque person]] is a heartless [[DrJerk Doctor (and Nurse) Jerk]] who turned away a dying child [[spoiler: future badass pirate surgeon Trafalgar Law]] because they thought he was contagious (he wasn't, his disease was caused by pollution). Fortunately being ugly made it easier to watch the boy's companion [[spoiler: Corazon, incredibly BigBad Doflamingo's secretly kindhearted brother]] destroy them and their hospitals.
** Most World Nobles are malformed and ugly, but St. Homing and his wife, rare examples of ''nice'' World Nobles, look fairly normal and even pretty. [[spoiler: He passed on his good looks, but not his good morals, to his child Doflamingo.]] And then there's Saint Mjosgard, whose looks ''notably'' improve after he changes his outlook on life and reforms into a better man without the usual God complex.

** [[spoiler: Ember herself is considered to be very attractive both as a human and as a ghost and her own alignment [[HeelFaceTurn shifts from bad to neutral to good]] during the story.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/Cars2'' actually both plays this straight and inverts this: The good guys are a shiny American racecar, a pair of shiny British spy cars, and a rusty American tow truck, while the bad guys are all mean, beaten-up Lemons, led by [[spoiler: a malfunctioning British SUV posing as an electric car]].
* ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKingIISimbasPride'' features a rare, ''justified'' version of this trope. The Outsider lions are scraggly and have duller, scruffier coats. But that's because they were living in a barren wasteland and likely had poor diets, so naturally they were going to be leaner and their coats would be less bright. By the end, [[spoiler: the outsider lions come to live in the pridelands and they have the same body build as the rest of the prideland lions]].

* Creator/TimBurton's ''Film/AliceInWonderland2010'' plays this trope straight. The White Queen is gorgeous and Alice is pretty as well, whereas the Red Queen is very strange-looking. But it also seriously subverts it with the Mad Hatter and [[spoiler: the Bandersnatch]]. And also Tweedle-Dee, Tweedle-Dum, and the March Hare. It's also worth pointing out that the Red Queen herself is aware of this trope, telling her sister at one point that she can't get her way for once just by blinking her "pretty eyes".

* In ''Film/OzTheGreatAndPowerful'', all three witches appear beautiful at first. Her stunning appearance is what convinces Oz that [[spoiler:Glinda]] is good, though, given his TheCasanova character, it's not perhaps astounding that a pretty face turns his head. [[spoiler: Thedora's]] transformation into [[spoiler: into the Wicked Witch of the West]] is accompanied by her becoming quite monstrous. And in the end, [[spoiler: Evanora's beautiful appearance is caused by a {{Glamour}} and she's really an old hag]].

* In ''Film/{{The Hills Have Eyes|1977}}'', Ruby has no physical deformities and is by far the most attractive member of the Clan; she is also its WhiteSheep who [[spoiler: does anything she can to help the traveling family that the other members of her family have victimized]].

* ''Series/{{Farscape}}'': Has this in spades, although it's often subverted in later seasons. Rygel, arguably the [[UnscrupulousHero least heroic]] member of the crew, looks like a cross between a miniature Jabba the Hutt, a moth (look at those eyebrows), and a melting frog. Scorpius, who served as the BigBad between seasons 2-4, is a dead ringer for a desiccated corpse in a gimp suit. Also Furlow, the filthy and, er, "solid" mechanic who betrays the Moya crew at every available opportunity, eventually even [[spoiler: leaving John Crichton to die a painful and irradiated death. Thankfully, they have [[BackupTwin a spare]]]].
** As mentioned above, this trope becomes less egregious as time goes on, and is downright subverted by Season 5, with the introduction of [[NavelDeepNeckline Commandant Grayza]] as the new antagonist and [[spoiler: Scorpius' ascent to AntiHero status]].

* ''Series/KingdomAdventure'': Played straight for the most part, in that the cuter the character, the fewer character flaws they tend to display: Pokum and Keena are the cutest of the kids, and their housemates Garbo and Lolly have buck teeth and less-appealing proportions, and they tend to be naughtier kids. Pitts, Dagger, and Gorf are uglier still and are recurring villains. [[spoiler: All this straight-playing makes a subversion all the more noticeable, when a wart-covered purple monster named Gulp turns out to be not only friendly but an important ally and the former Magistrate.]]

** Exaggerated in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening.'' [[spoiler: Aversa]] ([[http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/fireemblem/images/5/59/Aversa_%28FE13_Artwork%29.png/revision/latest?cb=20130812075212 Pictured here]]) is a young and attractive female among a group otherwise entirely composed of extremely unattractive males ([[http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/fireemblem/images/2/26/GeckoPortrait.png/revision/latest?cb=20160603023348 Comb overed thug]], [[http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/fireemblem/images/2/26/Validar_Portrait.png/revision/latest?cb=20151117103107 Jafar]], [[http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/fireemblem/images/5/5f/Chalardportrait.png/revision/latest?cb=20160529044727 ugly hooded man]], [[http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/fireemblem/images/8/8f/AlgolPortrait.png/revision/latest?cb=20160516054203 Balding brute]], and [[http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/fireemblem/images/9/93/KatsidisPortrait.png/revision/latest?cb=20160512004944 Creepy priest]]) and one [[EunuchsAreEvil Eunuch]] ([[http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/fireemblem/images/d/d5/Exceli.png/revision/latest?cb=20160529044614 pic]]). Sure enough, It turns out [[spoiler: Aversa]] was {{Brainwashed}} against her will the whole time, while all the ugly members are apparently just in it ForTheEvulz.

** In ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'', Saren, the apparent BigBad of the game, is clearly weird-looking by Turian standards, sporting glowing blue eyes and cybernetic implants on top of the spikey Turian exoskeleton. On the other hand, Benezia is much more attractive but still acts as Saren's [[TheDragon Dragon]] for much of the game. However, [[spoiler: it's revealed that both of them have been brainwashed by Sovereign, and both of them get a DyingAsYourself ending (optional in Saren's case). [[EldritchAbomination Sovereign]] himself is a giant insectoid spaceship and makes use of BlueAndOrangeMorality behavior]].
** In the second game, quite a few of the villains are even more monstrous: the Collectors, for example, are InsectoidAliens equipped with a lot of repulsive-looking organic technology, and serve the Reapers in abducting human colonists for use in their experiments. [[spoiler: Once again, it's revealed that the Collectors are just brainwashed servants of the Reapers; before they were enslaved, the Collectors were the equally bizarre-looking Protheans, BenevolentPrecursors to the current galactic civilization.]]

* ''VideoGame/Persona4'' - [[{{Gonk}} Hanako, Mitsuo, Morooka,]] and Kashiwagi (who isn't specifically ugly, but has a tendency toward drastic, overly-exaggerated and unattractive expressions, and a crap personality), have no particular positive qualities and the heroes have no sympathy for them. The exceptions are [[spoiler: [[AxCrazy Adachi]], who the player is supposed to trust, and [[BigBad Izanami]], whose true form is [[EldritchAbomination legendarily hideous]] but appears as an attractive lady]].

* Reversed in ''[[VideoGame/TwoWorlds Two Worlds II]]'': at one point, the protagonist is begged by the helpful leader of a nearly-doomed colony to hunt down the reason for their misery - [[spoiler: an evil witch, who not only lives [[SwampsAreEvil deep in a swamp]] but who is indeed hideous]]. However, instead of [[spoiler: killing the witch, the protagonist can also listen to her unexpected pleas]]. Doing so opens an entirely new subplot, which eventually reveals that [[spoiler: the real Evil Force was actually the charismatic leader, while the witch was the true protector of the people]]. The reversal is ''then'' reversed at the end of that subplot, as [[spoiler: the witch's beauty is magically restored upon the demise of the real villain]].

*** However, [[spoiler: this is played straight with Light when he loses his memories of the Death Note for a brief period of time. He is a really great guy, the complete opposite of Kira, and he is still gorgeous]].

* Played with in ''Anime/MagiTheLabyrinthOfMagic''. For the most part, the heroes or ambiguous anti-heroes are mostly good-looking. But certain villains like Jamil, Judar, and [[spoiler: Gyokuen Ren and other Al-Thamen members like Dunya and Ithan]] are just as attractive, though they can occasionally lapse into twisted, dark caricatures.

* Interesting case in ''Anime/MobileSuitVictoryGundam''. Katejima Loos is portrayed as a beautiful girl in her late teens. The series protagonist, Uso, certainly thinks so, since he has a crush on her. [[spoiler: She starts out as one of the main heroic cast, but slowly shows her true colors of being a {{Manipulative B|astard}}itch. Even when it's clear that she's far from good, Uso refuses to believe that she's evil, even when she tries to kill him on multiple occasions. This changes near the end of the series, when he finally wakes up and fights her back. She even points this out, afterwards, acting shocked that her charms no longer work.]]

* In ''Manga/RedRiver1995'', most of the noble characters are portrayed as very beautiful. They're generally divided between being RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething (for example, Kail and his brothers) and those who are incompetent or outright harmful to the wellbeing of their countries (for example, Nakia and [[spoiler: Nefertiti]]). The very handsome Ramses wants to gain power in Egypt so he can better care for its people which is a noble goal, but he also repeatedly tries to kidnap and rape Yuri, leading her to consider him a complete cad. Meanwhile, Nakia and [[spoiler:Urhi]] are ''very'' beautiful but also are incredibly and unbelievably evil. Even worse, their backstories show that their beauty caused the circumstances that lead to them becoming as horrible as they are. Yuri, meanwhile, is very cute by modern-day standards but is initially considered plain by most people in Hattusa, mainly because [[DeliberateValuesDissonance she's short and flat-chested]]. As people begin to love her for her kindness and the good things she does for them, they talk about features that they do consider beautiful about her (namely her pale skin and black hair) and her maids imply that her beauty comes from her happy, friendly demeanor.
* Played with in ''Manga/{{Superior}}''. Though all the main cast is attractive, 'beauty' is talked about mostly as an internal quality, related to goodness and valuing life. At one point, Sheila breaks down in tears and asks Copy ([[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin who physically looks almost identical to her]]) and Shadow why they are so ugly after their callous slaughter of a village- while also remembering how ''she'' used to be the same way. [[spoiler: The original Demon Lord]], on the other hand, seems to believe that beauty is in fact related to purity... though [[spoiler: his]] idea of 'pure' is [[PureIsNotGood far, far removed]] from [[OmnicidalManiac valuing life]].

** Ozymandias. Tall, muscular, blonde, handsome, older than he looks, strong features. [[spoiler: The "villain" of the series]].

* Played with in ''WesternAnimation/{{Megamind}}''. Metroman, the unambiguous hero [[spoiler: who fakes his death because he's tired of the life]] is all HeroicBuild and LanternJawOfJustice, but then you have Megamind [[spoiler: the villain who becomes good]] and Titan [[spoiler: who turns bad because he can't get the girl]]. Megamind is a skinny blue alien with a giant head, but has ''huge'', puppy-like, instantly endearing green eyes complete with eyelashes, while Titan is human but looks and acts like a thug.

** In ''{{WesternAnimation/Frozen|2013}}'', the greedy and prejudicial Duke of Weselton is one of the least physically attractive characters. [[spoiler: The duke turns out to be a RedHerring, and the true villain is actually Prince Hans, attractive and dashing.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/StrangeMagic'': The film subverts it early on when the textbook prince-level handsome Roland turns out to be a cheating jerk. [[spoiler: It also subverts it with the Bog King, an ugly insect humanoid who turns out to be surprisingly heroic after falling in love. Roland turns out to be the {{Big Bad}} and the Aesop is literally stated out loud (albeit for {{Hypocritical Humor}}).]]

* Playing with this trope is one of the major themes of ''Theatre/{{Wicked}}''. Glinda is conventionally attractive and wears many princess gowns, intentionally utilizing the HairOfGoldHeartOfGold stereotype in her reputation as the Good Witch of Oz. However, she is willing to sacrifice her morals and work for corrupt politicians like [[spoiler: The Wizard and Madame Morrible, who are persecuting Animals]] to bolster her own power. Elphaba is considered an outcast by Ozians because of her green skin. However, she is actually a very attractive woman herself once one gets over the unusualness, [[spoiler: which both Fiyero and Glinda note]]. Elphaba also cares deeply for freeing the oppressed in Oz and refuses to sacrifice her ideals despite multiple offers from [[spoiler: The Wizard]].

* The Japanese-developed ''VideoGame/AceCombat5TheUnsungWar'' subverts this. The base commander is a FatBastard, but the handsome-in-an- UncannyValley-way adjutant [[spoiler: is TheMole for the Belkans]].

** Despite actually being named Beauty, the female agent of the blue people is probably the most cold-hearted, having [[spoiler: kidnapped and threatened a little girl. Beauty was apparently willing to kill her if Sissel stuck around.]] Even her fawning admirer Dandy [[EvenEvilHasStandards took offense]] to being cruel to [[spoiler: Kamilla]], though he was complicit in the [[spoiler: kidnapping]].

* ''VideoGame/RiseOfTheKasai'' features four playable characters, three of which subvert this trope. Baumusu and Grizz are both old men, Baumusu is bald, burly, heavyset, and is missing an eye. Grizz is wrinkly, thin as a rail, has a huge nose, and is also balding. Both are noble and honorable heroes. Tati is a very attractive female, but is the most morally questionable of the four, to the point [[spoiler: that she can make a FaceHeelTurn at the end of the game.]] Her brother Rau arguably plays this straight as he's a fairly handsome man and arguably the most noble of all four of them. This is played straight with most of the villains, however. The big bad is especially hideous. [[CoDragons The Twins]] are supposed to be [[EvilIsSexy very attractive]] to the point of being able to mind control men, but the game's graphics and the haziness of the scene make it something of InformedAttractiveness.

* ''Webcomic/BobTheAngryFlower'' [[http://angryflower.com/ugly.html meets]] a very ugly mutant and outright tells it that something so ugly had better be evil. [[spoiler: Turns out it's one of his victims.]]

* ''TabletopGame/{{Everdell}}'': The critters of Everdell are good-natured and cute. In contrast, HateSink Rugwort has looks unkempt and has an [[GoodScarsEvilScars Evil Scar]] over his right eye.

The failed subversion of SuetifulAllAlong is common.

* The AntiHero mutant Characters/{{Wolverine|JamesLoganHowlett}}--longstanding, undisputed favorite of the ''ComicBook/XMen'' franchise--was originally supposed to be a subversion. Five-foot-nothing, slightly hunched, enough hair on his body to wonder why he didn't wind up with the "Beast" codename, and reportedly, poor personal hygiene (even though ''you know as well as I do he couldn't maintain hair like that without being half-metrosexual''). However, because of PopularityPower, many writers sometimes forget the above description and turn him into a [[SuetifulAllAlong sexy funtastic lady-lovin' machine]]. Maybe it's animal magnetism, or his [[RunningTheAsylum fan-favoritism (the current writers were fans in their youth)]], or they realize that one word has always defined Wolvie: stamina. Even at his ugliest, he looks pretty good for 113!

* DracoInLeatherPants: Fan fiction involving the redemption of a villain that the writer personally finds attractive has been a genre staple for decades.

* DracoInLeatherPants: Fan fiction involving the redemption of a villain that the writer personally finds attractive has been a genre staple for decades

* DracoInLeatherPants: "This villain deserves a redemption arc because they're sexy" has been a staple of fan fiction for decades.

* DracoInLeatherPants: "This villain deserves a redemption arc because they're sexy!" is one of the oldest fan fiction tropes in the book.

* DracoInLeatherPants: "This villain is sexy, that must mean they're a good person underneath it all!" is one of the oldest fan fiction tropes in the book.

* DracoInLeatherPants: If an attractive villain isn't given a redemption arc showing that they're a good person underneath it all, you can rest assured that fanfic writers will race to fix that.

* In older works, may be a factor in MakeUpIsEvil: only an evil character would have no natural beauty and so have to resort to ''paint''.
* UglyGuyHotWife both averts this and plays it straight--unattractive men are shown to be good husband material, yet it still works on the assumption that because the wife is hot, that he was lucky in love even if nothing else is known about her.
* GorgeousGorgon may play this trope straight ''or'' just plain [[PlayingWithATrope play with it]] depending on the gorgon.

* RedRightHand, where a specific ugly or inhuman feature marks a character as evil.
* AdaptationalHeroism usually goes hand-in-hand with AdaptationalAttractiveness.
* HistoricalHeroUpgrade often leads to HistoricalBeautyUpdate as well. Conversely, a HistoricalVillainUpgrade tends to concede with a HistoricalUglinessUpdate.
* LightIsGood can be a perfect example for this trope.

* DracoInLeatherPants: If an attractive villain isn't given a redemption arc showing that they're a good person underneath it all, you can rest assured that fanfic writers will race to fix that.

Compare EvilMakesYouUgly. The opposite of this trope is BeautyIsBad and EvilIsSexy, although they aren't mutually exclusive with this one. UglyHeroGoodLookingVillain is a specific inversion. Compare also VillainousBadlandHeroicArcadia, which applies the same basic concept to landscapes instead of people. Contrast DivinelyAppearingDemons, FaceOfAnAngelMindOfADemon, UglyHeroGoodLookingVillain, and WastedBeauty. See also ExpectingSomeoneTaller.

* ''Anime/YuGiOh'' toys with it in the person of Marik Ishtar. He's a {{Bishonen}} in a BareYourMidriff outfit who has all the fangirls fawning over him. He's also a ManipulativeBastard who plots to TakeOverTheWorld via MindRape. He's later revealed to have a SuperpoweredEvilSide with OmnicidalManiac and CombatSadomasochist tendencies; this identity (Dark Marik), is also far, far, uglier with grotesque facial features, AnimeHair, bulging eyes, TaintedVeins, and a much more brutal, muscular build. So beauty equals evil, but ugly equals more evil?

* There are three types of mutant in ''[[VideoGame/SonsOfTheForest]]''. Some look like ugly humans, sometimes emaciated and often coated in mud or blood. Some are inhuman monsters that look like jumbles of arms and legs that are barely recognizable as human-derived. Then there's Victoria, who's a pretty blonde woman in a spotless white one-piece swimsuit with one extra arm and one extra leg. Guess which can be befriended. Go on, guess. Here's a hint: it's not the Cronenbergian monstrosities.

* There are three types of mutant in ''[[VideoGame/TheForest Sons of The Forest]]''. Some look like ugly humans, sometimes emaciated and often coated in mud or blood. Some are inhuman monsters that look like jumbles of arms and legs that are barely recognizable as human-derived. Then there's Victoria, who's a pretty blonde woman in a spotless white one-piece swimsuit with one extra arm and one extra leg. Guess which can be befriended. Go on, guess. Here's a hint: it's not the Cronenbergian monstrosities.

* There are three types of mutant in ''[[VideoGame/TheForest Sons of The Forest]]'' Some look like ugly humans, sometimes emaciated and often coated in mud or blood. Some are inhuman monsters that look like jumbles of flesh. Then there's Victoria, who's a pretty blonde woman in a spotless white one-piece swimsuit with one extra arm and one extra leg. Guess which can be befriended. Go on, guess. Here's a hint: it's not the Cronenbergian monstrosities.

* There are three types of mutant in ''[[VideoGame/TheForest Sons of The Forest]]'' Some look like ugly humans, sometimes emaciated and often coated in mud or blood. Some are inhuman monsters that look like jumbles of flesh. Then there's Victoria, who's a pretty blonde woman in a spotless white one-piece swimsuit with one extra arm and one extra leg. Guess which can be befriended. Go on, guess. Here's a hint: it's not the Cronenbergian monstrosities.

* ''Film/TheDarkCrystal'': Played with. The protagonists, the Gelflings, are obviously intended to be attractive, despite any Uncanny Valley that may be invoked by looking at them. The pure urRu are made to look noble and sagacious, and when they die, they fade into sparkles. The Skeksis, on the other hand, are clearly intended to look twisted, deformed, and vulture-like, which is made even worse by their advanced age and the fact that the Emperor's body crumbles to pieces within seconds after his death. Aughra, however, is quite hideous and warty, yet proves to be a helpful character. A bit of background checking shows that in the grand scheme of things, she's actually supposed to be True Neutral, and not one to take sides. It gets really confusing with the Podlings, who are supposed to be a good, Closer to Earth race, yet somehow they wound up looking Ugly Cute at the same time. Brian Froud did admit that he toned down their appearance from the earliest incarnations because those were far too grotesque and potato-like.

* The Japanese-developed ''VideoGame/AceCombat5TheUnsungWar'' subverts this. The base commander is a FatBastard, but the handsome-in-an- UncannyValley -way adjutant [[spoiler: is TheMole for the Belkans]].