History Main / GuileHero

* ''LightNovel/KonoSuba'': This is why Kazuma is TheLeader (aside from also being the OnlySaneMan); he doesn't come close to the level of ability of his insanely over-powered but also [[CripplingOverspecialisation overspecialized]] team mates, but he knows how to use what low-level abilites he ''does'' have in creative and unorthodox ways to get the most use out of them. Even more than that, he frequently comes up with clever gambits on the fly that make allow his allies to use their abilities to their maximum capacity. It also helps that he was BornLucky.

* GreatDetective: Among them we have Hajime Kindaichi (''Manga/TheKindaichiCaseFiles''); Shinichi Kudo/Conan Edogawa (''Manga/DetectiveConan''/''Case Closed''); Kyuu Renjou, his FiveManBand and his mentor Morihiko Dan (''Manga/DetectiveSchoolQ''); Ryouko Yakushiji (''Literature/TheCaseFilesOfYakushijiRyoko''), etc.
** In the case of ''Manga/DetectiveConan'', Conan is later joined by Heiji Hattori, Shiho Miyano/Sherry/Ai Haibara, [[spoiler: Shuuichi Akai in his Subaru Okiya persona]] and presumably [[spoiler: Rei Furuya aka Tooru Amuro aka Bourbon.]]

-->It's funny how people have always respected the kind of commander who comes up with strategies like "[[WeHaveReserves I want fifty thousand of you chappies to rush at the enemy]]," whereas the more thoughtful commanders who say things like "Why don't we build a [[TrojanHorse damn great wooden horse]] and then nip in at the back gate while they're all around the thing waiting for us to come out" are considered only one step above common oiks and not the kind of person you'd lend money to. This is because most of the first type of commander are [[FearlessFool brave men]], whereas [[LovableCoward cowards]] make far better strategists.

* Homura Akemi from ''Manga/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'', though she heavily overlaps with ScienceHero. Homura embodies the [[PragmaticHero extremely pragmatic magical girl]] by using modern weaponry (fire guns, bombs, missiles... you get the idea) and exquisitely exploiting her time-freezing magic in combat. However, she tends to rely too much on the fact that people have to figure out both her power and its mechanics to the point that she can be outwitted. To be fair, she was avoiding actually harming her opponent, [[spoiler:Mami Tomoe]], in that particular fight.

* Homura Akemi from ''Manga/PuellaMagaiMadokaMagica'', though she heavily overlaps with ScienceHero. Homura embodies the [[PragmaticHero extremely pragmatic magical girl]] by using modern weaponry (fire guns, bombs, missiles... you get the idea) and exquisitely exploiting her time-freezing magic in combat. However, she tends to rely too much on the fact that people have to figure out both her power and its mechanics to the point that she can be outwitted. To be fair, she was avoiding actually harming her opponent, [[spoiler:Mami Tomoe]], in that particular fight.

* Shoryuu from ''LightNovel/TheTwelveKingdoms'' has some elements of this and ActionHero. While he's a very badass fighter, it's his manipulation talent and his ObfuscatingStupidity habits that helps him the most.

** Doctor Strange, the acknowledged chief MagnificentBastard in a series stuffed with them, is even more this trope than this canon counterpart, using his knowledge, [[TheDreaded well-earned reputation]], and mastery of the BatmanGambit. The fact that he's also a powerful {{Seer}} helps with both the knowledge and his additional mastery of turning ForWantOfANail to his advantage. As a result, until the finale of Book 1, he rarely actually uses any magic on screen, and when he does, it is -- usually -- nothing that any other accomplished mage couldn't do. However, he is also very capable of getting his hands dirty and demonstrating just how he got his reputation.

In TheTeam, the Guile Hero is most likely to be TheFace of the troupe and/or TheSmartGuy, though a particularly bright Leader or Lancer can also fit in. If TheChick uses her [[TheHeart emotional influence]] to the extreme and combines it with quick wits and words, she can also grow into one. The Guile Hero is also frequently a SixthRanger, and if a Sixth Ranger is also a Guile Hero, then he tends to be SixthRangerTraitor.

** [[ThePolyanna Galfast]] [[HeroAntagonist Hamhead]], despite being no slouch in combat, proves to be incredibly effective at escaping and outmanoeuvering the [[VillainProtagonist Lieutenants]] with cunning and sneaking. [[spoiler: Her escape is an especially good example, as she tricks [[GoMadFromTheIsolation Avanash]] into releasing her and destroying the only mean to forge another crown, hides on the Siren, knowing they'll have expected her to go directly to her home, out-gambits Markus by being more persuasive than him, and once the goblin flying balloon can't fly anymore, parachutes across Gogmar, letting her enemies die from the thousand feet fall.]] There's a reason Brennan compares her to Bugs Bunny.

* ''WebVideo/Dimension20'': In Fantasy High, the storyline seen in the first season and Dimension 20 Live, the main protagonists usually have to solve a central mystery while fighting enemies much more powerful than they are. As such, they generally all have to rely a lot on their wit and their ingeniosity to succeed, but 3 of them stand out:

* Per Gynt from Norwegian folklore qualifies as one of these. Most of the sticky situations he gets in he resolves by outsmarting the baddie. In one example, he convinces a hungry troll not to eat him by challenging him to a contest of feats of strength. In the rock crushing contest, Per squeezes the piece of cheese in his pocket, impressing the troll by squeezing "the water from a stone." In a rock-throwing contest, Per grabs a bird out of a nearby bush and gives it a hurl. Needless to say, he was not eaten.
** Peer Gynt was inspired by Askeladden, an even older Guile Hero archetype who is the Norwegian version of Jack.

* Brenish in ''Literature/{{Below}}'' is a ConsummateLiar first and foremost. He's also spent so much of his life learning tales of the [[DungeonCrawling underground ruins]] that his approach to fighting is highly strategic. [[NotSoDifferent His antagonist]] (and boss) Gareth distrusts him to the point of grabbing a hostage to keep him in line, and even makes sure the two men stand watch together because he doesn't trust Brenish not to compromise the loyalty of one of his henchmen in two hours.

* ''WebVideo:Dimension20'': In Fantasy High, the storyline seen in the first season and Dimension 20 Live, the main protagonists usually have to solve a central mystery while fighting enemies much more powerful than they are. As such, they generally all have to rely a lot on their wit and their ingeniosity to succeed, but 3 of them stand out:

** Miles Vorkosigan and the [[BigBadassFamily the rest of the Vorkosigan family]] qualifies, each with their own signature brand of guile.

** '''[[JesusWasWayCool Jesus the Christ]]''. True, he was a MessianicArchetype, but He was also a master at outsmarting the Pharisés -- often using [[IronicEcho their own words]] against them. One example is the famous "cast the first stone" story; He saves a woman by putting her prosecutors in a double bind. Notably, He doesn't tend to use overt displays of power all that much, using mostly His wits to solve problems and saving His RealityWarper abilities for the occasional miracle.

* Per Gynt from Norwegian folklore qualifies as one of these. Most of the sticky situations he gets in he resolves by outsmarting the baddie. In one example, he convinces a hungry troll not to eat him by challenging him to a contest of feats of strength. In the rock crushing contest, Per squeezes the piece of cheese in his pocket, impressing the troll by squeezing "the water from a stone." In a rock-throwing contest, Per grabs a bird out of a nearby bush and gives it a hurl. Needless to say, he was not eaten.
** Peer Gynt was inspired by Askeladden, an even older Guile Hero archetype who is the Norwegian version of Jack.

** Which is why Rincewind belongs on this list. He doesn't want to be a hero at all and would rather stay where it's safe.

* Unohana might or might not be a heroine in the AU ''Fanfic/{{Downfall}}'', considering her desires to reconcile Seireitei and Hueco Mundo she seems heroic. [[spoiler: But as she seems to think that only the wholesale destruction of the Gotei will accomplish this, it would seem that she qualifies more along the lines of [[WellIntentionedExtremist well-intentioned extremist]].]] Of course, there seem to be other events and forces involved, moving behind the scenes…

%% This is an objective trope.
%% Please do not add potholes or wicks to YMMV pages such as Moment of Awesome on this page, even if the character does do some awesome things.

Compare the YoungConqueror, which is a young example of this trope taken UpToEleven with a side of TakeOverTheWorld ambition as well. May overlap with GoodIsNotDumb. Compare SilkHidingSteel when a ProperLady feels like plotting. Very, very rarely will this overlap with SmallStepsHero, due to the latter being unwilling to sacrifice innocent parties--but manipulating the villains is just fine. The EvilCounterpart of the Guile Hero is the MagnificentBastard.

* ByronicHero Lelouch Lamperouge from ''Anime/CodeGeass'' in the AntiHero interpretation of his character. He prefers to play politics to sideline his opponents most of the time. For instance, at one point after losing his most important fighter and being attacked by the two most powerful armies in that universe - the Chinese and the Brittanian - he [[EngineeredPublicConfession manipulates the Eunuch Generals into announcing their evil plans to their entire country]], inciting riots and cutting off their Brittanian support. This plan went very smoothly because he managed to steal it from a third opponent without that third opponent ever telling something about it, who had no choice but to support Lelouch after this fight. Using politics he sidelined one bad empire, destroyed a second one, and got the support of the third one.

** L, heroic counterpart to Light, is the poster boy for {{Magnificent Bastard}}s. Less heroic than other cases in that he comes across as amoral- the author admits that he is "a little bit evil"- and is interested in Light more for the challenge than administering justice.

* Meta Knight in ''Anime/KirbyRightBackAtYa'' leans further towards this than in the games - especially since he's definitely on Kirby's side in the anime. Nevertheless, he's so charismatic that he's very popular with the Cappies, and they even made a mini-figure of him. At the end of the series, [[spoiler:he reveals that he had been building his [[CoolAirship Battleship Halberd]] in King Dedede's basement ever since he came to Dreamland to everybody can battle Nightmare from inside it during their final assault on his fortress]].

* While most characters in the ''ComicBook/{{Asterix}}'' books tend to default to [[ActionHero violence]] (hey, [[WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer when all you have is a magic potion that gives you super strength]]…), Asterix himself switches to Guile Hero mode when punching stuff isn't the best answer - such as when there's no magic potion available (Asterix the Gaul springs to mind), or using subtlety gets the villain of the book a far more appropriate fate than mere pulverisation, such as in "Asterix La Zizanie", also known as "Asterix and the Roman Agent" or "Asterix and the Green-Eyed Monster".

** In the second volume of ''ComicBook/XMen Legacy'', Charles Xavier's son, Legion, becomes this - he has won the SuperpowerLottery, but even when he cannot access his greater powers, he can work with what he has, bluff and cunning. [[spoiler: The series, however, deconstructs this - David is unable to trust anybody and so quickly gets manipulative. He rarely thinks of the consequences of his actions, and the people he uses as pawns are not happy about it, which often gets him in trouble.]]
* ComicBook/BlackPanther is sometimes this, depending on the writer. The epitome was Christopher Priest's run where he was running schemes against multiple opponents simultaneously. While he was more than capable of fighting in person, more often than not regardless of who beat who in the physical fight, T'Challa had already won in strategic terms.
* The ComicBook/BlackWidow is often depicted as this in her solo adventures. As a trained espionage agent, Natasha's craftiness is her greatest weapon and she often has to outsmart her enemies as well as outfight them.
* In his early stories, ComicBook/AdamStrange mostly defeated the menaces he encountered with science and trickery.
* ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'': Invisible Woman shamed Ben Grimm into piloting the ship during the first issue. She was also told to distract many of the Silver Age male supervillains. After Psycho Man temporarily turned her into Malice she used her knowledge of Reed and Psycho Man's personalities to track him down and take revenge on him. When Dr. Doom stole the power cosmic from the Silver Surfer, she tricked him into flying into outer space when he couldn't. During the Civil War, she spied on Reed. As any real chessmaster/manipulative bastard/guile hero would tell you, the greatest achievements in theses tropes is to make certain that your opponents don't realize you are a social expert.
* The Enchantress in ''ComicBook/{{Shadowpact}}''. In their first battle, Strega easily defeats her thanks to superior power and experience. However, Enchantress knew that she was outmatched and wasn't even trying to win the fight at all. Rather, she was studying Strega's attacks to analyze her spells and figure out how to undo the barrier Strega had placed on the town.
-->'''Enchantress:''' When I can't be the toughest witch in town, I settle for being the sneakiest.

* ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'' has the canonical examples of Harry Dresden, John Constantine, Albus Dumbledore, T'Challa, and Bruce Wayne - though the latter two are still in training, so to speak, one being a smart but somewhat brash young Prince when first introduced, and the latter being a teenager. Additionally, it has:
** Loki, who post HeelFaceTurn is this trope, being ReformedButNotTamed and while he's more than capable of being an ActionHero - and usually is in public - he uses his old skills of tricks and manipulation to get things done quietly.

** Doctor Strange, the acknowledged chief MagnificentBastard in a series stuffed with them, is even more this trope than this canon counterpart, using his knowledge, [[TheDreaded well-earned reputation]], and mastery of the BatmanGambit. The fact that he's also a powerful {{Seer}} helps with both the knowledge and his additional mastery of turning ForWantOfANail to his advantage. As a result, until the finale of Book 1, he rarely actually uses any magic on screen, and when he does, it is - usually - nothing that any other accomplished mage couldn't do. However, he is also very capable of getting his hands dirty and demonstrating just how he got his reputation.
** Harry Potter/Thorson, the protagonist, becomes this trope as a matter of survival - for most of the first book he's suffering a major case of TheCallPutMeOnHold, combined with Everyone Wants To Kill Me, meaning that he has to rely on his wits to keep himself and those around him to stay alive, becoming [[IndyPloy excellent at thinking on his feet.]] The fact that he pays close attention to his uncle Loki and to Natasha (and not just for the obvious reasons in the latter case) explains a lot. However, these tendencies fade somewhat as his powers develop to PersonOfMassDestruction levels, and towards the end of the first book and during the first arc of the sequel, ''Ghosts of the Past'' [[CharacterDevelopment he learns]] [[TraumaCongaLine several rather harsh lessons]] about the virtues of planning ahead and controlling one's emotions, rather than just charging in and making it up as you go along, becoming an adept schemer, a deft manipulator, and a talented student of XanatosSpeedChess.

* Severus Snape, in the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' fanfic ''Fanfic/ThePeaceNotPromised''. Although his time travel means that he has adult duelling skills in a teenage body, he's not interested in the front lines of the war. Instead, he uses surgically applied CherryTapping to establish himself as a power to fear in Slytherin House, leverages that influence to demand House unity and make the older years look out for the younger ones - thus gaining a groundswell of popular support from the rising generation - and once his policies have gained traction, he declares independence from the Death Eaters, shocking many of his former associates but retaining many allies and giving many others an excuse to remain neutral. As a result, the Dark Lord's recruitment is greatly hampered compared to the original timeline.

* The four do their damnedest to be Guile Heroes in ''Fanfic/WithStringsAttached'' since they're [[ActualPacifist Actual Pacifists]] with a huge amount of power who don't want to use it on anyone--at least, not lethally. In the Fourth Movement, their string of ploys to rescue one another and win back the Vasyn are things of legend.

* Mattie Ross in the 2010 version of ''Film/TrueGrit''. Upon first meeting her, all anybody sees is an unaccompanied 14-year-old girl in [[GirlishPigtails pigtails]]… an impression which lasts about as long as it takes for her to bludgeon them into submission with her intellect, her business acumen, and her sheer, gimlet-eyed stubbornness.
* ''Film/HotelRwanda'': Paul Rusesebangena is definitely this. He manipulates genocidal merchants into supplying his guests, corrupt generals into beating up TheMole, bribes genicidaires into sparing his friends and family, and even saves the Hotel from destruction by phoning the owner, who in turn telephones the French who supply the bad guys with arms. TruthInTelevision.

** ''Film/XMenApocalypse'': Xavier's psychic powers are useless against En Sabah Nur's mental shields, so the former exercises his smarts to undermine and delay the latter's EvilPlan as much as possible. Apocalypse's NewEraSpeech was intended to stir [[spoiler:planet-wide]] panic, but Charles mitigates this somewhat by altering the last sentence with a slightly hopeful note, and it no doubt saves some lives. Meanwhile, he stealthily embeds a telepathic message for Jean so that the X-Men know where to find him. When Apocalypse imposes a SadisticChoice on his escaped prisoner, Professor X TakesAThirdOption by diverting his foe's attention with a psychic duel, and he thus avoids having to sacrifice the world or Mystique and Quicksilver. Xavier knows that he [[spoiler:can't win the fight on the astral plane, but what ultimately secures his victory is his emotional connection to his daughter figure Jean. He learns from his mistake in the original timeline, and he understands that the only way the Phoenix can be "tamed" is for him to love Jean for all that she is--and not fear what she's capable of by locking away a part of her mind--so that she develops the confidence to accept herself and her abilities.]] What Charles lacks in raw power in comparison to Apocalypse, he makes up for it with his psychological insight and exploiting ThePowerOfLove.
* ''Film/AssassinsCreed2016'': Michael Williams has stated that Moussa would prefer to use trickery or magic to defeat his enemies than hand-to-hand combat. Indeed, in the film itself, [[spoiler: Moussa starts the prison riot with the "pick a hand" trick and revealing smoke bombs in both so his allies can swarm the guards.]]
* Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse:
** Nick Fury: he constantly lies and manipulates everyone around him, and he's good enough at it that even when they don't like working with him, they still end up helping him in the way he wants them to. In fact, if it wasn't for him, [[spoiler: in ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'' [[BigBad Hydra]] would have successfully eradicated S.H.I.E.L.D. and launched [[KillThemAll Project Insight]].]] Although his tendencies to do this were deconstructed, as it showed that no one really trusted him and sometimes they outright refused to follow his plan... except that he also anticipates this and counteracts accordingly to adapt to their behavior, or at least offers a [[TheExtremistWasRIght reasonable explanation]]. ''He is just that good''.
** ''Film/ThorRagnarok:'' Thor losing his Mjolnir forced him to depend more on his cunning escaping Sakaar and fighting Hela, ultimately evolving into this. He even ends up outsmarting Loki, the God of Mischief himself.
* ''Film/TheShawshankRedemption'': Andy Dufresne. Upon discovering the deteriorating condition of the wall of his cell, he [[spoiler:slowly (as in over the course of twenty years) carves an escape tunnel through it]]. Meanwhile, he works his way into the trust of the Warden, who is under the mistaken assumption that ''he'' is the ChessMaster. Twenty years later, Andy [[spoiler:escapes from the prison, taking a new identity -- that he happened to create for the purposes of laundering the Warden's embezzled money, thus making himself a millionaire -- and having the Warden and sadistic guard both arrested]]...all without mentioning a single word of his plan to anyone...not even his best friend. Andy is like the heroic version of [[Film/TheUsualSuspects Keyzer Soze]] and gives us one of the most satisfying endings in film history.
* ''The Hunger Games'':
** ''Film/TheHungerGames'' has Katniss manipulating the emotions of the citizens of the evil empire to gain their support by [[spoiler: pretending to be in love with Peeta]]. Peeta himself is even better at manipulating them and is very charming to the population.
** In ''Film/TheHungerGamesCatchingFire'' Peeta drives his manipulative skill [[UpToEleven up to 11]] by [[spoiler: pretending that Katniss is pregnant with his child]].
** ''Film/TheHungerGamesMockingjay'' has the good guys and the bad guys battling each other with very emotional political advertisement (and other things).
* ''Film/WonderWoman2017'': While Steve is capable in combat and is an ace pilot, he is a spy first and foremost and he seems to be a clever one. He's shown to be remarkably adept at mingling among Germans and getting the enemy to trust him and even charms Doctor Poison and his assignments in infiltration definitely play to his strengths.
%%* Frey from ''Film/{{Elysium}}''.
%%* Richard Kimble in ''Film/TheFugitive''.
%%* Paul Rusesabagina, in ''Film/HotelRwanda''.
%%* Captain Ramius in ''Film/TheHuntForRedOctober''.
%%* Film/JamesBond, of course, with a splash of ActionHero, the mixture depending on the Bond in question.
%%* Harvey Milk in his biopic, ''Film/{{Milk}}''.
%%* Jason tries to be this in ''Film/MysteryTeam''.
%%* [[Film/OceansEleven Danny Ocean]], Charlie Croker, etc.
%%* Coca-Cola manager [=MacNamara=] from ''Film/OneTwoThree''.
%%* Ed Du Bois is the only individual in ''Film/PainAndGain'' who can be even remotely described as clever.
%%* Caesar from ''Film/RiseOfThePlanetOfTheApes''.
%%* Nathan Muir of ''Film/SpyGame''.
%%* [[NoNameGiven The Princess]] in ''The Triumph of Love''.
* ''Film/GleahanAndTheKnavesOfIndustry:'' Mark, a pre-law school dropout, uses his knowledge of the law to do some really awesome things.
* ''Film/FromParisWithLove'': Wax manipulates everyone around him and loves to keep his partner James in the dark about his plans or intentions, but ultimately he's clearly on the side of good and trying to stop a terrorist attack.

* ''Film/{{Frailty}}'': [[spoiler:Adam's entire scheme depends on revealing his family history to an FBI agent in a manner that obscures his real identity, in order to lure the demon inhabiting the agent to its doom.]]

* ''Literature/AlexVerus'' from the series of the same name generally counts. He uses his divination magic for precognition and quick thinking to stay alive in a setting full of magical beings and other mages with much more directly dangerous magically abilities

* ''Literature/{{The Art of War|SunTzu}}'' basically spends thirteen chapters explaining how to be this and how important it is for generals and tacticians to do so. Its central ethos can be summed up in one quote: "the Way of War is a Way of Deception". Flank attacks, proxy conflicts, fake peace talks to buy time, striking unexpected targets, feints, false indicators of ambushes, double agents, bribed enemy officials - to Sun Tzu, these were as important to a general as a hammer and saw to a carpenter.

** This is also the result of how magic, and especially the magic of wizards, works. Harry's only real strong inherent talents are his magical tracking ability and a particular gift with fire and wind (though mainly fire). It's so strong that in the earlier books, he has tools he uses specifically to avoid burning down everything when he does it. By his own account, he's a magical thug with the subtlety of a sledgehammer - though he develops his skills considerably over the series. However, a lot of Wizardry is about using some external power source or applying leverage carefully, or of storing a spell or power in advance in a potion or device. The best wizards aren't the strongest, because [[SquishyWizard they are still human levels of squishy]] and most monsters are very much not, but the ones most quick-witted and capable of taking advantage of a situation, such as in ''Dead Beat'' [[spoiler: where the villains had summoned a giant typhoon of necromantic energy well-suited to raising the dead, and it occurred to him that older bodies were more powerful if you had the energy just lying around, only necromancy on humans was illegal, and the local museum had a dinosaur exhibit...]]

* ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'': Gandalf to some degree. He's forbidden by the cosmic higher-ups from attempting to combat evil by simple force-- they learned their lesson when their battle with the previous BigBad [[ApocalypseHow broke half the world]]-- and mostly limits himself to using diplomacy to cajole the forces of good into taking action. He does take a certain pleasure in being the smartest guy in the room, especially in ''Literature/TheHobbit'', as when he tricks the notoriously misanthropic Beorn into playing host for thirteen dwarves and one hobbit.

* ''Literature/{{Dragaera}}'' series:
** In ''Literature/ThePhoenixGuards'', [[CampStraight Pel]] gets his TrueCompanions and himself out of prison by tricking a guard into propositioning his (Pel's) lover, who then almost kills the guard in a duel. Then she asks the poor guy who put him up to it, he tells her, and she pulls some strings to get Pel and the others out.
** Vlad Taltos also invokes this trope a lot; he has to be smart and sneaky to last as long as he has, first in [[ProfessionalKiller an extremely dangerous profession]] and later [[spoiler:on the run from ''the entire Jhereg'']].
* Nicolas van Rijn, from Creator/PoulAnderson's ''Literature/PolesotechnicLeague'' stories, is large and fat--though strong and fast--and he takes great joy in outthinking and outwitting his enemies.
%%* Psmith, of P.G. Wodehouse's ''Literature/{{Psmith}}'' books.

** Arya Stark has had to rely on her wits to survive just as often -- if not more -- than swords. While she doesn't make the best ''immediate'' decisions, in book 2 she cleverly [[spoiler: cornered a man who owed her a debt into helping her liberate Harrenhal from the Lannisters]]. While she's not as cunning as Tyrion, keep in mind that she's only ''twelve'' by now.

* Wakatake of ''Literature/TanteiTeamKZJikenNote''. Kozuka lampshaded this trait in the first episode. Aya actually missed this trait at ''The School's Urban Legends Knows'' when he's on a TenMinuteRetirement--[[MenUseViolenceWomenUseCommunication the rest of the boys wants to threaten a girl]] who sees him as LivingEmotionalCrutch to break off with him, to Aya's own disdain.

%%* While the jury is out on the 'hero' part of the trope, [[VillainProtagonist Skitter]] of ''Literature/{{Worm}}'' fits the rest of the trope to a T.

%%* In ''Literature/WordsOfRadiance'' we meet Guile Hero extraordinaire Shallan Davar. She's a Lightweaver Radiant, and this was apparently their [[PlanetOfHats Hat]] back before the Recreance.
* Lydia of Creator/CarolBerg's ''Literature/RaiKirah'' series turns out to be rather good at this. Seyonne occasionally engages in it as well, though since he several times does it by making use of his position or appearance as a [[MadeASlave slave]] this also tends to be combined with drawing some amount of [[ColdBloodedTorture torture]] on himself.
* Present in military thriller ''Literature/{{Victoria}}''. Between his maneuver warfare military trickster tactics and shady political manipulations, protagonist John Rumford soundly qualifies. His somewhat morally ambiguous mentor William Kraft takes it a step further into out-and-out {{Chessmaster}} territory.
* Locke Lamora of ''Literature/GentlemanBastard'' is a Guile Antihero, solving - or at least attempting to solve - his problems with cunning and charisma instead of brute force. Anticipating people's actions is how he survives, and even when he gets it wrong, he has a knack for [[IndyPloy improvising a plan to get out of trouble]]. Even when he's being relatively honest towards the end of ''The Lies of Locke Lamora'', he still uses deception and manipulation to get at least some of what he wants; [[spoiler:he manipulates the city authorities into sinking the BigBad's loot as a death-offering to his murdered friends, and manages to kill said BigBad by tricking him into thinking that Locke had backup.]]
* Nova of ''Literature/{{Renegades}}'' has powers that require her to be really up close and personal to use, and when she's Insomnia, she can't use them at all, so she gets by with wit, some acting, and manipulating people around her (though she's still a Guile Hero in training, so she's not always successful).
* All three main protagonists in ''Literature/SpinningSilver''.
** Miryem takes over her father's collecting duties when her mother falls ill during a hard winter, forcing the townspeople to actually pay what's owed in either money, goods, or labor, which takes her family from poverty to comfort in the space of a few months. When this gets the attention of the Staryk King, she manages to keep her feet and adapt to the [[BlueAndOrangeMorality customs of their fey society]] to escape death and free herself.
** Wanda, a poor peasant girl under the thumb of an abusive father, becomes housekeeper for Miryem's family to WorkOffTheDebt. She quickly recognizes the chance for escape and squirrels away her extra earnings, making sure not to buy new clothes or food (which her father would notice) so that she can save enough for her and her two brothers to leave him.
** Irina, finally, is married to a literal demon bound to the human body of the tsar. She figures out how to survive the first few nights and then convinces him and his host to cooperate with her. Meanwhile, she plots to kill him and restore stability to the country through plain old political footwork. [[spoiler:Together with Miryem, she hatches a plot to get rid of Chernabog ''and'' bring an end to the Staryk King's winter at the same time, saving the country from two dooms.]]
* ''Literature/AmaranthineSaga'': Argent, true to his fox nature, relies on misdirection and deception rather than brute strength to defeat his enemies
* In the ''Literature/{{Sandokan}}'' series, Yanez. While Sandokan is no idiot, it's Yanez who does most of the thinking and deals with outsmarting enemies.

** Abed Nadir is also a Guile Hero of sorts, albeit with a radically different style to Jeff's. (It's telling that in order to Guile Hero himself in the season four finale, Jeff has to pretend to be Abed.)

** For 6 seasons, Sansa Stark was held hostage by various powerful enemies who helped kill her family, under the constant threat of death or torture, without any hope of rescue or even comfort. Then she's rescued and uses her bitter experience to become an infinitely more ruthless schemer and politician than her brother, the noble King in the North.

* From ''Series/{{Leverage}}'', Leverage Consulting and Associates as a group. They're a group of top-notch thieves who teamed up to take down even worse crooks. All of them (save [[NoSocialSkills Parker]]) are fairly good at deception. [[ConMan Sophie Devaraux's]] primary skill is "Grifter," meaning she never has to use force, or stealth. She says it herself - if she's doing her job right, the mark opens the door ''for'' her and lets her take what she wants. Hardison is primarily the TechnoWizard, but he's just shy of Sophie when it comes to a con (TruthInTelevision: Social Engineering attacks are probably the most common way someone accesses a computer system they're not supposed to). However, [[ManipulativeBastard Nate Ford]] has the title of "Mastermind" - he ''used'' to be the thieves' bane as an insurance agent, but when he went rogue, he becomes increasingly devious with his scheming. You always know the mark is screwed, but you never know quite ''how'' until Nate lays it out in the last act.

** '''[[JesusWasWayCool Jesus the Christ]]''. True, he was a MessianicArchetype, but He was also a master at outsmarting the Pharisés-- often using [[IronicEcho their own words]] against them. One example is the famous "cast the first stone" story; He saves a woman by putting her prosecutors in a double bind. Notably, He doesn't tend to use overt displays of power all that much, using mostly His wits to solve problems and saving His RealityWarper abilities for the occasional miracle.
* Common in Myth/CelticMythology - the Celts considered defeating your enemies through trickery just as noble and praiseworthy as fighting them directly, with truly great warriors being [[GeniusBruiser capable of both]].

** He was also great {{Indy Ploy}}s. Having been poisoned via wearing a cape doused in the blood of a Centaur [[HoistByHisOwnPetard that he killed with poison arrows]], Hercules was headed to a CruelAndUnusualDeath - but then he asked his people to burn him ''alive'' in his own funerary pyre, knowing that it would ''hurt even more'' for a while but betting that his father Zeus would see it and make him ascend to the Olympus ASAP. He was right.

** Outside of combat, Justin's story involves perhaps one of the biggest and most complicated scam operations in the history of the Inner Sphere--through a combination of exile, injury, and disgrace, he comes into the employ of the mortal enemy of his former liege lord. For several years he plays the role of a quisling, helping said enemy, Chancellor Maximillian Liao, make small but noticeable advances against Hanse Davion, his former lord. It all comes together at the end of the entire ploy, where the advantages Liao thought he had gained proved to be vulnerabilities instead, essentially getting Liao forces steamrolled in a very short, very one-sided war where all of Liao's weaknesses were set up by Justin's advice and machinations to Chancellor Liao… as he was in fact still loyal to Hanse Davion, and taking this entire mission ''on orders'' from Davion.

* In ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'', Inquisitors blur the line between this and MagnificentBastard. The best, most loyal Inquisitors are this-- though they are willing to sacrifice millions, that's their [[TimeForPlanB plan b]]. The difference between what makes a good inquisitor and what makes a bad inquisitor is the bad ones make sacrificing millions their plan A. Mind you, 40k does follow AuthorityEqualsAsskicking, and Inquisitors are THE authority in the Imperium so they aren't pushovers in a fight. In practice, they tend towards ActionHero too, or at the very least have someone to do that for them.

* Ulysses in ''Theatre/TheGoldenApple'', "smarter than Literature/NickCarter" by reputation, develops a cunning DivideAndConquer plan to take Rhododendron after a straightforward assault fails.

** Your companion Varric is just as skilled, if not better. The entire game's framing device, in fact, is Varric being this: he's telling the story of Hawke's exploits to Chantry InternalAffairs, he opens with a flat-out lie about [[spoiler:not knowing Hawke's whereabouts]], and while he regularly gets called on exaggerations, he manages to get Cassandra so hooked on the story that she never questions that first lie, and he does all this while in a darkened room with an armed and armoured woman in black demanding the truth - at swordpoint, occasionally - without losing his cool.

** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheSacredStones'' has ''two'' of these: Prince Ephraim of Renais does this by being TheStrategist and making guerrilla tactics a complement of his [[BladeOnAStick spear-using skills]], whereas his FriendlyRival (and [[BestFriendsInLaw possible brother-in-law]]) Prince Innes of Frelia is the lead of the Frelian spy network. Ephraim's twin sister (and Innes' [[BattleCouple potential girlfriend and partner]]) Princess Eirika aims to become a guile heroine, but she is more of an {{all loving hero}}ine - using her kindness and charisma rather than deceit and tactics, alongside [[HeroesPreferSwords her swordmanship]].
** [[PlayerCharacter The player]] will become this in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening''. Or better said, the PlayerCharacter aka the Avatar - a mysterious young man or woman who belongs to the Tactician Class (able to [[MagicKnight use both magic tomes and swords]]). S/he becomes the advisor and best friend (and prospect love interest in the case of a girl!Avatar) of Prince Chrom of Ylisse, serving as his NumberTwo in his BadassCrew, the Shepherds. [[spoiler: And then it turns out that s/he is also the BigBadFriend, as the potential host for a Dark God. And his/her biggest goal is to go "ScrewDestiny" so this won't happen.]]

* This is the predominant hero in Creator/{{Sierra}}'s games from the '80s, including ''VideoGame/SpaceQuest'', ''VideoGame/KingsQuest'', ''VideoGame/LeisureSuitLarry'' and numerous one shots. Very few of them had fighting options, requiring the protagonist - and player - to use his head.
* The [[AnAdventurerIsYou Unnamed Hero]] from the ''VideoGame/QuestForGlory'' games (another Creator/{{Sierra}} series) invariably comes up against evil sorcerers/{{Eldritch Abomination}}s that are far too powerful for him to deal with via any means but outwitting them.
** Though by the final game the Hero is potentially powerful enough to just straight-up kill the Dragon of Doom instead of sealing it away like he'd usually do.

* The ''VideoGame/{{Geneforge}}'' series of games allows the player with high Leadership to pass through diplomatically, an avoid picking a side amongst the factions, at least up until the endgame. A powerful shaper/lifecrafter can summon Mons and arrange them tactically enough to avoid all personal contact with battle.
* Lillet Blan in ''VideoGame/GrimGrimoire'' outfoxes the devil in a display of cunning that even impresses her demon teacher.

* In ''Videogame/PlanescapeTorment'', monsters and goons will often force physical confrontations, but it is very, very rare to have an actual story objective that can only be achieved with violence. Usually, smooth talking, quick thinking, or outright deceit can carry the day every bit as easily as barreling in and breaking things.
** In fact, there are only ''two'' instances in the game where violence is required. [[spoiler: Even the FinalBoss can be [[TalkingTheMonsterToDeath talked to death.]]]]
* VideoGame/ProfessorLayton. Helps that the games he's in revolve entirely around solving puzzles. Mind you, he actually engages into a sword fight in ''Diabolical Box'', but only to defend himself from a deluded villain.

* Johnny Cage from ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' has become this after CharacterDevelopment. He's not military, a warrior monk, an Edenian with a thousand-year lifespan's worth of training, or a god. He's an actor who signed on initially [[AndYouThoughtItWasAGame to shut up some tabloids]] and quickly (but far too late) figured out he was ''way'' in over his head. But his MotorMouth [[YouFightLikeACow taunting of his opponents]], ObfuscatingStupidity, and [[IndyPloy quick thinking]] (in the [[Film/MortalKombatTheMovie Movie]], he had no chance of defeating Goro in a straight fight, so he tricked Goro [[DisneyVillainDeath into making a fatal mistake instead]]) means that while he's chronically underestimated by ally and enemy alike, there's a ''reason'' he has the position of Earthrealm (and Raiden's) champion after Liu Kang's death and corruption.
** In the "Aftermath" expansion story of ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'', [[spoiler:Liu Kang (after his ascension to Fire God) becomes this, pulling off a massive BatmanGambit by allowing Shang Tsung to take Kronika's crown and [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder betray absolutely everyone]] until all other possible threats to the realms are eliminated, allowing him to deal with Shang Tsung without anyone or anything else to interfere.]]
* The player character from ''VideoGame/TheOuterWorlds'' can be played as this. With charm, perception, and cleverness on the player's part, the Unplanned Variable can [[TheParagon unite the various squabbling factions into a peaceful system]], [[VillainProtagonist manipulate them for personal profit]], [[AntiHero or some combination thereof]]. The best endings, including [[spoiler:the Unplanned Variable installing themself as dictator of Halcyon]], are most easily achieved with this kind of playthrough.
* If the VillainProtagonist of ''VideoGame/{{Tyranny}}'' wants to [[HeelFaceTurn join the rebels]] (and isn't just [[TheChessmaster using them for their own ambitions]]), they'll have to be this. Though they start out serving EvilOverlord Kyros, the Fatebinder can keep rebels alive -- and even in their court as trusted servants -- under technicalities. All the while claiming they are following the orders of Kyros [[ExactWords to the letter]], and [[LoopholeAbuse using creative interpretations of Kyros' magical edicts to break them]]. The Rebel path also involves a lot of [[WeAreStrugglingTogether getting the squabbling peoples of the Tiers to cooperate]] in spite of ancient grudges, and a good bit of guile is needed to achieve this relatively bloodlessly.
* In ''VideoGame/UntitledGooseGame'', you play [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin as a goose,]] so you frequently need to use guile and subterfuge to manipulate the villagers into accomplishing your goals.
* Many point-n-click adventure game protagonists seem to run on this trope. A point-n-click interface doesn't lend itself very well to fighting so the player must use their wits alone to progress by choosing the right dialogue options, solving puzzles, and combining the right items to macgyver their way through the game.

** Mion is easily bored by academic studying but is a genius leader and strategist [[spoiler:(…who once led a team of about seven teenagers to victory against a crack team of trained government agents, using only a friend's well-placed traps, knowledge of the terrain, and a small modicum of martial skill)]]. Interestingly, the gaming club she formed tends to attract these kinds of people- probably because, in said club, cheating and anticipating how others will play is explicitly the only way to win, because everyone else is cheating too. And since humiliating 'punishment games' are always assigned to the one who comes in last, no one wants to lose.

* Terezi of ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' is said to have killed or captured entire parties of F{{LARP}}ers using mind games and politics. She is so good at it that she made [[spoiler: manipulating a literal god into disfiguring and dooming Vriska]] look like child's play.
* To the [[ChaoticNeutral limited degree]] that Sam Starfall of ''Webcomic/{{Freefall}}'' can be considered a hero, he's a Guile Hero. He's not particularly smart, technologically speaking, and he's not particularly strong - at one point being beaten up when he tried to steal candy from a baby - but his ability to cause mayhem through words alone is impressive. For example, at one point he managed to prevent Florence from being cryo-frozen by dressing up as the head of cryogenics (despite only approximately appearing human), lying his tentacular butt off, and even managing to trick the CorruptCorporateExecutive into getting his tongue stuck to a freezing tube. It might be other people who come up with the ultimate plan, but if any stage of it involves manipulation, it's Sam who gets to do that part, and [[http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff2500/fc02496.htm sometimes he'll just do it on the spur of the moment]].

* The Girl in ''Webcomic/{{Tellurion}}''. She refuses the Robot's offer to learn how to fight, preferring instead to use her understanding of the precursors to chart the course of their Quest. Her skills are enough to instantly convince a ship captain to work for her and follow her directions.

* ''WebVideo/LegendyPolskie'' have Twardowski, who outsmarts the devil. More than once.

** In season 4, she also manages to briefly trick Tarakudo into thinking she was returning to the Forces of Darkness.

* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'''s Rarity often persuades other ponies (and in one point, almost persuades ''a dragon'' - she would get away with it too, if not for her greed) into doing what she wants by using her wits and charms. In one episode she gets kidnapped by the Diamond Dogs. While her more action-oriented friends struggle to rescue her, she manages to get out of the situation herself by [[PityTheKidnapper irritating her captors enough that they're more than happy to let her go]]. The episode's {{A|nAesop}}esop is a TakeThat to "RealWomenDontWearDresses".

** The mane six, ''especially'' Fluttershy during the Season 5 premier. [[ArcVillain Starlight Glimmer]] [[spoiler:steals their Cutie Marks and tries to brainwash them. Without their talents, all they're left with is their wits… which they use to trick and {{Out Gambit|ted}} Starlight and expose her to the town, allowing her to be defeated.]]

* WesternAnimation/{{Kaeloo}} manipulates people a lot. It doesn't help that the BigBad of the series is one of her best friends and has a crush on her.

** A lot of the people Schindler rescued had stories to tell about him, including this one from Helen Hirsch, notorious Nazi Amon Goeth's Jewish maid: one night, while playing cards with Goeth, Schindler plied him with plenty of booze and got him very drunk, and persuaded him to gamble with Hirsch as a stake in the game. With--no doubt--a little help from the booze, Schindler stacked the deck and cheated outrageously to make sure he had the winning hand. Then, when Goeth tried to welch on his bet, Schindler said something like "Now, now, Goeth, [[HypocriticalHumor you play fair!"]] and that's how he won her life in a card game.

* ''Literature/ArtemisFowl'' -- Artemis himself because he has more faith in his prodigious mind than his scrawny stature.

* ''Manga/SaiunkokuMonogatari'' has its female lead, Kou Shuurei.

** As Eric's confidence grows so does his wiliness. He does not defeat older and more experienced mages by overpowering them but by outsmarting them. In this sense, he's not so different from {{T|heTrickster}}asio.

* Alianne of Pirate's Swoop, the protagonist of the ''Literature/TortallUniverse'' series ''Literature/TrickstersDuet''. Alianne of Pirates Swoop. She's a spy, chosen by a [[TheTrickster trickster god]], and she can't let her allies know her true identity. She lives entirely off her wits.