History Main / HeroesFrontierStep

* In the ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' cosmology, Eilistraee choosing self-imposed exile with the rest of the Dark Seldarine earned Eilistraee a lot of respect among the elven pantheon. Even though Eilistraee was found to not be at fault for Lolth's betrayal, and even though her father Corellon said she could stay, Eilistraee left anyway to [[GoodShepherd give the drow a beacon of hope when things got tough]]. Eilistraee's father Corellon, the leader of the Seldarine, was sad to see her go but admired her conviction and ultimately accepted her decision. Whether Eilistraee eventually rejoined the Seldarine or has remained in self-imposed exile is unclear — the moving of her divine realm from Ysgard to Arvandor suggests she might have been brought back into the Seldarine, since that's where every other ChaoticGood elven god resides — but nothing's been confirmed. In any case, she's definitely on friendly terms with rest of the Good-aligned elven pantheon. It's for this reason that Eilistraee is the only god even remotely connected to the Dark Seldarine that the other elven gods are willing to ally themselves with.[[invoked]]

*** It should be stressed that in this moment, Vegeta was the one who suggested tacking the "sans the truly evil people", and he likely included himself in that bunch. As far as HE was concerned, he was brought back from Hell and oblivion to help mop a mess, and he was simply and purely using his strategic mind as a genius to yield the best results for the universe at large. The look of lowkey shock on his face as he realizes his halo disappeared has to be seen to be believed.

* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': [[spoiler:After [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderZuko Zuko's]] first attempt at a HeelFaceTurn in the second season finale went pear-shaped because Azula convinced him that taking her side would buy his honor back, and after questioning his choices in life both before and after that point, the thing that ''finally'' cements his actual turn to goodness in "[[Recap/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheDayOfBlackSunPart2 The Day Of Black Sun: Part 2]]" is his [[CallingTheOldManOut calling out]] his [[AbusiveParents jackass father]] on everything he put him ''and'' the Fire Nation through up to this point... and furthermore, does not send Ozai's lightning back at him when the latter attempts OffingTheOffspring, instead letting it dissipate harmlessly. This not only marks the point where he makes a turn towards the idealistic end of the [[SlidingScaleOfIdealismVsCynicism sliding scale]], but also demonstrates that unlike his father, who has no remorse for harming his own family if they prevent him from getting his way, Zuko himself will [[ThouShaltNotKill avoid taking a human life if he can help it]]. Thus, he chooses to leave and side with his uncle and the Avatar rather than striking Ozai down then and there - having learned more about what it means to be a good person from ''them'', even if he didn't realize it, than from his own father.]]

** The second belongs to Crown Prince Valerian Mengsk, son of the BigBad and a decidedly on-the-fence character who, on the one hand, wants to remove his father's government, but on the other hand is no stranger to lying and manipulating. When he ends up allied with Kerrigan to assault Mengsk's capital, he has a straightforward demand -- that she give him time to evacuate civilians. In his case, it demonstrates not only that he has the moral fiber necessary, but the ''backbone'' to stand up to one of the strongest individuals in the galaxy and not request, but ''order'' her to do the right thing.

* In ''Film/TheKiller'', the moment that convinces Inspector Li that Jeff is [[HitmanWithAHeart not your ordinary assassin]] is when he saves a little girl who gets caught in the crossfire at the beach after he gets double-crossed by his boss on his [[OneLastJob last job]] meant to help pay for Jenny's eye surgery. He not only shields the kid from more gunfire, but he also drives her to the hospital -- with the cops in hot pursuit -- and has the doctors operate on her in order to save her life while in the middle of a standoff with Li.

* In ''Film/BackToTheFuture'', Marty saved his father and made him a lot more self-confident, brought Doc Brown back to life, saved his timeline (well... he is the one who gave Biff the idea to change it), and attempted to save Clara, who he didn't know at all.

** While Goku has always been a heroic person, most of his exploits as a kid were done for more [[ItsPersonal personal reasons]] than for the greater good, like destroying the Red Ribbon Army because they indirectly murdered his friend Bora and killing King Piccolo and all of his children save Piccolo Jr. because they murdered Krillin and Master Roshi. The first truly selfless act Goku performs is when he [[HeroicSacrifice gives his life to stop Raditz]]. Although his primary reason for stopping Raditz is to save his son, he also never considers taking his brother's offer to kill one-hundred humans to get his son back and puts aside his pride to fight Raditz dirty: grabbing his tail and working with Piccolo in a two-on-one fight. Later, he gives his life, again, to keep Cell from blowing up the Earth, spiritually guides Gohan from the grave to restore his hope, and chooses to stay dead for everyone's protection since all the bad things that happened to Earth recently were directly or indirectly connected to him.
** Piccolo Jr. was introduced as the demon son/reincarnation of the original King Piccolo, a pure-evil entity bent on world domination. Originally, he intended to follow in his father's footsteps, had attempted to take violent revenge on Goku in the past (and technically succeeded in killing him [[EnemyMine as part of]] Goku's above sacrifice against Raditz), and kidnapped Goku's son Gohan to mold him into a weapon to use against the forthcoming Saiyan invasion. After nearly a year of harshly training the boy, Piccolo grows close to him despite his purely pragmatic intentions, and ultimately chooses to sacrifice his life protecting Gohan from Nappa's deadly attack, despite knowing that his death will spell the end of the Dragon Balls. From his resurrection onwards, he's since become one of Goku's most trusted and competent allies.
** Son Gohan started out as an understandably terrified child who could be of no assistance in saving the world. Goku tells him to head on home as he prepares to go up against Vegeta, but when Vegeta gains the upper hand, Gohan decides it's time to stop running and rushes back to save his dad.
** Vegeta starts the series as a villain, becomes a [[VideoGame/GodOfWar Kratos]]-like antihero on Namek, reluctantly helps Gohan finish Cell to avenge his son, and then decides to turn evil again during the Buu saga due to his belief that LoveIsAWeakness. However, he chooses to pay for his mistakes and fight the monster he indirectly brought back, even if he had to sacrifice himself, to protect his family. From this moment on, Vegeta isn't a villain anymore, and because he later helps Goku defeat Majin Buu once and for all, he is resurrected along with everyone on Earth sans the truly evil people, [[FaceRealization despite never even foreseeing that he would be]].

** Monkey D. Luffy saved many towns from tyranny, but wasn't called a hero before he saved the Fishmen. And he changed the life of each member of his crew, whom he helps to fulfill their own dream.

* In ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'', protagonist Izuku Midoriya has been kicked around his entire life for wanting to become a superhero without a Quirk. Even his idol, All Might, tells him he needs to face reality and give up. But when Katsuki Bakugo is in danger, Izuku is compelled to rush in to help despite being Quirkless when all of the heroes nearby refused to intervene for various reasons. This is what makes All Might realize that he wasn't taking his own advice, inspiring him to push his limits to save both boys and name Izuku his successor.
* In the first episode of ''Anime/SailorMoon'', Usagi Tsukino is introduced as a clumsy slacker who is running LateForSchool. However, she proves herself to be a kind-hearted individual by rescuing Luna the Cat from [[KidsAreCruel a bunch of little brats]]. Her removing the band-aid from Luna's head helps prove to Luna that Usagi is the perfect candidate for becoming Sailor Moon. While initially reluctant to becoming Sailor Moon, she ''immediately'' responds to the call that her best friend Naru is in danger.

** ''Film/ManOfSteel'': The film establishes Clark as using his powers to help people but doing so in secret.

* Sunset Shimmer from ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls'' manages to do this twice.

* ''WesternAnimation/BojackHorseman'': For 3 ''FREAKIN' '' ''SEASONS'', [=BoJack=] has tried time and time again to become a better horseman, only to be hindered by his flaws, his egocentrism, and his inability to open up. After having destroyed most of his relationships and failing to get recognition for his work in ''Secretariat'' in [[Recap/BojackHorsemanS3E12ThatWentWell "That Went Well"]], he leaves Hollywoo in an attempt to find himself. Upon his return, he meets Hollyhock, his possible illegitimate daughter. Developing a bond with her, this healthy relationship comes to an end after [[spoiler:Hollyhock is (accidentally) poisoned by his senile mother Beatrice, making her adoptive parents forbid him from contacting her.]] Despite the unfairness of the situation, [=BoJack=] decides to stop sulking and help Hollyhock find out about the one reason she came for his help: finding out who was her family and [[WhatYouAreInTheDark even offering to remain anonymous to her parents as long as she gets the information]]. Being the most selfless action he makes in the series, [[spoiler:Hollyhock calls him and [[EarnYourHappyEnding accepts him into her life]]... as her ''brother'' (Hollyhock is actually Bojack's half-sister, concieved when their father Butterscotch Horseman, had an affair with the maid.) [[WhenSheSmiles His reaction says it all]].]]
* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': [[spoiler:After Zuko's first attempt at a HeelFaceTurn in the second season finale went pear-shaped because Azula convinced him that taking her side would buy his honor back, and after questioning his choices in life both before and after that point, the thing that ''finally'' cements his actual turn to goodness in "[[Recap/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheDayOfBlackSunPart2 The Day Of Black Sun: Part 2]]" is his [[CallingTheOldManOut calling out]] his [[AbusiveParents jackass father]] on everything he put him ''and'' the Fire Nation through up to this point... and furthermore, does not send Ozai's lightning back at him when the latter attempts OffingTheOffspring, instead letting it dissipate harmlessly. This not only marks the point where he makes a turn towards the idealistic end of the [[SlidingScaleOfIdealismVsCynicism sliding scale]], but also demonstrates that unlike his father, who has no remorse for harming his own family if they prevent him from getting his way, Zuko himself will [[ThouShaltNotKill avoid taking a human life if he can help it]]. Thus, he chooses to leave and side with his uncle and the Avatar rather than striking Ozai down then and there - having learned more about what it means to be a good person from ''them'', even if he didn't realize it, than from his own father.]]

** [[GodOfChaos Discord]] began the series as an evil RealityWarper before softening up to become a neutral trickster. In "To Where and Back Again", he commits his first heroic act by joining the mission to rescue the Mane Six and Royal Family from the Changelings. In "The Ending of the End Part 2" [[spoiler:Discord despite being responsible for the villains conquest, he vows to make up for his actions, and commits an act so heroic that he manages to be forgiven by the ponies, by starting the heroes counterattack risking his life to get Starlight free so she could free the other prisoners and joins the battle against three villains without any powers to give the Mane 5 and Spike time to escape so they can save Equestria.]]

* WesternAnimation/{{Gallavants}}: Shando, tasked with the responsibility of moving the colony's precious eggs from one spot to another without supervision, comes up with a labor-saving measure which accidentally causes one egg to roll free of the others. He runs into his friend Eegee who helps him chase it, but it rolls out of sight and into dangerous no-ants-land. Shando considers giving up, and Eegee calls him out for always quitting when things got tough instead of trying to stick it out, but also says she'll support him no matter what. Since no one was watching when he lost the egg and Eegee won't rat him out, all Shando has to do is go back to the Ova Sanctum and finish his job with no one the wiser. [[WhatYouAreInTheDark He starts chasing the egg again]], [[ThisIsSomethingHesGotToDoHimself on his own]]

[[folder: Fan Works]]

** Vegeta starts the series as a villain, becomes a [[VideoGame/GodOfWar Kratos]]-like antihero on Namek, reluctantly helps Gohan finish Cell to avenge his son, and then decides to turn evil again during the Buu saga due to his belief that LoveIsAWeakness. However, he chooses to pay for his mistakes and fight the monster he indirectly brought back, even if he had to sacrifice himself, to protect his family. From this moment on, Vegeta isn't a villain anymore, and because he later helps Goku defeat Majin Buu once and for all, he is resurrected along with everyone on Earth sans the truly evil people, despite never even foreseeing that he would be.

*** It should also be mentioned that he agreed to take the mother of beatings against the craziest form of Majin Buu to save time for Goku powering up his [=SSJ3=] form, when faced with [[DeaderThanDead the threat of total, utter oblivion]].
** Way before that, Piccolo, the demon son/reincarnation of a pure-evil entity, dies to protect Gohan from Nappa despite knowing that his death will spell the end of the Dragon Balls.

*** It has to be stressed that his "Future" counterpart had devolved into a mass-killing machine, and it is sweetly ironic that Android 17 in this timeline became the one to restore all the universes, when he likely would have been one of the poster child of a core argument for Zamasu's plan to eradicate all mortal life. This selfless gesture not only saves countless lives, it is the most perfect proof that mortal life has potential for good beyond what the gods envision.

** Marv is a murdering juggernaut who has serious mental issues. But he killed only the criminals who made Sin City deserve its name. Yet, his Heroes' Frontier Step is when he accepts the blame (and execution) for murders he didn't commit, that is the prostitutes and the woman he loved. Because if he didn't, his mother would have been killed. Oh, and like Hartigan, he saved a little girl (who was sold for sex) and brought her back to her mother.

* A minor example happens in ''Film/TheButterflyEffect''. During the flashback where Evan, Tommy, Kayleigh, and Lenny blow up a random mailbox with an explosive, Evan tries to get the explosive out before it blows. Seeing Evan do this, Tommy pulls a complete 180 and rushes to stop the mother and her baby from getting close to the imminent explosion. Evan ends up a quadruple amputee in the present day, and Tommy has changed from his old HateSink self to a religious and sweet NiceGuy after that heroic deed.

* ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'': In the pilot, you don't think much of this clumsy, bumbling kid, with a disobedient Pikachu. Until you see how far he'll go to protect a creature that scorned him: diving into a river, ''[[HeroStoleMyBike stealing a girl's bike]]'', and finally [[GoThroughMe putting himself between this creature]], and a bunch of hostile birds that could kill him. Pikachu then redeems himself also when he dives in front of Ash to take out the entire flock in spite of his heavy injuries.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheBadGuys'', gang leader Mr. Wolf is struggling to truly reform as he lives in a world where wolves like him [[FantasticRacism are always seen as villains]]. After a moving pep talk from Governor Diane Foxington, he commits to trying again and manages to [[CatUpATree save a cat stuck up a tree]], his first intentional act of kindness, helping him realize he can be more than the monster people see him as.

Compare FaceRealization, where a character surprises even themselves by proving how good they are deep down. Also see AdoptTheDog.

* Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog and his friends have been saving the world from Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik since the beginning, but the technical advancements of ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' and the more fleshed-out story that came from them showcased just what kinds of heroism the cast was capable of:

* Tarvek Sturmvoraus of ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' spent his first appearance almost constantly going through a HeelFaceRevolvingDoor, flipping between aiding our heroine Agatha and aiding [[BigBad the Other]] trying to take her over. Naturally when he showed up again in Castle Heterodyne, everyone was pretty distrustful of him. But one moment in Volume 12 cenemted his role as a good guy (albiet an AntiHero) when he rescued Vespiary Squad troops and their wasp-eater weasels from a crashed airship - showing that not only is he against the Other, but also cares about other people.

*** It should also be mentioned that he agreed to take the mother of beatings against the craziest form of Majin Buu to save time for Goku powering up his SSJ3 form, when faced with [[DeaderThanDead the threat of total, utter oblivion]].

** ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome'': Peter Parker has spent most of the movie [[spoiler:struggling with the absolute breakdown of his life from Mysterio spitefully revealing his secret identity at the end of the preceding film, to the point he goes to Dr Strange and asks him to cast a spell to make the world at large forget Peter Parker is Spider Man. Unfortunately, the spell goes wrong and starts bringing in ''anybody'' who knows Peter is Spiderman into the MCU, threatening a multi-dimensional collapse from other realities. At the film's climax, with the impending breakdown of reality, Peter realises one way to fix the damage: [[{{Unperson}} make everyone forget Peter Parker exists]], sacrificing the normal life he so desperately wanted to keep throughout his previous films and turning himself into a ghost in his own world. Aware that [[WhatYouAreInTheDark nobody will even remember the sacrifice he's making]], Peter still goes through with it to save everybody, and afterwards, despite having lost everything about his old life, he keeps being Spider-Man to save others, even though the world still remembers Spider-Man as a 'killer' thanks to Mysterio's manipulations]].

Steve Harrington starts as a JerkJock with some hidden depths for most of season 1 of Stranger Things, but then he gets caught up in the supernatural and rescues Nancy and Jonathan with a nail bat. He also has a second one when he uses himself as bait to protect the party.

* ''FanFic/GettingBackOnYourHooves'', a ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' fanfic: Throughout most of the fic, we've seen Trixie try to be a better pony, despite all of her failures and mishaps. Then she helps [[spoiler: save the Cutie Mark Crusaders from certain a dangerous bat-like creature, proving she wishes to be better]].

** ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'': Darth Vader killing Palpatine, thus saving Luke and allowing the Resistance to win. While he [[RedemptionEqualsDeath dies shortly after]], we see his ghost in the afterlife alongside Obi-Wan and Yoda, implying that he's completely redeemed.