History Main / IJustWantToBeLoved

* Mandatory ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'' example: Koishi Komeiji, the BonusBoss of Subterranean Animism and the little sister of Satori Komeiji. Her kind are mind readers, and sometimes AMindIsATerribleThingToRead, leading her to close her evil eye and shut down her conscious mind entirely, leaving only an EmptyShell driven by her subconscious. When you fight her, her spellcards are all themed with [[AllPsychologyIsFreudian Freudian psychology]], including one that looks phallic.

-->'''Luz''': "I think I just... realized something. I don't know why it took me so long to figure out... the only thing I've ever really wanted... [[spoiler:was to be understood."]]

** Hunter begins the series just wanting [[spoiler:to be appreciated by his "Uncle," [[BigBad Emperor Belos.]] ]] Once he's [[spoiler:defected from the Emperor's Coven, his new goal becomes forging a life with his friends.]] In Thanks to Them, Luz telling him that he's [[spoiler:part of her family]] is enough to bring him to tears.

** Luz, as revealed in For The Future, has had this as an underlying/subconscious goal the entire series. Specifically, she wanted to be [[spoiler:loved and understood by the people in her life.]] All of her actions leading up to the finale have been searching for that acceptance, which she's craved her entire life.

-->-- '''Crowley''', ''Series/{{Supernatural}}''

* In ''Fanfic/InfinityTrainBlossomingTrail'' all Chloe Cerise wants is ''someone'' to love her as who she is. Not as the Professor's daughter, not as someone who is going to be see into Pokémon. Just herself. It gets to the point that she leaves for the Infinity Train and decides to stay there because ''that'' is where people love and appreciate her...while back in Vermillion City the end of Arc 1 has her family create an online campaign to show how much they '''did''' care about her, giving her that love and support that she needed. However, Chloe finds the sentiment too late at this point.
** In contrast, Grace Monroe's only wish was to be "noticed" by her parents. So much so that when she enters the Infinity Train, she creates a cult of children worshipping her because they would believe anything she says.

* ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'': Mata Hari's wish is just to have a loving family. However, she's painfully aware she's an InUniverse low-TierInducedScrappy and is never going to have the chance to make that wish.

* [[LoveableSexManiac Miu Iruma]] from ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony''. She may act like a crude perverted loudmouth, but she is also secretly very lonely. She clearly wants people to like her because of her beauty and genius, but her attempts to get people to like her very frequently backfire, leading Miu to shrink back to her meek self. There are also hints that in spite of generally acting like a slut, Miu is actually a virgin who wants actual love and not just sex, as she would insist, even jokingly, that she be offered a romantic gesture before going further. Her Love Suite Event with Shuichi is a ChildhoodFriendRomance; he has cared for her and been by her side since they were kids, and he is the only one who can see past her loudmouthed persona. Lastly, her fourth Free Time Event shows Miu becoming lovesick for Shuichi because he stopped her from disembowelling herself and returned to check on her, suggesting that Miu would fall in love with anyone who is at least somewhat affectionate towards her.

* ''WesternAnimation/OneHundredAndOneDalmatianStreet'', Hunter Devil is shown to be this. Being alone in the World, with his abusive Great-Aunt Cruella as his only Family, he is desperate to try and please her just to get her to notice him. Realizing what a Monster Cruella truly is, on top of the Dalmatians offering what is arguably the first piece of affection that Hunter has ever had, leads to his HeelFaceTurn.

* The second, third, and fourth films of the ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory'' films are all about this.

->''"A-and Hannah, she just- she *needs* to be loved. She deserves it. Don't we all? You, me? We deserve to be loved. [shouting emotionally] I deserve to be loved! [softly, almost whispering] I just want to be loved."''

* ''ComicBook/{{Irredeemable}}''. This is the Plutonian's motivation for being a superhero after spending years in several foster homes with people who were afraid of him. Despite being a respected champion, he's so obsessed with the negative comments and constant demands people give him that it drives him over the edge.

* A later episode of ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'' had the Gangreen Gang become good at thieving working for Sedusa. The whole episode comes off as her playing on the teenagers' sexual attraction to her, but a double-cross reveals the Gang was looking for more parental love.

** The motivation of Keith Claes from the world of ''Fortune Lover''. Having grown up with the cold and abusive Claes family, he is surprised but pleased to have a loving sister and mother in [[MyNextLifeAsAVillainessAllRoutesLeadToDoom the Isekai world]]. This leads him to damage the rune to keep himself from switching back with Isekai!Keith.

* In ''Literature/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'' Ford and Arthur try to flatter their Vogon captors poetry to avoid being thrown out of the airlock. The Captain asks them if they're saying that he writes poetry because "Underneath my callous exterior, deep down, I just want to be loved?" Subverted when he announces that he actually writes poetry to throw his callous exterior into sharp relief, and they're going to be thrown out the airlock anyway.

* [[LoveableSexManiac Miu Iruma]] from ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony''. She may act like a crude perverted loudmouth, but she is also secretly very lonely. She clearly wants people to like her because of her beauty and genius, but her attempts to get people to like her very frequently backfire, leading Miu to shrink back to her meek self. There are also hints that in spite of generally acting like a slut, Miu is actually a virgin who wants actual love and not just sex, as she would insist, even jokingly, that she be offered a romantic gesture before going further. Her Love Suite Event with Shuichi is a ChildhoodFriendRomance, in which he has cared for her and been by her side since they were kids, and that he is the only one who can see through her loudmouthed persona. Lastly, her fourth Free Time Event shows Miu becoming lovesick for Shuichi because he stopped her from disemboweling herself, suggesting that Miu would fall in love with anyone who is at least somewhat affectionate towards her.

* Guts from ''Manga/{{Berserk}}''. Having lived a life full of struggle, blood and battle, and trauma, Guts more than anything just wants to be loved, having been denied it for so long [[spoiler: along with being sexually abused as a kid]]. He eventually finds it with his teammate [[OneTrueLove Casca]] -- who also yearned for the same -- but their union is tragically abrupted when the Eclipse happens and Casca is driven insane, amnesiac, and mute. This pretty much sent Guts over the edge himself and he tried to wash the pain away by feeding his bloodlust and hatred, but in the end it didn't compare to the feelings and memories he had with Casca. Now, Guts desperately wants to find a cure for Casca's insanity so that they can mend their fragmented relationship, and it's made all the more difficult since [[spoiler: Guts' EnemyWithin constantly goads him to take advantage of his mentally and sexually traumatized lover -- [[NearRapeExperience which he almost did at one point]] -- and as a result]] Guts has clashing feelings of wanting to be with Casca and [[ParalyzingFearOfSexuality feeling shame for wanting her since it puts her in danger.]]

* In ''Manga/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaiba'', a place to belong with people who wish good things upon him, that’s what Zenitsu wanted as he laments never having a place to himself by being orphaned, possibly abandoned at birth, and no one ever expecting anything out of him, labeling him as worthless; Zenitsu fell prey to people in the past who took advantage of his need to belong by faking a bond with him, using and abusing the guy, however that’s all in the past as Zenitsu realizes that meeting with his master, Jigoro, changed that situation. With his master he found a place to belong and someone who honestly wished him good, and that extends even more when Zenitsu finds Tanjiro, Nezuko and Inosuke, his honest friends.
* Miyako Miyamura's goal in ''VisualNovel/EfAFairyTaleOfTheTwo'' is this, ever since [[spoiler: her parents's messy divorce that had them ignoring her completely]].

** Fate Testarossa just wanted to be loved by her dearest mother [[spoiler:who tortures her on regular basis because she hates how Fate (who is a clone) resembles her deceased daughter]]. She gets everything she wished, though: [[HappilyAdopted she gets a new family]] (the Harlaowns) and later [[HasTwoMommies becomes one of Vivio's two mommies with Nanoha]]. People even call the three of them "the Takamachi family".

* ''Fanfic/WhiteSheepRWBY'': It was implied in [[WebAnimation/{{RWBY}} canon]], but made explicit here. The God of Darkness lived out in the middle of a monster infested wasteland, so when a woman came to him and offered to be his first worshiper in exchange for resurrecting her husband, he did so happily. [[spoiler:Thousands of years later, Yang manages to get the God of Darkness on their side not only by pointing out how the God of Light has rigged the deck in his favor (where he gets all the love and credit while the God of Darkness gets nothing despite doing half the work), but also by promising humans will worship him forever if he defeats the God of Light and saves the world from annihilation. After the God of Darkness defeats his brother, the humans make good on their promise and dedicate a yearly Festival of Darkness in his honor]].

** The recurring theme in ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory2'' is this. Woody fears that Andy doesn't want him anymore because he's broken, so he considers auctioning himself to a museum in Tokyo to be "loved by millions forever". Jessie is traumatized by her previous owner abandoning her. The villain, [[spoiler: Prospector Stinky Pete]], has never been opened from his box and has been [[AlasPoorVillain corrupted by the isolation]]. Even the second Buzz Lightyear's arc ends with him [[spoiler: reconciling with his father, Zurg.]]
** In ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory3'', the villainous Lots-o-Huggin' Bear offers a new take on this trope. He ''was'' loved by Daisy, a little girl who cherished him dearly... until one day where she accidentally left him, and her other toys, behind after a picnic. They struggled to get back to her, only to discover that Daisy's parents bought her a new Lots-o-Huggin' Bear. Lotso was so furious at what he saw as "betrayal" (even though it was clear that Daisy cared about him so much that she couldn't stand being without him) that he decided that children were ''incapable'' of truly loving toys, and took over Sunnyside Day Care as a ruthless despot to enforce his twisted belief -- but deep down, he just wants Daisy back.

** Sansa Stark, who is SoBeautifulItsACurse. She is lusted by pretty much every men she meets, meaning very few attempt to truly understand her. Sansa dreams of living in a castle as a ProperLady with a KnightInShiningArmor as husband. Instead, she is subjected to months of horrific abuse as [[GildedCage a prisoner in King's Landing]]. By ''Literature/AFeastForCrows'', when Littlefinger trades her to marry the heir apparent of the Vale, she has resigned to the idea that no one will ever marry her for love.

* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': Jack Gleeson mentions in ''Inside HBO's Game of Thrones'' that deep down, Joffrey wants his (step)father's acknowledgment and the peoples' love. But obviously, between his wanton sadism, entitlement issues, his mother's rearing, his (step)father's less-than-stellar example as King, and the little fact that everyone hates him, his chances of ever getting his wish are somewhat slim.

* Music/{{Queen}}'s "Somebody To Love" is about a man exhausted from years of works asking {{God}}[[note]]Freddy Mercury was a devout practitioner of UsefulNotes/{{Zoroastrianism}}[[/note]] to reward him with a beloved.

* Chrysothemis in Richard Strauss's opera ''Elektra'', who does not share her sister Elektra's thirst for revenge, and just wants to be a simple wife and mother -- and this wish is what sustains her in her dark, fearful time as a prisoner. (Note: this is not her characterization in the original Sophocles play.)

* In ''VisualNovel/AmnesiaMemories'', Spade World reveals this to be something Ikki wants. He used to be ridiculed as a child, until he [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor wished]] to be popular and gained his [[HypnoticGaze hypnotic eyes]], which cause any woman that looks into them to fall for him. Now he's sick and tired of the shallow affection of the fangirls his eyes have brought him and wants to find someone he can have a meaningful, longlasting relationship with.

* This is Cecilia's main issue in ''VideoGame/WildArms1.'' Throughout the game she worries that, because she's a princess, people only care about her because of what she represents or the role she plays, not about her as a person. [[spoiler: It's [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructed]] when Cecilia realises that loving and caring about others is the best way to ensure people will care about you.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': Meg Griffin is treated horribly by her family and most of Quahog for her [[InformedAttribute supposed]] [[InformedDeformity ugliness]]. She is desperate for affection to the point of mental instability. One cutaway gag shows her "dating" a corpse. In another episode, Meg accepts a pity date from Brian, her family's talking dog, and becomes obsessed with him [[BecauseYouWereNiceToMe after he insults another girl in her defense and kisses her while drunk]]. Fans debate whether Meg is a [[TheWoobie Woobie]], BrokenBird or comical ButtMonkey.
* ''WesternAnimation/HarleyQuinn2019'': At her core, all Harley wants is someone who sees her value as a person and acknowledges her accomplishments after her own parents constantly demeaned her efforts and goals. What attracted her to the Joker was him recognizing her thesis on him and [[YouGotSpunk spunk]] during their first meeting and stayed with him for so long because he convinced her that she was loved and needed by him, when all he really wanted was to control her. [[spoiler:Eventually, Harley realizes she wants her best friend Ivy's love and is heartbroken by Ivy rejecting her and choosing to go through with marrying Kite Man. Harley putting Ivy's [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy happiness ahead of her own]] to protect Ivy's wedding [[SweetandSourGrapes helps convince Ivy]] that Harley has become reliable enough to trust with her heart.]]
* A later episode of ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'' had the Gangreen Gang become good at thieving working for Sedusa. The whole episode it comes off as her playing on the teenagers' sexual attraction to her, but a double-cross reveals the Gang was looking for more parental love.

Shuichi: What?

* The final page of ''Literature/GoneGirl'' implies that this is [[spoiler: Amy's motivation behind hiding her true self to Nick before they were married, eventually feeling comfortable with him enough to show him that she's a {{Sociopath}}, and staying with him after framing him for murder and killing Desi to get him off the hook once she realized that she still loved him. She's put on masks and personas her whole life and felt incredibly hurt when she showed Nick, who she believes is her soulmate, what she was really like and discovered that he didn't love her true self the same way he loved her while she was pretending to be a "Cool Girl." In the last two pages, while they're laying together in bed, Nick doting on her a day before she gives birth, this exchange belies Amy's desire to be loved for who she is by the only person in the world who understands her:]]