History Main / ImNotAHeroIm

* In the [[Manga/TheLegendOfZeldaAkiraHimekawa manga adaptation]] of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames'', when Impa notices the Triforce birthmark on Link's hand, Link gets very defensive about it, insisting that it means nothing and that he's just a regular person.

* In ''Film/TheDarkKnight'', Batman says this just before his ZeroApprovalGambit.

* [[VideoGame/BrutalLegend Eddie Riggs]] is just a roadie.

* In ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex''

* ''LightNovel/IsItWrongToTryToPickUpGirlsInADungeon'': Ais Wallenstein says she is not a hero because she is obsessed with getting revenge for the death of her father at the hands of monsters and only saves people by coincidence by killing monsters, unlike pure-hearted people like Bell Cranel who actually care about saving people.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* In ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' episode "The Gift":
--> '''Giles''': ...[Buffy] couldn't take a human life. She's a hero, you see. She's not like us.\\
'''Ben''': ...us?\\
[[spoiler: *Giles smothers Ben to prevent Glory from ever returning*]]
* In the Season 1 finale of ''Series/BurnNotice'' after blackmailing [[spoiler: the [[InsistentTerminology second-largest]] drug kingpin in Miami]] via a [[BatmanGambit "dead-man bomb"]], the [[spoiler: kingpin]] asks Michael who he is.
--> '''Michael''': I'm Michael Westen. I used to be a spy.

** Donna Noble frequently puts herself down by saying "I'm nothing special; I'm just a temp from Chiswick". As it turns out, [[spoiler: she's destined to become the Donna-Doctor to stop the Daleks from exterminating reality]].
** Done again in ''"The God Complex"''. In order to save Amy Pond, The Doctor must [[spoiler: break her faith in the idea of him as a hero.]]
---> '''The Doctor''': I stole your childhood and now I’ve led you by the hand to your death. But the worst thing is, I knew. I knew this would happen. This is what always happens. Forget your faith in me. I took you with me because I was vain, because I wanted to be adored. Look at you, glorious Pond. The girl who waited for me. '''I’m not a hero.''' [[MeaningfulEcho I really am just a mad man in a box]]. And it’s time we saw each other as we really are. Amy Williams. It’s time to stop waiting.
** The episode "Robot of Sherwood" basically revolves around how the Twelfth Doctor makes a point to protest the notion. At the end of it, he and [[ItMakesSenseInContext Robin Hood]] agree that while they might not be heroes, they might inspire heroism in others with the stories of their deeds. [[TheConfidant Clara]]'s opinion on the matter is that while he might not always do the right thing, the fact that he tries to do his best where he can is what really counts.
** In the Series 8 finale, Missy offers the Doctor an army with which to [[KnightTemplar conquer the universe for its own good]]. In response, he has a breakthrough and starts listing all the things he isn't - a good man, [[TakeAThirdOption a bad man]], a hero, a President, or an [[ArmchairMilitary officer]]. He's an idiot with a box, a screwdriver, and some friends, same as ever.
** From "Smile":
---> '''The Doctor''': I don't sort things out. I'm definitely not a policeman.\\
'''Bill''': Well, you live in a police box.\\
'''The Doctor''': That's a pure coincidence.
* In the ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' episode "Jaynestown", criminal/mercenary Jayne is considered a hero by the locals after dropping stolen money on them a few years before.[[spoiler: He only dropped it to lighten his damaged aircraft in order to escape capture... and he threw his partner out first.]] He has a change of heart about basking in their adoration:
--> '''Jayne''': You think somebody's gonna just drop money on you? Money they could use? Well, there ain't people like that... there's just people like me.

--> '''Martin''': I'm not a hero, I just wanted you to shut up.

-->'''Kate:''' You were a hero.
-->'''Clint:''' I was a weapon. I was aimed by the right people at the right targets.

** Same with Drew Carey on ''Series/ThePriceIsRight.'' In fact, when the Emmy nominations for outstanding game show host come out, Drew insists his name be left out.

* As [[WhoWantsToLiveForever Richard Alpert]] attempts to convince her to join "Mittelos Bioscience", [[Series/{{Lost}} Juliet Burke]], who is going through something of an emotional breakdown, tells him: "Whatever you think I am, I'm not. I'm not a leader, Mr. Alpert. I'm a mess."

** A particularly scathing example in the third episode.
---> '''Sherlock''': Don't make people into heroes, John. Heroes don't exist; and if they did, I wouldn't be one of them.
** This gets amped up to eleven in the Series 2 finale:
---> '''Sherlock''': ''[To [[DiabolicalMastermind Moriarty]]]'' I may be on the side of the angels, but don't think for ''one second'' that I am one of them.
** And again in the Series 3 finale:
---> '''Sherlock''': [[PreMortemOneLiner Oh do your research. I'm not a hero. I'm]] [[InsistentTerminology a high functioning sociopath.]] Merry Christmas!
* In the ''[[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine DS9]]'' episode "Empok Nor", Garak (under the influence of drugs) has been twisting the knife about Miles O'Brien's participation in an incident that occurred while he was serving in the Federation-Cardassian war under Captain Maxwell; O'Brien led an attack on a Cardassian encampment and was dubbed "the Hero of Setlik III".
--> '''Garak''': Maybe it's true... maybe you're not a soldier anymore.\\
'''O'Brien''': You're right. I'm an engineer.
** [[spoiler:O'Brien then saves himself by activating the improvised bomb that his soldier instincts had called for and his engineering skill had built]].
** Li Nalas was hailed as a legend in the [[LaResistance Bajoran Resistance]] during the Occupation, with most people proclaiming him Bajor's greatest war hero. He confessed in private to Commander Sisko that he was no hero -- he was just some dumb kid who got [[AccidentalHero stupidly lucky and managed to kill an infamous Cardassian leader while the man was bathing in a river]]. Sisko tells him how he became a hero doesn't matter, and that Bajor needed a larger-than-life figure at that point to avoid plunging into civil war.

-->'''Meg Masters''': So you think you're some kind of a hero?\\
'''Sam''': No.

* Literature/TheBible. No, really. In the book of Amos. (Note: Other translations have ''was'' instead of ''am'', averting this trope.)

* In ''Anime/CodeGeass'', Lelouch has one of these moments [[spoiler:right after Euphie ended up going on an unintentional killing spree because of his PowerIncontinence, when a dying old lady asks him as Zero to save them]].

** Note this is a case of 'they are really not heroes.' The Straw Hats, and Luffy in particular just do what they want, always, regardless of the consequences. Most of the time, because they're nice people, this ends up being 'beat up the bastard who made my friend cry, who just happens to be the man who's oppressing this entire region, so I have subsequently liberated a country from tyranny.' But it's equally likely to be 'try to break my brother out of prison, and subsequently release thousands of dangerous criminals who will go on to hurt people out into the world.' Luffy never forgets that he is a pirate, even when his actions happen to benefit people, so he discourages heaping praise on him, unless it comes in the form of an awesome meat-themed party.

-->'''Bilbo''': I'm not a hero, or a warrior... I'm not even a burglar!

---> '''Jules''': There's a passage I got memorized. Ezekiel 25:17. "The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of the darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy My brothers. And you will know I am the Lord when I lay My vengeance upon you." Now... I been sayin' that shit for years. And if you ever heard it, that meant your ass. You'd be dead right now. I never gave much thought to what it meant. I just thought it was a cold-blooded thing to say to a motherfucker before I popped a cap in his ass. But I saw some shit this mornin' made me think twice. See, now I'm thinking: maybe it means you're the evil man. And I'm the righteous man. And Mr. 9mm here... he's the shepherd protecting my righteous ass in the valley of darkness. Or it could mean you're the righteous man and I'm the shepherd and it's the world that's evil and selfish. And I'd like that. But that shit ain't the truth. [[HeelRealization The truth is you're the weak. And I'm the tyranny of evil men.]] But I'm tryin', Ringo. I'm tryin' real hard to be the shepherd.

* In ''Film/TeamAmericaWorldPolice'', Gary decides "I'm not a hero! I'm a dick!" after a mission results in the deaths of innocent bystanders. A drunk he meets at a bar gives him a pep talk about dicks, pussies and assholes that makes him feel a little better.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Zootopia}}'': A justified self-depreciating example: as the titular city is plagued by fear over attacks caused by predators going savage, Judy, who [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone blames herself]] for triggering [[FantasticRacism anti-predator sentiments]] through [[InnocentBigot her comments on predator biology]] at a press conference, has this to say when she's offered to become the public face of the police in order to reassure the population:

** LovableCoward Rincewind is [[RefusalOfTheCall very clear]] he's not any kind of hero. No-one ever listens, and he usually finds himself doing heroic stuff against his will.

** The Dragon Reborn stopped being this and pendulumed into DesignatedHero syndrome, impressive because he '''''is''''' a bona fide, prophecy certified, world changing hero. He came around to a true, self-admitted hero in the final few books.

--> '''The Doctor''': I stole your childhood and now I’ve led you by the hand to your death. But the worst thing is, I knew. I knew this would happen. This is what always happens. Forget your faith in me. I took you with me because I was vain, because I wanted to be adored. Look at you, glorious Pond. The girl who waited for me. '''I’m not a hero.''' [[MeaningfulEcho I really am just a mad man in a box]]. And it’s time we saw each other as we really are. Amy Williams. It’s time to stop waiting.

** In the Series 8 finale, Missy offers the Doctor an army with which to [[KnightTemplar conquer the universe for its own good]]. In response, he has a breakthrough and starts listing all the things he isn't - a good man, [[TakeAThirdOption a bad man]], a hero, a President, or an [[ArmchairMilitary officer]]. He's an idiot with a box, a screwdriver and some friends, same as ever.

* ''Series/KamenRiderSaber'': [[AllLovingHero Touma Kamiyama]] rejects being called a a hero. He is a novelist, always wanted to be a novelist and simply got dragged along by the events. There is also more sinister reason: [[spoiler: [[BigBad Storious]] set up most of the story as an epic saga of battle between good and evil and casted Touma as the [[UnwittingPawn "hero figure"]]. By refusing to cave into his demands, Touma ruins Storious' enjoyment of the whole thing, thus taking away the only [[ItsAllAboutMe thing he]] ever wanted.]]

* In the ''[[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine DS9]]'' episode "Empok Nor", Garak (under the influence of drugs) has been twisting the knife about Miles O'Brien's participation in an incident which occurred while he was serving in the Federation-Cardassian war under Captain Maxwell; O'Brien led an attack on a Cardassian encampment and was dubbed "the Hero of Setlik III".

* Music/JoshGroban's "In Her Eyes:" ''I am not an hero/I am not an angel/I am just a man...''

* The message of the Black Veil Brides has always centered around being who you are and standing up for yourself. As a result they have gathered a large fanbase that worship them. While the boys love their fans and support them through their music, they've always said that they were just guys in a rock and roll band. 'Nobody's Hero,' a song from their album 'Wretched and Divine' expresses this viewpoint. They will support you, they will help you, but in the end they are only human, not heroes.

--> '''Brunwulf''': They call me a war hero. I'm no hero. Just a soldier who didn't want to die.

* Rean Schwarzer in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsOfColdSteel III'' has repeatedly stated that he's no hero and he's just some random guy who teaches at a military academy. This despite having participated in the CivilWar in the second game and has genuine accomplishments on his belt. Part of this is because he's a HumbleHero but the bigger reason is that the EvilChancellor forces him to become [[TheEmpire Erebonia's]] national hero with all the burdens that it entails.

* For a series in which over 90% of the characters are veteran soldiers, ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' is amazingly pacifistic and permanently deconstructing the ideal of the 80s and 90s action hero. It's particularly emphasized in the first and fourth games of the main series when Solid Snake rebukes {{Ascended Fan|boy}}girl Meryl, who claims to have trained to become a soldier all her life because she was inspired by him.

* Music/{{Rush}}'s "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIDL9JWB1MA Nobody's Hero]]", a song about AIDS:

* ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'' has Poppy, a [[RidiculouslyCuteCritter Yordle]] whose shtick is that she believes herself to merely be the {{herald}} of TheChosenOne destined to wield [[DropTheHammer a legendary hammer]] she carries with her, [[SelectiveObliviousness completely oblivious to her own strength and talent while using it]] to instead wander aimlessly in search for her hero. Her character selection quote plays this up: "I'm not hero, [[HumbleHero just a yordle with a hammer!"]]

* In ''Film/{{Jumper}}'', Griffin spits this at Davy as he walks off to what Griffin believes to be certain death; in his experience, [[{{Teleportation}} Jumpers]] don't have the power to save anyone, as while the Paladins are ready, willing and able to kill entire families as collateral damage in killing Jumpers, all Jumpers can do is Jump away. The best Griffin's ever accomplished is escaping with his life after killing his enemies, and he's been ForcedToWatch everyone he's ever cared for die at the hands of the Paladins.

'''Benjy''': To ''me'' you were! Whoever you were in those movies, those silly goddamn heroes meant a lot to ''me!'' What does it matter if it was an illusion? It ''worked!'' So don't tell me this is you life-size. I can't use you life-size. I need Alan Swanns as big as I can get them! And let me tell you something: you couldn't have convinced me the way you did unless somewhere in you you ''had'' that courage! Nobody's that good an actor! You ''are'' that silly goddamn hero!]]

--->'''Alan''': Stone... I'm afraid. I'm afraid. That's why I couldn't get out of the car to see my Tess, my child.\\

'''Benjy''': To ''me'' you were! Whoever you were in those movies, those silly goddamn heroes meant a lot to ''me!'' What does it matter if it was an illusion? It ''worked!'' So don't tell me this is you life-size. I can't use you life-size. I need Alan Swanns as big as I can get them! And let me tell you something: [[YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre you couldn't have convinced me the way you did unless somewhere in you you ''had'' that courage! Nobody's that good an actor! You ''are'' that silly goddamn hero!]]

* For a series in which over 90% of the LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters are veteran soldiers, ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' is amazingly pacifistic and permanently deconstructing the ideal of the 80s and 90s action hero. It's particularly emphasized in the first and fourth games of the main series when Solid Snake rebukes {{Ascended Fan|boy}}girl Meryl, who claims to have trained to become a soldier all her life because she was inspired by him.

'''Ben''': ...us\\

* Shion Bladedarts in ''Manga/YuushaGaShinda'' admits that he's no hero but rather a criminal because [[spoiler:he purposely didn't completely seal Hell's Gate because it would cut off the mana supply to Earth and thus kill off his companion Anri. He could have actually avoided the trap that starts the series but at that point, he was already DrivenToSuicide.]]

** The Dragon Reborn stopped being this and pendulumed into DesignatedHero syndrome, impressive because he '''''is''''' a bona fide, prophecy certified, world changing hero. He came around to a true, self-admitted hero in the final few books.

* This is the prevailing attitude of jujutsu sorcerers in ''Anime/JujutsuKaisen'' - they're not heroes who are motivated by their desire to save innocent lives, but rather people with incredible powers who, more often than not, will use those powers for their own goals and survival. In fact, a jujutsu sorcerer with purely selfless intentions who goes through a BreakTheCutie can end up being even ''worse'' than a selfish sorcerer, as seen with Suguru Geto. This often results in conflicts between different sorcerers as their goals clash or their impulsivity gets them into trouble.

* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'': "I'm not a hero. I'm not out to save the world. [[IJustWantToBeNormal I'm just a girl with a geometry test next period and I haven't studied.]]"

* The introductory exposition in ''[[Series/LegendsOfTomorrow Legends of Tomorrow]]'' uses this. Don't call them heroes... they're ''Legends''.
* ''Series/KamenRiderSaber'': [[AllLovingHero Touma Kamiyama]] rejects being called a a hero. He is a novelist, always wanted to be a novelist and simply got dragged along by the events. There is also more sinister reason: [[spoiler: [[BigBad Storious]] set up most of the story as an epic saga of battle between good and evil and casted Touma as the [[UnwittingPawn "hero figure"]]. By refusing to cave in to his demands, Touma ruins Storious' enjoyment of the whole thing, thus taking away the only [[ItsAllAboutMe thing he]] ever wanted.]]

--> '''Sora''': You're really good? Are you some kind of hero?\\