History Main / InsaneForgiveness

There are many RevengeTropes. "An eye for an eye" is one of [[OlderThanDirt the oldest laws there is]]. To every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction; to every wrong, there'll always be an equal ([[DisproportionateRetribution or not]]) and opposite revenge. Right?

Maybe not...

Sometimes, you'll meet characters who offer complete forgiveness -- maybe not ''immediately'', but when it is given, it's wholehearted. There is no trick or "gotcha" moment. No matter how serious the wrong was (whether [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope a betrayal of their values]], [[HeelFaceIndex a betrayal of their loved ones]], [[SexualHarassmentAndRapeTropes rape]], [[MurderTropes even murder]]), nothing is beyond the scope of the forgiver's mercy. In extreme cases, a character granting Insane Forgiveness will grant it to someone who already crossed the MoralEventHorizon.

It's the principle of "forgive and forget" taken to extremes. Most viewers will be left scratching their head, wondering, "How can they just let that go?" Sometimes, other characters InUniverse also [[{{Facepalm}} have this reaction]].

This may be a trait of the VictoriousLoser, WideEyedIdealist, NiceGuy, or an AllLovingHero. StupidGood characters do this as well; when they do, [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished things tend to go wrong]].

You may see this when DefeatMeansFriendship.

Compare EasilyForgiven, which occurs when a specific character receives this from every good guy that matters. Polar opposite of DisproportionateRetribution, where a small or even imaginary slight is punished terribly.

!!'''Examples''':

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder: Anime/Manga ]]

* ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'':
** [[IdealHero Touma Kamijou]] is often like this. Sure, he won't let it stand when someone does something evil, but once he's punched their lights out for said evil, he'll turn right around and offer his help to them to solve their problems. Basically, Touma helps ''anyone'' who is in danger, regardless of anything they've done in the past. It's even said that this is what makes Touma a true hero: he saves the villain as well as the victim. The biggest example would probably be [[spoiler:Othinus, who quite literally destroyed the world, and tortured Touma both physically and mentally for an unknown but extreme length of time before she eventually gave up, apologized, and restored the world to how it was before. At that point, there wasn't a single person on Earth who was willing to let Othinus walk away with her life... but Touma still stood up for her and refused to let anyone harm her.]]
** Orsola Aquinas is also incredibly forgiving, apparently due to her faith in the Christian religion, which does, after all, preach forgiveness for one's enemies.
* ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' has Fate who, shortly after her own atonement and Precia's defeat, offers to save Precia from dying because Precia raised her like a daughter. After repeatedly abusing Fate, attacking the familiar Fate worked so hard to create, and nearly causing the deaths of countless numbers of people, most objective observers would say that Precia wasn't worthy of Fate's consideration.
* In ''Manga/LittleHouseWithAnOrangeRoof'', protagonist Shoutarou tends to stress forgiveness way too often, such as when an adult man strikes his 5-year-old-step-daughter-to-be hard enough to knock her over.
* Goku from ''Anime/DragonballZ'' has a long list of people who've tried to kill him. Most of these people become his TrueCompanions later and after that happens, he never brings up their previous transgressions. On other occasions, however, his extreme sense of mercy has come back to bite him, ''hard''. The best example is probably when he lets Raditz, his brother who just kidnapped Gohan and told him he'll have to kill a hundred Earthlings to have it back, go by releasing his tails which leads to Goku's first death.
* Manga/{{Naruto}} toward Sasuke, after the latter has done everything but stab a puppy onscreen. He also tries to do this with Tobi/[[spoiler: Obito Uchiha]], the man who has led an active campaign to wipe out all life on the planet and has ruined or killed countless people. His reasoning for this? [[spoiler:Basically because he wanted to be Hokage at one point and there is still some good in him. And because he's still pining after his PosthumousCharacter love interest.]] Naruto does, however, say that Tobi's actions are inexcusable, that [[spoiler:despite having once had the same goal, Tobi's actions go against all of Naruto's principles (Tobi declares a desire to take a "shortcut", so to speak, while Naruto thinks there are no shortcuts)]], and Naruto believes Tobi should accept punishment for his crimes.
* ''Manga/OnePiece'' has Luffy who has on several occasions forgiven old enemies upon meeting them again, and has ''recruited'' one of them to his crew when she asked. However, he ''does'' have limits, and when the transgression is too great such as tearing up a friend's beloved country and forcing her into an [[BreakTheCutie emotional breakdown]], he won't trust the person until he's proven himself enough. [[note]]BTW, that in ''no'' way meant that said person got soft on him. It meant he did exactly what he'd said he'd do. Nothing more.[[/note]]
* In ''Manga/YuGiOh'' manga, Yugi has a tendency to forgive ''anyone'' and see the best in them, no matter how heinous their actions. He forgave Yami Yugi for his early Penalty Games, Kaiba for trying to kill him, his grandpa, and his friends, Marik for trying to kill him and his friends, and Yami Bakura for also trying to kill him and his friends. [[spoiler:That last one is exploited by Bakura to use Yugi]].
* ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'': Ranma Saotome has forgiven and really helped out many people who've tried to kill him, have kidnapped a loved one, or both. Does this guy never hold a grudge?
* ''Anime/CodeGeass'': Ohgi still forgives Villetta, then a Britannian spy, for trying to kill him while she still ''hasn't given up trying to do so''.
* [[NiceGirl Enju]] [[AllLovingHero Aihara]] from ''LightNovel/BlackBullet''. Despite her severe trust issues and DarkAndTroubledPast, she holds no hatred or grudge against anyone and forgives people easily. [[spoiler:In fact, she not only forgives her former enemies easily, [[DefeatMeansFriendship she also befriend them]]. This is evident when she forgives and befriended [[TheQuietOne Tina]] [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Sprout]] despite the fact that Tina attempted to kill [[BigGood Seitenshi]] and even brutally injured Enju at one point.]]
* In ''Manga/InuYasha'', Kouga and his tribe slaughter a whole village of innocent people shortly before meeting Inuyasha and his crew. While Kouga is a rival for Kagome's affection, the cold blooded murders he committed are never so much as mentioned for the entire remainder of the series.
* At the end of the anime version of ''Anime/DeathNote'', it appears that [[spoiler: L forgives Light for killing him.]] Assuming you don't think Light is merely hallucinating, that is. It would seem that this holds up in the LightNovel version of ''LightNovel/LChangeTheWorld'' as well.
* In ''Anime/{{Endride}}'', Demetrio and Eljuia are willing to forgive not only TheMole [[spoiler:Louise]] but also [[spoiler:[[WorthyOpponent Guidoro]]]] who has the death of other Ignauts on his hands. This is because they are both [[TheIdealist idealists]], and Demetrio particularly believes that {{revenge}} doesn't solve problems, working with others for a joint cause does. The other team members are less forgiving.


[[/folder]]

[[folder: Comic Books ]]

* The first Silk Spectre of ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' forgives [[spoiler: her attempted rapist]], the Comedian, and even later [[spoiler:sleeps with him consensually]]. Whether this counts as "true" forgiveness or just StockholmSyndrome is very much a matter for [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation interpretation]], although Doctor Manhattan considers it "a miracle" which is sufficiently noteworthy as to make it worth the trouble to [[spoiler:return to Earth and attempt to save humanity from nuclear war]].
** [[spoiler: The narration implies that she has severe issues. She acted all her life in a sexually provoking manner but then said that victims often provoke their rapists, very much VictimBlaming. It seems that for all her promiscuity deep down she was an insecure mess who instead of putting limits to her behaviour decided that she deserved punishment for it afterwards]].
* One of the reasons fans didn't like ''ComicBook/SpiderMan: Quality of Life'' was Spidey's rather indifferent reaction to Yith, an assassin trying to murder Curt Connors. In the finally, Yith has a change of heart and turns on her employer - the actual antagonist - and [[VigilanteExecution kills him in cold blood]] with Spidey watching. (And no, nothing at all would have prevented him from apprehending her, no barriers impeding him, no innocents in danger, no other villain trying to kill him, ''nothing''.) He makes no attempt whatsoever to catch her even as she casually walks away. Most fans could not believe he'd be so willing to let a murderer simply walk, even if the guy ''did'' deserve it.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Comic Strips ]]

* In ''ComicStrip/FoxTrot'', Paige frequently babysits Ms. O'Mally's preschool daughter Katie, despite the fact that Paige is a ''horrible'' babysitter that no sane parent would trust with a child. The earliest example was when Paige gave Katie a huge piece of chocolate cake, making her too hyperactive to control. Another time, Paige watched ''[[Series/TheJerrySpringerShow Jerzy Spaniel]]'' in front of Katie, teaching Katie foul language. The worst example was the time Paige fell asleep while watching her; Katie started ''[[AdultFear playing with scissors]]'' as she dozed. (Fortunately, Paige woke up before a disaster occurred.) Still, for some reason, the worst punishment Paige has yet to receive is having to pay for Katie's dress that was ruined in that last incident, and Ms. O'Mally continues to hire her for some reason, as recently as November 2013, when Paige narrowly averted another disaster, giving her what she thought were Peter's old preschool video games. (They were actually his violent M-rated games that he had put in innocent-looking casings to keep them hidden from their mother; of course, you can probably blame that one on Peter, and the last panel does suggest Paige managed to call them before Katie played any.)

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Fan Fiction ]]

* ''FanFic/RosarioVampireBrightestDarkness'':
** Tsukune is well-known amongst his friends as the forgiving type, but in Act IV, this is the others' reaction when he decides to forgive Akua and Kahlua for their actions, despite the fact that the two were working for [[AntiHumanAlliance Fairy]] [[FarEastAsianTerrorists Tale]] and were helping Kiria in an EvilPlan that would have destroyed the world. While even Moka and Kokoa, the two's sisters, are firmly convinced that Kahlua and Akua are [[MoralEventHorizon beyond saving]], Tsukune insists that they deserve a second chance because they did what they did in the belief that it would help their father and because they were nothing but Kiria's {{Unwitting Pawn}}s all along.
** Falla's case in Act IV is the most ridiculous example; she rigged the entire girls' dormitory with {{Death Trap}}s in order to kill Moka [[MurderTheHypotenuse so she could have Tsukune]], and did this of her own volition, before she looked into Lilith's Mirror and briefly turned evil again. Kurumu even points out how ridiculous that is... only for the others to repeatedly dismiss her.
* ''Fanfic/ConsequencesOfUnoriginality'': Eremis's trauma over his existence as Gary has caused this, and he feels that if he doesn't forgive others it would invalidate any right for him to receive forgiveness (for something entirely out of his control).
* [[Literature/HarryPotter Albus Dumbledore]] is frequently portrayed this way in fanfiction. Such as in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9976928/32/The-Bloody-Ashikabi The Bloody Ashikabi]]'' when he threatens to fire James and Lily Potter if they report the student who tried to rape their daughter to the [=DMLE=], claiming that they shouldn't ruin a boy's life just because he made a mistake. Dumbledore later tries to make Harry call off a duel with said attempted rapist after he tries to enslave Harry's wife.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Film - Animation ]]

* Not as extreme as the other examples, but quite flagrant by [[DisneyAnimatedCanon Disney]] standards: In ''Disney/TheEmperorsNewGroove'', Emperor Kuzco spends most of the movie treating Pacha terribly, including planning to destroy his village for his own benefit, breaking his promise to Pacha, and being a RoyalBrat in general - culminating in outright abandoning Pacha when he thinks he's found a quicker way home. Yet [[HeelRealization once Kuzco's realized his mistakes]], Pacha has no problem forgiving him at once, leaving the past behind, and helping Kuzco move forward. Maybe being a father has something to do with it.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Film - Live Action]]
* ''Film/RoccoAndHisBrothers'': Rocco puts up with a lot of degradation and abuse and keeps pardoning his brother for stuff that he really shouldn't condone, such as raping Nadia, and then telling her to go back and live with her rapist because he feels that it was wrong of him to "steal" his brother's girl.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Literature ]]

* In ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'', [[BigGood Manwë]] forgiving [[GodOfEvil Melkor]] is a borderline example--even most of the other Valar thought it was a bad idea. It was a GoodCannotComprehendEvil situation. When Melkor rose up ''again'', waged war in Middle-Earth for centuries and then asked for forgiveness a second time, the Valar just chucked him into the void outside of the universe.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

* In ''Series/{{Smallville}}'', [[IncorruptiblePurePureness Chloe Sullivan]] forgives Lionel off-screen for trying to kill her. Twice. In ''Fracture'', she [[spoiler:dies saving ''ComicBook/LexLuthor''. Luckily, she has ResurrectiveImmortality.]]
** In Chloe's defense for the second case, it's less that she's forgiven [[spoiler: Lex]] and more that [[spoiler: Clark is mentally connected to him and if Lex dies he might take Clark with him]].
* Tori Vega of ''Series/{{Victorious}}'' always seems to be able to let Jade West's behavior slide, no matter how awful that behavior might seem to the viewer. One episode even features a truly bizarre example of WhatTheHellHero where the person ''being forgiven'' is the same person calling Tori out for it.
* The Tenth Doctor from ''Series/DoctorWho'' does this selectively. Unfortunately, the probability of his granting forgiveness is ''directly'' related to the horrors the person he's forgiving has committed, and it's often granted without there being a HeelFaceTurn from the other party.
* On ''Series/TrueBlood,'' Sookie's LoveMakesYouDumb is arguably bordering on this when it comes to Bill's various dodgy deeds.
* ''Series/{{Chuck}}'': It seemed like this trope applied to [[spoiler:Agent Shaw]] and Sarah until TheReveal that he had been faking his forgiveness so he could get a chance to kill her: "[[spoiler:You killed my wife.]] Did you really think I'd be okay with that?"
* Sam Winchester from ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' could be the poster boy for this trope. No matter what people do to him, he'll forgive them. Dean blatantly disregarding his wishes multiple times, not trusting him, blaming and guilting him for everything, letting an angel possess him, killing one of his friends? He forgave that. Cas breaking the wall in his head and forcing him to remember all the trauma of Lucifer's cage and resulting in him hallucinating his torturer? Meg possessing him and using his body to kill people? He forgave them too.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Mythology and Religion ]]

* In most of the Abrahamic traditions and in other religions, this is God's response to humanity's transgressions, though it would be divine forgiveness rather than insane. Everything, no matter how terrible, may be forgiven. According to [[Literature/TheBible the New Testament]], Jesus, and by extension God, will forgive anything, provided the sinner is genuinely contrite, asks for forgiveness and accepts salvation. Furthermore, Jesus instructed his followers to extend this same forgiveness to others, to forgive wrongs even up to "seventy-times seven" (an idiom for an unimaginably huge number), and saying that judgment and punishment should be left to God; humans should love one another. In broad strokes, current theology in these religions agree the processes is an active process which must be done with sincere repentance and in good faith. Simply "going through the motions" won't cut it. Belief that a loving God stands ready to forgive and redeem any human who seeks out forgiveness is a very important feature in most strains of Protestantism, Catholicism, Orthodox Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, the LDS, and other faiths. The details of each religion are discussed under Useful Notes and should be subject to the RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Opera ]]

* In Mozart's ''Theatre/DonGiovanni'', [[WomanScorned Donna Elvira]] is willing to forgive everything if Giovanni just loves her. Also, surprisingly, despite all his scariness, the commander. What do you do if someone tries to rape your daughter, kills you and mocks your grave and you know this man has just a few more hours to live? Gloat lavishly, then sit back and watch the "Giovanni's soul dragged to hell" show? Of course not, you come back from the grave in a desperate attempt to save his soul from damnation...

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Theater ]]

* The musical of ''Theatre/LesMiserables'' gives us this quote, from Valjean to Inspector Javert:
--> "You are free, and there are no conditions, no bargains, no petitions. There's nothing that I blame you for... you've [[JustFollowingOrders done your duty. Nothing more.]]"
** Keep in mind, when Valjean says "nothing that I blame you for," he's including twenty years' time in jail for stealing a loaf of bread (not directly Javert's fault, but he was one of Valjean's jailers); after Valjean left prison and broke parole, Javert pursued Valjean for almost twenty more years, twice wrecking the peaceful life he'd tried to build. At this moment, Valjean, when he has Javert at his mercy, lets him go. Later, Valjean will actually ''give'' Javert his home address, because he knows arresting him will be the only way Javert will ever find peace.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]

* [[NiceGirl Marona]] from ''VideoGame/PhantomBrave'' virtually holds not grudges against anyone and forgives everyone unconditionally despite [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer the world she's living in]].
* [[BadassPacifist Knuckles the Echidna]] from SonicTheHedgehog who believes that there is good in everyone, always forgives Dr. Eggman. Though Knuckles always find out that Dr. Eggman lies in the end.
* In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'', with [=SpotPass=], [[spoiler:three former major antagonists]] can potentially join Chrom and his party. [[spoiler:We find through them and other events that Chrom and the rest of the Shepherds can easily forgive Aversa ([[TheVamp a vamp]] who was in cahoots with [[BigBad Validar]], although in her Paralogue, it's [[AssPull cheaply]] found out that her memories were manipulated by him) and Walhart (a TinTyrant and antagonist for the middle of the game) for what they've done. It's averted when Chrom recruits Gangrel, however, although it certainly helps that Gangrel antagonized Ylisse for a long time and was the one responsible for [[CoolBigSis Emmeryn's]] death.]]
* The TropeNamer for GoKartingWithBowser is a result of this. No matter ''how'' many times Bowser kidnaps Princess Peach, he still gets invitations from her and Mario to play tennis and golf, among other things. Fans have speculated that she ''likes'' it, and it is even speculated in some actual games (like ''VideoGame/SuperMarioSunshine'') that he's simply keeping the conflict alive for fun too by now. WordOfGod is that like the Looney Tunes it's just part of a show and stories change their relationship.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Web Comics ]]

* According to ''WebComic/SaturdayMorningBreakfastCereal'', [[http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=513#comic Jesus]] would be an example of this.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Web Original ]]

* In ''Franchise/{{Noob}}'', [[KindHeartedSimpleton Sparadrap]] is quite prone to this. This is best seen when his reaction to his ManipulativeBastard guildmate [[spoiler:setting up a Face Heel Revolving Door]] boils down to : "Happy you're back, I was starting to miss you". Perhaps justified in that this happened on a {{MMORPG}}, but in reality Sparadrap is one of the few characters ''not'' considering the game to be SeriousBusiness.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* On ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'', Harley Quinn always forgives the Joker no matter what, even when he tortures children and has tried to kill Harley in the past. In this case, she ''is'' insane, though, and the show makes it clear that [[MadLove this isn't a healthy relationship]].

[[/folder]]
----

* Rocco puts up with a lot of degradation and abuse and keeps pardoning his brother for stuff that he really shouldn't condone, such as raping Nadia, and then telling her to go back and live with her rapist because he feels that it was wrong of him to "steal" his brother's girl.

* One of the reasons fans didn't like ''[[ComicBook/SpiderMan: Quality of Life]]'' was Spidey's rather indifferent reaction to Yith, an assassin trying to murder Curt Connors. In the finally, Yith has a change of heart and turns on her employer - the actual antagonist - and [[VigilanteExecution kills him in cold blood]] with Spidey watching. (And no, nothing at all would have prevented him from apprehending her, no barriers impeding him, no innocents in danger, no other villain trying to kill him, ''nothing''.) He makes no attempt whatsoever to catch her even as she casually walks away. Most fans could not believe he'd be so willing to let a murderer simply walk, even if the guy ''did'' deserve it.

* [[IdealHero Touma Kamijou]] and Orsola Aquinas from ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex''.

* In ''Manga/YuGiOh'' manga, Yugi has a tendency to forgive ''anyone'' and see the best in them, no matter how heinous their actions. He forgave Yami Yugi fro his early Penalty Games, Kaiba for trying to kill him, his grandpa, and his friends, Marik for trying to kill him and his friends, and Yami Bakura for also trying to kill him and his friends. [[spoiler:That last one is exploited by Bakura to use Yugi]].

* [[Series/{{Supernatural}} Sam Winchester]] could be the poster boy for this trope. No matter what people do to him, he'll forgive them. Dean blatantly disregarding his wishes multiple times, not trusting him, blaming and guilting him for everything, letting an angel possess him, killing one of his friends? He forgave that. Cas breaking the wall in his head and forcing him to remember all the trauma of Lucifer's cage and resulting in him hallucinating his torturer? Meg possessing him and using his body to kill people? He forgave them too.

* The TropeNamer for GoKartingWithBowser is a result of this. No matter ''how'' many times Bowser kidnaps Princess Peach, he still gets invitations from her and Mario to play tennis and golf, among other things. Fans have speculated that she ''likes'' it, and it is even speculated in some actual games (like ''VideoGame/SuperMarioSunshine'') that he's simply keeping the conflict alive for fun too by now.

* Goku from ''Anime/DragonballZ'' has a long list of people who've tried to kill him. Most of these people become his TrueCompanions later and after that happens, he never brings up their previous transgressions. On other occasions, however, his extreme sense of mercy has come back to bite him, ''hard''.

* In ''Anime/{{Endride}}'', Demetrio and Eljuia are willing to forgive not only TheMole [[spoiler:Louise]] but also [[spoiler:[[WorthyOpponent Guidoro]] who has the death of other Ignauts on his hands. This is because they are both [[TheIdealist idealists]], and Demetrio particularly believes that {{revenge}} doesn't solve problems, working with others for a joint cause does. The other team members are less forgiving.

Sometimes, you'll meet characters who offer complete forgiveness – maybe not ''immediately'', but when it is given, it's wholehearted. There is no trick or "gotcha" moment. No matter how serious the wrong was (whether [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope a betrayal of their values]], [[HeelFaceIndex a betrayal of their loved ones]], [[SexualHarassmentAndRapeTropes rape]], [[MurderTropes even murder]]), nothing is beyond the scope of the forgiver's mercy. In extreme cases, a character granting Insane Forgiveness will grant it to someone who already crossed the MoralEventHorizon.

[[AC:Anime/Manga]]

[[AC:ComicBooks]]

[[AC:ComicStrips]]

[[AC:FanFiction]]
* ''FanFic/RosarioVampireBrightestDarkness'':

[[AC: Film - Animation]]
* Not as extreme as the other examples, but quite flagrant by [[DisneyAnimatedCanon Disney]] standards: In ''Disney/TheEmperorsNewGroove'', Emperor Kuzco spends most of the movie treating Pacha terribly, including planning to destroy his village for his own benefit, breaking his promise to Pacha, and being a RoyalBrat in general - culminating in outright abandoning Pacha when he thinks he's found a quicker way home. Yet [[HeelRealization once Kuzco's realized his mistakes]], Pacha has no problem forgiving him at once, leaving the past behind, and helping Kuzco move forward. Maybe being a father has something to do with it.

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]
* In ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'', [[BigGood Manwë]] forgiving [[GodOfEvil Melkor]] is a borderline example--even most of the other Valar thought it was a bad idea. It was a GoodCannotComprehendEvil situation. When Melkor rose up ''again'', waged war in Middle-Earth for centuries and then asked for forgiveness a second time, the Valar just chucked him into the void outside of the universe.

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]

[[AC:Mythology and Religion]]

[[AC:Opera]]

[[AC: Theater]]

[[AC:VideoGames]]

[[AC:WebComics]]

[[AC:WebOriginal]]

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]
* On ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'', Harley Quinn always forgives the Joker no matter what, even when he tortures children and has tried to kill Harley in the past. In this case, she ''is'' insane, though, and the show makes it clear that [[MadLove this isn't a healthy relationship]].

* In the ''Anime/YuGiOh'' second anime (or [[DubInducedPlotHole at least the dub]]), Kaiba instantly forgives the Big Five for trying to kill him, or at least decides to hold off calling the police until ''after'' trying out this new virtual reality device they've invented. In the original version, he makes it clear that he knows that they will retaliate if he merely tries to dispose of them, and believes that he will beat them at their own game, making it a case of arrogance, rather than forgiveness.
** ''WebVideo/YuGiOhTheAbridgedSeries'' naturally has a field day with this:
--->'''[[MoralityPet Mokuba]]:''' Big Brother, [[LampshadeHanging why are you]] [[OutOfCharacterMoment acting so out of character]]?

* According to [[Literature/TheBible the New Testament]], Jesus, and by extension God, would be an example of this. That's provided the sinner is genuinely contrite, asks for forgiveness and accepts salvation. If they don't, there's a very different result...
** Furthermore, Jesus instructed his followers to extend this same forgiveness to others, to forgive wrongs even up to "seventy-times seven" (an idiom for an unimaginably huge number), and saying that judgment and punishment should be left to God; humans should love one another.

* In most of the Abrahamic traditions and in other religions, this is God's response to humanity's transgressions, though it would be divine forgiveness rather than insane. Everything, no matter how terrible, may be forgiven. In broad strokes, current theology in these religions agree the processes is an active process which must be done with sincere repentance and in good faith. Simply "going through the motions" won't cut it. Belief that a loving God stands ready to forgive and redeem any human who seeks out forgiveness is a very important feature in most strains of Protestantism, Catholicism, Orthodox Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, the LDS, and other faiths. The details of each religion are discussed under Useful Notes and should be subject to the RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment.

* ''FanFic/RosarioVampireBrightestDarkness'': Tsukune is well-known amongst his friends as the forgiving type, but in Act IV, this is the others' reaction when he decides to forgive Akua and Kahlua for their actions, despite the fact that the two were working for [[AntiHumanAlliance Fairy]] [[FarEastAsianTerrorists Tale]] and were helping Kiria in an EvilPlan that would have destroyed the world. While even Moka and Kokoa, the two's sisters, are firmly convinced that Kahlua and Akua are [[MoralEventHorizon beyond saving]], Tsukune insists that they deserve a second chance because they did what they did in the belief that it would help their father and because they were nothing but Kiria's {{Unwitting Pawn}}s all along.

* In ''InuYasha'', Kouga and his tribe slaughter a whole village of innocent people shortly before meeting Inuyasha and his crew. While Kouga is a rival for Kagome's affection, the cold blooded murders he committed are never so much as mentioned for the entire remainder of the series.

* Not as extreme as the other examples, but quite flagrant by [[DisneyAnimatedCanon Disney]] standards: In ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewGroove'', Emperor Kuzco spends most of the movie treating Pacha terribly, including planning to destroy his village for his own benefit, breaking his promise to Pacha, and being a RoyalBrat in general - culminating in outright abandoning Pacha when he thinks he's found a quicker way home. Yet [[HeelRealization once Kuzco's realized his mistakes]], Pacha has no problem forgiving him at once, leaving the past behind, and helping Kuzco move forward. Maybe being a father has something to do with it.

* In Mozart's ''Theatre/DonGiovanni'', [[WomanScorned Donna Elvira]] is willing to forgive everything if Giovanni just loves her. Also, surprisingly, despite all his scariness, the commander. What do you do if someone tries to rape your daughter, kills you and mocks your grave and you know this man has just a few more ours to live? Gloat back, just wait to really enjoy just seeing him go to hell? Of course not, you come back from the grave in a desperate attempt to save his soul from hell...

* Goku from ''Anime/DragonballZ'' has a long list of people who've tried to kill him. Most of these people become his TrueCompanions later and after that happens, he never brings up their previous transgressions.

-> "You are free, and there are no conditions, no bargains, no petitions. There's nothing that I blame you for... you've [[JustFollowingOrders done your duty. Nothing more.]]"

* [[spoiler: The narration implies that she has severe issues. She acted all her life in a sexually provoking manner but then said that victims often provoke their rapists. It seems that for all her promiscuity deep down she was an insecure mess who instead of putting limits to her behaviour decided that she deserved punishment for it afterwards]].