History Main / KeepTheReward

* In ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic II: The Sith Lords'', you often have some variation of "Keep the reward, I was glad to help" as a dialogue choice when you've completed a quest that involved helping some needy person. In some cases, refusing the reward leads to a larger award or being given a valuable item instead of money.
** Also subverted: At one point, the player may help out a droid running the small shop of a blind man. [[ButThouMust The only choice]] after helping the droid is to [[AnOfferYouCantRefuse ask for a discount on all purchases from the shop]], and the droid begrudgingly complies.

* In ''Film/NeverSayNeverAgain'', JamesBond plays a video game for high stakes[[hottip:*:over $300,000]] against [[BigBad Emilio Largo]]. When he wins, Bond refuses Largo's check, saying he'll settle for a dance with the BondGirl. Subverted, in that the money was a drop in the bucket for Largo, but he is an ''[[GreenEyedMonster extremely]]'' [[GreenEyedMonster jealous man]].

* In ''Film/NeverSayNeverAgain'', JamesBond plays a video game for high stakes[[hottip:*:over $300,000]] against [[BigBad EmilioLargo]]. When he wins, Bond refuses Largo's check, saying he'll settle for a dance with the BondGirl. Subverted, in that the money was a drop in the bucket for Largo, but he is an ''[[GreenEyedMonster extremely]]'' [[GreenEyedMonster jealous man]].

** Averted in a recent episode where his mother Maddie insists that he take the reward.

* At the end of ''Film/TheSting'', [[RobertRedford Kelly]] refuses to take his share of the money, telling [[PaulNewman Shaw]], "I'd only blow it".

* In the movie ''Film/{{Spaceballs}}'', the hero Lone Starr was promised a million spacebucks for the return of Princess Vespa, which was the exact amount he owed to gangster Pizza the Hutt, who later dies offscreen. Near the end, Vespa laments how greedy Lone Starr was to take the money and leave, only for her father to point out that he only took 248 spacebucks for food, gas, and tolls. Lone Starr had asked the King not to tell Vespa, so that she wouldn't realize that he had fallen in love with her, but couldn't be with her.

** This has a little FridgeBrilliance in it considering that Venkman really did ''not'' get along with his ConMan of a father. It wasn't mentioned in the episode, but very likely, that may have been why he was close to his mother.

* In the movie ''Film/{{Spaceballs}}'', the hero Lone Starr was promised a million spacebucks for the return of Princess Vespa, which was the exact amount he owed to gangster Pizza the Hutt, who later dies offscreen. Near the end, Vespa laments how greedy Lonestar was to take the money and leave, only for her father to point out that he only took 248 spacebucks for food, gas, and tolls. Lone Starr had asked the King not to tell Vespa, so that she wouldn't realize that he had fallen in love with her, but couldn't be with her.

* A variation occurred in a very early episode of ''Anime/YuGiOhGX''. After Judai's first conclusive win over Manjyome during an important exam, he was granted a promotion to Ra Yellow status. However, he turned this down, preferring to remain in the Obelisk dorm where Sho and Hayato were. Sho did not forget this; while he was later accepted into Ra and even into Obelisk later, and ''didn't'' turn the promotions down, he still chose to ''live'' in the Osiris dorm to support his friend.)

* Played with in an episode of ''AstroBoy'' (The Mighty Atom) where a young surgeon has traveled with Astro back in time to save the life of the heir to a small kingdom (and has also ensured said heir's coronation). All the surgeon wants as a reward is one of the special coins the kingdom issues to celebrate the coronation. After returning to "the present", Astro wonders out loud why the surgeon settled for such a tiny reward, until the surgeon asks him to look up the worth of a mint-condition coronation coin... Cue the Oh Wow! moment.

* ''LuckyLuke'' would also decline rewards for he's so noble.
* One ''StarWars'' comic starring Boba Fett featured Fett being hired by the last (and dying) survivor of an alien race that wanted Fett to hunt down the MadScientist responsible for his peoples' extinction. After completing the task, Fett turned down the reward, telling the dying alien to use the money to make an offering to his race's memory instead.

* StarWars: Zig-zagged in the original trilogy with Han Solo. At the end of ''Film/ANewHope'', Solo sticks to his mercenary motives and leaves with his reward before the climatic space battle [[spoiler: some time after that, he has a change of heart and returns [[BigDamnHeroes just in time to help Luke destroy the death star.]]]] After this, however, he keeps the reward so he can pay back his debt to Jabba the Hutt, but delays and delays due to his commitment to the Rebellion, Luke and Leia. At the beginning of ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'' he finally decides to go to Tatooine to repay Jabba, but the Empire gets in his way.

* [[Literature/SherlockHolmes Sherlock Holmes]] would sometimes waive his fees from clients, usually if the client was rather poor and deserving of the kindness.

* In a ''StarWars'' children's book, Han Solo recounts the events of ''ANewHope'' from his own perspective, and recalls attempting to refuse the medal before the ending's ceremony. When pressed, he admits that he doesn't feel like a hero for [[ChangedMyMindKid leaving before coming back]], and says the real heroes are the pilots who died. Leia convinces him to accept the medal to boost the Rebels' morale.
** Another novel references the tale of Boba Fett saving a civilization from extinction...for a hundred credits.

* In the ''{{Sherlock}}'' episode "The Blind Banker":

* At the end of the Duelist Kingdom arc of ''Anime/YuGiOh'', Yugi gives the prize money to Joey/Jounouchi to fix his sister's eyesight.
** All Yugi really wanted was his grandfather back. Lord knows why the duel between Yugi and Joey was thought as one where someone would lose it all.
*** Blame the Anime. In the manga there is no duel between them; Joey simply forfeits knowing Yugi would have better chances against Pegasus.

* HongKongPhooey has never been known to accept rewards for his heroism. But in the episode "Hong Kong Phooey vs. Hong Kong Phooey," a doppelganger goes about accepting all the rewards. The real HKP faces him, but his dubious skills meant that Spot (his cat) would eventually wind up saving the day.

* Seems to be a recurring theme for Disney. {{Mulan}} turns down the Emperor's offer of a position on his council in favor of a simple farm life with her family. Never mind how much, as a politician, she'd be able to improve the life of her family, not to mention oppressed women everywhere.

* In the Disney/{{Aladdin}} sequel, The Return of Jafar, near the beginning of the movie Aladdin saves the Sultan's life and the Sultan offers to make him Royal Vizier. In the end, he turns it down, because he says he wants to have adventures and see the world. [[FridgeLogic This is a poor excuse]] since he would probably still be able to do that and sort of inconsistent with the fact from the first movie that Aladdin ''wants to live in the palace''.
** Not really. The last Vizier was Jafar. Power corrupts after all.

* Subverted several times on ''TheSimpsons''. In one instance, Moe is offered a check for $100,000 by a crooked boxing promoter; Moe says "I don't need your dirty money!", then folds the check and puts it in his pocket.
** Played straight in the episode "The Old Man and Lisa". Lisa helped Mr. Burns regain his fortune by performing environmental services and was horrified when he used that knowledge to make Lisa's Patented Animal Slurry. Mr. Burns offered her 10% of his earnings as payment to her as his adviser which equaled 12 million, which she refused.
*** [[WhatAnIdiot Even though she could have donated it to -or used that money to start- any number of foundations to help the environment and animal welfare]] instead of just letting Mr. Burns do Lord-knows-what else with it. But, you know, HonorBeforeReason and all that.

* Reiji in ''KaraNoShoujo'' refuses payment for solving the first case on the grounds that he was not able to stop an additional murder from occurring.
* According his in-game backstory, Ghor from ''Metroid Prime 3'' either works for free or gives the money he earns from bounty hunting to the victims of his targets.

* In one instance in NeverwinterNights, you can threaten someone to offer a greater reward. When the time to collect it comes, however, you can turn it down. This gets you Good points (for turning it down), and Chaotic points (for forcing them to offer you more, when you had no intention of claiming it).

* Pick a RolePlayingGame with a KarmaMeter and odds are you'll find at least one instance of this. Refusing the reward might open up access to even more substantial rewards down the line, or just give you good karma. The gameplay benefits of these decisions vary based on the game.

* In the DungeonsAndDragons supplement ''Book of Exalted Deeds'', there's a justification for refusing the reward (or at least all of it): upon hearing that whatever's been attacking has been defeated, people might give up more than they really have to spare, and if the players accept it, they'd be in for harder times as they tried to rebuild.

* In "The Scented Room", Series/JonathanCreek initially refuses to help an unpleasant couple he has a grudge against regain their painting [[ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules regardless of how big the reward is]]. Maddie disagrees, and just wants the cash. When the couple [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections use their connections]] to put pressure on Jonathan's employer, he arranges things so that the painting is restored by their [[LonelyRichKid horribly neglected]] son.

* StarWars: Zig-zagged in the original trilogy with Han Solo. At the end of ANewHope, Solo sticks to his mercenary motives and leaves with his reward before the climatic space battle [[spoiler: some time after that, he has a change of heart and returns [[BigDamnHeroes just in time to help Luke destroy the death star.]]]] After this, however, he keeps the reward so he can pay back his debt to Jabba the Hutt, but delays and delays due to his commitment to the Rebellion, Luke and Leia.

* In the first episode of LostUniverse, Cain is under contract to recover a valuable heirloom. When he finishes this task, he only takes 5 credits (out of the ten million he was promised), and tells the little girl who hired him to take care. Canal isn't too pleased.
* Played with in KenichiTheMightiestDisciple. Villagers offer Hayato Furinji all their money to save their children, which he does. He comes back, having accomplished his mission AND having found a treasure far greater than the reward. Hayato lets the villagers keep the treasure, while taking the money, explaining that its value is greater because they have put their heart in it.

--->"No, helping those in need's my job, - and working up a load of sexual tension, and prancing away like a magnificent poof is truly thanks enough!"