History Main / LightIsGood

* ''Literature/DaughterOfTheSon'': Orsina is a {{paladin}}, with her organization being called the Order of the Sun. Further, her sword can be lit up to guide her way after she prays to trigger it. She's the titular Daughter of the Sun as well naturally.

DaylightHorror and LightIsNotGood are subversions of this {{trope}}.

* In ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragonTheHiddenWorld'' The Light Fury is a female dragon with white scales and is shown to be loyal and protective of Toothless, and while she distrusts humans, it is not without reason. [[spoiler: She later goes to trust Hiccup enough to save his life after seeing him save Toothless, and later trusts him to be around her family.]]

* Tandy Bowen, known as Dagger of ''ComicBook/CloakAndDagger'' wears white, has [[LightEmUp the ability to creat daggers out of light]] and is the gentle girl to the brooding Cloak.

* ComicBook/HawkAndDove: The duo are superheroes who are the avatars of war and peace, and wear white costumes with [[PrimaryColorChampion red and blue]] accents. The second Dove, Holly Granger, takes this further by having white hair, and during the Blackest Night comic event, she gains the ability to conjure up bright light that destroys the Black Lanterns.
* ''ComicBook/{{Captain Marvel|MarvelComics}}'': Monica Rambeau has been given a multitude of different superhero aliases over the years, from Photon, Pulsar, Spectrum and Captain Marvel for a time. In all those incarnations, she is shown as being able to manipulate light and wearing a white costume.

Why having [[CueTheSun the sun appear]] is good. Also the reason WhiteMagic is called that. Related to HeavenAbove, since the sky and the light-bearing suns often go hand-in-hand when depicting the good {{God}}. This trope's relationship with the sun can often lend it to be used similarly to RaysFromHeaven, CueTheSun, and WatchingTheSunset. See also HolyHalo, ShiningCity, and ShiningGoodness. See also WhiteIsPure.

* While this trope was sometimes averted by the original ''Manga/SaintSeiya'' and ''Anime/SaintSeiyaTheLostCanvas'', in ''Anime/SaintSeiyaOmega'' the Light Cosmo have been portrayed as a good force, opposed to [[DarkIsEvil Darkness Cosmo.]]

* ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'': The Kaiju Mothra, stand out as having powerful bioluminescence, and her cave painting is shown to be white. She is also a GentleGiant of the Kaiju, showing no ill will to humans, even leaning in to let touch her at one point.

** ''Literature{{Once}}'': Tiny, winged, [[SparkFairies brightly glowing]] ''[[OurFairiesAreDifferent faerefolkis]]'' prove to be benevolent.

%%zce* In ''Anime/{{Shinzo}}'' this trope is played straight most of the time.

** Minato Namikaze as the Jinchuriki of the Nin-Tails also uses chakra mode and Kurama Avatar which is also the same color as mentioned above.
%%zce** Hinata Hyuga defies what the rest of her clan stands for.

* ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'': Puck is a diminutive pixie that emits a bright light, and can blind opponents with a flash of light. He stands out as one of the nices people in the series, and [[RudeHeroNiceSidekick is much more polite then]] the AntiHero Guts. Actually inverted with Guts and Griffith, however.

* Subverted in ''Manga/DeathNote'', where the character ''named'' Light appears to be a pretty good guy at first (or at worst a WellIntentionedExtremist) whose ideas of morality and justice are just slightly askew. However, it quickly becomes a case of LightIsNotGood as he descends into [[AGodAmI corruption]] and [[BlackAndWhiteInsanity madness]]... as a result of ''believing'' himself to be this.

** Koji, TheLancer in ''Anime/DigimonFrontier'', possesses the power of light.

** Hinata Hyuga defies what the rest of her clan stands for.

* In ''Anime/{{Shinzo}}'' this trope is played straight most of the time.

* ComicBook/SpiderGwen has a primarily white, costume, leading her to be nicknamed 'Ghost-Spider'

* Light magic in ''LightNovel/MyNextLifeAsAVillainessAllRoutesLeadToDoom'' is only confirmed to be able to dispel curses, detect dark magic and heal injuries.

* ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreed'': The titular Assassin Brotherhood is an organization driven to protecting humanity's free will from the manipulations of the [[LightIsNotGood Templar Order]], and are closely associated with the colors white and [[RedisHeroic red]] and the main outfit for many of the heroes such as Altaïr, Connor, Ezio, Desmond, Bayek and Aya). The Assassin robe is usually a white, hooded outfit with a red sash. Their creed even specifically mentions "we work in the dark, to serve the light."

* ''ComicBook/DoctorFate'': He gains power from a golden helmet, his powers manifest as golden light and an ankh symbol, and is a hero. Played with as some versions of such as in ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' and ''VideoGame/Injustice2'' are [[LightIsNotGood are decidedly ''less'' good]].

* ''ComicBook/TheSandman'' Daniel Hall, the second Dream, is clad in white, and has MysticalWhiteHair, and is the RedeemingReplacement to Morpheus, being much more forgiving and approachable.

* ''Film/CrimsonPeak'' the Protagonist Edith often wears white and is associated with the sunshine and has [[HairofGoldHeartofGold blond hair]] and is a Nice Girl.

** ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'': Groot is capable of releasing spores and flowers glowing in a bright golden light, which he uses to illuminate the darkness. He is also the nicest of the AntiHeroTeam of the Guardians of the Galaxy.

** It's a bit of a deconstruction of CharacterAlignment in general, but this in particular: the series features both [[TotalitarianUtilitarian Totalitarian Utilitarians]] and [[KnightTemplar Knights Templar]] as a means to explore [[LightIsNotGood how people who can't knowingly betray their principles]] [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans can still cause a lot of damage]]. At one point one of the Dark Ones invokes EvilIsPetty to explain why the Light Ones with their world-encompassing ambitions are so much more dangerous than the Dark Ones who are just selfish.

* [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] in a weird way in Eve Forward's ''Literature/VillainsByNecessity'' with the Good/Light side. With the [[KnightTemplar "heroes"]] of the world constantly eradicating every single evil they come across, thus endangering the world's [[BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil balance]], it quickly becomes clear that they [[LightIsNotGood don't exactly live up the "Good" part in their name]].

* ''Videogame/{{Bayonetta}}'' has angels who [[LightIsNotGood avert]] this trope big time, but the Lumen Sages they work with play it straight, when the sages aren't being [[BrainwashedAndCrazy brainwashed]].

** while Sol Badguy is mainly a case of DarkIsNotEvil he possesses the Outrage Senga (which makes up part of his Junkyard Dog MK III sword in Xrd), which is capable of channeling and amplifying light-based magic.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

%%* Several cartoons from the eighties (Such as the original ''Franchise/MyLittlePony'', ''WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse1983'',''WesternAnimation/SheRaPrincessOfPower'',''Franchise/TheCarebears'', ''WesternAnimation/SilverHawks'' and the original ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats'') tend to follow the pattern of Light is Good and DarkIsEvil. Though ''My Little Pony'' both [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTVSpecials th]][[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyAndFriends en]] and [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic now]] also contains examples of DarkIsNotEvil ''

* ''Manga/InuYasha:'' Kagome Higurashi, one of the heroes and a NiceGirl, has [[LightTheWay flash-light based abilities,]] and [[HolyHandGrenade specializes in holy spiritual powers.]] Kikyo also counts, being an incredibly powerful priestess, albeit as an AntiHero.
* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure''

* Asuna, the female protagonist from ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'', wears white clothing, a stark contrast from male protagonist and LoveInterest [[DarkIsNotEvil Kirito.]]

* ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'': TRY Introduces Filia Ul Copt Is the GoodShepherd of Cepheid, wears white, and has [[HolyHandGrenade holy magical abilities]].

* The titular main characters in ''Franchise/JoJosBizarreAdventure'' use [[ThePowerOfTheSun Hamon]] during Part 1, Part 2 and a bit in part 3. {{Subverted|Trope}} in that [[spoiler:[[AncientEvil Kars]] uses it after obtaining the Ultimate Form, whose Hamon is actually hundreds of times stronger than what the main characters used.]]

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'': Quite common among the good guys.

** In the Player classes available, one of the choices is the Paladin, who draw power from the Holy Light, or in the case of the Sunwalkers Tauren Paladins, the [[PowerOfTheSun sun.]]

[[folder:Visual Novels]]
* In ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyDualDestinies'', Bobby Fulbright, the main detective of the game, wears a white outfit and is dedicated to pursuing justice. [[spoiler: Sadly, the spy who killed him and [[KillAndReplace stole his identity]] [[SubvertedTrope doesn't hold those ideals himself]].]]
** ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneySpiritOfJustice'' [[spoiler: Nahyuta Sahdmadhi, the main prosecutor who wears an all-white outfit with gold accents and has pale hair appears to be an antagonist, but only agrees because his mother and sister are being threatened, and is one of the Defiant Dragons trying to overthrow the corrupt regime, and at the end of the game, becomes the GoodChancellor]].
* In RomanceGame ''VisualNovel/ShallWeDateAngelOrDevil'', two love interests are angels who wish to claim the protagonist.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]

Why having [[CueTheSun the sun appear]] is good. Also the reason WhiteMagic is called that. Related to HeavenAbove, since the sky and the light-bearing suns often go hand-in-hand when depicting the good {{God}}. This trope's relationship with the sun can often lend it to be used similarly to RaysFromHeaven, CueTheSun, and WatchingTheSunset. See also HolyHalo, ShiningCity, and ShiningGoodness.

* ''Literature/AesirCrossWars'': Azrael is extremely kind and altruistic, and wields Light as his primary element. Fittingly, he's TheHero, though his {{Leitmotif}} seems to appeal more to his secondary element of Lightning.
** Freya, the LoveGoddess, who Azzy serves. She has Light as her secondary element, and though she can be a bitch, she's one of the nicer characters in the WorldOfJerkass that is this book.

** Hinata Hyuga pretty much defies what the rest of her clan stands for.

* The second Doctor Light Dr. Kimiyo Hoshi, has the same powers as the [[LightIsNotGood first]], and even a nearly identical costume, but is a genuine hero, albeit an [[InsufferableGenius arrogant one]] [[JerkWithaHeartofGold but with a good heart underneath it all]]. In the 2008 DC Christmas Special, she even states that she kept the name and costume of the original Dr. Light to prove to people that light could be good again.

* In ''WesternAnimation/LegendOfTheGuardiansTheOwlsOfGaHoole'', Boron and Barran, the two leaders of the Guardians use golden helmets and have a white plumage. Of course, considering they're snowy owls, it's not like they have much choice regarding their feather colour, and the villains are also the generally light-coloured barn owls.

** ''Film/CaptainMarvel2019'': Carol Danvers' powers are centered on photon manipulation, usually into her iconic photon blasts. In her binary mode, she is completely enveloped in golden light and is basically a PhysicalGod.

* The Light Side of the Force in ''Franchise/StarWars''. The Expanded Universe is a bit more relaxed with this, though. Oddly enough, nobody ever calls it the "Light Side" in the original and prequel trilogies... it's only ever "The Force" and "The Dark Side of the Force." The entire idea of calling it the "Light Side of the Force" most likely came from fans making the "DarkIsEvil = Light is Good" connection on their own! The [[Film/TheForceAwakens sequel trilogy]] finally uses the term.

* ''Literature/NightWatchSeries'': Light Others live and breathe this trope... though, it can be said that the series examines this trope, bends it, reshapes it, subverts it, ''averts'' it, and when all else is lost, the author throws in the towel and pretty much says that all bets are off.
** It's a bit of a deconstruction of CharacterAlignment in general, but this in particular: the series features both [[TotalitarianUtilitarian Totalitarian Utilitarians]] and [[KnightTemplar Knights Templar]] as a means to explore [[LightIsNotGood how people who can't knowingly betray their principles]] [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans can still cause a hell of a lot of damage]]. At one point one of the Dark Ones pretty much invokes EvilIsPetty to explain why the Light Ones with their world-encompassing ambitions are so much more dangerous than the Dark Ones who are just selfish.

* In ''Literature/WarriorCats'', characters use rhetoric about the heroes being light fighting the darkness, their ancestors become stars, and the cats go to the Moonstone which allows them to contact their benevolent ancestors and glows with moonlight. Most cats with light-related names are clearly good ([[TheHero Firestar]], Whitestorm, [[IncorruptiblePurePureness Whitewing]], Sunstar, Moonflower, Brightheart, Briarlight, Brightspirit, Shiningheart, etc.) -- pretty much everyone besides Sol.

** In the first book's finale, the protagonists [[spoiler:cast a spell that merges their souls (and various magical powers)]]. This results in the heroes literally glowing with Neela's shared magic.

* Diane Duane's ''Literature/YoungWizards'' series works with this considerably, especially in the first book, although they play with it increasingly through the series and [[spoiler: at the end of the third book have a decisive Redemption arc where it is shown that Dark Does Not Have To Be Bad. Of course, the fact that the Powers don't live within linear time means there are still loads and loads of incarnations of the Lone One running around being evil for books and books more, but they've finally given him the chance to start going home.]]

** In terms of characters wielding WhiteMagic, the most famous are heroic, but there's a sufficiently large amount of paranoid {{Knight Templar}}s as well. So light is pretty much neutral in this setting.

** ''Varekai'': the boy Icarus, wears white and even has pure white wings.

* In ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'', every sentient character has a dark side and light side, representing, of course, good and evil. These could be tapped into, to obtain either light or shadow powers, and naturally, shadow is easier to master and makes one corrupt. To those who have light or shadow powers from the get-go, obtaining the opposite "element" can prove difficult, since the two powers tend to cancel each other out. This is a mostly late development, however. While bad guys were since early associated with darkness, the light in Bionicle was originally more ambiguous and meant to be "special" rather than "good".

** ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry2'': Lucia is the most blatant example in the entire franchise. She wears a white cape, her name is Latin for "light" and her Devil Trigger more resembles an angel than a demon.

* ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'' After God Of War I, [[spoiler: Kratos is powered by the Light of Hope. Pretty much his sole redeeming trait, for a given value of "redeeming", is his stubborn refusal to give up hope (of revenge, of closure, etc.) and die. Ultimately, the realization of the kind of power that gives him leads him to try to atone by killing himself and releasing hope to the world to help make up for the destruction he's caused.]]

* ''VideoGame/TotalWarWarhammer'': Alarielle the Radiant, Everqueen of Ulthuan, is a High Elf who wears a beautiful gown of pure white, wields WhiteMagic, is lithe and golden, and is possibly one of the kindest souls in the entire World.She likely embodies this trope better than any other character in the franchise.

** Of the members of the Alliance, the Exodar faction of the Draenei race make light their entire philosophy, and many of them use [[LightTheWay use light-based spells]] when attacking, and are considered least corrupted of the Alliance and the most dedicated to stopping the Legion. The Vindicaar faction of the Draenei also falls into this, having a [[GoldAndWhiteAreDivine gold and white coloration]] but are much more aggressive than the Exodar.

* Light represents life and benevolence in ''VideoGame/Wick2020''. If Wick's flame goes out he dies, lighting candelabras sets them as checkpoints and the entire goal is to bring the light back into the cathedral and drive back the darkness. Mara and the demonic flies actively seek to prevent the light from being restored.

* In ''Literature/{{Worm}}'', [[BigGood Scion]] is this; he's a gold-skinned man dressed in white spandex who does literally nothing but save people. [[spoiler: As of [[WhamEpisode Interlude 26]], this is [[AvertedTrope averted]] in the [[OmnicidalManiac worst possible way]].]]

** Cassie Sandsmark, the second Wonder Girl, has blonde hair and wields a lasso than channels lightning.