History Main / LoveableRogue

* George Cooper, King of Thieves, from the ''Literature/{{Tortall|Universe}}'' books. His title is actually "The Rogue", and he basically runs the thieves' organization throughout the kingdom.
** Also Rosto the Piper in the ''Beka'' books; it looks like [[spoiler:he might be an ancestor of George]]'s, so it all makes sense.

* Also ''WesternAnimation/YogiBear'' of [[Creator/{{Hanna-Barbera}} the same team]]. He's obsessed with stealing 'pic-a-nic baskets' from campers and often winding up [[HeroAntagonist Ranger Smith]] in the process, but he's a friendly easy going guy who is repentant when his stunts cause significant problems in the park. In most instances he is not portrayed as a thief but as an outright protagonist solving mysteries or helping friends.

** River Song is a rare female example of this trope. She's a time-travelling archaeologist, [[spoiler:convicted murderer, thief]] and still saves the world every now and then with the Doctor.

** Jayne fits the type, even if it's only the audience that finds him lovable. He's like Mal, but without the (semi-)moral compass. Or the smarts ... though he ''does'' look cunning in that hat.

-> ''"Now; I did a job. Got nothing but trouble since I did it, not to mention more than a few unkind words as regard to my character. So let me make this abundantly clear: I do the job... and then I get paid."''

And the [[RougeAnglesOfSatin g comes before the u]] ladies and gentlemen. That is, unless you're talking about [[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog Rouge the Bat]], who [[AccidentalPun just happens to be]] a good example of this trope, [[MsFanservice in more ways than one.]] If the charming person is a villain instead of an AntiHero, then they are described as being AffablyEvil. The audience will usually ''not'' root for a villain, even if he or she is AffablyEvil. [[DesignatedVillain Usually.]]

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* Fred and George Weasley from the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' books.
** Those two never break any real laws though, just some school rules. [[spoiler: And once out of school, they work as merchants.]]
*** But considering for most of the series--to the readers' perspective--Hogwarts is practically the whole world, they still qualify.
*** "Never break any real laws"? What about Montague and the Vanishing Cabinet - you know, the one that nearly ''killed'' him to escape? They were remarkably cavalier about what might have happened - certainly, in a Muggle common law jurisdiction, it was assault and, if the jurisdiction had a "wicked recklessness" rule about murder, then it could have been actual murder had Montague died.
** The Marauders would be a better example, at least when they were young, having actually broken the law by not registering to become animagi, and being a bit jerkier.

** Essentially, the only two lines he consistently has shown is an unwillingness to kill anyone in cold blood ([[TheDogShotFirst unless your name is Greedo]]) and a refusal to take part a direct part in any type of slavery operation (he would work for slavers in other matters though).
** Is it really considered shooting someone in cold blood if that person has a gun trained on you and is talking about shooting you? It's simple self-defense. No court would accuse him.

*** Particularly in the Han Solo trilogy, but also in many other EU books, he has conned a number of people, smuggled what is basically the hardest spice (SW equivalent of drugs) available, stolen, forged government documents, entered Imperial services under a false ID, [[FakingTheDead faked his own death]], cheated at games of chance, betrayed several employers, led a picket ship on a chase that resulted in its complete destruction, bribed an Imperial officer, freed slaves (morally good, but technically illegal), led a raid on a former employer's base, resisted arrest a whole lot of times, kidnapped Leia, and killed numerous people (though all of them were at least directly or indirectly trying to kill him at the time). In some instances, these acts were justifiable by being morally good or because he didn't have any sort of choice, but in other cases they were purely selfish acts to get what he wanted.
*** Essentially, the only two lines he consistently has shown is an unwillingness to kill anyone in cold blood ([[TheDogShotFirst unless your name is Greedo]]) and a refusal to take part a direct part in any type of slavery operation (he would work for slavers in other matters though).
*** Is it really considered shooting someone in cold blood if that person has a gun trained on you and is talking about shooting you? It's simple self-defense. No court would accuse him.

* Han Solo from ''Franchise/StarWars''.
** The EU generally has him [[BadassDecay becoming less roguish]].
** He was never really that roguish in the first place.
** Han Solo seems to be so lovable that all the pretty rotten things he has done seem so justifiable that they don't seem to sink in.

* Nathan Drake's interactions with his crew in the ''{{Uncharted}}'' series makes him an lovable and entertaining rogue. He also tends to operate at least somewhat outside the law (such as being forced to get into an explosive gunfight with pirates in the first game's intro due to operating without a permit).

* Nathan Drake's interactions with his crew in the ''{{Uncharted}}'' series makes him an lovable and entertaining rogue.

-->-- '''Malcolm Reynolds''', ''{{Firefly}}''

Note that while morally a click below your average antihero in the sense that they might not be considered a hero at all, the LovableRogue is strongly associated with highly Idealistic series on the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism, as Cynical series tend not to place value on the concept of a Code of Honor, which is usually what makes the LoveableRogue, well, lovable.

A click ''above'' the LovableTraitor, who is definitely not a nice person, but wins by lowering the audience's expectations so much, that he charms them with a few token PetTheDog moments (which usually include helping the hero. It's amazing how much fans will overlook if they help the hero). Usually male, but female thieves tend to be considered {{Lovable Rogue}}s by default.

And the [[RougeAnglesOfSatin g comes before the u]] ladies and gentlemen. That is, unless you're talking about [[SonicTheHedgehog Rouge the Bat]], who [[AccidentalPun just happens to be]] a good example of this trope, [[MsFanservice in more ways than one.]] If the charming person is a villain instead of an AntiHero, then they are described as being AffablyEvil. The audience will usually ''not'' root for a villain, even if he or she is AffablyEvil. [[DesignatedVillain Usually.]]

* Androids 17 and 18 of ''Manga/DragonBallZ'' -- in the main timeline, at least. In Trunk's timeline, they're sociopathic killers.
* Ali al-Saachez from ''{{Gundam 00}}'' is a subversion of the normal LoveableRogue; his men love him for his fun nature, and he ''does'' take care of them, often fighting Gundams by himself because he knows only he can match them in direct combat. However, he's also a BloodKnight who cares only for chaos and slaughter; if it's not him causing a civil war, it's making children kill their parents to prove their devotion to the cause, or just random murder for the sake of it.

* In ''FushigiYuugi'', the rough and brash thief Tasuki's first appearance consists of kidnapping the heroine Miaka, unleashing [[GoddamnedBats ghost wolves]] against the heroes who try to stop him, and later faking his own death to avoid joining the heroes. However, he later shows up to [[KillItWithFire save the heroes]] from zombies and becomes completely dedicated to their cause, to the point of nearly making a HeroicSacrifice on Miaka's behalf.

* Dark in ''DNAngel'' most definitely fits this trope!

* Dorian Gloria, the thief from ''FromEroicaWithLove'', who is essentially a gay Lupin III.
* [[MagicKaito Kaito]] [[Manga/DetectiveConan KID]].

** From the same series is [[CunningLikeAFox Reynard the Fox]], who appears as a LoveableRogue, who seems to have a self-serving agenda, but then genuinely appears to just want to help. He even points out that being self-serving and helping others are goals that complement each other.
* The Black Fox, a GentlemanThief foe of ComicBook/{{Spider-Man}}, has this vibe going for him. So much so that Spider-Man actually lets him escape from their first few encounters because he just can't bring himself to send the Fox to jail.

* ''SinbadLegendOfTheSevenSeas'' has Sinbad leading a troop of non-murderous pirates. They're just so awesome they don't need to kill. Except that one bit in the first scene where they did... but eh.

* Phil Moscowitz, the hero of the WoodyAllen comedy ''WhatsUpTigerLily?'', who identifies himself as a LoveableRogue when giving his name and occupation and whose lecherous behavior certainly fits the type.
* Daniel Dravot(SeanConnery) and Peachy Carnehan(MichaelCaine) from ''TheManWhoWouldBeKing''. They're unscrupulous con men who set out to use modern weaponry and tactics to manipulate a small nation into appointing them kings, with the intent of making off with hoards of treasure, but for most of the film you can't help but root for them.
* Han Solo from ''StarWars''.

** [[TheThrawnTrilogy Talon Karrde]] has been said by his creator to be based off of what Han Solo might have become in the years since the films, if he hadn't fallen for Leia. Karrde developed from there -- it's hard to imagine ''Solo'' running a large and well-organized smuggling/information brokering group -- but the basic idea is the same. He's NotInThisForYourRevolution, he has no love for the Empire but doesn't see the profit or point in open resistance, and he does have a sense of honor.

* Captain Jack Sparrow, from the ''PiratesOfTheCaribbean'' movies, is a mix of LoveableRogue and MagnificentBastard. He has his own peculiar code of honor and is generally a protagonist, but is highly pragmatic and values his own skin over everyone else's.

* ErrolFlynn in ''Film/CaptainBlood''. {{Pirate}}s are prone to being Loveable Rogues, apparently.

* Bob, the title character of ''TheGoodThief''. Even the cop who's after him has a soft spot for the guy.
* The Man With No Name, as played by ClintEastwood in SergioLeone's ''DollarsTrilogy'', is a con-man, a thief and a murderer, but dammit, he's just so cool with that poncho of his.

* Frank Skeffington, the [[SleazyPolitician crooked big-city machine politician]], is undoubtedly one of these in the movie version of ''TheLastHurrah''; he is ferociously loyal and would never desert a friend, and if he sometimes uses money or offices to secure political favors, he only does it to help out his constituents. He is slightly more overtly sympathetic in the film than in the book (see "Literature" section below).

* Rodney Skinner, in the film adaptation of ''Film/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen''. A cheerfully self-acknowledged GentlemanThief, who stole the invisibility serum so that he ''could'' be the greatest thief in the world, he arguably emerges as the most loveable character in the whole movie. Bonus points for being [[spoiler:the ReverseMole]] and also for winning over fans of the graphic novel who were disgusted by his predecessor, original invisible man Hawley Griffin.
* Danny Ocean & Friends of ''Ocean's Eleven''. They're all charismatic in their own way, and everyone hates AssholeVictim Terry Benedict anyway.
* "Professor" Harold Hill, of TheMusicMan, is this, with a heavy emphasis on the Lovable part (since he's also TheCharmer).
* Private Hook in ''{{Zulu}}''. Note artistic liberty here; the historical Private Hook was no malingerer, not in any way a disciplinary problem, and fought even more bravely in the battle than the film portrays him as doing. His surviving relatives walked out of the premiere when they saw how he'd been portrayed.

* Hugh Jackman's characters often use that trope, as in ''Film/{{X-Men}}'', ''Swordfish'' or ''Film/VanHelsing''.

* Frank Abagnale of ''CatchMeIfYouCan'' (winningly played by LeonardoDiCaprio). He's a very clever young man who successfully passes for a lawyer, doctor, and airline pilot, whilst committing millions of dollars worth of check fraud. But he only does this because he sees no other prospects for himself; what he longs for most is a stable family. Pursuing FBI agent Carl Hanratty (TomHanks) comes to realize this, so arranges for Frank to eventually achieve a happy ending. This story has some overlap with RealLife.

* George Cooper, King of Thieves, from the ''[[TortallUniverse Tortall]]'' books. His title is actually "The Rogue", and he basically runs the thieves' organization throughout the kingdom.

* Frank Skeffington in ''TheLastHurrah'' is a [[SleazyPolitician crooked big-city machine politician]] who is nonetheless beloved by his constituents (and ''not'' because [[VillainWithGoodPublicity he is fooling them]]- they know how he works, and they don't care). He may hand out offices and money as a way of buying political power, but he is ferociously loyal and would never desert a friend. Still, his portrayal is a little more overtly sympathetic in [[TheFilmOfTheBook the film]] than in the novel, which is slightly more ambivalent about him and his legacy.
* The ''{{Nightrunner}}'' series is centered around spies and thieves.

* Gonff, the Mousethief, from the ''{{Redwall}}'' novel "Mossflower" is decidedly one of these.
* ''TheStainlessSteelRat''.
* The Marquis De Carabas, from NeilGaiman's ''{{Neverwhere}}''.

* The entire GentlemanBastard gang.

* Silk from ''TheBelgariad;'' popular enough that he was the only non-sorcerer member of the party (aside from the Love Interest Ce'Nedra) to star in both ''The Belgariad'' and its sequel, ''The Mallorean''.
** DavidEddings then put artistic street urchin and pickpocket Talen and GentlemanThief Stragen into TheElenium and TheTamuli.
* Mulch Diggums from the ''Literature/ArtemisFowl'' series.

* Fisk from the ''[[KnightAndRogueSeries Knight and]]'' '''''[[KnightAndRogueSeries Rogue]]''''' ''[[KnightAndRogueSeries Series]]'' is this for the first two books, though by the third contsant close quarters with Michael seems to have gotten him to behave a little more within the law.

* Ragnar Danneskjöld of ''AtlasShrugged'' is a pirate who steals from relief ships bound for famine-struck countries. He, quite literally, ''steals food from starving children.'' (He keeps most of the profits, too.) It is implied, by the narrator that most of those relief goods never would have reached those starving children anyway. Nevertheless, he is presented as a charming hero.
* Count Vega from {{Wereworld}} A pirate an Exile and a Lady Killer who has a crush on Whitley.
* Ilmar the Slick in SergeyLukyanenko's ''SeekersOfTheSky'' duology is a thief, a grave robber, and a murderer (although in this world's mythology he hasn't yet commited the "mortal sin" of killing a dozen). He's also a devout follower of one of the two [[TheChurch Churches]] of this world (the one more concerned with redemption and forgiveness than punishment) and will often donate sacred texts found in abandoned temples to the Church. Unlike a typical rogue, Ilmar isn't shown to be particularly charming. His fling with a female pilot (who's also a countess) happens after he kidnaps her and forces her to fly him to the mainland. They crash, and she ends up having GladToBeAliveSex with him, while he can't even move.

* The Artful Dodger from ''Literature/OliverTwist'' is this. Even more so in ''Theatre/{{Oliver!}}'' .
* Will from ''Literature.TheYearOfRogueDragons'' qualifies.

* Del Boy from ''OnlyFoolsAndHorses''.

* Newkirk from ''HogansHeroes'', pickpocket and card-cheater. Good thing he only uses his skills on the Nazis.

* Autolycus, the King of Thieves from ''HerculesTheLegendaryJourneys'' and ''XenaWarriorPrincess''.

* The main characters from ''{{Hustle}}'', a team of con artists who only con those who deserve it.
* Ezra, the gambler and con man from ''Series/TheMagnificentSeven'' tv series.

* Shawn Spencer, from ''Main/{{Psych}}'', who likes coming up with scams and cons as part of his job. But he also scams people to keep his best friend from looking bad...

** In season 5, he [[CharacterDevelopment develops]] from LoveableRogue into a snarky but otherwise perfectly heroic character. [[spoiler:The actor has said that Juliet's death will push him into LoveableRogue territory again in season 6... except drop the "loveable".]]

* Neal, the main character of ''WhiteCollar'' personifies this trope.
* Omar, from the HBO series, ''TheWire'' definitely falls under this category. He makes his living ripping off drug dealers and is constantly killing people. But he has a moral code of "all in the game" and he is just too loveable for the audience not to, well, love.
* Neil from ''TheLibrarians'' sees himself as a loveable rogue. No one else does.

* [[IncrediblyLamePun Lutin]], from ''Series/TheLegendOfDickAndDom'', is introduced in the opening credit voiceover as the heroes' thieving servant. Saves the quest several times with heists, capers and jailbreaks, as well as routinely sabotaging opponents and lifting small items; she's a classic cheeky, sarcastic rogue.
* Dennis Stanton on ''Murder, She Wrote''. A jewel thief who crossed Jessica Fletcher's path several times. (He ended up using his skills for legal purposes as an insurance investigator.)
* [[Series/LostGirl Kenzi]] is a rare female eample.

* The late EddieGuerrero was well known for his "Lie, Cheat, and Steal" lifestyle. But he was so damn charming, he'd usually get away with it, all the while stealing the audience's hearts.

* There's a good chance that any given Thief/Rogue, Bard, or Swashbuckler you meet in a game of ''[[DungeonsAndDragons Dungeons & Dragons]]'' is this kind of character.

* The [[PlanetOfHats hat]] of the [[{{Talislanta}} Sarista]].

* Falstaff in Shakespeare's ''HenryIV''.
* The Engineer from ''MissSaigon''.
* Creator/BertoltBrecht [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructs]] this trope in ''Theatre/TheThreepennyOpera''.

* If Robin Hood is a Loveable Rogue, then definitely we have to include Yoshimitsu of ''SoulCalibur'' and ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}''. In both games, he steals from rich people and gives to the poor, much like Robin Hood. Most people love him, even if he's not really important to either storyline, but everyone loves him only because he's just so damn awesome. It helps that he can use his sword as a pogo stick.
** And as a helicopter.
* Jansen Friedh from ''LostOdyssey'' plays this one almost perfectly, with a healthy dose of PluckyComicRelief. ObfuscatingStupidity too. And a little bit of ButtMonkey. He's one of the best characters in the game.

** And Kay Faraday, even though she doesn't technically steal anything.
*** Except the truth!

** She wouldn't even be the first AmbiguouslyGay LoveableRogue in the series -- that would be Legault, of the seventh game.

** Matthew qualifies as well. Come to think of it, this is a recurring trend in the FireEmblem series.

* Milanor the Silver Wolf from ''YggdraUnion'' is the leader of a loosely-knit group of vagabonds, but he also helps the eponymous princess form [[LaResistance a counter-imperial rebellion]].

* ''CrimsonSkies''' Nathan Zachary.
* Imoen, [[spoiler:[[BigBrotherInstinct your own little sister]]]], from the ''BaldursGate'' series definitely qualifies, though she dual-classes into a SquishyWizard in the sequel. Her merciless torture at the hands of Jon Irenicus is a vicious PlayerPunch and one of the main reason for you to hate Irenicus' guts.

* Chousokabe Motochika from ''SengokuBasara'' is a kleptomaniac {{pirate}} known as the "Demon of the Western Sea" who crushes peoples skulls in with a [[AnchorsAway giant anchor]]. However once you get past this he's actually a fairly honest, charming and good-hearted guy who values things like friendship and keeping promises, and overall one of the most moral characters around.
* Lara Croft from ''TombRaider''. While the game would prefer you to see her as an AdventurerArchaeologist, in [[RealLife the real world]] she would be called an ordinary [[GraveRobbing grave robber]].
** Speaking of Eidos, {{Gex}} was reportedly suppossed to be this, as revealed in the interview with the creator at the end of the Enter The Gecko Strategy Guide.
* And for that matter, don't forget [[PhantomThief Garrett]] from the ''{{Thief}}'' series.

* Sly Cooper from the ''SlyCooper'' games definitely falls under this catagory, along with the rest of the Cooper Gang.

* ''TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'' introduced the Mogmas, a race of tunnel dwellers who are mostly seen plotting to steal ancient treasure from the local temples. Despite being thieves they always repay debts, and their kindness and inclination to help Link save Zelda make them very lovable.

* Sky from ''JadeEmpire''.
* Lyndon from ''VideoGame/DiabloIII'', despite [[BlackAndGreyMorality the setting]], falls squarely into this category, much thanks to his charming (and humorous) personality. [[spoiler:He does have ''some'' noble motivations at least--one of his own thefts caused his brother to be imprisoned, and Lyndon is working to get him freed.]]

* Mordekai from the Fantasy theme of ''IrregularWebcomic'' actually [[http://www.irregularwebcomic.net/comic.php?comic=590 insists]] [[http://www.irregularwebcomic.net/comic.php?comic=1593 on]] [[http://www.irregularwebcomic.net/2637.html being]] referred to as a ''LoveableRogue''.

*** We see her doing a sneaky burglary and theft in the prequel ''On the Origin of [[PlayerCharacter PCs]]'', and likewise in [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0577.html this online comic strip]]. Suffice to say, in ''[[DungeonsAndDragons Dungeons & Dragons]]'' the Thief or Rogue has been a character class from the beginning, and a life of crime does not mean a thief character is automatically considered ''evil'' in alignment, he just cannot be ''lawful''.

* ''TheKAMics'': Gertrude & Brunhilda as explained in [[http://www.drunkduck.com/The_KAMics/4826741/ this strip]].

* ''HarkAVagrant'' [[http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=53 portrays]] RobinHood as a LoveableRogue. Dick Turpin, [[SubvertedTrope on the other hand...]]
* Rocky from LackadaisyCats. Course, it helps that he's a little... well, crazy.

* The pirates from DubiousCompany. Sure they steal [[HeroStoleMyBike ships]], [[TrademarkFavoriteFood rum]], and [[MagiTek polyphase conductors]], but overall they're [[PokeThePoodle terrible]] [[MinionWithAnFInEvil pirates]]. Of course their main adversaries, the Imperial Guard, are [[WhatTheHellHero terrible]] [[HeroWithAnFinGood officers]]. A major arc involved the pirates trying to stop the Imperial Guard from giving the [[EvilOverlord Emperor]] [[FusionDance superpowers]], by [[HumanSacrifice murdering]] an otherwise innocent priestess.

* This trope is [[InvokedTrope invoked]] in ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' to describe [[http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=006414 the difference between the Rogue and Thief classes]]:

* DaffyDuck of ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' fame, under Robert [=McKimson=]'s direction was evolved into a [[CompositeCharacter compromise]] of both his [[ScrewySquirrel former]] and [[SmallNameBigEgo latter]] forms, often acting as a con artist or door to door salesman. In tradition with this trope, his luck was often [[LaserGuidedKarma karma based]], when trying to swindle protaganists such as BugsBunny and Porky Pig he was usually foiled, when trying to make money out of antagonists such as Elmer Fudd and the Tazmanian Devil however, Daffy would often make a profit.
* ''ShaunTheSheep'' in his spin off series. His schemes often involve screwing the Farmer or Bitzer in some way, but he has no harmful intent and occasionally tries to do nice things for them to compensate. Usually the rest of the flock get in on this too.
* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' has Red X, who is not only entertainingly witty during combat, but also manages to ''completely dominate'' all five Titans at once. He also remarks that he doesn't steal for any sort of incomprehensibly psychopathic reason; he's just doing it all [[ForTheLulz for the fun]]. To add to his LoveableRogue status, he even saves the heroes' lives and helps save the city before escaping.

* ''TopCat'' and his gang of alley cats are either con artists or {{Zany Scheme}}rs, but have altruistic qualities and a ton of charisma to boot.
* Also ''YogiBear'' of [[HannaBarbera the same team]]. He's obsessed with stealing 'pic-a-nic baskets' from campers and often winding up [[HeroAntagonist Ranger Smith]] in the process, but he's a friendly easy going guy who is repentant when his stunts cause significant problems in the park. Most instances he is not portrayed as a thief he is an outright protagonist solving mysteries or helping friends.

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* Androids 17 and 18 of ''Manga/DragonBall Z'' -- in the main timeline, at least. In Trunk's timeline, they're sociopathic killers.

* Timon, from ''TheLionKing''.

-> ''"Now; I did a job. Got nothing but trouble since I did it, not to mention more than a few unkind words as regard to my character. So let me make this abundantly clear: I do the job... and then I get paid."

* [[ComicBook/{{X-Men}} Gambit]] is made of this trope. He's a very charming thief.

--> We kind of thought [[InsultBackfire them ''is'' our good points]], but if ye want to get picky [[HonorAmongThieves we never steal]] from [[NeverHurtAnInnocent them as has nae money]]. We has [[HiddenHeartOfGold hearts of gold]], although maybe- okay mostly somebody elses's gold. And we did [[NoodleIncident invent]] the [[BreadEggsMilkSquick deep-fried stoat]], that must count for something.

* Frank Abagnale of "CatchMeIfYouCan" (winningly played by LeonardoDiCaprio). He's a very clever young man who successfully passes for a lawyer, doctor, and airline pilot, whilst committing millions of dollars worth of check fraud. But he only does this because he sees no other prospects for himself; what he longs for most is a stable family. Pursuing FBI agent Carl Hanratty (TomHanks) comes to realize this, so arranges for Frank to eventually achieve a happy ending. This story has some overlap with RealLife.

** Made more loveable by being played by BruceCampbell himself.

* Jack (BruceCampbell) from ''Series/JackOfAllTrades''.

* ''TopCat'' and his gang of alley cats are either con artists or {{Zany Scheme}}rs, but have altrustic qualities and a ton of charisma to boot.

-->-- Malcolm Reynolds, ''{{Firefly}}''