History Main / LovedINotHonorMore

* ''ComicBook/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast1992'': Link grows distant after Ganon's defeat, dedicating his life to guarding the Triforce.

* Gender flipped in ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels'' with Hera Syndulla. She loves Kanan but won't allow herself to become too attached to him because she's fighting a war and might need to sacrifice him one day. Kanan grew to understand this and while they clearly love each other both have accepted that their own responsibilities take precedence over each other.

* ''LightNovel/FateZero'': Kiritsugu loves Irisviel deeply, but still puts TheNeedsOfTheMany ahead of her. Kiritsugu predicts his actions will eventually result in her death, but she accepts this and wants to help him realize his ideal.

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* In ''Fanfic/ResonanceDays'', Mami Tomoe would love nothing more than to continue her domestic and happy life with her wife, Charlotte. However, when Mami's old protégé Kyoko needs help [[spoiler:saving her sister from the BigBad]], Mami's guilt over having let her and Kyoko's relationship fall apart in the past and fear of losing Kyoko again compels to go with her, even knowing that she will never be able to return to the happy peaceful life she's built. Charlotte is not happy about it and develops a resentment towards Kyoko for it, but knows that doing anything to stop her wife from going would only strain their relationship. [[TakeAThirdOption So she goes with them as well]].
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* ''Manga/DeathNote'': Despite being ''far'' more competent as an investigator, Naomi Misora has agreed to [[QuittingToGetMarried quit her FBI job]] and become a {{Housewife}}, while allowing her fiance Raye Penbar to investigate Kira. (He says [[ForYourOwnGood it's to protect her]], because he worries about her in such a risky line of work, though it comes across as him being sexist and possibly emotionally abusive). It does ''not'' end well, for either one of them.

* ''Anime/CodeGeass'': Kallen comes to accept that she loves Lelouch [[spoiler:beyond his Zero persona]]. However, when Lelouch [[spoiler:becomes an EvilOverlord, she makes it her personal mission to kill him and end his tyrannous reign]]. However, although she ends up choosing duty to her people over love in the end, it is interesting to note that Kallen has admitted that if Lelouch had been honest about his feelings for her (i.e. that he sees her as more than a friend), she would have followed him to hell. Lelouch was fully aware of Kallen's UndyingLoyalty to him, and thus refused to answer truthfully, if at all, when asked what she means to him, wanting to make sure [[spoiler:she got to live on peacefully after the revolution, and not be dragged into his schemes as the Demon Emperor]].

* Depending on the situation, various sporkers at Blog/DasSporking argue in favor of this trope, often seeing characters who complain that their loved ones ignore them in favor of important matters to be whiny and [[ItsAllAboutMe self-centered]]. In the ''[[Literature/{{Twilight}} Eclipse]]'' sporking, for example, Mervin points out that by demanding that Jacob and Edward stay with her instead of fighting the newborn vampire army, Bella puts the lives of herself and everyone else in the fight (and surrounding area, for that matter) at risk, since it means their defense is now short two good fighters.

* ''ComicBook/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'': Link grows distant after Ganon's defeat, dedicating his life to guarding the Triforce.

* ''Series/{{Chuck}}'' plays around with this a fair bit, at least for the main romance. Sarah deals exclusively in this until [[TheyDo she doesn't]]; Chuck, while on the receiving end until [[spoiler:Prague]], has been known to reluctantly take the high road.

* Several of the participants in the ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' tournament are either married or have girlfriends, and they're more or less able to balance their private lives and their love of fighting. Guile has his wife Jane (or Julia) and their daughter Amy (or Chris), his brother-in-law Ken has Eliza and their little son Mel, Hakan has a [[HugeGuyTinyGirl cute and petite wife]] and ''seven'' little girls [[DotingParent whom he adores]], Guy has his fiancèe Rena ([[BrotherChuck though she hasn't been seen for a while already]]), Dhalsim has Sari and their son Datta, Rufus has his girlfriend Candy, etc..

* ''Anime/CodeGeass'': Kallen comes to accept that she loves Lelouch [[spoiler:beyond his Zero persona]]. However, when Lelouch [[spoiler:becomes an EvilOverlord, she makes it her personal mission to kill him and end his tyrannous reign]]. However, although she ends up choosing duty to her people over love in the end, it is interesting to note that Kallen has admitted that if Lelouch had been honest about his feelings for her (i.e. that he sees her as more than a friend), she would have followed him to hell. Lelouch was fully aware of Kallen's undying loyalty to him, and thus refused to answer truthfully, if at all, when asked what she means to him, wanting to make sure [[spoiler:she got to live on peacefully after the revolution, and not be dragged into his schemes as the Demon Emperor]].

* ''LightNovel/FateZero'': Kiritsugu loves Irisviel's deeply, but still puts TheNeedsOfTheMany ahead of her. Kiritsugu predicts his actions will eventually result in her death, but she accepts this and wants to help him realize his ideal.

* This shows up in, of all places, the 1960s cartoon ''WesternAnimation/{{Underdog}}''. In the episode "The Witch of Pickyune", Underdog meets a witch who will only wake his love interest from an eternal sleep if he helps her TakeOverTheWorld. Proving himself to be smarter than [[Franchise/StarWars Anakin Skywalker]], he flat out refuses (before accidentally saving the girl anyway with a TrueLovesKiss).

* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade'': Dorcas and his wife Natalie. It helps that their relationship doubles as ChildhoodFriendRomance, so she knows him very well. Not to mention, he joins Lyndis's and later Eliwood/Hector's BadassCrew is to [[HealthcareMotivation gather money for]] [[IllGirl Natalie]]'s medicines, and [[spoiler:he turns down an offer from Oswin to join the ''very'' famous Ostian Knights that he leads, since [[LadyAndKnight he only fights for Natalie]].]]

* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemElibe'': Dorcas and his wife Natalie. It helps that their relationship doubles as ChildhoodFriendRomance, so she knows him very well. Not to mention, he joins Lyndis's and later Eliwood/Hector's BadassCrew is to [[HealthcareMotivation gather money for]] [[IllGirl Natalie]]'s medicines, and [[spoiler:he turns down an offer from Oswin to join the ''very'' famous Ostian Knights that he leads, since [[LadyAndKnight he only fights for Natalie]].]]

** Averted with Ryu. He knows that [[WhatHappenedtoTheMouse Gouken's daughter]] likes him a lot and it's hinted that [[HeroWorshipper Sakura]] may have a full-blown crush on him... but he feels that he can't return the first's love due to his love for fighting, and doesn't seem to be even aware of the second's (possible) feelings.

* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'' actually {{Gender Flip}}s the male version of this trope in the episode "Superfriends," when the girls' PartTimeHero work puts a strain on their friendship with their new neighbor Robyn. Their conversation at the end of the episode illustrates the trope almost better than Lovelace's poem:

** [[spoiler:Eloise]] takes the trope UpToEleven by forgiving [[spoiler:Honor]] for killing [[spoiler:Javier]] at the Battle of Lovat, in order to forge a lasting peace between [[spoiler:the Republic and Manticore]] and allow them to ally with each other against their ''real'' enemies, [[spoiler:the Solarian League and its puppetmasters in the Mesan Alignment]].

* In ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' the relationship between Miles and Keiko O'Brien is often strained by the demands of Miles' position as the seniormost enlisted man aboard Deep Space 9, but the two stay together. It helps somewhat that Keiko is herself former Starfleet (they met in ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' when she was a botanist in the ''Enterprise'''s science department).

* This is a recurring theme of Belisarius and Antonina's marriage in the ''Literature/BelisariusSeries''; Antonina customarily spends the morning after Belisarius leaves for a campaign in their estate's stables, staring at a horse (but not actually getting on it to ride out after her husband).

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]
* Kenshin Himura and Kaoru Kamiya from ''Manga/RurouniKenshin''. He ''did'' attempt to leave her behind when he went to Kyoto, but after an HeroicBSOD, Kaoru (and Yahiko) followed him there.
* A good part of Miaka and Tamahome's conflict in ''Manga/FushigiYuugi'' comes from this trope and BodyguardCrush clashing with the fact that [[spoiler: she'll have to return to her world once Suzaku is summoned and he'll stay in the Four Gods Universe forever. They get their happy ending anyway]].

* Since a major theme in ''Manga/RedRiver1995'' is people in authority having a duty to serve their people as best they can, it stands to reason that this trope comes up more than once. As the man expected to rule the Hitte Empire one day, Kail has many responsibilities to his country and everyone in it. While Yuri can deal with him not being around for her personally, she does have trouble understanding some of his decisions (for example, him having to calmly ask Nakia about [[spoiler:Tito being held captive in her castle]], instead of forcing his way in as Yuri wants). [[spoiler:Later, this trope applies both ways to Yuri and Kail, as Yuri is named Commander-in-Chief of the military and begins to handle her own set of responsibilities.]]
* In ''LightNovel/FateZero'', Kiritsugu loves Irisviel's deeply, but still puts TheNeedsOfTheMany ahead of her. Kiritsugu predicts his actions will eventually result in her death, but she accepts this and wants to help him realize his ideal.
* In ''Anime/CodeGeass'', Kallen comes to accept that she loves Lelouch [[spoiler:beyond his Zero persona]]. However, when Lelouch [[spoiler:becomes an EvilOverlord, she makes it her personal mission to kill him and end his tyrannous reign]].
** However, although she ends up choosing duty to her people over love in the end, it is interesting to note that Kallen has admitted that if Lelouch had been honest about his feelings for her (i.e. that he sees her as more than a friend), she would have followed him to hell. Lelouch was fully aware of Kallen's undying loyalty to him, and thus refused to answer truthfully, if at all, when asked what she means to him, wanting to make sure [[spoiler:she got to live on peacefully after the revolution, and not be dragged into his schemes as the Demon Emperor]].
* In ''Manga/DeathNote'', despite being ''far'' more competent as an investigator, Naomi Misora has agreed to [[QuittingToGetMarried quit her FBI job]] and become a {{Housewife}}, while allowing her fiance Raye Penbar to investigate Kira. (He says [[ForYourOwnGood it's to protect her]], because he worries about her in such a risky line of work, though it comes across as him being sexist and possibly emotionally abusive). It does ''not'' end well, for either one of them.

[[folder: Comic Books ]]

[[folder: Fan Works]]

[[folder: Films -- Animated]]

[[folder: Films -- Live-Action ]]

* In ''Film/BridgeOfSpies,'' James Donovan's efforts to defend accused Soviet spy Rudolf Abel puts him and his family at risk of bad publicity and violence. His wife implores him to stop, but he continues, and later attempts the prisoner exchange without telling her because he thinks doing the right thing is what's most important. When she finds out what he did she isn't pleased at first, but ultimately she smiles as if to accept that she loves him precisely because he stands up for what he believes in.

[[folder: Literature ]]
* This issue comes up frequently in ''Literature/TheScarletPimpernel'' sequels, with Sir Percy even quoting Lovelace's poem a few times. Sir Percy's "loved I not honor more" philosophy is pitted against his brother-in-law Armand's AlwaysSaveTheGirl philosophy in ''Eldorado'', which also reveals just how much Percy hates himself for the pain he causes his wife Marguerite.

* The Bronte sisters seem to like this trope. Charlotte's Literature/JaneEyre, once she learns about the MadwomanInTheAttic, refuses to sacrifice her morals and live with Mr. Rochester as his mistress if they can't get married...
* … and Helen in Anne's ''Literature/TheTenantOfWildfellHall'' breaks up with Gilbert after the two of them finally make their mutual AnguishedDeclarationOfLove because she's still technically married to an abusive [[TheAlcoholic alcoholic]].

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]
* In the ''Series/{{NCIS}}'' episode "Power Down" a USO officer (and spy) is kidnapped and forced to work for enemy agents. She resists and is killed in a place where she knows her body will be found and investigated. Gibbs addresses her bereaved husband thus:
-->'''Husband:''' Emma had to do it, right? She didn't have a choice.\\
'''Gibbs:''' No, she had a choice. That's what makes her a hero.\\
'''Husband:''' A hero...

* {{Lampshaded}} by Brian Cassidy in Season 1 of ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'':
-->'''Brian Cassidy:''' As long as you have this job, your marriage will only be an affair.
* Series/InspectorLynley's ''instincts'' where his partner-slash-NotLoveInterest Barbara Havers is concerned generally trend toward AlwaysSaveTheGirl; however, he trusts her so absolutely that, although he goes a bit to pieces whenever she's threatened, he follows this trope anyway - partly because he's just that honorable, and partly because if he didn't, he knows full well that she'd give him a tongue-lashing he'd never forget.
* ''Series/{{Angel}}'''s season 4 episode "Habeas Corpses" has Wesley using this as an excuse to break up with [[spoiler: [[DatingCatwoman Lilah Morgan]]]]. [[BlatantLies She isn't convinced]].

* In ''Series/The100'' [[spoiler: Commander Lexa's]] duty to [[spoiler: her]] people comes above everything else, even [[spoiler: what's best for the person she loves and personal desire for vengeance]].

* In ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'', Kirk, while under the influence of the Polywater, talks about how life as a starship captain can be an extreme form of this trope:
-->'''Kirk''': This vessel, I give, she takes. She won't permit me my life. I've got to live hers.
* In ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' the relationship between Miles and Keiko O'Brien is often strained by the demands of Miles' position as the seniormost enlisted man aboard Deep Space 9, but the two stay together. It helps somewhat that Keiko is herself former Starfleet (they met in ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' when she was a botanist in the ''Enterprise'''s science department).
* ''Series/DoctorWho'' zigzags around this with regards to Clara Oswald and Danny Pink. She is tries to maintain a relationship with Danny while adventuring with the Doctor. Danny is reluctant to go along with this, but allows it for a time until the Doctor forces Clara into a SadisticChoice scenario and she decides to, for want of a better term, "break up" with the Doctor. Unknown to Danny, however, Clara's "higher calling" - or addiction, as she calls it - wins out and, coupled with the establishment of an off-kilter LoveTriangle with the Doctor, she continues to adventure with the Doctor in secret, with Danny unaware of this. It does not end well.
* Subverted in ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' Dean and Lisa make a real go of this. Even after she finds out about just how dangerous the Hunter's life is she still chooses to stand by him. However, being as this is ''Supernatural'', it doesn't end well. His work, as well as his extreme devotion to Sam puts a serious strain on their relationship, as well as the emotional state of Ben who has at this point come to see Dean as a father. It comes to a head at the end of Season 6 where Demons kidnap the two of them and nearly kill Lisa. Rather than put them to any further risk, Dean decides to have Castiel [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy wipe their memories of his existence to protect them, and allow them to move on.]]

[[folder: Music ]]

[[folder: Theater ]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]
* Keldorn in ''VideoGame/BaldursGateII'' is in this kind of relationship. He is married, and has two daughters, but his duties as a [[KnightInShiningArmour paladin]] takes precedence. In his personal quest, though, this trope can end up being [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructed]]. [[spoiler: He finds out that, in his long absences, his wife has been having an affair with another man. His honor and the tenets of his religion demand that he take them to court, which will end in his wife being imprisoned and the lover executed.]] [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential You can encourage him to go this route.]] [[spoiler: Fortunately, Keldorn himself is more than happy to [[VideoGameCaringPotential find another solution.]]]]

* Haohmaru from ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown''. He cares for his girlfriend Oshizu, but both of them know what [[BloodKnight fighting is his priority.]]

* Sora of ''Franchise/KingdomHearts''. Kairi is more precious to him than his own life, but three times he has been compelled by the call to leave her. To be fair she's directly in the crosshairs of the villains most of the time so trying to protect her is one of his reasons for going.
* Lampshaded in ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters XIII''. If you play as NESTS!Kyo and pit him against Athena Asamiya, their pre-fight talk has her telling him that he shouldn't push himself too far in his quests since his loved ones understand what's going on and they're waiting for him. Kyo correctly guesses that said mini RousingSpeech is actually a message from his girlfriend Yuki, whom Athena is friends with.
** Also, when NESTS!Kyo is pitted against Flames!Iori, when Iori swears to kill Kyo (again), Kyo's reply amounts to "Nope! I have a date with Yuki next week and you're not gonna stop me!"
* Dorcas and his wife Natalie from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemElibe''. It helps that their relationship doubles as ChildhoodFriendRomance, so she knows him very well. Not to mention, he joins Lyndis's and later Eliwood/Hector's BadassCrew is to [[HealthcareMotivation gather money for]] [[IllGirl Natalie]]'s medicines, and [[spoiler: he turns down an offer from Oswin to join the ''very'' famous Ostian Knights that he leads, since [[LadyAndKnight he only fights for Natalie]].]]
* ''VideoGame/PillarsOfEternity'' has the player's boreal dwarf teammate Sagani, who had to leave her husband and their three children at home to go on a traditional quest to locate a village elder's {{reincarnation}}. When [[PlayerCharacter the Watcher]] meets her she's been away from the village for five years and complains that her youngest probably won't even know her when she finally returns home.
* ''VideoGame/QuestForGloryIII'' delves into the backstory of the Liontaur Paladin, Rakeesh Sah Tarna, happily married to his wife Kreesha, a respected wizard. Rakeesh used to be King of Tarna, before his land was attacked by demons, and he had to turn to paladinhood to obtain the power to defeat them. Once a Paladin, he was honor bound to fight evil wherever it would appear, leading to him leaving his throne in favor of his younger brother, and becoming a KnightErrant. Kreesha explains to the Hero the hardships of being life-mate to a Paladin, as Rakeesh seldom comes home, but she sends him off proudly, knowing his fight is for the greater good of the world.

[[folder: Webcomics ]]

[[folder: Web Original ]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]
* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'' actually {{Gender Flip}}s the male version of this trope in the episode "Superfriends," when the girls' PartTimeHero work puts a strain on their friendship with their new neighbor Robyn. Their conversation at the end of the episode illustrates the trope almost better than Lovelace's poem:
-->'''Bubbles:''' Hey, Robyn, we're sorry...\\
'''Buttercup:''' ... we left you behind all the time.\\
'''Blossom:''' It was never because we didn't like you, it's just...\\
'''Robyn:''' ''(happily)'' I know -- that's your job.
* Zuko on ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' faces the asymmetrical HeelFaceTurn complications in regards to his VictoriousChildhoodFriend, Mai.

* This shows up in, of all places, the 1960s cartoon ''WesternAnimation/{{Underdog}}''. In the episode "The Witch of Pickyune", Underdog meets a witch who will only wake his love interest from an eternal sleep if he helps her TakeOverTheWorld. Proving himself to be smarter than [[Franchise/StarWars Anakin Skywalker]], he flat out refuses (before accidentally saving the girl anyway with a TrueLovesKiss).

* In ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'' ComicBook/PlasticMan is married to Ramona, a woman [[HenpeckedHusband with a fairly abusive attitude]]. One of the episodes, "Long Arm of the Law!", even focuses on his difficulties in reconciling his family life with crime-fighting. The episode incorporates nearly all the tropes associated with Loved I Not Honor More - eventually his family is put in great danger as a result of his past involvement with a criminal group and he makes a HeroicSacrifice to save his family. [[spoiler: Obviously, a way to reverse it is later found - this is ''Brave And The Bold'' we're talking about.]] Different in that it sympathizes more with Plas than Ramona, and Ramona doesn't take her husband's heroic commitment to bringing justice very seriously, mocking him quite a few times onscreen. On the other hand, her attitude is somewhat justifiable - Plas can be rather ineffectual and irresponsible.
* This is definitely at play in ''WesternAnimation/Thundercats2011'' reboot. [[spoiler: Tygra grows jealous over the course of the first thirteen episodes by Cheetara's constant attention with Lion-O. She holds his hand, grasps his shoulder and even kisses him on the cheek. Tygra assumes he's already lost his chance with her and it makes him even angrier at his younger brother... It turns out this was a case of this trope however: Cheetara, as a member of Thundera's cleric order, is tasked with guarding and advising the latest King, who is Lion-O. She reveals that [[ChildhoodFriendRomance she's been in love with Tygra all along]] but never said anything and instead was merely doing her duty when it came to the young King.]]

[[folder: Real Life ]]

[[folder: Fan Works ]]

* The Bronte sisters seem to like this trope. Charlotte's Literature/JaneEyre, once she learns about BerthaInTheAttic, refuses to sacrifice her morals and live with Mr. Rochester as his mistress if they can't get married...

* In ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles''

* In "Series/{{The 100}}" [[spoiler: Commander Lexa's]] duty to [[spoiler: her]] people comes above everything else, even [[spoiler: what's best for the person she loves and personal desire for vengeance]].

* Recurs in ''Series/CriminalMinds.''

* Keldorn in ''VideoGame/BaldursGate II'' is in this kind of relationship. He is married, and has two daughters, but his duties as a [[KnightInShiningArmour paladin]] takes precedence. In his personal quest, though, this trope can end up being [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructed]]. [[spoiler: He finds out that, in his long absences, his wife has been having an affair with another man. His honor and the tenets of his religion demand that he take them to court, which will end in his wife being imprisoned and the lover executed.]] [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential You can encourage him to go this route.]] [[spoiler: Fortunately, Keldorn himself is more than happy to [[VideoGameCaringPotential find another solution.]]]]

* This is definitely at play in ''WesternAnimation/{{Thundercats 2011}}'' reboot. [[spoiler: Tygra grows jealous over the course of the first thirteen episodes by Cheetara's constant attention with Lion-O. She holds his hand, grasps his shoulder and even kisses him on the cheek. Tygra assumes he's already lost his chance with her and it makes him even angrier at his younger brother... It turns out this was a case of this trope however: Cheetara, as a member of Thundera's cleric order, is tasked with guarding and advising the latest King, who is Lion-O. She reveals that [[ChildhoodFriendRomance she's been in love with Tygra all along]] but never said anything and instead was merely doing her duty when it came to the young King.]]

** Michael Carpenter is a modern day Paladin who wields a real holy sword Amoracchius. [[note]]Excalibur to be exact.[[/note]] And he will take missions from God that take him away from his wife and seven children. He doesn't always like it, but has faith in God's plans. So he always puts God first. [[spoiler:This no longer applies at the end of ''Small Favor'' when he is retired by being crippled to the point he can no longer carry the sword.]]

* Since a major theme in ''Manga/AnatoliaStory'' is people in authority having a duty to serve their people as best they can, it stands to reason that this trope comes up more than once. As the man expected to rule the Hitte Empire one day, Kail has many responsibilities to his country and everyone in it. While Yuri can deal with him not being around for her personally, she does have trouble understanding some of his decisions (for example, him having to calmly ask Nakia about [[spoiler:Tito being held captive in her castle]], instead of forcing his way in as Yuri wants). [[spoiler:Later, this trope applies both ways to Yuri and Kail, as Yuri is named Commander-in-Chief of the military and begins to handle her own set of responsibilities.]]

* Comicbook/{{Empowered}} and [[DarkAndTroubledPast Thugboy]] have a relationship like this after Thugboy's MookFaceTurn.