History Main / MysteriousProtector

* Ada Wong runs interference from the shadows for Leon's various mishaps in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4''. The "Separate Ways" campaign[[note]]available on all major versions except for the original [=GameCube=] release[[/note]] shows how she managed to be at the right time and right place to help Leon in the main game.

** The "Dream Visitor", a mysterious figure who's soon revealed to be the one preventing your party from being taken over by the [[{{Cthulhumanoid}} illithid]] HiveMind. [[spoiler:In the beginning of Act III, they're revealed to be an illithid RogueDrone named TheEmperor taking AFormYouAreComfortableWith to gain your trust so you'll help him secure freedom for the both of you.]]

%%* Played straight in one episode of ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'', until the end when the cloaked hero is revealed to be [[spoiler:Gary]]. Who else?

* ''VideoGame/BaldursGateIII'' has the "Dream Visitor", a mysterious figure who's soon revealed to be the one preventing your party from being taken over by the [[{{Cthulhumanoid}} illithid]] HiveMind. [[spoiler:In the beginning of Act III, they're revealed to be an illithid RogueDrone named TheEmperor taking AFormYouAreComfortableWith to gain your trust so you'll help him secure freedom for the both of you.]]

* ''LightNovel/LibraryWar'': Iku Kasahara was inspired to join the Library Defense Force by her "prince," who came to her rescue when the bookstore she was patronizing was raided and saved the book she had waited years to finally buy. Not knowing his name, he is a mystery to her... Although it is revealed early on that he is actually Atsushi Doujo, her instructor/teammate with whom she has BelligerentSexualTension.

* The titular character in the song "Camouflage" by Stan Ridgway (also covered by Music/{{Sabaton}} on their album ''The Last Stand''). The song is sung from the viewpoint of a young P.F.C. (Private first class) of the [[SemperFi United States Marine Corps]] during the UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar. On a search and destroy mission he is separated from his patrol. Alone in the jungle, he fears for his life when, unexpectedly, a "big marine" comes to his rescue introducing himself as "Camouflage". The two fight together through the course of a night making their way back to base, during which the PFC notices that Camouflage is unaffected by bullets and is capable of superhuman feats. Camouflage leaves after leading the PFC to the edge of his camp. [[spoiler:On his return, the PFC is informed that Camouflage has been on his death bed for the past week and died the previous night, his last wish being "to save a young marine"]].

* In [[Recap/SupermanTheAnimatedSeriesS1E1To3TheLastSonOfKrypton the three-part premiere]] of ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'', Superman initially saved people and flew away without an explanation, becoming known as a mysterious "angel" until (like the ''The Man Of Steel'' example above) he had to save a plane in full public view. Martha Kent convinced him that he ought to go public rather than try to hide, lest people think that he was anything like [[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries "that nut in Gotham City"]].

* Limone in ''Manga/WeddingPeach''. Though here [[spoiler:he ends up with Yuri aka Angel Lily, TheSmartGuy, and not Wedding Peach herself -- she ends up with Yosuke/Viento]].
* [[SociopathicHero Yami Yugi]] is this for Tea at the start of the ''Manga/YuGiOh'' manga - for a long time, due to the circumstances, she never saw his face, [[LoveBeforeFirstSight and she ended up falling in love with his voice]]. It was only later that she realised that he was actually [[LovesMyAlterEgo the alter-ego of her childhood friend]]. Also, he can count as this for Yugi as well - in the early chapters, Yami would possess Yugi when he was needed and he'd deal with the threat...meaning that to Yugi, he would suddenly black out and wake up to find that whatever problem was stressing him out is gone somehow.

%%* ''ComicBook/MickeyMouseComicUniverse'': "The Fox" in Floyd Gottredson's WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse comic ''Death Valley''.

** In 1981's ''Superman'' #362 and #365-366, a flashback to Clark's early days at Metropolis University show he operated in secret as ComicBook/{{Superboy}}, to avoid anyone noticing Clark and Superboy both moving from Smallville to Metropolis. During this time, the whole country's abuzz and wondering what city Superboy had moved to. One scene even shows gamblers in UsefulNotes/LasVegas making bets on which city the Boy of Steel had picked. The cities guessed at included Metropolis, [[ComicBook/{{Batman}} Gotham City]], [[BigApplesauce New York]] (future home of the ComicBook/TeenTitans), UsefulNotes/WashingtonDC (future pre-Crisis home of Franchise/WonderWoman), UsefulNotes/{{Boston}}, UsefulNotes/{{Miami}}, UsefulNotes/LosAngeles, UsefulNotes/{{Detroit}} (future home of a short-lived version of the ComicBook/JusticeLeague), UsefulNotes/NewOrleans, and UsefulNotes/{{Chicago}} (a future pre-Crisis home of Supergirl). Oddly, other than Metropolis and Gotham, none of the other fictional DCU cities were guessed at by anyone. Adding to the hype, each city claimed they'd found (false) "proof" of Superboy secretly doing super-feats there. The ex-Smallville Sensation finally comes out in the open, thanks in part to then-reporter Perry White deducing the Boy of Steel was in Metropolis.

* Mickey Mouse (Yes, ''the'' Mickey Mouse) serves this role during certain boss fights in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII''. Get killed during certain encounters and you have the option of having King Mickey rescue you. Now, obviously Sora, Donald, and Goofy would recognize the King when they see him, but he always seems to teleport away immediately after rescuing Sora, so it's never made quite clear if Sora is aware the King is following him around. His rescues are more of a gameplay mechanic rather than an actual element of the plot. Unfortunately, the chances of him appearing in later fights goes down every time he rescues you. If he's saved your ass once or twice, he's unlikely to do it again, possibly because he's becoming too worn out between world-traveling and fighting.[[note]]though again, it's a gameplay mechanic, so it's possible that the programmers simply didn't want to promote too much laziness as he is rather powerful and is sometimes better suited to the fight than Sora and Co[[/note]] He can't actully kill anything however, his move list lacks a finishing move which is required for the final blow on bosses, planting him even further into this trope.

* Mr Carrisford in ''Literature/ALittlePrincess'' watches over Sara without her realizing that it was the man next door to the school who was secretly delivering presents and gifts up to her room to keep her spirits up.

%%* Ao no Kishi/Blue Knight in ''Manga/TokyoMewMew''. Alto the cat may also qualify.

** Post-Crisis ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} also did this once. In the ''DC Universe Holiday Special 2008: A Day Without Sirens'', a "Day Without Sirens" is proposed right before Christmas. Commissioner Gordon believes such an initiative is doomed to failure. The criminals of Gotham would never heed such a calling. However, the day proceeds without police sirens. [[http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pScx8BN4h3s/SU-kKYaVUmI/AAAAAAAACGc/LKdSPl0ht34/s1600-h/holiday-09.jpg It turns out that]] Comicbook/{{Oracle}} teamed up with Comicbook/{{Supergirl}} and both girls handled covertly all emergency calls during that day. Supergirl ended up completely exhausted, though, making clear she cannot keep it up forever.
--->'''Oracle:''' Just rest easy knowing you did something special today.\\

'''Oracle:''' I know so. Never discount the healing power of a little hope, Kara.

* Some versions of Franchise/{{Batman}} depict him (at least during the early stages of his crimefighting career) as an "urban legend" who occasionally appears from out of the shadows to take down a criminal and then vanishes back into the night.

* ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'':
** In the original ''ComicBook/TheManOfSteel'' miniseries, Clark was this til he was forced to save the space plane in front of a huge crowd.

** In 1981's ''Superman'' #362 and #365-366, a flashback to Clark's early days at Metropolis University show he operated in secret as ComicBook/{{Superboy}}, to avoid anyone noticing Clark and Superboy both moving from Smallville to Metropolis. During this time, the whole country's abuzz and wondering what city Superboy had moved to. One scene even shows gamblers in UsefulNotes/LasVegas making bets on which city the Boy of Steel had picked. The cities guessed at included Metropolis, [[Franchise/{{Batman}} Gotham City]], [[BigApplesauce New York]] (future home of the ComicBook/TeenTitans), UsefulNotes/WashingtonDC (future pre-Crisis home of Franchise/WonderWoman), UsefulNotes/{{Boston}}, UsefulNotes/{{Miami}}, UsefulNotes/LosAngeles, UsefulNotes/{{Detroit}} (future home of a short-lived version of the ComicBook/JusticeLeague), UsefulNotes/NewOrleans, and UsefulNotes/{{Chicago}} (a future pre-Crisis home of Supergirl). Oddly, other than Metropolis and Gotham, none of the other fictional DCU cities were guessed at by anyone. Adding to the hype, each city claimed they'd found (false) "proof" of Superboy secretly doing super-feats there. The ex-Smallville Sensation finally comes out in the open, thanks in part to then-reporter Perry White deducing the Boy of Steel was in Metropolis.
** In ''ComicBook/TheSupergirlFromKrypton'' story, Kara is not supposed to reveal her existence to the world until her hero training is done, so she decides to patrol Midvale secretly at night, trying not to get caught while she stops crimes and saves people. Midvale locals rumored that they were protected by a "guardian angel".

%% Image removed per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1313422459099779700
%% Please start a new thread if you'd like to suggest an image.

* ''Franchise/SailorMoon'':
** Tuxedo Mask began as 'the guy in the tuxedo that threw roses at monsters' and the reveal of his identity was a big deal. His counterpart from ''Series/PrettyGuardianSailorMoon'' is anything but.
** The Moonlight Knight from the Makaiju arc of ''Anime/SailorMoon R''. [[spoiler: Then again, he ''is'' an expy of Tuxedo Mask himself, who split up from Mamoru's subconscious desire to help Usagi despite having been afflicted with LaserGuidedAmnesia. Once Mamoru recovers his memories, Moonlight Knight reveals himself as Mamoru's other half and disappears, with Mamoru becoming Tuxedo Mask again from then on.]]
** ''Manga/CodenameSailorV'' has Kaitou Ace who on a few occasions appears as Sailor V's Mysterious Protector, but he's also the main character of a ShowWithinAShow and thus is simply an actor who V meets and is aided by a couple of times. Until it turns out he's [[spoiler:the BigBad]].
* Ferio from ''Manga/MagicKnightRayearth'', particularly in the anime where he sticks around longer and throws Caldina off the girls' trail.
* The prince who rescues Utena at the beginning of ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena'', and inspires her to become a prince. Not a love interest. Though, this trope is played with to no end. Utena's desire to find and become the prince has influenced her life enormously. The man who does turn out to be the prince [[spoiler: is the closest thing the series has to a BigBad (though he was once the BigGood). And Utena does eventually begin what could be considered a "romance" with her prince, but it's [[TeacherStudentRomance decidedly]] [[{{Ephebophile}} non-romantic]].]]
* Vega from ''Anime/GearFighterDendoh'' early on, though she becomes a combatant later.
* Haji during a good part of ''Anime/BloodPlus''.
* Ao no Kishi/Blue Knight in ''Manga/TokyoMewMew''. Alto the cat may also qualify.
* Mihara Oujirou in ''Manga/AngelicLayer'' is a shounen example, although the main character ''is'' still a cute girl.
** And Oujirou's brother, Icchan, is a non-romantic example.

* In ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAs'', a mysterious masked man shows up to protect, err, the "[[AntiVillain villains]]". From Nanoha. [[spoiler:He wasn't actually a man either, or even a single person. He was a pair of shapeshifting twin catgirls. But that's a detail.]]
** [[spoiler:He didn't have their best interests at heart, either.]]
* Limone in ''Manga/WeddingPeach''. Though here [[spoiler:he ends up with Yuri aka Angel Lily, TheSmartGuy, and not Wedding Peach herself -- she ends up with Yosuke/Viento]].
* ''Far'' from romantic, and the series is heavily {{Seinen}}, but the Skull Knight in ''{{Manga/Berserk}}'' is the reason that Guts decided to go back to the Band of the Hawks after leaving Griffith, and [[spoiler:the only reason Guts and Casca make it out of the Eclipse alive]].

* Tooya from ''Manga/CeresCelestialLegend''. Bonus points for wearing a BadassLongcoat, shades, ''and'' for being [[TheStoic stoic]].
* Tamahome of ''Manga/FushigiYuugi'' sort of falls into this trope at first. "Sort of" because Mysterious Protectors don't usually ask for money back, and because we get to know who he is soon enough.
** Nakago briefly plays this role for [[spoiler: Yui]] after he swoops down and [[spoiler: saves her from being gang-raped by a bunch of thugs]] when she was searching for Miaka. [[spoiler: Subverted, however, because he lets her believe that something ''did'' happen to her so that she would be more willing to accept the role of Priestess of Seiryuu and do his bidding.]]
* Invoked in ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi''; when Negi was a (younger) child, he viewed his father like this, to the point of getting himself in trouble so that his father would come save him. [[spoiler:The one time that things [[DoomedHometown truly do get serious]], his father does show up to save him. And then he has to leave again.]]
** [[spoiler: Negi's cousin Nekane]] sorta takes this role in ''Anime/NegimaSecondSeason''.
* Meta Knight from the ''Anime/{{Kirby|Right Back at Ya}}'' anime, at least for the protecting part.
* A Shonen example would be Phoenix from ''Anime/MetalFightBeyblade'', who is later revealed to be [[spoiler: Ginga Hagane's thought to be dead father, Ryusei]]
* Played straight in one episode of ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'', until the end when the cloaked hero is revealed to be [[spoiler:Gary]]. Who else?
* Kakeru, the protagonist of the sports manga ''Manga/AreaNoKishi'', stopped playing [[UsefulNotes/FootyRules football]] in grade school after injuring another player, and has been unable to bring himself to play again since. After being chewed out by his [[BigBrotherMentor older brother]] Suguru for holding himself back, Kakeru encounters a mysterious masked football player in a nearby park, who challenges him to a one on one night game. Though Kakeru was unsure of the player's identity after leaving, the challenge helped to re-awaken his love for playing the sport.
* ''Anime/SpeedRacer'': Racer X.
* ''Manga/HoneyHoney'' has Phoenix, a GentlemanThief with a DominoMask not dissimliar to Tuxedo Kamen -- but much earlier; he shows up to help Honey in the nick of time during her wacky adventures, [[{{Tsundere}} not that she always wants the help.]]
* Knight Shoemach in ''Anime/FutureGPXCyberFormula'', at least in the TV series. As the protector of the Sugo Team, he makes sure that no one can steal Asurada.
* Although he didn't make a habit of it, Dragon from ''Manga/OnePiece'' was introduced as Luffy's MysteriousProtector before [[spoiler: it was revealed that [[LukeIAmYourFather he was Luffy's father]].]]
* Homura from ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' self-consciously tries for this trope. That and the [[StealthHiBye Batman entrance/exit syndrome.]]
* ''Manga/AirGear'' has Ringo dress up in a swimsuit and a variety of items from the school drama department closet, takes the chip out of her Air Treks, and calls herself Swimsuit/Croissant Mask to help Kogarasumaru in its early days. She dons the disguise (which fools the more idiotic characters but not the more intelligent) in order to hide her awesome abilities from Ikki.
* [[SociopathicHero Yami Yugi]] is this for Tea at the start of the ''Manga/YuGiOh'' manga - for a long time, due to the circumstances, she never saw his face, [[LoveBeforeFirstSight and she ended up falling in love with his voice.]] It was only later that she realised that he was actually [[LovesMyAlterEgo the alter-ego of her childhood friend.]] Also, he can count as this for Yugi as well - in the early chapters, Yami would possess Yugi when he was needed and he'd deal with the threat...meaning that to Yugi, he would suddenly black out and wake up to find that whatever problem was stressing him out is gone somehow.
* In ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds'' Dark Glass is this to Yusei, only showing up to act as a mentor or help Yusei out when he's in a pinch. And then it turns out (in a [[TheUntwist not-so-shocking twist]]) that Dark Glass is secretly Bruno, one of Yusei's close friends. [[spoiler: In an actual shocking twist, Dark Glass protecting Yusei was part of the villain's plan all along]].
* ''Anime/{{Texhnolyze}}'': In a rather odd variation, Ran and Ichise are this with each other. Ran, resident MysteriousWaif, is the more traditional version, distant and mysterious, appearing to guide or help Ichise out suddenly at pivotal and critical moments, before fading away into the background, remaining almost anonymous until at least halfway through the anime. Ichise, on the other hand, is [[TheStoic dark and quiet]] {{Determinator}} who tends to show up mysteriously at the right moments through more sheer luck than anything else (while all of Ran's appearances are intentional, as far as we know).
* Misty Knight from ''Anime/KaitouTenshiTwinAngel''.

** ''Anime/HeartcatchPrettyCure'': [[spoiler:He is Coupe-sama, and he has a genuinely platonic reason to do this: Tsubomi is like a granddaughter to him.]] [[ActionizedSequel This being HCPC]], the Cures ultimately must beat him in a battle to prove that they have grown stronger than him.

* ''Anime/CodeGeass'''s Zero fulfills a similar role for Nunnally in her manga spinoff, ''Manga/CodeGeassNightmareOfNunnally''... sort of. He shows up out of nowhere whenever Nemo is in the middle of a battle, and usually brings about chaos, allowing Nemo to win or escape. It can be seen most obviously near the end, where Zero acts as a SupportingLeader along with Euphie, Suzaku, and their combined armies.
* ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'': After the Chosen [[WeWereYourTeam fall apart following Taichi's disappearance]], Sora completely disappears and acts in this capacity, working to get everyone (except herself) back together in the face of [=PicoDevimon=]'s trickery tearing the team apart.
* Syaoran Li from ''Manga/CardcaptorSakura'' qualifies for this trope exactly once: while capturing The Thunder card and Sakura recognizes him from her dream but does not yet know what he can do. Syaoran during the capture of The Power card would almost qualify this trope - except Sakura and everyone else was frozen due to his Time Card usage and thus, they did not see him come to the rescue. In all other instances, because Syaoran already revealed his intentions and because Sakura already knows about him and his goals (Kero explained it to her), Syaoran does not qualify for this trope.
* ''LightNovel/LibraryWar'': Iku Kasahara was inspired to join the Library Defense Force by her "prince," who came to her rescue when the bookstore she was patronizing was raided and saved the book she had waited years to finally buy. Not knowing his name, he is a mystery to her... Although it is revealed early on that he is actually Atsushi Doujo, her instructor/teammate with whom she has BelligerentSexualTension.
* Haku in ''Anime/SpiritedAway'' certainly counts. He helped Chihiro several times throughout the course of the movie, remarking that despite not remembering anything else about his past, he remembers her. It is later revealed that [[spoiler: when Chihiro was a child, she fell into his river and he had rescued her.]]

* ''ComicBook/MickeyMouseComicUniverse'': "The Fox" in Floyd Gottredson's WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse comic ''Death Valley''.

* Some versions of Franchise/{{Batman}} depict him (at least during the early stages of his crimefighting career) as an "urban legend" who occasionally appears from out of the shadows to take down a criminal and then vanishes back into the night.
* In the {{Elseworld}} ''JLA: The Secret Society of Superheroes'', not only is Superman one, he persuades the ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica to likewise operate in secret. Rumours of their existence are pursued by IntrepidReporter Lois Lane and FBI profiler Bruce Wayne.

* ''[[Fanfic/ANewChanceSeries A New Chance For Adventure]]'': [[spoiler: Skailyn, a Shiny Rayquaza and friend of Latios and Latias, secretly aids the team in their rescue of Larvitar's mother from Rico, has one of her minions erase the memory of Officer Jenny so Latios isn't charged with Rico's murder, and sets up a protective sphere (that they are unaware of) to shield them from the evil spirit that tried to kill them over a century ago.]]
* ''[[Fanfic/WelcomeToTheWorldOfPokemon Mysterious Encounter]]'' has the Snagger, a cloaked woman with a Snag Machine who is able to stand up to Cipher and aid Michael. [[spoiler: She is actually Lovrina/Ashley, a member of Cipher who worked with Eldes to make the Snagger her "I quit!" notice.]] The Snagger receives a POVSequel in ''The Snagger Chronicles''.
* The ''Fanfic/CardinalKing'' is a ''Franchise/SailorMoon'' AlternateUniverseFic where Mamoru is the HenshinHero, so naturally Usagi gets this role, as Jewel Tiara.
* ''Fanfic/ADiplomaticVisit'': [[spoiler: Discord's been taking on this role for Equestria in general; he alerted Twilight to Starlight's actions, and later kept an eye on Cozy Glow when he detected she was a potential threat. In chapter 10 of ''Diplomacy Through Schooling'', he finally tells Twilight that he's been secretly watching over her school for her, per her earlier request, after Cozy Glow is exposed.]]
* In "[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13301032/1/The-Third-Life-of-Steve-Rogers The Third Life of Steve Rogers]]", after Steve has spent several decades making a family with Peggy Carter, by the late 2000s he, his children and grandchildren have dedicated themselves to discreetly helping the future Avengers come together, such as Steve's son working in SHIELD as Clint Barton's supervisor, one grandson working in security at Stark Enterprises, and another working as a priest to help provide Bruce Banner with emotional support while he was in hiding.
* ''Fanfic/AdventuresOfASuperFamily'': Karen managed to spend one year saving people and averting disasters anonymously before her existence was revealed to the public.
-->For the last year or so there had been a veritable deluge of stories about averted disasters, mysterious last-minute saves, and people miraculously surviving accidents that should have killed them. There had always been stories like that, true, but not in those numbers. It was almost like there was some kind of guardian angel out there, doing its best to keep people safe. A guardian angel that preferred to remain invisible.

* ''Literature/SailorNothing'' subverts this. In the backstory and beginning, Magnificent Kamen would show up to help the heroine when she's fighting monsters she can't handle herself, but he's a scheming bastard who has no qualms about killing civilians and even ex-Sailors who have seen too much or [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness outlived their usefulness]], and towards the end [[spoiler:actually turns out to be one of the same kind of monsters the heroine has been fighting.]]
* Welstiel Massing from ''Literature/TheSagaOfTheNobleDead'' is also a subversion- he appears at convenient intervals, gives Magiere much needed advice about fighting vampires [[spoiler: but is actually training her to fetch an ArtifactOfDoom for him. Oh, and he's her half-brother too. And himself a vampire, albeit one who has learned to sustain himself by magic rather than feeding]].
* Mr Carrisford in ''Literature/ALittlePrincess'' watches over Sara without her realizing that it was the man next door to the school who was secretly delivering presents and gifts up to her room to keep her spirits up.

** In ''The Chronicles of the Deryni'', Morgan and Duncan are met a few times by a mysterious man who appears to be Saint Camber. In ''High Deryni'', this person warns them about other Deryni mages who might challenge them to test their powers. In the climax of ''High Deryni'', he reveals himself [[spoiler: to be Stefan Coram, Deryni mage and member of the secretive Camberian Council]].
** In the next trilogy, he is replaced by yet another Camber-clone, who implies there's a whole society of them. Since our heroes know [[spoiler: Coram is dead]], they speculate about whether these subsequent appearances may be by Camber himself, though one such visitor denies this to Kelson and Dhugal.

* In ''[[Literature/TheDresdenFiles Changes]]'', [[spoiler:the protagonist]] is this to his daughter. Because of his job [[spoiler:as a Winter Knight of the Fae]], he can't raise her, but he could save her from the Red Court.
* ''Literature/MasqueradeOfTheRedDeath'': Reuben acts as this to Alicia during the Red Death's attack on Justine's headquarters.
* In ''Literature/TheDarkProfitSaga'', an [[AllTrollsAreDifferent troll]] named Thane joins the RagtagBunchOfMisfits partway through their quest in the first book, although he requests that [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame Gorm]] keep it a secret, especially from [[OurElvesAreDifferent Kaitha]], whom Thane has developed feelings for but is ashamed to show himself to. From then on, he becomes the party's secret protector, keeping monsters away (it helps that most monsters are scared of trolls). By the middle of the second book, everyone in the party learns of Thane's existence, including Kaitha, although she accidentally chases him away by putting an arrow in his eye. Troll bodies may [[HealingFactor heal quickly]], but their hearts don't, so he leaves the party.

* Angel in season 1 of ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''. The first time he and Buffy meet, he doesn't even say tell her his name and just says he's a "friend". His story slowly gets unravelled, and by early season 2 he is less mysterious and Buffy's [[BattleCouple boyfriend]], not protector. By the time he gets his own series, he's a badass hero.
* Non-shojo version: Both the Gold Ranger of ''Series/PowerRangersZeo'' and the Phantom Ranger of ''Series/PowerRangersTurbo'', who would appear to save the Rangers and then vanish. They each wound up having to be rescued by the Rangers they zipped in to protect. It was in that arc that we learned who the Gold Ranger was, and [[TheUnreveal almost learned]] who the Phantom Ranger was.

* ''Series/DoctorWho'', "The Girl in the Fireplace". Inverted in that we see it from the side of the Mysterious Protector himself.
* In ''Series/{{Misfits}}'', the mysterious "Superhoodie" keeps showing up to save the Misfits, and seems to know an impossible amount of information about them. [[spoiler:He's actually Simon's FutureBadass counterpart.]]

* The titular character in the song "Camouflage" by Stan Ridgway (also covered by Music/{{Sabaton}} on their album ''The Last Stand''). The song is sung from the viewpoint of a young P.F.C. (Private first class) of the [[SemperFi United States Marine Corps]] during the UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar. On a search and destroy mission he is separated from his patrol. Alone in the jungle, he fears for his life when, unexpectedly, a "big marine" comes to his rescue introducing himself as "Camouflage". The two fight together through the course of a night making their way back to base, during which the PFC notices that Camouflage is unaffected by bullets and is capable of superhuman feats. Camouflage leaves after leading the PFC to the edge of his camp. [[spoiler:On his return, the PFC is informed that Camouflage has been on his death bed for the past week and died the previous night, his last wish being "to save a young marine".]]

* The Red Robe from ''Podcast/TheAdventureZone'' is a morally-ambiguous specter that follows the party around, usually making himself known at the end of each arc to ask for their compliance. [[DaChief Madame Director]] insists that he's an unnatural force tied to the creation of the [[ArtifactOfDoom Grand Relics]], but he seemingly protects the party even in situations where it isn't to his interest. [[spoiler:He is later revealed to be Barry Bluejeans, who remembered being friends with the party members thanks to his undead immunity to the Voidfish, and has been trying to get the party to inoculate themselves against it so they can confront Lucretia about what she's doing with the Relics.]]

** Vivaldi from ''Podcast/{{Sequinox}}'' is one to the titular {{magical girl}}s, since he's their Tuxedo Mask expy.

* In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn'', this trope is subverted. A major, presumed dead antagonist from the previous game actually plays this role to the hilt with the new protagonist, Micaiah. [[spoiler:The Black Knight almost takes this role to ludicrous levels, never being content to just simply make a normal entrance: he always uses magic to directly teleport to his destination -- which is often right next to his charge. His statistics are so broken in terms of gameplay that using him almost ensures victory, making him stand out from members of this trope that can only act in a supporting capacity.]]
* Subverted in ''VideoGame/BetrayalAtKrondor'': After being captured and brought to the fortress in the heart of enemy territory, Gorath and Owyn are mysteriously set free - the doors to their cells open by magic. Later attempts to discern the identity of their mysterious saviour turn out to be fruitless. [[FridgeBrilliance In retrospect]], it seems obvious that the one responsible was [[spoiler: the BigBad Makala, a powerful magician who needed the protagonists free so that they could unwittingly carry a false message to their allies. ]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' has a perk which causes a "Mysterious Stranger" to appear and assist the character randomly in battles. In ''VideoGame/Fallout3'' he's so mysterious that he could pop up anywhere: In a fortified Enclave bunker, inside a VR simulation, on board an alien saucer in orbit around the Earth, ''anywhere''.
** ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' also has 'Miss Fortune', essentially a female version of the Mysterious Stranger dressed in a Vegas Showgirl getup, and causes collossally bad luck to occur to a foe instead of outright killing them. If you take both perks there is a small chance of them both showing up together to aid you.
** The Mysterious Stranger can also occasionally serve as an inversion as he is infamous for accidentally shooting the player in the back with sometimes fatal results.
*** Maybe that's because if he appears when you fire a shotgun or an explosive in tight quarters you often hit HIM.

** In Honest Hearts, you can learn about Randall Dean Clark, a former US Marine turned survivalist who eventually became this for a bunch of children [[spoiler: who would later become the Sorrows]], watching over them and giving them supplies and books while remaining unseen to them. In the end, you find his skeleton on the [[spoiler: Red Gate as he was about to die from a lung disease, so he left a personalized message to each child, telling them he would be silent but still watch over them, and climbed to his resting spot, dying to the elements. His legend lives as the Father in the Caves, who they later ended up [[AllHailTheGreatGodMickey conflating]] with the [[UsefulNotes/{{Christianity}} Christian God]] after meeting the New Canaanite missionaries.]]
* Proto Man this role after the end of ''VideoGame/MegaMan3'', showing up right after you hear his [[{{Leitmotif}} signature whistle]].
** ''VideoGame/MegaManStarForce'', like the ''Series/DoctorWho'' example above, is shown through the eyes of the MysteriousProtector himself. This occurs as he (Mega Man Geo-Omega) has to protect Luna Platz from danger. This is [[SubvertedTrope reversed three times]]. First, in the first game as she merges with one of the evil FM-Ian warriors, [[FightingYourFriend forcing him to battle her]]. Then in the second game when the [=OOPart=] turns him into a wild EM wave being, causing him to attack her (he gains control over the object). [[spoiler: Then in the third game where [[ScaryBlackMan Joker]] [[DisneyDeath kills her]] before he (Geo-Omega) can save her]].
* Mickey Mouse (Yes, ''the'' Mickey Mouse) serves this role during certain boss fights in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII''. Get killed during certain encounters and you have the option of having King Mickey rescue you. (He is far more badass than you'd expect any Disney character to be.) Now, obviously Sora, Donald, and Goofy would recognize the King when they see him (He's kind of hard to miss, even with the ridiculous BlackCloak), but he always seems to teleport away immediately after rescuing Sora, so it's never made quite clear if Sora is aware the King is following him around. His rescues are more of a gameplay mechanic rather than an actual element of the plot.
** Unfortunately, the chances of him appearing in later fights goes down every time he rescues you. If he's saved your ass once or twice, he's unlikely to do it again, possibly because he's becoming too worn out between world-traveling and fighting (though again, it's a gameplay mechanic, so it's possible that the programmers simply didn't want to promote too much laziness as he is rather powerful and is sometimes better suited to the fight than Sora and Co). He can't actully kill anything however, his move list lacks a finishing move which is required for the final blow on bosses, planting him even further into this trope.
* Lloyd Irving, the protagonist from ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'', plays this part to Genis and Mithos in an optional sidequest. Mithos being a powerless tyke and Genis being a decent mage but not the best fighter in the world [[spoiler: although Mithos is really Ygdrassil, the Big Bad Knight Templar Fallen Angel type fellow]] saving them from monsters and the such.
* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'', Shadow will join and leave the team at various points in the game, coming and going as he pleases. You'll eventually have an opportunity to add him to your permanent roster, though.
* One shows up during one of the first missions of ''VideoGame/{{X}}2: The Threat'', if your ship takes too much damage.
* Doug Rattman AKA "The Ratman" plays this trope in the {{VideoGame/Portal}} series.
* Ada Wong runs interference from the shadows for Leon's various mishaps in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4''. The "Separate Ways" campaign (available on all major versions except for the original [=GameCube=] release) shows how she managed to be at the right time and right place to help Leon in the main game.
* In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOriginsAwakening'', The Messenger, one of the sapient Darkspawn serving the Architect can become this depending on the player's choices. The epilogue will mention a "mysterious hooded stranger with a lisp" rescuing travelers in danger, albeit accidentally spreading the taint in some cases.
* The Kami and Karavan of ''VideoGame/{{Ryzom}}'' serve as this for the four Homin races. Who they are and where they came from is a mystery (rumors persist that the Karavan are SpaceMarines from another planet and the Kami represent the planet's spirit), but they ''seem'' benevolent enough, even if they hate each-other's guts.
* ''VideoGame/BravelySecond'' has Alternis serve as a textbook case for Edea, appearing out of nowhere to help protect her when the party is [[CutsceneIncompetence losing in a cutscene]], refusing to actually join, and then leaving. [[spoiler: It's actually Ringabel from ''VideoGame/BravelyDefault'', wearing his old armor to be indistinguishable from the local Alternis.]]

* Elan said Therkla was one in ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick''. [[spoiler: He was kind of right.]]
* [[spoiler: Richard]] may be one, after [[http://lfgcomic.com/page/346 this]] WhamEpisode of ''Webcomic/LookingForGroup''.
* Insofar as it makes any sense whatsoever, ''Webcomic/HitmenForDestiny'' appears to be a PerspectiveFlip of the trope.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'': Leela's parents, who are mutants who live in the sewers, are sometimes shown secretly helping their daughter in various situations.

* ''Anime/DoraemonNobitasDorabianNights'' have Doraemon and friends being abandoned by their guide, Mikujin, after an arguement results in Nobita, Gian and Suneo calling Mikujin a "third rate guide" and left on their own in the land of the Arabian Nights. When their first night ends with them accidentally boarding Cassim's slave ship and thrown into the ocean during the storm, they miraculously end up washing ashore, alive, with Suneo thinking he saw a fireball rescuing them while everyone else thought it was a dream. It turns out the fireball is Mikujin in disguise, who decided to observe them from afar and save them from drowning, despite having no reason to do so. Later the gang gets captured by the villains and thrown into a dungeon - cue Mikujin appearing in his fireball form, once more, to save the heroes.

** ''Anime/HeartcatchPrettyCure'' has the [[FanNickname Zetsubou-sensei Kamen]]. [[spoiler:He is Coupe-sama, and he has a genuinely platonic reason to do this: Tsubomi is like a granddaughter to him.]] [[ActionizedSequel This being HCPC]], the Cures ultimately must beat him in a battle to prove that they have grown stronger than him.

* In the three-part premiere of ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'', Superman initially saved people and flew away without an explanation, becoming known as a mysterious "angel" until (like the ''The Man Of Steel'' example above) he had to save a plane in full public view. Martha Kent convinced him that he ought to go public rather than try to hide, lest people think that he was anything like [[Franchise/{{Batman}} "that nut in Gotham City"]].

** In ''ComicBook/ActionComicsNumber252'' story, Kara is not supposed to reveal her existence to the world until her hero training is done, so she decides to patrol Midvale secretly at night, trying not to get caught while she stops crimes and saves people. Midvale locals rumored that they were protected by a "guardian angel".

** In Honest Hearts, you can learn about Randall Dean Clark, a former US Marine turned survivalist who eventually became this for a bunch of children [[spoiler: who would later become the Sorrows]], watching over them and giving them supplies and books while remaining unseen to them. In the end, you find his skeleton on the [[spoiler: Red Gate as he was about to die from a lung disease, so he left a personalized message to each child, telling them he would be silent but still watch over them, and climbed to his resting spot, dying to the elements. His legend lives as the Father in the Caves.]]

* In a rather odd variation, odder for being in one of the [[{{Gorn}} bloodiest]] and [[MindScrew mindscrewy]] {{Seinen}} out there, Ran and Ichise from ''Anime/{{Texhnolyze}}'' are this with each other. Ran, resident MysteriousWaif, is the more traditional version, distant and mysterious, appearing to guide or help Ichise out suddenly at pivotal and critical moments, before fading away into the background, remaining almost anonymous until at least halfway through the anime. Ichise, on the other hand, is [[TheStoic dark and quiet]] {{Determinator}} who tends to show up mysteriously at the right moments through more sheer luck than anything else (while all of Ran's appearances are intentional, as far as we know).

* Some ''Franchise/PrettyCure'' uses this:

[[folder:Web Comics]]

[[folder:Web Original]]

* The Red Robe from ''Podcast/TheAdventureZone'' is a morally-ambiguous specter that follows the party around, usually making himself known at the end of each arc to ask for their compliance. [[DaChief Madame Director]] insists that he's an unnatural force tied to the creation of the [[ArtifactOfDoom Grand Relics]], but he seemingly protects the party even in situations where it isn't to his interest. [[spoiler:He is later revealed to be Barry Bluejeans, who remembered being friends with the party members thanks to his undead immunity to the Voidfish, and has been trying to get the party to inoculate themselves against it so they can confront Lucretia about what she's doing with the Relics.]]

[[/folder]]

* Zuko from ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' becomes "The Blue Spirit" to save Aang in an episode of the same name (although he wasn't mysterious for long), and later to free the Avatar's flying bison Appa in season 2. Of course it's just because he wants to make sure [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou no one else gets the credit for catching Aang]]. This is exaggerated in "[[WhoWouldWantToWatchUs The Ember Island Players]]" enough to make Zuko and Aang... uncomfortable, [[HoYay for obvious reasons]].

* In [[WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}} Futurama]], Leila's parents, who are mutants who live in the sewers, are sometimes shown secretly helping Leila in various situations.