History Main / NobleWolf

* In the "VideoGame/NancyDrew" computer game "The White Wolf of Icicle Creek", the titular white wolf, named Isis, turns out to be this type of wolf, as she saves Nancy twice. [[spoiler: This is because Isis was rescued by a hermit named Julius McQuade who unwittingly imprinted himself upon her, so that Isis stayed with him and lost any fear of humans she might have otherwise had. In the end, Isis is adopted and taken to a wolf sanctuary so that she will be safe.]]

* ''Literature/Discworld'':

* ''Literature/ArashiNoYoruNi'' plays with this trope. The main wolf, Gabu, values his friendship with the goat Mei too much to eat him even when on the verge of starving. The rest of his pack are not so noble.

* Great Grey Wolf Sif from ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' is a sort of cross between this and a [[SavageWolves Savage Wolf.]] In the past, he served the late [[DarkIsNotEvil Artorias the Abysswalker]] as he beat back the creatures of darkness in the name of [[GodEmperor the Lord of Sunlight Gwyn]], and even now guards his master's grave. True to the original trope, Sif is both large and formidable. The player character only comes up to his chest, and in the area where you fight him, there are many swords stuck into the ground and corpses littered around. His opening cutscene shows him leaping off a great stone tower towards the player, removing a BigFancySword from the ground with his jaws, and flipping it to the other side dramatically. [[CatchPhrase Prepare to Die.]]

* Wolves are the dominate animal species on many art and role play sites, with more of them being portrayed like this than as SavageWolves. Apparently, after keeping livestock became less common as a way of life for many people and the myth of them being evil begin to clear up, humanity realized wolves are beautiful animals and begin to like them a lot. Enough people begin to do this in a ignorant way that the term "wolfaboo" (derived from [[OccidentalOtaku "weeaboo"]]) emerged. It generally demotes people that are obsessed with wolves, value wolves over people, and deny, defend or even glorify wolf attacks on people, though just as often normal people who happen to like wolves get saddled with the term.

* In ''[[Franchise/{{Ben10}} Ben 10]]'', one of the many forms the protagonist can assume is Benwolf/Blitzwolfer, a Werewolf-like alien. The alien he sampled it from was an example of SavageWolf, but ''Omniverse'' reveals the species as a whole isn't evil.

* In ''Literature/TheJungleBook'', protagonist Mowgli is [[RaisedByWolves raised by]] a pack of these.
* Shasta in Olaf Baker's ''Shasta of the Wolves'' is a feral child raised by wolves in the UsefulNotes/PacificNorthwest.
* Most of the wolves in Brett Roehr's ''Literature/TheYukonWolf'' are portrayed this way.
* ''Literature/TheFifthElephant'' is a [[BlueAndOrangeMorality complicated]] case. A wolf's natural instincts include killing any werewolves they come across, ([[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent even Angua]]) but for a good chunk of the story they are kept in line by another wolf. Even then the wolves are not portrayed as evil. Angua accepts that they have some pretty good reasons to hate werewolves.
** At one point in the book, Vimes, who has escaped from the Dwarfs, seeks shelter from the weather under some bushes in the forest. He realises that some wolves have the same idea only after he's under cover. He's so exhausted, he doesn't care. In the morning, the wolves are gone, and he realises that if he tries to follow them, last night's time out might not apply any longer.
* ''LightNovel/SpiceAndWolf'' plays with this trope.
** The leading lady, Holo, is a wolf deity. Her true form is so big and scary that Lawrence (her LoveInterest) shat himself the first time he saw it; so does everyone else. On the other hand, she only takes this form in Lawrence's defence and proudly calls herself a 'wise wolf'.
** Another (nameless) wolf deity was much less friendly but still granted the duo safe passage through his forest [[spoiler: after Holo got on her knees and begged him to.]]
** Wolves in general are seen as threats by humans but Holo points out that [[NotSoDifferent humans are seen as threats by wolves]].

* In ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'', most wolves are considered SavageWolves, but the semi-supernatural direwolves from north of the Wall are much more intelligent and human-like. The direwolf is notably the AnimalMotif of the famously honourable House Stark, and the litter adopted by the Stark children vary according to the personality of their owner and how well they're trained. Among the more heroic are:
** Grey Wind and Ghost, Robb's and Jon's respectively. They are trained {{Attack Animal}}s who will attack only at their masters' command and to hunt.
** Summer, who is Bran's. Like the former two but taken UpToEleven; since Bran is TheBeastmaster, he can enter Summer's mind and control him at will. After a long time as a BondCreature, it's hard to distinguish where Bran's mind ends and Summer's begins.
** Lady, who is Sansa's, is a fully tamed, gentle, and sweet-natured housepet. [[spoiler:She gets unjustly killed off in the first book.]]
* Briggan of the ''Literature/SpiritAnimals'' series. One of the fifteen [[PhysicalGod Great Beasts]] of Erdras and the [[BondCreature spirit animal]] of Connor.
* ''Literature/DarkestPowers'': Derek is a werewolf with an instinctive need to protect his "pack", i.e., his supernatural buddies. The 'noble' aspect is downplayed because he's also a JerkWithAHeartOfGold.
%%* ''Literature/JulieOfTheWolves:'' The wolf pack
* ''Literature/SurvivorDogs'':
** Zigzagged with Alpha. On one hand, he is seen ruling over his pack of wild dogs with a strict paw and a level head. However, he's showed his cowardly side in ''Darkness Falls'', treats the Leashed Dogs like crap, and dislikes Lick (later renamed Storm) all because she's a Fierce Dog. In ''The Endless Lake'', though, this trope finally get subverted as he eventually [[spoiler:betrays his pack to join the Fierce Dogs]].
** Played straight with the wolf pack healer in ''The Exile's Journey'', where she helps Bella give birth to her and Arrow's puppies at the cost of being briefly exiled.

* Wolves in ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' hate [[OurMonstersAreDifferent Shadowspawn]] and will go well out of their way to fight them. Because they have no weapons or advanced tactics, they will often lose an entire pack to take down the more dangerous ones, but do it anyway. Indeed they are intended to fight to balance the Darkhounds, wolves corrupted by the forces of evil, referred to by the wolves as ''Shadowbrothers''. However, in the Southern lands they are seen as creatures of Shadow, particularly by the [[KnightTemplar Whitecloaks]], because Shadowspawn are rare in those regions and they are known only as dangerous animals.

* The entirety of ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfAncientDarkness'' -- the first book is called "Wolf Brother", and it's all about [[ABoyAndHisX a boy and his wolf]].
* Although the accuracy of Farley Mowat's ''Never Cry Wolf'' has been disputed, it cannot be denied that the book helped change a lot of minds about the true, and far less threatening, ways of the North American wolf.

* In the ''Literature/KateShugak'' novels, Kate's loyal-unto-death CanineCompanion, who has saved her life on countless occasions, is a wolfdog (a wolf-dog hybrid) named Mutt.
* The lupinoids in ''{{Literature/Ketrin}}'' can bond telepathically with humans. Several of the heroes end up with lupinoid friends.

* In ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia,'' most wolves are evil and follow the White Witch, but there are [[MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch good ones]] in Aslan's army. Sadly, they don't [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter play a role in the plot though]]. Their existence is easily missed as they are only briefly mentioned.
* The protagonist of ''Literature/{{Firstborn}}'' is a magpie, however most of the characters are wolves. Though not all wolf characters are heroic, most of them are gentle towards their friends and especially family.
* In ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'', the entire team acquire wolf morphs relatively early in the series. Cassie, the most reluctant fighter of them, comes to use it as her default combat morph. It's less flashy than Jake's tiger or Rachel's grizzly bear, but is very fast and has impressive stamina.

* In ''Manga/InuYasha'' there are two major wolf creatures: Rouyakan is a gentle forest guardian who has no interest in the Shikon Jewel -- a very rare thing given that most of the {{youkai}} the main characters come across are eager to get hold of the jewel to amplify their powers. Naraku has to force a jewel shard on him to brainwash him, and Kaede is shocked by the ferocious behavior that results.
* Laios from ''Manga/DeliciousInDungeon'' transforms himself into a wolf to "dig down" from his dreamscape into Marcille's. He's pretty put out later when she [[spoiler: mentions she saw him in the form of an adorable fluffy white dog rather than the badass wolf he imagined.]]
* ''Anime/WolfsRain'' is an anime revolving around this trope, following four wolves in disguise as humans wanting to seek out Paradise while the Earth is dying.
* In ''Manga/GingaNagareboshiGin'', a manga-only short after the BigBad's defeat features both good and evil wolves, in which the dogs join forces with the former to defeat the latter.
* Arf and Zafira of ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'', large and imposing wolf {{familiar}}s who are [[UndyingLoyalty very protective]] of their AntiVillain masters and allies and joined them in their eventual HeelFaceTurn. They're also both shown to be [[FriendToAllChildren very good with kids]] (Zafira runs a children's dojo and Arf is the primary babysitter for her mistress' niece and nephew).
* ''LightNovel/SpiceAndWolf'' is about a merchant who finds a wolf deity who then travels with him. She is haughty, self sufficient and can be cruel, but she's also wise, well-meaning and was once a village patron deity that helped bring good harvests.

* ''Anime/PrincessMononoke''. The wolves were portrayed both as noble creatures who just want to protect their own and even saved a little child abandoned by her parents but also as savage creatures that kill humans indiscrimintely. The point of the movie is that neither the animal spirits nor the people of the Ironworks are any better or worse than the other.
* ''Manga/TokyoMewMew'': Zakuro Fujiwara is a [[LittleBitBeastly wolfgirl]] and an AloofDarkHairedGirl who tries to be a lone wolf. Minto {{fangirl}}s her graceful and majestic bearing. However, she has a fair bit of the [[SavageWolves savage kind]] in her too, as she tends to react to all of her problems with physical or psychological violence, and is shown [[DisproportionateRetribution breaking a kid's arm for bullying]].
* Duran from ''Anime/MyHime'' was Natsuki's Childe, took the form of a giant, metal wolf whose super power was ice. Want to know what fueled him? [[spoiler:Love.]]
* In ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'', Kotaro's summoned spirits, the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inugami Inugami]], are usually fierce and relentless in their hunting during combat, but even during -- [[HeelFaceTurn depending on Kotaro's team alignment]] (or mood) -- they can be depicted as almost majestic and beautiful. That still doesn't stop them from acting puppy-like on occasion (they are technically dogs). [[spoiler:Kotaro later shows an ability to [[OneWingedAngel become a monsterous wolf at full power]].]]
* ''Anime/CorrectorYui'': War Wolf is a zigzag; he's very powerful as a Corruptor, and also very powerful as a Corrector.

* The Battle Wolf in ''Manga/{{Toriko}}'' -- one of its kind once averted global extinction by single-handedly killing the entire race of Death Gores that were causing it, not even allowing them one leaf of the forest in which it lived in (yes, the Death Gore is a Herbivore). And in an encounter with the [[ReptilesAreAbhorrent Devil's Serpent]], a snake rumoured to have been the Battle Wolf's competitor in the ancient days... [[CurbStompBattle it only lasted three pages]]. On top of that, [[UpToEleven said Battle Wolf was just exhausted from giving birth, and nearing the end of its life]], having given all it had to give birth to its child. In the end, [[DiedStandingUp she died standing up, proud like the king it was cloned from, which was the same Battle Wolf mentioned earlier]].
* Kiba the wolf from ''Manga/CatParadise'', despite being a Spirit Beast, is not nearly as malicious as many of the other Spirit Beasts that appear, and even agrees to help the humans after his job is finished. Possibly [[JustifiedTrope justified]], since his species flourished overall in the advent of humanity, unlike [[LastOfHisKind some other species.]]
* Madarao from ''Manga/{{Kekkaishi}},'' assists the heroes in corralling the demons spawned by the local PlaceOfPower. However, he could quickly turn savage without his PowerLimiter. Kouya also started out as a Noble wolf, but his hatred changed him, and he became a SavageWolf. The two eventually fight.

[[folder: Fan Works]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Wolfwalkers}}'', the wolves are seen by the townsfolk and the Lord Protector as [[SavageWolves savage beasts]] that need to be wiped out. After Robyn meets Mebh, she discovers that wolves aren't as bad as she thought, especially when she becomes a [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent Wolfwalker]] herself. She eventually sides with Mebh and the wolves to protect the forest from destruction.

** ''Anime/DigimonFrontier'' has Kouji whose Digimon forms are Wolfmon/Garmmon/Beowulfmon/[=MagnaGarurumon=] (Lobomon/[=KendoGarurumon=]/Beowulfmon/[=MagnaGarurumon=]). His true form represents TheSacredDarkness. While scary and menacing, he is still a force for good.

* ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}''

** ''Anime/DigimonXrosWars'': Dorurumon ''tries'' to be a lone wolf but he has a MoralityPet in Cutemon and can't help himself from aiding Xros Heart before formally joining. Wolves are meant to be in a pack.

* Duran from ''Anime/MaiHime'' was Natsuki's Childe, took the form of a giant, metal wolf whose super power was ice. Want to know what fueled him? [[spoiler:Love.]]
* In ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'', Kotaro's summoned spirits, the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inugami Inugami]], are usually fierce and relentless in their hunting during combat, but even during -- [[HeelFaceTurn depending on Kotaro's team alignment]] (or mood) -- they can be depicted as almost majestic and beautiful. That still doesn't stop them from acting puppy-like on occasion (they are technically dogs). [[spoiler:Kotaro later shows an ability to [[OneWingedAngel become a monsterous wolf at full power]].]]

* ''Comicbook/WerewolfByNight'': Jack Russell, after his CharacterDevelopment turned him from villain's plaything to motorcycle riding AntiHero.

* ''Comicbook/{{Aquila}}'': The guardian spirit of Rome is, of course, a wolf. She's actually a goddess who once took the form of a wolf bitch the size of Fenrir to watch over Romulus and Remus before the former of the two brothers slayed the other and began the city's martial era. She resides in the sewers of the city BeneathTheEarth with her followers.

** The sword he used reappears in ''VideoGame/DarkSouls2''. [[spoiler: Sif's soul is still burning bright within it untold cycles later and it remains an effective weapon despite its poor condition. Some players used it to slay the Children of Dark to grant Sif a measure of vengeance for his old master.]]
** The ''Ashes of Ariandel'' expansion for ''VideoGame/DarkSouls3'' features the Gravetender Greatwolf, who is an obvious callback to Sif. The Greatwolf aids the Champion's Gravetender in watching over the grave of their long dead master, just as Sif did for Artorias.

* In ''Videogame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn'' the two Wolf [[LittleBitBeastly Laguz]] present in the game are both on the side of good, and when [[HenshinHero shifted]] can be some of your most effective characters in the levels you control them in.

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt''

* ''WebComic/TheCyantianChronicles'' has Syris Akaelae, who has been so successful during several wars that the artists among his enemies depict him as a god of war! Thankfully, he's also got a heart of gold.

* Bear is one of these in the ''Fanfic/CatalystVerse'' instead of the HeroicDog he is on ''Series/PersonOfInterest''.

* Eve, the mother of Kate in ''WesternAnimation/AlphaAndOmega'', maintains her calm until she senses that her daugter is in danger. Woe to any wolf who dares endanger Kate or any member of Eve's family.

* ''[[https://my.w.tt/v4IffEriLU Final Stand of Death]]'' has Fusion Gundam, who humanoid-type Mechas. They made this since they still have the same personalities as they did when they were [[InvoluntaryBattleToTheDeath take part]] [[WesternAnimation/CelebrityDeathmatch on "Deathbowl 98"]].

* Invoked with the Space Wolves from ''TabletopGame/WarHammer40000''. Amongst the most unambigously heroic armies in the game barring the Salamanders chapter. You do NOT want to trigger their BerserkButton as when pissed off, they can be every bit as dangerous as a SavageWolf. Even the Inquisistion is afraid of them.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wolf_boi.png]]

[[quoteright:250:[[VideoGame/{{Okami}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/5f773847bdde7a0bed918dffd55e9353.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:250:Noble, playful, [[GodIsGood divine]]... and [[BadassAdorable adorable]].]]

* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'', Link turns into wolf in the Twilight Realm. Later in the game, he gains the ability to turn into the wolf at will. Thus, he's a knight in furry armor.

Though leaning more towards neutrality, a Noble Wolf can easily be a heroic figure. With their intelligence, [[HeroesLoveDogs a doglike figure]] and social nature, it is easy to pick out good traits to emphasize. Having a lupine ally or pet instantly makes any character much more threatening or impressive. Any heroic wolf of this sort will be a force to be reckoned with as wolves are still taken very seriously today. Bonus points if the wolf is [[WhiteWolvesAreSpecial white]].

A SisterTrope to HeroicDog. See also HeroicDolphin. Compare and contrast SavageWolves. This trope as it pertains to positive traits of male wolves is the origin of PapaWolf.

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* In ''TabletopGame/WerewolfTheApocalypse'', the Gaian Garou that do not consider themselves this by default are the ones that recognize gutting the minions of the Wyrm is not enough and strive to do more.
* Since 3rd edition ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', players have it suggested that wolves aren't there for killing.
** Pro Example: the default animal companion for a druid is a wolf.
** Counter example: The AlwaysChaoticEvil [[OurVampiresAreDifferent vampires]] can call wolves with their ''Creatures of the Night'' ability.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'': Amaroks, enormous black wolves that hunt alone, are not particularly friendly or approachable, but they're far from malicious. While they habitually stalk and chase those who hunt alone at night, they do so for the express purpose of showing them the foolishness of this behavior -- they never kill those they hunt in this way, instead preferring to essentially ScareEmStraight. Those who thereafter make a genuine attempt to become better hunters earn the amarok's genuine respect, and earn also a skilled, but harsh, teacher in hunting and wilderness survival.
* Invoked with the Space Wolves from ‘’TabletopGame/{{WarHammer40000}}’’. Amongst the most unambigously heroic armies in the game barring the Salamanders chapter. You do NOT want to trigger their BerserkButton as when pissed off, they can be every bit as dangerous as a SavageWolf. Even the Inquisistion is afraid of them.
[[/folder]]

* Aisling of ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfKells'' is a benevolent fairy who sometimes takes the form of a white wolf. Oddly, she's part of a pack with two evil SavageWolves.

-->-- '''Creator/RudyardKipling''', ''Literature/{{The Jungle Book}}s''

-->--'''Creator/RudyardKipling''', ''Literature/{{The Jungle Book}}s''

* Madarao from ''Manga/{{Kekkaishi}},'' assists the heroes in corralling the demons spawned by the local PlaceOfPower. However, he could quickly turn savage without his PowerLimiter. Kouya also started out as a NobleWolf, but his hatred changed him, and he became a SavageWolf. The two eventually fight.

** Ysengrin appears to be a NobleWolf by default (if a bit guarded, proud, and standoffish), but his temperamental nature [[spoiler: and very possibly Coyote's influence]] cause him to swing between this trope and SavageWolf depending on his mood and the situation.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Hoodwinked}}'': Where the Wolf is a Film/{{Fletch}} {{Expy}} trying to get to the bottom of a major story.
* WesternAnimation/{{Balto}} is a NiceGuy and a loyal friend but the townfolk believe him to be [[SavageWolves dangerous ("He might bite you, honey. He's part wolf.")]]. Then he goes on a journey to retrieve the medicine supply needed to save the town's children. He's not expecting thanks when he comes back; he just thinks it needs to be done.

* Classified from ''WesternAnimation/PenguinsOfMadagascar'' is a heroic wolf leading a team that rescues small, cute animals. He might be a proud, bragging JerkAss, but he has good intentions.
* Aragh from ''WesternAnimation/TheFlightOfDragons'' quickly joins the group to help defeat the evil Red Wizard Ommadon, [[spoiler: once he's done saving them from the Sandmurks.]]

* Modern Italy uses the wolf as a symbol based on the legend of Romulus and Remus being suckled by a she-wolf (also as mentioned in Mythology). That same symbol also appears in the crest of AS Roma, a successful football club from the capital.

* Some of the police officers in ''Disney/{{Zootopia}}'' are wolves, one even [[VisualPun donning a sheep disguise]].

* ''Discworld/TheFifthElephant'' is a [[BlueAndOrangeMorality complicated]] case. A wolf's natural instincts include killing any werewolves they come across, ([[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent even Angua]]) but for a good chunk of the story they are kept in line by another wolf. Even then the wolves are not portrayed as evil. Angua accepts that they have some pretty good reasons to hate werewolves.

* Modern Italy uses the wolf as a symbol based on the legend of Romulus and Remus being suckled by a she-wolf (also as mentioned in Mythology)