History Main / PragmaticHero

* Naofumi, the titular protagonist of ''Literature/TheRisingOfTheShieldHero'', has to become this out of necessity, given that he was summoned to a CrapsackWorld where within the span of a day he learns the hard way that there's people who will make his life a living hell just for the sake of it. While he goes out of his way to help people in need, he'll always demand fair retribution for his deeds because they're also his way to make a living. Interestingly enough, this attitude actually makes him more effective than the other three summoned heroes, [[NiceJobBreakingItHero whose acts often have unforeseen consequences that cause more trouble than they solve]], and Naofumi has had to step in and clean up their messes. While he gets his primary allies buying them from a slave trader, he treats them well enough and they quickly develop UndyingLoyalty for him, and more and more people are willing to assist him as time goes on.

* The Literature/GoblinSlayer [[CripplingOverspecialization may struggle with anything that doesn't deal with slaying goblins]], but he is very quick-witted and capable of using tools and spells in unconventional ways, such as using the Priestess's [[DeflectorShields protection spell]] to trap goblins in a fiery death trap, or [[spoiler:linking a portal-opening Gate Scroll to the bottom of the ocean, using intense water pressure from the abyssal depths to [[KillItWithWater cleave an ogre in twain]].]]

* ''[[Manga/SailorMoon Minako Aino]]'', of all people, graduated to this at the end of ''Manga/CodenameSailorV'' when she [[spoiler:killed Ace, her crush for being Kunzite's {{Dragon}}]]. Had shades of this since the start, as her first kill was [[spoiler:Higashi, the disguised youma which she had a crush on]], but she was holding hope she could ''save'' [[spoiler:Higashi]], while she attacked to kill when facing [[spoiler:Ace]].

* Ange in ''Anime/CrossAnge'' is willing to dirty her hands if need be, but she's doing it so that her squadmates are safe from harm -- even if she has to KillSteal from them. She is also disgusted with the society of mana after witnessing its harsh bigotry when she's nearly executed for being a Norma and wishes to destroy it, but it remains to be seen how far she will go. She was definitely disgusted when she found out [[spoiler:the [=DRAGONs=] she and her comrades had been killing were part-human]].

* ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'': All of the Animorphs turn into this over the course of the series, though they show signs of it as early as the [[SixthRangerTraitor David]] books, where they [[spoiler:condemn David to a FateWorseThanDeath after he tries to kill them]]. Jake, Marco, and Rachel even cross the line into UnscrupulousHero or SociopathicHero sometimes (for example, when Jake [[spoiler:blackmails Erek by threatening to kill Chapman, and later when he kills 17,000 defenseless Yeerks in the heat of the moment]], when Marco [[spoiler:told his father that his stepmother had been a Controller from the beginning and never actually loved him]], and Rachel whenever she indulges her BloodKnight tendencies). By the end, all have turned into HeWhoFightsMonsters.

* ''VideoGame/HeroKingQuestPeacemakerPrologue'': Spiderweb sees her allies as pawns to maintain the Dark Realm's stability, but she is also pragmatic enough to know that she should treat her allies well in order to maintain their loyalty. However, it's implied she believes in racial harmony beyond mere pragmatism since she is upset at all the harm the Dark Ones went through under her sister. [[spoiler:In the ending, she's willing to stage a false flag operation near the Dark Realm's borders to justify a war against the Silver Kingdom and Scarlet Empire, but scraps that plan once the enemy declares war on her first. Another of her plans is to instigate the Bloody Duke to start a civil war in the Scarlet Empire and weaken them from within, leading to the plot of the next entry, ''Glorious Princess''.]]

Being pragmatic, they also have both the flaws and strengths a more passionate hero lacks, so are less likely to let [[ItsPersonal personal]] intentions get in the way of their job, possibly seeing that kind of behavior as shortsighted and [[ConsummateProfessional unprofessional]], since acting without thought for the consequences of one's actions is against everything they believe in. In this sense, a Pragmatic Hero contrasts a BloodKnight or HeWhoFightsMonsters.