History Main / PrinciplesZealot

** The entire mainstream Brotherhood of Steel degenerates into this. They keep on getting more and more obsessed with keeping to the Codex as more and more schismatics splinters off from the mainstream thanks to the increasing insanity of trying to keep to all the rules. This is worsened by the fact that there is significant evidence that the Codex ''has'' been altered... to be more strict (for those that wonder why this is here and not under HonorBeforeReason, the Codex, at least by New Vegas, includes parts about ''not'' helping outsiders, which is hardly heroic or idealistic), even as hiding in bunkers and keeping all pre-War tech to themselves becomes increasingly less of an option. Even though Nolan [=McNamara=], the elder of the Mojave chapter is quite aware that the Brotherhood is actively stagnating he will not break the followings of the Codex, though if the Brotherhood form a truce with the NCR and helps them win, they'll at least agree to patrol the roads (otherwise if the NCR are not around, they take the opportunity to try and harass travelers for tech).
** The Brotherhood have ''always'' been highly xenophobic and all about hoarding technology. In ''Fallout 1'' they were so close to becoming total zealots that the assassination of just one of their leaders, Rhombus, leads to them becoming the Steel Plague, fanatics who actively hunt down anyone else with advanced technology and usher in an even darker age. Only the Chicago and Washington D.C. Brotherhoods have ever truly diverged from rigid adherence to the Codex, mainly due to being cut off from the central leadership.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': While all members of the Ace-Ops are firmly loyal to General Ironwood and follow his orders without question, Harriet Bree takes it to full-blown zealotry, to the extent that when Ironwood announces his intent to [[NukeEm bomb Mantle]] only to be defeated and imprisoned by Team RWBY, Harriet elects to do it herself. When Vine calls her out on it, pointing out that it's completely pointless to do so, Harriet defends her actions by claiming it's a matter of principle.

* ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'' is in many ways a parody of this, with Judge Death as a parody of the parody. While Judge Dredd is a KnightTemplar ByTheBookCop and Judge Death an OmnicidalManiac HangingJudge, they are still the same kind of Principles Zealot. And this is what makes them NotSoDifferent.

** A retcon claimed that Cap had never killed anyone ''ever''. [[BeyondTheImpossible Even during the Second World War when he was in the thickest of fighting]]. This supposedly gave him the moral high ground over [[ComicBook/Wolverine]], allowing him to take offense concerning Wolverine's bloody record. Normally, Cap is portrayed as ''preferring'' not to kill, but accepting it can sometimes be necessary. If he has to choose between letting the Red Skull escape or killing him, for example, he's generally willing to kill because he knows the Skull will just keep on causing suffering.

** Jon Snow takes after his father with his "no lies" policy, claiming that enough secrets and lies cause people's very purpose to become upholding those same secrets and lies at the cost of everything else. He's forced to acknowledge that some secrets must be kept from one's enemies, but he still tells enough people the horrifying truth that [[spoiler:he's the ''legitimate'' heir to the Iron Throne due to Rhegar Targaryen legally marrying Lysandra]]. [[SanitySlippage This ends badly]].

A character who cares too much about their principles, often at the expense of caring about the results of their actions. While many characters believe in ideals like [[WillNotTellALie truth]], [[ForScience knowledge]] and [[ByTheBookCop the rule of law]], these folks take it to [[UpToEleven uncomfortable levels]]. May be PlayedForLaughs, or played straight in [[SlidingScaleOfUnavoidableVersusUnforgivable one way]] or [[StrawCharacter another]].

A person who WillNotTellALie, for example, crosses over into Principles Zealot when they maintain truthfulness even in the face of horrible consequences that they know could be averted by telling a [[MetaphoricallyTrue Jedi Truth]]- or force everyone to tell the truth [[DisproportionateRetribution lest they suffer dire consequences]]. A hero who will commit any atrocity rather than [[IGaveMyWord break a promise]], even if they were tricked into making it, is a Principles Zealot. Please note that such a Principles Zealot isn't necessarily more ''principled'' than someone who normally WillNotTellALie but can make exceptions in extreme cases. The difference is that the zealot refuses to see the big picture, clinging blindly to the principle and the principle only. This has a certain bloody-minded logic: the threat of looming negative consequences could always be a trick or illusion, or there might be an [[TakeAThirdOption escape route]], but once you tell the lie to avoid it, there's a 100% certainty that you are now a liar. Psychologically, categorical imperatives can also be a source of immense power.

* Greed from ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' claims that he never lies (even to enemies). If this were true then that would mean he would never lie even if it could further his goals, and being the physical incarnation of the sin itself, attaining things like status, sex, money, etc. is very important to him. [[spoiler:His first, last, and only lie was to Ling Yao, telling him that they would fight Father together. Greed lied to get Ling to drop his guard, [[HeroicSacrifice so Ling wouldn't be absorbed into Father as well.]]]]

* [[TheProtagonist Yuuji]] [[IWorkAlone Yugami]] from ''Manga/YugamiKunNiWaTomodachiGaInai'' is a comedic example. His stubbornness is always PlayedForLaughs and it's part of the reason his classmates tend to [[LonersAreFreaks avoid him]] -- not that he cares, since he's quite happy without friends anyway and practically [[LeaveMeAlone refuses to make any]].

* Rorschach in ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' follows this trope consistently. This is probably because he's TheAntiNihilist; he believes that the world has no other meaning than the one we impose upon it. If he abandoned his principles, he'd have nothing. [[spoiler: The page quote is literal. He would rather let the world perish than neglect one of his moral principles just once.]] His reaction to [[spoiler: Ozymandias's plan to save the world is a perfect example. He knows Veidt's new utopia will be a lie built upon a foundation of corpses and cannot let that injustice pass, and thus welcomes death by Dr. Manhattan's hand because he can no longer abide living in a morally bankrupt world where injustice must prevail in order to save lives.]]

* The Saint of Swords from Literature/APracticalGuideToEvil,would rather die than compromise with even the series more reasonable villains. In her words; "There can be... no truce with the enemy."

* ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'': After his CharacterDevelopment in ''[[Anime/DragonBallZ Z]]'', Vegeta will ''not'' abandon his Saiyan {{pride}} or his love of his family for anything, even if it means he'll never achieve his lifelong goal of surpassing Goku. He'd rather die than throw away who he is. He contrasts himself to Top in this regard, who casts aside his belief in justice when the going gets rough.

* [[HeroKiller Stain]] of ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'' is a SerialKiller motivated by his very specific idea of what a "hero" is. He believes that heroes must never work for personal gain, only to sacrifice themselves for the people. Those who do are fakes who need to be snuffed out. The problem with this way of thinking is that these so-called fakes are quite good at their jobs and are beloved everywhere. He also considers the idea of redemption to be utterly impossible.

* Deconstructed in ''VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'' and [[VideoGame/Injustice2 its sequel]]. Both Superman and Batman cling on to their respective ideologies of PayEvilUntoEvil and ThouShaltNotKill after the Joker was killed by the [[FallenHero fallen]] Man of Steel in retaliation for tricking Superman into nuking Metropolis and killing his own wife. While both sides make good points about their thoughts about the post-Metropolis situation, they also have shortcomings that nullify their arguments. At the end of the sequel, this rears its ugly head [[spoiler:as both Superman and Batman immediately squabble over sparing Brainiac, with Superman inclined to kill the Coluan in retaliation for destroying Krypton and he believes he can restore the captured cities himself with Cyborg's help, though Batman knows ''what could happen'' if Superman is given control over the Skullship. Batman wants Brainiac alive because he thinks killing him will risk the destruction of more cities, although he fails to mention how to contain Brainiac despite knowing that sparing him could put more the Earth and other alien civilizations in big jeopardy. Neither of them mentions the possibility of using Wonder Woman's Lasso of Truth to force Brainiac into telling them how to take control of the ship and safely release the billions of cities he collected.]]

A Principles Zealot can be a WellIntentionedExtremist, KnightInSourArmor, KnightTemplar, LawfulStupid or even someone who ended up on the wrong end of [[SlidingScaleOfUnavoidableVersusUnforgivable that Sliding Scale]]. Contrast TotalitarianUtilitarian, who is ''another side'' of these four kinds of fanaticism: While the Principles Zealot cares only about principles, the Totalitarian Utilitarian cares only about results. Note that a fanatic doesn't have to fall into either of those two categories: their fanaticism can be about a ''[[MyCountryRightOrWrong cause]]'' or a ''[[TheFundamentalist belief]]'' instead.

* Greed from ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' claims that he never lies (even to enemies). If this were true then that would mean he would never lie even if it could further his goals, and being the physical incarnation of the sin itself, attaining things like status, sex, money, etc. is very important to him. [[spoiler:His first, last, and only lie was to to Ling Yao, telling him that they would fight Father together. Greed lied to get Ling to drop his guard, [[HeroicSacrifice so Ling wouldn't be absorbed into Father as well.]]]]

* ''[[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/Lastseefather.jpg And When Did You Last See Your Father?]]'' was, at one time, an extremely popular painting in England. It dramatizes a scene in the UsefulNotes/EnglishCivilWar where a man is hiding from the opposing army, and is about to be exposed by his little son's [[WillNotTellALie insistence on telling the complete truth]] [[LawfulStupid at all times.]]

* Nicholas Angel, the hero in ''Film/HotFuzz'', takes ByTheBookCop to zealot [[PlayedForLaughs levels]]. [[CharacterDevelopment He gets better.]] The [[spoiler:Neighborhood Watch Alliance as a whole]] also counts considering they're willing to kill innocent people just to preserve Sanford's reputation as the perfect village.

* The main plot point and FatalFlaw of Carlito in ''Film/CarlitosWay''. Carlito is completely dedicated to the street code of honor that he grew up with, to the point that he ignores all the common sense signs of trouble around him, including how several people close to him (especially one guy in particular that Carlito has an IOweYouMyLife sort of debt to) are planning to use and betray him. Even the warnings of his own girlfriend, (who isn't as street savvy, but clearly sees the writing on the wall) go unheeded in many situations.

* In Prosper Mérimée's''Matteo Falcone'', the titular boy's father unflinchingly executes the kid by blowing his brains out with a shotgun for the crime of treason (read: He promised an escaped convict that he wouldn't tell the police where he was [[TheStoolPigeon and then he did]]). It doesn't matters that everybody else praises the kid's action, the father is ''[[HonorRelatedAbuse pissed]]'' that the kid [[HonorBeforeReason besmirched the family honor]] [[IGaveMyWord for going back on a promise]].

* Banage of ''Literature/TheSpiritThief'' is absolutely uncompromising when it comes to any actions that might harm spirits. As such, he's often derided by Sara and the Council as a thick-headed extremist, and his opinions are rather unpopular. This being said, when there are spirits being abused, you really want this guy to be on your side, because if you're the abuser, he'll absolutely wreck you and your operation.

** The Good Place Committee is willing to let [[spoiler:billions of innocent people be tortured in The Bad Place]] if it means that no rules will be broken while [[spoiler:identifying why noone gets into the Good Place anymore]].

** The [[ProudWarriorRace Qunari]] adhere to a rigid code, the Qun and will ''never'' compromise if the "demands of the Qun" aren't met. Thus, under it one is assigned a role at birth, and this is all they may do - a farmer will always be a farmer. The only other alternative is death: "existence is a choice.. and we can refuse it."

** The Railroad of ''VideoGame/Fallout4'' are arguably a slightly more positive example. They're a ragtag bunch of idealistic wastelanders who are hunted daily by [[BigBad the Institute]] and risk their lives for a tiny minority of people in a land that's hellish enough already. Why? Because AndroidsArePeopleToo, and helping them to freedom is the right thing to do. However, they've shown themselves to care more about robots (with some willing to protect even Gen 1 and 2 synths, which aren't even sentient) [[SkewedPriorities than their fellow man]], and are willing to [[WouldHurtAChild kill children]] (as there are children found in both the Prydwen and Institute), put civilians in harms way, and betray their allies if it benefits their cause.

* Sweet Johnson in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas''. He is unable to see the larger picture and "the hood" is all it matters to him, so much so he views CJ as an sell-out for hitting on the big business like managing rappers. And also because he refuses to deal with hardcore drugs, his gang is at an disadvantage compared to their Ballas rivals so much so [[spoiler:his own lieutenants Big Smoke and Ryder double-cross him and try to have him killed]].
* Deconstructed in ''VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'' and [[VideoGame/Injustice2 its sequel]]. Both Superman and Batman cling on to their respective ideologies of PayEvilUntoEvil and ThouShaltNotKill after the Joker was killed by the [[FallenHero fallen]] Man of Steel in retaliation for tricking Superman into nuking Metropolis and killing his own wife. While both sides make good points about their thoughts about the post-Metropolis situation, they also have shortcomings that nullify their arguments. At the end of the sequel, this rears its ugly head [[spoiler:as both Superman and Batman immediately squabble over sparing Brainiac, with Superman inclined to kill the Coluan in retaliation for destroying Krypton and he believes he can restore the captured cities himself with Cyborg's help, though Batman knows ''what could happen'' if Superman is given control over the Skullship. Batman wants Brainiac alive because he thinks killing him will risk the destruction of more cities, although he fails to mention on how to contain Brainiac despite knowing that sparing him could put more the Earth and other alien civilizations in big jeopardy. Neither of them mention the possibility of using Wonder Woman's Lasso of Truth to force Brainiac into telling them how to take control of the ship and safely release the billions of cities he collected.]]

** {{Parodied}} in [[http://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/evil-ethics "Evil Ethics"]]: A kid espouses [[ForTheEvulz evil]] deontology, which involves purposefully finding bad things to do based on the fact that it's based on a moral principle, like finding life-saving lies you could tell and refusing to do it on principle. (The other kid is an [[TotalitarianUtilitarian evil utilitarian]].) It's a parody of this concept but couldn't be a straight example because the consequences ''do'' matter, just in a reverse way.

* Lingur, from the ''Literature/SporewikiFictionUniverse'' is this. He is so dedicated to his principles that other people have been seen to talk for him at military meetings, despite him being the head of his empire's military, because if he were allowed to speak he might call another attendee evil. In fact, his love interest Callanni partially exists as a plot device when the plot requires him to do something he normally wouldn't. She is the only one he's been seen to listen to on such issues. Though Lingur is the only commonly featured example, it is implied that virtually all Aeoneonatrix are like this.

* In Prosper Mérimée's''Matteo Falcone'', the titular boy's father unflinchingly executes the kid by blowing his brains out with a shotgun for the crime of treason (read: He promised an escaped convict that he wouldn't tell the police where he was [[TheStoolPigeon and then he did]]). It doesn't matters that everybody else praises the kid's action, the father is ''[[HonorRelatedAbuse pissed]]'' that the kid [[HonorBeforeReason besmirched the family honor]] [[IHaveMyWord for going back on a promise]].

A character who cares too much about their principles, often at the expense of caring about the results of their actions. While many characters believe in ideals like [[WillNotTellALie truth]], [[ForScience knowledge]] and [[ByTheBookCop the rule of law]], these folks take it to [[UpToEleven uncomfortable levels]]. May be PlayedForLaughs, or played straight in [[SlidingScaleOfUnavoidableVersusUnforgivable one way]] or [[StrawmanPolitical another]].

A person who WillNotTellALie, for example, crosses over into Principles Zealot when they maintain truthfulness even in the face of horrible consequences that they know could be averted by telling a JediTruth- or force everyone to tell the truth [[DisproportionateRetribution lest they suffer dire consequences]]. A hero who will commit any atrocity rather than [[IGaveMyWord break a promise]], even if they were tricked into making it, is a Principles Zealot. Please note that such a Principles Zealot isn't necessarily more ''principled'' than someone who normally WillNotTellALie but can make exceptions in extreme cases. The difference is that the zealot refuses to see the big picture, clinging blindly to the principle and the principle only. This has a certain bloody-minded logic: the threat of looming negative consequences could always be a trick or illusion, or there might be an [[TakeAThirdOption escape route]], but once you tell the lie to avoid it, there's a 100% certainty that you are now a liar. Psychologically, categorical imperatives can also be a source of immense power.

* In some editions of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', paladins and members of extreme alignments are like this or can be like this. This sort of character is often the cause of GoodVsGood conflicts: you may have some LawfulGood GuardianEntity guarding some artifact or the like the [=PCs=] really need for some good purpose, but said guardian is duty-bound not to give it up to anyone, no matter what their good intentions.

* Nicholas Angel, the hero in ''Film/HotFuzz'', takes ByTheBookCop to zealot [[PlayedForLaughs levels]]. [[CharacterDevelopment He gets better.]]

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

-->'''Vegeta''': Only a failure abandons his principles and pride! Do you actually think I'd let you stop me!?
* Greed from ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' claims that he never lies (even to enemies). If this were true then that would mean he would never lie even if it could further his goals, and being the physical incarnation of the sin itself, attaining things like status, sex, money, etc. is very important to him.
** [[spoiler:His first, last, and only lie was to to Ling Yao, telling him that they would fight Father together. Greed lied to get Ling to drop his guard, [[HeroicSacrifice so Ling wouldn't be absorbed into Father as well.]]]]

* Rorschach in ''Comicbook/{{Watchmen}}'' follows this trope consistently. This is probably because he's TheAntiNihilist; he believes that the world has no other meaning than the one we impose upon it. If he abandoned his principles, he'd have nothing. [[spoiler: The page quote is literal. He would rather let the world perish than neglect one of his moral principles just once.]] His reaction to [[spoiler: Ozymandias's plan to save the world is a perfect example. He knows Veidt's new utopia will be a lie built upon a foundation of corpses and cannot let that injustice pass, and thus welcomes death by Dr. Manhattan's hand because he can no longer abide living in a morally bankrupt world where injustice must prevail in order to save lives.]]

* Walter Sobchak in ''Film/TheBigLebowski''. He is so thoroughly principled that he converted to Judaism for his wife and refuses to abandon it even after their divorce.

** He also rather notoriously threatens to shoot a man because he didn't take a penalty during a bowling game.

* In the Literature/{{Xanth}} novel Man from Mundania, Grey Murphy is so Lawful that he feels obligated to honor the promise his father, the [[spoiler: exiled Evil Magician Murphy that previously attempted to conquer Xanth]] made to the evil Com Pewter, a machine which wanted a human to aid in its world conquest plans. He only escapes by finding an overriding law concerning [[spoiler: taking the place of Humphry, Magician of Information, service to whom overrides any and all prior obligation.]]

* ''Literature/{{Victoria}}'' gives us John Rumford, who is willing to kill hundreds of thousands to support his traditional society. His introduction is interrupting a remembrance ceremony for fallen Marines rather than allow a woman to say 'Iwo Jima.' No women fought on Iwo, so no woman has the right to honor the war dead. When offered the choice of a public apology or getting discharged, he chooses the latter.

-->'''Eleanor:''' They're trying to torture us, man! We're behind enemy lines!\\

* Chris and Victoria Argent on ''Series/TeenWolf'' qualify, due to their FantasticRacism and HunterOfMonsters thing. After being [[spoiler: infected with lycanthropy, Victoria commits suicide, with Chris' help, even though they know that werewolves can learn to control their condition and they have the resources to keep one contained until that can be accomplished. The emotional trauma this is guaranteed to cause their daughter is secondary to their adherence to Hunter rules]].

* Pretty much every single "good" member of the [[{{TabletopGame/Warhammer40000}} Imperium of Man]] that isn't a direct member of the local ChurchMilitant should be like this. Especially the soldiers and doubly so for the [[ThePoliticalOfficer Commissars]]. It's to the point that if you disobey an order but win a battle, where obeying an order would lose the entire war, you will be ''court-martialed and executed''. During active combat, so much as ''suggesting an alternate route'' could be, at officer's discretion, punishable by death.
* In some editions of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', paladins and members of extreme alignments are like this or can be like this.
** This sort of character is often the cause of GoodVsGood conflicts: you may have some LawfulGood GuardianEntity guarding some artifact or the like the [=PCs=] really need for some good purpose, but said guardian is duty-bound not to give it up to anyone, no matter what their good intentions.

* ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'' gives us Vhailor, a Mercykiller avatar of Justice. Even death didn't slow him down- he didn't even notice his, but continued his work as he possessed his old battle armour. Not even the protagonist is safe from his swift justice if he happens to realize who the Nameless One is...

----> '''[[PlayerCharacter Hawke]]:''' I see a man who's willing to start a war on principle.
----> '''[[DuelBoss The Arishok]]:''' And what would the Qunari be without principle? [[WorthyOpponent You, I suspect.]]

----> '''Sister Petrice:''' Qunari. Even their rebels conform.

* The entire mainstream Brotherhood of Steel degenerates into this in the ''{{VideoGame/Fallout}}'' series. They keep on getting more and more obsessed with keeping to the Codex as more and more schismatics splinters off from the mainstream thanks to the increasing insanity of trying to keep to all the rules. This is worsened by the fact that there is significant evidence that the Codex ''has'' been altered... to be more strict (for those that wonder why this is here and not under HonorBeforeReason, the Codex, at least by New Vegas, includes parts about ''not'' helping outsiders, which is hardly heroic or idealistic), even as hiding in bunkers and keeping all pre-War tech to themselves becomes increasingly less of an option. Even though Nolan [=McNamara=], the elder of the Mojave chapter is quite aware that the Brotherhood is actively stagnating he will not break the followings of the Codex, though if the Brotherhood form a truce with the NCR and helps them win, they'll at least agree to patrol the roads (otherwise if the NCR are not around, they take the opportunity to try and harass travelers for tech).
** The Brotherhood have ''always'' been highly xenophobic and all about hoarding technology. In Fallout 1 they were so close to becoming total zealots that the assassination of just one of their leaders, Rhombus, leads to them becoming the Steel Plague, fanatics who actively hunt down anyone else with advanced technology and usher in an even darker age. Only the Chicago and Washington D.C. Brotherhoods have ever truly diverged from rigid adherence to the Codex, mainly due to being cut off from the central leadership.
** The Railroad of ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 4}}'' are arguably a slightly more positive example. They're a ragtag bunch of idealistic wastelanders who are hunted daily by [[BigBad the Institute]] and risk their lives for a tiny minority of people in a land that's hellish enough already. Why? Because AndroidsArePeopleToo, and helping them to freedom is the right thing to do. However, they've shown themselves to care more about robots (with some willing to protect even Gen 1 and 2 synths, which aren't even sentient) [[SkewedPriorities than their fellow man]], and are willing to [[WouldHurtAChild kill children]] (as there are children found in both the Prydwen and Institute), put civilians in harms way, and betray their allies if it benefits their cause.
* This is the main problem of Andrew Ryan, the antagonist of the first ''VideoGame/BioShock.'' Ryan had self-imposed principles of personal responsibility, hard work, and ruthless capitalism that allowed him to rise up in the world and become a SelfMadeMan. Unfortunately, these principles failed spectacularly when he attempted to apply them to an entire city he built; a downtrodden working class immediately was formed who were being exploited and mistreated by the rich. Ryan simply expected them to pull themselves up like he did, ignoring that the system he put in place made it impossible for them to do so.

* ''WebComic/SaturdayMorningBreakfastCereal''

* Lingur, from the ''Literature/SporewikiFictionUniverse'' is this. He is so dedicated to his principles that other people have been seen to talk for him at military meetings, despite him being the head of his empire's military, because if he were allowed to speak he might call another attendee evil. In fact, his love interest Callanni partially exists as a plot device when the plot requires him to do something he normally wouldn't. She is the only one he's been seen to listen to on such issues.
** Though Lingur is the only commonly featured example, it is implied that virtually all Aeoneonatrix are like this.

* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'', Mrs. Puff has a flashback to the unfortunate day that she met [=SpongeBob=]. She's just opening her new boating school and gives her word that she will accept ANY student and never give up on them. Cue Spongebob's arrival. In a later episode, the entire plot revolves around Mrs Puff's increasingly blatant desire and attempts to get Spongebob KILLED in a destruction derby accident. She would sooner COMMIT MURDER than go back on her word and just kick him out of the school.

* Lisa Simpson of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' is a SoapboxSadie that believes fervently in being truthful at all times and standing for what she believes in, even if that means seeking out the truth and exposing it and destroying the lives of other people as a side-effect (and occasionally her own as well, although pretty obviously ''[[{{Hypocrite}} that]]'' wasn't part of her plan). On a couple of occasions this meant (unknowingly) dodging literal bullets.
** The only time she knowingly compromised on this (and even then, it was a last-second decision) was when she discovered the truth about Jebediah Springfield, since telling everyone that he was a murderous pirate would have effectively destroyed what little pride Springfield had.
* [[HumongousMecha Armagedroid]] from ''WesternAnimation/MyLifeAsATeenageRobot'' is programmed to destroy dangerous weaponry in the name of peace. He was built to fight off an AlienInvasion, which he did, but [[AIIsACrapshoot his simplistic programming]] caused him to start attacking everything around him that ''might'' be a weapon, on the logic that anything that could possibly harm a person is a threat to peace. He’s so slavishly devoted to his principles of peace through destruction that when Jenny points out that [[YouAreWhatYouHate he qualifies as a weapon himself]], his ''immediate'' response is to '''kill himself'''.

* In ''Series/TheGoodPlace'', The Good Place Committee is willing to let [[spoiler:billions of innocent people be tortured in The Bad Place]] if it means that no rules will be broken while [[spoiler:identifying why noone gets into the Good Place anymore]].

* [[HeroKiller Stain]] of ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'' is very bad with this. He believes that heroes must never work for personal gain, only to sacrifice themselves for the people. Those who do are fakes who need to be snuffed out. The problem with this way of thinking is that these so-called fakes are quite good at their jobs and are beloved everywhere. He also considers the idea of redemption to be utterly impossible.