History Main / ReformedCriminal

* Levi from ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'' is rumored to be a famous criminal until Erwin recruited him into the military. [[spoiler:Supplemental materials confirmed this. He even intended to kill Erwin at one point!]]
* A side chapter of ''Manga/FairyTail'' reveals [[spoiler:Bisca Moulin]] to be one of these. Said chapter reveals that the person in question had pretended to be part of the eponymous guild while committing crimes, which drew Erza's attention, resulting in her beating some sense into [[spoiler:Bisca]]. Eventually, [[spoiler:Bisca]] joined Fairy Tail and became friends with Erza.
* In ''Manga/TokyoGhoul'', Anteiku employs several reformed criminals that now manage the 20th Ward as peacekeepers and a pseudo-food bank. Among the staff are several delinquents, a hit man, and two gang leaders that all eventually made a HeelFaceTurn and work to atone for their pasts. However, [[spoiler: eventually CCG learns about the cafe and organizes an Extermination operation to deal with the high-level targets working there]].
* In ''{{Anime/Pokemon}}'', the Squirtle Squad started out as a gang of delinquent Pokémon that would perennially wreak havoc in a nearby town. However, when the Squirtle Squad help put out a forest fire, they are hailed as heroes and are officially ordained as the town's firefighters, with the local Officer Jenny supervising them. (The Squad's leader, however, would run off and join Ash's team.)
* Gauche Adlai from ''Manga/BlackClover'' is reformed in the loosest meaning of the word - given that he is still as vulgar, violent, and unpleasant even after being arrested - and only stays out of prison thanks to his status as a Magic Knight.

* Creator/DCComics has a few of their own:
** Most of ComicBook/TheFlash's villains, the [[RoguesGallery Rogues]], have reformed over the course of years; only Trickster (before his death) and Pied Piper have remained that way long term.
** ComicBook/PlasticMan started out as thief/gangster Eel O'Brien. He's reformed, but in some incarnations he's still morally flexible.
** Steeljack from ''ComicBook/AstroCity''.
** ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'': Bruce goes out of his way to try and help criminals get employment to help them reform. Generally the formerly unnamed henchmen and other small time crooks get to keep their new law abiding lives and jobs at Wayne Enterprises or the Wayne Foundation, but named villains, like the Cavalier, usually turn on the company when a new writer comes along and wants to use that villain.
** ''ComicBook/SensationComics'' & ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': Franchise/WonderWoman's one time enemy Paula von Gunther becomes her stalwart ally. It probably helps that Paula was really only helping the Nazis due to their threatening her daughter and she is incredibly grateful to Diana for bringing her to Paradise Island.
** Most of the Silver Swans, a legacy ComicBook/WonderWoman villain, reform and return to civilian life after Wonder Woman helps them out.
** ComicBook/RedHood (Jason Todd) kept trying to reform prior to Flashpoint, at one point his little brother ComicBook/{{Robin|Series}} (Tim) felt he'd moved past his "[[CameBackWrong Pit Madness]]" and trusted Jason's intentions enough to help him break out of prison. Jason never had a proper redemption arc and writers kept making him go off the deep end again, by Flashpoint he'd upgraded from anti-villain to straight up villain. Post Flashpoint he's been hovering somewhere near anti-hero, and his past of trying to murder his little brothers because he was pissed at their dad is apparently still cannon.
** ComicBook/RichardDragon was a thief wandering Japan before he tried to steal from the man who would become his sensei. After being stopped from taking a historic statue from a Kyoto garden by the OldMaster Richard was brought to the dojo and reformed into a straight up, if not terribly active, hero during his years under his sensei's tutelage.
** ''ComicBook/JSAClassified'': Johnny Mimic was a small time supervillain back in the day, who made a deal with Alan Scott after being defeated by the Green Lantern and has kept his nose clean for decades since. In his older years he dies to prevent a the corrupt government official threatening him, his wife and Alan from gaining control of an [[ComicBook/DialHForHero H-Dial]].

* In the SpaghettiWestern ''They Call Me Trinity'' Trinity's brother, who is/was a criminial, is working as the sheriff of the town.

* Michael Franzese was a former captain of the Colombo crime family and is basically a real-life Martin Scorsese character. He was around during many of the events that inspire Scorsese movies and knows a great deal about them. He knew the real [[Film/GoodFellas Henry Hill]] and even saved his life on several occasions. Many of the mobsters arrested in [[Film/DonnieBrasco Donnie Brasco]] were his personal acquaintances. Much like Larry Lawton above, Michael is now a motivational speaker and has his own [[https://www.youtube.com/user/MichaelFranzese YouTube channel]], which he uses to talk about the Mafia life and reviews mob movies.

* Michael Franzese was a former captain of the Colombo crime family and is basically a real-life Martin Scorsese character. He was around during many of the events that inspire Scorsese movies and knows a great deal about them. He knew the real [[Film/GoodFellas Henry Hill]] and even saved his life on several occasions. Many of the mobsters arrested in [[Film/DonnieBrasco Donnie Brasco]] were his acquaintances. Much like Larry Lawton above, Michael is now a motivational speaker and has his own [[https://www.youtube.com/user/MichaelFranzese YouTube channel]], which he uses to talk about the Mafia life and reviews mob movies.

* Michael Franzese was a former captain of the Colombo crime family and is basically a real-life Martin Scorsese character. He was around during many of the events that inspire Scorsese movies and knows a great deal about them. He knew the real [[Film/GoodFellas Henry Hill] and even saved his life on several occasions. Many of the mobsters arrested in [[Film/DonnieBrasco Donnie Brasco]] were his acquaintances. Much like Larry Lawton above, Michael is now a motivational speaker and has his own [[https://www.youtube.com/user/MichaelFranzese YouTube channel]], which he uses to talk about the Mafia life and reviews mob movies.

* In the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novels ''Literature/GoingPostal'' and ''Literature/MakingMoney'', the main character is con-artist Moist Lipwig. In ''Going Postal'', he still harbors dreams of escape, but by the end he has become this trope. He still wants to hide from his past since his swindling past made him more than a few enemies.

->''"The game ain’t in me no more.'' NONE ''of it."''

-->-- '''Cutty''', ''Series/TheWire''

->''For someone claiming not to be a superhero, you're pretty good at it. Want a job?''
-->-- '''[[ComicBook/ImmortalIronFist Iron Fist]]''' to [[ComicBook/AntMan Ant-Man II]], ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes''

* Tohru used to be a part of the Dark Hand before his HeelFaceTurn during the first season finale of ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures''.

* Huey Morgan of Fun Lovin Criminals was involved in a number of crimes in his youth living in New York, which resulted in him being given the choice of joining the marines (a branch stationed in Paris) or going to prison (as noted in the song "The Grave And The Constant"). He chose the former, and eventually pursued a career in music, for which he had particular success in the UK (to which he later moved). He's now considered something of a national treasure due to working as a presenter on radio and tv for years.

** ''ComicBook/SensationComics'': Franchise/WonderWoman's one time enemy Paula von Gunther becomes her stalwart ally. It probably helps that Paula was really only helping the Nazis due to their threatening her daughter and she is incredibly grateful to Diana for bringing her to Paradise Island.

* Serena Rinnen from ''Webcomic/TowerOfGod'' used to be a thief until her group got her annihilated by a [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking Ranker]]. Full of despair, she sought to improve herself and thus landed in the Inner Tower.

* ''Disney/{{Zootopia}}'': [[spoiler: While never officially arrested, Nick Wilde is definitely a successful ConArtist and Hustler. The end of the movie shows that he's graduated from the police academy and is now Judy's patrol partner. ]].

* In the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novels ''Discworld/GoingPostal'' and ''Discworld/MakingMoney'', the main character is con-artist Moist Lipwig. In ''Going Postal'', he still harbors dreams of escape, but by the end he has become this trope. He still wants to hide from his past since his swindling past made him more than a few enemies.