History Main / SympatheticMurderBackstory

* ''Manga/DetectiveConan'': Frequently the case with the perpetrator of a murder (or attempted murder) who killed someone because of a misunderstanding.
** In Chapter 45-48, a pop star is killed by his own beautiful manager, because he asked her to stay by his side and work for him, only for him to constantly verbally abuse her. As she was in love with him and felt insecure because of her perceived ugliness, she went through plastic surgery before accepting the job. However, the man loved her natural self, and since he couldn't be honest with his feelings (which he could only express through the latest song he was going to produce), she eventually misunderstood his feelings and began to hate him.
** In Chapter 197-199, a woman kills her younger sister, thinking that she stole her boyfriend. However, the boyfriend actually fell in love with the younger sister and wanted to break up with his girlfriend. The younger sister wanted to protect her elder sister's pride, so she only accepted the proposal if they lied about who approached who.
** In Chapter 322-324, a singer attacks her former co-member out of jealousy for being engaged with the man she loves. However, the victim just wanted to make a different man, the one she actually loves, jealous, and it was a ploy. Even before learning the truth, the perpetrator regrets attacking one of her best friends, which leads to a suicide attempt that Conan barely prevented. The victim also quickly forgives her friend and does not tell the police the truth.
** In Chapter 361-365, a man kills a group of bandits who broke into the house of his employer and killed his fiancée. The one murder he regrets is the one of the woman who turns out to be the stepdaughter of his employer, whom he helped raise. He began to understand why she faked a kidnapping and then broke into her own house, but only recognized her and understood her motives after she apologized to him right before he killed her. The fact that after he killed her, he treated her body with respect, shows that he probably wouldn't have killed her if he had recognized her earlier.

* ''Manga/{{Gravitation}}'': [[spoiler:Yuki killed someone but it was in self-defense, as they were trying to rape him.]] It ruined their life, so you will probably feel pretty sorry for them.
* In ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'', several military characters were deeply affected by their part in the Ishvalan genocide, but particularly [[spoiler:Colonel Roy Mustang]].

* In ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'', several chapters are dedicated to showing just how seriously messed up [[spoiler: Reiner, Bertolt, and Annie]] are as a direct result of their crimes. Beyond the simple evidence of their extreme guilt and emotional trauma, the eventual reveal of their motivations makes them even ''more'' sympathetic to both the audience and the other characters. [[spoiler: ChildSoldiers from the nation of [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Marley]], they were quite literally raised from birth as weapons and told their mission was to save humanity from "devils" living behind the Walls. Families were promised improved treatment as "Honorary Marleyans" in exchange for volunteering their children, with Reiner's mother in particular shown to be a fanatic. Enduring nearly a decade of brutal training and indoctrination, they were sent on their mission with the threat of being [[EatenAlive replaced]] and their families [[AFateWorseThanDeath "purged"]] if they failed]]. And the worst part about it? It turns out their superiors had been lying to them about ''everything'' from the beginning.
** Eren and Mikasa killed three men when they were children, to save their own lives. While most accept it was self-defense, it's later used in an effort to discredit them.

* In ''Discworld/TheAmazingMauriceAndHisEducatedRodents'', we learn that Maurice once [[spoiler: ate a talking rat. However, he was only a dumb animal at the time, and had no way of knowing until he gained his intelligence from said meal.]] The guilt is shown to be why he's so careful about what he eats.

* [[ComicBook/{{X23}} X-23]], a female clone of ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}, was created to be an assassin and murdered hundreds of people as a child. Her creators specifically raised her not to develop a conscience or sense of self, which she might not have if not for her mother [[MotherlyScientist Sarah Kinney]]. Eventually, she EscapedFromTheLab and swore off killing when she became the ComicBook/AllNewWolverine.

* [[''ComicBook/Batgirl2000'' Cassandra Cain]]'s father, David Cain, raised her through a brutal training regime in which she was never taught to read and write and body language was her only form of language. When Cain had her kill a man at the age of eight, Cass read his body language and sensed what he was feeling as he died. This event traumatized her so much that she swore to never take a life again.

!As this is a DeathTrope, beware unmarked spoilers.

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Murder is serious business. Taking the life of a sentient being is a deeply ingrained taboo in the human psyche. In stories that do ''not'' frequently involve death (action, horror, thriller, etc.) the intentional extermination of another human being is a big fucking deal. Of all the troubled backstories Bob can have ([[DeceasedParentsAreTheBest dead]]/[[AbusiveParents abusive]]/[[ParentalAbandonment absent]] parents, CynicismCatalyst, [[RapeAsBackstory rape]], [[DoomedHometown doomed hometown]], etc.) revealing him to be a murderer simultaneously makes him a killer and the woobie. The revelation may make his friends question just what makes a 'bad guy'.

If Bob's reveal of his backstory comes with a {{flashback}}, expect it to take almost the [[DayInTheLimelight entire episode.]] It will likely go over Bob's every single option in the situation. You will watch as the victim pleads for his life, or, alternately, goads Bob. [[ADeathInTheLimelight The eventual death will definitely be utterly heartbreaking.]] If the flashback continues after the murder, expect Bob to express [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone "My God, what have I done!"]] or at least [[TheseHandsHaveKilled stare down at his hands with horror.]] Extra {{angst}} and [[TheWoobie woobie]] points if he has to kill a [[KillTheOnesYouLove parent/sibling/spouse/child/old friend/]][[KickTheDog dog]].

Take note that this trope ''only'' works with sane, intentional murder. The murder was ''not'' an accident; Bob didn't unintentionally shove grandma down the stairs. ''Do NOT include manslaughter/accident examples.'' The reason murder can be and has been a genuinely sympathetic backstory is because Bob simply had no other choice and had to kill Alice, all the while being horrifyingly aware and in control of his actions.

!As this is a [[DeathTrope Death Trope,]] beware unmarked spoilers.

* Quillon, the protagonist in ''Literature/TerminalWorld'' by Creator/AlastairReynolds, murdered his angel cohorts in his backstory. It was cold-blooded, but done in revenge because they murdered his love interest first, covered it up, and were planning on murdering him as well.

** At the end of ''Literature/TheWayofKings'', we learn that [[spoiler:Shallan killed her father. ''Literature/WordsofRadiance'' expands upon this by showing that after her mother's death, Shallan's father became abusive to her brothers, the family was in deep debt and in danger of falling apart, with the eldest leaving really early on and eventually being disowned, all of which culminates in it showing Shallan killing her father in defense of one of her brothers and his girlfriend. And then Shallan remembers that the whole reason that her father went off the deep end in the first place is because [[SelfMadeOrphan she also killed her mother in self-defense]] and her father covered it up.]]

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** This may have been set up as a background for Tim Curran in ([[CutShort never-materialized]]) following seasons. In the first season, he is sentenced to exile for a murder over gambling debts; later, he is recruited by Taylor to spy on the opposing faction, and rescues a hostage. Taylor's own experience leads him to welcome Curran back to Terra Nova for [[TheAtoner a second chance]].

* Lord John Roxton's past in ''Series/SirArthurConanDoylesTheLostWorld''. He and his brother William joined an expedition to Kenya because Roxton and his father thought it would make more of a man out of William. The older Roxton brother was attacked by an ape and John tried to save him. It went wrong... and left him a broken man. Especially when it all comes back to haunt him in form of the expedition leader also appearing on the Plateau at one point.

* In the third season of ''Series/{{Leverage}}'', it's revealed that Eliot was once a [[ProfessionalKiller hitman]] who worked for the {{Big Bad}}. May be considered a subversion, in that it's not all that shocking a development, given [[TheBrute his current line of work]]- although he does say that the worst thing ever did occurred when he worked for said BigBad. It's been strongly implied that it involved [[spoiler: murdering children.]]

* In the radio version of ''Radio/{{Gunsmoke}}'', the Doctor had unwillingly killed a man in a duel back East, and had to flee and change his name to avoid extralegal retaliation. (His backstory was changed for [[Series/{{Gunsmoke}} the TV version]].

*** Which was [[{{Aesop}} one of the points of the movie]]. Though that kind of turned out to be a BrokenAesop when another of the characters cheated on his Girl Back Home, and claimed it was OK because at least he wasn't being prejudiced.

* One of ''VideoGame/SuikodenV'''s biggest {{Tear Jerker}}s occurs when Lyon reveals [[spoiler: she was a former member of Nether Gate, an assassin's guild in service to Falena's royal family. They took her in while she was still a child an trained her. She was eventually rescued by the prince's father, Ferid, who gave her the name Lyon, and she goes on to become the prince's bodyguard as her way of repaying Ferid's kindness.]]

* ''VideoGame/FearEffect2RetroHelix'' reveals that [[spoiler: Glas had a brother named Drew. Drew shot him in the back, and would have murdered him for money and perceived betrayal that caused the loss of his right arm. A struggle broke out, Glas grabbed the gun and fired, killing his brother. There are hints that Jin AKA Yim Lau Wong (King of Hell) manipulated Drew into doing this. Unfortunately, one thing that ruins the scene is that Glas is unable to punch people out. He could have simply punched Drew out, which wouldn't have been too hard, considering the guy was unarmed and had only one arm]]!
* In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' you can meet a ShellShockedVeteran Asari named Aeian T'Goni, who after killing a large group of indoctrinated to reach a radio to call for help, had to kill the girl she was hiding with to avoid discovery, because she had broken her leg and couldn't stop whimpering. Worse, it's strongly implied the girl was actually [[spoiler:your pilot Joker's sister]].

* In ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'', Kratos' regret for killing his family in a fit of bloodlust is one of the few sympathetic aspects of his [[SociopathicHero personality]]...not that it stops him from murdering everyone else afterwards. Literally, ''[[NotHyperbole everyone]]''.

* From ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive:

* ''Fanfic/RWBYScars'': Blake used to be a member of the White Fang with [[FantasticRacism a strong disdain towards humans]]. Before even hitting eighteen, she's killed several humans, both in self-defense and outright murder. Blake has since turned her back on the White Fang and is trying to become a huntress to help others.

* Ray Carling in ''Series/{{Life on Mars|2006}}'' and ''Series/AshesToAshes''. With the ultimate reveal that [[spoiler:the world of the series is an afterlife for deceased police officers]], it turns out that he [[spoiler:committed suicide out of guilt - unable to follow in his father's and grandfather's footsteps by joining the army, his family disowned him and his sorrow and frustration led him to beat a man to death outside a pub, which Ray's superiors covered up in order to protect him.]]

* Vriska from 'Webcomic/Homestuck'', takes this to an extreme. In order to keep her lusus from eating her or dying from starvation leaving her a defenseless orphan, she had to kill several thousands of trolls. A more specific example includes [[spoiler: her murder of Aradia, which she was manipulated into by the omniscient Doc Scratch.]] The trope also applies to Terezi, who assisted Vriska, although she did attempt to steer the violence towards trolls she viewed as immoral. The trope is played with when Caliborn claims to be torn up about the[[spoiler: tragic loss of his sister to murder]] as part of the reason he is a "tortured artist" but the fact he's never once showed regret for [[spoiler: killing Calliope]] in the past and never shows it again makes it hard for anyone, in universe or out, to offer genuine sympathy.

* ''Film/AssassinsCreed2016'': We're introduced protagonist Callum Lynch as a death row inmate awaiting his execution in a Texas prison. After [[DeathFakedForYou his execution is faked]] and he wakes up in Abstergo Industries, we learn that [[AssholeVictim his victim was a pimp]].

* In ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'', Edward Cullen confesses to murdering a whole bunch of people shortly after he was turned, while in the grip of [[HorrorHunger The Thirst]]: Being a VegetarianVampire in this setting takes ''enormous'' self-control, and living in constant fear of that self-control slipping on top of the guilt when it does happen is a large part of why Edward is so screwed-up. The rest of the Cullen family, except Carlisle, have all experienced at least one lapse themselves.

* Part of Kalix's backstory in ''Literature/LonelyWerewolfGirl'' is she killed her father. It's part of the reason she is so lonely.

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* Vriska from 'Webcomic/Homestuck'', takes this to an extreme. In order to keep her lusus from eating her or dying from starvation leaving her a defenseless orphan, she had to kill several thousands of trolls. A more specific example includes [[spoiler: her murder of Aradia, which she was manipulated into by the omniscient Doc Scratch.]] The trope also applies to Terezi, who assisted Vriska, although she did attempt to steer the violence towards trolls she viewed as immoral. After Caliborn is beaten up by [[spoiler: John]] in [[spoiler: S Game Over]], he lampshades this trope by describing the [[spoiler: tragic loss of his sister to murder]] as part of the reason he is a "tortured artist."

* In ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', [[spoiler:Susan]] had to kill an Aberration back when she was in her freshman year of high school. It's made worse because the Immortals who asked her to do it basically tricked her into doing so, and made her think there was no one else who could and no alternative, both of which were not true. When another Immortal hears this story he's incredibly pissed and swears to help them to try and make up for it.

* Also among the ComicBook/{{X-Men}}, ComicBook/{{Gambit}} was once [[BlackmailIsSuchAnUglyWord "hired"]] by [[EvilutionaryBiologist Mr. Sinister]] to assemble a hit squad and lead them into the home of the Morlocks, a society of underground mutant refugees. Though he didn't personally kill anyone (in fact, he saved a few of the Marauders' intended victims!), the reactions of the X-Men when learning about this was virtually identical. His good name still hasn't fully recovered, in part because he can't seem to stop [[HeelFaceRevolvingDoor switching sides.]]

* In ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'', several chapters are dedicated to showing just how seriously messed up [[spoiler: Reiner and Bertolt]] are as a direct result of their crimes. Their true motivations for it remain unknown, though [[TrappedInVillainy implications]] and [[IDidWhatIHadToDo hint-dropping]] make it clear it isn't because they necessarily ''wanted'' to do it. WordOfGod states that [[spoiler: Annie]] is also meant to be sympathetic, with hints of a FreudianExcuse and psychological trauma.

* In ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'', Edward Cullen confesses to murdering a whole bunch of people shortly after he was turned, and Bella narrates that it is perfectly reasonable.
** Similarly, in the ''Twilight Illustrated Guide'', it's revealed that every single one of the Cullens except for Carlisle had killed at least one person before the events of the first book. Bella, in her narration, praises them for sticking to the difficult lives they lead.

Murder is serious business. Taking the life of a sentient being is a deeply ingrained taboo in the human psyche. In stories that do ''not'' frequently involve death (action, horror, thriller, etc.) the intentional extermination of another human being is a big fucking deal. Of all the troubled backstories Bob can have ([[DeceasedParentsAreTheBest dead]]/[[AbusiveParents abusive]]/[[ParentalAbandonment absent]] parents, CynicismCatalyst, [[RapeAsBackstory rape]], [[DoomedHometown doomed hometown]], etc.) revealing him to be a murderer simultaneously makes him a killer and the woobie. The revelation may make his friends question just what makes a 'bad guy' if someone can commit murder and still be a sane, whole person.

* In ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'', several characters were deeply affected by their part in the Ishvalan massacre, but particularly [[spoiler:Colonel Roy Mustang]].