History Main / TheUnapologetic

[[folder:Real Life]]
* Leon Czolgosz, an anarchist who assassinated U.S. President UsefulNotes/WilliamMcKinley in 1901, pleaded guilty on his trial and refused to speak to his lawyers. Before his execution, he stated: "I killed the President because he was the enemy of the good people – the good working people. I am not sorry for my crime."
* A lot of toddlers can be this, due to them not knowing better about those sorts of things.
* "Any apology is something of a fantasy." - [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Tsang Andy "The Vulture" Tsang Wai-hung, ex-Commissioner of the Hong Kong Police Force]].
* In 1984, Dan Lafferty murdered his sister-in-law Brenda and her baby daughter in cold blood on orders from his brother Ron, who blamed Brenda for his wife leaving him. Since Ron is a self-proclaimed prophet of the Fundamentalist Latter-Day Saints and supposedly had a revelation calling for Brenda's death and the death of her infant daughter, Dan has consistently refused to apologize for the murders, insisting that they were divinely ordered.
* The Dutch. Yeah, the whole nation. They confess it themselves.
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* ''{{Literature/Carrie}}'': A rare example of this trope where the character is very sorry for what they have done and believes that a simple apology is not enough. Sue Snell joins her friends in taunting Carrie and pelting her with tampons after she had her first period. She was disgusted with herself after a talk with her boyfriend Tommy Ross, who helped her realize how disgusting her behavior was. Despite this and Tommy calling her out for not apologizing, Sue does not apologize to Carrie because she thinks that an apology was not enough. Instead, she decides to have her boyfriend take Carrie to the prom so she can feel accepted for one night, with tragic consequences.

** In "Good Neighbors", [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick end up walking in on Squidward after constructing his security system to keep them out, and apologize to him for ruining his Sunday with their Good Neighbor Lodge antics and even offer him a cake that reads "Sorry for bugging you so much." Not knowing the two really mean it with their gift, Squidward asks the security system to take them out, but the system does not consider them a threat and does nothing. Then he pounds on the system, which considers ''him'' a threat, and things go FromBadToWorse from there.

* In ''Fanfic/InfinityTrainBlossomingTrail'', it's a known fact that Paul does not apologize for the horrible horrible things he did in the anime and has a severe LackOfEmpathy. [[spoiler:This ends up ruining him since he didn't apologize for how he essentially let an Apex child ''drown in Silent Hill'' with Walter, his warden, showing absolute disgust that Paul didn't even try to save him.]]

-->'''Shadow Minister:''' You know, I think it's possible to apologise ''too much''.
-->'''Patsy:''' Yes, yes, I do think that's possible. I don't ''think'' that's a mistake ''you've'' made.

* ''WesternAnimation/LittleBill'': "When Friends Get Mad" features Little Bill briefly turning into this. Kiku accidentally ruins Little Bill's painting by spilling paint on it. She apologizes but Little Bill who thinks Kiku did it on purpose gets mad and crumples up her painting in return. Everyone wants him to apologize but he refuses as he thought Kiku did it on purpose. Once his parents help him understand that what Kiku did was an accident, he apologizes to her the next day and they become friends again.

* "WesternAnimation/LittleBill": "When Friends Get Mad" features Little Bill briefly turning into this. Kiku accidentally ruins Little Bill's painting by spilling paint on it. She apologizes but Little Bill gets mad and crumples up her painting in return. Everyone wants him to apologize but he refuses as he thought Kiku did it on purpose. Once his parents help him understand that what Kiku did was an accident, he apologizes to her the next day and they become friends again.

* Walter White in ''Series/BreakingBad''. [[spoiler: By the time of the final episode, even after admitting that his intentions weren't as noble as he tried to claim, he still never apologizes to Skyler or Jesse for everything he put them through.]]

->''"If I had any single regret for the countless horrific events that have transpired in my wake... It's that I'm dying."''

* Guts from ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' usually doesn't try to pass blame when he acts mean to someone or takes it on himself to ShootTheDog, but his attitude is IDidWhatIHadToDo and he refuses to apologize no matter how much Puck bugs him about it. On the other hand, this is partly an aspect of his facade, especially toward Jill and toward Puck himself. On the occasions when he does apologize to someone, such as to Rita for killing her possessed partner John in ''Videogame/SwordOfTheBerserkGutsRage'', it's [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness serious business for him]] and therefore unusually sincere.
--> '''Puck''': Oho, wow! [[LampshadeHanging He apologized, I can't believe it!]]
* While Vincent Leung of ''LightNovel/TheCaseFilesOfJewelerRichard'' does regret some of the actions he's taken, he never apologies onscreen for any of it, and says he'd do it all over again.

* ''FanFic/TheOneToMakeItStay'':

--->'''Chloe:''' "Ladybug, I'm—"\\
'''Ladybug:''' "It's a bit too late for your apologies, Chloe. Maybe you should have given them out sooner."

* Joanna in ''Film/YouAgain'' is this, first by refusing to acknowledge that her fiance's sister Marni is a former victim of her high school bullying, or that she even remembers Marni at all. When Marni confronts her about it in private and demands an apology by threatening to tell her brother the truth, Joanna gives a dismissive, insincere apology and insults Marni afterward, hardening Marni's heart further. The trope is finally subverted [[spoiler: after Marni exposes Joanna's unpleasant past to Will (the brother/fiance), effectively ruining the wedding, does Joanna genuinely apologize to Marni, explaining that she feels awful about abusing her in high school and that she only lied about not remembering Marni because she panicked when she realized she was marrying into her abuse victim's family]].

{{Ordered Apolog|y}}ies won't work for this character, but if it does, expect him to give a BackhandedApology or at least an apology that is half-hearted. If he ''is'' genuinely apologetic, but has trouble actually making the apology due to pride, embarrassment or guilt, he CannotSpitItOut, or is [[GaggingOnYourWords Gagging On Their Words]]. Contrast RejectedApology where a character refuses to accept an apology. Contrast HeelRealization, MyGodWhatHaveIDone, and TheAtoner.

* Guts from ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' usually doesn't try to pass blame when he acts mean to someone or takes it on himself to ShootTheDog, but his attitude is IDidWhatIHadToDo and he refuses to apologize no matter how much Puck bugs him about it. On the other hand, this is partly an aspect of his facade especially towards Jill and towards Puck himself. On the occasions when he does apologize to someone, such as to Rita for killing her possessed partner John in ''Videogame/SwordOfTheBerserkGutsRage'', it's [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness serious business for him]] and therefore unusually sincere.

* ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'': Damian starts out wholly unapologetic for his attempted murder of Tim Drake, endangering innocents with his actions, and general cruel entitled behavior. He remains this way for quite sometime before [[ComicBook/{{Nightwing}} Dick]] starts rubbing off on him and his shift from this mindset is a clear sign of his character growth.

* In one scene of ''Film/WeddingCrashers'': Jeremy had made a [[PrecisionFStrike foul remark]] about one of the proper ladies in the wedding, earning him the glares from the guests. He then makes this statement to John:

* In ''Coach Trip'', Bruce and John got kicked out of the fourth season after Bruce picking a fight on the coach for no apparent reason. He then refused to apologize for doing so.
* In ''Series/{{Friends}}'', Joey demands that his date stop eating off his plate. Shortly afterward, she gets the last slice of chocolate cake for dessert. When she comes back from the ladies room, he's finishing the last bite and announcing "I'm not even sorry!"

* ''Series/H2OJustAddWater'': The episode "In Hot Water", Lewis is accused of releasing a dolphin from the aquarium he recently was hired by and [[BadBoss his rather vicious new boss]] calls the police. However, the girls, who actually caused said dolphin to break free, are able to return him. When Lewis demands an apology for all he went through, his boss scoffs at the idea. The police quickly call her out by threatening to inform her boss of the dolphin going missing, getting her fired if she doesn't do as Lewis asked. She reluctantly agrees to do so.

* In a stretcher match against Wrestling/ShawnMichaels in ''One Night Stand 2008'', Wrestling/{{Batista}} mouths off "I'm not sorry. I don't love you" to him before planting a Batista Bomb. This was an IronicEcho to Shawn's ''[=WrestleMania=] XXIV'' match against Wrestling/RicFlair in where he says "I'm sorry. I love you" before giving Flair a superkick thus not only beating him but also ending his career, which was the main reason why Batista had started a feud against Shawn in the first place.

* Michaels himself once played this trope in ''Wrestlemania 22'' promo against Wrestling/VinceMcMahon. Coach interviews Shawn, noting he started the feud by mocking Vince by calling him a child and asks if he wants to make an attempt at an apology. Given the [[DisproportionateRetribution onslaught of humiliations Vince had put through over that one insult]], Shawn asks why he should apologise for being honest.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'': "Take a Hike, Molly" revolves around Molly's inability to apologize and confess to her mistakes. She breaks Slink's phone, gets Rattles to fall in a river, and packs snacks that Binky can't eat due to his peanut allergy. The others pretend to leave Molly, and so when she's left alone, is forced to admit that she was wrong.

** In the episode, "Cuckoo for Coco Cards", Bloo doesn't apologize to Coco for trying to [[Main/AttentionWhore steal all the attention from her]], despite the obvious hints that he should, such as a pen, an apology card, and a self-addressed envelope, and thus tries to collect all the trading cards of the Imaginary Friends without her help. It's only after he finds out what his status is on his card [[spoiler:Big Insensitive Jerkface]] that he apologizes to her.

* "WesternAnimation/LittleBill": "When Friends Get Mad" features Little Bill briefly turn into this. Kiku accidentally ruins Little Bill's painting by spilling paint on it. She apologizes but Little Bill gets mad and crumples up her painting in return. Everyone wants him to apologize but he refuses as he thought Kiku did it on purpose. Once his parents help him understand that what Kiku did was an accident, he apologizes to her the next day and they become friends again.

* Leon Czolgosz, an anarchist who assassinated U.S. President UsefulNotes/WilliamMcKinley in 1901 pleaded guilty on his trial and refused to speak to his lawyers. Before his execution, he stated: "I killed the President because he was the enemy of the good people – the good working people. I am not sorry for my crime."

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* MartinFierro: At song III, before describing the Indians as TheSavageIndian and an AlwaysChaoticEvil race, Fierro exaggerates this trope when he declares: "No one asks them forgiveness". Then he describes how Fierro was part of the invasion of the Indian territories and his little part in their genocide.
** After committing numerous murders, the only one Martin Fierro asks for forgiveness is God in song IX, when Fierro kills a lot of the men of the [[{{Mooks}} partida]] (soldiers who work as policemen) who tried to arrest him for his first two murders. He never apologizes to anyone else.

* Alice Cooper from ''Series/{{Riverdale}}'' never apologizes for what she’s done, from harassing Archie even after she learned about his sexual abuse, gaslighting Betty while she was [[spoiler: undercover in The Farm cult]], enabling Polly’s criminal behavior and her general HolierThanThou attitude. While she sometimes sort of makes amends, it never sticks. It doesn’t help that nobody ever fully calls her out or punishes her, giving her little incentive to make a lasting change.

* Podcast/FatFrenchAndFabulous: Jessica is never sorry for the horrifying things she says or at least not as sorry as she probably should be. In fact, she usually responds to criticism with "You are welcome!"

* Mr. Cat from ''WesternAnimation/{{Kaeloo}}'' rarely ever apologizes for his actions.

* "WesternAnimation/LittleBill": "When Friends Get Mad" features Little Bill briefly turn into this. Kiku accidentally ruins Little Bill's painting by spilling paint on it. She apologizes but Little Bill gets mad and crumples up her painting in return. Everyone wants him to apologize but he refuses as he thought Kiku did it on purpose. Once his parents help him understand that what Kiku did was an accident, he apologizes to her the next day and they become friends again.

* ''Franchise/GreenLantern'': This has become part of John Stewart's character, almost to the point of repetitiveness. John Stewart killed a planet... ''and he would do it again!'' John Stewart killed a Green Lantern... ''and he would do it again!'' [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs John Stewart killed a Green Lantern planet]]... ''and he would do it again!'' Note that these decisions ''are'' usually the last available option.
* ComicBook/TheJoker ''hates'' apologies. He hates the very idea that something should ever be apologized for.
-->'''Joker:''' "My friend... Jonny Jonny... what I hate more than everything... is apologies."

* In ''ComicBook/TheSandman'', Morpheus is the immortal ruler of dreams and tends to be very inflexible, refusing to apologize or admit error. In his backstory, he sentenced a woman to hell for eternity simply for refusing his advances (when she had very good, selfless reasons for doing so.) After several thousand years, he is ''finally'' goaded into freeing her by his sister Death, which sets in motion the events leading to [[spoiler: his own demise]].

-->''I apologise for'' nothing. ''Nothing...''
* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'' [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Vol 1]]: Queen Atomia is self-centered, murderous, experiments on people, and forcibly [[ReforgedIntoAMinion transforms people into her mindless slaves]] while also rearranging their bodies to her liking. She only shows remorse for her horrific actions when welded into a mind-altering device which forces her to and when she escapes from it she is furious. This does not apply to the reimagined Atomia seen in ''ComicBook/WonderWomanRebirth'' as she is much more [[AdaptationalHeroism heroic]].

* In one episode of ''Series/{{Friends}}'', Joey's at dinner with a woman who specifically tells him not to touch her dessert while she's in the bathroom. When she comes out, he finishes the last bite with a smile and says "I'm not even sorry."

* ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'': Damian starts out wholly unapologetic for his attempted murder of [[ComicBook/RobinSeries Tim]], endangering innocents with his actions, and general cruel entitled behavior. He remains this way for quite sometime before [[ComicBook/{{Nightwing}} Dick]] starts rubbing off on him and his shift from this mindset is a clear sign of his character growth.
* From the ''Franchise/GreenLantern'', this has become part of John Stewart's character, almost to the point of repetitiveness. John Stewart killed a planet... ''and he would do it again!'' John Stewart killed a Green Lantern... ''and he would do it again!'' [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs John Stewart killed a Green Lantern planet]]... ''and he would do it again!'' Note that these decisions ''are'' usually the last available option.
* Comicbook/TheJoker ''hates'' apologies. He hates the very idea that something should ever be apologized for.

* ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}:
** In ''[[ComicBook/Supergirl1972 Supergirl Vol 1]]'' #9, Supergirl catches her then-boyfriend cheating on her. When she confronts him, he isn't even slightly sorry.
** ''ComicBook/ElseworldsFinestSupergirlAndBatgirl'': When Comicbook/{{Supergirl}} and Comicbook/{{Batgirl}} accuse Comicbook/LexLuthor of [[spoiler: murdering a baby -Supergirl's [[Franchise/{{Superman}} cousin]]-]], he doesn't feel guilty about it at all. He even claims that it wasn't murder because he merely killed an alien.
** Throughout the entirety of [[ComicBook/Supergirl2005 Gates/Igle's run]] Catherine Grant wages a smear campaign aimed at Supergirl, driven for petty reasons ''Kara bruised her accidentally as she was saving her life, and Cat thought that she could gain notoriety by libeling the young hero''. And she doesn't feel guilty at all, not even after Supergirl saves her life over and ''over'' again.

* Black Swan, the enigmatic voice of knowledge in ''Comicbook/NewAvengers'', is first seen triggering a bomb to blow up an alternate Earth. She never apologizes for this or anything else she says she has done, saying she [[IDidWhatIHadToDo did what was necessary]]. But she isn't heartless; the emotional toll her career has taken on her manifests in {{Past Experience Nightmare}}s.

This is usually, but not always, a {{Character Flaw|Index}}, and may transition into AnAesop about showing consideration for others. Naive characters will {{easily forgive|n}} this character despite not apologizing. A common trait of TheSociopath, the {{Narcissist}}, and a character who does things ForTheEvulz, and a key component of the CompleteMonster by definition. Related to LackOfEmpathy, if they don't feel empathetic enough to apologize. ” Also related to IRegretNothing. Also see VirtueIsWeakness as the person may believe that apologizing is a sign of weakness.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Metalocalypse}}'', Nathan Explosion of Deathklok claims to have an "apology problem". When he ends up apologizing to one of his bandmates at one point, he [[BloodFromTheMouth almost dies from it just struggling to get the words out]].

* Michaels himself once played this trope in ''Wrestlemania 22'' promo against Vince McMahon. Coach interviews Shawn, noting he started the feud by mocking Vince by calling him a child and asks if he wants to make an attempt at an apology. Given the [[DisproportionateRetribution onslaught of humiliations Vince had put through over that one insult]], Shawn asks why he should apologise for being honest.

* Christianity holds the belief that if one does not repent of their sins and ask God for forgiveness before the time of their death, they will earn eternal damnation.

** In the episode, "[[Recap/ThomasAndFriendsS19E25WildWaterRescue Wild Water Rescue]]", during one of his rare JerkWithAHeartOfGold moments, Diesel tries to rescue Percy when he is trapped in a flooded track, only for the floodwater to short out his generator, stranding them both. After Diesel explains to Percy that he tricked him into going to the quarry to find the Mayor so he could take him to the Search and Rescue Center instead, he tries to apologize, but has a hard time saying the word, "Sorry". Percy even asks him if he's trying to apologize, but before Diesel can answer, the Search and Rescue Team find them.