History Main / ThinkNothingOfIt

* Zoro from ''Franchise/OnePiece'' [[spoiler: saving Luffy by absorbing all his pain through Kuma.]]
-->[[spoiler: "What's happened here?" "Nothing. Nothing at all!"]]

* In ''Manga/TwentiethCenturyBoys'', Shogun responds with "I'm not as great as you make me out to be" when his heroism is complimented. Shogun isn't being modest, here; [[GoodIsNotNice he's telling the truth]].

* ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'': If Ranma doesn't complain about Akane butting in on his fights, odds are that this is how he'll respond to Akane's thanks. It doesn't hurt that they're both {{Tsundere}}s at heart.
--> '''Akane:''' You saved me, Ranma. Thank you.
--> '''Ranma:''' It was nothin'.
* ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'', a series all about shouting ScrewDestiny, gave us that curveball at the end, where [[spoiler: Simon]] quietly walked out of the spotlight and off into a modest life away from the action. Of course, this was after a WhamEpisode that revealed what would happen [[spoiler: to the universe]] if he ''kept'' [[SerialEscalation pushing the limits of evolution]]...

* Touma Kamijou from ''Literature/ACertainMagicalIndex'' and ''Manga/ACertainScientificRailgun'' does good for no reason. He doesn't even care if [[TheGreatestStoryNeverTold he never gets any credit for it]]. Even better, he ''doesn't even have a backstory or personal reason.'' [[FirstEpisodeTwist He loses his memories at the end of the first novel]]/[[LateArrivalSpoiler during episode 6]] and saves people for two reasons: a)because that's the right thing to do, and b)to keep his memory loss issue from becoming known. Mostly the former.
* Son Goku from ''Manga/DragonBall'' did a version of this trope. After teleporting to New Namek to find a new God for Earth, the Namekians recognized him as the Super Saiyajin that defeated Freeza and saved their race. Goku's response was more-or-less, 'don't thank me, your planet still blew up'.
* In ''Literature/{{Higehiro}}'', Sayu survived by seducing men in exchange for food and a place to stay, until she met Yoshida, who refused to take advantage of her. Yoshida is constantly telling her not to thank him for meeting basic standards of decency.
-->'''Yoshida''': Listen up! I'm not nice. They were shit. Get that straight.

* ''ComicBook/MarvelAdventures'': ComicBook/CaptainAmerica gets praised at an award ceremony. He does actually say "Aw, shucks" when cheered, and immediately says that the real praise should be for -- well, then he's cut off by the inevitable supervillain attack. Cap commonly is portrayed as being a bit embarrassed or taken aback by praise and hero worship, as seen in the Capmania mini-arc.

* In ''ComicBook/{{Thunderbolts}}'', when MACH-1 and Spider-Man went up against the rest of the Thunderbolts under mind control, Spider-Man saved MACH-1 from an attack; MACH-1 expressed his thanks, and Spider-Man dismissed it as something he would do for him. [[spoiler:In this case, it's utterly untrue: MACH-1 is secretly a villain with no fondness for Spidey. Except that he does, in fact, do it at the end, giving him what he needs to clear his name.]]
* After ComicBook/SquirrelGirl rescued [[ComicBook/GreatLakesAvengers Flat Man and Doorman]], the police thanked her for keeping Central Park safe, and she replied that the cops are {{the real heroes}}, not her.

* ''ComicBook/{{Finder}}'': Jaeger Ayers is both a Finder and a Sin-Eater, which often causes clashes in his personal code - while one aspect makes people want to reward him for his services, the other is honour-bound to refuse payment. He prefers to accomplish most of his Finder role in subtle ways, without people even realising he has done so.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TreasurePlanet'', Jim prompts the robot cop with the precise paragraph of his offense, is thanked, and says, "Don't mention it."
* Parodied in ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda1''. After helping Po out when he gets stuck in a split, Crane tells him "Don't mention it. ''[[LetUsNeverSpeakOfThisAgain Ever]]''."

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosMovie'', there is a scene where Donkey Kong nearly drowns and his rival Mario, happening to also be in the water, saves him. Mario tells him that he won't tell anyone he saved him, to which DK replies "Good. Please don't!"

* The end of ''Film/BatmanBegins'' has a moment like this between Batman and Lt. Gordon.
--> '''Gordon''': You know, I never said thank you.
--> '''Batman''': And you'll never have to.
** Given a CallBack in ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' where Gordon thanks Batman, who again invokes this trope. Gordon insists afterwards that yes, this time, he ''does'' have to thank Batman.
---> '''Gordon''': ...Thank you.
---> '''Batman''': You don't have to thank me.
---> '''Gordon''': Yes, I do.

* Creator/DanAbnett's ''Literature/GauntsGhosts'':
** In ''Ghostmaker'', Gaunt has to pry out of Mkoll what opposition he had faced on a patrol because while he admired his modesty, he really needed to know. In the ensuing flashback, Mkoll goes back to check out something he saw on the patrol, kills a Chaos dreadnaught, and while his surviving companion is awe-struck, forbids him to report it.
** In ''Necropolis'', Rawne saves Haller's life, and Haller says that he owes him. Rawne bitterly rejects it. A fellow Ghost reflects that Rawne's bitterness toward Gaunt is caused by the knowledge that he owes Gaunt.
** Also in ''Necropolis'', Curth's first reaction to the area assigned to Dorden for his medical work was that it was unacceptable and she briskly demanded all the supplies and workers to make it acceptable. When Dorden thanked her, she told him she already had her hands full with wounded refugees and did not want his wounded soldiers to overflow into her area.
** In ''Blood Pact'', when Rawne backs up Daur, Daur thanks him, Rawne says he didn't do it for him, and Daur says, "Perish the thought."
* In ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' Faramir has such a moment after Sam compliments him for rejecting [[TheCorruption the Ring]].
--> 'Yes sir, and showed your quality: the very highest.' Faramir smiled. 'A pert servant, Master Samwise. But nay: the praise of the praiseworthy is above all rewards. Yet there was naught in this to praise. I had no lure or desire to do other than I have done.'

* In Creator/AdrianTchaikovsky's ''[[Literature/ShadowsOfTheApt Dragonfly Falling]]'', when Stenwold frees [[spoiler: Arianna]] he tells her in advance "No thanks."

[[quoteright:350:[[ComicBook/MarvelAdventures https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sleep6.jpg]]]]

Motives vary widely and may characterize in more detail than the heroism alone. Many of them are not mutually exclusive:
* He's [[HumbleHero genuinely modest]] (in which case blushing is likely). Likely for TheCape.
* It's AllAPartOfTheJob and the constant praise is very wearying. May be phrased as "ItsWhatIDo."
* He's embarrassed to receive all the credit when others contributed. He may try to share; success is unlikely, but it is often appreciated. Again likely for TheCape. Also for AFatherToHisMen.
* The person he rescued was a {{True Companion|s}} or another hero. The full phrase is likely to be "Think nothing of it. YouWouldDoTheSameForMe."
* The rescuer and the rescued are in the middle of doing something, which still needs to be done and must get on with it; there is no time for gratitude. "Thank me later" may be said. Especially if the rescue will be only temporary if they don't succeed.
* The rescued had, by previous actions, put the rescuer deeply in his debt. Gratitude for something which isn't even reciprocal return is embarrassing.
* He [[ItsAllMyFault blames himself]] (correctly or otherwise) for the original problem and felt that he MustMakeAmends; he feels that [[BeAllMySinsRemembered he doesn't deserve their praise because of his past actions]] and gratitude only reminds him of his original guilt.
* His motives were more self-interested than the rescued person seems to think. Will often state such motives. TheCape will often be honest about this, or GoodIsNotNice.
* He felt more fear than anyone realized, and is embarrassed to be hailed for what he thinks is a mere facade of heroism. Likely for the CowardlyLion.
* He did it for a lark, because he lives InHarmsWay, or whatever else he had to do, even if others regard it as dirty, servile, or difficult.
* He's [[IWorkAlone a loner by nature]] or simply [[SociallyAwkwardHero dislikes being the center of attention]]. Likely for the AntiHero or GoodIsNotNice. Prone to be brusque.
** Some characters can manifest this only at times -- such at the end of a problem -- when they are exhausted or stressed out or otherwise completely incapable of social interaction.
* The expressions of gratitude are getting out of hand, with grateful crowds and public celebrations chipping away at the hero's [[TripleShifter limited free time]], and he just wants or needs to do something else.
* His reputation for misanthropy is valuable to him. He is prone to ask that no one spread the news. Likely for HiddenHeartOfGold.
* His heroic action violated some ObstructiveCodeOfConduct, and gratitude will only get him in trouble.
* If he becomes FamedInStory, people will keep trying to drag him away from HomeSweetHome.
* It looked harder than it was, or the gratitude is disproportionate, and he's embarrassed. Perhaps he genuinely doesn't understand why heroic acts that come so easily to him [[IThoughtEveryoneCouldDoThat seem so impressive to others]]. An honest FakeUltimateHero or AccidentalHero is likely here, as is TheCape.
* He wanted to save the person, but won't admit it; this is the subtrope IWasJustPassingThrough. Most likely for a {{Tsundere}}.
* He ''didn't'' want to save the person, but knew he should, or that he needed the other one. May explicitly say that he did for the mission, or his duty, not for the other character personally. This character might be a KnightInSourArmor and is prone to GrudgingThankYou when he's the one saved.
* He's trying to seem modest. Likely a less honest FakeUltimateHero. Also likely to backfire and look like a [[BlaseBoast covert brag]] if the hero's actions were manifestly less than great. Particularly if he tried to disclaim his feat before anyone showed any gratitude for it.
* After an EmbarrassingRescue or the like, he is bitterly rejecting the patently insincere thanks (possibly along with [[ComplainingAboutRescuesTheyDontLike complaints]], knowing that the rescued person will, at best, think nothing of it and more typically will [[UngratefulBastard revenge himself for the embarrassment]]. Which can be any character at all. (Well, except a LoveFreak.)
* Ironically, he can express this in some form or another after it is clear that no one is going to recognize what he did. The purer his heroism, the less bitterly he will do so.
** Comically, he may do so in front of the beneficiaries, which often jolts them into expressing their gratitude.
* The feat was, or involved actions which were, extremely embarrassing or [[DirtyBusiness disreputable]] to the point where the hero [[YourApprovalFillsMeWithShame doesn't want to be associated with it]]. See also MedalOfDishonor.
* He's ComplimentFishing and trying to set up other people to insist that his actions really were great.
* He achieved his heroic feat [[AccidentalHero completely by accident]], or with a darker intention in mind. He is not really the hero everyone thinks he is.
* He knows, or at least believes, that someone else did most of the work and/or had a harder task than him. He feels guilty accepting thanks because he honestly believes that the other party is more worthy of gratitude than he is.
* He simply dislikes the idea of being the subject of hero worship, finding it to be demeaning to the saved party or encouraging [[HoldingOutForAHero dependency]].
* The hero is trying to be stealthy or is in disguise and wants to avoid [[CoverBlowingSuperPower having their cover blown]] by a public display of gratitude.
* Pragmatically speaking, bragging would only make him unlikeable to the public eye.
* The character doesn't want to be held to the high expectations of being labeled a hero, so they try to avoid public acknowledgment.
* There was enough collateral damage, personal failure, or other negative consequences caused in the process that they consider the situation to be an [[PyrrhicVictory overall loss]]. Being praised for their "heroics" after such an event only make the guilt and shame they feel sting more.
* The rescuer is deliberately downplaying their actions because don't want the person they saved to feel guilty or traumatized by any costs or injuries they endured in the process of the rescue.

* He did it for a lark, because he loves InHarmsWay, or whatever else he had to do, even if others regard it as dirty, servile, or difficult.

* The character doesn't want to be held to the high expectations of being known as a hero so they try to avoid public acknowledgment.

* The character wants to avoid the high expectations of being known as a hero so they try to avoid public acknowledgment.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosMovie'', there is a scene where Donkey Kong nearly drowns and his rival Mario, happening to also be in the water, saves him. Mario tells him that he won't tell anyone he saved him, to which DK tells him "Good. Please don't!"

* At the beginning of ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'', the police thank Mr Incredible for his help apprehending two bank robbers, and he says "I'm just here to help."

* Parodied in ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda''. After helping Po out when he gets stuck in a split, Crane tells him "Don't mention it. ''[[LetUsNeverSpeakOfThisAgain Ever]]''."

* ''Film/{{Superman}}'': Only Christopher Reeve could make his final line in the film work and make it sound sincere and awesome:

* There was enough collateral damage, personal failure, or other negative consequences caused in the process that they consider the situation to be a [[PyrrhicVictory overall loss]]. Being praised for their "heroics" after such an event only make the guilt and shame they feel sting more.

* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyDimensions'', Aigis thanks Nacht for looking after his sister Diana and friend Glaive while the two parties were separated. Nacht brushes it off by saying they looked after themselves and adds that they both grew up a lot during their journey.

[[caption-width-right:350:Dammit, [[ComicBook/IronMan Tony]], don't fall asleep during [[ComicBook/CaptainAmerica Cap]]'s award ceremony.]]

* Touma Kamijou from ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'' and ''Manga/ACertainScientificRailgun'' does good for no reason. He doesn't even care if [[TheGreatestStoryNeverTold he never gets any credit for it]]. Even better, he ''doesn't even have a backstory or personal reason.'' [[FirstEpisodeTwist He loses his memories at the end of the first novel]]/[[LateArrivalSpoiler during episode 6]] and saves people for two reasons: a)because that's the right thing to do, and b)to keep his memory loss issue from becoming known. Mostly the former.

* In ''LightNovel/{{Higehiro}}'', Sayu survived by seducing men in exchange for food and a place to stay, until she met Yoshida, who refused to take advantage of her. Yoshida is constantly telling her not to thank him for meeting basic standards of decency.

** [[NobleProfession Lily]] does a {{downplayed}} example in Chapter 24 of the original. [[TheHighQueen Celestine]] thanks her for her advice in coping with the ongoing, escalating warfare. Lily's response is to merely say that she lives to serve.

* In ''LightNovel/HigeOSoruSoshiteJoshiKouseiOHirou'', Sayu survived by seducing men in exchange for food and a place to stay, until she met Yoshida, who refused to take advantage of her. Yoshida is constantly telling her not to thank him for meeting basic standards of decency.

* After Comicbook/SquirrelGirl rescued [[ComicBook/GreatLakesAvengers Flat Man and Doorman]], the police thanked her for keeping Central Park safe, and she replied that the cops are {{the real heroes}}, not her.

* ''{{Series/Smallville}}'': Clark, of course, being {{Superman}} and all. Chloe puts it best:

* The character wants to avoid the stigma and expectations of being known as a hero so they try to avoid public acknowledgment.