History Main / TurntheOtherCheek

* In ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' lore, Jurgen Windcaller was the most powerful Tongue (masters of the [[LanguageOfMagic Thu'um]] who served in the [[HornyVikings Nord]] army) of the 1st Era. Following their [[ShockingDefeatLegacy ignominious defeat]] at Red Mountain, Windcaller fell into HeroicBSOD despair and meditated for seven years, determining that the defeat was due to the displeasure of the [[OurGodsAreDifferent Divines]] for misusing the Thu'um. He would inspire the "Way of the Voice", preaching pacifism, non-intervention in worldly affairs, and the use of the Thu'um [[HeelFaithTurn only to honor the gods]]. When he proclaimed the Way of the Voice, seventeen other Tongues tried to [[MakeMeWannaShout shout him down]]. He "swallowed" their words for three days until he fell, exhausted. This caused them to acknowledge his superiority and wisdom in the Voice.

[[folder: Comic Books]]
* Played with in a ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' story after J. Jonah Jameson learned that Peter Parker was Spider-Man. They agree to have a meeting to sort out their differences, and JJ comes back from it with two black eyes and an arm in a sling, making it seem like Spidey had violently paid him back for the years of abuse. [[spoiler: It turns out that JJ had gotten the two black eyes from some unrelated accidents, and that at their meeting Spidey had actually told JJ to work out his hatred by beating up the unresisting Spidey (who, regularly trading punches with superhumans, had little to fear from a middle-aged newspaper editor). JJ accepted, and beat Spidey so hard he ended up breaking his own hand, bringing it (completely unintentionally,) into CruelMercy territory.]]

[[folder:Film - Animated]]

[[folder:Film - Live-Action]]
* ''Film/{{Barbarella}}'': Pygar has the philosophy of not ever holding grudges, which is encapsulated by his line "An angel has no memory." So he says smilingly that it doesn't matter that the Sogoites blinded him, and at the end, he saves the Black Queen even though she tried to rape him and then kill him (this is when he says the aforementioned line).

[[folder: Literature]]

** This is one of the stories told by Jesus in the [[Literature/TheBible New Testament]], telling someone that just got slapped on the right cheek to offer his slapper his left cheek. The TropeNamer, obviously. UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} then goes on to show us how to do it by saying "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do," as he was being [[LateArrivalSpoiler tortured and crucified. Nothing like begging your divine father to spare the ones who kill you.]]

[[folder: LiveActionTV]]
* In ''Series/{{Community}}'' episode "[[Recap/CommunityS1E12ComparativeReligion Comparative Religion]]", Jeff attempts this ("what would Shirley do?"), but when the bully just keeps hitting him, Shirley changes her mind and tells Jeff to "kick his ass!" Time to have AnAssKickingChristmas!

--->'''Wash''': Didn't she shoot you one time?\\
'''Mal''': Everybody's makin' a fuss.
* The Doctor forgiving the Master at the end of the ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "Last of the Time Lords".
** In TheMovie: Grace forces the Doctor's [[TheNthDoctor regeneration]] and tries to have him sent to a psych ward even though [[TheyWouldCutYouUp she knows he's not human]], Chang Lee walks off with the Doctor's personal effects and teams up with the Master (well, he was tricked, but still), and the Master [[GrandTheftMe wants the Doctor's body]], and not (just) in the good way. The Doctor trusts Grace anyway and kisses her too, gives Chang Lee a bag of gold dust and some advice, and [[SaveTheVillain tries to save the Master's life]].

[[folder: Music]]
* The protagonist of the Kenny Rogers song "[[TheSoCalledCoward The Coward of the County]]" is this, until the Gatlin boys go after his wife. They soon find out why this is a [[BewareTheNiceOnes seriously bad idea]].
* The narrator in [[Music/BadHairDay "Amish Paradise"]] by Music/WeirdAlYankovic, being (of course) UsefulNotes/{{Amish}}, quotes this phrase [[note]] The Amish, like all Anabaptists, are known for being pacifists, refusing to even defend themselves, using the titular verse as their reasoning. [[/note]]:
-->''A local boy kicked me in the butt last week''
-->''I just smiled at him, and I turned the other cheek''
-->''I really don't care, in fact [[SarcasticWellWishing I wish him well]]''
-->'''cause [[EgocentricallyReligious I'll be laughing my head off when he's burning in Hell!]]''

* ''Radio/OldHarrysGame:''

[[folder: Religion And Mythology]]
* UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} is the TropeNamer with His saying in Literature/TheFourGospels that provides the page quote. Christians generally interpret this as a commandment to be a BadassPacifist and refuse to respond to evil with violence, insult, or revenge no matter what an aggressor does. However, it is a matter of debate exactly how absolutely the principle is meant to be applied; read more at [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turning_the_other_cheek The Other Wiki]].

[[folder: Theatre]]

[[folder: Video Games]]

[[folder: Web Comics]]
* Parodied in ''Webcomic/SaturdayMorningBreakfastCereal'' where it turns out this message was actually part of Jesus' now-forgotten lesson of ''passive-aggressiveness''. The point of turning the other cheek wasn't to show mercy or grace, it was to make the other guy feel like a huge dick and hurt him without using physical force. Another one had Jesus' other cheek covered in spikes.

[[folder: Western Animation]]
* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/MoralOrel'' is titled "Turn the Other Cheek." After listening to a children's song with that title all night, Orel gets it in his head that he should turn the other cheek at every opportunity. The school bully beats Orel repeatedly until his father Clay tells him that he should be doing the exact opposite. HilarityEnsues again when Orel [[AttackAttackAttack preemptively attacks at every possible threat of force]], even when his best friend Doughy throws rock in Rock, Paper, Scissors, culminating in him beating his father when he takes off his belt. [[spoiler: In a very rare instance, though, Clay admitted that Orel was just doing what Clay advised him to do, and so he won't punish Orel for beating him up, because that would mean admitting that he was wrong.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' has this with Aang and how he treats the AntiHero Zuko. His friend Sokka often complains about it.
** In season 2, Iroh's portion of "[[Recap/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheTalesOfBaSingSe The Tales of Ba Sing Se]]" has someone hold him at knife-point for his money, and Iroh - the resident OldSoldier- quietly talks the mugger down by asking about his life.
** In season 3, Katara has a chance to confront her mother's killer and becomes consumed by a desire for revenge. Aang urges Katara to do this; in the end, though she nearly ends up killing the man, she refuses. Subverted, though; Katara explains that it wasn't an [[CruelMercy act of forgiveness]] but disgust at what a pathetic person he was.

*** She ''is'', however, inspired to forgive Zuko (who helped her track down her mother's killer), finally forgiving him for his betrayal in Ba Sing Se.
** In the sequel comics, Zuko is also very forgiving of his family in spite of how they treated him: Ozai, despite being an AbusiveParent who disregarded Zuko his entire childhood and then scarred and banished him, is given an all things considered fairly cordial treatment and his mother Ursa, while much more sympathetic, is also instantly forgiven for making a deal with a spirit to forget about her life in the Capital (Zuko included), with Zuko simply asking her to tell her story to him and making up with a heartfelt hug. By far and large, however, Zuko is the most forgiving of his little sister Azula; even though Azula bullied and tormented him for years, manipulated him into betraying his uncle, and nearly ''killed'' him just a year before, Zuko shows nothing more than concern for her mental well-being and trying to mend their broken brother-sister bond. This is in part because, in Zuko's eyes, Azula's mental issues are reflective of how he could have been if he didn't have the right people to turn to, and in part because Azula's inability to let go of their past is reflective of the struggles the post-war Fire Nation at large is going through; after all, how can he steer his nation in the right direction, if he can't even help his sister?
* Parodied in the ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' episode Rapture's Delight, in which Stan slaps Jesus, who turns the other cheek... and is punched instead.
-->'''Jesus''': [[LampshadeHanging Ow. My other cheek]].
* Throughout the course of ''WesternAnimation/{{Jem}}'', The Misfits have put Jem and the Holograms in situations where the latter group could have been killed, but Jerrica/Jem never calls the police (she likely had her reasons...).
** The one time Eric Raymond got arrested he was released the next day, citing that lawyers can practically do anything you pay them enough. Chances are even if Jem did have the Misfits arrested Eric would have them out in no time flat.

[[folder: Real Life]]

* ''WesternAnimation/StrawberryShortcake'': All three versions, but especially the first two.

* The narrator in [[Music/BadHairDay "Amish Paradise"]] by Music/WeirdAlYankovic, being (of course) UsefulNotes/{{Amish}}, quotes this phrase [[note]] The Amish, like all Anabaptists, are known for being pacifists, refusing to even defend themselves. [[/note]]:

-->''A local boy kicked me in the butt last week\\
I just smiled at him and I turned the other cheek\\
I really don't care, in fact [[SarcasticWellWishing I wish him well]]\\
'cause [[EgocentricallyReligious I'll be laughing my head off when he's burning in Hell!]]''

''A local boy kicked me in the butt last week\\

* Subverted heavily in [[Literature/AesopsFables Aesop's fable]] "TheFarmerAndTheViper". The titular farmer shows compassion to the snake, but his [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished good deed]] [[JustForPun comes back to bite him]]. The moral? "Kindness is thrown away upon the evil."

* In ''Magazine/{{Mad}}'', the principal is discussed in one feature of what L'Osservatore Romano's comic strip page might look like. In the ''ComicStrip/{{Blondie}}'' strip, Dithers kicks Bumstead in the backside for making a mistake, only for Bumstead to say how the Lord asks him to turn the other cheek. Dithers kicks him again, and says that's a good idea- he'll kick that "(butt)cheek," too.

* ''Film/InMyCountry'': The whole purpose of the hearings is for perpetrators of atrocities during the Apartheid to confess (albeit often insincerely) and be confronted by their victims, while the government chooses to avoid mere vengeance. In one hearing, a police officer who admits to killing a young boy's parents gets down on his knees, begging for forgiveness. The boy grants it to him in the form of a hug. [[spoiler:Anna must herself attempt to gain forgiveness from her husband by admitting her affair with Langston.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks'' had Huey narrate a story about an AlternateHistory where Martin Luther King Jr survived getting shot and simply went into a coma, waking up decades later in our present day. When interviewed about the 9/11 bombings, King, as mentioned in the Real Life section, affirms his belief in this trope. Unfortunately for Dr King, this is the bloodthirsty post-9/11 America, which immediately decries him as a traitor, a coward, a communist, and any other word they can come up with, even his own original supporters. This, combined with his disgust at what modern black culture has become in his absence, eventually leads to Dr King giving a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to the people who deify him while ignoring everything he actually stands for and abandoning the U.S. to go to Canada.

* During the final episode of ''VideoGame/TheWalkingDeadSeasonThree,'' [[spoiler: David becomes furious at what he perceives to be Javi's attempts to take his family away from him, since Javi's spent the last few years traveling and bonding with David's wife Kate and children Mariana and Gabe after they were all separated from David during the initial outbreak (resulting in Javi potentially becoming romantic with Kate if the player so chooses) and he begins to viciously beat his brother as Kate and Gabe scream at him to stop. You're given a choice: to fight back or to tell him you love him. If you pick the latter, David is visibly surprised before quickly becoming even more enraged, and you're given the same choice after each blow. Every refusal to defend yourself is met with escalating aggression, culminating in David sitting on Javi's chest, trying to crush his windpipe -- Javi insisting with what breath he can muster that he loves him results in the game giving you a notification that you kept the promise you made to your father years prior to always watch out for and care for David.]]

* During the final episode of ''VideoGame/TheWalkingDeadSeasonThree,'' [[spoiler: David becomes furious at what he perceives to be Javi's attempts to take his family away from him, since Javi's spent the last few years traveling and bonding with David's wife Kate and children Mariana and Gabe after they were all separated from David during the initial outbreak (resulting in Javi potentially becoming romantic with Kate if the player so chooses) and he begins to viciously beat his brother as Kate and Gabe scream at him to stop. You're given a choice: to fight back or to tell him you love him. If you pick the latter, David is visibly surprised before quickly becoming even more enraged, and you're given the same choice after every blow. Every refusal to defend yourself is met with escalating aggression, culminating in David sitting on Javi's chest, trying to crush his windpipe -- Javi insisting with what breath he can muster that he loves him results in the game giving you a notification that you kept the promise you made to your father years prior to always watch out for and care for David.]]

* During the final episode of ''VideoGame/TheWalkingDeadSeasonThree,'' [[spoiler: David becomes furious at what he perceives to be Javi's attempts to "take his family away from him," since Javi's spent the last few years traveling and bonding with David's wife Kate and children Mariana and Gabe after they were all separated from David during the initial outbreak (resulting in Javi potentially becoming romantic with Kate if the player so chooses) and he begins to viciously beat his brother as Kate and Gabe scream at him to stop. You're given a choice: to fight back or to tell him you love him. If you pick the latter, David is visibly surprised before quickly becoming even more enraged, and you're given the same choice after every blow. Every refusal to defend yourself is met with escalating aggression, culminating in David sitting on Javi's chest, trying to crush his windpipe -- Javi insisting with what breath he can muster that he loves him results in the game giving you a notification that you kept the promise you made to your father years prior to always watch out for and care for David.]]

* During the final episode of ''VideoGame/TheWalkingDeadSeasonThree,'' [[spoiler: David becomes furious at what he perceives to be Javi's attempts to "take his family away from him," since Javi's spent the last few years traveling and bonding with David's wife Kate and children Mariana and Gabe after they were all separated from David during the initial outbreak (resulting in Javi potentially becoming romantic with Kate if the player so chooses) and he begins to viciously beat his brother as Kate and Gabe scream at him to stop. You're given a choice: to fight back or to tell him you love him. If you pick the latter, David is visibly surprised before quickly becoming even more enraged, and you're given the same choice after every blow. Every refusal to defend yourself is met with escalating aggression, culminating in David sitting on Javi's chest, trying to crush his windpipe -- Javi insisting with what breath he can muster that he loves his brother results in the game giving you a notification that you kept the promise you made to your father years prior to always watch out for David and to never stop caring for him.]]

* During the final episode of ''VideoGame/TheWalkingDeadSeasonThree,'' [[spoiler: David becomes furious at what he perceives to be Javi's attempts to "take his family away from him," since Javi's spent the last few years traveling and bonding with David's wife Kate and children Mariana and Gabe after they were all separated from David during the initial outbreak (resulting in Javi potentially becoming romantic with Kate if the player so chooses) and he begins to viciously beat his own brother as Kate and Gabe scream at him to stop. After every blow, you're given a choice: to fight back or to tell him you love him. If you pick the latter, David is visibly surprised before quickly becoming even more enraged, and every refusal to defend yourself is met with escalating aggression, culminating in David sitting on Javi's chest, trying to crush his windpipe -- Javi insisting with what breath he can muster that he loves his brother results in the game giving you a notification that you kept the promise you made to your father years prior to always watch out for David and to never stop caring for him.]]

* The second variation is played with in Literature/{{Discworld}}'s ''Literature/SmallGods''. When the god Om gets his powers back, he and Brutha have a minor disagreement over some new laws. Om comments on how he can simply blast Brutha into a little smear on the floor, and Brutha cheerfully agrees that he could, couldn't he? And how Brutha would have absolutely no way of defending himself, whatsoever. Om grumbles that it's not right for someone to use defenselessness as a defense.

* ''WesternAnimation/Frozen2013'': Anna does this to Elsa, where despite being shut out by her older sister for 13 years (done to protect Anna from her powers, which Anna was oblivious to because of LaserGuidedAmnesia), she is still willing to sacrifice herself for her sister and welcome her with open arms in spite of everything she had done. It is because of this attitude that [[DefrostingIceQueen Elsa begins to open up to Anna and the world]] and finally realize the key to controlling her powers.

* ''Film/{{Barbarella}}'': Pygar has the philosophy of not ever holding grudges, which is encapsulated by his line "An angel has no memory." So he says smilingly that it doesn't matter that the Sogoites blinded him, and at the end he saves the Black Queen even though she tried to rape him and then kill him (this is when he says the aforementioned line).

* In ''Film/MortalEngines'', the inhabitants of London evacuate their ruined city to find themselves confronted by the armed inhabitants of Shan Guo, who have suffered massive casualties from the attack. Fortunately their governor orders his men to lower their weapons, because they believe that they should only kill when necessary.

** Another facet to this: in that period, the left hand was still looked upon as unclean, and one could only slap anyone, even the lowest of the low, using the right hand. Turning one's other cheek was essentially to '''dare''' them to slap you using the ''unclean'' hand, which, being unthinkable, left only one other option, to take it as a dare to backhand the victim, which arguably would be just as big of a shame tainting the aggressor if he "accepted" the unspoken dare. It was essentially a wordless taunt of "go ahead and hit me again. Show everyone watching what a cruel monster you are." So in some regard it's simultaneously an endorsement of nonviolent resistance/civil disobedience '''and''' a display of being a BadassPacifist. '''Cool!'''

* The climax of ''Literature/TheDeedOfPaksenarrion'', where Paks is [[spoiler:subject to ColdBloodedTorture by a cult of Liart and in calmly refusing to react or fight back prompts the majority of the rank and file of the cult to have a MyGodWhatHaveIDone moment and disband]]. Bonus points for the villains previous efforts to discredit Paks actually aid her in this; hard to think yourself great when you are honestly just [[spoiler: torturing]] a ''sheepfarmer's daughter''.

* The Bishop of Digne at the beginning of ''Literature/LesMiserables''. Jean Valjean has stolen his silver, and when the police catch him and bring him to the bishop, he confirms Valjean's story that it was a voluntary gift, and adds his even more valuable candlesticks on top of the silver. True to trope, Valjean does a HeelFaceTurn as consequence. Valjean then does the same for InspectorJavert, but Javert can't handle it [[spoiler:and commits suicide]].

* In Creator/DanAbnett's Literature/GauntsGhosts novel ''Ghostmaker'', Major Rawne attacks Gaunt in the field, intending to make it look as if he died in the fight. Gaunt knocks him unconscious and then, in spite of his own wounds, [[EmbarrassingRescue carries him to safety]]. This did not cure Rawne's resentment, but after a latter situation where Rawne weighs killing him and does not, Rawne does not try to kill him again.

* It didn't work in a Creator/HarryTurtledove story where Britain had been conquered and after some tough fighting the Germans had defeated the British Army in India. Non-violent protest proved not to work so well when attempted with an occupying power whose officers are willing to order the machine gunning of your protest march and whose superior officers and government regard that as a fine method to deal with civil disturbance.

* ''Literature/{{Schooled}}'': Cap grew into a patient pacifist thinks to his hippie upbringing. Despite being subjected to every cruel prank possible by Zach and the other bullies at Claverage, they simply can't get a rise out of him.
* In ''Literature/JaneEyre'', Helen Burns is a staunch believer in this trope. She patiently accepts and forgives all the abuse she recieves at [[BoardingSchoolOfHorrors Lowood School]] and encourages the angry young Jane to do the same. Jane never becomes as self-effacing as Helen was, but she does ultimately take her friend's belief in forgiveness to heart, most noticeably when, as an adult, she forgives her abusive Aunt Reed at the latter's deathbed.

** In TheMovie: Grace forces the Doctor's [[TheNthDoctor regeneration]] and tries to have him sent to a psych ward even though [[TheyWouldCutYouUp she knows he's not human]], Chang Lee walks off with the Doctor's personal effects and teams up with the Master (well, he was tricked, but still), and the Master [[GrandTheftMe wants the Doctor's body]], and not (just) in the good way. The Doctor trusts Grace anyway, and kisses her too, gives Chang Lee a bag of gold dust and some advice, and [[SaveTheVillain tries to save the Master's life]].

* ''Series/ArthurOfTheBritons'': When ActualPacifist Rolf the Preacher explains the doctrine of 'turn the other cheek' to Mark of Cornwall, Mark slaps him hard across the face. Rolf's reaction is to turn the other cheek, and present it to Mark to be slapped. This impresses Mark enough that he invites Rolf into his fort to discuss his religion.
* ''Series/TheJeffersons'': George Jefferson accidentally finds himself at a meeting of white supremacists. When the leader has a heart attack, George gives him CPR. (This is uncharacteristically nice of George, although afterwards he says "I should've inhaled."). As the leader is taken out on a gurney, his equally militant son explains what George had done. The man responds "''He'' saved my life? You should have let me die." The son, however quits the group. Also see ''Real Life'' below.

** The Jews generally hit someone on the right side (considered the clean side of the body) with the left hand (considered the 'dirty'/unclean side of the body).[[note]]Why? Back in BibleTimes, toilet paper had yet to be invented, so people just wiped with whatever they had on hand... and more often than not, that was one's hand. Since most people are right-handed, the left hand was more often used for this purpose, and people avoided contact with the left hand, since they knew it could make them sick (even if they didn't know why yet). This attitude about the left hand being "dirty" is found in a number of different cultures.[[/note]]
** ''Or'', according to another source, only the right hand was used for hitting, and turning the other cheek when you were given a backhanded slap as to an inferior would provoke the person doing the hitting to hit you with a fist like an equal instead, since it would be too awkward to use the back of the right hand from that angle. Thus, turning the other cheek would mean refusing to be treated as an inferior, though only in that cultural context, and according to this historical interpretation, it would not be the same thing as accepting evil done to you at all.

** Gautama Buddha was technically a trained Kshatriya warrior, but he's never portrayed that way after his enlightenment, his stance being staunchly non-violent. However, whenever he gets attacked in stories, he never lets their opponents harm him either, often doing the good old BreakThemByTalking or downright using his EnlightenmentSuperpowers to deflect physical attacks. In an occasion, his traitorous apprentice Devadatta tries to scratch his legs with poisonous nails, and Buddha answers by turning his legs into rock crystal so the baddie breaks his nails and dies himself when the poison enters the wounds.

* Darcsens from ''VideoGame/ValkyriaChronicles'' tend to stick to this whenever anyone is persecuting them, with only few, like Zeri, trying to pro-actively fight against all the racism leveled against his people. Dahau, Zig and the Calamity Raven are also included aside from Zeri.

* During the final episode of ''VideoGame/TheWalkingDeadSeasonThree,'' [[spoiler: David becomes furious at what he perceives to be Javi's attempts to "take his family away from him," since Javi's spent the last few years traveling and bonding with David's wife Kate and children Mariana and Gabe after they were all seperated from David during the initial outbreak (resulting in Javi potentially becoming romantic with Kate if the player so chooses) and he begins to viciously beat his own brother as Kate and Gabe scream at him to stop. After every blow, you're given a choice: to fight back, or to tell him you love him. If you pick the latter, David is visibly surprised before quickly becoming even more enraged, and every refusal to defend yourself is met with escalating aggression, culminating in David sitting on Javi's chest, trying to crush his windpipe -- Javi insisting with what breath he can muster that he loves his brother results in the game giving you a notification that you kept the promise you made to your father years prior to always watch out for David and to never stop caring for him.]]

* Parodied in ''Webcomic/SaturdayMorningBreakfastCereal'' where it turns out this message was actually part of Jesus now-forgotten lesson of ''passive-aggressiveness''. The point of turning the other cheek wasn't to show mercy or grace, it was to make the other guy feel like a huge dick and hurt him without using physical force. Another one had Jesus' ther cheek be covered in spikes.
* Genza in ''Webcomic/BeneathTheClouds'' agrees to try to save the Emperor who sent him into exile. However he does admit to himself that he'd like to refuse "just to see the look in his eyes", before admitting the thought isn't worthy of a monk.

** In season 2, Iroh's portion of "[[Recap/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheTalesOfBaSingSe The Tales of Ba Sing Se]]" has someone hold him at knife-point for his money, and Iroh - the resident OldSoldier- quietly talks the mugger down by asking about his life..
** In season 3, Katara has a chance to confront her mother's killer and becomes consumed for a desire for revenge. Aang urges Katara to do this; in the end, though she nearly ends up killing the man, she refuses. Subverted, though; Katara explains that it wasn't an [[CruelMercy act of forgiveness,]] but disgust at what a pathetic person he was.

** In the sequel comics, Zuko is also very forgiving of his family in spite of how they treated him: Ozai, despite being an AbusiveParent who disregarded Zuko his entire childhood and then scarred and banished him, is given an all things considered fairly cordial treatment and his mother Ursa, while much more sympathetic, is also instantly forgiven for making a deal with a spirit to forget about her life in the Capital (Zuko included), with Zuko simply asking her to tell her story to him and making up with a heartfelt hug. By far and large, however, Zuko is the most forgiving of his little sister Azula; even though Azula bullied and tormented him for years, manipulated him into betraying his uncle, and nearly ''killed'' him just a year before, Zuko shows nothing more than concern for her mental well-being and trying to mend their broken brother-sister bond. This is in part because, in Zuko's eyes, Azula's mental issues are reflective of how he could have been if he didn't have the right people to turn to, and in part because Azula's inability to let go of their past is reflective of the struggles the post-war Fire Nation at large is going through; After all, how can he steer his nation in the right direction, if he can't even help his sister?

* WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse, AllLovingHero that he is, has forgiven everyone who's hurt him or tried to hurt him at any stage, to the point where he's willing to wish someone a pleasant day after they had just spent the past scene trying to kill him and his guardians. [[spoiler:By the end of the season, his willingness to forgive and accept that same character's flaws led her to a HeelFaceTurn. Subverted and deconstructed in the follow up ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverseFuture'' which forces Steven to look at how many traumatic incidents he's suffered through. The difference is made between forgiving someone and forgiving someone for hurting ''you'', and Steven has a lot of pent up resentment towards others for how much he's been hurt. When it all becomes too much for him to handle and his shapeshifting powers turn him into a giant monster, nearly all of the reformed antagonists are forced to recognize how much they hurt Steven and didn't actually do anything to make it up to him specifically, even if they atoned for their overall actions.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks'' had Huey narrate a story about an AlternateHistory where Martin Luther King Jr survived getting shot and simply went into a coma, waking up decades later in our present day. When interviewed about the 9/11 bombings, King, as mentioned in the Real Life section, affirms his belief in this trope. Unfortunately for Dr King, this is the bloodthirsty post-9/11 America, which immediately decries him as a traitor, a coward, a communist, and any other word they can come up with, even his own original supporters. This, combined with his disgust at what modern black culture has become in his absence, eventually leads to Dr King giving a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to the people who deify him while ignoring everything he actually stands for, and abandoning the U.S to go to Canada.

* It didn't work for Nelson Mandela in UsefulNotes/SouthAfrica. When Mandela realised this, he moved to Plan B, sabotaging industrial targets, making sure nobody got hurt. Plan C was to be active resistance against the military, although he was imprisoned before that came to pass.

-->'''Johnny Lee Clary''': So we got a bunch of us together, and about 30 of us went in there and surrounded him, and he had this chicken there on the table, at the restaurant. And I walked up to him and I said "Boy, this restaurants for white people only, we don't want you here." I said "So I'm gonna make you a promise. I promise you that we're gonna do the same thing to you that you do to that chicken. So you think real hard before you touch that chicken." So he looked at me and looked at the Klan, [[ThreatBackfire then he picked up the chicken and he kissed it]].

* Played with in a ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' story after J. Jonah Jameson learned that Peter Parker was Spider-Man. They agree to have a meeting to sort out their differences, and JJ comes back from it with two black eyes and an arm in a sling, making it seem like Spidey had violently paid him back for the years of abuse. [[spoiler: It turns out that JJ had gotten the two black eyes from some totally unrelated accidents, and that at their meeting Spidey had actually told JJ to work out his hatred by beating up the unresisting Spidey (who, regularly trading punches with superhumans, had little to fear from a middle-aged newspaper editor). JJ accepted, and beat Spidey so hard he ended up breaking his own hand, bringing it (completely unintentionally,) into CruelMercy territory.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph'': This seems to be a part of Vanellope's character, as she quickly forgives Ralph for destroying her car to prevent her from racing and Taffyta after all the abuse she'd taken from her, though she of course elects to have some jokes at their expense first. Granted, she had quite a bit of reason to forgive both, as King Candy had manipulated them into thinking their actions would be good for Vanellope and the game, respectively.

* This is basically the whole plot of ''Film/TheButtercreamGang'': Pete used to be a member of the titular gang, dedicated to good deeds, but at one point got influenced by bad company and became a delinquent. Pete is by His best friend Scott adopts a non-aggressive attitude whenever he's threatened by physical violence by Pete, and the town's local store owner outright offers him money when he tries to rob the store, just so he couldn't say he robbed him. This leaves Pete absolutely confounded, not understanding why someone would do that instead of defending themselves or seeking revenge, and in the latter case causes him to resort to outright trashing the store, demanding someone retaliate against him. When no one does, he runs away.

** Another explanation of "turn the other cheek": if a man considered someone to be inferior and he decided to strike him, he'd use the back of his hand; if he considered him equal, he'd use his palm. Basically Jesus was saying that if someone gave you a backhander, turn the other cheek to force him to use his palm. Force the person who has slapped you to treat you as an equal.

** The cloak line is also about shaming the person who is suing you; public nudity was a huge taboo and considered shameful. Basically, a person who is so poor would have nothing but their coat and cloak, and would therefore be sued for their coat. However, giving them the cloak as well would result in the person being naked and was a way to say "Look what this person's greed has brought."

* ''Series/ArthurOfTheBritons'': When ActualPacifist Rolf the Preacher explains the doctrine of 'turn the other cheek' to Mark of Cornwall, Mark slaps him hard across the face. Rolf's reaction is to literally turn the other cheek, and present it to Mark to be slapped. This impresses Mark enough that he invites Rolf into his fort to discuss his religion.

* UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}}, of course, is the TropeNamer with His saying in Literature/TheFourGospels that provides the page quote. Christians generally interpret this as a commandment to be a BadassPacifist and refuse to respond to evil with violence, insult, or revenge no matter what an aggressor does. However, it is a matter of debate exactly how absolutely the principle is meant to be applied; read more at [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turning_the_other_cheek The Other Wiki]].
** Notable is that the Jews generally hit someone on the right side (considered the clean side of the body) with the left hand (considered the 'dirty'/unclean side of the body).[[note]]Why? Keep in mind that back in BibleTimes, toilet paper had yet to be invented, so people just wiped with whatever they had on hand... and more often than not, that was ''literally'' one's hand. Since most people are right-handed, the left hand was more often used for this purpose, and people avoided contact with the left hand, since they knew it could make them sick (even if they didn't know why yet). This attitude about the left hand being "dirty" is found in a number of different cultures.[[/note]]

** Another example in ''Literature/BookOfProverbs'': "If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, for you will heap burning coals on his head[[note]]this is a reference to an act of kindness, not violence, as travellers would often carry burning coals in their hats to keep warm on long journeys[[/note]], and the LORD will reward you." Proverbs 25:21-22.

* Tends to happen a lot for ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog''. In a similar manner to [[Manga/DragonBall Goku]], many people who try to kill him end up trying to help him in the end, and it pretty much always goes without him holding any grudges. The best examples are with [[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles Knuckles]], who attacked Sonic after being duped by Eggman, [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure2 Shadow]], who tried to drop Space Colony ARK on the Earth to fulfill his creator's revenge, and [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006 Silver]], who travelled to the past to kill him in order to save the future.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'', if you're on a "No Mercy" run, an early boss [[spoiler:shows up in an attempt to get you to stop killing everyone. Rather than use force, he immediately offers mercy to you, no questions asked. [[VideoGameCaringPotential Spare him]] and you'll become friends with him, ending the "No Mercy" run and putting you back on a neutral story path. [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential Kill him]], and even in his dying breath he still tells you that he believes that you'll eventually reverse your omnicidal ways.]]

* WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse, AllLovingHero that he is, has forgiven pretty much everyone who's hurt him or attempted to hurt him at any stage, to the point where he's willing to wish someone a pleasant day after they had just spent the entire past scene attempting to kill him and his guardians. [[spoiler:By the end of the season, his willingness to forgive and accept that same character's flaws led her to a HeelFaceTurn. Subverted and deconstructed in the follow up ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverseFuture'' which forces Steven to look at how many traumatic incidents he's suffered through. The difference is made between forgiving someone and forgiving someone for hurting ''you'', and Steven has a lot of pent up resentment towards others for how much he's been hurt. When it all becomes too much for him to handle and his shapeshifting powers turn him into a giant monster, nearly all of the reformed antagonists are forced to recognize how much they hurt Steven and didn't actually do anything to make it up to him specifically, even if they atoned for their overall actions.]]

* ''Literature/BazilBroketail'': Lagdalen never seems to hold a grudge, as evidenced by her behaviour towards Relkin and Helena of Roth. Helping the former resulted in ruination of her career in the clergy, yet they remain good friends for the whole series. The latter was bullying Lagdalen, but when she is attacked and injured by Thrembode, Lagdalen actually visits her in order to find out whether she's okay surprising Helena greatly.

* ''Film/InMyCountry'': The whole purpose of the hearings is for perpetrators of atrocities during UsefulNotes/TheApartheidEra to confess and be confronted by their victims, while the government chooses to avoid mere vengeance. In one hearing, a police officer who admits to killing a young boy's parents and gets down on his knees, begging for forgiveness. The boy grants it to him in the form of a hug.

** Gautama Buddha was technically a trained Khastriya warrior, but he's never portraying fighting after his enlightenment, his stance being staunchly non-violent. However, whenever he gets attacked in stories, he never lets their opponents harm him either, often doing the good old BreakThemByTalking or downright using his EnlightenmentSuperpowers to deflect physical attacks. In an occasion, his traitorous apprentice Devadatta tries to scratch his legs with poisonous nails, and Buddha answers by turning his legs into rock crystal so the baddie breaks his nails and dies himself when the poison enters the wounds.
** Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism are a subversion, having a whole class of gods called "Wrathful Deities" who will actually fight, as violently as it is needed and then a bit more, to enforce Dharma. For those guys, wearing garlands of severed heads of enemies is commonplace, so go imagine. Oftentimes, this iconography is useful for us humans as a metaphor, reflecting the idea that we must be ruthless to eliminate the abstract "enemies" of enlightenment like negative emotions and distractions, but the idea that there are gods butchering demons for your sake can be also meant to be very real.