History Main / UniversallyBelovedLeader

* Though she isn't the ruler (her father is the democratically-elected Chairman of the ruling council), Lacus Clyne of ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSeed'' and ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSeedDestiny'' is held in this regard by ZAFT. She is held up as a paragon of kindness and gentleness (which, honestly, she [[AllLovingHero kind of is]]), and a few words from her are enough to calm the population down from sheer panic and rage over the Earth attacking them with nukes. In ''Anime/GundamSeedFreedom'', [[spoiler:it's revealed that she was genetically designed to be someone the masses loved, and the villains plan on using her to legitimize their rule by marrying her to their own leader and having them become a RulingCouple over all of Earth.]]

* Though she isn't the ruler (her father is the democratically-elected Chairman of the ruling council), Lacus Clyne of ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSeed'' and ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSeedDestiny'' is held in this regard by ZAFT. She is held up as a paragon of kindness and gentleness (which, honestly, she [[AllLovingHero kind of is]]), and a few words from her are enough to calm the population down from sheer panic and rage over the Earth attacking them with nukes. [[spoiler:She actually does end up taking control of the [=PLANTs=] following the Second Bloody Valentine War, gaining her father's old position as Chairwoman of the PLANT Supreme Council.]]

** ''ComicBook/TheSandman1989'': In "The Golden Boy", America quickly grows to adore its 20-something president [[ComicBook/{{Prez}} Prez Rickard]] because of all his accomplishments. As he nears the end of his second term there are efforts to give him a third one (or keep ruling in perpetuity), and the next election's voter turnout tanks because people don't want to vote for someone who isn't Prez. After Prez retires and rejects all attempts to return to the spotlight, there is a general melancholic sense that America's golden age has passed.

* ComicBook/CaptainAmerica is almost universally beloved in the Marvel Verse. To many, he is ''the'' superhero. This is deconstructed when [[spoiler:he is turned into a HYDRA agent by a RealityWarper. His fascist self takes advantage of his reputation to manipulate the American government into giving him power. The events of Comicbook/SecretEmpire ultimately result in HYDRA Cap tarnishing Steve Roger's reputation, meaning he no longer has a one-hundred percent adoration rating. Steve realized this when a child he tried to help in the aftermath of the event was too scared of him to take his hand. Steve is actually somewhat ''relieved'' the people no longer unconditionally trust him. He has wanted them to stop blindly trusting authority figures and heroes all along because he is all too aware that can lead to fascism.]]
** Second to Cap in popularity in the Marvel Universe is the 'The Ever-Lovin' Blue-Eyed Thing' of the ''ComicBook/FantasticFour''. Marvel Citizens love him for his unquestionable heroism and charm and every other hero in the universe, be they an Avenger, an X-Men, or else wise, will aid him if asked.

* In Franchise/TheDCU, pretty much everyone who isn't a supervillain loves the heroes of their city, and some of the villains respect the heroes. Neither storyline elements nor executive mandates can ever truly change this in the long run.
** Metropolis loves Franchise/{{Superman}}, and [[AllLovingHero he loves them right back]]. If anyone is in trouble anywhere, they can have confidence that Superman will save them, because you can bet he will. He's not the BigGood of The DCU for no reason. There are criminals who'll willingly give themselves up to Superman without a run or a fight and appreciate the lack of punching to the face. This extends to even the darkest periods of DC history: when ''ComicBook/DoomsdayClock'' creates an explosion of anti-superhero paranoia worldwide, Superman is named as the sole exception, being the hero welcomed by every country.
** Franchise/{{Batman}} has the ordinary citizens of Gotham City rallying to his cause, causing crime to continuously drop, even when he's not there. Supervillains like ComicBook/TheJoker have exploited this before, but that doesn't stop it from happening. Though compared to the rest of the DC universe he is much more willing, often, and sometimes seeking out, and being a HeroWithBadPublicity.
** Franchise/TheFlash, arguably, has it the best of all of them, though. Wally West was seen as a working man's hero, not as high above everyone as Superman, not as dark and brooding as Batman. The public identity helped. Heck, ''all'' the Flashes were loved, as Central City built a Flash Museum! Even funnier? Even most of the RoguesGallery that The Flash family do battle with at least ''respect'' the Flashes, sometimes to the point of FriendlyEnemy.
** Franchise/GreenLantern Hal Jordan can request people to leave his city: they'll just rally the city in a green display in support of him amidst a Sinestro Corps invasion.

** Aquaman's status as this has waned over the years, but hit its peak in ''ComicBook/Aquaman1991'', where he's near-universally loved by the people of Poseidonis, who are overjoyed to see him even when his presence leads to danger. Arthur himself feels uncomfortable with the hero worship, as he feels unworthy of their love and worn out from giving so much.
%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * Charma, a DC character, sorta fits both this trope (if you are male) and its [[ZeroPercentApprovalRating opposite]] (if you are a female).
* In the ComicBook/DisneyDucksComicUniverse Reginella, queen of the planet Pacificus, is literally adored by her subjects, even the three villainous ones (one of which [[GreenEyedMonster was simply jealous of Donald]]). This actually backfires, as when [[spoiler:the First Councillor Orbiton and the Second Cerusic decide to stage a coup]] nobody saw it coming.
* ''ComicBook/TheSandman1989'': In "The Golden Boy", America quickly grows to adore its 20-something president Prez Rickard because of all his accomplishments. As he nears the end of his second term there are efforts to give him a third one (or keep ruling in perpetuity), and the next election's voter turnout tanks because people don't want to vote for someone who isn't Prez. After Prez retires and rejects all attempts to return to the spotlight, there is a general melancholic sense that America's golden age has passed.
* ComicBook/UltimateMarvel:

* In ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'' and subsequently ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'', there was a prince who was adored by his subjects. He enjoyed talking and hanging out with the common populace and when he was serving in the army he always got to know his companions and knew to take care of them. [[FaceHeelTurn His name was Arthas.]] This gets to the point that most of the army that followed him to Lordearon were volunteers.

* In ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'', Princess Bubblegum was unquestionably adored by all of her subjects for quite a long time, possibly because she had personally created every Candy Kingdom citizen. No matter what choice she made, all of the Candy People praised and loved her. However, as the series progressed, [[spoiler:she began growing more totalitarian and controlling, a result of her near-death from the Lich. Even then, it was all done to protect her subjects from the dangers of Ooo. Unfortunately, this (along with the Candy People's idiocy) was what led to them electing the so-called King of Ooo to rule over them. However, the Candy people soon suffer the consequences of electing a lying incompetent buffoon into power, and eventually he's run out. Furthermore, prior episodes have PB ease up on her ControlFreak tendencies. She ends up back in the monarchy.]]

** Princess Celestia gets so much respect that the moment she shows up, even [[{{Pride}} Rainbow Dash]] and [[GenkiGirl Pinkie Pie]] genuflected in silent reverence -- while [[MagicKnight Twilight Sparkle]], the only one who had personal familiarity with her, went for a hug. Might have something to do with her being a {{physical god}}dess. Later episodes though show that many of her subjects are a little intimidated by her, and frequently fuss about making a good impression (always needlessly) and that Twilight has neuroses about never letting her down EVER. Celestia herself is always a bit perturbed by this, preferring to know her subjects more personally.
** Surprisingly enough, the comics show that Queen Chrysalis is quite popular with the changelings. [[spoiler:She ends up [[ZeroPercentApprovalRating becoming hated]] by the changelings in the Season 6 finale when her true intentions have been revealed and she had been deliberately starving them just to gain more power.]]
** Princess Luna initially feared that she had a ZeroPercentApprovalRating, causing her to turn into Nightmare Moon and attempt to invoke TheNightThatNeverEnds before she was stopped. After changing back, she seems to have gotten back in everypony's good graces, [[FriendToAllChildren especially with kids]]. [[DreamWalker Protecting them from having nightmares]] may have something to do with that.
** With some notable exceptions, now-Princess Twilight is incredibly beloved by the general population. One episode even stated that opinion polls listed her as Equestria's favorite princess. Like Celestia before her, Twilight is a little put out by this, since she'd rather deal with people on a personal level.

* Alexander the Great in ''Literature/FateZero''. He's ''not'' a moral character by modern standards, but his subjects sure love him and would fight by his side, [[CavalryOfTheDead even beyond death]].
** Not just his subjects: the one named member of his army is [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mithrenes Mithrenes]], a ''former enemy''[[note]]As the son of the satrap of Armenia, Mithrenes was a Persian subject and the commander of Sardis' garrison. After Alexander won the Battle of the Granicus against the armies of the local satraps, Mithrenes surrendered the city, and by the time of the decisive Battle of Gaugamela was a full member of Alexander's army, fighting against his own father.[[/note]], and his Master in the Grail War, Waver Velvet, ends up declaring himself his retainer, and [[spoiler:it's implied ''he'' is in Alexander's army of the dead as well (one of the depicted soldiers looks suspiciously similar to Waver's 10-years-older self, with his clothes also suspiciously resembling a modern-day business suit). Given that the Throne of Heroes (and thus Alexander's Noble Phantasm) explicitly exists outside of time, allowing heroes to be summoned from the future as well as the past, this is an entirely plausible outcome]].

* Like the ''Literature/SwordOfTruth'' example above, Richard in ''Series/LegendOfTheSeeker'' gains such approval in an AlternateTimeline caused by Cara never becoming a Mord'Sith and stopping him from using the Boxes of Orden. His closest advisor is [[BigBad Darken Rahl]], his older brother (father in novels) and enemy. Of course, the [[TheDevil Keeper]] has to go and break the boxes, returning control of D'Hara to Rahl.

** Then right next to Best Jeanist is Hawks, and it isn't hard to see how people adore him for his easygoing nature and charismatic attitude. He is most likely to get [[JustForPun crowded]] on the street and spend the time taking selfies and giving out autographs.

** Not just his subjects: the one named member of his army is [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mithrenes Mithrenes]], a ''former enemy''[[note]]As the son of the satrap of Armenia, Mithrenes was a Persian subject and the commander of Sardis' garrison. After Alexander won the Battle of the Granicus against the armies of the local satraps, Mithrenes surrendered the city, and by the time of the decisive Battle of Gaugamela was a full member of Alexander's army, fighting against his own father.[[/note]], and his Master in the Grail War, Waver Velvet, ends up declaring himself his retainer, and [[spoiler:it's implied ''he'' is in Alexander's army of the dead as well (one of the depicted soldiers looks suspiciously similar to Waver's 10-years-older self, with his clothes also suspiciously resembling a modern-day business suit)]].

* In ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'', Fuhrer King Bradley may be a military dictator, but it's clear throughout the series that his people hold him in very high regard. Late in the manga, when it is announced that he has possibly been killed in action, the populace's response isn't "Hooray, the dictator's dead!" but "OhCrap! What'll we do!? How can we continue?" At the very end: [[spoiler:the heroes realize that exposing Bradley's crimes against Amestris and his leading role in a GovernmentConspiracy would just lead to massive unrest, so they claim that he was an innocent victim, and died a heroic death fighting against the conspirators.]]

** All Might is beloved by everyone as he is the Symbol of Peace. He, of course, is a very upstanding person himself who very often inspires everyone around him to do better. [[spoiler:So when he is forced to retire after his battle with All for One, the public is understandably devastated and can't for the life of them like ''Endeavor'' to be a fitting replacement, since he is the whole opposite of All Might's public image. He is trying to make amends for his horrible reputation, though.]]

* Optimus Prime is this beloved by the Autobots in most versions of ''{{Transformers}}'' where he is the leader of all Autobots (as opposed to just the main team, like in Beast Wars and Animated.) Notable exceptions include the comic version of G1 Grimlock, who feels Prime isn't strong enough (read: isn't a BloodKnight like Grimmy and believes smashing stuff doesn't solve everything.) and many {{Redshirt}} Autobots in ''Armada'' (a moment of realism about it being war: instead of just going along with the new situation, it was "you mean we suffered heavy losses to the 'cons taking this territory, and now we're gonna ''walk away from it and work with the 'cons'' to fight some fairy tale bogeyman called '[[GodOfEvil Unicron]]'?")

* Both Atem and his father seem to have this in ''Manga/YuGiOh'' -- the former for defeating Zorc, being the 'chosen Pharaoh' and continuing his father's dream of peace, and the latter for carrying what seemed to be a long, stable reign. Any flashbacks with Atem's father show crowds greeting him with cheering. The manga doesn't show Atem himself addressing great crowds, but the mook guards and his court are all fiercely loyal to him, and the same contingent of guards all cheer when hearing the Pharaoh survived a battle with Bakura, and again when he initially defeats Bakura's Diabound. It's assumed this passes on to Seto when he inherits the throne.

** Metropolis loves Franchise/{{Superman}}, and [[AllLovingHero he loves them right back]]. If anyone is in trouble anywhere, they can have confidence that Superman will save them, because you can bet he will. He's not the BigGood of The DCU for no reason. There are criminals who'll willingly give themselves up to Superman without a run or a fight, and appreciate the lack of punching to the face. This extends to even the darkest periods of DC history: when ''ComicBook/DoomsdayClock'' creates an explosion of anti-superhero paranoia worldwide, Superman is named as the sole exception, being the hero welcomed by every country.

* ''Fanfic/TheKarmaOfLies'' has this as part of Marinette's KarmicJackpot: after Hawkmoth is unmasked and defeated, Ladybug becomes a beloved figure in Paris... [[spoiler:and since Marinette, Kagami, and Luka were also unmasked during the final battle, that also applies to their civilian identities]].

* In ''Fanfic/{{Revelations}}'', Túrante enjoys this. She is Queen to about 300 blood elves. In chapter 18/19, when Túrante returns to her city, every blood elf, without exception, volunteers to follow Túrante to war. In chapter 21/22, when Túrante needs volunteers for a dangerous mission, the whole crowd offer themselves.

** It's most pronounced at the beginning of ''WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}}''. When the pregnant Queen is sick and dying, her husband, the guards, and damn near ''the entire civilian population'' set out to the mainland to search for the magic flower that can save her. Subsequently, their daughter, Rapunzel, is equally beloved and revered by everyone she meets, [[spoiler:and she's just as popular as her parents when she is finally freed from Mother Gothel, who had been keeping her captive in a tower away from everyone else since infancy, and reclaims her birthright]].

* Eddis Helen in ''Literature/TheQueensThief'' is adored by her populace. Even her barons--the class that causes no end of trouble in neighboring Attolia and Sounis--would walk over hot coals for her. Anything she asked her people to do, they would do without fear because they love her. Unforutnately, this means that when Eddis has to do anything genuinely unpopular, the Eddisians find a scapegoat to be angry at because they refuse to be angry at her. Usually, that's the protagonist Eugenides.

** The Starks have this; the people of the North are very loyal to them, and declare war on the Lannisters for Ned's death. After [[spoiler:Robb is killed in the Red Wedding by the Freys and Boltons]], several Northern houses are planning to turn against them both by siding with Stannis, and place a Stark -- any Stark left -- as liege lord again. Even the mountain clans side with Stannis to avenge the Starks.

** The Starks are highly popular with their vassals and smallfolk, especially Ned Stark, whose name even compels respect from the likes of Robett Glover, embittered by Robb Stark's ShockingDefeatLegacy. This is almost certainly why Stannis tries to win Ned Stark’s bastard son Jon Snow to his campaign to win the North. In exchange for Jon leaving the Night's Watch and bending the knee to him, Stannis makes Jon an offer of legitimization and lordship of Winterfell, but Jon declines out of his Stark sense of duty.

* ''VideoGame/Disgaea6DefianceOfDestiny'' has zombie girl Bieko. ''Anyone'' who hears about her is completely smitten and will die on a hill for her, especially Ivar, who creeps Zed out for his infatuation for his little sister.

** In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'', it's not possible for the Inquisition to reach this trope (although they come darn close) simply because they have so much power that they're somewhat terrifying. The Inquisitor him/herself, however, is this for the members of the Inquisition, who are incredibly loyal and are willing to march to their own deaths to support their leader. It takes a bit of hard work to achieve this with all of the companions, many of whom have very opposing viewpoints, but it can be done.

** This is also invoked for the fallen child player character to complete the [[PacifistRun True Pacifist Route]] by befriending everyone beyond just sparing them [[spoiler:Like going on a date with Papyrus, Befriending undyne and helping Alphys and Undyne [[MatchMakerQuest get together with each other romantically]].]]

--> '''Darkseid''': I am many things, Kal-El, but here, '''''I am God.'''''

** Baelor Targaryen is the most beloved king in the history of the Seven Kingdoms. His barefoot walk to Dorne, advocating for peace after the war waged during his brother's reign, is legendary. That said, [[AllWomenAreLustful the things he did to his sisters]] reek of misogyny to modern readers and his religious fanaticism led to some ''very'' questionable choices late in his reign, but since [[DeliberateValuesDissonance such views are commonplace in the setting]] and his heavy religion aligns with King's Landing's culture, people are quick to overlook them.

** Baelor Targaryen is the most beloved king in the history of the Seven Kingdoms. His barefoot walk to Dorne, advocating for peace after the war waged during his brother's reign, is legendary. That said, [[AllWomenAreLustful the things he did to his sisters]] reek of misogyny to modern readers, but since [[DeliberateValuesDissonance such views are commonplace in the setting]], people are quick to overlook them.

** King Jaehaerys I Targaryen in the past was so loved that even Dorne, an independent principality at that time, mourned him.
** Baelor Targaryen is the most beloved king in the history of the Seven Kingdoms. His barefoot walk to Dorne, advocating for peace after the war waged during his brother's reign, is legendary. That said, [[AllWomenAreLustful the things he did to his sisters]] reek of misogyny to modern readers, but since [[DeliberateValuesDissonance such views are commonplace in the setting]], people are quick to overlook them.

!This trope is [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=16726754760.82336900 under discussion]] in the Administrivia/TropeRepairShop.

* Alexander the Great in ''LightNovel/FateZero''. Mind you, he's ''not'' a moral character by modern standards, but his subjects sure love him and would fight by his side, [[CavalryOfTheDead even beyond death]].

* In ''LightNovel/KyoKaraMaoh'', to know [[AllLovingHero Yuuri is to love Yuuri]]. And once he starts [[RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething getting out there and doing things]], having met him is no longer a prerequisite. Thousands of years of racism can be eroded by his smile.

* In ''LightNovel/ThatTimeIGotReincarnatedAsASlime'', Rimuru Tempest is so well-loved by the people of the Kingdom of Tempest for his NiceGuy attitude and his acts of kindness towards them that ''everyone'', from the lowest citizen to his highest-rank officer, would happily gush about him if you asked them to. Many of them are so grateful to him that they perceive any mocking or disrespect towards him as an affront to themselves.

* ''Fanfic/AYoungWomansPoliticalRecord'' sees [[LightNovel/SagaOfTanyaTheEvil Tanya von Degurechaff]] rise to the position of Germania's Chancellor. Initially, she followed similar guidelines to those used in Nazi Germany; however, instead of railing against a subset of the population, she directs the people's wrath at the ruinous Treaty of Triano, their belligerent neighbors the Francois, and the Communist threat presented by the Russy Union. Her career shoots up when she succeeds in having Triano tossed out and implements economic restructuring that completely saves Germania from the Great Depression; many other measures such as government investing in a brutally popular and affordable car (the equivalent to the Volkswagen Beetle), and dramatically improving the people's day to day lives and Germania's international standing give her party an astounding round-the-clock 70% approval rating, giving her nigh-complete political dominance and a virtual supermajority in every vote.

* ''Fanfic/TheRavensPlan'':
** Shireen Baratheon was already loved due to her battle with greyscale, but once word of what Stannis did to her starts to spread, she becomes even more universally loved. Even Qyburn of all people respects her enough to treat her greyscale scars.
** As a minor example, all of the Tully bannermen show that they feel sorry for Fat Walda, despite her being a Frey, due to her likely Remembering what happened to her in the last timeline. Any time she is mentioned, it's met with sympathy and concern for her well-being.