History Main / WhiteandGreyMorality

* ''LightNovel/MomoKyunSword'' features a battle between the Celestial Maidens and the Oni Clan. While the Maidens are on the side of good and their main ally Momoko is the heroine, the Oni Clan is shown to not really be evil but a clan trying to restore their former glory and their main face comes in the form of Onihime, a young oni girl who while strong a strong rival to Momoko is closer to her friend than enemy. Even the oni king is shown to be a pretty cool guy.

** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'' ultimately has this as the core of its conflict, despite setting itself up superficially as BlackAndWhiteMorality. The Kingdom of Hoshido is a prosperous {{Wutai}} nation led by a peaceful queen, while Nohr seems glory-seeking and seeking to conquer Hoshido for their own gains. But as it turns out, [[spoiler:both sides no matter what path you choose are sympathetic, with the King of Nohr being DeadAllAlong and turned into a shallow parody of his former self through DemonicPossession through the game's true villain, Anankos, who's psychotic misunderstand of humanity through his degeneration led to much of the cartoonish hamminess of Garon being ''invoked'' due to literally being possessed, and him hiring other people with the secret goal of destroying both kingdoms -- which is literally within Anankos's plans. And no matter what path you choose, even the GoldenEnding, innocent people ''WILL'' be hurt and both sides are framed as the victim in this. Both paths that aren't [[TakeAThirdOption taking the third option]] are ultimately valid too; ''Birthright'' has you side with Hoshido in an unambigously heroic path to defeat Nohr, while ''Conquest'' has to discard what seems logical to side with your family and try to save them and Nohr from the inside, and while Corrin in that route is an AntiHero, they still have very firm goals in spite of such. Either way, ''Fates'' is a game that ''seems'' black-and-white, but the game goes out of its way to subvert and ''reconstruct'' itself to making both sides sympathetic]].

* In ''LightNovel/MyNextLifeAsAVillainessAllRoutesLeadToDoom'' there are no genuinely bad people, at least among characters who actually appear. The closest thing to a 'villain' is a teenager who wants revenge on people who killed his mother, [[spoiler:but only because a ghost is telling him to do it. The ghost itself wasn't a particularly bad guy either, just some dude who was trying to save his family but was killed for knowing too much]].

--->'''Xander''': [[spoiler:[[WarIsHell War is monstrous]]. [[IDidWhatIHadToDo We are told to make war to support our country]]. But... [[NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist it’s a lie]]. [[TheManBehindTheMan Told by those who profit from bloodshed]]]].

-->'''Xander''': [[spoiler:[[WarIsHell War is monstrous]]. [[IDidWhatIHadToDo We are told to make war to support our country]]. But... [[NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist it’s a lie]]. [[TheManBehindTheMan Told by those who profit from bloodshed]]]].

** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'' ultimately has this as the core of its conflict, despite setting itself up superficially as BlackAndWhiteMorality. The Kingdom of Hoshido is a prosperous {{Wutai}} nation led by a peaceful queen, while Nohr seems glory-seeking and seeking to conquer Hoshido for their own gains. But as it turns out, [[spoiler:both sides no matter what path you choose are sympathetic, with the King of Nohr being DeadAllAlong and turned into a shallow parody of his former self through DemonicPossession through the game's true villain, Anankos, who's psychotic misunderstand of humanity through his degeneration led to much of the cartoonish hamminess of Garon being ''invoked'' due to literally being possessed, and him hiring other people with the secret goal of destroying both kingdoms -- which is literally within Anankos's plans. And no matter what path you choose, even the GoldenEnding, innocent people ''WILL'' be hurt and both sides are framed as the victim in this. Both paths that aren't [[TakeAThirdOption taking the third option]] are ultimately valid too; ''Birthright'' has you side with Hoshido in an unambigously heroic path to defeat Nohr, while ''Conquest'' has to discard what seems logical to side with your family and try to save them and Nohr from the inside, and while Corrin in that route is an AntiHero, they still have very firm goals in spite of such. Either way, ''Fates'' is a game that ''seems'' black-and-white, but the game goes out of its way to subvert and ''reconstruct'' itself to making both sides sympathetic.
-->'''Xander''': [[WarIsHell War is monstrous]]. [[IDidWhatIHadToDo We are told to make war to support our country]]. But... [[NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist it’s a lie]]. [[TheManBehindTheMan Told by those who profit from bloodshed]].

** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'' ultimately has this as the core of its conflict, despite setting itself up superficially as BlackAndWhiteMorality. The Kingdom of Hoshido is a prosperous {{Wutai}} nation led by a peaceful queen, while Nohr seems glory-seeking and seeking to conquer Hoshido for their own gains. But as it turns out, [[spoiler:both sides no matter what path you choose are sympathetic, with the King of Nohr being DeadAllAlong and turned into a shallow parody of his former self through DemonicPossession through the game's true villain, Anankos, who's psychotic misunderstand of humanity through his degeneration led to much of the cartoonish hamminess of Garon being ''invoked'' due to literally being possessed, and him hiring other people with the secret goal of destroying both kingdoms -- which is literally within Anankos's plans. And no matter what path you choose, even the GoldenEnding, innocent people ''WILL'' be hurt and both sides are framed as the victim in this. Both paths that aren't [[TakeAThirdOption taking the third option]] are ultimately valid too; ''Birthright'' has you side with Hoshido in an unambigously heroic path to defeat Nohr, while ''Conquest'' has to discard what seems logical to side with your family and try to save them and Nohr from the inside, and while Corrin in that route is an AntiHero, they still have very firm goals in spite of such. Either way, ''Fates'' is a game that ''seems'' black-and-white, but the game goes out of its way to subvert and ''reconstruct'' itself to making both sides sympathetic.
-->'''Xander''': [[WarIsHell War is monstrous]]. [[IDidWhatIHadTo We are told to make war to support our country]]. But... [[NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist it’s a lie]]. [[TheManBehindTheMan Told by those who profit from bloodshed]].

* In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn'', the back half of Part III focuses on the conflict between the Laguz Alliance (morally squeaky clean heroes seeking justified retribution against Begnion for the massacre of their people and the murder of an ambassador sent to demand an explanation) and the Kingdom of Daein (the last game's antagonists who are willing to do some pretty shady things to win a war they got dragged into by Begnion on pain of total destruction). Fortunately, Part IV sees them get to set aside their differences and team up against the true villains of the game.

** ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo'': Marlin may be an OverprotectiveDad, but he [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold means well]] for his son, the titular Nemo. Dory herself is an [[TheDitz airhead]], but she's a genuine NiceGirl who does her best despite her disability. Dr. Sherman took Nemo because he mistakenly believed he would not be able to survive on his own with a deformed fin, and Darla is a "fish-killer" because she is a child who doesn't know any better. The other antagonists of the film are simply mindless predators, too overtaken by their instincts to think rationally.

* ''Series/KamenRiderGaim'' cycles through antagonists a lot, and while there are plenty of outright evil characters there are just as many who just have differing ideals and even come to agree with the heroes under the right circumstances. Of course, since ''Gaim'' was helmed by Creator/GenUrobuchi (see ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' above), this should come as no surprise. In any event, TheHero Kouta Kazuraba is always the "White" because he's an idealist and the HopeBringer.
** Takatora Kureshima (Armored Rider Zangetsu) comes off as villainous at first (not in the least because he's the head of the MegaCorp that dominates Zawame City), but eventually it's revealed that he's doing his best to save humanity from an oncoming disaster. Unfortunately it looks like he can only save one billion people at best, so he's prepared for that outcome but is far from happy about it. When Kouta [[TakeAThirdOption discovers a potential way to save everyone]], Takatora gladly joins forces with him on the spot. Too bad he almost immediately gets backstabbed by his inner circle...
** Roshuo, leader of the Overlords, is the king of the dead civilization that was the last subject of [[AlienKudzu Helheim Forest]]'s "test". He's not villainous at all, just heartbroken over the loss of his people and especially his beloved queen, and does nothing to rein in the other Overlords who run rampant over Earth. Roshuo holds onto the [[MacGuffin Golden Fruit]] in order to bring his queen back, but when [[spoiler:DJ Sagara]] calls him out on not giving humanity a fair chance he actually listens. [[spoiler:When he dies, he's [[TogetherInDeath reunited with his wife]] and wishes for humanity to succeed where he failed.]]
** [[spoiler:Mitsuzane Kureshima starts off the series as Kouta's friend and the two are practically brothers; however, Micchy [[LoveMakesYouCrazy goes off the deep end over his crush on Mai]], and decides that he has to kill Kouta. A lot of this is the result of him being manipulated and used by more villainous characters, and even after Kouta finds out he remains convinced that Micchy is a good person deep down and can be redeemed. After Kouta [[HeroicSacrifice gives his life]] (he gets better) to save Micchy from a DeadlyUpgrade, it starts his path to redemption, which is completed in the show's final episode.]]
** Even the final conflict of the series comes down to [[spoiler:Kouta fighting his [[TheRival rival]] and on-and-off ally Kaito Kumon, Armored Rider Baron. Despite them having essentially the same goal, their methods of achieving that goal are completely incompatible: they both want to change the world for the better, but Kaito wants to tear it all down and start over while Kouta thinks the world can be changed without having to go that far.]]
* ''Series/KamenRiderGhost'' is one of the few ''Franchise/KamenRider'' to have no truly evil villains. All of the antagonists are varying degrees of WellIntentionedExtremist and the heroes are able to talk just about all of them into turning good in the end, including [[spoiler:the BigBad even after he [[KnightTemplar jumps off the deep end]]]]. The only villains who don't turn good are the [[DeusEstMachina Gammaizers]], but they're [[ZerothLawRebellion AIs gone haywire]] rather than people.

* ''Series/AvataroSentaiDonbrothers'': Compared to other seasons' BlackAndWhiteMorality, Donbrothers takes liberties with motive and character flaws. Most of the Donbrothers are [[PunchClockHero only fighting because they've been forced to]] and as a result can barely work together, though they are still good people deep down that eventually adjust to both their mission and each other. The Noto meanwhile aren't evil-doers but pragmatic vigilantes that have [[WellIntentionedExtremist neither sinister intent]] or [[TheUnfettered morality dial]], protecting Humans to preserve them as a resource rather than caring about well-being; their willingness to kill Hitotsu-Ki rather than save them being [[HeadbuttingHeroes the main reason the Donbrothers oppose them too]].

* ''Series/EngineSentaiGoOnger'' has the Gaiark, who, while they are the antagonists and at first may resemble your typical evil empire or something of the sort, are actually intent on polluting the earth to create a place for their world's inhabitants to live, away from the dictator Yogoshimacritein. In the end, the two remaining ministers [[spoiler:sacrifice themselves to save the other Go-Ongers and stop Yogoshimacritein]]. So while it was a horrible way of doing things, they had their mechanical hearts in the right place.

* ''VideoGame/HeroCore'': The game initially starts off as BlackAndWhiteMorality, with [[CaptainSpaceDefenderOfEarth Flip Hero]] [[SavingTheWorld protecting planet Earth]] from [[BigBad Cruiser Tetron]] and his forces, but collecting all ten core computers throughout Tetron's base reveals [[GrayingMorality a somber example]] of this trope: [[spoiler:Tetron and Flip Hero are weapons built for a [[GreatOffScreenWar war that ended long ago]], but unlike Flip Hero, who [[GrewBeyondTheirProgramming outgrew his programming]] and [[HeelFaceTurn fights to protect Earth and its inhabitants]], Tetron tries to destroy Earth because he is trapped by his programming and [[AIIsACrapshoot thinks the war still exists]]. After the final battle, Flip Hero frees Tetron and his army from their endless conflict by mutual death out of [[MercyKill mercy]]. Even The [[BonusBoss Living Warmachine]] from [[HarderThanHard Annihilation Mode]] is [[SympathyForTheDevil treated with sympathy]] by TheHero for a similar reason: a destructive yet tragic weapon that needs to be put to rest.]]

* ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreed'':

* ''ComicBook/AstroCity,'' as a whole, runs on this as part of its optimistic {{Reconstruction}} of UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks. While there are villains and monsters and evildoers, their motives are frequently due to their own [[WellIntentionedExtremist good intentions,]] and they are ultimately defeated by the optimistic heroes regardless. Many a villain has pulled a HeelFaceTurn after realizing how pointless and self-destructive their current paths are.

* ''Manga/HybridXHeartMagiasAcademyAtaraxia'' is a pretty surprising and unexpected example of this trope. [[AllLovingHero Captain Kizuna Hida]] discovers the conflict's nature after realizing that his opponents weren't as bad as he thought. [[spoiler:The conflict between Earth/Lemuria and the AU/Batlantis Empire is this. The people from Batlantis invaded because Genesis, the pillar that supports the heaven and earth in their world, is crumbling down and they need to steal lots of magic power to stop this and prevent the end of the world. Unfortunately, with few exceptions, they don't really care what happens to the world they are invading or the people that live in it. On the other hand the people from "Lemuria" just want to defend their world and rescue those that were left behind when they were invaded. At first they aren't even aware that they are fighting against other humans.]]

* ''LightNovel/HybridXHeartMagiasAcademyAtaraxia'' is a pretty surprising and unexpected example of this trope. [[AllLovingHero Captain Kizuna Hida]] discovers the conflict's nature after realizing that his opponents weren't as bad as he thought. [[spoiler:The conflict between Earth/Lemuria and the AU/Batlantis Empire is this. The people from Batlantis invaded because Genesis, the pillar that supports the heaven and earth in their world, is crumbling down and they need to steal lots of magic power to stop this and prevent the end of the world. Unfortunately, with few exceptions, they don't really care what happens to the world they are invading or the people that live in it. On the other hand the people from "Lemuria" just want to defend their world and rescue those that were left behind when they were invaded. At first they aren't even aware that they are fighting against other humans.]]

** The ''Next Generation''-era Ferengi were universally motivated by greed, embodying the worst of crony-capitalism on a show that tended to favor socialist utopias. ''Deep Space Nine'', despite being overall darker, pulled the Ferengi into the gray range, even introducing a number of social reforms during their run and having the Alpha Quadrant be saved by a Ferengi.

** There are many {{Designated Villain}}s who are unilaterally revealed to be GoodAllAlong or at worst a neutral entity by the time the game ends -- in most cases, your character [[DidWeJustHaveTeaWithCthulhu has a tea party]] with the FinalBoss following their defeat. BadPowersBadPeople is averted. The only things in the series that could be considered evil at all are the Saigyou Ayakashi, more popularly known as the Cherry Tree of Doom, from Perfect Cherry Blossom (it hypnotizes people into languishing to death under its leaves, and then eats their souls), and the final boss of ''Subterranean Animism'', who flat-out threatens to [[ILoveNuclearPower nuke]] all of [[FantasyKitchenSink Gensokyo]] and even then the latter turns out to be under the influence of a temporary but bad case of [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity power induced crazy]] on top of being much, ''much'' more [[TheDitz stupid]] than evil.

* {{Played with}} in the novel ''Literature/MiracleMonday'', where {{Superman}} faced TheDevil's agent on Earth. While the demon ''was'' truly evil (we get to read his thoughts to confirm it) Superman himself holds this belief, and it's ''because'' of it that he ultimately wins.

* Despite having a dark entity known as Sulphur, ''VideoGame/PhantomBrave'' certainly fit into this. Most characters, at worst, act like {{Jerkass}}es who [[UngratefulBastard cheat off]] [[NiceGirl Marona]] [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer and treat her as trash]]. Some of who have selfish motivations does have a particular reason for being so. For example, Walnut, a KillSteal bounty hunter, have a mindset of caring about money [[spoiler:because he is trying to fund medicine for his [[IllGirl sick little sister]]]]. And some who fell into the path of darkness is mostly due to [[TragicHero tragic circumstances]], such as [[DarkIsNotEvil Sprout]], who lost his family to Sulphur. Regardless, everyone is EasilyForgiven by Marona and those who were treating her like trash [[spoiler:came to realize she's the only hope of defeating Sulphur and realize her [[AllLovingHero kindhearted nature]], started treating her an actual human being, and rally to aid her]]. In the end, Marona's "treat everyone with kindness" favors her.

* ''WesternAnimation/SupermanVsTheElite'': Superman is definitely a good guy, but the Elite, rather than bad guys, are at worst anti-heroes; they do display actually heroic intentions, and hurting Black's team-mates typically is his BerserkButton. In addition, while the film does end on the side of Superman, his black and white views of the world are heavily questioned not just by the Elite, but Lois and the ordinary citizens who suffer every time a villain Superman has spared [[JokerImmunity escapes and kills more people]]. Neither solution is perfect, but White is considered the better choice in the end.