History PetTheDog / AnimeAndManga

** [[spoiler: The flashbacks in the final arc confirm that Ryuuken really is a very gentle person who's cultivating a JerkassFacade for a mysterious reason. They also contain another instance of PetTheDog in Ryuuken's interactions with Masaki, where he tries very hard to do right by her even though he's no more thrilled than she is about their ArrangedMarriage. The way he behaves towards Masaki lets the audience know not to take his talk about blood purity and only being interested in the fate of the Quincy Clan too seriously, something that's further confirmed when he ends up marrying a mixed-blood.]]

*** [[spoiler:In reality it was that Maria was the one who Yasu began to discuss the concepts of magic with and Maria believed in and played along with Yasu's power fantasy concerning Beatrice. It probably also helps that Yasu could sympathise with Maria due to Yasu's past.]]

** Beatrice, the antagonist [[spoiler: for much of the series]], is demonstrated to have a rather large soft spot for [[CreepyChild Maria]], treating her better ''than she treats anyone else'' in the series, taking her on [[spoiler: as an apprentice witch, and choosing her as her sole companion during her self-imposed exile.]] (It probably doesn't hurt that Maria has an obsession with occultism and [[HeroWorshipper hero-worships]] Beato.) Well, given to the fact that [[AbusiveParents Rosa]] [[FridgeBrilliance accidentally freed Beatrice from her human imprisonment, she was grateful to her about that, and it was kind of coincidental that Rosa (when she was a little girl) would later have a daughter.]]
*** [[spoiler: The fridge brilliance above is incorrect since that was Yasu/Beatrice III's mother. In reality it was that Maria was the one who Yasu began to discuss the concepts of magic with and Maria believed in and played along with Yasu's power fantasy concerning Beatrice. It probably also helps that Yasu could sympathise with Maria due to Yasu's past]].

** Beatrice, the antagonist [[spoiler: for much of the series]], is demonstrated to have a rather large soft spot for [[CreepyChild Maria]], treating her better ''than she treats anyone else'' in the series, taking her on [[spoiler: as an apprentice witch, and choosing her as her sole companion during her self-imposed exile.]] (It probably doesn't hurt that Maria has an obsession with occultism and hero-worships Beato.) Well, given to the fact that [[AbusiveParents Rosa]] [[FridgeBrilliance accidentally freed Beatrice from her human imprisonment, she was grateful to her about that, and it was kind of coincidental that Rosa (when she was a little girl) would later have a daughter.]]

** [[spoiler: The flashbacks in the final arc confirm that Ryuuken really is a very gentle person who's cultivating a JerkassFacade for a mysterious reason. They also contain another instance of PetTheDog in Ryuuken's interactions with Masaki, where he tries very hard to do right by her even though he's no more thrilled than she is about their ArrangedMarriage. The way he behaves towards Masaki lets the audience know not to take his talk about blood purity and only being interested in the fate of the Quincy Clan too seriously.]]

* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'': Ryuuken Ishida is initially introduced to the readers through his son Uryuu's eyes. To Uryuu, Ryuuken appears bitter, sarcastic, unforgiving and hypercritical, although there are hints there might be something else BeneathTheMask. In the Lost Agent arc, Uryuu is taken down by the ArcVillain, requiring Ryuuken to perform life-saving surgery on him. He calls Uryuu's friends to visit, tries to advise the trio to pool their information, and is concerned about Ichigo getting home because of how late it is. He also gives Orihime as much information as he can about Uryuu's attacker and insists on driving her home because he's realised her life is in danger. Compared to how Uryuu views him, Ryuuken's behaviour towards Ichigo and Orihime is astonishingly gentle, indicating Souken Ishida was right when he once said Uryuu doesn't understand his father's heart. [[spoiler: It takes flashbacks in the final arc to reveal that Ryuuken really is a very gentle person who's cultivating a JerkassFacade for a mysterious reason.]]

* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'': Ryuuken Ishida is initially introduced to the readers through his son Uryuu's eyes. Although there are some hints that Uryuu's anger with Ryuuken is making him an UnreliableNarrator where his father is concerned and that Ryuuken may not be quite what Uryuu thinks he is, the true surprise occurs during the Lost Agent arc. When the ArcVillain takes down Uryuu, [[TheMedic Ryuuken]] has to perform life-saving surgery on him before calling Uryuu's friends to visit. Ryuuken not only tries to advise the trio to pool their information, but is concerned about Ichigo getting home because of how late it is. He also gives Orihime as much information as he can about Uryuu's attacker and insists on driving her home because he's realised her life is in danger. Compared to how Uryuu views him, Ryuuken's behaviour towards Ichigo and Orihime is surprisingly gentle and strongly indicates Souken Ishida was right when said Uryuu doesn't understand his father's heart. [[spoiler: It takes flashbacks in the final arc to reveal that Ryuuken really is a very gentle person who's cultivating a JerkassFacade for a mysterious reason.]]

* Genjou Sanzo from ''{{Saiyuki}}'' gets a ton of these. One that particularly works well is when, during "Burial" arc of ''Reload'', he comes upon a sleeping Goku, ''smiles'', and comments that Goku looks like a "daifuku." (A Japanese dessert, made of soft glutinous rice with some sweet filling within. He's saying Goku's got cute baby fat.) He then decides to let the kid sleep for a little longer.

* ''Manga/DragonBall'':
** Piccolo was pure evil. Then he gets stuck raising his archenemy's adorable little son, [[LickedByTheDog who doesn't understand why people don't think he's just awesome]]. Piccolo develops a soft spot for Gohan, performs a HeroicSacrifice on his behalf, and, despite some early denial, is an official good guy from there on out. Some fans even believe Piccolo to be a better parent than Goku or [=ChiChi=], Gohan's biological parents. Piccolo also got the chance to pet many other dogs after that, most notably Dende and the planet Namek, which he actually started caring about. The original Piccolo wouldn't have given them a second thought.
** Vegeta gets several, becoming more and more obvious, but the first that was definitely intended as such is when he gets together with Bulma; has a son, Trunks; [[PapaWolf reacts to protect his son's life]]; and is then is later motivated by the lives of his wife and son throughout the Buu Saga.

* Subverted in ''{{Parasyte}}'' when Shinichi's girlfriend starts worrying that he's slowly becoming a sociopath (a side effect of the parasite Migi partially breaking off into his bloodstream), she is adamantly relieved when she finds him comforting a dying puppy. Looks like her fears are unconfirmed after all...[[KickTheDog At least until he casually tosses its corpse into a trashcan.]]
** Doubly subverted, though, when after his girlfriend leaves Shinichi realizes how cold and inhuman he was becoming, pulls the pup dog out of the trashcan, and finds a tree to bury it under instead.

* Fakir from ''PrincessTutu'' has what you could call a "Pet the Duck" moment--when the typically cold and angry boy finds Ahiru (in her duck form) in his locker, he sneaks her under his coat, takes her outside, and then proceeds to feed her bread. He smiles at her before walking away. This happens a couple other times, until he's crying next to a lake and she swims up to him, where he actually HUGS A DUCK... which becomes priceless in another manner entirely when he [[spoiler: finds out that said duck was his classmate.]]

** Johan has [[SplitPersonality Dissociative Identity Disorder]]. One is the title character and the other is a kind soul who sincerely wants to stop the monster inside him. The problem is that the two personalities are very similar and you can never tell which is in charge. However, he has a genuine moment of PetTheDog when he buys a balloon and gives a prostitute money to get her life back in order. [[MoodWhiplash Right after his monster personality had a woman killed because she thought she could screw him over]].

** In particular, November 11, previously showcased to be a callous and cold-blooded killer, becomes infinitely more likable when his close friendship with and concern for [[CreepyChild July] are demonstrated.

** In particular, November 11, previously showcased to be a callous and cold-blooded killer, becomes infinitely more likable when his close friendship with and concern for [[July CreepyChild]] are demonstrated.

** There is far more to Donquixote Doflamingo than being an amoral Warlord of the Sea. [[spoiler:For one, he ''apologizes'' to Monet for asking her to die for him, yet she was planning to do so ''willingly''. He even apologizes to Vergo, who would have been caught in the blast, calling him his longest enduring companion, and thanking him for all his hard work.]]

* Xanxus in ''KatekyoHitmanReborn'' gets one with a touching families stick together speech in the Future Arc... Right before blasting an enemy apart.

* In ''BlackLagoon'', Revy shows off how to really work a pair of guns by using some kid's popguns to hit cans. She even [[LuminescentBlush blushes]] after she realizes Rock was watching.

** Could be {{Justified|Trope}} by the [[HumansAreBastards Diclonii being treated as and relegated to the level of animals by humans]] causing them to sympathize with ''real'' animals. Lucy's first PetTheDog moment after she escaped from the Diclonus Institute Research Facility was cutting free a dog that was tied to a gate post rather than using her usual modus operadi of decapitation.

* ''FullmetalAlchemist'':

** Roy Mustang also has a moment in the same episode. "Dog, huh? ...I ''LOVE'' dogs!" This is a subversion, as he explains that he likes dogs because you can "treat them like a jerk and they'll still love you".
** Manga Pride shows...something at least close to affection for [[spoiler:Mrs. Bradley. He tells a story at one point of Mrs. Bradley risking her life to save him from a car (not knowing that he would have been unhurt). The selflessness of the action shocked Pride, and he remarks that he'd never before known what it was like to have a mother, and called the time he'd spent with her "pleasant".]]

** [[SociopathicSoldier Solf J. Kimblee]] gets a warped one during the Ishbal flashbacks. When Major Armstrong lets a pair of Isbalans he was supposed to kill escape, Kimblee promptly blows them up--in an attempt at saving Armstrong from courtmartial.

* In ''AxisPowersHetalia'', Russia may be a PsychopathicManchild, but he does truly care about his older sister Ukaine (his scarf that he wears all the time was a gift from her). And there was that one time Lithuania [[SleepCute falls asleep]] and wakes up on a relatively sane Russia's shoulder.

** Johan has [[SplitPersonality Dissociative Identity Disorder]]. One is the [[CompleteMonster title character]] and the other is a kind soul who sincerely wants to stop the monster inside him. The problem is that the two personalities are very similar and you can never tell which is in charge. However, he has a genuine moment of PetTheDog when he buys a balloon and gives a prostitute money to get her life back in order. [[MoodWhiplash Right after his monster personality had a woman killed because she thought she could screw him over]].

** Other villains in the series get straighter PetTheDog moments. Even MadScientist Jail Scaglietti got one in ''[[AllThereInTheManual StrikerS Sound Stage X]]'' when all he requested in exchange for important information on the current incident's BigBad and MysteriousWaif was [[LibationForTheDead enough wine for one so he can properly honour the death anniversary]] of one of the [[QuirkyMinibossSquad Numbers]]. Just shows how much of a [[CompleteMonster monster]] ''and'' absolutely over-the-top case of LoveMakesYouEvil Precia is.

* In ''DarkerThanBlack'', Dolls are a frequent outlet for characters to do their dog-petting. Dolls are people who have been left shells of their former selves, and it's indicated that [[strike: Complete Monsters]] enterprising people are fond of selling them as sex slaves. Both the protagonists and their more sympathetic antagonists treat the Dolls they work with kindness, and some of those characters evidence a willingness to kill anyone who harms those Dolls.

* Yakushi Kabuto from ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'', an [[AffablyEvil affable]], [[ManipulativeBastard manipulative]], [[MagnificentBastard magnificent]] and [[CompleteMonster sadistic]] bastard, yet he has several instances of this, like healing Hinata while being disguised as an ANBU, willingly providing information about Orochimaru's lair to Naruto as well as information of Akatsuki to Konoha, and recently [[spoiler: it is hinted that he deliberately guided Konoha's intelligence team to Madara's base of operations.]] Although his true motives are still unknown.