History TokenGoodTeammate / ASongOfIceAndFire

[[folder:Main Series]]
* For the Lannister regime there are a lot of these, distracting people from the fact the Lannisters are basically the main villains of the political plot. Most prominent is Tyrion Lannister, whose status as a dwarf means he shows empathy towards those less able in society. On the other hand he's still helping out a villainous regime and shows himself to be rather sleazy. However the fact Tyrion is constantly marginalized and ill-treated by nearly everyone, even his family, leads to him becoming [[ThenLetMeBeEvil more hate-filled and villainous]], [[spoiler:eventually murdering his father and their mutual escort]].
** Jaime Lannister is trying to become this after his time with Brienne inspires him to live up to knighthood's ideals and when he is sent to the Riverlands he tries finding peaceful solutions and presenting a better image. However this is deconstructed, the locals still hate him and his family for brutally attacking them in the first place and Jaime is still acting to hand Riverrun over to the Freys after [[spoiler:the Red Wedding, even threatening to trebuchet Edmure's baby into Riverrun if he doesn't surrender his family's castle to the people who treacherously murdered his family]].
** Kevan Lannister in his POV shows a decent side, caring for his children more than his brother Tywin did to their children, and acting to put the realm back together. [[spoiler:When murdering him, Varys even tells Kevan how sorry he is to be doing this.]]

** While still TheGhost, Mace's eldest son Willas Tyrell also counts if even half the things people say about him are true. He's described as something of a GeniusCripple who enjoys stargazing and animal breeding, he nicknamed his brother Garlan as "the Gallant" to preempt more unfortunate g-words like "gross" and "greensick", and is big-hearted enough to have an OddFriendship with Oberyn Martel despite their FeudingFamilies and Oberyn personally crippling him (by accident).
* For the loathsome House Frey there are some nice Freys.
** There's Lord Walder eldest child Ser Stevron Frey, whom Lord Walder tried to make an ideal heir by hammering family values into him. Unfortunately, [[spoiler: Ser Stevron dies from a wound and]] his sons and grandsons don't share his nature.

** All of Lord Walder's children by Bethany Rosby seem nice as well, save for their own TokenEvilTeammate Benfrey Frey, who dies at the Red Wedding). The brothers Olyvar and Perwyn both serve impeccably as Robb's squire and one of Catelyn's escorts in the Reach, and Olyvar asks to stay on as Robb's squire even after Robb breaks the marriage pact with the Freys. Both were also absent and uninvolved in the Red Wedding, implicitly because they couldn't be trusted to betray the Starks. Their sister Roslin is also quite likable, and Edmure Tully still loves her even though their wedding destroyed his family, knowing her family forced her into it.
** There's also "Big" Walder Frey, another grandson of Lord Walder who shows a nicer side as one of the few people in "A Dance with Dragons" who's kind to Theon Greyjoy. Though it's heavily implied that Big Walder plans to murder his way up the line of succession [[spoiler:(and probably murdered his cousin "Little" Walder)]], some fans think that Big Walder might have murdered [[spoiler:Little Walder not only because he was ahead of him in the line of succession but because of his growing cruelty]]. It says a lot about the Freys that one of their nicer members is a probable kinslayer.
* For the cruel Boltons there is Steelshanks Walton, a captain in service to Lord Roose Bolton, who is quite affable and assessed by Jaime Lannister as essentially a PunchClockVillain who isn't above cruelty for fun or profit but also doesn't crave it like so many others. Also Lady Barbrey Dustin, who is the only one on Bolton's side to show Theon any kindness, besides the aforementioned Big Walder Frey, who abstains from being cruel to him (and that's telling a lot about usual levels of Bolton cruelty).

* For the Ironborn [[ActionGirl Asha Greyjoy]] is this, not being as brutal as the Ironborn usually are. "ADWD" sees her coming round to the Northern way of thinking, which bodes well for the future if she eventually takes control of the Iron Islands.

[[folder:Historical Examples]]

* Barba Bolton seems to have been one of the more decent members of that family. She was one of the hopefuls of the "Maiden's Day Cattle Show," in which maidens from across Westeros were presented to Aegon III in hopes of becoming the new queen. Some of the girls spoke to the king, mostly to flirt (and, hopefully, stand out from the roughly ''thousand'' other girls). Barba said, "If you send me home, Your Grace, send me home with food, for the snows are deep and your people are starving."

With its vast range of characters and moral ambiguity, ASOIAF has a lot of characters that can be considered the Token Good Teammates.

* For the cruel Boltons there is Steelshanks Walton, a captain in service to Lord Roose Bolton, who is quite affable and assessed by Jaime Lannister as essentially a PunchClockVillain who isn't above cruelty for fun or profit but also doesn't crave it like so many others.

** Even in-universe, it's readily acknowledged that Tommen is nothing like Joffrey, and his only sin is being Cersei's son and [[spoiler: the Lannister that sits on the throne.]] You won't find ''anyone'' who believes he deserves what's likely set to happen to him.

** Even in-universe, it's readily acknowledge that Tommen is nothing like Joffrey, and his only sin is being Cersei's son and [[spoiler: the Lannister that sits on the throne.]] You won't find ''anyone'' who believes he deserves what's likely set to happen to him.

* For the Lannister regime there are a lot of these, distracting people from the fact the Lannisters are basically the main villains of the political plot. Most prominent is Tyrion Lannister, whose status as a dwarf means he shows empathy towards those less able in society. On the other hand he's still helping out a villainous regime and shows himself to be rather sleazy. However the fact Tyrion is constantly marginalized and ill-treated by nearly everyone, even his family, leads to him becoming more hate-filled and villainous, [[spoiler:eventually murdering his father and their mutual escort]].

* For the Lannister regime there are a lot of these, distracting people from the fact the Lannisters are basically the main villains of the political plot. Most prominent is Tyrion Lannister, whose status as a dwarf means he shows empathy towards those less able in society. On the other hand he's still helping out a villainous regime and shows himself to be rather sleazy. However the fact Tyrion is constantly marginalized and ill-treated by nearly everyone, even his family, leads to him becoming more hate-filled and villainous, [[spoiler:eventually murdering his father and their mutual lover]].

** For Joffrey's Kingsguard is Arys Oakheart and the Hound. Arys argues against hitting Sansa, though he does eventually, but always tries to do so lightly. Sandor Clegane gives off a terrifying image but never hits Sansa, and ends up abandoning the Lannisters, showing a decent side hidden far under his furious outward manner.

[[/folder]]

** All of Lord Walder's children by Bethany Rosby seem nice as well, save for their own TokenEvilTeammate Benfrey Frey, who dies at the Red Wedding). The brothers Olyvar and Perwyn both serve impeccably as Robb's squire and one of Catelyn's escorts in the Reach, and Olyvar asks to stay on as Robb's squire even after Robb breaks the marriage pact with the Freys. Their sister Roslin is also quite likable, and Edmure Tully still loves her even though their wedding destroyed his family, knowing her family forced her into it.

** Kevan Lannister in his POV shows a decent side, caring for his children more then his brother Tywin did to their children, and acting to put the realm back together. [[spoiler:When murdering him, Varys even tells Kevan how sorry he is to be doing this.]]

** Then there are the Tyrells, who present themselves as kind and caring figures, even bringing food to end the starvation in King's Landing. However this is more a public image thing, the Tyrells being VillainsWithGoodPublicity who were responsible for the starvation in the first place.
*** Within House Tyrell is Mace Tyrell's second son Garlan Tyrell, an all-round NiceGuy who tells the unappreciated Tyrion that his achievements are still noble.
* For the loathsome House Frey there are some nice Freys. There's Walder Frey's eldest child Ser Stevron Frey, who Walder Frey tried to make an ideal heir so has hammered family values into him. [[spoiler:However Ser Stevron dies from a wound and his sons and grandsons don't share his nature]]. There's also a grandson of Walder Frey, Ser Arwood, who seems good-natured and tries to defend Ser Quincey Cox and another grandson Alesander the Singer, who was not present at the Red Wedding.
** Ser Cleos is weaselly but more a LovableCoward then utterly vile. He also tells his cousin Jaime not to insult Brienne, making him one of the few people who shows her kindness.
** The children from Walder's marriage to Bethany Rosby seem nice as well (save for their TokenEvilTeammate Benfrey Frey, who dies at the Red Wedding), Perwyn and Olyvar not being present and Olyvar wanting to stay on as Robb's squire when Robb breaks the marriage pact with the Freys. The youngest of Walder's Rosby children, Roslin Frey, is another likable person. Even though it was their wedding that destroyed his family, Edmure Tully still loves her, knowing her family forced her into it.
** There's also "Big" Walder Frey, a grandson of Walder Frey who shows a nicer side, being one of the few people in "A Dance with Dragons" that shows Theon Greyjoy kindness. Though it is heavily implied that Big Walder plans to murder his way up the line of succession [[spoiler:(and is probably responsible for the murder of another of Walder's grandsons, "Little" Walder)]], some fans think that Big Walder might have murdered [[spoiler:Little Walder not only because he was ahead of him in the line of succession but because of his growing cruelty]]. It says a lot about the Freys that one of their nicer members is a probable kinslayer.
* For the cruel Boltons there is Steelshanks Walton, a Captain in service to Lord Roose Bolton. Unlike many of the Boltons soldiers he doesn't enjoy cruelty and is quite affable.

** Her maternal uncle Rodrik Harlaw "The Reader" is this to the Ironborn, being a well-read man who knows the flaws in the Ironborn mentality. He comes across as far more intelligent then most characters, telling Asha they need to work with another of the sides in the war and make peace.

** There's also "Big" Walder Frey, a grandson of Walder Frey who shows a nicer side, being one of the few people in "A Dance with Dragons" that shows Theon Greyjoy kindness. That said, its heavily implied Big Walder plans to murder his way up the line of succession, [[spoiler:and is probably responsible for the murder of another of Walder's grandsons, "Little" Walder, even though they were both nine, as they were ahead of him in the line of succession]]. That said, Big Walder might have partially murdered [[spoiler:his cousin in reaction to their growing cruelty]], and many of the Freys ahead of him are so unlikable and factional that Big Walder still comes across as likable. Says a lot about the Freys that one of their nicer members is a kinslayer.

* For the cruel Boltons there is Steelshanks Walton. Unlike many of the Boltons soldiers he doesn't enjoy cruelty and is quite affable.

* For the loathsome House Frey there are some nice Freys. There's Walder Frey's eldest child Ser Stevron Frey, who Walder Frey tried to make an ideal heir so has hammered family values into him. [[spoiler:However Ser Stevron dies from a wound and his sons and grandsons don't share his nature]]. There's also a grandson of Walder Frey, Ser Arwood, who seems good-natured and tries to defend Ser Quincey Cox and another grandson Alesander the Singer, who was not present at the Red Wedding. The children from Walder's marriage to Bethany Rosby seem nice as well (save for their TokenEvilTeammate Benfrey Frey, who dies at the Red Wedding), Perwyn and Olyvar not being present and Olyvar wanting to stay on as Robb's squire when Robb breaks the marriage pact with the Freys. The youngest of Walder's Rosby children, Roslin Frey, is another likable person. Even though it was their wedding that destroyed his family, Edmure Tully still loves her, knowing her family forced her into it. There's also Big Walder Frey, a grandson of Walder Frey who shows a nicer side, being one of the few people in "A Dance with Dragons" that shows Theon Greyjoy kindness.