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1[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/i_solemnly_swear_that_i_wont_eat_no_more_ice_cream_whats_made_with_sugar_nor_no_more_candy_whats_made_with_sugar_ho___nara___512512.jpg]]
2 [[caption-width-right:350:Doing the right thing is hard because you give up so much...]]
3->''"It's easy to feel like a hero. It's a little harder to be one."''
4-->-- '''[[Creator/PennAndTeller Penn Jillette]]''', ''Series/PennAndTellerBullshit''
5
6If being good were as easy as most cartoons make it out to be, everyone would be a saint. [[HardTruthAesop The difficult truth is]], sometimes [[TitleDrop Being Good Sucks]].
7
8Doing the right thing doesn't always [[GoodFeelsGood feel good]], is hard to pull off, can be painful, sometimes even harmful, to yourself and others. Being good requires a HeroicSacrifice, [[IGaveMyWord keeping your word]], and thinking of others before yourself. It means swallowing your {{pride}}, [[WhatTheHellHero owning up to]] and apologizing for your mistakes. It means doing the above without expecting a reward (even a spoken [[ThinkNothingOfIt thank you]]), [[KeepTheReward refusing one if offered]]--and most ego-crushing--[[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished accepting the punishment for being good]].
9
10The variations are endless, but below is a condensed catalog:
11* Sacrificing your own happiness: It can be any type of happiness, be it [[ItsNotYouItsMyEnemies denying romance to protect]] the {{Love Interest|s}}, or where their quest ToBeAMaster is leveraged against a friend's life when the FriendOrIdolDecision comes along.
12* Giving up your ambitions: Usually these are selfish or dark ambitions, and denying them ''helps'' the character in the long run. When a character wants {{Revenge}} for the murder of a [[FriendlyTarget loved one]] in a world where IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim, their giving up murder (though not necessarily forgiving the villain) will cost them dearly but ultimately be the right thing. However, this can extend to less dark goals, when AmbitionIsEvil. If the story deems the character's dream as "selfish" or bad, they have no choice but to give up.
13* Good behavior. Obvious as it is, being good requires ''acting'' good. This means sharing, [[{{Forgiveness}} forgiving others]], not killing people, and generally acting contrary to one's impulses to be a JerkAss to those disliked. No matter how much they may wish or be tempted to do otherwise.
14* Humility and honesty. Honesty is a big source of Suck when being good. It means that any wrongdoing on your part (or your friends') must be revealed. Worse, it means denying ProtagonistCenteredMorality and obeying the law. The character may find that to do what is right means going against stupid laws, becoming a wanted man, separated from loved ones, with their "reputation" ruined.
15* Guilt over bad deeds - and [[SamaritanSyndrome not doing enough good]] and [[RestrictedRescueOperation limits on what you can do]].
16* Doing the right thing [[GoodIsNotNice doesn't always mean it's the nice thing.]] Often in dilemmas where a normally nice character has to choose to either [[ToBeLawfulOrGood uphold a moral standard or being kind to others]]. Whether it's [[CruelToBeKind doing nasty deeds to save someone's life]], [[BrutalHonesty telling an uncomfortable truth]], or [[GentleTouchVsFirmHand guiding someone harshly in order for them to learn]], the character will have to go against their kind nature and [[ShootTheDog do what they have to do]] for the sake of doing what's right. [[WasTooHardOnHim The character will not enjoy this at all]]. This may cause other characters to [[HeroWithBadPublicity hate and resent the hero for making tough decisions that he is morally obligated to do.]]
17* [[HeelFaceTurn Redemption]]: A character realizing that BeingEvilSucks will turn to the side of good, only to find out that it comes at a price since RedemptionEqualsAffliction. This means the character has to put aside their ego and acknowledge that they are in the wrong, accept their karmic punishment, and [[MustMakeAmends work hard to regain the trust and respect from others]], even if people [[ReformedButRejected aren't willing to forgive]] or [[ForgivenButNotForgotten at least forget]] what they've done.
18* Giving up on a {{Love Interest|s}}, [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy so that they can be truly happy with someone else]], or somewhere else, or doing something else. You may end up with [[PairTheSpares someone else]]...or you may end up a CelibateHero or dead.
19* Giving up some comfort because someone else has a GreaterNeedThanMine.
20* [[SaveTheJerk Saving people, even if they don't deserve it.]] Whether the person in need of saving is TheBully, AlphaBitch, [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer a group of characters who hate and mistreat the hero]], or even [[SaveTheVillain the villain who has committed many atrocities]], the hero must suck it up and lend a hand to his enemies and rivals, and [[RefuseToRescueTheDisliked refusing to save them and let them suffer their fate]] is a huge no-no. It doesn't matter if {{Jerkass}}es [[UngratefulBastard continue to show him zero respect after being saved]], and it doesn't matter if villains continue to bring evil and suffering upon the world, the hero must keep on saving them whether they like it or not.
21* [[HeroicSacrifice Dying for a loved one, or a cause]].
22* Achieving a goal by doing things the honorable way. By honorable, we mean that the character must do things the hard way because [[EvilIsEasy doing things the easy way often involve doing wrong to others.]] The hero must work at the crack of dawn, avoid taking shortcuts, [[AmbitionIsEvil avoid the temptation of doing things that would jeopardize their morals and alienate others around them]], and [[ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules declining any offer of success given to them all in the name of hard work.]]
23* Enduring hardships. The hero must go through hardships, suffering, and adversity with no complaints because MiseryBuildsCharacter. If the hero had it easy in life, they would never learn to grow as a character and, at worst, they will most likely end up being corrupt because PrivilegeMakesYouEvil. When things get tough, giving up is out of the question for the hero and they have no choice but to tough it out or else they will be branded as a DirtyCoward for giving up (or even [[DrivenToSuicide giving up on life]] if SuicideIsShameful is a strong belief held by society).
24* Doing good for the sake of doing good. The hero must not do good for self-serving reasons like [[WantsAPrizeForBasicDecency wanting a reward]], avoiding a punishment, [[OnlyInItForTheMoney seeking a payment]], boosting their reputation, or even for the thrill of an adventure. They must only do good because it's the right thing to do, even if they won't get the reward or recognition they desire.
25* Being responsible for someone else's well-being. The hero may try to help people but do so much that it harms the other person instead, all because the hero believed they were doing the right thing and were trying to help. As harsh as it is, the hero must learn that they aren't responsible for someone else's happiness and they can't fix everything.
26* Expectation. The hero has a reputation for being altruistic and forgiving, to the point where other characters just expect them to make sacrifices or be the bigger person by default when arguments start. Even when the hero has a good reason to be angry and to hate their abuser. The hero wants their anger to be validated and they just want to put their own needs first.
27
28At times, it can lock characters into StatusQuoIsGod, where success requires an evil action, making winning and staying good impossible.
29
30On the other side of the fence, this crops up when EvilFeelsGood. Often applies to a HeelFaceTurn character or a hero who laments that they have to save somebody they hate from a burning building, or they don't get to kill their most hated enemy because that's the "heroic" decision.
31
32In a CrapsackWorld, this trope applies to a great degree but being ''anything'' in such a world generally sucks.
33
34[[OppositeTropes Contrast]] GoodFeelsGood and BeingEvilSucks.
35Also, see DownerEnding, or, if you're lucky, EarnYourHappyEnding. Compare NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished, where the good action (rather than the process of being good) is what gets the characters in trouble. May result in someone expressing SympathyForTheHero. Contrast KarmaHoudiniWarranty, where trying to turn over a new leaf can bring down heaven's wrath. This is one way people become an IronWoobie or a KnightInSourArmor, depending on whether the suffering is taken with quiet dignity or grumpy complaining. This belief is the original mentality of a MoralPragmatist before a HeelFaceTurn or someone tries to CutLexLuthorACheck, but they may wind up here again if they're proven right. A common justification for believing this is VirtueIsWeakness. See also ItSucksToBeTheChosenOne for when someone has to do this BecauseDestinySaysSo.
36
37There are many instances in real life in which being 'good' doesn't suck that much. Scientifically, deeds perceived as good - whether or not they are good - entail social recognition and approval, and bad deeds entail reprisal. Most villains or villainous groups might also view their actions as 'good' in some sense, however, and therefore it might be unclear that this counts as 'good' in the same sense as a story with an author-determined moral compass. Justice is one of the fundamental evolutionary imperatives that allows human society to function coherently; we may not all be saints, but we're not all lawless murderers. Unless you're a VillainWithGoodPublicity It's usually more profitable to abide by society's rules, and even in that case, you could be best off being AffablyEvil. However, the more you could influence perception in such a context, the less it would matter here whether or not you were evil. Of course, multiple societies might have different and often conflicting moral codes, even within their own confines; further, if people like Karl Marx (himself a 'villain' to some, but not all) are to be believed, the conflict within societies can sometimes be such as to give rise to fundamentally opposed forces and force recourse to struggle. Further, moral codes change over time, and this occasionally leads to conflicts between earlier morality and new trends. As a result, a simplistic application of the story-telling categories of 'villains' and 'heroes' from fiction to real-life might be worth avoiding, when it comes to this trope.
38
39----
40!!Example Subpages:
41[[index]]
42* BeingGoodSucks/LiveActionTV
43[[/index]]
44
45!!Other Examples:
46
47[[foldercontrol]]
48
49[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
50* Simon from ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann''. He saves the entire universe and yet can't use the power at his disposal to save the woman he loves from fading away due to the possibility of initiating a universe-wide catastrophe. There's a reason why the series' end is as hotly contested as it is.
51* ''Literature/{{Anpanman}}''. Sometimes feeding the hungry means getting your head chewed apart on a daily basis.
52* ''Manga/FushigiYuugi''. Being the Priestess sucks. Either you use your wishes solely for the good of others (with the possible exception of making one specifically to get home safely) and put up with VirginTension in a CastFullOfPrettyBoys deterring your love life, or you are consumed body and soul by the Beast God you summon if you fail this SecretTestOfCharacter.
53* ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'':
54** Sayaka's attempt at being TheCape backfires because the strain of fighting as a Magical Girl while not getting what she wanted causes her sanity to start leaking down the drain. [[spoiler: Adding insult to injury, she ends up turning into [[HeWhoFightsMonsters the very thing she was fighting against]] [[AndThenJohnWasAZombie in the first place.]]]]
55** [[spoiler: The ending also qualifies, as Madoka's tradeoff for saving magical girls from their inevitable fate was her family and friends (save Homura) forget she exists.]]
56** [[spoiler: Thanks to Madoka, this is ultimately inverted. Magical Girls who fight the good fight are implied to be taken to MagicalGirl {{Heaven}} by Madokami when their soul gems tarnish.]]
57* ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'': Jean comes to realize this after [[spoiler: joining the Survey Corps. Doing the right thing, in this case, involves giving up his shot at a comfortable life in order to regularly risk his life fighting Titans]]. He readily admits that it sucks, while remaining resolute in his decision.
58* ''Franchise/DragonBall'':
59** Gohan's future self in ''Anime/DragonBallZTheHistoryOfTrunks'' certainly qualifies. After witnessing his father and all of his friends die at the hands of the androids, Gohan went into hiding in order to train himself to become strong enough to challenge this new threat. He spent his entire adult life challenging the androids to no avail, watching as countless innocents died at the hands of the monstrous duo. His reward for all of his self-sacrifice was to [[AnArmAndALeg lose his left arm]], and in the next and final fight between him and his two nemeses, Gohan was completely outmatched, killed, and left face down in the ruins of yet another city he failed to protect. And then a sad rain falls over his battered, crippled corpse; it's a miracle that such a tragic sight didn't push Trunks over the DespairEventHorizon.
60** As a teenager, Trunks wants to help Gohan defeat the androids, underestimating their strength. Even when trying to become a Super Saiyan, he doesn't get enough push until Gohan dies, at least in the anime. This breaks him into a NoNonsenseNemesis to his enemies. After spending time in the past fighting stronger versions of Androids 17, 18, and then later Perfect Cell, things finally ''seem'' to go his way after he destroys all the androids and later prevents Majin Buu's revival. Then in ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'', [[spoiler: Goku Black]] attacks his world and murders [[spoiler: his mother]] and several innocent people. After seeing Gohan's family for the first time in the past, he breaks down with the worry that he would never have a peaceful life since his happiness was stolen from him by Black. When he returns to the future for the second time to fight [[spoiler: Goku Black and Future Zamasu]] with the help of Goku and Vegeta, he is told by them that it's his fault that the Earth is destroyed because of his [[spoiler: time-traveling]]. This causes him to [[RageBreakingPoint snap]] and gain a new Super Saiyan form that ''still'' isn't strong enough to defeat them. When [[spoiler: Goku Black and Future Zamasu fused to create Merged Zamasu, he manages to cut him down using the energy of everyone still alive on the planet, only for Merged Zamasu to become an EldritchAbomination of multiversal proportions who kills the rest of humanity]]. Goku is forced to [[spoiler: summon Future Zeno'O who not only destroys Merged Zamasu but the entire ''timeline'']]. His life is ''not'' a happy one.
61** While Goku is usually the paragon for GoodFeelsGood, he does have a moment like this moment after Frieza is defeated in the Namek Saga of ''Anime/DragonBallZ''. He really, ''really'', wants to leave Frieza to die after he's cut to pieces on his own energy disc, but Goku's morality [[ChronicHeroSyndrome won't allow him to ignore a call for help]], even from an evil monster like Frieza. [[ConscienceMakesYouGoBack He eventually gives in to his conscience]] and gives Frieza enough energy to escape the exploding planet. For several minutes afterwards, Goku is noticeably glum, as if asking himself why he saved Frieza, [[UngratefulBastard while Frieza spends that time mocking him for his mercy]] [[TheFarmerAndTheViper before trying to stab him in the back]].
62*** He has another moment near the end of the Buu Saga. After Kid Buu unleashed an energy ball powerful enough to destroy the Earth several times over, Goku and Vegeta rush to Gohan, Goten, Trunks, and Piccolo, who are still unconscious after being absorbed by Buu, to teleport them off the planet. On his way, Goku sees Mr. Satan and Dende. On instinct, he grabs them and wasted too much time to save his sons and have to be saved by the Supreme Kai. [[WhatTheHellHero Vegeta chews him out for saving them instead of their children]], and Goku has nothing to say for himself.
63** The reason Yamcha fought the Saibamen was to protect Krillin who wanted to go next. As he pointed out, Krillin was revived already with the Dragon Balls so him dying would have been permanent, while he could be revived if the worst happens. For his good deed, Yamcha gets suicide bomb by the Saibaman, making him the first casualty of the Saiyan Invasion and he never even gets the chance to fight Nappa. And worst of all, [[NeverLiveItDown the fandom won't ever let him live it down]].
64** Vegeta was a firm believer in this prior to the end of the Buu Saga. Having settled down on Earth and formed a family, he saw [[VirtueIsWeakness his newfound virtues as a weakness]], and deliberately allows Babidi to brainwash him so he could be free of it and return to the super-powerful evil prince he was before.
65--->'''Vegeta''': I was the perfect warrior, cold and ruthless. I lived by my strength alone, uninhibited by foolish emotion.... but slowly, over the years, I became one of you, my quest for greatness gradually giving way to this life of mediocrity. I awoke one day to find I had settled down, formed a family, I had even grown quite fond of them. Would you believe... I almost started to think the Earth was a nice place to live. You understand now, Kakarot? That's why I needed Babidi, to set me free.
66* ''Anime/ReCreators'':
67** This is the ideology of the villains being mostly comprised of heroes, especially [[NobleDemon Alicetaria]], who had lost people they cared about in spite of doing good and joined under the Military Uniform Princess to [[RageAgainstTheAuthor make their Gods write them better stories]]. [[DeconReconSwitch By contrast]], the protagonists see their heroics as a thankless job, even going through with the FinalBattle knowing there's a chance they could fail, [[spoiler:with one of the main characters performing a HeroicSacrifice [[GoOutWithDignity without any regrets]]]].
68** The series itself became infamous in certain circles because it shows the real world as a sort of CrapsackWorld (probably because of the writers' intent to make it an anime version of ''Film/LastActionHero''): the unambiguously good fictional characters either die or survive without accomplishing anything, before returning to the world of fiction anyway, the mercenary (who, as such, is neither "good" nor "bad") never gets in any danger and is able to reunite with his daughter, while the villains (the BigBad and the ObviouslyEvil character) never face any consequences for their actions and get pretty much whatever they wanted.
69* In ''Manga/TokyoShinobiSquad'', Jin and the Narumi-kai refuse to take on dirty jobs from well-paying clients. While this paints them as the heroes of the story, it unfortunately leaves them perpetually running up tabs.
70* The titular ''Manga/{{Kaiji}}'', despite spending so much time in a cutthroat environment full of backstabbers, still feels compelled to do the right thing when it comes down to it. This has led to people he helped out stabbing him in the back or just screwing him over without meaning to on numerous occasions, and one of the few times he helped out someone with no ill intent it ended up being AllForNothing.
71* A RunningGag for a few arcs in ''Manga/OnePiece'' involves MadScientist Caesar Clown being forced to do good things, such as acting against GreaterScopeVillain Big Mom or using his inventions to get the heroes out of trouble. The problem is that EvilFeelsGood to him--so good, in fact, that he loathes having to do anything heroic. The more good deeds he does, the deeper his hate for Luffy and his comrades for making him do them.
72[[/folder]]
73
74[[folder:Asian Animation]]
75* ''Animation/BoBoiBoy'': Adu Du is helped by [=BoBoiBoy=] and Gopal to be a better person so they could earn enough cocoa to revive Probe. While his HeelFaceTurn sticks for a number of episodes, Adu Du finds himself feeling empty. After having been a CardCarryingVillain plotting ways to get at [=BoBoiBoy=] for so long, he's at a loss at what to do with his life.
76[[/folder]]
77
78[[folder:Comic Books]]
79* ''ComicBook/TheAvengers'': A back-up story, "The Day the Strangers Came", in Volume 1, Annual #19 (July 1990), has a HeroWorshipper named Hubie who discovers the people staying at his parents' bed-and-breakfast are actually the Avengers. He rushes to tell his brother this, only to discover his brother is the leader of the terrorist group the heroes are trying to locate, and he's planning on nuking Los Angeles and New York City. With a heavy heart, he goes into the guests' room and confesses what he's learned. Then, as the radio gives a news report about the Avengers thwarting the terrorist threat, he sadly goes to his room, puts away his super-hero costume, and takes down all of his super-hero posters.
80-->''It's not that he doesn't like the Avengers anymore; He still does... And it's not that he won't do the right thing— the heroic thing— if it falls to him again. He just won't look forward to it anymore. That's all.''
81* ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'':
82** At any point, Batman could give up his identity and live the easy life as Bruce Wayne. Instead, he goes out, night after night, fighting everything from common thugs to a MonsterClown to gods.
83** Comicbook/{{Robin}} and the rest of the Batfamily tend to go through this as well. The recurring theme is generally about determination and staying true to your ideals in the face of the worst.
84** [[ComicBook/Robin1993 Tim]] actually ''quits'' being Robin due to a number of factors, which is made easier due to the fact that he'd always approached it like a temporary gig. Of course this [[TenMinuteRetirement doesn't last]], and then his life [[TraumaCongaLine really goes to hell]].
85** Good old Commissioner Gordon, especially in ''ComicBook/BatmanYearOne''. Back in Chicago, he tried to do the right thing by reporting misconduct to his superiors... only to get shunned as a whistleblower and a traitor, and eventually reassigned to Gotham City, the beat where honesty might actually get you killed.
86** In ''ComicBook/BatgirlYearOne'', ComicBook/{{Wildcat}} goes on about the hardships associated with a hero career to dissuade ComicBook/{{Batgirl}} from becoming a costumed vigilante:
87--->'''Wildcat:''' This life ain't for you, Green-Eyes. Everybody hates ya, you got no life of yer own, and ya could end up arthritic and [[HarsherInHindsight crippled.]] [[invoked]]
88* ''Comicbook/{{Daredevil}}'': Daredevil's life is even ''worse than Spider-Man's'' because his job as both a crime-fighter and lawyer has given him nothing but pain. Being good sucks, but it really, really sucks when you fight crime with both identities in "Hell's Kitchen".
89* ''Comicbook/DoomPatrol'': The world thinks they're freaks, the other superheroes think they're strange, and they have the ''highest fatality rate'' of any hero team in the DCU. No less than three of the team's incarnations have died.
90%%* ''ComicBook/ForeverEvil2013'': The opening narration of issue #1, provided courtesy of Lex Luthor, takes this tone. This changes by the end of the issue when the Crime Syndicate takes charge.
91* ''ComicBook/{{Hellblazer}}'': John Constantine is a KnightInSourArmor. When there's a time that he's being a goody-good shoes, the world fucks him. Not only that, his friends, that sometimes joins him in his goodly crusades, get fucked too.
92* ''ComicBook/{{Invincible}}'': [[DiscussedTrope Discussed]]. After teaming up with the AntiVillain Titan, Mark suggests a HeelFaceTurn to him. Titan, being surprisingly GenreSavvy, explains that being a supervillain is easier than a hero as they face less risk since [[ThouShaltNotKill superheroes rarely kill]], EvilPaysBetter, and when they actually do get caught [[CardboardPrison people with superpowers rarely stay imprisoned long]].
93* ''ComicBook/TheLifeAndTimesOfScroogeMcDuck'': Scrooge does his best to strike it big without compromising his honesty or sense of fair play. Time and time again, this ends with him getting cheated out of everything he earns until he finally snaps and tosses his moral code out the window. Then we get a look at the [[BeingEvilSucks flipside]] of this trope; Scrooge's descent into bitterness and cruelty drives away his family and leaves him alone for decades.
94* ''ComicBook/ThePunisher'': Harry Ebbing, an arc villain from ''ComicBook/ThePunisherMAX'' is an [[CorruptCorporateExecutive energy tycoon of loose morals]] who is nevertheless beloved by all his employees for the [[AFatherToHisMen generous salaries and benefits he gives all his workers and his insistence on personally addressing any of the problems they bring to him.]] When one of Harry's employees threatens to get the FBI involved over a scheme to black out the state of Florida to create a local monopoly, his [[TheStarscream second-in-command]] has the employee beaten and anally raped by street punks, which sets The Punisher on their tail. The whistleblower returns to throw himself at his boss' mercy and is promptly forgiven.
95--> '''Harry''': Trouble with doing the right thing, Si: What you end up with is the satisfaction of knowing you did the right thing. As opposed to what you were giving up, which was anything you wanted being just a phone call away.
96* ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}'' The Runaways have spent several years serving as Los Angeles' only significant superhero presence, protecting the area against aliens, monsters, and the occasional supervillain. And what is their reward? [[ComicBook/IronMan Tony Stark]] has repeatedly tried to shut them down, and once managed to drive them out of Los Angeles, not to mention [[DepartmentOfChildDisservices repeated harassment by social services]].
97* ''ComicBook/SinCity'': This is one of the major themes. Every protagonist goes through crap and sometimes has to forfeit his life in order to do the right thing.
98* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': Spider-Man is the best of the good guys ''because'' he always has the option of walking away. He can just throw away his costume and live in obscurity whenever he chooses, but he doesn't. He accepts that the good he does is worth the price he pays and fights the good fight. It's slightly masochistic, really but [[ChronicHeroSyndrome it's not his fault.]]
99* ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'':
100** Sure, Superman has better publicity than Spider-Man [[spoiler:except for the government conspiracy that wants to kill him and all of his people]] and most of his friends and family are still around (except for Pa Kent), but deep down [[IJustWantToBeNormal he really just wants to be Clark Kent]]. Like Spider-Man, he ''could'' just leave the Superman identity behind and live his life -- if he could ignore the screams for help his super-hearing picks up ''[[SamaritanSyndrome every minute of every day]]''.[[note]]This could be debated, as any time Clark has [[BroughtDownToNormal lost his powers]], he almost never dealt with it well. It would be more accurate to say he wishes for a world where Superman isn't needed.[[/note]]
101** Superman had powers since he was a child, but Comicbook/{{Supergirl}} was a normal, fifteen-year-old girl until she arrived on Earth. She remembers having a normal life and [[https://maidofmight.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/superman-282_01.jpg she just wants to be a normal girl again]], free from the pressure and the burdens of having super-powers. And she often feels she isn't good or worthy enough to be a hero. Several times she has wanted to give up her Supergirl identity but she can not stop herself from helping people.
102* ''Comicbook/XMen'': The X-Men protect a world that fears and hates them. This is why The Brotherhood never wants for recruits.
103[[/folder]]
104
105[[folder:Comic Strips]]
106* In ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'', a few of the strips have Calvin actually trying to be well-behaved for once instead of being the usual BrattyHalfPint. These attempts are always short-lived because he quickly realizes he ''hates'' not being able to get into trouble, and nobody is [[WantsAPrizeForBasicDecency rewarding him for putting in the effort]].
107** One series of strips has [[BarbaricBully Moe]] steal Calvin's truck. Calvin contemplates stealing it back from him, but in the end decides not to stoop to his level. Despite this moral victory, at the end of the day, Moe still has Calvin's truck.
108[[/folder]]
109
110[[folder:Fan Works]]
111* ''FanFic/RosarioVampireBrightestDarkness'':
112** In Act III, after it becomes known that Tsukune and his friends destroyed a branch of [[FarEastAsianTerrorists Fairy Tale]], their reward for their heroism is to face merciless bullying and abuse from nearly the entirety of the Yokai Academy student body, [[CassandraTruth who believe them to be posers and fakes claiming to have beaten back Fairy Tale to get attention]]. Eventually, Felucia gets so sick of the harassment that she actually suggests to her friends that they just ''let'' Kuyou burn the school to the ground when he strikes.
113** Comes up again in Acts V and VI, where the gang's reward for saving the world from Alucard is to face suspicion and mistreatment from the humans in the wake of TheUnmasquedWorld, to the extent that they get arrested and nearly executed [[VanHelsingHateCrimes simply for being monsters]].
114* ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'': in the sequel, when Harry's picked for the Triwizard Tournament, having recently been through a horrific TraumaCongaLine, he bitterly goes on a rant to this effect. In the process, he quotes large sections of the Twelfth Doctor's speech on the subject (though he concludes with it being 'right' rather than 'kind'), the message being less an attempt at being inspiring, more grimly resolved. As is independently noted, while he may be decidedly grumpy about it, he will always - ''always'' - do what is right rather than what is easy.
115* ''Fanfic/UltramanOrion'': You get picked on, shot at, attacked by countless kaijin and you can barely survive in earth's atmosphere, if you're a good Ultraman.
116* In ''Fanfic/NowYouFeelLikeNumberNone'', Gantenbainne's honour and friendship demanded that he not attack Cirucci when she interrupted the Exequias contest, even though Aizen ordered him and all the other contenders to do so. This sets him up for execution until Cirucci bargains with Aizen to grant amnesty to her conspirators. By the end of the chapter, Dordonni - his rival in the Exequias contest and fellow Privaron Espada - gains a new title, Cirucci becomes the Quinta, and his subordinate becomes the new Exequias. This leaves him alone as the last Privaron Espada, alone, irrelevant, outcast, and this nearly drives him to exile himself away forever in shame.
117* In ''Fanfic/HellsisterTrilogy'', ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} can't have a normal life or healthy relationships or even downtime because, as Franchise/{{Superman}} puts it, every time an eldritch abomination decides to snack on their universe, super-hero teams ask for Kryptonian help. And they ''can't'' ignore it.
118-->'''Supergirl:''' But we don't have to go out there with our dukes up, spoiling for a fight. Do we, Kal?\
119'''Superman:''' No. Most of the time, it comes to us.\
120'''Supergirl:''' Well, it's gonna have to start coming somewhere else before long. I'm tired of this. I wasn't born to be a, a super-heroine. I just wanted to be a normal girl from Argo, and, and get a good job and a good man and settle down...\
121'''Superman:''' (gently) Except, there aren't very many people from Argo left anymore. Are there, Kara?
122* Nate from ''Fanfic/ForTheMission''. Doing the right thing his entire life meant he and his only friend got endlessly chased by Primal Dialga and his minions. Then, since he had to keep up his charade to TheDragon sent to catch them, he was forced to watch said friend be dragged off, likely to be executed, all so he could see their mission through. And their mission, no matter which way it falls, always ends in death.
123* In ''Fanfic/SorasMisadventuresInEquestria'', Sora feels this way about rescuing Maleficent of all people from the teen dragons after she gets found out in "Dragon Quest".
124* In ''Fanfic/SupermanOf2499TheGreatConfrontation'', the 25th century descendant of the original Caped Crusader ''really'' hates being Batman:
125-->'''Green Lantern:''' Your city needs you, friend Batman. Your great brain, your deductive skills, you have demonstrated them quite--"\
126'''Batman:''' To hell with that! You're not from this world, Lantern. You don't know. The Batman line is based on vengeance. They make another Superman when the one doing the job decides to pass on the franchise. They make another Batman, all too many times, when somebody dies. I don't want that choice for my son, or his son, or any that come after. This is it. Our debt to Gotham, our debt to Thomas and Martha Wayne, our debt to my family...they're all...they're all paid. The Batman is just blood and death and pain. We don't fly among the eagles, soaring to the sun. We're down in the gutters, picking through the corpses for clues. We can't bounce blasters off our chests. All we've got is two fists and fear on our side. It's not a legacy, boys. It's a curse. The curse ends with me.
127* ''Fanfic/FireDarkMark'': Being Captain America means you cannot let anybody get close, and you CANNOT ever, ever, EVER, mess up because it would mean letting down people who look up to you as the single reminder that their country was founded on values worth to fight for.
128-->'''Spider-Man:''' Cap became an Avenger in short order. If there's anybody that symbolized the good in America more than him, I've never met him. But there was something else about him. Two things, actually.\
129First, he'd failed to save his partner, Bucky, from getting killed. That happened in the same incident that got Cap frozen. Eventually, Cap tracked down the Nazi responsible for it, and made him pay for it. But he never really got over it. There was some part of Cap that never stopped living in World War II, before Bucky's death, and that same part wouldn't let him get close enough to somebody who might get killed the same way.\
130Second, he really had a burden on his shoulders with the American symbol thing. Literally, Cap was unable to accept himself messing up. Because if Captain America was seen screwing up, doing anything badly, blowing a mission, it would almost be seen as America screwing up...that's not the way I thought, but it was the way Cap saw it. So he held himself to impossible standards. And he almost always met them. Almost. He was the best man to have on your side at any time. But I never envied him. Not a single day.
131* In the ''Fanfic/RickAndTheLoudHouse'' chapter "Toxicity in the Family", which is a retelling of ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'''s "Rest and Ricklaxation", the Loud family all visit an alien spa where they get personality traits that they deem toxic removed from them. Lincoln specifically loses his selflessness and his compassion, in which he confesses that he feels worthless because he's only good at helping other people and also feels like he never gets any appreciation for his help.
132[[/folder]]
133
134[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
135* ''WesternAnimation/KronksNewGroove'' has Kronk, the MinionWithAnFInEvil. Despite how much he feared his father for not being successful, he gave up a good home, and a girlfriend so that his friends would not be harmed or have bad lives due to his desires. [[spoiler: Subverted as he gets a thumbs up from his pop and his girlfriend back.]]
136* ''WesternAnimation/{{Megamind}}'':
137** Since a young age, [[SupermanSubstitute Metro Man]] has always been known to have powers and his foster parents [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatResponsibility raised him to use them to help others.]] Now as an adult, after [[VillainsActHeroesReact years of continually fighting his nemesis Megamind]], Metro Man's belief in this trope led to him [[spoiler:[[FakingTheDead faking his own death]] so that he could finally get a chance to live his own life]]. However, he is aware of the struggles that Megamind is going through and deduces that Megamind has enough potential to take responsibility and become the town's new hero, which actually happens in the end.
138** [[spoiler:Hal]] also comes to this conclusion. [[spoiler:After Roxanne rejects his advances, he decides that there's no real reward in using his new superpowers for good and chooses to become a villain instead. Of course, this conclusion wouldn't have been reached if he would find ''anything'' else than [[EntitledToHaveYou Roxanne's affections]] rewarding. And even if he didn't enjoy making the world a better place on its own, for someone with god-like powers and half a brain this shouldn't be that hard; unfortunately for everyone, [[StupidEvil he doesn't even have that half]]]].
139* A theme in ''WesternAnimation/SupermanShazamTheReturnOfBlackAdam'':
140--> '''[[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Billy Batson]]''': "Be good and good will follow." That's what my parents used to always tell me. But, you know, [[Franchise/{{Superman}} Mr. Kent]], I was good [[ParentalAbandonment before they were taken from me]]. I was good [[AbusiveParents at the foster home]]. And I was good [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished fifteen minutes ago]]. I'm starting to think being good isn't good for me.\
141'''Clark Kent''': It seems that way sometimes, doesn't it? But that's because good is hard. [[EvilIsEasy Bad is always easy]].
142[[/folder]]
143
144[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
145* ''Film/{{Casablanca}}''. All three of the primaries make (or try to make) personal sacrifices for the greater good, and as often as not, it hardly matters. They all get a roughly happy ending, but none of them get what they want.
146* ''Film/DemonKnight'': Alright, let's pro/con the Demon Knight thing. Pro: you're TheChosenOne with a greatly prolonged lifespan. Con: ...you're ''constantly'' on the run and when your time is up you'll have to pick a successor dooming them to continue this chase. Oh, and EvilOnlyHasToWinOnce and if it does, it'd be a universal-scale CosmicHorrorStory apocalypse.
147* ''Franchise/DieHard'': Over the course of all five movies John [=McClane=] has come to believe this trope. Despite saving the day all those times, his family life has fallen apart and he gets little respect at work. He continues to save the day simply because he's "that guy", as he puts it in his own words.
148* [[TheIdealist Kaji]] from ''Film/TheHumanCondition'' tries his best to prove humanity good by being altruistic, but suffers continually as a result of [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin the title.]]
149* Referenced in ''Franchise/StarWars'': "Is the dark side stronger?" "No, no. [[EvilIsEasy Quicker, easier, more seductive."]]
150* In the original ''Film/{{A Nightmare on Elm Street|1984}}'', Nancy refuses Glenn's advances because they were there for Tina's benefit and needed to behave themselves. Later, Glenn hears Tina and Rod having loud, enthusiastic sex in the room above him. He sighs and says "morality sucks."
151* ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean'':
152** Captain Jack Sparrow learned this lesson long before the movies began. [[spoiler:Though his father was a high-ranking pirate]], Jack tried to find legitimate work as a merchant in the East India Trade Company. Then one day he discovered his cargo was ''slaves'', whom he freed. His employer at the time Cutler Beckett branded Jack as a pirate and sank his ship. Ever since then Jack has tried his best to live for himself and only himself. Unfortunately he can't always ignore his conscience...and when he does follow it he usually ends up suffering for it.
153---> '''Cutler Beckett:''' We had a deal, Jack. I contracted you to deliver cargo on my behalf, and you chose to liberate it.
154---> '''Jack ([[OOCIsSeriousBusiness uncharacteristically somber)]]:''' People aren't cargo, mate.
155** Poor Jack even {{lampshade|Hanging}}s it in ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanTheCurseOfTheBlackPearl'' when he gets outed as a pirate because he dove in to save the life of Elizabeth, and is sentenced to hang:
156---> '''Elizabeth:''' Commodore, I really must protest. Pirate or not [[IOweYouMyLife this man saved my life]]!
157---> '''Norrington:''' One good deed is not enough to redeem a man of a lifetime of wickedness.
158---> '''Jack:''' Though it seems enough to condemn him.
159* ''Film/TheManWhoShotLibertyValance''. Doniphon sacrifices his OneTrueLove (and credit for killing the titular character) for the sake of winning US statehood of an unnamed Western state.
160* George Bailey, from ''Film/ItsAWonderfulLife''. He loses hearing in one ear saving his brother's life, gets beaten by his boss for not delivering medicine (having noticed his boss unwittingly poison it), sacrifices his college life to keep the Building and Loan out of Potter's hands, stays on as CEO to keep the Board of Directors from shutting it down, gives his honeymoon money to the B&L members so they won't sell in a panic, and is about to take the blame for his uncle's mistake to keep him out of prison. [[spoiler:Fortunately, it all pays off in the end. After his uncle misplaces an envelope of $8,000 and Bailey's suicide attempt is cut short by Clarence, followed by a visit to a universe he doesn't exist in, Bailey returns home to see all his friends pouring all their life savings into a basket, making him the richest man in town. Also, Clarence, after the hardships he went through helping Bailey, including falling into the river Bailey was going to end up in, being thrown out of a bar in Pottersville, and nearly being strangled by a cop before being saved by Joseph, is implied to have finally gotten his wings in his final note to George at the very end.]]
161* Franchise/{{Superman}} gets hit by this trope in ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice''. His attempts to do good are met with people either regarding him as a divine savior of some kind ([[StopWorshippingMe much to his consternation]]) or being outright fearful or derisive of him. He goes into temporary exile after [[spoiler:[[Characters/SupermanLexLuthor Lex Luthor]] bombs the Capitol]].
162* In ''Film/{{Wonder Woman|2017}}'', Diana leaves Themyscira behind and enters the patriarchal rest of the world to save mankind. Even if there wasn't a world war going on at the time, it would be a CrapsackWorld in comparison to her home. [[spoiler: Ares even tries to tempt her to join him by showing her how beautiful the world could be without man, but she resists.]]
163* ''Film/MollysGame'': [[spoiler:Molly would have walked if she'd just turn over some scandalous gossip to spice up the trial, but she won't betray her clients' confidences, costing her her fortune and a felony conviction]].
164* ''Film/TheVillain'': TheBadGuyWins. Or at least [[spoiler: thanks to the ArentYouGoingToRavishMe trope, gets the girl in the end]].
165[[/folder]]
166
167[[folder:Literature]]
168* Discussed a lot in ''Literature/NightWatchSeries'': the protagonist constantly wonders if it is really worth being good if all he does is angst about not being able to do more. Even if he ''does'' do more, the terms of the Treaty grant the Dark Ones the right to do more harm to balance the good. For example, if he cures someone's cancer, the Dark Ones are allowed to give someone else a terminal illness. Some newer Light Others snap and try to give happiness to everyone. Who has to stop them? Their fellow Light ones. Additionally, the Day Watch has to give out licenses to vampires and werewolves, condemning random humans to either death or forced conversion.
169* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': It's a fairly well-known fact that Granny Weatherwax is only good reluctantly. She has stated that she only became the Good One because her sister usurped her chance to be the Bad One. In ''Literature/{{Maskerade}}'' Granny gets an entire speech about all the things she could do if she'd just ''let'' herself be Bad, but sadly admits that when you know the difference between Right and Wrong you ''can't'' choose Wrong.
170* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'':
171** Harry Dresden's life would be one hell of a lot easier if he wasn't so prone to [[ChronicHeroSyndrome trying to save people]]. Additionally, if he was more amenable to [[DealWithTheDevil making questionably-moral bargains with supernatural nasties]], he could be a god by now. Harry lampshades how Being Good Sucks when he's lent a Rolls Royce just as the situation starts to hit rock bottom. He finds the car irrationally comforting because he knows there's no ''way'' he's driving to his death in a car that nice. An enemy of his once mocked his tendency to suffer from this by gifting him a gravestone with the epitaph, "He died doing the right thing" before placing him in an impossible choice: break her hospitality to save a person's life but risk starting a war between her kind and his White Council, or let an innocent woman die and other horrible consequences to come from his previous actions.
172** Michael Carpenter, [[ThePaladin Knight of the Cross]], goes regularly on Missions from God to help the helpless and save people. He regularly leaves his family and many children when going on this and while it doesn't seem to bother him, it is hinted at that he is very scared of dying or something happening to them while he is away. However, his belief in God and the Blessings God gives help him find the strength to keep on mission.
173* In ''Literature/{{Ivanhoe}}'', Rebecca refuses to marry Wilfred of Ivanhoe because she was Jewish and he was Christian and crossovers were looked down on on both sides. Sir Walter Scott said specifically that he was trying to avert GoodFeelsGood because he thought teaching readers to be good for that reason was a HardTruthAesop.
174* Played with in the ''Literature/StarTrekEnterpriseRelaunch'' novels, where the heroes have to acknowledge that being ethical often sucks, due to how ineffective it sometimes makes them. During this particular timeframe in the ''Franchise/StarTrek'' 'verse, the Federation doesn't yet exist, meaning that those who live by an actual code of ethics have it far harder than in later eras. The people of Rigel X and Adigeon Prime demonstrate the lifestyle that ensures prosperity in this era; selfish greed, piracy, and a general policy of closing your eyes to injustice. Indeed, TheLeader of the Thelasian Trade Confederacy in ''Rosetta'' almost pities humans for their appeal to ethics. In ''The Good That Men Do'', Archer and Shran acknowledge that currently the "good guys" are somewhat powerless; while at a slave market on Rigel X, there isn't anything they can do to help without bringing a worse fate down on themselves. As Shran is often a HonorBeforeReason character, he does it anyway.
175* A recurring theme in ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'':
176** [[HonorBeforeReason Ned Stark]], whose unrelenting efforts to do the right and honorable thing [[spoiler: ultimately result in his execution, the near-destruction of his family and all the many calamities that Westeros has endured since his death]].
177** Poor Brienne. She tries her hardest to live up to the ideals of the KnightInShiningArmor and, to be fair, she does a bang-up job. Whenever she gets a choice, she always picks the harder, more honourable, and virtuous route. And, Westeros finds a way to kick her in the teeth for it as ironically as it can. Every ''bloody'' time. On the plus side, she's been badass enough to avoid the ''deaths'' that tried to come calling. So far.
178** Jon Connington was exiled in disgrace for failing to find and kill Robert Baratheon. He complained that he could have done no more later in life to a companion, who retorted that [[PragmaticVillainy Tywin Lannister]] would have simply burned the town to the ground and dug out Robert's bones.
179** Jaime Lannister is in prime position to tell you which is harder, Good or Evil. He's tried both at various points, with iffy success. So far, "being sufficiently cunning to get away with being either Good or Evil" seems to be the hardest part of all. His proudest, and arguably most heroic deed, earned him the name of Kingslayer, after all. All that got him was a world of ridicule and hurt, to the point he basically threw his hands up and went ThenLetMeBeEvil. Well, very deeply apathetic with streaks of evil, at least.
180** This trope is notably subverted in the prequel novella series, ''Literature/TalesOfDunkAndEgg''. Dunk, who would later be known as Ser Duncan the Tall, assaults a Targaryen prince [[HonorBeforeReason in spite of the consequences]] for savagely beating an innocent woman. For this, he expects to be reviled and left to his fate by everyone for attacking one of royal blood, but to his surprise, both the smallfolk and several nobles rally in support of him for remembering his knightly vow to defend the innocent. They do everything in their power to help him in the ensuing trial by combat, some by providing him with better equipment on the cheap, others by volunteering to fight alongside him during the trial. Even the Crown Prince of the Seven Kingdoms is so moved by Dunk's cause that he joins his side to make sure that a gallant knight is not punished for a good deed.
181* ''Literature/{{Airframe}}'': Towards the end of the book, the heroine is feeling this way. She's been investigating a strange near plane crash and has been trying to do the right thing throughout and all she has to show for her efforts are a couple of videos showing the terrifying ride, she's being hounded by reporters who sense blood in the water, and it turns out she's been set up to take the fall if the plane is discredited.
182* The Creator/MarquisDeSade's [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justine_(de_Sade_novel) most famous novel]] is literally subtitled ''The Misfortunes of Virtue.''
183* ''Literature/TrappedOnDraconica'': Daniar wonders if her merciful nature is a curse because her enemies keep coming back to torment her.
184* ''Literature/TriggerWarning'': At the beginning of the book, Jake is attacked by other students, and arrested by campus police, for attempting to defend a girl who is being abused by her boyfriend.
185* If one trope were to sum up Jean Valjean of ''Literature/LesMiserables'', this would be it. His first struggle, after getting out of prison, is to learn that being good is worthwhile. It's remembering that lesson in the years afterwards that proves the challenge. Time after time, he's presented with chances to escape the law and live the life that would best please him, but at the expense of someone else - and, [[WhatYouAreInTheDark even though no-one would ever be the wiser]], he always chooses right, even if it means putting himself through hell to do so. [[DaddysGirl Having an adoring adoptive daughter takes the edge off]].
186* Referenced in ''Literature/HarryPotter'' similar to the ''Franchise/StarWars'' example above. Dumbledore stresses that the decision is between "what is right, and what is easy."
187* ''Literature/TheCountOfMonteCristo'': The innocent and good-hearted Edmond is betrayed and condemned to 14 years in jail by Danglars, Villefort, and Fernand, who all prosper as a result. Though they do eventually get their comeuppance, it only happens after Edmond [[TookALevelInBadass rises to the challenge]].
188* In the ''Literature/DreambloodDuology'', Ehiru spends much of the first book desperately needing dreamblood, but even when he could just secretly gather someone in the night and get what he needs, he resists because they refuse him and that it would not be in accordance with Hananja's Law.
189* ''Literature/SpinningSilver'': Miryem's father is a kind-hearted man who thinks the best of people and is free with his favours, which makes him a terrible moneylender. He's driven to poverty as his clients take advantage of his good nature. When Miryem takes over the business, she refuses to forgive any debt, no matter how minor, because of how her father's kindness nearly destroyed their family.
190* ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'': Frodo inherits an ArtifactOfDoom from his uncle. He decides he must destroy it in order to save the Shire. On his quest he gets a shoulder wound that will never fully heal, recurring illnesses from when he was stung in the neck by a giant demon spider, he loses a finger, and ultimately he fails the test of will to destroy the Ring, so he feels a deep sense of personal failure. While he is the most famous hobbit outside of the Shire, nobody in the Shire except the companions who went with him on his quest gives him any sort of recognition, and he becomes something of a recluse. He finds in the end that there is no peace for him in the Shire and that he must seek healing in the West. He leaves his home and all of his possessions to his former gardener Sam Gamgee.
191[[/folder]]
192
193[[folder:Religion & Mythology]]
194* OlderThanFeudalism: Literature/TheBible in general describes the path of righteousness as a narrow and perilous road, compared to the wide and easy path of sin, which makes it all the more satisfying when the righteous finally [[EarnYourHappyEnding enter God's kingdom]].
195-->''Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.'' ([[Literature/EpistlesToTimothy 2 Timothy 3:12]])
196[[/folder]]
197
198[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
199* ''TabletopGame/NewWorldOfDarkness'':
200** The CrapsackWorld setting is Scylla and Charybdis in RPG form. You can either be good and stick to your principles, which will likely get you killed or hurt badly (and there's no guarantee you can EarnYourHappyEnding), or, you can be a JerkAss who amasses power and lives longer at the cost of a laundry list of minor and medium sins... which usually ends with you either dead at the hands of a monster or becoming one to stop it from killing you (or to stop the previously mentioned good guys from killing you).
201** ''TabletopGame/PrometheanTheCreated'' is a aversion. Sure, there are ''even more'' obstacles in your way than any other supernatural. For one, ''[[HatePlague every living thing hates you by instinct]]'', but you can EarnYourHappyEnding - humanity, freedom from the pain of Promethean life and acceptance by Nature. There are ''rules'' for getting a happy ending. Just stick very, very tightly to being good.
202** ''TabletopGame/ChangelingTheLost'' has Clarity as its Morality meter; at the very bottom of this meter are things like ''kidnapping'', because acting more like the True Fae that abducted you makes you more like them. This still applies if kidnapping someone because you can't ''explain'' why you need to get them out of their situation immediately since it doesn't make logical sense. Stealing a baby gets you that same degeneration roll, even if you're doing it because the Wild Hunt just burst out of the garden archway of a daycare playground.
203** ''TabletopGame/VampireTheRequiem'':
204*** Vampires who try to maintain their [[KarmaMeter Humanity]] have trouble getting nourishment, get targeted by Elders for object lessons in the necessity of being a {{Transhuman Tr|eachery}}aitor, and are described by the sourcebooks as usually [[DrivenToSuicide choosing to die]] rather than persist as undead abominations.
205*** The Ordo Dracul has a technique by which a vampire can drastically reduce their need for blood and even subsist on [[VegetarianVampire animals]] indefinitely[[labelnote:*]](Normally possible only for the weakest vampires, while stronger ones need to drink human blood and the strongest have to devour other vampires)[[/labelnote]]. It's described as feeling deeply, grindingly ''awful'', like living on the brink of starvation, and denies the vampire the [[HorrorHunger one visceral pleasure]] in its existence.
206* ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'':
207** Applies this to renegade Abyssals, who can't settle down or huge bursts of necrotic Essence will kill everyone in the area; they can't directly oppose their former patrons or they'll take enough lethal damage to cripple them or knock them unconscious; and people tend to be even more afraid of them than the normal Solars, because of the whole "sometimes looking like a skeleton and bleeding from the forehead for a caste mark" thing.
208*** Fortunately, new rules have been provided which allows an Abyssal's Lunar Exalted Mate to ease their burden through ThePowerOfLove (or [[ThePowerOfFriendship friendship]], if that's how they roll). An Abyssal can freely commit "sins of Life" with their Lunar Mate (protecting their lives or having sex with them, for example), and the Neverborn are incapable of punishing them for it. If the Abyssal actually cares for their Lunar, they can even freely commit "sins against Death" for them with impunity -- which includes directly opposing their former patrons. This same update also included guidelines for how Abyssal Exalted can redeem themselves into free, untainted Solar Exalted, a process which Lunar Mates make much easier.
209** Same thing applies to the Green Sun Princes. If they decide to go against the will of their Yozi patrons (which is usually "Make Creation such a shithole that it can technically count as Hell, which means we can get out of our prison"), they begin to accrue Torment that leaks out and affects others. In fact, the only way to bleed off Torment is to [[CardCarryingVillain perform cliched acts of utter bastardry]], however, [[PayEvilUntoEvil it says nothing about who you have to perform them on...]]
210*** Unlike Abyssals, Green Sun Princes ''cannot'' be redeemed into normal Solars during life but the same difference means that if their essence was somehow delivered to Autochthon, the Unconquered Sun, or a similar entity after death, it could be purified in this manner.
211** This is also a game mechanic for Infernal and Abyssal Charms. The former were specifically designed to avert BadPowersBadPeople by not being particularly malevolent in practice. You can use Infernal Charms to feed the hungry, force corrupt gods to do their damn jobs, protect your loved ones, bestow regeneration on loyal agents and turn into a benevolent counterpart to a hostile Exalt, while most Abyssal Charms boil down to "hurt people" and "be like the dead". GSP's who are serious about [[FaustianRebellion breaking out]] can [[AvertedTrope kick the snot out of this model]] around Essence 6. There's an entire keyword, Heretical, for Charms that revolve around flipping their patrons the bird, and one such Charm allows them to tell the will of the Yozis to go screw.
212* ''TabletopGame/{{Deadlands}}'': Later settings, including ''[[AfterTheEnd Hell on Earth]]'', went so far as to codify how much Being Good Sucks for most of its [[MagicAIsMagicA Arcane Backgrounds]]. Templars, for instance, [[SecretIdentity lie to almost everyone they see about who they are]] and blithely pass judgement on everyone they meet. {{Muggles}} that aren't "good enough" are left to their own devices or even hunted, but, as ultimately [[AntiHero heroic souls]], they all know that the "hardest thing you'll ever have to do is walk away."
213* ''TabletopGame/{{Ravenloft}}'' is a world purposely designed to make sure evil always flourishes and good never triumphs. The entire world is ruled by [[PowersThatBe the dark powers]] that put psychotic overlords in charge of each land. Even if you kill them, someone else will likely take their place. However, this is also a setting where being evil [[BeingEvilSucks isn't much better]], since the Dark Powers enjoy tormenting the aforementioned overlords even more than they enjoy tormenting the good guys.
214* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'': Paladins of first through third-edition generally suffer ''some'' degree of this trope: the frequency and intensity depend on how strictly your game group judges actions on the alignment spectrum. Sure, the benefits of the class are pretty sweet, but you CantGetAwayWithNuthin, and the rest of your group - even though you're not ''required'' to enforce LawfulGood beliefs on them - are going to have difficulty pursuing any evil, or even chaotic, goals.
215* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': The Lamenters, a Chapter of Space Marines descended from Sanguinius, are often considered by fans to be one of, if not ''the'' most unambiguously heroic, noble, and compassionate Chapters, even moreso than their parent Chhapter the Blood Angels, who also have this reputation to a lesser extent. The Lamenters will always go above and beyond to save human lives, even at tremendous cost to their own Chapter, and in situations when most other Chapters would write civilian casualties off as acceptable losses, or ignore them altogether. This is balanced by the fact that they are also considered the ''unluckiest'' Chapter in the Imperium, having been driven to near extinction repeatedly through no fault of their own[[note]]some of these can be chalked up to their habit of making last stands in defense of fleeing civilians, but a lot are legitimately just bad luck, like getting caught in a random freak warp-storm that sees them lost in the Warp for a ''century''[[/note]]. On top of this, they're also [[HeroWithBadPublicity considered cursed]] by many other Chapters, who will refuse to fight alongside them or even leave them to die.
216[[/folder]]
217
218[[folder:Theater]]
219%%* A major theme in ''Theatre/AManForAllSeasons'', which provides one of the quotes above.
220* ''Theatre/LesMiserables'': Valjean tries to feed his sister's starving child and gets 19 years of incarceration. At several points, he faces a choice between helping someone or avoiding trouble for himself.
221* In ''Theatre/PinocchioTheMusical'', Mangiafuoco clearly states that he hates how he's guilt-tripped so easily by other people's sad stories and is not very happy with his status as a JerkWithAHeartOfGold.
222[[/folder]]
223
224[[folder:Video Games]]
225* ''VideoGame/MetalGear'':
226** Solid Snake is well-aware of this. Unlike Big Boss, he pulls through everything life threw at him, but his perseverance kept him from going down the same path as his father. While others want to save the world, he does it his way. Even if it means "living like a pariah".
227** Big Boss gets hit with this even harder. Everything he did was for the sake of his country and The Boss, but no matter what, life found a way to take everything from him. When he finds out the whole world wants him dead, he decides he's had enough and creates Outer Heaven. That being said, Big Boss ultimately realizes how selfish his goal was, and wants to fulfill The Boss' will correctly. When he sees Snake one last time, he commends him for not falling down the same path he did.
228* ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'': Kotomine feels this way. The [[Literature/FateZero prequel]] goes in depth into the reasons why as he desperately searches for ''something'' that he likes to do that isn't evil. Failing that, he looks for someone who was at least empty like he was, which is why Shirou interested him so much. In any case, he had to sacrifice his happiness, ambitions and act good when he ''really'' wanted to act evil but was in denial about it. He's still very honest, and he feels guilt! [[BeingEvilSucks This causes]] [[RageAgainstTheHeavens other problems.]]
229%%* Dr. Freebird's wrestling with this is central to his storyline in ''[[VideoGame/TraumaCenter Trauma Team]]''.
230* ''VideoGame/FableIII'' invokes this during the game's second half, once you're a monarch. Being a benevolent ruler will make you loved by the people but will leave your treasury dry, [[spoiler: which hurts your chances of funding an army to fight off an impending EldritchAbomination]]. As such, you'll be required to keep your coffers full with your personal funds in order to [[spoiler: EarnYourHappyEnding]].
231* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'' - Ramza's a WideEyedIdealist in a CrapsackWorld. Even after it's made very clear that he's going to spend the rest of his life (if not the rest of history) branded as a heretic, he remains determined to Do The Right Thing.
232* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsAdvance'' Marche knows that by getting his friends to come home to the real world means destroying their happiness and he will be hated for it, but he does it anyway because it's ultimately the right thing to do for his friends' well being.
233* Zigzagged in the case of the Warrior of Light of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV''. On one hand, their adventures and acts of heroism make them a world-renowned hero with friends in every corner of the world. They wind up comfortably wealthy from their exploits and have countless new experiences to satisfy their ThrillSeeker urges. On the other hand, the Warrior's ChronicHeroSyndrome gives them enormous, crushing responsibilities that everyone expects them to uphold. Dialogue options, journal entries, and sidequests depict the Warrior as weary from having to bear the burden of saving and ending so many lives. The Dark Knight questline in particular underscores the damaging effects that being the Warrior of Light has had on their psyche, as [[spoiler:Fray and Myste, the embodiments of the Warrior's own unheroic traits and GuiltComplex respectively, berate them over their failings and try to convince the Warrior to escape their responsbilities.]]
234* ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'':
235** The Followers of the Apocalypse have an ethos of providing medicine, food, and education to anyone who needs it. In the post-apocalyptic Fallout-verse, this results in them being understaffed and forever running out of supplies.
236** Companions Arcade Gannon and Veronica Santangelo, both idealists in their own way will not end up with satisfying endings. Arcade will see that an Independent New Vegas isn't as perfect as he wants it to be but does what he can to help others while other paths have him be disillusioned or wind up dead, either due to his Enclave heritage or due to being enslaved by the Legion. Veronica will either [[MyCountryRightOrWrong stay with]] the Brotherhood of Steel despite knowing that their current path will lead them to ruin or be forever traumatized by their zealotry after leaving to join the Followers. J.E. Sawyers states that one of the themes of the game is that in a world as harsh as the Fallout setting, the idealist is the one to be hurt the most.
237** This applies to the Honest Hearts DLC with New Canaanite Missionary Daniel. If he succeeds in evacuating the Sorrows as he wanted, he'll forever question himself on whether or not he did the right thing. If they instead choose to [[TrainingThePeacefulVillagers stay and fight]] the White Legs, he'll be forever haunted by their loss of innocence.
238* In ''VideoGame/PapersPlease'', you are expected to follow the rules of who to admit into Arstotzka without fail. Occasionally, you'll come across people who ask you to bend the rules, often with sob stories like the wife who lacks proper paperwork and wants to be with her husband. You can oblige them, but you will receive citations for doing so, potentially costing you money needed to support your family.
239* ''Franchise/MassEffect'':
240** No matter how nice [[AllLovingHero Paragon Shepard]] is and how many good things s/he does at his/her own personal risk, s/he still gets reprimanded and screwed over by the politicians of the Citadel Council and Ambassador Udina around every corner. No matter how strict of a Paragon you are, you still have to choose between letting the Council die, or allowing the human Alliance fleet to suffer heavy casualties. There is no [[TakeAThirdOption third option]] and no "reward choice" for being a good guy.
241** In ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', Shepard is forced to work with known terrorists Cerberus in order to investigate and stop the Collectors from stealing human colonists, since Cerberus are the only people actively trying to do so (they may or may not have any choice in the matter given that Cerberus brought them back to life). Their reward? All of their friends voice extreme suspicion that Shepard is working for them, with one of them outright refusing to join up with them over it.
242** In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', Shepard has to make tough military decisions, the least of which is fleeing Earth in order to unite the rest of the galaxy while everyone else is slaughtered. They may also decide to betray old friendships for military advantages if no other options are available, and overall the weight of responsibility that they're really the only one who can save everybody (and this is after spending the past few years being dismissed for their Reaper warnings, only for the Reapers to show up and catch everyone unprepared). There are conversation options that indicate Shepard is [[TheChainsOfCommanding feeling this trope quite heavily]] as a result of all this.
243** On the plus side, there are some aversions to this - if you take the moral high road, Shepard ''can'' use this fact to shame the hell out of the people who call him/her on lesser sins, and moving heaven and earth to help others can result in many unforseen positive outcomes by the third game.
244* This is a huge part of the backstory of ''Franchise/TouhouProject'''s Byakuren, at least from her perspective. Attempting to achieve peace and equality [[FantasticRacism between humans and youkai]]? [[SealedGoodInACan Enjoy your millennium in Makai]], traitor. It may be worth mentioning here however that the racism is an important part of the status quo in Touhou.
245* Being the team's healer in a multiplayer or an MMORPG can often invoke this. You will have a lot of responsibility in keeping your teammates in living condition and you'll often get the blame if something goes wrong, even if it isn't your fault. This is known as the Blame the Healer mentality. Besides that, you will often become the Nr. 1 on many enemy players hit list.
246* ''VideoGame/ShadowrunReturns'' delves into this, though to what degree depends on the game. Universally, EvilPaysBetter in most cases, so trying to make morally "good" choices tends to leave you considerably less wealthy than you otherwise would be. ''Dragonfall'' takes this a step further by making nearly every "good" choice be you betraying, failing, or otherwise inconveniencing your contractor, causing your reputation to take a hit and subsequently deny you access to better quests and items.
247* ''VideoGame/SpiderManPS4'': It's a given with Spidey. Whenever he does the right thing, it's always at a huge personal cost. Best displayed at the end of the game, where [[spoiler:[[TheNeedsOfTheMany he's forced to let Aunt May die so that the cure to the Devil's Breath can be analyzed and mass-produced]]; Peter grapples with the choice to be selfish just this once, but in the end, his morals just won't let him]].
248* ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' [[SubvertedTrope subverts]] this with its [[PacifistRun Pacifist Route]]. You're stuck at [[LowLevelRun level 1]] for the game if you don't kill anything ([[{{Justified|Trope}} justified]] in-game by [[spoiler: explaining that Undertale's version of experience and levels are actually measures of how much of a cold, murderous bastard you are]]) and even random encounters become {{Puzzle Boss}}es where you have to find a way to de-escalate the situation and spare the enemy instead of killing them (all while they're trying to kill you). Even Flowey wonders how long you'll last before you give in to violence. However, all that hard work and perseverance ultimately [[EarnYourHappyEnding rewards you with the best ending in the game]]. Meanwhile, on the No Mercy run, you may smash pretty much any regular enemy in one or two hits, but the two actual bosses you face are incredibly harder and more frustrating than everything the other two runs throw at you ''combined'', so BeingEvilSucks far more than being good.
249* ''VideoGame/Persona5'': Party member Ryuji Sakamoto often laments that, as your heroic PhantomThief group works anonymously in the shadows, they're never allowed to take any credit or reap actual rewards for their good deeds. Each villain you encounter has meanwhile been exploiting their position of power to get all sorts of benefits for themselves.
250* ''Franchise/Warhammer40000'':
251** ''VideoGame/DawnOfWar II - Chaos Rising'' has this as a gameplay mechanic. Keeping your squad pure from corruption means that you need to refrain from equipping the best weapons in the game as those tend to be tainted with the power of Chaos. The missions will also have conditions that needs to be done if you want the squad to avoid or lose Chaos corruption. Most of the time, those conditions will wind up making the missions harder than it needs to be. Finally, if you manage to keep your squad free of corruption, [[spoiler: [[TheMole the traitor]] will be Martellus rather than any of your squad members. That sounds good until you realize that [[ThatOneBoss he is one of the hardest bosses in the game if not the entire series]]]].
252** ''VideoGame/Warhammer40000RogueTrader'' makes it clear that while the Iconoclast path may be the most moral path, it will ''not'' be easy given [[CrapsackWorld the tone of the 40k setting]], and it is ''not'' kidding. Not only does an Iconoclast Trader slowly but surely draw the ire of the Inquisition due how "heretical" their actions are, but there's always a risk of [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished your good deeds blowing up in your face]] eventually.
253* Some ''VideoGame/WWEVideoGames'' fall into the trap of rewarding bad guy wrestlers for heel tactics (such as eye rakes or cheap pins) whilst rewarding good guy wrestlers for face tactics (such as breaking cleanly and releasing submission holds when ordered to do so). The trouble is that heel tactics are effective on their own whilst face tactics usually involve passing up a chance to inflict more punishment. Even if the rewards for following each play style are equal the heel characters will still have an advantage in terms of damage dealt.
254* Chris dips his toes into the trope in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil5'' where he wonders if all of his heroics in combating bioterrorism is even worth it and then deduces in the ending that it is. By ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil6'', he's become a complete drunk after seeing his squad die before his very eyes in a bioterrorist attack and feels nothing he does will ever change anything. Fellow teammate Piers gets Chris to climb out of his despair and fight terrorism once again, to which he becomes a KnightInSourArmor and ultimately still does the right thing.
255* Liu Kang's arcade ending in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'' has him using his power over [[BigBad Kronika's]] hourglass to replace the Elder Gods Cetrion betrayed with himself, Kitana, Kung Lao, Raiden, and Bo' Rai Cho. But by doing so, [[StarCrossedLovers he gives up any chance of him and Kitana ever living a normal life]]. And to drive home the bitterness of this ending, Liu Kang ponders what could have been and sees himself and Kitana, both still mortals, getting married. He even says that being TheChosenOne and doing the right thing means [[ItSucksToBeTheChosenOne making choices that break your heart]].
256* The player character in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' gradually gets more snarky and sometimes even short-tempered over certain situations, but they ultimately do the right thing no matter what is thrown their way. The Dark Knight job quests in ''Heavensward'' explores how much of a burden it is for the player character to be Eorzea's savior, especially when the people they save don't express anything but a thank you at best.
257* ''VideoGame/YesYourGrace'': Taking the "good" option of some pairs of mutually exclusive objectives is not for players who have few resources:
258** Siding with the Lord who wants the sale of [[FantasticDrug Oracle Dust]] banned means [[spoiler:either letting him trade with the enemy or paying weekly installments to keep his business afloat]]. Going with the Lord trading in Oracle Dust results in an extra source of revenue and unlocks hounds to use during the battle against Radovia.
259** Fabioun's objective in Act 3, which requires helping Radovians on three occasions. One demand requires sparing a certain quantity of food per week for a group of refugees, while another requires refusing to kill Radovian combatants to the face of people whose family members were killed by Radovians, resulting in a drop in population contentment. Oh, and Via Lyt will stop her gold payments a few weeks after the refugees are helped.
260* A pivotal moment in ''VideoGame/CaveStory'' is when young, innocent Toroko is force-fed a [[PsychoSerum Red Flower]] that turns her into a mindless, rampaging [[TheBerserker Berserker]]. [[PlayerCharacter Quote]] has to fight her and MercyKill her to put her out of her misery. When she's killed, the usual victory {{fanfare}} is replaced with [[SilenceIsGolden complete silence]], signifying this "victory" is not one to be celebrated.
261* A similar moment happens in ''VideoGame/MegaManX4'' when X hunts down and defeats Magma Dragoon, who turned maverick and destroyed the Sky Lagoon (killing everyone on and [[ColonyDrop below]] it), just to have an excuse to [[WorthyOpponent duel X to the death]]. After hearing all this, X forgoes his usual victory {{fanfare}} and striking a victory pose, and instead just somberly teleports away.
262* ''VideoGame/HeartsOfIron IV'' features the [[ThePurge 1936 Soviet Great Purge]], which historically killed 950,000 to 1,2 millions people. While the Soviet Union AI always perform the Purge in historical mode, playing yourself as Soviet Union allows to deliberately decide to ''not'' do the Purge (or if you do an incomplete purge). On the paper, said civil war isn't unwinnable by Soviet Union, but it can trigger at a very inconvenient time (e.g. in mid-1941, during the German invasion). The Purge's focus description explicitly warns that avoiding the Purge ''will'' result in a civil war. Also, even if you avoid the Purge and win the civil war, you'll miss the "rewards" gained when the Purge is entirely over (permanent buffs for the army and a new research slot).
263* ''VideoGame/DeathRoadToCanada'':
264** This is the basis for the "Civilized" trait. They retain their old values back from when the world wasn't an apocalypse filled with bandits, the undead and otherwise rude and untrustworthy people. Their personality stats are all at the maximum, but their morale can never go above 3.
265** In a reversal of this, characters with low loyalty will have their morale drop if they commit good deeds.
266* ''VideoGame/IdolManager'': Doing the right thing isn't always financially sustainable, with the "right thing" sometimes being as basic as paying the idols proper salaries. During many events directly involving an idol, the option that will make everyone happy involves spending a large sum of money. The IdolSinger agency run by the player having reached baseline financial sustainability by the time such events happen is entirely optional.
267[[/folder]]
268
269[[folder:Webcomics]]
270* In ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'':
271** Discussed when [[spoiler:Roy Greenhilt]] dies and is interviewed for admittance to the LawfulGood afterlife. He passes because even though he isn't always a moral paragon, he always tries, rather than accepting an "easier" alignment that would require less work. This means he gets to go to {{Heaven}} while [[spoiler:his jerkass father]] is stuck outside the gates.
272%%** In the ''[[Recap/TheOrderOfTheStickStartOfDarkness Start of Darkness]]'' prequel, then-EnfantTerrible {{Necromancer}} Xykon {{invoke|dTrope}}s this to (???) as a reason he's turning towards evil: why should Xykon fight to ''protect'' a [[HeroWithBadPublicity world that hates and fears him]]? The real reason that he's turning evil is that he's a dick.
273* ''WebComic/MagickChicks'': After being transferred to Artemis Academy, forces conspire to try to reform Melissa - from having [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/magick-chicks/tis-but-a-trifle-2 strange dreams]] about a mysterious little girl, to ending up with a magic wand that seems to [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/eerie-cuties/2012-07-11 act as her conscience]]... whether Mel wants it, ''or not''. But she's [[HeelFaceRevolvingDoor determined to fight their influence]] as the realization that she's begun to change [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/magick-chicks/quite-popular literally sent her running!]]
274** It's even invoked in the comic's tagline: "Being ''good'' never felt SO '''BAD!!'''"
275* In ''Webcomic/PhoenixFlair'', being a MagicalGirl / Avazon is a miserable, grueling experience, with no rewards and many, many injuries... at least, according to the Protagonist.
276* At the beginning of the ''Webcomic/SamAndFuzzy'' NMS revived arc (when Devahi starts working for them), Sam and Fuzzy are dispatched to take care of a problem that involves megalomaniacal gerbils and some really sinister wine. When, at the end of the job, Sam tries to take the wine with him, the owner of the restaurant who hired him stops him, because even though it's opened, and partially drunk, and incredibly dangerous, it's still gotta be worth at least as much as he's paying Sam to save his sorry hide. Sam walks out, with the wine but sans pay, commenting that doing the right thing sucks. Sam ''always'' tries to do the right thing, and it ''always'' sucks for him.
277* Big Ears from ''Webcomic/{{Goblins}}'' puts it best.
278-->'''Big Ears''': Imagine the worst thing that's ever happened to you. Now imagine that it's not just happening to you, but to everybody you care about. That's what evil feels like.\
279'''Chief''': Blaah! That sounds unbearable, why would anyone want to become a Paladin?\
280'''Big Ears''': So others don't have to.
281* Put [[https://www.baldwinpage.com/spacetrawler/2017/07/17/071717-crint-refugees/ a bit more succinctly]] in ''{{Webcomic/Spacetrawler}}'''s second series.
282-->'''Groterix''': "Empathy." I wouldn't want to live without it, but it often gives you the shit end of the stick, doesn't it?
283* James the TokenGoodTeammate of ''{{Webcomic/Roommates}}'' sacrifices, protects, let's his beloveds go if necessary, is humble, prone to [[HeroicSelfdeprecation self-deprecate]], etc. and seems to be as close to an IdealHero as it is possible in the setting... but he will never get the recognition or a happy ending because this is a MetaFic so for good to have ''any'' real reward you need to be TheHero and he isn't. He is determined to be good despite this and [[EarnYourHappyEnding Earn His Happy Ending]]... or at least occasionally [[DrowningMySorrows drink until he forgets]].
284* This is the case in the series, ''Webcomic/ForLoveNorMoney'', when Eamonn confronts his uncle over the cruelty he displays to his tenants, John responds by [[spoiler: raping his mother and cutting of his supply of payments to their family, ultimately leading to his baby sister, Heather, dying of Whooping Cough when they run out of medicine.]]
285[[/folder]]
286
287[[folder:Western Animation]]
288* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender''
289** [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderZuko Zuko]] just can't catch a break with this trope.
290*** First, he gets half his face burned off and is banished for speaking against a general's bloodthirsty strategy and refusing to fight his own father. Then, he risked losing his pursuit of the Avatar to save his uncle. ''Then,'' he went incognito and saved a bunch of villagers who turned on him the moment they found out he was from the Fire Nation. THEN he got physically sick after he let Appa go (which contradicted his sole mission for three years). When he's finally reinstated as Crown Prince, he abandons his home, status, girlfriend, and worldly comforts in exchange for living as a runaway hunted down by his own family all to help Aang save the world. Luckily, it all works out for him in the end.
291** Being an Avatar in general, you have to devote your life to mastering all 4 elements and bringing balance to the world. All this is told to you at age 16 by the way, or in Aang and Korra's case much younger. Nevermind the fact that the Avatar has no choice in the matter, which sucks if you're someone like Aang who "never wanted to be an Avatar".
292* Just like in the comics, the titular character from ''WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan'' still suffers from this grief.
293* The ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' example on [[Quotes/BeingGoodSucks the quotes page]] comes from a scene in which [[Characters/DCAUSuperman Superman]] compares himself to his KnightTemplar EvilCounterpart from another dimension, and he ''won't'' reduce [[Characters/DCAULexLuthor Lex Luthor]] to a splatter across the nearest building for the loss of [[Characters/DCAUTheFlash The Flash]]. Since the League rescued Flash immediately after that, he could take pride in retrospect at showing how strong he ''really'' is, deep down.
294* In the ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' episode "[[Recap/KimPossibleS3E4BadBoy Bad Boy]]", Drakken is depressed when he figures out that [[ItMakesSenseInContext becoming evil again for the greater good]] will mean no more playtime with Rufus.
295* Of the WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes, WesternAnimation/BugsBunny is one most often given an EscortMission, which forces him to postpone his vacation or delay gratification of some other pleasure he was looking forward to. Being a decent person, he'll do it, regardless of how much trouble he runs into or how long it takes to complete because IGaveMyWord. This doesn't negate how much grumbling he'll do on the way, though. The perfect example of this is in the short "8-Ball Bunny," where Bugs promises to take what he thinks is a bird in a tuxedo (actually a famous ice-skating penguin) back where he came from. The look on Bugs' face when he realizes how far he'll have to go (doubly so at the end) to keep his word is priceless.
296--> '''Bugs''': SOUTH POLE?!! '''OOH, I'M DYIN'!!!'''
297* ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'': The amount of abuse [[BadlyBatteredBabysitter Buttons the Dog]] gets while protecting little girl Mindy not to mention the thanklessness and misunderstanding of the dog's owners, who OncePerEpisode think the dog is disobeying their orders, is only rewarded at the end by Mindy patting the bruised and battered canine on the head and saying, "Silly puppy!" In TheMovie ''WesternAnimation/WakkosWish'' every character's wish comes true -(except [[TheChewToy the Mime]]). Buttons' wish is to finally get recognition for his actions by his owners. [[ThrowTheDogABone He receives a large bowl of raw steaks.]]
298* ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfTheGalaxyRangers'': Shane Gooseman was already questioning his purpose as a TykeBomb and unwilling to accept unnecessary casualties during SuperSoldier training. Because he decided to stay loyal to his creators during the riot, he is considered a traitor by his brethren and was forced to accept a deal where he became a HunterOfHisOwnKind. As Killbane aptly pointed out, he's considered a ''slave,'' neither human nor Supertrooper.
299* ''WesternAnimation/Castlevania2017'' sees this {{Enforced}} on Trevor and Sypha as Season 3 goes on, from a fallen priory worshipping one of Dracula's demons and trying to resurrect him, to said priory's ritual burning the rest of the village alive to fuel said ritual, to finding out the town Judge is a SerialKiller whose MO is [[WouldHurtAChild sending]] noisy [[DeathOfAChild children]] to get apples from a tree, where he has hidden a [[SpikesOfDoom spike]] [[PitTrap pit]] to kill them. It all culminates in this exchange in [[Recap/Castlevania2017S3E10AbandonAllHope the season finale]]:
300-->'''Sypha''': This could not have gone more wrong. How did this happen?
301-->'''Trevor''': We spent a couple of months living ''your'' life: [[KnightErrant adventures]] and [[KnightInShiningArmor victories]]. Now... we're living '''''[[KnightInSourArmor my]]''''' life.
302* In one episode, WesternAnimation/{{Doug}} finds an envelope with a large amount of money and decides to turn it in at the local police station. His friends and his sister Judy give him a fair amount of flack for it until the thirty-day waiting period is up; since no one has claimed the money, it is now legally his. Just as he's adding it up, a CoincidentalBroadcast airs about a little old lady who is missing the exact same amount of money. Reluctantly, he returns the money to her, whereupon she rewards his honesty with ''[[DudeWheresMyReward a pack of spearmint gum.]]'' At least Judy takes him out for a milkshake as a sign of implicit approval of his honesty.
303* ''WesternAnimation/{{Daria}}'':
304** The title character is usually too [[TheCynic cynical]] and [[BrilliantButLazy lazy]] to try doing something good, but when she does, she usually runs into this trope, with her efforts proving ineffective ("The New Kid") or only partially effective ("Fizz Ed," "See Jane Run").
305** [[LovableAlphaBitch Quinn]] runs into this in the GrandFinale: she confronts her friend about her alcoholism, but this creates a rift in their relationship without having any apparent effects on her drinking.
306* ''WesternAnimation/GoofTroop'': PJ lives his entire adolescence with this trope as its message. At best, he gets someone to console him, fix things for him, or make up with him after they or someone else maliciously or carelessly hurt his feelings or made things difficult for him. Most of the time he has to seek a resolution himself and sometimes has to resort to passive-aggression or violence in order to achieve the right results. Otherwise, his somewhat selfish friend and extremely selfish father always have the upper hand over him, meaning that he spends most of his time doing other characters' bidding. He's not only treated as an ExtremeDoormat, but also a (sympathetic) NoRespectGuy and TheDragAlong, and has been actively ''slandered'' by a talking hat before. He ''eventually'' [[EarnYourHappyEnding get a happy ending]] in [[WesternAnimation/AnExtremelyGoofyMovie the second movie]].
307* ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'': Goliath's Clan constantly put human lives above their own. Their reward is being called monsters, having objects thrown at them, and sometimes an organization with full military troops seeking to either kill them or capture and dissect them. On the other hand, they have a fan club and the humans that ''know'' them, such as [[TheCommissionerGordon Elisa]] and [[FriendlyEnemy Xanatos]] think otherwise.
308* In the last season of ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'', [[Characters/SamuraiJackJack Jack]] is growing tired of his quest to return to the past after having spent 50 years stuck in the {{Bad Future}} [[TheAgeless not having aged a day]] to the point where he even considers suicide to end his misery.
309* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'':
310** [[Characters/SouthParkKyleBroflovski Kyle Broflovski]] always tries to do the right thing, even if it doesn't get him rewarded or gain happiness. It becomes more apparent when Cartman, a sociopath at the age of 10, is involved because despite Kyle hating him with all his heart, he could never let Cartman suffer from his own stupid actions and wants to at least see him do the right thing once in his life.
311** Several of [[TheyKilledKennyAgain Kenny's deaths]] were {{heroic sacrifice}}s done to save the lives of others, but that doesn't change the fact that [[Characters/SouthParkKennyMcCormick Kenny McCormick]] [[ImmortalityHurts feels and remembers the pain of dying]] [[WhoWantsToLiveForever each and every time]].
312* The titular character of ''WesternAnimation/WordGirl'' finds a hard time having fun due to her crime-fighting.
313* ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats2011'': Lion-O was looked down upon by both his own people and others for showing mercy to the other races of Third Earth, and when he tries to do the right thing, it's often at the expense of either his own safety or happiness. At the very least, Lion-O's actions are shown to have positive effects in the long run despite the hardships.
314* In the season 2 premiere of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', [[Characters/FriendshipIsMagicDiscord Discord]] gives [[BreakThemByTalking breaking speeches]] to each of the [[Characters/FriendshipIsMagicTheManeCast Mane Six]] about how much friendship either sucks and how it's better off to be selfish in the end, right before inverting their personalities to be contrary to their normal selves.
315* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'':
316** [[Characters/StevenUniverseStevenQuartzUniverse The crux of Steven's character]] throughout the show. While he starts off as a comical, somewhat obnoxious goof that's focused on having fun with the Gems and easily gets distracted, he gradually gains an understanding of how serious his missions actually are - first as he struggles to replicate even the most basic powers the other Gems can do, then as he attempts to harness his unique abilities shared by his mother. He displays doubts that he won't be able to live up to the reputation of his mother, especially as she was the leader of the Crystal Gems during the war. Throughout Season 1, he gains maturity as he tries to find a balance between his responsibility and finding time for fun, but after the season finale, he starts to come to terms that the enemy might not be so easy to deal with after he's captured by Jasper and is forced to watch as his friend Lapis Lazuli sacrifices herself to keep Jasper from hurting him. Season 2 shows that he's sadly become all too aware of the Gems' HeroWorship of Rose and that he starts to believe he really might be his mother and they might blame him for not being around. He learns of the horrific Gem experiments conducted by Homeworld and the frightening amounts of BodyHorror and near the end of the season starts to lose faith in Peridot, who he thought he could help to overcome her prejudices and backwards mindset. Thankfully he's proven right, but it's still a struggle to consider that there's some people he might be unable to save. Season 3 has him being forced to confront the horror of the Cluster as their thousands of fragmented minds psychically scream for help, learning to help Lapis with her deep-seated self-hatred and mental scars, and later come into conflict with an old Crystal Gem who tries to kill him over the ethics of war because of one of his mother's dark secrets. If that weren't enough, Jasper and a Homeworld Ruby can't be reasoned with and he has no way to save them, in the latter case having to strand her in space to survive, and they blame him for the [[spoiler:apparent]] death of Pink Diamond, who once again was because of Rose. If all that weren't enough, Season 4 shows that he suffers from mental trauma as he has flashbacks that he was unable to save Bismuth, Jasper, and Ruby, and feels guilt that a pacifist like him has no choice but to do darker things when an enemy refuses help. By now, he's had to go through immensely stressful situations, and, while not lacking his enthusiasm or desire to do good, it's cost him his innocence and is a far cry from the child he once was at the beginning of the series.
317** Played with in Keystone Motel. When [[Characters/StevenUniverseGarnet Garnet]] defuses due to Ruby and Sapphire disagreeing on how to deal with Pearl tricking them into fusing, Sapphire says they need to forgive Pearl for the good of the group while Ruby is frustrated that they always have to be 'the bigger Gem'.
318** After [[spoiler: [[Characters/StevenUniversePeridot Peridot]]]] cements her HeelFaceTurn, she spends the next couple of hours descending into madness born of fear and confusion over her defection from Yellow Diamond. She admits it's hard for her not to have some lingering feelings for the place she came from, but thankfully she got over it.
319* In ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'', Earl Cooper was a car engineer for [[BlandNameProduct Global Motors]]. He reported a design flaw in one of their cars to the board of directors. [[CorruptCorporateExecutive However, they refused to remove the product from the market on their lawyers' advice.]] Earl was determined to talk to the authorities as lives were at stake. The executives sent a bunch of thugs to silence him, but thankfully Batman saved him. Earl's testimony then rocked Global Motors in a massive scandal. Years later, Earl found himself out of a job because he got a reputation as a whistleblower. However, Batman hires him to be his own personal car engineer. Earl designed the Batmobile and other Bat Vechicles.
320* Implied in the ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'' episode "Rest and Ricklaxation". When Rick and Morty go to an alien spa to have the toxic traits of their personalities removed from them, [[Characters/RickAndMortyMortySmith Morty Smith]] loses his empathy and humility, pretty much becoming a lowkey sociopath in the process. It's eventually revealed that the spa removes what the individual ''believes'' are their toxic traits, even if those traits may not be truly negative. Although considering the show weighs ''far'' to the right on the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism and ''loves'' showing that NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished, it's understandable why Morty would hate the more positive traits about himself.
321* ''WesternAnimation/WanderOverYonder'': After failing to achieve the 'Ring of Invincibility' in "The Battle Royale" (which was actually a candy ring pop anyway), The Black Cube of Darkness gives up on being a villain, as seen in "The Black Cube". Sadly, trying to walk the path of the hero has left him with a dead-end job, a shitty apartment, no companionship whatsoever, and people either [[TheDreaded flee at the sight of him]] or [[BullyingADragon harass him, despite having the power to steal souls.]] Luckily, things start to look up for him by the episode's end.
322* This is the reason why Optimus Prime and Bumblebee ended up where they were at the beginning of ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated''. For Optimus, [[spoiler:during his court martial, he took the blame for Sentinel's idea for them and the (supposedly) late Elita-One to go treasure-hunting on an off-limit world, where Elita was supposedly killed, while Sentinel would claim that ''he'' insisted that this was a bad idea, when in truth, it was the other way around. As punishment, Optimus was washed out of the Autobot Academy and sent off to do space bridge maintenance with a team of other equally lowly Autobots (which was a ''favor'' by Ultra Magnus, who was otherwise [[DisappointedInYou disappointed in him]] and [[{{Irony}} came to believe that he wasn't destined to be a hero after all]]), while [[KarmaHoudini Sentinel managed to enlist in the Elite Guard as Ultra Magnus's second-in-command]]]]. Bumblebee, on the other hand, [[spoiler:intended to expose [[{{Jerkass}} Wasp]] as a spy to win Sentinel's approval and therefore fast track to the Elite Guard. Though he was successful, he decided to let that opportunity go when Sentinel was about to unfairly wash out Bulkhead since he felt awful for being a jerk towards him in spite of him being the only 'bot that treated him kindly. Also, it turns out Wasp wasn't a spy at all but was instead framed by the ''actual'' spy]]. Though as the show goes on, it proves that being good ultimately ''is'' good.
323* Megatron in ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'' outright weaponizes this one against Optimus by offering a truce. Optimus ''knows'' he's up to something, that there's no way in hell Megatron has any desire for peace or to abandon his grand machinations, and that this truce will solely benefit the Predacons. But, as Megatron bluntly tells him, he ''will'' honor the truce no matter what.
324--> '''Megatron:''' I wish a truce, and you ''will'' agree.
325--> '''Optimus:''' Do you take me for a fool?!
326--> '''Megatron:''' No. I take you for a ''Maximal''.
327[[/folder]]
328
329[[folder:Real Life]]
330* [[http://www.paradoxicalcommandments.com/ The Paradoxical Commandments]] outright state that every attempt to be a good person will be met with failure and resistance, and that this should in no way stop you from doing good. Doing good, even though it's hard at times, [[KnightInSourArmor adds to your virtue]].
331* [[Film/SchindlersList Oskar Schindler]], [[GuileHero due to his way with people]], managed to shelter over 1200 Jews during UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust by claiming they were "essential workers" at his enamel factory. He saved all of them from suffering and death. Unfortunately this bankrupted him, and he lived on charity from the people he saved. That being said, his heroism is widely acknowledged, especially by the State of Israel, who gave him the honorific "Righteous Among the Nations" and allowed him to be buried on Mount Zion; he is the only former member of the Nazi party to be honored that way.
332* Applies to witnesses to crimes who want to testify, but fear retribution by the criminals or their associates. You could go into witness protection, only to lose everything you have to live a completely different life.
333* [[http://denver.cbslocal.com/2012/01/28/2-students-face-expulsion-for-sharing-an-asthma-inhaler/ Two girls were suspended]] and faced expulsion when one had what looked like an asthma attack and the other shared her inhaler.
334* Anytime anyone sacrifices their own life to save another. Sure, dying so that others may live is perhaps one of the most selfless things that anyone can do, but you still have to ''die''.
335* It's a well-known (and sad) fact that kids who are bullied at school often get in trouble for retaliating in self-defense. Now, go ask somebody who has tried to interfere and protect a victim from being bullied. Chances are they got in trouble along with the victim. It's also not unheard of for kids who try to defend a victim from their bullies, only to become the next target.
336* Many victims dealing with [[DomesticAbuse spousal]]/[[AbusiveParents parental]] abuse who [[TheDogBitesBack retaliate against said abuser]] (especially physically in self-defense) will often find themselves facing the charges, while the abuser ends up the one interpreted as the victim by the authorities.
337* [[https://web.archive.org/web/20120419024554/http://now.msn.com/living/0416-ohio-hs-grad-ban.aspx This high school student]] was unable to graduate because he missed 16 days of school. Those days were spent caring for his cancer-stricken mother. Fortunately, the decision was reversed.
338* Being a whistleblower at your job. You will be thanked and given a small reward, but good luck ever finding another job. A person can also face criminal charges depending on which company or organization they blew the whistle on, especially government agencies when the whistleblowing involves leaking classified information.
339* One of the few reasons why sexual harassment at the workplace usually goes unchallenged. Sometimes, if the person who is doing the harassing is a vital employee to the company whereas the victim is just some new guy/girl or desperate for their job, it's not too unheard of for the company to just fire the person complaining about the harassment.
340* If you're an altruistic person you'd better avert StupidGood behaviour, otherwise, you might get exploited for all you're worth by freeloaders and deadbeats.
341* There's an alleged story of a British soldier named Henry Tandey, who served in the [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI first world war]] where he chose not to shoot a retreating, wounded German soldier. While this was an honourable and noble act, which was appreciated by the wounded soldier, the soldier in question was none other than a 29-year-old '''UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler''', the man who started the [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII second world war]]. The act was branded by history, and Henry was given the condemning title of "The Man Who Spared Hitler". The facts behind the story are disputable and the strongest amount of evidence came from Hitler, Neville Chamberlain, and Henry himself. One bit of evidence has Hitler seeing a painting of Henry and remarking to Chamberlain, "That man came so near to killing me that I thought I should never see Germany again; Providence saved me from such devilishly accurate fire as those English boys were aiming at us."
342* Any job that involves helping the public can feel like this (police, doctors, teachers, or even customer service). Sure, you'll get the occasional thank you or even a gift, but you'll likely get twice as many people [[DudeWheresMyRespect not even thanking you or even outright berating you for trying to help them]]. In the end, those people still have to be helped when needed.
343* After [[UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror the Taliban won the Afghanistan War]], the restored regime went through this in their efforts to legitimize themselves on the global stage and stabilize the country. Former commander Mawlawi Zubair Mutmaeen [[HeelFaceTurn went from orchestrating suicide bombings to being a chief of police in the same city he once terrorized]]. In [[https://www.wsj.com/articles/taliban-commander-who-launched-bombings-in-kabul-is-now-a-police-chief-in-charge-of-security-11634740097 an interview]] he stated that [[NoPlaceForAWarrior Jihad was preferable to city life]] and he lies awake at night worrying about crimes that could be happening at that very moment. The country was previously responsible for producing ~90% of the world's heroin, but in 2023 the Taliban ended opium cultivation [[EvilPaysBetter and halved their GDP in the process]].
344* Caring a lot about people can be a very painful thing. In fact, the word "compassion" literally means "to suffer with."
345[[/folder]]

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