Line #23 Main/SamaritanRelationshipStarter


1	->''"There's something sweet and almost kind\
2	But he was mean and he was coarse and unrefined\
3	And now he's dear and so unsure\
4	I wonder why I didn't see it there before."''
5	-->-- '''Belle''', ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast''
6
7	So AliceAndBob don't know each other yet, or Alice regards Bob with either indifference or dislike. But then, she witnesses him committing -- or becomes the recipient of -- some [[PetTheDog single act of kindness]] ([[BullyHunter rescuing someone from bullies]], stopping to help someone with errands, etc.) that makes her think "maybe he's not so bad after all." This causes her to develop a blossoming crush on him or otherwise shoehorns the two toward a romantic relationship.
8
9	Psychology-wise, the trope works due to the belief on the part of the girl that only she has seen this "hidden side" of the guy, which makes her feel special and connected with him. After all, the appeal of [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys the bad boy]] is that he only acts like a dick around people other than ''you''. Savvy characters can exploit this.
10
11	Essentially, a form of RelationshipUpgrade that tends to happen very early on in the RomanceArc, if not start it entirely. RescueRomance, RescueIntroduction, and ReturningTheHandkerchief are particularly common types of Samaritan Relationship Starter. A related trope is SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan, where one character is attracted to another because they're usually like this. Opposite of TurnedOffByTheJerkass, where a character dumps or rejects someone because of how awful they are to other people.
12	----
13	!!Examples:
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15	[[foldercontrol]]
16
17	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
18	* Matsuri of ''Manga/AyakashiTriangle'' met Suzu when she scolded an ayakashi to get it to stop scaring him. Grateful and impressed, Matsuri soon became ChildhoodFriends with her, and he remains fiercely dedicated to Suzu into their teens--by which point he had [[SelfServingMemory forgotten ever being afraid of ayakashi, or that this was how they met]].
19	* ''Anime/CodeGeass'':
20	** [[NaiveEverygirl Shirley]] thinks [[MagnificentBastard Lelouch]] is a cold, spoiled brat until she witnesses him helping out some strangers when no one else would, apparently a habit of his. And it wasn't just that he helped - it was that afterwards, he didn't boast or anything, he just [[ThinkNothingOfIt went back to what he'd been doing as if nothing had happened]]. And he didn't seem to take any satisfaction in helping, as his face kept the same bored expression as usual. It made her start paying closer attention to him, to try to figure him out. Thus begins her infamous and [[BreakTheCutie tragic]] crush on him.
21	** [[AllThereInTheManual When they were children]], Lelouch and Suzaku had this mutually. They had been fighting since they met, but one day, Nunnally went missing. Both of them wanted to find her, but they refused to work together - until Suzaku found her first, and Lelouch sees her laugh for the first time since their mother was killed, because of Suzaku. After that, they become friends.
22	* The two leads of ''Manga/{{Dandadan}}'', Momo Ayase and Ken Takakura, met when Momo stood up for Ken when he was being bullied. They then got into a discussion about ghosts and aliens, and things took off from there.
23	* Prior to the start of ''Manga/{{Horimiya}}'', Hori only saw Miyamura as that gloomy-looking long-haired guy in her class who kept to himself, always wore long sleeves, and was probably an otaku. Then he ended up helping her little brother when the latter was injured. Downplayed in that this simply led to the two of them becoming friends. The actual romance didn't come until later.
24	* It's established in a flashback that Shirogane from ''Manga/KaguyaSamaLoveIsWar'' fell in love with [[IceQueen Kaguya]] after seeing her rescue the Mass Media club president from drowning. Although it technically wasn't the fact that she saved someone's life that drew his attention, but rather that she took action when everyone else (including him) was frozen by indecision.
25	* ''Manga/LoveLab'' 's [[FieryRedhead Eno]] who has terrible [[ProneToVomiting motion sickness]] ended up stuck on a bus by accident, and it was in a traffic jam so she couldn't get off. Right before she was about to [[GreenAroundTheGills vomit,]] a boy checked on her, pretended to [[PottyEmergency urgently need the bathroom]] to get the driver to open the door, and helped her off the bus to the closest bathroom. He then waited for her to finish and made sure she was alright before leaving. Eno [[SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan instantly fell for him, and hoped to see him again.]] Which she quickly did, as the boy was [[PrinceCharming Haru]], the StudentCouncilPresident of the school she's about to have a meeting with.
26	* In ''Manga/MidoriDays'', it's ''this trope'', not RescueRomance, that kickstarts Takako Ayase's crush on Seiji Sawamura. Seiji does catch her attention after he rescues her from [[{{Delinquents}} school delinquents]], but she's still wary of him because she still believes he's a blood-thirsty fight seeker. It's only after witnessing Sawamura deliberately taking a beating without retaliating in order to save a friend and to defuse the hate the {{Delinquents}} have for him, that she falls in love with him.
27	* When Shinji defeats the Angel in his first fight together with Asuka in ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''.
28	** Even more so when he saves her from death by volcano by jumping into the lava without any sort of protective equipment.
29	** On the other hand, this eventually gets inverted: Asuka becomes allergic to anyone demonstrating kindness to her, [[DontYouDarePityMe deliberately mistaking their genuine intentions towards her as pity]].
30	* Played for laughs in ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' with Ukyo; she and Ranma already have an ArrangedMarriage, but he's initially unaware and she's initially out for revenge because she thinks he abandoned her. When he interrupts her rant about being ruined for marriage and cursed to be alone forever by telling her that she's a very cute girl and will make someone a great wife someday, that's when she drops the vendetta and decides to give being engaged to him another shot. Especially because his ''[[LoveDodecahedron other]]'' ArrangedMarriage is a {{tsundere}} with whom he evidently does ''not'' get along.
31	* In ''{{Manga/Ratman}}'', the RebelliousPrincess character already kind of likes the hero, though she thinks of him as a wimpy kid who needs protection. Then she sees him rescue a kitten from being run over (without the benefit of superpowers) and she immediately upgrades her opinion to "has a hero's heart"--especially significant as the [[FakeUltimateHero "real" professional heroes]] ignored the situation.
32	** It also happens with Haruka, who begins to appreciate [[{{Gonk}} Taishi/Fatman]] after seeing him calming down a child using his TransformationSequence and free pizza on his own account. Taishi didn't know of this...and arranges a RescueRomance situation to impress her. HilarityEnsues. Then heartwarming ensues.
33	* ''Manga/UruseiYatsura'':
34	** One reading of Lum's relationship with Ataru is that she begins to see him as her "Darling" for real after he defends her from having to go back with her hated ex-fiance [[BrainlessBeauty Rei]] by claiming he had failed the challenge she set him, despite him really having passed.
35	** Ataru first begins to warm up to Lum as a love interest after she saves him from losing a bet and being humiliated by pretending to be the fictitious SecretAdmirer he was expecting to meet, even though she had every reason to leave him to his fate.
36	* In ''Manga/WildRock'', Yuni falls into an animal trap set by Selim. Selim gets him out and gently nurses him back to health. Since they're of [[FeudingFamilies rival clans]], Yuni wouldn't have given him the time of day before this.
37	* Invoked in ''Manga/TheWorldGodOnlyKnows'' for the middle school girl's capture, which is mostly told from her perspective. Keima fakes being a member of the swim team and pretends to do really well and looks cool. When he disappears, she builds up a false impression of him as a really cool upperclassman (he calls it a free love potion to be a sempai), which balances against his bad reputation and has her develop a crush on him. [[spoiler:And later when he's checking for goddesses, we see that unlike all of the other girls, she does not even remember him because he managed to get out the runaway spirit while barely speaking to her. Which is a good thing.]]
38	[[/folder]]
39
40	[[folder:Fan Works]]
41	* ''Blog/BetterBonesAU'': Hawkfrost defending Reedwhisker from Heavystep's bullying helps to start their relationship.
42	* ''FanFic/ChildOfTheStorm'': Upon meeting Carol, one of the first things that Harry does is to defend her against a sexist jerk (not that [[GroinAttack she isn't quite capable of fending for herself]], but it's the thought that counts). He is then introduced to two more of her friends, one of whom is proudly CampGay and the other of whom is bald, but Harry barely bats an eye at either of their "nonconformities." Over the course of their RomanceArc, it's made ''very'' clear that SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan is in play, in part because he keeps his eyes on her face, unlike most teenage boys.
43	* In Episode 13 of the second season of ''WebVideo/DeathNoteTheAbridgedSeriesKpts4tv'', when Near reveals that Kira saved him from being molested, the FoeRomanceSubtext becomes text. [[DatingCatwoman Near's still trying to catch Kira but their dialogue gets ''very'' flirty.]]
44	-->'''Light:''' So... you're a virgin?
45	* The ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' fanfic ''Fanfic/GimmeShelter'' suggests this trope is the reason that Fancypants and Fleur de Lis are seen together. Specifically, he took her in for the night after she got caught in a storm without her coat, and asked for a date in return, which she agreed to.
46	* ''Fanfic/{{Greenfire}}'': It's actually Greenfire that kicks off the relationship by giving Rarity some gems that she had tried and failed to unearth. She comes back to properly thank him, they plan to meet once again, and things go from there.
47	* ''Fanfic/SonOfTheSannin'' provides a platonic example. Itachi makes a good first impression on Shizune by being one of the few people who isn't afraid of her little brother being a jinchuriki. This leads to the two becoming lifelong friends (and eventually in-laws due to her marrying his cousin [[SparedByTheAdaptation Shisui]]).
48	* In ''Fanfic/TheVow'', Lord [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Shen]] and Lady [[DefrostingIceQueen Lianne]] start off on poor terms, and for improvement to begin, it requires her to openly defend him against slander said about his appearance and genetic health. This — along with the realization of how lonely she feels — makes him apologize for his behavior with an ApologyGift she can accept.
49	* In VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition's ''FanFic/WalkingInCircles'', Solas and Evelyn’s first interaction is her willingness to be hit to keep his pendant safe. But it takes him to see her protecting an elven child and, once again, risking herself to keep him safe from his own mistake that he truly notices and develops affection for her, and much longer than that for him to actually see her as a true person with full emotional capability.
50	* In the ''{{Franchise/Rambo}}'' fanfic ''Fanfic/WhereDoIGoFromHere'', out of guilt for what happened in Hope, Deputy Mitch offers John a place to live after he's put on probation. While the relationship doesn't start immediately, it likely never would have developed had it not been for Mitch's offer.
51	[[/folder]]
52
53	[[folder:Film - Animated]]
54	* ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'': When the Beast fights off wolves to save Belle, she takes a second look at him. The musical number "Something There," quoted at the top of the page, is a FallingInLoveMontage in which Belle realizes this.
55	* ''WesternAnimation/{{The Hunchback of Notre Dame\|Disney}}'': Phoebus is attracted to Esmerelda from the get-go (as is basically every main character), but once he sees her stand up to Frollo and his guards to protect Quasimodo, it's definite. Esmerelda initially sees ''him'' as arrogant and untrustworthy, even if he's not cut from the same cloth as Frollo's other mooks, but that changes after she witnesses him save an innocent family from Frollo.
56	* ''Anime/TheWindRises''. When a young girl's maid breaks her leg during the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake, Jiro Horikoshi carries her to safety, then escorts the girl home and gets help so the maid can be carried home as well. The young girl develops a PrecociousCrush on her unknown rescuer; when she meets him as an adult, they end up getting married.
57	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Zootopia}}'': Nick and Judy are an intertwined example of this. Judy rescues Nick from a savage jaguar and then saves his life when they are both knocked off the Skytram platform which leads to Nick standing up to the DaChief for her sake and then opens up to her about his childhood trauma. This leads to a deep friendship forming between them.
58	[[/folder]]
59
60	[[folder:Film - Live Action]]
61	%%* ''Film/GoodDick'': The main character's relationship starts this way.
62	* In ''Film/{{Outlander\|2008}}'', Freya reconsiders her opinion of Kainen after hearing how his valor in the fight against the bear saved her father's life.
63	* Deliciously played with in ''Film/RedEye'', which sort of resembles a romantic comedy in the very beginning, before turning all creepy.
64	* ''Film/SilverLiningsPlaybook'': Tiffany is touched when she overhears Pat standing up for her in a conversation with one of her former coworkers.
65	[[/folder]]
66
67	[[folder:Literature]]
68	* ''Literature/AgnesGrey'': While Agnes hears a lot of good things about Mr Weston (a new clergyman at her church), the first time she really meets him is just after he rescues an elderly widow's cat from getting shot by the local lord's gameskeeper. He stumbled upon said cat because he was on his way to visit said widow to read the bible to her to lift her spirits since she's been in poor health and worries about her immortal soul. This is, incidentally, when Agnes first starts developing feelings for him.
69	* ''Literature/MyNextLifeAsAVillainessAllRoutesLeadToDoom'': From what little detail Catarina has on it (since she never played the route before she died), courting Nicol in ''[[ShowWithinAShow Fortune Lover]]'' required showing kindness to [[BigBrotherInstinct his bullied little sister Sophia]]. Catarina ends up doing this by complete accident when she befriends Sophia due to their shared interest in romance novels [[spoiler:(plus the whole ReincarnationFriendship thing, but neither of them is aware of that).]]
70	* A classic example in ''Literature/PrideAndPrejudice.'' At first, Elizabeth regards Mr. Darcy as being a total jerk (and, in fairness, he kind of is at the start). However, she later discovers that he's NiceToTheWaiter, dotes on his younger sister, and [[WhatYouAreInTheDark went to personal trouble and expense to help her younger sister with no thought of reward]]. This is what makes her start to fall in love with him.
71	* Deconstructed in ''Literature/TheStatement'' by Brian Moore. It's revealed the relationship between the VillainProtagonist and his ex-wife started this way, but he's just a manipulative sociopath.
72	* ''Literature/NotQuiteAMermaid'': In ''Mermaid Friends'', Electra dislikes Keri and Marina because they made fun of her for [[ApparentlyHumanMerfolk having legs]], and because they made Sasha cry by dressing as a BedsheetGhost. But late in the book, Electra finds that both girls have been stranded on a rock by the lowering tide. If a mermaid's tail is out of the water for too long, it starts to blister, so Electra quickly climbs onto the rock and helps both girls back into the ocean. A moment later, a wave almost throws Electra back against the rock, but Marina grabs her and pulls her to safety. Electra realises that Keri and Marina aren't really mean, just insensitive, and that they share her love of adventure. They agree to be friends. That night, Keri and Marina make up for the ghost prank by showing Electra and her friends a beautiful cave full of bioluminescent jellyfish, where they enjoy a midnight feast.
73	[[/folder]]
74
75	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
76	* ''Series/GoodOmens2019'':
77	** It looks like [[OurDemonsAreDifferent demon Crowley]] falls in love with [[OurAngelsAreDifferent angel Aziraphale]] in their first ([[spoiler:not the first]]) [[MeetCute meeting]] after learning that the angel gave away his flaming sword to Adam and Eve in order to protect them.
78	--->'''Crowley:''' Didn’t you have [[FlamingSword a flaming sword]]?
79	--->'''Aziraphale:''' Er...
80	--->'''Crowley:''' You did, didn’t you? ... It was flaming like anything. What happened to it?
81	--->'''Aziraphale:''' Er...
82	--->'''Crowley:''' Lost it already, have you?
83	--->'''Aziraphale:''' I gave it away...
84	--->'''Crowley:''' (''shocked expression'') You WHAT?
85	--->'''Aziraphale:''' I ''gave it away!''
86	--->'''Crowley:''' (''massive heart eyes and adoring look'')
87	** Later in that scene, Aziraphale [[WingShield shelters Crowley under his wing]] when it starts [[RomanticRain raining]]. [[HoYay Aww]], poor demon [[BecauseYouWereNiceToMe never stood a chance]].
88	* In ''Series/TheGoodPlace,'' Eleanor falls in love with Chidi because he's willing to go out of his way to teach her philosophy and try to make her a better person. He gets absolutely zero personal benefit out of it but does it anyway.
89	* This is what kickstarts the WillTheyOrWontThey for Barney and Robin in ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'' when Barney comforts Robin after she is dumped by a jerk boyfriend. They end up sleeping together, which leads to Barney realising he is in love with Robin.
90	* ''Series/TheLordOfTheRingsTheRingsOfPower'': When Galadriel and Halbrand meet each in the open sea, being shipwrecked on the same raft, they spend their time constantly fighting and being distrustful of each other. A typhoon hits them, and they are forced to cooperate and save each other's lives. After Elendil brings them to Numenor, they form a strong friendship and by the time they return to Middle-earth, they become inseparable.
91	[[/folder]]
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93	[[folder:Religion and Mythology]]
94	* Literature/TheBible provides a variant: when Abraham's servant Eliezer is sent on a journey to find a wife for Isaac, he prays to God to have the woman He has chosen as Isaac's wife identify herself by offering to draw water for his camels as well after he asks her for a drink. Given how physically exhausting it was to lug water out of a well for so many animals, the point was to pick a woman willing to go out of her way to help anyone in need.
95	[[/folder]]
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97	[[folder:Video Games]]
98	* A non-romantic example: in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'', Hawke meets his/her lifelong best friend Varric when the dwarf apprehends a pickpocket who has stolen Hawke's money pouch. It's later clarified that Varric knew who Hawke was (thanks to their reputation) and had specifically intended to meet them, but the pickpocketing gave him an unusual way to introduce himself.
99	* In the ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights'' mod ''[[VideoGame/TheAielundSaga The Aielund Saga]]'', Criosa really starts to consider the male player character in this manner if you take the heroic dialogue options when helping out the dwarves at the start of chapter 3.
100	[[/folder]]
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102	[[folder:Web Comics]]
103	* ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive:'' Elliot's [[http://egscomics.com/comic/2014-01-13 decision]] to ask Ashley out on a date stems in part from [[http://egscomics.com/comic/2014-01-10 her willingness]] to warn Susan about Tom's less than honest nature despite the fact that, to the best of her knowledge, this would hurt her chances with Elliot (she believed that Elliot and Susan were likely to get together).
104	* ''Webcomic/NextSoundOfTheFuture'': Gumiya's crush on Shine started when Shine gave him her umbrella when she saw him alone outside on a rainy day even though they were total strangers.
105	* [[FilleFatale Larisa's]] relationship with [[GiveGeeksAChance Landon]] in ''Webcomic/SandraAndWoo'' was kicked off when he helped her pass a math test.
106	[[/folder]]
107
108	[[folder:Western Animation]]
109	* ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'': Because of [[PoorCommunicationKills a misunderstanding with gum on her seat]] and his friendship with the class AlphaBitch Chloé, Marinette assumes Adrien to be another {{Jerkass}}. Soon after, he explains himself and [[UmbrellaOfTogetherness offers her his umbrella]] to walk home in the rain, and she falls for him instantly.
110	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan'', Season 2: JerkJock Flash Thompson tries to hook up with quiet and artistic Sha Shan, completely failing to woo her when he relies on his usual sports reputation and personality to attract her attention. She only begins to respond to his affections when he reports to his coach that one of his teammates was using performance-enhancing drugs during their recent championship game (specifically [[spoiler: Harry Osborn using Globulin Green, the drug that would turn Norman into the Green Goblin]]). His actions force the team to retroactively forfeit the game and lose their title, something that he had worked long and hard for (having even broken his leg for and costing him a potential scholarship), but he felt that the championship did not mean anything if had been earned dishonestly. After this, Sha begins to reciprocate his feelings.
111	* In ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama Island'', Courtney finds out that Duncan is a JerkWithAHeartOfGold when she sees him tricking DJ with a replacement Bunny so DJ wouldn't be sad. This is what sows the seeds of their relationship.
112	[[/folder]]
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