-> ''Thane seems like the [[TallDarkAndHandsome strong]], [[WarriorPoet sensitive]], [[BreadEggsMilkSquick murdering]] type. You know those are always great to have around. [[RomanceSidequest A real cuddler.]]''
-->-- '''Joker''', ''Videogame/MassEffect2''

So, let's say there's this guy who happens to be [[ProfessionalKiller a hitman]]. Best in town. He'll usually be an urban legend, moving swiftly beneath the concrete jungle, leaving no evidence behind and fulfilling his jobs with the utmost care up to the point of perfection. Mossad? CIA? KGB? Doesn't matter, his targets drop like flies. No job is too hard and there's no one he can't kill.

...Or is there? For perhaps even this cold-hearted killer [[NeverHurtAnInnocent can't bring himself to kill an innocent bystander]] (usually a [[WouldntHurtAChild kid]]). And not only does he not do his job, but he then turns against his employer to save the life of the very same person he was supposed to kill. This guy we're talking about? He's a [[TitleDrop hitman with a heart]].

A common trope in a number of dark comedy and action movies is to have a sympathetic [[ProfessionalKillers assassin]] as either the protagonist or a secondary character. Although their entire job is to commit murder for money, the audience is encouraged to sympathize with the character. This is rarely a case of EvilIsCool, since not only is the assassin presented as a sympathetic human being with some positive traits, he is usually also shown to be rather ''uncool'', being neurotic, reclusive or otherwise damaged.

Sometimes the hitman will have a [[BadassCreed code]] that makes him more easily acceptable by audiences, such as only killing criminals, or [[NeverHurtAnInnocent refusing to kill women and children]], or not going after the family of his targets. He may take pains to make his hits painless, possibly even CradlingTheirKill. Or he may be saddled with a child or an innocent to protect. Commonly he will have to [[DefectorFromDecadence turn on his old employers]] (be they Government types or Mafia dons) after he refuses to perform a certain hit and has to deal with a ContractOnTheHitman.

There is some TruthInTelevision to this. A mob hitman is a hired gun who only accepts hits on mobsters, period, and might fit the description.

A blend of TheAtoner and ProfessionalKiller. Frequently is a ALighterShadeOfGrey. May result from falling InLoveWithTheMark. If this trope comes in the backstory variety, it's a SympatheticMurderBackstory. If his reticence to kill the target ''doesn't'' cue a HeelFaceTurn, it might just be a case of EvenEvilHasStandards.
----
!!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]
* The two main ladies of ''Anime/{{Noir}}'', Kirika and Mireille, pick and choose which assignments they'll take; nevertheless it's shown that this takes a heavy toll on at least one of them spiritually; so the other suggests that they'll "look for the light" in the last episode.
* ''WeissKreuz'' follows a team of four of these.
* Train Heartnet of ''Manga/BlackCat'' is this Trope.
* Arguably Bandou from ''Manga/ElfenLied'' could be counted for this Trope. Despite his intro as a PsychoForHire and the other times where he acts the part after, he's not all bad, specially towards ShrinkingViolet Mayu... but he's still one of the biggest [[JerkAss Jerkasses]] in anime.
* Heero Yuy from ''GundamWing'' is an interesting case; he begins the series as a trained assassin/soldier who resents himself for feeling guilt over killing (and [[DrivenToSuicide repeatedly attempts suicide]]), but [[CharacterDevelopment his interactions with the rest of the cast]] lead to him valuing his life and maturing into a confident, compassionate guardian angel.
** According to the manga and to ''Frozen Teardrop'', [[spoiler: Heero's father was another HitmanWithAHeart, Odin Lowe (the assassin of the first Heero Yuy, actually). Lowe's death scene in ''Episode Zero'' says it all.]]
-->'''[[spoiler:Odin]]:''' Listen... Don't forget what I told you... before we left.... It's the last lesson this old fool can give you. Th-the last few years... we spent together... w-weren't so... bad...
* Zabuza Momochi of ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' fits this trope, after his MoralityPet Haku is killed and remains so for approximately five minutes before his RedemptionEqualsDeath.
** Technically every single sympathetic character in Naruto fits this Trope. They're all assassins. Remember Hinata, the cute blushing one; yeah she once buried a guy alive (albeit in the anime). And which rookie was the first one to be shown killing someone onscreen? If you guessed Sasuke, you're wrong. It was ''[[BewareTheNiceOnes Choji.]]''
** Which would mean that every single character in the Naruto series fits this trope, as even the villains are always eventually portrayed as sympathetic.
* Both Ein and Zwei of PhantomOfInferno follow this trope, to some degree or other.
* {{Madlax}} is an assassin at the beginning of the series, and is a generally kind and friendly young woman, although she doesn't seem particularly torn up about her massive body count.
* The titular character of ''CryingFreeman'', Yoh "Crying Freeman" Hinomura may epitomize this trope. A former artist, Hinomura is kidnapped and brainwashed to be a hitman (even eventually taking over his mob), but retains his sense of morality. His codename comes from his reaction to his new career -- whenever he kills, he silently cries for his victims. His wife Emu Hino (who actually was his target at first, [[InLoveWithTheMark but he preferred to take her in rather than killing her]]) is similar, becomming a [[LadyOfWar master swordswoman]] with a cursed sword. Both grow into their roles, but retain their honor and humanity.
* Ogami Itto from ''LoneWolfAndCub'' also partially averts this trope; he becomes an assassin as a consequence of the only way he can satisfy his honor as a devout Buddhist while taking revenge on the clan that framed him for treason. Ogami usually goes after deserving targets, but will kill innocents if asked; one story has him attempting to kill a "living Buddha" -- an extraordinarily enlightened Buddhist monk.
** He also tends to do missions for free if the mood takes him-if the circumstances intrude upon him, thrusting him into the middle, or if the nature of the mission impresses him deeply enough.
* [[spoiler:Wolfwood]] in the Trigun manga turns out to be one of these after it's revealed he's an operative from the Eye of Michael assassination outfit. Probably also in the anime, though it's not clear exactly what he was trained for there it was probably assassination. [[spoiler: He's under [[BigBad Knives']] orders for most of the series either way.]]
* Franca and Franco from ''GunslingerGirl'', the latter more so than the former. They are very dicriminating about their targets and Franca refuses to kill children, in part because of the ideal she fights for in the first place, to the point where she'd rather let a mission be jeopardized rather than let Pinocchio kill his neighbor and would've tried to steer away from Rico had not Franco forced their car back and hit Rico.
* ''{{Golgo 13}}'' partially averts this trope; Duke Togo(Golgo 13 himself) is willing to take any assignment without any moral qualms or visible emotion. However, the stories present his victims as somewhat deserving of their fate (unless the victim [[LeaveNoWitnesses is a witness, who Duke will kill just for being at the wrong place at the wrong time]]); also, Duke will occasionally go out of his way to put a job to a more morally tidy end.
* ''{{Berserk}}'' played with this trope when [[spoiler: Griffith ordered Guts to assassinate Duke Julius, to which Guts had absolutely no problem with achieving. Then he sensed a witness - which happened to be Julius's young son who Guts empathized with earlier - [[LeaveNoWitnesses and drove his sword through him]], but upon seeing that it was the boy, [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone Guts immediately felt remorse for his actions]] (he even held the boy's hand as he lay dying) [[HeroicBSOD and was disoriented for the rest of the night]].]]
* ''Manga/KatekyoHitmanReborn'': Reborn (the hitman, not the series) seems to have developed into this, be it by CharacterDevelopment or CharacterizationMarchesOn. Possibly due to Tsuna and Uni seeming to encourage a desire to protect, or his [[spoiler: being cursed into an infant]] changing his perspective.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Comic Books ]]
* ''Comicbook/{{Hitman}}'' features a number of assassins of varying degrees of callousness. The star of the book only kills people whom he regards as "deserving it" (ie. Mafia dons, super-criminals etc), although characters do point out the stupidity of this from time to time. He was also sick on Batman's boots once, which is awesome. The hero's best friend only acts the same for the sake of the friendship.
* Kev Hawkins, [=ex-SAS=] trooper and current assassin/dirty tricks man for the British Government, is portrayed as a colossally messed up loser who just happens to be rather good at killing people. He first appeared in the ComicBook ''TheAuthority''. A major plot point Kev wondering 'What if they order me to kill someone innocent'?
* King Mob, one of the stars of ''TheInvisibles'', is a trained assassin who slowly becomes more and more disgusted at the murders he's committed and eventually takes a vow of [[TechnicalPacifist Technical Pacifism]].
* Finnigan Sinister and Ramone Dexter from ''SinisterDexter'' follow this trope to a certain degree. While they adhere to the "Gun Shark Code" which means they won't kill police or innocents, they will happily take on any contract reasoning that the target must be guilty of something at leat since they have a price on their head.
* Subverted in ''ComicBook/TheDarkness''. Jackie Estacado is a mob hitman, but only kills other mobsters, not innocent people. A woman wants revenge on him for killing her husband, an innocent person. Turns out he really was innocent--he was an undercover FBI agent.
* {{X-23}} from the ''Comicbook/{{X-men}}'' series of books seems to somewhat fit this. Granted she lacks any major moral compass but she still does her best to protect her friends. Wolverine as well, unfortunately he has a code of morals and now that he remembers his past seems racked with guilt.
* {{Deadpool}} is a merc who will gleefully kill his targets while spouting corny one-liners, but he does have standards. In a recent story he plans to draw out his evil clone by publicly threatening to do something he would never do - kill a child.
* In the Creator/GrantMorrison run on ''Comicbook/AnimalMan'', Mirror Master drew the line at killing a mother and her children and helped the bereaved take revenge when someone else lacked the same scruples.
* [[{{Daredevil}} Elekra]] is a strange case. She's an assassin by trade, but whether she has a heart depends on a lot of factors. Many times in her career, traumatic events (and in some cases, sorcery) have "purified" her soul, only for it to turn dark again later, making her a loose cannon for heroes and villains alike even at the best of times.
* SpiderMan has occasionally dealt with a hitman named Chance who will admit to being a murderer for hire, to a point. As he tells the Life Foundation, he does ''not'' work for terrorists. (In fact, many of his hits tend to be other criminals and other [[AssholeVictim Asshole Victims]].)
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* In ''GrossePointeBlank'', the HitmanWithAHeart lead turns down a French government commission to blow up a Greenpeace boat by saying, "No way-I have scruples." That the French [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinking_of_the_Rainbow_Warrior did this in real life]] (with their own agents, not a hitman) makes this line a joke, but also a reference to the somewhat thin line between assassins and terrorists. Indeed, one of the film's villains, hired to assassinate the protagonist is mentioned as being a former member of a violent Basque separatist group.
* ''The Matador'' stars Pierce Brosnan as a lonely, damaged hitman who's starting to lose his edge.
* Leddo from ''Film/TheAlzheimersCase'' refuses to kill a child which gets him into a lot of trouble.
* Ghost Dog from ''Film/GhostDogTheWayOfTheSamurai''. An untraceable assassin who spares a woman from his latest job, (despite the fact that he has no idea who she is and could identify him) and forms a friendship with [[IntergenerationalFriendship a young local girl]] over the books they read.
* In ''Leon'' (AKA ''Film/TheProfessional''), Jean Reno's hitman is almost childlike in his innocence and simplicity. He takes in a young girl after her family is killed by criminals, and has a strict code against killing women or children.
* BruceWillis's character from ''TheWholeNineYards'' and sequel ''TheWholeTenYards''
* Mr. Goodkat (also played by Bruce Willis) and [[spoiler: Slevin]] from ''LuckyNumberSlevin''
* John Lee (played by Chow Yun-Fat) from ''TheReplacementKillers'', who gets into trouble for [[spoiler: refusing to shoot a cop's kid. "That is how Mr. Wei deals with his enemies. Through their families."]]
* Creator/JohnWoo's ''Film/TheKiller'', whose title character (also played by Chow Yun-Fat) accidentally blinds a beautiful singer during a hit and sets out to perform one last hit to get the money to have her eyes fixed. His employer, on the other hand, tries to have him killed rather than hand over the money to him, which results in things going right to hell.
* Il Duce from ''TheBoondockSaints'', who has a very Leon-esque code concerning women and kids, and who turns out to be [[spoiler: the long-lost father of the [=McManus=] brothers]].
** The [=McManus=] brothers as well, knocking unconscious the wife of one of their victims rather than killing her. They are also not pleased when Rocco wants to kill Smecker, who let them off at the beginning of the film--or when Rocco holds a gun to a priest's head.
* The deeper incarnations of JamesBond. The BondOneLiner version doesn't count, though.
** Bond himself explains his case in ''Film/TheManWithTheGoldenGun'' (ironically, a film where he acts like a {{Jerkass}} most of the time) when Scaramanga, and assassin that does ''not'' fit this Trope, tries to convince Bond that they are NotSoDifferent. Bond is disgusted by thought, telling the villain that the people he kills are themselves killers, unlike Scaramanga who enjoys it, which leads to this:
-->'''Scaramanga:''' You do not enjoy it, Mr. Bond?
-->'''Bond:''' I admit that killing ''you'' right now would be ''quite'' enjoyable...
** As you might expect, Scaramanga decides to stop the pleasantries right there and make his official challenge to Bond.
* The film version of [[Film/TheBourneSeries Jason Bourne]] is this trope played completely straight, with the added twist of [[AmnesiacDissonance amnesia]] ''caused'' by, among other things, his [[spoiler:unwillingness to kill a father in front of his children, which would force him to [[LeaveNoWitnesses kill them all]]]], despite [[CursedWithAwesome training]] as an assassin and [[MindControl conditioning]] for obedience. When he is confronted with that situation, it results in a cognitive dissonance that effectively ''breaks'' his conditioning, resulting in amnesia exacerbated by two almost-lethal gunshot wounds.
* ''You Kill Me'' features Ben Kingsley as a mob hitman with the flaw of alcoholism- in a subversion, he has no moral qualms about killing (he likes it, as it the only thing he's good at) and just wants help with his drinking so he can go back to his job. He does, however, feel guilt because some of his targets died slower and more painfully due to his drinking problem, and tries to make up for it (it was with gift cards, but it's the thought that counts).
* ''InBruges'' is about two likeable hitmen dealing with the aftermath of the younger one accidentally [[spoiler:killing a little boy]] during his first hit. The older one is then assigned to off the younger one, but reflexively throws the job when he sees his target about to take his own life in grief. Did I mention it's a dark comedy?
* ''[[Film/ThePunisher Punisher]]: War Zone'' has Frank Castle go through an existential crisis of HeroicBSOD proportions after killing an undercover FBI agent.
* Robert Rath, the ColdWar veteran killer played by Sylvester Stallone in ''Film/{{Assassins}}'', as opposed to his antagonist, young up-and-comer Miguel Bain (Antonio Bandaras).
* Lok and O, the rival assassins from ''FulltimeKiller''. The film starts out like a knock-off of ''Assassins'', justified by the fact that the cinephile Lok purposefully apes the film, but eventually both assassins are revealed to be surprisingly nice guys. The main female character ends up dating both of them.
* Averted in ''TheMechanic'' (1972), in which the sociopathy of the protagonist (played by Charles Bronson), and his young protege (Jan-Michael Vincent) are highlighted in several ways -- for instance Bronson realises Vincent has what it takes to be his understudy when the latter watches a former girlfriend who's slit her wrists to get his attention bleed over the course of several hours (she lives, but only because they give her the car keys so she can drive herself to the hospital). A more subtle scene is when Bronson is at the hospital, he walks past a young boy with an artificial leg without even a sympathetic glance.
* Wesley Gibson in ''{{Wanted}}'' tries to be a good guy. He is reluctant to kill someone just because a machine printing out a piece of cloth says so. He wants to be sure they are really bad people before offing them, but gets sweet talked into it by another assassin.
** Subverted in the original comic: Wesley is a Supervillain who happily rapes and slaughters because as a Supervillain he has the authority to get away with anything he does.
* The protagonist of ''LittleOdessa'', although the heart in question is a rather cold one.
* The titular protagonist of ''Film/{{Elektra}}'' is an assassin for hire; when she finds out that her targets are a girl and her father, it promptly leads to her HeelFaceTurn [[spoiler:(which is later revealed to be [[BatmanGambit the whole point]] of the contract)]].
* ''{{Road to Perdition}}''.
* Vincent of ''{{Collateral}}'' is familiar enough with the trope to pose as one of these. It's an out-and-out lie, though--he's actually an unpleasant combination of the SocialDarwinist and NietzscheWannabe archetypes.
* Eponymous character from Film/{{Hitman}} is even more sympathetic than his video game predecessor. Although still a cold professional he appears to possess more empathy and insight than most characters from the movie.
* MarkWahlberg plays this type of character in ''TheBigHit''. He has no problem executing targets but has a soft spot for women, whether he personally knows them or not. He is also slavishly devoted to his love interests and is eager to please his friends. His kindness is frequently abused.
* Tim Roth is exactly this in ''The Liability''. He opts out of finishing off Jack O'Connell (the liability). Also refuses to be taken to hospital when badly injured so that he can watch (from a distance) his (presumably estranged) daughter's wedding.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* Vlad Taltos of Steven Brust's ''Literature/{{Dragaera}}'' series. Also, his wife Cawti, whom he met when she killed him (temporarily).
* Rild-Sugata in Creator/RogerZelazny's ''Literature/LordOfLight'', who became a follower (or even the follower) of his original target. Rild is a religious assassin, directed by his Goddess (of Death, naturally) to kill this planet's version of the Buddha. Buddha is a fake, though - an immortal named Sam, who is trying to overthrow the Hindu pantheon (also immortal fakes). Rild converts to Buddhism (Samism?) and, it is strongly implied, becomes the real Buddha.
* Carson Wells from ''NoCountryForOldMen'' is a perfect example, being an experienced yet sardonically humorous and kind hitman whose job is to track his complete opposite; Anton Chigurh, a staggeringly brutal and evil PsychoForHire. Unfortunately, [[spoiler: he gets blown away by Chigurh]].
* AndrewVachss' character Wesley is the exact opposite of this trope. He pretends to follow a code, but only to avoid starting an argument with his Mafia clients.
* Kincaid from ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles''. He'll kill you if [[KnightTemplarBigBrother you harm Ivy or even threaten her happiness]]. Officially it's because he's paid for that.
** From the same series, we have Stevie D, an assassin hired to kill Harry. During the attack, he shoots [[spoiler: Butters]] to clear his line of sight on Harry. Afterwards, he asks if the "little guy" was fine. [[spoiler: He was. Butters had become ProperlyParanoid about working with Harry, and wore a [[CrazyPrepared bulletproof vest]].]]
** Also Rook, of JimButcher's ''Literature/CodexAlera'': the "will do anything to keep her daughter safe" variant.
* Jaqen H'ghar of ''ASongOfIceAndFire'', who helped Arya because she saved his life. This is initially just a case of BalancingDeathsBooks, but by the time of their parting he clearly bears her affection and even offers to take her under his wing.
* Very, ''very'' averted in DeanKoontz's book ''Watchers.'' The hitman Vince De Nasco believes he has a "Gift" that allows him to absorb the life energy of anyone he kills. This leads him to desire immortality and godhood, which is his reason for becoming a hitman. He loves killing young people, as their life energy is less tainted by the world, and his biggest dream is to kill a pregnant woman, to receive both her energy and the unborn child's. At one point he brutaly tortures one of his targets before killing him upon learning the man is a habitual philanderer, and thus his life energy is too unclean. [[spoiler: It really is all in his head. The main character guns him down at the end, the Hitman failing to demonstrate any MadeOfIron abilities that one would think a literal power would allow him.]]
* Hawk from Robert B. Parker's ''{{Spenser}}'' novels is erudite, thoughtful, and has standards of conduct.
* It might not fit exactly, but the Assassins' Guild in Pratchett's Literature/{{Discworld}} series has high moral standards, which essential bans non-contract targets from being killed (the rule is fairly un-policable though, so a few do indulge in this). Interestingly, the Thieves' Guild follows close to the same moral standards for their line of work, reduce collateral damage as much as possible.
** The Assassin's Guild also refuses contracts on any target that they don't consider to have a fair chance at defending themselves (the rich are always fair game, as if they had thought to prepare they could have hired guards).
--> To wit: Anyone worth Anhk-Morpork 10,000 or more was considered automatically capable of protecting themselves, or at least hiring people who could. Otherwise what was a person to do but sit with a loaded crossbow pointed at the door?
* Lawrence Block's Keller series focuses on a lonely, whimsical hitman whose favorite pastimes are walking his dog, doing crossword puzzles, and working on his stamp collection. Despite basically being a sympathetic loser prone to introspective fantasies, he doesn't have any scruples about who he kills--the target, assorted people who get in the way (even if innocent), and sometimes his clients are all fair game. Somehow, he still comes across as likeable.
** In one story, Keller discovered that his target was also his client: the man had terminal cancer and [[ICannotSelfTerminate couldn't bring himself to commit simple suicide]], so he needed a hitman to off him. Through an odd chain of events, he and Keller became more-or-less friends, and the fellow called Keller's boss to cancel the hit -- refund not required. The story ended with Keller planning to [[MercyKill kill him anyway]].
* Fitzchivalry Farseer in the [[Literature/RealmOfTheElderlings Farseer Trilogy]] works as assassin and diplomat for the Crown, as does his mentor Chade.
* A variant in StarTrekForgedInFire. Klingon servitor Do'Yoj is tasked with killing the infant Qagh, so as to conceal the shame of his albinism from the Klingon Empire. She refuses to go through with it; she just leaves him in the mountains instead. Of course, she expects this will kill him anyway, but at least her knife isn't tainted with a child's blood.
* Shane [[spoiler:Fortunato]] and Carpenter from Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer's novel ''Agnes and the Hitman''. Shane leaves work at a critical time when his uncle Joey, who he hasn't heard from in a while, calls him home to look after grumpy cook Agnes, who has people gunning for her because [[spoiler: she is likely sitting on a five million dollar fortune]]; he then proceeds to fall in love with her over breakfast, pick up fondant for her, and get her a bridge, all in between taking out the odd assassin who shows up in the middle of the night, beating the crap out of dead-beat mobsters, carrying out an official mission, and [[spoiler: solving and avenging his parents murder]]. Likewise, Carpenter is an [[spoiler:ordained priest who takes his girlfriend out to the movies when she's feeling down, and also officiates said girlfriend's daughter's wedding when the original priest turns out to be a putz.]]
* The huntsman from "Literature/SnowWhite", who is hired by the queen to assassinate the fairest of them all, ultimately can't bring himself to do so. Instead, he kills a boar and lets Snow White go.
* Ajutasutra in BelisariusSeries is a variation of this. He has UndyingLoyalty to Narses the Roman traitor who is sort of his ParentalSubstitute. When Narses is ordered to assassinate Rana Sanga's family, he instead orders them hidden and Ajutasutra helps to engineer it. He also, on Narses' orders, tracks down the family of Dadadj Holkar, an official on the opposite side in order to help Narses have a good relation with both sides.
* The SF novel ''Butterfly Planet'' by Philip E. High (which mostly deals with humanity making an evolutionary leap that splits it irrevocably into two distinct groups) shows one of these in flashback; the "typical" hitman of the past, as shown to an alien visitor late in the book, is one of these at least to the point where he can't bring himself to shoot a child and dies for it when the police catch up with him. The similarly representative hitman of the novel's ''present'', by contrast... not so much.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

* ''BreakingBad'' has Mike Ehrmantraut, the highly-efficient, no-nonsense "cleaner" for Gus Fring. Even though he his job requires him to be a ruthless and methodical killing machine, he nevertheless does what he does to financially support his granddaughter. He also develops an affectionate father-son relationship with Jesse Pinkman, and consistently shows that he has a much better moral compass than Walt. All of this makes it exceptionally sad when Mike [[spoiler:is forced to abandon his granddaughter and is needlessly murdered by Walt.]]
* On ''GeneralHospital'' the romantic male lead that all the women think is the bestest father/friend/lover ever is Jason Morgan the brain-damaged hitman. He's an unironic MartyStu.
* ''TheSarahConnorChronicles''. [[TheTerminator Terminators]], despite their tendency to kill anyone who even slightly incoveniences them, have elements of this, though it's more to do with their programming than any sense of decency. Probably the best example is in "What He Beheld" when Cromartie has just wiped out an entire FBI HRT unit. The sole survivor, Agent Ellison, is desperately reloading his pistol when he looks up to see Cromartie standing right in front of him, pointing a pistol at his chest. Accepting the inevitable, Ellison closes his eyes and waits for death, [[PragmaticVillainy but because he's neither a target or a threat, Cromartie simply walks away.]]
** Later on, Cameron points out that Terminators "aren't built to be cruel," noting that while a Terminator ''will'' kill a target with ruthless efficiency, it won't torture or otherwise prolong the target's pain, and will actually try to help people who it isn't under orders to kill if that doesn't conflict with their mission.
*** Was this before or after she used the dance instructor and then [[spoiler: walked away to let her be killed because Cameron no longer needed her?]]
*** They stole the [[McGuffin Turk]], they knew who they were. Cameron clearly saw them as a threat or hinderence to the mission.
* After she leaves Moya, Aeryn on ''Series/{{Farscape}}'' works as one of these for a while. John asks when she became an assassin and she replies "When I found a cause that required it." Later on she says she would have done the killing even without pay, because the person deserved it so much.
* ''Series/{{Heroes}}'': Edgar is a SuperSpeed assassin, but he has said things like "I've only killed when I've absolutely had to" that imply he doesn't really like what he does. Mixed with some PetTheDog moments, this makes him something of an IronWoobie.
* The titular hero of ''{{Callan}}'' played by Edward Woodward, better known as TheEqualizer.
* Subverted in an early episode of ''Series/CriminalMinds''. The hitman felt extremely uncomfortable with killing women... didn't stop him from doing it, however.
* Timon from ''Series/{{Rome}}'', Atia's Jewish servant/bodyguard/hitman, eventually grows a conscience due to the influence of his religious cousin, who moves into town and begins calling him out on his criminal activities and the effect they have on his wife and children. This pays off in causing Atia's sadism to backfire on her; when she kidnaps Servilia and inflicts hours and hours of ColdBloodedTorture on her, intending to kill her in the end, she expects Timon to carry it all out without question, but he finally turns on her [[NeckLift ("I am not an animal! I am not a fucking animal!")]] and lets Servilia go.
* Richard Harrow from ''BoardwalkEmpire'' is a very interesting treatment of this trope. He's a horrifically scarred veteran of WorldWarOne who essentially got [[FacialHorror half his face blown off]]. Combined with his crushing shyness and awkwardness, this makes him TheWoobie and we feel our heartstrings tugged when he makes friends with Margaret's children and we see his dream of having his face whole again and being in love. Then when he shoots a 12 year old boy during a job or suggests wiping out an entire family in order to make some crooks come out of hiding, we get reminded that his job in the war was being a ColdSniper, and he still is one at times.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]

* Altair of ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedI''.
** Ezio from [[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII the sequel]] even moreso. Some side-quests include improving Monteriggioni and beating up unfaithful husbands for their wives. Brotherhood goes further with this, allowing Ezio to improve the infrastructure of Rome and recruit new assassins from citizens he has saved.
** In fact, all of the Assassins are this concept. The entire purpose of the Assassin order is to safeguard the evolution of mankind into its own entity, and not to be bound by the dictates of others. The titular creed's tenets of "Nothing is true, everything is permitted" define this philosophy.
** The assassins also are not "hitmen" in that they aren't hired by an outside group to kill targets. They clash with the (somewhat) WellIntentionedExtremist Templars because of their ideal for a world without conflict... achieved by removing free will and individuality, which have been the cause for conflict throughout history.
* The two main characters of RailShooter arcade game ''Cooper's Nine''.
* Agent 47 from the ''VideoGame/{{Hitman}}'' series does not kill innocents unless absolutely required, such as when he kills a postman in one mission of Blood Money because the package he was delivering was Code Red, and in the last mission when he [[spoiler: kills a priest and reporter for knowing too much about him]]. Otherwise, 47 fits this trope perfectly, the storyline and game discourage it, and any other bloodshed is left up to the player.
** He doesn't really fit the trope outside of the second game because most of the mentioned discretion is done out of pragmatism, not out of compassion. He shows no remorse or hesitation in killing the aforementioned innocents.
** ''Absolution'' shows his softer side, however. He betrays the Agency to save a [[TykeBomb young girl]] from becoming something like himself, largely because it was [[spoiler: Diana Burnwood's]] last request. He also shows some initial hesitation when shooting [[spoiler: Diana]].
* Jaffar from ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemElibe Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword]]'', who defrosts thanks to the friendship (and love, if you support them to A level) of his boss's daughter, Nino.
** Also, Volke, from the ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTellius'' games, counts.
* Blue from ''VideoGame/AssassinBlue'' only kills because he thinks doing so will end the war sooner. However, [[spoiler: he turns on his boss when he realizes he's being sent to kill innocent people.]]
* Mona Sax from ''VideoGame/MaxPayne'' claims not to kill nice guys [[spoiler:going so far as protecting Max when she is supposed to kill him]], in the sequel she is perhaps a literal example as she [[spoiler:refuses to do kill Max whom she was hired to kill, since she has fallen for him]].
* Depending on how you play, the PlayerCharacter can be one of these in the [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Dark brotherhood quest]] line as several quests allow (or encourage) you to not kill certain people.
* Nathyrra's backstory in [[VideoGame/NeverwinterNights Hordes of the Underdark]] paints her as one.
* Tommy in {{Mafia}}, to the point that he [[spoiler: lets two marks go because he knows them personally, which comes back to bite him in the ass]].
* Thane Krios from ''Videogame/MassEffect2''. WarriorPoet, ReligiousBruiser, optional romance for a female Shepard...and an extremely good assassin who viewed his body as a tool for his employers, with no more independent morality than Shepard's gun. Regardless, this guy is TheAtoner, and even mentions atoning for his sins several times.
** It's worth mentioning the sin that seems to be bothering him the most is not having been fast enough in his last contract to prevent [[InnocentBystander innocents]] from being killed by his target's {{Mook}}s.
* [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]] in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' with Zevran. While he professes to enjoy the art of killing and has no moral qualms with the act, he only took the contract on the PlayerCharacter because he thought the Warden would [[DeathSeeker kill him]]. He really feels tremendous guilt for at least one of his kills. If the player gets to know, he'll find out Zevran's [[TykeBomb training began as a child]], and he was really a glorified slave. He kills because he knows nothing else. A romanced Zevran can be persuaded to give up the lifestyle altogether. The overall impression is that of a broken, damaged man who, while not entirely penitent, at least has some regrets.
** It's revealed that [[spoiler: Leliana's past as a bard also involved assassinations. While she]] and Zevran both admit they enjoyed the killing or at least the "hunt" (with varying degrees of glee), a conversation between them reveals they also made sure to kill their targets as cleanly and quickly as possible.
* The Sniper from ''Videogame/TeamFortress2'', while not especially sympathetic in history, has a family which disapproves of his career choice; he nonetheless loves them dearly. He is enraged at the Administrator when it is revealed she is using his parents as blackmail material. The other assassins have PetTheDog moments as well, having done volunteer work as mall santas and given candy to trick or treaters.
* The BountyHunter of StarWarsTheOldRepublic can be played as this, a ConsummateProfessional, or a PsychoForHire, depending on the choices of the player. Light side bounty hunters will try to minimize violence and sometimes end up sparing their marks, while Dark Side Bounty Hunters sometimes go out of their way to be as sadistic as possible, even when their contract doesn't call for it.
* Downplayed with the main character of ''Videogame/HotlineMiami'', who falls in love with a girl he finds on one of his jobs. [[spoiler:It doesn't end well.]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* The robot X9 from ''SamuraiJack'', unlike the other robots of the X's series, he has a heart due to a emotion's chip installed in his brain, in fact he was so sympathetic to the audience that his death against Jack was one of the saddest moments of the series.
* [[SociopathicHero Brock Samson]] on ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'' was trained as a [[ProfessionalKiller deadly, omnicompetent super-agent]], but his mentor impressed upon him a strict rule against killing women or children. He also appears to care for his charge's children even more than [[JerkAss Dr. Venture]] does himself. But that last bit is not the least bit difficult to achieve.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* ''Webcomic/DeadWinter'': Monday doesn't show off his sympathetic side very often, but he does PetTheDog a few times.
* ''ErrantStory'': Jon [[http://www.errantstory.com/2004-04-05/214 has a soft spot]][[http://www.errantstory.com/2004-04-07/215 for anything with ovaries]].
* Viktor Vasko of {{Lackadaisy}} is a remorseless murderer, but is loyal to his employers and particularly kind to Ivy and Mrs. Bapka. His status as a killer appears to be largely a product of his experiences in WorldWarOne, and the effect that had on his mind. His ex-partner Mordecai, in comparison, is an out-and-out psycho with bells on.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* In ''Roleplay/TheGamersAlliance'', Sylus defects from the [[AncientConspiracy Order of the Black Rose]] when he can't bring himself to kill people anymore.
* DorfQuest features Goldmoon, the head of thieves' guild, who only accepts jobs against evil and corrupt. Thanks to her principles, her guild is more or less divided into two: Those who share her views, and those who'd like to kill and replace her for more lucrative jobs.
* Website/FantasyPowersLeague: One recent member, the Imperial Blue Bounty Hunter, is an ex-ninja assassin who vows to make right to the universe and become a cowgirl bounty hunter after John Wayne and the Cosmic Grand Butterfly visit her in a dream and tell her to shape up or else. Naturally her old ninja clan, not so stoked about her decision...
* Roleplay/BehindTheVeil features Jack Raven, a former assassin who, after being confronted with the ramifications of some of his hits decided to only accept contracts on those people who he felt were more evil than he was.
* Desta T'Res of CerberusDailyNews is a rather open version of this. She only kills people she thinks deserve to die, generally murderers and slavers. Her employers are generally aware of this.
* "[[http://www.rogermwilcox.com/stories/blue.html The Blue Avenger]]" does this with the origin story of a {{Champions}} character, who's a CaptainErsatz of the GreenArrow.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJHFXenOPi4&feature=player_embedded This interview]] with a Pakistani "target killer" has some element of this. Though he is extremely cold, he says that he cannot find peace, and what he does haunts him.
[[/folder]]
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