Bob long ago learned the painful lesson that HumansAreTheRealMonsters. They kill each other over the most trivial of reasons and [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer treat anyone who is different as an outcast.]] And so Bob has given up on them, perhaps to the point of becoming the villain or even the BigBad.

And then along comes Alice, a shining example of why [[RousseauWasRight humans aren't that bad after all]]. She'll listen to Bob's rhetoric about how humans are unworthy to live, smile, and retort with an [[PatrickStewartSpeech impassioned speech about everything good about humanity]] or she'll just show him how wrong he is through her actions.

Bob will come to see that maybe he was wrong about humanity all along (it's very rare for Bob to accept simply that Alice in particular isn't so bad, or, if he does, [[YouAreACreditToYourRace he's missing the whole point]]), perhaps performing a HeelFaceTurn or [[RedemptionEqualsDeath sacrificing himself to save humanity.]]

See TheMessiah and PuritySue for two character types Alice is likely to fall under.
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!!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]

* [[spoiler:Aoyama Masaya]] in ''TokyoMewMew'' acts like the nicest person on the planet [[spoiler:as a defense mechanism, and secretly hates humans while being unaware that he himself isn't human at all. He starts to see Ichigo as "different" when she steps out of her comfort zone to understand him more -- something [[IJustWantToBeNormal she really doesn't want to do]] at first -- and, by the end of the series, he sacrifices himself (and gets better) to save the entire world.]]
* In {{Gankutsuou}}, when it seems to Albert that [[BreakTheCutie everyone is lying]] [[CrapsackWorld and good people are helpless to do anything]], a letter from [[spoiler: his dead friend]] Franz restores his faith in humanity, and he in turn [[spoiler: restores [[MagnificentBastard The Count's]] humanity]].

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Comic Books ]]

* Doctor Manhattan in ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'', though for him it's Humans Are Boring and Predictable, not HumansAreTheRealMonsters. When the Silk Spectre finally breaks down upon realizing [[spoiler:the Comedian is her father]], he realizes that Humans, against all improbability, managed to ''live'' - and that's more than enough to realize that Earth needs him.
* The High Evolutionary's plans to wipe out humanity were once waylaid by the Hulk's determination to survive in spite of everything.
* In ''GrimmFairyTales'', the WickedWitch Belinda shows her friend Sela around a beach and explains that HumansAreBastards by pointing out {{Jerk Jock}}s who bully others, a shallow girl who ReallyGetsAround, etc. When a building collapses, everyone Belinda pointed out immediately rushes over to help. The jocks use their strength to clear rubble and pull people to safety, and the shallow girl turns out to be a highly qualified doctor. Belinda gets disgusted and leaves, but Sela is amazed and is so touched that she decides to help too.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Film ]]

* In ''Film/TheFifthElement'', Leeloo loses her motivation to save humankind after witnessing its in-fighting and learning about its war-ridden past. However, Korben manages to restore her faith in humanity with ThePowerOfLove.
* Klaatu in both versions of ''TheDayTheEarthStoodStill'' is convinced that humans are worth saving, although in different ways.
* CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory: ''So shines a good deed in a weary world...''
* ParaNorman: Has an odd example where Norman restores [[spoiler: his own faith and Agatha's, as part of their NotSoDifferent moment.]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Literature ]]

* Jean Valjean, in ''Literature/LesMiserables'', after being [[AllCrimesAreEqual put in prison for almost twenty years for a minor infraction]], is wandering the streets of a small town looking for somewhere to spend the night after a day in which nobody will pay him full wages or rent a room to him because he is a convict. Nobody will let him even stay on their stoop, but one person points out the door of the local bishop. He is given pride of place at the bishop's table, a room for the night, and respect as a fellow human being. However, this trope doesn't take effect until he steals the bishop's silver and makes a run for it, and instead of denouncing him to the police, the bishop actually gives him the rest of the silver as a gift. Cue HeelRealization, MyGodWhatHaveIDone, and [[TheAtoner redemption]]. Valjean goes on to become one of the most [[NeutralGood benevolent and just]] characters in fiction.
* Bartimaeus, the [[JerkassGenie demon]] of TheBartimaeusTrilogy is ''given'' faith in humanity when he meets Ptolemy, the only human who ever treats him with respect, turning him into both TheWoobie and a NobleDemon.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

* In ''{{Smallville}}'', [[HumanAlien Clark]] usually regards himself as human, but when something makes him doubt it, [[TheHeart Chloe]] is always there to pull him back.
* Inverted and then subverted in ''Series/{{House}}''. House has a deep faith in the negative attributes of humanity. His favorite phrases are "everybody lies" and "people don't change." Cameron, and later Thirteen, try to prove him wrong whenever possible. However, just about every patient House has lied to him and usually also the patient's family.
* [[Series/DoctorWho The Doctor]] is an...interesting case. He'll occasionally go on a very vehement HumansAreBastards phase, calling them violent, selfish and stupid, and then, something will happen (usually sparked by his companion) that restores his faith in them. After all, there's got to be a ''reason'' he hangs out on Earth so much.
* In the ''MorkAndMindy'' episode, "Mork the Gullible," Mork is talked into freeing an escaped criminal who claims that he just needs to visit his sick mother and will return to turn himself back in afterward. Sure enough, Mork is arrested for freeing him and Mindy tells him that it is obvious that the crook took advantage of him and won't be back. In a genuinely moving moment, Mork tearfully agrees that he can't trust anyone again, until the crook suddenly returns as promised to turn himself in and get Mork released. With that, Mork's innocence is restored.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Newspaper Comics ]]

* One ''BloomCounty'' strip had Opus wallowing in gloom, thinking he's lost the Christmas spirit forever. Portnoy appears and gives him a gift which turns out to be plastic dog-vomit. Opus hugs him, saying in total sincerity: "Thank you. You've pulled me back from the brink. I'll cherish it forever." [[GilliganCut Cue]] Portnoy wallowing in gloom.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]

* Gotoh in ''FireEmblem'' 1, 3 and 11. The third game is the only one to directly explain why he didn't like humanity in the first place. He gave them magic, and they used magic for war.
** WordOfGod [[http://www.serenesforest.net/general/designer10.html for the 10th game]] notes that Nolan (who suffers from the 10th games lack of character expansion) has this as part of his backstory.
*** Ike can restore Sephiran's faith in humanity as well, though the requirements for it are a bit... [[GuideDangIt obscure.]]
* Ideon does this in the Normal and Good endings of ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsAlpha 3'', deeming that humanity has a possible future after talking it over with the loli manifestation of a powerful goddess.
* In ''VideoGame/MegamanBattleNetwork 4'', Duo is a sentient asteroid that intends to wipe out earth because [[HumansAreBastards its people are wicked]]. After his fight with Megaman EXE, he seems to rethink it.
* ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou'': [[spoiler:The Conductor, Kitaniji, was trying to achieve {{Instrumentality}} so that the Composer, Joshua, wouldn't destroy Shibuya. After all, people in Shibuya are self-centered and uncreative. But Neku, former poster child for cutting himself off from society, has learned about ThePowerOfFriendship, so...]]
* ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphoniaDawnOfTheNewWorld'': [[spoiler:Richter's plan, and every evil scheme leading up to it, was to find a way to seal off Niflheim without Ratatosk's help, so he could kill Ratatosk without dooming the world. Because Ratatosk wanted to KillAllHumans (and elves and mixes) because they've been causing problems for mana. But Ratatosk has been posing as Emil the entire time, and he's met Marta and the others, and decided that they're not so bad...]]
* In the ''SamAndMax'' episode ''Reality 2.0'', [[spoiler: the internet has lost faith with all living things as Sam and Max infect the whole net with a computer virus, and the final puzzle in the game involves finding something called "respect for all living things" before the internet erases itself.]]
* Mocked, naturally, in ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes2DesperateStruggle'' when you complete the "Stings So Good" minigame.
-->"Amazing! You've restored my faith in mankind! Actually, no, I still hate mankind. But at least you're okay."
* [[spoiler:The Silvite Elders]] in ''VideoGame/SkiesOfArcadia''.
* In the ''TokimekiMemorial'' series, this is the storylines of [[BrokenBird Kaori Yae]] (in ''2'') and [[{{Hikikomori}} Taku Komori]] (in ''Girl's Side 2'') in a nutshell. Thanks to their relationship with their respective games' protagonist, they get to realize that there are trustworthy people out there, and as a result they gradually open themselves to others. Takafumi Wakaouji in ''[=GS2=]'' also claims in his ending that the heroine has restored his faith in humanity, although this seems to be a bit of an exaggeration.
* In ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiStrangeJourney'', [[spoiler:resurrected Commander Gore]] has received the power of supernatural insight, or "brilliance," from the Schwarzwelt. Upon [[spoiler:briefly returning to the Red Sprite in the Neutral Path, he assures the crew that he has seen into humanity's future, and --despite having been revived and manipulated by [[GaiasVengeance the forces behind the Schwarzwelt]]-- he implies that humanity can improve itself and prevent its self-destruction if given a chance to survive]].
** In ''ShinMegamiTenseiNocturne'''s "Resurrection" Ending, [[spoiler:[[ApocalypseMaiden Miss Takao]], who started the game thinking humanity could no longer advance and needed to be wiped out for the world to advance, has come to realize the foolishness of this line of thinking. Whether humanity continues to stagnate, or whether it actually improves itself after the old world's resurrection, your example has given her faith in the possibility of the latter, and she'll never wish for humanity's destruction again]].
* In ''VisualNovel/HatofulBoyfriend'', the Bad Boys Love route reveals that [[spoiler: this was why the heroine was attending a boys' school for birds in the first place, to prove to the sapient birds that humans could coexist peacefully with them.]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'', the MartianManhunter flies off to what he thought was a secluded area on Earth, since after [[AMindIsATerribleThingToRead a telepathic sweep of the city, leaves him (accidentally) accessible to the petty]] and [[HumansAreBastards selfish thoughts of humanity]]. However, he soon notices a search party looking for a girl that has gone missing, and hearing their thoughts, as well as the lost girl, learning that [[RousseauWasRight humans are decent after all]], after finding her returning her back to the camp. He goes ''another'' one of this of sorts, in ''JusticeLeagueUnlimited'' when WonderWoman notices he doesn't like humans and is "cooped up" in the Watchtower. She then insists he take part in the team's mission, [[PutOnABus before announcing he's taking leave and descends on Earth to live among humans]]. When he returns for the GrandFinale, it's later revealed that he not only was capable of living with humans, but he was ''in a relationship'' with one.
** Also in the DCAU, DoctorFate has his faith in humanity restored when {{Superman}} refuses to give up in a fight against an EldritchAbomination.
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'', human ally Elisa Masa helps to restore Goliath and the Manhattan Clan's faith and trust in humanity after they had been betrayed by humans who destroyed their home and their people.
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