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Green Goblin: "But the one thing [people] love more than a hero is to see a hero fall, fail, die trying. In spite of everything you've done for them, eventually they will hate you. So why bother?" Spider-Man: "Because it's right." — Spider-Man (film)
The Character Alignment of sweetness and light. A Neutral Good character will usually comply with laws they agree with, but rebel against those they consider unjust or which conflict with the greater good.
Neutral good can be the best alignment you can be because it means doing what is good without bias for or against order. Neutral good can be a dangerous alignment because it advances mediocrity by limiting the actions of the truly capable.
A Neutral Good character is not too caught up in Order Versus Chaos; they are concerned with moral goodness, but often not willing to enforce it in others. If The Messiah isn't Lawful Good or Chaotic Good, they're probably Neutral Good ( Dark Messiahs are another matter).
A Neutral Good character is sometimes a Friend To All Living Things and/or a Technical Pacifist, but they don't necessarily have to be either. Just think " basically nice person" and you've probably got it. If they do decide to take up arms, they may have a particular affinity with kneecap and other non-lethal shots.
Neutral Good states may be really nice places to live, but depending on how idealistic the setting is, they may be deluding themselves.
Neutral Good character types include:
Examples
When dealing with the examples of specific characters, remember that assigning an alignment to a character who doesn't come with one is pretty subjective. If you've got a problem with a character being listed here, it probably belongs on the discussion page.
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Anime and Manga
- Jim Hawkings of Outlaw Star. Despite his age, he's the most mature and responsible member of the group, being the one who handles all of the cash, finds jobs for them, pays the bills and otherwise devotes himself to the exasperating task of organizing and caring for Chaotic Neutral slacker Gene Starwind. What keeps him from being Lawful Good is the fact he's a Child Prodigy hacker who often uses his code-breaking skills in less than legal ways. Melfina is probably also an example of this.
- Nagisa Misumi and Honoka Yukishiro from Futari Wa Pretty Cure, despite their vastly different personalities, quite probably share this alignment. Thus proving that alignment is only a part of characterization, not characterization itself.
- The same applies to seemingly all of their successors. In fact, it seems to be part of the job description—Karen is the one who could most reasonably be called anything different (being more Lawful-ish than is typical), and she had some difficulty answering the Call To Adventure. Coincidence, or cause and effect?
- Mai Tokiha and Arika Yumemiya, main characters of, respectively, Mai-HiME and Mai-Otome. Both girls are not above breaking their respective school's (Fuuka Gakuen and Garderobe) rules, if it's necessary to do the right thing. The latter especially fits this alignment, considering she's a Friend To All Living Things.
- Kira Yamato from Gundam SEED probably starts as Chaotic Good or Chaotic Neutral, but after a Hes Back moment, he becomes an almost saintly Martial Pacifist.
- Hime Utsumiya, the messianic, redheaded Tsundere from Brain Powerd. She respects the orders of his superiors and has no problem with authority, unlike Chaotic Good Yuu. Still, her main concern is saving the world and protecting people, and would much rather talk with the Reclaimers than fight them. Actually, most people from Novice Noah fit this alignment.
- Sailor Moon and the Sailor Senshi from Sailor Moon are pretty much the definition of this trope. They fight to protect everyone in the name of love and justice and also try to redeem the villains they battle whenever they get the chance.
- Touta Matsuda from Death Note arguably falls into this category when he's not being Stupid Good. He's not driven to catch Kira because of the law, and at one point, it is no longer his job to do so; he intends to catch Kira because he wants to make his Lawful Good mentor Soichiro Yagami proud of him. He does also have a serious affinity for non-fatal shots, as mentioned in the description.
- Kirk Caxstone from Black Lagoon. Yes. Black Lagoon. Some of the few character in there you can get symphatetic with. Sure, he would gladly take any order for his country, but he's a rather good, inspiring leader, and he would never, never harm innocents or letting innocents (especially children) get screwed up and ready to take any consequences for that. And he's willing enough to trust a gun to a vengeful child whose father he had been killed in a duty.
- Jushiro Ukitake and Shunsui Kyoraku of Bleach. While they are willing to detain the intruders who are trying to save Rukia (but not kill them), Ukitake tries to appeal to stop Rukia's execution, and when that fails, he and Kyoraku destroy the Sokyoku. The two of them believe that occasionally, people have to carry out justice on their own.
- Negi Springfield from Mahou Sensei Negima, a cute ten-year-old Chick Magnet and descendant of an exceptionally powerful wizard who's devoted to protecting all of his 31 students (who all happen to be cute in their own special way). While he generally tries to act a proper English gentleman, he consistently defies orders even if given direct orders to stop one of his student's Xanatos Gambits, much less uphold the Masquerade of keeping magic secret, he will instantly and without hesitation break every rule if it so much as gets in the way of his students having fun, nevermind when they are in actual danger. It's especially evident when he chooses to learn forbidden Black Magic if only to protect those around him.
- Dr. Tenma of Monster. His entire philosophy is that no life has any more inherent value than any other, and he attempts to save as many as possible.
- Himura Kenshin, the protagonist of Rurouni Kenshin is THE embodiment of this alignment.
- Kakashi in Naruto believes that breaking rules is bad, but not helping those close to you is worse, and tests all his potential students to see if they will disobey orders in order to help each other. He puts this into practice when, rather than immediately going off to his next mission as Tsunade orders, goes to find Sasuke. In Kakashi Gaiden, it’s noted that he started off as more Lawful Neutral, as a result of his father being ostracized for failing a mission to save his friends- even by said friends- and committing suicide, but the Neutral Good Obito changed that.
- A good portion of the rising generation of ninjas is like this, as they typically abide by the rules, but are willing to disobey orders in order to accomplish what they consider important or help those they care about, espeically Team 10 (goes out without being ordered to do so in order to defeat the Akatsuki members who killed Asuma) and Hinata(intervenes in the battle against Pain to try to save Naruto despite being ordered not to).
- Euphemia li Britannia and Nunnally vi Britannia of Code Geass, two Wide Eyed Idealist princesses of the Lawful Evil Holy Britannian Empire. Two of the few indisputably good-aligned characters in a black-and-gray series.
- Rushyina, of Grenadier, a massive Technical Pacifist who primarily uses the tactic of either smiling sweetly or Blasting It Out Of Their Hands.
- Kurogane of Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle . He'd be Lawful Good were it not for his fiercely individualistic streak and bucking the curse placed on him to not fight, but would be Chaotic Good were it not for his devotion to the well-being of his liege Princess Tomoyo and native country.
- Syaoran also belongs here or at least whichever one is active in the party at any point during the series, as demonstrated by actions like dropping out of an important race in order to save a fellow competitor in danger of getting killed. His more questionable deeds can be blamed on losing his "heart" and reverting to his basic programming or being trapped in a no-win situation made worse by his feelings for Sakura.
- All of the main characters end up in this neighborhood in the latter portion of the series, even if early chapters seemed to indicate otherwise *cough* *cough* Fai, but Kurogane gets bonus points for keeping the most basic aspects of his personality unchanged from the beginning.
- Jiro "Roji" Kusano of Muhyo and Roji tends to often object to some of the Lawful Good Muhyo's harsher decisions that stem more from his Lawful side (like sending Nana's father to the Styx), until he realizes the motives behind them, and occasionally acts on his own.
Comic Books
- Wonder Woman balances out Superman (see Lawful Good) and Batman (see Lawful Good and Chaotic Good). She has a healthy respect for American laws but is first and foremost about spreading her own message of love and empowerment, and if that means overstepping the law now and again, so be it.
- Civil War more or less locked Captain America into Neutral Good, though some would still argue he's Lawful Good.
- Spider-Man moves between this and Chaotic Good. What sets him most into this area is his motivation: he's a good guy because Uncle Ben would have wanted him to be a good guy. He's not battling injustice or upholding the law, he's doing the right thing for the sake of the right thing.
- Despite being the poster boy for Lawful Good (he is the picture example), Superman can sometimes be this, especially in recent comics. While he tries to mantain good relations with the Law, he isn't above going against the letter of the law if he feels it is the Right thing to do. (The storyline "Last Son" comes to mind, where he rescues a Kryptonian boy... by smashing up an armoured government transport. He knew where the boy was by attacking a secure government location and making them tell him. See, Neutral Good)
Film
- Luke Skywalker. What else can you say about a guy who was effectively turned into a weapon aimed at the Empire... who then won the crucial battle with love?
- The Dude from The Big Lebowski, whenever he gets the motivation to do anything.
- Axel Foley from Beverly Hills Cop. A policeman, but one who often does not go by the book, and even breaks the law in the interests of what's right in the long run.
- Will Turner from Pirates Of The Caribbean. He really would like to be Lawful Good, and he does his best at it, but...well, piracy is In The Blood.
Literature
- Gandalf from Lord Of The Rings, seeing as they all but say his name when they describe Neutral Good in one of the Dungeons And Dragons Player's Handbooks as "Serving kings and magistrates but not being beholden to them"
- Arguably not. Gandalf was an emissary from the Valar and the reason he was not beholden to King's and magistrates was simply that he was under a different jurisdiction. He was arguably Lawful Good in relation to his services to the Valar.
- Harry Potter possesses a great capacity for love and faith in his friends. He willingly consults authority figures for help and advice, but isn't afraid to subvert them to do what he believes is the right thing (which may or may not be because different authority figures are wrongly persecuting him half the time).
- Dumbledore also seems to be a fine Neutral Good specimen. He does lead the good side most of the time, but he fools people on his own side to achieve some goals and, in the end, does a lot of things alone and without telling anyone.
- Lu-Tze of Discworld hangs someplace between this and Chaotic Good. He also takes the Not Cheating Unless You Get Caught philosophy to its logical extreme-he tells his apprentice that yes, rules are sometimes obstructive and must be broken to get anything done, but that's why they're there; so that you think before you break them.
- In The Malloreon, Belgarion walks the fine line between Lawful Good and Neutral Good. While he tries to keep things fair in Riva through the law, he scraps a rule about noblemen not having to pay a specific tax the very second his 'ear to the ground' lets him know it exists. Absolute legal power is fun like that.
- Somewhere between "Literature" and "Comics", there are the protagonists of the X Wing Series. Wedge Antilles might seem Lawful Good but will disobey orders, frequently citing Tunnel Of Avoidance, if he sees the need. He's a Mildly Military Maverick who gets enough success that the New Republic loves him. He also leaves the New Republic when he finds that the Rogues can't get back at a traitor due to diplomatic immunity, and all of his subordinates follow.
Antilles: "I joined this Rebellion to fight the Empire's tyranny. Just because we have Coruscant doesn't mean it's ended. The New Republic might not be able to strike at Thyferra, but there are Rebels around who can. I quit."
Fey'lya: "It would appear, Captain Celchu, that Rogue Squadron is now your command."
Celchu: "I don't think so. It's been a long time since I've been a civilian. I'm out as well."
- The Soul Drinkers Space Marines, who following a Thirty Xanatos Pileup became fed up to the back teeth with the Imperium and ended up declared Excommunicate Traitoris. They're mostly good guys, unusually compassionate for Space Marines (one of them notes that he feels more regret over killing a Guardsman now that he's holding the gun himself instead of using them as meat-shields) and are having trouble balancing their opposition to Imperial tyranny and its role in protecting people against Chaos.
Live Action TV
- Captain Kirk has just enough respect for the Federation to not violate its laws unless he has a damn good reason, as he understands it's probably the best government out there.
- Miles O'Brien from Star Trek Deep Space Nine has no problems with orders and laws but will break or bend them for the greater good.
- Karl ("Helo") Agathon from Battlestar Galactica, probably the most purely good character on the show. A strong case might be made for his being Lawful Good, but his willingness to go beyond or disobey orders puts him more in the Neutral Good category.
- Shepherd Book and Simon Tam from Firefly. Both seem to have a decent amount of respect for law and order, but have no problems breaking any law which endangers their friends or family.
- Also, Kaylee and Wash from the same show. Though they may have chaotic good leanings. They are just generally good, happy (for the most part) people who always try to do what they believe is right. They are also the two least violent people in the show making them Technical Pacifist.
- Angel, as the lead in a series rife with Character Development, naturally varies in his alignment, but his default "ensouled" alignment once he gets his own show seems to be Neutral Good: helping others and protecting those who can't do it themselves, no matter the personal cost.
- Buffy herself fits this category. She accepts (somewhat reluctantly) her destiny, then proceeds to fulfill it in her own way. She accepts her Mentor while rejecting his organization. In the end, the only thing certain about her is her devotion to good. Most of her Nakama ends up in this category.
- Some of Jack's closer friends at CTU, like Chloe and Tony, tend to be Neutral Good in that they more often follow orders and the law than he does, but tend to put themselves at risk to help him.
Real Life
- Henry David Thoreau was like this, see his essay Civil Disobedience
 . Actually, most peaceful protestors would probably qualify for this trope.
Religion
- Many portrayals of Jesus, even when God Is Evil.
- His disciples were probably between Neutral Good and Chaotic Good with respect to the government. Paul, however, was arguably Lawful Good.
Video Games
- Amaterasu from Okami, who will even take time from saving the world to feed poor, hungry kittens and help an old lady dry her laundry.
- Love Freak Flonne from Disgaea. Just click the link for Love Freak already... it does the explaining for us.
- With just a tiny smidgen of Chaotic Good, especially once she becomes a Fallen Angel. Still makes an (conscious) effort to be Neutral Good however... to the point of physically attacking those who disagree.
- Lady Deirdre Skye, of Sid Meiers Alpha Centauri, seems to genuinely have the interest of Planet at heart, and her green philosophies are aimed at not only protecting the planet but improving the health and welfare of her followers.
- Star Wars Knights Of The Old Republic 1 and 2 give most of the senior Jedi this alignment. While it free them to do as they think best, it can also leave them wondering what to do in a situation.
- Carth Onasi explains the difference between a warrior and a soldier: "Warriors attack and conquer, they prey on the weak. Soldiers defend and protect the innocent—usually from warriors." Carth is Lawful Good, but this spells out a Neutral Good philosophy just as well.
- Marona from Phantom Brave. This should be especially hard for her to maintain since everyone she meets tends to hate her by default, but she manages to keep up a happy face...somehow.
- Most of the protagonists in Soul Nomad And The World Eaters are probably neutral good, helping people for their own sake and wanting to save the world for the good of all... Barring Gig, of course, who'd rather burn what's left down to the ground and do a funny little dance on the ashes.
- Tidus from Final Fantasy X is borderline Chaotic Good due to his rather blatant disregard for rules and tradition, but his dedication to fulfill any promise he makes (especially regarding Yuna) balances it out.
- Auron is like this after rethinking his worldview after his pilgrimage with Braska and his death, being willing to help protect Yuna regardless of what that requires. "We will protect Yuna from anyone, even a Maester".
- Dark Knight Cecil Harvey from Final Fantasy IV is an interesting case, as he chooses not to bind himself by the limits of his character class, experiencing regret over having to destroy the Mist Village under orders of his king. This is part of what sets him on his journey to free himself from his inner darkness.
- Malfurion Stormrage◊ from Warcraft III. In the vanilla Night Elf campaign, one of the main conflicts is between his Neutral Good and his wife's Lawful Neutral. She eventually bends and Character Development slides her to being Neutral Good as well.
- Khadgar◊ from the Expanded Universe, seems to have a very strong air of "I respect your order and ceremony, but can't be bothered for it myself" about himself. In the novel Tides of Darkness, he arrives to the meeting of the leaders of The Magocracy, cutting short their mysteriousness to get to the point and deliver the news that they're in danger and need to prepare. Even after he becomes a member of the very same council, he just mostly hangs on the other side of the world, building defences against the orcs.
- Also Jaina Proudmore, probably the only human leader who is interested in peace (or perhaps even alliance) between The Alliance and The Horde post Warcraft 3.
- The ultimate example is probably Tirion Fordring, he went against his own masters to rescue an orc from execution. Later on he is paired with Chaotic Neutral (or perhaps Chaotic Good) Darion Mograine and his army of Death Knights.
- Sanger Zonvolt and
Elzam von Branstein Ratsel Feinschmeker from Super Robot Wars Original Generation. They are not part of the Earth Federation Army officially, but will occasionally show up and help them. And when they do, they do it with obedience to the rules, and much Badassery.
- Masaki Andoh and the rest of the Elemental Lords (Yang Long, Tytti and Mio) also fit the bill. Technically, they abide to the laws of La Gias, but they are given the special permission to break the law if they see the law straying from its path. Masaki only uses it once and that's not out of whim and dislike towards law. In the Original Generation series, Masaki does follow the rules nicely, though he's not part of the official EFA (he tends to
wander get lost and be found nearby... and then tags along).
- Though he started off as arguably Lawful Good or Lawful Neutral in the Metal Gear series, by the end of Metal Gear Solid, Snake has more or less given the entire U.S. Military and the world governments the bird in order to work on a personal mission he and Otacon share: The eradication of Metal Gears and anti-nuclear proliferation, even if said activities would label him as a Terrorist. But if given the option, Snake would probably had used 'legal' means if they existed, so that puts him in the Neutral Good turf.
- In Fate Stay Night, The Hero Shirou Emiya is this alignment by default, attempting to be what he calls an "Ally of Justice", which in his mind, means saving everybody as best he can. Whether or not he remains this way depends on which Road Cones come his way. In Fate, he remains Neutral Good. In Unlimited Blade Works, he switches to Lawful Good, and in Heaven's Feel, he switches to Chaotic Good.
- In the prequel novel, Fate/Zero, the Neutral Good character is Rider (Alexander the Great). His Boisterous Bruiser qualities does fit him as a Neutral Good character, having that much of a wild life and bravado (look at what he's done to his Master), but adheres well to the rule of Holy Grail War when it comes to battle.
- Nowe, the "dragon-boy" from Drakengard 2 and a more traditional hero in contrast with Heroic Sociopath Caim, has helping out his fellow men as his top priority. This view leads to him questioning whether the methods used by the Knights of the Seal are truly righteous after seeing the suffering of the Empire survivors... and finally, to him leaving the order and seeking a less extreme way of bettering the world.
- Balancing out the carefree Sonic and dedicated Knuckles, Miles 'Tails' Prower seems to embody Neutral Good best among the Power Trio. Cream the Rabbit also probably qualifies, and Big is kind-hearted but too dumb to be anything else. Amy is probably Neutral Good, but is considerably more aggressive than Tails and Cream.
- Most of the party from Persona4 is this alignment with exception to Kanji (goes from Chaotic Neutral to Chaotic Good), Naoto (Lawful Neutral) and Chie (Lawful Good).
- Jak from the Jak And Daxter games seems to start out like this. Then Renegade happens, pushing him temporarily to Chaotic Neutral...but thanks to the twin miracles of Character Development and The Power Of Friendship, he eventually swings back to a more mature version of Neutral Good.
Webcomics
- Sir James Eglamore from Gunnerkrigg Court. He alternates between enforcing the Court's rules, and encouraging Antimony to be smarter about breaking them. He's also willing and able to use lethal force to protect his students.
- Agatha Heterodyne from Girl Genius (except when she is working on something in which case she is Chaotic Neutral) is a generally nice person who wants to reclaim her birthright and goes out of her way to help people. She does not actively oppose The Empire, they just happen to think she is the most dangerous person on the planet, and they may be right.
- Fighter of 8-Bit Theater is only concerned with helping others, especially his "best friend" Black Mage. Unfortunately, he's stupider than a sack of hair and seemingly incapable of realizing that his teammates are the most destructive and murderous people in the comic (which is quite a feat in that Crapsack World). Sarda later states that while Thief, Black Mage and Red Mage are all monsters that must die for the sake of the world, he makes an exception for Fighter, who he calls a casualty.
Western Animation
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