The Fettered - Television Tropes & Idioms

"All these years I thought it was power that brought responsibility. It's not. I was wrong. It's responsibility that brings power. It's knowing what needs to be done that brings strength. And courage."

— Peter Parker, Earth X

Responsibility, honor, and justice. The Fettered believe in these ideals and willingly bind themselves to them, and in so doing draw strength to face whatever challenges arise. When their morals, values, and loved ones are put in danger, they rise to defend them with Heroic Resolve.

It's common for a Fettered character to be a police officer, paladin, soldier, or other law enforcement/martial profession focused on bringing peace and justice to the world, but they can just as easily be a pacifist whose code forbids them from fighting. The latter will have a hell of a time with this. In ensembles, they are often The Hero who rallies their allies with the strength of their conviction and vision. One thing all fettered characters share is that they can often motivate others by virtue of their ideals. In fact, the Messianic Archetype is almost always The Fettered, as are all the la wf ul Character Alignments. That said, choice and freedom are an important aspect of a Fettered character, while they freely choose to adhere to a code, the temptation to desert it is always present; but placing their trust in these ideals serves to give them and others strength to stand firm.

Choosing to live by these ideals is never easy, and it has tangible drawbacks. If they put their faith in an unsound moral code, or obedience in an authority that is less morally upright than they, there will be a reckoning where they must choose to be Lawful or Good. If they don't, or choose wrongly, then they'll suffer a Heroic BSOD and turn into a Fallen Hero. And, of course, the moral code itself usually really compromises their ability to deal with threats permanently, with things like Thou Shalt Not Kill, or being obliged to help the helpless when a more pragmatic attitude could save more total lives. Heroes who are aware of this may take it to the extreme and develop Samaritan Syndrome, or grow despondent when Being Good Sucks. A danger many Fettered face is the Poisonous Friend, who takes up the "task" of protecting the fettered from hard choices. Only rarely will The Fettered be clever or flexible enough to use a Zeroth Law Rebellion and Take A Third Option, as most think too rigidly to consider such "rules lawyering" as honorable.

The Fettered aren't always Knights In Shining Armor. Some adhere to less charitable codes of conduct, and might have different, but equally bizarre and less moral limits placed on their actions.

The Fettered is the counterpoint to The Unfettered, both share similar insane levels of willpower and inner strength, but have radically different world views. An exercise to the reader is whether the Ubermensch is Fettered or Unfettered, which will give one an excellent idea of where a work stands on a certain Sliding Scale— if the Unfettered is the Ubermensch, then the work is much more likely to be Cynical. If the Fettered is the Ubermensch, then the work is most likely Idealist. If both are the Ubermensch, the scale breaks.

It should be noted that unlike the Unfettered, the Fettered can become embodiments of an ideal (well, except perhaps for Freedom) if their moral strength is strong enough. This in turn can lend strength to those who follow their cause and help fight despair. Still, beware the Broken Pedestal.

The Fettered character's greatest strength, of course, is also his greatest weakness. The minute someone devotes himself absolutely to an idea or moral code or what have you, anyone who knows about said devotion can use it against him.

The values held by The Fettered, if taken freely, may constitute a Heroic Vow.

Common characters who are Fettered: many Determinators, Knight In Sour Armor, Knight Templar, Noble Demon, The Stoic, Well Intentioned Extremist, Card Carrying Villain.

Examples:

Anime and Manga

Dr. Tenma of Monster is basically Jean Valjean, below, with a high emphasis on emergency surgery.
All the saints in Saint Seiya had a bit of this, but Shun by virtue of his pacifist ideology would go to the point of nearly becoming a Martyr Without A Cause on several occasions. However, he twice managed to bring about a Mook Face Turn by sheer conviction and kindness, at other times he did kill when forced to, and at times he had to be bailed out by his older brother for his pacifism. At one point he held Hades, in Demonic Possession of his body, immobile thanks to the strength of his wish that his body not be used to harm others, allowing his brother a chance to kill Hades. Surprisingly, the Aesop managed all outcomes of his behaviour in the series, never outright making him a fool for his ideals.
- Shun could pretty much be the poster child for this trope, especially because he represents it as visually as he does metaphorically - his armor is literally fettered, as per his mythological namesake.
Soichiro Yagami from Death Note is a police chief who is trying to capture the mass murderer known as Kira — who is his own son (he has no idea, though). As stated by Word Of God, he's the only truly Good character in the whole series.
Keith Gandor from Baccano!, while difficult to call a "good guy", deliberately and strictly adheres himself to old-age standards he feels that present Mafia families are lacking in (although he'll totally cheat at cards), and is thus responsible for the Gandors' Neighbourhood Friendly Gangsters status. As Firo puts it, "He'd be great if he were in southern Italy or in the last century."
Kenshin of Rurouni Kenshin is a model of this trope, where Defeat Means Friendship as well as the occasional Heel Face Turn when the defeated party realizes Kenshin could have killed them in the first five minutes if he wasn't carefully holding back. A pity that never works for Superman.
Negi of Mahou Sensei Negima tries really hard to be like this, although numerous people (especially Evangeline) have pointed out that there are situations where it just isn't practical and could lead to even bigger problems later on. After much urging, he's getting to point where he's willing to compromise if the result will be better in the long run.
Does Yugi Mutou count? That would certainly make Yami Yugi The Unfettered to his Fettered.
Naruto anyone? He fuels his determiantion with his will to keep any promise he ever made.
Appropriate considering who he's up against, but Shinn Asuka is a good testament to why these traits aren't necessarily that positive. Sure he really cares about the people he's close to and wants to protect them, but his adherence to Chairman Durandal leads him to not realize when he's crossing lines he shouldn't and accept blatant lies at face value. Oh yeah, and the name of the Gundam of the man he hates the most? Freedom.
In Code Geass Suzaku is the fettered counterpart to Lelouch. In season 2 he gets his "lawful or good" moment when he backs out from torturing Kallen with the Refrain drug.

Comics

Batman absolutely refuses to kill. The Joker calls him on it numerous times.
To be fair though, it's amazing what a person can live through.
Captain America is pretty much the embodiment of America's ideals and virtues, and has throughout his run never killed (well, there was a vampire that one time, but he doesn't count).
- He's killed several times, but it's always been only when he has no choice, and causes much angst. During World War II he did kill people, but he was a soldier, and it's not something he boasts about. He also frets about damage to churches, and is very accommodating to accountants trying to total up superfight destruction.
Superman likewise has the preservation of human values, life, and property—all human life, people like Lex Luthor included—acting as limiters on his power. Heck, most flagship comic book superheroes tend to be Fettered.
Sandman: Morpheus uses the rules of the Dreaming and the occult universe in general to accomplish his goals, at one point explicitly stating that the laws which empower him in some ways also bind him in others. He's fond of the word 'responsibility': responsibility for the survival of the Dreaming, responsibility to anyone under his protection, responsibility to his son... Eventually, this is what kills him — or, perhaps, makes life so intolerable for him that he arranges his own death. It's complicated.
After Uncle Ben, Spider Man's entire philosophy has revolved around using his powers to take full responsibility for the safety of New York. Sometimes to an almost unhealthy extreme.

Fan Fiction

Soldier of Spira, a Final Fantasy X AU, presents Auron. The man will stoop to many, many levels to get the job done, and Thou Shalt Not Kill is not one of his restrictions, although the death of innocents does bring him grief. His one, unbreakable rule is that if he makes a promise, he will keep it. His word is his bond, and he uses his word and knowledge of hold all of creation hostage. By threatening to unleash what appears to be the Legions Of Hell if Rikku dies in Zanarkand. The world, and fayth, and Lords of the Living and the Dead decide to yield. But, as one of the more dangerous Magnificent Bastards in the world, he is not above adhering to only the letter of his promise. Combine this with a truly unholy amount of willpower, and a genuine desire to protect those he cares about (if it doesn't get in the way of The Plan), and Auron is more dangerous than ever by the sheer resources he commands in his private crusade to save Spira. Not defeat Sin, save all of Spira. With all the complicated logistics and cultural boundaries to topple. He has committed himself to the job, and his every word shows his determination in all of its fettered glory.
newChaos from The Open Door very nearly approach The Unfettered, but one of the things holding them back from total freedom from limits is their utter devotion to the protection of children, justified as three of their godly pantheon were formerly adolescents at the Dysfunction Junction. Those who get caught abusing children find that the question isn't whether they're gonna get fucked up... but how bad.

Literature

Jean Valjean of Les Miserables spends most of his time on the run from the law, but it doesn't stop him carrying out attention-drawing rescues and paying off prostitutes' debts should the need arise.
- However, Inspector Javert uses his commitment to justice much more than Valjean does to morality.
Terry Pratchett seems to love this trope.
- Death of the Discworld. He could become less reliant on the rules and much more powerful, as his counterpart in Reaper Man demonstrates. He refuses to do so, as those rules and the care of the Reaper are quite important in the world, even though his rules do imperil it or require Susan's intervention in his stead.
- From the same series: Sam Vimes. He could give in to his baser instincts and become a violent, drunken thug. He could give in to his loftier instincts and become a Knight Templar. But he doesn't, because he's seen where both those roads lead and he chooses every day not to go there.
  - He could also simply let go of responsibility entirely, give in to the fact that his marriage to Lady Sybil has made him nobility (and one of the richest people in Ankh-Morpork), and generally let other people worry about morality. The fact that he is incapable of doing this (and, in fact, would be much happier without both nobility and wealth) is part of why she fell in love with him in the first place.
- Also, Esmerelda "Granny" Weatherwax, a bad witch by inclination but a good witch by sheer force of her iron will, comes as close as humanly possible to being this and The Unfettered at the same time. "But I can't do none of that stuff: That wouldn't be Right."
- Captain Carrot also embodies this with his "personal is not the same as important" mantra, as well as his refusal to become king.
- You could make a case for Vetinari fitting the trope as well. He could probably rule half the Disc if he put his mind to it, but chooses to stick to Ankh-Morpork. In Making Money he points out why this would not be a good idea, starting with the fact that the city has only just recovered from the last empire it had.
- Angua definitely fits the trope, and her brother Wolfgang is an example of what could happen if Angua ever went "off the leash."
  - Oh so very much. Witness the dialogue between her and Carrot in The Fifth Elephant (paraphrased): "If I went off like that, would you put me down?" "Yes." "Promise?"
Gandalf in Lord Of The Rings is Fettered by his charge not to interfere with Free Will. The Stewards of Gondor are fettered by the charge not to claim the crown for themselves but to keep it in trust. And even Denethor keeps this Heroic Vow. It is not clear what he would have done had Aragorn arrived before he died, but his nature indicates he took this charge seriously at least when he was in his right mind.
Wencit of Rum, the last white wizard from Oath of Swords (and sequels) is forced to recruit all sorts of unlikely characters to take out the henchmen of the evil wizards he fights, because he won't use wizardry against non-wizards.
- Specifically he took a vow where his magic may only be used in self defense or against dark wizards only when they've been read the equivalent of Miranda Rights asking them to desist in the use of Dark Magic. The Oath is sworn to a thousand year dead empire with him as the only survivor, and he's still trying to enforce their law.

Live Action TV

In Doctor Who, the Doctor makes a point of not going back in time to change events in his own past. It's possible and easy to do, but it damages space-time — it's like choosing not to drive a car when you're worried about your contribution to global warming. In "Earthshock", even though he could pop back in time to the bridge of the doomed freighter in order to scoop up Adric and get him out of harm's way, he refuses. He has already witnessed the destruction of the freighter with Adric aboard.
Spock in Star Trek The Original Series is one of the biggest examples of a Fettered hero.

Tabletop Games

In Exalted, each type of Celestial Exalted has access to their own version of Righteous Lion Defense, a Charm that runs on this trope. It works by making a single emotional bond the Exalt has completely inviolable; they can't act against it themselves, and no one else can ever persuade them to do so, even with Mind Control Charms. Solars pick an Intimacy related to an all-encompassing ideal, Lunars pick one related to protecting a specific person, place, or thing, and Sidereals become absolutely devoted to carrying out a specific long-term plan (and can change to a new one when the first plan is complete).
The Word Bearers in Warhammer 40000 are fanatics who live their lives by the Words of Lorgar, by which they achieve mastery over chaos. Or maybe, are deluded becoming it's slaves. Either way they are fettered -
- The Eldar are also pretty good examples of The Fettered - the discipline provided by their codes keeps them on the straight and narrow.
- Some Inquisitors and many loyal Space Marines also qualify.
  - More specific example: Zahariel in Descent of Angels, whose main motive in any circumstance has a 99% chance of being Duty.
- The entire Tau race, with the Ethereal caste providing the fetter. Without it, they were on the verge of destroying themselves. With the Ethereals, they have conquered a significant area of space (still nothing compared to anyone), have a sort of Warp Drive Lite (99% less likely to lead to your horrific death at the hands of a daemon and only 7 times slower), and have guns that are outstrip the lasguns and battlesuits that can give Space Marines a run for their money, which precious few things in the Galaxy could boast of.
The Book of Exalted Deeds in Dungeons And Dragons featured a ruleset called the Sacred Vow. By taking a sacred vow, one could gain measurable in-game benefits. There was no limit to how many vows you could take, but for balance reasons each such vow required you to select it as a feat. Of particular note was Vow of Poverty, which in a game that is focused on gaining equipment to become more powerful had to provide no small amount of benefit in order to be worthwhile - arguably crossing into Game Breaker territory, because you could never be separated from it.
- It should be noted that later on in a game Vow of Poverty becomes Awesome But Impractical. During the first 9 or so levels, the feat is amazingly useful. But once you hit 10th or so, the feat gives you nothing that actual magic items can't give in spades. You actually end up shooting yourself in the foot unless you really know what you are doing when you take the feat.
- Paladins.
In Changeling The Lost, Pledges can make a Fettered character very powerful indeed. In addition, Changelings of a high enough Wyrd are able to surpass the limits of the human body, live for hundreds of years and turn any crowd of ordinary people into a crazed mob, but are victim to fairytale-style "frailties", such as being forced to do the bidding of anyone who speaks their true name, or being lethally injured by the laughter of children.
In Unknown Armies from global level up, players can take on the powers of particular archetypal characters by certain behaviors. For instance, a person wishing to become a powerful fighter may stop shaving and start camping in the wilderness and hunting his food with his bare hands to become an avatar of The Savage. This makes him stronger, tougher, and eventually able to speak with animals. On the flip-side, all archetypes have particular taboos that cut avatars off from their powers for a limited time and weaken their link to the archetype - in game terms, decreasing their skill. Savages, for instance, cannot deceive people or have more than the most basic technological skill. Certain archetypes can only be channeled by one sex.
In Magic The Gathering's "Shards of Alara" block, this is what best describes how the Bant (white-aligned) shard's "Exalted" mechanic works. In story, Bantians gain magical sigils that represent past heroic deeds, as well as a bond of duty to the one who conferred the sigil, such as a lord, kingdom, or even an angel. In gameplay, if a creature attacks by itself, creatures with Exalted will confer a small stat pump to it. If a player controls several exalted creatures, this can get very painful, very fast.

Video Games

To go with the Havik example in The Unfettered, in Mortal Kombat, Knight Templar Hotaru, leader of the elite police force in Order Realm. So obsessed with upholding the law that he'll lock up his own friends until they're old and grey for a minor infraction.
Adell, so much. If he makes a promise, he's not going to let pesky little things like "logic", "sanity", and "horrible, painful death" get in the way of that.
Shirou from Fate Stay Night, even if said ideals tend to be somewhat naive, is a prime example of The Fettered. He can only use his magic specialty because of his ideals and because he puts no value on his own life — in the one path where he abandons his ideals he's no longer able to use said magic on his own.
Mega Man. He can fight Dr. Wily (apparently using the logic of "You'd be surprised what you can live through"), but can't just shoot him, as he's fettered by the first Law of Robotics. Were he ever to apply the Zeroth Law, however...