History Main / TheHeart

* [[TheHero Sheriff Woody]] in ''Franchise/ToyStory'' is definitely The Heart and soul of [[CheerfulChild Andy's]] toys.

* [[TheHero Sheriff Woody]] in ''Franchise/ToyStory'' is definitely The Heart and soul of [[CheerfulChild Andy's]] toys.

** [[WhiteMagicianGirl Aerith]] [[AllLovingHero Gainsborough]] is this in the spinoffs, anyway. Her personality in the original game is much more blunt, direct, and feisty. She is also quite clever, having grown up in the slums. Amazingly, she continues that role post mortem.
** [[WarriorMonk Tifa]] [[ShrinkingViolet Lockheart]] fits this role, what with her stabilising effect on the party (otherwise, Cloud and Barret would probably have killed each other already) and her being the single tether that prevents Cloud from completely losing himself when he goes off the deep end [[MindRape (...several]] [[TraumaCongaLine times).]]

* Starfire from ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003'', when she's [[ActionGirl not kicking ass]]. The episode "How Long is Forever?" is dedicated to this: [[spoiler:upon being flung through time and disappearing, she ends up in a BadFuture where the Titans have split ''specifically'' because she wasn't there to keep their spirits high enough]].

Compare TheFace who does the talking on TheTeam. See also RestoredMyFaithInHumanity and MoralityChain. Compare TheConscience, TokenGoodTeammate. Not to be confused with WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway, HeartIsAnAwesomePower, or
(if ElementalPowers are a factor) a HeartBeatDown though they often overlap. Contrast with LackOfEmpathy.

* ComicBook/CaptainAmerica is not only TheLeader of ComicBook/TheAvengers, he's also The Heart, seeing as the Mighty Avengers without him seemed more like a military institute (which is somewhat FridgeLogic, considering that Captain America is a MilitarySuperhero), and he's the one that most people rally behind when someone cries AvengersAssemble!
%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* Beak during his time with the ComicBook/{{Exiles}}.
* Especially in modern times, it's (one of) ComicBook/TheFlash(es) that do this. As seen in the ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' TV series, but prior to that, it was the Flash, due to being a poster boy for NiceGuy and keeping a smile on his face.

* Stargirl is the heart for the ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica (it helps that she's the youngest hero with continuous membership on the team).

* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'': [[Characters/TheOwlHouseLuzNoceda Luz Noceda]] becomes this in the Owl House and for her friends, especially when she is compared to the cynical Eda, the egotistical King, or the cold and taciturn Amity. Luz is so cheery about her new circumstances that she brings out the best in her teachers and peers, gradually making them more [[PositiveFriendInfluence cheery, compassionate, and optimistic as well]].

* Philip Fry in ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}''; he might be an idiot, but whenever he leaves the crew, such as when he moved on to join the police, the rest of Planet Express swiftly realize that the office isn't as pleasant a working environment without him, ranging from the professor no longer saying "Good news, everyone!" and Bender and Leela having nothing to talk about while out on deliveries without Fry as a buffer and the rest of the employees finding the ordinary business meetings Hermes gives very dull. Although they aren't clear what it is Fry actually does at work, they know they desperately need it.

** Dick Grayson, a.k.a. the first ComicBook/{{Robin}} and later ComicBook/{{Nightwing}}, is sometimes believed to be The Heart of Franchise/TheDCU. Of course, that's understandable for someone who is best friends with Wally West. It's seen in detail during ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis''. It was originally planned to Kill Dick during the climactic battle (you can even see the frame in-comic where the event originally was). Some writers pushed for it to be changed, as Dick Grayson as a character provided such a lynchpin in the series, both in character -- being one of those who most frequently crossed over and directly connected the Bat-Family to so many other in-universe series -- and as a writing tool. (In the original Crisis on Infinite Earths, Dick being alive was the only reason Batman thought their earth was worth saving).

* Oddly enough in ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'', Battler actually plays this role for the people trapped on the island, at least in the early arcs. Although he's relentlessly anti-fantasy ([[spoiler:again, in the early arcs]]), he also wants to think the best of everyone (a trait that's shown more in the original novel and manga than in the anime) and so constantly winds up jumping up in the middle of fights to explain a scenario in which person X might not be the culprit.

* ''Series/InterviewWithTheVampire2022'': Louis de Pointe du Lac takes on this role in the later episodes of Season 1. His boyfriend Lestat de Lioncourt and their vampire daughter Claudia would've tried to kill each other much earlier if it weren't for their love for Louis. From 1937-1940, Lestat and Claudia can ''barely'' tolerate being in the same room together, but they both suffer through it for Louis, who desperately wants all three of them to be a happy family again. Louis is the peacekeeper in their household because he attempts to diffuse most of the conflicts between the other two.

* ''Series/InterviewWithTheVampire2022'': Louis de Pointe du Lac takes on this role in the later episodes of Season 1. His boyfriend Lestat de Lioncourt and their vampire daughter Claudia would've tried to kill each other much earlier if it weren't for their love for Louis. From 1937-1940, Lestat and Claudia can ''barely'' tolerate being in the same room together, but they both suffer through it for Louis, who desperately wants all three of them to be a happy family again. Louis is the peacekeeper in their household because he attempts to diffuse any conflicts between the other two.

Due to their usual relative introversion, and tendencies towards pacifism (whether {{technical|Pacifist}} or {{actual|Pacifist}}), this character is sadly often CListFodder and a prime target for a single character (rather than the entire show) version of TheFireflyEffect. Many series will start out with a Heart character, but the writers will begin to view them as boring and impossible to write for, so they end up being either PutOnABus/kept OutOfFocus at best or CharacterDeath at worst. This also tends to happen when studio executives want to replace the character with a [[TheCastShowoff more talented]] or [[FanService physically attractive]] character, in an attempt to boost ratings.

Given that said characters are usually sweet types, this also tends to seriously anger a certain portion of the fanbase, but because the [[CorruptCorporateExecutive studio executives]] care more about ratings than they do about upsetting what is normally a minority, the character will [[KilledOffForReal stay dead]]. If fan outrage is sufficiently vocal, and the executives haven't managed to completely alienate the actor, then the character may come back periodically as a [[OurGhostsAreDifferent ghost]] or a [[ClonesArePeopleToo clone]].

** ''WesternAnimation:StevenUniverseFuture'' deconstructs this trope with Steven, as everyone treating him as a dumping ground for their emotions has left him deeply emotionally messed up himself; something he himself doesn't know how to work through, as he only has experience with helping ''others'' work through their emotions.

* Especially in modern times, it's (one of) the Flash(es) that do this. As seen in the Justice League TV series, but prior to that, it was the Flash, due to being a poster boy for NiceGuy and keeping a smile on his face.
** In the Justice League ''Year One'' series, it was Barry Allen, the Silver Age Flash, who suggested forming the group, who arranged for everything to be set up, who went out of his way to approach potential candidates such as Superman, and when trust issues began to tear them apart, he was the one to pull them back together by revealing his identity to the group. In ''Crisis On Infinite Earths'', it was his death that signified that the DCU was on the cusp of changing. His successor, Wally West, eventually grew into this but had to deal with some issues first.
** Wally West is an interesting case. After receiving a lot of CharacterDevelopment he was certainly up to the role but it wasn't until his erasure that it was understood just how vital he was to the overall tone of DCU. His return in ''DC Universe Rebirth'' is cited as the return of "love, hope and legacy" and comic books following after make a huge emphasis on Wally being the heart of Flashfamily and beyond. Writer Geoff Johns admits that's why he chose Wally as the lead character of DC Universe Rebirth one-shot.

%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* ComicBook/MartianManhunter in the Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica. He was a full-time member of every incarnation of the League since its founding. One of the possible reasons that the JLA comics have not been received as well since 2006 is because he hasn't been on the team since then.

* There's also Dick Grayson, aka the first Robin and later ComicBook/{{Nightwing}}, who is sometimes believed to be The Heart of the DCU. Of course that's understandable for someone who is best friends with Wally West. It's seen in detail during Infinite Crisis. It was originally planned to Kill Dick during the climactic battle(you can even see the frame in-comic where the event originally was). Some writers pushed for it to be changed, as Dick Grayson as a character provided such a lynchpin in the series, both in character -- being one of those who most frequently crossed over and directly connected the Batfamily to so many other in-universe series -- and as a writing tool. (In the original Crisis on Infinite Earths, Dick being alive was the only reason Batman thought their earth was worth saving).
* While Dick is unquestionably the heart of the Batfamily it's ''[[ComicBook/Robin1993 Tim Drake]]'' who fills this role for the outliers Bruce doesn't accept like [[ComicBook/{{Huntress}} Helena]] and [[ComicBook/RedHood Jason]] (before he snapped) whose extreme methods make them outcasts left out by the rest of the family. He's also the first person to give [[ComicBook/Batgirl2009 Stephanie]] any training or support in her efforts as a hero and encouraged her to preserve life and never kill as she was not originally a firm believer in the sanctity of criminal lives.
* ComicBook/{{Nightcrawler}} often ended up in the position of being the one to call the other ComicBook/XMen on it when the team was going too far. [[ComicBook/KittyPryde Shadowcat]] and ComicBook/{{Beast|MarvelComics}} also fit the role when Kurt isn't around.
** As well as them, there's ComicBook/JeanGrey. Having been the only one who could call both Wolverine and Cyclops into line and mitigate all their issues, she was the one who kept the team honest, which might explain why they became so much DarkerAndEdgier after her death.
** Oddly enough, ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} served this role in [[ComicBook/XForce Uncanny X-Force]]. It says [[MoralEventHorizon a lot]] about a team when the person who has to remind everyone of the moral implications of their actions is a notoriously amoral degenerate mercenary.
** Another shocking example would be ''ComicBook/{{Sabretooth}}'', after his inversion during ''ComicBook/{{AXIS}}''. He does what he can to atone for his past, but nobody trusts him. He finally joins Magneto's X-Men in ''ComicBook/UncannyXMen2016'', and [[WordOfGod Bunn]] says that Creed was this for the team -- if they wanted to kill someone, Creed would be trying to convince them otherwise. We see a glimpse in the first chapter when the team fights guards to get to their fellow mutants. Everyone is perfectly at home using lethal force. Creed just settles for scaring the guards and eventually warning them to play dead if they want to get out alive.

** Karolina is pretty much the glue that keeps the oft-dysfunctional ComicBook/{{Runaways}} together, and her willingness to put herself on the line to bring peace has twice extended to offering herself up to potentially hostile aliens in order to end conflicts that her parents started. After her return from a brief [[PutOnABus bus trip]], Chase makes it clear he doesn't think things would have gone quite as bad as they did if she'd still been there.

* Franchise/SpiderMan: Marvel's flagship hero is also the core personification of what it means to be truly kind and honest. The height of idealism and [[ComesGreatResponsibility great responsibility]] for heroes and occasionally anti-heroes everywhere.
* Deconstructed/subverted in ''ComicBook/TransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye''. Getaway seems like this at first, being a voice of reason who helps direct the others and gives them encouragement. However, it's eventually revealed that [[spoiler:he's actually a ManipulativeBastard who's [[ExploitedTrope exploiting]] this trope to seemingly sabotage the crew, starting with demolishing Cyclonus and Tailgate's friendship.]]

* While Dick is unquestionably the heart of the Batfamily it's ''[[ComicBook/RobinSeries Tim Drake]]'' who fills this role for the outliers Bruce doesn't accept like [[ComicBook/{{Huntress}} Helena]] and Jason (before he snapped) whose extreme methods make them outcasts left out by the rest of the family. He's also the first person to give [[ComicBook/Batgirl2009 Stephanie]] any training or support in her efforts as a hero and encouraged her to preserve life and never kill as she was not originally a firm believer in the sanctity of criminal lives.

* Katara of ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', a [[TheMedic medic]] with HealingHands and LoveInterest of TheHero. begins as this. Her natural tendency is to help people ("Imprisoned", "The Painted Lady", "Crossroads Of Destiny"), but just like her role as an AllLovingHero, the role is debatably [[MessiahCreep given to]] ''Aang'' by the end of the series. In one of the final episodes, "The Southern Raiders", Katara is hellbent on finding her mother's killer and killing him in revenge, and Aang is the one who tells her it's not worth it. Katara spares the man because she sees that he's not a dangerous monster, just a pathetic "empty" person who, while not deserving of forgiveness, isn't worth the moral cost to ''herself'' of taking a life for revenge. She leaves him personally disgraced and emotionally broken, but takes the lesson from Aang and forgives Zuko after truly seeing how ''he'' has changed and sought to make up for his past.

* The title character of ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold''. It's been shown on more than one occasion that everything in Hillwood would fall apart if not for him.

** Fluttershy is FriendToAllLivingThings and represents the Element of Kindness. For example in the episode ''Bats!'' she is the one arguing that the vampire fruit bats are important to the orchard and should be moved to a sanctuary. She'll also put her foot down and be resolute if she thinks it'll be important in the long run, such as with her brother and The Breezies.
** Pinkie Pie is this too, arguably even moreso than Fluttershy -- as "A Friend in Deed" and especially "Magical Mystery Cure" show, Pinkie isn't just one to the Mane Six, but to the ''whole town''.
** When Twilight becomes the Princess of Friendship, she and the Mane Six become the Heart for all of Equestria.

* It may be hard to believe given the setting and [[TheyKilledKennyAgain his role]], but ''Kenny [=McCormick=]'' serves this role to the rest of the main group in ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark''. When their group's friendships are crumbling in ''Recap/SouthParQVaccinationSpecial'', they try to make arrangements that will keep Kenny happy, and yes, that does include ''[[LackOfEmpathy Cartman]]''.
* In ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'', Steven himself plays this role. While Garnet can keep [[OrderVersusChaos Amethyst and Pearl]] away from each other's throats, it takes Steven to make them actually get along. It appears that he inherited this from his mother. Fittingly, his unique powers are all defensive in nature - healing spit, force bubbles, and a summoned shield.

* ''Steven'' in ''Fanfic/ATriangleInTheStars'' works like this, much like his canon counterpart. Even in spirit, he provides emotional motivation for the Crystal Gems to return to him safely and as quickly as they can. And, most importantly, he consistently provides Bill with warmth and kindness and support. [[spoiler:It eventually leads to Bill unwittingly regrowing his own heart.]] He also settles [[spoiler:Connie's quiet hostility and distrust towards Bill down]] in Chapter Forty-Six, and is overall relatively quick to resolve conflicts in the first place.

* ''Fanfic/GirlAdventurer'': Sarah always does her best to help others whenever possible and is the one who always does her best to ensure that Team Venture acts like a family.

%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* In ''[[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-fan-fiction/828948-transformers-meta-12.html Transformers Meta]]'', Slipstream fulfills this role to the Decepticons.

* Kyon in ''Fanfic/KyonBigDamnHero''. His name also served as the one thing stopping [[spoiler:Haruhi from killing several people for shooting him.]]
* Discussed in ''Fanfic/WorldOfPonycraft'', when Pinky Pie describes her role as a shaman in relation to the elements... and makes a brief WesternAnimation/{{Captain Planet|and the Planeteers}} spoof.
* ''Fanfic/HorseshoesAndHandGrenades'' has Jun Shigeno. In ''A Month of Sundays'', she's the one comforting others. Her role is crucial in [[spoiler:stopping the conflict between Damballa and Quetzie and making them allies against Ophiuchus.]]
%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* In ''Fanfic/FallenKing'', Tea is still this, but the group also realizes Yugi was this.
* Lots of characters fill this role in ''FanFic/TwilightPrettyCure'' on occasion, but the one who fills this role the most is [[PerkyGoth Anzu]], who is the most down to earth and understanding of the cures, trying to make sure nobody gets into any fights before or after a battle.
%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* [[Manga/FullmetalAlchemist Riza Hawkeye]] takes on this role in the ''Fanfic/ElementalChessTrilogy'', particularly in the second and third installments.
* [[VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins Elissa]] is this for her companions in ''Fanfic/ShadowAndRose.'' Regardless of how the rest of the group feel about each other, they all care about her, and are willing to tolerate one another for her sake. It becomes especially evident when [[spoiler:she's taken prisoner in Denerim]].
* While Ringo was this in RealLife for [[Music/TheBeatles the four]], in ''Fanfic/TheKeysStandAlone'' he's so fucked up that he doesn't serve this function as much as he should (though he does at least once). It ends up falling to Paul, who is also fucked up but dealing with it better, to keep them focused and at least marginally hopeful when everything looks blackest. It helps that Paul has a built-in calm-down factor in his "background noise."

* Kurama in ''Fanfic/BlackkatsReverse'' reminded the jinchurikis they were people and could have a family in each other. The jinchurikis return the favor by being ready to stand against their own villages for his sake.
* This is Jaune's roll in ''Fanfic/ForgedDestiny'' along with TheHero and TheLeader. He is often the first one to act when there are lives to save and [[WhatTheHellHero the most likely to call the others out for their actions]]. His consideration of others and ability to unite [[RagtagBunchOfMisfits such a diverse group]] is the primary reason The Hunters guild was formed.
* After joining the Team in ''Fanfic/ASubtleKnife'', Edge quickly makes them more than teammates, he makes them ''friends''. It helps that one application of his power is being TheSocialExpert, so he always knows what to say no matter the situation. PolitenessJudo for the win!
* In ''Fanfic/ThievesCanBeHeroes'' Izuku is this, TheHero, and TheLeader at the same time. His own desire to do good no matter what happens to him in the end is what brings the Phantom Thieves together, and his heroic sensibilities like ThouShaltNotKill and ComesGreatResponsibility keeps the Thieves honest and prevents them from going overboard on their heists, as best seen when [[spoiler:he's begging Ann not to kill Kamoshida's Shadow.]]
* ''Fanfic/ThePiecesLieWhereTheyFell'': As Kindness, Page Turner acts as the moral guidance of the six Element-Bearers.
* Alice Denham is generally the most calm and level headed member of the rescue team, as well as the one most likely to provide emotional and moral support and serve as peacemaker between some of the more hotheaded and volatile members of the team in ''Fanfic/PrehistoricEarth'' and its ContinuityReboot ''Fanfic/PrehistoricParkReimagined''.

[[folder:Film]]
* Amazing from ''Film/AmazingGraceAndChuck''. Normally in a story like this, you'd expect the kid (Chuck) to fill this role and the adult (Amazing) to act as the real leader. But in this case, it's reversed, with Amazing serving to remind people ''why'' the fight is worth fighting and inspiring them to keep going, and Chuck making the actual decisions and leading the protest movement. The dynamic becomes clear when [[spoiler:Amazing dies and the movement takes on a notably more somber tone but nobody questions whether Chuck is still the one to decide whether it continues and what they will do next]].

* The Echidna from ''WesternAnimation/LegendOfTheGuardiansTheOwlsOfGaHoole'' calls Mrs. Plithiver The Heart of the band.
* Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse:

* Roshan from ''WesternAnimation/IceAge''. Roshan is the [[http://movieglimpse.com/ice_age Peace Child]] whose love for the animals brings them together in an unlikely herd and leads Manny on a journey of forgiveness to let go of his anger against Roshan's tribe.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'', Miriam is the heart of Mei's friend group being the voice of reason, and most empathetic of the trio of Mei's friends between the hyperactive Abby and the stoic Priya.

''Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague''. Cyborg has this role. After he has every reason to be angry & finds out he can cause TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt, he uses his new powers to give a random woman money.