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Nice Mean And In Between / Western Animation

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Examples of Nice Mean And In Between in Western Animation.

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  • 101 Dalmatians: The Series: Among the Dalmatian pup trio (minus Spot Chicken), Rolly is a food-lover, friendly, mild-mannered and laid-back, Lucky is the hot-headed, adventurous ringleader and a TV addict, and Cadpig is a mix of The Cutie, Little Miss Snarker, Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness and Granola Girl.
  • 6teen: Downplayed. None of the main six is outright malicious, with the "mean" being more of a Jerk with a Heart of Gold.
    • Among the girls, Caitlin is the romantic type (nice), Nikki is the snarky, no-nonsense type (mean), and Jen is rather bossy but caring to her peers (in-between).
    • Among the guys, Wyatt is the sensitive musician (nice), Jonesy is the overconfident, womanizing schemer (mean), and Jude is the chill mediator (in-between), although both Wyatt and Jude can interchange.
  • The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius
    • The main trio of Jimmy, Carl, and Sheen. Carl is the nice who is always willing to help out Jimmy despite knowing his inventions could be dangerous on him. Jimmy himself is the mean being an Insufferable Genius to the highest degree whose inventions often lead to the "Problem of the week." And Sheen is the in-between being the wackiest and most high-spirited guy of the group but does have a bit of an ego like Jimmy and can often be a bad friend when the time comes.
    • We also get some of their classmates and allies. Suave Nick Dean is the coolest kid in school who's usually nice and easy (though he's not without his moments), Cindy is the mean one who always rebels Jimmy but slowly grows more affectionate to him over the series' run, and Libby stays in-between because she's not as mean as Cindy but has more moments of teasing Jimmy than Nick does. Additionally, whenever Brittany's around, she is the nice to Cindy's mean and Libby's in-between.
    • The Space Bandit trio of Zix, Travoltron, and Tee fit into this pretty nicely. Travoltron is the nice who, like Sheen, is the wackiest of the trio who is often smiling a lot. Tee is the mean being the most confrontational and aggressive of the group. And Zix is the in-between who is the often level-headed leader that tries to keep the trio together while, at the same time, trying to accomplish their evil goal at the time. Once they all pull a Heel–Face Turn at the end of the series, they all become nice.
  • Aladdin: The Series: Aladdin's companions fall into this. Genie is the nice one, due to being the Plucky Comic Relief and the friendliest; Iago is the mean one, due to his selfish and greedy nature (though not without his heart of gold moments); and Abu is the in-between, due to being nicer than Iago but sometimes just as greedy.
    • When it comes to solely the animal sidekicks, Abu becomes the nice one and Rajah the Tiger becomes the in-between one while Iago retains his mean role.
    • Downplayed with the main three Royal Palace Guards (excluding Nahbi as he rarely appears), Razoul, Fazal and Hakim since they are all since the strict law enforcers of Agrabah. However, Fazal tends to be the most sensitive (nice), Razoul is definitely the most ruthless (mean), and Hakim has a rather pessimistic demeanour but is less hard-hearted than Razoul (in-between).
  • Alvin and the Chipmunks:
    • Theodore is the nicest of the chipmunks, serving as the Morality Pet to Alvin, who is an egotistical Attention Whore. Simon stays in-between due to him being the smart one, but constantly bickering with Alvin.
    • Their Distaff Counterparts, The Chipettes, are this, too. Jeanette is The Heart, Brittany is the closest to being the mean one, and Eleanor is caring but more assertive than Jeanette.
  • The Amazing World of Gumball:
    • The Watterson children: Darwin (nice), Gumball (mean), and Anais (in-between).
    • The main staff of Elmore Junior High: Mr. Small (nice), Ms. Simian (mean), and Principal Brown (in-between).
    • The 3 most prominent fathers in the show: Richard (nice), Haroldnote  (mean), and Patricknote  (in-between).
  • American Dad!:
  • Amphibia:
    • The Plantar family is this. Sprig is happy-go-lucky and upbeat, Polly is hot-headed and abrasive, and Hop Pop is also caring but more serious than Sprig.
    • There's also Anne and her friends, who transported to Amphibia by the Calamity Box. Sasha is a manipulative alpha bitch, Marcy is a kindhearted klutz, and Anne herself is helpful and caring, but also starts out the series firmly as a Jerk with a Heart of Gold. As of the second season finale, Anne and Marcy have swapped roles, since Anne has matured greatly, while Marcy is revealed to have gotten herself and the others stuck in Amphibia on purpose because she couldn't bear the thought of losing them. Even at her worst, Anne has never done anything that selfish or shortsighted, though Marcy is still portrayed sympathetically. The writers' whiteboard in a behind-the-scenes picture describes Anne as moral, Sasha as immoral, and Marcy as amoral.
      • Starting from Olivia & Yunan-All In, the girls' roles have changed drastically, with Anne as the nice one, Marcy as the mean one when possessed by The Core, and Sasha as the in-between. After Marcy is freed from The Core's control, she regains her Nice Girl trope and despite everything Andrias has done to her and her friends, she is the only person who doesn't show a single sign of hatred towards the fallen king. She even gives him a bittersweet goodbye when she, Anne, and Sasha are about to leave Amphibia for good.
    • The Newtopia royalty also qualifies. Olivia is the nice and caring advisor, Andrias is the evil king who wants nothing but to rule all worlds, and Yunan is the aggressive but sensitive in-between.
    • Speaking of Andrias, he forms this kind of dynamic with the other two Big Bads; Captain Grime being the closest to nice, beginning as an aristocratic thug who abused his troops and favored excessive force to keep the frogs in line until spending time with Sasha influenced him treat his soldiers better (even pulling a Heel–Face Turn with her in the second season finale); his master, the Core, being the meanest of them, being a collection of evil minds including Andrias' ancestors with no redeeming or likable qualities to speak of, gaslighting Andrias (whom it sees as a mere tool in its plans) into serving it unquestioningly and committing atrocity after atrocity in its name; and Andrias himself being the in-between, having committed more atrocities than Grime but reluctant to go to some of the lengths the Core orders him to, and also pulling his own Heel–Face Turn in the finale after abandoning his goals of conquest in the previous episode.
  • The Angry Beavers has the trio of Norbert, Daggett and Treeflower as Norbert is the laid back and sensible nice one, Daggett is the hot-tempered mean one and Treeflower is the in-between as she serves as a mediator between the two. However, sometimes Norbert and Daggett's roles would switch Depending on the Writer as Norbert can be the mean one, especially whenever he bullies Daggett and Daggett can be the nice one whenever he's being nice towards Norbert.
  • Animaniacs (1993):
    • The Goodfeathers, who provide the image for the main page. Squit is the friendly Naïve Newcomer in contrast to Pesto, who has a violent temper and would always beat Squit up. Bobby is the leader and mediator, alternating between keeping Pesto in check and getting a good laugh at Pesto beating up Squit.
    • Yakko, Wakko and Dot Warner. While all three are perverted and mischievous, Wakko (Nice) is the most friendly of the Warners, Dot (Mean) is spoiled and vain, and Yakko (In-Between) is a Deadpan Snarker, but is nicer than Dot.
  • The trio of Master Shake, Frylock and Meatwad in Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Meatwad is child-like, (usually) kindhearted and frequently abused by Shake, who is a greedy and cruel sociopath. Frylock is in between due to him being the smart Only Sane Man, often annoyed by Shake and sometimes Meatwad (the former very understandably), with a few Not So Above It All moments.
  • Arthur:
    • Of the three Read children, Kate is the nice one for being a sweet baby who hardly ever causes any trouble, D.W. is the mean one who generally annoys Arthur and throws temper tantrums when she doesn't get her way, and Arthur is the in-between one for being more mature and level-headed than D.W. and often having to put up with her tantrums, but he can have his moments where he is unfair in his behavior to D.W..
    • In D.W.'s preschool class, Emily is the nice one for generally being one of the most polite and well-behaved students, Timmy and Tommy, the Tibble Twins are the mean ones for playing rough and generally causing trouble, and D.W. is the in-between one for being friends with Emily but also being hardier than her when it comes to dealing with the Tibble Twins.
  • The trio of popular kids from As Told by Ginger, Courtney (nice), Miranda (mean), and Mipsy (in-between).
  • The Three Narrators from A Tale Dark And Grimm. Jacob, who is the most moral and most concerned about everyone's wellbeing is Nice; Dotty, who is friendly and cheerful but a bit of a Nightmare Fetishist driven by her impulses is Mean, and William, who feels bad for victims of suffering but insists there is nothing they can do, is In-Between.
  • Avatar: The Last Airbender:
  • The Backyardigans:
    • The three male Backyardigans: Tyrone (nice), Pablo (mean), and Austin (in-between).
    • When an episode requires only three characters, they are usually Pablo, Tyrone, and Uniqua, the last of whom replaces Austin as the in-between.
  • Batman and Harley Quinn: Batman is the nice (although he's not quite as compassonate as in the Animated Series). Harley is the mean, being completely obnoxious for most the the film (although she turns out to have a nice streak after all). And Nightwing is the In-between (he's far nicer than Harley, but not quite The Paragon Batman is.)
  • Beast Wars: Cheetor (nice, Kid-Appeal Character), Dinobot (mean, serious Proud Warrior Race Guy), and Rattrap (in-between, abrasive and sour, but loyal to his friends).
  • Beavis and Butt-Head:
    • Whenever Stewart is hanging around with the titular duo, he is the nice to Butt-Head's mean and Beavis' in-between (as Beavis can be a Jerk with a Heart of Gold compared to Butt-head, but still picks on Stewart anyway).
    • If you were to count Stewart's family, Stewart retains his role as the nice one, while his dad is the mean Abusive Parent who has been shown on a few occasions to be willing to throw his son under a bus when facing an unpleasant situation, and his mom is the in-between doting parent who is more assertive than her son.
    • Out of the prominent members of the school staff, Van Driessen is a pacifist who is tolerant of Beavis and Butt-Head (nice), Buzzcut is a violent Jerkass who is abusive to Beavis and Butt-Head and even the other students (mean), McVicker is the nervous principal who is only really angry when Beavis and Butt-Head are involved and usually for justifiable reasons (in-between).
    • Whenever Todd is in the presence of the duo, they have an extreme version of this dynamic. Todd is the meanest of the three, having almost no positive qualities and behaving in a violent, antisocial manner most of the time, with his only Pet the Dog moments being those times he decides not to beat up the duo. Butt-head is in between, being a massive Jerkass but one with a Hidden Heart of Gold who can sometimes treat Beavis as a true friend like when he offered Beavis the chance to "do" Serena together in Beavis And Butthead Do The Universe and praying for Beavis to get better like in the episode "Take a Bow". Beavis, meanwhile, is the nice one, relatively speaking, as he can act the politest and nicest of the three and the show outright confirms that without Butt-head's influence, he would be a slightly stupid but good guy who volunteers at soup kitchens under the influence of better friends like Stewart.
  • Ben, Gwen, and Kevin from Ben 10: Alien Force and Ben 10: Ultimate Alien. Kevin is clearly the mean one, while the nice and the in between are Ben or Gwen, Depending on the Writer.
    • Of Alien X's three personalities, Serena is the voice of love and compassion, Bellicus is the voice of rage and aggression, and Ben is the voice of reason.
    • Of the Bounty Hunter trio consisting of Tetrax, Kraab, and Sixsix. Tetrax is a noble, well-intentioned warrior who eventually becomes a trustworthy ally to Ben and the gang, after his benefactor betrayed him and massacred his world. Kraab is an arrogant, uncaring, jerkish assassin who lives only for self-pleasure and fortune. Sixsix is in-between; while he can be merciless like Kraab, he is otherwise rather stoic and shows some level of restraint.
  • Beverly Hills Teens:
    • For the girls, we have Tara as the shy, gentle southern girl, Bianca as the sour, demeaning fortune heiress, and Larke as the kind, yet spunky girl.
    • For the guys, we have Troy as nice, Pierce as mean, and Radley as in between.
  • Big City Greens:
    • The Green kids and Remy come off as this. Tilly is the nicest of the three, and the Morality Pet to Cricket, who's also nice but a rambunctious troublemaker. Remy stays in-between due to watching out for Cricket and being more assertive than Tilly. Cricket slowly evolves into nice territory as the series goes.
    • The grown-up Greens are this too. Bill is good-natured and friendly; Alice is short-tempered and brash, and Nancy is also caring but more assertive than Bill.
    • There's also some of Cricket and Tilly's female friends. Gabriella is friendly and approachable, Gloria is bossy and high-strung, and Andromeda is level-headed and suspicious of many things but also very friendly. Gloria slowly evolves into nice and in-between territory as the series goes.
    • There's also some recurring adult male characters. Officer Keys is the goofy and lazy police officer, Chip Whistler is the conniving and scheming Corrupt Corporate Executive, and Vasquez is tough and assertive but deep down truly values Remy as both his master and friend.
  • Billy Dilley's Super Duper Subterranean Summer: Billy (nice), Zeke (mean), and Marsha (in-between).
  • Blaze and the Monster Machines: Blaze is the nice and good-natured hero of the show, Crusher is the mean and conniving schemer who likes to cheat, and Pickle is in-between as he is friends with Blaze and always watches out for Crusher.
  • Bobby's World: Of the three Generic siblings, Bobby is the nicest one, being a playful child and somewhat naive. Derek is the mean one, being the jerk who often picks on Bobby and calls him names. Kelly is in-between, as she is much nicer to Bobby and the most mature, but can also be somewhat of a Bratty Teenage Daughter at times.
  • Bob's Burgers:
    • The Belcher kids are as follows: Tina (Nice; peaceful and polite), Louise (Mean; selfish and vindictive), and Gene (In-Between; obnoxious and loud but well-meaning).
    • The main adult characters: Positive and Upbeat Linda (Nice), while a Nice Guy, also has an anger problem Teddy (Mean), and Only Sane Man Bob (In-Between).
    • The Pesto Family: Andy and Ollie are Nice in that they're cheerful and usually non-malicious, Jimmy Pesto is Mean in that he's an unlikeable, spiteful Jerkass, and Jimmy Jr. is In-Between in that he's generally laid-back, but can be a pretty big jerk sometimes.
  • The Boondocks The Freeman Family: Huey (Nice), Riley (Mean), and Robert (In-Between).
    • The main adult characters: Tom Dubois (Nice), Uncle Ruckus (Mean), and Robert (In-Between).
    • The Three Major children characters: Jasmine (Nice), Riley (Mean), and Huey (In-Between).
  • Bravestarr brings us the three men in the Fort Karium precinct. Deputy Fuzz is a timid Kid-Appeal Character, Thirty Thirty is a gun toting Jerk with a Heart of Gold, and Marshal Bravestarr is the leader and mediator.
  • CatDog:
    • Dog, Winslow and Cat fill these respective roles. Dog is one of the show's nicer characters, and while he has caused trouble for Cat, it's always unintentional, or him giving in to his instincts (like chasing a garbage truck). Winslow takes pleasure in tormenting or insulting CatDog, especially Cat. Cat can be greedy and selfish, but does have a softer side and genuinely cares for Dog.
    • The Greasers provide an antagonistic variant: Lube is a Minion with an F in Evil who can be friendly with CatDog when not around the Greasers (Nice), Cliff is a cruel bully (Mean), and Shriek is also quite unfriendly but she has a soft spot for Dog (In-Between).
    • Catdog fills in these roles with Lola whenever the three of them are the main focus. Dog retains his role as the (Nice) one, while Cat becomes the (Mean) one who is only involved for his self greed, leaving Lola as the (In-Between) One, who is friendly, but also Hot-Blooded.
  • Catscratch: Waffle is sweet and idiotic, Mr. Blik is greedy and selfish and Gordon is prideful but level-headed.
  • Chowder:
    • The three main apprentices are: Chowder (nice), Gorgonzola (mean) and Panini (in-between). This also applies to their respective mentors in that same order.
    • The three adults working at Mung's Catering are: Mung (nice), Truffles (mean) and Schnitzel (in-between).
  • Clarence: Clarence (nice), Jeff (mean), and Sumo (in-between), though they can interchange when the situation calls for it.
  • Class of 3000:
    • Madison (Nice), Tamika (Mean), and Kim (In-Between), the three main girls. It's downplayed in Tamika's case, as she's merely a Jerk with a Heart of Gold, especially in later episodes.
    • Philly Phil (Nice), Kam (Mean), and Eddie (In-Between), the three main boys who aren't Li'l D. Like with Tamika above, Kam is merely a Jerk with a Heart of Gold.
    • Madison (Nice), Tamika (Mean), and Philly Phil (In-Between), the string players, also have this dynamic.
  • Classic Disney Shorts: Some incarnations of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy are like this; Goofy as the nice one, Donald as the irritable one, and Mickey as the mostly nice but sometimes snarky mediator/leader.
  • Codename: Kids Next Door:
    • The main operatives of Sector V: Numbuhs 2 and 3 (nice), Numbuh 4 (mean) and Numbuhs 1 and 5 (in-between). However, the more direct examples are the boys: Numbuhs 1 (in-between), 2 (nice) and 4 (mean). Numbuh 2 is The Smart Guy who cracks one lame pun after another, living up to his title as "the doofus", Numbuh 4 lives up to his title "the tough kid", often losing his temper from time to time, especially with his disdain for Rainbow Monkeys, and Numbuh 1 lives up to his title as "the leader", taking his job seriously.
    • For the Moonbase operatives, we have the loudmouthed and sexist Numbuh 86 being mean while Soopreme Leader Numbuh 362 and Mission Control Numbuh 65.3 are nice and in-between, Depending on the Writer.
  • Count Duckula has the main trio of Duckula, Igor, and Nanny. Nanny is the Nice one, being the Kindhearted Simpleton without a mean bone in her body, Duckula is the Mean one, as he is self-centered and cowardly, and Igor is the In-Between one, being the Only Sane Man with a huge nightmare fetish and a yearning to revert Duckula to the bloodthirsty roots of his ancestors and previous incarnations. Duckula and Igor may interchange roles depending on the situation.
  • Courage the Cowardly Dog: The main characters include Courage, Muriel and Eustace. Muriel is kind-hearted and motherly (nice) and her husband Eustace is grouchy, selfish and abusive (mean), cancelling out Courage on the scale (in-between).
  • Craig of the Creek: The Stump Trio, consisting of J.P. (nice), Kelsey (mean), and Craig (in-between).
    • There's also the Elders of the Creek, David (nice), Mark (mean) and Barry (in-between).
  • Cyberchase:
    • The main human Cyber trio Matt, Jackie, and Inez. Inez is the nice who is always eager to help out people in need and always tries to come up with solutions to the problems. Jackie is the mean being the most hot-headed of the group and is the most prone to make sharp remarks toward the others (especially Matt) and will often times pull a Screw This, I'm Outta Here when the situation gets too much for her (usually involving bugs). Matt is the in-between while he also loves to help out others in need, his constant messing around with the others (especially Inez) and tends to rush off to do things without thinking has cause problems for the group.
    • Team Hacker also applies to this. Delete is the nice being the Token Good Teammate of the group and only follows Hacker's orders out of fear and has even allied with the Cybergang against Hacker on a few occassions. The Hacker is the mean obviously being the show's Big Bad with a massive inferiority complex who's main goal is to take over the Cyberworld.. And Buzz is the in-between where, like Delete, he follows Hacker's orders out of fear and doesn't cause trouble for the fun of it but at the same time, he is the most loyal to The Hacker and serves as the #2 whenever Hacker isn't around.
  • Danny Phantom: The main trio. Danny is the well-meaning nice, Sam is the sarcastic mean, and Tucker is the geeky in-between.
  • Dan Vs. has Chris, Dan, and Elise. Chris is a mild-mannered pushover. "Anger Management" suggests that he eats a lot as a way of repressing his anger. Dan is a vengeful, hateful Anti-Hero/Villain Protagonist with a Hidden Heart of Gold. And Elise is much nicer than Dan and often shows disdain for Dan's antics, but is shown on occasion to have a vengeful streak herself.
  • Daria:
    • Out of Quinn's friends: shy and innocent Stacy is nice, Alpha Bitch Sandi is mean, and clueless airhead Tiffany is in-between.
    • In later seasons, Tom is friendly and socially active (nice), Daria is The Snark Knight who is dismissive towards almost everyone (mean), Jane is a cynical Deadpan Snarker like Daria but is more approachable than she is (in-between).
    • The female staff members of Lawndale High also fit this trope: Heartfelt Ms. Defoe is nice, man-hating feminist Ms. Barch is mean, and dedicated, yet stir crazy Ms. Li is in between.
  • Dastardly & Muttley in Their Flying Machines has Zilly nice by default as he's cowardly and often objects to Dick Dastardly's plans to catch Yankee Doodle Pigeon, Dick Dastardly as mean (duh...he's a villain), and Muttley as in-between as he's Dastardly's sidekick but often wonders why sometimes. He enters good-guy territory in his Magnificent Muttley features. Klunk enters in-between as well as he obeys orders and yet is slap-happy.
  • Dexter's Laboratory: Out of the three main characters, we have cheerful and friendly Dee Dee (nice), Evil Genius Mandark (mean), and Insufferable Genius Dexter (in-between).
  • Ed, Edd n Eddy:
    • Ed (nice), Eddy (mean), and Edd (in-between). Ed is the nice one as he doesn't have a malicious bone in his body and is very happy and ignorant about what he's doing. Eddy is the mean one, a greedy and very selfish Jerkass who drags the other Eds into his scams. While Edd is nowhere near as horrible as Eddy and is very mild-mannered, he has been known to lose it a couple of times and can be very judgemental. Ed and Edd sometimes interchange, Depending on the Writer, since Ed is more impulsive and doesn't always understand the consequences of the trio's actions, making him go along with Eddy's nefarious schemes without question, and Edd always tries to find a reasonable, non-violent solution to problems.
    • The Kids: cheerful Cloudcuckoolander Jonny and sweet Girl Next Door Nazz (nice), Jerk Jock Kevin and Spoiled Brat Sarah (mean), sensitive yet sneaky Jimmy and unpredictable Funny Foreigner Rolf (in between).
    • The Kanker Sisters: naive youngest sister May (nice), Evil Redhead leader Lee (mean) and aggressive tomboy Marie (in between).
  • The Fairly Oddparents: The main trio consists of only sane woman Wanda (Nice), Sometimes selfish Timmy (Mean), and The Ditz Cosmo (In-Between).
  • Family Guy:
    • Out of the three children:
      • Nice: Chris. He has his questionable moments too, but not as much as the rest of his family and is a relatively good person compared to them.
      • Mean: Stewie. In early seasons he was the Token Evil Teammate who wanted to kill his mother. He got nicer in later seasons, especially compared to Peter, Lois, and Brian, but he's still more devious and prone to Comedic Sociopathy than his siblings (and a bit of a jerk to Brian).
      • In-between: Meg. She's usually friendly, but she can bite back very hard when pushed too far due to her Butt-Monkey status.
    • If you want to divide the family into pairs:
      • Nice: Meg and Chris. They are easily the most harmless, mainly because they are more Out of Focus than the others.
      • Mean: Peter and Lois. They suffer the worst Flanderization and are Abusive Parents.
      • In-between: Stewie and Brian. The former Took a Level in Kindness but is still Ambiguously Evil, while the latter can be an egotistical, hypocritical Insufferable Genius but has more moments of clarity than most of the other Griffins.
    • Out of Peter's friends:
    • When Cleveland left for his own show, this became a more downplayed example, as Quagmire ended up sharing his mean role with Peter himself, while Joe would be the closest to a Nice Guy the show could have at this point.
  • Fanboy and Chum Chum: Chum Chum is the nice one, the Cheerful Child who is sweet, rather innocent, and can have his feelings hurt sometimes. Kyle is the mean one, a wizard who serves as a snarky pessimist who despises anything fun, but can have his Jerk with a Heart of Gold moments, other times acting as a full-on Villain Protagonist. Fanboy is the in between, due to being dimwitted and funny, but can be more serious than Chum Chum.
  • The junior fire trucks of the children's show Firehouse Tales. Petrol is bashful but innocent, Crabby is grumpy and sullen, and Red is the in between who serves as their meditative leader.
  • Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends:
    • Between the four main imaginary friends: Eduardo and Wilt are the nice ones, Bloo is the mean one (particularly in the later seasons where he is more of a jerkass) and Coco, who's relatively nicer than Bloo but at the same time can act like a nutty chaotic Cloud Cuckoolander which would make her in-between.
    • Bloo would also be the in-between to Mac's nice and Terrence's mean when he was living with them.
    • There's also the three most prominent human characters: Mac (nice), Terrence (mean) and Frankie (in-between). For all the human kid characters, Goo would take the place as an in-between as she is a Nice Girl but can be quite a motor-mouthed Cloud Cuckoolander.
    • Between the three adults at Fosters: Frankie is the fair Cool Big Sis, Mr. Herriman is the stern uptight perfectionist and Madame Foster is a Cool Old Lady who has shown to be kind and generous but has her selfish moments here and there.
  • Fugget About It: Among the Falcone children, the middle child and only son Petey is the nerdy and pacifist nice one, the youngest child Gina is the Enfant Terrible mean one, and the eldest daughter Thresea is the Lovable Alpha Bitch in-between, who is nicer than her little sister but can be bratty at times and extremely lustful.
  • Futurama:
    • The trio of Fry, Leela, and Bender. Fry is the nicest guy of the group, albeit a bit dumb. Bender is the loud-mouthed, foul-mouthed, abrasive jerk who likes to drink and smoke and steal a lot. Leela mediates between the two for she is calm and level-headed, although she is very easily offended and would often appear as a nag to others.
    • The other three Planet Express employees. Zoidberg is friendly, selfless, and generous. Hermes is a rude, amoral Obstructive Bureaucrat. Amy is generally nice but also tends to be rude and inconsiderate.
    • Mom's sons. Oldest brother Walt is the mean one (frequently abusing the other two), Igner is the dumbest but nicest one, and sniveling and shy Larry is the in between.
    • The Robot Mafia. Joey Mousepad is the polite Dumb Muscle of the group, Clamps is the short-tempered Blood Knight who's always ready to strangle someone with his clamps, and Donbot is the soft-spoken leader of the group who keeps the others in line.

    G-R 
  • Gravity Falls: Of the main three, the cheerful and usually sweet Mabel is nice, the jaded Con Artist Stan is mean, and the snarky but sensible Dipper stands out as the in-between. However, Stan is a Jerk with a Heart of Gold, even before his character development, and Mabel's Fatal Flaw is her oblivious selfishness; Dipper sacrificed a lot for her before she learned to reciprocate somewhat.
  • Green Eggs and Ham (2019):
    • The three male protagonists of Season 1 are like this, through and through. Sam-I-Am is perky and friendly, Guy-Am-I is grumpy and cynical, and Mr. Jenkins the Chickeraffe is in-between due to being perky and friendly like Sam, but also having an aggressive and violent side.
    • There's also the antagonists of Season 1. Gluntz is the nice and goofy ditz, Snerz is the mean and scheming Corrupt Corporate Executive, and McWinkle is the intimidating and seemingly ruthless, but also deeply caring, veteran animal hunter.
    • There's also the animals. Michael the Fox is eccentric and friendly, the Goat is a notorious and dreaded bounty hunter, and the Mouse (nicknamed Squeaky by Sam) is antsy and cynical, but also a loving husband and father.
  • The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy: Good natured, happy-go-lucky Billy (nice), cynical, sadistic Mandy (mean), and surly Only Sane Man Grim (in between). Later seasons have Grim and Billy trade of their respective roles, as Grim tends to be laid-back and reasonable while Billy is oftentimes thoughtless and reckless when the situation calls for it.
  • Harvey Beaks: The nice, mild-mannered and polite Harvey is nice, the slightly rough around the edges Wild Child Fee is mean and Foo, who isn't as rough as Fee but not as mild-mannered as Harvey, is in-between.
  • Harvey Street Kids brought us Lotta as the sweet and caring girl (nice), Audrey as the sassy rebel (mean), and Dot as the mediator (in between).
  • Hercules: The Animated Series:
    • Herc is an overall friendly guy, Cassandra is an acid-tongued pessimist, and Icarus is the Cloudcuckoolander who swings both ways.
    • This also goes for the trio of Hercules, Pegasus and Philoctetes. Herc retains his nice role while Phil is short-tempered and grouchy (mean) and Pegasus is loyal but also a Silent Snarker (in-between).
  • Hey Arnold! has several examples, ranging from the children to the adults:
    • The main trio of Arnold, Helga and Gerald with Arnold being the nice one as he is an All-Loving Hero willing to help out anyone and is highly optimistic, Helga being the mean one as she is The Bully and is the most cynical of the trio and Gerald who is in-between as he is nicer than Helga, but has a snarky side.
    • Some of their schoolmates are these as well: Phoebe, Eugene, Sheena and Lila (nice); Harold and Curly (mean); and Rhonda, Sid, Nadine, Stinky and Brainy (in-between).
    • When Stinky, Harnold, and Sid are grouped together; Stinky is the Kind Hearted Simpleton (nice), Harold is the loud and obnoxious Fat Bastard (mean), and Sid is the crazy Wild Card (in-between).
    • The Sunset Arms Boarding House tenants has Mr. Hyunh and Suzie Kokoshka (nice); Oskar Kokoshka (mean); and Ernie Potts and Mr. Smith (in-between). Though the more direct examples are the main male tenants, Mr. Hyunh (nice), Oskar (mean) and Ernie (in-between).
    • The Pataki Family has perfect older sister Olga (nice), the loudmouthed beeper patriarch Big Bob (mean) and the inattentive alcoholic mother Miriam (in-between).
  • I ♡ Arlo:
    • Arlo and his pals are split half-and-half. Optimistic hero Arlo and kind best friend Bertie (nice), grumpy Marcellus and aloof and dramatic Furlecia (mean), and fast-talking Tony and tough Alia (in-between).
    • There's also a few recurring Seasiders. Elena the nice and reasonable mayor, Gordy the mean and mischevious pumpkin boy, and Ansel, Arlo's bumbling biological father who stays in-between.
    • During Arlo's time in the swamp, we have: Edmée the nice and caring adoptive mother of Arlo, the mean and trecherous Bog Lady who vowed revenge for Arlo leaving, and Arlo's pet bullfrog Jeromio, who stays in-between due to being clumsy and expressionless but also serves as a voice of reason.
  • Horseland:
    • Humans: Rich hero Sarah and free-spirited Molly (nice), Lovable Alpha Bitches Zoey and Chloe (mean), and smart Hispanic Alma and kind-hearted Bailey (in-between).
    • Horses: Kind leader Scarlet and loveable Calypso (nice), selfish Pepper and vain Chili (mean), and lucky Button and strong-willed Aztec (in-between).
    • Animals: Happy-go-lucky pig Teeny (nice), narcissistic cat Angora (mean), and wise border collie Shep (in-between).
  • Invader Zim: Zim and his two minions, GIR and Minimoose. GIR (Nice) is an Affably Evil minion who almost never does anything evil and has even helped the heroes on occasion, Zim (Mean) is an insane, psychotic alien who wants to take over Earth, and Minimoose (In-Between) doesn't get much characterization due to only debuting in the last episode, making him the middle ground by default.
  • Jackie Chan Adventures: Jackie (nice), Uncle (mean), and Jade (in-between).
  • Jem and the Holograms:
    • The Holograms' Evil Counterpart the Misfits are this: Stormer (nice), Pizzazz (mean), and Roxy (in-between).
    • Three guys from the show fit this:
      • Nice: Craig is the kindest, most thoughtful man of the series (Someone who his sister, Stormer, takes after).
      • Mean: Riot, leader of The Stingers, is a self centered Attention Whore who hopes to overshadow both the Holograms and the Misfits.
      • In Between: Rio is the mediator of the trio, as he is nice to anyone except those on the side of Evil.
  • In Jimmy Two-Shoes, Jimmy is friendly and optimistic and the Morality Pet to Heloise, a sadistic Mad Scientist who has a crush on him. Jimmy's other best friend Beezy is the in between, being the lazy one who constantly fights with Heloise.
  • Kaeloo: Between the secondary characters:
    • Nice: Eugly, who is kind, friendly and always willing to help everyone.
    • Mean: Alpha Bitch Pretty, who believes that the world revolves around her, treats Eugly like her personal slave, and is mean to everyone else even if they're nice to her.
    • In-Between: Olaf, who is a Mad Scientist with a big ego and Hair-Trigger Temper who wants to Take Over the World, but is also willing to help the main characters if necessary and is occasionally nice to them.
  • Kappa Mikey: Mikey's three human castmates are this, alternating on and off-camera. On LilyMu, Lily plays the nice and cutesy heroine, Gonard is the main villain, and Mitsuki plays the rebellious teammate who is caring but more assertive. Behind the scenes, Gonard is a nice and jovial Big Fun, Lily is the mean and jealous Alpha Bitch, and Mitsuki is pretty much the same as her TV role, having a hint of assertiveness but is kind to a fault.
  • King of the Hill:
    • Hank Hill's friends: Bill Dauterive (nice), Dale Gribble (mean), and Boomhauer (in-between).
    • The Hill family: Joyful and outgoing Bobby (nice), egotistical and Hot-Blooded Peggy (mean), and stern yet level-headed Hank (in-between).
    • The Souphanousinphone family: Connie (nice), Kahn (mean), and Minh (in-between).
    • The Gribble family: Joseph (nice), Dale (mean), and Nancy (in-between).
  • League of Super Evil: Red Menace is the nice member of the team, a genuinely kind person who usually suggests reasonable solutions to the problems and is only considered a villain because he keeps saying how evil he is. Doktor Frogg is the mean, a lunatic Mad Scientist bent on world domination. Voltar is the in-between, an obnoxious jerk who goes out of his way to annoy everyone around him as much as possible, but is in no way an actual threat to anybody.
  • The Lion Guard:
    • Beshte is the nicest of the group, Fuli is often ill-tempered and stuck-up, and Bunga is the in-between.
    • Kiara and her friends are this. Tiifu is nice and gentle, Zuri is stuck-up and vain, and Kiara herself stays in-between because she's caring but more assertive than Tiifu.
  • Littlest Pet Shop (2012):
    • When it comes to the three male main pets. Sunil is the cowardly and gentle mongoose (nice), Vinnie is the dumb and short-tempered gecko (mean), and Russell is the organized and uptight hedgehog (in-between).
    • The female pets also. There's Shrinking Violet Penny Ling and Genki Girl Minka Mark (nice), brash and snarky Pepper Clark (mean) and vain but loyal Zoe Trent (in-between).
  • Lloyd in Space:
    • The Nebulon Family: Caring, But Stern Mother Nora (Nice), Annoying Younger Sibling Francine (Mean), and Mischevious Jerk with a Heart of Gold Lloyd (In-Between).
    • Lloyd’s 3 Best Friends: Kurt is always the positive one of the trio (Nice), Eddie is often getting himself and Lloyd into trouble (Mean), and Douglas is friendly, but not as positive as Kurt (In-Between)
  • Looney Tunes: Out of the Three Bears, Junyer Bear is rather oafish but the most harmless of the bears (nice), Papa Bear is very ill-tempered and abusive (mean) and Mama Bear is the most sane but also aloof (in-between).
    • Baby Looney Tunes: Of the three girls, Petunia is gentle and sometimes shy (nice), Melissa is often a Bratty Half-Pint (mean), and Lola is usually mature but she can be stubborn and have arguments with others (in-between).
    • In The Looney Tunes Show, Extreme Doormat Porky Pig is the nice one, Daffy Duck is the selfish, mean one, and level-headed, snarky, confident Bugs Bunny is in between.
      • Their girlfriends Lola Bunny, Tina Russo and Petunia Pig also fill in their respective roles. Petunia is very sweet and compassionate (nice), Tina is cynical and often times rude to the customers at her job (mean), and Lola is mostly a ditzy Genki Girl but also a stalker (in-between).
      • Their neighbors as well fit this trope: Sweet Old Lady Granny and Cheerful Child Gossamer (Nice). Short-Tempered Yosemite Sam (Mean), and Witch Lezah falls (In-Between) as she is friendly, she can also be sassy.
  • The Loud House:
    • We have the Loud siblings; Leni, Luna, Lana, and Lily (nice), Lori, Lynn and Lola (mean), Lincoln, Luan, Lucy and Lisa (in-between).
    • A more closer and direct example would be with the middle Loud children; Lincoln is a smart friendly boy who loves his family (nice), Lynn is a Jerk Jock who loves rough housing others (mean) and Lucy is a distant goth girl who is in-between.
    • For the shows spin off The Casagrandes, this applies to the children of the family as well. Theres CJ (nice), Carl (mean) and Ronnie Anne (in-between).
  • Martin Mystery has Java as the nice one for being a Gentle Giant, Martin as the mean one for being a Jerk with a Heart of Gold Keet, and Diana is in-between for being level-headed and constantly gets frustrated with Martin's antics.
  • The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack: The main characters consist of Flapjack (nice), Captain K'nuckles (mean) and Mama Bear/occasional Hypocrite Bubbie (in-between).
  • Mike, Lu & Og: Og is the nice, creating inventions to make Mike feel at her old home, Lu is the mean, being self-centered and demanding, and Mike is in between, as she tries to adapt to her new home.
  • Miraculous Ladybug has Marinette being the nice one, Chloe being the mean one, and Alya being between the two. Marinette is mostly friendly towards the people in her environment, Chloe is a bratty rich girl with apparent anger-management issues, and Alya is an incredibly supportive friend, but her aspirations to become a journalist often lead her to violating other peoples' privacy. Subverted in a few episodes where Marinette is lashing out in anger, and Chloe is actually trying to be nicer to her friends.
  • Mixels:
    • Of the Infernites, Vulk is the nice one, Zorch is the mean one and Flain meditates between the two.
    • Also the Flexers, Kraw is the mean one, while Tentro is the nice one, while Balk meditates between the two, but the latter two switch roles.
  • My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic:
    • The Mane Six are split into pairs of this: Cloudcuckoolander Pinkie Pie and Shrinking Violet Fluttershy (nice), hot-headed tomboy Rainbow Dash and generous but often self-centered Rarity (mean), and honest Applejack and studious-turned-leader Twilight Sparkle (in-between).
    • The three Princesses of Equestria can be this too. Cadance is the nice and good-natured one, Luna is the overly stern and more level-headed one, and Celestia is in-between and commends the two with grace.
    • There are the Cutie Mark Crusaders: Sweetie Belle is a nice and gentle girly-girl, Scootaloo is a mean and brash tomboy, and Apple Bloom is the in-between and well-behaved leader of the trio, with a combination of feminine and tomboyish traits. Subverted in episodes which explore Sweetie Belle's scheming and vindictive side, Scootaloo's innocence and wide-eyed enthusiasm in interactions with her idol Rainbow Dash, and Apple Bloom's rebellious streak against her older sister Applejack's over-protective tendencies.
    • Pinkie Pie's sisters are this, too. Marble Pie is shy and quiet, Limestone Pie is grumpy and hard-headed, and Maud Pie stays in-between due to being dull and soft-spoken, but she can put on a hint of humor from time to time.
    • Of the main male characters, Big Mac is calm, quiet, and soft-spoken, Discord is a former villain and bringer of chaos, and Spike has his vices but is mostly a loyal and caring friend.
  • My Little Pony Tales has the three boy ponies who played as either supporting characters to the main cast or antagonists depending on the episode. The quiet and kindhearted Lancer is the nice one and actually gets along with the main cast pretty well when his friends aren't around, Ace is the mean arrogant Jerk Jock but even he shows a kind side occasionally, and Teddy is the in-between: a petty bully and prankster but also has Hidden Depths and really cares for his best friend Sweetheart, but even she isn't immune to his shenanigans.
  • Ninjago:
    • If you split the main six Ninja into pairs: Jay and Zane (Nice), Kai and Cole (Mean), and Lloyd and Nya (In-Between).
    • Their mentors also follow this: Lloyd's caring mother Misako (Nice), the evil Lord Garmadon (Mean), and his brother Wu (in-between), who isn't as bad as Garmadon but can sometimes be tough on the Ninja.
  • The Boxmore robots from OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes; Ernesto and Jethro (nice), Darrell and Shannon (mean) and Raymond and Mikayla (in-between).
  • Over the Garden Wall: In the main trio, Greg is obsessively optimistic and naive, Beatrice is cynical and snarky with a soft side at times, and Wirt is in-between, not as snarky as Beatrice, but more assertive than Greg.
  • The Owl House:
    • The three main leads fit this trope nicely, with the kind, compassionate Luz as the nice, the grumpy and childish King as the mean and Anti-Hero Eda as the in-between.
    • For the trio of Hexside students, we have: curious Gus as the nice one, Alpha Bitch Amity as the mean one, and innocent but thoughtful Willow as the in-between.
    • Following Amity's Character Development, she becomes more of an in-between, with her friend Skara as the nice one of her Girl Posse while Boscha graduates to the mean one.
    • We also have those serving at the Emperor's Castle. Raine Whispers is the nicest of the coven leaders and rebels against Belos' hatred of Wild Magic; Kikimora is the hotheaded and bossy second-in-command; and the Golden Guard, aka Hunter, is in-between, due to being Belos' estranged nephew who has no magical abilities of his own, and forms a secret bond with Luz.
  • The Ruff-Ruff Pack from PAW Patrol; Dwayne is the Affably Evil Nice, Hubcap is the bossy, demanding Mean, and Gasket is the snarky In-Between.
  • The lemurs from The Penguins of Madagascar — Mort usually acts like the innocent kid and is very loyal to his king (nice), Julien is mostly an arrogant, immature Jerkass (mean) and Maurice is mostly an easygoing guy, but he tends to be pretty snarky (in between). That said, there are times when Maurice and Mort switch places, mostly because Mort can be surprisingly violent and possessive when it comes to Julien and his feet.
  • Pet Alien has Dinko, Swanky and Gumpers. Dinko (nice) is friendly and often tries to help Tommy out, Swanky (mean) is a self-centered, pretentious jerk, and Gumpers (in-between) is buffoonish and clumsy but generally well-meaning. Sometimes, Dinko and Gumpers can swap places in that Dinko tends to be short-sighted and insensitive in his efforts to help Tommy, while Gumpers is a Kindhearted Simpleton who genuinely doesn't know any better.
  • Phineas and Ferb:
    • The main siblings are this. Phineas is the nicest and optimistic guy in the series aside from formerly being a Bratty Half-Pint from the pilot episode. Candace is often bossy and mean to her brothers and tends to want to bust them for their everyday activities. Ferb is in between, since he doesn't say or emote much, although he will speak a line at the end of every episode.
    • There's also the brothers' main group of friends. Isabella is the nicest of the group who harbors a secret crush on Phineas, Buford is the stubborn Bully Turned Buddy, and Baljeet stays in-between due to being meek, but can show his hidden assertiveness at times.
    • The Agent P subplot has: Carl the accident-prone intern at OWCA, Dr. Doofenshmirtz the mean and comical scientist, and Major Monogram, the in-between head of the agency who is mostly stern, but shows a jovial background time to time.
    • For the major teenagers other than Candace, we have: Jeremy the nice and respectful boyfriend, Vanessa the deadpan and sarcastic daughter of Dr. Doofenshmirtz, and Stacy, the best friend of Candace who remains in-between most of the time.
  • The Powerpuff Girls: Bubbles is the nicest and most gentle of the three girls, though she can come across as naive, and can be quite fierce when angered. Buttercup is the aggressive one, who often argues with Blossom and picks on Bubbles, though she does have a soft spot occasionally. Blossom, the leader, is in-between the two, where she can be mild-mannered, but can act bossy and vain at times, thus having a part in their arguments.
    • The adult main characters also follow this: Professor Utonium (Nice) is a caring father figure to the girls, and is quick to save (or try to save) them when the time calls for it. The Mayor of Townsville is mostly idiotic and sometimes impulsive and childish (especially in episodes like "Hot Air Buffoon" and "Toast of the Town"), making him the Mean. His secretary Ms. Bellum balances between them; she's not dumb like the Mayor and can play the role of a Team Mom, but can also be a Deadpan Snarker at times, usually when dealing with the Mayor's stupidity.
    • There's also the Rowdyruff Boys, who use a darker version of this trope on Boomer (Nice), Butch (Mean), and Brick (In-between). The latter two do alternate from time to time, though.
    • The three most prominet villains also follow a darker version of this: Fuzzy Lumpkins (Nice) is just an Anti-Villain who only attacks Townsville because of his deep-seeded hatred of people touching his property. HIM (Mean) is basically the show's equivalent of the devil who relishes in tormenting the girls with a big sadistic smile. The Big Bad, Mojo Jojo, is the In-Between; he's outright evil like HIM, but he has his standards, is Affably Evil, and sometimes doesn't even bother doing evil.
  • Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders did this with the three jewel riders: Tamera is the pacifist who is kind to animals. Gwenevere herself is the short tempered royal brat who acts rather bossy to her companions. Fallon mediates between the two, because she is nowhere as harsh as Gwen, but more action ready than Tamera.
  • The Proud Family:
    • The adult Prouds gives us: Trudy the nice and sensible one, Oscar the mean and boisterous one, and Suga Mama, the Cool Old Lady who stays in-between the two.
    • For Penny's female friends, we have: Zoey the sweet and shy one, LaCienega the snobby and demanding one, and Dijonay, the Sassy Black Woman who's caring but more assertive than Zoey.
  • Ready Jet Go!: The trio of younger kids, with Lillian being the ditzy but compassionate Nice Girl, Mitchell being the Jerkass Tsundere (with a heart of gold), and Mindy being the middle point between the two — she's friendly, but isn't above being snarky from time to time, similar to Mitchell. This is shown in "That's One Gigantic Pumpkin, Jet Propulsion!".
  • Recess: The main six children are split into pairs of a downplayed version of this trope. We have Mikey the sensitive Gentle Giant and sweet, intelligent Gretchen (nice), aggressive and short-tempered Spinelli and occasionally egotistical jock Vince (mean), and The Prankster T.J. and neurotic Gus (in-between).
  • Rick and Morty: This trope happens whenever Summer is with the titular duo or not. So it's Morty (nice), Rick (mean) and Summer (in-between).
  • Regular Show: Mordecai and Rigby's leaders/mentors fall into this category. Pops is the nice, naive, and jolly Cloud Cuckoolander, Benson is the easily angered Mean Boss, and Skips is in-between due to being far less naive and jolly than Pops, yet calmer and more level-headed than Benson.
    • If you count the main park staff as a whole. Hi-Five Ghost and Pops are the nice ones. Rigby, Muscle Man, and Benson are the mean ones, despite them all taking a level in kindness as the series goes on. Mordecai and Skips are left as the In-Between ones.
    • Mordecai, Rigby, and Benson: Mordecai is the nice in this trio as he is laid back and the sane man. Rigby is the mean as he is the one causing the problem. Benson is the In-Between as he never causes the problem, but has a temper. However, Benson and Rigby switch roles as the plot calls for it.
  • Rock, Paper, Scissors (Nickelodeon): the main characters, Rock (nice), Scissors (mean) and Paper (in-between).
  • Rocket Power:
    • The Rocket Family. Reggie is the nice being the most responsible and helpful of the siblings. She will often solve the problem of the day caused by her younger brother Otto and isn't afraid to speak up against her father Raymundo if he is in the wrong. Otto is the mean being an extremely reckless, arrogant, and egoistical who would often times pick on Reggie and disobey Raymundo's orders which often times lead to a massive issue. And while he is the most gifted in the sports, Otto is a massive Sore Loser who is even willing to cheat to win against his own friends. And Raymundo is the in-between being a Reasonable Authority Figure to his children and his friends but will often at times let his competitive side cloud his judgment about certain things (like neglecting Reggie in favor of Otto in the movie). Some of his (most times deserving) punishments he gives to the kids can be rather much at times as well.
    • If we were to focus only on the guys of the four main cast, Otto retains his role while Sam takes on as the mild-mannered Nice Guy and Twister is the unpredictable, moronic In-Between.
  • Rocko's Modern Life:
    • The main trio of Rocko, Heffer, and Filburt has this respective dynamic. Rocko is the kind, benign one whose benevolence is often taken advantage of (Nice), Heffer is the Insufferable Imbecile (Mean), and Filburt has his moments where he can be just as much of a jerk, but is mostly just neurotic and is a lot more tolerable around Rocko (In-Between).
    • The Bigheads, Bev, Ed, and Rachel have this respective dynamic. Despite being a Dirty Old Woman, Bev is the nice one because she treats Rocko with respect, is able to keep Earl the Bulldog under control, and wanted Rachel and Ed to reconcile after their falling-out. Ed is the mean one, as he hates Rocko with a passion and disowned Rachel for wanting to be a cartoonist instead of taking his place as an employee of Conglom-o (though he did soften up when he found out that Rachel kept her half of the donut all the years they drifted apart, and how well-paid she is as a cartoonist). Rachel is the in-between, as while she is friends with Rocko, she was not too keen on reconciling with her parents and does get frustrated with her career.
  • Rugrats (1991):
    • The series has the trio of happy-go-lucky Tommy, (in-between) shy Chuckie, (nice) and bratty Angelica (mean). Chuckie is afraid of causing harm (and a lot of other things), and overall good-mannered. Angelica is spoiled, and often bullies and bosses both Tommy and Chuckie. Tommy is out-going and adventurous, often forcing Chuckie to come with him, against his will. He also has moments of causing mischief and is somewhat short tempered at times, but is still overall easy-going, and much nicer than Angelica. When Angelica is not present, twins Phil and Lil overtake the "mean" role, being more argumentative and gross than the others, though they are still nicer than Angelica.
    • For the main adult characters of the show we have Stu (nice), Drew (mean) and Lou (in-between). Stu is good-natured, loves to invent, has a child-like personality, and cares a lot about his wife and two sons. Drew frequently picks fights with Stu and is a workaholic dad who tends to spoil his daughter, and Lou is a Grumpy Old Man who has a soft spot for his three grandchildren.
    • For the female adults, we have Didi (nice), Charlotte (mean) and Betty (in-between). Didi is the caring mother of the Pickles who often fills as a Reasonable Authority Figure, Charlotte, like Drew, spoils her daughter and is willing to start a conflict, and Betty the mother of Phil and Lil, is their plucky mother who often shows a tough side.
    • In the short-lived spin-off, Pre-School Daze, as well as the episode of the same name that inspired it, Harold, Angelica, and Susie have this relationship. Harold is the nice one for being good-natured, meaning well, and having an unrequited crush on Angelica, Angelica retains her position as the mean one for treating Harold with disdain and having a rivalry with Susie, and Susie is the in-between one for treating Harold with respect and being hardier than him when it comes to dealing with Angelica.

    S-Z 
  • In Secret Mountain Fort Awesome, Dingle is the in-between to Fart and Slog's nice and Festro and Gweelok's mean
  • She-Ra and the Princesses of Power:
    • The "Best Friends Squad" — Bow is usually very friendly, polite and innocent, Glimmer, while still a symphatetic character, Took a Level in Jerkass in Season 4 and even beforehand she could be rather hot-tempered and rebellious and Adora/She-Ra herself is a very kind-hearted girl but she used to be a Horde soldier (though, to be fair, she was raised by them and manipulated by them ever since she was a baby) and she can be a bit cocky.
    • The main three girls from the Horde. Scorpia is very much a Token Good Teammate who is friendly to everyone, even some of her enemies, Catra is short-tempered, bossy and selfish and Entrapta also isn't evil and is generally a sweet and friendly young woman, but she functions on Blue-and-Orange Morality and does some fairly dangerous things For Science!.
    • The three main members of the Galactic Horde — Wrong Hordak is a friendly Naïve Newcomer who is taken in by the Best Friends Squad after being disconnected from the Hive Mind, Horde Prime is a cruel, brutal Galactic Conqueror who has destroyed so many worlds in the name of order, and the real Hordak himself isn't exactly a friendly guy, but he is a Reasonable Authority Figure and surprisingly capable of love and kindness.
    • And finally, the three Horde cadets — Kyle is a Minion with an F in Evil who just wants to have friends and is perfectly willing to help the Rebellion, Lonnie is a Jerk Jock who tends to be mean to Kyle and Catra and Rogelio is a loyal member of The Horde and can be aggressive, but he has a surprisingly gentle side as well.
  • The Simpsons:
    • The three main senior citizens of Springfield, Jasper Beardly (nice) is soft-spoken and mellow, Old Jewish Man (mean) is extremely sarcastic, and Grandpa Simpson (in-between) is abrasive, though with a soft spot for his grandchildren.
    • Moe and his two most frequent customers Homer and Barney. Despite his drinking, Barney is rarely aggressive (nice), Moe is hostile, bitter, and even shows homicidal tendencies (mean), and Homer can be obnoxious and short-tempered, but is a Family Man (in-between).
    • Homer's trio at the Nuclear Power Plant: Lenny is a Mellow Fellow and usually friendly (nice), Homer is the most obnoxious and abrasive (mean), and Carl is usually a Mellow Fellow like Lenny but more snarky and cynical (in-between).
    • In Bart's class, Bart is the in-between (Class Clown and The Prankster) to Milhouse's nice (Extreme Doormat) and Nelson's mean (The Bully).
    • Out of the Simpson children, Lisa is nice (the well-behaved girl), Bart is mean (disrespectful and proud of it), and Maggie is in-between (mostly a harmless baby, but with a surprisingly violent, dark side).
    • Out of the Bouvier sisters, Marge is nice (much more pleasant than her sisters), Patty is mean (the more embittered and spiteful of the twins), and Selma is in-between (initially cynical like Patty, but Selma has more Character Development and becomes slightly more sympathetic towards Homer).
    • In "Three Men and a Comic Book", Bart has this dynamic with Martin and Milhouse when the three pool their money together to buy a mint-condition copy of Issue #1 of the Radioactive Man comic book; Martin is the nice one, just wanting to share the comic and keep his fair ownership, Bart is the mean one, becoming insane and paranoid, and Milhouse is the in-between one, occasionally siding with Bart's paranoia, but still calling him out when it goes too far.
  • Sofia the First:
    • For the three child members of the family, James is nice and sympathetic, Amber is hot-headed and vain, and Sofia is in-between because she isn't self-centered but more assertive than James.
    • For the adults, we have: Miranda the nice and caring queen, Cedric the mean and bumbling sorcerer, and Roland, the jovial king who stays in-between the two.
    • Some of Sofia's classmates are split into this; shy Vivian and nervous Desmond (nice), spoiled Hildegard and grumpy Hugo (mean), and fancy but less selfish Clio and sensitive Zandar (in-between).
  • Sonic the Hedgehog (SatAM) formed one in the second season. Princess Sally is gentle and rational, Antoine is a pompous Dirty Coward, while Sonic is altruistic, but arrogant and hot-headed. Antoine and Sonic sometimes interchange, Depending on the Writer (in some episodes Antoine is more just harmlessly stupid, with Sonic as a bullying Greek Chorus to his antics). Sally can also sometimes be snarky and easily agitated, but usually still maintains the 'nicer' role in comparison.
  • Sonic Boom:
    • The trio of Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles follow this just like their mainline counterparts. Tails (Nice) is a Badass Bookworm and a Child Prodigy, Knuckles (Mean) is idiotic, childish, and egotistical, and Sonic (In-Between), while still kind like Tails, can be quite the Deadpan Snarker and sometimes egocentric.
    • The three main villains also follow this: Cubot (Nice) is immensely dumb, making him the most well-meaning of the trio, Eggman is a Bad Boss and Team Sonic's Arch-Enemy, and Orbot isn't as nice as Cubot due to his snarking tendencies and dislike of Eggman for his abusiveness.
  • South Park:
    • Three of the four main boys: Stan, Cartman, and Kyle. Stan is the nice one (the one who gets along with the most people), Cartman is the mean one and the most likely to cause problems, and Kyle is the in-between being the most rational, despite being very prone to jerkass moments of his own. Kenny can be seen as all three as he is the most forgotten in the group, but will side with anyone of the boys given the circumstances.
    • Of the girls, Heidi is nice since she is the most soft-spoken and reserved. While not exactly an Alpha Bitch, Bebe is the mean one as she is typically the most shallow and will often jump on the bandwagon at the expense of her friendship with Wendy. Wendy is the in-between as she is supportive and quick to defend people, but also rather unreasonable when her Berserk Button is pressed one too many times. Subverted in the back half of Season 21 with Heidi where she becomes The Friend Nobody Likes.
    • The faculty has Mr. Mackey (nice) who offers advice and helps the kids out, PC Principal (mean) who is the most violent and unreasonable of them all, and Strong Woman who is also rather prone to anger, but is more downplayed than her lover.
      • Earlier seasons had Chef (nice) being the one who comforts the kids and gives them advice, Mr. Garrison (mean) the blunt, uncaring one, but also brutally honest and Principal Victoria (in-between), more anger prone, but much more reasonable than Mr. Garrison. None of them work at South Park Elementary as of Season 19, though Garrison came back in the vaccination special.
    • Randy, Stephen and Gerald, the three most prominent fathers on the show. All three of them have their Jerkass moments but Randy is an Innocently Insensitive Jerk with a Heart of Gold (Nice), Stephen is an Abusive Parent towards Butters (Mean) and Gerald can be a bit of a selfish Jerkass at times but he still cares deep down (In-Between).
    • The four main boys' mothers are Liane (Nice), who has moments of promiscuity but is otherwise a nice and decent girl, Sheila (Mean), who is a Jewish Mother with a seriously bad Hair-Trigger Temper and Sharon (In-Between) who, along with her son, is one of the very few people in South Park isn't an idiot, jerk or a moron.
    • Of the most prominent siblings, we have Kenny's younger sister Karen as the Nice (sweet and innocent, serves as Kenny's Morality Pet), Stan's older sister Shelly as the Mean (Big Sister Bully who calls everyone "turds"), and Kyle's adopted younger brother Ike as the In-Between (a good kid, but not above trolling people and cussing them out)
  • SpongeBob SquarePants has a few of these examples:
    • The main trio of SpongeBob, Patrick, and Squidward. SpongeBob is pretty much the kindest and most idealistic character of the series, often to the point where others are annoyed about it, take it for granted, and to the point of being naive. Squidward is the grouchy Jerkass who barely shows his heart of gold, but this is because of having to deal with SpongeBob and Patrick as neighbors. Finally, Patrick mediates between the two, being a Kindhearted Simpleton most of the time but not quite as affectionate as SpongeBob, and his stupidity often manifests as insensitivity.
    • The trio of SpongeBob, Squidward, and Mr. Krabs in the earlier seasons. While SpongeBob and Squidward kept their respective personalities, Mr. Krabs is in-between where he can be nice on occasion, but is a bit of a money-grubbing boss. In post-movie episodes, Krabs and Squidward switched places. The former became a ruthless bureaucrat while the latter remained the Snark Knight Anti-Hero he's always been, though post-sequel episodes changed the dynamic back.
    • SpongeBob, Patrick, and Mr. Krabs whenever they're involved in an episode together. Mr. Krabs plays the mean one to SpongeBob and Patrick who retain their roles, in which Krabs would get the two involved in his plan of gaining money.
    • SpongeBob, Patrick, and Sandy are a very downplayed example. While the former two, again, retain their roles, Sandy is the mean one where despite being nice in her own right, she can get temperamental at times when her patience is tested, especially by the other two's antics. In later seasons, Patrick and Sandy switch places: Patrick Took a Level in Jerkass while Sandy doesn't, and while they are both good friends to SpongeBob, Patrick falls into With Friends Like These... much more often than Sandy, who rarely, if ever, throws SpongeBob under the bus.
    • "The Great Snail Race" provides a strange example between the main trio of SpongeBob, Patrick, and Squidward; Patrick is the nice one, being affectionate towards Rocky, his pet rock, and being a good sport about winning, even engraving the trophy to Squidward (albeit accidentally engraving his last name as "Tortellini"). SpongeBob is the mean one, wanting to enter Gary in the race so he can rub his victory in Squidward's face and being unbelievably harsh towards Gary in both the training regimen and the race itself. Squidward is the in-between, being incredibly smug about wanting to win, but still treating Snellie with superiority.
  • Steven Universe:
    • The main three Crystal Gems. Garnet, while stoic, is a caring and friendly person most of the time, Amethyst is irresponsible and rude and Pearl, while caring and loving towards Steven most of the time, can be really selfish and bigoted towards humans.
    • Steven, Sadie and Lars also form one of these trios: Steven, who is an All-Loving Hero without a malicious bone in his body is the nice one; Lars, who spends most of his time being a self-serving Jerkass is the mean one; and Sadie, who is generally kind-hearted and generous, but can be extremely vindictive if pushed too far is the in-between one.
    • The three end-of-season-one antagonists provide a good example of this dynamic—although their roles do shuffle. At their first appearances, softly-spoken Lapis Lazuli, who has previously been friends with Steven is the Nice one, antagonistic Blood Knight Jasper is the mean one, and the scientific, clinincal Peridot is In-Between. Through season two and three, Peridot and Lapis swap roles, as Peridot's redemption leads her to becoming a friendly (if a little chaotic) member of the team, while Lapis settles into her role as the rather detached Deadpan Snarker.
  • Strawberry Shortcake: The 2003 series normally has this linup: Strawberry Shortcake and Orange Blossom (nice), Angel Cake and Peppermint Fizz (mean), and Ginger Snap and Huckleberry Pie (in-between).
  • The camp counselors of Summer Camp Island. Susie, the most openly antagonistic and rude of the three. Alice, the slightly nicer but occasionally mean one. And Betsy, the nicest of the trio.
  • TaleSpin: The Thembrians, Sgt. Dunder, the High Marshall, and Col. Spigot have this respective dynamic. Dunder is gregarious and respectful to Baloo and his friends. The High Marshall is a Bad Boss who threatens to shoot those who fail their task and disappoint him in any way, most commonly Spigot. Spigot is short and ill-tempered, but does everything he can to please the High Marshall and has a frenemy relationship with Baloo.
  • Tangled: The Series: Rapunzel is nice due to being a sweet, optimistic All-Loving Hero, Cassandra is mean due to being snarky, prideful, confrontational, quick-tempered and prone to jealousy (especially in season 3), and Eugene is in-between due to being snarky, jaded and a bit egotistical but still thoughtful, heroic and well-meaning.
  • Tear Along the Dotted Line: In a certain sense, the main trio follows this dynamic. Main character Zero is overly worried about hurting others, doing the wrong thing, his life choices, and what other people might think about him. Secco lives in the moment, does not seem to care about anyone or anything, and is blunt to the point of being insensitive. Sarah is pragmatic but still compassionate, she tries to do the right thing but is not afraid to seem harsh while doing so, and has a strong personality without being arrogant or overbearing.
  • Teen Titans: Out of the five teammates, there's happy-go-lucky Plucky Comic Relief Beast Boy and sweet and charming Action Girl Starfire (Nice), quick-tempered leader Robin (mean) and laid-back Boisterous Bruiser Cyborg and snarky Techno Wizard Raven (in-between).
  • Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales:
    • Chumley is the Kindhearted Simpleton (Nice), Jerboa Jump is the big Jerkass (Mean), and Tennessee himself is the level headed main protagonist (In Between).
    • As for the humans, we have Phineas J. Whoopee as the helpful advisor (Nice), Rocky Manninov as the ill tempered mobster (Mean), and Stanley Livingston as the happy-go-lucky zoo administrator who is only angry with Tennessee and Chumley’s shenanigans (In Between).
  • Thomas & Friends:
    • Thomas, Percy, and Toby in the earlier seasons. Toby is nice and respectful, Thomas is cheeky and arrogant, (although he has become nicer and kind-hearted later on the series). Percy mediates between the two where he can be nice, but has moments of being cheeky like Thomas.
    • Gordon, James, and Henry in the earlier seasons are seen together as a trio of arrogant tender engines who always heckle the other engines. Henry is nice one as he is more sympathetic than the other two. While Gordon and James can be equally arrogant, James is the mean one as he is more vain and temperamental than Gordon. Lastly, Gordon is in-between as he shows his soft and humble side every now and then.
    • Before James came along, there was the trio of Edward, Gordon, and Henry from the The Three Railway Engines book as well as the adapted episodes "The Sad Story of Henry" and the aptly named "Edward, Gordon, and Henry." Edward is nice and friendly, whistling a hello to bricked-up Henry, Gordon is rude and pompous, mocking Henry as he passed him by (but had a soft side in the ending) and Henry is in-between where he was vain and selfish for refusing to come out of the tunnel because he thought the rain will spoil his paint, but saw the error of his ways after getting bricked up as punishment.
    • Some later episodes such as King of the Railway make Thomas, James and Percy into this. Thomas is now more altruistic and idealistic, James is the narcissistic Jerk with a Heart of Gold, while Percy is pretty much the same as before. Thomas and Percy sometimes interchange, due to still having shades of earlier cheekier forms.
    • The three sentient brake vans, Toad, the Spiteful Brake Van, and Bradford have this dynamic as well; Toad is the nice one because he is polite, helps Oliver brake, and keeps the Troublesome Trucks in order when they go down hills. The Spiteful Brake Van is the mean one who antagonizes Douglas and James by slowing their trains down and giving them the blame, and Bradford is the in-between one who means well and does his best to keep the Troublesome Trucks in line, but is very strict and his obsession with following the rules often results in his trains being late.
    • The three diesel engines introduced in Season 2, BoCo, Devious Diesel, and Daisy, have this dynamic as well; BoCo is the nice one because is easy-going and like Edward, is able to keep Bill and Ben in order. Devious Diesel is the mean one, as he is bullying and manipulative and plotted to have Duck sent away from Sodor. Daisy is the in-between, as she's pompous and high-mentenace, but still willing to help her friends when they need it.
  • Time Warp Trio:
    • The main male trio has: Sam, the nice and nerdy one, Fred, the mean and tough one, and Joe, the in between and well-meaning leader of the group.
    • For the female trio, we have: Freddi, the Shrinking Violet, Jodie, the snobby and needy one, and Samantha, the Brilliant, but Lazy one who remains in between most of the time. Jodie is the leader, despite being the mean one.
  • Tiny Toon Adventures:
    • Similar to Bugs, Daffy and Porky in The Looney Tunes Show, there are their Spiritual Successors who actually played it in this previous show: the trio of Buster, Plucky, and Hampton. Hampton is the nice nerdy one, Plucky is the narcissistic Attention Whore, and Buster mediates between where he can be level-headed, but still has the trickster side similar to his counterpart.
    • The main female trio, consisting of Babs, Shirley and Fifi. Fifi is the kind-hearted hopeless romantic, Babs is often sassy and insensitive, and Shirley is usually pretty collected, but not above making snide remarks.
    • Li'l Sneezer, Sweetie Bird, and Furrball also have this respective dynamic. Sneezer is a mouse who is kind to everyone he meets, even Furrball when the latter serves as his antagonist. Sweetie attacks Furrball even when the latter is minding his own business and often tries unsuccessfully to eat Bookworm, and while Furrball is generally a nice cat, he hunts Sneezer and Sweetie either as a survival instinct or to pass a class in ACME Looniversity, and usually only attacks Sweetie after the latter attacks him.
    • In the episode, "Career Oppor-toon-ities", the respective bosses of Bombino's Pizza, Weenie Burger, and the ACME Mallnote  also follow this trope. While he isn't seen much, the Bombino's Boss treats Little Beeper with respect, and even Calamity Coyote by giving him a free pizza slice when Calamity fails to be one of the ten people to get a free pizza slice. The Weenie Burger Boss is very ill-tempered and fires Buster and Babs for kicking out a very disruptive Montana Max, and while the ACME Mall Boss is much less of a pompous jerk than the Weenie Burger Boss, even going as far as to promise Hamton a promotion as a rug shampooer salesman if he succeeds, he still threatens to fire Hamton if he fails to satisfy his first customer.
  • The Tom and Jerry Show (2014) has Tom, Jerry and Spike filling these roles respectively. Jerry is the 'nice' one as he still carries all his positive traits from the original shorts and the one who is the quickest to make friends with. Spike is the 'mean' one due to being a lot more violent and brutish than even his portrayal in the original shorts. Tom is the 'in-between' one due to still taking pleasure in tormenting Jerry but has a lot of nicer moments as well.
  • Total Drama has a good number of these types of duos:
    • For the hosts, we have Don (nice), Chris McLean (mean), and Chef Hatchet (in-between).
    • In "The Ridonculous Race", the last three males of the season were [initially] Devin (nice), Jacques (mean), and Ryan (in-between).
      • Additionally, the remaining females in the season were Sanders (nice), Josee (mean), and MacArthur (in-between).
    • In Heather's alliance in Island, we have ditzy but kind-hearted Nice Girl Lindsay, mean and rude Alpha Bitch Heather and Beth, who is just as nice as Lindsay but has wielded the Jerkass Ball at times.
    • There’s also the final three from the first season: Owen (nice), Heather (mean), and Gwen (in-between).
    • Also, Owen, Noah, and Izzy who are often together at times. All-Loving Hero Owen is the nice, Deadpan Snarker Noah is the mean, and Ax-Crazy Cloudcuckoolander Izzy is the in-between.
    • For the three-boy friendship on the Killer Bass, we have all-loving and kind-hearted Gentle Giant DJ, mean juvie punk Duncan and Geoff, who is just as nice as DJ but he Took a Level in Jerkass in Action.
    • For the Revenge of the Island boys, we have Mike, Scott and Cameron. Mike is a cheerful, optimistic and friendly Nice Guy who tries to get along well with others despite his disorder, Scott is a team killing Jerkass and Cameron is a Badass Book Worm who takes a level in badass at the season of season four.
    • The three girls on Team Maskwak: Ella is quite possibly the nicest character in the entire series, Sugar is extremely self-centered and hates Ella for petty reasons, and Sky is levelheaded and focused on winning.
    • The three-boy friendship on the Ferocious Trouts: Zee is an extremely easygoing and friendly Nice Guy (Nice), Ripper is a mean and rude bully who pretty much everyone hates in-universe (Mean) and Chase is a Narcissist with an ego that's comparable to Emperor Kuzco's but he has a soft spot for his ex-girlfriend Emma (In-Between).
    • The final three from the second season of the reboot: Wayne (nice), Julia (mean), and Caleb (in-between).
  • Sam, Alex, and Clover from Totally Spies!: Alex is the nice one, Clover is the Lovable Alpha Bitch (in contrast to the series' Alpha Bitch Mandy), and Sam is the leader and mediator.
  • Transformers: Animated:
    • Jazz is a Grade-A Nice Guy who ends up becoming a Sixth Ranger for the Earth-based Autobots, while Sentinel is a humongous Jerkass Hate Sink who treats anyone below his station with contempt. Ultra Magnus, meanwhile, is squarely in the middle; he is not nearly as amicable as Jazz, but he is more reasonable than Sentinel.
    • The show presents a villainous version of this with the three Constructicons. Scrapper is the nice, being the most amicable of the trio. Dirt Boss is the mean, being a Napoleonic Jerkass. Mixmaster is the in-between, being not as nice as Scrapper but not a jerkass like Dirt Boss.
  • Trollz: Out of the girls of the BFFL, Topaz is ditzy and carefree, Ruby is bossy and hot-headed, and Amethyst is in-between and the well-behaved member of the group.
  • The three male monks from Xiaolin Showdown: Clay (nice) is the calmest and most level-headed. Raimundo (mean) is the most rebellious and cunning. Omi (in-between) is usually fair and takes his job as a monk seriously, but his ego can get the worse out of him.
  • Wander over Yonder: The titular hero Wander is obsessively nice, cheerful and upbeat, Lord Hater is a mean and loathing galactic conquerer, and Sylvia is in-between due to being one of the heroes but is more serious and assertive than Wander, and does most of the fighting.
  • We Bare Bears: All three Bear brothers are good guys; however, Grizz is the friendliest and most jovial, Panda is the most consistently selfish, and Ice Bear is aloof but well-meaning.
  • ''WordGirl fills two different roles in two different groups
    • With her friends: Todd "Scoops" Ming is such a Nice Guy who tries to avoid conflict, and rarely gets angry, Becky Word Girl is noble and kindhearted, yet snarky and short-tempered, and Violet Heaslip is the Cloud Cuckoolander Plucky Girl.
    • With her family: Bob/Captain Huggy Face is selfless and considerate, though is willing to point out when Word Girl is wrong, T.J. is the [1] to Becky and respects Word Girl over her, and Becky remains in-between, as she isn't as rude as T.J., though she can come off insensitive at times

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