History Main / CelibateHero

* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'': Shinji Ikari shrinks from any and all potential relationships, romantic or not, because it's just too painful and frightening for him. This eventually makes him snap in ''End of Evangelion'' when he declares that since "Nobody loves [him], they should all just die." It is subverted in the fact that he ''was'' [[HeroesWantRedheads in love with Asuka]], just too afraid of her and of attachment to pursue a relationship with her.

* Oddly enough, [[Characters/MarvelComicsCarnage Carnage]] is a Celibate ''Villain''. When [[EvilIsSexy Shriek]] tries to cuddle up to him in the ''ComicBook/MaximumCarnage'' fiasco:

** This is a common test of knights on their quests, especially for the Holy Grail, in the Arthurian legend. Galahad and Percival alone are worthy of finding it because they kept celibate[[note]]Though Percival was actually married in the earlier stories[[/note]], while Lancelot did not, thus he failed...well, according to [[DependingOnTheWriter some versions of the story anyway.]]

* ''Fanfic/TheNightUnfurls'': Whenever the topic of romance or sex comes up, Kyril's response is always an adamant refusal. Examples include confirmation from his internal P.O.V. (which says he won't even consider love due to his many burdens), shunning sexual encounters (e.g., the time where he is in a brothel seeking info or when Grace proposes to "warm his bed"), and his nonchalant mien when surrounded by physically attractive women.\\\
The story gives this trope a DeconReconSwitch by challenging his preference, as well as exploring how it relates to Kyril's inner world. Kyril realises that [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys many a woman is interested in him despite him killing on a daily basis]], with 4 named suitresses (Celestine, Olga, Grace and Maia) [[UnwantedHarem making efforts to seek his affections regardless of his disinterest]]. While he has his reasons for avoiding romance or sex, he feels somewhat bitter about it. It's not because he secretly desires a romantic or sexual partner yet is unable to get one. Rather, he feels that way because those people are seeking the affections of a man who won't return them. He admits that, if only he was Kyril Sutherland the ''man'', not Kyril Sutherland the ''Hunter'' [[spoiler:and great one]], he would have been very flattered, even happy, to do so. There's also how he feels that neither of those people deserve "being hitched up with a broken man or what's left of him", which reflects the mild bitterness as mentioned before.\\\
Despite this, Kyril has no regrets about avoiding romance and sex[[note]]Best summed up by the quote from his P.O.V.: "But he was a Hunter of beasts, and because of that he walked a lonely and bitter path. He wouldn't had it any other way."[[/note]]. They are certainly off limits, but he ultimately appreciates their efforts in trying to make him feel comfortable, keeping a healthy and professional distance away with the women he worked with, instead of rebuking them by force[[note]]Later chapters have [[spoiler:both Olga and Celestine getting to kiss Kyril, but rather than the typical scenario where the guy reciprocates their feelings, it's a case where the guy simply wants to help the two feel better]]. His interactions with Grace and Maia show that Kyril isn't opposed to outings, but he neither falls for nor makes an effort to woo them[[/note]]. Last but not least, from his [[PlatonicLifePartners platonic]] relationship with Evetta, to his [[TeamDad familial]] relationship with his four apprentice hunters, ''The Night Unfurls'' shows that this behaviour and other close yet non-romantic relationships are by no means mutually exclusive.

** One of Rean's students, Kurt, also falls under this trope, as despite being a ChickMagnet himself, he actually questions the appeal of romance. If he's aware of someone's attraction towards him, he's shown to be uncomfortable.

* In the ''Literature/{{Confessions}}'', Alypius is one of the most moral of Augustine's young friends and eventually becomes a celibate bishop. The call of celibacy comes easily to Alypius since he had a repulsive sexual experience when he was quite young and has maintained chastity since then.

* In ''Literature/EarthsChildren'', Creb never had a mate due to be regarded as unattractive by many people due to either his deformities or his status as the Clan's spiritual leader. He's no longer really interested, content living with his (happily) widowed sister and his nieces, the latter of whom he regards as daughters, especially Ayla. When it's brought up that he could marry Ayla (who was adopted), Creb is repulsed by the idea, stating that he sees her as his child.

* He didn't use to be this trope but by ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsOfColdSteel IV'', [[TheHero Rean]] has embraced this trope as he starts realizing that his female classmates, his students, the princess, and his adopted younger sister have fallen in love with him, some of them even confessing to him before their final bonding event. However, the reason why Rean keeps some distance is because of [[spoiler:what happened at the climax of ''Cold Steel III''. Because he is the one who kills the corrupted Nameless One, he is chosen to become a sacrifice for the rivalries to reform the Great One and does indeed die at the end of the normal ending of ''IV''. He's only able to finally move on and romance the woman he chooses at the fireworks scene (sans his students where he'll wait until they have graduated from school) in the GoldenEnding of the game]].

** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSpiritTracks'': Link and Zelda broke their years-long NoHuggingNoKissing agenda in but it doesn't go beyond the hugging part. (And Link had a rather uncomfortable look on his face when Zelda hugged him; then again, his [[SomethingElseAlsoRises hat's tip rose.]]) Also, the game features absolutely no other female characters that could be paired up with Link, except if you are a fan of [[{{Squick}} Granny]]-Paedophilia.

* Ivy from the ''VideoGame/{{Soul|Series}}'' series, amazingly, is strictly celibate despite being ''MsFanservice incarnate''. This is due to her [[SealedEvilInACan cursed lineage]], which she doesn't want to risk passing on to a child.

* Kazuma Kiryu, the protagonist of the ''VideoGame/{{Yakuza}}'' series, is a major celibate hero. He had two relationships in the first two games that both ended badly (one died and the other left), and despite being a gang member and being surrounded by an abundance of beautiful women in Kamurocho, he hasn't displayed interest in anyone else after that. The [[SpiceUpTheSubtitles localization]] of the first game attempted to avert this by having Kiryu say "I'll fuck anything with two legs" as part of Sega's attempt to make the game more like ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto''. Thankfully, the remake, ''Yakuza Kiwami'', fixed that with a new (better) localization.
** As much as the fandom likes to joke Kiryu doesn't know what sex is, just about every ''Yakuza'' game features mini-games and substories of Kiryu going on dates with all kinds of ladies, but they don't go anywhere beyond casual dating and a lot of them end on bizarre and unexpected circumstances.

* Lilith from ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'' admits in a VoiceoverLetter to [[spoiler:Hooty]] that was featured in a charity livestream that while she feels joy for other people experiencing romance, she's never personally had any interest in it for herself. It's implied at the time (and later confirmed by her voice actress) that she's aromantic asexual but doesn't realize it.

** Garnet has zero interest in romance because [[spoiler:she is a RomanticFusion of Ruby and Sapphire, who are in a dedicated monogamous relationship which Garnet personifies]].
** Greg was in a relationship with Rose for years, and has mentioned dating plenty of people before, but [[TheMourningAfter since she died]], he's shown no interest in moving onto anyone else romantically.

** ''Series/{{Angel}}'': Angel, while definitely not one of those for most of his existence, became one after being cursed with a soul, initially because he was a complete loner. Later it turned out that a "moment of pure happiness" would break the curse, unleashing [[EvilCounterpart Angelus]], so he had a good reason to avoid sex. Subverted in the second season, when it turns out that this doesn't just mean sex, he actually does have to be happy as well, and abandoned in the fifth when he realized this doesn't mean he can't have what a colleague describes as "acceptable happiness".

* ''Manga/HozukisCoolheadedness'': [[TheStoic Hozuki]] is MarriedToTheJob and never show interest in romance or relationships. He even personally defuse any potentially romantic situation he might find himself in, always maintaining his strictly professional tone. He might even be UsefulNotes/{{asexual}} since he never showed any sign of attraction toward anyone, and no mention of any past relationship is made even though it's hinted on the occasion that he is rather popular.

* Sasuke Uchiha of ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' is a total ChickMagnet, but shows no interest whatsoever in romance. He most likely falls under "Love is a Distraction" and "Genre Savvy". He might also be a ChasteHero, as he never addresses the issue (not even after Sakura's AnguishedDeclarationOfLove). A logical explanation could be that he became [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge obsessed with revenge]] before he was old enough to care about such things, and also [[ItsNotYouItsMyEnemies fears that Itachi or his own "inner darkness" might destroy anyone he's close to.]] What makes this particularly odd is that his other stated goal is to rebuild his clan. [[spoiler:However in the epilogue, he and Sakura are together and have a daughter Sarada.]]

** Creator/ArcSystemWorks also join in with [[Franchise/BlazBlue Ragna the Bloodedge]] who is an AntiHero example of this trope. He hasn't really shown any romantic interest in anyone. [[JustifiedTrope Makes sense]], he's got way more important matters to worry about than his love life. He does mention a liking for "young girls" in ''[[VideoGame/BlazBlueContinuumShift CS]]'' (when he gets mistaken for liking his own brother, ItMakesSenseInContext), so Ragna isn't exactly ENTIRELY uninterested in the opposite sex. Also, in Jin's Gag Reel in ''[[VideoGame/BlazBlueCentralFiction CF]]'', Ragna blatantly states he is into women.

* DSir Bevier from ''Literature/TheElenium'' is aware that his good looks make him irresistible to women. Because he's the one most likely to abandon the steel for the cloth, he elects not to do anything about it.

* Ged, the protagonist for most of the ''Literature/{{Earthsea}}'' series, is celibate because he is a mage. This accounts for a complete lack of romance in the first three books, even when a pairing up, first with his friend's sister and then with Tenar, looked to be inevitable. All the mages in Earthsea are celibate by rule, in theory because they will lose their power unless they are chaste, though the truth of this belief is not exactly confirmed. It's implied in ''Literature/{{Tehanu}}'' (by a village witch, who may not be the most reliable source) that wizards use some sort of spell to render themselves asexual, or possibly just make it easier to be completely celibate. She doesn't go into details. Later on, Ged mentions he just didn't think of it or feel any urge [[spoiler:until he lost his powers]].
* David Eddings's character Sir Bevier (from ''Literature/TheElenium'' and ''Literature/TheTamuli'' novels) is aware that his good looks make him irresistible to women. Because he's the one most likely to abandon the steel for the cloth, he elects not to do anything about it.

* Taikoubou AKA [[spoiler:Fukki]] from ''Manga/SoulHunter'': He never shows any romantic interest in any of the female characters. It probably didn't help that the only female character that was chasing him was an incredibly hideous monster. And it probably didn't help that he was [[spoiler:actually an [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld ancient alien]]]].
** It seems like Sennins in general are less prone to romance than humans, as it is said that a child born of two sennins parents is an extremely rare thing, and aside from [[CasanovaWannabe Dokuson]], Sengyoku and Venus, none of them show interest in romance. But Taikoubou's case still stands out as he is [[NotDistractedByTheSexy notably unimpressed]] when he first meets [[WorldsMostbeautifulWoman Dakki]] in person, while other characters, even if they're not affected by her temptation spell, seem to at least acknowledge that she is a beauty (for example, her appearance is Youzen default choice any time he needs a beautiful female form).

* Ash Ketchum from ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'' knows what romance is, and has had a crush in the show, Giselle from the episode "School of Hard Knocks," but sees any relationship as a distraction from becoming the greatest Pokemon master. Later on, he gets hit with CharacterizationMarchesOn, and now he's ObliviousToLove, however. It's so bad that he can't even tell Serena loves him; whose main existence is to love him.

* Kyril Sutherland in ''Fanfic/TheNightUnfurls'' is a DeconReconSwitch of this trope. For him, any thoughts of sex, romance and marriage are the last things he wants in his life. However, many a woman, notably [[TheHighQueen Celestine]], [[LadyOfBlackMagic Olga]], [[BrokenBird Maia]], and [[SubordinateExcuse Grace]], [[UnwantedHarem have made efforts in seeking his affections regardless of his celibacy]]. On one hand, he doesn't understand [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys why there are women lining up at his door despite killing on a daily basis]]. On the other hand, he admits that, if only he was Kyril Sutherland the ''man'', not Kyril Sutherland the ''Hunter'', he would have been flattered and happy to return any of their affections. To be frank, Kyril has legitimate reasons for rejecting those three things altogether. Aside from feeling that neither of those people deserve being hitched up with a [[BrokenBird broken]] HunterOfMonsters like him, together with his horrific experiences of the Night of the Hunt that involved [[EverybodysDeadDave the loss of many loved ones]], the fact that [[spoiler:he is an EldritchAbomination [[WasOnceAMan with a human mindset]] means he avoids getting close to anyone, in order to prevent anyone from knowing the secrets of Yharnam and the Eldritch Truth, in addition to some other worse outcome (GoMadFromTheRevelation, FaceFullOfAlienWingWong, and the like).]]\\
Ultimately, Kyril appreciates their efforts in trying to make him feel comfortable. While sex, romance, and marriage are certainly off limits, he maintains a healthy and professional relationship with the women he worked with, instead of rebuking them by force. [[spoiler:Both Olga and Celestine get to kiss Kyril later on in the story, but rather than the typical scenario where the guy reciprocates their feelings, it's a case where the guy simply wants to help the two feel better. Kyril is not opposed to outings, as his interactions with Grace and Maia have shown, but neither does he fall for them, nor does he seek out a relationship]]. Last but not least, from his [[PlatonicLifePartners platonic]] relationship with Evetta, to his [[TeamDad familial]] relationship with his four apprentice hunters, ''The Night Unfurls'' shows that celibacy and other close yet non-romantic relationships are by no means mutually exclusive.

* ''Film/RustlersRhapsody'' is a parody of old B-Westerns, so at the start singing cowboy-hero Rex O'Herlihan never does anything more than chastely kiss the girls before [[WalkingTheEarth riding on]] to the [[AdventureTowns next town]]. After a false start or two, he finally "gets better".

* In ''Film/TheVillain'': Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger's 'Handsome Stranger' is a celibate hero [[spoiler:to the extent that the leading lady chooses the bad guy instead]].

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxaejyyeI1Q&t=85 How much is projected, and how much is real]] can be different things! You know... if he's so scared, he may have something to explain!

* Space Marines in ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' generally live monklike lifestyles, but even the more BoisterousBruiser types like the Space Wolves, who spend their off time feasting, drinking and carousing rather than praying, don't have any interest in women. There are occasional mentions of some aspirants or neophytes having sex, for example one Space Wolf supposedly deflowered a dozen virgins the night before his initiation, but full Battle Brothers are completely celibate. According to some versions of the lore, this is either due to psychological conditioning, the process of converting a human into an Astartes making them asexual, or them being literal eunuchs.

*** The Eighth Doctor famously shattered the NoHuggingNoKissing rule in the TV Movie, by gleefully planting a BigDamnKiss on his temporary companion, Grace. The Expanded Universe took this and ran with it, resulting in one of Eight being portrayed as somewhat of a CuddleBug. ''AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho'', however, balances this character trait a bit, by having Eight also still be quite clueless and even a bit scared when it comes to the concept of "romantic love" and the more "physical" parts of what that concept entails. This also is very much PlayedForDrama, as it resulted in Eight coming across as a MasterOfTheMixedMessage at times, especially in his relationship with his companion, Charley Pollard, who is very much physically attracted to him, but is also left rather frustraded by his cluelessness, while Eight gets increasingly uncomfortable with Charley's "yearning" for him. Some stories, like "[[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWho050Zagreus Zagreus]]" and "[[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWho052Scherzo Scherzo]]" even examine this character dynamic in-depth.