History Main / ChaoticNeutral

%%* Accelerator from ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'' becomes this as part of his CharacterDevelopment.

** Raven Branwen, Yang’s MissingMom, wants more than anything to avoid getting involved in the war between [[BigGood Ozpin]] and [[BigBad Salem]] at all, on either side, viewing it as a death sentence - she doesn’t trust Ozpin and believes that his fight with Salem is ultimately unwinnable (and she arguably [[JerkassHasAPoint has a few good points]]), but she’s smart enough to know that Salem’s minions [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness rarely wind up well off in the long run]]. As such, she’s willing to murder, cheat, and betray people on both sides of the conflict just to maintain her and her tribe’s independence and continued survival.

** In his days as Dr. Baldhead, Faust was ChaoticEvil. After coming to terms with [[MyGreatestFailure the death of one of his patients]], he seeks redemption and acts much like Tezuka's Black Jack. However, he still takes some pleasure in bloodshed -- [[WhatTheHellHero as pointed]] [[NotSoDifferentRemark out]] by I-No. Insisting on "curing" Chipp with an oversized scalpel and risking his own life to protect Venom, both due to to his interpretation of the Hippocratic oath, he might not be eligible for the ChaoticGood badge just yet.

* Revy, of ''Manga/BlackLagoon'' becomes this as part of her CharacterDevelopment. Rock starts out as ChaoticGood, but later has shades of this alignment.

''Manga/DeathNote'': Mello, especially after joining Near. He's a NominalHero example, being rebellious, ruthless, a criminal and self-serving.

* ''Manga/BlackJack'' himself likes to cultivate this reputation, though his PetTheDog moments lean him a bit towards ChaoticGood. However, he's very much a mercenary of medicine and will heal criminals if the price is right, and feels completely justified in refusing treatment to those who can't pay (though he does end up doing much more charity work than his reputation would suggest).

* Marv from ''ComicBook/SinCity'' certainly qualifies. He's a violent brute who is more or less insane, and usually kills his enemies in horrible, horrible ways, but like Franchise/{{Conan|TheBarbarian}} does not kill innocents..

* ComicBook/{{Catwoman}} from Franchise/{{Batman}}. She switches [[HeelFaceRevolvingDoor between good and evil]] at will to best suit her own interests, law be damned.

* ComicBook/TheCreeper, so nuts he even scares ComicBook/TheJoker.

* DependingOnTheWriter, ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' villain ComicBook/TwoFace would fit here, since he can do good or evil depending on how a coin flip goes.
* ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} became this thanks to the writing of Creator/JoeKelly and Creator/GailSimone. Early on, he didn't care so much about killing innocents. He'll still hurt them though, even his friends, though now they fall into the AmusingInjuries category.

* Writer Landry Walker used this exact phrase to describe ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'s doppelganger Belinda Zee in ''ComicBook/SupergirlCosmicAdventuresInThe8thGrade''. She embraced the idea of chaos without becoming a full-fledged villain, using her enhanced "superior vision" to turn her fellow classmates into more straightforward Bizarros. Walker described Belinda's emotional state as being on a constant hair trigger, and that "she's not exactly evil but she certainly isn't good". Before being manipulated into becoming Superior Girl, all Belinda cared about was her own popularity and "awesomeness" and making Supergirl as miserable as she could.

* Kid!Loki was this by design. The regular NeutralEvil ComicBook/{{Loki}} realized that because he was evil and bound by his own neuroses and anger with [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor]] (that he alluded to being irrational), he could not be a true God of Mischief since he was so darn predictable (try to kill Thor/impress Odin while doing something evil at the same time, fail, rinse, repeat) So he got himself killed and made it so if Thor reincarnated him he'd come back as a boy without all the mental baggage that kept making him evil/predictable. Kid!Loki's only out to save Thor and himself and try not to be the monster he sees his older self as quite possibly having been. He even admitted that he'd rather have stayed dead (if Thor had not reincarnated him) than stay as he was. Later Lokis (with the exception of King Loki from the future who is back to NeutralEvil) generally average around this alignment too. Teen!Loki (the weapon that killed the Kid) was more of the cynical type with self-destructive tendencies, while the next one, Loki -- the God(dess) of Stories,... let's just say for them ''turning their best friend into magical jewellery'' [[ItSeemedLikeAGoodIdeaAtTheTime seemed like a good idea at the time]]. Apparently Loki decided that slipping back into evil is best avoided by periodically destroying and remaking himself to [[NeverGrewUp never get that old]].

* Mr. Mxyzptlk annoys Franchise/{{Superman}} every chance he gets and can be a very sore loser, but he [[ComicBook/WhateverHappenedToTheManOfTomorrow seldom]] actually means any harm and on occasion has helped Superman.

* The Roleplay/DCNation version of Mento defaults to this. In that universe, his telepathic abilities are uncontrolled, so he tends to reflect the alignment of whoever he's with. It wasn't an issue when he was with the ''Comicbook/DoomPatrol'', as they were all good guys. It's after the ''ComicBook/DoomPatrol'' died, and his company was infiltrated by a ReligionOfEvil that he started going off the rails. Still, even despite the company he keeps, he isn't necessarily the ''nicest'' guy, just the one who will get the job done.

* The titular ''Film/DropDeadFred'' claims to be Lizzie's only true friend, but it doesn't keep him from acting like a complete jerk to her and all the rest of the characters.

* [[GreatGazoo Trickster Gods]] in general are usually of this alignment. They are just as likely to frame their own children for murders they committed as to fight The Man.
* Puck (Robin Goodfellow) in most traditional incarnations, notably Creator/WilliamShakespeare's ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'', and ''especially'' in ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'' where he seemed to go out of his way to be a LiteralGenie just for his own amusement.

* The [[http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/authors/asbjornsenmoe/mastermaid.html Mastermaid]], with her very considerable magic powers, which she first uses to serve a man-eating giant, then to help the prince she's fallen in love with escape from said giant, then to mercilessly torment three men whose only crime is wanting to marry her. She marries her prince; he'll be in trouble if she ever gets mad at him...
* The Hindu Goddess Kali may be a BloodKnight and HorrifyingHero who scares even the other gods at times, but she is ''not'' evil, and is the god's main warrior against demons and other evil creatures.

* Music/{{GWAR}} qualifies.

* Wrestling/DeanAmbrose has picked up the Chaotic Neutral ball and run with it. There's a reason the guy's nickname is "The Lunatic Fringe." The influence of Creator/HeathLedger's [[Film/TheDarkKnight portrayal]] of ComicBook/TheJoker is plain in everything he does.

* Dr. Mosely/[[spoiler:Zeta]] from ''VisualNovel/DoubleHomework'' leads a life consisting of [[spoiler:conducting experiments that are widely considered illegal and immoral. She does believe in her own ethics of what she does, and tries to save innocent people from being hurt whenever possible, but God help anyone who tries to pry into or derail her experiments.]]

* Alex Mercer of ''VideoGame/{{Prototype}}''. He holds very little concern for individual human lives and kills often, out of necessity (unless you decide [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential otherwise]]), or when bystanders get in his way (which is sadly [[PersonOfMassDestruction very easy for them to do]]). On the other hand, he genuinely cares for his sister and his ultimate goals are downright heroic. In the war between TheVirus and the Blackwatch]], Alex is a side all by himself and such a pure force of destruction that it's impossible to classify him as good, but his alien and fragmentary mind and good intentions, even fueled by rage, exclude him from evil. Either way, funny little things like ''laws'' don't even slow him down.

** Woljif is a classical LoveableRogue, a tiefling with a sharp tongue, trust issues and a much bigger heart than you'd initially think. His underlying motivation is that he really wants love and acceptance from people he can truly trust in a world that's continually let him down, but his 'do-unto-others-first' attitude means he's got difficulties getting it because he keeps looking out for number one.

* ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHead''. They tend to goof off, listen to heavy metal, piss off people, and generally do what they want whenever they want to stave off boredom, which may unintentionally harm some people. They are also too dumb to even be aware what's going on. This is very clear in their movie. Beavis and Butthead were in a terrorist plot involving a biological weapon that can detonate in Washington D.C. What do they think about at this time? "Scoring" with a chick.

* ComicBook/HarleyQuinn usually averages out here; at least as she's depicted in the DC Animated Universe. She's not strictly evil, and shifts sides at the slightest prompting, but almost always falls back under the sway of the ChaoticEvil [[ComicBook/TheJoker Joker]]. Her portrayal in the comics is more in line with her puddin', however.
* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'':

-->'''Finn:''' And... everyone is evil here?"
-->'''Flame King:''' "Mmhmm... all evil."
-->'''Finn:''' "And... is Flame Princess evil? Or maybe chaotic neutral?"
-->'''Flame King:''' "She's evil."

* Bart Simpson from ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' is definitely of this alignment. All he cares about is doing his own thing, and he doesn't follow any rules.

* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': Peter Griffin probably fits this alignment best, at-least pre-Flanderization. Although his actions often cause large-scale destruction, he is rarely genuinely malevolent; rather, he is just stupid and impulsive. He is a lunatic with the [[AttentionDeficitOOHSHINY attention-span of a goldfish]] and performs the most random acts for his [[ItAmusedMe personal amusement]].
* Amethyst from ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' is going through her ‘difficult teenager’ phase and constantly chafes at any kind of control over her behaviour, revelling in her ‘wild child’ nature and using it to annoy the others. It also requires some pretty major danger to make her take things seriously, and she’s spent several episodes standing on the sidelines providing commentary without doing ''anything'' to help. She openly admits to Steven that she gives terrible advice and that he should never listen to her.

* Harley Quinn in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries''. She is portrayed more sympathetically than in most works, even tries to pull a HeelFaceTurn in one episode, only for it go wrong [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished through no fault of her own.]] The comics and other works either portray her as this or ChaoticEvil DependingOnTheWriter.

* ''Literature/AesirCrossWars'':
** Baldur. For the most part, he doesn't do much to help the heroes. He's just ''there'', and be spends most of his time being a DeadpanSnarker or a {{Troll}}. With that said, however, he's still on their side, and does help occasionally.
** The narrator, also known as the [[AuthorAvatar author]], who will do anything for the sake of comedy. This includes forcing the characters to fall for SchmuckBait and mocking then for anything they do. With that said, he's a prime example of OmniscientMoralityLicense, and everything always turns out fine.

* Famously Clopin from Disney's ''Film/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'' in his neutrality towards good and evil, unusual for a prominent Disney character. He appears as a harmless jester, entertaining children and adults alike; but he's also the leader of the gypsies and very protective of his people to the point, where he almost hangs the protagonists because he suspects them to be traitors. All while singing a catchy tune.

* Delirium of ''ComicBook/TheSandman'' exemplifies Chaotic Neutral, of TheLoonie variety. Destruction also becomes Chaotic Neutral in abandoning his duties to become a dabbling wanderer. For similar reasons.

* Morrigan Aensland of ''VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}}'' is of the Hedonist type. She is a [[HornyDevils succubus]] who lives for little more than to satisfy her own pleasures (mostly sexual or combat-oriented, [[SexIsViolence sometimes both]]), and she often shirks her responsibilities as future ruler of Makai. But as long as you don't cross her, she is rather friendly and sociable, and sometimes in her crossover appearances she goes out of her way to help others for no apparent reason.

* Everyone in the ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' series is Chaotic Neutral, seeking only their personal profit; owing allegiance to nobody. Although the fact they kill people should count as Evil, you also have to consider that all the protagonists in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' live in a world of crime where killing is like an everyday commute. The probable exceptions would be Victor Vance from ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoViceCityStories'' who does what he does entirely out of necessity to help his sick brother, and though he absolutely hates what he's doing and tries not to hurt people, he also doesn't attempt to help them. And then there's Niko from ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV'', whose aspiration is to live the American dream and retire from the life of crime he made in Liberty City, which would make him more TrueNeutral. Antonio Cipriani from ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoLibertyCityStories'' could be argued to be LawfulEvil, since he operates within a hierarchy and has absolute loyalty to his crime family and is willing to do anything, up to and including leveling the entire Little Italy neighborhood to weaken a rival syndicate, to further his gang's goals. He even ground up a man who refused to pay protection money to prove to his own mother that he was as tough as his father, and then gave the man's remains to the man's own store to be sold as meat to customers.

* Most of the more dangerous creatures/humanoids the ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'' houses fall under this, usually because they [[ObliviouslyEvil don't know]] or [[TheSociopath don't care]] about human morality.

* Some {{Byronic Hero}}es
* Many {{Barbarian Hero}}es if not ChaoticGood
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Those who aren't ChaoticGood
* More sympathetic cases of ChronicBackstabbingDisorder
* CrazySurvivalist

* TheGadfly, if not ChaoticGood
* The EvilCounterpart or TheRival to a NeutralGood {{Hero}}, if they aren't all that evil.

* Most NinetiesAntiHero, but can also be shown as TrueNeutral (Spawn, Cable), more evil versions may qualify as NeutralEvil or ChaoticEvil (The Comedian and Lobo).

* GreatGazoo
* Most {{Jerkass}}es
* PlayfulHacker
* RebelliousSpirit
* TheTrickster, if not ChaoticGood

* LovableRogue, if not ChaoticGood
* TheHedonist

* Many {{Noble Demon}}s
* {{Karmic Trickster}}s
* {{Pirate}}s, when not ChaoticEvil
* ThePrankster, if not ChaoticGood

* Some VigilanteMan

%%* ''Manga/DeathNote'': Initially, Mello was a NeutralEvil character, but after meeting with Near, he mellows out.

* [[ComicBook/Warlock1967 Adam Warlock]]'s ComicRelief sidekick Pip the Troll is a sleazy hedonist and trickster who really doesn't care about what happens to the universe as long as he can get a good cigar and a good drink and he's on the side of the heroes mostly due to his genuine loyalty to Adam.

%%* Most everyone in ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'', although Church has his NeutralGood moments.
* Gordon Freeman's AlternativeCharacterInterpretation in ''Machinima/FreemansMind''. He spends most of the time trying to escape from Black Mesa, and while he does occasionally help others along the way when it is convenient, he will never take huge risks to rescue other scientists. The lack of true harm from his actions and the fact that he has a fairly sympathetic goal keeps him from the evil side of the scale, but the fact that he mostly just cares for himself (making him an UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist) keeps him from becoming ChaoticGood (although he does have SociopathicHero tendencies). The chaotic part, on the other hand, is really clear, even before he started killing off hostile soldiers (if his dialogue about his past is to be believed). In fact, most "Mind Series" protagonists fall under here, with the possible exception of Adrian Sheperd, who, as you'd expect from a marine, seems to be LawfulNeutral.

* Sienna Fuegonasus from ''Videogame/WarhammerVermintide'' is the feisty and pyromaniac member of the Uberseik Five. A rather capricious Bright Wizard who is addicted to the adrenaline rush of setting things on fire and always in search for an excuse to use her flaming spells. However,she has some level of compassion and dry sense of humor that prevents her from going into ChaoticEvil territory, and most of the time her team mates direct her spells towards vile Skaven.

%%* Lust in ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemist''. Gluttony, too.

* Vegeta of ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' fame fits this alignment during the Cell Saga. He starts out as a textbook NeutralEvil who cares only for himself, and aspires to use the Dragon Balls to become immortal and take over the universe. This doesn't work out, and after the Frieza Saga he ends up stuck on Earth with no place else to go (his homeworld having been destroyed years ago). At this point he loses interest in immortality and becomes single-mindedly obsessed with becoming stronger than Goku. He's more than willing to help out against the arc villains, but mostly to feed his ego. That, and the fact that he [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou doesn't want anyone else killing Goku.]]

** [=InuYasha=] himself at the very beginning, as he's both childishly impulsive and too cynical to treat other people with any respect. Meeting Kagome and having to make moral choices in his adventures with her quickly brings out his potential nobility, and he upgrades to ChaoticGood.
** Koga. Unlike most demons, he's not evil as such, though he suffers from MoralMyopia (loyal to friends but totally disregarding everyone else) and might hurt people because he's too dumb to understand it's wrong; he's ''at least'' as immature as [=InuYasha=] was at the start. His idea of how things work is kidnapping someone to be his mate, with no malicious thought at all, and expecting that will work out just fine.

[[folder:Fanfiction]]

** Thomas Raith, in a LovableRogue kind of way. His willpower and {{Morality Pet}}s Justine and Harry help keep him from really falling into the ways of his BigScrewedUpFamily.
* ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'': Jarlaxle [[spoiler:Baenre]]. The drow who is not actively malevolent, but is a great opportunist. He dresses like a pimp. He'll stab you in the back on a whim (and patch you up if he decides he made a mistake). He tries to [[HeelFaceDoorSlam reform assassins]] and [[CorruptTheCutie corrupt knights]]. He is, or at least was, [[spoiler:the male favored one of a female misandrist goddess, from birth]], not that he reciprocated. He thrives in the midst of chaos, a [[EyepatchOfPower calm, smirking eye]] in the raging storm. He is Chaotic Neutral on legs.

* The Meddler of the ''Literature/{{Firekeeper|Saga}}'' novels is generally in this area. Besides what he does with the main characters, the stories that exist of him, as told in the fifth book, describe how he earns his name by getting involved in situations with seemingly good intentions but without ever considering the consequences. Most telling is a tale in which he persuaded a boy to run away with a girl his father was loudly opposed to his marrying, only to learn after the fact that the two were in fact half-siblings. While she was ignorant of the fact, the boy [[BrotherSisterIncest fully understood who she was to him.]]

* ''Elric of Melnibone'', Creator/MichaelMoorcock's anti-hero, is kept alive by the Gods of Chaos, but he'll tender his services to the highest bidder and he's capable of doing both heroic and nasty deeds depending on his mood. He eventually switches to TrueNeutral (or a pretty cynical NeutralGood) when he accepts his role as the keeper of balance between Law and Chaos. His sword [[EvilWeapon Stormbringer]] on the other hand is ChaoticEvil to the core.

* The plot of Creator/SpiderRobinson's short story ''God is an Iron'' revolves around a criminal who burglarizes a woman's home, discovers her attempting suicide, and saves her life, nursing her back to health over the course of several days, but only out of a morbid curiosity as to what drove her to it.
** The novel expansion opened with the main character attempting suicide by jumping off a bridge and being saved by a man who just wanted to mug him before he leapt into the water.
* Franchise/TolkiensLegendarium:

* Lisbeth Salander, the AntiHero protagonist of ''Literature/TheMillenniumTrilogy'', is as Chaotic Neutral as they come. If you stay on her good side, great! She'll help you in your time of need. However, if you do anything bad (especially towards women) she'll make you hurt in ways you can't possibly even begin to imagine. The way she [[ColdBloodedTorture treats]] her victims prevents her from being ChaoticGood, but the nature of [[AssholeVictim her victims]] prevents her from being ChaoticEvil as well.

* The ComicBook/IncredibleHulk arguably fits in here. Sure, he'll go AxCrazy if you make him mad, and he'll cause tremendous amounts of damage in the process, but a lot of the time he '''does''' go crazy, it's because one of his enemies pushed him too far. He's capable of showing a certain amount of empathy and friendship in rare cases, and rarely seeks to hurt people or try and use his power for personal gain... but God help you if you provoke him.

* {{Music/GWAR}} qualifies.
* ''Music/TheRollingStones'': Ruby Tuesday from the song of the same name seems to be this, as she's both mysterious and constantly changing.

* [[ComicBook/{{Warlock}} Adam Warlock]]'s ComicRelief sidekick Pip the Troll is a sleazy hedonist and trickster who really doesn't care about what happens to the universe as long as he can get a good cigar and a good drink and he's on the side of the heroes mostly due to his genuine loyalty to Adam.

* Lily from ''Series/HowIMetYourMother''. While she's ''very'' nice towards [[OfficialCouple Marshall]] for the most part, she has kind of a [[ManipulativeBitch manipulative]] and sometimes downright ''crazy'' side to her, which is sometime bad enough to prompt a WhatTheHellHero from the rest of the cast.

* ''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil'': Despite having a reputation as an EvilOverlord, Eclipsa Butterfly "The Queen Of Darkness" is more this trope: she has no qualms about abusing her magic to get what she wants, and was ultimately a very flighty, irresponsible, and careless queen, but she never goes out of her way to hurt others or cause needless harm; she proves a valuable ally for [[BadassPrincess Star]] and [[TheHighQueen Moon]], but she's not always a good influence either. She gets better after some CharacterDevelopment [[spoiler: when Star abdicates the throne to her]].

* Neo from ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'' was loyal to Roman, though [[spoiler:after his demise]] she has become motivated by a desire for vengeance and tried to [[spoiler:off Cinder the first chance she got]], but was soon convinced Ruby was to blame. Since then, Neo has worked for the Fall Maiden, but makes it clear she would rather be allied with anyone else and is only there [[spoiler:to kill Ruby]], not for any actual interest in Salem's plans.

* In Creator/NaomiNovik's ''Literature/{{Temeraire}}'' series any feral dragon is likely to be this. Iskierka [[UpToEleven turns this up]] almost to ChaoticStupid levels.

** Nahadoth, firstborn of TheOldGods, [[GodOfChaos embodies chaos and change]], and manifested the raw substance of the universe that his younger siblings gave structure and purpose. Within the universe, his influence is what allows things to have individuality and free will.

* Rachel from ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}''. Despite being a BloodKnight extrodinare and sometimes borderline SociopathicSoldier, her sense of honor and loyalty keep her from being straight up ChaoticEvil.
** From the same books: the [[TheGreys Skrit Na]] are this, with a bit of ChaoticStupid as well, as they abduct humans and other species at random, and while they usually return them unharmed, none of the other alien races in the setting can figure out why the hell they do this,
* ''Literature/AesirCrossWars'': Baldur. For the most part, he doesn't do much to help the heroes. He's just ''there'', and be spends most of his time being a DeadpanSnarker or a {{Troll}}. With that said, however, he's still on their side, and does help occasionally.

** The Imperial Agent companion Kaliyo is this, mostly by virtue of just not caring about morality. She's a self-described anarchist who wants nothing more than to go where she pleases and do whatever she likes. She even tells you that the only reason she sticks with you is because, at least for now, she's ''having fun'' (keep in mind that she's a companion to the class with one of the most [[TraumaCongaLine traumatic]] and often depressing storylines in the game).