History Main / CharacterWitness

** Toph ''tries'' to serve as this when Prince Zuko completes his long overdue HeelFaceTurn in Season 3 and asks the heroes to let him join them and help them stop his father from conquering the world. Toph is the only one who isn't incredulous about this thanks to being a LivingLieDetector and having no personal history/grudge to deal with due to joining after he stopped being the main threat to the team. However, Toph confirming his intentions [[SubvertedTrope only shifts the conversation]] to questioning if he should be forgiven for his past transgressions. Even once they allow him to stay, the next few episodes are spent with Aang, Sokka, and Katara all needing to go on their own, as the fans refer to them, "life-changing adventures" with Zuko to fully accept his presence and actually forgive him.

** Toph tries to serve as this when Prince Zuko '''''FINALLY''''' completes his long overdue HeelFaceTurn in Season 3 and asks the heroes to let him join them and help them stop his father from conquering the world. Their reaction is quite understandable: "You can't possibly think that any of us would trust you, can you? I mean, how stupid do you think we are?!" Toph is the only one who believes him because A) she's a LivingLieDetector, and B) she joined the team a season after everyone else and has no personal history with him and, therefore, no grudge to overcome. Even though her friends can't deny she's right about him telling the truth, she fails to get anyone to agree he deserves to be forgiven and that they would be smart to accept his offer. Painful misunderstandings ensue until events persuade everyone to believe Zuko's now on their side.

** The city of Metropolis loses its collective shit whenever people attack their favorite hero, and will permanently destroy Lex Luthor's VillainWithGoodPublicity status if he ever gets caught openly hurting Supes without a really good loophole to escape the blame. It's also been implied at various times (particularly in the {{Elseworlds}} ''[[Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica JLA]]: ComicBook/TheNail'') that Metropolis is responsible for setting the trend for the citizens of the DC universe to ''not'' be suspicious, fickle, ungrateful assholes to their heroes due to Superman's altruism towards them.

* In ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'', Steven frees Lapis Lazuli from her imprisonment and heals her gem, allowing her to fly back to Homeworld. This pays off a season later where she [[spoiler:warns the Crystal Gems of an impending invasion and sacrifices herself to lock away TheDragon - all for Steven [[BecauseYouWereNiceToMe who helped her]]]].

* ''Fanfic/AllTheDifferenceInTheWorlds'': Jaune helps resolve a HostageSituation in Boulder City; in the process, he protects an NCR Lieutenant and his unit from the Khans. Later, when Jaune arrives at Hoover Dam, that same liutenant vouches for him.

* In Creator/FranzXaverVonSchonwerth "Literature/KingGoldenlocks", the prince releases a peaceful giant who had been unjustly imprisoned. In return, the giant helps him find a cure for the king's sickness and gives him a sword, armor, and a horse when the prince needs to fight a battle.

* ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/26690158 Miracle Queen Aftermath]]'' has Chloe [[KarmaHoudiniWarranty facing serious consequences]] for her actions during the Season 3 finale of ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug''. In an effort to drum up support for her student, [[MisplacedKindergartenTeacher Ms. Bustier]] attempts to turn this into a ''school project'', wanting the rest of her class to write letters about how ''wonderful'' she is. Given how Chloe has been an unrepentant AlphaBitch who bullied and harassed her peers for ''years'', the assignment doesn't work out as planned.

* In "Perfect Alibi", part of the ''Fanfic/SorrowfulAndImmaculateHearts'' series, Bruce Wayne rescues a woman from being creeped on at a party; later on, when he needs an alibi, she immediately volunteers herself. She doesn't even know that what he was really doing was fighting crime as Batman, just that Bruce Wayne is a thoroughly decent human being who once helped her out of an unpleasant situation, and that's enough reason to return the favor.

** In Fred's case, when he's being sued for libel by Trent, several of his fellow employees speak up for him and suggest that Trent was the one who had been the aggressor and had caused trouble for Fred. Trent's lawyer complains about this wasting their time, and what enables Trent to win is that his claim that Trent had tried to kill someone was, in fact, true.

* Turns up, oddly enough, in ''Series/TheMightyBoosh'', albeit in a uniquely absurd fashion. While looking for Howard, who left his job to become a binman, Vince gives £58.30 (via credit card) as well as his beautiful cape to a hobo [[RunningGag who thinks Vince is a lady]]. Later on, when Vince and Howard are fighting a magic-fueled, crack-addicted fox in the sewers, the hobo shows up out of nowhere, attacking the Crack Fox long enough to allow Vince and Howard to run away. [[WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs Yeah...]]

* ''WebVideo/DreamSMP'': After Tommy and Ranboo rob and burn down George's house early in Season 2[[note]]which, by DSMP standards, is ''extremely mild'' of a crime since ''practically everyone'' griefs someone else's base at some point during their time on the server[[/note]], Dream and George take Tommy to court, demanding he be exiled. At first, Tommy denies everything, but when George points out that Ranboo was there too, Tommy admits it was him, but insists he acted alone to get Ranboo out of trouble. Later, after Tommy's attempt at blackmailing Dream goes south and Tubbo accuses him of being selfish, Ranboo comes to Tommy's defense.

* After Tommy and Ranboo rob and burn down George's house on the ''LetsPlay/DreamSMP'', Dream and George take Tommy to court, demanding he be exiled. At first, Tommy denies everything, but when George points out that Ranboo was there too, Tommy admits it was him, but insists he acted alone to get Ranboo out of trouble. Later, after Tommy's attempt at blackmailing Dream goes south and Tubbo accuses him of being selfish, Ranboo comes to Tommy's defense.

* ''Anime/SamuraiChamploo'': In the first episode, we see an arrogant noble standing in the middle of a crowded road, harassing and threatening a commoner who had bumped into him, until [[TheStoic Jin]] [[MasterSwordsman effortlessly cuts through his bodyguards]] [[IWasJustPassingThrough for standing in his way]]. By the end of the episode, he has been captured and is about to be executed for the offense. [[PluckyGirl Fuu]] has some fireworks [[WeNeedADistraction she plans to use to free him]], but she doesn't have anything with which to light them. No points for guessing who reaches up from the crowd with a match.

* ''ComicBook/XMen'': The heroes have had people give them cross-country rides, duck them away from mutant-hating authorities, etc, all because one X-Man helped someone else at some point, so anybody legitimately wearing the (X) is considered a good guy worth assisting.

* In "Perfect Alibi", part of the ''FanFic/SorrowfulAndImmaculateHearts'' series, Bruce Wayne rescues a woman from being creeped on at a party; later on, when he needs an alibi, she immediately volunteers herself. She doesn't even know that what he was really doing was fighting crime as Batman, just that Bruce Wayne is a thoroughly decent human being who once helped her out of an unpleasant situation, and that's enough reason to return the favor.

* Film/SpiderManNoWayHome: Peter tries to persuade the head of applications at MIT to reconsider his friends’ applications (which were rejected because they were friends with him). After he ends up having to save her and everyone on the bridge from Dr. Octopus, she declares that she’ll reconsider the applications of both him and his friends, having realised that he’s really a hero.

* In ''Literature/TheTinderbox'', a soldier has a magical tinderbox that enables him to summon large-eyed dogs to do his bidding. He uses the dogs to get a look at the princess of the kingdom, with whose beauty he falls deeply in love, but is captured and sentenced to be burned at the stake. While in prison, he catches the attention of a boy and recruits him to retrieve the tinderbox from his room at the inn, which he later uses to escape. The boy does this for him, because he remembers the soldier buying food for his family when they were impoverished.

* Played straight in ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution'' when army officers are about to arrest Rogue and Kitty on. The major tells his troops to stand down as Rogue had saved him from being hit by a car.

* In legalese, a Character Witness is someone who attests to someone's moral conduct and good reputation in a court of law, without being able to comment on the specific facts of the individual case or suit. This is a form of "Character evidence", where aspects of a person's behavior and conduct are taken into account during the trial. Bear in mind that in practical situations, character evidence is considered a very weak argument for the defense to use; the prosecution generally doesn't even have the option to bring in character witnesses.

* In legalese, a Character Witness is someone who attests to someone's moral conduct and good reputation in a court of law, without being able to comment on the specific facts of the individual case or suit. This is a form of "Character evidence", where aspects of a person's behavior and conduct are taken into account during the trial.

Like AndroclesLion, but with people. The hero goes out of their way to help an "inconsequential" InnocentBystander, often at personal risk either to himself or reputation. Later on, if he's [[ClearMyName set up by the villain]] and it looks ''just'' like the UntrustingCommunity of {{Crazy Survivalist}}s is really going to kill him... out pops the Character Witness ready to [[LaserGuidedKarma repay their kindness]] with life saving timing. Usually, they're a WastelandElder or a ReasonableAuthorityFigure whose voice has weight, or just [[DisasterScavengers a child he befriends]] who is adept at ShamingTheMob.

* Early in ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam00'', Allelujah disobeys orders and rescues people at a space station, and during this time aids the governmental forces which are his group's enemies, impressing the antagonist, Sergei Smirnoff. This comes to Allejuah's aid later in the show, as Smirnoff lets an injured Allejuah go [[spoiler: and take Marie/Soma Peres, Sergei's adopted daughter/Allejuah's love interest with him]], since he recognizes Allejuah's voice and knows he's a nice guy.

* ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'': On the day of an important exam, the Duel Academy's card shop got a shipment of newly released cards; but Professor Chronos got there first and bought them ''all''. Then he gave them all to Manjyome, and said he would manipulate the match-ups in the field exam so that he and Judai were opponents, hoping Judai would not only fail, but be humiliated. Meanwhile, Judai overslept, and while running to class, met an old lady struggling with her stalled truck. Knowing he'd be late anyway, he stopped to help her with it. Later, when ''he'' finally got to the card store, he found out she ''owned'' the place, and saved one of the new packs of cards for him; Judai was actually able to win the duel against Manjyome with it, gaining a promotion. [[KeepTheReward (Which he turned down.)]]

** Spidey is always boggled when he runs into someone who he helped once, because J. Jonah Jameson is always working to make him a pariah in New York. But in a city of millions, all the people the wallcrawler has helped are ready to stand up for him if the situation calls for it.

* ''ComicBook/XMen'': The heroes have had people give them cross country rides, duck them away from mutant hating authorities, etc, all because one X-Man helped someone else at some point, so anybody legitimately wearing the (X) is considered a good guy worth assisting.

** Then there was that time Superman saved a high-steel construction worker from falling. Turns out he was actually an ex-weapons designer who would ultimately become ComicBook/{{Steel}}, one of Superman' closest allies.
** ''ComicBook/DeathAndTheFamily'': After dispelling her family's spirits temporarily, Silver Banshee notes that, thanks to Inspector Henderson's efforts, she has now five of her clan's relics, and has bought herself time to find the remainder ones without her family interfering. Before teleporting herself away from ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}, Banshee acknowledges she is indebted to Henderson, and assures she will repay him someday.

* In Creator/FranzXaverVonSchonwerth "Literature/KingGoldenlocks", the prince releases a peaceful giant who had been unjustly imprisoned. In return, the giant helps him find a cure for the king's sickness, and gives him a sword, an armor and a horse when the prince needs to fight a battle.

* In ''Fanfic/SongOfANorthernSorcerer'', Darth Nox rescues a six-year-old boy from a bunch of wildling raiders bent on killing and eating the kid. When he reunites the child with his father, Ned Stark is very grateful for Jon to be alive and safe and invites Nox to Winterfell as a honoured guest, giving the stranded Sith Lord a haven to plot and lay the bases for becoming powerful and influent again.

* In ''Film/TheLivingDaylights'', James Bond and Kara fight their way out of a corrupt prison in Afghanistan. While escaping, they free the prisoner in the next cell on a whim. The prisoner turns out to be a leader of the Afghan Resistance, and becomes a valuable ally.

* In the infamous ''Film/{{Steel}}'' movie, the titular character starts his crime fighting career by saving a couple from some muggers. Later on, when Steel is wanted by the police the same couple is called to pick Steel from a line up where John Henry Irons is present. The couple recognizes him, but they claim they had never seen him before. Likewise, a police officer Steel saved from an explosion by jumping on him claims John Henry Irons isn't Steel when taking a close look at him.
* In ''Film/TrainingDay'', the main character Jake rescues a girl from being raped; she drops her wallet as she runs away, and he pockets it. Later, the main character captured and is about to be killed by a group of gangsters, they find the wallet in his pocket, and demand to know where he got it; it turns out the girl he rescued is actually the cousin of the gang leader, and after they call her in and she tells the story as a character witness, the gangsters decide to let Jake go.

* In ''Literature/TheTinderbox'', a soldier has a magical tinderbox which enables him to summon large-eyed dogs to do his bidding. He uses the dogs to get a look at the princess of the kingdom, with whose beauty he falls deeply in love, but is captured and sentenced to be burned at the stake. While in prison, he catches the attention of a boy and recruits him to retrieve the tinderbox from his room at the inn, which he later uses to escape. The boy does this for him, because he remembers the soldier buying food for his family when they were impoverished.

--> '''Enid''': They did more than just that, they saved us. They scoured the countryside and dug survivors out of the ruins. They built us homes, irrigated our fields, fed us, defended us and brought us together. It is no exaggeration to say that without the support of these monsters, there likely would be no survivors of [[spoiler:Liria or the frontier kingdoms]] at all. We owe the ants our lives and have lived in harmony with them for months. You seek to destroy them simply because they are monsters and were created by the Dungeon. We have decided that this is wrong.
* The main emphasis of ''Literature/TheCountOfMonteCristo'' is the Count's revenge on the four men who had him imprisoned. One frequently-overlooked plot point has the Count discovering that Monsieur Morrel, his employer when he was arrested, had made a valiant effort to try and get Edmond Dantes (the future Count) released, as he was convinced of Dantes' innocence. Morrel was taking a dreadful political risk in doing so, due to the struggles between royalist and Bonapartist groups that were convulsion France at the time and were in part what led to Dantes' imprisonment. By the time Dantes escapes and becomes the Count, Morrel's shipping company is on the verge of bankruptcy and his family's honor is ruined because of his inability to pay his debts. Using the alias of "Sinbad the Sailor", the Count repays his old employer by buying out and paying off the company's debts, giving them a brand-spanking new merchant ship to replace the one that had recently been destroyed in a storm, and also providing a generous dowry for Morrel's daughter. Monsieur Morrel would die soon after, but his good name and family honor were both fully restored.

** Andres, a boy that Don Quixote thinks has rescued at chapter IV part I shows up again at Chapter XXXI part I. Don Quixote wants him to defend his ChivalricRomance delusions, but instead Andres denounces him with a NiceJobBreakingItHero speech and left.
** Lacquey Tosilos appear at chapter LVI of the second part when Don Quixote is trying to WeHelpTheHelpless, and comes back in chapter LXVII to inform Don Quixote that all was a ShaggyDogStory.

* In ''Literature/TheRamayana'', Vibhishana advises King Ravana not to kill a messenger from the enemy army. Some chapters later, Vibhishana has switched sides and the protagonists are debating whether or not he's trustworthy. The messenger vouches for Vibhishana, because his previous actions showed him to be a man of honor.

* In ''Literature/TheTraitorSonCycle'', at one point John Crayford is convinced by Amicia to go and rescue a pack of Wild golden bears (in the setting, golden bears are sentient and have their own civillization). In the next book, when him and his group are under the attack of the Wild, the same pack swoops in and saves them in turn.

** A similar example happened in the earlier episode "The Cadillac": Jerry's dad Morty is being accused of embezzling funds from the office of condo president with Morty's new Cadillac being cited as proof (the Cadillac was given to Morty by Jerry as a gift, but the guy accusing Morty doesn't believe Jerry is talented enough to make that much money). Morty's sole favorable testimony is from an old woman who, unbeknown to Morty, Jerry had stolen a marble rye bread from in an earlier episode. Once she remembers that incident, she withdraws her support and Morty is impeached from condo president. That lady would once again show up in the aforementioned finale.

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'': In the ''Book of Exalted Deeds'', one of the sample characters used to illustrate character archetypes is Tasthania, an elf druid who, as a child, was the sole survivor of an orc attack on her village. When she returned to the village, she found a unicorn wandering through the ruins looking for survivors to help and joined it. The only person they found was a young orc warrior, whom Tasthania wanted to kill. The unicorn, however, stopped her and healed the orc, allowing him to flee. Years later, Tasthania was ambushed by another orc band, but survived when the leader, who was that same warrior that the unicorn healed, recognized her and called off the attack.

** In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', if you saved the original council, the asari councilor will point out that when they distrusted Shepard, they ended up being wrong. This is helpful to ensuring that [[spoiler:you can talk down Kaidan or Ashley, whom Udina is trying to convince that you're still a willing member of Cerberus, without killing them]].

** In Fred's case, when he's being sued for libel by Trent, several of his fellow employees speak up for him, and suggest that Trent was the one who had been the aggressor and had caused trouble for Fred. Trent's lawyer complains about this wasting their time, and what enables Trent to win is that his claim that Trent had tried to kill someone was, in fact, true.

** When Janja switches sides, he goes to Jasiri -- the hero who's [[SaveTheVillain helped him the most]] -- first, and she takes him to King Simba and vouches for him. Simba and Kion still doubt they can trust him, until he gets a second witness -- Makuu, who reminds Simba of how "you gave me a chance when no one else in the Pridelands would."