History Main / LawfulGood

* ''Franchise/SpiderMan'' may be the poster child for NeutralGood, but really he's closer to this alignment. He does not value breaking the law for the Greater Good any more than most other costumed vigilantes, and will gladly use- and even seek out- the help of local law enforcement whenever its available, if not outright join them (''Civil War'' being a prime example). The problem for Spidey is more that he is a HeroWithBadPublicity, and due to decades of media persecution along with a couple of people suspecting him of certain murders (the deaths of Gwen and George Stacy, respectively), he can't play this trope straight. As a contrast, the main reason Batman is portayed as Lawful Good is due to his good relationship with the police (or the police commissioner, anyway), but Bats will drop the cops in a flash if he thinks he can't trust them to do their jobs right; Spidey simply doesn't have a Jim Gordon counterpart to trust in the first place (though there have been a couple of detective friends over the years).

* Bang Shishigami in ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'' is this. His drive is to protect his homeland Ikaruga and its townspeople (now taking residence in Ronin-Gai) and is a strict follower of ThouShallNotKill, even against his worst nemesis Jin Kisaragi (unless he got too consumed in anger), preferring to make him reflect on his sins after beating him up. Even Jin's future self Hakumen qualifies in this category.

* ComicBook/TheMightyThor himself mostly falls into this alignment, being the good-hearted guardian of Earth and Asgard, honorable and dutifil. His occasional disagreements with Odin might come from Odin being a sort of manipulative NeutralGood at times. This is in contrast with Thor's more hot-blooded and comedic Marvel Cinematic Universe depiction, where he is more ChaoticGood.

* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'': Princess Bubblegum. Fun game: take a drink every time she says that "according to Candy Kingdom law" or "according to the Candy Kingdom-[other country] treaty" the heroes can't accomplish their goals in the most expedient fashion available... even when that law or treaty is presumably [[ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem something she made up herself]] and [[ForgotICouldChangeTheRules could change just as easily]]. Would verge on LawfulStupid, except that she always manages to TakeAThirdOption and accomplish her goals without breaking the letter of the law. [[spoiler:Later episodes (especially in the fifth and sixth seasons) begin to deconstruct this. Princess Bubblegum [[AllLovingHero loves the Candy people]] and will do anything to protect them. Unfortunately, this love is [[AMillionIsAStatistic spread out... somewhat thinly]] and she clearly believes that [[ControlFreak only she can decide what's best for her sweet citizens]]. (Not that [[TooDumbToLive they're really capable of independence]]...) Added to this is her willingness to screw over other kingdoms and people (especially the Fire Kingdom) if there's even a small chance this will protect/benefit the candy people, and her [[ToBeLawfulOrGood being Lawful more often than Good]] pushes her closer towards being a [[MoralSociopathy Moral]] SociopathicHero than you would initially think...]]

* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'': While Batman's characterization in general tends to be [[DependingOnTheWriter all over the map]], this version is definitely counts as this alignment, and is a borderline AllLovingHero, as, in addition to his ThouShaltNotKill rule, he pretty much always at least tries to SaveTheVillain, and shows compassion towards the more sympathetic villains, such as Harley Quinn or Mary Dahl. Furthermore, his TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to [[KnightTemplar Lock Up]] implies he has at least some compassion towards all but the most horrible criminals.

* Likewise, Stan Smith of ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' tends to follow either an extreme personal code or the law to the letter. While this often [[LawfulStupid has devastating immediate effects]], most of the time Stan's good intentions are genuine and he always strives to make himself, his family, or his community better in the long run.

* ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'' combines a burning urge to do good with a deep respect for traditions and a desire to help others. [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption This is pretty much the reason his goal of returning to the past has yet to be fulfilled]] [[spoiler:until he finally did]] -- he refuses to take advantage of the possibilities he's found to do so when someone in need of help is in his midst.

* Garnet from ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' is a silent, stoic badass, very organised, controlled and patient. Though quick to jump into a fight her combat style tends to be very mechanical and precise, and she often seems pretty machine-like in general. It becomes clear over time however that she’s also the one most in tune with saving the world because it's the ''right thing to do'', and her lack of open emotion conceals the fact that she’s the most empathetic and kind hearted of the three.

** Steven himself is still a child but is still pretty openly this, absurdly kind hearted, devoted to his family and community, and very loyal to his caregivers. Even his rule breaking tends to be structured and organised, Steven often insisting on going about even the most minor of wrong doing in an absurdly stereotypical way because 'that's how it's supposed to be done'. His character development has brought him even closer to this, to the point of edging towards a StopHavingFunGuy before his friends forced him to add a little more chaos to his life.

** Wiegraf from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'' starts out this way. He's a principled warrior who rebelled against the Crown because the realm was bankrupt and refused to pay their volunteer army, but even in the rebellion, [[TheFettered he sticks to his principles]] and refuses to allow his troops to engage in kidnapping; he wants his and his men's rightful due, not just a ransom. [[spoiler: When his sister is killed, however, he starts sliding down the slippery slope, until he accepts [[DemonicPossession the power of a Zodiac Stone]] with what would have been his dying breath and becomes ChaoticEvil]].* In the ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' series:
* In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBindingBlade'', we have Perceval and Douglas, high-ranked military leaders of Etruria with lots of responsibility who are very loyal to a king who's a good person, but [[spoiler: has his will overridden by treacherous advisors after falling into despair due to the death of his son and heir.]] They're balanced by their fellow leader Cecilia and the high-ranked sniper Klein, who fall more into NeutralGood.
* In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade'':
** Eliwood starts as this, then settles slowly but surely into NeutralGood.
** Hector's {{Lancer}} Oswin and Eliwood's retainer Marcus remain mostly Lawful Good, with Oswin even reaching the extreme of [[spoiler: hiding Uther's upcoming death from Hector despite the inner conflicts it brings him, since Uther had asked him to do so.]]
** Fiora, the eldest of the three Pegasus Knight sisters (balancing Farina's ChaoticGood and Florina's NeutralGood). She's very kind and gentle, but she also seems to believe that Eliwood's interest in her can't be reciprocated due to her being a mercenary from Ilia, and discusses possible separation by gender with Kent to avoid emotional attachments until the end of the war.
* In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance'' and ''VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn'', the following fall into this alignment: Sigrun, Tanith, Geoffery, Bastian, Lucia, Kieran, Oscar, Titania, Lethe, Mordecai, Kyza, Janaff, and Ulki, who gain this status by being loyal, upright servants of solidly good authority figures. The healers and characters with the "Spirit of Order," qualify as well; Rhys, Laura, Mist, Sanaki, and the three Herons.
* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates''
** [[PlayerCharacter Corrin/The Avatar]] is Lawful Good by default, strongly valuing ideals such as peace, justice and compassion. Interestingly for a Lawful Good protagonist, [[ToBeLawfulOrGood what part of the alignment s/he prioritizes more depends on which route s/he takes]]; in ''Birthright,'' s/he's more Good than Lawful, deciding to rebel against a tyrannical king. In ''Conquest,'' s/he's more Lawful than Good, choosing to attempt to reform Nohr than destroy it. In ''Revelations,'' s/he balances both of these alignments rather nicely.
** Xander and Ryoma also qualify. Both are just, honorable leaders of their country who value peace and justice hand-in-hand, though similarly to the Avatar, Xander is more Lawful than Good, while Ryoma is more Good than Lawful.
** Arthur is also ''definitely'' this. Being a self-styled [[ForGreatJustice "hero of justice"]], Arthur is an exceptionally kind and heroic young man, valuing peace and happiness above all else. Unlike most examples of ThePaladin, however, he is ''not'' LawfulStupid; [[spoiler:he averts it enough that he lies to a bunch of Nohrian knights so that Azura as a child doesn't have to be punished, taking the consequences instead.]]

* '''Type 1: Lawful Over Good-''': This type uses Good means to achieve Lawful ends. Essentially, a LawfulNeutral character that believes a morally Good society or way of life is more orderly or safer than any other, one that is perhaps less "pro-Good" than "anti-Evil" and "anti-Chaos". Though they strive to behave in a good and altruistic manner, when push comes to shove they are likely to [[ToBeLawfulOrGood choose to follow the rules or obey authority]] over sticking their own neck out to do the right thing. While they believe that law and order are ultimately more important than morality (although they may not admit it in public), they see doing good as the price to pay for this, and would ideally live in a morally upright environment than any other.
* '''Type 2: Good Over Law''': This type uses Lawful means to achieve Good ends. They are altruistic and well-intentioned people who believe that following the rules and living an orderly or disciplined life is the best and most efficient way to achieve their moral goals. They differ from NeutralGood in that while the latter might follow the rules out of simple pragmatism or convenience, this type honestly believes that a structured approach is the best way to achieve righteous results, and hence are quicker to discard rules if they do not believe they serve a greater moral purpose than the other type and if doing so does not lead to manageable negative consequences.
* '''Type 3: Balance Seeker-''': This type seeks a balance between Lawful and Good, usually a character that struggles to differentiate between the two. They face the dilemma of ToBeLawfulOrGood often, and must consider the circumstances anew every time it comes up. They sincerely desire to be good, morally upstanding people but may struggle to operate outside of some kind of ruleset or structured system. They may bend or break the rules for the greater good in one moment, but feel guilty or ashamed of themselves for doing so and double down on the rules in another area of their life later on.

* Mawari of ''Manga/MyBrideIsAMermaid''. Plans to be a police officer and carries a whistle at all times, blowing it at any perceived infraction against morals/justice with the CatchPhrase (or variant) "Do you want Mawari to teach you about the rules of society?" Always convinced that she is right and interferes with everything without concern for herself, according to Nagasumi's childhood memories.

* ''Film/{{Tron}}'' has a strong moral code expressed in his CatchPhrase: "I fight for the Users!" His counterpart / creator Alan Bradley is also of this alignment, not even doing his banking on company time. Alan does make a ToBeLawfulOrGood call early in the film by throwing his lot in with Flynn's plan, though. After what happened to Tron at [[BeingTorturedMakesYouEvil Dyson's hands]], it's a pretty safe bet that he's down to LawfulNeutral in ''WesternAnimation/TronUprising''. And in ''Film/TronLegacy'' [[spoiler:even more torture and brainwashing twisted him into the LawfulEvil Rinzler]].

* ''Radio/RidersRadioTheater'' has Ranger Doug, who has turned doing things the right way ("the Cowboy Way") instead of the easy way into a CatchPhrase.

* Kim Kaphwan, the Korean Taekwondo champion from ''VideoGame/FatalFury'' and ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters''. He even has a "for truth, justice and the Korean way" VictoryQuote in '95. Not to mention his "[[ThisIsUnforgivable I won't tolerate evil]]" CatchPhrase when dealing with criminals.

** AR was a law enforcement officer who gave up his chance of escaping a crashing meteor to save a civilian.

** While his methods are extreme, the Spectre's purpose is to punish evil in all its forms in accordance with the will of the Almighty. However, the angel who makes up half the entity, Aztar, is too Lawful Neutral and is not very good at judging criminals reasonably—he'll deal out the same horrific punishment to a jaywalker as would seem more appropriate for a serial killer. He needs to be bound to a more Good-aligned hosts to create a Lawful Good being known as the Spectre, who is able to properly judge the wicked.

* ''ComicBook/TheSpectre''. While his methods are extreme, his purpose is to punish evil in all its forms in accordance with the will of the Almighty.

* Shay Cormac from ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedRogue'' is staunchly this, believe or not. Shay initially followed the Colonial Assassins, believing they where doing good for the young Canadian regions. [[DespairEventHorizon But that all changed]], following the events of the Lisbon Earthquake that he was deceived into starting. The Assassins were very clearly in the wrong, and did nothing to convince Shay otherwise. This led to his betrayal and defecting to the Templars, who were the [[EvenEvilHasStandards lesser evil]] at the time. Shay only joined his former archenemies, because they sort rightful ways towards order, particularly with [[ColonelBadass Colonel Monro]] who he got along well with. Later, Haytham taught Shay that sometimes ruthlessness is necessary towards their goals, something both [[TheNeedsOfTheMany thoroughly would practice]], for the greater good.

%%* [[Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger Captain America]] is this, but leaning towards good rather than lawful to the point that in ''[[Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier The Winter Soldier]]'' he insists (after some small hesitation) on following his personal code and [[spoiler:scrapping S.H.I.E.L.D., which was starting to become LawfulEvil,]] rather than just doing what he was told.

%%** In the Prequel Trilogy, her mother Padme started as Lawful Good, but as the Clone Wars went on, she became critical of how authoritarian the Republic was becoming, and became NeutralGood in opposition to this development.

%%** Captain Picard and Worf.

* ComicBook/TheMightyThor himself mostly falls into this alignment, being the good-hearted guardian of Earth and Asgard, honorable and dutifil. His occasional disagreements with Odin might come from Odin being a sort of manipulative NeutralGood at times. This is in contrast with Thor's more hot-blooded and comedic MarvelCinematicUniverse depiction, where he is more ChaoticGood.

* [[Myth/ArthurianLegend King Arthur]] and the Knights of the Round Table, being [[TropeCodifier Trope Codifiers]] for the KnightInShiningArmor, universally aspired to be this, with some of them, such as the legendarily gallant and pure Galahad, embodying it.

%%* Detective John Hartigan of ''Film/SinCity'', of the KnightInSourArmor variety (not surprising given [[WretchedHive the kind]] [[CrapsackWorld of place]] Basin City is).

%%* At the beginning of ''Film/TheDarkKnight'', Harvey Dent fits this alignment perfectly before certain unfortunate events. Fortunately, Commissioner Jim Gordon remains a Lawful Good until the end of the film. His job pretty much speaks out this alignment.

%%* Some of the main characters in ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'': the Fellowship of the Ring are Lawful Good: Aragorn and even Boromir before the corruption of the Ring gets on him. Gimli [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame most probably is, too]].

* [[Myth/KingArthur King Arthur]] and the Knights of the Round Table, being [[TropeCodifier Trope Codifiers]] for the KnightInShiningArmor, aspired to be this, and in the case of the noblest of their number, such as the legendarily pure and courageous Galahad, succeeded.

* [[Myth/KingArthur King Arthur]] and the Knights of the Round Table, being {{TropeCodifier}}s for the KnightInShiningArmor, aspired to be this, and in the case of the noblest of their number, such as the legendarily pure and courageous Galahad, succeeded.

* [[Myth/KingArthur]] and the Knights of the Round Table, being {{TropeCodifier}}s for the KnightInShiningArmor, aspired to be this, and in the case of the noblest of their number, such as the legendarily pure and courageous Galahad, succeeded.

** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBindingBlade'', we have Perceval and Douglas, high-ranked military leaders of Etruria with lots of responsibility who are very loyal to a king who's a good person, but [[spoiler: has his will overridden by treacherous advisors after falling into despair due to the death of his son and heir.]] They're balanced by their fellow leader Cecilia and the high-ranked sniper Klein, who fall more into NeutralGood.
** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade'':
*** Eliwood starts as this, then settles slowly but surely into NeutralGood.
*** Hector's {{Lancer}} Oswin and Eliwood's retainer Marcus remain mostly Lawful Good, with Oswin even reaching the extreme of [[spoiler: hiding Uther's upcoming death from Hector despite the inner conflicts it brings him, since Uther had asked him to do so.]]
*** Fiora, the eldest of the three Pegasus Knight sisters (balancing Farina's ChaoticGood and Florina's NeutralGood). She's very kind and gentle, but she also seems to believe that Eliwood's interest in her can't be reciprocated due to her being a mercenary from Ilia, and discusses possible separation by gender with Kent to avoid emotional attachments until the end of the war.
** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance'' and ''VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn'', the following fall into this alignment: Sigrun, Tanith, Geoffery, Bastian, Lucia, Kieran, Oscar, Titania, Lethe, Mordecai, Kyza, Janaff, and Ulki, who gain this status by being loyal, upright servants of solidly good authority figures. The healers and characters with the "Spirit of Order," qualify as well; Rhys, Laura, Mist, Sanaki, and the three Herons.
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates''
*** [[PlayerCharacter Corrin/The Avatar]] is Lawful Good by default, strongly valuing ideals such as peace, justice and compassion. Interestingly for a Lawful Good protagonist, [[ToBeLawfulOrGood what part of the alignment s/he prioritizes more depends on which route s/he takes]]; in ''Birthright,'' s/he's more Good than Lawful, deciding to rebel against a tyrannical king. In ''Conquest,'' s/he's more Lawful than Good, choosing to attempt to reform Nohr than destroy it. In ''Revelations,'' s/he balances both of these alignments rather nicely.
*** Xander and Ryoma also qualify. Both are just, honorable leaders of their country who value peace and justice hand-in-hand, though similarly to the Avatar, Xander is more Lawful than Good, while Ryoma is more Good than Lawful.
*** Arthur is also ''definitely'' this. Being a self-styled [[ForGreatJustice "hero of justice"]], Arthur is an exceptionally kind and heroic young man, valuing peace and happiness above all else. Unlike most examples of ThePaladin, however, he is ''not'' LawfulStupid; [[spoiler:he averts it enough that he lies to a bunch of Nohrian knights so that Azura as a child doesn't have to be punished, taking the consequences instead.]]

** AdelbertSteiner of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX'' is this almost to a fault, as his devotion to the ideals of knighthood borders on LawfulStupid to begin with; as the game goes along he mellows out a bit. His rival and love interest Beatrix also ends up here after starting the game as LawfulNeutral; much like Cecil she's a dutiful soldier at first, who eventually rebels when the orders the ruler she serves give her become too immoral.

** Sabin Figaro, the heroic and brave martial artist dedicated to the ideals of his deceased master, and Cyan Garamonde, the honorable and noble samurai, of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' are this to begin with, and Celes Chere, a former imperial soldier haunted by her past misdeeds who atones by becoming a KnightInShiningArmor, grows into it.

** Cecil Harvey of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'', while he begins the game as a LawfulNeutral soldier whose first instinct is to serve his king, becomes [[ToBeLawfulOrBeGood torn between following orders and doing the right thing]]; eventually, he becomes a paladin and devotes himself to doing good.

* Cedric Daniels from ''Series/TheWire'', who balances between doing "good police work" and what Baltimore PD management demands. An example of Lawful Good in a system which is not Good. Kima Greggs, with her rigid sense of ethics and insistence on [[ByTheBookCop proper policework]], is also Lawful Good.
%%** Carcetti probably started out this way, and Carver grows into it as the series progresses. Prezbo is a mild example.

** Metallic dragons are [[AlwaysLawfulGood always some flavor of good]]. In particular, bronze dragons, silver dragons, and gold dragons are all said to explicitly be Lawful Good. Bronze dragons are scholarly hermits who, [[IGaveMyWord once they give their word, would rather die than break it]]. silver dragons are the paladins and crusaders of dragonkind, who routinely live under incredibly strict moral and ethical codes because they genuinely crave the stability they bring. Gold dragons are altruistic, mentorly sorts and paragons of dragonkind, but known to let their focus on the big picture cloud their ability to see details.

** With their society revolving around serving the Greater Good, the Tau Empire in attempt to be this, and often do achieve it on occasion, but are more commonly repressive LawfulNeutral with a dash of [[IDidWhatIHadToDo necessary]] LawfulEvil.\\\

%%* Cecil Harvey of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV''. When the game begins, he's torn between following orders and being "Lawful" and doing the right thing and being "Good"; eventually, he becomes a paladin and then king of Baron, and then both.
* Wiegraf from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'' starts out this way. He's a principled warrior who rebelled against the Crown because the realm was bankrupt and refused to pay their volunteer army, but even in the rebellion, [[TheFettered he sticks to his principles]] and refuses to allow his troops to engage in kidnapping; he wants his and his men's rightful due, not just a ransom. [[spoiler: When his sister is killed, however, he starts sliding down the slippery slope, until he accepts [[DemonicPossession the power of a Zodiac Stone]] with what would have been his dying breath and becomes ChaoticEvil]].
* [[WhiteMagicianGirl Aerith]] [[LastOfHerKind Gainsborough]] from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII''. Even her powers such as [[LightIsGood Great Gospel]] demonstrates her [[IncorruptiblePurePureness nigh saintliness]]. Too bad about her [[TearJerker fate]].
** Red XIII as well, due to his high respect towards his elders and ancestors (at least eventually), and initially only follows the party to get back home to his adoptive grandfather.
* Larsa Solidor of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'' is a deeply-idealistic Lawful Good: throughout the game, he strives to bring about peace through diplomacy rather than intimidation and subterfuge. This of course stands in stark contrast to [[spoiler:his elder brother]]'s LawfulEvil.
* [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII Lightning]] may have become this in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII2''. Given her [[ThePaladin paladin]] status in that game.
* In the ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' series:

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'': Wakka, Lulu and Yuna at the beginning of the game, as the party's most avid followers of Yevon (who governs law in Spira). A big part of their CharacterDevelopment (in particular, Wakka's) is crossing the line into NeutralGood.

* Surprisingly, Lilith in ''Vampire Savior: Tamashii no Mayoigo'' after meeting John. While she initially started off as an AntiVillain like her in-game & UDON counterparts, this changes when she fights Morrigan in order to save John's life.