History Main / RecklessPacifist

* PlayedForLaughs in ''WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks'' with BadassPreacher Sturdy Harris, a physically imposing SuicidalPacifist who led a group of Freedom Riders during the UsefulNotes/CivilRightsMovement. When he's assaulted by an AngryMob, he gently subdues his attackers using CharlesAtlasSuperpower and a self-made martial art he calls "hard chin, soft hand"[[note]]read "let the racists break their own hands trying to punch through his borderline-Superman-level toughness, then push them away"[[/note]]. However, his ''followers'' like Granddad Freeman (who GotVolunteered) weren't so lucky as Sturdy outright forbade them from defending themselves [[DoomedMoralVictor and encouraged martyrdom]].

* PlayedForLaughs in ''WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks'' with BadassPreacher Sturdy Harris, a physically imposing SuicidalPacifist who led a group of Freedom Riders during the UsefulNotes/CivilRightsMovement. When he's assaulted by an AngryMob, he gently subdues his attackers using CharlesAtlasSuperpower and a self-made martial art he calls "hard chin, soft hand". However, his ''followers'' like Granddad Freeman (who GotVolunteered) weren't so lucky as Sturdy outright forbade them from defending themselves [[DoomedMoralVictor and encouraged martyrdom]].

* ''ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}'': In ''ComicBook/DaredevilChipZdarsky'', one of the criminals Matt stopped ends up dying from the injuries he inflicted and he has to grapple with the consequences, both [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone personally]], socially [[WhatTheHellHero amongst the superhero community]] and [[FugitiveArc legally]].

* You can do this with no penalty as a BareFistedMonk in ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', making all your damage subdual rather than lethal.
** [[OurLawyersAdvisedThisTrope Note:]] Not all enemies are susceptible to subdual damage. Depending on the D&D ruleset used, dealing more subdual damage than the target's HP may deal lethal damage.

[[AC:{{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]

[[AC:ComicBooks]]

[[AC:{{Film}}]]

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]

[[AC:TabletopGames]]

[[AC:VideoGames]]

[[AC:{{Webcomics}}]]
* Parodied in [[WebComic/AwkwardZombie Awkward Zombie]] comic [[https://www.awkwardzombie.com/comic/out-of-sight-out-of-hind Out of Sight, Out of Hind]], which itself satirises the "non-lethal" vehicle takedowns in VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker. After Kaz suggests using a rocket launcher,

[[AC:Web Video]]

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]

* In ''ComicBook/AstroCity'', the Street Angel is called out on this point by [[{{Antihero}} Black Velvet]], who undercuts his claim to the moral high ground by pointing out that while he [[ThouShaltNotKill won't directly kill his opponents]], he often leaves them injured in situations where they might easily die before help arrives.
* Franchise/{{Batman}}: The DarkerAndEdgier the continuity you're viewing, the deeper he gets into this trope and the more reckless he gets. Excluding Bat-incarnations that actually did kill people, the deep end for the Bat is around the point where he just barely manages ''not'' to run over people with the Batmobile and smash every other mook's skull to bits.
* Chip Zdarsky's 2019 run on ComicBook/{{Daredevil}} takes the idea presented by Street Angel and runs with it. One of the criminals Matt stopped ends up dying from the injuries he inflicted and he has to grapple with the consequences, both [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone personally]], socially [[WhatTheHellHero amongst the superhero community]] and [[FugitiveArc legally]].
* Franchise/SpiderMan's penchant for kicking people off of heights and hanging them upside down with his webs doesn't lend itself well to nonlethal vigilantism.
* Franchise/{{Superman}} has an on-and-off relationship with this trope, DependingOnTheWriter. The basic idea is that Superman, being invulnerable to everything but kryptonite, can do things that would be too dangerous for normals. Sometimes this means he can afford to pull his punches and work to ensure the safety of his enemies as well as his allies. Other times, he can afford to smash up buildings, vehicles, faces, and anything else that impedes him.
* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'' [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Vol 1]]: As one of the earliest heroes with a no-killing rule -- it's explicitly a part of being an Amazon, and to break this oath will render an Amazon human -- Diana has no problem causing serious potentially crippling harm to her more vile opponents and while she'll rescue her opponents from death during a fight she's also annoyed when any escape death row after she hands them over to authorities. Her no-killing rule is only for humans, so [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman aliens, gods, and monsters]] are fair game.

* ''Manga/{{Trigun}}'': If it weren't for Vash the Stampede's ImprobableAimingSkills, there is absolutely no way that any of his opponents would still be alive. And even then, we see that Vash himself pays for this when he removes his coat and the audience sees that he's [[CoveredWithScars covered in horrific wounds]].
* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED'': When Kira Yamato becomes a MartialPacifist, he disables enemy mobile suits. However, doing so in the middle of a battlefield will probably result in their deaths. He does, however, ''cleave battleships in half'' which will invariably cause many, many more deaths. To his credit, Kira does acknowledge this. It also backfired on him spectacularly in ''Destiny''. Kira also doesn't follow this to extremes like most. If push really comes to shove and he's fighting a clearly evil and dangerous person that his usual tactics just aren't working on he will go for the kill if reluctantly. Alternatively, if he can't disable someone that isn't a threat to everyone around them he's perfectly willing to just escape once his objective is completed without care that he couldn't finish the fight. At least with regular grunts, he'll simply be disabling them to neutralize their threat, but isn't naive enough to go out of his way to save them. He just won't directly take their lives. Battleships are harder to neutralize without killing, hence his more lethal approaches. In short, it's more that killing is not going to be Kira's first option if he can help it.
* By comparison, Kio Asuno, the third protagonist of ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamAGE'' has a similar but condensed path to becoming a MartialPacifist...except, unlike Kira, he actually goes out of his way to ''block attacks from his own comrades to actively save enemy pilots''. The "reckless" part is actually recognized in-universe by Kio's ''commanding officer'', who sternly berates the kid for his actions, citing that it actually puts his allies in MORE danger.
* ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'': Kenshin Himura beating people into a pulp with a Reverse Blade Sword [[ZigZaggingTrope may or may not cause internal injuries]], but somehow it never kills them, despite the fact that there are plenty of other people in the series who do use blunt weapons for lethal ends.

* The Goddess Sariel in ''Literature/SoImASpiderSoWhat'' always prioritizes saving lives in the moment with no regard for the future consequences. This behavior has resulted in the near-collapse of the system which would kill every living creature on the planet, and yet she still interferes when a solution is being implemented that costs lives. To make things worse, reincarnation explicitly exists in this verse, but if things continue on their current course [[DeaderThanDead everybody's souls will decay to the point they can't reincarnate anymore]]. The "villains" (including [[spoiler:[[VillainProtagonist the protagonist]]]]) are [[WellIntentionedExtremist trying to save the world through mass slaughter]], but by acting now most of the people they kill will be able to reincarnate afterward. If Sariel succeeds in thwarting them, everyone will die permanently in the end.

* In ''ComicBook/AstroCity'', the Street Angel is called out on this point by [[{{Antihero}} Black Velvet]], who undercuts his claim to the moral high ground by pointing out that while he [[ThouShaltNotKill won't directly kill his opponents]], he often leaves them injured in situations where they might easily die before help arrives.
* Chip Zdarsky's 2019 run on ComicBook/{{Daredevil}} takes the idea presented by Street Angel and runs with it. One of the criminals Matt stopped ends up dying from the injuries he inflicted and he has to grapple with the consequences, both [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone personally]], socially [[WhatTheHellHero amongst the superhero community]] and [[FugitiveArc legally]].

* Matt Murdock in ''Series/Daredevil2015'', following the Tao of his comic counterpart, has a strong ThouShaltNotKill policy for his vigilante activities. It doesn't stop him from pulling moves like ''throwing people off buildings'' or ''lighting them on fire''. Perhaps {{Justified}} by his super-senses giving him a better and more precise understanding of human anatomy and physics, but ''still''.

* In the Story Mode of ''VideoGame/Injustice2'', a flashback shows Robin calling Batman out on this as he's "subduing" guards in Arkham Asylum to stop a [[FallenHero grief-stricken and deranged]] Superman from killing all the inmates; this leads in to Robin's FaceHeelTurn.

* [[TheHero Aang]] from ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' fits this trope well, as he's the one person specifically committed to not killing, even if it's [[BigBad the Fire Lord]]. That said, he does cause his share of collateral damage. Aang has been known to:
** Use his wind powers to slam people into things (or vice versa).
** Merge with a spirit creature to become a {{Kaiju}}, then attack the people who ticked off the spirit enough to do the fusion. Then again, that's probably mostly the spirit's doing, and Aang ''does'' [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone regret this one]].
** Knock people out of boats into freezing oceans (sometimes actually destroying the boat).
** Throw people off great heights.
** Use avalanches as weapons against hundreds of soldiers.

* The Goddess Sariel in ''LightNovel/SoImASpiderSoWhat'' always prioritizes saving lives in the moment with no regard for the future consequences. This behavior has resulted in the near-collapse of the system which would kill every living creature on the planet, and yet she still interferes when a solution is being implemented that costs lives. To make things worse, reincarnation explicitly exists in this verse, but if things continue on their current course [[DeaderThanDead everybody's souls will decay to the point they can't reincarnate anymore]]. The "villains" (including [[spoiler:[[VillainProtagonist the protagonist]]]]) are [[WellIntentionedExtremist trying to save the world through mass slaughter]], but by acting now most of the people they kill will be able to reincarnate afterward. If Sariel succeeds in thwarting them, everyone will die permanently in the end.

** During the Dressrosa Arc, much is made of how Rebecca has survived years of GladiatorGames as a CondemnedContestant while always winning via RingOut, never through direct attack. Considering the exterior of the ring is a trench full of [[SeaMonster giant, violent fish]], it's likely she indirectly caused quite a few injuries or deaths. Though that's still the best she could do in her situation, it makes it very strange later on when [[spoiler:her father]] insists Rebecca not sully herself in a real battle.

* 'Manga/OnePiece''

* During the Dressrosa Arc of ''Manga/OnePiece'', much is made of how Rebecca has survived years of GladiatorGames as a CondemnedContestant while always winning via RingOut, never through direct attack. Considering the exterior of the ring is a trench full of [[SeaMonster giant, violent fish]], it's likely she indirectly caused quite a few injuries or deaths. Though that's still the best she could do in her situation, it makes it very strange later on when [[spoiler:her father]] insists Rebecca not sully herself in a real battle.

* Cassie from ''Literature/{{Animorphs}} is sometimes like this. In Book #19, Cassie refuses to kill Aftran because [[KillTheHostBody this somehow means killing her host Karen too]], never mind that Karen is a five-year-old girl easily overpowered by any individual Animorph, and they have allies like the free Hork-Bajir and the Chee who could easily contain up to an adult Hork-Bajir Controller for however long it takes to starve the Yeerk. She [[spoiler:allows Aftran to infest her instead]], putting her fellow Animorphs, their families, the free Hork-Bajir, and the Chee all at risk of Yeerk enslavement or extermination.

* {{Superman}} has an on-and-off relationship with this trope, DependingOnTheWriter. The basic idea is that Superman, being invulnerable to everything but kryptonite, can do things that would be too dangerous for normals. Sometimes this means he can afford to pull his punches and work to ensure the safety of his enemies as well as his allies. Other times, he can afford to smash up buildings, vehicles, faces, and anything else that impedes him.

This trope tends to present itself in media where NobodyCanDie, or NeverBringAKnifeToAFistFight and/or the InverseLawOfUtilityAndLethality is in effect. Contrast TechnicalPacifist and ActualPacifist. See also DestructiveSavior for when pacifists are reckless with property instead of people, and StupidGood and PacifismBackfire for when pacifism is the wrong response anyway. SisterTrope to SuicidalPacifism, when refusal to fight endangers one's own life.

* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED'': When Kira Yamato becomes a MartialPacifist, he disables enemy mobile suits. However, doing so in the middle of a battlefield will probably result in their deaths. He does, however, ''cleave battleships in half'' which will invariably cause many, many more deaths. To his credit, Kira does acknowledge this. It also backfired on him spectacularly in ''Destiny''. Kira also doesn't follow this to extremes like most. If push really comes to shove and he's fighting a clearly evil and dangerous person that his usual tactics just aren't working on he will go for the kill if reluctantly. Alternatively if he can't disable someone that isn't a threat to everyone around them he's perfectly willing to just escape once his objective is completed without care that he couldn't finish the fight. At least with regular grunts, he'll simply be disabling them to neutralize their threat, but isn't naive enough to go out of his way to save them. He just won't directly take their lives. Battleships are harder to neutralize without killing, hence his more lethal approaches. In short, it's more of that killing is not going to be Kira's first option if he can help it.

* The Goddess Sariel in ''LightNovel/SoImASpiderSoWhat'' always prioritizes saving lives in the moment with no regard for the future consequences. This behavior has resulted in the near-collapse of the system which would kill every living creature on the planet, and yet she still interferes when a solution is being implemented that costs lives. To make things worse, reincarnation explicitly exists in this verse, but if things continue on their current course [[DeaderThanDead everybody's souls will decay to the point they can't reincarnate anymore]]. The "villains" (including [[spoiler:[[VillainProtagonist the protagonist]]]]) are [[WellIntentionedExtremist trying to save the world through mass slaughter]], but by acting now most of the people the kill will be able to reincarnate afterward. If Sariel succeeds in thwarting them, everyone will die permanently in the end.

* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'' [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Vol 1]]: As one of the earliest heroes with a no-killing rule -- it's explicitly a part of being an Amazon, and to break this oath will render an Amazon human -- Diana has no problem causing serious potentially crippling harm to her more vile opponents and while she'll rescue her opponents from death during a fight she's also annoyed when any escape death row after she hands them over to authorities. Her no killing rule is only for humans, so [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman aliens, gods and monsters]] are fair game.

* ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'' makes a big deal when Jack kills a person for the first time in season 5. While the overwhelming majority of his adversaries in previous season were MechaMooks, there were numerous implications he ''was'' willing to use lethal force and the show just couldn't be explicit when they were too humanlike. In particular, there were several instances where he'd slash an apparently-organic person which would only ''then'' be exposed as [[RoboticReveal (at least partially) mechanical]].

* Franchise/DocSavage has a strict policy of non-lethality, to the point that he won't normally carry a gun. When he does shoot people, he prefers tranquilizer pellets over bullets. His lieutenants (especially Monk and Ham) aren't so squeamish. The evil mastermind, however, typically dies in the end, [[SelfDisposingVillain thanks to his own infernal contraption]], without any interference from Doc.

* All superheroes with a ThouShaltNotKill policy deal with this. Some of the more JustForFun/{{egregious}} examples include:
** Franchise/{{Batman}}. The DarkerAndEdgier the continuity you're viewing, the deeper he gets into this trope and the more reckless he gets. Excluding Bat-incarnations that actually did kill people, the deep end for the Bat is around the point where he just barely manages ''not'' to run over people with the Batmobile and smash every other mook's skull to bits.
** Franchise/SpiderMan. His penchant for kicking people off of heights and hanging them upside down with his webs doesn't lend itself well to nonlethal vigilantism.
** {{Superman}} has an on-and-off relationship with this trope, DependingOnTheWriter. The basic idea is that Superman, being invulnerable to everything but kryptonite, can do things that would be too dangerous for normals. This could mean one of two things:
*** A) Superman can't get hurt, and so he can afford to pull his punches and work to ensure the safety of his enemies as well as his allies. Not this trope.
*** B) Superman can't get hurt, and so he can afford to smash up buildings, vehicles, faces, and anything else that impedes him. ''Definitely'' this trope.
** ''Franchise/WonderWoman'' [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Vol 1]]: As one of the earliest heroes with a no-killing rule -- it's explicitly a part of being an Amazon, and to break this oath will render an Amazon human -- Diana has no problem causing serious potentially crippling harm to her more vile opponents and while she'll rescue her opponents from death during a fight she's also annoyed when any escape death row after she hands them over to authorities. Her no killing rule is only for humans, so [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman aliens, gods and monsters]] are fair game.
** In ''ComicBook/AstroCity'', the Street Angel is called out on this point by [[{{Antihero}} Black Velvet]], who undercuts his claim to the moral high ground by pointing out that while he [[ThouShaltNotKill won't directly kill his opponents]], he often leaves them injured in situations where they might easily die before help arrives.
** Chip Zdarsky's 2019 run on Daredevil takes the idea presented by Street Angel and runs with it. One of the criminals Matt stopped ends up dying from the injuries he inflicted and he has to grapple with the consequences, both [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone personally]], socially [[WhatTheHellHero amongst the superhero community]] and [[FugitiveArc legally]].

** Terrify the cabbage vendor ([[RunningGag poor poor cabbage vendor]]).
** [[StuffBlowingUp Blow stuff up]].
** Use his powers to cause random mayhem just for the hell of it.
* ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'' has killed for the first time in season 5, however he had no problem:
** Throwing two people from a moving train down a cliff without knowing if they would survive.
** Slashing some bounty hunters with his sword and throwing bombs at another one.
** Slicing robots in half, which actually, seemed to be organic beings.
** Destroying a car in the second episode without knowing if there was someone alive inside it.

** Taken UpToEleven in ''[[VideoGame/BatmanArkhamKnight Arkham Knight]]''. Batman can ram mooks at high speed in the rocket-powered Batmobile while simultaneously zapping them with the electrified bumper... and, somehow, Detective Mode shows that the mooks are merely unconscious.

** You do not have access to [[InstantSedation chemicals]] of any kind that could render your target unconscious, or to a StunGun.

* The Goddess Sariel in ''LightNovel/SoImASpiderSoWhat'' always prioritizes saving lives in the moment with no regard for the future consequences. This behavior has resulted in the near-collapse of the system which would kill every living creature on the planet, and yet she still interferes when a solution is being implemented that costs lives.

** ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': As one of the earliest heroes with a no-killing rule -- it's explicitly a part of being an Amazon, and to break this oath will render an Amazon human -- Diana has no problem causing serious potentially crippling harm to her more vile opponents, or to protect innocent victims and while she'll rescue her opponents from death during a fight she's also perfectly fine with them being sentenced to death after she hands them over to authorities.