History PragmaticVillainy / WesternAnimation

* ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'': Aku is always subverting this trope. While he's smart enough to know that he needs to stop Jack by destroying every time portal in existence, his overall goal of ''killing Jack'' is always being hindered by his constant need to either have Jack die in the cruelest way possible or [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder betray his allies]] before Jack is no longer a threat. An in the few times he ''does'' try to invoke this trope, it always backfires because of something he didn't see coming or decides that he wants to do something evil at the last second. The first example comes from deciding to just let Jack die of old age, only to learn that the time portal he used to send him into the future made him TheAgeless. The second time is less excusable; he decides to ambush Jack and kill him immediately without any EvilGloating. But he manages to screw up again by (perhaps subconsciously) attempts to [[IronicDeath stab Jack with his own sword]]. He's so shocked by this that Jack manages to gain his sword back and drive him away. This suggests that no matter how much Aku ''wants'' to play this trope straight, he is unable to fight his need to do something [[KickTheDog evil]], as having self-restraint is more of a [[HeroicWillpower hero thing]].

* ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'': Aku is always subverting this trope. While he's smart enough to know that he needs to stop Jack by destroying every time portal in existence, his overall goal of ''killing Jack'' is always being hindered by his constant need to either have Jack die in the cruelest way possible or [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder betray his allies]] before Jack is no longer a threat. An in the few times he ''does'' try to invoke this trope, it always backfires because of something he didn't see coming or decides that he wants to do something evil at the last second.

** [[Characters/AmphibiaKingAndrias King Andrias]] conversation with his master and the events of "True Colors" show that he was aware of the girls' [[TouchedByVorlons powers]] from the start, alongside their arrival apparently being prophesied in some manner that is apparently disadvantageous to the both of them. Rather than trying to preemptively remove them as a threat, he instead puts on the façade of TheGoodKing around them, befriending Marcy and learning to enjoy what aspects of Earth culture she brought with her, making her into a HeroOfAnotherStory by putting her smarts to use in improving Newtopia, building up her trust in him, and underplaying his own understanding of the Calamity Box and its history to trick her, and by extension, Anne and Sasha, into recharging the Box and then returning it to him under the belief that he'd use it to send them home -- or in Marcy's case, let her and her friends continue to explore the multiverse and continue having adventures together. This allows him to reawaken Newtopia's lost {{Magitek}} and reactivate his robot army, letting him begin preparations to be a MultiversalConqueror, while also tricking the girls into unwittingly draining their powers into the Calamity Box at the same time, de-powering them and leaving them defenseless when he reveals the truth. Indeed, if not for Anne retaining her connection to the blue gem by [[LifesavingMisfortune sheer accident]], Andrias would have completely won when he revealed his true nature to them, and given the massive power Anne wields with only a partial connection to her Gem, Andrias was rightfully concerned that he wouldn't be able to handle the girls in a straight fight with their full powers if he made an enemy of them from the start.

--->''"Vandal once wrote, 'It is better to capture an army that to destroy it.' He had learned that more can be gained controlling men in peace than in the chaos of war. For war is death. Death is waste. And life should not be wasted while it may yet [[KnightTemplar be controlled to serve a greater purpose]]."''

* A variation in ''WesternAnimation/PhantomPlanet'', the GrandFinale of ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom''. Danny, the hero, convinces all of his [[OurGhostsAreDifferent ghost adversaries]] to help turn Earth intangible on the basis on them being unable to continue their usual evil actions if Earth gets destroyed.