Line #145 Main/BenevolentMonsters


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10	[[quoteright:350:[[Film/HarryAndTheHendersons https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/harry_and_the_hendersons_e1471012882696.jpg]]]]
11
12	->''"Pokémon only do bad things because master bad."''
13	-->-- '''Ekans''', ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'', "[[Recap/PokemonS1E17IslandOfTheGiantPokemon Island of the Giant Pokémon]]"
14
15	Monsters are born of human fears. Ghoulies, ghosties, long-leggety beasties, and ThingsThatGoBumpInTheNight, and they all share a common factor -- they ''threaten''. Their [[FemmeFatalons claws]] are sharper, their {{muscles\|AreMeaningful}} are stronger, their [[ScaryTeeth fangs]] tear faster... you can generally count on monsters to be capable of hurting things, usually ''you''.
16
17	And then there are these guys. These monsters aren't after you. They don't want to hurt you. Mostly, they want nothing to do with you in the first place. They might even be kind to you if you encounter them.
18
19	Benevolent Monsters are fantastic creatures that are usually no more dangerous than RealLife flora and fauna. Many times, they will even be ''safer'', despite any indication of powers or prowess to the contrary. Any threat they pose to the good guys is often due to PoorCommunicationKills (it could be that the MonsterIsAMommy) and may even be a case of LetsYouAndHimFight, with the monsters joining forces with the heroes to take on the villains. Settings with Benevolent Monsters are usually the best residence for the ZombieAdvocate, though be on the watch for VanHelsingHateCrimes.
20
21	Note that for Benevolent Monsters to be in effect, non-maliciousness must be the default state of all or most of the monsters, so that malice or villainy becomes the rare exception to the rule. This can also apply to certain species of monster within a work, rather than all the varied types (''i.e.'' the vampires in Setting X are all evil, but the werewolves are all Benevolent Monsters).
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23	All of the above types of monsters are usually depicted as being evil and scary. Also closely related to the ReluctantMonster, which is a monster that may look frightening, but has no actual desire to harm people. Also see DarkIsNotEvil, where characters themed around dark or terrifying things are actually benevolent or at least not malicious, and FaceOfAThug, which has the same general "looks scary but is actually nice" dynamic as this trope without necessarily being about monsters specifically. See also DomesticatedDinosaurs, where this trope applies to prehistoric animals.
24
25	Compare this trope with HumansAreTheRealMonsters, which is this trope's [[SisterTrope blood brother]]; after all, if the monsters aren't evil, then ''somebody'' else probably is. Compare and contrast with the NonMaliciousMonster, which is a monster that really ''is'' very dangerous, but is ''not'' consciously evil or malevolent; it is simply acting out of animalistic instinct (i.e. killing and eating people just to survive). Lastly, there's NotAlwaysEvil, which would be when the monsters in question have other interests besides being villains all the time.
26
27	!!As this is frequently a form of TheReveal, [[Administrivia/SpoilersOff unmarked spoilers abound]]. [[Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned Beware]].
28	----
29	!!Sub-tropes:
30	[[index]]
31	* AscendedDemon: A benevolent [[OurDemonsAreDifferent demon]] who has [[HeelFaceTurn defected]] from the side of {{Hell}} to {{Heaven}} despite their unholy origins.
32	* BenevolentAbomination: An EldritchAbomination who is [[CreepyGood good-natured]] and [[DidWeJustHaveTeaWithCthulhu very friendly towards humans]], instead of being evil or [[BlueAndOrangeMorality dangerously amoral]].
33	* BigHeartedBigfoot: A [[BigfootSasquatchAndYeti tall, hairy ape creature]] who is a GentleGiant.
34	* ChummyMummy: An undead {{mummy}} who doesn't bring horrible [[CurseOfThePharaoh mummy curses]] with them.
35	* DelightfulDragon: A [[OurDragonsAreDifferent giant reptilian creature]] that acts more like a really big LovableLizard, rather than an [[DragonsAreDemonic evil monster]] or [[ReptilesAreAbhorrent savage beast]].
36	* FriendlyGhost: When the [[OurGhostsAreDifferent phantom]] haunting your house turns out to be a rather chill and laidback roommate.
37	* FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire: A benevolent [[OurVampiresAreDifferent bloodsucker]] who wants to peacefully coexist with normal humans as much as possible.
38	** VegetarianVampire: A hematophagous being who refuses to attack people for their blood, preferring much less violent alternatives to sate their bloodthirst.
39	* FriendlySkeleton: An [[DemBones undead skeleton]] who just wants to party during the [[{{Calacas}} Day of the Dead]].
40	* FriendlyZombie: An [[OurZombiesAreDifferent undead revenant]] who has no desire to attack living people for their {{brain\|Food}}s.
41	* InnocentAliens: Friendly extraterrestrial visitors who sincerely come in peace, without any intentions of [[AlienInvasion attacking Earth]], [[AlienAbduction kidnapping humans]], or [[AliensStealCattle rustling cattle]].
42	* MammalMonstersAreMoreHeroic: Mammal-like monsters are portrayed in a more sympathetic light than non-mammalian ones.
43	* MonsterAdventurers: Monsters in an RPGMechanicsVerse or StandardFantasySetting who are fantasy heroes.
44	* MonsterFacade: A monster who is scary but has a heart of gold on the inside.
45	* TokenHeroicOrc: A rare good member of an otherwise AlwaysChaoticEvil monster race.
46	** HunterOfHisOwnKind: Sometimes, a [[HunterOfMonsters monster hunter]] [[{{Irony}} happens to also be]] [[TakesOneToKillOne the same kind of monster they hunt]], fighting off more malevolent members of their kind in order to protect humans.
47	** ProHumanTranshuman: When [[WasOnceAMan ex-human]] or [[TransHuman post-human]] monsters remain loyal to their normal human brethren instead of [[TranshumanTreachery betraying them]].
48	** ReluctantMonster: A monster who just wants to have fun instead of hurting people, unlike the other evil members of their species.
49	* WonderfulWerewolf: A [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent lycanthrope]] who acts more like a NobleWolf ([[WerewolvesAreDogs or a]] BigFriendlyDog) than a SavageWolf.
50	[[/index]]
51	----
52	!!Examples:
53	[[foldercontrol]]
54
55	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
56	* ''The Demon Prince of Momochi House'': Main love interest Aoi Nanamori is a [[WasOnceAMan human]]-turned-{{Nue}}.
57	* The Demons of [[spoiler: Galuna Island]] in ''Anime/FairyTail.'' They look quite freaky, but don't have an evil bone in their bodies. They even started a rumor that [[spoiler: Galuna]] was cursed so people wouldn't come to their HiddenElfVillage and be horrified by their appearance.
58	* ''Manga/HeterogeniaLinguistico'': The [[WolfMan werewolves]], LizardFolk, [[OurMinotaursAreDifferent minotaurs]], and so on are just as sapient as humans, they just communicate in different ways. And far from being "monsters", they all have their own complex cultures and customs, which Hakaba has to learn to navigate. No one has been actively malicious to him, though some behaviors can seem rude or hostile to those unfamiliar with the culture.
59	* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}''. In the anime, this comes up a ''lot''. Check the quote from Team Rocket's Ekans from the anime's first season up top.
60	** Most "bad" Pokémon have the most justifiable of motives (like stealing food to support themselves or their pack members in desperation). {{Exaggerated\|trope}} in the movies, where almost every Pokémon that causes a problem does so completely on accident (Palkia and Dialga would simply be content to fight amongst themselves in AnotherDimension except they keep accidentally intersecting the heroes' world), or because a human interfered with them or put them up to it.
61	** You can count anime aversions ''on one hand''. There's [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/EP186 one particularly mischievous Teddiursa]] who showed up in the fourth season and a [[CardCarryingVillain cartoonishly evil]] [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/DP142 Togepi]] in the ''twelfth''.
62	** There were also three Malamar in the X and Y series who, rather than having been psychopaths that sought to TakeOverTheWorld because of circumstance, [[AvertedTrope were simply just evil]]. Unlike the former two, they were also quite dangerous.
63	[[/folder]]
64
65	[[folder:Comic Books]]
66	* ''ComicBook/{{Princeless}}'': The dragons breathe fire and eat knights because it is the cultural expectation of the humans that they will protect the princess until a worthy suitor comes to slay it and rescue the princess. The dragons are intelligent and generally don't realize that they're supposed to just die for the sake of the hero. Adrienne actually befriends her dragon and informs her of this. Sparky is resultingly horrified and happy to change the status quo.
67	[[/folder]]
68
69	[[folder:Comic Strips]]
70	* ''ComicStrip/MadamAndEve'': In one set of strips, a family of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tikoloshe Tokoloshes]] move in next door to the Andersons.
71	[[/folder]]
72
73	[[folder:Fan Works]]
74	* ''Fanfic/AbraxasHrodvitnon'': In this ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'' fanfiction, [[Characters/AbraxasHrodvitnonMonsterX Monster X]] is essentially this to the human race. Monster X is a gigantic {{Kaiju}} and rather terrifying-looking, but it's overall highly benign and even benevolent to humans who haven't crossed it, and it goes more out of their way than even heroic Titans like Godzilla and Mothra do to avoid human casualties when it can. This trope is particularly prominent when [[PlayedForLaughs Monster X tries asking terrified civilians for directions at one point]].
75	* ''Fanfic/GodzillaNewEra'': The third Godzilla, later revealed to be the fully grown Junior from ''Film/GodzillaVsDestoroyah'', is revealed to be this. Whereas his predecessors were fully destructive, he goes out of his way to protect humanity due to remembering being raised by a kindly biologist and being treated well by humans as an infant. This isn't immediately obvious however and required the [=G.P.N.=] to figure it out. His seeming incursions into civilization and hostile actions were [[TheReveal revealed]] to be because he was aware of and chasing the [[BigBad Millennian]] the humans were ignorant of.
76	[[/folder]]
77
78	[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
79	* ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'': The Beast starts out more or less as a monster in every measure, but under Belle's influence, he begins to show such qualities as kindness, thoughtfulness, selflessness and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking table manners]].
80	* The title characters in ''WesternAnimation/TheBoxtrolls'' are kind-hearted creatures that do little more than take trash to their underground lairs to make contraptions. The people above ground, however, fear them because they don't know what they really are, and are goaded along by the film's real BigBad, who plots to use them to advance his social status.
81	* In ''WesternAnimation/CloudyWithAChanceOfMeatballs2'', Chester V draws Flint and crew to the island by warning him of the human-eating Cheespider, with its taste for Live Corp. employees and its plans for global domination, but as the heroes explore the island, it seems that almost no other species on the island poses them any threat. Indeed, Flint's dad's biggest problem is [[ItMakesSenseInContext the mischief from the pickle people]]. [[spoiler: It turns out that, in stark contrast to the first film, even the Cheespider is benevolent; the animals all hate Live Corp, which has evil designs for the FLDSMDFR and the unnatural wildlife]].
82	* ''Franchise/HowToTrainYourDragon'':
83	** ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon2010'': Despite the dragons menacing Berk, [[SubvertedTrope stealing their sheep and burning down their homes]], it turns out that they do this at the behest of a colossal dragon queen. On their own, [[DoubleSubverted they integrate with such ease into Viking life]] that it boggles the mind. Indeed, as far as the movie is concerned, the Dragon Manual listing the threat of some dragons is a string of {{Informed Attribute}}s.
84	** ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon2'': The entire weight of dragon villainy rests on the shoulders of [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters one man]], BigBad [[MeaningfulName Drago]]. In ''this'' movie, dragons only do bad things when made to do so by a bad man.
85	* Pixar's ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc1'' features this as the foundational WorldBuilding point -- monsters scaring children at night is just business. Indeed, monsters would be perfectly content to leave humans alone if they weren't dependent on human children for energy. The same goes for ''WesternAnimation/MonstersUniversity'', the prequel. Besides the heroes, many of their co-workers and classmates are exceedingly unscary.
86	* In ''WesternAnimation/AMonsterInParis'', when Lucille faints after seeing [[BigCreepyCrawly Francœur's face]], he automatically reaches out to catch her. The majority of the movie is Lucille passing off Francœur as a masked musician to allow him to perform in public. [[spoiler: The true monster in the movie is the glory obsessed police commissioner looking to kill Francœur to save his reputation.]]
87	* The monsters in ''WesternAnimation/MonstersVsAliens'' have no malicious intent whatsoever, and are merely imprisoned to keep from scaring people with their presence. At least one, the Missing Link, likes to scare people for laughs, but otherwise, they're pretty decent.
88	* The title character in ''Franchise/{{Shrek}}'' is an ogre who, while anti-social, isn't malicious in any way. He mostly plays the part to scare people away so he can live in peace. Once he's friends with you, he's loyal and true, if a bit cranky.
89	[[/folder]]
90
91	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
92	* Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'s various incarnations have fallen under this as have other monsters in the Toho universe. After his HeelFaceTurn, the Showa (1955-1975) incarnation of Godzilla is a more heroic character that protects earth from various evil forces.
93	** Both Minilla and Junior are GentleGiant versions of the Godzilla species who live peacefully alongside humanity. Like the Showa Godzilla, they are protectors of the earth.
94	** Mothra is by far the most benevolent of the Toho monsters. She's often portrayed as a guardian deity of the fictional Infant Island and will only attack to defend her [[OurFairiesAreDifferent Shobijin companions]] from being captured or [[MamaBear to save her larvae]] from being eaten by predators.
95	** [[Film/GodzillaVsBiollante Biollante]], thanks to the human DNA and spirit as part of her genetic makeup, is also a peaceful creature, except where Godzilla or threatening her father is concerned. She kills and drives off three intruders seeking the Anti-Nuclear Energy Bacteria in self- and home-defense, and in their first encounter, she seeks to neutralize Godzilla as well as join them together, since they have the same DNA. In their second battle, after she has evolved into her titanic crocodile-plant form, she ruthlessly tries to kill Godzilla, but again in order to stop his rampages.
96	** The film ''Film/WarOfTheGargantuas'' features the two titular monsters. One of them, Gaira, is a horrific green giant who feeds on human flesh. The other, Sanda, is also a giant, but he's far more peaceful due to being raised by humans rather than eating them. Sanda even performs a HeroicSacrifice to save mankind from his brother's voracious appetite by fighting him to the death.
97	** The [[Film/Godzilla2014 2014 US version of Godzilla]] is capable of causing tsunamis just by walking out of the water. He doesn't mean to, of course. It's just that he's so huge he ends up causing destruction by ''accident''. For the most part, he prefers to spend his time swimming peacefully in the oceans and feeding on Earth's natural radiation sources. The only reason he even showed up in civilization in the first place was to fight the comparatively more vicious MUTO.
98	** Although it would be a stretch to apply this to previous incarnations of the character that is normally a classic NonMaliciousMonster, ''Film/KongSkullIsland'' treats Kong himself this way via AdaptationalHeroism. Excluding accidents due to his sheer size, he's virtually harmless to humans who don't [[BullyingADragon antagonize him first]], and will even go out of his way to protect them.
99	--->Kong's a pretty good king. Keeps to himself mostly.
100	* Harry in ''Film/HarryAndTheHendersons''. A [[BigfootSasquatchAndYeti Sasquatch]] that Mr. Henderson hit with his car and eventually befriends the family.
101	* The title character in ''Film/AMonsterCalls'' is a gigantic tree-man who seems to want nothing more than to help a boy come to terms with the possibility of his mother's death and his strained relationship with his grandmother. It's open to interpretation whether he is simply an ImaginaryFriend, or -- as a FreezeFrameBonus suggests -- possibly the ghost of the boy's grandfather. There's also a scene where the kid and his mom watch the original ''Film/KingKong1933'', and are clearly sympathetic to Kong himself, mostly because -- like the mother -- his death seems inevitable.
102	* ''Film/TheShapeOfWater'' takes this trope even further, with the heroine [[InterspeciesRomance falling in love with]] the [[FishPeople Amphibian Man]] she is trying to save from [[TheyWouldCutYouUp dissection]]. And yes, they do have sex.
103	* The Troglodyte, a sort of giant FrazettaMan, in ''Film/SinbadAndTheEyeOfTheTiger''. When he first appears, the heroes are scared of him and prepare for a fight, but they quickly realize he's more scared of them than they are of him. Once they're able to communicate with him, he tags along for the rest of the adventure, even fighting alongside Sinbad at the climax [[spoiler: and dying bravely.]]
104	[[/folder]]
105
106	[[folder:Literature]]
107	* ''{{Literature/Animorphs}}'': The [[LizardFolk Hork-Bajir]] are fearsome looking creatures with blades sticking out in almost every direction, but when they are introduced, Elfangor stresses that they are good people when they don't have a [[PuppeteerParasite Yeerk]] in their brain. The blades are actually for slicing apart the plants they eat on their homeworld. The Animorphs actually manage to free a few and find out it's true, they're some of the most chilled out characters in the series, if a bit dim.
108	* Bogeymen in ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' have the time-honoured role of scaring kids, but there's no record of them actually ''harming'' anyone, and the first ever bogeyman started to see itself as a protector, [[spoiler: becoming the first tooth fairy]].
109	** In fact, "monsters" in Discworld mostly have the same moral spectrum as humans so several of them are this. Angua is a vegetarian werewolf and LawfulGood watch member, and it's implied that the werewolf community, in Ankh-Morpork at least, largely police themselves and avoid hurting humans. Margolotta, Otto von Chriek and ''many'' others are FriendlyNeighborhoodVampires. The first ''orc'' to show up in Discworld is a BadassBookworm who tries to achieve worth by doing good work. The monstrous monsters like Wolfgang (a werewolf), Dragon King of Arms (a vampire) and Mr. Gryle (a banshee) are actually the minority of villains; most books' antagonists are humans.
110	* In ''Literature/InCryptid'', most sapient cryptids (the more fearsome-looking include dragons, chupacabra, and gorgons) are no more good or evil than any given human, and the non-sapient ones are as incapable of being evil as any mundane animal. The real villains are [[CreatureHunterOrganization the Covenant]] [[VanHelsingHateCrimes of St. George]], who want to exterminate all non-human sapients and many of the non-sapients. The major exception is the Johrlac species, of which almost all known members are, if not AlwaysChaoticEvil, operating on such BlueAndOrangeMorality that it makes no difference. The few non-sociopathic Johrlac are definitely Benevolent Monsters, though they [[HumanOutsideAlienInside look physically indistinguishable from humans]].
111	* As part of the [[spoiler: double-twist ending]] of ''Literature/ISitBehindTheEyes'', [[spoiler: the titular Entity is revealed to be this. After the first twist of the Narrator being a TomatoInTheMirror, who has been doing a BodySurf throughout the entirety of human history, it turns out that it only ever possesses [[TheSociopath Psychopaths]] and ruthless tyrants. The little girl it is currently possessing is actually an EnfantTerrible who had attempted to murder a local bully.]]
112	* In the Literature/JohnCarterOfMars series, most of Mars' intelligent races are essentially HumanAliens, with the sole exception of the towering Green Martians, who [[HumanoidAliens have four arms, tusks, antennae, and are up to sixteen feet tall]]. Over the first book, Carter befriends a Green warrior named Tars Tarkas, who -- by the end of the book - has became [[{{Conlang}} jeddak]] ("king", roughly) of the Thark tribe, and is a recurring supporting hero for the next few books.
113	* E.E. "Doc" Smith's ''Literature/{{Lensman}}'' series has the Velantians, Rigellians and Palaininans to name a few; monstrous sentient creatures which not only don't resemble humans (i.e. they are not even bipedal) but often have completely different sets of values - and who are wholly on the side of the good guys.
114	* ''Literature/WhereTheWildThingsAre'' by Maurice Sendak features Max, a troublesome child, who is sent by his parents to his room. After a series of escapades, he meets the titular Wild Things. While they frolic quite fiercely, they're not in other ways malicious.
115	[[/folder]]
116
117	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
118	* ''Series/DoctorWho'': In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS37E6DemonsOfThePunjab "Demons of the Punjab"]], the Thijarians used to be the universe's foremost assassins, but after the destruction of their homeworld, the survivors took on a mission of witnessing the deaths of people who died alone and unmourned. When they turn up on Earth to remember the unmourned of the violence triggered by the Partition of India, the Doctor, only knowing them by their outdated reputation, initially assumes they're on Earth for malevolent reasons.
119	* In ''{{Series/Grimm}}'', most Wesen are harmless law abiding citizens. In fact, some are ridiculously harmless, like Eisbibers and Mauzhertz who tend to be quite docile and quiet. Although, there are some species that lean toward being AlwaysChaoticEvil.
120	* ''Franchise/TheMuppets'': Similar to Sesame Street below, the Muppets have a wide range of monsters, some of which are likely to eat you, but also a lot who are generally friendly, particularly Sweetums, a 7 or 8 foot tall ogre who's usually quite agreeable and helpful. There’s also Thog, a huge blue creature who is very gentle and kind.
121	* ''Series/SesameStreet'' has long made a point of featuring the cuddliest of monsters, from Elmo to [[FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire the easily-amused Count]], to the [[BigEater ever-hungry Cookie Monster]]. The worst of the lot is usually Oscar, who's just the Grouch. Indeed, some of the nicest monsters are the toughest, scariest-looking, like Herry and Frazzle. In many of Herry's early appearances, he appears to be mean or frightening, but ends up showing his friendly side (often after he unintentionally scared others off).
122	* Although most monsters on ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' tend toward AlwaysChaoticEvil with a [[FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire few]] [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent exceptions]] [[OurAngelsAreDifferent thrown]] [[OurDemonsAreDifferent in]], Season 11 introduces the zanna, a benevolent race of fae-type creatures who act as [[NotSoImaginaryFriend children's imaginary friends]], guiding and helping them to grow up and moving on to a new child when the previous one no longer needs them.
123	* A number of ''Franchise/UltraSeries'' feature GentleGiant {{Kaiju}}, either as allies or as MonstersOfTheWeek who are protected, assisted, and/or spared. Some notable examples are:
124	** Pygmon/Pigmon from the original ''Series/{{Ultraman}}'' is actually human-sized, but is a noteworthy mention here because it is friendly with humans and often helps the defense teams against the giant and less friendly monsters.
125	** ''Series/UltraSeven'''s Capsule Kaiju are a trio of monsters that Seven would call up whenever he needed a helping hand against the MonsterOfTheWeek.
126	** ''Series/UltramanCosmos'' featured these by the dozen, alongside many {{Non Malicious Monster}}s. [[FriendToAllLivingThings Cosmos]]'s duty was not to battle them for humanity like a typical Ultra might, but instead he often had to save them from the corrupting powers of [[BigBad Chaos Header]] and help them coexist with humans.
127	** ''Series/UltramanX'' featured a Gomora Spark Doll who belonged to [[TheHero Daichi]] as a TragicKeepsake from his parents disappearing during the Ultra Flare that set the series off. When the crew of [=XIO=] did an experiment to temporarily restore it to its normal form, it quickly became evident that it was extremely gentle, [[spoiler: and was later visibly horrified seeing what happened when [[TheCorruption Dark Thunder Energy]] caused it to go on a rampage as EX Gomora.]]
128	[[/folder]]
129
130	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
131	* ''TabletopGame/{{Candyland}}'' has Gloppy, the friendly Molasses Monster of Molasses Swamp.
132	* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' and ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' are both full of monster types that tend towards good, and even the ones that are usually evil might have [[MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch good individual members]].
133	[[/folder]]
134
135	[[folder:Video Games]]
136	* A few of the {{Youkai}} in ''VideoGame/AyakashiRomanceReborn'' could certainly qualify, considering they're much nicer than their classical depictions. It's most pronounced with [[spoiler:Kuro]], who is TheCutie and a {{Keet}}... and a {{Nue}}, which has a reputation for being a bringer of misfortune (which isn't true at all in the game).
137	* ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'': Your job is to hunt monsters who've been terrorizing a remote city, and most of what you find (including the humans) will attack on sight, but there are a few creatures who are quite friendly.
138	** The Messengers of the Hunter's Dream look like freaky little emaciated people, but they have a childlike innocence and adore hunters. They help you out through the game (they give you weapons, act as shopkeepers, deliver notes from other players, and so on), and you can even find small items that serve no purpose other than letting the Messengers play dress-up. [[UglyCute It's surprisingly adorable]].
139	** The Plain Doll's background info emphasizes her UncannyValley nature (the description of the Tear Stone calls it "naive" to think that [[TearsFromAStone a doll crying]] TearsOfJoy is cute), but players are more likely to disregard this and focus on how she's one of the few characters in the game that are [[NiceGirl unfailingly nice]] to the player character (she won't even care if you kill her), she provides invaluable help by leveling you up, and will perform cute responses to gestures. [[spoiler: She'll also become your caretaker if you get the ''Childhood's Beginning'' ending and become an infant Great One.]]
140	** The Great Ones could be considered this trope at best and [[NonMaliciousMonster non-malicious]] at worst; they are described as "sympathetic in spirit" and seem to largely be trying to help out, with problems arising from [[HumansThroughAlienEyes humans being as alien to them as they are to us]], and humans either biting off more than they could chew, [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters very deliberately misusing the knowledge, or going to immoral lengths in an attempt to learn more]].
141	* In ''VideoGame/DragonQuestBuilders2'', not all monster tribes are affiliated with the destruction-worshiping Children of Hargon. Some, like the fat rats and bodkins of Furrowfield island, have a history of living in harmony with humans.
142	* Umaro the Yeti from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'', who is in fact a party member.
143	* Beastmen in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' are generally territorial and hostile towards the other races with only a handful being non hostile and willing to work with other people. Every beast tribe also has summoned a primal at least once, which causes damage to the land and[[BrainwashedAndCrazy tempering people to become the primal's slaves.]] The Namazu are only beast tribe that's actually friendly (only a few are hostile) and are willing to make trades with other people. They are also the only beast tribe that has never summoned a primal.
144	* ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance'' has the benevolent Spirit [[DarkIsNotEvil Dream Eaters]] who eat bad dreams and ally with you as opposed to the hostile Nightmare Dream Eaters who do the opposite.
145	** And in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'', Sora becomes a [[OurWerebeastsAreDifferent werecat-like]] monster himself while in [[Franchise/MonstersInc Monstropolis]], but remains kind-hearted and happy to play with Boo. He also qualifies as this in earlier games as a [[WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas vampire]] and [[WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid1989 merman]], two well-known monster types.
146	** Even among TheHeartless, at least two examples of this exist, [[InformedAttribute despite the fact that all Heartless are said to be mindless, instinctual beasts by default]]; The White Mushrooms from ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI'', which don't attack Sora and only want him to use specific magic spells on them three times, even rewarding him with rare items if he does so, and the Flantastic Seven from ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'', which also don't attack Sora and challenge him to minigames instead, and also reward him with rare ingredients to be used to cook stat-boosting food at the bistro in Twilight Town if he wins.
147	* The Nether Update in ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'' introduces the Strider, the first passive mob exclusive to the Nether. By using its favorite food, warped fungus, and a saddle, the player can ride a Strider to safely traverse the vast lava lakes in the Nether.
148	* ''VideoGame/MoshiMonsters'': All of the monsters who belong to an established species (Zommers, Katsumas etc) are benevolent as are most of the CartoonCreature's. The exception is [[FunWithAcronyms C.L.O.N.C (the Criminal League Of Naughty Critters)]] which is a group consisting of all the villains.
149	* The Walking Bushie in ''VideoGame/{{Mother 3}}'' is a random encounter who, rather than attack you, will instead cast Lifeup α and Healing α on your whole party systematically until everyone is at full health, make your whole party feel refreshed with some fresh air, and finally greet them politely and leave. The closest it will come to actually "harming" the party is by solidifying one by becoming friendly and affectionate, unless you go well out of your way to bring Kumatora along who can hit them with Brainshock.
150	* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' has gone far, ''far'' out of its way to establish this (despite the fact that the mascot is a footlong rat that can ''shoot lightning from its face''), with the inevitable result of HumansAreTheRealMonsters; no matter how rational any given Pokémon is, you can generally expect the moral weight of its actions to be assigned to the trainer.
151	** In ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'', Elm's aide waxes depressing about the starter Pokémon stolen by the {{Jerkass}} rival, and mentions that Pokémon turn evil when used by evil trainers.
152	** The main conflict in ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'' is that people treat Pokémon unfairly by taking them for granted, which would make sense only if the humans assumed they posed no more threat than the average well-kept housepet.
153	** [[VideoGame/PokemonColosseum Shadow]] [[VideoGame/PokemonXD Pokemon]] are a DoubleSubversion. The main premise of the games is that these are special Pokémon who will attack humans on command (as though they normally ''wouldn't''), but these Shadow Pokémon are created by subjecting normal ones to what is suggested to be a kind of MindRape. They can be healed by good treatment, companionship, and sometimes even a visit from one of the OlympusMons.
154	** ''VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeon'' has one or two officially evil Pokémon, like the absolute ''creep'' of a Gengar from [[VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeonRescueTeam the first installment]], but they don't count for much since ''all the characters'' are Pokémon. [[spoiler:And even Gengar eventually reforms in a bonus quest, which reveals that he was [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters originally a human]] (specifically, the one who abandoned Gardevoir and started the whole Ninetales legend that [[{{Hypocrite}} he was accusing you of perpetrating]])]].
155	* ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'''s entire premise is based on this trope. Although in practice, it plays with it, as most of the "main" monsters the player meets do genuinely intend to hurt the player... they just [[NonMaliciousMonster don't quite realize that hurting actually hurts]], or [[IDidWhatIHadToDo don't feel they have a choice]], or [[PunchClockVillain it's their job]], or [[WellIntentionedExtremist it's for a good cause]], or... you get the idea. The only actively malicious monster is [[FoulFlower Flowey]], [[spoiler:who isn't actually a monster at all, but the SoullessShell of Asriel Dreemurr.]]
156	* A single one of the Vipers in ''VideoGame/SecretOfEvermore'' is friendly, or at least neutral, and not only scolds you for striking him but also provides a handy save point in their lair. Dialogue with him implies that his entire Viper species were once little more than mere rivals toward humans who typically only did what they needed to do to survive or benefit their own kind, until ''someone'' took command of them and made them be aggressive toward humans.
157	* The Merchant in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'' is clearly infected by [[PuppeteerParasite Los Plagas]] like the other insane villagers, but would much rather sell Leon firearms, ''give him a firearm'' if he shoots some medallions for fun, or host a fun shooting gallery minigame for free. True he charges what are apparently exorbitant prices for his services, but since they use the archaic and rather worthless currency of Pesetas, it means he's selling you that rifle for about $80.
158	* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'': It bears repeating that just because the Horde have all the monstrous races - [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Orcs]], [[AllTrollsAreDifferent Trolls]], [[GentleGiant Tauren]], [[DarkIsNotEvil Forsaken Undead]], [[PunchClockVillain Goblins]], [[OurElvesAreDifferent Blood Elves, Nightborne]] and [[CunningLikeAFox Vulperi]] - [[GrayAndGreyMorality doesn't necessarily mean that they are always the bad guys or in the wrong]].
159	[[/folder]]
160
161	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
162	%%* ''VisualNovel/ShallWeDate'' franchise: Raizo the {{Nue}} from ''Mononoke Kiss''.
163	[[/folder]]
164
165	[[folder:Web Animation]]
166	* ''WebAnimation/Holidaze2019'':
167	** While Jangle is out frightening trick-or-treaters, it is implied that he has no real zeal for scaring, quickly losing steam as he does so on his own and takes no joy when his friends frighten off Jingle. It isn't until he meets Jingle does he come out of his shell and start socializing like a normal person.
168	** Jingle is a reindeer-like monster who represents the Spirit of Christmas. Because of this, he has zero desire to scare and all he cares about is spreading joy and cheer.
169	[[/folder]]
170
171	[[folder:Webcomics]]
172	* The titular ''Webcomic/{{Erma}}'' is a HalfHumanHybrid StringyHairedGhostGirl modeled after Sadako of ''Film/TheRing'', but though she tends to like pretty macabre things she's a sweet and friendly kid and generally uses her extensive powers (levitation, telekinesis, using TV screens as portals, etc.) for nothing more malicious than childish pranks (well, as long as you don't do anything stupid like threatening her friends or babysitter). She takes after her mother Emiko, who is a full yokai with similar powers but is a caring parent and is HappilyMarried to her human husband Sam.
173	* In ''{{Webcomic/Meadowhawk}}'', the [[OurDragonsAreDifferent dragons]] still have all the fangs, claws and spikes from the bad old days, but in modern times they're almost invariably pacifists and usually don't even eat meat.
174	-->'''Tater:''' If history is to be believed, we were once a species of marauding monsters. Bloodthirsty, airborne, fire-spewing terrors. Look at any [[TheMiddleAges Dark Ages]] story, and there we are: "RAAAAWR!" Now we have food shelves, hospitals, we live in houses... most of out kind [[ActualPacifist would be loath to harm even a fly]].
175	* ''Webcomic/{{Muted}}'': Dendro is an adorable demon that gives hugs and emotional support.
176	* In ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', [[spoiler:Serini Toormuck]] has assembled a group of unusal non-humanoid monsters that even humans who might consider orcs and goblins to be people would probably see as abominations (in some cases because that's literally their creature type), apparently just by [[BecauseYouWereNiceToMe being nice to them]]. In particular, a beholder who sees her as a parental figure, and who really doesn't want to hurt anyone. This is in keeping with [=OotS=]'s thesis that the AlwaysChaoticEvil races are only that way because everyone ''expects'' them to be, and won't give them a chance to be anything else. [[spoiler: Except vampires. Those guys are very specifically created to be irredemably evil, and also utter jerks about it.]]
177	* ''Webcomic/PebbleAndWren'': All the monsters we see are friendly and amicable, and quite a few of them live in harmony with humans.
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179
180	[[folder:Western Animation]]
181	* ''WesternAnimation/ClassOfTheTitans'' had a few, most notably Cerberus; while he certainly ''looked'' terrifying, what with his size, the venomous serpent for a tail, and the three skulls with glowing red eyes for heads, but for the most part he was a BigFriendlyDog, at least when his master Hades was around (which was most of the time).
182	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Fangface}}'' was a '70s animated show about a werewolf who was a good guy, and helped his human friends catch other monsters.
183	* Disney Television's ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'' were relocated from Scotland to Manhattan by TheChessmaster David Xanatos to serve as his bodyguards and enforcers. However, once the Gargoyles learned that they were being manipulated by Xanatos, they have a HeelFaceTurn, and instead work to defend the people of New York. Except for Demona, of course, who is a genocidal maniac.
184	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Inhumanoids}}'': the Inhumanoids themselves are pure evil, but the two factions of Mutore -- the [[RockMonster Granites]] and the genuinely terrifying-looking [[WhenTreesAttack Redwoods]] -- are good guys. There's also the weird magnetic being Magnokor, who is a good guy and has been keeping the Inhumanoids' leader, Metlar, [[SealedEvilInACan restrained]] for most of human history.
185	* ''WesternAnimation/KongTheAnimatedSeries'': Kong is this due to AdaptationalHeroism. He is the island's legendary guardian beast who spends the time he's not helping his human friends rescuing animals on the island from danger. In one episode he even sneaks out of the airplane hangar where the humans left him and spends the night saving people from street thugs.
186	* Hal Seeger's ''Milton the Monster'' was not intended as this. When Professor Wierdo created him, he accidentally poured an entire bottle of tenderness in the mixture creating Milton instead the intended tincture.
187	* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': Several types of monsters and other scary creatures are far less dangerous or malevolent than their appearance would suggest. [[OurManticoresAreSpinier Manticores]] are surprisingly nice, gentle and communicative -- the only hostile manticore in the series was driven to aggression by the pain of [[AndroclesLion a thorn in its paw, and calmed down once it was removed]]. Cerberus is a titanic, terrifying HellHound, but behaves more like an overly affectionate BigFriendlyDog than anything else. The gigantic, six-eyed, frog-like bufogren is a perfectly friendly and helpful sort, once one gets past its [[YouNeedABreathMint blood-curdling halitosis]].
188	* ''WesternAnimation/RoswellConspiraciesAliensMythsAndLegends'' has Ti-Yet, a Yeti whose tribe settled in the Himalayas. Although initially antagonistic he is a creature of honor who is only seeking to defend his people who have been safeguarding a DoomsdayDevice from those who might abuse it. He eventually becomes friends with [[TheHero Nick Logan]] and an agent for the Alliance.
189	* WesternAnimation/SummerCampIsland has monsters who are friendly to the campers [[spoiler: At least the current generation is.]]
190	** Even [[spoiler: their god monster is like this]] [[spoiler:- After revealing that Oscar is still alive after being 'kidnapped' by said monster.]]
191	* ''WesternAnimation/TheUnstoppableYellowYeti'': Gustav is a friendly yellow yeti who befriends Osmo and Rita after meeting them.
192	[[/folder]]

Context Main / BenevolentMonsters