Nice Guy

Gwen: (after Geoff is voted off) Are you guys all crazy?! Geoff is the nicest guy in the world!
Duncan: Yeah! Bingo, sister!
Owen: As if Heather could defeat "nice".
Heather: The power of "nice" is huge! And we're not worried about you in that department, Gwen.
Geoff: No sweat, Gwen. Ciao dudes!

—Total Drama Island

Not to be redundant, but the Nice Guy (or Gal) is nice. Maybe not a saint, but definitely no loner or edgy rebel. They're friendly, psychologically well-balanced, morally average (if not better) and in short, someone anyone wouldn't mind to be around and have as a friend, which is often what they are to the hero and/or his extended cast. He won't engage in Jerkass behaviour, but probably responds in kind to Vitriolic Best Buds as a type 1 or affable type 2.

Want to know what writers think of that? "Boring!" and "Next!"

This is because they can be conflict null zones romantically and dramatically because of a perceived (or real) lack of depth. But if done right, it can demonstrate why a guy does have beautiful women attached to him for a genuine reason: he really is a remarkably wonderful and compassionate person (Keiichi of Ah! My Goddess is a prime example of the Nice Guy being played well in romance. He's not attractive (he's definitely short and distinctly shorter than the European Belldandy), he's somewhat awkward, a geek, rather strapped for cash, and unlucky. However, he proves himself to be a compassionate, intelligent, thoughtful person who will do anything to help others selflessly.)

Along with the Happily Married couple, the Nice Guy is among fiction's "favorite" Friendly Targets. They'll die senselessly to motivate their hero buddy, lose the girl to the more dynamic but unstable Dogged Nice Guy or just in general go through constant crap from the world around them to give the slightest dynamic to their optimism. Surviving as a main character without becoming a personified Hufflepuff House or The Woobie usually requires multiple rounds of Break the Cutie and Dark and Troubled Past... essentially, the Nice Guy cannot exist as such in a drama.

However, that's not to say that they can't be pretty engaging or even the protagonist; all it takes is giving them a personality outside of "nice", some engaging relationships, and a pinch of Hidden Depths. If combat intellect or combat ability are involved, it's akin to Obfuscating Stupidity or Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass because you naturally expect the dark, tormented loner to be a Badass and the nice guy to just be a nice Non-Action Guy. So when it comes time for "No more Mr. Nice Guy", heads roll. On the other hand, with the All of the Other Reindeer trope in play, the nice fellow can be a redeeming factor as a person whom the beleaguered hero realizes is on his side and know he's not alone.

Often, authors go the abbreviated route and give them a Dark and Troubled Past triggered by a Berserk Button. Either way, you can expect their niceness to be in spite of whatever Tragedy or drama is in their lives, kind of an equal and opposite reaction to it. If done too suddenly, it implies a level of secrecy and acting that a Stepford Smiler would be jealous of. When done well, a more troubled character will rebuff their advice or friendship with "What do you know? You've never had X happen to you!" to his "I did", thus revealing healed-over scars.

Note: this trope is referring to genuine Nice Guys, not the other sort of "Nice Guy", which is more of a Bastard In Sheeps Clothing (usually with major Casanova Wannabe tendencies). Entitled to Have You is the trope for that concept. Also, if the Nice Guy has a rougher male as his Foil, they're a Sensitive Guy and Manly Man duo.

If he does get the girl, it's Single Woman Seeks Good Man. Usually the result of Upbringing Makes the Hero. You should beware this nice guy, though, should you press his Berserk Button.

No real life examples, please; we'd be here all day.

Examples of Nice Guy include:

Anime and Manga

  • The male protagonist of just about every Harem Series.
  • Natsume from Natsume Yuujinchou, who manages to pull this off despite having No Social Skills. It helps that he's also the protagonist.
  • Shouta Kazehaya from Kimi ni Todoke is probably the most triumphant example in Shoujo manga, due to an anomaly that not only he's the object of Sawako's affection, but he's also a Chick Magnet. He's made of 100% fresh, squeezed fruit of friendship, yet far from being a Marty Stu. Probably his only ulterior motive for speaking to Sawako Kuronuma and befriending her is his desire to get to know her better. Girls in this manga & anime prefers nice guys in general, which makes them outstandingly different from Shoujo romances, which most of the time the female leads goes for the Troubled but Cute and Bastard Boyfriend types.
    • Male leads who good are looking, popular, and nice guys are as common in Shoujo as their female counterparts are in Shonen; wish-fulfillment is large part of fiction after all.
  • Jinto from Crest of the Stars, almost to the point of self-effacement. He's also Iron Woobie and The Quisling at the same time and thus makes an interesting protagonist despite having a less flashy personality than some of the other characters.
  • Chrono in Chrono Crusade comes across as a gentle, sweet boy that's often abused by his more Hot-Blooded partner. And he is a genuine Nice Guy that "doesn't want to hurt anyone". However, he has the Dark and Troubled Past and Berserk Button mentioned in the description, which means that when someone threatens one of his friends (particularly Rosette), things will turn out badly.
  • Kenshiro, in spite of inheriting the head-popping Martial Art known as Fist of the North Star, is a warm, gentle, sensitive and kind-hearted man who loves children and is not ashamed to cry.
  • Kou from Cross Game and most Adachi protagonists show shades of this trope. You can actually see why girls would like them, as opposed to many shounen 'Nice Guys'.
  • Seiichirou Kitano from Angel Densetsu is a master of this. He actually seems incapable of wanting to hurt anyone, despite how he's treated.
  • Kouta, the male protagonist from Elfen Lied, is a perfect example of this trope. Of course, considering that this show is filled to the brim with Woobies (himself included) and Complete Monsters, he ends up becoming quite an important character in the story because of this trope.
    • Don´t forget Nana, despite her miserable life and the atrocious abuse she constantly suffers, she is always nice to everybody and, even when she gets serious, refuses to kill people.
  • Takato Matsuki from Digimon Tamers. He's just a normal boy who is a fan of Digimon, as opposed to the rest of the cast which seems to have lots of Emotional Issues. This, of course, gets deconstructed.
  • Choutarou Ohtori is the nice guy of Hyoutei in The Prince of Tennis, and Foil of his caustic doubles partner Shishido. Also, Shuichirou Oishi who is pretty much a male Yamato Nadeshiko.
  • Spain, Canada, Finland, Thailand and Greece from Axis Powers Hetalia are the closest to the trope in between the cast.
    • Lithuania and Liechtenstein might count as well, at least in the main plot.
    • And according to the last manga volume, Macau is one as well:

His nature is rather ungreedy; he appears calm and good at business, is tall, and tries to be philosophical (...) He often has a businesslike manner, but he jokes around with Portugal, China, and Hong Kong. He treats Taiwan like a Proper Lady.

  • Along with Mai's brother Takumi, Kazuya Kurauchi is one of the genuinely nicer members of My-HiME's male cast, shown as a diligent worker and concerned with his girlfriend Akane's safety. He doesn't get much screen time, though, as he's the first one to get killed.
  • Hirasawa Yui of K-On! is the idealistic, innocent and warm heart that holds the "Afterschool Teatime" band together.
  • Mikage of 07-Ghost. Complete with dying to motivate their hero buddy.
  • Ayato from RahXephon is polite, friendly, easygoing and a decent human being. Amazingly, despite being the protagonist, he still manages to be a fascinating character.
  • Rock Lee. So much so that he forgave Gaara for nearly crippling him for life and ending his career as a shinobi.
    • Chouji Akimichi is another example. He's a huge softie, getting emotional when he has to fight his reanimated sensei, and both his father and sensei state that his kind nature is his greatest quality.
    • Hinata, of course since she did forgive Neji after he tried to kill her.
    • Naruto Uzumaki himself. His kindness and Not So Different properties have redeemed psychopaths, unrepentant killers, as well as starting to affect the Kyuubi. After he saves Konoha from Pain, it appears the village finally sees these qualities.
      • Of course, early Naruto was more a Jerk with a Heart of Gold - a foolhardly braggart who couldn't really understand how the people around him would feel about some of his behaviour, and sometimes made things worse because of his stupidity or boastfulness. It's after he mellows out - following the Time Skip - that Naruto really shows just how compassionate and forgiving he really is, though even in those early days he shows shades of this trope. Ever since he defeated and made peace with his Enemy Without, though, he's moved somewhat closer to being The Messiah, to boot.
    • There's also Iruka Umino, Naruto's Big Brother Mentor. His occasionally explosive temper aside, he's a very pleasant person to be around, being the first person to relate to Naruto on a personal level and never saw him as the Kyuubi unlike most villagers (notable because Iruka's parents were killed by the demon). Iruka's also an example of this trope done right - these very qualities are what make him an Ensemble Darkhorse, rather than the other way around (as the case would normally be).
    • And before all of these, Minato Namikaze (aka Fourth Hokage); even his future wife thought (at first) that he was a sissy because of his nice and polite demeanor. Like Father, Like Son it would seem.
  • Tenma in Monster couldn't be nicer, unless you happened to have dumped him for politico-economic reasons. And, even then, he'll still risk his life to save yours. Even after all the stalking.
  • Tsukune in Rosario + Vampire. His inner ghoul, on the other hand...
  • Rocket from Ginga Densetsu Weed after his Heel Face Turn.
  • Nice Guy-dom is used as a cover for at least two characters in Darker than Black: Hei and Nick. In both cases, it can be hard to tell how much of the act really is an act sometimes.
  • Allen Walker from D.Gray-man is as nice as they come (outside of a game of poker), not to mention absolutely adorable and prone to trying to save everyone. He's got two or three girls in love with him, and one of them is the sworn enemy of his species.
  • Takeshi Yamamoto from Katekyo Hitman Reborn is the friendliest of Tsuna's guardians. Until you hand him a baseball bat...or a sword... or hurt his friends...then prepared to be sliced to pieces.
  • Nagasumi of Seto no Hanayome is surprisingly well-adjusted and nice, considering that the universe screws around with him on a regular basis.
  • Tsukasa Hiiragi from Lucky Star has "Good Person" as her highest stat, and it shows.
  • Ash Ketchum from Pokémon. He's pretty much the nicest and sweetest character in that anime.
    • Tracey, who replaced Brock for one half-season, is the embodiment of this trope. He's so polite and mild-mannered that many viewers write him off as bland and uninteresting. He Lampshades it in one side episode—after being pressured by Misty's oldest sister to clean the Gym, he's seen with a push broom and a sad expression, saying "Sometimes it doesn't pay to be the nice guy." (Just don't insult Professor Oak in front of him.)
    • Brock is no slouch, either. As Team Mom, he cooks and cares for his younger friends, provides help and encouragement with endless good-natured patience, and rarely loses his temper (when pretty girls aren't involved).
    • There's also Ash's newest companion in Best Wishes: Cilan, who is always trying to settle things between characters that fight. Just don't piss him off...you really don't want to piss him off.
    • And then there's Luke who is one of the nicest of Ash's rivals/friends who doesn't insult him. His nice guy attitude is how he's able to put up with Bianca's quirks but even he has his limits.
  • We have Nao from the Liar Game, perhaps the most pure and honest character in the whole series. In fact, her reason for continuing with the game is to save everyone else in the game, including the ones who had deceived and gloated cruelly in her face.
  • Ryuuji Takasu from Toradora!. He's a tad obsessive-compulsive and has the Face of a Thug, but he's reliable, patient, supportive and hard-working.
  • Mari Illustrious Makinami from Rebuild of Evangelion 2.0. When she's not piloting an Eva, that is.
  • Taichii Hiraga Keaton is an all around nice guy who happens to be a former sergeant in the British Army and a veteran of the Falkland Wars. Now he's an adjunct archaeology professor who also works as an investigator for Lloyds of London. Keaton is free from all of the arrogance and eccentricities that are normally associated with very smart people. Frankly, Keaton tends to meet all sorts of eccentrics in his line of work. Although he can kick ass if he wanted to, he prefers to use his intellect. So he's also a pacifist.
  • Yuuno Goddamn Scrya of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha. Being a Barrier Warrior (high tier is an understatement) with a bit of Healing Hands carried the Inverted-for-titular-heroine Personality Powers Up to Eleven.
    • Seeing as Yuuno is kind, brave, intelligent, thoughtful, supportive, and absurdly powerful considering the things he accomplishes without even the most basic magical device, he might have been beating women off with a stick if he wasn't the Straight Option in a series with a strong Girl's Love fanbase.
  • Bleach: Back in the Whole-Episode Flashback, Kisuke Urahara, of all people. Also: Orihime Inoue, Retsu Unohana, Isane Kotetsu, Hanatarou Yamada, Momo Hinamori, Sajin Komamura, Shunsui Kyouraku, Hisagi Shuuhei, Juusuke Ukitake, and Hachigen Ushouda. On the bad guys' side we even have: Neliel Tu Odershevank, Tia Harribel, and Coyote Starrk.
    • Most of the above either fall under various badass tropes or are otherwise very tough people.
  • Suzaku Kururugi from Code Geass starts off looking like this, but there are hints that something is up (such as his childhood best friend Lelouch musing on the fact that he used to be brash, hot-headed, and arrogant, making Lelouch wonder what could change someone so much in seven years). Later on, we learn that he's not quite as nice as he seemed in the first place, but horrifyingly broken.
    • Meanwhile, Shirley Fenette and Euphemia li Britannia are the epitome of this trope when it comes to females. Unfortunately, this just shows us how the writers feel about Nice Gals in the cast. Rivalz has shades of it, being a kindhearted slacker, and Gino Weinberg also has shades of it, as much as his duty as a Knight of Rounds allows.
    • No mention of Nunnally Lamperouge, anyone? She stays cheerful and kind through experiences that would leave most people shattered and is fortunate enough to survive unlike the above girls, albeit after some serious breaking.
  • Max Sterling/Max Jenius of Robotech / Macross is an unusual example of a definite Nice Guy who is also The Ace. And he's not the main character, either. (He does, however, get Happily Married half-way through the series, which the main character doesn't even accomplish before the series ends.)
  • Tohru of Shiki.
  • Yuji of Shakugan no Shana is an interesting variation of this whose niceness actually does get him girls. Ironically, instead of stifling romantic conflict, his niceness is also his greatest flaw, actually creating romantic conflict in the first half of Season 2, where he completely fails to realize that he can't give attention to every girl who's attracted to him without hurting the feelings of someone else, thus making him an accidental Master of the Mixed Message. And his friend Hayato does call him out on that.
  • Nicol Amalfi and Kira Yamato from Gundam SEED. Cagalli uses this trope to describe Kira: "He never thought things through and he always cried, but he was kind. He was a nice guy!"
  • Normal Yugi of Yu-Gi-Oh!. Unfortunately for him, his love interest is into his darker alter ego.
  • Eiichirou of the manga Baby Steps. This is one of the reasons that Love Interest Natsu trusts him with her "big secret" (of wanting to someday become a professional tennis player) on the first day they met.

Eiichirou: Why did you let me in on your secret?
Natsu: ... because it's you. I mean, I know you wouldn't tell anyone.
Eiichirou: But you can't be sure of that!
Natsu:: I'm sure.

  • Poor Hojo from Inuyasha. He is so nice that no one has the heart to tell him that is not how things work in that universe.
  • Ichiban Ushiro no Dai Maou: Despite his damning status as the future Demon King, Akuto Sai is probably one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet and only wants to help make the world a better place. Will anyone listen to him? NO!!!
  • The eponymous Haruka from Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu is a really, really nice moe girl and also, an otaku.
  • Maison Ikkoku features Yusaku Godai, an honest example of this type of character. The series does not shy away from the flaws in these types of people—mediocrity/lack of ambition (or killer instinct), spinelessness (unwilling to hurt others' feelings), and being really indecisive. He also isn't entirely perfect, but he puts up with a lot of crap from others.
  • Mikado from Durarara!! seems to fit this trope until later in the novel where you realize he's just as crazy as everyone else.
  • Ayumu Nishizawa of Hayate the Combat Butler is clearly a nice gal, paired with the fact that she's a normal person in a world where most of the rest of the cast are Ojous really makes Hata have to work to keep her relevant, and he does.
    • Hayate himself is a nice guy in general, despite being a Butt Monkey. Isumi is this as well.
  • Akira Sakamoto of Princess Princess is such a Nice Guy that his excess niceness leaks out and forms an aura of soothing and healing vibes that refreshes everyone who comes into contact with him.
  • Tenchi Masaki of Tenchi Muyo!.
  • Hayato Kazami (for most of the time) and Johji Ohtomo from Future GPX Cyber Formula are the closest thing this series has to nice guys. Asuka and Clair are the female equivalents of these.
    • Despite being a quiet person (at least in the third OVA), Phill Fritz from SAGA and SIN is actually a pretty nice guy.
    • Makoto Katagiri, if we check on minor characters.
  • Inaba from Urusei Yatsura. Tsubame could be count too.
  • Makoto from El Hazard, full stop.
  • Tsubasa Aozora from Captain Tsubasa; when he's not on the field, that is. Taro Misaki, Gino Fernandez, Luciano Leo and Pepe are also nice guys as well.
    • Even when in the field, Tsubasa is pretty nice. In fact, he's been injured more than once while helping a teammate or a rival, like when he saved one of the Tachibana twins from falling head-on first to the ground (which would've almost surely killed him, or at least caused horrible damage) and got a dislocated shoulder for his trouble.
  • There aren't a lot of nice people in Berserk, let alone nice guys. So you can guess why Judeau has become the resident Ensemble Darkhorse because of his nice, laid-back personality.
    • Later, Sixth Ranger Roderick has revealed himself to be a nice guy, though not as popular as Judeau.
    • Jerome from the Retribution Arc can pretty much be considered a nice guy as well, as he is far more decent than some of the other guys around him.
  • GE - Good Ending features Utsumi Seiji, who is a pretty much an Unlucky Everydude who is sincerely nice to all his friends. Unfortunately, it tends to bite him in the ass as he sometimes ends up grabbing the Idiot Ball because he doesn't want to hurt anyone's feelings.
  • No. 6 has Shion, who is also an Adorkable nice guy.
  • Kazuya Aoi from Freezing is the only one willing to look past Satellizer's shady background and discover that she's actually a really sweet girl, she just has some issues.
  • Dekisugi from Doraemon is this because his character is based on a perfect archetype of a Japanese schoolboy, in contrast of Nobita, who's a bit of a brat. In the movies, however, Nobita is upgraded into this trope, if not outright The Messiah.
  • Dragon Ball sports a cast of various Nice Guys and Dogged Nice Guys among the heroes but Goku is one of the most famous in anime. So much so that nice guys of other Shonen series have been based on him and his cheerful nature. No matter how grim a situation looks, Goku is always optimistic and smiling. He even dies smiling twice! He also easily forgives any villain that tried to kill him and his friends 5 minutes ago if they are willing to to stop being evil.
  • Yugo Hachiken from Silver Spoon is one of these, willing to do anything for his new found friends at the Yezo Agricultural School, and is also rather friendly. His classmates are perfectly willing to use him for menial labor for this reason.
  • Despite being a moron, and sustaining physical abuse from his friends, Akihisa is generally a nice guy, and even HELPS the same friends who hurt him on a daily basis when they are in need.
  • A number of characters in Fruits Basket fit this. Tohru Honda is the most prominent, constantly putting the wellbeing of her friends and family before herself, often causing problems for herself in the process.
  • Madoka from Rinne no Lagrange pilots a mecha because her friend she just made, asked her to.
  • Both Keiichi and Belldandy of Ah! My Goddess are ridiculously nice people, each being the Trope Codifier for Yamato Nadeshiko and Nice Guy respectively. In fact, their relationship exists because Keiichi was a fundamentally good enough person to attactact a goddess's attention. Keiichi isn't a doormat, unlike many examples. He's definitely got a bit of a snarky personality and a good bit of backbone.
  • Nossori, Morimori and Sewashi from Mazinger Z, the three professors worked in the Photon Atomic Energy Research Institute by assisting Prof. Yumi and designing upgrades for Mazinger-Z and Aphrodite A were genuinely nice: they were kind, good-natured and very patient (you have to be to deal with so many hot-headed, impatient teenagers), even if they were somewhat goofy.
  • Sho Fukamachi in all three versions of The Guyver -- Guyver:Out of Control (1986), Guyver:Bio-Booster Armor (1989), and Guyver: The Bio Booster Armor (2005).
  • Itsuki in Rental Magica. Also, Chick Magnet (even for ghost and homunculus girls).


Comic Books

  • Most incarnations of Superman's pal, Jimmy Olsen.
    • Superman himself. The essence of his character is being a shining example for others to look up to.
  • Green Lantern Hal Jordan's younger brother, Jim Jordan.
  • Peter Parker. The fact that he's so nice is part of the reason his Woobiness is so pronounced in light of his crappy life and the irrational hatred he gets from those he helps.
  • Dick Grayson. DC Comics' official position is that he's the most beloved superhero in the community (yes, even moreso than Superman) and that almost any member of it would instantly drop what they were doing to help if he were in trouble.
    • Tim Drake, Robin III is also a nice guy, especially in his early Robin series. He took care of his girlfriend who was pregnant with her ex-boyfriend's child, and is good at babysitting kids. In the new DCU, he was also called a nice guy by Wondergirl.
  • Kim Pine from Scott Pilgrim may be a bitter Deadpan Snarker Grumpy Bear, but also a true friend of Scott, helping him with Sex Bob-Omb, despite things like being dumped by him in a pretty dickish way and, in volume 5, she demonstrates her friendship with him faking an SMS from Ramona, ignoring her own feelings towards him, in order to give Scott support in his fight against the two exes she also offers him her house (and her own bed) when Scott is homeless, help him with his depression for Ramona´s disappearance and even kisses him a last time before his fight with Gideon.
  • Captain America. Pretty much anyone can (and do, on many occasions) soliloquize about how much everyone adores the shit out of Cap, and never feel like they're laying it on too thick or being out of character; which is something that can't be done to many other characters without it tasting of a Creator's Pet. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, being a Nice Guy is actually the only reason the Super Serum even worked - When it was given to a megalomaniac, it created the Red Skull. Colonel Badass Chester Phillips wanted to give it to a "Strong, Fast, Obedient Soldier, and sixty years later we get to see the results of that. Only a Good Man could become Captain America.
  • The squeaky clean Tintin is this, in contrast to the brash, drunken, and loud-mouthed Captain Haddock.
  • Mr. Tawky Tawny in the Shazam franchise sometimes causes a scare for being a humanoid tiger, anyone who takes the time to know about him will realize that he is a perfect gentleman and a wonderful person to know.
  • Major Mapleleaf from Alpha Flight, as befits a super-Mountie.
  • Jaime Reyes' Blue Beetle is basically Spider-Man without the world crapping on him as much. Thankfully, he has (or Had thanks to flashpoint) a strong supporting cast he could play off of.


Fan Works

  • Stefan Faraday, the Destrious xenobiologist and second in command, in the WALLE Forum Roleplay.
  • Rick Sheridan was a pleasant but fairly unassuming college student when the alien Sleepwalker became trapped in his mind. He was more than a little pissed off about it when it happened, and fell into a downwards spiral after it happened, becoming isolated from his friends in the process...but he always let Sleepwalker out when it was necessary, willingly went back into the Mindscape with Sleepwalker so they could confront Cobweb, and when his friends began suffering problems of their own from their own tragedies, Rick proved to be the rock of the group and helped them cope with what they were going through.
  • Despite being called a coltcuddlin' pedophile, Caramel of Assumptions is as close to this trope as possible. He lets Rainbow Dash sleep on his bed while he gets the floor, after she accidentaly drank a spike drink. Then he cooks breakfast for her when she wakes, up, and again for over a month afterwards when she shows up expecting more. And even after it's revealed she nearly accidentally killed him with a botched stunt, Caramel chooses to accept her half-hearted apology so they could keep being friends. That's probably why she's slowly falling in love with him.
  • Sonic the Hedgehog in The Blue Blur of Termina, a huge contrast with the significantly more acerbic Tatl as shown by his calmly asking Alfred for the Bombers' password instead of shouting and bullying him into doing it.


Film

  • Tom Stahl of A History of Violence used to be a very nasty mobster, until he'd had enough and remade his personality, made up a fake history, and became a Nice Guy restaurant owner in a small town. The film opens with him being perfectly willing to let some gunmen rob his store's money until they implied they'd shoot them all anyway... then he brutally disarmed them.
  • Averted with Nice Guy Eddie of Reservoir Dogs. He's not nice.
  • Oz of The Whole Nine Yards. So much so that the person his wife hired to kill him couldn't bring herself to do it and became his assistant instead. This saves his life again in the end of the movie when Jimmy kills his partner to avoid having to kill Oz.
  • Kurtis in The Final. He tried his best to be friends to everybody, and defended Ravi from Bradley. As a result, the outcasts try (and fail) to keep him from coming to their "party."
  • Jimmy Stewart was famous for playing this character.
  • Dale, one of the unfortunate victims in Horrible Bosses, claims that his childhood dream was to become a husband. He's a very mild-mannered guy who spends most of the film in over his head, though every once in a while he snaps.
  • Leonard Stecyk in The Pale King.
  • Stanley Ipkiss in The Mask is specifically identified as a 'nice guy' - unfortunately for him that means being treated like a doormat.


Live Action TV

  • Sam Beckett.
  • Jimmy from early Degrassi the Next Generation—he's almost like a medieval knight, in being both a perfect gentleman and somewhat clueless and stiff. He loses his girlfriend to a sensitive Emo Teen who understands emotions better, and his honor code means that he refuses to participate in gang bullying, but is utterly ineffective at stopping the bullying.
    • Sav and Adam are more recent examples.
    • As are Jake and Riley.
  • Girl example - the titular character of Lizzie McGuire.
  • Lt. Commander Data in Star Trek: The Next Generation, depending on which episode you're watching. He's the supposedly emotionless android of the series (who was literally intended to replace Spock). He was generally nice, good natured, honest and seemed to get more romantic attention due to all this than most of the rest of the crew. He was also hopeless at social interaction, completely failed at understanding social nuances and subtleties resulting in him either insulting somebody or setting the whole bridge off into fits of giggles, and he was incredibly dangerous in the right circumstances. Whatever you do, do not get him pissed.
    • Despite his ineptitude with social interaction, Data is impeccably polite and courteous—even in combat situations.
  • A large portion of the male cast of Glee is made up of Nice Guys, but those that stand out in particular are Will, Finn, Ken, Artie, and possibly Sam.
    • Though it's worth noting that Finn, Will and Ken, in particular, are easily read as Deconstructions of the Nice Guy trope instead.
  • The "well-balanced" part doesn't apply (in fact, he has myriad issues), but otherwise Ned from Pushing Daisies fits this pretty well. He may be a bit aloof, but he's just shy, not rude, and he's sincere, kind and principled.
  • Simon Tam of Firefly is this despite being socially clumsy and icy in personality. He becomes less nice when his baby sister River is threatened.
    • Kaylee definitely qualifies as well.
  • Lennier in Babylon 5.
  • A large part of the plot of Chuck is derived from the conflict between the moral greyness of the spy world and the relentlessly good-natured attitude of the title character.
    • His friend, the aptly-named Captain Awesome is definitely a good-natured guy too.
  • Dangerous Davies from The Last Detective. If it wasn't based on a novel series and previously played 30 years ago in a one shot film by Bernard Cribbins, it wouldn't be farfetched to think that this role was created exclusively with Peter Davison in mind. D.C. Davies is called Dangerous because he's anything but. He's called the Last Detective because he's the last one anyone thinks of to send on an important case. He's honest, fair, non-assertive, and generous. These are the sort of things that apparently make a bad cop. This is true since all the other coppers are portrayed as cynical, hardened, insensitive, and borderline corrupt.
  • Auggie from Covert Affairs. His Big Brother Instinct for Annie is touching.
  • Lt. Paxton's husband in the NCIS episode Power Down. Interestingly it looked like he might be guilty at first.
  • Freddie Benson in iCarly.
  • Agent Dale Cooper, the main character of Twin Peaks, is very friendly and likeable, if not a bit on the eccentric side. Too bad he gets possessed by Killer BOB in the series finale.
  • Sam from True Blood is the perfect example of Nice Guy. This really piss him off because everyone keeps taking advantage of his nature. Then we discover his origins; he's a nice guy after that, despite his Dark and Troubled Past. He does have vague stalkerish tendencies and dates his employees.
  • Hoyt and Terri both fit nicely into this trope. They are both decent, moral guys that always act supportive and respectful towards the other characters, are both sweet and sensitive. They both sometimes get trodden on by more forceful characters. Of all the men in the series, Hoyt and Terri would make the best boyfriends: they are really the only two who treat their love-interests properly.
  • Jason Lee Scott of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.
  • Matt from Friday Night Lights.
  • Mister Rogers, duh.
  • Rory Williams ( Pond) of Doctor Who. A Nice Guy nurse who wants nothing but to be the Victorious Childhood Friend who gets to marry Amy. Of course, his nice guy attitude allows him to act as an interesting foil for the Doctor, exaggerated only by the fact that Amy is attracted to the Time Lord. Besides, if you hurt his wife you better Beware the Nice Ones, because you've now got the 2,000 year old Last Centurion on your tail.
  • Community has Dr. Rich. A Nice Guy who can't hold a grudge. He volunteers once a month in Central America to fix cleft palates, cleans up rivers, and teaches seeing-eye dogs. In his free time he makes kettle corn and takes pottery classes to unwind from the pressures of his job, he hasn't lost a patient in five years. Oh, and he'll also show you how to check for breast lumps.
  • Ted from How I Met Your Mother. Although he has his Jerkass moments like the rest of the characters, he's almost ridiculously hospitable and helpful towards his friends (to the point of once selling his new car to loan Marshall money after the latter loses his job, giving Barney and Robin scads of relationship advice despite the latter being his ex-girlfriend, and giving Marshall and Lily his own apartment as a baby shower gift, complete with a handmade crib, when he realizes they are miserable in the suburbs). He's also a hopeless romantic and sentimental sap, which is frequently highlighted by the show's penchant for gender-flipping tropes. One of the foremost examples: to dissuade her from having sex, he regales Robin's teenage sister with a story about how back in high school, he said "I love you too" to his girlfriend after she said she loved him to get in her pants, ran off the moment he finished banging her, and never called her back. He says that all teenage boys are like this, even the 'nice' ones like him. However, Ted later confesses that the roles were reversed -- he was in love with the girl, who lied about being in love with him back to make him put out and never called him back.
    • Ted's best friend Marshall is pretty much the poster-child for this trope. He's sweet, sensitive, innocent, good-natured, idealistic, romantic, and can't bear to hurt anyone (which is why it's such a shock when he beats a guy unconscious in retaliation for punching Ted). Also puts him into Gentle Giant territory given that Jason Segel is about 6'4.
  • Major Healey from I Dream of Jeannie is made of this trope. He treats Jeannie a lot better than Major Nelson does, and is always going out of his way to support and cheer on the other characters.
    • Most of the other characters are unfailingly polite and fit into this trope. The older male authority figures are stern but very polite and supportive (especially considering all the hijinks that the Majors and Jeannie pull, and are surprisingly forgiving and fair ( if somewhat by-the-book). When the psychologist found out that Major Nelson was being investigated as a tax cheat, he was quick to defend him. And Major Nelson might be somewhat uptight and exasperated by all of Jeannie's stunts, but he clearly cares a lot about her, too, and will often go out of his way to do nice things for her and Major Healey.
  • Lister and Kryten from Red Dwarf both fit this trope, although Lister is quite good at standing up for himself against Rimmer or Cat, wheras Kryten has some programming to overcome in order to find a backbone.
  • Riley and Xander from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
    • Though Riley gets something of a Deconstruction later on - he's the prime example of how to not do this character since he ended up being regarded as a bland Replacement Scrappy for Angel (and attempts to make him more compelling as a Love Interest for Buffy fell flat).
    • A female example is Tara McClay, most definitely - after overcoming her Shrinking Violet phase, she proves to be the most morally well-adjusted of the main cast, dispensing advice to the others on coping with grief after Joyce died. She's also a very understanding and forgiving (without being a doormat about it) lover to Willow, and becomes the group's Cool Big Sis and Team Mom (especially to Dawn).
  • Rory in Fortysomething.
  • In Noah's Arc, Junito is probably the best example, being consistently kind, courteous, patient and understanding with Ricky (who is a promiscuous, emotionally stunted, and often times Jerkass individual).
  • Sol Star of Deadwood manages to be nice to just about everyone in the camp (no easy feat) including Al Swearengen and be Heterosexual Life Partners with the perpetually short tempered Seth Bullock.
  • Dr. Archibald Hopper of Storybrooke, Maine. He's capable of being civil and helpful to just about anyone. Just don't ask this amnesiac cricket to ignore his conscience or you'll get an earful.

Literature

  • Dean from Tanya Huff's Summon the Keeper is so well-grounded people instinctively look for roots when they see him. He does housework, never swears, and is really handsome as well. Oh, and he's a twenty-year-old virgin.
  • Karal from the Mage Storms trilogy of the Heralds of Valdemar. He's so nice, in fact, that he's terribly ill-suited for the web of political intrigue he's thrust into by the death of his mentor, Ulrich, Karsite ambassador to Valdemar. However, as a priest (and an honest one, even), this very attribute turns out to be his greatest asset in making friends with the Heralds.
  • Brienne of Tarth from A Song of Ice and Fire. She's kind, generous, honourable, loyal, and the only knight with an aversion to killing civilians. Unfortunately, these traits are not useful for a woman who lives in a Crapsack World.
    • Arys Oakheart also qualifies, being the most unwilling of the Kingsguard to beat Sansa (and does so as lightly as possible), and is steadfastly loyal to Myrcella, whom he is sworn to protect. He gets offed.
  • Isaac Fisher from Outsourced is kind, considerate, and unwilling to take action that could cause future harm. This turns out to be a bad move.
  • Bertie Wooster is a Spoiled Sweet Upper Class Twit who constantly finds himself in trouble because of his niceness and his inability to say "no" to anyone. Of course, everyone constantly takes advantage of him, but he's never bitter in the least. (Or, if he is, he's very quickly talked out of even that.)
  • Ivan Vorpatril of Vorkosigan Saga is charming and likable. He is not without his faults, usually typical ones for an entitled but reasonably well-intended courtier such as an overfondness of the good life. And he is often underestimated by his kinfolk. But he is always loyal and albeit not without grumbling, helps his friends and relations and even total strangers.


Music

  • Real life examples are incredibly subjective, but anyone who has met Kristin Hersh or follows her Facebook page or Twitter account knows she really, really fits this trope.
  • Alice Cooper's No More Mr. Nice Guy is about Cooper throwing down the gauntlet after his mother's church group reacted with disgust to his onstage antics. He contends he was actually a Nice Guy...but not anymore.


Theatre

  • Bob McKellaway in Mary, Mary. Subverted in the end, when he prevents Mary from going away with Dirk by seizing her and shutting her in his closet.
  • Paris from Romeo and Juliet. The poor guy legitimately has no idea that his betrothed, Juliet, is in love with another man, and when she fakes her death, he visits her grave, intending to return every night. Even Romeo feels sorry for him after he kills him in desperate self-defence.


Video Games

  • The Mass Effect series has a few:
  • Knights of the Old Republic: Once Carth Onasi gets over his trust issues, he turns out to be a pretty swell guy. His Establishing Character Moment was holding on and waiting for you to get to the last Escape Pod, then nursing your intermittently conscious butt back to health. He is also a romance option for the female PC.
    • In the sequel there is the Disciple, who is also a possible love interest for the female PC.
  • The Main Character in Persona 4 almost never speaks, but he seems like a really nice person, both in his few dialogue choices (always polite, considerate, and caring) and in action (helps almost everyone whom he meets overcome their psychological issues, works at a daycare center, hospital, and a tutor).
    • Also the Male and Female Protagonists from Persona 3.
  • A non-romantic example: Scott Shelby in Heavy Rain is an overweight, asthmatic private detective, but he's also a really nice fellow who can single-handedly stop a general store robbery through the sheer power of his charisma. In another subversion of most Nice Guys on this page, he quickly became an Ensemble Darkhorse. In fact, his only real flaw is that he's a vicious, twisted serial killer. Karma's a bitch, ain't she?
    • It's saying a lot when the nicest character in such a bleak story turns out to be the most evil character.
  • Dragon Age's Alistair is about as nice as is possible to be, unless you hit his Berserk Button. Leliana is very sweet, and even Zevran, despite being an assassin hired to kill you, is good-natured and easygoing. Not coincidentally, they are three of the four potential love interests in the game.
  • The nicest characters in Dragon Age 2 are Merrill and Varric, mostly because Merrill doesn't really get how or why to be mean to people and Varric limits himself to poking fun.
    • Varric never goes anywhere without Bianca, and we all knows that she is as vicious as he is snarky
  • Zack Fair, from the Final Fantasy VII prequel Crisis Core. He's upbeat, sincere, utterly loyal, completely Adorkable, and just wants to be a hero (in the very best sense of the word). Because of this, he manages to make friends with practically everyone he encounters, including Shrinking Violet Cloud, the Turks and pre-Nibelheim Sephiroth. Contrast to how Cloud, the main character of Final Fantasy VII, starts out his story as a vain, arrogant, apathetic asshole who deliberately antagonises his employers, and earns either fawning admiration or loathing from everyone around him until he grows up a little.
  • Genki Girl Moria from Fallout 3 is one of the few people in the game that is not an obnoxious asshole who urges you to kill him, also, most ghouls in their town.
    • Of course, during her sidequest, she pretty much encourages you to expose yourself to near fatal amounts of radiation, and severely injure yourself. All in the name of research, of course. And you don't actually HAVE to do it, you can instead just crush her dreams and leave her horribly depressed. Or you can nuke her hometown and leave her as a radioactive ghoul... You Bastard.
  • Atrus from Myst is friendly, helpful, peace-loving, wise and sensible.
  • Guy from Tales of the Abyss is charming, laid-back, patient, and mature. In a world where all major characters have Dark and Troubled Past, he is the only one who manages to move on and thus grows up to be genuinely cheerful and all around pleasant simply rather than becoming jerkass, angsty, suicidal or omnicidal like the other characters (except Mieu). Other characters and especially girls notice, lampshade, and take advantage of his nice guy qualities though, much to his chagrin.
  • A Gender Flip example: Flonne is the kindest and most caring angel you'll ever meet talking about love
  • Stefan Bekowsky from L.A. Noire is this compared to the rest of Cole's partners, who are a (somewhat loveable) sexist, a despicable Smug Snake, and a WW 1 vet with an initially abrasive attitude. Bekowsky himself? His worst flaw is occasionally flirting with female victims.
  • Link from The Legend of Zelda franchise.
  • Stocke from Radiant Historia. He may not be the most demonstrative of Nice Guys, but one of the required sidequests for One Hundred Percent Completion and the Golden Ending? Helping a little girl play dress-up.
  • Tails of Sonic the Hedgehog is easily one of the nicest characters in the cast, and is even perfectly alright with accepting Eggman as a friend if he doesn't have an evil scheme at the moment.
  • Similarly, Luigi. He's very open, compliments people he's competing against, doesn't have Mario's Jerkass tendencies, and overall helps anybody with a problem he can solve.
    • Mario himself is about as inoffensive as it gets, being a sort of all-purpose problem-solver/private-army as a result of random people asking him for help and Mario never refusing. He does have the aforementioned tendency to abuse Bowser (being justified only 9 times out of 10), but to any non-militant-koopas he's friendly, gregarious, and charitable.
  • Golden Sun has played merry hell with this trope.
    • Isaac was openly identified as a Nice Guy by the extras for the first game, since he's a Heroic Mime in that one. Then in The Lost Age, he got to speak for himself, and he was good, but not very nice. The shift might be justified by all the crap he went through in the first game and the pressure he's still under in TLA, but it was still pretty jarring to a lot of players.
    • Ivan was identified as a sweet kid, but had some issues with Mind Over Manners even in the first game, which he was even called out on.
    • Mia has a little bit of Deadpan Snarker, but is mostly a gentle Staff Chick and the first truly nice player character in the series. Her Establishing Character Moment is healing an elderly couple, she quickly puts her trust in Isaac's group despite the doubtful circumstances of their meeting, and her most aggressive moment is even fully merited - revulsion with her cousin, Alex, upon realising the extent of his betraying their Clan's ideals.
    • Piers in The Lost Age is probably the first genuinely nice male player character. He's initially standoffish due to some trust issues, but once he defrosts, he is quite mellow and gentle. Heck, his Establishing Character Moment scene even has him try to comfort and empathize with an abuser, and mentally kicking himself after he's been driven to lash out with his Psynergy.
    • Dark Dawn's Matthew is generally held to be a sweet guy, though being as he is the son of the aforementioned Isaac and a known pottymouth, this might need to be taken with a grain of salt.
    • Amiti on the other hand is completely transparent, and pure sugar. Even to the nation presently at war with his. He's just that nice. It's a genuinely shocking moment when he first voices his opinions on criminal justice, and even then, he calms down after a gentle reprimand and a reminder of what's at stake.
    • Sveta of Morgal is so far the straightest example of this trope (even though she's not human, but a Beastwoman. She leads the party despite only just meeting them, helps them even when their goals come into opposition with her country's leader, Volechek (who is also her brother), protects the lives of people to be executed as part of her country's festival, and does her part to save not just her own people but the whole world. She's also an Action Girl who isn't passive-aggressive, and recognises that she can't leave the Grave Eclipse running for a second even though it would kill her brother, because to do so would only kill more innocent people.


Visual Novels

  • Masayuki in A Profile is so nice that it unnerves some of his friends and classmates.
  • Tsukihime's Tohno Shiki is a decent, compassionate guy. Don't fuck with him or he'll make you Deader Than Dead. Or for that matter, fuck him. Dude's a living aversion of Good People Have Good Sex. His niceness was most likely a result of a traumatic incident where he almost died so now he ended up appreciating life more.
    • Shiki is more of an average guy then a real nice guy. Sure he'll risk his neck to rid of a killer if he feels its within his power (or if he's force to) and he'll put on a smile for you but in truth, he don't really care all that much for some strangers. For example: When he first heard of the murders his thought process was: Must suck for the victims; oh well, nothing I can do, on with life. He also admits when helping Arcruied that that he's not really doing it to help the city, he's helping her because he wants to help her. Guess he's one of those "fake nice guys" the guy above was talking about; definitely a nice guy but not a saint.
      • On the other hand, regarding strangers, when he was facing Nrvnqsr Chaos, witnessing the latter interrupting their confrontation to murder and devour a bypasser who had nothing to do with anything, for no reason whatsoever, was what got him out of being afraid of the monster, and replaced the fear with hatred and anger.
  • Fate/stay night's Emiya Shirou is considerate, slightly overprotective, thoughtful and an amazing Supreme Chef.
  • In Lux-Pain, out of all of Atsuki's new friends, Ryo fits the definition and is well known for being the nicest guy at Kisaragi High School because he's so helpful. Of course, he's a character that you don't want to anger but his annoyance is always justified. And of course, his nice guy attitude is what attracts the ladies and his best friend Hibiki. He's also the Team Dad of the group.
    • Yayoi is the nice girl of the group always worrying about everyone's safety and like Ryo, she's the Team Mom of the group.
  • Hideyoshi of Umineko no Naku Koro ni is... pretty normal compared to the rest of the cast. And nice, too seeing how he's always trying to calm down fights. And he hasn't done anything noteworthy yet. Then again, this is the When They Cry franchise, so we shouldn't call him out yet...
    • To further shove this in your face, he has the lowest survival rate in the series, while his wife Eva (who adores him) has the highest. And after he kicks it, she horribly snaps. EVERY time.. Owwwwch.
    • George (who happens to be Hideyoshi and Eva's son) and Jessica can probably apply for this too. With the same, necessary caveat, of course.
    • Hideyoshi is slowly becoming an Ensemble Darkhorse because of how normal and friendly he is. In fact, the fandom is displeased that he hasn't gotten much character development.
    • According to Episode 1, all he wanted was a family that would accept him because his died during World War II.


Web Comics

  • Lizard from the (discontinued) comics Living in Greytown and Lizard!
  • Bob from The Inexplicable Adventures of Bob epitomizes this. He could be considered the weaponized version of this trope, because of his ability to talk his enemies into backing down.
  • Marten Reed in Questionable Content.
  • Merlitz from Dan and Mab's Furry Adventures before he was Put on a Bus. Doubled as the Only Sane Man.
  • Danny Wilcox from the Walkyverse is probably one of the best examples of this trope being played straight ever.
    • And he gets his girl in the end. Woo Hoo!
    • His Dumbing of Age variant, on the other hand, is too neurotic and sarcastic to really be this.
  • The Nice Guy havs "involuntary decency" as his sole character flaw.
  • Dejoru of Juathuur seems is a really nice guy. But maybe it's just a tactic to get laid.
  • John Egbert of Homestuck is definitely one of these. General consensus among his friends is that he's kind of a doofus, but that there's something endearing about his derpiness.
    • Kanaya Maryam (aka grimAuxiliatrix) of the trolls is considered by many to be a Nice Girl. Polite, well-spoken and helpful; although she's a meddlesome meddler, she apparently does it only to help people. "Auxiliatrix" even means "a helpful woman". It remains to be seen if she has any ulterior motives, however.
    • Tavros Nitram also qualifies. One of the trolls notes that he seems to be unable to hate anyone. Which is really odd among trolls.
  • Max of Precocious is the lone nice guy in a class riddled with cognitive dissonance.
  • Jeremy from Platinum Grit. He's so nice that he can be this and The Woobie at the same time, because he's too damn nice to get down in the dumps about anything for long.
  • In Sinfest, Slick tries to achieve this trope -- and fails.
  • Elan, The Order of the Stick's Spoony Bard, is definitely a Nice Guy. He's also fairly Dumb.
  • Sam from Sam and Fuzzy. While he has aspects of Beware the Nice Ones (most of whom end up getting subverted), at a whole he's the kindest and most inoffensive person in the strip—excepting Carlyle.
  • Dangerously Chloe got Theodore "Teddy Bear" Decarlo, Unlucky Childhood Friend of Jacqui (who mostly also is a very nice gal). His forte is having a spine and good sense, so he is not rolled into doormat by every girl with curves like e.g. Gary from Ménage à 3.
    • Both qualities make the character interesting, but also seem to force the plot to keep Teddy out of most direct conflicts, especially situations where he would be in a good position to tell off various conceited creatures (or even know half of good reasons he have to do this) - to avoid ending plot threads and revealing too much too fast.
  • Sakana is full of these.
    • Jiro, despite being a Nervous Wreck and Extreme Doormat, is a very kind and friendly person who is willing to stick out for others even if they treat him like shit. His older brother Taro also qualifies, as long as you don't mess with his little brother.
    • Their uncle Ren is very much this, to the point of being a Cool Uncle. It's jarring he's the father of someone like Genji.
    • As for the other coworkers, Shigeru and Jan are sweet, friendly fellows.
    • The king of them all is Taisei. His weird behavior and quirks don't change the fact he's the sweetest, kindest soul in the whole comic, being a Wide-Eyed Idealist and all-loving hero to the extreme. Hell, his Nice Guy levels are such he managed to defrost and win the heart of the Sakana's Broken Bird coworker Yuudai, and becomes his Morality Pet as a result.
    • As for the females, Chie aka "Cashier Girl" is a lovely lady to pretty much everyone. Which is baffling to know she was an Enfante Terrible as a kid. Her friend Sango also qualifies.

Web Original

  • While most Red vs. Blue characters are some level of Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonist, there are still a few Nice Guys. Donut on the Red Team is so perky, friendly, and nice that even Church (who otherwise hates everyone) likes him. Agent New York is sane, laid-back, friendly, fair-minded, slightly dorky, and gets along well with his AI... especially notable due to the fact that the rest of the elite squad he's a part of is otherwise mostly jerkasses, cynics, crazy, and/or downright evil. Finally, Sheila is remarkably personable and helpful for literally being a tank.
  • Quite a few characters in Survival of the Fittest, but one character who plays this to a tee is Reika Ishida, in contrast to her sister. One of her defining traits was that she was nice and friendly, always trying to help out. However, true to the stereotype, she literally gets killed within two posts once she gets to the island. Danya in the following announcement then called her "the less interesting of the Ishida sisters" for this reason.
  • Penny from Doctor Horribles Sing Along Blog is extremely sweet-natured, a good friend to Billy, vegetarian, and volunteers to help the homeless.
  • Felicia Day also plays Codex on The Guild, who is a Deconstruction of this trope. While she's generally very tolerant and patient with the rest of the group and serves as The Heart, the constant pressures of being the White Magician Girl (in-game and out) have fed into her crippling neurosis.
  • Personified with the "Good Guy Greg" Image Macro.
  • Doug Walker's niceness was lampshaded and parodied in his cameo for Phelous's review of House of Wax. While the rest of the site cheered for Paris Hilton's character's death, he's disgusted by their behaviour even though she's fictional.
    • Speaking of That Guy With The Glasses, the late and much missed Justin "Jew Wario" Carmical (even in character, which was close to his real life persona anyway) was probably the nicest person out of the entire cast/crew.

Western Animation

  • This is a required trope for Optimus Prime, no matter which Transformers Multiverse he belongs to.
  • Despite being a necromancer prone to being a Large Ham, Dr. Orpheus of The Venture Brothers is a loving father, true friend (to Brock Samson and his Triad team-mates at least) and one of the few characters on that show to have a conscience. Although he takes his share of hits and occasional ridicule (like every other character), he usually comes out on top earning at least the respect of his peers. He even states that he only uses the Necromancer label due to titles like Wizard or Sorcerer being too boring.
    • Which is ironic, considering his mentor and teacher is one of the most Jerk Assey characters in the entire show. He might not match the Monarch or Phantom Limb in terms of objective evil but he manages to outdo both in terms of sheer, petty passive-aggressive meanness. Somehow, Orpheus always manages to take his advice in a way that doesn't make him act like a total ponce, which only helps contribute to his Nice Guy cred.
  • Frylock from Aqua Teen Hunger Force is actually someone most people would like to have as a neighbor... excluding the science experiments, his roommates, and his being a living, floating box of french fries.
  • Mr. Thickley, Willy Wombat and Hugh from Taz-Mania are all quite friendly.
    • The Platypus Brothers too; they love to help people, for the sheer joy of applying their well-meaning (if oversightful) intellects to the problem at hand.
  • Hamton from Tiny Toon Adventures.
  • As shown in the quote, Geoff from Total Drama Island, along with Owen and DJ.
  • Raffles from Rover Dangerfield.
  • Wilt from Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends manages to dodge the "Butt Monkey" and "Not funny" aspects of this trope by being SO much of a doormat that it becomes hilarious. Part of his problem is a chronic inability to refuse any request, no matter how ill-advised acceding to it would be. In one episode he finally flips and shouts "NO!" over and over for almost a minute...before Bloo heartlessly makes yet another selfish request and force of habit elicits an amicable "sure!" from Wilt.
  • The eponymous Arnold of Hey Arnold!!
  • Phineas and Ferb: Jeremy Johnson is such a pleasant person, it's hard to believe he has an absolutely insane little sister. He's even dating Candace despite all her glaring flaws and questionable sanity.
    • For that matter, Phineas and Ferb themselves would give you the shirts off their backs if asked. In theory, at least. In practice, they'd be more likely to invent some kind of humongous shirt-making machine to clothe every shirtless person in the Tri-State Area, but the principle's the same.
  • The titular Jimmy Two-Shoes might be the only truly nice person in Miseryville.
  • Captain Marvel on Justice League. He only got one episode.

Superman: Why are you-- why is everyone defending Captain Marvel?!
Batman: We like him. He's... sunny.

    • And several minutes of Cap's episode were dedicated to showing how well Cap got along with his teammates and how nice a guy he was to them. This was done specifically to contrast the seven core JLU members, who during that season were shown to hang around only each other, have secret meetings with no input from the rest of the team and not really interact with the 'lesser' heroes. This gave more credence to the What the Hell, Hero? speech he gives the big seven, specifically Superman, at the end, regarding their behavior.
    • The Flash. He's friendly to everyone, including his enemies, and the fact that his persona is so different from certain other superheroes made its own episode.[1] Of course, he also fits another trope quite nicely should you try to hurt his friends. Captain Marvel got an episode to show he was nice, Flash has being doing it two series running now, with no signs of ever slowing down.
  • Stimpy from The Ren and Stimpy Show. He's pretty much the nicest character on the show.
  • Butters from South Park. He has endured heaps and heaps of Break the Cutie that would have caused anyone else to jump out a very high window with a smile and a song. Even his parents are in on it; his mother tried to drown him in a car when she found out that her husband was sleeping with men, his parents grounded him for making a funny face (his normal face mind you) in his class photo, and they even tried to sell him to Paris Hilton when her latest pet committed suicide. Occasionally he will deliver harsh words, but only when people deserve much, much worse. He did decide to become a Super Villain, but even that is just plain precious.
  • The titular Doug is probably the sweetest kid in his town, always being there for his friends, rooting for the underdog, that's just a few things.
  • The vast majority of Disney Animated Canon protagonists, even if some of them are "nice girls" instead.
  • IM Weasel from I Am Weasel. Calling him nice would be an understatement. He was first shown giving a dying boy a kidney transplant. He becomes slightly more egotistical and neurotic in later episodes, though considering how much his kindness often gets him, it's often justified.
  • Mei Ling in the short Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Furious Five. She is the only one who realizes that Crane, who is working as the underappreciated janitor, not only dreams of joining her academy, but has the talent to excel. As such, she takes it upon herself to convince him to try out for enrollment and she backs him all the way in the attempt.
  • Ed the otter from Brandy and Mr. Whiskers is one of the nicest, most likable, most easygoing characters on the show.
  • Jackie Chan Adventures: Jackie Chan takes it Up to Eleven. He is so nice than even his dark side is a Jerk with a Heart of Gold.
  • Cleveland from Family Guy used to be this, at least until he got his own show. Tim the Mormon bear on The Cleveland Show usually plays this role.
    • Strangely enough, Stewie Griffin frequently plays this role in his interactions with Brian, despite being a complete sociopath elsewhere. Quagmire will sometimes adopt this role ( especially when interacting with Lois and the younger Griffins, although he usually cycles back to his role as the pervert fairly quickly ( Rule of Funny wouldn't you write him that way, too? ).Joe and Brian are probably the closest the show has to your standard Nice Guy nowadays ( particularly when interacting with the Griffins) , although Joe is too aggressive and driven to fit the role exactly. Brian fitted this role well in the early seasons, but he's probably too self-righteous and disliked by the fanbase to really work as your standard issue Nice Guy.
  • Chris from Dan Vs., in stark contrast to Dan (and most of the other characters to be honest).
  • Iroh and Aang, from Avatar: The Last Airbender.
  • Fry from Futurama is incredibly stupid and ignorant, which makes him act crude, inappropriate, or thoughtless at times, but his disposition is always sweet and sunny and his intentions are always good. He's also incredibly selfless, forgiving, especially towards Leela and Bender.
  • Kim Possible may have traits of arrogance, vanity and has a slight habit of being bossy, but she mostly matures out of it to become genuinely more caring, tolerant and respectful. Mostly.
  1. ↑ Flash and Substance
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