8/25/22, 5:50 PM Neutral No Longer - TV Tropes

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"I'd made up my mind to steer clear of the Alliance, make my living out where I wouldn't be bothered and wouldn't be
bothering neither. But you won't seem to let me live that way. Every time I try to walk away, you come followin'. Well,
from now on, you choose to chase me, I'm gonna turn and meet you head on. Be honest, I'm developin' a taste for it."
— Mal, Serenity: Leaves on the Wind

There are many innocents in the epic battle between good and evil. Some people will join on the side
of good because the evil invaders destroyed their home. A lot of people will join on the side of evil
because Evil Is Sexy, Rule of Cool, or just 'cause.

Then there are the people who deliberately try to stay out of the conflict. These could be the people in
the Hidden Elf Village or the Actual Pacifist. Often, they don't have a dog in the fight either way or
they're just opportunists supporting both sides. No matter how you slice it, these people don't support
either side more or less than any other side. That is, until the good guys turn out to be a bunch of self-
righteous jerkasses or the villains Kick the Dog. At that point, it's on and there's going to be hell to
pay.

This Trope comes in two varieties.

The first kind is rather straightforward. The neutral party is initially undecided until the villains press
their Berserk Button. Then the neutral party will oppose the villains from then on.
The second kind is less frequently used. As it turns out, sometimes heroes and villains are really
bad at making first impressions. After initially meeting the heroes, the neutral party will decide that
evil is so much cooler and join them, or vice versa. This isn't a Heel–Face Turn or a Face–Heel
Turn, because these people were neutral at the start of the story and would have remained so if the
villains and/or heroes weren't a bunch of a-holes. They will often only go out of their way to oppose
someone out of vengeance.

If the neutral faction happens to be able to crush both sides if they really wanted to, then someone
has Awakened The Sleeping Giant, and chances are, it's about to Curb Stomp everyone in their way.

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Compare Default to Good, Heroic Neutral, Let's Get Dangerous!. Hope that no Neutrality Backlash
kicks in, when the winning side resents the person who only signed on at the last minute. Contrast
Choosing Neutrality, where someone evil or good shifts to neutral.

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Previous Index Next

Adopt the Dog Heel/Face Index Awakening the Sleeping Giant

Neutral in Name Only Neutrality Index The Neutral Zone

Neutrality Backlash Morality Tropes Never Hurt an Innocent

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