...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!

Rule of Empathy

121 statements
21 feature instances
19 referencing feature instances

Rule of Empathy	type	FeatureClass
Rule of Empathy	label	Rule of Empathy
Rule of Empathy	page	RuleOfEmpathy
Rule of Empathy	comment	Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_1'); })Believe it or not, humans have an amazing ability to empathize with other humans and reasonably humanoid equivalents, even fictional ones! A lot of it has to do with the kind of focus a character receives, be it a Sympathetic P.O.V., with Pet the Dog moments, or any of the dozens of Characterization Tropes. This in turn extends a kind of Popularity Power onto the protagonist/focused on character, giving them a better chance of success in their endeavors than would otherwise be expected. So, one ninja can beat 10,000 ninjas because we've been following the one ninja the whole show; and we know nothing about any of the 10,000. On the other hand, when the villain comes, he'll pose a genuine threat, because we know who he is, what he wants, and may even have developed sympathies for him as well. Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_2'); })The Rule of Empathy works hand in hand with Plot Armor; while the Rule of Empathy gives a greater chance of success Plot Armor makes surviving long enough to reach that goal easier. Interestingly, it is by no means linked to intelligence. A compassionate fool is likelier to survive than a pragmatic Jerkass. This is also why the Littlest Cancer Patient cannot die of anything but their illness: we're simply too attached to them. Relatedly, it should be noted that the Rule of Empathy is not an all-powerful charm that grants success and survival to sympathetic characters. It may well be used against the characters/audience with the likes of a Mauve Shirt being Killed Off for Real, or to hook us into rooting for the Failure Hero. As noted earlier, making a villain sympathetic is a sure way of making the audience deeply invested in a story. Sure, they're bad, but they're not all bad. Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_3'); })The Rule of Empathy also informs viewers and characters (and at times authors) just how good or bad an action is within the context of the story. When a villain destroys a whole Throwaway Country, we don't care because we never saw those characters. But when they kill one character the audience or hero empathizes with, then they've crossed the Moral Event Horizon. The Rule of Empathy also has a dark side. There is a fate worse than being a 'neutral' Innocent Bystander with no real attachment to the audience; characters who are notably unsympathetic will (with few exceptions) be in for a world of hurt. Whether it's because they Kick the Dog or do other heinous deeds that alienate them from (most) viewer's sympathies, these characters will have a comeuppance at the hands of something similar to karma, ranging from the Humiliation Conga, being Hoist by His Own Petard, suffering a Death by Irony, or falling to a Fate Worse than Death. Related to Woobie and all variations thereof. Supertrope behind Conservation of Ninjutsu, Mook, Red Shirt. Contrast with Lack of Empathy & No Sympathy. See also: Rule of Cool, Rule of Funny, Rule of Drama. Examples:
Rule of Empathy	fetched	2022-09-02T11:58:43Z
Rule of Empathy	parsed	2022-09-02T11:58:43Z
Rule of Empathy	processingComment	Dropped link to AmoralAttorney: Not an Item - FEATURE
Rule of Empathy	processingComment	Dropped link to CrimeAndPunishmentSeries: Not an Item - CAT
Rule of Empathy	processingComment	Dropped link to GuileHero: Not an Item - FEATURE
Rule of Empathy	processingComment	Dropped link to LampShade: Not an Item - FEATURE
Rule of Empathy	processingComment	Dropped link to LighterAndSofter: Not an Item - FEATURE
Rule of Empathy	processingComment	Dropped link to MyCountryRightOrWrong: Not an Item - FEATURE
Rule of Empathy	processingComment	Dropped link to TearJerker: Not an Item - FEATURE
Rule of Empathy	processingComment	Dropped link to TheWoobie: Not an Item - FEATURE
Rule of Empathy	processingComment	Dropped link to lampshadehanging: Not an Item - FEATURE
Rule of Empathy	isPartOf	DBTropes
Rule of Empathy / int_247422c7	type	Rule of Empathy
Rule of Empathy / int_247422c7	comment	In any given Honor Harrington book, the good people, even if on the wrong side, are generally the ones who like or at least respect Honor personally. For example, the first book ends with Honor about to chew Sonja Hemphill out. Three books later, the latter woman is still perfectly willing to drum Pavel Young out of the service for cowardice. Several books later, the two are apparently on conversational terms, and Honor has admitted the other woman was essentially right in her viewpoint. Also goes for some of Manticore's Havenite opponents. Anyone on the Havenite side who respects the Manticorans, or who the Manticorans respect in turn, is, generally speaking, a fundamentally decent person who merely happens to be on the opposing side. See, for instance, Thomas Theisman, Lester Tourville, Shannon Foraker, Javier Giscard, and Eloise Pritchart. This makes the two star nations joining up in a military alliance against the Solarian League much easier, as everybody already thoroughly respects the people they're now working beside. Unsurprisingly, a few Birds of a Feather friendships start to form, most notably between Queen Elizabeth and President Pritchart and Sonja Hemphill and Shannon Foraker.
Rule of Empathy / int_247422c7	featureApplicability	1.0
Rule of Empathy / int_247422c7	featureConfidence	1.0
Honor Harrington	hasFeature	Rule of Empathy / int_247422c7
Rule of Empathy / int_31d8505b	type	Rule of Empathy
Rule of Empathy / int_31d8505b	comment	In Jessica, the sympathetic setup for both Cameron and Jessica possibly contributes to the happy ending, with the two reconciled and Jessica returned to life.
Rule of Empathy / int_31d8505b	featureApplicability	1.0
Rule of Empathy / int_31d8505b	featureConfidence	1.0
Jessica (Fanfic)	hasFeature	Rule of Empathy / int_31d8505b
Rule of Empathy / int_32c541e6	type	Rule of Empathy
Rule of Empathy / int_32c541e6	comment	In Fullmetal Alchemist, the Big Bad turns an entire Throwaway Country into Philosopher's Stones. This is upgraded from a terrifying display of power to an unforgivably evil act when we hear the voices of the souls of some of those people inside Hohenheim, and learn that they retained their consciousness and personalities even after being made into Philosopher's Stones. Their comments, especially their enthusiasm in using their souls to fuel Hohenheim's alchemy so he can defeat the Big Bad, make them sympathetic to the audience.
Rule of Empathy / int_32c541e6	featureApplicability	1.0
Rule of Empathy / int_32c541e6	featureConfidence	1.0
Fullmetal Alchemist (Manga)	hasFeature	Rule of Empathy / int_32c541e6
Rule of Empathy / int_342367b0	type	Rule of Empathy
Rule of Empathy / int_342367b0	comment	Pretty much the whole point of Warbot In Accounting is to make the audience feel pity for another literal killing machine. Unlike Cameron, however, this machine has no face, voice, appendages, ability to emote, and is basically a box with a giant camera lens coming out of the center. It works. Painfully well.
Rule of Empathy / int_342367b0	featureApplicability	1.0
Rule of Empathy / int_342367b0	featureConfidence	1.0
Warbot in Accounting (Webcomic)	hasFeature	Rule of Empathy / int_342367b0
Rule of Empathy / int_42bb8b78	type	Rule of Empathy
Rule of Empathy / int_42bb8b78	comment	One of the shorts of Æon Flux viciously subverts this, showing a series of characters, each given screen time alone and characterization to make the audience connect with them, and each of whom becomes the subsequent Mook to be slaughtered by another character that the audience is being told to empathize with.
Rule of Empathy / int_42bb8b78	featureApplicability	1.0
Rule of Empathy / int_42bb8b78	featureConfidence	1.0
Æon Flux	hasFeature	Rule of Empathy / int_42bb8b78
Rule of Empathy / int_5286ec36	type	Rule of Empathy
Rule of Empathy / int_5286ec36	comment	In Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Judge Doom memorably vaults over the Moral Event Horizon by painfully murdering an innocent just to prove he can. Who is this innocent? A cartoon shoe. Take an ordinary shoe, draw a face on it, have it make cute squeaking noises and nuzzle up against people's legs just like a friendly cat, and the audience will be horrified when it's killed in cold blood.
Rule of Empathy / int_5286ec36	featureApplicability	1.0
Rule of Empathy / int_5286ec36	featureConfidence	1.0
Who Framed Roger Rabbit	hasFeature	Rule of Empathy / int_5286ec36
Rule of Empathy / int_58907201	type	Rule of Empathy
Rule of Empathy / int_58907201	comment	Discussed in Sinfest, where Baby Blue objects to a story with a sympathetic protagonist; she gives Fuschia a physics textbook to read to the damned instead.
Rule of Empathy / int_58907201	featureApplicability	1.0
Rule of Empathy / int_58907201	featureConfidence	1.0
Sinfest (Webcomic)	hasFeature	Rule of Empathy / int_58907201
Rule of Empathy / int_7f640c59	type	Rule of Empathy
Rule of Empathy / int_7f640c59	comment	In The Sims 3, If a Sim with the Unlucky or Loser trait dies of anything but old age, the Grim Reaper will revive them on the grounds that he "feels sorry" for them, and that they provide too much amusement to be killed off.
Rule of Empathy / int_7f640c59	featureApplicability	1.0
Rule of Empathy / int_7f640c59	featureConfidence	1.0
The Sims 3 / Videogame	hasFeature	Rule of Empathy / int_7f640c59
Rule of Empathy / int_8e8ed866	type	Rule of Empathy
Rule of Empathy / int_8e8ed866	comment	Please direct your attention to the Knight Rider episode (original series) "Junkyard Dog", which sees KITT dumped in an acid pit and literally gutted alive (it's the only time we ever see the nigh-indestructible Knight Industries Two Thousand calling for help). The reactions of the team when he's hauled out, and KITT's resulting PTSD, are heartbreaking for fans; especially the reaction of Michael, who spends hours sitting around outside of the lab, like a nervous family member outside of an operating theatre, while the team is trying to repair him. And if the episode itself gets to you, then for the love of God, don't read the script. KITT tends to do this to people a lot. And given that KITT is essentially a sentient car, that's saying something. All we have to get attached to is his personality.
Rule of Empathy / int_8e8ed866	featureApplicability	1.0
Rule of Empathy / int_8e8ed866	featureConfidence	1.0
Knight Rider	hasFeature	Rule of Empathy / int_8e8ed866
Rule of Empathy / int_903d6567	type	Rule of Empathy
Rule of Empathy / int_903d6567	comment	Goof Troop. How can you make the audience consistently laugh at The Chew Toy without starting to feel sympathy for him? Especially if his main foil is a complete idiot who causes a lot of problems? Easy: engineer the perfect Woobie (sweet, subjugated, sensitive, and harmless), make The Chew Toy treat him like crap, and show as many of his reactions as possible—both to immediate actions and the treatment as a whole—playing them completely straight in stark contrast to the rest of the show's comedic nature. Usually what Pete goes through can be justified by PJ episodes, and to a lesser extent Max episodes (which tend to feature PJ in major roles), but "Bringin' on the Rain" was a Pete episode that used this a lot.
Rule of Empathy / int_903d6567	featureApplicability	1.0
Rule of Empathy / int_903d6567	featureConfidence	1.0
Goof Troop	hasFeature	Rule of Empathy / int_903d6567
Rule of Empathy / int_9e7653e4	type	Rule of Empathy
Rule of Empathy / int_9e7653e4	comment	In the Sisterhood Series by Fern Michaels, the author proves to have difficulty using this trope. The Vigilantes are a group of women who should have your sympathy, with their Dark and Troubled Pasts. Unfortunately, they prove to be politically incorrect, abusive to victims, sexist, acting more like militant feminists than anything good, dishing out a Fate Worse than Death than a Cool and Unusual Punishment, and acting more like spoiled little girls who have never really grown up. They basically get away with all of this because the author wants them to! It's no wonder other characters, including some of the villains, prove to be way more likable in comparison!
Rule of Empathy / int_9e7653e4	featureApplicability	1.0
Rule of Empathy / int_9e7653e4	featureConfidence	1.0
Sisterhood Series	hasFeature	Rule of Empathy / int_9e7653e4
Rule of Empathy / int_a895e9d2	type	Rule of Empathy
Rule of Empathy / int_a895e9d2	comment	In the penultimate level of Portal, the player character is given a Weighted Companion Cube, literally a normal cube with hearts on the side. After carrying it around to solve several puzzles, GLaDOS, the AI running the experiments, forces you to incinerate the cube to progress past the level. For the rest of the game and franchise, she constantly guilts the player by treating it like betraying and murdering a best friend. In Portal 2 the player may begin to feel this for GLaDOS after losing control of the facility to Wheatley and the reveal that her program contains the memories of Caroline, the assistant to Aperture Science's founder.
Rule of Empathy / int_a895e9d2	featureApplicability	1.0
Rule of Empathy / int_a895e9d2	featureConfidence	1.0
Portal (Video Game)	hasFeature	Rule of Empathy / int_a895e9d2
Rule of Empathy / int_a895e9d3	type	Rule of Empathy
Rule of Empathy / int_a895e9d3	comment	In Portal 2 the player may begin to feel this for GLaDOS after losing control of the facility to Wheatley and the reveal that her program contains the memories of Caroline, the assistant to Aperture Science's founder.
Rule of Empathy / int_a895e9d3	featureApplicability	1.0
Rule of Empathy / int_a895e9d3	featureConfidence	1.0
Portal 2 (Video Game)	hasFeature	Rule of Empathy / int_a895e9d3
Rule of Empathy / int_bc3e398b	type	Rule of Empathy
Rule of Empathy / int_bc3e398b	comment	Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: Cameron is a cold, emotionless, and literal killing machine who at one point leaves a man and his sister who helped her to die because they don't matter to her anymore. That doesn't change the fact that she is a deeply sympathetic character who rapidly obtained Ensemble Dark Horse Woobie status because of both how interesting she was and all the crap she puts up with without complaint for the Connors.
Rule of Empathy / int_bc3e398b	featureApplicability	1.0
Rule of Empathy / int_bc3e398b	featureConfidence	1.0
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles	hasFeature	Rule of Empathy / int_bc3e398b
Rule of Empathy / int_c43df4d8	type	Rule of Empathy
Rule of Empathy / int_c43df4d8	comment	Doctor Who pulls this all the freaking time, by introducing us to so many good-natured, likable, honest folks, and then killing them in cold blood. In an in-universe example, in "The Christmas Invasion", Jackie Tyler, who at this point usually had fairly harsh words and attitude for the Doctor, becomes very caring towards him as his condition worsens. The Doctor, likely aware of everything that happened within earshot, later thanks her by pulling her into a Group Hug. Such as poor Mo in "The Hungry Earth", who we first meet while trying to help his dyslexic son to read a book ("who loves you more than me?"). He survives, but he does end up being kidnapped and vivisected.note They do put him back together without killing him, but that's horrifying in an entirely different way.
Rule of Empathy / int_c43df4d8	featureApplicability	1.0
Rule of Empathy / int_c43df4d8	featureConfidence	1.0
Doctor Who	hasFeature	Rule of Empathy / int_c43df4d8
Rule of Empathy / int_cb6abea3	type	Rule of Empathy
Rule of Empathy / int_cb6abea3	comment	Yu-Gi-Oh! (a series which, to most fans, thrives on Narm Charm) tends to get this a lot. We're given some particularly good reasons to empathise with Maximillion Crawford/Pegasus, who lost the woman he loved and has been trying to get her back ever since. Other villians such as Malik/Marik, who was forced into a role he didn't want to play his whole childhood and developed a huge bitterness towards the Pharaoh, Amelda/Alister, whose home country was destroyed by a war fought with weapons supplied by Kaiba Corp — you know, before Kaiba corp did games — and Bakura, whose entire village was slaughtered to create the Millennium items, also engender a lot of empathy. Then there's Yugi who is just... he's like the poster child for Woobification. If you watch the unknown first season in particular, or read the manga, then you see that he starts out as nothing more than a punchbag for every bully in Domino High. Including bullies whom he stands up for and who later end up being his best friends. Not to forget that the duels often try to make the viewer feel sympathy for the cards.
Rule of Empathy / int_cb6abea3	featureApplicability	1.0
Rule of Empathy / int_cb6abea3	featureConfidence	1.0
Yu-Gi-Oh!	hasFeature	Rule of Empathy / int_cb6abea3
Rule of Empathy / int_d31cdea	type	Rule of Empathy
Rule of Empathy / int_d31cdea	comment	In The Hunger Games, this is present as a part of the universe. When Haymitch is trying to mentor Katniss, he tries very hard to make her likable, to make her someone who will earn the audience's sympathy. Sympathy will equal sponsors and money for necessities in the arena, and could therefore make the difference in the Games. Peeta, it turns out, is a natural at invoking the Rule of Empathy at the drop of a hat. Katniss is not. Peeta's so good at it he can garner empathy for just about anyone.
Rule of Empathy / int_d31cdea	featureApplicability	1.0
Rule of Empathy / int_d31cdea	featureConfidence	1.0
The Hunger Games	hasFeature	Rule of Empathy / int_d31cdea
Rule of Empathy / int_d4f9ccf	type	Rule of Empathy
Rule of Empathy / int_d4f9ccf	comment	Aladdin's Establishing Character Moment happens when he gives up his only meal (immediately after having just risked his life to steal it in the first place) to ensure orphans won't starve. That's all the viewer needs to know what sort of man he is.
Rule of Empathy / int_d4f9ccf	featureApplicability	1.0
Rule of Empathy / int_d4f9ccf	featureConfidence	1.0
Aladdin	hasFeature	Rule of Empathy / int_d4f9ccf
Rule of Empathy / int_e293455a	type	Rule of Empathy
Rule of Empathy / int_e293455a	comment	Similarly, although the Buffy/Angel series wasn't afraid to kill off sympathetic characters, if Willow had died the fans would have burned the studio down. Fred is a borderline case because Amy Acker continued as Illyria.
Rule of Empathy / int_e293455a	featureApplicability	1.0
Rule of Empathy / int_e293455a	featureConfidence	1.0
Buffy the Vampire Slayer	hasFeature	Rule of Empathy / int_e293455a
Rule of Empathy / int_e7e37776	type	Rule of Empathy
Rule of Empathy / int_e7e37776	comment	Firefly: Don't hurt River or Kaylee. EVERYONE watching is their Papa Wolf or Mama Bear. Similarly, although the Buffy/Angel series wasn't afraid to kill off sympathetic characters, if Willow had died the fans would have burned the studio down. Fred is a borderline case because Amy Acker continued as Illyria. It's notable that Joss Whedon is well aware of this, having said that if he wanted the Firefly audience to hate a character, he just had to show them being mean to Kaylee. If he wanted to the Buffy audience to cry, he just had to show them Willow crying.
Rule of Empathy / int_e7e37776	featureApplicability	1.0
Rule of Empathy / int_e7e37776	featureConfidence	1.0
Firefly	hasFeature	Rule of Empathy / int_e7e37776
Rule of Empathy / int_ff9ab17f	type	Rule of Empathy
Rule of Empathy / int_ff9ab17f	comment	In Star Trek: The Next Generation, most of Data's interactions with his crewmates can be attributed to this. He's reasonably convincing as a sentient being and is probably one of the most sympathetic characters in the entire franchise, but he lacks emotions and empathic awareness and several characters have argued that he is effectively a highly complex walking computer which may or may not have a soul. Yet the crew encourages him to create and socialize, many consider him a friend, and treat him as if he were fully capable of feeling. They even encouraged him to form a romantic relationship even though this, technically, should be impossible. Actors from the show have stated that half Data's appeal comes from the empathy we feel towards him: we feel what Data cannot feel, and feel sorry because he can't. This is exactly what makes the episode with his daughter, Lal, such a Tear-Jerker (double the empathy objects). He expresses regret (such as he can feel) that he cannot share in her feelings of love and she responds that she will try to feel it enough for both of them.
Rule of Empathy / int_ff9ab17f	featureApplicability	1.0
Rule of Empathy / int_ff9ab17f	featureConfidence	1.0
Star Trek: The Next Generation	hasFeature	Rule of Empathy / int_ff9ab17f

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

Rule of Empathy	processingCategory2	Emotion Tropes
Rule of Empathy	processingCategory2	Laws and Formulas
Rule of Empathy	processingCategory2	Rule of Index
Blackkat's Reverse (Fanfic) / int_18d42614	type	Rule of Empathy
Infinity Train: Blossomverse (Fanfic) / int_18d42614	type	Rule of Empathy
Outbreak / int_18d42614	type	Rule of Empathy
Sisterhood Series / int_18d42614	type	Rule of Empathy
The Hunger Games / int_18d42614	type	Rule of Empathy
Kizzsprite	seeAlso	Rule of Empathy
RuleofEmpathy	sameAs	Rule of Empathy
Ajin (Manga) / int_18d42614	type	Rule of Empathy
Death Note (Manga) / int_18d42614	type	Rule of Empathy
Replay Value Universe / Role Play / int_18d42614	type	Rule of Empathy
Doki Doki Literature Club! (Visual Novel) / int_18d42614	type	Rule of Empathy
Penthos (Visual Novel) / int_a1620634	type	Rule of Empathy
i am sophie (Web Video) / int_18d42614	type	Rule of Empathy
Warbot in Accounting (Webcomic) / int_18d42614	type	Rule of Empathy
Goof Troop / int_18d42614	type	Rule of Empathy
PJ Masks / int_18d42614	type	Rule of Empathy

Copyright of DBTropes.org wrapper 2009-2013 DFKI Knowledge Management. Imprint. - Thanks to Bakken&Baeck for hosting. Contact.
Copyright of data TVTropes.org contributors under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.