| abstract
| - A person (usually The Hero) has his entire motivation built around protecting a girl. Most of the time, it's his Love Interest, but it could also be his little sister, or his daughter. (Female cases do occur as well, but they've usually got a subtly different tone to them, and don't really fall under this trope - with the exception of lesbian-love-interest situations, where one of the girls basically play the 'male' half of it.) In Anime, the sentence "Zettai Ni Mamoru!" is likely to get used - if not spoken aloud, then thought. Almost every time, some sort of complication will arise from this situation.
* She's an Action Girl and quite capable of looking after herself, most of the time. The hero has a hard enough time just keeping up with her, much less being of any use to her, and will often chastise himself for failing to live up to his perceived duty as a male. (This never happens in the 'lesbian' version, since the most combat-worthy of them almost automatically will take the male role.) Inevitably, however, she will get into trouble, at which point the hero's Hot-Blooded-ness will manifest and he'll become suddenly competent as he leaps to save her.
* He fails to protect her, and she winds up the Dead Little Sister, his Greatest Failure. In this case, she's more likely to be part of the backstory than the main cast. It might have been his Start of Darkness, as he went over to The Dark Side while seeking revenge, or went mad while seeking to bring her back. Or maybe he just cracked and turned into a Death Seeker. If she survived despite his failure, the effects will be less severe, but all of the above can still occur -- there's just a better chance of redemption later on.
* She's normal, and he's not... and the main reason she's even in danger is that someone is hunting him. Thus, he feels compelled to part with her, or run away from his other responsibilities to keep her safe. It almost never works. Note that most of the examples in It's Not You, It's My Enemies do not apply here -- for it to qualify, protecting that girl has to be the character's main driving motivation -- so, for example, Spider-Man wouldn't qualify, since he knows he has a greater responsibility to protect the entire city, and the world. (And let's not even mention One More Day...)
* He protects her, but at the cost of his life, or nearly so. If he dies, it could be a Start of Darkness for her, particularly if she has any kind of power. If he survives, it's more likely to work as a Berserk Button, but it might also compel her to try and push him away so he won't get hurt again.
* The girl turns out to be The Mole, or just plain bad news. The guy likely won't see this, even if other try to tell him - and it's fairly likely that he won't realize it 'till she finally stabs him in the back. It can turn out in a lot of different ways, but it's usually quite tragic. If he kills her in response, it'll probably turn out that she was acting under duress, and he'll be swallowed by grief and regret. If he dies by her hand, she'll probably realize that she really did love him, and be swallowed by grief and regret. But if he continued to insist on protecting her, even after she's shown her True Colors, she might realize that she really does love him before she kills him, and be redeemed by love...
* 'Protecting the girl' turns out to be more complicated and morally ambiguous than it sounds. Maybe she's got some sort of weird power that makes a lot of people fear her, or maybe the very layout of the world makes it impossible for her to live in peace. The hero may be forced to fight and kill more-or-less innocent people who attack her out of fear, or orchestrate rebellions and war in order to change the world for her benefit -- either way, there's bound to be a lot of victims, and the 'hero' will start to look less and less heroic...
* In the past, the girl did something for the guy. Either saved his life, pulled him out of trouble, gave him something he needed, etc. So the guy cherishes said moment in which the girl was there for him, feels indebted to her and swears to protect her as a way to pay her back for her help. Debts must be paid, after all... even if it involves pretty much going to Hell and back to not owe that girl anything. Naturally, not all cases will fit neatly into one of these categories, and of course, there are cases where there isn't really any major complications - just a guy protecting a girl from the Monster of the Week, for as long as it takes. Related tropes are numerous. Effectively, it is a subtrope of The Protectorate and The Champion. Bodyguard Crush is when the protection comes before the emotions. The Dulcinea Effect is when this absolute dedication pops up all of 10 seconds after he first sees her. Mama Bear is when it's a mother protecting her daughter instead of a father. This trope is part of the job description for Lady and Knight. Warning! Some of these examples will be spoilers solely by virtue of which 'type' they get placed under! I Will Protect Her Examples of Declaration of Protection include:
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