Protector of Innocence is a type of hero who is responsible for a "rise of innocence". A "rise of innocence" is when an apathetic and (usually) somewhat normal character is resolved to be noble in some way or similar; this often invokes great feelings of happiness by audiences and marks a common Noble Choice. It can also refer to an event that causes a positive effect in society, such as child protection and outright justice, which support our concepts of what people can do to each other.

A Protector of Innocence is a hero who effectively "protects" the innocence of a story, setting, or character, they are often especially gracious beings who change lives for the better and their heroics can never truly be reversed as it enhances the concept of "innocence", though some rarer examples do not fully know they are responsible for this occuring. While not an automatic qualifier, this quality is common among Pure Good heroes.

Protector of Innocence is the good opposite of a Destroyer of Innocence.

Examples of this type of hero are as follows:

• Any character who makes a speech to his community, friends, or family. (Many "Feminist" types fall into this category)
• Heroes who stand up to the enemy after the ones they deeply care about are harshly mistreated. (A good example is Erza Scarlet standing up to Midnight after seeing him psychologically abuse Jellal Fernandes)
• Characters who profoundly take the place of an accused or mistreated person without hesitation.
• Heroes who step between the enemy and someone special.
• Heroes who admit the truth. (Princess Merida and Yukine both admitted that they were wrong about their ways. Oscar from Shark Tale is another good example, when he admits to everyone that he lied about being a Sharkslayer)
• A character who gives up their lives or personal wants for other people, even it involves great sacrifice. Examples of this are Minato Namikaze from Naruto and Piccolo from Dragonball Z.
• Heroes who stand up for their people. (A good example is Irelia who stood up for and protected her people from Noxian Invaders).
• Characters who block the enemy's blow. Examples of this are Nekomaru Nidai who protected his close friend Akane Owari from Monokuma when the latter attempted to execute her and Diego taking a blow for Manny during their final confrontation with Soto. Another example is when L lawliet handcuffs Kira to his own hand to do his best to prevent him from doing a mass murder or a homicide of one of his co-workers.
• Heroes who confess their love for another. Examples of this are Mitsuri Kanroji confessing to her always having reciprocated Obanai Iguro's feelings for her before her death and Catra confessing her love for Adora while rescuing her from the inside of the Heart of Etheria.
• Heroes who return to face something or someone, especially if their resolve is noble and beneficent in nature. (A good example would be Simba's resolve in The Lion King.)