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For today's proposal, I'm choosing to focus on the character of another anime that I really enjoyed, George Joestar I.
Who is he/ What has he done?[]
George Joestar is a minor character in the anime and manga series, Jojo's Bizarre Adventures: Phantom Blood. He is the father of the first Joestar protagonist and another pure good character, Jonathan Joestar.
He's first introduced when he and his family are in an accident, and his wife is sadly killed, though Johnathan manages to survive. A man named Dario Brando stumbles across the scene and steals George's wedding ring. When George wakes up, he sees Dario, assumes that he rescued him and thanks him. Later, when Dario is in jail for trying to pawn the wedding ring, George understands that Dario's true intentions when coming across him, but instead of having him kept in jail and taking the ring back, he chooses not to press charges against Dario and lets him keep the ring, only asking that Dario become a good man for his family.
Out of respect for Dario, he decides to take in his son, Dio, and treat him as another son. Dio is much more sophisticated and well-mannered than Jonathan, and George scolds his biological son for not possessing the same refinement. Despite this, he still loves both of his sons dearly and does whatever he can for them.
Several years later, George grows sick. After Jonathan does some investigating, he uncovers the truth that Dio has been poisoning George, and Dio is caught red-handed by the authorities. George is heart-broken by this revelation because he loved Dio like his own son. When Dio attempts to kill Jonathan with a knife, George shields his son and takes the fatal blow. He apologizes to Jonathan for being so hard on him in his youth and then dies in his son's arms.
Admirable Standard[]
George is a very humble and honorable man. From the little screen time he had, he showed remarkable kindness and understanding. As I already mentioned, he genuinely appreciated Dario saving his life, and despite learning that Dario had stolen the betrothal ring his wife had given him and had only come to mug him, he actually gives Dario his precious ring and lets him walk as a free man even though he had every right to have him arrested and take his valuable ring back. Furthermore, he continues this kindness toward Dario and decides to take in his son, Dio, when Dario died. He treats Dio like his own son and does whatever he can for him as a father, and also carries that same deep love for Jonathan. He is the one who inspired Jonathan to become a gentleman, teaching him the value of honor, justice and chivalry, turning Jonathan into the hero he became.
When Dio's treachery is revealed, George is not angry at his adoptive son, but is just shocked and saddened at the fact that Dio betrayed him, demonstrating a lack of hatred. Then, he proves his character when he chooses to sacrifice himself and save Jonathan from the surprise attack from Dio. As he is dying in his son's arms, he actually asks Jonathan to forgive Dio. Even though it's rather clear that Dio is just simply evil and only cares about gaining power, even after having been fatally stabbed by Dio, George chooses to blame himself for how Dio turned out, believing he was too soft on Dio and because of that, he went through all that trouble for want of a father's love. He then apologizes to Jonathan for being too harsh on him when growing up, asking Jonathan to bury Dio's body next to Dario's grave. He tells Jonathan that there's no better way to die than in his son's arms and passes away peacefully. The way George tries to take responsibility for something that wasn't his fault, chooses not to hate Dio for betraying him despite having given him everything he could, and sacrifices himself for his son's sake are all very amazing qualities.
Corrupting Factors[]
The only corrupting factor I could give George is that he was somewhat harsh with Jonathan growing up, as he'd use food deprivation and occasional physical punishment (nothing truly painful or agonizing) to punish Jonathan when he doesn't believe him to be living up to the standards of a gentleman. However, this kind of behavior was extremely common in this era, and it really doesn't reflect George's character, just the times he lived in. Besides, he apologized for this behavior to Jonathan as he was on the verge of death and still chose to give his own life for his son, so that behavior shouldn't really count in the grand scheme of things.
Overall Verdict[]
George proves himself to be a true gentleman, just like his son, and even though his time on screen was limited, I still think that his actions, his forgiving heart, and his sacrifice all qualify him to be pure good.