Purity as a character trait is a very common concept in fiction. Going back to some of the earliest mythology, purity is treated as an ideal goal for everybody to strive towards. Purity is usually defined as a total lack of sin with an unrivaled dedication towards the ideals of the culture. In this sense, outside ofdeconstructions, purity is almost always analogous to goodness. It is often analogous to virginity as well, but not entirely bound to it. This can often go to supernatural lengths.

Going more in depth, a character with this trait (usually female, but male examples aren't that uncommon) is treated both by the narrative and by many (if not all) of the characters as being a shining example of good. Almost alwaysbeautiful, she often gives off a soft radiance that tends toattract animals. Almost exclusively soft-spoken, polite, optimistic, and just all-around pleasant to be around. The general message tends to be that this is a near-angelic person and should be given the utmost respect.

Probably one of the first tropes to be consumed by the overly-inclusiveMary Sue label to such a point where any character like this will be immediately labeled as one regardless of context. Because of that, it isn't quite so common any more but is still a decently popular template in some circles.

Sub Tropes:

• Friend to All Living Things
• Idol Singer
• Incorruptible Pure Pureness
• The Ingenue
• Mary Sue Classic
• Mystical Waif
• Nature Adores a Virgin
• The Pollyanna
• Princess Classic
• Only the Pure of Heart
• Proper Lady
• Pure Is Not Good
  • Enemy to All Living Things
• Purity Sue
• Too Good for This Sinful Earth
• Virgin Power
• Yamato Nadeshiko

Tropes that often invoke this:

• Friend to All Children
• In Harmony with Nature
• Hero's Muse
• MacGuffin Girl
• Magical Girl
• Magical Girlfriend
• Magic Idol Singer
• The Messiah
• Old-Fashioned Rowboat Date

Anime andManga

• Sailor Moon dedicated its third season to aMacGuffin hunt involving "Pure Hearts", a crystalline object residing within people with a pure and just dedication towards a goal. Not played entirely straight in the fact that even bitter, cynical characters have them as well.
  • The bitter, cynical characters have "Pure Hearts" because they'repurely bitter and cynical."Pure" is not the same as "Good".
  • Heck, Sailor Moon herself is Purity Personified.
• InThe World God Only Knows, Tsukiyo is seen as this,especially by the goddessVulcan, who shares many of the samerefined sensibilities she does.
• InSaint Beast, this is what the angels believe they and Zeus aresupposed to be, but slowly start to learn it is not what theyare.

Literature

• Penelope fromThe Odyssey. She was never tempted by her suitors and worked hard to outwit them so they'd leave her alone. She also spent most of her time in mourning. Slightly to be expected since she's the image of an ideal Greek woman.

Tabletop Games

• Warhammer 40,000 hasSanguinius, Primarch of the Blood Angels, complete with golden armour, gargantuan silver-white wings, badassPapa Wolf trait andHeroic Sacrifice without ever swaying from his path, all the while being beloved by all for his nobility and generosity, which became something of his nickname; the 'All-Beloved'.

Video Games

• Kairi, and the other six Princesses of Heart inKingdom Hearts.
  • Also Ventus, since Master Xehanort took away the darkness from his heart.
• Subverted with Sera fromDigital Devil Saga. She fits the criteria of being aMystical Waif, aMacGuffin Girl andThe Ingenue - mostly becauseshe can talk to God. But this turns out to bite her in the ass: she was partially responsible for God absorbing the Earth's data; createdA Is of people she knew (which were eventually used in a survival-of-the-fittest experiment to create powerful warriors) and was generally manipulated by her own mother, Serph and a lot of the other scientists. She alsotakes a level in badassery in the second game.
• Talim, from theSoul Calibur Series, is by far the most pure character in the cast, and yet that doesn't stop her from being aBadassCute Bruiser.
• Viki from theSuikoden series.
  • A few others, such as Luserina and Sharmista, could fit this trope as well.
• Amberle fromLusternia.Unfortunately,she didn't realize she was living inLusternia, and was the first to be killed in the war againstThe Soulless Ones.

Western Animation

• As mentioned above, very popular in classic Disney movies. Later princesses (Ariel,Belle,Jasmine) were notable for going against their cultural norm (this was, obviously, post-feminism), but the originals were played straight.

• Trope
• Pages with Sidemenus
• Otherness Tropes
• Morality Tropes
• Index
• Purity Personified
• Alliterative Name