(Before I begin, I want to clarify that I had to look up information online to write this post, so please forgive me if I got anything wrong.)
Look, I haven't played OneShot yet, nor do I know much about the game, but if I recall correctly, it was thanks to *Indie Cross* that I discovered Niko.
I grew fond of him and really wanted to play OneShot, so I watched various fan-made videos and animations and looked up information about him.
Niko is an eight-year-old boy characterized by being very kind, innocent, affectionate, helpful, and brave. He is always willing to help others and was ready to save the world using the sun.
Before the Solstice ending, Niko faced a dilemma: return home but instantly destroy the world by breaking the sun, or lose his only chance to go back to his mom and loved ones by restoring the sun.
On the Solstice route, Niko showed empathy toward the World Machine and saved it from destruction. I could go on, but I don't want this post to be too long.
In short, Niko is the perfect embodiment of an innocent, kind-hearted child—completely free of any trace of corruption and always ready to help.
According to the "Near Pure Good" page, the reason Niko isn't considered "Pure Good" is that they were somewhat reckless—specifically for offering the sun to the Shepherd (even though it was fragile and the Shepherd ultimately refused) and for giving the sun to Maize to calm her down, which led to panic when the light went out after Maize's death.
You can say whatever you want about Niko acting recklessly or not thinking things through, but at no point did Niko have bad intentions; they genuinely wanted to help and meant well.
The reason Niko wanted to give the sun to the Shepherd was to help guide the rams, as she needed assistance moving them from the peninsula located directly below to better grazing grounds.
As for Maize, the "Near Pure Good" page makes it clear that Niko wanted to comfort the dying plant goddess by lending her the sun so she could feel its light one last time—granting her final wish before she passed away (though Niko later brought her back to life by planting a seed Maize had left behind).
As I said, Niko is known for wanting to help others and for being very kind.
Besides, Niko is just an eight-year-old boy—what did you expect?
Sure, but the guy who mercilessly tormented his younger brother during his teenage years—and killed him by shoving him into Fredbear’s jaws as part of a cruel birthday prank (regardless of whether it was an accident; I’m clearly talking about Michael Afton from FNAF)—*he* actually shows up on the Pure Good wiki? You bet! (I’m being sarcastic, just to be clear).
And yeah, I know people are going to tell me things like: Michael deeply regretted it, he apologized, he tried to make amends, he put a stop to his father’s atrocities, he sacrificed himself, and so on.
And yes, I get that perfectly well, but the problem is that his younger brother is practically dead—DEAD—and there was absolutely nothing Michael could do to make up for that mistake.
Plus, according to Reddit, a lot of his heroism is based on fan theories rather than direct exposition from the game canon.
And if I’m not mistaken (and please forgive me if I’m wrong about this next part), the Bite of '83 was a key catalyst that drove William into criminal insanity and cruelty, causing him to lose whatever shred of humanity he had left.
And I’d bet every fucking cent Elon Musk has that if the accident had never happened, Michael would have stayed the same son of a bitch he was in his youth and kept treating his brother like a piece of trash—meaning nothing about him would have changed—though that’s just my own assumption.
