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{{trope}}
[[File:MS-
▲[[File:MS-DOS_1980.jpg|frame|link=http://ostan-collections.net/wiki/MS-DOS]]
{{quote|''"I'm shy, so shy,''
''I'm shy and I don't know why''
''I'm shy, so shy,''
''Guess you can say I'm just a shy guy..."''
|'''Austin''', ''[[The Backyardigans]]''}}
Painfully shy and quiet, the Shrinking Violet is the withdrawn character, usually but not always female, who walks through the school hallways with her head down and wants nothing more than to blend in with the scenery to avoid all attention because she believes that her presence is worthless or unwanted. Often [[The Quiet One]]. Expect her to [[Apologises a Lot|Apologise A Lot]]. The reasons for her (lack of) self-confidence vary, but they usually include intimidation by the popular ones, being the youngest and more sheltered daughter in the family, and in more dramatic cases, a personal event that convinced her that the world would be better off if she just shut up. The Shrinking Violet usually doesn't suffer the brunt of bullying or taunts that more vocal outcasts take, presumably because she's so quiet that she might as well be invisible.
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In the end, the Shrinking Violet will always find her inner beauty and strength [[The Power of Friendship|with the help of her newfound friends]], or [[The Power of Love|lover]], [[Grew a Spine]] and blossom into a mature, self-confident woman who [["Well Done, Son" Guy|would make]] [[So Proud of You|her parents proud]]. Well... [[Break the Cutie|not]] [[Kill the Cutie|always]]. But generally. Sometimes the shy exterior remains towards strangers, and it's only the new friend (and the audience) who [[Dandere|gets to see the wonderful person inside]]. The [[Beautiful All Along]] discovery is optional but highly recommended.
In stories taking place in [[Fantasy Counterpart Culture|asian-like place, particularly Japan]] the Shrinking Violet may grow into a [[Yamato Nadeshiko]]; still unassuming and possibly quiet but no longer weak. [[Silk Hiding Steel]] is another possibility, which her reputation as this trope will strengthen.
In rare cases, a superficial Shrinking Violet's mousiness will conceal a [[Yandere|frightening and/or violent personality]]. Sometimes, this is also used to conceal the extremely creepy [[Uncanny Valley Girl]].
A male version of this trope may be treated as an instant [[Butt Monkey]] for everyone to martyr (unlike the female one, who is so sympathetic that yelling at her or even beating her up is [[Kick the Dog|akin to a]] [[This Is Unforgivable!|MAJOR offense]] [[True Companions|for her friends]]), or he might be given the role of sympathetic [[Plucky Comic Relief]] and overlap with a [[Lovable Coward]]. A male Shrinking Violet protagonist will usually face a conflict that finally forces him to come out of his shell, or he'll be thrown headlong into sociability and adventure at the start of the series by a [[Genki Girl]] or [[Magical Girlfriend]].
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[[Friendless Background]] can be a cause for this.
Not to be confused with the heroine of the same name from [[The Legion of Super Heroes]].
{{examples}}▼
▲{{examples}}
== Anime and Manga ==
* ''[[
** [[media:
** Chojuro is a rare male example.
** Nagato used to be one before the [[Break the Cutie|horrifying]] events of his past turned him into his cold and bitter adult self.
** Sakura was one but grew out of it.
* Sakuno Ryuzaki in ''[[
** The main girl from the [[Dating Sim]] ''Doki Doki Survival: Sanroku no Mystic'', Tsugumi Obinata, is a Shrinking Violet ''and'' a [[Dojikko]]) (and it's speculated she's an [[Expy]] of Sakuno, actually). Same goes to Shizuka Hirose, the main chick from ''Gakuensai no Oujisama'', though this depends ''heavily'' on [[Multiple Endings|which male you're pairing her up with]]: she's more shy to some guys, but more open to others.
* Nozomi and Mayu from ''[[
* Shinji is a male version of this in ''[[
** In fact, most of the cast of Evangelion are shy to some degree (even the seemingly outgoing ones such as Asuka or Misato). The difficulties of human contact are a major theme of the series.
* ''[[Sayonara, Zetsubou
** Meru Otonashi<ref>Translation: "Soundless"</ref> is this trope taken to its parodic extreme: A cute, fidgety girl who can't get a word out of her mouth in the simplest social situation, which doesn't prevent her from constantly sending floods of nasty, abusive, [[Fourth Wall]]-breaking SMS messages to her classmates with her cellphone. And what happens when she loses signal isn't pretty...
** Kiri Komori.
** Kaga Ai. Her entire character is apologizing profusely for being a bother - especially when she isn't. She apologizes for being born.
* Sakaki of ''[[
* Yuri Otani from ''[[
* ''[[
** Miyazaki Nodoka fits this trope fairly well, complete with the [[Hidden Eyes]] in her early appearances. In the manga this receives a [[Lampshade Hanging]]: she has [[Visual Pun|purple hair]] in addition to having it cover her eyes. Currently, however, she's [[Character Development|developed more]], coming out of her shell around Negi and the others. She could almost be described as a subversion; while she has a shy, low-key personality, when push comes to shove, she's ultimately one of the bravest girls and [[Plucky Girl|most likely to actually be proactive]] during very frightening/dangerous situations, managing to keep her cool even when [[It Got Worse|pretty much everything is going wrong]].
** There's Ako Izumi too, who dreams of being a [[Idol Singer]] but is highly insecure since [[Heroic Self-Deprecation|she doesn't think of herself as anything special]] ''and'' [[Good Scars, Evil Scars|has a really ugly scar on her back.]]
** And once again with Natsumi Murakami. Despite being an actor in the drama club, she shies away from attention, blushes and stutters when her crush Kotaro is around, and has all but nonexistent self-esteem, partly from being constantly surrounded by [[Big Breasts, Big Deal|women far more]] [[Pettanko|developed than herself]].<ref>
* [[Those Two Guys|Suzuka]] of ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha]]'', especially before meeting [[The Messiah|Nanoha.]]
* One really tragic case is Akira Sakura from ''[[
** Also Miyoko Shitou, from Aki Honda's [[Girl Posse]]. She was so insecure that she bullied Hiro-chan because she feared [[Peer Pressure Makes You Evil|being rejected by her so-called "friends"]], despite [[The Complainer Is Always Wrong|being hesitant about the whole deal]]. {{spoiler|She's the [[Sole Survivor]] out of the group, after Hiroko's [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge]]... but she still has an arm broken, loses a leg and is left traumatised forever.}}
* ''[[
** This was [[Meganekko|Nina Einstein]]'s original personality before [[Love Makes You Evil|she went]] [[Psycho Lesbian|all crazy]] {{spoiler|after the death of her idol and crush, Euphemia.}}.
** Rolo Lamperouge proved to be the kind who seemed shy and unsociable on the outside, but on the inside was far more [[Yandere|violent and jealous]], making himself essentially a male Nina... [[Ho Yay|for Lelouch]]. {{spoiler|He eventually began to overcome his Yandere-ness and truly see Lelouch as a brother, wanting a life where he could be normal and happy... [[Shoot the Shaggy Dog|and then he sacrificed himself]] [[Heroic Sacrifice|to save Lelouch]].}} Then again, his English voice actor ''[[Hey, It's That Voice!|was]]'' [[Spike Spencer]], who also voiced [[Neon Genesis Evangelion|Shinji Ikari]].
** Also, Jiang Lihua aka Empress Tianzi. A kind, sheltered [[Lonely Rich Kid]] who's trapped in an unwanted [[Arranged Marriage]] [[Lolicon|to a much older Prince from Britannia]], the poor little girl can't help but cry often and worry a lot for her guardian and best friend, [[The Ace|Li]] [[Tall, Dark and Handsome|Xingke.]]
** C.C. becomes this when she temporarily loses her memories and mentally reverts to a ten-year-old.
* [[Ill Girl]] Misao in the ''[[
* Similarly, Aimi Komori is an example of this trope until she puts on her magic eye shadow and transforms into the brash, sexy [[Classy Cat Burglar]] ''[[
* Yukino Kikukawa from ''[[
* Machi Kuragi from ''[[
* The [[Alternate Universe]] version of Yuki Nagato from ''The Disappearance of [[
** Mikuru also has shades of this, as part of her [[Moe]] appeal.
* Kazumi Yoshida from ''[[
* Chiyo from ''[[Strawberry Panic
* Hiromi from ''[[Diabolo]]'' is of this type, to the point of depression.
* Latvia from ''[[
** Also Ukraine, Russia's prone-to-tears older sister. She doesn't fare much better than Latvia, either.
** And Canada, [[Canada, Eh?|eh]]. No wonder he's also unlucky.
** Poland is a variation of this. He does ''not'' look like it when with his friends, but when confronted by people/nations/etc. he doesn't know, he'll cling or hide behind the nearest person avaliable.
** Don't forget about [[Token
* Koyomi Hare Nanaka from the anime, ''[[
* Shinobu Maehara from ''[[
* Makiko Endou from ''[[
* Miya Alice from ''[[
* Jacuzzi Splot from ''[[Baccano
* One of the rare male Shrinking Violets who are ''not'' [[Butt Monkey
* Another male Shrinking Violet is actually the ''lead'' of ''[[
** Later we're introduced to Ippo's biggest fanboy, Naomichi Yamada, who's even more of a Shrinking Violet than him. And ''another'' [[Butt Monkey]].
* Massively subverted in ''[[
* ''[[
* Asuka Mizunokouji from ''[[
* Hatsumi Narita from ''[[
* Zashiki Warashi from ''[[
* ''[[
* Meiko Rokudo from ''[[
* Manami in ''Sprite: Between Two Worlds'' (Japanese title ''Sprite: Manami to Nami'') combines this with [[Split Personality]]
* Himeko Kurusegawa from ''[[
* Momoko of ''[[Saki (
* Ami Mizuno/Sailor Mercury from ''[[
** Hotaru Tomoe/Sailor Saturn. She didn't even have one friend before Chibi-Usa came along because she was so shy.
* ''[[
** Tsuna is a [[Adorably Precocious Child|cute]], [[Moe Moe]] ''male'' version of this. He's shy to the point where he's [[Luminescent Blush|always blushing]] whenever he talks with girls (and in many instances, ''[[Ho Yay|guys]]'' even), is [[Cannot Spit It Out|incredibly shy]], and tends to hate standing out, [[I Just Want to Be Normal|only wanting to live life as a normal boy]]. And yes, for a long part of the series, he was the series' [[Butt Monkey]].
** Chrome Dokuro is even more of an example of this trope; her shyness causes her to shut herself in a room, and she doesn't know how to react when somebody is speaking to her. Her not so subtle crush on Mukuro causes her to pass out amidst a battle with {{spoiler|[[Barbie Doll Anatomy|a naked giant]] sucking the life force out of everything.}}
** Also Kozato Enma. Even more so than Tsuna.
* Tiffa Addil from ''[[
** In the [[Super Robot Wars]] games, [[Mobile Suit Victory Gundam
* Maria Ortega in ''[[
* Yumi Fukuzawa, the protagonist of ''[[Light Novel/Maria-sama Ga Miteru|Maria-sama Ga Miteru]]'', has a serious lack of self-confidence. This is particularly evident in the second season. {{spoiler|she gets a lot better in the fourth season}}
* ''[[
** Boa Hancock is as far as possible from being a Shrinking Violet... Until she gets around [[Idiot Hero|Monkey D. Luffy]], that is, which transforms her into one quite easily.
** Coby starts as this. As time passes he remains polite and sweet, but gains more of a backbone... {{spoiler|enough to stand up against ''Admiral Akainu'', of all people.}}
* Mizore from ''[[Rosario
* Tamaki in ''[[
* ''[[
** Yamcha is a male example. He can't even look at girls without fleeing the scene.
** Future Trunks from ''[[Dragonball Z]]'' is a very badass fighter, but outside the battlefield he's sweet and reserved as well as [["Well Done, Son" Guy|always searching for his father's approval]].
* Mugi from ''[[
* The class president in ''[[Seto no Hanayome]]''.
* Yura from ''[[Honey Hunt]]''.
* [[Kimi
* Taiki from ''[[The Twelve Kingdoms]]'', another male example. But instead of the [[Butt Monkey]], he's [[The Woobie]].
* Fumio of ''[[Saitama Chainsaw Shoujo]]'' started out this way prior to meeting Takumi, whose love and attention was just starting to bring her out of her social shell. When dumped her for a mysterious [[New Transfer Student]], Fumio quickly made the [[Axe Crazy|Shrinking Violet to Yandere]] transition.
* Chrona and Tsubaki from ''[[Soul Eater]]''. Tsubaki's Shrinking Violet tendencies make her quite possibly the ''only'' character who can handle being [[
* Both Aya and Kozue from ''Ichigo 100%''.
* Alphonse Elric from ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist]]'' definitely qualifies, to the point where his bolder brother often has to stick up for him. Being a disembodied soul of a ten-year-old child locked in an eight-foot suit of armor that cannot feel or age due to an [[Emergency Transformation]] that saved him from an alchemic experiment he and his brother performed that had [[Gone Horribly Wrong]] might have something to do with it.
* Shiori from ''[[The World God Only Knows]]''. She's a bit better after her "capturing", but is still mostly withdrawn.
* Brief from ''[[Panty
* Misaki Etou from ''[[Dragon Crisis]]''.
* Emma from ''[[Victorian Romance Emma]]'' is like this, which is justified on account of her social station; a girl from beginnings as... humble as hers could never have hoped for a respectable position as a high-class lady's maid, which was fairly high-class for a poor girl in that day, in addition to learning how to being literate and owning glasses. Emma is keenly aware of social class and recognizes her absurd luck at having been taken in and educated by Kelly Stowner; she is thusly reluctant to do anything forward enough to jeopardize her career (or hurt William's standing), even if it means turning down the man she loves.
* Sammy from ''[[Eve no Jikan]]'' is initially seen as an [[Emotionless Girl]], which is how [[Robot Girl|robots]] are expected to behave. However, when she begins to demonstrate her own personality, she becomes this. Partially because she is afraid that she [[What Measure Is a Non-Human?|will not be accepted as a living, emotional being]], and does not want to unsettle the family that cares for her, but there are later hints that she is developing [[Interspecies Romance|feelings for Rikuo]].
* Simon from ''[[Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann]]'' is a classic male example. But when he finally comes out of his shell, [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|WATCH]] [[No
* From ''[[Fairy Tail]]'', both [[Token
* [[Tiger and Bunny]]. While his superhero persona Origami Cyclone is loud and over-the-top, [[Beneath the Mask|Ivan Karelin himself]] is an insecure, timid, very woobie-ish nerd under the costume.
* Airi from ''[[Ro
* Nako from ''[[
* There's always one character in the ''[[Pretty Cure]]'' franchise that's like this, but ''[[Heartcatch Precure]]'''s Tsubomi takes the cake. Flashbacks show that she was so shy (due to poor self-confidence and accidental [[Parental Abandonment]]), that [[Innocent Flower Girl|her only real friends were flowers]]. It wasn't until she moved into a new town, met major [[Genki Girl]] Erika (and became a Precure) that Tsubomi started to come out of her shell. A major portion of the series, including a story arc, is about Tsubomi overcoming this.
* Why else would Satou Tatsuhiro from ''[[Welcome to The NHK]]!'' be a hikikomori?
* Ayumi from [[Squid Girl]] is one. In one episode, she learns to be more confident thanks to a pair of brass knuckles Chizuru lets her borrow, only to have her dad [[Status Quo Is God|shoot]] it right back down by saying she's not really doing anything different from the squid girl cosplay she did in an earlier episode.
* Sakurai of ''[[
* Michio Yuki from ''[[
* Reina's dad from ''[[Yandere Kanojo]]'' is another male example. This also a [[Deconstructed Trope|deconstruction]], beacause his withdrawnness makes him unapproachable by his students (he works at Reina's school as math teacher) makes him mistaken as "scary teacher", "the ones with evil looks", etc, etc while on heart he's probably the nicest character around.
* ''[[Puella Magi Madoka Magica]]'': It's revealed in Episode Ten that {{spoiler|Homura, of all characters, used to be one before ending up in a [[Groundhog Day Loop]]. However, by the current timeline, she has [[Took a Level
* Yuki from ''[[Tsuritama]]'', a male example of this trope played equally for comedy and drama. The poor kid is so shy it takes him halfway through the series to muster up the courage to so much as ''talk'' to some casual acquaintances and overcoming social anxiety is one of the major themes of the show.
* Mimi Usa from ''Kodomo no Jikan''
* Misaki from ''[[Hana no Mizo Shiru]]'' initially comes across as a fairly standard [[Tsundere]] character, but seems to fit this trope in later chapters. From Chapter 6 and onwards his sad backstory and resulting insecurities are revealed in pieces, and he increasingly comes across as more shy and self-conscious. And he fit the "quiet" and "friendless" aspects of the trope all along.
* The whole plot of ''[[Komi Can't Communicate]]'' involves Komi being this. She is shy, withdrawn, and unable to talk or socialize with anyone. The male lead's goal is "cure" her and help her socialize.
* ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal]]'':
** Cathy is usually this, a shy girl who is never noticed and afraid to initiate a conversation. This changes, however, when she actually duels, dressing in [[Elegant Gothic Lolita]] style that makes her resemble a [[Cat Girl]]. When this happens, a far more energetic and confident personality emerges.
** As fate would have it, Cathy meets a kindred spirit of sorts during the Duel Carnival. Dog-Chan (a girl who has the same affinity with dogs as Cathy does with cats) is an even bigger example of this Trope. She is too shy at first to face an opponent directly, using a trained (and mean-looking) [[Canine Companion|mastiff named Roscoe]] duel for her, speaking while hiding in a barrel carried on his back to make it look like Rosco can talk.
== Comic Books ==
* Salu "[[Trope Namer|Shrinking Violet]]" Digby of the ''[[Legion of Super-Heroes]]'' lived up to this trope in the post-[[Crisis Crossover|Zero Hour]] reboot. The most recent reboot subverts this trope by making Salu a brash [[Action Girl]].
** The original incarnation of Salu started out somewhat shy but [[Took a Level
* Felipe from ''[[Mafalda]]'' is a male Western example.
* Raven from ''[[Teen Titans (
* Believe it or not, seductive vamp Poison Ivy from ''[[Batman]]'' was one, before she became the psychopath she is today.
== Fan
* In many ''[[Harry Potter]]'' fanfics, Remus Lupin is one of these.
* In ''[[
* In contrast with the rest of the [[Amazon Brigade]] that she belongs to, we have Meliya of ''[[
* Nyx from the ''[[My Little Pony:
* Tael Beryllia in ''[[
* ''[[
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* Prince Albert (later, King George VI) of ''[[The King's Speech]]'' has a painful stammer, which has, of course, left him deathly afraid of public speaking and large crowds in general. Of course, the crux of the film features him attempting to rectify this in the face of the looming threat of [[World War II]].
* Mui, the female lead of ''[[Shaolin Soccer]]''. Hair in the face, mumbling, acne, withdrawn, eventually pulling out of life in public to become a nun. Until the final showdown, of course.
* The titular character of ''[[Densha Otoko]]'' is a rare male example. He's a cripplingly shy Otaku who's perfectly content with living in his own little world and only talking to people online. That is until he meets a kind and beautiful girl who's actually...*gasp* [[Nerds Are Sexy|interested in him!]] [[The Power of Friendship|With encouragement and advice from the members of his online community]], he pursues her and finally learns to open up a little.
* Barry from ''[[Punch
* 5, from ''[[9
* ''[[Mishima:
* Need Shrinking Violet personified? Well, look no further than the [[Meaningful Name|appropriately-named]] Violet Parr from ''[[The Incredibles]]''. Not only is she [[A Worldwide Punomenon|incredibly]] shy, but she also has the hair, the mumble, and a desire to [[I Just Want to Be Normal|be just another girl]], and she can't even look the school heartthrob, Tony Rydiger, in the eye. Her family are superheroes in hiding, and her powers are invisibility and
** And to top it all off, by the end of the movie, {{spoiler|it's ''Tony'' who can't look ''Violet'' in the eye, instead of the reverse.}} [[Irony|Think about it.]]▼
** She also {{spoiler|gains the ability of flight when forced to save her brother, stating she didn't know she could.}} Both seem equally surprised.▼
* In the Disney adaption of ''[[Alice in Wonderland (1951 film)|Alice in Wonderland]]'', when Alice stumbles on to a talking garden, they promised her that they would sing a song to her. All the flowers wanted to sing about themselves. The violets wanted to sing about themselves, and when they brought up the suggestion, they were quiet and they slowly backed up in the shade below the other flowers.▼
== Literature ==
* In the novel ''[[Speak]]'', the main character goes through almost the entire school year basically trying to make it seems like she doesn't exist, because she called the cops at a party over the summer and her old friends and many people she doesn't even know hate her, even though her reason was that {{spoiler|she was raped}}.
* Lirael from the '[[Old Kingdom
* Neville Longbottom from the ''[[Harry Potter]]'' series started out like this before he {{spoiler|[[Took a Level
** Ginny Weasley plays with this. It's stated by the Weasleys that Ginny acts as a Shrinking Violet when around Harry, but is more or less normal when not in his
* Elizabeth "Beth" March of ''[[Little Women]]'' finds it very difficult, even painful, to talk to people outside her immediate family, and even stops going to school out of shyness. She gets... a little better, but not too much. {{spoiler|And then, she becomes an [[Ill Girl]] and dies. [[Tear Jerker|Sniff]].}}
* "Mother" in the ''[[
{{quote|
"Go along with it? It was her idea!" }}
* Little Miss Shy from the ''Mr. Men and Little Misses'' Books (and also in the
* Hal in ''[[Havemercy]]'' is a rare ''male'' representative of this trope.
* Christine in ''[[Phantom]]'' by Susan Kay describes herself once as a shrinking violet, another time as a "wilting marigold," and again as a shrinking mouse.
* Axel from ''[[The Princess 99]]'' is shy, especially around boys but this is because she's insecure. Of course this changes the longer she hangs around [[Little Miss Badass|Maree-Celee]] and Skye, the embodiment of a loud-mouthed woman. An adult example would be Prof. Colette, who barely speaks above a whisper [[Badass Teacher|but don't piss her off]].
* Matthew Cuthbert from ''[[
* Maybeth in ''[[The Tillerman Family Series]]'', to the point where in the first book she was mistaken for retarded partially because of her shyness.
* In [[Dean Koontz
* David Cusk in ''[[The Pale King]]''.
* Magda is one in Frieda Friedman's ''[[The Janitor's Girl]]''. She overcomes much of her shyness when she makes friends with the help of her extremely cute cousin Anton.
* Jenny of ''[[Jenny and the Cat Club]]'', by Esther Averill. Her friends help her overcome her shyness, as does her unexpected talent for ice skating.
* Robin Morgan in Lynn Hall's ''[[The Shy Ones]]'', who overcomes her own shyness by helping her dog Katie overcome hers.
* Fanny Price from ''[[Mansfield Park]]'' by [[Jane Austen]], who is something of [[Trope Codifier]]/ [[Trope Maker]]. [[Break the Cutie|8 years of psychological abuse and so little love]] will do that to you. Thankfully, she's able to stand up when it counts.
* Ruth in ''[[Someone Else's
== Live Action TV ==
*
** Tara also fits this trope, especially in her early appearances (in season 4 and early season 5).
** Willow also began the show as a painfully shy and innocent Shrinking Violet, but as her self-confidence and magical abilities improved, she evolved into more of a live-action [[Cute Witch]] (complete with a temporary transformation into a
* Pam and Phyllis from ''[[The Office]]'', initially
* Keith Dudemeister for his debut episode in ''[[Scrubs]]''. His character gets major development after that.
* Michael Lee from ''[[The Wire]]'' is one of these.
* Young Ned from ''[[Pushing Daisies]]''. His shyness, albeit to a lesser degree, extends into adulthood.
* Kotoha Hanori from ''[[Samurai Sentai Shinkenger]]'' is this, except when she is around one of her common shipping partners (Chiaki or Takeru, sometimes Genta) or her [[Ho Yay|Les Yay]] Friend/Big sis figure Mako.
** So is Nobuo Akagi in the upcoming ''[[
* Ally Dawson from ''[[
* Where is
* From ''[[Noah's Arc]]'', {{spoiler|Noah briefly became one after being gay bashed}}.
* Yuri Kazune from ''[[
* Marcelina from the Mexican children's series ''[[Carrusel]]''.
* On ''[[Boy Meets World]]'' when Eric goes to
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* ''[[Fire Emblem]]'' has a few:
** The Mage Tinny in ''[[Fire Emblem]] 4'', second generation, due to years of abuse and seeing her [[Genki Girl|genki mother]] Tiltyu [[Break the Cutie|completely broken]] {{spoiler|[[Kill the Cutie|and later dead]]}} due to it. Azel is a male version.
** The Pegasus Knight Florina in ''[[Fire Emblem]] 7'', since [[Does Not Like Men|she's very scared of males]] (though she [[Character Development|grows out]] of this and can either marry a very brash [[Hot
** The Manakete Myrrh in ''[[Fire Emblem]] 8'': she's been sheltered an revered as pretty much a living goddess in Caer Pelyn her whole life and leaving home brings her quite the misfortune until she's rescued by Ephraim.
** Path of Radiance brings us Astrid, sheltered noblewoman who, though she wants to prove herself, fits this quite perfectly, she even looks like [[Naruto|Hinata]]. Nephenee also fits this trope, which makes both characters [[Ensemble Darkhorse|Ensemble Dark Horses.]]
* Mia Ausa from ''[[Lunar:
* Namine in ''[[Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
* Despinis, one of the Homunculus of Duminuss in ''[[Super Robot Wars Reversal]]'' fits this trope to a T. Even when attacking, there's not a chance she'll not slip up the phrase "I'm sorry". All with a face of a half-sick, super shy [[Lolicon]] bait. On the bright side, she does have some sort of kindness streak and this proves to be beneficial that {{spoiler|in OG Gaiden, instead of dying like in her original role in R, she ends up surviving.}}
* Emil from ''[[Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World]]'' fits this trope squarely. It probably doesn't help that everyone else in his hometown, his own aunt and uncle included, believe he's a worthless scum who'd be better off dead.
** {{spoiler|Emil also subverts this trope in Ratatosk Mode, where he becomes a very blunt [[Jerk
* In ''[[Pokémon]]'' there's Jasmine, the Gym Leader of Olivine City, to the point where her gym has no other trainers in it besides herself. She makes a cameo appearance in the fourth generation games and proves to be just as timid as ever.
** The fourth generation also has Marley, who only speaks just enough to get the point across.
** Male example in the fifth generation is Cilan. Compared to his [[Ambiguously Gay|anime counterpart]], the Cilan in the game comes off as very shy and having almost no confidence in his ability. His tendency to stutter before, during and after the battle doesn't help his case and when you compare his personality to his brothers [[Hot
* Male example: Vivi from ''[[Final Fantasy IX]]''.
* Mr. Lopez from ''[[Fallout]] 3''.
* Another male example: Shizumaru Hisame from ''[[Samurai Shodown]]''.
* Chihaya from ''[[The Idolmaster (
** Yukiho, too.
* Tali'Zorah {{spoiler|vas Normandy}} in ''[[Mass Effect]] 2'', who is shocked (and later grateful) that Commander Shepard would be [[I Can't Believe a Guy Like You Would Notice Me|willing to return the feelings she's harbored for him since the first game.]] And bless [[Hot Scientist|Liara's]] heart! At least in the [[Mass Effect 1|first]] [[Your Mileage May Vary|game]], but she still has that adorable "I just want to help" personality ...
** Although Tali dose act quite reserved in her romance (as stated above), keep in mind that she isn't generally shy and is capable of having a conversation without stuttering or getting nervous
* The Fairy prince Edgar from the ''[[King's Quest]]'' series. Justified by the fact he's spent most of his life being "raised" by the cruel and vicious Lolotte, and was {{spoiler|transformed into}} a deformed, ugly, green-skinned hunchback. He can barely make eye contact with Rosella without blushing. He's developed a bit more of a spine in his second appearance, but he's still very shy and quiet.
* They cover their faces with masks and wear robes that cover their entire bodies... clearly, [[Super Mario Bros.|Shy Guys]] are the kings of this trope.
** Also the Boos, who will stalk and haunt Mario as he attempts to go about his adventures, preparing to rip him apart with their razor-sharp fangs.... but can't do it if he's looking at them.
* Male example: Lucas from ''[[
** ''[[
* Cloud in ''[[Final Fantasy VII]] [[Crisis Core]]'', as a gawky teenager with no self-esteem and one friend. The final scene shows him starting the story of ''[[Final Fantasy VII]]'' - under the fake persona of a [[Tall, Dark and Snarky|glamorous, arrogant, jerk]] [[Badass]] [[Professional Killer]] who is always at the centre of attention and doesn't ''need'' friends.
== [[Visual Novels]] ==
* Karen, the girl who gives Masayuki a love letter in ''[[
* Ron Delite of the third ''[[
** Also, Ben Woodman, the ventriloquist from the second game. [[Gentle Giant|Will Powers]] is a bit of a Shrinking Sunflower as well.
*** Ben, in fact, is so bad about this that he completely lacks the capacity to function among other people without the aid of his (rather abusive) dummy, Trilo Quist.
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** Vera Misham, the defendant from case 4-4, is a [[Hikikomori]] who talks... in fragmented... sentences... and hides... from you... when you visit... the Detention Center...
** Iris. She is the EXACT definition of a Shrinking Violet, with black hair, purple clothes, and seeming so much like a girl who is nice no matter what.
* Shindou Chihiro from ''[[Ef:
* Sakura Matou from ''[[Fate/stay
* Hanako Ikezawa of ''[[
* Kotonoha from ''[[
* Sayo aka Shannon from ''[[Umineko no Naku Koro
== Web Comics ==
* Rhoda of ''[[
** [http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2003-09-23 Tedd was a male example] prior to receiving the TF Gun.
* Punned and subverted in ''[http://www.webcomicsnation.com/eddurd/everydayheroes/series.php?view=single&ID=94220 Everyday Heroes]''
* Male example: Doug from ''[[Fletcher Apts]]'', especially when it comes to women. Also a [[Hollywood Nerd]] and [[Butt Monkey]] when Bill is involved.
* Faen in ''[[
* Jolene Brooks ("Brooksie") of ''[[Between Failures]]'' is something like this.
* Secret of ''[[Keychain of Creation]]'' is like this, a renegade abyssal of all things who suffers from severe self-esteem issues.
* [http://wrightasrayne.thecomicseries.com/ Wright As Rayne] proudly features Laura Croft, who unlike [[Tomb Raider|a different character with a similar name,]] [http://wrightasrayne.thecomicseries.com/comics/pl/81467 couldn't be more timid if she tried.]
* Katherine of ''[[Wapsi Square]]'' started out like this, but she is now a bit more confident, and at least willing to speak to some people.
* Gebo, the white wolf in ''[[Off White]]''. More like a real wolf then the evil, vicious monster, or emotionless, badass loner, [[Animal Stereotypes|stereotypes.]]
* ''[[Ninth Elsewhere]]'': The main character, Carmen, has elements of this.
** While a party for her is being thrown downstairs: "Maybe if I stay up here long enough they'll decide to just leave me alone."
* Neeka from ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20131106022153/http://quietandslow.com/ Late Blooming]'' is impossibly shy, to the point of hardly ever talking to anyone and putting all effort into avoiding contact with people.
* In ''[[
== Web Original ==
* Erika Swanson of ''[[
* Subverted in ''[[
* Nessiah in ''[[Dept Heaven Apocrypha]]'' almost never talks to people he doesn't like and
* Christine on ''[[The War Comms]]'', ''big time''. Her sentences more often than not end with "um...please don't hurt me for saying so...".
* Gloria Benson in V4 of ''[[Survival of the Fittest]]''. She's always whispering, stuttering, ''and'' blushing when she speaks. Even when she talks to her friends, she's painfully shy/quiet, and keeps apologizing for what she says. Lucy Ashmore, also from v4, qualifies as well. She's just as shy, due to [[All of the Other Reindeer|bullying]]. Not to mention sometimes this slides into [[Cute Clumsy Girl]] territory as well, due to her nervousness.
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-47ogt1TjqA&feature=channel_video_title This youtube account] has documentaries on what it's like to have the DSM recognized personality disorders including the avoidant.
== Western Animation ==
▲* Need Shrinking Violet personified? Well, look no further than the [[Meaningful Name|appropriately-named]] Violet Parr from ''[[The Incredibles]]''. Not only is she [[A Worldwide Punomenon|incredibly]] shy, but she also has the hair, the mumble, and a desire to [[I Just Want to Be Normal|be just another girl]], and she can't even look the school heartthrob, Tony Rydiger, in the eye. Her family are superheroes in hiding, and her powers are invisibility and forcefields - [[Word of God]] is that these are symbolic of her personality, respectively being her wish to hide from everyone else and her need for insulation from the rest of the world. Needless to say, she embraces her abnormalities, gets an [[Adrenaline Makeover]], and puts her hair back in the process of helping her family save the world.
▲** And to top it all off, by the end of the movie, {{spoiler|it's ''Tony'' who can't look ''Violet'' in the eye, instead of the reverse.}} [[Irony|Think about it.]]
▲** She also {{spoiler|gains the ability of flight when forced to save her brother, stating she didn't know she could.}} Both seem equally surprised.
* A rare male, yet non-[[Butt Monkey]] example: Austin from ''[[The Backyardigans]]'' also embodies this trope. Not only he's purple (violet), during the first season he was very shy and didn't speak a lot (heck, he had ''songs'' about that). Over the course of the series, he becomes more outgoing and gets dynamic lead roles.
* Sheila the Thief from the ''[[Dungeons and Dragons (
* Boo from ''[[Mighty Orbots]]''.
* Stacy from ''[[
* Male example: Shifty Dingo in the 2nd season of ''[[Blinky Bill]]'' after his [[Heel Face Turn]] easily qualifies as one of these. He's much more quiet than the rest of the gang and also has a [[Lovable Coward]] side to him.
* Another male ([[Bizarre Alien Biology|kinda]]) example from ''[[Futurama]]'' would be Kif Kroker, who is usually a [[Deadpan Snarker]] when dealing with his boss [[
* Another male example is Mac from ''[[
* ''[[The Funny Company]]'', a syndicated series from the early 1960s, featured a girl named Violet who really did shrink down to doll size when she felt self-conscious.
* The [[Meaningful Name|aptly named]] Fluttershy of ''[[My Little Pony:
▲* In the Disney adaption of ''[[Alice in Wonderland]]'', when Alice stumbles on to a talking garden, they promised her that they would sing a song to her. All the flowers wanted to sing about themselves. The violets wanted to sing about themselves, and when they brought up the suggestion, they were quiet and they slowly backed up in the shade below the other flowers.
** She completely
▲* The [[Meaningful Name|aptly named]] Fluttershy of ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (Animation)|My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic]]'' first introduces herself to Twilight Sparkle by whispering her name, getting softer and squeakier with each attempt. Though she will speak up excitedly if exposed to [[Cuteness Proximity]]. Fortunately her pet bunny Angel always tries to bring her out of her shell and encourages her to stand up for what she wants. Fluttershy also drops the Shrinking Violet act [[Berserk Button|if her friends are threatened]]. She stares down a dragon despite having a deathly fear of dragons, and later does the same to a cockatrice ''[[Crowning Moment of Awesome|while it's turning her to stone]]''.
** Her shy nature was deconstructed in the episode "Putting Your Hoof Down," where she found that her shyness to be a disadvantage and therefore sought the self-help instructor Iron Will to [[Teach Him Anger|make her more assertive.]] It works [[Gone Horribly Right|a little
▲** She completely DROPS the Shrinking Violet act and {{spoiler|trades it for some [[Cute and Psycho]] when the animals at the Grand Galloping Gala ignore and run away from her.}}
▲** Her shy nature was deconstructed in the episode "Putting Your Hoof Down," where she found that her shyness to be a disadvantage and therefore sought the self-help instructor Iron Will to [[Teach Him Anger|make her more assertive.]] It works [[Gone Horribly Right|a little TOO well,]] but by the episode's end, she manages to snap out of it, and learns that it is in fact possible to be assertive without becoming a [[Jerkass]].
* Doug Funnie, the titular character of ''[[Doug]]'', is a more subtle male example, however it usually depends on the episode.
* ''[[
* '[[South Park]]'' has Heidi Turner, Karen McCormick and Stan Marsh. Stan is a downplayed case, as he has no problem socializing, but is this when it comes to Wendy Testaberger, as he can't talk to her without throwing up (At least later on that is). Karen McCormick is also this, as she only, trusts [[Cool Big Bro|Kenny]] to be around her. She is also a [[Fragile Flower]], crying when stressed. Karen is especially this around her dad, [[Abusive Dad|Stuart]] [[Jerkass|McCormick]]. Heidi Turner is a very prominent case; she has low self-esteem, very insecure, socially timid and has problems admitting she made a mistake ({{Spoiler|Until the end of season 21, that is.}})
== Real Life ==
* In what must have been a freak coincidence or a mass collective consciousness outburst, a recent{{when}} online poll asking the citizens of Israel to [http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3455278,00.html pick their national flower] was confidently led by the bold, bright red Anemone-coronaria, until the very last hours of the voting where people saw the anemone was winning and started voting en masse for the Cyclamen - a flower which has about it a long-established folk mythology of female shy and purple anthropomorphism, going back to an ancient legend of King Solomon praising "her" for her shyness and purpleness and humility and whatnot. In essence, this was the triumph of the Shrinking Violet by a twisted form of [[Fan
* Partially a case of [[Truth in Television
** A more common and less severe version that also results in people that fit this trope is Social Phobia (also known as Social Anxiety Disorder). Encountering unfamiliar people or being placed in a situation where the sufferer is possibly subject to scrutiny leads to intense anxiety or panic attacks.
* Lacking the necessary social skills to get along with other kids, the efforts of some children with [[Asperger's Syndrome]] to make friends usually have the opposite effect; after so many years of being bullied and ignored and not really understanding why, it's no wonder that many of them turn into shy adults with a crippling lack of self-confidence, even after they've learned how to [[Stepford Smiler|emulate correct behaviour]].
* Actress [[Madeline Zima]] tends to sound very shy when she talks, which adds significantly to her [[Moe]]-appeal. Has said that her sisters often have to force her to talk to a guy.
* [[The Presidents|United States President]] [[Calvin Coolidge]], who became known for his laconic nature as a result.
{{quote|
* Lord Henry Cavendish, an eighteenth century English scientist and recluse was so painfully shy that he communicated with his housekeeper by letter. He would, rarely, attend parties. Guests who wanted his august opinion were advised to approach and speak, "as it were, into a vacancy" and hope to hear a mumbled reply. More likely they'd hear a mortified squeak and turn to find he'd fled. However, his seclusion left him the free time to be as meticulous as humanly possible and thus he was the first to discover the gravitational constant (it required measuring the minuscule torque on a wire caused by the gravitational attraction of two metal balls. From another room. Through a telescope.) Unfortunately both for Cavendish and for science, he also didn't publish his findings, which often meant that a) others got the credit, and b) those findings were delayed, sometimes by decades.
* According to historians, young Louis XVI of France. He was described as shy, having no social graces, and very hesitant.
* Actor [[Colin Morgan]] is very shy. He comes across as reserved, blushing and very hesitant in most of his interviews. This adds to his [[Moe]] and [[Adorkable]] appeal, as even his fellow star admitted to being jealous by all the attention he receives for this.
{{quote|
* Actress [[Kristen Stewart]] is another fine example. She's constantly fidgety, looking scared and awkward whenever in spot light, biting her lips, nails and dropping her awards on the floor in nervousness.
* Another scientist example is that of the Chinese mathematician [
* Comedian [[Mitch Hedberg]]'s signature style (wearing sunglasses, hunching over the microphone and spending most of his acts staring at the floor) was due to a crippling stage fright. Those mannerisms helped him forget that an audience was watching him.
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[[Category:Index With a Heart of Gold]]
[[Category:Truth in Television]]
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