Tall, Dark and Snarky



A variation on the Insufferable Genius, this character is usually charismatic, incredibly good at what they do, and rather good-looking. Members of the same sex both admire and envy them, while those of the opposite fall all over them (often forming an Instant Fanclub), and the only thing that saves them from being a Mary/MartyStu is their overwhelming arrogance and constant annoyance at being surrounded by people they see as idiots. They'll often make snarky comments on the current situation which show that they know much more about what's going on than anyone else, and answer any questions with the preface, "Are you so stupid you can't see it?"

This doesn't necessarily make them evil, though. (If anything, it's understandable, given the mindless way people often act around them.) They're just not a character who plays well with others and are therefore at risk of becoming an Ineffectual Loner. Their snarkiness is usually brought low not with sarcasm, but a good old Insult Backfire.

Often paired or placed in contrast with an insufferably cheerful, outgoing, nice, and/or idealistic character, and may act as The Lancer. This character is usually responsible for teaching the Tall, Dark and Snarky about The Power of Friendship or The Power of Love, once he or she has enough skill to make the Tall, Dark and Snarky actually respect their opinion. However, this can backfire, with the Tall, Dark and Snarky feeling threatened by the character's newfound power and becoming The Rival instead or, worse, give the idealistic guy a pair of Jade-Colored Glasses to wear.

This archetype is also frequently used as a Mentor or older brother type, used as a foil for the protagonist's optimistic and foolish nature. See also Tall, Dark and Handsome for the straight vanilla versions.

Anime and Manga
"Shampoo: This present for Ranma! Ranma: *Looks at the oversized bell she's giving him* Just what I wanted. A huge metal acorn."
 * Yu Kanda from D.Grayman and Tyki, who, in fact, pretty much matches the title Tall, Dark and Snarky literally.
 * Uchiha Sasuke from Naruto, mainly in part one.
 * Sebastian from Black Butler, in spades. William T. Spears certainly counts as well.
 * Ciel, too. Well...dark and snarky, anyway.
 * Studio Ghibli's Whisper of the Heart has Tall, Dark, and Snarky Amasawa Seiji.
 * Hijikata in Gintama fits this trope nicely. Dark hair? Check. Popular with ladies? Check. Snarky? Check. Strict? So much so that his nickname is the demonic vice commander.
 * His subordinate Okita could also be part of this trope despite not having dark hair, as he is quite snarky (actually, his personality borders on terrible) and acts as a foil for Hijikata. He's also handsome enough that Gintoki once pointed out that, in comparison, Shinpachi was turtle poop.
 * According to Word of God, he's the token bishonen.
 * But it could be said that a lot of characters in this series could fit this trope, as they were tall and dark.
 * Kuroyanagi Ryou from Yakitate!! Japan.
 * Female example: Caren from Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch.
 * Seto Kaiba from Yu-Gi-Oh! and his Expy, Kaiser Ryo Marufuji, in Yu-Gi-Oh! GX. Edo Phoenix also comes off as this type in the dub: "Now whether you like me or not, there's one fact no one out there can dispute: I'm the best. I can't be beaten."
 * Eiri Yuki from Gravitation, despite his blond hair, is a perfect example of this. Not only is he exceedingly aloof on almost all occasions and attracts a lot of female attention (which is parodied in the OVA when he grabs the hand of a female fan at an autograph session and she blushes and actually skyrockets into the sky while he himself remains impassive), but he is romantically paired with Shuichi, who is as energetic and emotional as a Keet can get.
 * Sesshoumaru from Inuyasha is a particularly deadly example of this trope.
 * Helped along by the fact that he typically punctuates his snarks with incredibly devastating attacks.
 * Rukawa Kaede and Hisashi Mitsui from Slam Dunk.
 * Even more so than being Tsundere (which is arguable at best), Asuka of Neon Genesis Evangelion is the female embodiment of this trope. Well, she isn't tall (yet) or dark (she's a redhead), but boy is she snarky. Her usual costume is red and black (everyone else's is white and/or blue)...
 * No wonder Asuka has a major crush on a guy who does fit here: Misato's ex-boyfriend, Ryoji Kaji, who even manages to deal the snark.
 * Gendo Ikari is a Magnificent Bastard version of this.
 * Roger Smith from The Big O is better-behaved, but otherwise fits this trope perfectly. He may be too smooth to say how stupid people are being, but you can see it in his facial expressions.
 * Reito Kanzaki from Mai-HiME, to an extent. is just as snarky and several times darker.
 * To some degree, Synchro from Corrector Yui. He has dark skin and acts somewhat less aloof than the standard, but otherwise fits pretty well.
 * Yuushi Oshitari and Eishirou Kite from The Prince of Tennis.
 * Fakir from Princess Tutu fits the description so well it almost seems like it was written about him, right down to the chipper main character teaching him The Power of Love.
 * Hayate from Prétear, though, half the time, he acts like this on purpose.
 * Rei Otohata in Super Gals!
 * Another one with the wrong hair color and all the other traits:  from Ashita no Nadja. Also, Antionio Fabiani.
 * Hayato Jin from Getter Robo.
 * This is basically an Abh's hat in Crest of the Stars and its sequels. The guys mean business, and their snarkiness is well justified (for the most part), but God, are they arrogant...
 * Minus the "tall" part, Kotoko from Chobits qualifies (she's like a little, pigtailed Dr. House!).
 * Gundam has several of those:
 * Char Aznable in the original series and movie, despite being blond.
 * Domon Kashuu from G Gundam.
 * Heero Yuy of Gundam Wing certainly fits the bill, again with less "tall". Also, Treize Kushrenada...only he is much more FABULOUS. Like Roger Smith from The Big O, he rarely outright says that people are being idiots, but you can tell that that's exactly what he's thinking.
 * Rau Le Creuset from Gundam Seed and Gilbert Durandal from Gundam Seed Destiny.
 * Tieria Erde (pre-Character Development), Hallelujah Haptism, Lyle Dylandy, Lasse Aeon, Ali Al-Saachez(despite being a redhead), and Andrei Smirnov from Mobile Suit Gundam 00.
 * Hiei from Yu Yu Hakusho is small, but he's definitely dark and snarky.
 * Kazuya Shibuya from Ghost Hunt. Mai believes that he's so incredibly full of himself that she starts calling him "Naru" (shorthand for "narcissist") after she first meets him.
 * Yamato Ishida from Digimon Adventure.
 * Doumeki Shizuka from xxxHolic...although he's only really particularly snarky to Watanuki.
 * Dr. Black Jack -- absurdly hypercompetent, dresses like Dracula most of the time, and has a misanthropic streak the size of Tokyo.
 * George from Paradise Kiss is a Tall, Dark and Snarky dandy with an outstanding talent as a fashion designer. He's also a Bishonen and knows it.
 * ...Tall, Light, and Snarky?
 * Kyoya-senpai from Ouran High School Host Club. Dark hair, glasses, Tamaki as his cheerful foil, and intense snark? Not to mention the other host club members call him the 'shadow king'...
 * Ikuto from Shugo Chara. Amplified by him being five years older than the rest of the cast, and the Power of Love bit with Amu isn't even subtle-- giant, heart shaped "I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight attacks anybody?
 * Mui in The Bride of the Water God.
 * Tsume of Wolf's Rain.
 * Kai Hiwatari in Beyblade.
 * Rob Lucci is an explicitly villainous version, although everyone around him does tend to act like morons.
 * Mamoru Takamura from Hajime no Ippo. Seriously!
 * Uryu Ishida (though he defrosts a bit when he joins the True Companions), Byakuya Kuchiki,, Ulquiorra Schiffer, and Shukuro Tsukishima of Bleach.
 * Roderich/Austria from Axis Powers Hetalia is more of a Sugar and Ice Guy, but he approaches this when he's at his snarkiest.
 * Sadiq/Turkey can fit in as well, arguably.
 * Fullmetal Alchemist's Roy Mustang has his moments.
 * Izaya Orihara from Durarara is a bizarre cross between this and Magnificent Bastard. Clad all in black, oh-so appealing to the fangirls...and an arrogant jerk to boot.
 * Rare main character example: Nozomu "Mr. Despair" Itoshiki of Sayonara, Zetsubou-sensei.
 * Villain Protagonist Alucard, Badass Bookworm Walter Dornez, and Jerk with a Heart of Gold Pip Bernadotte of Hellsing. Even Lady of War Integra Hellsing has her moments.
 * The Dragon and Creepy Monotone user Legato Bluesummers from Trigun.
 * Naoki Shinjyo in Future GPX Cyber Formula, although he does soften up in the later OVAs.
 * Edmond Dantes/Gankutsuou of Gankutsuou.
 * Barnaby Brooks Jr. from Tiger and Bunny graduates at the top of his class before entering the public eye with a bang, rises through the ranks of superheroes in a very short period of time, attracts fans and admirers wherever he goes...and is (in private) kind of a standoffish jerk. He eventually gets better, though.
 * Eyeshield 21: Agon Kongo.
 * Code Geass' C.C. is tall, green-haired, and snarky.
 * Tall, Dark and Handsome Magnificent Bastard Lelouch can be just as snarky. Especially when around her.
 * Ban Mido from GetBackers is quite an embodiment of the trope. While not particularly tall, he has dark hair, is a "combat expert" very well-read on a number of obscure subjects, and is the most arrogant, foul-mouthed member of the main cast. And a Type-A tsundere, to boot.
 * Guts from Berserk isn't just handsome, he has quite a bit of snark in him as well.
 * Shion Izumi from Gantz. The most brutal fighter on the team and an incurable smartass,as well.
 * Ranma ½: in the manga, Ranma Saotome. What makes this a more unique example than others is that although he's an Insufferable Genius and a Deadpan Snarker, he's also one of the most optimistic people in the cast. So much so that when he tries to learn an attack based on depression, he fails because he's just too much of a happy person. In essence, he fulfills both the optimistic Hero role and the sarcastic, untrusting Lancer role.


 * Tokiya Mikagami from Flame of Recca, although he has light blue hair (or light brown, if you're watching the anime).
 * Akira Inugami of Wolf Guy Wolfen Crest.
 * Kyon in Haruhi Suzumiya spends most of the time commenting in retrospect about Haruhi's antics in a very snarky way. He's pretty tall.

Comic Books
"Neron: You'll rue the day you crossed me!
 * The Supreme Power version of Emil Burbank/Master Menace is both an Insufferable Genius and Tall, Dark and Snarky. The mentally challenged Shape is the closest thing he has to a "cheerful" foil; it really says something about the Supremeverse that only a literal moron can be cheerful there.
 * Jackie Estacado, The Darkness - highly amusing mafia hitman with demonic powers.
 * The Shade, particularly after James Robinson's Starman revamp.

Shade: If I had a "rue" for every time someone told me that, I'd own Paris."


 * Doctor Strange, at least in his backstory as Stephen Strange M.D., accomplished young neurosurgeon who thought only of himself.

Films — Animated

 * Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas could be considered this, though he's nicer than most examples.
 * Scar from The Lion King. It's the voice

Films — Live Action

 * Septimus from Stardust. He's tall, dark, a skilled assassin, and thinks he is surrounded by idiots.
 * This trope applies to nearly every character ever played by Alan Rickman, villainous or heroic, unless he's trying very hard to play against type. This may account for much of the aforementioned Draco in Leather Pants directed at Snape.
 * James Bond, and most of the Bond girls, must notably Xenia Onatopp, since Bond keeps screwing her over.
 * Loki in the 2011 Thor film is very much this in the beginning. This is to be expected, though, since he is The Trickster: snark comes with the territory.
 * Likewise, Tony Stark in the film version of Iron Man.
 * Jeff Goldblum. That is all.

Literature

 * Tons of examples of this in the plays of Shakespeare. Examples include Berowne in Love's Labour's Lost, Benedick in Much Ado, Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, and others.
 * Pictured above, Severus Snape in Harry Potter is very snarky, dark, and intelligent. He subverts the trope by being described as ugly and extremely petty (despite Draco in Leather Pants depictions in fan works and his Hollywood Homely movie appearance).
 * And short.
 * It should be noted that only in the movies is Snape tall. It's a side effect of being played by 6'1" Alan Rickman. (Though Snape may not actually be "short"; the book only says he's shorter than Sirius Black, who could just be exceptionally tall.)
 * Vetinari has moments of extreme snarkiness, and he's described as tall and dark. Not to mention awesome.
 * William Marsh starts out mostly Tall, Dark and Handsome, but being paired with Lewis causes him to slide ever further into this trope as the book progresses.
 * This trope is one of the defining characteristics of House Lannister in A Song of Ice and Fire, in spite of their golden hair; Jaime and Tywin are solid examples, with Cersei being a female variant. There is also Theon Greyjoy who is described in his first appearance as being "a lean, dark youth of nineteen who found everything amusing." Petyr is very short, but also quite handsome, thoroughly immoral, and has a practiced wit.
 * Fitzwilliam Darcy from Pride and Prejudice, the Trope Codifier.
 * Rhett from Gone with the Wind is another example.
 * Vidia from the Disney Fairies series is a female example. The fastest of the Fast Flying fairies, her condescending attitude toward everyone else drives them away, which is usually just the way she likes it.
 * Nick Ryves from The Demon's Lexicon is a fairly extreme example.
 * Crowley from Good Omens.
 * Flashman is an interesting subversion: actually Tall, Dark and Snarky as all hell, but appears to the world as a good-natured heroic naif.
 * The same goes for his Warhammer 40000 Expy Ciaphas Cain.
 * To everyone else's confusion, Prof. Colette from The Princess 99 is in love with the embodiment of this trope,.
 * Fang from Maximum Ride.
 * Gerald Tarrant from the Coldfire Trilogy.
 * Harry Dresden is this trope incarnate.
 * Childermass from Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell.
 * Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights.
 * Will Herondale from Infernal Devices.
 * Jeeves is quieter and less outwardly arrogant than most examples of this trope, but he's The Ace and a Servile Snarker to boot. Bertie and his Upper Class Twit friends worship the ground he walks on. In the TV series, he's even more overtly snarky.

Live-Action TV

 * Mr. Spock from Star Trek. Captain Kirk and Dr. McCoy show him The Power of Friendship.
 * Littlefinger from Game of Thrones.
 * Chiaki Shinichi from Nodame Cantabile.
 * Dr. Gregory House, from House MD, is basically this trope incarnate. Almost all women in the show want him at some point. He can't bear idiots. He's got the nice, cheerful friend too, in Dr. Wilson, who tries to teach him humanity and caring.
 * Garrett from The Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog.
 * Any Sherlock Holmes, but especially Rupert Everett in the 2005 The Case of the Silk Stocking.
 * And now Benedict Cumberbatch from the 2010 BBC series. And Martin Freeman's Watson is utterly the "nice and/or idealistic Lancer" described above.
 * The literary Holmes would fit this trope, except for the "Bishonen" part.
 * Dr. Cox in Scrubs.
 * Wizards of Waverly Place. Both siblings, Justin and Alex Russo, are this, even though they're Different As Night and Day in all the other aspects.
 * Tendou Souji of Kamen Rider Kabuto is superhumanly skilled and superhumanly arrogant. But he's the main character, so we're presumably supposed to like him...
 * Kerr Avon from Blake's Seven. Not so big on the tall part, especially when compared with the likes of Blake or Gan, but he makes up for it with a triple helping of snark.
 * Sanctuary's Nikola Tesla is quite good looking...and never hesitates to remind everyone that he's a genius and they're not.

Music

 * The Beatles had a reputation for being like this.

Professional Wrestling

 * The Rock. Heel or Face, it doesn't matter what you think, do, say, or who you are, as far as The Rock is concern.
 * The Undertaker.
 * Batista, especially when he's Heel.
 * CM Punk.
 * Kane.
 * Kevin Nash.
 * Scott Hall.
 * Randy Orton.
 * Wade Barrett, ex-leader of The Nexus.
 * Alberto Del Rio, and you already know that.
 * John Bradshaw Layfield

Video Games

 * Sand from Neverwinter Nights 2 not only (mostly) fits this trope, but improves on it by being an elf.
 * Gannayev-of-Dreams from the expansion would also (mostly) fit, and he improves on it by being the only pretty hagspawn in the entire game. Snarking with/at him is the best way to gain influence.
 * Jade Curtiss from Tales of the Abyss is the king of Snarking; friends, enemies, and random people on the street are not above his Whips of Wit!
 * Judas from Tales of Destiny 2 fits as well. Not so much the tall part, though, as an annoyed Loni points out that he looks younger than him.
 * Don't forget Yuri from Tales of Vesperia, who has been noted as "Jade 2.0" by fans.
 * Advocat from Grim Grimoire, a devil of a teacher who charms the female students and makes snide comments at almost every opportunity. And yes, he's one of the good guys.
 * It should be noted that while he tried many times to charm Amoretta, he failed every time.
 * Shinon from Fire Emblem 9 and its sequel.
 * Soren is rather short, but otherwise plays this trope perfectly. Despite his grating nature, he is nonetheless highly valued by his companions due to his brilliant mind.
 * Solid Snake in Metal Gear Solid qualifies, but his wilder traits get softened by the growth of a self-sacrificing, spiritual side as the series goes on.
 * Reaver from Fable II. Seemingly meant as a subversion/deconstruction, as he's almost as villainous as the Big Bad and a good deal more annoying.
 * Atton Rand from Knights of the Old Republic, arguably.
 * Jin Kisaragi of Blaz Blue doesn't really fulfill the "Dark" part of this trope, but he is tall, quite handsome, has gaggles of fangirls both in real life and in-game, and is extremely snarky towards almost everyone he meets. His subordinate, Noel Vermillion, acts as something of a Foil to him, as she is unfailingly polite and timid towards almost everyone whom she encounters.
 * Jin's brother, Ragna the Bloodedge, also qualifies as being Tall, Dark and Snarky, but is a good person at heart.
 * Valkyria Chronicles II's Zeri can be counted as this, though he mainly finds Avan to be the biggest annoyance. Also, Pete.
 * Braig in Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep,
 * Garret, from Thief. Kind of tall, dark for sure, and all kinds of snarky. No matter who he's dealing with, he has a witty line to deliver.
 * Magus of Chrono Trigger.
 * Frantz of Rusty Hearts.
 * Jorge Garcia from Backyard Sports.
 * Cloud Strife of Final Fantasy VII affects a swaggery, mercantile version of this kind of personality because he hates his real one, and throughout the game minor characters tend to fall for it but major characters see straight through him. Inside, he's shy, introverted, kind-hearted and has a staggering amount of barely repressed self-loathing.

Visual Novels

 * Ace Attorney's Miles Edgeworth. Ruthless as a prosecutor (at first), irresistable to the ladies (and yet nigh oblivious to this), admired by the police force, and incredibly snarky (especially so in Ace Attorney Investigations, or in the case in Trials & Tribulations where ).
 * Archer of Fate/stay night. Except for the white hair.
 * Lord El-Melloi II, Rin's sponsor for study in London, doesn't let being a very skilled and well-liked lecturer of magic get in the way of also being a surly Mean Brit.
 * Under the Moon has twin brothers Leni and Seizh; they express this trope in different ways. Leni does not suffer fools. Seizh does, but mostly for the chance to ridicule people.

Webcomics

 * Girl Genius's Ardsley Wooster is increasingly this trope, what with being tall, dark, British, the Servile Snarker as Gil's manservant, and
 * Esther de Groot from Scary Go Round.
 * [...]/Zombie from Hanna Is Not a Boy's Name counts. He's one of the tallest of the cast, a gentle but still pronounced snarker, and not too bad-looking for a green-skinned reanimated corpse.

Web Originals

 * The Spoony One. And how.
 * The Cinema Snob.
 * Oblivion from Shadowhunter Peril is a villanous example. It was more apparent when he briefly joined the Resistance -- he would constantly made snide comments to everyone, and use his powers on them without warning for his own amusement. He is also incredibly attractive, and always clad in black. He has Red Eyes, Take Warning, except they don't stop his fangirls. And the fact that he is now a villain just makes him more of a Draco in Leather Pants. His foil is Umbra--to an extent. Both of them have blonde hair and dress in black, and both are tall and muscular, but whereas Oblivion is selfish, consumed by anger, and is incapable of loving, Umbra can open his heart to anyone, and he cares more about others than himself.

Western Animation

 * Batman Beyond has Terry McGinnis. His mentor is Bruce Wayne, after all.
 * Craig Tucker from South Park.
 * Trent Lane and Thomas "Tom" Sloane from Daria.
 * Trent's sister Jane is a female example.
 * Gwen from Total Drama Island.
 * Female example: Shego from Kim Possible. If one were to describe her character in three words (well, technically four), these would be them.
 * Mozenrath from Aladdin is a pure evil take on this.
 * Prowl from Transformers Animated is not quite so snarky as other examples, but fills the quota nonetheless.
 * Another female example is Mai from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Tall? Can look at her also Tall, Dark and Snarky boyfriend in the eye. Dark? Has beautiful shiny black hair and more often than not wears dark-colored dresses. Snarky? "We lost."