Berserk Button/Video Games

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


When a nice, normal character suddenly goes into a rage, you've hit their Berserk Button.

  • If you don't want "The Murray" from the Sly Cooper series to floss his teeth with your spine, NEVER hurt his friends.
    • DO NOT tell Dimitri his suit sucks. EVER.
  • A utility droid in Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords has a "short man's complex."
    • Atton doesn't take it well when people try to get inside his head.
    • Don't bring up Taris in front of Juhani. If you have to, be prepared to remember the Jedi Code in order to cool her off. Likewise, you're better off not talking about the Genocide of Cathar...
    • And Mission does not want to be treated like some helpless kid. Seeing as she's a nubile, pretty Twi'lek female that fended for herself in one of the worst Wretched Hives in the galaxy, it's kinda justified.
    • When it comes to Zaalbar, you can kill his father, and abet Czerka's slaving operations on his homeworld... if you're evil, but don't threaten Mission unless you want a large, pissed-off Wookiee charging you, and to hell with the life debt. If you are a bastard and force him to kill her, he will make an attempt to kill you on the Star Forge.
    • If you suggest that Canderous is a coward, make peace with The Force beforehand.
    • You also probably want to avoid mentioning Carth's wife in front of him. Or Admiral Karath.
  • The Force Unleashed: Never, EVER attempt to harm Juno Eclipse. Ever. Starkiller will find you and do his level best to reduce you to your constituent subatomic particles. Some examples of his speech after Vader Force-Pushes Juno out of a window and she appears dead:

I WILL KILL YOU!!!!!
YOU WILL DIE WHERE YOU STAND!!!!

  • Don't call Gary in Bully boring.
    • While he doesn't completely flip a shit, he still overreacts.
  • In the first chapter of the Neverwinter Nights mod The Bastard of Kosigan, the player character gets really, really pissed off when any Germans mix up France and Burgundy. Bigger and more justifiable examples occur in the third and fourth chapters, when someone digs up your mother's grave looking for a sword and when Alex dies, respectively.
  • Endermen from Minecraft are normally passive unless you look directly at them, which seems to make them fly into a murderous rage.
  • Jin Saotome from Cyberbots (& Marvel vs. Capcom) goes into a rage if his opponents mention his dead father.
  • Flonne from Disgaea, while usually the Love Freak, is unusually loud when someone points out that she's flat. But the closest she actually came to Berserk was when an Captain Gordon, Defender of Earth! called her a villainess: She immediately went from "let's talk" to "let's kick his sorry butt".
    • That being said, when Etna's assets (or rather, her lack of them) are pointed out, she tends to go right past "loud" and straight to "murderously violent." Rozalin got to learn this the hard way.
    • If you think calling Etna flat is a bad idea, then steal one of her desserts or her panties. I dare you. I DOUBLE dare you, muthafucka! While panty theft is a berserk button for women in general, if Etna finds out you were responsible and her prinnies don't get you first, you will wish you called her flat instead.
    • DON'T call Laharl "kind" or anything similar.
      • Also don't mess his hair; it took him all morning to get it just the way he wanted it.
    • Vyers the Dark Adonis doesn't take kindly to being referred to as "Mid-Boss".
    • Harming or threatening to harm Adell's family or friends is a good way to get yourself a few broken bones. If you're lucky.
    • Fuka and Desco enjoy their love talk, especially when dredging Valvatorez' past with Artina out of him. Interrupt it, however, and heads will roll. Namely, yours. Do not take a perverse interest in Desco, or Fuka will go nuts. That means you, MAO.
    • From another work of Nippon Ichi, La Pucelle Tactics, do NOT mess with Croix's girl or he'll flip out and crush your skull in, slowly, while you beg for mercy.
  • The Big Daddies of BioShock (series): Hulking great fellows grafted into old-fashioned diving suits who have found themselves on permanent escort duty. They take this duty very seriously. For the most part they are calm and placid, patiently lumbering along in the wake of their creepy little charges and frequently displaying a touching degree of tenderness. But... should anyone pose the least threat to his Little Sister, Big Daddy will... get angry. And, good Lord, when this happens, you will know about it.
    • Sander Cohen has a few of these buttons. Harm his art, interrupt his music, even doubt him (or, as the player found, be suspected of doubting him) and you better be ready for a face full of fire.
    • Dr. Steinman will horrifically mutilate you if you don't fit his standard of beauty. Though considering he views himself as "the Picasso of Surgery", everyone probably qualifies.
  • Dr. Neurosis from Brain Dead 13. Don't call him "average." Just don't.
  • Dragon Age:
    • Do not take Sten's sword. You and everyone within reach will die.
    • Do not suggest or imply that Orlais isn't a country full of murderous bastards out to destroy everything while Loghain is within earshot. Your death will not be pleasant.
    • Do not threaten the Warden's family. It will end badly for you.
  • Dragon Age II:
    • Do not mess with Hawke's family. You will be exceedingly lucky if your remains will fill a teacup afterward.
    • Do not threaten mages or imply support for the Chantry while Anders is nearby. Just don't.
    • Do not call Fenris a slave unless you wish to see your innards up close and in person.
    • Never, ever point out that Hawke is more capable than Carver. He isn't likely to take it well.
    • Don't suggest leniency with the mages to Meredith. All that remains of you will be a reddish smear on the wall.
    • Likewise, don't kill Orsino's fellow mages. He'll throw his principles out the window and use everything to crush you.
    • Also don't take a Qunari holy relic, if you don't want them to spend a decade looking for you and, when they don't find you, take over a city.

The Arishok: Fixing your mess is not the demand of the Qun, and you should all be grateful!

  • Dragon Age Inquisition: Do not call Sera "Elfie" unless you want an arrow in the face.
  • Tales of Symphonia
    • Raine, despite her normally rather cynical and sensible behaviour, has archaeological mania. Woe betide anyone who disparages or harms any ruins in her presence.
    • It is usually a very, very, very bad idea to intentionally harm Colette if Lloyd is present.
    • Or to speak ill of Lloyd's mother Anna.
    • In the same game, if you call Cruxis's leader, Lord YggdrasilMithos,yes, the one from the Kharlan war and you were not one of his old, OLD companions, prepare to get brutally killed by a ball of mana. Just look at what happened to Pronyma.
    • And, as Kvar found out the hard way, do NOT refer to humans as "inferior beings" when Kratos is around. Kratos' rage was fueled even further when Kvar insulted his dead wife, Anna.
  • Locke from Final Fantasy VI goes nuts whenever someone calls him a thief. He prefers to be known as a "treasure hunter."
  • Final Fantasy VII: Do NOT harm or threaten to harm Marlene within range of Barret. It just might be the last thing you ever do.
  • Final Fantasy X: Machina and Al Bhed are initially Berserk Buttons for Wakka - using machina or being of Al Bhed heritage was a good way to get yourself on his bad side. He does mellow out about it later on in the game though. Also, DON'T talk about Chappu in front of Lulu.
    • Killing Auron's old friend is a good way to get him enraged, as seen in this optional line of dialogue in the fight against Seymour Natus:

Auron: Although he was not the man I once knew, Kinoc was still my friend. You will pay for his death, Seymour!

    • Unless you have a death wish (or are already dead), don't imply that you killed Kimahri's tribe. OR try to harm Yuna when he's around.
    • Rikku apparently can't stand people who just blindly follow Yevon's teachings without thinking for themselves, as shown when she chews Wakka out for it shortly after her (proper) introduction. Also, hurting Yuna is a good way to get her mad.
    • Even Yuna has one, though it depends somewhat on interpretation - don't say the summoner's pilgrimage is useless or that there's no point to it. Even though she didn't get that angry when it was mentioned, that could just be because it was Tidus who said it - the implication is that if it had been anyone else, Yuna's reaction would have been a bit more severe. Also, NEVER insult her guardians.
  • Princess Ashe of Final Fantasy XII was given an audience with their gods the Occuria. The leader of the Occuria was delighted enough that their chosen had come for her tasks: to become their new Dynast-King and to destroy, Venat, an Occuria who did not agree to their plans for Ivalice. The leader maintained an eloquent and neutral tone when speaking to her, but when Ashe questions the task to destroy Venat, the leader's tone of voice changed so much viewers can feel the spite and anger the Occuria have towards Venat. To add to the effect, the calming background music changed into something tense and dark.
    • Vaan also completely lost it when confronted by the man who he thought had killed his big brother, Reks. Ashe shared this one since her father's death., though unlike Vaan's "rattling the prison in a fit of rage", she contented herself with a Death Glare and an Armour Piercing Slap. The real killer inspired similar ire from them both, although in this case it was intentional.
  • In Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, a new ability was added called Anger Point. Only three Mons can have it (Mankey, Primeape, and Tauros), and they all have alternate abilities that are generally considered much more useful (Vital Spirit for the former two, Intimidate for the latter). However, if one of those Pokémon does have Anger Point and an opposing attack used on it is a Critical Hit, that Pokémon's Attack stat is automatically maximized, even if it was already lowered by something like Charm or Intimidate. In other words, the Attack boost is equal to a Belly Drum minus the HP sacrifice, or three simultaneous Swords Dances at neutral stat change. The ability has no importance to the story and is generally not worth basing one's strategy around, but it is likely one of the best examples of a Berserk Button within the gameplay.
    • Try to harm a Pokemon Trainer with a Gardevoir. I dare you. Just warning you, don't get fooled with the "cute girl" looks.
  • Kornell goes nuts and breaks out of a trap in Grandia III when Miranda calls him a "muscle-bound peabrain."
  • CJ from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas reacts very badly to being called a 'bustah'. Badly enough that the game goes to pot whenever someone does...
    • Also, do not talk smack about his sister Kendl or threaten her in any way. In the "Deconstruction" mission, when he heard about how a bunch of construction workers were calling Kendl a hooker, C.J. paid a visit to the construction site, thoroughly trashed the place, and, just to top things off, trapped the boss of the place in an outhouse, dumped him in a hole, and buried him alive in cement. Damn. Just damn.
  • Mega Man X: Resistance member Steelheart Massimo has a bit of an idol issue. Never speak poorly of his predecessor sharing the same name. Especially do not call him "weak", "feeble", or mock tearing him apart while saying "rrrriiiiiiipppppp". You will be thrown through a wall... if you're lucky.
    • To put it into perspective, the Reploid that decided to do this was the massive Triceratops-based Silver Horn, who's twice as tall as Massimo and built like a tank. He got sent flying across the room and onto his ass with one blow.

"Feeble Massimo? FEEBLE Massimo?! *growl* You sonuva-"

    • The memory of your insulting him will not wash away, either. A copy Reploid impersonating Silver Horn appears in the obligatory Mega Man Boss Rush. Massimo treats him as if he was the real deal, stating his intent to take the guy out.
    • Rock Man 4 Minus Infinity: Pharaoh Man gets pretty upset when you destroy the statues in his pyramid, and later blasts Mega Man through the roof of the pyramid when he destroys a coffin.
  • Nobody FUCKS with my family.
  • Say 'Daisukenojo Bito' in front of Beat. I dare you.
    • Okay! DAISUKENOJO BITO!
      • You've just been whacked to death with a skateboard.
        • "BWAAAAGHHH!"
  • Don't touch Boo.
    • Insulting Dynaheir or Khalid (especially after either's storyline death) is a good way to forfeit your life.
    • Minsc has an actual berserk button - as in, there's a button you can click to send him into a berserk rage. He also goes postal if whoever he's adopted as his "witch" in the second game gets killed. (In both these cases, it's a good idea to hide most of your party on the other side of a locked door, since Minsc in berserk mode has a somewhat overactive target acquisition sensor.)
  • The whole point of Postal 2 is that the protagonist, an average, down-on-his-luck citizen of a simple little town can go on a mass-murdering rampage while performing boring, menial tasks that try their hardest to frustrate him. The catch is that the player can choose to do so or not.
  • In Super Smash Bros. Brawl's Subspace Emissary Adventure Mode, the plot diverges slightly based on player action in the first stage, which determines which of the game's two resident princesses is initially captured by the baddies. The one who escapes is later believed by her corresponding hero to have been assaulted by allies. The batshit rage which results from this erroneous belief indicates that for Mario, endangering Princess Peach presses his Berserk Button; to press Link's, endanger Princess Zelda.
    • The latter is confirmed in The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword. Due to Link using the power of the Triforce to flatten the Imprisoned, Ghirahim winds up kidnapping Zelda, making it crystal clear that he is going to sacrifice her to his master, and jumping into the Gate of Time. You will never see Link in an angrier state as he jumps through the Gate after him, steamrolls over countless Bokoblins, and tears Ghirahim a new asshole.
  • Barbatos Goetia in Tales of Destiny 2 is already batshit insane from the start, but there are some ways to make him even crazier... Cast a spell in front of him? No, not that, he may counter immediately with a spell, but he still keeps his tone to usual... but use an item in front of him, and he'll approach you ASAP, grab you, slam you, stomp you and slash you with all his spectacularly Badass scream: "NO ITEMS, EVEEEERRRRR!!!!!". Even more in the Japanese version, since he got Norio Wakamoto as his seiyuu.
  • The Witch in Left 4 Dead is the most passive enemy in the game, not attacking until you shine a flashlight on her, bump into her or do anything to disturb the woman. She then promptly stands up, annihilates the person responsible, before bursting into tears and shrieking as she runs away from the survivors.
  • Welkin Gunther, Valkyria Chronicles' resident Nice Guy has one when he found out that Faldio shot and nearly killed Alicia.
  • Do not mess with Bil's teddy bear.
  • Fujimura Taiga in Fate/stay night is typically playful and cheerful...unless you call her Tiger, in which case you'd better have a will ready. Getting called Tiger actually pisses her off so much that saying it is enough to lift her out of unconsciousness.
    • Also, Saber has a tendency to go into Tranquil Fury over badly made food.
      • Even worse is when she gets no food at all. The mere SUGGESTION of skipping a meal caused her to nearly beat Shirou to death.
    • Shirou himself has one in regards to his family and loved ones, Taiga especially. When Shinji doesn't just harm her but then proceeds to mock her attempts at resistance, it causes Shirou to flip out in a manner that heavily resembles Shiki Tohno.
  • If you are in Half-Life 2, threaten any member of the Vance family and you'll have to answer to Dog. Dog is a giant robot built like a gorilla. He throws cars at people he doesn't like. He rides Striders like bulls and tears off their heads. He certainly won't be intimidated by you.
  • Team Fortress 2: Never, are you under any circumstances, are you to touch The Heavy's gun. EVER.
  • Sonic and gang do have things that tick them off. We haven't seen exactly what will send Sonic over the edge, but harming any of his friends is close enough. Erazor Djinn got three screamin' strikes; [A] he killed Shahra when she sacrificed herself for Sonic's sake, [B] he continually disrespected Sonic (calling him a rat was the tip of the iceberg), and [C] his goal would encompass the real world if left alone. Suffice it to say he didn't end well.
    • Tails looks up to Sonic a lot, as anyone can attest to. When Eggman shot Sonic into space after gloating about how he knew Sonic's Chaos Emerald was bogus, Tails cut the pleasantries and tried to blast 'Botnik to death.
      • A smaller one, but Rouge found out the hard way that Tails does not like it when people flirt with him.
    • Whatever you do, NEVER harm Shadow's friends. Doing so causes his wrath to become genocidal, which humanity learned in Sonic Adventure 2 and what the Black Arms learned the hard way in Shadow the Hedgehog (Black Doom's actions set off the chain of events that resulted in Maria's death) in one of his Crowning Moments Of Awesome. The thought of Omega being damaged/destroyed in Sonic Chronicles made him a bit unhinged, so you can imagine what would have happened to the Marauders if Omega was actually destroyed.
    • Do NOT tell Amy Rose that Sonic doesn't feel the same way about her or that she doesn't have a snowball's chance with him, unless you want a hammer to the head.
      • And whatever you do, do not attempt to kill him in front of her. She has a Death Glare that can paralyze a psyker; if that doesn't get the point across, she'll use her hammer instead.
  • First Encounter Assault Recon: "They took away her babies." For Alma, that Berserk Button never got unstuck.
  • Narcis Prince in Super Punch Out!! admires his face a ton. If you even punch his beautiful face once, he'll get pissed off and will become more aggressive with his attacks. His berserk button is turned off if you manage to knock him down.
    • Aran Ryan will go berserk on you if you hit him with a super punch...however, this also presents an opportunity to trap him in a loop that leads to a guaranteed TKO.
    • In the Wii Punch-Out!!, punching Soda Popinski's bottle out of his hand or nailing him with a Star Punch makes him go into an uppercut frenzy. Don Flamenco, meanwhile, flips out (read: stops taunting you and goes into an endless attack string) should you knock off his toupee.
    • In the Wii Ware game, Doc Louis's Punch-Out!!, Doc Louis works almost the same way as Soda Popinski. Midway through the Sparring match, he will bring out a chocolate bar. If you let him eat it, he will restore all his stamina. If you manage to knock it off his hands, not only will it bring a very humorous warning by the WVBA, followed by Little Mac's humorous reaction when Doc Louis rips off his shirt, revealing a leopard sweater, but his speed is doubled, and STILL gets to unavoidably eat another chocolate bar.
    • 3 obvious berserk buttons were pressed by beating Don Flamingo, Super Macho Man & Mr. Sandman. Don tore up a poster of Little Mac before lifting weights. Super Macho Man put a Little Mac poster on the punching bag he was using after seeing his babes, paparazzi & other media start surrounding Little Mac. Mr. Sandman.....well just ask the RUBLE OF THE BUILDING that he destroyed with his BARE DAMN HANDS after he saw Little Mac's facial poster on it!
  • Do not refer to Suikoden I's Ronnie Bell as "Giant Woman." She will beat your ass to a bloody pulp.
  • Cirno, Touhou's resident ditzy ice fairy, reacts rather badly to anyone who calls her an idiot (she is, after all, the strongest).
    • Mystia, the "night sparrow" youkai, gets frightened or angry when someone talks about grilled/fried chicken around her.
    • Tenshi reacts rather badly to anyone belittling her abilities, which involve beam spamming and Earth-based attacks.
    • Ran Yakumo does not take kindly at all to anyone who messes with her shikigami Chen, as your player character finds out the hard way in the Extra Stage of Perfect Cherry Blossom.
    • Reimu does not take kindly to her shrine being messed with, as evidenced by the very first two Touhou games, Highly Responsive to Prayers and Story of Eastern Wonderland, which both got kicked off this way, and after it gets LEVELED in Scarlet Weather Rhapsody she performs an invasion of heaven and forced the offender (Tenshi) to do the repairs.
    • Tenshi has a habit of pressing most people's berserk buttons, usually intentionally. As one notable example, Komachi finally loses her cool when she finds out that Tenshi had been the person murdering the ghosts. While she doesn't lash out angrily, Komachi's behavior at the time is completely different from her normal calm, carefree, and somewhat lazy attitude. She even considers switching jobs so that the collection of souls (specifically, Tenshi's) falls within her jurisdiction.
    • Yuuka Kazami is incredibly old and powerful even by Gensoukyou standards, but is more concerned with her flowers than fighting, and takes pride in being civil and courteous. Those who mess with her flowers, however, have a tendency to never be seen again.
    • The fandom in general has one in the form of the question "What anime is this?" It's because they hear it all the damned time, and most are rather sick of having to explain things over and over again.
  • Mass Effect:
    • Do not open a mass relay without knowing where it leads first. The Council... frowns upon such shenanigans.
    • Kaidan Alenko may be one of the most mild-mannered Marines in the Alliance, but don't threaten his girlfriend. Bad idea.
    • Did you break the law in front of Samara? You're in for a world of pain.
    • Endangering the Migrant Fleet while Tali's around is a good way to get a shotgun to the face.
    • Feel like getting a bullet (or several) to the chest? How about you try to threaten Miranda's sister?
    • If Mordin finds out that you're using live test subjects, you're probably about to be subject to at least one of the many, many different ways he knows how to kill people.
    • Don't hurt someone close to Liara, especially Shepard. For example, the Shadow Broker tried to sell Shepard's body to the Collectors. Liara tore through the Shadow Broker's men to recover it. She even hits the Shadow Broker's own Berserk Button by speculating that he was taken from his homeworld by a trophy hunter who wanted a slave...or a pet.
    • You may also wish to avoid even suggesting that Grunt is not a true krogan, unless you like walking around without a head.
    • Also, holding Jack captive... not a good idea, if you don't want her to tear your prison to pieces with her mind. And Cerberus in general is one giant Berserk Button for Jack.
    • Krogan in general - if hurt badly enough, their secondary nervous system kicks in. According to Grunt, higher mental functions like "restraint" and "taking cover" don't always translate well.
    • "Don't. Fuck. With Aria."
    • Betraying Urdnot Wrex is an excellent way to get him to end you in spectacular fashion. If you sabotage the genophage cure for the salarians in 3, you will have to kill him, as he's intent on doing just that to you.
    • Go on... separate rachni offspring from their mother...I dare ya.
    • While you're at it, why not ruin the millenia-in-the-making plan of an awesomely powerful, ominicidal Space Cthulhu. See what he does...

Sovereign: I am Sovereign and this station IS MINE!

Shepard: That was for Thane/Miranda you SON OF A BITCH!

  • In Jericho, don't call Billie "Wilhelmina." ONLY HER FATHER CALLS HER WILHELMINA.
    • Also, don't damage Cole's computer. Cole does have a subversion of this as well, though. Ask her about maths, and she calms right down.
  • The Suffering: Do not threaten Torque's children. Do not claim to have sold drugs to them - not even as a joke. And never, ever, suggest that Torque wasn't their father. Yeah, the blood still hasn't washed off the barroom floor, either.
  • Don't ever mess with Ed Edison's hamster in Maniac Mansion. Remembering the events of the first game don't sit too well with him either in Day of the Tentacle.
    • He also reacts poorly to messing with his stamp collection in DotT, because it's his therapy for the hamster incident.
  • In Wet, the main trigger for Rubi's Rage Mode is getting blood on her face. When that happens, it's not going to be pretty for anyone in her general vicinity.
  • Aww, isn't Link a cute/handsome and nice young man? And what an innocent farmer/island-boy/Kokiri. Surely, he would never do something devastating on purpose, huh? So come on and try to hurt someone who's close to him. Come on. I dare you.
  • In Okami, Susano spends most of the game being (if often hilariously) useless. But when Orochi tries to eat his girlfriend...
  • In Backyard Sports, Maria Luna says she is like this whenever Kimmy Eckman destroys her pony dolls.
  • Warning: Activating Mimiron's lab's Self-Destruct Mechanism makes him angry. You won't like him when he's angry. (You may on the other hand like his loot.)
    • And destroying XT-002's Heart is generally foolish as well.
  • NO ONE rejects Lady D. Do it and she'll bring out her giant cake of death of on you.
  • In the Tokimeki Memorial series, if you don't wanna by hated and / or severly maimed, avoid at all costs pressing the following Berserk Buttons with the following people:
    • Shiori Fujisaki: Telling her she's sexy (she doesn't want to be seen as a sex object).
    • Yumi Saotome: Telling her she's cute (she wants people to see her as an adult).
    • Kotoko Minaduki: Talking or showing her anything related foreign culture, especially curry (she's passionate about traditional Japanese culture). Also, doing anything that could hurt her best friend Hikari.
    • Homura Akai: Calling her with the wrong honorifics, AND calling the school headmaster "Kazumi-chan" (she's best friends with him, and she wants to be the only one to call him like this).
    • Wataru Hibiya: Calling him "bouzu" or "kouzu" (aka "kid"—he wants people to see him as a man).
    • Ikkaku Amanohashi: Calling him "oochan" (aka "gramps").
  • In Mitsumete Knight, a few characters have Berserk Buttons:
  • Do not, I repeat DO NOT steal Kirby's food. He will go on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge throughout the whole dream land and devour/beat up everything in his way.
  • The Orz in Star Control will get angry and attack you for asking too much about the Androsynth.
    • Orz captain: Nnnggggaaaahhhhh!!!!!! It is *dancing*!!!!
  • Never try to steal from the shopkeeper's in the game called Spelunky. They can kick your ass - in spite of their age. This is an obvious example of the fact they are Made of Iron.
  • If you kill Aki, his mother Larsa is gonna have a field day with you, in what has been called the hardest boss fight in any video game, EVER.
  • Alex Mercer, full stop. If you so much as look at his sister, Dana Mercer, the wrong way, much less harm her or, God forbid, try to kill her, then you are in for a world of hurt. If he lets you live long enough to feel pain. Which, to be honest, he probably will.
  • Assassin's Creed I: Do not kill people whom Altaïr loves. He will fly into an Unstoppable Rage and go on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge.
    • The same can be said of Ezio Auditore da Firenze, whose rampage lasted decades.
      • Revelations had Prince Ahmet threaten Ezio's girlfriend Sofia Sartor, who Ezio had fallen for, and compound it with the death of Yusuf Tazim during the abduction of Sofia... a terrible idea.
  • Within the limits of a child friendly game, Spyro the Dragon tends to get rather vicious if you hurt his friends in front of him.
    • Likewise Mega Man Geo-Omega from Mega Man Star Force is the same way as Hollow found out the hard way when he tricked Harp Note to turn against Geo-Omega and then again in when Joker decided to datafy Luna in the third game. Needless to say the result wasn't pretty.
    • It is a bad idea to try to hurt Lan in the presence of Mega Man.EXE as the darkloids found out the hard way as he rips Shademan.EXE to shreds and then then he tries to strangle his dark counterpart.
  • Don't call Solitaire by her birth name. This applies to humans and monsters.
  • Don't endanger the city of London, don't threaten to harm innocent people, don't mess with Luke Triton and do not abduct Flora Reinhold. Professor Layton may seem harmless, but he's also a Memetic Badass for a reason, and he becomes quite the relentless Determinator if anyone poses a threat to his city, his neighbors, his apprentice or his daughter.
    • Also, though it's a bit milder than the above, don't call Professor Layton a detective. He is a professor of archaeology.
  • From Alpha Protocol, Steven Heck's a pretty fun guy, and plenty friendly for a highly talented super-spy. Still, don't call him "Steve". He'll set you on fire. After cutting off some of your fingers. Yeah, fun guy, not sane.
    • And for god's sake don't make him think you took his keys. Even if you didn't do it, he'll tie you up, beat the crap out of you, possibly make you drink laundry detergent, and then when that's not enough, he might decide to implicate you in the assassination of a world leader to take heat off another he may like more. Poor Wen.
    • Conrad Marburg despises unprofessionalism. By taking advantage of this (and doing some research) Mike can actually goad Marburg into fighting to the death rather than simply retreating.
    • Albatross is quite sensitive about anything to do with his bodyguard Sis. Asking questions will tick him off and killing her will put Mike on his shitlist.
  • Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater Whatever you do, do not let yourself get caught posing as Raikov by Volgin, or else he will give you hell to pay before torturing you, or attack you even faster than before.
  • Dead Or Alive 4 Do not gleefully reveal that you killed Helena Douglas' mother with Helena as the target to Helena's face.
  • When Lexaeus says "Don't mock me," he means it.
  • Dead Rising 2 has a host of psychopaths, same as the original game. One of them is the tamer of the casino's tiger, a mentally handicapped man named Ted. When captured by Ted, Chuck tries to talk his way out of it, but makes the mistake of saying they should take things "nice and slow." An unfortunate choice of words that ruins any chance of peaceful solutions.
  • Rosenkreuzstilette has Zorne Sepperin, who is willing to mop the floor with anyone who hits her Berserk Button by either calling her a Baka or messing with Father.

Zorne: Tia! Don't think I'll go easy on you if you get in Father's way!
Zorne: What!? Who are you calling an idiot!? Damn it! I won't let you get away with that!

    • Zorne will even go berserk on anyone who has defeated Trau, accusing them of brainwashing her.

Zorne: About time you showed up, Grolla! If it weren't for you, Trau would still be a part of RKS! You're gonna pay for that!

    • Whatever you do, don't humiliate Zorne, unless you want her close friend Trauare Wrede to come at you with her Chaos Spear Leviathan and "seal that impudent mouth of yours once and for all."

Trauare: Grolla... it looks like Zorne was no match for you. I'll have to take this seriously, then.

    • Also, there's Grolla Seyfarth, who will stop at nothing to bathe Grollschwert's blade in the blood of anyone who presses her Berserk Button in any way. For example, if her friend Sichte has already been defeated, Grolla threatens to cut Tia down as punishment for Sichte's defeat.

Grolla: Still your tongue! I shall cut you down, here and now! My time will not be wasted on the words of the Empire's lapdog!
Lilli: Hey! Tia's doing what she thinks is right! The Empire's got nothing to do with it!
Spiritia: Grolla, I'm not siding with the Empire. Even so, there's got to be a better way to make everyone happy...
Grolla: Silence, traitor! Grollschwert's blade shall be bathed in your blood!

      • Also, Grolla's Berserk Button gets pressed when Iris reveals that she arranged for her father to disrupt her grandfather's peaceful slumber by resurrecting him as The Grim Reaper.

Grolla: ...That does it. You have just signed your own death warrant.

    • In Rosenkreuzstilette Grollschwert, Tia's Berserk Button gets pressed when Grolla speaks of killing Iris.

Spiritia: ...I can't let you do that!
Grolla: Hmph. I knew it would come to this. I have always desired a serious match with you. This may just be the perfect opportunity.
Spiritia: I won't let anyone hurt Iris... and I don't want you carrying that sin! I'll stop you if it takes everything I've got!
Grolla: So be it. Come at me with all you have, Spiritia!

    • Telling from her quote in her profile, Dolis Warmind doesn't take too well to being called small.

Dolis: Hey! Don't call me small!

    • Iris reacts rather badly when Grolla says, "I don't care if you're a God, a human, or even an insect -- I will rip you apart just the same."

Iris: You pompous maggot...! I shall show you the limits of a commoner!

      • Iris also doesn't take too well to any interference with her plans.
    • Rink Refraktia also has a Berserk Button that will be pressed if anyone threatens her twin sister Lecht in any way, leading her to stop at nothing to remove the threat.
  • Nino's Berserk Button gets pressed when Sonia gleefully admits in front of her that she killed her parents before adopting her.

Nino: Aaahhh!!! You're no perfect being! You're a monster in human form! No mercy! No forgiveness!!!

Sol: Son of a...! I swear upon my life... I'll get my revenge!

    • May also has a Berserk Button that can be pressed when someone messes with any of her crewmates, especially if it's Johnny.

May: (about Dizzy) What are you doing with my crewmate?!
I-No: Do you even need to ask? I'm doing what I l-o-v-e doing!
May: I'll never forgive you! Never!!!

      • And again for May? Don't be bald. She hates baldies so much that she'd attack any bald person in sight.
    • Similarly, Dizzy has her own Berserk Button as well, as shown in her win quote against Venom. Threatening her friends at the May Ship is not good for your health unless you want some butt-whoopin' from her and her guardian wings Undine and Necro.
  • Several characters from BlazBlue have frenzy switches that typically end badly for whoever invokes them.
    • Don't be Noel Vermillion in front of Jin Kisaragi (both from BlazBlue) or he'll get mad and start going crazy on you. While this button may have shorted out after Continuum Shift, he isn't fond of her at all.
    • Speaking of Noel, whatever you do, don't insult her small bosom or call her stupid, or she'll blast you to smithereens.
      • When Noel accidentally extracts a boobytrapped memory of Terumi from Tsubaki's head - and figures he orchestrated their conflict - she was seriously angry at him from that moment onward. Sadly, that's what he wanted.
    • Despite her usually cheery demeanor, implying to Makoto that not being born human means you don't deserve to be treated like one will get you an immediate vocal retort. And be sure to update your will before you attack or threaten any of her friends - she will find you and proceed to sprinkle you onto the nearest wall.
    • It's also best not to hurt Tsubaki in front of Jin or Hakumen, they don't like it.
      • Tsubaki ends Continuum Shift Brainwashed and Crazy courtesy Terumi and Phantom. If that particular detail gets out or, worse, she dies, there will be blood[1]. Still worth it, buckos?
    • Carl's winquote against Hakumen: "Don't call my sister Nirvana." Also:

"Don't you dare touch my sister! If you do I'll Kill You!"

      • Also it's the best interest to not be a manipulating, self-serving adult in front of Carl (unless you're Bang or Litchi, and they're generally not). Or better yet, don't be Relius Clover.
    • In Rachel's Gag Reel, Noel, Litchi, and Kokonoe flip out when Luna, one of Platinum the Trinity's personalities, calls them old hags.

Luna: Just shut the hell up, you skanky old hags!
Litchi: Who are you calling an old hag?!
Kokonoe: Oh, I better not have heard what I just think I heard!
Noel: Me, an old hag?!

    • On the subject of Rachel, you will treat her with respect. Unless your plot armor is particularly thick, attacking her is prone to getting smacked around by an umbrella or thoroughly electrocuted... in the best possible cases. If she attempts to summon Valkenhayn in response or he's already on site after you hurt her, then save yourself a world of pain and kill yourself now.
    • And that brings us to Hazama. He isn't too keen on others lying to him or implying they're toying with him. However, he is known to have a sizable Chessmaster complex (with the frenzy switch that implies), and he loathes people stealing his quarries. In Slight Hope, Makoto and Rachel, respectively, tripping both of those switches cause his blood pressure to skyrocket.
    • For Arakune, please don't mention about Kokonoe or how 'inferior' he is in front of him. Dude's already crazy to begin with, those two things dials his craziness Up to Eleven.
    • Surprisingly, even a kind and compassionate one like Litchi has one, although it wasn't so much 'Berserk' but more like 'Driven-To-Rant' button. Attempting to sway her from saving Arakune is one thing, flat out telling that it's stupid and worthless is enough for her to drop whatever niceness she had and start attacking you.
    • Earlier, being Jin Kisaragi [2] would likely to incur Bang Shishigami's wrath. He does have another which is used for comical manners: If he perceives threat to his beloved Miss Litchi, he will appear and beat the crap of anyone who even looks at her funny. Which considering Litchi's eventual unwilling signing to NOL, would probably elevate the comedic button into a serious one. He will do everything in his power to stop a kid from being hurt - both of the Big Bad Duumvirate invoked his ire in this fashion, and in Hazama's case, he was ready to kill him if he had to.
    • And as of Kokonoe, her Berserk Button are either belittling science under magic, being Terumi or even worse, implying that they're going to claim the frag of Terumi's head, she won't have it, she had to be the one doing the frag, even if she has to resort to nukes.
  • Even Adventure Quest Worlds isn't safe from the wrath of anyone under this trope. For example, Vath, the third lord of Chaos, has his Berserk Button pressed (add in a Red Eyes, Take Warning as well) once he realizes from the hero that he/she freed the dwarves and the dwarves are winning against his army.

Vath: No matter! You are their beacon of hope, hero. Once I finish with you, I will throw your body down to them and they will SEE what happens to those who oppose my might! (leaps at the hero with his sword above his head)

    • When fighting against the fifth lord of Chaos, Wolfwing, when his HP starts to bottom out and therefore a message appears saying "Wolfwing goes berserk! End this before he ends you!" it means you've pressed his Berserk Button, and his attacks will be dished out twice as fast as usual.
    • The same goes for the eighth lord of Chaos, Tibicenas, when his HP drops low enough and a message appears saying "Tibicenas goes berserk! Kill him quickly!"
    • Maximilian Lionfang doesn't approve of the Great Truce between Good and Evil because - yep, you guessed it - he doesn't take too well to Evil.

Lionfang: You DARE come into MY tower and corrupt MY soldiers with your lies?! I will SHOW YOU the fate that awaits all EVIL!

      • Lionfang ends up on the wrong end of this trope when, in his second appearance, he burns down the Frostval gifts meant for the people of Lore in a major Kick the Dog moment, putting the hero into This Is Unforgivable! mode.
    • Mess with Andre Jr., Andre the giant's giant son, especially by putting him to sleep with a knock-out potion, and you've hit Andre's Berserk Button and he'll therefore stop at nothing to crush you into dust. That is, until you can beat up all of his body parts and grab the key from his giant necklace.

Andre: What have you done to my son, you filthy vermin?! I'LL CRUSH YOU INTO DUST!!!

  • This is a key element of demon conversations in Shin Megami Tensei games. Making wrongful conversation choices can cause the demon to do anything from ending the conversation, to leaving in disgust, to outright getting a free attack.
  • Kingdom Hearts. Sora is usually the Friendship Freak of the series, but you do not harm his Love Interest Kairi unless you have a death wish.
    • Terra and Aqua have the same button - namely, trying to hurt their friends. It's not just villains who can trigger it in Terra's case, as Master Eraqus could attest.
  • In Fallout: New Vegas, if you kill Cook-Cook's favorite brahmin, Queenie, he goes in a frenzy and starts attacking everybody.
  • Rule of Rose: Hurt Jennifer's loyal Canine Companion Brown and you'll regret it. And this from a girl who, until this point, used to faint over the smallest things.
  • Donkey Kong will show no mercy to those who are stupid enough to steal his Banana Hoard, just ask K. Rool and more recently the Tikis.
  • Threaten Phoenix Wright's loved ones and you are in for a world of hurt. Nearly invincible scary German prosecutors and Complete Monster actors with possible split personalities beware- YOU ARE DOOMED.
  • May God have mercy on the souls of any ETs who Duke catches mass abducting his babes. Normally, he'd have to tell you he was pissed; take this button Up to Eleven, and you will know you fucked up something fierce.

Not my babes! Not in MY town!! You alien motherfuckers are gonna pay for this!

  • In Portal 2, Wheatley's reaction to calling him a moron is a clear indication that you should Beware the Nice Ones. Even GLaDOS, who prides herself on insulting anyone and everyone in every way possible, recognises that it's a bad idea.
  • In Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Haggard flips out when their Blackhawk pilot mentions being a pacifist. Doubles as a Crowning Moment of Funny
  • Survival tip: Don't threaten Ratchet's home planet of Veldin. Just trust me on this one. Other dictators didn't and got metric tons of RYNO missiles thrown at them. This is not something you want to happen to you. Just... leave the place alone. Seriously. Insulting Veldin is also unwise, especially when Drek referred to it as a "pathetic lump" that "no one will miss."
    • See that tiny robot? That's Clank. He's very important to Ratchet. For your own safety, do not attempt to harm the tiny robot.
  • In the Command & Conquer games, if you so much as lay a finger on the AI's resource harvesters, you'll find yourself at the receiving end of a massive all-out attack by the computer's forces. The AI doesn't mind if you kill its harvesters with air or naval units, or landmines though.
  • Edutainment Game Eagle Eye Mysteries in London gives us Nigel Eagle, who'll chow down on fish and chips at every opportunity, plays cricket like any English chap, and is usually very cheery and chummy. He will not, however, take it very well if you cheat at chess, which he considers a royal game.
  • Luigi from Super Mario Bros. has one: Don't make fun of his mustache, don't call him a pushover, and, if you value your life, DO NOT call him a pushover and make fun of his mustache. The only person who dared to do both was a psychotic jester who could warp time and space. His game is over.
    • Luigi was the one person in the party who DIDN'T help end his game, for obvious reasons.
    • And don't harm or kidnap his brother. Sure, he didn't show any anger, but he hunted down and captured a small army of Boos including their King, dooming them to be trapped in a small space for all eternity, when they kidnapped Mario.
  • Never betray the Boss, you can be an undercover cop or a snitch. But try to betray the Boss and you will not live to regret it.
  • Despite Kratos being Unstoppable Rage incarnate, he does have two buttons that will ensure your death with be especially brutal. The first is bringing up the failures of his past. The second is insulting Pandora.
    • Ghost of Sparta gave us a third: killing his long lost brother in front of him. You almost feel bad for Thanatos...
  • While Mitsunari of Sengoku Basara is always some form of pissed off, insulting his precious Lord Hideyoshi, allying with Ieyasu or worse, the act of betraying him redirects all of his rage towards you for the moment before going back to Ieyasu.
  • If you hurt Dimitri of Call of Duty Black Ops, Reznov will make you pay. Even if it takes 23 years and a proxy, he will kill your ass.
  • Don't bring up the Mexicantown Massacre in front of Adam Jensen, if you know what's good for you. You may also want to keep your metal hands away from his girlfriend, unless you want his armblade to end up in your ass.
  • As a well known berserk button instory, everyone in A Profile does their best to avoid saying anything to Kaine about his physical sex though occasionally he interprets things that are unrelated to be about the issue as well.
  • San Oko, the track team captain from Hatoful Boyfriend, goes berserk upon encountering any inferior pudding.
  • Red Dead Redemption: You can push around John Marston all you want, push around men while John Marston is present, but do NOT and I mean do NOT threaten John Marston's family or a defenseless woman. He will not hesitate to put a bullet in your skull for that woman's sake.
  • L.A. Noire: Do not call the recently deceased Courtney Sheldon, a former soldier in Cole's platoon on Okinawa back in WWII a druggie. Cole will pull out his gun, aim it at you and threaten to blow your fucking head off if you say one more word about him. Oh, and for that matter, don't withhold information that could help him arrest a culprit, especially when women and children are involved and are the victims.
  • In one cutscene in Kirby's Epic Yarn, when Fluff knocked Kirby off the tree, after a Big Lipped Aligator Moment, Kirby got angry and ran after Fluff.[3] Kirby chased Fluff for "so darned long" that he forgot all about being hungry.
  • Mai Shiranui is mostly a Stripperiffic yet rather friendly Genki Girl, but there are three things that absolutely set her off.
    • One, if she asks you where her beloved Andy Bogard is, do NOT give her an answer that doesn't sound like his whereabouts, for she is most devoted to Andy ever since she was a child. (Not even his older brother Terry can get away with that one.)
    • Second: do NOT mock or question her clothes or lack thereof in any way. Even if you merely insinuate that she shall change her looks, Mai will take it VERY badly. (Actually, do it, since it will ALWAYS bring up the hilarity)
    • Third (and arguably the biggest of them all): don't you ever dare question her position as the number 1 Japanese woman, since she takes HUGE pride in her own worth and insinuating that she can't do something or win a fight will have her go Hot-Blooded on you.
  • Similarly, never remind Kyo Kusanagi that he didn't finish highschool. And obviously, neither be Iori Yagami, nor harm his friends and partners.
    • And don't tell Kula Diamond that she's Just a Kid, either.
  • Asura from Asura's Wrath has SEVERAL! One is being reminded that his daughter was kidnapped. Another is that Mithra enjoys her captivity after being taken from him. Then another one is seeing Humans suffering for the sake of the cause to fight the gohma at the hands of the deities and his minions. And ANOTHER is Mithra Crying. And finally, Seeing the little girl he protected that looks like her daughter be slaughtered by the deities. Shit really hits the fan after that one is pressed.
  • Carpenter is a powerful and vengeful spirit from Hunter: The Reckoning who was a convict in the Ashcroft Penitentiary decades ago, where, like all the other convicts, he was used as cattle by the vampires in charge and tortured endlessly in the twisted experiments of Dr. Hadrian. When the spirits break through and tear Ashcroft apart in their anger, Carpenter is the only one who retains his sentience, and has one all-consuming obsession: capture Hadrian and subject him to "three days of neverending pain." But when he finds out that the Hunters encountered Hadrian and killed him, he has an emotional breakdown, followed by Unstoppable Rage and a very difficult boss battle.
  • While Ryu from Street Fighter isn't exactly a social person, he does have close friends and allies, who are not to be harmed in front of him. Seeing Bison injure Sakura in Alpha 3 was a trigger strong ewnough to snap Ryu out of a Brainwashed and Crazy state, and Crimson Viper found this out the hard way as well in The Ties That Bind.
    • Similarly, you do NOT harm children in front of one Chun-Li. Specially pre-teen or teenage girls. Witnessing the horrible effect that Bison's brainwashing brought to Cammy and the Dolls in Street Fighter Alpha and having one of her adopted daughters kidnapped in Third Strike sent this Action Girl in an utter rage.
    • Also, if you harm any of the Dolls—Hell hath no fury like a Cammy scorned. She ain't pleased if you harm her other friends or threaten her, either.
    • Please don't be a threat to the security of either Hong Kong or Shanghai. Neither Yun nor Yang will have mercy on you.
      • And if you are Yun and/or Yang, don't leave home without telling Houmei. She won't be pleased.
    • Vega will go absolutely BATSHIT if his beautiful face is ever touched, double if you damage it, and triple if the one who damaged it was a young woman. In the Animated Movie, Vega threatens to kill Chun-Li after she repels his attacks and rearranges his face with her foot. In the comics, he goes straight into kill mode when Eliza (then Ken's fiancé) so much as slaps him in the face (she's not a fighter like Chun-Li). If it wasn't for Ken arriving just in time, she'd be torn to shreds.
    • Are you dumb enough to mock/question El Fuerte's Cool Mask? Or his cooking skills? Or his idol Rainbow Mika? Um, he may be a Joke Character, but it doesn't mean he won't try hurting you with a certain "infinite combo"...

El Fuerte: "Lay off the mask, amigo! I'll show you!"

    • And in the case of Adon... don't be Sagat.
  • Earlier in Persona 4, Kanji Tatsumi doesn't take being called "strange"[4] that well.
  • In Dark Souls, mortals trespassing on the symbolic tomb of Gwyn is one for Gwyndolin. Clerics in general are this for Patches.
Back to Berserk Button
  1. ↑ that's four people emotionally invested in one girl
  2. ↑ Why is 'Being X' is a common Berserk Button in the BlazBlue universe?
  3. ↑ And anger yarn clouds come out of Kirby's head as he ran.
  4. ↑ You sayin' I like DUDES!?
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