Comedic Sociopathy: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

[[Comedy]], as has been noted before, ain't pretty.

* [[Karma Houdini|Mayuri]] [[Mad Scientist|Kurotsuchi]] from ''[[Bleach]]'' in his Hueco Mundo appearance. An awkward case, as the fanbase remains divided as to whether it could be considered ''comedy'' or not. One side of the fence found it all very amusing, while the other found it repulsive. The latter because the [[Butt Monkey]] in that situation was a former enemy and the grandson of one of Kurotsuchi's many [[For Science!]] [[Moral Event Horizon|victims]]. The former because not everyone who reads/watches ''[[Bleach]]'' considers the whole thing [[Serious Business]], and finds Mayuri and his [[Refuge in Audacity|unapologetic]] [[Jerkass|sociopathy]] hilarious.

* In ''[[Tona Gura]]'', Yuuji's intrusive, often juvenile pursuit of Kazuki, and his sister Marie's literally armed response to any and all signs of such lewdness. Possibly also Hatsune tying Marie up to stop her punishment of Yuuji, and her ignoring Kazuki's stated desire to stop her extreme efforts at matchmaking.

* Combine this with [[Heroic Comedic Sociopath]] and you get Kogurashi from ''[[Kamen no Maid Guy]]''.

* Somehow, [[Sayonara, Zetsubou-sensei|Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei]] manages to pull of the feat of playing Comedic Sociopathy for laughs... And, yes, this statement takes into consideration the fact that Comedic Sociopathy is already playing on sociopathy for laughs.

* Winry from ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist]]'' throws a wrench at Ed every time he breaks his automail (that's often) and it's always supposed to be comedy. Despite the fact that it could actually be lethal.

* Some of the comedy in the series comes from ''[[Naruto]]'' taking Sakura's brutal super-powered punches, with zany music playing in the background. Also, on one occasion when Jiraiya was caught peeping on Tsunade bathing in his younger years, she proceeded to break both of his arms, six of his ribs, and ruptured a number of his organs as punishment. He himself states he came very close to ''dying''. This was also treated as comedy when Yamato warned Naruto if he peeked on Sakura while they were at the onsen she would probably do the same to him as punishment and Naruto gets [[Blank White Eyes]] and stays in the same spot in a [[Heroic BSOD]] state for the rest of the day.

* Back to [[Rumiko Takahashi]], much of the comedy in ''[[Inuyasha]]'' relies on sociopathy, with Miroku's lechery (including Sango's violent reactions), Shippo's pranks, Kagome's abuse of the "sit" command, and everyone's treatment of Myoga.

* ''[[Durarara!!]]'': Shizuo is always throwing heavy things ([[Memetic Mutation|vending machines]], trash cans...) at anyone that made him angry; especially [[Berserk Button|Izaya]]. However, Izaya doesn't seem to have any damage from it, and gives back as much in the form of fast moving cars, knife assaults, and hits on Shizuo's life. (It's a strange relationship.)

 

 

* ''[[Knights of the Dinner Table]]'' lives off of this trope, especially with how the players and [[Game Master|Hackmasters]] relate to each other. [[Justified]], as it's an outgrowth of the [[Killer Game Master]] philosophy that dominated [[Tabletop RPG|roleplaying games]] the time period the comic parodies—Hackmasters were expected to show players no mercy and players were expected to twist the knife if they got even a smidgen of an advantage. This, however, only applies within the game... it's considered in very poor taste between the characters to invoke this trope in [[Real Life]]. [[Jerkass]]es like [[Small Name, Big Ego|Stevil]] and [[The Real Man|Bob]] still pull it, but they're much more likely to get called on it.

* [[The Joker]] is a very literal comedic sociopath. Some of his best moments are as hilarious as they are evil.

{{quote|'''Robin:''' I have to admit, the barracuda down the pants was funny.

'''Batman:''' [[The Comically Serious|No, it wasn't.]] }}

* ''[[Fun With Milk and Cheese]]'' lives on this trope. The only reason the comic gets away with beating up senior citizens, stabbing bystanders, and incinerating furries is because it's too comedic to take seriously.

* Bad guy Schlich from one [[Wilhelm Busch]] story is made of this. [[Running Gag|Several times]], he comments "That's fatal - heh, heh, but not for me!"

* Calamity James of ''[[The Beano]]'' is the world's unluckiest boy, and gets chewed up by life in every strip; sometimes the punishment comes from his pet lemming or even his mother. This trope makes it funny, though the poor boy wouldn't see it that way.

 

 

* Meta-example: Characters that fit this trope are often the subject of bashing by authors who like to file off the "comedic" part of the trope and turn up the "sociopathy" aspect by treating their behavior seriously. Does a girl smack around a guy for [[Accidental Pervert|catching her coming out of a bath]] or for being just kind of a [[Idiot Hero|goofball]]? Treat her as if she's dangerously unhinged or make the slapstick violence cause real injuries. In some fandoms, treatment of this trope as [[Dude, Not Funny]] is more common than playing it straight.

 

 

== Music ==