Competition Freak
A character who has an extremely aggressive treatment of competitive events, ranging from important goals to even light-hearted pastimes. "It's just a game" will always go over this guy's head as he insists on being the best at any minor challenge placed in front of him. He is a Sore Loser and not a humble winner, rubbing it in with Unsportsmanlike Gloating.
While the trope is often Played for Laughs, serious interpretations can exist. In most cases, expect them to have an Inferiority Superiority Complex or Freudian Excuse as to why they constantly insist on proving themselves or being the best at everything they do.
The Rival is often a case issued against a single competitor. See also Blood Knight and "Stop Having Fun!" Guys. May also overlap into X Must Not Win or Nobody Calls Me Chicken.
Anime and Manga
- Black Star from Soul Eater. Particularly if someone else is getting more attention than he.
- Ranma of Ranma ½ has a bad case of this, including at least one battle where he must prove he has better feminine sex appeal. Often lampshaded by bystanders.
- Tomo from Azumanga Daioh, though mainly in her first appearance. She's kind of terrible at everything she tries...
Film
- In Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, Violet Beauregard is updated from a gum-chewing lout to this.
Live Action Television
- Monica Geller in Friends often becomes this, often becoming extremely intense and controlling over any minor game the gang take part in.
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Monica: I made this game what it is. |
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- Barney from How I Met Your Mother will often take an innocent remark as a challenge and respond with "Challenge accepted!". Hilarity Ensues.
- In Wilfred, the neighbor's boyfriend is shown to be uber-competitive. This was used in an episode where Ryan challenges the boyfriend to a game of table tennis, hoping that he could beat the boyfriend in front of the neighbor. However, the boyfriend ends up beating Ryan. All is well though, because the neighbor is turned off by the boyfriend's gloating.
- Zeke of Zeke and Luther is so competitive he'll even get into "Are not!" "Am too!" arguments just to win them through sheer refusal to quit.
- The Office: Both Andy Bernard and Dwight Schrute from the U.S. version have this as one of their defining traits.
- The Better Off Ted episode "Win Some, Dose Some" is all about how the entire cast (except Linda) fits this trope. Ted goes meta with it in the opening narration when he proudly asserts, "No one's more competitive than me and Veronica."
- In a first-season episode of Will and Grace, Grace is shown to be a competition freak, to the point that neighbors won't even play charades with her anymore.
- Top Gear: Jeremy Clarkson. He must win at everything, not just car related competitions, but every competition on the show even if it really shouldn't be something to get competitive over (eg, finding edible roadkill, Clarkson finds a cow because it's biggest). Played for Laughs naturally as Clarkson's over the top approach brings disaster as often as victory.
Tabletop Games
- Dark Sun half-elves like this. They even got a personal XP award for besting a human or elf in some or other traditional activity. Just because they want to be accepted and it always involves one way or another showing that they "aren't worse at this".
Western Animation
- SpongeBob SquarePants: A recurring plot line for many characters. Sandy and SpongeBob himself are perhaps the most notable examples.
- Recess: Vince is extremely egotistical about winning any game he takes part in. The others become irritated by this and dare him to last a day without winning once, at which point he becomes drunk on losing at every game he plays.
- South Park: Used to parody U2's Bono, having won a ridiculous number of achievements and becoming ridiculously protective of his "Biggest Crap Award" (to the point of cheating to reclaim it from Randy). The reason for this is revealed that Bono is the original Biggest Crap, constantly trying to be Number One in everything, but never managing to shake off he is actually a "Number Two".
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Stan: Dude, don't you have enough? I mean, you got tons of money, a jet, and the biggest rock band in the world, a hot wife, and, you've been knighted. I mean, at some point, can't you just kind of... fuck off? |
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- Rainbow Dash in My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic is this trope, The Great And Powerful Trixie is Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better.
- Applejack due to being a Stubborn Mule has her moments as well. And when her and Rainbow Dash compete...
- Stinkoman from Homestar Runner is this to a T: "...did somebody say -- challenge?"
- Stan Smith of American Dad insists on winning at every sport and game he does, the first instance he lost, he attempted suicide.
- Parodied in the Family Guy episode "Running Mates" after Peter becomes obsessed with beating Lois in an election for school board president.
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Brian: Peter, are you sure you wanna run against Lois. You know how competitive you get. |
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