High School Hustler: Difference between revisions

The high'''High schoolSchool [[Hustler]]''' is a teenager who effortlessly outfoxes authority figures -- particularlyfigures—particularly those who are irrational and hidebound. He's just packed full of brainpower, connections, chutzpah and luck.

The High School Hustler may use some friendly [[Dumb Muscle]] to deal with problems his brains can't beat. Other times he's the [[Karmic Trickster]], using his brains to dish out poetic vengancevengeance to bullies and protecting the weak. But he's also the guy [[Bookie|running the betting pool]] and selling term papers.

He is not a straightforward young hero. He lusts for payment in return for his good deeds. Popularity might be his deepest motivation. He won't demand payment from those who can't pay though, or run out on his friends. He just likes to take the easy and stylish road to success. In general he is a [[Jerk Withwith a Heart of Gold|good guy]].

The High School Hustler is the positive adolescent version of the [[Mouthy Kid]]. Usually he's regarded as a good kid by almost all adults save those whose authority he directly challenges -- andchallenges—and he can maintain that camouflage even under fire.

The character type is predominantly male. He is the ideological nemesis of [[Dean Bitterman]]. If he grows up and joins a [[Five -Man Band]] he'll end up as [[The Lancer]] -- the—the foil to [[The Hero]]'s purity. Or he'll be the [[The Face]] or [[The Smart Guy]] who comes up with the sneaky [[Plan|plansplan]]s. If the lead male in a [[Six -Student Clique]] isn't [[The Ace]], he'll usually be this...or some combination of the two.

{{examples|Examples:}}

* Negiri from ''[[Futaba -Kun Change (Manga)!|Futaba Kun Change]]''. Originally nothing more than a [[Captain Ersatz]] of the more famous Nabiki Tendo (above) she quickly became a more sympathetic, friendly and professional example of this trope.

* Shouko Yamanobe from ''[[Mamotte Shugogetten]]'' made her debut as a hustling [[Delinquents|Delinquent]], but was redeemed via her interactions with the [[Magical Girlfriend|Magical]] [[Yamato Nadeshiko]] Shaorin. Henceforth she decided to devote her [[Zany Scheme|Zany Schemes]]s to [[Shipper Onon Deck|help]] Shao [[Oblivious to Love|realize]] her feelings for [[Unlucky Everydude]] Tasuke.

* Hiruma of ''[[Eyeshield 21]]'' is an example of what happens when the [[High School Hustler]] becomes a [[Drill Sergeant Nasty]] football player. At heart, Hiruma is a good guy who loves football and cares about his teammates. That said, he's not afraid to blackmail people to get what he wants and god help the people who piss him off or get in his way. His ability to manipulate situations to benefit himself scares even authority figures.

* [http://nomimushi.livejournal.com/4423.html In the novel], a precocious middleschool hustler!Orihara Izaya of ''[[Durarara!!]]'' was the [[Bookie|bookie]] of the school's betting pool for baseball. It didn't run so smoothly when {{spoiler|a betterbettor who had betted using stolen money from his father's wallet threatens Izaya with a knife. Shinra steps in to receive the blow. In return for telling people that it was actually Izaya who did it, Izaya vows to make the stabber regret his move for his entire life. Knowing Izaya, it probably works. All too well.}}

== [[Film]] ==

* Creepy example: [[Roger Corman]]'s ''[[Rock and Roll High School]]'' features Clint Howard (at 20, an unfortunate mix of [[Dawson Casting]] and [[Younger Than They Look]]) as the enterprising Eaglebauer, who resides in a [[Bigger Onon the Inside]] office that is accessed through a stall door in the boys' bathroom (leading to massive lines for that one stall) which includes a receptionist with her own klaxons (a girl approaching inspires a red alert). Eaglebauer's ability to sell students' needs borders on the satanic, with many references to selling touchdowns in football games to the male protagonist and a plot revolving around characters paying to become sexually involved with their desired love interests.

* Max in ''[[Max Keebles Big Move|Max Keeble's Big Move]]'', to the point that critics panned it mostly because he was a Bueller ripoff.

* ''[[Real Genius (Film)|Real Genius]]'': Chris Knight is a prototypical example of this trope.

== [[Literature ]] ==

* [[PGP. G. Wodehouse (Creator)|PG Wodehouse]]'s [[Psmith (Literature)|Psmith]] started as this, and arguably maintained it into adulthood, becoming a master of the [[Indy Ploy]]. He notably prevented his best friend getting expelled from school for something he didn't do by first going through astonishing contortions to hide the evidence pointing to him (a shoe stained with red paint), then, when it looked like that would fail, merrily confessing to the crime -- evencrime—even though he hadn't done it either.

* Coyote from "White Lines on a Green Field" by [[Catherynne M. Valente (Creator)|Catherynne M Valente]].

* Smythe from the [[Robert A. Heinlein]] juvenile ''[[Literature/Red Planet (novel)|Red Planet]]''.

* ''[[Its Your Move|It's Your Move]]'': Matthew Burton (played by Jason Bateman). Played with in that he did it to keep his mother afloat financially (without her knowing) rather than to enrich himself.

* ''[[Degrassi]]'': Joey Jeremiah from the various series, although his schemes fail as often as they succeed. (In ''[[Degrassi the Next Generation]]'', it is revealed that he became a [[Honest JohnsJohn's Dealership|used-car salesman]] when he grew up.)

* ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'': Nog, a Ferengi character. In one episode, he helps Chief O'Brien find a much-needed graviton stabilizer through a [[Chain of Deals|series of bizarre exchanges]], trading Captain Sisko's desk for an induction modulator from the USS Musashi, for a phaser emitter, which is finally traded for a graviton stabilizer.<br /><br />In another episode from the first season, Nog was told to get rid of some Cardassian packaged food that had been delivered to the bar, since there were no more Cardassians on the station who would order that food. Jake Sisko and Nog sold the food to a trader who gave them self-sealing stembolts that a Bajoran farmer had ordered but had been unable to pay for.<br /><br />Jake and Nog contacted the farmer to try and get money from him in exchange for the stembolts but the farmer could only pay them in land. Meanwhile, the land had become prime because the Bajoran government wanted to build something on it but didn't know who owned it. Jake and Nog approached Quark (who had mentioned he wanted the land so he could sell it at an inflated price), saying that they had something to sell him and that was the end of the episode.

* WillFrancis Smith infrom ''[[TheMalcolm Fresh Prince ofin Belthe AirMiddle]]''.

* Maeby in ''[[Arrested Development (TV series)|Arrested Development]]''.

* Squib of ''[[Fifteen Love (TV)|Fifteen 15/Love]]'' was a [[Jerk Withwith a Heart of Gold]] and borderline [[Manipulative Bastard]] who lived to torment the school president, Harold Bates. Bates bans sugar on the premises, Squib smuggles in chocolate bars. Bates wants extra training sessions, Squib tries to get them removed, etc, etc. Unfortunately for Squib, Bates was ''far'' from stupid, and won more often then not.

* Brad's friend Jason on ''[[Home Improvement (TV series)|Home Improvement]]''.

* In the ''[[Community (TV)|Community]]'' episode "[[Community (TV)/Recap/S2 /E09 Conspiracy Theories and Interior Design|Conspiracy Theories and Interior Design]]" Jeff is a junior call version. He seeks out "blow off classes" and failing to find one he isn't beyond making up an imaginary class to get unearned credits in a style which would make Ferris Bueller proud. But he's put to shame by "Professor Professorson"'s fake class, teacher, and ''entire night school''... {{spoiler|Or he would have been if any of that were true.}}

* Brian Arthur Derek Boyes in ''[[BAD Boyes]]''.

* Raz of ''[[Psychonauts (Video Game)|Psychonauts]]'' has elements of this in his character, although he is younger than average. The bad guy of the game is {{spoiler|Coach Oleander}}, the kind of adult that any [[High School Hustler]] would be against.

* ''[[Whats With Andy|What's With Andy?]]''{{context}}

* Jonesy of ''[[Sixteen|6teen]]'' qualifies, when he's not getting caught at least.

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