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{{trope}}
[[File:
A [[Trickster]] who specializes in unstuffing stuffed shirts, deflating puffed-up egos, trivializing the self-important, and confusing know-it-alls. The '''Karmic Trickster''' is normally harmless, even friendly, if left unmolested. Once his dignity is dented or his person threatened, however, it's no holds
Being completely self-centered, the Karmic Trickster normally acts only on his own behalf, but can be convinced to help
Between them, Karmic Trickster and [[Screwy Squirrel]] comprise two-thirds of the classic [[Trickster Archetype]]. His actions are as much to teach as to gain revenge, where [[Screwy Squirrel]] is the embodiment of mischief for mischief's sake.
See also: [[Karmic Protection]].▼
[[Obfuscating Stupidity|May masquerade]] as [[The Fool]], or vice versa; whether silly or wise, he will always display [[Hidden Depths]] (if only a knack for [[Comedy]] and [[Simpleminded Wisdom]]) whom the audience supports and invariably laughs with, not at. This is not always true of other [[Trickster Archetype|Tricksters]] in general, who are sometimes cast as [[Cloudcuckoolander|cloud cuckoolanders]], irrepressible [[Screwy Squirrel|agents of chaos]], lesser [[Loveable Rogue|chaos-bringers]] who are constantly being [[An Aesop|taught a lesson]] themselves, or cosmic [[Butt Monkey|butt monkeys]]. Such traits rarely apply here.
{{examples}}
== [[Film]] ==
* The [[Marx Brothers]], making it [[Older Than They Think]]. Groucho's line "Then it's war!" from ''[[Duck Soup]]'' might be the inspiration for Bugs Bunny's similar line. In the film there was, in fact, a literal war. Complete with footage from [[World War
▲* The [[Marx Brothers]], making it [[Older Than They Think]]. Groucho's line "Then it's war!" from ''[[Duck Soup]]'' might be the inspiration for Bugs Bunny's similar line. In the film there was, in fact, a literal war. Complete with footage from [[World War One]].
* Mahoney from ''[[Police Academy]]'' is given a choice between joining the police or facing jail for his Karmic Trickster actions. Note that becoming a police officer only curbed him ''slightly'' (or not at all where [[Jerkass]] superiors are involved) but at least it gave him a badge to indulge in his true heroic tendencies.
* Eddie Murphy plays this role as Chandler Jarrell, [[The Hero]] and [[Chosen One]] of ''[[The Golden Child]]''. Once he learns that Sardo Numspa is the [[Big Bad]], he [[I Shall Taunt You|taunts him]] at every opportunity and takes a sort of childish glee in making him look foolish.
* The titular character played by [[Audrey Tautou]] in ''[[Amelie]]'', who sets out to drive a jerkass grocer insane by making [[Gaslighting|barely noticeable changes in his apartment.]]
* ''[[Ferris Bueller's Day Off]]'': Although he was more in it for himself and his friends to have fun, Ferris Bueller definitely played the Karmic Trickster to Principal Rooney (though, to be honest, the degree to which Rooney [[Designated Antagonist|actually deserved it]] is open to debate).
* [[Ferris Bueller's Day Off|Ferris Bueller]] and [[Parker Lewis Can't Lose|Parker Lewis]] sometimes perform Karmic Trickery as part of their escapades.▼
* The main protagonists of ''[[Brain Donors]]'' play this role against egotistical ballet dancer Roberto Volare.
== [[Literature]] ==▼
* Randall Patrick McMurphy of ''
▲== Literature ==
▲* Randall Patrick McMurphy of ''~One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest~'' is a somewhat more realistic version of this, with a touch of [[Messianic Archetype]] thrown in.
* Pumphutt in ''[[Krabat]]'' walks from mill to mill and punishes the masters who treat their apprentices like shit.
* El-Hrairah in ''[[Watership Down]]'' falls somewhere in these lines, along with being a [[Guile Hero]]. It makes sense, as he's supposed to represent the rabbits' gift for outrunning and outmaneuvering their enemies.
* [[Twelfth Night|Feste the jester]] embodies this role, appropriately enough for a play celebrating Mardi Gras. The carnival is supposed to showcase the inversion of the social order and laugh at it all, which is precisely what Feste does. He points out the logical flaws in Olivia's mourning, sees through even Viola's clever wordplay, and cuts the pompous, Puritan Malvolio down to size... [[Disproportionate Retribution|and then some.]]▼
== [[Live
* On ''[[Supernatural]]'', this is the [[Ensemble Darkhorse|Trickster's]] MO: he seeks out people who he thinks are assholes or who annoy him, and punishes them in some manner he deems appropriate, generally killing them in the process.
▲*
== [[Oral Tradition]], [[Folklore]], Myths and Legends ==
* Br'er Rabbit, moreso in the original stories than in the [[Disneyfication|Disneyfied]] ''[[Song of the South]]''. Bugs Bunny was partially based on this character.
* The Norse god Loki, although sometimes a [[Screwy Squirrel]], brought Karmic Trickery to bear against the villains for the greater good on several occassions. Loki would often [[Voluntary Shapeshifting|tart himself up]] in drag to trick his enemies - a classic Karmic Trickery ploy - and often teamed up with Thor for a mix of [[Brains and Brawn]].
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* Jesus Christ in [[The Bible|the Gospels]]. He is responsible for giving the Pharisees a bad name and exposing the hypocrisy of temple priests.
== [[Professional Wrestling]] ==
* The character [[Eddie Guerrero]] portrayed in the late part of his [[World Wrestling Entertainment|WWE]] career was very much a Karmic Trickster; he'd jokingly use [[
==
▲* ''[[Twelfth Night
▲* The character [[Eddie Guerrero]] portrayed in the late part of his [[WWE]] career was very much a Karmic Trickster; he'd jokingly use [[Heel|heelish]] tactics against heels, but because they were all bad guys, and he was so funny about it, the crowds ate it up. One of his favorite tactics would be to pound the mat with a steel chair, throw it into an opponent's hands, and collapse to the mat, so that when the [[Easily-Distracted Referee]] turned back around, he'd naturally assume that the heel hit Eddie with the chair. And then, when the ref turned around to chastise the heel (on the occasions where he didn't outright disqualify him), he'd mug for the crowd and pose for the heel, such as putting his hands behind his head, as if he were relaxing in a hammock.
== [[Web Original]] ==▼
▲== Web Original ==
* Definitely Beltane of the ''[[Whateley Universe]]'', who's notorious on campus for playing pranks on deserving [[Jerkass]] classmates, particularly if said classmate is picking on one of Beltane's friends. Has the power of controlling ectoplasm, so can perform spectacular tricks.
** Also the recent character Thorn, who has the same power set. Thorn's also fond of just general silliness, using himself as the 'butt'. Yes, they have apparently met, and are currently engaged in a prank war.
** In a recent{{when}} story, Bladedancer's girlfriend, Molly (AKA 'Gateway'), decided to summon up a trickster spirit to punish a notorious bully for messing with her friends. She was fortunate indeed to stipulate that it not cause him actual harm, else the karmic debt might have gotten loaded onto her in turn.
== [[Western Animation]] ==
* [[
** Note that it was not from the start: In his early days, Bugs was more of a [[Screwy Squirrel]].
** Tweety is another [[Looney Tunes]] example.
* ''[[Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' nudges Sonic into this direction, repeatedly foiling Robotnik's plans in the most [[Looney Tunes]]-eqsue ways imaginable.
* The Warner Brothers (and the Warner Sister) in ''[[Animaniacs]]'' (although Wakko is closer to being a [[Screwy Squirrel]]) are somewhat offset by the fact that they can be cheerful and annoying to ''anybody'', but are generally harmless until someone starts being a [[Jerkass]]. Then he gets labeled their "Special Friend", and all bets are off. In one episode, they're being driven crazy by a parody of the nanny from ''[[The Sound of Music]]''... but can't bring themselves to clobber her, because she's not doing anything ''wrong''. {{spoiler|They hire [[Screwy Squirrel|Slappy]].}}
* Most of the Tiny Toons from ''[[Tiny Toon Adventures]]'' fit into this category. Especially Babs and Buster. Makes sense, considering the entire show is an ''[[Affectionate Parody]]'' of old [[Looney Tunes]] cartoons, featuring [[Expy|Expies]] of old [[Looney Tunes]] characters being ''taught'' by said characters.
* Eric Cartman in the ''[[South Park]]'' episode "Osama bin Laden Has Farty Pants". The visual style imitates [[Bugs Bunny/Characters|Bugs Bunny]] wartime short films.
** Cartman also qualifies as a (very dark) Karmic Trickster in "Scott Tenorman Must Die!"
* Loud Kiddington from ''[[Histeria!]]'', particularly in a sketch featuring him as a Mountie in the episode "North America".
* Jerry of ''[[Tom and
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Karma]]
[[Category:The Trickster]]
[[Category:Karmic Trickster]]▼
[[Category:The Jerk Index]]
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