Lord Error-Prone: Difference between revisions

So, this character is on a noble crusade, talks big, and [[Believing Their Own Lies|believes all his own hype]]. In his mind, he is a [[Knight in Shining Armor|great and noble hero]]. However, to everyone else (maybe except a loyal [[Sidekick]] or newbie) he's a buffoon or idiot who probably [[You Watch Too Much X|Watches Too Much X]].

 

 

 

If he does manage to accomplish something good, it's usually through [[The Fool|sheer luck rather than skill]]. If he gets lucky enough times to actually get people to believe in him, he may become a [[Fake Ultimate Hero]]. If he's very lucky, he may have a [[Hypercompetent Sidekick]] watching his back.

 

 

Usually played for laughs, but there is something disturbing when one thinks about what might happen if such a character had any real influence.

 

See [[Failure Knight]]. Compare [[General Failure]], [[Miles Gloriosus]], and [[Modern Major-General]]. Lord Error Prone is a knight who errs, but should not be confused with a [[Knight Errant]].

 

== Anime and Manga ==

* Amelia Wil Tesla Seillune from ''[[The Slayers]]'' is an example of the sympathetic type (although she does have moments of competence). To a lesser extent, so is her father, Prince Phil.

* Shuutaro Mendo (from ''[[Urusei Yatsura]]''), possibly Kuno's literary ancestor, is much the same. He's incredibly wealthy, carries a sword everywhere he goes, and generally acts the cool sophisticate, an act for which the local girls fawn over him in adoration. Scratch the gloss, however, and he's really no better than [[Loveable Sex Maniac]] Ataru Moroboshi himself. In fact, he's debateably worse, given that he's utterly afraid of the dark, claustrophobic, and a [[Dirty Coward]], while Ataru is capable of [[Determinator|insane acts of bravery and determination]].

* Leo from ''[[Scrapped Princess]]''.

* America in [[Axis Powers Hetalia]] is always loudly declaring that he's "The Hero" but in reality he's rather clueless and he only annoys the other countries. In fanfiction, this tralslates to him being anything from a hopeless idiot obsessed with superheroes to a genuinely well-intentioned but incompetent idealist.

* ''[[Bleach]]'' has the incredibly annoying psychic Don Kanonji, whose ego knows no bounds. A television personality rather than any actual nobility, he turns out in his first appearance to be just enough not a fake that he's been turning ghosts into hollows industriously, thinking he's exorcising them. He can do a ki blast the size of a marshmallow.

** Since upgraded to the size of a watermelon, but given he tried to use it on the fourth level version of [[Big Bad|''Aizen'']] this has almost the effect of having shrunk.

** ...''"in his way"?'' He takes a detour into the courtyard to slaughter ''the dancers''.

*** And after he understands the real situation and befriends the king, he almost does it a ''second'' time before being stopped.

** The first Buzz was also like this for a good part of the first movie- it's even [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshaded]] in the second when an exasperated Buzz, faced with his other self's antics, mutters to himself "Tell me I wasn't this deluded..."

** And in the third movie {{spoiler|original Buzz again, now used as a gulag guard by the evil daycare cabal. Apparently being returned to factory settings causes you to imprint on the first bossy people you talk to, if you're a military type.}} Although his acrobatics are freaking ''awesome''.

** Eyck is an interesting (subversion?). He's quite a competent knight in his own right, he's just happened to be completely [[Wrong Genre Savvy]]. He thinks that he is the [[Knight in Shining Armor]] in a [[Chivalric Romance]], and tries hard to play the part right, but actually he's in the particularly [[Crapsack World]] of a [[Low Fantasy]], and comes out as a funny combination of a [[Wide-Eyed Idealist]] ''and'' [[Knight Templar]].

* Obvious mention goes to Lord Rust from [[Terry Pratchett]]'s ''[[Discworld]]'' series. All nobles were like this to a lesser or greater extent, but Lord Rust stands out as by far the worst offender.

** In his defence Rust is at least honourable (as he sees honour). At one point Vimes thinks Rust might have gotten up to something but then discounts it because he may look down on you but he wouldn't stoop to a level below him. Lord Rust may be a stuck up, arrogant elitist, but he wouldn't stab you in the back or cheat.

** As far as anyone who a) lives in Ankh-Morpork, b) has ever had any kind of contact with Vetinari, or c) takes any kind of role in government is concerned, that's only further proof of idiocy.

== Live Action TV ==

* Group Captain Rodney Crittendon from ''[[Hogan's Heroes]]'', so incompetent that Hogan feels the best place for him to serve the Allied war effort is in a German prisoner of war camp. Just ''not'' Stalag 13.

{{quote|'''Sledge Hammer:''' The two men then pointed their shotguns at the clerk, so I took out my magnum and shot and killed them both. I then bought some eggs, and milk, and some of those little cocktail weenies.

'''Reporter:''' Inspector, was what you did in the store absolutely necessary?

*** The easiest method of keeping Farwil alive is to leave him behind. NPCs only fight when they're in the same area as you; leaving one behind a loading screen keeps them safe from everything ever, and unlike other NPCs Farwil can be saved ''without meeting him again'' as he's in the Oblivion Gate, which will throw him out when you close it.

*** Just to note, NPCs actually have a relatively complicated procedure for determining whether to run or fight based on their level, the opponent's level, their health, and their own aggression. So, while Farwil and Viranus are artificially stupid, they were ''designed'' to be that way.

** {{spoiler|Actually, they were legitimately good rulers since they went out saving people from monsters, and other people spoke quite highly of them.}}

* [[Street Fighter|Dan Hibiki.]] He got kicked out of the dojo he was training at for his vengeful motives and thus created his own style, Saikyo (Strongest), which is anything but, yet Dan foolhardily believes himself to be Number 1 no matter how often or hard he gets his ass handed to him by the other, more competent fighters.

* Sir Balin in ''[[Arthur, King of Time and Space]]''.

** Sir Balin comes from ''[[Le Morte d'Arthur|Le Morte Darthur]]'', where he was much the same.

** Add insult to injury that he seems to be more or less impervious to harm, having been hit in the head with an oversized wrench that would likely kill most people and thrown out of an airship well over the needed height for terminal velocity on two different occasions.

*** Three.

** An excellent example in v4 would be Aaron Hughes. He decided right off the bat that he was going to start an escape group. Thing is, though, it's pretty obvious he isn't a good leader, as characters often point out flaws in his plans. Not only that, but he also shows signs of being a [[Manipulative Bastard]], to the point where some handlers call him "the true villain of v4".

* Stalwart, at [[Super-Hero School|Whateley Academy]] in the [[Whateley Universe]]. He even has power armor he's built himself, and a robotic horse which constantly malfunctions.

 

 

*** Not to mention his [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_fJSsuBIks glorious victory over the killbots!]

**** He ''does'' win every single battle he partakes in. He just does it with massive casualties and expense, and hogs all the glory.

* Every "heroic" character played by [[Looney Tunes|Daffy Duck]]: Robin Hood Daffy; Dripalong Daffy; Stupor Duck; Doorlock Holmes; Duck Twacy; [[The Scarlet Pumpernickel]]; Sgt. Joe Monday; Boston Quackie; and, most famously, [[Duck Dodgers]]. Many of these feature Porky Pig as a [[Hypercompetent Sidekick]].

** Might actually be the source of this trope's name. Duck Dodgers played a character called "Lord Error Prone" in the Cartoon Network series.

* [[Hong Kong Phooey]], the "Number One Super-Guy" who can't even go into his disguise cabinet to change without incident.

* [[Dudley Do-Right]], of course.

* [[Inspector Gadget]]. Believes his own hype (and everyone else does, too), but in reality couldn't deduce his way out of a wet paper bag, or figure that the criminals surrounding him wearing the logo of his archenemy might in fact be enemies. (He gets a pass on not recognising his dog in disguise, since no-one else there can.)

* ''[[Invader Zim]]'' is a villainous version of this trope. Thinks he's the most badass Irken warrior there ever was. [[Too Dumb to Live|Couldn't be farther from the truth]].

 

 

== Real Life ==

* Jack Thompson, whose efforts at banning [[New Media Are Evil|"demoralizing" video games]] earned him worldwide notoriety and resentment, as well as many harassment and professional misconduct lawsuits...

*** Not to mention <s> the ever-increasingly-likely possibility of</s> his permanent disbarment and a slot in Florida law school textbooks as a shining example of how to self-destruct one's career.

** [[Memetic Mutation|Jack Thompson is disbarred! HOW DISBARRED IS HE?!]]

* The Charge of the Light Brigade. It's in the history books.

* General George Armstrong Custer. Earned a record number of demerits during his time at military academy, won several Civil War engagements at great cost to his men (his only tactic was to charge), was court-martialled for going absent from his command and having deserters shot without trial, accused a close friend of President Grant of corruption without a scrap of evidence, and was regarded, by himself and others, as a great Indian fighter despite evidence to the contrary. He inspired fierce loyalty from some, and equally fierce loathing from others and still causes arguments today. Then there was that other [[Last Stand|thing...]]