No Social Skills: Difference between revisions

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Quite often a point is made of stating that this character is very intelligent or "learns fast" to make sure the audience doesn't just write them off as dense and to justify characters trying to help them adjust, or as an excuse for why they've adjusted as well as they did. However, it might just be an [[Informed Ability]].

In [[Real Life]] those with [~~http://en.~~wikipedia~~.org/wiki/Asperger_syndrome~~ Asperger Syndrome] usually fit this trope, but relatively few works are interested in portraying this with strict accuracy. A mild form is common in academia. That said, '''[[No Real Life Examples Please]]'''

In [[Real Life]] those with [[wikipedia:Asperger syndrome|Asperger Syndrome]] usually fit this trope, but relatively few works are interested in portraying this with strict accuracy. A mild form is common in academia. That said, '''[[No Real Life Examples, Please]]'''

An extreme form of [[Fish Out of Water]], milder cases may result in [[Strange Girl]], [[Cloudcuckoolander]], [[Innocent Fanservice Girl]], or [[No Sense of Humor]]. [[Homeschooled Kids]] are usually portrayed this way.

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* Goku in ''[[Dragon Ball (Manga)|Dragon Ball]]'' was raised by his grandfather in the wilderness until he was 12 and said grandfather died. He had been so sheltered that he never truly assimilated into society, and the division was very evident until he was an adult. The worst symptom, however, would have to be his complete inability to assess gender from sight, which led to some [[Accidental Pervert|Accidental Perversion]].

* Nana from ''[[Elfen Lied (Manga)|Elfen Lied]]'' is an innocent girl raised in a lab. She knows absolutely nothing about the world outside the complex where she used to live, to the point of burning a "bunch of papers" that turned out to be money. And being gullible enough to believe that the money when kept together would attack her in her sleep.

* Sagara Sousuke from ''[[Full Metal Panic (Light Novel)|Full Metal Panic!]]''. He's been in the military since birth. Someone once described Sousuke as that character in a [[Tabletop RPG]] who [[Min Maxing|traded in]] all those "worthless" character points in social skills and instead put them into [[Sacrificed Basic Skill for Awesome Training|combat abilities.]] He is a nice guy, he just has no concept at all of what's expected of someone in a high school environment. Naturally, the writers put him in a high school environment, often. This turned out to be so popular that an entire season with this as the main premise was produced: ''[[Full Metal Panic (Light Novel)|Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu]]''.

* Sagara Sousuke from ''[[Full Metal Panic (Light Novel)|Full Metal Panic!]]''. He's been in the military since birth. Someone once described Sousuke as that character in a [[Tabletop RPG]] who [[Min-Maxing|traded in]] all those "worthless" character points in social skills and instead put them into [[Sacrificed Basic Skill for Awesome Training|combat abilities.]] He is a nice guy, he just has no concept at all of what's expected of someone in a high school environment. Naturally, the writers put him in a high school environment, often. This turned out to be so popular that an entire season with this as the main premise was produced: ''[[Full Metal Panic (Light Novel)|Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu]]''.

* Tasuki of ''[[Fushigi Yuugi]]'', the resident [[Jerk With a Heart of Gold]], who was raised by an [[Abusive Parents|abusive family]], then ran away from home as a teenager and continued to be raised by a gang of thieves. In pretty much any given situation, if there's an insensitive remark, indelicate observation or obnoxious joke to be made, it ''will'' come out of his mouth. Such blunt force honesty also makes him surprisingly credulous for someone [[The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything|who ostensibly rose to the leadership of a gang of thieves]].

* [[Friendless Background|Kobayashi Sumisugu]] from ''[[Harlem Beat]]'' is a [[The Stoic|stoic]] [[Perpetual Frowner]] armed with [[Death Glare]] and [[Brutal Honesty]]. He either scared people with his aloofness or pissed them off until [[The Pollyanna|Imagawa]] and consequently Johnan team befriended him.

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* The title character from ''[[Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water]]'' qualifies. Having spent thirteen years of mistreatment by a cruel ringmaster, she's suspicious of everybody, detests killing, and adamantly opposed to eating meat. As such, she doesn't know how to interact with other people. She either lashes out in a rage, misunderstands others' actions, and stubbornly refuses to see beyond her calls of judgment. Worse still, she is not able to admit what her problem is and expects her friends to just "read her mind." Nadia becomes a much more sociable and trusting character, however, as a result of her close relationships with Jean (arguably the complete opposite of Nadia), Marie, Grandis, and, to a lesser extent, the ''Nautilus'' crew.

* Eve of ''[[Black Cat (Manga)|Black Cat]]'' fame was raised (if you can call it that with a straight face) by Torneo Rudman, a weapons merchant who intended to use her as a [[Tyke Bomb|biological weapon]]. She's another example who would've been better off with the wolves; thankfully, barely three chapters after we meet her she's rescued and effectively adopted by [[Papa Wolf|Sven Volfield]]. [[Took a Level In Badass|She benefits greatly]] [[Little Miss Badass|from the experience]].

** Creed Diskenth, the series' [[Big Bad]] isn't much better off, combining this trope with [[Lack of Empathy]], [[No Sense of Humour]], and [[Evil Cannot Comprehend Good]] for truly awe-inspiring results. He can't understand or relate to other people at all, is an utter failure as a [[Manipulative Bastard]], is prone to [[Freak Out|Freak Outs]] when he doesn't get his way, and honestly doesn't understand why killing [[The Hero]]'s [[Not Love Interest]] would cause him to hate his (Creed's) guts. He frequently misunderstands people, doesn't get why his [[Bad Boss]] tendencies are causing his underlings to flee, is oblivious to his [[Dark Chick|right-hand woman]]'s [[Love Martyr|blatant crush on him]], and is convinced that [[The Hero|Train]] will realise how much Creed matters to him once [[Murder the Hypotenuse|all his friends are dead]]. Unlike many examples on this page, it is ''never'' played for laughs.

** Creed Diskenth, the series' [[Big Bad]] isn't much better off, combining this trope with [[Lack of Empathy]], [[No Sense of Humour]], and [[Evil Cannot Comprehend Good]] for truly awe-inspiring results. He can't understand or relate to other people at all, is an utter failure as a [[Manipulative Bastard]], is prone to [[Freak-Out|Freak Outs]] when he doesn't get his way, and honestly doesn't understand why killing [[The Hero]]'s [[Not Love Interest]] would cause him to hate his (Creed's) guts. He frequently misunderstands people, doesn't get why his [[Bad Boss]] tendencies are causing his underlings to flee, is oblivious to his [[Dark Chick|right-hand woman]]'s [[Love Martyr|blatant crush on him]], and is convinced that [[The Hero|Train]] will realise how much Creed matters to him once [[Murder the Hypotenuse|all his friends are dead]]. Unlike many examples on this page, it is ''never'' played for laughs.

* ''[[Ranma ½ (Manga)|Ranma ½]]''.

** Ranma is marked by his [[Hilariously Abusive Childhood]] and has trouble getting on with people, though he's better off then many other examples of this trope and, in the manga, is actually one of the most manipulative characters. In addition to [[Training From Hell|dragging him around on the road and through the wilderness his entire life]], [[Sink or Swim Mentor|Genma]] used [[Dangerous Forbidden Technique|forbidden]] and [[Harmful to Minors|stupid]] techniques. One of them had him essentially raised by cats. Which did NOT end well. [[Unstoppable Rage|Cat-fu]] indeed.

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* ''[[Umineko no Naku Koro Ni (Visual Novel)|Umineko no Naku Koro Ni]]'' - The Beatrice who lived in Kuwadorian in 1967 is a mild-ish version of this. She was raised in a hidden mansion by a few servants and Kinzo, who would come down every few days or so, but was forbidden from leaving the Kuwadorian and so knows absolutely nothing about life outside of it. {{spoiler|Just before she died from falling off a cliff, Rosa actually speculated that part of the reason she didn't seem to be afraid of climbing down the cliff was because she didn't understand that if she fell from it, she would die}}.

* ''[[Inuyasha (Manga)|Inuyasha]]'' - Inu, as a defining trait. He was orphaned at a young age, his only remaining family is a full demon half-brother who hates his guts and because of his [[Half-Human Hybrid|half-breed status]] is ostracized by both human and demonic society. Small surprise that [[Jerk With a Heart of Gold|his personality is coarse]] and is known for [[Brutal Honesty|speaking his mind no matter what the situation]]; not to mention a [[Violence Is the Only Option|willingness to respond to any perceived slight with his fists.]]

* ''[[Mobile Fighter G Gundam (Anime)|Mobile Fighter G Gundam]]'' - Domon Kasshu spent the latter half of his twenty-year life being raised in the woods by ludicrously [[Badass]] but eccentric [[Old Master|Master Asia]]. As such he's good at being passionately [[Hot Blooded]], ''really'' good at beating things up and...well, [[Idiot Hero|not much else]].

* ''[[Mobile Fighter G Gundam (Anime)|Mobile Fighter G Gundam]]'' - Domon Kasshu spent the latter half of his twenty-year life being raised in the woods by ludicrously [[Badass]] but eccentric [[Old Master|Master Asia]]. As such he's good at being passionately [[Hot-Blooded]], ''really'' good at beating things up and...well, [[Idiot Hero|not much else]].

* ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam Wing (Anime)|Mobile Suit Gundam Wing]]'''s Heero Yui is pretty arguable, given that he grew up a soldier. Anybody who rips up an invite to a girl's birthday party, wipes away the resulting tear, and then states that he will destroy her hardly counts as normal.

* Shizuo Heiwajima from ''[[Durarara (Light Novel)|Durarara]]'' [[Friendless Background|grew up with very little]] in the way of positive social contact due to his [[Hair-Trigger Temper|anger]] and impulse control issues. As a result, he does not have much in the way of social graces.

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* Jenna in Jane Yolen's ''[[Great Alta Saga]]''. She was raised in Seldan Hame, which, unlike the rest of the Dales, is largely untouched by the "superior" culture of the Garunian invaders.

* In Kit Whitfield's ''In Great Waters'' Henry/Whistle is Raised By [[Our Mermaids Are Different|Deepmen]]. His lack of adjustment once on land isn't helped by the fact that he's also a [[Half-Human Hybrid]].

* Spider Robinson's ''[[~~Callahans~~ Crosstime Saloon (Literature)|Callahans Crosstime Saloon]]'' series - Reverend Tom Hauptmann from the short story "The Time Traveler", Hauptmann had spent more than a decade in a Central American prison; the decade in question was the 1960s, and upon his rescue/release, he was completely unprepared for the complete and bewildering sea-change the United States had undergone in that time.

* Spider Robinson's ''[[Callahan's Crosstime Saloon (Literature)|Callahans Crosstime Saloon]]'' series - Reverend Tom Hauptmann from the short story "The Time Traveler", Hauptmann had spent more than a decade in a Central American prison; the decade in question was the 1960s, and upon his rescue/release, he was completely unprepared for the complete and bewildering sea-change the United States had undergone in that time.

* Oskar in ''[[Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close]].'' Sometimes when they played "Reconnaissance Expedition," his father would deliberately set up missions in which Oskar was forced to talk to people, because his father wanted him to get better at it.

* ''Sisterhood'' series by [[Fern Michaels]]: Harry Wong most certainly has this problem. He is rather rude, impatient, and violent. One time, he went to his pal Jack Emery's house in the middle of the night, knocked on Jack's door, kicked it in when Jack didn't answer it fast enough, causing an alarm to blare for the whole neighborhood to hear, and then Harry simply punched out the alarm system to make it stop! Harry got an appropriate talking to for that!

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** Interestingly, there are rare times when Monk seemily forgets his phobias and awkwardness and just acts like a normal person. However, this happens rarely, and he has no memory of it. This is revealed when a rapper (played by [[Snoop Dogg]]) shows up to ask for Monk's help in clearing his name. Monk starts acting gangsta and eagerly accepts the case. After the rapper leaves, Monk goes back to his old self and assumes he said "no".

* An episode of ''[[The X-Files]]'' features the monster of the week as an entire feral family. It's hinted that the family has lived down through the centuries like this, and are the source of the legend of the [[Jersey Devil]].

* ''[[~~Doctor Who (TV)|~~Doctor Who]]'' - The Doctor has moments of acting like this, more so in some [[The Nth Doctor|incarnations]] than others. It's partly [[Obfuscating Stupidity]], partly the fact that a time-traveling alien can hardly be expected to understand the social mores of every time and place he visits, and sometimes just the way he is. Particularly strong with the the Fourth Doctor ([[Tom Baker]]) and the Eleventh ([[Matt Smith]]). For a classic example, see [[Doctor Who ~~(TV)~~/Recap/S31 E11 The Lodger|"The Lodger"]].

* ''[[Doctor Who]]'' - The Doctor has moments of acting like this, more so in some [[The Nth Doctor|incarnations]] than others. It's partly [[Obfuscating Stupidity]], partly the fact that a time-traveling alien can hardly be expected to understand the social mores of every time and place he visits, and sometimes just the way he is. Particularly strong with the the Fourth Doctor ([[Tom Baker]]) and the Eleventh ([[Matt Smith]]). For a classic example, see [[Doctor Who/Recap/S31 E11 The Lodger|"The Lodger"]].

* There was one ''[[My Name Is Earl]]'' where he found a guy he left out in the woods who seemed completely wild (even though he was a full grown adult when it happened). Part of the reasons for his behavior was eating berries in the forest, and things had gotten so bad that he married a raccoon. It drew comparisons between him and Tarzan, until the end when it turns out that the man had {{spoiler|An acute case of schizoid or avoidant personality disorder, and would never be able to assimilate into regular society without drugs. Earl decided the best thing to do would be to release him into the wild where he was happiest.}}

* Jan Kandou from ''[[Juken Sentai Gekiranger]]'', raised by pandas and tigers. He calls himself a "tiger boy" and demonstrates incredible strength, such as having a tree fall on him with no effect. It takes him a few episodes to master the concept of things like doors. His defining trait, though, is that, while he can speak proper Japanese, he colours it with made-up babytalk words such as "nikiniki (happy) and "zowazowa" (danger). These words are used to form the show's [[Excited Episode Title|Excited Episode Titles]].

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* Most of the humor in [[The Big Bang Theory]] is about how utterly inept the four main characters are at functioning outside their own nerdy society. Leonard is probably most well adjusted but still has serial foot-in-mouth tendencies, Sheldon shows some autistic tendencies and is also a [[Jerkass]], Raj cannot speak around attractive women unless drunk, and [[Casanova Wannabe|Wolowitz is best left unsaid]].

* Spencer Reid in ''[[Criminal Minds (TV)|Criminal Minds]]'', who has a hard time fitting in with people other than the team, being a mix of an [[Insufferable Genius]] and [[Child Prodigy]]. However, his knowledge of pop culture is varying and extensive, though he doesn't know about ''[[Twilight (Literature)|Twilight]]''.

* Gary Bell from ''[[~~Alphas (TV)|~~Alphas]]'', [[Justified Trope|justified]] as he is outright stated to have [[Asperger Syndrome]]. He can be very [[Adorkable|sweet]], but tends towards [[Brutal Honesty|brutal honesty]], [[Literal Minded|literal-mindedness]], and he [[Can Not Tell a Lie]]... though he's working on the latter.

* Gary Bell from ''[[Alphas]]'', [[Justified Trope|justified]] as he is outright stated to have [[Asperger Syndrome]]. He can be very [[Adorkable|sweet]], but tends towards [[Brutal Honesty|brutal honesty]], [[Literal Minded|literal-mindedness]], and he [[Can Not Tell a Lie]]... though he's working on the latter.

{{quote| '''Gary:''' I do lie, I've been practicing. It's a social skill. Like the other day when I said I was gonna have a pudding pop, I was lying 'cause I don't like pudding pops. ... That was a lie, I do like pudding pops. I just knew we didn't have any.}}

** Taking the above a step further, ''[[Big Brother]]'' had [[Ms. Fanservice|Bonnie Holt]], from Leicester, East Midlands, United Kingdom, who may or may not have [[Aspergers Syndrome]], but her behavior indicates traces of it, if the [[YouTube]] footage of her is anything to go by.

* Saga from ''[[Bron Broen (TV)|Bron Broen]]'', an extreme [[By-The-Book Cop]] with no apparent understanding of jokes, unwritten laws or comforting lies. She refuses to promise a missing girl's relative that they'll find her alive, picks up a guy in a bar by asking [[Do You Want to Copulate|if he wants to have sex]], and has no idea why her partner's weirded out when she {{spoiler|his eighteen-year-old son spends the night at her place. She doesn't even get why she should tell him they didn't actually have sex until a co-worker suggests it - at which point she explains in front of everyone.}}

* Saga from ''[[Bron Broen (TV)|Bron Broen]]'', an extreme [[By-The-Book Cop]] with no apparent understanding of jokes, unwritten laws or comforting lies. She refuses to promise a missing girl's relative that they'll find her alive, picks up a guy in a bar by asking [[Do You Want to Copulate?|if he wants to have sex]], and has no idea why her partner's weirded out when she {{spoiler|his eighteen-year-old son spends the night at her place. She doesn't even get why she should tell him they didn't actually have sex until a co-worker suggests it - at which point she explains in front of everyone.}}

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[[Category:No Social Skills]]

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