Plucky Comic Relief: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
{{quote|''"My brothers have my measure when it comes to fighting and dancing and thinking and reading books, but none of them is half my equal at lying insensible in mud."''
|'''Prince Daeron''', ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire|The Hedge Knight]]''}}
Also known as the comic relief or the Funny Guy. A character whose primary role in the show is to relieve tension with oddball and/or hysterical antics. He has a job to do, but doesn't get into the thick of things and can stay somewhat detached. Due to the fact their purpose is to relieve tension, they almost always have immunity to dying when compared to the other characters. A guaranteed sign that the series is suffering from [[Cerebus Syndrome]] or that things are just [[It Got Worse|going to go to Hell from here]] is to see whether this character [[Shoo Out the Clowns|either dies or has a complete and utter meltdown,]] no matter how deserved.
The term comes from Sam Rockwell's "Guy Fleegman" character in the movie ''[[Galaxy Quest]]'' (who, in a non-[[Genre Blindness|genreblind]] example of [[Lampshade Hanging]], is afraid that he is only a [[Red Shirt]], until another character ("Fred Kwan") suggests that maybe he is instead the
In some cases, similar to [[Stupid Boss]]. Many [[
▲In some cases, similar to [[Stupid Boss]]. Many [[Sidekick|sidekicks]] fit this description as well. Also see [[Amusing Alien]], for otherworldly characters whose ''only'' purpose is comedy. Finally See [[The Face]], where they have a purprose greater than comedy.
{{examples}}
== Anime and Manga ==▼
▲== Anime ==
* Shinagawa from ''[[Ask Dr. Rin]]''.
* Helen from ''[[Claymore]]'': the sole humorous character in this very dark series. Indulging in everything from [[Big Eater|over-eating]] to [[Hypocritical Humor]], including a [[Boke and Tsukkomi Routine]] with [[The Stoic|uber-stoic]] Deneve and on one memorable occasion actually [[Best Beer Ever|getting drunk]].
* Shiro Kabuto from ''[[Mazinger Z]]'' and ''[[Great Mazinger]]''. Although he is smarter than he looks and he can be an [[Badass Adorable]], he often provides comic relief, or by pulling [[Too Dumb to Live]] stunts or by being a [[Deadpan Snarker]] and the voice of reason.
** Boss and the remainder of [[The Team Normal]] also were [[Comic Relief]] characters. Boss even lampshaded is in one ''[[Great Mazinger]]'', wondering why he must be the [[Comic Relief]].
* In the last episode of ''[[Slayers]] NEXT'', Lina concludes that the only reason Martina survived the confrontation with the [[Big Bad]] was because she is the
* ''[[Code Geass]]'' features a Britannia comic relief, Rivalz Cardemonde and a Japanese comic relief, Shinichiro Tamaki. Lelouch can confirm that. He's been around both of 'em. Rivalz' friend Lelouch Lamperouge by day, Tamaki's idol, Zero by night.
* Uzura in ''[[Princess Tutu]]'' spends much of the second season filling this role, although she has a few plot-important moments towards the end and is never quite able to stay completely detached from the action.
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* ''[[Death Note]]''
** Matsuda. [[Beware the Nice Ones|Until the last episode]].
** Misa Amane. Indeed she and Matsuda were the only characters who used most of the "sillier" anime tropes, like puffy cheeks, [[Face Fault
** [[Shinigami|Ryuk]]. He makes off-hand humorous comments that usually involve apples even during the most serious scenes, and almost always chuckles loudly at any new plot or character development that occurs.
* ''[[Berserk]]'': Puck and Isidro apparently exist in part to keep the work from collapsing under its own cynicism during the darker stretches of the series.
* Bat in ''[[Fist of the North Star]]'' was the plucky comic relief sidekick until the [[Time Skip]], where he [[Took a Level
* Sena in ''[[Cross Game]]''
* ''[[Naruto]]''
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** [[Digimon Xros Wars]] has a villan version in [[Cloudcuckoolander|Blastmon]].
** [[Straight Man and Wise Guy|Bokomon & Neemon]] in ''[[Digimon Frontier]]''.
* Isaac and Miria, the [[Cloudcuckoolander|very]], ''[[The Ditz|very]]'' out-of-it [[Outlaw Couple]] of ''[[Baccano!]]!''. [[The Fool|They also miraculously avoid injury beyond paper-cut level on a regular basis]] in a show with [[Gorn|a violence rating and body count of a typical Quentin Tarantino film]]. The lone exception to this is one heavily-bleeding cut Isaac acquires on his while saving Czeslaw, {{spoiler|which reveals their [[Immortality|less-than-mortal]] nature to the boy when it immediately [[Healing Factor|stitches itself up]]}}.
* Sailor Mini Moon in the ''[[Sailor Moon]]'' anime. Her Pink Sugar Heart Attack rarely worked, and even then it was pathetically weak. This is in contrast to the manga where it actually does work well on a regular basis.
* Yaya Yuiki from ''[[Shugo Chara]]''
* ''[[Darker
** The [[Clueless Detective]] duo. They tend to only be involved with whatever [[Spy-Versus-Spy]] craziness is going on tangentially and accidentally, and their [[Non
** Saito of the Japanese police. He's kind of like Matsuda in that he's a member of a special taskforce with a tendency toward humorous bumbling (Saito has twice been shown using his own name when undercover), and his unrequited crush on [[Fair Cop|Kirihara]] is played for laughs. He's also something of a [[Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass]], which makes sense, as he's a [[Muggle]] who has regularly been up against superpowered sociopaths and has survived.
* Naoki from ''[[Nana]]'' fits this trope particularly well: Despite all the drama that goes on in the series, he is oddly immune to it and (in present time) seemingly oblivious. The writer herself admits that he was written to round out the two rival bands in the
* When he's not being a [[Badass]], or the resident [[Butt Monkey]] (yes, he's actually both), Jun Manjoume of ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! GX]]'' tends to be this, especially when it comes to his [[All Love Is Unrequited|hilarious crush]] on Asuka or when his [[Small Annoying Creature|spirit partners]] are involved.
* ''[[Bleach]]''
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** And Kon!
* ''[[Kanon]]'': Jun Kitagawa.
* ''[[Clannad (visual novel)|Clannad]]'': [[Butt Monkey|Sunohara Youhei]], [[Expy]] of Jun Kitagawa.
* Jackie Gudelhian from ''[[Future GPX Cyber Formula]]'' serves as this in the series.
* [[Bottle Fairy|Misato Katsuragi]] and her pet [[Everything's Better with Penguins|Pen-Pen]] in the otherwise quite dark anime ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion]]'' count as this. Pen-Pen considerably more than Misato, it has to be said. {{spoiler|[[Shoo Out the Clowns|When Pen-Pen leaves]], you know that the series has totally given up on plucky comic antics altogether and has now [[Mood Whiplash|completely moved into depressing]] territory.}}
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* Alielle from ''[[El-Hazard: The Magnificent World]]''.
* ''[[PS238]]'' Firedrake claimed that "comic relief" is one of his superpowers. Which is fortunate for him, since in superhero business fire "doesn't come in handy much", and the Elementalists enlisted him simply because with their theme they needed some fire-themed guy. Also, he got wits very much in working condition. Thus he mostly just flies around, looks cool (which helps to sell their team's merchandise, too), [[I Shall Taunt You|taunts and distracts the adversaries]] and drops one-liners.
== Film ==
* Guy in ''[[Galaxy Quest]]'' fears for the entire film that he is destined to die, as his character on the show, Crewman 26, was a typical [[Red Shirt]] that died in the first act of his only episode. Fred eventually calms his fear by suggesting Guy is actually this trope. To some extent, Fred himself also qualifies for spending most of the film oblivious to, or at least unreasonably calm about, the ostensible dangers they're going through. The original cut of the film depicted him a stoner, though this plot element was removed when the film was recut to get a family-friendly rating. It's still somewhat obvious that he is in the final film.
* ''[[Last Action Hero]]''. [[Lampshaded]] by [[Genre Savvy]] Danny Madigan. "Oh, shit. I'm the comic relief! This is not going to work!"
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* Johnny in ''[[Airplane!]]''.
* Beast Boy from ''[[Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo]]''. All the way from beginning to end.
* Sam Rockwell [https://web.archive.org/web/20120708110809/http://www.darkhorizons.com/news/15815/rockwell-talks-iron-man-2-character/ actually used the term himself] when describing his role as Justin Hammer in ''[[Iron Man (film)|Iron Man 2]]''.
* Riley from ''[[National Treasure]]''.
* Humphrey from ''[[Alpha and Omega]]'' serves as the snappy one-liner of the movie. he is usually seen hanging out with his other omega buddies and is shown to try to cheer up an alpha named Kate, whom he likes to be with.
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== Literature ==
* Bluebell, the comedian rabbit of ''[[Watership Down]]'', serves as a comic relief not only to the readers, but also is an in-story tension breaker. Keehar the seagull serves the purpose in the film adaptation.
* Madame Khokhlakov's role in ''[[The Brothers Karamazov]]'' is to provide lighthearted, trivial discussion versus everything else that goes on in the story. She is eternally cheerful and will talk you ''to death''. Dostoevsky used her to insult his critics at the time by having her agree with their works.
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* Faddey Bulgarin in ''[[The Death of the Vazir Mukhtar]]''.
== Live
* Greg Sanders, the DNA specialist on ''[[CSI]]'' was originally an excellent example of this trope. Later in the series he has several serious character arcs. He also becomes one of the most experienced CSIs on the team. His role has been taken over by Hodges and the supporting [[Lab Rat
▲* Greg Sanders, the DNA specialist on ''[[CSI]]'' was originally an excellent example of this trope. Later in the series he has several serious character arcs. He also becomes one of the most experienced CSIs on the team. His role has been taken over by Hodges and the supporting [[Lab Rat|Lab Rats]].
* So is Marshall on ''[[Alias (TV series)|Alias]]''.
* Taylor Townsend of ''[[The OC]]''. As the series [[Wacky Guy|Wacky Girl]] she was a welcome relief from the sometimes overpowering angst of the penultimate season. Usually her wackiness was paired with Seth and Summer's in the aforementioned season to provide comic drama, if such a thing exists.
* Hurley's role on ''[[Lost]]'' began this way, but has become less so as the character has become more important.
* Eric on ''[[Boy Meets World]]'' started off as the [[Chick Magnet]] but when that role was taken over by Shawn he became this. And then things just got [[Cloudcuckoolander|weird...]]
* ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'': Xander and later Andrew. Though the writing is uniformly witty enough that all characters get their day in the
** This is true with ''all'' [[Joss Whedon]] shows, but there is still one or two characters in each series who do virtually nothing ''but'' be funny, in addition to fulfilling their role in the cast. In chronological order: Lorne on ''[[Angel]]'', Wash on ''[[Firefly]]'', and Topher on ''[[Dollhouse]]''.
** Lampshaded on ''Firefly'':
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'''Wash''' C'mon Kaylee. We all know ''I'm'' the funny one. }}
** And pretty much [[Deconstructed Trope|deconstructed]] with Lorne: the toll that being the Comic Relief takes on him by the fifth season is seriously rough.
* Klinger of ''[[
* Chloe O'Brian on ''[[24]]'' is this, as far as a serious show like this allows anyone to be.
* Both Hiro and Ando on ''[[Heroes (TV series)|Heroes]]''.
* Joxer ([[Miles Gloriosus|the Mighty]]) on ''[[Xena: Warrior Princess]]''. No matter how hard or how often he tries to be [[The Lancer]], the [[Anti-Hero]], or the [[Villain Protagonist]], poor man.
{{quote|'''Joxer''': Now listen, I'm fierce, and I have a lust for blood. As a matter of fact, if a couple of days go by and I haven't shed some blood, I get ''very depressed.'' Blood and me go together like a horse and chariot! [[Blood Bath|I once bathed in a tub of blood]]! My nickname is Bloody Joxer!
'''Xena''': If you like blood so much? Keep talking. }}
* The Lone Gunmen on the [[X Files]]. {{spoiler|This did not save them from a random and contrived death in the last season, in an otherwise comedic episode.}}
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'''The Doctor:''' No policewomen in 1926.
'''Donna:''' I'll pluck you in a minute! }}
* In murder mystery ''[[
* Randy Disher in ''[[Monk]]'' his quirky antics and wild theories really give a nice dose of humor in the show. Still he is semi-competent and is always in the right place when he's needed.
* Tyron Lannister can lighten up any scene in ''[[Game of Thrones]]'', even the most violent ones (his {{spoiler|bludgeoning a man to death with his ''shield'' easily counts as one of his most badass and amusing scenes in the series.}}) He also bucks the trend in that he is [[Hidden Depths|neither dim-witted]] nor [[Magnificent Bastard|genuinely concerned for anyone around him.]]
** Oh, he's plenty concerned for others. [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold|He just doesn't show it often.]]
* Sister Sisto in ''[[The Flying Nun]]''. In the pilot it was explained that she is studying English sayings in preparation for her eventualy teaching in the United States. From that point on her running joke was to say something like "We need to get on the circle!" to immediatly be corrected by one of the others "Uh, that's 'ball', Sister."
== Tabletop Games ==
* The Orks serve this function in ''[[Warhammer
▲* [[Our Gnomes Are Weirder|Gnomes]] in ''[[Dungeons and Dragons]]''.
▲* The Orks serve this function in ''[[Warhammer 40000]]'' as an entire race of [[Psychopathic Manchild|psychopathic manchildren]] with a healthy dose of [[Crosses the Line Twice]].
** Their [[Warhammer Fantasy Battle|Fantasy Counterparts]] fill a similar role in the game, but seeing as the setting is notably less [[Darker and Edgier|grimdark]], they are obnviously not the only race that fills this role. The Skaven are a good example of this, due to them being both [[Stupid Evil]] and [[Laughably Evil]] with their [[Chronic Backstabbing Disorder]] and all. Add to that [[Crazy Awesome|hamster wheels with lasers]], and it should be pretty clear that they fit into this spot too.
* In ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]'', Squee from the Weatherlight Saga. For example, the flavor text for [http://magiccards.info/tp/en/279.html Fool's Tome]. More generally, goblins typically fill such a role. There was a [[Running Gag]] where goblins that could destroy things had a profession related to whatever it was they were destroying - [http://magiccards.info/ud/en/84.html Goblin Gardener] destroyed lands, [http://magiccards.info/ul/en/79.html Goblin Medic] dealt damage to creatures, and so on.
* Goblins in ''[[Pathfinder]]'', in a disturbing sort of way. Dangerously stupid, [[Big Eater
== Theater ==
* Launcelot Gobbo in ''[[The Merchant of Venice]]'', who was written in specifically as this. His life offstage is referred to (he's got a family and a mistress), but onstage he's mostly there to give overdramatic monologues, spew [[Incredibly Lame Pun
* Luther Billis in ''[[South Pacific]]''.
* Costard and Don Armado in ''[[Love's Labour's Lost]]''.
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* Sir Andrew Aguecheek in ''[[Twelfth Night]]''.
* Launce in ''[[Two Gentlemen of Verona]]''.
== Toys ==
* Lewa from ''[[Bionicle]]''.
** Really any Toa of Air could count.
== Video Games ==
* Although Teddie from ''[[Persona 4]]'' is this trope incarnate, just about every other character in the Investigation Team fulfill this role at some point or another in the game.
** Yosuke also relates to this trope, although really more towards the beginning.
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* Tyrell in ''[[Golden Sun: Dark Dawn]]''. Emphasis on the "[[Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass|plucky]]".
== Web Comics ==
▲== Webcomics ==
* [[Robot Buddy|Pintsize]] (alone or teamed up with Winslow) in ''[[Questionable Content]]''.
== Web Original ==
* Lee Phillips in season 2 of ''[[Kate Modern]]''.
* A lot of them in the ''[[Whateley Universe]]''. The junior high mages known as 'the three little witches', Go-Go (a speedster who used to go by 'Quickie' until she found out why everyone was laughing), Generator. Oh God, Generator. Wacky comic relief in other people's stories, horrifyingly effective hero in her own stories. There are school armbands that identify the pacifists (who won't fight back if they're bullied so you're supposed to leave them alone) and the Ultraviolents ([[Exactly What It Says on the Tin]]). Only Generator wears ''both''. Not at the same time, of course; that would be silly. She flips a coin every morning.
== Western Animation ==
* [[Disney Animated Canon|Disney Animated Films]] usually have one. And so do all of the movies that [[Follow the Leader|copy their formulas]].
** ''[[
* ''[[
* Danny O'Farrell of ''[[Fillmore!]]''.
* Plucky the Mallard from ''[[Tiny Toon Adventures]]''
* Beast Boy from ''[[Teen Titans (animation)|Teen Titans]]''. Oh-so-very-much. Now with 100% more [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshade]]!
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* In the classic [[Warner Brothers]] cartoon ''Drip-Along Daffy'', Daffy Duck is the supposed western hero, while Porky Pig is [[Lampshade Hanging|explicitly called]] the "comedy relief", dressed in a Gabby-Hayes sidekick outfit. Of course, Porky is five hundred times more competent than Daffy, and ends up defeating the villain and being appointed sheriff.
* Porky's character from Daffy's ''[[Duck Dodgers]]'' cartoon and series, Eager Young Space Cadet, is also supposed to be this.
* [[You Suck|Ron Stoppable]] from ''[[Kim Possible]]'', while also being one of [[The Hero
* [[Super Speed|The]] [[The Flash|Flash]] in ''[[Justice League Unlimited]]''. Considering his death sparked a totalitarian dictatorship in [[Mirror Universe|another universe]] and nearly caused the [[
* ''[[The Fairly
* As serious as ''[[The Secret of NIMH]]'' was in tone, there was a certain crow that happens to be the comic relief. And that crow in particular is Jeremy.
* On ''[[Xiaolin Showdown]]'' Raimundo starts off being pretty much just this.
* Parodied in ''[[Titan Maximum]]'', where it's stated that each military squad are required to consist of one of these. The one shown is woefully aware that he's totally unfunny since he originally just wanted a desk job.
* Stanley in ''[[The Amazing Chan and The Chan Clan]]'' fits this trope to a T.
* Pinkie Pie from ''[[My Little Pony:
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