Psychotic Smirk: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

[[File:light psychotic grin 8235.jpg|link=Death Note|frame|[[Gambit Roulette|Exactly as planned]].]]

 

{{quote|'''Peter Sullivan:''' Why are you always smiling?

 

See [[Sideways Smile]] for the generally less evil version.

 

== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==

* Alucard from ''[[Hellsing]]'' almost always has this, so much so that it's hard to distinguish this from his [[Slasher Smile]].

* Itachi from ''[[Naruto]]'' seems to consider this his favourite expression. Of course, he only has three; frowning, blank stare, and smirking. If he smirks...you're in trouble. Direct, immediate, trouble, that is. Most likely he's just reversed your attack and you're about to kill yourself unless you stop.

** Suigetsu does this most of the time, usually one with his mouth closed if he's genuinely indifferent, or with it slightly open (showing off his shark teeth) if he's about to kill someone face an opponent he thinks he can easily beat. He usually only does otherwise if he's in some sort of danger.

** Kyuubi!Naruto sports an ''amazing'' one {{spoiler|near the beginning of his fight with God Realm Pain. It's the middle right panel on [http://www.onemanga.com/Naruto/438/06/ this] page}}. You don't ''get'' better Psycho Smirks than that.

* If Akito from ''[[Fruits Basket]]'' (the manga, at least) smiles, this is usually the smile he chooses. Of course, if you take in what his ''eyes'' usually say ("I am ''so'' enjoying ripping your little psyche to shreds!"), [[Slasher Smile|it's a little more disturbing...]]

* [[Batman]]'s enemy The Riddler is fond of doing these.

* Every now and again [[Big Bad]] [[Manipulative Bastard]] [[X Wing Series|Ysanne Isard]] [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/File:IsardHead.jpg gets] [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/File:IsardMR.jpg to] [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/File:IsardMad_copy.jpg do] [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/File:Isards_plaything.jpg this].

* [[Darkseid]] does this a lot, too...

 

* In ''[[Kyon: Big Damn Hero]]'', all the [[Yakuza]] can do it, mainly because it implies that they can give you hell. Mori's smirk, on the other hand, can cause fear-induced paralysis, and she isn't even one.

* Severa, from [http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6606275/1/bKnights_b_and_bDragons_b Knights and Dragons], a [[Percy Jackson and The Olympians]] fic, is like this. Permanently.

* Most of the head looters in [[Atlas Shrugged]]. Especially Cuffy Meigs, Mr. Thompson, Dr. Floyd Ferris, and Balph Eubank. Along with the producers: Francisco D'Anconia, {{spoiler|John Galt}} , and Hank Rearden.

* Smerdyakov in ''[[The Brothers Karamazov]]'' has a habit of flashing these when he thinks he's making an irrefutable point. {{spoiler|He can't help himself from grinning sickly here and there when he's giving Ivan a [[Heroic BSOD]] during his mind-blowing [[Motive Rant]]}}.

* In one of the [[Discworld]] books, this editor forgets which, Sybil Vimes catches her husband Sam smiling, and remarks, "I know that look. You're about to do something horrible to somebody, aren't you?"

* In the ''[[Everworld]]'' series, the witch Senna [[Emotionless Girl|almost never smiles]]. However, when she's using magic to attack or to [[Compelling Voice|control]] someone, she occasionally makes small smiles to herself. She never shows teeth, but they're so disturbingly described that they would probably qualify as a [[Slasher Smile]] if she was more open with them.

* [[The Millennium Trilogy|Lisbeth Salander]]'s [[The Un-Smile|crooked half-smile]].

 

* Sylar from ''[[Heroes (TV series)|Heroes]]'' does this occasionally. Apparently, Sendhil Ramamurthy who plays [http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/3416/mohinderla9.jpg Mohinder] does a pretty good one, too!

** One particularly memorable smirk came {{spoiler|while he was shapeshifted as Micah to help him [[Faking the Dead|fake his death]]. For a split second, "Sylar" shows through. The kid nails it}}.

* Benjamin Linus from ''[[Lost]]'' does this from time to time. The most obvious example would be when he flashes a psychotic smirk in season 4, after having masterfully convinced Sayid {{spoiler|to become his personal assassin after they both leave the island}}.

* ''[[Star Trek: Enterprise]]'': [[British Stuffiness|Stiff-upper-lip]] tactical officer Malcolm Reed does this when taken over by a non-corporeal alien in ''The Crossing'', and when he's just plain [[Mirror Universe]] evil in "In a Mirror, Darkly" (check out the scene where Reed watches his own ship get destroyed).

* This seems to be the default expression of Ryan O'Reily in ''[[Oz]]'', but seeing as he spends the entire series manipulating one side against the other it's hardly surprising.

* Kerr Avon from ''[[Blake's 7|Blakes Seven]]''.

* Within the first ten minutes of the ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' episode "Innocence", the Judge walks up to Angel, and tries to burn him. Since the Judge can only burn someone with humanity in them, it serves as a marker that Angel has lost his soul. He turns to Drusilla, and says "I'm back," with a very muted psychotic smirk.

** Angelus also sports a particularly evil smirk when he's watching Buffy and Willow break down upon being told about Jenny's murder.

** The Jacobi and [http://www.themindrobber.co.uk/doctor-who-season-3/mr-saxon-the-sound-of-drums.jpg Simm] Masters enjoy doing this too, which is incredibly startling to see on the Jacobi version after he's played a kindly old man most of the episode.

* Hilary Briss on ''[[The League of Gentlemen]]'', who has this hideous, almost mocking smile.

* Anna Espinosa, a recurring antagonist on ''[[Alias (TV series)|Alias]]'', was fond of this trope. Sark, too, if memory serves.

 

== Music ==

 

== [[Professional Wrestling]] ==

* Since Shadow the Hedgehog is supposed to be a darker version of [[Sonic the Hedgehog]] (Stalwart of the Sideways Smile), when he isn't scowling, he will occasionally drop one of these.

* {{spoiler|Bernkastel}} of ''[[Umineko no Naku Koro ni]]'' does this a whole lot after [[The Reveal]].

* Norman Jayden from [[Heavy Rain]] sports one of these in the ending "Uploaded" {{spoiler|right after scaring the shit out of Carter Blake in ARI}}.

* [[Prototype (video game)|Alex Mercer]] does these from time to time. His habit of flashing them at victims when he believes them at his mercy means they border on [[Slasher Smile|slasher smiles]] a lot (and [[I'm a Humanitarian|his dietary habits]] sure don't help dispel that impression). He's just not a naturally reassuring sort of person.

* ''[[Danny Phantom]]'' has [[Big Bad]] Vlad Masters who cracks one of these every so often throughout the series, often in front of the main hero as much as he does in secret.

* [[Fairly Oddparents|Timmy]] gets one that takes up most of his face in "Timmy's 2-D House of Horror", when he notices the wave of lava headed towards Vicky's house.

* Not to be forgotten, [[Transformers|Megatron and Starscream]], in whichever series they feature in, often sport this expression when a plan is going well.

* ''[[Kim Possible]]'' does this twice in So the Drama's climactic battle, and again shortly before it. In fact she pulls it a number of times, when confronting Drakken after destroying the Bebes or when throwing around the idea of her playing soccer in "Coach Possible".

** Shego, too.

* [[Vain Sorceress|Lydia]] from ''[[Barbie and the Diamond Castle]]''.

{{quote|'''Ray Tracer''': Nice chap. Does he ever smile?

'''AndrAIa''': If he does, run. ''Very fast''. }}

** It was also one of Hexadecimal's favorite masks, though she seemed to sport it even MORE often after {{spoiler|Bob "fixed her face" and let her have actual expressions.}}

* Heloise on ''[[Jimmy Two-Shoes]]'', whenever she isn't going for a full on [[Slasher Smile]].

* In ''[[Ed, Edd 'n' Eddy]]'s'' [[Big Damn Movie]], {{spoiler|[[Complete Monster|Eddy's Brother]]}} sports one just before he beats up Edd and Eddy.