Small Name, Big Ego: Difference between revisions

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{{quote|''"[[Meaningful Name|Cacofonix]], the bard. Opinion is divided as to his musical gifts. Cacofonix thinks he's a genius. [[Giftedly Bad|Everyone else thinks he's unspeakable]]."''|''[[Asterix]]''}}

A character with a comically over-inflated image of himself. He thinks he's smarter than everyone else, [[Casanova Wannabe|thinks]] he's a real lady's man, thinks he's cool, [[~~Its~~ All About Me|it's all about him]], but both his fellow characters and the audience know that this coolness is all in his mind.

A character with a comically over-inflated image of himself. He thinks he's smarter than everyone else, [[Casanova Wannabe|thinks]] he's a real lady's man, thinks he's cool, [[It's All About Me|it's all about him]], but both his fellow characters and the audience know that this coolness is all in his mind.

This is a slightly different phenomenon from shows (like ''[[Seinfeld]]'') where essentially ''all'' the characters are like this and there are no "good" characters with which to contrast them.

Often occurs in conjunction with a [[Show Within a Show]]. If the TV Series runs long enough, the writers usually devote one episode to a [[Big Ego Hidden Depths]] examination of the character.

Often occurs in conjunction with a [[Show Within a Show]]. If the TV Series runs long enough, the writers usually devote one episode to a [[Big Ego, Hidden Depths]] examination of the character.

Expect this guy to be a victim of [[Pride]].

If the character is a nerd and unaware of it, he's an [[Extraverted Nerd]]. If he makes a big deal of how [[The Hero|heroic]] and [[Badass]] he is, but runs at the first sign of real danger, he's a [[Miles Gloriosus]]. If he claims to be a genius, but is incredibly dim or just misinformed, he's the [[Know Nothing Know It All]]. If he thinks he's a brilliant artist but is actually dire, he's [[Giftedly Bad]]. If he claims to kick ass only to get his own ass constantly kicked, he's a [[Boisterous Weakling]]. Contrast [[Insufferable Genius]] (where he actually has the skill to back himself up) or [[Almighty Janitor]]. Many a [[Narcissist]] and [[Pointy Haired Boss]] is afflicted with this condition. [[Every Year They Fizzle Out]] and [[Fake Ultimate Hero]], meanwhile, are when ''everyone else'' are the ones with a high opinion about the person in question. Often a [[Large Ham]]. In more serious works, he will often be the victim of [[Break the Haughty]]. The [[Smug Snake]] could be considered a [[Face Heel Turn|villainous variation]]. Might be a [[Paper Tiger]].

If the character is a nerd and unaware of it, he's an [[Extraverted Nerd]]. If he makes a big deal of how [[The Hero|heroic]] and [[Badass]] he is, but runs at the first sign of real danger, he's a [[Miles Gloriosus]]. If he claims to be a genius, but is incredibly dim or just misinformed, he's the [[Know-Nothing Know-It-All]]. If he thinks he's a brilliant artist but is actually dire, he's [[Giftedly Bad]]. If he claims to kick ass only to get his own ass constantly kicked, he's a [[Boisterous Weakling]]. Contrast [[Insufferable Genius]] (where he actually has the skill to back himself up) or [[Almighty Janitor]]. Many a [[Narcissist]] and [[Pointy-Haired Boss]] is afflicted with this condition. [[Every Year They Fizzle Out]] and [[Fake Ultimate Hero]], meanwhile, are when ''everyone else'' are the ones with a high opinion about the person in question. Often a [[Large Ham]]. In more serious works, he will often be the victim of [[Break the Haughty]]. The [[Smug Snake]] could be considered a [[Face Heel Turn|villainous variation]]. Might be a [[Paper Tiger]].

If (s)he is the main character on a show, we're dealing with a species of [[Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonist]]. If the ''writers'', not the character (though he can fit this trope, underscoring his [[The Scrappy|unpopularity]]) think the character is amazing, we have the [[~~Creators~~ Pet]].

If (s)he is the main character on a show, we're dealing with a species of [[Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonist]]. If the ''writers'', not the character (though he can fit this trope, underscoring his [[The Scrappy|unpopularity]]) think the character is amazing, we have the [[Creator's Pet]].

Contrast with the [[Jaded Washout]], who knows only too well how pathetic he is. [[I Thought It Meant|Not to be confused with]] [[The Kirk|the other kind of ego]].