Took a Level In Dumbass: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

A specific subtrope of [[Flanderization]] (and occasionally [[Jerkass]] also). As a series progresses, characters sometimes become more and more stupid as time goes on. Usually the reason is related to the [[Badass Decay]] phenomenon, but with the character's level of intelligence rather than his ability to kick ass, following something along the following cycle: an episode in which the characters acts like a total buffoon gets good ratings, so another one is made. It too gets good ratings. So they make another. And another. Eventually the character is so dumb that you wonder how he manages to walk across a room without injuring himself, and pretty soon everyone forgets that the character was anything other than a complete moron.

[[Book Dumb]] characters seem particularly prone to this; it is very easy for writers to go from 'savvy but unintellectual' to 'just stupid'.

 

 

== Anime and Manga ==

* Sailor Venus from ''[[Sailor Moon]]''. See [[Flanderization]].

* ''[[Code Geass]]'': Ohgi, after falling for Villetta. It's so bad that thanks partly to him, {{spoiler|Lelouch finishes crossing the [[Despair Event Horizon]]}}, which causes {{spoiler|Lelouch}} to implement the {{spoiler|[[Thanatos Gambit|Zero Requiem]]}}.

* ''[[Kämpfer]]'': Natsuru but only in the anime. In the manga and light novels [[Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass|however...]]

* ''[[Death Note]]'':

*** That, or it was he was going insane due to his [[A God Am I|god complex]] and truly thought that everyone was beneath him.

* ''[[Pokémon (anime)|Pokémon]]'': The Team Rocket trio. In the early appearances they are very competent, albeit very hammy, and have succeeded several times in stopping the heroes and capturing Pikachu only to be save by a [[Big Damn Heroes]] moment or an [[Ass Pull]] of some sorts. Fast forward and their only real purpose now is to show up, provide comic relief, and blast off again, barring the episodes that focus on them being sympathetic to the point where they might as well not be villains if not for [[Status Quo Is God|status quo getting in the way]].

* Alphonse in [[Fullmetal Alchemist (anime)|the 2003 anime version]] of ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist (manga)|Fullmetal Alchemist]]''. He starts off as an intelligent, insightful young boy who was the [[Straight Man|sensible one]] compared to Ed. Later on he makes many very poor, and arguably stupid choices like taking [[Knife Nut|Barry the Chopper's]] mind games to heart, and distrusting people who he's known all his life. This happens in both the manga and anime, but in the manga, Al learns from this and doesn't do anything like it again. In the first anime it mainly takes effect in the later half,where he runs off every time he gets upset,even though the Homunculi {{spoiler|and Dante}} are looking for and trying to kill them, going along with Shou Tucker's plans and not telling Ed (even though Tucker made his daughter {{spoiler|into a chimaera, resulting in her death}}, and letting Sloth convince him that she's his mother, even though she is a Homunculi when Ed is trying to remind him that they're fighting for their lives, {{spoiler|immediately running towards Envy disguised as Winry, right after Ed says it isn't her, and barely putting up a fight}} He arguably became more impulsive than his brother, whereas earlier in the show it was the other way around. This could be interpreted as the writers having Al act more like how a real little boy would if they were put in such a situation, {{spoiler|but he becomes more competent again in the finale}}. Other than that he basically becomes [[The Load|quite the load]].

* As of late, whenever [[Naruto]] seems to start growing as a character, he immediately takes a level in dumbass. Most notoriously when he doesn't realize anything is wrong during the attack on turtle island by Kabuto and zombie!Deidara. Despite the living island suddenly acting as if it were hit with a high-level earthquake.

== Film ==

* ''[[Idiocracy]]'': This trope happening to the entire human race is basically the plot.

** Not to mention the Rock Biter...

* ''[[The Mask (film)|The Mask]]'' has both a film-wise and adaptation wise example for Lt. Kellaway's partner, Det. Doyle. In his initial scene at the bank, Doyle seems to be quite intelligent. By the time we see him at the park, he's suddenly a ditz and by the film's end he's a certified idiot. [[The Mask (animation)|The cartoon]] made him even dumber.

* ''[[Wheel of Time]]'': In the first four books of the series Elaida is presented as a cunning member of the Red Ajah who is able to get Suian removed from power and still her. As soon as she gain powers her I.Q drops considerably, she pisses everyone in the tower off, she makes disastrous decisions that causes Aes Sedai to be captured, and she can't even decide that the Black Ajah exists or not even when it should be obvious after several sisters were murdered and Ter'angreal were stolen. The only possible explanation is she was elevated beyond her abilities (not surprising given she was the pawn of several Black Ajah in getting raised) and cracked after her first few screw ups.

** Actually, there's another explanation: she was briefly visited by Padan Fain, whose powers include the ability to corrupt people and drive them insane. In one of Fain's points of view, he mentions that he "brushed [her] with what he carried from Aridhol." It's not exactly confirmed, but it is implied.

** Alviarin was a member of the Black Ajah and Elaida's Keeper of the Chronicles. She had been bullying Elaida into obeying her orders, even using Compulsion on her to have her obey. Most of Elaida's efforts since being raised are to undermine Alviarin's influence on her, and it is known that Compulsion causes mental instability if it is used multiple times on one person. Both these factors, as well as Fain's ability to corrupt, would swiftly give her the dumbass experience required to level up from cunning to totally incompetent.

* Cersei in ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]'', although YMMV. In book 1 she successfully engineers her husband's death and beats out Ned Stark in the power struggle that follows, and while she's ultimately bested by the Imp in book 2, she's not a pushover. In book 4, though, she surrounds herself with morons and alienates everybody useful as if she's doing it on purpose - Littlefinger aptly describes her as "stumbl[ing] from one idiocy to the next." One interpretation is that she's gotten stupid and arrogant from her success, which matches this trope. But it's also possible that she's no dumber than before, and has simply been promoted to the level of her incompetence, Peter Principle-style. The Seven Kingdoms are not an easy realm to run.

** It helps that everyone capable of overriding her bad decisions is dead or has left King's Landing by the fourth book.

* Kalten in ''[[The Elenium]]'' seems to get a case of this. In the beginning of the trilogy, he is a skilled knight although basically book-dumb, i.e. he is incapable of performing magic because he couldn't learn the Styric language. By the end of the second book, this has turned into him not knowing what a diagonal is. Subverted at the end of the Tamuli where he reveals that he is playing the [[Obfuscating Stupidity]] card, since he knows that if people don't take him seriously they will be off-guard around him.

* Septimus Heap in ''[[Septimus Heap]]'', between ''Syren'' and ''Darke''. In ''Syren'' he the cautious one, in ''Darke'' {{spoiler|his disregard for Jenna's warnings about the '''Darke Domaine''' doesn't match any of his past actions, and results in the '''Domaine''' being set loose.}}

* Claudia from ''[[The Baby Sitters Club]]'' started out as a C-student who had an above average I.Q. but just didn't care about doing well in school. By the end of the series, she was so dumb the reader sometimes wondered how she managed to put on her pants in the morning.

 

== Live Action TV ==

** Inverted with Dwight who started the series as a gullible man with almost no common sense and then became more and more skilled and successful as time went on. By seasons six and especially seven he seems smarter than any of the other characters.

** Kevin Malone. He was never the brightest bulb at Dunder Mifflin, but he showed signs during the first few seasons of just being a little dopey. A savant at the worst. By Season 5, he had lost about 25-50 IQ points. As of Season 8, he is pretty much mentally retarded.

** Peter Petrelli [[Idiot Hero|after he learns how to use the powers he absorbs.]]

** In fact, ''[[Idiot Ball|everyone]]'' on ''Heroes'' gets this, with nominal good guys Mohinder, Peter and especially Hiro getting the worst of it.

* Kelly Bundy from ''[[Married... with Children]]''. The more her intelligence decreased, the more the show's quality increased in direct proportion.

** Hilariously subverted in the episode "Hi, I.Q.," in which she accomplishes what Al couldn't--assembling his workshop bench. Which could just suggest she is simply [[Book Dumb]].

* Chelsea from ''[[That's So Raven]]''.

* London from ''[[The Suite Life of Zack and Cody]]''. And ''again'' on ''The Suite Life On Deck''.

** Also Erica, the biological mother of Chandler and Monica's twins. When we first meet her she's a perfectly normal, intelligent girl. When she appears later in the season she's so stupid that her IQ is merely half of Forest Gump's.

* Chrissy on ''[[Three's Company]]'' was originally mildly ditzy. By the time she left the series one wondered how she managed to dress herself or hold a job.

** If you want concrete evidence, compare this scene from ''Blackadder II''...

{{quote|'''Edmund''': That Farrow bloke you executed today, are you sure he's dead?

* Matthew Brock from ''[[News Radio]]'' is another example; in the show's first season he seemed relatively normal and competent (he even secretly was {{spoiler|a registered dentist}}), but by the third or fourth season he came across as either mentally retarded or an eight-year old in a man's body. Jimmy James to an extent too, although that was more of Taking a Level in Craziness than Dumbness. Both characters were a lot funnier and more interesting due to these changes, of course, due to the quality of the writing & acting.

** While Matthew has no excuse, Jimmy James may have been engaging in [[Obfuscating Stupidity]]. Alternatively, he really is that eccentric, [[Let's Get Dangerous|and his business skills are only used as he needs them.]] This is apparent given that Mr. James is implied to be a highly successful [[Self-Made Man]], and his occasional bouts of serious behavior back up that he didn't get there by being an idiot. Most likely, he really is a goof ball and we generally only see him when he's relaxing, rather than engaging in [[Serious Business]] (which is on several occasions implied to involve questionably legal activity).

** Possibly justified. A recurring theme of the series was that people found odd and near-insane ways to cope with what they were experiencing. Radar's steady retreat towards childhood is actually one psychological response people have to stress in the real world.

*** To be fair, [[G-Rated Drug|grape Nehi]] is a strong drink for ''anyone.'' [[Bill Bryson]] [[I Can't Believe It's Not Heroin!|solemnly swears that he once saw the edge of the universe after drinking it as a child.]]

* Nate Archibald on ''[[Gossip Girl]]''. While he wasn't as intelligent as Chuck or Blair in season one he was still a guy of normal intelligence. By season four even his actor is complaining about what a moron he has become.

== Newspaper Comics ==

* ''[[Dilbert]]'': The [[Pointy-Haired Boss|defining character trait]] of Dilbert's boss was a result of this. In the earlier strips he was just a regular [[Bad Boss]] who was more likely to be shown performing evil experiments on his employees than [[The Ditz|losing at chess to a pineapple]]. And done deliberately in one strip where a new guy transitions from appearing to be smarter than everyone else in the team to having neanderthal-level intelligence over the course of a ''three panel comic''.

* ''[[Garfield]]'': Jon Arbuckle, Garfield's owner. He started as a perfectly ordinary young man. Come the early-2000's, and he's a total moron who finds interest in mundane activities, mistakes a sudoku for a crossword, and mistakes an upside down restaurant menu for French. It was around the same time he was [[Flanderization|Flanderized]] into being the [[Straw Loser]] to Garfield.

* ''[[Peanuts]]'': Sally Brown started out as reasonably naïve and childish before devolving into a full-on [[The Ditz]] who made hilariously inaccurate school reports.

 

== Video Games ==

* Perhaps it was just Kazushige Nojima's shaky writing (he admitted in an interview that he didn't do a lot of work on the first game and wasn't familiar with the plot/characters/cosmology of KH), but Sora went from often naive in ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'' to often ''ridiculously clueless'' in ''[[Kingdom Hearts II]]''.

* Pete Wheeler of ''[[Backyard Sports]]''. I mean, he ''forgot how to ride a bike within a few months of being a pro''.

== Webcomics ==

* In ''[[Sluggy Freelance]]'' Sam "Da Man" Sein's intelligence has been plummeting ever since he became a vampire.

** Bikke the pirate was actually fairly ruthless and cunning when he first appeared (well, compared to Garland and the heroes, anyway). At this point, his intelligence is viewed as on par with [[The Ditz|Fighter's]]. In fact, he's probably worse since he's not even literate.

** D'rizzl actually ''inverted'' this trope, by taking levels in Smartass. Complete with a 50-point IQ hike.

 

== Web Original ==

* ''[[Homestar Runner]]'': Homestar himself. Which makes his [[Smart Ball|random moments of intelligence]] all the more hilarious. He once recited Coulomb's Law when asked "What is 2 plus 2?" (when Strong Sad reiterates the question, Homestar naturally gets it wrong), and actually outsmarted Strong Bad by getting him to say something stupid.

** Happened to both [[The Nostalgia Critic]] and [[The Nostalgia Chick]]. The Critic used to be of average intelligence before morphing into a ditz with almost no common sense but can very insightful when he wants, and the Chick used to be an [[Insufferable Genius]] before becoming a [[Know-Nothing Know-It-All]] who is oblivious to most things going on around her. [[Tropes Are Not Bad]] of course, their characters seen as much funnier now.

 

** Ralph Wiggum has suffered from this trope more than any almost any other character mentioned. He was originally just another generic classmate of Lisa's before becoming the unbelievably dense collection of non-sequiturs we all know.

** [[Word of God]] says that Ralph was originally intended to be an eight year old version of Homer. When it they realized that didn't really work, they just made him the most childlike character imaginable.

* [[SpongeBob SquarePants]] has always been [[Cloudcuckoolander|a little loopy]]. But he has become actually dumber and dumber (not just loopier and loopier) as the series has progressed.

** Especially after "A Pal For Gary". You'll want him dead by the end.

** This trope also applies to [[SpongeBob]]'s [[Heterosexual Life Partners|best friend Patrick Star]]. Oh so much...

** Cosmo most definitely. His first appearance was of a suave, gentlemanly persona in the first episodes, who made sarcastic comments and wisecracks. Now he's a screeching, literally brainless fairy who would have already killed Timmy if not for his wife's constant surveillance.

* ''[[Space Ghost Coast to Coast]]'': Done with several characters.

*** Peggy was bad at Spanish at the beginning of the series, in fact, she actually got a little better as it went on. The rest here is spot on, though.

* This happened to Fry in ''[[Futurama]]''. In the earliest episodes, where he was supposed to be a [[Fish Out of Temporal Water]] and stories would mostly focus around him adapting to life in the 31st century, he was a fairly average guy with a dash of [[Cloudcuckoolander]] and a few moments of genuine cleverness. As the show progressed, he adapted to his surroundings much faster than the writers intended, and so he devolved into a gibbering manchild [[Ping-Pong Naivete|unless the writers needed him to say something profound]].

* ''[[Chowder]]'': Chowder; compare the naive little boy of Season One to the completely [[Too Dumb to Live]] of Season Two.

* ''[[Beavis and Butthead]]'' started out as just stereotypically lazy and not all that bright teenagers. As the show's popularity picked up the need for more outrageous material resulted in them becoming the [[Too Dumb to Live]] types everyone knows them as. Beavis especially went from a generic dumb teenager to a bizarrely retarded boy with a split personality.

* In season one of ''[[Frisky Dingo]]'', the villain Killface is intelligent, educated and sophisticated, by contrast to the Idiot Hero Awesome X. A lot of the comedy from Killface stems from the contrast between their personae. Come season two, they're both complete morons.

* ''[[The Powerpuff Girls]]'': Fuzzy Lumpkins took this between the pilot and the series proper: in the pilot he was a reasonably calm [[Buffy-Speak|furry... thing]] with enough intelligence to build a gun that turns objects into meat; in the series he's a trigger happy hillbilly stereotype whose idea of a weapon is a rock (compared to, say, the ray guns of Mojo Jojo and Princess). Consider his line in "Fuzzy Logic" while chasing a squirrel from his home:

{{quote|'''Fuzzy:''' Come back here an' git off mah proppity!!}}

* Penfold on ''[[Danger Mouse]]'' was the token dumbass, but as the series wound down to its final two seasons, Colonel K was afflicted by a case of the dumbasses which could be chalked up to early senility.

* The ''[[Battletoads (animation)|Battletoads]]'' cartoon turned the three protagonists into brain-dead teenage idiots. It even introduces Morgan "Zitz" Ziegler, a [[Genius Bruiser]] in the game canon, by having him cause a computer to explode just by trying to type something into it.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Comedy Tropes]]

[[Category:Characterization Tropes]]

[[Category:Stupidity Tropes]]

[[Category:Took a Level In Dumbass]]