Took a Level in Badass/Western Animation

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• In the recent Dora the Explorer Christmas Special Swiper the fox had this little exchange with his future self.

Swiper: Swiper no swiping, Swiper no swiping, SWIPER NO SWIPING! Future Swiper: THAT doesn't work anymore! (steals his Time Travel cape)

• Avatar: The Last Airbender:
  • Many people found Katara's sudden leap from being second to Aang in waterbending to being Aang's more skilled trainer rather jarring (the fact that her training was handled entirely offscreen and concluded with the use of As You Know does little to rectify). It helps that they point out that Katara is driven to excel, which enables her to get more out of quality training than her Brilliant but Lazy beau.
  • Sokka, who was previously just the Plucky Comic Relief, took his level in badass when he got his space sword, made actual plans for an army and wore that cool wolf armor. It helps that they show that he learns fairly fast given the opportunity and introduce him to lots of teachers. He and his sister did grow up in an isolated village without access to teachers.
  • Mai, who had already established herself as a badass (but quiet and knife obsessed) Lady of War arguably took a level in badass in the episode "The Boiling Rock, Part 2". Mai took out 13 prison guards and freed the gondola line to help Zuko and company escape the boiling rock prison...and Princess Azula. Although this could just be a case of Mai being Not So Stoic.
  • Zuko actually takes several levels in badass during the third season. As the first season went on, he could almost be seen as an Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain. Throughout the second season, he is constantly outmatched by his sister, Azula. During the third season however, he takes a Heel Face Turn, stands up to his father, Ozai and tells him exactly what he thinks about him and that he is leaving to train Aang so that he can defeat him. This hits Ozai's Berserk Button and he fires a lightning bolt at Zuko, which Zuko deflects back at him before leaving. After that, his fights against Azula were a lot more even, enabling him to hold her off long enough to aid in dramatic escapes. And once she began her Villainous Breakdown, she had to present Zuko with a Sadistic Choice in order to even gain an advantage in their Agni-Kai duel. He was actually winning, managing to knock her to the ground, whilst being calm and collected, until she pulled that move.
  • Zuko's uncle Iroh, already pretty badass, works off the extra weight he'd gained in retirement and takes further levels in badass.
• Played for laughs in the The Fairly Odd Parents Made for TV Movie, Abra-Catastrophe!, where Cosmo briefly helps Timmy combat an all-powerful Denzel Crocker after watching an 11-second workout video and gaining Hulk Hogan pecs.
  • Played straight in the same movie, with Crocker.
• Transformers:
  • Transformers Generation 1: All the Autobots should qualify for this trope, since they were designed for civilian use. Extensive after-market tuning turned a loser into the Optimus Prime we know and love today.
    • Wheelie of all people took a level in badass after season three. He lost the rhyming speech disability, got drunk, and beat up several Decepticons in succession in the Headmasters pilot.
    • After season 3? Try after The Movie -- in the five-part season premiere, he shoots a Sweep right in the face while free-falling, simultaneously breaking from his rhyming to deliver the One-Liner "Galvatron is strong, but Wheelie is mean!"
    • Galvatron. As Megatron, "Decepticons, REEEETREEEEEEAT!" was practically his catchphrase, uttered about three times per episode. His high-pitched voice (second only to Starscream) didn't add Badass points, either. Then he gets upgraded into Leonard Nimoy temporarily. Then he goes mad, permanently and becomes a much more interesting villain and unpredictable threat. Unfortunately, crazy Galvatron was as likely to pound his own minions as he was the Autobots. Other versions of Megatron get upgraded into Galvatron as well, but for the first Galvatron, it's about the personality change even more than the increase in power.
    • More recent incarnations of Megatron have themselves become far more intelligent and dangerous in their skills and motives to the point where it feels they don't need an army to win. Perhaps the most notable of them is the Animated Megatron, who is so much of a threat that he considers the Autobots as little more than pests for most of the time (even going so far as to not acknowledge them by name).
  • Reversing this seems to be the main point of Transformers Animated, where the Autobots were all workers on a space bridge, and only have a weapon or two each, all of which, with the exception of Optimus's axe and Prowl's shurikens, had non-combat purposes in mind. This was to keep the Decepticons from suffering from Villain Decay (which is also why there are more human villains). In fact, they're armed to the teeth and it takes all of the Autobots to just take down one or two of them.
  • Prowl was already pretty badass in Animated with the whole Cyber-Ninja thing (though technically he never finished the training), but he kicked it up a notch in "Five Servos of Doom" when he really seemed to get a handle on the Cyber-Ninja powers. Especially when He destroys a scorebord in a baseball field with only his mind, thus saving himself, Lockdown, and the Starscream clone from being flattened into pancakes.
    • Waspinator in Beast Wars: The Chew Toy whose only purpose was to get blown up Once an Episode and the weakest Predicon normally. Fast forwards to Transformers Animated: A vengeful Ax Crazy techno-organic juggernaut and a major threat. Not to mention the fact blowing him up STILL doesn't work, but this time, it's an actual plus for him.
    • During Transwarped, Sari of all people took a level in badass. In fact, she had to take a level out of badass, because powering up her newly-discovered-to-be-technoorganic self made her an out of control juggernaut that nearly killed Bumblebee and endangered most of the city. Now she just shoots energy blasts from her hands, can program space bridges, and is actually mature.
  • Cheetor from Beast Wars got noticeably more capable with his own abilities. Originally just a scout and little skill in combat, he eventually became The Lancer to Optimus Primal during Beast Machines and a competent leader in his own right.
  • Starscream in Transformers Prime. After spending most of the first half of the second season doing the Humiliation Conga, he discovers the indestructible Apex Armor.
• Certain versions of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, like the 2007 CGI movie, have April O'Neil learning their brand of ninjitsu.
  • Serling, a butler robot in Fast Forward, actually saved his master's life in probably one of the most impressive fashions.
• In the animated version of The Legion of Super Heroes, the entire series takes a level in badass between the first season and the Darker and Edgier second season. Several of the male characters bulk up significantly, especially Superman, Brainiac 5, Timber Wolf, and Lightning Lad (who also Grows the Beard). On top of that, it also introduces a second Future Badass version of Superman. At least in the case of Superman (the original one) this is justified as Brainiac intentionally went back in time to get him, but not as far back in time, so the Superman he brings back is older and more experienced.
• Enzo Matrix from Re Boot. Even more jarring come Season 4.0, when both the Before (Enzo) and After (Matrix) versions exist simultaneously.
  • Hell, Megabyte takes a few levels himself over the series, completely averting the standard Villain Decay. Especially when he gets shapeshifting powers.
• Ofdensen in Metalocalypse, starting with the first season finale. Because sometimes a Liz Lemon Job requires you to kick some ass.
  • Taken even further in season 3 where he fakes his own death for 9 months to investigate a secret project only 4 people are supposed to know exist, and even makes the series Big Bad go into a minor rage because he saw his face. He even manages to avert World War 3 and bring peace to the Middle East WITH SNOWCONES.
• Here's a fun game: take some buddies who are familiar with the Superfriends and show them either the Justice League episode "The Enemy Below" or "The Terror Beyond". Once they're done, tell them that the crazy blonde Badass dude with the hook for a hand is, in fact, the once incredibly lame Aquaman. We would like pictures of their reactions.
• The cartoon version of the American Godzilla. Sure, it's technically his last-surviving offspring. But, the fact that he has nuclear breath and fights other monsters like his Japanese counterpart really helps.
  • Don't forget that a three-part special has the ORIGINAL American Godzilla being turned into a surprisingly powerful cyborg.
• Ron Stoppable from Kim Possible took a severe level in badass the first movie, the Grand Finale and the episodes where he is turned evil.
  • In the Kim Possible movie, 'A Sitch in Time, the future version of Monique has clearly taken several levels in badass since we last saw her-- she's gone from having to duck and weave and run away from every bad guy she faces (when she subs for Ron as Kim's sidekick in the present), to helping Kim kick some serious ass in the future. (Of course, Ron is still the one who ultimately saves the day.)
  • Also from the movie, future!Wade is a Gentle Giant Badass commando.
  • And so on for everyone else. Especially Drakken, who took many levels in both movies and the Grand Finale, the latter of which is a permanent one.

"Why is everyone in the future so ripped?"

• In the Disney short "Lambert The Sheepish Lion", Lambert is a lion that is always hiding behind his sheep mommy when the other sheep tease him. Up until a wolf tried to eat his mom.
• In Batman the Animated Series, the episode "Mad Love" shows the character Harley Quinn taking a level of badass on multiple people. She utilizes a thrown away plan by The Joker positively, stabs Batman In the Back (of the neck), and has Batman out to the point where he later admits to Joker, "You know, she came closer to killing me than you ever have. Puddin'." Of course her CMOA vanishes when she gets knocked out a five story building.
• Remember when Cobra Commander of G.I. Joe was a whiny twit of silly schemes? When he destroys Moscow as a show of force, in G.I. Joe: Resolute, you will know you are dealing with a badass Big Bad who would give anyone nightmares.
  • Basically, Resolute was a Darker and Edgier version of the classic cartoons, but they took away all the Plot Induced Stupidity. Hell, Cobra Commander even has a speech where he says he was only pretending to be an idiot to try and have his men come up with better ideas, and that now he's playing for keeps.
• Valerie Gray of Danny Phantom. She started out as a rather spoiled, superficial girl, and by the end of the second season, could kick major ghost butt without her suit using little more than her housekeys.
  • Arguably Danny himself through Character Development. Compare his first few episodes to the latter ones. In the beginning he was awkwardly stumbling with his powers. By end though, he had enough strength to kick god-like ghost beings!
  • Then there's Jack Fenton. He went from Bumbling Dad to Genius Bruiser over the course of the series
• In the Aladdin TV series, Princess Jasmine was noticeably more of an Action Girl than in the two preceding films. This got even more pronounced when certain spells got put on her:
  • In "Sandswitch", Jasmine is given memories of a life as a street rat. The new Jasmine is introduced effortlessly beating up four of the royal guards to rescue Abu and Iago.
  • In "Forget Me Lots", Jasmine's memory is removed and she's told that she is Harmless Villain Abis Mal's daughter, and one of the most evil and feared people in the area. This causes her to instantly become a marvelous Dark Action Girl who takes over the palace almost singlehandedly, then gives herself a Klingon Promotion when she realizes how useless Abis Mal is.
  • In "Eye of the Beholder", Jasmine is turned into a naga. Even though she's horrified of her snake tail, she puts it to very good use a few times on the way to find a cure.
  • Let's not forget "A Sultan Worth His Salt", where Jasmine receives warrior training after being kidnapped by a group of Amazons.
  • This carries over into the final sequel, The King of Thieves where she holds her own against the Forty Thieves, all of which are at least twice her size.
• Aelita from Code Lyoko spends the first two seasons as a Damsel in Distress needing the protection of the Hero Secret Service (and sometimes picking the Distress Ball herself, to the point of being considered The Load by part of the fandom). Then by Season 3 she gains an attack power and no longer can be killed just by losing all her Hit Points. She also progressively gets more confident, turning into a full-fledged Action Girl. She is still XANA's Designated Victim throughout Season 3 and 4 thanks to her MacGuffin Girl status, but now she's certainly fighting back.
• Spyke from X-Men Evolution. True to the name, Spyke went through a major Evolution over the course of the series. He went from being the slacker all the internet fans hated in season one and two, to being put on a bus in season 3, to emerging as a new found badass that people suddenly liked in Season 4.
  • Could be Argued everyone took a level in Badass in the opening of season 3, it started with them breaking their friends out of Area 51, hiding out in a cave (With a box of scraps!) take out several high powered military choppers & beat up Juggernaut (Who in season 1 they needed everyone, plus the Brotherhood to take off his Helmet so Chuck could mind blast him), Cyclops especially when they go back to school & has his glasses taken, he beats up the jerks who stole them & then later gets stranded in Mexico without his glasses, & survives fighting Wolves!
    • His quote to Logan shows off their newfound badassy "No Logan you trained us, & you know something? We're good, REAL Good."
  • The Badass level could be rooted back to Season 1's finale, the previous episode had Kurt, Evan & Kitty getting beaten up by Lance, Pietro, & Blob, they come back from this to then not only beat them, but also Destroy a flying villain hideout which itself included a Take a Level in Badass machine.
• Henchman 21 from The Venture Brothers is a prime example of this trope. From Season 1 to Season 3, he was blubbery, lazy and inept. But when his best/only friend Henchman 24 was killed, his personality changed radically, and he started training. Now instead of being the Monarch's pudgy, occasional go-to guy, he is officially his most fearsome and competent henchman, now sporting a heavily muscled frame, as well as wrist-blades and greatly improved fighting skill.
  • Of course, this is still Henchman 21, and this is still The Venture Brothers. While more competent than he had been in any previous season and arguably more competent than his boss, he's still a Fan Boy whose Genre Savvy is based more on Rule of Funny than Rule of Cool, making him still prone to solutions that are Awesome but Impractical.
    • His new nickname, "Two-Ton 21", perfectly reflects this. On one hand it sounds like a reference to a monstrous behemoth, but on the other hand it also refers to him still having a bit of a pudgy frame which 21 even groans a bit over.
  • 21's skills have been even further quantified when he takes on Brock Samson and actually puts up a better than decent. Brock himself admits as much after beating him. A Crowning Moment of Awesome for 21 to be sure.
  • In the episode "Assasinnany 911," Molotov Cocktease attempts to give the Venture boys a lesson in Bad Ass. It doesn't take.
  • Done in a small way by Sally Impossible after she hooks up with J-J Venture. She goes from a flaky co-dependent (and possibly alcoholic) to a strong-minded young woman who can chew out Richard and co-pilot the Ventron.
• In the Family Guy episode "Dial Meg for Murder" Meg Griffin turns into a hardened criminal after three weeks in a prison (due to sheltering an escaped convict) and returns the suffering inflicted on her over the years to her family and fellow students. This is just an one-episode thing though.
• Private Snafu, a Wartime Cartoon Looney Tunes character who starred in shorts made especially for soldiers. In his early appearances he was portrayed as the worst soldier in the US military, and the purpose of his cartoons was so soldiers could learn what not to do. By the end of the war, he was behaving much like Bugs Bunny, outwitting enemy soldiers and successfully completing missions.
• Teen Titans' Slade took a level in badass come season 4. After being absent for a season, (Due to being betrayed and apparently killed by his apprentice) he comes back with magical powers and proceeds to beat the Titans senseless without even breaking a sweat.
• When he first appears, Willy Watt of Batman Beyond is a typical scrawny nerd. After a few months in juvenile hall, he becomes a buff badboy that even the other kids in juvie are afraid of.
• Blue in We Are the Strange. She starts out as a justifiably-mopey emo, but turns into a robot-killing Action Girl by the end of the movie.
• My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic: During the events of "Dragonshy", Fluttershy is largely The Load -- but when her friends are threatened, she levels up to Badass Adorable.
• Harold in Total Drama Island was a lanky geek who was constantly abused by his teamates, particularly the local Jerkass Duncan. In the second season, he is much more helpful to his team, saves the entire cast from drowing, and eventually gets his revenge on Duncan (by punching his lights out).
• The main six (the most notable being T.J. and Gus) and Miss Grotke in Recess: School's Out
• Futurama:

"My name isn't Slick. It's Zoidberg. JOHN F**KING ZOIDBERG!"

• Plankton from SpongeBob SquarePants by season 7 and onwards. In seasons 1-3 he was very effective villain, but in seasons 4-6 he suffered Villain Decay, but starting with season 7 he returns to his threatening and menacing self, particulary in episodes "Frozen-Face Off", "Spongebob's Last Stand" and "One Coarse Meal". In "Frozen-Face Off", he he organized entire race as a distraction so he could steal Krabby Patty formula without trouble and interference and in order to throw off the suspicion, he placed his robot doppelganger to participate in the race and it took all the main characters to stop his plans.. In "Spongebob's Last Stand" he built a super highway, which directly led to Chum Bucket, and it drove away all jellyfish from their fields and took over entire town and almost all of Bikini Bottom's population supported him. It was so evil that Mr. Krabs was going to give the secret formula willingly. Both episodes were more dramatic and serious than most other episodes in the series. Even in "One Coarse Meal", the episode where Mr. Krabs Moral Event Horizon by driving Plankton to suicide, Plankton was very effective villain. To clarify: he drops a powerful explosive the size of a TV remote on the Krusty Krab's roof; he is said to build a transmutator (a machine with the power to make an element in nature into another element, like iron into gold, fire into air, etc.); and a robotic bomb-shaped object that is actually a disguised, robotic, telescopic claw that can crush a sea creature. And at the end of the episodes, Plankton used mime to scare Mr. Krabs, who is afraid of mimes, and judging by Krabs' reaction, his phobia of mimes is bigger than Plankton's phobia of whales, since Mr. Krabs was completely irrational, while Plankton managed to stay rational and not go crazy like Krabs did . This unintentionnaly foreshadows that Plankton will become much more monstrous and effective and this will lead into the events of the movie, which is the Grand Finale of the series.
• Don't expect the show's haters to admit it, but Ben Tennyson did took some level in badass in Ben 10: Alien Force; in the original show, he was a 10 years old immature kid with a very limited control on his powers, who would easily make himself look ridiculous or ending up in distress when the Omnitrix stopped working. In Alien Force, he has grown up into a responsible leader, has much better control over the Omnitrix, and is a competent fighter even without the Omnitrix, as well as much skilled to use the aliens. As an annoying side effect however, it resulted in some of his allies and enemies, especially Kevin 11 and Vilgax, to suffer Villain Decay. Presumably because of fans' reaction, Ben then Took a Level In Dumbass in season 3 due to a fail attempt to make him more like his original series' self.