Took a Level in Jerkass: Difference between revisions

 

See also: [[Took a Level in Badass]], [[Took a Level In Dumbass]]. The [[Counter Trope]] to [[Took a Level In Kindness]]. Contrast [[Bitch in Sheep's Clothing]], who was always a jerk. A character taking his/her level in jerkassitude was genuinely nice.

 

{{noreallife|calling a real person a "jerkass" [[rule of Cautious Editing Judgment|is not complimentary]].}}

 

{{examples}}

== Anime and Manga ==

* Due to unexplained happenings during the [[Time Skip]], Hei of ''[[Darker than Black]]'' has gone from a ruthless [[Anti-Hero]], to a ''drunk'' ruthless [[Anti-Hero]] with an unwanted [[Morality Pet]]. {{spoiler|Hei had been nicknamed "Chinese Electric [[Batman]]", but unfortunately, he's just "Chinese Batman" since he was [[Brought Down to Badass]].}}

* Arguably, Medaka of ''[[Medaka Box]]''. Since [[Bigger Bad|Ajimu]] has introduced five "''normal''" people to her, Medaka no longer views Zenkichi as someone special to her since he couldn't pass the first trial of a test she gave the normals. Then she actively tries to turn him into her enemy by acting cold and offensive just so she can see value in him again. Kind of sad considering it's a combination of her abnormality and her personality that causes her change like this since she can't understand failure or things from a "weak" perspective. She even goes as far as {{spoiler|using an abnormality that makes her weaker than Zenkichi and goes all out in a fight against him. Since Zenkichi isn't really willing to fight her at this point she mops the floor with him. However the abnormality she used is a "perfected version" of Kumagawa's Bookmaker and isn't meant for fighting, but for allowing the person affected to feel the world from the opponents perspective.}}

* Takanashi from ''[[Working!!]]'' is suddenly a lot gruffer in the second season. [[Justified]] in that dealing with [[Abuse Is Okay When It Is Female On Male|Inami]] will do that to you. Then inverted in that he becomes super-nice to her with even less explanation.

 

== Comic Books ==

* Dr. Eric Foreman on ''[[House (TV series)|House]]'', who started off as a fairly self-possessed guy who didn't really appreciate House's shenanigans, and then progressed to the type of guy who screwed over a colleague and then stabbed her with a dirty needle (the latter under duress, but still). His jerkassery has calmed somewhat, but hasn't completely gone away. To be fair, the growing jerkassery did become a plotpoint after that—Foreman was afraid that spending so much time around House was causing him to become more like him. He quit Princeton-Plainsboro to try to stop this... but then got fired from a job in New York after using very House-like tactics. Cuddy even once called him "House-Lite."

* Phoebe of ''[[Charmed]]'' seemed to take a level in jerkass at the end of her relationship with Cole.

** Actually, BSG seems to have tons of examples. Lt. Felix Gaeta, anyone?

** Also, Tom Zarek. Early in the series, he was a recurring political provocateur and alleged terrorist, but he actually managed to be somewhat nice towards the main characters, especially in the Kobol and New Caprica arcs. Flash forward to mid-season 4, and he's [[Flanderization|perpetrating a mutiny among the fleet]] and [[Moral Event Horizon|having the Quorum of Twelve gunned down]] in a petty power-grab while President [[Iron Lady|Roslin]] is in the midst of a [[Heroic BSOD]]. {{spoiler|Fortunately, he doesn't [[Karmic Death|survive it]].}}

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Characterization Tropes]]

[[Category:No Real Life Examples, Please]]

[[Category:The Jerk Index]]