Took a Level in Jerkass: Difference between revisions

This can also cause tropes like [[What the Hell, Hero?]], though whether if the character changes for the better after that is well [[Depending on the Writer]].

 

 

'''[[No Real Life Examples, Please]]'''

* A [[Justified Trope]] in the case of {{spoiler|Tem Ray}} in ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam]]''. He was already a borderline [[Mad Scientist]] in the beginning, but the biggest leap into jerkassery happened due to {{spoiler|brain damage from oxygen deprivation, which can really screw up your personality.}}

* 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.}}

* Chiaki Yoshino from [[Sekaiichi Hatsukoi]] went from [[Innocently Insensitive|bratty but well meaning]] [[Adult Child]] to immature [[Jerkass]]. This might be justified as he's dating his best friend Hatori who is a [[:Category:Yandere|Yandere]] and given that {{spoiler|he was [[Rape as Drama|brutally raped]] and then suddenly forced the two into a relationship based on [[Living Emotional Crutch|co-dependancy]]}} pretty much made him worse as shown when his relationship with his best friend [[Unlucky Childhood Friend|Yanase]] is strained given that he fails to understand Yanase's feelings and not only turns him down multiple times in the worse way possible but constantly rubs salt on the wound. It gets to the point that Yanase does call him out on his attitude...unfortunately, it means nothing in the next episode where Chiaki pulls a huge [[Jerkass]] moment that the fanbase [[Never Live It Down|won't let him live down]] and generally through him into [[The Scrappy]] territory.

 

** To be fair, since the main cast are portrayed as being either sophomores or juniors in high school, what reason does Tori have for even wanting a prom when it wasn't her time? Not that it excuses Jade being Jade, but Tori more or less ruined Jade;s big night.

* Vanessa and Jenny in ''[[Gossip Girl]]''. Jenny gains points for having gone from sweetheart-everyone-adores to being hated by pretty much all of the NJBC.

* 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.

** Well, to be fair he was already pretty much a jerk. And there were a few episodes dealing with him being a tad embarrassed of Gloria's lack of a higher education and in one episode Gloria worries that the above is exactly what would happen one day.

** Much to everyone's surprise it was Gloria who cheats on Michael, causing Archie to call her a whore. So it was [[Out-of-Character Moment|Gloria who takes a level in jerkass]].

* Cody Martin has been known for most of the ''[[The Suite Life of Zack and Cody|Suite Life]]'' franchise as socially-awkward but lovable nerd. One couldn't help but root for him in the first season of ''On Deck'' as he fought with painstaking care to win Bailey's heart. Then, in the second season, he suddenly became full of himself, constantly fought with Bailey for dominance in the relationship, and even assumed Bailey and former love-interest Jessica were jealous of one another, despite a complete lack of evidence thereto.

** When {{spoiler|he and Bailey broke up and Zack got a girlfriend,}} after which he starts making fun of Zack for {{spoiler|having a girlfriend}}, and gains the sexist attitude that Zack recently got rid of.

* On ''[[Everybody Loves Raymond]]'', Debra started out in the early seasons as a fairly reasonable everywoman who seemed to have a quite playful and loving relationship with Ray. Then, the character suddenly changed. It's hard to pinpoint exactly ''when'' the change occurred, but Debra eventually became a raging, [[Abuse Is Okay When It Is Female On Male|physically-abusive]] and [[Smug Snake]] [[Karma Houdini]] who treated Ray like trash, [[Domestic Abuse|beat him up]], forbade him from seeing his friends most of the time, and convinced Ray's own children to feel contempt for him. Oh, and the worst part? The show tried to act like ''she'' was the reasonable one, despite her abusive, [[Jerkass]] behavior. So basically, she went from being a well-rounded, likable character in the beginning to the writers' [[Mary Sue]] by the end.

* [[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]] had become increasingly arrogant over the last two seasons. It's partially justified in that being yanked out of Heaven and coming to buried alive in her own grave had been very traumatic. However, by the last season she had practically declared herself dictator of the group and made sneering comments when one of the girls under her charge committed suicide.

** In the third game his level in Jerkass manifests itself as a ''[[Super-Powered Evil Side]]''. At this point the Prince realizes how bad he's gotten and [[Character Development]] ensues.

* In ''[[Condemned]]'', Ethan Thomas is a nice enough guy, a gifted investigator, but personality-wise, he was never too impolite, despite clearly being under some MAJOR stress. Come the sequel, Ethan's undergone about a year of alcoholism as well as some [[Jerkass]] power leveling. He curses all the time and is routinely impolite and distrustful towards everyone who tries to help him. This is in fact underlined by the change in his voice actor and character design (he went from an [[Ambiguously Brown]] SCU agent wearing a nondescript police uniform, to a rather less ambiguously Caucasian bum in grunge clothes). The personality change is possibly justified by the year of vagrancy and the events of the first game.

* Saïx from ''[[Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days|Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days]]'' goes from being the emotionless bastard we all know and love to smack around in ''[[Kingdom Hearts II]]'' to having his behavior borderline [[Complete Monster]] proportions in regards to Xion. Many were happy to learn that you get to fight him again near the end of the game. His beat down was much deserved. That's what happens when you talk smack about Xion like that. That's right, Roxas kicks your ass. This is especially true because Isa was a pretty decent guy in ''[[Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep|Birth By Sleep]]''. The rest of the Org. doesn't really suffer any drastic personality changes beyond losing the ability to truly care about others, yet Isa goes from a stoic but reasonably friendly boy to the borderline [[Complete Monster]], cold-blooded Jerkass Saïx.

** Some fans have suggested from certain changes in Saix's appearance (the pointed ears, lightened hair color, and perhaps most ominously, yellow eyes) that Isa may have been corrupted by darkness ''before'' he turned into a Nobody, which would certainly explain a lot...

** Ironically, between ''THUG'' and ''THUG 2'' he [[Took a Level In Dumbass]] and is treated as an incompetent loser in the latter.

* Peter Venkman in ''[[Ghostbusters the Video Game]]'' is a huge jerk compared to his occasional niceness in [[Ghostbusters|the movies]].

** In contrast, Stan's own Jerkass tendencies have become more toned down or at least more [[Well-Intentioned Extremist|well intentioned]] as the show has progressed.

** Principal Lewis has become quite the jerkass in recent episodes, he constantly harasses the students and uses them for his own selfish wants.

** Icky Vicky: Originally just a mean, bossy babysitter. Now a sadistic, maniacal human monster not above threatening her own parents to keep her [[Beneath the Mask|true colors]] a secret.

** Timmy's dad surely began showing signs of this as the series went on.

* While [[Daffy Duck]] of ''[[Looney Tunes]]'' fame was hardly an angel to begin with, he arguably was merely a [[Screwy Squirrel|prankster]] and an attention freak [[Cloudcuckoolander|too warped]] to understand the extent of his antics early on. As time passed Daffy became more stable and ambitious, as well as more embittered and obnoxious in personality, often acting as an [[Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain|antagonist]] for [[Bugs Bunny]]. His cruelty was taken to extremes with his pairings against [[Speedy Gonzales]] in the De Patie Freleng era.

* It's very easy to forget that [[King of the Hill|Peggy Hill]] was actually nice at the beginning of the show. She didn't start showing her egotism until season 3 and wasn't even a jerk about it until season 4.

* Velma on ''[[Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated|Scooby Doo Mystery Incorporated]]'' has been noted to have taken on Jerk Ass traits, but only because she can't get time with Shaggy to herself due to Scooby Doo himself. She'll be [[Jerkass]] to start then sadly wistful (to her mom: "Am I radioactive?"). In the heat of the "love triangle", Scooby had taken on the [[Jerkass]] label as well, being as pushy as Velma in forcing him to "choose". Currently, now that Shaggy chose him, Scooby's remorseful at how sad Velma is over it and is trying to make up, but conversely, Velma's [[Jerkass]] level has risen with the rejection, making a reconciliation difficult.

** Episode 15 shows that she might be getting over herself a little; she resents Scooby but she draws the line at his getting hurt.