Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Difference between revisions

[[File:cielchild_7019cielchild 7019.jpg|link=Black Butler|frame|Ciel Phantomhive, [[Cheerful Child|child...]]]]

[[File:cielteen_5597cielteen 5597.jpg|link=Black Butler|frame|...And Ciel Phantomhive, [[Break the Cutie|adolescent.]]]]

[['''Used to Be a Sweet Kid]]''' applies when a villain or other dark and troubled/troubling character was not so as a child: the trope name also tends to appear as a [[Stock Phrase]] in these cases. Works, and audiences, may vary considerably as to what point they consider a character to be past the adolescent stage here, but post-adolescents in general need not apply.

When played straight, this trope tends towards [[Rousseau Was Right]], though if other villains and darksiders in the same work do not fall under the [['''Used to Be a Sweet Kid]]''' trope, Rousseau may have only a partial victory, and the trope is sometimes used as the exception that proves the rule in [[Hobbes Was Right]] or [[Humans Are Bastards]] scenarios. Also frequently used, straight or otherwise, to make more or less [[Anvilicious]] points about free will, destiny, individual responsibility, or the moral version of [[Failure Is the Only Option]].

** What about Sasori? [http://quizilla.teennick.com/user_images/A/AK/AKA/AKATSUKIFREAK123/1249860145_5341_full.jpeg LOOK at this boy!]. His parents died when he was very young and his grandmother kept lying to him that they were away on a mission. He grew so alone from the lack of love from his mother and father that--whenthat—when Chiyo taught him the art of puppets--hispuppets—his first two creations were that of his Mom and Dad. But they could never replace the kindness, love, and affection that ''human parents'' could provide, which lead to the development of his twisted views on immortality, the sanctity of life, and how it was so fleeting and needed to be preserved... Cold, emotionless, stoic, and impatient with wasting time. Gee, thanks Sand Village!

** To a degree, also Misa Amane. Had her parents not been killed by a burglar when she was a little girl, she would've possibly grown into the same beautiful and popular [[Idol Singer]] she was in canon... but ''without'' the [[Ax Crazy]] [[:Category:Yandere (disambiguation)|Yandereness]].

*** Or not--thenot—the fact that he dropped tennis because it was pointless and several other moments indicate that, even if he was always broken inside, it had been getting worse before he found the titular [[Artifact of Doom]].

* Mao from ''[[Code Geass]]'' was a sweet, innocent little boy until {{spoiler|[[Jerkass Woobie|C.C.]] gave him his Geass power}}. After {{spoiler|[[What an Idiot!|she abandoned him in the hope of making him not rely on her]]}} it ultimately [[Break the Cutie|broke him completely]] and [[Unhappy Medium|drove him insane]], so he turned into a [[Psychopathic Manchild]] with no grip on reality who [[Mind Rape|Mind Rapes]]s the local [[The Messiah|Messiah]] and the [[Knight in Shining Armor]] and kidnaps the [[Ill Girl]]... To say that his opponent, the [[Ill Girl]]'s [[Dark Messiah]], was ''pissed off'' at him, is an understatement.

** There's also his sister, resident [[:Category:Yandere|Yandere (disambiguation)]] Belarus. We see her in her, Russia's and Ukraine's backstory as a cute little girl who clings to her brother and pouts to her older sister. And then, we see her now, as a [[:Category:Yandere (disambiguation)|scary]] [[Strange Girl]] in a frilly [[Elegant Gothic Lolita]] dress...

* The main character Jae Hyuk of the manwha ''[[Immortal Regis]]'' started out as a sweet [[Ordinary High School Student]] devoted to caring for his [[Ill Girl|Ill Boy]] little brother. Then both of them got dragged into another dimension full of swords and sorcery and monsters. Jae Hyuk is forced into the role of [[The Hero]] while his little brother {{spoiler|eventually becomes the host of the [[Big Bad]]}}. Over the course of the series Jae Hyuk becomes more and more jaded and bitter about having his old life ripped away from him (being turned into an undead abomination didn't help either). In the sequel series ''Cavalier of the Abyss'' which takes place years later, Jae Hyuk has become the new king of the other world. The first thing we see him do is ruthlessly order [[The Purge]] of a village of suspected rebels -- menrebels—men, women, and children alike are all put to the sword. He also chops off the arm of a soldier who questioned his orders. He's not so sweet anymore.

* Yuno Gasai from ''[[Mirai Nikki]]'' wasn't always such an [[Ax Crazy|psycho]] [[:Category:Yandere (disambiguation)|girl]]. When {{spoiler|Yukiteru and Minene go three years to the past}} It turns out that despite her abuse, she still was hopeful and idealistic.

* Sakurako {{spoiler|aka Youya}} from ''[[Sakura Gari]]'' was a sweet and adorable child, right until she witnessed the death of her mother under some [[Driven to Suicide|very screwed up circumstances]] {{spoiler|which turn out to be even more screwed up than they appear}}. She then became a seriously [[Creepy Child]], {{spoiler|eventually revealed to be a total [[:Category:Yandere|Yandere (disambiguation)]].}}

* Zig-zag: In the 1993 cartoon ''Itsy Bitsy Spider'' (based on the animated short subject that played with ''Bebe's Kids'' in theaters), Leslie--theLeslie—the little girl who befriends Itsy--wasItsy—was a sweet, introverted tomboy in the short and first season. Many episodes in season two have her more tomboyish.