Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

 

 

{{quote|''"The boy that you loved is the Man that You Fear..."''|'''[[Marilyn Manson]]''', "Man That You Fear"}}

 

 

Aversions will usually be notable here, given expectations that [[Children Are Innocent]], or that there's at least some [[Ambiguous Innocence]] even when [[Kids Are Cruel]], so people will tend to assume a [[Start of Darkness]] ''must'' have happened, and that there ''will'' be a [[Freudian Excuse]] that will explain (if not excuse) all. By extension, this trope frequently applies through [[Subverted Trope|subversion]], [[Inverted Trope|inversion]] etc. where an [[Enfant Terrible]], [[Creepy Child]], or [[Axe Crazy]] junior initially manages to get past everyone's radar but is actually a little horror from the start. ("And he ''seemed'' like such a nice kid"). Often, it is not clear which a character fits under, which in turn often leads to a [[Flame War]], especially if the character is also a [[Draco in Leather Pants]].

Generally, the trope tends to be reserved for villains near the [[Big Bad]] end of the villain spectrum, but can also be played for [[What Measure Is a Mook?]]. Also, while this is most commonly a [[Villains|villain trope]], it can apply to characters who are not so much aligned with evil as [[Troubled but Cute|troubled]], [[Grumpy Bear|bitter]] and [[Broken Bird|twisted]], [[Knight in Sour Armour|cynical]], [[Jerkass|jerky]], [[Despair Event Horizon|despairing]], [[Emotionless Girl|lacking]] in [[The Stoic|emotions]] or differently sane. Or an [[Anti-Hero]]. Or just going through [[Teens Are Monsters|puberty]]. (In the latter case, expect the parents to invoke the trope name.)

 

 

Handled well, this trope can really add depth and complexity: handled badly, especially by combination with a poorly executed [[Freudian Excuse]], it tends to cause [[Badass Decay]] and [[Villain Decay]].

 

 

Sometimes, the "used to be nice" stage may be revealed only retrospectively, often by a third party, and the villain himself/herself may treat the "sweet kid" stage as an [[Old Shame]] that [[Slave to PR|undermines]] their [[Villain Cred]]. This last one may be [[Played for Laughs]], as the villain furiously denies their [[Pet the Dog]] past, often complete with stomping on cutesy childhood toys and memorabilia. Or it may be [[Played for Drama]] in an [["I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight]] with the good guys. If the author (s) ''really'' want to put you through the wringer, they'll apply this trope to a [[Complete Monster]].

 

== Anime and Manga ==

** ''Pictured above: Ciel Phantomhive. He's a cynical, callous, and very driven 12-year-old (or 13, depending on how far you are in the series), is a [[Chessmaster]] and [[Wise Beyond Their Years|Wise Beyond His Years]]. He has no qualms about getting involved in dangerous missions and will command his [[Badass]] butler Sebastian to kill someone without a second thought. He has also been shown slapping and insulting individuals for being too comfortable with touching or speaking to him. The only individual he appears to genuinely care for is his fiance, Elizabeth Middleford, although he does seem to view her as a bit of a distraction and a nuisance, at times. In the anime, he appears downright cruel at times, although in the manga, he is simply just icy and elitist. It's eventually revealed that he was a happy, loving, carefree child before his tenth birthday. Then his parents were murdered, the mansion set on fire, and he was kidnapped. He was locked in a cage with other children his age and eventually was to be a child sacrifice until he accidentally called upon a demon in his desperation to live.

** Alois Trancy in the second season. He was shown to be cute and innocent as a child but then his foster family died in front of him, from unknown supernatural means, including his adoptive brother and only friend, and then he {{spoiler|was horrifyingly raped and abused by his master, Lord Trancy, alongside other boys.}} A few years later he's shown to be creepily [[Ax Crazy]].

** Jotaro Kujo. First we see him in past as an little boy playing with mom and as an model student, and on the next page he's in a cell, terrorizing fellow prisoners and telling his mother to shut up.

** Subverted later on in the manga when Alessi uses his stand to de-age Jotaro to about seven years, and Jotaro was ''still'' capable of pounding Alessi pretty seriously, and ''still'' had his not-accepting-any-nonsense mentality which, given the way Alessi's stand works (its victims don't remember anything from the years they lose), Jotaro must have had even then.

** Johan Liebert, the series' [[Big Bad]], is about as mind-bending a deconstruction of this trope as he is of [[Complete Monster]]. For which he is the poster boy.

** Peter Capek is another example. Once an ordinary kid, now a [[Mind Rape]]-inflicting fiend.

* In ''[[Full Metal Panic]]'', one side story focusing on Sousuke and Kalinin's backstory showed that Sousuke was this. During his childhood, when he was rescued by Kalinin and they spent time together, Kalinin was shown to love Sousuke and grow so attached to "that sweet and gentle boy" to the point where he really wanted to adopt him as his own. Then they got separated, and the next time they meet, they met as enemies, with Sousuke becoming the [[Nietzsche Wannabe]] [[The Stoic|Stoic]] that we know today.

* ''[[Naruto]]'' has done this repeatedly with major characters.

** Sasuke used to be a genuinely likable, out-going child. Then Itachi [[Break the Cutie|broke his mind]] repeatedly and [[Freak-Out|other]] [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge|shit]] [[Jumping Off the Slippery Slope|happened]]. He is currently [[The Dragon]] of the [[Big Bad]], and things won't get any better anytime soon.

** As a child, Nagato looked like he could be [[The Messiah]]. Then...''things'' hit the fan, he renamed himself [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast|"Pain"]] and decided it was better to be a [[Dark Messiah]].

** Konan. She used to be a sweet little girl, then [[Break the Cutie|things]] happened.

** And as of chapter 582, if his flashback is to be believed, {{spoiler|Kabuto.}}

** 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]] [[Yandere|Yandereness]].

** [[Villain Protagonist|Light]]. Nice, normal family, top of his class, popular with other students... and he's killed God knows how many people by the end of the second episode.

* Lucy from ''[[Elfen Lied]]'', who started out as a kind-hearted but shy little girl, but through enough [[All of the Other Reindeer|tor]][[Kids Are Cruel|ment]], [[Dark Magical Girl|crippling loneliness]], and a psychotic inner voice became an [[Ax Crazy]] mass murderer bent on [[Kill All Humans|killing all humans]].

* Simply one person: Doctor Jizabel. If you've read ''[[Godchild]]'', {{spoiler|especially volume seven and even more especially the Misericorde chapters}} you know he's a perfect example.

* Most of the [[Project ARMS|Egrigori]] experimental children were like this, before whatever processes they were put through were completed. The Keiths mostly became bloodthirsty psychopaths who had no problem killing anyone they had to and {{spoiler|Alice developed a dark side to her previously sweet personality after being shot and taken over by an AI}}. The fact that the kids were treated terribly and given almost no positive human contact could explain a lot ({{spoiler|Keith Green genuinely grew to love Katsumi because she was the first person who was nice to him.}})

* 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]] 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.

** England too, apparently. The youngest we've seen him was in the ''Passing Through The Year 1000'' strip, when he happily agreed to let France pretend to have conquered him. From there he became a very unhappy child, then a "juvenile delinquent" who's hobby was piracy, and eventually settling into the [[Jerkass]] [[Tsundere]] we all know now.

* Clair Leonelli of ''[[Heat Guy J]]''. He used to be a [[Cute Shotaro Boy|cute chibi]] with a very [[Yamato Nadeshiko|demure personality.]] After years of abuse from his dad, he eventually went insane, {{spoiler|[[The Dog Bites Back|killed his father]]}}, and became [[The Hero|Daisuke Aurora's]] [[Kick the Dog|puppy-kicking]] arch-nemesis.

* ''[[Bleach]]'':

** Karin Kurosaki. Also, her brother Ichigo, and said brother's rival Ishida. Both were adorable as little kids but it got considerably worse for both of them after their break the cutie events (Granted, Ishida ''was'' already pretty unhappy before his Break The Cutie event, but still).

** It's easy to forget because her personality does a 180 immediately after the flashback revealing this, but [[Action Girl|Sui]] [[The Stoic|Feng]]. The very cute and shy teenager who bordered on [[Yamato Nadeshiko]] when off-duty, very easily blushed at the sight of her "Princess" Yoruichi, and wanted to protect her? Yeah, she's the same hard-ass and once borderline sadistic [[Action Girl]] from Squad 2.

* Miharu Rokujou from ''[[Nabari no Ou]]''.

* Chouji Suitengu, back then known as {{spoiler|Ueno Takeshi}} from ''[[Speed Grapher]]'' was a pretty sweet kid, who loved playing games with his little sister. Then his parents were murdered for not being able to pay their debt to the Roppongi Club. Suitengu was sold off as a child soldier, almost killed during his final mission, and then turned into a Frankenstein stitch job. Nowadays, he's a textbook example of [[Four Eyes, Zero Soul]].

{{quote| ''' {{spoiler|2nd World}} Yuno''': When did I become so twisted? }}

* Balalaika from ''[[Black Lagoon]]'' [http://www.animepaper.net/art/47003/ultimate-balalaika used to be] a pretty, young and seemingly friendly girl, whose dream was to do her family proud in the Olympics as a sharpshooter. That is...until the [[War Is Hell|Afghanistan War]].

* Surprisingly, ''Guts from [[Berserk]]'' was actually a sweet and innocent kid. The downfall started when he was three and his foster mother Sys died of the plague, leaving him to be raised by his sadistic and hateful foster father Gambino. Even after being trained for war and serving on the front lines, he was still a pretty innocent kid, until the night after his first battle when Gambino {{spoiler|sold him to another soldier for three silver coins, a soldier who [[Shotacon|liked little boys in the wrong way]], resulting in a traumatic rape despite Guts' best efforts to fight the man off. The following day when Guts coldly murdered the man was the point of no return. When he was finally forced to kill Gambino in self-defense and was driven out of the camp by a mob intent on killing him, he became bitter, hateful and cut off from other people.}}

* [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast|Millions Knives]], the [[Big Bad]] of ''[[Trigun]]''. Anime him...kinda, but the psycho tendencies were there even before he flipped out and became a full-blown [[Creepy Child]]. Manga Knives...had [[Go Mad From the Revelation|something much better]] to flip out over, and before that, just ''listen'' to the kid.

** This attitude did not survive contact with [[For Science!]]! Look at your big sister's preserved vivisected corpse, and the records of how [[Humans Are Bastards|the only people you've ever known]] [[Strapped to An Operating Table|experimented her to death]] before she was a year old! See the [[Body Horror|lovely metastasized cancers]] from all the scans!

** It's obvious Vash was a cute kid, but flashbacks reveal Wolfwood was as well...[[Younger Than They Look|more recently than you might think]]. And Livio, despite already being [[Split Personality|psychotic]] at the time, too.

** Manga Legato gets a dubious entry, because while there is ''nothing'' innocent about his flashback (he was a kept catamite who was discovered in a plan to kill everyone he'd ever known and was therefore being raped to death when Knives turned up and coincidentally sliced up everyone but him, because he subconsciously used his psychic powers in self-defense), it's practically impossible not to [[Tear Jerker|get choked up]] at the look on his face when he realizes Knives is going to allow him to live and follow, and he admits he has no name.

* Ken Ichijouji from ''[[Digimon Adventure 02]]''. He got better.

** Kiriha Aonuma from ''[[Digimon Xros Wars]]'' is shown to be gentle as a child in his back story. His father {{spoiler|critiques that Kiriha must learn to be stronger, which leads to him being a [[Jerkass]]. He gets better as well.}}

* 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 [[Yandere]].}}

* {{spoiler|Faye Valentine}} of ''[[Cowboy Bebop]]'' actually used to be a very sweet idealistic child from what could be told from the lost tape found from a time capsule. It is a very [[Tear Jerker|sad]] comparison to how {{spoiler|she}} is grown up.

* ''[[Deadman Wonderland]]'':

** Before the earthquake, Minatsuki Takami aka Hummingbird appeared to be a sweet adorable child. Then after her [[Parental Abandonment|mother grabbed a pot of flowers and left her to die,]] her more sadistic tendencies began to arise.

* Alviss of ''[[Marchen Awakens Romance]]''.

* ''[[Gundam]]'':

* Raven/Gilbert Nightray of ''[[Pandora Hearts]]'' was absolutely adorable as a child. Following his [[Break the Cutie]] event he became a brooding, serious man with major issues. Oz could count too.

* Tetsunosuke and Suzu of ''[[Peacemaker Kurogane]]''.

* ''[[Litchi Hikari Club]]'': Tamiya at the very least, and he still is to an extent.

* Alucard, Integra, and Seras of ''[[Hellsing]]''.

* Nanami of ''[[Revolutionary Girl Utena]]''. Also, in episode 9 there is a back-story to Saionji's childhood depicting the origins of Saionji's current controlling, depressed [[Jerkass]] personality. When he was younger he was more easygoing and kinder.

* ''[[Psyren]]'' [[Big Bad]] Amagi Miroku 'Grigori #06' is an extremely homicidal [[Magnificent Bastard]] who decided to [[Kill All Humans]] except those with [[Psychic Powers]] who are willing to help with the plan, after spending most of his childhood and adolescence as a government test subject. However, several years into being a test subject, while his twin #07 was nonresponsive and #05 had already defaulted to hate, #06 was still the sweetest kid. The fact that he held onto the hope of living as a human being the longest seems to have enhanced the virulence of his hatred once he gave up.

** [[Social Darwinist|Laxus]] [[Psycho Electro|Dreyar]] was once a cheerful young boy who idolized [[Big Good|Makarov]], his grandfather and guildmaster of the title guild. Due to the influence of his father [[Obviously Evil|Ivan]], and his [[Pride|growing resentment at his accomplishments being compared to Makarov's]], he grows more and more bitter until he finally tries to take over the guild by force and remake it in his own image, the final part of his plan being to beat Makarov in combat. {{spoiler|He never gets the chance to fight Makarov, his plan being thwarted by the guild as a whole and Natsu and Gajeel team up to defeat him.}} Later averted when {{spoiler|he returns after being expelled from the guild, as a much kinder and less prideful person.}}

** [[Voluntary Shapeshifting|Mirajane]] [[Team Mom|Strauss]] is an inversion. She's very sweet and caring now, but in her younger days she was a [[Bratty Half-Pint]] who was [[Hot-Blooded|always picking fights]] and [[Jerkass|constantly insulting]] [[The Big Guy|Erza]].

* Setz from [[Crepuscule]] is shown to be a bright spirited young boy in the prologue chapters but is later shown to be a fairly apathetic, uncaring guy after the [[Time Skip]].

 

== Comic books ==

* Magneto from ''[[X-Men (Comic Book)|X-Men]]''. Had not the Holocaust happened...

** What about Batman? He's not evil, but he sure is dark.

* There are a couple of [[Star Wars Expanded Universe]] webstrips set between the original and prequel trilogy. They cameo [[Manipulative Bastard|Ysanne Isard]], [[Big Bad]] of the [[X Wing Series]], as a little girl. She idolized her [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Armand_Isard father], Director of Imperial Intelligence, back then, although her innocence was in doubt even then, since he brought her to see his work, which involved hunting down and killing Jedi. As she grew up she was groomed to be a field operative, and started cultivating connections, which worried her father to the point that he sent her on a suicide mission. She survived, came back, trumped up a treason charge, executed her father, and took his place.

* [[Star Wars|Anakin Skywalker]]. Innocent bright eyed mother's boy who builds robot buddies turned into well... Darth Vader.

* Subverted, or possibly entirely inverted, with Eddie from ''[[The Rocky Horror Picture Show]]'', if we are to believe his dodgy scientist uncle, Dr. [[The Von Trope Family|von]] [[Those Wacky Nazis|Scott]]: "From the day he vas born, he vas trouble/he vas the thorn/in his Mutter's side"

* Chaz, from ''[[Airheads]]'', used to be called 'Chester' and play D&D.

* ''[[The Incredibles]]'': as an adolescent, Syndrome aka Buddy Pine was an adoring fan of Mr. Incredible until he was seemingly brushed away by his idol.

* In ''[[Toy Story 3]]'' Chuckles said of a young Lotso "He used to be such a good toy", that is until their owner Daisy accidentally forgot about them while on a picnic, after they realize this Lotso leads Chuckles and Big Baby back to Daisy's house and find that she has a new Lotso-Hugging Bear, heartbroken he convinces the others that she never loved them and became coldhearted and bitter.

 

 

"Danny, our young friend 'Axe Boy' Alvin Willians chopped his mother and sister into pieces exactly one floor above our apartment. A good boy he is not." }}

* The protagonist of Vernon Scannel's poem [http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/incendiary/ "Incendiary"]

* The long-awaited giant children in the ''[[Chronicles of Thomas Covenant]]'' are this, until {{spoiler|they get possessed and [[Axe Crazy]]}}.

** Also, from the new chronicles, Roger Covenant. Probably.

** {{spoiler|Snape seemed to have been about as good as a kid raised in an abusive and poor household could be expected. And while he eventually did a [[Heel Face Turn]] to Dumbledore in his twenties, there was a period of time when he served Voldemort and remained bitter enough that many people believed he still was evil into his thirties.}}

** And Peter Pettigrew must have been at least a good and moral person, for the Marauders to both be friends with him and to trust him with their lives as adults.

{{quote| '''Jack Crawford''': You feel sorry for him.<br />

'''Will Graham''': As a child, my heart bleeds for him. Someone took a little boy and turned him into a monster. But as an adult... as an adult, he's irredeemable. He butchers whole families to fulfill some sick fantasy. As an adult, I think someone should blow the sick fuck out of his socks. }}

* [[Warrior Cats|Warriors]]: Tigerstar, big bad of the entire series, is seen in the prequel ''Bluestar's Prophecy'' as a sweet, innocent, adorable kit who loves his mother and grows into a well-meaning but aggressive apprentice thanks to his [[Axe Crazy]] mentor. Same with minor villain Scourge, who in his backstory was an inquisitive, cute little kitten who had bad things happen to him, turning him into a [[Complete Monster]].

 

 

** Although Ben was sorta [[Creepy Child|creepy]] even as a kid.

* [[Harry Enfield and Chums|Harry Enfield]]'s Kevin was a well-behaved, if hyperactive, boy until he turned thirteen, at which point his hormones kicked in and turned him into the teenage horror we all know and love.

* [[Law and Order SVU]] episode "Swing", Elliot Stabler's interaction with his mother highly suggests that he was a sweet kid with a dream to become an architect. His mother even suggested that he's [[Turn Out Like His Father|turned out like his father]].

* In ''[[Kamen Rider Double]]'''s [[The Movie|movie]], {{spoiler|1=[[Big Bad]] Katsumi Daido/Kamen Rider Eternal is described this way by his mother. He's an unusual case since he ''died'' and was brought back to life by Mom's research, which may have contributed to his turn.}}

 

== Music ==

** "I used to be such a sweet sweet thing till they got a hold of me..."

*** Although he's a pretty nice guy as an adult. The song's arguably about the way the media painted his character based on his stage appearance.

Now killing is their only source of joy }}

* Morrissey, "Used to be a Sweet Boy" and "The World is Full of Crashing Bores."

{{quote| And you were such a sweet child}}

 

== [[Video Games]] ==

* King Zephiel, of ''[[Fire Emblem Elibe|Fire Emblem: Fuuin no Tsurugi]]'', was a [[Well-Intentioned Extremist]] whose [[Freudian Excuse|dealings with his father]] had destroyed his faith in humanity. In the prequel, ''Rekka no Ken'', he's [[The Wise Prince]] who just wants [["Well Done, Son" Guy|his father's love]]. <s> Stupid King Desmond!</s>

* [[Baten Kaitos|Geldoblame]], the [[Zero-Percent Approval Rating|leader]] of the [[Evil Empire]], is shown in the prequel ''Origins'' as the assistant of the local [[Reasonable Authority Figure]], and helps the heroes out on a number of occasions. Near the end, we see what caused his [[Start of Darkness]], and it ain't pretty: {{spoiler|said [[Reasonable Authority Figure]] turns out to be a [[Complete Monster]] only acting as such, and informs Geldoblame that [[You Have Outlived Your Usefulness]]. He doesn't take it well.}}

* ''[[Ace Attorney]]'': [http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lk19qxlon51qa5tboo1_500.jpg 9 years old Miles Edgeworth] was [[Children Are Innocent|idealistic]] and ''adorable to the max''. Then, {{spoiler|his father was murdered. Before his eyes.}} Edgeworth was embedded with a severe phobia of elevators and earthquakes, and a hatred for criminals, defense attorneys, and ''himself'' after this. Even after {{spoiler|his eventual [[Heel Face Turn]]}} he still has trouble relearning the social skills he lost due to this trauma and always comes across as [http://infinityrpg.pbworks.com/f/1228359533/gyakuten-kenji-artwork-01.jpg blunt, insensitive and cold to others].

** {{spoiler|[[Kingdom Hearts 3D]] reveals that Isa's evil actions were due to Xehanort's corruption and were not truly his own choice.}}

* In an interesting take on the trope, the ''[[Dept Heaven]]'' series spends ''[[Blaze Union|an entire game]]'' showing us firsthand what a sweet person Gulcasa, the [[Hero Antagonist]] of ''[[Yggdra Union]]'', used to be before [[Trauma Conga Line|his life caved in on him]] [[Diabolus Ex Machina|just when it had started to go right]]. Granted, side materials and ''[[Yggdra Unison]]'', the [[Gaiden Game]] where he's one of the main characters, go to show that he's ''still'' an incredibly nice guy off the battlefield, but given that the [[Sympathetic POV]] is kept the hell away from him for most of the main game, you'd never know it.

** In the end, it's shown that Giygas and/or the Mani Mani Statue were playing on his desire to be liked, when he states one of his main motivations for destroying the world to be so that "...everyone who won't like me is gone."

* The trope is almost said word-for-word by one of the characters in [[Soul Nomad]]'s [[New Game+]], {{spoiler|[[Villain Protagonist|right before you stab her]]}}.

* Ayane of [[Dead or Alive]], according to Dimensions, used to play with her sister Kasumi all the time, before circumstances related to Kasumi being favored, then leaving the village to get revenge for her brother caused her to become embittered and hostile toward her.

* Inverted in ''[[Dragon Quest V]]''; Harry is a vile, abusive spoiled brat as a boy, but years of hardship and suffering turn him into a kind, honorable and selfless young man.

* Here's a fun one for you. In ''[[Kingdom of Loathing]]'', once you [[New Game+|Ascend]], you can gain access to a Temporal Rift and visit the past version of several Nearby Plains areas. One of them is Fernsworthy's Hut, the past version of Fernsworthy's Tower. Fernsworthy himself is still alive at this point, and is teaching an Ethics of Magic class. You know that cute schoolgirl who winks at you as you're leaving that scene? {{spoiler|If only [[Big Bad|the Naughty Sorceress]] had paid attention in that class...}}

 

== [[Web Comics]] ==

* "Player Two is red. He's a quiet sort of lunatic. The type everyone always says "was such a nice kid" after they find like, twenty human faces in his freezer."

** Very deliberately averted in the case of Xykon - the whole point of the ''[[Start of Darkness]]'' prequel book was to show that he had no redeeming features whatsoever, and never did- in the creator's words, not only is he thoroughly evil, he's also sort of a dick. While he may not have been evil when he first discovered his gift for Necromancy at the age of four, by the age of twelve he's undeniably a [[Complete Monster]], killing a [[Captain Ersatz]] of Professor Xavier (granted, one who was being an incredible dick about [[Insufferable Genius|how wizards are inherently better than sorcerers]]), zombifying him and siccing him and his zombified grandma on his parents.

** Played straight with [[Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds|Redcloak]] and his close-knit family, though.

* {{spoiler|Richard}} from ''[[Looking for Group]]'' may qualify.

* Trace Legacy from ''[[Two Kinds]]'' was an OK guy, untill he tried using Necromancy to [[Necromantic|ressurect his recently-slain wife]].

** [[Munchkin|Vriska Serket]] may [[Heel Face Revolving Door|play jump-rope]] with the [[Moral Event Horizon]], but as a kid she was ''[http://mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=005374 positively adorable]''.

** [[The Smart Guy|Rose Lalonde]] started off as a mature yet sweet 13-year old who just wanted to play a game with her friends [[It Makes Sense in Context|so she could see her dead cat again]]. Once the game got started, she started communing with [[Eldritch Abomination|the Horrorterrors]] and wielding [[Black Magician Girl|dark magic]]. She eventually turned into ''[http://mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=005543 this.]''

 

== Web Original ==

* Happens frequently in ''[[Survival of the Fittest]]'' if you read [[Developing Doomed Characters|pre-game]]. Many characters come off as likable, friendly people, only to be [[Break the Cutie|broken]] once the game starts, in a good portion of cases turning [[Ax Crazy]]. As a result, you will be seeing this trope a lot, especially if the character showed up in pre-game frequently or there are any flashbacks involving the character.

 

** While hiding out in Zuko's house, the group find [http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110329213952/avatar/images/4/45/Baby_Ozai.png a picture of a smiling and sweet-looking boy] and tease Zuko about it. He reveals that it's not of him - it's a picture of his [[Complete Monster]] [[Abusive Parents|abusive father]], [[Big Bad|Firelord Ozai]].

** Zuko himself counts as this too. Even after his {{spoiler|[[Heel Face Turn]]}}, Zuko is still a [[Perpetual Frowner|perpetually frowning]] [[Emo Teen|emo]] [[Ineffectual Loner|loner]]. But in flashbacks, he's shown to actually have been a genuinely sweet, happy kid... at least until the [[Start of Darkness|shit hit the fan]].

* On ''[[The Fairly Odd Parents]]'', Denzel Crocker was a near perfect child who was loved by everybody as a child. However, {{spoiler|losing his fairies}} was his [[Start of Darkness]].

* Amazingly, Lucius VII on ''[[Jimmy Two-Shoes]]''. He's basically [[Satan]] (albiet a [[Harmless Villain|mostly incompatent one]]), but what [[Flash Back|flashbacks]] we get of his childhood paint him as actually cute and rather sympathetic, being abused by his father or the people of Miseryville. Then again, given [[Crapsack World|the place he lives in]], it's probably no suprise he grew up the way he did.