History EstablishingCharacterMoment / AnimeAndManga

* ''Anime/RebuildOfEvangelion 2.0'' opens with a fight between the previously unseen Third Angel and new character Mari Illustrious Makinami. In the space of the first few minutes, we witness Mari [[{{Nerdgasm}} gushing over her Eva's controls]], [[CloudCuckooLander casually singing to herself while heading into battle]], ''[[CrazyAwesome trying to ]]'' '''GIGA DRILL BREAK''' ''[[CrazyAwesome the Angel]]'', [[BloodKnight wincing in pain then exclaiming that it's fun]] and [[SelfDestructiveCharge finishing the battle by arming the self-destruct and ejecting]].

* {{Gundam}}:

** Anime/MobileSuitGundamAGE's Woolf Enneacle has an episode for this. He struts out of the shower declaring that he's the best and challenges Flit to a contest for the Gundam. Then in the second half, we see that his massive ego [[LetsGetDangerous is actually justified]] because of his skills on the battlefield. TheHero of the second generation Asem is introduced when he beats up the bullies who are harrassing his friends and then worries about the mobile suit contest because [[WellDoneSonGuy he wants to impress his father]]. And third generation protagonist Kio proves his heroic credential by unhesitatingly staying in danger zone to rescue some left behind children amidst an attack on his home city.

** Maho's moment comes in Episode 5 when she tells Erika to [[spoiler:fly Mako to the hospital so she can see her grandmother]], and justifies her decision by saying that doing so is also part of tankery. This not only shows her kinder side, but also her belief that adherence to a SeriousBusiness ideology of tankery and acts of kindness are not mutually exclusive, especially not when [[spoiler:she is motivated by a desire to allow Miho to live and do tankery her own way]].

** Pan's fight with the bank robbers manages to condense her cockiness, compassion (trying to get the person she though was a little kid out of there), ability to fight and bravery (remember, she's supposed to be 10, and is already at least stronger than Frieza, as she is able to beat Android 20 (Dr. Gero) who was stronger than Frieza).

* [[Anime/RurouniKenshin Kenshin Himura]] dodges Kaoru's attack easily but feigns ObfuscatingStupidity after realizing she's not a threat.

* Koichi Shidou of HighschoolOfTheDead first appears to be a well meaning teacher concerned for the safety of his students. But when one of said students breaks his ankle and pleads for help, Shidou responds "Oh well, that's it for you!" and ''stomps him on the face'' before casually walking away and leaving the boy as zombie food. [[{{Jerkass}} What a dick!]]

* Balalaika gets one of these at the end of the third episode of ''Anime/BlackLagoon'', when she calls the Lagoon Company in order to tell them a "very funny joke," the punch line of which is [[spoiler:her firebombing the apartment of that arc's antagonist]]. While there were a couple of hint in the two previous episodes, this scene is the moment that clearly establishes her as the AffablyEvil SociopathicHero BloodKnight that she is.

* ''FullmetalAlchemist'' - The very first thing Scar does in the series is break into a guarded house in a very leisurely manner and slaughter [[HumanResources Shou Tucker]] by BLOWING HIS HEAD APART. [[spoiler:He then turns his attention to his daughter Nina Tucker, whom Shou Tucker [[BodyHorror has alchemically fused with her dog.]] Scar then [[MercyKill kills her as gently as he can]] [[WarriorMonk and then prays]] [[BadassPreacher to God to accept her father and her.]]]]
** The side story where Fuery finds a puppy in the rain is one for Hawkeye. She tells him to find the dog an owner by the end of the day, or he'll have to put the dog back. (At this point, Hawkeye was only a side character, and thus the reader believed she really would make him put the dog back in the rain.) At the end of the day he tells her he couldn't find anyone - at which point she promptly adopts the dog herself.

** Yuki easily establishes her status as a [[TheQuietOne quiet]], [[ExtremeDoormat passive]], {{EmotionlessGirl}} by allowing Haruhi to use her club room and replying to 4 questions with eight words(two of which are her name).
** Mikuru's introduction is her getting [[TheChewToy kidnapped,molested]] by Haruhi because she is cute.
** Itsuki's intro "Oh, I get it. As expected of Ms. Suzumiya" establishes his [MrExposition Mr Exposition]] role.

** Shinji - an introvert concealing large amounts of rage at his father over being abandoned yet still returning when his father calls, and then submitting to his father's manipulation of protecting others while putting himself at risk both physically and emotionally. An amazingly complex character, but all pretty well established in the first episode.
** Misato - Wild party girl in her picture, drives like crazy, sympathetic in a motherly or CoolBigSis way towards our hero, established in the first episode.
** Gendo - a cold hearted bastard who manipulates everyone, and willing sends his own children into mortal combat, first episode.
** Rei - mysterious, magical, stoic, obedient, all in the first episode ''with only a single line of dialogue''.
** Asuka - the '''infamous''' introduction, following her skirt blowing in the air: *SMACK* *SMACK* *SMACK* "What was that for?" "Viewing fee."

** In the light novel and the manga, he manages to do this to ''two'' girls ''at the same time''. Oh, he also drugs them and stuffs them into suitcases. Then he stands on a rooftop and [[LaughingMad laughs like an absolute lunatic]] while declaring his love for humanity. He's also the most popular character in the series, natch.
** His and Shizuo's characters are pretty well established by just the ''opening credits,'' which shows [[HairTriggerTemper Shizuo]] [[SuperStrength lifting up a vending machine, and throwing it at Izaya..]] Who smirks, and steps to the side, [[{{Troll}} causing a pipe to break, which gushes water and Shizuo and sends him flying backwards.]]
* In DragonBall Z, [[FutureBadass Future Trunks]] cemented both his [[{{Badass}} Badassery]] by [[CurbStompBattle Curb Stomping]] Frieza and King Cold and then his [[TheCape kind nature]] by politely offering assistance to the Z-Fighters to find Goku.

** Actually he was aiming for goku but nuova shenron jumped in front of the blast. It was never his intention for nuova shenron to die.

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** In the lite novel and the manga, he manages to do this to ''two'' girls ''at the same time''. Oh, he also drugs them and stuffs them into suitcases. Then he stands on a rooftop and [[LaughingMad laughs like an absolute ''lunatic'']] while declaring his love for humanity. He's also the most popular character in the series, natch.

* In DragonBall Z, Future Trunks cemented both his [[FutureBadass Badassery]] by [[CurbStompBattle Curb Stomping]] Frieza and King Cold and then [[TheCape politely offering assistance to the Z-Fighters to find Goku]].

* ''FairyTail'' gives a pretty unique one to it's main villain, Zeref. After building him up for 200 chapters as the ultimate evil the readers are shown a scene of him (though he goes unnamed at the time) about to be attacked by a pack of wolves. After killing them without trying he [[spoiler:apologizes for having taken their lives, and in fact tried to ward them off before they could attack so that they'd remain unharmed.]] It was such a drastic difference from what readers expected that despite earning the nickname "killing mage" virtually no one considered he may have been the anticipated villain.
** Subverted when Gildarts first appears. We're treated to a scene where the guild's hometown goes into full emergency mode and actually transforms the layout of the town to move any and all buildings out of his way. This is to establish that Gildarts is both absent-minded and in possession of incredibly destructive magic, making him a continuous threat of a ThereWasADoor moment. After his debut chapter, he never displays that level of clumsy carelessness again.
*** Clumsiness re-established as of chapter 299 when he trips and accidentally destroys a village
* In CowboyBebop, we have Faye first moments on screen, which are [[MaleGaze a quick show up]] [[MissFanservice of her ''assets'']], her [[TheLadette smoking a cigar]], getting attacked and [[ActionGirl defending herself quite well]] but [[FailureIstheOnlyOption getting captured at the end]]; all in barely a minute.

* ''Manga/AxisPowersHetalia'' has several of these in the first chapter. America shows his AdultChild personality and how they can make a huge hero to defend the earth. Switzerland irritably snaps at Japan for agreeing with America. England first appears to be the OnlySaneMan (with [[BritishStuffiness a hint]] of {{Tsundere}} towards [[HoYay America]]), only to lose his temper when France speaks up and then get into a fight with him.

* [[ManicPixieDreamGirl Haruko Haruhara]] of ''{{FLCL}}'' fame gets this in the first few seconds, just to let the audience (and the characters around her) know that she's insane: After finishing a piece of bread that she was implied to have stolen, she revs up her moped, gives us a smirk and a cry of "Awright! '''''LUUUUUNCHHHH.... TIIIIIIMMMMEEEE!!!!'''''", and blasts off at breakneck speeds, running over our main character (which she doesn't even ''notice'' until she stops), completely freaks out about "killing" who she believes to be "Tarou-kun", defying all laws of physics in the process, and then proceeds to give her version of [[CPRCleanPrettyReliable CPR]] (actually, just planting one long, passionate kiss on the mouth) knocking said protagonist out of shock, and then proceeding to bean him square on the head with a bass guitar. After this, she proceeds to shake him upside down (even though she had just told the protagonist's friend not to do this) then calling him useless and driving off faster than before.

* Haruko Haruara of ''{{FLCL}}'' fame gets this in the first few seconds, just to let the audience (and the characters around her) know that she's insane: After finishing a piece of bread that she was implied to have stolen, she revs up her moped, gives us a smirk and a cry of "Awright! '''''LUUUUUNCHHHH.... TIIIIIIMMMMEEEE!!!!'''''", and blasts off at breakneck speeds, running over our main character (which she doesn't even ''notice'' until she stops), completely freaks out about "killing" who she believes to be "Tarou-kun", defying all laws of physics in the process, and then proceeds to give her version of [[CPRCleanPrettyReliable CPR]] (actually, just planting one long, passionate kiss on the mouth) knocking said protagonist out of shock, and then proceeding to bean him square on the head with a bass guitar. After this, she proceeds to shake him upside down (even though she had just told the protagonist's friend not to do this) then calling him useless and driving off faster than before.

* Haruko Haruara of ''{{FLCL}}'' fame gets this in the first few seconds, just to let the audience (and the characters around her) that she's insane: After finishing a piece of bread that she was implied to have stolen, she revs up her moped, gives us a smirk and a cry of "Awright! '''''LUUUUUNCHHHH.... TIIIIIIMMMMEEEE!!!!'''''", and blasts off at breakneck speeds, running over our main character (which she doesn't even ''notice'' until she stops), completely freaks out about "killing" who she believes to be "Tarou-kun", defying all laws of physics in the process, and then proceeds to give her version of [[CPRCleanPrettyReliable CPR]] (actually, just planting one long, passionate kiss on the mouth, knocking said protagonist out of shock, and then proceeding to bean him square on the head with a bass guitar.

* In ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'', Haruhi's very first line cements her character: "I have no interest in ordinary humans. If there are any aliens, time travellers, espers, or sliders, come join me. That is all."

Clumsiness re-established as of chapter 299 when he trips and accidentally destroys a village

* Haruko Haruara of ''{{FLCL}}'' fame gets this in the first few seconds, just to let the audience (and the characters around her) that she's batshit insane: After finishing a piece of bread that she was implied to have stolen, she revs up her moped, gives us a smirk and a cry of "Awright! '''''LUUUUUNCHHHH.... TIIIIIIMMMMEEEE!!!!'''''", and blasts off at breakneck speeds, running over our main character (which she doesn't even ''notice'' until she stops), completely freaks out about "killing" who she believes to be "Tarou-kun", defying all laws of physics in the process, and then proceeds to give her version of [[CPRCleanPrettyReliable CPR]] (actually, just planting one long, passionate kiss on the mouth, knocking said protagonist out of shock, and then proceeding to bean him square on the head with a bass guitar.
* L from ''Manga/DeathNote'' is introduced as a character when he tricks Light into killing Lind L. Tailor, and then uses various pieces of circumstantial evidence to discover that Light is not omniscient or all-powerful; he does, in fact, have limits on his ability to kill people, and ''L now knows where "Kira" lives''. He also ''openly taunts'' Light, becoming the first person in the series thus far to truly make him angry. Not only is this L's EstablishingCharacterMoment, it's also his CrowningMomentOfAwesome.

** The first thing [[CompleteMonster Admiral Akainu]] does onscreen is blowing up a ship full of evacuees that the Marines had promised to spare just because of the slim chance that one of the criminals they were after might be onboard. This happened in Robin's backstory, ''20 years ago''.

* ''FullmetalAlchemist'' - The very first thing Scar does in the series is break into a guarded house in a very leisurely manner and slaughter [[CompleteMonster Shou]] [[HumanResources Tucker]] by BLOWING HIS HEAD APART. [[spoiler:He then turns his attention to his daughter Nina Tucker, whom Shou Tucker [[BodyHorror has alchemically fused with her dog.]] Scar then [[MercyKill kills her as gently as he can]] [[WarriorMonk and then prays]] [[BadassPreacher to God to accept her father and her.]]]]