History Main / AmbitiousButLazy

* ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda4'': The Chameleon intends to become the greatest kung-fu master of all time, though rather than actually learning any of its skills or techniques, she resorts to abducting other masters and forcefully stealing their abilities for herself. While she gives the FreudianExcuse that she did want to legitimately learn once but was rejected by all prospective kung fu teachers for her allegedly being too small, she remained as an extremely wealthy crime boss for many years and had the money and resources to possibly hire a kung fu teacher from at least some part of China but evidently decided not to do that, which has the side effect of making her look like both a RichBitch and a LazyBum who didn't have the drive or motivation to match her ambition.

*** This can also be seen with what happens whenever Hot Rod becomes Rodimus Prime: in ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers'', at the beginning of the third season, he's excited and cheerful, basically acting like he did as Hot Rod. By the end of the seasons, he's not shy about moaning and groaning about how hard it is to '''actually''' be [[TheChainsOfCommanding a leader]], and when Optimus Prime is seemingly brought back from the dead he's all too eager to turn command back over to Optimus, despite numerous warning signs that something is off. His counterparts in ''ComicBook/TheTransformersMarvel'' and ''ComicBook/TheTransformersRegenerationOne'' are much more dour and serious, due to having actually grown into the role of commander.

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[[folder: Films--Animated]]
* Gaston in ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'' could be considered a romantic variant of this trope; despite desiring Belle because [[ILoveYouBecauseICantControlYou she is the one woman in the village]] [[SomebodyDoesntLoveRaymond who isn't interested in him]], unlike The Beast, who puts genuine effort into changing himself for Belle's sake and actually tries to treat her as a person rather than a [[TrophyWife prize]], Gaston would rather use his natural charm and charisma, or failing that {{Blackmail}} mixed with MurderTheHypotenuse to make her his wife.

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[[folder: Live-Action TV]]

[[folder: Tabletop Games]]

[[folder: Theatre]]

[[folder: Toys]]

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--> '''Thalantyr:''' A student wishes to LEARN! This fool wishes only to have knowledge.

[[folder: Web Animation]]

[[folder: Web Videos]]

* ''WesternAnimation/LittlestPetShop2012'': In the episode [[Recap/LittlestPetShop2012S2E7WhatMemeWorry "What Meme Worry?"]], [[ShrinkingViolet Sunil]] becomes [[MemeticMutation a viral sensation]] after a meme of his worried face is put online, and due to his, unwanted, fame [[AttentionWhore Zoe]] becomes jealous, and aims to become even more famous, since as she states: "My dream has always been to become famous for doing very little work. Sunil has my dream, and he doesn't even care for it!"

** Mark Beaks is essentially Louie if he were an adult and had fewer scruples: while he's already a rich and [[BrilliantButLazy brilliant]] [[CorruptCorporateExecutive CEO]], he would rather increase his wealth and fame through plagiarism and flashy, yet ineffective products than actually put in the work to make anything of quality, which has nearly gotten himself and others ''killed'' because of his negligence in testing or improving on the design flaws of the technology he steals. [[spoiler: His laziness eventually bites him in the ass when he starts going out of business because people aren't going to buy products from a known plagiarist and ConMan]].

** [[FakeUltimateHero Major Man]] from the episode [[Recap/ThePowerpuffGirlsS1E7MajorCompetitionMrMojosRising "Major Competition"]] [[GloryHound desires the fame and glory of being a superhero]], but would rather gain popularity by [[EngineeredHeroics setting up crimes and disasters in advance and then "save the day"]] than stop ''actual'' crimes and disasters. He manages to temporarily replace the PowerPuff Girls, however, his tenure as Townsville's new hero is short-lived when the girls sic Fred (a friendly monster) on him to expose him as the [[DirtyCoward cowardly]] fraud he is.

!!Examples

* ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries''

* ''Anime/TheRisingOfTheShieldHero''

* ''Fanfic/FallOfStarfleetRebirthOfFriendship''
** Rhymey is this [[{{Foil}} in contrast]] to the Ambitious, but Diligent Rainbow Dash in both training and romance; when it comes to training, Rainbow Dash is [[{{Determinator}} willing to push her limits]], in contrast to the [[FantasticRacism racial supremacist]] Rhymey, who prefers to coast by on his race's natural abilities. In addition, when it comes to winning over Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash prefers to get to know her as a person and make her happy via compromise [[spoiler: which results in a RelationshipUpgrade]], Rhymey would rather use [[DomesticAbuse abuse]], {{Gaslighting}} and [[spoiler: MindControl]] rather than get to know Fluttershy as a person or put effort into improving himself.
*** [[spoiler: Even the FinalBattle between the two reflects this tendency, with Rhymey resorting to using [[AmplifierArtifact The Wings of Lighting]] in order to achieve the same level of SuperSpeed as Rainbow Dash, who gained her speed as a result of TrainingFromHell. ]]

** Talon Ted combines this trope with SmallNameBigEgo; he dreams of being an actor, but scoffs at the idea of getting a degree, even though he kept getting turned down. Even after his sister forces him to get a degree in order to help him get an acting job, he [[UngratefulBastard refuses to do so]] because his pride was hurt. In addition while the narrative ''[[InformedAbility claims ]]'' he is an amazing actor, his only acting skills consist of copying other actors' performances rather than trying to create his own style.

* Sasuke in many ''Anime/{{Naruto}}'' fanfics is [[RonTheDeathEater often portrayed as this]], relying on his Sharingan to [[PowerCopying steal jutsu]] rather than train himself. In addition, in fanfics where Naruto becomes a GodModeSue, Sasuke often schemes to steal whatever source of power made Naruto so powerful. This is in contrast to how Sasuke is in {{Canon}}, as while he does receive a bunch of power-ups thanks to his [[SuperPowerLottery Sharingan]], he still trains himself, occasionally even to the point of it being detrimental (i.e. after he gets the Magenkyo Sharingan, he overuses it in training and winds up nearly blind).
* [[Characters/ScarletLadyChloeBourgeois Chloé Bourgeois]] in the ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' {{Webcomic}} ''Webcomic/ScarletLady'' combines this trope with NominalHero and HatesTheJobLovesTheLimelight; after [[PointOfDivergence stealing the Ladybug Miraculous from Marinette]], she sees it as an opportunity to become a [[AttentionWhore famous]] superheroine. Being a SpoiledBrat who is used to having everything handed to her, she accomplishes this by sitting back and letting [[HyperCompetentSidekick Chat Noir]] do all of the hard work of fighting the [[MonsterOfTheWeek Akumas]], before using her WorldHealingWave to heal the damage, getting most of the glory in the process, banking on the fact that the other heroes don't know her identity and can't take the Miraculous from her, and can't leave her out because she's the only one who can fix Akuma damage.

* ''WesternAnimation/SharkTale'': Oscar dreams of becoming a "[[IJustWantToBeSpecial somebody,]]" but would rather rely on {{Get Rich Quick Scheme}}s to instantly climb to the top than do anything that requires actual effort. Despite the fact that this behavior has landed him in debt ''to TheMafia'', [[TooDumbToLive Oscar]] has the [[SarcasmMode brilliant idea]] of gambling the money he owes on what he thinks is a rigged seahorse race (with the said assumption being based on a ''random conversation'' he happened to overhear that he had ''no way'' of verifying).

* ''Literature/TheEdgeChronicles'': [[BitchInSheepsClothing Thaw Daggerslash]] is a particularly dark version. Whilst a charming, capable, and dedicated SkyPirate who possesses a variety of useful skills, with great ambitions to be captain of his own great sky ship and become a legend in his own right, he's never succeeded as he is unwilling to start at the bottom and work his way up to become Captain as is tradition. [[spoiler: As such he masterminds a ruthless plan to murder Captain Wind Jackal, by impersonating his hated archenemy Turbolt Smeal and luring him and his crew into increasingly dangerous traps, all whilst he ingratiates himself to said crew, thus when Wind Jackal dies he can take over. When this gambit fails and the crew instead chooses Wind Jackal's son Quint, Thaw flat [[TheQuisling out aligns]] with the dreaded [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Leaguemasters]] to help them wipe out all the sky pirates, as long as they give him the ship after the crew's killed.]]

** [[Characters/SpongeBobSquarePantsSquidwardTentacles Squidward Tentacles]] is a downplayed version; when it comes to practicing the clarinet and painting, he is willing to put in the work ([[TerribleArtist not that it]] [[DreadfulMusician does him any good]]), however, some episodes such as "Artist Unknown[[note]]Where he tries to plagiarise Spongebob's art to get rich and famous[[/note]]" and "Professor Squidward[[note]]Where he pretends to be Squilliam in order to get a job at a music school[[/note]]" show that he has no qualms about taking shortcuts if the opportunity presents itself.

* ''Series/ParksAndRecreation'': This epitomises [[SmallNameBigEgo Tom Haverford]], who constantly has big dreams of expanding out from his mid-level local government post and breaking into the glamorous and highly paid worlds of media marketing, celebrity culture, and high-end style. However, despite possessing [[BunnyEarsLawyer some legitimate talent and expertise]] in networking, PR, event planning, and style, Tom is at heart a lazy guy who prefers to goof off and focuses [[LaboriousLaziness most of his efforts]] on finding ways to do the least work whilst still receiving the most credit. Thus his early business ventures and attempts fail (sometimes [[EpicFail quite spectacularly]] i.e. his [[WackyStartupWorkplace Entertainment 720]] see's him blowing millions on flashy and pointless expenses, whilst [[MissingStepsPlan only figuring out what the company actually could do]] right before they go bankrupt) due to his attempts at taking shortcuts, prioritising the exciting parts over the essential or getting distracted and simply not bothering to put the actual work in. His arc throughout the series sees him slowly outgrowing these tendencies and working towards a successful businessman, though it's not till near the end he fully succeeds in moving past his inherited instincts to slack off.

* Chloe Bourgeois in the ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' {{Webcomic}} ''Webcomic/ScarletLady'' combines this trope with NominalHero and HatesTheJobLovesTheLimelight; after [[PointOfDivergence stealing the Ladybug Miraculous from Marinette]], she sees it as an opportunity to become a [[AttentionWhore famous]] superheroine. Being a SpoiledBrat who is used to having everything handed to her, she accomplishes this by sitting back and letting [[HyperCompetentSidekick Chat Noir]] do all of the hard work of fighting the [[MonsterOfTheWeek Akumas]], before using her WorldHealingWave to heal the damage, getting most of the glory in the process, banking on the fact that the other heroes don't know her identity and can't take the Miraculous from her, and can't leave her out because she's the only one who can fix Akuma damage.

* [[BigBad Scar]] in [[WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994 both versions]] [[WesternAnimation/TheLionKing2019 of the]] ''Franchise/TheLionKing'' is this at his core; his EvilPlan to become king, while brilliant, essentially boils down to "make the [[HeinousHyena hyenas]] do all of the grunt work while I reap the benefits." Once he actually becomes king, the Pride Lands [[FisherKingdom turn from a lush savanna teeming with life to a wasteland because]] of his negligence in actually ''ruling'' his kingdom.

* ''WebAnimation/RefreshingStories'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_Of9edYV-w Fusei]] is a high school student who slacks off all the time but still manages to get good grades, which he claims to be a result of him being [[BrilliantButLazy a natural genius]], but he's actually had his dad, [[CorruptCorporateExecutive a CEO]] blackmail one of his workers ([[IdenticalStranger who looks just like Fusei]]) into [[HomeworkSlave doing his schoolwork and tests in Fusei's place]]. Fusei tries to use this trick in order to get into a good university, however on the day of the entrance exams, [[GuileHero Hiroshi]] tricks him into going into the classroom while the lookalike is also there, exposing Fusei as a cheater. After he is exposed, [[EntitledBastard Fusei]] ''literally'' states that, as the son of a powerful CEO, universities should ''beg'' to have someone like him attend and that he shouldn't have to work to get in.

* ''WebAnimation/RefreshingStories''
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_Of9edYV-w Fusei]] is a high school student who slacks off all the time but still manages to get good grades, which he claims to be a result of him being [[BrilliantButLazy a natural genius]], but he's actually had his dad, [[CorruptCorporateExecutive a CEO]] blackmail one of his workers ([[IdenticalStranger who looks just like Fusei]]) into [[HomeworkSlave doing his schoolwork and tests in Fusei's place]]. Fusei tries to use this trick in order to get into a good university, however on the day of the entrance exams, [[GuileHero Hiroshi]] tricks him into going into the classroom while the lookalike is also there, exposing Fusei as a cheater. After he is exposed, [[EntitledBastard Fusei]] ''literally'' states that, as the son of a powerful CEO, universities should ''beg'' to have someone like him attend and that he shouldn't have to work to get in.

* Chloe Bourgeois in the ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' {{Webcomic}} ''Webcomic/ScarletLady'' combines this trope with NominalHero and HatesTheJobLovesTheLimelight; after [[ForWantOfANail stealing the Ladybug Miraculous from Marinette]], she sees it as an opportunity to become a [[AttentionWhore famous]] superheroine. Being a SpoiledBrat who is used to having everything handed to her, she accomplishes this by sitting back and letting [[HyperCompetentSidekick Chat Noir]] do all of the hard work of fighting the [[MonsterOfTheWeek Akumas]], before using her WorldHealingWave to heal the damage, getting most of the glory in the process, banking on the fact that the other heroes don't know her identity and can't take the Miraculous from her, and can't leave her out because she's the only one who can fix Akuma damage.

* Jeff Winger from ''Series/{{Community}}'' ''wants'' to be this trope, but every time he tries to get something without putting in a lot of effort he either [[LaserGuidedKarma falls flat on his face]] or [[LaboriousLaziness ends up doing more work than he would have to put in honest effort]].

** Mark Beaks is essentially Louie if he were an adult and had fewer scruples: while he's already a rich and [[BrilliantButLazy brilliant]] [[CorruptCorporateExecutive CEO]], he would rather increase his wealth and fame through plagiarism and flashy, yet ineffective products than actually put in the work to make anything of quality, which has nearly gotten himself and others ''killed'' because of his negligence in testing or improving on the design flaws of the technology he steals. [[spoiler: His laziness eventually bites him in the ass when he starts going out of business because [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome people aren't going to buy products from a known plagiarist]] and ConMan]].

* Sasuke in many ''Anime/{{Naruto}}'' fanfics is [[RonTheDeathEater often portrayed as this]], relying on his Sharingan to [[PowerCopying steal jutsu]] rather than train himself. In addition, in fanfics where Naruto becomes a GodModeSue, Sasuke often schemes to steal whatever source of power made Naruto so powerful. This is in contrast to how Sasuke is in {{Canon}}, as while he does receive a bunch of power-ups thanks to his [[SuperPowerLottery Sharingan]], he still trains himself.
* Chloe Bourgeois in the ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' {{Webcomic}} ''Webcomic/ScarletLady'' combines this trope with NominalHero and HatesTheJobLovesTheLimelight; after [[ForWantOfANail stealing the Ladybug Miraculous from Marinette]], she sees it as an opportunity to become a [[AttentionWhore famous]] superheroine. Being a SpoiledBrat who is used to having everything handed to her, she accomplishes this by sitting back and letting [[HyperCompetentSidekick Chat Noir]] do all of the hard work of fighting the [[MonsterOfTheWeek Akumas]], before using her WorldHealingWave to heal the damage, getting most of the glory in the process.

* Gristol Malik from ''VideoGame/Psychonauts2'' is the former prince of Grulovia and wants to bring back the evil psychic Maligula in order to get his position back. That said while he is a brilliant schemer, he only cares about the fact that he's no longer an IdleRich he was as a kid and expects Maligula to do all the dirty work for him so he can be one again.

Compare CheatersNeverProsper, GetRichQuickScheme, WeHaveBecomeComplacent, and HisOwnWorstEnemy.

->'''Itzhak Stern:''' Let me understand: they put up all the money, I do all the work. What, if you don't mind me asking, would you do?\\

Contrast, TheSlacker, ProfessionalSlacker, {{Determinator}}, {{Dismotivation}}.

** Rhymey is this [[{{Foil}} in contrast]] to the Ambitious, but Diligent Rainbow Dash in both training and romance; when it comes to training, Rainbow Dash is [[{{Determinator}} willing to push her limits]], in contrast to the [[FantasticRacism racial supremacist]] Rhymey, who prefers to coast by on his race's natural abilities. In addition when it comes to winning over Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash prefers to get to know her as a person and make her happy via compromise [[spoiler: which results a RelationshipUpgrade]], Rhymey would rather use [[DomesticAbuse abuse]], {{Gaslighting}} and [[spoiler: MindControl]] rather than get to know Fluttershy as a person or put effort into improving himself.

** Talon Ted combines this trope with SmallNameBigEgo; he dreams of being an actor, but scoffs at the idea of getting a degree, even though he kept getting turned down. Even after his sister forces him to get a degree in order to help him get an acting job, he [[UngratefulBastard refuses to do so]] because of his pride was hurt. In addition while the narrative ''[[InformedAbility claims ]]'' he is an amazing actor, his only acting skills consist of copying other actors' performances rather than trying to create his own style.

* ''Literature/TheEdgeChronicles'': [[BitchInSheepsClothing Thaw Daggerslash]] is a particularly dark version. Whilst a charming, capable and dedicated SkyPirate who possesses a variety of useful skills, with great ambitions to be captain of his own great sky ship and become a legend in his own right, he's never succeeded as he is unwilling to start at the bottom and work his way up to become Captain as is tradition. [[spoiler: As such he masterminds a ruthless plan to murder Captain Wind Jackal, by impersonating his hated archenemy Turbolt Smeal and luring him and his crew into increasingly dangerous traps, all whilst he ingratiates himself to said crew, thus when Wind Jackal dies he can take over. When this gambit fails and the crew instead chooses Wind Jackals son Quint, Thaw flat [[TheQuisling out aligns]] with the dreaded [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Leaguemasters]] to help them wipe out all the sky pirates, as long as they give him the ship after the crew's killed.]]

* ''Series/ParksAndRecreation'': This epitomises [[SmallNameBigEgo Tom Haverford]], who constantly has big dreams of expanding out from his mid-level local government post and breaking into the glamorous and highly paid worlds of media marketing, celebrity culture and high-end style. However, despite possessing [[BunnyEarsLawyer some legitimate talent and expertise]] in networking, PR, event planning and style, Tom is at heart a lazy guy who prefers to goof off and focuses [[LaboriousLaziness most of his efforts]] on finding ways to do the least work whilst still receiving the most credit. Thus his early business ventures and attempts fail (sometimes [[EpicFail quite spectacularly]] i.e. his [[WackyStartupWorkplace Entertainment 720]] see's him blowing millions on flashy and pointless expenses, whilst [[MissingStepsPlan only figuring out what the company actually could do]] right before they go bankrupt) due to his attempts at taking shortcuts, prioritising the exciting parts over the essential or getting distracted and simply not bothering to put the actual work in. His arc throughout the series sees him slowly outgrow these tendencies and working towards a successful businessman, though it's not till near the end he fully succeeds in moving past his inherit instincts to slack off.

*** Hot Rod wants to be acknowledged as a great hero, but is generally portrayed as a GloryHound due to thinking that's the quickest way of making a good name for himself. His incarnation in the ''ComicBook/TransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye'' goes on wacky adventures and drags his crew along, until eventually they get so sick of his aimless galivanting that they join TheMutiny against him. In comparison, his incarnation in the ''Ladybug'' books has done the hard work of actually earning the respect of his fellow Autobots by being a reliable friend and comrade, and so by the time of the Nebulos books he's the Autobot commander.
*** This can also be seen with what happens whenever Hot Rod becomes Rodimus Prime: in ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers'', at the beginning of the third season he's excited and cheerful, basically acting like he did as Hot Rod. By the end of the seasons, he's not shy about moaning and groaning about how hard it is to '''actually''' be [[TheChainsOfCommanding a leader]], and when Optimus Prime is seemingly brought back from the dead he's all too eager to turn command back over to Optimus, despite numerous warning signs that something is off. His counterparts in ''ComicBook/TheTransformersMarvel'' and ''ComicBook/TheTransformersRegenerationOne'' are much more dour and serious, due to having actually grown into the role of commander.

* ''WebVideo/AppleTexts''. [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KfKGbCHHxWI&pp=ygUTYXBwbGUgdGV4dHMgYnJvdGhlcg%3D%3D Dillon]], [[FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling unlike his hard working brother Jack]], avoids hard work on principle, viewing it as "beta male" behavior, and believes that an "Alpha Male" should get ahead by gaming the system. In practice, this means that he does things like [[ObfuscatingDisability pretending to be blind]] to manipulate people into giving him charity, trying to bully his brother into doing his work for him, and trying to [[SleepingTheirWayToTheTop sleep with his boss's daughter]] to easily climb the ranks (despite already being married). This comes [[LaserGuidedKarma back to bite him]], as he has not only has to pay alimony to his wife as a result of cheating but also gets fired as a result of slacking off on his work.

** [[Characters/DuckTales2017LouieDuck Louie Duck]] has dreams of one day being as successful a businessman as his Uncle Scrooge and to forever live in indulgent wealth. The problem is that Louie hates working and tries to find any way to avoid it, something that annoys [[SelfMadeMan Scrooge]] who earned most of his money through his own labor. Much of Louie's development stems from being forced into situations where he has to finally put in effort and stop lazing around, like losing Scrooge's NumberOneDime or running a starter business that spirals out of control due to his poor management.

** [[FakeUltimateHero Major Man]] from the episode [[Recap/ThePowerpuffGirlsS1E7MajorCompetitionMrMojosRising "Major Competition"]] [[GloryHound desires the fame and glory of being a superhero]], but would rather gain popularity by [[EngineeredHeroics setting up crimes and disasters in advance and then "save the day"]] than stop ''actual'' crimes and disasters. He manages to temporarily replace the PowerPuff Girls, however his tenure as Townsville's new hero is short lived when the girls sic Fred (a friendly monster) on him to expose him as the [[DirtyCoward cowardly]] fraud he is.

** [[Characters/SpongeBobSquarePantsSheldonPlankton Sheldon Plankton]]'s insistence on stealing the Krabby Patty recipe rather than improving [[LethalChef his own cooking skills]] can make him come off as this; [[LaboriousLaziness it would probably take him MUCH less time and energy to get cooking lessons rather than constantly trying and failing to steal a burger recipe]]. In addition, in the episodes where Plankton does manage to produce food that is actually ''edible'' the reason is always due to stumbling onto something or someone to improve his cooking for him rather than any real effort on his part.

[[/folder]]

* ''WesternAnimation/Ducktales2017'':

** Malty is a [[DeconstructedTrope deconstruction of this trope]]; she's an EvilPrincess whose [[LazyBum laziness]] is the result of her [[PushoverParents father]] [[SpoiledBrat spoiling her rotten]], to the point where her [[TheHighQueen mother]] disinherited her from being Queen in favor of her MatureYoungerSibling Melty. In order to regain her position as queen, she allies herself with [[HandsomeLech Motoyasu]] alongside the [[CorruptChurch Three Heroes Church]] in order to manipulate them into making her the queen. Unfortunately, she gets OutGambitted by the [[SinisterMinister leader of the Three Heroes Church,]] who is just as [[AmbitionIsEvil ambitious]] Malty but is actually willing to work to achieve his goals and decides to [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness kill Malty after he's done with her]] since her laziness and [[StupidEvil stupidity]] makes her too much of a liability.

* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'': Despite Linhardt being an extremely intelligent and knowledgable student at the Garreg Mach Officers Academy, his work behavior is ''beyond'' lazy. From constantly sleeping to immediately tuning out any conversation that doesn't interest him, it's quite clear that Linhardt only works when it interests himself.

** Louie has dreams of one day being as successful a businessman as his Uncle Scrooge and to forever live in indulgent wealth. The problem is that Louie hates working and tries to find any way to avoid it, something that annoys [[SelfMadeMan Scrooge]] who earned most of his money through his own labor. Much of Louie's development stems from being forced into situations where he has to finally put in effort and stop lazing around, like losing Scrooge's NumberOneDime or running a starter business that spirals out of control due to his poor management.

** Squidward is a downplayed version; when it comes to practicing the clarinet and painting, he is willing to put in the work ([[TerribleArtist not that it]] [[DreadfulMusician does him any good]]), however, some episodes such as "Artist Unknown[[note]]Where he tries to plagiarise Spongebob's art to get rich and famous[[/note]]" and "Professor Squidward[[note]]Where he pretends to be Squilliam in order to get a job at a music school[[/note]]" show that he has no qualms about taking shortcuts if the opportunity presents itself.
** Plankton's insistence on stealing the Krabby Patty recipe rather than improving [[LethalChef his own cooking skills]] can make him come off as this; [[LaboriousLaziness it would probably take him MUCH less time and energy to get cooking lessons rather than constantly trying and failing to steal a burger recipe]]. In addition, in the episodes where Plankton does manage to produce food that is actually ''edible'' the reason is always due to stumbling onto something or someone to improve his cooking for him rather than any real effort on his part.

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Indices:
* CharacterFlawIndex
* ADishonorableIndex