History Main / IAmAMonster

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[[folder:Literature]]

* In the extended ending of ''[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaChroniclesOfSorrow Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow]]'', Soma becomes so upset about being Dracula's reincarnation that he starts trying to distance himself from everyone, for fear of hurting them. It's most visible with [[ImpliedLoveInterest Mina]] -- after starting [[TrialBalloonQuestion a cryptic conversation]] about the possibility that he might "become someone else," Soma becomes distressed and runs away mid-sentence, and can't even interact with her after that.

* A recurring motif in ''Anime/ArmitageIII'': the titular character feels like "some kind of monstrous doll" for her robot nature, and has salt rubbed into those wounds by other characters repeatedly calling her a monster when they [[RoboticReveal become aware of her non-humanity.]]

* ''Anime/PumpkinScissors'': While he never outright says this trope verbatim, it's clear that Randel Oland thinks this of himself.
--> '''Oland''': When the lantern's on, I just kill everyone. But I don't know who I am without it.

'''Kouji:''' I...I don't know. It just happened\\

'''Kouji:''' ...Does it scare you?...I'm like a monster, huh?\\

* ''Anime/TigerAndBunny'''s Kotetsu used to have this attitude towards himself when he was a child, both because of the [[FantasticRacism ostracism he had to endure for being a NEXT]] and because of the [[DoesNotKnowHisOwnStrength destructive, uncontrollable nature of his powers]]. He's mostly over it, but he didn't emerge from it entirely unscathed. (WordOfGod says his childhood fear of hurting others still lives on as [[FatalFlaw a reluctance of worrying people with his problems.]])

[[folder:Web Video]]
* AudioPlay/AlienAbductionRolePlay: Acktreal clearly believes this of herself after her first feral episode, and admits that she wishes she were more human.
* In the finale of the ''LetsPlay/NerdCubed'' ''VideoGame/PrisonArchitect'' series Dan is confronted with the total list of people he's killed in his prison escape. It tallies up the the victims, [[OverlyLongGag for nearly a full minute.]]
--> ''Oh God! I'm a fucking monster!''

-->I'm not a monster, Tom
-->Well, technically I am
-->I guess I am...

-->'''[[spoiler:Athena]]''': You cannot change. You will always be... a monster.
-->'''Kratos:''' (lowly) I know... [[ShutUpHannibal ...But I am your monster no longer.]]

* ''Webcomic/{{Archipelago}}'''s Tuff despised his half-shark side so much he ran from his hometown to escape the FantasticRacism he faced there. However, [[spoiler:he ''has to'' come to terms with this when he finds himself uncontrollably transforming into a full shark form.]]

* ''Anime/TekkenBloodVengeance'':
--> '''Ling Xiaoyu''': Jin! Don't let hatred turn you into a monster!\\
'''Jin Kazama''': But I am a monster. It's all that's left.

* Mob of ''Webcomic/MobPsycho100'' is not only AfraidOfHisOwnStrength, but the EmotionalSuppression he uses to keep his psychic powers in check makes it very difficult for him to socialize and relate to other people. When Dimple calls him a monster in their first encounter, Mob simply replies that he's the absolute worst before ripping him apart with a FingerPokeOfDoom.

* ''Literature/{{Dracula}}'': Lucy as she slowly dies on her deathbed. When Arthur comes to see her, the vamprisim in her makes her act wild and seductive for a brief moment, begging Arther to kiss her. Van Helsing stops her and she manages to regain her sense of self. While she never says it outright, it's implied she knows she's becoming a monster and requests Van Helsing to protect Arther from her vampire self.

* ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'': According to Washington, Locus is deliberately avoiding this realization by molding himself into a "true soldier". [[spoiler:Eventually, he finds the strength to admit how monstrous he really is, ditches his poisonous partner Felix, and tries to atone in his own way.]]

When a character feels he is not human, perhaps due to a [[EmergencyTransformation certain]] [[BalefulPolymorph situation]] [[VampireRefugee that]] [[KarmicTransformation occurred]], he may ask WhatHaveIBecome and declare himself as a monster or a freak. When the character is either [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman not human]] or a HalfHumanHybrid, he may feel like a monster if others are scared of him or call him a freak.

* In ''Webcomic/LatchkeyKingdom'', [[BalefulPolymorph Rose]] believes this until Nikol uses ThePowerOfFriendship to convince her otherwise.

* ComicBook/AmandaWaller comes to view herself this way over the years. She does try to justify her decisions by claiming she's [[IDidWhatIHadToDo doing what is necessary]], but it becomes apparent that she no longer really believes that to be true, especially when she reflects on times when she used her government power for [[RevengeBeforeReason personal gain and revenge.]] Whenever someone accuses her of being monstrous, Waller [[InsultBackfire openly admits it]] and says there's nothing she can ever do to change her past.
* When ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} got hit by the Penance Stare of the ComicBook/GhostRider, the manifestation of all of his fears, regrets, and sins Wade saw...was himself.
* This seems to be the near constant mindset of ComicBook/{{Morbius}} which he's more than willing to [[{{Wangst}} monologue about]].
* The FBI's trigger man from ''ComicBook/NoHero'' admits this is why he is so good at killing other monsters, growing up with a disgusting serial killer that taught him how to charm his victims and how monsters like him shouldn't be in charge makes him a valuable but dangerous assets. The agents are afraid of what he is gonna do once he is augmented with a PsychoSerum and gruesomely butcher his targets. Thankfully [[spoiler: he simply kills himself after taking out the immortal leader of the Frontline]].
* Paul Moses, the protagonist of ''ComicBook/Red2003'', is a self-admitted RetiredMonster, and tries to warn people away from him. [[BullyingADragon They don't listen.]]
* ''ComicBook/TheTransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye'': This trope is revealed to be the crux of [[spoiler: Megatron's decision to join the Autobots, as he admits to Ravage.]]
-->"If the world thinks you're a monster, what does it matter? The world is '''wrong'''. But when you start to think of '''yourself''' as a monster... I came to hate the person I'd become. [[ThatManIsDead And I decided that the best way to leave that person behind]]--maybe the easiest way--was to [[spoiler: become an Autobot]].
* Many Marvel characters have fallen under this trope from time to time, particularly many of the ComicBook/XMen, but the UrExample has to be The Thing from the Comicbook/FantasticFour. He even named himself according to this trope.

* The titular character in ''Film/GhostRider'' calls himself this when faced with his LoveInterest.

* Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse:

** ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy:'' During a particularly emotional moment for Rocket.

* Paul Moses, the protagonist of ''ComicBook/Red2004'', is a self-admitted RetiredMonster, and tries to warn people away from him. [[BullyingADragon They don't listen.]]

* Paul Moses, the protagonist of ''ComicBook/{{Red}}'', is a self-admitted RetiredMonster, and tries to warn people away from him. [[BullyingADragon They don't listen.]]

** ''Series/{{Angel}}''. {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d but {{averted|Trope}} in "[[Recap/AngelS01E18FiveByFive Five by Five]]" -- a flashback scene shows a starving and ensouled Angelus who beats up a woman's protectors and tries to feed on her, all the time shouting "I am a monster!" He is unable to go through with killing her. Likewise Faith after a rampage of violence and torture is reduced to flailing ineffectually at Angel's chest while shouting "I'm evil! I'm bad! I'm evil! Do you hear me? I'm bad!" and begging Angel to kill her. She's more accepting of it after a spell in prison. When Angel becomes Angelus Wesley breaks Faith out to capture him. Angel's son however wants to kill him. Faith makes him back down by claiming she is a murderer (true) and she will kill him if she had to choose between him and Angel\us.

* After he accidentally injured his half-brothers with magic when protecting some baby birds, Keith in ''LightNovel/MyNextLifeAsAVillainessAllRoutesLeadToDoom'' was called a monster and feared by his family until the Claes family took him in. He came to believe it himself, which came to a head when he accidentally injured his new sister Katarina after she made him show off his earth magic. He went and hid himself in his room until she chopped through his door with an axe to apologize, convincing him she really wasn't afraid of him and allowing him to relax.
* ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'': Setsuna thinks of herself as inhuman because of being an albino [[HalfHumanHybrid half]]-crow demon. This is somewhat fixed by Konoka [[FreakinessShame telling her white wings look good]] and Setsuna becoming an fairly important part of Negi's TrueCompanions.

* Both Shizuo and [[spoiler:Anri]] from ''LightNovel/{{Durarara}}'' have issues concerning this -- Shizuo because of his combination SuperStrength/UnstoppableRage and [[spoiler:Anri because she's the host for the EvilWeapon Saika]].

* ''Manga/{{Trigun}}'':
** Vash feels directly responsible for [[EvilCounterpart Knives's]] crimes and it is strongly hinted that he believes that independent plants are monsters who pose a direct threat to mankind. In the manga, he is terrified of their potential uses of plant power and is shown struggling with the ethical implications of his existence and Knives's. He even thinks at least twice that they shouldn't exist: at the end of the [[spoiler: Jenora Rock incident]], he thinks that Knives and him [[spoiler: shouldn't have been born]]. At the end of the manga, he also tells Knives of [[spoiler: his decision that they should both die together because they are too powerful and have no place in the future of Gunsmoke]]. (Ironically, though, Vash and Knives are [[EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory strongly implied to be (fallen) angels come to pass judgement on mankind]]--which is what Wolfwood seems to believe)
** He does do some "stay away from me," especially to the girls in the anime. Most notably, at the end of 'Diablo,' after the plot [[CerebusSyndrome finally starts]].
** Wolfwood has a little bit of this himself, when he's feeling particularly down. Anime Wolfwood in purely moral terms; manga Wolfwood, who is a much more dyed-in-the-wool utilitarian and cynic[[note]][[YoungerThanTheyLook who goes from around fifteen to no more than eighteen over the course of the series]][[/note]], about the combination of moral issues and [[StrappedToAnOperatingTable his fucked-up body]]. ''He has nightmares about going back to visit the kids at the orphanage where he grew up and drowning in the blood on his hands.''
--->"[[StepfordSmiler I'm sorry, guys...]] [[DissonantSerenity It seems I am no longer qualified to hold you...]]
** And manga Wolfwood, while he may think 'angels,' is also pretty much totally in agreement with Vash about the monster plant thing, and for a while intermixes [[HeterosexualLifePartners heartwarming defense of Vash to outside parties]] with [[ParanoiaFuel moments where he thinks things like]] "he's got his back to me, and I could probably put a bullet in his skull right now and get ''one'' of them out of the way."
*** And Vash is ''completely aware'' of this. Vash is so fucked up.

* In the new ''[[Anime/MazingerZ Shin Mazinger Zero]]'' manga, Kouji has a moment of this after a moment of unnatural UnstoppableRage in which destroys a rogue manufacturing robot with his bare hands
-->'''Sayaka:''' What? How in the world did you do...''that''!?\\
'''Kouji:''' I...I don't know. It just happened\\
'''Sayaka:''' It "just ''happened''?" Kouji, that wasn't even humanly ''possible''...\\
'''Kouji:''' ...Does it scare you?...I'm like a monster, huh?\\
[Sayaka's response to this question [[FreakyIsCool is not]] [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Shin_Mazinger_Zero_C01_34img.jpg what he was expecting]]]
* ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'':
** Setsuna, the albino [[HalfHumanHybrid half]]-{{Tengu}} [[HunterOfHisOwnKind demon hunter]], has severe personal issues about her past. This is somewhat fixed by Konoka [[FreakinessShame telling her she looks good]] and Setsuna becoming an fairly important part of Negi's TrueCompanions.
%%** As of chapter 288, [[spoiler:Negi himself]] feels this way after [[spoiler:seeing his SuperPoweredEvilSide in a dream]].
* Played with in the manga ''Takumi Dash''. Takumi plays this straight in the series proper, but in the one volume long Mirror Universe, his counterpart has a very different view on being BlessedWithSuck.
-->'''Alternate!Takumi:''' I am a monster, a jackass, a man slut and a demon, ''and it is awesome''. Good God, I love my life! I'm gonna go rob a [=McDonald's=]!

* ''Anime/TigerAndBunny'''s Kotetsu used to have this attitude towards himself when he was a child, both because of the [[FantasticRacism ostracism he had to endure for being a NEXT]] and because of the [[DoesNotKnowHisOwnStrength destructive, uncontrollable nature of his powers]]. He's mostly over it, but he didn't emerge from it entirely unscathed. (WordOfGod says his childhood fear of hurting others still lives on as [[FatalFlaw a reluctance of worrying people with his problems.]])
* A recurring motif in ''Anime/ArmitageIII'': the titular character feels like "some kind of monstrous doll" for her robot nature, and has salt rubbed into those wounds by other characters repeatedly calling her a monster when they [[RoboticReveal become aware of her non-humanity.]]

* In ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'', this happens more than once.
** During his trial, Eren is repeatedly accused of being a monster. When paranoia breaks out in the court room and someone accuses Mikasa of not being human, he lashes out by stating that ''he'' might be a monster but she has nothing to do with it.
** While unleashing a YouMonster speech against [[spoiler: Reiner and Bertolt]], [[BlackAndWhiteInsanity Eren]] states that their crimes mean neither has any right to human emotions like [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone guilt]] or [[TearsOfRemorse remorse]]. [[spoiler: Reiner]] agrees that he's a monster, and later refers to himself and his allies as [[KarmicNod short-lived]] mass-murderers.
** Kenny the Ripper takes this trope to the extreme. He is an infamous mass murderer [[CardCarryingVillain who loves killing more than anything and even refers to it as his hobby.]] However, [[spoiler: he was intrigued by the apparent selflessness and goodness of his friend King Uri Reiss. After the king’s death, Kenny made it his ultimate plan to become the Founding Titan so he could inherit Uri’s memories and see what being a selfless person would feel like.]] He simply had no concept of what being a good person was, and part of himself hated that.
* [[VampireMonarch Princess]] [[FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire Mina]] [[TheWomanWearingTheQueenlyMask Tepes]] from ''Manga/DanceInTheVampireBund'' occasionally invokes this. One of the more showy examples involved her ripping another vampire's throat with her teeth then gutting him like a trout with her bare hand before the horrified eyes of a woman who had been sheltering her from a rival faction she had escaped; then telling her, "''This'' is what you have been trying to protect with your puny human life! Now go, and forget that you ever saw me." The effect was undercut when she promptly extracted a solemn oath from the head of the retrieval squad to leave the woman and her young daughter unharmed[[note]](The guy she mauled to death? An admitted child pornographer who made it very clear he would be back for the child no matter what.)[[/note]] before submitting to being shackled and led back into her enemy's clutches.
* ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'':
** This happens to [[spoiler:Sayaka, when she realizes that becoming a MagicalGirl displaces your soul into a [[SoulJar Soul Gem]], making her very much a [[OurLichesAreDifferent lich]] by any other name. Fittingly enough, this is part of what precipitates her transformation into [[TheHeartless an actual monster]].]]
** Homura displays this in a more subtle manner. Whenever someone calls her out for her cold affect and callous actions [[spoiler:she responds by pointing out her inhumanity, rather than consider how [[GroundhogDayLoop spending the better part of a subjective decade]] dealing with all manner of trauma may [[ShellShockedVeteran affect a human]].]]

* Used repeatedly in ''Manga/TokyoGhoul'' and its sequel, both as a negative ''and'' a positive.
** The most iconic example comes from [[HalfHumanHybrid Kaneki]]'s narration during the 10-days of being tortured by [[TortureTechnician Yamori]].
-->'''Kaneki:'''''"My fingers and toes regrew as if they were nails and hair, [[MadnessMantra over and over and over and over]]. They regrew every time. And I felt like I was truly a monster."''
** While fighting [[CainAndAbel his sister Touka]], Ayato demands to know whether she enjoys being friends with humans because it helps her forget that they're monsters. Flashbacks reveal he frequently called himself a monster while arguing against her trying to live as a human.
** Yoshimura's BadassBoast, in which he states that he is aware that he is evil and launches into a particularly bloody MookHorrorShow.
** In the sequel, [[spoiler: Seidou Takizawa]] has become a HalfHumanHybrid and provides a counterpoint to Kaneki's angst from the original series. He explains to a pair of cornered RedShirts that if you become a monster, you don't have to be afraid of them anymore.
* ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders'' opens with Jotaro locking himself in jail because he believes himself to be possessed by a demon when his [[FightingSpirit Stand]] first manifests. It takes his grandfather's appearance to sort things out.

* ''Anime/TekkenBloodVengeance'':
--> '''Ling Xiaoyu''': Jin! Don't let hatred turn you into a monster!\\
'''Jin Kazama''': But I am a monster. It's all that's left.
* Alucard of ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}'' has been a vampire for a very, ''very'' long time, and he dearly misses being a part of humanity, so he admires Seras for being able to cling on to her human side while still embracing her new-found vampiric state. [[BerserkButton People who casually toss aside theirs tend to really get his goat]]. Although [[PlayingWithATrope Played With]] in that sometimes, he seems to enjoy being a monster, especially when he takes pleasure in dicking with lesser vampires and monsters, [[HorrifyingTheHorror running a chill down their spines and showing the wannabes what a real scary monster looks like]]. He also seems to think [[DeathSeeker he really should be killed]], but will ''only'' accept a WorthyOpponent killing him. And that only a human, never a fellow monster, can be worthy. [[spoiler:When [[BadassPriest Alexander Anderson]] uses Helena's Nail and becomes the Monster of God, Alucard is ''heartbroken'' that Anderson, the most worthy opponent he's had since [[Characters/DraculaLiterature Abraham Van Helsing]] himself, has thrown away his humanity instead of killing him as a human.]]
* While he never outright says this trope verbatim, it's clear that [[Anime/PumpkinScissors Randel Oland]] thinks this of himself.

* After he accidentally injured his half brothers with magic when protecting some baby birds, Keith in ''LightNovel/MyNextLifeAsAVillainessAllRoutesLeadToDoom'' was called a monster and feared by his family until the Claes family took him in. He came to believe it himself, which came to a head when he accidentally injured his new sister Katarina after she made him show off his earth magic. He went and hid himself in his room until she chopped through his door with an axe to apologize, convincing him she really wasn't afraid of him and allowing him to relax.
* This has occurred a few times in ''Manga/BlackButler''. In the anime, before using his true form to fight Ashe, Sebastian tells Ciel to close his eyes and not look, so as not to damage Ciel’s impression of him. He then advances on Ashe negatively describing what he is about to become, but with a smile on his face.

* When ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} got hit by the Penance Stare of the ComicBook/GhostRider, the manifestation of all of his fears, regrets, and sins Wade saw...was himself.
* The FBI's trigger man from ''ComicBook/NoHero'' admits this is why he is so good at killing other monsters, growing up with a disgusting serial killer that taught him how to charm his victims and how monsters like him shouldn't be in charge makes him a valuable but dangerous assets. The agents are afraid of what he is gonna do once he is augmented with a PsychoSerum and gruesomely butcher his targets. Thankfully [[spoiler: he simply kills himself after taking out the immortal leader of the Frontline]].
* ''ComicBook/TheTransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye'': This trope is revealed to be the crux of [[spoiler: Megatron's decision to join the Autobots, as he admits to Ravage.]]
-->"If the world thinks you're a monster, what does it matter? The world is '''wrong'''. But when you start to think of '''yourself''' as a monster... I came to hate the person I'd become. [[ThatManIsDead And I decided that the best way to leave that person behind]]--maybe the easiest way--was to [[spoiler: become an Autobot]].
* ComicBook/AmandaWaller comes to view herself this way over the years. She does try to justify her decisions by claiming she's [[IDidWhatIHadToDo doing what is necessary]], but it becomes apparent that she no longer really believes that to be true, especially when she reflects on times when she used her government power for [[RevengeBeforeReason personal gain and revenge.]] Whenever someone accuses her of being monstrous, Waller [[InsultBackfire openly admits it]] and says there's nothing she can ever do to change her past.

* [[Anime/GodzillaPlanetOfTheMonsters Haruo Sakaki]] in ''Fanfic/TheBridge'' Halloween special comes to the realization his reckless pride and craving for revenge against Godzilla Earth has caused nothing but death and suffering for innocent lives. Remorseful, when he lists off the monsters that plagued humanity and threatened their survival, he adds his name to the list and begs [[PhysicalGod the Leviathan]] to not be like him.

* ''Fanfic/IntoUnknownWaters'' has Lelouch receiving cybernetic implants embedded in his back. The teenager is horrified when he realizes he cannot take them away and almost calls himself a deformed freak.

* Alex in ''WesternAnimation/{{Madagascar}}'' says this once his lion instincts start kicking in out of hunger, and his friends start turning into MeatOVision steaks.
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{The Hunchback of Notre Dame|Disney}}'', Quasimodo says he's a monster without actually having done anything wrong, because Frollo raised him to believe he was. Overcoming this is most of his CharacterDevelopment.
* In ''WesternAnimation/Frozen2013'', Elsa thinks this of herself after she almost killed her little sister, or at the very least, she thinks that she's too dangerous to be around other people.
* In ''WesternAnimation/BrotherBear'', Kenai spent a great deal of the movie believing that bears were savage beasts [[spoiler:due in part to a bear being involved in his brother Sitka's death]], until after being transformed into a bear he started learning more about them. Upon learning that [[spoiler:the bear he had killed in vengeance for Sitka's death was Koda's mother]], he realized that ''he'' was the real monster.

* The titular character in ''Film/GhostRider'' calls himself this when faced with his LoveInterest.
* Nathan Wallace in ''Film/RepoTheGeneticOpera'' calls himself this in "Legal Assassin," taking it one step further by saying he is the villain.
* Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse:
** Loki from ''Film/{{Thor}}'', when he discovers that he is adopted and a Jotun (the Jotuns are Asgard's arch enemies):
--->'''Loki:''' What, because I... I... I am the monster parents tell their children about at night?
** ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'': This idea is played with throughout the film with the Avengers, emphasized by [[YouMonster Ultron outright stating that they are]].
--->'''Tony:''' ''[to Bruce]'' We're mad scientists. We're monsters, buddy.
*** Natasha Romanoff is shown to have repressed guilt over being sterilized.
--->'''Natasha:''' It's efficient. One less thing to worry about. The one thing that might matter more than a mission. It makes everything easier. Even killing. ''[beat]'' You still think you're the only monster on the team?
** ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy:'' During a particularly emotional moment for Rocket.
--->'''Rocket:''' Well, I didn't ask to get made! I didn't ask to be torn apart and put back together over and over and turned into some little monster!
* ''Film/TheDarkKnight'': Denied by the Joker. "You see, I'm not a monster. [[HumansAreBastards I'm just ahead of the curve]]."
* ''Franchise/StarWars'':
** It is implied in ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'' that Darth Vader knows that his actions were wrong and he hates himself for it, but refuses to consider the possibility of redemption. He even tells his son, Luke, that it is too late for him now and he has grown to accept his position as TheDragon to the [[BigBad Emperor]]. In the end though, Vader does change his mind when his son's faith in him proves to be unbreakable and [[HeelFaceTurn he himself realize he can do some good left]] despite his belief of being an irredeemable monster.
** Rey calls Kylo Ren a monster in ''Film/TheLastJedi'', since on top of all the other evil he's done, he killed [[spoiler:his father]] right in front of her. To her surprise, [[TragicVillain Kylo agrees with her]].

* ''Film/{{Juncture}}'': The pedophile priest who Anna targets appears to believe this about himself. Before she can even shoot him, he jumps to his death, expressing the hope that God will forgive them both.
* ''Film/CountYorga'': In the first movie, Erica is bitten by Yorga who partially feeds on her. The following day, she's stoic and listless. Her boyfriend Paul gives her some space, but when he goes to check up on her, she doesn't respond to her phone and going to her place personally, find her eating her pet kitten. Her personality switches from aggressive to seductive when he tries calm her down before she regains her senses and sees what she's done, breaking down and sobbing into Paul's arms. Later, when they do a blood transfer to refill the blood she lost, she mutters incoherently in her delerium, asking Paul to forgive her and to "not let it happen", but never elaborating. Implying she can feel the vampire change in her growing stronger and is scared of what she's becoming.
* ''Film/{{Lycan}}'': [[spoiler:Isabella]] basically claims this to Blake at the end, hating herself for being a murderer but admitting she's addicted and indicating she was raised to kill.

* ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'': Edward is very firmly in this camp, telling Bella that "THIS IS THE SKIN OF A KILLER!" when she calls him beautiful.
** [[http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/470766 * wink!* ]]
* Both Shizuo and [[spoiler:Anri]] from ''LightNovel/{{Durarara}}'' have issues concerning this -- Shizuo because of his combination SuperStrength[=/=]UnstoppableRage and [[spoiler:Anri because she's the host for the EvilWeapon Saika]].

* John Taylor is constantly asked why he returned to the ''Literature/{{Nightside}}'' and stayed there after living in the normal world for five years. His answer? "I belong here--with all of the other monsters."

* Remus Lupin from ''Literature/HarryPotter'' has frequent bouts of this, on account of being a werewolf. It gets worse when his wife, Nymphadora Tonks, is pregnant, and he worries about how their child will turn out.
* By the end of ''Literature/{{Worm}}'', Taylor is convinced she is this, haunting her even as she is given the chance to live a normal life-though whether it's due to looking back on her MoralMyopia or because of how much she became in sync with the EldritchAbomination that gave her her powers is debatable.
* ''Literature/TheEmpiriumTrilogy'': Eliana sees herself as a heartless monster due to her work as a bounty hunter for the very empire that took over her home kingdom (and much of the world in general). This view of herself gets worse after unleashing her powers in catastrophic ways and finding out that her birth mother was the traitorous Blood Queen herself. After some soul searching, she comes to terms with her powers and her heritage, which helps her self-image improve a bit.

* In ''Literature/{{Scythe}}'', Rowan Damisch has this complex after [[spoiler: starting his training with Scythe Goddard, when he finds himself starting to enjoy the terrible things Goddard’s having him do. In a disposed journal entry, he says that Goddard is a monster and someone has to stop him, but he might not be able to do it himself, as he fears he is becoming a monster as well.]]

* ''Literature/{{Dracula}}'': Lucy as she slowly dies on her deathbed. When Arthur comes to see her, the vamprisim in her makes her act wild and seductive for a brief moment, begging Arther to kiss her. Van Helsing stops her and she manages to regain her sense of self. While she never says it outright, it's implied she knows she's becoming a monster and requests Van Helsing to protect Arther from her vampire self.
* In ''Literature/TheLockedTomb'', [[spoiler:Harrowhark]] regards herself as such due to the circumstances of her birth - her parents arranged for the systematic murder of the ''two hundred-odd'' other infants in their House's custody in order to ensure that she would receive necromantic powers ''in utero''.
--> [[spoiler:'''Harrow:''']] I'm an abomination. The whole universe ought to scream whenever my feet touch the ground. ... I am a ''war crime''.
* ''Literature/TheOneWhoEatsMonsters'': A ancient deity of revenge and darkness, Erynis is categorized as a monster rather than a goddess because her fangs and BlackEyesOfCrazy prevent her from fully masquerading as a human. But when she's brought to the United States and falls in love with the human girl Naomi Bradford, she slowly discovers that HumanityIsInfectious. However, "Ryn" accidentally tramuatized Naomi by using her true form to save her from a would-be-rapist possessed by an evil spirit, and when Ryn realizes this she is overwhelmed by self-loathing and sabotages their friendship by revealing she's a SerialKillerKiller and HumanoidAbomination to Naomi, lamenting that she was a fool for ever thinking she could be anything other than a monster.

* Sylar from ''Series/{{Heroes}}'', among other characters.

* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'':
** "I know you'll never love me. I know that I'm a monster. But you treat me like a man and that's..." Though Spike's breakdown towards the end of "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS7E9NeverLeaveMe Never Leave Me]]" is a bit closer to the trope.
** PlayedForLaughs in "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS5E18Intervention Intervention]]":
-->'''Spike:''' If [Buffy] turns to me for comfort, well, I'm not gonna deny it to her. I'm not a monster.\\
'''Xander:''' Yes. You are a monster. Vampires are monsters. They make monster movies about them.\\
'''Spike:''' Well, yeah... you got me there.
** In "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS7E7ConversationsWithDeadPeople Conversations With Dead People]]", Buffy describes herself as a monster re: her [[DestructiveRomance sexually abusive relationship with Spike]] in Season 6.
** Demon cyborg Adam escapes from the lab where he was created in "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS4E14GoodbyeIowa Goodbye Iowa]]". He meets a young boy playing with his toys and asks "Who am I?" When the boy tells him that he's a monster, Adam replies calmly, "I thought so" then kills the boy.
* ''Series/{{Angel}}''. {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d but {{averted|Trope}} in "[[Recap/AngelS01E18FiveByFive Five by Five]]" -- a flashback scene shows a starving and ensouled Angelus who beats up a woman's protectors and tries to feed on her, all the time shouting "I am a monster!" He is unable to go through with killing her. Likewise Faith after a rampage of violence and torture is reduced to flailing ineffectually at Angel's chest while shouting "I'm evil! I'm bad! I'm evil! Do you hear me? I'm bad!" and begging Angel to kill her.
** She's more accepting of it after a spell in prison. When Angel becomes Angelus Wesley breaks Faith out to capture him. Angel's son however wants to kill him. Faith makes him back down by claiming she is a murderer (true) and she will kill him if she had to choose between him and Angel\us.
* ''Series/Daredevil2015''. Inverted in "Shadows in the Glass" when [[BigBad Wilson Fisk]] confesses to Vanessa that he murdered his abusive father, and that he wears his father's cufflinks to remind himself that he's not a monster like him.
-->'''Vanessa:''' It wasn't your fault. You were protecting your mother.\\
'''Fisk:''' I didn't do it for her. I did it for me. That's why I still wear these. To remind myself that I'm not cruel for the sake of cruelty! That I'm not my father! That I'm not a monster! ''[pauses, genuinely uncertain]'' Am I?
* In the first episode of ''Series/{{Sliders}}'', Quinn meets a wisecracking alternate dimension version of himself who tells him that this is his eighth slide and gives him the remainder of the formula he needs to complete his own sliding machine. Many many episodes later, Quinn meets the same double, but he has long grey hair and speaks in a monotone. His sliding adventures have turned him into a monster; he knows this and wants "our" Quinn to kill him.
* ''Series/OnceUponATime'': In the fairy tale world Rumplestiltskin becomes a monster and eventually comes to terms with the fact that it's true. In Storybrooke, [[spoiler: after the [[IdentityAmnesia curse]] is broken]], he realizes that, while now returned to his human form, he's still a monster at heart, which is why he tells [[spoiler: Belle]] to leave. [[spoiler: She]] replies that that's exactly why [[spoiler: [[MoralityPet she]] should stay]].
* In the ''Series/{{Sanctuary}}'' episodes "Nubbins", a young woman who has just found out that both she and her grandfather have extrasensory perception due to an unusual brain formation reacts this way. At one point she says she feels like a freak who belongs in a sideshow.
* ''Series/IZombie'': After Liv's boyfriend Lowell realizes the brains he's been eating come from murdered teens, he went to a graveyard, watched a funeral, and then dug up the corpse himself to force himself to confront what he is.
-->'''Lowell:''' We're monsters, Liv. We eat ''people''.
* ''Series/DoctorWho'' The Doctor's line "Every lonely monster needs a companion" seems like throwaway dialogue at first... [[FridgeBrilliance until you]] [[TearJerker think about it.]]
* Bellamy Blake of ''Series/{{The 100}}'' declares this about himself after realizing that the actions he took to disrupt communications with The Ark caused 300 people to be killed. Clarke convinces him otherwise.
* ''Series/{{Lucifer}}''
** Inverted in "St. Lucifer" when Lucifer Morningstar is suspected of being the SerialKiller killing Satanists.
-->'''Lucifer:''' These ''kids'' were pretending to be bad, but they were innocent so I would never hurt them! I'm not a monster!
** But played straight in "Monster" during Lucifer's therapy session after killing his brother Uriel. His psychiatrist's [[HeroicBSOD reaction]] to seeing his NightmareFace only reinforces his belief.
* ''Series/Sense8'': Wolfgang says, “My father was a monster. And so are you. And so am I.”
* ''Series/RoswellNewMexico'': Because of [[EvilFeelsGood how his powers work]], his ongoing anger issues, and some disquieting childhood memories, HumanAlien Max Evans starts to believe this about himself.
* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'': In [[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS05E16DrBashirIPresume "Dr. Bashir, I Presume"]], Bashir describes himself as this when he reveals the truth of his genetic enhancements to O'Brien:
-->"The word you're looking for is 'unnatural', meaning 'Not from nature'. 'Freak' or 'Monster' would also be acceptible.

* At the end of day 2 in ''VideoGame/ParasiteEve'' Aya starts to grow afraid that because of her powers being similar to [[BigBad Eve]] (Aya is a human while Eve is a mutated human whose mitochondria have changed her), she may become a monster like her.
-->'''Aya:''' I... I think I may be a monster... like her!\\
'''Daniel:''' What?! What are you saying, Aya?!\\
'''Aya:''' I don't know. What if... What if I end up by killing you?! Please, Daniel! I don't know! I just don't know anymore! Please go away from me!\\
''A few moments later.''\\
'''Aya:''' Even if I am a monster, I don't ever want to kill you, Daniel... please...! I... I could never forgive myself if I killed... you...
* Raziel in ''[[VideoGame/LegacyOfKain Soul Reaver 2]]'' has this exchange with his past self, after said past self killed Janos Audron.
-->'''Sarafan Raziel:''' You're a righteous fiend, aren't you?\\
'''Raziel:''' Apparently, I am.
** Also turned on its head in one encounter in ''Defiance'':
--->'''Demon Hunter 1:''' ''[pointing]'' Monster!\\
'''Demon Hunter 2:''' Where?!\\
'''Raziel:''' ''[sliding into frame]'' Here!

* In the ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' prequel ''Crisis Core'', [[spoiler: Angeal displays his degeneration-wing and announces that he's become a monster.]] Zack, the protagonist, replies that [[spoiler: [[FreakinessShame it is the wing of an angel]]]]. [[OneWingedAngel Not that it's *that* reassuring]]...
-->[[spoiler:'''Angeal:''']] Don't monsters usually want either world domination or revenge?
** He later ''[[InvokedTrope invokes]]'' the '[[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman makes it easier to kill 'em]]' facet of OneWingedAngel in order to make his protegee deliver him an honorable [[SuicideByCop Suicide By SOLDIER]].
*** This is [[WhatTheHellHero rather cruel of him]], but compared to [[OmnicidalManiac the other two]] he's practically a saint.
* The intro of ''VideoGame/{{Prototype}}'':
-->'''Alex Mercer:''' My name is Alex Mercer. I'm the reason for all of this. They call me a killer, a monster, a terrorist. I'm all of these things.
* From ''VideoGame/Borderlands2'', We have Krieg. His mostly-impotent sane half loathes the destruction he causes and only just manages to keep his insane half pointed at even worse people. His insane half, meanwhile, says the trope name [[LargeHam with]] [[CardCarryingVillain relish]].
* If you pursue a Rivalry with [[spoiler:Anders]] in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'', he will come to believe this [[spoiler:after destroying the Chantry and sparking the Mage-Templar war.]] He explains that his hatred and resentment corrupted [[spoiler:Justice into a demon, and Anders/Justice is just another murderous abomination that needs to be put down. If you do go through with killing him he will only say that "you should have done this years ago."]]
* A rather nasty subversion can be found in ''VideoGame/{{Smite}}''. Scylla, the Horror of the Deep, is a CreepyChild per excellence who is also a sadistic monster to boot, her Ultimate skill is this trope name, but she said the words with glee, not angst. This can only mean that Scylla is bonafide evil and she's proud of being [[EnfanteTerrible herself]], a [[FullyEmbracedFiend monster]].
* [[spoiler:Ellie]] in ''VideoGame/Conception2ChildrenOfTheSevenStars'' considers herself one due to being [[spoiler:a Stillblood, which is a being just above the level of a thinking zombie. However, in exchange for being a Stillblood, all of them are forced to carry out secret assassinations for the church to ensure everyone in the world isn't brainwashed or killed.]]
* ''VideoGame/SlashEmExtended'' has hostile demons randomly utter "I AM... I AM A MONSTER! ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... [[VideoGame/PokemonVietnameseCrystal coach]]," an obvious ShoutOut to LetsPlay/DeliciousCinnamon's playthrough of ''VideoGame/PokemonVietnameseCrystal''.

* In the extended ending of ''[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaChroniclesOfSorrow Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow]]'', Soma becomes so upset about being Dracula's reincarnation that he starts trying to distance himself from everyone, for fear of hurting them. It's most visible with [[ImpliedLoveInterest Mina]] -- after starting [[TrialBalloonQuestion a cryptic conversation]] about the possibility that he might "become someone else," Soma becomes distressed and runs away mid-sentence, and can't even interact with her after that.
* In an evil way, [[TheRival Atlas]] describes himself as one in the Birth storyline of ''VideoGame/AstroBoyOmegaFactor.'' The full quote can be found at the Quotes page.
-->'''Atlas:''' Just look at me! I'm neither fully human nor fully robot! '''I'm a monster.'''
* Paladin Danse in ''VideoGame/Fallout4'' is a faithful soldier in Elder Maxson's chapter of the Brotherhood of Steel, and as such, believes that synths (artificial humans created by [[BigBad The Institute]]) are insidious weapons of espionage and destruction who need to be wiped out--until the quest Blind Betrayal, when you, the Brotherhood, and Danse himself all learn that he himself is a synth. He assumedly escaped the Institute like many other synths seeking freedom and had his memory wiped with The Railroad, a group advocating for the rights of synths, and went on to join the Brotherhood none the wiser, believing himself to be a former junk merchant and orphan. He does ''not'' take the news well, and believes he's an abomination who deserves to be killed immediately and be the example rather than the exception. When Maxson sends you to track him down and execute him, Danse asks you to put him out of his misery. If you help Danse realize that he deserves to live and also convince Maxson to let him go free, Danse will be exiled from the Brotherhood and begin to make peace with his identity.
* In ''VideoGame/GodOfWarPS4'', when Kratos returns to his home [[spoiler:to retrieve the Blades of Chaos because they are the only weapons that will work in Helheim]] he is taunted by [[spoiler:Athena or at least a vision of her]] who claims that no matter how hard he tries to be a teacher, a husband, or a father, he will never be anything but a monster. Kratos agrees, but adds that he is not [[spoiler:her]] monster anymore.
-->'''[[spoiler:Athena]]''': You cannot change. You will always be... a monster.
-->'''Kratos:''' (lowly) I know... [[ShutUpHannibal ...But I am your monster no longer.]]

* In ''VisualNovel/CodeRealize'', [[PoisonousPerson Cardia]]'s earliest memory is of her father telling her that she must never leave the isolated mansion where she lives and must remain alone because she is a monster. Given that contact with her skin will melt just about ''anything,'' including living flesh, she believes it without question.

* WebAnimation/BabyCakes suffers from this when his [[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons barbarian goes too far.]]

* In ''Webcomic/LatchkeyKingdom'', [[BalefulPolymorph Rose]] believes this until Nikol uses ThePowerOfFriendship to convince her otherwise.

* Dan from ''Webcomic/DanAndMabsFurryAdventures'', who has feared this since [[spoiler: learning his mother was a succubus and his own 'Cubi abilities emerging]]. This may be self-fulfilling, since Dan has been told by multiple people that not learning to control his new abilities (Dan refuses to attend the school [[spoiler: the 'Cubi]] have set up for just that purpose) dramatically increasing the chance that he'll lose control and become the monster he fears.
* ''Webcomic/{{Archipelago}}'''s Tuff despised his half-shark side so much he ran from his hometown to escape the FantasticRacism he faced there. However, [[spoiler:he ''has to'' come to terms with this when he finds himself uncontrollably transforming into a full shark form.]]

* Blackarachnia of ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'' believes herself to be a freak and a monster due to her partially organic robot form (the result of using her powers while damaged by a giant alien spider's venom -- really), and subsequently joins the Decepticons and reinvents herself as a FemmeFatale. However, a lot of it [[CursedWithAwesome seems to be in her head]], as she now possesses a number of spider-related powers in addition to her original abilities, and most of the non-Decepticon Transformers she encounters seem to find her [[EvilIsSexy smokin']] [[FreakyIsCool hot]].
** Then again, the Decepticons seem to regard her with tolerant disgust at best. And [[{{Jerkass}} Sentinel Prime]] leaves out the "tolerant" part entirely. Given that he was one of her closest friends, she might have a point.
** It's worse than that; Sentinel was ''dating'' her when it happened, though it's obvious that Optimus had a thing for her as well. One of the other reasons why she never returned to the Autobots is that she fear being dissected for science -- considering that Perceptor, one of the Autobot council, ''deleted'' his personality in order to store more information (according to the manual, [[AllThereInTheManual at least]]), this is probably an honest concern.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2003'', after having thrashed Mikey and realized what he had done in the "Hunted" episode, Leatherhead tells the turtles and Splinter to stay away from him and states his belief that he is a dangerous monster before running away. Things calm down for him later, however, when he realizes that Mikey is indeed fine as the turtles rescue him from a crocodile hunter.

** Thorax refers to himself as “the evil changeling” in “The Times They Are A Changeling.” He also is implied to dislike his natural changeling appearance, as he said nopony could trust someone who looks like it.

* ''WesternAnimation/KipoAndTheAgeOfWonderbeasts'' has her view herself as this when her jaguar powers begin to manifest, especially when her friend Wolf [[FantasticRacism immediately abandons her upon learning the truth]]. However, by the time she learns from her father exactly why she's like this (she's essentially a living science experiment her parents made), she's gone in the complete opposite direction to love her abilities and is more frustrated about not being able to instantly master them more than anything else.

* ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'': "THIS IS THE SKIN OF A KILLER!"

This trope can also apply to non-human characters, as long as something about them makes them stick out compared to other characters who are the same race/species. If a character utters MyGodWhatHaveIDone (if they killed or hurt someone, for example), then this will very likely be followed up by I Am A Monster and the character declaring themselves not human for doing such a sinful act. Once a character calls themselves a monster, they will most likely tell supporting characters to back off and stay away from them so that they won't be hurt or hurt further--unless they is a CardCarryingVillain, in which case they will ''boast'' about how much of a monster they are.

--> '''Mal:''' ''(to River, who has him at gunpoint)'' I've staked my crew's life on the theory you're a person. Actual and whole. And if I'm wrong, [[KillMeNowOrForeverStayYourHand you'd best shoot me now]].
--> ''River [[DramaticGunCock cocks her gun]].''
--> '''Mal:''' ''(quickly)'' OR we could talk more.
* Said by Lawrence Talbot in ''Film/TheWolfman2010'': "I am what they say I am... I'm a monster".

--->"I'm not your friend... I'm an animal who dreamed he was a man. But the dream is over... and the beast is awake. And I will come for you, because it's my nature."
*** This is either a ShoutOut or a ripoff of Seth Brundle's [[Film/TheFly "insect politics" speech]], which itself is an homage to the Japanese poem, "I dreamed I was a butterfly, flitting around in the sky; then I awoke. Now I wonder: Am I a man who dreamt of being a butterfly, or am I a butterfly dreaming that I am a man?"

--> '''Wade:''' I'm a monster inside and out. I belong in the fucking circus.

** ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'': This idea is played with throughout the film with the Avengers, emphasized by [[YouMonster Ultron outright stating that they are.]]

*** [[ComicBook/BlackWidow Natasha Romanoff]] is shown to have repressed guilt over being sterilized.
-->'''Natasha:''' It's efficient. One less thing to worry about. The one thing that might matter more than a mission. It makes everything easier. Even killing. ''[beat]'' You still think you're the only monster on the team?

* ''Film/TheDarkKnight'': Denied by the Joker. "You see, I'm not a monster. [[HumansAreBastards I'm just ahead of the curve.]]"

-->'''Spike:''' If [Buffy] turns to me for comfort, well, I'm not gonna deny it to her. I'm not a monster.
-->'''Xander:''' Yes. You are a monster. Vampires are monsters. They make monster movies about them.
-->'''Spike:''' Well, yeah...you got me there.
** In "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS7E7ConversationsWithDeadPeople Conversations With Dead People]]", Buffy describes herself as a monster re: her [[BastardGirlfriend sexually abusive relationship with Spike]] in Season 6.

* ''Series/{{Angel}}''. Lampshaded but averted in "[[Recap/AngelS01E18FiveByFive Five by Five]]" -- a flashback scene shows a starving and ensouled Angelus who beats up a woman's protectors and tries to feed on her, all the time shouting "I am a monster!" He is unable to go through with killing her. Likewise Faith after a rampage of violence and torture is reduced to flailing ineffectually at Angel's chest while shouting "I'm evil! I'm bad! I'm evil! Do you hear me? I'm bad!" and begging Angel to kill her.

-->'''Vanessa:''' It wasn't your fault. You were protecting your mother.
-->'''Fisk:''' I didn't do it for her. I did it for me. That's why I still wear these. To remind myself that I'm not cruel for the sake of cruelty! That I'm not my father! That I'm not a monster! ''[pauses, genuinely uncertain]'' Am I?

-->'''Aya''': I... I think I may be a monster... like her!
-->'''Daniel''': What?! What are you saying, Aya?!
-->'''Aya''': I don't know. What if... What if I end up by killing you ?! Please, Daniel! I don't know! I just don't know anymore! Please go away from me!
--> ''A few moments later.''
-->'''Aya''': Even if I am a monster, I don't ever want to kill you, Daniel... please...! I... I could never forgive myself if I killed... you...

-->'''Sarafan Raziel''': You're a righteous fiend, aren't you?
-->'''Raziel''': Apparently, I am.

--->'''Demon Hunter 1''': [pointing] Monster!
--->'''Demon Hunter 2''': Where?!
--->'''Raziel''': [sliding into frame] Here!

--> '''Myrrh:''' It's because I'm a dragon. My father explained it to me. [[HalfHumanHybrid We are both human and monster.]] And because we are both, we are also neither. [...] We have the power of dragons; therefore, we cannot live together with humans... We have the hearts of humans; therefore, we do not belong with monsters. We are outcasts in this world, never a part of either community. And so we live our lives alone, never to be understood by anyone.

--->'''Alex Mercer:''' My name is Alex Mercer. I'm the reason for all of this. They call me a killer, a monster, a terrorist. I'm all of these things.

--> '''Marceline: '''Oh, Yeah? No one would want to go to the movies with... (turns into giant tentacle monster) this!

* In ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'', Batman pleads with the MagmaMan of the [[ComicBook/FantasticFour Terrific]] [[CaptainErsatz Trio]] to not destroy the city by continuing the experiment that gave them their powers, because he's a hero. Magma disagrees: