History Main / LaughingMad

* ''WebAnimation/{{MurderDrones}}'': The titular androids are programmed to kill worker drones and consume their oil. Whenever hunting them, they gain a [[SlasherSmile face-wide smile]], X’s for eyes and often start to giggle maniacally out of bloodlust.

* ''WebAnimation/{{MurderDrones}}'': The titular androids are programmed to kill worker drones and consume their oil. Whenever hunting them, they gain a [[SlasherSmile]] and often Star to giggle maniacally out of bloodlust.

* Baron Vladimir Harkonnen in ''Film/Dune1984'' definitely qualifies, given how the film basically made him [[ChracterExaggeration even more deranged]] in it than in [[Literature/{{Dune}} the book]] or [[Series/{{Dune}} the TV miniseries]].

* In the book ''Literature/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'' Frollo does one when he completely loses it in the finale. It is described as "the laugh of a demon, a laugh which one can only give vent to when one is no longer human."

** Catelyn Stark starts laughing hysterically after [[spoiler:Summer, Bran's direwolf, unexpectedly breaks into her son's room and tears the throat of an assassin who was about to kill both mother and child]]. And she does again in the third book, ''Literature/AStormOfSwords'', after [[spoiler:she witnesses her only remaining (she thinks) child Robb get stabbed through the chest.]]

** When the "Battle of the Bastards" finally comes down to a one-on-one between Ramsay and Jon, Jon ends up straddling Ramsay's chest, pummeling him to a bloody pulp with his fists for all the hell Ramsay has done to his family and the devastation Ramsay has wreaked. After the first couple of punches, Ramsay starts laughing deliriously. After a few more punches, he suddenly ''stops'' laughing when it becomes clear that Jon is going to kill him then and there — but Jon stops when he sees his sister Sansa, who puts Ramsay awake (and smiling the best he can) in the dungeons. Then Sansa feeds Ramsay to Ramsay's own starving dogs.

** ''WesternAnimation/{{The Lion King|1994}}'' has TheHyena, Ed, who communicates entirely with obnoxious laughter. Banzai and Shenzi also qualify, but to a lot lesser extent. Cancelled storyboards indicated that [[spoiler:Scar]] would have undergone a heavy dose of Laughing Mad shortly after throwing Simba off Pride Rock before being consumed in the flames that destroy Pride Rock.

** ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'': Subverted when Jafar starts laughing for seemingly no reason while he's being searched for by the guards, causing Iago to think he's gone insane, but then he stops and explains that the genie lamp he thought was lost forever was in the hands of "Prince Ali". Played straight in the climax, as Jafar is constantly [[EvilLaugh laughing in a psychotic fashion.]]

* Baron Vladimir Harkonnen in ''Film/Dune1984'' definitely qualifies, given how the film basically made him even more deranged in it than in [[Literature/{{Dune}} the book]] or [[Series/{{Dune}} the TV miniseries]].

* In the book ''Literature/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'' Frollo does one when he completely loses it in the finale.

* In Creator/RobertEHoward's "Literature/ThePoolOfTheBlackOne", while Literature/ConanTheBarbarian and Sancha are watching the [[UncannyValley inhuman]] giants who have captured their comrades, he has to slap his hand over her mouth to prevent her hysterical giggle.

* In Creator/GuillermoDelToro's ''{{Film/Nightmare Alley|2021}}'', Stan Carlisle [[DespairEventHorizon snaps]] and breaks down laughing upon realizing [[spoiler: his ultimate fate of working as a geek, [[DramaticIrony the very thing he despised the most]] after [[RichesToRags losing everything]] to Dr. Lilith Ritter.]]

--->'''Lemongrab:''' "...Prank? F-for laughs? Yes, of course; just a harmless prank... F..for laughs... Ha..a.a? HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH-OH! HAHHAHOAHAOHAOAHOAHAOAHAHAOAOAAHAOAHAOAHAOA-" *immediately returns to normal* "Twelve years dungeon! All of you- DUNGEON! Seven years, no trials! C'mon... LET'S MOVE IT!!!"

** At the end of his review of ''Film/TheNeverendingStory 3'', the Critic starts laughing nonstop as he leaves his house, drives to a Home Depot to pick up a crowbar, and heads back home. He stops laughing when he smashes up the DVD, [[WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd AVGN]]-style.

* ''Fanfic/SunsetOfTime'', in a flashback we see the StartOfDarkness of the BigBad, Vesper Radiance. At the sight of [[spoiler:Twilight's coronation]], she breaks down first into giggles, then into hysterical laughter, declaring her intent to KillEmAll all the while.

* LetsPlay/{{Turpster}} falls into this when he plays either as the titular character in ''VideoGame/TheHidden'', or as the murderer in ''VideoGame/GarrysMod Murder'', and decides to [[DrunkOnTheDarkSide ham]] [[EvilIsHammy it]] [[EvilLaugh up]].

* A post-Valentine's Day ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'' strip has Charlie Brown [[https://www.gocomics.com/peanuts/1963/02/15/ reacting in this manner]] after he's asked how many valentines he got.

* ''Fanfic/AbraxasHrodvitnon'': In this ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'' fanfiction, Vivienne Graham, who endures one ''hell'' of a TraumaCongaLine over the story's first several chapters, is reduced to mirthless, insane giggles and guffaws several times when the mental strain becomes too much. Sergeant Travis, when deep into his ''painful'' SanitySlippage, ends up giggling when he recalls his friend's insanity-induced suicide.

* In ''Fanfic/InfinityTrainKnightOfTheOrangeLily'', Specter gets struck by lightning via Death Eye taunting him on what he fears the most is change. When the lightning dies down, Specter starts gasping and wheezing for breath...before he unleashes a loud, maniacal, wild laugh that reveals that his SplitPersonality ''Easter'' is coming out to play.

* Hago from ''Fanfic/TheLionKingAdventures'' is in love with this trope.

* Draco Malfoy's greatest fear in ''Fanfic/TheRigelBlackChronicles'', shown to him by a boggart, is that his mind will break under the strain of [[spoiler: his uncontrolled emotion sense]] and that he'll be reduced to this permanently. He's able to overcome the fear through [[spoiler: confidence that Rigel will be there for him and help him through it]].
* In ''[[Fanfic/NewGamePlusOnePiece New Game Plus]]'', when Dadan sees Luffy’s record-breaking bounty poster, she falls into a laughing fit that lasts at least 10 minutes.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' fic ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/6248479/chapters/14316103 I Do?]],'' this is one of several reactions from Adrien/Chat Noir after he ''finally'' realises that [[spoiler:his ([[RunawayBride until recently]]) fiance Marinette and his crime-fighting partner Ladybug who he once had an unrequited crush on are the same person]].
-->He didn't even know he was laughing until he was doubled over and falling to his knees. The crack that was sent through his body as he collided with the roof hardly registered, his stomach still wanting to throw itself up as his laughter grew manic.\\
But perhaps laughter wasn't the right word to use. He wasn't sure there was a word for it. Insane cackling, maybe, accented by sobs and tears that tore him in the same moments. Two conflicting actions that felt as though they were ripping his body apart.\\
A mental breakdown. That was what it was. He was having a mental breakdown.\\
Because the two women he'd loved were the same person, and she'd rejected him twice for himself and he'd fallen in love with her twice and now they were standing on a rooftop after she'd abandoned him at the altar for himself!
* ''Fanfic/DoingItRightThisTime'': Shinji has this reaction when he finds out what Rei said to his father, and again when she snarks (accurately) about how them being [[PeggySue time travellers]] and being completely mad [[BadFuture is not at all mutually exclusive.]] Asuka is more than a little creeped out.
* In the ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' DarkFic ''Aoi'', Misato, her mental health already severely tested by a chain of events beginning with Shinji's untimely death and [[FromBadToWorse getting worse from there]], finally and permanently loses her mind when she sees Ritsuko's failed attempt to clone Shinji as she had done with Rei.
--> Misato laughed, high and mad, as the last bastion of her sanity – the one centered on her belief in the sanctity of human life – exploded like a watermelon hit with a mortar shell. She laughed, and laughed, and laughed, until tears streamed down her cheeks, passing her insanely gaping mouth to patter onto her boots. The vision of the thing in the tube (she refused to think of it as ''him'') filled her eyes, making it impossible to see anything else… so when her mind shut down, dropping her face-first onto the hard floor, she never saw it coming.
* ''Fanfic/MrAndMrsGold'': Unicorns have a hallucinative bite. When one manages to bite Belle, she devolves into a giggling mess.
* [[HeroicComedicSociopath Kirito]] falls into this a few times in ''WebVideo/SwordArtOnlineAbridged'', first when Rosalia gives him a BreakingSpeech that slams ''several'' of his {{Berserk Button}}s, and later when he [[ExtremeMeleeRevenge says "hi"]] to Gary, an NPC whose ArtificialStupidity got Kirito's first real friend killed.
* After slaughtering an entire family in ''Fanfic/RiseFromDarkness'', Samus starts laughing.
* In the beginning of ''Fanfic/ThePowerOfTheEquinox'', Twilight Sparkle starts laughing madly when the Entity enters her body, with her thoughts about what kind of revenge she'll exact upon the false Princess Cadance (Queen Chrysalis) growing increasingly morbid. She doesn't even notice the [[ImMelting dissolving of her body]] as she continues laughing, stopping only when her throat has melted away.
* ''Fanfic/FracturedSunlight'': When Sunset explains she's a magical unicorn from another dimension, and there's a Twilight who is an alicorn princess, Twilight falls over laughing helplessly for ''thirty minutes''. When human Sunset died, she and Twilight were in the middle of playing a game where they were magical ponies, so the whole thing seems like a cruel joke for Twilight.

* ''Fanfic/MyDreamIsYours'': Precinct 13579's resident CuteAndPsycho Scientist, Oona, goes through a short bout of wild laughter as a result of SleepDeprivation when Olympia asks her if she's been having any strange dreams lately.
* ''Fanfic/ExperimentingFear'': After being tortured with high-pitched sound frequencies, having them turned off and realizing he can still hear, Nando lets out an insane, hysterical laugh.

* Creator/DwightFrye's Renfield in the 1931 ''Film/{{Dracula|1931}}''.

* The ''Franchise/EvilDead'' series is quite fond of this trope.

* The "Daffy" gremlin in ''Film/Gremlins2TheNewBatch''.

* Happens to Dr. Leo Marvin in ''Film/WhatAboutBob''
* Cody Jarrett winds up this way in ''Film/WhiteHeat''.

* Two examples from Michael Moorcock's Elric stories:

* ''Emperor Mollusk versus The Sinister Brain'' by A. Lee Martinez. The eponymous Brain turns out to be an AncientConspiracy of preserved brains of the great minds of human history except UsefulNotes/AlbertEinstein who turned down the offer of becoming a BrainInAJar, claiming the process had turned them into delusional megalomaniacs. The Council think this idea is so ridiculous they spend a good deal of time [[IResembleThatRemark laughing maniacally over it]].
* In ''Literature/{{Frankenstein}}'' the titular doctor starts losing it more and more after he first creates his creature. He starts laughing so hysterically that his friend Henry gets worried, right before he collapses into hallucinations and his first fit of BrainFever.

* ''Series/{{Columbo}}'' has some murderers do this after Columbo figures them out. The most notable cases are Roger Stanford who cracked after Columbo tells him that he doesn't have the real cigar box, and Nicholas Frame who giggles and mutters a piece of monologue from ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}''.

[[caption-width-right:350:''[[Film/TheDarkKnight "Let's put a smile on that face! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!"]]'']]

[[caption-width-right:350:''[[Film/Joker2019 "I used to think that my life was a tragedy.\\
But now I realize...it's a fucking comedy."]]'']]

!!Examples:

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* In the penultimate issue of the ''Manga/{{Area 88}}'' manga, Shin emotionally overwhelmed by [[spoiler: the deaths of Saki, Mickey, and Sela that he starts laughing uncontrollably. He returns to his senses when Kanzaki contacts him.]]
* [[HijackedByGanon Akira Takaoka]] from ''Manga/AssassinationClassroom'' breaks into a fit of hysterical laughter [[spoiler: when he blows up the remedy to cure the students who were poisoned by him during the Assassination Island arc, [[BerserkButton further pissing off Nagisa.]]]]
* In a very jarring scene, [[spoiler:[[TheStoic Annie]] [[TheMole Leonhart]]]] in ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'' after TheReveal. The SlasherSmile included along with it only signals that things are about to get ''very'' bad for everyone.
* In ''Manga/AzumangaDaioh'', after a BeachEpisode and everyone's back to school, quote Tomo: "this is the first day of vacation" repeating it like a mantra, following a Butthead-like laughter.
* [[spoiler:Nanamine]] in ''Manga/{{Bakuman}}'' after [[spoiler:his manga drops to 19th and the rest of his online contributors desert him for lying about his rankings]].
* In ''Manga/BananaFish'', when Ash is forcibly under Golzine's custody again and learns he's to be married to his abuser and rapist, he bursts into hysterical laughter talking about how he and the other kids were always treated as objects, until he's slapped and snaps out of it.
* In ''Manga/BarefootGen'', Gen's mother Kimie falls into this. It's quite appropriate after watching her entire family burn to death amongst their pleas for help.
* ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'', with all of the madness that happens in this universe, expect it to happen a lot.
** Jill laughs during the climax of the fight between Guts and Rosine, when the slimy, deformed corpse of a child that was undergoing Rosine's apostle spawn transform spilled from its cocoon. Jill remarked that the experience pretty much [[BreakTheCutie ruined her childhood.]]
** Griffith, upon his DespairEventHorizon and his [[BungledSuicide failed attempted at suicide.]]
** And then there's Guts, who is the most disturbing case. He did this ''a lot'' during his Black Swordsman days, caving in [[HeWhoFightsMonsters deeper and deeper into insanity with each apostle kill.]] His laugh sends extra chills down the spine when he flashes his SlasherSmile afterward.
* [[AxCrazy Alois]] [[CreepyChild Trancy]] of ''[[Manga/BlackButler Black Butler II]]'' out of nowhere breaks into hysterical laughter when he's alone in his room in episode 1 to help show how insane he is.
** On the other side of the spectrum, [[spoiler:Ciel]] gives us an absolutely gleeful one after the circus arc, when he travels to the workhouse only to find out that it's in ruins. It's frightening [[ItMakesSenseInContext in context]], considering that the revelation would mean that the circus children all died trying to protect ''nothing''.
* AxCrazy CreepyChild Gretel of ''Manga/BlackLagoon'' laughs once when Eda asks her why they're still after Balalaika even though they killed the guy who hired them.
* [[AxCrazy Grimmjow]] of ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' laughs madly as he's beating the crap out of Ichigo during one of their fights and right after he kills Luppi.
** MadScientist Szayel does so at times.
** The Inner Hollow[[spoiler:/'''Zangetsu''']] also does this often.
* Suzaku Kururugi [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCQeGr24XUA does this]] in Episode 19 of Season 2 of ''Anime/CodeGeass'' after [[spoiler:accidentally [[NukeEm killing several million people with the FLEIJA bomb]]]].
** Lelouch does this as well at the end of Episode 17 in the first season. He has other [[EvilLaugh laughs]] too, but that's the only one that actually sounds legitimately crazy.
*** [[https://youtu.be/KTzGbIRnB6Q The English dub of Episode 23 also manages this perfectly.]]
* ''Anime/CowboyBebop'': Mad Pierrot Tongpu, full stop. A [[NighInvulnerable seemingly indestructible]] [[AxCrazy psychopathic]] assassin. The audio for the episode preview is just his [[EvilLaugh maniacal laughter]] for 30 seconds.
* Jeremy when he finds out that [[spoiler:Greg's car crashed thanks to VehicularSabotage]] and when he is moved dorms because he [[spoiler:kissed his roommate William. He laughs because he finds it ironic that he gets in trouble for kissing his roommate, yet he is sexually abused every weekend which leads William to GetAHoldOfYourselfMan]] in ''Manga/ACruelGodReigns''.
* Kurumi Tokisaki from ''LightNovel/DateALive'' does this several times, such as summoning a second spacequake before [[spoiler: Kotori in her Spirit form]] stops it.
* ''Manga/DeathNote'': the deleted scene where [[spoiler:Light stays in the graveyard after L's funeral]], starts laughing madly, proceeds to crawl on top of [[spoiler:L's grave]] and shouts [[spoiler:"What do you think of that, L? This is my perfect victory! That's right—'''''I win!'''''"]] with a crazed look on his face... and looks suspiciously like he's humping [[spoiler:L's grave]].
** And [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C65oaIHsdYM another one]] in the final episode where Light admits he's Kira.
* ''Anime/DragonBallZ'':
** Broly definitely applies, especially in the flashbacks where it is clear that his laughter was uncontrollable after destroying at least one planet as a child.
** Frieza also gives one off while destroying Planet Vegeta. Well, he did seem a bit too exhilarated at blocking Bardock's attack as well as destroying Planet Vegeta.
** Majin Buu in his true, Kid Buu form. Kid Buu is, by a significant margin, the [[AxeCrazy batshit-craziest]] of the Buus, and pretty much 95% of his dialogue is either grunts/screams or deranged laughter to show just how far off his rocker he is.
* ''LightNovel/FateZero'': [[spoiler: Kotomine Kirei does this at the end of the story, along with [[VillainousBreakdown a Villainous Breakdown]] upon witnessing the destruction caused by [[ArtifactOfDoom the corrupted Holy Grail]] and being told that this destruction is his own unconscious desire. [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs He laughs, then cries, then laughs while crying]], both disgusted and amused to realize what a twisted individual he truly is, before resolving to fully unleash [[UltimateEvil Angra Mainyu]] during the next war to better understand his own evil nature]].
* ''Manga/FrankenFran'': Mr. Umimiya appears on the verge of a laughing nervous breakdown upon discovering his long lost daughter Ruri's (whom a maniacal cult worshipped as their prophet) body had become a part of the facility they're standing in due to the cult requesting Fran that she create an enormous artificial body when she fell ill.
* Akito does this in Episode 25 of ''Manga/FruitsBasket'' while tormenting Tohru.
** Akito also has a tendency to do this in the manga.
* While he's sane afterward, the new Greed of ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' [[spoiler:Ling]] is shown ending his PainfulTransformation with a frightening SlasherSmile and some truly [[EvilLaugh maniacal laughter]].
** Edward has one after he realizes that [[spoiler:trying to resurrect Trisha was a SenselessSacrifice.]]
** [[spoiler:The fake Ashleigh Crichton]] in ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemistTheSacredStarOfMilos'' begins giggling insanely when his plan enters the final phase. [[spoiler:He stops when Julia gets the Sanguine Star, and he's come a lot of the way down from his high when the real Ashleigh Crichton vaporises his head.]]
* ''Lightnovel/FullMetalPanic''. Kaname has a crazy laugh that she gives whenever she's lying about something -- such as the possibility of being attracted to that nutcase Sōsuke. Or denying that his latest bone-headed antic bothers her in the least. [[{{Tsundere}} Be afraid. Be very afraid.]]
* Yoko Wakana, the mad policewoman from ''Anime/FullMetalPanicFumoffu'', plays the trope straight.
* ''Manga/FutureDiary'': [[{{Yandere}} Yuno]] does this quite a few times.
* Andrea of ''Anime/{{Gankutsuou}}'' is not exactly sane. One of the ways he shows this is by giggling/laughing creepily at random times.
** In one scene, the Count watches Albert leave his ship, quite peeved with him. Although we're led to presume that the guy is deep in grief over the event, we quickly see him break out into hysterical laughter. And from then on, he's out there, madly pursuing his revenge.
* In ''[[Manga/GegegeNoKitaro GeGeGe No Kitaro (2018)]]'', when Kirara Fusano's attempt at exchanging her gonkish face for a pretty one results in it [[TheBlank turning invisible.]] After the boy she (is not) in love with explains that he doesn't mind her appearance, Kirara suddenly laughs madly, explaining that the reason she changed her face was solely that people would stop humiliating her.
* ''Anime/GunXSword'': Van gets this for a moment when he sees the Claw pass.
* Alucard of ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}'' certainly enjoys [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mY79nBC-u1A many]] inappropriate moments of insane laughter... but as he was crazy before, and is crazy after, the incidents don't represent any character development for him.
* ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry''. All over the freaking place.
** In fact, the first thing you see in the second arc, even before the opening, is a scene of [[spoiler:Rika stabbing herself in the neck while Shion laughs maniacally]]. It then takes about 10 episodes before you're finally told the context, and that makes it even creepier.
** For your viewing pleasure, [[http://youtu.be/-OJek7d6ars some]] WebAnimation/YouTubePoop of Shion laughing... for ten minutes.
** There are also instances of Rena entering into bouts of insane laughter.
* ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders'': In the midst of a seemingly hopeless battle against the Sun Stand, Kakyoin, Jotaro and Polnareff all suddenly burst into creepy hysterics while taking desperate shelter from the heat and laser rays as Joseph assumes that they all lost it. However, it's a subversion; they're all laughing because they figured out that the nearly-unstoppable Stand actually has a glaring weakness.
** The same thing happens (for real) to Senator Wilson Philips later on, after he's violently assaulted by DIO and unwillingly forced by the vampire to commit mass murder -- by driving through a crowded sidewalk of people -- while pursuing Joseph and Kakyoin. He loses it completely upon DIO telling him that [[ForTheEvulz he never had any intention of letting Philips live]] regardless of whether he did so or not, giggling incoherently as he goes completely insane from the resulting trauma.
* Precia Testarossa in ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha'', although she was fairly mad to begin with.
** Jail Scaglietti does it frequently.
* Quatre from ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing'' after witnessing [[spoiler:the deaths of his father and most likely his sister Iria (it's only confirmed in the manga version of the scene)]].
* Uchiha Sasuke from ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' has an epic one in chapter 483, coupled with SanitySlippage and VillainousBreakdown in a fashion very similar to his brother.
** Not to mention [[AxCrazy Hidan]] of the Akatsuki. This guy wasn't sane to begin with, but once he gets into his rituals...
** Gaara has a great one during his fight with Naruto.
** In Chapter 356, Kabuto has lost quite a bit of sanity following [[spoiler:Orochimaru's death]] and reveals he has absorbed Orochimaru's remains. At one point he bursts into hysterical laughter.
** In Chapter 577 Kabuto does this after talking with [[spoiler:the resurrected Itachi]].
* ''Manga/{{Nichijou}}'': When Yuuko, Mio, and Mai are stuck on a disabled elevator, the former two are initially in the midst of a sullen HeroicBSOD halfheartedly trying to pass the time while Mai naps. At one point Mio randomly says [[InherentlyFunnyWords "eggplant"]], which gets her and Yuuko laughing uncontrollably while simultaneously verbalizing their despair at anyone coming to rescue them.
* ''Manga/OnePiece'':
** [[spoiler: Monkey D. Luffy does this the moment after Portgas D. Ace dies.]]
** Donquixote Doflamingo is pretty much this series' version of ComicBook/TheJoker, so he's usually this. But it's most obvious in the Dressrosa arc, when he turns from recurring sideline psycho to the main antagonist, after finding out just how severely he underestimated the Straw Hat Pirates.
* Occurs occasionally in ''Manga/PandoraHearts'' such as in Chapter 67 by Miranda. And in Episode 15 by Oz when he's in LoveMakesYouCrazy mode for Alice.
* In the intro of ''Anime/ParanoiaAgent'', everyone is laughing. In the most unlikely situations, such as a guy in freefall, a drowning woman... what better way to tell you're about to get [[MindScrew mindscrewed]]?
* ''Manga/PeacemakerKurogane'': Suzu gets one of these in the sequel manga, after he goes AxCrazy.
* In ''Manga/PokemonAdventures'', this happens to [[spoiler: Ghetsis at the end of the ''Black 2 / White 2'' arc, when he finally comes to terms with his defeat and the horrifying realization that he's made practically the entire population of Unova's Pokemon his enemy.]]
* In ''Manga/PrincessKnight'', when Friebe finds out that the brave knight she planned on marrying was really Princess Sapphire in disguise, she bursts out laughing and shouts "That's too perfect!" She pulls herself together and agrees to help the princess escape her pursuers.
* ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'': During a fight with a witch, [[spoiler:Sayaka]] laughs maniacally as she gives it a violent beating, [[spoiler:with no regards to her own safety.]] Really hammers in how close she is to [[spoiler: the DespairEventHorizon.]]
** Also, [[spoiler:Walpurgisnacht]], who won't stop letting out peals of echoing laughter, even while taking a humongous beating and literally being blasted away from existence. In this case, it underscores both her [[TheHeartless inherent]] [[BlueAndOrangeMorality madness]], and the [[spoiler: [[HopelessBossFight utter futility of fighting her]].]]
* Mukuro of ''Manga/Reborn2004'' was never entirely sane to begin with so he does this a few times, most notably during his fight with Tsuna.
** And Daemon Spade. In Chapter 329, he orders Enma to "take Sawada's skull and crush it like glass", and then he laughs maniacally...
* ''LightNovel/RebuildWorld'',
** After Katsuya falls for the lies of a pickpocket who stole from Akira and Akira nearly gets talked down by Katsuya’s female friends, Katsuya steps in and insults Akira, demeaning his achievements, making him react like this and beginning their MexicanStandoff.
** Akira dissolves into broken laughter when he realizes that [[spoiler:he's lost contact with Alpha after he's EatenAlive by the Overgrown Snake. He's terrified that he's truly alone for the first time since he became a hunter, nearly giving up before composing himself and blasting his way out.]]
** Tiol does this a lot during his second confrontation with Akira, since Tiol’s [[CyberneticsEatYourSoul consciousness is so fragile]] from his EmergencyTransformation, he has little more than the AmnesiacResonance that if something bad happens to Akira, something good will happen for him (this being Sheryl becoming single because Tiol was originally a DoggedNiceGuy for her).
* ''Manga/RosarioPlusVampire'': Tsukune's Ghoul form definitely counts.
** Akuha does so at the end of Chapter 53 after breaking down and seeing Moka with Tsukune.
* [[Manga/RurouniKenshin Shishio Makoto]] does this [[spoiler:[[ManOnFire as he burns to ashes after overdoing in his final battle against Kenshin.]]]]
* Kotonoha from ''VisualNovel/SchoolDays'' does this frequently after her descent into [[{{Yandere}} crazyville]].
* ''Manga/ShamanKing'''s BigBad, [[FauxAffablyEvil Hao Asakura]] does this near the end of the anime.
* [[MadScientist Doctor Franken Stein]] of ''Manga/SoulEater'' does this on several occasions. ''Definitely'' the SanitySlippage variety.
** The most striking would have to be after his fight with Medusa, with Stein breaking into a ''lovely'' example as stands with his scythe as the witch's blood rains down on him. Madness, apparently, feels good.
** Anyone under the influence of the Black Blood would do this. Crona and [[spoiler:Maka]] are examples.
** Giriko does one in Chapter 75.
* Hikari of ''Anime/SpacePirateMito: A Pair of Queens''.
* In ''Anime/SteinsGate'' basically every time Hououin Kyoma enters the scene, though [[spoiler:it's actually just an act]].
* Both Mashiro and Kuroi from ''Manga/ThouShaltNotDie'' end up doing this but for different reasons. Mashiro ends up doing it when her day ends up a bit to rotten and she ends up [[BewareOfTheNiceOnes snapping]] [[TheBerserker after]] being shot. [[SociopathicHero Kuroi]] ends up doing it since he delights in the carnage Mashiro is causing leading him call out that he was right in believing in her and [[InLoveWithYourCarnage ends up declaring his love to her]].
* ''Manga/TokyoGhoul'' includes a particularly disturbing scene, during Kaneki's 10-day long marathon torture. When [[TortureTechnician Yamori]] sticks a centipede in his ear and wraps duct tape around his head, Kaneki begins laughing hysterically while the agitated insect begins crawling around and stinging him. Seeing his victim laughing instead of screaming, Yamori joins him into the crazed laughter.
** Eto does this as she's declaring her love for Kaneki as he throws her mutilated body off of a building.
** [[spoiler: Mutsuki breaks down into hysterical laughter, after seeing Torso's mutilated body done at his hands and realizing the full scale of his past crimes.]]
** Kaneki does this again in Season 2 of the anime when fighting Shinohara in his kakuja form.
* Appears in the series and film ''Anime/TheVisionOfEscaflowne'', especially with AxCrazy Dilandau.
* In ''Manga/WolfGuyWolfenCrest'' Inugami shows Haguro his werewolf form causing him to go crazy from it and laugh insanely.
** Ryuuko does this in Chapter 65.
* ''Anime/YuGiOh'' has its fair share, most notably with [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Yami Marik and Bakura]], although Kiryu of ''[[Anime/YuGiOh5Ds 5Ds]]'' outdoes them all.
** And then Vector of ''[[Anime/YuGiOhZEXAL ZEXAL]]'' proceeds to outdo him.
** It's not just with those guys, either--Noah had an insane bit of laughter like this in his arc, after which he temporarily believed himself to be Seto. He snapped out of it pretty quickly, though.
** Jonouchi laughs hysterically (After being Brainwashed by Marik) at an injured Yugi during their Death-Duel. however this is cut from the 4kids version...For some unknown reason.
** Pandora (Arkana in the dub), and how!
* In ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'', after being defeated and losing his entire fortune, Tarukane goes into convulsions of insane laughter, which only end after Toguro kills him.
** Sensui is very fond of insane laughter in all of his personalities. His true personality has him laughing maniacally while causing powerful and violent tremors all around him.
* ''Manga/ZatchBell'': Dalia Anjé, a somewhat notable antagonist from the Ancient Mamodo arc. The spells are her only dialog; beyond that, it's just mad laughter.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''VideoGame/AlanWakesAmericanNightmare'' has Music/PoetsOfTheFall's "[[https://youtu.be/BAh6ay9QDtE?list=PLjACqN5i5sDUEienDV52g85W6J7chzLXV The Happy Song]]," the VillainSong of SerialKiller Mr. Scratch, wherein an AxCrazy singer punctuates his open admissions that he's "a psycho" with husky chuckles or shrieky laughter depending on whether his EvilGloating takes the form of a mock-conspiratorial whisper or an enthusiastic scream.
* [[spoiler:Adele]] from ''VideoGame/ArcRiseFantasia'' took finding out that she was an UnluckyChildhoodFriend [[IfICantHaveYou very]] [[FreakOut badly]].
* '''VideoGame/BatenKaitos Origins'': [[spoiler:TheStinger shows an insane and thoroughly broken Geldoblame limping back Alfard where the remaining senators name him emperor as they all believe that he the only person left fit to rule. It culminates with Geldoblame demanding that Georg is brought to him and ends with new emperor of Alfard laughing hysterically as the events of the first game are set in motion.]]
* ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'' showcases Jin Kisaragi's slow descent into madness, and once he finally finds Ragna the Bloodedge, he completely snaps and starts speaking to him in a rather [[HoYay disturbing manner]]. Then there's [[WasOnceAMan Arakune]], who ends as many as half of his dialogues with raving VoiceOfTheLegion laughter. [[RobotGirl Nu-13]] doesn't seem like the laughing type, but has been known to cackle admirably on occasion. And then there's Terumi...''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpZOhOi_-Po#t=10s god]][[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTCFLikQf_8#t=14s damn]]''. All in all, the ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'' world could probably do with sedatives in the water supply.
* Common in ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands 2}}''. Goliath enemies who've [[BerserkButton had their helmets shot off]] will butcher their teammates while laughing uproariously, while playable Psycho Krieg, who has grave difficulty interacting with the world in non-buzz-axe ways, has quite the selection of deranged laughter himself.
* ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireIV'''s Fou-lu starts laughing [[spoiler:after realising that [[HumanResources Mami was used to fuel]] the Hex Cannon]], [[TheLastStraw which is what ultimately breaks him]] and decide to KillEmAll on those bastard humans.
* In ''VideoGame/CaveStory'''s BonusDungeon, the boss Ballos states that when his magic went wild and he killed everyone in the kingdom, he could only stand where he was and laugh.
* In ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'', one of the EnemyChatter for the [[AnarchyIsChaos Freakshow]] is simply a manic laugh, which was demonstrated by one Freak in the original trailer.
* Ripper Roo from ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot''. Experiments by Dr. Cortex turned him into a raving, laughing, straitjacket-wearing lunatic. All of his dialogue consists of insane laughter, with subtitles to translate. He also has a tendency to play with explosives, despite this usually [[HoistByHisOwnPetard resulting in his defeat]].
* In one Franchise/CthulhuMythos based {{MUD}} the status of your SanityMeter is represented by various adjectives, with the adjective varying depending upon how high or low it is. Well, except for when your sanity hits rock bottom. At that point the adjective is replaced by "HAHAHAHAHA!!!", with each "HA" [[PaintingTheMedium being a different color]].
* The Jester class in ''Videogame/DarkestDungeon'' will go from TheHyena to this trope if he undergoes an affliction, as he clearly goes off his rocker by laughing constantly and/or being interrupted with sobbing.
* [[VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}} Jedah Dohma]] maniacally laughs as he watches the apocalypse in his ending in ''VideoGame/CapcomFightingEvolution''… unwittingly distracting him from [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry Dante]] having arrived to kill him.
* ''VideoGame/DawnOfWar'': Chaos Space Marines and Imperial Guard Psykers are inclined towards fits of raucous laughter audible to enemies as the Warp seeps in and out of their brain. The psykers, by the way, are with the good guys.
* Adam the Clown in ''VideoGame/DeadRising'' laughs all the way through his monologue when he recalls his audience being eaten by zombies.
** After bring defeated, he laughs and falls. Onto his still running chainsaws. The laughter doesn't stop until he's dead...
*** And it doesn't just get weaker and weaker. It gets '''deeper and slower'''.
** Brent "Slappy" Ernst of ''VideoGame/DeadRising2'' also engages in this during his boss fight, such as when performing a fire spin and/or shouting things like "I'm a little teapot!"
* [[spoiler:Pokey Minch]] seemingly loses his mind in the final battle of ''VideoGame/EarthBound1994'', blithely releasing the lock on Giygas (purportedly his 'boss'). This renders Giygas unable to stem the tide of his power, which threatens to consume the entire universe. [[spoiler:Pokey]] addresses the player to admit he's afraid. And laughs.
** In the direct sequel ''VideoGame/Mother3'', the team confronts a decrepit version of [[spoiler:Pokey]], who has sent his robotic minion to bring forth the Dark Dragon. Until this point, it's unclear whether or not he has any idea what the Dark Dragon -- a godlike being that fulfills the heart's desire of whoever summons it -- will do if that summoner literally ''[[TheHeartless has no heart]]''. Turns out, [[spoiler:Pokey]] has gradually come to the same conclusion:
--->''"If the dragon wakes up, it might end up destroying everything and extinguishing all life. Even so ............[[DrunkWithPower ahaha aha ahahahahahaha!!]]"''
* The first sign that Alex's hold on reality in ''VideoGame/EternalDarkness'' may be none too steady is the way her sobs when she first sees her grandfather's dead body are shot through with thin veins of laughter.
** Maximillian Roivas hits this trope for brief intervals in his monster autopsy narrations, as well.
* If [[PsychoForHire Ryuji]] [[VideoGame/FatalFury Yamazaki]] is feeling jovial, you know the walls are about to be painted red.
* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'':
** Kefka Palazzo from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' is the partial TropeNamer, as his final boss music is titled "Dancing Mad". Kefka was driven insane from being the first person to be infused with magic. He's now an omnicidal StrawNihilist laughing all the way. To take this up a step, he actually ''does'' laugh quite a bit -- and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyZoe-r9qb0 his laugh has its own sound clip.]]
** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', one of the first signs that Sephiroth went mad upon learning about his supposedly being the last Ancient is chuckling dementedly as Cloud/[[spoiler:Zack]] entered the lab he was researching inside.
** Kuja in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX'' went Laughing Mad as soon as he learns from [[spoiler:Garland's disembodied spirit]] that [[spoiler:he'll die soon]].
** Lampshaded two times in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'', first when Tidus and Yuna talk about the importance of being happy and burst onto a cheery, loud laughter with no apparent reason. When they turn around they see all others staring them with a weird look on their faces. When questioned, Wakka quietly says: "We thought that you lost your minds." Done second time in Thunder Planes, where Rikku - who's deathly afraid of thunder -- keep laughing nervously as they walk, prompting Tidus to comment on it: "[[IronicEcho Heh heh, heh]]. You're giving me the creeps!"
* In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'', if Byleth chose the Blue Lions, when Dimitri discovers the Flame Emperor's true identity, [[GoMadFromTheRevelation he's reduced to cackling]] [[NightmareFace with an unhinged expression on his face.]] [[spoiler:Then he goes killing everyone in the room while trying to rip Edelgard's head off.]]
** He can deliver another one [[spoiler: after becoming a ruthless killer after the 5 year timeskip. His reaction to Byleth saying they [[https://youtu.be/air6nHnR40k?t=119 couldn't watch him torture an enemy general]], and instead gave him a MercyKill, is to laugh manically about it.]]
* ''VideoGame/GarfieldCaughtInTheAct'': The final level of the game, Season Finale, has Garfield face off against The Glitch, who already has a noticeable cackle. As the fight goes on and The Glitch gets hit [[HoistByHisOwnPetard by his own beams]], he begins to cackle more and more. On his final hit, he's cackling as much as he [[BulletHell rains down shots]] on Garfield.
* Father Grigori, the Zombie-slaughtering BadassPreacher of ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'' often breaks down into short bursts of maniacal laughter due to him being driven to insanity after the citizens of Ravenholm have become zombies.
* Daniella from ''VideoGame/HauntingGround''. She does this in cutscenes in a very creepy manner and at a certain stage of insanity while chasing you.
** [[spoiler:Fiona too, in the worst ending]].
* The trademark sound of the [[ActionBomb Heaven]] [[OurZombiesAreDifferent Smiles]] in ''VideoGame/Killer7''. They introduce themselves with a little chuckle, and when they attack, they erupt into one of the most psychotic cackles ever recorded. Even when they die, they go nuts with laughter. They also happen to share this trait with their creator, Kun Lan.
* [[VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters Iori Yagami]]'s trademark win pose is to hold his head while laughing uproariously. Considering his Orochi heritage can mess with his sanity, this definitely qualifies.
* Hyness from ''VideoGame/KirbyStarAllies'' is easily the most insane villain in the series to date and stresses that fact with about half of his battle noises being crazed laughter and giggles, the other half being incoherent screeching and snorting.
* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'': [[spoiler:Ganondorf laughs [[VillainousBreakdown in complete madness]] when he sees King Daphnes [[NinjaLooting touch the Triforce before he could]] and wish for Hyrule to be washed away. Permanently.]]
** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'': [[spoiler:Zant]] after [[VillainousBreakdown breaking down]] over the course of the battle against him.
** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'': [[spoiler:Master Kogha]] at the end of the fight against him. [[spoiler:Maybe not as good an example since he’s harder to take seriously, unlike Ganondorf and Zant, but still.]]
* ''Franchise/MegaMan'':
** Dr. Weil from the ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' series qualifies, especially when taking into account the relevation of [[spoiler:his survival from Ragnarok's attack and his reaction after Zero defeated him the first time.]]
** Serpent from ''VideoGame/MegaManZX'' qualifies, considering his reaction to being absorbed by Model W's core.
*** Prometheus gets a pretty good one in Advent after he [[spoiler:kills the [[ActuallyADoombot Albert decoy.]]]]
*** Siarnaq has this in the original Japanese release. It was [[DubPersonalityChange changed]] to match the rest of his CreepyMonotone in the English dub.
** Zero from the ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' series (while he was still an Irregular, a.k.a. "Maverick" in the international releases) also had bouts of the trope in the Japanese release, made especially apparent when he was [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown beating Sigma to a pulp when the latter was at his mercy]]. Downplayed to inconsistent {{Narm}} levels in the English dub.
* Done with ''Laughing Octopus'' in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots''. Since she was {{mind rape}}d and turned into a psychopathic killer as a teenage girl, she never stopped laughing, even though her memories were constantly torturing her. She laughs throughout the entire boss fight and falls down laughing when she is fatally shot, making her a quite creepy encounter and not funny at all. At one very brief moment of relative clarity before dying she even says "No, nothing is funny. I shouldn't be laughing."
** Ed of Meryl's Rat Patrol 1 group, after the SOP system was locked down due to it refusing Liquid's DNA, went Laughing Mad.
* Raiden goes through this in ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance'' after embracing his Jack the Ripper persona prior to his battle with Monsoon. To see the previously calm and collected Raiden gleefully chop apart three enemy cyborgs after turning off his pain inhibitors is nothing short of chilling.
* Ribsmasher, a [[AxCrazy batshit insane]] monk in ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights2: Storm of Zehir''[[note]]He made a couple brief appearances in the original campaign but turned into an AscendedExtra in the second expansion.[[/note]] In [[LargeHam literally every line he has large chunks of scenery get chewed]], and they all involve raucous laughter and/or smashing ribs.
** The [[AxCrazy Manic Psychotic voiceset]] does this a lot as well. Including when he ''dies'', which takes the usually hilariously hammy voicing into creepy territory.
* Iggy Koopa, one of the Koopalings, is depicted as Laughing Mad in ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBrosWii''. Given that the (English) post defeat narrative on Iggy in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld'' described him as "[[AxCrazy demented]]," this shouldn't come as a surprise.
* In ''VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire'', this occurs in the ''Ruby'' remake ''Omega Ruby''. Maxie goes from being calm to [[spoiler:going insane due to having acquired the Red Orb he needs to put Groudon under his control. He first beats Archie, and after you beat Maxie, he refuses to back down and uses the Red Orb against Tabitha's pleas to not do it. After Groudon awakens and approaches Sootopolis City, Maxie hysterically laughs, even proudly informing his grunts his plan is complete...only to realize that Groudon is not obeying Maxie's commands, which forces Maxie to join Archie's plan to stop Groudon's attempt to destroy the Pokemon world with its Drought.]]
* [[spoiler: Wheatley]] from ''Videogame/Portal2'' has a fit of this when [[spoiler: he's attached to [=GLaDOS=]'s chassis. The programming of the mainframe drives him [[DrunkWithPower mad with power]], which causes him to become awfully sadistic. His bout of laughter also classifies as EvilLaugh, and marks his FaceHeelTurn]].
* Kubikiri Basara from the ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown'' series. His post-mortem insanity has him hunting down Minazuki Zankuro and giggling all the way.
* [[spoiler:Revya]] from ''VideoGame/SoulNomadAndTheWorldEaters'' gets a pretty good laugh in the bad ending of the Demon Path.
* In ''VideoGame/StringTyrant'' Pygmalie does this in her first dialogue with the player. It's another hint that she's not all there.
* In ''VideoGame/SuikodenII'', the main villain, [[AxCrazy Luca Blight]] is known to often punctuate his [[MoralEventHorizon horrific]] actions with a horse like [[AxCrazy psycho]] and EvilLaugh. However, when he is finally near death, he lets out a speal of insane laughter filling up more than 3 dialogue boxes that can't be classified as anything but this.
* In ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'', a [[EverythingsBetterWithSamurai Sammer Guy]], appropriately named Laughing X-Naut, laughs a long, loud laugh as [[spoiler:the Void in his dimension fully matures, destroying his entire universe. He laughs all the way until his inevitable annihilation]].
** Dimentio also has this personality, being a deranged, evil jester who casually jokes as he [[spoiler:tries to kill the heroes and eventually hatches his own plot to destroy the world.]]
* Zagi, from ''VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia''. About 50% of his dialogue is maniacal laughter, [[AxeCrazy 25% is about how much he wants to "carve Yuri's name into his blood"]], [[TalkativeLoon and the remaining 25% is utter nonsense]].
* In ''VideoGame/TelepathTactics'', ClimaxBoss Archos does this as part of his LastWords.
* Paprika from ''VideoGame/ThemsFightinHerds'' is so happy and insane, she can't even properly speak, so half of her "dialouge" is her cheerfully laughing like a lunatic.
* In the anarch and independent endings of ''VideoGame/VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines'', [[spoiler:Sebastian [=LaCroix=]]] gets down with the best of them when he realizes that [[spoiler:the MacGuffin he just opened is not so much a 'gateway to infinite power' as a 'gateway to horrible burning pain' and he's been played for an UnwittingPawn]].
* Lezard Valeth from ''VideoGame/ValkyrieProfile'' should not be forgotten. [[spoiler:When he lost all his apparent sanity at the end of the game, he's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBhksfGFiQ8 really scary]]]]. His [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNJzIVgtyAc&feature=related break mode]] is epic, too.
* Albedo in ''VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}}''. His first freak-out, back in the past, involves him [[spoiler:interfacing with U-DO]] and laughing like a maniac. Considering he looks about nine years old at the time, this is profoundly disturbing.
** Or that he's laughing while ripping himself ''apart''.
[[/folder]]

* In Creator/GuillermoDelToro's ''{{Film/Nightmare Alley|2021}}'', Stan Carlisle [[DespairEventHorizon snaps]] and breaks down laughing upon realizing [[spoiler: his ultimate fate of working as a geek, [[DramaticIrony the very thing he despised the most]] after [[FromRichesToRags losing everything]] to Dr. Lilith Ritter.]]