History Main / NerdyInhaler

* Ninten from ''VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings'' is asthmatic and when it attacks, caused by fighting cars and trucks that give off exhaust, he is left completely incapacitated unless treated with asthma spray. However, this trope is averted because despite how vulnerable it leaves him, he's the strongest party member (that isn't [[GuestStarPartyMember Pippi or Teddy]]) in the game. He's also not a nerd, in fact, the game does have a nerd as a party member, Lloyd, who has overall much weaker stats than Ninten but does not have asthma.

* Gordon from ''WesternAnimation/AngelaAnaconda''.

This is usually not TruthInTelevision, because whether or not you need to use an inhaler has little to no bearing on your personality. However, if you have asthma or some other kind of breathing problem, it might prevent you from participating in strenuous sports, so you'll go into academics instead, fitting with the nerdy stereotype. This probably accounts for the association. However, [[RealityIsUnrealistic Asthma has degrees of severity]] and in real life, even some athletes like David Beckham have had asthma. In fact, athletes with minor asthma (which is common in real-world schools) often need inhalers when people with the same condition wouldn't normally because of the increased lung use.

* Ninten from ''VideoGame/MOTHER1'' is asthmatic and when it attacks, caused by fighting cars and trucks that give off exhaust, he is left completely incapacitated unless treated with asthma spray. However, this trope is averted because despite how vulnerable it leaves him, he's the strongest party member (that isn't [[GuestStarPartyMember Pippi or Teddy]]) in the game. He's also not a nerd, in fact, the game does have a nerd as a party member, Lloyd, who has overall much weaker stats than Ninten but does not have asthma.

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* Ninten from ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER 1}}'' is asthmatic and when it attacks, caused by fighting cars and trucks that give off exhaust, he is left completely incapacitated unless treated with asthma spray. However, this trope is averted because despite how vulnerable it leaves him, he's the strongest party member (that isn't [[GuestStarPartyMember Pippi or Teddy]]) in the game. He's also not a nerd, in fact, the game does have a nerd as a party member, Lloyd, who has overall much weaker stats than Ninten but does not have asthma.

This is usually not TruthInTelevision, because whether or not you need to use an inhaler has little to no bearing on your personality. However, if you have asthma or some other kind of breathing problem, it might prevent you from participating in strenuous sports, so you'll go into academics instead, fitting with the nerdy stereotype. This probably accounts for the association. However, [[RealityIsUnrealistic Asthma has degrees of severity]] and in real life, even some athletes like David Beckham have had asthma. In fact, athletes with minor asthma (which is common in real world schools) often need inhalers when people with the same condition wouldn't normally because of the increased lung use.

[[folder:Film - Live Action]]

* Averted by Wheezy Joe in ''Film/IntolerableCruelty'', [[HandicappedBadass a killer for hire with asthma]] whose VaderBreath is heard whenever he's onscreen. [[spoiler: He dies when he accidentally puts his gun instead of his inhaler in his mouth during the confused fight between him and the attorneys and pulls the trigger.]]

* In ''Film/DeadlyAdvice'', Beth has asthma and uses an inhaler. It gets quite a work out when she visits the strip club.

* Eddie in Creator/StephenKing's ''Literature/{{IT}}'' uses an inhaler. It even becomes a plot-point.

* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'' actually revealed that Buster Baxter to have one of these.

* In Joe Iconis' song "Nerd Love", one of the things that gets the singer (who has a fetish for nerdy girls) hot is when the girl uses her inhaler.

* ''VideoGame/{{Huniepop}}'': Averted with Lillian Aurawell in ''2''; her profile reveals that she has asthma, but [[{{Goth}} she's nowhere near being a nerd]]. Her Asthma Baggage makes any big move with her (multiple matches or four of a kind or higher) take an additional one stamina, ostensibly because she's having a asthma attack and left her inhaler in her hotel room.

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[[quoteright:330:[[WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutronBoyGenius https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/3259784_carl.png]]]]

This is usually not TruthInTelevision, because whether or not you need to use an inhaler has little to no bearing on your personality. However, if you have asthma or some other kind of breathing problem, it might prevent you from participating in strenuous sports, so you'll go into academics instead, fitting with the nerdy stereotype. This probably accounts for the association. However, [[RealityIsUnrealistic Asthma has degrees of severity]] and in real life, even some athletes like David Beckham have had asthma. In fact, athletes with minor asthma (which is common in a real world schools) often need inhalers when people with the same condition wouldn't normally because of the increased lung use.

* Carl [[MeaningfulName Wheezer]] from ''WesternAnimation/JimmyNeutronBoyGenius'' uses an inhaler periodically. The inhaler became a ChekhovsGun during a fight. He provides the page image.

* Played with in ''Literature/TheRepublicOfTrees''. Louis has asthma. Although he certainly doesn't look like a nerd, he is the idealist responsible for the group's "revolution" and, at least initially, the brain of the operation [[spoiler: it is also a symbol of his poor grip on reality - he wants to create a perfect society but he has no way of getting new inhaler in the forest. As the result, his health gradually deteriorates, finally causing him to go badly sick and be declared "unfit to rule" at the worst possible moment ]]

* The main character in ''Literature/OpheliaAndTheMarvelousBoy'' by Karen Foxlee uses an inhaler. She is a [[IJustWantToBeNormal Reluctant Hero]] who suffers from [[GenreBlindness Genre Blindness]] and is very focused on science and reason. She uses the inhaler as a [[SecurityBlanket security blanket]] and her asthma is triggered by fear.

* Chas Finster in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}''.