History Main / SatisfiedStreetrat

->'''Kris:''' Hey, so you had a rough childhood -
->'''Hari:''' ''*laughs*'' I had a great childhood. Where do you think I learned how to fight? By the time I was eight, I knew: Every fight is a fight to the death.
--> -- ''[[Literature/TheActsOfCaine Blade of Tyshalle]]''

* Revy from ''Manga/BlackLagoon''.
** Fabiola is a subversion. Fabiola grew up under similar circumstances to Revy but still clings to ''some'' degree of morality. Granted in ''Manga/BlackLagoon'', that's not saying much...
* ''{{Hellsing}}'s'' Jan Valentine, ''[[PsychoForHire big time]]'' but he does have a hatred for aristocrats, which [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill isn't good for them]].
* Black and White from ''{{Tekkonkinkreet}}'' are Satisfied Street Cats.
* Mugen from ''SamuraiChamploo''.
* Kazuma from ''Anime/SCryed''

* In ''PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'', Kyoko Sakura is the MagicalGirl version of this. [[spoiler: She wasn't always that way.]]

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* In the classic 1917 silent adventure serial ''{{Judex}}'', the Licorice Kid (age perhaps seven and played by Rene Poyen) is one of these.
--> Madame, I am not a beggar. I am a tradesman.
* ''Film/GoodWillHunting'': Will was one up until his genius is discovered.

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* Iconic character Dai Blackthorn from ''{{GURPS}}'' is based on this archetype.

* Mission Vao from ''KnightsOfTheOldRepublic''.
* Jack of ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' is the result of PlayingWithSyringes, but her personality is full bore Satisfied Street Rat. As BioWare is prone to do, the concept is [[{{Deconstruction}} Deconstructed]]; Jack ''loves'' being [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveSupernaturalPowers so powerful she doesn't have to answer to or be afraid of anyone]], but after a [[TearJerker sad]] incident where someone [[HeroicSacrifice died saving her]] [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy out of love]], she subconsciously realized that most people don't '''need''' that kind of power. She's thus become '''''deeply''''' bitter about her childhood as a lab rat.

* Adrestia from ''[[{{Webcomic/morphe}} morphE]]''.

* Mimeo of the WhateleyUniverse. His childhood consisted of being a numbers runner on the streets of New York City, right up until he was told to kill some people or be killed. He gained superpowers and managed to avoid the problem, by putting his father and two assassins in the hospital. He's a super villain who will do pretty much anything except kill people, and he has selfish reasons for holding back on that account.

* Aladdin from the Disney 1992 film ''Disney/{{Aladdin}}'' is a proud and resourceful street rat who has no qualms about stealing to survive.

* In WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender, Zuko (before his WorldOfCardboardSpeech) believes that his psychotic father somehow made him stronger, despite the fact that said father burned Zuko's face and banished him for speaking out of turn. Zuko says this in the first season: "I don't want luck, I don't need it. I've always had to fight and struggle. It's made me strong, it's made me who I am." It's made clear, though, that a lot of his pride at his past is him lying to himself, as he doesn't want to acknowledge that Ozai is evil.

* Many gladiators came to embrace the lifestyle and adoration of the crowd. If such a thing existed today, (or if they allowed such to compete in the NFL) it would be similar to a prison football team wanting life in prison because of all the fans they get by actually being the prison's football team.

* Minene Uryuu from ''MiraiNikki''.

* Ferro Maljinn of ''TheFirstLaw''. Her background went from war slave to harem mistress to murderous desert fugitive with a vendetta, but the core personality fits this trope spot on.

* Quain'tana of ''{{Drowtales}}'' grew up on the streets with no apparent parents and eventually rose to be one of the greatest war leaders in the worldsetting. Her first "pack" was composed of other street rats that eventually grew into a mercenary empire, but unlike other examples her lack of parental figures [[MaternallyChallenged really takes its toll on her children]].
* Doc Worth from ''HannaIsNotABoysName'' partly fits: he has the less-than-legal job and is proud of it and his dingy place. It is unknown what his chidhood or relationship with his family were like, but they were well-off enough to pay off hi med school expenses.

* Demetrios Makropolous in "Literature/ACoffinForDemetrios" (filmed as "The Mask of Demetrios" with Peter Lorre, Sidney Greenstreet and Zachary Scott). Demetrios goes from poor fig packer to murderer, smuggler, assassin and spy.

* Demetrios Makropolous in "A Coffin for Demetrios" (filmed as "The Mask of Demetrios" with Peter Lorre, Sidney Greenstreet and Zachary Scott). Demetrios goes from poor fig packer to murderer, smuggler, assassin and spy.

* In ''PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'', Kyoko Sakura is the MagicalGirl version of this. [[spoiler: She wasn't always that way.]]

* Megatron of ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrimeserialTransformersPrime'' wears his life as "a gladiator from the pits of Kaon" as a badge of ''pride'' despite the fact that he was a ''slave'' because of it.

Frequently {{Anti-Hero}}es. The degree to which the character is well-adjusted versus is harboring a lot of pain inside depends on the writer. See also WrongSideOfTheTracks, NeighbourhoodFriendlyGangsters. As children they are more likely to have been TheArtfulDodger rather than the StreetUrchin, but the Dodger is more of a trickster where the Street Rat is more of a cutthroat. May have been raised by TheFagin. Those who knew the Street Rat as a more vulnerable child may see them as a case of FromNobodyToNightmare in adulthood.

* Aladdin from the Disney 1992 film "{{Aladdin}}" is a proud and resourceful street rat who has no qualms about stealing to survive.

* Megatron of ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'' wears his life as "a gladiator from the pits of Kaon" as a badge of ''pride'' despite the fact that he was a ''slave'' because of it.

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* A popular persona in GangstaRap, occasionally popping up in GlamRap as well when the theme is a RagsToRiches rise to stardom.

** Fabiola is a subversion. Fabiola grew up under similar circumstances to Revy but still clings to ''some'' degree of morality. Granted in ''BlackLagoon'', that's not saying much...

* Revy from ''BlackLagoon''.

* Kazuma from ''{{S-CRY-ed}}''

* Briar Moss of the ''CircleOfMagic'' starts out like this, and opens up as time goes on. He stays tough as nails, however.

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The SatisfiedStreetRat is a [[CharactersAsDevice character archetype]] common [[SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism to more cynical works]] that has the following characteristics:

* Both [[EndersGame Bean]] and his arch-enemy, Achilles, show elements of this, having spent their early years fighting to survive on the streets. Bean is more well-adjusted and doesn't seem to dwell on it much. Achilles turned out to be a complete sociopath who just CAN'T let anyone who has ever seen him in a position of weakness live very long.
** Part of his obsession with Bean seems to stem from just how frequently Bean has PUT HIM in positions of weakness.

* TruthInTelevision - People born and raised in the Mexico City [[{{Gangsterland}} barrio]] of Tepito are characteristically proud of their lifestyle.
** This applies to many sorts of 'rough neighborhoods,' really, such as Bed-Stuy, Chicago, Detroit, or South Central. It doesn't always have to be violent, however. One can find many examples among workaholics who credit their work ethic to being from Appalachia or Mississippi.
** Similar to the above example with Megatron, many gladiators came to embrace the lifestyle and adoration of the crowd. If such a thing existed today, (or if they allowed such to compete in the NFL) it would be similar to a prison football team wanting life in prison because of all the fans they get by actually being the prison's football team.

* Jack of ''MassEffect2'' is the result of PlayingWithSyringes, but her personality is full bore Satisfied Street Rat. As BioWare is prone to do, the concept is [[{{Deconstruction}} Deconstructed]]; Jack ''loves'' being [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveSupernaturalPowers so powerful she doesn't have to answer to or be afraid of anyone]], but after a [[TearJerker sad]] incident where someone [[HeroicSacrifice died saving her]] [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy out of love]], she subconsciously realized that most people don't '''need''' that kind of power. She's thus become '''''deeply''''' bitter about her childhood as a lab rat.
** The "Earthborn" origin for Shepard implies Shepard used to fit this archetype(or still does, if you play an unapologetic renegade path). In the first game, Shepard can even [[spoiler: run into a friend from his old gang]].

* Keiro (from ''Literature/Incarceron'') has shades of this.