History Main / ThePerilsOfBeingTheBest

* Both Reed Richards and ComicBook/AmadeusCho are regarded to be the smartest men in the world (''the'' smartest and the seventh smartest, in order) and several of their enemies have decided to make their lives hell and/or eliminate them because they cannot tolerate them being considered smarter than them (Reed has The Wizard and Doctor Doom while Amadeus's Origin Story involves a CorruptCorporateExecutive that, among other things, ''[[DeathByOriginStory killed his parents with a bomb]]'' and [[SternChase pursued him all over the United States]] because of a ''cereal company contest'' giving him this rank. When a more precise intelligence test [[RetCon he takes later on]] actually downgrades him in rank to the ''tenth'' smartest man in the world, Amadeus actually feels ''relief'' about it).

[[/world]]

* Regular ComicBook/{{Batman}} and ComicBook/BirdsOfPrey foe ComicBook/LadyShiva has a similar modus operandi, setting her reputation as one of the greatest martial artists of the world by essentially being a martial arts SerialKiller that hunts down and beats all other "greatest martial artists" to death. It's gotten to the point where she occasionally goes around the FaceHeelRevolvingDoor in order to train (or at least help) people she feels have great potential... so she'll get the honor of killing them later. She has a habit of killing martial arts masters who are currently training heroes, like the Master of the Iron Fist whom ComicBook/{{Robin|Series}} was training under.

* In ''Manga/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaiba'', Yoriichi being the strongest demon slayer to ever exist in the story has brought him nothing but constant misery and loss, all he ever wanted to do was to live a happy life without ever relying on his immense strength to get by, as his hidden strength unintentionally caused a succession dispute between his older twin during their childhood; to note, the happiest moments of his life was just living quietly with his wife for a few years, where his strength wasn't needed at all, but [[spoiler:tragedy struck with his wife and unborn child being killed by a demon when he was away from home]]; from that point on Yoriichi set himself on a path to eradicate demons so others wouldn't suffer like him, however, he never found happiness again, as more tragedies kept happening in his life.

* In ''VideoGame/ArmoredCore4'' the player character, Anatolia's Raven, gets hit with this at the end of the game. [[spoiler: By the end of the game the Raven and [[FriendlyRival Joshua O'Brien]] are pretty much the top LYNX in the world, as everyone above them has fallen in combat. The Raven is also personally responsible for decimating not just one but two MegaCorp headquarters (and Joshua takes a third down off-screen). His reward for basically single-handedly winning the Lynx War? The remaining corporations who hired him for this decide [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness he's gone from #1 asset to #1 threat.]] Omer orders Joshua to [[DoomedHometown destroy Anatolia]] using [[DeadlyUpgrade a prototype NEXT that will kill him]] even if he defeats the Raven when he goes after him, threatening to [[SadisticChoice destroy Joshua's colony if he doesn't comply.]] And on Hard Mode they even send ''another'' LYNX [[KickThemWhileTheyAreDown just to finish off whoever survived.]] When the Raven and his operator survive all this, they [[DefectorFromDecadence leave the corporate system completely]] and co-found [[LaResistance Line Ark]] in [[VideoGame/ArmoredCoreForAnswer the sequel]], but even then [[TooCoolToLive he doesn't last long]] before another upstart comes along to either finish him off or take up his mantle.]]

** Solid Snake is one of the best heavy-infiltrators in the world and has prevented nuclear war thrice. He's also a miserable wreck who would rather stay in retirement in Alaska because most of his 'greatest' missions involve discovering the horrible war-crimes of his screwed-up super-villain family and then murdering them. The brass keeps finding ways to pull him back into their wetwork operations, and the GovernmentConspiracy seeking to turn the entire planet into a police state means he can't rest until they're dealt with. And since the government was afraid his super-soldier genes ''augmented at birth'' would let him turn rogue and form a third-world empire-dynasty in his old age, they gave him genetic defects so he would age rapidly past 40.

** The Boss was ''the'' greatest heroine of WWII, became the JeanneDArchetype of the Cold War, and practically a princess to boot. Except she gained so much international power and influence that her own country stabbed itself in the back, practically crippling itself from winning the war, just to ensure that she would never create a new world order that didn't involve using war as a pretext for control. Then one day, she 'fucked up' and didn't assassinate an [[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom innocent man]], whose inventions inadvertently created the CrapsackWorld of Metal Gear. She let her self-righteous guilt torment her until she finally allowed herself to be killed in a duel against her best student instigated by the CIA.

** Goldeye Silverhand Daktylos, one of the finest metalwork artisans on the Disc, is frequently mutilated or imprisoned by his employers after completing a commission for them since they are so in awe of the art he creates that they end up not wanting him to create anything for anyone else (his name is a reference to the fact that his first two employers respectively gouged out his eyes and cut off one of his hands, forcing him to craft prosthetics and learn to identify metals by taste alone). His final job in ''Literature/TheColourOfMagic'' is constructing a space-faring vessel for the Grand Astronomer of Krull... who promptly has him executed with a crossbow bolt through the chest.

* ''Series/TheTwilightZone''

* ''WesternAnimation/Beowulf2007''. King Beowulf has become so FamedInStory that raiding parties constantly attack his lands in the hope of becoming famous as his slayer. Beowulf has become so sick of this he rips off his armor and throws away his sword, daring the SoleSurvivor of a Frisian raid to plant an axe in him. The Frisian isn't going down in history as the slayer of an ''unarmed'' Beowulf, so he can't do it. Beowulf tells his men to let the Frisian return to his own land to further add to his legend.

** Another episode called "Mr. Denton on Doomsday" features a Wild West quick-draw gunman who turned into a town drunk due to the psychological weight of all the people he killed, including some challengers who were quite young and wanted to prove themselves against him. (Fun trivia: The Waco Kid's monologue from ''Film/BlazingSaddles'' is, in fact, a spoof of a speech that Al Denton gives in this episode, but [[WeirdAlEffect the parody became far better known and remembered]].)

* [[ProperlyParanoid The enemy would rightly consider you a threat]], and [[CrazyPrepared would thoroughly study your modus operandi, your fights, your moves, and even their own failures against you for their preparation]]. [[CombatPragmatist They would throw all they've got]] to absolutely make sure you stay dead or at least permanently crippled, or alternately find another way to thoroughly undermine you and your hero business and make sure you'll no longer be a threat to them.

* Expectations from other people become very, very high when your reputation is stellar. They'll expect you to perform miracles on a regular basis and may throw you into [[UnwinnableByDesign unwinnable situations]], thinking that you'll prevail. And woe betide if you cannot perform as they desire — the BrokenPedestal won't be far behind.

* An enemy may consider you the prime target to employ TheWorfEffect, and themselves TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou. * Or, the enemy may not be as strong for now, but they are humble and intelligent enough to improve, and determined enough to at least not be a pushover for you. [[ProperlyParanoid The enemy would rightly consider you a threat]], [[CrazyPreparedand would thoroughly study your modus operandi, your fights, and even their own failures against you for their preparation]], [[CombatPragmatist and would throw all of their soldiers and other resources]] to absolutely make sure you stay dead, at least permanently crippled, [[HeroWithBadPublicity or alternately your reputation thouroughly tarnished]]. Either way, they'll make sure you'll no longer be a threat to them.

* An enemy may consider you the prime target to employ TheWorfEffect, and themselves TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou.

* In ''Manga/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaiba'', Yoriichi being the strongest demon slayer to ever exist in the story has brought him nothing but constant misery and loss, all he ever wanted to do was to live a happy life without ever relying on his immense strength to get by, as his hidden strength unitentionally caused a succession dispute between his older twin during their childhood; to note, the happiest moments of his life was just living quietly with his wife for a few years, where his strength wasn't needed at all, but tragedy struck with his wife and unborn child being killed by a demon when he was away from home; from that point on Yoriichi set himself on a path to eradicate demons so others wouldn't suffer like him, however, he never found happiness again, as more tragedies kept happening in his life.

* In ''Manga/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaiba'', Yoriichi being the strongest demon slayer to ever exist in the story has brought him nothing but constant misery and loss, all he ever wanted to do was to live a happy life without ever relying on his immense strenght to get by, as his hidden strenght unitentionally caused a succession dispute between his older twin during their childhood; to note, the happiest moments of his life was just living quietly with his wife for a few years, where his strenght wasn`t needed at all, but tragedy struck with his wife and unborn child being killed by a demon when he was away from home; from that point on Yoriichi set himself on a path to eradicate demons so others wouldn't suffer like him, however, he never found happiness again, as more tragedies kept happening in his life.

* RetiredGunfighter Gelt, counterpart to ''[[Film/TheMagnificentSeven1960 The Magnificent Seven]]'s'' Lee, from ''Film/BattleBeyondTheStars'' is found by TheHero Shad living alone in an abandoned arcade. Shad is seeking mercenaries to defend his homeworld, and Gelt is a legendary assassin. However, Gelt has killed so many prominent leaders that he's welcome nowhere in the civilized galaxy. Surrounded by riches, he sleeps by campfire and eats rats every day. "Your offer of a hot meal and a soft bed sounds very attractive to me."

* And if the reason for your retirement happens to be raising a family or obeying the CallToAgriculture, expect enemies [[AndYourLittleDogToo to come gunning for said family]] [[DoomedHometown and/or destroying your home too]] — at best to show you that they are serious about being a threat (or maybe they believe that they are doing you "a favor" because TheyWereHoldingYouBack) and at worst to be doing so because either they wanted to make you suffer out of DisproportionateRetribution... [[ForTheEvulz or because they get a kick out of causing said suffering]]. In any case, the reason why they specifically targeted you is that they want you as a WorthyOpponent or because they think taking you out preemptively is the best way that they can stand truly unopposed.

* ''Anime/AfroSamurai'' curiously inverts this and has instead "The Perils of Being ''Second Best''" being the issue, as InAWorld of [[WorldOfBadass assassins/bandits/hunters etc.]], whoever wears the #2 headband is fair dues to any BloodKnight to try and take him/her out [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou for the right to challenge the]] [[WorldsBestWarrior #1 greatest warrior]]. There are other, lower-ranked headbands but most people don't care about them.

-->[[EvilCounterpart The Joker]] must have the Batman! Nay, the Joker [[ShadowArchetype deserves the Batman!]] [[VictoryIsBoring What fun would there be in]] [[CurbStompBattle humbling mere policemen?]] [[{{Supervillain}} I am the Greatest Criminal ever known!]] HA HA HA HA! [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou And for anyone else to destroy the Batman would be unworthy of me!]]
** AlwaysSomeoneBetter and GenericDoomsdayVillain: {{ComicBook/Bane}} was a prisoner who became the king of the Santa Prisca prison and whose only fear was bats. When he heard about a hero who used the image of a bat to being a TerrorHero, Bane decided to look for him, fight him and break his back to prove himself the best. [[GenericDoomsdayVillain Bane had no idea what to do]] [[AndThenWhat after defeating Batman and followed an idea of a subordinate to control Gotham City]].

*** [[AllThereInTheManual In the bible]] of the WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries, the Riddler claims that he is stuck in Gotham because [[NoChallengeEqualsNoSatisfaction he will not debase himself enough to defy that]] [[Franchise/TheFlash Central City fool]].

* ''VideoGame/MassEffect'': During the whole saga, Shepard is emblematic of this trope, and sometimes this is explicitly said by characters. Their first task is also a test to evaluate their skills, since they a distinguished soldier and a possible candidate to become a special agent for the Citadel Council. But in the process, they stumble into the pathway of a Reaper and unwillingly enter into a galactic war that threatens to erase all space-faring civilizations. After defeating it, Shepard attracts the attention of another Reaper who wants to destroy them (and a secret organization who believes they is the right person to solve the whole mess), and defeating it too makes them a target for the remaining fleet of Reapers coming to wreak havoc in the galaxy (and also the leader of the human resistance, trying to unite the galaxy against the common threat). Many people met during the three games will openly admit that they are after Shepard because Shepard is simply the best - whether to ask for their help in challenges of increasing difficulty, or because Shepard is an obstacle to their increasingly dangerous business.

* ''VideoGame/{{Arcanum}}'' has William Thorndop, former bandit and the continent's finest marksman, but he [[RetiredGunfighter left his old life behind him]] after shooting a man in cold blood and having a MyGodWhatHaveIDone realization. He's the only character who can provide Master-level Firearms training, but asking him to train you will cause him a severe moral quandary since he's adopted an ActualPacifist philosophy and sees aiding another in casing bloodshed as a violation of his vows.

** ArchEnemy and ShadowArchetype: The Joker is a CompleteMonster who needs a HurtingHero so he can be his EvilCounterpart, someone to complete him and justify him, because without Batman [[VictoryIsBoring Joker life has no sense]], so Joker will trouble Gotham just to troll Batman, as we can see at this ''The laughing fish'' quote:

** ChosenConceptionPartner, DarwinistDesire, and HeirClubForMen: ComicBook/RasAlGhul, DiabolicalMastermind Ecoterrorist, wants the best male heir and wants the Batman to marry her daughter Taliah to have a BabyFactory. The Irony is that Ras is a global menace. If Batman would have been just another hero, Ras will not even have come to Gotham. As long as Batman is the GreatDetective and WorldsBestWarrior, Ras Al Ghul will menace Gotham.
** LovingAShadow, VillainessesWantHeroes: Thalia Al Ghul, Rahs MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter, is eager to have Batman as her husband. The only problem is that she doesn't seem much interested in Bruce Wayne, the man, only the legend. The Irony is that Thalia is also a global menace. If Batman would have been just another hero, Thalia will not even have come to Gotham. As long as Batman is the GreatDetective and WorldsBestWarrior, Thalia will menace Gotham.

* In ''Film/HotFuzz'', Sergeant Nicholas Angel is spoken extensively as one of the best officers in the London Metropolitan Police Service on the OpeningNarration... and it turns out that he's so good [[TallPoppySyndrome that not one single officer of the Service protests him being]] ReassignedToAntarctica, [[TallPoppySyndrome because he makes them feel so inadequate in comparison]]. Before him, there was Sergeant Popwell, who was assigned to Sandford because he was too good an investigator... [[spoiler:and so he was KilledToUpholdTheMasquerade when he started digging too deep into the FWA's conspiracy]].