History Main / TheSocialExpert

* Lady Avalie from ''VisualNovel/SevenKingdomsThePrincessProblem'' is an expert at reading people and making them dance to her tune. She mostly does it [[BecauseItAmusedMe for her own amusement.]] A PlayerCharacter with high enough insight and other social skills can be one as well.

%% Image removed per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1354819492053480100
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%% [[MagnificentBastard Johan Liebert]] from ''Manga/{{Monster}}''.
* ''Manga/CesareIlCreatoreCheHaDistrutto'' is about the teenage years of the ManipulativeBastard who inspired Creator/NiccoloMachiavelli to write ''Literature/ThePrince''. Even as a student, Cesare Borgia could charm anyone onto his side, and even at that age, he's using those skills -- and a healthy dose of bribery -- to win allies for his father Rodrigo ahead of the 1492 election that -- spoiler alert -- gets Rodrigo crowned as UsefulNotes/PopeAlexanderVI. A lot of Cesare's plans seem to come from cynical self interest, but as [[TheWatson original main character]] Angelo observes, they end up genuinely helping a lot of people even so. Cesare knows how to create the widest effect possible from a single move.
* ''Anime/CodeGeass'': [[Characters/CodeGeassLelouchLamperouge Lelouch Lamperouge's]] '''very''' good at manipulating people thanks to this. He's so good at plotting people's reactions that he's able to deftly manipulate people with voice and video recordings.

* [[Characters/DeathNoteLightYagami Light Yagami]] from ''Manga/DeathNote'' survives largely by manipulating those around him for information he needs or putting them in situations where they're likely to do what he wants. He'll even do this with himself, at one point removing his memory of the Death Note in a MemoryGambit to remove suspicion from himself.

* Izaya Orihara from ''Literature/{{Durarara}}'', aside from being a complete {{Troll}} and ManipulativeBastard and claiming to "love humanity" (except for Shizuo), also performs his own social experiments. He searches for young girls online and makes suicide pacts with them before revealing it was just to see if they really would kill themselves. He has at least once staged a kidnapping/rescue just to see how someone would react, and this was because he was bored. When asked what Izaya studied in university, Narita answered he either studied psychology or anthropology. Also, according to Shizuo, Izaya is behind 99% of all the random conflicts in the city. Yes, Izaya is one hundred percent a dick.

* This is one of the main reasons for Reinhard von Lohengramm's success in ''Literature/LegendOfTheGalacticHeroes''. He knows which people he can trust, who is only using him for political gain, what people's motivations are, and how to play to people's desires and egos.
%% Both Lelouch Lamperouge and his older brother, Prince Schneizel, in ''Anime/CodeGeass''.
%% Askeladd from ''Manga/VinlandSaga''.

* Ukraine from ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'' is a NiceGirl version. She's the member of the Slavic corner with the best social skills and tends to get along fine with other nations while Russia and Belarus are... well, themselves.
* [[BigBad Tobi]] [[spoiler:aka [[FallenHero Obito Uchiha]]]] from ''Manga/{{Naruto}}''. He can accurately predict actions and motivations of virtually anyone he encounters. Also he can manipulate them, either by subtly corrupting their own goals or simply imposing his own beliefs on them. This is best seen in the existence of Akatsuki, its wildly differing members working together because they believed the organisation would further their own ends when in actuality, they were mere tools that Tobi used to achieve his plans. He also was able to use whole countries to his advantage, so he used the overall stability and suspicion between the countries to increase his own power by providing Akatsuki as the mercenaries carrying out orders and receive remuneration for work performed.
* While Shiro is consistently the better technical player in ''Literature/NoGameNoLife's'' game-based battles, her brother Sora dominates anytime a social element is introduced. This is displayed in their first real battle, a chess game where the pieces have their own free will. Shiro's moves are perfect, but she stalls when the pawns won't sacrifice themselves just because she says so. Sora steps in at that point, addressing the chess pieces directly and delivering a RousingSpeech to motivate them to fight. Sora is so good at this, his opponent is convinced he's somehow using magic to cheat.
* The ''Anime/Danganronpa3TheEndOfHopesPeakHighSchool'' character [[CoolTeacher Yukizome]] can adapt herself to suit the resident RagtagBunchOfMisfits' personalities so quickly that they agree within a ''day'' to start attending class again. This is why Munakata (who's good at rhetoric but not personal interactions) assigns her spy work [[spoiler:and one reason why he's so crushed when her betrayal is revealed. Yukizome was not only his (girl?)friend but his LivingEmotionalCrutch]].
* In ''Literature/WhenSupernaturalBattlesBecameCommonplace'', Andou while having a severe chunibyou (aka acting like a protagonist of manga IRL) is also the best in the club at guessing the others' emotions and understanding what they want and how he should act to help them.
* Nagisa in ''Manga/AssassinationClassroom''. Growing up with a mother prone to fits of anger, Nagisa learned to read when a person was becoming agitated and uses this information when he approaches his opponents.

* ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'': [[Characters/SupermanLexLuthor Lex Luthor]]. His people skills allow him to both keep up his VillainWithGoodPublicity status as well as make sure his covert operations are in order. He is so good at this that he is one of the few people who can keep the ''Joker'' in check during a villain team-up.
* ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}''
** Also from DC Comics is [[Characters/NightwingDickGrayson Dick Grayson]], the first Robin and later ComicBook/{{Nightwing}}. It's been joked that his real superpower is charisma, often mediating fights amongst heroes and even having villains coming to his defense on occasion due to his sheer likeableness.
** [[Characters/RobinTimDrake Tim Drake]], the third ComicBook/{{Robin|1993}} later ComicBook/RedRobin, gets along with people and never had any enemies in his civilian life even though his close friends ''did'' and he gains the affection of a number of villains. Coming on Dick's heels everyone rather expects him to be like Dick, but Tim is much more closed off and manipulative than his elder brother and is not the natural leader Dick is, preferring to work as a tactician and planner supporting someone he trusts.

* ''ComicBook/StormWatchPHD'' had Gorgeous, a beautiful woman with a talent for manipulating men. She served as the team's profiler.
* Franchise/WonderWoman is a diplomat and [[CunningLinguist multilinguist]] in addition to being a heroic fighter, so she's one of the better superheroes for a wide variety of social situations.

[[folder: Fan Works]]
* Adrastia Zabini in ''Fanfic/ForLoveOfMagic'' admits to being BookDumb but is a master at understanding people and generally is the person Harry turns to when he needs someone capable of subtle manipulation, as opposed to his brute force method of "I'm doing something and you can't stop me so don't bother trying".

* ''Red-Eyed Master'': Ash Ketchum is this:

* ''Fanfic/RingMaker'': [[Literature/{{Worm}} Taylor]] [[spoiler: AKA [[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings Sauron/Mairon]]]], after triggering, displays such an aptness for talking people into things -- aided by an aura of charisma -- that it's an ongoing debate, in-universe ''and'' out, whether she should be classified as a [[MindManipulation Master]]. WordOfGod is that, [[SlaveToPR had she not gone to the]] [[SuperTeam Protectorate]] [[SlaveToPR so early on]], they likely would've classified her as a Master because, even if she doesn't actually have the ''power'' to control people, she's so good at getting them to do what she wants anyway that it's practically a moot point. It's even pointed out in-universe that [[CharmPerson "social Thinker"]][[note]]"Thinker" being the Protectorate term for various forms of SuperIntelligence, divided into "social" and "combat" sub-categories with the latter being CombatClairvoyance[[/note]] is normally used as a PR-friendly euphemism for a relatively low-powered Master rating, which is rather an OpenSecret.
* In ''FanFic/ThyGoodNeighbor'', Lord Manderly's credentials are proven when Winterfell's castellan gives him the story Lord Stark wants him to seed. First, he ruminates a bit on the story and dissects it, cutting out the obvious lies and observing the harder facts beneath. Once he has identified those, he wonders what could have made Lord Stark decide ''that'' exact story is preferable to the truth, realizing what exactly it is that he wants to keep hidden and why. He does this in the space of a few mused sentences, and he reaches the correct conclusion to the castellan's approval.
* ''Fanfic/WolverinesWendigosAndWinchesters'': No matter the situation, Dean always gives the impression he belongs, partly because he had to learn how to pretend for his whole life, partly because being TheEmpath lets him read his surroundings and accordingly tailor his behaviour. Professor Xavier is so impressed he asks Dean to teach a new course at the Institute.

* His ability to read people well in order to manipulate them is one of the things that makes the version of [[ComicBook/TheJoker the Joker]] in ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' so dangerous.

* [[Characters/MCULokiLaufeyson Loki Odinson]] in the ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse.'' In ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld,'' Frigga notes that Loki is very perceptive about others. In ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}},'' he quickly gauges his foes' personal weaknesses to set them against each other, and in ''Film/ThorRagnarok,'' effortlessly climbs to the top of the Sakaaran social ladder and later becomes the leader of the gladiators he has just met through sheer charisma.

* Mari in ''Literature/{{Salamander}}'' is a heroic version, serving as a HypercompetentSidekick in the world of politics to the TeenGenius ScienceHero, Ellen.

%% Cordelia Vorkosigan is the best example from the ''Literature/VorkosiganSaga''.
* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'':
** Moist von Lipwig is a con man extraordinaire whose talent lies in getting people to believe whatever he wants them to while thinking it was their own idea. He's managed on multiple occasions to turn a public spectacle to his advantage, turning the crowd to his favor and becoming a SpannerInTheWorks for whoever he's up against in the process.
** Havelock Vetinari, Patrician of Anhk-Morpork, has maintained control of the city by having a firm grasp of what motivates people and how to use that to his own ends. In ''Literature/{{Jingo}}'', is revealed at the end he knew long before anyone else that the island Anhk-Morpork and the Klatchians were fighting over would [[spoiler:soon sink into the ocean as suddenly as it rose]]. Upon learning this he signs a treaty that [[spoiler: surrenders the island to Klatchians with significant concessions, which amount to nothing but making Klatch and his domestic foes look like fools when the inevitable happens]].
** This is Nanny Ogg's role among the witches of Lancre. She knows how to fit in just about any place and can insert herself into any crowd and know everyone's names and stories within minutes. It's one of the few areas of witchcraft where even Granny Weatherwax will defer to her expertise.

* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire:''
** [[Characters/ASongOfIceAndFireTyrionLannister Tyrion Lannister]] is a rare example of being this trope despite most people ''not'' actually finding him all that charming or likeable, partly because they assume BeautyEqualsGoodness and he's an ugly dwarf, and partly because his DeadpanSnarker tendencies tend to irritate people.
** None are quite so skilled or dangerous as Littlefinger, who [[spoiler: set the War of Five Kings in motion with just a few carefully chosen words.]]
** Sansa Stark is one in training. Tyrion notes that she has nearly perfect manners, always knows what to say in any social situation, and can make other people feel at ease around her. Once she's [[spoiler:under the guardianship of Littlefinger]] she starts learning how to use this attribute for more manipulative political ends.
* Franchise/HannibalLecter is one of the most famous examples. Due to being an accomplished and brilliant psychiatrist, Dr. Lecter is capable of [[BreakThemByTalking picking apart anyone's psyche after asking them just a handful of seemingly innocent questions]]. There's a reason that he codified the HannibalLecture in the eyes of many due to his ability to get inside his interrogators' heads across the series.
* ''Franchise/HarryPotter'': By the time you realize the full breadth of [[Characters/HarryPotterAlbusDumbledore Albus Dumbledore's]] planning and manipulation in book seven, he looks like a full-on MagnificentBastard.
* ''Literature/ThePictureOfDorianGray'' has Lord Henry Wotton. Everything bad that happens during the story could be traced back to his words and the way he uses them.
* Rosario Blancanales takes this role in the HeroesRUs group ''Literature/AbleTeam'', and it's the reason for his nickname 'The Politician'.
* {{Literature/Twilight}}: Jasper was such a social expert as a human, he became an Empath with emotion manipulation powers as a vampire.
* In ''Literature/TheMigaxCycle'', Eeksa is an expert at figuring out people's motivations and how they'll react to certain situations. She uses this to manipulate others into aiding her resistance organization.
* Lloyd Henreid in ''Literature/TheStand'' becomes the de facto face and diplomat of Las Vegas because of his surprisingly good people skills. Just the fact that he's still alive after traveling and working with psychos like [[AxCrazy Andrew "Poke" Freeman]] and [[BigBad Randall Flagg]] is proof.
* Mr. Wickham in ''Literature/PrideAndPrejudice'' initially seems like TheCharmer, but it gradually becomes clear that he's actually this instead, since he very carefully manipulates people using his charm and how they're initially likely to respond to it. He's careful only to spread his tale of woe at the hands of Mr Darcy only in company where he can get away with it and to avoid situations where he can't, and after learning of the true story behind his history with Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth realises that most of his interactions with her were based on flattering her conviction that she could understand someone's true character based on her first impressions.
* Kuroki of ''Literature/TanteiTeamKZJikenNote'' gets this trope, word-by-word, as his epithet.

* The reason why Literature/{{Poirot}} is so wary of X is ''Literature/{{Curtain}}'' is because X has such a mastery over the human nature and their triggers, that he is able to utilise subtle hints and careful words [[spoiler:to provoke someone into rashly committing a murder that they would otherwise have stopped]].
* Clorinda Cathcart, protagonist of ''Literature/TheComfortableCourtesan'', owes her success as a courtesan to being this, and is addicted to gently and benevolently manipulating everyone around her to make their lives happier.
* Virgil of ''Literature/TheDivineComedy'' is infamous for his persuasive tongue, which is partly why he's such an effective guide in both leading Dante deeper into Hell for his redemption and in shifting Dante's perspective on God's judgement of sin. He (nearly) always succeeds in talking others, be they demon, human, or shade, into doing his bidding.
* ''Literature/TheScholomance:'' At one point, El sarcastically asks how Liesel has managed to make people think she's a nice person, and [[RhetoricalQuestionBlunder Lisel gives a speech about identifying the most popular people in every class, learning what they like, and giving them "a minimum of three relevant compliments a week. So long as they think you are agreeable, others will follow their lead."]]
* Confederation leader John Kelly in ''Literature/{{Victoria}}'' is an archetypical example. While his fellow commander [[TheParagon John Rumford]] has more raw charisma, and [[TheChessmaster William Kraft]] is the master of bureaucratic infighting, Kelly understands group dynamics and informal social hierarchies, and how to influence them.

* Ivy Gamble of ''Literature/MagicForLiars'' can figure out what motivates a person and how to get them to do what she wants, feel what she wants them to feel, or tell her what she needs to know within minutes of talking to them.

* ''Series/BurnNotice'' has Michael Westen. This ability seems to be a prerequisite of a successful spy since they need to be able to spin even tall tales into believable ones long enough to work over the mark.
* ''Series/{{Chernobyl}}'': Legasov may be the one who best understands what's going on, but he'd have gotten nowhere if it weren't for Shcherbina and his superpower of making the Soviet Government actually do things. Despite coming across as ignorant and unwilling to listen, Shcherbina demonstrates his social acuity by asking Legasov for a basic run-down of how a nuclear reactor works. Then he asks plant managers Bryukhanov and Fomin about the graphite in the rubble, comparing their behavior to Legasov's. While Legasov thought the danger was worth speaking out-of-turn in the Kremlin, Bryukhanov and Fomin try to downplay the accident, and then Bryukhanov ''immediately'' throws Fomin under the bus when Shcherbina asks a basic question about graphite in the rubble. This tells Shcherbina immediately who's trustworhthy and who isn't. Legasov requires Shcherbina's help navigating the Soviet system, coping with the KGB on their tails, and dealing with disillusioned workers, and by the end, Legasov says that while any scientist could have done his job, ''nobody'' could have done what Shcherbina did.
%%% * The title character from ''Series/TheMentalist''.
* [[Characters/GameOfThronesPetyrBaelish Littlefinger]] from ''Series/GameOfThrones''. In one monologue [[DistractedByTheSexy which no one will likely remember]], he explains how this is his only way of getting back at the other nobles.
* Grifter Sophie Deveraux (or whatever her real name may be) from ''Series/{{Leverage}}''. Her role on the team is to manipulate the mark by taking on an elaborate "role" that she plays, but often someone else needs to be sent in for one reason or another, and she'll coach them by reading the players and describing what she does and why. She can even profile someone's personality based on Hardison's background profile, seeing if they're driven, lazy, corrupt, or whatever based on the path of their professional career.
* ''Series/TheLordOfTheRingsTheRingsOfPower'': Halbrand is extremely affable and easily manages to make friends even in the most hostile situations. He can navigates through social situations and advises Galadriel to do the same instead of just antagonizing everyone around her.

** Dr. Lance Sweets as well. Sweets is a psychologist and profiler and does a lot of this for a living.
* Ryuji Iwasaki from ''Series/TokumeiSentaiGobusters''.
%%% * ''Series/Scandal2012'': Olivia.
* ''Series/{{Scorpion}}'' has Toby, a Harvard-trained psychiatrist, as their team behaviorist.
%%% * Flabber from ''{{Series/Beetleborgs}}''.
* ''{{Series/Sherlock}}'': John, definitely. This is in comparison to [[NoSocialSkills his friend.]]
* Cassie Ainsworth in ''Series/{{Skins}}'' takes this to prodigious levels.
* ''Series/WhiteCollar'': Neal Caffrey. It's part of what makes him good at conning people.

** Leela. The Doctor is better at reading people than he pretends to be, but Leela's warrior training and unusual intelligence enables her to read and understand body language and facial nuance far better than he ever could. This is especially prominent in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS14E5TheRobotsOfDeath The Robots of Death]]", in which she spends a few steps ahead of him and a giant leap ahead of the people who ''actually are supposed to be solving the mystery'' the whole time.
* ''{{Series/Community}}'': Jeff Winger. Doubles as an AmoralAttorney.
* ''Series/KamenRiderExAid'': Describing Emu Hojo as [[TheHeart sweet]], [[WideEyedIdealist kindhearted]] doctor would be pretty accurate if it didn't leave out the important part about him being a skilled [[TheChessmaster manipulator]] with a knack for BatmanGambit. Getting his [[DysfunctionJunction fellow riders]] to work together through tricking them or saving a patient by stroking his surgeon colleague's perfectionist ego are just the early examples.

* ''Series/TheBoys2019'':
** Being this is Ashley Barrett's job as the official publicist of The Seven. She already lost her job once as Starlight revealing she had been sexually abused by another member created a PR nightmare, and once brought back as Director of Talent Relations, working closer to an asshole [[LackOfEmpathy without empathy]] like Homelander ensures [[BeleagueredAssistant Ashley suffers]] [[AuthorityInNameOnly and gets absolutely no respect]]. She still continues to handle their PR crisis, like [[spoiler:Blue Hawk attacking audience members at a Black community center where he is instructed to give an apology for his RacialProfiling]]
** There's also Stormfront, who has a strong social media presence and is as savvy as it gets with internet promotion, down to [[AstroTurf hiring five guys to constantly churn out memes]]...[[VillainWithGoodPublicity to hide that she's a complete sociopath]] and a ''literal'' Nazi who takes particular pleasure in killing minorities.
* ''Series/GossipGirl2021'': Luna seems to know a lot of things in social media including trends or scandals. She uses this ability to learn for Julien about the past of Obie's new girlfriend and point out to Max his newfound feelings for Audrey and Aki in a therapeutic manner.
* ''Series/TheExpanse'' has two prominent social experts exemplifying two opposing sides of the social expertise: Chrisjen Avasarala and Anna Volovodov. Avasarala is a manipulative [[TheChessmaster chessmaster]] who always knows ''exactly'' what to say to whom to make them do what she wants them to do. Anna, meanwhile, is a [[TheParagon pure-hearted minister]] whose words reach the hearts of [[TheRedeemer even the most jaded individuals and bring out the best in them, however deeply buried,]] because she ''always'' speaks from her heart. Both are [[ExcellentJudgeOfCharacter excellent judges of character]], but when Avasarala opens her mouth, expect an awesome moment, and when Anna does, expect a heartwarming one.

* ''TabletopGame/TheDresdenFiles'' and other Fate variants go one step further, where you can fully engage in social combat, allowing you to browbeat your opponents into submission, with social skills.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}''

* This is the bard's job in ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', although they can also fight pretty well. In third edition, the infamous Diplomancer build allowed a character of this sort (often a bard) to, fairly rapidly, talk down most intelligent opponents from actively hostile into disinterested parties.
** The College of Eloquence in 5E doubles down on this role by giving bards an automatic 10 or higher on Persuasion or Deception rolls. Assuming maxed out Charisma and expertise, when you pick up this subclass you will never get below a 19. When you reach maximum proficiency, you'll never roll below a 27!

* The Boggans in ''TabletopGame/ChangelingTheDreaming'' are keen observers of social interactions, and their inherently unobtrusive nature allows them to witness things that might otherwise remain hidden. This capacity allows a boggan to puzzle out a group's social dynamics and pieces of information that he would find useful.
* This is pretty much the job description of the Graces in ''TabletopGame/PrincessTheHopeful''. They are the Princesses specially charged with inspiring others and with leading and running societies.
* In the TabletopGame/Warhammer40000 book Vigilus Ablaze, [[BigBad Abaddon the Despoiler]] himself is revealed to be an expert negotiator. Abaddon wants to use an ancient super-weapon held by the Fallen Dark Angels on Vigilus to destroy the Imperial Fleet, but the Fallen are intentionally hiding the weapon so they can destroy the loyalist Dark Angels with it instead. When Abaddon meets with the Fallen to negotiate, the narration points out that Abaddon has previously cut deals with everything from the [[FallenHero heretical primarchs]], to [[TheLegionsOfHell daemons]], to the [[GodOfEvil Chaos Gods]] themselves. As such, even the normally [[ManipulativeBastard very manipulative]] Fallen agree in short order to support Abaddon's plan to attack the Imperial Fleet.

* In ''VideoGame/CryingSuns'', an officer with the Persuasion skill knows exactly what to say in any given situation. With a few carefully chosen words they can uncover a seemingly innocent person's true intentions or convince a hostile Scrapper to release their hostages, amongst other things.
* In the interactive romance novel ''VideoGame/{{Moonrise}}'', Rosario can size up any situation, read any room, and charm anyone out of their pants.
* [[spoiler: Master Li]] from ''VideoGame/JadeEmpire''.

* Most characters in ''VideoGame/RenownedExplorers'' to a greater or lesser degree. Two of the [[TacticalRockPaperScissors three combat options]] involve either [[BreakThemByTalking demoralizing your foe]] or convincing them to [[BefriendingTheEnemy become your friend]] (the third involves physical attacks). Speaker characters are the best at social combat but all characters are skilled in at least one of the two social combat forms.

* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy''

** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'', this is Thancred's role among the Scions of the Seventh Dawn. The Scions being mostly a group of scholars, mages, and general-purpose nerds, Thancred stands out all the more for his early appearance with a woman on each arm, chatting them up while keeping an ear out for nearby gossip. Much later on in the plot, new Scion [[spoiler:G'raha Tia]] shows some signs of a less flirtatious and more leaderly variation, taking charge of crowds by calmly calling out orders and offering them a direction before they can begin to panic.
*** This is also the most notable and possibly only useful skill possessed by Emmanellain de Fortemps, especially in his early appearances: he's middling at best as a knight, and before a harsh reality check he's perpetually unmotivated to do actual hard work, but he ''does'' know almost all the interesting gossip in the city, which in the politically-fraught Ishgard is actually pretty valuable.

* [[GuileHero Terezi]] in ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' is the most talented manipulator of the series thanks to being the Social Expert, contrasted with [[TokenEvilTeammate Vriska]] who relies on more direct PsychicPowers. Crowbar of The Felt is so good with people that he was able to win over Caliborn, the most unpleasant character in the story bar none, over the course of a single conversation.
* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'':
** Elan is a [[GenreSavvy story-telling expert]] because his role is the party bard. This makes him able to predict the actions and motivations of almost everyone involved. [[spoiler: RunsInTheFamily as Elan and Nale's father, Tarquin is much the same. However, he is a much more experienced and intelligent example of this while also malicious. He uses this to be a shadow ruler alongside his adventurer buddies as part of a grand scheme to conquer an ''entire continent.'' Unfortunately, his adherence to storytelling tradition (and resulting hatred of subversion of conventions) along with egomania and ControlFreak issues are what allow Elan and the Order to crush his plans.]]
** Belkar is a more focused example. Multiple times he's shown he knows exactly what to say to someone, whether it be a mentally unstable paladin, a grieving friend, or a man who's just got a taste for violence. He isn't ''nice'' about it, but he can get them to do what he wants. An odd example, as Belkar has no social skills whatsoever, but is an expert on hurting people - it's up to his discretion whether that pain can provoke someone, break them down, or motivate them to keep going out of anger.
* In ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' Dr. Mettlemind stands out among the other [[MadScientist Mad Scientists]] by being a Mad ''Social'' Scientist. He's got good insight on the dynamics of inter-Spark interactions and how they can resolve peacefully, and it was his ambitious plans involving "[[NoodleImplements a thousand orphans, a hedge maze and enough cheese]]" that apparently got him exiled.
** Queen Albia of England may also count. She mentions that even before her second breakthrough she was a master of the art of knowing people's hearts and motivations.

[[folder:Web Original]]
* ''Literature/GrandmasterOfTheft'''s Cassidy Cain uses social grace as both herself and to assist as a ClassyCatBurglar.
* Many exist in the ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse''. Ayla and Jadis are social expert protagonists. Many more are antagonists.
* Jack Masterson in ''Literature/ChronoHustle''.
* Sylvester in ''Literature/{{Twig}}'' learned to read people as a child out of necessity, and as a result is a skilled manipulator and predictor of others. His ability is massively bolstered by [[FantasticDrug Wyvern]], which lets him restructure his brain to give himself greater focus on certain areas, and he has pretty much permanently settled for this trope to round out his team's roster of skills. However, while he normally relishes being this, the story also explores the downsides; forming a trusting and equal relationship is extremely difficult when he has such an enormous advantage in emotional manipulation, even if both he and the other party want to make it work, and being an effortless ConsummateLiar means that when trying to be genuinely honest he is either not believed or he says the wrong thing.
* ''Literature/{{Worm}}'' has Tattletale and Jack Slash, who use social expertise in their supervillain work. Tattletale uses her SherlockScan power to build up profiles of individuals and home in on their psychological weak points. Jack Slash greatly enjoys gaining understanding of the minds of superpowered individuals and uses this understanding to get other villains vastly more powerful than he is to do what he says.

* [[TheSociopath Felix]] in the Chorus trilogy arc of ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue''. He's [[FauxAffablyEvil charming]], funny, and even [[VillainsNeverLie without lying]] does a very convincing imitation of the [[HiddenHeartOfGold merc with a heart of gold]]. It's especially notable with his [[TeethClenchedTeamwork partner]], [[ColdSniper Locus]], who is much more [[TheDreaded intimidating]] but has rather awful [[NoSocialSkills people skills.]]
* ''LetsPlay/{{Mahu}}'': In "Frozen Flame" Mr. Storm always seeks to use those words which he thinks the other side wants to hear. This is a skill he slowly managed to develop in court, as King Seron had close to zero diplomatic skills.

* Both [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderPrincessAzula Princess Azula]] and [[EvilChancellor Long Feng]] in ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender''. Though, when they betray each other, Azula wins out in the end, [[MagnificentBastard easily]]. Azula's actually an interesting case; she can accurately predict the movements, motivations, and operational methods of virtually anyone she encounters. This makes her incredibly dangerous on the field of battle or when she's attempting to manipulate someone. She can also be very charismatic at times (just look at her aforementioned takedown of Long Feng). But when it comes to everyday, basic social interaction, she fails. Completely. Ruling through fear and/or intimidation is pretty much the only thing in her social skill set; excellent for being the dictator of an entire nation, not so much when trying to mingle with people her own age. However, when her father briefly gives her control of the Fire Nation she quickly becomes paranoid and unstable, firing her servants for the mildest pretexts.

* Bill on ''WesternAnimation/{{Fangbone}}''. In contrast to Fangbone's "sword first, questions second" approach to strangers, Bill is more likely to try and engage with others by trying to talk to them and understand where they're coming from - a trait that has helped him and Fangbone defeat with a few of their opponents with minimal bloodshed as seen in episodes like "The Duck of Always", "The Bucket of Goblins", and "The Defeat of Glory". One of the last episodes even shows Bill bribing Venomous Drool's monsters with food to get them to support him and Fangbone instead of Drool.

** One of the main unique character quirks of the Second Doctor in ''Series/DoctorWho''. He can walk into any situation and immediately map out the social dynamics by observing their body language and interactions, approach whoever is almost certain to know more than everyone else, and then instantly figure out what they mean by the fact that they're lying about his questioning. "Power of the Daleks" is a spectacular example, where he effortlessly bluffs his way into the upper social circle of an Earth colony by [[BavarianFireDrill pretending to be an examiner from Earth]], and immediately makes a whole map of who's trying to overthrow who just by watching the politicians' facial expressions as they answer his trivial questions, ''while still recovering from temporary confusion caused by his first regeneration''.
** Leela. The Doctor is better at reading people than he pretends to be, but Leela's warrior training and unusual intelligence enables her to read and understand body language and facial nuance far better than he ever could. This is especially prominent in "The Robots of Death", which she spends a few steps ahead of him and a giant leap ahead of the people who ''actually are supposed to be solving the mystery'' the whole time.
* ''{{Series/Community}}'': Jeff Winger. Doubles as an [[AmoralAttorney Amoral Attorney]].

* ''Series/HighlanderTheSeries'': One of the main reasons that [[TheOlderImmortal Methos]] has survived so long is that he is good at judging which other Immortals are dangerous to him and which Immortals are too honorable to attack someone without good reason, knowledge that is essential to surviving [[CrapsackWorld the Game]]. He is also is good at using that knowledge to [[ManipulativeBastard manipulate both friends and enemies]] into doing what he wants.
-->'''Methos:''' ''(talking to Keane, a {{Hero Antagonist}} who has a sword to his throat)'' Do you mind putting that down, or were you planning to use it?
-->'''Keane:''' What makes you think I won't?
-->'''Methos:''' I'm a student of human nature.
-->''Later, after Keane leaves without getting any information from him or harming him in any way...''
-->'''Methos:''' I love good guys.

* [[VillainProtagonist Light Yagami]] from ''Manga/DeathNote'' survives largely by manipulating those around him for information he needs or putting them in situations where they're likely to do what he wants. He'll even do this with himself, at one point removing his memory of the Death Note in a MemoryGambit to remove suspicion from himself.

* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'': This is one of the main differences between Dipper and Mabel. Dipper may be TheSmartGuy, but he’s not incredibly social. [[Characters/GravityFallsMabelPines Mabel Pines]] is the exact opposite. While she’s not as intelligent as her brother, she understands people much better, and her outgoing nature makes it easy for her to befriend just about anyone that she meets.

* ComicBook/LexLuthor. His people skills allow him to both keep up his VillainWithGoodPublicity status as well as make sure his covert operations are in order. He is so good at this that he is one of the few people who can keep the ''Joker'' in check during a villain team-up.
* Also from DC Comics is Dick Grayson, the first Robin and later ComicBook/{{Nightwing}}. It's been joked that his real superpower is charisma, often mediating fights amongst heroes and even having villains coming to his defense on occasion due to his sheer likeableness.
* Tim Drake, the third ComicBook/{{Robin|1993}} later ComicBook/RedRobin, gets along with people and never had any enemies in his civilian life even though his close friends ''did'' and he gains the affection of a number of villains. Coming on Dick's heels everyone rather expects him to be like Dick, but Tim is much more closed off and manipulative than his elder brother and is not the natural leader Dick is, preferring to work as a tactician and planner supporting someone he trusts.

* Loki in the ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse.'' In ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld,'' Frigga notes that Loki is very perceptive about others. In ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}},'' he quickly gauges his foes' personal weaknesses to set them against each other, and in ''Film/ThorRagnarok,'' effortlessly climbs to the top of the Sakaaran social ladder and later becomes the leader of the gladiators he has just met through sheer charisma.

** Tyrion Lannister is a rare example of being this trope despite most people ''not'' actually finding him all that charming or likeable, partly because they assume BeautyEqualsGoodness and he's an ugly dwarf, and partly because his DeadpanSnarker tendencies tend to irritate people.

* ''Franchise/HarryPotter'': By the time you realize the full breadth of Dumbledore's planning and manipulation in book seven, he looks like a full-on MagnificentBastard.

* Littlefinger from ''Series/GameOfThrones''. In one monologue [[DistractedByTheSexy which no one will likely remember]], he explains how this is his only way of getting back at the other nobles.

* Both [[TheDragon Princess Azula]] and [[EvilChancellor Long Feng]] in ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender''. Though, when they betray each other, Azula wins out in the end, [[MagnificentBastard easily]]. Azula's actually an interesting case; she can accurately predict the movements, motivations, and operational methods of virtually anyone she encounters. This makes her incredibly dangerous on the field of battle or when she's attempting to manipulate someone. She can also be very charismatic at times (just look at her aforementioned takedown of Long Feng). But when it comes to everyday, basic social interaction, she fails. Completely. Ruling through fear and/or intimidation is pretty much the only thing in her social skill set; excellent for being the dictator of an entire nation, not so much when trying to mingle with people her own age. However, when her father briefly gives her control of the Fire Nation she quickly becomes paranoid and unstable, firing her servants for the mildest pretexts.
** In ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', [[KnightTemplar Amon]] and [[CorruptPolitician Tarrlok]] share this trait. [[spoiler:Fittingly, they're brothers.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'': This is one of the main differences between Dipper and Mabel. Dipper may be TheSmartGuy, but he’s not incredibly social. Mabel is the exact opposite. While she’s not as intelligent as her brother, she understands people much better, and her outgoing nature makes it easy for her to befriend just about anyone that she meets.

** Rarity is definitely the biggest social expert of the Mane 6, being a fashion designer who travels in higher circles than the rest of the cast. This can occasionally blind her to simpler solutions that don't require complicated social graces, at which point Pinkie, who spends all her free time learning what her friends find fun, steps in.
** Of the princesses who rule Equestria, Celestia is by far the more social one. She ruled the country alone for a thousand years until her sister Luna was redeemed, spending all day in diplomatic talks and making public appearances where she encouraged her subjects to improve. Luna, in a fit of pique, flippantly refers to this as "smiling and being adored by everypony." [[InAnotherMansShoes Luna finds the job much more difficult than expected when she has to take over for a day]]. Of course, Celestia finds Luna's job much more difficult than expected [[HatesBeingAlone for the opposite reason]].
** On the other side of the fence is Cozy Glow, a sociopathic EnfantTerrible who has no magic powers whatsoever but manages to be a serious threat because she [[ManipulativeBastard knows how to play others]] and believes in ThePowerOfFriendship solely because the "power" part of it is literal in the MLP universe. In fact, the only reason this magicless pegasus seems to have been recruited alongside magical powerhouses like Lord Tirek, King Sombra, and Queen Chrysalis, is Grogar wants her understanding of teamwork and friendship to get the villains to work together.
* ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'': This, along with being a MasterActor, is what makes Double Trouble such a dangerous and effective spy, especially when combined with their VoluntaryShapeshifting abilities. They can easily infer the motivations of others and what they're likely to do next, and it never takes them long to figure out what makes them tick, or how to get under their skin. So not only can they look like anybody they want, they can impersonate them almost flawlessly, and have you believing they're your best friend, too. And once they've observed you closely for a little bit, they'll have such a firm grasp on your personality and motivations that they'll be able to deliver a ''brutal'' BreakingSpeech effortlessly.

* ''Series/TheExpanse'' has two prominent social experts exemplifying two opposing sides of the social expertise: Chrisjen Avasarala and Anna Volovodov. Avasarala is a manipulative [[TheChessmaster chessmaster]] who always knows ''exactly'' what to say to whom to make them do what she wants them to do. Anna, meanwhile, is a [[TheParagon pure-hearted minister]] whose words reach the hearts of [[TheRedeemer even the most jaded individuals]] because she ''always'' speaks from her heart, at all times. Both are [[ExcellentJudgeOfCharacter excellent judges of character]], but when Avasaral opens her mouth, expect an awesome moment, and when Anna does, expect a heartwarming one.

%%% * ''Series/{{Scandal}}'': Olivia.

* Tim Drake, the third ComicBook/{{Robin|Series}} later ComicBook/RedRobin, gets along with people and never had any enemies in his civilian life even though his close friends ''did'' and he gains the affection of a number of villains. Coming on Dick's heels everyone rather expects him to be like Dick, but Tim is much more closed off and manipulative than his elder brother and is not the natural leader Dick is, preferring to work as a tactician and planner supporting someone he trusts.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosMovies'': In contrast to his brother, Mario clearly knows his way around people. He is able to successfully negotiate with several figures of authority during his adventure, wordlessly coaches Luigi through an anxious phone call, and consistently gives the denizens of the Mushroom Kingdom friendly greetings even when they're strange or intimidating, as if aware of the value of a good first impression.