History Main / TheSocialExpert

* ''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.

The Social Expert is a character with people skills, especially when dealing with large groups of people. He can recognize the social patterns in a group, figure out people's motivations, and know who the person in charge is. The Social Expert can identify who's manipulatable, who's a manipulator, and who's neither. The Social Expert can make himself likable even to his enemies, and is normally clever enough not to make very many of them.

Social expertise is an alignment-neutral skill, but it's practically a prerequisite for ManipulativeBastard, MagnificentBastard and TheChessmaster. Nearly every DecadentCourt will have at least one, probably more. May also be TheCharmer. On TheTeam, they are TheFace. Protagonist Social Experts are {{Guile Hero}}es, supporting Social Experts end up as MrExposition, and villainous ones are normally large-scale {{Manipulative Bastard}}s. Contrast with NoSocialSkills. In role-playing games involving CombatDiplomacyStealth, this is the Diplomacy option. With the rise of social media-focused stories, a TechBro who dabbles in social media may be portrayed as The Social Expert.

* ''Manga/DrStone'': Gen Asagiri was a mentalist before the collapse of civilization. He once wrote a psychology book, and uses this knowledge to manipulate people. Tsukasa revived him to serve as a spy and scout, but he became a DoubleAgent after meeting Senku.

* This is one of the main reasons for Reinhard von Lohengramm's success in ''Anime/LegendOfGalacticHeroes''. 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 egoes.

* 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 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.

* 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 spywork [[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 ''LightNovel/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 what how he should act to help them.

* 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 he is one of the few people who can keep the ''Joker'' in check during a villain team up.

--> Ash: Oh... is that so? Well, let me see... [[SherlockScan your hair is dyed to be that hideous shade, the root colour doesn't match your eyebrow's tint. Your facial characteristics are indicative of bones that haven't healed correctly, and that is indicative of a violent upbringing; your reaction to confrontation leads me to conclude that it was likely a male figure in your life... father? No, your father left you as a child, I can deduce that by the over compensation of your pride. A definite superiority complex tells me that you feel inadequate in real-life situations because you held no power at all before becoming a trainer. Your accent is faked as your tone shifts too frequently to be genuine, that shows that you are trying to be someone other than your true self... and finally; the revelation of your feelings of inadequacy in real life leads me to conclude that your 'testosterone-filled' temper is another way you compensate for the fact that you have trouble acting out on your urges]], you take that frustration out on your Pokémon but that still begs the question of why? I can tell from the fear in your eyes that you want me to stop and I shall, but not before I conclude my final observation of the evidence. You are impotent, your feeling of powerlessness drives your anger and turns that urge into rage... [[BadassBoast so there you are Damien, can you now honestly say that I know nothing about you, little boy?]]

** Moist von Lipwig is a con man extraordinare who's 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.

** This is Nanny Ogg's role among the witches of Lancre. She knows how to fit in just about anyplace and can insert herself into any crowd and know everyone's names and story within minutes. It's one of the few areas of witchcraft where even Granny Weatherwax will defer to her expertise.

* Lloyd Henreid in ''Literature/TheStand'' becomes the defacto 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.

* ''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.

** Special Agent Seeley Booth,who often relies on his 'gut' to solve crimes and is referred to as the 'people person' because of his natural intuitive insights and ability to read people well.

-->Methos (talking to Keane, a {{Hero Antagonist}} who has a sword to his throat): Do you mind putting that down, or we’re 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.

** At least one character in the PC group needs to have good social skills to deal with the various [=NPCs=] the group will encounter. They should have high Charisma, good Etiquette skills and possibly cyberware/bioware that enhances those qualities (e.g. tailored pheromones). Such a person may be called "The Face" of the group.

* Mike Thorton, the protagonist from ''VideoGame/AlphaProtocol'', is described by his boss as someone who knows how to [[ManipulativeBastard manipulate people to get what he wants]], and this is reflected in the conversation system. The conversational stances that Mike takes may have nothing to do with what he feels, and can drive people to friendship or enmity. according to his objectives.

* All ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'' protagonists are this. They move to a new school in a town or city where they have very few, if any, preexisting relationships and over the course of less than a year manage to establish a close circle of friends and an extremely effective network of contacts. The protagonist of ''VideoGame/Persona5'' stands out in particular, managing to set up a network that includes (among others): A disgraced back-alley doctor that provides him with questionably-legal medicine, an ex-yakuza who runs an airsoft shop that buys all the weird crap he hauls back from the Metaverse and sells the Phantom Thieves their gear, a washed-up politician that teaches him oration and debate, and an alcoholic journalist who feeds him information and writes favorable puff pieces about the Phantom Thieves.

* In ''VisualNovel/MajikoiLoveMeSeriously'', Yamato manipulates people's behavior when he's not straight out outsmarting them.

** 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 adevnturer 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.

* ''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 weakpoints. 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.

* 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 take down of Long Feng). But when it comes to every day, 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.

* Henry Kissinger. This trope is the whole reason he was both a succesful diplomat and ladiesman.

* People can end up becoming at least observant of social phenomenons if they've been exposed to volatile environments such as growing up in an abusive household (for example, a parent may exhibit signs of being in a bad mood and may lash out at their family if they do something, no matter how trivial it may be, to upset them). As a result, they become more cautious and strategic of how they interact with others in order to avoid negative social scenarios.

Social expertise is an alignment-neutral skill, but it's practically a prerequisite for ManipulativeBastard, MagnificentBastard and TheChessmaster. Nearly every DecadentCourt will have at least one, probably more. May also be TheCharmer. On TheTeam, they are TheFace. Protagonist Social Experts are {{Guile Hero}}es, supporting Social Experts end up as MrExposition, and villainous ones are normally large-scale {{Manipulative Bastard}}s. Contrast with NoSocialSkills. In role-playing games involving CombatDiplomacyStealth, this is the Diplomacy option.

* ''Series/TheBoys2019'': Ashley Barrett is the official publicist of The Seven.

* 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 take down of Long Feng). But when it comes to every day, 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.

Social expertise is an alignment-neutral skill, but it's practically a prerequisite for ManipulativeBastard, MagnificentBastard and TheChessmaster. Nearly every DeadlyDecadentCourt will have at least one, probably more. May also be TheCharmer. On TheTeam, they are TheFace. Protagonist Social Experts are {{Guile Hero}}es, supporting Social Experts end up as MrExposition, and villainous ones are normally large-scale {{Manipulative Bastard}}s. Contrast with NoSocialSkills. In role-playing games involving CombatDiplomacyStealth, this is the Diplomacy option.

* In ''Literature/TheStand'', Lloyd Heinreid becomes a de facto diplomat for Flagg's followers in Las Vegas due to his surprisingly good people skills. The story notes that the very fact that he survived working with the AxCrazy Andrew "Poke" Freeman and Randall Flagg is proof of his social skills.

* Series/SchittsCreek: Alexis Rose, once a social media celebrity and socialite, eventually parlays these skills into an event planning business. She successfully organizes a Singles Week that benefits the town economically, including her brother's store and her father's motel. She also helps rebrand the motel from the Schitt's Creek Motel to the Rosebud Motel, making Stevie feel more a part of the Rose family.

%% [[MagnificentBastard Johan Liebert]] from Anime/{{Monster}}.

* In ''Videogame/SouthParkTheStickOfTruth'', the protagonist is noted to have a talent for making friends really quickly on Facebook. The ending reveals that [[spoiler:the power to make tons of friends on any social media network is a special power of theirs that caused them and their family to be hunted down by the government]]. The sequel adds more to this by revealing that [[spoiler:their own parents have such powers and were themselves experimented on by the government]].
* In ''Videogame/FinalFantasyXII'', Vayne Solidor is so skilled at diplomacy and manipulation that he's able to win over a crowd of people whose country '''he conquered in a recent military conquest''' over the course of a ''single speech''.

* In ''VisualNovel/MajiDeWatashiNiKoiShinasai'', Yamato manipulates people's behavior when he's not straight out outsmarting them.

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* [[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 adevnturer 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.
[[/folder]]

* Izaya Orihara from ''{{LightNovel/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.

* Ukraine from ''Webcomic/AxisPowersHetalia'' 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.

* The ''Anime/Danganronpa3'' 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 spywork [[spoiler:and one reason why he's so crushed when her betrayal is revealed. Yukizome was not only his (girl?)friend but his LivingEmotionalCrutch]].

* ''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.

* ''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.

* The ''Anime/Danganronpa3'' character [[CoolTeacher Chisa]] 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 Kyosuke (who's good at rhetoric but not personal interactions) assigns her spywork [[spoiler:and one reason why he's so crushed when her betrayal is revealed. Chisa was not only his {girl?)friend but his LivingEmotionalCrutch]].

--> Ash: Oh... is that so? Well, let me see... your hair is dyed to be that hideous shade, the root colour doesn't match your eyebrow's tint. Your facial characteristics are indicative of bones that haven't healed correctly, and that is indicative of a violent upbringing; your reaction to confrontation leads me to conclude that it was likely a male figure in your life... father? No, your father left you as a child, I can deduce that by the over compensation of your pride. A definite superiority complex tells me that you feel inadequate in real-life situations because you held no power at all before becoming a trainer. Your accent is faked as your tone shifts too frequently to be genuine, that shows that you are trying to be someone other than your true self... and finally; the revelation of your feelings of inadequacy in real life leads me to conclude that your 'testosterone-filled' temper is another way you compensate for the fact that you have trouble acting out on your urges, you take that frustration out on your Pokémon but that still begs the question of why? I can tell from the fear in your eyes that you want me to stop and I shall, but not before I conclude my final observation of the evidence. You are impotent, your feeling of powerlessness drives your anger and turns that urge into rage... [[BadassBoast so there you are Damien, can you now honestly say that I know nothing about you, little boy?]]

* All ''[[Franchise/ShinMegamiTenseiPersona Persona]]'' Protags are this. They move to a new school in a town or city where they have very few, if any, preexisting relationships and over the course of less than a year manage to establish a close circle of friends and an extremely effective network of contacts. The protagonist of ''VideoGame/Persona5'' stands out in particular, managing to set up a network that includes (among others): A disgraced back-alley doctor that provides him with questionably-legal medicine, an ex-yakuza who runs an airsoft shop that buys all the weird crap he hauls back from the Metaverse and sells the Phantom Thieves their gear, a washed-up politician that teaches him oration and debate, and an alcoholic journalist who feeds him information and writes favorable puff pieces about the Phantom Thieves.

* This is one of the main reasons for Reinhard von Lohengramm's success in ''LegendOfGalacticHeroes''. 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 egoes.

--> Ash: Oh... is that so? Well, let me see... your hair is dyed to be that hideous shade, the root colour doesn't match your eyebrow's tint. Your facial characteristics are indicative of bones that haven't healed correctly, and that is indicative of a violent upbringing; your reaction to confrontation leads me to conclude that it was likely a male figure in your life... father? No, your father left you as a child, I can deduce that by the over compensation of your pride. A definite superiority complex tells me that you feel inadequate in real-life situations because you held no power at all before becoming a trainer. Your accent is faked as your tone shifts too frequently to be genuine, that shows that you are trying to be someone other than your true self... and finally; the revelation of your feelings of inadequacy in real life leads me to conclude that your 'testosterone-filled' temper is another way you compensate for the fact that you have trouble acting out on your urges, you take that frustration out on your Pokémon but that still begs the question of why? I can tell from the fear in your eyes that you want me to stop and I shall, but not before I conclude my final observation of the evidence. You are impotent, your feeling of powerlessness drives your anger and turns that urge into rage... so there you are Damien, can you now honestly say that I know nothing about you, little boy?