History Main / TroubledbutCute

%% * Franchise/{{Batman}}.

* Jeff from {{Series/Community}}

%% * ''PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians'' Nico Di Angelo. Emphasis on the "cute", since he's only twelve years old, but he's got plenty of issues. %%NOTE: what issues?

* Jonah Von Brucken from ''AmazingAgentLuna'' is a perfect example of this. He is considered to be handsome by nearly everyone in the series, and has a [[DarkAndTroubledPast dark and troubled past]] with an attitude to match.

* Kouji Kabuto from ''Anime/MazingerZ''. High-school student, male, JerkWithAHeartOfGold with love for bikes and reputation for being a {{Delinquent}}. And he pilots a HumongousMecha. Needless to say, girls gush over him (especially Sayaka Yumi).

* Sagara Sousuke from ''LightNovel/FullMetalPanic''. Although he's not "troubled" in the normal rebellious sense, and more just plain troubled. It's pretty obvious that the poor boy has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and an automatically violent personality that he can't control. His extreme paranoia has him doing things like bombing his school, planting land mines everywhere, and pointing guns/shooting at people. Of course, all of this is [[ComedicSociopathy played for laughs]], and he [[AngstWhatAngst tends not to angst]] (considering his past and current situation, he angsts ''remarkably'' little). And despite all this, ''any'' girl (or [[EvenTheGuysWantHim guy, even]]) who has watched him or gotten to know him well enough seems to [[ChickMagnet fall for him]] - even the series' resident {{Tsundere}}. On one occasion, Kaname was kidnapped by a group of thugs who planned to back him into a corner. He retaliated in a way so nightmarish that, that particular episode wasn't aired for a while because of a similar incident in real life. Then, when she got kidnapped AGAIN by the Yakuza, Sousuke went after her with a rival gang clad in '''theme park mascot suits converted into powered armors'''. Seriously, who the hell would convert theme park mascots into powered armor and try to sell it to the military and law enforcement sector, then wonder why didn't it sell? He first stole the suit while trying to keep an eye on Kaname while she was at an amusement park and decided to make it more useful in the future by upgrading it. He's dumbfounded by it not selling because his raised-by-wolves attitude left him without a sense of aesthetics, so he didn't realize just how silly it looked.

* Mikael from ''TenshiNiNarumon'' is a very, VERY troubled and unstable pretty boy. You wouldn't guess that because [[spoiler: for the first 13 episodes, he acts very little, and even when he does, he's usually calm, polite, always smiling gently - an epitomy of sanity in a crapsack world. Then, in the second season, we get to see the real him under that mask - a very stubborn, obsessive, and insecure boy. And at the end, he goes all evil and insane and has an epic breakdown - and then he returns back to his former self. He remains stubborn as hell, unfortunately.]]

** Ninjette is alcoholic and on the run from her abusive, psychopathic father, who fully intends to amputate her limbs and use her as a breeding machine. Despite this, she is adorable and way tougher than your average BrokenBird, and she can kick an entire army's butt single-handedly.
** Spooky (female example), even before she had a breakdown as the result of her girlfriend [[spoiler: dying horribly]], Spooky has paralyzing self-esteem and bullying issues (and seems to lack a family, despite being high school age). She is cute and tough as nails (She's pretty much able to kick an entire army on her own).

%% * Patrick Verona from ''Film/TenThingsIHateAboutYou''. However, [[spoiler: as we learn later, he is more in the line of "he doesn't deny any of this, so it must be true". He does stay away from most of his peers, but that's mostly because he just does have different tastes. Kate is the real TroubledButCute, with her open disgust of the people around her and even with her "the reason I am so angry at everyone" backstory.]]

* Kovu from ''Disney/TheLionKing 2'' definitely fits this trope - if he wasn't, you know, a lion, he would definitely wear leather jackets and ride a motorcycle. he has dark charms and mysterious vibes and Princess Kiara likes him immediately. His family makes his life difficult and miserable because they supported Scar, Simba's (Kiara's father) arch-enemy.

* Christian Troy on ''NipTuck''. He's shallow, sex-obsessed, and in the habit of treating his sex partners like dirt -- but he's also handsome, successful, and ''really'' good in bed, not to mention the [[FreudianExcuse unexpected vulnerable streak]].

* In one episode of ''{{Birdz}}'', we meet Riley Raven, a good-looking bad boy who does pretty much whatever he wants, and is considered a "bad egg" for it. We later learn that he acts this way because of his workaholic parents never having time for him.

* Hollywood actor JamesDean is pretty much the definitive example here and possibly the TropeCodifier.

See also: TheWoobie, BrokenBird, DracoInLeatherPants, EvilIsCool, EvilIsSexy, DontYouDarePityMe, JerkassWoobie.

%% * Hollywood actor JamesDean is pretty much the definitive example here and possibly the TropeCodifier.
%% * ByronicHero Lord Byron.
%% * Music/KurtCobain.
%% * MelanieLynskey is cute as a bug's ear, but tends to play characters that are, to say the least, quirky.
%% * River Phoenix.

%% * Ian Curtis of JoyDivision fame.
%% * Peter Steele of TypeONegative fame.
%% * Based on his Draw My Life video, ShaneDawson is this a big way
%% * Russell Brand (read "My Booky Wook").

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-->-- '''Kelly Clarkson''', "Beautiful Disaster"

* Manga/InuYasha is fairly handsome, being a WhiteHairedPrettyBoy and all that, but ''damn'' did he have a rough life. His father died before he was born and his mother died when he was only a few years old, making him an orphan at a young age; he is a [[HalfHumanHybrid half-demon]], which has caused him to be ostracized by both human and demonic society, including his older full-demon brother, the only remaining family he has left; the first girl he fell in love with was brutally murdered and he was framed for the crime, with the girlfriend binding him to a tree, declaring her hatred of him in her last moments alive. Small surprise he has an abrasive personality.

* Bridget L. Satellizer in ''{{Freezing}}'' is known as "[[BadassNickname The Untouchable Queen]]" because of her skill and tendency to beat the crap out of anyone who touches her. Because ThereAreNoTherapists, everybody avoids and ostracizes her without realizing her problems are the result of [[FreudianExcuse being abused both emotionally and sexually by a family member]].

** Lance Alvers, aka Avalanche, post-CharacterizationMarchesOn. At first he was just a straight up criminal, then he gained some NobleDemon aspects and a soft spot for the local Moe.

* Hollywood actor JamesDean is pretty much the definitive example here and possibly the TropeCodifier.
* Can you say [[ByronicHero Lord Byron]]?
* Music/KurtCobain.
* MelanieLynskey is [[{{Moe}} cute as a bug's ear]], but tends to play characters that are, to say the least, quirky.
* River Phoenix. That is all.

* Ian Curtis of JoyDivision fame.
* Peter Steele of TypeONegative fame.
* Based on his Draw My Life video, ShaneDawson is this a big way
* Russell Brand (read "My Booky Wook").
* CillianMurphy is very good at playing mildly unstable (''Film/{{Inception}}'') to the outright [[CrazyAwesome crazy]] (''Film/RedEye'', ''Film/BatmanBegins'') characters, which contrasts with his androgynous features (except the eyes, of course). In RealLife, he's actually a [[MeanCharacterNiceActor nice guy]].

%%%%% DTH
* ''VideoGame/MassEffect'' presents [[FanNickname FemShep's]] potential male love interests, in order of least-to-most emotional baggage: Jacob (refuses to be thought of as a "baggage guy") -> Kaidan (TrainingFromHell, BlessedWithSuck) -> Garrus (CowboyCop with a lot of survivor guilt come the second game) -> Thane (former assassin who made his first kill when he was twelve). Now, where [[BiTheWay Liara]] would fit on this scale is another question...

* Lightning in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'' is a female example.

* Kōya Aotsuki from the gay DatingSim ''{{Morenatsu}}''.

* Subverted in ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'': Ron tries to ''become'' this character to get a date. It doesn't work, and through a little accidental [[AppliedPhlebotinum A.P.]], he becomes a full-on supervillain.
* Zuko of ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender''. A leather jacket wouldn't fit the medieval Asian "look" of the show, so he makes up for it with a [[GoodScarsEvilScars facial scar]] linked to his tragic BackStory.
** What about [[WellIntentionedExtremist Jet]]?
*** Considering how [[TeamMom Katara]] [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys was goo gaa over him]] until his plan was revealed, ''yes''.
* Mako from ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra''. Growing up on the streets while simultaneously raising your little brother will make even the [[IncrediblyLamePun hottest]] firebender stoic and brooding.
* Roger Klotz in ''{{Doug}}''. He and Doug even get along once in a while, to show that he's not just a horrible jerk.
** He's also somewhat of a [[TheWoobie woobie]]. Sometimes, his mom doesn't spend a lot of time with him, and his dad lives in the next town over (his parents are divorced), AND lives in a trailer park (in the Nickelodeon version). Kinda makes you wonder why he started bullying in the first place.

* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', Millhouse temporarily became one of these, complete with anti-socialness, a leather jacket, and fangirls.
-->'''[[HoYay Nelson]]:''' "He's troubled, but I can save him!"
* Terry [=McGinnis=] in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' seems to be this in the first couple of episodes before he opens up and reveals that he's actually a responsible, altruistic young man.
** He was a straighter example in his BackStory, which included a stint in juvie.
* Lance Alvers, aka Avalanche, in ''XMenEvolution'', post-CharacterizationMarchesOn. At first he was just a straight up criminal, then he gained some NobleDemon aspects and a soft spot for the local Moe.
** Gambit as well. Handsome and charming, able to leave people paralyzed via them being DistractedByTheSexy, and a criminal who grew up being used by his adopted father and hunted by the rival gang.
** Your Mileage May HEAVILY Varies, but Evan Daniels. Scruffy athletic teen rebel with a penchant for trouble, but, even after his secondary mutation, is still not exactly ugly.

* Lance from ''SymBionicTitan'', most definitely.

%% * Gabriel (and, arguably, most of Claire's love interests) on ''Series/SixFeetUnder.''

HEEEERE

* The protagonist from ''JakAndDaxter'' becomes this as of the second game. You know, after all the ''Dark Eco experimentation''.

* Brutally deconstructed in [[http://www.theonion.com/articles/im-sorry-but-i-only-date-men-my-friends-are-afraid,10898/ this]] article in TheOnion.

** WebVideo/AskThatGuyWithTheGlasses is an extreme example from the same actor, an incredibly sexualized mess of problems and psychosis.

* Donnie Darko from ''DonnieDarko''.

* Most of the main cast of ''TheOutsiders,'' ranging from Johnny (TheWoobie if ever there was one) to Dallas (handsome and hard as nails). The narrator, Ponyboy, falls somewhere toward the idealistic side; his eldest brother is slightly more troubled and his second brother slightly more cute.
* Edward Cullen, in ''Literature/{{Twilight}}''. Robert Pattinson himself certainly believes this, describing him as "self-loathing" and a "108-year-old virgin".
* Sirius Black in ''Literature/HarryPotter'', though, rather than being antisocial, he is represented as popular, despite various acts of callous teen cruelty. At least, as an adult, he is a good person at heart.
** And judging from his possessions, before the Potters got slaughtered by Voldemort, he was a biker.
* [[AntiHero Edmund Pevensie]] from ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'' is this.
* Roiben from [[ModernTalesOfFaerie Tithe and Ironside]]. A knight of the Seelie Court, he was traded to the Queen of the Unseelie Court to seal a peace treaty.
* [[PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians Nico Di Angelo]]. Emphasis on the "cute", since he's only twelve years old, but he's got plenty of issues.

* ''InDeath'': Roarke qualifies as this. He is sexy, with a DarkAndTroubledPast to match.
* Rafael Gives Light, from the ''Literature/GivesLight'' trilogy, a loner who is known for getting into fights at school and, oh yeah, his dad's a serial killer. Only the [[StraightGay main character]] ever describes him as attractive however, and only after he's already falling in love with him.

* Jax Teller from ''SonsOfAnarchy''. Same with Opie.
* Sawyer from ''Series/{{Lost}}'' is this backwards and forwards. Eventually, Jack catches up to him, though he loses some of his cuteness by [[{{Wangst}} crying all the time]] (sorry Jack-fans, but you know it's true).
* Spike and Angel from ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' and later spinoff ''Series/{{Angel}}''. Bad boys. Leather coats. Troubled by their love for a pretty slayer. Hearts (well, souls) of gold!
** You forgot to mention [[ParentalIncest creepy moms]], being ridiculed by your peers while alive, and, later, guilt for the "troubled" part. And low social skills for the "cute" one.
* Some might argue that Dr. Cox from ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'' is an example of this. Troubled? He perpetually sees a shrink, regularly abuses the people he cares about, and is in love with a woman that he hates. Cute? He appears to be the only doctor in the place that regularly exercises. Plus, he's very proud of being forty and retaining all of his hair.
** Both The Todd and Turk have been shown as regularly working out at the hospital. That said, Cox is rather studly.
** Adding to both the troubled and cute (or at least honorable) is Cox's violent temper over being a perfectionist. The cute/honorable part is that his perfectionism is over saving his patients' lives.
* Jordan Catalano on ''MySoCalledLife.''
* [[Series/DoctorWho The Fifth Doctor]] could be considered this.
** And the Ninth, and almost certainly Jack Harkness.
** The Tenth as well, in spades, especially post-season 2.
* Gabriel (and, arguably, most of Claire's love interests) on ''Series/SixFeetUnder.''
* Derek on ''Series/TeenWolf'', to some extent. Scott seems to be rapidly heading in this direction.
* Nick and Jake on ''Series/TheSecretCircle''.
* Logan on ''VeronicaMars.''
** Not to mention Weevil, a gangster who loves his grandma and falls for a certain blonde.
** And Duncan, who had to go through being told his girlfriend was [[spoiler: probably his sister]] and a mental disorder, and, at least for a while, thinking he had killed his sister. Then, in Season Two...
** Given that Veronica herself falls into the female version of this trope, as well as most of the cast, let's just agree that the show RUNS on this trope, plus a good helping of BreakTheCutie.
* Dylan on ''BeverlyHills90210''.
** Liam is another textbook example on ''90210'', especially as they're now setting him up for a fling with good-girl protagonist Annie.
*** I believe Liam is a cross of Dylan [=McKay=] and Ryan Atwood.
* The titular character from ''Series/{{House}}'', both in-universe women and fangirls seem to adore him. Well, he is played by Hugh Laurie, who seems to fit this trope in real life as well.
* Ryan Atwood on ''Series/TheOC''. A bit of a subversion, as he was both the main character and, occasionally, the OnlySaneMan.
* Michael on ''{{Roswell}}''.
* Jess on ''GilmoreGirls'', who never actually got around to having a heart of gold.
** Jess got to heart of bronze-silver alloy, but it's a rather subtle thing.
*** He probably would have gotten the heart of gold if they hadn't [[PutOnABus put him on a bus]] to California to live with his biological father in order to set up a spinoff that never happened. Ugh.
*** His heart of gold got to shine later in when he reappeared for two episodes in the sixth season, having grown out of his jerkiness and into some responsibility (paying Luke back for at least the car and NOT making out with Rory when she reveals she's still with Logan).

* Dean from ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'', and it didn't take long for his brother Sam to catch up. Castiel also fell into this before too long, further proving that [[CastFullOfPrettyBoys improbably good-looking men]] angsting a lot is kind of the show's main draw.
* Jo from ''Series/TheFactsOfLife'' is a RareFemaleExample.
* Shawn Hunter in ''BoyMeetsWorld''. The rampart trailer park trash jokes started as innocent and one dimensional character traits. Then, for a good while from season two onward, it seemed like every other episode was a Shawn pity-party fest. And he got girls to boot.
* Hyde on ''Series/That70sShow''.
* Tim Riggins on ''Series/FridayNightLights'', who is a drunkard.
* Daniel Desario from ''FreaksAndGeeks'' is a JamesDean-looking, scholasticly-challenged heart breaker from the wrong side of the tracks.
* Ricky from ''TheSecretLifeOfTheAmericanTeenager'', who has one of the biggest {{Freudian Excuse}}s ever seen.
* Mark from ''{{Roseanne}}''. His brother David was more on TheWoobie side of things.
* Dean from WizardsOfWaverlyPlace is painted with this trope in mind, but Alex Russo pulls it off much better. Alex manages this without being a BrokenBird, as a part of her CoolLoser goal and charm.
* Mitchell from ''Series/BeingHuman''. Now he's TheAtoner. Now he's the [[spoiler:BigBad]]. Things get pretty messy.
* Rare female version: Amber Braverman from ''Series/{{Parenthood}}''.
* ''Series/{{Degrassi}}'' gives us a few. Sean, Craig, K.C., and Eli start off as this. Spinner, Jay, Alex, and Johnny grow into this (either [[FaceHeelTurn drama happening to them]] or [[HeelFaceTurn growing nicer to people]]). Ellie, Alex, and Bianca are female examples, showing more textbook traits of this compared to the [[BrokenBird female counterpart]] trope.
* Cole Turner from ''Series/{{Charmed}}''.
* Both Stefan and Damon from ''Series/TheVampireDiaries'', but [[JerkassWoobie particularly Damon]].
** Jeremy also applies.
** Tyler counts as well, as does Vicki as the female equivalent.
* Oscar Cole of ''MIHigh'' is this, although [[spoiler:his dad eventually came back and his mum was put into prison for good, so life got better from there]].
* Some early episodes of ''HappyDays'' show Fonzie coaching the boys on how to act this way in order to arouse female interest.
* Willa from ''Series/TheFinder'' is often in trouble with the law but is shown to have a softer side.

* ''Series/{{Scandal}}'': First Lady Mellie Grant.
* ''Series/{{Arrow}}'': Both Oliver Queen and Roy Harper. The former is a traumatized survivor of a shipwreck that left him stranded on an island; he's self loathing, has lost most of his former social skills, and is plagued by guilt, both survivors guilt and guilt for hurting his ex girlfriend, who he's still in love with. He's also an in-universe MemeticSexGod of sorts. Roy Harper is a brooding orphan who's spent his life fighting to survive poverty and looking out for himself, is a petty crook that most write off as a thug, and like Oliver he's a self-loathing bag of guilt with no social skills [[BigDamnHeroes who always looks out to help others when he can.]]

* [[TheAtoner JJ Sturn]] from ''SurvivalOfTheFittest'', naturally only before he ''became'' TheAtoner.

* Jake Muller in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil6'' could be considered this.
** Chris too, in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil6''. He's pretty damaged, but a good guy, and cute too.
* Squall Leonhart from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'' (although he actually graduated early in the game).
* N from VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite surely counts. [[spoiler:Granted, he's more deluded than troubled.]]
** [[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver Silver]] and [[VideoGame/PokemonColosseum Wes]] as well.
** [[VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl Cyrus]] has more "[[OmnicidalManiac trouble]]" than "cute", but his [[CryForTheDevil issues]] actually make him more endearing to many fans.
* Atton in ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic II''.
* The main character from ''{{Persona 3}}'' applies, with his [[HeadphonesEqualIsolation ever present headphones]], [[FreudianExcuse sad past]], [[TheQuietOne reclusive attitude]], and, finally, his [[PeekABangs damn]] [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair blue]] [[EmoTeen hair]]. He's also a ChickMagnet.
** Shinjiro Aragaki also counts, though he's not a ChickMagnet. The UpdatedRerelease takes it [[UpToEleven well past eleven]] in the [[DistaffCounterpart female protagonist's]] path. This is played with, though. [[spoiler:Despite all of his troubles (the ones he [[StoicWoobie doesn't complain about]]), it's made clear that he's a ''very'' nice guy (downright {{Moe}}, even!) and that quite a bit of his [[JerkassFacade behavior]] is because he's fairly certain that he doesn't have much time left.]]
* Shadow the Hedgehog from the {{Sonic}} games has had a very troubled past and is considered cute [[FurryFandom to some]].
** Tikal the Echidna has a very troubled past and is very, very cute.

* Kyo Sohma from ''FruitsBasket'', an [[DontYouDarePityMe antisocial]] [[ArrogantKungFuGuy martial artist]] who's [[FoeYay obsessed with beating Yuki]]. Tohru seems to genuinely like him, though, and in his defense, he ''does'' have a good FreudianExcuse: [[spoiler: his mother was DrivenToSuicide, his father rejected him completely after that, and being the cat of the Sohma clan has brought him lots of unhappiness, Akito's scorn, and an uncertain future.]]. His reason for obsessively trying to beat Yuki doesn't make him a bad guy at all: [[spoiler:Akito said that if he beat Yuki fairly (at anything), he won't be locked in isolation until he's dead.]] His general issues with Tohru are revealed at the very end of the manga to be the result of how [[spoiler:he could have stopped her mother Kyoko from being hit by the car, but grabbing her would have caused him to transform into a cat. He blamed himself for being a coward (a running theme in his CharacterDevelopment) and thought her dying words were her blaming him and telling him to stay away from Tohru (In reality, Kyoko was trying to ask him [[DeclarationOfProtection to protect Tohru]], but she was dying at that moment and couldn't finish).]]

* Sagara Sousuke from ''LightNovel/FullMetalPanic''. Although he's not "troubled" in the normal rebellious sense, and more just plain troubled. It's pretty obvious that the poor boy has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and an automatically violent personality that he can't control. His extreme paranoia has him doing things like bombing his school, planting land mines everywhere, and pointing guns/shooting at people. Of course, all of this is [[ComedicSociopathy played for laughs]], and he [[AngstWhatAngst tends not to angst]] (considering his past and current situation, he angsts ''remarkably'' little). And despite all this, ''any'' girl (or [[EvenTheGuysWantHim guy, even]]) who has watched him or gotten to know him well enough seems to [[ChickMagnet fall for him]] - even the series' resident {{Tsundere}}.
** That barely scrapes the surface of how whacked he is. On one occasion, Kaname was kidnapped by a group of thugs who planned to back him into a corner. He retaliated in a way so nightmarish that, that particular episode wasn't aired for a while because of a similar incident in real life. Then, when she got kidnapped AGAIN by the Yakuza, Sousuke went after her with a rival gang clad in '''theme park mascot suits converted into powered armors'''. Seriously, who the hell would convert theme park mascots into powered armor and try to sell it to the military and law enforcement sector, then wonder why didn't it sell?!
*** He first stole the suit while trying to keep an eye on Kaname while she was at an amusement park and decided to make it more useful in the future by upgrading it. He's dumbfounded by it not selling because his raised-by-wolves attitude left him without a sense of aesthetics, so he didn't realize just how silly it looked.

* ''Anime/CodeGeass,'' oh dear God, ''Anime/CodeGeass''! Many of the show's famous male characters are: 1) [[{{Bishounen}} insanely and inhumanly good-looking]], 2) less-than-rosy in their moral leanings, and 3) [[JerkassWoobie suffering horribly]] [[FreudianExcuse (one way or another)]].
* Most prominently with main character Edward Elric of ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist''
** Also shown pretty well with his superior Colonel Roy Mustang.
* ''GameXRush'' has Yuuki, who also has shades of BrokenBird from time to time.
* Manga/InuYasha is fairly handsome, being a WhiteHairedPrettyBoy and all that, but ''damn'' did he have a rough life. To recap: father died before he was born and his mother died when he was only a few years old, making him an orphan at a young age; he is a [[HalfHumanHybrid half-demon]], which has caused him to be ostracized by both human and demonic society, including his older full-demon brother, the only remaining family he has left; the first girl he fell in love with was brutally murdered and he was framed for the crime, with the girlfriend binding him to a tree, declaring her hatred of him in her last moments alive. Small surprise he has an abrasive personality.
* Ryoki from ''HotGimmick''.
* Asuka Langley Sohryu from ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' is the perfect female example of this trope.
** Most major characters from Evangelion qualify as Troubled But Cute to some extent.
* Bishop Frau in ''[[ZeroSevenGhost 07 Ghost]]''. Badass badboy who disregards convention and does as he pleases. Still, he has a difficult backstory and is a genuinely caring person. Teito also qualifies.
* Mikael from ''TenshiNiNarumon'' is a very, VERY troubled [[spoiler: and unstable]] pretty boy. You wouldn't guess that because [[spoiler: for the first 13 episodes, he acts very little, and even when he does, he's usually calm, polite, always smiling gently - an epitomy of sanity in a crapsack world. Then, in the second season, we get to see the real him under that mask - a very stubborn, obsessive, and insecure boy. And at the end, he goes all evil and insane and has an epic breakdown - and then he returns back to his former self. Still stubborn as hell, unfortunately.]]
* Akemi Homura from ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' has the same vibe as most characters on this page, with a few exceptions: she's a girl, she's in junior high, and she [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking doesn't use leather]]. But boy, ain't she makes up for this with an extremely troubled past. [[spoiler:Originally, though, she was {{Adorkable}}.]]
* Gilbert of ''Manga/KazeToKiNoUta'', who doubles as a ''rare'' male BrokenBird, with the whole DarkAndTroubledPast, antisocial nature, and whatnot.

* Natsume, of ''GakuenAlice''.
* Much like Gilbert of ''Manga/KazeToKiNoUta'' above, former BadassBiker [[SexSlave Riki]] in ''LightNovel/AiNoKusabi'' is also a rare male example of this and BrokenBird.

* Vegeta in ''Anime/DragonBallZ''. Antisocial, violent, [[{{Wangst}} overly angsty]], but Bulma notices he seems to just be very lonely.
* ''Manga/VenusWars'' gives us Hiro "Ken" Seno who was expelled from high school just two weeks before graduating. When he joins the army's mobile unit, he still has a knack for attracting trouble.

* [=ThugBoy=] from ''Comicbook/{{Empowered}}'', period. The trouble's in the name, and the leather jacket is also included.
** Ninjette and Spooky are rare female examples of this trope. Ninjette is alcoholic and on the run from her abusive, psychopathic father, who fully intends to amputate her limbs and use her as a breeding machine. As for Spooky, even before she had a breakdown as the result of her girlfriend [[spoiler: dying horribly]], Spooky has paralyzing self-esteem and bullying issues (and seems to lack a family, despite being high school age).Despite this, both girls are both adorable and way tougher than your average BrokenBird, and both can pretty much kick an entire army's butt single-handedly.
* [[Characters/BatmanAndBatFamily Jason Todd]], all over. For that matter, arguably Franchise/{{Batman}} too.
* {{X-23}} is this. Troubled is an understatement.
* SpiderMan. Brilliant, athletic (in secret most of the time), magnet for beautiful women of all hairstyles... and yet he's haunted by death, failure and the worst luck in Marvel Comics.

* Dan from PeacefulWarrior qualifies for sure
* Billy Costigan in ''TheDeparted'', to Madolyn.
* Roger Davis from ''{{Rent}}''. The guy has HIV and is really, really cranky, but is still beloved by any straight girl.
* John Bender in the mid-1980s Creator/BratPack film, ''TheBreakfastClub''
* Jason Dean from the film ''Film/{{Heathers}}'' fits this trope, though he eventually reveals himself to be a psychopath.
* The ''Film/SpiderManTrilogy'''s JamesDean-esque version of Harry Osborn. [[spoiler:YMMV after he's scarred in ''Spider-Man 3''.]].
* Danny Zuko ([[NamesTheSame The Other]] [[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender Zuko]]) from the film/musical ''{{Grease}}''.
* Warren Peace of ''SkyHigh'', proving you can never go wrong with [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything a Firebender]] [[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender with father issues]].
* This trope is mocked through Zeke in Disney Channel's movie ''{{Minutemen}}'', when girls come up to him and ask, "You know, you're kind of scary and unapproachable... can we sit with you?"

* Patrick Verona from ''Film/TenThingsIHateAboutYou''.
** However, [[spoiler: as we learn later, he is more in the line of "he doesn't deny any of this, so it must be true". He does stay away from most of his peers, but that's mostly because he just does have different tastes. Kate is the real TroubledButCute, with her open disgust of the people around her and even with her "the reason I am so angry at everyone" backstory.]]
* Billy Tallent and Joe Dick of ''HardCoreLogo'' are what happens when examples of this trope hit their thirties, with emphasis on the "troubled" part (especially in Joe's case).
* Kovu from ''Disney/TheLionKing'' 2 definitely fits this trope - if he wasn't, you know, a lion, he would definitely wear leather jackets and ride a motorcycle.
* The titular character from DonnieDarko.
* Mathilda (as played by a young NataliePortman) in ''Film/TheProfessional''.

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->''He drowns in his dreams, an exquisite extreme I know''
->''He’s as damned as he seems, and more heaven than a heart could hold...''
->''He's so beautiful''
->''Such a beautiful disaster...''
-->-- '''Kelly Clarkson''', "Beautiful Disaster"

** Gaara, considering his antisocial attitude and his bad past.

* Kyo Sohma from ''FruitsBasket'', an [[DontYouDarePityMe antisocial]] [[ArrogantKungFuGuy martial artist]] who's [[FoeYay obsessed with beating Yuki]]. Tohru seems to genuinely like him, though, and in his defense, he ''does'' have a good FreudianExcuse: [[spoiler: his mother was DrivenToSuicide, his father rejected him completely after that, and being the cat of the Sohma clan has brought him lots of unhappiness, Akito's scorn, and an uncertain future.]].
** Not to mention that his reason for obsessively trying to beat Yuki doesn't make him a bad guy at all: [[spoiler:Akito said that if he beat Yuki fairly (at anything), he won't be locked in isolation until he's dead.]] Not to mention, his general issues with Tohru are revealed at the very end of the manga to be the result of how [[spoiler:he could have stopped her mother Kyoko from being hit by the car, but grabbing her would have caused him to transform into a cat. He blamed himself for being a coward (a running theme in his CharacterDevelopment) and thought her dying words were her blaming him and telling him to stay away from Tohru (In reality, Kyoko was trying to ask him [[DeclarationOfProtection to protect Tohru]], but she was dying at that moment and couldn't finish).]]
* Joe "The Condor" Asakura in ''Anime/ScienceNinjaTeamGatchaman''.
* Both Ryoma Echizen and Akaya Kirihara from ''ThePrinceOfTennis''.
* Every last protagonist student character in the LiveActionAdaptation of ''{{Gokusen}}''.

* Hakuron from ''Manga/HaouAiren''.

* Sasuke of ''Manga/{{Naruto}}''. Completely misses the look (or at least, the [[HollywoodDressCode dress code]]), though - that turtleneck, shorts, and kneesocks combination fairly scream "scrawny kid". Then again, {{Ninja}} are ''supposed'' to cultivate an unassuming personal appearance, even if, in fiction, [[HighlyVisibleNinja they usually don't]].
** [[spoiler:He gets...better (?) when he gets an [[BadAssLongCoat Akatsuki trench coat]] and a KillEmAll attitude later on.]]
** One could also consider Gaara this, considering his err...antisocial attitude and his bad past.

* Ikuto from ''ShugoChara''. Though his only fangirl appears to be his sister.
* Seto Kaiba from ''Anime/YuGiOh''
** ...and at least half the cast of ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'' (Manjyome, Ryo, Edo, [[IneffectualLoner Judai]]...)
* Sachiko from ''LightNovel/MariaSamaGaMiteru'' arguably counts.

* Fakir from ''PrincessTutu''. He even has a fanclub at his school, although it's likely none of his fangirls have ever talked to him, given his anti-social nature.

* [[Characters/BatmanAndBatFamily Jason Todd]], all over. For that matter, arguably {{Batman}} too.

* {{Batman}}, as epitomized here in ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'', where he's trying to convince Wonder Woman why they they wouldn't be good together:

* Most of the main cast of ''TheOutsiders''.

* Lance Alvers, aka Avalanche, in ''XMenEvolution''. Essentially a cartoon version of John Bender from ''TheBreakfastClub''

* Vegeta in ''[[Manga/DragonBall Dragonball Z]]''. Antisocial, violent, [[{{Wangst}} overly angsty]], but Bulma notices he seems to just be very lonely.

* Spider-Man. Brilliant, athletic (in secret most of the time), magnet for beautiful women of all hairstyles... and yet he's haunted by death, failure and the worst luck in Marvel Comics.