Line #43 IdiotHero/WesternAnimation


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11	* ''WesternAnimation/ActionLeagueNow''. Every character is TooDumbToLive. Even Thundergirl and Bill the Lab Guy have their moments.
12	* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'': [[Characters/AdventureTimeFinn Finn]], by his very own admission. Though he's more impulsive than outright dumb -- he occasionally wins challenges through craft, for example ("The Limit," "It Came from the Nightosphere," "Memory of a Memory"). However, when asked why he's missing some teeth, WordOfGod said "he bites trees and rocks and stuff. He's stupid."
13	* ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'': Gumball Watterson [[CharacterizationMarchesOn played this straight in the first season]], making stupid decision after stupid decision in order to achieve his desires. From the second season onwards, though, this becomes {{downplayed\|trope}} as he [[DumbassNoMore does become more self-aware and abstract]], leaning more in the CatsAreSnarkers trope and even being the OnlySaneMan on occasion. Nevertheless, he can still be impulsive, careless, and ignorant when the plot calls for it.
14	* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'': [[Characters/AmericanDadStanSmith Stan Smith]] may be a classified member of the CIA, but he is otherwise a complete idiot, which is best demonstrated in "Hurricane!" where he ends up getting everyone injured from his attempts to "save" them from disaster.
15	* ''Franchise/Ben10'': [[Characters/Ben10BenTennyson Ben Tennyson]] in both [[WesternAnimation/Ben10 the original series]] and [[WesternAnimation/Ben102016 the 2016 reboot]], though this case is heavily justified: after all, he is a ''10 year old'' kid using a highly advanced alien weapon he barely understands himself, and he's teamed up with a ridiculously precocious cousin (who in the Classic Timeline has an innate talent for magic); anyone in such a situation and with such allies would look dumb in comparison, unless you are a genius yourself. By the time he's a teenager in the Classic Timeline, he has grown out of this for the most part and is revealed to be much smarter than he seems, though later installments (''WesternAnimation/Ben10Omniverse'' in particular) would have him still occasionally engage in such behavior due to narcissistic tendencies following him becoming a LivingLegend.
16	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Bordertown}}'': Bud, a bumbling ButtMonkey cop who would let others push him around for making poor choices.
17	%% * ''WesternAnimation/TheBuzzOnMaggie'': Maggie Pesky.
18	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Brickleberry}}'': Steve Williams is the main hero ([[AntiHero technically speaking]]), and yet he is so stupid and thoughtless that he puts himself and others at risk.
19	* ''WesternAnimation/CatDog'': Cat and Dog, with Dog definitely the worse of the duo.
20	* ''WesternAnimation/ChalkZone'': Rudy Tabootie is downplayed a little. While he's not outright stupid, he's naïve and BookDumb, being around a C-student in school. He also causes a lot of the problems he has to solve, like in "Gift Adrift" (though Snap kind of made it worse), "Waste Mountain", "The Wiggies", "Hole in the Wall", "Power Play", "Draw and Let Draw", and ''[[TheMovie The Big Blow Up]]''.
21	%% * The titular character of ''WesternAnimation/DaveTheBarbarian''.
22	* One has to question the logic of these so called [[ChildProdigy "child geniuses"]] like [[WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory Dexter]], [[WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutronBoyGenius Jimmy Neutron]], or [[WesternAnimation/JohnnyTest the Test sisters]] who resort to mundane efforts of acquiring money such as lemonade sales or selling candy despite the fact that their technology would be worth a fortune, or could make far more valuable products. They probably have the technology to replicate whatever they could want to buy. However, come ''VideoGame/FusionFall'', both Dexter and his rival, Mandark, have started their own technology businesses with now publicly known laboratories.
23	* ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987'': Launchpad [=McQuack=], who in many episodes, saves his friends, or even the whole world while remaining a certified idiot. He's even admitted it on more than one occasion. In the new comics, his search for a job since WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck went [[TenMinuteRetirement out of the vigilante business]] is displayed by but a single panel from his interview with the [[WesternAnimation/ChipNDaleRescueRangers Rescue Rangers]]. No, Launchpad, you cannot, in fact, fly the Ranger Wing.
24	* ''WesternAnimation/DudleyDoRight'' wants to be an IdealHero, but he usually can't see through the criminals' schemes -- even ones as brazen as taking over Dudley's Mountie post -- and instead [[AccidentalHero saves the day by accident]].
25	* ''WesternAnimation/EarthwormJim'': The titular character veers well into this territory more often than not; when he's not a {{Cloudcuckoolander}}.
26	* ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'': {{Downplayed\|Trope}} with Eddy. He isn't stupid (especially compared to [[TheDitz Ed]]) so much as reckless and thoughtless, which is the reason his schemes tend to fail. He also can be rather gullible in episodes like "Here's Mud in Your Ed", is a [[BookDumb shameless underachiever at school]], and cannot spell "respect" correctly.
27	* ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'': Timmy Turner barely passes in school, and never, ''never'' learns to BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor, yet he saves the Earth and Fairy World multiple times. Granted, [[NiceJobBreakingItHero he causes many of the problems himself]], which happens so much that Jorgen, in the later seasons, has become savvy enough to know that [[EndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt a typical world disaster]] is [[HereWeGoAgain just another day in the life of Timmy Turner]].
28	-->'''Jorgen''': (During "Fairy [=OddBaby=]) There has been a disturbance in the fairy force! Someone was just about to wish for the '''B''' word! (poof in Timmy, Cosmo, and Wanda) Ah, Turner. ''[[SarcasmMode Biiiig]]'' [[DeadpanSnarker surprise]].\
29	'''Jorgen''': (During the second Christmas special) It's the day AFTER Christmas! Where is all this wishing coming from?! (Scanner show the magic is being pinpointed to Dimmsdale) Turner. ''[[TwitchyEye Of course.]]''
30	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'': Fry is a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} whose 'lack of a Delta Brainwave' is the one thing that allows him to save all life in the universe from annihilation on more than one occasion.
31	-->'''Nibblonian:''' There is but one being that can resist them. A child of destiny whose bizarre brain wave pattern makes him immune to the Brain Spawn attack. He is the hope of the universe. The fate of your world -- perhaps all worlds -- rests in his special mind.\
32	'''Leela:''' Now, when you say "special"...
33	* ''WesternAnimation/GeorgeOfTheJungle'':
34	** The titular character is normally portrayed as this.
35	** Tom Slick, a parody of the original Tom Swift, only wins his races because his TrueCompanions aren't morons, and the villains make [[DickDastardlyStopsToCheat Dick Dastardly]] look rational.
36	--->'''Tom Slick''': Fear? I don't know the meaning of fear!\
37	'''Granny''': He also doesn't know the meaning of 'broccoli'.
38	%% * ''WesternAnimation/TheGoodeFamily'': Gerold Goode.
39	* ''WesternAnimation/GormitiTheLordsOfNatureReturn'': Toby. He's courageous, selfless and a {{Determinator}}, but also quite frivolous, impulsive and BookDumb, and has a tendency to pull pranks at the least appropriate moments, such as during a battle. Which becomes especially apparent when compared to his one-year-younger brother Nick. Ironically enough, Toby is the Lord of Water, and Water Gormiti -- especially Carrapax -- are usually depicted as calm and wise.
40	%% * ''WesternAnimation/HiHiPuffyAmiYumi'': Ami and Yumi.
41	* ''WesternAnimation/HongKongPhooey'', though calling him a ''hero'' is a stretch, since it's always his HyperCompetentSidekick who actually saves the day. Most of the time HKP's idiocy proves to be a hindrance.
42	* ''WesternAnimation/InspectorGadget'': The titular character regularly bumbles around getting himself in trouble, being unable to put two and two together, and flat out being TooDumbToLive while his ten-year-old niece Penny and their dog solve every case for him and lead him to the bad guys, while he takes the credit for it.
43	* ''WesternAnimation/ItsPony'': Pony, who is portrayed as impulsive, destructive, and naive is prone to this. Though he can prove to be useful in certain situations.
44	* ''WesternAnimation/JimmyTwoShoes'': The titular character is dumb (or at least extremely naive), yet he remains the only person [[{{Satan}} Lucius]] can't break.
45	* ''WesternAnimation/JohnnyTest'': The titular character. Especially in the episodes that has [[AbusiveParent Hugh]] as the BigBad.
46	* ''[[WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Justice League Unlimited]]'': Most people would be forgiven for thinking that ComicBook/TheFlash fits this trope. (He fits a [[KidAppealCharacter bunch]] [[HandsomeLech of]] [[AllLovingHero others]] normally associated with this trope, too. His name is ''Wally'', for goodness sakes.) It came as something of a surprise for many fans when he turned out to be a ''[[SubvertedTrope forensic scientist]]'' in his day job. Plus there's the fact that he's [[CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass one of the most powerful members of the League]] under the goofiness and whenever you push him that little bit too far [[BewareTheNiceOnes things tend to get broken]]. An example of this is faking his own death, on camera, while hooked up to a heart monitor. He speeds up his heartbeat so the monitor can't sense it and flatlines. Even Batman is impressed.
47	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Kaeloo}}'': While she's certainly not as stupid as [[TheDitz Stumpy]], Kaeloo is still pretty dumb.
48	* ''WesternAnimation/KappaMikey'': Mikey Simon is prone to being this trope.
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52	* ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'':
53	** [[Characters/TheLegendOfKorraAvatarKorra Avatar Korra]] is far from stupid, but she is portrayed as completely oblivious, hot-headed, and impulsive. Usually, her strokes of idiocy stem from narcissistic tendencies developed from early childhood. At best, Korra is perfectly capable of being smart, but lacks the maturity and patience to bother doing so. By the end of Book Two, though, she's [[CharacterDevelopment grown out of it]] almost completely.
54	** Korra's friend [[Characters/TheLegendOfKorraBolin Bolin]]. [[FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling The Foolish to his brother Mako's Responsible]], Bolin isn't stupid per se, but he's gullible, naive and a HorribleJudgeOfCharacter.
55	* ''WesternAnimation/TheMarvelousMisadventuresOfFlapjack'': Flapjack. Especially in "I'm a Believer".
56	* ''WesternAnimation/MegasXLR'': Coop fits this to a T. The guy might know how to customize a giant robot, but no one ever said he knew how to pilot it. Or pilot it enough that it didn't level Jersey City more times than your typical ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' episode!
57	-->'''Evil Coop:''' You know you don't have a chance.\
58	'''Coop:''' I don't know NOTHIN'!
59	%% * ''WesternAnimation/TheMightyB'': Bessie Higgenbottom.
60	* ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'': [[Characters/MiraculousLadybugMarinetteDupainCheng Marinette Dupain-Cheng/Ladybug]] can fall under this, mainly due to her inability to quell her obsession towards Adrien, which more often than not leads to disastrous results.
61	* ''WesternAnimation/MollyOfDenali'': In "Home Made Heroes," Tooey thinks that the InUniverse fictional character, Mighty [=McMann=] is not very bright. He points out how he's wearing a leotard in a blizzard.
62	* ''WesternAnimation/MrBogus'' occasionally falls into this territory DependingOnTheWriter.
63	* ''WesternAnimation/MrPickles'': Tommy Goodman is portrayed as the show's FatIdiot and the protagonist (despite the title).
64	* ''WesternAnimation/MyGymPartnersAMonkey'': Jake Spidermonkey is a perfect example of being a protagonist and being a total moron.
65	* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'': {{Downplayed\|Trope}} with [[Characters/TheOwlHouseLuzNoceda Luz Noceda]]. She isn't stupid so much as careless and flaky. Even so, she saves the day in about every episode, culminating in her [[spoiler:successfully ending the Day of Unity]].
66	* ''WesternAnimation/ThePerilsOfPenelopePitstop'': The Ant Hill Mob certainly could fit the bill as while they try to save Penelope from the [[RubeGoldbergHatesYourGuts machinations of]] The Hooded Claw, they tend to trip over their own fourteen feet. Special shout-out must go to Dum-Dum, who twice came through on Penelope's behalf and scored a kiss from her each time.
67	* ''WesternAnimation/ReadyJetGo'': Jet gives off this vibe at times due to him being incredibly naive about Earth, very forgetful, and often jumping into situations without thinking first. However, this is downplayed, as he is a DitzyGenius rather than a full-blown idiot.
68	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Recess}}'': T.J. Detweiler, though his unintelligence comes more out of laziness than actual stupidity. He's a genius when it comes up to coming up with plans, but he's ''extremely'' BookDumb.
69	* ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow'': Mordecai and Rigby themselves, but Rigby more-so. His stupidity is responsible for most of the chaos in the park; it also turns out that he is a [[BookDumb high school dropout]]. That being said, he does [[CharacterDevelopment get better]] as the series goes on, especially when he finally [[spoiler:gets his diploma]].
70	* Both ''WesternAnimation/RobotAndMonster'', Robot is the smarter of the two but he's GeniusDitz.
71	* ''WesternAnimation/RocketMonkeys'': Wally and Gus. Gus is the more sensible of the two, but that's not saying much.
72	%% * ''WesternAnimation/ScaredySquirrel''
73	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Sidekick}}'': Eric and his friend Trevor.
74	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': [[Characters/TheSimpsonsHomerSimpson Homer Simpson]] is the main character and saves the day for the most part, but he is very dimwitted to the point of [[AchievementsInIgnorance resulting in otherwise impossible scenarios]]. {{Flanderization}} has him [[TookALevelInDumbass become even stupider]] as time went by.
75	%% * ''WesternAnimation/{{Skyland}}'': Mahad.
76	* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': [[Characters/SpongeBobSquarePantsTitularCharacter The titular character]]. In the [[CharacterizationMarchesOn earlier seasons]], he was more of a naive {{Cloudcuckoolander}} who lacked common sense and proper judgment, but he [[TookALevelInDumbass becomes more clueless and dense]] as the series goes on.
77	%% * ''WesternAnimation/SquirrelBoy'': Rodney J. Squirrel.
78	* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'': [[Characters/StevenUniverseStevenQuartzUniverse Steven Quartz Universe]] is very much an example for the first half of the series. A small, naive child who is easily manipulated by the adults around him, he doesn't even realize his entire race is [[spoiler:from another planet]] until the end of the first season. His childish antics frequently get him and the rest of the cast in trouble. However, as the series goes on and Steven learns more about combat and the minds of other people, he eventually (very gradually) grows out of this trait, and at this point in the series (Season 4) stands as a BadassPacifist / emotional {{Chessmaster}} with only occasional moments of weakness.
79	%% * ''WesternAnimation/TakAndThePowerOfJuju'': Tak.
80	* ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012'': Arguably deconstructed by The Pulverizer, where his idiotic tendencies and [[IJustWantToBeBadass desperate desire to become special]] leads him to not only join the Foot Clan, but deliberately expose himself to Kraang mutagen, despite the efforts of the turtles to stop him. This turns him into the 2012 version of Mutagen Man... aka, an amorphous blob of corrosive goo with his organs floating around inside of him.
81	%% * ''WesternAnimation/ThisJustIn'': Brain Newport.
82	* ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats1985'': Lion-O. A pretty justified case since he aged to physical maturity in a sleep capsule during the long journey to Third Earth; Lion-O is a kid stuck in an adult's body and is fairly naive at first. As a result, he has an inflated sense of responsibility as "Lord of the Thundercats", often [[LeeroyJenkins charging recklessly into bad situations]] that the others have to bail him out of. He eventually becomes a good leader over the course of the series.
83	** In ''WesternAnimation/Thundercats2011'', it centers on Lion-O's coming of age travails. His {{Cloudcuckoolander}} beliefs alienate him from his own people, but endear him to the rest of Third Earth. He relies on the IndyPloy and the fortunate intervention of magic stones for many of his successes.
84	%% * ''WesternAnimation/TheTick'': The titular character.
85	* ''WesternAnimation/TitanMaximum'': Palmer and Sasha are this with ''extreme'' emphasis on the idiot part.
86	** And the fact that Palmer is regarded as genuinely heroic despite being a gigantic moron who barely knows what he's doing is what motivates Gibbs into becoming evil.
87	* ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'': If they're the KidAppealCharacter, they're most likely this. Examples include [[Franchise/TransformersGeneration1 Hot Rod]] (until becoming Rodimus Prime), [[WesternAnimation/BeastWars Cheetor]] (pre-CharacterDevelopment), [[Anime/TransformersArmada Hot Shot]] (grows out of it), [[Anime/TransformersEnergon Ironhide]] (mostly grows out of it), [[Anime/TransformersCybertron Hot]] [[{{Retcon}} Shot]], and [[WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated Bumblebee]].
88	* ''WesternAnimation/TUFFPuppy'': Dudley Puppy. Despite having [[GeniusDitz some intellect]], he is generally a [[DogsAreDumb dimwitted]], [[LethallyStupid careless]] {{Manchild}}.
89	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Wakfu}}'' gives us Sadlygrove, resident knight-errant and infamous Iop-head. Also puts the emphasis on the ''idiot'' bit, at least until episode 22. He is actually a {{Deconstruction}}, as he is aware he isn't very smart, and is frustrated by it.
90	* ''ComicBook/WalterMelon''. (Not ''that'' [[WesternAnimation/AquaTeenHungerForce Walter Melon]].) The ad for the show says "[[FearlessFool He knows no fear]]. [[InHarmsWay He knows no danger]]. [[CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass He knows... nothing!]]" And... he really doesn't. He's the ultimate mercenary: whenever a character needs to be replaced, he can replace them. And he gets the powers. (Whether he can USE them remains to be seen, he displays varying levels of ability every episode.) This being a comedy, he almost always relies on Dumb Luck.
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Context IdiotHero / WesternAnimation