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10[[quoteright:300:[[Film/RebelWithoutACause https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/James_and_Natalie.jpg]]]]
11[[caption-width-right:300:''[[Music/{{Cascada}} Be my bad boy. Be my man.\
12Be my weekend lover, but don't be my friend.]]'']]
13
14->''"Why do girls always prefer the distant, aloof, handsome, dangerous dudes instead of cheerful chaps like me?"''
15-->-- '''Creator/RogerEbert''', ''Literature/TheTwilightSaga'' [[https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/twilight-2008 review]]
16
17Maybe Hollywood is tapping into the ancestral female animal instinct to choose [[WomenPreferStrongMen the mightiest, strongest, toughest genes]] for their offspring. Maybe it's just because GoodIsBoring and EvilIsCool. Whatever the reason, in Hollywood, it's the ''bad boys'' the girls want.
18
19The "bad boy" targets the strongest womanly instincts: [[TheQuietOne the stoic, silent guy]] is a mystery waiting to be solved; the TroubledButCute youth with a [[DarkAndTroubledPast tragic past]] is a {{woobie}} needing comfort; he's tough enough to be a girl's [[BodyguardCrush protector]], but vulnerable enough to [[LoveRedeems need her]] as well. Add to that the fact that [[SexyVillainsChasteHeroes bad guys are portrayed as sexier]] and [[SensibleHeroesSkimpyVillains skimpier]] than good guys, and the AntiHero ranks as Bachelor of the Month.
20
21All this, of course, tends to gloss over the fact that [[ShapedLikeItself bad boys are, well,]] ''[[ShapedLikeItself bad]]'', meaning [[{{Jerkass}} self-centered]], possibly [[SanityHasAdvantages not too mentally stable]], [[FetishizedAbuser potentially abusive]], might have trouble finding and keeping a legal job, and will most likely be more interested in the [[AllMenArePerverts sexual]] aspect of a relationship than anything else. He's probably not going to be all that concerned with fidelity, either. So what if he only brings drama into her life? It's an [[ICantBelieveAGuyLikeYouWouldNoticeMe honor for girls in media to be chosen by him]], to walk into prom night with him on her arm, to ride on the back of his motorcycle with her arms around his waist, to stick her tongue out at the AlphaBitch from the passenger's seat of his stolen convertible.
22
23Depending on the nature of the Bad Boy and whether he's redeemable or not, use of this trope may cause the viewer to question the heroine's intelligence, particularly if it's immediately obvious to everyone from the outset of the relationship that the man is a thoroughly nasty piece of work. Don't count on ReformedRakes if the ''bad boy'' is a OneShotCharacter. If the ''bad boy'' and/or the ''girl'' are unimportant characters, they have a tendency to be {{Straw Character}}s.
24
25This portrayal can sometimes be the product of EntitledToHaveYou, StandardHeroReward or NiceGuysFinishLast on the part of a good guy we're supposed to root for or the audience or the {{author|Appeal}}. This bad boy is made to be a {{foil}} and show how "undesirable" the other options are. This can backfire if there are [[PeripheryDemographic female audience]] members who have something else in mind. Ironically, their FixFic is likely to 1) [[DracoInLeatherPants make the bad boy look better]] and 2) [[RonTheDeathEater make the nice guy look worse]].
26
27Sometimes the badness is an InformedAttribute, such as with the LovableRogue. It all depends on what the author wants to use this trope for. It's entirely possible for someone to [[FaceOfAThug look like]] a ''bad boy'' but not fit the above description. Sometimes a supposed ''bad boy'' who really isn't has to deal with the advances of a hyperactive FanGirl [[NoGuyWantsToBeChased who doesn't know when to cut it out]], resulting in comedy at [[TheComicallySerious the "bad boy's" expense]].
28
29Interestingly, younger women are often portrayed as prone to this trope, whereas older, more mature, and wiser women (meaning 35 and older) seem much less receptive to "bad boy" vibes (maybe they learnt their lesson through painful experience or are simply mature enough to know better), although there are always exceptions (especially bored housewives with marital issues). Can be portrayed as being either savvy or, if the ''bad boy'' falls into the ''not really a bad boy'' category (especially if he is a main character), an [[IfYouEverDoAnythingToHurtHer overly protective but well meaning mother figure]] for the girl.
30
31For [[JerkWithAHeartOfJerk really bad]] ''bad boys'', the Girl (either intentionally or not) may find herself becoming a MonsterFangirl or a LoveMartyr at worst. The girl may also go to the other end and find what they are looking for is the NiceGuy because SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan--particularly as a SecondLove, and often via JustFriends, when they've been burned by their previous boyfriend.
32
33See SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan for a typical inversion. Also see MoreExperiencedChasesTheInnocent, which frequently overlaps with the much more sexually promiscuous bad boy pursuing an inexperienced "good girl". A popular subversion is to make the guy ''look'' like a bad guy but reveal himself as a JerkWithAHeartOfGold with little to no criminal record.
34
35Related to ICanChangeMyBeloved, which often follows after this, and PowerDynamicsKink. The fandom reaction version of this is DracoInLeatherPants. In high school settings, often found alongside AllGuysWantCheerleaders (its [[DistaffCounterpart Spear Counterpart]]). A male SexierAlterEgo will probably be one of these. When the bad boy is ''literally'' a monster, see YouSexyBeast. Contrast EndearinglyDorky and WeaknessTurnsHerOn, where more timid, sweet, and "uncool" characters are seen as attractive. Also contrast TurnedOffByTheJerkass, where people are ''repulsed'' by bad behavior. If the bad boy plays guitar, this will usually overlap with ArtistsAreAttractive. See LoveForgivesAllButLust if the girl is willing to tolerate any wrongdoing on the bad boy's part ''except'' philandering.
36
37Despite the gendered name, it can also be gender-inverted or applied to same-sex couples.
38
39The inverse is EvilDesiresInnocence.
40
41[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybristophilia Hybristophilia]] is this trope taken to its LogicalExtreme.
42
43[[noreallife]]
44----
45!!Example subpages:
46%%
47%% Only add in-universe examples.
48%%
49[[index]]
50* AllGirlsWantBadBoys/AnimeAndManga
51* AllGirlsWantBadBoys/ComicBooks
52* AllGirlsWantBadBoys/FanWorks
53* [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys/LiveActionFilms Films — Live-Action]]
54* AllGirlsWantBadBoys/{{Literature}}
55* AllGirlsWantBadBoys/LiveActionTV
56* AllGirlsWantBadBoys/{{Music}}
57* AllGirlsWantBadBoys/VideoGames
58* AllGirlsWantBadBoys/{{Webcomics}}
59* AllGirlsWantBadBoys/WesternAnimation
60[[/index]]
61!!Works with their own subpages:
62[[index]]
63* ''AllGirlsWantBadBoys/RefreshingStories''
64[[/index]]
65!!Other examples:
66
67[[foldercontrol]]
68
69[[folder:Advertising]]
70* An advertisement for a brand of [[AllWomenLoveShoes high-heeled shoes]] said shoes were like men. "The ones you want to take home with you aren't the ones you can live with."
71* This [[https://youtu.be/b6Ijyg42ssg State Farm]] commercial implies this with one of the three young women featured. One of her companions leans towards SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan for good measure.
72[[/folder]]
73
74[[folder:Card Games]]
75* In the ''[[TabletopGame/CerberusEngineGames DC Comics Deck-Building Game]]'', Wonder Woman and Black Canary need Villains in order to trigger their Super Hero abilities. The card Princess Diana of Themiscyra, i.e., Wonder Woman, automatically gains all Villains in the Line-up. In Crisis Mode, Black Canary is the only character who can add Villains to her deck under normal circumstances.
76** Possibly subverted with Tauriel in ''[[Film/TheHobbitTheDesolationOfSmaug The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug]] Deck-Building Game Expansion Pack''. Her ability also relies on Villains (called Enemies here), but with the intention of using them as {{Bulletproof Human Shield}}s.
77[[/folder]]
78
79[[folder:Comedy]]
80* Creator/JeffFoxworthy mocked and {{deconstructed|Trope}} this trope at the same time. He said that when women say they want a "dangerous" guy, they're usually thinking of some Franchise/JamesBond-type of dude, but if a woman ''did'' end up with a "dangerous" man, then the likeliest outcome would have them on an episode of ''Cops'' with her hanging out of the trailer in a tube top, screaming ''"Lock his ass up!"''
81* Creator/BillHicks has a routine about this trope in which the "bad boy" is Satan and the woman believes ICanChangeMyBeloved. He has also recorded a song about it: "Chicks Dig Jerks". Both have a decidedly bitter tone.
82* Russell Kane calls it "Attracted to Bastard disease" after noticing the trope (becoming a cliche) on every reality dating TV show he's ever seen and is worried that it's seeping into real life (since he has a daughter), what with men in their twenties throughout the 2010s becoming arrogant and vain over getting a HeroicBuild.
83* Glen Foster, aka "That Canadian Guy", says that someone once told him that girls may be attracted to bad boys initially, but they don't ''stay'' with the bad boys. Glen [[ComicallyMissingThePoint interprets this as a double benefit]].
84[[/folder]]
85
86[[folder:Comic Strips]]
87* ''ComicStrip/FunkyWinkerbean'': In the mid-1990s, the romance between then-high school sweethearts Wally Winkerbean and Becky Blackburn. Becky was heavily involved with music and drama, but her heart fell for a guy that struggled in school and often drank and partied on the weekends. Years later, in 2010, Becky reflects back on how she came to fall in love with Wally [[note]]in the concluding chapter of a storyline where Wally, thought to have died several years earlier in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan was revealed to readers to be alive[[/note]] and admits that it was his "bad boy" attitude that drew her to him.
88* Played with in [[http://www.dilbert.com/strips/comic/1997-05-28/ these]] [[http://www.dilbert.com/strips/comic/1997-05-29/ two]] ''ComicStrip/{{Dilbert}}'' comics.
89* ''ComicStrip/InkPen'''s Scrappy Lad spends a week trying go bad to win over Moxie. He and Hammock [[http://www.gocomics.com/inkpen/2008/06/26 discuss the trope.]]
90[[/folder]]
91
92[[folder:Documentary]]
93* The BBC documentary ''The Human Animal'' proposes a reason this trope exists in simple biological terms. The short of it is that the dangerous aspects of the target are sexual advertisements. According to the documentary, on a biological level, women are looking for signs of protective prowess (IE: who will help protect and rear offspring). Displays of aggressive behavior are then read as signs of this prowess (cultural signs of this vary greatly, but the intended messages are the same). Once partnered up, however, the female will actively work to prevent the male from displaying further (the "redeeming" aspect of this trope), so as to prevent the male from gathering further attention from the opposite sex. There's a lot more to human courtship, of course, mostly because, unlike other primates alive today, sex among humans lasts more than 8 seconds.
94[[/folder]]
95
96[[folder:Eastern Animation]]
97* ''Animation/TheHauntedHouseTheSecretOfTheGhostBall:'' Kanglim is pursued by numerous girls despite his cold indifference towards them. The main characters even discuss it, saying the only reason he gets away with treating people so callously is because he's good-looking.
98[[/folder]]
99
100[[folder:Films — Animation]]
101* Sasha La Fleur from ''WesternAnimation/AllDogsGoToHeaven2''. Despite claiming she wants a sophisticated, intelligent, respectful and romantic dog to be her man, she also admits that part of the reason she's attracted to [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Charlie]] is because he's a swaggering, charismatic rogue.
102* In ''WesternAnimation/CaptainUnderpantsTheFirstEpicMovie'', CanonForeigner Edith has a crush on [[HairTriggerTemper temperamental]] ChildHater [[DeanBitterman Mr. Krupp]].
103* Brought up in song in ''WesternAnimation/LadyAndTheTramp'':
104-->He's a tramp\
105He's a scoundrel\
106He's a rounder\
107He's a cad\
108He's a tramp\
109But I love him\
110Yes, even I have got it really bad...
111* In ''WesternAnimation/JimmyNeutronBoyGenius'', Cindy has the hots for local skateboarder Nick Dean...that is, until he encounters Poultra and ScreamsLikeALittleGirl.
112* In ''WesternAnimation/WonderWoman2009'', Steve suspects this with Hippolyta and [[Characters/WonderWomanAres Ares]]. Hard to get badder than the God of War.
113* Gender-Flipped in ''WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}}''. The titular hero is sweet, innocent, clumsy and head over heels for the sexy, sarcastic, jaded [[AntiVillain Anti-Villainess]] Megara. The feeling turns out to be quite mutual, and LoveRedeems in its classic form kicks in. Definitely something different, especially for a Disney movie.
114* ''WesternAnimation/TheSwordInTheStone'': The cheerful red haired girl squirrel was already in love with Arthur/Wart in squirrel form [[LoveAtFirstSight the moment she laid eyes on him]]. When she wraps her tail around him and kisses him on the lips three times, he wipes his mouth, throws her tail over her head and pushes her. She chirps in an excited, flirtatious way suggesting this trope.
115* In ''WesternAnimation/ShinboneAlley'' Mehitabel lusts after the roguish Big Bill even though he's treated her badly in the past. She even goes back to him in the end despite the fact he ran out on her when she gave birth to his litter.
116* Cassidy Wilson started to develop a crush on Achmed at the beginning of ''Film/AchmedSavesAmerica'', as evident by the kiss she gave him.
117[[/folder]]
118
119[[folder:Myths & Religion]]
120* In Myth/ClassicalMythology, Aphrodite's passionate (and lasting) affair with the dangerous, bloodthirsty war god Ares makes this trope OlderThanFeudalism. The fact that her husband Hephaestus was [[TheGrotesque deformed and disabled]] and the marriage wasn't even her idea didn't help matters. Some versions have Hephaestus be [[DoggedNiceGuy a genuinely loving husband to her]], in others he got his revenge by crafting an inescapable net and throwing it over the sleeping lovers then calling all the other deities to point-and-laugh.
121** The Roman equivalents are Venus and her lover Mars who's given a kind of divine hero upgrade, making him more an icon of male fertility.
122[[/folder]]
123
124[[folder:Podcasts]]
125* Janel of ''Podcast/FatFrenchAndFabulous''.
126-->'''Janel:''' Saw ''Phantom of the Opera'' for the first time on Broadway today and now I'm exclusively sexually attracted to deformed psychopaths who live underneath opera houses, so that's something.
127* PlayedForLaughs in the season one finale of ''Podcast/WoodenOvercoats''. Rude, misanthropic Rudyard is normally the least popular man in town... until he's [[spoiler:falsely convicted of murder]]. Then he gets ''fan mail''.
128[[/folder]]
129
130[[folder:Pro Wrestling]]
131* If a woman in ''Wrestling/{{WWE}}'' ever undergoes a FaceHeelTurn, there are good odds that this is how she'll do it. Examples include:
132** Wrestling/StephanieMcMahon, who turned heel after marrying Wrestling/TripleH. In her post-heel-turn promo, she admitted that she was always attracted to him, but her feelings were only spurred on by her desire to spite [[Wrestling/VinceMcMahon her father]].
133** Tori, when she ditched Wrestling/{{Kane}} for [[Wrestling/SeanWaltman X-Pac]].
134** Years later, Wrestling/{{Lita}} would leave Kane for Wrestling/{{Edge|Wrestler}}. This mirrored her {{real life|WritesThePlot}} actions with Wrestling/MattHardy. This is at times gender-flipped since a lot of the male wrestlers seem to be interested in her.
135** Wrestling/TrishStratus, who turned on Wrestling/ChrisJericho in favor of Wrestling/{{Christian}} ''after'' Jericho did a HeelFaceTurn for her sake.
136** Wrestling/{{Layla}} choosing Wrestling/WilliamRegal over Jamie Noble is another example, though she never really turned face in the first place.
137** Subverted, though, by Wrestling/MollyHolly's heel turn in 2001. Despite the fact that it showed all the qualities of the above angles, the fact that she left Spike Dudley for ''[[Wrestling/GregoryHelms The Hurricane]]'' undermines the "bad boy" aspect since he's...well, a superhero. It didn't help that neither of them really did anything heelish at all beyond disapproving of The APA drinking beer, and immediately turned out-and-out face after the WCW/ECW Invasion angle ended. A much more definitive heel turn occurred for Molly the following year, with no bad boy in sight.
138* Played with in the case of Wrestling/TerriRunnels during WWE's Wrestling/AttitudeEra. She made her debut as Marlena the valet of her real-life husband's Wrestling/{{Goldust}} persona. Goldust was a heel. However, after his HeelFaceTurn, Goldust lost Terri for a few days to heel Wrestling/BrianPillman, but then initially [[DefiledForever refused to take her back]]. About a year later, Goldust broke character and appeared as a Born Again Christian Dustin Runnels, who was willing to forgive and forget and take Terri back. She however, blew him off for Wrestling/ValVenis, a playboy persona. However, when Venis started to {{reform|edRakes}}, Runnels showed up again as Goldust and Terri came running to him. After he rejected her for good this time, she became a StrawFeminist who swore off men completely.
139* A quite frankly, bizarre example is with Wrestling/AJLee, who pursued not one, but three men who each fit the bad boy criteria to different degrees. Her main interest focused on AntiHero Wrestling/CMPunk, wearing his shirts and mimicking his mannerism to a degree. Then there's {{Jerkass}} [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson Daniel Bryan]], her ex who she admitted she wasn't quite over yet and was possibly just trying to make jealous. And finally, there's [[OurDemonsAreDifferent Kane]], who she made dreamy eyes at and who she apparently thought he had a heart [[DracoInLeatherPants buried under his tormented soul]], and who she notably kissed with considerably more passion than she showed towards the other two. The one thing all three men appeared to agree on is that AJ is [[LoveMakesYouCrazy out of her damn mind]]. After a stint as RAW GM, she began an on-screen relationship with WWE's good boy Wrestling/JohnCena. Then she topples a ladder with him on top and ends up with bad boy Wrestling/DolphZiggler.
140[[/folder]]
141
142[[folder:Real Life]]
143* Some [[https://www.psypost.org/2022/04/secondary-psychopathy-in-high-school-boys-positively-predicts-future-dating-involvement-study-finds-62988 serious research]] on this topic has appeared in the scientific journal ''Evolutionary Psychology.'' Apparently characteristics of what is called "secondary psychopathy" (impulsivity, irresponsibility, and antisocial behavior) can reliably predict dating success among adolescent boys in high school.
144** There's also [[https://www.psypost.org/psychopathic-men-have-more-children-study-finds/ some evidence]] in the journal ''Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences'' that psychopathic men have more children.
145[[/folder]]
146
147[[folder:Roleplay]]
148* ''Roleplay/DawnOfANewAgeOldportBlues'':
149** Ivy is attracted towards broody, angsty boys, though {{downplayed|Trope}} in that she doesn't like ones that are actively dangerous or cruel. This has resulted in her developing a deep crush on the anti-social Simon.
150** Similarly, Ivy's [[HeterosexualLifePartners best friend]] Luna is attracted to local 'bad boy' and rockstar wannabe Hyeon, and has stated that she finds 'good' guys to be [[GoodIsBoring boring]].
151* In ''Roleplay/SurvivalOfTheFittest'', Rosa Fiametta's attraction to JJ Sturn, despite the fact that he's pretty much an asshat (whilst they're dating, at least). This backfires on her in a major way.
152[[/folder]]
153
154[[folder:Theatre]]
155* ''Theatre/{{Assassins}}'' plays this for laughs by having Lynette Froome wax lyrical about how amazingly smart and beautiful Charles Manson is. Based on RealLife, as she was infatuated with Manson and tried to kill the President in his name.
156* ''Theatre/{{Elisabeth}}'': As far as bad boys go, it doesn't get worse than [[spoiler: killing two of your children and saying point blank that he will own you in the end]]. In fact, it's after he did it the second time that Elisabeth breaks and begs Death to take her. The German tour and Raimund Theater revival amped it up by giving Death the HellBentForLeather trope.[[note]]Which was a version of ActorInspiredElement, as the androgynous costume used for previous Deaths does not look flattering on ultra-masculine Mark Seibert. Takarazuka productions also took note of this sartorial change.[[/note]]
157* In ''Film/{{Grease}}'', the "cool" girls, especially Rizzo, are attracted to bad boys, and the male lead, Danny Zuko, is a bad boy who resembles Arthur Fonzarelli. The main conflict in the plot is over Danny's "badness" and the "goodness" of Sandy, the lead female. Eventually, they end up meeting somewhere in the middle.
158* {{Deconstruct|ion}}ed in ''Theatre/{{Heathers}}''. Veronica was very much attracted to bad boy J.D. when he was just a broody, intense bookworm with a troubled past that beat up {{Jerk Jock}}s in the cafeteria. Once he starts murdering people, however, their relationship goes south.
159* In ''Theatre/TheImportanceOfBeingEarnest'', Cecily falls madly in love with Jack's wayward brother [[LoveBeforeFirstSight without ever having met him]] because "a man who is very much talked about is always very attractive. One feels there must be something in him after all."
160* Genderswapped in ''Theatre/LoveInHateNation'', where protagonist Susannah ends up falling for the bad ''girl'' instead, Sheila. She wears a leather jacket, doesn't care what other people think of her, and [[spoiler: rides off on a motorcycle at the end of the show]]. Susannah is enraptured.
161* The ''Theatre/{{Mrs Hawking}}'' play series: {{Subverted|Trope}} with Arthur the policeman. He's just about the sweetest, most straightforward guy you could imagine, and he's presented as a romantic and attractive figure [[spoiler:for lead character Mary]]. [[ZigzaggingTrope Zig-zagged]] with Clara, who briefly dated the roguish playboy Justin Hawking before settling down with his more gentlemanly little brother Nathaniel.
162* ''Theatre/TheMusicMan'':
163** Mayor Shinn's daughter Zaneeta falls for the rebellious teen Tommy Djilas to the horror of her parents.
164** [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]] for Marian Paroo. Marian initially snubs [[TheBarnum Harold Hill's]] advances and dreams of being with an "honest man", though she eventually falls for him after seeing the joy and confidence he has sparked in the town's citizens with his idea for a band. Harold, in turn, decides not to ditch town and to stay with Marian.
165* In ''Theatre/SpringAwakening'' Thea declares, "Melchi Gabor, he's such a radical! You know what the whisper is? He doesn't believe in anything! Not in God, not in Heaven, not in a single thing in this world!" Cue the other girls on stage sighing dreamily.
166* Stella in ''Theatre/AStreetcarNamedDesire'' chooses to stay with Stanley, who is violent, abusive, and beneath her social class. She reasons that what goes on between the sheets makes everything unimportant. Even her sister Blanche flirts with him.
167* Sarah of ''Theatre/TanzDerVampire'' is a lot more interested in the vampire Count von Krolock than she is in Alfred, the quintessential (human) DoggedNiceGuy. She spends the musical longing for the Count's bite even as Alfred sings of his love for her.
168* "Mack The Knife" Macheath in Kurt Weills ''Theatre/TheThreepennyOpera'' is an all-out sociopathic criminal. But that does not stop at least ''four'' girls from going crazy over him.
169* ''Theatre/ZombieProm'' sort of parodies this with TheHero, Jonny Warner. He has a motorcycle (like many bad boys), but the most rebellious thing he does is take the "h" out of his name, then tell Miss Strict he'd prefer to keep it out. Miss Strict and Toffee's parents still insist she break up with him. When she does, he is DrivenToSuicide, then comes back as a zombie. Interestingly, once he does, it is ''suggested'' that he might have been a bit more rebellious than we thought (telling Miss Strict that he "used to hate [her]" and "could not be reached"), but, as a zombie, all he wants to do is return to school and take Toffee to the prom.
170[[/folder]]
171
172[[folder:Visual Novels]]
173* Toyed with in ''VisualNovel/CrescendoJP''. Ryo, the main character, is a gruff guy with a bad reputation and a troubled past who sleeps through school enough to put his graduation in jeopardy. However, the girls like him... because [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold he's a kind-hearted guy who stands by them when they need support]], not the fact that he can beat up 3 guys at once.
174* In ''VisualNovel/{{Demonheart}}'', the two men Bright can go for are both evil. Raze is a demonspawn and fan of MurderIsTheBestSolution, and Brash is a foulmouthed corrupt knight and rumored rapist.
175* In ''VisualNovel/DiabolikLovers'', every boy is a bad boy - this is the core idea of the franchise. It's pure bad-boy {{wish fulfilment}}, but be warned; these aren't just [[TroubledButCute cool, disaffected pretty boys]] with [[DarkAndTroubledPast tragic pasts]] in need of comfort. They ''are'' all of that, plus they are [[VampiresAreRich rich vampire]] [[VampiresAreSexGods sex gods]] who are [[{{Sadist}} turned on by suffering]], [[FetishizedAbuser treat the heroine like a plaything]], and they can even [[KissOfTheVampire make her like it]]. Worry not, though; [[LoveRedeems love still redeems]] - it just might take a while to break through (like two visual novels worth of time.)
176* ''VisualNovel/DreamDaddy'': Deconstructed. The player can try to start a relationship with the local Bad Dad Robert, [[spoiler:but in the Good Ending, Robert will admit that he isn't in a good place, emotionally or psychologically and wants to focus on rebuilding the bridge between himself and his daughter, asking the player to give him time to fix himself up so they can start an actually healthy relationship in the future and staying JustFriends until there]].
177* ''VisualNovel/HatofulBoyfriend'': Deconstructed if you pursue Shuu, the MadScientist who's ObviouslyEvil. If you follow his route to the very end, [[spoiler:he kills you and confesses love to ''[[ALoveToDismember your decapitated head]]'']]. And, as he points out, you can't really be all that surprised, as he made no secret of the fact that he's unhinged and [[{{Yandere}} obsessive]]. Lesson: aggressively pursuing a relationship with someone who behaves in a creepy manner, is involved in highly suspicious activities, and outright ''tells'' you they're dangerous and you should stay away is [[LoveMartyr probably a bad idea]].
178* In ''VisualNovel/IkemenSengoku'', several of the main character's potential love interests fit this trope, especially Nobunaga Oda who's known as the "Devil King of the Sixth Heaven" and Masamune Date who's wild, flirtatious, and more than a little dangerous. The main character even explicitly notes this trope on Masamune's route with her thoughts on how "I had become the princess in love with a bad boy, and I had no regrets."
179* Deconstructed in ''VisualNovel/LastWindow''. [[spoiler:Margaret]] fell in love with [[spoiler:her husband George]] knowing fully that he was an evil man. Eventually, [[spoiler:he became a criminal and the only thing keeping them together was their shared guilt of his crimes. When he murdered a friend of theirs, she decided she'd had enough and planned to kill him, only to be beaten to the punch. Her knowledge of his crimes and the fact she allowed them to happen haunts her to this day]]. At one point, she describes herself as alternately loving and loathing him.
180* ''VisualNovel/MonsterProm'': Among the dateable characters, Damien is actively described as a bad boy, he is a demon and an arsonist that loves to cause mayhem and destruction.
181* Subverted in ''VisualNovel/ShallWeDateNinjaShadow'': two of [[PlayerCharacter Saori's]] potential love interests (Toru [[spoiler: Nakagawa]] and Tsubaki Kusunoki) fit very well as bad boys in one way or another... but Saori, who tends to swear by the "SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan" principle, will ''only'' start looking their way when they [[PetTheDog show her their gentler, kinder sides]]. i.e., in [[spoiler: Toru's younger brother Makoto]]'s route, Saori will be repulsed by the "bad boy" Toru's VillainousCrush on her and remain firmly in love with [[spoiler: Makoto]]... but Toru's own route will start with him showing his AntiVillain chops right from the beginning [[RescueRomance and rescuing her at least twice from tight situations]].
182* ''VisualNovel/YoJinBo'' has [[BloodKnight Tatsunami Ittosai]] as one of your possible options. He actually [[spoiler:betrays the heroine to the villains, becoming TheMole for a substantial section of the game]], but can be [[LoveRedeems redeemed]] courtesy of the PowerOfTrust, and has some of the most emotional endings in the game.
183[[/folder]]
184
185[[folder:Web Animation]]
186* ''WebAnimation/AoharuMangaLibrary'': In stories revolving around Keiichi getting dumped, it's usually because his first girlfriend is attracted to his antagonist's bad boy attitude. This usually comes back to bite them in the end.
187* ''WebAnimation/EtraChanSawIt'': [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2j_BosuyF90 Akane]] starts liking delinquent-looking men because they saved her from a creep.
188* ''WebAnimation/LoboWebseries'': Darlene Spritzer wanted to date Lobo at first but she dumps him now knowing he wants to have sex with her.
189* ''WebAnimation/MoniRobo'': [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FRfYu1Tb2w Momoko]] took advantage of her husband Ryuta being away on a business trip to Russia to cheat on him with a sleazy-looking man named Takuto. When he returned from his trip, his daughter Mami called him constantly about it until he answered.
190* ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'': PlayedForLaughs in episode 7 of season 9, where [[CasanovaWannabe Tucker]] gives love advice to [[DeadpanSnarker Church]] for when Tex arrives.
191-->'''Tucker:''' Church, say something rebellious.\
192'''Church:''' Uh, okay, I think the working class should uprise against the rich people.\
193'''Tucker:''' I said rebellious, not revolutionary.
194* ''WebAnimation/RomComMangaChan'': Some stories have Kent's previous love interest dump him for a delinquent-looking guy.
195** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYRCvOkqmzc Tsukimi]] dumped Kent for a delinquent named Netoda simply because the former was too nice.
196** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3xrHDV-LEM Chihiro]] hooked up with a delinquent-looking young man behind Kent's back and dumped him, leaving him heartbroken.
197** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlJv8H0VRVE Usoda]] dumped Kent for a guy named Netori, who claimed to be his best friend.
198* Gender-inverted case in ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}''. Yang's father Taiyang is a NiceGuy, a BruiserWithASoftCenter and a good father. Yang's mother Raven, on the other hand, is a ruthless bandit queen with a [[TheSocialDarwinist Social Darwinist]] streak. In Taiyang's words, he found a lot to admire in her otherwise prickly personality, namely her strength, determination and dedication to whatever cause she thought was right; it was only after Yang was produced that Raven's myriad other issues eventually caused the romance to fall apart.
199* Yang seems to believe in this trope in ''WebAnimation/RWBYChibi''. In the [="LoveDaddy"=] short, Yang and Ruby edit their father's social dating profile to help him find a date. Yang edits his profile to make him seem like a dangerous, edgy, thrill-seeking, brooding bad boy. This is in direct opposition to [[SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan Ruby's edits]].
200* Analyzed in ''[[https://youtu.be/OfsTJnpRxeg The School of Life]]'', which concludes that it stems from low self-esteem and self-loathing, resulting in one to rebuff nicer candidates and instead look for bad ones who are 'comfortably cruel'.
201* ''WebAnimation/{{Anon|Machinima}}'': Twin brothers Tucker and Hunter are part of a VERY shady crime family and are notorious for their lying and manipulating ways, but they also have nearly almost every female character thirsting after them, including the two main female leads and a considerable portion of the fanbase.
202** Averted with Tucker's son Connor, usually a good mannered but immature kid who goes through a bad boy phase during the first half of the eighth season. Most characters and fans of the show agree that they find the cute and cheerful Connor a lot more charming than bad boy Connor, who they mostly find just annoying and out of control.
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205[[folder:Web Original]]
206* The website ''Website/TheArtOfManliness'' debunks this in a few articles and podcasts, explaining that women tend to go for confident guys and, often times, bad boys are more confident. It also mentions that those same bad boys don't last long and that a confident, yet well-mannered man is something for the guys to strive for. The site also criticizes the supposed DoggedNiceGuy for not being nearly as nice as he claims.
207* ''Website/{{Cracked}}'':
208** [[http://www.cracked.com/video_15814_the-being-jerk-method.html "The Being a Jerk Method"]] of picking up women.
209** Inverted in one article. One of the writers went undercover on a dating site, posing as a woman with model looks who spends "her" entire profile making racist jokes, displaying bad manners, admitting to breaking the law, gladly admitting she lies about being pregnant to get what she wants, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and showing horrible grammar and spelling.]] Many men still messaged this person, asking for dates. The writer decided to up the ante by messaging them back, boasting about bullying young children, lying to a judge to avoid charges, and even making stupid demands of the men if they wanted to have sex with her, which included but was not limited to, [[TheToothHurts allowing her to yank out one of their teeth]]. At one point, she freely explained that she only has sex with men so she can pretend to be pregnant and get money from them. Despite this, many men were gravitating toward her. And yes, it was all real.
210* Subverted in an issue of ''Literature/TheDescendants'' that goes so far as having the same name as this trope.
211* The whole point of websites like ''[[http://www.hotchickswithdouchebags.com Hot Chicks with Douchebags]]''.
212* This is a common plot on hundreds of stories on Platform/{{Wattpad}}, however, opinions are divided across the internet on whether the so-called "bad boys" the teen girl audience are swooning over are actual bad boys (brooding, tortured {{lovable rogue}}s) or sociopaths wearing a bad boy disguise, who aren't against kidnapping and emotionally-abusing their girlfriends or beating people to death. It's so popular, typing "saved by the bad boy" or "the bad boy that saved me" into the website's search engine will lead to tons of books under those titles.
213* In one ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse'' story, Loophole's student advisor warns her about Kodiak, pointing out that, no matter how romantic the bad boys seem, they're still bad, and it takes more than one girl's love to make them good--so if she's trying to change him, she needs to be bloody careful (especially considering that Kodiak is one of the most dangerous people at Whateley, at least among the student population). Loophole takes it to heart and later informs Kodiak that she knows he only really respects people who can stand up to him--and she proceeds to fight him and (almost) win so he'll ''really'' respect her. It works.
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216[[folder:Web Videos]]
217* In ''WebVideo/BrokenBonds'', Li'lu and E'ar both want "hot demon boyfriends".
218* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vp6XZIvv6X0 This]] parody from ''Website/CollegeHumor'', showing what [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Zelda]] and [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Princess Peach]] discuss when the heroes aren't around. And again in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHZsleyKons this]] video with Adam, Eve, and the Snake.
219* In ''WebVideo/ImAMarvelAndImADC'', Harley Quinn says that she wants a physically and emotionally abusive guy. She was trying to justify her canon love for the Joker, which is depicted as extremely unhealthy and, by the end of this season, [[spoiler: ends up with the Green Goblin, who is an a-hole to everyone else but treats her well]].
220* Parodied in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfeys7Jfnx8 this]] Creator/{{Nigahiga}} video. It shows Ryan and Kevin trying to pick up girls by acting like total jerks.
221* Website/ChannelAwesome:
222** Gender-inverted with WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic. He likes aggressive women so much that he would be happy for the prison characters of ''Film/{{Chicago}}'' to ''kill him'', he picked up a psycho StalkerWithACrush partner when he was a teenager because he broke up with them three times, his prom date ended up raping him, he has a complicated relationship with WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick, and he keeps getting with Rapey![[WebVideo/TheSpoonyExperiment Spoony]].
223** And, now that we mentioned her, WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick. She gets manipulated into sex with Spoony, can't stop dating drunk guys, has a "history" with the Critic, and keeps fawning over an [[WebVideo/ToddInTheShadows asshole with no interest in her]]. Both of these can be considered deconstructed though, as the Critic's a "glutton for punishment" with very little power and the Chick herself has issues.
224** Also shows up on her list of the top ten hottest animated guys: most of the list falls under this trope, whether the "brooding tortured loner" version or the "horrible, horrible person that may or may not have a heart of gold in there somewhere who [[ICanChangeMyBeloved girls can have 'fun' rehabilitating]]" version.
225** Being an AntiRoleModel for fangirls, it's only fitting that Critic's stalker (Hyper Fangirl) shows this off. Critic's threatened to kill her a load of times for not leaving him alone and it just makes her more attracted to him.
226** Reviewing the official ''Film/{{Batman|1989}}'' movie comic with ''WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall'', the scene between Alicia and Jack Napier (not the Joker but a conceited A-1 nutball of a gangster) gets a comment from the Critic that it's Jack's "warm compassion" that draws her to him.
227* Veronica of ''WebVideo/TheVeronicaExclusive'' wants bad ''girls'', specifically, Jane. This is deconstructed when Jane turns out to be less of a deep, mysterious loner and more of a vindictive, psychotic SerialKiller. At the end, Veronica outright states that everything she found attractive about Jane at first turned out to be a far harsher, more dangerous quality once you scratched the surface.
228[[/folder]]

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