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| 3 | %% This page has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in the correct order. Thanks! |
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| 6 | [[quoteright:350:[[VideoGame/GarouMarkOfTheWolves https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/snapshot2_2.jpg]]]] |
| 7 | [[caption-width-right:350:The insult hurts more than the injury.]] |
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| 9 | ->''"I did twenty years of martial arts training in ten years by skipping the discipline part so ''bring it!''"'' |
| 10 | -->-- '''Broadman''', ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'' |
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| 12 | %% One quote is sufficient. Please place additional entries on the quotes tab. |
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| 15 | More Creator/SonnyChiba than Creator/BruceLee, the Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy is a loner. He's simply too mean to have friends. Unparalleled in combat, he has TheGift. [[SacrificedBasicSkillForAwesomeTraining His interpersonal skills are nonexistent]], and his temper is best described as "[[HotBlooded volcanic]]." Living in a [[HairTriggerTemper constant state of aggravation]], his only joy comes from {{Trash Talk}}ing and putting "[[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment foolish fools]]" in their place (and sometimes even that's a stretch). He may not actually [[BloodKnight enjoy fighting]], or even ''want'' to if he can help it, but [[InHarmsWay it's all he knows]], possibly through being trained by a ThugDojo. Their view of the world means they can never understand the concept of the WorthyOpponent, as they are either better than you or you are the roadblock standing in the way of greatness (forcing them to recognize someone can be a WorthyOpponent is often where they will [[BreakTheHaughty falter]] and reconsider their demeanor towards others). |
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| 17 | With this character, FailureIsTheOnlyOption. They are almost always defeated by TheHero and are never {{the protagonist}}. Much of the time, they aren't as talented as they let on. If taken seriously, they might defeat {{the hero}} or a member of the supporting cast, only to be defeated by {{the protagonist}} in a rematch. Often, if you're in an anime or eastern video game, they'll spout off a line about how you are [[YearsTooEarly a hundred or more years too early]] to be fighting them. If this character is the protagonist, expect BreakTheHaughty to come into play or for them to in some other way learn AnAesop that true mastery comes from patience, discipline, and humility. If not, then they may be a DesignatedHero or at least a ShowyInvincibleHero. |
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| 19 | Despite the name, this trope does not merely apply to merely those that know Chinese martial arts. Indeed all martial arts are probably represented at least once in this trope somewhere. Nor is the limit there -- any skill may apply. The CookingDuel is about as likely to involve one as anything else. That said, at least for martial arts, due to their having a strong national identity, it's probably more likely for a foreigner to display this trope for some bonus CulturalPosturing about their proud history, especially if the native land has its own martial arts traditions. Which probably explains why many Japanese-made examples do use Kung Fu for this trope, while China might, say, have an [[Film/IpMan arrogant boxer]] instead. |
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| 21 | Tends to have a {{foil}} in a MartialPacifist, the inverse of this {{trope}}. The StockShonenRival is often saddled with this characterization, as their contrast to the StockShonenHero archetype usually mandates some sense of discrimination against those not born with great potential. See also SmugSuper, JerkJock. Contrast/See also CavalierCompetitor and InsufferableGenius. Also an inversion of MilesGloriosus, who has the social skills to maintain a facade but zero bravery or combat skill to back it up. |
| 22 | ---- |
| 23 | !!Examples: |
| 24 | |
| 25 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 26 | |
| 27 | [[folder:Animation]] |
| 28 | * ''Animation/{{Mechamato}}'': Champbot is very showy and vocal about his athletic abilities, constantly calling himself a champion and other people losers. |
| 29 | [[/folder]] |
| 30 | |
| 31 | [[folder:Anime & Manga]] |
| 32 | * Yujiro Hanma, the infamous BigBad of ''Manga/BakiTheGrappler'' is at Vegeta levels on this trope. He's the strongest creature on Earth and he views most other fighters, including his own son Baki, as pathetic amateurs, despite their best efforts and feats, and worthy only of being wrecked by him when he's bored. |
| 33 | * [[TheAce Zekka]] in ''Manga/BattleAngelAlita: Last Order''. He's a bit more affable than is the norm, but he certainly is arrogant (not that it isn't unfounded). Which [[AmbitionIsEvil sometimes makes him]] [[KicktheDog a much bigger jerk]] than he really is. So, naturally, his {{foil}} is his [[TheRival rival]] [[BareFistedMonk Don Fua]], who's a MartialPacifist. |
| 34 | * Try to name anyone from ''Manga/BlackClover'' whose magic power isn't equaled with an insufferable ego. Granted, there are those who have exceptional skills with magic, but they don't feel the need to shove it in everyone's faces. These are the ones who ''do'' flaunt it: |
| 35 | ** The Silver Eagles have Nozel, Solid and Nebra. High-tier magic spells? Absolutely. A tendency to look down on everyone they deem inferior, which happens to include ''their own sister'' just because she [[PowerIncontinence can't control her power]]? That too. |
| 36 | ** The Golden Dawn is a more obvious example. As the top Magic Knight squad in the Clover Kingdom, it's clear that their egos are on par with their magic. |
| 37 | * In ''Anime/BtX'', there's Ron, the hot-headed spiritual guardian. |
| 38 | * Several of the villains in ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' act like this, but many of them change after their initial appearance. [[DumbMuscle Yammy]] takes the cake though. |
| 39 | ** Nnoitra. He's capable of going over anyone and everyone just to show that he's better than everyone - this shows in his shared backstory with Neliel, whose repeated ass-handing to him made him inflict severe head trauma on her to turn her into a kid and, thus, kick her out of Las Noches. And, for bonus points, his reasoning is combined with pure machismo here: not only he didn't accept to be bested in battle, but it always stuck in his craw to be regularly beaten by a woman. |
| 40 | * ''Manga/CardCaptorSakura'' -- Syaoran, though this is cheerful {{shoujo}} fare so it's toned down. But as far as he's concerned, no one but him is entitled to the Clow Cards and Sakura's name is 'weakling'. [[{{Tsundere}} At first...]] |
| 41 | * The only thing to match the strength of Teresa of the Faint Smile in ''Manga/{{Claymore}}'', [[WorldsStrongestMan the number 1 not only of her generation, but of all generations]], was her overconfidence. The whole reason she fell to Priscilla was treating the latter, a legendarily powerful warrior in her own right, as a petulant child in need of schooling, until Priscilla struck her InTheBack with the sudden power boost from her Awakening. [[spoiler:And after coming back in Claire's body, Teresa is treating Priscilla, who is now a seemingly unbeatable EldritchAbomination, and was just about to finish off the rest of the cast combined, with even greater contempt.]] |
| 42 | ** Teresa was even nicknamed for this trope. She was constantly displaying a patronizing smile. Even the number 1 of the time while Teresa was only a recent warrior could not bare this smile. Aside from her, several number 1 tend to have this kind of attitude, examples include Hysteria, Roxanne, Isley, Rosemary, Priscilla (post-awakening). |
| 43 | * In a bizarre case of this trope, Sakurai in ''Manga/CrossManage'' believes that any time someone could possibly be competitive about something, [[StopHavingFunGuy they should be]], at least at the beginning of the series. Indeed, he applies this mindset to the concept too, looking for people to deride for playing just for fun or continuing to practice something if they're not good at it. Sakurai does not have many friends, and this seems to be how he prefers it. |
| 44 | * Ruki Makino/Rika Nonaka (depending on the dub) from ''Anime/DigimonTamers''. Being a Mon series, this applies to her tactical abilities rather than her melee prowess, to the point where she nearly has the main character's partner killed for experience. This attitude only lasts until she acknowledges that Digimon are living beings. |
| 45 | * Any and all villains from ''Franchise/DragonBall'', particularly Frieza, Tao Pai Pai, Vegeta, and Tien (though the latter two did a HeelFaceTurn). |
| 46 | ** Vegeta is the [[TropeCodifier KING]] of this trope for Modern Shonen. You could rename this trope to "The Vegeta" without any confusion. His HeelFaceTurn in the Buu saga was cemented by him [[DiscussedTrope precisely realizing]] that he was the embodiment of the Arrogant Kung-Fu guy and coming to grips with his [[AlwaysSecondBest inability]] to surpass Goku. |
| 47 | ** Tien is actually a subversion. While he certainly comes off as this trope when introduced (and especially, right before and during his match against Yamcha), his arrogance comes from believing he has a better master and Goku doesn't fight or train seriously. But when he finds out Crane was having Chiaotzu use his powers on Goku to rig the fight, he [[ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules demands his friend stop]] [[HonorBeforeReason and gives Goku a free shot to try and make the fight fair again]]. When he wins by virtue of Goku hitting a car seconds before he hit the ground, he tries to request a rematch because the victory wasn't rightly earned, and even offers to split the prize money with Goku and co because he felt Goku deserved to win that match at least as much as he did. |
| 48 | ** Hercule/Mr. Satan is a subversion. He's the official world martial arts champion (a title he got because Goku and his friends were too busy saving the world to participate in the tournament) and incredibly arrogant about it. He thinks Dudes flying around and shooting energy blasts are all trickery, and when he learns that it's real, he still acts like it isn't publicly. Among all the main fighting characters in the series, he's easily the weakest. At the same time, he is legitimately the greatest martial artist in the world among normal human beings, so it's not like that bravado comes from nowhere either. |
| 49 | ** Gotenks. Because of his immaturity, he fails to take his opponents seriously and drags out fights because of his obsession with looking cool, which results in disaster every time he tries to fight an enemy. It's because of these qualities that the rest of the Z Fighters decide not to let him participate in the Tournament of Power. |
| 50 | ** Frieza may very well be this trope incarnate. It's mentioned that he's a mutant amongst his species and was ''born'' so powerful that he never bothered to train a day in his life. As a result, Frieza is utterly DrunkWithPower and cannot/will not accept that there could possibly be anyone in the universe who could be stronger than him, let alone beat him. His defeat at the hands of Super Saiyan Goku is a massive blow to his ego. |
| 51 | ** Cell. What makes him stand out among the rest, however, is that he is a very skilled fighter who [[UnskilledButStrong doesn't have the shortcomings of the Saiyans and Frieza]]. He can sense ki like the heroes, suppress his power down to almost nonexistent, can think on his feet in the heat of battle, and does not rely on pure brute strength to get ahead. He shows more battle experience and understanding of fighting than Trunks and Gohan and actually rivals Goku and Piccolo in fighting instincts. This is mostly thanks to his genetics which gives him the power and experience of the universe's greatest fighters. About the only flaw he does have is the Saiyan love of a good fight, which ultimately results in his downfall after he forces Gohan to go Super Saiyan 2. |
| 52 | ** Out of all the Buu forms, Super Buu. He prides himself on being the strongest in the universe and will throw a tantrum if anyone surpass him in power. Before he absorbs Piccolo, [[UnskilledButStrong he is not that well trained, relying on force and his regeneration]]. He become much more disciplined once he starts absorbing people. |
| 53 | ** The reason Master Roshi adopts the Jackie Chun alias to compete in the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament is to make sure his students do not become this trope. |
| 54 | ** Jiren was a NominalHero who didn't hesitate to [[InvincibleVillain show just how superior he is to everyone]] or care for his comrades when they are defeated, insulting his leader for his less-than-stellar performance, and even tried to murder all of Goku's friends and family just to spite him. |
| 55 | * ''Manga/Eyeshield21'' has a bunch of arrogant football guy but one who could even be an arrogant kung fu guy without IKnowMaddenKombat is [[TheGift Kongo Agon]]. Agon is a freak of nature with time reaction that couldn't be possible otherwise that allows him to become an expert in everything '''and''' he has endless stamina all thanks to him winning the genetic lottery. He is also a borderline sociopath who enjoys crushing the dreams of people with less inane talent and those who actually have talents just make him want to crush them harder. |
| 56 | * ''Manga/Fabricant100'': Ashibi and 100 are teamed up with Hugo, who is more experienced, normally angry, and thinks Ashibi isn't worth being in Mortsafe despite what the leader says, because of the difference in their backgrounds and Ashibi's lack of combat experience. Hugo warms up to Ashibi shortly, after realizing Ashibi does put his life on the line. |
| 57 | * Lyon (for a time), [[KillItWithFire Zancrow]], [[DishingOutDirt Ajeel]], Minerva and the entire Sabertooth guild... Almost every antagonist in the ''Manga/FairyTail'' world is arguably this. Special mention would have to go to [[AgentPeacock God Serena]], who is so self-confident in himself he sings his own praises and shrugs off people insulting him as "compliments", and will even tell his struggling opponents that they "aren't completely pathetic" for being able to pull off a HeroicSecondWind. |
| 58 | * All top-tier martial artists from ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'', except [[KungFuJesus Toki]]. Unless ''really'' being that good, or less than completely antisocial, disqualifies you, in which case the chief protagonist, Kenshiro, also doesn't count. |
| 59 | ** Much more downplayed, but Kenshiro's uncle and namesake, Kasumi Kenshiro, from ''Manga/FistOfTheBlueSky'', was also prone to overconfidence. |
| 60 | * Kyo Sohma from ''Manga/FruitsBasket'' fits this trope almost perfectly. He is a loner, being cursed by the spirit of the cat of the zodiac, and he loses his temper constantly. On top of that, he trash talks Yuki Sohma whenever he gets the chance and spent tons of time up in the mountains training with his master to one day overcome Yuki in a fight. Yet, Yuki remains the stronger, better fighter throughout the course of the series. |
| 61 | * Issei Tsubaki from ''Literature/FullMetalPanic'' is a comic (and less evil) example; his extreme nearsightedness prevents him from being taken seriously. |
| 62 | * Ginga Izumo, one of the heroes of ''Anime/GearFighterDendoh'', is a lesser (hey, he's only 10) version of this trope at the start of the series. Being [[OddCouple forced to work with]] the much more mellow Hokuto keeps him from ever venturing into the full blossom of this {{trope}}. |
| 63 | * Chang Wufei of ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing Gundam Wing]]''. When you scowl all day and beat up ''hyenas'' without batting an eye, you wind up here. |
| 64 | * Tsukasa Shiba, the BigBad of ''Anime/GundamBuildDivers'', acts like this as he believes that [[spoiler:people who play Gunpla Battle Nexus Online are inferior to him because they never played Gunpla Duel and all the damages and repairs and such it entails.]] Losing to Riku Mikami shatters that worldview. |
| 65 | ** Prior to Tsukasa there was Saga Adou of ''Anime/GundamBuildFightersTry'', a member of the Gunpla Academy. A ruthless BloodKnight who takes absolute glee in smashing all of his opponents and hates the fact that there are rarely anyone who can match him. His crushing defeat of Yuuma Kousaka and the trash talking he did caused Yuuma to suffer a TenMinuteRetirement and a second defeat years later nearly sent him back. |
| 66 | * A few wrestlers in the sumo manga ''Manga/HinomaruZumou'' are arrogant to the point of cruelty, but Tonbokiri takes the cake. His massive size and incredible strength allowed him to rise up the ranks very quickly, and he now looks down on anyone ranked lower -- especially if they're older than him. When he badly injured the knee of one such wrestler, he wasn't sorry and went on a tirade about his opponent "clinging on with no talent." He ''will'', however, lay off and even be a bit friendly towards you if you put up a fight against him. |
| 67 | * Jan Akiyama of ''Manga/IronWokJan'' embodies this {{trope}} for the CookingDuel. |
| 68 | * To say that Bete Loga of ''Literature/IsItWrongToTryToPickUpGirlsInADungeon'' is egotistical would be like saying a minotaur running loose in the dungeon is a minor threat. Being one of the strongest close quarters fighters of the Loki Familia, he makes it a habit of looking down those he deems as weak, which includes the main character. |
| 69 | * ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'': Dio Brando is far the most prideful and arrogant villain in the series. He embraces it fully, declaring himself to be the "evil elite". |
| 70 | * Tokita Ohma, the protagonist from ''Manga/KenganAshura'', is extremely arrogant and provokes all his opponents, although it isn’t unprovoked as many of his opponents are of the same braggart clause, some many levels more demeaning than Ohma, he is more level headed to those supporting him also. |
| 71 | * Pick a villain in ''Manga/KenichiTheMightiestDisciple''. Some got better after they are defeated, but some refuse to change. |
| 72 | ** Except Boris. Out of like fifty villains (... recurring, post HeelFaceTurn or no...) there ''had'' to be one eventually who admitted Kenichi didn't suck before actually losing, right? |
| 73 | ** Out of Yomi, Boris, Ethan, and Chikage all act more like a PunchClockVillain than anything else. The rest of Yomi, and almost all the Fists of Ragnarok, fit this trope well. |
| 74 | * Tetsuya from ''Anime/MazingerZ'' and ''Anime/GreatMazinger'' is the [[{{Deconstruction}} deconstructed]] male example (predating Asuka for twenty years). Also known as Tetsuya "Combat Pro" Tsurugi, he was [[ConvenientlyAnOrphan an orphan kid]] trained since he was a child in martial arts and piloting HumongousMecha. Don't you dare questioning his skills and his AcePilot status unless you want to make him mad. Don't try to show him up unless you want make him MAD. And when he is angry he can be a world-class jerk. Later you find out that [[spoiler:he is so arrogant because he tries to hide he has a HUGE InferioritySuperiorityComplex and an utter lack of self-steem.]] Nevertheless, all of that arrogance [[spoiler:and underlying confidence and abandonment issues]] caused MANY troubles throughout the series. |
| 75 | * Balsa's self appointed rival from ''Literature/MoribitoGuardianOfTheSpirit'' is one of these. It turned out he overestimated himself a bit. |
| 76 | ** The son and father who get involved in the wrestling celebration in the village are another example. Ironically, neither of them are even all that good. |
| 77 | * Satsuki Arashiyama of ''Manga/NanakaSixSeventeen'', whose constant aggravation is due to no one taking her seriously and Nanaka accidentally foiling her at every turn. Despite this, she's an incredibly competent swordswoman and downright deadly roughly 100% of the time. |
| 78 | * ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'': |
| 79 | ** Neji Hyuga is an uppercrust example (for a time, he was the trope picture) as is [[TheRival Sasuke Uchiha]]. Neither are exactly smack-talkers, however: Neji tends to use [[TheFatalist long speeches about fate]], while Sasuke prefers [[DeathGlare long, lingering stares]]. Neji gets better thanks to DefeatMeansFriendship. Sasuke is a ''much'' harder sell, as it turns out this trope is ingrained in the Uchiha clan at the [[ThePowerOfHate genetic level]]. |
| 80 | ** The poster boy for this trope, however, is the head of the Uchiha clan, good ol' [[BigBad Madara Uchiha]] himself. You'll find it ''very'' hard not to [[HateSink hate him]] for the sole fact that he's [[StoryBreakerPower extremely overpowered]] and just WILL NOT SHUT UP about it. |
| 81 | * Asuka from ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' is a deconstructed female example. She's ''extremely'' cocky and aggressive, and takes great pride in her skills as an AcePilot. However, it's later revealed that she uses this attitude to obfuscate just how [[BreakTheHaughty messed up she really is]]. |
| 82 | * ''Manga/OnePiece'': |
| 83 | ** Dracule "Hawk-Eye" Mihawk zig-zags this. He's the best swordsman in the world and doesn't shy from telling his opponents how ''insignificant'' they are in his eyes or CherryTapping to show his superiority. That said, he is capable of recognizing {{Worthy Opponent}}s and even trained one of them, encouraging him to surpass him. |
| 84 | ** Kuroobi, part of Arlong's QuirkyMinibossSquad. He brags about his prowess in Fishman Karate, gets Sanji on the ropes for most of their fight due to most of it taking place in water, and only loses because he stops to boast and can't finish his ultimate move (when the first attack hardly did any damage at all) resulting in Sanji curb-stomping him. As a bonus, his name translates to English as "black belt". |
| 85 | ** Bellamy constantly thinks he's more powerful than Luffy due to the belief that Luffy is weak because he still believes in his dreams and had let Bellamy beat him up as he found fighting him pointless. Plus he regarded bounties as power levels and that his 55,000,000 Beri trumped Luffy's (at the time) 30,000,000 Beri. However, Bellamy made the mistake of beating up his friends and disregarding the new 100,000,000 Beri bounty as an attempt to scare him. So when the two confronted each other again, it was virtually a no contest; [[CurbStompBattle Luffy floored him]] ''with one hit''. |
| 86 | ** At first, old Whitebeard appeared to be like this, ripping up Shanks' letter and demanding he come in person to deliver his message. However, [[spoiler:we see that Whitebeard may be proud but not smug. He is fully aware of his decreasing health and when one of his comrades stabbed him, rather than kill the guy outright, he calmly embraced the traitor, calling him his son and forgiving him. He had charged into battle, expecting to die, in order to save Ace]]. If anything, he is more of a JerkWithAHeartOfGold. |
| 87 | ** [[TheDragon Rob Lucci]]. Gives up his key so it won't distract from his fight with Luffy. Is unconcerned about anything else but defeating Luffy. Trash talks through the entire thing about how he is more powerful than a [[YouRebelScum mere pirate.]] And unlike virtually every ''One Piece'' main villain, he never suffers a VillainousBreakdown. He's arrogant up until the exact moment of his defeat, and doesn't have time for anything but an OhCrap. |
| 88 | *** Like Whitebeard, Lucci is more than justified in his belief though: until Luffy comes alongm Lucci had never lost and was (short of the Admirals) the strongest agent the World Government had (and had more operational freedom). Had Luffy not been a {{Determinator}} Lucci would have beaten him and gone to successfully massacre his crew and take Robin back. |
| 89 | ** [[spoiler:Sanji's brothers,]] Yonji, Niji and Ichiji Vinsmoke, [[SuperSoldier genetically altered human beings]] who trained in combat since childhood, and are [[AristocratsAreEvil royal princes of the Germa Kingdom]]. They look down on [[spoiler:[[TheUnfavorite Sanji]]]] for being a weakling (despite him becoming much stronger since they were children) and [[VirtueIsWeakness acting compassionate towards "commoners"]], [[spoiler:[[BigBrotherBully even bullying him in the past (and present) for it]].]] Special mention, however, goes to Yonji, who personally [[CurbStompBattle felt the brunt end]] of [[spoiler:Sanji's]] pent-up anger during their reunion...and Yonji ''STILL'' considers him to be a worthless failure! |
| 90 | * Tatsumaki of ''Webcomic/OnePunchMan'', the second-ranked S-Class of the Hero Association is always speaking ill about other heroes and how they don't deserve the title. And it isn't limited to heroes beneath her class. She'll willfully diss her fellow S-Classers as well, usually after she [[CurbStompBattle crushes]] a monster that was giving them trouble. |
| 91 | ** Another example lies with the first ranked A-Class hero, Sweet Mask. Gradually throughout the series, he proves himself to be just as bad, if not even worse than Tatsumaki. At least Tatsumaki's sheer arrogance is backed up by how she legitimately ''is'' the second-strongest hero of the Association, while Sweet Mask, despite being stronger than his ranking suggests, still thinks he has the clout to tell those higher than him how to behave and command them without showing a lick of respect. He seems to care less about being a hero and more about keeping his celebrity status afloat, but his shallowness comes to light in the end of the Alien Conquerors Arc where he executes the aliens who destroyed A-City, following that up by admitting he refused a promotion from his current class to to ensure heroes he deems as worthless do not surpass him. |
| 92 | * ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'': Many of Ash's rivals qualify. |
| 93 | ** Gary Oak, from the [[Anime/PokemonTheOriginalSeries original series]]. He was a naturally gifted Trainer from the start and all too aware of it, boasting about his skill and accomplishments at every opportunity, especially to Ash. He experienced a major change in attitude, however, when he was knocked out of the Indigo League ''before'' Ash; while he remained at odds with his rival, his ego was toned down significantly from that point onward. He fully grows out of this when Ash defeats him in the Johto League, after which they become friends. |
| 94 | ** Minor characters the "Invincible Pokémon Brothers" were a TerribleTrio of arrogant MilesGloriosus Fighting-type Trainers who used dirty tricks like having their Hitmonchan pull a WoundedGazelleGambit or sending out multiple {{mons}} at once. |
| 95 | ** Paul from the ''[[Anime/PokemonTheSeriesDiamondAndPearl Diamond and Pearl]]'' series ramps both the skill and the {{Jerkass}} qualities to the highest degree. Paul is a StrongAndSkilled veteran Trainer that regularly outwits fellow veteran Ash, and is absolutely ''scathing'' toward any Trainer he deems to be weak, with multiple characters suffering a HeroicBSOD as a result of their encounters with him. Much like Gary, he does get better over time. His loss to Brandon humbles him immensely, and while still cold and stoic, he no longer underestimates or openly demeans his opponents. His loss to Ash at the Sinnoh League fully completes his change, finally acknowledging Ash as his equal and ending their rivalry. |
| 96 | ** Trip from ''[[Anime/PokemonTheSeriesBlackAndWhite Black & White]]''. Though he's far less skilled than Gary or Paul, he's every bit as arrogant, with his early wins against Ash fueling his ego so much that he assumes the entire cast is beneath him. Once again, a crushing loss late in the series is what gets him to change his attitude, in this case to his idol, Alder. |
| 97 | * Hyoutei's Hiyoshi from ''Manga/ThePrinceOfTennis'', whose ''Enbu tennis'' style is based on Kobujutsu (an ancient martial arts from Okinawa). Not really a people person, often seems to be annoyed or angry, and his philosophy in life is ''gekokujo'' (which means that subordinates will surpass, defeat and take the place of their superiors... similar to putting fools in their place, in a way). |
| 98 | ** Rikkai's Sanada is such an arrogant kung fu guy that his signature move ''Fuurinkazan'' comes straight out of The Art of War. |
| 99 | * ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'': |
| 100 | ** The first paragraph of this trope's description aptly describes Kyoko Sakura, who is a JerkAss in every way imaginable. [[spoiler:[[TookALevelInKindness She gets better massively]], ultimately laying down her life to save the girl she called fool in the first place. What an idiot!... Right]]? |
| 101 | ** Homura, even moreso. When she actually bothers to fight, she neutralizes powerful witches and {{Magical Girl}}s without even trying, and acts astoundingly condescending most of the time. [[spoiler:Subverted; she does all this for the sake of protecting Madoka, not because she wants to. Her HiddenHeartOfGold comes out near the end. That said, she ''can'' be pretty arrogant about her powers at times, which leads to [[TookALevelInBadass Sayaka]] in ''Rebellion'' showing her she's not as invincible as she seems when she briefly neutralizes her powers, leading to an OhCrap on Homura's part.]] |
| 102 | * ''Manga/RamenFighterMiki'': The protagonist, TheRival and the UnknownRival fit in this trope. Being a deconstruction of the FightingSeries, all three are also {{Man Child}}ren. |
| 103 | * ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'': |
| 104 | ** Ryouga Hibiki, the epitome of {{the rival}} version, whose menace is slightly undercut by the fact that [[NoSenseOfDirection he couldn't walk around a tree without getting lost]]. |
| 105 | ** Tatewaki Kuno also fits, for the most part, except for the fact that most other characters could kick his ass in their sleep once he falls victim to CantCatchUp. Apparently, he's too arrogant to realize he needs to improve. |
| 106 | *** It helps that he's [[WhyWontYouDie too stupid to die]]. People improve in response to threats, and nothing can actually threaten him -- and since he CantCatchUp, he's not enough of a threat to anyone else to really get things going. |
| 107 | ** Mousse doesn't qualify quite as much as Ryouga, but almost. Fortunately, like Ryouga, he has an easily-exploitable weakness in his [[BlindWithoutEm absolutely terrible vision]]. He's hiding an infinite supply of glasses in his robes, but it still takes time to put on a new pair. |
| 108 | ** Ryu Kumon is probably one of the only characters in the entire manga who isn't at all humorous ever at all ''ever'' (''especially'' in his backstory). A completely ruthless fighter who causes only senseless destruction. |
| 109 | ** Pantyhose Taro. He's a martial artist capable of resisting Ranma in a normal fight even before using his Jusenkyo curse to become a giant flying minotaur (later with CombatTentacles tentacles and ink) able to fight off most of the Nerima Wrecking Crew at once. He's also ruthless, clever and underhanded. |
| 110 | %%** Herb of the Musk. |
| 111 | ** Ranma himself is pretty much this. He's also a sore loser who'd do anything to win a fight. |
| 112 | *** Surprisingly averted with Ranma while his casual use of super human abilities, the belief he can win, and maybe a tiny bit of trash talk once or twice in the series make many consider Ranma a braggart/show off in fanon. Canon Ranma will most likely be the first person to downplay his skill. |
| 113 | *** This is most likely because Ranma is a very secretive person who hates talking about himself and did not talk about any of his previous battles (most things about Ranma's past we learn second hand), Akane even complains that Ranma never really tells her anything in the manga. However Ranma is an incredibly SoreLoser so this aspect will show up from time to time when he his the underdog. |
| 114 | ** Shampoo fits this well, even to Ranma (hint: she's in Japan for losing against Ranma and the gap just keeps getting bigger). Also she isn't above using cheats like the Super Soba and drugs and [[{{Hypocrite}} complains when other fighters do the same]] |
| 115 | ** [[{{Tsundere}} Akane]] fits this on the count that she gets jealous easily of anyone whose fighting ability exceeds her own (which is almost everyone after Ranma came into the picture). |
| 116 | * In ''Literature/TheRisingOfTheShieldHero'' the Hengen Musou style was eventually taught to a genius who came to believe it was his right to rule the world. This was in direct conflict with the philosophy of the style and so the other practitioners fought against him, resulting in most dying. The survivors swore not to pass on the art. Naofumi suspects the genius was [[spoiler:a reincarnated minion sent by Medea to destroy the style]]. |
| 117 | * ''Anime/SamuraiChamploo'' featured Shouryuu, a Japanese kendo student-cum-Shaolin martial arts master who killed reputable samurai in order to prove his superiority. He takes every fight seriously; After his return to Japan, he killed another student during a sparring match. |
| 118 | * Kyuzo of ''Anime/SamuraiSeven'' is a cross between this and AloofAlly. He is very, very good, and enjoys fighting (which seems to be all he knows), but he's too much the strong silent type to brag about it. |
| 119 | * Black*Star of ''Manga/SoulEater'' is extremely arrogant about his abilities, although also a JerkWithAHeartOfGold. His genuine skill and (latterly) achievements do little to justify his attitude; the kid thinks the world revolves around his 'godly' strength. He's been known to proclaim himself {{the Hero}} of the series in which he is, technically, TheBigGuy to [[TheHero Maka's Heroine]] and [[TheLancer Soul's Lancer]]. |
| 120 | * ''Manga/TimeStopHero'': Swordmaster Leafa Colby is one of the greatest swordswomen in the setting, which makes her arrogance go off the charts. She is often boasting that she is unbeatable. She was like this even as a child when she [[SurpassedTheTeacher defeated her teacher]]. Her teacher tried to tell her that unless she makes connections with people, she will never be satisfied. As time goes on, she reluctantly admits she can't defeat [[TheHero Kuzuno Sekai]] and [[AllAmazonsWantHercules becomes attracted to him because he can kill her at any time]]. |
| 121 | * This is a definite description for Kurogane, of ''Manga/TsubasaReservoirChronicle''. However, he slowly warms up to his traveling companions ([[HoYay especially Fai]]), and begins to value their well-being and safety above everything else. He even decides that fighting is only justified if it's to protect someone important. |
| 122 | * ''Manga/UshioAndTora'': Kirio Inasa believes having the Elzaar Scythe and Kuin make him better than Ushio and he's confident that he can beat Hakumen no Mono on his own. |
| 123 | * UsefulNotes/MiyamotoMusashi is portrayed this way in ''Manga/{{Vagabond}}''. His StoryArc throughout the whole series could be seen as him growing out of this. |
| 124 | ** Musashi gets the most spotlight, but he is not even the worst example. Many of the fighters of the series – particularly the younger ones –- are this to some degree. Gion Toji is a particularly bad case. He believes himself second only to his master, Yoshioka Seijuro, and is an insufferable {{Jerkass}} with a constant [[SmugSmiler Smug Smile]] on his face, who takes pleasure in curbstomping outmatched opponents. |
| 125 | * Rinne Berlinetta of ''Anime/VividStrike'' becomes one after she's adopted and turns out to be an exceptional martial artist. Her former friend Fuuka describes her as now having eyes that look down on the weak, with their falling out occurring after Rinne publicly denounced her opponent as being weak and out-of-shape after said opponent had given her all for the last fight in her career. [[spoiler:As it turns out, however, this is a mask. Rinne acts this way due to her past trauma and in her desire to NeverBeHurtAgain, she [[IJustWantToBeBadass so desperately wants to be strong]] that she closed herself off to what she viewed as weakness and puts up the strong front to never lose. She doesn't even particularly ''like'' martial arts. Her loss to Vivio, which would usually be the BreakTheHaughty moment, ends up pushing her TraumaButton and she spirals into a depression that the heroes have to goad her out of.]] |
| 126 | * Takeshi Onimaru in ''Manga/{{Yaiba}}'', before and after his transformation. Also Gekkou the Black Moon Bunny and Budou the [[ItMakesSenseInContext Grapefruit Soldier]]. |
| 127 | * ''Anime/YuGiOh'': [[Characters/YuGiOhSetoKaiba Seto Kaiba]] attitude towards dueling. He's an elite duelist who considers himself the best in the world, everyone else is beneath him and doesn't deserve his attention except for when he feels like hurling insults at them. The sole exception is Yugi, naturally, who Kaiba grudgingly accepts as a WorthyOpponent, and his obsession with beating Yugi to prove to the world (and himself) that he has surpassed him goes to absurd extremes. |
| 128 | * Kaiser Ryo of ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'' post his FreakOut; his addiction to sadistic dueling eventually [[spoiler:killed him in another world...[[DeathIsCheap no big deal, though]]]]. |
| 129 | * Yuri Plisetsky from ''Anime/YuriOnIce'' is an Arrogant Figure Skating Guy who winds up eating humble pie after his first face-off against the hero. However the experience inspires him to train more seriously, to the point where [[spoiler:he beats the hero in the final competition, pushing himself so hard that he bursts into tears after his grueling free program.]] |
| 130 | * Hiei from ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'' comes close to becoming one if he wasn't already a dark badass or the TheComicallySerious. |
| 131 | [[/folder]] |
| 132 | |
| 133 | [[folder:Comic Books]] |
| 134 | * ''ComicBook/BatmanGordonOfGotham'': TheSpook who serves as Greene's assassin loves showing off his fighting skills and gloats to a wounded Gordon that he could beat Gordon on the cop's best day. Gordon proves him wrong when they face off again twenty years later. |
| 135 | * ''ComicBook/GIJoe2016'' has Quick Kick, a rare heroic example, who considers himself to be the best martial artist in the world. [[AwesomeEgo It helps that he may well be right about that.]] |
| 136 | * ''ComicBook/GoldDigger'' is rife with this type of character, they make up the majority of the series' antagonists. Even the protagonists, such as Brittney, aren't safe from this. |
| 137 | ** The alternate dimension of Jade appears to have an Arrogant Kung Fu Guy-based economy and be governed by an Arrogant-Kung-Fu-Guy-ocracy. |
| 138 | * A ''ComicBook/HowardTheDuck'' story entitled "Quack Fu" showed an AKFG putting a fatal beatdown on a hyperactive kid who made playful moves against him. Howard [[LetsGetDangerous gets dangerous]] on his deserving ass. |
| 139 | * Davos, the Steel Serpent, from ''Comicbook/IronFist'' comics. To him, there is no defeat. His alleged loss to Wendell Rand? Slanderous lies. His inability to contend with the fully realized power of the Immortal Iron Fist? A fluke. To hear him tell it, anyway. While he is an incredibly talented martial artist with the sacred power of the Serpent Sting, he wants nothing more than to kill Iron Fist and prove once and for all that he's the best there is. |
| 140 | * The Mandarin, enemy of ComicBook/IronMan. He barely even uses the rings anymore, preferring to kill Iron Man with his [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower martial arts abilities]]. |
| 141 | ** The Mandarin's son Temugin is the Mandarin minus everything except the martial arts skills and superiority complex. |
| 142 | * [[Characters/BatmanLadyShiva Lady Shiva]]. She occasionally can be cajoled into [[TrainingFromHell training]] promising fighters for good or ill, but her main life's work is to hunt down the best martial artists in Franchise/TheDCU and beat them to death in single combat. |
| 143 | * Creator/MarvelComics' Moving Shadow is, at the very least, equal in skill to his brother, Shang-Chi, the Master of Kung Fu. Unlike his brother, however, he never learned the path of peace and is controlled by his anger. He's also straight-up evil, and wants to kill (and, more importantly, defeat) his brother more than anything. |
| 144 | * [[ComicBook/GreenLantern Red Lantern]] Skallox is a temperamental BloodKnight who trusts his fighting skills fully and completely. In the ''ComicBook/RedDaughterOfKrypton'' ''ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'' storyline he openly declares that he has no weaknesses. |
| 145 | * ''ComicBook/RichardDragon'': The titular character, in one of his series. The first issue opens with him winning a pit fight against two opponents, mercilessly killing one of them, and leaving the other alive to spread the knowledge that Richard Dragon is the greatest master alive. His narration remarks that "even those who win money off me do not cheer" because his brutality is ''too much for an underground fighting circuit''. |
| 146 | * ''ComicBook/Robin1993'': Shen Chi is a deconstruction. He's an amazing martial artist, but his insistence on focusing on the violent aspects of martial arts rather than the holistic discipline his grandfather taught has severely limited him in the world of the DCU and he's hopelessly outclassed by even the lower end of the 'verse's top martial artists, though he does start training more after getting trounced by Tim. |
| 147 | * The ''ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}'' villain Mr. X joined Norman Osborn's incarnation of the ComicBook/{{Thunderbolts}} because just killing all comers in underground fighting matches in Madripoor wasn't challenging enough anymore. He was enthusiastic about invading Asgard because he wanted to prove he could kill a god with his bare hands. [[spoiler:He could, and he did. But then [[BreakTheHaughty Quicksilver handed his ass to him.]]]] |
| 148 | * ''ComicBook/WonderWoman'': Artemis is the greatest warrior of the Bana-Mighdall tribe and never misses an opportunity to remind people of this, especially her rival Diana. |
| 149 | * ''ComicBook/YTheLastMan'': Toyota is a ''very'' Arrogant Kung Fu ''Chick''. Also a {{ninja}}. She [[KickTheDog kicks the dog]] every three frames or so, with apparent [[PsychoForHire enjoyment]]. |
| 150 | [[/folder]] |
| 151 | |
| 152 | [[folder:Comic Strips]] |
| 153 | * Akira Yamamoto from ''ComicStrip/HsuAndChan'' comics is an Arrogant ''Video Game Designer'', who nevertheless fits this trope like a glove. Mainly because he's ''also'' a talented martial artist. He and his father are rivals to the titular Tanaka brothers, and their rivalry has gotten very physical in the past. Like when Akira cut Hsu's hand off in a swordfight. |
| 154 | [[/folder]] |
| 155 | |
| 156 | [[folder:Eastern Animation]] |
| 157 | * Xuanwu from ''Animation/ScissorSeven'' is what would happen if this trope was an ENTIRE COUNTRY. Only those who has reached the peak of martial arts (and their aprentices) can become a Xuanwu citizen, making its populace [[QualityOverQuantity small, but very strong.]] They also believe that technology makes them weak, and so [[EnforcedTechnologyLevels banned all traces of it from the country,]] making them the mortal enemies of [[ForScience STAN.]] It is also the home of the [[MurderInc Killer League,]] [[spoiler:and [[AmnesiacHero Seven's]] (before he [[HeelFaceTurn betrayed the Shadow Killers]] that is),]] making it one of the series main antagonistic force. |
| 158 | [[/folder]] |
| 159 | |
| 160 | [[folder:Fan Works]] |
| 161 | !!!{{Crossover}}s |
| 162 | * ''Fanfic/AChangeOfPace'': Glory Girl takes this to the point of believing that her mother is overreacting at her having a brush with death, as she refuses to acknowledge it as such. |
| 163 | -->She wasn't a little kid. She had ''super powers''. She’d fought thugs and villains without any trouble, and her mom was fine with that. She’d snuck out before, and had never gotten more than a talking to. But when her breaking the rules was so obviously helpful for once, her mom flew off the handle. Because, what, she’d had a close call with a bomb? She was ''invulnerable''. |
| 164 | * ''Fanfic/HarryTano'': A magic version. Draco has been raised to believe that pure-blooded wizards are superior to all other wizards. Add in his private lessons in magic and other skills before he came to Hogwarts, and he's perfectly confident in his ability to defeat Harry Potter-Tano in a duel. Harry, who's been trained in discipline as well as in magic and the Jedi way, never responds to his childish taunts and ''wipes the floor'' with Draco and his cronies. This is ''after'' Lucious arranged for Draco to have as many tricks and cheats up his sleeve as possible. Needless to say, Draco was forced to eat some HumblePie. |
| 165 | * In ''Fanfic/IncarnationOfLegends'', "Wind Blade" Shinjiro is praised for reaching the peak of swordsmanship in the Far East through the teachings of Hachiman, but Kojiro isn't impressed. Slashing twice at the same time simply doesn't compare to Kojiro's sublime and inescapable Tsubame Gaeshi, and he proves it when he defeats and kills Shinjiro in a duel. |
| 166 | |
| 167 | !!!''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' |
| 168 | * ''Fanfic/SwingingPendulum'': Hisakawa and his followers; Ichigo notes that Hisakawa is every bit as condescending as [[BigBad Aizen]], though Aizen actually possesses the level of power necessary to back up his claims. |
| 169 | |
| 170 | !!!''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'' |
| 171 | * ''Fanfic/Digimon02TheStoryWeNeverTold'' [[AdaptationPersonalityChange makes Cody into one]]. Considering his definition of honor to be more valuable than friendship, he constantly butts heads with the other Digidestined, especially when Ken tries to reform, as he refuses to accept the idea that the former Digimon Emperor is capable of atoning. |
| 172 | |
| 173 | !!!''Franchise/DragonBall'' |
| 174 | * ''Fanfic/WhatIfGokuWonAgainstMasterRoshi'' has Roshi's plan to teach Goku humility by beating him as Jackie Chun backfire; Goku manages to win and [[TookALevelInJerkass develops an increasingly inflated ego]], developing into an arrogant jerk as a result. |
| 175 | |
| 176 | !!!''Series/{{Firefly}}'' |
| 177 | * In the ''Fanfic/{{Forward}}'' episode "Mosaic", the crew has to deal with an enemy pirate gang that includes an arrogant martial arts master named Si Quan. He considers River to be a WorthyOpponent who he can test his skills against, but River disagrees. [[spoiler:When he goes after her, she shoots him twice in the head.]] |
| 178 | |
| 179 | !!!''Manga/LoveHina'' |
| 180 | * ''Fanfic/ForHisOwnSake'': Makoto and Naru both display this attitude, which backfires on them once their behavior starts catching the attention of the authorities. |
| 181 | |
| 182 | !!!''Franchise/MyHeroAcademia'' |
| 183 | * ''Fanfic/DekuIThinkHesSomePro'': A recurring issue Izuku faces is his opponents ''[[WrongAssumption believing]]'' that he's one of these, assuming that he's refusing to use his Quirk against them out of sheer arrogance. In reality, Izuku simply doesn't have a Quirk at all. |
| 184 | * ''Fanfic/IgnitedSpark'': |
| 185 | ** Bakugo and Todoroki serve as this for their respective classes. Both are incredibly powerful, skilled, and talented individuals, ranked amongst the best students in the first years. Both are also abysmally insufferable, with Bakugo being a quick-to-anger manchild who doesn't take well when things don't go his way or when someone seems to be better than him in literally anything, while Todoroki is cold heart jerk who thinks he can succeed by using half of his power and doesn't seeing any of his classmates other than Itsuka as worthy of his attention. |
| 186 | ** Monoma and Shinso are examples where they make up for the "Kung-Fu" part by doubling down on the "Arrogant". While Monoma's PowerCopying and Shinso's CompellingVoice are powerful, even if not very flashy like many Quirks, both boys express a massive case of InferioritySuperiorityComplex, often blurring the line between jerkassery and straight-up evil with their actions, especially during the Sports Festival. |
| 187 | |
| 188 | !!!''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' |
| 189 | * Spike Drake in ''Fanfic/SpikesGambit''. He's a damn good gambler. However, he knows this and can be quite a jerk about it at times. |
| 190 | |
| 191 | !!!''Franchise/{{Naruto}}'' |
| 192 | * ''Fanfic/AndrogyninjasADropOfPoison'': Sasuke displays this attitude; as a member of the Uchiha Clan (which was [[SparedByTheAdaptation not massacred by Itachi]] in this work) and the 'Top Rookie' of their class, he takes his supposed superiority completely as a given, and can't handle ''anything'' he perceives as challenging that. Case in point: when Sakura lands [[CurbStompCushion a couple hits on him]] during a sparring session, he coldly declares that she's doomed to be nothing more than a 'paper chuunin' at best and ''CannonFodder'' at worst. |
| 193 | ** When Sound launches their invasion attempt with Sand, [[spoiler:the Sand Siblings]] retreat rather than joining the assault. Despite being directly ordered to leave them be since they're not posing any threat, Sasuke chases after them, dismissing the shinobi who are ''actively trying to kill everyone they can'' as "not worth his time" in favor of an opponent who's completely uninterested in fighting. He also treats [[spoiler:Temari]] as another easily dismissible obstacle, which gets him [[CurbStompBattle completely curb-stomped]]. |
| 194 | * ''Fanfic/{{Glory|Naruto}}'' has Kakashi start off as one, though he gets better about this over time. |
| 195 | * ''Fanfic/{{Space to Breathe|Naruto}}'': Sakura swiftly realizes that she was LovingAShadow with Sasuke, and that he only [[ItsAllAboutMe cares about himself]]. His overestimation of his own abilities only worsens after she [[PointOfDivergence leaves Team Seven]] for an apprenticeship with Ibiki; he eagerly embraces the corruptive power of the Cursed Seal, but can't handle losing [[spoiler:his preliminary match against Nanako]], harassing them for a rematch -- and when they refuse, he goes after them [[spoiler:with the ''Chidori'']]. When [[WhatTheHellHero called out on this]], he angrily insists that they ''deserved'' it, spiraling further and further into denial as he insists that his worsening circumstances are [[NeverMyFault everybody's fault but his own]]. |
| 196 | * ''Fanfic/Team8'': Since Naruto [[PointOfDivergenc isn't assigned to his team here]], Sasuke takes this attitude towards everyone. He starts toning it back after receiving a OneHitKO from [[spoiler:Naruto's hands]]. |
| 197 | * In ''[[Fanfic/ThreesACrowdNaruto Three's A Crowd]]'', Sasuke considers concepts like teamwork and doing D-Rank missions to be complete wastes of his time. Making matters worse, [[TeamMemberInTheAdaptation Uo]] mimics him, acting like he's equally talented despite having been the dead-last in their class after [[PlotTriggeringDeath Naruto passed away]]. And Kakashi expects Sakura to act as TheHeart of Team Seven despite how neither of her teammates respect her... |
| 198 | * ''Fanfic/WhiteRain'' has Yukio, who nearly [[spoiler:takes Itachi's eye during what was meant to be a harmless bout]]; Naruto calls him out on this. |
| 199 | |
| 200 | !!!''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' |
| 201 | * ''Fanfic/{{Ancienverse}}'': Most of Team Brutal display this, most notably Seamus, Rocky and Travis. The first two lose this after making a HeelFaceTurn, while Travis takes it up a notch. |
| 202 | * Paul keeps this attitude in ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines'', taking great pride in his victories and crushing his opponents, and when he loses, [[NeverMyFault he attributes it to either dumb luck or his Pokémon not being up to par]]. |
| 203 | |
| 204 | !!!''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'' |
| 205 | * Pennsylvania in ''Fanfic/ProjectFreelancerPhaseOneGenesis'' will do anything to overcome the number one agent and only becomes [[FriendlyEnemy "friends"]] with those he considers [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou worth killing]]. |
| 206 | |
| 207 | !!!''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'' |
| 208 | * ''Fanfic/CatRa'': Catra develops this persona in an effort to cover up her InferioritySuperiorityComplex over her struggles to [[HowDoIShotWeb make the sword work]]. |
| 209 | |
| 210 | !!!''Franchise/ASongOfIceAndFire'' |
| 211 | * ''Fanfic/ForumOfThrones'' has several examples of this. |
| 212 | ** Leonard Constantine started off as one. Developments in later chapters, especially his experiences in Oldtown, turn him into a far more humble person. |
| 213 | ** Elias Tyrell is an incredibly gifted fighter and he makes sure that everyone knows about it. He at least tries to appear like a true knight and usually manages to fool others to fall for this trick, but upon closer examination, his arrogance and lack of discipline become obvious. |
| 214 | ** Willfred Reyne is the eldest son and heir of the most powerful lord of the Kingdom of the Rock. Because of this, he has received the best training possible and has developed into a swordsman that is as skilled as he is arrogant. |
| 215 | ** Rayden spends his entire lifetime in the story being smug and overly arrogant about his skills. We don't get to see much of it, though he is considered to be extremely dangerous by the master assassin Clayton, so there must be something about him. |
| 216 | [[/folder]] |
| 217 | |
| 218 | [[folder:Films -- Animation]] |
| 219 | * ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda1'': |
| 220 | ** Just how arrogant is Tai Lung? When he meets the Furious Five, who had just cut the rope bridge he was on and were holding it up just long enough for Tigress to get off it and drop him, his first move is to use the rope bridge like a ''[[SlouchOfVillainy lounge chair]]'' while asking where the Dragon Warrior was, and then mocking the Five when he reveals that he knows that none of them are that warrior. This is actually part of the reason why Oogway didn't choose him to be the Dragon Warrior despite his skill. His arrogance created darkness in his heart and would have prevented him from understanding [[spoiler:that the secret of the Dragon Scroll was that true power [[ItWasWithYouAllAlong comes from within yourself and doesn't requiring any secret technique to attain]], as shown in the climax of the film]]. |
| 221 | ** Master Tigress flirts with kung-fu arrogance but in the end, is closer to a subversion. She will gladly tell you that she has much to learn and does not boast about her skill. However, in the face of someone like Po, who possesses none of the skill or finesse that she has spent her life perfecting yet is supposedly TheChosenOne in spite of that, she will speak her mind and some of this leaks out. |
| 222 | * ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda3'' gives us Kai, who is too strong for ''anyone'' to beat, even Master Oogway. This is justified by Kai having stolen the chi of many well-known kung fu masters. |
| 223 | * In ''WesternAnimation/MuneGuardianOfTheMoon,'' Sohone has a greatly inflated sense of his own combat abilities and thinks he alone is good enough to save the sun after Mune messes things up. Of course, the audience quickly realizes that although he is strong, he lacks a lot of the basic knowledge [[TheSmartGuy Glim]] has just from reading. |
| 224 | [[/folder]] |
| 225 | |
| 226 | [[folder:Films -- Live-Action]] |
| 227 | * Many villains from Kung Fu movies fit this trope, particularly the Beast from ''Film/KungFuHustle'' and Han from ''Film/EnterTheDragon''. |
| 228 | ** Another would be Sho'nuff from ''Film/TheLastDragon'', who even has a gang/chorus following him around repeating how great he is. |
| 229 | * In ''Film/CrouchingTigerHiddenDragon'', Jen fits this trope to an extent, particularly in the latter half of the story. She has TheGift of the art of Wudan, uses it arrogantly, and treats a lot of people she meets as enemies, without even observing the usual etiquette of the kung-fu world when doing so. She's one of the rare examples that are both female and a protagonist, being more young and headstrong than an out-and-out bad girl. |
| 230 | * Wong Fei Hung in the first ''Film/DrunkenMaster'' movie qualifies as this, as the protagonist. He one-ups the school's assistant teacher by criticizing his style, constantly gets into trouble by getting into fights, and is generally a brat (with a streak of kindness here and there); yet even his father grudgingly admits that his son is an exceptional fighter, prompting him to teach his son a lesson in humility -- by letting his uncle teach him [[DrunkenMaster a new martial art instead]], one with a brutal training regimen. |
| 231 | * Creator/JetLi's character in ''Film/{{Fearless 2006}}'' starts off this way, before he accidentally kills a master martial artist and wrecks his best friend's restaurant, followed shortly thereafter by the posse of the former killing his family in retaliation. He then has a HeroicBSOD and reforms. |
| 232 | * Number One, the Centipede, in ''The Film/FiveDeadlyVenoms''. Of the six students of the Poison Clan, he's easily the most self-assured, feeling that as the first student he's the one in charge and bearing an intense grudge against number five, the Toad, after being defeated by him. He's also the one with among the most impressive abilities; They call him the Centipede because he's faster than greased lightning. |
| 233 | * Kiet from Film/Furious7, as played by Tony Jaa, is a textbook example. |
| 234 | * Storm Shadow from ''Film/GIJoeTheRiseOfCobra''. |
| 235 | * The Kurgan from ''Film/{{Highlander}}'' definitely comes under this heading. He openly admits that he only seeks to kill all of the other immortals, and only deals with mortals for convenience/amusement, but is described as "The perfect warrior" by Ramirez. |
| 236 | * ''Film/{{Ip Man|Film Series}}'' film series: |
| 237 | ** In ''Film/IpMan'', we have General Miura, BloodKnight FourStarBadass. |
| 238 | ** Twister from ''Film/IpMan2'' is a Western boxer who fits this trope, in contrast with the eponymous MartialPacifist. Wong Leung also starts this way but eventually gets better after a few hard lessons. |
| 239 | * Creator/SonnyChiba portrayed his real-life master Masutatsu Oyama this way in ''Karate Bullfighter'', ''Karate Bearfighter'', and ''Karate for Life''. |
| 240 | ** His character Terry Tsurugi from ''Film/TheStreetFighter'' series also qualifies, a viciously brutal {{antihero}}ic badass with absolutely no qualms about killing opponents in bloody and painful ways. |
| 241 | * The Cobra Kai dojo from ''Film/TheKarateKid''. No mercy, and all that. Oh, and karate is about winning. Don't be afraid to [[OrderedToCheat sweep the leg]] even if you risk disqualification. |
| 242 | ** Chozen from Part II. |
| 243 | ** Mike Barnes from Part III. |
| 244 | ** And Cheng and Master Li in [[Film/TheKarateKid2010 the remake]]. |
| 245 | * Pai Mei from ''Film/KillBill''. Mr. "Compared to me you're as helpless as a worm fighting an eagle." The man who slaughtered a temple of monks because [[DisproportionateRetribution one of them didn't return his nod]]? |
| 246 | * The Creator/DonnieYen film ''Kung Fu Killer'' revolves around the manhunt of one of these who has taken it to the utter extreme: a SerialKiller who goes around finding the best martial artists of the city and beating them to death in one-to-one challenges. Donnie's character used to be one… until he accidentally killed someone and he went to prison for it. Then the police asks him for help, in a rare example of ConsultingAConvictedKiller where the "convicted killer" is the hero. |
| 247 | * Parodied to great effect in ''Film/KungPowEnterTheFist'', with "Wimp-Lo" constantly challenging the hero. His master "purposely trained him wrong, as a joke". He believes that losing is winning, and as such his abilities range from "my nuts to your fist style" to declaring: "I'm bleeding! Making me the victor!" |
| 248 | ** His counterpart from the original movie, "Tiger and Crane Fists", was a more conventional example, having mastered the Crane Fist and seeing no value in learning the hero's Tiger Fist, even though both their masters stated that only by uniting their styles would they be able to defeat the villain. |
| 249 | * Several in ''Film/MasterOfTheFlyingGuillotine'', including "Wins Without a Knife", the dishonest Japanese fighter who, when outclassed, invariably pulls a knife on his opponent and kill them, and the titular OldMaster wielding the Flying Guillotine himself, who searches far and wide for the One-Armed Boxer to kill him as revenge for a loss that wasn't even his. |
| 250 | * While most of the gung fu fighters in ''Film/ThePaperTigers'' have a bit of this in them, special mention goes to Carter. Unlike the Tigers, Carter had continued to train in gung fu, officially teaching in Master Wong's school, and has a chip on his shoulder for the many times they defeated him. He gives {{Koan}}s in [[GratuitousForeignLanguage Gratuitous Chinese]], identifies as Chinese when it suits him (despite being the only Caucasian character), gives overly elaborate opening stances, and takes obscene pleasure in humiliating the Tigers. After Hing is nearly killed by the Fourth Disciple and Danny and Jim decide to confront him, Carter drops the smugness. |
| 251 | * ''Franchise/{{Rocky}}'': |
| 252 | ** Apollo Creed from the series initially fits this trope to a T. Subverted slightly in that while the guy does have an ego, it's partly played up in the ring as part of his flashy acts and openings, plus he gets plenty of PetTheDog moments. |
| 253 | ** Clubber Lang from ''Film/RockyIII'' is a better example. While Apollo clearly had a life (and a family) outside the ring, Lang cares about nothing but proving he's the best and "bringing the pain" to anyone who disputes that. |
| 254 | * In ''Film/Samurai3DuelAtGanryuIsland,'' this is how famous real-life samurai Kojiro Sasaki is portrayed. Hero (and more famous real-life samurai) Miyamoto Musashi, something of an Arrogant Kung Fu Guy himself in the earlier films, completes his transformation into a [[MartialPacifist Martial Pacifist]] as a result of their climactic duel. |
| 255 | * Kelly Stone, played by Creator/JoePiscopo in the film ''Film/{{Sidekicks}}'', is an example of this trope taken to ridiculous extremes. He even mouths off about Creator/ChuckNorris... to the man's face. |
| 256 | * In Shaw Brothers wuxia ''Film/SoulOfTheSword'', the nameless hero is this to the core, irritating practically everyone in the martial world by challenging famous swordsmen to duels...and killing them. Amusingly, he is repeatedly told that he is not, in fact, arrogant ''enough''. |
| 257 | * Darth Vader, in both ''Franchise/StarWars'' trilogies, shows many of these qualities (lacks respect for authority, resorts to violence with minimal provocation, etc.) |
| 258 | ** Especially Vader-before-he-was-Old-Buckethead, as depicted in the ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'' finale (during his climactic duel with Obi-Wan on Mustafar) fits this trope to a tee. |
| 259 | ** More so Darth Maul. If you count in the [[Franchise/StarWarsLegends EU]] background, the latter exemplifies a training style given to Sith deemed less gifted, in which they're taught little ''but'' martial arts and using the Dark Side to enhance aggression and physical power, intended to produce shock troops and disposable assassins. At times, there have been a ''lot'' of these. |
| 260 | * Uri Boyka from ''Film/UndisputedIILastManStanding'' movie considers himself "the most complete fighter in the world" and is just as skilled as he's arrogant. [[spoiler:After having his knee snapped in the climax he takes a turn towards WarriorPoet in the third one.]] |
| 261 | [[/folder]] |
| 262 | |
| 263 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 264 | * Orc warlord Hartusk from ''Literature/CompanionsCodex'' is manipulated easily by the drow, because his warmongering and arrogance mean that he will pretty much attack anything they point to and conveniently ousts his former ruler's moderate dynasty for them. |
| 265 | * A common trend in Creator/DavidGemmell's writing is the flashy arrogant guy who is convinced he can take the less flashy hero, and who usually has a friend who advises him not to bother. The archetype, Dorian in ''Legend'', goes down in [[OneHitKill one hit]] from Snaga. |
| 266 | * In ''Literature/InheritanceCycle,'' Vanir plays this role, though in this case, the art in question is sword fighting rather than kung fu. |
| 267 | * Hiro in ''Literature/TheLastAdventureOfConstanceVerity'' is a {{Ninja}} and for-hire thief that ''oozes'' suave confidence in his abilities, often showing off his top-tier stealth skills at every opportunity. |
| 268 | * The protagonist, Uhtred of Bebbanburg, in the first few books of ''Literature/TheSaxonStories''. A hugely arrogant master swordsman, he firmly believes that the English simply can't win without him on their side, and takes every opportunity to boast of his prowess and of his victories (especially of killing the Danish warlord Ubba in single combat). This helps make him extremely unpopular with the English but endears him to the Danes. As he grows older, he learns a little humility and a surprising measure of tact; by the time he is in his 50s, his boasting has been stripped down to grimly saying, in response to an offer of a champion to fight on his behalf: "I do my own work." |
| 269 | * Mr. Sexton in the Literature/ModestyBlaise novel ''The Silver Mistress'' is a particularly villainous example of this, constantly boasting about how he's the greatest unarmed fighter in the world while also being a professional PsychoForHire and TortureTechnician. His pretensions to spiritual advancement do nothing to stop him from brutally torturing helpless people and taking pleasure in it. |
| 270 | * ''Literature/SisterhoodSeries'' by Creator/FernMichaels: Harry Wong is the ''second'' greatest martial artist in the world (regrettably, the identity of the greatest martial artist in the world is never given). On a personal level, he acts like this. Fortunately, his relationship with Yoko Akia (the only person to beat him and the only person he fears) seems to have a civilizing influence on him. |
| 271 | * Liam Ironarm from ''Literature/SongOfTheLioness''. He's actually a {{Love Interest|s}} for Alanna, but he's recognized as the Shang Dragon, one of the most skillful unarmed fighters in the world, and hoo ''boy'' does he have an ego. He's constantly lecturing Alanna not just on the inferiority of armed combat and magic, but every aspect of living her life, and they break up soon after she ignores his attempted order to abandon TheQuest. |
| 272 | * The unnamed one-scene character in ''Literature/ThiefOfTime'' who, newly advanced to the Third Djim, challenges a sweeper for entering the dojo, unaware that this is [[AlmightyJanitor Lu-Tze]]. |
| 273 | -->'''Dojo Master:''' Hold! Do you not want to know the name of the man you are about to destroy?\ |
| 274 | '''Arrogant Kung Fu Guy:''' I don't need to know the name of a sweeper.\ |
| 275 | '''Dojo Master:''' It is always wise to know the name of a sweeper, boy. And my question was not addressed to you. |
| 276 | * ''Literature/TheTraitorSonCycle'' has Jean de Vrailly, who believes himself to be the greatest knight in the world and has decided that this gives him the right to do whatever he pleases. |
| 277 | [[/folder]] |
| 278 | |
| 279 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 280 | * ''Series/FrontierCircus'': In "The Inheritance", an arrogant Japanese acrobat and judo expert joins the troupe. He is constantly getting into fights with anyone who does not follow his Japanese customs and quickly alienates the rest of the circus. Ben eventually brings him down a peg or two. |
| 281 | * ''Series/GameOfThrones'': |
| 282 | ** Jaime Lannister's prodigious swordsmanship ''and'' being a Lannister makes him one of the most self-assured men in the Seven Kingdoms. His smugness starts to wear off in Season 3, slowly at first, what with getting his ass kicked by Brienne and the loss of his sword hand dramatically puts a dead stop to this. While he still tries to reassure his lord father that not being as good with his left hand doesn't matter as long as he's better than anyone else, an honest conversation with Tyrion shows that his self-confidence is gone. |
| 283 | ** Loras Tyrell is one of the best in the realm and knows it, lamenting in "Kissed By Fire" that there are no worthy opponents for him to spar with in King's Landing. |
| 284 | ** Anguy is extremely sure of his archery and has good reason to be. |
| 285 | ** The water-dancing gladiator in "The Dance of Dragons" is ''very'' good but can't resist making a show of finishing off his opponent, allowing the other combatant to skewer him with a ConvenientlyTimedAttackFromBehind. |
| 286 | ** Oberyn Martell is so arrogant in his fighting skills that he lets down his guard against The Mountain, getting his head squashed in the process. |
| 287 | * Franchise/KamenRider has a number of them in many variations. Examples include: |
| 288 | ** ''Series/KamenRiderBlade'': The Spider-Undead possessed Mutsuki comes over as this. His base form is the strongest of all the Riders and he certainly likes to show this to them. Once the other Riders receive more powerful forms, Mutsuki stops being this, lamenting how he CantCatchUp. |
| 289 | ** Momotaros from ''Series/KamenRiderDenO'' is a heroic example. He likes to fight, constantly boasts about his strength and gets very annoyed whenever he can't defeat an enemy, which happens a lot after the first few episodes. He starts out as a foil to the very meek Ryoutarou, but gradually mellows out of this trope, while Ryoutarou [[TookALevelInBadass takes a level in Badass]]. |
| 290 | ** Taiga Hanaya aka Kamen Rider Snipe from ''Series/KamenRiderExAid'' is good at fighting and likes to rub this in the other Riders faces. During the early portion of the series, he always picks fights with them, taking away their [[TransformationTrinket Gasshats]] if they lose. |
| 291 | * Mordred in the 1998 miniseries ''{{Series/Merlin|1998}}''. The first we see of him is [[WilliamTelling practicing archery with a group of servants standing with apples on their heads]]. "If you gentleman don't stop trembling, I might miss and kill you all!" |
| 292 | * This seems to be the default template for champion gladiators in ''Series/SpartacusBloodAndSand'', with the two most notable examples being Gannicus (who puts down his swords mid-fight in order to demonstrate to the crowd just how easily he can beat his opponent) and Crixus (who seems to exist in a perpetual state of rage, and loves to humiliate and beat the trainees). |
| 293 | * ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' and ''Franchise/PowerRangers'': |
| 294 | ** ''Series/GoseiSentaiDairanger'' has Jin Matoba. Ever since his own martial arts master cut off his left arm, Jin held a grudge against martial arts masters in general. His favorite pasttime is hunting down masters and killing them, proving his own superiority. After being defeated by [[TheHero Ryou]], he develops a one-sided rivalry with him and even goes as far as [[DealWithTheDevil making a deal with Zydos]], pledging his loyalty in exchange for dark powers. |
| 295 | ** Almost all of the villains of the Wuxia-themed ''Series/JukenSentaiGekiranger'' and ''Series/PowerRangersJungleFury''. Of special note is the second main villain: Maku/Grizzaka, a bear-themed berserker whose two main characteristics are a gigantic ego and a hair-trigger temper. Maku's overwhelming pride was behind his pre-series fall to evil; he couldn't stand knowing he was his mentor's ''second'' choice for successor, the first one having turned down the role. |
| 296 | [[/folder]] |
| 297 | |
| 298 | [[folder:Manhua]] |
| 299 | * Loneken in ''Manhua/CyberWeaponZ'' is a quite classic example. Aloof, tall, blond, usually observing things from afar with a critical, oten contemptuous, eye and has a henchwoman who you have to beat before even wishing to challenge him. And of course, he has the skills to live up to his reputation. |
| 300 | [[/folder]] |
| 301 | |
| 302 | [[folder:Music]] |
| 303 | * A number of the Robot Masters in ''Music/TheMegas'' come across as arrogant assholes who think they're invincible. Metal Man in "Metal Dance" and Top Man in "Can't Stop the Top" are particularly notable; in particular, Metal Man actively invites Mega Man to take the first shot. [[ForegoneConclusion It doesn't work out for them.]] |
| 304 | [[/folder]] |
| 305 | |
| 306 | [[folder:Puppet Shows]] |
| 307 | * ''Series/PiliFantasyWarOfDragons'': It's easier to list the exceptions. While there are some characters who are either humble or only have a modest pride in their skill, there are quite a few who are easily offended or goaded into fighting at real or perceived slights, fueling a perpetual CycleOfRevenge. |
| 308 | [[/folder]] |
| 309 | |
| 310 | [[folder:Pro Wrestling]] |
| 311 | * Back when the Wrestling/NationalWrestlingAlliance was still a huge thing, every other NWA World title holder seemed to be one. The most famous of course was Wrestling/HarleyRace but ''every'' world champion belt had more than a few holders of this variety. If you were a champion of any regional territory of the alliance and your belt corresponded to a "world" equivalent, it was just safer on your sanity to expect the world title holder to give you headaches and stock up on aspirin early. Wrestling/RicFlair was a subversion though, he talked a big game and did win a lot, but usually by the skin of his teeth and through dubious means. [[CardCarryingVillain And he was proud to admit it.]] This hasn't stopped now that the NWA is a smaller thing either, [[VestigialEmpire it's just not as noticeable.]] |
| 312 | * Wrestling/AntonioInoki and Wrestling/NewJapanProWrestling in general garnered this reputation in Inoki's efforts to prove professional wrestling the strongest style in the world and his particular brand of strong style the strongest of all professional wrestling. The NJPW dojo would attract and open its doors to any fighters who disagreed, then shut its doors on them and have the best guys in their locker room beat them up. |
| 313 | * Even among New Japan Wrestlers, Wrestling/MasakatsuFunaki had a reputation for going to any length to show he was the best at whatever he happened to be involved in. |
| 314 | * Also from New Japan is [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson American Dragon]]. He takes his job very seriously and if you're going in the ring with him you had better too because he will always look to kick your head in and let everyone know he has till five. He'll lecture you on why you're not good enough to beat him, talk about everyone else he's beaten, boast about his [[Wrestling/RingOfHonor unbreakable small package]] and if you have the unfortunate fate of falling to him, [[UnsportsmanlikeGloating he'll celebrate over enthusiastically]]. Don't talk about your favorite wrestlers around him either, unless you compare him to them in a favorable way. He'll take not being mentioned as an insult. |
| 315 | * Dragon's trainee, [[Wrestling/SaraDelRey American Angel]], wasn't an example of this trope at first but those days of humility are a distant memory. What's that? Easy escape point from the bottom position? She'll start on her back and still not get pinned? Tap out? She knows one million different submissions holds! No closed fists? Fine, it's more fun to knock people out with the foot anyway. |
| 316 | * Despite being of the New Japan mold, helping form the shoot fighting Wrestling/UniversalWrestlingFederation and becoming the general manager of MMA rules Pride Fighting Wrestling/NobuhikoTakada was notably not an example of this trope for most of his career. That is until Wrestling/FightingOperaHUSTLE came along and he became TheGeneralissimo [[SelfParody bent on destroying professional wrestling in favor of mixed martial arts]].[[note]][[DontExplainTheJoke there is actually little distinction between the two in Japan, in part because of his legacy]].[[/note]] |
| 317 | * Wrestling/MinoruSuzuki is another for New Japan, talking down to foreigners and Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners while kicking in the face those who would enter "his" ring holding the ropes. Also, was a founder of the world's second MMA promotion, Pancrase. He really wasn't quite so mean as he would have you believe but apparently his derision of jiu-jitsu is legit. |
| 318 | * Similar to the above, UWF's "[[RedBaron Gracie Hunter]]" Wrestling/KazushiSakuraba was not an example of this at heart but put up the image, boasting about the might and superiority of professional wrestling during the lead-up to his MMA matches. Once he actually got done with his matches, even when he won, he was much more respectful. |
| 319 | * Continuing The New Japan trend is Wrestling/AkiraMaeda, who was notorious among his coworkers up to and including Wrestling/AndreTheGiant, for shooting when he did not get his way. Not even Antonio Inoki had much patience for Maeda but the fans loved him. |
| 320 | * Even among New Japan Pro Wrestling, Wrestling/KatsuyoriShibata's persona plays on this enough to stand out. Only in this case, he is a "shooter" who looks down on professional wrestlers. Now add in NoSell and suddenly we have a problem ([[RootingForTheEmpire or not]], fans really like him) |
| 321 | * Subverted by Wrestling/BlackRose, she's a cocky show-off with a short temper that shows little respect for her opponents and has a hard time believing she's ever not right, but wrestling isn't the only thing she's arrogant about. She's equally competitive in managing, coaching, and dancing. She might even try to befriend {{worthy opponent}}s [[BerserkButton but be careful rejecting the offer]]. |
| 322 | * [[Wrestling/EvanBourne Matt Sydal]] is the epitome of arrogance and lack of discipline, or so it seems. If pushed on the issue, he'll admit it is just something he puts on and he would never go so far as to alienate the people who may otherwise buy his shirts. |
| 323 | * Jimi Mayhem in Vendetta Pro Wrestling, as any self-proclaimed "[[Film/TheLastDragon Shogun Of Harlem]]" should be. |
| 324 | * [[Wrestling/ProWrestlingGuerilla The Young Bucks]] fit this trope to a tee. They are regarded as one of the best tag teams on the independent scene, and they won't hesitate to remind everyone how great they are. Their arrogance knows no bounds and they will superkick anyone and everyone, including referees and ring announcers, [[ItAmusedMe just because they can]]. |
| 325 | * Few people would felt proud of getting disqualified in K-1, but Wrestling/BobSapp did, just like he laughed on his opponent's faces and threatened to eat them in cartoonish forms. When he won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship from Kensuke Sasaki, everybody realized he went for real. |
| 326 | * Wrestling/SamoaJoe as face or heel. |
| 327 | * Wrestling/RomanReigns: He loved the idea that he could be (and, to this point, is) the one to retire Undertaker, and refused to listen to Shawn Michaels' advice about the match prior to Wrestling/WrestleMania. On an episode of Raw, he told Samoa Joe and Braun Strowman, as plainly as he could, that he's done much more in WWE than they have. And, at least once, he's simply told the fans "I can't be beaten one-on-one in a fair fight whether you like it or not." Acknowledge him. |
| 328 | [[/folder]] |
| 329 | |
| 330 | [[folder:Tabletop Games]] |
| 331 | * ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'': |
| 332 | ** 4th Edition has a whole class dedicated to the concept. The Battlemind is a psionic swordsman whose powers act as a form of wish fulfillment, and whose blade is an extension of their ego. Many of their powers revolve around berating enemies for their lack of skill so convincingly they actually become less skilled. Or just die from terror at your abilities There's even a Battlemind Paragon Path called "Steel Ego", and it's perfectly possible for a Battlemind character to ''not know'' they have psionic powers and simply believe themselves to be that good. |
| 333 | ** It depends on the player, but about half the fluff for the Monk class falls in this category; the other half goes into DissonantSerenity. |
| 334 | ** ''TabletopGame/GrimHollow'': The Way Of Pride subclass for the Monk is based around this, as warriors who view honing and weaponizing one's ego as a valid path to strength. They dress in gaudy, eye-catching outfits and go out of their way to hide scars and other marks that were imply they were anything other than untouchable. |
| 335 | * ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'': The worst of the [[WarriorMonk Immaculate]] [[ChurchMilitant Order]] combine this attitude with that of TheFundamentalist. |
| 336 | * ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'': The Blood Dragons' mastery of martial combat comes with a degree of pride and disdain for humanity notable even among vampires. Blood Dragons view the majority of the human species as nothing more than pathetic vermin fit for little more than testing a new blade's edge, and make no attempt at hiding this attitude. |
| 337 | [[/folder]] |
| 338 | |
| 339 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 340 | * ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'': |
| 341 | ** ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedI'': Altaïr. So much. It gets one of his fellow assassins killed during the first part of the game, and another (the first guy's brother, Malik) crippled. [[BreakTheHaughty Altaïr gets some straightening out, though.]] |
| 342 | ** Ezio from ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII'' starts off as this, but gets better quickly. The first game only shows a few weeks of Altaïr's life, whereas the second follows Ezio from the age of 17 to 40, showing us his career highlights. It reaches the point where [[spoiler:Ezio refuses to kill Rodrigo Borgia, the man responsible for the murder of his brothers and father because it won't bring them back. A decision which gets most of the household killed by the vengeful Rodrigo at the beginning of the sequel, admittedly.]] |
| 343 | * Rathe from ''VideoGame/{{Battleborn}}'' enjoys battle especially against those he finds worthy. To those he doesn't, he belittles them in the most arrogant fashion. Basically he can be compared in this regard to [[Franchise/DragonBall Vegeta]] which [[Creator/ChristopherSabat his voice actor]] also voices. |
| 344 | * Jann Lee from the ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'' series is this; he fought to overcome the deaths of his parents and eventually became so skilled that he became a bouncer at a fancy nightclub. He's so proud of his self taught skills that he comes across as arrogant to others, but he's quite chill when not fighting, as shown in a few cutscenes. For bonus points, his preferred style is Jeet Kune Do, invented and popularized by Creator/BruceLee. |
| 345 | ** ''[=DOA4=]'' reveals that [[spoiler:Jann was a destitute skinny little boy throughout his childhood, often going hungry and being bullied and cruelly smacked around by ''adults''. Watching Creator/BruceLee movies on a crappy projector in his spartan room was his escape growing up. Seeing Bruce fight, he resolved to train hard and never allow anyone to bully him ever again. [[JerkassWoobie So he did]].]] |
| 346 | * ''VideoGame/DiceyDungeons'': While most of the enemies you fight are either [[FriendlyEnemy relatively friendly]] or just plain quirky, Rose mostly comes across as a jackass convinced they're the greatest warrior in the world, to the point of assuming you're cheating if you beat them, despite being a level 1 pushover whose sole job is to get dunked on on the way to bigger, more intimidating targets. |
| 347 | * In ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'', the [[CatFolk Khajiit]] have this attitude as a common racial trait, typically coming across as incredibly self-confident in their abilities. This extends even beyond martial arts to anything they take interest in, including acrobatics, thievery, and wizardry. |
| 348 | * ''VideoGame/EverquestII's'' Bruiser class has this as its lore background. The Good-aligned Monk is the MartialPacifist counterpart. |
| 349 | * ''VideoGame/EvilGenius'': Jet Chan is a perfect example of this {{trope}} (in addition to being an obvious dual ShoutOut). The only way to beat him permanently [[spoiler:is to drug him so he loses a fistfight with one of your {{ninja}}s. He is so humiliated he never returns.]] |
| 350 | * Lo Pan in ''VideoGame/Fallout2''. He's an "arrogant Shi gangster" and {{expy}} of [[Film/BigTroubleInLittleChina David Lo Pan]] who runs a rival dojo across the street from Creator/BruceLee CaptainErsatz "the Dragon". As the two are too evenly matched, TheChosenOne has to pick a side and tip the balance. If the player sides with Dragon and challenges Lo Pan to a DuelToTheDeath, [[DirtyCoward he pulls out a gun in the middle of the fight]]. |
| 351 | * Seifer Almasy from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII''. He's one of only a very few individuals in the setting who can use a [[ExoticWeaponSupremacy gunblade]], and he and Squall are both "in a class of their own" in terms of fighting ability. Seifer's also a BloodKnight who loves fighting, demands that he be allowed to get the kills in a fight [[HeKnowsAboutTimedHits so he can get the XP]], deliberately injures his training partners and thinks that he's doing them a favor, and disobeys orders to charge off for personal glory. His wild ways soon lead him to [[FaceHeelTurn defect to the Sorceress]]. |
| 352 | * Kakarotto from ''VideoGame/HerosRealm''. Not only is he a total jerk who [[YouKilledMyFather killed Akira's father]], he's in the pay of [[EvilGenius Murzhor.]] |
| 353 | ** In reality, [[spoiler:he's not even ''human'' and transforms into a [[OneWingedAngel dragon]] in the middle of your fight.]] |
| 354 | * ''VideoGame/{{Iji}}'' has Asha, the leader of [[spoiler:the Komato Assassins]]. He is a very good fighter, especially for having only one arm, but he's so arrogant that he does not play to his strengths. Case in point: he can dodge nearly all of your attacks with his TeleportSpam [[spoiler:except your shotgun, which he thinks is so piss-weak that dodging it is beneath him. [[TooDumbToLive He won't dodge even if the next shot will paste him]]. And if a pacifist Iji manages to avoid the second fight with him entirely, she later finds out that he became an absolute joke among the Assassins and committed {{Seppuku}} offscreen because he couldn't handle the shame anymore.]] |
| 355 | * Mahk in ''VideoGame/IMissTheSunrise''. He's from a culture that does nothing except craft and sell weapons to the point of obsession, so it's really all he knows, and ''boy'' is he smug about it. This is the complete opposite of [[ActualPacifist his personality]] in ''VideoGame/TheReconstruction'', however, so he ends up going through a lot of CharacterDevelopment. |
| 356 | * In ''VideoGame/JadeEmpire'', practically anyone who follows the Way of the [[KarmaMeter "Closed]] [[TheSocialDarwinist Fist"]] including, potentially, the player character. This is only ''usually'' the case, however, and adherents of the Way of the Open Palm can also act this way. |
| 357 | * [[VideoGame/GarouMarkOfTheWolves Gato]] and Shen Woo from the ''Franchise/TheKingOfFighters'' series both fit this to a T, despite not resembling one another much in personality. Gato, in particular, is probably ''the'' example, from the way he speaks to the way he dresses to the brutal way he fights. |
| 358 | * The Echani Handmaidens in ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords'' are quick to disparage your skills and see you as a welcome new "target" if you ask for a sparring session. Their usual target is their youngest half-sister (who joins a male PlayerCharacter), and they're happy to insult her and her abilities to strangers. Unsurprisingly, the subplot around that half-sister culminates in her beating their asses near the end of the game. Some of the Mandalorians on Dxun cop this attitude as well, seeing Jedi as weaklings who get by only because they have the Force. (You can prove them wrong in the battle circle.) |
| 359 | * Mr. X from ''VideoGame/KungFuMaster'' is probably this. He even kidnaps the protagonist's girlfriend just so he can get a chance to show that he is the [[MyKungFuIsStrongerThanYours better fighter]]. |
| 360 | * ''VideoGame/TheLastBlade'' series has a few. [[LawfulStupidChaoticStupid Lawful Stupid]] government agent Keiichiro Washizuka is extremely self-sure, with the skill to back it up, and has very little in the way of people skills. The series' protagonist, Kaede, has some elements of this normally but is a much better example in his SuperMode. |
| 361 | * Two of the main chapter villains in ''VideoGame/LiveALive'' are like this. Ou Di Wan Lee in the Ancient China chapter is the head of a [[ThugDojo brutal martial arts school]] and targets the Earthen Heart school just for sport. Odie O'Bright in the Present Day chapter is a monstrous fighter who considers brute strength the only virtue [[spoiler:and ''murders'' his opponents in order to prove his superiority]]. Justified, as [[spoiler:they are two of the incarnations of Odio, [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters which were intended to prove humanity's wrongs]].]] Lei Kugo is a heroic example who starts off as a cocky and vicious bandit who thanks to the teachings of the Earthen Heart Shifu gets tempered (though she's still the most arrogant of the disciples) [[spoiler:and if chosen as the protagonist for the final chapter will admit that she sees a lot of herself in [[FallenHero Oersted]]]]. |
| 362 | * ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'': |
| 363 | ** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSpiritTracks'': Byrne is quite stoic, but still has a superiority complex thinking he's worthy of superior power. |
| 364 | ** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'': Revali is aptly conveyed by his snide assessment of Link when they first met, feeling slighted by being chosen to only assist Link, whom Revali believed had been given a greater role simply because he possessed the Master Sword. |
| 365 | * Though a far more friendly and comedic example, Dekar from the ''VideoGame/{{Lufia}}'' series qualifies. He constantly asserts that he is the world's strongest warrior, and though his arrogance often leads to him looking like a total fool outside of battle, his skill in combat is certainly no joke. By the end of his adventure with Maxim, he's willing to give Maxim credit...as the ''second'' strongest warrior in the world. |
| 366 | * Ghost Kick, from the fighting game ''Martial Masters'', is a despicable misanthrope with an insanely brutal fighting style trying to beat the (supposed) fact that he's the top fighter in the world into everyone else's skulls. |
| 367 | * Kai Leng from ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' is this to a T. He's a {{smug|Snake}}, [[SuicidalOverconfidence arrogant]], {{blood|Knight}}thirsty CyberNinja who, despite his love of violence, is still [[DirtyCoward cowardly]], [[EvilIsPetty petty]] (he ate Anderson's cereal because he's an "adrenaline junkie"), [[FlunkyBoss gets backup from grunts and a gunship when the heat is on]], and can't take the shit he throws (he doesn't have any smart comebacks when Shepard calls him out on running). He completely ignores The Illusive Man's warning to [[WorthyOpponent show proper respect and admiration for how skilled and dangerous Shepard can be]], vehemently believing that he's better than Shepard when he doesn't see them as his ArchEnemy (something Shepard doesn't see) and pays dearly for all of the needless pain he caused. He is also half-Chinese which is more dominant than his Russian heritage. |
| 368 | * Halara Nightmare from ''VideoGame/MasterDetectiveArchivesRainCode'', while not a martial artist and instead one of the titular detectives, is both incredibly arrogant about pretty much ''all'' of their skills and a highly capable combatist who applies said combat skills in multiple instances. |
| 369 | * ''Franchise/MegaMan'': |
| 370 | ** Bass from ''VideoGame/MegaManClassic'' is what happens when you give one of these an assault rifle for an ArmCannon. |
| 371 | ** Rogue from ''VideoGame/MegamanStarForce'' is this at the beginning of the second game, then he calms down a bit (he's still pretty arrogant in general, though). |
| 372 | * ''VideoGame/MetroidDread'': Raven Beak is incredibly strong, but also very arrogant, believing himself to be above all others. His mantra of "Power is everything" leads him to believe [[TheSocialDarwinist that his power gives him the right to rule the galaxy]]. |
| 373 | * ''Franchise/MortalKombat''[='=]s Johnny Cage. He's a somewhat mild example, and his arrogance is somewhat justified by the fact that he's a Hollywood actor, and thus is fairly superficial (and in fact, his attendance at the Mortal Kombat in [[VideoGame/MortalKombat1992 the original game]] is motivated by wanting to show the world that he wasn't faking his abilities). Kobra, on the other hand, is definitely this. |
| 374 | ** Kenshi, prior to his debut in ''VideoGame/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance'', spent his life WalkingTheEarth not ToBeAMaster but because he thought he already was and was simply challenging people to reinforce that. He had an impressive win record, so it was not without merit, but his arrogance eventually got the best of him when an old man tempted him to unseal a well that contained the souls of his ancestors (that old man in fact being [[ManipulativeBastard Shang Tsung]]), promising him a legendary sword was contained within. The consequence of this is that Kenshi's sight was taken from him as the souls rushed out to be absorbed by Shang Tsung, who left Kenshi to die alone. However, the well did indeed contain a legendary sword, Sento, which also granted him [[MindOverMatter telekinetic abilities]]. Now driven by {{Revenge}}, Kenshi had [[BreakTheHaughty became solely humbled]] and dedicated himself to fighting for better things than mere pride. |
| 375 | ** Liu Kang gives shades of this in some of his pre-match intros in ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX''. [[spoiler:The fact that he is a revenant (following his death at Raiden's hands) may account for why he is arrogant and egotistical; it allows him to show off the anger he harbors towards Raiden following the events of ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9''. He even feels jealous when Johnny Cage of all people takes the spot as Raiden's champion, sneers at Kung Jin's sexuality and openly mocks Kung Lao.]] |
| 376 | *** This intro example with Jacqui is a good example of his arrogance: |
| 377 | ---->'''Jacqui Briggs:''' From "champ" to "chump".\ |
| 378 | '''Liu Kang:''' You will respect me!\ |
| 379 | '''Jacqui Briggs:''' Were you champion of the whiners? |
| 380 | ** Past Johnny in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'' is definitely this, with all of Johnny's ego and none of the better qualities he developed in ''X''. While many characters find Past Johnny insufferable, the one that despises him the most is Present Johnny, [[IHatePastMe who proceeds to lay out exactly why he grew out of his past self]]. |
| 381 | -->'''Past Johnny:''' I'm only the best fighter here! But your daughter has me sitting at the kids' table.\ |
| 382 | '''Present Johnny:''' ''[{{dope slap}}s Past Johnny]'' ''OUR'' daughter is the C.O.! A little humility ''might'' earn her respect!\ |
| 383 | '''Past Johnny:''' Dad always said "hungry people eat lunch, humble people serve it".\ |
| 384 | '''Present Johnny:''' Dad was an asshole! Hollywood made us an even ''bigger'' one! |
| 385 | ** Originally, Kung Lao was depicted as a humble man who only fought for Earth's defense or to avenge a loved one. ''VideoGame/MortalKombatShaolinMonks'' reinterpreted Lao as a battle-loving GlorySeeker and this has been his default personality ever since, with [[DependingOnTheWriter varying degrees of obnoxiousness]]. |
| 386 | * ''VideoGame/NobodySavesTheWorld'': "Ratsbane, the One-Punch Monk" at the Knight's Guild is constantly boasting about [[OverlyNarrowSuperlative his skill in being able to vanquish rats with a single punch]]. Prove him wrong and [[BreakTheHaughty he'll be utterly shocked]] before conceding that he shouldn't have underestimated rats. |
| 387 | * ''VideoGame/{{Omori}}'' parodies this with The Maverick, who is more or less a narcissistic teenage delinquent pretending to be a FightingSeries rival and utters practically every stereotypical line associated with this type when you fight him. |
| 388 | * ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' often uses this trope for Black Belts, Battle Girls, and other Fighting type Trainers. Fighting type Pokemon in games such as the Mystery Dungeon series, by contrast, tend to avert this trope. |
| 389 | ** [[TheRival Silver]] of ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver''. The kid constantly berates you even after losing, is openly hostile to those weaker than him (or anyone he perceives as weak), and is an all-around {{Jerkass}}. Though he gets better. |
| 390 | * The Shaolin monk Chinnen from the ''VideoGame/PowerInstinct'' series of fighting games, by virtue of being an intentional subversion of the MartialPacifist mold and an amoral egotist with incredibly intense moves. He's more explicitly evil than most, too. |
| 391 | * [[MyHeroZero Xaero]], end boss of ''VideoGame/QuakeIIIArena''. While he doesn't really use kung fu on you (seeing as how guns are the primary means of fighting and your PowerFist is an emergency weapon), he has the look down pat, constantly {{trash talk}}s you, and is a ''[[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard ridiculously]]'' skilled shot with a [[SniperRifle railgun]]. |
| 392 | * Played for laughs in ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2''. The Big Boss of the Ronin, Kazuo Akuji, crosses katanas with you. After draining his health, he cries out in a cutscene "You cannot match my skill!" to which your character replies "No, so I'm gonna cheat" and shoots him in the chest. Instant hilarity, followed by more hilarity as you use your cell phone to broadcast his screams of pain. |
| 393 | * ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown'' series: |
| 394 | ** Genjuro Kibagami is ''always'' angry, has an intense rivalry with Haohmaru, and is just a sociopath in general. The only time he ever seems to enjoy himself at all is when he's cutting someone to shreds. |
| 395 | ** Thing is, Haohmaru himself is as well. He's more gung-ho and optimistic about his place in life but he's definitely got the personality of an AKFG. |
| 396 | ** Wan Fu, a gigantic Chinese royal who believes the path of the sword is "Possessing absolute power to crush his enemies." His character bio states he can kill a tiger in under three seconds, and that he insists he has no flaws and idolizes no one. |
| 397 | * In ''VideoGame/{{Shing}}'', the heroes love to exposit how skilled they are during combat. They can back that talk up, but so can the Tengu warriors, a special class of [[EliteMooks elite enemies]] they encounter, who dress in bird masks and like to use condescending SarcasticClapping to coax the player into fighting them. |
| 398 | * Shadow from ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' views himself superior to everyone in battle. This is especially shown in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'' and the ''VideoGame/SonicRivals'' games. |
| 399 | ** It shows in the Pure Hero-Dark Path of his [[VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog self-titled game]] as well, where he ended up challenging Sonic as earned to being his rival than boasted highly about his own strength after he defeated him, and even laughing about it. |
| 400 | ** In ''VideoGame/SonicForces'', [[spoiler:this comes to bite him [[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom and the rest of the world.]] His physical and verbal beatdown of a pre-empowerment [[AxCrazy Infinite]] inflamed the latter's InferioritySuperiorityComplex and [[CreateYourOwnVillain sent him over the edge into sociopathic villainy.]]]] |
| 401 | * In ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'' the Hero of Tython ([[WarriorMonk Jedi Knight]] PlayerCharacter) can potentially be this, [[KarmaMeter especially if Dark Side]]. From very early on, the Knight can show they hold a very high opinion of themselves and their abilities. [[GoodIsNotNice It isn't even a Dark-side option, most of the time.]] |
| 402 | -->'''Knight''': The Force was with me, as usual! |
| 403 | ** In the [[EvilCounterpart Sith Warrior]] storyline, many of the Jedi you encounter display this behavior, having grown complacent from millennia of TheGoodGuysAlwaysWin. One pair is snobby enough to even talk about you like you're not even there, but on the bright side you can [[TheCorrupter goad]] the more HotBlooded one into attacking you, horrifying his companion and exposing their hypocrisy. |
| 404 | * ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' series: |
| 405 | ** Akuma is exemplary; embracing the darkness within, he eventually killed his former master and his own MartialPacifist brother ([[NotQuiteDead or so it seemed]]) before searching the world for a worthy opponent. |
| 406 | ** Adon stands right up there with Gato as a definitive example, however. He has nothing but contempt for anyone, his moves are extremely punishing, and he will not stop until he's defeated every last person who might even kind of be able to challenge him. Unlike most examples of this trope, Adon [[SlasherSmile can often be]] [[LaughingMad seen smiling]]... and it's ''much'' creepier than if he were to scowl. |
| 407 | *** Better yet, it's implied he '''fought Akuma'''. |
| 408 | ** On the other end of the scale and the [[CharacterTiers tier list]], [[JokeCharacter Dan Hibiki]] is a parody of this -- he has all the traditional traits, with one exception -- he's hilariously weak, which turns his bravado into a massively ironic joke. |
| 409 | *** Unless a really good player uses him to humiliate a weaker player. Nothing says 'pwned' better than [[LethalJokeCharacter using the joke character to beat your opponent]]. |
| 410 | *** Especially in ''Street Fighter 4'', Dan is more of a mind game character who has a brutally effective counter super with unreal priority. Beat Dan down enough and he can unleash and turn the tables, turning him into CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass. Even in prior games, you could pull it off, it just took a lot more skill. |
| 411 | ** Just as Fei Long is Bruce Lee, Gen is Pai Mei, attitude and all. |
| 412 | ** Rufus, an arrogant fat guy who proclaims he's the best fighter in America (though he ''actually could'' back this up), and searches for Ken, ''without knowing who the guy even was.'' All he knows is that "Ken Masters" wears red, a gi, and had blonde hair and anyone who fits that description, such as [[Franchise/{{Tekken}} Bob]], must be Ken. Even if they're women! |
| 413 | ** Chun-li has shades of this (and, considering the UnsportsmanlikeGloating part, so do most SF fighters). Chun-li in particular, however, [[DownplayedTrope while normally very friendly]], can also be a callous winner who [[UnsportsmanlikeGloating insults or humiliates those she defeats]], [[PowerIncontinence has trouble controlling her strength]], sees it as permissible to meet fleeing criminals and certain innocent people with PoliceBrutality, and can even attack people for ''seeming'' suspicious or for looking at her the wrong way. All this means that she has the raw power and arrogance down to a T. |
| 414 | * Played with in ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsGaiden'', with one of Elemental Lord Masters: Hwang Yang Long. Maybe he does not have the loner intent and aggravation, but he's still pretty distant compared to the other Masters, and he's more like TheLancer towards Masaki. Guess what's his occupation: Chinese PE teacher that knows Kung Fu. |
| 415 | * ''Franchise/{{Tekken}}'': |
| 416 | ** Feng Wei exemplifies this well enough. His "God Fist" style is based around defeating other martial arts and making parts of them his own, and while he doesn't talk too much, he does show a sense of pride in his abilities. He's also not afraid to get some blood on his hands if he thinks something is an obstacle to perfecting his abilities, since he was willing to kill his master and hospitalized Asuka Kazama's father when he challenged their dojo. Even still he does hold a degree of respect for master martial artists like [[OldMaster Wang]]. |
| 417 | ** And Paul Phoenix is a non-kung-fu example (his fighting style is based on judo). He can be rather goofy, but he's got enough skills to back his claims of being the best in the universe, even having managed to kick the ass of [[VillainProtagonist Kazuya Mishima]] before. |
| 418 | * Real-life skater Tony Trujilio is portrayed this way in ''[[VideoGame/TonyHawksProSkater Tony Hawk's American Wasteland]]''; He constantly condescends to the player and kicks your ass if you beat his challenge. |
| 419 | %% Needs context * Lei-Fei from ''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter'' is exactly like this. |
| 420 | * ''VideoGame/{{XenoGears}}'': Ramsus values himself as a expert warrior, tactician, and beloved by many for his skill and intelligence. He's an absolute wreck in spite of that because he spent his entire life trying to disprove the Ministry's low opinion of him. |
| 421 | [[/folder]] |
| 422 | |
| 423 | [[folder:Visual Novels]] |
| 424 | * ''Franchise/AceAttorney'': |
| 425 | ** Franziska von Karma. Though she practices law instead of martial arts, Franziska is a good fit for the trope. Perfection is the only satisfaction she can understand and she acts condescendingly towards everyone else, both in and out of court. |
| 426 | ** Her father, Manfred, is probably the best example from the series (as later on Franziska does start to [[DefrostingIceQueen become more sociable]], though still relatively harsh towards what she perceives as ignorance). [[spoiler:Franziska has never resorted to murder in retaliation to her opponents, unlike her father]]. |
| 427 | ** Dane Gustavia in ''VisualNovel/GyakutenKenji2'' has this attitude towards [[MundaneMadeAwesome dessert baking]]. |
| 428 | * ''Franchise/FateSeries'': [[Literature/TheEpicOfGilgamesh Gilgamesh]] will let you know ''directly to your face'' he's better than you, and clearly enjoys putting any "[[CatchphraseInsult mongrels]]" in their place. Indeed, to what is effectively the world's oldest hero, the only thing that could ever be a match for him is his ego -- [[FatalFlaw and this is indeed what does him in on all three of the routes]]. [[ZigZaggedTrope However]], unlike most examples of this trope, [[SmugSuper he actually has]] ''[[SmugSuper way]]'' [[SmugSuper more than enough power to back up his claims of superiority]]. |
| 429 | [[/folder]] |
| 430 | |
| 431 | [[folder:Web Comics]] |
| 432 | * Aiastes from ''Webcomic/{{Break}}'' fits the bill, treating his fights like jokes and assuming his opponent cannot compete with him |
| 433 | * Tek Jansen in ''Webcomic/FakeNewsRumble'' starts out this way, but [[TookALevelInKindness takes a level in kindness]] later. |
| 434 | * Both Isabel and her grandfather Francisco in ''Webcomic/{{Paranatural}}'' are inclined this way, in a JerkWithAHeartOfGold kind of way -- they both mean well, in their own way, but are super-invested in how awesome they are. Of course, this causes them to butt heads: Francisco is convinced his training is the best thing ever and Isabel needs to suck it up and learn it, and Isabel thinks it's a load of crap and putting up with his high standards is more trouble than it's worth. |
| 435 | -->'''Isabel:''' I don't need Spectral Fist. I can make whatever I want out of paper just by ''deciding'' to...I'm only training to please you, Grandfather, so it'd be nice if you'd act grateful every once in a while!\ |
| 436 | '''Francisco:''' Arrogant girl! [[HypocriticalHumor How could an immaculate and majestic being such as myself produce a descendant with such a flaw?!]] |
| 437 | [[/folder]] |
| 438 | |
| 439 | [[folder:Web Original]] |
| 440 | * ''Series/CobraKai'': Being a show centered around karate and fighting as a distant sequel to ''Franchise/TheKarateKid'' franchise, it will be easier to find anti-heroes and villains who do ''not'' fit this trope than there are to find ones that do. |
| 441 | ** Subverted with Johnny Lawrence in ''Series/CobraKai'' as opposed to him in ''Film/TheKarateKid''. While Johnny is still something of a violence-prone jerkass, he also decides that having no mercy shouldn't also mean having no honor, and has no wish to see his own students make the same mistakes he made. In a Season 2 episode, it is revealed that the rest of the original Cobra Kai gang (minus Dutch) also honestly regret all the bullying they did as teenagers. |
| 442 | * Master Ken, founder and head of Ameri-do-te, in ''WebVideo/EnterTheDojo'', and some of his students will happily tell you how deadly their style is -- and how all other styles are BULLSHIT. |
| 443 | * Ruby in ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'' is a downplayed version. She is a friendly girl to the people around her but she believes her skills alone are enough to win her any fight she's in. She initially identifies more with weapons than [[NoSocialSkills with people]] other than her family. And in the beginning, she is constantly being told that fighting isn't all there is to life. Part of her development is learning how to fight in a team and trust her teammates. |
| 444 | [[/folder]] |
| 445 | |
| 446 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 447 | * ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': |
| 448 | ** [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderZuko Prince Zuko]] is a prime example, particularly in the first season. Skilled in both firebending and martial arts, his abilities lack refinement, and he is overly reliant on power. He can never stop fighting because [[{{Determinator}} he cannot fathom giving up]]. [[CharacterDevelopment He gets much better over the course of the series]], especially after his [[spoiler:HeelFaceTurn]]. |
| 449 | ** Xin Fu, the tournament runner tracking [[SixthRanger Toph]] with the more pragmatic Master Yu. The needlessly confrontational part can be seen in how happy he is to get in a BarBrawl and by this line when he heard Toph may have died in the desert: |
| 450 | --->'''Xin Fu:''' That's okay, since she's wanted dead or alive.\ |
| 451 | '''Master Yu:''' No she's not! I'm certain her father wants her alive.\ |
| 452 | '''Xin Fu:''' [[AttentionDeficitOohShiny Hey, look! Fire Nation wanted posters]]! |
| 453 | ** And then there's Admiral Zhao: |
| 454 | --->'''Jeong Jeong:''' ''[describing Zhao]'' I had a pupil once who had no interest in learning discipline. He was only concerned with the power of fire -- how he could use it to destroy his opponents and wipe out the obstacles in his path. |
| 455 | ** [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderAvatarAang Avatar Aang]] was an arrogant child, wanting to always get to the cool stuff. His first attempt at firebending fails because he stopped his "control the fire" to make more fire, and burned Katara. This seems to only apply to firebending, though. When it comes to airbending and waterbending, he's highly spiritual, and doesn't really like fighting much. And he doesn't like bending earth at all. |
| 456 | ** SequelSeries ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' has the titular [[Characters/TheLegendOfKorraAvatarKorra Avatar Korra]] be an Arrogant Kung Fu Girl. Over four seasons, this flaw and many others are broken down. |
| 457 | * Kyodai Ken from ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' is one of the only characters who can pose a real threat to Batman hand-to-hand... and would've killed him if Bats hadn't sort of cheated. He's also a complete lunatic who just likes beating people up. |
| 458 | * Bushido Brown from ''WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks'' is this. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] when he beats the living ''crap'' out of Huey in their fight, but not so much when [[spoiler:he gets [[OffWithHisHead beheaded]] by the Hateocracy]]. |
| 459 | * Kong Fu from ''WesternAnimation/DonkeyKongCountry''. Not that ''anyone'' in the series is a master of subtlety, but [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=yZyYhk4I2cM this is how he introduces himself]]'' for Christ's sake, singing a disco beat song called [[BraggingThemeTune "I'm so bad I scare myself"]] which is about how great he is and all the ludicrous over-the-top things he's done like riding an avalanche in the dark or being swallowed by a great white shark. |
| 460 | * A rare female example, ''Jinx'' from ''WesternAnimation/GIJoeTheMovie''. But more so a mild version of a SmallNameBigEgo. |
| 461 | * The title character of ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' is taught karate by his grandma after having his bus pass stolen. He masters the style very quickly and the power eventually corrupts him to the point where he attacked an innocent bystander. He instantly regrets this and snaps out of it rather quickly. |
| 462 | * Before his HeelFaceTurn, Tohru from ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'' was a textbook example, being an easily aggravated goliath who could crush the title hero with his bare hands. Hak Foo, who filled Tohru's role as TheBrute, is also a fine example, a PerpetualFrowner with martial arts skills unparalleled in the series. |
| 463 | ** Additionally, late-series villains Strikemaster Ice, DJ Cobra, and MC Fist, TotallyRadical [[JiveTurkey Jive Turkeys]] who learned their moves from the Shaolin before going all DeceptiveDisciple on them and eschewing "the path of peace" for criminal operations. |
| 464 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Kaeloo}}'': After Kaeloo teaches Stumpy martial arts, he manages to beat Mr. Cat in a fight and briefly becomes very arrogant. The problem quickly fixes itself when he tries to attack [[TheAce Quack Quack]], who manages to easily defeat him. |
| 465 | %%* Monkey Fist from ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible''. |
| 466 | * In ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPandaLegendsOfAwesomeness'', Po himself sometimes fits this, though he usually learns a lesson by the end. [[AesopAmnesia And promptly forgets it]]. |
| 467 | * ''WesternAnimation/LegendOfTheDragon'' has Ling as the Arrogant Kung Fu Girl at the beginning. She is pretty violent to her brother Ang, is unwilling to consider the responsibilities of the Golden Dragon, and wants its power, even if she has to take it by force and go to the Yin side (i.e. the Dark side). [[spoiler:By season 2, she goes back to the Yang side (i.e. the Good or Light side), and becomes a Golden Dragon herself. She still retains a degree of cockiness, however.]] |
| 468 | * Lightning Dust from ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''. Her only real care is pushing herself to the limit, which puts Rainbow Dash, the other Wonderbolt cadets, and even the other Mane Six in danger. She lightens up somewhat in ''The Washouts'' where she's at least matured enough to form her own squadron and gleefully declare Rainbow Dash to be [[WorthyOpponent a worthy rival]] when she's defeated. |
| 469 | * Grooor and Ceres from ''WesternAnimation/ObanStarRacers''. Grooor is an extremely fierce competitor and never lost a race until he went up against Molly. He actually gave her a head start just to make her defeat all the more humiliating... then tried to kill her after he lost. Ceres, on the other hand, constantly flings insults at his opponent and their entire species and makes them hallucinate with his flute until they crash. |
| 470 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'': Boscha is quite the arrogant little witch who puts down those she see as beneath her, even if she has the skills to back it up. |
| 471 | * Otto from ''WesternAnimation/RocketPower'' is the extreme sports version of this trope. He excels in every board sport under the sun, but his attitude of needing to show off all the time and his inability to handle a loss gets him into trouble often. |
| 472 | * Quite a few characters in ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack''. Da Samurai is the only one who got any CharacterDevelopment though. |
| 473 | * ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'': |
| 474 | ** ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2003'': This show's incarnation of Michelangelo loves to gloat about how good of a fighter he is, how he's the greatest warrior in the multiverse, how he's too good for training, and how he won the Battle Nexus, all the while rubbing it in Raphael's face. Thankfully, he learns to tone it down some by the time he has his rematch against Kluh. |
| 475 | ** ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012'': |
| 476 | *** This trope can apply to the Turtles as a whole, usually after they've won several fights in a row, and end up getting [[CurbStompBattle curb-stomped]] in some way shortly after. In the episode "The Pulverizer Returns", Splinter manages to finally teach them why arrogance and fighting don't mix. |
| 477 | *** Several recurring villains, such as Bradford and Xever (before and after their mutation) also qualify. |
| 478 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Teen Titans|2003}}'': Katarou, the gigantic wannabe ninja from the episode "The Quest", had it all. He bested Robin early in the episode, something only Slade had really ever done before. |
| 479 | * ''[[WesternAnimation/PixarShorts Tokyo Mater]]'' has Kabuto, a mean and obnoxious Japanese racing car who likes to cheat his way to victory in every single drift race he's been in, as well as having a tendency to strip his rivals of their modifications after losing to him. [[DefeatbyModesty Guess what happens to him]] after he loses to [[Franchise/{{Cars}} Mater]] at the end of the short! |
| 480 | * ''WesternAnimation/XiaolinShowdown'': |
| 481 | ** BadassAdorable Omi is still a child, and it's not like he's unfounded in his beliefs; he ''is'' the [[MakingASplash Xiaolin Dragon of Water]] for a reason after all. |
| 482 | ** Another example would be Chase Young, who is very similar to Omi, and was once even a Xiaolin warrior before turning to the Heylin side. |
| 483 | [[/folder]] |
| 484 | |
| 485 | [[folder:Real Life]] |
| 486 | * Certain UsefulNotes/MixedMartialArts exponents dismiss traditional martial arts as outdated and ineffective. Some traditional pugilists dismiss MMA-ers as KnowNothingKnowItAll upstarts. So on and so forth. |
| 487 | ** Anderson Silva aka the Spider of UFC fame is known for his taunting and goading in the ring. Often to the point that Dana White gets embarrassed about his tactics. While this tactic worked to unnerve his opponents, the one time he goes overboard is against Chris Weidman. After playing off a jab by Weidman Anderson drops his guard in an attempt to mock Weidman; only to be met by a flurry of punches that knock him out. |
| 488 | * While Jobst Brandt made a name for himself with his groundbreaking book on bicycle wheel design, he's almost as well known for his endless tirades against anyone who disagrees with him. |
| 489 | * UsefulNotes/MuhammadAli. Subverted though, thanks to his many PetTheDog moments. And the fact, [[AwesomeEgo that he was just that good]]. |
| 490 | * For an actual example from Kung Fu, we have Li Shuwen, a famed martial artist from late Qing/early Republican China and teacher of many famed bodyguards and warlords. He was a notorious master of Bajiquan, a style specializing in powerful close-range fighting, and was a [[BloodKnight frequent]] unarmed and spear duelist who is believed to have never lost, maiming and even killing countless opponents in the process. He [[BadassBoast bragged]] that he did not know what it was like to have to strike a foe twice, and was known for [[CallingYourAttacks announcing which technique he would use]] to win. A harsh teacher, unrepentant killer, and all-around unpleasant man, his vicious ways finally [[LaserGuidedKarma caught up]] to him in his elder years when he was fatally poisoned. |
| 491 | [[/folder]] |
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