Line #10 Main/JerkWithAHeartOfGold


1	%%Image revised per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1607458832096910500
2	%%Previous thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1499807353072840500
3	%%Please do not replace or remove without starting a new thread.
4	%%
5	[[quoteright:299:[[WesternAnimation/DanVs https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nice_jerk.png]]]]
6	[[caption-width-right:299:They're not always [[FunTShirt this blatant]].]]
7	%%
8	%%Caption selected per above IP thread. Please do not replace or remove without discussion in the Caption Repair thread:
9	%%https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1404492079030138900
10	%%
11	%%
12
13	->''"I must be cruel, only to be kind;''\
14	''Thus bad begins, and worse remains behind."''
15	-->-- '''Hamlet''', ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}''
16
17	A person you would expect to be a [[{{Jerkass}} big jerk]] has some [[HiddenDepths redeeming qualities behind their tough demeanor]]. Occasionally, they'll try to make it a HiddenHeartOfGold.
18
19	In a {{romance}} series, a female character filling this role is usually a {{Tsundere}} instead (occasionally she's both), or is in love with one via BelligerentSexualTension. A male version is usually TroubledButCute, and his heart of gold should never outweigh his inner jerk because AllGirlsWantBadBoys, though it can if SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan. If his jerkishness threatens to overshadow his good qualities, he's likely to attract a LoveMartyr.
20
21	Often this is PlayedForLaughs, but not always. They are just as common in drama, suspense, horror, and other genres as they are in comedy. One reason for this is that they make a convenient PlotDevice. After all, the supposed jerk turning out to save the family from their ''real'' stalker, instead of being said stalker, can be a source of SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments when done right.
22
23	%%As SuperTrope states, JerkWithAHeartOfGold is a SubTrope of {{Jerkass}}.
24	If he's a manly-man who pursues an unexpectedly delicate hobby, it may be a case of RealMenWearPink. Audiences may also sympathize more with the [[TitleDrop Jerk with a Heart of Gold]] if he's shown to frequently have a good reason to act angry or annoyed. Even the most patient of souls can only endure being the OnlySaneMan when they're SurroundedByIdiots for so long, after all. One or two PetTheDog moments scattered around for character depth do not grant a heart of gold. A true [[TitleDrop Jerk with a Heart of Gold]] has many PetTheDog moments. Or maybe those moments are rare but powerful. Or maybe they skew more toward the "Jerk" part but start making a point of showing the "Heart of Gold" part following a JerkassRealization. Either way, ultimately they manage to balance out the jerk in them. If it doesn't balance out, they're just a regular {{Jerkass}} or a JerkWithAHeartOfJerk.
25
26	Alternatively CharacterDevelopment in a long running series can cause these characters to [[TookALevelInKindness emphase their kindness more.]] They may even graduate to a full-blown NiceGuy.
27
28	Compare/contrast with {{Jerkass}} (which is a SuperTrope to this), HiddenHeartOfGold, MrViceGuy, BitchInSheepsClothing, NobleDemon, BruiserWithASoftCenter, HeroWithAnFInGood, InnocentlyInsensitive, AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther, SourOutsideSadInside, HitmanWithAHeart, and FaceOfAnAngelMindOfADemon. Sometimes subverted as JerkWithAHeartOfJerk. The LovableAlphaBitch can also overlap with female examples of this {{trope}}.
29
30	TheLancer and LovableRogue are often, but not always, portrayed in this light. One half of the BelligerentSexualTension couple. Also compare GoodIsNotNice and InferioritySuperiorityComplex. This trope is also a textbook means of characterizing a KnightInSourArmor. The character may be generally cold towards others due to their disillusionment with the world. But in the end you can always count on them to do what's right.
31
32	Sometimes TruthInTelevision, though you can expect RealLife examples of this to be far more subtle than fictional ones. Most of the jerks you'll meet in your life will have some redeeming qualities to them. Few people are such jerks that they don't care about ''anyone'', and cynical people tend to handle bad situations better, so having one as a friend can be useful when things go downhill. Given that this would still call RealLife people jerks, [[Administrivia/NoRealLifeExamplesPlease please do not add real life examples]].
33
34	[[noreallife]]
35	----
36	!!Example subpages:
37	[[index]]
38	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold/AnimeAndManga
39	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold/ComicBooks
40	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold/FanWorks
41	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold/{{Film}}
42	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold/{{Literature}}
43	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold/LiveActionTV
44	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold/{{Theatre}}
45	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold/VideoGames
46	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold/WebOriginal
47	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold/{{Webcomics}}
48	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold/WesternAnimation
49	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold/OtherMedia
50	[[/index]]
51	----
52	->See, this page is just a big ol' softie deep down.

Context Main / JerkWithAHeartOfGold