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4->''"Why can't the world just die?!"''
5-->-- '''[[Series/MarriedWithChildren Al Bundy]]''', utterly despising his life as usual
6
7The loser protagonist is a SisterTrope to the ThisLoserIsYou, but unlike that trope, the Loser Protagonist is not necessarily meant to be relatable or is objectively a failure in every single aspect of life, it's just that they may be considered a loser ''by the standards of their society''. (Obviously, this is greatly subject to ValuesDissonance.) This character is generally subject to CharacterDevelopment throughout the narrative to make them more sympathetic or interesting. This character may have [[UnderdogsAlwaysWin underdog status]], assuming they aren't so much of a "loser" that [[AngstDissonance the audience thinks they should pull their socks up and get over themselves]]. If they have someone who is a fan of them, then they are [[FanOfUnderdog Fans Of Underdogs]].
8
9Compare StrawLoser, a character who may be similar in many ways but has quite different narrative reasons for his loserdom. See also the CharacterFlawIndex and AcceptableTargets.
10
11[[folder:Traits a loser protagonist may have]]
12* [[BasementDweller Still lives with his parents]] when it is the norm to have moved out.
13* Has a low-paying job or no job at all.
14* Has to mooch off others.
15* [[BookDumb Has no degrees or diplomas]].
16* Holds ADegreeInUseless.
17* If still a student, may be a poor performer in school.
18* Was HeldBackInSchool.
19* Has not attended university or college if it is considered the norm within TheVerse.
20* [[UnfazedEveryman Is untalented or powerless]] in a [[WorldOfBadass world where everyone has special talents or powers]]
21* [[OldMaid Does not have]] a romantic interest.
22* [[LookingForLoveInAllTheWrongPlaces Jumps from one relationship to another]], often for petty and shallow reasons, and sometimes with a pattern of dating horrible people (worse if it's the same ''[[HasAType type]]'' of Horrible Person over and over... or an on-off relationship with the same LoveInterest).
23* Has been [[SerialSpouse married and divorced two or more times]].
24* If married and male, he may be a HenpeckedHusband.
25* [[FriendlessBackground Doesn't have too many friends]], either nearby or long-distance.
26* [[NoSocialSkills Is socially awkward to the point of coming across as creepy or stalkerish]].
27* [[LonersAreFreaks Is a loner.]]
28* HollywoodHomely and/or HollywoodPudgy. Or alternatively, is ''actually'' overweight and/or [[{{Gonk}} unattractive]], [[DoubleStandard especially if female]].
29* [[PovertyTropes Financially poor]].
30* Rich in a setting where the norm is deprivation.
31* Often will be part of a DysfunctionalFamily.
32* Low on the PopularityFoodChain.
33* Seen as "odd," or a {{Cloudcuckoolander}}.
34* Lacks even basic fashion sense.
35* Uses [[TheStoner drugs]] and/or [[TheAlcoholic alcohol]] to excess.
36* Is part of some SubcultureOfTheWeek.
37* [[TheSlacker Unmotivated]].
38* Is constantly trying (and failing) to relive their GloryDays, or won't shut up about them.
39* [[TheThingThatWouldNotLeave Overstays their welcome at someone else's house]].
40* Is a ClingyJealousGirl or CrazyJealousGuy.
41* In a universe where DumbIsGood, they may be [[TheSmartGuy smarter than the other characters]] or just a {{Geek}}/nerd in general.
42* [[NatureAbhorsAVirgin Is still a virgin]] in a setting where it's the norm to have lost one's virginity, [[DoubleStandard especially if male]].
43* If male, has not had his penile foreskin circumcised if such is the norm.
44* Has no children, either [[LawOfInverseFertility by chance]] or [[ChildrenAreAWaste by choice]], in a setting where NotWantingKidsIsWeird, [[DoubleStandard especially if female]].
45* [[DoubleStandard Especially if male]], they choose to stay with a spouse or lover that they ''know'' is cheating on them.
46* An ExtremeDoormat or YesMan to someone else.
47* A WhiteDwarfStarlet or FormerChildStar who either cannot or will not accept that it was time to step ''gracefully'' out of the limelight a long time ago.
48* A celebrity who HatesTheJobLovesTheLimelight.
49* Was once in trouble with the law.
50* [[AllLoveIsUnrequited Has a crush on someone who is already taken, or emotionally unavailable, or just plain uninterested]].
51* Has gotten divorced in a setting where there's a great stigma against divorce. In some settings, this may also extend to [[LoserSonOfLoserDad children of divorce]].
52* Lacks athletic prowess, especially if male.
53* Is HollywoodToneDeaf, especially if female.
54* If female, is (or is rumored to be) on the [[SlutShaming "whore"]] side of the MadonnaWhoreComplex.
55* Does not conform to the expectations of dress or behavior typically associated with their birth gender. ([[DoubleStandard If female]], [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption however]], [[RealWomenDontWearDresses she may also catch flack for conforming]], or for pursuing AcceptableFeminineGoals.)
56* Lives on the WrongSideOfTheTracks.
57* Has to take a FallenOnHardTimesJob, or is WaitingForABreak.
58* Experienced a TeenPregnancy, especially if she and/or her partner [[TragicDropout had to drop out of high school]].
59* [[{{Elopement}} Eloped]] or simply cohabitates with their boyfriend or girlfriend if it's the norm to have a wedding with all the trimmings.
60* [[MotorMouth Talks too much]].
61* Has been a MissingMom or DisappearedDad, unless DaddyHadAGoodReasonForAbandoningYou... and sometimes even then.
62* Pales in comparison to TheAce, or to someone else; is AlwaysSecondBest.
63* [[FutureLoser Peaked in high school]].
64* May or may not have a boyfriend/girlfriend, but is unmarried in a setting where marriage is the norm, or everyone else they know is married.
65* Is the BlackSheep of their family or group.
66* Is non-religious in a setting where [[HollywoodAtheist not being religious is looked down upon]], or of a different religion than the majority, or the TokenReligiousTeammate in a setting where ReligionIsWrong.
67* Is the SonOfAWhore or [[HeroicBastard an illegitimate child]] (or the parent [[DoubleStandard (particularly the mother)]] of one) in a setting where there's a great stigma towards having children out of wedlock, or towards children born out of wedlock.
68* Has to wear the BracesOfOrthodonticOverkill.
69* Likes a franchise, genre, style, [[DiscreditedMeme meme]], etc. [[TrendAesop that's popularity has long since come and gone]]. Even if they're not ''quite'' to the point of DiscoDan yet.
70* [[IJustWantToHaveFriends Tries too hard to fit in]], or does so by [[BeYourself trying to be someone/something they're not]].
71* ''Always'' has to be the center of attention; [[ItsAllAboutMe is selfish and/or narcissistic]].
72* Their partner is less attractive than they are, or [[HollywoodHomely vice-versa]].
73* [[TheMistress Is (or once was)]] in a relationship with someone who is (or was) already spoken for. [[DoubleStandard (Especially if female.)]]
74* Is TheHeart in a setting where people wonder WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway
75* SucksAtDancing.
76* Is the LoserSonOfLoserDad, or [[SinsOfOurFathers the descendant of a person who did something bad]].
77* Young and inexperienced in a setting where age and wisdom are valued.
78* Old in a setting where youth is valued.
79* Isn't a virgin (or is only a TechnicalVirgin) in a setting where NatureAdoresAVirgin, and where losing it (consensually or [[SexualHarassmentAndRapeTropes otherwise]]) means being considered DefiledForever or losing VirginPower.
80* If over a certain age, works at BurgerFool, a SoulSuckingRetailJob, a low-level office job, or some other type of "unskilled" labor that "anyone can do."
81* Has NewJobsAsThePlotDemands all the time; can't seem to find one career or job that s/he likes and stick with it. (Or can't hold a job.)
82* Has a "ParentsAsPeople" moment ([[DoubleStandard especially if female]]), or is a BumblingDad in general.
83* Is on the "bad" side of GoodAdulteryBadAdultery.
84* Is a SicklyNeuroticGeek.
85* Is a "late bloomer"; they went through puberty, got their act together, got a "real job", got married (whatever it is) later than everyone else they know.
86* Is openly [[QueerAsTropes LGBT+]] in a [[HideYourLesbians heavily]] [[HeteronormativeCrusader heteronormative]] setting.
87* Is the TokenGirl.
88* Believes in aliens, the supernatural, etc. in a world that feels it has OutgrownSuchSillySuperstitions or a world of HereThereWereDragons.
89* Is a ConspiracyTheorist, [[CassandraTruth even if they're right]].
90* Somewhere along the line, they crossed a MoralEventHorizon, [[ReformedButRejected even if they're trying to make things right, or have "done their time."]]
91* Is RichInDollarsPoorInSense, and/or [[MsRedInk irresponsible with money]].
92* Has a voice, accent, or speech pattern regarded as "irritating." (For example, the ValleyGirl and her closest [[DistaffCounterpart Spear Counterpart]] the SurferDude.)
93* [[ThePigpen Has issues concerning personal hygiene.]]
94* [[StopBeingStereotypical Conforms to some negative stereotype about whatever group(s) they identify with.]]
95* Is a member of TheOldestProfession
96* Has AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents, a RacistGrandma, or other... "interesting" family members.
97* [[LethalChef Can't cook]], [[FeminineWomenCanCook especially if female.]]
98* Is HopelessWithTech or TooIncompetentToOperateABlanket.
99* [[TrashOfTheTitans Isn't good at or doesn't care much for housework]].
100* [[TotallyRadical Tries too hard to be cool or to seem young and "fresh."]]
101* Is PrettyFlyForAWhiteGuy, or otherwise "tone-deaf."
102* [[ConvictedByPublicOpinion Has been a suspect in a criminal investigation, even if they have not yet been convicted or even charged with anything.]]
103* [[TheLoad Sucks at whatever it is they do]], especially if they turn out to be [[TheMillstone an active liability]].
104* Doesn't like change in a setting where dynamism and adaptability are valued.
105* Wants things to change in a setting where [[AppealToTradition tradition]] and [[StatusQuoIsGod status quo]] are valued.
106* Is still hung up on TheOneThatGotAway, especially if the divorce or breakup happened ''years'' ago.
107* Has been fired from their job.
108* Is a nonconformist in a setting that values conformity and/or collectivism. Or conversely, conforms to conventional societal norms in a setting that [[BeYourself values individualism.]]
109* [[AnimationAgeGhetto Is an adult or teenager who still watches cartoons.]] (Unless said cartoons are among the likes of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'', ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'', etc.)
110* Enjoys ChickLit, {{Chick Flick}}s, {{Soap Opera}}s or [[GirlShowGhetto other work geared towards a primarily female audience]]. ([[DaytimeDramaQueen Especially if male]], but even [[RealWomenNeverWearDresses female characters may receive some flack for this]].)
111* Has a PornStash large enough to be considered "creepy," especially if the character who owns said stash is socially inept and/or spends a lot of time masturbating to it, or if the "porn" in question is something like [[PoorMansPorn a lingerie catalog]], or if the stash includes something like child pornography or porn of [[PerverseSexualLust fictional characters]]. [[note]] (In the age of [[Rule34 free porn]] [[TheInternetIsForPorn available all over the Internet]], this may also include any porn (whether files or hard-copy stuff) that is bought and paid for.) [[/note]]
112* Uses outdated or obsolete technology (for example, someone who still uses a flip-phone in the age of smartphones.)
113* [[EvenNerdsHaveStandards They or their interests are looked down upon even by others like them]].
114* Is considered a CategoryTraitor.
115* Has an illness or disability or deformity of some kind.
116* [[TheGamblingAddict Gambles to excess]], and often loses.
117* Is a FagHag or YaoiFangirl.
118* [[TragicDropout Dropped out of school]]... or flunked out of school. Especially if the school they attended was a very prestigious one, or (conversely) a SuckySchool.
119* Chooses to MarryForLove, in a society where {{Arranged Marriage}}s are the norm, or (conversely) has an ArrangedMarriage in a society where it's the norm to date and marry someone of one's own choosing.
120* Has not advanced in their career, or even gotten demoted.
121* Is wealthy but lacks good looks, charisma, social skills, or any attributes that will attract anyone other than gold-diggers or gigolos.
122* Went to community college or trade school in a setting where traditional 4-year college is the norm. (Though one may argue that community college makes good starting ground.)
123[[/folder]]
124
125----
126!!Examples:
127[[foldercontrol]]
128
129[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
130* ''Manga/ChoujinSensen'': Tomobiki Rinji can't seem to have anything his way, whether it be gambling at Pachinko stores, finding a better job, or having a girlfriend. Not only do his parents seem to ignore his presence, but his little sister also pesters him about her friends making fun of her brother adds insult to injury.
131* The signature storytelling style of [[CrapsackWorld the short stories]] by Creator/YoshihiroTatsumi.
132* ''Franchise/SailorMoon'': Usagi/Serena, while not really an outcast, has many loser qualities: she is clumsy, lazy, ditzy, a crybaby, a very poor student, and gluttonous; but she is still the incomparably powerful Sailor Moon.
133* The man that saves a woman from an assault in ''Manga/{{Skyhigh}}''.
134* Ataru Moroboshi from ''Manga/UruseiYatsura'', mainly because of his lechery and other human faults. He was born on the most unlucky day of the year in Japan. His own parents often say how much they wish he wasn't born. He's unpopular with most of the boys and almost all the girls at his high school. Even when the beautiful female alien, Lum, comes into his life, he's still unlucky because of all the baggage she brings with her.
135* Keiichi Morisato of ''Manga/AhMyGoddess'' is a put-upon member of the motor club and pushed around by the guys at his dorm and he never gets a date due to his short stature. This is later subverted when Belldandy points out that he has qualities that make him rather desirable, such as the way he cares for antiquated junk that has no value to other people.
136* Satou from ''Literature/WelcomeToTheNHK'' is a {{hikikomori}} who does nothing but stay in his house all day, has never attended college due to a nervous breakdown on his ''first day'', and acts like a jerk.
137* ''Manga/ChainsawMan'':
138** Denji is a teenager who's spent his entire life as a slave to the {{yakuza}}, working for pennies while never receiving any form of education whatsoever. Just the idea of eating something other than plain bread seems like a luxury to him, and after his FirstEpisodeResurrection and becoming a Devil, the other [[DemonSlaying Devil Hunters]] look down on him for his less lofty goals like eating good food or [[ChivalrousPervert getting with girls]].
139** Asa Mitaka from Part 2 of the manga may be even worse. Compared to Denji, her childhood was fairly normal, but she's an uptight, neurotic [[TheBore bore]] who habitually [[CuteClumsyGirl trips, falls, and breaks something important at crucial moments]]. While she has devil-granted powers like Denji, neither she nor the devil possessing her are able to use them effectively, and she spends the first several arcs stumbling through traumatic situations only to come out alive through sheer luck and the intervention of other parties.
140* Kimba/Leo started out as a weak coward that everyone makes fun of in the [[AlternateContinuity 2009 TV-special]] of ''Manga/KimbaTheWhiteLion''.
141* ''Manga/BambooBlade'''s Sensei is a protagonist who mooches off his students and receives food parcels from his parents.
142* Tomoko from ''Manga/NoMatterHowILookAtItItsYouGuysFaultImNotPopular'' is a dating sim-obsessed introvert who doesn't have any friends in her high school and is completely socially inept. The series is about her trying various ways to improve her popularity, which [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption she either spectacularly screws up or is unwilling to learn from her mistakes and try again]].
143* ''Literature/KagerouDaze'': Shintaro, our protagonist, is a [[{{Hikikomori}} high school drop-out shut-in]] with no company aside from a {{Troll}}ing {{Tsundere}} computer program named Ene, no life outside of his bedroom, and as of the first chapter, not even a computer due to an accidental soda-spillage. And when he ''does'' eventually venture out into the world, he's literally the only cast member without a superpower. His backstory drives it in further; in middle school, he was an InsufferableGenius, and his only friend was Ayano, a BookDumb ManicPixieDreamGirl who was trying desperately to help him open up. [[spoiler:[[DrivenToSuicide Right until she jumps off the school roof.]]]] After that, he became the bitter, self-loathing shut-in who we see at the beginning of the story, and [[spoiler:in one possible timeline where he never goes outside, he kills Ene, has a mental breakdown, and then kills himself]].
144* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'': Shinji Ikari can't get a break. Not only is he introduced as a whiny and spineless UselessProtagonist, he hardly gets any respect from anybody even after he regularly saves the day. His love interests are either [[{{kuudere}} indifferent]] toward [[{{tsundere}} or hate him]], most of his friends are killed, and his "job" involves dealing with the EldritchAbomination of the day, which abuses him to hell and back both physically and mentally, just to ensure that he will only get worse and worse. By the time of ''End of Evangelion'', [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds the kid's had enough.]] However in the ContinuityReboot ''Anime/RebuildOfEvangelion'' [[TheAntiNihilist he gets better]].
145* Miaka from ''Manga/FushigiYuugi''. She's BookDumb, rather [[NaiveEverygirl naive]] and ditzy, [[BigEater gluttonous]], said to be [[HollywoodPudgy kind of fat]] and [[GenericCuteness average-looking]] in-universe, trouble always seems to find her, and her parents are divorced (which carries a big social stigma in Japan).
146* Isao from ''Manga/InsideMari'' is a friendless, spineless {{hikikomori}} with a perma-stubble who lives off his parents' money, while they still think he's a college student. His crush is a high SchoolIdol, which may or may not make him even more of a Loser Protagonist. He ends up in [[FreakyFridayFlip her body]] and slowly screws with her life.
147* Makoto from ''Manga/{{Happiness}}'' is bullied into buying food for the popular kids on a regular basis.
148* Taichi from ''Manga/{{Yuureitou}}'' is a homely, socially awkward {{NEET}} in his late 20s. He meets the charming, [[{{Bishonen}} attractive]] Tetsuo and [[TookALevelInBadass ends up]] becoming useful but he's still a cute dork.
149* Punpun from ''Manga/GoodnightPunpun'', especially in high school and just after graduating. He thinks of himself as so pathetic that he once [[spoiler:decided to [[DrivenToSuicide kill himself]] if he didn't improve within a year.]] Compared to other examples he's also a lot more malicious.
150* Inverted and then subverted in ''Manga/KaguyaSamaLoveIsWar''. Kaguya and Shirogane are both brilliant individuals who can expertly debate highly complicated and intricate subjects like philosophy without blinking an eye and are adored by the school they go to as model students by both the faculty and the staff. Despite this, both of them are repeatedly mocked by the narration for their simplistic views of romantic relationships and their inability to confess to one another, which turns them from intelligent [[TheChessmaster chessmasters]] into bumbling idiots.
151** Played ''much'' straighter with the {{Tritagonist}}, Ishigami, who is an unlucky, depressed cynic who is actively despised by everyone at school after he gets WrongfullyAccused of being a violent stalker when he beats up a girl's boyfriend to protect her. He even winds up becoming a SilentScapegoat when the boyfriend threatens to hurt his girlfriend again if Ishigami tries to refute his new reputation. As such he pulls a ZeroApprovalGambit to redirect persecution and humiliation onto himself to protect others, making him an active pariah with the worst reputation in the school, with only his friends in the student council knowing the truth.
152* ''Anime/{{Naruto}}'' starts out as one. Friendless, talentless, actually hated and shunned by the whole village for something he doesn't even know about. He lives alone and barely graduates last in his class. Things gradually change as he learns about his past, learns how to control the power sealed inside him, and proves himself to the point of becoming the Hokage.
153* In ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'', Izuku Midoriya starts like this. He's literally BornUnlucky as one of the few people of his generation to be born without a superpower of his own. Timid, scrawny, and a social pariah, the mere idea of having friends is a novelty to him. He spent the last ten years dreaming of becoming a superhero without a Quirk as he's laughed off, beaten up, and scorned by his peers. It culminates in him meeting his lifelong idol, All Might, who flatly tells him to give up on his dreams and face reality. It's only after Izuku proves he has the heart of a hero that things look up for him, as he earns the sacred torch of One For All and becomes the world's greatest hero.
154* Tsuna from ''Manga/Reborn2004'' is this from the start of the story. Nicknamed as ''Dame-Tsuna'' or No-good Tsuna by everyone, even his mother, he's an unmotivated middle-schooler that is spineless and has NoSocialSkills. He's pathetic enough that that little dogs scare him and he fell in love with the only girl who bothered to talk to him in 12 months. Reborn's job is to shape him up to be the Tenth Vongola Boss, as he is the only worthy heir left. And Reborn has to go to the extremes just to beat the loser status out of him and turn him to a mafia boss that everyone will respect.
155* Gintoki from ''Manga/{{Gintama}}'' is a financially poor {{Manchild}} that loves to spend his money on pachinko machines instead of paying his rent. He's also unmotivated and loves to slack off reading ''Magazine/ShonenJump'' to the point where the kids he is looking after are more mature than him. Hell, the only reason that he is not a full-time loser protagonist is that he is the ''White Demon'', one of the legendary Joi Rebels back from the Joi war. But [[TheAlcoholic he'd]] rather [[DrowningMySorrows forget]] that part of him.
156* [[DeconstructedCharacterArchetype Deconstructed]] and eventually {{inverted|Trope}} with Naofumi in ''Literature/TheRisingOfTheShieldHero''. As the Shield Hero, Naofumi is heavily mistreated by pretty much everyone around him, to the point of [[FalseRapeAccusation being falsely accused of a crime he didn't commit]] just after arriving in the world. By being labeled as a Loser Protagonist and never being given a reason why, he ends becoming an AntiHero who [[ThenLetMeBeEvil embraces the negative attitude thrust onto him]] and turns to only finding trust in people who are similarly mistreated by society. It grows worse when he starts to [[TookALevelInBadass become stronger than the other heroes]], and both the kingdom and the Church of Three Heroes start to take notice. They actively do everything in their power to stop him from getting strong to ensure that he remains a loser, from trying to take away his only means of fighting properly (Raphtalia) from him in an unfairly rigged duel to legally forbidding him from using Melromarc's Dragon Hourglass to remove his and his party's [[LevelCap level restrictions]], and finally trying to frame him for kidnapping Melromarc's second princess partly to deny him of any potential allies. Ironically, the end result is that by the time Naofumi's name is cleared, he's done a lot more than the other heroes combined (including solving troubles that [[NiceJobBreakingItHero they themselves had caused]]) and everyone sees him as a greater hero, thus inverting the trope.
157* PlayedForDrama in ''Manga/BoysAbyss''. The protagonist Reiji is a 17-year-old whose family lives in PerpetualPoverty as a result of various factors. He's relentlessly bullied by his former ChildhoodFriend and lives in a perpetual state of SmallTownBoredom. The entire plot revolves around his desire to be TogetherInDeath with a toxic LoveInterest who floated the idea by him with no resistance on his part whatsoever.
158* In ''Manga/ItsToughBeingNeeko'', Nemuko "Neeko" Nito is a {{NEET}} who still lives with her parents, and whose social anxiety is so bad that her job search doesn't go anywhere.
159* ''Literature/KonoSuba'' is, effectively, an archetypal HeroicFantasy story where the noble heroes have been replaced with a bunch of pathetic losers who succeed mostly by accident. Their ranks include a selfish douchebag, an [[LoserDeity incompetent goddess]] with delusions of grandeur, a delusional and [[CripplingOverspecialization overspecialized]] ChildMage, and a [[TooKinkyToTorture disturbingly masochistic]] knight with [[ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy horrible aim]].
160* Rikuo, the protagonist of ''Manga/SingYesterdayForMe'', begins the story as an aimless college grad who has fallen out of touch with most of his friends and is living a dead-end life as a convenience store clerk, a big no-no in Japan, where holding a salaried position is highly valued. Over the course of the story he gets his act together somewhat and starts pursuing his dreams.
161* ''Manga/StarStrikeItRich'': As lampshaded by Nozomi in the first chapter, no one in her group of friends is really an exemplary member of society.
162--> A broke {{Yakuza}}. A [[{{NEET}} jobless bum]]. A DirtyCop. “Losers”. It’d be faster to just call us that.
163* Lala from ''Anime/StarTwinklePrettyCure'' is a rare example of this in a ''Anime/PrettyCure'' series. She's already out of place on Earth as an AlienAmongUs, but on her home planet Saman, she's among the lowest class of her people -- basically the equivalent to a trash collector. Though she's able to operate a rocket and other alien technology with more competency than her human friends, she doesn't work well with the advanced tech commonplace on Saman, such as AI and hoverboards. When she returns home, her parents sing the praises of her more accomplished twin brother Lolo, who gets an award ceremony for finding a [[MacGuffin Star Color Pen]]. Meanwhile, Lala is unable to tell them about her secret identity as [[MagicalGirlWarrior Cure Milky]], having found ''several'' Star Color Pens. Since Saman is a TerminallyDependentSociety, the situation changes when the villains hack the [[MasterComputer Mother AI]] and leave the Samanians helpless to fight back; Lala's independence allows her to save the day along with her friends. Though she's forced to reveal she's a Pretty Cure, her family doesn't mind at all, and are actually [[SoProudOfYou proud of her]] for finding her calling. The WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue shows that she manages to turn things around on Saman, [[spoiler:and 15 years later, she has a much more respectable job as an interplanetary ambassador]].
164* ''Anime/OsomatsuSan'': The Matsuno brothers. Brash, egotistical {{Manchild}}ren with no plans of getting jobs or helping out their parents, their issues put them on the bottom of the social order. This is also enforced: they'd hinder a brother's chances of success [[TallPoppySyndrome purely out of jealousy]], and in cases where they ''do'' actually try to pull their weight around for once, [[StatusQuoIsGod the plot itself won't let them]].
165* ''Who Decided That Blues Had To Be Cool!?'' stars Azusa Gunjou (aka the MagicalGirl Azurite), a rather dorky girl with bad grades and no friends, whose personality is at odds with the "cool" nature of the "blue" MagicalGirl archetype.
166* ''Literature/AccelWorld'' stars Haruyuki Arita, a short, overweight boy who's the target of bullying, doesn't get especially good grades and has no friends apart from Takumu and Chiyuri (whom he's trying to distance himself from due to his issues). After meeting Kuroyukihime and joining Brain Burst, he starts getting better, but suffers from severe self-esteem issues.
167[[/folder]]
168
169[[folder:Comic Books]]
170* ''Manhwa/TheGreatCatsby'': Catsby is this to a certain extent in the beginning, but he changes later on in the series.
171* ''ComicBook/RadiantBlack'': Both lead protagonists, Nathan Burnett and Marshall Ward, fit this description. The former being a failed writer with a crippling amount of debt who has to move back with his parents upon hitting 30. The latter having never tried at all, never left home, works a dead-end low-paying job at a video store of all things, and hardly has any friends outside of Nathan who was away for years prior to the start of the series.
172* ''ComicBook/ScottPilgrim'' is a fairly standard loser protagonist, as he has no job or qualifications, [[ManChild lives across the street from his childhood home]], makes ends meet by mooching off of friends, and is a member of a band that is apparently GiftedlyBad.
173* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': Peter Parker starts out as a nerd picked on by bullies, and even after becoming a superhero he still has money problems, girl problems, reputation problems (in both identities), the whole nine yards. Back in TheSixties, [[OnceOriginalNowCommon this was revolutionary for superhero comics]]. At some points in his long history he's managed to [[AvertedTrope get ahead]] -- for a while he's a member of the world's premiere superhero team, has a rewarding day job as a science teacher, and has a loving and smoking-hot supermodel wife to come home to -- but the writers make sure that [[StatusQuoIsGod sooner or later he always reverts to a lovable loser]].
174* ''ComicBook/ZiggyPigSillySealComics'': Ziggy Pig begins the comic as an unmitigated loser -- he lives in a hovel, he eats [[WayPastTheExpirationDate dubious food from gas stations,]] and women only date him in hopes of meeting his ex-partner Silly Seal. He's even featured on the cover of ''Loser Weekly'' magazine.
175[[/folder]]
176
177[[folder:Comic Strips]]
178* ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'': Charlie Brown, in spades. He [[ButtMonkey can never catch a break]], he [[EpicFail fails miserably at everything]], and is ([[CharlieBrownBaldness almost]]) bald in spite of only being a child. Putting this in perspective, when he tried to fly a kite, ''the kite exploded'', something that could have ''only'' happened to Charlie Brown.
179[[/folder]]
180
181[[folder:Fan Works]]
182* In ''Fanfic/EquestriaAHistoryRevealed'', the LemonyNarrator and protagonist of the fic is considered to be a loser, as she's too caught up in her arrogance and conspiracy theories and is looked down upon by many. She even reflects upon this after she gets [[spoiler: rejected by the homeless pony she had a crush on, saying that once you get rejected by the homeless, you know your life has gone from bad to worse.]]
183* In ''Fanfic/DanganronpaLastHurrah'', Nao Hisoka achieves the dubious honor of being the Ultimate {{NEET}}- that is, he's the best in his age group when it comes to not working or going to school. Compare [[VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc Makoto]] and [[VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair Hajime]], who got in through sheer luck and were an ordinary student, respectively. [[spoiler:Near the end, Nao reveals that the Ultimate {{NEET}} isn't even a real Ultimate title, and was just an excuse to get him into the program.]]
184* Cameron from ''Fanfic/{{Jessica}}'' is obsessed with Pokémon and mentally ill.
185[[/folder]]
186
187[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
188* ''Film/TheAssassinationOfRichardNixon'': Sam Bicke is a dark example of this trope.
189* ''Film/BroadwayDannyRose'': He's a NiceGuy with UndyingLoyalty, but ends up being an ExtremeDoormat, which is why he can't hold good clients. At the end of the film, his business is failing, but at least he gets the girl in the end.
190* ''Film/TheKingOfComedy'' has Rupert Pupkin, a delusional aspiring stand-up comic who wants fame at any price, as its unsympathetic protagonist.
191* ''Film/PaulBlartMallCop'' is overweight, lives with his mother, works as a mall security guard, stalks the women he likes via cameras and to quote [[WebVideo/BadMovieBeatdown Film Brain]] "He has a really creepy way with food"
192* Creator/SimonPegg plays this in at least five movies, ''How to Lose Friends & Alienate People'', ''Film/ShaunOfTheDead'', ''Film/TheWorldsEnd'', ''Film/HectorAndTheSearchForHappiness'', and ''Film/RunFatboyRun''. The jury's still out on why he even got the role of the protagonist of the latter movie, because he's not even, well, you know...fat.
193* Creator/RickyGervais also plays this in ''Film/TheInventionOfLying''. In a world where lying doesn't exist and therefore everything is believed by everyone, his character is put down for being a talentless, overweight loser, and the girl that he wants rejects him on the grounds that their kids might look like him. Though shown to be kind of a jerk at times, his conscience ends up winning out, the viewer is expected to empathize with the hopeless underdog and root for him [[spoiler:getting the girl in the end. The female lead eventually learns that being fat with a "snub nose" doesn't make him a bad prospective husband.]]
194* Creator/JackBlack's character from ''Film/SchoolOfRock'' is a deadbeat who's behind on his rent, got kicked out of his band, his only friends feel sorry for him, he has no girlfriend, he's got no qualifications, and he looks like a slob to boot.
195* ''Film/HoneyBaby'' has both Tom and Natascha as has-beens who only succeed in fantasies, and whether they can be successful or even happy in real life is something the film explores and repeatedly denies. Even the happy ending has them giving up on their dreams and going home.
196* Creator/JohnCusack as Rob Gordon (Rob Fleming in the book, but the film plays it up much more) in ''Film/HighFidelity''. He lives on his own, but he's a hermetic record collector, obsesses about exes to the point of ridicule (one ex even made him drop out of college), and goes off the rails when his most recent ex gets a NewAgeRetroHippie boyfriend. Something that's especially clear in the book is that he feels his life has stalled at this point, and that somehow the transition from adolescence to adulthood [[{{Manchild}} passed him by]].
197* ''Franchise/{{Rocky}}'' is this in the first film: a poor, uneducated, aging has-been of a mediocre boxer, who has to turn to mob jobs to pay the bills for his grungy, ill-kept apartment. PlayedForDrama.
198-->'''Rocky:''' Took ya long enough to get here. After ten years ya come to my house. What's the matter, you don't like my house? My house stink? That's right, it stinks! I didn't ask no favors from you! Don't slum around me! Talkin' about your prime, what about my prime Mick?! At least you had a prime! '''''I didn't have no prime, I didn't have nothin!''''' Legs are going, everything is going, I didn't earn nothing. Guy comes up, offers me a fight, big deal, wanna fight the fight? Yea I'll fight the big fight. I'm gonna go in and fight the big fight and ya know what's gonna happen to me?! I'm gonna get that ''(punches door)'' and I'm gonna get that! ''(punches door again)'' And you wanna have a ringside seat?! Do ya?! You wanna help me out!!? Do you wanna see me get my face kicked in?!! Legs ain't working, nothin's working, think I'll go out and fight the champ! Yeah I'll fight him....and get my face kicked in. Ya come around here, ya wanna move in here with me?! Come on in it's a nice house! ''(punches door again)'' Real nice, come on in and move, it stinks! This whole place stinks!
199* In ''Film/SmoshTheMovie'', Anthony starts out as a minimum wage pizza-delivery boy while Ian is unemployed, both living with Ian's parents.
200* ''Film/TaxiDriver'' is a character study of Travis Bickle, an unstable social outcast driven to extreme violence by his sense of alienation and isolation.
201* ''Film/FallingDown'' revolved around VillainProtagonist Bill Foster, a middle-aged unemployed [[TakingTheKids divorcee]] past his prime who [[BasementDweller lives with his mother]] after losing his job, wife, and house. As a result of all of this, he has a [[MaddenIntoMisanthropy nervous breakdown that escalates]] into a full GoingPostal rampage against the society that he felt betrayed him.
202* ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast'': Past Charles Xavier is the central figure, and he has been a totally unproductive member of society in between 1963 and 1973 because he's clinically depressed. He's a heavy drinker and substance abuser.
203* Private detective Film/RockSlyde uses positive online auction feedback to boost his self-esteem. And that's not the half of it.
204* Allan Mann in ''Film/MonkeyShines'', who is left quadriplegic thanks to an incompetent surgeon, and pretty much everyone in the film abuses him or takes advantage of him, or both. Deconstructed, since his repressed rage over this leads to his mutated pet monkey killing everyone who slights him.
205* Jack from ''Film/AFantasticFearOfEverything'' is a coward who is afraid of everything.
206* Evelyn from ''Film/EverythingEverywhereAllAtOnce'' is a reconstruction. Her loser status is how she's able to ''become'' the protagonist, since it puts her in proximity to the maximum number of alternate dimensions.
207[[/folder]]
208
209[[folder:Literature]]
210* In ''The Wall and the Wing'', one of the main characters can not fly and is classified as a "dead weight" in a world where most people can fly and flying is revered. This is a bit of a subversion as it turns out she has the power to camouflage herself to blend in with her surroundings
211%%* Greg Heffley from ''Literature/DiaryOfAWimpyKid''.
212* Ignatius Reilly from ''Literature/AConfederacyOfDunces'', [[UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist to hilarious effect]], although at times it's hard to tell who is more of a loser, him or everyone else around him.
213* Most of Creator/FyodorDostoevsky's angst-ridden intellectual social outcasts are of this type, most notably the narrator of ''Literature/NotesFromTheUnderground'' and Raskolnikov in ''Literature/CrimeandPunishment''.
214* Many of Creator/KurtVonnegut's protagonists fit this trope, in combination with CosmicPlayThing. Notable examples include Billy Pilgrim in ''Literature/SlaughterhouseFive'' and Rudy Waltz in ''Literature/DeadeyeDick''
215* Austin from ''Literature/HollowPlaces.'' He's an amputee, half-blind janitor with no biological family left alive and whose foster family had to let him go.
216* Charlotte from ''Literature/{{Ghostgirl}}'' is so unpopular at her high school that not even her teachers remember her name and she is almost always ignored by everyone. She is a ButtMonkey, is HollywoodHomely, gets teased by the popular girls whenever they acknowledge her, and is a mild StalkerWithACrush for Damen. Charlotte also has the very UndignifiedDeath of choking on a gummy bear [[DyingAlone alone]] in a classroom. The only reasons kids turned up to her memorial was because it meant leaving school early. They [[LonelyFuneral didn't even stay long]], plus the AlphaBitch Petula took the spotlight away from her death by crying to the cameras about how she could have died eating gummy bears instead of Charlotte. Charlotte has better luck in the afterlife.
217* Scarlet Winters from "Literature/ThePoint" starts off like this. She only ever did the bare minimum in life and has no ambition after graduating high school. Until she is recruited to the point and her brother dies.
218* At the start of the ''Literature/JourneyToChaos'' series, Tasio the TricksterMentor sees Eric Watley as a fixer-upper because of his weak spine and lack of personal drive.
219* Bastian from ''Literature/TheNeverendingStory'' starts out this way He was described as overweight, being hopeless at physical activities and a dunce in the classroom. Carl Conrad Coreander even muses that the boy is a failure "all along the line". It's this powerlessness that drives Bastian to such opposite extremes as a conquering hero once he arrives in Fantastica.
220* Initially, John Rumford in the military thriller ''Literature/VictoriaANovelOf4thGenerationWar'': a military veteran with trouble adjusting to civilian life, failed farmer and smart but oddball and on the whole rather lonely unemployed man obsessed with arcane political ideas and half-baked schemes. Then he joins/takes over the [[RightWingMilitiaFanatic Christian Marines]] veterans' group, and begins his rise to glory.
221* Lilith from ''Unforgiven'' by Creator/LaurenKate. Comes from a poor family, cannot afford stuff, has no friends at school, RichBitch and her GirlPosse regularly pick on her. Justified, as in fact her "reality" is a tailor-made Hell for her.
222[[/folder]]
223
224[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
225* Ryohei Arisu in ''Series/AliceInBorderland'' was a BrokenAce, being the BrilliantButLazy [[TheSmartGuy Smart Guy]] of the group who lived as a {{NEET}} prior to entering the DeadlyGame. It's implied he developed emotional issues [[TragicDropout as a result of his mother's death before dropping out of college]] to play video games all day, making him the BlackSheep of the family with his father considering him a disappointment and [[FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling his younger brother calling him a leech]].
226* ''Series/EverybodyHatesChris''. He lives in a house where both his father and mother don't pay much attention to his needs over his little brother and sister. Speaking of which - his BigLittleBrother is handsome and most girls his age and even adult women fall for him the moment they see him. This is especially sad, because most of the girls Chris has a crush on during the show, end up falling for his younger brother in the end. His little sister constantly torments him and gets away with it. Worst case scenario: Chris will get in trouble, even if it's obvious his little sister was in the wrong. He goes to a prominently white school where he is bullied by racist students. He gets no help from the teachers who project their own racial prejudices on him - especially his homeroom teacher who thinks he's a welfare case, despite being raised in a hard-working two-parent home. And worst of all: Whenever Chris tries to do anything meaningful, it always backfires on him by the end of the episode. This theme is played till the series end, [[spoiler:Where Chris doesn't finish high school, so he takes his GED test. Before the results of the test are announced, the show suddenly ends, taking a cue from ''Series/TheSopranos'']]. Of course, it's assumed that [[EarnYourHappyEnding things work out pretty well for him in the end]] when he inevitably becomes a successful comedian.
227* ''Series/GeorgeLopez'' was essentially a Mexican [[ButtMonkey Al Bundy]], with the show often carrying AnAesop of MiseryBuildsCharacter as he manages to build a good life for himself and his family despite his frequent misfortune. He had a HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood compounded by the fact that [[TheThingThatWouldNotLeave he can't get his abusive mother out of his life]], his wife's entire family tried to pressure her to leave him, he had a lowly job as a factory line worker before being promoted to manager, and like most sitcom parents he's saddled with a BrattyTeenageDaughter and DumbassTeenageSon. In one episode, after a series of unfortunate events his wife breaks down crying, asking him if [[GypsyCurse he cut off a gypsy in traffic]]. His StrawLoser BestFriend Ernie is overweight, unmarried, has no kids, [[BasementDweller lives with his parents]], and is so lame that he can't keep a girl to save his life, and on one occasion he says that [[UglyGuyHotWife if George never married Angie]] he would've ended up just like him.
228* ''Series/HankZipzer'': Hank has learning disabilities, gets poor grades, and is disliked by his teacher and the principal.
229* Dobie Gillis from ''Series/TheManyLovesOfDobieGillis'' was one of the first examples in television. He lives with his parents throughout the entire series and has little money. He is lazy and aimless. He is considered to have below-average intelligence and average looks. His only friend Maynard G. Krebs is an even bigger loser than he is. He chases after girls who often have no interest in him. And the only girl that likes him is HollywoodUgly.
230* [[JadedWashout Al Bundy]] in ''Series/MarriedWithChildren'' fits this trope because he's a forgotten high school football legend, works at a shoe store paraded by fat women, his family is dirt poor, he lives with a wife who wants nothing but [[LovableSexManiac nonstop sex]] and to watch Oprah forever. This is without mentioning that she's a CordonBleughChef (when she even cooks), his son is a ChivalrousPervert and his daughter is a full-cylinders DumbBlonde, he lives with two of the most annoying next-door neighbors you could ask for, a dog arguably smarter than ''the whole family combined, times two,'' and worst of all, his mother-in-law is the size of a circus carousel. He's also beaten up frequently, waging a futile war against womankind, humiliated at every beck and call, is the ButtMonkey in ''any'' situation, and lives every day realizing it won't get better until he goes back to sleep. In fact, poor Al has thought of [[AmicableExes divorce]] and [[DrivenToSuicide suicide]] so much it's almost exclusively PlayedForLaughs. Sometimes, he even has [[NearDeathExperience near-death experiences]] that convince him to go ''back'' to being miserable! Once he actually [[ToHellAndBack went to Hell]] after a DealWithTheDevil only to find it on par with his actual life. Another time, he learns he's genuinely useless to society and his death is actually the ''greatest improvement to the world.'' Finally, he discovers that he will die miserable at age 65 of a [[IncurableCoughOfDeath fatal disease]]. Even so, Al has become virtually immune to the misery around him- [[DeadpanSnarker he accepts it and embraces it]], somehow finding ways to love the hand fate dealt him- even if the cards are useless. When Al ''does'' win at life, it's a rare victory that deserves a standing ovation. Also, Al Bundy is the former {{Trope Namer|s}} of JadedWashout.
231* Adam Young of ''Series/MrYoung'', despite being a genius, otherwise qualifies for this trope; he is the subject of constant mockery by everyone else in the show including [[EvenNerdsHaveStandards other loser characters]] for his comical physical weakness, social awkwardness, and [[spoiler:seeming]] inability to get the attention of a woman.
232* ''Series/TheMuppetShow'' has the whole troupe continually belittled and insulted as entertainers by not just Statler and Waldorf, but also by outside characters and are also threatened by Scooter's Uncle.
233* Josh of ''Series/ManSeekingWoman''. He works an unsatisfying temp job, has trouble landing dates and actually keeping a girlfriend, and all of his friends and family members are very [[BrutalHonesty brutally honest]] in how they regard him and his life as an utter mess.
234* ''Series/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'': The entire main cast is this, in varying levels. They’re self-centred, petty, ignorant alcoholics working in a crappy dive bar. Most of them are living on the cusp of poverty, and any attempt they make at improving their lives is inevitably thwarted by their own stupidity and selfishness.
235* ''Series/MyNameIsEarl'': Earl Hickey is a high school dropout, has no job, and lives in a motel with his FatIdiot brother Randy, barely sustaining himself via a $100,000 lottery prize. And that's after he [[HeelFaceTurn turns his life around after discovering the concept of Karma]]. Before that, he was a petty thief living in a trailer that belonged to an old friend who went to prison, driving that same friend's car, married to a trashy slut named Joy who was pregnant with another man's baby [[spoiler:that turned out to be Earl's son after all]] then she had a ChocolateBaby with Darnell Turner [[spoiler: (who's actually not the father after all)]] while she was still married to Earl. And Randy still lived on their couch. Earl actually tries to make a better life for himself in season 2 after he was denied approval for a credit card. He and Randy got their [=GEDs=], jobs at an appliance store and an apartment. Then all that was lost after Earl confessed to a crime Joy committed and went to prison.
236* ''Series/TheOutlaws'': Greg is a truly pathetic and pitiable man whose wife has left him, is unsuccessful at his job, and ended up being arrested and made to do community service for frankly quite embarrassing reasons.
237* Gi-hun Seong in ''Series/SquidGame'' is a middle-aged [[TheGamblingAddict gambling addict]] and divorcee living with his mother while [[LoanShark dodging his creditors]]. The entire reason he ends up in the DeadlyGame is because he's already lost everything, so he might as well risk what little he has left on one last gamble.
238* Hyun-Su Cha in ''Series/SweetHome2020'' is a depressed {{hikikomori}} whose entire family died in a car accident caused by [[ZombieApocalypse the infected]], [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold after which he has a breakdown at the funeral cursing his father for not leaving him enough money to live on indefinitely]]. The series opens with him preparing to jump off his apartment building, and TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt doesn't help matters but [[CowardlyLion he finds the resolve to put himself at risk to help others anyway]].
239[[/folder]]
240
241[[folder:Music]]
242* The titular protagonist of Music/ElectricLightOrchestra's "The Diary of Horace Wimp" is, as his name suggests, a rather ineffectual, shy and awkward nebbish who's pretty much on track to die alone. The song involves him developing some confidence, asking a pretty girl out and eventually marrying her basically after TheVoice yells at him to sort himself out.
243* Music/NickLutsko is a deranged ConspiracyTheorist who lives in his grandma's basement, is thousands of dollars in debt, and has a bizarre obsession with ''Film/{{Gremlins}}'' and Dan Bongino. Not to mention the heavy implications that he's a murderer, or at least involved in some sort of illegal activities.
244* ''Music/PartiesAreForLosers'': Yura Beletsky is the titular loser, a troubled teenager who spends his nights partying, doesn't see himself having a steady future and is a DisappointingOlderSibling to his sister Anya. [[HiddenDepths He is trying to help support his family by training to become a stalker (a dangerous but well-paid job)]] but [[ToxicFriendInfluence he does take his mentor's sister (who is also his tutee) out to parties behind his back]].
245[[/folder]]
246
247[[folder:Music Video]]
248* Vic in Music/DavidBowie's long-form video/ShortFilm ''Jazzin' for Blue Jean''. In the London of the story, this working-class, clumsy, dateless man (played by Bowie) with limited funds and little sense of style is the StrawLoser to everybody else -- in particular "Dream", a woman he falls in LoveAtFirstSight with, and BritishRockStar Screamin' Lord Byron ([[ActingForTwo also Bowie]]), whom he tells a CelebrityLie about to woo her. The bulk of the story has him trying to see the lie through, with much foolishness and humiliation ensuing. But by the end, "Mr. Screamin'" is revealed to be rather less cool than the image he projects, and [[spoiler: Dream is revealed to have cruelly strung Vic along from the start]]. Vic can't help but look slightly better by comparison, and the story ends with [[spoiler:Bowie breaking character to object to Vic ''not'' getting the girl]].
249[[/folder]]
250
251[[folder:Theatre]]
252* ''Theatre/DeathOfASalesman'': Willy Loman is a hapless aging traveling salesman who hasn't made a successful sale in quite some time and has a troubled family life. His situation in life goes FromBadToWorse.
253** The lives of his sons, Biff and Happy, are also going nowhere fast.
254* ''Theatre/InadmissibleEvidence'': Creator/JohnOsborne's play is the story of a self-described mediocrity of a divorce attorney Bill Maitland whose marriages and other romantic relations have all failed, who by his own admission has equally failed to form lasting friendships with anybody, and whose children despise him. Eventually even his law practice starts to fall apart as his clerks and secretaries leave in disgust over Maitland's obnoxious and unethical behavior.
255* ''Theatre/TheIcemanCometh'': Hickey, the lead character, is an alcoholic, compulsively womanizing salesman who we find out [[spoiler: has lost his mind and murdered his wife. At the end of the play, he's taken away by two police officers]]. The other principal character, Larry Slade, and most of the supporting characters, are even more severe alcoholics who are unemployed and have no prospects of ever being employed.
256* ''Theatre/JasperInDeadland'' starts with a montage of Jasper's parents, teachers, classmates, and almost everyone else in his life chastising him for SkippingSchool, being BookDumb, missing his chance to become a ScholarshipStudent, having a JunkieParent, and [[LoserFriendPuzzlesOutsiders his only friend being way out of his league]].
257[[/folder]]
258
259[[folder:Video Games]]
260* In ''VisualNovel/NineHoursNinePersonsNineDoors'', the protagonist Junpei is explicitly stated not to have friends after elementary school. He makes up for it with his puzzle-solving skills.
261* You get to play a loser protagonist in ''VideoGame/{{Deponia}}''. Rufus is a loser who mooches off his girlfriend. Doesn't have a job. Steals other people's stuff to do crazy experiments. Is very arrogant, self-centered, and has delusions of grandeur. Everyone in town dislikes him for one reason or another, even his seemingly best friend, Wenzel.
262* ''VideoGame/DiscoElysium'' plays this to an absurd degree: your character is an alcoholic, drug-addicted overweight detective that, while in the middle of an investigation, went into a manic spiral of self-destruction, ending with him drinking himself to such a stupor to cause himself brain damage and amnesia. No matter what route you take with roleplaying as him, he will always wind up at least somewhat cooky, and all of the political ideologies - including centrism - you can adopt are very obviously only appropriated as horrible coping mechanisms or for the pure aesthetics of it. The one saving grace is that the detective is [[BunnyEarsLawyer surprisingly good at cracking cases]] despite being a horrendous failure of a human being.
263* In ''VideoGame/SpaceQuest'' the player character, Roger Wilco, is a bumbling, lazy janitor who constantly gets the short end of the stick, either through his own lack of foresight or simply because he's an unlucky bastard.
264* Mike Dawson becomes one in ''VideoGame/DarkSeedII'', being a whiny and cowardly manchild who still lives with his mother. Granted, he moved in after having a nervous breakdown in the first game, but he's been there for a year and she's not too fond of this fact.
265* In ''VideoGame/AlwaysSometimesMonsters'', your hero is $500 behind in the rent and about to get kicked out of their shabby apartment, has lost their {{Love Interest|s}}, and is generally completely down on their luck. A major theme of the game is exploring just how far you're willing to go to turn your life around.
266* Mae Borowski, main character of ''VideoGame/NightInTheWoods'', is [[{{NEET}} an unemployed college dropout]] whose untreated neuroses catapult her back to [[BasementDweller her parents' house]] in her [[DyingTown hometown]]. The very next day, she manages to throw up on her ex-boyfriend at a party. While it's initially played for laughs, it becomes increasingly clear that she genuinely needs help...and being the main character of a GhostStory [[spoiler:(or rather, a CosmicHorrorStory )]] [[SanitySlippage only makes things worse for her.]]
267* The protagonist of ''Videogame/WelcomeToTheGame'' is an avid [[WretchedHive Deep Web]] lurker who is trying to find a Red Room livestream for reasons unknown, but can certainly be chalked up to either morbid curiosity or just plain sadism. [[spoiler:One of the alternate endings released in the 2.0 build confirms that they're looking it up for sexual pleasure. In fact, it's actually Lydia, one of the antagonists of ''VideoGame/RidesWithStrangers''.]]
268* The Protagonist of ''VideoGame/SunsetOverdrive'' fits this trope pretty well; at the beginning of the game they work for the MegaCorp Fizzco in a dead-end job, stuck with the crappy job of being custodian to the massive party Fizzco is throwing to celebrate the release of their new energy drink, Overdrive, but not actually able to take part in the festivities. This actually turns out to be a good thing for you, since not moments after the party reaches its peak, people start turning into mutants...
269* ''VideoGame/ClarencesBigChance'': '''Clarence'''. [[spoiler:If you play your cards right, you can land him a promotion to executive and a hot girlfriend, pulling him out of this trope.]]
270* ''VideoGame/LeisureSuitLarry'' revolves around Larry, a LoungeLizard CasanovaWannabe who at the start of the first game is a [[VirginShaming forty-year-old virgin]] on a QuestForSex. No matter how many successes he has with women, [[StatusQuoIsGod the next game has him end up right back where he started]].
271[[/folder]]
272
273[[folder:Visual Novels]]
274* The protagonist of ''VisualNovel/DaughterForDessert'' is an unmarried single dad with a failing business and nothing else to his name. It's not even his kid, it's the daughter of TheLostLenore he's raising because it's all he has left of her.
275* The protagonist of ''VisualNovel/DoubleHomework'' is an athlete suffering from PTSD who has developed a video game addiction.
276[[/folder]]
277
278[[folder:Web Animation]]
279* The eponymous Matt Carnegie in ''WebAnimation/MattNDusty''.
280[[/folder]]
281
282[[folder:Web Comics]]
283* The unfortunate Ava of ''Webcomic/AvasDemon'' fits this trope. She is often considered insane because of the frequent possessions caused by the Demon Wrathia and has lost her one and only friend because of it. Because of her demonic possessions, she often gets in trouble at school (through no fault of her own) and is eventually expelled to a "Special Needs" child containment planet.
284* Luigi is this in ''Webcomic/ItSucksToBeWeegie''. The world is always out to make his life miserable.
285* Park Hyung Suk in ''WebComic/{{Lookism}}'' couldn't catch a break until a weird miracle happened. He has a low-paying part-time job, is poor, does not have a love interest, is fat, was the lowest of the low on the PopularityFoodChain, didn't have any friends, lacks any fashion sense (mainly due to not being able to afford many clothes), was unmotivated... After some much-needed CharacterDevelopment, he decides to not rely on the miracle alone anymore and decides to change himself.
286* The titular character of ''Webcomic/{{Matchu}}'' has no friends, lives in a crappy apartment with his underpaid brother, is immediately assigned as a janitor when looking for a job, and the universe denies him any sort of happiness to the point where ''a UFO lands on top of him'' before he can say anything when his {{Love Interest|s}} actually shows him some acknowledgement.
287* Jolee in ''{{Webcomic/WooHoo}}''! is, at the start of the story, penniless and friendless in a new city. Her terrible money-management skills are to blame.
288* Darwin of ''Webcomic/DarwinCarmichaelIsGoingToHell'' has a job he hates as a loan officer, he lives in a crappy apartment with roommates that bother him, and he hasn't had a date in a long time. Oh, and everything in his life always goes wrong for him because he's doomed to Hell for having the worst karma in the world.
289[[/folder]]
290
291[[folder:WebOriginal]]
292* [[TheStoner Jace Connors]] of ''WebVideo/DeagleNation'' -- a [[SmallNameBigEgo self-important]] ManChild [[TheStoner stoner]] whose attempts to make himself look awesome almost always end poorly.
293[[/folder]]
294
295[[folder:Western Animation]]
296* [[GenderBentAlternateUniverse Fionna]] of ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTimeFionnaAndCake'' starts off the series having been dumped by her boyfriend, fired from her fifth job for the year, and struggling to make rent all the while lamenting that NothingExcitingEverHappensHere. [[spoiler:It's revealed that the reason she's no longer living in Ooo is because Prismo created her universe and stored it in Ice King's head, and when he was {{depower}}ed [[TheMagicGoesAway the magic went away]] and she was BroughtDownToNormal while subconsciously remaining aware that things were supposed to be different.]]
297* ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'': Being essentially a kid-friendly version of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', the show has one in the form of Gumball Watterson, who is lazy, irresponsible, unathletic, BookDumb to a sometimes dangerous degree, and the ButtMonkey of the series. And as with Homer, there are a number of minor characters who [[StrawLoser make him look good by comparison]], including his father Richard, Anton, Mr. Small, The Bananas, Jamie, and Tobias. {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d in "The Test", where Gumball [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall takes a "What sitcom character are you?" test and gets "The Loser".]]
298* ''WebAnimation/BeeAndPuppycat'': In the first episode, Bee is already fired from work (again), she accidentally hits her friend Deckard in the crotch with her umbrella, she was late for her meeting with the temp agency, we learn that she has no work skills, never finished college, has a spotty work history, and she has financial issues (she can't afford a jaywalking ticket, she dumpster dives for pet supplies for Puppycat, and she's out of money to buy food). She even lampshades that she's a loser.
299* In ''WesternAnimation/DanVs'', the titular character is an unemployed TheNapoleon [[HorribleHousing living in a small, messy apartment]] whose only hobby is [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge going out of his way to terrorize anyone who annoys him]]. He's perfectly happy living like this because EvilFeelsGood.
300* ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'': Ed, Edd, and Eddy are hated by their peers, ignored by their parents, and doomed to fail at nearly every money-making venture they've ever made, mainly due to [[Main/{{Jerkass}} Eddy]]...[[spoiler: until the end of [[WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddysBigPictureShow the movie]], where the trio undergo some badly needed CharacterDevelopment, the kids find out Eddy's FreudianExcuse for his {{Jerkass}} behavior and they finally accept the trio as friends.]]
301* Philip J. Fry of ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' is introduced in the pilot with a [[TraumaCongaLine series of humiliating events]]. He loses a video game (for which a child insults him), and his MeanBoss yells at him to continue his menial pizza delivery job. En route, he sees his girlfriend in a taxi with another man (and she retroactively kicks him out of her apartment, leaving his worldly possessions on the sidewalk). He literally begins saying "I hate my life" over and over in time with his pedaling (until someone steals his bike). When he finds himself [[HumanPopsicle 1000 years in the future]], he unsurprisingly [[AngstWhatAngst gets over it surprisingly quickly]]. However, for the rest of the series, he remains a [[TheDitz dimwitted]], unambitious, slovenly, [[CloudCuckooLander dimwitted]], lazy, immature, [[RuleOfThree dimwitted]] delivery boy (but [[JustForFun/RecycledInSpace IN SPACE!]]).
302* ''WesternAnimation/{{Kaeloo}}'': The episodes which focus on Kaeloo's social life reveal that she's an annoying dork and nobody really likes her very much except Mr. Cat. She isn't particularly talented at anything either and is said to be overweight as well.
303* ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'':
304** WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck. While in his best-known roles he played the StrawLoser ''antagonist'' to EscapistCharacter WesternAnimation/BugsBunny, he's every bit as much of a loser in many of his own shorts.
305** [[WesternAnimation/WileECoyoteAndTheRoadRunner Wile E. Coyote]] is even more of one. It's one of the rules of the shorts that the audience always wants the coyote to win. Not because he's a good person or because he deserves it, but just because of how thoroughly and utterly the universe refuses to ever let him win.
306* The [[CharacterTitle title character]] in ''WesternAnimation/MartinMystery'' portrays as one. The [[RunningGag running gag]] of the series was that he often gets rejected by a beautiful girl he meets.
307* ''WesternAnimation/OverTheGardenWall'': Wirt describes his life back in his hometown this way. When we finally do see his home, [[spoiler:[[SubvertedTrope he's actually pretty well-liked, particularly by his crush Sara]] - [[UnreliableNarrator he's just too insecure to realize it]]]].
308* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': Homer is bald, out of shape, constantly drinking at Moe's, works at a nuclear factory for [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Mr. Burns]], a world-case dope (to the point that when [[FlowersForAlgernonSyndrome he briefly changed that]], [[IntelligenceEqualsIsolation he so alienated all but one of his family and friends]] that he [[StatusQuoIsGod was forced to re-cause brain damage]]), ''incredibly'' clumsy, a bad luck magnet, lacks common sense, the ButtMonkey, has to deal with Ned Flanders as his neighbor [[spoiler:and the permanent effect of [[KilledOffForReal accidentally killing his wife, Maude]]]], he's the subject of ridicule, especially with Marge's sisters, throttles his son Bart at the drop of a hat in part because he didn't want kids and because Bart openly disrespects Homer as a loser, and on top of all that, his father and mother have split up and he's suffered through it all his life. Even worse yet, [[spoiler: when he reunites with his mother, she dies.]] The good news is, Marge loves him deeply and the two manage to resolve their arguments no matter what the case.
309* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo'': Robin is very much a loser, something that [[{{Flanderization}} gets more emphasis]] as the series continues. In the original ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003'', he was an [[ChickMagnet attractive]], confident BadassNormal and the team leader. His ''Go'' version is the complete opposite. Robin is a neurotic, [[NoSocialSkills awkward]], [[InformedFlaw not]] particularly attractive boy who is obsessed with his unrequited crush Starfire and who has an [[IJustWantToBeSpecial inferiority complex]] due to his lack of powers. He's barely a leader either. The original Robin even lampshades this in [[WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGoVsTeenTitans the crossover]]:
310-->'''Original Robin:''' When I first met you, I thought you were weird and annoying.\
311'''Robin:''' ...And?\
312'''Original Robin:''' [[BaitAndSwitch And you are.]]
313* Rick Sanchez from ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty''. Despite his [[ImpossibleGenius intellect]], he's still an unemployed, depressed, alcoholic living in his daughter's garage. Not to mention he's so mentally unstable that [[InsufferableGenius even his family can barely stand to be around him]] and he has made enough enemies to populate an entire planet.
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