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5[[quoteright:322:[[WesternAnimation/OswaldTheLuckyRabbit https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Screen_shot_2010-11-05_at_17_47_18_2177.png]]]]
6[[caption-width-right:322:Life is already hard enough when [[SuccessfulSiblingSyndrome you live in the shadow]] of your [[WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse famous younger sibling]].]]
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12%% No opening quotes, please. Let's let the folks read the actual article.
13%% If you have an example that happens to be a quote, put it in with the examples.
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15
16A "woobie" is a name for any type of character who makes you feel extremely sorry for them. Basically, the first thing you think to say when you see the woobie is: "Aw, poor baby!" Woobification of a character is a curious, audience-driven phenomenon, sometimes divorced from the character's canonical morality. And while it's technically a [[YMMV/HomePage YMMV]] trope, it's hardly tough to spot the guy the writers intend them to be, considering all the bad stuff that tends to happen to them.
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18A story with the Woobie allows the audience to vicariously experience relief from some pain by fantasizing about relieving the Woobie's pain. (No, not ''[[IntimateHealing that]]'' way! Well, okay, [[RuleThirtyFour sometimes]]) Woobification can also tie into a hurt/comfort dynamic, in which fans enjoy seeing the Woobie tortured so they can wish the hurt away. This is often explored in HurtComfortFic.
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20An important aspect of the Woobie is that their suffering must be caused by external sources. A character who suffers as the result of their own actions is a TragicHero and does not qualify.
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22Sometimes a Woobie goes OmnicidalManiac and seeks to destroy the world in a bid to make the pain stop, in which case you're dealing with a WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds. Sometimes it's possible to bring such a woobie back from the edge, but other times, only their destruction in a ShootTheDog moment will stop things.
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24In LighterAndSofter fiction, the Woobie can sometimes [[EarnYourHappyEnding earn their happy ending]].
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26In many versions there is also something about the Woobie's suffering that is notably heroic or noble. In this case the character is an IronWoobie. When the Woobie does not show much outward emotion about their hurts (or anything else, for that matter), they are a StoicWoobie.
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28In {{anime}}, the Woobie makes up a large part of {{Moe}} characters. Part of their appeal can come from them constantly striving against [[YankTheDogsChain their chains]]. Can be taken to the point of BreakTheCutie, and if the amount of misfortune seems too great it may result in DeusAngstMachina.
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30If the character is a [[TheChewToy Chew Toy]], {{Jerkass}}, or HateSink, he is not the Woobie ([[JerkassWoobie unless the character is also meant to be sympathetic]]). If the character [[IronWoobie doesn't let bad events faze him,]] he is not the Woobie. A small, one-off bad event does not make the character the Woobie, though it may qualify as a TearJerker.
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32If in your opinion the character desperately needs to die, that's likely DamselScrappy. Should '''not ever''' be confused with ButtMonkey. However, a Butt Monkey can often become a Woobie if [[DesignatedMonkey abused too mercilessly]].
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34A character who is considered a woobie can also be considered a TragicHero on some occasions, though not every woobie may have a FatalFlaw that defines such classifications.
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36For the curious, the fanspeak term "woobie" is ultimately derived from a word for a blanket, stuffed animal, or other soft object that a child keeps for its comforting properties (hence the name--some of these characters really ''could'' use a snuggling!).
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38Also, it's pronounced /ˈwʊbi/ ("WUH-bee"), not /ˈwuːbi/ ("WOO-bee").
39
40Check out our [[Analysis/TheWoobie analysis page]] on this trope if you're looking to write a Woobie of your own.
41----
42!!Subtropes:
43[[index]]
44* IronWoobie: Despite how much their life sucks, this character [[{{Determinator}} refuses to give up]] and just keeps carrying on.
45* JerkassWoobie: Despite their bad behavior, we still end up feeling sorry for a jerk or villain because of all the bad things they've been through.
46* StoicWoobie: A miserable character who tries their hardest [[TheStoic to hide]] how much they're really hurting on the inside.
47* WheelchairWoobie: A character's mental or physical disability is played for sympathy points.
48* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: When someone's misery drives them towards a path of evil and destruction.
49* WoobieFamily: An entire family full of miserable people who've been through a lot of pain together.
50* WoobieOfTheWeek: A one-shot character who needs the hero's help to resolve their personal distress.
51* WoobieSpecies: A whole ''species'' full of beings that have suffered a lot in a world out to get them.
52[[/index]]
53----
54!!Examples:
55[[index]]
56* {{Woobie/Advertising}}
57* Woobie/AnimeAndManga
58* Woobie/ComicBooks
59* Woobie/FanWorks
60* [[Woobie/AnimatedFilms Films — Animation]]
61* [[Woobie/LiveActionFilms Films — Live-Action]]
62* {{Woobie/Literature}}
63* Woobie/LiveActionTV
64* {{Woobie/Music}}
65* {{Woobie/Mythology}}
66* Woobie/ProWrestling
67* Woobie/TabletopGames
68* {{Woobie/Theatre}}
69* Woobie/VideoGames
70* Woobie/WebAnimation
71* {{Woobie/Webcomics}}
72* Woobie/WebOriginal
73* Woobie/WesternAnimation
74* Woobie/OtherMedia
75[[/index]]

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