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2%%
3%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExamples and poorly written examples have been commented out.
4%% Every example on this page needs to make two things clear:
5%% The character is notably attractive and appealing to girls or women, but he has serious issues.
6%% Please ELABORATE how they fit the trope.
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12%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=17088888950.35648000
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20[[quoteright:350:[[ComicBook/{{Superboy}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/6760722_dth8ve7w4aelp_z.jpg]]]]
21%%
22->''"He drowns in his dreams, an exquisite extreme I know''\
23''He’s as damned as he seems, and more heaven than a heart could hold...''
24->''He's so beautiful''
25->''Such a beautiful disaster..."''
26-->-- '''Music/KellyClarkson''', "Beautiful Disaster"
27%%
28%% One quote is sufficient. Please place additional entries on the quotes tab.
29%%
30
31A hottie, usually in high school and usually male, whose first name is spelled t-r-o-u-b-l-e, often expressed through fondness for leather jackets and antisocial behavior. Has {{fangirl}}s in both his own universe and the real one because AllGirlsWantBadBoys. They may be revealed to have [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold a heart of gold]] or a [[FreudianExcuse difficult home life]]. [[TheLadette Ladettes]] and {{Femme Fatale}}s also sometimes fit here. May even be a MisunderstoodLonerWithAHeartOfGold. Or simply have a DarkAndTroubledPast and keep their troubles to themselves.
32
33See also: TheWoobie, BrokenBird, DracoInLeatherPants, EvilIsCool, DontYouDarePityMe, GothsHaveItHard, JerkassWoobie. Can overlap with MrFanservice.
34
35----
36!!Examples:
37[[foldercontrol]]
38
39[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
40* ''Manga/ZeroSevenGhost'': Bishop Frau. Badass bad boy who disregards convention and does as he pleases. Still, he has a difficult backstory and is a genuinely caring person.
41* ''Manga/AmazingAgentLuna'': Jonah Von Brucken is a perfect example of this. He is [[ChickMagnet considered handsome by nearly everyone in the series]], and has a DarkAndTroubledPast with an attitude to match.
42* ''Manga/BlackButler'': Ciel Phantomhive is a HollywoodAtheist in Victorian England. Check that page for his FreudianExcuse, if you don't know his backstory already. The result is a stubborn, bitter teenager who honestly believes that once something is lost, you can't get it back (a plot point in the anime) and has a serious issue with showing his real emotions unless it's anger. Despite this, there are still girls ([[EvenTheGuysWantHim and two or three men]]) in-universe who like to fawn over him, and aside from Sebastian, he has an extremely large fanbase out of universe.
43%% * ''Manga/BlueExorcist'': Rin Okumura.
44%% LIST CONCRETE CHARACTERS * ''Anime/CodeGeass'': Many of the show's famous male characters are insanely and inhumanly good-looking and less-than-rosy in their moral leanings, and [JerkassWoobie suffering horribly]] [[FreudianExcuse (one way or another)]].
45* ''Manga/DeathNote'': Light Yagami, though he's more Cute, but Troubled - since the former is far more obvious than the '[[BrokenAce troubled]]' part. You're not likely to think him troubled unless you're privy to his [[SerialKiller hobbies]], in which case you're [[AxCrazy not likely to be around for very long]].
46%% * ''Anime/DragonBallZ'': Vegeta. Antisocial, violent, [[{{Wangst}} overly angsty]], but Bulma notices he seems to just be very lonely.
47* In ''Anime/{{Endride}}'', Emilio is the princely version of this trope. He is quite {{bishonen}} and has an [[ChildhoodFriendRomance interested childhood friend]], but his personality became completely warped after hearing his ParentalSubstitute killed his father, and he started wanting [[RevengeBeforeReason revenge beyond all reason]].
48* ''Manga/{{Freezing}}'': Bridget L. Satellizer is known as "[[RedBaron The Untouchable Queen]]" because of her skill and tendency to beat the crap out of anyone who touches her. Because ThereAreNoTherapists, everybody avoids and ostracizes her without realizing her problems are the result of [[FreudianExcuse being abused both emotionally and sexually by a family member]].
49* ''Manga/FruitsBasket'': Kyo Sohma, an antisocial [[ArrogantKungFuGuy martial artist]] with DontYouDarePityMe attitude who's obsessed with beating Yuki. Tohru seems to genuinely like him, though, and in his defense, he ''does'' have a good FreudianExcuse: [[spoiler: his mother was DrivenToSuicide, his father rejected him completely after that, and being the [[ForcedTransformation cat]] of the [[BigScrewedUpFamily Sohma clan]] has brought him lots of unhappiness, Akito's scorn, and an uncertain future.]]. His reason for obsessively trying to beat Yuki doesn't make him a bad guy at all: [[spoiler:Akito said that if he beat Yuki fairly (at anything), he won't be locked in isolation until he's dead.]] His general issues with Tohru are revealed at the very end of the manga to be the result of how [[spoiler:he could have stopped her mother Kyoko from being hit by the car, but grabbing her would have caused him to transform into a cat. He blamed himself for being a coward (a running theme in his CharacterDevelopment) and thought her dying words were her blaming him and telling him to stay away from Tohru (in reality, Kyoko was trying to ask him [[DeclarationOfProtection to protect Tohru]], but she was dying at that moment and couldn't finish).]]
50* ''Literature/FullMetalPanic'': Sagara Sousuke. Although he's not "troubled" in the normal rebellious sense, and more just plain troubled. It's pretty obvious that the poor boy has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and an automatically violent personality that he can't control. His extreme paranoia has him doing things like bombing his school, planting land mines everywhere, and pointing guns/shooting at people. All of this is [[ComedicSociopathy played for laughs]], and he [[AngstWhatAngst tends not to angst]] (considering his past and current situation, he angsts ''remarkably'' little). And despite all this, ''any'' girl (or [[EvenTheGuysWantHim guy, even]]) who has watched him or gotten to know him well enough seems to [[ChickMagnet fall for him]] -- even the series' resident {{Tsundere}}. On one occasion, Kaname was kidnapped by a group of thugs who planned to back him into a corner. He retaliated in a way so nightmarish that, that particular episode wasn't aired for a while because of a similar incident in real life. Then, when she got kidnapped AGAIN by the Yakuza, Sousuke went after her with a rival gang clad in '''theme park mascot suits converted into powered armors'''. Seriously, who would convert theme park mascots into powered armor and try to sell it to the military and law enforcement sector, then wonder why didn't it sell? He first stole the suit while trying to keep an eye on Kaname while she was at an amusement park and decided to make it more useful in the future by upgrading it. He's dumbfounded by it not selling because his raised-by-wolves attitude left him without a sense of aesthetics, so he didn't realize just how silly it looked.
51%% * ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'': Most prominently with main character Edward Elric. Also shown pretty well with his superior Colonel Roy Mustang.
52%% * ''Manga/GakuenAlice'': Natsume.
53%% * ''Manga/GameXRush'' has Yuuki.
54%% * ''Manga/HotGimmick'': Ryoki.
55* ''Anime/ImGonnaBeAnAngel'': Mikael is a very, VERY troubled and unstable pretty boy. You wouldn't guess that because [[spoiler: for the first 13 episodes, he acts very little, and when he does, he's usually calm, polite, always smiling gently - an epitome of sanity in a crapsack world. Then, in the second season, we get to see the real him under that mask - a very stubborn, obsessive, and insecure boy. And at the end, he goes all evil and insane and has an epic breakdown - and then he returns back to his former self. He remains stubborn, unfortunately.]]
56* ''Manga/InuYasha'': Inuyasha is considered cute ([[RunningGag especially his ears]]!) but had a very rough life. His parents died when he was young, leaving him with only a few memories of both of them[[labelnote:*]]The third film changes this to his father dying on the day he was born and his mother dying when he's an older, but still pre-teen, child[[/labelnote]]. As a HalfHumanHybrid, he is ostracized by both human and {{youkai}} societies. Even his older brother mocked or ignored him when he was growing up, escalating into SiblingRivalry and a temporary bout of CainAndAbel when they both discovered Inuyasha had inherited their father's famous InfinityPlusOneSword. He was torn apart from his FirstLove by the BigBad who framed them both, causing them to turn on each other in anger and hatred in the moments before she was brutally murdered and he was sealed to a tree for fifty years. Only after he meets Kagome, Miroku and Sango does his life begin to improve for the better. Eventually, he even makes peace with his brother.
57* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'': [[ButNotTooForeign (Half-)]]{{Japanese Delinquent|s}} Jotaro Kujo manages to be [[ChickMagnet hit on by nearly every woman he's come in contact with]], much to his ire. Unfortunately for him, attempts to dissuade it [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys tend to backfire]].
58* ''Manga/KamisamaKiss'': Tomoe is a LittleBitBeastly {{Bishounen}} [[AsianFoxSpirit Kitsune]] and Manga/InuYasha {{Expy}} that is a RetiredMonster (ex-demonic bandit and warlord to be exact) with a DarkAndTroubledPast that has slowly mellowed into a JerkWithAHeartOfGold.
59%% * ''Manga/KazeToKiNoUta'': Gilbert, who doubles as a ''rare'' male BrokenBird, with the whole DarkAndTroubledPast, antisocial and cynical nature, and whatnot.
60* ''Manga/KimagureOrangeRoad'': Madoka is a female example. A moody, mysterious, [[MsFanservice gorgeous]] girl with a tough past as a loner, she is very selfless and helpful, and a good fighter, but she's believed to be a sukeban (delinquent schoolgirl) and has a [[HeroWithBadPublicity bad reputation]] at school. At first, being a loner, she may not be very good at connecting with most other people, but still manages to attract many guys (especially the main character, Kyosuke) and even [[EvenTheGirlsWantHer a few girls]], and people who know her better can't deny that [[MisunderstoodLonerWithAHeartOfGold she's a fantastic person at heart]].
61* ''Anime/MazingerZ'': Kouji Kabuto. High-school student, male, JerkWithAHeartOfGold with love for bikes and reputation for being a {{Delinquent}}. And he pilots a HumongousMecha. Girls gush over him (especially Sayaka Yumi).
62* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing'' has [[CastFullOfPrettyBoys all five of the protagonists]], albeit in different ways. They are noted for their beauty both in and out of universe, and all have suffered in many ways from the war going on.
63--> '''WebVideo/AnimeAbandon'': ''singing'' Pretty boys with problems! Yeah!
64* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'': Sasuke completely misses the look (or at least, the dress code), though - that turtleneck, shorts, and knee-socks combination fairly scream "scrawny kid". Then again, {{Ninja}} are ''supposed'' to cultivate an unassuming personal appearance, even if, in fiction, [[HighlyVisibleNinja they usually don't]]. [[spoiler:He gets...better when he gets an [[BadassLongCoat Akatsuki trench coat]] and attitude later on.]]
65* ''Manga/NatsumesBookOfFriends'': Chapter 36.5 shows that Natsume, [[NiceGuy of all people]], had a reputation as the pretty-but-seriously-disturbed boy back in middle school. That sort of thing happens when you're regularly attacked by things almost no one else can see.
66%% * ''Manga/ThePrinceOfTennis'': Both Ryoma Echizen and Akaya Kirihara.
67* ''Anime/PrincessTutu'': Fakir. He even has a Fanclub at his school, although it's likely none of his fangirls have ever talked to him, given his anti-social nature.
68* ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'': Akemi Homura has the same vibe as most characters on this page, with a few exceptions: she's a girl and she's in junior high. But boy, doesn't she make up for this with an extremely troubled past.
69* ''Manga/Reborn2004'': Hayato Gokudera is a smoker, {{Delinquent|s}}, and lover of [[StuffBlowingUp high explosives]]. Naturally, the girls go wild for him. The only break in his TroubledButCute personality is that he [[HoYay turns all mushy and affectionate]] for [[ButtMonkey Tsuna]].
70* ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena'': Wakaba sees Saionji as this, playing [[BroodingBoyGentleGirl Gentle Girl to his Brooding Boy]] even after [[spoiler:he's expelled for ambiguous reasons.]] Unfortunately, he's a bit more of a {{Jerkass}} than most examples and their brief relationship does ''not'' end well.
71* ''Manga/SailorMoon'': Minako Aino is a girl example of Cute, but Troubled: her good looks are immediately apparent, but the results of her DarkAndTroubledPast are [[StepfordSmiler well hidden behind a happy and carefree facade]].
72* ''Anime/SchoolRumble'': Harima Kenji takes a lot from this trope. Being rather antisocial and a juvenile delinquent, with a liking for leather jackets and bikes, he likes beating up Yakuza goons and is all-around good-looking...except that, beneath all that, he's an oaf with a heart of gold who likes drawing manga and is too scared of confessing his love for a classmate. All while obliviously gaining the attention of several other girls.
73%% * ''Anime/ScienceNinjaTeamGatchaman'': Joe "The Condor" Asakura.
74* ''Manga/SPYxFAMILY'': Twilight aka Loid Forger, is a very handsome and well-fashioned young man, being able to catch the eyes of several ladies, but the secret agent has it very rough. Although not rebellious, he did have a very troubled life that sapped the emotions right out of him in his dark mysterious past. Being a spy for years and [[spoiler: a survivor of the Cold War as a child]], among several other things, has induced paranoia upon him.
75* ''Literature/TanteiTeamKZJikenNote'': Sunahara is seen as a troublemaker during the arc ''The Egg Hamburg Steak Knows'', but, [[CastFullOfPrettyBoys like every male in the cast]], he is obviously handsome.
76* In ''Literature/{{Toradora}}'', almost all the characters are troubled but cute.
77** [[MisunderstoodLonerWithAHeartOfGold Ryūji]] is feared as a delinquent due to his FaceOfAThug and because he's the son of a {{Yakuza}}, who made his mother pregnant when she was 16, and then left with another woman. This causes him troubles and he has low self-esteem, but he's extremely [[NiceGuy nice]], selfless and helpful, and manages to attract [[spoiler:Taiga, Ami and Minori]]. Ryūji's mother Yasuko obviously fits the trope too.
78** [[{{Tsundere}} Taiga]] comes from a rich family, but her extremely selfish father left her mother for another younger woman. Taiga went living alone (however, [[spoiler:she gets back to her mother in the end]]), is SourOutsideSadInside and this makes her rude and hot-tempered, but in truth, she's really kind-hearted, selfless, and [[UndyingLoyalty loyal to her friends]].
79** [[LovableAlphaBitch Ami]] [[spoiler:was pursued by a stalker]] while she worked as a model. Due to this, and to the fact she works with adults, she's more mature than most other characters but also troubled: this causes her to be a self-centered and arrogant SpoiledBrat, who hides her issues with a {{Kawaiiko}} facade. However, she reveals to be selfless and helpful towards her friends, really cares about them, and always tries to give them good advice. Her sense of tact may not be her best quality, but she wants them to front reality, especially [[spoiler:she wants Ryūji and Taiga to make their real feelings for each other clear]].
80** Minori and Yūsaku, despite their positivity and eccentric personalities, hide several issues and insecurities too. Yūsaku thinks he's poor at talking to girls and [[spoiler:dyes his hair to avoid to join the School Council because he's in love with president Sumire]]. Minori is AmbiguouslyBi, never sure about her feelings for others, and starts to ignore Ryūji [[spoiler:when she realizes his feelings for her, but wants him to be with Taiga]].
81%% * ''Manga/VenusWars'' gives us Hiro "Ken" Seno who was expelled from high school just two weeks before graduating. When he joins the army's mobile unit, he still has a knack for attracting trouble.
82* ''Anime/YuGiOh'': Seto Kaiba is a very troubled AntiHero who starts off as merely an arrogant {{jerkass}} who considers himself the best in games until Yami Yugi one-ups him, but his backstory is revealed to be more than a little harsh: dead parents, an outcast in an orphanage with his brother Mokuba when they were kids, and when they did get adopted, he was abused by his adoptive father, Gozaburo, and forced to toughen up as his heir to Kaiba Corp. It's little wonder he's so cynical and bitter, with his soft side only coming out when around Mokuba. This also applies to his ancient Egyptian pre-incarnation, Priest Set, who also has problems from his father having abandoned him when he was young and only finding out he's actually fellow Priest Akhenaden later on and loses the love of his life, the MysteriousWaif Kisara.
83%% * At least half the cast of ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'' (Manjyome, Ryo, Edo, [[IneffectualLoner Judai]]...)
84[[/folder]]
85
86[[folder:Arts]]
87* ''Art/TheFallenAngel'': Creator/AlexandreCabanel paints Lucifer as a handsome, muscled young man. His expression is one of humiliation, rage, and pain because he has just betrayed (and been dumped by) the [[UsefulNotes/{{Christianity}} God]] he loved so much.
88[[/folder]]
89
90[[folder:Comic Books]]
91* ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'': Batman has attracted a number of women, including villains, and is the TropeNamer for DatingCatwoman. But he also lost his parents at a young age, he suffers from SurvivorsGuilt, has seen some of the orphans he took in and [[spoiler:his own son]] die, and another [[spoiler: become a SerialKiller]]
92* ''ComicBook/{{Empowered}}'':
93** [=ThugBoy=]. The trouble's in the name, and the leather jacket is also included.
94** Ninjette is an alcoholic on the run from her abusive, psychopathic father, who fully intends to amputate her limbs and use her as a breeding machine. Despite this, she is adorable and way tougher than your average BrokenBird, able to kick an army's butt single-handedly.
95** Spooky (female example). Even before her breakdown as the result of her girlfriend [[spoiler: dying horribly]], she has paralyzing self-esteem and bullying issues (and seems to lack a family, despite being high school age). She is also cute and tough as nails, so strong that she can defeat an entire army on her own.
96* ''ComicBook/ThePunisher'': Frank Castle is a [[VigilanteMan murderous vigilante]] [[CrusadingWidow whose goal is to avenge the murder of his wife and children]] and is a [[ShellShockedVeteran mentally disturbed war veteran]]. He is also a [[TallDarkAndHandsome tall and attractive brunette who's in incredible shape.]]
97* ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}'':
98** Chase is a cute bad boy who's still haunted by the death of his girlfriend and for a long time believed that he'd killed his own uncle.
99** Victor Mancha is a LongHairedPrettyBoy who's also the son of a genocidal robot and may be fated to become an OmnicidalManiac. In one alternate future, he's also the only surviving Runaway after his evil dad went on a rampage.
100** Klara Prast is an adorable plant controller with unaddressed psychological issues stemming from sexual abuse. She also still believes that she's responsible for the apparent death of the team's beloved pet deinonychus.
101* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': Peter Parker is a brilliant, athletic (in secret most of the time), magnet for beautiful women of all hairstyles... and yet he's haunted by death, failure, and the worst luck in Marvel Comics.
102* ''ComicBook/Superboy1994'': Superboy was introduced as a brash, arrogant, leather-jacket-wearing {{Kidanova}} prone to causing destruction with his reckless heroics.
103* ''ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'':
104** Pre-Crisis Supergirl was innocent and gullible, but her modern incarnations fit this trope.
105** [[ComicBook/Supergirl2005 Post-Crisis]] Kara Zor-El was at the beginning an emotionally unstable, quick-tempered jerkass due to Kryptonite-poisoning and being a teenager stranded in a strange land (she got over her issues and got better after a while, though). She is also an AmazonianBeauty and boys were obsessed with her, especially during her "troubled teenager" phase.
106** [[ComicBook/Supergirl2011 Post-Flashpoint]] Supergirl was a lonely, sad, hot-tempered, HotBlooded teenager with abandonment and anger issues -''a ton of'' anger issues- before CharacterDevelopment kicked off. She was also a Guy Magnet. Once she asked a boy if he wasn't frightened of her, and he said no because she was beautiful.
107* ''ComicBook/{{X 23}}'': Troubled is an understatement. She was created to be a living weapon, tried to rebel against her training, ended up as a teenage prostitute, and then, after joining Xavier's School, ended up conscripted to ComicBook/XForce, a squad created specifically to kill people that ComicBook/{{Cyclops}} deemed a threat to mutantkind, which has alienated many of her very few friends. The books make it very clear that Laura is a very beautiful young woman: several characters have outright called her hot, when planning to pull a GrandTheftMe on her Miss Sinister expressed satisfaction she would be getting a very attractive new body, and she caught the attention of both pretty boy Hellion ''and'' the time-displaced teenaged Cyclops, before eventually getting together with ''the'' pretty boy of the X-Men, time-displaced teenaged Angel (and this despite being on a team with the teenaged ''ComicBook/JeanGrey'').
108[[/folder]]
109
110[[folder:Fan Works]]
111* ''Fanfic/GhostsOfEvangelion'': Teenager Ryuko is a delinquent and has a bit of a rebellious side, but she's quite charming, too.
112* In ''Fanfic/TheStoryOfApolloDaphneAndLucaAnItalianTragedy'' we have the charming and exhuberant [[SadClown Alberto Scorfano]], who is still struggling with his concept of family and jealousy management [[ParentalAbandonment due to being abandoned by his biological father and living alone on Isola del Mare for a whole year]] and [[spoiler: the fact of having a love rival in [[BigJerkOnCampus Vincenzo]] for Luca's affections]].
113* In ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' story ''Fanfic/SupermanOf2499TheGreatConfrontation'' Katherine reads her forebear [[ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} Kara Zor-El]]'s diaries and correctly deduces Kara's lover Dev-Em was the kind of cute bad boy who many women find charming.
114-->Eventually Katherine's labors brought her a flatpic of Dev-Em. Unruly ginger-colored hair that spilled across his forehead framing deep brown eyes that danced with mischief and a striking smile that made her shake her rueful head.\
115"I'll bet you were a devil, you were," she thought.
116* In ''ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'' fanfic ''Fanfic/HellsisterTrilogy'', Dev-Em is a former bully, reformed delinquent, and still a jerkass whom Kara finds charming and handsome.
117* In ''Fanfic/KarmaInRetrograde'', Touya Todoroki is a wad of [[HeroicSelfDeprecation self-loathing]] and DaddyIssues after learning that he becomes the [[FutureMeScaresMe murderous villain Dabi.]] While he's initially a RummageSaleReject, Tokoyami and Jirou help him shop for new clothes. Not long afterward, random girls start hitting on him. Kaminari lampshades this.
118-->'''Kaminari:''' The girls are already going after him. Did you see that hot chick walk up and hit on him? You know the hottest girls hang out in malls. I knew this was going to happen. Our chances with girls decrease with every Todoroki apparently.
119[[/folder]]
120
121[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
122* Kovu from ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKingIISimbasPride'' definitely fits this trope - if he wasn't, you know, a lion, he would definitely wear leather jackets and ride a motorcycle. He has a dark charm and mysterious vibe and Princess Kiara likes him immediately. His family makes his life difficult and miserable because they supported Scar, Simba's (Kiara's father) arch-enemy.
123* The characterisation of Jim Hawkins in the original ''Literature/TreasureIsland'' mostly revolved around his maturation to a man who knows the meaning of honour and duty and can be held responsible for his actions. The Disney adaptation of ''WesternAnimation/TreasurePlanet'' Woobiefied him by making him more of a troubled troublemaker trying to find his place in the world, with low self-worth and [[ParentalAbandonment paternal abandonment]] issues.
124[[/folder]]
125
126[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
127* Two famous characters played by Hollywood icon James Dean are the real {{Trope Codifier}}s here:
128** Cal Trask from ''Literature/EastOfEden'' is an antisocial loner who believes himself to be the EvilTwin in comparison to his well-behaved brother Aron. Despite his oddness and mean-spirited attitude on occasion, all he wants is love from his father. This is reflected in Abra's attitude towards him; she at first finds him creepy, but then gets to spend time with him and sees he's not that different.
129** Jim Stark in ''Film/RebelWithoutACause''. He opens the film getting hauled into the police station for underage drinking, and he freely participates in gang-related activities. But most of his problems stem from trouble at home, and he's a kind-hearted guy underneath it all. The bulk of the conflict comes from [[spoiler: him ducking gang members because he wants to go to the authorities about Buzz's death]].
130* Tommy from ''Film/{{Warrior}}''. He's ridiculously damaged and has a fractured (to the extreme) relationship with his father and brother. But he's a good guy, as shown by his reason for entering the tournament and by how he [[spoiler: selflessly saved a bunch of marines in the war]].
131* Dan from ''Film/PeacefulWarrior''. Bitter, arrogant, and anti-social, especially after his leg is severely injured in a motorcycle accident. Nonetheless, he's very handsome and athletic and manages to attract the Joy's attention.
132* Billy Costigan in ''Film/TheDeparted'', to Madolyn.
133* Roger Davis from ''Film/{{Rent}}''. The guy has HIV and is really, really cranky, but is still beloved by any straight girl.
134* John Bender in the mid-1980s Creator/BratPack film, ''Film/TheBreakfastClub''
135* Jason Dean from the film ''Film/{{Heathers}}'' fits this trope, though he eventually reveals himself to be a psychopath.
136* The ''Film/SpiderManTrilogy'''s Creator/JamesDean-esque version of Harry Osborn, who has issues from an upbringing with a workaholic father and in ''Film/SpiderMan3'' downright becomes an enemy of Spider-Man. [[spoiler:That is, until he's scarred and convinced to join forces to stop the other villains.]].
137* Danny Zuko from the film/musical ''Film/{{Grease}}''.
138* Warren Peace of ''Film/SkyHigh2005'', proving you can never go wrong with [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything a Firebender]] [[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender with father issues]].
139* This trope is Discussed and mocked through Zeke in Disney Channel's movie ''Film/{{Minutemen}}'', when girls come up to him and ask, "You know, you're kind of scary and unapproachable... can we sit with you?"
140* Fans of ''Film/RepoTheGeneticOpera'' are divided over whether or not Grave-Robber is actually troubled or just a sociopath with a sense of humour, but there's no denying he's incredibly foxy. The fact that he canonically lives out of dumpsters seems like it would be enough to make him the former.
141 * Patrick Verona from ''Film/TenThingsIHateAboutYou''. However, [[spoiler: as we learn later, he is more in the line of "he doesn't deny any of this, so it must be true". He does stay away from most of his peers, but that's mostly because he just does have different tastes. Kate is the real Troubled But Cute, with her open disgust of the people around her and with her "the reason I am so angry at everyone" backstory.]]
142%% * Billy Tallent and Joe Dick of ''Film/HardCoreLogo'' are what happens when examples of this trope hit their thirties, with emphasis on the "troubled" part (especially in Joe's case).
143* Donnie Darko from ''Film/DonnieDarko''.
144* Mathilda (as played by a young Creator/NataliePortman) in ''Film/TheProfessional'', the daughter of a criminal who takes an unsavory interest in the [[ProfessionalKiller "cleaning"]] business.
145* Luke from ''Film/Cherrybomb2009''. On the one hand, he's a violent, arrogant drug dealer who treats his best friend like crap. On the other, he's a lonely, [[http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lg38dzSJAs1qc7bo0o1_r1_500.jpg angel-faced]] sixteen-year-old boy whose father abused and abandoned him.
146* In ''Film/XMenFirstClass'', pre-[[StartOfDarkness supervillainy]] [[ComicBook/{{Magneto}} Erik Lehnsherr]] is a [[NaziHunter Nazi-hunting]] ByronicHero with an intensely DarkAndTroubledPast (involving the Holocaust, loss of his parents, ''and'' being a victim of human experimentation) and bucketloads of trauma and cynicism. He also wears a leather jacket on a few occasions.
147** ''Film/XMenApocalypse'' adds in pre-superheroism [[ComicBook/{{Storm}} Ororo Munroe]], a thief struggling to get by in the streets of Cairo, who accepts to be taken under the wing of a supervillain without problem.
148* Creator/AudieMurphy had a number of TroubledButCute roles early on in his career, including his portrayal of Jesse James in the bland and highly inaccurate ''Kansas Raiders''. Universal stopped putting him in these roles once they realized that his fans preferred him in BewareTheNiceOnes mode.
149* ''Film/ARoyalNightOut'' has LowerClassLout Jack Hodges - a WWII bomber boy who gets into fights and snarks his way through life. But he's a BrokenBird who had his idealism shattered by the war, and the deaths of his many friends.
150* Noni from Film/BeyondTheLights is a {{Music/Rihanna}} {{expy}} with severe depression due to her StageMom's intense micromanagement and her hyper-sexualized image, forced upon her by the record label she is signed to. Troubled, yes. [[http://static01.nyt.com/images/2014/11/14/multimedia/movies-beyond-111414/movies-beyond-111414-videoSixteenByNine540.jpg Cute]], very.
151* In ''{{Film/Calvary}}'' the barkeep uses this expression nearly literally referring to Father James' daughter who has visible suicide scars on her wrists.
152-->'''Barkeep''': A generous serving of the old water of life for this beautiful, yet troubled...\
153'''Fiona''': Fuck off!
154* Anakin Skywalker from the ''Franchise/StarWars'' prequels has clear issues with impulsiveness, anger management, and mistrust of authority, to the point that real-life psychiatrists have diagnosed him with Borderline Personality Disorder. He's also handsome enough to earn the affections of Padmé Amidala, leading to them getting married. Unfortunately, his possessiveness, lust for power, and fear of losing her for any reason send him JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope until he undergoes a full FaceHeelTurn and attacks her in a fit of rage, [[SelfFulfillingProphecy causing the very death he was desperate to prevent]].
155[[/folder]]
156
157[[folder:Literature]]
158* ''Literature/BrimstoneAngels'': Lorcan, the half-human, half-demon cambion, can be seen as something of a {{Deconstruction}} of the archetype; remarkably handsome (in a devlish way, of course) he has a staggering amount of BeligerentSexualTension with main heroine Farideh (she made a DealWithTheDevil with him in exchange for Warlock magic), is legitimately less evil than his demonic family, whom he helps Farideh escape, and has his share of redeeming qualities. None of this, however, detracts from the fact that he is a creature MadeOfEvil. He never does anything without selfish motives, manipulates and gaslights Farideh, attempts to isolate her from her family and friends, and comes off ''very'' similarly to an abusive boyfriend to Farideh; WordOfGod confirms this is intentional.
159%% * Edward Cullen, in ''Literature/{{Twilight}}''. Robert Pattinson himself certainly believes this, describing him as "self-loathing" and a "108-year-old virgin".
160%% * ''Literature/AiNoKusabi'': Former BadassBiker and SexSlave Riki is a male BrokenBird.
161* Sirius Black in ''Literature/HarryPotter'', though, rather than being antisocial, he is represented as popular, despite various acts of callous teen cruelty. At least, as an adult, he is a good person at heart. Judging from his possessions, before the Potters got slaughtered by Voldemort, he was a biker.
162* AntiHero Edmund Pevensie from ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia''. It's played up far more in the film, which implies he became troubled as a result of his father having to serve in World War II and Peter's BigBrotherBully tendencies (the book suggests it stems from bad influences at school).
163* Turin Turambar from ''Literature/TheChildrenOfHurin'' and Aragorn from ''Literature/{{The Lord of the Rings}}'' are both described at points as being handsome but grim, though Aragorn downplays both the handsomeness and grimness in comparison to Turin.
164** Feanor of ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'' however is the logical conclusion of this trope.
165%% * Roiben from [[ModernTalesOfFaerie Tithe and Ironside]]. A knight of the Seelie Court, he was traded to the Queen of the Unseelie Court to seal a peace treaty.
166* Ronan Lynch from ''Literature/TheRavenCycle''. He's got a mean streak, a violent streak, and an unhealthy dose of self-loathing. He also has been called handsome by at least two characters, has a pet bird he treats like a daughter, and deeply loves his baby brother. It's no surprise he's a fan favorite.
167* Nico di Angelo from ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians''. Emphasis on the "cute", since he's only twelve years old, but he's certainly troubled after his sister's death. Taken to a whole new level in ''Literature/TheHeroesOfOlympus'' after he's been [[spoiler: through Tartarus, literally]] and we find out that [[spoiler: he used to have a crush on Percy that he couldn't deal with]], causing him to avoid other demigods.
168* Yozo Oba of ''No Longer Human'', who is always depressed and fears other people, cannot help but attract women throughout his life due to his apparent good looks.
169%% * ''Literature/InDeath'': Roarke is sexy, with a DarkAndTroubledPast to match.
170* Rafael Gives Light, from the ''Literature/GivesLight'' trilogy, a loner who is known for getting into fights at school and his dad's a serial killer. Only the [[StraightGay main character]] ever describes him as attractive however, and only after he's already falling in love with him.
171* ''Literature/TheChangeover'': Sorenson 'Sorry' Carlisle, something of a subversion in that his troubled side doesn't show when he's in public, rather he holds up a facade of a polite, well-behaved young man. Was abused as a child, and suffers from an inability to emotionally express himself, or connect with others, as well as somewhat sinister behavior towards the main character near the beginning of the story.
172%% * Will Herondale from ''Literature/TheInfernalDevices''.
173* ''Literature/VampireAcademy'':
174** Dimitri is very attractive but boy, does he have a lot of issues. He had a troubled home life, was forced to abandon his family to become a guardian, his first Moroi charge (Ivan Zeklos) was killed by Strigoi, he has a troubled conscience over the Strigoi [[spoiler:and later humans]] that he has killed, struggles to accept his love for Rose while feeling that he took advantage of his student, and is mentally scarred by his time spent as a Strigoi.
175** Christian's main appeal for Lissa. He comes from a broken home, his parents turned Strigoi and were killed before his eyes, his aunt who raised him is a social outcast and so is he, he is treated as a freak by classmates and has a bitter attitude towards the world.
176* Crowe from ''Literature/DevilsAndThieves'' is always described by Jemmie as being ridiculously attractive, and he gets a lot of female attention, but he's also brooding and dangerous, a bad boy with anger issues that runs a motorcycle gang.
177* ''Literature/OthersidePicnic'' has Toriko Nishina. [[DeceasedParentsAreTheBest Her parents are dead]]. Her tutor, whom she is obviously smitten with, Satsuki Uruma, has gone missing in a nightmarish alternate dimension known as Otherside. She's shy and introverted around people she doesn't know. And while she does a good job of hiding all of this behind a cheerful personality, there are moments where the cracks show through, such as when her new friend, Sorawo Kamikoshi, tells Toriko that she doesn't want to risk her life in Otherside anymore after a couple of close calls. Toriko offers Sorawo her share of the money they make bringing back objects from Otherside to try and convince her, and when Sorawo still turns her down, Toriko rushes back into Otherside alone to try and find the missing Satsuki.
178[[/folder]]
179
180[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
181* ''Series/ThirteenReasonsWhy'': Justin is made of this trope. He's a bit of a JerkJock but he has a troubled home life: he's [[WrongSideOfTheTracks poor]], with [[ParentalNeglect an addict mother]] and [[spoiler:his own problems with drug abuse]]. He's also a ChickMagnet, with many of the female characters (Jessica, Hannah, and Kat) interested in him. Clay lampshades this in the penultimate episode of Season 2, telling Hannah that girls always go for that sort of thing.
182* ''Series/{{Arrow}}'':
183** The former is a traumatized survivor of a shipwreck that left him stranded on an island; he's self-loathing, has lost most of his former social skills, and is plagued by guilt, both survivors guilt and guilt for hurting his ex-girlfriend, who he's still in love with. He's also a SexGod of sorts.
184** Roy Harper is a brooding orphan who's spent his life fighting to survive poverty and looking out for himself, is a petty crook that most write off as a thug, and like Oliver, he's a self-loathing bag of guilt with no social skills [[BigDamnHeroes who always looks out to help others when he can.]]
185%%* ''Series/BatesMotel'': Norman Bates and Dylan Masset.
186%%* Mitchell from ''Series/BeingHumanUK''. He's TheAtoner. Then he's the [[spoiler:BigBad]]. Things get pretty messy.
187* ''Series/BeverlyHills90210'':
188** Dylan, very close to being a TropeCodifier. On top of being a LonelyRichKid, he has problems with his con-artist father and New Age hippie mother and is an occasional alcoholic and drug user. This doesn't stop viewers from seeing him as the show's BreakoutCharacter and residential heartthrob.
189** Liam especially as they're now setting him up for a fling with good-girl protagonist Annie. It also helps that he is an {{Expy}} of Dylan.
190* ''Series/BoyMeetsWorld'': Shawn Hunter. The rampart trailer park trash jokes started as innocent and one-dimensional character traits. Then, for a good while from season two onward, it seemed like every other episode was a Shawn pity-party fest. And he got girls to boot.
191* ''Series/BreakingBad'': Jesse Pinkman is a high school dropout who was kicked out by his own family because of his drug use and suffers the worst TraumaCongaLine of everyone. Despite being a junkie, he still manages to be very attractive to MrFanservice levels. And despite his criminal lifestyle, he's probably one of the most kind-hearted people in the series, although it takes time to be shown.
192* ''Series/{{Bridgerton}}'': Simon is a rich and handsome young nobleman who is publicly a brooding rake. He is also hiding serious daddy issues that impact his ability to be a good husband.
193* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': Spike and Angel. Bad boys. Leather coats. Troubled by their love for a pretty slayer. Hearts (well, souls) of gold! [[ParentalIncest Creepy mom]] (in Spike's case), being ridiculed while alive, and, later, guilt for the "troubled" part. Low social skills for the "cute" one.
194%%* Cole Turner from ''Series/{{Charmed|1998}}''.
195* ''Series/{{Community}}'': Jeff has attracted the attention of every female main character, as well as several one-shot girls and [[EvenTheGuysWantHim a few guys]], but he's narcissistic, moody, has anger issues, a drinking problem and when it comes down to it is a severely depressed broken man.
196** You could honestly probably apply this to half the core cast:
197*** Annie is recognized as incredibly attractive by many male characters while also being a recovering Adderall addict who was abandoned by her family after an overdose and deciding to go to rehab.
198*** Britta is, again, pretty widely recognized as hot and carries some pretty significant trauma as well as a seriously strained relationship with her parents.
199*** Troy is a former high school jock who faked an injury because he couldn't handle the pressure of being a star athlete, was kicked out of his dad's house because his dad felt weird about dating someone the same age as Troy, and is in many ways emotionally stunted.
200*** Abed suffers from an ambiguously-defined disorder, has multiple mental breakdowns, as well as a tenuous grasp on reality at times, and comes from a broken home while also being "freaking adorable", with numerous women showing attraction to him.
201* ''Series/Daredevil2015'':
202** Matt Murdock is troubled. Blinded in a car accident when he was nine, his father was killed a year later for refusing to take a dive, spent fifteen months being trained by a sensei, etc. Troubled, but his good looks make him great at charming women like Karen and Elektra.
203** Karen Page, who has a sweet and compassionate exterior, but has had to endure lots of hardships along the way.
204* ''Series/{{Dexter}}'': [[Characters/DexterDexterMorgan The title character]] is a deeply disturbed loner with a dangerous, murderous side and DarkAndTroubledPast. He's also handsome, charming, and can be ''genuinely'' adorable.
205%% * ''Series/DoctorWho'':
206%% ** The Fifth Doctor.
207%% ** The Ninth
208%% ** Jack Harkness.
209%% ** The Tenth especially post-season 2.
210%%* Jo from ''Series/TheFactsOfLife'' is a woman.
211* ''Series/TheFinder'': Willa is often in trouble with the law but is shown to have a softer side.
212* ''Series/FreaksAndGeeks'': Daniel Desario is a Creator/JamesDean-looking, scholastically-challenged heartbreaker from the wrong side of the tracks, yet manages to have both female leads wanting him.
213* ''Series/FridayNightLights'': Tim Riggins is a drunkard and the resident MrFanservice.
214* ''Series/GilmoreGirls'': Jess arrived fresh out of the rougher side of New York, and horrified the idyllic, small-town Stars Hollow with his rebelliousness, rudeness, and prank-pulling. He also carried a lot of personal baggage from his DisappearedDad, neglectful, unstable mother, and her rounds of scummy boyfriends and husbands. That said, he turned out to be very intelligent and a total bookworm which was enough for good-girl, straight-A student Rory to fall for him despite his issues. He also did genuinely care about her and his uncle Luke, although he was terrible at showing it. After being [[PutOnABus put him on a bus]] he returned in the sixth season having shed most of his troubled aspects, matured greatly, actually learned to communicate, and reconnected with Rory and Luke.
215* ''Series/HappyDays'': Fonzie, token bad boy of the show (BadassBiker, leather jacket, and all) and resident ChickMagnet. Some early episodes has him coaching the boys on how to act this way in order to arouse female interest.
216* ''Series/HigherGround'': EVERYBODY. All of the main cast are attractive teens with lots of issues (generally leading to drug abuse).
217* ''Series/{{House}}'': Gregory House. Both in-universe women seem to adore him unless he does show his DrJerk tendencies. He has lots of emotional baggage from his past relationships, abusive father, and chronic pain in his leg. He is played by Hugh Laurie who is TallDarkAndHandsome with deep blue eyes and sense of humour.
218%%* ''Series/{{Lost}}'': Sawyer fits backwards and forwards. Eventually, Jack catches up to him, though he loses some of his cuteness by [[{{Wangst}} crying all the time]].
219* ''Series/NipTuck'': Christian Troy is shallow, [[ExtremeLibido sex-obsessed]], and in the [[FetishizedAbuser habit of treating his sex partners like dirt]] -- but he's also [[{{Hunk}} handsome]], successful, and ''really'' [[SexGod good in bed]], plus the [[FreudianExcuse unexpected vulnerable streak]].
220* ''Series/MarriedWithChildren'': PlayedForLaughs with Bud Bundy. He tries to create different troubled but cute persona's to get young women, like his infamous [[PrettyFlyforaWhiteGuy Grand Master B character.]] The funny thing is, it mostly works until one of the family members interrupts and reveals his true character.
221* ''Series/MIHigh'': Oscar Cole, although [[spoiler:his dad eventually came back and his mum was put into prison for good, so life got better from there]].
222* ''Series/MrRobot'': Resident BrokenBird Elliot Alderson is a young hacktivist who suffers from depression, anxiety, PTSD and DID. He even had a [[DarkAndTroubledPast very abusive childhood]] and lost his father to leukemia. He even goes through the worst case of TraumaCongaLine out of everyone and yet manages to look so [[{{Moe}} adorable and cute]] to the point you can't help but want to [[ImTakingHerHomeWithMe take him home.]]
223%%* ''Series/MySoCalledLife'': Jordan Catalano
224* ''Series/{{Nashville}}'': Is Juliette troubled? Let's see... brought up by a seriously damaged mother solo, developed a tough shell to get through her personal and professional life, is difficult to work with, has a truly heroic capacity for the demon drink, and did not take well to motherhood ("''Gimme the damn baby!''") to the extent of having to go into rehab? Yep, troubled... but also damn talented, not intentionally evil, and capable of love. But is she cute? Girl, please - she's played by Creator/HaydenPanettiere...
225* ''Series/TheOC'': Ryan is a troubled teen from Chino with ParentalIssues, and abandonment issues who is also MrFanservice, has a good heart, and attracts some female characters.
226%% * Rare female Amber Braverman from ''Series/{{Parenthood}}''
227* ''Series/PrettyLittleLiars'':
228** Caleb is a reformed bad boy with a troubled family history, also a badass hacker, and quite attractive and charming.
229** Toby is a motorcycle-riding MisunderstoodLonerWithAHeartOfGold who has a relationship with one of the main girls.
230* ''Series/{{Riverdale}}'': Jughead is a snarky, apathetic, self-described "outsider" who lives in a trailer with a criminal father. However, Betty falls in love with him despite his SugarAndIcePersonality. In fact, the character is supposed to be an "emo heartthrob".
231* ''Series/{{Roseanne}}'': Mark is an extremely handsome tough guy, mechanic expert, with frequent disregard of authority. The basis for Becky's relationship with Mark is his rebellious nature.
232%%* Michael on ''Series/{{Roswell}}''.
233%% * ''Series/{{Scandal}}'': First Lady Mellie Grant.
234* ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'': Dr. Cox. Troubled? He perpetually sees a shrink, regularly abuses the people he cares about and is in love with a woman that he hates. Cute? He appears to be the only doctor in the place that regularly exercises. Plus, he's very proud of being forty and retaining all of his hair. Cox's violent temper wins over him being a perfectionist. The cute/honorable part is that his perfectionism is over saving his patients' lives.
235%%* Ricky from ''Series/TheSecretLifeOfTheAmericanTeenager'', who has one of the biggest {{Freudian Excuse}}s ever seen.
236* ''Series/SixFeetUnder'': Most of Claire's love interests. She was dark in a way, but beautiful, kind and caring and a magnet for all the troubled boys. Her mother lampshades it by saying that she's an angel, so naturally, they are attracted to her and want to be "saved" and redeemed. However, the real question was why Caire felt compelled to start a relationship with them, knowing how messy it would be.
237** Gabriel was Claire's high school boyfriend with certain charms and jerk vibes. He wore dark clothes and jeans, and he had tattoos and piercings. Gabe gave her strong drugs and told everybody about their sex experience (she sucked his toes, which made her a laughing stock). His family background was horrible: a white trash mother, a father who abandoned them, a jerk of a step-father, and he had to deal with the death of his small brother. He later got suicidal and then committed burglaries. He got lost later, and Claire sort of learnt about his fate when she might or might not have visited afterlife.
238** Claire dated Russell in college. He was very insecure and possibly gay or bisexual who was uncomfortable with his sexuality. She told him he was hot, but he said the best he would get was cute, considering it DamnedByFaintPraise. He's a talented artist, though, and attractive enough to be sought out by their male professor who had sex with him while he and Claire were dating.
239** Brenda's brother Billy once used Claire when she was a teenager, trying to get too close to Brenda and Claire's brother Nate. He had a weird relationship with Brenda, verging on brother-sister incest, and his parents screwed them both up horribly, over-analyzing them constantly. They had some happy moments, but once bipolar Billy decided to stop his medication, it went to poop.
240* ''Series/TheSecretCircle'': Nick and Jake
241%%* ''Series/SonsOfAnarchy'':
242%%** Jax Teller.
243%%** Opie.
244* Dean from ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'', and it didn't take long for his brother Sam to catch up. Castiel also fell into this before too long, further proving that [[CastFullOfPrettyBoys improbably good-looking men]] angsting a lot is kind of the show's main draw.
245* ''Series/That70sShow'': Hyde is a delinquent with parental abandonment issues but still sleeps around and has a good heart. In Jackie's eyes, he's definitely this trope.
246%%* ''Series/TeenWolf'':
247%%** Derek.
248%%** Scott.
249* ''Series/TheVampireDiaries'':
250** Stefan and Damon, attractive male vampires with DarkAndTroubledPast who fall in love with the main heroine. The former is the "stoic and brooding" variant, the latter is the "dangerous yet charming" JerkWithAHeartOfGold variant.
251** Elena's brother Jeremy. EmoTeen, TheStoner, struggling with the death of his parents and other tragedies, very sweet and romantic towards all his girlfriends.
252* ''Series/VeronicaMars'':
253** Logan Echolls ReallyGetsAround (not to mention manages to be an on-again, off-again boyfriend for the title character). He's an entitled rich kid prone to [[DeathSeeker self-destructive behavior]] and [[TheBully bullying]], who winds up as a murder suspect with alarming regularity and has some serious [[AbusiveParents daddy issues]] - but also [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold a heart of gold]] and good timing for BigDamnHeroes moments.
254** Eli "Weevil" Navarro for a straighter "Badass leather-clad biker from the wrong side of the tracks who is kinder than he lets on" example.
255* ''Series/TheWalkingDead2010'': Daryl Dixon grew up in a poor and abusive family, is kind of an aloof and brooding loner, as well as a tough and aggressive fighter, but is extremely loyal and caring towards the people who are close to him, and often shows his kind and vulnerable side. He becomes the show's BreakoutCharacter, especially after his CharacterDevelopment in season 2.
256* ''Series/WhiteCollar'': Neal Caffrey. Troubled is a given, considering he's a con artist and everything, and cute... well, just look at those eyes.
257* ''Series/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace'':
258** Alex's boyfriend Dean is painted with this trope in mind, he's supposed to be a "bad boy" but the worst thing he does is....temporary tattoos.
259** Alex Russo pulls it off much better. She manages this without being a BrokenBird, as a part of her rebellious status and charm.
260[[/folder]]
261
262%%[[folder: Tabletop Games]]
263%% * [[TheAtoner JJ Sturn]] from ''Roleplay/SurvivalOfTheFittest'', naturally only before he ''became'' TheAtoner.
264%%[[/folder]]
265%%
266[[folder:Theater]]
267* J.D. from ''Theatre/{{Heathers}}'', even more so than his [[Film/{{Heathers}} movie counterpart]]. Yes, he's a serial killer with a nasty {{Yandere}} side and a [[BlueAndOrangeMorality skewed sense of morality]]... ''but he's just so tragic''. His sense of humor (however dark), [[AbusiveParent horrid home life]], and slight CloudCuckooLander tendencies keep him within the realm of likability, at least at first. It probably helps that his actor is incredibly pretty. As a result, many girls in the fandom have declared J.D. their fictional crush, even if they do acknowledge that dating him in real life would be a bad, ''bad'' idea.
268[[/folder]]
269
270[[folder:Video Games]]
271* Jake Muller in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil6''.
272** Chris too, in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil6''. He's pretty damaged, but a good guy, and cute too.
273* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' has a history of handsome or {{Bishonen}} male antagonists with troubled backstories.
274** N from ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'', although he ends up a very mild example due to being GoodAllAlong, operating under the misdirections of a TreacherousAdvisor. Also the only example in ''Pokemon'' to have overt romantic subtext with the player character, by way of a FerrisWheelDateMoment.
275** ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'' Silver, particularly in the [[VideoGameRemake remakes]] where he's even more {{bishonen}}. He starts off as a bit of a jerk but gets some CharacterDevelopment, and Heart Gold/Soul Silver confirm that he's [[spoiler:Giovanni's son]], and developed abandonment issues after the events of ''Red'' and ''Blue''.
276** ''VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl'': Cyrus a surprising amount of fans despite his gaunt appearance and attempts to destroy the universe and remake it in his own image of perfection. ''Platinum'' confirms that he has neglectful parents and an unspecified, possibly undiagnosed, mood disorder.
277** ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon'' has none other than "ya boi" Guzma, charismatic and bombastic gang leader, dropout, self-proclaimed destruction in human form, and [[AbusiveParents physical and emotional abuse survivor]]. Emo {{Bishonen}} runaway Gladion from the same games also counts.
278%% * ''VideoGame/PokemonColosseum'': Wes.
279%% * Atton in ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic II''.
280* ''VideoGame/Persona3'':
281** The main character applies, with his [[HeadphonesEqualIsolation ever present headphones]], [[FreudianExcuse sad past]], [[TheQuietOne reclusive attitude]], and, finally, his [[HidingBehindYourBangs damn]] blue [[EmoTeen hair]]. He's also a ChickMagnet.
282** Shinjiro Aragaki, though he's not a Chick Magnet. The UpdatedRerelease emphasizes his troubled character in the [[DistaffCounterpart female protagonist's]] path. This is played with, though. [[spoiler:Despite all of his troubles (the ones he [[StoicWoobie doesn't complain about]]), it's made clear that he's a ''very'' nice guy (downright {{Moe}}, even!) and that quite a bit of his jerk-like behavior is because he's fairly certain that he doesn't have much time left.]]
283* [[AlphaBitch Renee]] of ''VideoGame/ManaKhemiaAlchemistsOfAlrevis'' cites this as a reason why she puts up with her partner Tony's "quirks".
284-->'''Renee''': Ugh, you're so stubborn... I kinda like that.\
285'''Tony''': Now's not the time for that!
286* The protagonist from ''VideoGame/JakAndDaxter'' in the second game. After all the ''Dark Eco experimentation''.
287%%* ''Franchise/MassEffect'' presents female Shepard's potential male love interests, in order of least-to-most emotional baggage: Jacob (refuses to be thought of as a "baggage guy") -> Kaidan (TrainingFromHell, BlessedWithSuck) -> Garrus (CowboyCop with a lot of survivor guilt come the second game) -> Thane (former assassin who made his first kill when he was twelve). Now, where Liara would fit on this scale is another question...
288* Both non-DLC male Love Interests in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'', [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] on occasion by Varric. The girls count to a lesser extent as well, particularly Merrill. It's just the boys who get the "brooding" jokes (especially Fenris).
289* Zelos Wilder from ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'': he's a young, playful womanizer with long, red hair, flirting with every woman and having a bunch of Fangirls (his "Hunnies"). But later in the game, it is revealed that [[spoiler:he never had any real parents, his father was absent due to his forced marriage to Zelos' mother, who stated that he "should never have been born" in her dying moments. This made him develop a great self-loathing and a feeling of worthlessness. In the superficial society of Meltokio, he was forced to lock his emotions away, therefore adapting to their expectations. This made him become the playful, careless guy he pretends to be]].
290* All three ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' protagonists so far:
291** Solid Snake is considered by the women and men of his universe to be extremely attractive and glamorous (at least, before [[PlotRelevantAgeUp he gets old]]), but has a history involving drinking problems, mental illness, emotional isolation, and murder, as well as being difficult to handle and having a moody personality. However, another character tells him, "That's what I like about you. That's what makes you human."
292** Big Boss is an EvenTheGuysWantHim character, known for his charisma, presence, and magnanimity, who has had romantic and pseudo-romantic relationships with both women and men. He killed his mentor and spends the rest of his life attempting to come to terms with it and trying to stick it to "The Man"...who turns out to be an actual character ([[spoiler:his former best friend!]])
293** Raiden at first comes across as well-adjusted but turns out to have been a recovering ex-child soldier with messed-up standards of intimacy. But...so bishie!
294* ''Franchise/TouhouProject'' doesn't have high schools in it[[note]]IOSYS remixes notwithstanding[[/note]], but Fujiwara-no-Mokou definitely screams this trope. She's a {{bifauxnen}}, she's cursed with {{immortality}}, she has a DarkAndTroubledPast (and it's an arguably-masculine, daddy-why-wont-you-acknowledge-me FreudianExcuse), she distances herself from others, yet will help when help is needed. HighschoolAU doujins where she appears typically cast her as a {{Japanese Delinquent|s}} who mellows out to Keine.
295* Norman Jayden from ''VideoGame/HeavyRain'' is quite handsome, but spends most of the game struggling with a debilitating addiction to [[spoiler: triptocaine]] and [[spoiler: his overuse of the ARI]]. Things get even less pretty when he starts having [[DeadlyNosebleed withdrawal symptoms]] from trying to break himself out of the habit.
296* Miguel Caballero Rojo in ''VideoGame/Tekken6'' is the black sheep of his family who keeps on picking fights, arguing mostly with his parents, and running away from home at an early age. But in all this, he has a soft spot for his sister.
297** Jin Kazama as well, being on a crusade to destroy the living remnants of his bloodline family and pushes everyone else out of his life as a result. Ling Xiaoyu is the PluckyGirl who holds out hope he'll come around. However in ''6'' he [[YouAreWhatYouHate becomes what he hates]] (albeit for a specific reason).
298* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'':
299** Invoked by Cloud's SexierAlterEgo in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', a hardened and highly-decorated mercenary with a mysterious past, a disaffected, sulky attitude, and a love of striking poses and riding motorbikes. This attitude leads to women swarming around him, with [[SacrificialLamb Jessie]] outright telling Cloud she finds him attractive because of his bad-boy attitude. He later shifts to a slightly different form of 'troubled' once it becomes clear that he's insane, and Tifa and Barret continue to adore him anyway. Once he has a HeroicBSOD and admits to Tifa that in reality, he'd just been a lonely, angry town misfit who'd been trying to prove his strength by picking fights so that people would like him, she admits she found that part of him fascinating as a teenager.
300** Squall Leonheart from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'' is a handsome loner who is plagued by a deeply troubled past and [[NoSocialSkills his inability to communicate with other people.]] He's also a schoolboy in a white T-shirt and leather jacket, playing off the stereotypical appearance of this type. While genuine Wangst material, him being surrounded by quirky friends especially the PluckyGirl love interest causes him to come off as a dorky super-soldier who [[FacePalm facepalms]] and [[DeadpanSnarker snarks]] a lot. That, and he has a tendency to show his [[AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther actual cares]] toward friends as he develops more as a person, usually through monologues.
301** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'':
302*** Lightning as a rare female example. She's a beautiful soldier who was forced to become the head of her house at a young age following her parents' death, and fought long and hard as a soldier in order to support and protect her younger sister, Serah. She puts up a cold, stern mask to hide her vulnerability, but in doing so estranges the very person she sought to protect, not even realizing when Serah was turned into a l'cie during her absence. When trying to save Serah from the government captivity, Lightning herself was turned into l'cie and was hunted as a fugitive.
303*** Similarly, Cid Raines, a young Brigadier General who, despite his high position and good looks, holds a very dark secret: namely that he is a l'cie working under [[BigBad Barthandaleus]] in order to help the heroes (themselves were turned l'cie) to destroy Cocoon. His datalog in ''VideoGame/LightningReturnsFinalFantasyXIII'' expands his BackStory further, mentioning how had sought to defy the gods and free humanity from the Fal'cie's rule, but lost the fight and was cruelly turned into their puppet.
304* Complete with leather jacket and extreme moodiness, Chloe Price from ''VideoGame/LifeIsStrange'' is a textbook example, gender notwithstanding. She was kicked out of school, spends most of her time drinking and smoking in a junkyard, and makes terrible life choices every single day. She'll still win you over with her sharp grin, HiddenHeartOfGold, and truly awful past.
305* Berkut from ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemGaiden Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia]]'' has a ''very'' rough backstory, being raised by harsh parents and then a caring, but still distant, uncle. This caused him to believe that strength is the only thing that matters, and that he has to prove himself worthy of his title as prince. The "cute" part comes from him being TallDarkAndHandsome, which a village girl in Rigel will swoon over if you talk to her.
306[[/folder]]
307
308[[folder:Visual Novels]]
309* Inui Arihiko in ''VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}}'', until Shiki [[TheUnwantedHarem stole all his luck with girls away,]] which made him a little bitter. In-story, Shiki himself might actually count, despite practically being a paragon of virtue. However, he actually tends to ''scare'' people due to familiarity and closeness to death. Yet the same people find themselves falling in love with him (Satsuki, Arcueid, Akiha, etc.) regardless.
310%%* Kōya Aotsuki from the gay DatingSim ''VisualNovel/{{Morenatsu}}''.
311* Miles Edgeworth in ''Franchise/AceAttorney''. A suave if somewhat snobbish and condescending prosecutor who causes women to go weak at the knees with his glare. His "troubled" part comes from his upbringing; having to deal with the possibility he killed his father, his fear of earthquakes, and the shadow cast over him by Manfred von Karma. However, Edgeworth might be an aversion since all the women who find him debonair just roll of his shoulder (he doesn't really seem to care one way or another that women swoon over him unless that gets in the way of what he's trying to do).
312* Nagito Komaeda from ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair'' has one of the most tragic backstories in the series. Due to a cycle of extreme good luck and extreme bad luck that's followed him his whole life, Nagito's life has been full of tragedy, such as losing his parents in a plane crash, and getting kidnapped by a murderer, only to be stuffed into a trash bag and thrown into the garbage because he had no loved ones to pay ransom. He is also a white-haired {{Bishonen}} with a mysterious personality and BlueAndOrangeMorality who, while [[TheFriendNobodyLikes not very popular in-universe]], is without a doubt the BreakoutCharacter for the series.
313[[/folder]]
314
315[[folder:Webcomics]]
316* Rumisiel from ''Webcomic/{{Misfile}}''. Semi-Fallen [[OurAngelsAreDifferent Angel]], check. History with [[TheStoner Drugs and Alcohol]], check. PermaStubble, check. [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys Strangely attractive]] to the opposite sex, [[http://www.misfile.com/?date=2009-07-17 check]], Master of the IndyPloy, seeking [[TheAtoner redemption]], and JerkWithAHeartOfGold, check, check, check, and check.
317* Eiji of ''Webcomic/RedString''. It annoys him to no end when it [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys attracts a fan club of bimbos]].
318* In the 'Cinderella' side story from ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'', Tarvek very nearly quotes this trope when he and Gil are [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20081121#.VvVu4OKLTIU arguing over who should play the prince]].
319--> '''Gil:''' ''I'm'' the prince! I'm all tortured and driven by love!\
320'''Tarvek:''' ''Feh. I'm'' the misunderstood one with the mysterious agenda. ''Muy sexy''.
321* Benni from ''Webcomic/ForestHill'' is a [[TheBully bully]] with [[HairTriggerTemper serious anger issues]], who possibly would have raped Tanya if Kaleb hadn't stopped him. It later turns out he has a very [[AbusiveParents abusive father]] whom he is terrified of and that he is very protective of those he considers friends.
322* In ''Webcomic/YokokasQuest'', Mao is this. Copycat even judges from his dreamscape that he's tormenting himself, and calls him cute.
323[[/folder]]
324
325[[folder:Web Original]]
326%% * Brutally deconstructed in [[http://www.theonion.com/articles/im-sorry-but-i-only-date-men-my-friends-are-afraid,10898/ this]] article in ''Website/TheOnion''.
327* ''WebVideo/{{Aaron}}'''s two protagonists fit in different ways:
328** Adam was previously more troubled in his teenage years - reckless drinking and driving his parents mad - but he's attempting to atone for his past mistakes.
329** Chris is an aloof BigBrotherBully who resents his brother's attention that he got from his reckless behaviour. But he's proven to be a good guy deep down.
330* WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic has lots and lots of issues. He also has a lot of fangirls. Those two facts are probably related.
331* WebVideo/AskThatGuyWithTheGlasses is an extreme example from the same actor, an incredibly sexualized mess of problems and psychosis.
332* ''WebVideo/TheAutobiographyOfJaneEyre'': Mr Rochester is out of the preferred young teenage phase, being about thirty in this SettingUpdate. Otherwise he fits perfectly: a pair of jeans, a leather jacket, tattoos, and PermaStubble. He can be extremely harsh or even rude to Jane, but he's still attractive and fangirls have been swooning over him since he first appeared. The creators teased their viewers with the constant [[TheUnreveal Unreveal]], but the wait was worth it.
333[[/folder]]
334
335[[folder:Western Animation]]
336* Subverted in ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'': Ron tries to ''become'' this character to get a date. It doesn't work, and through a little accidental AppliedPhlebotinum, he becomes a full-on supervillain.
337* ''Franchise/{{Avatar|TheLastAirbender}}'' franchise
338** ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'':
339*** [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderZuko Zuko]]. A leather jacket wouldn't fit the medieval Asian "look" of the show, so he makes up for it with a [[GoodScarsEvilScars facial scar]] linked to his tragic BackStory.
340*** WellIntentionedExtremist Jet... [[TeamMom Katara]] [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys was goo gaa over him]] until his plan was revealed.
341** [[Characters/TheLegendOfKorraMako Mako]] from ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra''. Growing up on the streets while simultaneously raising your little brother will make even the hottest firebender stoic and brooding.
342* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'':
343** Marceline. She has a LOT of issues. It would take us a day, if not a week to go through them all.
344** This also goes to Flame Princess, being destruction incarnate. and locked up in a cell for the first 14 years of her life.
345** [[Characters/AdventureTimePrincessBubblegum Princess Bubblegum]] also applies somewhat as well. Looking normally pretty and graceful, she had the pain of ruling an entire kingdom for centuries and eventually lost it to a JerkAss.
346* Kevin in ''WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce'' is the "beautiful disaster" incarnated, but Gwen falls for him in spite of that (maybe it was one of the reasons). Although he is reputed as a Womanizer, the only other girl who shows some interest on him is Jennifer Nocturne, and in the sequel.
347** [[Characters/Ben10BenTennyson Ben Tennyson]] got Julie's interest from the first episode, and became a ChickMagnet after his secret was revealed to the world in ''''WesternAnimation/Ben10UltimateAlien''. Even before that, Elena was already obsessed with him. And his narcisism is the minor of his issues.
348* Roger Klotz in ''WesternAnimation/{{Doug}}''. He and Doug even get along once in a while, to show that he's not just a horrible jerk. He's also somewhat of a [[TheWoobie woobie.]] Sometimes, his mom doesn't spend a lot of time with him, and his dad lives in the next town over (his parents are divorced), AND he lives in a trailer park (in the Nickelodeon version). Kinda makes you wonder why he started bullying in the first place.
349* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Birdz}}'', we meet Riley Raven, a good-looking bad boy who does whatever he wants and is considered a "bad egg" for it. We later learn that he acts this way because of his workaholic parents never having time for him.
350* [[Characters/DCAUBatman Batman]], as epitomized here in ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'', where he's trying to convince Wonder Woman why they wouldn't be good together:
351-->'''Batman:''' "You're a princess from a society of immortal warriors. I'm a rich kid with issues. ''Lots'' of issues."
352* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': In "Little Orphan Millie" Milhouse temporarily became one of these, complete with anti-socialness, a leather jacket, and in-universe fangirls. Even Lisa found that attractive.
353-->'''[[HoYay Nelson]]:''' He's troubled, but I can save him!
354* [[Characters/DCAUTerryMcGinnis Terry McGinnis]] in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' seems to be Troubled, but Cute in the first couple of episodes before he opens up and reveals that he's actually a responsible, altruistic young man. He was a straight example in his BackStory, which included a stint in juvie.
355* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'':
356** [[Characters/TotalDramaDuncan Duncan]] is a brooding juvenile delinquent with a long rap sheet, but Gwen, Courtney, and the fans find him attractive.
357** Chase is a daredevil to the extreme who's unable to grasp when his pranks go too far, but he's outright called "Pretty Boy" by Ripper. Tellingly, he and Emma have been dating for a long time despite all the reckless things he did to her and she goes back to him after breaking up twice when she believes Chase sacrificed a challenge for her (which he didn't).
358* ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice2010'': Superboy, Artemis is a rare female example.
359* ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution'':
360** Lance Alvers, aka Avalanche, post-CharacterizationMarchesOn. At first, he was just a straight-up criminal, then he gained some NobleDemon aspects and a soft spot for Kitty of the X-Men.
361** Gambit is handsome and charming, able to leave people paralyzed via them being DistractedByTheSexy, and a criminal who grew up being used by his adopted father and hunted by the rival gang.
362** Evan Daniels. Scruffy athletic teen rebel with a penchant for trouble, but, even after his secondary mutation, is still not exactly ugly.
363* Johnny 13 of ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'', complete with rebel bike and all. He already has a girlfriend whom he loves despite his flirtatious nature and her constant nagging to keep his eyes focused on her at all times.
364* Many ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' characters fit into this. Starting with Amethyst, who looks stocky and adorable. But really she's very insecure, lonely, and worried about what others will think of her.
365** [[Characters/StevenUniverseStevenQuartzUniverse Steven Quartz Universe]] himself mostly acts adorable but hides insecurity and the loss of his mother.
366** [[Characters/StevenUniversePearl Pearl]]. She gets the mayor's unwanted attention and the interest of a tough woman that looks like Rose. Although she eventually learned to be more independent, she never truly overcame her feelings for Steven's mother.
367** Definently [[Characters/StevenUniverseLapisLazuli Lapis Lazuli]], adorable as an angel, but is a BrokenBird big time.
368** Of the characters who actually do fit the "older teenage male" type common in this trope, there's a few examples, such as Buck Dewey, a cute, brooding teenage boy who often angsts over his father's mayoral position and the pressure it puts on him. He's not antisocial so much as stoic. Lars may count as well; he definitely fits the troubled part with his massive self-worth issues, rude behavior, and bad grades, and Sadie definitely thinks he's cute. However, his meaner behavior is actually shown to drive away others.
369* Lance from ''WesternAnimation/SymBionicTitan''.
370* ''WesternAnimation/{{Kaeloo}}'': Mr. Cat. On one hand, he's portrayed in-universe to be attractive to girls, such as Kaeloo and Pretty. On the other hand, he's a complete psychopath who loves violence and isn't afraid to inflict it.
371* Lena from ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017'' is mostly a nice kid, but is stuck with Magica De Spell as her guardian.
372[[/folder]]

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