Line #52 StepfordSmiler/VisualNovels


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8	* ''VisualNovel/AceAttorney'' has quite a few:
9	** Maya Fey has always had elements of this (it's a given when you're [[DesignatedVictim framed for murder as much as she is]]), but it all comes to a head by the end of the third game, where she's lost most of her family, been trapped in the Inner Temple for days, and [[spoiler: had Misty-possessed-by-Dahlia try to kill her, and watch Godot kill Misty to protect her]]. It's not a good day to be Maya, but she has to keep it together for her eight-year-old cousin Pearl (who's also sad, but is a young child and so doesn't really hide it).
10	** [[ExploitedTrope This was used by]] [[spoiler:Mimi Miney. [[TraumaCongaLine She lost her face during a car accident and her sister Ini died in it. Since the doctors knew not what Mimi's face looked like, they used Ini's driving license thinking it was hers.]] She decided to take over Ini's identity to escape the allegations of malpractice that had ruined her life]].
11	** Kay Faraday, at the very least during case four. [[spoiler:Despite having lost her father, she wanted to follow her promise from her book not to cry in front of strangers.]]
12	** [[spoiler:Regina Berry. Despite her normal [[GenkiGirl cheerful and bubbly attitude]], she seems unhappy at the remembrance of pepper due to her boyfriend's accidental death. And then, after [[TraumaCongaLine the end of case 3]], she has to fake her smile again for all of her circus' colleagues.]]
13	** [[spoiler:Dahlia Hawthorne]], of the [[TheSociopath Unstable]] variant. She puts on an almost saccharinely cute and innocent act complete with butterflies floating around her, but when you start catching her out on her lies, and the lies behind the original lies, you'll find that she's a very bitter person who's only happy when she can make people suffer and doesn't care about others unless they're useful.
14	** Ema Skye at the end of case 1-5. Even after [[spoiler:learning about what happened many years ago and having to say goodbye to her sister, she tries to keep a smile.]]
15	** Mia Fey might very well be one, considering her "a lawyer only cries when it's all over" motto.
16	** [[spoiler:Athena Cykes]] in ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyDualDestinies'', who seems perfectly normal (if not a bit chipper), but is ''extremely'' easy to push into a HeroicBSOD, and when Phoenix inadvertently asks the wrong questions he sees that she has black psyche-locks. [[spoiler: It's because she witnessed her mother's murder as a kid and has TraumaInducedAmnesia about it.]]
17	** An oddly non-creepy example that doesn't fit into any of the categories is Ambassador Colias Palaneo in ''VisualNovel/AceAttorneyInvestigations'', who usually has a wide smile on his face as part of his diplomat persona, but will drop it fairly easily if it's clear the situation (like being questioned about criminal activity in his embassy) calls for seriousness.
18	** [[spoiler:Kristoph Gavin]] is one hell of an Unstable type. He keeps the MaskOfSanity so well that his signature style is being TheStoic and hard to push into the comically over-the-top responses of most witnesses, and to most people he's an impeccable with a good suit and perfect nails. The player finds out he's evil in case 1, but it's in case 4 that you finally pull the right strings and get his composure to break completely, revealing him to be a LaughingMad narcissist with a desperate need to be needed and an utter inability to stand the mere thought of anyone being better than him. Oh, and his hair comes undone too. There's a reason that he's the first person in the series to have black psyche-locks.
19	** [[spoiler:Matt Engarde]], also Unstable. [[spoiler:His mask is that of a doofy ExtremeDoormat who's completely clueless about anything. His real personality is [[ObfuscatingStupidity exactly]] the [[CrazyPrepared opposite]]. He even pulls back his hair to reveal his [[GoodScarsEvilScars scars of villainy]]]].
20	** There's also Diego Armando, [[spoiler:who tells Mia that [[MeaningfulEcho "a lawyer is someone who smiles no matter how bad it gets."]] He only stops after coming very close to death and losing his girlfriend, Mia, who was murdered while he was in a coma.]]
21	** Add [[spoiler:Souta Sarushiro]] to the list of Unstable villains, with a touch of Depression as well. After all, [[spoiler:living most of your life assuming your best friend's deceased father was really your own father and your father was actually your best friend's father and the murderer of the man you though was your father will really mess you up]].
22	** [[spoiler:Acro]] in 2-3. [[spoiler:After accidentally murdering [[ParentalSubstitute Mr. Berry]], he had to hide his pain to evade justice. Only after Phoenix exposed all of his lies, did he broke into tears.]]
23	** [[spoiler:Yanni Yogi]] in 1-4. [[spoiler:After losing his wife and job because of the DL-6 incident, he hid his pain under a goofy and aloof persona. ]]
24	** Klavier could possibly be Depressed, [[spoiler:seeing as he seems fine during the credits, but during the last part of the final trial was anything but.]]
25	** [[DownplayedTrope Both downplayed]] and played straight by Apollo Justice. His "I'M FINE!!" catchphrase is not only used by him to hide his fears, but also to hide his pain and suffering, as shown in ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyDualDestinies''.
26	** Phoenix Wright himself. In Apollo Justice, [[spoiler:after losing his job for a crime he didn't commit, he had to hide his sadness for Trucy's sake; something Vera Misham was able to notice.]] And then, in Videogame/ProfessorLaytonVsAceAttorney, [[spoiler:after Maya's supposed death, he was instructed to swallow his pain by Rouge in order to keep Espella and Luke's morale up.]]
27	* ''VisualNovel/{{CLANNAD}}'':
28	** Tomoya Okazaki is Depressed. The casual behavior might fool the watcher/reader for awhile, but it becomes clear over time that he's basically starting the story in despair.
29	** It's strongly implied that [[spoiler:Nagisa Furukawa's parents]], Akio and Sanae, at least partially fake their OneOfTheKids behaviors. They ''are'' genuinely loving and sweet persons, but they hide their own worries and sad thoughts to keep their DelicateAndSickly daughter happy, in an attempt to make up for having neglected her a lot as a little girl. [[spoiler:It's confirmed in ''After Story'', where Sanae tries to cheer up Tomoya by acting like a ManicPixieDreamGirl, but can't keep up and finally cries and lets herself grieve for the deceased Nagisa.]]
30	* ''VisualNovel/CookingCompanions'': Raspberry serves as a Depressed example, as although her character portrait is always smiling and she is described as "always merry," she is nothing but bitter at both Potato and the main character, not concealing her contemptment at any opportunity. [[spoiler:Having her spirit trapped with her friends and her murderer is a good enough reason.]] She also inverts this trope in the ''Chompette Origins'' side-story: [[spoiler:as Ryna, she has the appearance of an AloofDarkHairedGirl, but she was also warmer and expressed some genuine happiness and affection with her friends while alive]].
31	* ''Franchise/{{Danganronpa}}'':
32	** ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc'':
33	*** [[spoiler:Sayaka Maizono]]. Even though she seems to be a cheerful [[spoiler:IdolSinger]] at first, she soon falls under the pressure of the game's rules, [[spoiler:which led her to attempt to kill Leon ''and'' frame Naegi for the murder.]] And she also has a crippling fear of being forgotten and abandoned [[spoiler:which stems from her workaholic father and always being alone]], which is why she became an idol singer so she get the love and attention she desperately wanted.
34	*** The Unstable [[spoiler:Celestia Ludenberg/Taeko Yasuhiro]]. She seems to be smiling and even accepts that she is locked up in the school forever so easily, but she is [[spoiler:actually lying and she tries to implicate a student for the murders she caused so she can escape from the school, collect the bribe money, and angering her brings out her psychotic side.]] Naegi implies that nearing [[spoiler:her execution,]] she becomes Depressed, meaning that she fakes her smile to show [[spoiler:that she's scared of dying.]]
35	** ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair'': [[spoiler:Nagito Komaeda]] is pretty solidly Unstable, at least until [[spoiler:he starts losing what sanity he has left. His free time events in the game proper and the Dangan Island bonus game hint that this is a combination of an incurable brain disease and an incredible cycle of good and terrible luck that has left him so burnt out on everything that he just wants to die.]]
36	** ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'':
37	*** Prior to Himiko's CharacterDevelopment, she was this as she constantly bottles up her emotions and didn't act extremely sad for the deaths of [[spoiler:Angie and Tenko]] during their trial. It wasn't until Kokichi gives a WhatTheHellHero moment, and [[spoiler:Himiko remembers Tenko's advice that it's not shameful to express them]] where she finally shows TearsOfRemorse.
38	*** [[spoiler:Kokichi Oma]] is a rare reverse unstable StepfordSmiler. [[spoiler:Throughout the game, he ended up stating that he loves the killing game. However, based upon his motive video which shows his organization have a ThouShallNotKill policy and his parting words to Kaito, it is pretty much safe to assume that he hated the killing game to the point where he planned his own death just to end it.]]
39	* ''VisualNovel/DokiDokiLiteratureClub''
40	** Sayori is the [[spoiler:Depressed type]]. At first, she comes off as a stereotypical GenkiGirl - she is cheerful, bright, bubbly, social, energetic and really happy about you joining the club. [[spoiler:However, later in the game, you'll find out that she's been suffering from severe depression her entire life and never told anyone because she feels unworthy of anyone's love and attention. At the end of Act 1, her depression gets so bad that she actually [[DrivenToSuicide commits suicide]]. However, it's implied that at least some of it was affected by [[BigBad Monika]]. In Act 4, she seems to have gotten better; Act 1 establishes that her depression makes it harder for her to get out of bed and prepare for school, which is why she tends to be late, while Act 4 establishes that she has been waking up on time on for a while. This implies that her depression has been alleviated to some degree and that it is easier for Sayori to be genuinely happy.]]
41	** Monika, the president of the club, is always thinking up activities and always ready with a smile and support for everyone. [[spoiler: Really she's tortured and GoneMadFromTheRevelation that she's in a video game, thinks none of the other characters matter because they're not real, and is obsessed with winning the player's affections, which the game won't let happen. The upbeat personality she at first appears to have could be the one she would have had if she had remained an oblivious character without MediumAwareness.]]
42	* Johanna from ''VisualNovel/DoubleHomework'' puts on her biggest smiles whenever she’s upset about something.
43	* Both Yubiseiharukana Tanaka and Sara Matsunaga from ''VisualNovel/{{Ever17}}'' -- the former [[spoiler:has a terminal disease and works at the [=LeMU=] theme park to support her cloned daughter]], while the latter [[spoiler:has been subject to bullying and illegal scientific testing for years, to the point where being trapped in a sinking theme park, away from Leiblich's clutches, is actually ''why'' she's happy]].
44	%% * In ''VisualNovel/EfAFairyTaleOfTheTwo'':
45	%% ** [[spoiler:Yuuko Amamiya displays a particularly disturbing and twisted version of this]].
46	%% ** Another example, while less extreme, would be [[spoiler: Miyako Miyamura, who has her own fair share of troubles brought about by her parents' divorce]].
47	* ''VisualNovel/TheFruitOfGrisaia'': In the Grisaia universe almost all smile hides a painful past and/or a huge load of psychological issues, but two fits the bill particularly well:
48	** [[spoiler:Sachi]]: Despite her rather odd fixation on maids and doing chores, she is generally bright and rarely without a smile. [[spoiler: However that persona is a farce, she almost comletely cut herself off from her original, genuinely cheerful self. She did that while developing a severe case of OCD in order to cope with her equally severe PTSD, caused by witnessing her parents death as a child.]]
49	** [[spoiler:Michiru]]: The class [[ClassClown clown]], the [[ButtMonkey but of all jokes]], the lovable goofball. [[spoiler:Except that personality is an aggressively enforced one, meant to enable her to function within society. It is supposed to hide and repress her more problematic traits: Her social awkwardness, depression and cripplingly low self-esteem.]]
50	* ''VisualNovel/HatofulBoyfriend'':
51	** There is a Depressive mixed with ObfuscatingStupidity in [[spoiler:Yuuya Sakazaki]]. It's part of a mask of general good cheer and unflappability which he wears just about all the time; even he doesn't know just how much is a bluff. [[spoiler:Even when dying]] he says he's fine.
52	** ''Holiday Star'' reveals that [[spoiler:Hitori Uzune as Nanaki Kazuaki]] is full-fledged Unstable.
53	* Tara from ''VisualNovel/HeartOfTheWoods'' is outwardly cheerful, but often does it to hide insecurities, and mentions that she acts cheerful while on camera for her VlogSeries ''Taranormal'' even if she's actually feeling sick or tired. This is especially true in the bad endings. In the one in which [[spoiler:Morgan dies]], Tara tries to reassure her friends that she's all right, [[DontYouDarePityMe since she doesn't want them to pity her]], which only makes things more awkward between her and Madison. In the one in which [[spoiler:Geladura dies, resulting in Madison having to take her place as the Fairy Queen and never see Tara again]], Tara tries to reassure herself that [[spoiler:Madison still has Abigail to keep her company]], but Tara's pain over [[spoiler:losing her best friend]] is obvious to Morgan.
54	* Marina from ''VisualNovel/HighwayBlossoms'' is outwardly cheerful most of the time in the main game, albeit sometimes showing vulnerability, but the Stepford Smiler part of her personality is apparent in the DownloadableContent ''Next Exit''. Despite being rather insecure about the state of her relationship with Amber, particularly Amber treating her like a child, she tries to pretend to be cheerful and act like nothing's wrong, no matter how painful doing so is.
55	* The characters do this in ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'' in the question arcs, and first two answer arcs, to try and hide things.
56	** Rena is also a perfect example of Depressed. [[spoiler:It's all a facade, but she does it to escape from her sadness.]]
57	** [[spoiler:Rika]], too. To all the world she's just a CheerfulChild, because [[spoiler:she's convinced that if she lets anyone know something's wrong they'll just get hurt, and she's given up anyways]]. The reality of her situation is pretty bad, and in private she resorts to [[DrowningMySorrows drinking away her problems]].
58	** In fact almost everyone in the series can be said to be this. They are first shown a a group of cheerful persons, and indeed the first episode looks like it's gonna be Lucky Star 2. Then we find out that [[spoiler:Rika has revived at least a hundred times after being brutally killed, and remembers every single deaths she has been through and have being doing this for at least a 100 years]]; Keiichi, [[spoiler:[[IntelligenceEqualsIsolation was a loner]] who began shooting little girls with a BB gun when he got bored of [[LonersAreFreaks studying]], stopping and admitting his crimes when one of his victims got hurt and have been feeling remorse since then]]; Satoko [[spoiler:killed her parents while under the effect of Hinamizawa Syndrome, and believing that her brother will only return if she is strong, to the point where she refuses help in the arcs where her [[AbusiveParents abusive uncle returns]]]] ; Shion [[spoiler:who lost her beloved Satoshi by Oyashiro-sama's curse and blames the Three Families of Hinamizawa for his disappearance]]; Rena [[spoiler:suffered from her parents' divorce, and on top of that, seeing her mother with another man lead her to viciously wound some of her classmates during a rampage (who was possibly [[AttemptedRape trying to rape her]]) and changed her hame from Reina to Rena in order to leave her past behind]]; [[spoiler:Takano is so twisted by her horrifying past in an OrphanageOfFear that she doesn't even care about how many thousands of people will die to help her become as famous as a [[AGodAmI god]]]]. But outside of that, they're pretty happy and smiling...
59	* [[spoiler:The Maid, a.k.a. Giselle]] from ''VisualNovel/TheHouseInFataMorgana'' is the Depressed type. Her cultured and refined personality is all an act to protect her from the despair of her situation: [[spoiler:after watching Michel, the love of her life, die, she was approached by a witch who offered to [[{{Reincarnation}} “reconstruct” him]] in exchange for Giselle’s servitude. She agreed, becoming an undead thing, and spent centuries waiting for Michel to return… only to watch him (seemingly) reincarnate as a woman, fail to remember her, and fall in love with various men. Over and over again. Between that and the horrible things she was forced to see and do as Morgana’s servant, the Maid has forgotten [[IdentityAmnesia who she originally was]], has forgotten many of the finer details of who Michel was, and is dangerously close to becoming an EmptyShell by the start of the game]]. Even before all of this, [[spoiler:Giselle’s bubbly and cheerful personality was a façade to cope with the fact that she was raped by her employer, Michel’s father; she hoped that if she pretended to be happy hard enough, she would become happy in fact. This personality became a lot more genuine as she got to know Michel and fell in love with him, but then he died saving her life, leading to all of the above.]]
60	* ''VisualNovel/KatawaShoujo'':
61	** Emi Ibarazaki. She is cheery, energetic and happy-go-lucky as they come, but it's really a facade to cover up [[spoiler:the trauma of losing her father in a car accident in which she also lost her legs,]] as well as the fear of losing the people close to her, just like she lost [[spoiler:her father.]]
62	** Shiina "Misha" Mikado is also a cheery and playful girl, but it's becoming clear late in her route that it's a an act [[spoiler:to cover up the {{Gayngst}} and pain of UnrequitedLove after Shizune rejects her confession.]] In the [[WhatCouldHaveBeen beta version]] of Shizune's route this quality was emphasised. In Act 3 it became so noticeable Misha was acting melancholy that Shizune's father Jigoro even noticed it. It came to the point where [[spoiler:Misha would be DrivenToSuicide.]] Lampshaded, in the final product, by Shizune in which she said this when see things differently from Hisao's way of seeing things regarding Misha:
63	-->'''Shizune''': [[spoiler:The Misha you know is different from the one I think of, when I think of the time we first met. Even though I think she looks better cheerful and smiling, that isn't how she typically is.]]
64	* In ''VisualNovel/LittleBusters'', Haruka is Depressed, using her cheerful [[GenkiGirl energetic]] personality to cover up her depression and crippling insecurity. Komari also becomes very creepily Depressed [[spoiler:whenever she encounters something that triggers her memories of her dead brother, causing her to HeroicBSOD. At first she's just depressed, but when she starts repressing her memories by pretending another person nearby is her brother, she starts acting just like everything's normal again -- except for her dead, cold eyes...]]
65	* Rika from ''VisualNovel/MysticMessenger'' is the Depressed type. She was so bright, cheerful, and loving when she was alive that it came as a great shock to all of her friends when she [[DrivenToSuicide committed suicide]]. [[spoiler:She's revealed later on to be actually alive and better fit the Unstable type, suffering from crippling depression and paranoia [[ReluctantPsycho that she tried to keep at bay by helping others in any way she could]] until her mental instability grew so profound that she grew delusional and came to believe that the only way to make ''everyone'' truly happy was to [[BrainWashingForTheGreaterGood form the cult Mint Eye and instruct her followers to follow her as a "savior".]] Additionally, she hits all three types of this trope when she becomes the Empty type after her former lover V dies, smiling all the time but almost completely unable to speak and lost in delusions about V still being with her.]]
66	* ''VisualNovel/{{Nameless}}''
67	** It's hinted throughout various routes, and then made blatantly obvious in Tei's route, that he is Unstable. Tei presents himself as kind, caring, polite and helpful to everyone, because he wants to please every person. In reality, he's snarky, manipulative and hides a creepy desire to 'break' the heroine. [[spoiler:This mostly comes from his DarkAndTroubledPast, having been worshipped and then hated by his previous owner. His route involves Eri helping him get through his problems from that time.]]
68	** Yeonho turns out to be Depressed. He's overall very cheerful and adorable, barely ever letting his smile slip. Underneath, he's hiding huge amounts of insecurity, [[spoiler:after having been abused and abandoned by his previous owner]], forcing him to acclimate himself to his owner and making sure to like what she likes, all in the attempt to please them and being a 'good boy'.
69	* 707/Luciel from ''VisualNovel/MysticMessenger'' is the Depressed type. His status as the [[BunnyEarsLawyer goofy]] {{Troll}} of the RFA messenger who takes nothing seriously conceals [[spoiler:how he's become wary of getting truly close to others because of how he could be made to "disappear" by the secret intelligence agency he works for if he makes a single misstep]]. Even outside of his own route where the hidden, bitter side of him comes out in full force, his smile [[HeroicBSOD breaks]] on every other route when [[spoiler:other people get hurt/endangered as a direct result of his actions and/or he learns that the brother he worked so hard to save is not nearly as safe or happy as he believed he was]].
70	* In ''VisualNovel/AProfile'', Masayuki is implied to be one for a time, but it turns out to be untrue and that he really has simply changed, mostly for the better. [[spoiler:Miou, on the other hand, is pretty emotionally damaged inside.]]
71	* ''{{VisualNovel/Remember11}}'':
72	** [[spoiler:Kali Utsumi]] from is kind, serene and motherly... Or, rather, [[spoiler:she's putting up a façade to hide her sorrow from having her own son killed in a brutal spree killing, while plotting to kill one of the people she's currently taking care of - the mentally diseased girl who killed said son - ''and'' commit suicide in the process]]. Jesus.
73	** [[spoiler:Kali's husband, Seiji Yomogi]], is a laid-back, practical, fatherly man who acts as a soothing voice of reason in times of panic when his fellow survivors are freaking out. [[spoiler:He also happens to have a terrible guilt complex and a lot of repressed anger as a result of losing his child. When he stops being Mayuzumi's doormat and snaps, he ''exiles her to die of hypothermia'', ''strangles Yuni to death'', ''hallucinates that Kokoro is his dead son'' and apparently ''tries to rape her''. '''''[[DissonantSerenity While smiling all the time.]]''''']]
74	* ''VisualNovel/ShallWeDate'' franchise:
75	** ''VisualNovel/ShallWeDateDestinyNinja2'' has [[spoiler:Shiroya]], who is a very cute {{Keet}}...then it's revealed that [[spoiler:he was tormented in his training village, leading him to develop a [[HeroicSafeMode second personality]] where all his negative feelings are stored]].
76	** ''VisualNovel/ShallWeDateWizardessHeart'': [[spoiler:Azusa Kuze]], who acts super, ''super'' sweet and friendly. [[spoiler:Surprise! He's a creepily calm villain (albeit a tragic WellIntentionedExtremist) who isn't above killing the protagonist]].
77	* While Kaoru from ''VisualNovel/SpiritHunterNG'' is a genuinely peppy girl who enjoys being an idol, she also confesses that she ''always'' has to force a smile as part of her persona, and it can put a strain on her sometimes.
78	%% * Of the four main girls in ''VisualNovel/SymphonicRain'', Torta, Fal and [[spoiler:Phorni]] are one of these. Lise would count if she actually smiled too.
79	* Keisuke from ''VisualNovel/TogainuNoChi'', as Akira has observed, tends to hide his true thoughts and feelings with a smile, no matter how obvious it is that he's putting up a front. This comes to a head later on when he congratulates Akira for his first victory in Igra despite being clearly disturbed at the implications behind it, to which Akira loses him temper and [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech calls Keisuke out on it]].
80	* In ''{{VisualNovel/Tsukihime}}'', [[spoiler:the maid Kohaku is this for some [[NightmareFuel very very dark reasons.]]]]. This trope is lampshaded by the main character when, while comparing a NotSoStoic character whose emotions were palpable behind the unflapable exterior with the perpetual smile the spoilered character showed, said something in a vein of "showing only one emotion may be the same as having no real emotions inside".
81	* In ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'', it turns out this is the case with [[spoiler:Shannon of all people. The cute and clumsy {{Meido}} is simply a made-up persona[=/=]ImaginaryFriend of a person known as Sayo Yasuda, who is the one who orchestrates the murders with [[AmbiguousGender their]] other personas Kanon and Beatrice because they couldn't find a solution to being in love with three different people (George, Jessica and Battler) and is also afraid of any of them finding out about injuries that have damaged their sexual organs. Battler's sudden return after six years only adds to his/her madness. However, it also turns out the horrible, cold blooded murders she commits on the gameboard aren't quite what ''really'' happened on Rokkenjima.]] The murderer in the real world is heavily implied (though never outright stated) to be [[spoiler:another StepfordSmiler, Kyrie.]]

Context StepfordSmiler / VisualNovels