[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/KaBlam http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/june_mean_7507.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:She does this all the time.]]

->''"I can tell life from TV, Jeff. TV makes sense, it has structure, logic, rules, and likable leading men. [[ThisIsReality In life, we have this.]] We have you."''
-->-- '''Abed''', ''Series/{{Community}}''

A character (frequently the main one) in a comedy who is a huge {{Jerkass}} (or just a flat-out villain), yet is supposed to be rooted for, despite being pretty much everything a human being shouldn't be... or [[ThisLoserIsYou everything a human being essentially is]].

Because much of comedy is derived from eliciting laughs at another's misfortune, the UCP is often necessary to the comedic formula. If horrible things happened to [[TheWoobie a character that the audience genuinely liked]], the reaction to their plight would be sympathy and angry letters rather than guffaws and chortles. But if the character in question is irredeemable, brought the misfortune on themselves, or just generally seemed like they deserved it, the audience can disconnect from their pain and let loose the belly laughs when the character gets the inevitable pie to the face.

Sometimes the character is presented as the [[OnlySaneMan only moderately sane, intelligent person in a land of fools]]. Alternatively he or she is someone whose loneliness and self-loathing make them, if not likeable, at least pitiable, despite engaging in ComedicSociopathy. Nevertheless, it's not surprising when watchers actually take the "Unsympathetic" side of the character literally, with less than pleasant consequences for the {{fandom}} if they don't shut up about it, so it's not surprising that most try to avoid basing an entire series (at least where big money is involved) on this. This trope is often the difference between laughing ''with'' them and laughing ''at'' them, if there's any laughing at all. Despite all this, there are a few actors who try to make a living out of portraying these characters (e.g. WillFerrell, RickyGervais, Creator/AdamSandler), to extremely mixed results that relies heavily on the actor's ability to be charming (at least to the audience) and not over the top, which usually creates a "love them or hate them" response from the audience.

This seems to be more prevalent in [[BritCom British comedy]] than in US comedies. If it's an ensemble comedy with 4+ main characters, expect one of three things: 1) at least one of them to channel this role to some degree (and don't be surprised if they're also the TokenEvilTeammate); 2) for the role to jump around as the various plots demand; or 3) for some combination of the two.

Compare with JadedWashout, NominalHero, SmallNameBigEgo, HeroicComedicSociopath, and IneffectualSympatheticVillain.

Extreme versions of this trope can be essentially {{Villain Protagonist}}s that are PlayedForLaughs, although some [=UCPs=] can easily [[{{Flanderization}} drift into this area]].

----
!!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]
* Oga from ''Manga/{{Beelzebub}}'' is a notoriously violent good-for-nothing {{delinquent}} who has few redeeming qualities (if any), yet his character is just so over the top and his situation so hilariously weird and unfortunate you can't help but like him a little.
* The eponymous ''Manga/DesertPunk'' is a combination of this and NominalHero.
* Richard Moore/Kogoro Mori on ''Manga/DetectiveConan'' who regularly punches, kicks, and berates Conan. If Conan were a REAL child he would likely turn out to be some sort of severely messed up OmnicidalManiac from the treatment Richard gives him.
** Or from, you know, viewing horrific murders on a daily basis.
* Panty from ''Anime/PantyAndStockingWithGarterbelt'' is like this most of the time, and the other characters have their moments as well.
* Ataru Moroboshi (and quite a bit of the rest of the cast) on ''UruseiYatsura''.
* Keroro in ''KeroroGunsou'' can often be this, with the other Platoon members save Dororo all fitting this trope as well.
* Vegeta from ''{{Dragonball}}''. Even after his HeelFaceTurn, he was still a prick.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Comic Books ]]
* Spider Jerusalem, outlaw journalist, badass, and relentless truth-hunter, of ''{{Transmetropolitan}}''.
-->"[[CatchPhrase Do I look like I give two tugs of a dead dog's cock!?]]"
* ''ComicBook/ReidFlemingWorldsToughestMilkman'': Most of the people who interact with Reid, including almost all of the people on his route, are absolutely terrified of him. The only concessions towards making him sympathetic are: A) he's particularly vile to other jerkasses, like his supervisor, Mr. Crabbe, B) RuleOfCool, C) RuleOfFunny, and D) he's the World's. Toughest. ''Milkman!''
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Fan Fic ]]
* There are a good amount of examples in ''Fanfic/CalvinAndHobbesTheSeries'', but [[ThePrankster Socrates]] stands out the most.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film]]
* All the guys, but especially the news team, in ''{{Anchorman}}''.
* Pierre Brochant in ''TheDinnerGame''. He and his friends organize dinners where they each have to bring one guest. What the guests don't know is that they're invited because they're considered idiots, that everyone is going to make fun of them behind their backs and that the guy who brings the "best" idiot wins. "Il est méchant Monsieur Brochant," ''vraiment''.
* Creator/AdamSandler has personified this trope in a bunch of his early films, until the inevitable PetTheDog moment typically near the end.
** See also JimCarrey.
* All the characters in the 2011 film ''Film/{{Carnage}}'' qualify as this.
* Captain James B. Pirk of ''WebOriginal/StarWreck'' is intentionally the exact opposite of the character he's parodying, [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries James T. Kirk]]. That is, he is a cowardly, loud-mouthed bully who gets incredibly lucky. The writers thought he was too nice in the fifth film of the series (where he actually seemed motivated to save the world besides his own skin) and made sure that he was his own nasty self in the feature film.
* The protagonist of both versions of ''The Heartbreak Kid''.
* Creator/WCFields, in most of his films.
* ''{{Bruno}}'', who is a narcissistic, attention-seeking JerkAss that embodies virtually every negative gay stereotype imaginable.
* Vinnie Antonelli aka Todd Wilkenson, played by SteveMartin in ''MyBlueHeaven''.
* All of the ''TheHangover'' guys to a degree, but Phil ([[MrFanservice Bradley Cooper's]] character) most particularly.
* Britt Reid (SethRogen) in the 2011 film version of ''Film/TheGreenHornet''. He's a thick dunce who cares for no one but himself and doesn't see anything wrong with that. In addition, all of his plans are utterly stupid, and his sidekick is the smarter one. The duo even gets into a fight over it and split up for a while.
* Ethan from ''DueDate''. To clarify he gets Peter kicked off the plane for putting marijuana on him, gets Peter high against his will, randomly accuses Peter's best friend of sleeping with his wife '''to his face''' and it's eventually revealed that [[spoiler: he stole Peter's wallet to force him to come with him across the country]] when Peter's wife is going into labor. The writers attempted to make him sympathetic by giving him dead Daddy issues but...nope still a douche.
* WesAnderson must love these or something.
** TheLifeAquaticWithSteveZissou
** In addition to neglecting his children, Royal Tenenbaum of TheRoyalTenenbaums even fakes cancer to trick his family into getting closer to him.
** {{Rushmore}}
* ''All'' the main characters in ''Film/WithnailAndI''. All despicable people. Even Marwood can't be all innocence and light.
* The four main characters in FourLions because..well, they are suicide jihadi terrorists.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* Mr Bagthorpe of Helen Cresswell's ''Bagthorpe Saga''. No other children's character comes near him for arrogance, misanthropy and sheer awfulness- but he's still hysterically funny.
* From ''TheWindInTheWillows'', we have Toad of Toad Hall, who frequently swings from jerk to noble idealist in the space of as little as two paragraphs. Toad tends to be the focus of most TV & movie adaptations, but Mole is really the protagonist of the original novel. This is at least partially because Toad is seen as a broader, funnier character, while Mole's character arc tends to concern subtler, more wistful things.
* Of similar vintage to the above, BillyBunter. Originally a Unsympathetic Comedy Side-Character, Bunter, a FatBastard constantly on the scrounge for extra tuck, on the prowl for gossip, ready to giggle helplessly at anothers misfortune, bragging of his possibly mythical titled relations, and saying the wrong thing at the worst possible moment, actually became so popular that he took on [[EnsembleDarkHorse title role]] for the series.
* Greg Heffley, the title character in the ''DiaryOfAWimpyKid'' novels. Though he feels victimized by the world and ''is'' suffering at the hands of his obnoxious older brother Rodrick, Greg brings ''a lot'' of his problems on himself; he's always trying to take the easy road out of any difficult situation and lies and cheats to get ahead (though he rarely gets far). As the books consist of his journal entries, it's clear from reading them that he is oblivious to his flaws - and a fair amount of the comedy comes from the reader recognizing that.
* Octave Parango in ''99 Francs'' is a habitually late, drug-abusing, infantile, misogynist, snobby jerk. TheFilmOfTheBook implies that he successfully performs a KarmaHoudini trick by vanishing before the authorities can have a word with him about his rampage in Miami. However, WordOfGod says that he serves jail time before the sequel.
* Georgia Nicolson of ''ConfessionsOfGeorgiaNicolson'', is this to a lesser extent: she's a bratty teenager who hates pretty much everything except for boys (and sometimes even boys), stalks the girlfriend of a boy she likes, gets mad at her friend for going out with a boy she likes (who she wasn't even dating anyway), skips class to hang out with popular girls, and is extremely rude to her caring family. Occasionally gets a PetTheDog moment.
* All of the main characters in the ''{{Clique}}'' series, with the tentative exception of Claire. Rude, bratty, spoiled rotten teenage girldom at it's finest and you'd better believe the author knows this and plays it up. Massie is an especially good example; she once justified her maid cleaning and refurbishing her private clubhouse (for free!) because the maid had to enjoy it, as "why else would she choose cleaning as her profession?"
* Harry Flashman, the "hero" of [[Literature/{{Flashman}} a series of historical novels]] by Creator/GeorgeMacDonaldFraser. Outwardly, Flashman appears to be a stereotypical Victorian hero. But the books, which are told from Flashman's viewpoint, reveal he is an unprincipled coward who prospers through luck and deceit, not to mention opportunism and low cunning.
* Saki's stories usually have unsympathetic protagonists, typified by Clovis Sangrail. He is cruel, unprincipled, sly, and lives for mischief: the archetypal trickster.
* John Self, protagonist of Martin Amis' novel Money, is a drunken, loutish, womanizing boor. He's an advertising executive who creates stupid TV ads that insult the viewers' intelligence. For some reason, you quite like him anyway.
* Literature/AdrianMole has been providing a typical British example of this for years.
* Pretty much everyone in ''DeadSouls''.
* Literature/DonQuixote: The first part of the novel settles Don Quixote characterization as a LordErrorProne: he almost kills the Biscayan at chapter IX and maimed for life the Licentiate at chapter XIX. This makes easier to read the continuous HumiliationConga in practically all the chapters for Don Quixote. MisaimedFandom insisted in seeing him as the much more sympathetic MadDreamer. The second part deconstructs the MadDreamer into a WideEyedIdealist that everyone else mocks mercilessly because HumansAreBastards.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]
* Roseanne of ''{{Roseanne}}''.
-->"Hear that, Dan? All these years people thought I was being a bitch; [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall but I was just showing an opinionated, blue collar outlook!]]"
* Pretty much all the main characters in ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'', with a special mention reserved for George Costanza. Creator/JasonAlexander himself feels that Seinfeld is "a very dark show about very dark people".
** In a bit of LampshadeHanging, in the episode "The Fatigues", Jerry acknowledges that he's not the nicest guy in the world:
--->'''Abby''': I need someone I can trust.\\
'''Jerry''' ''(disappointedly)'': Oh.
** Also lampshaded, of course, in the final episode, when they're actually put on trial for their selfishness.
** TruthInTelevision, since Alexander based his portrayal of George Costanza on Creator/LarryDavid, ''Seinfeld's'' head writer at the time. Interestingly, he thought the character was based on Woody Allen until one day, after reading a certain episode's script, Alexander told David he didn't understand the situation detailed in it since "not only could this never happen, but no human being would react like this". David responded that it happened to ''him'' and ''this'' was the way he reacted. From that point on, Alexander understood just who Costanza was meant to be.
* After Seinfeld ended, Larry David made ''CurbYourEnthusiasm'', where he stars AsHimself, and is portrayed as [[strike:maybe]] even a bigger jerk than George.
* GOB, Lucille, Lindsay, and others in ''Series/ArrestedDevelopment''.
** Near miss for Michael, since he is the OnlySaneMan in a land of fools and tries to save his family from financial and legislative ruin. He is more of a [[HypocriticalHumor hypocrite]] than a JerkAss though. He keeps trying to do the right thing, but usually ends up have to do something wrong because of the position the rest of his family puts him in.
* Larry Sanders and his sidekick, Hank Kingsley in ''The Larry Sanders Show''.
* RickyGervais' most recognized characters, David Brent in ''TheOffice'' and Andy Millman in ''{{Extras}}''.
** Series creators Gervais and Merchant claim that Brent is not a horrible person, despite the things he does in the show; he's just an idiot, a fallible human being who is star-struck by the {{Mockumentary}} film crew, which drives him to act the way he does to get attention. By the end of the second series his true colours are shown and he is much more sympathetic, [[spoiler:no more so than when he breaks down when he is about to be made redundant and practically begs for his job back]]. WordOfGod also says that the character of [[JerkAss Chris Finch]] was introduced so Brent would appear less of a wanker by comparison.
*** Brent's 'Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonist' status was also [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] and explored in ''TheOffice'' Christmas Specials as being at least partially a consequence of the {{Mockumentary}} format of the show; he bitterly notes how the documentary crew 'stitched him up' in order to make him look bad, arguing that they overlooked or downplayed his achievements and benevolent qualities and presented an uneven focus on his incompetence and stage-hungry nature in order to present him in the worst possible light for the sake of ratings. That same episode also ultimately showed Brent in a more positive light -- hinting that he was actually quite a talented salesman (if not actually management material), showing him manage to charm a woman and actually managing make the staff laugh in genuine good humour at one of his impressions -- almost as if the fictional documentary makers were trying to make it up to him.
** It's also debatable whether 'to a lesser extent' applies to Millman, as that character is certainly not without his dickish and unlikeable qualities. In fact, Millman is in many ways arguably worse than Brent; Brent is often insulting or offensive entirely by accident or through poor communication, whereas Millman, as the creators have noted, is saddled with a self-awareness that at times turns otherwise-ignorant actions into intentional cruelty.
** Michael Scott from the TransatlanticEquivalent of ''TheOffice'' can come off as this depending on the episode. Although Michael is portrayed as more of a genuine ManChild who just wants to be liked and doesn't always fully understand the consequences of his actions despite his best intentions.
** When Andy took over Michael's job, he was originally clueless but lovable. However, in the final season, the writers decided to turn him into such a Michael/David clone that he's now displaying JerkAss behavior and even shows genuine disdain for coworkers Nellie and, all of a sudden, Toby (Get it? Because Michael hated him too).
* Basil Fawlty on ''FawltyTowers''. Interestingly, Basil is based on a real person, whom his wife said was nothing like what was portrayed on the show, until a bunch of previous guests wrote the media saying "Oh yes he was!"
** Donald Sinclair, the proto-Fawlty, was apparently aware of Fawlty and not at all happy about it. Try and imagine Fawlty's reaction to finding out a TV show had been made lampooning him. Try really, really hard not to laugh.
* Bernard Black in ''BlackBooks'': misanthrope, alcoholic, hates his customers who takes Manny for granted. Extremely unsympathetic. [[spoiler:At least until the last episode.]]
** It should be noted that are numerous hints throughout the series that Bernard was not always the way he his now. When his traditionally dark clothes are actually washed, they're white.
** The other characters aren't much better: Manny is a hopelessly incompetent ManChild, while Fran is just as much of a workshy drunk as Bernard.
* All the main characters from ''{{Frontline}}'' except for Emma.
* Bill Bittinger (Dabney Coleman) in ''Buffalo Bill.''
* Steve Coogan's ''[[Series/ImAlanPartridge Alan Partridge]]'' persona. Egomaniacal (despite no observable talent), treats everyone around him with utter contempt whilst expecting complete loyalty in return, given to constant hideous faux pas, ignorant, clearly doesn't care about anyone but himself and anything but his career, and bigoted in every conceivable way. Not content with merely talking down to and humiliating his guests on KnowingMeKnowingYouWithAlanPartridge, he even kills one of them live on air.
** Later Partridge media plays with this in an interesting way. In his in-universe autobiography ''I, Partridge: We Need to Talk About Alan'' he massively plays up tiny unpleasant incidents in his childhood such as his parents having a very mild argument about VAT receipts or being told to clear out the garage on a sunny day into severely traumatic experiences - and being Alan, he goes out of his way to specify that he's not exaggerating anything because his publishers thought his childhood might be boring - and later in his life recounts his "Toblerone addiction" as if it's heroin addiction. However, life events that are genuinely unpleasant like living in a Travel Tavern for six months after his wife left him and his children have no interest in him, and to a lesser extent the resultant nervous breakdown, are if anything played down and given a positive spin. Of course, still being Alan, he annihilates any potential sympathy it might create in the reader by remaining a generally loathsome human being throughout: for instance, recounting how his assistant Lynn helped him get back on his feet after his breakdown to the point of offering to help him shower, he marvels at how much time she dedicated to him and thought she must not be getting any actual work done, and thus knocked her temporarily down to a part-time wage when he already pays her a pittance.
** Made especially funny because the show will occasionally give us a reason to sympathize with him or at least feel sorry for him...and then he'll do something even more ridiculous and/or awful
* Pretty much everyone on ''{{Becker}}''.
* Archie Bunker from ''AllInTheFamily,'' and Sacha Baron Cohen's character Borat Sagdiyev stand as extreme examples, where many of the jokes derive from their extreme ignorance or outright bigotry. A dangerous device, if any bigots in the audience [[MisaimedFandom fail to get the joke]].
** Well the comedy in Borat is derived entirely from idiotic and bigoted people failing to get the joke...he pretends to be a bigot and so shows up and humiliates the real bigots out there. The best example is probably "Throw the Jew down the well"...where he gets an entire bar of rednecks cheerfully singing along to a song about...well, throwing a jew down a well.
** As any Brit or Aussie can tell you, the original model for the above characters was Alf Garnett of ''Till Death Us Do Part''; a right 'orrible little man, but for some reason, sympathetic (sometimes, anyway). (The US show ''All in the Family'' and its equivalent character Archie Bunker were directly inspired by him.)
** Archie Bunker, for what it's worth, is more sympathetic than he first appears; he often seems more ignorant than ill-intentioned, and in certain episodes, it's heavily implied that he's more a product of his environment than anything, and, while misguided, he seems to be a generally good person.
** For this, you don't have to look any farther than his speech at the end of the Klan episode.
** Don't forget Archie's black counterpart, [[TheJeffersons George Jefferson]].
* ''SteptoeAndSon'' and its American remake ''SanfordAndSon''.
** Personally I think Albert Steptoe was the nasty one and Harold Steptoe was actually a good guy. All Harold wanted to do was move up from the grog heap of his life into something better. But his father did everything he could to prevent Harold, his son, improving himself—especially if it means him leaving home. Albert was also lazy, stubborn, narrow-minded, foul-mouthed, and had revolting personal habits.
* ''PeepShow'' -- between Jeremy eating a girl's dog in an attempt to have sex with her and Mark attempting to get out of his wedding by hiding in the church balcony both of these guys are about as unsympathetic as it gets.
** Its not just them either. Pretty much every character on the show gets a moment that makes you wonder how no one has killed them.
** However, the "point of view" nature of the show prevents this trope from applying completely. Mark's underdog nature and, to a lesser extent, Jeremy's equally present insecurities, allow the audience to often sympathise with them even when they're doing horrible things to each other and everybody else. Take the moment where Mark has a breakdown about the boiler after receiving the most devastating news in his life, or the "minimal water damage" scene.
* Gareth Blackstock on ''Chef!''
* ''Every single character'' on ''ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia''. All of them.
* Baber in ''Series/LittleMosqueOnThePrairie'' who may be a retired economics professor, but he's still unapologetically the Islamic version of Archie Bunker.
** Actually most-if not all-of the cast have pretty sketchy morals at times. Fortunately, the sketchy moments are divided more or less evenly between the Christian and Muslim characters.
* Peter Dragon in ''Action''.
* Eddie and Patsy in ''Series/AbsolutelyFabulous''
* Howard Moon and Vince Noir of ''TheMightyBoosh''. Howard is a prickly, asocial, know-it-all; Vince is vain, shallow, and flighty. Howard is the more sympathetic of the two, being the ButtMonkey of the show.
* Most of the cast of ''TwoAndAHalfMen''.
* This is the entire point of ''We Can Be Heroes'' and ''Summer Heights High''.
* The entire point of ''StrangersWithCandy''.
* All main characters in ''TheYoungOnes'' (except perhaps Neil, sometimes). According to DVD commentary for the pilot, when it was shown to American networks the writers were asked which of the characters was supposed to be the "hero" the audience sympathizes with, and had to explain that none of them really were and that that was sort of the point.
** Not to mention the Balowski family. But Vyvyan was a particularly good example of this, arguably one of the most likable ''"complete bastards"'' in the history of British comedy, precisely because he was a totally unpredictable ''bastard''.
** ''{{Bottom}}''
** For that matter, [[TheYoungOnes every]] [[FilthyRichAndCatflap single]] [[Series/TheNewStatesman character]] ever played by Rik Mayall. Including ''himself'' in his not-entirely-serious ego-trip of an autobiography, ''Bigger Than Hitler, Better Than Christ''.
* Every character save for one and ''maybe'' two from ''Unhitched'' is a horrible, horrible excuse for a human being.
* Victor Meldrew from ''OneFootInTheGrave''. Though he does fall in the "at least pitiable" category sometimes, after all he does end up in [[WeirdnessMagnet the oddest predicaments]] which does go some way explain his eternal grumpiness.
* SarahSilverman of ''TheSarahSilvermanProgram''.
* Grace from ''WillAndGrace''. Just barely has enough morals to not be a {{Jerkass}}, but still [[MinorFlawMajorBreakup broke up with someone for having an extra toe]], admitted that it was because she was shallow, then ''asked for sympathy''.
* The title character from ''FatherTed''. "JUST PLAY THE F***ING NOTE!" It's his interaction with Father Jack and Father Dougal that really bring it out of him, as he's portrayed as fairly normal - although still a bit of jerk - when he doesn't have to deal with them.
** He also stole money meant for sick children, which is how he wound up banished to Craggy Island. Although as he's always quick to claim the money was "just resting in his account".
* Barney from ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'' manages to be the most popular character on the show, despite being a CorruptCorporateExecutive, misogynistic womanizer, and a borderline sociopath in general. For most viewers, he avoids becoming truly unlikable partly because he ''does'' have a sensitive, caring side (even if it only comes up once or twice a season), and partly because he uses and manipulates people with so much style that he enters MagnificentBastard territory.
* Rimmer from ''Series/RedDwarf''. To a lesser extent, the rest of the cast.
** Lister, despite being a slob and not that bright is a pretty sympathetic character. And Rimmer for all his faults has PetTheDog moments now and then. The best example is the Cat...shallow, self interested, vain and selfish. And we wouldn't want him any other way
** He's shallow, self interested, vain and selfish...with a great ass!!!
* Needless to say, the [[AdolfHitler main character]] of the OneEpisodeWonder ''Series/HeilHoneyImHome''.
* Jack Benny's eponymous character, on his [[TheJackBennyProgram TV and radio series]].
** Though every once in a while (such as the "It's Jack's birthday!" episodes) the rest of the cast would acknowledge that Jack was a particularly harmless, even endearing example of this type. Then things would go back to normal by the next show.
*** Jack was always pretty benign in his show, being portrayed as much more [[TedBaxter self-absorbed]] and [[TheScrooge stingy]] as opposed to out-and-out malicious, and his character rarely strayed into JerkAss territory. In RealLife, Jack Benny could not have been any farther from his on-air persona -- apparently he was very much a man who'd give you the shirt off his back if he thought you needed it.
* Jackie Thomas in ''The Jackie Thomas Show''.
* Rick Spleen in ''Lead Balloon'' is another case where the character arguably worsened over time, with him being slightly sympathetic in season one and then doing a massive KickTheDog at the beginning of season two. However, in season two there was also an episode that focused on him doing a good deed by supporting a charity with no evident ulterior motive...and it still [[KafkaKomedy blew up in his face]].
** Given how he can't even save a man from committing suicide without it all going wrong its no wonder he's such a misanthropic guy. Life just hates poor Rick so he's obviously decided to hate it right back
* Lee and Tim in ''Not Going Out'' decay into this in some episodes of the third season.
* Rigsby in ''RisingDamp''.
* Samantha "Sam" Puckett in ''Series/ICarly'' is part of a ThreeAmigos group rather than being ''the'' main protagonist, but one wonders why the other two would still have anything to do with her. Freddie especially-it's a small miracle that nothing she's done to him has resulted in a permanently disabling injury.
* ''Everyone'' in ''TheThickOfIt''. The most sympathetic character is a complete [[MagnificentBastard bastard]], which says a lot about the rest of them.
* Shawn in ''{{Psych}}'' often butts up against this with his self-centered man-child shtick.
* Hollywood superagent Ari Gold from ''{{Entourage}}'', and he hasn't got better after six seasons. The other cast members have their moments as well.
* The three main characters from ''NathanBarley'', particularly the eponymous Nathan, who WordOfGod described as a "strutting, meaningless cadaver-in-waiting" who "genuinely deserves to die".
** Some measure of the writer's feelings towards Barley can be gleaned from its origin, a fictional program on Charlie Brooker's ''TV Times''-parody website TVGoHome, simply named ''Cunt''.
* The horrible, horrible Lynda Day of PressGang, who blackmails her bosses and employees alike, steals her ex-boyfriend's passport, attempts to push her childhood best friend out of a window... and still keeps the audience on her side.
* Christine Campbell on ''The New Adventures of Old Christine.'' She's obnoxiously neurotic, clingy, dishonest, desperate, meddling, a [[MyBelovedSmother helicopter parent]], shallow and a borderline alcoholic. And those are her more charming qualities.
* Sgt. Bilko of ''ThePhilSilversShow'' is an early example from American TV.
* Almost everyone in the main cast of SlingsAndArrows, especially in the first season. Richard Smith-Jones is probably the most egregious example.
* Al Bundy of ''MarriedWithChildren''. All of the Bundys could qualify, but none of them are as callous and uncaring as Al.
* Nearly every main character in TheLeagueOfGentlemen plays this trope UpToEleven.
* ''Series/{{Community}}'' has Jeff, who, while not a complete jerk, definitively leans towards the {{Jerkass}} side of DeadpanSnarker.
** For total jerkitude, look to Pierce.
* ''EverybodyLovesRaymond'' has this in spades, with the entire cast being this way, but especially with Ray and Debra. Ray is portrayed as lazy, whiny, and a selfish MommasBoy. Debra is portrayed as a shrieking harpy.
* Carrie Bradshaw (and, to a point, the other ladies) of SexAndTheCity. Self-absorbed: check. Shallow: check. Materialistic: check. Immature: check. Was there anything redeemable?
* Despite being a drug dealer, Nancy from ''{{Weeds}}'' was for the most part still a fundamentally good person and quite sympathetic in the early seasons. This largely changed from Season 4 onward. And her accountant Doug was a horrible person from the start.
** It's easier to just say that this goes for nearly every hour-long dramedy on nearly every network. Considering that most of them boil down to successful, self-centered people boinking and backstabbing one another, it's sort of the default protagonist type.
* Roy from ''Series/{{The IT Crowd}}''. He does so much to get out of his job unless the person who's asking him is a hot chick, has slapped a police officer for ruining a twist in a film, has told Moss all of his inventions are worthless, tried stealing 20 pounds from his knocked out boss (who was faking, but he didn't know that) and tried sabotaging Jen's speech for kicks.
** Then again, the people he works for are idiots who can't seem to work out the most simple functions of computers while still mostly treating him as a dogsbody because he can, the police officer was throwing the book at him and Moss for copyright violation but didn't seem interested in the fact that the person they were with was a ''cannibal'', the 20 pounds actually was ''his'' in the first place and he tried to sabotage Jen's speech because Jen had become utterly DrunkWithPower after being nominated for an award (largely on the backs of Roy and Moss) and was due for a bit of ego-puncturing. He's not the only jerk around.
** And tricking Jen into thinking that 'googling Google' would break the internet was pretty awesome.
* Hyacinth from ''KeepingUpAppearances''. Big time. Although her relatives are supposed to be completely pathetic slobs, they come off as quite admirable when contrasted with Hyacinth. This isn't an accident.
* AntiHero Alex Russo from ''WizardsOfWaverlyPlace'' is lazy, irresponsible, selfish, openly mocks authority, and treats her best friend like a servant. People that still think Disney heroines are all [[WideEyedIdealist sugar and spice and everything nice]] are way behind the times.
* MrBean is so self-centred, he is usually unconcerned about the harm his off-the-wall methods of solving mundane problems do to others. A lot of the show's humour comes from his ability to [[KarmaHoudini slip out of situations where anyone would want to punch him]].
** He gets little better in the cartoon series, but still qualifies as this trope.
* Edmund {{Blackadder}}.
-->Blackadder, Blackadder – his life was almost done!
-->Blackadder, Blackadder – who gives a toss? No one!
* Kim from ''KathAndKim''. She's bratty, whiny, irresponsible, self-centered and treats everybody around her like crap. She's just a horrible, horrible person.
* Valerie Cherish of the short-lived HBO series ''The Comeback'' is a deeply vain, insecure, and self-absorbed D-list actress who desperately wants fame at any cost. She occasionally ventures into TheWoobie (or TheChewToy depending on your perspective), though, because as bad as she can get she constantly has to deal with people and situations that are even ''worse.''
* Jill Tyrell from Nighty Night. She is a Narcissistic, selfish, devious, manipulative, passive-aggressive and violent. She is without guilt or morals and will do anything to get what she wants, even killing people.
* Jonty de Wolfe from Campus. He starts off from the first episode by calling Stephen Hawking a spastic and throughout the rest is thoroughly bigoted, rude and offensive.
* Tony Hancock from Hancock's Half Hour. In that show Hancock was playing a twisted version of himself. He is pompous, rude to pretty much everyone around him, venal, self-centred and a really nasty piece of work. In the episode "The Cruise" a woman is trying to come on to him and all he can do is be obscenely rude at her.
* Vince Clark from 15 Storeys High. His flatmate Errol is kind, considerate, thoughtful whereas Clark is a misanthropic, cynical, borderline sociopath and Social Recluse. Some of the things he has done to Errol include: Gluing his hands to a fish tank, not allowing him to eat chicken or bring people over to his flat, not helping him get out of a room full of cactuses, and slicing his trainers in half and putting them on a ledge knowing full well that Errol suffers from Vertigo and thus will be unable to get them back.
* The cast of the British puppet series ''{{Mongrels}}'' except (sometimes) for [[CampStraight Nelson]], though especially Vince.
* ''MrD'''s title character. In the anti-bullying episode he shows himself to be the worst bully in the school.
* In ''Series/AfterLately'', it's almost everyone, but Chelsea in particular.
* The title character of ''DocMartin''.
* Liz Lemon of ''Series/ThirtyRock'' is portrayed as a lovable nerd, but she is constantly doing evil things played for laughs. She frequently lies and manipulates to get a man, tried to split up a couple so she could adopt their baby, heroically refused a flu shot since they weren't available for everyone only to get one in secret, and went to her high school reunion to meet the classmates she used to bully and then bullied them all over again.
* With the possible exception of Taco, pretty much everyone on TheLeague is like this from time to time, with Ruxin probably being the least sympathetic.
* ''Series/{{Veep}}'' gives us Vice President Selina Meyer. She treats all her subordinates like worthless {{Mooks}}, is hopelessly out-of-touch with her daughter, and is completly uncaring about anyone's interests but her own. She acts like Gary is an indentured servant, though he seems [[HappinessinSlavery all too willing to perform this function]] and even uses him to break up with ''her'' boyfriend when she cannot. It's a testamant to Julia Louis-Dreyfus that she comes off as sympathetic the handful of times that she does.
* [[InsufferableGenius Shel]][[ItsAllAboutMe don]] [[SpoiledBrat Coop]][[ControlFreak er]] of ''TheBigBangTheory''. The other main characters can be this DependingOnTheWriter.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Newspaper Comics ]]
* Rat in ''PearlsBeforeSwine'', as contrasted with Pig, the strip's resident {{Pollyanna}}
* Jason Fox in ''FoxTrot''. Of course, he also gets plenty of PetTheDog moments.
* Bucky Katt in ''GetFuzzy''.
* Duke in ''{{Doonesbury}}''.
* Steve Dallas in ''BloomCounty'' and its spinoffs.
* {{Garfield}}. JerkAss, Type V AntiHero, and considered one of America's greatest cartoon characters.
* Calvin from ''CalvinAndHobbes''. He does get his sweet moments, but most of the time he's just being a delinquent.
* All three main characters from ''TheBoondocks'' in their own ways. Much more played up in the animated adaptation.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Radio]]
* Charles Prentiss in ''Radio/AbsolutePower''. According to StephenFry "There's not much to say that's nice about him, except that there is some pleasure in watching a natural born killer at work and knowing whatever happens he will win."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theater]]
* Shakespeare's character Falstaff from ''HenryIV'', his most popular and beloved by far. How popular? The play had two sequels and a spinoff starring Falstaff, called "The Merry Wives Of Windsor," reputed to be commissioned by Queen Elizabeth herself.
* Of a sort: Mr Punch of the traditional puppet show PunchAndJudy is a thoroughly vile fellow given to outrageous acts of villainy. He beats his wife and mistreats their child. He solves all his problems by repeated application of a big stick: he is convinced that's the way to do it, and says so frequently. He violently resists any attempt by any form of authority to bring him to justice or impose any kind of richly deserved punishment - whether that authority be the local policeman, or the devil himself. Throughout all this the audience watching cheers and laughs.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]
* Travis Touchdown, the protagonist from ''NoMoreHeroes''. A [[HeroicComedicSociopath sociopathic]] ByronicHero who kills people largely for fun while generally being a repugnant asshole, his character flaws are ''so'' pronounced that he ends up [[CrossesTheLineTwice becoming hilarious]].
*** His screwed-upness is perfectly summed up in a single quote from Desperate Struggle: "Everybody deals with grief differently, right? Some people fuck at funerals. I cut off heads".
** At least at first. He has a few redeeming qualities by the end of the game. A ''few''.
*** Even more by the end of ''Desperate Struggle'', [[spoiler:when he realizes how many lives the UAA has destroyed, and decides he has had enough with the assassination scene, instead vowing to destroy the UAA because of this]].
* Wario in both the ''VideoGame/WarioLand'' and ''VideoGame/WarioWare'' games.
* In ''SengokuRance'' Rance himself qualifies for this trope. Anything he does is out of amusement for us audiences. [[spoiler: Except for the part where Sill gets frozen.]]
* In ''VideoGame/SimonTheSorcerer'' the player character is a little bland but generally sympathetic. This all changes by the second game when he acts like a sexist, mean-spirited, stubborn, self-loathing, whiny, sadistic jerk to everyone he meets. Many of the game's puzzles require Simon to screw over the game's other characters in order to get his own way. This continues in the third game where, when tasked with assembling four specific characters, he discovers that three of them are people that he has variously killed, crippled and turned into a frog in his adventures up to that point. The fourth he simply leered at whilst making near-constant remarks about her large chest and [[ChainmailBikini revealing outfit]]. It helps that Simon gets dumped on almost as often as he messes with everyone else, preventing him from becoming a monster and generally leading to hillarity. Bonus points for the fact that in the first game, he is voiced by Chris Barrie, who played the similar character Rimmer in the Red Dwarf example above.
* Vincent, the protagonist of ''VideoGame/{{Catherine}}''. An unassuming, unambitious 30-something [[MostWritersAreWriters video-game designer]] caught between his pushy girlfriend Katherine and young fling [[spoiler:(read: succubus)]] Catherine, or in the words of Creator/BenCroshaw, "a complete fucking tool who keeps digging himself deeper with every word that comes out of his fucking mouth".
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Web Animation ]]
* Strong Bad of ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner''.
** Homestar himself could be considered this as well, seeing how his general cluelessness has often drifted into to {{Jerkass}} territory
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Web Comics ]]
* Many, many, '''''[[SeenItAMillionTimes many]]''''' webcomic authors settle for making their main character an Unsympathetic {{Jerkass}} DeadpanSnarker, to the point it's becoming one of the internet's [[UndeadHorseTrope most widespread and recognizable clichés]].
* ''SomethingPositive'' averts this trope in regards to Davan. He has enough humanizing moments to keep him sympathetic, misanthropic bastard that he is. Aubrey and Pee-Jee invoke an awful lot ComedicSociopathy, beating up friend or even strangers for kicks in the early years, but both have plenty of moments in which they show themselves to be kind and sympathetic. Peejee in particular, ''gives Jhim $1,000'' so that he can move away from Boston and be happy, despite the fact that [[spoiler: she has a major crush on him and is shown crying after he leaves]]. She also friggin' ''moves to Texas'' just to help and support Davan [[spoiler: who must go home to take care of his father Fred, who has developed Alzheimer]]'s, and her continual kindness is pretty much the sole reason for Mike's HeelFaceTurn, even though he insulted her repeatedly and never believed that she was just trying to help him before she finally got fed up gave him a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech, which caused said [[CharacterDevelopment Heel Face Turn]]. Aubrey is less prolific in her good deeds, but she still finds time to worry about Davan and specifically try to make him happy, to the point of sending Nerdrotica girls on a flight to Texas in order to make Davan look impressive at his high school reunion, since she knew full well he would be miserable at it. She is also [[spoiler: a loving wife to Jason, and chooses to adopt a baby, citing that she could give an orphaned child a home, rather than have a new child]].
* Ethan from ''CtrlAltDel''. Seriously, could you stand being around such a PsychopathicManchild for more than a few seconds?
** Lucas has his moments too, especially where relationships are involved.
* Polkster from PolkOut
* All four of the Light Warriors in ''Webcomic/EightBitTheater'' are very much this. Or at least they should be, as many fans ''do'' sympathize with the OmnicidalManiac Black Mage. It helps that [[CrapsackWorld the rest of the world is just as unsympathetic]], save for exceptions like Onion Kid (who becomes as much of a jerk as others when he growns up) and White Mage.
** Well, he's just too [[ButtMonkey pathetic and unlucky]] to dislike properly.
** How can you not love Red Mage and his crazy antics?
* All four main characters of ''ExterminatusNow'' (a [[{{Jerkass}} jerk]], an [[TooDumbToLive idiot]], a [[AxCrazy sociopath]], and a [[TedBaxter egotist]] respectively).
* The main character of ''{{Concerned}}''. He's well meaning, but he's such an [[TooDumbToLive idiot]] he causes pain to many people.
* Belkar Bitterleaf of ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' is an excellent example. He's outright ''evil'', a murderous sociopath with no redeeming qualities. He still remains hilarious to read for two main reasons. First, his teammates (who are actual heroes) have learned how to use him like a weapon; they point him in the direction of their good intentions and let him off the leash, because Belkar doesn't care who he's killing so long as he's killing ''somebody''. Secondly, because he's the guy who doesn't care about anyone or anything, he's in position to get a lot of the funniest jokes.
** It's even Lampshaded when Belkar under the influence of the [[RestrainingBolt Mark of Justice]] and it's curse. Lord Shojo appears to him and basically tells him that if he keeps going like this he is heading into Scrappy territory and that the only cure is CharacterDevelopment or at least to fake it.
* Peter from ''Webcomic/BirthdayGift'', and similarly, Roy from ''Webcomic/ConfiscatedTwins''.
* Rayne from ''LeastICouldDo'', in spades. The character is incredibly rude, selfish and arrogant, yet is held up to be the object of admiration for men and a sex god for women. The typical storyline is 90% Rayne trying to bed hot girls, live out his GaryStu fantasies, and/or insulting his friends, and 10% him "being awesome", which usually involves getting the cast out of sticky situations that he got them into in the first place. While he does have some redeeming traits (like unconditional love for his niece Ashley) these only tend to crop up in AuthorsSavingThrow moments just when the audience is wondering why nobody's shot the asshole yet.
* Black Hat Guy in ''Webcomic/{{xkcd}}'' who is a complete sociopath fond of DisproportionateRetribution.
* ''SweetBroAndHellaJeff'': Both of the eponymous characters establish themselves as this ''very'' quickly. Hell, pretty much every character present leans into this (except maybe [[LivingProp Geromy]]).
* All three of the [[ComedicSociopathy slightly sociopathic]] main characters of TwoGuysAndGuy.
* Hazel Tellington of ''GirlsWithSlingshots'' varies from DeadpanSnarker to JerkWithAHeartOfGold to JerkSue to this, depending on the story line. Although some of the setbacks she encounters, such as losing a great job, are not her fault, most of the problems in her life result from her immaturity, irresponsibility, and constant drunkenness. Occasionally lampshaded in the comic by different characters, mainly her friend/former boss Clarice, and boyfriend Zach.
* Graham, the 'hero' of ''Webcomic/WizardSchool'', is a misandrist JerkAss whose main occupations are sex, alcohol, and sarcasm. Justified, since he was deliberately chosen by the BigBad to be as useless a [[TheChosenOne "chosen one"]] as possible.
* In ''Webcomic/CommanderKitty'', [[http://www.commanderkitty.com/2009/02/08/and-now-our-story/ CK establishes himself as]] [[http://www.commanderkitty.com/2009/02/22/whatwhawhat/ this early on.]] [[CharacterDevelopment He grows out of it later, though.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* All the characters in ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'', especially Church.
** And Doc might be an exception. Well, [[SharingABody he's halfway in this trope]].
** It's telling that by the time Church lightens up [[spoiler: through Epsilon]] the show has gotten much darker.
* White Whine is this, in a meta sense, for its posters. FMyLife is probably more KafkaKomedy.
* Tom from ''WebVideo/EchoChamber'' is a total ass to everyone, especially Zack.
* Donnie Hoyle in ''YouSuckAtPhotoshop''. Occasionally goes into KafkaKomedy mode, but it's mostly Donnie's [[FreudianExcuse mental issues]] and [[{{Jerkass}} awful personality]] which lead to his bad luck.
* ''WebVideo/PittsburghDad'', a constant complainer and malcontent, is constantly giving his wife and kids a hard time for various annoyances. Even his favorite activity ([[SeriousBusiness watching the Steelers play]]) is rife with criticism.
* Jobe Wilkins of the WhateleyUniverse. The Jobe stories are hilarious, and all from Jobe's point of view, but there's no mistaking he's an obnoxious jerk even for a sociopathic MadScientist.
* DougWalker originally intended WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic to be this, however, he actually became a lot more sympathetic as the series progressed, falling more into JerkassWoobie territory. And the things he did in the Scooby-Doo review and ToBoldlyFlee show that he had actually drifted far away from this trope, which is even discussed [[spoiler: between creator and character]] in the latter.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* Peter Griffin on ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy''. He constantly undermines his wife (who herself isn't to fine and dandy of a character either), scolds Chris when he finds out he has a larger penis than him, [[ButtMonkey constantly bullies and mistreats his own daughter]], and has apparently put all of his kids in a coma while hiding it from his wife and not taking them to a hospital.
** Possibly Quagmire too. Actually, there isn't a single member of the main cast who hasn't been [[{{Flanderization}} Flanderized]] into being a Jerkass.
* Stan Smith from ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'', which is actually subtly [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructed]]. If you pay attention, Stan's recurring fear [[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes (other than seagulls)]] is if his friends and family still actually love him or not.
** [[TheScrappy Roger]]. In one early episode, it's revealed that because of his alien physiology, he ''has'' to treat people like crap. Acting nice would literally kill him.
* The entire cast of ''WesternAnimation/DrawnTogether''. Running down the main character list, we have:
** Captain Hero, the narcissistic superhero who rapes dead bodies and uses teenage girls as a shield against bullets, despite being impervious to them.
** Foxxy Love, who, despite being the [[NormalPeople most normal]], is still a total black slut who can't even turn down All Roker.
*** She even has a grandchild, despite being in her mid twenties.
** Xander, a video game character who isn't really a bad guy, just an extremely offensive gay stereotype.
** Wooldoor Sockbat, an insane Spongebob-esque cartoon character who has done MANY unforgivable things over the course of the series.
** Spanky Ham, a internet porn pig who regularly bullies Wooldoor, kills animals, enslaves immigrants, and escapes all punishment with flatulence.
** Princess Clara, a girl who starts off as an oblivious racist and homophobic Disney princess, and gradually grows worse over time.
** Toot, who, after being unable to become the sex symbol of the house due to changing standards of beauty, decides to become "the bitch".
** Ling Ling, a psychotic pokemon who killed/mercilessly attacked his master and uses skulls as sex toys.
* Homer and Bart are always this on ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''.
* Jay Sherman on ''WesternAnimation/TheCritic''.
* Hank Hill from WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill can wander into this territory. As can his wife, [[TedBaxter Peggy]].
* Stroker on ''WesternAnimation/StrokerAndHoop''.
* Master Shake on ''WesternAnimation/AquaTeenHungerForce''.
** And Carl is an Unsympathetic ButtMonkey.
* Everyone in ''{{Sealab 2021}}'' except [[OnlySaneMan Dr. Quinn]] (especially in episodes like [[http://www.jibjab.com/view/221029 "I, Robot"]])
* Selfish, shallow Kuzco in ''Disney/TheEmperorsNewGroove'', and, even though he'd supposedly learned his lesson by the end, the following TV series ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewSchool''.
** In the direct-to-video sequel ''Kronk's New Groove'', Kuzco offers far more evidence that he's learned his lesson. This A) is practically unheard of, especially in light of the patently unnecessary TV show, and B) works surprisingly well, because Kuzco is mostly a [[NoFourthWall member of the audience]] like us, and appears to be emotionally connecting to Kronk's plight. Not any specific way that he's connecting, necessarily, so much as the fact that he's connecting at all.
* Bloo, from ''WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends''
* WesternAnimation/JohnnyBravo, a TooDumbToLive CasanovaWannabe, though he does have some decent points. His stupidity was [[{{Flanderization}} more apparent]] in later seasons than in the first season.
* Eric the Cavalier from ''WesternAnimation/DungeonsAndDragons'', for a given value of Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonist. Since MoralGuardians and ExecutiveMeddling meant that nothing good could ever really happen to him until [[TheComplainerIsAlwaysWrong he relented and went along with the group,]] he was definitely ''meant'' to be unsympathetic, even though he was the most sympathetic character in the show because he was the only one reacting realistically to their situation, and many of the bad things that happen to him are distinctly slapstick, since he has to survive to agree to go along with the group's plans later.
* Many "classic" characters in animated shorts fit the bill: DonaldDuck, Daffy Duck, Sylvester, Wile E. Coyote, WesternAnimation/WoodyWoodpecker, Tom, Jerry (from WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry), ScrewySquirrel, etc.
* The Warden in ''WesternAnimation/{{Superjail}}''. He goes from ultraviolent sadistic Cloudcuckoolander to ultraviolent sadistic nazi overlord in the space of ten episodes, and spends most of the rest of the first season drunk, sick, oblivious to everything around him, [[NightmareFuel giving birth to grotesque manifestations of his inner child through his anus]], and following [[ChurchOfHappyology sex-crazed alien cult leaders]] around. Of course, the MrFanservice don't mind at ''all''.
** Which definitely [[NightmareFetishist says something]] about [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys the female viewers of Adult Swim]].
* [[WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones Fred Flintstone.]]
* The Captain of the Jupiter42 in ''WesternAnimation/TrippingTheRift'' is ugly, crude, disgusting, sarcastic, depraved, and his crew never misses a moment to lampshade it. Not lampshaded yet is that his name, Chode, sounds much like the stretch of flesh between the testicles and asshole, which is where his mentality seems to reside.
** And the rest of the crew aren't exactly sympathetic either. Apart from Six who, ironically as she's an android, is the only one who seems to actually have a heart.
* King Julien from ''WesternAnimation/ThePenguinsOfMadagascar''.
* [[WesternAnimation/TheJetsons George Jetson]].
* Early Cuyler on ''WesternAnimation/{{Squidbillies}}''.
* The entire band Dethklok from ''WesternAnimation/{{Metalocalypse}}''.
* June from ''WesternAnimation/KaBlam'', who is featured doing her thing in the page image. While she's quite likable and has a big heart underneath her [[{{Moe}} cute]] but [[BadassAdorable tough]], [[DeadpanSnarker snarky]] exterior, it's not uncommon for her to give her best friend / implied crush [[ButtMonkey Henry]] hell - whether he deserves it or not. And if you think what she's doing in the page image is bad, just [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNCVJW0youE check this out]]. While her {{Jerkass}} qualities tend to [[DependingOnTheWriter vary from writer to writer]] - and the cake scenes are from Season 3, in which she TookALevelInJerkass (but was [[DefrostingIceQueen toned down]] for Season 4) - she more than qualifies for this trope.
* Eddy of ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'' is [[AmbitionIsEvil always out for people's money]].
** How sympathetic he is depends on the episode. Sometimes he tries to scam the other kids out of their money, but as often as not, he [[DesignatedVillain creates a good or service the other children want, and attempts to sell it to them for a fair price]].
* Wilshire Pig from ''Claymation Comedy of Horrors''.
* Xander Crews from ''WesternAnimation/FriskyDingo''. Probably moreso than the "villain", Killface. Of course, Killface may be the [[VillainProtagonist protagonist]] of the series. But pretty much every character fits this trope anyway!
* Eric Cartman from ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark''. He's this trope on his good days ([[TokenEvilTeammate relatively speaking]]).
** Most of the cast except for Butters can quality for this actually.
* Bender, of ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'': "Bite my shiny metal ass." Most of the main cast have strong {{Jerkass}} tendencies, actually.
* ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'' is trying to conquer/destroy the Earth and everything on it, but because (in Gaz's words) "he's so ''[[IneffectualSympatheticVillain bad]]'' at it", his machinations are more amusing than mortifying. Being a LargeHam doesn't hurt.
* Jason Alexander supplied the voice for another one in ''WesternAnimation/{{Duckman}}''.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'', Rusty Venture fits the trope perfectly. Greedy and selfish, the BrilliantButLazy super scientist regularly neglects his sons as well as takes them around the world on dangerous adventures. [[spoiler: The bigger reason why he is so neglectful is because he knows that when they die (they have died a LOT) he can just clone new ones. He becomes much more protective once he loses his backup clones.]]
* Dan of ''WesternAnimation/DanVs''.
* WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButthead.
* Allen and his father, Richard in ''WesternAnimation/AllenGregory''. Allen constantly hits on the principal (who is an obese 60 year old woman), insults his teacher, and lashes out against his sister and his father's life partner. Richard is a complete attention seeker like Allen is and is even more so if any of that attention is on his life partner, Jeremy. Richard is also never wrong, despite what everyone else tells him.
* ''WesternAnimation/MadJackThePirate''.
* Rodney J. Squirrel from ''WesternAnimation/SquirrelBoy'', a ButtMonkey[=/=]IdiotHero hybrid.
* Tak from ''TakAndThePowerOfJuju'' would fall into this category at times.
* Brain Newport from ''WesternAnimation/ThisJustIn''
* Yin and Yang from ''WesternAnimation/YinYangYo''.
* Nestor from ''WesternAnimation/WorldOfQuest''.
* Bessie Higgenbottom from ''WesternAnimation/TheMightyB'', they even had an episode [[ItMakesSenseInContext where she accuse people for stealing a locket]].
* The show ''WesternAnimation/{{Archer}}'' has, well, just about everyone in the cast. The titular protagonist Sterling Archer is probably the most prominent example, but we also have [[ActionGirl Lana Kane]], [[NonActionGuy Cyril Figgis]] and [[MyBelovedSmother Sterling's mother Malory]].
* Helga Pataki of ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold''. She's often abrasive, and gives others (especially Arnold, her secret crush) a hard time. However, many of her flaws stem from an unhappy childhood as TheUnfavorite. Often times, she still remains the OnlySaneMan among classmates, lamenting their stupidity.
* Played with in 'WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''.Rainbow Dash can often be quite abrasive and arrogant towards even her friends. But some episodes also reveal that she has insecurities and a desire for attention which fuel her attitude and personality.
** Almost all the ponies (and whoever is in the spotlight) have moments of this due to the show's heavy deconstructing of the character's shortcomings and insecurities, meaning at least once, they act like a {{Jerkass}} and cause enormous problems concerning their defining flaws. The usage of Aesops and redeeming moments tends to keep them in check overall however.
*** Despite their flaws, all of the Main Six ponies are sympathetic more often then not, given their good points outweigh their bad, and their realistic flaws make them easier to relate to. Not to mention that when they DO mess up, they tend to ''[[MyGodWhatHaveIDone feel bad]]'' about it and try to fix the situation, making it debatable whether or not they really qualify for this trope. Yes, even [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Rainbow Dash.]]
* Danny Fenton/Phantom from ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom''. In one episode, Danny's "best friend" Tucker risks his neck and faces his fear of hospitals to save Danny from the villain, breaking his leg in the process. What does our so called protagonist do? The one we're all supposed to like? Leaves him to be annoyed by an old man and runs out of the hospital, joking about it. Another example, "King Tuck" focused how Tucker constantly got ignored, and it was Tucker who saved the day in this one, and at the end the hero, once again, ignores him in the end. Danny is really hard to root for to put it simply.
* The character Daria from [[WesternAnimation/{{Daria}} the show of same name]] is this. She's a downright bitch to everyone in existence, but the other people in the series are exaggerated stereotypes of annoying things found in high school and suburban America.
* Tim of TheLifeAndTimesOfTim. A slight twist in that he isn't a character who goes out looking for awful things to do, but in almost every single episode he goes along unquestioningly with the awful things that his friends do and then gets surprised that it gets him into trouble.
* ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants''
** As of post-movie episodes, Spongebob and Patrick can be seen as this DependingOnTheWriter. Sometimes, they pester and cause pain to other characters (Squidward and Mrs. Puff for example), and rarely [[IdiotHoudini get their comeuppance for their actions.]]
[[/folder]]

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