main index Narrative
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This character thinks or behaves in ways that would have made him Abusively Sexy if the author had been on his side and built his narrative on Rule Of Cool or Rule of Sexy. However, the narrative is not on his side. His position in it is built on the Rule of Creepy instead. Maybe combined with Rule of Funny or Rule of Scary. In either case: He is the same kind of sadist as a Bastard Boyfriend or Bastard Girlfriend, or at least he would like to be. Unlike them, however, he is the inversion of sexy. He is an Unsexy Sadist!
Being unsexy doesn't necessarily mean unattractive. A handsome person can be creepy, just like a physically ugly person can be portrayed as sexy in a weird kind of way. Yet, a character in this role is very likely to also be extremely unattractive. Often in a nerdy or gross kind of way.
At best he's a harmless person with unfulfilled dreams of From Nobody to Nightmare. At worst he's a Wrong Genre Savvy perpetrator of crimes that will never ignite Stockholm Syndrome or anything else he might have hoped for. He is likely to fill the role of Straw Loser. If the author tries to explain him psychologically, it will often be in the form of a Freudian Excuse or diagnosis. In older works, the latter is often "sexual sadism," sending a message that Bondage Is Bad and often failing to make a distinction between play and abuse. In modern works, it's usually something else — averting Bondage Is Bad by making a distinction between abuse and consensual sadomasochism. Sexual sadism is still likely to come into it, although in combination with The Sociopath or other trope that makes a similarly unhealthy mix. If he wears glasses, he's an aversion of Bespectacled Bastard Boyfriend.
While this character can be female, he's almost always male. In the same way as the trope can be used to play or avert Bondage Is Bad, it can be used to play or avert The Unfair Sex: On the one hand, it portrays men as destructive creeps, but on the other hand it can be used to show the difference between this kind of man and all other men, making the regular man look great in comparison — and maybe give him a chance to be heroic.
Note that this character isn't necessarily a villain — he may have the ethics and self-control to keep his desires in check. In either case, he comes across as a very small person with a total lack of greatness. Finally, please note that this trope has two criteria, and both need to be filled for a character to be an example. Simply being unattractive doesn't qualify as unsexy, and simply being a jerk or having violent tendencies doesn't qualify as sadist.
ExamplesAnime and Manga
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