History BrokenPedestal / AnimeAndManga

** Ironically, as GreyAndGrayMorality of the conflict really starts setting in, the heroes start to get the uncomfortable realization that they're really NotSoDifferent from [[spoiler:the enemy Titan Shifters]], up to and including [[spoiler:killing plenty of humans themselves]]. They each take this realization differently, with Eren in particular even admitting [[spoiler:to Reiner post TimeSkip that where once he declared IllKillYou he now understands where Reiner's been coming from. Unfortunately, this is the point where Eren becomes a broken pedestal to his friends in the Survey Corps when he decides he's gonna manipulate everyone into helping him gain the power [[OmnicidalManiac to commit genocide on the world outside Paradis]].]]

*** Serena looks up to Ash greatly ever since they met as kids and reunites with him, but got shook up in her faith in him when he snapped at her when after his Gym Battle loss against Wulfric. Also, Serena saw how shattered his confidence were. Although some of her faith in him was restored when he thanked her for helping him, Serena wasn't sure that Ash regain his confidences as she was still shook up during his rematch against Wulfric. Despite it, Serena still supported Ash during his rematch and it wasn't until the battle was over with him as the victor is where she regain her faith in him, confidence and all.

*** Serena looks up to Ash greatly ever since they met as kids and reunites with him, but got shook up in her faith in him when he snapped at her when after his Gym Battle loss against Wulfric. Also, Serena saw how shattered his confidence were. Although some of her faith in him was restored when he thanked her for helping him, Serena wasn't sure that Ash regain his confidences as she was still shook up during his rematch against Wulfric. Despite it, Serena still supported Ash during his rematch and it wasn't until the battle was over with him as the victor is where she regain her faith in, confidence and all.

** Charmander. Completely oblivious to the fact that his {{Jerkass}} of a trainer abandoned him because he was weak, waited for the day for that trainer to return, even through a fierce storm (which would be fatal to Charmander, had it not been for Ash and friends).
*** Similarly, Shamus for Tepig. After the pedestal is crushed and he suffers a brief HeroicBSOD, Tepig evolves into Pignite in a HeroicResolve.
** A major plot point in ''Anime/PokemonLucarioAndTheMysteryOfMew'' is that Lucario believed that the Knight of Aura that he looked up to, Sir Aaron, abandoned Cameron Palace in its time of need. It was not helped by the fact that, the last time Lucario saw him, Sir Aaron sealed Lucario inside of a staff seemingly for no reason at all. However, Lucario would later learn that [[spoiler:Sir Aaron in fact did save the kingdom by [[HeroicSacrifice sacrificing himself]], and he sealed Lucario because he didn't want the Pokémon to follow him and do the same thing.]]

** During the XYZ Saga, Sawyer idolized Ash ever since they met since Ash had far more badges and experience than he did, but come Ash's disastrous Gym Battle against Wulfric, Sawyer's admiration for Ash doesn't break that much, but it's easy to tell he thought less of Ash after departing for the league. [[spoiler:After Ash beats him at the league, Sawyer is back to idolizing him in full.]]

** After being rescued, by the titular character in the first episode of ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikers'', Subaru had admired Nanoha almost to the point of worship and was genuinely happy that she has been given the opportunity to work with her idol. When [[spoiler:Nanoha shot down her partner and friend mercilessly during training as punishment for insubordination and afterwards removed said partner from combat readiness during an operation]] she was visibly upset. The trope gets subverted after she learns why Nanoha acted the way she did: [[spoiler:she was looking out for her trainees' well being by planning their training regimens step by step to avoid the necessity of TrainingFromHell, something that Subaru's partner constantly subjects herself into as Nanoha herself suffered almost career ending injuries when she was younger because of overtraining]]. After this, [[RebuiltPedestal Subaru's admiration for Nanoha returned and possibly intensified even more]].

** In a milder example, AcePilot Athrun Zala is one to the younger crew of the ''Minerva''. They were expecting TheAce that the news told them about. They got a ShellShockedVeteran with NoSocialSkills and an inability to see anything but shades of grey.

** Another case happens to Jan Suk, who [[spoiler:admires a police who is actually corrupt]].

* Chibi-Usa in the 90s ''Manga/SailorMoon'' anime experienced this. Finding out that the great warrior Sailor Moon was actually the clumsy and crybaby Usagi Tsukino really incensed her to the point where, once she found out that she ''did'' have the Silver Crystal she was looking for, she stupidly and impulsively stole it and the brooch it was in and decided to go back home with it, one-sidedly deeming Usagi unworthy of having it for the title of Sailor Moon. This really bit Chibi-Usa in the ass once Rubeus showed up and kidnapped the Senshi ''because'' Chibi-Usa, by taking the Crystal away, got Usagi needlessly BroughtDownToNormal; naturally, Usagi is ''pissed off'' and Chibi-Usa [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone is emotionally crushed]].

* [[spoiler:Reiner Braun]] from ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'' is admired and highly respected by others, as well as being the TeamDad to his comrades. Eren in particular looks up to him, as the person who taught him the value of honor and duty. Then, it's revealed that [[spoiler:he's [[TheMole the Armored Titan]] that destroyed the inner gate of Wall Maria and doomed roughly 20% of the human population to a horrible death]].

** Setsuna 'The Messiah' Mudo is an idol and, well, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin the messiah]] prophecized to appear and clean up the mess that heaven is. Zaphikel actually asks Setsuna to play the appropriate messiah role for his people, to motivate them. Setsuna starts this, but then reveals his true nature: he's nothing but 'this cute little boy who doesn't care about heaven or fixing anything, he just wants to save the earth and get back the girl he loves'. As inspirational as those words initially were, the pedestal is quickly broken when the rebels see that Setsuna really acts nothing like the messiah and a lot of people have senselessly given their life to protect him. They do call him out on how nobody would even help him, if Zaphikel hadn't ordered them to.

* There are few examples of this in ''Manga/HellGirl''. One example is during Season 3, when a teenage girl, who was mostly ignored by her classmates, suddenly becomes popular after it is discovered that she was able to get all of her letters read on air during a popular late night radio that is catered to teenage girls. Later in the episode, she along with another fangirl, find out that the whole show is scripted and written by a"creative producer" and that the disc jockey the girl became infatuated with was just reading lines that the creative producer written. [[spoiler:The teenage girl sends the other fangirl to hell so the secret can be kept from everyone else.]]

* In The Mutineer arc of the second ''Anime/LegendOfGalacticHeroes Gaiden'' series, First Officer Lieutenant Bertram was idolised by the crew of the destroyer ''Hameln II'' for being the role model of common-born soldiers. However, when crisis struck the destroyer, he was revealed to be selfish person willing to throw the ''Hameln II'' into certain doom just to preserve his name as an "honourable Imperial officer". The crew members were so disappointed with him upon that revelation that they decided to join the Chief Navigator Reinhard von Lohengramm (then Müsel) and start a mutiny to wrest back control of the ship. Eventually however, Bertram had a HeelRealization and redeemed himself with a HeroicSacrifice.

* Chibi-Usa in the 90s ''Manga/SailorMoon'' anime experienced this. Finding out that the great warrior Sailor Moon was actually the clumsy and crybaby Usagi Tsukino really incensed her to the point where, once she found out that she ''did'' have the Silver Crystal she was looking for, she stupidly and impulsively sole it and the brooch it was in and decided to go back home with it, one-sidedly deeming Usagi unworthy of having it or the title of Sailor Moon. This really bit Chibi-Usa in the ass one Rubeus showed up and kidnapped the Senshi ''because'' Chibi-Usa, by taking the Crystal away, got Usagi needlessly BroughtDownToNormal; naturally, Usagi is ''pissed off'' and Chibi-Usa [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone is emotionally crushed]].

* In ''Anime/TigerAndBunny'', Kotetsu's been inspired since childhood by Sternbild's first superhero, Mr. Legend, to dedicate his life to saving others. Guess who fell into [[TheAlcoholic alcoholism]] and DomesticAbuse after losing his powers and career? Kotetsu is told about arrests being setup and the loss of power. Only the audience see the worst of it through a flashback revealing that the ex-greatest hero in Stern Bild was killed in self-defence by his son, [[StartOfDarkness Yuri Petrov]] aka Lunatic.

** At the start of the story, Izuku Midoriya suffers this when not only he finds out about All Might's weak form, but All Might himself tells him to grow up, that being Quirkless means he'll never be a Hero. [[RebuiltPedestal Fortunately, this soon changes]] after Deku attempts to save his classmate Bakugo even without a Quirk, ultimately giving All Might a HeroicSecondWind which he later thanks Deku for, deciding that his selfless act makes him [[PassingTheTorch the right person he needed to inherit his Quirk]] and become a hero after all. A recurring theme of the manga is Izuku learning to see All-Might in a more realistic manner - he's definitely the BigGood, but he still makes plenty of mistakes and is a rather subpar teacher.

* At the start of ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'', Izuku suffers this when not only he finds out about All Might's weak form, but All Might himself tells him to grow up, that being Quirkless means he'll never be a Hero. [[RebuiltPedestal Fortunately, this soon changes]] after Deku attempts to save his classmate Bakugo even without a Quirk, ultimately giving All Might a HeroicSecondWind which he later thanks Deku for, deciding that his selfless act makes him [[PassingTheTorch the right person he needed to inherit his Quirk]] and become a hero after all. A recurring theme of the manga is Izuku learning to see All-Might in a more realistic manner - he's definitely the BigGood, but he still makes plenty of mistakes and is a rather subpar teacher.

** [[spoiler:Vice Admiral Vergo]] for the marines of G-5, who admired him for taking command of marines who couldn't fit in anywhere else, until it turned out that he [[spoiler:was working as TheMole for Donquixote Doflamingo and was responsible for the children being kidnapped]].

* In ''Manga/ZatchBell'', when under Zofis's control, it seems like Koko is this for Sherry.

* In ''Manga/BloomIntoYou'', Touko always looked up to her older sister Mio, who was a well-respected StudentCouncilPresident and popular student who died in an accident while in high school. Touko, who'd been shy, unconfident and a mediocre student, spent the next seven years working hard to improve herself, and eventually succeeded her sister as student council president, but never fully overcame her insecurity. While in the process of trying to revive the school play, a school tradition that ended the year Mio died, Touko meets with Ichigaya, a classmate of Mio's, who reveals that Mio [[spoiler:was actually a bit lazy, tending to delegate work to the other student council members and even making them do her summer homework]], and Touko is probably a better president than her sister. Touko's fairly shaken by the idea that she may have never known her sister's "real" personality, prompting Sayaka to tell her the following.

** The Agria sisters are a strange example in which the one on the pedestal is the one who realizes how far she's fallen. Yukino deeply loves her older sister Sorano([[spoiler:also known as Angel of the Oracion Seis]]), but when they finally meet again, Sorano [[IHaveNoSon denies being Yukino's sister]], because while Yukino is a decent person, Sorano has committed many terrible crimes since they were separated, and doesn't feel a though she deserves to be around Yukino [[TheAtoner until she's atoned]].

* At the start of ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'', Izuku suffers this when not only he finds out about All Might's weak form, but All Might himself tells him to grow up, that being Quirkless means he'll never be a Hero. [[RebuiltPedestal Fortunately, this soon changes]] after Deku attempts to save his classmate Bakugo even without a Quirk, ultimately giving All Might a HeroicSecondWind which he later thanks Deku for, deciding that his selfless act makes him [[PassingTheTorch the right person he needed to inherit his Quirk]] and become a hero after all. A recurring theme of the manga is Izuku learning to see All-Might in a more realistic manner - he's definitely the BigGood, but he still makes mistakes aplenty and is a rather subpar teacher.

* May Chang from ''Manga/FullMetalAlchemist'', imagines Edward Elric to be a tall, handsome, princely figure, and spends half of her time [[LovingAShadow daydreaming about him]]. When she actually meets him and finds that Ed's a short snarker with a bad temper, she just about flips her lid, accusing Ed of toying with her heart.

* In ''Anime/TigerAndBunny'', Kotetsu's been inspired since childhood by Sternbild's first superhero, Mr. Legend, to dedicate his life to saving others. Guess who fell into [[TheAlcoholic alcoholism]] and [[DomesticAbuser domestic abuse]] after losing his powers and career? Kotetsu is told about arrests being setup and the loss of power. Only the audience see the worst of it through a flashback revealing that the ex-greatest hero in Stern Bild was killed in self-defence by his son, [[StartOfDarkness Yuri Petrov]] aka Lunatic.

* One episode of ''GO-GO VideoGame/{{Tamagotchi}}!'' is about Orenetchi's admiration for Kuromametchi fading after he finds out Kuromametchi geeks out about the superstar idol Lovelin. After he and Kuromametchi's friends help save one of Lovelin's concerts, however, Orenetchi reassesses his opinion and begins to admire Kuromametchi once more.

** Hades, also known as Precht Gaebolg, is this to Makarov. He was one of the founding members of Fairy Tail, the second master of the guild and a friend of Makarov's father. As such, Makarov looks up to him, and is dismayed to find out that since leaving the guild, he's founded the Dark Guild Grimoire Heart and is trying to resurrect Zeref.

* In episode 9 of ''Anime/InazumaEleven'', Megane gets one when he [[GenreSavvy figures out]] Noberu, the artist from his favourite manga series and captain of the {{Otaku}} team Shuuyou Meitou, used dirty tricks inspired from animes to cheat in the matches. After Noberu [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone realizes his mistakes]], Megane [[RebuiltPedestal forgives him]].

* At the start of ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'', Deku suffers this when not only he finds out about All Might's weak form, but All Might himself tells him to grow up, that being Quirkless means he'll never be a Hero. [[RebuiltPedestal Fortunately, this soon changes]] after Deku attempts to save his classmate Bakugo even without a Quirk, ultimately giving All Might a HeroicSecondWind which he later thanks Deku for, deciding that his selfless act makes him [[PassingTheTorch the right person he needed to inherit his Quirk]] and become a hero after all.