History Main / ChildishVillainMatureHero

** Similarly, in ''Film/GlassOnion'', [[spoiler:Miles Bron is a WickedPretentious InsufferableImbecile KnowNothingKnowItAll SmugSnake who's likes to rub his wealth in other people's faces through grand gestures, and when his Glass Onion is blown up and ''The Mona Lisa'' torched at the end of the movie, his VillainousBreakdown is essentially a childish tantrum]].

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': As time goes on, the main protagonists [[CharacterDevelopment eventually grow to become more responsible and diligent from their experiences]] while travelling across Remnant to combat the Grimm and protect those around them. Meanwhile, both [[TheDragon Cinder]] and [[BigBad Salem]] at their core are both known to have immature tendencies [[HisOwnWorstEnemy that more often than not cause them to trip themselves up in their respective goals]]. [[spoiler:In Salem's case, she was originally a young woman who was emotionally stunted from being locked in a tower all her life, which led to her making very reckless and self-destructive choices that ended up making her the way she is today]].

* ''WesternAnimation/RobinHood1973'': Robin is a highly intelligent, compassionate, capable individual and a leader among men, going out of his way to help the oppressed people of Nottingham. Prince John, on the other hand, is a childish tyrant who doesn't care about his subjects except as a source of income, as well as feeling jealous of his older brother Richard, the legitimate king of England. His immaturity goes to the point that he [[StillSucksThumb still sucks his thumb]] while [[IWantMyMommy crying for his mommy]], and even throws a literal tantrum when Robin gets the people to chant for Richard.

Compare GoodIsNotDumb, StupidEvil, NotGrowingUpSucks.

** Izuku Midoriya and Tomura Shigaraki are the series' most focal protagonist and antagonist respectively and are heavily contrasted by how they're mentored by the most powerful hero/villain of their time and are built up to be the symbol of peace and evil. Outside of their alignments, Izuku is known for being a polite, humble, considerate, and mature boy for his age whereas Shigaraki is akin to a childish, petty brat, though this is because he suffered a tragic past that mentally damaged his perspective on the world and his mental psyche.
** By extension, Izuku and Shigaraki's predecessors, All Might and All for One are the symbols of peace and evil and the most powerful hero and villain of their time respectively. Most of Izuku's personality traits are inspired by All Might, who is just as wise, compassionate, and level-headed. All for One initially appears to be a subversion, looking to be more mentally sound and calculative than his apprentice was [[DoubleSubversion until the end where it's shown that All for One is just as, if not even more, immature, insane, and childish than Shigaraki]], not helped by the fact that All for One's main inspiration for being a supervillain was because he read comic books and was an extreme fanboy of its villains (especially the MaouTheDemonKing ones) and wants to become one to show how this kind of villain would go in reality to the point where he outright rejects the fact that the villains lost, making him a delusional {{chuunibyou}}, of all things.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Ninjago}}'': Season 4 introduces [[ArcVillain Master Chen]], the [[EvilTeacher former sensei of Garmadon]] who despite being a master manipulator often acts like a bratty child who throws tantrums when things don't go his way. This is in contrast to his ex-student and the ninja, who are usually level-headed, humble, responsible, and diligent in their duties to protect those around them.

* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'': Batman is usually TheStoic at all times, rarely ever showing emotion and treating his duties as Gotham's heroes with the utmost respect and seriousness. By contrast, his ArchEnemy the Joker treats everything like one big joke, always laughing hysterically or using weapons and tools based on literal toys.

* ''WesternAnimation/RobinHood1973'': Robin is a highly intelligent, compassionate, capable individual and a leader among men, going out of his way to help the oppressed people of Nottingham. Prince John, on the other hand, is a childish tyrant who doesn't care about his subjects except as a source of income, as well as feeling jealous of his older brother Richard, the legitimate king of England. His immaturity goes to the point that he [[StillSucksThumb still sucks his thumb]] while [[IWantMyMommy crying for his mommy]], and even throws a literal tantrum when Robin gets the people to chant for Richard.
* ''WesternAnimation/PussInBootsTheLastWish'': Puss is an outlaw AntiHero who, despite his pride, nobly fights for the people and is resourceful enough to outwit his foes. Jack Horner, on the other hand, is a spoiled PsychopathicManchild who's driven by envy of fairy tale creatures, wants to have control of all the magic in the world (with no intention of sharing any of it), and doesn't care who has to die to get his wish.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheBadGuys'' demonstrates this via the title group themselves, who are portrayed as swanky, petty {{Attention Whore}}s who try to gain infamy for themselves to deflect over their insecurities in life. This is lampshaded by the Governor and BigGood, Diane Foxington, a professional and insightful authority figure, [[spoiler:though, keeping with the trope, harbours a hidden schoolgirl boastfulness about her tenure as the Crimson Paw, a highly successful cat burglar. After Diane influences Wolf into turning good, he matures as himself becomes a PositiveFriendInfluence to the other Bad Guys, largely to unite them against Professor Marmalade, a VillainWithGoodPublicity who in reality is an egotistical PsychopathicManchild]].

** [[spoiler:Tohru Adachi, the Culprit, despite being a [[PsychopathicManchild grown man]], has an [[EvilIsPetty extremely petty]] motivation: unlike the teenaged protagonists, he is bitter about the [[HardTruthAesop harsh but true]] reality that sometimes, HardWorkHardyWorks and that there will be people who are [[AlwaysSomeoneBetter better than you]] without really trying. He commits [[SerialKiller two murders]] and tries to bring [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt the end of the world]] simply because he feels [[EntitledBastard the world owes him]] success and relationships because of his hard work, something the teenaged protagonists [[ShutUpHannibal call him out on]]. ]]

* Scrooge and Glomgold's rivalry takes this form in the [[WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017 2017 version of DuckTales]]. Scrooge is a mature, frugal, honest duck who prefers to focus on running and expanding his business over satisfying petty grudges and rivalries. Glomgold on the other hand, is a [[HotBlooded hot-headed]], wasteful, and dishonest duck who [[ComplexityAddiction puts more energy into trying to kill, one-up, and annoy Scrooge than he does running his company]]. Their reactions to their life's setbacks push them further into this trope; whereas Scrooge used his misfortunes [[MiseryBuildsCharacter to shape himself into the great man he is]], Glomgold uses his misfortunes as an excuse to stay a bitter, miserable PsychopathicManchild.

** [[AlphaBitch Chloe]] and [[TheHero Marinette]] are opposites in many ways, with maturity being one of them. Whereas Marinette is responsible, hard-working, and is willing to put others' wants and needs before her own, Chloe is [[NeverMyFault irresponsible]], expects things [[SpoiledBrat to be handed to her with no work on her part]], and thinks the world [[ItsAllAboutMe revolves around her.]] [[JustifiedTrope Given their upbringings]], it makes ''perfect'' sense that they turned out this way; [[GoodParents Marinette's parents]] are loving, yet willing to be stern with her, whereas [[PushoverParents Chloe's father]] simply gives her whatever she wants.
** This contrast even extends to their superhero identities: whereas Ladybug is a no-nonsense hero who views her superhero duties as a responsibility, Chloe thinks of being a superhero as an opportunity for fame and popularity, to the point she once ''[[EngineeredHeroics derailed a train in order to receive praise for stopping it]].''

'''Harrow:''' (''EvilLaugh'') I'm sorry, it's just that [[EvilHasABadSenseOfHumor the way the veins are throbbing in your forehead, it's so... comical]].

-->''(After Helgenish [[spoiler:stabs Primrose's OnlyFriend to death]])''\\

Heroes and villains can be contrasted in many ways; [[BeautyEqualsGoodness beauty and ugliness]], [[SensibleHeroesSkimpyVillains modesty and skimpiness]], [[PoliteVillainsRudeHeroes politeness and rudeness]], among other things. In this dynamic, the hero is contrasted with the villain in terms of maturity levels.

While some works would present childishness as an endearing trait, in this dynamic the hero's lack of childishness is what makes them better than the villain. This makes sense to an extent; many [[ImmaturityTropes immature qualities]] such as [[NeverMyFault pushing the blame]], [[EntitledBastard entitlement]], [[ItsAllAboutMe self-centeredness]], [[EvilIsPetty pettiness]], [[SpoiledBrat acting spoiled]] being traits almost always associated with villains and [[TheJerkIndex jerks]]. In contrast, [[MaturityTropes mature traits]] such as {{forgiveness}}, [[ItsAllMyFault showing responsibility for one's faults]], [[GracefulLoser losing gracefully]], [[HumilityTropes humility]], [[ResponsibilityTropes a sense of responsibility]], etc. almost always being traits associated with heroes.

This trope can manifest itself in a number of ways; If the hero and villain went to school together, expect the hero to have matured since then, while the villain [[SchoolYardBullyAllGrownUp didn't grow up at all.]] If the hero and villain desire or have power, the hero tends to be [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatResponsibility responsible with their power,]] while the villain values power purely for the privileges and scoffs at such silly ideas like "obligation." This dynamic doesn't even have to involve heroes and villains; a mature NiceGuy and an immature {{Jerkass}} work just as well.

* ''Manga/DeathNote'': VillainProtagonist Light Yagami is a PsychopathicManchild with a [[AGodAmI god-complex]], who uses the [[ArtifactOfDoom titular notebook]] to kill criminals in an attempt to remove all the bad people in the world, with his definition of "bad people" quickly slipping to include anyone who tries to stop or criticize him. His fellow Death Note users aren't much better in the maturity department, with Misa being a CuteButPsycho {{Yandere}} who is willing to kill anyone who criticizes Kira and Mikami being a KnightTemplar with an ''extreme'' case of BlackAndWhiteInsanity to the point that he kills people for being ''lazy.'' The Kira Task Force, led by HeroAntagonist L and including Light's father Soichiro Yagami, all understand how wrong it is to administer "justice" by killing wrongdoers without a second thought, and ''especially'' how wrong it is to kill people just for disagreeing with you. [[spoiler:Near, in his KirkSummation, explains that the only reason anyone would use a Death Note is to see if it worked as advertised or for their own self-interests.]]

* ''ComicBook/LockeAndKey'': A key focus of the series involves Tyler and Kinsey Locke growing progressively more mature as they recover from the death of their father, with Kinsey learning to accept her own fear and grief and Tyler learning responsibility. By contrast, [[DemonicPossession Dodge]]'s immaturity becomes more pronounced, revealing his inner spite, selfishness, and petulance - to the point that he openly admits that he can't stand being told "no." [[spoiler: He even ends up pulling a GrandTheftMe on [[CheerfulChild Bode Locke]] in order to escape death, conducting the final arc of the comic in the form of a child.]]

* ''Fanfic/BetterToReignInHeaven'': VillainProtagonist Dr Stanislaus Braun is a spiteful little brat in an old man's body, playing sadistic games with his captives for centuries, throwing temper tantrums whenever things don't go his way, and depicting himself as a child in the simulation. By contrast, {{Hero Antagonist}}s Tessa Dithers and Mattie are both thoughtful, compassionate, and much more serious - to the point that Mattie often wonders if he deserves to be called a hero. Indeed, Braun finds Mattie's maturity so boring that [[spoiler: he uses his control over the simulation to regress Mattie [[BackToTheWomb right back to the start of his life]] - inflicting a horrific pregnancy on Tessa in the process - in the hope that he can be raised and indoctrinated into a fellow PsychopathicManchild.]]
* In the ''Fanfic/MyBravePonyStarfleetMagic'' DeconstructionFic ''Fanfic/FallOfStarfleetRebirthOfFriendship'', the Elements of Harmony alongside the more sympathetic members of Starfleet have this relationship with Grand Ruler and Rhymey; whereas the former are [[HumbleHero humble]] and prefer to earn respect with their actions, the latter are {{Smug Snake}}s who believe that their [[FantasticRacism race]] and status entitle them to respect. In addition, the former are willing to change themselves for the better and accept that reality does not always turn out in their favor, the latter are {{Psychopathic Manchild}}ren who reject any form of self-reflection and expect reality to conform to their desires, [[spoiler: with Grand Ruler being willing to use [[RealityWarper a magical artifact]] to ''force'' the universe to conform to his wishes]].

* ''WesternAnimation/TheBadGuys'' demonstrates this via the title group themselves, who are portrayed as swanky, petty {{Attention Whore}}s who try to gain infamy for themselves to deflect over their insecurities in life. This is lampshaded by the Governor and BigGood, Diane Foxington, a professional and insightful authority figure, [[spoiler: though keeping with the trope, harbours a hidden schoolgirl boastfulness about her tenure as the Crimson Paw, a highly successful cat burglar. After Diane influences Wolf into turning good, he matures as himself becomes a PositiveFriendInfluence to the other Bad Guys, largely to unite them against Professor Marmalade, a VillainWithGoodPublicity who in reality is an egotistical PsychopathicManchild]].

* ''Theatre/TwistedTheUntoldStoryOfARoyalVizier'': [[AdaptationalHeroism Jafar]] and [[AdaptationalVillainy Aladdin]] are polar opposites in both morality and maturity; Jafar is a hard-working, serious man who seeks to use the genie's magic to improve the kingdom for everyone. Aladdin is a [[ItsAllAboutMe selfish]], [[LazyBum lazy]] PsychopathicManchild who steals [[spoiler: and [[SelfMadeOrphan murdered his own parents]]]] because he's too lazy to get a job and seeks to use the genie's magic to make his own life easier. Their relationships also further showcase this tendency: while Jafar is a rather [[HeroWithBadPublicity unpopular man]] who loved his late wife and appreciates any kindness he is shown, Aladdin is a [[TheCasanova womanizer]] who abandoned a woman he impregnated and is a parasite who has zero qualms about abandoning and abusing anyone who shows him kindness.

'''Harrow:''' ''What the hell are you''- Ah. [[NoHonorAmongThieves Biddle]]. [[SarcasmMode Oopsie daisy]].\\

** By extension, Izuku and Shigaraki's predecessors, All Might and All for One are the symbols of peace and evil and the most powerful hero and villain of their time respectively. Most of Izuku's personality traits are inspired by All Might, who is just as wise, compassionate, and level-headed. All for One initially appears to be a subversion, looking to be more mentally sound and calculative than his apprentice was [[DoubleSubversion until the end where it's shown that All for One is just as, if not even more, immature, insane, and childish than Shigaraki]], not helped by the fact that All for One's main inspiration for being a supervillain was because he read comic books and was an extreme fanboy of its villains to the point where he outright rejects the fact that the villains lost, making him a delusional {{chuunibyou}}, of all things.

** Malty and Naofumi: When it comes to their duties, Malty is a SpoiledBrat who focuses more on [[TheHedonist hedonistic thrills]] and scheming her way into easy money and power while avoiding any responsibility; Naofumi is a hardworking underdog who is diligent in his duties as the Shield Hero. As a teammate, Malty is [[MsRedInk a useless]], [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder disloyal]] [[TheLoad parasite]] who simply looks for a new host to leech off of when she [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness has no further use for someone]] and is utterly incapable of doing anything for herself; Naofumi, is a useful, loyal, man who will walk the ends of the earth for his loved ones, and while he is dependent on his team, he still does as much as he can to contribute.
** Naofumi and Motoyasu: While all of the [[ThePoorlyChosenOne Three Heroes]] are less mature than [[OnlySaneMan Naofumi]], [[HateSink Motoyasu]] takes the cake; out of all of the Four Heroes, Motoyasu is the laziest, least responsible of the lot, focusing more on [[HaremSeeker chasing and impressing girls]] than doing his job; Naofumi, is the most diligent and most responsible of the Four Heroes and has enough self-control to focus on doing his job rather than chasing idle pleasures. When it comes to getting respect, [[TheBully Motoyasu]] prefers to throw his weight around and put other people down, whereas Naofumi prefers to let his deeds speak for him. Finally, when it comes to how they treat each other, Motoyasu is always the one who instigates conflicts, even when they're supposed to be cooperating, while Naofumi prefers to ignore Motoyasu whenever possible.

** By extension, Izuku and Shigaraki's predecessors, All Might and All for One are the symbols of peace and evil and the most powerful hero and villain of their time respectively. Most of Izuku's personality traits are inspired by All Might, who is just as wise, compassionate, and level-headed. All for One initially appears to be a subversion, looking to be more mentally sound and calculative than his apprentice was [[DoubleSubversion until the end where it's shown that All for One is just as, if not even more, immature, insane, and childish than Shigaraki]], not helped by the fact that All for One's main inspiration for being a supervillain was because he read comic books and was an extreme fanboy of its villains to the point where he outright rejects the fact that the villains lost, making him a delusional {{chunnibyou}}, of all things.

* ''Anime/GoblinSlayer'' has this dynamic with ''[[AlwaysChaoticEvil entire]] [[OurGoblinsAreDifferent goblin race]]'': Goblin Slayer is a dour serious man who is ''extremely'' set on ensuring that [[GuiltFreeExterminationWar every single goblin is destroyed]] in order to ensure that the world is safe from their evil. Despite the sheer impossibility, hardship, and overall misery that his job entails, he is diligent in pursuing his enormous burden. The goblins, on the other hand, are an [[PlanetOfHats entire race]] of low-functioning [[TheSociopath sociopaths (with the occasional high functioning leader)]] who are motivated to do the most [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil horrendous]] [[ColdBloodedTorture acts]] of evil for no [[ForTheEvulz other reason]] than [[{{Sadist}} sadism]], [[GreenEyedMonster envy]], and [[HatesEveryoneEqually hatred towards both other goblins and the other races.]]

While some works would present childishness as an endearing trait, in this dynamic the hero's lack of childishness is what makes them better than the villain. This makes sense to an extent; many [[ImmaturityTropes immature qualities]] such as [[NeverMyFault pushing the blame]], [[EntitledBastard entitlement]], [[ItsAllAboutMe self-centeredness]], [[EvilIsPetty pettiness]], [[SpoiledBrat acting spoiled]] being traits almost always associated with villains and [[TheJerkIndex jerks]]. In contrast, [[MaturityTropes mature traits]] such as {{forgiveness}}, [[ItsAllMyFault showing responsibility for ones faults]], [[GracefulLoser losing gracefully]], [[HumilityTropes humility]], [[ResponsibilityTropes a sense of responsibility]], etc. almost always being traits associated with heroes.

* ''Manga/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaiba'': Despite [[BunnyEarsLawyer their respective quirks]], Tanjiro Kamado and most members of the Demon Slayer Corps are kind-hearted, responsible and selfless individuals who are willing to put their own lives on the line to protect those around them. [[BigBad Muzan Kibutsuji]] meanwhile is extremely narcissistic, petty, selfish, cowardly, and incapable of taking any form of criticism regarding his plans, all of which [[HisOwnWorstEnemy has bitten him in the ass more than once]]. It has even been offhandedly mentioned several times as to how childish Muzan really is at his core, to the point where [[spoiler:his final form ends up being a literal giant, crying baby to avoid burning up in the sun]].

** Naofumi and Motoyasu: While all of the [[ThePoorlyChosenOne Three Heroes]] are less mature than [[OnlySaneMan Naofumi]], [[HateSink Motoyasu]] takes the cake; out of all of the Four Heroes, Motoyasu is the laziest, least responsible of lot, focusing more on [[HaremSeeker chasing and impressing girls]] than doing his job; Naofumi, is the most diligent and most responsible of the Four Heroes and has enough self control to focus on doing his job rather than chasing idle pleasures. When it comes to getting respect, [[TheBully Motoyasu]] prefers to throw his weight around and put other people down, whereas Naofumi prefers to let his deeds speak for him. Finally, when it comes to how they treat each other, Motoyasu is always the one who instigates conflicts, even when they're supposed to be cooperating, while Naofumi prefers to ignore Motoyasu whenever possible.
** Malty and Melty combine this trope with FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling; everything [[DisappointingOlderSibling Malty]] was mentioned as being above, Melty is not. Despite being [[MatureYoungerSibling the younger sibling]], Melty diligent in her duties as princess, contributes to her party and kingdom, and returns loyalty to those who show it to her; it's no wonder why [[TheHighQueen their mother]] decided to make Melty the heir instead of Malty.

* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'': Batman is usually TheStoic at all times, rarely ever showing emotion and treating his duties as Gotham's heroes with the utmost respect and seriousness. By contrast, his ArchEnemy the Joker treats everything like one big joke, always laughing hysterically or using weapons and tools based off literal toys.

* In the ''Fanfic/MyBravePonyStarfleetMagic'' DeconstructionFic ''Fanfic/FallOfStarfleetRebirthOfFriendship'', the Elements of Harmony alongside the more sympathetic members of Starfleet have this relationship with Grand Ruler and Rhymey; whereas the former are [[HumbleHero humble]] and prefer to earn respect with their actions, the latter are are {{Smug Snake}}s who believe that their [[FantasticRacism race]] and status entitle them to respect. In addition, the former are willing to change themselves for the better and accept that reality does not always turn out in their favor, the latter are {{Psychopathic Manchild}}ren who reject any form of self-reflection and expect reality to conform to their desires, [[spoiler: with Grand Ruler being willing to use [[RealityWarper a magical artifact]] to ''force'' the universe to conform to his wishes]].

* ''Webcomic/ScarletLady'': Scarlet Lady is a Childish ''NominalHero'' to Chat Noir and Marigold's Actual Heroes; while Scarlet Lady is a SpoiledBrat who became a superhero to get [[AttentionWhore attention]] and puts little effort in actually being in superhero; Chat and Marigold take their duties as superheroes seriously, with Marigold even being a former HeroicBystander before she became a superheroine.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'': [[BigBad Syndrome]] and [[TheHero Mr. Incredible]] both show this dynamic via their reactions to their life's setbacks. Mr. Incredible has gone through many hardships, from being sued for saving a man's life, to losing his insurance job for trying to help someone; despite this, he ultimately remained a hard working, responsible, and heroic person, both as a superhero and a father. Syndrome by contrast, became a mass-murding supervillain who chose to let one single misfortune (not getting to be Mr. Incredibles's sidekick) define his entire life, with his EvilPlan being motivated to satisfy [[EvilIsPetty an ultimately petty grudge]].
* ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994'': At the beginning of the film [[TheHero Simba]] as a cub thinks that being king means being able to whatever he wants. His father [[TheGoodKing Mufasa]] explains to him that [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatResponsibility being king isn't just about getting your way all the time]], a lesson he takes to heart as an adult. [[BigBad Scar]], by contrast wanted to be king [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatPerks purely for the power and privileges]] and when criticized by Sarabi ''[[IronicEcho outright states]]'', "[[TheCaligula I'm the king]], [[PsychopathicManchild I can do what I want]]", demonstrating that, for all of his boasts that he is "ten times the king Mufasa was," he is little more than an entitled child in a grown lion's body.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Megamind}}'': Despite his love for theatrics, belief that his only place in society is being a supervillain, and all his other quirks, the titular protagonist proves himself to be a lot more compassionate and self-aware than he lets on, as well as having a clear understanding of what it means to be a true hero. In contrast, Hal/Titan/Tighten is an immature idiot who thinks having superpowers entitles him to have anything or anyone he wants, as shown by his failed attempts to woo Roxanne Ritchie and his fall to villainy shortly afterward because of her rejecting him for a disguised Megamind who actually treats her as a person instead of an object.

* ''WesternAnimation/PussInBootsTheLastWish'': Puss is an outlaw AntiHero who, despite his pride, nobly fights for the people and is resourceful enough to outwit his foes. Jack Horner, on the other hand, is a spoiled PsychopathicManchild who's driven by envy of fairy tale creatures, wants to have control of all the magic in the world (with no intent of sharing any of it), and doesn't care who has to die to get his wish.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheBadGuys'' demonstrates this via the title group themselves, who are portrayed as swanky, petty {{Attention Whore}}s who try to gain an infamy for themselves to deflect over their insecurities in life. This is lampshaded by the Governor and BigGood, Diane Foxington, a professional and insightful authority figure, [[spoiler: though keeping with the trope, harbours a hidden schoolgirl boastfulness about her tenure as the Crimson Paw, a highly successful cat burglar. After Diane influences Wolf into turning good, he matures as himself becomes a PositiveFriendInfluence to the other Bad Guys, largely to unite them against Professor Marmalade, a VillainWithGoodPublicity who in reality is an egotistical PsychopathicManchild]].

* ''Theatre/TwistedTheUntoldStoryOfARoyalVizier'': [[AdaptationalHeroism Jafar]] and [[AdaptationalVillainy Aladdin]] are polar opposites in both morality and and maturity; Jafar is a hard-working, serious man who seeks to use the genie's magic to improve the kingdom for everyone. Aladdin is a [[ItsAllAboutMe selfish]], [[LazyBum lazy]] PsychopathicManchild who steals [[spoiler: and [[SelfMadeOrphan murdered his own parents]]]] because he's too lazy to get a job and seeks to use the genie's magic to make his own life easier. Their relationships also further showcase this tendency: while Jafar is a rather [[HeroWithBadPublicity unpopular man]] who loved his late wife and appreciates any kindness he is shown, Aladdin is a [[TheCasanova womanizer]] who abandoned a woman he impregnated and is a parasite who has zero qualms about abandoning and abusing anyone who shows him kindness.

** [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iQXCmsTZnt0&pp=ygUOTW9uaXJvYm8gYnVsbHk%3D Naoya and Kakeru]] were old class mates in highschool who later began working at an IT company. Naoya often acted as a gofer for Kakeru, who was the typical BigJerkOnCampus; [[ChickMagnet popular with girls]], a [[JerkJock star athlete]], and a cocky attitude. Naoya, while unpopular in highschool, managed to rise through the ranks at his company through hard work and maturity. Kakeru, as an adult is a perfect example of someone who [[SchoolyardBullyAllGrownUp peaked in]] [[{{Manchild}} highschool:]] acting like he's a big shot because he was popular as a teenager, looking down on his former victim Naoya, ''who is now his boss'', [[InsaneTrollLogic on the "logic" that Naoya was a gofer in highschool]], trying ([[CasanovaWannabe and failing]]) to seduce his ''adult'', female coworkers by bragging about his highschool accomplishments, and overall being [[HateSink insufferable]], [[SmallNameBigEgo arrogant]] and immature.

* Many of the protagonists and antagonists in ''WebVideo/AppleTexts'' have this dynamic; the protagonists are typically hardworking, responsible, loyal adults who manage to overcome life's setbacks in order to make something of themselves. The antagonists, by contrast tend to be [[LazyBum lazy]], [[NeverMyFault irresponsible]], [[FairWeatherFriend fickle]] {{Manchild}}ren who are incapable of dealing with even the smallest setbacks, often [[EntitledBastard expecting the protagonists who are mistreated to help them escape the consequences of their actions]].

* Scrooge and Glomgold's rivalry takes this form in the [[WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017 2017 version of DuckTales]]. Scrooge is a mature, frugal, honest duck who prefers to focus on running and expanding his business over satisfying petty grudges and rivalries. Glomgold on the other hand, is a [[HotBlooded hot-headed]], wasteful, and dishonest duck who puts more energy into trying to kill, one-up, and annoy Scrooge than he does running his company. Their reactions to their life's setbacks push them further into this trope; whereas Scrooge used his misfortunes [[MiseryBuildsCharacter to shape himself into the great man he is]], while Glomgold uses his misfortunes as an excuse to stay a bitter, miserable, PsychopathicManchild.
** Mark Beaks is a ShadowArchetype to both Scrooge and the boys in his immaturity; unlike Scrooge who is hard working, prefers to let his actions speak for him, and cares little for fame, Beaks is a LazyBum who [[AttentionWhore chases fame]] and would rather focus on looking good than being good. Unlike Huey, who is orderly and selfless, Beaks is a selfish ControlFreak who becomes furious when things don't go his way. Unlike Dewey, who is HotBlooded and insecure, yet willing to overcome his these flaws, Beaks allows his emotions and insecurities to consume him. Even Louie, who is similar to Beaks in his desire to become rich without work, eventually [[CharacterDevelopment grows out of this behavior]], unlike Beaks who keeps trying to take the easy way out.

** [[AlphaBitch Chloe]] and [[TheHero Marinette]] are opposites in many ways, with maturity being one of them. Whereas Marinette is responsible, hard working, and is willing to put others' wants and needs before her own, Chloe is [[NeverMyFault irresponsible]], expects things [[SpoiledBrat to be handed to her with no work on her part]], and thinks the world [[ItsAllAboutMe revolves around her.]] [[JustifiedTrope Given their upbringings]], it makes ''perfect'' sense that they turned out this way; [[GoodParents Marinette's parents]] are loving, yet willing to be stern with her, whereas [[PushoverParents Chloe's father]] simply gives her whatever she wants.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'': The episode, "Watching and Dreaming", contrasts Luz and the Collector, particularly the difference in their maturity. The Collector is a powerful RealityWarper, but also [[GooGooGodlike effectively a small child]] who can barely grasp the severe consequences of their actions, [[ObliviouslyEvil putting numerous lives at risk with their idea of a game]]. Luz, on the other hand, also entered the Boiling Isles under the belief that she could live out her fantasies, but ultimately learned and matured as a person thanks to her friends and the challenges she faced. [[spoiler:This enables Luz help the entity make a HeelFaceTurn by showing him how what she, Eda, and King overcame shaped them]].

** Although the titular girls and Princess are both kindergardeners, [[KidHero the girls]], for all of their flaws and naivety, are ultimately good-natured and harsworking girls who view being Powerpuff Girls as an [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatResponsibility important responsibility]]; while they do try to exploit their powers in some episodes, they always regret their actions . Princess, by contrast is a SpoiledBrat who whines to her father whenever she wants something, [[EvilCannotComprehendGood thinks being a Powerpuff Girl is all about the status and popularity]], abuses her wealth at every opportunity, and doesn't grows an inch in terms of her character.

* ''WesternAnimation/TotallySpies'': The spies are this compared to almost every villain they face; while the spies are teenaged girls who often act just as immature as their age, they are ultimately decent, mature girls who are willing to mature and move on from any the misfortunes that they face; the villains, [[PsychopathicManchild despite mostly consisting of adults]], often resort to actions such as kidnapping, large amounts of property damage, and mass murder, over extremely [[EvilIsPetty petty grudges and desires]] such as getting dumped, being fired, being rejected on social media etc.
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* ''VideoGame/OctopathTraveler'': Primrose Azelhart is decidedly an [[AntiHero Anti-Heroine]] on a quest for revenge against three assassins who murdered her father when she was a child. However, she is still a kind and gentle person to those who aren't her targets. By contrast, her employer at the beginning of her tale, [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Helgenish]], is a [[{{Narcissist}} narcissistic]] [[{{Jerkass}} jerk]] who [[ItsAllAboutMe believes that the entire world should revolve around him]], [[BadBoss treats his impoverished employees like slaves]], and [[PsychopathicManchild throws temper tantrums the moment things don't go his way]].

* ''Anime/GoblinSlayer'' has this dynamic with ''[[AlwaysChaoticEvil entire]] [[OurGoblinsAreDifferent goblin race]]'': Goblin Slayer is a dour serious man who is ''extremely'' on ensuring that [[GuiltFreeExterminationWar every single goblin is destroyed]] in order to ensure that the world is safe from their evil. Despite the sheer impossibility, hardship, and overall misery that his job entails, he is diligent in pursuing his enormous burden. The goblins, on the other hand, are an [[PlanetOfHats entire race]] of low-functioning [[TheSociopath sociopaths (with the occasional high functioning leader)]] who are motivated to do the most [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil horrendous]] [[ColdBloodedTorture acts]] of evil for no [[ForTheEvulz other reason]] than [[{{Sadist}} sadism]], [[GreenEyedMonster envy]], and [[HatesEveryoneEqually hatred towards both other goblins and the other races.]]

-->''(After Helgenish [[spoiler:stabs Primrose's OnlyFriend to death)]]''\\

* ''Manga/DeathNote'': VillainProtagonist Light Yagami is a PsychopathicManchild with a [[AGodAmI with a god-complex]] who uses the [[ArtifactOfDoom titular notebook]] to kill criminals in an attempt to remove all the bad people in the world, with his definition of "bad people" quickly slipping to include anyone who tries to stop or criticize him. His fellow Death Note users aren't much better in the maturity department, with Misa being a CuteButPsycho {{Yandere}} who is willing to kill anyone who criticizes Kira and Mikami being a KnightTemplar with an ''extreme'' case of BlackAndWhiteInsanity to the point that he kills people for being ''lazy.'' The Kira Task Force, led by HeroAntagonist L and including Light's father Soichiro Yagami, all understand how wrong it is to administer "justice" by killing wrongdoers without a second thought, and ''especially'' how wrong it is to kill people just for disagreeing with you. [[spoiler:Near, in his KirkSummation, explains that the only reason anyone would use a Death Note is to see if it worked as advertised or for their own self-interests.]]

* ''Manga/DeathNote'': VillainProtagonist Light Yagami is a PsychopathicManchild with a [[AGodAmI with a god-complex]] who uses the [[ArtifactOfDoom titular notebook]] to kill criminals in an attempt to remove all the bad people in the world, with his definition of "bad people" quickly slipping to include anyone who tries to stop or criticize him. His fellow Death Note users aren't much better in the maturity department, with Misa being a CuteButPsycho {{Yandere}} who is willing to kill anyone who criticizes Kira and Mikami being a KnightTemplar with an ''extreme'' case of BlackAndWhiteInsanity to the point that he kills people for being ''lazy.'' The Kira Task Force, led by HeroAntagonist L and including Light's father Soichiro Yagami, all understand how wrong it is to administer "justice" by killing wrongdoers without a second thought, and ''especially'' how wrong it is to kill people just for disagreeing with you. [[spoiler:Near in his KirkSummation explains that the only reason anyone would use a Death Note is to see if it worked as advertised or for their own self-interests.]]

While some works would present childishness as an endearing trait, in this dynamic the hero's lack of childishness is what makes them better than the villain. This makes sense to an extent; many [[ImmaturityTropes immature qualities]] such as [[NeverMyFault pushing the blame]], [[EntitledBastard entitlement]], [[ItsAllAboutMe self-centeredness]], [[EvilIsPetty pettiness]], [[SpoiledBrat acting spoiled]] being traits almost always associated with villains and [[TheJerkIndex jerks]]. In contrast, [[MaturityTropes mature traits]] such as {{forgiveness}}, [[ItsAllMyFault showing responsibility for ones faults]], [[GracefulLoser losing gracefully]], [[HumilityTropes humility]],[[ResponsibilityTropes a sense of responsibility]], etc. almost always being traits associated with heroes.

[[folder: Anime & Manga]]

[[folder: Theatre]]

-->'''Jesse:''' "Turning the tides," ''my ass!'' More like ''lining your own pockets'', you ''[[PrecisionFStrike slimy shit]]''!
'''Harrow:''' ''What the hell are you''- Ah. [[NoHonorAmongThieves Biddle]]. [[SarcasmMode Oopsie daisy]].
'''Jesse:''' You sent ''two dozen national guardsmen'' to their deaths, ''for a paycheck''. When [[UsefulNotes/GroverCleveland the President]] gets wind of this, ''you're a dead man!''

[[folder: Web Videos]]
* Many of the protagonists and antagonists in ''WebVideo/AppleTexts'' have this dynamic; the protagonists are typically hardworking, responsible, loyal adults who manage to overcome life's setbacks in order to make something of themselves. The antagonists, by contrast tend to be [[LazyBum lazy]], [[NeverMyFault irresponsible]], [[FairWeatherFriend fickle]] {{Manchild}}ren who are incapable of dealing with even the smallest setbacks, often [[EntitledBastard expecting the protagonists who the mistreated to help them escape the consequences of their actions]].

* ''WesternAnmation/TheBadGuys2022'' demonstrates this via the title group themselves, who are portrayed as swanky, petty {{Attention Whore}}s who try to gain an infamy for themselves to deflect over their insecurities in life. This is lampshaded by the Governor and BigGood, Diane Foxington, a professional and insightful authority figure, [[spoiler: though keeping with the trope, harbours a hidden schoolgirl boastfulness about her tenure as the Crimson Paw, a highly successful cat burglar. After Diane influences Wolf into turning good, he matures as himself becomes a PositiveFriendInfluence to the other Bad Guys, largely to unite them against Professor Marmalade, a VillainWithGoodPublicity who in reality is an egotistical PsychopathicManchild]].

* ''WesternAnmation/TheBadGuys'' demonstrates this via the title group themselves, who are portrayed as swanky, petty {{Attention Whore}}s who try to gain an infamy for themselves to deflect over their insecurities in life. This is lampshaded by the Governor and BigGood, Diane Foxington, a professional and insightful authority figure, [[spoiler: though keeping with the trope, harbours a hidden schoolgirl boastfulness about her tenure as the Crimson Paw, a highly successful cat burglar. After Diane influences Wolf into turning good, he matures as himself becomes a PositiveFriendInfluence to the other Bad Guys, largely to unite them against Professor Marmalade, a VillainWithGoodPublicity who in reality is an egotistical PsychopathicManchild]].

* ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'': [[BigBad Syndrome]] and [[TheHero Mr. Incredible]] both show this dynamic via their reactions to their life's setbacks. Mr. Incredible has gone through many hardships, from being sued for saving a man's life, to losing his insurance job for trying to help someone; despite this, he ultimately remained a hard working, responsible, and heroic person, both as a superhero and a father. Syndrome by contrast, became a mass-murding supervillain who chose to let one single misfortune (not getting to be Mr. Incredibles's sidekick) define his entire life, with his EvilPlan being motivated to satisfy [[EvilIsPetty an ultimate petty grudge]].

[[folder:Films - Animation]]