History Main / ItRunsInTheFamily

** The Pond family is smaller than most examples, but has more wackiness than most small planets. Poor Rory seems to be the OnlySaneMan[[note]]Though you would be too if you had 2000 years of memories of protecting Amy and nothing can scare you any more[[/note]], as his wife spent her childhood biting psychiatrists, his daughter is a self-proclaimed psychopath, and his son-in-law puts the "crazy" in CrazyAwesome.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' episode "A Fishful of Dollars", off of Leela questioning Fry's sanity, Professor Farnsworth claims madness runs in his family. Given what we see of Fry's family (Particularly, his CrazySurvivalist father), he just might have something.
* In ''WesternAnimation/MiloMurphysLaw'', Milo's [[TheJinx tendency for bizarre and unfortunate things to happen to him and his friends]] is apparently a hereditary curse passed down by the men in his family. His father has the same outrageously bad luck.

See also BigScrewedUpFamily. InTheBlood is the darker version of this, while HeroicLineage is the more... well, heroic version. The ProfessionalWrestling version of the trope is, of course, WrestlingFamily. Contrast TurnOutLikeHisFather. Compare SharedFamilyQuirks.

* In ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017'', adventure runs in the Duck-McDuck family blood. Even before the most obvious example, Scrooge McDuck, easily the most famous and successful adventurer in the last century, there are countless examples hiding in their family tree. The latest generation are no slouches either, the Triplets Uncle Donald was also once a famed adventurer before he settled down to become a father figure. Their mother Della is certainly no slouch either. Adventure in the blood may even extend as far back as the days of the ancient cave ducks, with the implications that in this continuity, [[spoiler:Bubba Duck is the original ancestor of the McDuck-Duck family line]].
** Sadly, a temper also seems to run in the blood of the Duck-McDuck family, most prominently of course with Donald Duck's infamous rage, but his sister Della and her son Huey also display quite the rage when properly provoked. And at least one ancestor, Black Donald, apparently had a tantrum so legendary it got golf banned throughout Scotland.

* In ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', the royal family of the Fire Nation have a tendency to be sociopathic nutjobs. For some odd reason it only seems to happen to one family member per generation, unfortuanetly, until the last two generations that one person was the eldest son. Zuko seems to have put a stop to it for good by the time of ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra '' because his SpinOffspring are well adjusted, good folks.

** As such, the making of [[spoiler:fake IDs]] is also a family thing.

* In certain stories, we learn that [[Franchise/ArchieComics Archie Andrews']] ancestors were just as girl-obsessed and clumsy as he is.

* The Bagthorpes, in the children's novels by Helen Cresswell (they start with ''Ordinary Jack''). Tess, Rosie and William are all somewhat eccentric, and their parents and grandparents might edge into mildly deranged, as might their cousin Daisy... They all (well, except Daisy) believe wholeheartedly in their genius as a family and individually, and take themselves very seriously. In one of the books in the sequence, they try to break as many Guinness World Records in a summer as they can...
** And in keeping with the trope, Jack and his ally Uncle Parker are the only sane ones people can bear to have anywhere near them. Also Grandpa (though he's less developed as a character).

* Shinichi's father in ''Manga/DetectiveConan'' is a mystery writer who doesn't investigate because he's BrilliantButLazy. Fellow detective Heiji's father is a well-known police investigator. Haibara's parents are scientists.

* In ''WesternAnimation/ShrekTheThird'', Lillian displays her fighting skills, using her head to break down the wall so she and her daughter and the other can escape.

* The Durrell family, if youngest son Gerald is to be believed, were all amiably eccentric, with a few downright barmy older relatives. See ''Literature/MyFamilyAndOtherAnimals''.

** As such, the making of [[spoiler:fake ID's]] is also a family thing.

* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'': Evidently becoming a--well meaning--MadScientist runs in Paula von Gunther's family, as her daughter Gerta ends up accidentally creating a number of superpowered villains as a young scientist on Paradise Island.

* The eponymous family from the film ''Disney/MeetTheRobinsons'' are all eccentric verging on insane.

* ''Literature/AFrozenHeart'': In this TieInNovel to Creator/{{Disney}}'s ''Disney/{{Frozen}}'', most of Prince Hans of the Southern Isles' 12 older brothers inherit their father's ruthlessness and LackOfEmpathy. Hans himself doesn't start out as one, but the repeated abuse he suffered at the hands of his family's older members, combined with working as the king's gofer all contributed him to adopting his family's SocialDarwinist mindset, believing LoveIsAWeakness and that it's okay to lie and cheat to get what you want.

* In ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', the royal family of the Fire Nation have a tendency to be sociopathic nutjobs. For some odd reason it only seems to happen to one family member per generation, unfortuanetly, until the last two generations that one person was the eldest son.

See also BigScrewedUpFamily. InTheBlood is the darker version of this, while HeroicLineage is the more... well, heroic version. Contrast TurnOutLikeHisFather. Compare SharedFamilyQuirks.

[[folder: Roleplay]]

* In Chapter 14 of the ''WesternAnimation/{{Superjail}}'' fanfic [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8803490/1/Extended-Stay Extended Stay]], it is revealed that the Warden and the Mistress's children Matilda and Ethan have grown up to be sadists like them. Combined with TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior.
** Actually, they're 4 years old, but still...

* The hero's three sisters in ''Manga/{{Magikano}}.''
* ''[[Anime/AfterWarGundamX Gundam X]]'''s Frost Brothers, Shagia and Olba.
* The Toguro Brothers from ''Manga/YuYuHakusho''.
* The ''Manga/RozenMaiden'' dolls.

* [[VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry The Ushiromiyas]]. Kinzo is [[MadLove dangerously insane]], Eva is a RichBitch who [[spoiler:goes totally AxCrazy in one arc]], Rosa is an [[AbusiveParents abusive]] single mother, and her daughter Maria is an extremely CreepyChild who may give her grandpa a run for the money in the "crazy" department. [[spoiler:Natsuhi]] is downright delusional, [[spoiler:and she ''married'' into the family]]. The rest are also neurotic, just less... violently so. Oh, and [[spoiler:at least six]] of Kinzo's descendants have been seen to use magic, [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane if you take the Anti-Mystery perspective]]. It's more than [[BigScrewedUpFamily dysfunctionality]] and CuteLittleFangs that runs in this family.
** Even the at least vaguely sane Battler is [[spoiler:starting to act like his grandfather.]]

* ''Manga/OnePiece'': Luffy and his father [[spoiler:Dragon]] are the only known people to have [[spoiler:'''declared war upon the World Government''']] and gotten away with it. Completely unrelated to each other. [[spoiler:Dragon]] is also leading an active rebellion.

[[folder:Fanfiction]]

* Pretty much any reality show that involves some sort of family member swap. The shows will always show families that have weird quirks and the person who is swapping into that family usually finds it disturbing.

* ''Series/TheAddamsFamily'' as a case of a CreepyFamily.

* The Magus Sisters from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV''.
* The Royal Family and all their Cousins/Second Cousins/Distant Cousins in ''VideoGame/KatamariDamacy''.

* [[VisualNovel/AceAttorney The von Karma family]]. It's subtle, but if you pay attention, Franziska von Karma from the second game onward shares the same poses for her sprites as her father Manfred from the first game. Less subtly, both are prosecutors with obsessions for absolute perfection [[spoiler:(and although Franziska eventually gets over it, she does maintain the no-nonsense sense of authority that had come with it)]].
** [[spoiler: Edgeworth]] is a good example of this as well in the fourth case. The outfit is ''very'' similar to Manfred's, and the fingerwag is shared by both.