History Main / NobodyCallsMeChicken

* During the climax of ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureGoldenWind'', [[spoiler: [[BigBad Diavolo]] is considering pulling a ScrewThisImOuttaHere after [[TheHero Giorno]] gets his hands on [[AmplifierArtifact the Requiem arrow]]. When Diavolo's estranged daughter Trish calls him out on it, Diavolo's titanic ego causes him to stay and fight instead... and promptly finds himself on the recieving end of a CurbStompBattle leading to an AndIMustScream FateWorseThanDeath at the hands of Giorno's new StoryBreakerPower.]]

** In "Billy and the Bully", Mandy does this when confronting Sperg. [[spoiler:He ultimately winds up running off in tears because he’s afraid of her.]]

'''Sperg:''' Well, well, well. If it isn’t the Wussy Squad, with a new member; Sally Teacup!\\
'''Mandy:''' Why don’t you say that a little closer? Unless of course you’re chicken.\\
'''Sperg:''' Are you callin’ me chicken?!\\

'''Sperg:''' (''raises his fists'') I’ll make you regret that.\\

** {{Parodied|Trope}} in "Bully Boogie". Grim accuses Boogey of being scared to face him, but never outright says the word “chicken” due to a large poultry being in the room at the time.
--->'''Grim:''' What’s wrong, Boogey? Are ya… scared like some sort of small, tasty bird?\\

'''Grim:''' Only until they’re like, eleven. Then they’re ''mine''!

--> '''Apple Bloom''': [[JustForPun You're just CHICKEN!]]

* In ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'', Brienne uses this tactic to pretty much save Jaime Lannister's life after [[spoiler:he loses his right hand]]. Jaime's pretty much hoping to die at that point, and doing everything he can to bring it about, until she accuses him of being too cowardly to live with what's happened. It actually works, because while people have been calling him a murderer and a traitor behind his back for decades, no one has ever called him a coward before -- and he's not about to let them start now.

-->'''Howard''': Tell you what; I'm willing to bet ANYTHING, that's an ordinary field cricket.
-->'''Sheldon''': I can't take your money.
-->'''Howard''': What's the matter? You chicken?
-->'''Sheldon''': I've always found that an inappropriate slur. Chickens are not, by nature, at all timid. In fact, when I was young, my neighbor's chicken got loose and chased me up the big elm tree in front of our house.
-->'''Raj''': Chickens can't climb trees.
-->'''Sheldon''': Thank God.
-->'''Howard''': Okay. ''(holds hands up in surrender)'' I believe a chicken made you his bitch.

[[folder:NewspaperComics]]
* ''ComicStrip/USAcres'': [[http://garfield.com/us-acres/1996-10-29 A worm dared]] Booker (a literal chicken, mind you) to cross a line and vanished inside his hole before Booker responded. After Booker crossed the line, the same worm (or another one) showed up from another hole and acted like Booker had yet to decide if he'd accept the challenge or not. Booker was confused.
[[/folder]]

-->'''Buzz:''' "Chicken!"
-->'''Bud:''' "Yea, Cluck cluck!"

* In ''Fanfic/APrizeForThreeEmpires'', ComicBook/CarolDanvers successfully baits [[Franchise/XMen Deathbird]] into a one-to-one duel by calling her a coward.

* [[TropeNamer This trope is named]] for the line in ''Film/BackToTheFuturePartII'' and ''[[Film/BackToTheFuturePartIII Part III]]'', where Marty is shown to be easily provoked whenever someone questions/challenges his courage. While this initially works well, pushing Marty's BerserkButton and allowing him to outmaneuver several future bullies, we also see past, present and future scenarios where this proud attitude causes very bad portents for him, with risk of job loss, crippling physical injury, and death all as possible results.
** This is a reference to ''Film/RebelWithoutACause'', where it's such a BerserkButton that it ends up getting people ''killed''.
*** Marty seemed to have learned his lesson in the third movie [[AesopAmnesia but he still fell victim to the trope]] in [[WesternAnimation/BackToTheFuture the animated series]].

*** Then again, Marty could have always had this trait -- nobody actually ''called'' him a coward/"chicken" in the first movie.

** Ace falls prey to this whenever anyone badmouths Whitebeard or threatens his little brother. Indeed, his original purpose in the series is to hunt down Blackbeard after his "insult" of killing a fellow crewmember. This trait tends to go poorly for Ace though as he always gets defeated/captured/hurt whenever this trope takes effect (we even learn after the fact that Ace's battle against Blackbeard was an example of this as Ace couldn't leave Blackbeard alone even if he wanted to due to both the threat he posed to Luffy and the insult to Whitebeard that would occur if he had abandoned the battle. He loses this battle horribly and gets captured as a result). Finally, in what is the most apt example of this trope, Ace, [[spoiler:after having just been freed from execution in Marineford]], gets goaded into a fight with Admiral Akainu via the latter purposely insulting Whitebeard. Then, to make matters worse, Akainu invokes Ace's second berserk button by suddenly attacking his little brother, resulting in Ace taking the punch for Luffy. "Going badly" understates the result of this [[spoiler:as Ace dies from this even though he's in a series well known for its [[DeathIsCheap fluid mortality]].]]

* The ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' episode "Memories Of Boom Boom Mountain" has a shout-out to the ''Film/BackToTheFuture'' example above, where the Marauder leader calls Finn "chicken" (with the added bonus of the former being voiced by Creator/ThomasFWilson himself).

* Johnny in Film/TheRoom invokes this. "You're just a chicken! Cheeeeeeep cheep-cheep-cheep-cheep-cheep-cheep..."

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

* ''WesternAnimation/ElTigreTheAdventuresOfMannyRivera'', in the episode Dia de Los Muertos. all the dead Riveras and Manny are in a saloon brawl, and three guys walk up.
--> '''Guy''': Hey, I know why the Riveras are always fighting each other. They're all cowards, who are afraid to fight anyone else.
--> '''Riveras (in unison)''': [[BerserkButton COWARDS?!]] *furious [[SwirlingDust dust-cloud of ass-kicking]]*

--> '''Riveras (in unison)''': [[BerserkButton COWARDS?!]] * furious dust-cloud of ass-kicking*

* ''Fanfic/AbraxasHrodvitnon'': [[Characters/AbraxasHrodvitnonTitansAndOtherCreatures Ghidorah]] apparently doesn't like being called a chicken at all. [[spoiler:Thor attempts to sucker Ghidorah into fighting him this way, but Ghidorah instead sets [[EliteMook MaNi/Elder Brother]] on him, so the trope is {{subverted}}]].

* In ''Film/TheCaliforniaKid'', Lyle asks out Sissy, a girl who's more interested in cars than the boys who drive them. Sissy won't go out with him unless he's willing to drive her places, but Lyle isn't willing because he doesn't have his driver's license yet. Sissy says, "Me and Tom used to go out when he had his learner's. But if you're scared or something..." Lyle caves and agrees to take her out in his brother's car. [[spoiler:While they're driving, she goads him to go faster so they can spend more time at MakeOutPoint. The sheriff deals with their traffic violation in his usual manner: by [[DisproportionateRetribution running them off the road]], killing Lyle and badly injuring Sissy.