History Main / OnlySaneByComparison

* ''LightNovel/{{Durarara}}'': Exaggerated. ''No one'' is sane in this series, but some are definitely saner than others given the cast includes ''multiple people'' obsessed with a headless fairy (some prefer the head, some prefer the body), knife-wielding love zombies, and more. Mikado initially seems to be the only normal person around, [[spoiler:but he also founded a gang online because he was bored and undergoes SanitySlippage until he becomes suicidal]]. Celty is more consistently portrayed as the sane one, but she is still an entirely inhuman being who's suggested to act the way she does only because of her missing head.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'': Fry plays this role in "[[Recap/FuturamaS3E7TheDayTheEarthStoodStupid The Day The Earth Stood Stupid]]". Although he's usually the show's main [[TheDitz Ditz]], when earth is invaded by the Brain Spawn, Fry's [[DisabilitySuperpower lack of a Delta Brainwave]] makes him the only person on the planet who is immune to their powers, which turn everyone else into brainless morons. Although he's still very much an IdiotHero, he's the only person who can save the day by default. It's best demonstrated when he yells at the people of New New York to stop acting so stupid [[HypocriticalHumor through the wrong end of a megaphone.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/InsideJob'': Despite Reagan's eccentricities, she's still one of the most responsible members of her team. That being said she is still unhinged and dealing with a lot of trauma from her past, and is only sane because the rest of her teammates bar Brett are a bunch of degenerate assholes.

** Mr. Krabs is generally more mature and sensible than most of the cast, and is likewise usually the only one focused on business and the job at hand, especially compared to the foolish Patrick, the lazy Squidward, and the energetic {{Cloudcuckoolander}} [=SpongeBob=], with him usually struggling to keep them in line with and focused on whatever goal he's got. This doesn't make him much saner than the others, though, as he's [[MoneyFetish greedy to the point of obsession]], prone to [[PsychopathicManchild immature boughts of psychosis]], and [[SkewedPriorities will prioritize his money over just about anything, even his own safety]].

* ''Videogame/TheNewOrderLastDaysOfEurope:'' Among the Passionariyy Far-Right clique in [[DisasterDemocracy Komi]], Igor Shafarevich is a less-than-hidden cryptofascist who will pretend to run a democracy where his name's the only one in the ballots, and also a stealthier, but virulent Slavic supremacist that quietly disappears ethnic minorities. Seems awful enough, but when compared to Gumilyov (Eurasianist and Mongol Horde [=LARPer=] who wants to tie the continents into one thing), Serov (a literal [[CommieNazis Commie Nazi]] who blames the Koreans for everything bad that happened to Russia) and especially Taboritsky (unmedicated schizophrenic that thinks he needs to cleanse Russia to make (the deceased) Tsar Alexei come back, and takes to it with genocidal vigor), he at least ''tries'' to look like he'll make something stable.

* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'': Batman's RoguesGallery is notorious for the majority of its members suffering from some variation of insanity or other, to the point that even amongst other DC villains their generally regarded as the crazies. However, some of them are so far over the line that they have this effect on the other members, as demonstrated during their frequent team ups and interactions. The most notable example is the ComicBook/TheJoker with his sheer homicidal mania and sadism [[EvenEvilHasStandards being too much even for their standards]], but others who provoke this effect include [[{{Pyromaniac}} Firefly]] (in one memorable incident his partnership with Killer Moth ended with Moth seriously fearing for his life after getting a good look at just how insane firefly really was), The Mad Hatter and [[TheMentallyDisturbed Professor Pyg]].
* In ''ComicBook/SamAndMax'' Sam serves as the straight man of the duo who reigns is Max's worst urges but Sam is also a trigger happy vigilante who see's Max's violent and sociopathic tendencies as mildly irritating at best and adorable character quirks at worst.

** Despite being ruthless terrorists in their own right, Emerald and Mercury are the only members of Salem's Faction who are NotInThisForYourRevolution and haven't bought into the 'serve Salem at any cost' mentality. Emerald is also the only one to feel any kind of remorse for her actions. [[spoiler: Neo becomes this later on, as despite her [[AxeCrazy axe craziness]], her reaction to joining Salem is akin to realizing she's accidentally joined a cult]].

* ''WebAnimation/HazbinHotel'': Vaggie has a HairTriggerTemper and a tendency to threaten people with knives and spears but she's one of the most level-headed and ProperlyParanoid of the cast when compared to the cannibalistic SerialKiller [[AmbiguouslyEvil Alastor]], the drug addicted, promiscuous and flippant Angel Dust, the possibly crazy and [[NeatFreak obsessively clean]] LoveFreak Niffty and the drunkenly depressed, apathetic Husk. However, it's more of a [[DownplayedTrope downplayed example]] with her girlfriend Charlie, compared to Vaggie, she can be somewhat naive and overly trusting but she's also the only person who's even attempting to find an alternative solution to Hell's overpopulation problem and has the sense to not make [[DealWithTheDevil pacts]] with other demons.

* ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'': Waspinator is an eccentric, [[TheFatalist fatalistic]], [[TheDitz scatterbrained]] MinionWithAnFInEvil ButtMonkey; despite all this he usually has to play the OnlySaneMan to the rest of the Predacons, who consist of [[BigBad Megatron]], a megalomaniacal DiabolicalMastermind who plans to risk destroying reality itself for his mad plans, Tarantulas, a [[TheStarscream treacherous]], sociopathic MadScientist who frequently murders animals ForTheEvulz, Blackarachnia, Tarantulas' equally treacherous partner-in-crime and the resident WildCard who betrays pretty much everyone, Inferno, a psychotic {{Pyromaniac}} who thinks he's an ant and is fanatically loyal to Megatron, Scorponok, a YesMan GeniusDitz, Terrorsaur, an incompetent TheStarscream SmugSnake, Quickstrike, a dense, short tempered BloodKnight, and [[FrankensteinsMonster Rampage]], a NighInvulnerable, [[ImAHumanitarian cannibalistic]] SerialKiller.

* ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'': [[ThePowerOfRock Valhallen]], despite being an idiotic Rockstar, posses far more self control, self-awareness and common sense than the other members of the [[SuperZeroes Justice Friends]].

** Spanky Ham can be the level-headed one whenever Foxxy Love isn't, like when he brings up a good solution to a problem. Besides this, he's [[{{Greed}} greedy]], crude with his love of ToiletHumor, and has no qualms manipulating others for his own gain. His sane side is more obvious in later episodes, but his avarice and manipulation never completely go away.
* ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'': Nazz is this of the main six Cul-de-Sac kids, and this is a very rare case where the DumbBlonde is the sanest one. Her ditziness aside, she's a calm, friendly, and mature girl, especially compared to crazy weirdos like Rolf and Jonny, aggressive jerks like Kevin and Sarah, or childish nervous wrecks like Jimmy. As a result, she usually stays out of the regular conflicts of most episodes, and can often be the voice of reason.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'': [[EvilTeacher Denzel Crocker]] is sadistic, petty man prone to shouting spasms, who even ignoring his obsession with fairies pretty clearly insane. And yet he is the only member of the cast to actually notice and react to the clearly impossible events that occur. Likewise just about everything he says about Fairies proves to be true.

** Squidward is a rude, selfish, and bad-tempered {{Narcissist}} and a blatant case of SmallNameBigEgo, but he's also the most rational character who has to put up with his annoyingly idiotic neighbours (originally he was more a grouch and a stick in the mud, but over time their antics became increasingly disruptive and obnoxious), and usually has more common sense than most people around him to the point that he [[DependingOnTheWriter sometimes]] takes this as far as being effectively the only voice of common sense to the entire town.

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* ''WebAnimation/HazbinHotel'': Vaggie has a HairTriggerTemper and a tendency to threaten people with knives and spears but she's one of the most level-headed and ProperlyParanoid of the cast when compared to the cannibalistic SerialKiller [[AmbiguouslyEvil Alastor]], the drug addicted, promiscuous and flippant Angel Dust, the possibly crazy and [[NeatFreak obsessively clean]] LoveFreak Niffty and the drunkenly depressed Husk. However, it's more of a [[DownplayedTrope downplayed example]] with her girlfriend Charlie, compared to Vaggie, she can be somewhat naive and overly trusting but she's also the only person who's even attempting to find an alternative solution to Hell's overpopulation problem and has the sense to not make [[DealWithTheDevil pacts]] with other demons.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'': Nicole is often the most responsible member of the Watterson family and tries to steer her kids in the right direction. She's work-oriented and wants her kids to have good lives. Despite this, she has [[CompetitionFreak a massive competitive streak]], [[HairTriggerTemper a very bad temper]], a [[{{Hypocrite}} hypocritical side]], and [[AxCrazy a rather fragile mental state]]. Over time, her flaws become more pronounced, and by the fifth season, she's lost any claim to being the voice of reason to [[ChildProdigy Anais]]... and even ''she'' can be a bit off in some episodes, like being disturbingly clingy to her new friend in "The Parasite" or being an EnfantTerrible in the WholeFlashbackEpisode "The Rival."

* ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'': Nicole is often the most responsible member of the Watterson family and tries to steer her kids in the right direction. She's work-oriented and wants her kids to have good lives. Despite this, she has [[CompetitionFreak a massive competitive streak]], [[HairTriggerTemper a very bad temper]], a [[{{Hypocrite}} hypocritical side]], and [[AxCrazy a rather fragile mental state]]. Over time, her flaws become more pronounced, and by the fifth season, she's lost any claim to being the voice of reason to [[ChildProdigy Anais]].

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* ''Literature/{{Flashman}}'': [[VillainProtagonist Harry Flashman]], supposedly a [[FakeUltimateHero glorious Victorian military hero]] of the British Empire, is in reality a bullying, lecherous, backstabbing racist, misogynistic coward who kisses up to superiors and exploits everyone below him. However, compared to the sheer number of {{Upper Class Twit}}s, [[GeneralFailure incompetents]] and/or [[GeneralRipper bloodthirsty]] senior figures that make up the British Army of the 19th century (or for that matter [[NotSoDifferent most of the world's armies]]), Flashman more often than not comes across as far more sane than he has any right to. Likewise while a self-admitted scoundrel (at least in private) and murderer, he's also usually the only one to be visibly disgusted by the needless loss of life or pointless cruelty that [[WarIsHell every side involved in the wars]] he takes part in is guilty of.

* ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'': Believe it or not, Sheldon Cooper. While he is many things, a {{manchild}}, an InsufferableGenius and [[ItsAllAboutMe selfish]], he has shown to be far more level-headed than his fellow scientists. Leonard is an ExtremeDoormat who is willing to lie to get what he wants, Howard is a CasanovaWannabe who can't resist an opportunity to hit on a girl and Raj is a bit of a scaredy-cat who cannot speak to girls unless intoxicated. This is sort of downplayed in later episodes when [[CharacterDevelopment the three grow beyond their flaws.]]

* ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'': Believe it or not, Sheldon Cooper. While he is many things, a {{manchild}}, an InsufferableGenius and [[ItsAllAboutMe selfish]], he has shown to be far more level-headed than his fellow scientists. Leonard is an ExtremeDoormat who is willingto lie to get what he wants, Howard is a CasanovaWannabe who can't rssist an opportunity to hit on a girl and Raj is a bit of a scaredy-cat who cannot speak to girls unless intoxicated. This is sort of downplayed in later episodes when [[CharacterDevelopment the three grow beyond their flaws.]]

* ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'': Believe it or not, Sheldon Cooper. While he is many things, a {{manchild}}, an InsufferableGenius and [[ItsAllAboutMe selfish]], he has shown to be far more level-headed than his fellow scientists. Leonard is an ExtremeDoormat who is willingto lie to get what he wants, Howard is a CassanovaWannabe who can't rssist an opportunity to hit on a girl and Raj is a bit of a scaredy-cat who cannot speak to girls unless intoxicated. This is sort of downplayed in later episodes when [[CharacterDevelopment the three grow beyond their flaws.]]

* ''Series/BrooklynNineNine'': Overall downplayed, but for all his goofiness, childishness and immaturity, Jake Peralta takes the role of the voice of reason a lot more often than you'd think (which might give you some idea about the general level of sanity operating within the Nine-Nine). Sure, he has some slightly strange ideas about the world, some [[BookDumb gaps in his knowledge base]] and he's riddled with daddy issues, but he's in many ways a lot less eccentric and a lot more down-to-earth than several of his co-workers, lacking Holt's [[TheStoic robotic stoicism]], Amy's dorky neuroses, Charles's {{CreepyGood}}ness, Rosa's aggressive lack of social skills, Gina's all-consuming narcissism and Scully and Hitchcock's sheer dimwittedness.

In any group of weird and crazy individuals, the OnlySaneMan is usually a necessary inclusion to stop the rest from self-destructing. Trouble is sometimes you have a group that is so crazy that candidates for the position are a bit sparse, and you end up with someone who isn't really that sane themselves.

Always a case of ClosestThingWeGot and quite usually PlayedForLaughs, this trope is most often used to demonstrate of just how low the levels of competence and sanity for the group (and sometimes the situation) really are. The key point being that in any other situation or group they wouldn't have any claim to being the only sane man.

Compare with NotSoAboveItAll, where characters will spend most of the narrative presented as sensible and rational whilst having quirks and flaws of their own, and only have occasional moments showing themselves to not be above the insanity after all. To qualify for this trope, the characters flaws and issues have to be at the forefront and extreme enough that in any other circumstance you could never believe they would qualify for the voice of reason. Though {{Flanderisation}} and CharacterDevelopment can respectively turn one into the other.

Also compare SanityBall when someone takes on the role of Sane Man temporarily as the narrative needs one. Contrast DumbassHasAPoint when someone who isn't usually the Sane Man makes a valid argument and OOCIsSeriousBusiness when the situation simply gets so extreme that it forces someone who is not the voice of reason to take up the role.

** In the Fifteen arc, Chuuya is a BloodKnight whose goal is to murder the Port Mafia members, but still has morals and a sense of right and wrong. In comparison, Dazai is much less sane, as while he isn't as overtly unstable, he's extremely ruthless and sociopathic. He giggles as he repeatedly shoots a corpse after delivering a MercyKill, and manipulates events to force Chuuya into joining the mafia by turning the boy's friends against him while also using them as hostages- all for the sake of humiliating Chuuya.

* ''Anime/Danganronpa3TheEndOfHopesPeakHighSchool'': Nagito is known by his class for being a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} at best and a deranged terrorist at worst. After being brainwashed, the students use their talents to destroy the world, believing what they're doing is right. In contrast, Nagito's personality is mostly the same and he knows he is Ultimare Despair, though his deeds are far less horrific than those of his peers.
* ''Manga/DeliciousInDungeon'': [[SquishyWizard Marcille]] is neurotic, skittish, and secretly specializes in TheDarkArts, and Chilchuck is snarky, blunt, and claims to be OnlyInItForTheMoney... but compared to Laios and Senshi's obsession with eating the dungeon monsters and the crackpot plans in service of said obsession, they're pretty normal.
* ''LightNovel/{{Durarara}}'': Exaggerated. ''No one'' is sane in this series, but some are definitely saner than others given the cast includes a ''multiple people'' obsessed with a headless fairy (some prefer the head, some prefer the body), knife-wielding love zombies, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Mikado initially seems to be the only normal person around, [[spoiler:but he also founded a gang online because he was bored and undergoes SanitySlippage until he becomes suicidal]]. Celty is more consistently portrayed as the sane one, but she is still an entirely inhuman being who's suggested to act the way she does only because of her missing head.

* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'': Batman's RoguesGallery is notorious for the majority of its members suffering from some variation of insanity or other, to the point that even amongst other DC villains their generally regarded as the crazies. However, some of them are so far over the line that they have this effect on the other members, as demonstrated during their frequent team ups and interactions. The most notable example being the ComicBook/TheJoker with his sheer homicidal mania and sadism [[EvenEvilHasStandards being to much even for their standards]]; but other common examples that provoke this effect include [[{{Pyromaniac}} Firefly]] (in one memorable incident his partnership with Killer Moth ended with Moth seriously fearing for his life after getting a good look at just how insane firefly really was), The Mad Hatter and [[TheMentallyDisturbed Professor Pyg]].

* ''Film/ReservoirDogs'': Mr. Pink despite being a neurotic robber, a jerkish coward and a [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain is racist towards black people]], fulfils this in comparison to his colleagues and supervisors. Throughout the movie he is the only one who tries to calm down the estranged group as they argued who the traitor is, reminding them that they are supposed to be professionals and to focus on the situation at hand. Whilst he fails to stop the situation from escalating this is why [[spoiler: only he survives the end of the story, whereas everyone else (including the traitor) dies]]. [[AllForNothing He still gets caught by the Police though.]]

* ''Literature/AliceInWonderland'': The titular Alice is a strange little girl in her own right--prone to [[ThinkingOutLoud talking to herself]], believing she might have ''become'' someone other than herself, coming up with creepy scenarios to play pretend around among other things--but among the increasingly wacky denizens of [[TheWonderland Wonderland]], she becomes the OnlySaneWoman by default.

* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': In [[CityOfAdventure Ankh-Morpork]] the canting crew is a recurring group of CrazyHomelessPeople, with the least crazy among them being The Duck Man, who behaves almost normally, is fairly intelligent, and is certainly more able to make good decisions than the rest of the crew, but has a duck riding on top of his head, that has been there for years, and that he will not acknowledge the existence of.
* ''Literature/{{Flashman}}'': [[VillainProtagonist Harry Flashman]] supposedly a [[FakeUltimateHero glorious Victorian military hero]] of the British Empire, is in reality a bullying, lecherous, backstabbing racist, misogynistic coward who kisses up to superiors and exploits everyone below him. However, compared to the sheer number of [[UpperClassTwit Upper class twits]], [[GeneralFailure Incompetent]] and/or [[GeneralRipper bloodthirsty]] senior figures that make up the British Army of the 19th century (or for that matter [[NotSoDifferent most of the worlds armies]]), Flashman more often than not comes across as far more sane than he should have right to. Likewise whilst a self admitted scoundrel (at least in private) and murderer, he's also usually the only one to be visibly disgusted by the needless loss of life or pointless cruelty that [[WarIsHell every side involved in the wars]] he takes part in is guilty of.

** Alice seems to be the one member of the Physical Kids who can act sensibly and isn't somehow horribly dysfunctional - at least compared to Quentin's {{Manchild}} tendencies, Eliot's alcoholism, Josh's SadClown antics, and Janet's nature as an AlphaBitch. However, you don't get into [[WizardingSchool Brakebills]] without being obsessive to the point of insanity: Alice is almost as eccentric as the others - it's just that she's a lot more self-aware about it, having seen her own parents go off the deep end. Among other things, she's one of only two students who participate in Mayakovsky's UltimateFinalExam - a ''naked walk to the South Pole'' - and actually refuses to use the correct technique to do so, instead deliberately botching a spell in a way that'll burn her alive if she makes a mistake. [[spoiler: Later, she's the first to take the journey into [[EldritchLocations the Neitherlands]], a course of action that could best be described as "ill-advised - and that's ''before'' she sucker-punches Quentin in the face.]]
** In ''The Magician King,'' Julia seems to be one of the few sensible members of the Murs coven, in the sense that she hasn't descended into highly-dangerous MadScientist tendencies and thinks that the group's ultimate goal of [[spoiler: summoning a goddess for the sake of truth and happiness]] might be a bad idea. However, Julia isn't without her own eccentricities: ever since she failed the Brakebills IncomprehensibleEntranceExam, she's suffered from crippling depression and obsessed over magic to the point of abandoning all her prospects, refusing all her college offers, and descending into the magical underground [[spoiler: where she actually traded sex for magical knowledge.]]
* ''Literature/NumeroZero'': Maia Fresia is an eccentric young journalist with somewhat childlike mannerisms and a penchant for randomly blurting out her thoughts, to the point its speculated by her co-workers she might have an [[AmbiguousDisorder undiagnosed development disorder]]. However, compared to her colleagues, who are a bunch of unscrupulous swindlers (plus one crazy ConspiracyTheorist), she appears very rational and level-headed, not to mention [[CuckooSnarker quick witted]] and sharp.
* ''Literature/SharpObjects'': Camille Preaker of is the TokenGoodTeammate of the Preaker-Crellin family, as well as the most normal and relatable of the lot. She's also an alcoholic, a self-harmer, a JadedWashout, and a completely self-destructive cynic who isn't even very good at her job of being an reporter. However, her [[EvilMatriarch mother]] is an abusive monster [[spoiler:who's been poisoning her children for decades]], her little sister Amma is a FilleFatale, horrifyingly BarbaricBully [[spoiler:and a SerialKiller]], and her stepfather Alan enables them both. Camille is at least genuinely ''trying'' to do better, tries to protect Amma from their mother, and is acutely aware of her own shortcomings.
* ''[[Literature/SisterPelagia Pelagia and the Red Rooster]]'': Emmanuel (aka Manuila), [[EccentricMentor a quirky religious prophet]] [[{{Cloudcuckoolanguage}} with peculiar speech mannerisms]]. However, compared to most other characters who are either [[KnightTemplar religious extremists of various sorts]] (such as the fanatical Russian Orthodox Pobedin) or just plain weirdos (such as a bunch of [[CampGay Camp Gays]] who rebuilt and inhabited the biblical Sodom, and are planning to rebuild Gomorrah for lesbian women), Emmanuel appears one of the most sane, not to mention kind-hearted.

* ''Series/BurnNotice'': This is how Michael Weston describes his original relationship with his EvilMentor Larry Sizemore. Initially Michael couldn't see that beneath his [[FauxAffablyEvil charm]] and willingness [[ParentalSubstitute take Michael under his wing]], Larry was an utterly amoral and [[ProfessionalKiller ruthless killer]]. Only time, distance, and no longer comparing Larry to the craziness of his childhood (Michael grew up with an incredibly abusive father and joined the Army to escape an alternative of life on the street) or the chaos of UsefulNotes/TheYugoslavWars let Michael see Larry for what he really was.
* ''Series/BrooklynNineNine'': Overall downplayed, but for all his goofiness, childishness and immaturity, Jake Peralta takes the role of the voice of reason a lot more often than you'd think (which might give you some idea about the general level of sanity operating within the Nine-Nine). Sure, he has some slightly strange ideas about the world, some [[BookDumb gaps in his knowledge base]] and he's riddled with daddy issues, but he's in many ways a lot less eccentric and a lot more down-to-earth than several of his co-workers, lacking Holt's [[TheStoic robotic stoicism]], Amy's dorky neuroses, Charles's [[CreepyGood Creepy Goodness]], Rosa's aggressive lack of social skills, Gina's all-consuming narcissism and Scully and Hitchcock's sheer dimwittedness.
* ''Series/EverythingsGonnaBeOkay'': [[TroubledTeen Genevieve Moss]] struggles to deal with her fathers recent death, coupled with suffering from severe teen angst causes her to act out in bizarre and often incredibly stupid ways. Such as pretending to get high on her dad's heart medication, because she let friends Tellulah and Barb talk her into taking it or the time she allowed Tellulah to enlist her in a scheme to solicit dick pics from a boy in exchange for a supposed picture of Tellulah's vulva (that was actually just a random picture they got off of the Internet). Nevertheless she still comes across as the most level-headed and normal of the Moss siblings, compared to the immature, self absorbed [[ChildishOlderSibling Nicholas]] (who once almost got dumped after thinking it would be a great idea to pour ceviche on his boyfriend's head) and autistic Matilda (who tried to arrange a threesome with two of her fellow autistic students, despite none of them knowing how to actually conduct a threesome).
* ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'': Downplayed, as the overall cast is relatively sane, or have reasonable excuses for their actions, but nevertheless Sam's most reliable ally (in the loosest sense of the word "allies") is Baron Helmut Zemo, the villain from ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'' who is obsessed with vengeance and wants to ensure there are no more super soliders (be they superheroes and villains), mainly since his other allies consist of Bucky, a traumatized hundred-year old cyborg who has a ton of issues that he projects onto Sam, [[AmbiguouslyEvil Sharon Carter]], an [[{{Jerkass}} unpleasant]] and cynical criminal [[spoiler:who turns out to have been EvilAllAlong]], [[ShellShockedVeteran John Walker]], Steve Roger's mentally unstable {{Sucksessor}}, and Lemar Hoskins, who's far more loyal to Walker and the government than Sam. Unlike all of them, Zemo never comes to blows with Sam outside of a minor argument, doesn't cause that many problems, and does everything he can to help them before turning himself in after doing everything that was asked of him.

* ''Series/FatherTed'': Father [[{{Schemer}} Ted Crilly]] is a somewhat smug, legtimately corrupt, selfish man who spends the series constantly trying to cheat and scheme his way out of work or into fame and fortune; who is only really smart in comparison to incredible low standards of [[EldritchLocation Craggy Island]], is heavily implied to be a gambling addict and is overall a disinterested, unsuted priest. However, compared to the [[ManChild childish]], incredibly [[TheDitz stupid]] and outright strange Father [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Dougal McGuire]]; the foul mouthed, [[HairTriggerTemper hot tempered]], [[DirtyOldMonk lecherous]], borderline subhuman and utterly insane Father [[TheAlcoholic Jack Hackett]] (who even in flashbacks to when he was sober and lucid was [[SinisterMinister terrifying, abusive and sadistic]]); and the neurotic, tea and housework obsessed (to the point of staying up every night for two years straight in case anyone wanted a cup of tea despite none of them ever doing so), passive aggressive Mrs Doyle, as well as all the other nutty inhabitants of the island, Ted usually comes across as the only slightly competent and rational person, and is generally the closet thing the series has to a normal person.
* ''Series/{{Frasier}}'': [[InsufferableGenius Dr. Frasier Crane]] is this InUniverse, an esteemed radio psychiatrist who many people look to for guidance in their personal lives; whilst a legitimately skilled psychologist and educated man, his own personal life is a mess of failed relationships and eccentricities, fuelled by his amusingly huge ego and obsessive nature.

--> ''(After witnessing Ben apologize for killing Locke at the latter's funeral)'' Weirdest damn funeral I've ever been to.

* ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'': Downplayed, as their all relatively sane, but nevertheless Sam's most reliable ally (in the loosest sense of the word "allies") is Baron Zemo, a literal supervillain who is obsessed with vengeance and wants to ensure their are no more super soliders (be they superheroes and villains), mainly since his other allies consist of Bucky, a traumatized hundred-year old cyborg who has a ton of issues that he projects onto Sam, [[AmbiguouslyEvil Sharon Carter]], an [[{{Jerkass}} unpleasant]] and cynical criminal [[spoiler:who turns out to have been EvilAllAlong]], [[ShellShockedVeteran John Walker]], Captain America's mentally unstable {{Sucksessor}}, and Lemar Hoskins, who's far more loyal to Walker and the government than Sam. Unlike all of them, Zemo never comes to blows with Sam outside of a minor argument, doesn't cause that many problems, and does everything he can to help them before turning himself in after doing everything that was asked of him.

* ''WesternAnimation/PinkyAndTheBrain'': Brain is a self-admitted megalomaniac MadScientist who wants to take over the world and has a massive ego. He's still is relatively sane compared to Pinky, who's completely insane, [[TheDitz stupid]], and keeps shouting random nonsense words such as "narf" and "zort". Likewise he is this compared to most of the regular citizens who exist in his world, with most of them being to stupid to even comprehend that he's a talking mouse.

-->'''Fiona:''' How do you know this guy who hired you?
-->'''Michael:''' We worked together in the Balkans, '91-'92. It was a crazy time. He seemed ''somewhat'' sane in comparison.
-->'''Fiona:''' And now he kills people for a living.
---> ---- ''Series/BurnNotice''