History Main / Pride

* ''Literature/ConanTheBarbarian'': In "The Hyborian Age" [[note]]the BackStory to the main stories.[[/note]] the Aquilonian empire suffered from this.

---->'''Zuko:''' But I don't feel any shame at all. I'm as proud as ever! \\

** At the end of his life, [[EvilOverlord Sozin]] understands it was all a waste and that he has committed horrible atrocities in the name of changing and saving the world, [[spoiler: including being responsible for the death of his best friend and initiating a genocide that fails to kill the one person he was after.]] It was his self-perceived power and sense of right that led to nearly a century of war after his death.
** In the sequel series, ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', the title character herself has some pride issues as well. Having humility forced on her happens a lot throughout the show.
* On ''Literature/TheBerenstainBears'', this is one of Papa Bear's main character flaws, to the point that in "The Giant Mall" from the 2003 series, he spends over an hour wandering the mall looking for a hardware store because he wouldn't read a map. Though he does admit he was wrong at the end of the episode and vows to change his ways.
* In ''WesternAnimation/BobsBurgers'', this is the biggest reason why the family lives in PerpetualPoverty as while he's an excellent chef, Bob's business sense is extremely poor to the point of being self-defeating due to a sense of pride as a cook. He's turned down numerous opportunities for profit (such as an investor's tiki theme or a plaque indicating his restaurant was the location of a criminal's death) and tends not to follow ongoing trends like sweet potato fries out of the [[HonorBeforeReason misguided belief]] that he only needs his burgers to attract customers.

JustForFun/NotToBeConfusedWith the common use of "pride" to denote a group of lions, or LGBT Pride -- in the latter's case, despite what [[HeteronormativeCrusader some may claim]], the concepts are unrelated, and most non-English languages have separate words for ''this'' kind of pride versus pride in being who you are.

** The sin of Pride is one of the overarching themes of the ''Franchise/DragonAge'' verse in general; it was the pride of the [[EvilSorcerer magisters]] that led them to attempt to conquer heaven and thereby to turn the Golden City into the Black City and unleash the darkspawn on the world (at least according to the Chantry; [[spoiler: the magister Corypheus claims that the Black City was already corrupt when he arrived, but his clear megalomania certainly supports the Pride bit]]). Origins' introduction begins with Duncan intoning "The Chantry teaches us that it is the sins of Man that brought the darkspawn to this world..." and the two TragicHero party members of ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'', [[spoiler: Anders and Merrill]], both bring themselves (and other people) to ruin because they pridefully believe themselves equal to the foolish risks they undertake ([[spoiler: willingly allowing a spirit to possess him, in Anders's case; practicing blood magic, summoning demons and making deals with them, and attempting to repair an artifact that killed her best friend, in Merrill's case]]).

** In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'', Solas accuses [[IronLady Vivienne]] of being so self-assured that a Pride demon [[TooSpicyForYogSothoth would walk away laughing]]. She replies [[InsultBackfire it's happened more than once]].

ItsAllAboutMe, AGodAmI, KneelBeforeZod, NothingCanStopUsNow, WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong, GrudgingThankYou and DontYouDarePityMe are [[GeniusBonus proud]] stock phrases. Proud people are also very likely to suffer from MoralMyopia (to the point of [[KnightTemplar being convinced to be the only righteous one]]). ComeToGawk is frequently uncommonly painful for the proud -- and the proud are uncommonly likely to jump to the conclusion that someone did come to do just that. The GreenEyedMonster often accuses the envied person of Pride -- justly or unjustly, or the person with Pride could be the one getting envious. [[SubTrope Sub-Tropes]] include AcquiredSituationalNarcissism, FairestOfThemAll, HolierThanThou, InferioritySuperiorityComplex, NeverMyFault, SmugSnake, and TooCleverByHalf. See also SmallNameBigEgo and FallenAngel.

* Yomi Hellsmile from ''VideoGame/MasterDetectiveArchivesRainCode'' is primarily motivated by his high opinion of himself, as he is extremely arrogant and deludes himself into thinking he's a hero when he's anything but that. He is blatantly an [[AxCrazy unhinged and psychotic]] despot [[DespotismJustifiesTheMeans who wants power over Kanai Ward for the sake of it]], and will dispose of anyone who dares to challenge him. Fittingly, his overall motif is based on hell, which makes him fitting for the sin of Pride as [[SatanticArchetype he's a fitting representation of Satan, whom represents Pride in mythology]].

* ''Series/BreakingBad'' has Walter White, the main character with an obvious streak of pride coloring all his actions. He'd rather make and sell meth than ask for or accept help for his family or condition. At one point it's revealed that his partner in grad school created a successful biotech company that his ideas helped create. Rather than accept a very large check that would have covered his bills and act as a late payment for his help with the company, he tears it up and goes back to making drugs to earn money his own way. In one episode, he intentionally leads his DEA agent brother-in-law Hank back on his tail after he had started to believe Gale really was Heisenberg simply because he couldn't stand the idea of Hank thinking someone else was responsible for his work, while in another episode he hates that his son set up a donation website to pay for his cancer treatment because he doesn't want to accept handouts from strangers like a "beggar" and has to be convinced by his wife not to have his son take the site down.

* ''Film/TheRapture'': Sharon's FatalFlaw. According to Creator/RogerEbert:

* Bass from ''VideoGame/MegaManClassic'' is extremely arrogant, obsessed with proving his superiority over Mega Man...and [[EvilIsSexy hot]].

* In the Literature/FirebirdTrilogy, pride is both Brennen and Firebird's main failing, one that drives the plots of the second and third books. In the second book, Brennen faces losing most of [[PsychicPowers his extraordinary abilities]] and learns that his worth is not dependent on what he can do. In the third book, Firebird struggles to let others help her and to not get detrimentally caught up in her royal heritage.
* The number one factor keeping the damned in ''Literature/TheGreatDivorce'' from entering {{Heaven}} is their inability to acknowledge their own faults and give up on their petty grudges.

** The Númenoreans' increasingly unbridled ego caused the downfall of the greatest Mannish civilization. Since they were gifted with much longer and healthier lives -which allowed them to excel in sciences and arts- advanced technology and divine blessings by the Valar, the Númenoreans came to believe not only that they had the right to rule over other Men but also that they should be immortal since, being obviously superior, they are entitled to anything they want. Their overwhelming hubris and ambition eventually lead them to invade the Undying Lands, which gets their civilization destroyed.
** Ar-Pharazôn, the last king of Númenor, is a perfect exponent of the extent of their people's corruption. Pharazôn usurps the throne because he thinks he obviously should be king, wants to conquer the world because he should obviously rule it, and wants to become immortal because he is obviously too great of a king to die.

** This was both Snape and Dumbledore's FatalFlaw in their youth, to similarly disastrous results (ie getting a person they loved killed). Snape always wanted to prove himself being a poor half-blood and thought that joining the Death Eaters would be so cool to the girl he liked (Harry's mom Lily) that she would like him back. This didn't work and she finally broke off their friendship when he called her a FantasticSlur and culminated in her having married the man he hated most. Pride then caused him to spy on Dumbledore talking to Trewlawney in the middle of her prophecy about how there was a baby destined to kill Voldemort. He thought this would make him one of Voldemort's inner circle if he told him that kid was Lily's (he got kicked out halfway through the prophecy by Dumbledore's brother Aberforth and didn't know there was another kid to whom it could apply). He begged Voldemort to spare her and he was going to uphold his end of the bargain but she wouldn't let him kill Harry so he killed her. Dumbledore was also seduced by the power an EvilSorcerer could bring as a teen, in his case Grindelwald. His mother died right after he finished Hogwarts and he had to put his gap year plans on hold to take care of his mentally ill sister Ariana while Aberforth finished school. He resented his PromotionToParent and felt like he was wasting his brilliance being the family breadwinner. He wanted to prove himself so much that he agreed to go look for the Deathly Hallows with Grindelwald with Ariana in tow. Aberforth tried to stop them and she got killed in the chaotic MeleeATrois that ensued when Grindelwald attacked Aberforth. Dumbledore learned his lesson about how he shouldn't be trusted with power that his own brilliance could bring from this but Snape never did.

* The defining trait of the Lannisters, Targaryens and to a small extent, the Greyjoys in ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'': Although that may be less about any specific family and more about the whole Westeros social hierarchy- all the houses have some pride issues. The Starks are noticeable because they have one of the only house words that isn't a boast. The Targs do take it to another level though, although kind of justified with the dragons and stuff.
* Being as ''Literature/ThingsFallApart'' is more or less stated to be a classical Greek tragedy set in pre-colonial and early colonial Nigeria, it makes sense that Okonkwo's driving force and [[spoiler:ultimate cause of death]] is Pride. Subverted in that the author does not condemn Okonkwo's pride but rather is saddened by it.\\\
The backstory of his deadbeat father, who spent his days idling and died in massive debt, provides a FreudianExcuse in this case. Okonkwo swore to himself he would be a pillar of strength and manliness, not a failure like his father.

* The defining trait of the Lannisters, Targaryens and to a small extent, the Greyjoys in ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire''. Although that may be less about any specific family and more about the whole Westeros social hierarchy- all the houses have some pride issues. The Starks are noticeable because they have one of the only house words that isn't a boast. The Targs do take it to another level though, although kind of justified with the dragons and stuff.

** One story in ''Literature/UnfinishedTalesOfNumenorAndMiddleEarth'' is about the disintegrating marriage of Aldarion, prince of Númenor,, and his wife Erendis, over his inability to keep his promises to return when he says he will from various sea voyages. Erendis refuses to bend, Aldarion refuses to explain himself, and the present king Meneldur is angry at Aldarion's apparent disregard of his responsibilities as heir. It's not until Aldarion huffily throws a letter from Gil-galad onto the table that Meneldur knows there ''was'' a justified reason, because Aldarion refused to tell him until he thought he could use it to start a fight. Unsurprisingly, Aldarion and Erendis' daughter ends up so emotionally scarred by all this that it contributes to her own unhappy marriage as an adult.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' novels:

** In Nick Kyme's ''[[Literature/{{Salamanders}} Salamander]]'', Tsu'gan blames himself for his arrogance that led to his leaving his post, and so to an enemy's breaking in and killing his captain.
** In Creator/JamesSwallow's ''[[Literature/BloodAngels Deus Encarmine]]'' and ''[[Literature/BloodAngels Deus Sanguinius]]'', Sachiel's pride is [[{{Foil}} contrasted to]] Rafen, down to their reactions to each other's loss. Sachiel's reaction to news of an explosion (NoOneCouldSurviveThat) is to [[TalkingToTheDead gloat]]; Rafen sees Sachiel's corpse and pities him.\\\
In the BackStory, Rafen was so arrogant as to have been rejected as an aspirant for it, but that humbled him and (through some other circumstances) led to his being selected anyway.\\\

** ''Literature/TheFourGospels'': This trope is likely the reason that the New Testament's sole criteria for salvation is "confess with your mouth that USefulNotes/{{Jesus}} is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead". Someone who can't conceive of a person more virtuous than themselves -- in effect, someone who claims that they've never made a mistake at all -- is dangerously wrong. ''The Bible'' is full of examples of people who ''[[CharacterDevelopment became]]'' humble despite their pride, because they were invisibly moved by the Spirit of God.

* ''Franchise/BlazBlue'''s BigBad Yuuki Terumi [[spoiler:AKA [[PhysicalGod Susanoo]]]] is all about this to the point of being is FatalFlaw. His ''Arrogance'', ''Hubris'' ''AND'' ''{{Narcissis|t}}m'' is the size of Ikargua itself. In fact, it's also a BerserkButton if you so much as crack it, he will do everything in his power to have you DeaderThanDead.

** ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'' -- [[MemeticMutation No one is as prideful as Gaston]]! Fueled by the town's admiration for him and his own [[TestosteronePoisoning excessive masculinity]], he pursues Belle solely because he believes he deserves the best wife, despite not having any respect for her passion of reading, and there being other girls in the village that adore him. After having his pride hurt by rejection, he schemes to blackmail Belle into marrying him, and uses his popularity within the village to achieve this.

---->'''Zuko:''' But I don't feel any shame. I'm as proud as ever! \\
'''Iroh:''' Zuko, shame is not the opposite of pride, but its source.

* In ''VideoGame/StarcraftBroodWar'', Admiral Dugalle's FatalFlaw was pride. Samir Duran exploited Dugalle's pride in his forces to convince him to destroy the Psi Disrupter. When [[HypercompetentSidekick Vice Admiral Stukov]] went behind Dugalle's back by secretly relocating the Disrupter, rightly believing it was their best chance to defeat the Zerg, Duran plays Dugalle's hurt ego and manipulates him into ordering the death of his best friend. In the final cinematic scene depicting the remnants of Dugalle's fleet fleeing the sector [[spoiler:right before they are wiped out by the Zerg Kerrigan sent to pursue them]], Dugalle writes a final letter to his wife. In it, Dugalle confesses that his pride killed Alexei and consumed him as well. Immediately after finishing the letter he commits suicide.