History Main / SenseiForScoundrels

Are you a ChewToy, A [[TheWoobie Woobie]], a DoggedNiceGuy or just generally [[ButtMonkey pathetic]]? Are women avoiding you like plague? Do you feel existentially lost in a [[CrapsackWorld cruel and uncaring universe?]]

The Sensei for Scoundrels might be the answer to your prayers. He is everything you wish you could be as a man: strong, attractive, fearless and a huge success with women. Of course, he's also probably [[CrazySurvivalist deeply]] [[NietzscheWannabe disturbed]], and possibly [[EvilMentor very evil.]] You ''may'' find him at the ThugDojo, but a School of Hard Knocks is more likely.

* The ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'': [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-3512 SCP-3512]] features a pick-up artist's guide written by such an individual, which takes a sharp turn for the arcane and the unhinged from the twelfth chapter onward. Following its instructions does [[BodyHorror strange things]] to you, and [[AndIMustScream worse]] to the women you try its teachings out on.

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]

[[folder: Comic Books ]]
* Subverted in ''ComicBook/GreenArrow'' during [[ComicBook/FiftyTwo DC Comics Missing Year]] when, feeling he's gone soft, he hires a literal sensi for Scoundrels to teach him and his family to fight dirty. He becomes a SinkOrSwimMentor when he recruits his former student to give Green Arrow a trial by fire.

[[folder: Film ]]

* ''Film/ChangingLanes'': Gavin's father-in-law and senior partner, Stephen Delano (played by Sydney Pollak.) Part of Gavin's CharacterDevelopment throughout the film is his realization that Delano is grooming him to become an AmoralAttorney, while getting Gavin to do the majority of the firm's dirty work.

[[folder: Literature ]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'': Garak. More than once, he responds to an idealistic character being suspicious of him with, "You're learning," or, "There may be hope for you yet," to the point where the latter is almost a catch-phrase for him.
* An unintentional example in ''Series/CobraKai'': [[Film/TheKarateKid Johnny Lawrence]] grows up into one, reforming Cobra Kai's image but teaching his new students how to fight with pragmatic methods. Unfortunately, he doesn't reform the underlying philosophy, and his students [[HeWhoFightsMonsters turn into the same types of bullies]] that they sought to deal with. The great tragedy in all of this is that Johnny never intended to be one. He saw himself as giving bullied kids a fighting chance, and firmly believed that Kreese was what turned his generation of Cobra Kai into bullies and thugs, rather than their adherence to the Cobra Kai philosophy. He almost breaks down during the All-Valley tournament, when his self-perception smacks straight into what his teachings have turned his desperate and emotionally vulnerable students into.
** Kreese, on the other hand, intentionally seeks to be one, and takes great pleasure in it. He actually encourages far worse behavior in the students in this series than the films, to the point that his Cobra Kai students are more or less outright criminals and make Johnny and his former gang look like saints.

[[folder: Video Games ]]

[[folder: Visual Novels]]

[[folder: Webcomics]]
* Sam Starfall decides to take this role to Florence in ''Webcomic/{{Freefall}}'', although by his scavenger species' BlueAndOrangeMorality, this is simply being a good mentor. Prior to the comic starting, he had also provided similar education to RobotBuddy Helix, and he has been known to be [[http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff600/fv00592.htm generous to people who successfully scam him]].

* Bro Strider from ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' dedicated himself to training and raising Dave in preparation for when he would play Sburb and enter the medium, but his methods often involved depraving him of food and subjecting him to constant physical abuse. Early on, Dave admired and looked up to his bro, but after being around his friends and having time to internalize his life up til that point, later considered him a sociopath, and that raising a kid was some kind of game to him.

[[folder: Web Original]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* Dr S. Potter in ''Film/SchoolForScoundrels1960'' is this kind of character, offering courses in Lifemanship; the art of making other people feel lesser than you. As is his counterpart Dr P in TheRemake.

* Dr S. Potter in the original 1960 ''Film/SchoolForScoundrels'' is this kind of character, offering courses in Lifemanship; the art of making other people feel lesser than you. As is his counterpart Dr P in TheRemake.

* ''Literature/TheGame'' is based off of Neil Strauss attending seminars on how to become a pickup artist. He eventually became one of the teachers himself.

* Kozue Takanashi does this for Yachiyo Todoroki in ''Manga/{{Working}}'' - Yachiyo is looking for advice on what she should do to get ready to hang out with a male co-worker, without any designs on romance. Kozue, a HardDrinkingPartyGirl who isn't shy about, well, anything, basically gives advice on how to get laid. Most of it flies over Yachiyo's head, though what doesn't manages to be useful.

* An unintentional example in ''Series/CobraKai'': [[Film/TheKarateKid Johnny Lawrence]] grows up into one, reforming Cobra Kai's image but teaching his new students how to fight with pragmatic methods. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, he doesn't reform the underlying philosophy, and his students [[HeWhoFightsMonsters turn into the same types of bullies]] that they sought to deal with.]] The great tragedy in all of this is that Johnny [[spoiler: never intended to be one. He saw himself as giving bullied kids a fighting chance, and firmly believed that Kreese was what turned his generation of Cobra Kai into bullies and thugs, rather than their adherence to the Cobra Kai philosophy. He almost breaks down during the All-Valley tournament, when his self-perception smacks straight into what his teachings have turned his desperate and emotionally vulnerable students into.]]

* Jack Rakan of ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi''. He [[ObfuscatingStupidity might be smart]], but he's ''definitely'' crazy and [[DirtyOldMan perverted]], to the point that they only techniques he doesn't make up on the spot are the ones used to [[PantyThief harass females]]. Of course, Negi specifically begins training with him because [[InvokedTrope he wants to learn how]] [[IdiotHero to be more of an idiot.]]

* Jack Rakan of ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima''. He [[ObfuscatingStupidity might be smart]], but he's ''definitely'' crazy and [[DirtyOldMan perverted]], to the point that they only techniques he doesn't make up on the spot are the ones used to [[PantyThief harass females]]. Of course, Negi specifically begins training with him because [[InvokedTrope he wants to learn how]] [[IdiotHero to be more of an idiot.]]

* Subverted in ''Comicbook/GreenArrow'' during [[ComicBook/FiftyTwo DC Comics Missing Year]] when, feeling he's gone soft, he hires a literal sensi for Scoundrels to teach him and his family to fight dirty. He becomes a SinkOrSwimMentor when he recruits his former student to give Green Arrow a trial by fire.
* {{Comicbook/Taskmaster}} is a literal, for-hire version of this trope, providing combat training to Mooks and aspiring Super-Villains.

[[folder: Webcomics ]]

[[folder: Web Original ]]

* [[http://mydamnchannel.tv/Wainy_Days/Season_2/16ThePickup_494.aspx This episode]] of ''WainyDays'', which demolishes real-life pickup artist "Mystery" with a knock-off played by Paul Rudd.

* Stanley Ipkiss' unrestrained SuperpoweredAlterEgo in ''Film/TheMask'', depending on the adaptation.

->''"Think of me as Yoda. Only instead of being little and green, I wear suits and I'm awesome. I'm your bro. I'm ''Bro''da."''

* Parodied in ''[[WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers Venture Bros.]]'' by the character ''Henry Killinger''

* The perfectly-respectable variant is used in ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' preceding Elan's literal [[TookALevelInBadass level in badass]]. The mentor in question is named Julio Scoundrél.
* In ''Webcomic/{{Zap}}'', Gunner Strife tried to be one of these to Zap while training him in the use of psychic powers. It worked up until Gunner told him to use his psychic powers to make Leona fall in love with him. Zap decided to block Gunner from telepathically contacting him instead. Gunner didn't take it very well.

* Bro Strider from ''Webcomic/Homestuck'' dedicated himself to training and raising Dave in preparation for when he would play Sburb and enter the medium, but his methods often involved depraving him of food and subjecting him to constant physical abuse. Early on, Dave admired and looked up to his bro, but after being around his friends and having time to internalize his life up til that point, later considered him a sociopath, and that raising a kid was some kind of game to him.

* Parodied in ''[[WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers Venture Bros.]]'' by the character ''Henry Killinger''

* Bro Strider from ''Webcomic/Homestuck'' dedicated himself to training and raising Dave in preparation for when he would play Sburb and enter the medium, but his methods often involved depraving him of food and subjecting him to constant physical abuse. Dave later considered him a sociopath, and that raising a kid was some kind of game to him.

* Dr. P from ''Film/SchoolForScoundrels'' is also this kind of guy.

The main character winds up following The SenseiForScoundrels in the hopes of becoming the kind of man he always wanted to be. In a LighterAndSofter story, the main character will very often end up rejecting the sensei's advice by the end and win the girl on his own terms. In DarkerAndEdgier works, the hero very often ends up becoming as bad as the mentor and loses all of his positive characteristics in the process.

* An unintentional example in ''Series/CobraKai'': [[Film/TheKarateKid Johnny Lawrence]] grows up into one, reforming Cobra Kai's image but teaching his new students how to fight with pragmatic methods. [[spoiler: unfortunately, he doesn't reform the underlying philosophy, and his students [[HeWhoFightsMonsters turn into the same types of bullies]] that they sought to deal with.]]
** The great tragedy in all of this is that Johnny [[spoiler: never intended to be one. He saw himself as giving bullied kids a fighting chance, and firmly believed that Kreese was what turned his generation of Cobra Kai into bullies and thugs, rather than their adherence to the Cobra Kai philosophy. He almost breaks down during the All-Valley tournament, when his self-perception smacks straight into what his teachings have turned his desperate and emotionally vulnerable students into.]]

* Sam Starfall decides to take this role to Florence in ''Webcomic/{{Freefall}}'', although by his scavenger species' BlueAndOrangeMorality, this is simply being a good mentor. Prior to the comic starting, he had also provided similar education to RobotBuddy Helix.

* ''Series/{{Angel}}'': Illyria can't believe Angel is ''wangsting'' over ''being the head of a multi-billion dollar conglomerate''. She sets him straight with this speech.
--> '''Illyria:''' So much power here! And you quibble at its price. If you want to win a war, you must serve no master but your own ambition.

** The great tragedy in all of this is that Johnny [[spoiler: never intended to be one, and saw himself as giving bullied kids a fighting chance. He almost breaks down during the All-Valley tournament, when his self-perception smacks straight into what his teachings have turned his desperate and emotionally vulnerable students into.]]

** The great tragedy in all of this is that Johnny [[spoiler: never intended to be one, and saw himself as giving bullied kids a fighting chance. He almost breaks down during the All-Valley tournament, when he is faced head-on with what his teachings have turned his desperate and emotionally vulnerable students into.]]

* Barney really ''wants'' to be this to Ted on ''Series/HowIMetYourMother''. Ted rarely listens.

The Sensei for Scoundrels might be the answer to your prayers. He is everything you wish you could be as a man: strong, attractive, fearless and a huge success with women. Of course, he's also probably [[CrazySurvivalist deeply]] [[NietzscheWannabe disturbed]], and possibly [[EvilMentor very evil.]] You'll probably find him at the ThugDojo.