History Main / TheRat

* ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'' has "Argo the Rat", who sells information to other players during the Aincrad arc (while a relatively minor character in the main story, she's fleshed out a bit more in the ''Progressive'' novels). Argo even [[InvokedTrope paints whiskers on her face to more resemble a rat]] - she claims that this started back in the beta when she got stuck on a quest that marks the player's face until completed, but she liked the impact it made on customers and now [[InvokedTrope uses it as her calling card]].

[[AC:VideoGames]]
* Hammer the Supplier from ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'' is literally a rat and fits this trope to a T. [[spoiler:Complete with a FaceHeelTurn because he's tired of being cowardly and powerless and jealous of the main characters' strength.]]

* Birdie from ''VideoGame/HitmanAbsolution''.

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]
* Rattletrap from ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'', despite being an Autobot, is a little shady (even willing to sell an ID pass to a Decepticon). He's based on Rattrap from ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'', making him a literal rat as well. As Captain Fanzone put it: ''"There's one in every town."''

[[AC:ComicBooks]]

* In some variations of the ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' franchise, The Penguin has come to fill this role after going semi-legitimate with his owning a nightclub.

[[AC:FanWorks]]

[[AC:{{Film}}]]

* The Rat in ''Film/TheCore'' is actually called 'Rat' and is an "information wants to be free" type. Which he uses as a TakeThat against the government in the final shots of the movie.
%%* Mr. Universe from ''Film/{{Serenity}}''.

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]

* On the CyberPunk / protagonist side of things, we have:
** Hiro Protagonist and Y. T. in Neal Stephenson's ''Literature/SnowCrash'', who make their living trading "intel" (usually stolen computer code).
** One of Creator/RobertAsprin's novels (possibly ''Cold Cash Wars'') featured a character like this.
* Nick the Nose, an informant in the ''Literature/TwoMinuteMysteries'' stories starring Dr. Haledjian. In the stories, he always lies about knowing things in order to get a reward.

* Bobby Lacey in Katharine Kerr's ''Polar City Blues'' is the information broker type - her only other criminal activity is water hoarding to support her garden, which gives her fresh greens and apple cider to trade for more information.

[[AC:LiveActionTelevision]]
* Parodied in ''Series/PoliceSquad''--Johnny the shoeshine guy acts in this role to Frank Drebin. However, as soon as Drebin's gone, someone from another profession entirely - a surgeon, a priest, Dick Clark - will show up, asking for information - and Johnny will go through the same act again, eventually giving them what they want as well.
** Similarly, in ''Film/TheNakedGun'', Johnny answers some questions after Frank Drebin greases his palm... then Johnny asks why the information is so important, and Drebin doesn't answer until Johnny pays ''him''. Drebin ends up leaving with the information he needed and an extra twenty bucks.
* Willy the Snitch from Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer.

%% * The dwarf from ''Series/SpecialUnit2''.
%% * Piggy from ''Series/PowerRangersSPD''?
%% * Fosnight from ''Series/TheFlash1990'' TV series.
%% ** Also several other characters played by Creator/DickMiller (who played Fosnight).
* ''All'' of Carmen Sandiego's {{Bumbling Sidekick}}s in ''Series/WhereInTheWorldIsCarmenSandiego''. As soon as they are jailed, they lose no time in squealing on Carmen to the winning Gumshoe. Bonus points for one of them (Wonder Rat) being a man who actually dresses like a rat.

There's a new syndicate in town, planning a big score. The heroes have been given twenty-four hours by DaChief to bust them - but they don't have any leads.

The Rat is an informant who always has the information, and he's willing to give it to the heroes, for a price - whether it's money, the expectation of future favours, or even just the heroes' blind eye to his shady dealings. In the criminal underbelly, he's usually a low-level bottom-feeder at best, and is often a bit of a slimy, whiny creep, but he has his finger on the pulse and every scrap of information about what's going down comes through him, and he saves it for exactly when it'll come in useful for him. He's often a pawnbroker (read: [[BlackMarket fence for stolen goods]]) or a bartender, or some other such profession which often features some kind of contact with criminals. In older works, he may be a StreetUrchin of some kind. Usually lives in TheCityNarrows.

He usually likes to treat the heroes' search for information as a bit of a game; a request whether he knows what's going on will be met with a faux-innocent "I know lots of things," until someone ponies up the motivation to get him to talk. If the heroes are in the mood to play along, then this will be a suitably high amount of currency; if not, they may just decide to [[JackBauerInterrogationTechnique bounce him off the walls until he squeals]].

* Bobby Bigmouth in ''Series/LoisAndClarkTheNewAdventuresOfSuperman'' was the reporters' main source on what was happening on the streets. A BigEater, he would tell them pretty much anything [[FoodAsBribe in return for food]].

* The dwarf from ''Series/SpecialUnit2''.
* Dare we forget Piggy from ''Series/PowerRangersSPD''?
* Fosnight from ''Series/TheFlash1990'' TV series.
** Also several other characters played by Creator/DickMiller (who played Fosnight).

Compare with the MysteriousInformant (an anonymous Deep Throat-like source who appears to give the protagonists some cryptic, fragmentary information before disappearing) and the KnowledgeBroker (a source with a network of further information sources supplying all the information needed). Not to be confused with [[YouDirtyRat an actual rat]], though of course in anthropomorphic settings of all kinds it's entirely possible for the two to overlap.

* Bobby Lacey in Katherine Kerr's ''Polar City Blues'' is the information broker type - her only other criminal activity is water hoarding to support her garden, which gives her fresh greens and apple cider to trade for more information.

** One of Robert Asprin's novels (possibly ''Cold Cash Wars'') featured a character like this.

** Also several other characters played by Dick Miller (who played Fosnight).

* Nobby Nobbs in the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novel ''Literature/{{Night Watch|Discworld}}''.

* Nobby Nobbs in the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novel ''Discworld/NightWatch''.

[[AC:{{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]
* Arco from ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'' is one mainly during the Aincrad arc.

The chances of The Rat betraying the heroes if someone makes him a better offer is near-certain, however, and all but the most [[GenreBlindness genre blind]] of heroes [[GenreSavvy know this]] - nevertheless, they still persist in keeping him around. In-universe, this may be [[HandWave explained]] by the fact that he's just so useful as a source of information. Outside of the fiction, however, it's probably because he's a fan-favourite character.

* In Creator/RobertEHoward's ConanTheBarbarian story "Literature/RoguesInTheHouse", the priest of Anu who betrayed Conan at the beginning of the story.

* Leo Getz in the ''Film/LethalWeapon'' series of movies is an unusually sympathetic version of this character; described by Riggs and Murtaugh as "an annoying asshole with a lot of connections," he's a bit annoying but essentially a decent guy who actually seems to look up to Riggs and Murtaugh a bit, however badly they treat him. In the later movies, the three become friends, something of a PowerTrio, and Leo ends up acting as Murtaugh's estate agent at one point.
* A rare Sci Fi version in ''Film/MenInBlack I'' and II. Jack Jeebs is an alien who sells stolen fake rolexes and some powerful alien tech who Jay and Kay harass and threaten to get info and tech.

* Mr. Universe from ''Film/{{Serenity}}''.

* Birdie from ''VideoGame/{{Hitman}}: Absolution''.

* Fosnight from the ''Series/TheFlash'' TV series.

* Parodied in ''PoliceSquad''--Johnny the shoeshine guy acts in this role to Frank Drebin. However, as soon as Drebin's gone, someone from another profession entirely - a surgeon, a priest, Dick Clark - will show up, asking for information - and Johnny will go through the same act again, eventually giving them what they want as well.
** Similarly, in ''Film/TheNakedGun'', Johnny answers some questions after Frank Drebin greases his palm... then Johnny asks why the information is so important, and Drebin doesn't answer until Johnny pays ''him''. Drebin ends up leaving with the information he needed and an extra twenty bucks.
* The ''Literature/HarryPotter'' series of books has Mundungus Fletcher, a selfish thief and con artist who is sometimes antagonistic towards Harry and his friends. Despite being a total crook he remains loyal to Dumbledore and is thus useful to the protagonists due to his knowledge of the criminal world.
* [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Willy The Snitch]].
** ''Series/{{Angel}}'' also had a sewer-dwelling demon on whom Angel frequently used to pound in order to get information.
* Nobby Nobbs in the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novel ''Discworld/NightWatch''.

* ''SinCity'' has Weevil, mine of information and perennial ButtMonkey.
* Hammer the Supplier from ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'' is literally a rat and fits this trope to a T. [[spoiler:Complete with a FaceHeelTurn because he's tired of being cowardly and powerless and jealous of the main characters' strength.]]

** Hiro Protagonist and Y. T. in Neal Stephenson's ''SnowCrash'', who make their living trading "intel" (usually stolen computer code).
** One of Robert Asprin's novels (possibly ''ColdCashWars'') featured a character like this.
* Ugarte from ''VideoGame/QuestForGlory'' [[VideoGame/QuestForGloryII II]] and [[VideoGame/QuestForGloryV V]].
* The dwarf from ''SpecialUnit2''.

* Nick the Nose, an informant in the ''TwoMinuteMysteries'' stories starring Dr. Haledjian. In the stories, he always lies about knowing things in order to get a reward.
* The actor Dick Miller made a career of playing characters like this. (One example being Fosnight from the ''Series/TheFlash'' TV series.)
* In some variations of the ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' franchise, The Penguin has come to fill this role after going semi-legitimate with his owning a nightclub.
* Mr. Universe from ''Film/{{Serenity}}''.
* In ''OsmosisJones'', a Flu Shot virus serves this role.
* The Finn in William Gibson's ''{{Neuromancer}}'' is compared to a rat by the main characters, and more or less fits the job decription.

* In Creator/RobertEHoward's ConanTheBarbarian story "Literature/RoguesInTheHouse", the priest of Anu who betrayed Conan at the beginning of the story.
* [[PunnyName Nervous Rex]] fills this role in ''ComicBook/SinisterDexter'', right down to the massive coward bit. He is also, however, a good friend of the protagonists, to the extent of getting free (or heavily discounted) protection from them.
* Birdie from ''VideoGame/{{Hitman}}: Absolution''.
* Arco from ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'' is one mainly during the Aincrad arc.
* Bobby Lacey in Katherine Kerr's PolarCityBlues is the information broker type - her only other criminal activity is water hoarding to support her garden, which gives her fresh greens and apple cider to trade for more information.

* Argit from the various ''WesternAnimation/{{Ben 10}}'' series.

* Rattletrap from ''TransformersAnimated'', despite being an Autobot, is a little shady (even willing to sell an ID pass to a Decepticon). He's based on Rattrap from ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'', making him a literal rat as well. As Captain Fanzone put it: ''"There's one in every town."''

He usually likes to treat the heroes' search for information as a bit of a game; a request whether he knows what's going on will be met with a faux-innocent "I know lots of things," until someone ponies up the motivation to get him to talk. If the heroes are in the mood to play along, then this will be a suitably high amount of currency; if not, they may just decide to bounce him off the walls until he squeals.