History Main / TroubledTeen

* ''Manga/MariaNoDanzai'': [[spoiler:Akihiro Yuda has murderous fantasies about people he hates while he is still in his mid-teens. However, he is a more sympathetic example because it's clear that his fantasies are caused by [[BullyBrutality the trauma he endured]] at the hands of [[GangOfBullies Okaya's gang]] and his self-loathing at allowing [[OnlyFriend Kiritaka]] to take his place, only to end up dead while [[ButForMeItWasTuesday Okaya's gang moved on with their lives like nothing happened]]. Meeting [[BullyHunter Maria]], however, inspires him to [[PsychoSupporter become her accomplice]] in order to help her kill Okaya and his friends, and when they finally meet he practically begs her to use him as her instrument, [[LikeAGodToMe having come to see her as his god]].]]

The adolescence years are tough on anyone but for some teens, it can be especially tumultuous, not just for the teen themselves, but for their family and friends who have to deal with their behavior. There are the typical teenage problems, [[HormoneAddledTeenager dealing with changes in their bodies]], mood swings, [[CoolPeopleRebelAgainstAuthority rebelling against parental figures]], etc. But then there's the Troubled Teen. The Troubled Teen is a character whose problems are beyond the scope of typical teen problems; they're dealing with more serious emotional problems and may take part in risky actions, such as drug abuse, breaking the law, sexual promiscuity, etc. As opposed to TeensAreMonsters, these characters are treated sympathetically by the narrative and sometimes they are even the main character. Usual Troubled Teen characteristics include:

* ''WesternAnimation/TreasurePlanet'': Jim Hawkins starts as a teen delinquent, emotionally damaged by his father's abandonment. His first scene has him recklessly riding an hoverboard and getting arrested for it, and it's made clear that it is far from his first time getting in trouble with authorities.

* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': Zuko is the straightest example by this show's standards; he was emotionally and physically abused by his own father, which has left him with tons of angst and mixed feelings towards his father as well as himself. Several episodes indicate before he had his self-actualization in the third season that he was going through serious emotional turbulence.
* ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'': Catra, much like Zuko above, was also emotionally and physically abused, albeit by her own mother figure, and such has left her with much angst regarding her own self-worth. That being said, it’s become quite an emotional rollercoaster for her especially with regards to Adora leaving her behind in the Horde.

* ''Literature/{{Speak}}'''s Melinda Sordino starts off 9th grade depressed and angry, outcast from her peers due to a calling the cops at a WildTeenParty, and soon enough, stops speaking entirely. [[spoiler: It's later revealed she was raped at that same party.]]

* Subverted in the case of ''VideoGame/Persona5'', the protagonist character was blamed for abusing a woman and from that point, carries around a reputation that he's troubled and reckless. [[spoiler: When what ''really'' happened was the protagonist protected the woman from a drunk man, a drunk man who was also a powerful politician.]] Also subverted with the most of the cast that have less-than-savory reputations, but are otherwise well-adjusted.

* In ''Fanfic/{{Jessica}}'', both Cameron and his brother suffer from mental illnesses after their mother's death, which do not subside once they reach their teens. In fact, Cameron's brother eventually takes his own life.

* Parodied in Creator/DanielPinkwater's ''Young Adult Novel''. The Book Within a Book ''Kevin Shapiro, Boy Orphan'' loads on as many cliches as possible to its troubled teen protagonist Kevin, who, depending on the story, is a drug-addicted, alcoholic juvenile delinquent with no parents and an older sister who is in jail for prostitution. He [[TheyKilledKennyAgain frequently dies horribly but always gets brought back]].
* ''Fallen'' by Creator/LaurenKate: The main characters meet in Sword&Cross Reform School--although only Luce and Todd are actually teenagers, the rest are fallen angels just pretending to be troubled teens.

* Felix, Mia, and Benji are the straightest examples in ''Series/LoveVictor''. Felix's mother is bipolar and deals with bouts of mania and depressive episodes as well as hoarding, leading Felix to deal with many of the household affairs including making sure rent is paid. Mia is emotionally neglected by her father and was abandoned by her mother and deals with feelings of loneliness. Benji was [[spoiler: an alcoholic, using alcohol to deal with his angst about being gay]]. Lake is a downplayed version of this, as she is relatively well-adjusted but has esteem issues due to her

* Subverted in the case of ''VideoGame/Persona5'', the protagonist character was blamed for abusing a woman and from that point, carries around a reputation that he's troubled and reckless. [[spoiler: When what ''really'' happened was the protagonist protected the woman from a drunk man, a drunk man who was also powerful politician.]] Also subverted with the most of the cast that have reputations, but are otherwise well-adjusted.

* In ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}'', Chase Stein comes from an abusive home that included physical beatings and may have killed someone by accident and/or been molested by an HonoraryUncle ([[MultipleChoicePast he's been known to suppress some of his memories]].) Consequently, he has anger issues and can get hotheaded, which only get worse when his girlfriend Gert is suddenly murdered, sending him on a dark path for a while that almost ended in him making a DealWithTheDevil. He mellows out considerably in [[ComicBook/RainbowRowellsRunaways the 2017 series]]; having to become Molly's legal guardian actually forces him to grow up a bit.
* ComicBook/{{X23}} was raised from birth to be a living weapon, forced to kill at a young age, and spent a portion of her teenage years as a prostitute. As a result, she's distant and icy, and willing to torture and kill to achieve her goals.

The adolescence years are tough on anyone but for some teens, it can be especially tumultuous, not just for the teen themselves, but for their family and friends who have to deal with their behavior. There are the typical teenage problems, [[HormoneAddledTeenager dealing with changes in their bodies]], mood swings, [[CoolPeopleRebelAgainstAuthority rebelling against parental figures]], etc. But then there's the Troubled Teen. The Troubled Teen is a character whose problems are beyond the scope of typical teen problems; they're dealing with more serious emotional problems and may take part in risky actions, such as drug abuse, breaking the law, sexual promiscuity, etc. As opposed to TeensAreMonsters, these characters are treated sympathetically by the narrative, sometimes they are even the main character. Usual Troubled Teen characteristics include:

Compare and contrast EmoTeen, where teenagers overemphasize how much their life sucks to fit an {{emo}} aesthetic. See also {{Delinquents}} and TheRunaway.

Often times AbusiveParents or ParentalAbandonment play a part in why they're so troubled. If they're male, they're TroubledButCute. Can be a BrokenBird if they're female, or even male and heavily {{trauma|CongaLine}}tized. A regular staple in a TeenDrama and YoungAdultLiterature, often the subject of MiseryLit and/or the HoodFilm.

Compare and contrast EmoTeen, where teenagers overemphasize how much their life sucks to fit an {{emo}} aesthetic.

[[folder:Video Games]]
* Subverted in the case of ''VideoGame/Persona5'', the protagonist character was blamed for abusing a woman and from that point, carries around a reputation that he's troubled and reckless. [[spoiler: When what ''really'' happened was the protagonist protected the woman from a drunk man, a drunk man who was also powerful politician.]] Also subverted with the most of the cast that have reputations, but are otherwise well-adjusted.
* ''VideoGame/AnotherCode'': Ashley has to deal with a deceased mom and a dad who only came back into her life when she was fourteen and is still struggling to be a proper parent.
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-->'''Moody''' (as played by '''Creator/AmandaBynes'''), "Moody's Point", a ShowWithinAShow from ''Series/TheAmandaShow''