Follow TV Tropes

Following

History Main / UnconvincinglyUnpopularCharacter

Go To

OR

Added: 7954

Changed: 734

Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* Kana Ichikawa from ''Manga/TheDangersInMyHeart'' is a cheerful, atractive, intelligent, social and easygoing NiceGirl who is also the singer and guitarist of a band and studies at one of the most prestigious private universities in Japan. Despite all of that, she somehow ''never'' gotten a date.

to:

* Guts of ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' is a PlayedWith case as while it's understandable why as the Black Swordsman he'd be unpopular with everyone save a few people distrusting the black-dressed, one-eyed dude with a huge sword -- it's harder to swallow Guts getting such dislike even from allies in the Golden Age arc when he's clearly a {{Hunk}} easily as magnificent a warrior as AgentPeacock Griffith. It takes him TakingTheBullet for Casca and later his timely return to the Hawks after leaving, for them to start loving and idolising him. It would take far less effort in reality for a man like Guts to be well liked.
* Kana Ichikawa from ''Manga/TheDangersInMyHeart'' is a cheerful, atractive, attractive, intelligent, social and easygoing NiceGirl who is also the singer and guitarist of a band and studies at one of the most prestigious private universities in Japan. Despite all of that, she somehow ''never'' gotten a date.date.
* ''Anime/DragonBallZ'': Gohan during the Buu Saga is somehow unpopular in high-school, even though he's an incredibly handsome and sweet guy built like a god, who makes even the jocks look like utter pushovers during a baseball game. Erasa and the anime-only Angela being instantly attracted to him is far more believable compared to Videl initially treating him like a dork (even if he is a proud bookworm).


Added DiffLines:

* Rock Lee of ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' is very much treated as a loser InUniverse with many of his peers finding him ridiculous and uncool, even though he's an athletic NiceGuy who regularly puts himself through TrainingFromHell to make up for the fact unlike the naturally gifted Sasuke or Neji he cannot use ninjutsu or genjutsu. Ten-Ten showing affection and admiration for his commitment and personality is supposed to be unique -- when her sentiment is echoed tenfold by the readership, who love Lee precisely for the reasons why characters in the setting look down on him.


Added DiffLines:

* Shouko Nishimiya from ''Manga/ASilentVoice'' was highly unpopular in elementary school and barring her her small group of friends is still looked down upon in the TimeSkip -- even though to the reader she's a beautiful {{Moe}} AllLovingHero. Obviously a good deal of this is intentional since she's deaf and Japan has a highly ableist mindset but Ueno's belittling comments about her Shouko's appearance and personality still come off as completely asinine. Although granted in Ueno's case it's probably just spiteful jealousy [[spoiler:given she's in love with Shoya, who becomes extremely close to Shoko.]]


Added DiffLines:

* ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}}, especially in modern comics is treated like a joke, even though he's an Adonis of a man with CharlesAtlasSuperPower with plenty of charisma and inspiring qualities. While it is true Clint lives in a universe where he has to be compared to the likes of Thor (a PhysicalGod) and Iron Man (a genius billionaire) while he's ultimately a man with a bow and arrow, many readers still found Clint's perpetual bad luck when it comes to women (including a troubled marriage to Mockingbird), wealth, fame and general respect all very hard to accept at face value; given his exploits as an Avenger and caring personality should make him as beloved as Captain America.


Added DiffLines:

* Erica from ''ComicBook/SomethingIsKillingTheChildren'' is treated a like a freak -- even though she's a beautiful blonde in a tank top. While sure her eyes have an under-shadow and her pupils a strange glow (which later gets explained), she certainly wouldn't get so much distrust and dislike in reality.


Added DiffLines:

* ''Series/OnePiece2023'' provides an ironic example with Sanji. In the [[Manga/OnePiece manga and anime]] it's easier to understand why Sanji ([[{{Flanderisation}} especially later on]]) would despite his good looks, strength and cooking skills [[CasanovaWannabe ward most women off]] with his drooling lovesick horniness and HotBlooded personality. In the live-action show however, with Sanji's highly pervy and jerkier moments pragmatically stripped away and what's left is a handsome, jacked, charismatic super stud chef. Consequently new viewers, especially women, were just confused as to why Nami and Nojiko ''weren't'' aroused by him.


Added DiffLines:

* Dante of ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' somehow -- as he puts it -- has "rotten luck with women" despite being a cross between a male model and rockstar surfer. Even the fact he's a demon, which is why Lady initially spites and rejects his flirtation isn't enough to cover it, since Dante just looks like a pretty boy 80% of the time (when not in Devil Trigger). Demon women like Nevan or [[VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}} Morrigan]] in crossovers being openly attracted to him is more believable than Lady (at least initially) finding him repulsive. Likewise Nico gushing over him in [=DMC5=] is supposed to be odd and reflective of her dorkiness, even though her attitude is practically common place for the female fans and countless fan artists.
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'':
** Cloud spent much of his life as a social outcast who was NeverAcceptedInHisHometown, looked down upon in SOLDIER and can't go a minute without pissing someone off in the main story. This all despite being an extremely handsome, well built badass warrior with a huge sword whom even as a rookie had enough inner strength to kick TheAce Sephiroth's ass when push came to shove. A lot of this is intentional to reflect Cloud's crippling insecurity [[spoiler:given he failed to become a First Class SOLDIER like he swore he would]] but it still seems strange given how appealing he is to the girls in his party as well as the people who get to know him. The tie-in novel ''Literature/FinalFantasyVIIRemakeTraceOfTwoPasts'' however, has Tifa's late mother Thea from the start claim Cloud will be more attractive than Sephiroth, something her daughter ultimately agrees with.
** Aerith in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIIRemake'' is ludicrously considered plain and homely by Don Corneo's thugs and other characters in Midgar, even though she's obviously stunningly beautiful and charming. While she does have stiff competition given she befriends HeadTurningBeauty Tifa, many fans still found hard to believe it takes Aerith getting a beautiful red gown for her to draw crowds when she's already gorgeous. ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIIRebirth'' quietly drops this charade with massive crowds of men and women cooing over Aerith as well as Tifa, to the point where poor Yuffie displays jealousy and frustration at being so ignored compared to them.
* Chie from ''VideoGame/Persona4'' an incredibly attractive and athletic girl with shapely legs, is for reasons that defy logic treated InUniverse as the homely unattractive and unpopular girl compared to the more overtly feminine Yukiko and Rise. While yes ValuesDissonance is at play, with her friend Yukiko possessing the YamatoNadeshiko qualities that Japan's society idealises, it's still telling how crazy popular Chie is to the world wide fandom or even to native Japanese fans.


Added DiffLines:

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'':
** Fry is treated like a big moronic loser, even though he's easily one of the nicest and most compassionate dudes in the cast, is touchingly romantic and when it comes down to the wire actually quite heroic. Leela eventually falls for him and concedes she was foolish for not appreciating his lovable qualities sooner.
** Leela herself, despite being obviously [[MsFanservice extremely sexy]] is treated like a freak due to her being a cyclops, with her claiming people have tried to burn her in the past and she's often very jealous of how effortlessly Amy can attract men. Given the colossal amount of lust Leela attracts among the fans, her scaring off men seems nonsensical and Fry and Zapp wanting to sleep with her is perfectly believable. For added irony, Matt Groineing made Leela cyclopean to greatly subvert the cliché of perfectly attractive sci-fi heroines -- this obviously backfired spectacularly.


Added DiffLines:

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' has the titular heroine choose the aloof Mako over his younger brother Bolin: the hunky, hilarious, charismatic, deeply supportive NiceGuy who at one point refuses exploit even an abusive girlfriend's love for him -- simply because he's that much of a good guy. As you can imagine, a lot of fans weren't too sad to see Korra's relationship with Mako deteriorate and more than happy to see Bolin find someone like Opal who snatches him up for his loveable qualities without hesitation. The showrunners affirmed they had intended Mako be the cool attractive brother compared to Bolin and had to shift gears when Bolin proved be more popular.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


This often leads up to a big payoff, when the Unconvincingly Unpopular Character is briefly given a moment when they realize that more people ''do'', in fact, like them more than they thought (usually when they are unexpectedly honoured at some manner of ceremony, such as a graduation). It's not explained why those honouring didn't [[CannotSpitItOut demonstrate this in some way]] earlier, (the few times it is, it's often explained as the rest of the student body fearing the AlphaBitch, JerkJock, or other BigManOnCampus so much, they didn't want to befriend the Unconvincingly Unpopular Character and become a target of their fury) but it often comes in the form of a sweet gesture.

to:

This often leads up to a big payoff, when the Unconvincingly Unpopular Character is briefly given a moment when they realize that more people ''do'', in fact, like them more than they thought (usually when they are unexpectedly honoured at some manner of ceremony, such as a graduation). It's not explained why those honouring didn't [[CannotSpitItOut demonstrate this in some way]] earlier, earlier (the few times it is, it's often explained as the rest of the student body fearing the AlphaBitch, JerkJock, or other BigManOnCampus so much, they didn't want to befriend the Unconvincingly Unpopular Character and become a target of their fury) fury), but it often comes in the form of a sweet gesture.

Added: 1353

Changed: 174

Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Added example(s)


* ''Film/TheCraft'': Rochelle isn't as Goth as Nancy, who is also an outcast for being "white trash", since she's presented as middle class. Her fellow outcast Bonnie is considered one because she's covered in burn scars. Rochelle meanwhile is pretty and involved in extracurricular activities like the swim team, with her only angst being that Laura Lizzie and a couple of her GirlPosse make fun of her for being black. A deleted scene clarifies that it's an all-white neighbourhood, where Rochelle is the only black girl, and Nancy claims that no one would even talk to her.



* ''Film/MeanGirls'': Even the director thought Lizzy Caplan was far too pretty to believably play an outcast like Janis. Deeming her the best actress for the role anyway, the costume designer opted not to dress her down, and instead give her a Goth appearance to suggest that she's just a non-conformist and disliked for that reason. However, when she owns up to manipulatively destroying Regina's life, using Cady to do so, the entire crowd of students cheer her on.
* ''Film/TheRageCarrie2'': Unlike her predecessor, [[{{Literature/Carrie}} Carrie White]], Rachel Lang has two friends in Lisa and Artie, and is confident in being a Goth and non-conformist. While she does have an abusive foster family for whom she's a meal ticket, it's odd that she's considered unpopular.



* ''Series/LizzieMcGuire'': Reviewing the movie, Roger Ebert didn't think audiences would buy Lizzie's rival Kate being considered more popular "when Lizzie outshines the very stars in the sky."

to:

* ''Series/LizzieMcGuire'': Reviewing the movie, Roger Ebert didn't think audiences would buy Lizzie's rival Kate being considered more popular "when Lizzie outshines the very stars in the sky."" Other episodes show that Lizzie could be much cooler and popular if she wasn't so insecure, as she's well liked by the guys, while Kate is a bully surrounded by a GirlPosse.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* Kana Ichikawa from ''Manga/TheDangersInMyHeart'' is a cheerful, atractive, intelligent, social and easygoing NiceGirl who is also the singer and guitarist of a band and studies at one of the most prestigious private universities in Japan. Despite all of that, she's somehow ''never'' gotten a date.

to:

* Kana Ichikawa from ''Manga/TheDangersInMyHeart'' is a cheerful, atractive, intelligent, social and easygoing NiceGirl who is also the singer and guitarist of a band and studies at one of the most prestigious private universities in Japan. Despite all of that, she's she somehow ''never'' gotten a date.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* Kana Ichikawa from ''Manga/TheDangersInMyHeart'' is a cheerful, atractive, intelligent, social and easygoing NiceGirl who is also the singer and guitarist of a band and studies at one of the most prestigious private universities in Japan. Despite all of that, she's somehow unable to get a date.

to:

* Kana Ichikawa from ''Manga/TheDangersInMyHeart'' is a cheerful, atractive, intelligent, social and easygoing NiceGirl who is also the singer and guitarist of a band and studies at one of the most prestigious private universities in Japan. Despite all of that, she's somehow unable to get ''never'' gotten a date.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

* ''Series/{{iCarly}}'': Freddie Benson initially came across as an awkward uncool nerd with an unrequited crush on Carly. Ever since actor Creator/NathanKress started puberty, this became harder and harder to play straight. Freddie's overbearing mother does seem to contribute to this though.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* Kana Ichikawa from ''Manga/TheDangersInMyHeart'' is a cheerful, atractive, intelligent, social and easygoing Nice Girl who is also the singer and guitarist of a band and studies at one of the most prestigious private universities in Japan. Despite all of that, she's somehow unable to get a date.

to:

* Kana Ichikawa from ''Manga/TheDangersInMyHeart'' is a cheerful, atractive, intelligent, social and easygoing Nice Girl NiceGirl who is also the singer and guitarist of a band and studies at one of the most prestigious private universities in Japan. Despite all of that, she's somehow unable to get a date.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

* Kana Ichikawa from ''Manga/TheDangersInMyHeart'' is a cheerful, atractive, intelligent, social and easygoing Nice Girl who is also the singer and guitarist of a band and studies at one of the most prestigious private universities in Japan. Despite all of that, she's somehow unable to get a date.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Already on the page in the Literature folder.


* ''Anime/{{Maburaho}}'': Kazuki is your bog standard nice guy (often to a fault) harem protagonist. He also happens to have a noble lineage (he's connected to every major magical bloodline in Japan ''and'' Europe) and massive magical potential[[note]]People in this world have a set number of magic uses in their lives. Kazuki has eight. But due to his lineage, those eight are RealityWarper-level powerful[[/note]]. But for some reason, only the upper-upper class families know this. To everyone else in school, he's this magicless twerp who somehow has the attention of the three most-popular girls in school, even after he's used several of his uber-spells to save them from [[UngratefulTownsfolk their own stupidity.]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': Peter Parker is (to the reader) a handsome, highly intelligent, funny guy who used to be HappilyMarried to a stunning red-haired supermodel, and now is a relatively successful freelance photographer (he was retconned to have won a Pulitzer for his photography). In real life, he'd be amazingly popular. In Franchise/MarvelUniverse Manhattan, though, he's all but completely ostracized from his peers because...well...he's [[ThisLoserIsYou Peter Parker]]. Though it's more true, to varying degrees, in adaptations like ''ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan'' and various animated series that focus on his high school life. It's only after ''One More Day'' that he became this, when it removed his marriage, his career, and his social skills and had everyone treat him like crap for no apparent reason. Then it's changed by the new Big Time era, complete with his alter ego Spider-Man beginning to become a trusted and respected hero in New York.[[note]]Among the New York ''public'', as the hero community already considered Spidey a mainstay.[[/note]]

to:

* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': [[Characters/MarvelComicsPeterParker Peter Parker Parker]] is (to the reader) a handsome, highly intelligent, funny guy who used to be HappilyMarried to a stunning red-haired supermodel, and now is a relatively successful freelance photographer (he was retconned to have won a Pulitzer for his photography). In real life, he'd be amazingly popular. In Franchise/MarvelUniverse Manhattan, though, he's all but completely ostracized from his peers because...well...he's [[ThisLoserIsYou Peter Parker]]. Though it's more true, to varying degrees, in adaptations like ''ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan'' and various animated series that focus on his high school life. It's only after ''One More Day'' that he became this, when it removed his marriage, his career, and his social skills and had everyone treat him like crap for no apparent reason. Then it's changed by the new Big Time era, complete with his alter ego Spider-Man beginning to become a trusted and respected hero in New York.[[note]]Among the New York ''public'', as the hero community already considered Spidey a mainstay.[[/note]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': Peter Parker is (to the reader) a handsome, highly intelligent, funny guy who used to be HappilyMarried to a stunning red-haired supermodel, and now is a relatively successful freelance photographer (he was retconned to have won a Pulitzer for his photography). In real life, he'd be amazingly popular. In Franchise/MarvelUniverse Manhattan, though, he's all but completely ostracized from his peers because...well...he's [[ThisLoserIsYou Peter Parker]]. Though it's more true, to varying degrees, in adaptations like ''ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan'' and various animated series that focus on his high school life; in the original comics, he was only really ostracized when he was a teenager, and during that time he was a very shy kid prone to glaring angrily at the In-Crowd while muttering how they'll all learn one day. Once he grew up and actually ''became'' handsome and funny, did he get friends. It's only after ''One More Day'' that he became this, when it removed his marriage, his career, and his social skills and had everyone treat him like crap for no apparent reason. Then it's changed by the new Big Time era, complete with his alter ego Spider-Man beginning to become a trusted and respected hero in New York.[[note]]Among the New York ''public'', as the hero community already considered Spidey a mainstay.[[/note]]

to:

* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': Peter Parker is (to the reader) a handsome, highly intelligent, funny guy who used to be HappilyMarried to a stunning red-haired supermodel, and now is a relatively successful freelance photographer (he was retconned to have won a Pulitzer for his photography). In real life, he'd be amazingly popular. In Franchise/MarvelUniverse Manhattan, though, he's all but completely ostracized from his peers because...well...he's [[ThisLoserIsYou Peter Parker]]. Though it's more true, to varying degrees, in adaptations like ''ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan'' and various animated series that focus on his high school life; in the original comics, he was only really ostracized when he was a teenager, and during that time he was a very shy kid prone to glaring angrily at the In-Crowd while muttering how they'll all learn one day. Once he grew up and actually ''became'' handsome and funny, did he get friends.life. It's only after ''One More Day'' that he became this, when it removed his marriage, his career, and his social skills and had everyone treat him like crap for no apparent reason. Then it's changed by the new Big Time era, complete with his alter ego Spider-Man beginning to become a trusted and respected hero in New York.[[note]]Among the New York ''public'', as the hero community already considered Spidey a mainstay.[[/note]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* ''Series/{{Glee}}'': Everyone in the Glee Club is automatically unpopular for being part of it, even though three of them are cheerleaders and several of them are on the football team. As of season two, the entire club is/has been on the cheerleading/football team or is dating somebody who is. Logically, these are the most popular people in school. It makes the whole "We're all misfits!!" thing hard to swallow. In one episode, the entire football team temporarily joins the Glee club, only to have the ''hockey'' team [[RunningGag throw slushies at them]].
%%* ''Series/LizzieMcGuire'': The title character and her friends are considered losers. Roger Ebert makes a crack at this trope's expense, wonder how a girl whose smile "shines brighter than all the stars in the sky" could be unpopular.

to:

* ''Series/{{Glee}}'': Everyone in the Glee Club is automatically unpopular for being part of it, even though three of them are cheerleaders and several of them are on the football team. As of season two, the entire club is/has been on the cheerleading/football team or is dating somebody who is. Logically, these are the most popular people in school. It makes school, but they are portrayed as social pariahs who can't walk through the whole "We're all misfits!!" thing hard to swallow. hallway without having a slushie thrown at them. In one episode, the entire football team temporarily joins the Glee club, only to have the ''hockey'' team [[RunningGag throw slushies at them]].
%%*
them.
*
''Series/LizzieMcGuire'': The title character and her friends are considered losers. Reviewing the movie, Roger Ebert makes a crack at this trope's expense, wonder how a girl whose smile "shines brighter than all didn't think audiences would buy Lizzie's rival Kate being considered more popular "when Lizzie outshines the very stars in the sky" could be unpopular.sky."
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* {{Lampshaded}} in ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' when Kim is shocked by the realization that she actually has an extremely LimitedSocialCircle with Ron and Monique being essentially her only friends. Later {{subverted}} in ''WesternAnimation/KimPossibleMovieSoTheDrama'' wherein AlphaBitch Bonnie believes Kim will now be considered a loser for [[spoiler:dating Ron Stoppable]] but isn’t.

to:

* {{Lampshaded}} in ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' when Kim is shocked by the realization that she actually has an extremely LimitedSocialCircle with Ron and Monique being essentially her only friends. Later {{subverted}} in ''WesternAnimation/KimPossibleMovieSoTheDrama'' wherein AlphaBitch Bonnie believes Kim will now be considered a loser for [[spoiler:dating Ron Stoppable]] Ron]] but isn’t.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None




Added DiffLines:

* ''WesternAnimation/Superbook2011'': Chris's portrayal in this show. You would think that a kid who has a DoAnythingRobot, whose father is a famous inventor and scientist, who heads his own GarageBand, and who is an avid soccer player, basketballer, skateboarder, and video-gamer (good enough to make it into local and regional tournaments, at that!) would be significantly high up on the social totem pole. Well, not so with Chris; while he's certainly shown as being a favorite among his intimate peer-group, he's not considered one of the in-kids at Valleyview Middle School, as "Noah and the Ark" has him wanting to join the supposedly-cool Skateboard Maniacs group, "Peter's Denial" has him trying to curry the favor of a couple of boys who are purportedly among the school's coolest kids, and "The Sermon on the Mount" shows that he's not immune to being a target for bullying.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

* ''Anime/{{Maburaho}}'': Kazuki is your bog standard nice guy (often to a fault) harem protagonist. He also happens to have a noble lineage (he's connected to every major magical bloodline in Japan ''and'' Europe) and massive magical potential[[note]]People in this world have a set number of magic uses in their lives. Kazuki has eight. But due to his lineage, those eight are RealityWarper-level powerful[[/note]]. But for some reason, only the upper-upper class families know this. To everyone else in school, he's this magicless twerp who somehow has the attention of the three most-popular girls in school, even after he's used several of his uber-spells to save them from [[UngratefulTownsfolk their own stupidity.]]

Top