History Main / WorkHardPlayHard

* This is pretty much the mindset of all the [[{{Salaryman}} salarymen]] in ''Manga/VirginLove'' and its related series.
* ''Manga/DragonBall'': This is [[OldMaster Master]] [[BunnyEarsLawyer Roshi]]'s philosophy: "Work hard, study well and eat and sleep plenty. That's the Turtle Hermit way to learn." His training of Goku and Krillin includes teaching them to read, write and do math, [[BoringButPractical and it pays off]].

* Surprisingly, [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Xander Harris]] in ''[[https://www.tthfanfic.org/story.php?no=30534 The Passing of the Shades of Black]]''. Off the clock, he's still the same lovable goofball as canon. On the clock, anything that doesn't pertain to the mission or his comrades' safety gets passing acknowledgment at most. Best shown when he has to help a pair of bounty hunters stake out an alien strip club/brothel for a couple of bounties; he gives the working girls a glance to make sure they're not the target before moving on and ignores the manager's attempts to goad him with insults to his experience and age.

* Tony Stark in ''Film/IronMan'' more clearly demonstrated this trope at the beginning of the movie, where he's pretty much inventing state-of-the-art weapons systems in between having crazy hardcore parties. He stops playing so hard, though, when his experience in Afghanistan leads him to make very serious efforts to curb the violence.

* The Qunari of ''Franchise/DragonAge'' are an extremely serious, efficient, and stoic race. Sten, a Qunari, says he has no memory of playing when he was a child and is somewhat offended by the notion that you'd think a Qunari would waste their time with such frivolity; even childhood is merely a time for studying whatever role they will be playing in society as an adult. However, this all goes out the window when a Qunari is declared ''Qunoran Vehl'', a cultural hero. Sten says that when this happens, the Qunari party so hard that ''executions'' are sometimes required to get everyone back in line.
* Kirsten Geary of ''VideoGame/TheSecretWorld'' never spends a working hour idly: she has to manage you and every other Illuminati agent in the field, coordinate your movements, deal with the backlash of your actions, and take steps to ensure [[VetinariJobSecurity total indispensability]] - her best way of securing herself against a YouHaveFailedMe scenario. However, when she's not managing you, Geary is partying. '''Hard.''' Every now and again, you'll happen to finish a mission while she's off the clock, forcing Cassini to inform you that Geary is currently enjoying the benefits of an office party with an open bar; she also has a pronounced fondness for peyote and magic mushrooms, and will occasionally ask you to bring back anything hallucinogenic you find in the field; lastly, a missed memo during one of the Christmas quests results in you delivering your after-mission report right in the middle of the Illuminati Christmas party, resulting in her drunk-texting you back.

* [[GodEmperor Emperor Calus]] from ''VideoGame/{{Destiny}}'' is the leader of [[TheEmpire a world-conquering empire]] and a mighty warrior who can battle demi-gods on equal footing. At the same time, he’s a lazy, fun-loving hedonist with no higher goal in life beyond having a good time. He lampshades this and explains it; he fights not out of a desire for violence or power, but to carve out a safe haven for his people where they can truly enjoy life to the fullest.
* In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', one of the War Assets you can acquire is Spec Ops Team Delta. Apparently they are known for their "strict admission standards, professionalism on high-stakes missions, and the Alliance's loudest parties."

* Ystos from ''Series/{{Noob}}'' plays a MMORPG professionally. In his downtime, he's never without reading material or a portable console, while his casual play second avatar is a master of the StealthHiBye who speaks in borderline CreepyMonotone. He's also seen to have a big outburst of joy when [[spoiler:his older but less talented brother's avatar reaches level 100]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'', Bruce Wayne openly takes an active interest in running his company, in contrast to most other versions of him. But that doesn't mean he's not still a MillionairePlayboy in his free time.
* When the main cast of ''WesternAnimation/MaxSteel'' aren't saving the world from supervillains, they're throwing themselves into extreme sports. Said verbatim by Berto -- or rather, [[spoiler: Dread impersonating him]] -- during a ski trip.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', Homer was worried that Bart was turning gay and he brought Bart to a steel mill to show him manly men doing manly jobs. Turned out it was a MachoCamp gay steel mill. Then the 5 o'clock whistle blew, and the place became an industrial-themed gay dance club. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjElZ-O9EpM "We work hard, we play hard."]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice,'' WordOfGod says this is the general perception the public has of [[Franchise/{{Batman}} Bruce Wayne]], rather than as the usual IdleRich reputation he has in other continuities.

* Misato from ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' is serious and competent on the job, but off the job she's a HardDrinkingPartyGirl whose house is full of beer and junk food.

* ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow'': Muscle Man, in contrast to [[TheSlacker Mordecai and Rigby]], is very hardworking during his shifts that require a lot of effort and strength. During his free time, he [[BigEater binges on junk food and soda]], plays with the golf cart, and hangs out with Mordecai and Rigby.

* When the main cast of ''WesternAnimation/MaxSteel'' aren't saving the world from supervillains, they're throwing themselves into extreme sports. Said verbatim by Berto - or rather, [[spoiler: Dread impersonating him]] - during a ski trip.
* In ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'', Bruce Wayne openly takes an active interest in running his company, in contrast to most other versions of him. But that doesn't mean he's not still a MillionairePlayboy in his free time.

* [[TheWomanWearingTheQueenlyMask Elizabeth I]] was rather like this. She loved giving parties and men made elaborate (and perhaps somewhat suspicious) statements of CourtlyLove toward her.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

[[folder:Fan Fiction]]
* Surprisingly, [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Xander Harris]] in ''[[https://www.tthfanfic.org/story.php?no=30534 The Passing of the Shades of Black]]''. Off the clock, he's still the same lovable goofball as canon. On the clock, anything that doesn't pertain to the mission or his comrades' safety gets passing acknowledgment at most. Best shown when he has to help a pair of bounty hunters stake out an alien strip club/brothel for a couple of bounties; he gives the working girls a glance to make sure they're not the target before moving on and ignores the manager's attempts to goad him with insults to his experience and age.

[[folder:Film]]
* Tony Stark in ''Film/IronMan'' more clearly demonstrated this trope at the beginning of the movie, where he's pretty much inventing state of the art weapons systems in between having crazy hardcore parties. He stops playing so hard, though, when his experience in Afghanistan leads him to make very serious efforts to curb the violence.
* The late Charlie Wilson, as portrayed in ''Film/CharlieWilsonsWar'', fell under this. Well, after he decided to get involved in Afghanistan, anyway -- we see little evidence of the "work hard" before that.
* Lt. Rasczak in ''Film/StarshipTroopers'' encourages this for his men. "Here's the beer! Here's the entertainment! Now, have fun - that's an order!"

* In the ElvesVsDwarves dynamic, the entire Dwarven archetype often revolves around this idea. Dwarves are often depicted as the Industrial Faction, making use of hard work, technology and sheer industrial strength as the counterbalance to their magical elven counterparts. However, at the same time, while Elves are often archetypically intellectual and puritanical, the Dwarves, at the opposite side of the spectrum, are also depicted as the fun-loving, sociable, extroverted faction, e.g. engaging in social drinking and being the comic relief for many Fantasy Role Playing Games.

* In ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice,'' WordOfGod says this is the general perception the public has of [[Franchise/{{Batman}} Bruce Wayne]], rather than as the usual RichIdiotWithNoDayJob he depicts himself as in other continuities.

* In ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'', Bruce Wayne openly takes an active interest in running his company, in contrast to [[RichIdiotWithNoDayJob most other versions of him]]. But that doesn't mean he's not still a MillionairePlayboy in his free time.

* The Qunari of ''Franchise/DragonAge'' are a extremely serious, efficient, and stoic race. Sten, a Qunari, says he has no memory of playing when he was a child and is somewhat offended by the notion that you'd think a Qunari would waste their time with such frivolity; even childhood is merely a time for studying whatever role they will be playing in society as an adult. However, this all goes out the window when a Qunari is declared ''Qunoran Vehl'', a cultural hero. Sten says that when this happens, the Qunari party so hard that ''executions'' are sometimes required to get everyone back in line.

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]

[[folder: Film ]]

[[folder: Literature ]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

[[folder: Tropes]]

[[folder: Video Games]]

[[folder: Web Original ]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* In contrast to [[RichIdiotWithNoDayJob most versions]] of Bruce Wayne, his Franchise/{{DCAU}} version openly takes an active interest in running his company. But that doesn't mean he's not still a MillionairePlayboy in his free time.

[[folder: Real Life ]]

** Creator/AlbertEinstein. While he was the byword for [[HerrDoktor German supergenius]], he was, well, being [[http://www.cracked.com/article_18559_6-famous-geniuses-you-didnt-know-were-perverts.html Albert Einstein]].

TruthInTelevision here, as relaxing and having fun is good way to keep stress levels down and recuperate physically and emotionally, so it makes sense to be as committed and efficient at relaxing as you are working. Being social is also a good way to find employment and learn from others, so a complete workaholic is pretty tough to find in RealLife. There's also the fact that most people ''enjoy'' having fun and relaxing -- but need to work to earn money. Frequently this is the other side to characters like TheReliableOne. You'd think this character would get along well with TheWorkaholic, who they superficially resemble until TheReveal, and they may get along great during work hours (or be TheRival to each other), but when hanging out this character might find their workaholic colleague to be a buzzkill, that is IF they even agree to hang out.

SubTrope of MoreThanMeetsTheEye and a [[SubvertedTrope subversion of]] TheWorkaholic. Contrast AllWorkVsAllPlay.

* The Qunari of ''Franchise/DragonAge'' are a extremely serious, efficient, and stoic race. Sten, a Qunari, says he has no memory of playing when he was a child and is somewhat offended by the notion that you'd think a Qunari would waste their time with such frivolity; even childhood is merely a time for studying whatever role they will be playing in society as an adult. This all goes out the window when a Qunari is declared ''Qunoran Vehl'', a cultural hero. Sten says that when this happens, the Qunari party so hard that ''executions'' are sometimes required to get everyone back in line.

[[folder: Video Games ]]

* In ''Franchise/DragonAge'', the Qunari are described as this by Sten if you're friends with him by the end of the game. He compares you being declared "The Hero of Fereldan" to when a Qunari is declared ''Qunoran Vehl'', and says that they party so hard that ''executions'' are sometimes required to get everyone back in line. Of course, when they're ''not'' throwing a raucous party, the Qunari are extremely serious and efficient - Sten says he has no memory of playing when he was a child and is somewhat offended by the notion that you'd think a Qunari would waste their time with such frivolity; even childhood is merely a time for studying whatever role they will be playing in society as an adult.

You're surprised to see him break open the alcohol, start screaming karaoke or show other wild behaviors that you never saw at work. Turns out, he spends as much energy partying as he does working hard. He might even use the fact that he works so hard as an ''excuse'' to why he plays so hard.

TruthInTelevision here, as relaxing and having fun is good way to keep stress levels down and recuperate physically and emotionally, so it makes sense to be as committed and efficient relaxing as you are working. Being social is also a good way to find employment and learn from others, so a complete workaholic is pretty tough to find in RealLife. There's also the fact that most people ''enjoy'' having fun and relaxing -- but need to work to earn money. Frequently this is the other side to characters like TheReliableOne. You'd think this character would get along well with TheWorkaholic, who they superficially resemble until TheReveal, and they may get along great during work hours (or be TheRival to each other), but when hanging out this character might find their workaholic colleague to be a buzzkill, that is IF they even agree to hang out.

SubTrope of MoreThanMeetsTheEye and a [[SubvertedTrope subversion of]] TheWorkaholic. Contrast AllWorkVersusAllPlay.

SubTrope of MoreThanMeetsTheEye and a [[SubvertedTrope subversion of]] TheWorkaholic.

* GloriousMotherRussia is often stereotyped as a [[VodkaDrunkenski nation of alcoholics]] who [[MotherRussiaMakesYouStrong nevertheless get things done efficiently]] and create [[FromRussiaWithNukes one of the world's most formidable superpowers]].

TruthInTelevision here, as relaxing and having fun is good way to keep stress levels down and recuperate physically and morally, so it makes sense to be as committed and efficient relaxing as you are working. Being social is also a good way to find employment and learn from others, so a complete workaholic is pretty tough to find in RealLife. There's also the fact that most people ''enjoy'' having fun and relaxing -- but need to work to earn money. Frequently this is the other side to characters like TheReliableOne. You'd think this character would get along well with TheWorkaholic, who they superficially resemble until TheReveal, and they may get along great during work hours (or be TheRival to each other), but when hanging out this character might find their workaholic colleague to be a buzzkill, that is IF they even agree to hang out.

TruthInTelevision here, as relaxing and having fun is good way to keep stress levels down, and it makes sense to be as committed and efficient relaxing as you are working. Being social is also a good way to find employment and learn from others, so a complete workaholic is pretty tough to find in RealLife. There's also the fact that most people ''enjoy'' having fun and relaxing -- but need to work to earn money. Frequently this is the other side to characters like TheReliableOne. You'd think this character would get along well with TheWorkaholic, who they superficially resemble until TheReveal, and they may get along great during work hours (or be TheRival to each other), but when hanging out this character might find their workaholic colleague to be a buzzkill, that is IF they even agree to hang out.

TruthInTelevision here, as relaxing and having fun is good way to keep stress levels down. Being social is also a good way to find employment and learn from others, so a complete workaholic is pretty tough to find in RealLife. There's also the fact that most people ''enjoy'' having fun and relaxing -- but need to work to earn money. Frequently this is the other side to characters like TheReliableOne. You'd think this character would get along well with TheWorkaholic, who they superficially resemble until TheReveal, and they may get along great during work hours (or be TheRival to each other), but when hanging out this character might find their workaholic colleague to be a buzzkill, that is IF they even agree to hang out.

* Winter [[TheFairFolk fae]] of ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' are a dark example. They're bound to fight in a ForeverWar against an EldritchAbomination that often corrupts their allies into traitorous {{Omnicidal Maniac}}s, so when they can, they let off steam by abusing humans. Their queen is more self-aware, but no less entitled, seeing it as a NecessaryEvil that her people deserve.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', Homer was worried that Bart was turning gay and he brought Bart to a steel mill to show him manly men doing manly jobs. Turned out it was a MachoCamp steel mill. Then the 5 o'clock whistle blew, and the place became an industrial-themed gay dance club. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjElZ-O9EpM "We work hard, we play hard."]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', Homer was worried that Bart was turning gay and he brought Bart to a steel mill to show him manly men doing manly jobs. Turned out it was a ManlyGay steel mill. Then the 5 o'clock whistle blew, and the place became an industrial-themed gay dance club. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjElZ-O9EpM "We work hard, we play hard."]]