Line #43 Main/TookALevelInBadass


1	%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1294849586022157100
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3	[[quoteright:250:[[ComicBook/FantasticFour https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/invisible_woman.jpg]]]]
4	[[caption-width-right:250:Susan Richards, before and after 40 years of CharacterDevelopment and the Women's Rights Movement.]]
5
6	->''"If you told me five years ago that [[VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance Raiden]] was going to be cooler than [[VideoGame/DmCDevilMayCry Dante]], I'd have told you to just shut up and let me punch you."''
7	-->-- '''[[WebVideo/MattMcMuscles Matt]]''', ''WebVideo/TwoBestFriendsPlay'': ''VideoGame/PlayStationAllStarsBattleRoyale''
8
9	So, you're flipping channels looking for something to watch and you come across a battle scene in a familiar show. One character in particular is making a very good showing, doing at least as much as the main character to save the day. But, who is this mysterious person in the BadassLongcoat? Did you miss the episode where he was introduced? Why the nagging feeling of familiarity? Then it hits--you ''know'' this kid. It's just that last time you saw him, he was a nebbishy wisecracker with the constitution of a glass-jawed squirrel. What happened to transform him so completely? Simple: last time he [[CharacterLevel leveled up]], he [[TitleDrop took a level in badass]].
10
11	Since this is about CharacterDevelopment, that means it doesn't genuinely apply when comparing a character in different adaptations. See AdaptationalBadass.
12
13	If the change is a result of a FaceHeelTurn, see SuperpoweredEvilSide and RedemptionDemotion. If it's a result of a HeelFaceTurn, then it's a case of RedemptionPromotion. If the change is due to time travel, see FutureBadass. If it is the result of finding a powerful object, see AmuletOfConcentratedAwesome. This can also happen because PrisonsAreGymnasiums. If the change is due to relentless training, it may be the result of ImposedHandicapTraining, leading to a CharlesAtlasSuperpower.
14
15	There is also the SuperHeroOrigin, where [[DareToBeBadass the first story gives some explanation for why they became the badass hero]].
16
17	The reference comes from roleplaying, where it's sometimes possible to "take a level" in a completely different class. For instance: a level ten Fighter ''could'' take a level in Wizard, therefore being both a level ten Fighter and a level one Wizard. The joke is presumably that if badass was a class and you could take a level in it, you would thereby become badass where you weren't before. Actual RPG classes are, of course, supposed to be balanced so that literally taking one level in something doesn't normally make you greatly more powerful. Blending this with modern gaming, however, one can achieve what is known as "badass grinding", where one takes ''[[SerialEscalation multiple]]'' levels in badass.
18
19	If they were already badass to begin with and imbued the previously [[BadassNormal unpowered]] characters with superpowers, it's EmpoweredBadassNormal.
20
21	Compare ObfuscatingStupidity, LetsGetDangerous, CowardlyLion, and NotSoHarmlessVillain, where actually competent characters who have been hiding their powers finally reveal their abilities. {{Xenafication}} is when this happens to a GirlyGirl. MagikarpPower is when this is achieved through lots of LevelGrinding. LookWhatICanDoNow is when a character demonstrates this after an extended absence. FromNobodyToNightmare is the EvilCounterpart of this trope.
22
23	AdrenalineMakeover is when the love interest does this, along with becoming much more attractive. Also see MisfitMobilizationMoment, when a group of losers ''collectively'' take a level in badass. Related to DumbassNoMore, when the character gains a level in intelligence.
24
25	BadassDecay is for the ''subjective'' situation where characters seem less badass than they were due to CharacterizationMarchesOn. That is not to be confused with a situation where a character becomes weaker ''as a plot point'', as then it's simply an {{Inversion}} of this trope.
26
27	JustForFun/NotToBeConfusedWith TookALevelInJerkass, where a normally nice person becomes a bad seed. Also not to be confused with taking a British A-Level exam in Badassery (or Badarsery), or taking any kind of level test leading to an official promotion in (or formal acknowledgment of) Badassery.
28
29	'''Warning: Examples may contain unmarked spoilers.'''
30	----
31	!!Example subpages:
32	[[index]]
33	* TookALevelInBadass/AnimeAndManga
34	* TookALevelInBadass/ComicBooks
35	* TookALevelInBadass/FanWorks
36	* [[TookALevelInBadass/AnimatedFilms Films — Animation]]
37	* [[TookALevelInBadass/LiveActionFilms Films — Live-Action]]
38	* TookALevelInBadass/{{Literature}}
39	* TookALevelInBadass/LiveActionTV
40	* TookALevelInBadass/ProfessionalWrestling
41	* TookALevelInBadass/TabletopGames
42	* TookALevelInBadass/VideoGames
43	* TookALevelInBadass/{{Webcomics}}
44	* TookALevelInBadass/WesternAnimation
45	* TookALevelInBadass/RealLife
46	[[/index]]
47
48	!!Examples
49
50	[[foldercontrol]]
51
52	[[folder:Audio Plays]]
53	* Once she got behind the controls of the helicopter Pegs from ''AudioPlay/WereAlive'' gained quite a bit of confidence, even telling both Datu and Michael to shut up during chapter 24.
54	[[/folder]]
55
56	[[folder:Board Games]]
57	* TabletopGame/{{Chess}} has three examples:
58	** The humble pawn, which upon reaching the last rank on the chessboard gets promoted, almost always into a Queen, the most powerful piece in the game
59	** The Queen herself. Initially the piece was known as the vizier and moved very similarly to a pawn (i.e. it was much weaker than a king, which can at least cover all eight squares around it). Then, during the 15th or 16th century, it was given it's current movement [[TookALevelInBadass abilities]] and, well, there's a reason the pawns tend to get promoted to queens. This upgrade (orthogonal and diagonal travel without limit where unobstructed) became tellingly known as "madness chess" ("That much power wielded by ''a woman''? [[TitleDrop Madness!]]") and the Italians called the piece ''rabioso''.
60	** The ancient bishop was even weaker, moving diagonally two squares ''exactly'', which restricted it so that 56 of the 64 squares were permanently off-limits.
61	[[/folder]]
62
63	[[folder:Card Games]]
64	* This happens to numerous characters in ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering''. Crovax and Ertai each take about twenty levels in badass when they sign up with the Phyrexians; Mirri gets this benefit in the alternate timelines for Planar Chaos when she inherits Crovax's vampirism and insanity. Kamahl takes a level in badass when he becomes the Fist of Krosa, and his sister takes a level in badass when she becomes Phage the Untouchable.The meta-storyline of first 10 years of Magic effectively started with one determined and slightly less then moral Thran healer taking several levels in badass to become [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Yawgmoth]] and then one determined, slightly less then moral and spiritually troubled by his brother's demise human artificer taking about equal amount of said levels to become Urza Planeswalker to combat him.
65	** Flip cards – creatures that, if you do what their effect request, turns into much more powerful, Legendary Creatures.
66	** And now ''Magic'' has the actual mechanic Level Up, which lets a creature upgrade over time to become [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=198164 truly badass]].
67	** Planeswalkers in general. Starting out as regular, everyday members of their species, then after going through a life-changing experience, becoming nigh-immortal god-like beings with the power to walk between worlds (and that being one of the more ''mundane'' powers a planeswalker possesses). Subverted after The Mending. The powers granted by the Planeswalker Spark are greatly reduced. The only new power a planeswalker gains is the ability to walk between worlds. However, the new storylines make a point of showing just how special that power really is.
68	* ''TabletopGame/YuGiOh!'' has few cards that tells a story, if put together. Cute but weak [[http://yugiohmint.com/search/Gigobyte Gigobyte]] becomes [[http://images.yugiohmint.com/m/m0exdyf.jpg Gagagigo]], who is quite badass, but it's not enough for him – with help of cybernetic he turns into much more [[http://images.yugiohmint.com/n/n0o8r8w.jpg dangerous]] [[http://images.yugiohmint.com/a/a0igwx6.jpg forms]]. Then he realizes that he chose the wrong path and goes back to the [[http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2013/068/e/d/gagagigo_the_risen_by_grezar-d57a382.png right side]].
69	** Also includes the Impachi line, a forest guardian who becomes more and more powerful with technology until [[InvertedTrope burning to ashes]].
70	** And any card with a Level mechanic, such as Armed Dragon or Mystic Swordsman.
71	** Gaia the Fierce Knight has been taking Levels ever since the game began. First there was [[http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Gaia_The_Fierce_Knight Gaia]], a fairly mediocre Monster from the first set, who became [[http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Gaia_the_Dragon_Champion respectably strong]] when fused with Curse of Dragon. As time went by, that seemed to fall out of favor... so he gritted his teeth, willed himself a pretty useful effect, and became [[http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Swift_Gaia_the_Fierce_Knight Swift Gaia.]] Then when that started to wear thin, he [[http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Gaia_Knight,_the_Force_of_Earth became a Synchro Monster]] (and was the strongest one of his level bar Goyo). Then that Synchro got a [[http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Gaia_Drake,_the_Universal_Force fusion.]] Then he laid in wait for a while... until the Chaos Xyz mechanic showed up and he [[http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Gaia_Dragon,_the_Thunder_Charger jumped on that wagon, too.]] There's probably never been a time in the game where ''some'' form of Gaia wasn't usable. Later on, the fusion of Gaia with Curse of Dragon got retrained and is now called [[https://yugioh.fandom.com/wiki/Sky_Galloping_Gaia_the_Dragon_Champion Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion]]. Come the most recent TCG set, ''Rise of the Duelist'', and Gaia has come full circle; the set makes his status as an archetype official, with a retrain of Curse of Dragon, more versions of himself, and a host of new Spells/Traps to further along his path to competitive contention and true badassery. Also, you know that Sky Galloping Gaia from earlier? That got a [[https://yugioh.fandom.com/wiki/Gaia_the_Magical_Knight_of_Dragons retrain as well.]]
72	* The basic idea of evolution in ''{{TabletopGame/Pokemon}}''. Especially for [[MagikarpPower Magikarp]].
73	* Many lines of card in ''Anime/CardfightVanguard'' such as Amon of the Dark Irregulars, Lox of the Great Nature, and Rivierre of the Bermuda Triangle.
74	[[/folder]]
75
76	[[folder:Manhwa]]
77	* Shi Woon, protagonist of ''Manhwa/TheBreaker'', takes several huge levels in badass over the course of the story. He starts out as a loser who gets beaten up by bullies daily. After he eats [[AWizardDidIt a strange pill]] and trains under one of the greatest martial artists in the world, he becomes strong enough to break a cement column with his bare hands and take on other more experienced martial artists. He also learns to stand up for himself and becomes TheDeterminator, which impresses even the antagonists he cannot defeat.
78	[[/folder]]
79
80	[[folder:Music]]
81	* Elefseus in Music/{{Sound Horizon}}'s Moira. After his sister is killed, he turns into Amethystos, prince of taking down fate.
82	* Paul [=McCartney=]'s ''Live and Let Die'' says that "you used to have a heart like an open book and say live and let live, but if this world in which we're living makes you cry...say live and LET DIE!!!" BreakTheCutie into Badass.
83	* {{Music/Katy Perry}}'s ''Roar'' is about a girl who starts as a love interest to a boy, but after breaking up with her boyfriend goes on to become a strong independent woman. The video goes one step further as Katy plays a city girl whose plane crashes in the jungle, and when her [[Franchise/IndianaJones Indiana-expy]] boyfriend is eaten, she levels up into a JunglePrincess.
84	* Perry again, in the ''Part of Me'' music video, starts as a heartbroken woman who just broke up with her cheating boyfriend. She joins the US Marine Corps and transforms into a badass soldier.
85	* "Chainsaw Earle" by Newfoundland folk/comedy band Buddy Wasisname and the Other Fellers tells of the eponymous Earle, a scrawny weakling who grew up in a town full of lumberjacks. Too weak to even lift up a chainsaw, he was despised and mistreated by everyone until [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere he got fed up and left town]]. He returns 16 years later as an enormously muscled giant carrying a {{BFS}}-sized chainsaw and pulls a BigDamnHeroes, saving the town from burning down in a raging forest fire. He then burns it down ''himself'' by accident, because even though he got a lot bigger and stronger, he's still just as ''stupid'' as he was before.
86	[[/folder]]
87
88	[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
89	* ''ComicStrip/DickTracy'' had Pat Patton, who was originally a BumblingSidekick for Tracy in the first few years. However, before the 1930s ended, Pat grew to be a hardheaded and reasonably efficient police detective who can find the important clues and save the day when called upon.
90	[[/folder]]
91
92	[[folder:Pinball]]
93	* In ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime'', the Triclops was a minor annoyance that just latched onto the Morph Ball and spit it out for minor damage. But in ''VideoGame/MetroidPrimePinball'', it's a major problem due to its tendency to release Samus at an unfortunate angle.
94	[[/folder]]
95
96	[[folder:Podcasts]]
97	* At the start of ''The Stolen Century'', Lucretia of ''Podcast/TheAdventureZoneBalance'' is a milquetoast who is content to stay on the sidelines and record the heroics of others, routinely doubts her own abilities, and says that she could never possibly be a leader. However, after the events of Cycle 65, in which the rest of the team dies early on and she is left to repair the ship and fend off an entire army for the rest of the year completely alone in order to ensure the mission's survival, she becomes a much more confident and decisive fighter who eventually founds the Bureau of Balance and escapes Wonderland.
98	* In the first two seasons of ''Podcast/MissionToZyxx'' Pleck is untrained, unqualified, and a frequent ButtMonkey of both crew members and guest stars. For the season three premiere he's learned enough to fight off a squad of [=CLINTs=] and kick off the effort to oppose the Emperor.
99	[[/folder]]
100
101	[[folder:Puppet Shows]]
102	* Parodied in ''Film/TeamAmericaWorldPolice'' with the "montage" song.
103	[[/folder]]
104
105	[[folder:Roleplay]]
106	* ''Roleplay/AsukaQuest'': Everyone. It starts with ThePowerOfFriendship helping the DysfunctionJunction of NERV get over a lot of mental issues (Shinji is now the OnlySaneMan, for example), and continues into AT field MadScience allowing Evangelions to crack planets if they wanted to (and perhaps cause a RealityBreakingParadox; this one has never been tested for obvious reasons), to the point where the ''Angels'' (renamed Giant Alien Starfish) needed to become more powerful in order to keep up. Miscellaneous level-ups include Rei learning how to use her personal AT field (which allows her and Asuka to '''literally''' [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu punch out Tabris]]), Asuka eating Zeruel's S2 organ, and Aisuka (Asuka's sister/A.I. clone; it's complicated) getting a RobotGirl body equipped with SuperStrength along with inbuilt weaponry, and the return of Jet Alone, with Aisuka as the pilot. Even Lorenz Kihl gets a chance to be badass; during the final battle he merges with 'Demi-Adam' created from three MP Evas, with AntiMagic armor.
107	* ''Roleplay/DarwinsSoldiers'': Dr. Rudyard Shelton.
108	** Starts off as a control room admin in the first RP and he's living as an undercover spy within the Dragonstorm ranks in the third RP.
109	** When he kills someone who attempted to out him as a spy with a ''coffee maker''.
110	* Simon Wood from ''Roleplay/{{Survival of the Fittest}}'' is nigh-unrecogniseable in [=SOTF=] spin off [[EverythingsDeaderWithZombies SOTF Zombies]]. He goes from RomanticRunnerUp to somebody who will not hesitate to punch his undead adversaries in the face. On one occasion, this actually ''killed'' one.
111	[[/folder]]
112
113	[[folder:Sports]]
114	* Happens all the time in sports, especially when a team goes "worst to first". Very common in UsefulNotes/{{Baseball}}.
115	** Happened to TWO teams in 1991, when then-perennial losers the Minnesota Twins and Atlanta Braves, met in the World Series. The Twins won it all last year, but the Braves would go on to be a force ''for the next 15 seasons'', ultimately winning it all in 1995.
116	*** This is particularly important for Braves fans; it signalled the end of the "rotten years", a period from 1970 through 1990 where they lost a lot more often than not, only making the playoffs two years out of 21.
117	** The Tampa Bay Devil Rays were...[[{{Understatement}} slow out of the gate]], having losing seasons their first ten seasons, finishing DFL in the AL East nine times out of ten (they finished 4th out of 5 in 2004). Then in 2008, they dropped "Devil" from their name. They immediately won the AL East (keeping the Yankees out of the playoffs), then beat the Red Sox in the ALCS to make the World Series. They've had winning seasons ever since, making the playoffs in 2010, 2011 and 2013.
118	** The 2018-2019 St. Louis Blues took this to its logical extreme by going "worst to first" within the same season. At the beginning of 2019, with the season nearly halfway over, they were the worst team in the NHL. Six months later, they defeated the Boston Bruins in Game 7 to win the first Stanley Cup championship in the franchise's history.
119	* As a player example, Patty Mills of the San Antonio Spurs basketball team. During the 2012-2013 postseason, he was widely known as the chubby guy sitting on the bench, [[TheHeart cheering his teammates on]] by enthusiastically waving a towel whenever they scored a basket. After his team lost the championship, he was determined to prove that he deserved time on the court, so he went on a strict diet, lost weight, and trained rigorously. Flash forward to the 2013-2014 season, and he's been absolutely killing it as the backup point guard, helping the Spurs to maintain their top-seed record by stepping in for the injured Tony Parker and going off for ''30 points or more'' in his best games -- a number that would be considered respectable for superstars like Kevin Durant and [=LeBron=] James.
120	* It didn't matter whether they played in Buffalo (as the Braves), San Diego, or Los Angeles -- the Clippers were a running joke for most of their first four decades in the NBA. They had a penny-pinching, uncouth owner in Donald Sterling, an established reputation for losing, and an inability to hang on to top players, who would either be traded away in bad deals, or leave via free agency once their contracts expired. But when 2009 first-overall pick Blake Griffin debuted in the 2010-11 season (he missed what would have been his rookie year due to injury), things began to turn around. And when the Clippers acquired Chris Paul via trade ahead of the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season, Lob City was born. As of 2016, the Clippers have finally become consistent winners, and become the top NBA team in L.A. after decades of playing a poor second fiddle to the Lakers.
121	[[/folder]]
122
123	[[folder:Theatre]]
124	* Veronica Sawyer from ''{{Theatre/Heathers}}'' goes from a bully victim with a psychotic boyfriend to the new head of the school who shot said psychotic boyfriend before he blew himself up.
125	* Arguably Macduff of ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}'' by the time of Act 5, Scene 8 when Macduff fulfills the prophecy of the weird sisters (he can harm Macbeth) by telling Macbeth of how he was born, even to the point where Macbeth cannot believe it to be true:
126	-->'''Macduff''': Despair thy charm, \
127	And let the angel whom thou still hast served \
128	Tell thee, Macduff was from his mother's womb \
129	Untimely ripp'd.\
130	'''Macbeth''': Accursed be that tongue that tells me so, \
131	For it hath cow'd my better part of man!
132	* Natalie by the end of ''Theatre/NextToNormal''. She goes from being [[AgeAppropriateAngst an angsty teenager]] who hates her family and the life they have provided, to a happier young woman who acknowledges how much the Goodman household has been through, and wants life to "give me pain if that's what's real".
133	[[/folder]]
134
135	[[folder:Toys]]
136	* As with the cartoon series, so too with the toy line it's based on. When Transformers makes a new toy of an old character, the advances in manufacturing technology usually mean the toy itself is better. It is also often larger. Recent examples include Seaspray, once the Comicbook/{{Aquaman}} of the Autobots, who has a toy that is apparently both his [=G1 character=] and a character for the new line, going from an equivalent of Legends to Voyager (three size steps up; the original is three inches tall while the new one is over a foot.) This can even happen within a single line. In the ''Film/TransformersRevengeOfTheFallen'' toy line, Bludgeon was originally a repaint of Wreckage, a decent mold from the first movie's line, but got his own unique mold which was a full size class larger, more in tune with his fan-favorite [=G1=] self, and dripping with flavor.
137	* Mata Nui from ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'' seems to go down a few levels of badass at first, after which he explains that he never actually was that badass, just very powerful. Then he throws a HumongousMecha under a moon/fragment of the planet he's standing on, crushing the BigBad.
138	[[/folder]]
139
140	[[folder:Web Animation]]
141	* Blue Incineroar in ''WebAnimation/CPUChampionshipSeries'' does this in between Seasons 2 and 3, where he goes from a fighter who only makes it to Round 2, too being Number 1 fighter for a bit and currently is in top 5.
142	* ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'':
143	** Tucker, the lazy pimp wannabe suddenly becomes effective once he gets his energy sword. He takes another level when Wyoming locks the whole canyon into a time loop. Tucker is left immune to its amnesia-inducing effects (due to the sword), allowing him to act with advance knowledge of the situation. In ''Recreation'', he shows off his mad skills by taking on the entire digging team, seemingly by himself.
144	--->'''Church:''' Hey, you know what, I kinda like this new all-knowing badass Tucker. He's certainly a lot better than the old one.
145	** Similarly, in the climax of ''Red vs. Blue: Reconstruction'', Church embraces his [=AI=] heritage and stops [[TheJuggernaut The Meta]] by entering its collective mind. Previously, he was unable to even hit a target at point-blank range.
146	** In Revelation, Grif and Sarge come to Simmons and Doc's rescue, but are confronted by Washington. After a couple of failed cues, Grif bursts through a wall with the warthog after Washington has disarmed Sarge. Grif hits Washington, and after a brief drive around Valhalla flings him off of the Warthog. As Washington cocks Sarge's shotgun in midair, Sarge timely shows up and snatches the shotgun right out of his hands, jumps in the Warthog with Grif, and shoots the fusion coils that Washington landed by. Take into account that Washington is just short of a OneManArmy, and it's all the more impressive. What's more, not only do they beat Washington, but they do it with style. However, Sarge did mess up his one-liner, so points off for that.
147	** In the same season, as difficult as it may be to believe, already high-level badass Tex has apparently taken another level in badass. Meta also spent a lot of that season as an IronButtmonkey, but redeems himself in the fight with Tex and won, no less.
148	** By the time of Season 12, the crew are overall much more competent than before, though they still fail irregularly. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in that Roosterteeth now has access to [[TechnologyMarchesOn Motion Capture]] and Kung Fu.
149	* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'':
150	** In the Volume 1 finale, [[TheSmartGuy Blake Belladonna]] struggles to hold her own against [[TheDragon Roman Torchwick]], even with help, and the fight had to be interrupted. In the Volume 2 finale, she has a second battle with him, with ''no'' assistance this time. Guess who wins? Hint: Not Roman.
151	** [[SupportPartyMember Jaune Arc]] started the show as completely untrained and didn't even have his Aura unlocked (something all the other students had done ''years'' ago). He struggles with foes that the other students barely even bat an eye at, and has no idea what his Semblance even ''is''. But as the show goes on, he steadily trains and improves: by Volumes 3 and 4, while he's not up to the level of his friends, he's able to hold his own and strike some good blows even against powerful enemies. He unlocks his semblance on volume 6. Volumes 7 and 8 ''imply'' he's finally catching up, but, by now, he's still in need of prove himself as capable enough to take down stronger enemies by his own. His general role is purely defensive and powering up his allies with his semblance. Then, he becomes the Rusted Knight...
152	* Blazer from the ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' epic "Tales of the Past III" goes from a cocky rogue who couldn't defeat a horde of undead, to a Badass Fist-Of-An-Angry-God paladin who wields a ancient weapon after spending time training in the emerald dream with death knight Mograine (whose control under the Kel'Thurzad had been broken). [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBMfumHrDRE&feature=related Notable in the beginning of the fight with Arthas.]]
153	* The titular heroes of ''WebAnimation/XRayAndVav'' first start out as a pair of SuperZeroes who couldn't stop a pair of crooks without turning the city into a crater. Episode 4, the finally get their heads on straight and rescue the entire city from the clutches of the Corpirate.
154	[[/folder]]
155
156	[[folder:Web Videos]]
157	* ''WebVideo/AngryVideoGameNerd'': When [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Bugs Bunny]] first appears in his review of ''Bugs Bunny’s Birthday Blowout'', he’s the ButtMonkey, getting repeatedly beaten up by the Nerd and culminating in his face getting pooped on. When he returns for the Nerd to review ''Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle'' and its sequels, he starts things off by immediately blocking the Nerd’s first punch and giving him a very similar beating. In an especially humiliating role reversal, he ends up pooping on the Nerd’s face this time.
158	* LetsPlay/BillyMC. He started out as TheWoobie due to his failures in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBrosTheLostLevels'', and WebVideo/{{Retsupurae}} interpreted him as a kid with a HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood (most especially when poor phrasing during one video leaves them with the impression that he gets UsefulNotes/McDonalds food for Christmas presents), but eventually he beat it. Then he announced that he was going to play ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden'', and people were worried about [[NintendoHard the potential effects]] [[SanitySlippage on his psyche.]] However, as he was using a controller instead of a keyboard, he manages to beat the game in ''five'' videos, amazing pretty much everyone who watched.
159	* ''WebVideo/{{Dream}}'''s Minecraft Manhunts:
160	** In "Minecraft Speedrunner VS 3 Hunters Rematch", the Hunters apply much more strategy to taking Dream on, constantly pursuing him and only suffering casualties when they separate. They [[CuttingTheKnot block off the]] first [[CuttingTheKnot End Portal with obsidian]] and even [[HoistByHisOwnPetard use Dream's brewing stand against him]], almost costing him the game in the long run.
161	** In the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tylNqtyj0gs "Minecraft Speedrunner VS 3 Hunters GRAND FINALE"]], the Hunters finally live up to their name and end up forcing Dream on the run throughout the entire video instead of them dying to him every few minutes, as they wound up scoring iron armour AND iron weapons from a nearby village, then later upgrade parts to diamond armour and weapons, and even go as far as to ENCHANT their stuff. [[CallBack They even go to the End ahead of him to set-up a trap, like they did in the third episode]]. Dream is never able to enchant his own armour and sword, and he even admitted that it was their best outing yet. [[spoiler:That was, [[OutGambitted had he not gone and made TNT to blow up all three of them and their trap]], he would've actually LOST for once.]]
162	* The REAL WebVideo/FilthyFrank became this between "ADAM SANDLER CONSPIRACY THEORY" where he claimed he was only a peasant and could only travel through realms and "FILTHY FRANK VS. CHIN CHIN" where it's implied that he became a Peace^Lord and even intimidates the dark lord himself, Chin Chin.
163	* Codex takes a level in badass at the end of ''WebVideo/TheGuild'' season three. It probably doesn't last.
164	* WebVideo/HeroHouse has Nightwing, who goes from being Batman's incompetent sidekick, to his rightful replacement, capable of taking down Deathstroke himself.
165	* Logan in the beginning of ''[[WebVideo/LogansTale Logan's Dawn]]'' is a TechnicalPacifist who is intimidated by the outside world and runs away scared several times, but that quickly changes out of necessity.
166	* Emma in ''WebVideo/Lonelygirl15'' appears to have done this in between "I Love You All" and "Operation Emma", largely as a result of having to fend for herself and witnessing Elizabeth's murder.
167	* In ''WebVideo/MarbleHornets'', Jessica starts out as something of a DamselInDistress, serving as TheWoobie who Jay is trying to rescue. She's probably [[OnlySaneMan the most sensible]] person in the cast, but she doesn't do a lot. But when she comes [[BackForTheDead Back For The Operator Abduction]] in Entry #76, when Alex pulls a gun on her she attacks him while he's [[ApologeticAttacker apologizing]] and wrestles it away from him. She's also the first (and so far, only) person to make it all the way through [[EldritchLocation the tunnel]].
168	* Edward Borman takes... well, maybe ''half'' a level in ''WebVideo/TheMercuryMen''. While he doesn't quite reach the level of badass and is still cowardly, his marksmanship (once he remembers to keep his eyes open!), willingness to put himself into harms way and his ability to think on his feet do improve considerably over the course of the first nine episodes, especially after his talk with Dr. Tomorrow.
169	* When Barnabas Thade in WebVideo/MovieRehab was introduced in the Film/MeetDave review he started out as a dubious manager who was a huge coward. By the time of the Film/SouthlandTales review he became much more self condident, much stronger and eventually defeated the villain Trama.
170	** LetsPlay/SimonLane's building skills were initially somewhat dire, but by ''Moonquest'' he builds a fairly cool airship which proves handy for the crew. Come ''Hole Diggers'' and he ends up designing a ''space station''... which can ''mine from other dimensions''.
171	* ''Franchise/{{Noob}}'':
172	** In the fourth novel and Season 5 Arthéon became this by getting promoted from mere PlayerCharacter to a player-controlled world boss whose stats are superior to all three UltimateGamer386 characters of the franchise taken together.
173	** The duel between Omega Zell and Gaea shown in the webseries was preceded by showing that the trope applies to both parties: Gaea broke out of the "coward" part of her usually DirtyCoward self merely by asking for the duel and keeping up with Omega Zell who's starting to reap the benefits of being in Justice guild.
174	* Vernias of the WebVideo/PartyCrashers was previously known as the group's ButtMonkey, constantly being plagued by bad luck and rarely getting wins. However, once he learned the timing on Chance Time, he has started winning many more ''VideoGame/MarioParty'' games, being able to manipulate Chance Time in his favor. One such example is in "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7o9ViMfOxc Mario Party but last place MAKES THE RULES]]", where despite being in last place on the final turn, Vernias still ends up winning the whole game by stealing a Star via Chance Time and being awarded the one Bonus Star he needed to overtake Brent in 1st place, as he had more coins.
175	* Dave (or Dawei) of ''WebVideo/PurePwnage'' was a quiet, withdrawn sort of guy at first. He absolutely refused to play any video games until a furious micro (a combat skill based on game-playing ability) battle threatened the lives of his friends. After a flashback showing a tragic gaming incident that killed/injured his sisters, he finally snaps and proves to be an incredible user of micro, effectively taking a level in badass and reverting to the arrogant, snarky personality he had in his past.
176	* Stealth from WebVideo/TheQuest served as one of Diesel's henchmen in Season One, and didn't really have all that much special about him. During his appearance in Season Two, he's learned to turn invisible, runs rings around Crimson and his friends, and requires two superheroes to take down.
177	* The various members of the LetsPlay/{{Yogscast}} have had numerous failings in their [[WebVideo/YogscastMinecraftSeries Minecraft series]], but have improved immensely given time:
178	** LetsPlay/KimRichards started as the NaiveNewcomer when it came to ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'', but eventually learned to improve. She was the first player on the company server to successfully land the rocket without dying (everyone else who had attempted this had died somehow). When left to run Panda Labs on her own, she manages to kill ''all of LetsPlay/HatFilms by herself''.
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182	* Most of the reviews for Website/ChannelAwesome get this, especially in the anniversary events, which become increasingly more dangerous and which they still manage to handle.
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Context Main / TookALevelInBadass