Disappointed in You

Eleanor: I'm not mad. I'm just disappointed.
Michael: Oh, come on! Everyone knows that's worse!

— The Good Place

One character fails at something. Instead of being angry, another character is morose. They don't yell at the first character or ask them "What Were You Thinking?" or anything dramatic like that. Instead, they calmly, sadly and often regretfully tell the other person that they've let them down. Someway, somehow, they've set the second character's hopes for them high and then failed to deliver. May be worded as "I'm disappointed in you," "You disappoint me," or at a stretch "I expected better/more of you." However it's worded, the issue isn't one of outrage or indignation — merely that the speaker has been let down by the other and they feel like a fool for believing there would be any other outcome.

This usually has a greater effect on the person they are disappointed with. The recipient of this trope may be driven to a Heroic or Villainous BSoD, in extreme cases to the declaration of "My God, What Have I Done?". If they've become a bad person or are in the process of it, they may have a Heel Realization. Except in the case of an Ignored Epiphany, this character will typically be driven to atone for their failure. Only very, very rarely do they cross the Despair Event Horizon and become Driven to Suicide.

Compare What a Senseless Waste of Human Life, where someone is moved to regret by the death of a particular person, and You Could Have Used Your Powers for Good!, which may go hand in hand. This trope can typically get through to a Knight Templar or Well-Intentioned Extremist when angry callings-out and indignant diatribes fail. Contrast So Proud of You.

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Examples:

• Fan Works
• Western Animation

Anime & Manga

• JoJo's Bizarre Adventure:
  • Phantom Blood: George tears into Jonathan after witnessing him assault Dio after he already withdrawn, despite that Dio was clearly holding a knife in plain view.
  • Stardust Crusaders: Avdol's argument with Polnareff to talk him out of his Revenge Before Reason ends with him saying that he expected better out of him. Unusually for this, it only makes Polnareff angrier, rather than ashamed. When Avdol returns to save Polnareff from Cameo, he remarks that Polnareff "hasn't matured a bit".
• In Kingdom Hearts II, Sora scolds his friends for allowing themselves into being captured by a bunch of weak Heartless when the trio are captured and zapped into a computer world called Space Paranoids. This is different from the game, where he simply tells them to "show 'em who's boss".
  Sora: Come on, guys! You let the Heartless get you?
• In My Hero Academia, Aizawa gives his whole class one of these after five students decided to disregard pretty much all rules and regulations to conduct an unsanctioned rescue operation, and nearly the entire rest of the class knew about it and didn't report it. He tells them that their actions meant that it will be a long time before they can earn his trust again.
• In Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, despite Kaigaku treating him like dirt, Zenitsu always held a degree of respect towards him, noticing Kaigaku was driven to strengthen himself and reach the peak as the elder Thunder Breathing disciple, Zenitsu had honestly accepted Kaigaku would be the one to become the Thunder Hashira one day; which is why Zenitsu is disappointed at the fact their master Jigoro committed seppuku in repentance for Kaigaku's betrayal of the Demon Slayer Corps by becoming a demon, thus before truly engaging in combat Zenitsu wanted answers, desperately asking why ”the rightful successor” led their own master to such shame, Kaigaku dismissing Zenitsu's questions with mockery drives him to completely give up on talking, proceeding to try and kill Kaigaku for good.
• In Boruto and its movie, Naruto expresses disappointment in his son, Boruto, after the latter gets caught using a scientific ninja tool during the Chuunin exam, which gets him disqualified from it.

Comic Books

• In The Avengers: Rage of Ultron, Hank Pym confronts his omnicidal robot son Ultron near the end. Ultron asks if Hank is going to stop claiming he loves Ultron as a son unconditionally and own his hatred. Hank denies hating Ultron and says that he's disappointed in him because he wants to hurt people.
• In Eternals (2021), Thanos finally meets his great-uncle Uranos, who’s been imprisoned for hundreds of thousands of years. Uranos is perhaps the only relative who understands Thanos's genocidal career. However:
  Uranos: Ah, Thanos. At last. I hoped to meet you. To look another disappointment in the eye. You killed half the universe, boy. Fifty percent? What a lack of commitment. Do something or don’t do it.
• In one issue of JLA (1997), Batman reacts this way when he finds out that Plastic Man had a son Luke whom he never met face-to-face. Batman claims that he had always thought Plastic Man would have been a decent dad and chews him out for not being there for his son. This leaves an impression on Plas — in a later storyline, after a particularly traumatizing experience, he decides to stop being Plastic Man (to the point of forgetting that he ever was Plastic Man) so that he can be a dad for Luke.
• Subverted in MAD, during the parody of 7th Heaven. Cleric Crammed-in says he's very disappointed in his son, Simple, when the boy's caught shoplifting, but retracts that when it's revealed that Simple was shoplifting "The Best of Eight is Enough," since his show can steal material from that.
• The Sandman (1989): Morpheus creates the nightmare known as the Corinthian as a "black mirror" to reflect everything humans aren't prepared to acknowledge about themselves. Then Morpheus gets waylaid and captured by a cult for decades. After he escapes, he finds that the Corinthian has been at large in the human world for some time — and is unimpressed that all he's done is inspire the modern Serial Killer.
  Morpheus: What have you wrought, Corinthian? NOTHING! Just something else for people to be scared of, that's all. You've told them that there are bad people out there. And they've known that all along.
• An unintentional version serves as part of Spider-Gwen's backstory. While watching news about Spider-Woman's frivolous antics on television, Captain Stacy rants to his daughter about how deeply disappointed he is that someone with such abilities would selfishly use them for profit rather than to help others. His daughter Gwen, secretly being Spider-Woman, is visibly shaken and saddened by this, deciding to start off on the path to heroism that Peter's death later cements.
• Superman: This is how Superman views Lex Luthor. Since he's an All-Loving Hero, Superman can't stay mad at him, but he will always be disappointed that Lex, with all his brilliance, wastes his talents on perpetuating a grudge instead of being the paragon Superman knows he could be.

Films — Animation

• Brother Bear: After Kenai kills the bear (AKA Koda's mother) out of anger for supposedly causing Sitka's death, the spirits his people worship turn him into a bear as a punishment. During the transformation scene, Sitka's spirit appears to Kenai and gives him a sorrowful look, not happy at all that his youngest brother had needlessly killed the bear.
• A Bug's Life: The Queen is the first to admonish Flik for deceiving the colony about the circus bugs' identity, and for not disclosing that the makeshift bird was his idea.
  "I never thought I'd see the day when an ant would put himself before the rest of his colony."
• Towards the end of The Chipmunk Adventure, Miss Miller delivers this to Theodore once she finds out about Alvin's ruse to go on a world quest.
  Miss Miller: (crying) I can understand this deception from Alvin, but not you, Theodore.
  Theodore: (tearing up) I'm sorry, Miss Miller.
• The Lion King:
  Mufasa: Simba, I'm very disappointed in you.
  Simba: I know.
  Mufasa: You could have been killed! You deliberately disobeyed me! And what's worse, you put Nala in danger!
  • And again later in the film:
    Nala: You're not the Simba I remember.
    Simba: You're right, I'm not. Now are you satisfied?
    Nala: No. Just disappointed.
    Simba: You know, you're starting to sound like my father.
    Nala: Good! At least one of us does.
    Simba: Listen! You think you can just show up and tell me how to live my life? You don't even know what I've been through!
    Nala: I would if you'd just tell me!
    Simba: FORGET IT!
    Nala: FINE!
• The Lion King II: Simba's Pride doesn't show this part in the movie, but a recording of James Earl Jones voicing Mufasa hints at a scene of Mufasa calling Simba out for unfairly banishing Kovu, which had led to Kiara telling him "You will never be Mufasa!".
  Mufasa: You have let your family break apart, and in doing so, you have broken the Circle of Life.
• The Prince of Egypt: Queen Tuya sorrowfully turns away from her adopted son Moses in shame after he humiliates a slave girl at the royal banquet. Given how she was ashamed of her son for humiliating what other Egyptians would consider a lowly life form, it is clear that she was one of Moses' major moral compasses in his early life.
• In Turning Red this is subverted. When Ming finally finds out that Mei has been hustling her panda form, it's right after Mei has just lost her temper and physically attacked Tyler after he finally insulted her family one time too many. Ming shows up at Tyler's party, shocked at Mei's behavior, and Mei visibly cringes, preparing to be scolded. But Ming doesn't scold her daughter, she just walks past Mei without a word; she instead scolds Mei's friends, believing that Mei is only "hustling the panda" because her friends manipulated her into doing so.

Films — Live-Action

• Black Rain. After his partner is murdered the protagonist, an NYPD detective, admits to a Japanese detective that he stole money from drug dealers.
  Masashiro: Did Charlie [his dead partner] know this?
  Nick: No.
  Masashiro: [quietly] You shame him. And me. And yourself.
  Nick: [long pause] I know.
• Gettysburg. General Lee's mild-mannered rebuke of his cavalry commander Jeb Stuart cows the flamboyant general so much he tries to resign on the spot.
• Steve-O lampshades this in the first Jackass movie just before a stunt when he remarks that when parents say "I'm not angry, just disappointed", it hurts so much more.
• Kingsman: The Secret Service:
  • Arthur tells Charlie this once he fails his Secret Test of Character. Especially noteworthy as Charlie was the only remaining candidate who fit his vision of what a Kingsman agent should be.
  • When Eggsy fails his last Secret Test of Character by refusing to shoot the dog he adopted, Harry sees it as Eggsy throwing away everything he'd been working towards over something trivial — even worse because, turns out, the gun was loaded with blanks. This is particularly sad because it's the last exchange he and Eggsy have before Harry's death.
• A subplot of Nutty Professor II: The Klumps has Sherman's dad taking Sherman's youth formula to be younger and skinner. When he tries to get his wife to take it, she's angry because she thinks it means that he's grown tired of her. After exiling him to the couch, she says that she's disappointed in him.
• RoboCop (1987), following a disastrous test run of ED-209 leaving an OCP executive riddled with bullets.
  OCP Chairman: Dick, I'm very disappointed.
• X-Men Film Series
  • X2: X-Men United: Xavier is disgruntled by Pyro's mischief at the museum.
    Professor X: The next time you feel like showing off, don't.
  • X-Men: First Class:
    • Xavier is upset when the mutant teens are behaving like party animals, and he rebukes them with a frown.
      Xavier: I expect more from you.
    • After Havok insults Hank by calling him "Bozo," Charles' terse delivery of "Thank you, Alex" is his very polite way of saying, "Shut up."
  • X-Men: Days of Future Past:
    • Magneto believes that Mystique has grown soft when he sternly asks her, "What's happened to you? Did you lose your way while I was gone?"
    • It's subtle, but there is resentment in Charles' voice when he says, "Goodbye, Erik."
  • X-Men: Apocalypse:
    • Xavier isn't at all pleased that Magneto has reverted back to his violent ways.
      Professor X: You're going to take part in all this killing? Destruction?
    • Archangel receives this posthumously when Apocalypse disparages him as "Useless."
• Marvel Cinematic Universe: Quiet expression of disappointment by those Loki cares about has more effect on him than any amount of angry shouting ever would. In Thor, when Odin condemns his actions with a Little "No", he lets go of Odin's spear Gungnir and his former life, apparently committing suicide by letting himself fall to his death, but survives and then is Jumping Off the Slippery Slope in The Avengers. In Thor: Ragnarok, when Thor calmly admits that he once thought the world of Loki but has given up on him because Loki refuses to change, Loki makes a Heel–Face Turn.
• In Inception, the last thing the dying Corrupt Corporate Executive Maurice Fischer says to his son Robert is simply "Disappointed." Robert, a "Well Done, Son" Guy and the inheritor of his company, naturally assumes this trope, until Cobb and his Caper Crew, as part of a scheme to get him to sell off said company, implant a false memory in his mind where Maurice elaborates:
  Fischer, Jr.: I know. You're disappointed that I didn't turn out to be like you.
  Fischer, Sr.: No. No, nonono. I was disappointed... that you tried.
• In Stand Clear of the Closing Doors, Carla blows off her responsibility to walk her autistic brother home from school. When he goes missing, their mother blames her and says, "I can't even look at you."
• Spawn (1997): Wynn calls him a disappointment for having a conscience as a professional killer.
• In the mockumentary The Compleat Al, every time Al's parents appear, they start off complimenting him and his life... before shortly veering into disappointment at his present state.

Gamebooks

• One Narnia Gamebook uses this. Aslan sends the Player Character to investigate an island where some of the water can turn everything it touches to gold, which is otherwise indistingishable from all the other water there. If the hero decides to join a gang exploiting the water to get rich quick, Aslan appears, tells them how disappointed he is, and sends them back home, along with their ill-gotten wealth. The hero's deeply upset, realizing too late the folly of their greed, and it's implied they'll never get a chance to atone or return to Narnia.

Literature

• In A Brother's Price, the punishment for Corelle's irresponsible behaviour is very calmly delivered. The Whistlers don't yell at kids or beat them ... they just strip Corelle of all possessions she doesn't need to survive. As they're not that rich, and are a large family, Corelle doesn't have much to begin with, but it's still a harsh punishment.
• Absolutely Truly: Truly's mother says she's disappointed in her when she sees Truly's report card and discovers she failed math.^note Truly was so bummed about what happened to her dad, and the decision to move to Pumpkin Falls, that she couldn't concentrate.
• In Harry Potter, this is a recurring theme in Harry's interactions with his role models.
  • In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Dumbledore calmly expresses his disappointment with Harry and Ron for flying the Ford Anglia to Hogwarts — Harry would rather he had shouted.
  • In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Lupin is quietly disappointed in Harry over the fact that he sneaked out of Hogwards and didn't hand in the Marauder's Map, "leaving [him] feeling worse than he had at any point in Snape's office."
  • In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, when Harry disappoints Dumbledore by not making much of an effort to get a memory from Slughorn, he again would have preferred him to yell; "this cold disappointment was worse than anything."
• In Mistborn: The Original Trilogy, Vin initially refuses to help Kelsier rescue a group of prisoners on their way to be executed, on the grounds that said prisoners are heavily guarded and the odds are strongly against them. The usually very passionate Kelsier simply tells Vin that she has never really understood what he's trying to accomplish, and she still has a lot to learn about friendship.
• In Tom Sawyer, there is a passage where Aunt Polly starts crying and berating Tom. He thinks that for a moment, he hoped she'd just beat him.
• One of the quotes on the Quotes page comes from one of Jeremy Clarkson's car review collections, while discussing the Mazda 3.
• This is how Joe's cultist parents react to his betrayal in The Tenets of Futilism. Rather than punishing him directly, they 'teach him a lesson' by hurting the woman he loves in the hope of molding him into the son they want. It doesn't work.
• This is very much Granny Helga's reaction to Jan's panicked actions in Unique. It takes a heartfelt appeal from Charles to convince her to stop her quiet yet seething rant at him in favor of further training to prevent a repeat.
• In Frozen Tie-In Novel A Frozen Heart, Prince Hans' father tells him that he should be more like his brothers and warns him "Don't disappoint me - again."
• Welcome To Wonderland: Gloria tells P.T. she's disappointed in him in "Beach Battle Blowout" because he made Dill intentionally lose a Frolf game against Geoffrey, just because Geoffrey's a son of one of the judges.
• Dark Shores: Killian's father High Lord Calorian, when he hears about his son's failure to hold the wall.
  High Lord Calorian: You were meant to be my greatest achievement. Instead, you've been my greatest disappointment.
• Presidential: Emily tells Connie this on learning that she gave up passing universal healthcare so that automatic weapons will be banned, stopping mass shootings she hopes. She feels certain that Connie really could get both of them passed, but won't spend the political capital.

Live-Action TV

• Played for laughs in Liv and Maddie. After Maddie loses Liv's bracelet, Liv tells her she's not mad, just disappointed. Maddie tells the audience "The Disappointment card? That's not fair!". The mother, Karen, in her own fourth-wall-break says: "Liv played the disappointment card without my permission? I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed..."
• The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: Jazz is normally considered a nuisance, and usually thrown out of the house when he gets too annoying. But one episode, he ends up damaging Uncle Phil's campaign by putting his name on Will's tickets. Will is so hurt that he doesn't throw Jazz out of the house, telling him he is not worth it.
• In the Sherlock episode "The Reichenbach Fall", Moriarty reacts with a mixture a disappointment and anger when Sherlock reveals he bought into his BS about a computer program that could break into any computer in the world.
• Parodied on 3rd Rock from the Sun when Tommy has to pretend to be a juvenile delinquent to keep up the Masquerade:
  Tommy: Why me?
  Sally: Well, you're a minor. They'll go easy on you. Besides, we all have to make some sacrifices around here.
  Tommy: Okay, what sacrifice are you making?
  Sally: The shame of having a juvenile delinquent for a nephew, okay? [leaves]
  Harry: I'm not angry, Tommy, I'm just disappointed.
• Garibaldi and Sheridan in the Babylon 5 episode "The Wheel of Fire":
  Sheridan: I'm not angry with you. Not now. I was. .. But Delenn has a .. way of looking at things.. No. No, I'm not angry with you. But I am very disappointed, Michael.
  Garibaldi: I'd rather have you yelling at me or angry. Anything but disappointed. I know I failed...
  Sheridan: I didn't say I was disappointed in you because of your failure. I'm disappointed because I didn't pick up on this earlier. Disappointed because you felt that you couldn't come to me about this on your own.
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer:
  • Discussed and subverted in "All the Way":
    Giles: We need to have a conversation.
    Dawn: This the part where you tell me you're "not angry, just disappointed"?
    Giles: Pretty much. Except for the bit about not being angry.
  • And averted by Giles in "Innocence", after Buffy's decision to sleep with Angel releases the evil Angelus, who Buffy (at that point in time) is unable to bring herself to kill.
    Buffy: You must be so disappointed in me.
    Giles: No. (Buffy looks bewildered at him) No, no, I'm not.
    Buffy: But this is all my fault.
    Giles: No. I don't believe it is. Do you want me to wag my finger at you and tell you that you acted rashly? You did. A-and I can. I know that you loved him. And... he... has proven more than once that he loved you. You couldn't have known what would happen. The coming months are gonna, are gonna be hard... I, I suspect on all of us, but... if it's guilt you're looking for, Buffy, I'm not your man. All you will get from me is my support. And my respect.
• Community: In "Comparative Religion", Shirley, as the group mother-figure, tries to guilt Jeff out of fighting a bully on (or near) Christmas.
  Jeff: Oh, come on, Shirley, don't be mad!
  Shirley: I'm not mad, I'm disappointed.
  Jeff: That's mom for "mad"!
• In The Crown (2016), the recently-crowned Elizabeth II learns that Winston Churchill has kept secret the fact he's had two strokes. On the advice of her private professor, she takes this tone with him whilst reminding him that the monarch must be able to trust Parliament for constitutional law to function properly. Any Englishman of a certain age and social class, it seems, is vulnerable to a stern telling-off from Nanny.
• Go On:
  Ryan: You know, this would be better if you just yelled at me.
  Joyce: That's why I'm not yelling.
  [later]
  Ryan: I was wrong. It was better when you weren't yelling.
• In the (first) finale of Foyle's War, Andrew Foyle comes back to Hastings, having broken up with the girl at his base and eager to get back together with Sam, whom he'd dumped via letter. When he talks about wanting to look Sam up again, Foyle pauses, and simply says "you were unkind to her."
• In an early episode of Night Court, when Harry's past as a juvenile delinquent surfaces, he decides to tell about what had happened. He took a car for a joyride only to crash into a liquor store. He notes the two nights in jail and a couple of weeks in reformatory were nothing compared to his trial, where his father just sat there staring at him, and after it was all over, all he could say was, "You disappointed me, Harold." It haunted Harry ever since, especially since his father died before he could see him turn his life around.
• Star Trek:
  • Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: After Jadzia Dax goes on an unauthorized mission with the elderly Klingons Kor, Kang, and Koloth to kill the Albino in the episode "Blood Oath", Dax returns to the station to find Kira and Sisko looking at her with disappointment clearly visible on their faces.
  • Star Trek: Voyager: Captain Janeway can fall into this trope if one of the crew screws up badly enough. The downside to being Team Mom is that when your crew-slash-surrogate-family lets you down, it hits hard.
• Arrow: In Season 6, John Diggle takes up the Green Arrow identity so Oliver Queen can concentrate on his family and being the Mayor of Star City. However he failed to mention he was suffering major nerve damage that prevented him aiming a weapon, and which he coped with using illegal drugs bought from Ricardo Diaz. Given that Diggle has always been well regarded for being the most moral member of Team Arrow, no-one is happy when they discover he has feet of clay.
  Oliver: I've been mad at you before, John. This is the first time I've been...disappointed.
• In black•ish after deliberating over whether or not to spank Jack, Andre instead decides to talk to him. When he says the line, Jack is devastated. Even Pops, the guy encouraging Andre to spank Jack thought he went too far.
  Pops: I told you to spank him, not crush his spirit.
• In The Magicians (2016), when Persephone saves her son's life, in spite of the many gruesome murders and other crimes he has committed against her followers, she slaps him across the face and tells him she's disappointed in him.
• In an episode of Punky Brewster, Punky and Alan are discussing the possible fallout of not doing well on a school test; Alan considers a spanking the worst thing his parents could do, but Punky says Henry's method is much more effective: he just looks at her and says, "Punky... I'm very disappointed in you." Just from her delivery, Alan agrees this is much worse.
  • Sure enough, after Punky confesses to cheating on that same test, Henry delivers the line. Punky bows her head and mimes stabbing herself in the heart.
• The Queen's Gambit: When Beth shows up late and hungover to a tournament and plays extremely poorly, especially compared to her usual standards, her opponent Borgov fixes her with a stony, disappointed stare. He doesn't say a word, but it's clear he honestly expected much better of her, since he considers her to be his Worthy Opponent.
• House of the Dragon: In "The Lord of the Tides", when Alicent learns that Aegon raped a servant girl and he shows no remorse for it, with it being implied that this isn't the first time it's happened, she slaps him and says that he's no son of hers.
• Interview with the Vampire (2022): In "Like Angels Put in Hell by God", during their second chess match, Lestat (who taught Claudia how to play the game) is unimpressed by the strategy she has employed.
  Lestat: The Dutch Defense. Stonewalling again. You've become quite predictable, my sister, disappointment.
• Mohawk Girls: Sose, Bailey's father, accepts Anna fully when many other full-blooded Mohawks reject her due to being half white and thus cannot become a band citizen. He therefore chews her out when Anna joins a protest against a white woman there on the reserve with a Mohawk husband (which she'd done largely to fit in), noting they have a son, asking her how she's different from that boy.

Professional Wrestling

• The 2010 CHIKARA Season Finale Reality Is Relative, December 12, 2010, was not a good night for Die Bruderschaft des Kreuzes.^note Tim Donst defeated Jimmy Equinox Olsen in their only win of the night. The Osirian Portal (Amasis/Ophidian/Jonathan Gresham) defeated Delirious/Lince Dorado/Pinkie Sanchez. Eddie Kingston defeated Tursas. The Colony (Fire Ant and Soldier Ant) defeated Sara Del Rey and Daizee Haze.^note Who suffered a broken nose due to an error by Soldier. Before the match where Mike Quackenbush and Jigsaw defeated Ares and Claudio Castagnoli for the CHIKARA Campeonatos de Parejas (tag team titles), Claudio was shown backstage tearing into Pinkie, Lince, Tursas and Sara, even saying, "You have no idea how disappointed I am in you right now."

Roleplay

• In Ink City, Yosuke repeatedly ignores Souji's wishes to lay low and not draw undue attention to themselves, including signing both of them up as the headliner of a 'Butler Fight'. When he plasters posters with their images and names across the City in order to promote the fight, Souji responds this way.

Theatre

• In the musical Hamilton, Alexander tries to head off a national scandal when he is accused, as an immigrant, of embezzling National funds to pay off a blackmailer. When he publishes the details of the affair, he openly admits to something that was just a nasty rumor. He had hoped his honesty would be taken into account, but the action kills his chances of any more public trust. As everyone around him is joyfully saying how, now that Hamilton admitted the affair, he ruined his chances to become President, George Washington, his friend and mentor, simply looks at the pamphelt and gives him a look as if to say, "Didn't I warn you about history having its eye on you?"

Video Games

• The ending of God of War III has Athena say this to Kratos when he runs himself through with the Blade of Olympus, giving the power to the humans instead of her.
• In RosenkreuzStilette, two characters say this.
  • In the original game, when Freu asks Tia if she thinks she can stand against all of RKS on her own, Tia resolves to do just that. In response, Freu will say this.
    Freu: ...A foolish decision. You disappoint me. If you will not rethink your answer, then... I shall end your life with my own hands!
  • Freu will also say this again if Tia uses up her last life against her.
  • Similarly, in Grollschwert, Raimund will say this to Grolla if she uses up her last life against him in the first phase of the boss battle against him.
• In Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk, if you fail to complete the game's main goal by the end of the third year, then Keith arrives with Nio in tow and tells Ayesha to consider what it is that she lacks that she wasn't able to save Nio on her own.
• In World of Warcraft, Thrall says this to Garrosh Hellscream (the exact words are "You disappoint me, Garrosh.") after Garrosh picks a fight with Varian Wrynn at a meeting with Rhonin to discuss their efforts against the Old God Yogg-Saron, who's a threat to the entire world, resulting in Varian walking out and not wanting to cooperate with the Horde. Although Garrosh seemed unrepetant at the time, in the short story "Heart of War" (which you can read here) he admits to himself that he does feel bad about hearing those words.
  • Much later, Thrall uses that phrase again as an Ironic Echo. After Garrosh is defeated at the end of the Siege of Orgrimmar Thrall says, once again, that Garrosh disappoints him and adds for good measure, "You are not worthy of your father's legacy."
• Shin Megami Tensei:
  • Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne: Hikawa says this towards the Demi-Fiend should he refuse his offer and side with Yuko.
  • Towards the end Shin Megami Tensei IV, if have chosen the Law or Chaos routes you receive a particularly stinging one during your already painful battle with Isabeau if you choose to express doubt in your alignment path during her mid-battle dialogue.
  • In the followup, Apocalypse, a similar scene occurs when Nanashi battles his former friends should he agree with Dagda and follow the Anarchy route, with each one voicing their disappointment in him as he strikes them down. Some, like Nozomi and Gaston are very vocal about it while Halleujah and Toki deliver the more quiet version. Even Danu voices her disappointment over how far she thinks Dagda has fallen. Dagda meanwhile does the exact polar opposite.
• Metal Gear Solid: If Snake loses enough times against Ocelot before beating him, Ocelot will declare Snake a disappointment and that he will be no match for Liquid.
• In Obsidian, at the end of the first dream world, Lilah Kerlins finally breaks every rule in the Bureau Realm to reach their boss. When she does, the Bureau Chief morosely shrugs and says, "Lilah...too bad. I am very disappointed in you," before checking a memo over what you just did. Then he slides into a Villainous Breakdown before finally showing you information about your partner Max.
• While hallucinating from a powerful poison in Batman: Arkham Origins, what does Batman see? Any of the enemies he's fought so far? No. He sees Alfred expressing utter disappointment in him. There's something both touching and sad in that.
• Uncharted 4: A Thief's End: How Sully feels about Nate lying to Elena and wanting to continue the journey for Henry Avery's treasure with Sam after Elena arrives at Madagascar and confronts him.
• Fallout 3:
  • If the player decides to detonate the nuke in Megaton, your father will later confront you and say to you "You're still my son/daughter, and I love you, but I can't begin to tell you how disappointed in you I am."
• Fallout 4:
  • If you lower your affinity with character companions, they'll start getting irritated with you. Examples include Hancock (who growls whether he's mad at you or himself...and settles for you), and Codsworth (who wonders if he's disappointed in you or himself for believing in you).
  • Subverted with Nick Valentine if your affinity drops very low, and he'll have this to say.
    Nick: I'm not mad at you. I'm just disap— No, you know what? I am mad!
  • You can potentially say this to Father/Shaun, if you side against the Institute. Perhaps unsurprisingly, he just brushes it off and even potentially calls you an idiot as the conversation ends.
• Due to past events in Blaz Blue Chrono Phantasma, Ragna is brimming with anger and thoughtlessly takes his aggression out on random objects and was about to do the same to a bystander, had it not been for the intervention of Rachel. She expresses her disappointment in his behavior, but due to his aformentioned anger, Ragna has none of it and tells her off. It goes downhill for him from that point onward.
  Ragna: "Disappointed?" I don't recall you expecting anything from me, so get the hell out of here!
  Rachel: Don't presume to speak to me. I don't need you sullying me.
• Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire: If you try to escape Rymrgand by offering up Ydwin as a sacrifice, not only is your entire party enraged, but Ydwin’s only response is to bitterly remark on how thoroughly you’ve disappointed her.
• Unemployment Quest: Chris' father says this to him because he can't find a job.
  "I just want you to know that as your father, I'm very disappointed in your apparent unwillingness to work. Have you really tried to get a job yet? Gone out to apply? Anywhere? Because I don't think you're trying hard enough."
• Red Dead Redemption: John Marston has just rescued his son Jack from an attacking grizzly bear and takes him home, scolding him for putting himself in danger. While they argue, Jack begs his father not to be angry at him, and John replies, "I'm not angry; I'm disappointed. Don't you ever run off like that again."
• In the Forsaken DLC for Destiny 2, after finding and possibly killing Uldren, while he doesn’t say it outright, Zavala’s dialogue and tone of voices makes it perfectly clear to the Young Wolf that he’s not happy with what they’ve done, and that their actions will have consequences.
• In Cyberpunk 2077, if V chose to kill themself, a compilation of a messages left behind by their friends will be shown in the credits. Unlike most companions who are either accepting, upset, depressed, or angry, the way Kerry Eurodyne delivers his "The Reason You Suck" Speech makes it clear that he is extremely disappointed by V's decision rather than being angry considering that he also considered killing himself in the past.
• Persona 5: In the game over scenes for not finishing a Palace in time, Joker hallucinates some policemen arriving to take him into custody for breaking his probation, with Sojiro citing his disappointment.
• XenoGears: Fei's response after finding out Bart was the one who shot down the carrier he and the others were riding in, which nearly got them killed.
  Fei: I'm so disgusted, I don't have anything to say.
• In Melody, when the title character makes a poor choice, there is sometimes an option to react with either anger or disappointment. The latter is generally more impactful.
• Ace Attorney:
  • Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney:
    • At the end of "Rise From The Ashes," the bonus case of the first game, the Judge sadly tells the culprit, Police Chief Damon Gant, that while the latter was once an upstanding police officer, he's sad to see that the culprit is no longer that person.
    • Toward the end of the second case of Justice For All, the Judge will ask why the culprit committed the crime. If you present the wrong piece of evidence regarding the culprit's motive, Mia tells Phoenix, "I feel embarrassed for you for even thinking of showing that piece of evidence," then provides a brief answer as to why the culprit committed murder.
  • A minor case happens in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies during the first trial where the Judge expresses disappointment in Gaspen Payne for not being able to find a crucial piece of evidence during his investigation. Payne can only meekly apologize in response.
• Fire Emblem:
  • In Fire Emblem Fates, Xander and Laslow's C support has Xander scolding Laslow for hitting on women and getting into a bar brawl. He then reminisces about how Garon had appointed Laslow as his retainer, and how Laslow had impressed Xander with his swordsmanship.
  Xander: I'd never seen someone like you before. You came from nowhere and possessed such incredible power. I imagined you to be a person of great fortitude and discipline. It saddens me to know you are nothing more than a lowly womanizer... How you became so strong when you spend all your time chasing girls is beyond me.
  • Fire Emblem: Three Houses
    • If Dorothea is recruited to the Blue Lions or Golden Deer and fights an unrecruited Ferdinand after the Time Skip, she will call him out on what she perceives as his Blind Obedience to Edelgard, who became Emperor of Adrestia and declared war on the Church of Seiros, and mentions that she "had real high hopes for" him.
    • Ingrid uses the phrase verbatim if she fights Byleth in the Crimson Flower route, condemning Byleth for his/her choice to join the Empire.
• At the climax of Shinrai: Broken Beyond Despair, if you insist that Kamen is not the culprit behind the murderers but fail to identify the mastermind behind the murder plot, Taiko will say that he's disappointed in Raiko and stop listening to her, resulting in a bad ending.
• Shovel Knight: In the King of Cards campaign, the final kick in the nuts to King Knight is that his own mother, beforehand very doting and supportive to her son's goal of becoming a king, leaves him in disappointment after he betrays everyone to the Enchantress.

Web Animation

• In Camp Camp, this is apparently the standard punishment for inmates at "Super Guantanamo." Cameron Campbell finds it worse than torture and beatings. When David finally accepts his former mentor's true nature and tells him the same thing, Campbell has a full-on breakdown and flees into the woods.
• In RWBY Volume 4, episode 11, the villain Tyrian returns sobbing and in fear to the Big Bad Salem to report his failure in capturing Ruby Rose. Rather than pull a You Have Failed Me, Salem simply walks past him and states that he's disappointed her in a soft yet cold tone. Tyrian, who reveres Salem like a goddess, is left sobbing in heartbroken despair.
• Red vs. Blue: Sarge tells Grif this in a voting PSA when the latter fails to cast the deciding vote on which team is best.
  "Grif, I'm extremely disappointed in you! Not for the usual list of reasons, but an entirely new set altogether!"

Web Comics

• In El Goonish Shive, Adrian Raven tells his mother that his father would have been disappointed in her. Given that Pandora considered her husband to be her moral compass in life and bases her morality on what she thinks he would have wanted her to do after his death, this serves as a Wham Line for her, makes her think My God, What Have I Done? and triggers a Heel Realization.
• In General Protection Fault, during the climax of the Surreptitious Machinations arc, Ki finally succeeds in revealing Trudy's role in GPF's collapse, true plans and years of duplicitous behavior. In response, Nick calmly tells Trudy that since he can no longer trust her, he can't return her feelings for him, but he can forgive her, and asks her to turn herself in. In response, Trudy pulls out a gun and points it at Nick, threatening to kill him the same way her future self did in the Bad Future, but backs down when he simply stares at her fearlessly and invites her to do what she has to do. Trudy's reduced to tears, and when Ki asks if Nick's angry or said, he says he's neither- "Just... disappointed," with a look on his face that haunts Trudy for a long time.
• Homestuck:
  • Trickster mode naturally ends in self-disgust.
  • Jane's dad showing STERN FATHERLY DISAPPROVAL upon seeing Jane's antics.
  • Subverted when Dirk expresses disappointment at Roxy falling Off the Wagon, he admits to Jane that he's actually proud of her for buckling down with the sobriety.
  • Kanaya expresses both anger and disappointment when Rose takes up drinking, as she feels that Rose is both wasting her talents and hurting herself.
• In Pv P Online, Francis, after revealing to Cole his plan to fool the world into thinking that he's waiting for Star Wars Episode III since Episode II's release with a robotic double of himself, expects Cole to lay into him for this, but instead gets a simple statement that he's disappointed at him. As Cole walks away, Francis realizes that it's even more effective than yelling at him.
  Francis: Please yell at me?

Web Original

• The internet meme "Son, I am disappoint" is based on this.
• A poster on Reddit related this brief anecdote.
  It's funny how Mr. Rogers's words end up carrying through to your adulthood. I was once had a co-worker who was being a total jerk to everyone. When he turned on me, I let him have it! I said, "You are not acting like the person Mr. Rogers knew you could be." He stood there flat-footed in shock. .... "Damn, that was harsh man." About 30 minutes later he personally apologized to each person, one by one.

Web Videos

• In Artificial Attorney, during "Turnabout Quiz," the judge says this to Gumshoe when the latter fails to identify Mr. Big.
  Daryan: I am very disappointed in you, Dick. You were chosen to be a police officer, and I thought you would be a better, more competent cop than this.
• Critical Role: Inverted during Campaign 3 Episode 10, after learning Dorian gave away one of their sending stones to his brother, Ashton tells him, "I'm not disappointed, I'm just angry."
• The Nostalgia Chick tells in the She's All That review that she's not angry at the nineties it for the bad movies it has, just disappointed.
• Outside Xbox: In "6 Annoying Kids Who Make Us Glad We Don't Babysit Anymore", Ellen says "I'm not angry, I'm just disappointed." Beat. "FURIOUSLY disappointed."

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