Anime & Manga
"I'm so pissed... I'm so pissed... I'm so pissed... I'm so pissed... I'm so pissed...!!!! I'm so... freaking... pissed... at myself...!!!! Why do I always end up doing this...!? I get angry...!! I lash out at others...!! And then end up being all alone...!! ...Even the ones who show me kindness... I can't help but push them away..!!"
— Kurumi Haraga, The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You (Chapter 24)
Comic Books
"All I feel is sad! I act angry, but I'm sad, Mera!"
—Aquaman, Aquaman (1991)
Fan Works
"You know how she is. Always so arrogant and strong. But deep inside she's one of the most fragile people I know."
— Hikari describes her friend Asuka, The Child of Love, chapter 8
Asuka: (nervously) Do you want me to help you?
Shinji: Why would you want to? You don't even like me.
Asuka: (frowning) That's not true. My mama asked me where I wanted to play, and I said here. I like being with you.
Shinji: But you're always mean to me.
Asuka: That doesn't mean I don't like you. I'm just afraid you'll go away, and it makes me nervous and upset. So I get mean even though I don't want to.
Shinji: Why would you want to? You don't even like me.
Asuka: (frowning) That's not true. My mama asked me where I wanted to play, and I said here. I like being with you.
Shinji: But you're always mean to me.
Asuka: That doesn't mean I don't like you. I'm just afraid you'll go away, and it makes me nervous and upset. So I get mean even though I don't want to.
Kaji: How's Asuka doing?
Shinji: Fine, I guess. It's only been one day.
Kaji: I'm a little worried about her. She's not as strong as you think she is.
Shinji: She seems pretty hardheaded to me, [...] She held her own against some of the guys.
Kaji: Glass seems hard, [...] until you hit it the wrong way, or drop it, then it shatters.
Shinji: Fine, I guess. It's only been one day.
Kaji: I'm a little worried about her. She's not as strong as you think she is.
Shinji: She seems pretty hardheaded to me, [...] She held her own against some of the guys.
Kaji: Glass seems hard, [...] until you hit it the wrong way, or drop it, then it shatters.
— Last Child of Krypton, chapter 3
"She's been keeping all that inside of her for a very long time, I'd imagine. She never has been the outgoing sort. Not with her feelings. I guess she was so hurt that all she could do was build a wall around her heart."
— Misato on Asuka, Neon Genesis Evangelion: Genocide
Then the Second Child had arrived, bringing with her conflict, friction and more then a few painful contusions to his head as she continually let him know exactly what she thought of him as an Eva Pilot, a man and a human.
All of it a giant lie to shield the four year old girl desperately hiding deep behind the moats, minefields and electrified fences she had placed around her heart.
All of it a giant lie to shield the four year old girl desperately hiding deep behind the moats, minefields and electrified fences she had placed around her heart.
— Shinji thinking of Asuka, Once More with Feeling, chapter 5
Asuka glared up at him, and slowly the anger seeped out of her body… for now. Shinji could still feel it burning beneath the surface, ready to explode once the time was right, like how a burning room without flame could flashover when oxygen was introduced, producing a super hot fireball.
The smoke that covered up this fire however was sadness, the half burned fuel for her frenzy. Peering into her soul, Shinji could feel a near infinite well of sorrow hidden behind enough fortifications and trenches to make a World War One general wince at the thought of assaulting it.
She began to cry, and Shinji let go of her to allow her to regain her composure. She was more fragile than he had first thought. He would either have to repair her damaged heart or break her completely so as to rebuild her. If the situation continued, she could, and probably would, break in an undesirable fashion, most likely becoming useless.
The smoke that covered up this fire however was sadness, the half burned fuel for her frenzy. Peering into her soul, Shinji could feel a near infinite well of sorrow hidden behind enough fortifications and trenches to make a World War One general wince at the thought of assaulting it.
She began to cry, and Shinji let go of her to allow her to regain her composure. She was more fragile than he had first thought. He would either have to repair her damaged heart or break her completely so as to rebuild her. If the situation continued, she could, and probably would, break in an undesirable fashion, most likely becoming useless.
— Thousand Shinji, chapter 4
Films — Animation
Jennifer: Do you have to be nasty to everyone who tries to help you?
Davey: That's my problem.
— Eight Crazy Nights as Davey storms away from the ice rink after Whitey spills his sad past about his parents getting killed.
Literature
"I have spent your life trying to make you regret that you weren't dead, all because— I regretted I wasn't!"
— Harrowhark Nonagesimus, The Locked Tomb: Gideon the Ninth
Live-Action TV
"Such a tough facade. All to hide the fragile little girl underneath."
—Kim Da-Eun to Tory Nichols, Cobra Kai
Video Games
"Mind your tongue, boy! Until our journey is over, one of us must remain focused. Do not mistake my silence for lack of grief! Mourn how you wish... Leave me to my own."
— Kratos, God of War (PS4)
Webcomics
"...I insult you when we argue because... I insult you because you're too fucking good for me, man. You're so nice, and I'm such a fuck-up. I just... you're gonna wise up one day and leave me. The sooner you leave me, the sooner I can figure out my life without you."
Western Animation
Husk: Maybe I’d treat you better if you were real, and not some bullshit version of yourself, always pushing my boundaries. Lemme tell ya, nobody in that hotel cares who you are- how famous, how hot. So you might as well just… cut the act.
Angel: It’s not an act! It’s who I need to be! And this… this is my escape. Where I can forget about it all, how much I hate… everything. A place where I can get high and not have to think about how much it hurts. And maybe if I can ruin myself enough in the process, if I end up broken, I won't be his favorite toy anymore. And maybe he'll let me go…
Angel: It’s not an act! It’s who I need to be! And this… this is my escape. Where I can forget about it all, how much I hate… everything. A place where I can get high and not have to think about how much it hurts. And maybe if I can ruin myself enough in the process, if I end up broken, I won't be his favorite toy anymore. And maybe he'll let me go…
"You're such an angry girl, Helga. And you won't let anyone help you. So you have to live with your unhappiness."
— Inga, from the Hey Arnold! episode '"Helga and the Nanny"
"Evil is just a cry from a heart that's hurting."
—Papa G, Kid Cosmic
"Y'know, Luz told me about a trip to Latissa where she met someone very interesting. A beat-up blond with no magical powers. She called him — and these are her words — a bad but sad boy."
— Eda, to (and about) Hunter, The Owl House, "Eclipse Lake"
"It will tear apart the Earth, and I will take immense satisfaction in erasing that hideous rock off of our star maps! Is. That. Clear?!"
"How miserable. I knew Pink couldn't handle her own colony. But, I gave in. And now, I'm to blame for her fate."
"How miserable. I knew Pink couldn't handle her own colony. But, I gave in. And now, I'm to blame for her fate."
— Yellow Diamond, Steven Universe; dialogue from "Message Received" to Peridot, later inner thoughts from "Reunited"
