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Scott Pilgrim / Tropes D to J

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Scott Pilgrim Trope Examples
A - C | D - J | K - R | S - Z
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    D 
  • Darkest Hour: In Volume 6, ironically titled "Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour"; the entire first half of the story is devoted to the aftermath of Scott's breakup with Ramona and his attempt to forget about his past and move on. The finest hour comes at the end of the story.
  • Dark Is Evil: Both Roxy and Envy dress in a dark, somewhat gothic-inspired style, the latter to accentuate her Femme Fatale persona.
  • Dark Is Not Evil: Nega-Scott. He is the Enemy Without personification of Scott's mistakes: he exists because Scott refuses to face up to them, obsessed with his narcissistic, Never My Fault attitude. Every time Nega-Scott shows up prior to Volume 6, it's when Scott is being an absolute ass, serving as Foreshadowing of Scott's inability to learn from his past, and Scott never acknowledges it. He tries to destroy Nega-Scott in Volume 6, insisting that he's doing it to protect Kim (who is shouting at him to stop fighting and running away from his past and is in no danger), and only by accepting that he's not a good person is he able to realize that he's had a horrible negative impact on his friends and himself. He gets better as a result.
  • A Day in the Limelight: The Wonderful World of Kim Pine is one for Kim.
  • Deadpan Snarker: Everyone, but especially Kim Pine and, to a lesser extent, Wallace.
  • Death Glare:
    • Everyone in The Clash at Demonhead gives one to Knives when she tells them what a huge fan she is of them.
    • Ramona gives one to Kim in volume 4 when she brings up a poster of two girls kissing. It's even accompanied by "GLARE" being shown in big text, probably considering Ramona was wearing opaque glasses that obscured her eyes from the reader.
    • Kim to Scott in Vol. 6 after Scott fails to continue to not be her mom.
  • Death Is Cheap: O'Malley has stated that Scott didn't actually kill the evil exes, but rather that they teleported back to their homes upon exploding. This is also why there aren't any police seen throughout the series. Almost averted for Scott when Gideon kills him, but since he had an extra life on him this is played straight.
  • Deface of the Moon: Todd Ingram punched two craters in the moon with his Vegan powers, one for Ramona and one for Envy.
  • Delayed Causality: Roxanne takes a few seconds to fall apart after being cut up by Scott.
  • Department of Redundancy Department:
    • Some of Scott's insults take the form of Bread, Eggs, Breaded Eggs.
    • Volume 4's inside cover has a character guide to help readers potentially catch up to what's happening in the story. When it comes to Wallace, two of his characteristics are "the gay roommate" and "is gay".
  • Designated Girl Fight: Ramona's only female to male brawl would be Gideon. That's okay though, since the chick fights are awesome.
  • Deus ex Machina:
    • Parodied in the third volume (even more hilarious when you realize it was actually a Chekhov's Gun):
      Scott Pilgrim: I can't even get near him! I need some kind of... like... last minute, poorly-set-up Deus Ex Machina!!
      Vegan Policeman (to the villain): FREEZE! Vegan police. You were caught eating gelato this morning.
    • The Boys and Crash, just moments before.
    • Just as Envy is about to kill Ramona with her own hammer, Knives comes in with a flying kick.
  • Diagonal Cut:
    • Roxanne, after her battle with Scott.
    • Both Scott and Gideon, in Volume 6.
  • Disproportionate Retribution: The League of Evil Exes consider controlling Ramona's love life by killing anyone who tries to date her is a justified response to her dumping them.
  • Damsel in Distress:
    • Kim Pine is found captured by evil-doers twice. They are keeping her trapped, in shackles or otherwise, and waiting for a contender to show up. Although the first time, she may not have been captured at all, considering she was dating the guy. Scott is just an Unreliable Narrator. Given the constant references to video games, it is natural that Scott Pilgrim has to Save the Princess.
    • This trope is subverted with Ramona. It's not often in a work of fiction that the girl being fought for is a more capable fighter than the guy fighting for her, but Ramona just might be. She's a true Action Girl, at the very least, though this isn't really revealed until Volume 2.
  • Don't Try This at Home:
    • Near the end of Volume 4:
      Julie: Are we letting [Knives] drink beer again?
      Stephen Stills: Hell yes we are, and it's hilarious.
      NOTE TO MINORS: He is lying. Underage drinking is not at all hilarious.
    • In the bonus comic Free Scott Pilgrim:
      Scott Pilgrim Says...
      Just remember: in real life, you should never punch a girl. Unless it's a serious emergency.
  • Doppelmerger: Scott is accosted by Nega-Scott in the run-up to his final confrontation with Gideon. Nega-Scott represents his personal flaws, insecurities, and repressed memories about his failed love life, so when Scott is finally able to overcome his dark side, he doesn't do so by overpowering Nega-Scott; he does so by accepting his flaws as a part of who he is. This results in Nega-Scott merging with Scott, leaving him at peace and itching for his fight with Gideon.
  • Double Standard: Ramona chews out Scott for dating both her and Knives Chau at the beginning of their relationship, despite the fact that she cheated on several of her evil exes in the past, and making out with Roxie while Ramona and Scott were going out in Volume 4 (not to mention her dating Kyle behind Ken's back and vice-versa). Ramona is aware of the double standard, and everything that it implies about her, and most of her story arc is trying to distance herself from the bad stuff she's done in her past.
  • Downer Ending: Volume 5. Scott and Ramona's relationship shows signs of getting stale, Knives reveals to Ramona that Scott cheated on both of them, Ramona abandons Scott, Kim leaves Toronto, and Sex Bob-omb ends.
  • Do You Want to Copulate?:
    • After Scott is told by Wallace to get with a girl at the start of Volume 6, he winds up dramatically asking Knives for her hand in sex. It's pretty hilarious.
    Scott: Do you want to have sex? I think we should have sex! Casual sex!
    • He ends up re-attempting this on Envy. While she turns him down, she doesn't seem completely put off by it.
    • He also attempts this on Kim, though it's more downplayed as he simply tries to make out with her. Kim initially goes along with it but quickly stops, and the two finally settle their otherwise unresolved feelings.
  • Dramatic Wind: When Scott goes to find Ramona in subspace in Volume 6, complete with tumbleweed.
  • Dude, She's Like in a Coma: Psychopathic Manchild stalker Gideon keeps his ex-girlfriends locked away in People Jars. He spends the better part of the story trying to add Ramona to his Living Doll collection. Think about it.
  • Dynamic Entry: Knives jumping down to fight Ramona in the library. With knives, appropriately enough.
  • Dysfunction Junction: Scott's circle of friends is... not full of the healthiest people. Kim Pine has self-esteem issues masked behind her mildly misanthropic nature, and Stephen has lots of neurotic moments and a knack for entering unhealthy relationships with abrasive individuals. This isn't counting for lesser-known characters like Neil, who we know little about. We see glimpses of them when they're not around Scott and they're usually not happy. In fact, many of the happy moments tend to be when they are together with Scott. Even those like Wallace Wells could be considered as Wallace seems to drink alot and occasionally seen as a hedonist. To say nothing of Scott and Ramona themselves.

    E 

    F 
  • Face, Nod, Action: Envy to Lynette before she punches Knives.
  • Facepalm: Kim Pine does several variations of this.
  • Fade to White: When Scott gets stabbed by Gideon in Volume 6. It goes on for three whole pages.
  • Fangirl: Knives Chau towards Sex Bob-Omb and Scott, especially Scott.
    Knives: I'm a Scottaholic!
  • Fanservice: A few to count, namely the saucy romantic sessions Scott has with some of the girls as well as some fanservice scenes. The rather hot and heavy moment in Volume 5 and not to mention the part where he jumped into Ramona's mind. Although pre-art change Scott Pilgrim had at least one sex scene per volume, relatively work-safe of course.
  • Fantasy Kitchen Sink: The evil exes have mystical powers, Psychic Powers, Ninjas, and Robots.
  • Faux Affably Evil: Gideon. He calls Scott buddy, and compliments him on his shirt (both sarcastically). Also, when he kills Scott, he buys everyone a drink. Gideon's compliment on the shirt relates to the fact that it bears Gideon's initials: GGG.
  • Femme Fatale: Parodied with Ramona, Envy and Knives. Scott seems to be a magnet for the type. Though it should be noted that Envy and Knives didn't fit the trope when they first started dating Scott and only became that way later.
    "What kind of idiot would knowingly date a girl named Knives?"
  • Fetish:
    • Wallace has a big fetish for guys wearing glasses.
    • Gideon also tells Envy something along the lines of "you know putting you in those outfits is sexually fulfilling for me". Envy replies that that's all that he finds sexually fulfilling. See Living Doll Collector.
  • Finger Gun:
    • The Vegan Police fire their de-veganizing beams out of them.
    • Kim mimics shooting herself in the head whenever she's feeling bored or exasperated.
  • Flaming Sword: Of Love. That comes out of the heart on Scott's shirt.
  • Flipping the Bird:
    • In volume 1, when we are introduced to Crash and the Boys, Trasha flips off Wallace when he questions there being a female drummer.
    • In volume 3, Scott flips off Stephen Stills while leaving the bathroom when he sees him vomiting into a toilet.
    • Julie has a penchant for doing this.
  • Forceful Kiss: Played with in volume 6. Being the most emotionally vulnerable he's ever been, Scott kisses Kim in a desperate attempt to reconnect their lost relationship. Kim is clearly surprised by the kiss, but is initially receptive of it... But soon breaks it off. Kim's expression immediately after the fact indicates that she was scared of how effective it was, but the two finally resolve the lack of closure in their relationship soon after.
  • Foreshadowing: The free comic (released after Volume 2) features posters animated by ninja magic, presaging Roxie's appearance in Volume 4.
    • In the same comic Ramona warns Scott that he'll have to learn to hit girls eventually.
    • Scott asks Wallace where he got a certain shirt from in one volume. Said t-shirt has a Wild West theme to it... guess who comes out in Volume 6?
    • Related to the above point, when Ramona bumps into Young Neil at a party, she asks him why Knives isn't with him. He says she left him to hang out with "Captain Homo". It seems mostly like just a jerk comment by Young Neil who is going through a dickish phase, but then we learn that Steven Stills came out as gay offscreen sometime during Vol.5, so the comment isn't exactly wrong.
    • Throughout the first few volumes, whenever Ramona is feeling jealous, her head starts to glow. When Scott catches Ramona's ex-girlfriend at her house after they had an argument, Scott's head starts glowing too. This is one of the earliest signs that Scott and Ramona really aren't that different emotionally, despite outward appearances.
    • Very subtle foreshadowing: "Scott, if your life had a face I would punch it". Guess what he obtains in the third book?
  • Four Eyes, Zero Soul: Gideon.
  • The Fourth Wall Will Not Protect You: In volume 3, Michael Comeau is introduced as "knowing everyone including you".
    • Similarly, Knives and Scott's kiss in volume 6 is described as being "horrible for everyone, including you".
  • Free-Handed Performer: The band Clash at the Demonhead is led by Envy Adams who only provides the singing.
  • Freudian Excuse: One of the things that flashes through Todd's head during his Superpower Meltdown in Honest Ed's is his father's doubt of him. Papa Ingram, coincidentally, looks a lot like Dr. Freud.
  • Full-Name Basis: Stephen Stills.
  • Funny Background Event: Scott fighting Robot-01 at the Masquerade Ball in Volume 5 serves as this throughout two scenes, with the second culminating in the Robot-01 finally being bested.

    G 
  • Geeky Turn-On: Possibly why Scott used to date Envy, as she started out as a nerdy chick who loved anime before she became a Femme Fatale.
  • Generation Xerox: If you take Word of God in account, Scott's dad has also fallen in love with enigmatic girls. His friend even looks quite like Stephen Stills.
  • Get a Room!: When Scott and Ramona kiss at the end of Volume 4.
  • Genre-Busting: It's a comedic Slice of Life Fighting Series as well as a romance story and even dips into full-on drama at times, making the overall genre of the comic hard to pin down,
  • The Ghost:
    • Scott's brother Lawrence and Wallace's psychic boyfriend Mobile until the end of Volume 5. Both of whom are mistaken for Gideon by Scott.
    • Gideon himself in Volumes 1-5. He is mentioned quite often, but doesn't appear (except as a voice on the phone) until the final book.
  • Girl of My Dreams: Quite literally.
  • Girl on Girl Is Hot: The series makes a lot of discussions and references to lesbians being hot.
    • Scott once owned a lame poster of two chicks kissing.
    • This exchange:
      Scott: So, have you ever kissed a girl?
      Ramona: Yes.
      Scott: (shivering with delight)
    • During Ramona and Envy's fight scene in Volume 3, an onlooker yells "Make out!"
    • In Free Scott Pilgrim, Scott's first question at the Winifred Hailey poster characters coming alive to confront him is "Are they going to make out?!?!"
    • In Volume 4:
      • Scott accidentally sees Kim and Knives making out while drunk, but it's subverted since he reacts with and leaves in shock. We can only guess listening to the two of them (who were both in love with him) complain about boys prior caused Scott some self-esteem issues.
      • When Scott finds Ramona and Roxie casually chatting at his newfound restaurant workplace, he angrily walks up to the two and asks if Roxie is dating one of Ramona's "evil ex-boyfriends." He's initially puzzled when Ramona responds by correcting to him (in one of many times) that they're her "evil exes," until he ends up getting that Roxie is Ramona's fourth evil ex, at which he outright yells "YOU HAD A SEXY PHASE?!"
    • In Volume 5, Scott says "Make out!" when he sees a drunk Ramona and Kim starting to cuddle.
  • GIS Syndrome: The main books don't have this, but Free Scott Pilgrim features a lampshaded example.
    "Okay, this background looks really hard to draw and I don't think I'm getting paid for this comic, so enjoy this stock photo."
  • Giving Someone the Pointer Finger: This happens at least once every volume, and each main character's probably done this at least once. It's even on the first volume's cover!
  • Glasses Are Sexy: Save for Other Scott, Wallace only goes out with guys with glasses.
    Knives: Do you want to know who in my class is gay?
    Wallace: Yes. Does he wear glasses?
  • A Good Name for a Rock Band: Sex Bob-Omb. The Clash at Demonhead. Crash and the Boys. Sonic and Knuckles. Shatterband. Every band is named after a video game reference.
  • Good Smoking, Evil Smoking:
    • Parodied when two clubgoers remark "Oh my god, she's evil!" when they see Lynette lighting up. Though when Ramona's attitude starts changing, she starts smoking more than she used to...
    • When Envy starts smoking, it's a sign of her Start of Darkness.
    • All the girls except Kim Pine smoke at some point in the book, but the one time Young Neil smokes, it represents his absolute low.
    • When Lisa smokes in front of Scott, she offers him a puff but he refuses, saying that "smoking is evil".
  • Go Through Me: Parodied. One of the jocks holding Kim hostage says this to Scott, but he simply wipes the floor with him and continues on his way.
  • Gotta Kill Them All: The premise of the series. In order for Scott to start building a real relationship, he's got to deal with her seven exes — and by "deal with", he means annihilate.
  • Grand Romantic Gesture: Todd (evil ex #3) proclaimed his love for Ramona by punching a hole in the moon. He also does it for his current girlfriend Envy — since she thought he'd only done it for her, this comes back to bite him in the ass.
  • Gratuitous French: It is Canada, of course.
  • Groin Attack: Envy knees Todd in the crotch after finding out he was cheating on her behind her back with Ramona and Lynette.
    Envy: "Let's both be girls!!"

    H 

    I 
  • I Can Not Self Terminate: Zig-Zagged. According to Word of God, there is no friendly-fire in the Scott Pilgrim canon.
  • I Just Want to Be You: Kim drunkenly says this to Ramona, however given Kim's self-esteem issues and her love of Scott, it's probably not far from the truth.
  • Idiot Hero
  • If I Can't Have You…:
    • This is the basic principle behind the League of Evil Exes.
    • According to O'Malley, Knives got her name because when a friend of his broke up with his girlfriend, said girlfriend pulled a knife on him.
  • Ikea Weaponry: In Volume 3, Todd assembles an assault rifle out of household items to shoot Scott at Honest Ed's. He ends up unable to use it, though.
  • Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: One of Scott's dreams in Volume 6 has Ramona as an angel descending from the skies with the Power of Love to plunge it right through Scott's chest and simultaneously pin him to the ground.
  • Important Haircut:
    • Knives after getting dumped by Scott. Inverted with Ramona, who gets her hair done all the time and only lets it grow out when she and Scott start actually getting closer.
    • Played straight with Ramona in Volume 5. An entire page is used to further show the importance of the action.
    • Scott also tried to pull something similar to this when things with Natalie were looking bad. He thought the new hair would bring them back together. It didn't.
    • Subverted with the haircut that Ramona gives Scott in Volume 3, since he doesn't look any different afterwards.
      Scott: Check out my rad haircut! Totally ready for the show now!
      Stephen Stills: Yeah... great.
      Kim: That's a haircut? You got a haircut?
  • In-Universe Factoid Failure: Scott's fairly ridiculous impression of Italy. For one thing, he seems to think the Leaning Tower of Pisa is in Rome.
  • Informed Attractiveness: Scott and Ramona. Several characters have the hots for them - including each other - but due to the art style's Generic Cuteness they don't look any different from everybody else in the comic.
  • Insistent Terminology: Ramona corrects Scott each time he refers to her evil ex-boyfriends as "evil exes, yes." There is a very good reason for that.
  • Insult Backfire: In Volume 6, Gideon tells Scott and Ramona they're their own worst enemies. They both conclude he's definitely worse.
    Scott: No, I'm pretty sure you're worse, dude.
    Ramona: You're definitely worse!
  • Interchangeable Asian Cultures: Mr. Chau, a Chinese ninja who wields a katana. If it helps, the author is himself Asian, so Mr. Chau is probably a spoof of this trope. Or maybe he simply abides by the Rule of Cool, like everybody and everything else in the series. And to be fair, other characters (including Scott) use, if not actual katanas, then katana-esque swords.
  • In the Name of the Moon: Scott gives Gideon a variation of this before defeating him once and for all.
  • Invincibility Power-Up
  • Ironic Echo: Ken Katayanagi's "I don't think we've been properly...introduced" line in Volume 5 first appears at the Masquerade Ball when they first run into Ramona and Kim, and then returns for much more sinister effect when the Katayanagis kidnap Kim.
  • Item Get!: When Scott defeats Lucas Lee and gets a skateboard. He can't use it though, because he never acquired a skateboard proficiency.
  • It Runs on Nonsensoleum: Defeating enemies causes them to explode into coins. Also, being a vegan gives one telekinesis.
    Stephen: Uh... Hey. How does not eating dairy products give you psychic powers, anyway? I've been wondering.
    Todd: You know how you only use ten percent of your brain? Well, it's because the other 90 percent is filled up with curds and whey!
    Scott: That's the stupidest thing I ever heard!!
    Todd: Maybe if you knew the science...
  • It's All About Me:
    • Gideon lives this trope. His mania doesn't just stop at acquiring things (and people), it's all about injecting some aspect of himself into it like he's marking his territory. See: his triple-G inverted Triforce, dressing Envy in costumes according to his tastes, implanting a fragment of himself in Ramona's head, and in The Movie, retooling the newly-professional Sex Bob-Omb from a quirky garage rock band to a generic gothic My Chemical Romance-style punk band.
    • Scott himself is another good example; although he eventually grows out of it. It adds a serious case of Unreliable Narrator to the preceeding five volumes when it's confirmed in Volume 6 that Scott has a self-serving memory and world view.
  • It's Personal: Scott's Heroic Second Wind in Volume 6.
  • I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Knives claims to be this for Scott. Kim is possibly this for Scott as well.

    J 
  • Jack of All Stats: In the Free Comics Day comic, Scott tries to select drinks based on their stat boosts being complimentary.
  • Jerkass:
    • Todd Ingram is very insensitive towards people, claiming that he's better than other people because he's a rockstar. He even cheats on his girlfriend Envy Adams with the drummer of their band. To top it all off, he telekinetically throws Envy across the room when she confronts and lashes out at him over his infidelity (although to be fair, she did successfully Groin Attack him immediately before he did that).
    • Gideon Graves. A manipulating, sexually domineering creep. His first subtitle is even "Gideon Graves (31 Years old) Occupation: Asshole".
      Gideon stole the Power of Love! What a dick!
    • Played with in the case of our almost jerkass protagonist. Scott is undeniably likable and sympathetic, but a big part of the story is exposing and dealing with the fact that he's also kind of a dick.
    • Julie Powers, whose main personality quirk is being an absolute bitch to everyone.
    • Minor character Monique is one too. Her behavior is kind of like what Julie would be if she were an extra.
  • Jerk Jock: Subverted with Lucas Lee, who turns out to be quite the decent fellow, and is easily the nicest of Ramona's evil exes, going so far as to offer to throw the fight (for a fee) when it becomes clear that Scott is completely outclassed. However, played completely straight with Todd (who, if he isn't a jock, at least dresses like one...). Until Scott accidentally pressed Lucas' Berserk Button, that is...
    Lucas (calm): Okay, look. Give me all your money, and I'll let you live. I'll tell Gideon you beat me up.
    Scott: Wow. You really are a sellout.
    Lucas (advancing threateningly): Kiss Ramona's sweet ass goodbye, Pilgrim.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold:
    • Scott Pilgrim himself, of course. Being charming and sweet in a dorky way doesn't hide the fact that he's shallow, self-centered, a shameless mooch to everyone of his acquaintance, and willfully oblivious to the damage his "precious little life" causes others. Through Character Development, he... doesn't exactly rise above this, but undeniable that there's a little less Jerk and a little more Heart of Gold by the end.
    • Also Ramona, who admits to being a bitch in the past and also tries to downplay her own responsibility in the failure of her relationships, but is actively trying to be better since moving to Toronto.
    • Kim Pine turns out to be one in Volume 6 as well.
    • Envy too turns out to be one towards the end of the story, as she starts talking to Scott again and the events of their break-up are revealed not to be entirely her fault - at least, not so much as in it was Scott who started their argument. In the end, after realizing the kind of person Gideon was ("He was an asshole" - her words), she mends her fences with Scott for good.
  • Joke Title, Real Role: The Vegan Police, an enforcement unit responsible for patroling the vegans and revoking the vegan powers from any vegan who's caught cheating on their diet. They're named after the real-life "vegan police" slang, which is used to refer to hardline vegans who impose their standards on other vegans/vegetarians and berate them for not matching up.
  • Juxtaposed Halves Shot: Used in Volume 5 twice:
    • With the Katayanagi twins during their fight with Scott. Of course, it works perfectly.
    • In the mirror with Scott and Nega-Scott.

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