Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 19 (click to see context) from:
** Light seems to be living his life under the assumption that he has to be ''perfect''. Perfect student, perfect son... and then he kills two people by accident just to satisfy his curiosity and his boredom. [[BrokenAce That ruins everything.]] [[GoMadFromTheRevelation It makes him a murderer, evil]]. The only way to become "perfect" again is [[ZerothLawRebellion to become Justice]], [[AGodAmI to become God]]. In his own words, "If Kira is caught, then Kira is evil. [[WrittenByTheWinners If he wins and rules the world, Kira is justice."]] [[BreakTheHaughty He gets caught]]. As per the trope, at times he comes off as desperate to prove himself -- especially in his interactions with L, where he seems to get overly excited even when he gets simple answers right. And "feeling better about themselves by putting others down"...does the ''whole world'' count?
to:
** [[Characters/DeathNoteLightYagami Light Yagami]] seems to be living his life under the assumption that he has to be ''perfect''. Perfect student, perfect son... and then he kills two people by accident just to satisfy his curiosity and his boredom. [[BrokenAce That ruins everything.]] [[GoMadFromTheRevelation It makes him a murderer, evil]]. The only way to become "perfect" again is [[ZerothLawRebellion to become Justice]], [[AGodAmI to become God]]. In his own words, "If Kira is caught, then Kira is evil. [[WrittenByTheWinners If he wins and rules the world, Kira is justice."]] [[BreakTheHaughty He gets caught]]. As per the trope, at times he comes off as desperate to prove himself -- especially in his interactions with L, where he seems to get overly excited even when he gets simple answers right. And "feeling better about themselves by putting others down"...does the ''whole world'' count?
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* ''Manga/IGotMyWishAndReincarnatedAsTheVillainessLastBoss'': In some routes of the "[[FictionalVideoGame The Saint and the Four Knights]]" canon, Elizabeth becomes an AlphaBitch due to FantasticRacism-induced ChronicSelfDeprecation ''and'' having her last source of pride shattered by Karen. Luckily, ''this'' time around Elizabeth doesn't fall into either of these pitfalls.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Deleted line(s) 9 (click to see context) :
Changed line(s) 73 (click to see context) from:
* To different extents, both Kaiba and Dark Yugi from ''Manga/YuGiOh''.
to:
* To different extents, both Kaiba [[Characters/YuGiOhSetoKaiba Seto Kaiba]] and Dark Yugi [[Characters/YuGiOhYamiYugi Yami Yugi]] from ''Manga/YuGiOh''.
Deleted line(s) 76 (click to see context) :
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 47,48 (click to see context) from:
** Also Aoyama, who is always standing out in his way, is shown to "just want to be equal as everyone" later in the manga, being told there that "Your standards must be off if you don't know you are equal as us" in a moment of awesomeness.
** It's implied that Endeavor's need to surpass All Might, and the [[AbusiveParents horrific treatment of his family that happened as a result]], are rooted in his low opinion of anyone who's not the best, himself included. Furthermore, he's hampered by the physical limitations of his Hellfire Quirk; he risks overheating if used extensively, which is why he tries to finish fights quickly in single shots lest he burns himself out. This is why he banks on Shoto to become his successor since Shoto's Ice and Fire balance each other and thus are not prone to the weaknesses that hamper him or [[spoiler:that possibly crippled his oldest son and original successor, Touya, whose weaker constitution toward heat made his problem toward his own fire Quirk ''worse'' than his father, as implied to be discovered in a training accident]]. He has a mental breakdown when [[spoiler:he becomes the top-ranked hero on a technicality due to All Might's retirement]] because he believes he is unworthy of the recognition and responsibilities. [[spoiler:It takes a personal talk with All Might to finally understand what it really means to be the Symbol of Peace and try and fix what and who he damaged over the years]].
** It's implied that Endeavor's need to surpass All Might, and the [[AbusiveParents horrific treatment of his family that happened as a result]], are rooted in his low opinion of anyone who's not the best, himself included. Furthermore, he's hampered by the physical limitations of his Hellfire Quirk; he risks overheating if used extensively, which is why he tries to finish fights quickly in single shots lest he burns himself out. This is why he banks on Shoto to become his successor since Shoto's Ice and Fire balance each other and thus are not prone to the weaknesses that hamper him or [[spoiler:that possibly crippled his oldest son and original successor, Touya, whose weaker constitution toward heat made his problem toward his own fire Quirk ''worse'' than his father, as implied to be discovered in a training accident]]. He has a mental breakdown when [[spoiler:he becomes the top-ranked hero on a technicality due to All Might's retirement]] because he believes he is unworthy of the recognition and responsibilities. [[spoiler:It takes a personal talk with All Might to finally understand what it really means to be the Symbol of Peace and try and fix what and who he damaged over the years]].
to:
** Also Aoyama, who is always standing out in his way, is shown to "just want to be equal as everyone" later in the manga, being told there that "Your standards must be off if you don't know you are equal as us" in a moment of awesomeness.
awesomeness. [[spoiler:The fact that he was originally Quirkless may have had something to do with it]].
** It's implied that Endeavor's need to surpass All Might, and the [[AbusiveParents horrific treatment of his family that happened as a result]], are rooted in his low opinion of anyone who's not the best, himself included. Furthermore, he's hampered by the physical limitations of his Hellfire Quirk; he risks overheating if used extensively, which is why he tries to finish fights quickly in single shots lest heburns burn himself out. This is why he banks on Shoto to become his successor since Shoto's Ice and Fire balance each other and thus are not prone to the weaknesses that hamper him or [[spoiler:that possibly crippled his oldest son and original successor, Touya, whose weaker constitution toward heat made his problem toward his own fire Quirk ''worse'' than his father, as implied to be discovered in a training accident]]. He has a mental breakdown when [[spoiler:he becomes the top-ranked hero on a technicality due to All Might's retirement]] because he believes he is unworthy of the recognition and responsibilities. [[spoiler:It takes a personal talk with All Might to finally understand what it really means to be the Symbol of Peace and try and fix what and who he damaged over the years]].
** It's implied that Endeavor's need to surpass All Might, and the [[AbusiveParents horrific treatment of his family that happened as a result]], are rooted in his low opinion of anyone who's not the best, himself included. Furthermore, he's hampered by the physical limitations of his Hellfire Quirk; he risks overheating if used extensively, which is why he tries to finish fights quickly in single shots lest he
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
It's been decided
that Manhua and Manhwa examples shall be placed into their own folders. Moving example to the correct section.
that Manhua and Manhwa examples shall be placed into their own folders. Moving example to the correct section.Deleted line(s) 17 (click to see context) :
* Chang Ho from ''Manhwa/TheBreaker'', at first, appears to just be a random bully who really doesn't have a reason to harass the protagonist Shi Woon, going so far as to nearly make Shi Woon DrivenToSuicide. However, near the end of ''The Breaker'', and early in the sequel, ''Manga/TheBreakerNewWaves'', the reason becomes clear. Chang Ho is an [[EpicFail abject failure]] in ''everything''. Beating up Shi Woon, [[AdultsAreUseless and getting away with it]] was the only thing he was good at. Once Shi Woon [[TookALevelInBadass is strong and skilled enough to defend himself]] Chang Ho completely loses it and becomes downright desperate to beat Shi Woon, and anyone close to him. He goes after Sae He, trying to gang-rape her. When that fails, thanks to Shi Woon's reckless BigDamnHeroes, and he ultimately gets his ass handed to him, he joins "Soldiers Under Command" and happily swallows their lies about him being "the ''True'' disciple" of 9AD, along with a bunch of experimental drugs, like the Illwundon, and was actually willing to die, rather than admit that Shi Woon is actually a better fighter, never mind a better person in every way. It doesn't excuse his behavior by any means, but it does explain it to some extent.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 25 (click to see context) from:
** Vegeta of ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' has this problem for most of the series. Although he boasts about being the strongest and the prince of his race, he's come across as having an inferiority complex given his constant need to prove himself and his inability to take trash talk. Not helped by Goku always being one step ahead of him, despite all the training he does and Goku being a low-class warrior. His insecurities reached a head in the Buu Saga where Vegeta sold his morality and family for power just so he could finally beat Goku and regain his status of being the best. It isn't until near the end of the series that he finally makes peace with being second best and takes real pride in what he has.[[note]]At least until [[Anime/DragonBallSuper Super]] comes along.[[/note]]\\
to:
** Vegeta of ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' has this problem for most of the series. Although he boasts about being the strongest and the prince of his race, he's come across as having an inferiority complex given his constant need to prove himself and his inability to take trash talk. Not helped by Goku always being one step ahead of him, despite all the training he does and Goku being a low-class warrior. His insecurities reached a head in the Buu Saga where Vegeta sold his morality and family for power just so he could finally beat Goku and regain his status of being the best. It isn't until near the end of the series that he finally makes peace with being second best and takes real pride in what he has.[[note]]At least until [[Anime/DragonBallSuper Super]] comes along.[[/note]]\\[[/note]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 25 (click to see context) from:
** Vegeta of ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' has this problem for most of the series. Although he boasts about being the strongest and the prince of his race, he's come across as having an inferiority complex given his constant need to prove himself and his inability to take trash talk. Not helped by Goku always being one step ahead of him, despite all the training he does and Goku being a low-class warrior. His insecurities reached a head in the Buu Saga where Vegeta sold his morality and family for power just so he could finally beat Goku and regain his status of being the best. It isn't until near the end of the series that he finally makes peace with being second best and takes real pride in what he has.
to:
** Vegeta of ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' has this problem for most of the series. Although he boasts about being the strongest and the prince of his race, he's come across as having an inferiority complex given his constant need to prove himself and his inability to take trash talk. Not helped by Goku always being one step ahead of him, despite all the training he does and Goku being a low-class warrior. His insecurities reached a head in the Buu Saga where Vegeta sold his morality and family for power just so he could finally beat Goku and regain his status of being the best. It isn't until near the end of the series that he finally makes peace with being second best and takes real pride in what he has.[[note]]At least until [[Anime/DragonBallSuper Super]] comes along.[[/note]]\\
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
She's a textbook case of being fourteen years old.
Changed line(s) 57 (click to see context) from:
* Asuka Langley Soryu from ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' is practically the poster child for this trope. Outwardly she comes across as haughty, arrogant, prideful, and annoying. In reality that is a false persona that she dons to cover up her debilitating lack of self-esteem and [[IJustWantToHaveFriends gut-wrenching fear of being replaced and/or abandoned]], a product of childhood trauma. She's a textbook case of real-life Narcissistic Personality Disorder.
to:
* Asuka Langley Soryu from ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' is practically the poster child for this trope. Outwardly she comes across as haughty, arrogant, prideful, and annoying. In reality that is a false persona that she dons to cover up her debilitating lack of self-esteem and [[IJustWantToHaveFriends gut-wrenching fear of being replaced and/or abandoned]], a product of childhood trauma. She's a textbook case of real-life Narcissistic Personality Disorder.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 43 (click to see context) from:
* In the ''Manga/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess2016'', Zant still claims that his considers Hylians to be inferior to the Twili, and that he is the only one worthy of leading both the Twilight Realm and Hyrule. [[spoiler:After losing to Link, though, he admits that he never believed in himself, and did everything he did to hide his personal weakness]].
to:
* In the ''Manga/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess2016'', Zant still claims that his he considers Hylians to be inferior to the Twili, and that he is the only one worthy of leading both the Twilight Realm and Hyrule. [[spoiler:After losing to Link, though, he admits that he never believed in himself, and did everything he did to hide his personal weakness]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 28 (click to see context) from:
* Louise of ''Literature/TheFamiliarOfZero'' is a JerkAss noble that believes she's superior to her love tnterest (who she refers to as a "dog"), but [[TroubledAbuser deep inside, she has very low self-esteem]] due to bullying and taunts about [[ACupAngst her breasts]]. Not to mention the pressures from both societal expectations and being a member of the most prominent family next to the royal family of Tristain, and wanting to live up to the Legacy of her mother, the legendary Karin the Heavy Wind.
to:
* Louise of ''Literature/TheFamiliarOfZero'' is a JerkAss noble that believes she's superior to her love tnterest interest (who she refers to as a "dog"), but [[TroubledAbuser deep inside, she has very low self-esteem]] due to bullying and taunts about [[ACupAngst her breasts]]. Not to mention the pressures from both societal expectations and being a member of the most prominent family next to the royal family of Tristain, and wanting to live up to the Legacy of her mother, the legendary Karin the Heavy Wind.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 31 (click to see context) from:
* In the various versions of ''Literature/GoblinSlayer'', the Goblins are pitiless and vicious monsters who look down on the other races they spend their time raiding. It's shown that they hate the idea of other individuals living better, and the titular character muses that envy is the one element holding them all together. [[spoiler: Even the Goblin Paladin, a MagicKnight that is probably the best specimen of goblinkind, is shown to secretly live with the fear that a strong enough adventurer could reduce him to a "mere goblin"]].
to:
* In the various versions of ''Literature/GoblinSlayer'', the Goblins goblins are pitiless and vicious monsters who look down on the other races they spend their time raiding. It's shown that they hate the idea of other individuals living better, and the titular character muses that envy is the one element holding them all together. [[spoiler: Even the Goblin Paladin, goblin paladin, a MagicKnight that is probably the best specimen of goblinkind, is shown to secretly live with the fear that a strong enough adventurer could reduce him to a "mere goblin"]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 38 (click to see context) from:
* ''Manga/InuYasha'': Sesshomaru's [[SiblingRivalry animosity]] towards Inuyasha was hiding a [[WellDoneSonGuy crippling fear that his late father viewed him]] as the [[TheUnfavorite less-favored son]]. He successfully hid these fears from everyone, including himself, by [[BigBrotherBully insulting]] Inuyasha's HalfHumanHybrid heritage while touting his own BlueBlood lineage. Inevitably, it comes out into the open in the [[AwfulTruth worst possible way]] leading Sesshoumaru to the conclusion that his father had been grooming Inuyasha to kill him. He eventually realizes that his father actually had faith in his ability to become a BigBrotherMentor and settles for being an AloofBigBrother who turns up [[IWasJustPassingThrough by accident]] whenever Inuyasha's group needs help.
to:
* ''Manga/InuYasha'': ''Manga/{{Inuyasha}}'': Sesshomaru's [[SiblingRivalry animosity]] towards Inuyasha was hiding a [[WellDoneSonGuy crippling fear that his late father viewed him]] as the [[TheUnfavorite less-favored son]]. He successfully hid these fears from everyone, including himself, by [[BigBrotherBully insulting]] Inuyasha's HalfHumanHybrid heritage while touting his own BlueBlood lineage. Inevitably, it comes out into the open in the [[AwfulTruth worst possible way]] leading Sesshoumaru to the conclusion that his father had been grooming Inuyasha to kill him. He eventually realizes that his father actually had faith in his ability to become a BigBrotherMentor and settles for being an AloofBigBrother who turns up [[IWasJustPassingThrough by accident]] whenever Inuyasha's group needs help.
Changed line(s) 44 (click to see context) from:
* Takeshi's younger brother Gekkou from ''Manga/MagicalWarfare'' towards Takeshi. Gekkou's hatred of his brother is fueled by a belief that he's inferior to him thus his desire to take everything from Takeshi (Kurumi, Twilight, personal pride) to make himself feel better.
to:
* Takeshi's younger brother Gekkou from ''Manga/MagicalWarfare'' ''Literature/MagicalWarfare'' towards Takeshi. Gekkou's hatred of his brother is fueled by a belief that he's inferior to him thus his desire to take everything from Takeshi (Kurumi, Twilight, personal pride) to make himself feel better.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 28 (click to see context) from:
* Louise of ''LightNovel/TheFamiliarOfZero'' is a JerkAss noble that believes she's superior to her {{Love Interest|s}} (who she refers to as a "dog"), but [[TroubledAbuser deep inside she has very low self-esteem]] due to bullying and taunts about [[ACupAngst her breasts]]. Not to mention the pressures from both societal expectations and being a member of the most prominent family next to the royal family of Tristain, and wanting to live up to the Legacy of her mother, the legendary Karin The Heavy Wind.
to:
* Louise of ''LightNovel/TheFamiliarOfZero'' ''Literature/TheFamiliarOfZero'' is a JerkAss noble that believes she's superior to her {{Love Interest|s}} love tnterest (who she refers to as a "dog"), but [[TroubledAbuser deep inside inside, she has very low self-esteem]] due to bullying and taunts about [[ACupAngst her breasts]]. Not to mention the pressures from both societal expectations and being a member of the most prominent family next to the royal family of Tristain, and wanting to live up to the Legacy of her mother, the legendary Karin The the Heavy Wind.
Changed line(s) 35 (click to see context) from:
* In a way, the title character of ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya''. When she was a little girl, she thought of herself as special until her parents took her to a sporting event and she saw a stadium full of people. She realized then just how many people were alive in the world, and how utterly unremarkable she really was. It's downplayed (in fact, no one may even know it but Kyon), but her forceful and loud personality and attempts to have adventures are a conscious effort to make herself unique. From the other side of things, she's the only one who ''doesn't'' know that she is truly unique (and might possibly be {{God}}).
to:
* In a way, the title character of ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya''.''Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya''. When she was a little girl, she thought of herself as special until her parents took her to a sporting event and she saw a stadium full of people. She realized then just how many people were alive in the world, and how utterly unremarkable she really was. It's downplayed (in fact, no one may even know it but Kyon), but her forceful and loud personality and attempts to have adventures are a conscious effort to make herself unique. From the other side of things, she's the only one who ''doesn't'' know that she is truly unique (and might possibly be {{God}}). {{God}}).
* In the anime/manga version of ''Literature/TheHeroicLegendOfArslan'', some characters suspect the reason why Silvermask is so quick to proclaim himself as "His Highness" or the rightful king of Pars and becomes infuriated when people don't acknowledge him as such is that he is jealous that Arslan can freely call himself "prince" and people easily flock to Arslan's banner instead of Silvermask's.
* In the anime/manga version of ''Literature/TheHeroicLegendOfArslan'', some characters suspect the reason why Silvermask is so quick to proclaim himself as "His Highness" or the rightful king of Pars and becomes infuriated when people don't acknowledge him as such is that he is jealous that Arslan can freely call himself "prince" and people easily flock to Arslan's banner instead of Silvermask's.
Changed line(s) 39,41 (click to see context) from:
** Terence T. D'Arby from ''Manga/StardustCrusaders'' believes himself to be superior in every way to his older brother [[TheGambler Daniel J. D'Arby]]. [[spoiler: This makes Jotaro's statement that Daniel would have been able to figure out that Jotaro was cheating right away all the more humiliating]].
** Formaggio from ''Manga/GoldenWind'' has this, stemming from his teammates’ constant belittlement of him for having such a weak [[FightingSpirit Stand]] [[IncredibleShrinkingMan ability]].
** ''Manga/{{JoJolion}}'''s Joshu Higashikata's {{Jerkass}} tendencies come from his jealousy over people he feels are more talented than him.
** Formaggio from ''Manga/GoldenWind'' has this, stemming from his teammates’ constant belittlement of him for having such a weak [[FightingSpirit Stand]] [[IncredibleShrinkingMan ability]].
** ''Manga/{{JoJolion}}'''s Joshu Higashikata's {{Jerkass}} tendencies come from his jealousy over people he feels are more talented than him.
to:
** Terence T. D'Arby from ''Manga/StardustCrusaders'' ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders Stardust Crusaders]]'' believes himself to be superior in every way to his older brother [[TheGambler Daniel J. D'Arby]]. [[spoiler: This [[spoiler:This makes Jotaro's statement that Daniel would have been able to figure out that Jotaro was cheating right away all the more humiliating]].
humiliating.]]
** Formaggio from''Manga/GoldenWind'' ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureGoldenWind Golden Wind]]'' has this, stemming from his teammates’ constant belittlement of him for having such a weak [[FightingSpirit Stand]] [[IncredibleShrinkingMan ability]].
**''Manga/{{JoJolion}}'''s In ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureJoJolion JoJolion]]'', Joshu Higashikata's {{Jerkass}} tendencies come from his jealousy over people he feels are more talented than him.
** Formaggio from
**
Changed line(s) 43,44 (click to see context) from:
* Takeshi's younger brother Gekkou from ''Anime/MagicalWarfare'' towards Takeshi. Gekkou's hatred of his brother is fueled by a belief that he's inferior to him thus his desire to take everything from Takeshi (Kurumi, Twilight, personal pride) to make himself feel better.
* In the anime/manga version of ''Literature/TheHeroicLegendOfArslan'', some characters suspect the reason why Silvermask is so quick to proclaim himself as "His Highness" or the rightful king of Pars and becomes infuriated when people don't acknowledge him as such is that he is jealous that Arslan can freely call himself "prince" and people easily flock to Arslan's banner instead of Silvermask's.
* In the anime/manga version of ''Literature/TheHeroicLegendOfArslan'', some characters suspect the reason why Silvermask is so quick to proclaim himself as "His Highness" or the rightful king of Pars and becomes infuriated when people don't acknowledge him as such is that he is jealous that Arslan can freely call himself "prince" and people easily flock to Arslan's banner instead of Silvermask's.
to:
* Takeshi's younger brother Gekkou from ''Anime/MagicalWarfare'' ''Manga/MagicalWarfare'' towards Takeshi. Gekkou's hatred of his brother is fueled by a belief that he's inferior to him thus his desire to take everything from Takeshi (Kurumi, Twilight, personal pride) to make himself feel better.
* In the anime/manga version of ''Literature/TheHeroicLegendOfArslan'', some characters suspect the reason why Silvermask is so quick to proclaim himself as "His Highness" or the rightful king of Pars and becomes infuriated when people don't acknowledge him as such is that he is jealous that Arslan can freely call himself "prince" and people easily flock to Arslan's banner instead of Silvermask's.better.
* In the anime/manga version of ''Literature/TheHeroicLegendOfArslan'', some characters suspect the reason why Silvermask is so quick to proclaim himself as "His Highness" or the rightful king of Pars and becomes infuriated when people don't acknowledge him as such is that he is jealous that Arslan can freely call himself "prince" and people easily flock to Arslan's banner instead of Silvermask's.
Changed line(s) 50 (click to see context) from:
* Alan in ''LightNovel/MyNextLifeAsAVillainessAllRoutesLeadToDoom'' acts all arrogant and condescending, but it's only because he's jealous of his more talented brother. When he finds something he can do better than him, he mellows out and turns out to be a really nice guy.
to:
* Alan in ''LightNovel/MyNextLifeAsAVillainessAllRoutesLeadToDoom'' ''Literature/MyNextLifeAsAVillainessAllRoutesLeadToDoom'' acts all arrogant and condescending, but it's only because he's jealous of his more talented brother. When he finds something he can do better than him, he mellows out and turns out to be a really nice guy.
Changed line(s) 71,72 (click to see context) from:
* ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'': Sugou Nobuyuki fancies himself a big and powerful man, even [[AGodAmI declaring himself a god]], but he's ultimately nothing but a poor imitation of [[AlwaysSomeoneBetter Akihiko Kayaba]] and he knows it. When the latter's VirtualGhost intervenes and grants Kirito GameMaster powers to turn the tables in his favor, Sugou whines and throws a temper tantrum over the fact that even with Kayaba dead, he's ''still'' AlwaysSecondBest. Kirito even lampshades it; while both of them were defeated by Kayaba and forced to work for him, Kirito defied Kayaba while Sugou wants to ''be'' him.
* Kamina, of all people, from ''[[Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann Gurren Lagann]]'' shows a lot of bravado and pulls one crazy stunt after the next, from going up against a HumongousMecha armed with nothing but a katana to [[GrandTheftPrototype hijacking an enemy mech while in the middle of a fight against said mech]], combining two mechs by literally stabbing one of them down into the other from the top and finally stealing ''another even bigger'' mech in the middle of a battle. And yet, he reveals in Episode 7 that he is actually just as scared as everyone else, if not more so, but acts tough solely for Simon's sake, and that Simon was the one who actually kept him alive all along, and that he doesn't think he can actually do anything without Simon.
* Kamina, of all people, from ''[[Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann Gurren Lagann]]'' shows a lot of bravado and pulls one crazy stunt after the next, from going up against a HumongousMecha armed with nothing but a katana to [[GrandTheftPrototype hijacking an enemy mech while in the middle of a fight against said mech]], combining two mechs by literally stabbing one of them down into the other from the top and finally stealing ''another even bigger'' mech in the middle of a battle. And yet, he reveals in Episode 7 that he is actually just as scared as everyone else, if not more so, but acts tough solely for Simon's sake, and that Simon was the one who actually kept him alive all along, and that he doesn't think he can actually do anything without Simon.
to:
* ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'': ''Literature/SwordArtOnline'': Sugou Nobuyuki fancies himself a big and powerful man, even [[AGodAmI declaring himself a god]], but he's ultimately nothing but a poor imitation of [[AlwaysSomeoneBetter Akihiko Kayaba]] and he knows it. When the latter's VirtualGhost intervenes and grants Kirito GameMaster powers to turn the tables in his favor, Sugou whines and throws a temper tantrum over the fact that even with Kayaba dead, he's ''still'' AlwaysSecondBest. Kirito even lampshades it; while both of them were defeated by Kayaba and forced to work for him, Kirito defied Kayaba while Sugou wants to ''be'' him.
* Kamina, of all people, from''[[Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann Gurren Lagann]]'' ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'' shows a lot of bravado and pulls one crazy stunt after the next, from going up against a HumongousMecha armed with nothing but a katana to [[GrandTheftPrototype hijacking an enemy mech while in the middle of a fight against said mech]], combining two mechs by literally stabbing one of them down into the other from the top and finally stealing ''another even bigger'' mech in the middle of a battle. And yet, he reveals in Episode 7 that he is actually just as scared as everyone else, if not more so, but acts tough solely for Simon's sake, and that Simon was the one who actually kept him alive all along, and that he doesn't think he can actually do anything without Simon.
* Kamina, of all people, from
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 43 (click to see context) from:
* Takeshi's younger brother Gekkou from ''LightNovel/MagicalWarfare'' towards Takeshi. Gekkou's hatred of his brother is fueled by a belief that he's inferior to him thus his desire to take everything from Takeshi (Kurumi, Twilight, personal pride) to make himself feel better.
to:
* Takeshi's younger brother Gekkou from ''LightNovel/MagicalWarfare'' ''Anime/MagicalWarfare'' towards Takeshi. Gekkou's hatred of his brother is fueled by a belief that he's inferior to him thus his desire to take everything from Takeshi (Kurumi, Twilight, personal pride) to make himself feel better.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 42 (click to see context) from:
* In the [[Manga/TheLegendOfZeldaAkiraHimekawa manga adaptation]] of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'', Zant still claims that his considers Hylians to be inferior to the Twili, and that he is the only one worthy of leading both the Twilight Realm and Hyrule. [[spoiler:After losing to Link, though, he admits that he never believed in himself, and did everything he did to hide his personal weakness]].
to:
* In the [[Manga/TheLegendOfZeldaAkiraHimekawa manga adaptation]] of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'', ''Manga/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess2016'', Zant still claims that his considers Hylians to be inferior to the Twili, and that he is the only one worthy of leading both the Twilight Realm and Hyrule. [[spoiler:After losing to Link, though, he admits that he never believed in himself, and did everything he did to hide his personal weakness]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* In the [[Manga/TheLegendOfZeldaAkiraHimekawa manga adaptation]] of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'', Zant still claims that his considers Hylians to be inferior to the Twili, and that he is the only one worthy of leading both the Twilight Realm and Hyrule. [[spoiler:After losing to Link, though, he admits that he never believed in himself, and did everything he did to hide his personal weakness]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* ''Anime/RozenMaiden'': Suigintou fits this to a "T". She is so afraid of being rejected by her father and considered "junk" that she is determined to win the Alice Game and prove herself superior to all of her sisters.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* In the various versions of ''Literature/GoblinSlayer'', the Goblins are pitiless and vicious monsters who look down on the other races they spend their time raiding. It's shown that they hate the idea of other individuals living better, and the titular character muses that envy is the one element holding them all together. [[spoiler: Even the Goblin Paladin, a MagicKnight that is probably the best specimen of goblinkind, is shown to secretly live with the fear that a strong enough adventurer could reduce him to a "mere goblin"]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
%%%
%%
%% This page has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in the correct order. Thanks!
%%
%%%
Characters who have {{Inferiority Superiority Complex}}es in {{Anime}} and {{Manga}}.
----
* ''Manga/AzumangaDaioh'': It's repeatedly implied throughout the series that Tomo's constant teasing and egotistical behavior is a projection of her own insecurities. She has her own concerns about her weight, appearance, and intelligence, yet repeatedly teases her peers for their own faults in these areas and plays herself up as above them all.
* ''Manga/{{Bakuman}}'':
** Miura often seems unshakably confident in his opinions about the direction Mashiro and Takagi should go, especially his belief that gag manga are more likely to maintain their rank than serious manga, but in his thoughts and around his fellow editors, he's less certain of himself, [[ItsAllMyFault blaming himself for]] [[spoiler:Detective Trap getting cancelled]] and believing that he has to get a hit out to keep his job.
** The biggest example of the series is Aiko Iwase, who thinks she is better than anyone else and trashes manga in comparison to literature. When she meets her rival Takagi, who isn't a professional mangaka at the time, but he does not give a fuck about her already being an infamous author, she's quite shocked to learn that the Weekly Shonen Jump sells multiple times more than her books do, so she starts becoming a mangaka to surpass Takagi. At first, her manga becomes very popular, since her partner is the young genius Nizuma, but when the quality of her story goes down, she is stuck in a crisis, until fellow mangakas motivate her to continue her manga again; since this point, Iwase mellows out of her icy ego.
* In the beginning of ''Manga/BlackClover'', Noelle is a haughty royal who believes that she's superior to commoners because she's been mocked all her life by her family for her PowerIncontinence, giving her very low self-esteem as a result. By being accepted by the Black Bulls and gaining confidence as she develops her magic, she grows out of it, even telling a little peasant girl at the Star Festival that social status shouldn't matter.
* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'': Nnoitra Gilga proclaims himself the strongest Espada (despite being only the 5th strongest one), acting extremely egotistical during his fights. But beneath his arrogant front is man with a deep inferiority complex. He had an inability to win fights, especially against Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck who at the time was the 3rd Espada. That, combined with Nelliel disrespecting and pitying him for his destructive stupidity, caused him to develop a grudge against her that motivated him to ambush her. As his fight with Zaraki Kenpachi starts to drag on, he gets increasingly more desperate and frustrated over being unable to beat the mighty Captain. He hates being spared by an opponent, viewing it as the biggest disrespect to a warrior.
* In ''Manga/Brave10'', Nanakuma is [[{{Tsundere}} tsuntsun]] and extremely haughty, but it's because he's afraid everyone thinks he's the inferior twin and he's desperate to [[CainAndAbel surpass his brother as a result]].
* Chang Ho from ''Manhwa/TheBreaker'', at first, appears to just be a random bully who really doesn't have a reason to harass the protagonist Shi Woon, going so far as to nearly make Shi Woon DrivenToSuicide. However, near the end of ''The Breaker'', and early in the sequel, ''Manga/TheBreakerNewWaves'', the reason becomes clear. Chang Ho is an [[EpicFail abject failure]] in ''everything''. Beating up Shi Woon, [[AdultsAreUseless and getting away with it]] was the only thing he was good at. Once Shi Woon [[TookALevelInBadass is strong and skilled enough to defend himself]] Chang Ho completely loses it and becomes downright desperate to beat Shi Woon, and anyone close to him. He goes after Sae He, trying to gang-rape her. When that fails, thanks to Shi Woon's reckless BigDamnHeroes, and he ultimately gets his ass handed to him, he joins "Soldiers Under Command" and happily swallows their lies about him being "the ''True'' disciple" of 9AD, along with a bunch of experimental drugs, like the Illwundon, and was actually willing to die, rather than admit that Shi Woon is actually a better fighter, never mind a better person in every way. It doesn't excuse his behavior by any means, but it does explain it to some extent.
* In ''Manga/DailyLivesOfHighSchoolBoys'', Girls-only Sanada East's StudentCouncilPresident [[OnlyKnownByTheirNickname Ringo-chan]] only started to have an extremely large ego as she noticed how the boys-only Sanada North has a far more well-run student council.
* Ruruka Ando in ''Anime/Danganronpa3TheEndOfHopesPeakHighSchool'' was known as the [[SupremeChef "Ultimate Confectionist"]]. Like some other [[TheAce Hope's Peak students]], she began to believe that talent was all that matters in life and developed bitter anxiety towards people who wouldn't eat her sweets as she [[BrokenAce thought it was all she had to offer]]. This ends up poisoning her relationship with her [[WeUsedToBeFriends best friend]] with tragic results once the new DeadlyGame kicks off.
* ''Manga/DeathNote'':
** Light seems to be living his life under the assumption that he has to be ''perfect''. Perfect student, perfect son... and then he kills two people by accident just to satisfy his curiosity and his boredom. [[BrokenAce That ruins everything.]] [[GoMadFromTheRevelation It makes him a murderer, evil]]. The only way to become "perfect" again is [[ZerothLawRebellion to become Justice]], [[AGodAmI to become God]]. In his own words, "If Kira is caught, then Kira is evil. [[WrittenByTheWinners If he wins and rules the world, Kira is justice."]] [[BreakTheHaughty He gets caught]]. As per the trope, at times he comes off as desperate to prove himself -- especially in his interactions with L, where he seems to get overly excited even when he gets simple answers right. And "feeling better about themselves by putting others down"...does the ''whole world'' count?
** Mello is a more typical example of the trope -- though Light does count. Ranked second best at a school for genii, Mello is motivated by his ''raging inferiority complex'' which drives him to [[TheUnfettered do whatever it takes]] to prove he's number one and beat Kira and Near. He grows up from being the slighted [[TheBully school bully]] into becoming [[FromNobodyToNightmare a terrorist mafia lord]].
* ''Anime/DigimonAdventure02'': Ken Ichijouji during his stint as the Digimon Kaiser/Emperor. While he claimed to be the "only perfect human being", and frequently called other people derogatory epithets like "maggots" and "insects", he was actually crippled by a sense of worthlessness and guilt. The "superiority" part falls away completely [[spoiler:once he pulls his HeelFaceTurn]].
* ''Franchise/DragonBall'':
** Vegeta of ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' has this problem for most of the series. Although he boasts about being the strongest and the prince of his race, he's come across as having an inferiority complex given his constant need to prove himself and his inability to take trash talk. Not helped by Goku always being one step ahead of him, despite all the training he does and Goku being a low-class warrior. His insecurities reached a head in the Buu Saga where Vegeta sold his morality and family for power just so he could finally beat Goku and regain his status of being the best. It isn't until near the end of the series that he finally makes peace with being second best and takes real pride in what he has.
** Krillin in the [[Manga/DragonBall original series]]. He acts cocky, self-assured, and is a bit of a smartass, but it's all to hide his crippling low self-esteem. He was bullied mercilessly at his former temple for being weak and small, causing him to eventually run away. After becoming friends with Goku and gaining confidence in himself, he drops the superiority act. However, [[CantCatchUp he becomes very aware of how weak he is compared to all the monsters in the universe]], which causes his inferiority complex to return, except he now covers it with humor and self-deprecation.
** In the video games, BigBad Turles from ''Anime/TheTreeOfMight'' becomes this through his interactions with characters he never had the chance to meet in the movie, most notably the higher-class 'Elites' Nappa and Vegeta but also Goku, who he mocks for "all the clumsiness I'd expect of a low-class warrior" despite being a low-class Saiyan himself.
* Louise of ''LightNovel/TheFamiliarOfZero'' is a JerkAss noble that believes she's superior to her {{Love Interest|s}} (who she refers to as a "dog"), but [[TroubledAbuser deep inside she has very low self-esteem]] due to bullying and taunts about [[ACupAngst her breasts]]. Not to mention the pressures from both societal expectations and being a member of the most prominent family next to the royal family of Tristain, and wanting to live up to the Legacy of her mother, the legendary Karin The Heavy Wind.
* In ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'', this is pretty much the reason the homunculi sadistically torment humans. This is most explicitly brought up in the case of [[GreenEyedMonster Envy]].
* Gouda, the primary villain of ''Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex Second Gig'' is driven by such a complex. He has a [[RedRightHand horribly scarred face]] that he deliberately kept because he thought it made him look distinctive and notable, and all his crimes are ultimately about getting people to acknowledge his genius. He's ''pissed'' when Batou points out [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech that he's a poser who needed a virus to artificially trigger a Stand Alone Complex instead of coming up with something cool enough that people would do so voluntarily like the Laughing Man incident]].
* ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'':
** Karozo Ronah, the BigBad of ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamF91'', has this as the rotten core of his villainy in spite of the supposedly high-minded ideals of Cosmo Babylonia he spouts. He's not a true Ronah, having married into the villainy, and when his wife Nadia abandoned him for another man he volunteered to become a Cyber-Newtype, throwing himself into the Cosmo Babylonia ideology to cover for his wounded insecurities (which come out anyway in his reunion with Nadia and battle with his daughter, Berah Ronah aka Cecily Fairchild).
** Tieria Erde from ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundam00 Gundam 00]]'' starts out as a cold, high-and-mighty JerkAss, but when ''he'' makes the kind of mistake he calls his fellow Meisters out on, his disappointment in himself is such that he ''bursts into tears''. And as soon as the supercomputer he's so faithful to ditches him altogether, it's revealed that he's too insecure to do anything on his own without it.
* In a way, the title character of ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya''. When she was a little girl, she thought of herself as special until her parents took her to a sporting event and she saw a stadium full of people. She realized then just how many people were alive in the world, and how utterly unremarkable she really was. It's downplayed (in fact, no one may even know it but Kyon), but her forceful and loud personality and attempts to have adventures are a conscious effort to make herself unique. From the other side of things, she's the only one who ''doesn't'' know that she is truly unique (and might possibly be {{God}}).
%%* Prussia, America, and England of ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'' all have shades of this.
* ''Manga/InuYasha'': Sesshomaru's [[SiblingRivalry animosity]] towards Inuyasha was hiding a [[WellDoneSonGuy crippling fear that his late father viewed him]] as the [[TheUnfavorite less-favored son]]. He successfully hid these fears from everyone, including himself, by [[BigBrotherBully insulting]] Inuyasha's HalfHumanHybrid heritage while touting his own BlueBlood lineage. Inevitably, it comes out into the open in the [[AwfulTruth worst possible way]] leading Sesshoumaru to the conclusion that his father had been grooming Inuyasha to kill him. He eventually realizes that his father actually had faith in his ability to become a BigBrotherMentor and settles for being an AloofBigBrother who turns up [[IWasJustPassingThrough by accident]] whenever Inuyasha's group needs help.
* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'':
** Terence T. D'Arby from ''Manga/StardustCrusaders'' believes himself to be superior in every way to his older brother [[TheGambler Daniel J. D'Arby]]. [[spoiler: This makes Jotaro's statement that Daniel would have been able to figure out that Jotaro was cheating right away all the more humiliating]].
** Formaggio from ''Manga/GoldenWind'' has this, stemming from his teammates’ constant belittlement of him for having such a weak [[FightingSpirit Stand]] [[IncredibleShrinkingMan ability]].
** ''Manga/{{JoJolion}}'''s Joshu Higashikata's {{Jerkass}} tendencies come from his jealousy over people he feels are more talented than him.
* Takeshi's younger brother Gekkou from ''LightNovel/MagicalWarfare'' towards Takeshi. Gekkou's hatred of his brother is fueled by a belief that he's inferior to him thus his desire to take everything from Takeshi (Kurumi, Twilight, personal pride) to make himself feel better.
* In the anime/manga version of ''Literature/TheHeroicLegendOfArslan'', some characters suspect the reason why Silvermask is so quick to proclaim himself as "His Highness" or the rightful king of Pars and becomes infuriated when people don't acknowledge him as such is that he is jealous that Arslan can freely call himself "prince" and people easily flock to Arslan's banner instead of Silvermask's.
* Tetsuya Tsurugi from ''Anime/MazingerZ'' and ''Anime/GreatMazinger'', [[UnbuiltTrope who was created twenty years before]], was EXACTLY like Asuka, word for word. He was a HotBlooded AcePilot and was so arrogant, anyone who questioned his skills had trouble with him. Sometimes he seemed more concerned with showing off than with protecting humanity when he fought the enemy, and he could not stand someone showing him up. That same arrogance also made him bickering with [[{{Tsundere}} Jun]], and Tetsuya WouldHitAGirl even though Jun is both his {{Love Interest|s}}, his BattleCouple, and [[NotBloodRelated adoptive]] [[BrotherSisterIncest sister]]. However, he had a massive complex of inferiority and lacked a sense of self-worth. He was so arrogant because he was permanently afraid of someone replacing him and taking his reason for existing away, and his self-esteem issues were so big he thought his adoptive sister would dump him for someone she barely knew.
* ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'':
** This is all but shown explicitly to be behind most of Bakugo's bravado; he feels the need to prove himself superior to everyone so that no one will look down on him. In particular, he wants to prove himself superior to Midoriya (who attempted to save him from a villain at the start of the series and later defeated him in a training exercise) and All Might (who ''did'' save him from the villain). In fact, a bonus chapter had Uraraka point-blank tell Bakugo this is why he is so antagonistic to his former friend. Despite belittling and insulting him, he always shows great fear in Midoriya's massive leaps in improvement because deep down, he knows that Midoriya is much worthier of being a better hero than he is.
** Also Aoyama, who is always standing out in his way, is shown to "just want to be equal as everyone" later in the manga, being told there that "Your standards must be off if you don't know you are equal as us" in a moment of awesomeness.
** It's implied that Endeavor's need to surpass All Might, and the [[AbusiveParents horrific treatment of his family that happened as a result]], are rooted in his low opinion of anyone who's not the best, himself included. Furthermore, he's hampered by the physical limitations of his Hellfire Quirk; he risks overheating if used extensively, which is why he tries to finish fights quickly in single shots lest he burns himself out. This is why he banks on Shoto to become his successor since Shoto's Ice and Fire balance each other and thus are not prone to the weaknesses that hamper him or [[spoiler:that possibly crippled his oldest son and original successor, Touya, whose weaker constitution toward heat made his problem toward his own fire Quirk ''worse'' than his father, as implied to be discovered in a training accident]]. He has a mental breakdown when [[spoiler:he becomes the top-ranked hero on a technicality due to All Might's retirement]] because he believes he is unworthy of the recognition and responsibilities. [[spoiler:It takes a personal talk with All Might to finally understand what it really means to be the Symbol of Peace and try and fix what and who he damaged over the years]].
* Alan in ''LightNovel/MyNextLifeAsAVillainessAllRoutesLeadToDoom'' acts all arrogant and condescending, but it's only because he's jealous of his more talented brother. When he finds something he can do better than him, he mellows out and turns out to be a really nice guy.
* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'':
** It's pretty clear that Sasuke's need to defeat Itachi was driven almost as much by his need to finally prove himself better than his brother for revenge. Being born the AlwaysSecondBest to a genius older brother and the WellDoneSonGuy of a distant father were bad enough, but even then, Itachi and Sasuke were quite close, with Sasuke thinking the world of his older brother while Itachi being protective of Sasuke. Then, said brother killed his entire family and told him to hate and grow strong to be worthy to face him. [[FromBadToWorse Then]] Itachi showed up again years later, looking for Naruto, which is what set off Sasuke (both because of this and because well, Itachi was going to target his precious people once more). Sasuke utterly lost and underwent another dose of mental trauma that unstabilized him. It didn't help that Naruto was finally growing strong enough to challenge and maybe surpass Sasuke, the top student in their class. All this was a recipe for a tragic FaceHeelTurn. [[spoiler:Made more ironic when you realize how Itachi ''played'' that complex, why he did so, and how it all went wrong.]] He also shows some behavior of this type towards Naruto himself, though much of this ties into his issues with Itachi. To Sasuke's mind, if Naruto can advance faster than him/become his equal, then he isn't advancing fast enough himself and has no chance of catching up with Itachi. This flaw of his was lampshaded verbatim by Kakashi in an episode.
** Naruto as well, albeit in a different way. In the beginning, his bratty, braggart attitude, and dreams to be Hokage were driven by a need to be acknowledged by the village and not be viewed as a monster, but as Naruto Uzumaki. His initial rivalry with Sasuke was fueled by his need to prove himself equal to the haughty top student who deep down felt the same sort of pain and loneliness as him (and wanted to befriend him.) Unlike Sasuke though, Naruto would shed his complex as he got people that cared about him and vice versa (which makes for an interesting counterpart to Sasuke, whose process became ''worse'' over time, albeit that was Itachi's doing.) In fact, by the time of ''Shippuden'', he's actually prone to HeroicSelfDeprecation, which increases as he grows stronger (sadly as a result of him reflecting on his failures to save the people he cares about.)
** Neji seemed to have this to an extent as well. Behind his ArrogantKungFuGuy attitude he belied a huge complex over being a member of the Hyuga's Branch Family, a fate he deeply resented and desperately wanted to escape, even if he would never admit it out loud. Instead, he took out his own insecurities on those he perceived as weaker than him (his teammate Lee and his cousin Hinata) to feel better about himself, and [[BerserkButton he would react with anger]] if somebody exposed those insecurities to him, as it happened in both his fights with Hinata and Naruto. Thankfully he dropped this mindset [[DefeatMeansFriendship after Naruto defeated him]].
** Madara Uchiha's complex towards [[spoiler:the 1st Hokage]] is probably the most extreme example in the series. In a flashback, even mentioning his name was enough to tick Madara off. In fact, much of the conflict in the current story can ultimately be traced back to Madara's inability to accept being AlwaysSecondBest to him and his reaction to this.
** The entire history of shinobi was orchestrated using this. Black Zetsu used Indra's jealousy and frustrations with Asura to start a centuries-long conflict that would end with Naruto and Sasuke.
* Asuka Langley Soryu from ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' is practically the poster child for this trope. Outwardly she comes across as haughty, arrogant, prideful, and annoying. In reality that is a false persona that she dons to cover up her debilitating lack of self-esteem and [[IJustWantToHaveFriends gut-wrenching fear of being replaced and/or abandoned]], a product of childhood trauma. She's a textbook case of real-life Narcissistic Personality Disorder.
* ''Manga/OnePiece'':
** Usopp alternates between bragging about his skills and being cowardly or deeply insecure about his skills. He worries constantly about [[CantCatchUp being left behind]] and that the Straw Hats don't want or need him. Fortunately, through events and building up his confidence, he realized that yes, the Straw Hats want him because they are TrueCompanions and he becomes more courageous and self-confident.
** The flashbacks in the Fish-Man Island arc reveal Arlong has one of these as part of his HiddenDepths, which only becomes obvious in hindsight. It turns out the reason why Arlong was in the East Blue is that he once got his ass kicked by Borsalino (the future Admiral Kizaru) after trying to avenge the death of Fisher Tiger, teaching him a brutal lesson about how far away he was from the real top-tier fighters of the world. This, in combination with getting his ass kicked ''again'', this time by his "brother" Jimbei, convinced Arlong he had no shot at measuring up to the real monsters of the Grand Line, causing him to run off to the East Blue to find any personal success as a pirate. Thus, all his boasting during the East Blue saga about his superiority and the superiority of Fish-men is really just him trying to prop up his fragile ego after those two crushing defeats.
* Sae from ''Manga/PeachGirl'' has a high and mighty opinion of herself and literally gets a big head over things working out in her favor. She often spreads gossip around to make people distrust Momo, which is done as a result of her own jealousy and insecurity and to bring herself up.
* ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'':
** Iris used to taunt Ash about his battle skills and always called him a kid. But one episode reveals ''why'' she keeps doing it: [[spoiler:she couldn't battle well when her Excadrill starts ignoring her]]. When this is solved, Iris becomes much friendlier to Ash... though she ''still'' calls him a kid from time to time.
** Ash himself was like this in the Kanto arc. He had his bratty and asshole moments due to his own insecurities about the mistakes he made as a rookie trainer. It didn’t help that people would always put him down for it. He grows out of this once he improves as a trainer.
** In the ''Sun & Moon'' series, this also applies to Guzma, the leader of Team Skull, who often rants about how he is 'undefeated' when in reality most of his 'non-defeats' were just because he was in one-on-one battles that triggered his Golisopod's Emergency Exit and he claimed that he didn't see the point in continuing the fight.
* A few characters from ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena'' have distinct shades of this:
** Kyouichi Saionji is a massive {{jerkass}} who acts arrogant during duels and with regards to Anthy ([[DomesticAbuse whom he regularly batters]]) but is also hinted to have issues with self-loathing and has a ''huge'' inferiority complex with regards to his childhood frenemy Touga, which drives him to assert himself in horrible ways.
** Nanami Kiryuu is the {{Rich|Bitch}} AlphaBitch of Ohtori's middle school, but when her beloved big brother (the aforementioned Touga, who just about all her feelings of superiority hinge on) starts screwing her over later in the series, it turns out that she has very little in the way of intrinsic feelings of self-worth. The fact that she [[spoiler:drowned Touga's kitten as a small child]] doesn't help, fuelling both her extreme clinginess towards her brother (partly out of penance) and her hatred of herself.
* Ayaka Machida from ''Anime/StellviaOfTheUniverse'' has a psychological need to be TheAce and will go to criminal lengths to ensure that. In the [[RousseauWasRight entire show]], she is pretty much the only character who would willingly hurt another, as she does to [[spoiler:Yayoi and Shima (almost), who were both better than her in piloting. When she fails to eliminate Shima and the truth comes out, she is pretty much crushed. Ironically, she is redeemed by Yayoi herself, who loves her too much to ''not'' forgive her]]. This helps Ayaka to acknowledge that there are pilots better than her and to simply enjoy flying with them (particularly Yayoi) instead of competing.
* ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'': Sugou Nobuyuki fancies himself a big and powerful man, even [[AGodAmI declaring himself a god]], but he's ultimately nothing but a poor imitation of [[AlwaysSomeoneBetter Akihiko Kayaba]] and he knows it. When the latter's VirtualGhost intervenes and grants Kirito GameMaster powers to turn the tables in his favor, Sugou whines and throws a temper tantrum over the fact that even with Kayaba dead, he's ''still'' AlwaysSecondBest. Kirito even lampshades it; while both of them were defeated by Kayaba and forced to work for him, Kirito defied Kayaba while Sugou wants to ''be'' him.
* Kamina, of all people, from ''[[Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann Gurren Lagann]]'' shows a lot of bravado and pulls one crazy stunt after the next, from going up against a HumongousMecha armed with nothing but a katana to [[GrandTheftPrototype hijacking an enemy mech while in the middle of a fight against said mech]], combining two mechs by literally stabbing one of them down into the other from the top and finally stealing ''another even bigger'' mech in the middle of a battle. And yet, he reveals in Episode 7 that he is actually just as scared as everyone else, if not more so, but acts tough solely for Simon's sake, and that Simon was the one who actually kept him alive all along, and that he doesn't think he can actually do anything without Simon.
* Shutaro Mendo from ''Manga/UruseiYatsura'', though it's not so much his pride hiding insecurity as his pride being so central to his character that he tends to collapse when it's topped. Like when Rei showed up and was judged better looking, he immediately began ranting about how money was all that mattered, and how he keeps rolling into the fetal position every time Ryunuske reveals that she's getting more love letters than him.
* To different extents, both Kaiba and Dark Yugi from ''Manga/YuGiOh''.
** In the former's case, he was an orphan whose only pride was chess and forced the mogul of a big company to adopt him in a chess game. He subsequently takes over the company by force and is obsessed with being number 1. When Dark Yugi beats him in a duel, he becomes obsessed with revenge and coming out on top. In both lives, he seems to have an inferiority complex regarding Yugi, and will only acknowledge him as a rival. While consistently looking down on others, he has a chip on his shoulder in both lifetimes.
** The latter's case happens in the manga up until Duelist Kingdom -- he is confident in his abilities in games to the point of pride and aggression getting the better of him. This seems to be because he doesn't know who he is and assumes that he is merely some other form of Yugi intended to protect him. When he's confronted with the fear of actually having to face loss and not being able to protect Yugi's loved ones, he retreats further into his assumed gaming prowess, underestimating Mai to focus on Pegasus. He grows out of this by admitting his fear, acknowledging the possibility of losing and his pride effectively stops hampering when he learns he was once human, not just a spirit created by the Puzzle.
----
%%
%% This page has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in the correct order. Thanks!
%%
%%%
Characters who have {{Inferiority Superiority Complex}}es in {{Anime}} and {{Manga}}.
----
* ''Manga/AzumangaDaioh'': It's repeatedly implied throughout the series that Tomo's constant teasing and egotistical behavior is a projection of her own insecurities. She has her own concerns about her weight, appearance, and intelligence, yet repeatedly teases her peers for their own faults in these areas and plays herself up as above them all.
* ''Manga/{{Bakuman}}'':
** Miura often seems unshakably confident in his opinions about the direction Mashiro and Takagi should go, especially his belief that gag manga are more likely to maintain their rank than serious manga, but in his thoughts and around his fellow editors, he's less certain of himself, [[ItsAllMyFault blaming himself for]] [[spoiler:Detective Trap getting cancelled]] and believing that he has to get a hit out to keep his job.
** The biggest example of the series is Aiko Iwase, who thinks she is better than anyone else and trashes manga in comparison to literature. When she meets her rival Takagi, who isn't a professional mangaka at the time, but he does not give a fuck about her already being an infamous author, she's quite shocked to learn that the Weekly Shonen Jump sells multiple times more than her books do, so she starts becoming a mangaka to surpass Takagi. At first, her manga becomes very popular, since her partner is the young genius Nizuma, but when the quality of her story goes down, she is stuck in a crisis, until fellow mangakas motivate her to continue her manga again; since this point, Iwase mellows out of her icy ego.
* In the beginning of ''Manga/BlackClover'', Noelle is a haughty royal who believes that she's superior to commoners because she's been mocked all her life by her family for her PowerIncontinence, giving her very low self-esteem as a result. By being accepted by the Black Bulls and gaining confidence as she develops her magic, she grows out of it, even telling a little peasant girl at the Star Festival that social status shouldn't matter.
* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'': Nnoitra Gilga proclaims himself the strongest Espada (despite being only the 5th strongest one), acting extremely egotistical during his fights. But beneath his arrogant front is man with a deep inferiority complex. He had an inability to win fights, especially against Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck who at the time was the 3rd Espada. That, combined with Nelliel disrespecting and pitying him for his destructive stupidity, caused him to develop a grudge against her that motivated him to ambush her. As his fight with Zaraki Kenpachi starts to drag on, he gets increasingly more desperate and frustrated over being unable to beat the mighty Captain. He hates being spared by an opponent, viewing it as the biggest disrespect to a warrior.
* In ''Manga/Brave10'', Nanakuma is [[{{Tsundere}} tsuntsun]] and extremely haughty, but it's because he's afraid everyone thinks he's the inferior twin and he's desperate to [[CainAndAbel surpass his brother as a result]].
* Chang Ho from ''Manhwa/TheBreaker'', at first, appears to just be a random bully who really doesn't have a reason to harass the protagonist Shi Woon, going so far as to nearly make Shi Woon DrivenToSuicide. However, near the end of ''The Breaker'', and early in the sequel, ''Manga/TheBreakerNewWaves'', the reason becomes clear. Chang Ho is an [[EpicFail abject failure]] in ''everything''. Beating up Shi Woon, [[AdultsAreUseless and getting away with it]] was the only thing he was good at. Once Shi Woon [[TookALevelInBadass is strong and skilled enough to defend himself]] Chang Ho completely loses it and becomes downright desperate to beat Shi Woon, and anyone close to him. He goes after Sae He, trying to gang-rape her. When that fails, thanks to Shi Woon's reckless BigDamnHeroes, and he ultimately gets his ass handed to him, he joins "Soldiers Under Command" and happily swallows their lies about him being "the ''True'' disciple" of 9AD, along with a bunch of experimental drugs, like the Illwundon, and was actually willing to die, rather than admit that Shi Woon is actually a better fighter, never mind a better person in every way. It doesn't excuse his behavior by any means, but it does explain it to some extent.
* In ''Manga/DailyLivesOfHighSchoolBoys'', Girls-only Sanada East's StudentCouncilPresident [[OnlyKnownByTheirNickname Ringo-chan]] only started to have an extremely large ego as she noticed how the boys-only Sanada North has a far more well-run student council.
* Ruruka Ando in ''Anime/Danganronpa3TheEndOfHopesPeakHighSchool'' was known as the [[SupremeChef "Ultimate Confectionist"]]. Like some other [[TheAce Hope's Peak students]], she began to believe that talent was all that matters in life and developed bitter anxiety towards people who wouldn't eat her sweets as she [[BrokenAce thought it was all she had to offer]]. This ends up poisoning her relationship with her [[WeUsedToBeFriends best friend]] with tragic results once the new DeadlyGame kicks off.
* ''Manga/DeathNote'':
** Light seems to be living his life under the assumption that he has to be ''perfect''. Perfect student, perfect son... and then he kills two people by accident just to satisfy his curiosity and his boredom. [[BrokenAce That ruins everything.]] [[GoMadFromTheRevelation It makes him a murderer, evil]]. The only way to become "perfect" again is [[ZerothLawRebellion to become Justice]], [[AGodAmI to become God]]. In his own words, "If Kira is caught, then Kira is evil. [[WrittenByTheWinners If he wins and rules the world, Kira is justice."]] [[BreakTheHaughty He gets caught]]. As per the trope, at times he comes off as desperate to prove himself -- especially in his interactions with L, where he seems to get overly excited even when he gets simple answers right. And "feeling better about themselves by putting others down"...does the ''whole world'' count?
** Mello is a more typical example of the trope -- though Light does count. Ranked second best at a school for genii, Mello is motivated by his ''raging inferiority complex'' which drives him to [[TheUnfettered do whatever it takes]] to prove he's number one and beat Kira and Near. He grows up from being the slighted [[TheBully school bully]] into becoming [[FromNobodyToNightmare a terrorist mafia lord]].
* ''Anime/DigimonAdventure02'': Ken Ichijouji during his stint as the Digimon Kaiser/Emperor. While he claimed to be the "only perfect human being", and frequently called other people derogatory epithets like "maggots" and "insects", he was actually crippled by a sense of worthlessness and guilt. The "superiority" part falls away completely [[spoiler:once he pulls his HeelFaceTurn]].
* ''Franchise/DragonBall'':
** Vegeta of ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' has this problem for most of the series. Although he boasts about being the strongest and the prince of his race, he's come across as having an inferiority complex given his constant need to prove himself and his inability to take trash talk. Not helped by Goku always being one step ahead of him, despite all the training he does and Goku being a low-class warrior. His insecurities reached a head in the Buu Saga where Vegeta sold his morality and family for power just so he could finally beat Goku and regain his status of being the best. It isn't until near the end of the series that he finally makes peace with being second best and takes real pride in what he has.
** Krillin in the [[Manga/DragonBall original series]]. He acts cocky, self-assured, and is a bit of a smartass, but it's all to hide his crippling low self-esteem. He was bullied mercilessly at his former temple for being weak and small, causing him to eventually run away. After becoming friends with Goku and gaining confidence in himself, he drops the superiority act. However, [[CantCatchUp he becomes very aware of how weak he is compared to all the monsters in the universe]], which causes his inferiority complex to return, except he now covers it with humor and self-deprecation.
** In the video games, BigBad Turles from ''Anime/TheTreeOfMight'' becomes this through his interactions with characters he never had the chance to meet in the movie, most notably the higher-class 'Elites' Nappa and Vegeta but also Goku, who he mocks for "all the clumsiness I'd expect of a low-class warrior" despite being a low-class Saiyan himself.
* Louise of ''LightNovel/TheFamiliarOfZero'' is a JerkAss noble that believes she's superior to her {{Love Interest|s}} (who she refers to as a "dog"), but [[TroubledAbuser deep inside she has very low self-esteem]] due to bullying and taunts about [[ACupAngst her breasts]]. Not to mention the pressures from both societal expectations and being a member of the most prominent family next to the royal family of Tristain, and wanting to live up to the Legacy of her mother, the legendary Karin The Heavy Wind.
* In ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'', this is pretty much the reason the homunculi sadistically torment humans. This is most explicitly brought up in the case of [[GreenEyedMonster Envy]].
* Gouda, the primary villain of ''Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex Second Gig'' is driven by such a complex. He has a [[RedRightHand horribly scarred face]] that he deliberately kept because he thought it made him look distinctive and notable, and all his crimes are ultimately about getting people to acknowledge his genius. He's ''pissed'' when Batou points out [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech that he's a poser who needed a virus to artificially trigger a Stand Alone Complex instead of coming up with something cool enough that people would do so voluntarily like the Laughing Man incident]].
* ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'':
** Karozo Ronah, the BigBad of ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamF91'', has this as the rotten core of his villainy in spite of the supposedly high-minded ideals of Cosmo Babylonia he spouts. He's not a true Ronah, having married into the villainy, and when his wife Nadia abandoned him for another man he volunteered to become a Cyber-Newtype, throwing himself into the Cosmo Babylonia ideology to cover for his wounded insecurities (which come out anyway in his reunion with Nadia and battle with his daughter, Berah Ronah aka Cecily Fairchild).
** Tieria Erde from ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundam00 Gundam 00]]'' starts out as a cold, high-and-mighty JerkAss, but when ''he'' makes the kind of mistake he calls his fellow Meisters out on, his disappointment in himself is such that he ''bursts into tears''. And as soon as the supercomputer he's so faithful to ditches him altogether, it's revealed that he's too insecure to do anything on his own without it.
* In a way, the title character of ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya''. When she was a little girl, she thought of herself as special until her parents took her to a sporting event and she saw a stadium full of people. She realized then just how many people were alive in the world, and how utterly unremarkable she really was. It's downplayed (in fact, no one may even know it but Kyon), but her forceful and loud personality and attempts to have adventures are a conscious effort to make herself unique. From the other side of things, she's the only one who ''doesn't'' know that she is truly unique (and might possibly be {{God}}).
%%* Prussia, America, and England of ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'' all have shades of this.
* ''Manga/InuYasha'': Sesshomaru's [[SiblingRivalry animosity]] towards Inuyasha was hiding a [[WellDoneSonGuy crippling fear that his late father viewed him]] as the [[TheUnfavorite less-favored son]]. He successfully hid these fears from everyone, including himself, by [[BigBrotherBully insulting]] Inuyasha's HalfHumanHybrid heritage while touting his own BlueBlood lineage. Inevitably, it comes out into the open in the [[AwfulTruth worst possible way]] leading Sesshoumaru to the conclusion that his father had been grooming Inuyasha to kill him. He eventually realizes that his father actually had faith in his ability to become a BigBrotherMentor and settles for being an AloofBigBrother who turns up [[IWasJustPassingThrough by accident]] whenever Inuyasha's group needs help.
* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'':
** Terence T. D'Arby from ''Manga/StardustCrusaders'' believes himself to be superior in every way to his older brother [[TheGambler Daniel J. D'Arby]]. [[spoiler: This makes Jotaro's statement that Daniel would have been able to figure out that Jotaro was cheating right away all the more humiliating]].
** Formaggio from ''Manga/GoldenWind'' has this, stemming from his teammates’ constant belittlement of him for having such a weak [[FightingSpirit Stand]] [[IncredibleShrinkingMan ability]].
** ''Manga/{{JoJolion}}'''s Joshu Higashikata's {{Jerkass}} tendencies come from his jealousy over people he feels are more talented than him.
* Takeshi's younger brother Gekkou from ''LightNovel/MagicalWarfare'' towards Takeshi. Gekkou's hatred of his brother is fueled by a belief that he's inferior to him thus his desire to take everything from Takeshi (Kurumi, Twilight, personal pride) to make himself feel better.
* In the anime/manga version of ''Literature/TheHeroicLegendOfArslan'', some characters suspect the reason why Silvermask is so quick to proclaim himself as "His Highness" or the rightful king of Pars and becomes infuriated when people don't acknowledge him as such is that he is jealous that Arslan can freely call himself "prince" and people easily flock to Arslan's banner instead of Silvermask's.
* Tetsuya Tsurugi from ''Anime/MazingerZ'' and ''Anime/GreatMazinger'', [[UnbuiltTrope who was created twenty years before]], was EXACTLY like Asuka, word for word. He was a HotBlooded AcePilot and was so arrogant, anyone who questioned his skills had trouble with him. Sometimes he seemed more concerned with showing off than with protecting humanity when he fought the enemy, and he could not stand someone showing him up. That same arrogance also made him bickering with [[{{Tsundere}} Jun]], and Tetsuya WouldHitAGirl even though Jun is both his {{Love Interest|s}}, his BattleCouple, and [[NotBloodRelated adoptive]] [[BrotherSisterIncest sister]]. However, he had a massive complex of inferiority and lacked a sense of self-worth. He was so arrogant because he was permanently afraid of someone replacing him and taking his reason for existing away, and his self-esteem issues were so big he thought his adoptive sister would dump him for someone she barely knew.
* ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'':
** This is all but shown explicitly to be behind most of Bakugo's bravado; he feels the need to prove himself superior to everyone so that no one will look down on him. In particular, he wants to prove himself superior to Midoriya (who attempted to save him from a villain at the start of the series and later defeated him in a training exercise) and All Might (who ''did'' save him from the villain). In fact, a bonus chapter had Uraraka point-blank tell Bakugo this is why he is so antagonistic to his former friend. Despite belittling and insulting him, he always shows great fear in Midoriya's massive leaps in improvement because deep down, he knows that Midoriya is much worthier of being a better hero than he is.
** Also Aoyama, who is always standing out in his way, is shown to "just want to be equal as everyone" later in the manga, being told there that "Your standards must be off if you don't know you are equal as us" in a moment of awesomeness.
** It's implied that Endeavor's need to surpass All Might, and the [[AbusiveParents horrific treatment of his family that happened as a result]], are rooted in his low opinion of anyone who's not the best, himself included. Furthermore, he's hampered by the physical limitations of his Hellfire Quirk; he risks overheating if used extensively, which is why he tries to finish fights quickly in single shots lest he burns himself out. This is why he banks on Shoto to become his successor since Shoto's Ice and Fire balance each other and thus are not prone to the weaknesses that hamper him or [[spoiler:that possibly crippled his oldest son and original successor, Touya, whose weaker constitution toward heat made his problem toward his own fire Quirk ''worse'' than his father, as implied to be discovered in a training accident]]. He has a mental breakdown when [[spoiler:he becomes the top-ranked hero on a technicality due to All Might's retirement]] because he believes he is unworthy of the recognition and responsibilities. [[spoiler:It takes a personal talk with All Might to finally understand what it really means to be the Symbol of Peace and try and fix what and who he damaged over the years]].
* Alan in ''LightNovel/MyNextLifeAsAVillainessAllRoutesLeadToDoom'' acts all arrogant and condescending, but it's only because he's jealous of his more talented brother. When he finds something he can do better than him, he mellows out and turns out to be a really nice guy.
* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'':
** It's pretty clear that Sasuke's need to defeat Itachi was driven almost as much by his need to finally prove himself better than his brother for revenge. Being born the AlwaysSecondBest to a genius older brother and the WellDoneSonGuy of a distant father were bad enough, but even then, Itachi and Sasuke were quite close, with Sasuke thinking the world of his older brother while Itachi being protective of Sasuke. Then, said brother killed his entire family and told him to hate and grow strong to be worthy to face him. [[FromBadToWorse Then]] Itachi showed up again years later, looking for Naruto, which is what set off Sasuke (both because of this and because well, Itachi was going to target his precious people once more). Sasuke utterly lost and underwent another dose of mental trauma that unstabilized him. It didn't help that Naruto was finally growing strong enough to challenge and maybe surpass Sasuke, the top student in their class. All this was a recipe for a tragic FaceHeelTurn. [[spoiler:Made more ironic when you realize how Itachi ''played'' that complex, why he did so, and how it all went wrong.]] He also shows some behavior of this type towards Naruto himself, though much of this ties into his issues with Itachi. To Sasuke's mind, if Naruto can advance faster than him/become his equal, then he isn't advancing fast enough himself and has no chance of catching up with Itachi. This flaw of his was lampshaded verbatim by Kakashi in an episode.
** Naruto as well, albeit in a different way. In the beginning, his bratty, braggart attitude, and dreams to be Hokage were driven by a need to be acknowledged by the village and not be viewed as a monster, but as Naruto Uzumaki. His initial rivalry with Sasuke was fueled by his need to prove himself equal to the haughty top student who deep down felt the same sort of pain and loneliness as him (and wanted to befriend him.) Unlike Sasuke though, Naruto would shed his complex as he got people that cared about him and vice versa (which makes for an interesting counterpart to Sasuke, whose process became ''worse'' over time, albeit that was Itachi's doing.) In fact, by the time of ''Shippuden'', he's actually prone to HeroicSelfDeprecation, which increases as he grows stronger (sadly as a result of him reflecting on his failures to save the people he cares about.)
** Neji seemed to have this to an extent as well. Behind his ArrogantKungFuGuy attitude he belied a huge complex over being a member of the Hyuga's Branch Family, a fate he deeply resented and desperately wanted to escape, even if he would never admit it out loud. Instead, he took out his own insecurities on those he perceived as weaker than him (his teammate Lee and his cousin Hinata) to feel better about himself, and [[BerserkButton he would react with anger]] if somebody exposed those insecurities to him, as it happened in both his fights with Hinata and Naruto. Thankfully he dropped this mindset [[DefeatMeansFriendship after Naruto defeated him]].
** Madara Uchiha's complex towards [[spoiler:the 1st Hokage]] is probably the most extreme example in the series. In a flashback, even mentioning his name was enough to tick Madara off. In fact, much of the conflict in the current story can ultimately be traced back to Madara's inability to accept being AlwaysSecondBest to him and his reaction to this.
** The entire history of shinobi was orchestrated using this. Black Zetsu used Indra's jealousy and frustrations with Asura to start a centuries-long conflict that would end with Naruto and Sasuke.
* Asuka Langley Soryu from ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' is practically the poster child for this trope. Outwardly she comes across as haughty, arrogant, prideful, and annoying. In reality that is a false persona that she dons to cover up her debilitating lack of self-esteem and [[IJustWantToHaveFriends gut-wrenching fear of being replaced and/or abandoned]], a product of childhood trauma. She's a textbook case of real-life Narcissistic Personality Disorder.
* ''Manga/OnePiece'':
** Usopp alternates between bragging about his skills and being cowardly or deeply insecure about his skills. He worries constantly about [[CantCatchUp being left behind]] and that the Straw Hats don't want or need him. Fortunately, through events and building up his confidence, he realized that yes, the Straw Hats want him because they are TrueCompanions and he becomes more courageous and self-confident.
** The flashbacks in the Fish-Man Island arc reveal Arlong has one of these as part of his HiddenDepths, which only becomes obvious in hindsight. It turns out the reason why Arlong was in the East Blue is that he once got his ass kicked by Borsalino (the future Admiral Kizaru) after trying to avenge the death of Fisher Tiger, teaching him a brutal lesson about how far away he was from the real top-tier fighters of the world. This, in combination with getting his ass kicked ''again'', this time by his "brother" Jimbei, convinced Arlong he had no shot at measuring up to the real monsters of the Grand Line, causing him to run off to the East Blue to find any personal success as a pirate. Thus, all his boasting during the East Blue saga about his superiority and the superiority of Fish-men is really just him trying to prop up his fragile ego after those two crushing defeats.
* Sae from ''Manga/PeachGirl'' has a high and mighty opinion of herself and literally gets a big head over things working out in her favor. She often spreads gossip around to make people distrust Momo, which is done as a result of her own jealousy and insecurity and to bring herself up.
* ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'':
** Iris used to taunt Ash about his battle skills and always called him a kid. But one episode reveals ''why'' she keeps doing it: [[spoiler:she couldn't battle well when her Excadrill starts ignoring her]]. When this is solved, Iris becomes much friendlier to Ash... though she ''still'' calls him a kid from time to time.
** Ash himself was like this in the Kanto arc. He had his bratty and asshole moments due to his own insecurities about the mistakes he made as a rookie trainer. It didn’t help that people would always put him down for it. He grows out of this once he improves as a trainer.
** In the ''Sun & Moon'' series, this also applies to Guzma, the leader of Team Skull, who often rants about how he is 'undefeated' when in reality most of his 'non-defeats' were just because he was in one-on-one battles that triggered his Golisopod's Emergency Exit and he claimed that he didn't see the point in continuing the fight.
* A few characters from ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena'' have distinct shades of this:
** Kyouichi Saionji is a massive {{jerkass}} who acts arrogant during duels and with regards to Anthy ([[DomesticAbuse whom he regularly batters]]) but is also hinted to have issues with self-loathing and has a ''huge'' inferiority complex with regards to his childhood frenemy Touga, which drives him to assert himself in horrible ways.
** Nanami Kiryuu is the {{Rich|Bitch}} AlphaBitch of Ohtori's middle school, but when her beloved big brother (the aforementioned Touga, who just about all her feelings of superiority hinge on) starts screwing her over later in the series, it turns out that she has very little in the way of intrinsic feelings of self-worth. The fact that she [[spoiler:drowned Touga's kitten as a small child]] doesn't help, fuelling both her extreme clinginess towards her brother (partly out of penance) and her hatred of herself.
* Ayaka Machida from ''Anime/StellviaOfTheUniverse'' has a psychological need to be TheAce and will go to criminal lengths to ensure that. In the [[RousseauWasRight entire show]], she is pretty much the only character who would willingly hurt another, as she does to [[spoiler:Yayoi and Shima (almost), who were both better than her in piloting. When she fails to eliminate Shima and the truth comes out, she is pretty much crushed. Ironically, she is redeemed by Yayoi herself, who loves her too much to ''not'' forgive her]]. This helps Ayaka to acknowledge that there are pilots better than her and to simply enjoy flying with them (particularly Yayoi) instead of competing.
* ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'': Sugou Nobuyuki fancies himself a big and powerful man, even [[AGodAmI declaring himself a god]], but he's ultimately nothing but a poor imitation of [[AlwaysSomeoneBetter Akihiko Kayaba]] and he knows it. When the latter's VirtualGhost intervenes and grants Kirito GameMaster powers to turn the tables in his favor, Sugou whines and throws a temper tantrum over the fact that even with Kayaba dead, he's ''still'' AlwaysSecondBest. Kirito even lampshades it; while both of them were defeated by Kayaba and forced to work for him, Kirito defied Kayaba while Sugou wants to ''be'' him.
* Kamina, of all people, from ''[[Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann Gurren Lagann]]'' shows a lot of bravado and pulls one crazy stunt after the next, from going up against a HumongousMecha armed with nothing but a katana to [[GrandTheftPrototype hijacking an enemy mech while in the middle of a fight against said mech]], combining two mechs by literally stabbing one of them down into the other from the top and finally stealing ''another even bigger'' mech in the middle of a battle. And yet, he reveals in Episode 7 that he is actually just as scared as everyone else, if not more so, but acts tough solely for Simon's sake, and that Simon was the one who actually kept him alive all along, and that he doesn't think he can actually do anything without Simon.
* Shutaro Mendo from ''Manga/UruseiYatsura'', though it's not so much his pride hiding insecurity as his pride being so central to his character that he tends to collapse when it's topped. Like when Rei showed up and was judged better looking, he immediately began ranting about how money was all that mattered, and how he keeps rolling into the fetal position every time Ryunuske reveals that she's getting more love letters than him.
* To different extents, both Kaiba and Dark Yugi from ''Manga/YuGiOh''.
** In the former's case, he was an orphan whose only pride was chess and forced the mogul of a big company to adopt him in a chess game. He subsequently takes over the company by force and is obsessed with being number 1. When Dark Yugi beats him in a duel, he becomes obsessed with revenge and coming out on top. In both lives, he seems to have an inferiority complex regarding Yugi, and will only acknowledge him as a rival. While consistently looking down on others, he has a chip on his shoulder in both lifetimes.
** The latter's case happens in the manga up until Duelist Kingdom -- he is confident in his abilities in games to the point of pride and aggression getting the better of him. This seems to be because he doesn't know who he is and assumes that he is merely some other form of Yugi intended to protect him. When he's confronted with the fear of actually having to face loss and not being able to protect Yugi's loved ones, he retreats further into his assumed gaming prowess, underestimating Mai to focus on Pegasus. He grows out of this by admitting his fear, acknowledging the possibility of losing and his pride effectively stops hampering when he learns he was once human, not just a spirit created by the Puzzle.
----
