History Main / BarbaricBully

On the flipside, though, these kinds of bullies tend to be all brawn and no brain, sometimes bordering on TooDumbToLive. In this case, their victim tends to find a way to outsmart them, maybe even humiliate them in the process.

[[folder:Comics]]

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[[quoteright:300:[[WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddparents https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/barbaric_bully.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:300:To see the nerds driven before me, and to hear the lamentations of their math club.]]

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This kind of bullying easily lends itself to the visual media, since a loud, fleeting schoolyard scuffle is much more interesting to watch on the big screen than hours of more subtle psychological torment. A climactic fistfight with a bully also provides a much simpler (and easier) way for writers to resolve a conflict, whereas psychological/social bullying doesn't give viewers a loud spectacle, it is harder for adults to recognize and resolve (and harder for victims to prove), and it requires far more attention to CharacterDevelopment to make it convincing (since a bully has to be believably popular to have the circle of friends needed to pull it off). At the end of the day, delving into the consequences of scrapes and bruises is a far easier job for writers than delving into the consequences of depression, self-loathing and social isolation.

Interestingly, this represents something of a gender DoubleStandard as well, since thuggish bullies in fiction will almost exclusively be male, with the most common of such being the JerkJock, whereas the few times that psychological bullying ''is'' shown, it will exclusively be the domain of petty, giggling {{Alpha Bitch}}es who torment less popular girls with verbal barbs. With female bullies, physical fights will shown to be the incredibly rare exception to the rule, while the opposite is true of male bullies. Much like with brutish male bullies, though, dealing with a bullying AlphaBitch will invariably be as simple as dispatching her with a cathartic series of pranks or a simple verbal smackdown.

This is on its way to becoming a DiscreditedTrope with the recent rash of cyberbullying and bullying-related suicides making news, but it only makes the few works that cling to this misconception stick out like a sore thumb. With tighter security in schools in the post-Columbine era, fistfights in crowded high school hallways in full view of crowds are also far less believable that they once were. For this reason, it also tends to be far more common in works that are at least a decade old. However, due to ValuesDissonance, it is still TruthInTelevision in the United Kingdom, especially as there have been well-publicised reports of teachers being unable to control their students there - so it is still an OmnipresentTrope in British educational programmes (e.g. ''Series/WaterlooRoad'') and a CyclicTrope elsewhere in British society, despite cyberbullying being common.

* ''Manga/OnePiece'' has the Vinsmoke Siblings. Yonji, Ichiji, and Niji's treatment of their brother [[spoiler:Sanji]] when they were kids was absolutely horrendous.
* Gian (Giant) in ''Manga/{{Doraemon}}.'' Well early on anyway, later appearances tended to make him more of an [[VitriolicBestBuds On and Off friend]] or even a [[GentleGiant Gentle Gian]].
* Katsuki Bakugo from ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'' provides his EstablishingCharacterMoment by mentioning that he's been bullying Izuku Midoriya (TheHero) for 10 years because [[FantasticRacism Izuku's Quirkless]] and gives him a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech that ends with him telling Izuku [[SuicideDare that he should kill himself and hope that he reincarnates into someone with powers]], and even when he eventually demonstrates that he has a HiddenHeartOfGold he absolutely refuses to stop being a {{Jerkass}} and loves to use his Quirk on anything that pisses him off (usually Izuku, [[HairTriggerTemper which is way too often]])... and considering that his Quirk is [[HavingABlast the capacity to sweat nitroglycerine and set it off at will]], "anything that pisses him off" usually has to [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere run like hell]].
* At the beginning of ''LightNovel/AccelWorld'', Araya's EstablishingCharacterMoment is to force Haruyuki Arita to buy him and his gang lunches or else he will beat the crap out of Haru. Not only that, but Araya uses an illegal program in his neurolinker that will let him know when the security cameras are watching so he can get off scot-free. Even Haru's friends don't bother reporting Araya's bullying to the school's staff. Eventually, Kuroyukihime pulls a BatmanGambit to get Araya and his gang arrested and expelled, which helps Haru get back his sense of self-worth.

* Moe, from ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes''. Calvin has occasionally compared him to a Neanderthal. [[BullyingADragon To his face]]. Though Moe is very much the DumbMuscle, so sometimes Calvin's insults fly right over his head.
-->'''Calvin''': If I'm going to get beaten up, I'd at least like to deserve it.
* Skinner, Barrow and Cheeseman, from ''ComicBook/TheSandman'' story "Charles Rowland Concludes His Education", are a particularly dark spin on this. When they were alive, their bullying involved murdering another student as part of a Satanic ritual. When they're brought back as ghosts, their bullying of the titular protagonist extends to them [[spoiler: torturing him to death]].
* The Bryer brothers from the ''ComicBook/New52'' reboot of ''ComicBook/{{Shazam}}'' (and the [[Film/Shazam2019 2019 movie adaptation]]) who attack a smaller, disabled kid two-on-one just because they can.
* ''ComicBook/RobinSeries'': The brutal bullies Mark Meachum and Josh Stanzland get transferred to Tim's high school along with a bunch of other students due to school shutdowns in the wake of the devastating man-made earthquakes that lead to ''ComicBook/BatmanNoMansLand''. The campus and staff were not equipped to deal with the influx of students and after getting away with repeated cruel acts in public they eventually dragged their favorite victim to the wooded area behind the football field and beat him to death.

* Goenma Nakamura in ''Fanfic/QuirkIncubus'' is a bully with a SuperStrength quirk that goes to Izuku and Bakugo's school who had to repeat the eight grade multiple times and has been to juvie. When Bakugo stopped bullying Izuku, Nakamura began to fill that roll, going so far as to [[KickTheDog threaten to tell the whole class about Izuku's quirk if he fights back]].

* ''Film/TheKarateKid'' is a major offender on a casual level, since it ends with a bullied kid solving his problems by besting his tormenters in a karate tournament. It operates under the belief that victory in a fight always stops bullying, which is a big contributor to this trope. A closer look however, will reveal that Mr. Miyagi actually solves the bully problem more indirectly well beforehand: when he and Daniel agree to compete in the tournament at all, he forces the bullies' karate instructor to make them leave Daniel alone during his training period. Further, Daniel earns the respect of most of the bullies not by beating them up, but by showing his determination and good sportsmanship. The one who (reluctantly and under the instruction of his corrupt sensei) cripples Daniel's leg is bawling in apology immediately afterwards, having realized that his actions crossed the line.
** ''The Karate Kid'''s bullies are referenced in ''Film/TheSocialNetwork'', where the Winklevoss twins worry that attempting legal action against Zuckerberg might make them look like thuggish bullies.
* In ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan'', Flash Thompson's EstablishingCharacterMoment involves him dangling a kid upside down over a picnic table in the middle of a crowded high school quad while dozens of other kids cheer him on. And a few seconds later, he beats the snot out of Peter Parker in full view of said kids, and somehow manages to get away without any consequences. Even Gwen Stacy doesn't bother to help Peter beyond telling him to see the school nurse (because, as per this trope, the damage inflicted by bullies can always be solved with a trip to the nurse and a few bandaids). Eventually, though, [[spoiler:he sympathizes with Peter after Uncle Ben is killed, and ends up becoming a friend.]]
* The Nasty of ''Film/TheNeverendingStory 3''. Led by Creator/JackBlack.

** Dudley Dursley and his gang are introduced as a bunch of big, muscular bullies whose animosity towards Harry (complete with Dudley's game of "Harry Hunting") is matched only by their dimwittedness. Averted with Draco Malfoy, who is a far more complex, conniving portrayal of the high school bully and leaves the physical stuff to Crabbe and Goyle, who do very much fit this trope. [[spoiler: Both Dudley and Malfoy eventually get a dose of reality and grow up.]]
** Harry's dad is eventually revealed to have been a bully like Draco in his early years, with young Sirius fitting this trope the way Crabbe and Goyle did as his more physical enforcer type. He too grew out of it.
* ''Literature/TomBrownsSchooldays'' does this with the bully Flashman and his crowd. The episode of ''Series/RippingYarns'' mentioned below is a parody of it.
* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}''
** ''Literature/{{Pyramids}}'', the first section of which is also largely a parody of ''Tom Brown'', has Fliemoe (because one of Flashman's cronies was called Speedicut, which is also a make of lawnmower, so...) The ''Assassins' Guild Diary'' notes that the school does not regard bullying as a problem, but an exercise in the guild-related skills -- and if the victims turn out to be surprisingly skilled at making the bullies pay in unexpected ways, they don't regard ''that'' as a problem either.
** In ''Literature/{{Hogfather}}'', the student wizard Mr Sideney, having fallen in with a criminal gang, finds that one of them strongly reminds him of Ronnie Jenks, the bully at his old dame-school (quasi-medieval primary or elementary). This is foreshadowing, since when the gang members are forced to confront their greatest childhood fears, Sideney realises he's back at the dame school.
--->Adult memory and understanding said that Ronnie was just an unintelligent bullet-headed seven-year-old bully with muscles where his brain should have been. The eye of childhood, rather more accurately, dreaded him as a force like a personalized earthquake with one nostril bunged up with bogies, both knees scabbed, both fists balled and all five brain cells concentrated in a kind of cerebral grunt.
* ''Literature/TheBadUnicornTrilogy'': Ricky [[RedBaron "the Kraken"]] Reynolds. In one of his first appearances, ''[[WouldHitAGirl he provokes a fight with a girl]]''[[note]][[ActionGirl Good thing she completely whoops his butt]].[[/note]] Taken Up to Eleven when he [[spoiler:is turned into a monster]].
* Creator/StephenKing has a very, ''very'' long list of examples, like [[GenderInvertedTrope Chris Hargensen]] from ''Literature/{{Carrie}}'', but his crowning example is without a doubt Henry Bowers from ''Literature/{{It}}'', the poster boy of this trope. Some of his misdeeds include trying to carve his name into Ben's belly with a knife, killing Mike's dog by feeding it poisoned meat, and smearing snow in Stan's face until he bleeds. And this was way before Pennywise took over his mind.

* The very first episode of ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' involves a JerkJock and his buddies dragging Clark Kent out to a cornfield and leaving him chained to a post in his boxers like a scarecrow. Despite the stunt being grounds for arrest, this is said to be an annual tradition of the Smallville High football team.
* 'In "Tomkinsons' Schooldays," the first episode of ''Series/RippingYarns'', "School Bully" is an actual title. Tomkinson is bullied by the School Bully, and actually earns the job by the end of the episode.
* Loca from ''Series/ThatsSoRaven'' is a female version of the classic thuggish bully.
* ''Series/FamilyMatters'' ''is'' this trope. In fact, here's a fun challenge: watch the entire series from start to finish and name one under-20 male character (besides, of course, Urkel and Eddie) who isn't a thuggish bully or complete jerk.
** Even Waldo, before being rewritten as a KindheartedSimpleton, was originally a bully in his earliest appearances.
* Subverted with Alan on ''Series/FreaksAndGeeks'', who's neither athletic nor popular. He tends to use psychological torment more often than physical torment, only really resorting to physical torment when it's convenient (ie. after school).

* The JerkJock clique that appears on the ''Series/CriminalMinds'' episode "Elephant's Memory" is a spectacular case-both because of the bad things they have done to the Unsub of the Week (and made him an "injustice collector"), [[DisproportionateRetribution and]] [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge because]] [[MultipleGunshotDeath of how the]] [[WhosLaughingNow bullied kid]] [[MoreDakka takes them out]].
** In the same episode it's revealed that both [[TheSmartGuy Reid]], as a [[ChildProdigy "ten year old in a Las Vegas public high school"]], and [[TheBigGuy Morgan]] were physically bullied at school to various degrees. The "highlight" of Reid's experience was being lured to the football field by a pretty girl, ambushed, stripped and tied naked to a goal post in front of half the school.
* Troy from the first season of ''Series/StrangerThings'' starts off as just a typical schoolyard bully. The worst he did was trip Mike, making him bang his chin against a rock. But then, during the wake for Will at the school, Mike sees Troy and his friend James actaully ''laughing'' while the principal is giving a eulogy. And when Mike calls them out on it, Troy has the nerve to make a cruel joke about Will. Eleven gets back at him by using her powers to make Troy wet his pants in front of the whole school. At this point, Troy is more psychotic as the next time we see him, he chases Mike and Dustin to the cliff where Will's body was found, points a switchblade at Dustin's mouth and threatens to cut out his teeth unless Mike jumps off the cliff. [[EvenEvilHasStandards Even Troy's friend James thinks he's gone too far]]
** In season two, we are introduced to Max's older brother, Billy, who is ten times worse. He is always putting Max down and even tries to ''run over Mike, Dustin, and Lucas with his car'' just because Max talked back to him.
* ''Series/Daybreak2019'' shows Jayden Hoyles. He brutally beats up other classmates and also robs them. He is so brutal in the fights that even other bullys are disgusted with him. To do this, he repeatedly urges a young girl to have sex (it's just a step below a rape). After the apocalypse, he is [[AssholeVictim mauled and raped to death]] by a mutant, giant dog.

* Angelface in ''VideoGame/SkoolDaze'' and its sequel ''VideoGame/BackToSkool'' punches fellow students pretty much constantly, even in view of the teachers.
* Susie in ''{{VideoGame/Deltarune}}'' smashes Kris against the lockers of their school, and threatens to [[TearOffYourFace bite their face off]] in her introductory scene. Susie spends much of the game trying (with variable success) to solve her problems with violence or fear, even resorting to a FaceHeelTurn over how "lame" she finds the more pacifistic Ralsei's options. She mellows out by the end.

* WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic find this InUniverse to be a PetPeeveTrope, partly because the bullies tend to be so one-dimensional, and partly because they never seem to be having fun with their bullying (just doing it because [[ForTheEvulz they're evil]]).

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', Dolph, Kearney, and Jimbo are an ObviouslyEvil gang of petty criminals with intimidating looks and dress (skull t-shirts, spiked wristbands, etc.) who are identified more than once as being "from the mean streets", and get into fights every chance they get. They're also unambiguously identified as "the bullies" by everyone, and they're the only kids at Springfield Elementary who are explicitly labeled as such. Principal Skinner actually introduced Jimbo to his students as their school bully.
** DependingOnTheWriter, Nelson Muntz. Not as tall as the previous three, but definitely heavier and more thuggish-looking than the other kids (and on his first appearance requiring Bart ''to band together an army of fellow kids and make him sign an armistice pact'' in order to make him stop beating up Bart daily). In later seasons he his given HiddenDepths and his bullying is largely restricted to taunting.
** The episode "Bye Bye Nerdie" has Francine, who is a rare female example of a physical bully.
* Averted in ''WesternAnimation/{{Pelswick}}''. Since the title character is in a wheelchair, the school bully Boyd knows he can't punch him because "[[EvenEvilHasStandards you can't punch a kid in a wheelchair]]". However, Pelswick [[BullyingTheDisabled is still his favorite target]] and Boyd picks on him using psychological means such as taunting on the stairs, forcing him to grovel for a rare trading card, or manipulating a popularity list.
%%* Wolfgang from ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' is a perfect example.
* Buford von Stomm in ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'' is a [[CardCarryingVillain card-carrying bully]] who spends nearly every other scene pounding a weaker kid (usually Baljeet), to the point that it comes off more as a pastime than an act of violence. He also has the stature and IQ of a troll, and wears a black skull t-shirt 24/7. The musical number about him provides the page quote.
** However, after the first few episodes (such as the one from which the page quote originated), he [[ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything does much less bullying]], and hints start being dropped that he's [[SmarterThanYouLook not nearly as dumb as he acts.]]
* Francis in ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddparents''. He's about twice the size of everyone else at his school, he wears heavy chains on his clothes, he has grey skin, he apparently feeds first graders to his dog, and he's brought medieval weapons to school on at least one occasion. You know...just like bullies in real life.
* Roger Klotz in ''WesternAnimation/{{Doug}}'' is a mild case. He has the stereotypical "tough guy" looks (chains, black leather jacket, and [[AmazingTechnicolorPopulation slime-green skin]]), and is usually ''threatening'' people with acts of violence, but generally confines his bullying to the occasional name-calling, as [[EvenEvilHasStandards even he would never actually go through with his threats]], and is terrified of people who actually ''want'' to beat him up. In the show's defense, though, the writers usually don't attempt to use bullying as a major source of drama, and Doug always manages to resolve his conflicts peacefully.
%%* Gelman from ''WesternAnimation/{{Recess}}''
* Gilda from ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' is never seen physically assaulting anypony, but she fits much of the stereotypical bully: A hulking brute who terrorizes Ponyville and drives Fluttershy to tears with her roar.
* Flatts the Flounder, from the ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'' episode "The Bully", has only one known goal: kicking Spongebob's butt for no apparent reason, other than possibly because of the events of "Sandy's Rocket", or because of FantasticRacism against sponges.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'' makes plenty use of slapstick, bullying included, although it's never been resolved by fighting back. Notably, both prominent bullies at Elmore Junior High are girls, Tina and Jamie, and [[SlapstickKnowsNoGender physically torment students of both genders]]:
** Tina takes the physically intimidating aspect [[ExaggeratedTrope to the utmost extreme]]: she is a damn '''Tyrannosaurus rex''' who has literally squashed other students under her foot, and some of the school's ''staff'' [[AdultsAreUseless are too scared to touch her]]. Ironically, she's the more sympathetic, [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold potentially nicer]] one: she's been shown to be rather lonely at home, she [[ObliviouslyEvil sees some of her bullying as harmless horseplay]], and most of her on-screen acts of or attempts at violence are [[DisproportionateRetribution overreacting]] to people [[BullyingADragon insulting]] or otherwise upsetting her, rather than unprovoked bullying. She eventually underwent CharacterDevelopment before being DemotedToExtra.
** Jamie isn't much in the way of being physically intimidating; she's actually quite [[CuteBruiser small and silly-looking]] (like a goose-stepping [[CartoonCreature windup toy with horns and a stupid hat]]) and for the first two seasons her being a bully was mostly an InformedAbility. In the third season, however, a montage shows she's committed such [[CrossesTheLineTwice completely insane]] acts as having birds devour someone alive, dismembering one student's limb before chewing it up and spitting it back at her, and partially ''[[BlackComedyCannibalism cannibalizing]]'' two kids. The only thing that can keep her well-behaved [[EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas is her mom]].
*** In Season 2, another GangOfBullies was introduced, all being male. They are Julius Oppenheimer Jr. (a bomb-headed guy), Mowdown (a pink teddy bear), Scythe (a rat), Reaper (a hand) and a rotten cupcake, who got [[GenderFlip gender-flipped]] to a female in the sixth season. They physically beat up several male characters, though the one time they bullied a female character (Sussie), it was only verbally.

* As with everything childhood related, ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'' [[ExaggeratedTrope exaggerates]] this to epic proportions, depicting bullies as equivalent to [[EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs dinosaurs]] in {{Homage}} to ''Franchise/JurassicPark''. Named species of bully include the Noogieraptor, Spitballosaurus, Wet Willie Mammoth, and the fearsome [[TRexpy Wedgiesaurus Rex]].
* Dash from ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' is a JerkJock that fully expects [[FutureLoser his life to go downhill once he leaves high school]] and has decided to enjoy it (and the living hell he can inflict on other kids) while he can. On one episode he is explicitly asked to put Danny in passable shape for PE grading purposes and what he asks his teacher is: "is 'broken in half' considered a shape?"

** Tina takes the physically intimidating aspect [[ExaggeratedTrope to the utmost extreme]]: she is a damn '''TyrannosaurusRex''' who has literally squashed other students under her foot, and some of the school's ''staff'' [[AdultsAreUseless are too scared to touch her]]. Ironically, she's the more sympathetic, [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold potentially nicer]] one: she's been shown to be rather lonely at home, she [[ObliviouslyEvil sees some of her bullying as harmless horseplay]], and most of her on-screen acts of or attempts at violence are [[DisproportionateRetribution overreacting]] to people [[BullyingADragon insulting]] or otherwise upsetting her, rather than unprovoked bullying. She eventually underwent CharacterDevelopment before being DemotedToExtra.

* As with everything childhood related, ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'' [[ExaggeratedTrope exaggerates]] this to epic proportions, depicting bullies as equivalent to [[EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs dinosaurs]] in {{Homage}} to ''Franchise/JurassicPark''. Named species of bully include the Noogieraptor, Spitballosaurus, Wet Willie Mammoth, and the fearsome [[TyrannosaurusRex Wedgiesaurus Rex]].

* Creator/StephenKing has a very, ''very'' long list of examples, like Chris Hargensen from ''Literature/{{Carrie}}'', but his crowning example is without a doubt Henry Bowers from ''Literature/{{It}}'', the poster boy of this trope. Some of his misdeeds include trying to carve his name into Ben's belly with a knife, killing Mike's dog by feeding it poisoned meat, and smearing snow in Stan's face until he bleeds. And this was way before Pennywise took over his mind.

!!Examples

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

* Wolfgang from ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' is a perfect example.

* Gelman from ''WesternAnimation/{{Recess}}''

* Reggie Bullnerd from ''WesternAnimation/ChalkZone''.
* Penny from ''WesternAnimation/TheMightyB'', DependingOnTheWriter.

* ''WesternAnimation/WishKid'' had Frankie Dutweiler.

* Gian (Giant) in ''{{Anime/Doraemon}}.'' Well early on anyway, later appearances tended to make him more of an [[VitriolicBestBuds On and Off friend]] or even a [[GentleGiant Gentle Gian]].

* Katsuki Bakugo from ''Anime/MyHeroAcademia'' provides his EstablishingCharacterMoment by mentioning that he's been bullying Izuku Midoriya (TheHero) for 10 years because [[FantasticRacism Izuku's Quirkless]] and gives him a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech that ends with him telling Izuku [[SuicideDare that he should kill himself and hope that he reincarnates into someone with powers]], and even when he eventually demonstrates that he has a HiddenHeartOfGold he absolutely refuses to stop being a {{Jerkass}} and loves to use his Quirk on anything that pisses him off (usually Izuku, [[HairTriggerTemper which is way too often]])... and considering that his Quirk is [[HavingABlast the capacity to sweat nitroglycerine and set it off at will]], "anything that pisses him off" usually has to [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere run like hell]].

* Penny from ''WesternAnimation/TheMightyB''.

* In ''Franchise/HarryPotter'', Dudley Dursley and his gang are introduced like this (with Dudley's game of "Harry Hunting"). Averted with Draco Malfoy, who is a far more complex, conniving portrayal of the high school bully and leaves the physical stuff to Crabbe and Goyle. [[spoiler: Both Dudley and Malfoy eventually get a dose of reality and grow up.]]
** Harry's dad is eventually revealed to have been a bully like Draco, with young Sirius fitting this trope the way Crabbe and Goyle did as his more physical enforcer type. He too grew out of it.

** ''Discworld/{{Pyramids}}'', the first section of which is also largely a parody of ''Tom Brown'', has Fliemoe (because one of Flashman's cronies was called Speedicut, which is also a make of lawnmower, so...) The ''Assassins' Guild Diary'' notes that the school does not regard bullying as a problem, but an exercise in the guild-related skills -- and if the victims turn out to be surprisingly skilled at making the bullies pay in unexpected ways, they don't regard ''that'' as a problem either.
** In ''Discworld/{{Hogfather}}'', student wizard Mr Sideney, having fallen in with a criminal gang, finds that one of them strongly reminds him of Ronnie Jenks, the bully at his old dame-school (quasi-medieval primary or elementary). This is foreshadowing, since when the gang are forced to confront their greatest childhood fears, Sideney realises he's back at the dame school.

* Ricky [[RedBaron "The Kraken"]] Reynolds from ''Literature/TheBadUnicornTrilogy''. In one of his first appearances, ''[[WouldHitAGirl he provokes a fight with a girl]]''[[note]][[ActionGirl Good thing she completely whoops his butt]].[[/note]] Taken Up to Eleven when he [[spoiler:is turned into a monster]].

* Katsuki Bakugo from ''Anime/MyHeroAcademia'' provides his EstablishingCharacterMoment by mentioning that he's been bullying Izuku Midoriya (TheHero) for 10 years because [[FantasticRacism Izuku's Quirkless]] and gives him a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech that ends with him telling Izuku [[SuicideDare that he should kill himself and hope that he reincarnates into someone with powers]], and even when he eventually demonstrates that he has a HiddenHeartOfGold he absolutely refuses to stop being a JerkAss and loves to use his Quirk on anything that pisses him off (usually Izuku, [[HairTriggerTemper which is way too often]])... and considering that his Quirk is [[HavingABlast the capacity to sweat nitroglycerine and set it off at will]], "anything that pisses him off" usually has to [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere run like hell]].

* The Bryer brothers from the New52 reboot of ''ComicBook/{{Shazam}}'' (and the [[Film/Shazam2019 2019 movie adaptation]]) who attack a smaller, disabled kid two-on-one just because they can.

* Lila’s old teammates from ''Fanfic/TeamLVDR'' were so cruel and abusive to her that when they were figured out, Ozpin had them jailed.

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]

[[folder: Comics ]]

* Skinner, Barrow and Cheeseman, from ''Comicbook/TheSandman'' story "Charles Rowland Concludes His Education", are a particularly dark spin on this. When they were alive, their bullying involved murdering another student as part of a Satanic ritual. When they're brought back as ghosts, their bullying of the titular protagonist extends to them [[spoiler: torturing him to death]].

[[folder: Fanworks]]

[[folder: Film ]]

[[folder: Literature ]]

[[folder: Live-Action Television ]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]

[[folder: Web Animation ]]

[[folder: Web Original ]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* Henry Bowers from the Stephen King book ''Literature/{{It}}'' is the poster boy of this trope. Some of his misdeeds include trying to carve his name into Ben's belly with a knife, killing Mike's dog by feeding it poisoned meat, and smearing snow in Stan's face until he bleeds. And this was way before Pennywise took over his mind.

* ''Film/TheKarateKid'' is a major offender on a casual level, since it ends with a bullied kid solving his problems by besting his tormenters in a karate tournament. It operates under the belief that victory in a fight always stops bullying, which is a big contributor to this trope. A closer look however, will reveal that Mr. Miyagi actually solves the bully problem more indirectly well beforehand: when he and Daniel agree to compete in the tournament at all, he forces the bullies' karate instructor to make them leave Daniel alone during his training period. Further, Daniel earns the respect of most of the bullies not by beating them up, but by showing his determination and good sportsmanship. The one who (reluctantly and under the instruction of his corrupt sensei) "sweeps the leg" is bawling in apology immediately afterwards, having realized that his actions crossed the line.

* Katsuki Bakugou from ''Anime/MyHeroAcademia'' provides his EstablishingCharacterMoment by mentioning that he's been bullying Izuku Midoriya (TheHero) for 10 years because [[FantasticRacism Izuku's Quirkless]] and gives him a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech that ends with him telling Izuku [[SuicideDare that he should kill himself and hope that he reincarnates into someone with powers]], and even when he eventually demonstrates that he has a HiddenHeartOfGold he absolutely refuses to stop being a JerkAss and loves to use his Quirk on anything that pisses him off (usually Izuku, [[HairTriggerTemper which is way too often]])... and considering that his Quirk is [[HavingABlast the capacity to sweat nitroglycerine and set it off at will]], "anything that pisses him off" usually has to [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere run like hell]].

* The Bryer brothers from the New52 reboot of ''ComicBook/{{Shazam}}'' (and the [[Film/Shazam2019 2019 movie adaptation]], going by its' early trailer) who attacked a smaller, disabled kid two-on-one just because they could.

* Katsuki Bakugou from ''Anime/MyHeroAcademia'' provides his EstablishingCharacterMoment by mentioning that he's been bullying Izuku Midoriya (TheHero) for ten years straight because [[FantasticRacism Izuku's Quirkless]] and gives him a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech that ends with him telling Izuku [[SuicideDare that he should kill himself and hope that he reincarnates into someone with powers]], and even when he eventually demonstrates that he has a HiddenHeartOfGold he absolutely refuses to stop being a JerkAss and loves to use his Quirk on anything that pisses him off (usually Izuku, [[HairTriggerTemper which is way too often]])... and considering that his Quirk is [[HavingABlast the capacity to sweat nitroglycerine and set it off at will]], "anything that pisses him off" usually has to run like hell.
* Haruyuki starts out ''LightNovel/AccelWorld'' being the favored victim of one of these known as Araya. The guy is actually quite formidable considering he's attending school on a karate scholarship, and constantly forces Haru to buy he and his friends lunches. He's also has an illegal program in his neurolinker that let's him know when the social cameras are watching so he can get away with his bullying. Kuroyokihimi getting rid of him is a major step to helping Haru get back his sense of self worth.

Most of the time, the teachers never really do anything to stop the bullying, either because [[AdultsAreUseless they're oblivious]] or [[SadistTeacher they get a kick out of seeing the victim suffer]].

* Roger Klotz in ''WesternAnimation/{{Doug}}'' is a mild case. He has the stereotypical "tough guy" looks (chains, black leather jacket, and [[AmazingTechnicolorPopulation slime-green skin]]), and is usually ''threatening'' people with acts of violence, but generally confines his bullying to the occasional name-calling. In the show's defense, though, the writers usually don't attempt to use bullying as a major source of drama, and Doug always manages to resolve his conflicts peacefully.

** Tina takes the physically intimidating aspect [[ExaggeratedTrope to the utmost extreme]]: she is a damn '''TyrannosaurusRex''' who has literally squashed other students under her foot, and some of the school's ''staff'' [[AdultsAreUseless are too scared to touch her]]. Ironically, she's the more sympathetic, [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold potentially nicer]] one: she's been shown to be rather lonely at home, she [[ObliviouslyEvil sees some of her bullying as harmless horseplay]], and most of her on-screen acts of or attempts at violence are [[DisproportionateRetribution overreacting]] to people [[BullyingADragon insulting]] or otherwise upsetting her, rather than unprovoked bullying.

* Deegan in ''WebOriginal/RecessReindeer'' hangs Richie from the monkey bars by his antlers and flies about, socking Richie every time he passes until Svetlana saves him.

* Gian(Giant) in ''{{Anime/Doraemon}}.'' Well early on anyway, later appearances tended to make him more of an [[VitriolicBestBuds On and Off friend]] or even a [[GentleGiant Gentle Gian]].

*** In Season 2, another gang of bullies was introduced, all being male (though one got a GenderFlip in the last season). They are Julius Oppenheimer Jr. (a bomb-headed guy), Mowdown (a pink teddy bear), Scythe (a rat), Reaper (a hand) and a rotten cupcake.