History Main / BrokenHero

* Cloud Strife from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' has more than a few elements of this -- he's a bullied-as-a-child [[PeopleJars People Jar]] escapee. He's got a dorkish, awkward side to his personality as a result.
* [[TheBigGuy Big lovable goofball Snow]] from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'' is an orphan. You never find out about his past, per say, but there are moments where it's demonstrated just how much he really longs for the family he never had, and how devoted he is to his fiancee, slowly endearing him--uh, sort of -- to Lightning.

* ''Manga/DGrayMan'': [[AllLovingHero Allen Walker]], the protagonist and one of the ''sweetest'' and most adorable characters you can find in the whole series. He's [[NiceGuy nice]], [[ThePollyanna cheerful]], [[WideEyedIdealist idealistic]], and [[{{Bishonen}} really]], ''[[BadassAdorable really]]'' cute, but his life has been [[{{Understatement}} kind of traumatic]]. By which we mean that his parents abandoned him, [[spoiler: he was beaten by ''clowns'' until he got adopted]], his foster father died, his mentor abused him, and he has to watch tormented Akuma souls screaming in pain. His whole life has been, and ''still continues to be'', a never-ending TraumaCongaLine, [[StepfordSmiler not that you'd realize by looking at him right away.]]

* Pretty much [[DysfunctionJunction everybody]] in the Franchise/MarvelUniverse. There's ComicBook/CaptainAmerica (grew up poor during the Great Depression, parents died when he was young, dead sidekick and identity issues), [[ComicBook/LukeCageHeroForHire Luke Cage]] (grew up in a bad part of New York, wrongly jailed for drug possession), ComicBook/IronMan (alcoholism, depression, self-worth issues, romantic issues and massive survivor's guilt), ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} (disfigured, partially reformed murderer, crazy), every single [[ComicBook/XMen X-Man]] (FantasticRacism and often some of the most stupidly dysfunctional families imaginable), the [[ComicBook/FantasticFour Fantastic "I promise I'll make you normal again someday, Ben!" Four]], a certain Dr. [[Comicbook/IncredibleHulk Bruce Banner]], Rick "the Hulk is my fault and I'm often trapped in the Negative Zone" Jones, the seething mass of neuroses that is Franchise/SpiderMan, everything that's wrong with [[ComicBook/AntMan Henry Pym]], and... yeah, pretty much everybody else.

* Heavily {{deconstructed}} in ''WesternAnimation/BoJackHorseman''. As it turns out, becoming a decent and caring person in spite of the horrid experiences suffered might bring rather dire implications if [[AngstWhatAngst the person doesn't deal directly with his psyche]]; as such, he could resort to becoming TheParagon and hollow himself as the happy façade he puts on becomes thinner and thinner (like [[StepfordSmiler Secretariat]]), he could keep the "helping and comforting" part by doing noble deeds out of selfish motives or a guilty conscience (like [[MightyWhitey Sebastian St. Claire]]) or without being a bad person themselves, he could let the pent-up fury and sadness leak through the surface until becoming outright nastiness (like [[SourOutsideSadInside [=BoJack=]]]). You can be a Broken Hero but without real help or support, ''[[SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped it will cost you]]''.

* Oz Vessalius from ''Manga/PandoraHearts'' pretty much ''embodies'' this trope. He's a CheerfulChild StepfordSmiler who was completely shunned by his father at a young age, despite wanting desperately to impress him. His pride/confidence pretty much gets ''crushed'' after failing to save a girl from [[spoiler: her own death--illegal contractor]] and a little boy [[spoiler:who ends up losing his father and his own soul to chains.]] Nonetheless, he ''tries'' to act like he's fine and '''smiles to everyone'''. As of Retrace LXX, already pretty shaken up, he realizes that he is actually a freaking [[spoiler: stuffed bunny, the chain B-Rabbit who, one hundred years ago, was forced to murder countless innocent people.]] By the end of Retrace LXXIV, he is [[BreakTheCutie almost completely mentally and emotionally broken]] thanks to his memories resurfacing as well as [[BreakThemByTalking interference by]] [[spoiler: [[MagnificentBastard Jack]].]]

* ''Manga/DGrayMan'': [[AllLovingHero Allen Walker]], the protagonist and one of the ''sweetest'' and most adorable characters you can find in the whole series. He's [[NiceGuy nice]], [[ThePollyanna cheerful]], [[WideEyedIdealist idealistic]], and [[{{Bishonen}} really]], ''[[BadassAdorable really]]'' cute, but his life has been [[{{Understatement}} kind of traumatic]]. By which we mean that his parents abandoned him, [[spoiler: he was beaten by ''clowns'' until he got adopted]], his foster father died, his mentor abused him, and he has to watch tormented Akuma souls screaming in pain. His whole life has been, and ''still continues to be'', a never-ending TraumaCongaLine, [[StepfordSmiler not that you'd realize by looking at him right away.]]
** And (in the anime) the very first Akuma he killed (besides Mana) was his best (and only) childhood friend.
* ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'': Negi is one of these despite only being ten. No parents, no family except a cousin that was away most of the year and then that whole bit where ''demons invaded his village and turned everyone to stone''. Everyone was horrified to see his memories of said event, which worked exactly opposite to how it was supposed to.

* Vash the Stampede from ''Manga/{{Trigun}}''.

* Sanosuke Sagara from ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'', a happy-go-lucky brawler and gambler who never met a jug of sake he didn't like; also estranged from his biological family and had his father figure executed on false charges by the very government they helped to bring into power. Kenshin himself qualifies as well.

* In ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing'', Duo Maxwell's seemingly self-congratulatory "God of Death" (Shinigami) nickname takes on a new light when it's revealed that he took it on given the fact that [[DoomMagnet anyone he cares about tends to die if they hang around him]].
** Done again with Sanders in ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamThe08thMSTeam''; he picked up the nickname given the unfortunate tendency of almost every unit he joined getting wiped out on their third mission together, except for Sanders himself.
* Gon Freecs from ''Manga/HunterXHunter'' lost his mother, his father is missing, and he has a knack for making enemies who want to gut him, but is still eternally cheerful. He's the Broken Hero and TheDitz rolled up in one.
* Judai Yuki from ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'' turns out to be one of these by season three.
* Tsuzuki of ''Manga/DescendantsOfDarkness''. He's a BigEater, BadassAdorable Shinigami, who everyone seems to make jokes about, including himself. Until the [[BreakTheCutie Kyoto arc]], that is.
* [[HandsomeLech Miroku]] from ''Manga/{{Inuyasha}}'' is an easygoing, carefree and cheerful guy who likes to joke and tease, even though he will die very young being consumed by the [[{{curse}} Wind Tunnel]] in his right hand.

* Krista Renz from ''Manga/AttackOnTitan''. She's a sweet, beautiful girl adored by everyone because of her kindness and considered the "Goddess" of the 104th Trainees Squad. However, it turns out that she's [[spoiler:a HeroicBastard disowned by her noble family, with massive issues concerning her self-worth. She's a DeathSeeker so desperate to die in a way that will get her praised that she was willing to risk the life of an injured comrade, and joins the [[RedShirtArmy Recon Corps]] while crying]]. Ymir calls her on it numerous times, and she's begun to improve as a result.

* ''LightNovel/HighSchoolDXD'': Kiba Yuuto is a calm, confident and skillful Knight. His [[StepfordSmiler perpetual smile]] and collected demeanor hide the fact that he is [[spoiler:the only survivor of the Church's Excalibur experiments, who were so brutal that left him traumatized and killed all his friends when he was a mere child]] and to top it off, he [[spoiler:is an artificial human without sense of self-worth; he is so deeply loyal to Rias simply because he has nothing else to hold on, something that Rias knows but is unable to fix]]. He even admits to it in the Kokabiel arc. Though it gets kinda fixed with Issei and Koneko's friendship (with a healthy dose of Rias' ToughLove to help).

* Shinji Ikari from ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''. He's a deeply traumatized, depressed, angsty mess from the outset, but just how bad it gets in the later arcs is staggering.

* Pretty much [[DysfunctionJunction everybody]] in the Franchise/MarvelUniverse. There's ComicBook/CaptainAmerica (grew up poor during the Great Depression, parents died when he was young, dead sidekick and identity issues), [[ComicBook/LukeCageHeroForHire Luke Cage]] (grew up in a bad part of New York, wrongly jailed for drug possession), ComicBook/IronMan (alcoholism, depression, self-worth issues, romantic issues and massive survivor's guilt), ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} (disfigured, partially reformed murderer, crazy), every single [[ComicBook/XMen X-Man]] (FantasticRacism and often some of the most stupidly dysfunctional families imaginable), the [[ComicBook/FantasticFour Fantastic "I promise I'll make you normal again someday, Ben!" Four]], a certain Dr. [[Comicbook/IncredibleHulk Bruce Banner]], Rick "the Hulk is my fault and I'm often trapped in the Negative Zone" Jones, the seething mass of neuroses that is Franchise/SpiderMan, everything that's wrong with [[ComicBook/AntMan Henry Pym]], and... yeah, pretty much everybody else.
** The [[ComicBook/TheAvengers Initiative]] in the Marvel Universe is a government subsidized effort to train the next generation of superheroes, which includes some old characters and new ones. Those that weren't ''already'' broken when they went into the program...are quickly and ''brutally'' broken down by the events in the Initiative series.
** Then you have ComicBook/TheSentry, who makes the rest combined look well adjusted. And that's on his better days.

* By the same author as the above, ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'' has most of its protagonists as this - which is unsurprising, since it draws heavily from the Marvel Universe. It gets to the point where, by the sequel, the only protagonists who're ''not'' obviously neurotic or traumatised are Clark Kent, Thor (who's just deeply stressed by all the trouble Harry manages to find himself in), and Clint Barton - and we don't see much of Clint's point of view, either. Harry, though, is prize-winning example, with the trauma from frequent murder attempts and despite the best attempts of the Avengers to prevent it, functionally becoming a ChildSoldier, steadily building up into a TraumaCongaLine that triggers a horrible case of [[ShellShockedVeteran PTSD]] and a [[spoiler: stint as the Dark Phoenix]], and [[TookALevelInJerkass a slow recovery thereafter]].
** However, unusually for this trope and setting, he - and others - gets therapy, which helps his recovery, and he's fundamentally a kind and decent person (if not always a nice one), [[ChronicHeroSyndrome a hero down to the bone]] even [[KnightInSourArmor in his grumpier moods]], comes to believe that while [[TheAntiNihilist there's no justice or mercy in the universe... that just means he should make some.]] There's a reason that a suit of armour designed for him in the sequel is codenamed 'Project Galahad'.

* In spite of everything what they endured in ''Fanfic/ChildrenOfAnElderGod'', the main characters -Shinji, Asuka, Rei and Touji- tried to remain optimistic and positive during and after the War.

** As well as Harry himself - he's nice to people despite being emotionally abused by his aunt, uncle, and cousin.

* All the Outcasts of ''Literature/{{Tasakeru}}'' in one way or another.

** Actually subverted on nearly all counts. Teal'c only lost his father, not his mother, and while Daniel certainly did lose his biological parents, his foster parents were never mentioned in {{canon}}. If he did lose them, too, we didn't hear about it. And his backstory was alluded to since the original [[Film/{{Stargate}} Stargate movie]], as was Jack's particular tragedy - Jack O'Neill having made his first appearance trying to commit suicide with a nuclear bomb. Daniel's being 'polite' is often strewn with pithy and/or patronizing comments, and his having faith in humanity could be considered gullibility. Jack's open hostility, sometimes snide cynicism and occasional moral pragmatism disqualify him completely, though in the [[DarkAndTroubledPast trauma stakes]] he could probably trump Daniel. Teal'c has a similar problem to Jack, and Sam was never broken enough to qualify.
* ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'': James Tiberius Kirk [[GenocideSurvivor survived a massacre]] that killed half the people in the Taurus IV colony (according to the eventual timeline, as a teenager) and undergoes all manner of other heartbreaking circumstances through the series (including, but not limited to, the deaths of a number of people he loves, torture, betrayal, and having to ShootTheDog very occasionally. One would never know that he's suffered such trauma from his usual OfficerAndAGentleman self.
* Dr. Gregory House, from ''[[Series/{{House}} House, MD]]''. Minus the "nice" and "cheerful" bits.
* Stefan from ''Series/TheVampireDiaries''. He has endured a lot of pain and tragedy yet still seems to hold it together.
* Glitch, from the ''Series/TinMan'' miniseries, who is awfully upbeat for someone who's had half of his brain removed by the bad guys. Missing half his brain may be ''why'' he's "upbeat". The parts of him that could react appropriately are [[BrainInAJar floating in a jar somewhere]].

* Malcolm Reynolds of ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' qualifies, even though his BackStory is revealed almost immediately in the {{pilot}} (or would have been if it hadn't been shown last...)
** It should be noted, however, that Fox employed ExecutiveMeddling after viewing the pilot to make him more of a jokester; his portrayal in the pilot episode was ''somewhat'' more low-key and bitter. But in all versions there's still an element of this depending on the circumstances and Mal's mood.
** Ditto for River Tam; during her more lucid periods she's actually a really nice and cheery girl, but she is about as completely broken as a person can get, without factoring in her madness.
* Jarod Series/ThePretender is this, though we find out the basics of his backstory pretty quickly. He was kidnapped as a child; mentally, emotionally, and physically abused; kept as a slave for most of his life; and as the series progresses it [[TraumaCongaLine gets worse]], but his personality is that of a cheerful, adorkable, mischievous, and insatiably curious ManChild (at least until he gets into psycho badass avenger Pretender mode or has the occasional HeroicBSOD).

* Niko Bellic of ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV'' once his full backstory is revealed.

* Robo from ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'', who was abandoned by its creator for sympathizing with the humans. He's also ''literally'' broken when he's introduced, needing GadgeteerGenius Lucca to repair him before he can join the party.
* Marona from ''VideoGame/PhantomBrave''. Her parents died when she was five and the world as a whole, including her HonoraryUncle, seems to hate her for her spirit-seeing power, but she's an AllLovingHero nonetheless. There's quite a bit of terror in realizing that this is a prepubescent child whose only real companions are dead people for the majority of the game. Ash is a dependable guy, but he's not exactly fit to do the bills and the vacuuming, meaning that Marona basically manages an entire island ''by herself.''

* Gulcasa of the [[VideoGame/YggdraUnion Ancardia]] [[VideoGame/BlazeUnion series]] [[VideoGame/YggdraUnison of]] ''VideoGame/DeptHeaven'' games. You don't see as much of his normal disposition in ''VideoGame/YggdraUnion'' due to his [[HeroAntagonist fighting for the opposite side]], but in the other two games especially, he's revealed to be the sweetest, most idealistic and adorkable [[AntiAntiChrist demonic Christ figure]] you ever did see. His mother abandoned him when he was a toddler, his father brutally abused him all his life, and he grew up in extreme squalor. When his life finally started to turn around at age seventeen when he was a part of LaResistance, his father figure betrayed him, his childhood friend/surrogate mother/possibly first crush died because of it, he had to kill said father figure because of this, he was reunited with his mother only to be forced into a DuelToTheDeath with her, and then [[EtTuBrute his other childhood friend and his mentor backstabbed and deserted him]]. The TraumaCongaLine made him a lot more driven, but didn't put much of a dent in his wholehearted love for and trust in his TrueCompanions or his determination to create a peaceful world.

* Really? [[PickACard Pick a]] Creator/BioWare [[PickACard game. ''Any'' Bioware game.]] If your PlayerCharacter isn't here already, they will be by game's end.

** Leanne. Several times it's remarked how cute and sweet she is, and she is a perpetually upbeat, cheerful, determined and playful little thing. (At one point, a dorky, strange, not physically attractive possibly, uh, 'special' character hires her to go on a date with him as a job. At the end, she refuses the money and flirts honestly with him, saying 'It wouldn't be a date if I took that, now WOULD it?' With a wink and a sweet grin.) She's also totally girly, even when kicking ass and taking names in gun battles. Meanwhile, she's actually the only survivor out of twenty experimental children who were all supposed to die at set dates in an attempt to control the human lifespan. She is very aware of it, and, in fact, attempted to commit suicide immediately before her time was supposed to 'run out', so she would control her own fate. Only one person in her life cared for her, and she's not sure if he's even alive- the last she saw of him, he was being dragged away after setting her free, assuming she had only a year left to live. Perhaps not as tragic as some examples here, but it certainly counts.
** Vashyron. He is often relied on for comic relief and comedic moments in the game, he is rarely very serious for long unless on a job, he seems to get along with pretty much everyone he comes across, he's a womanizer, [[PapaWolf protective]], and a fun-loving eccentric. He is another lone survivor, however, after his entire military squad was wiped out. By a lone little girl. Well, okay, so she only looked like a little girl. If you don't count the horns. [[spoiler: or the wings, or the creepy too-old woman's voice and super-ninja powers. Seriously, what IS this chick, any way?]] Two of them originally escaped the carnage, but after a rather heart wrenching sacrifice- only Vashyron was left standing.
* [[TheBigGuy Big loveable goofball Snow]] from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'' is an orphan. You never find out about his past, per say, but there are moments where it's demonstrated just how much he really longs for the family he never had, and how devoted he is to his fiancee, slowly endearing him-uh, sort of- to Lightning.
* ''VideoGame/Halo4'': Dr Halsey's interrogator accuses ''Franchise/{{Halo}}''[='s=] Master Chief as this, as despite all of his Badass abilities, he is considered an empty shell, and Cortana is the only thing that's keeping him from falling apart.
* ''VideoGame/{{Blazblue}}'': Ragna the Bloodedge was a young man who lived happily with his [[{{Jerkass}} brother Jin]] and his [[IllGirl sister Saya]]. Then a psychotic hipster named Yuuki Terumi burned down his home, killed his adoptive guardian and chopped his arm off. He gets a new arm called the Azure Grimoire from a girl who rescues him, which grants him awesome power but will probably one day kill him horribly. He's a man who has lost almost everything he's ever held dear to him, and it really shows in his attitude towards life. However, he's a source of much of the game's comedy moments, with most of the cast snarking at him and/or kicking his ass.

* Shirou in ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight''. As his BackStory reveals, he lost his family, his friends, and his old life in the great fire 10 years ago, but is still extremely friendly and helpful towards almost everyone and never seems bothered by the event beyond some bad dreams. As one of the game paths later reveals, Shirou basically lost his entire existence and sense of self from the trauma as well, and his personality was 'rebuilt' around the fact that he was rescued when basically no one else was. Shirou is fundamentally broken on a mental level, in that he is unable to live for his own sake and can only find meaning in life through the act of saving others like he himself was once saved. [[spoiler:Kirei Kotomine is something of an inversion - A Broken ''Villain''. Like Shirou, he has no sense of self and only defines himself through others. The trouble is, while Shirou finds his meaning in helping others, Kotomine finds his in the ''suffering'' of others.]]

* Although not the hero, Iroh of ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' embodies this trope rather well. Introduced as Zuko's happy-go-lucky crazy old uncle, it's later show that he was a badass general before [[spoiler:his father and son were both killed (Azulon was a major AssholeVictim, though)]] and his younger brother [[spoiler: took the throne instead of him]].
* WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack becomes this trope by the time of the final season. Having spent literally decades trapped in the BadFuture and unable to find a way back home or to destroy EvilOverlord Aku due to having lost his sword, he has hit rock bottom and became a shell of his former self hallucinating with all the people that he failed to save. In fact, he expresses suicidal thoughts with an sinister version of himself inside of his head. Nevertheless, Jack still continues his journey, [[spoiler: overcomes his inner demons, and kills Aku for good, thanks to the help of Ashi.]]

* Really? Pick a Creator/BioWare game. ''Any'' Bioware game. If your PlayerCharacter isn't here already, they will be by game's end.

* The [[Creator/DCComics DC]] universe has its fair share of hard luck heroes, e.g. Franchise/{{Batman}} (his parents were killed by some mugger in a dark alley), [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Billy Batson]] (an orphaned boy whose evil uncle stole his inheritance and was left on the streets on his own), [[Franchise/GreenLantern Hal Jordan]] (his home city was destroyed and was possessed by Parallax)...

* ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'': Negi is one of these despite only being ten. No parents, no family except a cousin that was away most of the year and then that whole bit where ''demons invaded his village and turned everyone to stone''. Everyone was horrified to see his memories of said event, which worked exactly opposite to how it was supposed to.

* ''Manga/AkatsukiNoYona'': Zeno is unceasingly cheerful, often providing the most comedy of the group. [[spoiler:Unlike the others who are descendants of the dragons, he's the original one, having been blessed/cursed with immortality and invulnerability, a power that only activates if he takes enough damage (and of course it still hurts him as much as it would a regular human).]]

* Pretty much [[DysfunctionJunction everybody]] in the Franchise/MarvelUniverse. There's ComicBook/CaptainAmerica (grew up poor during the Great Depression, parents died when he was young, dead sidekick and identity issues), [[ComicBook/LukeCageHeroForHire Luke Cage]] (grew up in a bad part of New York, wrongly jailed for drug possession), ComicBook/IronMan (alcoholism, depression, self-worth issues, romantic issues and massive survivor's guilt), ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} (disfigured, partially reformed murderer, crazy), every single [[ComicBook/XMen X-Man]] (FantasticRacism and often some of the most stupidly dysfunctional families imaginable), the [[ComicBook/FantasticFour Fantastic "I promise I'll make you normal again someday, Ben!" Four]], a certain Dr. [[Comicbook/IncredibleHulk Bruce Banner]], Rick "the Hulk is my fault and I'm often trapped in the Negative Zone" Jones, the seething mass of neuroses that is {{Franchise/Spider Man}}, everything that's wrong with [[ComicBook/AntMan Henry Pym]], and... yeah, pretty much everybody else.
** The [[Comicbook/TheAvengers Initiative]] in the Marvel Universe is a government subsidized effort to train the next generation of superheroes, which includes some old characters and new ones. Those that weren't ''already'' broken when they went into the program...are quickly and ''brutally'' broken down by the events in the Initiative series.

* ''FanFic/Flashpoint2AdventSolaris'' shows us a Barry Allen that has lived through the events of ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueDarkApokolipsWar'' and he is not the same after what he went through, constantly fighting through bouts of PTSD as he tries to save the world from it's latest crisis.

* ''Fanfic/ThousandShinji'': Shinji, Asuka and Rei were abused children. When they convert to ''[[TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}} Chaos]]'', though, they focus on the positive aspects of their dark gods, and although neither of them is nice, Shinji becomes optimistic and hopeful, Rei happy and mirthful, and Asuka courageous and passionate.

* ''Series/StargateSG1''. All the characters have suffered tragedy to some extent, Jack lost his son, Sam lost her mother, Teal'c lost both parents, etc. But Daniel wins this trope for being more or less cheerful despite losing his parents as a child in an accident, losing his foster parents in another accident, spending most of his professional career having his theories scorned at (most of which, as he points out, turned out to be right) and had just been evicted from his apartment at the start of the movie. As soon as the TV series starts, his wife is [[PeoplePuppets taken]]. He spends [[strike:five]] two and a half series trying to rescue her, [[spoiler: then Teal'c kills her to save Daniel. Once he gets over losing his wife, he runs into an ex-girlfriend, who is promptly made into a host,]] but is ''still'' polite, has faith in common humanity, and ''chides Jack on being so snarky''.
** Actually subverted on nearly all counts. Teal'c only lost his father, not his mother, and while Daniel certainly did lose his biological parents, his foster parents were never mentioned in [[{{Canon}} canon]]. If he did lose them, too, we didn't hear about it. And his backstory was alluded to since the original [[Film/{{Stargate}} Stargate movie]], as was Jack's particular tragedy - Jack O'Neill having made his first appearance trying to commit suicide with a nuclear bomb. Daniel's being 'polite' is often strewn with pithy and/or patronizing comments, and his having faith in humanity could be considered gullibility. Jack's open hostility, sometimes snide cynicism and occasional moral pragmatism disqualify him completely, though in the [[{{DarkAndTroubledPast}} trauma stakes]] he could probably trump Daniel. Teal'c has a similar problem to Jack, and Sam was never broken enough to qualify.

* Both Sam and Dean from ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'', due to their crappy childhood and their status as [[{{Cosmic Plaything}} Cosmic Playthings]]. Except that while they're nice guys, you could probably get frustrated with them very easily because of all those issues.

* Malcolm Reynolds of ''{{Series/Firefly}}'' qualifies, even though his BackStory is revealed almost immediately in the {{pilot}} (or would have been if it hadn't been shown last...)

* ''VideoGame/{{Halo 4}}'': Dr Halsey's interrogator accuses ''Franchise/{{Halo}}''[='s=] Master Chief as this, as despite all of his Badass abilities, he is considered an empty shell, and Cortana is the only thing that's keeping him from falling apart.

* Pretty much [[DysfunctionJunction everybody]] in the Franchise/MarvelUniverse. There's ComicBook/CaptainAmerica (grew up poor during the Great Depression, parents died when he was young, dead sidekick and identity issues), [[ComicBook/LukeCageHeroForHire Luke Cage]] (grew up in a bad part of New York, wrongly jailed for drug possession), ComicBook/IronMan (alcoholism, depression, self-worth issues, romantic issues and massive survivor's guilt), ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} (disfigured, partially reformed murderer, crazy), every single [[ComicBook/XMen X-Man]] (FantasticRacism), the [[ComicBook/FantasticFour Fantastic "I promise I'll make you normal again someday, Ben!" Four]], a certain Dr. [[Comicbook/IncredibleHulk Bruce Banner]], Rick "the Hulk is my fault and I'm often trapped in the Negative Zone" Jones, the seething mass of neurosis that is {{Franchise/Spider Man}}, everything that's wrong with [[ComicBook/AntMan Henry Pym]], and... yeah, pretty much everybody else.

A BetaTestBaddie and a Broken Hero often have a complicated relationship of sympathy tied with dislike, until the former finally loses patience with the latter.

* WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack becomes this trope by the time of the final season. Having spent literally decades trapped in the BadFuture and unable to find a way back home or to destroy EvilOverlord Aku due to having lost his sword, he has hit rock bottom and became a shell of his former self hallucinating with all the people that he failed to save. He also expresses suicidal thoughts with an sinister version of himself on his head.

* While he may not necessarily be the main hero of the story, Momiji Sohma of ''Manga/FruitsBasket'' is impeccably cheerful and caring despite having his mother rejecting him and eventually going insane due to Momiji's curse (turns into a rabbit when hugged by the opposite sex or very stressed like when sick).
** Tohru, who is the main character, lost her father at a very young age, her mother in her teens, and ended up living in a tent. Nevertheless, she is cheerful and bright -- so much that other characters who want to help and provide moral support have to figure out on their own that she's in need of it.

* Jarod Series/ThePretender is this, though we find out the basics of his backstory pretty quickly. He was kidnapped as a child; mentally, emotionally, and physically abused; kept as a slave for most of his life; and as the series progresses it [[TraumaCongaLine gets worse]], but his personality is that of a cheerful, {{Adorkable}}, mischievous, and insatiably curious ManChild (at least until he gets into psycho badass avenger Pretender mode or has the occasional HeroicBSOD).

* Gulcasa of the [[VideoGame/YggdraUnion Ancardia]] [[VideoGame/BlazeUnion series]] [[VideoGame/YggdraUnison of]] ''VideoGame/DeptHeaven'' games. You don't see as much of his normal disposition in ''VideoGame/YggdraUnion'' due to his [[HeroAntagonist fighting for the opposite side]], but in the other two games especially, he's revealed to be the sweetest, most idealistic and {{Adorkable}} [[AntiAntiChrist demonic Christ figure]] you ever did see. His mother abandoned him when he was a toddler, his father brutally abused him all his life, and he grew up in extreme squalor. When his life finally started to turn around at age seventeen when he was a part of LaResistance, his father figure betrayed him, his childhood friend/surrogate mother/possibly first crush died because of it, he had to kill said father figure because of this, he was reunited with his mother only to be forced into a DuelToTheDeath with her, and then [[EtTuBrute his other childhood friend and his mentor backstabbed and deserted him]]. The TraumaCongaLine made him a lot more driven, but didn't put much of a dent in his wholehearted love for and trust in his TrueCompanions or his determination to create a peaceful world.

[[folder: Fan Works]]

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* ''Webcomic/{{MAG ISA}}'' -- Eman Cruz was abused [[http://mag-isa.thecomicseries.com/comics/pl/119198 by his parents]] and by [[http://mag-isa.thecomicseries.com/comics/pl/119177 bullies]]

* Der Trihs of ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'' gets revealed as one in his DayInTheLimelight arc.

* Alexander Hamilton in ''Webcomic/TheDreamer'' certainly counts.

* Krista Renz from ''Manga/AttackOnTitan''. She's a sweet, beautiful girl adored by everyone because of her kindness and considered the "Goddess" of the 104th Trainees Squad. However, it turns out that she's [[spoiler:a HeroicBastard disowned by her noble family, with massive issues concerning her self-worth. She's a DeathSeeker so desperate to die in a way that will get her praised that she was willing to risk the life of an injured comrade, and joins the [[RedShirtArmy Recon Corps]] while crying]]. [[BadassGay Ymir]] calls her on it numerous times, and she's begun to improve as a result.

* Marona from ''VideoGame/PhantomBrave''. Her parents died when she was five and the world as a whole, including her HonoraryUncle, seems to hate her for her spirit-seeing power, but she's a AllLovingHero nonetheless. There's quite a bit of terror in realizing that this is a prepubescent child who's only real companions are dead people for the majority of the game. Ash is a dependable guy, but he's not exactly fit to do the bills and the vacuuming, meaning that Marona basically manages an entire island ''by herself.''
* Lucius from ''VideoGame/FireEmblem''. He was brutally tormented in an orphanage after his parents died when he was three, yet he still treats everyone with compassion and fairness, even going so far as to say that he wished that the man that abused him could still live well. He even forgives the man who murdered his father (and by proxy, his mother), and caused his terrible childhood.
* Gulcasa of the [[VideoGame/YggdraUnion Ancardia]] [[VideoGame/BlazeUnion series]] [[VideoGame/YggdraUnison of]] VideoGame/DeptHeaven games. You don't see as much of his normal disposition in ''VideoGame/YggdraUnion'' due to his [[HeroAntagonist fighting for the opposite side]], but in the other two games especially, he's revealed to be the sweetest, most idealistic and {{Adorkable}} [[AntiAntiChrist demonic Christ figure]] you ever did see. His mother abandoned him when he was a toddler, his father brutally abused him all his life, and he grew up in extreme squalor. When his life finally started to turn around at age seventeen when he was a part of LaResistance, his father figure betrayed him, his childhood friend/surrogate mother/possibly first crush died because of it, he had to kill said father figure because of this, he was reunited with his mother only to be forced into a DuelToTheDeath with her, and then [[EtTuBrute his other childhood friend and his mentor backstabbed and deserted him]]. The TraumaCongaLine made him a lot more driven, but didn't put much of a dent in his wholehearted love for and trust in his TrueCompanions or his determination to create a peaceful world.
* Commander Shepard of the ''Franchise/MassEffect'' series can fit this depending on you play Him/Her. Two of the back stories, [[StreetUrchin Earthborn]] and [[DoomedHomeTown Colonist]] has Shepard being an orphan, the former has Shepard being a product of the streets while the latter had Shepard's entire family killed.

** Leanne . Several times it's remarked how cute and sweet she is, and she is a perpetually upbeat, cheerful, determined and playful little thing. (At one point, a dorky, strange, not physically attractive possibly, uh, 'special' character hires her to go on a date with him as a job. At the end, she refuses the money and flirts honestly with him, saying 'It wouldn't be a date if I took that, now WOULD it?' With a wink and a sweet grin.) She's also totally girly, even when kicking ass and taking names in gun battles. Meanwhile, she's actually the only survivor out of twenty experimental children who were all supposed to die at set dates in an attempt to control the human lifespan. She is very aware of it, and, in fact, attempted to commit suicide immediately before her time was supposed to 'run out', so she would control her own fate. Only one person in her life cared for her, and she's not sure if he's even alive- the last she saw of him, he was being dragged away after setting her free, assuming she had only a year left to live. Perhaps not as tragic as some examples here, but it certainly counts.
** Vashyron. He is often relied on for comic relief and comedic moments in the game, he is rarely very serious for long unless on a job, he seems to get along with pretty much everyone he comes across, he's a womanizer, [[PapaWolf protective]], and a fun loving eccentric. He is another lone survivor, however, after his entire military squad was wiped out. By a lone little girl. Well, okay, so she only looked like a little girl. If you don't count the horns. [[spoiler: or the wings, or the creepy too-old woman's voice and super-ninja powers. Seriously, what IS this chick, any way?]] Two of them originally escaped the carnage, but after a rather heart wrenching sacrifice- only Vashyron was left standing.

* Pretty much [[DysfunctionJunction everybody]] in the Franchise/MarvelUniverse. There's ComicBook/CaptainAmerica (grew up poor during the Great Depression, parents died when he was young, dead sidekick and identity issues), [[ComicBook/LukeCageHeroForHire Luke Cage]] (grew up in a bad part of New York, wrongly jailed for drug possession), ComicBook/IronMan (alcoholism, depression, self-worth issues, romantic issues and massive survivor's guilt), {{SelfDemonstrating/Deadpool}} (disfigured, partially reformed murderer, crazy), every single [[ComicBook/XMen X-Man]] (FantasticRacism), the [[ComicBook/FantasticFour Fantastic "I promise I'll make you normal again someday, Ben!" Four]], a certain Dr. [[Comicbook/IncredibleHulk Bruce Banner]], Rick "the Hulk is my fault and I'm often trapped in the Negative Zone" Jones, the seething mass of neurosis that is {{Franchise/Spider Man}}, everything that's wrong with [[ComicBook/AntMan Henry Pym]], and... yeah, pretty much everybody else.

* Although not the hero, Iroh of ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' embodies this trope rather well. Introduced as Zuko's happy-go-lucky crazy old uncle, it's later show that he was a badass general before [[spoiler:his father and son were both killed]] and his younger brother [[spoiler: took the throne instead of him]].

** However, unusually for this trope and setting, he - and others - gets therapy, which helps his recovery, and he's fundamentally a kind and decent person (if not always a nice one), [[ChronicHeroSyndrome a hero down to the bone]] even [[KnightInSourArmour in his grumpier moods]], comes to believe that while [[TheAntiNihilist there's no justice or mercy in the universe... that just means he should make some.]] There's a reason that a suit of armour designed for him in the sequel is codenamed 'Project Galahad'.

* Shinji Ikari from NeonGenesisEvangelion. He's a deeply traumatized, depressed, angsty mess from the outset, but just how bad it gets in the later arcs is staggering.

* Allen Walker of ''Manga/DGrayMan''. He's [[NiceGuy nice]], [[ThePollyanna cheerful]], [[WideEyedIdealist idealistic]], and [[{{Bishonen}} really]], ''[[BadassAdorable really]]'' cute, but his life has been kind of traumatic. By which we mean that his parents abandoned him, [[spoiler: he was beaten by ''clowns'' until he got adopted]], his foster father died, his mentor abused him, and he has to watch tormented Akuma souls screaming in pain.

* By the same author as the above, ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'' has most of its protagonists as this - which is unsurprising, since it draws heavily from the Marvel Universe. It gets to the point where, by the sequel, the only protagonists who're ''not'' obviously neurotic or traumatised are Clark Kent and Clint Barton. Harry, though, is prize-winning example, with the trauma from frequent murder attempts and despite the best attempts of the Avengers to prevent it, functionally becoming a ChildSoldier, steadily building up into a TraumaCongaLine that triggers a horrible case of [[ShellShockedVeteran PTSD]] and a [[spoiler: stint as the Dark Phoenix]], and [[TookALevelInJerkass a slow recovery thereafter]].

* In ''Fanfic/LastChildOfKrypton'', Shinji is the more powerful hero in the planet, and he tries to be nice and upbeat despite of having abandonment and loneliness issues.

* ''Manga/AkatsukiNoYona'': Zeno is unceasingly cheerful, often providing the most comedy of the group. [[spoiler:Unlike the others who are reincarnations of the dragons, he's the original one, having been blessed/cursed with immortality and invulnerability, a power that only activates if he takes enough damage (and of course it still hurts him as much as it would a regular human).]]

* By the same author as the above, ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'' has most of its protagonists as this, particularly Harry who - aside from a brief [[spoiler: stint as the Dark Phoenix]], and [[TookALevelInJerkass becoming more frightening and unpleasant for a little while]] thanks to a truly horrific case of [[ShellShockedVeteran PTSD]] after a very nasty TraumaCongaLine in the sequel, which he slowly recovers from - is a kind person, prone to ChronicHeroSyndrome, and even as a KnightInSourArmour, comes to believe in TheAntiNihilist philosophy (there's no justice or mercy in the universe... so let's make some). There's a reason that a suit of armour designed for him in the sequel is codenamed 'Project Galahad'.

* Sousuke Sagara from ''LightNovel/FullMetalPanic'' is a borderline example -- he is normally TheStoic, but is a mentally well-adjusted and good-hearted person under it all, if [[NoSocialSkills somewhat socially awkward]]. For someone who has been a Mujahideen ChildSoldier since the age of seven before moving on to work for a mercenary army and has literally never known normal civilian life, that's rather impressive. The sympathy this engenders for him from the school staff may explain in part [[SociopathicHero why he always seems to get away with bringing guns to and detonating parts of the school building on a regular basis.]]

* Harry in Fanfic/TheWizardInTheShadows. All the trauma of the Wizarding War, plus four years of constant and brutal warfare in Middle Earth with no prospect of return. It's implied to have driven him a little mad, if only in the {{Cloudcuckoolander}} sense.

** Actually subverted on nearly all counts. Teal'c only lost his father, not his mother, and while Daniel certainly did lose his biological parents, his foster parents were never mentioned in [[{{Canon}} canon]]. If he did lose them, too, we didn't hear about it. And his backstory was alluded to since the original [[Film/{{Stargate}} Stargate movie]], as was Jack's particular tragedy - Jack O'Neill having made his first appearance trying to commit suicide with a nuclear bomb. Daniel's being 'polite' is often strewn with pithy and/or patronizing comments, and his having faith in humanity could be considered gullibility. Jack's open hostility, sometimes snide cynicism and occasional moral pragmatism disqualify him completely, though in the [[{{DarkAndTroubledPast}} trauma stakes]] he could probably drumpf Daniel. Teal'c has a similar problem to Jack, and Sam was never broken enough to qualify.