History Main / HumblePie

The trope name comes from the phrase "to eat humble pie," meaning for someone to be humiliated. The phrase is derived from ''umble pie'', which was a food made of offal (that is, the internal organs and other "throw-away" parts unwanted by the wealthy) during the Medieval, Early Modern, and Modern Periods (basically until the 1960s-70s in Anglophone culture) that was the often only form of non-seafood meat eaten by the lower-middle classes, unless they happened to own any livestock. Similar dishes included oysters, lobsters, and salmon which were likewise regarded as dishes for the poor because of the animals' commonness (and thus cheapness) and their meats' strong taste.

** Karma from is too confident in his abilities to study for the finals which leads to him having low grades for the first time. Koro-sensei rubs it in his face causing Karma to blush in embarrassment, knowing that this will spur Karma into trying harder next time.

* The protagonist Ange in ''Anime/CrossAnge'' was a Norma-hating FallenPrincess who thinks she should not be at the no-man's prison island because she's a princess and that she claims that she's not one of them. Then she inadvertently caused the death of three of her squadmates including the captain and wishes that she would die because she feels powerless. After finally activating a rusty and old machine and bringing it back to its pristine condition and killing her first DRAGON[[note]][[FunWithAcronyms short for Dimensional Rift Attuned Gargantuan Organic Neototypes]][[/note]] she finally gets her ImportantHaircut and hardens her character thanks to the circumstances involved, becoming someone who is willing to do anything to survive.

* Nuriko from ''Manga/FushigiYuugi'' starts out as a cross-dressing RichBitch, treating Miaka like shit due to jealousy over Hotohori's crush on her. Miaka turns the tables via slapping him and calling him out on his selfishness after a rather bad prank... and this happens in front of Hotohori. She finishes this via offering him a sort-of peace delivery in the form of a cute pebble, which makes Nuriko cry in humiliation -- from then on, he becomes the charming BoisterousBruiser and BigBrotherMentor we know and love.
* Hoo boy, Katsuki Bakugo of ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'' is a doozy. Showered with constant praise about his wits, quirk, and prowess in battle, it came to no surprise that he developed a nasty superiority complex. This attitude came back to bite him in several ways. He gets beaten in a mock battle by the kid he bullied since elementary and middle school, is forced to come to terms that he's no longer the BigManOnCampus as there are others who have greater quirks than him (and nicer to boot), he gets ignored by TheAce of the class who believes said bully victim is TheRival that he must overcome, and to add the icing on the cake [[DistressedDude he gets kidnapped by villains and needed to be rescued]]. The final straw is when he learns that he was one of the only two members of his class (and, as later revealed, ''year'') to fail the Provisional License Exam[[note]]the other being the aforementioned Ace, Shoto Todoroki, who actually would have passed had he not gotten into an argument with another examinee at the worst possible moment[[/note]]. He finally accepts that his ego is holding him back and that he needs to improve, and undergoes some major CharacterDevelopment to compensate.

* ''Fanfic/MoralOfTheStoryNyame'': Laurel's suicide and its aftermath (which includes his civilian reputation being ruined and all of his loved ones, including a resurrected Laurel, cutting ties with him) proves to be this for Oliver, as it reinforces that becoming a hero and redeeming himself takes a ''lot'' more work than just giving up killing like he assumed. And because of his actions, he has made the road to redemption much, much harder than it had to be.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Ferdinand}}'', Valiente [[spoiler:loses his right horn in a scuffle with Ferdinand and, as a result, is sent to the slaughterhouse.]] This sends him a step closer to the DespairEventHorizon, shatters all of his preconceptions, and deals a heavy blow on his ego. It took him a while to recover and [[spoiler:pull a HeelFaceTurn]].

* ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'': [[Characters/MonsterVerseMarkRussell Mark Russell]], who is angry because his son was one of the casualties when Godzilla saved the world from the [=MUTOs=] five years prior, chews the Monarch scientists out because he thinks they're being world-threateningly moronic by not trying to kill all the {{Kaiju}} around the world ASAP, and he hisses and raves at them becaues they won't indulge his rage by killing Godzilla most of all. When the military detonates the Oxygen Destroyer in the middle of Godzilla and Ghidorah's battle in Mexico, the bomb seemingly kills Godzilla (who by this point had circumstantially saved Mark's and many other people's lives twice), but it leaves Ghidorah free to take control of the other Kaiju around the world so he can destroy humanity: at this point, Serizawa [[WhatTheHellHero calls Mark out in front of everybody]], telling him that he's gotten what he wanted, and Mark is forced to recognize that he was wrong about Godzilla and the Kaiju.

* In the latter two books of ''Literature/InheritanceCycle'', the great elder dragon Glaedr swears up and down to Eragon and Saphira that there is no way, not in a million years, that the Vault of Souls could possibly contain Eldunari, {{Soul Jar}}s that contain the consciousnesses of dragons. When it turns out to contain not only those, but dragon eggs as well, he is at once overjoyed, triumphant and shocked, but also has to eat a heavy amount of crow. It's unclear exactly ''why'' the possibility of how they were hidden the way that they were (deep underground) never occurred to him.

* This happened to Major Winchester in an episode of ''Series/{{MASH}}''. After spending the whole episode insulting three South Korean doctors who used archaic methods, he threw his back out, and the very forgiving Korean doctors offered to help him, which Colonel Potter consented to. (After ordering Winchester to comply.) When their method - acupuncture - worked like a charm, he actually apologized.

** Teddy starts out as a greedy bully who's manipulated into tormenting Gray, the ruthless and pragmatic protagonist who ruins his prized possession and thoroughly beats him in front of a classful of students. When this results in him getting mocked and abandoned by the people he called "friends", Teddy comes to realise that being a bully has no real benefits, and slowly finds himself helping out Gray and his group until his HeelFaceTurn is complete and he's considered one of the gang.
** Forrest is introduced as a CombatPragmatist and overall brute, and is then thoroughly put in his place when he attacks Alex to anger his friend Ben and gets [[GoneHorriblyRight more than what he bargained for]] when Ben comes at him in an UnstoppableRage. After his vicious loss he does a complete 180, meekly taking his orders from his superiors and doing nothing to stir the waters.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/LittleDogsOnThePrairie'' short "Have Gum, Will Travel", Scout, who has been prideful about his ability to blow huge bubble gum bubbles, is beaten in a bubble blowing duel by another prairie dog and gets fired from the circus. He then returns home and apologizes to Darcy and Sport for having been too prideful and humbled by the experience.

** In "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E9SweetAndElite Sweet and Elite]]", [[UpperClassTwit Jet Set and Uppercrust]] get this thanks to [[UnclePennybags Fancypants]] on two occasions. First by him taking Rarity into his reserved balcony seat at the races, right in front of them, and second, [[spoiler:when he endorses Rarity and her friends, who'd they'd just spoke down to, forcing them to suck it up and praise her.]]

** In "Homer vs. Patty and Selma", [[ObnoxiousInLaws Patty and Selma]] act high and mighty to Homer when he forced to borrow money from them to keep his house. When Homer, despite all the ridicule he suffers, saves them from being fired for smoking, they are quick to apologize, and even agree to cancel the debt.

Compare with HumiliationConga, which is what happens when a character is forced to eat several Humble Pies all at once, and BreakTheHaughty, which may occur as a result of pie-eating.

** However, she loses in the first round of the tournament to Hayama Akira, who chides her for being content with [[SecondPlaceIsForLosers being second to Erina]], stating that someone who isn't doing their best couldn't hope to defeat him. Hisako is so upset that she immediately leaves Erina's side despite the latter's protests, not understanding that Erina doesn't really care if Hisako is perfect since she doesn't need a subordinate, she needs a friend.

* [[TheRival Paul]] from ''VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl'' after a long streak of getting rid of any of his Pokémon that dares lose a battle culminating in abandoning his Chimchar receives one of these from [[BonusBoss Pyramid King Brandon]]. Brandon actually calls him out on his cruel treatment of his Pokémon while {{Curb Stomp|Battle}}ing him with [[OlympusMons Legendaries]] which causes Paul to panic and suffer a [[HeroicBSOD Anti-heroic BSOD]]. After this event, while still rather cocky, Paul slowly starts to develop into a better person, and starts to treat his Pokémon with respect even ''if'' they lose a battle.

** Karma from is too confident in his abilities to study for the finals which leads to him having low grades for the first time. Koro -sensei rubs it in his face causing Karma to blush in embarrassment.

* Karma from is too confident in his abilities to study for the finals which leads to him having low grades for the first time. Koro -sensei rubs it in his face causing Karma to blush in embarrassment.

* Sting spends most of his intro arc in ''Manga/FairyTail'' boasting about how he's so powerful and could easily handle a monster that bested the main character. After said main character beat Sting at full power without even breaking out some of the more powerful spells that Sting had seen him using, he shut up.
** Earlier, during the epilogue of the Edolas arc, Edolas' [[spoiler:former]] King Faust suffers defeat from the dragon slayers [[HotBlooded Natsu]], [[MadeOfDiamond Gajeel]], and [[BadassAdorable Wendy]]. He is then tied up and "taken hostage" by Natsu in a ZeroApprovalGambit in order to [[spoiler:make Mystogan a hero in the public's eyes and ensure that he becomes king]]. Finally, Mystogan banishes Faust from the Royal Capital. He accepts the punishment without complaint and [[PetTheDog tells his aide Coco to never stop running]]. He then walks away into the desert and only looks back to see Mystogan [[spoiler:(his son)]] giving him the sign that he will always watch over him, even if he's not within sight. Also, before Natsu returns to Earth!Land, Faust admits that he was a fool for being so intoxicated with power and asks the boy if being in a guild is fun. Natsu makes a connection and concludes that [[spoiler:Faust may in fact be the Edolas counterpart of Earth!Land Fairy Tail's master; Makarov Dreyar]].

* In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'', during Hubert and Linhardt's C support, Hubert expresses his contempt for Linhardt, saying that [[BrilliantButLazy Linhardt is a talented individual who doesn't apply his skills to any useful pursuits]], and Hubet wishes Linhardt would be of service to Edelgard, heiress to the Adrestian throne. In their B support, Hubert is humiliated when he overworks himself into exhaustion, resulting in Linhardt taking care of him.

No relation to '''Humble Pie''', the band led by Steve Marriott and Music/PeterFrampton.

* While drastic personality changes are nothing new in ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'', [[Literature/OrlandoFurioso Mandricardo]]'s are explicitly from realizing posthumously that [[UnknownRival if he's remembered at all]], it's as [[JerkAss a bully and a coward]], who [[EpicFail never achieved any of his goals]] and [[TheFriendNobodyLikes wasn't well-liked by anybody]]. So now he has an inferiority complex and depression.

* ''Manga/ThePrinceOfTennis'': Ryo Shishido's loss at the hands of Tachibana and being kicked out of the regular team. Both trigger his ImportantHaircut and CharacterDevelopment into a still harsh, but more kindhearted person.
* Yoki from ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist: Brotherhood'' embodies this trope wholesale. The Elric brothers ruining his comfy gig as the corrupt ruler of a mining town directly results in him becoming the resident ChewToy of the series. Even his final fate at the end of the series is a joke: [[spoiler: he joins the circus]].

** Earlier, during the epilogue of the Edolas arc, Edolas' [[spoiler:former]] King Faust suffers defeat from the dragon slayers [[HotBlooded Natsu]], [[MadeOfDiamond Gajeel]], and [[BadassAdorable Wendy]]. He is then tied up and "taken hostage" by Natsu in a ZeroApprovalGambit in order to [[spoiler: make Mystogan a hero in the public's eyes and ensure that he becomes king]]. Finally, Mystogan banishes Faust from the Royal Capital. He accepts the punishment without complaint and [[PetTheDog tells his aide Coco to never stop running]]. He then walks away into the desert and only looks back to see Mystogan [[spoiler:(his son)]] giving him the sign that he will always watch over him, even if he's not within sight. Also, before Natsu returns to Earth!Land, Faust admits that he was a fool for being so intoxicated with power and asks the boy if being in a guild is fun. Natsu makes a connection and concludes that [[spoiler: Faust may in fact be the Edolas counterpart of Earth!Land Fairy Tail's master; Makarov Dreyar]].
* Nuriko from ''Manga/FushigiYuugi'' starts out as a cross-dressing RichBitch, treating Miaka like shit due to jealousy over Hotohori's crush on her. Miaka turns the tables via slapping him and calling him out on his selfishness after a rather bad prank... and this happens in front of Hotohori. She finishes this via offering him a sort-of peace delivery in the form of a cute pebble, which makes Nuriko cry in humiliation -- from then on, he becomes the charming BoisterousBruiser and BigBrotherMentor we know and love.
* [[TheRival Paul]] from ''VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl'' after a long streak of getting rid of any of his Pokémon that dares lose a battle culminating in abandoning his Chimchar receives one of these from [[BonusBoss Pyramid King Brandon]]. Brandon actually calls him out on his cruel treatment of his Pokémon while {{Curb Stomp|Battle}}ing him with [[OlympusMons Legendaries]] which causes Paul to panic and suffer a [[HeroicBSOD Anti-heroic BSOD]]. After this event, while still rather cocky, Paul slowly starts to develop into a better person, and starts to treat his Pokémon with respect even ''if'' they lose a battle.
* The protagonist Ange in ''Anime/CrossAnge'' was a Norma-hating FallenPrincess who thinks she should not be at the no-man's prison island because she's a princess and that she claims that she's not one of them. Then she inadvertently caused the death of three of her squadmates including the captain and wishes that she would die because she feels powerless. After finally activating a rusty and old machine and bringing it back to its pristine condition and killing her first DRAGON[[note]][[FunWithAcronyms short for Dimensional Rift Attuned Gargantuan Organic Neototypes]][[/note]] she finally gets her ImportantHaircut and hardens her character thanks to the circumstances involved, becoming someone who is willing to do anything to survive.

** Later, she has an assignment with Souma. Though Erina's dismissive attitude towards him has rubbed off on her, she realizes that he can do a lot of things she can't. She's forced to swallow her pride and take orders from him until she can get the current workload under control and get used to the pace of things. While this is clearly humiliating for her, it also earns her respect and when he takes the opportunity to suggest that she rethink her relationship with Erina and gives an excuse to return to her side, she realizes the obvious truth of what he's saying and [[DefrostingIceQueen thanks him with a smile.]]

* ''Manga/AceOfTheDiamond'': Following the Spring Koshien, Satoru Furuya starts believing that the Seidou team needs him more than he needs them. This results in him making plenty of blunders due to breaking under pressure and losing control, which culminates in a match where he gives out ''five'' runs to Ichidai Sankou and destroys Seidou's lead in a single inning, forcing Coach Kataoka to send Sawamura in to clean up his mess. [[spoiler:He later loses the ace number to Sawamura because, unlike Furuya, he relies on the rest of his teammates to back him up]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls1'', AlphaBitch Sunset Shimmer is given such a helping of humble pie that in the [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsRainbowRocks sequel]] her FatalFlaw is that she doesn't feel it's her place to call out her friends even when their petty arguing dooms their band.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Ferdinand}}'', Valiente [[spoiler:loses his right horn in a scuffle with Ferdinand and, as a result, is sent to the slaughterhouse.]] This sends him a step closer to the DespairEventHorizon, shatters all of his preconceptions, and deals a heavy blow on his ego. It took him a while to recover and [[spoiler:pull a HeelFaceTurn]].

* At the conclusion of the Literature/SherlockHolmes story "The Adventure of the Yellow Face", Holmes discovers that his deductions about the case in question were almost entirely erroneous. Consequently humbled, he asks Watson to use the word "Norbury" -- the place where the events of the case transpired -- to bring him down a peg or two should he ever start getting too boastful about his deductive powers.
* The above is parodied and subverted in the Literature/HerculePoirot story "The Chocolate Box", in which Poirot -- who has made a similar blunder to Holmes above -- asks his companion Captain Hastings to similarly use the words "chocolate box" in order to deflate him if he should start boasting again. Hastings finds himself using the words mere seconds later, much to his amusement and Poirot's irritation.

* A very literal version appeared in ''Series/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch'' in which Sabrina, desiring a little more attention for her efforts, unintentionally chomps too much of a magic cake that increases the attention she gets and is overloaded with meaningless admiration. Humble pie is the counter-spell and it tastes terrible.

* Mentioned by name in ''Series/TheThickOfIt'': after Nicola has "laid [her] first great, big egg of solid fuck", [[MagnificentBastard Malcolm]] explains that there actually is a way to limit the fallout from her incredibly stupid mistake, but it would involve her "eating an entire concrete mixer full of humble pie". While Nicola clearly didn't enjoy having to give an interview to the smug journalist who was causing the trouble, this particular humiliation was pretty mild compared to the things the characters normally end up doing on this show.

* In the TV adaptation of ''Literature/AnneOfGreenGables'', Anne, who had been forbidden to see her best friend, Diana, after she accidentally got her drunk on currant wine, goes and saves Diana's young sister who was dying from croup. The next day, Marilla says that Anne is invited to eat at Diana's house and wryly notes that humble pie is likely on the menu.
* In ''Series/AmericanHorrorStoryAsylum'', Sister Jude has a helping when she is locked up in her own asylum as a patient.

* Both "eating humble pie" and the variant phrase "eat crow" come up occasionally in the ''[[VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorney Phoenix Wright trilogy]]''. This deserves special mention, synonym or no:

* Brainy, Vanity, and Snappy literally serve humble pie to the other Smurfs who have been affected by Chlorhydris' self-love spell in ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs1981'' episode "Love Those Smurfs".
* This happens to Raimundo in an early episode of ''WesternAnimation/XiaolinShowdown'' when he loses a battle to Tubbimura, who uses the Sword of Storm to defeat him. (It had been Raimundo's fault because he had ignored the lecture on the Sword's powers. Even worse, the Sword of Storm was a Wind Shen Gong Wu, Wind being Raimundo's element, which made it ''really'' humiliating.) Raimundo spends much of the rest of the episode studying and was able to win a rematch with Tubbimura at the end.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheAngryBeavers'' episode, "Oh Brother", Norbert all but disowns Daggett after learning he might have been switched at birth and sets off to find his real brother. Then said brother, Byron, shows up and quickly proves to be an even bigger pretentious asshole than Norbert (on top of being AlwaysSomeoneBetter). After being subjected to the same treatment he usually gives Dag, Norbert is forced to admit he was wrong and accepts Dag as his real brother.
* In ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017'' episode, "The Richest Duck in the World!", this is how one is meant to defeat Bombie the Zombie. The richest duck in the world must admit that their wealth can't solve ''every'' problem and humble themselves before the Bombie (in Scrooge and Louie's case, by shining his boots) in order to be spared his wrath.

* Music/TearsForFears: In "Sowing the Seeds of Love", a [[UsefulNotes/MargaretThatcher politician]] is told to do this for all the mistakes she has done while in office.

* [[TheRival Paul]] from ''VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl'' after a long streak of getting rid of any of his Pokémon that dares lose a battle culminating in abandoning his [[EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys Chimchar]] receives one of these from [[BonusBoss Pyramid King Brandon]]. Brandon actually calls him out on his cruel treatment of his Pokémon while {{Curb Stomp|Battle}}ing him with [[OlympusMons Legendaries]] which causes Paul to panic and suffer a [[HeroicBSOD Anti-heroic BSOD]]. After this event, while still rather cocky, Paul slowly starts to develop into a better person, and starts to treat his Pokémon with respect even ''if'' they lose a battle.

* Brainy, Vanity, and Snappy literally serve humble pie to the other Smurfs who have been affected by Chlorhydris' self-love spell in ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs'' episode "Love Those Smurfs".

* While drastic personality changes are nothing new in ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'', [[Literature/OrlandoFurioso Mandricardo]]'s are explicitly from realizing posthumously that [[UnknownRival if he's remembered at all]], it's as [[JerkAss a bully, a braggart, and a coward]], who [[EpicFail never achieved any of his goals]] and [[TheFriendNobodyLikes wasn't well-liked by anybody]]. So now instead he has an inferiority complex and depression.

* While drastic personality changes are nothing new in ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'', [[Literature/OrlandoFurioso Mandricardo]]'s inferiority complex and depression are explicitly from realizing posthumously that [[UnknownRival if he's remembered at all]], it's as [[JerkAss a bully, a braggart, and a coward]], who [[EpicFail never achieved any of his goals]] and [[TheFriendNobodyLikes wasn't well-liked by anybody]]. ''Oof.''

* ''Film/TheLastCommand'': Revolutionaries making captured general stoke their train to Petrograd.

This is a single, significant humiliating event that deeply affects a character. The subject is typically a particularly [[SmugSnake obnoxious]] and/or [[SmallNameBigEgo self-important]] character who makes a [[DidntSeeThatComing serious mistake]] or suffers a defeat that forces them to reflect on their failure and their ego. This happens most often to antagonist characters, and is usually portrayed as being well-deserved.

Sometimes, just to rub it in some more, it can be followed by a HumiliationConga, and might result in [[BreakTheHaughty Breaking The Haughty]]. In more obvious cases, the character will actually be called out for his arrogant attitude, but usually the situation is more subtle and the realization is more personal.

There are many ways for a character to respond. Oftentimes the character will simply accept their failure, realize the error of their ways, and [[HeelFaceTurn change themselves]] to become a genuinely more tolerable person. Other characters simply cannot handle eating Humble Pie, and may react with anything from a VillainousBreakdown to something much [[DrivenToSuicide more]] [[{{Seppuku}} drastic]].

The trope name comes from the phrase "to eat humble pie," meaning for someone to be humiliated. The phrase is derived from ''umble pie'', which was a food made of offal (that is, the internal organs and other "throw-away" parts unwanted by the wealthy) during the Medieval, Early Modern, and Modern Periods (basically until the 1960s-70s in Anglophone culture) that was the often only form of non-seafood meat eaten by the lower-middle classes, unless they happened to own any livestock. Similar dishes included Oysters, Lobsters, and Salmon which were likewise regarded as dishes for the poor because of the animals' common-ness (and thus cheap-ness) and their meats' strong taste.

** Earlier, during the epilogue of the Edolas arc, Edolas' [[spoiler:former]] King Faust suffers defeat from the dragon slayers [[HotBlooded Natsu]], [[MadeOfDiamond Gajeel]], and [[BadassAdorable Wendy]]. He is then tied up and "taken hostage" by Natsu in a ZeroApprovalGambit in order to [[spoiler: make Mystogan a hero in the public's eyes and ensure that he becomes king]]. Finally, Mystogan banishes Faust from the Royal Capital. He accepts the punishment without complaint and [[PetTheDog tells his aide Coco to never stop running]]. He than walks away into the desert and only looks back to see Mystogan [[spoiler:(his son)]] giving him the sign that he will always watch over him, even if he's not within sight. Also, before Natsu returns to Earth!Land, Faust admits that he was a fool for being so intoxicated with power and asks the boy if being in a guild is fun. Natsu makes a connection and concludes that [[spoiler: Faust may in fact be the Edolas counterpart of Earth!Land Fairy Tail's master; Makarov Dreyar]].
* Nuriko from ''Manga/FushigiYuugi'' starts out as a crosdressing RichBitch, treating Miaka like shit due to jealousy over Hotohori's crush on her. Miaka turns the tables via slapping him and calling him out on his selfishness after a rather bad prank... and this happens in front of Hotohori. She finishes this via offering him a sort-of peace delivery in the form of a cute pebble, which makes Nuriko cry in humiliation -- from then on, he becomes the charming BoisterousBruiser and BigBrotherMentor we know and love.

* The protagonist Ange in ''Anime/CrossAnge'' was a Norma-hating FallenPrincess who thinks she should not be at the no-man's prison island because she's a princess and that she claims that she's not one of them. Then she inadvertently caused the death of three of her squad mates including the captain and wishes that she would die because she feels powerless. After finally activating a rusty and old machine and bringing it back to its pristine condition and killing her first DRAGON[[note]][[FunWithAcronyms short for Dimensional Rift Attuned Gargantuan Organic Neototypes]][[/note]] she finally gets her ImportantHaircut and hardens her character thanks to the circumstances involved, becoming someone who is willing to do anything to survive.

** Later, she has an assignment with Souma. Though Erina's dismissive attitude towards him has rubbed off on her, she realizes that he can do a lot of things she can't. She's forced to swallow her pride and take orders from him until she can get the current work load under control and get used to the pace of things. While this is clearly humiliating for her, it also earns her respect and when he takes the opportunity to suggest that she rethink her relationship with Erina and gives an excuse to return to her side, she realizes the obvious truth of what he's saying and [[DefrostingIceQueen thanks him with a smile.]]
* Hoo boy, Katsuki Bakugo of ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'' is a doozy. Showered with constant praise about his wits, quirk and prowess in battle, it came to no surprise that he developed a nasty superiority complex. This attitude came back to bite him in several ways. He gets beaten in a mock battle by the kid he bullied since elementary and middle school, is forced to come to terms that he's no longer the BigManOnCampus as there are others who have greater quirks than him (and nicer to boot), he gets ignored by TheAce of the class who believes said bully victim is TheRival that he must overcome, and to add the icing on the cake [[DistressedDude he gets kidnapped by villains and needed to be rescued]]. The final straw is when he learns that he was one of the only two members of his class (and, as later revealed, ''year'') to fail the Provisional License Exam[[note]]the other being the aforementioned Ace, Shoto Todoroki, who actually would have passed had he not gotten into an argument with another examinee at the worst possible moment[[/note]]. He finally accepts that his ego is holding him back and that he needs to improve, and undergoes some major CharacterDevelopment to compensate.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Ferdinand}}'', Valiente [[spoiler:loses his right horn in a scuffle with Ferdinand and, as a result, is sent to the slaughterhouse.]] This sends him a step closer to the DespairEventHorizon, shatters all of his preconceptions and deals a heavy blow on his ego. It took him a while to recover and [[spoiler:pull a HeelFaceTurn]].

* In the pilot of ''Series/{{Justified}}'' Boyd Crowder is an arrogant criminal who runs his own neo-Nazi gang of rednecks. He firmly grabs the VillainBall and decides to shoot it out with a group of US Marshalls including his old friend Raylan Givens. His gang is easily captured by the marshals and Boyd himself barely survives getting shot by Raylan. This experience causes him to have a HeelFaithTurn, give up his criminal ways and start his own church. However, his arrogance causes him to go against his crime kingpin father Bo who teaches Boyd a lesson by [[spoiler: murdering all members of Boyd's church]].
* This happened to Major Winchester in an episode of ''Series/{{MASH}}''. After spending the whole episode insulting three South Korean doctors who used archaic methods, he threw his back out, and the very forgiving Korean doctors offered to help help him, which Colonel Potter consented to. (After ordering Winchester to comply.) When their method - acupuncture - worked like a charm, he actually apologized.
** Another episode saw BJ Hunnicutt getting upset that his wife back home had to take a job to make ends meet. He spent the episode trying to raise money to help her, but this slowly devolved into a kind of shamed arrogance (for example, he'd only let Hawkeye taste some of Mrs. Hunnicutt's "award winning" crumb cake after Hawkeye paid $5 for the privilege). It was only after Major Houlihan pointed out that "the only reason you've lost the most is because you've GOT the most!" that BJ realized his error.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV: A Realm Reborn'' features one with one of your allies, [[TheProudElite Alphinaud]], and his independent [[BadassArmy Grand Company]], the Crystal Braves. [[spoiler:Alphinaud's hidden desire for glory blinds him to the corruption that takes hold of half of the Braves. The repercussions that inevitably follows--the Scions being blamed for the sultana's assassination, and most of said Scions [[BolivianArmyEnding staying behind to hold the corrupt Braves back that you can escape]]--shake Alphinaud pretty badly, as he realizes that he'd been using the Braves ''and'' the player as pawns for glory. It gives him all the more reason to get better during the ''Heavensward'' expansion.]]

* This happens to Raimundo in an early episode of ''WesternAnimation/XiaolinShowdown'' when he loses a battle to Tubbimura, who uses the Sword of Storm to defeat him. (It had been Raimundo's fault, because he had ignored the lecture on the Sword's powers. Even worse, the Sword of Storm was a Wind Shen Gong Wu, Wind being Raimundo's element, which made it ''really'' humiliating.) Raimundo spends much of the rest of the episode studying, and was able to win a rematch with Tubbimura at the end.

** This exchange between Bart and Lisa in episode "Krusty Gets Busted":

* Aging tennis star Bobby Riggs acted the male-chauvinist lout during the run-up to the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Sexes_(tennis) "Battle of the Sexes"]] between him and Billy-Jean King. After King beat him soundly, he had to eat a lot of humble pie...

* Happens twice to Erina's secretary Hisako in ''Manga/ShokugekiNoSoma'', once in a bad way and then in a good way. She nearly worships Erina and believes that only someone perfect can be at her side.