History Main / IJustWantToBeBadass

* ...Raiden in ''MetalGearSolid 2'', an even more savage {{deconstruction}} of this trope than Solid Snake. As an audience proxy character whom the player is encouraged to identify with, he essentially the audience for wanting to be badass by, at the start of his portion of the game, first failing miserably at being badass and then being harassed by his girlfriend because of his emotional distance (a common trait of badassery). Then, in the later portion of the game, it is revealed that he is exceptionally badass. Unfortunately the circumstances through which his badassery was generated [[TrainingFromHell were so excruciatingly traumatic]] that only a complete masochist would want to undergo them. Finally, when the audience gets their [[WishFulfillment wish to be badass fulfilled]], the game begins [[NoFourthWall raping the fourth wall]] and reminding the players that they are playing a video game and hence are not really badass at all. During the game, several events and situations occur that directly copy (or are obviously analogous to) segments of the original MetalGearSolid, further forcing the players to ask themselves whether or not they truly wish to be like Solid Snake (because being like Snake would not be nice, fun, heroic or awesome). If that weren't bleedingly obvious enough, the game's plot involves [[spoiler: the entire game being a simulation of the events of the original game, designed to turn the player-character into Solid Snake!]].

* The page image is a flashback (in comic-book form) to an (in)famous episode of ''BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' where wimpy, nerdy Jonathan had an attack of this trope and used a spell to turn himself into a full-blown MartyStu. ''{{Buffy}}'' being, well, about '''Buffy,''' obviously this couldn't last.

->''Hey, Stinkoman! Everybody says you're the guy, but {{I wanna be the guy}}, too!''

-->-- Too many characters to list.

* [[MahouSenseiNegima Negi Springfield]] definitely qualifies. Already a [[{{Determinator}} hard-working]] prodigal mage at the age of 10, his quest for power increases after many of his students became a member of his [[RagtagBunchofMisfits mischievous]] [[{{Nakama}} followers]], making him constantly worried for their safety. It doesn't help that he's [[OvershadowedByAwesome surrounded by a lot of ]] powerful person such as his more combat trained pupils (Setsuna, Mana, Kaede, Ku Fei), his father's friends (Jack Rakan, Alberio Imma, Takamichi), and his former enemy (Evangeline), some of which are game-breakingly powerful. Oh, and his father? An [[WorldsStrongestMan incredibly powerful]] war hero who is practically worshiped across the Magic World. That's a lot of hurdle to jump over. [[spoiler: It's no surprise then that he would push himself to incredible extremes, even learning [[NobleDemon Evangeline]]'s '''[[BlackMagic Dark Magic]]'''.]] He's definitely not your standard shounen hero.

[[quoteright:300:[[BuffyTheVampireSlayer http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/IJustWantToBeBadass.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:300:Everyone Wants to Be as Badass as Jonathan]]

* This is pretty much the basic idea of ''Comicbook/{{Wanted}}'', both the original comic and the movie adaptation. The protagonist is a loser guy who becomes a BadAss when he finds out he has a badass gene inherited from a father he never knew. The comic book (but not the movie) also [[spoiler:attempts to deconstruct this trope by scolding the reader for identifying with the main character, who's essentially a violent sociopath]]. Perhaps not coincidentally, ''Wanted'' was written by MarkMillar, the same guy who also wrote ''Kick-Ass''.

* ...Raiden in ''MetalGearSolid 2'', an even more savage {{deconstruction}} of this trope than Solid Snake. As an audience proxy character whom the player is encouraged to identify with, he essentially [[YouSuck attacks the audience]] for wanting to be badass by, at the start of his portion of the game, first failing miserably at being badass and then being harassed by his girlfriend because of his emotional distance (a common trait of badassery). Then, in the later portion of the game, it is revealed that he is exceptionally badass. Unfortunately the circumstances through which his badassery was generated [[TrainingFromHell were so excruciatingly traumatic]] that only a complete masochist would want to undergo them. Finally, when the audience gets their [[WishFulfillment wish to be badass fulfilled]], the game begins [[NoFourthWall raping the fourth wall]] and reminding the players that they are playing a video game and hence are not really badass at all. During the game, several events and situations occur that directly copy (or are obviously analogous to) segments of the original MetalGearSolid, further forcing the players to ask themselves whether or not they truly wish to be like Solid Snake (because being like Snake would not be nice, fun, heroic or awesome). If that weren't bleedingly obvious enough, the game's plot involves [[spoiler: the entire game being a simulation of the events of the original game, designed to turn the player-character into Solid Snake!]].
** [[YouSuck Is it any wonder]] [[TheScrappy the poor guy's so unpopular?]]
** Should be pointed out though, those of us who DIDNT play the orignal as a power fantasy, and just saw it as an interactiver story, were confused out to hell; and did not understand that it was supposed to be this at all until they read about it later.

* Cloud Strife in ''FinalFantasyVII'' is a {{deconstruction}} of this trope as well (in addition to [[YouSuck attacking the audience]] for having this wish in the first place). Cloud so wanted to be badass that [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything he deluded himself into living in a fantasy world where he was an elite super-soldier]], all to impress the ladies, of course. [[GoMadFromTheRevelation The revelation of this delusion resulted]] in [[HeroicBSOD a cataclysmic nervous breakdown]] as well as having to save the world from an OmnicidalManiac. Unlike with Raiden, the audience does eventually get its WishFulfillment.

** [[OrSoIHeard Should be pointed out though, those of us who DIDNT play the orignal as a power fantasy, and just saw it as an interactiver story, were confused out to hell; and did not understand that it was supposed to be this at all until they read about it later.]]

* [[MafiaPrincess Asago]] from ''Tokyo Crazy Paradise'' so very desperately wants to be a badass to match Ryuji, her husband-to-be, but she is always overshadowed by [[SweetPollyOliver Tsukasa]] or runs into inhuman monsters. She [[TookALevelInBadass gets tougher]] by the end of the series.

See also; WishFulfillment,IJustWantToHaveFriends,IJustWantTOBeBeautifu,l IJustWantToBeSpecial, IJustWantToBeNormal. Also heavily overlaps with IWantToBeARealMan given that the concepts of ''BadAss'' and ''manly'' are frequently interconnected. Arguably the cause of the PowerFantasy.

See also; WishFulfillment,IJustWantToHaveFriends, IJustWantToBeSpecial, IJustWantToBeNormal. Also heavily overlaps with IWantToBeARealMan given that the concepts of ''BadAss'' and ''manly'' are frequently interconnected. Arguably the cause of the PowerFantasy.

** Einhart Stratos in ''Vivid'' is a straighter example. Driven by the GeneticMemory of [[{{Reincanrnation}} her ancestor]], she is in a constant quest to become strong enough to protect everyone she cares about. This drive of hers only became more intense when she met and trained with the old cast of Nanoha, as she realized just how far she still has to go before she could reach their level.

** Einhart Stratos in ''Vivid'' is a straighter example. Driven by the GeneticMemory of her ancestor, she is in a constant quest to become strong enough to protect everyone she cares about. This drive of hers only became more intense when she met and trained with the old cast of Nanoha, as she realized just how far she still has to go before she could reach their level.

'''Wii users:''' "[[PeterPanSyndrome I never want to grow up!]]"

* Deconstructed in both [[MassEffect Mass Effect 1 and 2]] by both Corporal Jenkins and Conrad Verner. In the case of Jenkins, he has a highly ''romanticized'' image of what it means to be a soldier, and when he actually goes on the first major mission in the game, he's gunned down and killed in minutes. In the case of Conrad Verner, he's more [[ButtMonkey played for laughs]] and is a TakeThat [[ThisLoserIsYou of the players.]]

Like IJustWantToBeSpecial , IJustWantToHaveFriendsand IJustWantToBeNormal, IJustWantToBeBadass describes one of those [[WishFulfillment wishes]] that consumers of media like to have [[WishFulfillment fulfilled]] by the works they consume. Typically, males are somewhat more prone to harbor this wish. A tentative explanation for this could be the fact that western popular culture's standards of masculinity and badassery have some similarities.

See also; WishFulfillment,IJustWantToBeAccepted, IJustWantToBeSpecial, IJustWantToBeNormal. Also heavily overlaps with IWantToBeARealMan given that the concepts of ''BadAss'' and ''manly'' are frequently interconnected. Arguably the cause of the PowerFantasy.

Like IJustWantToBeSpecial , IJustWantToBeAccepted and IJustWantToBeNormal, IJustWantToBeBadass describes one of those [[WishFulfillment wishes]] that consumers of media like to have [[WishFulfillment fulfilled]] by the works they consume. Typically, males are somewhat more prone to harbor this wish. A tentative explanation for this could be the fact that western popular culture's standards of masculinity and badassery have some similarities.