History Main / IJustWantToBeBadass

** ...Raiden in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2'', 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 serves as a living lecture to the audience against 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 demolishing 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 ''VideoGame/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!]].

* ''Series/TheWalkingDead'': [[FauxActionGirl Andrea]] is this in Season 1 and the first part of Season 2. By the end of Season 2, however, [[TookALevelInBadass she can actually hold her own against a surprising amount of walkers before hitting the ground exhausted.]] Unfortunately, [[BadassDecay this is dropped early on in Season 3 after she becomes the Governor's slu - erm, partner]]. She spends the rest of the season trying to prove herself as a powerful, diplomatic leader in Woodbury. She has moments, but overall, no one really takes her seriously, and her actions throughout the season - such as abandoning Michonne for a stranger and repeatedly defending the Governor ''despite'' knowing about his unstable tendencies - cause her to be labelled as TheScrappy by most fans. Eventually, all of her indecision and poor choice in loyalty culminate in [[spoiler: [[AlasPoorScrappy her death]]]].

%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=byzwzmkbqymxccj67qiicqev

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[[caption-width-right:300:Someday...]]

* In ''Manga/ChronoCrusade'', this was one of the major motivations of Joshua, an IllBoy whose BlessedWithSuck HealingHands powers confined him to his bed. After being disappointed by a suggestion from [[TheMentor Father Remington]] to go through TrainingFromHell to grow strong, [[BigBad Aion]] offered him a DealWithTheDevil to gain immense power through a pair of demon horns. It worked, but [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity also turned him insane]] and allowed Aion to kidnap him and use his powers for his plans. This kicks off the main plot of the series when his sister makes her own DealWithTheDevil to be able to rescue him.

* Tuffy Smurf of ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs'' wants to be just like Hefty Smurf and will prove himself to be like him constantly by doing some daring things that usually put the other Smurfs in danger.

->''"When all alone in my chair, I just go about wishing...\\
I want to be strong, I really want to be trusted..."''
-->-- '''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rF2XAltk1NM "Believe In Myself,"]]''' ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure''

* In ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'', Jaune Arc is angry that he's PluckyComicRelief and wants to be a great warrior like his [[FamousAncestor legendary war-hero great-great grandfather]]. He at first rejects Pyrrha Nikos' offer to train him because he thinks if he can't succeed on his own then it doesn't count but eventually relents. The training starts to have results, but he's still leagues below everybody else.
** Ironically, even though he isn't a great fighter, he still demonstrates a lot of tactical prowess - in Episode 8, he does a fantastic job of directing Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora in their battle against the Deathstalker, taking advantage of their skills and personal strengths to methodically take the scorpion monster apart. This is in contrast to our plucky heroines on Team RWBY, who rely on one of Ruby's {{Indy Ploy}}s and a ''lot'' of TeethClenchedTeamwork. He's also a NiceGuy with a kind heart, who is willing to step up and protect not only his teammates but even horrible people who antagonise him. Jaune ''is'' a badass, it's just he undervalues himself due to his lack of physical prowess.
** [[DarkActionGirl Cinder Fall]] says it outright: "I want to be strong. I want to be feared. I want to be ''powerful''." To this end, she's willing to commit any atrocity to gather the power of the Maidens in herself. Volume 8 finally reveals her past: [[spoiler: a truly horrific childhood involving slavery to a monstrous EvilStepmother. Despite the unforgivable things Cinder has done up to this point, her desire to become so badass that she'll NeverBeHurtAgain becomes at least a bit more understandable.]]

Like IJustWantToBeSpecial, IJustWantToHaveFriends and IJustWantToBeNormal, I Just Want To Be Badass describes one of those {{wish|Fulfillment}}es 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 badassery goes hand in hand with many cultures' standards of masculinity.

* NiceGuy Matsuda in ''Anime/DeathNote'' doesn't flinch when the NPA tells its officers that if anyone wants to investigate Kira in the midst of him targeting cops, they'll have to make their own squad and do it because everyone else is quitting out of fear--he jumps at the chance to join the task force and is giddy with excitement at the idea of catching the bad guy. As time goes on, [[ButtMonkey no matter how badly the rest of the team treats him,]] he only wants to be useful and help catch Kira, and his {{Adorkable}} enthusiasm and bravery never falters. This only makes it all the more heartbreaking when he finally does get his most important moment, and it's [[spoiler: [[ShutUpHannibal shooting Light in the final episode before he can quickly write down Near's name in the notebook,]] shooting him a few more times when he tries to write it again, and after Light tries to use his own father's death as a tool to manipulate Matsuda into joining his side and killing everyone else, he finally has to be held back by the rest of the squad before [[RageBreakingPoint he can put his last bullet in between Light's eyes.]] He's been the heart of the group for years, smiling and cracking jokes, the only one who's able to see from both sides of the Kira conflict, and [[BreakTheCutie he's reduced to murderous rage and inconsolable grief by the end.]]]]

* NiceGuy Matsuda in ''Anime/DeathNote'' doesn't flinch when the NPA tells its officers that if anyone wants to investigate Kira in the midst of him targeting cops, they'll have to make their own squad and do it because everyone else is quitting out of fear--he jumps at the chance to join the task force and is giddy with excitement at the idea of catching the bad guy. As time goes on, [[ButtMonkey no matter how badly the rest of the team treats him,]] he only wants to be useful and help catch Kira, and his {{Adorkable}} enthusiasm and bravery never falters. This only makes it all the more heartbreaking when he finally does get his most important moment, and it's [[spoiler: [[ShutUpHannibal shooting Light in the final episode before he can quickly write anyone's name down,]] shooting him a few more times when he won't back down, and finally has to be held back by the rest of the squad before [[RageBreakingPoint he can shoot Light point-blank in the head.]] He's been the heart of the group for years, smiling and cracking jokes, the only one who's able to see from both sides of the Kira conflict, and [[BreakTheCutie he's reduced to murderous rage and inconsolable grief by the end.]]]]

* NiceGuy Matsuda in ''Anime/DeathNote'' doesn't flinch when the NPA tells its officers that if anyone wants to investigate Kira in the midst of him targeting cops, they'll have to make their own squad and do it because everyone else is quitting out of fear--he jumps at the chance to join the task force and is giddy with excitement at the idea of catching the bad guy. As time goes on, [[ButtMonkey no matter how badly the rest of the team treats him,]] he only wants to be useful and help catch Kira, and his {{Adorkable}} enthusiasm and bravery never falters. This only makes it all the more heartbreaking when he finally does get his most important moment in the final episode, and it's [[spoiler: [[ShutUpHannibal shooting Light before he can quickly write anyone's name down,]] shooting him a few more times when he won't back down, and finally has to be held back by the rest of the squad before [[RageBreakingPoint he can shoot Light point-blank in the head.]] He's been the heart of the group for years, smiling and cracking jokes, the only one who's able to see from both sides of the Kira conflict, and [[BreakTheCutie he's reduced to murderous rage and inconsolable grief by the end.]]]]

* NiceGuy Matsuda in ''Anime/DeathNote'' doesn't flinch when the NPA tells its officers that if anyone wants to investigate Kira in the midst of him targeting cops, they'll have to make their own squad and do it because everyone else is quitting out of fear--he jumps at the chance to join the task force and is giddy with excitement at the idea of catching the bad guy. As time goes on, [[ButtMonkey no matter how badly the rest of the team treats him,]] he only wants to be useful and help catch Kira, and his Adorkable enthusiasm and bravery never falters. This only makes it all the more heartbreaking when he finally does get his most important moment in the final episode, and it's [[spoiler: [[ShutUpHannibal shooting Light before he can quickly write anyone's name down,]] shooting him a few more times when he won't back down, and finally has to be held back by the rest of the squad before [[RageBreakingPoint he can shoot Light point-blank in the head.]] He's been the heart of the group for years, smiling and cracking jokes, the only one who's able to see from both sides of the Kira conflict, and [[BreakTheCutie he's reduced to murderous rage and inconsolable grief by the end.]]]]

* Matsuda in ''Anime/DeathNote'' doesn't flinch when the NPA tells its officers that if anyone wants to investigate Kira in the midst of him targeting cops, they'll have to make their own squad and do it because everyone else is quitting out of fear--he jumps at the chance to join the task force and is giddy with excitement at the idea of catching the bad guy. As time goes on, [[ButtMonkey no matter how badly the rest of the team treats him,]] he only wants to be useful and help catch Kira, and his Adorkable enthusiasm and bravery never falters. This only makes it all the more heartbreaking when he finally does get his most important moment in the final episode, and it's [[spoiler: [[ShutUpHannibal shooting Light before he can quickly write anyone's name down,]] shooting him a few more times when he won't back down, and finally has to be held back by the rest of the squad before [[RageBreakingPoint he can shoot Light point-blank in the head.]] He's been the heart of the group for years, smiling and cracking jokes, the only one who's able to see from both sides of the Kira conflict, and [[BreakTheCutie he's reduced to murderous rage and inconsolable grief by the end.]]]]

* Matsuda in ''Anime/DeathNote'' doesn't flinch when the NPA tells its officers that if anyone wants to investigate Kira in the midst of him targeting cops, they'll have to make their own squad and do it--he jumps at the chance to work with Soichiro Yagami and a few others and is giddy with excitement at the idea of catching the bad guy. As time goes on, [[ButtMonkey no matter how badly the rest of the team treats him,]] he only wants to be useful and help catch Kira, and his Adorkable enthusiasm and bravery never falters. This only makes it all the more heartbreaking when he finally does get his most important moment in the final episode, and it's [[spoiler: [[ShutUpHannibal shooting Light before he can quickly write anyone's name down,]] shooting him a few more times when he won't back down, and finally has to be held back by the rest of the squad before [[RageBreakingPoint he can shoot Light point-blank in the head.]] He's been the heart of the group for years, smiling and cracking jokes, the only one who's able to see from both sides of the Kira conflict, and [[BreakTheCutie he's reduced to murderous rage and inconsolable grief by the end.]]]]

* Matsuda in ''Anime/DeathNote'' doesn't flinch when the NPA tells its officers that if anyone wants to investigate Kira in the midst of him targeting cops, they'll have to make their own squad and do it--he jumps at the chance to work with Soichiro Yagami and a few others and is giddy with excitement at the idea of catching the bad guy. As time goes on, [[ButtMonkey no matter how badly the rest of the team treats him,]] he only wants to be useful and help catch Kira, and his Adorkable enthusiasm and bravery never falters. This only makes it all the more heartbreaking when he finally does get his most important moment in the final episode, and it's [[spoiler: [[ShutUpHannibal shooting Light before he can quickly write anyone's name down,]] shooting him a few more times when he won't back down, and finally has to be held back by the rest of the squad before [[RageBreakingPoint he comes '''this close''' to shooting Light point-blank in the head.]] He's been the heart of the group for years, smiling and cracking jokes, the only one who's able to see from both sides of the Kira conflict, and [[BreakTheCutie he's reduced to murderous rage and inconsolable grief by the end.]]]]

* Matsuda in ''Anime/DeathNote'' doesn't flinch when the NPA tells its officers that if anyone wants to investigate Kira in the midst of him targeting cops, they'll have to make their own squad and do it--he jumps at the chance to work with Soichiro Yagami and a few others and is giddy with excitement at the idea of catching the bad guy. As time goes on, [[ButtMonkey no matter how badly the rest of the team treats him,]] he only wants to be useful and help catch Kira, and his Adorkable enthusiasm and bravery never falters. This only makes it all the more heartbreaking when he finally does get his most important moment in the final episode, and it's [[spoiler: [[ShutUpHannibal shooting Light before he can quickly write anyone's name down,]] shooting him a few more times when he won't back down, and finally has to be held back by the rest of the squad before [[RageBreakingPoint he comes ''this close'' to shooting Light point-blank in the head.]] He's been the heart of the group for years, smiling and cracking jokes, the only one who's able to see from both sides of the Kira conflict, and [[BreakTheCutie he's reduced to murderous rage and inconsolable grief by the end.]]]]

* Matsuda in ''Anime/DeathNote'' doesn't flinch when the NPA tells its officers that if anyone wants to investigate Kira in the midst of him targeting cops, they'll have to make their own squad and do it--he jumps at the chance to work with Soichiro Yagami and a few others and is giddy with excitement at the idea of catching the bad guy. As time goes on, [[ButtMonkey no matter how badly the rest of the team treats him,]] he only wants to be useful and help catch Kira, and his Adorkable enthusiasm and bravery never falters. This only makes it all the more heartbreaking when he finally does get his most important moment in the final episode, and it's [[spoiler: [[ShutUpHannibal shooting Light before he can quickly write anyone's name down, shooting him a few more times when he won't back down, and finally has to be held back by the rest of the squad before [[RageBreakingPoint he comes ''this close'' to shooting Light point-blank in the head.]] He's been the heart of the group for years, smiling and cracking jokes, the only one who's able to see from both sides of the Kira conflict, and [[BreakTheCutie he's reduced to murderous rage and inconsolable grief by the end.]]]]

* Matsuda in ''Anime/DeathNote'' doesn't flinch when the NPA tells its officers that if anyone wants to investigate Kira in the midst of him targeting cops, they'll have to make their own squad and do it--he jumps at the chance to work with Soichiro Yagami and a few others and is giddy with excitement at the idea of catching the bad guy. As time goes on, [[TheButtMonkey no matter how badly the rest of the team treats him,]] he only wants to be useful and help catch Kira, and his Adorkable enthusiasm and bravery never falters. This only makes it all the more heartbreaking when he finally does get his most important moment in the final episode, and it's [[spoiler: [[ShutUpHannibal shooting Light before he can quickly write anyone's name down, shooting him a few more times when he won't back down, and finally has to be held back by the rest of the squad before [[RageBreakingPoint he comes ''this close'' to shooting Light point-blank in the head.]] He's been the heart of the group for years, smiling and cracking jokes, the only one who's able to see from both sides of the Kira conflict, and [[BreakTheCutie he's reduced to murderous rage and inconsolable grief by the end.]]]]