History Main / InferioritySuperiorityComplex

* ''Fanfic/ThousandShinji'': Shinji was a ''[[TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}} Psyker]]''. When he met Asuka he sensed right away that she exuded pride, confidence, passion, and rage but inwardly she was full of sadness, fright, and pain. Later he told her that he knew she had tried to become stronger but he could tell she was more vulnerable and fragile than she looked.

*** Barret at first comes off as an aggressive blowhard who loves being in charge and is [[AngryBlackMan very arrogant and uncompromising about his anti-Shinra political views]]. He later admits that this is all an attempt to deal with his feelings of worthlessness after his initially pro-Shinra views led to his town being destroyed. When the displaced and destitute residents corner him and shout abuse at him, Barret just nods and takes it.

** Light seems to be living his life under the assumption that he has to be ''perfect''. Perfect student, perfect son... and then he kills two people by accident just to satisfy his curiosity and his boredom. [[BrokenAce That ruins everything.]] [[GoMadFromTheRevelation It makes him a murderer, evil]]. The only way to become "perfect" again is [[ZerothLawRebellion to become Justice]], [[AGodAmI to become God]]. In his own words, "If Kira is caught, then Kira is evil. [[WrittenByTheWinners If he wins and rules the world, Kira is justice."]] [[BreakTheHaughty He gets caught]]. As per the trope, at times he comes off as desperate to prove himself--especially in his interactions with L, where he seems to get overly-excited even when he gets simple answers right. And "feeling better about themselves by putting others down"...does the ''whole world'' count?
** Mello is a more typical example of the trope--though Light does count. Ranked second best at a school for genii, Mello is motivated by his ''raging inferiority complex'' which drives him to [[TheUnfettered do whatever it takes]] to prove he's number one and beat Kira and Near. He grows up from being the slighted [[TheBully school bully]] into becoming [[FromNobodyToNightmare a terrorist mafia lord]].

* Louise of ''LightNovel/TheFamiliarOfZero'' is a JerkAss noble that believes she's superior to her {{Love Interest|s}} (who she refers to as a "dog"), but [[TroubledAbuser deep inside she has very low self-esteem]] due to bullying and taunts about [[ACupAngst her breasts]]. Not to mention the pressures from both societal expectations and being a member from the most prominent family next to the royal Family of Tristain, and wanting to live up to the Legacy of her mother, the legendary Karin The Heavy Wind.

* In a way, the title character of ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya''. When she was a little girl, she thought of herself as special until her parents took her to a sporting event and she saw a stadium full of people. She realized then just how many people were alive in the world, and how utterly unremarkable she really was. It's downplayed (in fact, no one may even know it but Kyon), but her forceful and loud personality and attempts to have adventures are a conscious effort to make herself unique. From the other side of things, she's the only one who ''doesn't'' know that she is truly is unique (and might possibly be {{God}}).

* In the anime/manga version of ''Literature/TheHeroicLegendOfArslan'', some characters suspect the reason why Silvermask is so quick to proclaim himself as "His Highness" or the rightful king of Pars and becomes infuriated when people don't acknowledge him as such is because he is jealous that Arslan can freely call himself "prince" and people easily flock to Arslan's banner instead of Silvermask's.
* Tetsuya Tsurugi from ''Anime/MazingerZ'' and ''Anime/GreatMazinger'', [[UnbuiltTrope who was created twenty years before]], was EXACTLY like Asuka, word for word. He was a HotBlooded AcePilot was so arrogant anyone questioned his skills had trouble with him. Sometimes he seemed more concerned with showing off than with protecting humanity when he fought the enemy, and he could not stand someone showed him up. That same arrogance also made him bickering with [[{{Tsundere}} Jun]], and Tetsuya WouldHitAGirl even though Jun is both his {{Love Interest|s}}, his BattleCouple, and [[NotBloodRelated adoptive]] [[BrotherSisterIncest sister]]. However, he had a massive complex of inferiority and lacked a sense of self-worth. He was so arrogant because he was permanently afraid of someone replacing him and taking his reason for existing away, and his self-esteem issues were so big he thought his adoptive sister would dump him for someone she barely knew.

** This is all but shown explicitly to be behind most of Bakugo's bravado; he feels the need to prove himself superior to everyone so that no one will look down on him. In particular, he wants to prove himself superior to Midoriya (who attempted to save him from a villain at the start of the series and later defeated in him in a training exercise) and All Might (who ''did'' save him from the villain). In fact, a bonus chapter had Uraraka point-blank tell Bakugo this is why he is so antagonistic to his former friend. Despite belittling and insulting him, he always shows great fear in Midoriya's massive leaps in improvement because deep down, he knows that Midoriya is much worthier of being a better hero than he is.

** It's implied that Endeavor's need to surpass All Might, and the [[AbusiveParents horrific treatment of his family that happened as a result]], are rooted in his low opinion of anyone who's not the best, himself included. Furthermore, he's hampered by the physical limitations of his Hellfire Quirk; he risks overheating if used extensively, which is why he tries to finish fights quickly in single shots lest he burns himself out. This is why he banks on Shoto to become his successor since Shoto's Ice and Fire balance each other and thus are not prone to the weaknesses that hamper him or [[spoiler:that possibly crippled his oldest son and original successor, Touya, whose weaker constitution toward heat made his problem toward his own fire Quirk ''worse'' than his father, as implied to be discovered in a training accident]]. He has a mental breakdown when [[spoiler:he becomes the top-ranked hero on a technicality due to All Might's retirement]] because he believes he is unworthy of the recognition and responsibilities. [[spoiler:It takes a personal talk with All Might to finally understanding what it really means to be the Symbol of Peace and try and fix what and who he damaged over the years]].

** It's pretty clear that Sasuke's need to defeat Itachi was driven almost as much by his need to finally prove himself better than his brother as for revenge. Being born the AlwaysSecondBest to a genius older brother and the WellDoneSonGuy of a distant father were bad enough, but even then, Itachi and Sasuke were quite close, with Sasuke thinking the world of his older brother while Itachi being protective of Sasuke. Then, said brother killed his entire family and told him to hate and grow strong to be worthy to face him. [[FromBadToWorse Then]] Itachi showed up again years later, looking for Naruto, which is what set off Sasuke (both because of this and because well, Itachi was going to target his precious people once more). Sasuke utterly lost and underwent another dose of mental trauma that unstabilized him. It didn't help that Naruto was finally growing strong enough to challenge and maybe surpass Sasuke, the top student of their class. All this was a recipe for a tragic FaceHeelTurn. [[spoiler:Made more ironic when you realize how Itachi ''played'' that complex, why he did so, and how it all went wrong.]] He also shows some behavior of this type towards Naruto himself, though much of this ties into his issues with Itachi. To Sasuke's mind, if Naruto can advance faster than him/become his equal, then he isn't advancing fast enough himself and has no chance of catching up with Itachi. This flaw of his was lampshaded verbatim by Kakashi in an episode.
** Naruto as well, albeit in a different way. In the beginning, his bratty, braggart attitude, and dreams to be Hokage were driven by a need to be acknowledged by the village and not be viewed as a monster, but as Naruto Uzumaki. His initial rivalry with Sasuke was fueled by his need to prove himself equal to the haughty top student that deep down felt the same sort of pain and loneliness as him (and wanted to befriend him.) Unlike Sasuke though, Naruto would shed his complex as he got people that cared about him and vice versa (which makes for an interesting counterpart to Sasuke, whose process became ''worse'' over time, albeit that was Itachi's doing.) In fact, by the time of ''Shippuden'', he's actually prone to HeroicSelfDeprecation, which increases as he grows stronger (sadly as a result of him reflecting on his failures to save the people he cares about.)

* Asuka Langley Soryu from ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' is practically the poster child for this trope. Outwardly she comes across haughty, arrogant, prideful, and annoying. In reality that is a false persona that she dons to cover up her debilitating lack of self-esteem and [[IJustWantToHaveFriends gut-wrenching fear of being replaced and/or abandoned]], a product of childhood trauma. She's a textbook case of real-life Narcissistic Personality Disorder.

** Usopp alternates from bragging about his skills and being cowardly or being deeply insecure about his skills. He worries constantly about [[CantCatchUp being left behind]] and that the Straw Hats don't want or need him. Fortunately, through events and building up his confidence, he realized that yes, the Straw Hats want him because they are TrueCompanions and he becomes more courageous and self-confident.
** The flashbacks in the Fish-Man Island arc reveal Arlong has one of these as part of his HiddenDepths, which only becomes obvious in hindsight. It turns out the reason why Arlong was in the East Blue is because he once got his ass kicked by Borsalino (the future Admiral Kizaru) after trying to avenge the death of Fisher Tiger, teaching him a brutal lesson about how far away he was from the real top-tier fighters of the world. This, in combination of getting his ass kicked ''again'', this time by his "brother" Jimbei, convinced Arlong he had no shot at measuring up to the real monsters of the Grand Line, causing him to run off to the East Blue to find any personal success as a pirate. Thus, all his boasting during the East Blue saga about his superiority and the superiority of Fish-men is really just him trying to prop up his fragile ego after those two crushing defeats.

** Iris used to taunt Ash about his battle skills and always calling him a kid. But one episode reveals ''why'' she keeps doing it: [[spoiler:she couldn't battle well when her Excadrill starts ignoring her]]. When this is solved, Iris becomes much friendlier to Ash... though she ''still'' calls him a kid from time to time.

* A huge factor in [[Characters/IrredeemablePlutonian the Plutonian]]'s FaceHeelTurn in ''ComicBook/{{Irredeemable}}'' was that despite the vast majority of people being grateful to him, he was so emotionally needy that he ''had'' to be universally beloved, and the one-in-a-billion UngratefulTownsfolk who didn't lavish him with praise and affection drove him nuts. It didn't help matters that thanks to his SuperSenses he could hear every single one of them. One flashback shows an entire stadium cheering his name after he saves them from a giant robot, but he is hyper-focused on the couple of people whispering that they don't trust him, they think he's a showoff, et cetera.

* ''Fanfic/DoingItRightThisTime'': After returning to the past Shinji and Rei know Asuka's pride is a façade and she has no self-esteem (and Shinji realizes he was unintentionally poking her in her insecurities and neuroses the whole time). So they actively try to make her feeling valued and reassure her that she is a damned good pilot.

* In ''Fanfic/ThroughTheLookingGlassMyNextLifeAsAVillainess'', the Katarina Claes from ''Fortune Lover'' is arrogant, vain, and demeaning to those she view beneath her, such as her step-brother Keith or the commoner student Maria. However, for all her talent and etiquette as a noblewoman, she was never able to win the heart of her fiance Geord, a very painful sore spot for her. It became worse when she learned of another Katarina who while lacking the restraint and behavior of a proper lady is able to win the affection and love of those around her, including Geord's counterpart Gerald.

** Tai Lung was raised to believe he would be made the Dragon Warrior (his given name's literal meaning in Mandarin is "great dragon" ), and became arrogant, prideful, and convinced of his own heroism and perfection...until he was denied the scroll by Master Oogway, after which he went on a rampage through the Valley of Peace. By his own admission that all he ever did was done to make Shifu proud, it's obvious that Tai Lung believed he needed the validation of the scroll to make himself have any worth, let alone to [[WellDoneSonGuy earn Shifu's love and pride]]. This is made clearest of all when Po explains the meaning of the Dragon Scroll to him--not only is he unable to accept that the only real power comes from within (because he thinks he has no worth and thus needs outward validation), but when he first stares into the scroll to see only his reflection, he declares, "[[RuleOfSymbolism It's nothing]]!"
** Lord Shen in ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda2''. Born sickly to a proud, noble family, he thought that his parents never loved him, and goes as far as genocide in an attempt to prove that he's worth of their love and happiness in general. They disown him and force him to leave, making him even more sure of his convictions.

* In ''Literature/{{Fatherland}}'', a nation-wide example of this trope presents itself. Xavier March goes on a bus tour of the "Nazis-won" 1964 Berlin with his son. When pointing out the grandiose landmarks all around them, the tour-guide constantly boasts about how everything is bigger and better than comparable monuments in other cities. Far from being impressed, however, March merely identifies this as a symptom of how deep-down insecure and inferior Nazi Germany as a culture and people actually feels:

-->''"We didn't foresee that you were not merely a mutant, but a sterile mutant and the added psychic distortion due to your inferiority complex passed us by. We allowed only for a megalomania - not for an intensely psychopathic paranoia as well."'' -- '''First Speaker'''

* An interpretation of Zeus's behavior in the ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians'' series. He quarrels with Poseidon over who their mother Rhea likes better, is paranoid Poseidon is constantly plotting against him, demands respect when no one respects him, closes off of Olympus due to wounded pride, and tries to blame others for his mistakes. His massive ego and demand people respect and obey him comes across as at least partially trying to cover up his own mistakes and knowledge he is a failure that no one likes, especially when one compares his treatment of others, and how others, in turn, react to him, with his fellow Kings Ra and Odin in their own series having a lot fewer people in those series who snark or debase their kings (at least when Ra isn't senile, then many of the Egyptians Gods will snark at him.)

** This attitude seems to be pretty widespread among the Ironborn; only a few major characters, like Asha Greyjoy and Rodrik Harlaw, see the contradiction between being "born conquerors," superior by birth to the green-landers, etc. etc., and getting their teeth kicked in so often by the mainland kingdoms.

** [[JerkAssWoobie Spike]]. He acts cocky and arrogant to the bone, but all the superior remarks of his are for convincing himself as much as convincing everyone else. This is particularly apparent in his dynamic with Buffy and his centuries-feud with Angel.

** Donna Noble seems to have a bad case of this, likely caused by [[AbusiveParents her emotionally abusive mother]]. She's [[NoIndoorVoice loud]], sassy and [[DeadpanSnarker snarky]], but quietly rejects any attempt by the Doctor to tell her she's important or special. In "Journey's End", the Metacrisis Doctor finally realizes this is not just humility on her part.

* Tahani in ''Series/TheGoodPlace'' was a rich & famous StatuesqueStunner who constantly had to make sure everyone in the room knew it, [[BelligerentSexualTension which annoyed Eleanor to no end]]. However it's revealed that her haughty streak was the result of a crippling inferiority complex from her parents arbitrarily making her TheUnfavorite, [[spoiler:and the reason she ended up in Hell in the first place is because all her charitable works were done in the name of self-aggrandizement rather than altruism]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}'': Kris's [[InsufferableGenius know-it-all classmate]] Berdly is revealed to have this problem in Chapter 2. He prides himself on being one of the smartest kids in class, but it's revealed [[spoiler: it stems from beating Noelle in a spelling bee as a kid, when he only won due to the final word "December" being her TraumaButton, and he let the praise go to his head. In reality, he's reliant on Noelle's help to maintain his good grades.]]

** [[VideoGame/DisgaeaHourOfDarkness Laharl]] suffers from this. He acts all high and mighty for being the Overlord, but deep down is really somewhat lonely, especially once you learn of his backstory. However, the fact that he acts like a complete JerkAss to most people isn't exactly earning him any brownie points, either. This is driven farther in ''VideoGame/DisgaeaD2ABrighterDarkness'' in which the Krichevskoy group constantly compares Laharl to his old man and say what Krichevskoy would do in a situation like this. [[spoiler:Escalates to the point where in chapter 8 Laharl makes it very clear that he's going to be better than his dad and demands they trust him when the trio get themselves in a bad situation.]]
** Axel from ''VideoGame/Disgaea2'' also suffers the same complex. He acts like he's popular and that everyone loves him yet he ''knows'' that his career is in shambles and he's pretty much the laughing stock of the universe. His efforts at put-downs are less effective than Laharl's but he still hides his insecurities underneath the Dark Hero mask he constantly dons.

*** Zigzagged by Yuffie, who at one point gives a big speech about how her country has been stripped of pride after its colonisation, and she only stole from the party because she thought that if she did, she could prove herself... and immediately reverts to her usual AwesomeEgo personality after [[WoundedGazelleGambit using this to lure the party leader into trapping the other members in a big cage]], gloating at them for being stupid enough to fall for it. However, most fans do think Yuffie's speech was about her real reasoning, even if she was using it to manipulate the others. Many of her in-party scenes show her tough-girl attitude falling apart when faced with genuinely threatening and disturbing things, like confronting the shooter in the Battle Square, saying goodbye to Aerith, or [[RomanceSidequest working up the courage to kiss a boy]].

* Roxanne Wolf from ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysSecurityBreach''. While she just seems narcissistic at first, there are several hints that it's merely a facade. When you spy on her in the vents, she starts out complimenting herself in front of the mirror, but then breaks down crying a short time later. One of her voice lines has her nervously reassure herself that she will find Gregory first, because she's "the best".
* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsOfColdSteel'', it is not outright stated but heavily implied that the protagonist, Rean Schwarzer, '''loathes''' himself, which is what causes him to go out of his way to help practically everyone who asks, no matter how mundane or outrageous their requests may be, and even some who never ask for help. In the first game, people just assume he's just a good kid who wants to do well, but by the third and fourth game, he actually hates himself for who he is and what he has done up to that point.

** ''VideoGame/Persona3'' has this in the Magician Arcana in Junpei Iori. He tends to act cocky and confrontational, mainly with TheHero. However, we learn that he has low self-esteem and a cruddy home life with an absent alcoholic father. As such, he initially saw SEES as a way to escape his home life and [[IJustWantToBeSpecial be a somebody]] in his life. However, he does carrying the insecurity of being not good at anything besides fighting ... which he then gets outclassed by [[AlwaysSomeoneBetter the Protagonist]]. CharacterDevelopment does have him grow out of this as he grows close to them and becoming TheLancer and BestFriend of the main character over time. His issues are toned down a bit in ''Portable'' should you play as the female character, instead becoming more of an older brother sort of figure, though still also your closest friend (outside of Aigis).

* Haruka from ''VisualNovel/LittleBusters'' acts like an [[GenkiGirl energetic]] ManicPixieDreamGirl who's always showing off and joking that people should praise her, but deep down she's ''very'' insecure, and for very good reason. [[spoiler:Growing up constantly compared to your 'better' twin, being beaten every time you fail compared to her, and told that you're a terrible person because your father beat up your mother does that to a kid]]. It's made clear later on when Haruka's ''praise me'' comments are given an IronicEcho--she suddenly challenges Riki to a thumb fight and when she wins demands just one thing: that he praise her. That she's so genuinely overjoyed when he does such a simple thing really drives home her {{Woobie}} status.

** Pizzazz is a [[LargeHam loud]] AttentionWhore and a SpoiledBrat who loves to boast about her and her band's worth and loathes when anyone tries to outshine her. She is really trying to make up for her mostly loveless childhood. Her mother [[MissingMom left her dad]] at an early age and her dad subsequently [[ParentalNeglect neglected her]], only giving her attention through spoiling her with presents. Pizzazz uses her fan's adoration as a substitute for the affection she didn't have growing up. The [[ComicBook/JemAndTheHologramsIDW comic book reboot]] and ''The Misfits'' spinoff comic go more into depth on her insecurities.
** Riot at first he seems like a {{narcissist}} through and through, however it turns out that it's mostly a facade. He also has a troubled past, being a MilitaryBrat with a FantasyForbiddingFather who hates male musicians and [[IHaveNoSon disowned him]] when he joined a band. Riot has deep insecurities revolving around his family.

** It's heavily implied, if not outright stated, that the reason Mr. Cat constantly brags about his intelligence, strength, and other talents is because he has no self-esteem, so he inflates his ego to make himself feel better.

--> '''Daffy:''' Wow. You're good.

** In a way, this was also Princess Luna's StartOfDarkness ([[{{Pun}} so to speak]]). When she and Celestia first took the thrones, they saw each other as equals--harmonious, evenly splitting the day and night. However, while ponies frolicked during the day, they either slept through or outright feared the night, and by association seemed to love Celestia and--at best--be ambivalent towards Luna. This lack of any significant compassion from her subjects went on so long and got so serious that Luna felt the only way to get any actual love, adoration, or just plain ''respect'' was to [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope take on the persona of Nightmare Moon and rule Equestria ENTIRELY]] as well as bring about TheNightThatNeverEnds (which would have caused [[OmnicidalManiac the extinction of all life in Equestria]]; it's not clear whether Nightmare Moon was simply unaware of this consequence or purposefully intended to [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds take revenge on her former subjects by killing them all]], [[SuicidalCosmicTemperTantrum and possibly herself with them]]), all because she felt she couldn't measure up to her sister in the ponies' eyes.

** Lisa Simpson’s FatalFlaw is that she defines herself by being smarter than others and due to flanderization, this aspect of her has only gotten worse throughout the years. Lisa has done things such as willingly staying a NormalFishInATinyPond, to completely alienating her fellow students (by being a SoapBoxSadie to those who don’t share her interests and an InsufferableGenius to those that do). At her worse, Lisa will flat out sabotage someone she considers her better out of jealousy. While she will usually feel sorry for her actions it’s only after she gets what she wants.

--->'''Bart:''' Okay, okay, why we dancin' around the obvious? I know it, you know it--I am ''dumb,'' okay? Dumb as a post! [[DidYouThinkICantFeel Think I'm happy about it?]]

* This appears to have been a problem for Music/JohnLennon. His arrogant attitude covered up the fact that he hated his own singing, and in one interview he went on record as saying there wasn't a single [[Music/TheBeatles Beatles]] song he wouldn't re-record.

* Adlerian "individual psychology" is the TropeNamer. Alfred Adler's idea of psychological health was the ability to actualize an ideal self. A superiority complex is what happens when perceived failures to live up to this ideal results in an unhealthy overcompensation as a coping mechanism. A healthier approach (according to Adler) is either a more appropriate self-ideal or working to improve the weak spots.

** The following series, ''Series/KamenRiderFourze'', has ''two'' such cases. [[IllGirl Kengo Utahoshi]] refuses to acknowledge the existence of the Kamen Rider Club or accept the friendship of hero [[{{Delinquents}} Gentaro]], until Kengo is [[spoiler:nearly killed while stranded on the moon]], where he reveals how scared and unhappy he really is. [[JerkJock Shun Daimonji]] mercilessly bullies students whom he views as lower-class than himself until it's discovered that he is under crippling pressure from his father and [[IJustWantToHaveFriends Just Wants to Have Friends]]. Both characters [[TookALevelInKindness become much nicer]] after this.

* Blitzo in ''WebAnimation/HelluvaBoss'' is a SadClown who shows subtle signs throughout Season 1 that despite his projected confidence, he is secretly desperate to prove himself as somebody capable and worth something, with his [[JerkassWoobie boasts being acts of denial that he lashes out with]] at anybody who gets too close to the issue. "Truth Seekers" reveals that before I.M.P., he tried to go solo but the result didn't work out, leading to self-doubt about his worth since he needs to rely on others. This causes him to [[{{Tsundere}} push away anyone close to him until they have enough]], end up hating him and leaving, which makes him [[DesperatelyCravesAffection crave love and companionship]] but gets hampered by his confidence issues, making him fear that his employees and [[UptownGirl boyfriend Stolas]] will leave him too and he'll die alone.

* It's currently just [[AllThereInheManual background information]] since ''VideoGame/YandereSimulator'' isn't finished yet, but final rival Megami Saiko's little brother Kencho has this ''bad''. The only reason he was born was to be a SpareToTheThrone in case Megami dies or abandons her responsibilities (like her aunt did before her), and he knows it. Because of this, he feels that his entire self-worth is tied to her, and he only has purpose if he can outdo her. Unfortunately for him, she's a ParodySue who always outdoes him in everything, so he has a massive inferiority complex tied to her. The 'superiority' part comes from his relationship with other people- he loves flaunting his wealth and generally rubbing his status into the faces of people he considers his inferiors in a desperate attempt to feel better than ''someone''.

* A huge factor in [[BewareTheSuperman the Plutonian]]'s FaceHeelTurn in ''ComicBook/{{Irredeemable}}'' was that despite the vast majority of people being grateful to him, he was so emotionally needy that he ''had'' to be universally beloved, and the one-in-a-billion UngratefulTownsfolk who didn't lavish him with praise and affection drove him nuts. It didn't help matters that thanks to his SuperSenses he could hear every single one of them. One flashback shows an entire stadium cheering his name after he saves them from a giant robot, but he is hyper-focused on the couple of people whispering that they don't trust him, they think he's a showoff, et cetera.

** Bart Simpson's brashness and delinquent behavior do little to hide the fact that he's insecure about his academic struggles and [[SiblingRivalry perceived intelligence as compared to Lisa]].

* In ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'', Sherlock Holmes has this in spades; and the second season is pretty much all BreakTheHaughty where he's concerned. While the other characters don't see him as a JerkassWoobie in-universe (he's more a case of IntelligenceEqualsIsolation), he can be seen like this from the audience's perspective.

* Papyrus from ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' has this in ''spades''. His EstablishingCharacterMoment is him nagging his brother [[LazyBum Sans]] to stop slacking around, slipping into a boast on how perfect he is, and ultimately wishes to be showered with the respect he deserves. When you have to fight him, the way he talks heavily implies he just wants people to like him. That, of course, isn't to say he doesn't already have what he wants, and he doesn't seem to notice when someone actually hates him, to the point of giving words of encouragement to [[spoiler:the person who just decapitated him]]. That one he does notice - if you choose [[spoiler:not to decapitate him]], he actually tells you "to be honest, I was a little afraid" of coming out to meet you. [[IncorruptiblePurePureness He just sincerely believed you could do better.]]

* It's currently just [[AllThereInTheManual background information]] since ''VideoGame/YandereSimulator'' isn't finished yet, but final rival Megami Saiko's little brother Kencho has this ''bad''. The only reason he was born was to be a SpareToTheThrone in case Megami dies or abandons her responsibilities (like her aunt did before her), and he knows it. Because of this, he feels that his entire self-worth is tied to her, and he only has purpose if he can outdo her. Unfortunately for him, she's a ParodySue who always outdoes him in everything, so he has a massive inferiority complex tied to her. The 'superiority' part comes from his relationship with other people- he loves flaunting his wealth and generally rubbing his status into the faces of people he considers his inferiors in a desperate attempt to feel better than ''someone''.

** Miranda from ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' was genetically designed to be perfect, and she envies Shepard for having built their career with nothing more than skill, hard work, and courage.

* Papyrus from ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' has this in ''spades''. His EstablishingCharacterMoment is him nagging his brother [[LazyBum Sans]] to stop slacking around, slipping into a boast on how perfect he is, and ultimately wishes to be showered with the respect he deserves. When you have to fight him, the way he talks heavily implies he just wants people to like him. That, of course, isn't to say he doesn't already have what he wants, and he doesn't seem to notice when someone actually hates him, to the point of giving words of encouragement to a KnifeNut [[spoiler:immediately after being decapitated by said Knife Nut]]. That one he does notice - if you choose [[spoiler:not to decapitate him]], he actually tells you "to be honest, I was a little afraid" of coming out to meet you. [[IncorruptiblePurePureness He just sincerely believed you could do better.]]

* Almost any [[CountryMusic country song]] containing the phrase "city boy" (which is to say, quite a few of them) will fall under this trope. Some of them are still decent songs if you're into that genre.

-->Inside there was this worried, frantic little face watching the world like a bunny watching a fox, and screaming at it in the hope that it would go away and not hurt her.

* The Tiffany Aching subseries of Literature/{{Discworld}} has Annagramma Hawkin as its resident AlphaBitch. She is described, among other things, as "vain as a canary in a room full of mirrors", having a "huge lack of interest in anyone other than herself", and treating everyone "as if they were slightly deaf and a bit stupid". Despite her efforts, sometimes her façade falls and [[BeneathTheMask the clever, capable, but absolutely terrified girl beneath]] it can be seen, and after [[spoiler: Tiffany forces the truth about her impoverished heritage out]], [[CharacterDevelopment she slowly becomes a better person]].

* Kamina, of all people, from ''[[Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann Gurren Lagann]]'' shows a lot of bravado and pulls one crazy stunt after the next, from going up against a HumongousMecha armed with nothing but a katana to [[Gundamjack hijacking an enemy mech while in the middle of a fight against said mech]], combining two mechs by literally stabbing one of them down into the other from the top and finally stealing ''another even bigger'' mech in the middle of a battle. And yet, he reveals in Episode 7 that he is actually just as scared as everyone else, if not more so, but acts tough solely for Simon's sake, and that Simon was the one who actually kept him alive all along, and that he doesn't think he can actually do anything without Simon.

* ''[[Series/{{Life}} Detective Charlie Crews]]'' thinks this about the universe.

* In the NYTW and London productions of ''Theatre/{{Hadestown}}'', and to a lesser extent Edmonton, Orpheus projected an air of confidence and passion that was a facade; he only felt truly confident when around Eurydice, and privately felt lonely despite having crowds around him.

* In ''Manga/Brave10'', Nanakuma is [[{{Tsundere}} tsuntsun]] and extremely haughty, but it's because he's afraid everyone thinks he's the inferior twin and he's desperate to [[CainAndAbel surpass his brother as a result]].

* Kamina, of all people, from ''[[Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann Gurren Lagann]]'' shows a lot of bravado and pulls one crazy stunt after the next, from going up against a HumongousMecha armed with nothing but a katana to [[Gundamjack hijacking an enemy mech while in the middle of a fight against said mech]], combining two mechs by literally stabbing one of them down into the other from the top and finally stealing ''another even bigger'' mech in the middle of a battle. And yet, he reveals in Episode 7 that he is actually just as scared as everyone else, if not more so, but acts tough solely for Simon's sake, and that Simon was the one who actually kept him alive all along, and that he doesn't think he can actually do anything without Simon.

* In the anime/manga version of ''Literature/TheHeroicLegendOfArslan'', some characters suspect the reason why Silvermask is so quick to proclaim himself as "His Highness" or the rightful king of Pars and becomes infuriated when people don't acknowledge him as such is because he is jealous that Arslan can freely call himself "prince" and people easily flock to Arslan's banner instead of Silvermask's.

* Sae from Manga/PeachGirl has a high and mighty opinion of herself and literally gets a big head over things working out in her favor. She often spreads gossip around to make people distrust Momo, which is done as a result of her own jealousy and insecurity and to bring herself up.

* Shutaro Mendo from ''Manga/UruseiYatsura'', though it's not so much his pride hiding insecurity as his pride being so central to his character that he tends to collapse when it's topped. Like when Rei showed up and was judged better looking, he immediately began ranting about how money was all that mattered, and how he keeps rolling into the fetal position every time Ryunuske reveals that she's getting more love letters than him.

* In ''Fanfic/ACharmedLife'', Light builds himself up as "God of the New World" because deep inside he feels ''incredibly'' insecure.
* ''Fanfic/ACrownOfStars'': Asuka uses a façade of arrogance to hide a bunch of deep-seated insecurities, neuroses and fears, an unhealthy deal of self-loathing, and an utter lack of self-esteem. Although she constantly calls herself the Great Asuka Langley Sohryu, in reality, she thinks she is worthless and horrible.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' fanfiction ''Fanfic/{{Harmless}}'', Jazz believes that this might be the reason for the Box Ghost's behavior.
* ''Fanfic/NeonGenesisEvangelionGenocide'': After having a heart-to-heart talk with Asuka and several conversations with Misato, Shinji realized that Asuka may look arrogant and boisterous, but she regards herself as someone worthless. Her pride is nothing but a mask to cover her non-existent self-esteem.

* ''Fanfic/ThousandShinji'': Shinji was a ''[[TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}} Psyker]]''. When he met Asuka he sensed right away that she exuded pride, confidence, passion, and rage but inwardly she was full of sadness, fright, and pain. Later he told her that he knew she had tried to become stronger but he could tell she was more vulnerable and fragile than she looked.
* ''Fanfic/BoldoresAndBoomsticks'': Sabra's haughtiness turns out to be a product of [[spoiler: [[WellDoneSonGuy trying to live up to her Totem mother]].]]

* WesternAnimation/{{Megamind}}. A hammy villain who prides himself on presentation, but only became that way because he couldn't fit in at school. The mini-sequel has him first trying to be a hero Metroman's way instead of his own.
* Joaquin from ''WesternAnimation/TheBookOfLife'', heavily implied by [[OhCrap his reaction]] whenever someone messes with his Medal of Eternal Life. Confirmed from a statement in ''[[AllThereInTheManual The Art of the Book of Life]]'': "Joaquin is obsessed with his mustache, which is a mask that hides his insecurities."

* [[TragicVillain Prince Hans]] in ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen|2013}}''. His brothers treating him terribly and his father ignoring him have caused him to develop issues of feeling less than them, [[WellDoneSonGuy but despite this, he is desperately looking for approval from the father who neglects him and regards him as a "weakling" for not fighting back]]. By the time he's a young adult, Hans has already given up fighting back as it just makes their physical abuse worse. But by doing this, this only accelerated his father's emotional abuse even more by saying Hans should "learn a thing or two" from his brothers. It's highly implied that his more villainous actions are him emulating his father, desperately hiding his self-hatred.

* In Creator/JudyBlume's ''Literature/OtherwiseKnownAsSheilaTheGreat'', Sheila Tubman has an inferiority complex about her various fears and the fact that she cannot do certain things (such as swimming and working a yo-yo) that other kids her age can do. It causes her to act boastful, which makes even her friends feel uncomfortable around her--and she even acts mean to her neighbor and classmate, Peter Hatcher (the protagonist of Judy Blume's other ''Literature/{{Fudge}}'' books).

* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire''
** Pick any younger-generation Lannister. Blame it on growing up with [[AbusiveParents Tywin Lannister]] as the head of the clan -- it might just be that the only thing worse for you than being one of the kids who was judged to be a disappointment from very young (say, Tyrion and Lancel) is being one of the kids who was born full of enormous potential that he will never see you as living up to, no matter what you do (Cersei, Jaime and to some extent Joffrey). And, then there's poor Joy Hill's situation; she gets shunted to the side of almost everything because she's his brother's acknowledged bastard... and acknowledging low-tier by-blows is simply beneath Lannisters -- and, despite being kin, you're not a Lannister, Miss ''[[BastardAngst Hill]]''. Until using her as a backhanded [[ArrangedMarriage marriage trinket]] comes along as a possibility, that is: yay, suddenly remembered when nobody else in the extended family wants in on that marriage (or when that whole thing just got misinterpreted)! [[DysfunctionJunction How to mess 'em up, House Lannister.]]
** What the Lannister kids can do, Theon Greyjoy can do too -- and for much, the same [[FreudianExcuse Daddy Issues]]-based reason. But, he's also much, much [[SmugSmiler smugger]] and with rather fewer grounds for the superiority bit: the Greyjoy name doesn't hold as much weight.
** This attitude seems to be pretty widespread among the Ironborn; only a few major characters, like Asha Greyjoy and Rodrik Harlaw, see the contradiction between being "born conquerors," superior by birth to the green-landers, etc. etc., and getting their teeth kicked in so often by the mainland kingdoms.
** But, if you want the most inferiority-driven superiority for the least amount of ability and oodles of posturing SmallNameBigEgo to go with... pick a Frey. Almost any Frey will do.
** Ramsay Bolton will always hate having been merely born a Snow. Killing his half-brother was probably one way to try proving to Daddy how Bolton he could be. As well as overdoing it a bit with the family hobbies.

* In ''Literature/{{Fatherland}}'', a nation-wide example of this trope presents itself. Xavier March goes on a bus tour of the "Nazis-won" 1964 Berlin with his son. When pointing out the grandiose landmarks all around them, the tour-guide constantly boasts about how everything is bigger and better than comparable monuments in other cities. Far from being impressed, however, March merely identifies this as a symptom of how deep-down insecure and inferior Nazi Germany as a culture and people actually feels:
-->''Higher, bigger, longer, wider, more expensive... even in victory, Germany has a parvenu's inferiority complex. Nothing stands on its own. Everything has to be compared with what the foreigners have...''
* An interpretation of Zeus's behavior in the ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians'' series. He quarrels with Poseidon over who their mother Rhea likes better, is paranoid Poseidon is constantly plotting against him, demands respect when no one respects him, closes off of Olympus due to wounded pride, and tries to blame others for his mistakes. His massive ego and demand people respect and obey him comes across as at least partially trying to cover up his own mistakes and knowledge he is a failure that no one likes, especially when one compares his treatment of others, and how others, in turn, react to him, with his fellow Kings Ra and Odin in their own series having a lot fewer people in those series who snark or debase their kings (at least when Ra isn't senile, then many of the Egyptians Gods will snark at him.)
* ''Literature/GodsOfJadeAndShadow'': Martín the secondary antagonist likes being a scion of the wealthiest and most powerful family in his home village; avoids situations, like school, where he'd have to apply his mediocre abilities; and abused Casiopea for years out of fear and resentment that their grandfather respects her more than him. He has a crushing JerkassRealization when he's forced to confront the fact that she's in no way his inferior.
* Felix Harrowgate from ''Literature/DoctrineOfLabyrinths'', having been abused as a child in pretty much every way possible, is a very damaged and unstable person who veers chaotically between self-worship and self-loathing. He can be a shameless AttentionWhore and really ''is'' extraordinarily vain when it comes to his looks, intellect, and magical prowess, but he's also practically addicted to self-sabotage and doesn't really believe he deserves to be happy or loved. Throughout the series he repeatedly does [[WhatTheHellHero awful things]] to the people he cares about, is too proud to apologize but inwardly berates himself for being a "monster", then seeks out some kind of horrible karmic punishment to cope with the guilt, usually while trying to maintain his arrogant and uncaring facade. What a mess.
* In the Irvine Welsh novel ''Literature/{{Filth}}'', Bruce is a boastful, misanthropic bigot who appears to look down on everyone around him. Turns out, he's severely self-hating, traumatised, and mentally unwell.
* The titular hero of the ''Literature/PrinceRoger'' series embodies this trope at the start. His parents separated before his birth under...tricky circumstances, and his mother was aloof during his childhood because he looks (and behaves) too much like his father. But as Roger knows nothing about this he takes it as a purely personal rejection, and it doesn't help that the whole empire compares him unfavorably to his ridiculously accomplished half-siblings. He grows up into a stroppy, arrogant playboy largely to piss his mother off, but also to cover up how generally ''lousy'' he feels about himself. It's no coincidence that he only starts to outgrow his SpoiledBrat tendencies once others start viewing him as worthy and useful and he gains some actual self-esteem.
* In ''Literature/TheGreatGatsby'', Tom for all his bluster is painfully aware that he has nothing to offer Daisy but his money. The only time he appears truly worried about something is when it seems that Daisy might leave him for Gatsby.

* ''Series/{{Lost}}'' has several examples. There's [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Sawyer]], a cocky, abrasive playboy who actually [[spoiler:hates himself for becoming like the man who killed his parents]], [[DoggedNiceGuy Charlie]], who looks more dejected every time someone doesn't recognize a Drive-Shaft song, [[ManipulativeBitch Shannon]], whose seemingly large ego is frequently cut down by her brother telling her she's worthless, and finally [[IJustWantToBeSpecial Ben]], whose aloofness and presumed arrogance are due to his feelings of inadequacy caused by his [[spoiler:abusive father]] and the [[spoiler:deep need he feels to impress Jacob]].
* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': Theon's arrogance has a lot to do with coping with being constantly reminded of his glorified prisoner status.
* In ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'', Sherlock Holmes has this in spades; and the second season is pretty much all BreakTheHaughty where he's concerned. While the other characters don't see him as a JerkassWoobie in-universe (he's more a case of IntelligenceEqualsIsolation), he can be seen like this from the audience's perspective.
* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'' episode [[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS3E87APianoIntheHouse "A Piano in the House".]] A cruel, arrogant bully buys a player piano that causes listeners to reveal their true personalities. When it works on him, he admits that he's actually frightened, immature, and jealous of the people around him.
* Jay from ''Series/TheInbetweeners''.
* [[Series/{{Life}} Detective Charlie Crews]] thinks this about the universe.
-->'''Charlie:''' It was the universe that makes fun of us all. \\
'''...''' \\
'''Reese:''' Why exactly would the universe make fun of us all? \\
'''Charlie''' Maybe it's insecure.

* Rachel from ''Series/{{Glee}}'', despite always protesting that she is the best singer in the club. The biggest example comes to mind at the start of season 2, where an eager singer, who was just as if not more talented than Rachel, wanted to join the Glee Club. Rachel responded by [[spoiler:sending her to a crack house]].
* [[Series/{{House}} Gregory House]] has said a few times that he doesn't deserve to live or be happy and that the only thing he has going for him is his mind.
* ''Series/ThirtyRock'':
** Jenna acts the SmallNameBigEgo, but it's made clear that she's really afraid of becoming a WhiteDwarfStarlet. This is PlayedForLaughs as she acts insanely paranoid about anyone upstaging her.
--->'''Liz''': Jack is hiring a new cast member.\\
'''Jenna''': IF IT IS A BLONDE WOMAN, I WILL KILL MYSELF!
** Tracey apparently has a similar problem. Look at his reaction to the same news.
--->'''Tracey''': IF IT'S A BLONDE WOMAN, I WILL KILL MYSELF!
* ''Series/TheWire'' has Jimmy [=McNulty=], an arrogant, TooCleverByHalf detective who believes deep down that his profession is the only thing that keeps him from being worthless.

* Frank Pembleton from ''Series/HomicideLifeOnTheStreet'' has a fairly arrogant attitude, but it's occasionally shown that underneath the surface he is plagued by self-doubt and self-loathing.
* ''Franchise/KamenRider'':
** [[BadassBiker Shintaro Gotou]] of ''Series/KamenRiderOOO'' began like this in relation to the eponymous Rider, [[TheHero Eiji Hino]], who he saw as an irresponsible fool. After getting [[BreakTheHaughty thoroughly humbled]] and re-training himself as a sidekick to Kamen Rider Birth, he [[CharacterDevelopment becomes a person more genuinely worthy of being called a hero]] [[spoiler: and eventually takes over as Birth.]]
** The following series, ''Series/KamenRiderFourze'', has ''two'' such cases. [[IllGirl Kengo Utahoshi]] refuses to acknowledge the existence of the Kamen Rider Club or accept the friendship of hero [[{{Delinquents}} Gentaro]], until Kengo is [[spoiler:nearly killed while stranded on the moon]], where he reveals how scared and unhappy he really is. [[JerkJock Shun Daimonji]] mercilessly bullies students whom he views as lower-class than himself until it's discovered that he is under crippling pressure from his father and [[IJustWantToHaveFriends Just Wants to Have Friends]]. Both characters [[TookALevelInKindness become much nicer]] after this.

* Series/{{Frasier}} Crane, despite being openly arrogant, vain, self-absorbed, and in possession of an absurdly inflated opinion of himself, is cripplingly insecure and needy, with much of his self-aggrandizing behavior rooted in his desperation to be liked and admired, and his extreme bossiness towards his little brother Niles and best friend Roz, whose opinions he constantly runs roughshod over and whose lives he is always trying to interfere with, is heavily hinted to be rooted in paranoia that they'll stop hanging around him if they stop needing him.
* ''Series/{{Community}}'':
** Ken Jeong has stated that Chang abuses his authority and generally acts like a jerk because of insecurity.
** Often, when Britta's obnoxious SoapboxSadie façade is [[BreakTheHaughty broken down]], she reveals her vulnerable side, admitting she actually hates herself, even going as far as to compare herself unfavorably to cancer at one point. A lot of the things she does are to gain respect from others, especially the study group. During the first season's paintball episode, she admitted that the reason she tries so hard to be a good person is that deep down she doesn't believe she is one.
** Jeff, like Britta, has a fragile ego and is implied to have deep-seated self-esteem issues as well. One episode involved an intimate revelation about having to wear a Pocahontas costume for Halloween as a kid and getting "what a pretty girl" comments all night.
---> '''Jeff:''' The worst part was that after the third house, I stopped correcting them. I was just glad they thought I was pretty...
* Prince Arthur from ''Series/{{Merlin|2008}}'' can often fall into this category. His {{Jerkass}} behavior near the start of the series is quickly put down to his FreudianExcuse of having a very demanding and emotionally distant father, and it's clear in his insecurity with Guinevere, Merlin, Morgana, and Lancelot that he doesn't consider himself worthy of their affection or friendship, even as he takes them all for granted.
* ''Series/{{Smallville}}'''s Lionel Luthor is a grandiose MagnificentBastard and CorruptCorporateExecutive who is still running away from his past as an abused child. ComicBook/LexLuthor is his son and bases his need to [[WellIntentionedExtremist be a hero]] in his own feelings of worthlessness.
* Dean Winchester from ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' is a pretty good example of this. He's arrogant, judgmental, self-righteous, and is capable of being very brutal to compensate for his insecurities and overwhelming lack of self-worth.
* ''Series/{{ER}}'''s Kerry Weaver frequently found subtle and not-so-subtle ways of putting her coworkers down, turning everything into some kind of competition, and eventually trampled on numerous people in order to advance her career, all to compensate for whatever insecurity she felt about having been abandoned at birth and being disabled. Additionally, it's heavily implied that Doug's womanizing behavior was a form of compensation for feeling unlovable (due to his father abandoning him).

* Hank Kingsley from ''Series/TheLarrySandersShow'' tends to act the very picture of the bombastically egotistic Hollywood celebrity, but deep down clearly knows that he's not that talented nor smart, that his fame and success rests solely on being the sidekick to a more talented and successful person, and that his career is built on a very shaky and unstable foundation that could be taken away any second. Consequently, he's clearly also full of bitterness, self-loathing, and insecurity.

* Arthur Shelby of ''Series/PeakyBlinders'' is a swaggering loudmouth prone to violence and [[BadassBoast boasting]], and comes off as genuinely arrogant and intimidating, especially during confrontations with his rivals. But behind the bravado, he's a horrendously broken human being who struggles with insecurity and self-hate. He regularly engages in massively self-destructive behavior and has attempted suicide more than once.
* ''Series/TheInBESTigators'': In "The Case of the Peculiar Pop Quiz," Ava repeatedly goes out of her way to claim that Kelly wanted to hire both Maudie and Ezra as tutors because she knew Ezra would see it when he edited the video.

* The song "Oh No!" by Music/MarinaDiamandis includes the line "I feel like I'm the worst, so I always act like I'm the best."

* Liquid Snake from ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid''. He grew up believing that he was genetically inferior to his "brother" Solid Snake, and this insecurity partly inspired Liquid's world domination plot. [[spoiler:It turns out it was the other way around, and it was Liquid who was the superior one, and Solid had the inferior genes, and it was all made up by the Patriots.]] ''Webcomic/TheLastDaysOfFoxhound'' has The Sorrow exploit it into convincing him to learn a lesson about brains vs brawn.
-->'''Big Boss:''' You play him like a damn Stradivarius.
-->'''The Sorrow:''' Ha! More like a fifty-cent kazoo. A kazoo with a big red button labelled "inferiority complex".
* George from ''VideoGame/DeadlyPremonition'' is obsessed with gaining power, physical or otherwise, due to being raised by an [[AbusiveParents abusive mom]] and his belief that the strong will naturally overcome the weak. [[spoiler:His insecurities lead him to become the new Raincoat Killer.]]
* Papyrus from ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' has this in ''spades''. His EstablishingCharacterMoment is him nagging his brother [[LazyBum Sans]] to stop slacking around, slipping into a boast on how perfect he is, and ultimately wishes to be showered with the respect he deserves. When you have to fight him, the way he talks heavily implies he just wants people to like him. That, of course, isn't to say he doesn't already have what he wants, and he doesn't seem to notice when someone actually hates him, to the point of giving words of encouragement to a KnifeNut [[spoiler:immediately after being decapitated by said Knife Nut]]. That one he does notice - if you choose [[spoiler:not to decapitate him]], he actually tells you "to be honest, I was a little afraid" of coming out to meet you. [[IncorruptiblePurePureness He just sincerely believed you could do better.]]

* This is ''the'' FatalFlaw of Lotte Carmine from ''VideoGame/BlazBlue''. As a researcher, he harbored some ambition that he'd surpass his superior Kokonoe in scientific breakthrough, but for some reason, Kokonoe dismissed him that bad and even refused to support him in particular research about seithr. Not knowing to give up and even dismissing the support of his partner Litchi, he went on through the research and [[spoiler:ended up as Arakune. And even as Arakune, what remains of him was his hatred for Kokonoe's superiority and his desire to become supreme scientist.]]
* ''Franchise/MassEffect'':
** Miranda from ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' was genetically designed to be perfect, and she envies Shepard for having built their career with nothing more than skill, hard work, and courage.
** The BigBad of the ''Citadel DLC'' for ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' implies this during their VillainousBreakdown, [[spoiler: that their ''real'' motivation to KillAndReplace Shepard stems from an inferiority complex at being considered [[CloningBlues nothing more]] than a [[EvilTwin clone]] of the ''real'' Commander Shepard.]]

* TheRival (A.K.A. "Silver") in ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'' and ''Crystal'' is an extremely arrogant, highly abrasive boy who acts like he's stronger and better than everyone else, berating the player and calling them "weakling" constantly throughout the game even right after losing, calling everyone else weak, rudely brushing off advice and help from others, viewing [[NebulousEvilOrganization Team Rocket]] or any bunch of people as little more than a bunch of cowards compensating for their lack of strength and possessing a burning hatred for everyone and everything he sees as weak, even scoffing at you for trying to cure a sick Ampharos. In the original generation 2 games, he goes as far as to say he wants to [[TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior wipe out the weak]]. However, in the remakes it's revealed that it's to compensate for [[spoiler:his deep-seated fear of his own weakness, stemming from his father [[BigBad Giovanni]]'s [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue loss to Red three years prior]] that prompted the temporary disbanding of Team Rocket and his [[ParentalAbandonment abandoning of a very young Silver]]]]. [[CharacterDevelopment He gets better by the end, however]].

* In the Wii remake of ''VideoGame/PunchOut'', Super Macho Man is an egocentric showoff who plays to the crowd and treats his opponents like dirt. Surely losing to Little Mac once isn't going to put a dent in that massive ego, right? Fight him again in Title Defense and he's changed for the worse - he throws a tantrum when the crowd boos him, yelling "Why don't you '''love''' me?" (The crowd always booed him before and he ignored it.) He doesn't even flash his trademark smile as he taunts anymore - instead, he flexes so hard it looks painful as he grimaces at Mac. If he wins this bout, he has an epiphany and decides that CelebrityIsOverrated... but then it goes to his head and he reverts to his old ways. If the man wasn't an atomic-level JerkAss, you'd almost feel sorry for him.
* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'':
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' is full of these. To the extent that it could be considered one of the main themes of the game:
*** Cloud insists on showing off as much as possible, striking poses, and being flamboyantly snarky towards others. This is later revealed to be a false persona that stemmed from a complex caused by his feelings of worthlessness, exacerbated by [[TheVirus Jenova cells]] and trauma. At one point, he states that as a child he dealt with his isolation and feelings of worthlessness by [[IntelligenceEqualsIsolation convincing himself that it was because everyone other than him was stupid]].
*** A similar case can be made for Cloud's enemy, Sephiroth. When he learned he was the product of sick science and some sort of alien monster "lady", he... didn't take it well. [[StartOfDarkness To say the least]]. When his pride was shattered by the revelation, he went mad trying to prove himself more than a lab monster and ended up falling into delusions of grandeur, ripping through many {{Moral Event Horizon}}s like wet paper in his wake. Upon realising he isn't a real human, Cloud [[UnreliableNarrator quotes him]] as saying that he'd always known he was strange and different when compared to other people, "but... not like this...". A week later, he's declaring himself the 'rightful heir to this Planet' and planning to become a God. His arrogance even allows him to re-emerge five years after his apparent death falling into a reservoir of Mako energy, without having experienced the ego-death that is suffered by most people heavily exposed to Mako energy.
*** Red XIII acts haughty, intelligent, and ancient, with little time for the inexplicable behaviour of humans. To Red's embarrassment and Cloud's surprise, it later turns out that he's the equivalent of a fifteen-year-old boy and he still lives with his grandfather, and he was showing off due to feelings of inadequacy.
*** Aerith's [[CasualDangerDialogue reckless behaviour]] and manic levels of confidence about her {{Zany Scheme}}s are in contrast to how awkwardly she talks about her powers when Tifa asks her about them. It's clear she has only a confused grasp of her abilities, doesn't know what her mother's Materia is for (calling one of the two most powerful magical items in the world 'good for absolutely nothing' and wearing it as a hair accessory), and is scared of how different she is. The ExpandedUniverse has it that she was mostly isolated growing up due to her surveillance by the Turks and because her abilities led people to consider her creepy. By the end of the first Disc, she has so much control over her powers that she can translate the words of spirits, interfere with Cloud's dreams to speak to him while he's unconscious, find the lost City of the Ancients, and cast her mother's spell.
*** Barret at first comes off as an aggressive blowhard who loves being in charge and is [[AngryBlackMan very arrogant and uncompromising about his anti-Shinra political views]]. He later admits that this is all an attempt to deal with his feelings of worthlessness after his initially pro-Shinra views led to his town being destroyed. When the displaced and destitute residents corner him and shout abuse at him, Barret just nods and takes it.
*** Zigzagged by Yuffie, who at one point gives a big speech about how her country has been stripped of pride after its colonisation, and she only stole from the party because she thought that if she did, she could prove herself... and immediately reverts to her usual AwesomeEgo personality after [[WoundedGazelleGambit using this to lure the party leader into trapping the other members in a big cage]], gloating at them for being stupid enough to fall for it. However, most fans do think Yuffie's speech was about her real reasoning, even if she was using it to manipulate the others. Many of her in-party scenes show her tough-girl attitude falling apart when faced with genuinely threatening and disturbing things, like confronting the shooter in the Battle Square, saying goodbye to Aerith, or [[RomanceSidequest working up the courage to kiss a boy]].
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIIRemake'', as a Remake, has Barret directly call Cloud out on his cockiness coming from "a huge inferiority complex".
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX'' has Kuja. In a race of artificial people called "Genomes", he was the only one with an actual soul due to some sort of fluke. He was always insisting due to this that he was different from his nigh-mindless peers, loudly trying to enforce his individuality. But then ANOTHER Genome was created with a soul (on purpose this time) and was scheduled to be Kuja's replacement. Kuja reacted... badly. He kidnapped the child and dropped him into the world Kuja was to help destroy, all out of a desire to prove himself superior.
* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'', [[spoiler: Zelda]] was initially very cold and dismissive towards Link but as later revealed, acted in this manner due to [[spoiler: not being able to awaken her ancestral power]]. Seeing Link as the chosen hero, easily wielding the Master Sword, was a reminder of their own failures. [[spoiler: Revali]] also acts in a similar manner towards Link by constantly spouting off on how much better he is than him and brushes off Link's chosen one status as merely "being lucky". It's all a front to hide his feelings of looking worthless after spending most of his life being his village's highly praised warrior and getting one-upped by a boy that happened to be special.
* Dominus Ghaul in ''VideoGame/Destiny2'' is a mighty [[ScaryDogmaticAliens Cabal]] warlord who's brave and intelligent, but also has a rather fragile ego and is constantly seeking validation for his actions. He tries to conquer the City and gain the Traveler's powers because he's ''jealous''; angry that the Guardians were granted the Traveler's blessing and not him, because surely someone as strong as him deserves it more. It's noted he could easily just steal the Traveler's light, but [[HonorBeforeReason he won't because he's convinced doing so would be equal to admitting failure and he won't accept that]]. He ''needs'' the Traveler to acknowledge him as worthy on its own and [[VillainousBreakdown starts cracking]] when it becomes increasingly obvious that [[WellDoneSonGuy he can't impress it]].
* ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'':
** ''VideoGame/Persona3'' has this in the Magician Arcana in Junpei Iori. He tends to act cocky and confrontational, mainly with TheHero. However, we learn that he has low self-esteem and a cruddy home life with an absent alcoholic father. As such, he initially saw SEES as a way to escape his home life and [[IJustWantToBeSpecial be a somebody]] in his life. However, he does carrying the insecurity of being not good at anything besides fighting ... which he then gets outclassed by [[AlwaysSomeoneBetter the Protagonist]]. CharacterDevelopment does have him grow out of this as he grows close to them and becoming TheLancer and BestFriend of the main character over time. His issues are toned down a bit in ''Portable'' should you play as the female character, instead becoming more of an older brother sort of figure, though still also your closest friend (outside of Aigis).
** TokenEvilTeammate Akechi in ''VideoGame/Persona5'' was a SadClown with a FriendlessBackground, who despite having [[BrokenAce many talents]] including being a powerful [[FightingSpirit Persona]] user, [[TheResenter despised Joker]] for being able to [[EvilCounterpart catch up to]] and eventually surpass him through ThePowerOfFriendship while he had nobody.
** ''VideoGame/Persona5Strikers'': Ango Natsume's pride was devastatingly wounded when he found out that [[spoiler: not only was the writing competition he won fixed, but his editor saw him only as a talentless money fountain]]. He propped himself up with EMMA, but still felt inadequate. It's best represented by how after he is defeated, his outfit is revealed to be a cardboard cutout he stands behind in his underwear.
* ''VideoGame/RadiantArc'': At the start of the game, it's clear that Derek is jealous that Lexie is giving Linky so much attention, which is why he bullies Linky and looks down on the latter for being weaker. [[spoiler:In the present, he's easily defeated by a Minotaur while Linky succeeds by awakening his powers as the Radiant Arc, causing Derek to lose faith in himself now that Linky surpassed him. This causes him to join the Morians both to prove himself stronger than Linky and because he's projecting his fear of his weakness on the rest of humanity, believing they're too weak to oppose the demons.]]
* It's currently just [[AllThereInTheManual background information]] since ''VideoGame/YandereSimulator'' isn't finished yet, but final rival Megami Saiko's little brother Kencho has this ''bad''. The only reason he was born was to be a SpareToTheThrone in case Megami dies or abandons her responsibilities (like her aunt did before her), and he knows it. Because of this, he feels that his entire self-worth is tied to her, and he only has purpose if he can outdo her. Unfortunately for him, she's a ParodySue who always outdoes him in everything, so he has a massive inferiority complex tied to her. The 'superiority' part comes from his relationship with other people- he loves flaunting his wealth and generally rubbing his status into the faces of people he considers his inferiors in a desperate attempt to feel better than ''someone''.

* ''VideoGame/EnsembleStars'':
** Tori is extremely demanding and loves to gloat about how much better he is than the 'slaves' around him. However, he is ''highly'' aware that he is the youngest and least experienced member of fine and is very worried deep down that he might be holding them back. Part of his CharacterDevelopment involves him deliberately choosing to become less childish and selfish so he can stand on his own even after the third years graduate without making them worry.
** Arashi appears very confident, often boasting about her great fashion sense and beauty. But deep down she's dealing with some pretty major gender issues, and while she pretends it doesn't bother her when others call her things like 'okama' (a slur aimed at queer men and trans women), she really does worry that she'll never be able to become the beautiful woman she wants to be. Her boasting is an attempt to put up a shield and to convince herself that she's okay with things as they are.
* Roxanne Wolf from ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysSecurityBreach''. While she just seems narcissistic at first, there are several hints that it's merely a facade. When you spy on her in the vents, she starts out complimenting herself in front of the mirror, but then breaks down crying a short time later. One of her voice lines has her nervously reassure herself that she will find Gregory first, because she's "the best".
* Alex from ''VideoGame/StardewValley'' reveals this in his route; [[spoiler: he was abused by his father as a child, possibly witnessed his mother's death, and came to believe he was worthless]]. Grandma Evelyn's well-meant concerns about his [[BookDumb academic shortcomings]] are furthering his insecurity, so he covers up with rudeness and bragging about his athleticism and future as a sports star.
* [[SmugSnake Darth Thanaton]] in ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'', the BigBad of the [[VillainProtagonist Sith Inquisitor]] storyline. Like the PlayerCharacter he was a [[SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil former slave]] who became Sith after it was discovered he was Force-sensitive, but his low upbringing combined with his InsufferableGenius demeanor caused him to not be taken seriously by his peers. Even after ascending to the Dark Council [[TheFriendNobodyLikes most of the other members seem to quietly disdain him]], and his [[FatalFlaw stubborn adherence to Sith tradition]] [[HonorBeforeReason at the cost of alienating everyone around him]] is a thinly-veiled overcompensation to validate himself.
* In TrailsOfColdSteel, it is not outright stated but heavily implied that the protagonist, Rean Schwarzer, '''loathes''' himself, which is what causes him to go out of his way to help practically everyone who asks, no matter how mundane or outrageous their requests may be, and even some who never ask for help. In the first game, people just assume he's just a good kid who wants to do well, but by the third and fourth game, he actually hates himself for who he is and what he has done up to that point.

* Both Zen and Jumin from ''VisualNovel/MysticMessenger'' show shades of this. LongHairedPrettyBoy Zen is constantly gushing about how he's the world's most handsome man and an amazing actor, but flashbacks in his route show that as a child he was both objectified by almost everyone, from teachers to strangers, and [[AbusiveParents ruthlessly insulted and belittled him, constantly telling him that he was ugly and incompetent, and his mother even once tried to forcibly shave all his hair off.]] WordOfGod is that he talks himself up constantly because he's never really had someone consistently in his corner and he secretly hides a lot of insecurity, and Jumin muses that maybe people who are vain are only that way because they've never known the privilege of being able to love someone else safely. Jumin, on the other hand, is less mouthy about his accomplishments, but he does take pride in being an excellent businessman CEO-in-line of a massive business conglomerate, as well as being handsome, intelligent, and level-headed, but he turns out to be extremely lonely, hence why he dotes on his cat Elizabeth the Third, and tells you in his route that [[IAmAMonster he feels like a mutant who's unable to relate to or be close with almost anyone]], which can be attributed to growing up with parents who treated him as a project instead of a child, as well as the [[ParentalIncest heavily implied sexual grooming that one of his stepmothers tried to exact on him as a kid.]]
* Haruka from ''VisualNovel/LittleBusters'' acts like an [[GenkiGirl energetic]] ManicPixieDreamGirl who's always showing off and joking that people should praise her, but deep down she's ''very'' insecure, and for very good reason. [[spoiler:Growing up constantly compared to your 'better' twin, being beaten every time you fail compared to her, and told that you're a terrible person because your father beat up your mother does that to a kid]]. It's made clear later on when Haruka's ''praise me'' comments are given an IronicEcho--she suddenly challenges Riki to a thumb fight and when she wins demands just one thing: that he praise her. That she's so genuinely overjoyed when he does such a simple thing really drives home her {{Woobie}} status.
* ''Monster Girl Quest'': Despite being the high-and-haughty [[MonsterLord lord of the monsters]], [[spoiler:Alice]] hides seriously crippling insecurity of [[spoiler:her abilities as any kind of leader due to her interference preventing peace between humans and monsters. ''When she was two''. Luka calls her out on this in Act II because it goes against her natural personality]].

* ''VisualNovel/ChaosChild'': The protagonist, Takuru, is shown to look down on people and considers himself a "right-sider", placing everyone he knows as inherently underneath him as a way of justifying his faults.

* WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic admitted in the crossover with CR that he acts like a BadBoss because he's really insecure and is scared of people going into his territory because they'd do it better than him.

* In ''Series/{{Noob}}'' [[spoiler:Judge Dead]] turns out to have this plus a father who's a WellDoneDadGuy. What do the father's attempts at gaining approval consist of? Being better than his son at things in which he's interested. Yes, it's as much of a recipe for a bitter relationship as one can imagine.
* ''WebAnimation/DSBTInsaniT'': Dave's such a bully because it's his way of taking out all the anger he has on the world. He hates just about everything, and being a brute empowers him and makes him think he can take on anything, but he knows he will never be strong enough to handle everything life throws at him, which just fuels his hate.
* Eduardo from ''WebAnimation/EddsWorld'' is this, always having to be better than everyone, especially Edd, in order to make up for constant harassment as a child that was caused by Edd.
* Blitzo in ''WebAnimation/HelluvaBoss'' is a SadClown who shows subtle signs throughout Season 1 that despite his projected confidence, he is secretly desperate to prove himself as somebody capable and worth something, with his [[JerkassWoobie boasts being acts of denial that he lashes out with]] at anybody who gets too close to the issue. "Truth Seekers" reveals that before I.M.P., he tried to go solo but the result didn't work out, leading to self-doubt about his worth since he needs to rely on others. This causes him to [[{{Tsundere}} push away anyone close to him until they have enough]], end up hating him and leaving, which makes him [[DesperatelyCravesAffection crave love and companionship]] but gets hampered by his confidence issues, making him fear that his employees and [[UptownGirl boyfriend Stolas]] will leave him too and he'll die alone.

* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'':
** Princess Azula initially comes across as extremely {{arrogant|KungFuGuy}}, {{manipulative|Bastard}}, and brilliant. She constantly belittles her older brother and treats her friends like the help. Season Three slowly reveals her extreme MommyIssues, her tendency to put down those she secretly envies (she outright admits this to Ty Lee), and her utter dependence on her father's "love". By the season finale, [[spoiler: her friends have left her and her father has made it clear that he's only using her. [[FromBadToWorse It]] [[CryForTheDevil doesn't]] [[VillainousBreakdown end]] [[TearJerker well.]]]]
** Zuko also behaves very arrogantly early on, though his arrogance dissipates as he starts to go through his prolonged {{Heel Face Turn}}. He's rude to his uncle, berates his crew, and frequently loses his temper over small things. It becomes clear later that this attitude is merely Zuko trying to behave as [[WellDoneSonGuy the son his father wants]], and a defensive result of the pressures and frustrations this desire causes. Zuko is actually a sensitive and compassionate kid, but who sees himself as inferior due to these perceived "weaknesses", especially next to his prodigious, ruthless sister Azula. Furthermore, his compassion and sensitivity were what got him in trouble in the first place (after speaking against a general for planning to use new recruits as cannon fodder. He ends up fighting his dad and getting his telltale scar). After [[HeelFaceTurn joining the Avatar's group]], he comes to realise these are his strengths, not his weaknesses.
** Their father Ozai himself may be a near-identical case. He was TheUnfavourite to his EvilOverlord and emotionally distant father Azulon (who possibly was [[AbusiveParents an abusive father]] [[GenerationXerox with him]]) compared to his older brother, the talented and powerful "Dragon of the West" [[BigGood General Iroh]]. It's less clear than with Azula what Ozai felt about this relationship, but it's not difficult to see the similarities in their cases, their personalities, and their temperaments. He is so bitter about not receiving as much respect as his brother that he demands perfection from his own children and punishes perceived weakness or insubordination in his eldest son with extraordinary brutality; when he promotes himself from Fire Lord to Phoenix King and plans to [[spoiler: exterminate the Earth Kingdom]] he essentially acts like a PsychopathicManchild revelling in childish fantasies of power and greatness, but he was so obsessed with the two mostly because of his insecurities.
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'':
** Rainbow Dash, a skilled, super-speedy pegasus who ''knows'' she's talented and isn't afraid to let everybody ''else'' know it. However, she's also a LazyBum who enjoys shirking work and hates dealing with strict rules, something which led to her either dropping out of or outright ''failing'' Flight School. Perhaps because of this, she's extremely sensitive about losing, to the point where the thought of screwing up in something as big as the Best Young Flyer Competition leaves her practically paralyzed from fear. She also ''[[HatesBeingAlone hates]]'' [[HatesBeingAlone being alone]], having thrived on others' attention for so long.
** [[ArrogantKungFuGuy The]] [[TheMagnificent Great]] [[{{Narcissist}} and]] [[MilesGloriosus Powerful]] [[ThirdPersonPerson Trixie]] may be one as well. It would explain her compulsive boasting and how she STILL puts down Twilight after being outdone by her.
** Twilight Sparkle can be rather condescending and arrogant about [[TheSmartGuy her intelligence over the others]] at times, even after her character arc in the series premiere. However, it's revealed later on that she has imposed [[SuperOCD very high standards]] on herself and is absolutely terrified of disappointing her peers or friends (especially [[BigGood Princess]] [[PalsWithJesus Celestia]]). She once had a ''[[SanitySlippage complete psychotic breakdown]]'' when she was out of schedule for even one single task.
** While not egotistical in general, Applejack can get very prideful and stubborn concerning her work, if only because she hates being incapable of committing to a task. She is also famed for her reliability in Ponyville and hates letting anyone down in the slightest (even if they are far more understanding about it). She almost worked herself to death, blowing off offers of help, after she promised to harvest all her orchard's apples by herself.
** In a way, this was also Princess Luna's StartOfDarkness ([[{{Pun}} so to speak]]). When she and Celestia first took the thrones, they saw each other as equals--harmonious, evenly splitting the day and night. However, while ponies frolicked during the day, they either slept through or outright feared the night, and by association seemed to love Celestia and--at best--be ambivalent towards Luna. This lack of any significant compassion from her subjects went on so long and got so serious that Luna felt the only way to get any actual love, adoration, or just plain ''respect'' was to [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope take on the persona of Nightmare Moon and rule Equestria ENTIRELY]] as well as bring about TheNightThatNeverEnds (which would have caused [[OmnicidalManiac the extinction of all life in Equestria]]; it's not clear whether Nightmare Moon was simply unaware of this consequence or purposefully intended to [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds take revenge on her former subjects by killing them all]], [[SuicidalCosmicTemperTantrum and possibly herself with them]]), all because she felt she couldn't measure up to her sister in the ponies' eyes.
* Zigzagged with Ickis of ''WesternAnimation/AaahhRealMonsters''. While his insecurity is very obvious, he [[MoodSwinger swings into]] high-and-mighty mode whenever [[AcquiredSituationalNarcissism given the chance]]. A flashback episode revealed that he acted incredibly smug on his first day of school [[PrideBeforeAFall but was publicly humiliated]] when he couldn't mimic [[TheAce his father's tactics]] on command. By the time the series starts, he's already had his biggest BreakTheHaughty moment and can't cover up his lack of inner confidence, much as he'd like to.

* Peggy Hill from ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'' suffers from this. She's smug, self-satisfied, and convinced she's the smartest woman in the world when she's really a KnowNothingKnowItAll. But that's all to cover up the fact that as a little girl in Montana, she grew up with an overly-critical mother who threw out all of her opinions and told her she was outright useless at their ranch. When she moved away she convinced herself she was brilliant since it was the only way to forget her mother's abuse. She still has plenty of moments when it's revealed she's not as clever as she thinks she is (or is just reminded of her abnormally large feet), and falls into a depression because of it.

* In season one of ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'', Artemis always acts cocky and confident, but it's slowly revealed that she is deeply unsure of her own abilities, especially in comparison to her sister (an assassin) and the other heroes, many of whom have super-powers.
* The titular character of ''WesternAnimation/BojackHorseman'', a fact that he's aware of (if in denial over).
-->'''Kelsey''': Can we have ''one'' conversation that isn't about you? I don't understand why you need me to like you so much.
-->'''Bojack''': I don't ''need'' you to like me! It would be ''fun'' if you liked me, because then I could prove to myself that [[WellDoneSonGuy my parents were wrong to never support me]], because I'd now earned the admiration of a surrogate-authority figure, thus ''proving'' that I have intrinsic worth, [[ImplausibleDeniability but it's not like it's a big deal or anything]]. Jeez.
* In ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'', it's shown that InsufferableGenius Rick has this to the point that [[spoiler: he feels so threatened by the idea of someone being smarter than him that he created a metaphysical wall spanning the entire infinite multiverse, blocking out any AlternateUniverse with someone smarter than him from their section of the multiverse to turn reality itself into a NormalFishInATinyPond situation for him for the sake of his own ego.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
** Homer Simpson occasionally drifts into this trope, with a side order of SourGrapes. ("Why won't those idiots let me into their crappy club for jerks?!")
** Lisa Simpson’s FatalFlaw is that she defines herself by being smarter than others and due to flanderization, this aspect of her has only gotten worse throughout the years. Lisa has done things such as willingly staying a NormalFishInATinyPond, to completely alienating her fellow students (by being a SoapBoxSadie to those who don’t share her interests and an InsufferableGenius to those that do). At her worse, Lisa will flat out sabotage someone she considers her better out of jealousy. While she will usually feel sorry for her actions it’s only after she gets what she wants.
* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'':
** Amethyst is a carefree braggart who in one episode tries to cheer up Steven by telling him "You can't let anyone else make you feel like garbage!" Later episodes demonstrate that Amethyst has a number of insecurities of her own, stemming first from [[spoiler: having been created in a Gem "Kindergarten" on Earth that sucked the life out of the ground for miles around to create new Gems]], and later from [[spoiler: being much smaller than a typical Quartz-class Gem.]]
** Pearl has it worse. Yes, she's [[CondescendingCompassion Condescendingly Compassionate]] and disdains organic life, but she herself harbors ''extreme'' self-esteem issues, stemming from her past [[spoiler:where she was made to be a [[BeautifulSlaveGirl glorified handmaid]]]]. She was a ClingyJealousGirl to Rose Quartz [[BecauseYouWereNiceToMe because Rose treated her like she was important]], and she ends up causing severe problems in ''Cry for Help'' because she desired to feel Garnet's self-confidence [[spoiler: and did so by exploiting the threat of Peridot in order to trick Garnet into fusing again. When Garnet found out, she was [[BerserkButton Not]] [[TranquilFury Happy]].]]
** The Crystal Gems don't have a monopoly on unhealthy compensation for self-esteem issues. Peridot may feel superior to the Crystal Gems because she fits into Homeworld's system whereas Amethyst's defective, Pearls are low-caste, and Garnet's very existence is illegal, but [[spoiler: she's also an Era 2 gem with no natural powers ([[ExtraOreDinary or at least, none that she knew of]]) while the Crystal Gems are all Era 1 gems. Peridot feels that her worth is defined by the technology she uses, which is why she freaked out over the loss of her limb enhancers and when Amethyst tried to throw away her tablet.]]
** [[spoiler: And then there's Jasper, who's arrogant because she's the [[UltimateLifeForm Ultimate Quartz]], but also insecure because she was made on Earth and born fighting a war that was half over before she was even made. And she keeps getting beaten by [[FusionDance fusions]]. This fundamental self-hatred drives her to a RedemptionRejection and ends with her corrupted.]]
** By the ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverseFuture'' episode "Prickly Pair", Steven has a tangled mess of a desire to be needed along with a resentment of feeling like he needs help. He has somewhat condescending perceptions of the Gems' flaws but also still wants them to be impressed by his new hobby. When they're rightfully disturbed by the fact that he named his plants after people he knows to pretend they'll never leave him, he takes it as a sign that his gardening is unimpressive instead of concern for his wellbeing.
* ''WesternAnimation/WanderOverYonder'': Part of the reason [[BigBad Lord Hater]] is evil is to cover up for his insecurities by being an intimidating tyrant. It's implied this is one of the reasons [[AllLovingHero Wander]] tries so hard to be his friend, as he is the only one who sees right through his facade.
* Ludo from ''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil'' does most of what he does because he craves the love and attention that he never managed to get from his family as a child, who treated him with less respect than even the heroes.

* Chancellor Esteban from ''WesternAnimation/ElenaOfAvalor''. At the beginning of the show, he's a {{Jerkass}} who has little to no faith in Elena's leadership capabilities and even tries to screw with her during negotiations with other kingdoms to show that ''he's'' the [[HypercompetentSidekick "true power behind Avalor"]], something that was true during his tenure under Shuriki in the pilot movie. As the show goes on, he undergoes CharacterDevelopment and we learn that he has always felt he was AlwaysSecondBest to his more talented royal cousins and his [[ToxicFriendInfluence best friend]], to the point that he felt that his family didn't love him, and so he [[spoiler:betrayed them to Shuriki by helping her take over Avalor. He came to regret it.]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'', both Bender and Zapp Brannigan need practically nothing to dent their confident facades.

* It's noted that Striker from ''ComicBook/AvengersAcademy'' tries really hard to look like he's not trying at all. His overbearing, [[GlorySeeker glory seeking]] [[StageMom mother]] is part of the problem.
* ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'':
** The Riddler: InsufferableGenius extraordinaire, yet so deeply willing to prove his smarts to the world. It bites him in the ass pretty much ''every single time''. His gimmick is that his plans are intersperced with riddles and puzzles that, if solved, allow his schemes to become unraveled. This is obviously counterproductive, but for the Riddler, proving that he's smarter than the authorities (and Batman) is a compulsion so powerful that he literally can't resist it. According to most of his backstories, this is a compulsion he developed in childhood due to being abused into having some ''major'' self-esteem issues.
** This tends to be the case with every ''Batman'' villain except for [[Characters/BatmanTheJoker the Joker]] and [[Characters/BatmanRasAlGhul Ra's al Ghul]] (who [[{{Pride}} really do think they're as great as they say they are]], and often can back it up too). Prominent examples include [[Characters/BatmanThePenguin the Penguin]], the Scarecrow, Killer Croc, and even [[Characters/BatmanPoisonIVy Poison Ivy]] (despite her talk of the plants, recall she became this after her professor used her and her lifetime of being pushed around by everyone). At their worst, these villains often go so far as to [[BullyHunter murder — or attempt to murder — their real or supposed former tormentors]], partly out of spite and partly because, deep down, they feel that the world really must be made safe for people "of their kind." Worse yet, this attitude sometimes is extended to ''[[OmnicidalManiac all]]'' [[OmnicidalManiac of Gotham City]].
* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': [[Characters/MarvelComicsOttoOctavius Doctor Octopus]] certainly fits the trope. The ''Comicbook/SuperiorSpiderMan'' series constantly compared him with Peter Parker, often in an EvilCounterpart sort of way. But in the end, Otto himself finally admitted the greatest difference between them: while Parker is humble and filled with self-doubt ''because'' he knows for a fact he's stronger and thus holds more responsibility, Octavius was simply attempting to overcome his inner inferiority complex. Once he realized this, our self-proclaimed SuperiorSuccessor took a HeroicSacrifice, but not before giving the hero a YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre speech.
* Titania, of ''ComicBook/SheHulk'''s RoguesGallery. [[FreudianExcuse The short and scrawny Mary MacPherran was the butt of the wealthy, popular crowd's cruel jokes and was nicknamed "Skeeter" (as in "mosquito") for her troubles]]. Resenting her lot in life, she dreamed of gaining superpowers to enact revenge upon her tormentors and be admired. After lying about being ComicBook/SpiderWoman backfired, Mary got her wish by hastily agreeing to be experimented on by Doctor Doom, becoming a [[StatuesqueStunner tall]], [[AmazonianBeauty buff]], [[SuperStrength mighty]], and [[TheBrute brutish]] SmugSuper over in her introduction in ''Comicbook/SecretWars1984''. However, she still remains troubled within and what forms the bedrock of her maniacal vendetta against She-Hulk is because [[AlwaysSomeoneBetter She-Hulk always seems to be one step ahead of her]]; this reminds Titania of being Skeeter, and she ''hates'' feeling weak. She actually won her first bout against She-Hulk before she tried picking on none other than ComicBook/SpiderMan. He proceeded to utterly ''crush'' her without breaking a sweat, all while giving her a ReasonYouSuckSpeech to her, noting that she's still a "wimpette" underneath her new bullying exterior before she's flung out the window. The defeat actually made her ''terrified'' by Spidey for years.
* ''ComicBook/TheMightyThor'':
** Thor's adopted brother [[Characters/MarvelComicsLoki Loki]] is sometimes a haughty sorcerer who thinks Asgard and Mjolnir rightfully belong to him... and sometimes he's TheUnfavorite brother who can never be an adequate [[Myth/NorseMythology Jotunn or Æsir]].
** Thor himself has shades of a complex, both prior to being sent to Earth to learn humility, and in moments when he sways into {{Jerkass}} territory with loud reminders that he is the God of Thunder. All of this comes from his relationship with his father, who was emotionally distant at best and CannotSpitItOut. During the God-Butcher Saga, Old King Thor outright told young Thor that he'd never get what he wanted most. Young Thor objected, assuming he meant Mjolnir. As it turned out, what he really meant was that Odin would never tell him he was proud of him. Then, he actually did, grabbing all three Thors (present, past, and King) in TheGlomp at the end of ''ComicBook/WarOfTheRealms'' and [[SoProudOfYou telling them he's proud of them]]. Their identical expressions of utter bafflement are both hilarious and depressing.
* Rodimus shows certain signs of this in ''ComicBook/TheTransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye'', but Getaway goes past "signs" and into "fireworks displays and alarm bells". [[spoiler:PsychoPsychologist Froid]] mentions that watching Getaway's inferiority complex spiraling out of control is a rare treat for him.
* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'' [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Vol 1]]: Priscilla Rich needed to feel superior to everyone else because deep down she hated herself. Wonder Woman upstaging her at a party was what prompted her to develop her alternate personality and become the supervillain ComicBook/{{Cheetah}}.
* ''ComicBook/UncannyXMen'': FatBastard villain the Blob likes to throw his weight around to compensate for a lifetime of being mocked for his porcine mutation. When forced to confront his worst fears by psychic hero Mirage of the ComicBook/NewMutants, he saw a crowd of kids, a ringmaster, and the mutants Wolverine and Exodus all laughing at him.
* ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'': This has been suggested about Characters/DoctorDoom. Creator/MarkWaid wondered if his need to be a ruler who's feared and revered is just trying to forget that as a boy he was penniless and miserable. And that his [[TheResenter bitterness and hatred toward Reed Richards]] comes from the fact that he knows, deep down, that the machine that exploded and burned his face really ''was'' due to his own miscalculation and he's just bitter Reed [[AlwaysSomeoneBetter spotted the flaw that he missed]] (and also that [[{{Pride}} he was too stubborn to listen to his advice]]).
* A huge factor in [[BewareTheSuperman the Plutonian]]'s FaceHeelTurn in ''ComicBook/{{Irredeemable}}'' was that despite the vast majority of people being grateful to him, he was so emotionally needy that he ''had'' to be universally beloved, and the one-in-a-billion UngratefulTownsfolk who didn't lavish him with praise and affection drove him nuts. It didn't help matters that thanks to his SuperSenses he could hear every single one of them. One flashback shows an entire stadium cheering his name after he saves them from a giant robot, but he is hyperfocused on the couple of people whispering that they don't trust him, they think he's a showoff, etc.
* ''WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck'':
** Originally, the whole point of Paperinik (Donald's superhero/antihero alter ego): in that story, and generally most Italian stories of the time, he was being constantly put down by Scrooge and Gladstone, so when he stumbled on the journal and equipment of Fantomius, the GentlemanThief, [[WhosLaughingNow he used it to steal the money-filled bed Scrooge was sleeping on and humiliate Gladstone]]. While he started becoming a more heroic character even in the earliest stories, the trait never fully disappeared, leading to such things as feigning an EasyAmnesia and literally ''steal away half the city '''just to track down a crime boss that he couldn't find''''' (early in the story he was so furious at his inability to find them that he was about to beat up an already captured minion when the police stopped him).

* ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}'':
** Xavin loves to boast about how they have the most training and military experience of anyone on the team and is happy to lord their Super-Skrull abilities over their teammates, but beneath all the bravado, Xavin is insecure about their abilities (by Super-Skrull standards, they are considered a MasterOfNone), is ashamed of their failure to end the war with Majesdane, and fears that Karolina is only putting up with them out of pity. Part of this comes from their upbringing as the little we hear of their upbringing sums up the fertile breeding group for psychological issues:
---> '''Xavin:''' My father killed a family of screaming Majesdanians in front of me when I was five. I cried, so I was left with the corpses for three days.
** When written by Kathryn Immonen, Nico's ControlFreak tendencies are all a mask for someone who fears that none of her teammates respect or even like her.