History Main / JerkWithAHeartOfJerk

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-> ''"So you're saying that I only write poetry to show that beneath this mean, callous, heartless exterior, I just want to be loved? No, well you're completely wrong," he said, "I just write poetry to throw my mean callous heartless exterior into sharp relief."''

* ''KatekyoHitmanReborn'': Hibari Kyouya. Half carrying Gokudera to find Tsuna in Kokuyo Land, [[http://www.onemanga.com/Katekyo_Hitman_Reborn/75/09/ how nice]] of him. Not. He ''literally'' throws Gokudera aside afterward, and it turns out he only helped the latter so they could be [[http://www.onemanga.com/Katekyo_Hitman_Reborn/75/10/ 'even']].

* In ''FamilyGuy'', it seemed Connnie and the rest of her friends would warm up to Meg after she did them some favors and treated them nicely despite them pulling a mean prank. However, they then just decide to pull ''another'' mean prank on her.

-->-- '''Leela''', ''{{Futurama}}

** Bender genuinely has a heart of gold in a few episodes, but just as often, the helpful things he does are part of a selfish ZanyScheme.Li

** YourMileageMayVary: Aside from the fact that he ''has'' PetTheDog on several occasions, and he does have an excuse for being bitter besides his leg.

** Bender genuinely has a heart of gold in a few episodes, but just as often, the helpful things he does are part of a selfish ZanyScheme.

* On ''{{Deadwood}}'' this was, perhaps, the crucial difference between Al Swearengen and Cy Tolliver, both [[JerkAss jerkasses]] capable of incredible cruelty. Al might not have qualified as a JerkWithAHeartOfGold, but little moments sprinkled through the series suggested that he really did care about Trixie, Dan, Jewel, etc. Cy, on the other hand, even when he tries to seem caring, comes across as faking it so people will continue to do what he wants. His JerkWithAHeartOfJerk leads to disloyalty among some of his people.

-> ''"Y'know, Zapp, once I thought you were a big, pompous buffoon. Then I realized that inside you were just a pitiful child. But now I realize that outside that child is a big, pompous buffoon!"''
-->-- '''Leela''', ''{{Futurama}}

* Kirie of ''GirlsBravo'' is this in the first season of the anime. Really, acts of kindness on her part don't really hold much water when she just immediately follows these acts of kindness with frequent beatings and verbal abuse towards her 'best friend' Yukinari. She sometimes beats the poor kid up in his own house and even threw him out of his house while it was raining when she was pissed at him. It should be noted that she's only a JerkWithAHeartOfJerk in the first season, as she becomes [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold somewhat nicer]] in the second season.

Well, yeah, turns out that isn't really true. There's a perfectly logical, selfish explanation for why he saved the busload of burning orphans. And now he's going to get a good laugh at your expense for ever thinking he could be so noble. [[StatusQuoIsGod Welcome back, pal]].

** Another case of a legitimate JerkWithAHeartOfGold being described like this is in one of the SpiderMan guidebooks: J. Jonah Jameson is described as "Under is rough, crusty and rude exterior... You'll find that he's even ''worse''!"

-->'''Leela:''' Y'know, Zapp, once I thought you were a big, pompous buffoon. Then I realized that inside you were just a pitiful child. But now I realize that outside that child is a big, pompous buffoon!

* Although he ''is'' a JerkWithAHeartOfGold, ''AzumangaDaioh'' engages in this trope in respect to Mr. Kimura. He is a creepy [[strike: pedophile]] ephebophile, and once his admirable qualities are established, he will invariably act in ways that prevents the girls from having a positive opinion of him. This pattern of events notably occurs twice with his favored "stalkee", Kaorin. On one occasion, she sees him tending to a flower garden and thinks about how he is actually a JerkWithAHeartOfGold, but then is disgusted to see it being labeled "Kimura and Kaorin's Garden". In the last episode, he gives a moving speech about feeling bad to lose his students, and Kaorin is shown being touched by it and crying. Then, he adds "but Kaorin and I will be together forever!", and she returns to being creeped out.

* The graphic novel ''Exit Wounds''. Koby Franco is a curmudgeonly cab driver who expresses indifference at the possibility that his estranged father might be dead. [[spoiler: after spending much of the book with his father's girlfriend who insists that he was a good person (not to mention his other relatives, who think Koby is too hard on him) and finding out he may very well be dead, Koby softens up a little. Only to discover that his father isn't dead- the handmade scarf the girlfriend made that they found at the scene of the bombing was a gift from him to ''another'' girlfriend. Koby realizes to his disgust that the reason for their poor relationship is because his father has always been a serial philanderer who doesn't care about how his actions affect the people around him. Which extends to the present day- his new wife, a devout Orthodox Jew, thinks he's out at night so often because of [[IsThatWhatTheyreCallingItNow "prayer meetings"]].)]]

-->'''Ebenezer Blackadder:''' My what a jolly fellow.
-->'''Baldrick:''' Looked like a fat git to me.
-->'''Ebenezer Blackadder:''' Yes Baldrick, but if one peels away the layers of a 'fat git' you'll probably find a...
-->'''Baldrick:''' Thin git!
* When Peter Dragon, the JerkAss protagonist of ''Action'', finds out that he might have cancer, he gives a touching speech to God about wanting to see his daughter grow up and wanting to go out on a hit, and promises to turn his life around. He also throws out a tobacco executive who wants to use product placement to market cigarettes to teenagers. After he finds out that his mole is benign, Peter tracks down the executive and makes the deal.

* Sam from ICarly seems incapable of doing anything but causing severe physical and emotional trauma.

** Also, Byakuran.

* Makoto Itou becomes one of these in the ''SchoolDays'' anime.

* Izaya Orihara in ''{{Durarara}}''.
* ''{{Naruto}}'': Shiranami in the Six-Tailed Beast arc of the anime.
* Kaito Wanijima of ''AirGear''.

* [[DrJerk Doc Worth]] of ''HannaIsNotABoysName'' is this, at least according to his [[http://hanna.aftertorque.com/?page_id=2 cast page description]].

* In TheSpectacularSpiderMan [[spoiler: Norman Osborn spent the entire series portrayed as a JerkWithAHeartOfGold reguarding his behaviour towards his son Harry. In season 1 he asked Spider-Man not to reveal the (apparent) identity of the Green Goblin/Harry, as his enemies would seek retribution. The GrandFinale of season 2 reveals that Norman was the real Green Goblin and had gone as far as to damage his own son's leg and stuff him into the goblin suit to keep his secret.]] Peter was furious.

--> '''Warp:''' "I can't drive a stick."

--> -- '''Prostetnic Vogon Jeltz''', ''TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy''

* Eric Sparrow from [[{{Ptitle467nuuba}} Tony Hawk's Underground]]. Just when you think he'll have a change of heart, he'll leave you behind once more for the sake of his career, which he puts above all else.

** Penny(confused): "What?" Billy: "...like with pie."

*Though [[MadScientist Dr. Doofenshmirtz]] from ''PhineasAndFerb'' ''does'' have a [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Heart of Gold]]---he's a PunchClockVillain more than anything---he once got into a situation like this, where he happened to trip at just the right moment to accidentally save a falling kitten. Not only was he worried about what his evil colleagues would think, his own nemesis brought a gift basket to celebrating him "turning good!" How embarrassing...