History Main / JerkassWoobie

[[caption-width-right:350:Poor Asuka. She just wants some love.\\
[[DontYouDarePityMe She won't admit it in a million years.]]]]

-->-- '''Lisa Simpson''' to Bart, ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS22E7HowMunchedIsThatBirdieInTheWindow How Munched Is That Birdie In The Window?]]"

The ''Jerkass'' Woobie produces a different visceral reaction: you'd like to punch them in the face yourself ''and'' you also want to hug them and say, "I'm so sorry that your life is such a mess."

* First, the character must be a '''{{jerk|ass}}'''. Even if they [[AntiHero help other people]], they're not just necessarily selfish or insensitive - they're outright cruel, insufferable, immoral, amoral, and/or the villain (or an [[{{AntiVillain}} Anti-Villain]] at best). They have a mean streak that tends toward the sadistic; they may delight in hurting others, whether emotionally or physically, and often have little patience for anyone who disagrees with them. Also, keep in mind that sometimes, any sympathetic character does act like a jerk at some point, such as when a normal Woobie gets pushed too far, but this does not necessarily make them into this trope.

Contrast WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds, where a tragic but less cruel character destroys everything around them because [[DespairEventHorizon they have already been broken]]. The Jerkass Woobie's cruel acts are generally not a result of him being broken and his suffering may even come after he has sinned. Not to be confused with PutThemAllOutOfMyMisery, where a sympathetic villain seeks large scale destruction out of a desire to end misery. See also DracoInLeatherPants, where one of these happens accidentally.

If this character type ever sheds tears or outright cries, you can bet it will most likely be a CryCute moment.

!Examples:

[[quoteright:350:[[Manga/NeonGenesisEvangelion https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Asuka_you_jerkass_woobie_you_9239.png]]]]
[-[[caption-width-right:350:Poor Asuka. She just wants some love. [[DontYouDarePityMe She won't admit it in a million years]].]]-]

%%If you see a character listed as a Complete Monster, they don't belong here.

-->-- '''Lisa Simpson''' to Bart, ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', "How Munched Is That Birdie In The Window?"

%%Good Evening Editors, If you wish to add more woobies, please consult the cleanup thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=15391212720A38366900&page=1

[[folder:Comic Strips]]
* Brian in ''WebComic/KnightsOfTheDinnerTable''. He's a ManipulativeBastard who regularly cheats, backstabs, and swindles his friends to get ahead. He's also a deeply insecure man who lost both his parents, has an unrequited crush on Sara, and tells people he has a 'beloved uncle' who takes him away on Thanksgiving when, in reality, he just goes down the the game store and plays in tournaments to pass the time.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theatre]]
* ''Theatre/{{Hamilton}}'': According to an interview, Lin-Manuel Miranda didn't like the fact that history books were either too defensive of Burr or painted him as the villain, so made him a smarmy ditherer who nevertheless has a lot of tragic and sweet moments. In fact, when Miranda did ''Drunk History'', he made it quite clear that he doesn't consider Burr a monster, but a tragic and complicated man who made a mistake that cost him his reputation forever.
[[/folder]]

* Be a symptom of GreyAndGrayMorality, CrapsackWorld, FantasticRacism, etc. Pretty much any asshole in a ZombieApocalypse counts to at least some degree.

JerkSue is a failed attempt at this trope, where the author attempts to make his/her mean OC sympathetic by laying out a stock tragic backstory for him or her then having the rest of the cast ooh and aah about it unless they are the DesignatedVillain, in which case they will act extremely [[EvilIsPetty petty]] for no reason and probably be revealed as Just Jealous before dying in an over-the-top "comedic" fashion so Sue can be "right all along". UnintentionallyUnsympathetic can also result if the character feels heavier on the jerkass part and the bad things that happen to them feel more like karmic punishments. A true Jerkass Woobie, even if they truly suffered in their past, may still not get sympathy from all of the people around them and certain types of characters probably wouldn't be quick to forgive them for their behavior, either, i.e. the author and story allows both the other characters and the audience to ''choose for themselves'' whether to hate or forgive them, and doesn't try to force forgiveness out of either. Just because the audience has knowledge about something doesn't mean that every character should know, and it doesn't make the character a "bad guy" for [[WhatTheHellHero calling out another character for being a jerk]] even if they are intended as sympathetic.

* [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold They have a hidden, softer side]]. Many are clearly capable of being downright friendly, courteous, kind, well behaved, or just tolerable enough to find bearable, but they either are too angry and impatient on the inside or [[NobleDemon fear showing their softer side,]] when not behind closed doors. Others are clearly TroubledButCute, often with a FreudianExcuse.

If you're looking for a few more pointers on writing this kind of character, take a look at our [[Analysis/TheWoobie analysis page]] on Woobies as a whole, particularly the "'Just Deserts' test" section.

* [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold They have a hidden, softer side]]. Many are clearly capable of being downright friendly, courteous, kind, well behaved, or just tolerable enough to find bearable, but they either are too angry and impatient on the inside or [[NobleDemon fear showing their softer side,]] when not behind closed doors. Others are clearly TroubledButCute, often with an FreudianExcuse.
* As if in return for their bad behavior, the author seems to delight in [[ButtMonkey placing them in unpleasant situations]], and yet continue to show that they ''are'' sympathetic. Basically, the universe hates them so we don't have to.

* First, the character must be a '''{{jerk|ass}}'''. Even if they [[AntiHero help other people]], they're not just necessarily selfish or insensitive - they're outright cruel, insufferable, immoral, amoral and/or the villain (or an [[{{AntiVillain}} Anti-Villain]] at best). They have a mean streak that tends toward the sadistic; they may delight in hurting others, whether emotionally or physically, and often have little patience for anyone who disagrees with them. Also, keep in mind that sometimes, any sympathetic character does act like a jerk at some point, such as when a normal Woobie gets pushed too far, but this does not necessarily make them into this trope.
* [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold They have a hidden, softer side]]. Many are clearly capable of being downright friendly, courteous, kind, well behaved or just tolerable enough to find bearable, but they either are too angry and impatient in the inside or [[NobleDemon fear showing their softer side,]] when not behind closed doors. Others are clearly TroubledButCute, often with an FreudianExcuse.

* First, the character must be a '''{{jerk|ass}}'''. Even if they [[AntiHero help people]], they're not just selfish or insensitive - they're outright cruel, insufferable, immoral, amoral and/or the villain. They have a mean streak that tends toward the sadistic; they may delight in hurting others, whether emotionally or physically, and often have little patience for anyone who disagrees with them. Also, keep in mind that sometimes, any sympathetic character does act like a jerk at some point, such as when a normal Woobie gets pushed too far, but this does not necessarily make them into this trope.
* [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold They have a hidden, softer side]]. Many are clearly capable of being downright friendly, courteous, and kind, but either are too angry and impatient inside, or [[NobleDemon fear showing their softer side]] when not behind closed doors. Others are clearly TroubledButCute, with a FreudianExcuse.

[-[[caption-width-right:350:Poor Asuka. She just wants some love. [[DontYouDarePityMe She won't admit it]] [[{{Tsundere}} in a million years]].]]-]

* As if in return for their bad behavior, [[CosmicPlaything the author seems to delight in]] [[ButtMonkey placing them in unpleasant situations]], and yet continue to show that they ''are'' sympathetic. Basically, the universe hates them so we don't have to.

This isn't a case of DefrostingIceQueen, SugarAndIcePersonality, or {{Flanderization}}. The character is just that complex. From both the fans and the other characters' point of view, the character can come across as an AntiHero of the worst sort, or just [[VillainProtagonist plain]] [[AxCrazy nuts]], and there may even be a BrokenBase over whether they are a KarmaHoudini, got what they had coming, or were more victim than villain. They likely think of themselves as a ButtMonkey or CosmicPlaything, which, really, they kind of are. It also helps if the audience gets to see just ''why'' the character is always in such a bad mood. Being the OnlySaneMan or SurroundedByIdiots can take its toll on even the most patient of souls. Typically, the trope is PlayedForDrama or PlayedForLaughs as a {{justifi|edTrope}}cation for JerkJustifications or JerkassDissonance.

[-[[caption-width-right:350:Poor Asuka. She just wants some love. [[DontYouDarePityMe She won't admit it in a million years]].]]-]

* Overlap with AntiHero, AntiVillain, BabysitterFromHell, BrokenBird, ByronicHero, CryForTheDevil, DesignatedMonkey, DracoInLeatherPants, FallenHero, GoodIsNotNice, IneffectualSympatheticVillain, HiddenHeartOfGold, JerkWithAHeartOfGold, NunTooHoly, SourOutsideSadInside, TragicHero, TragicVillain, {{Tsundere}}, etc.

-->-- '''Lisa Simpson''', ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', "How Munched Is That Birdie In The Window?" [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzZcnEqdNQc directed at]] [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Bart]]

[-[[caption-width-right:350:She just wants a hug. [[DontYouDarePityMe She won't admit it though]].]]-]

'''Important Note:''' Please use the [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=15391212720A38366900 Woobie cleanup thread]] to propose characters before writing their entries. Jerkass Woobie entries not approved by the thread will be deleted. Also do not remove entries that have been approved.

'''Important Note:''' Please use the [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=15391212720A38366900 Woobie cleanup thread]] to propose characters before writing their entries. Jerkass Woobie entries not approved by the thread will be deleted.