History Main / LonelyAtTheTop

* The Emperor in ''Anime/{{Photon}}'' has been the sole and absolute ruler of the galaxy for a few thousand years, and it became so boring that he allowed one of his subordinates to hatch a plan to achieve ultimate power and depose him, just so he'd have someone powerful to fight at the end.

* ''Film/IronMan'': Initially, Tony Stark. He is one of the richest men in the world, who is blessed with both beauty and brains, and can essentially order beautiful women for...dinner. However, his parents, who were the only family he had, both died in 1991 when he was just twenty-one. Even Pepper, though she is a loyal employee, is not really a friend and when he admits this to Yinsen, he sadly remarks that Stark is "a man who has everything and nothing." Fortunately Stark gets better. Much better.

** Trying to get rich under [[FantasticDrug NZT's]] influence, Eddie manages to alienate Lindy, the only person who truly cares about him, leaving him with the CorruptCorporateExecutive and TheMafiya.
** Eddie's ex-wife also dumped him while she was under the NZT's influence. Eddie would have not contacted her if not for his own problems with NZT.

* Subverted in ''Manga/DeathNote'', where Light is shown to betray anyone and everyone in order to get to the top and become the god of the new world. One would expect that in the end, everyone is shown realizing this and turning against him -- however, it is shown [[spoiler: that even years after his death, there are still many worshipers who greatly mourn his death]]. It's implied that successfully [[spoiler: killing L]] has left Light bored and depressed, because [[spoiler: good ol' L]] was the only person as smart as Light (and thus one of the few people he could relate to on any level). [[spoiler: The sheer joy he expresses when he thinks he's found a replacement for L, and the rage he expresses when the new L doesn't live up to his expectations add to this interpretation.]]

* A running theme in ''Manga/JujutsuKaisen''. The most powerful sorcerers alive can stomp all over the common man and sorcerers of inferior power and skill; but none of that means anything if they're so detached from society and relate to someone as an equal. Satoru Gojo is his era's greatest sorcerer, but he has an ego a mile wide that makes most people tolerate him at best and he likens his relationships with others as a human among flowers. The one person he ''did'' consider an equal, his best friend Geto Suguru, [[spoiler:eventually turned to the side of evil and was killed by Gojo himself]]. The incarnated sorcerer Kashimo was always picking fights in his era and won them, but he longed for a real challenge. [[spoiler:Even Ryoumen Sukuna gets in on this; as the King of Curses and ''the'' most potent sorcerer of the Heian era, he proudly boasts that he can do whatever he likes, however he likes, and no one can stop him--but after multiple people start challenging his worldview in the Culling Games, he actually starts to doubt himself.]]

* Addressed indirectly as a core theme of "Anti-Hero" by Music/TaylorSwift, in which she laments her insecurities and worries that everyone around her will betray her, [[ClassicalAntiHero and it will be her own fault]]. While not said outright, the song tacitly alludes to Swift's monolithic celebrity status by way of her specific fears that all her actions -- no matter appearing how affectionate or altruistic -- will be scrutinized by virtue of everyone knowing about her, and there's nothing to stop them from assuming she's an faker hiding selfish intentions behind a pretty face.

* The second half of ''VideoGame/ConkersBadFurDay'', Rare's raunchy TakeThat to Nintendo's carefully cultivated family-friendly image, becomes increasingly depressing and culminates in Conker becoming king. He's surrounded by people he hates, and he wants nothing more than to go home and have a beer with his girlfriend -- but [[spoiler:she's dead because he ''forgot'' to bring her back to life when he had the chance.]] Conker sitting on the throne depressed is how the game opens.

* ''Literature/{{Confessions}}'': Augustine became one of the richest and most admired rhetoricians in the Roman Empire, but despite his riches and many pleasures, he found no peace in his many "friends" and possessions and revelries. It took throwing all that away and turning his heart only towards the source of all goodness for Augustine to find any peace in life.

* Nemona from ''VideoGame/PokemonScarletAndViolet'' suffered this problem before meeting the player. As the only Champion-ranked Trainer in her school, battles with her fellow classmates became [[NoChallengeEqualsNoSatisfaction too easy and boring]]. She even has to build a new team from scratch when she meets the player. [[spoiler:By the end of Victory Road, she finally figures out what her treasure is: a [[WorthyOpponent true rival]] and friend.]]