History Main / MoodSwinger

[[caption-width-right:350: Rapunzel does this [[{{Montage}} all within a minute.]]]]

* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'': Poison Ivy can switch from [[TheTease sensuous]] [[TheVamp seductress]] to [[AxCrazy manical murderess]] and back again within seconds, as demonstrated in her debut episode [[Recap/BatmanTheAnimatedSeriesE5PrettyPoison "Pretty Poison."]]

* The Joker veers into this in ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamOrigins'': he can go from cracking jokes to his underlings, to [[DestinationDefenestration shoving a guy out of a window]], to raving about how much he loves the fruitcake. Notably, this is before he's developed his obsession with Batman, which comes at the end of the game.
* Professor Pyg from ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamKnight'' is legitimately insane, and one of the most obvious signs is that he can swing through every emotion known to man not only from sentence to sentence, but from '''''syllable to syllable'''''.

* Creator/TroyBaker's [[ComicBook/TheJoker Joker]] veers into this in ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamOrigins'': he can go from cracking jokes to his underlings, to [[DestinationDefenestration shoving a guy out of a window]], to raving about how much he loves the fruitcake. Notably, this is before he's developed his obsession with Batman, which comes at the end of the game.

* Edward Cullen of ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' fame is a rather offputting example. He's portrayed as a [[TroubledButCute tortured, yet romantic]] gentleman who has the utmost devotion to Bella...but only when she's [[ExtremeDoormat submissive]]. However, when she puts up even the slightest resistance or actually voices complaints, he quickly goes from a "sensitive" boyfriend to a frothing, rageful lunatic bent on putting her in her place. In addition to his [[ManipulativeBastard manipulative tendencies]], it is because of this that he serves as the perfect candidate for a walking PSA and redflag archive on DomesticAbuse.

For even more extreme cases, see HairTriggerTemper, ProneToTears SplitPersonality, JekyllAndHyde, TheSociopath, {{Tsundere}} or {{Yandere}}. Not to be confused with MoodWhiplash, which is a trait of the ''storytelling'', not an individual character. They may also end up singing a SongOfManyEmotions.

For even more extreme cases, see HairTriggerTemper, SplitPersonality, JekyllAndHyde, TheSociopath, {{Tsundere}} or {{Yandere}}. Not to be confused with MoodWhiplash, which is a trait of the ''storytelling'', not an individual character. They may also end up singing a SongOfManyEmotions.

* ''Anime/GaikingLegendOfDaikuMaryu'' has this as the signature trait of BigBad Proist, whose wild mood swings come with a change to her physical appearance. When she's in her calm MagnificentBastard persona, she leans hard into EvilIsSexy, while she spontaneously becomes hideous whenever she turns into a bloodlust-driven maniac. Part of what makes Proist so dangerous even to her own allies is that there's no consistent trigger for her mood swings.

* ''Fanfic/ACrownOfStars'': During her first day in Avalon Asuka’s mood is changing constantly from bitter and weary to smirking and bubbling to angry to serious. Shinji notes that her moods are changing very quickly and he does not know how she's adapting.

** In "Crook and Ladder", Homer takes sleeping pills to [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin sleep well through the night]], and Lisa reads off the side-effects, one which is mood swings. Cue Homer repeatedly saying "Mood swings!" in various [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin moods]].

* Blitzwing the Triple-Changer from ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'', who switches rapidly between three personalities/moods: [[AnIcePerson Icy]] ([[TheStoic stoick]] and calculating), [[PlayingWithFire Hothead]] (enraged and HotBlooded), and [[GigglingVillain Random]] (who is... well, [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Random]]).

** And then there's the Gromble, the megalomaniacal schoolmaster whose job is to teach Ickis and the other monster students to be terrifying. His demeanor can go from upbeat and flowery, to [[GutturalGrowler deep and sinister]], to SuddenlyShouting and back again at the drop of a hat.

* [[TheHeavy Kylo Ren]] from ''Film/StarWarsTheForceAwakens''. He can shift to being {{The Stoic}} to {{The Berserker}} in the drop of a hat. Major example: after a messenger informs him that the droid with the map escaped, he wordlessly launches into a rage-fueled tantrum, slashing a computer terminal over and over again with his lightsaber; after he ultimately stops, he immediately turns back to the messenger and matter-of-factly asks, "Anything else?" - in a calm, even polite tone.

* PlayedForDrama in the film of ''Film/WaterForElephants.'' [[spoiler: August's temper]] is pretty infamous among the other circus workers; he goes from charming and polite to [[HairTriggerTemper violently mad]] in the blink of an eye, and can't seem to control it. While the other workers call him a "paranoid schizophrenic," the setting's time period[[note]] (the 1930s, when proper medical care and especially psychology was just getting started) [[/note]] mostly likely means that ''something'' is wrong with him, but [[ThereAreNoTherapists people just don't know what it is.]]

* Edward Cullen of ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' fame is a rather offputting example. He's portrayed as a [[TroubledButCute tortured, yet romantic]] gentleman who has the utmost devotion to Bella...but only when she's [[{{Extreme Doormat}} submissive]]. However, when she puts up even the slightest resistance or actually voices complaints, he quickly goes from a "sensitive" boyfriend to a frothing, rageful lunatic bent on putting her in her place. In addition to his [[{{Manipulative Bastard}} manipulative tendencies]], it is because of this that he serves as the perfect candidate for a walking PSA and redflag archive on DomesticAbuse.

* Aerie in ''VideoGame/BaldursGate II'' wavers more or less arbitrarily between "scarred but functional" and "if I can't fly I might as well just kill myself".

* Madison Li of ''Videogame/{{Fallout 3}}'' has a habit of changing her tone from hostile and antagonistic to calm within the same sentence.

** ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'': While not as extreme as some of the others on the list, Yukari Takeba frequently goes through random moodswings through the course of the game. [[spoiler:Said mood swings get worse in [[PlayableEpilogue The Answer]] thanks to her grieving over the main character's death]].

** Naoto's Shadow is this in ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'', alternating between a MadScientist giving the real Naoto a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech and [[ProneToTears bawling their eyes out]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTheMovie'', the [[BigBad Storm King]] is this. He can jump from LaughablyEvil to TranquilFury in the same sentence, for no real reason. This is one of the reasons he's so intimidating: you can never quite tell what he's going to do next.

-->-- '''Flynn Rider''', in response to the page image, from ''{{WesternAnimation/Tangled}}''

* Malfeas in ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'' is known to be bipolar on a [[MalevolentArchitecture huge scale]], but the real MoodSwinger among the Yozis is Kimbery, whose affections change like the tides - as soon as she's disappointed by you at all, she goes [[MyBelovedSmother lovelovelovelovelove]][[ThePowerOfHate SOMUCHHATE]]. Being in the second category is a death sentence; the first, a death sentence suspended until you inevitably enter category two.
* One of the possible monsters in ''[[TabletopGame/{{Munchkin}} Munchkin Card Game]]'' is a "bipolar bear" - he will attack you furiously or run away, depending on its current mood.

* Multiple characters in Film/TheRoom, but Johnny most obviously. He (in)famously goes from a tirade about how his "future wife" has falsely accused him of domestic abuse to being happy to see his best friend.

** It's mentioned that one of the {{kid hero}}es of the [[Literature/ChroniclesOfNarnia Narnia]]-[[{{Expy}} esque]] ''Fillory And Further'' novels, Martin Chatwin, suffered from this. By book three, he was known for being able to swing from cheery good humor to chronic depression at the drop of a hat, and his last appearance features him suffering a very public breakdown in which he gets into a fight with his younger brother, rages over being banished from Fillory due to him reaching the age of thirteen, and storms off into the woods - never to be seen again. [[spoiler: It's later revealed that his depressive spells were due to being sexually abused by Christopher Plover, and had come to depend on Fillory as a coping mechanism.]]

* Silver from ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog''. When the player sees him, he's usually either moping around or being in-your-face and energetic. Given the pervasiveness and length of time between some of these episodes, it's possible that he's actually bipolar.