History Main / PassiveAggressiveKombat

* This is used as the [[TakeThatUs Jews' ultimate weapon]] in ''Film/TheHebrewHammer'', where Mordechai takes on the stereotypical JewishMother persona and runs with it.

** One of the many {{Cutaway Gag}}s is Peter helping Chris to get his insect badge by observing a family of "wasps." Cut away to Chris and Peter sitting behind a potted plant in a lavish dining hall watching a family of [[AcceptableEthnicTargets upper-class white Anglo Saxon Protestants]] doing exactly this. Subverted at the end when the father calls his wife a whore in front of their child.

* ''Film/GosfordPark'': Maggie Smith's character is an expert at this, making backhanded compliments and snide remarks to everyone in earshot. She takes particular interest in attacking the woman from a working-class background, complimenting her for being so refreshingly economic in only bringing one formal gown to the weekend. This is [[{{hypocrite}} hypocritical]] of her, since she's only there to beg for money from her richer relative.

* Similarly, the 1982 film of ''Literature/EvilUnderTheSun'' contains these exchanges from Daphne Castle (Maggie Smith) and Arlena Marshall (Diana Rigg):

'''Sayuri:''' ''[lighting a cigarette]'' Of course. But... it's been such a very long... long... ''[blows out her match]'' ...[[ChristmasCake long, long time]].\\

* Adale from ''LightNovel/TheGoodWitchOfTheWest'' was noted, by her enemy whom she'd just beaten in this, to never be at a loss for words.

* In ''LightNovel/{{Corsair}}'', Aura, princess of a pirate clan, is kidnapped by the governor-general of a nearby territory, Jean-Hughes D'Aubigne. Their first conversation with her as a hostage consists of them sharing a meal and speaking in polite monotone while exchanging sentiments such as "It's hard to believe a beauty like you is also a dirty sea pirate."

* Every single conversation that Keith and Gerald have in ''LightNovel/MyNextLifeAsAVillainessAllRoutesLeadToDoom'' is dripping with very obvious subtext as they battle for Katarina's attention. [[CaptainOblivious Katarina being who she is]], she just sees them as being close friends.

* ''Series/BabylonFive'': Since a lot of the show is about political intrigue (in space), you find this trope is spades. One awesome exemple is in the episode Soul Mates, where Mollari's wives are arriving to the station:
-->'''Timov:''' Daggair! My, what a surprise!\\

* ''Theatre/{{Diana}}'': Diana and Camilla's friends are delighted to watch the two women throw polite barbs at each other about their messy situation (Diana knows Charles is cheating on her with Camilla) at dinner. It's even compared to the famously brutal boxing match, "Thrilla in Manila".

* Amaranta Buendía from ''Literature/OneHundredYearsOfSolitude'' is a ''master'' of this. Her favorite targets are her first boyfriend Pietro Crespi [[spoiler: who's DrivenToSuicide for it]], her DoggedNiceGuy Gerineldo Márquez, and her nice-in-law Fernanda.

* ''VideoGame/{{Portal| 1}}'' and ''VideoGame/Portal2'', SelfDemonstrating/{{GLaDOS}} as an character is just full of this.

Fighting doesn't have to involve shouting or anything physical. For some characters, sharp well placed words are all they need to duel. They can sound very reasonable, even gentle. It's still a knock-out, winner-take-all confrontation, just that the people involved are trying to remain composed and amicable.

** Miki can beat physically any person in the world… except her own mother, Makiko. As a consequence, Miki never uses PassiveAggressiveKombat in anyone except her mother: Miki always finds a way to [[DamnedByFaintPraise call her mother “ugly”, “old” or “fat”]], or being TheSlacker in the family restaurant… at the price of being a ManChild, sponging out his own mother.

** Captain Wentworth of ''Literature/{{Persuasion}}'' is as good at this as he is at handling his ship. Even though he never addresses Anne directly in the first part of the novel, and all of his remarks seem normal and conversational to the Crofts and Musgroves, they are full of barbs about Anne's decision to break their engagement eight years ago. Many of his sentences, such as the one about not having a wife to keep him ashore, have a silent "''...Anne''" at the end of them. The only time he directly helps her is when one of her nephews tries to roughhouse with her while she’s taking care of his hurt brother and won’t let her go.

-->'''Lucia:''' [My brother] is very forgiving, though. After all, he forgave you [[DefiledForever your unfortunate and shameful loss of chastity to Lord Aron Lagaris]], didn’t he?\\
'''Cleo:''' As you said, [[SarcasmMode I’m very lucky.]]\\
'''Lucia:''' [[BlatantLies I’m sorry for stating this so bluntly]], but as you know, servants talk.\\
'''Cleo:''' Yes. I’ve heard things too. About you.\\

'''Cleo:''' I’m sure it’s a lie. [[TakeThat Unlike some people, I prefer to make my own judgments, not have my head filled so easily with the gossip of servants.]]

* In ''VisualNovel/DoubleHomework'', the protagonist and Tamara communicate in large part by shit-talking each other. It’s slightly deconstructed in the end, with Tamara admitting that she acts like a bitch sometimes because she often can’t find healthy ways to express her feelings.

* Rose and her mother fight this way (when they're not more aggressively fighting) in ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}''. [[https://www.homestuck.com/story/366 Their refrigerator is a good example of the nature of the feud]] (goes on for several pages).[[spoiler:[[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] as it turns out Mom is absolutely sincere with the stuff she does and Rose is only misinterpreting her actions.]]
* In one arc of ''Webcomic/BrunoTheBandit'', Bruno encounters a gang of pirates who wield weaponized passive-aggressiveness. They do it with the help of magic rings that make other people unreasonably concerned about what the pirates think of them.

* Characters in ''Webcomic/RumorsOfWar'' use conversation as their primary mode of aggression.
* [[http://www.darklegacycomics.com/482 I told you to put your pet on passive!]] Oh, oops.

* To the suspicion of all else, Paul von Oberstein from ''Anime/LegendOfGalacticHeroes''.

* America and Russia in ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'' are shown to do this. Most notably with their exchange in the America's Birthday strip, where Russia gives America a huge box of "extra small" condoms and a one-way ticket to Siberia. This conversation ends with them laughing while an intimidating aura emits from both of them.

* Rose and her mother fight this way (when they're not more aggressively fighting) in ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}''. [[http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=002266 Their refrigerator is a good example of the nature of the feud]] (goes on for several pages).[[spoiler:[[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] as it turns out Mom is absolutely sincere with the stuff she does and Rose is only misinterpreting her actions.]]

** Captain Wentworth of ''Literature/{{Persuasion}}'' is as good at this as he is at handling his ship. Even though he never addresses Anne directly in the first part of the novel, and all of his remarks seem normal and conversational to the Crofts and Musgroves, they are full of barbs about Anne's decision to break their engagement eight years ago. Many of his sentences, such as the one about not having a wife to keep him ashore, have a silent "''...Anne''" at the end of them.

* ''VideoGame/MinecraftStoryMode'': Whichever hero you didn't pursue at the end of ''The Order of the Stone'' will have a tense conversation with you in ''Assembly Required''. If Jesse doesn't try to defuse the tension, the conversation takes a passive aggressive turn.
* From ''VideoGame/XenobladeChroniclesX'':
-->'''[[PlayerCharacter Rook]]:''' I'm torn; do I master on hand-to-hand combat, or focus on ranged attacks?\\
'''[[ReluctantWarrior Celica]]:''' Perhaps you could find another hobby altogether.
* ''VideoGame/{{Portal| 1}}'' and ''VideoGame/Portal2'', SelfDemonstrating/{{GLaDOS}} as an character is just full of this.
-->'''[=GLaDOS=]:''' [[AC:Most people emerge from [[HumanPopsicle suspension]] terribly undernourished. I wanted to congratulate you on beating the odds and somehow managing to [[YouAreFat pack on a few pounds]].]]
* In ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV'', Rodrigo Briscoletti puts the Hero through an engagement challenge. In the DS version, if you pick Bianca instead of one of his daughters, he says that he's not surprised by your decision, that you're a sensitive man, and that you must've realized that Nera would've been humiliated if you'd picked Debora over her. If you read between the lines, he's blaming Debora's surprise toss of her own hat into the ring for Nera not getting chosen.

* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': Since much of the show is about medieval political intrigue, many scenes ooze with this trope (when they don't [[{{Gorn}} ooze with blood]] [[EverybodyHasLotsOfSex or other fluids]], of course). Example:

* Light and L's [[GambitPileup battle of wits]] in ''Manga/DeathNote'' in all its [[MundaneMadeAwesome EPIC passive-aggressive glory.]] Later [[spoiler: Light and Near's.]]

* Used quite in a while in ''Manga/DearBrother'', specially by Rei and Kaoru when the first is in her rare good moods, by Mariko and [[TheRival Aya]] when they can't slap each other around, or by [[ManipulativeBitch Fukiko]] against whoever she's displeased with.

Compare JewsLoveToArgue, SugaryMalice, SnarkToSnarkCombat, OuthumblingEachOther, ComplimentFishing.