History Main / SpeedDemon

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[[quoteright:350:[[ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogIDW https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sonic_speed_demon.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:The dark side of the "gotta go fast" lifestyle.]]

* ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds'':
** The show features Turbo Duels which are Duel Monsters card games played while riding motorcycles. While riding shotgun with Yusei during his Turbo Duel against Sherry, Akiza finds herself experiencing a new thrill that comes with this high-paced form of dueling and decides to start turbo dueling herself to chase this feeling. This would imply that the entire reason Turbo Duels exist is for duelists who are also Speed Demons.
** The English dub's theme song is about being a Speed Demon.
--->''"Going fast makes me feel alive.\\
My heart beats when in hyperdrive".''
* ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'': Jaden does this twice throughout Season 4. Not only that he is able to drive a boat without a license, but he can also drive a motorcycle after dueling Sartorius.

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* ''WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged'': Burter is a deconstruction. The reason he puts so much pride in his speed is because he thinks he has nothing else going for him. He reacts very poorly when Jeice points out that Guldo is technically faster than him due to his TimeMaster abilities.
* ''Fanfic/HarryAndTheShipgirls'' has Shimakaze, as per ''VideoGame/KanColle'' canon, as well as Rapid Rabbit, the AnthropomorphicPersonification of the SR-71 Blackbird of the same name, who immediately proceeded to buzz a pair of naval bases in her debut, [[RefugeInAudacity even calling the second base to ask for a speed check.]]

* ''Franchise/TheIncredibles'': [[StevenUlyssesPerhero Dash]] has SuperSpeed which he often uses in [[WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles1 the first film]] for childish pranks and feels stifled at not being allowed to use his powers. When his mom gives him permission to "go as fast he can", he is thrilled.

* The Jet Black Stare song "Ready to Roll" (which some might recognize as [[WebVideo/BadMovieBeatdown Film Brain's]] original theme song) invokes this trope:

* ''Videogame/KantaiCollection'': Shimakaze fancies herself as the fastest ship girl in the fleet and as such is pretty hyper and cocky.

* ''VisualNovel/FateHollowAtaraxia'': Rider loves going fast to a degree bordering on addiction. Unfortunately, TheMasquerade and her restricted mana pool post-War means that she can't summon her beloved Pegasus anymore. She goes as far as seducing someone just to get access to his sports bike.

* ''WebAnimation/IfTheEmperorHadATextToSpeechDevice'': The series makes fun of the White Scars' obsession with going fast, which they inherited from their Primarch, Jaghatai Khan. The Emperor admits that he thought Jaghatai went missing to become "One with the Speed Force", and is proud to hear that he managed to stand still for more than twenty seconds -- albeit on top of a Razorback going over 200 mph.

[[folder:Web Originals]]
* ''Website/SCPFoundation'': [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-3836 SCP-3836]] is an animate gorilla corpse with extraordinary mechanical skills, which it uses to modify vehicles so that they reach absurd speeds. Its intended goal, according to interviews, is to "Go fast".
[[/folder]]

** ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'': Cheetor chose a cheetah as his alt mode partly because it was the fastest animal the scanners detect.

*** Blurr does everyone thing at an extremely fast pace and expects others to keep up.

* ''Film/TopGun'': Maverick is an aerial daredevil with a knack for ego-stroking stunts and an intolerance for orders. He even states he has a "need for speed". In [[Film/TopGunMaverick the following film]] he accidentally wrecks an experimental recon plane (which already was going Mach 10 and officially made him the fastest man on the planet) by trying to push it past that (the plane made Mach 10.2 before it fell apart). His ground control Hondo even reminded him to stick to Mach 10, to not even think of going past Mach 10, and [[OhCrap he did a quiet "dammit, Maverick" when he saw the telemetry suddenly register Mach 10.1]].

* ''Film/TopGun'': Maverick is an aerial daredevil with a knack for ego-stroking stunts and an intolerance for orders. He even states he has a "need for speed".

* ''VideoGame/CardCityNights2:'' The Fast One, a {{hologram}} of a whale on wheels, is obsessed with speeding, taking pride in being the fastest programmed, and is ironically focused on speed, as an immovable hologram.

It's also very common for Speed Demons to have [[DrivesLikeCrazy little care for traffic rules]]. They may be a LastSecondShowoff. In settings with superpowers, a Speed Demon is very likely to have SuperSpeed.

[[caption-width-right:350: Living life in the fast lane: exploring the downsides of the need for speed.]]

* ''Manga/FairyTail'': The aptly named [[MeaningfulName Racer]] of the Oracion Seis fits this trope to a T. He dresses in a racing suit, can summon motorcycles and wheels out of nothing and his magic mainly revolves around speed--[[spoiler:[[PowerMisidentification or rather]], [[TimeStandsStill other people's perception of his speed]].]] Racer is extremely fond of speed to the point of mentioning the topic in casual conversation and his catchphrase is "Speed is Good!". His obsession with speed is revealed to be because [[FreudianExcuse as a slave he could never outrun his tormentors or their beasts]] on his own, hence his desire to be the fastest manifesting in his magic.

* ''Manga/OnePunchMan'': Speed of Sound Sonic has great pride in his superhuman speed and assassin skills, which are indeed miles above the average human. [[spoiler:Unfortunately for him, [[StoryBreakerPower Saitama]] is more than capable of keeping up with him.]]

* ''Anime/SCryEd'': Straight Cougar whose alter ''Radical Good Speed'' lets him achieve dangerously fast speeds from any vehicle (even boots)-- often at the detriment of the vehicle falling apart due to stress when he no longer exerts his powers. He also DrivesLikeCrazy and will insist on taking anything resembling a ramp even if it's out of the way of his path.

* ''Literature/SwordArtOnline'': Leafa is dubbed a "Speedaholic" because of her obsession with flying at high speeds in Alfheim Online, as well as being the fastest flyer for a long period of time.
* ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'': Jaden does this twice throughout Season 4. Not only that he is able to drive a boat without a license, but he can also drive a motorcycle after dueling Sartorius.

--> '' "Going fast makes me feel alive''.\\
''My heart beats when in hyper drive".''

** ''Franchise/TheFlash'':

*** Impulse, the grandson of Barry Allen is characterized by his AttentionDeficitOohShiny tendencies. He has no patience for anything, and cannot focus or sit still for the life of him, often resulting in him rushing into things with no regard for his own safety. Impulse is also known to do everything at super speed, including mundane tasks such as reading or buying donuts, and was originally introduced as aging at a speed that would have killed him if the Flash hadn't intervened.
** ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'': The minor supervillain Roxy Rocket is a former stuntwoman who is addicted to going as fast as possible. Originally [[CanonImmigrant created for]] ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' (see the entry in Western Animation), she was brought into comics years later. Roxy's crimes are all about speed, and she's a BadassNormal to boot--Batman has even [[NotSoDifferentRemark acknowledged their similarities]] in the past, remarking that he too has a desire for constant motion.

** ComicBook/{{Quicksilver}} is one of the fastest in the Marvel Universe and he is very annoyed by everyone around him. He explains this once, saying that to him everyone else is moving very slowly, including their thought processes. Picture having to wait in a slow-moving line for hours for something mundane, that's what every single second is like for him.

** Tommy Shepherd aka Speed of the ComicBook/YoungAvengers, who is a mouthy, immature JerkWithAHeartOfGold with SuperSpeed. He wizens up a bit over the course of the series.
** Speed Demon, a member of [[Characters/{{Thunderbolts}} the Thunderbolts]], is proud of how he's fast enough to overwhelm the likes of ComicBook/SpiderMan. But the moment someone can come close to touching him, he high-tails it.
** ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'': While not strictly a speedster, the ComicBook/HumanTorch is the fastest of the team. He loves flying fast through the air using his [[FlyingFirepower fiery powers]] and tends to leave others behind.
* ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogIDW'': In ''Bad Guys'' Issue #3, Rough is given a Power Core which grants him SuperSpeed. He finds himself enjoying the feeling of moving at super-speed and understands why Sonic is always so cocky.

* ''Fanfic/HarryAndTheShipgirls'' has Shimakaze, as per ''VideoGame/KanColle'' canon, as well as Rapid Rabbit, the AnthromorphicPersonification of the SR-71 Blackbird of the same name, who immediately proceeded to buzz a pair of naval bases in her debut, [[RefugeInAudacity even calling the second base to ask for a speed check.]]

* ''Franchise/TheIncredibles'': [[StevenUlyssesPerhero Dash]] has SuperSpeed which he often uses in [[WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles1 the first film]] for childish pranks and feels stifled at not being allowed to use his powers. When his mom gives him permission to "go as fast he can", he is thrilled.

-->Male Scientist: ''Robert, must we go so fast?''
-->Kitty Oppenheimer: ''Yes! YES!''

-->'''Jordan''': What was that?\\
'''Lincoln''': I don't know. But I want one.

* ''[[Creator/AlanDeanFoster Running from the Deity]]'': The aliens humans call Lopers spend most of their waking hours running across the [[SingleBiomePlanet "world-girdling plains" that form most of the planet Dakokraine's surface]]. To the Lopers, running is "not merely a means of locomotion"; running is "their reason for being, their religion, and their gestalt", and to not run is to not be truly alive.

* ''Series/{{Smallville}}'': The episode "Velocity" has Pete getting involved in street racing, largely because he feels it is the only thing he is truly good at.

* Jet Black Stare: The song "Ready To Roll" (which some might recognize as [[WebVideo/BadMovieBeatdown Film Brain's]] original theme song) invokes this trope:

* Music/JimCroce has two Speed Demon-themed songs: "Rapid Roy(That Stock-Car Boy)" is about a stock car racer who made a name for himself outrunning police to smuggle alcohol into dry counties; and "Speedball Tucker" which is about a long-haul trucker who drives too fast.
-->''Well, he looked me in the eye as he was writin' me up and said, "Driver, you've been flyin'\\
And ninety-five was the route you were on, it was not the speed limit sign."''
* Music/MichaelJackson: The song "Speed Demon" refers to this trope, both in the title and the lyrics.

* Music/{{Rush|Band}}: ''Red Barchetta'' is a song about driving fast in a dystopian future.
-->''Drive like the wind\\
Straining the limits of machine and man...''
* Heavy metal band Keel has a song dubbed ''Speed Demon'' that likewise addresses the trope archetype, most famously used in the second ''Film/MenInBlack'' movie.
-->''As I hit one hundred''\\
''I find out just how good\\

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* ''TabletopGame/CallOfCthulhu'' supplement ''Fearful Passages'', adventure "Furious Driving": The main {{NPC}}, Rupert Putney, [[DrivesLikeCrazy drives like a maniac]] at incredibly high speeds (for the 1920's, anyway).
* ''TabletopGame/{{Champions}}'' adventure ''The Great Super Villain Contest''. One of the {{NPC}} villains is a speedster called The Dash. He became a villain for fun, not to gain money or power. His greatest joy in life is sneaking up on a hero and smashing into him at full speed from behind.
* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'': Quicklings are a type of fey that race though time at an accelerated speed and are ruled by a constant need to move and run. To other beings, a racing quickling appears as nothing more than sudden blur and a linger echo of mocking laughter as the creature zips by; even their speech is accelerated into a rapid, shrill squeal. They only become perceptible when they deliberately slow themselves down to the same time rate as other beings, something they prefer to do as little as they can manage.
* ''TabletopGame/InNomine'': [[OurAngelsAreDifferent Ofanim are angels of motion]]. They are stereotypically known for [[DrivesLikeCrazy driving like maniacs]] and being constantly in motion.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Paranoia}}'' adventure "Vapors Don't Shoot Back'': Fiber-O, the {{NPC}} who takes the {{PC}}s to their first assignment, drives his autocar at dangerous levels to his passengers.
* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'':
** [[Characters/Warhammer40000Orks The Orks]] love driving battle vehicles as fast as possible and with reckless abandon, especially those in the Evil Sunz klan. The Orks in Da Kult of Speed, in particular, [[SenseFreak have become addicted to the thrill that comes with speed]]. Regardless of whether they're in a calm environment or the middle of a warzone, they push their vehicles to frightening speeds, performing stunts and maneuvers that leave even other Orks thinking they're insane.
** The Tzeentchian daemon known as the Changeling once infiltrated an ork Waaagh! and started making up a story about their gods competing to see who was the fastest. Driven to recreate this feat, the orks piled into their vehicles and wound up driving off a cliff, thanks to the Changeling's misdirection.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Toys]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Pokemon}}'': Barry, the player character's rival in ''Diamond'', ''Pearl'' and ''Platinum'' has a hasty and impatient personality. He's always in a hurry, never walking but running to anywhere he needs to go. Everything has to be done fast or he'll threaten to give a fine for being late. He dreams of becoming a Pokemon League Champion, especially if it can be done in the shortest time possible.

* ''VideoGame/{{Smite}}'': Mercury frequently boasts about his speed.

--> I want to go fast and go far.

* ''WebAnimation/IfTheEmperorHadATextToSpeechDevice'': The series makes fun of the White Scars' obsession with going fast, which they inherited from their Primarch, Jaghatai Khan. The Emperor admits that he thought Jaghatai went missing to become "One with the Speed Force", and is proud to hear that he managed to stand still for more than twenty seconds--albeit on top of a Razorback going over 200 mph.

[[folder:Web Original]]
* Website/SCPFoundation: [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-3836 SCP-3836]] is an animate gorilla corpse with extraordinary mechanical skills, which it uses to modify vehicles so that they reach absurd speeds. Its intended goal, according to interviews, is to "Go fast".

[[folder:Web Videos]]
* ''WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged'': Burter is a deconstruction. The reason he puts so much pride in his speed is because he thinks he has nothing else going for him. He reacts very poorly when Jeice points out that Guldo is technically faster than him due to his TimeMaster abilities.
[[/folder]]

* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' gives us Roxy Rocket, who mixes this trope with ThrillSeeker. She began life as a stuntwoman, but her constant desire to go faster and do increasingly-dangerous tricks got her fired, as no one was willing to insure her movies. She thus turns to speed-based crimes to fuel her addiction to the rush of acceleration. Roxy later became a CanonImmigrant to the comics, where she continued her speedy lifestyle.
* ''WesternAnimation/Ben10'':
** [=XLR8=] isn't just [[SuperSpeed fast]], but obsessed with doing everything at high speeds. Ben uses him whenever he needs to complete a task very quickly. This seems to apply to Kinecelereans in general which is expected given they are a whole species of speedster aliens. On their planet, days are compressed into minutes, and lifetimes are spread over weeks.
** Kevin Levin has shades of this from ''WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce'' onwards, where he is obsessed with his CoolCar which he modifies with alien tech to make it one of the fastest cars on the planet. "The Transmogrification of Eunice" opens with him and Ben racing.

* ''Franchise/MyLittlePony'':
** ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyAndFriends'': Whizzer is the fastest of the pegasi, does everything at a rapid page, and dislikes things happening slowly.
** ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': Rainbow Dash is [[FastestThingAlive one of the fastest fliers in the world]] (if not ''the'' fastest), so much so that speed is what got her her cutie mark. She isn't modest about this in the slightest.
--->'''Rainbow Dash:''' There's no need to go struttin' around and showin' off like that.\\
'''Trixie:''' Oh?\\
'''Rainbow Dash:''' That's ''my'' job!
* ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'': "Jack's Shoes" has Jack's sandals destroyed by a trio of bikers whose love of reckless driving leaves no small amount of destruction in their wake.

--->'''Jazzi:''' You drive too fast, Custard!

* ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'': In the appropriately-titled episode [[Recap/SupermanTheAnimatedSeriesS2E4SpeedDemons "Speed Demons"]], Superman and the Flash compete in a race to see who is the fastest man alive. The race gets derailed when the [[BigBad Weather Wizard]] starts wreaking havoc by starting storms throughout the world.
* ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012'': The MonsterOfTheWeek in "Race with the Demon" is a mutant car who is ''named'' Speed Demon. He is obsessed with speed, constantly DrivesLikeCrazy, and likes to ram into other drivers. It came into being after the original driver rode through a pool of mutagen, mutating [[TheDogWasTheMastermind the car itself]] into a speed-obsessed mutant that turns anyone who drives it into a violent, speed-obsessed monster.
* ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution'': ComicBook/{{Quicksilver}} is very cocky because of his speed.
* ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'': While Kid Flash is the first speedster of the main cast, his successor Impulse fits the trope better. Impulse is not only fast but as his name suggests has a case of hyperactive impulsiveness, finding it difficult to wait around for his slower friends to catch up.

--> I believe God made me for a purpose, but He also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.
* [[Music/HidetoMatsumoto hide]] is both this and a "speed freak". From running around on stage like he did to [[MotorMouth singing rapid-fire]] breakdowns to ScatSinging in songs that are nearly ''impossible'' to replicate (try "Dice" or "Doubt" as a couple of examples) and was rumored to be a methamphetamine addict.

* ''Anime/{{Scryed}}'': Straight Cougar whose alter ''Radical Good Speed'' lets him achieve dangerously fast speeds from any vehicle (even boots)-- often at the detriment of the vehicle falling apart due to stress when he no longer exerts his powers. He also DrivesLikeCrazy and will insist on taking anything resembling a ramp even if it's out of the way of his path.

* ''Creator/AlanDeanFoster Running'': The aliens humans call Lopers spend most of their waking hours running across the [[SingleBiomePlanet "world-girdling plains" that form most of the planet Dakokraine's surface]]. To the Lopers, running is "not merely a means of locomotion"; running is "their reason for being, their religion, and their gestalt", and to not run is to not be truly alive.

* ''Literature/TheWindInTheWillows'': Mister Toad develops a passion for driving motor cars after one nearly runs him and his friends over on the road. This gets deconstructed throughout the story as Toad's frequent car accidents and rows with the police not only cost him money and damage his reputation but also gets the other animals a bad name. Toad's Speed Demon tendencies ultimately land him in jail when he steals a motor car. Even when he escapes from prison and happens upon a couple driving the very same car he stole, he can't resist the urge to drive it again.

[[caption-width-right:350: The dark side of the "gotta go fast" lifestyle.]]

* ''Manga/FairyTail'': The aptly named [[MeaningfulName Racer]] of the Oracion Seis fits this trope to a T. He dresses in a racing suit, can summon motorcycles and wheels out of nothing and his magic mainly revolves around speed--[[spoiler:[[PowerMisidentification or rather]], [[TimeStandsStill other people's perception of his speed]].]] Racer is extremely fond of speed to the point of mentioning the topic in casual conversation and his CatchPhrase is "Speed is Good!". His obsession with speed is revealed to be because [[FreudianExcuse as a slave he could never outrun his tormentors or their beasts]] on his own, hence his desire to be the fastest manifesting in his magic.