History Main / TricksterMentor

* [[BoisterousBruiser Jack Rakan]] of ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'' is like this. His training techniques include things like "Make a really ugly face and do 100 punches!" and "Punch me as hard as you can!". Yet, Negi still manages to [[spoiler: learn BlackMagic]] under his guidance.

* Possibly, [[spoiler:Setsuka Sakurazuka]] towards [[spoiler: her son Seishirou]] in ''Manga/{{X1999}}''

* In ''{{LightNovel/Durarara}}'' a very, ''very'' generous [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation interpretation]] of Izaya's character places him as one of these. His favorite hobby is messing with people's heads, manipulating them into going through emotionally devastating circumstances, seemingly ForTheLulz. However, the ordeals Izaya puts people through often force them to confront some ugly truths about themselves, as Izaya [[BreakingSpeech is happy to point out]]. They may not be ''happier'', but Izaya's victims are often wiser for having been used by him.

* Deconstructed with the Headmaster in ''Manga/RosarioToVampire'' fanfic ''FanFic/HeWhoFightsMonsters''. His "teaching style"[[labelnote:*]]Read: Leave Tsukune completely alone and hope he'll make friends with monsters to bridge the divide between humans and monsters[[/labelnote]] created the monster known as [[TheDreaded Tsukune]], much to his fear and horror.
* Deconstructed with Phoenix Wright in the ''VisualNovel/ApolloJusticeAceAttorney'' fanfic ''FanFic/DirtySympathy''. His teaching style and fast-and-loose antics not only costs him Apollo's respect, but also causes his own plans to fall apart when he finds out that Apollo framed Kristoph for a crime he didn't commit and wasn't working alone.

** Deconstructed in ''FanFic/PartingWords'', where Twilight is so sick and tired of being a pawn in Celestia's games that she renounces her place as Celestia's student. In spite of halting her 'cryptic mentor' tendencies with Twilight Sparkle, in the sequel, ''FanFic/TheGreatAlicornHunt'', Celestia still tends to be enigmatic and manipulative with a few things, not the least of which includes selecting a host of male guards for Twilight and Fluttershy in hopes that they find their 'super special somepony'. Kinda backfires with the Wonderbolts when she fails to fully debrief them on their 'true' mission with Rainbow Dash. This is also a major factor in why Sunset Shimmer fell, as she saw Celestia much like Twilight did in the beginning of ''Parting Words'', and hated being manipulated.

** ''Triptych'' from the ''FanFic/TriptychContinuum'' has Discord as the trickster mentor.

* ''FanFic/TheDifferentverse'': Celestia still shows signs of this, but she's more honest about matters than in canon. It helps that Moondancer was straight to the point with her about what they'd figured out.
* ''FanFic/ErasedPotential'': Nedzu ''always'' has an angle, if not several, and once he learns of Izuku's existence as Aizawa's Quirkless protégé, he immediately sets several plans into motion. However, his willingness to treat Izuku as a pawn causes him to quickly lose his respect... and once he tricks Toshinori one too many times, several members of U.A.'s staff turn against him as well.

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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mentor.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[Webcomic/SinFest Cryptic bastard...]]]]

* * Clow Reed [[spoiler:mostly by way of Eriol Hiiragizawa]] in ''Manga/CardcaptorSakura''. He has no issues leading Sakura and his own creations to believe that a danger is very real, only to reveal after they overcome it that there never was any risk. In particular, Eriol would secretly construct problems for Sakura to force her to evolve her cards into Sakura Cards.

* In ''Manga/CardcaptorSakura'' Eriol secretely constructed problems for Sakura to force her to evolve her cards into Sakura Cards.

** Oddly enough, [[JerkassGod the Truth]]]] is also this to the Elrics, especially Ed. It wanted Ed to realize that loving people and having friends are more important than alchemy and is genuinely pleased when Ed finally figures it out.

* Possibly, [[spoiler: Setsuka Sakurazuka]] towards [[spoiler: her son Seishirou]] in ''Manga/{{X1999}}''

* Clow Reed [[spoiler:mostly by way of Eriol Hiiragizawa]] in ''Manga/CardcaptorSakura''. He has no issues leading Sakura and his own creations to believe that a danger is very real, only to reveal after they overcome it that there never was any risk.

-->-- ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Works_and_Days Works and Days]]'', ''Hesiod'' (c. 700BC)

In more fantastic settings, this will often be a more benign GreatGazoo, who educates their proteges by subjecting them to various [[InvoluntaryTransformation transformations]], [[FreakyFriday body-swaps]], [[LiteralGenie literal wishes]], [[FalseCrucible faked tests of character]] and [[InspirationalInsult insults meant to motivate them]]. Trickster Mentors ''love'' it when someone who first meets them [[ActuallyIAmHim doesn't realize who they are.]] They get to [[SecretTestOfCharacter assess the "true character"]] of someone, then beat their sense of superiority out of them with it after the revelation. Or, rarely, give them a ''small'' break if they reveal honesty and good intentions.

** In ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'', Vegeta plays this role towards Cabba [[spoiler:during their fight in the inter-universe tournament: By (falsely) claiming that he'll kill Cabba and destroy his homeplanet, making Cabba angry enough to go Super Saiyan for the first time.]]

* Ino in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13238312/1/The-Last-Prayer The Last Prayer]]'' insists she's using her blackmail against Sakura to make the girl rethink her affection for Sasuke. Sakura spends the entire month think Ino is trying to "dilute her love for Sasuke". It's not until the end of the month that Ino reveals the whole thing was a SecretTestOfCharacter. Had Sakura refused to go along with the blackmail and let Ino release the pictures of her (really Ino in Sakura's body) fellating Naruto, Ino would've handed them back. Instead, Sakura willingly degraded herself and did everything in her power to keep Sasuke from seeing those pictures because it might hurt her chances with him. Though Sakura doesn't ''truly'' get the lesson until Sasuke threatens to kill her parents if she really wants to understand him and Sakura's horrified to realize that she briefly considered it, making her realize just how unhealthy her feelings towards Sasuke is.

* Rafiki the baboon from ''Disney/TheLionKing''. While prodding Simba's revelation that he cannot keeping moping over his past and should return to his homeland to correct the Circle of Life, he whacks Simba over the head with his staff without warning.
--> '''Simba:''' What was that for?
--> '''Rafiki:''' It doesn't matter! It's in the past! ... The past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it, or learn from it. *swings again, Simba ducks this time*

* Kokichi in ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3'' occasionally acts as this towards Shuichi. During his Free Time Events, Kokichi threatens the detective to play with him, but intentionally loses every time. When he cuts himself playing the knife game, Kokichi deems Shuichi the winner by default, explaining it's possible to win by not playing. [[spoiler:It turns out Kokichi knew the game was being broadcast and was trying to screw over the audience, and Shuichi realizes at the end they only way to beat Danganronpa is ''to refuse to play'']].

** [[ReformedButNotTamed Discord]], from Season 4 onward. Granted, half the time his method of "teaching" is more so messing with Twilight and then crafting a lesson about friendship as a justification/excuse to continue doing so, with some of his lessons being purely accidental or rendered moot by episode's end. This is then deconstructed in the series finale when [[spoiler:it is revealed he was pretending to be Grogar for the entire season and brought back several of the previous villains to form a LegionOfDoom as a "final test" for Twilight before she succeeds Celestia and Luna as ruler of Equestria, and help boost her confidence in the process. It backfires, leaving him [[BroughtDownToNormal drained of half his magic]], the villains bigger threats to Equestria than ever before, and Twilight believing that [[HeroicBSOD none of their previous successes were actually real and nothing they did actually mattered]] for a good chunk of the finale]].

* Deconstructed with the Headmaster in ''Manga/RosarioToVampire'' fanfic ''FanFic/HeWhoFightsMonsters''. His 'teaching style' created the monster known as Tsukune, much to his fear and horror.

%%* Creator/ChristopherWalken plays such characters in the films ''Film/{{Click}}'' and ''[[Film/NineLives2016 Nine Lives (2016)]]''.

* Terry Pratchett's ''Discworld/ThiefOfTime'' includes Lu-Tze, a deliberate pastiche of Mr. Miyagi style trickster mentors. In true Zen form the humble sweeper Lu-Tze never quite lets on whether he's a profoundly enlightened wiseman with reality-defying martial arts powers or just a wiseass who gets by on audacity and luck alone. Right up until the end, when it is revealed [[spoiler:that he's the former]].

%%* The DungeonMaster from the cartoon ''WesternAnimation/DungeonsAndDragons''.

* Glossaryck from ''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil'' is a deconstruction. In "My New Wand", he only gives Star cryptic advice and metaphorical images for her to figure out on her own on how to use magic and tells Marco to look for Star's secret in her Closet of Secrets. The deconstruction is that it shows how the method really doesn't work, the LiteralMinded Star can't figure his advice out and goes to her mom, who admits Glossaryck's un-helpfulness and Marco eventually tires and forces him to give him the answer.

** [[ReformedButNotTamed Discord]], from Season 4 onward. Granted, half the time his method of "teaching" is more so messing with Twilight and then crafting a lesson about friendship as a justification/excuse to continue doing so, with some of his lessons being purely accidental or rendered moot by episode's end. This is then deconstructed in the season 9 finale "The Ending of the End" when [[spoiler:it is revealed he was pretending to be Grogar for the entire season and brought back several of the previous villains to form a LegionOfDoom as a "final test" for Twilight before she succeeds Celestia and Luna as ruler of Equestria, and help boost her confidence in the process. He intended to set the villains up to fail from the start, being able to step in and help Twilight and the others if needed, but because he didn't keep a close eye on his "recruits", they eventually decided to work together and betray him and [[BroughtDownToNormal drain him of his magic]] with the Bewitching Belle, the artifact [[NiceJobBreakingItHero he sent them to retrieve for him]], and become even bigger threats to Equestria than ever before. When Discord warns everyone about the villains and tells them about what he was planning and how it has spiraled out of his control, everyone is understandably enraged at him for bringing several villains together to attack Twilight, despite his good intentions, and how he has now placed them all in danger. It also has the exact opposite effect on Twilight he hoped it would, since she learns he [[EngineeredHeroics set up their previous victories for them]] it makes her feel like [[HeroicBSOD none of their previous successes were actually real and nothing they did actually mattered]] for a good chunk of the finale. However, Discord is able to redeem himself by manipulating the villains while he is their prisoner and free the Mane 5 so they can help Twilight and save the day]].
* Subverted with Magic Man in ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime.'' He pretends to be an old homeless man and begs Finn for food, and then does Finn "a favor" in return: transforming him into a giant foot. He claims that he did so to teach Finn a lesson; and only changes him back when Finn expresses regret of having given Magic Man the food. No one can figure out the lesson in the end beyond Magic Man just being a jerk.

-->'''Fone Bone:''' The dragon's doing this! He ''wants'' you to think he doesn't exist!
-->'''The Red Dragon:''' ''(Pokes his head out of a well)'' Actually, I just want her to think you're nuts.

[[folder: Fan Works]]

** From the fic [[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/361474/going-native Going Native]] (otherwise not suitable for this site):
-->'''Applejack''': Consarnit. ([[FacePalm face hooves]]) We really gotta sit the Princess down one day and have an intervention. This cockamamie 'cryptic mentor' nonsense is getting old.
** ''Triptych'' from the FanFic/TriptychContinuum has Discord as the trickster mentor.

** [[ReformedButNotTamed Discord]], from Season 4 onward. Granted, half the time his method of "teaching" is more so messing with Twilight and then crafting a lesson about friendship as a justification/excuse to continue doing so, with some of his lessons being purely accidental or rendered moot by episode's end.

* [[Film/StarWars Yoda]]. Weird sayings [[StrangeSyntaxSpeaker in weird syntax he speaks]], can be deemed as berating and condescending, and yet has trained Jedi for centuries. [[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsS5E6TheGathering One episode of The Clone Wars]] shows it in full force, as he forces a SecretTestOfCharacter onto Jedi younglings.

* The Amarok of inuit mythology is an interesting example, as it is actually considered a ''villain'' despite having obvious wisdom, and most of the morals from the stories are intended from the Amarok to the ''reader'' rather than another character, as the actual victim of the Amarok's attention is usually [[SavageWolf quite dead]]. When an Amarok does play a more traditional Trickster Mentor, it relies more on strange teaching methods than genuine deception, training a boy to be strong by wrestling with him and removing the small bones in his body that weakened him.

* Master Korin from ''Manga/DragonBall''. Those who climb his tower are told that the Sacred Water will grant super strength to anyone who drinks it. He steals the water and plays keep away until the person is able to grab it. They're then told that the water is just tap water and them ''getting'' the water was what made them stronger.

** Oddly enough, [[spoiler:[[JerkassGod the Truth]]]] is also this to the Elrics, especially Ed. [[spoiler:It]]'s genuinely pleased when Ed finally figures it out.