History Main / WorldOfJerkass

* ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'': Pretty much almost everyone, who visibly appears or doesn't, is either a hapless loser (i.e. [[CosmicPlaything Charlie Brown]]), a massive jerk who takes glee in tormenting said losers (i.e. Lucy van Pelt, and ''many'' of the [[KidsAreCruel unnamed kids]]), or just outright useless (i.e. most of [[AdultsAreUseless the adults]]).

A SisterTrope to the CrapsackWorld and they can overlap, but differentiated by the fact that the only thing that definitely makes it a bad place is that the author's written an unusual number of bad people into it -- there's nothing necessarily wrong with the environment, the government, or the living conditions. In fact, it can look perfectly lovely from the outside. Also related to HumansAreBastards, except that that trope refers to stories where the message is that humans in general are inherently bad or evil, where this one simply describes any plot or setting containing a disproportionate number of {{jerkass}}es ... and they don't have to be humans, either.

Also worth noting that not ''every single'' character has to be a jerk, just the overwhelming majority. Those characters who ''aren't'' jerkasses will often be [[GoodIsDumb idiots]] because their lack of understanding would be the only reason that they get along with the others, losers, or [[FailureHero fail at everything they try]] in order to add to the cynicism of the setting. It can show how bad the rest of the cast are if they mistreat them and also that only losers would want to hang out with them.

Contrast WorldOfBadass, WorldOfSnark (where half of the cast are jerks, but the rest are capable of decency). Also compare DysfunctionJunction, JerkWithAHeartOfJerk and UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist.

* Magic is everything in ''Manga/BlackClover''. Many of the most powerful wizards are high nobles and royalty, while those with very low magic are commoners and peasants that are banished to the slums. Royals and nobles see no problems with insulting or even killing commoners and peasants. Hell, there are even some nobles who see no problem with turning on their own just to get their hands on more money and power, [[spoiler:something that guys like Gauche and Finral know all too well about]].

* In the world of ''Manga/DesertPunk'' this is basically the law given the setting is a Post-Apocalyptic Japan turned desert hellhole. A world where [[SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids idealism over survival instinct will get you killed]]; where [[EnfantTerrible even children can be cold-blooded murderers]]. The few people who aren't assholes [[TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth aren't long for this world]]. Even the "decent people" harassed by roaming territory claiming bandits are far from innocent themselves. Halfway through the anime it becomes clear that our VillainProtagonist and his rival don't have a HiddenHeartOfGold, as they end up becoming full-fledged villains by the end of it. The final episode hammers it home with the LemonyNarrator saying something to the effect of, "With people like this, it doesn't matter if humanity goes extinct."

* When ''Anime/GhostStories'' got its [[GagDub famous dub]], some liberties had to be taken to make the series sell after it flopped hard in Japan. And by liberties we mean make the characters act like absolute dicks to one another. Absolutely none of the characters have a kind bone in them, not even Momoko who went from a [[NiceGuy sweet young lady]] to a [[TheFundamentalist fundamentalist who says that everyone is going to burn in Hell because they're all heathens]]. Hell, even the [[MonsterOfTheWeek Ghosts of the Week]] come off as even more dickish than they were in the Japanese subs. On the plus side, [[RuleOfFunny it makes the show all the funnier]].

%%* ''Manga/KillingBites'': Most characters are violent, selfish, power-hungry, greedy, sadistic, sexually deviant or some combination of the above, and they are put in a fight where they can indulge in their bloodlust. There are very few genuinely benevolent characters in the setting, and most of the time they live under the thumb of the evil characters.

* ''Webcomic/OnePunchMan'': Aside from several {{Ungrateful Bastard}}s among civilians, there are only a few number of legitimate heroes that you can count on your hands. The others are egotistical jerks who are slaves to their public image, another top-ranked hero who is willing to kill any monster even if they surrender, and the second strongest hero who is a BrattyHalfPint who uses her PsychicPowers to bully and intimidate anyone she views as weak and/or annoying.

* ''ComicBook/BeautifulDarkness'': Literally all of the fairies except Aurora are idiots, self-centered {{Jerkass}}es and bullies. Not one of them seems to care as they [[CharactersDroppingLikeFlies die one-by-one]] in various horrible ways, either by dying of their own stupidity or killing each other over petty shit. The audience feels no sympathy for the victims of the plot.

* Discussed in ''ComicBook/JLAAvengers''. When both teams are swapped in the universe of the other, the Justice League see firsthand how the denizens hate, bully, and smear their heroes. Franchise/{{Superman}} was appalled by all this, not because the people are just that dickish, but because he thinks the Avengers ''are not doing enough to help the people''. In contrast, the Avengers see how much positive attention and praises the heroes of that world get. ComicBook/CaptainAmerica comes to the conclusion that the JLA are power-hungry tyrants that are subjecting citizens and demanding worship. While both have the wrong idea about the other, it paints the convincing picture of how idealized the DC Universe is compared to the Marvel Universe when it comes to how people react to superheroes.
* ''ComicBook/RogueSun'' has the majority of its main cast be like this. Everyone is manipulative, rude or outright hostile, and the main character, Dylan Siegel, is easily the worst with how he goes out of his way to insult his father's new family and disrespect his memory. Even Dylan's stepsister, Aurie Bell, who tries to be helpful to him, becomes an ass who endangers everyone when she has enough of his shit. The sole exception is Juliette Bell, who at no point does anything manipulative, antagonises someone or shows immense disrespect, and is welcoming to Gwen and Dylan, and is the one person to trust in Dylan and show him compassion and patience. As has been noted by readers, the character they expected to be a homewrecking WickedStepmother RichBitch turned out to be the only nice member of the cast.

* ''Fanfic/MeanRabbit'' repaints the world of ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'' this way. Midoriya remains Quirkless while still vying to become a hero, dealing with the blatant FantasticRacism he faces through bitter snarkery and stubborn resistance. Aizawa becomes a full-on SadistTeacher who goes out of his way to make Midoriya's time at U.A. as miserable as possible, turning the bulk of his classmates against him when they blame him for how ''Aizawa'' handled him standing up for himself. The three nicest members of Class 1-A [[PointOfDivergence ended up in Class 1-B instead]], leaving the class without [[TheHeart a heart]] to help mitigate Aizawa's cruelty. And during the Sports Festival, U.A. does nothing about the crowd turning on Midoriya -- save for Present Mic, who openly ''encourages it'' by painting him as a heel.

* ''WesternAnimation/ParaNorman'' takes place in a CrapsackWorld where most people treat Norman badly simply because he believes in the supernatural. This trope also relates to the past; [[spoiler:the Puritans hanged 11-year-old Agatha Prenderghast for the same reason, and her ghost turns them into zombies and forces them to suffer from the hands of the townsfolk]]. However, everyone, including [[spoiler:the zombies]], is redeemed in the end.

* ''WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph'': The inhabitants of both ''Fix-It-Felix Jr.''[[note]] save for Felix himself [[/note]] and ''Sugar Rush'' are complete {{Jerkass}}es who treat Ralph and Vanellope like crap, respectively. [[spoiler:In the latter's case, though, this is due to [[BigBad Turbo]] brainwashing the inhabitants into behaving that way; they immediately have a HeelFaceTurn upon being reprogrammed.]]

* In ''Literature/DemonSwordMaiden'', being "too kind" can get you killed. Kagami Lily learns this ''repeatedly'' through the school of hard-knocks, because she is from modern Earth, and is a good, morally upstanding individual who finds it hard to fully take on the MightMakesRight mindset of an alternate world Heian era Japan.

* In ''Series/ArrestedDevelopment'', the characters aren't exactly jerkasses, but they definitely are insensitive. Every character is incredibly self-centered, which is great for the convoluted intersecting plotlines the show is known for, but isn't too good for treating your fellows like the human beings they are. Even the [[StraightMan straight men]], such as Michael, George Michael, and more minor characters like Ann Veal and Wayne Jarvis, show more signs of jerkassery the more the bar is lowered.

** We have meth cooks and a sleazy, money-grubbing lawyer as its lead protagonists who go up against armed and violent criminals and their henchmen. Even Hank, the primary law enforcement officer tracking down their efforts, also comes off as an obnoxious FatBastard bully who doesn't really care as much for the law (breaking and entering into an RV in a private property without a warrant) so much as he does just busting criminals and getting promoted and building up on his résumé.

* ''Podcast/HowDidThisGetMade'': Discussed in some of the movies they review. In particular, their episode on ''Film/DeepBlueSea'' had the hosts regard the movie as such a World of Jerkass that they legitimately could not determine who the film's protagonist was intended to be. They are shocked to learn that in the original draft it was meant to be the scientist Susan, who they regarded as the ''villain''. They make particular, horrifed note of her talking about having to watch her Alzheimer's-afflicted father react to being told his wife was dead ''on a daily basis'' whenever he asked about her, instead of simply lying or dodging the question.

* ''Webcomic/DoesNotPlayWellWithOthers'' combines this trope with DysfunctionJunction. ''Everyone'' who can be deemed a protagonist is a selfish, often sexually messed up, asshole of some flavor. Our "heroes" are socially awkward BlackMagicianGirl Francesca, who spends most of her time either dreaming about bizarre sexual fanfiction, dreaming about blowing things up, or actually blowing things up; Nikki, a vampire who routinely drains people to death to feed herself; Falchion, a superhero with the personality of a FratBoy mixed with a JerkJock; Tekmage, a literal supervillain; and Naga... who is so stunningly awful that [[TheFriendNobodyLikes everyone else loathes her]] and she actually manages to be a VillainProtagonist, ''even by this universe's standards''. To put things in proper perspective, Naga once [[OffingTheOffspring ate her own unhatched egg]], and reminisces about it by smiling, licking her lips, and calling "Little Anna" the best omelet that she literally ever made -- [[EveryoneHasStandards much to the horror of Francesca]]. Murder, mutilation, vulgar sexual behavior and cannibalism are all recurring running jokes.

* ''WebVideo/DrJekyllAndMrHydeTheGameTheMovie'': Dr. Jekyll is portrayed as nothing but a NiceGuy, but everyone seems to take his politeness as a personal insult to the point of absurdity. Over the course of the video, Jekyll is [[CosmicPlaything beaten-down by everyone and everything]] as he is slowly driven to the brink. It gets so bad, he take obscene pleasure when he manages to kill a bee that tried stinging him with his cane.

* ''Series/KamenRiderAmazons'', due to being the [[DarkerAndEdgier bleakest entry]] in the ''Franchise/KamenRider'' franchise, is this. Everyone who isn't a jerk or incompetent is getting lead around by someone who is.

* [[PlayedForHorror Played for horror in]] ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony,'' [[spoiler:which in an actual reality show [[MetaSequel based off the now in-universe]] ''[[MetaSequel Danganronpa]]'' [[MetaSequel franchise]], and currently in its ''53rd season'' (or 50th, since it had to have started with ''Danganronpa 4'' at the earliest). The entire world is said to peacefully with no crime, but they take pleasure from killing gas as the only for of entertainment, Of course, the peacefully part is one of Tsumugi's lies, as the humans in the outside word are [[HumansAreBastards all sadistic, Jerkasses]] who care nothing about how everyone in the killing game suffered and brutally murdered and executed, as they take pleasure in their misery]].