"The Reason I Suck" Speech

"Ambition can be cruel to us."

Who am I now in this world without her?
Petty and dull, with the nerve to doubt her.
What does it matter? It's already done.
Now I've got to be there for her son!

It's over, isn't it? Isn't it? Isn't it over?
It's over, isn't it? Isn't it? Isn't it over?
You won, and she chose you, and she loved you, and she's gone!
It's over, isn't it? Why can't I move on?

— Pearl, "It's Over Isn't It", Steven Universe, "Mr. Greg"

A more self-reflective version of "The Reason You Suck" Speech, where the character themself admits why they suck. This is usually a big dramatic moment in the third act to show that the character has become more aware of their flaws. It also, naturally, can be the response to a "The Reason You Suck" speech, with the character agreeing with their critic, but making an argument that they have or will get better. Alternatively, it can be an unhealthy expression of irrational self-hatred and self-blame that serves as a major character flaw.

Often follows a My God, What Have I Done? moment. Can be a sign of Heroic Self-Deprecation. Can be responded to with You Are Better Than You Think You Are. Potentially leads to a Rousing Speech.

Compare Heartfelt Apology, It's All My Fault, Jerkass Realization, I Am What I Am, I Hate Past Me. If a character consistently discusses their own faults, it becomes Chronic Self-Deprecation or Apologises a Lot. An absolute extreme example can become I Am a Monster.

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Examples:

Anime and Manga

• My-HiME: Subtle. Haruka says that relationships between women are disgusting, then tells Shizuru that she and Natsuki are filthy for it. Shizuru slaps Haruka, then sets the record straight, "What happened was something that I did to her. I will not allow you to insult Natsuki." Then, when she realizes that Natsuki overheard everything, she tells her, "I never wanted you to find out about it, this wicked love that cannot be returned."
• Neon Genesis Evangelion:
  • When Shinji is being carted away, he says that he, not Toji, was the one who deserved to be hit because he was cowardly, sneaky, and dishonest. Wanting to rise above these frailties is precisely why he returns to active duty as an Eva pilot.
  • Like son, like father. In The Movie, Gendou says that in the end, all he was able to do was hurt Shinji. He doesn't seem to fight it when Eva Unit 01 bites his head off.
• One Piece: Luffy gives one during the final battle of the Arlong Arc, though it's more to boost his True Companions than to deprecate himself.
  Luffy: I can't use swords! I can't navigate! I can't cook! And I can't tell lies!
  Usopp: Hey!

Comic Books

• The Amazing Spider-Man (1963): In a very early issue, J. Jonah Jameson admits to himself that for all of his wealth and self-serving works, Spider-Man is a real hero, risking his life without asking for reward. And if Spider-Man is a hero, then Jameson's work is just hollow and false. And so all that he can do is try to tear Spidey down because heaven help him, he's jealous of him.

Fan Works

• For His Own Sake: Keitaro gives this to himself when he tries to make amends with his Aunt Marumi and cousin, Yoshinari, saying how wrong and foolish he was to not take their advice seriously in the past.
• Entity NEO: Mettaton's letter to Napstablook begins with a self-directed diatribe about how selfish he was to leave his cousin behind to pursue his dreams of stardom.
  I just wanted to say that I was wrong to leave you here... What I did was totally selfish... Unforgivable even. I'm not fit to be called your family, I know... (...) I'm so sorry. I'm an awful cousin.
• The Karma of Lies: Chloé combines this with a "The Reason You Suck" Speech to Adrien when she realizes that Adrien's policy of never saying anything that might get him into trouble made him one of her enablers for years, mutely standing by and letting her throw temper tantrums rather than standing up to her and potentially helping her Jerkass Realization along.
  Chloé: I'm done with that, and I'm done with you. I'm going to stick with Marinette and the others, because as annoying as Dupain-Cheng can be sometimes? I know that she'll be honest with me and demand I do better when I screw up. You won't.
• The Sun Will Come Up And The Seasons Will Change: After the grueling events of chapter 20, Mary blames herself for being unable to save Blanca when it mattered most, and Vic's attempts to console her don't help because she's gone over the Despair Event Horizon. Mary is so overcome with guilt and self-loathing that she goes into a rant about how everyone around her would be better off if she were either born not autistic or if she just never existed at all, and that everything her mother and Nora say about her is true even with evidence proving otherwise, which results in her number shooting up.
• Time to Disinfect: When Mari's self-loathing gets particularly bad courtesy of escalating abuse from her mother, her internal monologue delivers a bitter rant listing reasons for her to hate herself (framed as talking about her reflection in the mirror).
• Twisted Sister: An Extended Ending: In the final chapter, Blossom breaks down in Inelegant Blubbering and vents about how she feels irresponsible and unfit as a leader, as she blames herself for Bunny's death (and feels especially horrible for the fact that the final thing she said to Bunny was that she was unfit to be a Powerpuff Girl). However, Professor Utonium and her sisters tell her that she may have made mistakes, but that doesn't make her a bad person.

Film — Animated

• Atlantis: The Lost Empire: Milo, when Sweet announces he is ready to follow him on his decision.
  Milo: Oh, my decision? I think we've seen how effective my decisions have been. Let's recap: I lead a band of plundering vandals to the greatest archaeological find in recorded history, thus enabling the kidnap and/or murder of the royal family, not to mention personally delivering the most powerful force known to man into the hands of a mercenary nutcase who's probably gonna sell it to the KAISER! HAVE I LEFT ANYTHING OUT?!
  Sweet: Well, you did set the camp on fire and drop us down that big hole.
  Milo: Thank you! Thank you very much.
• Ed, Edd n Eddy's Big Picture Show: After a movie-long quest to reach Eddy's big brother and a whole series hyping him up as a cool dude, Eddy's brother turns out to have always been a total tool and an abusive bully to Eddy. After his brother is finally taken down, a beaten-up, teary-eyed Eddy admits to his two best friends that he made everything about his brother up in a failed attempt to look cool, when he is in fact a loser who made himself Hated by All with lies and scams and who will never learn.
  Eddy: I made it all up, Double D. Everything about my brother was a lie. I just made things up, so people would like me, think I was 'cool'. But boy was I wrong. The scam, my brother, this... when am I gonna learn, Double D?
  Double D: I think you just have, Eddy.
• Fantastic Mr. Fox: When Ash buries the hatchet with Kristofferson, he says, "I'm sorry. I'm grumpy, I spit, I wake up on the wrong side of the bed. I'm just... different, apparently."
• In Kung Fu Panda, Master Oogway finds Po eating peaches from the Sacred Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom to cope with his sadness following a disastrous first day at the Jade Palace, and gets him to open up about it, showing how much of a Sad Clown Po really is:
  Po: I probably sucked more today than anyone in the history of Kung Fu. In the history of China. In the history of sucking!
  Oogway: "Probably."
  Po: And the Five! Man, you should've seen them! They totally hate me.
  Oogway: "Totally."
  Po: [raising his stomach with his hands] How is Shifu gonna turn me into the Dragon Warrior? [he lets go of his stomach, and it bounces for a few seconds before he stops it with a deadpan touch] I mean, I'm not like the Five. I've got no claws, no fangs, no venom. Even Mantis has those... [moves his hands about like a mantis' arms] thingies. Maybe I should just quit and go back to making noodles.
• Played for Laughs in The LEGO Movie, where Emmet gives one of these in an attempt to build momentum for a standard Rousing Speech, but winds up disillusioning his audience instead.
  Emmet: I may not be a Master Builder. I may not have a lot of experience fighting or leading or coming up with plans, or having ideas in general. In fact, I'm not all that smart. And I'm not what you'd call a creative type. Plus, generally unskilled. Also, scared and cowardly. I know what you're thinking, "he is the least qualified person in the world to lead us." And you are right.
  Swamp Creature: This is supposed to make us feel better?!
  Emmet: What? No, there was about to be a but...
• Monsters University: After Sulley finds Mike in a depressed funk after realizing that everyone was right about him not being scary, he tries to comfort him by explaining how he feels. When Mike lashes and and dismisses Sulley's advice as ignorant, Sulley fires back to prove that Mike is still wrong...
  Mike: You were right. They weren't scared of me. I did everything right. I wanted it more than anyone. And I thought... I thought that if I wanted it enough I could show everybody that Mike Wazowski is something special. And I'm just... not. [Mike brushes away his reflection in the water]
  Sulley: Look, Mike... I know how you feel—
  Mike: Don't do that; PLEASE don't do that, you do not know how I feel! (...) Monsters like you have everything! You don't have to be good! You can mess up over and over again, and the whole world loves you! (...) You'll never know what it's like to fail, because you were born a Sullivan!
  Sulley: Yeah, I'm a Sullivan! I'm the Sullivan who flunked every test, the one who got kicked out of the program, and the one who's so afraid to let everyone down that I cheated!... and I lied! *sigh* Mike, I'll never know how you feel... But you're not the only failure here. I act scary, Mike... But most of the time... I'm terrified.
  Mike: How come you never told me that before...?
  Sulley: Because... We weren't friends before.
• Toy Story: Buzz and Woody both exchange these. First, Buzz give this speech when he becomes depressed after realizing he's a toy. Then as Woody tries to cheer him up by reminding him how happy he made Andy. he finally concedes that Buzz is a better toy than he is by giving his own speech. This motivates Buzz enough to help Woody out of a crate.
  Woody: Buzz, you've had a big fall. You must not be thinking clearly!
  Buzz: No, Woody. For the first time, I am thinking clearly. You were right all along. I'm not a Space Ranger. I'm just a toy. A stupid, little, insignificant toy.
  Woody: Wait a minute. Being a toy is a lot better than being a Space Ranger. (...) Look, over there in that house is a kid who thinks you are the greatest, and it's not because you're a Space Ranger, pal, it's because you're a toy. You are his toy!
  Buzz: But why would Andy want me?
  Woody: Why would Andy want you? Look at you! You're a Buzz Lightyear! Any other toy would give up his moving parts just to be you. You've got wings, you glow in the dark, you talk, your helmet does that... that "whoosh" thing. You're a cool toy. As a matter of fact, you're too cool. I mean, what chance does a toy like me have against a Buzz Lightyear action figure? All I can do is this...
  [Woody pulls his back string] There's a snake in my boot!
  Woody: Why would Andy ever wanna play with me, when he's got you? I'm the one that should be strapped to that rocket...
• Zootopia: When Judy goes to Nick to tell him about the conspiracy to turn predators feral, Nick shows little care, still hurt by Judy's comments about predators being biologically feral. Judy gives a big apology and admits she was a bad friend to Nick, culminating in calling herself a dumb bunny. Nick forgives her after replaying her "dumb bunny" line on the recorder pen she gave him.

Film — Live-Action

• Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves: When each member of the group is ready to give up, Edgin tells them they can't give up or they'll be failures. Simon points out that Edgin is just as much a failure as the rest of them. Edgin completely agrees, admitting it's his own fault for everything bad that ever happened to him.
• 8 Mile: After a whole film of being beaten on Piss-Take Rap battles by the Free World group because he is a trailer trash punk and they eagerly point it out, Rabbit beats them in the finale by getting their ammunition out of the way and rapping that yeah, he is a trailer trash punk with stupid friends, Dysfunctional Family and so on, but that is what he is and he is proud to be closer to being an actual crook than they are because they are just a bunch of rich preppy-school wannabes. Result: he shuts them up.
• Marvel Cinematic Universe:
  • Guardians of the Galaxy: An offscreen version happens when Star-Lord calls up the Nova Corps to warn them about Ronan's upcoming attack. He admits that he's "an asshole" but he's also "not 100% a dick."
  • Captain America: Civil War: At the end, after the revelation that the Winter Soldier, a.k.a. Bucky Barnes, was responsible for his parents' death leads to Tony fighting Steve and Bucky, Steve sends him a letter apologizing for not telling Tony when he first found out, admitting that he'd been telling himself he was sparing Tony the pain of knowing while he was really sparing himself the pain of telling him.
• Talk Radio: Subverted. Barry Champlain is the consummate Shock Jock, obsessed with finding success by exposing America's paranoid underbelly on his talk radio show. By the end, he seems to finally crack under the strain and starts being honest about his own flaws on air... until he actually launches into a scathing monologue on his contempt for his audience and their shortcomings instead.
  Barry Champlain: I should hang; I'm a hypocrite. I ask for sincerity, and I lie. I denounce the system as I embrace it. I want money and power and prestige: I want ratings and success. And I don't give a damn about you, or the world. That's the truth: for that I could say I'm sorry, but I won't. Why should I?
• T2 Trainspotting: While explaining to Veronika the origins of the "choose life" line, it becomes a Dark Reprise of the Choose Life speech from the first film, ranting to Veronika about the things he sees wrong with the modern world before segueing into how he feels miserable about his own life and hopeless it feels.
• The X-Files: Fight the Future: At risk of losing his job, having his department shut down, and Scully being Reassigned to Antarctica, Mulder heads to a bar to drown his sorrows. He epically recaps the show's premise and his self-reinforcing role as The Cassandra in The Conspiracy to the bartender in under 30 seconds:
  Mulder: I'm the key figure in an on-going government charade, the plot to conceal the truth about the existence of extraterrestrials. It's a global conspiracy, actually, with key players in the highest levels of power, that reaches down into the lives of every man, woman, and child on this planet. [laughs] So, of course, no one believes me. I'm an annoyance to my superiors, a joke to my peers. They call me Spooky. Spooky Mulder, whose sister was abducted by aliens when he was just a kid and who now chases after little green men with a badge and a gun, shouting to the heavens or to anyone who will listen that the fix is in, that the sky is falling and when it hits it's gonna be the shit-storm of all time.

Literature

• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: When Percy comes to help in the Battle of Hogwarts, having been estranged from his family for a few years, he tries to do this, but Fred cuts him to the quick.
  "I was a fool!" Percy roared, so loudly that Lupin nearly dropped his photograph. "I was a pompous prat, I was a- a-"" "Ministry loving, family-disowning, power-hungry moron," said Fred." Percy swallowed. "Yes, I was!"" "Well, you can't say fairer than that," said Fred, holding out his hand to Percy.
• Re:Zero: Subaru has a doozy of one:
  Before I got into the situation that led me to all of you, do you have any idea what I did? I did nothing. I've never done a single thing. I had all that time, all that freedom... I could have done anything, but I never did a thing! And this is the result! What I am now is the result! All of my powerlessness, all of my incompetence, is the product of my rotten character. That's right. I have no character. Even when I thought I could live here, nothing changed. At heart, I'm just a small, cowardly, filthy piece of trash, who's always worried about how others see me. And nothing... Nothing about me has changed! ...I absolutely hate myself...

Live-Action TV

• Friends: Played with. After Joey found out Chandler and Monica were secretly sleeping together, he kept getting roped into covering for them, which resulted in him being forced to say things like "I'm Joey. I'm disgusting. I take my underwear off in other people's homes." and "I'm Joey. I'm disgusting. I bring women home to make amateur porn in my living room." Eventually Joey got frustrated and "admitted" that he had sex with Monica. Despite giving no thought to this new lie, it actually did manage to explain everything and resulted in Monica being forced to say "I'm Monica. I'm disgusting. I stalk guys and hide their underpants."
• Red Dwarf: In the episode "The Inquisitor", the titular character travels the multiverse to judge whether people have lived worthy lives and erases those who haven't. When it comes to judging Rimmer, he rejects every lame attempt that Rimmer comes up with to justify being such a failure and a poor excuse of a human being in general, especially since the Inquisitor takes on the identity of the person being judged and can therefore spot any lie. Eventually, Rimmer gives up and does some genuine self-reflection (albeit still incredibly self-pitying), which the Inquisitor accepts as a valid defense.
  Arnold Judas Rimmer: What else could I have been? My father was a half-crazed military failure; my mother, a bitch-queen from Hell. My brothers had all the looks and talent. What did I have? Unmanageable hair and ingrowing toenails. Yes, I admit I'm nothing. But from what I started with, nothing is up.
• Scrubs: When J.D. was trying to hook up with the hospital psychiatrist who was only attracted to emotionally damaged men and thought J.D. was too normal.
  J.D.: [internal monologue] Sometimes all it takes is the prospect of nailing a smoking hottie to get you to really take a look at yourself. [out loud] My sexual journey began when I was six years old and walked in on my parents in a position my dad would jokingly describe as the jackhammer. I'm freakishly close to my best friend, I have an ex-girlfriend who wants to kill me, a mentor who verbally abuses me, and I can't stop constantly narrating my own life. [It was at that point I feared I had said too much.] I'm narcissistic, pessimistic, and I'm so emotionally disturbed that every one of my relationships has ended in resentment and heartbreak.
• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: In the episode "Spock Amok", Admiral April and Captain Pike spend all episodes trying to convince the Rangovians to join the Federation of Planets with middling to negative results. Later, when Pike realizes that the Rangovians are looking for someone who understands their apprehensions of the Federation, he delivers a speech on why they shouldn't join the Federation, including the fact that the Federation doesn't really respect the cultures of its member planets, is only looking for resources, just finished a major war, and is powerful enough to have equally powerful enemies that the Rangovians would have to agree to fight. Later, the Rangovians agree to join since Pike was able to demonstrate that the Federation genuinely understood and were sympathetic to the risk that the Rangovians were taking.
• The Twilight Zone (2019): In "The Comedian," Samir seems ready to deliver a scathing speech to his estranged girlfriend in his latest stand-up set...only to turn around and make the set about himself and what a horrible, self-serving person he is. Since Samir made a Deal with the Devil that results in anyone he tells jokes about being eradicated from existence, this also counts as a Heroic Sacrifice and Redemption Equals Death moment, as his self-deprecation hits a cosmic Reset Button and brings back all of the people that he previously destroyed.

Puppet Shows

• Fraggle Rock: In "Sidebottom Blues", Wembley tries to talk Boober into joining the other Fraggles for a game of Follow the Leader in the Gorgs' garden, as their roving medic. But when he overhears Gobo calling Junior Gorg (who's set Fraggle traps all over the garden) a big goof, Boober thinks he's talking about him.
  Boober: [storming into his room] Stupid home remedies!
  [He throws down his bag of home remedies.]
  Boober: Who cares about you? Nobody but the big goof. Nobody wants to hang around with me. And why should they? All I do is just...
  [He accidentally knocks the overhead net containing more of his home remedies onto him.]
  Boober: ...wreck stuff and spoil everything.
  [He shoves the net off himself, then gets into bed for a nap.]
  Boober: I'm the most unfun Fraggle in the world. I'm a waste of skin.

Video Games

• In Final Fantasy XIV, the Level 70 Dark Knight quest has Myste declares the Warrior of Light's sins beyond counting and that the justice they claim to fight for is an excuse. What sounds like a "The Reason You Suck" Speech becomes this trope when Myste is revealed to be the Warrior's Guilt Complex and overactive empathy made manifest.
  Myste: Can you even remember why you came here? Can you even remember how many you killed? How many lives shattered, how many stories ended? Upon the surface of the crystal are carved the sins of dark knights past...and yours are beyond counting. Beyond fathoming. Without end. Justice is an excuse. Nobility is a lie. Murder is murder!
• In Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd loses his sanity over the time-skip as a result of finding out who he thinks caused the Tragedy of Duscur, hearing the voices of those who died on that day, and being exiled from his own kingdom and forced to live among the slums. All he ended up thinking about was revenge against who he thinks is the culprit and so killed any soldiers of the enemy faction he came across on his way to enact it. He is fully aware of what he's doing, as he frequently refers to himself as a monster, which makes him think he isn't worthy of being redeemed.
• God of War Ragnarök: At the end of Valhalla, Kratos does a combination of this and "The Reason You Suck" Speech when he is confronted with his younger self sitting on the War Throne, berating his younger self (and himself by extension) for choosing to be a monster rather than a god worthy of service.
• Grand Theft Auto V: While listening to Chattersphere talk radio, you can hear DJ Lazlo have a massive emotional breakdown during an interview with the founder of a new religious movement, lamenting his fall from grace and his many, many scandals over the years.
  Lazlo: "One stupid word. One...innocent caress between coworkers! And suddenly, you're not the spokesman for an expensive Swiss watch, but a swinger's resort in Guatemala!"
• Persona 5: When the Phantom Thieves steal the Treasure from their targets and force them to undergo a change of heart, they deliver a public speech confessing their crimes and admitting to being awful people.
• Spec Ops: The Line: The Reveal that Konrad is a hallucination of Martin Walker's damage psyche after the White Phosphorous incident really put a lot of his quotes from the game into this trope:
  "Your friends, dead. The world on fire. And you... alone. You're a failure. Finally, something we have in common."
  "It takes a strong man to deny what's right in front of him. And if the truth is undeniable, you create your own. The truth, Walker, is that you're here because you wanted to feel like something you're not: a hero. I'm here because you can't accept what you've done. It broke you. You needed someone to blame, so you cast it on me, a dead man."
  Walker: "It wasn't my fault."
  Konrad: "Was it? None of this would've happened if you'd just stopped. But on you marched. And for what? You're no savior. Your talent lies elsewhere."

Webcomics

• Housepets!:
  • When Fido and Sabrina are outed as partners in a very taboo Interspecies Romance, Fido loses his fellow dogs' support, and even his best friend Fox stops talking to him for a while. Later, Fox needs Sabrina's help in protecting Sasha but she isn't too keen on helping the guy who pretty much threw her boyfriend under the bus. Since it had already been a stressful day for Fox, to say the least, he snaps and finally admits that he never learned to properly express his feelings, leading to him making poor life choices, ruining relationships, and not knowing how to fix any of it.
    Fox: Fine, know what?! I feel like I've lost control of my life! I never learned to seriously deal with my negative emotions, so I bottle them up and channel them into stunts like this! I have to make things better because that's all I have after it felt like you shaved my fur off and made me a laughingstock! And I still don't hate you and Fido! But how can I possibly fix that when I'm still angry even when I don't want to be?!
    Sabrina: You could say 'I'm sorry'.
    Fox: Fine! I'm sorry!
    Sabrina: Well why didn't you say so!
  • While Keene Milton has a noble goal of equality between humans and animals, he is also unscrupulous, egotistical, and excellent at making enemies, even among the animals he's trying to help. The final chapters of "Temple Crashers 2" are basically one long Break the Haughty for him, as he sees just how much his well-intentioned extremism is driving away the people he loves, like Breel, and also endangering the entire world. When the day is saved, Keene holds a public speech declaring he's stepping down as the leader of his organization and fully owes up to how misguided he was.
    Keene: I've pursued equality so aggressively, it's negatively affected some of the very people I wanted to help, especially me!
  • Despite being the supposed Only Sane Woman in the cast and a knowledgeable practitioner of Magic(k), Tarot has been outstaged more than once by other heroes saving the day in her stead. This has given her feelings of inadequacy, not helped by the sense of responsibility she got from having been an avatar for a celestial being. When demons from Pandemonium threaten the world and Kitsune refuses Tarot's help, she loses all stoicism and has a full-on breakdown.
    Marion: You've been extremely adamant that you want to save the world yourself, so how can we be sure that this isn't just for your glory?
    Tarot: Yeah, everyone says that. 'Oh, Tarot, you just want to save the world so you feel better about yourself' well you know what? Dragon raised me to be the savior of the universe. And I know it doesn't matter who does it in the end, all that really matters is that the universe gets saved. I know I sound spoiled and everyone's just laughing at me for my unrealistic expectations! So yeah, okay! Maybe I'm wrong! Maybe he doesn't need us, or maybe it doesn't even matter. I should just give up because I want it too much! No matter how much work I put in, I'm just not good enough!
    [Awkward silence as Tarot cries...]
    Steward: Ambition can be cruel to us.
    Tarot: You'd think I'd have learned that considering the egos I surround myself with...

Web Original

• Sword Art Online Abridged: In Episode 17, after a failed attempt at storming the World Tree to rescue Asuna, Kirito gives this kind of speech to himself as he's dying, reflecting how far he has fallen from his SAO days, feeling disgust that he's feeling nostalgic for a VR game he and several other players were trapped in against their will and forced to fight for their lives and then realizing that he really just misses the friends he made while there (while also lamenting that his skill at video games was practically the only thing that allowed him a good social standing during that time).
  Kirito: Well, this is just! Perfect! I don't get it... I would have been able to do this before. But hey, what else is new? Things were so much better back in— ugh, am I seriously getting nostalgic for the flippin' death game?! The heck is wrong with me?! What, can I not be happy unless the whole world rests on my emaciated shoulders? "You think you're a big shot, you think you don't have asthma? Well, I've got a reality check for you, nerdo! You're just a kid who's good at video games, and that was useful exactly once. There was only one place on Earth where you had the social leverage to make anyone like you, and it's gone"... They're gone. Face it, what's the real world got to offer? Asuna's slipping away. Tiff's got a family to look after. Who does that leave me with? ...Suguha? [scoffs] Fat chance... Well, actually... I guess she did come to the hospital with me. And she didn't even try to pull anything. That was weird, but... nice. Reminds me of when we were little... Heh. [sighs] Probably never have each others' backs like that again...

Western Animation

• The Dragon Prince
  • Viren delivers a scathing one to himself. While trying to decipher the mystery of the mirror, Viren uses a True Sight spell that will "strip away all illusions" and allow him to see the truth. He looks in the mirror and only sees his reflection, leading him to rant that the mirror is powerless and useless and that he thought it would be something important. The whole time he is pointing at himself (his reflection), showing how Viren really views himself: as nothing special or powerful.
  • When the reactionary elf prince Karim tries to get the former dragon king Sol Regem to retake his throne, the disgraced archdragon gives a bitterly sarcastic boast about his numerous flaws to show Karim how far past his prime he's gotten and now won't make for a good ruler.
  Sol Regem: Then, behold... the once-great Sun King! Bask in the brilliant rays of light that shine through the holes in my tattered wings. Gaze upon the mighty face of my golden glory, dripping with seared flesh melted by evil magic. Bow down before the swollen, oozing bedsores of a magnificent archdragon, lying motionless and depressed for decades.
• In Harriet the Spy, in the Season 2 trial episode, faced with how much she had hurt her friends and classmates with her spying and hurtful words in her notebook, Harriet eats the onion she agreed to consume if she lost the trial, all while comparing herself to it as a wretched little thing that makes people cry.
  Harriet: I said I'd eat this onion if I lost because I knew I was going to win. I just had to prove that I was telling the truth, and that's what I did. So why do I feel like I lost? I hated that I had to be an onion in the play. Then I started to see what was good about it, with all its different layers and everything. And I tried to be the onion, like a good actor is supposed to. But now I realize...
  [Takes a bite out of the onion, as tears run down her face]
  Harriet: An onion is a stinky, unlovable, wretched thing that makes people cry... just like me. The truth is, I am the onion.
• The Owl House: Luz Noceda explodes at her English teacher in the episode "Thanks to Them," insulting the main character of the text that the class is going over in a way that heavily insinuates she feels the same way about herself.
  Luz: Hero? Everywhere he went, people ended up suffering.
  Mr. Sandoval: It does get bleak, but no one said his mission would be easy. And when you take into account the ripple effects of his actions—
  Luz: Who cares about the ripple effects? He was just a pawn in someone else's game.
  [Luz climbs onto and stands on her desk.]
  Luz, cont.: A-and he was never smart enough to realize it. If his friends and family knew about his mission, they'd know that their lives would have never been in danger if it weren't for him. They should hate his guts, and it would have been better if he literally never existed!
• She-Ra and the Princesses of Power: Queen Angela gives one in front of Adora, confessing how deep down she's always been a coward who's told herself she was being "responsible" as an excuse for being afraid. Subverted when she takes the sword from Adora and declares that this time - she chooses to be brave.
• SpongeBob SquarePants: In "Big Pink Loser", SpongeBob tries imitating Patrick Star to get even with him copying him, but this instead causes Patrick to blame himself for having SpongeBob copy someone as pathetic as him.
  SpongeBob: [imitating Patrick] Hi! I'm Patrick Star! I'm the laziest, pinkest starfish in Bikini Bottom, and I wish I were me and not SpongeBob!
  Patrick: What's so great about being a big pink loser?
  [SpongeBob's nose pokes out]
  Patrick: Exactly! I was never closer to an award than the minute I started copying you.
  SpongeBob: But Patrick —
  Patrick: Patrick's not here!
• Steven Universe: In "Mr. Greg", Pearl reflects on her complicated relationship with Rose Quartz in the song "It's Over, Isn't It?" As she sings, she talks about her various shortcomings and why she feels she needed Rose to give her life meaning.
  Pearl: Who am I now in this world without her? Petty and dull with the nerve to doubt her.

Real Life

• Mental disorders like depression and anxiety can often feel like you're making one of these inside your mind. Constantly.

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