Ikki: Remember when he used to be so nice and sweet?
Jinora: No.
Jinora: No.
—On Meelo, The Legend of Korra
He must be so lonely, he must be so sad
He goes to extremes to convince us he's bad
He's really a victim of fear and of pride
Look close and there must be a sweet man inside?
…nah.
He goes to extremes to convince us he's bad
He's really a victim of fear and of pride
Look close and there must be a sweet man inside?
…nah.
"Maybe I shouldn't be singing this song
Ranting and raving and carrying on
Maybe they're right when they tell me I'm wrong...
...
NAAAAAAAAHHH.'"
Ranting and raving and carrying on
Maybe they're right when they tell me I'm wrong...
...
NAAAAAAAAHHH.'"
— Denis Leary, Asshole
Annie: He's a jerk because we exclude him.
Jeff: We exclude him because he's a jerk!
Jeff: We exclude him because he's a jerk!
— Community, discussing Pierce.
Steve: I should have known better, but then you said that you were doing it because you cared!
Roger: I do care, kiddo. I care about me.
Roger: I do care, kiddo. I care about me.
Penny: At first I thought [Captain Hammer] was really cheesy-
Billy: Trust your instincts.
Penny: But you know how sometimes people have one layer on the outside, and then another, completely different layer beneath?
Billy: And sometimes there's a third, even deeper, level, and that one is the same as the...top...surface...one.
Penny: Huh?
Billy: Like with pie.
Billy: Trust your instincts.
Penny: But you know how sometimes people have one layer on the outside, and then another, completely different layer beneath?
Billy: And sometimes there's a third, even deeper, level, and that one is the same as the...top...surface...one.
Penny: Huh?
Billy: Like with pie.
You know, Zapp, once I thought you were a big, pompous buffoon. Then I realized that inside you were just a pitiful child. But now I realize that outside that child is a big, pompous buffoon!
— Leela, Futurama
Jaime Lannister: I didn't realize you placed such a high value on my brother's life.
Tywin Lannister: He's a Lannister! He might be the lowest of the Lannisters, but he's one of us! And every day that he remains a prisoner, the less our name commands respect.
Tywin Lannister: He's a Lannister! He might be the lowest of the Lannisters, but he's one of us! And every day that he remains a prisoner, the less our name commands respect.
"He may be grouchy on the outside, but inside beats a heart of stone."
— Big Bird, The Hollywood Squares, on Oscar the Grouch.
"Don't be fooled. Underneath all those swastikas, he's a real prick."
— John Lyshitski, Let's Go to Prison
Dr. Molly Clock: Oh, Dr. Kelso's all bluster. Underneath it all, I'll bet he's a sweetheart.
Dr. Perry Cox: No, no. Underneath it all, he is pure evil.
Clock: Perry, no one's pure evil. I mean, yes, some people have a hard outer shell, but inside everybody has a creamy center.
Cox: There are plenty of people here on this particular planet who are hard on the outside and hard on the inside.
Clock: So they'd have more of a nougat-y center?
Cox: Lady... people aren't chocolates. Do you know what they are, mostly? Bastards. Bastard-coated bastards with bastard filling.
Dr. Perry Cox: No, no. Underneath it all, he is pure evil.
Clock: Perry, no one's pure evil. I mean, yes, some people have a hard outer shell, but inside everybody has a creamy center.
Cox: There are plenty of people here on this particular planet who are hard on the outside and hard on the inside.
Clock: So they'd have more of a nougat-y center?
Cox: Lady... people aren't chocolates. Do you know what they are, mostly? Bastards. Bastard-coated bastards with bastard filling.
— Scrubs, episode "My Common Enemy"
"When you were assigned to be my roommate, I thought you were a jerk. Then I tricked myself into believing you weren't. I won't make that mistake again."
Prodigy, New X-Men: Academy X #12
Edge is the kind of man you don't like at first... but gradually, you get to hate him!
Aladeen: I now know that on the outside, I am a bit of a cocksucker...
Nadal: Yeah!
Aladeen: But deep down...I'm nice.
Nadal: Not really.
Aladeen: Yes I am! I'm like mafrum: hard and spiky on the outside, but soft and really mushy on the in.
Nadal: You're not like mafrum at all! You're like an onion! An outer layer of cocksucker, and when you peel it away, there is ten more layers of cocksucker underneath!
Nadal: Yeah!
Aladeen: But deep down...I'm nice.
Nadal: Not really.
Aladeen: Yes I am! I'm like mafrum: hard and spiky on the outside, but soft and really mushy on the in.
Nadal: You're not like mafrum at all! You're like an onion! An outer layer of cocksucker, and when you peel it away, there is ten more layers of cocksucker underneath!
Sarge: Oh, I feel the worst about Grif. I always made fun of him. I never even told him he was my son.
Church: No way! The orange guy was your son?
Sarge: Nah, I just wanted to screw with him one last time. But now I'll never get that chance...
Church: No way! The orange guy was your son?
Sarge: Nah, I just wanted to screw with him one last time. But now I'll never get that chance...
Rodimus: At the end of the day, he was a good person. He just kept forgetting how to be good.
Ultra Magnus: I-what? No. A good person who forgot how to be- no! Feeling bad doesn't erase millions of years of warmongering. He used us, Rodimus. We trusted him and he abused that trust- because that's what he was: a serial abuser. He tricked us. He tricked me. His repentance was a sham, his guilt was an affectation. The tortured soul, the killer's remorse - it was a lie. [..] Wake up, Rodimus. He was evil. He was always evil.
"Underneath this harsh surface, I'm deeply sensitive." [..] "I LIED. Underneath this harsh surface, there's just MORE harsh surface."
— The Sheriff, Robin Hood
Darkstripe: You're mine, kittypet. It's time for you to die.
Firestar: So now you're fighting on the side of Tigerstar's murderer? Have you no loyalty?
Darkstripe: Not anymore. Every cat in the forest can turn to crowfood for all I care. All I want is to see you dead.
Firestar: So now you're fighting on the side of Tigerstar's murderer? Have you no loyalty?
Darkstripe: Not anymore. Every cat in the forest can turn to crowfood for all I care. All I want is to see you dead.
"I am not a nice man. It's important that you understand that. It's going to save you a great deal of time and effort. There is not a warmer, kinder me waiting to be coaxed out into the light. I am acerbic. I can be cruel. It's who I am. Right to the bottom. I'm neither proud of this nor ashamed of it. It simply is. And in my work, my nature has been an advantage far more than it has been a hindrance. I'm not going to change."
— Sherlock Holmes, Elementary
"Beneath that cold exterior beats a heart of pure stone."
— Dayna re Avon, Blake's 7
Mokuba: That's not my brother! Everyone says he's a bad person, but it's not true!
Yami: He stole my grandfather's favorite card, put him in the hospital and then left you at the mercy of his enemies! Face it kid, your brother's a giant prick!
Yami: He stole my grandfather's favorite card, put him in the hospital and then left you at the mercy of his enemies! Face it kid, your brother's a giant prick!
— Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series, "Cliffhanger"
"AH! He’s gone! Something could have happened to him! Or worse, something could happen to ME because something happened to HIM!"
— Vicky, The Fairly Oddparents
Cinder Fall: You know, genuine care can be quite a dangerous thing.
Roman Torchwick: You know, you sound just like Kincaid. Let me guess: if your little girlfriend got taken, you'd go and shoot her yourself. Right?
Cinder Fall: Of course not. She has a useful Semblance. I wouldn't want to get rid of that.
Roman Torchwick: You know, you sound just like Kincaid. Let me guess: if your little girlfriend got taken, you'd go and shoot her yourself. Right?
Cinder Fall: Of course not. She has a useful Semblance. I wouldn't want to get rid of that.
— CRME, Chapter 12 "You're Hired"
Essentially, George MacDonald Fraser's The Flashman Papers and McAuslan stories transplanted into the 41st Millennium, though, while Cain is more of a Coward with a Heart of Gold, Flashman can best be described as a Jerk with a Heart of Jerk, Braised in a Jamaican Jerk Sauce, then Dried out into Jerked Jerk Jerky.
It's worth noting that not every person who treats you like dirt is trying to hide a deep-rooted romantic attraction that they just can't admit to. Some people just genuinely hate you.
—Johnathan Grey Carter, Science Explains The Tsundere Appeal
"Don't be misled—behind that cold, austere, severe exterior, there beats a heart of stone."
—Cyril Ritchard, on Metropolitan Opera impresario Rudolph Bing
"Guess I was an idiot for thinking you capable of feeling compassion or a sense of obligation."
—Krillin to Cell, Dragon Ball Fighter Z
"Beneath that gruff exterior is a gruff interior."
—Betty Brant on J. Jonah Jameson, Spider-Man (1967)
Monster in the Darkness: I don't think he [Xykon] has any love to earn.
Tsukiko: Sure he does, he just hides it beneath that tough bony exterior.
MitD: He doesn't hide anything beneath his bones. I've seen.
Tsukiko: Sure he does, he just hides it beneath that tough bony exterior.
MitD: He doesn't hide anything beneath his bones. I've seen.
Rufus: It's the last tree left. I hope it doesn't croak.
Where would I test my herbicides?
Where would I test my herbicides?
Muriel: Eustace, have ye no sense of hospitality?
Eustace: (with a huge grin) Nope.
Eustace: (with a huge grin) Nope.
Kim: I mean, look at yourself.
Volition: Yes, look at yourself. What do you see?
The Detective: A good guy. Underneath it all.
Volition: If that good guy never comes out, what difference does it make?
Volition: Yes, look at yourself. What do you see?
The Detective: A good guy. Underneath it all.
Volition: If that good guy never comes out, what difference does it make?
"I'm a motherfucker with a heart; whereas you? You're just a motherfucker."
— Mother's Milk to Billy Butcher, The Boys (2019), "Get Some"
Eliot didn't say anything. For all the years of his life he'd spent with Janet, he'd never really known her, not deep down. Sometimes he looked at her and thought, Gosh, I wonder what's underneath all that anger, all that hard glossy armour? Maybe there's just an innocent, wounded little girl in there who wants to come out and play and be loved and be happy. But now he wondered if maybe that little girl was long gone, or if she'd ever been there at all. What was under all that armor, all that anger? More anger and more armor. Anger and armor, all the way down.
Roy Mustang: I saw you at General Hughes' funeral. Your hands were trembling. So did you fake that as well?
Wrath/King Bradley: Why must everyone make such a fuss over the death of a single soldier? The moment a soldier dons his uniform, he accepts the reality that he might be buried in it. And about my hands... Hughes' child screeched throughout the entirety of his funeral. My hands were trembling with anger.
Wrath/King Bradley: Why must everyone make such a fuss over the death of a single soldier? The moment a soldier dons his uniform, he accepts the reality that he might be buried in it. And about my hands... Hughes' child screeched throughout the entirety of his funeral. My hands were trembling with anger.
"You don't like me? I don't give a damn! Shut your mouths! Keep buying my dolls! Buy my T-shirts! Yeah, the economy might be bad! There's a lot of ya out there suffering! Guess what, I ain't one of them!"
— Kevin Nash, to the crowd after blindsiding Ricky Morton with a Jackknife Powerbomb while reconciling, AWE Night of Legends
Mary: I thought, well, assuming there's a person under that cold, formal exterior, why don't I try to bring him out?
Moran: How'd you do?
Mary: Well, the only thing I can figure out, he puts on the front so no one will know what an asshole he really is.
Moran: How'd you do?
Mary: Well, the only thing I can figure out, he puts on the front so no one will know what an asshole he really is.
— On Andres de Boya, Cat Chaser
"Those who have never been under Jimmy Price's supervision believe him to be a lovable curmudgeon. Like most curmudgeons, he is really a mean old man."
Scarlet Scarab: Plan B? But guys, we can't be serious about using Cyclone's bomb to wipe out their entire planet.
Blue Bowman: And why not?
Scarlet Scarab: Because after that, what other crime could possibly taste as sweet?
Blue Bowman: And why not?
Scarlet Scarab: Because after that, what other crime could possibly taste as sweet?
Tucker: But that's Locus! Your enemy!
Felix: Right, and I'm the charismatic mercenary with a gruff exterior, but a heart of gold. A little too romantic, don't you think?
Felix: Right, and I'm the charismatic mercenary with a gruff exterior, but a heart of gold. A little too romantic, don't you think?
Jeff: You're wrong about my dad! He cares more about me than anything.
Henry: (comes out with police officers and points them to Jeff) There's your criminal, just give me the money. That's all I care about, money. Not Jeff, money.
Jeff: See! Wait, am I Jeff or Money? Oh man, I'm Jeff.
Henry: (comes out with police officers and points them to Jeff) There's your criminal, just give me the money. That's all I care about, money. Not Jeff, money.
Jeff: See! Wait, am I Jeff or Money? Oh man, I'm Jeff.
Beatrix: Why did he accept me?
Bill: Because he's a very, very, very old man. And like all rotten bastards, when they become old, they get lonely. Now this has no effect on their disposition, but it does teach them the value of company.
Bill: Because he's a very, very, very old man. And like all rotten bastards, when they become old, they get lonely. Now this has no effect on their disposition, but it does teach them the value of company.
You know, I've been thinking about this for a long time. What does one say to a man with no conscience? I mean, I'd like to tell you about the millions of people that you've made suffer... but I'd be a total idiot to think that you'd even care.
— Forrest Taft, On Deadly Ground
"Nightmare caused all this destruction?! How dare he go so far?! How dare he?! There's nothing left for me to kill!"
— Astaroth, Soulcalibur VI
Prophet of Regret: Arbiter, you are unusually quiet. What troubles occupy your thoughts?
Arbiter Ripa 'Moramee: Hierarch, I do not wish to be impudent, but you have charged me with the destruction of humanity-
Prophet of Regret: A most noble cause, for one with such a troubled past!
Arbiter Ripa 'Moramee: And I am thankful for my task - But sire, you have me skulk in ancient ruins and search empty temples. How does this help me accomplish my goal?
Arbiter Ripa 'Moramee: Hierarch, I do not wish to be impudent, but you have charged me with the destruction of humanity-
Prophet of Regret: A most noble cause, for one with such a troubled past!
Arbiter Ripa 'Moramee: And I am thankful for my task - But sire, you have me skulk in ancient ruins and search empty temples. How does this help me accomplish my goal?
"My father's demise still saddens me... I could've turned his body into a stunning work of art."
