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Anime and Manga
"How could I let this happen to my son? He has sacrificed everything for me! And I have done nothing but ignore him!"
— Vegeta, after Cell kills Trunks, Dragon Ball Z
Audio Play
"John... you have good friends... and I have not been one of them."
— The Doctor, Big Finish Doctor Who: Master
Comic Books
Rendell Locke: In any reasonable world, I would never be allowed to touch the Keys again. My best friend is gone and it's all my fault. I was... grasping after power. The Keys only make themselves known to children because this is what happens when adults get a hold of them. Grown-ups play for advantage instead of just... playing.
Erin Voss: It was an accident.
Rendell Locke: Is that what you call it? When you do something selfish and thoughtless and people get hurt?
Fan Works
I open my mouth to chew him out, but I catch myself before I say anything. I feel like I'm the one who's been victimized by everyone on Pack Street. The thought never occurred to me that they're seeing me at my worst.
He thought of everything... All the times he had ever been abused in his life... All the times he had bullied those two kids... The very moment his friends left him alone... And how it all seemed to connect somehow. They... They were right. He WAS too harsh to people, too abrasive. His reasoning behind the bullying was twisted. Roy wanted to punch himself so badly, but... the only thing he could do was just sniffle.
— Spooky Hatzgang, "Disbanded
"
" Film — Animation
Twilight Sparkle: I'm so sorry you felt so alone.
Tempest Shadow: I saw the truth. My "friends" abandoned me when times got tough. Looks like I'm not the only one. Face it, princess. Friendship has failed you, too.
Twilight Sparkle: Friendship didn't fail me... I failed friendship.
Tempest Shadow: I saw the truth. My "friends" abandoned me when times got tough. Looks like I'm not the only one. Face it, princess. Friendship has failed you, too.
Twilight Sparkle: Friendship didn't fail me... I failed friendship.
"You know what? You guys are jerks, which is very conflicting for me."
— Puss in Boots to his past lives, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
Medicine Woman/"Boob Lady": (in vision) Unless you have an epiphany... you will spend the remainder of your days alone.
Homer: Epiphany, epiphany, epiphany. Ooh! Bananas are an excellent source of potassium.
(Homer gets slapped again)
Homer: More than two shakes and it's playing with yourself?
Homer: Hey, what are you doing?
(Homer gets picked up by the trees, who pull him apart and his body starts to melt)
Homer: Oh, do whatever you want to me. I don't care about myself anymore...
(Homer's body solidifies again and the tree branches gesture "Go on...")
"Boob Lady": (V.O.) Because...?
Homer: (gasps in realization) Because other people are just as important as me. Without them, I'm nothing. In order to save myself... I have to save Springfield! That's it! Isn't it?
(the trees put Homer back together and cheer and applaud)
Homer: (waking up) That was the most incredible experience of my life. And now to find my family, save my town and drop 10 pounds! Thank you, Boob Lady!
Literature
When he saw his face in the mirror, that was the face he carried around in the back of his own head: he never saw his profile; he never saw the back of his own head; he never saw what other people saw. It was the same with his personality. He carried around an idealized picture of himself; he was the smart, sensitive person who did this good thing or that good thing. He buried the bad bits. He covered up and ignored the flaws. All his faults were forgiven and forgotten.
But now he was faced with them; all his shortcomings, personified in his other self.
Rimmer had never been aware of how awesomely petty he could be. How alarmingly immature. How selfish. How he could, on occasion, be incomprehensibly stupid. How sad he was, how screwed-up and lonely.
And he was seeing this for the first time.
But now he was faced with them; all his shortcomings, personified in his other self.
Rimmer had never been aware of how awesomely petty he could be. How alarmingly immature. How selfish. How he could, on occasion, be incomprehensibly stupid. How sad he was, how screwed-up and lonely.
And he was seeing this for the first time.
— Red Dwarf: Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers
"That day Orion introduced us, I acted like all I needed to have you be my friend was let you know that I was willing to let you talk to me. Like I'm so special. But I'm not. I'm just lucky."
Live-Action TV
The person who is breathing is me. The person... with an arm is me. The person with two arms is me. The person who is sick of having creepy baby imagery shoved in her face is me. The person who is sick of being judged is me!
[Beat]
The person who deserves this is me. Maybe I am just a ball of slime. Maybe I always was a ball of slime...
—Rita Farr, Doom Patrol (2019), "Therapy Patrol"
"Oooohhhhhh... I get it. I'm not persecuted, I'm just an asshole."
— Latrelle after discovering that the coworker he accused of being a homophobe is actually Straight Gay, Key & Peele
Music
I turn on the TV and I don't like what I see
There's an old punk rocker acting like a jerk
and that jerk looks a lot like me
There's an old punk rocker acting like a jerk
and that jerk looks a lot like me
I thought that I was living
Out the perfect life
But in the lonely hours
When the moon's the only light
I thought about the times
I turned my back and stalled
I ain't no nice guy after all
I ain't no nice guy after all
— Motörhead and Ozzy Osbourne, "I Ain't No Nice Guy"
Web Animation
Red Manuel: You still do not show respect!
Skout: Just 'cuz you have the rank, doesn't mean people will respect you!
Red Manuel: I worked my whole life for this! My whole life. And... And still nobody cares! I tell my mother I'm captain now, she says "Oh mejito, why only Captain and not Don?" My wife cackling every time Toth beats me... Why is it always the same? Why!?
Skout: I-I mean, to be honest, you're uh... You're kind of a jerk.
Red Manuel: [stunned] Oh... Oh my god.
Skout: Just 'cuz you have the rank, doesn't mean people will respect you!
Red Manuel: I worked my whole life for this! My whole life. And... And still nobody cares! I tell my mother I'm captain now, she says "Oh mejito, why only Captain and not Don?" My wife cackling every time Toth beats me... Why is it always the same? Why!?
Skout: I-I mean, to be honest, you're uh... You're kind of a jerk.
Red Manuel: [stunned] Oh... Oh my god.
— Nomad of Nowhere, "Fiesta"
Webcomics
"Oh I can hear what you're saying, Dad. "Oh, so you really became a fighter just because you wanted the glory, then?" No, Dad, as usual, you've missed the point. I went to Fighter College because I wanted to help people. To protect the weak and— The weak. Oh gods. Elan! Am I really so intent on wallowing in my own self-pity that I'm willing to cast a helpless innocent to those thieves? What is wrong with me? I'm a disgrace to my alignment! Well, that's going to change now. Thanks for setting me straight, Dad."
— Roy, The Order of the Stick, "Soliloquy"
Axel: We've faced worse than this. Remember when Disneyworld was destroyed?
Marluxia: Larxene did that.
Axel: Well, what about that plane that got hijacked?
Marluxia: You hijacked that plane.
Axel: Okay, but there was that corrupt government.
Marluxia: That was, and still is Zexion.
Axel: Wow, we're assholes.
Marluxia: Larxene did that.
Axel: Well, what about that plane that got hijacked?
Marluxia: You hijacked that plane.
Axel: Okay, but there was that corrupt government.
Marluxia: That was, and still is Zexion.
Axel: Wow, we're assholes.
Western Animation
Kevin: Where's Gwen?
Ben: Went home. You hurt her pretty bad.
Kevin: I hurt her? I'm the one that looks like this, and she hasn't done a thing about it!
Ben: [angry] You're a giant, rock-faced jerk!
Kevin: Yeah, whatever.
Ben: No, not whatever. She's been spending every spare moment going through every magic book she can find to try and help you. She's been doing it since the accident!
[beat as Kevin realizes he was a Jerkass]
Kevin: [stuttering] Sh-she never told me.
Ben: Should she have had to?
Ben: Went home. You hurt her pretty bad.
Kevin: I hurt her? I'm the one that looks like this, and she hasn't done a thing about it!
Ben: [angry] You're a giant, rock-faced jerk!
Kevin: Yeah, whatever.
Ben: No, not whatever. She's been spending every spare moment going through every magic book she can find to try and help you. She's been doing it since the accident!
[beat as Kevin realizes he was a Jerkass]
Kevin: [stuttering] Sh-she never told me.
Ben: Should she have had to?
— Ben 10: Alien Force, "In Charm's Way"
Maddie: Settle down now, Jack. It's all right. This whole business about Danny being the ghost boy has got me just as confused and baffled as you.
Jack: Imagine, our own son has had ghost powers all this time and has kept them a secret from us. But we love him! I wonder why he didn't trust us enough to tell us.
Jazz: Hmm, let me guess. [mimicking Jack] "Hey, Maddie, let's destroy the ghost!" [mimicking Maddie] "No, Jack, let's dissect the ghost." [mimicking Jack again] "I know, let's catch the ghost and rip it apart molecule by molecule!" [normal voice] You guys are so understanding.
[Jack and Maddie drop their gazes in shame]
Jack: Imagine, our own son has had ghost powers all this time and has kept them a secret from us. But we love him! I wonder why he didn't trust us enough to tell us.
Jazz: Hmm, let me guess. [mimicking Jack] "Hey, Maddie, let's destroy the ghost!" [mimicking Maddie] "No, Jack, let's dissect the ghost." [mimicking Jack again] "I know, let's catch the ghost and rip it apart molecule by molecule!" [normal voice] You guys are so understanding.
[Jack and Maddie drop their gazes in shame]
Stan: Oh, I can't believe this. The kids are gonna die and it's all my fault. Because I couldn't shake your stupid hand! Ugh, dad was right about me. I am a screw-up.
Ford: Ah, don't blame yourself. I'm the one who made a deal with Bill in the first place. I fell for all his easy flattery. You would have seen him for the scam artist he is.
Stan: How did things get so messed up between us?
Ford: We used to be like Dipper and Mabel. The world's about to end and they still work together. How do they do it?
Stan: Easy. They're kids. They don't know any better.
Ford: Ah, don't blame yourself. I'm the one who made a deal with Bill in the first place. I fell for all his easy flattery. You would have seen him for the scam artist he is.
Stan: How did things get so messed up between us?
Ford: We used to be like Dipper and Mabel. The world's about to end and they still work together. How do they do it?
Stan: Easy. They're kids. They don't know any better.
— Gravity Falls, "Weirdmageddon 3: Take Back The Falls"
"Well, that's fine if [Strawberry Sunrise] doesn't like 'em! But if she knew how hard we worked to make our apples perfect, maybe she wouldn't be so mean about— [Beat] Ohhhhhhh... Oh, boy."
— Applejack, getting a taste of her own medicine after driving off some designers from a fashion contest, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, "Honest Apple"
"Why is it whenever I'm having fun, it's wrong?"
— Squidward, after making SpongeBob cry with his harmful prank, SpongeBob SquarePants, "Fools in April"
Captain Marvel: My whole life, I've looked up to the League. You were my heroes. Every one of you. [To Superman] And you... you were more than a hero. I idolized you. I wanted to be you. Whenever I was out there facing down the bad guys, I'd think, "What would Superman do?" Now I know. I believe in fair play. I believe in taking people at their word and giving them the benefit of the doubt. Back home, I've come up against my share of pretty nasty bad guys, but I never had to act the way they did to win a fight. I always found another way. I... I guess I'm saying I-I like being a hero, a symbol, and that's why I'm... quitting the Justice League. You don't act like heroes any more. [Walks out]
Superman: [with deep shame] He's right.
— Justice League, "Clash"
Amber: A dancing spell put everyone to sleep?
Sofia: I must have said it wrong! It's all my fault!
[Beat]
Amber: No, Sofia. You wouldn't have needed the spell if I didn't give you those trick shoes. I was just jealous, because...everyone likes you more than me. Even my own brother.
Sofia: That's not true, you're the most popular princess at Royal Prep. You have no idea how happy I was when I found out we were going to be stepsisters.
Amber: [sighs] Sofia, we're sisters.
Sofia: I must have said it wrong! It's all my fault!
[Beat]
Amber: No, Sofia. You wouldn't have needed the spell if I didn't give you those trick shoes. I was just jealous, because...everyone likes you more than me. Even my own brother.
Sofia: That's not true, you're the most popular princess at Royal Prep. You have no idea how happy I was when I found out we were going to be stepsisters.
Amber: [sighs] Sofia, we're sisters.
— Sofia the First, "Once Upon a Princess"
"Holy shit, I'm a terrible father."
— Rick, Rick and Morty
Dendy: You are insufferable! Let the real K.O. back!
T.K.O.: Oh, but the real K.O. just can't wait to find out what Dendy will do once her greatest treasure is destroyed.
Dendy: That is untrue. K.O. is my friend and he'd never disregard my feelings just to see me pushed to my limits, like... like... [flashes back to what she did to K.O. earlier in the episode] I've been doing to him... this whole time. Perhaps I have not been the best friend to you, K.O.
T.K.O.: Oh, but the real K.O. just can't wait to find out what Dendy will do once her greatest treasure is destroyed.
Dendy: That is untrue. K.O. is my friend and he'd never disregard my feelings just to see me pushed to my limits, like... like... [flashes back to what she did to K.O. earlier in the episode] I've been doing to him... this whole time. Perhaps I have not been the best friend to you, K.O.
— OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes, "Mystery Science Fair 201X"
Molly: I feel like I just won an award for Jerk of the Year.
Arthur: No, you didn't win. We tied.
"I am NOT in the mood, lousy amateur! You ruined my one chance at happiness! With a great guy! A guy who's scared of machines... and I'm a machine... and it was doomed from the start."
— Jenny Wakeman, My Life as a Teenage Robot, "Weapons of Mass Distraction"
