Not So Above It All: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
{{quote|'''[[The Flash|Flash]]''': What do you say to that,<ref>"That" = disobeying J'onn's explicit orders of not getting involved with the power feud between Granny Goodness and Virman Vundabar in Apokolips (due to the power vacuum left by Darkseid's disappearance) to assist Mr. Miracle and Big Barda in rescuing Oberon</ref>
'''[[The Stoic|Martian]]''' '''[[Martian Manhunter|Manhunter]]''': I was only going to ask if you wanted to play Brawlin' Bots.
'''Flash''': [[Man Child|Dibs on the green one]]! ''*dashes off*''
'''Martian Manhunter''': ''*mumbles*'' ''[[Crowning Moment of Funny|I]]'' [[Crowning Moment of Funny|wanted the green one]]...
|''[[Justice League Unlimited]]'', "The Ties That Bind"}}
The [[Straight Man]] takes a fall. His usual position is far above the prevailing attitude of his crew, [[Wacky Guy|wackiness]], pettiness, or just general [[The Slacker|slacker-itis]].
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Sometimes related to an [[Idiot Ball]] moment. Contrast [[Smart Ball]], when their dimmer co star may have a moment of clarity or tact.
{{examples}}▼
▲{{examples}}
== Anime and Manga ==
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** At the end of ''The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya'' Kyon admits to himself that he does, in fact, enjoy the crazy antics the SOS-Dan finds themselves in.
** Yuki also has moments where she just gives in to blatant silliness such as choosing a funny nickname for herself when Kyon blackmails Haruhi with one or wearing silly hats for no real reason.
* ''[[
* The entire life of Zelgadis from the anime ''[[The Slayers]]''. Originally a series villain who frequently switched sides to pursue his own agenda, he was derided for his stoicism and attempts to maintain a "cool and mysterious" image by the slapstick-prone cast and writers. By the second season the damage was done and he was seen crossdressing in a frantic attempt to enter a tennis doubles tournament with a mixed-gender teams requirement.
* In the ''[[Naruto]]'' manga, [http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x198/awambawamb/naruto/Naruto_v38_ch347_08.png Konohamaru shows Naruto his new variant of the Sexy no Jutsu, featuring two girls in a ...''compromising'' position.] Sakura was less than pleased at the Jutsu, until Konohamaru tried it on her. using [[Ho Yay|Sai and Sasuke]] instead. Worked like a charm on ''[[Yaoi Fangirl|her]]'', but then pissed Naruto off.
* This happens to Yomi in ''[[Azumanga Daioh]]'' sometimes.
* Hare, the star of the lesser-known anime ''[[
* ''[[Hen Zemi]]'': Nanako plays the straight man at the start, but as the show progresses, she realises that she isn't as [[Not So Different|different]] as she thought.
* Hiiragi from ''[[Hanamaru Kindergarten]]'' is a highly intelligent kindergartener who can read and understand adult literature. This does nothing to stop her lighting up at a chance to go down the big slide or being so overwhelmed by a compliment on her costume that she bursts into dance.
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* This happens to [[Deadpan Snarker|Chi]][[Meta Guy|same]] in ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima]]'' frequently, but most notably when {{spoiler|Poyo's [[Lotus Eater Machine]]}} proves that, despite having been forced into a [[Fantasy Kitchen Sink]], she's the happiest and most satisfied with her life of anyone in the group.
* Sakamoto the cat from ''[[Nichijou]]'' tries very hard to be the respectable adult in a household with an eight year old inventor and her one year old wind up robot. This ultimately always fails when presented with anything he can bat around with his paws.
* Nami Hitou of ''[[Sayonara, Zetsubou-sensei]]'' is the [[Dysfunction Junction|dysfunctional cast's]] [[Only Sane Man|token normal girl]]. Unfortunately, has a complex about being called normal because she equates it with boring, making her
* [[Soul Eater]] During the Lust chapter, Tsubaki is discovered to be much more perverted than anyone would have guessed. Especially considering how she reacted to Black Star peeping on her.
* During the KC Grand Prix arc of ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh (anime)|Yu-Gi-Oh]]'', Yugi's [[Stalker with a Crush]] Vivian cons Solomon into helping lure Yugi to a Chinese restaurant, then threatens to break his back unless Yugi duels her, with the condition that he becomes her "love slave" if he loses. When the duel actually starts, Joey, Duke, and Tristan seem more occupied with the buffet than the actual duel; Tea tries to convince them of the severity of the situation, not that this stops her from helping herself to the sesame chicken.
== Comic Books ==
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* On ''[[Boy Meets World]]'', Mr. Feeny puts up with Eric's wacky treatment of him (including the vaunted [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-BB-Xk9xYY Feeny Call] for years. Finally, at the end of the show, Eric gets him to admits he enjoys the Feeny Call.
* Margo Leadbetter on BBC sitcom ''[[The Good Life]]'' (from [[The Seventies]]). Famously snobbish and humourless (something which she admits she was cruelly teased about as a schoolgirl), she nonetheless can be counted on when it matters and even (much to her astonishment) actually cracks some genuinely funny remarks at times.
* Major Winchester from ''[[M*A*S*H (television)|Mash]]'' would often berate Hawkeye and B.J. for their penchant for pranks, only to pull off a few of his own.
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'''Ryu:''' Okay, okay, forget I said anything... }}
** In Original Generation Gaiden, when Ryusei asks him a name for his new move, he dubs it ''Galaxy Phantom Explosion'' (constituting a very easy seiyuu joke)
* ''[[Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al
** Vayne is a straight man mostly by his background - and he usually ends up engaging in activities like being a "Superheroes" Sidekick, or popping said Alien's spawn. ([[It Makes Sense in Context]]).
* The later stages of the Hermit link in ''[[Persona 3]]'' can have this vibe depending on how you played the {{spoiler|Magician}} link.
* [[Friendly Sniper|Sniper]] from ''[[Team Fortress 2]]'' claims to be polite, professional and have [[Cold Sniper|no emotional ties to his work]]. However, his domination lines are so very [[Hypocritical Humour|rage-filled]]. [[Tuxedo and Martini|Spy]] also says some [[Big Stupid Doodoo Head|amazingly immature things]] in his lines.
* ''[[Katawa Shoujo]]'' has a mild example. Hisao wonders how lonely you'd have to be to come up with a game that involves stepping on the right tiles on the floor. In the very next line, he finds himself stepping only on the darker tiles.
* Early on in ''[[Blaze Union]]'', when the party commandeers a beat-up cannon from an enemy, they decide it would be a good idea to try using it for
== Web Comics ==
* Zoe is usually the [[Straight Man]] in ''[[Sluggy Freelance]]'', but, at least when it comes to sorting through a love triangle, [https://web.archive.org/web/20150109005211/http://www.sluggy.com/daily.php?date=010403 she can get pretty crazy herself].
** Not to mention that the reason she became the Stormbreaker (and thus targetted by various demons, at least one of whom has used a cult to try to do Zoe in) was because she feared she was "boring", and thus leapt at a chance to participate in one of the guys' more than usually harebrained schemes. She's exceptionally gung-ho about going back in time to save beer... at least until they end up in the wrong time period without a way back.
* Invoked in ''[[PvP]]'': when the gang discovers that Jade is a [[Former Teen Rebel]], Francis considers that this brings her down to their level and everyone immediately starts chanting "One of us! One of us!" (which is exactly what Jade feared would happen).
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** Also Spades Slick, [http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=003065 notorious] [http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=003203 gang leader].
** [http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=003678 And the Authority Regulator].
* Happens over and over in ''[[Shortpacked]]''
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* Although she's not really like that any more, back when [[The Nostalgia Chick]] was the [[Only Sane Woman]] on the site, she reviewed ''[[She-Ra: Princess of Power|She Ra Princess of Power]]'' and asked [[Tempting Fate|how gay could it possibly be]]. She's dissuaded of this notion about [[Ho Yay|five minutes in]].
** Reviewing the ''[[X-Men (animation)|X-Men]]'' cartoon, she declares that she's only interested in an intellectual, academic analysis. Her [[Mad Scientist]] "friend" jabs her with a [[Truth Serum]] which brings out the [[
* ''[[Red vs. Blue]]'': [[Sanity Slippage]] is common in Blood Gulch. [[Drill Sergeant Nasty|Sarge]] becomes a little more unhinged the more time he spends with his troops. [[The Medic|Doc]] is introduced in Season 2 to [[Lampshade Hanging|Lampshade]] how insane both armies are, but in later episodes [[Dissonant Serenity|his politeness and level-headed nature]] are [[Played for Laughs]]. Things take a darker turn with {{spoiler|Wash}}, whose initial run as the [[Straight Man]] to the Reds and Blues [[Beware the Nice Ones|pushes him]] [[Moral Event Horizon|too far]].
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** In another ''Futurama'' case, in the episode "War is the H-Word", it turns out Kif can be just as much of a [[Mean Boss]] as Zapp is to him.
*** May be more a case of [[He Who Fights Monsters]], in that his constant abuse from Zap has led him to take it out on anyone under his own command.
* A milder version than most takes place at the end of one episode of ''[[Justice League (animation)|Justice League Unlimited]]''. After [[The Flash]], feeling he's not appreciated and seen as immature, goes against orders to help rescue a friend of Scott Free, he meets with the [[Martian Manhunter]] following the mission. Flash begins to defend himself, expecting [[The Spock|J'onn]] to admonish him for his immaturity...instead, J'onn just wanted to play [[Bland-Name Product|Brawlin' Bots]].
** Another good example is J'onn's addiction to Oreo Cookies.
* Various episodes of ''[[Aqua Teen Hunger Force]]'' show that when given the chance, Frylock is just as corrupt as either Shake or Carl if given the chance to embrace his urges.
* ''[[Family Guy]]''
** Lois normally falls under [[Women Are Wiser]]. However, it's only really in comparison to her husband, as she gets a [[It's Been Done|gambling addiction]] in one episode, becomes a kleptomaniac in another, and when she gets elected mayor, embezzles from the town and accepts bribes. Lois' role in the show in modern episodes consists near solely of this trope. She generally only exhibits Straight Man behavior for a short time before acting as [[The Ditz|stupid]] or [[Jerkass|callous]] as her husband.
** Meg, in that she sometimes makes fun out of other Griffin members when the situation calls for it e.g. Chris being made fun
** Brian has been getting this treatment lately. Where he used to be the [[Only Sane Man]], the past few seasons have seen him developing more and more [[Jerkass]] tendencies.
* ''[[The Simpsons (animation)|The Simpsons]]''
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** In "The Father, the Son, and the Holy Guest Star," in a refreshing twist, it is Marge, not Homer, who learns a lesson about tolerance. (Though less satisfyingly, Marge's [[Compressed Vice|dislike of Catholics]] is [[Take Our Word for It|never fully explained]]).
** When the family has Mr. Burn's teddy bear [[Number One Dime|Bobo]].
{{quote|'''Marge''': I'm sure he'll offer us a fair reward. ([[Beat]]) [[Out-of-Character Moment|And then we'll make him double it!]]
'''Family''': Huh?
'''Marge''': [[Lampshade Hanging|Well, why can't I be greedy once in a while?]] }}
:* Marge even supports Homer and Bart bootlegging booze when Springfield outlaws alcohol.
* Dr Quinn of ''[[Sealab 2021]]'' tries in vain to avoid this, but especially as the series went on, would eventually succumb.▼
:* Even Lisa, often the [[Straight Man]] to Bart, often gives in to the antics normally Homer or Bart does. In "Sweets and Sour Marge", sugar was outlawed in Springfield. First, Lisa questions both Homer and Bart on going on a mission to smuggle sugar into the city. When she overhears Marge serving steamed limes, Lisa wishes them luck.
:* Also, while Lisa never bothered Moe with crank calls, she did tend to laugh when Bart did it.
▲* Dr. Quinn of ''[[Sealab 2021]]'' tries in vain to avoid this, but especially as the series went on, would eventually succumb.
* Rebecca Cunningham of ''[[Tale Spin]]'', though somewhat [[Women Are Wiser]] and more educated than Baloo, shared his ego and stubbornness as well as lacking the latter's streetwise aspects and thus fell into this trope a frequent amount of times. Sometimes even he could be surprised how [[Cloudcuckoolander|out of her mind]] Rebecca acted at times.
{{quote|'''Rebecca:''' "Face it Baloo, you're too gullible, [[Tempting Fate|I would never fall for something like that, no possible way...]]"}}
* Aunt Amy of ''[[Daria]]'' was once brought in to settle a dispute between her sisters, with the expectation that, as a
** The normally stoic Daria gets in on it during "The Teachings of Don Jake". Daria cracks a joke about the congress asking Jake for $250 billion a year for the military, causing a blood vessel in Jake's eye to burst, then tells Quinn to go get the camera. This prompts a camping trip in order to help Jake with his stress-induced health problems. At the end of the episode, {{spoiler|Jake's blood vessel in his eye bursts again upon seeing the bill for their rescue after eating wild berries. Daria tells Helen to get Jake's medicine... and Quinn to go get the camera.}}
* Twilight Sparkle from ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic|My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic]]'' likes to regard herself as the [[Only Sane Man|Only Sane Mare]]: her first impression of the citizens of Ponyville is "All the ponies in this town are ''crazy!''" However, Twilight frequently displays lapses in
** In "The Ticket Master", Spike calls the Gala "girly frou-frou nonsense," but once everyone is out of sight, is upset at being the only one without a ticket. Celestia sends down one for him, and he immediately [[Squee
{{quote|'''Spike:''' [[Verbal Backspace|I mean, gross! I have to go, too?]]}}
** Both Spike and Twilight tend to backhand this role onto ''each other'' since they so often play [[The Straight Man]] to each other's shortcomings. ''Both'' characters neared outright [[Anti-Villain]] territory after going off the deep end at separate points, and ''both'' had to snap the other out of it.
** Applejack tends to act as [[The Straight Man|The Straight Mare]] whenever these two are out of the picture, however having the key traits of a rowdy cowgirl, she naturally plays up at times. She can be rather over assertive and is apparently [[Stubborn Mule|stubborn enough to make a mule look rashional]].
* Heloise on ''[[Jimmy Two-Shoes]]'' regularly rolls her eyes at the antics Jimmy and Beezy cause, and their insane childish activities. However, she has fallen victim to [[Kids Prefer Boxes]] and is shown to be extremely
* Benson from ''[[Regular Show]]''. One word: {{spoiler|OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!!!}}
* Elise in ''[[Dan Vs.]]'' tries to avoid getting caught up in Dan's vengeance, and early on tried to keep Chris from getting dragged into it too. Then again, ''in the very first episode'', she shares Dan's hatred of New Mexico (her grudge has lasted ''since childhood'') and takes her revenge even further {{spoiler|he "settles" for ruining the annual hot air balloon event, she hijacks an alien warship, slaughters road-runners, and ''blows up cities''}}. In "Dan Vs. George Washington", she
* ''[[Kung Fu Panda]]'' has at least three of those moments:
** The Furious Five should be trained to not be envious - whoever gets chosen as the Dragon Warrior. They obviously are when Po is chosen.
** Master Shifu says that
** Master Oogway is so calm and relaxed and zen that there
* From ''[[The Legend of Korra]],'' Tenzin ''tries'' to be the stoic Airbending master that he really is. The problem is that the universe simply will ''not'' let him stay stoic for long. Whether it's Korra using his mother against him in an argument, or his youngest (baby) son using a potted plant as a restroom, the stoicism is never around for long.
** And
* In ''[[Codename: Kids Next Door]]'', Numbuh Five is usually [[Straight Man| the most level-headed and serious]] member of the team, and the first one to call out Numbuh Two over his bad jokes. However, in "Operation: B.U.T.T.", even she can't resist laughing at the jokes Two makes about the size of Numbuh One's behind.
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Comedy Tropes]]
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