"I act scary Mike, but most of the time… I'm terrified."
— James P. Sullivan, Monsters University
Some people just can’t stand the idea of showing weakness or appearing vulnerable to others. They are so prideful or desperately hungry for the respect of others, or trying to bury their feelings of insecurity or inadequacy that the concept of others perceiving their insecurities or weaknesses looks unbearable to them.
To make up for their insecurities and weakness, and to prevent others from perceiving them, these characters will adopt a facade of strength, toughness and smugness with them acting as if they were far more formidable that they actually are, and as if others were far below them when it comes to power, capabilities and/or intelligence, while also acting as if they were insensible to and incapable of human weaknesses. Some will even come to really believe that they are as strong and invulnerable as they claim to be, so strongly they are in denial about their weaknesses, even when they are nothing but weak cowards at heart.
But sooner or later that facade will crack, as they face situations and problems that they can’t solve by faking their strength, or persons who will see them for who they truly are and refuse to indulge them in their fantasy, with the results being disastrous for them as they either completely break down when karma catches up with them, die or end up all alone as a result of their actions alienating others.
Though it’s possible for them, after their facade is gone, to go through Character Development and to genuinely overcome their insecurities if they finally acknowledge their insecurities and vulnerabilities, and work to become better and braver persons than they were.
The opposite of Fake Weakness, I Am Not Left-Handed, Obfuscating Disability, or Wounded Gazelle Gambit when characters fake being weaker than they are to cause others to underestimate them and manipulate them, and lure their foes into a false sense of security.
A subtrope of Inferiority Superiority Complex.
May overlap with Believing Their Own Lies, Boisterous Weakling, Dirty Coward, The Social Darwinist when characters pretend to have a survival of the fittest mindset but are not as strong as they claim to be, Smug Snake, Beneath the Mask, Small Name, Big Ego, Sad Clown, Stepford Smiler, Fake Ultimate Hero, Sour Outside, Sad Inside, Paper Tiger, or Thin-Skinned Bully.
Examples:
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Anime & Manga
- The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You:
- Kishika publicly presents herself as a mature and knightly kendo club captain who is able to manage the responsibilities of looking after her siblings. Beneath the surface is a strong desire to be pampered like a baby that causes her to act like one when someone pampers her.
- Saki puts up a tough girl front as a way of flaunting her status as the oldest student at the school on account of being Held Back in School. In reality, she’s always quick to buckle in physical fights, even against children, and invariably sucks up to anyone older than her.
- Dragon Ball: Downplayed with Mr. Satan who acts as if he is the strongest man in the world and that there’s nothing that can faze him, though in truth in terms of strength he’s completely ridiculous compared to the Z-Team and the foes they face such as Frieza, Cell or Majin Buu, with him being in denial about his powerlessness compared to them for a while, and taking credit for Cell's defeat to satisfy his own ego. That said, he’s also a genuinely brave and heroic man who wants to save the world and becomes humbler as the story goes on. He plays a crucial role into helping Goku put an end to Kid Buu’s terror with him persuading the people of Earth to give their energy for Goku's Genkidama, and later rescuing Vegeta after Kid Buu used him as a shield to prevent Goku from using said Genkidama against him, and both Goku and Piccolo acknowledge and respect him for his bravery and heroism.
- The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (2016): For all of his talk of believing that Might Makes Right, King Bulblin is little more than a bully who tries to pick battles he knows he can win, and he can't stand the thought of actually losing to anyone, as shown in his debut when he resorts to calling some Bokoblins to his aid when Link cuts him multiple times. It takes losing two consecutive fights to Link and an extended Villainous BSoD before King Bulblin finally pulls himself out of his funk and accepts who he is.
- One Piece: Arlong is the Small-Town Tyrant of Nami's home, extorting humans for tribute and being racist towards them...because the world outside the East Blue is filled with so many heavy hitters, his old blood brother Jinbe included, that Arlong knew he could never bring out his vision of fishman revolution on his own terms. He's come to believe his own hype by the time Luffy meets him, even though by all accounts he's no longer in his prime.
- SPY×FAMILY: Damian Desmond acts tough and superior to others, acting like he was in an entirely different league when he met Anya for the first time, but that’s a facade to hide his strong insecurities about being The Un-Favorite to his stern and strict father, Donovan Desmond.
- Yu-Gi-Oh! GX: Chazz Princeton started off as some smug upperclassman from the Obelisk Blue Dorm who, while a talented duelist in his own right, faces a lot of pressure from his older brothers, Slade and Jagger, who expect him to be the next King of Games, thereby bringing their family closer to their goal of "world domination", as both managed to reach the top of the political and economic turfs. Unfortunately, this leaves Chazz to feel crushed by their expectations and desperate to be the best, which he refuses to allow others to see. After Chazz looses to Jaden in a duel between North Academy and Duel Academy, Slade and Jagger basically disown Chazz but this gives him the freedom needed to be his own person. While Chazz never loses his attitude, he does grow both as a duelist and as a person, eventually becoming a stronger person without needing to use his strength to hide something.
Comic Books
- IDW Publishing: In the aftermath of Transformers: All Hail Megatron Starscream has seized command of the Decepticons thanks to Megatron being in a coma courtesy of Optimus Prime, while Starscream was able to grab the Matrix before the Decepticon retreat. He has taken to wearing the Matrix around his neck like a talisman, but it's very clear to almost everyone that he has no idea what he's doing as the Decepticons have gone from on the verge of defeating the Autobots once and for all to hiding out on an asteroid with supplies dwindling so badly they've resorted to cannibalism. Starscream has resorted to reacting to those questioning his leadership by waving around the Matrix and reminding them he's in charge, claiming he's just waiting for Shockwave to complete construction of a space bridge so the Decepticons can rise again. Soundwave and other members of the Decepticon leadership quietly note that no one knows what Shockwave is actually doing, since he's being secretive. Shockwave eventually reveals he really was working on a space bridge and managed to get one working... integrated into a rebuilt and upgraded Megatron's own body. The sight of a functioning Megatron shatters Starscream's facade so thoroughly he doesn't even try to fight back when Megatron begins brutalising him for his failures, much to Megatron's own disappointment.
- The Transformers (Marvel):
- Longtooth is introduced as being a fearless, almost reckless warrior prone to charging right into the Decepticons in battle. It's quickly revealed that his "fearless" persona is fueled by guilt and self-loathing, for eons before in the aftermath of a terrible battle Optimus Prime happened upon Longtooth desperately trying to save one of his badly wounded comrades. Touched by his compassion, Optimus strained himself to break away a sliver of the Creation Matrix he carried, handing it to Longtooth to heal his friend. Longtooth instead kept the shard for himself (though his comrade survived by pure luck). His shame at his self-serving nature causes him to charge into battle, partially because he hopes that if he's badly wounded enough to use up his "extra life", he'll feel absolved of his guilt. Instead, when he learns of the devastating casualties suffered on Earth in the aftermath of Starscream's rampage, he sends the Creation Matrix shard to Earth with a message for Optimus, feeling lighter than he has in centuries.
- Needlenose is recruited for the elite strike force named the Mayhem Attack Team, partially because as a Double Targetmaster he would bring plenty of firepower to the team. However, Spinister notices that Needlenose is simply projecting the image of a tough warrior, in part because he knows that if he fails to make the cut for the Mayhems the Decepticons will have no use for him. Spinister deliberately makes it seem as though he is having trouble with his simulated opponent, prompting Needlenose to save his life. This allows him to pass the test and enter the Mayhems. Spinister would later regret this, as Needlenose's cowardice eventually becomes common knowledge among the other Mayhems.
- Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers: The psychological profile for Rotorstorm notes that he projects an image of blithe, easy-going confidence to deal with his PTSD. In the comic itself, Rotorstorm jokes and boasts, with his internal narration berating himself over it. This doesn't get much chance to be pursued further, though, as the Wreckers get separated and Rotorstorm's group has the misfortune to run right into Overlord, who casually shoots Rotorstorm right between the optics.
Fan Works
- Anger Management (TLH): Lynn spends most of the story being an Adaptational Jerkass, wanting to make her brother Lincoln angry so that he can beat her up. However, deep down, her reason for doing so is because she's afraid, since she was previously beat up by him for real, so she's insecure that she's seemingly weaker than her younger, Athletically Challenged brother.
Films — Animation
- Encanto:
- Isabela, Mirabel's eldest sister, is the golden child of the Madrigal family, being beautiful and talented with her gift with the creation of plants, mainly flowers. In comparison to Mirabel, who possesses no gift, Isabela looks perfect. However, at the same time, this puts a lot of pressure on Isabela, as the family, mainly Alma, puts all their expectations on Isabela. Being "perfect" has affected Isabela in many ways, mainly making her come off as some Aloof Big Sister when in fact, she's envious of Mirabel not having all the expectations of the family hanging over her head. It's actually during an argument with Mirabel that Isabela admits she doesn't want to be perfect.
- Luisa, the middle daughter of the Madrigal family, is an Amazonian Beauty that was given the gift of immense strength. At her grandmother's behest, Luisa has used her gift to help her community. Unfortunately, this has motivated her to be as helpful as possible and when the gift begins to fade, Luisa quickly begins to fear for her self-worth. Her song, "Surface Pressure" openly reveals that Luisa feels crushed under the weight of expectations placed on her, leading Luisa to develop a complex where she believes she is worthless unless she is being ceaselessly useful, becoming very close to having a massive mental breakdown.
- Moana: Maui the demigod acts like a magnificent and pompous Smug Super in order to gain the worship and love of humans, but he’s secretly a deeply insecure person as a result of his parents having tried to drown him in the sea after his birth, and fears that he’s nothing without his magical hook, taking much encouragement and support from Moana to help him overcome his insecurities.
- Monsters University: Before he became one of the top scarers at Monsters, Inc., James P. "Sully" Sullivan was a college frat who, while talented, didn't take his studies seriously. It was only under the coaching of his rival-turned-friend, Michael "Mike" Wazowski, that he began to improve. However, beneath his bravado lies someone who is terrified of living up to the reputation of his father, a legendary scarer. Sully never admitted these fears until forced to venture into the human world to help retrieve Mike. Their heart-to-heart allows them both to realize their potential in not only escaping the human world but also working to become a scare team at Monsters, Inc.
- Mulan (1998): Downplayed case with Fa Zhou, Mulan's father. Usually a kind and patient man he puts on a stoic and accepting facade when getting conscripted, and refuses to show any fear or weakness despite his old age and health problems, out of honor and sense of duty, becoming frustrated and angry when Mulan tries to convince him to not go to war as his health is too bad and that he will surely die in battle. However when he thinks he's alone, he allows himself to drop his facade and shows that he knows he's not fit to be a soldier anymore, and that he feels very real dread about the prospect of dying in battle.
- The Super Mario Bros. Movie: Donkey Kong's arrogant Boisterous Bruiser personality is in good part a facade to hide his insecurities and "Well Done, Son" Guy issues, with him seeking to earn his father, Cranky Kong's approval. He ends up confiding in Mario after the latter saves his life, with them bonding over him being "Well Done, Son" Guy, and he gets better when Cranky Kong tells him he's proud of him.
Films — Live-Action
- The Big Lebowski: The Big Lebowski, acts as if he's a brilliant, strong and persevering millionaire who has accomplished far more than most men in his life even after having lost the use of his legs, and strongly looks down upon bums such as the Dude, even though he's only a millionaire in appearance as his fortune comes from his wife, and is controlled by his daughter Maude Lebowski who only allows him to keep the facade alive, thus making him one of the bums he claims to hate so much.
- By the Sword: Villard Jr. is an Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy when it comes to fencing, believing the modern world is too soft, and yet also ponders his hypothetical ability to live in the age when swordsmen fought to the death, and has both contempt and respect for his late father, who suffered an Undignified Death in the one "real" fight he had. It takes fighting and losing a real duel against his father's atoning killer to accept that, no, he can't make it in an eat-or-be-eaten world, but yes, he truly is worthy of being a maestro of fencing.
- Jumanji: Alan Parrish refuses to admit that he's afraid and often acts cynical, rude and very stern throughout the movie, especially when accused of being afraid, which greatly angers him. He's a deeply traumatized man after spending years trapped in Jumanji and having great guilt and issues with his dead father whom he left in bad terms, only to learn his father ruined himself to find him and died heartbroken during his absence, and who has spent most of his life running away from his fears. Over the course of the movie he learns to admit and confront his fears, finally facing Van Pelt at the end of the film and ending the game.
- The Wizard of Oz (1939): The Cowardly Lion initially tries to pretend he's brave by threatening to fight Dorothy and her friends, and growling at Toto the dog. However, when Dorothy dresses him down, he bursts into Inelegant Blubbering and reveals that he's actually a coward.
Literature
- Discussed by Harry Dresden: Supernatural beings tend to be "predators", so if you show any weakness, it can be see as an opportunity to attack or otherwise take advantage of you, but if you present yourself as being in full control, or otherwise an handful to take out, they'll leave you alone. This can even include hiding the fact that you're one short step away from an emotional breakdown due to not being able to help someone else... or you'll get an offer of "help" that will very likely cost more than you would be willing to pay if you were in a more positive frame of mind.
- Ozma of Oz: The Wheelers act like bullies toward Dorothy, write warnings on walls and pretend to be horrible creatures. However, their limbs are useless for anything but wheeling around, so once confronted with an actual threat and someone capable of seeing past the facade, all they can do is cry and beg for their secret to be kept.
- Revenge of the Sith: Anakin Skywalker's fearless and confident attitude is revealed to be largely a mask that hides a deeply scarred and traumatized man who's been marked by slavery, the separation with and then death of his mother, and the horrors and losses caused by the Clone Wars such as during the Battles of Geonosis, Jabiim (where he lost many friends, and where Obi-Wan was believed to be dead) or Aargonar; and who's desperate to preserve and save his remaining loved ones. Unfortunately this and the fact that he only opens up about his insecurities and fears before Palpatine, makes him vulnerable to the latter's manipulations, which allows Palpatine/Darth Sidious to turn him to the Dark Side and make him his apprentice in order to save Padmé's life.
- A Song of Ice and Fire:
- Tywin Lannister has a knack for image politics; while he's no pushover on his own his greatest strength is in tricking others into not crossing him in the first place. Looking at his life from a more objective standpoint, he's not nearly as successful as he'd like to believe he is (Robb kicks his ass in the Riverlands campaign) and many of his "victories" are really time-delayed defeats ( the Red Wedding and fallout thereof is looking to turn the North to Stannis and the Riverlands to any side not the Lannisters, his terror campaigns created the Sparrows who swiped power right out from under Cersei, and killing Elia and her kids turned the Martells permanently against the Lannisters). His unflappable persona is a very carefully curated ruse to hide that he's Not So Above It All and is in fact ruled by base emotions and impulses such as fear (he's incredibly insecure and spends his every waking moment working to ensure that everyone agrees he's super awesome and scary and never the butt of the joke), greed (he absolutely refuses to let an opportunity for more power or stuff go), lust ( he hires prostitutes despite his image being partially based on this act being a vice and admission of weakness), and petty tantrums (he abuses Tyrion because he's upset his wife died and doesn't want to admit that there's no one he can reasonably punish for it). He also surrounds himself with people in awe of him who look smart and objective, but on closer inspection do so because of their own biases; Kevan was also affected emotionally by the Lannisters being mocked when he was a kid and is so grateful to Tywin for stopping it that it made him willfully ignorant of Tywin's faults, Pycelle looked up to a previous Lord Hightower who prevented an epidemic by swift and ruthless action and is projecting that incident on Tywin (when in reality Tywin's ruthless actions are almost never in response to a clear and present danger), and Tywin's children were raised on pro-Tywin propaganda (hence why Jaime thinks that threatening Edmure Tully with brutal violence so he doesn't actually have to do said brutal violence is something Tywin would do when Tywin would start with the real brutality, and Tyrion believes that he can prove himself to his father and is shocked that Tywin slandered Tysha).
- House Greyjoy and the Ironborn as a whole, pretend to be fearsome raiders and conquerors who are superior to the "greenlanders" (the people of the mainland) because they live on harsh lands, of their more violent lifestyle and them "paying the Iron Price" by taking what they want by force. In truth they are little more than petty, delusional pirates, who haven’t been able to keep up with the other kingdoms in terms of military strength, and whose reaver lifestyle went obsolete long ago, who envy and resent the mainlanders for living on larger lands with more resources and riches than they do.
Live-Action TV
- Breaking Bad: Walter White hides under the persona of the ruthless drug kingpin "Heisenberg" and systematically refuses getting any help, even sincere help that would make life much easier for him and his family, all because of his massive pride and insecurities with him being unable to stand the idea of being seen as a weak man or dependent on others. HE destroyed his chances to become rich and successful legally just because he couldn't stand feeling dependent on Gretchen's wealthy family and, as he tells his son Walt Jr, he doesn't want to be remembered as a weak, dying man.
- Chicago Fire: Deconstructed with Jessica "Chili" Chilton, a paramedic at Firehouse 51. Chili initially got along fine with her coworkers but beyond that she never truly bonded with them or saw them as family as this trope correlated with her Fatal Flaw; her fear of vulnerability. Chili would rather put up an untouchable facade or drink herself giddy than admit she needs support from another person. This only gets worse when various tragedies happen, namely her sister is found dead, but rather than confront her pain and find a healthy way to handle it, Chili bottles it up and lashes out at her coworkers when her emotional baggage becomes too much. It ultimately comes to a head when her drinking affects her work, her judgement most of all, that Boden is ultimately forced to fire her.
- The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance: skekVar the original General of the Skeksis, is an aggressive brute who suggests the most aggressive and brutal solutions to the Skeksis' problems and who enjoys bullying and treating others as weaklings, save for Emperor skekSo. Beneath his brutish and hot-blooded exterior, however, he's a cowardly and insecure individual whose bellicosity is a way for him to cover his weaknesses.
- Loki: At the end of the first episode, Loki admits to Mobius and himself that he had been hurting people and making them terrified so that he can feel in control and hide the fact that he feels weak.
- The Sopranos: Tony Soprano spends most of the series cultivating an alpha-male exterior, even praising Gary Cooper as a model of ideal masculinity, acting tough, ruthless and blunt almost all the time—whether with his immediate family or as a mobster. He certainly enjoys being feared and operating through intimidation; however, in his sessions with Melfi, it becomes clear that he is a deeply emotionally damaged and insecure Manchild who needs someone to listen to him, but also to validate his narcissistic ego.
Music
- Minutes to Midnight by Linkin Park: In "Leave Out All the Rest", the singer confesses: "I am strong on the surface, not all the way through."
Toys
- Transformers:
- Thrust tries to project an image of an intimidating and fearsome warrior, alongside his wingmen Ramjet and Dirge. However, this is a facade as he prefers to pick on targets that can't fight back. The reason for this is because he's painfully aware that of the Seekers, he really is nothing special. Unlike the others (Starscream, Thundercracker, Skywarp, Ramjet and Dirge), he doesn't even have any special abilities or powers note .
- Dirge presents himself as a quiet, morose and mournful warrior, one whom even his close comrades Ramjet and Thrust find a bit unnerving. His special ability is to cause his engines to emit a subsonic hum that triggers the part of the brain that controls fear, thus allowing him to frighten and unnerve opponents simply by showing up. However, at least part of his grim facade is an attempt to maintain some sort of control over his life, as in truth he'd much prefer a life of solitude and quiet than one of conquest. When things go against him in combat, his courage evaporates and his usefulness as a warrior with it.
- Blast-Off of the Combaticons is a cold, aloof warrior. As he transforms into a space shuttle, when not acting as the team transport he is often placed high in orbit where he can help bounce communications between friendlies below as well as bombard enemies with impunity with his laser cannons. His cold, aloof air is actually a coping mechanism to deal with his crippling loneliness, as Decepticons capable of reaching orbit under their own power can be counted on one hand (and Astrotrain is much more valuable as a troop transport), forcing him to spend much of his time alone in space. Combaticon leader Onslaught is aware of Blast-Off's loneliness, but there isn't really much he can do about it since Blast-Off is simply too valuable in his role.
- The Aerialbot combiner Superion is a powerful warrior, but like virtually all combiners, he is plagued by mental issues. In Superion's case, he projects an image of an aloof but loyal ally, something that rubs some Autobots the wrong way due to making them feel like he looks down on them. The truth is that Silverbolt, the Aerialbot commander, does his utmost to keep Superion's mind on task by focusing purely on destroying the Decepticons before him. Otherwise, he's afraid his own fear of heights will overwhelm Superion and dramatically reduce his effectiveness.
- Slingshot, a member of the aforementioned Aerialbots, is a braggart who makes himself unpopular with other Autobots by constantly talking himself up. Those who know him know that the reason for this is because he's painfully aware that he's actually the slowest and weakest of the Aerialbots, and so tries to make up for this by talking a big game and doing his damnedest to live up to it.
Video Games
- Darksiders II: Death, the most powerful and feared of the Four Horseman certainly lives up to his name and reputation but beneath the cold, calculating and ruthless exterior lies someone who feels genuine guilt for his past actions, namely the genocide of his own people, the Nephilim, along with a number of other unsaid actions. He refuses to even confide in his brethren about his past, making Death something of a mystery to them, despite being their leader. While Death is quick to claim that he regrets nothing, more perceptive individuals can see that the Pale Horseman does indeed feel remorse over his act of kinslaying, being the slowest of the Four to forgive himself. However, Death has clarified that he has never regretted the execution of his actions, he regrets the necessity of them, feeling that he was serving a greater cause such as protecting the Balance. His quest to clear his brother, War's name in starting the End War early, dooming humanity in the process, inadvertently forces Death to confront his past actions in clashing with his fallen brother Absalom, now the source of the realm-infecting Corruption.
- Final Fantasy VII: Cloud's demeanor as a cold, stoic, professional ex-SOLDIER turns out to be this. It's based on how Cloud perceived Zack, as Cloud himself never made it into SOLDIER. But following their imprisonment, torture and escape, and Zack sacrificing himself for Cloud, Cloud, in his Mako-poisoned, half-catatonic state, wound up adopting Zack's demeanor while forgetting the existence of the man, and altering his own memories to give himself the role Zack had in them. He uses this to pave over his various traumas, not just the destruction of his hometown, loss of his family, and the torture he underwent, but also his personal failure to live up to his promise to Tifa that he'd become a First-Class SOLDIER. Cloud undergoes a major Heroic BSoD after he's mind-controlled by Sephiroth into giving him the Black Materia and the latter shows him Zack's existence. Snapping Cloud out of it requires him to face the truth. Eventually, Cloud emerges from the Other Side genuinely being a strong person. The remake, Final Fantasy VII Remake and its sequel with their voice acting and facial animation, really emphasize this, showing that Cloud's tough guy act really is him putting on airs, as he repeatedly gets rattled if someone pushes too hard to act in a way he's not expected to, or if memories of what actually happened to him are triggered.
- Final Fantasy XIII:
- Claire Ferron, better known as "Lightning", presents herself as a hardened soldier, stoic, grim and rather unfriendly. Having been forced to take care of herself and her little sister, Sarah, Lightning had to grow up fast to take care of her remaining family. Further, her time as a fighter in the Guardian Corps gave her a very disciplined nature and is therefore not prone to humor. However, this also makes it difficult for her to develop genuine friendships and is rather harsh when it comes to dealing with others, namely those who Lightning feels would slow her down, such as the rest of party initially. Beneath it all, Lightning is actually lonely and does indeed care about those around her, she just struggles to show it. Ultimately, her repressed emotions gave way to form a whole new being, named Lumina, who would embody all of her fears and insecurities which Lumina would use against her.
- Snow Villers initially comes off as some cocky rebel leader and would-be hero, having decided to go against the Sanctum of Cocoon for the sake of protecting his girlfriend Sarah. However, as both Lightning and Hope would confront Snow about his rebellious efforts harming those around him and even innocent bystanders, Snow is ultimately crushed by the consequences of his actions. Feeling guilty and angered that his efforts only lead to more death, Snow just covers it up with his bravado and stubbornness. Its only facing his failures and taking responsibilities for his actions, namely in his adventure with the party, does Snow begin to grow.
- Final Fantasy XIV:
- Alisaie Leveilleur typically presents herself as strong, feisty and independent, always being direct and precise. However, whenever her comrades of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, namely her twin brother Alphinaud or the Warrior of Light, are in danger, the facade tends to slip away. During such times, Alisaie finds it difficult to control her emotions, typically being conveyed as Anger Born of Worry but fortunately her friends understand what she is going through and provide the necessary comfort and counsel she needs which typically involves that her not having to bear the burden alone. She appreciates their support a great deal but the facade doesn’t entirely go away.
- Lyse Hext basically admits to this trope when she reveals her real identity after she has spent years masquerading as her older sister, Yda. Before becoming a Scion, Lyse lost her sister to the Garlean Empire as she helped fleeing refugees which left Lyse feeling completely lost and unsure of what to do. This led her to ultimately assume her sister’s identity, keeping up the charade for years, even as she worked alongside Papalymo, and further admitted that she wanted to become Yda, having admired her strength and purpose. However, following Papalymo’s sacrifice, Lyse realizes she can’t stay in their shadows forever and must walk her own path. The Stormblood expansion involves Lyse developing her own identity and realizing her potential as a leader to the Ala Mhigian Resistance.
- Emet-Selch, one of the three unsundered Ascians, may come off as extremely eccentric, it's all to mask the pain and sorrow he has carried since the Ancient World was lost and sundered. Naturally, this makes him completely determined to see the Rejoinings to fruition and restore the world to what it once was. However, at the same time, spending millennia in carrying out this plan, facing setbacks and so forth, have only caused the burden Emet-Selch carries to grow heavier. It's during the conversations Emet-Selch has with the Scions, the Warrior of Light personally, that the mask slips a bit to show the bitterness, sadness and pain of loss. Even Emet-Selch's rage at the current state of the world, its "broken shards" and his disregard for the people's lives are merely a veil to cover the sadness in the loss of those he considered friends and his people in the Ancient World.
- Wuk Lamat, the Third Promise of Tuliloyal and claimant in the Rite of Succession for becoming the next Dawnservant, presents herself as welcoming, boisterous and confident; it's almost transparent that these qualities cover a great deal of insecurities regarding her bid for the throne. In comparison to the other claimants, Wuk Lamat has little to her name aside from the promise to continue the plentiful peace the Dawnservant had forged, which has led many to doubt her chances. Wuk Lamat claims that such things don’t bother her but it's very apparent that they do, which tends to make Wuk Lamat present herself as more confident than she really is. Though often Played for Laughs, Wuk Lamat admits that she feels she has to present herself as a strong individual for the sake of her people as she feels they deserve a strong leader. Fortunately, with the support and counsel of her companions, namely the Warrior of Light, Wuk Lamat makes peace with her insecurities and realizes what she actually wants in being Dawnservant, leading her to develop into a legitimately more confident individual.
- Bakool Ja Ja, the fourth claimant in the Tuliloyal’s Rite of Succession, initially presented himself as some cheating bully who was willing to employ almost any tactic to win. It is initially believed Bakool Ja Ja is only competing for power and to prove the superiority of two-headed mamool ja, the “Blessed Siblings”; it is heavily hinted that he is participating for different a reason, specifically to give his people living in the city of Mamook a better life, having been practically bred for that purpose, at the cost of so many siblings dying stillborn. As such, Bakool Ja Ja is desperate to win so as to prove himself to his family and people, to justify his birth and not let his siblings’ deaths be for nothing. Yet, after he fails to complete the rites and is banished by his father for it, the facade crumbles, revealing the pain Bakool Ja Ja has been forced to shoulder for years. Fortunately, Wuk Lamat and her companions offer a compassionate hand in helping Mamook end the practice of Blessed Siblings which he accepts, allowing Bakool Ja Ja to drop his Jerkass demeanor and become a much better person who atones for his past misdeeds by serving Tuliloyal as a member of the Landsguard.
- Zoraal Ja could be a vigorous Deconstruction of this Trope and what happens when someone has a Facade of Strength but refuses to let it drop and grow their own strength or have someone guide them through the facade. Originally hailed as the First Promise of Tuliloyal, blood heir to the Dawnservant, and renowned as Tural’s mightiest warrior, Zoraal Ja nonetheless is presented as a near unapproachable Stoic who believes it's his destiny to become Dawnservant and surpass his father while satisfying his ambitious plans of conquering the world to show the people the folly of war. However, beneath his reserved demeanour is someone who is desperate to prove himself worthy of the praise he has received all his life. Already considered a “miracle” since Blessed Siblings can’t sire children, much was expected from Zoraal Ja, leading him to view his father as the one he must surpass to prove himself the “miracle” he was said to be. This ultimately led to his obsession in becoming stronger at the cost of reason, refusing to compromise his goals. In fact, Zoraal Ja so closely guarded his insecurities that his adopted siblings, Wuk Lamat and Koana, never noticed his struggles. It comes to a head when Zoraal Ja fails to complete the Rite of Succession, where his adopted siblings ultimately win. The First Promise goes mad, leading him to make a deal with Alexandria to gain the power needed to conquer Tural and potentially the rest of the world. In his mad pursuit to gain the strength needed to surpass his father, Zoraal Ja became a hated traitor to his homeland and a brutal tyrant to Alexandria that the Warrior of Light and their allies had to put down.
- Calyx, the mastermind behind the Preservation organization that manipulated the Kingdom of Alexandria for centuries, may appear brilliant yet infuriatingly arrogant, the young prodigy nonetheless possesses a crippling fear of death itself. Having his body afflicted to Levin Sickness at a young age, Calyx came to conclusion that death is an obstacle to man's potential, thus motivating the young prodigy to "evolve" mankind above death, refusing to accept or consider any other course. This led Calyx to create The Endless to achieve this vision but it came at the cost of plundering worlds for their aether to sustain them, resulting in his clash with the Warrior of Light, their comrades and a returned Queen Sphene. While Calyx retains his condescending and smug demeanor as he contends with the Warrior, the moment his memory core, the source of his existence as an Endless, is threatened with destruction, his facade cracks showing abject terror. Though Calyx escaped his destruction, his near death experience at the Warrior's hand leaves Calyx rattled before giving into rage at the ruination of his plans, emotions he hasn't felt for centuries.
- Genshin Impact: Invoked with Furina de Fontaine. Prior to getting exposed in a court trial, she tried to make everybody believe that she is just as powerful as all of the other Archons, but in actuality, she was as strong as a normal human being. However, she's doing this not because she feels prideful or anything like that, but because she needs to make the others believe that she is an actual god or else the prophecy that would wipe out Fontaine would come to fruition.
- Ninja Gaiden 4: The High Priestess of the Dark Dragon, Seori, initially presents herself as flirty and seductive, mainly towards Yakumo, with a hint of playfulness akin to that of an innocent teenage girl. However, beneath the surface lies a tormented woman who feels immense guilt for the lives lost due to the Dark Dragon, as she houses the fallen dragon's soul within her and is thus used to revive the Dark Dragon against her will. Seori only really lets off the facade twice; when she gets in the way of Ryu Hayabusa's first encounter with Yakumo, and tragically after she's mortally wounded to act as a sacrifice to fully unseal the Dark Dragon. Its then she admits that deep down, she doesn't want to die despite knowing that it must be done for the sake of the world.
Web Animation
- Helluva Boss: Blitzo (the 'o' is silent) may present himself as some kind of ambitious, prideful and overly confident visionary in founding his own business, thereby allowing him and his coworkers to rise higher than what they are typically allowed within Hell's hierarchy. However, this entire behavior is merely a cover to hide Blitzo's deep sense of self-loathing and guilt over how he ruined his family's circus business with an accidental fire that also maimed his childhood friend Fizzarolli and likely killed his mother, leading his sister Barbie to hate him as a result. Likewise, his efforts to maintain an actual relationship with others typically also end in a bitter breakup due to his insecure nature from wanting affection yet at the same time feeling undeserving of it, and have led Blitzo to self-sabotage his relationships. All in all, Blitzo's efforts to appear strong and confident often end up with him feeling more alone.
- RWBY: Raven Branwen, who pretends to be a strong Social Darwinist bandit leader, treats others in a condescending or patronizing way, and rationalizes her actions as being strong enough to do what others won’t to survive. In truth, she’s a Dirty Coward who runs away from her responsibilities and fears, enough that she’s willing to endanger her own family in order to save her own skin from Salem and her forces, and keeps repressing her remorse over her decisions and strained relations with her family. It lasts until the end of Volume 5 when Yang verbally smashes through her facade, and forces her to confront the coward she truly is, causing her to flee in tears and shame.
Western Animation
- Avatar: The Last Airbender:
- Princess Azula serves as The Dragon and Daddy's Little Villain to her father, Firelord Ozai, and acts as a perfect firebending prodigy, seeking no less than perfection in her firebending techniques, and enforcer for her father, refusing to show any sign of mercy or weakness. In truth, she’s also a deeply insecure person filled with Parental Issues, especially with her Missing Mom Ursa, self-loathing as she believes herself to be a monster, and who feels genuine remorse over her treatment of her brother Zuko and her friends Mai and Ty Lee, even though she buries her guilt and tries to act as if nothing affects her. It’s not until the end of Book 3, after suffering betrayal at the hands of Mai and Ty Lee, and when Ozai abandons her and makes her a Puppet King, causing her to finally realize that he never loved and will never love her, and with her mommy issues resurfacing, that Azula’s facade finally cracks and she suffers a terrible Sanity Slippage and Villainous Breakdown.
- Toph suffers from this. While she's an extraordinarily powerful Earthbender, enough to back her claim of being the strongest Earthbender in the world, and she invented Metalbending, her tough, snarky and boastful attitude is also a way for her to cover her hate of being seen as weak and helpless due to her issues with her extremely overprotective parents. She has troubles with accepting help and working with others at first, and she's more insecure about her blindness and torn over having left her parents that she wants to admit.
- Hazbin Hotel:
- Alastor the Radio Demon is a very prideful Smug Super who is always willing to gloat when he has his powers backing him up, and is absolutely vexed that he owes everything he has as the "strongest Sinner in Hell" to his (very specific) Deal with the Devil...and it does nothing to stop Adam from curb-stomping him, leading him to want to get back the freedom he threw away even more. It's heavily implied the way he acts towards Vox is because Vox reminds him way too much of himself.
- Played more tragically with Angel Dust, the Hazbin Hotel's first tenant. Typically presenting himself as some nonchalant yet overly horny individual who takes pride in being a famous porn star, it's shown that beneath Angel Dust's flamboyant and promiscuous behavior is a heavily traumatized soul who is deeply unhappy with his life in being the favorite toy to the Overlord Valentino. His songs "Addicted" and "Poison" highlight much of what Angel is forced to endure and at the very end of both, he does wish for something to look forward to and how things may not be so bad at Charlie's hotel. Husk is the first to notice the facade Angel has built for himself and often takes him down a peg which angers Angel enough to admit how much he hates everything with his life. He even justifies his self-destructive behavior believing that if he ruins himself enough then Valentino will tire of him and let his soul go free. Fortunately, with the continued support of the hotel, Angel does slowly grow out of this, enough to actually stand up to Valentino at one point. By the end of season two, however, thanks to the brutal Trauma Conga Line he endured, that facade has shattered.
- Martha Speaks: The plot of "Bully for You!" is that Martha, Skits, and the other neighborhood dogs are scared of a new dog, Jaws, who insults them all the time (for instance, calling Martha chubby and telling Teddy he slobbers so much he could take a shower in it). As it turns out, he's doing it because he's very small and is worried that they'll bite him.
- Teen Titans (2003): Raven is rather unwilling to admit when she's afraid, and tends to act tough when facing something she's afraid of. This becomes a plot point in "Fear Itself" where her refusal to admit and face her fears after watching a horror movie cause her to lose control of her powers, and to cause monsters to appear in the Titans Tower, which worsens the more she denies being afraid, until she's cornered by all the monsters; at which point she finally admits being afraid and manages to regain control over her powers and dispel them.
- The Transformers: Despite his cruel and ruthless personality, the mighty Megatron breaks down in tears when his own life is in peril after he becomes infected with the deadly Cosmic Rust and desperately seeks the Autobot scientist Perceptor to save his life. This contrasts dramatically from other situations such as the events of "Revenge of Bruticus", where upon learning the Combaticons are about to hurl Earth into the sun, his reaction is anger (though in that situation his life is not in direct danger yet, whereas in "Cosmic Rust" his death is apparently imminent).