If going after the Acceptable Target is a coincidence, it becomes Laser-Guided Karma if the victim was specifically targeted for their assholery, it becomes Pay Evil unto Evil. If the target is an Asshole Victim instead, the cruel act can become a sympathetic one for the villain/anti-hero instead. they have done nothing to warrant their abuse. Of course, the crux of this trope isn't just the cruel act it's also about the innocence of the victim, i.e. If the villain shoots for this trope but fails to actually do anything seriously evil, it's Poke the Poodle. If the character appears to be likable or sympathetic when introduced and the dog-kicking proves that they is actually evil, that is Bait the Dog. When the dog-kicking is done in a way that (usually inadvertently) increases sympathy for the villain, it becomes Strawman Has a Point. On even rarer occasions, after being pushed around too many times, the dog may decide to plan against the Big Bad for his own ambitions, because Being Tortured Makes You Evil. On occasions, if karma works in the dog's favor, they'll manage to get a last laugh. If the dog belonged to a minion, expect it to help cause a Mook–Face Turn because Even Mooks Have Loved Ones. If the Dog in question is someone the character cares about and discovers Being Evil Sucks, then they've Kicked the Morality Pet and might be in time to avoid a Face–Heel Turn. If what is supposed to be a character's Kick The Dog moment is excessively horrible, cruel, or otherwise despicable enough to make an audience lose all sympathy for them, then they's crossed the Moral Event Horizon, if they's not on the other side of it already. One possible origin of the trope name comes from Westerns, where three bandits would ride into the town, one would shoot the Sheriff, one would shoot the Deputy, and one, just to prove he was also a bad guy, would Kick The Dog. A troll like Screwy Squirrel, however, won't wait that long. In cartoons, someone who does this can be legally harassed by Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, or the Warner Brothers and their sister Dot. At the very least, it is designed to let you know who is going to lose at the end. This can be played up by having the very same kick of cruelty be the cause of their downfall. Anthologies are especially prone to this, as they have to set up their villains really quickly, since they have only one episode to tell their story. This trope is common in horror-based Monster of the Week shows, often to set up the Asshole Victim for the Karmic Twist Ending. So, the argument goes, if Bob goes out of his way to harm one, he must really be a bastard. Arguably, however, substituting a cat can be even more shocking. If the evil act is directed toward an animal, however, a dog is usually the victim of choice, partly out of connotations of blind loyalty, partly from tradition. If the event happened off screen in the past, just have Bob fondly recall the incident and make it clear that he has no remorse whatsoever. A Politically Incorrect Villain can kick the dog by showing gratuitous racism, sexism, homophobia, or some combination of such non-PC traits. Any act or statement that shows the character's meanness or outright evil will do, such as a boss demanding an employee come in to work during Christmas when the employee's kid is in the hospital, or a passer-by stealing from a blind beggar's coin dish, or The Dragon inflicting a vicious No-Holds-Barred Beatdown on the hero or one of their True Companions or Protectorate. Needless to say, this trope can be enacted without harming any dogs. If it's uttered in the presence of the hero in an action series, they'll echo the audience's thoughts and tell the villain " You're Insane!" The sole reason for this story beat existing is to place one or more characters squarely on the wrong side of the Rule of Empathy.ĭog-kickings can be verbal as well, when a line of dialogue is used to shock the audience with its sheer repugnance. It doesn't get the character anything or even advance the plot. What separates this trope from a character's other evil or cruel acts is that this bit of evil is gratuitous. Both devices are used to help the audience become emotionally invested in the story. Conversely, the creator may show a character being kind for no apparent gain, to demonstrate that the character is a nice person and someone the audience is meant to cheer for. Why this trope works could be expressed in the words of William Cowper: “I would not enter on my list of friends (though graced with polished manners and fine sense, yet wanting sensibility) the man who needlessly sets foot upon a worm.” In other words, a cruel act, no matter how trivial, establishes someone as a cruel person. When a character does something evil, cruel or very mean for no apparent gain, because the author wants to demonstrate that they are not a nice person and shift audience sympathy away from them.
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