Tropescilloscope: Berserk Button

A character's unusual Disproportionate Retribution rage trigger. (read more at tvtropes.org)

More Tropes Pet the Dog Adorkable Rule of Three The '90s Stealth Pun Badass Boast The Alcoholic Deal with the Devil Badass Longcoat No Ending Animated Credits Opening Frame-Up Betty and Veronica Well-Intentioned Extremist Asshole Victim Bury Your Gays Coming-of-Age Story Dramedy Ambiguous Disorder Thriller Children Are Innocent Red Right Hand Loads and Loads of Characters Apocalypse How Beta Couple Mystery and Detective Films Exactly What It Says on the Tin Hollywood Darkness Screw the Money, I Have Rules! Department of Redundancy Department Riddle for the Ages Make It Look Like an Accident Hoist by His Own Petard 20 Minutes into the Future Early-Bird Cameo Politically Incorrect Villain Character Development Have a Gay Old Time Oh, Crap! Hollywood Law You Have Got to Be Kidding Me! Death by Irony Continuity Nod Drives Like Crazy He Who Fights Monsters Slasher Smile Card-Carrying Villain Would Hurt a Child Corrupt Corporate Executive Dressing as the Enemy Sole Survivor Protagonist Title Gold Digger How We Got Here A.I. Is a Crapshoot Even Evil Has Standards Bound and Gagged The Smurfette Principle Ambiguously Gay Adaptation Distillation Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane Calling the Old Man Out Adaptational Attractiveness Sealed Evil in a Can Anguished Declaration of Love Interrupted Suicide Crazy-Prepared Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy Scenery Gorn Boom, Headshot! Yandere Dual Wielding The Hero Dies Nice Hat Villain Song The End... Or Is It? Fate Worse than Death Gender Flip Ungrateful Bastard Smoking Is Cool Take That! Kick the Dog Pun aka: Incredibly Lame Pun Why Don't You Just Shoot Him? Skewed Priorities Mistaken for Gay Smug Snake Artistic License – Law Artistic License – Physics I Did What I Had to Do No-Sell Mama Bear Slasher Movie Grey and Gray Morality Instant Death Bullet Fan Disservice From Nobody to Nightmare Silent Movie Evil Plan Freeze-Frame Bonus Ghost Fiction Nice Job Breaking It, Hero! Reality Has No Subtitles Contrived Coincidence Darkest Hour Take a Third Option Rule of Funny Stealth Hi/Bye True Companions Jerk with a Heart of Gold Random Events Plot There Is No Kill Like Overkill Recap / RiffTrax aka: Riff Trax Movies Shoot the Shaggy Dog The Film of the Book Adaptation Dye-Job The Un-Favourite aka: The Un Favorite Very Loosely Based on a True Story Early Installment Weirdness War Is Hell Death by Sex Henpecked Husband Only a Flesh Wound Storming the Castle Sports Stories Chiaroscuro Jerk Jock The Remake Dies Wide Open Combat Pragmatist Villain Opening Scene Rousing Speech Drill Sergeant Nasty Disappeared Dad Black Dude Dies First Novelization Show Within a Show Meaningful Background Event Roger Ebert: Great Movies List Hate Sink One-Man Army The Stoic The Hero Pre-Asskicking One-Liner Improbable Aiming Skills Product Placement Famous Last Words Bond One-Liner Translation Convention Break the Cutie Everyone Has Standards Femme Fatale Big Eater Knight Templar Happily Married Curb-Stomp Battle Expository Hairstyle Change Decoy Protagonist Killed Mid-Sentence Roaring Rampage of Revenge Eagleland Jump Scare Horror Comedy A Minor Kidroduction Made of Explodium Anti-Villain Beware the Nice Ones It Can Think Spiritual Successor Japanese Films Cruel and Unusual Death An Aesop Broken Bird Paper-Thin Disguise Public Domain Feature Films Off with His Head! May–December Romance Historical Villain Upgrade Off-into-the-Distance Ending Music Stories Chewing the Scenery Tempting Fate Obviously Evil Hooker with a Heart of Gold Deliberate Values Dissonance Abhorrent Admirer Time Skip Eye Scream Faking the Dead Love at First Sight Retirony Taking You with Me Loophole Abuse Blood from the Mouth Disguised in Drag Determinator Fish out of Water Blackmail Mugging the Monster Sanity Slippage Cool Shades Insane Troll Logic Bloody Hilarious Cool Old Lady Death Seeker The Chessmaster Five-Man Band My Greatest Failure Cool Guns Superhero Truth in Television Bilingual Bonus Improbable Weapon User Bowdlerise La Résistance Retired Badass Tagline Rasputinian Death Fat Bastard Chekhov's Gunman Big-Bad Ensemble As You Know No Antagonist Left the Background Music On Parental Abandonment Informed Ability Destination Defenestration Accidental Misnaming Establishing Character Moment Bullying a Dragon Unusual Euphemism Wounded Gazelle Gambit Film Noir Index The Oner Determinator aka: The Determinator Disney Villain Death Damsel in Distress One Steve Limit British Films Slap-Slap-Kiss Race Lift Why Did It Have to Be Snakes? Documentary Ambiguous Ending Humiliation Conga Ax-Crazy Too Dumb to Live Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right! Fainting Rule of Cool Motor Mouth Title Drop All Men Are Perverts Heroes Want Redheads Never Found the Body BFG The Vamp Neck Snap Bald of Evil Hero Antagonist Pragmatic Villainy Improbable Infant Survival aka: Infant Immortality No-Holds-Barred Beatdown Precision F-Strike Those Two Bad Guys Insult Backfire Cat Fight Punny Name Green-Eyed Monster Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil Artistic License – Military Fanservice Not Even Bothering with the Accent Irony Needs Wiki Magic Love In the Back Lock and Load Montage Foregone Conclusion Action Prologue Light Is Not Good Adults Are Useless Works Set in World War II Your Head A-Splode Pay Evil unto Evil Biopic Bolivian Army Ending Belligerent Sexual Tension Really Gets Around Index of Film Westerns Domestic Abuse Black Comedy All Just a Dream Malevolent Masked Men Corpsing Catapult Nightmare Say My Name The Ditz As Himself Playing Gertrude Humans Are Bastards The '60s Better to Die than Be Killed Hidden Depths Rated M for Manly Vampire Fiction Deus ex Machina Be Careful What You Wish For Only in It for the Money Car Fu Impaled with Extreme Prejudice Slashed Throat Heroic Sacrifice Darker and Edgier Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking Older Than They Look Villain Ball Chase Scene Scary Black Man Bait-and-Switch Leaning on the Fourth Wall Dark and Troubled Past Driven to Suicide Air-Vent Passageway Amoral Attorney Death Glare Mythology Gag Adaptation Name Change '80s Hair Disproportionate Retribution Arc Words Jerkass Vomit Indiscretion Shot Captain Obvious Bond Villain Stupidity Freudian Excuse Maybe Ever After Madness Mantra Villain Protagonist Mighty Whitey Screw the Rules, I Have Money! Amusing Injuries Woman Scorned Stuff Blowing Up Parental Neglect Fantasy Films The Cameo Villain with Good Publicity Visual Pun Affably Evil Genre Throwback Big Damn Heroes Flipping the Bird Chuck Cunningham Syndrome Our Vampires Are Different Gone Horribly Right Bittersweet Ending folderlabel Hair-Trigger Temper Demoted to Extra Undying Loyalty Deliberately Monochrome Break the Haughty Sequel Hook Curse Cut Short Rule of Symbolism Leave the Camera Running Cat Scare Dull Surprise Age Lift Aside Glance Not What It Looks Like Defrosting Ice Queen Not Using the "Z" Word Intrepid Reporter From Bad to Worse As Long as It Sounds Foreign The Ghost Morality Pet Award-Bait Song My Beloved Smother Brother–Sister Incest Woman in White No Celebrities Were Harmed The Reveal Stylistic Suck Epic Movie Auto Erotica Fatal Flaw Bring My Brown Pants Red Shirt Stock Footage Taking the Bullet Heel Realization Rape as Drama Punctuated! For! Emphasis! Papa Wolf Evil-Detecting Dog Body Horror Zombie Stories Stepford Smiler Romantic Comedy The Cavalry Cowboy Cop Only Sane Man Adaptation Expansion "Well Done, Son!" Guy Self-Deprecation Artistic License – Gun Safety Gory Discretion Shot Film Series Laser-Guided Karma Alpha Bitch The Atoner You Killed My Father Jerkass Has a Point Fire-Forged Friends Once More, with Clarity! Fanservice Extra The X of Y Manipulative Bastard Gorn Badass Bookworm He Knows Too Much Broken Pedestal The Faceless The Ace Big Bad Ironic Echo Parental Substitute The Casanova Aww, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other Psycho for Hire Vomit Discretion Shot Missing Mom Due to the Dead Screw This, I'm Outta Here! It's Personal Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds "Awesome McCool" Name Final Girl Martial Arts Movie Line-of-Sight Name NO INDOOR VOICE Last-Name Basis Brainless Beauty The Quiet One "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue Men Are the Expendable Gender Extremely Short Timespan Science Fiction Films Animal Title Index A Date with Rosie Palms Television Movie Index Training Montage Mood Whiplash Anti-Hero Blonde, Brunette, Redhead Improvised Weapon Those Wacky Nazis I'm a Humanitarian The Power of Love Kill 'em All Pretty in Mink Not Quite Dead Race Against the Clock Outrun the Fireball Arch-Enemy Bavarian Fire Drill Beard of Evil The Big Guy Sinister Minister Retcon Epic Fail Evil Counterpart Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep" Eyepatch of Power Bunny-Ears Lawyer Punch-Clock Villain Leitmotif This Is Gonna Suck As the Good Book Says... Credits Gag The Smart Guy Blood Knight Despair Event Horizon Dark Reprise Mad Scientist Posthumous Character Demonic Possession Rewatch Bonus Badass Normal Let's Get Dangerous! Those Two Guys I Just Shot Marvin in the Face Author Avatar "Shaggy Dog" Story Guile Hero Our Zombies Are Different Knife Nut Evil vs. Evil The Great Depression Manic Pixie Dream Girl The Stoner Sir Swears-a-Lot Never Trust a Trailer aka: Trailers Always Lie Super Strength Real Life Writes the Plot Bad "Bad Acting" Never My Fault Downer Ending Soft Glass Meaningful Name Dark Action Girl Heel–Face Turn Evil Cannot Comprehend Good Dirty Old Man Flashback Closed Circle Anachronic Order Scare Chord Took a Level in Jerkass A Father to His Men Pyrrhic Victory timeperiod Antagonist Title Action Girl Hypocritical Humor Bland-Name Product Twist Ending Creator Cameo Karmic Death Mercy Kill Evil Laugh Same Language Dub The Un-Reveal Cool Car Alliterative Name After the End Chekhov's Gun Fantastic Racism Reality Ensues Reality Is Unrealistic Call-Back Ms. Fanservice Disney Death In Medias Res Bloodier and Gorier Redshirt Army And the Adventure Continues The Starscream Plucky Comic Relief Hong Kong Films Large Ham Double-Meaning Title Black Comedy Rape Genre Shift The Lost Lenore And I Must Scream Adaptational Heroism Creative Closing Credits Guns Akimbo World of Ham Nothing Is Scarier Match Cut Cassandra Truth What You Are in the Dark Never Trust a Trailer Drugs Are Bad The Chick Overly Long Gag Animal Motifs Depraved Bisexual Small Name, Big Ego Word of God Unwitting Instigator of Doom Narrator Gainax Ending Dropped a Bridge on Him Get Out! Manly Tears Crazy Jealous Guy Hell Is That Noise Broken Aesop Took a Level in Badass All for Nothing Psychopathic Manchild Honor Before Reason In Name Only Not So Stoic Mr. Exposition Kick the Son of a Bitch Military and Warfare Films Face–Heel Turn Up to Eleven Horror Doesn't Settle for Simple Tuesday Vitriolic Best Buds Ominous Latin Chanting Trailers Always Spoil Artistic License – History Heterosexual Life-Partners Adult Fear Intergenerational Friendship Neck Lift Celebrity Paradox Half the Man He Used to Be Historical Hero Upgrade Mexican Standoff Friend to All Children Refuge in Audacity Ascended Extra Camera Abuse Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping Dirty Cop Advertised Extra The Voiceless No OSHA Compliance Stalker with a Crush Imagine Spot Jitter Cam Pragmatic Adaptation Scenery Porn Sassy Black Woman Setting Update Market-Based Title All There in the Script Back from the Dead Fiery Redhead Offscreen Teleportation Cloudcuckoolander Parental Incest Enemy Mine Worthy Opponent Camp Gay Action Film, Quiet Drama Scene Big "NO!" Sir Not-Appearing-in-This-Trailer Offscreen Moment of Awesome Monumental Damage No Name Given Real Life Straight Gay Diabolus ex Machina Russian Films One-Word Title Big Applesauce The Brute Failed a Spot Check Room Full of Crazy Psychological Thriller Tap on the Head Poor Communication Kills Silence Is Golden The '80s Hope Spot Homage Canadian Movies Obstructive Bureaucrat Getting Crap Past the Radar What Happened to the Mouse? Meaningful Echo Shower Scene Mundane Made Awesome Love Triangle Rich Bitch Pimped-Out Dress For Want of a Nail Dramatic Gun Cock She's Got Legs Peek-a-Boo Corpse Spiteful Spit N-Word Privileges Awesome, but Impractical Grievous Bottley Harm Christmas Movies Index Book-Ends Historical In-Joke Video Credits Fourth Date Marriage Hero of Another Story Catch-Phrase Distracted by the Sexy I Have Your Wife The Mafia Suddenly SHOUTING! She Cleans Up Nicely O.O.C. Is Serious Business Naïve Newcomer Not So Different Bi the Way Conspicuous CG Fatal Family Photo Double Entendre Revenge Pre-Mortem One-Liner Affectionate Parody Ugly Guy, Hot Wife Wham Shot Serious Business Action Genre Shirtless Scene Actually Pretty Funny Groin Attack Anachronism Stew Evil Sounds Deep Central Theme Dwindling Party Sequel Escalation An Arm and a Leg Covers Always Lie Casting Gag Re-Cut Easily Forgiven Romantic False Lead Police Brutality Comically Missing the Point More Dakka And Starring Dogged Nice Guy Red Eyes, Take Warning Daddy's Girl Black and Gray Morality Beauty Is Never Tarnished Empathic Environment Brick Joke Cluster F-Bomb Mr. Fanservice The '50s Male Gaze Obfuscating Stupidity Vacation Films Death by Adaptation The Mole Toilet Humour aka: Toilet Humor Artistic License – Geography Karma Houdini The Stinger Sexy Discretion Shot Abusive Parents Bottomless Magazines Costume Porn Crucified Hero Shot Idiot Ball Big Brother Instinct Made of Iron Authority Equals Asskicking Badass Grandpa Butt-Monkey Dutch Angle Dramatic Irony Together in Death The Musical German Films The Load Kubrick Stare Annoying Younger Sibling Almost Kiss Only One Name Wicked Cultured Bar Brawl Unusually Uninteresting Sight Four-Temperament Ensemble Face Death with Dignity Australian Movies Mooks Kids Are Cruel It's All About Me Ass Shove Lampshade Hanging Nice Guy Star-Crossed Lovers Suspiciously Similar Substitute Batman Gambit Italian Films Did Not Get the Girl Anyone Can Die Breaking the Fourth Wall For the Evulz Would Hit a Girl Eiffel Tower Effect Wham Line Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique Does Not Like Shoes Bloodless Carnage Bad Boss Noodle Incident Chekhov's Skill Deconstruction Evil Brit Foreshadowing Creepy Child Married to the Job The Place Actor Allusion Expy Girl-on-Girl Is Hot Evil Is Hammy Overprotective Dad Author Appeal Male Frontal Nudity Bare Your Midriff An Axe to Grind Artistic License – Biology Danny Peary Cult Movies List Exact Words A God Am I Babies Ever After Developing Doomed Characters Not So Above It All Alas, Poor Villain Dumb Blonde Fun with Acronyms Berserk Button Arranged Marriage Lighter and Softer Your Cheating Heart Cain and Abel Dying Moment of Awesome The Dreaded Dissonant Serenity The Dog Bites Back Shell-Shocked Veteran Unreliable Narrator All Girls Want Bad Boys Meet Cute Heroic BSoD Becoming the Mask Action Survivor Spell My Name with an "S" Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass Names to Run Away from Really Fast Accidental Murder Crapsack World Suspiciously Specific Denial Naked People Are Funny Does This Remind You of Anything? Ragtag Bunch of Misfits Earn Your Happy Ending Blatant Lies Major Injury Underreaction Deadpan Snarker Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold Faux Affably Evil Agony of the Feet Reasonable Authority Figure Sci-Fi Horror Serial Killer Plot Hole What the Hell, Hero? Captain Ersatz Spanner in the Works Logo Joke Colour-Coded for Your Convenience aka: Color Coded For Your Convenience Shut Up, Hannibal! Framing Device Token Minority Hypocrite Laughing Mad Big Fancy House Implacable Man Armor-Piercing Question Even Evil Has Loved Ones Throwing Your Sword Always Works The Bad Guy Wins Whole Plot Reference I Need a Freaking Drink You Have Failed Me Funny Foreigner Every Car Is a Pinto Facial Horror Eureka Moment Wrong Genre Savvy Cold-Blooded Torture Wretched Hive Unspoken Plan Guarantee Historical-Domain Character Horror Films Country Matters Shown Their Work Gilligan Cut Red Herring Sacrificial Lion Only Known by Their Nickname Unresolved Sexual Tension Evil Is Petty It Will Never Catch On Police are Useless I Want My Beloved to Be Happy Composite Character Redemption Equals Death Call-Forward No Good Deed Goes Unpunished The Bully Mind Screw Handicapped Badass Adapted Out Attempted Rape Funny Background Event Badass in a Nice Suit Fake Shemp All There in the Manual Non-Indicative Name The '70s Big Bad Duumvirate You Have Outlived Your Usefulness Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism Genre Savvy Didn't Think This Through Totally Radical Soundtrack Dissonance Shipper on Deck Man on Fire Daylight Horror Good Is Not Nice Extreme Doormat Black Best Friend Put on a Bus The Alleged Car Cool Old Guy Film Noir Manchild The Lancer Insistent Terminology B-Movie Properly Paranoid Fingore Ship Tease Toplessness from the Back Greater-Scope Villain French Films Recycled IN SPACE! Kill It with Fire Canon Foreigner Immune to Bullets Aluminum Christmas Trees Dirty Coward Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome Moment Killer The Sociopath Reckless Gun Usage My God, What Have I Done? Nice Job Fixing It, Villain! Victoria's Secret Compartment Villainous Breakdown "The Reason You Suck" Speech Eldritch Abomination Based on a True Story Ripped from the Headlines Death of a Child MacGuffin Gratuitous English Bitch in Sheep's Clothing Sadistic Choice Foil Defiant to the End Brutal Honesty Running Gag Adaptational Badass Spared by the Adaptation Shout-Out Adaptational Villainy Red Oni, Blue Oni Dark Is Not Evil The Dragon Pretty Little Headshots Tranquil Fury Important Haircut Here We Go Again! Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas Drowning My Sorrows