|
Mature Content Warning!
The article contains some content involving a mature subject or situation which may not be suitable for younger viewers. If you are 18 years or older or are comfortable with graphic material, you are free to view this page, and if you are underage, click off this page and view another one. |
I think Satan might be one of only two Smiling Friends villains (alongside Mr. Landlord) who could fit the trope of a Shonen Villain, so let's begin.
What's the work?
Smiling Friends is an animated television series created by Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack, produced by Adult Swim. The show centers around a the titular company called Smiling Friends Inc. whose mission is to bring happiness to their clients. The main characters, Pim and Charlie, go on bizarre and often surreal adventures as they try to help people in increasingly absurd situations, alongside deuteragonists Allan Red and Glep, and their boss, Mr. Boss.
Who's the character?
Satan is a major antagonist in the series (maybe the closest thing to a main antagonist). He is the sadistic and tyrannical ruler of Hell.
In "Charlie Dies and Doesn't Come Back," Charlie goes to Hell and learns it's frozen because Satan is depressed and managing the dimension poorly. Using his skills as a Smiling Friend, Charlie offers to help Satan, finding him wasting his time away playing games and complaining about work stress. They make a deal: if Charlie can make Satan smile, he'll be brought back to the Overworld.
After Satan gets angry at Charlie's comments about his unhealthy habits, he tortures Charlie with his minions stabbing him, which makes him laugh and smile. Though this fulfills their deal, Satan refuses to honor it because Charlie "pissed him off." God then appears, rescues Charlie, and Hell returns to normal in Satan's anger.
Later, in "Erm, the Boss Finds Love?" Satan attempts to take over Smiling Friends by having his daughter Brittney marry Mr. Boss to seduce him and suck his soul. This plan backfires when his daughter dies by suicide.
What makes him a Shonen Villain?
Basic Traits
- Villainous/Anti-Villainous:
- He's the ruler of Hell who condemns sinners to an afterlife of eternal suffering and flames. It's also shown that people get sent to Hell for little to no reason, such as Charlie's grandma being sent just because he said "Damn" once and Plilford, a friendly old man, being sent for completely unknown reasons.
- He tries to have Charlie tortured forever by being strapped to a board and stabbed repeatedly just for criticizing his unhealthy vaping habits.
- Every 100 years, he sends his daughter Brittney to steal the belongings of rich and powerful men by seducing them and sucking their souls, killing them.
- Powerful/Skillful: He is gigantic and imposing, has the ability to induce flames in Hell and has complete dominion over the entire dimension.
- Power-Hungry: He is a tyrannical leader obsessed with abusing his authority.
- Pursues a Big-End Goal: His goal is to rule over Hell and torment people in their eternal damnation.
- Arrogant: He gets super arrogant after Charlie criticizes his unhealthy habits, such as eating junk food and vaping, claiming that he can quit them any time he wants and even torturing him just for this.
- Cold-Hearted/Ruthless: He has no problem torturing Charlie forever.
- Short-Tempered: He gets extremely angry over mild criticisms, as mentioned.
- Laughably Evil: He is not taken seriously at all because despite his malevolence and being literally Satan, he is completely immature and has hobbies like gaming and eating junk food more befitting of a teenager.
- Psychopathic: He displays no empathy for anyone.
- Narcissistic: He is completely egotistical and punishes anyone who disrespects him.
- Has a Sinister Laugh: He laughs evilly when torturing Charlie
Bonus Traits
- Sadistic: He enjoys pain and says it gives him great joy to torture a "pathetic little thing" like Charlie.
- Freudian Excuse: He expresses that being Satan is unfulfilling as a job which is why Hell literally froze over, as he was too lazy. He finds it numbing and also tells Charlie that he only gets his paycheck at the end of his job - which is eternity, so never.
- Has Incompetent Minions: All of his demon minions are completely goofy and unassuming compared to him, such as the Plump Demon who tried to create a makeshift Hell for Charlie using sloppy wallpaper, or Jeremy, who's only "evil" action is flailing his arms in Charlie's face to annoy him - he later gets sucker punched in the gut by Charlie and collapses to the ground because he can't handle it.
- Serves as a Foil to the Hero/Protagonist: The reason Charlie confronts Satan is because he had a petty argument with Pim, so God sends him to Hell to confront Satan over his similar behavior. When Charlie shows how pathetic Satan is, God comes to rescue him because he learned his lesson
- Satan is also a foil to Mr. Boss in "Erm, The Boss Finds Love?" due to the Boss becoming the propetier of 1/4 of Hell and Satan arguing with him over property lines.
- Bloodthirsty: He tortues people for amusement and has bloodlust
- Is a Secondary-Color Nemesis: He wears black pants
- Is a Dark Lord: He's literally Satan
- Has Black Air Force Energy: He is wild and aggressive and vows to torture someone forever just for criticizing him
- Immature: His defining and most ironic trait. He's Satan, but wallows in depression and has mundane interests like playing video games, vaping, eating junk food and masturbating. When Charlie calls him out, he gets extremely angry because he can't handle it.
- He also gets into a petty argument with Mr. Boss over property lines.
Verdict?
Yes imo.