To quote a famous tumblr thread: Bugs Bunny would've defeated Thanos in five minutes tops by making a mock up tsa checkpoint in the middle of the battlefield and convincing him he needs to take of the gauntlet to pass the scanner, lest he makes the 100 different iterations of bugs in the line behind him who are about to miss their flight wait

I've always had an idea of a trickster hero who's a detective, but is psychic. In order to hide the fact that he's a psychic, he regularly bullshits out Sherlock Holmes style deductions.

"Or why an old word referring to a lowly peasant is 'villain.'" As in 'people who live in a village." My jaw hit the floor.

Tombstone: COME DOWN HERE AND FIGHT LIKE A MAN! Spider-Man: I don't suppose I could convince you to come up here and fight like a spider?

Spiderman has another layer to his trickery that you didn’t mention. He actually holds back a lot, his goading and trickery can be ways to defeat his villains without excessive force.

11:09 "We don't just want to see villains lose; we want to see them proven wrong" if this isn't the crux of the issue for so many unsatisfying stories that setup relatable villain backstories but just end it with a fistfight

There's a false dichotomy between using cunning trickery and being weak. Spider-Man is INCREDIBLY powerful, but using overwhelming force against his villains will usually result in hurting or killing them. He doesn't use trickery because his villains are too tanky, he uses trickery because the alternative is absolutely terrifying levels of violence. Also, Superman is often a trickster as much as he is an unstoppable force, much for the same reason. This can lead to villains going "Oh, SHIT," when they realize the hero wasn't using trickery because they were weak, they were using trickery because they were being nice.

The first time I watched Columbo, something that took me by surprise is how often he uses underhanded tactics. As an example in season one (spoilers) the murder’s car broke down and they couldn’t figure out what happened so it had to be kept at a shop for repairs. Then, Columbo said that he caught a break in the case, the victim was wearing contact lenses, and after digging up the body and checking it, Columbo confirms that one contact was missing and that if he finds it, he found the murderer. The murderer hearing this breaks into the shop it is being kept at, searches the trunk of his car he stuffed the victim into before dumping it, and found the contact lens. The police are there waiting for him to find it and arrest him for the murder. Here is the twist though, Columbo is congratulated for knowing the contact lens was the key, and Columbo reveals that the body still had both contact lenses. The lens in the car’s trunk was a plant to get him to react. He could only plant the lens since the car was at the shop instead of the murder’s garage. It was only at the shop since it wouldn’t start and his guys couldn’t figure it was wrong with it. When the guy remarks that this was way too much of a coincidence, Columbo shares that he was a bit of a trickster as a kid. “You could shove a potato in the exhaust of a car and it wouldn’t start, and people would take ages not knowing what was wrong with it” and walks away with a smile.

5:15-5:27 Reminds me of a scene from Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Will: "You didn't beat me. You ignored the rules of engagement. In a fair fight I'd kill you." Jack: "That's not much incentive for me to fight fair then, is it?"

Odysseus will arrive shortly, in 20 years of course if he gets blown off.

The "inside-out whodunnit" Red described is actually an established subgenre referred to as a "howcatchem". Rather than focusing on figuring out who perpetrated the crime, the audience already knows who the culprit is (and usually how they committed the crime) and the draw is in seeing how the detective character uses their wits to expose the criminal and catch them.

The briar patch story illustrates another interesting thing: Tricksters are not immune to trickery. That story kicks off with Brer Fox exploiting Brer Rabbit's temper and impulsiveness to make him trap himself. Similarly, Anansi once tried to frame his son for murder, but his son rebuts that the king totally wanted this guy dead and he'll be rewarded handsomely. At which point Anansi grabs the body and goes tearing off to confess to the king, and is promptly thrown in prison. When a trickster isn't unconditionally a hero, the audience frequently wants to see them get some kind of comeuppance, but not so much that they can never scheme again. So every once in a while, they will lose in a way they can still recover from. Even modern tricksters like Jerry Mouse and Bugs Bunny are occasionally bested, or fall to their own schemes. But these usually end with either a fade-to-black or somehow tricking their way right back out again.

“They say the first thing you notice about the Doctor…he’s always unarmed.”

Special mention to El-Ahrairah, the trickster hero of the rabbits in Watership Down. "Prince With One Thousand Enemies. Should they catch you, they will kill you and eat you. But first they must catch you." A trickster hero is often a character at the bottom of the proverbial food chain (or the literal food chain, in El-Ahrairah's case) who has to use wiliness and tricksiness because they have nothing else. Trickery helps level the playing field, which is why the powerful call it "cheating."

Peter Falk also played the character with considerable charisma. "There's just one thing..." "Oh, by the way..." Columbo is one of those characters you'd want to sit in on your D&D table just to see how he'd play and would be figuring out the villain and main plot in Episode 1. And now I'm picturing Columbo playing a Mastermind Rogue...

The opposite of the Hero's Journey is the Trickster's Heist. The trickster doesn't descend into the scary uncivilized world, he ascends into the dangerous civilized one. The trickster doesn't have mentors or allies, just the stuff he'd already prepared ahead of time and the tricks he uses. A lot of Robin Hood and Till Eulenspiegel and Argo and Anansi and Coyote stories fit it, but the two stories that I've found exemplify it perfectly - Raven Stealing The Sun (Tlingit), and My Father's Dragon. Seriously, he goes in there to steal a macguffin, armed with random items, and tricks his way out of danger each time.

“Ah trickster, welcome to my velvet room…”

When I listened to Red describing mythological trickters I noticed an interesting thing: Mythological tricksters are often the most popular cultural characters: - Loki is one of the most famous Norse gods - Sun Wukong is the most recognisable Chinese hero - Maui is the most recognisable Polynesian character - Anansi is literally the most popular character from sub-Saharan Africa - Coyote and Raven are what first comes to mind when talking about Indigenous American folklore

My favorite skit of the original Animaniacs was a nanny who wasn't OVERTLY malicious, but couldn't be goaded into throwing the first narrative punch so the Warner siblings could handle her like normal. So they ended up calling in Slappy Squirrel, arguably a peer of the nanny and too cranky to care about who swings first, to handle the nanny so they could remain heroes.

Reminds me of an exchange in Pirates of the Caribbean that I love: ""You ignored the rules of engagement. In a fair fight I would have killed you." "Well that's not much incentive for me to fight fair now is it?" Being a Trickster is one way "The Smart Guy" can contribute to a team as well, because sometimes the rules are twisted to protect those who break the spirit of the rules, and in other cases it doesn't matter if you're "weaker" than your opponent if you know how to use what you do have more effectively than your opponent. Part of what makes a trickster hero is that subterfuge is generally their first strategy, not just using their wits every now and then.

Bugs: Of course you realize this means war. Antagonist: Why do I hear boss music?

"There were charts it was bad" I LOVED THAT SJHDHSHS

has nothing to do with the main concept of the video (which is done great as always), but i really like how, in the clip you use where rhino throws an engine at a building and spidey swoops in to save the people about to be crushed by rubble, the mom/whoever quickly shoves the child out of the way before spidey saves her in turn. Its a quick little thing they animated, but it elevates the people being saved from props Spider-Man can pick up and put down to show he is good guy, to characters that are actually reacting to what is happening and acting based on their priorities, which isnt always done in superhero media. Makes the world feel more alive, you know? Good clip selection, and good on the animators for that.

Coyote: "it fucken wimdy" Ravens: "let's go steal some fire about it"

Aladdin is a perfect example of a trickster hero. At the beginning he’s just a trickster but there are hints to his heart of gold and by the end he’s a true hero. The resolution is a trick pretending to give Jafar everything he wants all the power but instead trapping him in the lamp!

There’s something inherently satisfying about a trickster hero. Their whole shtick is playing on the ego and character flaws of their opponent to basically cause them to defeat themselves. It’s core is rooted in deceit and misdirection, which are such typically villainous traits but can still be used in a heroic way and I love it.

I loved when Doctor Aphra pulled a Briar Patch. During all the Darth Vader comic series, she wouldn't stop telling him "Please, don't throw me trough an airlock into space. That's the worst way to die I can imagine". So, when inevitably their working relationship goes sour, and Vader throws her through the airlock, she has her crew ready to pick her up before she suffocates.

I always love Columbo references. He's such a great character, and he does go up against some SLIMY guys. But he's SO MUCH FUN. I think he even went up against one of the actors who played Sherlock Holmes...which was great. Also he arrested Kirk and Spock. Fun times.

The bit about the Columbo series never revealing his actual name brings to light a really famous comic where Light from Death Note was trying to write his name in said notebook and fails every single time, while Columbo keeps tearing him down until he finally mentions that he can see Ryuk.

The timing of this is so funny to me, because I was talking to a friend just this morning about how Bilbo is a trickster hero in the Hobbit. He lies, sneaks, steals, uses cleverness and taunts to deal with both the spiders and the elves, all forces stronger and meaner than he is. He’s fundamentally good, but he’s just a little guy and he has to be clever to survive (and save his friends)

I'll always think of the Hogan's Heroes series when thinking about Trickster Heroes, especially Colonel Hogan. The heroes seem to be helpless pows, stuck in an 'inescapable' prison camp. But through secrets and Hogan's plans, they do much to disrupt the Nazis in power and help some people along the way. I think you'd have fun watching it. There's definitely some stuff you'd find iffy, but overall there's a lot that can be enjoyed from it.

We actually do find out Columbo's first name in the series pilot. Its never said in dialogue, but we see it printed on his police ID briefly: "Frank" And we meet his wife, but not in the series. She is the protagonist in a spinoff series that lasted a few seasons. Played by a 20 year old Kate Mulgrew. Who would later go on to play Captain Janeway in Star Trek Voyager.

Hercules: Yeah cool just hold this for a second. Atlas: Well I'm a dumbass so SURE.

"Lupin the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro" is a delightful cartoon, and it relates to this because of Lupin's motivations. Lupin is a thief - very much a trickster - and he decides he's going to steal a ton of counterfeit currency from the tiny land of Cagliostro. As the story goes on, Lupin discovers there's a woman in need of rescue; and as the story goes further, Lupin discovers exactly how evil the Count of Cagliostro is. Lupin's motivations move from selfishness to dashing scoundrelhood to actual heroism, and while the movie doesn't come right out and make a point of it, you as the viewer pick up on it at some level. It makes Lupin increasingly easy to get behind.

I love Brare Rabbit the hare, one of my favourite series of stories as a kid. Currently 13 , so not too long ago.

At this point, the "hero" is just "opposed to the villain." Which can work. A lot of the time a trickster hero is at their best when opposed by a powerhouse of a villain, and that makes it admirable when the hero uses their wits to win the day. Like the Doctor, a big part of the appeal of his character is how he doesn't use force to win. His enemies do all the time. Even the smarter ones like the Master use power to win, but that makes it all the more satisfying when the Doctor wins by outwitting them or uses their own power against them.

Red is the real trickster hero. Making an episode of trope talk thinking that it’s just gonna be another episode when she really just wants to talk about Columbo again. Genius

"Whatcha got there?" Loki: "A smoothie." God bless you, Red. XD

In reference to what you said about tricksters relying on the villain’s agency, I heard a street magician once observe that the best cons make the victim think they are doing the conning. Partly because it plays to ego, partly because if there’s always a sucker but it’s someone else, it can’t be you, and partly because once you realize the con it’s a lot harder to go for help and admit what you were expecting. It’s a lot harder to con an honest person (not counting cons that prey on types of ignorance in vulnerable populations like computer scams for the elderly). Villains on the other hand will jump at an underhanded opportunity to gain an advantage without noticing that they’re the sucker.

Even Superman sometimes uses trickery. Like against Mr Mxyscwhatshisface.

"If you want to survive there is one thing you never put in a trap... me" -Dr Who

I think "trickster heroism" also speaks to us as humans because it also exemplifies the relationship between humans and other animals, or at least the animals that would be dangerous to us or otherwise difficult to overcome physically. Humans have evolved to be tricky, to make up for their physical disadvantages through tool use and brain power. A human isn't going to wrestle down a grizzly bear, nor is it going to catch a bird with its bare hands. I don't think a bear would find a bear trap "sporting", or a bird a bird snare "honorable", but these are what we use regularly to punch above our weight class. We love an underdog story, because for much of our history we have been the perpetual underdog.

I literally got in a fight over the definition of a hero because someone was trying to set a firm definition and then say everything outside of his definition was not a hero. Thank you for making this and making me feel more sane lol

"The name's Gambit, mon ami... Remember it."

Grunkle Stan from Gravity Falls hits this note. His character and arc is really interesting, asking how and why a trickster acts, what does and doesn't cross the lines of good behavior and making his status as a hero ambiguous for half the show. He defeats Smugger-than-Smug Bill Cipher only by relying on his family, letting the people he needs to protect most in, and using his tricks only on his foes.

The Doctor from Doctor Who is a great example of a Trickster Hero. Especially his second incarnation who loved to play the fool to misdirect his opponents and uses their own strength against them.

I remember back in AvX comics, Spider-Man tried using his full strength (that he usually holds back on) against a Phoenix-powered Colossus and Magik, and he ends up with a bunch of broken bones. There he is, barely able to talk because his jaw is dislocated, and he manages to convince the two of them that they'd be better off fighting each other instead of him, and it works. He figures out during the quipversation that they are both so overprotective of each other that it would only take a little nudge to make them want to beat the Phoenix out of the other one for their sake.

In some of the Loony Toons episodes, however, it was Bugs Bunny who instigated the fight with Elmer Fudd. For example, the time when Elmer Fudd just wanted to relax at Jello-stone National Park, and Bugs Bunny wouldn't leave him alone.

You brought up Columbo, but there’s another trickster detective that I think fits the trope better. Shawn Spencer from “Psych.” Not only does he trick the criminals, but he also tricked the police themselves into thinking he is a psychic when in reality, he is just incredibly hyper observant.

I love Red's sarcastic voice when she's doing the "Oh, no! Please don't [fill in the blank]!" bit. I don't know what it is about it, but I just want to hear more of it.

The line about Superman punching somebody into orbit was a reference to "Superman vs the Elite" wasn't it? I know you've talked about it before, and that's a classic example of Superman being a trickster hero. Something he's perfectly capable of being if he needs to.

Recently read a webcomic called Lavender Jack who is now in my mind the archetypical trickster hero; he isn't even introduced as a hero, we only see him at first from the perspective of his targets of vigilante justice and the detective hired to investigate him. He's physically fit but almost always overwhelmed in a directly physical fight, and has to rely entirely upon the environment and turning his enemies weapons against them. In spite of that, he'll often forgoe some of his tools to fight "honourably" in one-on-one situations, even when he's likely to lose, but equally often strikes first and without warning. He has a civilian alter ego, but he uses it much more proactively than most do, using it to gain access and continue his investigations, often in plain sight. His motivation is a mystery for much of the first season, and it takes a while for any other heroic characters to start to trust him. He's basically if Bertie Wooster became Batman and dressed up as the Phantom of the Opera while being actively hunted by Poirot. Highly recommend it.

The Irish giant. Fionn Mac cumhaill Or its english translation... Which is honest to goodness. -Finn McCool. Was a trickster hero. He built the giants causeway to meet, and fight, another giant. When he learned how big the dude was he dressed up like a baby. A giant baby. And had his regular human wife talk to the giant about how small he was compared to his father. The giant saw this baby, just a little smaller than him and imagined how big Fionn was. Then ran for the hills. Fionn is a trickster hero taught to all Irish kids in 1st year. He was hilariously brilliant.

A clever person, a wise man, and a strong man Find a pot of Gold. But this pot of gold is protected by a magically powerful majin. The majin says, "I will let you have the gold if you can answer me one question. Which of you 3 can make the loudest nooze with this drum?" The strong man hits the drum with a hammer as hard as he can, making a loud noise. The wise man attaches a stick to an even larger stick. Slamming it into the drum with all his might, making an even louder Bang. The clever person states, "the wise man.". Game changer session 6 episode 1

I think part of what makes trickster heroes so compelling is that the trickster half of their persona is much more inherently villainous than it is heroic. Which means that when they defeat the villain it essentially says that the trickster hero is better at being the bad guy than the bad guy Even When they're the being the good guy, which is a mortal blow to any villains ego and very satisfying for the audience.

“He can’t punch somebody into orbit to get rid of them…” One of Todd McFarland’s last Marvel comics was Spidey vs the Hulk (grey, Mr. Fixit at the time) and he literally did just that. Spidey had a plot induced power up and it was just hilarious to me that I remember the ONE TIME this was wrong immediately after hearing that.

Red: makes a trickster hero video Me immediately: Odysseus? Odysseus? Odysseus?

Somone once referred to Bugs Bunny as a Loki figure and thats lived rent free in my head ever since

Joseph Joestar is such a trickster hero the narrator had to reassure readers his tendency to run away was actually courageous

10:45 Thanks for pointing out the implicit problem that beating up a "might makes right" villain basically proves the villain point even if it does often have to be done without any philosophical counterargument.

From the very start of this episode I was just thinking, "So..Robin Hood?" Which I still maintain. But I also realized by the end, "Hey isn't The Doctor (Dr Who) also a trickster hero?"

Reigen from Mob Psycho is a great example, despite having no powers and absolutely lying to people about it, he still does everything he can in his own mischievous way. Not only does he help Mob on his journey of growing up with psychic powers, he also finds ways to help his coustemers such as by giving massages, not to mention he manages to snap back to reality a bunch of delusional psychics and helps to save the world witouth really meaning to. By all accounts he is flawed and shady, and yet his nature as a good guy keeps him in check

Maybe part of the reason why the Batman/Elmer Fudd crossover worked is that both characters are foils to a colorful trickster cast, but still function by their logic.

Having watched all of Columbo, I can say that the writers openly enjoyed the last seasons where the villains ask Columbo for his name. "Lieutenant Columbo." "No~, what's your first name?" "Lieutenant." Columbo openly and almost happily denies any chance of giving his first name to others.

Your next line is "Trickster hero? That's Joseph Joestar!" isn't it?!

And there’s of course Hermes, who starts getting up to trickster antics the minute he is born.

Rattrap from Beast Wars comes to mind. Being perhaps the least conventionally powerful of the Maximals, he often resorts to trickery and clever tactics to outsmart his enemies. In the episode 'Double Jeopardy', the Maximals discovered that they were suffering an information leak, and suspected Rattrap. So Rattrap was sent to infiltrate the Predacon base, and by exploiting the schisms within the Predacon ranks and the lofty ambitions of Terrorsaur, he managed to uncover the real reason for the leak and neutralise the threat. Later, he was forced to fight alongside the Predacons when the Maximals attacked their base, but by carefully manipulating the situation (and with a stroke of luck), he enabled himself and the other Maximals to escape, while the Predacons ended up destroying themselves. That being said, there was quite a lot of trickery shown from both factions, especially in the first season. When you're fighting a war in which both sides have roughly equal firepower, victory often comes in outsmarting the enemy.

Briar Rabbit entering from my childhood with a metal chair 💪 thanks for that core memory back 😂

The "trickster on behalf of others" angle is perhaps why Bugs Bunny doesn't land as well with some folks these days. Bugs in his shorts is almost always tricking the antagonist because of a slight to himself, and he's so much smarter than them that it ends up not looking like a fair fight, especially after all the times we've seen him come out on top. I enjoy Bugs, but it took this video to help me understand why some folks don't.

“A trickster hero’s primary skill set is in manipulating a situation to their advantage through cunning and trickery rather than bruit force. Generally, they are in some way an underdog facing some sort of more powerful antagonist; and if they fought an antagonist on the terms that antagonist defined, they would 100% lose.” This truly is a Joseph Joestar moment.

Grunkle Stan is the best Trickster Hero

I grew up hearing stories of Asban (the raccoon spirit) playing tricks on Odihozo (who was a giant being with no legs and dragged themself around creating riverbeds) to get them to chase Asban so as to make sure the rivers went where the people needed them, and teaching the other animals to hunt near the human settlement because humans attracted the small prey animals. Yes, I have seen Over the Hedge. Yes, I remain convinced it was a retelling of an Asban legend.

I'm betting five dollars that the "Columbo solves Death Note" meme was at least somewhat involved in making this episode.

I think the best example of a trickster hero is wander from wander over yander, he is like if bugs bunny genuinely tried to help Elmer feud become a good person

The show Burn Notice is another good example of this, in the vein of Leverage. Our heroes are liars, spies, sneaks, and more, but always for a greater good. It gets especially interesting because of how few episodes result in the bad guys getting shot by the heroes… but not always, and more than a few times the bad guys get put in positions where they’ll end up dying horribly, but largely due to their own actions in the end.

I really like that, in One Piece, the sun god worshipped by slaves for freedom , Nika, is basically a trickster god and his powers literally reminds of Looney Tunes cartoonish shenanigans, when Bugs Bunny is basically a modern form of trickster hero. It was a really good idea to use that kind of character as the thing a tyrannical world government permitting slavery fears.

I've always loved tricksters as heroes because they have to walk such a fine line. They have to be wheedling without being smarmy, confident without being boastful, and intelligent/quick thinking without being a know-it-all. Ferris Beuller is such a good example of this. The writers/casting team said Ferris had to have enough charisma and self-reflection for the audience to want him to get away with his shenanigans otherwise he would come across as a self-absorbed jerk.

One of the things about Spider-Man though is that he actually *does* have the strength to just brute force most of his enemies, it’s just that he doesn’t want to straight up kill them and is constantly holding back. He relies on his wits and the terrain to compensate for the handicap he gives himself, which arguably highlights his heroic qualities more

The smile on my face when you brought it around to Columbo!

Harry Dresden out here tricking gods, faerie queens, titans and the mob all at once

does it count if he tricks them by being completely insane? His brain's overloaded, it has a chocolate coating textbook case for Sigmund Freud, Freakazoid! Freakazoid!

Anansi isn't the only trickster hero that west Africa has. Nigeria and, more specifically, the Yoruba region where I'm from also has a trickster god called Esu. He also hold triple duty as he is also a psychopomp and messenger, kind of like Hermes, but then he also gets slotted into the devil role after colonisation and the "fun" stuff happened like loki did

Lupin the 3rd is very much an example of this trope. He's also both a trickster hero and a smug villain, often playing jumprope with the line between the two.

I think part of the appeal of tricksters (that are heroes) is the outsmarting aspect feels like something we could do. Flight and super strength are out of the question, but pulling a fast one? Maybe. And this clever deception *was* concieved of by a human, just like me!

"You realize that this is not going to go unchallenged." Bugs Bunny, Barbary-Coast Bunny - 1954

My favorite part of "The Incredibles" is when Mr Incredible tricks the robot into destroying itself.

One my favorites is Scrooge Mcduck, specifically from the 2017 ducktales reboot, where he usually defeats villains by outsmarting them and the finale of season two is built around him meeting a villain who can actually outsmart him

Astérix from Astérix is a strange example. He's a small trickster, but he has a large very powerful partner who is usually strong enough to physically overwhelm any problem. And if they need extra muscle, they have a magic potion. The trick is they are fighting the ENTIRE ROMAN EMPIRE, so being smart about managing their short supply of potion is paramount. Astérix will usually scout a situation to figure out the best way for Obélix to apply his strenght, who will gleefully severly injure-but-not-murder (this is a children's cartoon) everyone. Also they usually figure out a roman law loophole that forces the Empire to relinquish whatever claim they seized from the celtic village or their allies. It's a strange example because we are told they can't just use their magic potion to physically overwhelm all of Rome's legions, but we are never really shown why not (possibly because the heroes and their allies are too smart to try something so foolish). They DO sometimes noodle reference the battle of Chergovie (immediately followed with : "But what about Alésia?" "Alésia? NOBODY gets to speak about Alésia. Alésia nothing, never happened, I wasn't there and neither were you!" every once in a while, such that something must have happened to the village that convinced them they can hold the village from the romans for a while, but not retake Gaul from them. It's a cool concept.

3:57 "We need a miracle" "No, we need to cheat"

Man, I've never thought of Columbo as a trickster hero, but you're 100% right and it explains why that character is so lovable.

Strength based heros: I'm going to destroy you Trickster heros: I'm going to destroy your whole worldview

Hercules was known for using cunning and trickery. Cleaning a stable with a river, having his nephew/good boy Iolaeus burn the Hydra, getting Atlas to get the apples from his daughters AND getting him to take the sky back by pretending to drop it ...

I can always enjoy a quippy hero (when they're good) because it adds more of a personality to the hero

The Doctor from Doctor Who is one of, if not THE best trickster hero around. Every time they defeat an enemy, they use the enemies told against them, and the resolution to one of the earliest episodes starts with them looking almost directly into camera and saying "yes! That's it! We'll cause trouble!"

Another great example is Aladdin. He has a lot of classic trickster tropes you mentioned, beating the villain by tricking him into having too much power, running away from the guard and giving his food to an orphan with his introduction, etc.

8:30 and there's the show i was waiting for Red to reference! I agree that part of the appeal of the Trickster Hero is that, when they win, we the audience get that most pleasing and cathartic of moments: where the villain realizes that they've lost and it's all their own damn fault. Most heroes win with a knockout blow and the villain reaches failure during a moment of unconsciousness, but Trickster Heroes often leave the powerful and prideful being brought low while they're lucid enough to recognize their failure and their reaction to this new state of being.

This is a fun trope, and I do enjoy it a lot. I just briefly got distracted by that one guy in the "Detective Columbo" clips that made me think "IS THAT MISTER SPOCK?!"

joseph joestar is my absolute favourite example of this trope, he bluffs his way through the story so hard that when the main villain is defeated by sheer luck he thinks it must've been joseph's plan all along and joseph just to rub it in pretends it was

It is always an absolute delight to see you crossing my feed.

I always appreciate when Columbo gets a mention. Love that guy.