No real life examples, please we'd be here all day. Is nearly always on the receiving end of Comedic Sociopathy. See also: Bumbling Sidekick, The Unfavourite, Guilt by Association Gag, Humiliation Conga, Iron Butt Monkey. If a Butt Monkey gets pushed too far, until (s)he snaps and goes on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge, that's an example of a Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds. In Yiddish, this character type is called a Schlimazel. On the other hand, if someone in the cast other than The Hero is going to Take a Level in Badass, its almost invariably the Butt Monkey who does it. If someone is Giving the Sword to A Noob, nine times out of ten this person is the noob. If every conceivable misfortune happens to the Butt Monkey, regardless of its logic or lack thereof, you've got yourself a Cosmic Plaything.

If a female Butt Monkey is regularly used for slapstick and it is Played for Laughs she is probably also a case of Slapstick Knows No Gender.

The joke can also be dragged too far in other ways - to make a character a Butt Monkey of fate is one thing to have them constantly taking the punishment for the misdeeds of an unsympathetic cast is another. On the other hand, if the audience begins to resent the 'unfair' treatment of the character, they can become the Designated Monkey. If, however, the character's suffering is Played for Laughs and the reason the audience loves them is because of all the crap they get put through, they're generally The Chew Toy. If the audience sympathizes with them, they become The Woobie. The Butt Monkey is occasionally dangerous if he's pushed too far. This can be counteracted if you occasionally Throw the Dog a Bone, though many writers just can't resist Yanking The Dog's Chain. The direct opposite of a Karma Houdini (although technically the definition applies to those who escape from karma regardless of whether it's good or bad) If carried too far, may result in Deus Angst Machina. Sometimes it's all the writers can think of to do with the character. They don't do anything to earn the hell they go through, other than being an easy target. With tertiary characters, it must be their sole purpose to exist. With primary and secondary characters, it must be a regular occurrence. The Sega CD version is based on the 256-color. SEGA CD port The Secret of Monkey Island saw a Sega CD version in 1992, soon after the system was released on the U.S. Simply having a character go through hell once or twice (no matter how severely) is not enough to be the Butt Monkey. Secret of Monkey Island THE Secret of Monkey Island has never actually been revealed by Ron Gilbert, but some people believe that it has to do with the anachronisms in the games. Long story short, it sucks to be the Butt Monkey. Nothing ever goes right for this character, and if something bad is going to happen to someone, chances are it's going to happen to them. For whatever reason, the Butt Monkey seems to walk through life with a permanent 'Kick Me' sign attached to their backs, invisible to them, but all too visible to the rest of the world. The character who is always the butt of the demeaning joke or the 'put him through hell' plotline.

Tv tropes monkey island