In the anime, in the middle of the scene, while the dice are falling and the people are dying, it cuts to Mello, and a satisfied grin. Also, Mello in the scene where his henchman is killing much of his opponent Near's team.Three words: "Exactly as planned." One smirk he busts out is so momentous, it's accompanied by a sudden earthquake in the cinematography. It's rather unsettling to see on someone who looks like a child. In the Cowboy Bebop episode " Sympathy for the Devil", once Once the truth about Wen is revealed, he starts flashing these sorts of smiles.It's the blood splashing onto his cheek that really does it. We're first introduced to that smile at the end of the first episode, when he grins just a little too evilly after Geassing the soldiers about to kill him into shooting themselves. For good reason whenever he does it without the mask it passes from awesome to terrifying. Lelouch Lamperouge in Code Geass loves doing this behind that Cool Mask of his.So much so that it's when he stops smirking that you really have to be worried. Aion from Chrono Crusade is very fond of this trope.He'll occasionally combine it with a Death Glare for some truly terrifying expressions. Harusumi of Bokura no Kiseki is pretty fond of this.As he once confessed to Ichigo, when he's forced to play the role of a villain, he tends to go for the cliché. His first introduction to the storyline even included one. Ginjou has a habit of letting these slip out.The anime subtly portrays Mila-Rose as someone that enjoys fighting, with a slight sadistic streak as she's shown with a psychotic smirk when fighting an outmatched Matsumoto.Unfortunately for all the characters, he's always smiling. If you see Aizen smiling even a bit, turn heel and run because it generally means you're on the wrong end of his manipulations - the kind of manipulations that threaten life or sanity.Rock from Black Lagoon has started doing this.Suits the Manipulative Bastard quite well. Berserk: While the Slasher Smile is Guts's forte, Griffith has mastered the Psychotic Smirk.Nagisa Shiota from Assassination Classroom sports an utterly chilling one whenever he gets serious, adding to his Dissonant Serenity.Akuma no Riddle has a cast of mostly Axe-Crazy Professional Killers.The Demons of Ah! My Goddess: Velsper and Hilde more so than Mara, who's a little too over-the-top to pull off the "subtle mastermind" shtick.See Sideways Smile for the generally less-evil-more-neutral version. A particular type of Anti-Hero does this, too: the soft-spoken, underhanded ones who always know more than they let on, but never see fit to warn others of the danger. Unfortunately, the understated effect is often ruined by an over-the-top Motive Rant when the penny finally drops for the heroes.įor the heroic (but just as cocky) version, see Grin of Audacity. Sometimes, it's accompanied by a Finger Wag as if to say "Nice try, sucker" if the hero had attempted to defeat them. The important thing is to smile with only one side of the mouth. There's no need to broadcast just how dangerous they are - everyone's got a pretty good idea already, but no one can prove it. The Psychotic Smirk is a favorite with Big Bads everywhere. Only the villain and the viewers know that alarm bells should be ringing in the good guys' heads - but hey, they're the enemy, why give them advance notice? For obvious reasons, this subtle hint of treachery is especially likely to turn up as part of a Traitor Shot. No, when someone's about to walk straight into your Death Trap or your Evil Plan is about to pay big dividends, it's best to show your smug superiority with a devious little smile, probably behind your victim's/lackey's back, or behind your hand (or hands). A Cheshire Cat Grin only warns people that something's afoot a Slasher Smile is even more glaringly obvious. As far as the most devious and subtle of villains are concerned, when it comes to facial expression, less is more.
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