Steven Anita "Steve" Smith[1] is a fictional character in the animated television series American Dad!, voiced by Scott Grimes.

The character was initially voiced by Ricky Blitt in an unaired pilot screener and was designed as geeky and physically gawky.

Grimes replaced Blitt for the aired pilot and Steve's design was made to be more physically attractive, so he would be less comparable to Neil Goldman from Family Guy.

[3] In the official series, he is not presented as nerdy as he is in the show's unaired precursory pilot when his appearance, voice and manner greatly contrasted from what they would eventually become.

[4][5] Steve attends Pearl Bailey High School and is usually accompanied by his equally uncool friends: "Snot", Steve's closest friend with whom he shares a bromance,[6] the two once even having shared in a kiss together (in the episode "License to Till"); Toshi, who is an Asian American and only speaks Japanese; and Barry, who is morbidly obese with an inarticulate, strident, and sloppy vocal quality.

Steve possesses a keen, yet shallow and lustful interest in the opposite sex, though he has had an obese girlfriend, Debbie, to which Stan disapproved.

He is a bit of a social outcast, wears thick, black frame glasses and harbors a strong academic interest in science, especially chemistry.

[7][8] More typically geeky traits of Steve's include his interests in Dungeons & Dragons, Harry Potter and Star Wars.

Despite this however, he has shown various times throughout the series that he has no issue with being as callous and mean as his tormentors, including towards other victims of bullying at his school, or even younger children.

[12] Another time Steve received a failing grade on a presentation about fossils using information he got from Stan because he thought his dad was intelligent, despite Roger's attempts to convince him otherwise.

[14][15] Steve does not share many interests with his sister, Hayley, who often chastises him for his poor savvy, showman attitude, and general objectification towards women.

[26] Although normally even-tempered and relatively tolerant, Steve cries when he is notably upset, but he has also had uncontrolled bursts of rage, during which he breaks nearby objects and screams very loudly.

In the episode Stan & Francine & Connie & Ted, he twice demonstrates an extreme form of rage which is referred to as 'going bananas', where his face turns bright red, he screams gibberish, flails around, breaks things, and even attacks anyone nearby.

His neighbours and friends are well aware of this, as at the end of the first tantrum Greg is seen across the street calmly listening and commenting on it while Barry warns him not to go bananas before he does the second time.

[28] In a later episode, Steve develops an addiction to the energy drink Cougar Boost, at one point going as far as to defraud his friends with fake tickets in order to obtain money to procure more of the beverage.

[33] In most cases when his role as the leader of the group is threatened Steve's drive to maintain this position of power results in erratic behavior such as humiliating his friends with personal or compromising information[33] or threats of physical violence against himself or others.