![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
---|
A form of Names to Run Away From Really Fast: Villains often favor certain colors of clothing and weapons, so it's not surprising that such colors should be in their names as well.
Black[]
Especially popular. (Blackguard, Blackheart, Blackthorne, Blackout, etc...)
Anime and Manga[]
- The morally ambiguous contract killer who stars in Darker Than Black is codenamed Hei - Chinese for "black".
- Hei also has a Red Baron, "The Black Reaper."
- Schwarz (German for "black"), the Slave-summoning villains from Mai-Otome.
- BlackāStar from Soul Eater.
- Akuha Shuzen, infamously known as the Black Devil from Rosario to Vampire.
- Blood Knight Omnicidal Maniac Karasuba (who's name translates literally to "raven feather") is known as the "The Black Sekirei".
Comic Books[]
- The Blackthornes in Noble Causes are a family of supervillains.
- Blackheart
- Black Hand as seen in Blackest Night.
- Black Mask
Film[]
- Lord Blackwood from the first Robert Downey, Jr. Sherlock Holmes film.
- In Reservoir Dogs, the robbers argue over who gets to be called "Mr. Black".
Literature[]
- Dr. Raven Sable.
- Sirius Black, although this turns out to be somewhat misleading. It definitely applies to most of the rest of his family, though. His family attempts to deliberately invoke this trope with astronomical names multiple times. Sirius, Andromeda, Regulus, Draco, probably several of the others do this also, but I don't know astronomy well enough to tell you for sure.
- Bellatrix is also named after a star.
- The Laundry Series is home to the Black Chamber, the rather...morally unsound US paranormal agency.
- Black Dow. Among an entire nation of Named Men, he's still infamous.
- Parodied and subverted in Grunts!, when the various orc squads pick names. There are an over-abundance of black, sable, ebony, etc...And then Pink Squad. They're kind of worried about Pink Squad.
Live-Action TV[]
- Kamen Rider Black
- For that matter, Kamen Rider Black RX
- Frank Black from Chris Carter's Millennium
Music[]
Video Games[]
- And Nero the Sable from Dirge of Cerberus.
- Einhander has the sixth boss, Schwarzgeist. Which is German for "Black Ghost"
- Count Bleck from Super Paper Mario. Not quite in English, but his name in Japan is 'Count Noir', which is French for Black.
- Some Warcraft black dragons such as Sabellian aka Baron Sablemane.
- In the Sonic the Hedgehog Universe, Black...Doom...yeah...we're screwed...
- Einhander has the sixth boss, a shuttle your character is supposed to destroy. That transforms into the boss. Its name? Schwarzgeist (Black Ghost).
- Mr. N. Black from Red Dead Revolver.
- Blackhorn from Astyanax.
- Black Collar (later renamed Black Ninja) from Metal Gear 2.
Web Comics[]
- Jack Noir of Homestuck. On the other hand, his name is technically "Jack Black", rather than Black Jack.
Western Animation[]
- In The Simpsons episode "Bart Gets An Elephant", Stampy the elephant is nearly sold by Homer to an ivory dealer (and onetime whale hunter, seal clubber, and president of the FOX network) named Mr. Blackheart.
- In "Kamp Krusty", there's Mr. Black, the evil camp councilor who torments Bart, Lisa, and the rest of the kids attending the eponymous camp.
Red[]
Or any variation. Crimson and Scarlet sound especially Badass. Vermillion, less so, but you can work with it. See also Red Baron.
Anime and Manga[]
- The Red Comet. Also the Crimson Lightning, but he often gets confused with the other guy.
- Rezo the Red Priest of Slayers has a piece of the Dark Lord of his world sealed in his eyes, making him steadily more evil through his life. Lampshaded by Lina when she comments that his name sounds like a villain's after they meet and he tries to play her into giving up a powerful artifact.
- Porco Rosso is just a Badass.
- Erza Scarlet is one of the few character who can discipline Natsu.
- Now we also have Mavis Vermillion, Fairy Tail's first master, who might be joining Makarov and Gildarts as the Big Good.
Comic Books[]
- Red Skull
- Crimson Dynamo of Iron Man.
- Red Star of the Teen Titans belongs here too.
- Red Rackham, the titular pirate of Red Rackham's Treasure.
- Omega Red
Film[]
- Red Sonja is definitely someone you tread carefully around, unless you're Ahnuld.
- Red Mist from Kick-Ass.
Literature[]
- The Red Queen from Through The Looking Glass.
- Not to mention Queen Redd from The Looking Glass Wars, the Red Queen and the Queen of Hearts rolled into one.
- Even just plain old "Red," a.k.a. Carmine Zuigiber as Good Omens proves.)
- A dragon named Scarlet in the Sword of Truth series, though really it doesn't matter what the name is, you better run from a dragon if she ain't called Puff.
- Scarlett O'Hara, of Gone with the Wind wasn't exactly the southern sweetie she liked to pretend she was. She EARNED that damn not being given!
- The Crimson King
- The Masque Of The Red Death
- in The Princess Series, the "Lady of the Red Hood" is one of the most feared assassins in the land.
Live-Action TV[]
- Red John.
- Now let's not forget about Red Forman
- VR Troopers has Red Python.
MMORPGs[]
- While not a person's name, the Scarlet Crusade from World of Warcraft. Originally devoted to slay undead, but turned into an army of insane religious zealots bent on killing anyone who's not one of them. Also, their leader is a demon/vampire in disguise.
Music[]
- King Crimson. The name sounds much more intimidating than the actual sound/image of the band, however.
Video Games[]
- Dirge of Cerberus's Rosso the Crimson, translating to "Red the red". Yes, she is extremely bloodthirsty. She also has a Russian accent.
- Of course the rather dangerous Scarlet sisters from the various Touhou Project games.
- Red, and Axel the Red, two Mavericks from the Mega Man X series.
- Depending on who you ask, Red from PokƩmon Red and Blue is no one to take lightly. That is, if you are Team Rocket or the Hero of PokƩmon Gold and Silver...
- Akagi, the Japanese name of the Big Bad of PokƩmon Diamond and Pearl, can be read as "Red Future".
- Subverted in Final Fantasy VII: Scarlet of Shinra is utterly laughable as a villainess, present only to fill the role of The Vamp. All she manages to do is be annoying enough that you can't help but relish the literal bitch-slap fight atop the Sister Ray.
- Vermilion from Battle Arena Toshinden.
- Subverted with Carmine from Gears of War, a recurring Red Shirt character.
- Crimson Fury from Twisted Metal.
Web Comics[]
- A very bad example is Scarlet Foxfire, which has a color, animal, and fire, from the Web Comics of David Gonterman. Gonterman probably does actually intend her to be a badass, but seeing as how she's some sort of superpowered vixen fursuit (worn by a guy), well, her status is dubious, at best.
Western Animation[]
- Red Dog, one of The Renegades in G.I. Joe: The Movie.
- The Crimson Chin from The Fairly Odd Parents.
Real Life[]
Yellow[]
The Victorians and Edwardians loved to associate this with madness and decay as the symbol of the plague is a yellow flag with a single black spot flown above an infected vessel or building. In other cases, it might just be related to inherent abilities of lightning and/or awesome reflexes.
Anime and Manga[]
- Minato Namikaze A.K.A. the Yellow Flash. The ONLY Ninja listed in the Black Book with a "Run On Sight" tag...
- ...Not that it would help much if he was after you.
Art[]
- In Renaissance religious paintings, Judas was often painted wearing yellow robes.
Literature[]
- The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers more or less launched the idea of the Brown Note to the modern world with "the yellow sign"
- The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
- H.P. Lovecraft also had a King in Yellow and the Yellow Sign
- A Shout-Out to Chambers.
Real Life[]
- Yellow fever.
White[]
Occasionally used as a subversion. Bonus points if the guy in question is an Evil Albino.
Anime and Manga[]
- Light Yagami of Death Note is a variation.
- The manga of Cowboy Bebop featured a reporter following the crew as they chased the White Siblings, Ash and Blanche, who preyed on the elderly.
- The White Devil, Nanoha Takamachi. Well, it's a name to run from if you have done anything to incur her wrath. Okay, so she won't cause any lasting damage, but you are going to be in one hell of a lot of pain...
Comic Books[]
- Silver Sable (Silver Sablinova) is a double whammy. Of course, when you mix the two and consider her actions, she might be...
Film[]
- Mr. White from the 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale.
- Don't forget Carrie White.
Literature[]
- Lucifer the light-bearer.
- Good Omens again provides Chalky/Whitey/Mr. White etc.)
- The White Witch was not a nice lady.
- Saruman the White (and later Gandalf the White).
- The true name of the Bane (the Evil Albino rat) from The Underland Chronicles is Pearlpelt.
Live Action Television[]
- Albert "Chalky" White, from Boardwalk Empire is either a Villain Protagonist or an Anti-Hero, but he's most definitely someone you do not want to cross. Extra irony points for Chalky being a black man with three names meaning "white".
Theatre[]
- Lightborne the assassin and Memetic Molester in Edward II.
Video Games[]
- So is Albedo from the Xenosaga series.
- Again in Dirge of Cerberus we have Weiss the Immaculate.
Western Animation[]
- The villain Mr. White from Codename: Kids Next Door.
Real Life[]
- Simo Hayha, AKA The White Death. Just read his page.
Gray/Grey[]
Often used for characters whose morals or motivations tend to come in, well, shades of gray, or just generally to connotate people with powers or badasses.
Anime and Manga[]
- Various versions of Greymon from Digimon (And BlackWarGreymon has two of the colors on this list, so you know he's a force to be reckoned with)
- D Gray Man
Comic Books[]
Literature[]
- Dorian Gray
- Gandalf the Grey from The Lord of the Rings (before his ascension to Gandalf the White and utter badassery)
- Mr. Grey from The Dreamcatcher. You don't want to run into him.
- Oh, and he talks in an Evil Brit accent that he picked up from one of his victims.
Live-Action TV[]
- Gabriel Gray of Heroes
Western Animation[]
- Valerie Gray from Danny Phantom (although her morals and motivations are good, and she thinks she's doing the right thing).
Blue[]
Anime and Manga[]
- The deadly, vain pedophile General Blue from Dragon Ball
Literature[]
- Possibly subverted by Sonja Blue in the Midnight Blue series of stories. Though blue is often associated with sadness, Sonja is depicted as the preeminent badass of the story universe.
Video Games[]
- Played straight in Dirge of Cerberus, though, with Azul the Cerulean.
- Azura of Morrowind.
Western Animation[]
- Azula, cold and ruthless villain from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Name originally comes from the colour of her flames (blue ā which is more intensive than normal red and yellow).
- And then there's Zuko's famous "Blue Spirit" alter-ego, in which he dons a blue mask and ninja garb and carries twin swords.
Pink[]
Not generally a colour considered associated with dangerous or villainous characters.
Anime and Manga[]
- Until you remember that Lina Inverse's official title is 'Lina the Pink Sorceress.' And if you call her that to her face, you will need to run away really fast.
Film[]
- Horace Pinker from Shocker.
Live-Action TV[]
- Pink doesn't seem scary until you remember that in Power Rangers Lost Galaxy it was the Pink Psycho Ranger that was not only the last to be killed, but also caused the death of the first ranger in Western Power Rangers history. Seven seasons in, and it was an Elite Mooks that was pink nonetheless, that finally killed one off.
Real Life[]
- "Pinko" is a nickname for a communist. Sometimes it refers to Lighter and Softer communists, as pink is a "lighter" shade of red.
- The singer Pink.
Others[]
Film[]
- Blonde ā Mr. Blonde from Reservoir Dogs
- The entire cast of Reservoir Dogs, with some names acting as subversions.
- Dominic Greene in Quantum of Solace.
Literature[]
Video Games[]
- In the Touhou series colors can be associated with power. The color purple usually represents power. It stands to reason that the most powerful being/Youkai in Gensokyo, Yukari Yakumo's name is Japanese for Purple. Also her shikigamis, Ran and Chen, have names that mean Indigo and Orange, respectively.
- The color-themed Sages of Team Plasma in PokƩmon Black and White.