Not So Stoic: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

 

[[The Stoic]] is a varied character trope, coming in many shapes, sizes, and colors. They can be male or female, young or old, hero or villain, etc. They can be regular old Stoics or they can be one, maybe even more, of its many subtypes -- [[Emotionless Girl]], [[The Spock]], [[Badass Longcoat]], to name a few. But one thing, no matter their gender, age, race, etc., is certain: they will never show emotion. Ever.

Well... except for that one time. Maybe two. Hell, even three!

 

 

In order to qualify, the show of emotion must be a significant one, not just a small smile or subtle frown. This emotion need not be a "negative" one: [[Manly Tears]] over [[Our Hero Is Dead|the death of a teammate]] are certainly un-stoic, but so is unfettered joy over [[Not Quite Dead|their improbable return]].

 

 

The [[Kuudere]] is this trope embodied.

 

 

Compare with [[Not So Above It All]], [[OOC Is Serious Business]].

 

 

== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==

* In [[The Movie]] version of Disappearance of [[Suzumiya Haruhi]], Yuki [[Retcon|Ret Cons]] the world to let Kyon choose whether he really wants Haruhi. One of the things she changed was to make herself less stoic, while [[Put on a Bus|putting everybody else in the SOS Brigade on a bus]]. Several scenes filled cinemas with [[Squee]] by turning [[The Stoic]] turned [[Up to Eleven]] into a [[Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds]], who's just shy. The scene where she (non-verbally) begs Kyon to stay for dinner is just [[Moe Moe|moe]]!

** And, of course, [[The Rival|Dr. Kiriko]] is quite capable at turning the otherwise collected Black Jack himself into an [[Dr. Jerk|incoherent bundle of petty rage]].

* L from ''[[Death Note]]'' who is usually even ''[[Creepy Monotone|talking]]'' [[Creepy Monotone|without any emotion]], freaks out when he watches the 2nd Kira's video tape mentioning shinigami. Also, the one instance he actually smiles...

* Riza Hawkeye from ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist]]'' hits this trope hard when she thinks Roy is dead.

** Jimbei is usually one of the most focused characters in the series. But he lost his cool in regards to {{spoiler|Ace's death}} and cried [[Manly Tears]] when {{spoiler|Nami forgave him}}. On a lighter note, he got a face fault when he saw {{spoiler|Shirahoishi and an injured Hachi with Luffy.}}

*** He got another face fault when Luffy is more concerned about food than the important information Jinbe was telling him. After getting angry with Luffy who cheerfully tells him that he likes to leaves things to chance, Jinbe then goes into a minor depression.

** In the same series we also have Darcia, the cool, quiet and enigmatic noble who completely loses it when {{spoiler|he returns home with Cheza, (she of the [[Healing Hands]]) to save his [[Ill Girl]] fiancee, only to find that his fiancee was murdered shortly before his return. [[Freak-Out|He doesn't take it well]]}}.

* Victor of ''[[Medabots]]'' prided himself on his totally professional, detached approach to battling and expressed little save cold distaste for the rest of the world. He managed to keep this up when the family of one of his opponents invited him round for dinner but we get to hear his internal monologue for the first time, and during their actual match he [[Villainous Breakdown|completely loses it when his opponent refuses to give up]]. At the end of the series his Medabot is destroyed protecting him and his mask breaks noticeably, leading to him actually giving the main character a smile at the end.

*** She loses her cool and punches the wall when the Wolkenritter find out that Hayate's illness is life-threatening.

*** She sheds a tear after this exchange:

'''Fate''': "There's still time for that!" }}

** He also had a truly epic one throughout a good portion of The Second Raid. Beginning when he was ordered to {{spoiler|immediately cease guarding Kaname}} and ending with {{spoiler|''another'' [[Hannibal Lecture]] from Gauron}}, he spiralled downhill into a [[Ten-Minute Retirement]] and a full-blown [[Heroic BSOD]].

** Interestingly enough, in the anime, he ''never'' cries. However, in the novel, he actually ''does'' break down crying and showing vulnerability... ''not'' over Kaname, ''not'' over any of his comrades dying... but over his shame and hurt pride that the hostage situation (during the Behemoth Arc) failed to go the way he planned.

* Genichirou Sanada from ''[[The Prince of Tennis]]'' tries to act as [[The Stoic]] leader of his team, but he loses his temper ''far'' too often.

* ''[[Ghost in the Shell|Ghost in the Shell: SAC 2nd Gig]]''. Batou is riding in a vehicle with Gohda when the latter starts questioning Batou about his [[Subordinate Excuse|relationship with the Major]], openly asking if he's in love with her. Batou (who clearly ''is'' in [[Unrequited Love]] with his female superior) keeps his usual stoic expression until Gohda turns to look out the window, whereupon Batou's face twists with anger and he snarls over his comlink: "This guy's a real comedian!"

* In ''[[Ouran High School Host Club]]'' when Kyoya first meets [[Idiot Hero]] Tamaki he takes all of his strange antics and outbursts relatively well. Until he blows up at Tamaki and unloads all of the pent up rage and insults he had been keeping inside. As usual for anime they are still friends, sort of, but Kyoya still occasionally tells Tamaki how stupid he is. Not that Tamaki really cares since more or less everyone else does too.

* Tooya from ''[[Ayashi no Ceres]]'', who even took the [[Badass Longcoat]] to stride, breaks away from his poker face for the first time when the subject of his relationship with Aya is brought up.

** Taken even further in one episode where he cries, fearing Aya may die.

** Kurama tends to be calm most of the time, but after {{spoiler|winning a game against [[Creepy Child|Amanuma/Game Master]] that costs the poor kid his life}}, he becomes enraged under his stoic facade, {{spoiler|instantly decapitating Makihara/Gourmet with his Rose Whip and setting up a plan to defeat Elder Toguro (who was controlling Makihara's body after killing him) while he is ''still unable'' to read his thoughts through his rage}}. [[Beware the Nice Ones|Hoo Lee Shit]].

* {{spoiler|Berg Katse}} from ''[[Ai no Kusabi]]'' was [[The Stoic]], until {{spoiler|Riki and Isaon are [[Together in Death]]}}. Then, he [[Cry Cute|broke down crying]] for them.

** For a human example, [[Fair Cop|Kirihara]] starts crying when she hears her team laughing and talking about how they'll support the chief and catch the villain without realizing that {{spoiler|their section has been disbanded.}}

* Princess Arika of ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima]]'' mostly acts like [[The Stoic]], but finally shows some emotion after {{spoiler|Nagi rescues her from execution and tells her he loves her.}}

** In a [[Lotus Eater Machine]] that showed Negi what life would have been with his parents, Arika remains extremely distant and aloof even to her own son. It is very obvious that she cares about him though, and when she holds his hand while walking down the street with him and Nagi counted as a serious [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming]].

** Also, Tsukuyomi managed to sends Fate in a fit of rage by threatening to [[The Only One Allowed to Defeat You|"steal his kill"]].

* Silver from ''[[Pokémon Special]]''. Cool and composed, except for the one time he got a [[Heroic BSOD]] when he found out who daddy was. The one moment that really sticks out though, is when he falls over when he sees his wanted poster.

** Can't leave Hiashi out either- beneath that icy demeanor is a man who will get on his knees to beg his nephew to reconcile with him.

** Chapter 518 has {{spoiler|Sai}} finally lose his ever-present control over his emotions and fly into a rage when {{spoiler|Zombie!Deidara blows up Sai's zombified older brother, threatens to do it again and again after the guy reforms, and [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking|insults Sai's art]]}}.

* In [[School Rumble]]'s later chapters, we learn that {{spoiler|Karasuma's}} lack of facial expressions was all an act. Once he ''does'' start showing emotions, he becomes ''almost unrecognizable''.

* [[Emotionless Girl|Mai]] from ''[[Kanon]]'' is very much [[The Stoic]] at first, and seems pretty much emotionless up until the middle of her story arc. Sayuri gets attacked when Mai is not around, and Mai's reaction to this is [[Tear Jerker|absolutely heart-wrenching]]. She {{spoiler|first collapses in shock at the sight of the wounded Sayuri. Once Sayuri is admitted to the hospital, Mai then tries to kill herself, feeling guilty for not having been able to protect her friend. When her suicide attempt is foiled by Yuuichi, she breaks down into tears.}}

* Takayama from ''[[Witchblade]]'' {{spoiler|kisses Masane after she visits him following his forced resignation from Doji.}}

* [[Ghost in the Shell|The Major]] normally shoots once to incapacitate and kill, dealing with her missions calmly and coolly. At least, until she meets the guy who shot Togusa and damaged her body. Then she got scary.

* Shows in small pieces earlier, but in episode 8 of ''[[Madoka Magica]]'' Homura breaks down crying over how {{spoiler|Madoka refuses to understand that others like her the way she is.}}

** Episode 10 puts all of that into heartbreaking perspective. {{spoiler|Homura was once an [[Adorkable]] [[Meganekko|glasses wearing]] [[Shrinking Violet]]. Four timeloops of seeing Madoka die or turn into a witch (one of which involved ''[[Mercy Kill|killing Madoka herself]]'') [[Broken Bird|later]]... It's clear that she's crying on the inside.}}

** A lesser example, also from episode 10. Mami, who is second only to Homura in the stoic department, snaps into a sobbing mess when {{spoiler|the Sayaka of that time line turns into a witch. She so breaks from the revelation that they'll all eventually become witches, that she shoots Kyoko's soul gem, killing her, and would have killed Homura too, had Madoka not killed her first.}}

* Ken Washio on ''[[Science Ninja Team Gatchaman]]'' is extremely controlled. Except when it involves his father. {{spoiler|Who was undercover for most of Ken's life. Then killed for real before the two could develop any sort of relationship. And angered Ken enough that he dragged the entire team into an enemy trap.}}

* Although Holo from ''[[Spice and Wolf]]'' may not seem stoic at first glance, her [[The Trickster|trickster]] and teasing antics cover serious issues. It's almost impossible to tell what she's really thinking... unless she's shocked into dropping her act, and as Lawrence quickly learns, what's she's usually thinking is something like "[[Please Don't Leave Me]]."

* Erza from ''[[Fairy Tail]]'' has had quite a few moments, both comedic (the play episode) and dramatic ({{spoiler|the Tower of Heaven arc, anyone?}}).

 

== [[Comic Books]] ==

** In a way, though, the shifting expressions on his masks represent different emotions. Probably.

** Also worthy of note is his infamous [[Despair Event Horizon]] in [[The Movie]], when he realizes that a criminal has kidnapped, raped, killed a nine-year-old, and ''fed her body to his dogs''. He slams an axe into the rapist's skull while screaming angrily at him (audio implies that he's crying). The comic book version, meanwhile, {{spoiler|handcuffs the killer to an oven, gives him a hacksaw, and sets the house on fire. [[Life or Limb Decision|Forcing the killer to cut through his own leg in order to get out in time]], a-la [[Mad Max]].}} The [[Painting the Fourth Wall|shape of the speech bubbles]] implies it's the first appearance of Rorschach's [[Creepy Monotone]], implying he [[Dissonant Serenity|stayed entirely calm during the entire event]].

 

 

** She is also ''[[Mind Rape|terrified]]'' when {{spoiler|she meets her alternate "[[Dimensional Traveller|slider]]" self.}}

* [[Finishing the Fight|Halo: Finishing The Fight]] The Chief stays the same calm, composed soldier for the entire story, even when facing legions and Orcs, Dark Elves, Demons and even {{spoiler|the Demogorgan}}. But after {{spoiler|he has finally killed the Demogorgan thanks to Cortana's [[Heroic Sacrifice]], this happens:}}

* Snape in [[Arc of Sacrifices]], big time. After being his usual snarky-git self for pretty much the entire series, he goes absolutely insane when {{spoiler|Regulus Black dies}} in the seventh book.

* This occurs in [[Clouded Sky]] with Igneous, the protagonist's normally [[The Stoic|very stoic]] Magmar. During a Pokémon battle, an enemy Girafarig forces him to accidentally injure one of his allies and, due to his constant fear of unintentionally hurting those close to him, he flies into a rage and starts mercilessly pummeling Girafarig, completely ignoring his trainer's commands.

* ''[[Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country]]''. When the killer turns out to be a protege of Spock's, he smashes the phaser out of her hand in a brief burst of anger after she refuses to shoot him. The feelings of pain and betrayal are written all over Spock's face.

** There's also the fact that she refuses to do the logical action and kill him.

** ...And even then, he's still pretty composed. It's not until {{spoiler|Kirk says he didn't love his now-dead mother}} that he <s> shows emotion</s> '''''FLIPS HIS SHIT'''''

* Matt King in [[The Descendants (film)|The Descendants]] is usually completely stoic, especially around his kids. It makes the few moments when he breaks and finally gets angry or cries extremely effective.

* Zus Belieski in ''Defiance'' is a cold hearted bastard. When his younger brother was sobbing helplessly over the recent deaths of their parents, Zus shook him roughly and shouted at him to stop crying. The one [[Tear Jerker|heartwrenching]] moment when his armor cracks comes after he learns that the wife and son he'd left in a then-safe city had been killed by the Germans.

* The famous scene from ''[[Schindler's List]]'' when Oskar Schindler breaks down in front of all of the Jews that he saved. As the [[Tear Jerker]] page will attest, many tropers found this moment to be more than they could bear.

* A disturbing example in [[Sherlock Holmes (film)|Sherlock Holmes]] ''A Game of Shadows'' is Moriarty cheerfully enjoying {{spoiler|his chilling torture of Holmes.}}

 

== [[Literature]] ==

* "[[Curious George]] Goes to the Hospital": A sad little girl, hospitalized for the first time with an undisclosed illness, is very stoic ... until George snaps her out of her depression with his antics. At first, it is gradual ... but the real breakthrough comes near the end of the story, when George takes another young boy's wheelchair for a wild ride. (The boy, whose leg had been broken in a car accident, was undergoing physical therapy when George decides to take the wheelchair for a ride.)

* In [[China Mieville]]'s ''[[The Scar]]'', sequel to ''[[Perdido Street Station]]'', the main character Bellis hardly ever shows any outward emotion, except for the scene where she suddenly breaks down and starts crying upon the realization that she won't be able to get a message to her home {{spoiler|warning them of an invasion}}, much less be able to return there. The character who discovers her breakdown is completely stunned.

* The ''only'' time [[Suzumiya Haruhi|Yuki Nagato]] showed a significant emotion was {{spoiler|in the [[Alternate Universe]] she created, where she was a normal girl. She gave a definite smile to Kyon, which dazzled him quite a bit.}}

** She also averts having a [[Non-Singing Voice]] like you wouldn't believe.

** One of Dan Abnett's contributions, ''Know No Fear'', had the otherwise controlled Roboute Guilliman react to Lorgar's betrayal with fury, vowing to rip the Word Bearers primarch apart and throw the pieces into hell.

* In the second book of the ''[[Artemis Fowl]]'' series, the usually stoic protagonist has a small emotional breakdown after hearing that his father is still alive.

* Happens to Griboyedov in ''[[The Death of the Vazir Mukhtar]]'', as he does sometimes confide some of his many worries and anxieties to particularly close friends.

* [[Harry Potter|Severus Snape]] has four during the series: When Sirius {{spoiler|whom Snape believes betrayed Lily to Voldemort}} escapes, when Harry accidentally dives into his memories, [[Berserk Button|"DON'T CALL ME COWARD!"]], and {{spoiler|his reaction to the news of Lily's death}}. Other than that, he's just another teacher with a [[Sadist Teacher|sadistic slant]].

** Basically, the main shtick of Professor McGonagall, who spends most of her time being a stoic [[Stern Teacher]] and the rest weeping unashamedly.

* In ''[[The Westing Game]]'', Judge J.J. Ford consciously ''decided'' to stop smiling when she began her law career, the better to maintain a serious, dignified demeanor, conserving her upbeat facial expressions for when they were really needed. It worked, too: she's so good at appearing as [[The Stoic]] that when she realizes a mistake she's made and starts chiding herself aloud, everyone present is shocked at this out-of-character display of emotion.

* [[Jane Eyre]] wasn't stoic as a child, but by the time she gets to Thornfield she is pretty emotionally reserved until Rochester {{spoiler|threatens to send her away to Ireland once he has married Blanche Ingram}}. In fact, Rochester is trying to elicit this trope from Jane.

* In [[World War Z]], Todd Wainios tells a story about one of the [[Rated "M" for Manly|biggest badasses on his team]] (an enormous ex-pro-wrestler who once used a zombie to beat other zombies into non-existence) be reduced to an inconsolable sobbing heap by the scent of cheap perfume on the wind.

* In [[Fate/Zero]], Kiritsugu displays two personalities: loving father and husband, and remorseless [[Combat Pragmatist]]. As he had sunk into the latter, much to his wife Irisviel's dismay, she can't help but wonder about him. While she ponders, Kiritsugu [[Tear Jerker|breaks down and offers to give up his dream and run away, world be damned.]] He thought that if they participated in the Grail War any longer, they would quickly reach the point of no return. Of course, since [[Fate/Zero]] is a prequel to the original series, [[Harsher in Hindsight|the point of no return is long past.]]

* Dally from ''[[The Outsiders]]'' hardly cares about anyone or anything. But when {{spoiler|Johnny dies}}, he visibly loses it.

* ''[[Dallas]]'': The Season 7 episode "Swan Song" was supposed to be Patrick Duffy's swan song in the series, for good, when Bobby Ewing is struck by a speeding car (driven by the homicial maniac Katherine Wentworth). At the hospital – in one of the cheesiest-in-retrospect "death scenes" in TV history – the entire cast is in tears ... including Bobby's older brother, that [[Complete Monster]] J.R.! (Incidentally, tears are seen rolling down J.R.'s cheek, but otherwise shows very little emotion in the final scene, where everyone is gathered around Bobby's bedside as he mumbles his final words.)

* ''[[The Dukes of Hazzard]]'': Despite their villianous ways, Boss Hogg grows geniunely worried every time Lulu or even his avowed enemies from the Duke family are in serious trouble. However, Rosco has outright cried when Boss, the Duke boys or his beloved basset hound Flash were in trouble. (Rosco's emotions are spelled out perfectly in the Season 2 episode "Granny Annie" and the final episode, "Opening Night at the Boar's Nest" – both times, when Boss was in serious trouble and the villians had every intent to kill him.)

** Vulcans developed their culture of tightly controlled emotions to deal with the fact that they are really ''very'' emotional, and without strict discipline, they tend to overreact to everything.

*** They also get really violent and horny during Pon Farr, basically Vulcans in heat. Also, Spock is only half-Vulcan, as his mother was human, of course how the hell [[Half-Human Hybrid|a human and an alien could possibly reproduce]] is beyond me.

*** Look at Sarek in ''[[Star Trek III: The Search For Spock|The Search for Spock]]''. He's downright pissed off when he thinks {{spoiler|Kirk has Spock's ''katra'' and screwed up by leaving Spock's body on Genesis}}. He's so overtly emotional it seems to surprise Kirk quite a bit.

** Picard has his moments as well, particularly in "Family", ''[[Star Trek Generations|Generations]]'' and ''[[Star Trek: First Contact|First Contact]]''. "Chain of Command, Part II" could be a case of Breaking The Stoic.

** A more frequent example might come from the character Odo, particularly concerning his initially unrequited love for Kira.

* Captain Jack in [[Torchwood]], especially when you realise the happy go lucky flirt schtick is a defence mechanism and a mask for his true feelings. The major moments are when Ianto and Steven die.

* Teal'c from ''[[Stargate SG-1]]'' had a couple of moments where he showed big emotions (example: 6x01 "Redemption Part 1"), despite normally being [[The Stoic]].

** Or "Meridian". Teal'c's goodbye to Daniel Jackson is a [[Tear Jerker]] in itself as the [[Proud Warrior Race Guy]] fights his own tears on the last sentence:

*** Even better when you realize it also illustrates his [[Character Development]]. He gives Daniel one of the highest compliments he can both in his own culture ("one of its greatest warriors") and in his adopted one ("one of my greatest friends").

** And it continues into the next episode with this exchange:

'''Teal'c''': ''[with obvious emotion]'' As would I. }}

** Averted as Vorenus being the stonewall man is the only one who does not turn to debauchery and stays true roman in the Egyptian Palace

* [[Dexter]] very rarely shows emotion, genuine or otherwise. This makes the very rare outburst all the more interesting.

* Takeru of ''[[Samurai Sentai Shinkenger]]'' has such a moment in episode 18, when he's reunited with his old friend, [[Sixth Ranger|Genta]], and has to step out of the room to make sure his "[[Hero Secret Service|retainers]]" can't see him when he starts cracking up at Genta's antics.

* ''[[Taken (TV series)|Taken]]'' has Jacob, a quiet, bookish kid with incredible psychic powers. He reacts to everything, from being kidnapped to being bullied with calm logic. When he has to {{spoiler|live away from his mother}}, he breaks down crying.

** Actually it has been shown that any time Juliet deals with death or her sister she gets very emotional. The rest of the time she's the token [[The Stoic|Stoic]].

** This comes to define her in the end of Season 5. Throughout the finale, she acts as though she has a strategy in place regarding the Jughead and the Island, until she breaks down completely and confesses that {{spoiler|she's only going along with Jack's plan because she can't bear to lose Sawyer.}}

* Castiel in ''[[Supernatural]]'' starts off completely unemotional, and while he gradually picks some up from Dean and Sam he stays as the calm, stoic, [[Comically Serious]] [[Straight Man]]. When he [[No-Holds-Barred Beatdown|catches up with Dean]] after Dean {{spoiler|angel-sigils him and goes to say 'yes' to Michael}}, it comes as quite a surprise.

* While not exactly stoic ''per se'', Joel of ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]'' always took his captivity with a certain laid back good-naturedness. ''[[Manos: The Hands of Fate]]'' was one of the very few movies that made him noticeably angry, to the point of him snapping at the screen.

* Prince Arthur from ''[[Merlin (TV series)|Merlin]]'' is quite good at keeping his cool, save on two occasions: once when he learnt the truth about his mother's death ({{spoiler|his father was responsible}}) and again when his father sentences his beloved Guinvere to be [[Burn the Witch|burnt at the stake]].

* Temperance "''[[Bones]]''" Brennan is sometimes accused of being an [[Ice Queen]], due to her emotionally distant manner and lack of social skills. When Tempe loses it, you get to see the [[Broken Bird]] inside.

** In one of the early episodes her uncaring attitude was being used against her in a court case. Booth had the attorney bring up her vanished parents in order to show this trope to the jury.

'''Brennan''': ''[in a raw emotional tone]'' I see a face on every skull. I can look at their bones and tell you how they walked, where they hurt. Maggie Schilling is real to me. The pain she suffered was real. Her hip was being eaten away by infection from lying on her side. Sure, like Dr. Stires said, the disease could contribute to that if you take it out of context; but you can’t break Maggie Schilling down into little pieces. She was a whole person who fought to free herself. Her wrists were broken from struggling against the handcuffs. The bones in her ankles were ground together because her feet were tied. And her side, her hip and her shoulder were being eaten away by infection. And the more she struggled, the more pain she was in. So they gave her those drugs to keep her quiet. They gave her so much it killed her. These facts can't be ignored or dismissed because you think I'm boring or obnoxious, because I don't matter. What I feel doesn’t matter. Only she matters; only Maggie. }}

** It's especially jarring in an episode where she begins to associate herself with a dead woman who was, like her, a loner with no friends outside of work and a [[Love Interest]] she spurned. She even keeps hearing the woman's recorded voice as her own and seeing herself in all the pictures of the victim. She realizes that she has screwed up her one chance to be happy with Booth. This episode is all about her stoicism slowly slipping.

* In ''[[The Wire]]'''s later seasons, Marlo Stanfield is the ruthless kingpin of the entire Baltimore drug market. He and his team kill people at whim and 'disappear' them, hiding the bodies in disused vacants, so as to avoid police attention. Marlo is completely professional at all times - even when he and his team have {{spoiler|been arrested and he faces a lengthy prison term}} he barely seems to care. However, when he learns that a stick-up artist has been insulting and challenging Marlo on the street, he shows true emotion for the first time in the series. "My name is my name!"

** He shows emotion for the second, and final time, in his last ever scene. {{spoiler|After taking back a corner single-handedly}}, he expresses [[Blood Knight|genuine happiness]].

 

 

== [[Professional Wrestling]] ==

* On the ''[[WWE Raw|WWF Monday Night Raw]]'' episode following Owen Hart's death in May 1999, several of the normally ranting, raving, dastardly villians were offering genuine, heartfelt thoughts and condolances to the Hart family ... many of them through very real tears.

* [[Hulk Hogan]] was shown on very rare occasion to get emotional (in kayfabe), the most notable experience being on the February 3, 1989 episode of ''The Main Event'', where Hogan and [[Randy Savage]] were facing the Twin Towers (Akeem and Big Bossman) in a tag team match. Midway through the match, Akeem threw Savage onto his beautiful valet, Miss Elizabeth, and Elizabeth crumpled to the floor in an unconscious heap. Hogan immediately ran to Liz's side (as a woozy Savage struggled to regain his bearings) and immediately lost his composure. In tears, he cried, fearing that [[I Let Gwen Stacy Die|Elizabeth had been killed ... or worse]]! Hogan's decision to leave Savage at ringside and instead be at Elizabeth's bedside ([[Kayfabe|prepared for when the medic would give the official word that Elizabeth was ... DUM-DUH-DAAAA!!! ... DEAD!!!]]) ... set off a series of events later in the match that led to Savage [[Face Heel Turn|turning on Hogan]] and a match set up for WrestleMania V, in which Hogan defeated Savage to reclaim the World Heavyweight Championship.

 

== Toys ==

== [[Video Games]] ==

* Jon Irenicus in ''[[Baldur's Gate]] II'' remains stoic for most of the plot, at most displaying a kind of icy annoyance... Until a scene right before the end when he finally cracks.

* The G-Man in ''[[Half-Life]] 2: Episode One''. He's been completely in control for everything so far, but the Vortiguants preventing him from taking Gordon causes him to become very angry. Even so, the only emotion he displays is slightly annoyed, "We'll see about that."

* ''[[Knights of the Old Republic]] 2'' has the Handmaiden, who is calm almost to the point of being icy until you approach her about the possibility of {{spoiler|training her as a Jedi}}.

** [[The Big Guy|Sten]]: calm, stoic, sarcastic...then complete his personal mission, and you get to see him crack a smile.

* Agent 47 in ''[[Hitman]]: Blood Money''. {{spoiler|Diana's apparent betrayal}} causes him to become visibly angry, and even prompts his first, [[The Quiet One|and so far only]], outburst of verbal aggression.

** Also in the [[All There in the Manual|supplemental material]], the young 47, normally just as cold as his adult self, starts crying when a runaway lab rabbit, he adopted as a pet, died and was buried, much to Dr. Ort-Meyer's surprise.

* [[The Baroness|Konishi the "Iron Maiden"]] from ''[[The World Ends With You]]'' {{spoiler|hides in Beat's shadow for a week. When she decides he's even more stupid and unpredictable then she already thought, she flips out.}}

*** More traditionally with Saix, as he fades away after being defeated, his last words have him reaching out towards Kingdom Hearts muttering "Kingdom Hearts...where is...MY heart?"

* ''Persona4'' has Naoto Shirogane, a young genius hired by police to assist in finding Inaba's serial killer. He maintains a cool, confident air most of the time, but once confronted with his Shadow, it starts to become extremely difficult for him to remain calm...

** Likewise with Nu-13, a [[Robot Girl]] who speaks in a mechanical monotone...except when she's squaring off against Ragna. Then she goes full [[Yandere]].

* ADA in ''[[Zone of the Enders]]'' is an emotionless computer, and at one point Leo even calls out her attempts to show emotion as being proof that she doesn't feel anything at all. However, she has a very tender moment with Leo after Celvice gets shot, and, right at the end, her voice cracks as if she is crying while she tells Leo, "[[Heroic Sacrifice|This]] is what we live for - [[Tear Jerker|those of us who have no life]]".

* In ''[[Tales of Symphonia]]'', Kratos Aurion rarely shows anything beyond mild annoyance in the time you spend traveling with him. This makes it rather startling when [[Complete Monster|Kvar]] starts badmouthing Anna, Lloyd's mother {{spoiler|[[Luke, I Am Your Father|and Kratos' dead wife]]}}, and it's Kratos who angrily snaps at him [[Never Speak Ill of the Dead|not to speak ill of the dead]].

** And then he gets a [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]] when he stabs Kvar to death after the boss fight later on.

* Vergil from ''[[Devil May Cry]]'' is pretty cold for most of the third game...except when his attempt to fully open Temen-Ni-Gru doesn't work (Arkham {{spoiler|deliberately}} left out a few steps). Then he gets pissy: "'''''Why''' isn't this working?!?''"

* In ''[[Mass Effect]]'', there's [[Proud Warrior Race Guy|Wrex]], who is cynical and almost devoid of emotion the entire game, until he nearly suffers his [[Heroic BSOD]] when he learns that the villain, Saren, is making a cure for a sterility plague infecting his people and it has to be destroyed.

** And in ''[[Mass Effect 2]]'', {{spoiler|should Wrex survive Virmire}} he greets Commander Shepard with a hearty greeting, some suspicious-sounding throat-clearing noises, and a heartfelt "Shepard! My friend!" before going back to his normal [[Deadpan Snarker]] self.

** The Geth teammate Legion also has shades of this. Occasionally, his "I'm an emotionless robot" facade cracks, such as when confronted with betrayal or unpleasant revelations, when asked pointed questions about his illogical behavior, or when [http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Shadow_Broker_Dossiers/Legion playing Galaxy of Fantasy].

** Commander Shepard in ''[[Mass Effect 3]]'' is the definition of a [[Hurting Hero]]. For the first two games s/he kept his/her emotions subdued but they are really shown here with dreams showing extreme [[Survivor Guilt]] and even becoming a borderline [[Death Seeker]].

*** In the ending of the Tuchanka arc, when Mordin is confronted about trying to cure the [[Sterility Plague|Genophage]] despite having formerly upgraded it, he will loudly exclaim:

* [[Omnicidal Maniac|Cyrus]], no matter how emotionless he claims to be, gets pretty pissed off in the Distortion World in ''[[Pokémon]] Platinum''. And earlier, when he first ''told'' you that he'd rid himself of emotions, he does so during a fairly intense rant, complete with many exclaimation points.

* [[Professor Layton]] is usually the very definition of [[Stiff Upper Lip]], but in ''Unwound Future'' {{spoiler|[[Tear Jerker|when he discovers that the woman he loved was not killed but rather thrust forward into the future, and has to return and die to preserve their timeline, he breaks into tears and begs her to stay - even going so far as to remove his]] [[Nice Hat|hat!]]}}

** [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold|Judging]] [[Cluster F-Bomb|from]] [[Hot-Blooded|his]] [[Angry Black Man|character]], he wouldn't be a stoic in the first place. Cloud probably fit more, if not the most of the casts, with his [[Mental World|mind world]] plus behavioral and mental problems he has being near Sephiroth.

* Richard of ''[[Tales of Graces]]'' is usually quite a calm, stoic man, even when he was younger. In the main part of the story though, he has the tendency to go batshit insane over rather minor things. While his sudden violent outbursts could be viewed as rather [[Narm]] at times, Asbel is usually left gaping in disbelief at him.

* In ''[[Final Fantasy VIII]]'', Squall Leonhart starts out as [[The Stoic]], but his stoicism breaks down spectactularly as his coping mechanisms prove increasingly inadequate, starting with the short meltdown he has over {{spoiler|the way people talk about Seifer after his supposed death}}.

** When {{spoiler|Rinoa ends up in a coma}}, he breaks down completely.

* The Arishok in ''[[Dragon Age II]]''. In most of his appearances he is [[The Stoic]], but it's pretty obvious that being stuck in Kirkwall is getting on his nerves. In the aftermath of "Blackpowder Courtesy" when confronted by Hawke about why he doesn't just leave the city, he reveals, with barely contained fury, that it's because ''someone'' stole a Qunari relic and was last seen in Kirkwall. He calms down after this rant, but as Varric notes, he's like an ox waiting to charge. {{spoiler|And at the end of Act II, he does.}}

 

== [[Web Comics]] ==

** She also loses her cool near the end of chapter 19, when {{spoiler|"Kat" is disintegrated by Gamma}}.

** The stoicism seems to be slipping away entirely in recent arcs, she's become almost normal.

*** A weakness isn't normal, child. That Place poisons you.

** [http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=814 Anthony], if we'll believe Annie's [[Flash Back|flashbacky]] dream.

* Ozy from ''[[Ozy and Millie]]'' nearly breaks down upon hearing about his birth mom.

* Higgs from ''[[Girl Genius]]'', when [http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20101018 Zeetha] [http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20101025 is wounded].

* Dave Strider from [[Homestuck]]. He does not take his friends and family dying well.

* The Shadow in ''[[Kate Modern]]'' is a calm, wordless badass [[Battle Butler]]... until {{spoiler|his mistress}} gets murdered, [[Avenging the Villain|that is]]...

* Daichi in [[Greek Ninja]], and even Sasha to an extent, although she's not as much of a stoic character as him to start with.

 

 

== [[Western Animation]] ==

* On his earliest cartoons, the typically unemotional Droopy would suddenly explode in an exuberant display of emotion at the end, only to revert to his usual composure and calmly state [[That Makes Me Feel Angry|"I'm happy."]]

** Actually, she remains looking emotionless throughout the entire sequence. A better example would be in "The Beach" where she actually shouts.

** Justified, though, because it was mentioned once in a [[Freaky Friday Flip]] episode that her powers are controlled by her emotions. Cue [[Love Freak|Starfire]] exploding things without noticing when she had Raven's body, or Raven accidentally kidnapping all other Titans and creating an army of monsters when she was scared by a horror movie.

** And the episode "Heartburn," when she finds out she may actually like Irwin. Also: "Billy And Mandy's Big Boogey Adventure." The Boogey man has Mandy (asleep) observing her greatest fears, and later she brushes tears from her eyes when she thinks the Kraken has eaten Billy.

* Very few things can make Prowl of ''[[Transformers Animated]]'' lose his composure. Unfortunately for Prowl, one of those things is his annoying teammate [[Kid Appeal Character|Bumblebee]], who can provoke uncharacteristic displays of frustration in Prowl without even trying.

* In the ''[[Batman Beyond]]'' film ''Return of the Joker'', what the Clown Prince does to {{spoiler|Tim Drake}} and the resulting retaliation taint the entire Bat Family's demeanors forever.

* [[Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers|Zachary]] is a very quiet, steady, and stoic fellow, especially in contrast with the more colorful crew he's commanding. It makes it all the more powerful when it slips.

* A comedic example during the ''[[Family Guy]]'' DVD special, "Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story." Tricia Takanawa, [[Token Minority]] news reporter for Channel 5 goes to interview [[David Bowie]] on the red carpet. It takes one sentence from Bowie to turn Tricia from deadpan reporter, to shrieking, leg humping fangirl.

'''Tom''': ''([[Beat]])'' Thank you, Tricia, for successfully setting your people back 1000 years. }}

* As mentioned in the quote, this applies to Wind-Whistler from ''[[My Little Pony]]''. The line in question comes from ''Crunch the Rock Dog''.

 

== [[Real Life]] ==

* Walter Cronkite briefly lost his composure on the air when he reported the official statement that John F Kennedy had died. ( Video [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuxLSY_xNwA here], the composure slip starts at just about 5:00)

* [[Hideo Kojima]]'s reaction to the question of whether Uwe Boll be making a [[Metal Gear]] movie was supposedly... spirited, to say the least.

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Characterization Tropes]]

[[Category:Emotion Tropes]]

[[Category:Not So Stoic]]