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Badass Cape (view source)

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** A humongous version of said cape was also used by the Super TTGL in [[The Movie]]. And by humongous, we mean the biggest damn cape ever conceived of in fiction or otherwise.
* ''[[Crossbone Gundam]]'' features Gundam-sized capes that provide two practical purposes; stealth [the capes are black, most of the series takes place in space] and a special coating that lets them absorb a few beam hits before being destroyed, sort of like extra ablative armour.
* In ''[[Digimon V-Tamer 01 (Manga)|Digimon V-Tamer 01]]'', an Omnimon effectively weaponised his cape by throwing it in the face of his opponents, blinding them long enough to utterly thrash them.
** Dukemon / Gallantmon from ''[[Digimon Tamers (Anime)|Digimon Tamers]]''.
* Zero from ''[[Code Geass]]''. Always has it, even in the middle of battle.
* In ''[[Umineko no Naku Koro Ni (Visual Novel)|Umineko no Naku Koro Nini]]'', {{spoiler|Endless Sorcerer}} Battler wears one after [[Took a Level In Badass|Taking A Level In Badass]].
* Piccolo from ''[[Dragonball Z]]'', one of the best examples of this can be found in movie special 8, especially when Piccolo's heroic save of Gohan from certain death(at the time)
** Piccolo's cape is attached to heavy weighted [[Shoulders of Doom|shoulder pads]]. He uses it for training and takes it off to fight. Gohan gets one just like it for the Cell Games.
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* While D of ''[[Vampire Hunter D]]'' is already a badass alone with his skill, his cape only doubles, if not triples that level of coolness. And Meirlink from the second movie deserves a mention as well. He must have studied Batman, because not only could he glide with the thing, he block a freaking sword strike with it!
* ''[[Captain Harlock|Space Pirate Captain Harlock]]'' wears a cape. Oh boy does he ever. It's often very hard to tell what ratio of man to cape he is, but he's definitely all pirate.
** Badass capes tend to be a vital part of badass captains in [[Leiji Matsumoto|Leiji Matsumoto's]] works. ''[[Queen Emeraldas]]'' herself also wears one of these as does Captain Bainas from ''[[Ozuma (Anime)|Ozuma]]''. Both in turn are [[Distaff Counterpart|distaff counterparts]] to Harlock.
* Adol Christin gets a badass cape near the beginning of the anime ''[[Ys (Video Game)|Ys]] II: Castle in the Heavens''. What makes it so badass? Well, for one, it's purple. Second, it lets him use magic - specifically, shooting fireballs from his hand. Turns out he uses this more than he does his sword.
* Yuuki from ''[[Saki (Mangamanga)|Saki]]'' starts wearing one after she [[Took a Level In Badass]] for the Nationals.
{{quote| '''Yuuki:''' I'll show all of you... our prefecture isn't weak at all!!}}
* Half the characters from ''[[One Piece (Manga)|One Piece]]''. Crocodile, Hina, lots of High-up Marines, even Luffy once (on a cover). Although, theoretically they're not capes, just specially-draped coats.
* Integra from ''[[Hellsing]]'', but only for formal occasions. Suits her, she looks like a nice lady from the outside but will ''kick your butt'' with her fencing swords.
* Kain Blueriver from ''[[Lost Universe]]'', though he's regularly mocked for it by others. At one point in the dub, he even [[Shout-Out|mentions Captain Harlock by name]].
* Mewtwo, in the ''[[Pokémon (Animeanime)|Pokémon]]'' anime. And goddamn is it awesome.
* Dr. [[Black Jack (Manga)|Black Jack]] keeps a lot of his medical tools in his cape, such as scalpels that he can whip out and throw at people.
* [[Rurouni Kenshin]]: Hiko Seijuro's cape helped make him into a badass, even during peacetime. There are springs at the shoulders that exerts a counter-pressure on his body in order to maintain not only his strength, but the Hiten Mitsurugi style so he won't release all of its power on enemies.
* Guts from ''[[Berserk]]''. [http://www.mrsmanga.com/Berserk/133.143/16 Just look at this guy.]
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* Sayaka in ''[[Puella Magi Madoka Magica]]'' wears one. {{spoiler|She still dons one after she becomes a Witch}}.
* Nakago in ''[[Fushigi Yuugi]]'' wears something very similar to a cape
* Sawada Tsunayoshi of ''[[Katekyo Hitman Reborn]]'', courtesy of his [[Cool Pet]] [[Spell My Name Withwith an "S"|Natsu/Nuts]].
** Said cape was based on the one used by the founder, Vongola Primo.
* Ganpachi in ''[[Ultimate Teacher]]''.
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== Comic Books ==
* Cloak from ''[[Cloak and Dagger (Comic Bookcomics)|Cloak and Dagger]]'', of course, is a cloak rather than a cape. In fact he's nothing but a cloak. He's also otherworldly, dark, and conflicted.
** And Cloak's [[Evil Counterpart]] Ecstasy manages a costume that is both a [[Badass Cape]] and [[Stripperiffic]] at the same time.
* [[Spawn]]. The cape even has a life of its own!
* [[Spider -Man]]: Mysterio usually has a purple cape to go with his 'fishbowl' and green outfit, which both helps negate the cheesiness of the headgear and let him look more, well, mysterious. He's also got things attached to hold it on that have eyes on them.
* [[Batman]] wore his cape this way long before it was popular. Still does!
** Robin [[Legacy Character|always]] wears a cape. [[Sidekick Graduations Stick|Nightwing]] doesn't. The presence of a cape has however been given several [[Justified Trope|justifications]] in canon beyond the theatrics; it contains armor ''and'' you can grab someone who's falling from the roof of a train.
{{quote| '''Nightwing''': Huh. Makes me rethink the cape issue. }}
** That, and Batman's cape lets him glide in some versions.
** ''[[Batman Forever (Film)|Batman Forever]]'' had Batman covering himself with his fire-proofed cape in order to shield himself from the flames of a burning building that Two-Face trapped him in. Only Batman could have pulled this off.
** Batman's cape is so awesome that it actually has the ability to change size. (Particularly evident in ''[[Batman: The Animated Series (Animation)|Batman the Animated Series]]'') When he's investigating for clues inside, the cape comes down to his knees, but when posing on a rooftop dramatically, it grows longer than his whole body . Now that's badass!
** Batman's cape has always been badass more or less. It's resistant to fire, acid, bullets, chemicals and has weighted ends to beat people senseless with, and makes it much harder to determine any vulnerable spot. Sometimes, it's detachable to deal with situations when its caught by something or someone. Of course, this is a direct result of Bats being [[Crazy Prepared]].
*** Not to mention that this troper always found the cape to be an essential part of his scare tactic against criminals. Which is scarier when you can't see any details: a guy standing on a rooftop, or a GIANT BAT ABOUT TO EAT YOUR SOUL.
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* As did [[Doctor Strange]], with the added cool factor that the cape granted flight powers.
* As well as DC equivalent Dr Fate. Both Fate and Strange's capes are often shown billowing and wisping about as though they're enchanted to fluctuate in size and length which is likely for both characters.
* Subverted hard in ''[[Watchmen (Comic Bookcomics)|Watchmen]]'', where Hollis Mason recounts that Dollar Bill's cape got him killed: It was caught in a revolving door when he tried to prevent a bank robbery, making him an easy target for the gun-toting robbers. What makes it even more tragic is that the costume was designed by people sponsoring him for public appeal. Mason speculated that if he designed it himself he may have realized how bad an idea it was.<br />Oddly, both Captain Metropolis and Hooded Justice wore capes easily twice the length of Dollar Bill's, yet never seemed to suffer any consequences.
* In ''[[Fables (Comic Book)|Fables]]'' there's the Witching Cloak, which makes its wearer all but invulnerable, is (nearly) indestructible itself, and allows its wearer to teleport anywhere (even between worlds), carry huge loads, and change form.
* [[Mister Miracle]] has a large green cape. The original MM costume was that of a circus performer, which explains its presence, but when Scott Free took up the mantle, his cape was for more than just looks. It's been an [[Improvised Parachute]] and a portable shield and shelter against all sorts of attacks. Its size means that it can be wrapped around the wearer (and maybe another person or two) to provide all-round protection if needed.
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== Fan Works ==
* Inverted in ''[[With Strings Attached (Fanfic)|With Strings Attached]]''. To hide his permanent metamorphosis into a [[Winged Humanoid|muscular winged demigod]], John gets a magical cloak that makes him look like his skinny normal self. It's mostly a pain in the ass for him, as it snags on things, it's hot, and it gets smelly.
 
 
== Film ==
* [[Sleeping Beauty (Disney film)|Sleeping Beauty]]: Maleficient. She's in a setting where a cape would be justified. But what she has is so over-the-top it gives her a [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|Crowning Moment of]] [[Awesome but Impractical]] every time she moves.
* As a result of [[Dracula (Film1931 film)|Dracula]], capes tend to be a stereotypical item for a vampire to wear. Thank you, Bela Lugosi.
* In France, the name for swashbuckling films is "films de cape et d'épée", literally "cape and sword movie", referring to the two essentials ingredients of the genre.
* [[Lampshaded]] in ''[[Love Atat First Bite]]'': "It's the cape. Chicks dig the cape."
* [[Star Wars]] Darth Vader. [http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/dynamic/imgs/080324/Villains/Darth-Vader-Star-Wars_l.jpg That is all.]
* [[Deconstructed Trope|Deconstructed]] in [[The Incredibles (Animation)|The Incredibles]], along with many other superhero tropes. Edna points out the inherent danger of dragging a long cloth behind you in rather gruesome ways.
{{quote| "''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v{{=}}M68ndaZSKa8#t{{=}}122s No capes!]''"}}
** Syndrome's death is caused by his cape, reminiscent of Strato-Girl's.
* In [[The Lord of the Rings (Filmfilm)|''The Return of the King'']] Aragorn eschews the [[Badass Longcoat]] he's been wearing for the whole trilogy for some kingly armour and a long, black-and-red cape.
** Before that, he spent much of the adventure wearing an elven cloak like the rest of the Fellowship, but the cape on his King of Gondor getup is much more badass.
* Etienne Navarre of ''[[Ladyhawke]]'' is the film's unequivocal hero, yet [[Dark Is Not Evil|dresses like a stereotypical villain]]. Naturally, he looks ''extremely'' badass in his ensemble, and sports a magnificent flowing black cape with red lining to complete the look.
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** This is even more cool because they are enchanted so that they never become stained or dirty, including the mention that blood splattered on the cloaks during combat just flows off the fabric. This means that no matter how hard or dirty the fight, a Warden's cloak of office is always recognizable to ensure their authority.
* {{spoiler|Pontius Glaw}} from ''[[Eisenhorn]]'', in his final "form", wears a cape so badass it's made of many, many small blades. When a Redshirt gets in the way of the cape, he... crumbles. Sort of.
* [[John C. Wright]]'s ''[[War of the Dreaming (Literature)|Mists of Everness]]'' features two instances of this: [[Fashion Victim Villain|Azrael de Gray]], also referred to as "That crazy guy in the pimp outfit," and Pendrake, who either wears this or an especially floaty [[Badass Longcoat]].
* Deconstructed in [[Simon R. Green]]'s Hawk and Fisher novels, where the [[Badass]] [[Battle Couple]] are obliged to wear capes as part of their Watch uniforms; however, Hawk hates his because it gets in the way during fights. He puts up with wearing one for Fisher's sake, but seizes any plausible opportunity to "accidentally" abandon or destroy his (smothering fires, ditching it when it's pinned to the wall by a crossbow bolt, etc). A subversion, as going capeless doesn't diminish Hawk's Badass Quotient one bit.
* In ''[[X Wing Series|Starfighters of Adumar]]'', Red Flight ends up wearing Adumari clothing and Wes Janson, the showman of the group, goes with a massive cape with glowing nebulous shapes on it. Later, in a fight, he whips it off and uses it to entangle his opponent's weapon, later grousing that he ''liked'' that cape. His friend assures him that they'll find him something even more flashy.
* In ''The Shattered World'', Kan Konar the cloakfighter is a [[Badass]] ''because of'' his cape. His fighting style is one that traditionally employs [[Improbable Weapon User|the cloak]] as both a weapon and a defense: it's got razor-sharp bone shards in its hems, blinding-bright phoenix feathers concealed in its lining, and a strangling-cord clasp. And that's just the ''start'' of what it's good for.
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== Live Action TV ==
* The hero of NBC's ''[[The Cape (TV series)|The Cape]]'', naturally.
* Those who grew up on the [[Power Rangers]] will remember the Magna Defender from [[Power Rangers Lost Galaxy]] who had this and an awesome horned helmet along with a [[Cool Sword]] and pump action energy rifle/shotgun
** The Magna Defender could also count as a [[Legacy Character]] in series, the season was in anyway.
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== Video Games ==
* While the original [[Sequel Hook]] in ''[[Kingdom Hearts]] II: [[No Export for You|Final Mix+]]'' showed the main characters of ''[[Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep (Video Game)|Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep]]'' with this trope added to their armor. However, due to the fact that having them in the game proper would have caused lag during co-op play, [[What Could Have Been|they didn't appear there.]]
* [[Super Robot Wars]] gives us <s> the Aussenseiter</s> [[Fan Nickname|Trombe]], a ''giant robot'' with an equally giant [[Badass Cape]]. One of its' attacks involves ripping the cape off and throwing it at an enemy to conceal their vision before blowing them away with its' twin hand cannons.
** The Vysaga also wears one, complete with plenty of dramatic swirling and whatnot.
* [[Mario]] in ''[[Super Mario World (Videovideo Gamegame)|Super Mario World]]'' has a cape that allows him to fly, and which can be used to deflect projectiles in ''[[Super Smash Bros]]''.
* Magus in ''[[Chrono Trigger (Video Game)|Chrono Trigger]]'' wears a cape that looks really cool when he levitates.
** [[Villainous Crossdresser|Flea]], on the other hand...
* Both Bass.exe and Colonel.exe from the [[MegamanMega Man Battle Network]] series have badass capes and Colonel.exe will blind you with his then Kills You In One Hit (or down to one hp if undersht is equiped)!!!
* Meta Knight of the ''[[Kirby]]'' series wears one that can turn into bat wings.
** And [[Flung Clothing|when he throws it off]]... you're screwed.
* ''[[Runescape]]'' has a variety of normal capes that every player can wear, but there are some special ones that stand out, like the Fire cape which is made out of lava and has its own animation, and is given to players who beat the second hardest boss in the entire game. Also it has the Skill capes, given to players who max the level in any skill, which has the ability to increase the skill level of the player who operates it to 100 temporarily, and come with their own emote.
* [[Oda Nobunaga]] in ''[[Sengoku Basara]]''. He even uses it to attack people.
* Ezio in ''[[Assassin's Creed II (Video Game)|Assassin's Creed 2]]'' has a cape that actually does something - it decreases his notoriety so he doesn't get in near as much trouble with the law.
** More specifically, he has several capes. The Plain Cape is just for looks; the Medici Cape sets infamy to 0 when you're in Florence or Tuscany; there's also another cape for Venice. Those three are all gotten at various points in the story. There are also, apparently two "secret" capes: one you only get during some festival; and the Auditore Cape, rewarded at the end of the Feather sidequest, which does the opposite of the others (that is, infamy is set to max in all cities).
*** On a more practical note, it also helps to conceal most of his weaponry when he's walking in public.
* Yo and Bo of ''[[Yo-Jin-Bo]]'' wear capes "because they are cool," and frequently mock Jin's fashion sense because he doesn't wear one.
* Many ''[[Final Fantasy]]'' characters love their capes, hero and villain alike. More prominent in the earlier games which took place in medieval settings with [[Yoshitaka Amano]] as the designer, once ''[[Final Fantasy VII (Video Game)|Final Fantasy VII]]'' hit and the series shifted to a modern setting designed by [[Tetsuya Nomura]], the characters prefer to use [[Badass Longcoat|Badass Longcoats]]. However, capes still appear.
** Most noticeable in ''[[Dissidia Final Fantasy]]'', where every character from ''Final Fantasy VI'' and earlier has some sort of cape in at least one of their outfits. The most Badass Cape arguably belongs to Golbez of [[Final Fantasy IV (Video Game)|Final Fantasy IV]], so large it passes into [[All-Encompassing Mantle]], whirls and flaps in the air with every movement he makes, and his block and intro animations are [[Cape Swish|Cape Swishes]].
** [[Norse Mythology|Odin]] also sports one whenever he appears.
* Given the 'strongman' description above, is it any surprise to hear that ''[[Street Fighter]]'''s Zangief has an opening animation where he starts standing shrouded in a cape, then flings it away?
** M. Bison wears a cape as well, which he sometimes wears during actual fights.
* Utsuho from ''[[Touhou (Video Game)|Touhou]]'' is a nuclear powered hell raven that [http://safebooru.org/index.php?page=post&s=view&id=364685 wears a starry night cape over her wings]. Fellow [[Final Boss]] Byakuren also wears a cape, if a considerably less mind-bending one. Then there's Wriggle, but, as a stage one boss, she's not exactly badass, with the cape mearly standing in for her insect wings.
** From PC-98 land is Yumemi Okazaki, who wears a black and red cape.
* ''[[Batman: Arkham Asylum (Video Game)|Batman Arkham Asylum]]'', of course. Not only does it look badass, it lets you glide, either to cover ground quickly or to kick someone in the face and you can slap someone in the face with it to stun them.
* [[Big Bad]] vampire Night of Wallachia from the Type-Moon fighting game ''[[Melty Blood (Video Game)|Melty Blood]]'' uses his cape as his primary weapon.
* The Colonels of the [[Mook|Pigmask Army]] in ''[[Mother 3 (Video Game)|Mother 3]]'' wear an 'Awesome Cloak' that [[The Hero|Lucas]] can equip [[Randomly Drops|if they drop it after battle]].
* At low and middle levels, the capes in ''[[World of Warcraft]]'' often adhere to this trope; the longer the cape, the more badass the wearer is likely to be (as long capes can't be worn by low-level characters).
* The Dragon-type trainers in the ''[[Pokémon (Franchise)|Pokémon]]'' games, most notably Lance, have a predilection for these. Lance seems to be able [[Dramatic Wind|to make his billow at will]].
* Nearly every tier 3 promoted character in ''[[Fire Emblem Tellius (Video Game)|Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn]]'' have capes. The ones that don't have capes have long flowing [[Badass Long Robe|robes]] or [[Badass Longcoat|coats]], both of which behave like capes anyway.
* Valvatorez from ''[[Disgaea 4 a Promise Unforgotten (Video Game)|Disgaea 4 a Promise Unforgotten]]'' has one.
* Ganondorf in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Video Game)|The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time]]'' and ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Video Game)|The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess]]''.
* [[Rance (Franchise)|Rance]] is a rare [[Heroic Comedic Sociopath]]\[[Loveable Sex Maniac]] example of this trope.
 
 
== Webcomics ==
* [[Jerkass|Eridan]] [[Royal Brat|Ampora]] of ''[[Homestuck (Webcomic)|Homestuck]]'' sports a rather badass purple cape, complete with [[High Collar of Doom]], as well as a rather [[Scarf of Asskicking|badass scarf]]. He was introduced [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|shooting a giant]] [[Moby Dick|white whale]] with [[Frickin' Laser Beams|Ahab's]] [[Harpoon Gun|Crosshairs]] [[Crazy Awesome|while riding a flying seahorse]].
** Orphaner Dualscar, {{spoiler|Eridan's}} ancestor, takes this [[Up to Eleven]]. Just ''look'' at [http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=005408 him].
** Later Dave gets one, after {{spoiler|ascending to God Tier}}.
* Quinn-Tain in ''[[Harkovast]]'' wears a dramatically flowing, dark red [http://www.drunkduck.com/Harkovast/index.php?p=702277 cape].
* [[Dragon Withwith an Agenda|Redcloak]] from ''[[The Order of the Stick (Webcomic)|Order of the Stick]]'' is [[Only Known Byby Their Nickname|named]] after his.
** Also popular with bards, General Tarquin, and the paladins of the Sapphire Guard.
* ''[[Coga Suro]]'': Steve seems fond of using a cape in his superhero persona; two out of his three costumes have featured one. The first costume's cape was once used to help entangle an opponent.
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== Western Animation ==
* The title character of ''[[Cybersix]]'' wears a long, flowing one that dramatically blows behind her while she's [[Roof Hopping]] during the night.
* Vampyro of ''[[Wakfu (Animation)|Wakfu]]'' has a very valuable ''self-flapping'' cape.
* [[Darkwing Duck]] considers this a basic part of being a crimefighter, along with his hat and mask.
* Parodied in ''[[Fairly Oddparents]]''. Dark Laser tries to lure Timmy to the side of evil and one of his arguements is that he gets to wear a cape and that "chicks dig the cape". Laser himself also does look much more menacing with his cape.
** Don't forget Timmy's hero look from the special Abra-Catastrophe!
* ''[[Swat Kats (Animation)|Swat Kats]]'' villain Dark Kat has a ''huge'' cape.
* In ''[[Princess Gwenevere and Thethe Jewel Riders]]'' many characters are wearing capes, but only the baddie, Lady Kale, has a truly badass one: huge, flowing [[Dramatic Wind|in dramatic wind]] and motion, and used by her in a theatrically evil manner. (Not so much badass when it lands over her head, though.)
* In ''[[Thundercats 2011 (Western Animation)|ThunderCats (2011)]]'' [[Big Good]] King Claudus wears a black and cape that billows in every [[Sword Fight]].
 
 
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