Battle Butler: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

{{quote|''"In the early '80s, I was sparring butler for Mr. [[Chuck Norris]]."''

A household or personal servant who acts as a "combat effective" despite their official position having nothing to do with combat.

 

 

Will very likely be a [[Submissive Badass]]. If they come from a ''[[Badass Family|long line]]'' of Battle Butlers serving that family, they're in a [[Legacy of Service]].

* Jodo from the second ''[[Lupin III]]'' movie, ''[[The Castle of Cagliostro|The Castleof Cagliostro]]'' diligently serves the Count, even serving as one of the his ninjas and {{spoiler|taking down Zenigata's stolen autogyro and Lupin himself with a rooftop-mounted machine gun.}} At the end, he {{spoiler|asks Goemon to kill him, since he has no purpose but to serve the (now-dead) Count.}}

* Both Kirishima Shinobu and Hosaka Mitsuru of ''[[Goshuushou-sama Ninomiya-kun]]'' are Battle Butlers to their [[Ojou|ojou-sama]] Houjou Reika. Both demonstrate extreme devoutness, top-notch martial skills, and protective behavior towards Reika.

* Wynnfield from ''[[Demonbane]]''. He doesn't look like much, but his fight scene features him ''[[Good Old Fisticuffs|boxing]]'' a ''[[Dual-Wielding|four-armed]]'' [[Samurai]].

* ''[[Baccano!]]!'' has three of them, played with varying levels of straightness: Christopher Shouldered is the most simple and straightforward example, serving as Ricard Russo's bodyguard out of [[I Owe You My Life|gratitude for saving his life]]. Chane Laforet is a little more complicated, as she ''was'' an almost [[Love Martyr|disturbingly loyal]] servant of her manipulative father up until her run-in with {{spoiler|Claire Stanfield}}, after which she finds herself fretting the inevitable [["Friend or Idol?" Decision]]. Ennis is a subversion—she initially fits all of the characteristics of a typical Battle Butler for [[Big Bad]] Szilard Quates (up to and including wearing suits and serving as his driver), until she gets the opportunity to voice her thoughts: she serves him only because [[You Have Failed Me...|he can kill her with a single thought if she doesn't]], and hates him more than anyone else does for the things he makes her do.

{{quote|'''Wayne:''' Do I want to know how you found this out -- and should I be concerned about any jealous husbands?

'''Alfred:''' You insult me, sir. Her husband was out of town. }}

* The not-very-useful British comic hero Red Star Robinson only really cut it as a hero because of his robot bodyguard Mr. Syrius Thrice who was much more powerful. Thrice was dressed as a gentleman's gentleman and had proper Jeeves/Crichton manners but had powers Batman would envy.

* Manute from ''[[Sin City]]'' fills this role for Ava Lord in "A Dame to Kill For" and for mob boss Wallenquist in "The Big Fat Kill."

* Peabody from ''[[Zot]]''

* Bryan Hand from ''[[Ms. Tree]]''. Mr Hand was officially employed Mike, Jr.'s tutor. However, Mr Hand is also a former SAS trooper and ex-mercenary. Michael hired him because he could double as Mike, Jr.'s bodyguard; a function he performed frequently throughout the series.

 

== Fan Works ==

* Alfred in ''[[The Darker Knight]]'' certainly fits this trope.

 

* Common in [[James Bond]] films.

** Oddjob in ''[[Goldfinger]]''. He's a dutiful butler, and he kills people. Lots of them. [[Improbable Weapon User|With his hat]].

* Cadbury from ''[[Richie Rich (comics)|Richie Rich]]''. When the villains send an assassin to make it look like he committed suicide, Cadbury ends up making quick work of the assassin and breaks out of prison.

* Inverted in the ''Pink Panter'' films by Cato, Clousseau's manservant. An expert in martial arts, Cato spends nearly all his time launching sneak attacks on his master, in order to keep him prepared for a real attack.

 

== Literature ==

* Thomas hires one to protect Kate in ''[[Sorcery and Cecelia|The Grand Tour]]''. Unforunately he's rubbish as a butler, but he's an excellent bodyguard.

 

* Deneb from ''[[Kamen Rider|Kamen Rider Den-O]]'', who's a comedic foil/caretaker to his broody partner and master, Yuto Sakurai.

** You forgot to mention ''why'' he's a combat butler. Which is, of course, being able to shoot bullets from his fingers.

* Higgins, Robin Master's Major Domo in [[Magnum, P.I.]] is a former sergeant in the British Army with a complex and colorful past (though not as complex and colorful as his father's past!). However he may no qualify since {{spoiler|there is a very good chance that he is the real Robin Master}}.

* Hermann in the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' serial ''[[Doctor Who/Recap/S17/E02 City of Death|City of Death]]'': "What a wonderful butler, he's so violent!"

 

== Professional Wrestling ==

** DiBiase's son recently went through the process of trying to recruit such a lackey, he even lampshades it by calling the position "his Virgil". After R-Truth and John Morrison turned him down, he eventually found his man... Virgil. Though their relationship only lasted a couple of months before Virgil got canned.

* And, of course, later in the [[WWF]], Triple H had Chyna, who was the rare female example that was ''not'' in [[Mad Love]]. (At least, in front of the camera...)

 

== Tabletop Games ==

* [[Maid RPG]] has a specific set of optional rules for these: Butlers have stats superior to those that [[Meido|maid]] characters do, but have a number of restrictions as well. As battle is far from uncommon in many [[Maid RPG]] sessions, butlers have their times to shine in fulfillment of this trope, especially in defense of their respective Master characters.

 

== Video Games ==

** Perhaps the best, [[Yes-Man]] a semi immortal robot loyal who is loyal to you (because only you can get into the building we he lives) and he commands an army of highly advanced kill bots with Wolverine-like healing factors.

*** However you can become Mr. House's Battle Butler, Considering you can have a nuclear rocket launcher and the destructive power of the sun under your command you are kinda bad ass.

** What about [http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Waiter Waiters] and [http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Waitress Waitresses]?

* Babus from ''[[Final Fantasy Tactics Advance]]''. He looks like just another Nu Mou, who is serving under Prince Mewt, until you face him in battle that is. He is quite strong, magically and physically, and is 10x more dangerous when you have to fight him alone at one point.

* [[PvP]] has Butler the butler, a [[Jeeves and Wooster|Jeeves]] style character who moonlights as LOLBAT a memetic [[Batman]] style superhero.

* Cello from [[Fruit Incest]] doesn't do much battling, but despite being the butler he was still the [[Portal (series)|Companion Cube's]] right hand man and later became the leader of his division.

 

== Web Original ==

* Kosviel from ''[[Fate Nuovo Guerra]]'' has her Servant, Attila the Hun, who for some reason does household chores. She also has a straighter Battle Butler in her [[Captain Obvious|butler]] Klaus.

* Mister Joshua, the "personal secretary" of [[Corrupt Corporate Executive]] Lexington Cargill, from the ''[[Global Guardians PBEM Universe]]''. He fetches coffee, he retrieves information, he carries briefcases, and occasionally he beats up or kills those he is directed to beat up or kill.

 

== Western Animation ==

* Though he usually functions as a [[Yes-Man]] towards the series' villain Hordak, the character Imp in ''[[She-Ra: Princess of Power|She Ra Princess of Power]]'' also displays tendencies to function as a battle butler, most notably in the episode "Of Shadows and Skulls" wherein he attempted to force the other members of the Horde to oust Skeletor from Hordak's position. Also of note is the fact that he and Hordak tend to share a closer relationship than Hordak displays towards any of his other minions, a relationship that seems on par with the one he held for Adora and is hinted he held for Skeletor before the betrayal of the latter.

* While not technically a butler, Hammerheads driver in Spectacular Spider-man didn't have any problem's busting out a gun and opening fire on super powered people that went up against her boss, or using car-fu to fight off Rhino. She is one of the coolest characters in the show and doesn't even have a name.

 

== Real Life ==

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Always Male]]

[[Category:Servant Tropes]]

[[Category:Characters As Device]]

[[Category:Stock Characters]]

[[Category:Alliterative Trope Titles]]

[[Category:Badass Servant]]