Blood Knight: Difference between revisions

[[File:Hercstacked 8029.jpg|link=The Incredible Hercules|rightframe|[http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee122/neodragzero/She-Hulk92.jpg ...HAVE AT THEE!]]]

Fighting is everything to the [[Blood Knight]]. He lives for it. He might deliberately disadvantage himself in order to make fights last longer, and loves to reveal that [[I Am Not Left-Handed|he is not left-handed]]. It's not so much winning or losing, morality, the motives of his allies, or even [[Glory Seeker|the glory]], that drives this guy so much as the opportunity for a good fight.

If there's a whole society of guys like him, you've got a [[Proud Warrior Race Guy|Proud Warrior Race]]. If the character likes the 'killing' part more than the 'fighting' part, they're a [[Psycho for Hire]]. The [[Egomaniac Hunter]] also thrives on aimless violent thrill and loves a worthy quarry instead of opponent. If a character is in it for the challenge rather than just the fight, then we've got a [[Spirited Competitor]]. The Blood Knight's love of combat may be platonic, or it may have [[Interplay of Sex and Violence|sexual undertones.]]

[[Sub-Trope]] of [[In Harm's Way]]. [[Sister Trope]] to [[Combat Sadomasochist]], [[The Real Man]] and [[Boisterous Bruiser]]. Compare [[Cavalier Competitor]]. May be from a [[Martyrdom Culture]] and will often believe that [[War Is Glorious]]. As a rule they are just about always [[Not Afraid to Die]]. Someone that really enjoys in ''killing'' is [[Ax Crazy]], but of course there is plenty of room for overlap.

== Anime &and Manga ==

** Yomi ''used'' to be like this; raiding fortresses and ransacking villages for the sheer hell of it. The only problem was that his actions pissed off his [[Magnificent Bastard]] partner, [[White-Haired Pretty Boy|Yoko Kurama]]. Eventually, Yomi pissed Kurama off enough that Kurama decided to cure Yomi of his Blood Knight tendencies [[You Have Failed Me...|in the worst]] [[Eye Scream|possible way]]. {{spoiler|It works, and Yomi becomes a cold, ruthless and absolutely great [[Magnificent Bastard]] who rules a third of the Demon World. However, the ruckus caused by Yusuke and his proposed tournament reignites the fire of his inner Blood Knight.}}

** Gym Ghingnham from ''[[Turn A Gundam (Anime)|Turn a Gundam]]'' IS this trope. In ''[[Super Robot Wars Alpha]] Gaiden'', he even blatantly admits it

* [[Anime Chinese Girl|Ju Ensuu]] from ''[[Hayate Cross× Blade]]'' cares not for prestige or ranking, and is so obsessed with fighting her [[Worthy Opponent|"same kind" Ayana]] that she throws all restrictions out the window when finally seeing the latter after a long wait. It takes some quick reflexes and two of the strongest people in school to hold her back.

== Fan FicWorks ==

* The Hessian (who was beheaded and became the [[Headless Horseman]]) in ''[[Sleepy Hollow (Film)|Sleepy Hollow]]'' came to fight as a mercenary in America "for love of carnage".

** ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20090302172747/http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?&id=128949 "Run home, cur. I've already taken your master's head. Don't make me thrash you with it."]''

** There's also the D'regs, a nomadic tribe from the desert regions of Klatch characterized by their love of fighting. It's said the D'reg word for "stranger" is the same as their word for "target". Their is one scene in ''[[Discworld/Jingo|Jingo]]'' where someone has a hard time translating the concept of "fighting for freedom", since in the D'reg language they are the same word. It's also mentioned that when the nations of Klatch and Hersheba drew an arbitrary border across the D'Regs home desert, they leapt on this new division of nationality as a wonderful excuse to start fighting each other, too.

* Kage in Gav Thorpe's ''[[Warhammer 4000040,000]] The Last Chancers''. {{spoiler|At the end of ''13th Legion'', he receives a pardon, resolves to stay in the forces outside the penal legion, and shortly thereafter loses it by brawling. In ''Kill Team'', he is told that he used up his last chance and will never be pardoned again, and he can cope, realizing that he would have ended up fighting again.}}

* Kara Thrace in ''[[Battlestar Galactica Reimagined(2004 TV series)|Battlestar Galactica]]'', as shown in the following quote.

* In ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine|Star Trek Deep Space Nine]]'', we see a Blood Knight in the least expected place: Leck, a [[Proud Merchant Race Guy|Ferengi]] "Eliminator" (read: assassin, he "eliminates competition") who is in his chosen profession for the thrill of a good fight, not for the profit - something that would be unthinkable for most Ferengi (though being in demand certainly doesn't hurt).

* [[World Wrestling Entertainment|WWE]] wrestler Finlay has attained tweener status, being between [[Face]] and [[Heel]], for the sole reason that he'll simply beat up anybody he comes across for kicks, not particularly caring whether they're "good guys" or "bad guys". His [[Catch Phrase]] just about sums it all up: "My name is Finlay, and I love to fight!"

* Both the ''[[Warhammer Fantasy Battle]]'' and the ''[[Warhammer 4000040,000]]'' universe features several species and factions who exhibit this trope to varying degrees.

** WorshippersWorshipers of Khorne qualify partially -- [[Psycho for Hire|but their main interest is spilling blood and spreading death and mayhem in Khorne's name]], not in the quality of the battle. After all, "Khorne cares not from whence the blood flows, as long as it flows"—they've been known to kill ''themselves'' if they run out of other victims to kill. The appropriately named Skulltaker, the highest ranking of Khorne's lesser daemons is this trope personified. His sole reason of existence is to look for the greatest warriors and fight them in hand-to-hand combat. If he wins (and he usually does) he'll rip the foe's head off and attach the skull into his cloak.

* Several examples can be found in ''[[Dungeons and Dragons|Dungeons & Dragons]]'':

* The ''[[Advance Wars: Eternal War]]'' series has three: [[Spoiled Brat|Pink Queen]] loves killing people who don't wear pink, [[Keet|Flash]] thinks the bloodstains make pretty patterns, and [[Cute and Psycho|Robyn]] becomes this when at war.

* Karel from ''[[Fire Emblem Elibe|Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword]]'' is a wandering, half-crazed swordsman whose only goal is to seek out the most powerful fighters on the continent and cut them into tiny little pieces. He joins the protagonists only because he's curious as to whether they'll become stronger (with the implication that he'll kill them if he likes what he sees), killed his parents, threatens to kill both [http://www.rpgclassics.com/shrines/gba/fe7/karel_karla.shtml his younger sister Karla] and [http://www.rpgclassics.com/shrines/gba/fe7/guy_karel.shtml his apprentice Guy] if they ever grow strong enough to make for a decent fight, and [http://www.rpgclassics.com/shrines/gba/fe7/dart_karel.shtml bribes Dart the pirate] for gossip about the toughest fighters in the land, only to discover he's already beaten them all. This characterization actually came about as a result of Karel's appearance in the previous game, ''Sword of Seals'' (which follows ''Blazing Sword'' chronologically). The designers wanted the young Karel to contrast the saintly [[Warrior Poet]] personality he sported in the latter game as much as possible. It's implied that he was mellowed by the death of Karla to illness during the timeskip between the two games—he finally found an opponent he couldn't defeat with strength alone.

** Don't forget the zombies. Nearly every social zombie player group can sum up their tactics as "Go find the nearest large group of survivors and start the party," the only divisions being what is considered fair play on the "finding-survivors" part. Mass zombie movements ("tours") are almost the same as an [[Warhammer 4000040,000|Ork Waaagh]] in intent, tactics, and the habit of leaving a lot of new zombies in their wake. And they seem very pleased at their worthy foes when a mall or important building manages to outlast a zombie siege, honoring it by making sure it's a major stop on the next "tour".

** In ''[[Tales of Vesperia]]'', [[Badass Long Hair|Yu]][[Deadpan Snarker|ri]] seems to be happiest when he's in a good fight and says that he enjoys the "raw challenge" of fighting a tough opponent, and the only time [[Ms. Fanservice|Judith's]] excitement level rises above "sedated" is in battle. Flynn, who is normally soft-spoken and mellow, becomes very energetic when fighting (lampshaded by Rita in the [[PlayStationPlay Station 3]] version). Zagi is the standard villainous version who becomes obsessed with Yuri because he is the only opponent that forces him to use his full potential. There's also Tison, who unlike most of the Hunting Blades fights monsters more for the thrill of battle rather then a personal vendetta.

* Boomerang from ''[[Wild ArmsARMs 1]]'' is a good example. Pretty much the only thing he cares about is finding a worthy foe to fight, and is only helping the villains because he believes that'll lead him to the fight he seeks. {{spoiler|Not even ''Hell itself'' can stop his pursuit of the ultimate battle.}} The same could arguably be said for his wolf companion, Lucied.

** The class introduced in ''Wrath of the Lich King'' is called "Death Knight", elite soldiers of the Scourge. Their only job is to kill for the Scourge, and to cut down anyone who stands in their path. One of your first tasks as a Death Knight is to kill one of your own kind to prove your loyalty. When you succeed by showing no mercy and no restraint, you are praised and given a [[BFSBlade of Fearsome Size]]. You're then sicced on a village to kill everyone. Although the player class then breaks free from the Lich Kings control, they are still the most fitting class, and the Deathknight faction in Northrend is clearly filled with this.

'''[[Player Character|Shepard]]''': What ''is'' fun to fight through?

* ''[[StarcraftStarCraft]]'': When his home planet is overrun by aliens, Fenix is actually excited to be fighting a stronger enemy than ever before. Even after he's killed and brought [[Back Fromfrom the Dead]], he doesn't mind being part machine, as long as he can still fight.

** ''[[Girl Genius]]'' got theThe Jägermonsters. As one of them put it, "most ov us just likes hittin' hyu guys". Blood Knight [[Super Soldier]]s frequently slipping into [[Cloudcuckoolander]] territory. With [[Nice Hat]]s. They take [[Super Serum|Jägerdraught]] along with loyalty oath, specifically to join the indefinite military service, [http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20110316 of their own free will] and knowing "[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20120502 most pipple just ''die'']" from this stuff. And are very proud of this arrangement.

* ''[[Sluggy Freelance]]'' [[Haunted House]] arc has Brad Trivol, the previous tenant who "was not the nicest man. He was always looking for a fight, never backed down from one, and never lost one. That is, until taking his own life a week after moving in." Brad's last words before shooting himself in the head? "{{spoiler|Never be rid of you? ''[[Thanatos Gambit|I'm coming for you!]]''}}" [[Holy Shit Quotient|Holy_Crap++]]

* If you believe [https://web.archive.org/web/20081005101122/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2005/is_1_33/ai_56027317/pg_1 the accounts], the "factions" of Ireland that were common in the latter half of the nineteenth century were a pleasurable variation on this trope. The closest fictional example to the attitude behind it would be the frequent [[Fight Clubbing]] between the Gauls from ''[[Asterix]]'''s village. The reasons were frequently trivial or nonexistent; they fought for the fun of it and if someone died, well, as long as it was a fair fight, it wasn't meant in malice. Sticks and stones were the [[Weapon of Choice]], women and children could "join in" and the larger brawls were prearranged for meetings such as fairs. From the article:

* [[Theodore Roosevelt]] had elements of this at times. He demoted himself so he could fight in the front lines during the Spanish American War. He also referred to his one genuine experience in battle, San Juan Hill, as "the greatest day of my life", and, when he was dying, expressed regret that he didn't die in battle. During his political career, he spent most of his pre-presidential career clamoring for a war to fight in, and explained once that he didn't start any wars as president because the idea of being cooped up in the White House rather than on the front lines during a war was unthinkable. He spent most of [[World War OneI]] begging [[Woodrow Wilson]] for permission to form a volunteer regiment and get sent over to Europe.