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{{trope}}
{{quote|''"Feelings? Look mate, you know who has a lot of feelings? Blokes what bludgeon their wives to death with a golf trophy. [[Even Evil Has Standards|Professionals have standards]]. [[Affably Evil|Be polite]]. [[One-Hit Kill|Be efficient]]. [[Crazy Prepared|Have a plan to kill everyone you meet]]."''|'''The Sniper''', ''[[
{{quote|'''Gibbs:''' Her father left her to die in a desert.
'''Vance:''' So it's a problem then?
'''Gibbs:''' Would be for me, won't be for Ziva.|''[[
Quite self-explanatory: a character who is characterized by his/her intense professionalism and intolerance of lack thereof.
The '''Consummate Professional''' is most often a [[The Stoic|very serious character]], and often involved in a profession that warrants violence or is on the shadier side of the law like a [[Hired Guns|soldier of fortune]], [[Spy Fiction|professional spy]], [[
The Consummate Professional is also recognized for his [[The Gift|uncanny talent]] at his chosen profession. His no-nonsense attitude has allowed him to hone his skill to an almost supernatural degree, to the point his name (if actually known) becomes synonymous with excellence in his line of work. Be it playing the stock market, performing a military mission or killing a mark, he baffles others with his complete control and superlative skills. If he's on the shadier side of the law, [[Berserk Button|don't ever call him a criminal or compare him to common thugs]], that's a wonderful way to end up in traction. He is first and foremost a professional, he is by definition above such scum because of his code. And for pete's sake, [[Tempting Fate|don't invoke a]] [[Contract
Do note of the more violently employed professionals, having a code is not the same as being a [[Hitman
Because his profession usually takes him places, expect a Consummate Professional to also be a [[Cunning Linguist]] and have large amounts of connections to various other professionals who can provide services for him. If he's a killer who likes taking his targets out from a distance, he'll universally be a [[Cold Sniper]] and almost always has [[Improbable Aiming Skills]].
{{examples}}
== Anime And Manga ==
* ''[[Golgo 13]]'': Duke
* Balalaika from ''[[Black Lagoon]]''. Dutch as well, though he is more smuggler than assassin. This is probably why the Lagoon Company and Hotel Moscow have such a good business relationship.
* ''[[Legend of the Galactic Heroes]]''; Many of the characters are like this, but Paul von Oberstein is the most notable. He can calculate and order mass slaughter executed without batting an eyelid.
* Sousuke in ''[[Full Metal Panic!]]''. He also applies this level of professionalism to his cover identity as a high school student, with hilarious results.
* Played straight ''and'' subverted in the case of Kuroudou Akabane (a.k.a. Dr. Jackal) from ''[[
* The ''[[Gungrave]]'' anime shows us that Brandon Heat was this with [[Undying Loyalty]] when he was a hitman for Millenion. It [[It Got Worse|causes problems]] with his best friend.
* Played straight and later averted with Mireille Bouquet of ''[[Noir]]''. She starts out as an ice-cold professional killer (perhaps even more so than her significantly more competent partner Kirika Yuumura; Kirika doesn't know how she learned to kill or why, while Mireille is fully cognizant of the ethical implications of her chosen career). It isn't until the last few episodes that she [[Defrosting Ice Queen|starts to develop a heart at all,]] but when she finally does, [[Mama Bear|look out.]]
* Mickey Simon in the ''[[Area 88]]'' manga. For a soldier of fortune, Mickey has a strong professional code. He is loyal to his fellow pilots and politely turns down Rishar's offer to join the anti-government forces.
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* Deathstroke The Terminator.
* [[Suicide Squad|Deadshot]], when he's not in one of his [[Death Seeker]] moods. His handler, Amanda Waller, is one too.
* [[Lex Luthor]]'s [[Superman:
* [[Wolverine]] has served countless times in the military, and has picked up a great many habits and skills with the years. Interestingly enough, he's always shown to be VERY serious and professional in that role, contrary to his usual authority-sticking personality. In fact, unless explicitly screwed by the hierarchy, he shows utmost respect for the chain of command. [[Captain America (comics)]] is one soldier in particular he respects immensely.
== Film ==
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* The main character from the ''[[The Transporter]]'' movies usually tries to be this, but he always faces circumstances that force him to act against his code. He always regrets it, though, since he knows not adhering to his code always comes back to bite him.
* [[Subverted Trope|Subverted]] with Agent Smith in the ''[[The Matrix]]'' films: he acts that way because he's ''programmed'' to be that way. When he goes rogue, he becomes egomaniacal and emotional.
* Agent Kay in ''[[Men in Black (
* ''[[
* The various assassins in the ''[[The Bourne Series]]''. The one that comes to mind is The Professor, the guy with the trenchcoat and glasses who gets gunned down in the wheat field in ''Identity''.
* The Jackal from (surprise surprise) ''[[The Day of the Jackal]]''.
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== Live Action TV ==
* Wayne Jarvis from ''[[Arrested Development (TV series)|Arrested Development]]''.
{{quote|
'''Michael:''' That's fantastic. So, how long have you been ...?
'''Wayne Jarvis:''' I also don't like small talk... why should I be billing you for small talk when I'm enjoying it as much as you are?
'''Michael:''' Then, this must be a freebie 'cause I'm having a ball.
'''Wayne Jarvis:''' When you're ready to get serious, give me a call. }}
* ''[[
* ''Everybody'' in ''[[
* ''[[Breaking Bad]]''
** Subverted by Gus, who is characterized by his infallible cool and professional conduct. However, late in the series were learn that {{spoiler|his entire operation is dedicated toward a white-hot rampage of revenge against the cartel that killed his best friend and humiliated him. His unprofessional need to gloat over his vengeance ultimately leads to his downfall}}.
** Mike, a [[Punch Clock Villain]] who just wants to do his job. He'll roll his eyes and sigh, but he's about a reliable as it gets.
* [[The River]] has Captain Kurt Brynildson. Don't touch his guns.
*In the miniseries ''[[The Winds of War and War and Remembrance|War and Remembrance]]'' the camp commandant of Auschwitz is an [[Torture Technician|evil version of this.]] He takes great delight in his craftsmanship as if he was a smith discussing the products of his forge. In fact his smooth voice and elegant manner can give you sort of a weird split personality where one part of you takes an aesthetic delight for a second. [[Fridge Horror|And then you think,]] "Wait a minute, what the heck is he talking about!" You have to watch it [[Nightmare Fuel|to understand.]] Herman Wouk did not make his Nazis cartoon villains. He made them worse.
**Victor Henry is a heroic [[Consummate Professional]] who is a professional naval officer and travels the world doing whatever it will take to win the war. Including sacrificing his own desire for a [[Glory Seeker|glorious sea career]] and eventually [[Married to the Job|his marriage.]]
== Tabletop Games ==
* In the [[Old World of Darkness]]' ''[[
* ''[[
== Video Games ==
* Gen, of ''[[Street Fighter]]''. Held the title of world's greatest assassin. He earned it.
* ''[[
* You can play Shepard this way in the ''[[Mass Effect]]'' games. ''[[Mass Effect 2]]'' is filled with them:
** Kasumi Goto, the best thief in the business, not the most famous.
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** Thane Krios, who's been working as an assassin since he was twelve. He once expresses disgust with mercenaries who 'think painted armour makes them professionals'.
** And on the other hand, subverted with Zaeed. He acts like a calm, cool professional, but a Paragon Shepard can call him out on caring more about his grudge than he does about the mission. To his credit, being rebuked thusly causes Zaeed to postpone his revenge. Zaeed is a professional, but he isn't infallible.
* Shelly DeKiller from ''[[
* The Courier from ''[[
* Both [[Metal Gear Solid|Big Boss and Solid Snake]] started as this, but eventually softened up with time.
* ''[[Alpha Protocol]]'': Agent Thorton can be played this way by consistently choosing "Professional" responses in dialogue, ignoring more [[Optional Sexual Encounter|personal options]] in favor of pragmatism, and keeping his relationship with [[Mission Control]] business-like.
** Of the [[NPC
* Many characters in ''[[
* ''[[
* [[Hitman|Agent 47]]. 47 is this canonically, and the player is encouraged to play the game as such (only killing the assigned target via the most covert manner possible, leaving no witnesses or evidence) in order to get the best rating on missions. However, the player can just say "screw it" and massacre the entire level with a machine-gun if they want.
* The Master Chief from the ''[[Halo]]'' universe fits this. To quote Bungie artist Eddie Smith, John-117 is "pretty much the consummate professional. He does his job, walks off, doesn't even get the girl, he's that cool he doesn't need her." He is given an objective and ordered to "Win" and he will execute on that order to the best of his ability, pulling out a victory by any means necessary. He does so because he was raised to be one, along with all the other Spartan-IIs, and fights simply because that is who he is, rather than for any kind of profit or glory. In fact, he displays some discomfort at any media attention, prefering to conduct himself humbly but with absolute self-confidence.
== Western Animation ==
* ''[[
* ''[[
{{reflist}}
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[[Category:Military and Warfare Tropes]]
[[Category:Criminals]]
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