Cool Shades: Difference between revisions

 

{{quote|'''Elwood:''' It's 106 miles to Chicago. We've got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, [[Sunglasses at Night|it's dark and we're wearing sunglasses]].

 

Wearing dark glasses or mirrorshades is long-standing visual shorthand for [[Badass]]itude. The act of ''putting them on'' means that it's time to kick ass, take names or do both. The act of taking them off is a sign that somebody's about to get scrutinised by the badass, usually just prior to an asskicking.

Aside from making them look [[Badass]] the reason behind them wearing shades is so they don't show that their eyes flinch when firing a weapon or having massive swords flung at their face. So when a character isn't wearing any shades and running around firing automatic weapons and manages to show no discomfort you know they're truly [[Badass]].

 

 

For some specific variants, see [[Triangle Shades]] and [[Lennon Specs]].

 

{{examples}}

* Chester Cheetah from the Cheetos commercials wear those.

 

* Kamina of ''[[Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann|Gurren Lagann]]'' is constantly wearing cool shades (which [[Bellisario's Maxim|stay on without any visible means of attachment]] and he wore despite living underground ''never seeing the sun'' for most of his life), and after he hijacks his own [[Humongous Mecha]], Gurren, he melts down the pair of swords it had on it to give the mech a pair of shades too. Later on, those same shades (combined with the mecha's wings) are used to hold the enemy down for a final blow. Then the shades reattach themselves. [[Rule of Cool]] indeed. This isn't even going into the far more ridiculous and over-the-top sunglasses that appear later on. These shades have undergone [[Memetic Mutation]], instantly rendering any character they are shopped onto incredibly manly.

** To top it off, during a massive power-up, Simon's digging goggles morph into Kamina's shades, and then into ''five-point star shades''.

* [[Queen Victoria]] in the ''[[Black Butler|Kuroshitsuji]]'' manga. All part of the [[Anachronism Stew]].

* The villain Chinmei from [[Samurai Deeper Kyo]] wears shades most of the time except his final battle against the entire Sanada clan, revealing his "True Red Eyes". At one point his shades was damaged by Mahiro during his battle with Kyo, only to be replaced by a spare shade.

* Bear Walken of [[Gungrave]] always wear cool yellow shades. Up until {{spoiler|he was defeated by Brandon and he died.}} One cute note: Sherri, his daughter, was shown as a girl with a teddy bear with those glasses.

* [[Light'Em Up|Leo/Loki]] from ''[[Fairy Tail]]'' wears them on occasion. It might have something to do with [[Light'Em Up|his power]].

 

* Heather Hudson of ''[[Alpha Flight]]'' (who normally wore prescription glasses) began wearing wraparound shades when she became leader of the team. When she received her version of the Vindicator/Guardian battlesuit, Madison Jeffries modified her shades for wear with the suit.

** In the second ''Alpha Flight'' series, Heather had switched to contacts, and initially didn't wear glasses with the new suit Department H had provided her, but after a while of getting bothered by the wind in her eyes, she brought the shades back.

* In ''[[Transmetropolitan]]'' Spider Jerusalem has distinct "live shades" with circular red lens and rectangular green lens. The item maker that created them was on hallucinogenic drugs. Now how cool is that.

** Cool enough that when he finally needed another pair, ''they had the same mismatched lenses''.

** It's ''also'' up in the air what he did before the invention of sunglasses—wear a blindfold? [[Peek-a-Bangs|Fringey hair]]?

*** While not normal, sunglasses may have already been invented when Dream created him—he was wearing them that time when he ate the orangutan's eyeballs, which seemed to be the eighteenth century. Before he had sunglasses, he presumably didn't go out in public. He only AWOLed after Dream went MIA. Before that, when not being a footman or whatever he was supposed to be on that occasion, he was a full-time nightmare. Turning around was a sufficient [[The Reveal|Reveal]].

* The titular [[Mister X]] wears circular shades to cover up his eyes, which look about as bad as you'd expect from someone who hasn't slept in years.

 

 

* The first ''[[Back to The Future]]'' ends with Doc Brown showing up wearing some very Cool Shades. They're so cool, they're made out of sheet metal! Christopher Lloyd couldn't see a thing out of them. They were only written in as a gag for the first film. When the sequels came around, he ditched them ASAP.

** In Part II the glasses are revealed to be a part of the Delorean's modifications that allow him to see what's happening around the car.

* Putting on sunglasses is just about all ''[[Ace Ventura]]'' does.

* The ''[[Men in Black (film)|Men in Black]]'' also use their shades for a purpose - it keeps them from being affected by their [[Laser-Guided Amnesia|memory-erasing Neuralizer]].

* [[Blade]], in the movie and sequels of the same name, apparently stores his surplus Badassitude in his shades. In every movie, there seems to be a point where he loses them, gets his butt kicked for a while, and then regains them, just to put 'em on in a badass way. Usually this happens right before fighting the [[Big Bad]]. Step 1 of defeating Blade is "remove his sunglasses."

* Cool Shades is what differentiates characters from extras in ''[[The Matrix]]''. Virtually everyone that matters wears them.

* Used intentionally in ''[[That Thing You Do]]''. Once The Wonders sign on a major record label, their manager gives the drummer a pair of sunglasses to make him stand out. [[Lampshaded]] later by a reporter: "Are those prescription, or are you just trying to look cool?"

 

* Molly (aka Rose, Sally, etc) from ''[[Neuromancer]]'' has mirrorshades surgically implanted over her eyes. The same surgery also rearranged her tearducts, so she literally can't cry. Instead, she spits.

** They're not just mirrorshades; they have microchannel image amps built into them so she can see in the dark. Somewhat [[Rule of Cool|cooler]] than your typical cybernetic replacement eyes, not to mention being rather easier to manufacture.

* ''[[Dark Future (novel)|Dark Future]]'': Many people dress themselves with these in ''Dark Future'' novels. Many of them are also shades which double as music-playing devices. [[Big Bad|Elder Seth's]] shades are not merely cool ones, but they're also a means to see beyond the normal and perceive the Outer Darkness and create a conduit between him and the [[Eldritch Abomination|Dark Ones]] he serves.

 

* ''[[Adam-12]]'': In the final few episodes of Season 7, Reed begins wearing sunglasses on-duty. This includes an off-duty rescue of Malloy (who has been taken hostage by a gang of reactionists) and during Reed's investigation of a typewriter theft ring.

* Horatio Caine of ''[[CSI: Miami]]'' punctuates almost every [[Quip to Black]] by putting on his Cool Shades—if he's not already wearing them. (If he's already wearing them, he'll take them off and put them back on again.) So you could say that he... (''puts on sunglasses'') has it made in the shades. '''''YEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAH!!'''''

*** Recent seasons seem to have shades that can either upload the Intersect to one's head, or remove it entirely.

* Harper's imaginary friend Mr. Lies sports a pair of these in ''[[Angels in America]]''.

** Also a slight [[Genius Bonus]] to people who watches Chinese period films, where that style of glasses tends to be worn by evil characters or traitors.

* The awe-spiring sunglasses of Michael Westen from ''[[Burn Notice]]''. Sales of that particular brand of shades (Oliver People's Victory) shot up right after the show started to get popular, a testament to just how damn cool they are.

* Duncan MacLeod on ''[[Highlander the Series]]'' had them too in some episodes.

* ''[[The Rotten Tomatoes Show]]'' features a song called "[https://web.archive.org/web/20121009234936/http://current.com/shows/the-rotten-tomatoes-show/90012148_shade-tippin-by-brett-erlich.htm Shade Tippin']" in which Brett Erlich examines the phenomena in movie posters.

 

* ''Sunglasses at Night'' by Corey Hart

* ''The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades'' by Timbuk3

 

* [[Garfield]] [http://garfield.nfshost.com/2002/05/07/ is sometimes seen]{{Dead link}} [http://garfield.nfshost.com/2001/06/05/ wearing a pair,]{{Dead link}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20101106142358/http://www.garfield.com/comics/vault.html?yr=2010&addr=101101 or not.]

 

* [[Bret Hart]] wore a pair of pink ones in his run with WWF/WCW. He'd usually give them to a child fan before the match.

* "Macho Man" [[Randy Savage]] is known for his colorful, decorative, and all around badass sunglasses usually with designs on them coordinating with his tights.

* [[Hulk Hogan]], of [[New World Order|the nWo]] wore a pair f shades and looked absolutely badass while wearing them.

* [[The Undertaker]] wore a pair during his American Badass/Big Evil run.

* These + cool shirt + [[Fascinating Eyebrow]] = [[Dwayne Johnson|The Rock]].

 

== [[Tabletop Games]] ==

 

* Dr. Robotnik from ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' wears a pair of round-frame sunglasses at all times with the intended effect of making him look more intimidating. [[wikipedia:Image:Oldrobotnik.jpg|It didn't really work, at first.]]

** To be fair, imagine what he would look like without them. At least they help build an [[Smart People Wear Glasses|image]].

*** [https://web.archive.org/web/20140108205829/http://www.blackwolf-images.com/images/dic/sonic/robotnik_106-198-r13.jpg Why hello there. It seems that we haven't been introduced yet.]

*** [http://i34.tinypic.com/kdaash.png Modern Eggman without glasses, anyone?]

* One of the customizable clothing options in ''[[Battlefield Play4Free]]'' is several types of sunglasses for the player-character.

* Azel, the [[Mirror Boss]] in ''[[God Hand]]''. Weirdly, they manage to stay on even when he does all sorts of impossible fighting moves, except {{spoiler|in the final stage where he takes them off deliberately. From the cutscene you can tell that now ''[[It's Personal]]'', and he's really quite pissed.}}

** It seems like having a shaded visor in ''[[Mega Man Battle Network]]'' is one of the better ways to make your Navi an instant [[Badass]]. Protoman and his [[Fusion Dance|Cross Fusion form]]

* J.C from ''[[Deus Ex]]'' never takes them off. When mocked by Agent Navarre for wearing sunglasses at night, he gruffly replies that his vision is augmented. Additionally it is suggested that the cool shades stop him freaking the public with his solid blue eyes.

* All five members of the ''[[Elite Beat Agents]]'' from newbie Spin to veteran team leader Chieftain.

** Make that all ''ten'' characters, not counting [[Paper-Thin Disguise|Mr.]] [[Mask Power|X.]] The Divas and Khan have some pretty nice shades too, although the Divas' are transparent.

* Many characters from ''[[Unreal Tournament 2004]]''

* [[Serious Sam]] started off wearing shades, but they were later removed from his design, allegedly to "make a less [[Duke Nukem]] looking character".

* [[Resident Evil|Albert goddamn Wesker]]. Eventually, it's to cover up his [[Red Eyes, Take Warning|bizarrely]] [[Hellish Pupils|inhuman eyes]], but mostly [[Rule of Cool|they're just there to be rockin']].

* Johnny from ''[[Guilty Gear]]''. His shades are removed only in his Burst sprite (to show he's serious now, of course).

* Jake Armitage from the [[Super Nintendo]] incarnation of ''[[Shadowrun]]''. Initially he needs to put them on to solve a puzzle. {{spoiler|He needs to wear them to prevent the morgue guys from recognizing him as the guy who [[Waking Up At the Morgue|woke up at the morgue]], so they won't flee and he can talk with them.}} But they can't be taken off once worn and show up in all the cutscenes from then onwards. Some characters also comment on them when spoken to.

*** Or you can just loot them off his corpse (which is probably the best option for anyone not playing as a evil character).

*** One of the women in Andale has the same kind of shades. There's a way to get them without losing karma, {{spoiler|just reveal Andale's evil secret and, when confronted by the 4 adults, tell them you think they're freaks. They'll try to kill you, which lets you get rid of them AND score some Cool Shades}}.

** In the [[Updated Rerelease|PSP remake]], {{spoiler|Hitler/Nyarlathotep}} also looks pretty damn good sporting a pair, to the point where one wonders whether Atlus's censorship will backfire by simply making him look too cool.

* In ''[[The Godfather (video game)|The Godfather]]: The Game'', you can buy a pair of shades for your character.

* Vinnie the Gooch from ''[[Backyard Sports|Backyard Baseball]]''.

* While they have no effect in increasing the badass quotient of the characters, Thane Krios and Jack from ''[[Mass Effect 2]]'' have gained their personal cool shades in a DLC.

** Some DLC items also allow Shepard to rock the look, such as the Umbra Visor or the Archon Visor.

* In ''[[Art of Fighting]]'', John Crawley the navy man wears a pair of sunglasses that can be knocked off if you damage them enough. His boss, [[Big Bad|Mr. Big]], also wears them.

* Michael Becket, the player character of ''F.E.A.R'' 2, is shown putting on a pair of futuristic looking shades that serve as your HUD for the game.

* In ''[[Alpha Protocol]]'', Mike can sport several different types of sunglasses, ranging from simple slightly tinted glasses to wraps to big aviators to mirrored sunglasses that make him look like a sinister CIA agent right out of the 60's, all the way to shiny reflective razor sunglasses.

* In ''[[Jumper (video game)|Jumper]] Three'', you can acquire sunglasses in Sector 2. Like any other [[Nice Hat]]s you get there, they are useless, but still cool.

* In the early 90s adventure game ''Dreamweb'', protagonist Ryan has to put some shades on to obscure his identity after he is wanted for murder.

* Developer team ''The Bitmap Brothers'' had cool shades as their schtick. On photographs in game magazines of the day,they often wore sunglasses, and in at least some of their games, cool shades were included as a hidden item or easter egg. One example is ''Xenon II Megablast'', where the player can buy "Bitmap Shades" as an extremely expensive item. All it does is change the graphics to pure black and white.

 

* Yuki from ''[[Megatokyo]]'' switched from [[Meganekko]]-style glasses to Cool Shades after Largo made her a [[Little Miss Badass]].

* Brent Sienna from ''[[PvP (webcomic)|Pv P]]'' is never seen without his trademark shades. He takes them off when he gets married, only to be blinded immediately because his eyes haven't been exposed to that much light in decades.

* Youngsilver from ''[[The Pride of Life]]'' sports a Bebop-inspired pair.

* Black Monday Blues, of ''[[Dead Winter]]'', is hardly ever seen without his red-tinted shades...and he carries a second pair inside his jacket, just, you know, in case.

* James of ''[[Out There]]'' has yet to be pictured without his Ray-Bans (if that's what they are). You can't even see his eyes when he's in [http://outthere.keenspot.com/d/20100724.html profile]. Since you ''can'' see the eyes of the [http://outthere.keenspot.com/d/20100922.html other characters] when they're viewed from the side (even when they're wearing glasses), it's hard not to wonder: does James even ''have'' eyes?

* Nearly everyone in ''[[Shinigami Death Punch]]'' has their very own pair of cool shades in their color. The author never hesitates to use them for dramatic effect, either.

 

* The [[Shadow Men]] in ''[[Broken Saints]]'' both wear these in one scene, apparently just so artist Andrew West could have their enormous monitor reflected in the shades.

** Also, Mars' glowing red shades.

* The Necro Critic. A [[Caustic Critic]] who is characterized by his sunglasses.

* Standard issue for [[Protectors of the Plot Continuum]]. Used mainly when agents need to Neuryalize a canon character (MIB style) yet not get neuryalized themselves.

* ''[[Sockbaby]]'' - Ronnie Cordova.

* Sign up for [[TV Tropes]]' forums and you can post a Cool Shades smiley! Or most any forum these days. If you happen to not have access something that writes it, just write a B, followed by a bracket opening to the left, possibly with a dash in between [ B) and B-), respectively.]

* [[80's Dan]] has a pair.

* Coco Adel from ''[[RWBY]]'' finishes off her stylish look with a pair.

 

* Throttle from ''[[Biker Mice From Mars]]'' wears a pair of sunglasses at all times—this is because as a result of being experimented on he lost his eyes and got them replaced by bionic ones. Although some Biker Mice fans say he's blind.

* ''[[Johnny Bravo]]'' wears black shades throughout every episode, and actively covers his face whenever they've fallen off.

** Also, there's "[[Fan Nickname|Vinyl Scratch]]", a pony DJ who appeared for [[One-Scene Wonder|less than 5 seconds]] who wore a pair of purple shades.

* Agent Six from ''[[Generator Rex]]'' rocks shades and a sharp green suit. Oh, and foldout katanas. That he can slice bullets with.

 

* Sunglasses were used functionally by actors who would wear them on set to protect their eyes from the intense set lighting. People saw behind the behind the scenes footage of actors doing so and thus concluded wearing sunglasses is fashionable.

* Many celebrities attempt to invoke this trope; perhaps the most successful example is Roy Orbison, who originally wore them because he left his regular prescription glasses on the plane that was taking him to one of his concerts, and didn't have time to get a replacement set (in the 1960s, you couldn't get glasses in less than several days, unlike today's one-hour stores).

* [[Ozzy Osbourne]] and [[Rush|Geddy Lee]] perform wearing round framed sunglasses.

* [[Joe Satriani]]'s black sunglasses and [[Bald of Awesome]] make up his look.

* [[Guns N' Roses]] had two frequent wearers, Axl Rose (who liked to use them [https://web.archive.org/web/20110423121049/http://api.ning.com/files/H3kuHxKOt2X3MBCW3JOagQRQCA75W0gJtwpPum4AwG6HyS8sIHbkyLBlVAEo7nV9Fdx9geDlWAdbfrbT2mmZ2SwbnrxuIXpc/AxlRose5.jpg over his bandanna]) and Slash (who also frequently uses a [[Nice Hat]]).

** Axl is occasionally not seen wearing shades, but Slash on the othere hand never takes his off. One interview said he went to see his mother who was dying of cancer in a hospital, and never took off his shades.

* Shades are standard issue for people working in the Secret Service and other bodyquard services, allegedly because they conceal what the wearer is looking at. This can help keep potential troublemakers in line, since they can't be sure that sunglassed muscleman isn't staring directly at them.

** Larger, square ones can also have a one-way mirror formed into the glass/plastic as well which allows them to look behind without having to turn around.

* [[Bob Dylan]]. He was almost never seen without them in the '60s.

* [[Lou Reed]].