Cowardly Lion: Difference between revisions

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[[File:CowardlyLion.jpg|link=The Wizard of Oz (~~Film~~)|frame|"I may not come out alive, but I'm goin' in there. There's only one thing I want you fellas to do... TALK ME OUT OF IT!"]]

[[File:CowardlyLion.jpg|link=The Wizard of Oz (film)|frame|"I may not come out alive, but I'm goin' in there. There's only one thing I want you fellas to do... TALK ME OUT OF IT!"]]

{{quote|''"Fear has nothing to do with cowardice. A fellow is only yellow when he lets his fear make him quit."''|'''Jerome Cady'''}}

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== Anime and Manga ==

* Usopp and Chopper in ''[[~~One Piece (Manga)|~~One Piece]]''.

* Usopp and Chopper in ''[[One Piece]]''.

** Of course, Usopp's a funny case in that as long everything is fine, he's a total [[Miles Gloriosus]]. But the instant there's the slightest hint of danger, and particularly when he's the only one who can do anything about it, he upgrades to [[Cowardly Lion]]. When any significant danger presents itself, Usopp will panic, then proceed to kick ass despite shaking in his boots the whole time.

* Shinji Ikari in ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion]]''.

* Mr Satan in ''[[~~Dragonball~~]]''. And to a lesser extent Krillin.

* Mr Satan in ''[[Dragon Ball]]''. And to a lesser extent Krillin.

** Gohan as well all the way up until the Cell Saga. But admittedly [[Justified Trope|he was a little kid.]]

* Hanyuu in ''[[Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni]]''. She's really fearful and insecure, but lays the smackdown when it comes to people she cares about, as shown at the end of Kai. {{spoiler|[[Messianic Archetype|This isn't always a good thing]] though.}}

* Hanyuu in ''[[Higurashi no Naku Koro ni]]''. She's really fearful and insecure, but lays the smackdown when it comes to people she cares about, as shown at the end of Kai. {{spoiler|[[Messianic Archetype|This isn't always a good thing]] though.}}

* Joe Kido in ''[[Digimon Adventure]]''.

* Grasshop in ''[[Spider Riders]]''.

* Jacuzzi Splot from ''[[~~Baccano (Light Novel)|~~Baccano]]''. The guy knocked over ''eighteen Mafia-owned speakeasies'' in ''one night'' by himself, with a single Tommy gun, crying hysterically in fear all the way. The week after, he helped save a train from two clashing terrorist groups; to do this, he did battle unarmed but for a single cherry bomb against someone with a shiv knife, a fist-gun and a ''flamethrower'' (which did turn out to be pretty convenient for lighting said bomb) on top of a moving train. He took a couple of bullets in the gut and a knife in the elbow before he tackled the other guy off the train and won. He was later half-carried to the station by his girlfriend, moaning in pain.

* Jacuzzi Splot from ''[[Baccano]]''. The guy knocked over ''eighteen Mafia-owned speakeasies'' in ''one night'' by himself, with a single Tommy gun, crying hysterically in fear all the way. The week after, he helped save a train from two clashing terrorist groups; to do this, he did battle unarmed but for a single cherry bomb against someone with a shiv knife, a fist-gun and a ''flamethrower'' (which did turn out to be pretty convenient for lighting said bomb) on top of a moving train. He took a couple of bullets in the gut and a knife in the elbow before he tackled the other guy off the train and won. He was later half-carried to the station by his girlfriend, moaning in pain.

* GB in ''[[Ginga Legend Weed]]''.

* Sir Penwood and Seras Victoria in ''[[Hellsing]]''.

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* Yukiteru Amano from ''[[Mirai Nikki]]''. Even though at times he seems to have grown out of this, he remains a [[Cowardly Lion]] 'til the end.

* Yuu from ''[[Holyland]]'' personifies this beautifully. Basically, if you took a timid, scared, insecure piece of [[The Woobie|bully-bait]] and gave him the ability to knock a man unconscious with one punch, he would be Yuu.

* Italy from ''[[~~Axis Powers Hetalia (Manga)|~~Axis Powers Hetalia]]''. So much.

* Italy from ''[[Axis Powers Hetalia]]''. So much.

* Asura from ''[[Soul Eater]]''. Despite being fear and insanity incarnate, he rose to be one of the world's most dangerous beings, quite possibly surpassing the much more level headed Shinigami-sama himself.

* Kenichi from ''[[Kenichi ~~the~~ Mightiest Disciple]]'' will not run away, even if he's facing weapon users. However, the knee-trembling terror he feels [http://www.mangafox.com/manga/history_s_strongest_disciple_kenichi/v40/c375/9.html occasionally leaks out].

* Kenichi from ''[[Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple]]'' will not run away, even if he's facing weapon users. However, the knee-trembling terror he feels [http://www.mangafox.com/manga/history_s_strongest_disciple_kenichi/v40/c375/9.html occasionally leaks out].

* Kain Fuery in ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist]]''. He's the smallest and youngest member of [[Colonel Badass|Roy Mustang]]'s hand-chosen unit, and his main value is as the communications specialist. When the team gets {{spoiler|split up and he's reassigned to the southern war front}}, he's absolutely terrified and only gets through it by shouting at himself that he's going to live. Later, {{spoiler|he deserts in order to return to Central City and aid Mustang and Hawkeye with their coup}}.

** And then we have Warrant Officer Falman, who was literally crying and shaking with fear {{spoiler|as he defied Bradley's order to open the gate to Central palace.}} Captain Buccaneer called him on it.

{{quote| '''Buccaneer:''' Oh come on now. Don't cry like a girl when you act like a man!}}

* Kai Shiden of ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam]]'' with emphasis on "Lion". An abrasive jerk who perpetually points out the stupidity of the situations they're in and often seems about to panic when sent into combat, Kai's nevertheless a reliable solider who racks up a pretty impressive kill count over the course of the war. He might have easily ended up as one of the Earth Federation's most celebrated aces, if not for being the wingman of [[Red Baron|the White Devil]] [[Overshadowed By Awesome|Amuro Ray]].

* Kai Shiden of ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam]]'' with emphasis on "Lion". An abrasive jerk who perpetually points out the stupidity of the situations they're in and often seems about to panic when sent into combat, Kai's nevertheless a reliable solider who racks up a pretty impressive kill count over the course of the war. He might have easily ended up as one of the Earth Federation's most celebrated aces, if not for being the wingman of [[Red Baron|the White Devil]] [[Overshadowed by Awesome|Amuro Ray]].

* While Ranma Saotome of ''[[Ranma One Half]]'' is a [[Combat Pragmatist]], he's generally pretty far away from anything that resembles cowardice... unless cats are involved, in which case a few seconds after being surprised by a housecat he is literally [[Incredibly Lame Pun|catatonic]] and will eventually lose his mind from the sheer terror until he starts thinking that he's a cat and starts kicking the ass of almost everything within eyeshot using the ultimate technique, the Neko-ken. However, when he was tossed into a situation that almost perfectly replicated his initial trauma (being tossed into a pit of hungry cats while wrapped in fish products), he managed to (sorta) maintain his composure until they brought out a tiger that was about as tall as he was, at which point he snapped. Later on, when facing a grandmaster that was casually kicking his ass and holding his manhood hostage, Ranma deliberately strapped a cat onto himself (or rather, herself) in order to pull out the Neko-ken and get his opponent to back down. That is to say, ''he deliberately drove himself insane with fear in order to win a fight.''

* Kasumi of ''[[~~King of Thorn (Manga)|~~King of Thorn]]''. She believes she is [[Heroic Self-Deprecation|weak and useless]], having depended on her braver twin sister Shizuku for most of her life. Later she depends on [[Genius Bruiser|Marco]] for protection and often needs him to rescue her. However, she's still able to put her fears aside long enough to save someone else's life. She even saves ''Marco'' a few times, and earns his respect for it.

* Kasumi of ''[[King of Thorn]]''. She believes she is [[Heroic Self-Deprecation|weak and useless]], having depended on her braver twin sister Shizuku for most of her life. Later she depends on [[Genius Bruiser|Marco]] for protection and often needs him to rescue her. However, she's still able to put her fears aside long enough to save someone else's life. She even saves ''Marco'' a few times, and earns his respect for it.

== Comic Books ==

* ''[[Sonic the Comic]]'' portrayed Tails in this light for a lot of the early issues.

* Donald Pierce is a villainous version in ''[[X Men (Comic Book)|X Men]]''.

* Donald Pierce is a villainous version in ''[[X-Men (Comic Book)|X Men]]''.

* Eric O'Grady in ''[[The Avengers (Comic Book)|The Avengers]]''.

* [[Donald Duck]] (who is often [[Miles Gloriosus]] too), especially in [[Don Rosa]]'s comics.

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== Fan Fic ==

* Hobbes is [[Character Exaggeration|exaggerated]] into this in ''[[~~Calvin and Hobbes The Series (Fanfic)|~~Calvin and Hobbes: The Series]]''.

* Hobbes is [[Character Exaggeration|exaggerated]] into this in ''[[Calvin and Hobbes: The Series]]''.

== Film ==

* A major characteristic of the [[Trope Namer|Cowardly Lion]] in ''[[The Wizard of Oz (~~Film~~)|The Wizard of Oz]]'' [[Captain Obvious|is]] [[Department of Redundancy Department|cowardice]].

* A major characteristic of the [[Trope Namer|Cowardly Lion]] in ''[[The Wizard of Oz (film)|The Wizard of Oz]]'' [[Captain Obvious|is]] [[Department of Redundancy Department|cowardice]].

* Albert Lory from ''[[This Land Is Mine]]'' lives in an unnamed country under Nazi occupation and, literally, runs home to his aged mother any time there is an allied air strike. He eventually makes a [[Heroic Sacrifice]] because he's more terrified of seeing his friends picked off one by one than actually dying.

* Bob from ''[[Drugstore Cowboy]]'' is pretty open about his neurosis and his reliance on drugs to keep the stresses of world away from him. The people around him are still awed by the acts of [[Magnificent Bastard|Magnificent Bastardry]] he performs out of sheer panic.

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== Literature ==

* The [[Trope Namer]] is the Cowardly Lion in ''[[~~The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Literature)|~~The Wonderful Wizard of Oz]]'' and ''[[Wicked (~~Literature~~)|Wicked]]'', and he usually tended to lose the "Cowardly" part of his name whenever Dorothy was in danger or something was required that only a Lion could do. The [[The Wizard of Oz (~~Film~~)|film version]] examines this trope in some depth, with the Wizard eventually pointing out to the Lion that he was confusing cowardice with common sense. Sometimes, running away is the most sensible option if fighting only gets you pointlessly killed, as the Lion demonstrates when he flees from the Kalidahs in Baum's original book -- however, when he has something to protect after joining Dorothy and the others, he not only stands up to them, but ''volunteers'' to sacrifice himself to protect the others from them, until Scarecrow comes up with a plan that makes it unnecessary.

* The [[Trope Namer]] is the Cowardly Lion in ''[[The Wonderful Wizard of Oz]]'' and ''[[Wicked (novel)|Wicked]]'', and he usually tended to lose the "Cowardly" part of his name whenever Dorothy was in danger or something was required that only a Lion could do. The [[The Wizard of Oz (film)|film version]] examines this trope in some depth, with the Wizard eventually pointing out to the Lion that he was confusing cowardice with common sense. Sometimes, running away is the most sensible option if fighting only gets you pointlessly killed, as the Lion demonstrates when he flees from the Kalidahs in Baum's original book -- however, when he has something to protect after joining Dorothy and the others, he not only stands up to them, but ''volunteers'' to sacrifice himself to protect the others from them, until Scarecrow comes up with a plan that makes it unnecessary.

** He, in fact, pretty much explains this trope when explaining 1. His name, and 2. Why he's the bravest person in Oz. Though this is in a sequel book.

* Neville Longbottom in ''[[Harry Potter]]''.

** At least until he [[Took a Level In Badass]] in book 7.

* [[Sixth Ranger|David]] from ''[[~~Animorphs (Literature)|~~Animorphs]]''. {{spoiler|He gets over this after his [[Face Heel Turn]]}}.

* [[Sixth Ranger|David]] from ''[[Animorphs]]''. {{spoiler|He gets over this after his [[Face Heel Turn]]}}.

* Harold Lauder is this way in [[Stephen King]]'s ''[[The Stand]]''.

* Samwell Tarly in ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]''.

* Kell Tainer, from the ''[[X Wing Series|Wraith Squadron]]'', constantly deals with what he considers to be cowardice. When his commanding officer figures it out, he calls it more a case of "extremely strong performance anxiety", as he's not so much afraid of battle as he is of screwing up, particularly when people are counting on him--understandable, if not necessarily desirable, in military service pilots.

** {{spoiler|Though this officer was unaware of when Kell 1. Literally froze up while controlling an X-wing, unable to work the controls, thinking his ship was instead malfunctioning, and 2. Not really aware that Kell was one lever-pull away from just leaving battle...until he thought of his girlfriend, and pulled a [[Big Damn Heroes]]...but Kell definitely fits this trope in his first book. However, he also grows out of the cowardice almost completely, so...}}

* In Lee Lightner's [[Warhammer 40000]] ''[[Space Wolf]]'' novel ''Wolf's Honour'', Mikal feels [[The Chains of Commanding|heavily burdened by the role]] that fell on him when Berek was gravely wounded. He [[Converse ~~With~~ the Unconscious|sees the unconscious leader and asks why him]] -- and is enraged when he realizes that the skald, Morgrim, listened to him. When Morgrim says that he will describe this as a warrior paying respects to his lord before battle, Mikal can not believe him and confesses to his doubts and his conviction that Berek could have led them better; Morgrim assures him that Berek felt the same way and that having never shirked his duty, Mikal has not failed.

* In Lee Lightner's [[Warhammer 40000]] ''[[Space Wolf]]'' novel ''Wolf's Honour'', Mikal feels [[The Chains of Commanding|heavily burdened by the role]] that fell on him when Berek was gravely wounded. He [[Converse with the Unconscious|sees the unconscious leader and asks why him]] -- and is enraged when he realizes that the skald, Morgrim, listened to him. When Morgrim says that he will describe this as a warrior paying respects to his lord before battle, Mikal can not believe him and confesses to his doubts and his conviction that Berek could have led them better; Morgrim assures him that Berek felt the same way and that having never shirked his duty, Mikal has not failed.

* [[Ciaphas Cain]] quite literally [[Literary Agent Hypothesis|wrote the book]] on how to be one of these in the ''[[Warhammer 40000]]'' universe. Despite taking on (and defeating) foes that would have easily brushed aside other mortal men, Cain continues to consider himself a [[Dirty Coward]] and writes off all of his heroic feats as the result of either accident or pragmatism.

* Yossarian of ''[[Catch-22]]''. He views this as justified due to the fact that there are thousands of people he's never met who are trying to kill him, but as he's a World War II bombardier, it's nothing personal.

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* The eponymous dragon from "The Tale of Custard the Dragon" by Ogden Nash is a coward that is afraid of everything and wants nothing more than to be in a nice safe cage. His owner, a little girl named Belinda, and her other pets are described in the narrative as being very brave and occasionally tease poor Custard. When a well armed vicious pirate invades their home all of their courage fails them. Custard, on the other hand, is so angry that he briefly forgets he's supposed to be afraid and ''eats'' the pirate. Afterwards he goes right back to being cowardly and wishing for a nice safe cage.

* Martha Abbott (rhymes with rabbit) in Zilpha Keatley Snyder's ''The Changeling'' is this. Deprecated as a coward and crybaby by herself and everyone in her family, she does a number of things that frighten the life out of her. She cries, even pukes, but she ''does'' them. Few if any children's books illustrate the difference between courage and fearlessness the way this one does.

* The title chracter of [[~~Jim C Hines|~~Jim C. Hines]] ''Jig the Goblin trilogy.

* The title chracter of [[Jim C. Hines]] ''Jig the Goblin trilogy.

* The foppish bard Dandilion in the ''[[The Witcher|Witcher]]'' series. He is obnoxious and cowardly, but in ''The Last Wish'' he mustered a [[Defiant to ~~The~~ End|brave face against execution]] and in ''Blood of Elves'' he held his tongue against torture -- torture that would have rendered his hands paralyzed and thus unable to play any musical instruments -- rather than betray his friend Geralt.

* The foppish bard Dandilion in the ''[[The Witcher|Witcher]]'' series. He is obnoxious and cowardly, but in ''The Last Wish'' he mustered a [[Defiant to the End|brave face against execution]] and in ''Blood of Elves'' he held his tongue against torture -- torture that would have rendered his hands paralyzed and thus unable to play any musical instruments -- rather than betray his friend Geralt.

* [[Bloody Jack|Jacky Faber]] is a self-proclaimed coward, and insists that her moments of [[Little Miss Badass|badassery]] were just combinations of bad luck, coincidence, and what had to be done, but the fact is that those moments of badassery far outnumber any actual cowardice she may display.

* In Herman Wouk's books ''[[The Winds of War and War ~~And~~ Remembrance|The Winds of War]]'' and ''[[The Winds of War and War ~~And~~ Remembrance|War and Remembrance]]'', the character of Leslie Slote views himself as a coward, but his drive not to be one inspires him to commit some brave acts, and he ends up {{spoiler|dying a hero}}.

* In Herman Wouk's books ''[[The Winds of War and War and Remembrance|The Winds of War]]'' and ''[[The Winds of War and War and Remembrance|War and Remembrance]]'', the character of Leslie Slote views himself as a coward, but his drive not to be one inspires him to commit some brave acts, and he ends up {{spoiler|dying a hero}}.

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* ''[[Deep Space Nine]]'' Quark (who had always been portrayed as pretty much a fast talking coward) had a [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]] when he stood in front of a Klingon who was nearly twice his height in the middle of the Klingon parliament, after the Klingon had challenged him to a duel to the death, and just looked him straight in the eyes and flat out told him that he wasn't going to fight and if [[Proud Warrior Race Guy|the Klingon]] wanted Quark dead just to [[Get It Over With|get on with it]]. This would, of course, deny the Klingon the honor of defeating a foe gloriously in battle (Quark even KNELT), making his "victory" shallow and meaningless. The Klingon went in for the kill anyway, but the Klingon Emperor stepped in, and declared that if the bad guy would really kill an unarmed opponent, then he truly had no honor and he was promptly discommendated and kicked out of the building.

** All told, he shoots down about a dozen super-soldiers over the course of the show when things get serious. A slight subversion, as in his culture talking your way out of things gets you a lot more respect than what other cultures consider heroism.

** Neelix in ''[[Star Trek Voyager|Voyager]]'' puts on a show of cowardice (to the point of great annoyance for those around him), but he's a ruthless bastard when he needs to be, like when he dealt with the Kazon in the pilot.

** Neelix in ''[[Star Trek: Voyager|Voyager]]'' puts on a show of cowardice (to the point of great annoyance for those around him), but he's a ruthless bastard when he needs to be, like when he dealt with the Kazon in the pilot.

* [[Adorkable|Connor]] in ''[[Primeval]]'' thinks of himself as a cowardly geeky, bookworm, but when it comes to it is just as capable of facing down velociraptors and other [[Nightmare Fuel|nightmare fuel-riffic]] creatures as any of the more traditionally heroic characters.

* The Cowardly Lion's counterpart in ''[[Tin Man (TV)|Tin Man]],'' Raw. Quiet fellow, [[The Empath|empathic]], [[Empathic Healer|healer]], and generally not badass in the slightest...until the climax of the series.

* The Cowardly Lion's counterpart in ''[[Tin Man (TV series)|Tin Man]],'' Raw. Quiet fellow, [[The Empath|empathic]], [[Empathic Healer|healer]], and generally not badass in the slightest...until the climax of the series.

* McKay from ''[[Stargate Atlantis]]'' is whiny and cowardly. Somewhat justified as he's a scientist put into a military team. In dire situations however, he always shows astounding courage.

* Xander "I laugh in the face of danger...Then I hide until it goes away" Harris from ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' ''talked'' about being a coward, but he never was.

* On ''[[Leverage]]'' [[The Smart Guy|Hardison]] often acts this way, especially in comparison to [[In Harm's Way|adrenaline junkie]] Parker or [[Badass]] Elliot. While he often complains about the situations he goes into, he never actually backs down.

* ''[[The Lone Gunmen]]'': Byers is a meek, mild-tempered guy - ''except'' when you ask him to look the other way on an injustice. Then, he suddenly develops enough balls to call out one of the most frightening members of [[The Conspiracy]] right to his face.

* ''[[Once Upon a Time (TV)|Once Upon a Time]]'': Archie (or Jiminy) was such an [[Extreme Doormat]] that he gave up his humanity just to get away from his thieving family. However, [[God Save Us From the Queen|Regina]] made the mistake of trying to trying to interfere in his treatment for Henry. Instant backbone and set of [[Brass Balls]] showed up, and he ''threatened her'' by saying that he could be a deciding factor if Emma wanted to sue Regina for custody of the kid.

* ''[[Once Upon a Time (TV series)|Once Upon a Time]]'': Archie (or Jiminy) was such an [[Extreme Doormat]] that he gave up his humanity just to get away from his thieving family. However, [[God Save Us From the Queen|Regina]] made the mistake of trying to trying to interfere in his treatment for Henry. Instant backbone and set of [[Brass Balls]] showed up, and he ''threatened her'' by saying that he could be a deciding factor if Emma wanted to sue Regina for custody of the kid.

== Newspaper Comics ==

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== Video Games ==

* You can make a case for Khalid in [[~~Baldurs~~ Gate]]. He's the easily unnerved [[Henpecked Husband]] of Jaheira, whois usually the first to have a morale failure and run in a battle (even though he has some of the highest HP) and can hardly form a [[Porky Pig Pronunciation|sentence without stammering]]. One of his trademark phrases being ''"If at first I don't succeed the wife won't let me forget..."'' , but level him up enough and he makes for a pretty decent tank. And you ''don't'' want to have to deal with him while he's [[Brainwashed and Crazy|Dire Charmed]].

* You can make a case for Khalid in [[Baldur's Gate]]. He's the easily unnerved [[Henpecked Husband]] of Jaheira, whois usually the first to have a morale failure and run in a battle (even though he has some of the highest HP) and can hardly form a [[Porky Pig Pronunciation|sentence without stammering]]. One of his trademark phrases being ''"If at first I don't succeed the wife won't let me forget..."'' , but level him up enough and he makes for a pretty decent tank. And you ''don't'' want to have to deal with him while he's [[Brainwashed and Crazy|Dire Charmed]].

** If you'd like a demonstration of Khalid not being as big a wimp as he seems, just sent your group into a random inn and start indiscriminantly slaughtering everyone. Watch as Khalid's usual stutter completely vanishes and he actually soiunds ''sure of himself'' for the first time in game.

* Luigi in ''[[Super Mario Bros]].'' He proves to be more effective than Mario on quite a few occasions. He took down the lord of the underworld by himself. And it was certainly a [[Curb Stomp Battle]].

* Luigi in ''[[Super Mario Bros.]].'' He proves to be more effective than Mario on quite a few occasions. He took down the lord of the underworld by himself. And it was certainly a [[Curb Stomp Battle]].

** Koops in the second ''[[Paper Mario (~~Video Game~~)|Paper Mario]]'' game.

** Koops in the second ''[[Paper Mario (franchise)|Paper Mario]]'' game.

** Mallow in [[Super Mario RPG]]: Legend of the Seven Stars.

* [[Mother 3 ~~(Video Game)~~|Lucas]] is like this in ''[[Super Smash Bros]].''

* [[Mother 3|Lucas]] is like this in ''[[Super Smash Bros]].''

** He ultimately gets over this, however, reflecting his character growth in his original game.

* Arnoud from ''[[~~Wild Arms 4 (Video Game)|~~Wild Arms 4]]''.

* Arnoud from ''[[Wild Arms 4]]''.

* If you allocate enough points to his Strength stat, the Chaos Hero from ''[[~~Shin Megami Tensei I (Video Game)|~~Shin Megami Tensei I]]'' can be like this.

* If you allocate enough points to his Strength stat, the Chaos Hero from ''[[Shin Megami Tensei I]]'' can be like this.

** He fits this trope whatever you do with him (unless you deliberately allocate his stats stupidly), [[Statistically Speaking]]. But he is never strong enough to defeat Ozawa {{spoiler|until he [[Took a Level In Badass|Takes A Level In Badass]].}}

* [[Spoony Bard|Prince Edward Chris von Muir]] in ''[[~~Final Fantasy IV (Video Game)|~~Final Fantasy IV]]''.

* [[Spoony Bard|Prince Edward Chris von Muir]] in ''[[Final Fantasy IV]]''.

* Gordon in ''[[Final Fantasy II (Video Game)|Final Fantasy II]]''.

* ''[[The Maw]]'', a game on the [[X Box]] Live Arcade. The title character is a blob who can eat just about anything and keeps getting bigger until it eats the entire planet, but it has a tendency to flee screaming from enemies that posture in a frightening manner.

* Captain Linebeck in ''[[The Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass ~~(Video Game)~~|The Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass]]''.

* Captain Linebeck in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass|The Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass]]''.

** Also a [[Miles Gloriosus]] at times.

* Almaz, from ''[[Disgaea]] 3''. He's a normal human fighting demons; he has a right to be scared. Still manages pretty well for himself when it counts.

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* Hahn Mahlay from ''[[Phantasy Star]] IV'', a meek young scholar who learns the instant death skills Vol and Savol.

* In ''[[Donkey Kong 64]]'', [[Gentle Giant|Chunky Kong]] [[Pose of Supplication|begged for mercy]] to a big monster to no avail. What followed was... well, let's just say it must hurt a lot.

* The player character in ''[[Penumbra (~~Video~~ ~~Game~~)|Penumbra]]''. The "Cowardly" part is represented in-game--if he so much as looks at a monster for too long, he'll panic and give away his position. "Lion" is made more apparent as you play the game and see just how much stuff he goes through while staying sane and ready for action.

* The player character in ''[[Penumbra (video game series)|Penumbra]]''. The "Cowardly" part is represented in-game--if he so much as looks at a monster for too long, he'll panic and give away his position. "Lion" is made more apparent as you play the game and see just how much stuff he goes through while staying sane and ready for action.

* Dirk the Daring of ''[[~~Dragons~~ Lair]]'' usually attempts to put on a brave face when battling the disturbing and creepy creatures he has to face when saving Princess Daphne, but it's obvious that he's a freaking nervous wreck the entire time.

* Dirk the Daring of ''[[Dragon's Lair]]'' usually attempts to put on a brave face when battling the disturbing and creepy creatures he has to face when saving Princess Daphne, but it's obvious that he's a freaking nervous wreck the entire time.

* Poco from ''[[~~Arc the Lad (Video Game)|~~Arc the Lad]]'': a musician who's afraid of his own shadow...and who happens to be one of the strongest fighter of [[The Verse]]

* Poco from ''[[Arc the Lad]]'': a musician who's afraid of his own shadow...and who happens to be one of the strongest fighter of [[The Verse]]

* In Medieval 2 and Rome [[Total War]] generals will often bring up that there is no shame in feeling fear before a battle, but it is letting fear rule you which is cowardly.

{{quote| "There is no shame in fear. There is only shame in letting fear rule you! Try not to look scared, and you will find bravery in your heart!"<br />

"...any man who faces battle without concern, is a moonstruck ''fool''. To be brave is to go forward ''anyway'', no matter how afeared! ''That'' is why I go forward, with so many other brave men." }}

* In ''[[~~Final Fantasy VIII (Video Game)|~~Final Fantasy VIII]]'', anytime actual work is proposed, a minor character named Zone immediately crouches by the wall and complains about stomach pains. Later, he goes off and buys emergency train tickets for himself, his leader, and the three main characters, not counting on there being one addition to the party. After a moment, he passes his own ticket to her, then immediately finds a corner to hug his stomach in.

* In ''[[Final Fantasy VIII]]'', anytime actual work is proposed, a minor character named Zone immediately crouches by the wall and complains about stomach pains. Later, he goes off and buys emergency train tickets for himself, his leader, and the three main characters, not counting on there being one addition to the party. After a moment, he passes his own ticket to her, then immediately finds a corner to hug his stomach in.

* ''[[Star Control]]'' has the Spathi, who are hilariously scared of just about everything. However, when the "Evil Ones" began multiplying on their homeworld, they went from "industrial revolution" to "space-faring species" in under a century. Their ships are extremely tough and have homing weapons. Basically, if they have nowhere to run, they fight back '''hard'''. One character describes them as "a clam, armed with a Howitzer".

* Satoshi Mochida of ''[[Corpse Party]]'' ''hates'' scary stories. But once he finds himself ''in'' one, he actually handles himself pretty well.

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== Web Comics ==

* Zergarem the Destroyer from ''[[~~Cwens Quest|~~Cwen's Quest]]'' seems to be [http://www.drunkduck.com/Cwens_Quest/index.php?p=529280 rather cowardly], possibly justified as previously he was nearly killed before a [http://www.drunkduck.com/Cwens_Quest/index.php?p=486124 timely surrender] saved his life.

* Zergarem the Destroyer from ''[[Cwen's Quest]]'' seems to be [http://www.drunkduck.com/Cwens_Quest/index.php?p=529280 rather cowardly], possibly justified as previously he was nearly killed before a [http://www.drunkduck.com/Cwens_Quest/index.php?p=486124 timely surrender] saved his life.

** The Author, after reading this trope, decided to do a short story where [http://www.drunkduck.com/Cwens_Quest/index.php?p=589924 Zeragrem meets and kills the real cowardly lion] discovering his own inner courage.

* The rock-crabs, from ''[[Vexxarr]]'', are a species that do not eat (they feed on energy gradients), lives in terror of the predators in their native enviroment, and have trouble understanding that other species ever do anything other than running or hiding from danger. They rarely realize that those predators are about the only thing that can harm them. [http://www.vexxarr.com/archive.php?seldate=071808 See] [http://www.vexxarr.com/archive.php?seldate=072108 these] [http://www.vexxarr.com/archive.php?seldate=072808 examples] of their encounter with a Bleen warfleet.

* Sir Carrot in ''[[~~Cucumber Quest (Webcomic)|~~Cucumber Quest]]'', though he is quite loyal.

* Sir Carrot in ''[[Cucumber Quest]]'', though he is quite loyal.

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== Western Animation ==

* In ''[[He Man and ~~The~~ Masters of ~~The~~ Universe]]'', Cringer arguably qualifies, although his bravery is usually in his Battle Cat persona.

* In ''[[He-Man and the Masters of the Universe]]'', Cringer arguably qualifies, although his bravery is usually in his Battle Cat persona.

* Chuckie Finster in ''[[Rugrats]]''. This might be why the second movie was enjoyed more by moviegoers (it focuses on him)... well, that and a good chunk of it was a [[Tear Jerker]].

* ''[[Dave the Barbarian]]''.

* Courage in ''[[Courage the Cowardly Dog]]''.

* Tweek Tweak in ''[[~~South Park (Animation)|~~South Park]]''. His excessive fear comes from his [[Properly Paranoid|paranoia]].

* Tweek Tweak in ''[[South Park]]''. His excessive fear comes from his [[Properly Paranoid|paranoia]].

* Dean Venture from ''[[The Venture Brothers]]'', in contrast to his [[Fearless Fool]] brother, Hank.

* In the ''[[Scooby Doo]]'' franchise, Shaggy and Scooby sometimes come across as this. They're cowards, but they'll ''never'' abandon their friends. Jack O'Lantern points this out in ''Scooby Doo and the Goblin King''...

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'''Jack''': Hey, whatever you call it, it's working for you. }}

* Gus Griswald from ''[[Recess]]''.

* Eduardo from ''[[~~Fosters~~ Home for Imaginary Friends]]''.

* Eduardo from ''[[Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends]]''.

* Bernard in ''[[The Rescuers]]'' series. He regards himself as a lowly janitor, but Miss Bianca has complete faith in his courage and skill and she is ''never'' disappointed in times of need.

* Antoine in ''[[Sonic ~~the Hedgehog~~ ~~(Animation)~~|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' [[Depending On the Writer]]. He did take on [[Dirty Coward]] tactics other times however.

* Antoine in ''[[Sonic Sat AM|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' [[Depending on the Writer]]. He did take on [[Dirty Coward]] tactics other times however.

* Dukey from ''[[Johnny Test]]''. Always the reluctant voice of reason but when he puts his mind to it, he can be pretty brave if Johnny is in danger.

* Tiger in the ''[[An American Tail]]'' series. He even acts and sounds like the ''[[The Wizard of Oz (~~Film~~)|Wizard of Oz]]'' Cowardly Lion sometimes.

* Tiger in the ''[[An American Tail]]'' series. He even acts and sounds like the ''[[The Wizard of Oz (film)|Wizard of Oz]]'' Cowardly Lion sometimes.

* Flaky has her moments in ''[[Happy Tree Friends]]''. Unfortunately this doesn't always save her or anyone else.

* This sums up Mrs. Brisby of ''[[The Secret of NIMH]]'' quite well. She's just [[Mama Bear|far more scared for her children]] than she is for herself.

** Pretty much sums up [[Cowardly Sidekick|Jeremy]] as well; he's an obvious wuss, but he goes out of his way to help Mrs. Brisby ([[The Klutz|even if it often causes]] [[Stop Helping Me!|more problems than it prevents]]). In his defense though, he does protect her by attacking [[Nightmare Fuel|Dragon]] (who ''everyone'', bravado or not, is fearful of) while he and the near equally cowardly Cecil save her two sons in the sequel despite their intence fear of NIMH.

* [[Donald Duck|Donald]] is portrayed this way in ''[[Mickey Donald Goofy ~~the~~ Three Musketeers]]''.

* [[Donald Duck|Donald]] is portrayed this way in ''[[Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers]]''.

* The ''[[Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers ~~(Animation)~~|Galaxy Rangers]]''' [[Information Broker|informant]] Geezy. He's frequently protesting about how the "hummings" willingly put themselves in danger, even more frequently protesting that [[Humanity Is Insane]]...but if the chips are truly down? He'll put his oversized trunk on the line and get the job done.

* The ''[[Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers|Galaxy Rangers]]''' [[Information Broker|informant]] Geezy. He's frequently protesting about how the "hummings" willingly put themselves in danger, even more frequently protesting that [[Humanity Is Insane]]...but if the chips are truly down? He'll put his oversized trunk on the line and get the job done.

* ''[[~~Filmations~~ Ghostbusters ~~(Animation)~~|Filmations Ghostbusters]]'' featured Eddie Spencer. Eddie was always a lot more timid and uncertain about taking on Prime Evil's minions than his teammates Jake and Tracy, but they knew he'd always be there when they needed him.

* ''[[Filmation's Ghostbusters|Filmations Ghostbusters]]'' featured Eddie Spencer. Eddie was always a lot more timid and uncertain about taking on Prime Evil's minions than his teammates Jake and Tracy, but they knew he'd always be there when they needed him.

* Fluttershy from ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic ~~(Animation)~~|My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic]]''. In "Dragonshy", she's literally paralyzed with fear at the thought of having to confront a grumpy full-grown dragon and convince him to leave Equestria. However, after the dragon attacks her friends, she forgets to be afraid and [[Talking the Monster To Death|gives him such a talking-to he breaks down crying.]]

* Fluttershy from ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic|My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic]]''. In "Dragonshy", she's literally paralyzed with fear at the thought of having to confront a grumpy full-grown dragon and convince him to leave Equestria. However, after the dragon attacks her friends, she forgets to be afraid and [[Talking the Monster to Death|gives him such a talking-to he breaks down crying.]]

* The vultures of Disney's adaption of ''[[The Jungle Book (Disney)|The Jungle Book]]'' tremble before Shere Khan and flutter to the highest tree, when he threatens Mowgli and Baloo however, they quickly swoop in and take the fearsome tiger head on.

* The vultures of Disney's adaption of ''[[The Jungle Book (Disney film)|The Jungle Book]]'' tremble before Shere Khan and flutter to the highest tree, when he threatens Mowgli and Baloo however, they quickly swoop in and take the fearsome tiger head on.

* Zilly on ''[[Dastardly and Muttley In Their Flying Machines]]''. He was hypnotized into being brave in the episode ''Zilly's a Dilly,' but he only made things worse.

* Zilly on ''[[Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines]]''. He was hypnotized into being brave in the episode ''Zilly's a Dilly,' but he only made things worse.

* Eek in ''[[Eek the Cat]]''.

* [[The Woobie|Eugene]] [[One-Shot Character|the]] [[Smelly Skunk|skunk]] from ''[[Chucklewood Critters]]''.