Faceless Eye: Difference between revisions

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As [[Eye Tropes|other tropes indicate]], eyes are very, very meaningful. It's a cliché to call them windows to the soul. This trope reminds us that alone, eyeballs are fragile spheres of gel only vaguely reminiscent of their usual purpose of subtle social cues. So a single eye completely outside the context of a face is just creepy. Bad guys often favor a singular, unblinking, '''Faceless Eye''' as an insignia—bonus points if said villain runs a dystopian society of unending surveillance. Even without an ominous [[Big Bad]] attached, the prospect of a thousand eyeballs shooting you to death with [[Eye Beams]] is fundamentally more unsettling than a thousand [[Mooks]] with [[Frickin' Laser Beams]]. Fighting them usually leads to "[[Go for the Eye]]".

A cyclops character is more relatable than this kind of being, since cyclopes have a recognizable facial structure, with at least a mouth. These examples are far beyond the edges of the [[Uncanny Valley|Uncanny Continent]]. It is also interesting to note that the representations of many [[AI Is a Crapshoot|insane AIs]] use this trope - most likely to underscore their creepiness.

A cyclops character is more relatable than this kind of being, since cyclopes have a recognizable facial structure, with at least a mouth. These examples are far beyond the edges of the [[Uncanny Valley|Uncanny Continent]]. It is also interesting to note that the representations of many [[A.I. Is a Crapshoot|insane AIs]] use this trope - most likely to underscore their creepiness.

Of course, being long past the [[Uncanny Valley]] already, these examples often also involve [[Technicolor Eyes]], [[Hellish Pupils]], and [[Red Eyes, Take Warning]]. Contrast [[The Blank]] and [[Eyeless Face]]. See also [[Oculothorax]] for monsters whose body is primarily an eyeball. Since they are mostly an eye, they tend to be evil.

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* In the first season of ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha]]'', [[Empathic Weapon|Bardiche's]] [[Power Crystal]] revealed a [[Hellish Pupils|slitted eye]] when it gets activated. This trait seemed to have disapppeared after Fate's [[Heel Face Turn]].

* Odin in ''[[Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok]]'' is only seen as a single All-Seeing Eye; either floating in the sky or in a crystal ball.

* The true form of ''[[~~Mai~~-HiME]]'s'' {{spoiler|Obsidian Lord}} is a giant eyeball centered within a pair of sword-like pillars.

* The true form of ''[[My-HiME]]'s'' {{spoiler|Obsidian Lord}} is a giant eyeball centered within a pair of sword-like pillars.

* One of ''Demon Detective Neuro's'' 777 Tools of Hell is Evil Friday, a swarm of little eyeballs with legs that he can see through. While most commonly used for research, reconnaissance, and tracking, they're shown to have lives and personalities of their own, and one memorable aside shows that they enjoy participating in racing. Why Evil Friday? [[Word Salad Title|Who knows?]]

* One of [[Naruto|Gaara]]'s powers was the Eye of Sand, which he used for spying, as well as to see outside the shell of sand he once used to conceal a [[Transformation Sequence]].

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== [[Tabletop Games]] ==

* In [[Warhammer ~~40000~~]] games, the symbol of Chaos (eight-pinted star) is often decipted as having an eye or a skull in the center of the star. The Eye of Horus, the symbol of the [[Black Legion]], is an eye against the star of Chaos Undivided.

* In [[Warhammer 40,000]] games, the symbol of Chaos (eight-pinted star) is often decipted as having an eye or a skull in the center of the star. The Eye of Horus, the symbol of the [[Black Legion]], is an eye against the star of Chaos Undivided.

* In ''[[Paranoia]]'', [[AI Is a Crapshoot|Friend Computer]] is usually represented as a monitor with a single giant eyeball.

* In ''[[Paranoia]]'', [[A.I. Is a Crapshoot|Friend Computer]] is usually represented as a monitor with a single giant eyeball.

* ''[[Call of Cthulhu (tabletop game)]]'' has Groth, a planet sized eyeball that floats through space.

* Everquest - One class of monsters ia a group of small eyeball ISLANDS! (their upper lids are covered with cracks and mountains). Another monster was a gelatinous, red-veined eyeball that attached itself to ceilings and used its wet tentrils to snatch unwary prey.

* In ''[[Dungeons ~~and~~ Dragons]]'' the lich-slash-god Vecna could transform an especially devoted cultist into one of two emissaries named for the two powerful artifacts named for him, this one being The Eye of Vecna—a humanoid figure with a gigantic eyeball where a human head used to be possessed of telepathic awareness that allows him to finish the sentence of others as the least of what he can do.

* In ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' the lich-slash-god Vecna could transform an especially devoted cultist into one of two emissaries named for the two powerful artifacts named for him, this one being The Eye of Vecna—a humanoid figure with a gigantic eyeball where a human head used to be possessed of telepathic awareness that allows him to finish the sentence of others as the least of what he can do.

== [[Video Games]] ==

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** Indeed, ''A Link To The Past'' had no fewer than three bosses who were ''nothing but'' eye(s). Arrghus, Kholdstare, and the aforementioned Vitreous.

** The Master Sword has been known to wink on occasion, from the golden crystal where hilt and blade join.

* ''[[Castlevania: The Adventure]]'', and ''[[~~Castlevania II Belmonts Revenge|~~Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge]]'' had rolling eyeball enemies that were [[Made of Explodium|explosive]].

* ''[[Castlevania: The Adventure]]'', and ''[[Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge]]'' had rolling eyeball enemies that were [[Made of Explodium|explosive]].

** In the new [[Wii Ware]] game ''[[Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth]]'', this enemy makes a return appearance. A huge version of it is even the boss of the first stage.

** And the Buckbairds (probably a [[Shout-Out]] to the ''[[GeGeGe no Kitaro]]'' villain) were a staple enemy ever since the first ''[[Castlevania 1986]]'' game.

** And the Buckbairds (probably a [[Shout-Out]] to the ''[[GeGeGe no Kitaro]]'' villain) were a staple enemy ever since the first ''[[Castlevania (1986 video game)|Castlevania]]'' game.

* The [[Killer Robot|Reaverbots]] of ''[[Mega Man Legends]]'' are all monocular.

* ''[[Altered Beast]]'' has its [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHrCAl8oDuE level 2 boss].

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* Rularuu Watchers in ''[[City of Heroes]]''. Giant eyeballs with ''teeth-edged eyelids''. The also tend to gaze around in sync when idle, indicating even more that they are all connected to the same mind. They attack with [[Eye Beams]] and a sort of [[Nightmare Fuel]] chomp attack. With really good accuracy, being, yanno, giant eyeballs.

* ''[[Show Within a Show|Plane vs Eye]]'' from ''[[The Sims|MySims]]''.

* The briefing image of the Overmind in ''[[~~Starcraft~~]]'' is a creepy tendril-covered eye floating in red goop. It's a remarkably expressive eye, swivelling around and shaking about in tune with the Overmind's "speech"

* The briefing image of the Overmind in ''[[StarCraft]]'' is a creepy tendril-covered eye floating in red goop. It's a remarkably expressive eye, swivelling around and shaking about in tune with the Overmind's "speech"

** In ''[[Expanded Universe|Liberty's Crusade]]'', Kerrigan and Liberty come across something matching this description in a Zerg hive, just outside the hatchery room. [[BFG|Canister rifle]] [[Kill It with Fire|is applied]] [[Nightmare Fuel|with haste.]]

* [[Punny Name|Mr. I]] from ''[[Super Mario Bros.|Super Mario 64]]''.

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* The Mother Brain from ''[[Metroid]]'', especially in the ''Zero Mission'' remake and ''Super Metroid''.

* {{spoiler|Ameno-sagiri, the fake final boss}} in ''[[Persona 4]]''.

* The Evil Eye and Electro Swoosh enemies in ''[[~~Earthbound~~]]''.

* The Evil Eye and Electro Swoosh enemies in ''[[EarthBound]]''.

* The final boss of ''Pandemonium''.

* [[Soul Series|Soul Edge]] developed a Faceless Eye when the series changed names to ''Soul Calibur'', and retains it in all its "awakened" forms.

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* One of the bosses in ''[[Raidou Kuzunoha VS King Abaddon]]''.

* In [[Deus Ex]], one of the evil AI's, Icarus, is represented by a single eyeball connected to some kind of organic machinery.

* ''[[Wild ~~Arms~~ 3]]'' loves this, having three bosses that fit this bill, Mono-eye Titan, Hecto-eye Titan, and Heimdall. The first two are faced consecutively without a chance to save in between, and the third is a powerful [[Bonus Boss]].

* ''[[Wild ARMs 3]]'' loves this, having three bosses that fit this bill, Mono-eye Titan, Hecto-eye Titan, and Heimdall. The first two are faced consecutively without a chance to save in between, and the third is a powerful [[Bonus Boss]].

* The [[Tool]] gig in ''[[Guitar Hero|Guitar Hero: World Tour]]'' has one of these. Tool didn't want the usual background of a virtual performance to accompany their songs, and instead created an animated background for the gig that incorporates several artistic motifs from their past album art and music videos, of which eyes feature in fairly prominently. Also arguably counts as an [[Eldritch Abomination]].

* Speaking of ''Guitar Hero'', Neversoft's [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/77/Neversoft_Logo.png corporate logo] has a faceless eye for their "O". Most of their [[Vanity Plate]]s for their ''Tony Hawk'' games play with this; not so much for their ''Guitar Hero'' plates.

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** ''[[Might and Magic]] V'' has a monster called a "Beholder Bat" which is, in essence, a [[Bat Out of Hell|bat]] with one small eye and one huge eyeball attached under it. And it [[Eye Beams|shoots]] [[Frickin' Laser Beams|lasers]] that inflict [[Kill It with Fire|fire damage]]. Seriously.

* The Gran Centurio of ''[[Yggdra Union]]'' features a disembodied eye as its pommel jewel, which is unnerving if you notice it, but not brought up in the storyline of the main game. {{spoiler|The [[All There in the Manual|side materials]] inform us that yes, ''this is actually someone's eye,'' which he himself [[Eye Scream|tore out]] to use in the sword's forging.}}

* The [[AI Is a Crapshoot|Geth]], [[Mecha-Mooks]] who form the forces of the [[Big Bad]] in the first [[Mass Effect]], have long, heads terminating in glowing "eyes" and nothing else except armour, with [[Action Girl|one character]] commenting that they have "flashlight heads". They're portrayed in a less overtly hostile light in the sequel... conveniently coinciding with a Geth "character" gaining something closer to a face. Odd.

* The [[A.I. Is a Crapshoot|Geth]], [[Mecha-Mooks]] who form the forces of the [[Big Bad]] in the first [[Mass Effect]], have long, heads terminating in glowing "eyes" and nothing else except armour, with [[Action Girl|one character]] commenting that they have "flashlight heads". They're portrayed in a less overtly hostile light in the sequel... conveniently coinciding with a Geth "character" gaining something closer to a face. Odd.

** Added for good reason; Legion's headflaps were specifically installed to help [[Pronoun Trouble|Legion]] emote to players and characters, since otherwise Legion could not easily convey body language and facial expressions. The flaps also help make Legion absolutely [[Adorkable]].

* [[Halo|343 Guilty Spark]] is a [[Cyber Cyclops|robotic version]].

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* Kineticlops from ''[[War of the Monsters]]'' is a vaguely humanoid [[Energy Being]] focused around one giant eye.

* The 2011 Halowe'en update in [[Team Fortress 2]] introduced MONOCULUS!, a giant floating eyeball which launches smaller eyeballs as rockets when it's pissed. It's backstory is that the spirit in the bombnomicon, an eldrich tome of explosives, haunted the Demoman's eye.

* The Mogall and Arch Mogall monster classes in ''[[Fire Emblem Akaneia|Fire Emblem Gaiden]]'' and ''[[Fire Emblem ~~the~~ Sacred Stones]]''.

* The Mogall and Arch Mogall monster classes in ''[[Fire Emblem Akaneia|Fire Emblem Gaiden]]'' and ''[[Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones]]''.

* A stylized single eye is the emblem for the [[Haunted Castle]] Hang Castle Zone in ''[[Sonic Heroes]]''. It's placed on all of the castle's waving flags and appears to be the signature of its former owner.

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== [[Western Animation]] ==

* ''[[The Powerpuff Girls]]'' fought a spherical monster entirely ''covered'' with eyes that shot [[Eye Beams]], and couldn't find a way to get close enough to hit it until Blossom finds a way to make it laugh, making it close its eyes upside-down, anime-style.

* The Tooth Fairy in ''[[The Fairly ~~Odd Parents~~]]'' conjures a giant eye with tentacles, to illustrate she should stick only to teeth.

* The Tooth Fairy in ''[[The Fairly OddParents]]'' conjures a giant eye with tentacles, to illustrate she should stick only to teeth.

* Dr. Zin's Robot Spy from ''[[Jonny Quest]]'', which inspired the Walking Eye on ''The Venture Brothers''.

* ''[[My Life as a Teenage Robot]]'' had an invisible giant eye with tentacles as the [[Monster of the Week]]. Its vulnerability was demonstrated in a [[Humiliation Conga]] as in short order it got sand, hot sauce, blindingly focused sunlight, pointed sticks and other harmful items in its... self.