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{{trope}}
[[File:
{{quote|''"Courage is the complement of fear. A man who is fearless cannot be courageous. (He is also a fool.)"''|'''[[Robert A. Heinlein]]'''}}
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Sometimes, [[The Hero]] is described as fearless.
This, however, is invoked far more often than it is presented straight. More often, fear is presented as the wise and prudent reaction to danger (courage is the ability to act despite your fear), making the fearless
Assuming, of course, situations of real danger (or [[Afraid of Needles|needles -- you can always be afraid of needles]]). Only a [[Dirty Coward]] would gibber in terror at some trifling or distant danger.
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Frequently the [[An Aesop|Aesop]] of [[Youth Is Wasted on the Dumb]].
It can also be used by the character treating the injuries in the [[After-Action Patchup]]
{{examples}}
== Anime and Manga ==
* [[Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann|KAMINA.]] {{spoiler|Ultimately subverted - Kamina was always just as frightened as anyone else when thrust into dangerous situations. But he knew that everyone else was relying on him to be the front of courage and recklessness, especially Simon, and so he played the part faithfully to the very end.}}
* In ''[[Sengoku Basara]]'''s anime adaptation, this trope is invoked when Takeda Shingen lectures his [[Hot-Blooded]] servant Yukimura on how the absence of fear does not mean courage... [[Punctuated Pounding|By punching him into a wall repeatedly.]]
* In ''[[Naruto]]'', main character Uzumaki Naruto fits this to a tee, with one noticeable (read: glaring) example when against the Demon Brothers. Before and after that, he pretty much leaps into danger with a smile, ready to punch or (as necessary) headbutt his enemies without fear of his own safety. He matures somewhat post-[[Time Skip]] though. Who could have predicted that ninjas would leap out of hiding and attack you?! It seems so un-ninja-like!
* ''[[One Piece]]'': The hero Monkey D. Luffy is pretty much the embodiment of this trope. He charges headlong into dangers great or small without once thinking of his own wellbeing. This includes leading a small army in a siege against the World Government stronghold Enies Lobby, {{spoiler|punching out a World Noble, who are treated as walking Gods, engaged in a battle in the [[Alcatraz]] known as Impel Down, headed to the Marine Headquarters with a large group of dangerous convicts to fight the entire Navy!}}
* Claire Stanfield from ''[[Baccano]]'' not only knows no fear ([[Mook Horror Show|apart from the fear of Claire he puts in others]]), he has managed to convince himself that he's ''immortal'' (despite being one of the [[Badass Normal|few characters that aren't]]) simply because he can't imagine what it'd be like to be dead.▼
One of the only things Luffy is shown to be scared of is ''his own grandfather'' {{spoiler|Marine Vice-Admiral Garp}}, due to the fact that he was raised by him in near-constant [[Training from Hell]] and [[Megaton Punch|Punches of Love.]]
▲* Claire Stanfield from ''[[Baccano!]]'' not only knows no fear ([[Mook Horror Show|apart from the fear of Claire he puts in others]]), he has managed to convince himself that he's ''immortal'' (despite being one of the [[Badass Normal|few characters that aren't]]) simply because he can't imagine what it'd be like to be dead.
* ''[[Saint Seiya]]'': The hero Pegasus Seiya has no sense of self-preservation whatsoever, often veers into [[Too Dumb to Live]] territory and will happily sacrifice his life on multiple occasions for his friends/goddess. When asked how he manages to keep on living, he most often responds with 'I don't know'. To this troper's knowledge, he's never been visibly afraid of anyone-not enough to say so, anyway.
* Yuuri Shibuya of ''[[Kyo Kara Maoh!|Kyo Kara Maoh]]''.
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** Guy Gardner in his early appearances was usually described as being [[Too Dumb to Live|too stupid to realize he's in danger.]]
*** Actually, in Guy's earliest ([[The Silver Age of Comic Books|Silver Age]]) appearances he was pretty much just a normal guy. And then he developed brain damage, which (among other things) made him a more literal example of this trope.
** An early ''Tales of the Green Lantern Corps'' story features a search for a Green Lantern candidate on a [[Planet of Hats|planet full of cowards]]. One was eventually
** It was lampshaded a few times during Kyle Rayner's stint, as he was chosen despite his fear. This paid off, when his awareness of fear left him able to fight off Parallax's influence. Even [[The Sandman]] noted this, [http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lg8kkheYsS1qzw76bo1_500.jpg telling Kyle it would help him surpass the other Lanterns.]
* Similarly, [[Daredevil]] is called [[Superhero Sobriquets|The Man Without Fear]], though this may be because of his name. In truth, he ''doesn't'' seem to have many fears, as befits a blind man who goes out superheroing...but usually, those few he has are found and exploited by anyone who can manage to become the [[Big Bad]] of an arc.
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== Fairy Tales ==
* ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20131120133914/http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/authors/grimms/4youthfear.html The Boy Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was]'' doesn't know already because he's [[The Fool]].
** Similarly in ''[http://www.mythfolklore.net/andrewlang/350.htm The Boy Who Found Fear At Last]''
*** Made into an episode of ''[[Faerie Tale Theatre]]'' that culminated with the kid almost being brutally murdered by evil undead sorcerer [[Christopher Lee]]. [[Nightmare Fuel|That ought to clear things up for him]].
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== Film ==
* ''[[Grizzly Man]]'' chronicles the life and death of [[Everything's Worse with Bears|bear enthusiast]] Tim Treadwell.
* Young Simba in ''[[The Lion King]]'' gets a speech to this effect when he goes into the elephant graveyard to prove how fearless he is only to be accosted and nearly eaten by hyenas. [[Star Wars|Darth V...]]
== Literature ==
* Done unintentionally in most [[James Byron Huggins]] novels. Even though most of his protagonists are [[Badass Normal
* In ''[[The Stainless Steel Rat]] Gets Drafted'', Jim repeatedly expresses confidence that the [[Faceless Goons|military authorities]] will be fooled by his latest trick, despite the fact that the [[State Sec|MP's]] have already displayed detective work that would be [[Scarily Competent Tracker|a]] [[Implacable Man|credit]] [[Super-Persistent Predator|to]] [[Sherlock Holmes]].
* In [[Sandy Mitchell]]'s ''Cain's Last Stand'', [[Ciaphas Cain]] tells the cadets that he is afraid, in order to urge prudence on them. But when he describes himself as a [[Dirty Coward]], Amberley Vail cites that a brave man is one who overcomes his fears, not one who has none, to say that Cain may not be giving himself enough credit.
** At one point, earlier, Cain's aide Jurgen offers to come on a mission. Cain is not sure whether this is courage or being too stupid to realize the danger. Amberley Vail, having seen much of Jurgen over the years, isn't sure either.
* In [[Dan Abnett]]'s ''[[Warhammer
* In William King's ''[[Warhammer
** In ''Grey Hunters'', when one Marine speaks of a heroic death, he is rebuked for not knowing the difference between heroic and stupid.
* In [[Ben Counter]]'s ''[[Warhammer
* ''[[Fearless (novel)|Fearless]]'' by Francine Pascal is about a teenage girl unable to comprehend fear.
* In [[Terry Pratchett]]'s ''[[
** Other characters are shown to be almost fearless as well, Cohen and his 'horde' namely, but also Ridcully, Vetinari, and a few others.
** In ''[[
** In ''[[
* In [[C. S.
* In Patrick Rothfuss's ''[[The Name of the Wind]]'', Chronicler tells Kvothe that they say he's fearless. Kvothe disclaims: only priests and fools are fearless, and he's not been on good terms with God.
* The ogres of ''[[Xanth]]'' are famous for being too stupid to fear anything. But this is played
* In [[Jim Butcher]]'s [[The Dresden Files]] novel ''Blood Rites'', Trish/Trixie is not afraid of getting blacklisted because she's so dumb she really think she's indispensible.
** In ''Death Masks'', several warnings get thrown about, about confusing courage with stupidity.
** In ''Blood Rites'', when he is rescuing the puppies, one rears up in the box to bark at their former captors. Harry describes it as either more brave or more stupid.
*** Said puppy eventually becomes Mouse. This troper is fairly certain he would have won the fight.
* In [[James Swallow]]'s ''[[Warhammer
* Jason in [[Tom Holt]]'s ''Ye Gods!''
{{quote|
''* polecat'' }}
** Later, this is invoked several times with the observation that what he felt couldn't really, therefore, be fear.
* The entire Kender race from [[Dragonlance]].
* In [[Dan Abnett]]'s [[Warhammer
* The second-in-command in ''[[Moby Dick]]'' tells the crew a fearless man has no business being on a whale hunt.
* In [[Mortal Instruments|City of Ash]], Jace gets a Fearless rune put on him by Clary. After a few minutes of fighting [[The Legions of Hell]], he notes that the rune might be ''a little bit'' of too much of a good thing. In particular, he notes how blase he was becoming in regards to injuries.
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* In [[Michael Flynn]]'s ''[[Spiral Arm|Up Jim River]]'', the Brute is the only one not afraid, he's too stupid.
* An early episode of ''[[Star Trek: The
▲== Live Action TV ==
▲* An early episode of ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation|Star Trek the Next Generation]]'' explicitly references the trope, even though it doesn't show an example of the character in that episode. [[Creator's Pet|Wesley]] is worrying about the final test for his Starfleet Academy entrance exam: a psychological test designed specifically to stoke their fears and test how they face them. Worf helps him, much to Wesley's surprise--he saw Worf as the bravest man on ''Enterprise'', and thought that meant he had no fear. Worf's response seems to echo the trope name quote: "Only fools have no fear." He then explains that even Klingons, known as a "fearless" warrior race, know fear, but only those who overcome it ever go on to greatness.
* In ''[[Red Dwarf]]'', Lister has his fear removed by the polymorph beast that feeds on emotions. He wants to charge in recklessly at the beast and volunteers to be the bait, so the others can kill it "while it's eating me to death".
* Alan Davies on ''[[QI]]'', whose job is to leap in with the obvious answers where a wiser panelist might hesitate. Has been working in his favor lately, as the panelists have started to assume the obvious answer will be incorrect and go to great lengths to avoid giving
* Arguably, Mulder of ''[[The X-Files]]''. He tends to rush into dangerous situations without thinking, leading to several instances in which Scully has to come save his butt.
* In the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' serial "[[Doctor Who/Recap/S10
== Opera ==▼
* [[Richard Wagner|Wagner]]'s ''Siegfried''. Wagner explicitly described him as The Boy Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was (the name of an old fairy-tale).▼
** And it's what kills him in the end...▼
== New Media ==
* Alena from ''[[Descendant of a Demon Lord]]''. She zealously charged right into [[Schmuck Bait]] and her allies followed after her resulting in them getting captured.
== Professional Wrestling ==
* It is quite common that a good guy, or "babyface" is said to have "more guts than brains" (as [[Jim Ross]] would say), because they continue to fight back despite being beaten down time and again, refuse to submit to submission moves, have no problems with accepting a 3-on-1 challenge, etc.
* The "Rate Tank" Kellie Skater (weighing in at ''[[Large Ham|68 kilograms of pure adamantium]]'') of [[SHIMMER]] is a heel version - she blithely walks up to every [[Badass]] woman on the roster, registering no fear whatsoever as she disrespects them and challenges them to matches. Every single time, she gets obliterated - but at no point does Kellie ever catch on that she's being destroyed. She keeps on taunting her opponent and bringing the fight even if she's getting smashed against the barricades, tied into a pretzel, or back-fisted in the face.
== Tabletop Games ==
* The Imperium of Man as a whole in ''[[Warhammer
** The Orks too, arguably. Although the only reason for their lack of fear is they were the only race not affected by the Nightbringer, they definitely ''appear'' Fearless Fools to the rest of the galaxy.
** One [[Genre Savvy]] (Insane even by Ork standards, but still [[Genre Savvy]]) ork boss knows that Orks aren't afraid to die. So, when da boyz piss him off he tears their arms off instead. THAT intimidates them.
** "And they shall know no fear"
*** The rule "And They Shall Know No Fear" ups the odds that the Space Marines will rally after falling back from combat. With their latest codex, it combines with [[Tactical Withdrawal|"Combat Tactics"]] to let them escape fights they can't win. Fear is just their way of knowing when they need to change tactics.
** By contrast, there's a universal special rule called Fearless; it often causes extra casualties when a player loses a close combat.
*** Khorne Berserkers even undergo lobotomies to remove their frontal lobes, completely removing their ability to feel fear. Of course, in game terms, the above rule applies.
** ''[[Dawn of War]]'' gives these two quotes:
{{quote|
Brave are they who know everything yet fear nothing. }}
** The Tyranids are similar-while they aren't capable of feeling fear, they can and do retreat if the [[Zerg Rush]] tactic doesn't seem to be working. In fact, it might be said that "fearless" in most 40K terms is not synonymous with "lacking common sense".
*** The vast majority of 'nids probably do fall into this trope, but only in the sense that without their psychic synapse creatures to guide they are little more intelligent that dogs.
* ''[[Scion]]'' has Virtues that divine beings possess. Two of these are Courage and Valor. The higher your score, the more power you can draw from them... and the harder it is to resist them. If you want to act against them, you either need to ''fail'' a Virtue roll or spend Willpower. (So if you're half-dead and someone is attacked by Titanspawn, you roll Valor - and if you succeed, you ''have'' to save them even though you'll probably die trying.) This also comes with the Virtue Extremity - if you somehow manage to keep avoiding your higher Virtues, you ''will'' eventually snap and pursue them without any thought towards your own wellbeing.
** This likewise shows up ''[[Exalted]]'', where a character needs to fail a Valor roll or else spend Willpower to avoid doing something foolhardy. And if they do spend Willpower, then they'll accrue Limit, and when it finally tops off, something stupid and horrifying will happen.
* One demonic, gluttonous race called the Gordians (imagine a cross between an ogre and a dwarf that has been fed on a steady diet of lard) in [[Rifts|Palladium]]'s Land of the Damned One: Chaos Lands are described as having eggshell thin egos and going to insane lengths to prove themselves worthy ("You call Throka coward? Watch, Throka kill Dragon!").
▲== [[Theatre]] and Opera ==
▲* [[Richard Wagner|Wagner]]'s ''Siegfried''. Wagner explicitly described him as The Boy Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was (the name of an old fairy-tale).
▲** And it's what kills him in the end...
== Video Games ==
* ''[[Might and Magic|Might & Magic VIII]]'', with the artifact Berserker Belt. It raises the Might stat to obscene levels and grants immunity to fear... at the considerable expense of both Accuracy and Armor Class. The trope is mentioned in the flavor text, describing the belt as a failed attempt to create an ultimate warrior.
* ''[[Orcs Must Die]]'': The player character. Throughout the levels, he constantly shows no fear and continues to taunt the invading Orcs, despite the fact that the world appears doomed as there are not enough Warmages to stop the Orcs.
{{quote|
* In ''[[Total War|Medieval II: Total War]]'' this is brought up in a generals speech, where he describes anyone who is genuinely not afraid before a battle as a "moon-struck fool."
* ''[[Touhou|Touhou Project]]'' has these in spades. Partially justified with the Spellcard rules making official fights nonlethal, but you would think that, given that fighting is still ''painful'', to the point where even true immortals just give up rather than keep getting hurt, some fairies would learn not to die in relentless [[Redshirt Army]] wave attacks at heroines who are functionally impossible for a [[Mooks|basic nameless fairy]] to kill, [[Conservation of Ninjutsu|no matter the odds]], especially since some don't even have offensive powers, and essentially can only harm a heroine by simply standing there as the heroine blindly collides with her. As a justification for the fearlessness, (if not the aggression in the first place,) fairies have lives tied to nature, and as long as nature exists, they will regenerate [[From a Single Cell]].
** Cirno deserves special mention. In spite of being a fairly weak character (normally), she proudly boasts about how she's "The Strongest" (of the fairies, which isn't saying much, as most fairies are weaker than unpowered ordinary humans), and trying to prove it by repeatedly challenging beings far more powerful than herself, even though those characters have already easily curb-stomped her in the past. Apparently, [[The Fog of Ages]] is on extra strength for Cirno, and she can't remember the numerous humiliating defeats she seems to suffer on a regular basis.
== Web Comics ==
* ''[[No Rest for The Wicked (webcomic)|No Rest for The Wicked]]'': The Boy. (Since he's The Boy Who Set Out To Learn What Fear Was, and [[The Fool]]
* In ''[[The Order of the Stick]]'', Miko Miyazaki calls [[Big Bad|Xykon]] (a lich) an unholy abomination. [[The Dragon|Redcloak]] [[Hannibal Lecture|proceeds to explain why Xykon's far more natural than she is.]] Specifically, he became a lich to continue to survive, survival being a basic instinct. Miko, however, has a class feature removing fear, which Redcloak argues is such a fundamental instinct that the act of removing it makes the paladin far more unnatural than Xykon.
* Five Waves Fury in ''[[Keychain of Creation]]'' has a Valor score of 5...and doesn't it just show. All characters have four Virtues: Compassion, Conviction, Temperance and Valor. Each Virtue is ranked from 1 to 5, with 1 being low and 5 being ''extremely'' high. In fact, a Virtue of 4 or above is overpowering, and compels someone to action (or inaction) ''even if they know it's a bad idea''. In the case of Fury, her absurdly high Valor means she is scared of nothing, not even her [[Eldritch Abomination|Deathlord]] boss, [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast|The First and Forsaken Lion]].
* ''[[Dork Tower]]'' [http://www.dorktower.com/2006/06/12/comics-archive-794/ With motivational poster!]
* In ''[[American Barbarian]]'', [http://www.ambarb.com/?p=342 Rick assures someone that yes, it's all right to be a little afraid when facing something completely unknown.]
== Web Original ==
* Rob from the web fiction serial ''[[Dimension Heroes]]'' seems to go out of his way to pick fights with Creturians who invade his city.
== Western Animation ==
* ''[[The Penguins of Madagascar]]'' have Mort, the butt-monkey of the show who doesn't feel pain because, according to [[The Smart Guy|Kowalski]], he's simply not aware that he's in danger.
* Used in an episode of ''[[Batman: The Animated Series|The New Batman Adventures]]'': [[Nightmare Fuel|The Scarecrow]] creates a toxin that ''removes'' Batman's fears and inhibitions, making him much more reckless than
* Hank Venture from ''[[The Venture Brothers]]'' as opposed to his [[Cowardly Lion]] brother Dean. He idolized his bodyguard Brock Samson and tries to emulate him whenever he can. Unfortunately for him, Brock is an ultra-violent [[Badass]] and [[Sociopathic Hero]], leading Hank to make foolishly suicidal choices.
* ''[[Danny Phantom]]'': Jack Fenton to a tee. He has a very bad habit of rushing off into battle whenever a ghost appears. Unfortunately he's only semi-competent when it comes to fighting, being he's the [[Bumbling Dad]] and all. He's often saved either through his [[The Hero|superpowered]] [[Secret Identity|son]] or just plain luck. Though once in a blue moon, he will show above-average skills.
* ''[[The Tick (animation)]]'': The Tick himself is [[Nigh Invulnerable]] and ''completely insane''. This means that no amount of danger can stop him from serving the evildoers a hot justice sandwich [[Metaphorgotten|(no toppings necessary!)]]
* ''[[Scooby-Doo (animation)|Scooby Doo]]:'' When faced with a monster Scrappy Doo always says "Let me at em!" and punches the air, while Shaggy and Scooby grab him and run.
* ''[[Kim Possible]]'': Averted with Ron Stoppable. He's still a fool, but one whose foolish exterior [[Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass|belies a more badass nature]]. It [[Alternate Character Interpretation|could be argued]] that this makes him more of a hero than the titular Kim, who really doesn't seem to fear anything (except bugs). The creators certainly seemed to think so, as by the end of the series it was pretty much [[Black Hole Sue|all about him]]. It should be noted, however, that even when approached from this perspective, Kim also averts this trope, being both unrealistically brave ''and'' smart. The only reason ''she'' isn't normally called out as a [[Mary Sue]] is because Ron is the creators' favorite.
* ''[[Batman: The Brave And The Bold|Batman the Brave And The Bold]]'': Paco lampshades this as applied to the [[Green Lantern
* An episode of ''[[Earthworm Jim (animation)|Earthworm Jim]]'' where Jim ends up in a world similar to ''[[The Wizard of Oz (film)|The Wizard of Oz]]'', where all his friends and enemies play the roles of the characters, has the Hamsternator playing the role of the Cowardly Lion... However instead of always being afraid, he never feels any fear whatsoever, leading him to do outlandish, dangerous things that almost always end with him getting injured. This includes running out in front of an (offscreen) big truck.
{{reflist}}
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:Fear Tropes]]
[[Category:Characterization Tropes]]
[[Category:Character Flaw Index]]
[[Category:Stupidity Tropes]]
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