Looming Silhouette of Rage

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Yeah, he's toast.

If you've upset or enraged a character, you'd best not turn around—or else you'll find them towering over you, reduced to a dark shadow with no visible features except for Glowing Eyes of Doom or Scary Shiny Glasses (occasionally with gritted teeth), with their hands outstretched as if to throttle you from behind. Sometimes can be found in conjunction with a Battle Aura.

This can also occur, with the addition of a menacing grin, if a character senses great opportunity for mischievous mayhem—or if they're just going to enjoy hurting you very much.

Compare Shadow of Impending Doom.

Examples of Looming Silhouette of Rage include:

Anime and Manga

  • A perfect example of this is performed by Hijikata Toshizou in the 15th episode of Peacemaker Kurogane.
  • In episode 5 of Keroro Gunsou, Natsumi displays this after Keroro hits her up for a loan. Heck, she does it in the title sequence!
    • In Volume 17 of the manga, Keroro pulls off one that scares the crap out of Zoruru.
      • Keroro does this again to a Kiruru unit in Volume 20
  • Tendo Soun from Ranma 1/2 often does this, when he isn't going for a Demon Head. His daughters (even Kasumi! but especially Akane) have mastered this technique to a level beyond his wildest dreams.
  • Hazumu's mother does this every time Hazumu's father tries a Zany Scheme to be ecchi toward Hazumu in Kashimashi: Girl Meets Girl.
  • Tina in a wedding dress in Ai Yori Aoshi.
  • Shizuru in My-HiME, after Nao attacks Natsuki.
  • Shin's mom in Crayon Shin-chan, episode 42.
  • Professor Rowan, during the summer camp arc of Pokémon D/P Battle Dimension.
  • Rather than exactly a silhouette, Mahou Sensei Negima usually just uses a darkened version of the characters, but with all the other features of the trope. Example here.
  • Serious example: In Hellsing, Seras gets a looming silhouette of rage when she becomes a true vampire and is about to slaughter Zorin Blitz and her mooks.
  • The "Cloaked Mystery Figure" from the Japanese opening of Transformers Animated.

Video Games

  • The King of All Cosmos in Katamari Damacy, already a gigantic man, will throw his enormous silhouette over his pint-sized son if the Prince fails to complete a katamari according to specification. Made worse in the sequel, where he shoots laser beams from his eyes, and all the poor Prince can do is dodge.
    • This is lampshaded a bit in the first game by watching the change in shape of the shadow he casts. Every third lightning flash shows him out of his customary "arms folded" pose and doing something silly. Sometimes even shadow puppets.

Web Comics

Western Animation

  • Used in Teen Titans when Beast Boy suggests he transform into a single cell and go inside Cyborg to fix his virus. They glare at him because Beast Boy caused the virus in the first place.
  • Phlegm Bile at the start of Monsters, Inc..