Professional Killer: Difference between revisions

{{quote|"''Death is my business, and business is good...''"|'''Agent 47''', ''[[Hitman]]: Contracts''}}

 

 

For most characters, killing people is not something they do on a regular basis. For an [[Affably Evil]] [[Big Bad]] who believes [[Utopia Justifies the Means]] or an [[Action Hero]] on a [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge]], killing a few [[Mook|mooks]] or [[Red Shirt|Red Shirts]] is all in a day's work. But for a [[Professional Killer]], it '''is''' the work.

In Fictionland there is a distinct dichotomy among those who kill for a living.

 

 

 

Previously psychologists and criminologists would differentiate between [[Professional Killer|Professional Killers]] and [[Serial Killer|Serial Killers]], the latter being driven by psychological impulses and often a pathological ''need'' to kill, the former just driven by money. This is no longer the case and most experts now believe career killers are just a subtype of serial killers, the logic being that if your preferred method of making a living is to ''murder people'', you might just have a problem after all.

* Kirika and Mirielle in ''[[Noir]]'' are assassins and their shooting practice targets are usually hitmen. [[Positive Discrimination|More sophisticated antagonists are usually female]], as well as being fellow assassins.

* ''[[Golgo 13]]'' is very much an Assassin, as well as a [[Consummate Professional]].

* Certain characters from ''[[One Piece]]'', particularly the members of CP9 and Baroque Works (or, in the latter case, the Mr. 1 and Mr. 5 pairs for sure), are Assassins.

* Laura from ''[[Mnemosyne]]'' is ''definitely'' an assassin, sporting all sorts of [[The Gunslinger|firearms]] and explosives. The problem is, Rin is just that [[Badass]] (not to mention [[Immortality]]) that she beats her almost every single time.

* The MacDougall brothers from ''[[Outlaw Star]]'', Ron is the assasin while his brother Harry starts out as the Hitman before [[Character Development]] improves him.

* For the [[Badass Family|Zaoldyecks]] from ''[[Hunter X Hunter]]'', assassination is the ''family business.'' Even the [[Viewer Gender Confusion|gender-confused]] [[Creepy Child|10-year-old kid]] can kill you. With [[Improbable Weapon User|confetti]] and a [[Paper Fan of Doom|paper fan]], no less. On top of all that, they're [[Badass]] enough that they can give out ''business cards'' with their phone number and home address on them. Of course, they live in a [[Big Fancy House]] hidden somewhere on their mountain estate (their mountain estate encompassing basically ''the entire mountain''), and anyone who wants to get to them has to first get past the 10-foot-tall <s>[[Angry Guard Dog]]</s> automated, dog-shaped killing machine, ''and'' a small army of [[Battle Butler|battle butlers]], an [[Cute Bruiser|apprentice]] of which once singlehandedly took down a group of 100 [[Bounty Hunter|bounty hunters]] with ease. Yeah....

* The members of Weiss in ''[[Weiss Kreuz]]'' are assassins, and also the heroes of the piece, although they consider themselves [[Necessarily Evil]].

* In ''[[Black Lagoon]]'', the entire ''city'' of Roanapur is composed of either hitmen or people who cater services ''for'' hitmen, anyone who has worked in the trade long enough gets ''really'' pissed off when they have someone running around messing up potential profitable contracts or clients. It's one of the reasons nearly the entire city gets behind trying to clear off Hansel and Gretel, who are themselves hired killers who know no other way of life. [[Pragmatic Villainy|Anarchy just ain't good for business]].

* ''[[Katekyo Hitman Reborn]]'':

** This is what netted him {{spoiler|Wolfwood}}, an Eye member previously known as {{spoiler|Nicholas}} The Punisher, who shot his mentor Chapel to take his place so as to get closer to Knives in hopes of killing him [[Anti-Hero|to save the world]]. This plan did not work, but hey.

** As implied above, in both adaptations {{spoiler|Wolfwood}} is a [[Professional Killer]], taken under Chapel's wing as an orphan boy. The manga version is just more explicit and detailed, and includes some [[Strapped to An Operating Table]]. [[The Dragon|Legato]] isn't the only one to get [[Bowdlerized]].

* In ''[[Bleach]]'', Soi Fon AKA [[Fan Nickname|"Captain Bitchninja"]], leader of squad 2 and supreme commander of the Onmitsukido. While she excels in mastery of shunpo and hakuda, her [[Touch of Death|two-hit kill shikai]] is her signature skill.

 

 

* The titular ''[[Ichabod Azrael]]'' is, in the very first strip, assassinated by a gang of notorious outlaws led by Bloody Bill Sterling.

* Laura "X-23" Kinney, the [[Opposite Sex Clone]] of [[Wolverine]] created by [[Arms Dealer|The Facility]] to be a emotionless, merciless assassin whose services would be sold to the highest bidder. They succeeded, but she got away and joined the [[X-Men]] and [[X-Force]]. She's begun trying to leave her training behind and bring her actions more in line with X-family practices, but her complete ruthlessness makes her at times even a more efficient killer than Wolverine.

 

 

* Danny from "[[Killer Elite]]" is an hitman, who dresses in ordinary clothing and lives in an R.V. However, he is the protagonist of the story and looks down anyone who kills civilians or children.

* ''[[Ichi the Killer]]'' has the titular Ichi, a deadly assassin, and Kaneko, a rather unsuccessful hitman.

* Vincent from ''[[Collateral]]'' is most definitely an assassin.

* Both Rath and Bane from ''Assassins'' are assassins, complete with the [[Weird Trade Union]] and all. However, Rath looks down on Bane for Bane's greater willingness to kill, including innocent bystanders or cops.

* ''[[Film/Mr And Mrs Smith|Mr And Mrs Smith]]'', from the film of the same name, are definitely Assassins.

* Brighton Beach's young in ''[[Little Odessa]]'' are all either hitmen or hitmen wannabes. They live in a sucky neighbourhood, wear leather jackets, have slicked-back hair, and are generally unrefined and not too bright.

* ''[[Grosse Pointe Blank]]'':

** Brand Hauser, John Cusack's character in ''War Inc.'' (which has been described as "an informal sequal to [[Grosse Pointe Blank]]) is an [[Expy]] of Martin Blank.

* In ''[[Road to Perdition]]'', Tom Hanks' [[Anti-Hero]] character is a hitman, and he's very much unnerved upon meeting the [[Psycho for Hire]] assassin played by Jude Law.

* Technically, Julian Noble in ''The Matador'' is an Assassin. He is handsome, often charming, highly skilled and a world traveler. However he is also badly dressed, lonely and visibly fraying from his job even before begins to get guilt induced panic attacks. He is possibly about as realistic as an Assassin can get while remaining sympathetic.

* [[The Nameless]] hitman from the short film made of the [[Stephen King]] story ''Battleground'' lives a visibly high-class lifestyle. He ruthlessly shoots dead the unarmed CEO of a toymaking company, but uses a [[Stun Guns|tranquilizer gun]] against his two security guards. Other techniques include using a rubber facemask to conceal his features (it appears to be a real face to a casual observer), a fake bomb to get the guard to open the security door, and wearing a headset so people won't engage him in casual conversation. Unfortunately he has a habit of taking trophies from his victims, which isn't a good idea when the victim's mother is a witch.

* ''[[In Bruges]]'', Ken and Ray are hitmen. Although they're often well-dressed, and Ken appreciates art, they are completely unglamourised.

* In ''The Assassination Bureau Ltd.'', the titular bureau is filled with the former.

* ''[[The Boondock Saints]]'' have to deal with two hitmen in the course of the movie. One of them is a "sick fuck" who their colleague Rocco drove to his job one time, who "takes out a whole family -- wife, kids, everyone -- like he's ordering a fucking pizza." The other hitman, Il Duce, shows up shortly after the three finish off the "sick fuck," and was sprung from prison by the [[Big Bad]] in order to kill Rocco, who he believes is responsible for the Saints' killings. He turns out to have a Leon-esque code about "no women, no kids," shows himself to be a consummate badass who gives all three saints the fight of their lives, and eventually turns out to be {{spoiler|1=the McManus brothers' [[Luke, I Am Your Father|long lost father]].}}

* In ''[[The Mechanic]]'', Charles Bronson's character trains a young man to also become an assassin.

{{quote| "Murder is only killing without a license."}}

* Ben of ''[[Man Bites Dog]]'' is a well-paid, [[Faux Affably Evil]] hitman with pretensions of being [[Wicked Cultured]] (he discourses knowledgeably on such subjects as poetry and architecture); he clearly thinks of himself as fitting better into the "assassin" category -- which is given the lie when we see [[Serial Killer|glimpses of]] [[Psycho for Hire|his true]] [[Complete Monster|nature]].

* Joubert, the freelance Alsatian killer in ''[[Three Days of the Condor]]''. Always polite, even to the extent of giving the protagonist a lift to the train station when he no longer has a contract against him.

{{quote| '''Joubert''': Well, the fact is, what I do is not a bad occupation. Someone is always willing to pay.<br />

'''Turner''': I would find it... tiring.<br />

'''Joubert''': Oh, no. It's quite restful. It's almost peaceful. [[Neutral Evil|No need to believe in either side, or any side.]] There is no cause. There's only yourself. The belief is in your own precision. }}

 

 

== Literature ==

{{quote| '''James Bond:''' So you want me to be half-monk, half-hitman.<br />

'''M:''' Any thug can kill. I need you to take your ego out of the equation. }}

** Odd that Bond always seems so cool, he is described in the novels as simply a "blunt instrument wielded by dolts in high places".

*** Bond has a cool and calm demeanor, and he can certainly move under the radar when he wants to, but once he gets started with violence and gun play, his methods generally result in copious body counts and extraneous explosions, often in public settings with little regard for property damage or discretion.

* Members of the [[Discworld|Ankh-Morpork Assassins' Guild]] are undoubtedly Assassins.

** Despite being stylish, the Assassins of [[Discworld]] tend to be mostly unsympathetic with some notable exceptions, such as Pteppic, who decides he can't kill anyone, and Vetinari, who notably subverts and breaks a number of [[Weird Trade Union|Guild]] rules.

** Also important to note that most of Ankh-Morpork's prominent families send their children to be educated at the Assassin's Guild, making it an important political force and that most of those who went there are not technically assassins. The Guild even has a sense of civil responsibility, refusing to take on contracts they feel would harm the city or its interests in an unacceptable fashion. Vetinari and Vimes have both been taken off the register as it was felt their removal would 'not only spoil the game but smash the board'. Though that Vimes survived 9 attempts may have contributed.

** The teachers at the Guild sometimes send students after Vimes to teach them humility. Most of the traps that Vimes has set to them are very lethal - for example loose roof-tiles on greased rails, placed where a hapless Assassin will fall onto an spiky, ornamental, but more importantly, ''spiky'' fence, bear-traps, water pits that you can't climb out of, precarious beams above the dragons' cages, etc.

* Mara Jade Skywalker from the [[Star Wars Expanded Universe]] fits this trope perfectly, [[Spy Catsuit|sexy clothing]] and all - she's actually one of the best assassins in [[The Empire]] (yes, ''that'' Empire), and by extension, the galaxy. Being a Jedi Master hasn't hurt her abilities [[Action Mom|either]]. Her son, [[Redheaded Hero|Ben Skywalker]], is explicitly described as one in ''[[Legacy of the Force|Sacrifice]]'', but he doesn't really fit the trope, despite actually carrying out an assassination mission - he has too much compassion from his parents, especially Luke. Many fans were angered when she was killed off.

* The title character in ''[[The Day of the Jackal]]'' is definitely an assassin.

* Konrad, from William Gibson's ''All Tomorrow's Parties'' is a rather philosophical Assassin who is a rather dedicated follower of Taoism.

* In "Johnny Mnemonic," a Yakuza assassin comes after Johnny. He looks like a humble little Japanese tourist, but he's actually a vat-grown super-assassin who ultimately tangles with [[Action Girl]] Molly Millions. Interestingly, he's painted like a hitman when Molly recounts Johnny's fate in ''[[Neuromancer]]''. She states that the Yakuza's first killer was all speed and flash, a rather typical affair. The second killer they send, however, was like a monk, who walked right through all of Johnny's traps and defenses like they were air.

* John Clark in [[Tom Clancy]] novels is a government assassin, a highly trained [[Cold Sniper]]. In ''Without Remorse'', he decides to [[Vigilante Man|apply his skills on a free agent basis]] to a vendetta against several local criminals, both the criminals and the police comment on the differences between the way he commits a murder and the way Mafia hit men would carry it out.

* [[The Night Angel Trilogy]] "Assassins" are brutish hitmen who have ''targets''. "Wetboys" are suave assassins with magic powers that have ''deaders'', because their target's death is assured as soon as they accept the contract. "Assassins have targets because they sometimes miss."

* In Edgar Rice Burroughs' Mars stories, every Red Martian city seems to have an assassins' guild. While not exactly legal, assassination is common enough that most people of means take measures against it. Pretty much everyone knows who the assassins are, but no one (well, no one but John Carter) wants to take them on for fear of being, well, assassinated.

* H. Beam Piper's short story "The Last Enemy" is set in a culture with a Society of Assassins that operates openly and under a rigid code of ethics.

** Artemis Entreri is one of these, known as the king of assassins in his home city of Calimport. He's also, not coincidentally, the best human swordfighter outside of epic-level characters, capable of going toe-to-toe with practically any non-magical opponent in the books. The fact that he also seems to be intelligent and refined (outside of battle, anyway: see [[Combat Pragmatist]]) doesn't hurt, either.

** Entreri is one of the best swordfighters ''period''. He can go toe-to-toe with Drizzt himself. (Normal Drizzt, not "Hunter" Drizzt. "Hunter" Drizzt is a match for a god-blessed super-orc armed with a flaming BFS)

* Hugh the Hand from [[The Death Gate Cycle]] combines elements of ''both'' subtypes, though he's called an assassin. Like a hitman he's crude, unsophisticated, and ugly, but he when things get tough he demonstrates an assassin's intellect and deadly skill, and he ''always'' exudes an impressive aura of [[Badass]]. He's considered the second deadliest killer in the world... and the first is way past her prime.

* The titular character of [[Vince Flynn]]'s [[Badass|Mitch Rapp]] series is a completely unapologetic CIA assassin, worst nightmare of terrorists and slimy thugs the world over. He prides himself on never having killed an innocent bystander. Also, what seems to be his preferred method of killing doesn't involve a [[Slashed Throat|cut throat]] or a [[Neck Snap|broken neck]].

* Vin, heroine of ''[[Mistborn]]'' is an Assassin, though she kills out of loyalty to [[La Résistance]] {{spoiler|and later, the kingdom it morphs into}} rather than for money.

* "American Harry" in [[The Sacred Art of Stealing]] is at the "hitman" extreme of the scale: he has few real principles, can be casually violent towards people who try to mess him around and, although he is smarter and more level-headed than some of the people he kills for, he is a somewhat jaded character who seems to have a fairly dull and unglamourous lifestyle.

* [[The Phantom of the Opera]]: In the original book by Gaston Leroux, according to the Persian, Erik, the titular phantom, [[Backstory|did this as part of his work for the Sha-in-Sha]]:

{{quote| ''He took part calmly in a number of political assassinations;''}}

== Live-Action TV ==

* The assassin in the ''[[MacGyver]]'' episode "The Assassin" is an Assassin. (Sorry.)

* John Mercer from the British series ''The Fixer'' is an Assassin, albeit one that lives on a [[Council Estate]].

* Sarah on ''[[Chuck]]'' is an assassin whereas Casey is more of a hitman.

* The Argentinian assassin from the first season of ''[[Miami Vice]]'', sent to clean out a list of targets for mob boss Calderone. He looks like a holdover from the 70's, has a small afro, and has one of the quickest draws humanly possible (he was played by a real-life trained marksman). In fact, he kills Sonny Crockett's boss and most of the targets before being taken down, and that's only because more than five police officers (including Tubbs, Valerie and vice officers) shoot at him at the same time.

* Happy seems to fill the role of hitman for the [[Sons of Anarchy]].

* The licensed-to-kill British agents in ''Callan'' lean more towards the "hitman" end of the scale, even the one who's a lord's son. It's the "flat beer" end of [[Spy Fiction]] rather than the "martini" end.

* Ziva David in ''[[NCIS]]'' was an assassin.

* ''[[Criminal Minds]]'' had these in "Natural-Born Killer" and "Reckoner". In the former, the guy was actually a serial killer (someone who kills to satisfy an inner desire as opposed to for money) who was working as a mob hitman so he could get payed for his murders. In the latter, it was a common hitman, and he wasn't the primary antagonist, it was [[The Man Behind the Man|his employer]].

* Brother Mouzone from [[The Wire]] is an assassin with ''more bodies on him than a Chinese cemetery'' if Proposition Joe is to be believed. Chris Partlow and Snoop fit the hitman type.

* ''[[Burn Notice]]'' has had its share of both, but the ''recurring'' one is Larry ([[Running Gag|yes, dead Larry]]), who is definitely an assassin.

* "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzHFqXlqJ2M Payback]" by Dreamtale

* "[http://www.jamendo.com/en/track/539623 Assassins of Ankh Morpork]" by Scavanger, actively invoking the [[Discworld|original]]'s [[Do Not Do This Cool Thing|stylish side]] for a [[Black Comedy]].

* "Killing Is My Business..." by Megadeth.

 

 

== Tabletop Games ==

* Most agents of the Officio Assassinorum in ''[[Warhammer 40000]]'' are definitely assassins, but a case can be made for the Eversor temple being more about hitmen.

* [[Rifts]] and several other Palladium Books games have a partial subversion: Special Forces types typically have two options for their variety of close-combat training: "Hand-To-Hand: Assassin" and "Hand-To-Hand: Commando". Assassin is typically only allowed to characters of an outright evil alignment, and offers supreme lethality but no automatic dodge and fewer raw attacks a round.

** A better example of a Hitman in the series would be [[The Dragon]] from Blood Money: Mark Parchezzi III. One of his kills you can read about has him emerge from a car in broad daylight, gun down the president of some nation, and then run like hell.

** Agent 47 falls right between the two. He takes prestigious contracts and operates in exotic locations but lives Spartan life and in ''Blood Money'' it appears that he {{spoiler|was still a mere pawn of The Agency}}. He doesn't get much respect but he apparently also doesn't need any.

** Mona Sax is definitely an Assassin, though she has some Hitman tendencies (she's implied to have come out of the mob and calls a decrepit funhouse home).

** Rico Muerte and Frankie Niagara from the first game were Hitmen, as were the Punchinello Trio.

* ''[[Assassin's Creed]]'': Seeing as Altair provides the page image, take a ''wild'' guess. [[Trope Pantheons/Life and Death|In fact...]] Strictly speaking, the protagonist is a ''Hashashin''.

** [[Lovable Rogue|Ezio Auditore]] in ''Assassin's Creed II'' is even MORE fitting of the Assassin mold, being [[Handsome Lech|very suave and gentlemanly]], where [[Arrogant Kung Fu Guy|Altaïr]] was mostly [[The Stoic|resolute]] and [[The Determinator|focused on the job alone]].

** [[Meaningful Name|Shelly]] DeKiller is the assassin type, and even calls himself a "gentleman killer". It's hard to deny that he has some of the best manners of any killer in the series. This is probably why {{spoiler|most people don't mind his [[Karma Houdini]] despite the fact that he kidnapped Maya Fey and was willing to kill her if Phoenix didn't defend Matt.}}

** On the other hand, case I-4 victim Mack Rell is described as a "hitman" who was brought down to the precinct numerous times. Unlike de Killer, though, Rell was reckless, unrefined and unprepared (hence why he was caught easily).

** Goh Hinogami is a subverted assassin. He's a creepy looking albino and a relentless killing machine. Still, he does work for and was trained by J6.

** Jean Kujo plays this straight, and he also works for J6.

** The Sniper and the Spy are assassins; the Spy is an especially stereotypical example, with his [[Tuxedo and Martini|fine suit and upper-class mannerisms]]. The Sniper is a bit more down-to-earth.

{{quote| '''Sniper:''' ''(on phone with his father)'' Not a crazed gunman, dad, I'm an assassin. ... Well the difference bein', one is a job, and the other's mental sickness! ''(and later)'' "Feelings? You know who has a lot of feelings? Blokes what bludgeon their wives to death with a golf trophy. [[Consummate Professional|Professionals]] have ''standards.'' Be polite. Be efficient. Have a plan to kill everyone you meet."}}

*** It's ironic that he actually notes the difference between a "crazed gunman" and an assassin, [[Fridge Brilliance|considering that psychologists don't distinguish between the two nowadays.]]

** Given that the line between Hitmen and [[Private Military Contractors]] can get somewhat blurry, a case could be made for including most of the team, with the possible exception of the Medic and the Engineer (who seem to be more in it [[For Science!]]).

* ''[[The Elder Scrolls]]'':

** The Morag Tong guild is a guild of Assassins, whereas the Dark Brotherhood is more of a guild of Hitmen; the former is depicted as the good and honorable one as a result.

* Mordecai Heller from [[Lackadaisy Cats]] is of the assassin variety. [http://www.lackadaisycats.com/exhibit.php?exhibitid=92 Has OCD].

* Marilith Millions, main character of ''[[Marilith]]'', is an assassin.

 

 

== Web Original ==

* Tinsnip, in the ''[[Whateley Universe]]''. We haven't learned enough about him to know if he's an Assassin or a Hitman.

* The assassins of [[Protectors of the Plot Continuum]] may or may not fall into this category, depending on whether one counts a [[Mary Sue]] as a person. If not, they're closer to demon hunters, or possibly pest control.They might have a lot of departments that deal with a lot of different things, but the one that kills Mary-Sues is one of the biggest and best-developed.

 

== Western Animation ==

 

{{reflist}}