Red and Black and Evil All Over: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
[[File:black-and-red-and-evil-all-
▲[[File:black-and-red-and-evil-all-over_3758.jpg|link=Star Wars the Clone Wars (Animation)|right|The [[Spikes of Villainy|horns]], snarl and [[Red Eyes Take Warning|red-gold]] eyes should help, in case this example is [[Obviously Evil|too subtle]].]]
Black and red. In the western world, these are the two most sinister colors, as red typically conveys the meaning of blood and black of [[Dark Is Evil|darkness]] or death. Sticking to these two colors is common for designers who want to create something as sinister as possible.
The favorite colors for villains to dress in. Most [[Ominous Opera Cape
[[Dark Is Not Evil]] can also apply with [[Anti
See also [[Good Colours Evil Colours]], [[Dark Is Evil]], [[Dark Is Not Evil]], and [[Red Filter of Doom]]. Contrast [[Gold and White Are Divine]].
{{examples
* The Guren from ''[[Code Geass]]'' is red orange and black▼
* Edward Elric from ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist (manga)|Fullmetal Alchemist]]'' wears a red coat and has black cloths underneath. Despite his mean and cynical exterior, however, he is an aversion of the trope.▼
* In ''[[Infinite Stratos]]'', Laura's IS is also this color scheme, possibly as a [[Shout
* Most of the shots of the [[Big Bad]] in the
* This was also done in the ''[[Sayonara, Zetsubou
* Ai Enma from ''[[
* [[Anti
* ''[[Fresh Pretty Cure]]'': This can be seen in both of
*
* Poor {{spoiler|[[Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds|Sakura Matou]]}} from ''[[Fate/stay
▲== Anime And Manga ==
▲* The Guren from [[Code Geass]] is red orange and black
▲* Edward Elric from [[Fullmetal Alchemist]] wears a red coat and has black cloths underneath
▲* In ''[[Infinite Stratos]]'', Laura's IS is also this color scheme, possibly as a [[Shout Out]] to Elzam, as the series likes to reference other mecha anime. And she does a [[Heel Face Turn]] as well (sort of).
▲* Most of the shots of the [[Big Bad]] in the 4th credit sequence in ''[[Soul Eater]]'' are coloured Red, Black, Grey, and inspired by insanity.
▲* This was also done in the ''[[Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei]]'' parody of [[James Bond]] to mark the villain.
▲* Ai Enma from ''[[Hell Girl (Anime)|Hell Girl]]'' has this twice: she has black hair with [[Red Eyes Take Warning|red eyes]] and her standard costume is a black sailor uniform with a red collar. She also happens to be a [[Villain Protagonist]].
▲* [[Anti Hero|Alucard]] from ''[[Hellsing]]''. The guy has black hair and red eyes, wears a black suit with a long red coat and hat, and it's all usually drenched in blood.
▲* This can be seen in both of [[Fresh Pretty Cure|Setsuna Higashi]]'s forms, though, while Eas plays it straight, Cure Passion subverts it.
▲* Manga/Bleach: Ichigo's [[Super Powered Evil Side|Hollow]] reiatsu is black with a red outline, and whenever he entered his Bankai form, he drew upon it to use his [[Sword Beam]], risking [[Grand Theft Me|letting it take him over]]. He later learns to control it as a [[Mask of Power]]... [[One Winged Angel|mostly.]]
▲* Poor {{spoiler|[[Woobie Destroyer of Worlds|Sakura Matou]]}} from ''[[Fate Stay Night]]''. {{spoiler|She never chose to become a villain. It was all due to [[The Corruption]] that was FORCED on her for ELEVEN YEARS.}}
** Gilgamesh has some red and black
* Princess Kraehe (and, by
* In ''[[Gundam X]]'', the [[Bash Brothers|Frost Brothers']] [[Ace Custom|personal Gundams]], in differing proportions; older brother Shagia's Virsago is predominantly crimson with plenty of black accents, while younger brother Olba's Ashtaron is mostly black with some red accents.
** Likewise, Clotho Buer's Raider Gundam in ''[[Gundam Seed]]'', as well as Stella Loussier's Gaia Gundam and the Dark Dagger L from ''[[Gundam Seed Destiny]]'', and the 105 Slaughter Dagger from ''Gundam SEED C.E.73 Stargazer''.
** Subverted by Deathscythe Hell from ''[[Gundam Wing]]''; it's black and red, and it sure ''looks'' evil thanks to its bat motif, but its pilot is [[The Lancer|a pretty friendly guy]] and [[Dark Is Not Evil|most definitely a hero]].
*** Played straight however by the [[Big Bad|Gundam Epyon]]. Black, red, deadly whip, giant sword, and crazy speed. [[Big Bad|Milliardo]] uses it to support his plan to threaten the entire world.
** [[
== [[Comic Books]] ==▼
▲== Comic Books ==
* [[Deadpool]]'s red suit with black stripes and matching red and black hood. Subverted in that he's not evil. He's just ''[[With Great Power Comes Great Insanity|fucking nuts]]''.
* [[Superboy]] (Conner Kent) uses this color scheme in regards to [[Brought to You
* Seems to be popular with ''[[Batman]]''-spinoff characters these days. While Batman and his protege are heroic, they use the color scheme to appear sinister and intimidating or to achieve [[Villain Cred]] when they need to, making this an [[Invoked Trope]].
** [[Nightwing]] has donned a red-and-black outfit after the reboot to reflect the new, grittier Nightwing.
** Tim Drake (known as "Robin" or "Red Robin" depending on the time period) uses this color scheme.
** [[Batwoman]] also has black-and-red digs.
** [[
== [[Film]] ==
* Azazel from ''[[X
* The uniforms, flags, and other props used in [[Ian McKellen]]'s excellent 1995 film adaptation of ''[[Richard III]]'' are like this, due to the film's use of [[Putting
▲* Azazel from ''[[X Men First Class (Film)|X Men First Class]]'' wears black, because he's a member of the Black Hellfire Club. His naturally red skin compliments his suit.
▲* The uniforms, flags, and other props used in [[Ian McKellen]]'s excellent 1995 film adaptation of ''[[Richard III]]'' are like this, due to the film's use of [[Putting On the Reich|parallels to Nazi Germany]] in its 1930s-era [[Setting Update]].
* The Norsefire Party in the film version of ''[[V for Vendetta]]'' uses a black and red logo, specifically in order to imply a similarity to the Nazi party.
* The basic color scheme of the neo-Nazis in Pink Floyd's ''[[The Wall]]''? Black with red detail.
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** Emperor Palpatine himself wears black and has red eyes and deathly pale skin.
** Darth Maul, who made full-body, red-and-black, Sith tattoos popular. You'll find them on lots of Extended Universe characters.
* [[The Vamp|Poison Ivy]] in ''[[Batman
{{quote|
'''Poison Ivy:''' "You will just '''[[Giving Someone the Pointer Finger|have]]''' [[The Tease|to find out]]!" }}
* The villains of ''[[
** Course, the good guys are colored black as well, but they have blue or green lines.
* The Master's robes in ''[[Manos:
== [[Literature]] ==
* The ''Custodes Fidei'' <ref>"Guardians of the Faith"</ref> order in the ''[[Deryni]]'' works have black robes with red belts and trim. Officially, the red is supposed to suggest allegiance to and protection for the House of Haldane. Guarding the Faith from what? From Deryni and their sympathizers, of course.▼
▲* The ''Custodes Fidei'' <ref>"Guardians of the Faith"</ref> order in the [[Deryni]] works have black robes with red belts and trim. Officially, the red is supposed to suggest allegiance to and protection for the House of Haldane. Guarding the Faith from what? From Deryni and their sympathizers, of course.
** The order's name can also call to mind the famous Latin question, "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?"<ref>"Who watches the watchmen?"</ref> Since they are an aspect of the [[Corrupt Church|corruption in the church]], this is justified.
* In ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', Sauron's forces use black banners and an insignia marked with a red eye.
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* In ''The Spiral Labyrinth'' by Matthew Hughes, the magic system is colour-coded; each wizard has a major and a minor colour. The [[Big Bad]] uses black and red.
* Red and black are the colors of [[The Caligula|House Targaryen]], former ruling house of [[A Song of Ice and Fire|Westeros]].
* [[Our Demons Are Different|Raksha]] in ''[[
== [[Live
* [[media:
▲* [[media:Terran_Empire_4683.png|This]] [[The Empire|Terran Empire]] logo in ''[[Star Trek]]''.
** Black and red are dominant colors of Klingon culture. They use it in buildings, flags, decorations, weapons, ships...basically everywhere!
* ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]''. Villain turned [[Anti
* All of [[Wrestler/Kane|Kane]]'s outfits throughout his tenure in the [[WWE]] prominently feature this color combination.▼
▲* ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]''. Villain turned [[Anti Hero]] Spike often wears a black [[Badass Longcoat]] with a red shirt underneath. [[Complete Monster|Angelus]] also uses these two colors.
== [[Music]] ==
== [[Oral Tradition]], [[Folklore]], Myths and Legends ==
▲* Slovenian art-rockers Laibach [[Putting On the Reich|love their red and black]].
* [[Satan]], in most of his '''modern''' depictions, is usually colored this way. The closest thing to this description in [[The Bible]] is a red dragon, but even then said depiction is not "dark" per se.▼
== [[Professional Wrestling]] ==
▲* All of [[
== [[Theater]] ==
▲* [[Satan]], in most of his '''modern''' depictions, is usually colored this way. The closest thing to this description in [[The Bible]] is a red dragon, but even then said depiction is not "dark" per se.
* In ''[[The Phantom of the Opera]]'', the Phantom's "Red Death" costume during the "Masquerade" number.
== Video Games ==▼
▲== [[Video Games]] ==
* [[Artix Entertainment]] has some examples:
** In ''[[
** Gravelyn from ''[[Adventure Quest Worlds]]'' has a black cape and red armor
* The [http://www.mobygames.com/game/resident-evil-4/cover-art/gameCoverId,85381/ cover] of the PC version of ''[[Resident Evil 4]]''.
* The Brotherhood of Nod in ''[[Command
** Similar to the above example, Soviets in ''[[Red Alert]]'' also often wore these colors.
* [[Sonic the Hedgehog]]'s [[Shadow Archetype]] Shadow has primarily black fur with streaks of red.
* Zekrom from ''[[Pokémon Black and White]]'' is a black dragon with red eyes. [[Subverted Trope|But it's not really an evil Pokemon]], being at worst [[The Dragon]] to an [[Anti
* Golbez of ''[[Final Fantasy IV]]'' has his attire vary [[Depending
* ''[[Final Fantasy VI]]'', in keeping with [[Putting
* ''[[Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII]]'', Genesis wears a red longcoat with black pants and a shirt.
* Ultimecia of ''[[Final Fantasy VIII]]'' wears a red dress with black edgings on the bottom with black wings and a black feather ruffle.
* All the Judges Magister in ''[[
* ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'', Master Xehanort and Ansem Seeker of Darkness wear black longcoats with red linings, while Xemnas wears a black cloak and wields red [[Laser Blade
** Vanitas, Master Xehanort's apprentice, wears a red and black outfit looking disturbingly like exposed muscle matter, and his Void Gear Keyblade is red and black.
** In his [[Evil Costume Switch|Dark Mode]] Riku wears a variation of Vanitas's attire, but features blue and white more prominently. When possessed by "Ansem", the Keyblade he wields is an [[Evil Counterpart]] to Sora's Kingdom Key, with a black shaft and red handguard. Before he completed his [[Heel Face Turn]] and became a [[Yin
** While not evil, Terra is an [[Anti
** For his cameos in the series, Sephiroth of ''[[Final Fantasy VII]]'' gets red linings added to his trademark black coat.
* In ''[[
* In ''[[The Last Story]]'', the [[The Usual Adversaries|Gurak]] have a black-and-red theme going on, as opposed to the Human's white-and-blue color scheme.
* ''[[Legacy of Kain]]'', [[Villain Protagonist]] Kain wears numerous outfits over the course of the series, but many of them are prominently black with some red bits. His iconic attire for the series is black leather pants with a red cape wound over his chest like a sash.
* Associated colors of the Inferno faction from ''[[Heroes of Might and Magic]] V'' were black and red.
* The Vampiric Ghouls from the online RPG ''[[
* ''[[The Saboteur]]'': all Nazi controlled areas are in [[Deliberately Monochrome|black-and-white]], except for the red from the blood or the swastikas.
* [[Impossible Thief]] extraordinaire [[Carmen Sandiego]] frequently pairs her striking red coat and [[Nice Hat]] with an all-black getup underneath.
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* Team Rocket from ''[[Pokémon]]'' is often associated with the colors red and black. Their logo is even a red "R" on a black background.
** Team Magma is also associated with Red and Black. In contrast, Team Aqua is Blue and White.
*** Darkrai, despite only being evil in [[Depending
* The Black Knight from ''[[
** {{spoiler|Also The Black Knight's Alter Ego Zelgius wears a full suit of Red Armor. So it can be said that the character is both a Red and Black Knight.}}
* ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'': Although he himself is colored green, many of
* In [[Lego Adaptation Game
* [[Proud Warrior Race Guy|Split Dynasty]] ships in the ''[[X (
* The Phantoms in ''[[Star Ocean:
* The Terran Dominion of ''[[
* The opening and ending credits of the first [[
* ''[[Bayonetta]]'': Both [[Dark Magical Girl|Bayonetta]] herself and [[The Rival|Jeanne]] have this color motif. Each is also [[Anti
* ''[[Shin Megami Tensei]]'': Black and Red are associated with the Chaos faction while Law takes White And Blue. Subverted since [[Chaotic Evil|neither side is]] [[Lawful Evil|that much worse than the other]].
* ''[[
** Also in the same game, there's Litchi Faye-Ling whose color scheme are majorly red with black tints around. This is instead a subversion as she is instead a sweet, motherly, kind and compassionate woman who is only concerned in helping those in need. Double subverted that eventually {{spoiler|she joined the enemy group, NOL}}, but then triple-subverted that {{spoiler|[[Forced Into Evil|she was forced and still retained her kind personality]] rather than [[Face Heel Turn|tossing them away and becoming a majorly evil person.]]}}
* One of the scariest random events in ''[[Signal Simulator]]'' is {{spoiler|the encounter with the triangle UFO. A threatening-looking spaceship painted pitch black and with hellish red lights on its underside, it hovers ominously outside your base while making these horrible noises that sound like they're being broadcasted from the deepest bowels of hell. It sends you a message claiming to come in peace, but an [[Apocalyptic Log]] you can find describing its malevolent behavior shows that its intentions are anything but.}}
== [[Web Original]] ==
* In ''[[
▲* In ''[[Drow Tales]]'', the resident [[Living Doll Collector]], [http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?id=627 Kharla], seems to like the Red/Black combo.
** These are also the colors most often worn by Syphile, Ariel's [[Abusive Parents|abusive caretaker]].
** And [https://web.archive.org/web/20190915124947/http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?order=chapters&id=1832 Luliane] switches to this outfit after the timeskip, {{spoiler|because she's been possessed by Khaless, also qualifying this for [[Evil Costume Switch]]}}.
** In the last two cases, a more innocuous reason for the colors are because they are the Sarghress clan colors, along with this trope.
* ''[[The Order of the Stick
** Redcloak's most distinguishing features are his, well, red cloak and black armor.
== [[Western Animation]] ==
* Jafar from ''[[Aladdin (Disney film)|Aladdin]]'' wears black with red trim.▼
▲* Jafar from ''[[Aladdin (Disney)|Aladdin]]'' wears black with red trim.
* In ''[[The Swan Princess]]'', the hag magically disguised as Princess Odette wears a black and red dress. This makes her [[Color Coded for Your Convenience|easy for viewers to distinguish]] from the real Odette, who wears white and green.
* The whole army of the One-Eye from ''[[The Thief and
* The main colors of the generally antagonistic Fire Nation in ''[[
* [[The Starscream|Starscream]] from ''[[Transformers]]'' is usually associated with the colors black, red, and gray.
* The Cyclonian empire in ''[[Storm Hawks]]'' is associated with these colours.
* Zelda's evil doppelganger in ''[[The Legend of Zelda (
* Cruella DeVil, the villain of ''[[
* Kabuto, the villain of [[Pixar Shorts|''Tokyo Mater'']], is a mean Japanese racecar who sports mainly black and red paint. His paint [[Defeat
* In ''[[Teen Titans (
* [[Big Bad|XANA]]'s primary colours in ''[[Code Lyoko]]'' are red and black.
* These are the prevalent colors in both ''[[Hazbin Hotel]]'' and ''[[Helluva Boss]]''; with most of the plot taking place in Hell, both clothes and architecture are almost exclusively red and black. This is even the case with more benevolent characters, like Charlie and Vaggie. Ironically, Lucifer himself is an exception, wearing a white suit, and while Heaven has a blue, white, and gold theme, many residents there are of the [[Light Is Not Good]] types. Interestingly, this was a case of [[Real Life Writes The Plot]], as the show started with one [[YouTube]] web animation where the developers had a limited budget and consequently, limited art resources.
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Characteristic Clothing Colors]]
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[[Category:Obviously Evil]]
[[Category:Good and Evil For Your Convenience]]
[[Category:Tropes in Black]]
[[Category:Costume Tropes]]
[[Category:Red
[[Category:
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