Cute Mute: Difference between revisions

 

Lack of speaking alone does not qualify a character for this trope. Someone who can't speak but otherwise doesn't fit the trope is [[The Speechless]]. Someone who can speak but is never shown to do so onscreen is [[The Voiceless]].

 

== Anime & Manga ==

* Mone from ''[[Yumeria]]''.

* Chibi Chibi from ''[[Sailor Moon]]'', named for the only sound she could produce. She literally ''was'' otherwordly, in the sense of [[Not of This Earth]]. She was actually a child, though. (Well, in the manga, she was [[Really Seven Hundred Years Old|older than she seemed]]. And in the anime, she was... well, let's not get into how drastically her origins were changed.)

* Rin from ''[[Inuyasha]]'' had been mute since the trauma of losing her parents, but she grew out of this quickly when she became Sesshoumaru's [[Morality Pet]].

* Cynthia from ''[[Hanaukyo Maid Tai (Anime)|Hanaukyo Maid Tai]]''.

* Subverted by Meru Otonashi from ''[[Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei]]''. Innocent-looking and too shy to talk, she communicates by using her cellphone to send people horribly abusive text messages. On one occasion when her phone lost its signal, she began jabbering in a way that another character interpreted as [[Demonic Possession]].

* Shion, the lead character of ''[[Shion no Ou]]'', lost her voice after her parents were killed in front of her, communicating via a notepad and pen she carries around with her. {{spoiler|She regains her voice after she defeats the murderer in the finals of the shogi tournament Hani-meijin.}}

* Lirio from ''[[El Cazador De La Bruja]]''. She only talked in one scene, and in that she was possessed by a witch so that the witch could communicate with the heroes.

* Elaine from ''[[Genocyber]]'' was the mind of a feral animal and therefore can't speak. She is very friendly and protective towards those who show her kindness, at least in her human form.

{{quote| '''Snow White:''' You mean he can't talk?<br />

'''Happy:''' We don't know -- he's never tried! }}

* [[WALL-E]] can manage only a few sounds and words, and is indisputably cute!

* Tack and the Thief from [[The Thief and The Cobbler (Animation)|The Thief and The Cobbler]] was this, at least in the original story. When the film was purchased by another company before the original creator could finish it, it was turned into a musical and Tack along with the Thief were given voices. Most fans of the original tend to think that's one of the worst edits the new company made.

* Fengxia in ''[[To Live]]'' becomes mute after suffering from a fever.

* Subversion in the sci-fi ''[[Greatwinter Trilogy]]''. Darien is a strong-willed, incredibly intelligent, powerful, competent woman, who simply happens to be unable to speak. One character seems to see her as this kind of character, though, and she uses it to her great advantage.

** Allende also wrote the novel-biography of ''[[Zorro]]'', in which Bernardo (Zorro's best friend/sidekick) went mute after his mother was raped and murdered. Diego can understand him without words, and sometimes fills in his dialogue. Somewhat justified as Bernardo was mute in some of the original Zorro stories.

* Errand, the little boy in the ''[[Belgariad]]'', is initially capable of only saying the word "Errand", [[Verbal Tic Name|which is why the party takes to calling him that.]] It's explained that when Zedar found him, all he said was "I have an errand for you, boy"; Errand repeated the one word and followed him. Over the next two books, he learns more words, but he can only say one-word sentences. After the [[Time Skip]] between the ''Belgariad'' and the ''Malloreon'', he learns how to speak properly.