Stealth Mook: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

The average [[Mook]] in video games and other fiction is usually of the straightforward variety - you see them, they see you, fighting time, fighting time, blows are thrown. From large to small, regular mook to [[Elite Mook|elite]], all walks of life... ''most'' Mooks don't mince words about how they're out to mince you. But some of them are much more cloak-and-dagger about their business - their job is to ensure they remain unseen long enough to attain their objective, whether it's killing or otherwise defeating you, or else leading you away from ''your'' main objective.

 

 

Compare [[Invisible Monsters]], who are naturally tough to see regardless of whether they're actively sneaky. Contrast the [[Stealth-Based Mission]], where ''you're'' the one trying to stay unseen by mooks whose job is to find you. A protagonist with stealth abilities is usually [[The Sneaky Guy]] in a party of playable characters, and often the main playable character in a [[Stealth Based Game]].

 

{{examples}}

== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==

* The ''[[Naruto]]'' manga's first and second volume deconstruct this trope: while the title character, Sasuke and Sakura want to become ninjas, they all fail to get past their examiner to steal bells from him within a time limit. He says they failed because they didn't work as a team, and as a result he was able to easily distract them. When you can't work together, you are no better than a standard [[Mook]] and easier to cut down. To prove the point, he stood out there in the open waiting for them to come, and beat them without needing stealth or even magic beyond basic illusions.

 

== [[Comic Books]] ==

* In ''[[Batman]]'', the League of Shadows are supposed to be comprised of these. They can conduct ambushes, kidnapping and assassinations with few problems.

 

== [[Film]] ==

== [[Literature]] ==

* In ''[[Discworld]]'', if you want to pass your exam in the Assassin's Guild, then you have to demonstrate the ability to be stealthy like this. And yes, per regulations you have to wear all-black. Veterinari as a young assassin was the exception that proved the rule.

** The Assassins Guild has also long stopped taking contracts on Constable Sam Vimes, because he can see through their stealth and it would not be sporting to shoot him on the street. Instead, they send uppity students after Sam to teach them a lesson in humility.

 

== [[Live-Action TV]] ==

** The Gentleman are creepy precisely because they do not make a sound. They can glide into your room and rip out your heart long before you notice. To add to the horror, you can't even scream because they steal everyone's voices.

** "Once More With Feeling" has Sweet's mooks demonstrating this. Several kidnap Dawn without breaking a sweat or making a sound, despite her being in the Summers house.

 

== [[Podcast]]s ==

 

== [[Video Games]] ==

=== First-Person Shooter ===

* In ''[[Syndicate (2012 video game)|Syndicate]]'', Specters equipped with "portable diffraction field generators" can turn invisible and sneak up on you.

 

=== Real Time Strategy ===

* In ''[[Warcraft]] III'', bandits and some other enemy types can Shadowmeld, allowing them to turn invisible at night and lie in ambush waiting for the careless to draw near.

 

=== Roguelike ===

* ''[[NetHack]]'' and its variants have various monsters such as snakes, cave spiders, piercers, and trappers that can hide themselves from view, and usually wait until you are close to strike. You can reveal them by searching manually, and warning or telepathy will alert you to their presence.

** The Samurai quest plays on the samurai-ninja contrast by including actual ninja and invisible stalkers among the more common hostile monsters that you'll encounter - the ninja themselves tend to avert this, however, with the stalkers being harder to detect in comparison.

 

=== Role-Playing Game ===

* ''[[Pokémon]]'' video games:

** ''[[Pokémon Gold and Silver]]'' and [[Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver|their Gen 4 remakes]] feature an unusual variant: The Fuchsia Gym Trainers all disguise themselves as their leader Janine, who has taken over now that her father has become an Elite Four member. In order to unmask the real Janine, you're expected to talk your way through the gym, which means fighting her Gym Trainers - however, Janine always waits in the same spot, making it trivial to skip them if you're so inclined.

** The cipher Peons from ''[[Pokémon Colosseum]]'' and its sequel, ''[[Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness]]'', aren't always visible in the overworld like most enemy trainers. When you step into their aggro radius, these stealthy ones will jump down from the ceiling and ambush you. One even ambushes you right after you use a cramped elevator, and follows you out of said elevator despite not following you in.

 

=== Stealth Based Game ===

* The ''[[Assassin's Creed]]'' series naturally has its share of them. ''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]'' and ''[[Assassin's Creed Rogue]]'' have Stalkers, mooks that blend into the civilian population and attempt to [[Back Stab]] the player character. They can be revealed with Eagle Vision.

 

=== Tower Defense ===

* The ''[[Bloons Tower Defense]]'' series has the Camo Bloon, which first appears in ''[[Bloons Tower Defense 4]]''. In its initial appearance, it is around the same level as Black and White Bloons, and can only be actively targeted by a tower or monkey with camouflage detection - they can still be hit and popped by collateral damage from area-of-effect attacks. ''[[Bloons Tower Defense 5]]'' and ''[[Bloons Tower Defense 6|6]]'' make Camo a "trait" applicable to any non-MOAB Bloon, and Camo Bloons cannot be targeted ''or damaged'' by towers without camo detection.

 

=== Turn-Based Strategy ===

* ''[[XCOM: Enemy Within]]'' has Seekers, which turn invisible when first encountered and attempt to sneak up on isolated troopers to strangle them.

 

=== Other Game Genres ===

* The ''[[Luigi's Mansion (series)|Luigi's Mansion]]'' series has several ghosts that fit the bill:

* Fool Eaters from ''[[Hollow Knight]]'' are [[Man-Eating Plant|giant carnivorous plants]] that lie in wait for prey, hiding their open jaws among the heavy foliage of Greenpath. Once you step on them, you've got ''maybe'' a second to get the hell out of dodge before it bites you, and the only warning you get is a faint rustling sound.

* Stalkers from ''[[Horizon Zero Dawn]]'' are deadly ambush predators, utilizing cloaking technology while hunting their prey. Even when you go into places that are identified as Stalker territory on your map, chances are you won't find them. ''They'll'' find ''you'', likely because you triggered one of the alarm mines they've got laying around, or bumped right into one of these invisible menaces while trying to find a patch of tall grass to hide in.

 

== [[Western Animation]] ==

 

{{reflist}}