The Stoic: Difference between revisions

{{quote|''"...How wasteful... Such emotions are but mere illusions. And, like all illusions, they fade over time until death banishes them forever. That is why I have abandoned all emotions as useless sentimentality."''|'''Cyrus''', ''[[Pokémon Diamond and Pearl (Video Game)|Pokémon Diamond and Pearl]]''}}

He can be in the middle of a gunfight, his best friend's bachelor party, or a helpless witness to the death of everyone and everything he holds dear... and he'll show all the emotional reaction of a victim of a Botox overdose. Though the silent warrior has roots stretching back to [[The Drifter]] in Westerns and farther back, [['''The Stoic]]''' differentiates himself in that he's not quiet out of contemplation or introversion, but because he's so tough that he doesn't ''need'' to emote (or so the writer would like you to [[Ineffectual Loner|think]]).

[['''The Stoic]]''' is not necessarily [[The Quiet One]]. While [['''The Stoic]]''' may be low key and quiet, more often than not he's just as talkative as anyone else. Another difference is that while [[The Quiet One]] does feel and display emotion (albeit less vocally and regularly, but makes up for it with deeper pathos), [['''The Stoic]]''' is so utterly devoid of any semblance of human emotion that he borders on being a true [[Tin Man]] or [[The Spock]]. Whether he has emotion or not varies, but he will invariably refuse to ever show it.

They can be [[Heroes]], antagonists or [[Anti-Hero|anti-heroes]]es. In a [[Five-Man Band]] he might be [[The Lancer]] or [[The Big Guy]]. His quiet demeanor tends towards the brusque or outright rudeness, though there are a few [[Nice Guy|polite]] Stoics. Mostly writers (ab)use it to give the impression of a lot going on inside and cultivate an air of mystery and to confuse other characters with cryptic one-liners.

The Stoic does [[Not So Stoic|sometimes display emotion]] when under extreme stress or in other highly emotional situations, but their usual repertoire consists of mild boredom, detached interest, [[Dull Surprise]] or dignified disdain. He may be a [[Deadpan Snarker]], or simply have [[No Sense of Humor]]. If he ever shows true emotion, it's likely to be explosive in its intensity and reveal that he's [[Not So Stoic]]. The tougher sort of stoic may hide it so thoroughly that only his having [[Bad Dreams]] show any of it. As opposed to [[Frozen Face]], where the emotions appear absent because they do not alter his expression, even in the highly emotional situations. A few stoics might calmly pipe up that [[Did You Think I Can't Feel?|they have feelings and opinions too]] when they're taken for granted, they just aren't effusive about it.

* The [[Aloof Big Brother]] type, seen mostly in anime, chooses to act this way either as a personal philosophy or as an outgrowth of his base personality.

[[Trope Maker|The]] [http://en.[wikipedia.org/wiki/:Stoicism |Stoics]] in [[Older Than Feudalism|ancient Greece]] were philosophers who believed that self-control and detachment from emotion and passion would give them greater insight in their quest for truth. Stoics would later be criticized for denying themselves [["Stop Having Fun!" Guys|and others]] any kind of earthly pleasure or silliness in life.

* Paptimus Scirocco, the [[Big Bad]] of ''[[Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (Anime)|Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam]]''. In spite of his ability to manipulate emotions and his extreme sensitivity to them as a Newtype, he displays open contempt for the emotional and prides himself on his stoic nature.

* Major Kusanagi from ''[[Ghost in Thethe Shell: Stand Alone Complex]]'' rarely displays much emotion at all. If you do manage to make her angry, though, be ''very'' afraid.

** Objection! This is definately the case for her movie incarnation, but in the series, as well as the original manga she's quite snarky and often amused by the antics of her squadmates. She becomes this trope only when things get really serious.

* Keith Gandor of ''[[Baccano (Light Novel)|Baccano!]]!'' has a perpetual frowning expression throughout the entire series, as well as [[The Speechless|never even talking]] once in the entire anime. This is taken even farther in the light novels, where it's revealed that he's known for going ''years'' without speaking.

* Much of ''[[Full Metal Panic!]]'' is spent having Sagara Sousuke [[Character Development|slowly get over this trope]]. In canon, he's repeatedly shown to be one of, if not ''the'' most stoic characters in the series (shown to start breaking from it only closer to the end). Even the villains of the series are not as stoic as him (as they are either psychotically gleeful and [[Ax Crazy|have a lust for violence]], or they're depressed individuals [[Wangst|wangstingwangst]]ing in their emotional turmoil).

** Byakuya Kuchiki. He has smiled on-screen only once. If Byakuya shows any serious emotion at all, it is treated as something very surprising. Characters were amazed when he made a ''joke''.

** Ulquiorra from the same series also counts.

** Nico Robin of ''[[One Piece]]'',. Even when she is just as freaked out as the rest of her crew mates are, normal based expressions are on her face. Even Eichiro Oda states that she is the only one with normal expressions.

* Jo from ''[[Burst Angel / [[Bakuretsu Tenshi]]''. When she's fighting, she's the biggest badass in the world. When not, she's usually quiet and inexpressive.

* Jin of ''[[Samurai Champloo]]'' seems to be the incarnate of [[The Stoic]].

* Kambei Shimada from ''[[Samurai Seven|Samurai 7]]'', "He has the eyes of a dead man." according to a Nobuseri. Kyuzo even more so.

* Jotaro Kujo from ''[[Jo JoJoJo's Bizarre Adventure (Manga)|JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 3]]''. This is intentional on his part: he thinks people will know his mood no matter what he does, so he's very unemotional, except when he's pushed too far.

* Afro from ''[[Afro Samurai (Anime)|Afro Samurai]]''.

* Trowa Barton from ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam Wing (Anime)|Gundam Wing]]''. After losing his family in the war, Trowa was on his own until about age four and didn't even know how to talk until other humans found him. Even a decade later, he seems surprised whem something affects him emotionally (as seen when he cries after [[If You're So Evil Eat This Kitten|being ordered to destroy his friend Duo's Gundam]].

** Protagonist Heero Yuy is stoic, but calling him '''The''' Stoic isn't quite right ([[Kuudere]] is more appropriate). While he thinks that emotions get you killed on the battlefield, he says they're needed the rest of the time. He exhibits a normal (if subdued) emotional range,<ref>such as [https://web.archive.org/web/20130604052130/http://aboutgundamwing.com/SC/SC06/vlcsnap-75159.jpg surprise], [https://web.archive.org/web/20130604030437/http://aboutgundamwing.com/SC/SC34/vlcsnap-81467.jpg fear], and [https://web.archive.org/web/20130604033210/http://aboutgundamwing.com/SC/SC48/vlcsnap-239993.jpg happiness]</ref>, and his self-stated life philosophy is "Live by your emotions". Most of the confusion stems from English voice actor [[Mark Hildreth]] being told to play the character as stiff and robotic, combined with [[Flanderization]]; this is obviously less of a problem in the Japanese version, where [[Hikaru Midorikawa]] delivered a subdued but still emotional performance.

* Chrono of ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha]]'' has the same serious expression when he's giving orders, instructions, [[The Comically Serious|jokes]], [[Compliment Backfire|compliments, and criticisms]], though he mellows out after the [[Time Skip]]. According to the [[All There in the Manual|Sound Stages]], he was even more of a stoic before meeting [[Official Couple|Amy]]. He subsequently lightens up more after Fate is adopted into his family as his younger sister, and in ''[[StrikerMagical SGirl (Anime)Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS|Striker S]]'', it's suggested that he's closer to being like a kid than he was in his actual childhood.

** Better occasion: at one point, he gets his arm cut off. He's not worried at all, since apparently, [[Good Thing You Can Heal|he can regenerate/reattach it perfectly well]], but his [[Harem|haremettesharem]]ettes promptly freak the eff out. How does he try to calm them down? Use his severed arm to [[Pet the Dog|pat the head]] of the [[Catgirl]] of the harem. All with a rather dead expression on his face. It's [[Crowning Moment of Funny|rather hilarious]]. Two of the other haremettes actually point this out:

{{quote| '''Shirabe''':F... Fate-sama actually attempting physical humor?<br />

* Inspector Lunge of ''[[Monster (Animemanga)|Monster]]'' appears to have entirely shut off his emotions -- Somethingemotions—Something that makes him an excellent detective, but a ''horrible'' husband and father.

* Thorfinn of ''[[Vinland Saga]]'' likes to think he's the Stoic, being gruff and rude to nearly everyone, but in his heart he's as much of a [[Hot -Blooded]] [[Screaming Warrior]] as any of the other Vikings. His father on the other hand, now he was a true Stoic.

* Lantis from ''[[Magic Knight Rayearth]]'' classifies as this big time!

* Riza Hawkeye from ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist (Mangamanga)|Fullmetal Alchemist]]''.

* Seto Kaiba from ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh (Animeanime)|Yu-Gi-Oh]]'' (much more so in the anime than in the [[Yu-Gi-Oh! (Mangamanga)|manga]], in which he was prone to maniacal laughter in each duel he played.)

** An Expy of Kaiba in ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! GX (Animeanime)|Yu-Gi-Oh GX]]'', Ryo Marufuji is certainly this. Protagonist Judai himself becomes this after his [[Despair Event Horizon]] in contrast to [[Blithe Spirit|his earlier mannerisms]].

*** Then Yusei Fudo from ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! 5 Ds (Anime)5D's|Yu-Gi-Oh 5 Ds]]'' is stoic from the start, but will occasionally let out a small smile. Ironically, his rival Jack, another Kaiba expy, is more emotional at times than the main protagonist. Yusei does show more emotion as time goes by, though.

* Nabuca from ''[[Now and Then, Here Andand There]]'' constructs a stoic facade to help him cope with the fact that he's [[Child Soldiers|been a mass murderer since the age of five]]

* [[Kenichi: theThe Mightiest Disciple]] has Akisame the [[Warrior Poet]], who practically never loses his cool. There's also [[Lady of War|Shigure]], who has smiled only ''twice'' so far. (And both times only to Kenichi!)

* Every single contractor in ''[[Darker Thanthan Black]]''. It's one of their defining characteristics. Bonus points go to Hei in particular for being an [[Anti-Hero]] with a [[Badass Longcoat]]. [[Subverted Trope|However]], most of them also seem to have one [[Berserk Button]] that [[Not So Stoic|blows the whole thing to hell]]. Kirihara is also a stoic and she isn't a contractor.

* Tabitha in ''[[ZeroThe noFamiliar Tsukaimaof (Light Novel)|Zero no Tsukaima]]'' is robotically stoic.

* Doumeki from ''[[Xxx HO Li C (Anime)×××HOLiC|Xxx HO Li C]]''

* Miharu from ''[[Nabari no Ou]]''.

* Shinji aka Paul from ''[[Pokémon (Animeanime)|Pokémon]]'' fits this trope to a T.

* [[White-Haired Pretty Boy|Eyes Rutherford]] from ''[[Spiral]]''. The anime version is this: angsts a lot but has absolutely no facial change. In the manga, his first appearances make him a snarky brat who takes glee in creeping out people, but later on he becomes more this. Although he ''does'' smile a few times, the ''one'' time he cries ''one'' tear is a [[Serious Business|big fucking deal]]. He in fact decided, as a child, that since crying didn't help at all from losing important things, he was better off a "bloodless, tearless demon". Thus, his much more emotional [[Heterosexual Life Partners|"best friend"]] Kanone [[He Will Not Cry, So I Cry for Him|agreed to cry in his place.]]

* ''[[Area no Kishi (Manga)|Area no Kishi]]'': Aizawa Suguru is known for his generally stoic attitude and for, as his younger brother Kakeru put it, "[[Memetic Mutation|never changing facial expressions.]]"

* Kannami Yûichi in ''[[The Sky Crawlers]]'' seems laid back more than anything, but never acts any differently, whether he's gulping beer with his buddies, in the middle of a dogfight or learning {{spoiler|that he is an immortal clone-soldier, and has been killed countless of times, only to be resurrected with full set of skills but no personal memories.}}

* Naru and his assistant Lin in ''[[Ghost Hunt (Manga)|Ghost Hunt]]''.

* Kuroko of ''[[Kuroko no Basuke (Manga)|Kuroko no Basuke]]''.

* [[Batman (Comic Book)|Batman]], generally.

{{quote| '''Terry:''' What was Batman like when you knew him?<br />

* [[X -Men|Cyclops]]. To such an extent that he was able to beat Evil Psychic Superman in a mind fight through sheer self-control.

{{quote| '''Professor X:''' Amazing. Scott, you've... you've completely contained the Void in some kind of psychic prison.<br />

* Subverted in ''[[Quantum and Woody]]'' by Quantum. He ''wants'' to be [[The Stoic]], but inevitably fails when his partner Woody goads him into overreacting.

* Theron Mahariel in ''[[Dragon Age: theThe Crown of Thorns]]''.

* Sonata from ''[[Turnabout Storm (Fanfic)|Turnabout Storm]]''; a [[Ice Queen|cold]] and straight-to-the-point [[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (Animation)|unicorn]]. [[Ace Attorney (Visual Novel)|Phoenix]] remarks how she's incredibly intimidating for a pony.

* Andy Dufresne in ''[[The Shawshank Redemption]]''.

* Any role [[Keanu Reeves]] has ever played (except Theodore "Ted" Logan). Come to think of it, all the {-(main-}) characters of ''[[The Matrix]]'' movies are [[The Stoic]].

* Bruce Banner in the [[The Incredible Hulk (Filmfilm)|The Incredible Hulk]] film, for all emotion, not just anger. Because otherwise... [[Unstoppable Rage|y'know]]...

* ''[[Inglourious Basterds|]]'': Hugo Stiglitz]], at least until {{spoiler|the scene where he dies}}, where he begins to [[Not So Stoic|show some visible anger]].

* ''[[The Man Who Fell to Earth]]'' has [[Alien Among Us]] Thomas Jerome Newton, who is ''much'' more stoic than in the book. Despite him {{spoiler|slipping into alcoholism, failing his planet, letting his family die, and losing the only thing he has left to love}} he never sheds a tear; when emotions crack his facade they are most often borne of fear and/or physical pain.

* In ''[[Edge of Darkness (2010 (Filmfilm)|Edge of Darkness]]'', the protagonist Craven is a former Vietnam vet who can't understand why others "make such a big deal" out of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and shows little outward signs of his emotions during his [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge]] aside from a brief breakdown after his daughter Elle's murder.

* ''[[Twilight (Literaturenovel)|Twilight]]'' has Bella. You can count her different facial expressions on one hand and she raises her voice a grand total of about two times during the entire first movie.

** It's probably due to the fact that Bella, in the book, is a self insert character. As a result, in the film, she's left as blank as possible so the viewer can watch and project her own feelings into the character... at least, that's one possibility.

* [[Big Bad|Cutler Beckett]] from [[Pirates of the Caribbean]] hardly ever shows any emotion other than cold-blooded condescension, even when he's got a ''loaded gun'' pointed at his face by someone who very clearly wants to have any excuse to pull the trigger. This stands out in particular compared to [[World of Ham|the rest of the cast]].

* Subject of an [[One-Scene Wonder|amusing bit]] in ''[[ItsIt's aA Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World]]'', where Sylvester's unnamed girlfriend maintains a perfect stone face while go-go dancing in a bikini.

* An example of a female protagonist who is both stoic (badass) and [[Emotionless Girl|emotionless]] (otherworldly) simultaneously: Matsu from the ''[[Joshuu Sasori (Film)|Joshuu Sasori]]'' series. In this case, she's the type whose stoicism complements her mental invulnerability.

* Shadow from ''[[American Gods (Literature)|American Gods]]'' is a stoic who sees the most remarkable things and doesn't even care enough to wonder about what they are or why they happen.

* Roose Bolton from ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]'' is notable in a series full of stoic characters, speaking with a quiet monotone and having a face that looks like a pale timeless mask for which all emotions appear similar. Bolton uses leeches to suck away the "bad blood" of anger and other messy emotions, and calmly mentions the certainty of his future sons being killed by his bastard intent on succession. He's not concerned by this as he knows he will not live long enough to train his future sons to manhood, and "boy lords are the bane of any house."

* Victor in [[John C. Wright]]'s ''[[Chronicles of Chaos (Literature)|Chronicles of Chaos]]''. Even capable of announcing that, of course, how much pain an event would cause is not a factor in making decisions.

** This is a type Wright is fond of: from his ''[[The Golden Oecumene (Literature)|Golden Age]]'' series, we have Helion, who unflinchingly faces {{spoiler|being repeatedly burned to death in pursuit of a memory}} and Atkins, who only [[Not So Stoic|loses]] his temper once.

* In [[Dan Abnett]]'s [[GauntsGaunt's Ghosts]] novel ''Only In Death'', we are explicitly told that Ezsrah's people show no emotion and particularly [[Men Don't Cry|no sorrow]]. Then, this is borne out by his actions throughout, and in particular in that scene. Ludd, [[Manly Tears|his eyes red and tearful]], told him of Gaunt's death, and he just nodded and walked away.

{{quote| ''Sleepwalkers showed no emotion. It was part of their way.''}}

* In [[James Swallow]]'s [[Warhammer 4000040,000]] [[Horus Heresy]] novel ''The Flight of the Eisenstein'', Sendek prized his self-control, and had a friend who jested about how he took "stoic" to new levels. Making his [[Not So Stoic]] moment at [[The Reveal]] a deep underscore of how little they believed it.

* Mildmay from Sarah Monette's series ''[[Doctrine of Labyrinths (Literature)|Doctrine of Labyrinths]]''. Even in an underground {{spoiler|labyrinth made by ancient worshippers of an evil goddess, he stays completely calm}}.

* Perhaps the greatest example of this trope is Hans from ''[[Journey to Thethe CentreCenter of Thethe Earth]]''. He not only agrees on the spot to go with the main characters down a giant lava tube to hell, but isn't even fazed by it. {{spoiler|He saves the two other explorers several times, and manages to remain deadly calm even when almost dying of thirst.}}

* Cato from Colleen Mccullough's [[Masters of Rome]] ''wants'' to be this. [http://en.[wikipedia.org/wiki/Cato_the_Younger:Cato the Younger|The real Cato]] was a stoic philosopher who was/is famous for being [[Incorruptible Pure Pureness|incorruptible]] and [[Your Mileage May Vary|an ardent defender of Republican ideals]] during Rome's transition into an Empire. In contrast Mccullough's portrayal of him is extremely negative. He is portrayed as a fanatical stoic who single handedly leads Italy into Civil War due to his irrational hatred of Caesar and [[Status Quo Is God|rabid obsession with the mos maiorum]]. In his private life he is a deeply unhappy alcoholic who suppresses his emotions out of fear of being hurt.

* Phileas Fogg in ''[[Around the World Inin Eighty Days]]''.

* Michael in Anne Tyler's ''The Amateur Marriage'', so much so that it causes a ''lot'' of tension between him and his [[Genki Girl]] wife Pauline. He ends up divorcing her and marrying a female Stoic. Macon in ''The Accidental Tourist'' also qualifies (in fact, he comes from a ''family'' of Stoics), as does [[Deadpan Snarker|Sam]] in ''Ladder Of Years'', although he's [[Not So Stoic]] after his wife walks out.

* [[The Jeeves|Jeeves]] from ''[[Jeeves and Wooster (Literaturenovel)|Jeeves and Wooster]]'' has complete and utter imperturbability as his chief character trait, probably because [[The Chessmaster|he's usually fully in control]] of whatever [[Zany Scheme]] is going on at the moment. His rather excitable master constantly wonders how he does it. Notably, he doesn't smile--hesmile—he "muscle spasms".

* Asher in ''[[Someone Else's War (Literature)|Someone Elses War]]''. Matteo himself initially seems like one; it turns out to be a facade hiding his [[Hot -Blooded|reckless nature]].

{{quote| '''Oz''': ''(thinking)'' I am my thoughts. If they exist in her, Buffy contains everything that is me. She becomes me. I cease to exist.<br />

* Upon being told to just sit and wait in ''[[Community (TV)|Community]]'' episode "[[Community (TV)/Recap/S1 /E04 Social Psychology|Social Psychology]]" , while everyone else around him ends up throwing childish tantrums and storming out, Abed just calmly, without expressing any apparent emotion, sits and waits. For ''twenty-six hours''.

{{quote| '''Professor Duncan''': ''[Watching video footage of Abed sitting perfectly still, staring into space]'' ... Is it on pause?!<br />

* SSA Aaron Hotchner of ''[[Criminal Minds (TV)|Criminal Minds]]''. Has been known to occasionally crack a wry smile or get sniffly with/about his young son, but when he's on the job? All business, to the point where he [[NoWon't Work On SellMe|doesn't even blink]] when a serial killer fires a gun at him from point-blank range.

* ''[[Dollhouse (TV)|Dollhouse]]'s'' Laurence Dominic wears this badge for a while.

{{quote| '''Topher Brink''': ''[laughs nervously]'' There's no way Dom would consciously try and have fun!}}

* Aeryn Sun from ''[[Farscape (TV)|Farscape]]'', especially at the start; though she gradually moves away from this, she periodically reverts to [[The Stoic]] as a defense mechanism. No matter how dangerous the situation is, she remains calm and in control. In a war zone, carrying her newborn baby, with a psycopathic scarran pointing a gun at her husband's head, she simply shoots the scarran and deadpans "It's a boy. In case you were wondering."

* Zoe, from ''[[Firefly (TV)|Firefly]]''.

{{quote| '''Wash''': So, I'm Zoe. Now, what do I do? <br />

'''Mal''': Probably not talk quite so much. <br />

* [[House (TV series)|House]] is borderline: he's stoic most of the time, but then every so often is given to some pretty extreme mugging. True stoics don't do things like holler with exaggerated passion "YOU CAN'T STOP OUR LOVE!!!" over a room full of hospital execs in order to embarrass their intended object.

* Dr. Juliet Burke from ''[[Lost (TV)|Lost]]'' is of the [[Badass]] variety. [[Not So Stoic|Unless someone dies or she talks about her sister]].

* ''[[Myth Busters (TV)|Myth BustersMythBusters]]'': Jamie Hyneman.

{{quote| '''Adam Savage:''' [sarcastically] You know, it's when you get really excited that I get really nervous, so if you could calm down just a little bit...}}

* Gibbs and Ziva from ''[[NCIS (TV)|NCIS]]''. For example, in the season six episode "Dead Reckoning," Ziva and Tony are protecting a witness, and hitmen are on their way to the safehouse. Ziva calls Gibbs to tell him about the situation, putting the phone on speaker and setting it down as she pulls out two handguns. Her voice never changes as she talks to Gibbs:

{{quote| '''Ziva:''' We have a situation at the safehouse.<br />

'''Gibbs:''' Well, yeah, Ziva. What is it?<br />

'''Ziva:''' Just a second. ''([The hitmen break in through two different doors, and Ziva [[Guns Akimbo|shoots them both dead]] before they can react.)<br />]''

'''Gibbs:''' Ziva? Ziva! Ziva, talk to me!<br />

'''Ziva:''' Under control. ''([hangs up)]'' }}

* Wyatt, the new executive agent of the company in ''[[Prison Break (TV)|Prison Break]]'' is this and a [[Scary Black Man]] ''because'' of it.

*** Strictly speaking, Antony was probably using the term in the political/philosophical sense and not the general modern term, as Vorenus, a largely-unreconstructed Catonian, does subscribe to a Stoic philosophy.

* One episode of ''[[Scrubs (TV)|Scrubs]]'' featured a memorable quick-flash montage depicting various types of patients. One of them is a stone-faced Japanese sushi chef, with an enormous bloody knife sticking out of his shoulder: "Does ''what'' hurt?"

* Col. Jack O'Neill on ''[[Stargate SG-1 (TV)|Stargate SG-1]]'' is very much a Stoic, having barely ever cracked even a smirk. He makes up for it by being one darn funny [[Deadpan Snarker]] though.

{{quote| '''O'Neill:''' Jaffa...jokes?<br />

'''Teal'c:''' I shall attempt to translate one for you. A Horus Guard, a Serpent Guard, and a Setesh Guard meet on a neutral planet. The Horus Guard's beak glistens. The Serpent Guard's eyes glow. The Setesh Guard's...''nose drips''.<br />

* Spock from ''[[Star Trek: the Original Series (TV)|Star Trek theThe Original Series]]'' is one of the most famous examples of the Stoic (even has his [[The Spock|own trope]]).

* ''[[Supernatural (TV series)|Supernatural]]'': Hi there, Castiel. No, really, he has no clue how to show emotion, which isn't true for the other [[Our Angels Are Different|angels]].

* Captain Apollo, from the classic ''[[Battlestar Galactica Classic (1978 TV series)|the classic ''Battlestar Galactica]]'']], tends to be this in the majority of the episodes.

* The Dark Angels, a Chapter of [[Space Marine|Space Marines]]s in ''[[Warhammer 40000|Warhammer 40,000]]'' pretty much exemplify this trope, along with [[The Atoner]]. They have a long-standing feud with the [[Boisterous Bruiser|Space Wolves]] that stems from their differences in personality inherited from their Primarchs.

* Kopaka from ''[[Bionicle]]'' is a textbook example, with [[Personality Powers]] [[An Ice Person|to boot]].

{{quote| Reaper: "I'm bleeding. That's cool."}}

* Raiden, in ''[[Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots]]''. Compared to his... emotionality in ''[[Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty]]'', he's quiet and deadly calm, the epitome of the perfect killing machine.

* {{spoiler|Golbez}} winds up as [[The Stoic]] in ''[[Final Fantasy IV: theThe After Years]]''.

* Llyud, and the Aegyl in ''[[Final Fantasy XII Revenant Wings|Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings]]''. {{spoiler|Mostly due to their anima having been stripped}}

{{quote| "I cannot even understand why you cry."}}

* JC Denton from ''[[Deus Ex (Video Game)|Deus Ex]]'', although talks frequently compared to others, shows VERY little emotion when speaking. He might as well be a robot, but then again...''[[Cybernetics Eat Your Soul]]''

{{quote| '''{{spoiler|Bob Page}}:''' I will burn like the brightest star!<br />

* Agent 47 from the ''[[Hitman]]'' series.

** The [[Alternate Universe]] ''Maximum Impact'' has several characters (Soiree and the [[Genki Girl|Genki Girls]]s Yuri and Kula) who try to cheer up the cast's stoics before their fights. The responses range from K' dismissing them to Iori making a death threat.

* If he's not REALLY pissed off, Roxas from ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'' pretty much fits into this trope, but considering {{spoiler|he's a Nobody and therefore has no true emotions}}, it's understandable. {{spoiler|Not quite since Sora was seen with a couple of tears when he was leaving the world at the beginning of the game, tears that were most likely Roxas's.}} He's a bit better about it in [[Kingdom Hearts: Three Five Eight358/2 Days Over Two|his own midquel]], but that's usually only when he's around Axel and Xion and just does his work without fuss for most of the game. Then comes [[Downer Ending|the]] [[Tear Jerker|final]] [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge|missions]]...

* Jade Curtiss from ''[[Tales of the Abyss (Video Game)|Tales of the Abyss]]'' is [[The Stoic]] and the [[Deadpan Snarker]] ''and'' the [[Stepford Smiler]]. He is both awesome and rather creepy.

* Veigue Lungberg from ''[[Tales of Rebirth (Video Game)|Tales of Rebirth]]'' is the epitome of this trope within the ''[[Tales Series(series)]]''. How bad is it? For one, he is the only character who doesn't have a smiling frame in the skits, and the only time he ever smiled was in one anime cutscene. And it was a tiny, very reserved smile. His gloominess is even constantly mocked by the other party members, especially [[Keet|Mao]].

{{quote| '''Tytree''': If we hang around in a dark place like this, then we're gonna end up gloomy just like Veigue here!<br />

'''Mao''': No~, anything but that!<br />

* ''[[Team Fortress 2 (Video Game)|Team Fortress 2]]'''s Heavy is described as this, but he cheers up once he starts killing people. And of course, when we see him, he's ''always'' killing people.

* Presea Combatir progresses from [[Emotionless Girl]] in ''[[Tales of Symphonia (Video Game)|Tales of Symphonia]]'' to this trope in the sequel, where within a minute of making her first appearance, she bullshits a group of guards into believing they'd be victims of a ''horrible'' (and ''[[Yes but What Does Zataproximetacine DO|weird]]'') curse if they opened the iron maiden that the heroine was hiding in prematurely...[[Crowning Moment of Funny|only for it to be revealed that there was a trick back in there anyway, and she pretty much just bluffed the baddies for the hell of it.]] And doesn't break a smile or drop the [[Creepy Monotone]] ''once''.

** In his [[Flashback Nightmare|Flashback Nightmares]]s, it's revealed he has an excuse: {{spoiler|Due to his emotions, he chickened out of [[Mercy Kill|mercy killing]] his bandit partner, leaving him to a painful, torturous death.}}

* [[Blue Blood|Rac]][[Stealth Mentor|hel]] [[Our Vampires Are Different|Alu]][[Elegant Gothic Lolita|card]] of ''[[Blaz BlueBlazBlue]]'', as well as her companion [[Battle Butler|Valke]][[Our Werewolves Are Different|nhayn]] [[Mysterious Middle Initial|R.]] [[Retired Badass|Hell]][[Badass Grandpa|sing]], are generally aloof and reserved throughout the games. This stands out a lot since ''[[Blaz BlueBlazBlue]]'' is a [[World of Ham]] filled to the brim with [[Hot -Blooded]] [[Large Ham|Large Hams]]s [[No Indoor Voice|who can't keep their voices down]]. Even then, they have [[Not So Stoic|their moments]].

* M in ''[[Shikkoku no Sharnoth (Visual Novel)|Shikkoku no Sharnoth]]''. The only times he displays strong emotions is when he is destroying his foes. He does not really appear to ''understand'' emotion in some way.

* Rider in ''[[Fate/stay Stay Nightnight]]''. First she's an antagonist that smiles one time at the fact that Shirou isn't as big of a [[Jerkass]] as Shinji, then she dies without expressing anything but a mild disdain for Saber's much stronger distaste for her. No part in UBW. HF gives her the emotional range of emotionless (and unnerving to Shirou with it) to mild frown to very slight smile. {{spoiler|The strongest reactions are when people are honestly appreciative/complimentary of her where she becomes almost flabbergasted. But then again, she has a backstory that turned Medusa into a [[Woobie]], so yeah. Even then she masks it. She's more outgoing in the True End of HF though.}}

* Zz'dtri, Vaarsuvius's evil counterpart in ''[[Order of the Stick]]'', barely talks and keeps a straight face almost at all times. He does however let out an evil grin every once in a while. It's meant to make him a foil to Vaarsuvius' [[Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness]].

* Antimony Carver and Miss Jones from ''[[Gunnerkrigg Court (Webcomic)|Gunnerkrigg Court]]''.

* In ''[[Cry Havoc]]'' Lieutenant Sarg and to a lesser degree Karcharoth of [[Cry Havoc]].

* ([[Embarrassing First Name|Tiffany]]) Susan Pompoms of ''[[El Goonish Shive (Webcomic)|El Goonish Shive]]'' is the rare female [[Shell-Shocked Veteran]], although her Vulcan "shoulder angel" would have you think of ''[[The Spock|another]]'' related trope.

* ''[[Girl Genius|]]:'' Airman Third Class Axel Higgs]] has faced everything from airship crashes to angry swans to rampaging warrior Clanks with a cool head and a talent for thinking on his feet. The only thing that appears to faze him is Zeetha (who, to be fair to Higgs, gleefully dove into a barfight composed entirely of Jagermonsters - [[Super Soldier]]s, most of whom have ''centuries'' of combat experience).

* The [[No Name Given|nameless]] [[Our Zombies Are Different|zombie]] [[Narrator]] of ''[[Hanna Is Not a BoysBoy's Name]]'' does show emotion. Sometimes. He's a master of the [[Fascinating Eyebrow]], has been known to look pretty alarmed when it's unavaidable, and gets visibly [[Kuudere|upset when Hanna has been harmed]]. However, Hanna keeps track of how many times he's seen him smile, and it doesn't come out to much. He also doesn't care much at all about the fact he's lost his memory.

* ''Raizel'' from ''[[Noblesse]]'', who spoke as much as (or even less than) random throwaway villains over the course of 185 chapters. His facial expression ''never''changes, and the most emotional he ever got was during his [[Tranquil Fury]] moment.

* Slade, Raven and Robin from ''[[Teen Titans (Animationanimation)|Teen Titans]]''.

* Craig from ''[[South Park]]'' is like this, usually when he's flipping people off. Although he frowns and shouts at other people, sometimes. Or [[Anti-Hero|smiles malevolently]] when he wants to beat someone.

** Mysterion tends to fit this trope since his demeanor is similar to Batman's. He only loses his stoicism when people don't take him seriously or when he is talking to the Coon. He only smiles and laughs once when he tries to piss off the Coon with the group name of his superhero friends.

{{quote| '''Sokka:''' Are you happy now?<br />

* In [[Men in Black (Animationanimation)|Men In Black: The Series]] K was made to this, while he is almost similar to movie counter part, his animated version take it [[Up to Eleven]].

* In typology tests such as the [[Myers -Briggs]], personalities with IxTx-dominant functions (that is, ''I''ntroverted ''T''hinkers) are often stereotyped under this trope.

* Schizoid personality disorder involves detachment from social relationships and a restricted range of emotional expression. Sound familiar? [http[wikipedia://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affirming_the_consequentAffirming the consequent|Yes, it does.]]

** One of the signs of disorganized schizophrenia (not the fun kind) is "flat affect," which is the psych term for the lack of or an inability to express emotions.

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20151106195315/http://rumorator.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Amber_lamps.jpg Amber Lamps.]

* During the [[Arab -Israeli Conflict|Yom Kippur War]] "Dado" Elazar specifically ordered that no casualties names be reported to headquarters unless it was of military importance that they be known. This was because several of the officers present had their own sons in the fighting. In this case it was almost literal Stoicism: it was the sort of order a Roman commander might have given.

[[Category:TheIntroversion StoicTropes]]

[[Category:TropeAll the Tropes Superhero Team]]