History Main / AlertnessBlink

* ''Manga/DetectiveConan'' Sometimes, when Conan figures out the crime, the background goes black and a lightning-esque thing flashes behind him.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

* ''LightNovel/OokamiSan To Shichinin No Nakamatachi'' has an example in the first episode.

[[folder:Film]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/Frozen2013'', the Trolls blink twice during the song 'Fixer Upper' when Kristoff loudly informs them that Anna, whom they have spent the whole song trying to hook up with him, is engaged to someone else.

[[folder:Webcomics]]

* MickeyMouse commonly invokes [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mickeymousesurprised_3257.png this trope.]]

* In WesternAnimation/TeenTitans this occurs frequently right when a Titan notices they're about to be attacked by a villain.
* In WesternAnimation/TotallySpies this occurs when the spies are about to be hit by a villain or when they spot a hot guy.

More often than not, associated with the realization of something that leads to CrossPoppingVeins, LuminescentBlush, BlankWhiteEyes, ColorFailure, or the like. BeamOfEnlightenment is a similar idea, but used differently. IdeaBulb is also similar.

* ''LightNovel/TheTriskelionInTheDesertedCityOfTokyo'': An illustration showing Kasuga Koyama and Tokiko Yodoyabashi has the former display an exclamation mark behind his head when Setsuna Karasuma grabs them both from behind.

* ''Series/TheAmazingSpiderMan'', the 1978 live-action TV series starring Nicholas Hammond, actually managed to pull off a live-action version of this trope to indicate when Spider-Man's spider sense went off. They'd intercut photo-negative images with the color-corrected images for a few seconds, creating the same effect as a standard Alertness Blink.

* In ''{{Disney/Frozen}}'', the Trolls blink twice during the song 'Fixer Upper' when Kristoff loudly informs them that Anna, whom they have spent the whole song trying to hook up with him, is engaged to someone else.

* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'', the old man on Windfall Island who asks you to look for his daughter makes the sound and flashes the symbol every time you get in range for him to ask you again. Can reach MostAnnoyingSound levels, since he stands right outside the entrance to the main part of the island and you'll have to tap though his dialogue if he gets close enough to you. Fortunately, he stops doing it when his daughter is rescued.

[[folder:LiveActionTV]]

* Used throughout the ''VideoGame/{{Pokemon Mystery Dungeon}} series (Both blink and chirp).

* The ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' games use the '''!''' version on opposing trainers when they see the player and engage them in battle.

[[folder: Webcomics]]

* ''Manga/ShinryakuIkaMusume'' features it in the OP and occasionally in episodes.

* ''Franchise/ProfessorLayton'' also uses '''!''' whenever you click on a puzzle location. If you're just talking to someone, or examining an object that's important enough to get more than just the usual comment boxes but doesn't have a puzzle, it just results in a "\|/" series of lines.

* In {{Disney/Frozen}}, the Trolls blink twice during the song 'Fixer Upper' when Kristoff loudly informs them that Anna, whom they have spent the whole song trying to hook up with him, is engaged to someone else.

* ''[[Anime/CuteyHoney Re: Cutey Honey]]'' has it too.

* In ''BreathOfFireIII'', you can [[PowerCopying try to learn some monster's powers]]; if the skill is learned, you get a '''!''' over the character's head; if you get a '''?''' instead it means the skill can't be learned. In the game's OverworldNotToScale if you get a '''!''' over your head it means you found a random combat area; a '''?''' indicates a secret location.

* The '''[[ScareChord !]]''' in ''Franchise/MetalGear'' is a variation.

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]

* Omnipresent in''Manga/SeitokaiYakuindomo''.

One common variation (often found in video games) is a '''!''' rather than a random flash of light. There's also the "little crown" variation, most seen in anime. Compare ConfusedQuestionMark.

* ''Manga/SeitokaiYakuindomo'', omnipresent.
* ''Manga/{{Mitsudomoe}}'' uses it occasionally when Yabe-sensei notices some new [[HilarityEnsues hilarity ensuing]], or in general use.

* The shadows in ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'' get a '''!''' above them when they spot the main character's party.
** Many of the characters themselves get these in drama scenes outside of combat.

* Both guards and civilians in ''[[VideoGame/{{Payday2}} Payday 2]]'' do this with a "!" symbol over their heads during stealth mode, to indicate that they've spotted something that has alerted them (dead bodies, loot bags, a player). Players only get a sound effect for it if they're the one who caused the alert state. They will also show a "?" over their heads if something is within their field of view but has not yet alerted them.

[[quoteright:299:[[Anime/AllPurposeCulturalCatgirlNukuNuku http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Picture_4_8103.png]]]]

* Artist Stuart Immonen uses this (with simple short lines radiating from the head) in ''Comicbook/Nextwave''. Good examples include the H.A.T.E recruit in [[http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_M_dapy36XZ0/TQKib8pYZHI/AAAAAAAAASI/I5O8DIcib_c/s1600/nextwave.meat.big.jpg this image]] and Tabby in [[http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m55/Qyzex/Other%20Artists/Thisiswhy.jpg this image.]]

* ''ShinryakuIkaMusume'' features it in the OP and occasionally in episodes.

* {{Spider-Man}} does this all the time when his SpiderSense activates. It's most frequently depicted as jagged bolts around his head, with half of his mask symbolically appearing.