History Main / BarbarianHero

* The titular character of ''Film/RedSonja'' as well. We also had Lord Kalidor, played by Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger who was meant to be reprising his role from ''Film/ConanTheBarbarian1982'' but couldn't for copyright reasons.

* ''The Death Dealer'', a novel series based on a series of Creator/FrankFrazetta paintings.

* ''King of the Bastards'' by horror author Brian Keene, has

* ''ComicBook/TheWarlordDC'': Every character. Travis Morgan, a USAF officer from modern-day earth, enthusiastically adopts the lifestyle when he is stranded in Skartaris, eventually becoming its greatest hero.

* ''ComicBook/{{Aquaman}}'' (especially when written by Creator/PeterDavid) can be a modern take on this. So much so that these runs are often nicknamed by fans as "The Savage Sword of Aquaman" or "Conan [[InSpace Under The Sea]]."

* Jared Diamond's ''Literature/GunsGermsAndSteel'' and ''The Third Chimpanzee'' discuss the physical devolution of humans during the transition from hunter-gatherer "barbarians" to primitive agriculture. Skeletons of the poor classes show decrease in average height and muscular development, tooth decay, signs of the diseases acquired during overcrowding and filth (leprosy or tuberculosis). As in the Achilles example above, the skeletons of aristocrats and wild warriors from the Homeric Age Greece show a superior average height by 2-3 inches and barely any signs of disease compared to those of poor laborers. [[SarcasmMode No wonder poor people who witnessed them]] ascribed their [[HeroicBuild physical strength and appearance]] to being illegitimate [[{{Characters/ClassicalMythologyOlympians}} sons of Gods]].

The Barbarian Hero is the ancient-era (or FuturePrimitive) badass, armed with muscles upon muscles and a variety of very sharp-bladed objects, whose job it is to kill lots of monsters ([[HumansAreBastards human]] or inhuman) and kick lots of ass. While he seems to favor {{Cool Sword}}s (the [[{{BFS}} bigger]], the better) he's more likely than other heroes to wield an axe, [[CarryABigStick club, hammer]], or [[EpicFlail flail]] epically. A MightyGlacier, or even a LightningBruiser, he's able to defeat wizards and giants despite having [[BadassNormal no magical abilities]] (in myth, this was often ascribed to [[HalfHumanHybrid divine ancestry]]). One of TheOldestOnesInTheBook, a popular heroic archetype since ancient times but seems to be coming back into style recently.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Primal}}'': Spear, one of the two deuteragonists, is nothing less than a Paleolithic caveman who gets by with his (stone) spear, a loincloth, his muscles, and his wits. And his best friend, the ''T. Rex'' Fang. Each episode in the first season is classic Barbarian Hero fare: the two of them wander somewhere new, confront (though not necessarily defeat) some threat, mundane or supernatural, then go off once more. In the second season, they travel to a land of "civilized" Bronze and Iron Age humans, which sees the pair freeing slaves, clashing with Viking warriors, and enslaved by an Egyptian queen -- again, all recognizable Barbarian Hero motifs.

The Barbarian Hero is the ancient-era (or FuturePrimitive) badass, armed with muscles upon muscles and a variety of very sharp-bladed objects, whose job it is to kill lots of monsters ([[HumansAreBastards human]] or inhuman) and kick lots of ass. While he seems to favor {{Cool Sword}}s (the [[{{BFS}} bigger]], the better) he's more likely than other heroes to wield an axe, [[CarryABigStick club]], [[DropTheHammer hammer]], or [[EpicFlail flail]] epically. A MightyGlacier, or even a LightningBruiser, he's able to defeat wizards and giants despite having [[BadassNormal no magical abilities]] (in myth, this was often ascribed to [[HalfHumanHybrid divine ancestry]]). One of TheOldestOnesInTheBook, a popular heroic archetype since ancient times but seems to be coming back into style recently.

** ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'': Sigmar, the [[DeityOfHumanOrigin founding god of the Empire]], was originally a barbarian hero and chieftain of the Unberogen tribe who used a combination of strength and diplomacy to unite most of the other human tribes between the Worlds Edge Mountains, the Grey Mountains, and the Great Ocean, before leading them to decisively crush a huge Orc horde at the Battle of Blackfire Pass. The most famous wielder of the powerful [[DropTheHammer warhammer Ghal Maraz]] -- which he received for saving the life of the High King of the Dwarfs – Sigmar is typically depicted as a noble barbarian with wild hair and is often shown bare-chested. One of his [[ArchEnemy greatest foes]] was the powerful {{Lich}} Nagash, the Great Necromancer, whose undead armies invaded the fifteen years after the founding of the Empire.

* A naked warrior armed with nothing but his fists may sound more like a monster than a man, but the Wild Man from ''Literature/TheFaerieQueene'' is as brave as any knight and just as willing to save damsels from civilized savages.

* Many UsefulNotes/AtariST games in the late '80s and early '90s had barbarian protagonists, with the shuriken throwing ''Targhan'', ''Torvak the Warrior'', and ''[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Barbarian]]'' being prime examples.

* The hero of the UsefulNotes/AmstradCPC game ''VideoGame/{{Savage}}''. "Gonad the Barbiturate" was how programmer David Perry described his character design.

* Lykos in the UsefulNotes/TurboGrafxCD game ''VideoGame/{{Shapeshifter}}''. He is actually called a "barbarian lad" in dialogue.

* In Creator/JackLChalker's ''Literature/TheRiverOfDancingGods'', middle-aged truck driver Joe finds himself reborn in a fantasy world as Joe, the Barbarian! With a mighty sword...Irving!

* ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' actually became one of these briefly in the episode of ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'', "Hereafter", after having been transported to [[AfterTheEnd the distant future]], where humanity had long since been wiped out, [[spoiler:with only [[{{Immortality}} Vandal]] [[TheAtoner Savage]] remaining]]. A red sun hung in the sky, rendering Superman [[{{Depower}} powerless]], leaving him to venture forth through the wilderness with only his natural strength (which is still nothing to sneeze at), his wits, a sword he forged himself from an iron bar, and a pack of wolves that followed him once [[AsskickingLeadsToLeadership he killed their former pack leader]].

* ''VideoGame/HorizonZeroDawn'': Aloy is a Nora, which means that she's a member of a tribe of isolationist CultureChopSuey combinations of barbarians and [[BraidsBeadsAndBuckskins Native Americans]]. She's unique in that despite being a redheaded warrior, she has no [[FieryRedhead barbarian rage]] and is instead TheHeart and an AllLovingHero, doing everything in her power to help the less fortunate and save the world.

%%* ''ComicBook/{{Wolfskin}}'' is a classic example, although he is far more [[DarkerAndEdgier brutal and barbaric]] than the usual lot. %%Needs more context.

* ''Videogame/{{Dungeonmans}}'' has an unusual take on the usual Barbarian Heroes in the Southern Gentlemans class/expertises: From the descriptions and skills involved, the Southern "Barbarians" are a bizarre mishmash between the QuintessentialBritishGentleman and the usual trope: The result is something like a giant wall of shirtless muscle that [[OfficerAndAGentleman behaves like an impeccable gentleman(s) on the field]], taking blows and trading them back without flinching, until they get pissed off and [[UnstoppableRage lose their marbles so completely]] they turn into feverish whirls of giant weapon violence and [[WordsCanBreakMyBones murderous language]].

* Darkwolf in ''WesternAnimation/FireAndIce'' is a straight example of the trope. He is a [[TheStoic stoic]], grim warrior with a big axe who never shows his face.