History Main / BulletproofVest

* Kirei Kotomine in ''LightNovel/FateZero'' is shown to have bulletproof priest robes (they're reinforced with Kevlar), which shows just how CrazyPrepared he is for hunting enemy magi.

* ''LightNovel/FateZero'' reveals that in the Franchise/{{Nasuverse}}, Church Executioners wear bulletproof ''priest robes''.

* ''VideoGame/{{Pokemon}}'' has a held item called the "Assault Vest", which raises the holder's Special Defense by 50%, at the cost of locking out status moves such as Thunder Wave.

'''Artemus Gordon:''' Damn!

* In ''Series/MurdochMysteries'', ScienceHero Detective Murdoch develops a proto-version in episode "Big Murderer on Campus". It's used on Constable Crabtree during a lecture in which the criminal was revealed.
* On ''Series/{{Narcos}}'', bulletproof vests are not very effective, spelling disaster for Colombian politics. One politician refuses a vest. [[spoiler: He gets gunned down.]] Another wears one, [[spoiler: but is shot just below the vest and bleeds to death minutes later. His successor agrees to wear bulletproof pants.]]

* ''Series/TopGear'' The presenters are presented with and wear them on the first part of the Middle East special as they travel through Iraq. As they travel through the Kurdistan region, they discover it is actually quite peaceful and decide not to wear them anymore. However, when they get to the Turkish border, they are horrified to discover their poorly planned route to Bethlehem puts them back in an active warzone and so they have to don them again.

* ''Series/TheXFiles'': In "Young At Heart" Scully is shot by a criminal during a sting operation, but she's saved by a hidden vest.
* In the ''Series/TheFlash2014'', the Earth-2 Dr.Light's helmet protects her from when Iris tried to give her a BoomHeadshot on retaliation for killing herhai boss.
* On ''Series/MurdochMysteries'' Constable George Crabtree's body armor saves him from being killed instantly when he's shot by the villain's {{Mooks}}. However, he's still seriously injured and would have bled to death if [[HospitalHottie Rebecca James]] hadn't done some RoadsideSurgery to extract the bullet and stop the bleeding.

* in ''Film/SavingPrivateRyan'', a soldier's helmet is grazed by a bullet, he takes it off to gape at the hole... and gets a second bullet in the forehead. To be fair, though, the second bullet would have killed him anyway, seeing as how WWII (and modern) helmets primarily protected against fragmentation.

--> '''Wesley''': (rips open his shirt to expose vest) "I’ve got a vest, so fuck you!"
--> '''Cat''': (rips his shirt open to reveal another vest) "I also have a vest, so fuck you too!"

* In ''Film/BigGame'', Morris wears a bulletproof vest, although the strongest it's pitted against is an arrow. It bounces off harmlessly, even though the type of vest he's wearing doesn't stop sharp objects in reality. [[spoiler:Double-subverted, as the arrow managed to hit a bullet fragment embedded in the bad guy's chest, and the vest doesn't protect from the ''force'' of the impact, which is enough to dislodge this bullet splinter into his heart.]]

* As a variation, The Ching Emperor in ''Film/BlazingTemple'' wears a sword-proof vest. It doesn't proect him from being attacked from behind by the Shaolin monk playing both sides, and didn't protect him with his throat being slit by a small dagger.
* [[Franchise/{{Batman}} Batman's]] batsuit in the Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse is, like the comics, flexible fabric-like body armor. It works well against gunfire, as in ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'', Batman's cowl even deflects a point-blank gunshot to the back of the his head, although it clearly still ''hurts''. The same fight also show that, like a real bulletproof vest, the batsuit is less resistant to knives, since Batman gets stabbed through it.

* In ''Film/{{Dredd}}'', all judges wear body armour. It does save Anderson when she's hit during the final confrontation, though she is still hurt in the process. Dredd himself is shot [[spoiler: by a [[DirtyCop Dirty Judge]] who uses armour piercing rounds]] and the round not only penetrates the back of his vest, but goes all the way through him and out the front.
* {{Lampshaded}} in ''Film/DumbAndDumber'' when Harry is shot by the villain, gets up and reveals the vest, and Lloyd immediately asks "What if he shot you in the face?" The cops blithely respond that that was a risk they were willing to take.

* ''Film/{{Goldfinger}}''. When Bond is at Q Branch a man wearing an overcoat is shot with a machine gun. He opens the overcoat, revealing a bulletproof vest -- it was being tested under fire, as it were.
* ''Film/{{Gomorrah}}'' (2008). Children applying to join a Camorra clan are made to wear a heavy bulletproof vest which is then shot, to test their courage.

* ''Lethal Weapon'' series:
** In ''Film/LethalWeapon'' Riggs is apparently killed during a drive-by shooting and does the "vest reveal" bit to explain his survival. He also makes a big production about how much it hurt.

* The suit Jack wears for most of ''Film/{{Oblivion 2013}}'' is a pretty effective SpaceClothes kind of armor. [[spoiler: We see how effective it is when [[SergeantRock Sergeant Sykes]] [[JackBauerInterrogationTechnique shoots him in the chest]] during the interrogation scene. At the least, it can take 9mm rounds with nothing to show for it but one hell of a scare.]]
* The cops at the beginning of ''Film/TheOne'' wear body armor that appears to be impenetrable to small arms. The first slo-mo scene shows Creator/JetLi's character picking up a cop and using him as a BulletproofHumanShield against the other cops firing rifles at full auto with all bullets bouncing off his back armor. The cop is shown to be hurt (with all the impacts still doing plenty of internal damage) but alive. Their helmet visors, though, aren't that strong. This is quite obviously not our universe, though (the guns have more electronics in them and Gore is the president).

* ''Film/RawDeal1986''. A mafia hit squad decides to murder a rival mob boss by running their car off the road. When Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger (playing an undercover cop posing as a ProfessionalKiller) points out the limo is heavier than their vehicle, the leader replies: "Not if you shoot the driver." Cue an OhCrap moment when the bullets are seen bouncing off window glass marked BULLET RESISTANT.

* In the ''Film/RichieRich'' movie, one of Professor Keenbean's inventions is a spray that makes clothes bulletproof (plus stain-proof and waterproof). Which comes in handy for Richie when the BigBad tries to shoot him near the end of the film (which naturally [[FamilyUnfriendlyViolence freaks his parents out]] -- [[RefugeInAudacity Richie simply tanks it and quips with an impressed "Cool!"]]).

* In ''Film/{{Ronin}}'', Sam wears a vest, but gets shot with an armor-piercing bullet and needs medical attention.
* ''Film/RunningScared1986''. One of the protagonists is going to retire and, getting nervous, starts wearing a bulletproof vest. There's a [[TestosteronePoisoning stigma against wearing vests in the Force]], so he claims that it's because he's got a bad back. His partner snarks him on it, until an accidental discharge causes ''him'' to go for a vest, whereupon the issuing sergeant says: "Let me guess, you've got a bad back too." Also when the protagonists are driving a car which has been bulletproofed, the only problem is that they can't wind down the windows to shoot back at the BigBad who's firing at them.

* ''Film/SherlockHolmesAGameOfShadows''. Sherlock's typical badass takedown of a Cossack assassin is interrupted by a Simza throwing several knives into the Cossack's chest. Cue EyeAwaken as it's revealed the assassin has wooden boards sewn into his coat as protection. In retrospect, it's probably a good thing she did so, as Sherlock apparently didn't know about the armor and would've hurt his hand if he struck the assassin in the chest.
* ''Film/{{Shooter}}''. FBI agent Nick Memphis is shot by a sniper, then (after Bob Lee counter-snipes the shooter) gets up and removes a steel trauma plate from under his overcoat, saying "I think I broke a rib." Snipers aim for center of mass, especially at such ranges, so Memphis must have relied on the professional sniper being able to hit him accurately.

* In ''Film/SuperTroopers'':
** One of the troopers insists on testing a bulletproof '''jockstrap'''. ''[[GroinAttack While wearing it.]]''
-->'''Ramathorn:''' [After shooting Mac in the jockstrap, knocking Mac on his back] How do you feel?\\

-->'''O'Hagen:''' [obviously horrified] You're a sick motherfucker, Mac.\\

* ''Film/TigerOnBeat'' has the two protagonists, Francis and Michael, on their way to rescue Francis' sister (also Michael's LoveInterest). They unfortunately gets ambushed and shot, but their mini-vests saves them allowing them to [[PlayingPossum play dead]] and ambush their captors back. The vest proves useful later on in the ensuing climax - Francis took down the main villain in a SingleStrokeBattle involving bayonets and would've died, but his vest saves him from a slash through the chest whilst he [[SlashedThroat cut the villain's throat]]. Michael's vest on the other hand saves him from being [[ChainsawGood gored by a chainsaw]].

* Subverted in ''Film/ThreeDaysOfTheCondor''. A CIA clerk who is a friend of the protagonist Turner is asked to help bring him in for debriefing and is issued a bulletproof vest "just in case". In reality the meeting is a set-up to kill Turner -- when it goes wrong the wounded killer aims carefully and [[YouKnowTooMuch shoots the clerk in the throat]].

* ''Film/AWalkAmongTheTombstones''. When a hostage for ransom exchange goes wrong, private eye Scudder immediately shoots the kidnapper who's holding him at gunpoint. Cue the man ducking behind cover and lifting his shirt to examine the injury, revealing he has a vest. However when he tries to get into his van to escape, Scudder shoots him in the side, which is unprotected by the vest.
* Subverted in ''Film/WildWildWest'' as quoted above; played straight by his partner who is shot in the chest but survives because of the vest sewn into his clothes without his knowledge.

* ''Literature/AbleTeam'' (the 1980's HeroesRUs spin-off of ''Literature/TheExecutioner'') wore kevlar vests with a steel trauma plate insert, which came in useful when Carl Lyons got shot at point-blank range with an [=AK47=] in Cairo, leading to quips that he'd been shot in the head, and the terrorists had better issue armor-piercing ammo when 'The Ironman' came around.

* In ''Literature/ArtemisFowl: The Eternity Code'', Butler is shot point-blank while wearing a Kevlar vest. [[spoiler:He dies. But he gets better.]] Justified, since as Artemis' bodyguard he has to be constantly prepared for danger. Also, the "I" printed on the inside (As in FBI) imprints on his chest.

* Creator/JohnBirmingham's ''Literature/AxisOfTime'' has nigh-impenetrable [[AppliedPhlebotinum nano-weave]] body armor used by "uptime" troops, which stops any round that isn't aimed at the head or extremities. Julia Duffy's personal armor is actually of a much higher quality than standard-issue 21st century military. It saves her countless times, especially when [[spoiler:the Waffen-SS put her and a bunch of US Army Rangers in a line and machinegun them all]]. She still requires immediate medical attention from hydrostatic shock (even though the armor is also designed to spread the force of the impact) and spends weeks recovering.
* One character in ''Literature/BattleRoyale'' gets one of these instead of a weapon, and survives pretty well through FakingTheDead and the use of a belt as an improvised weapon. [[spoiler:Then the main villain [[PinkMist turns his head into "a bowl of sauce" with a machine gun]] and takes the vest for himself.]]
* Literature/{{Burke}} from Creator/AndrewVachss's books often wears Kevlar, but consistently notes that it still hurts to be shot.
* Babushka's life is saved twice by the bulletproof corset she wears under in her clothes in the ''Literature/YoungBond'' novel ''Literature/ByRoyalCommand''.

* The nightsilk garments of the ''Corean Chronicles'' series is impact resistant when worn in a skintight outfit, making a body stocking of this material effectively a set of bulletproof underwear. The material is very expensive though, so the reason the hero of the first trilogy can afford to wear it constantly is because his family manufactures it.

* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'': Harry Dresden has his [[BadassLongcoat duster]] enchanted to be very resilient, to the point where the only thing that has penetrated it after enchantment is a shot from a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrett_M82 .50 caliber rifle]]. In an aversion, the readers found out that his duster was enchanted pretty early in the book. Played straight with Murphy's reaction to the shot, however.
** [[spoiler:Butters is luckily wearing a conventional vest when he's shot]] in ''Changes''.
** Murphy, a professional ActionGirl, never forgets to wear her vest when it's time to do some ass kicking. As ''Aftermath'' revealed, working with Dresden has convinced her to also let Charity Carpenter (wife of a modern-day {{Paladin}}) reinforce her vest with ''chainmail'' to deflect bladed weapons.
** In ''Death Masks'', there's some discussion between Ms. Carpenter's husband Michael and fellow Knight of the Cross Sanya, about the latter's use of a Kevlar tactical vest and an [=AK47=], and the former relying on his platemail and sword exclusively. Later on, Michael takes several bullets to the chest and falls out of sight, apparently dead. Later on, he explains that Charity had gone the extra mile on his armor.
--->'''Michael''': My faith protects me. My Kevlar helps.
** In ''Small Favor'', [[spoiler:Michael]] is permanently put out of commission when someone shoots him in the lower back and side from below, and his reinforced Kevlar vest ''keeps the bullets from simply exiting on the other side'', causing what the medical help estimated to be far more damage than if he hadn't been wearing a vest in the first place. When Creator/JimButcher [[PlayingWithATrope plays with a trope]], he plays ''hard''.
** In ''Skin Game'' a character [[spoiler: Murphy]] gets shot six times at point-blank range with a small-caliber revolver. After the fight, Butters insists on getting said character to a hospital. Butters points out that in spite of the character's vest catching all six bullets the character could well die from swelling, broken ribs and internal bleeding instead, and, in spite of being a doctor, there is no way he can treat those injuries without access to an X-ray machine and a fully stocked surgical ward.
* ''Literature/EncyclopediaBrown'': Variant in book 2's last chapter, "The Case of the Stomach Puncher". Encyclopedia and his client Herb Stein go up against a bully, sixteen-year-old Biff Logan, who stole Herb's bicycle and threatens to punch anyone in the stomach if he doesn't like them (and has carried it out a few times); Encyclopedia prepares for this encounter by donning a piece of sheet metal and covering it with his clothes. It nearly doesn't work because Biff's switched to punching in the eye after the last kid he hit couldn't eat for a week and almost starved, but Encyclopedia dupes him into aiming for the stomach instead, since that way it won't leave evidence. Biff falls for it and badly hurts his hand as a result.
* ''Literature/FateZero'' revealed that, in the Franchise/NasuVerse, Church Executioners wear bulletproof ''priest robes''.
* In the Greg Mandel trilogy by Creator/PeterFHamilton, a FutureSpandex dissipater suit is used as a defense against EnergyWeapons, transferring heat away from the body (including body heat, which makes the wearer feel rather cold). It doesn't work against bullets or shrapnel though, so for hardliner tekmerc jobs [[PoweredArmor muscle-armour suits]] are used.
* In the Creator/HarryTurtledove AlternateHistory novel ''Literature/TheGunsOfTheSouth'' a Confederate soldier is surprised when one of the time travellers survives a musket ball to the chest because of what he calls a 'flak jacket'.
* In ''Literature/HaltingState'', by Creator/CharlesStross, one of the main characters, Sue, is described as wearing an "anti-stabbie" vest as part of her standard policewoman's kit. That said, she never ends up needing to use it for protection.
* Literature/HonorHarrington has to wear specially reinforced clothing because her [[BondCreature Sphynxian Treecat]] tends to ride around on her shoulders, using his rather long and sharp claws to maintain his grip. The special fabric, while strong, ''won't'' stop a Pulser Dart, the standard ammo used in modern sidearms in that universe (At least, not in anything above the smallest calibers). However, for several of the earlier books, Pulsers are ''not'' [[AbnormalAmmo common]] [[CoolGun weapons]] on the planet [[SpaceAmish Grayson]], and the clothing turns out to be at least moderately ''bullet'' resistant when an assassin attempts to kill her--and it helped that [[TakingTheBullet the bullets were slowed down]] [[HeroicSacrifice by someone else's body]] before they hit her. She still looks like hell when she makes it to a very important meeting soon after, but that has slightly more to do with her being in an aircar crash ''before'' she was shot. In addition, various more robust forms of armor are seen, ranging from the protective [[LatexSpaceSuit skinsuits]] to PoweredArmor, and also including robust, low-tech "clamshell" torso armor.

* In ''Literature/KingSolomonsMines'' a character is saved by an armored shirt - a gift from the man who was now trying to kill him. Making this trope OlderThanRadio.
* Literature/KrisLongknife and her companions have survived several assassination attempts with bulletproof lingerie of various kinds (provided by her [[BattleButler maid/bodyguard]] Abby), most commonly body stockings woven from spider silk. This is usually backed up with a spider silk girdle reinforced with ceramic slats to stop heavier caliber rounds.
* In a couple of UrbanFantasy Creator/MercedesLackey books, the hero has not just a vest, but a bodysuit made out of dragon scales. These resist cutting, will stop bullets, and also have some protection against magic, but he can still be crushed through them.
* A high-tech version of the bulletproof vest was a plot point in Creator/LoisMcMasterBujold's ''Literature/MirrorDance''. There's a brief rundown of all the different types of armor available to combat soldiers of the day, from neural netting which protects against energy weapons to [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin plasma mirror shields]]. Unfortunately for Miles, the anti-ballistic chestplate he borrowed was not rated for anti-personnel grenades...
* In the [[Creator/EllestonTrevor Adam Hall]] spy novel ''[[Literature/{{Quiller}} Quiller's Run]]'' the protagonist runs into a problem when he wears an anti-knife vest to a confrontation with a villainess who, up till now, has used knives -- only she [[OhCrap pulls out a revolver]] and blasts him six times in the chest. Fortunately the vest still stops the bullets.
* Creator/MatthewReilly usually Averts this trope by having most characters wear body armor that don't provide complete protection (bullets mostly go through it). It still gets played straight with the BlackKnight's utility vests.

* In ''Literature/RiversOfLondon'' Peter Grant, as a member of the London Metropolitan Police, has a Metvest. It's not a great help when it comes to magical foes, but it also serves as something of a UtilityBelt, and most importantly, clearly states "This person can, if you make him think he has reason, arrest you."
* ''Literature/SnowCrash''. [[PunnyName Hiro]] [[MeaningfulName Protagonist]] has a full set of motorbike "leathers" made of Arachnofiber, which appears to be Kevlar JustForFun/InSpace. While wearing them, he is hit in the back by a volley of small arms fire, which he describes as like being massaged with several ball-peen hammers. And, of course, there is Raven, whose monomolecular-edged glass daggers and spears slice right through kevlar armor.

* Used in the Discworld novel ''Literature/UnseenAcademicals'', when a character is given "micromail" trousers which prove extremely handy later.
* Partly played straight in ''Literature/VWars'', when Luther Swann joins a SWAT team that storms a building used by vampire terrorists. He mentions that the enemy is using teflon-coated "cop killer" bullets that go right through a bulletproof vest, as demonstrated, when one kills a SWAT team member, before striking Swann. Fortunately for him, the bullet has already lost much of its momentum, and his vest held, although he still had broken bones from the impact.
* In Creator/SandyMitchell's TabletopGame/Warhammer40000 Literature/CiaphasCain novel ''For The Emperor'', [[AntiMagic Gunner Ferik Jurgen]] proves that imperial guard armor is not as useless as some people say: His helmet allows him to survive ''a bolter[[note]]miniature rocket-propelled grenade[[/note]] shot to the head'', though it's made clear that a second shot would have [[YourHeadASplode killed]] him (the helmet is destroyed). Granted, it was stormtrooper Carapace armor, not standard-issue Flak armor.
* In the Creator/DickFrancis book ''Literature/WildHorses'' the protagonist attempts to protect himself from knife attacks by wearing a jockey's body armor (apparently plastic slabs in some kind of fabric vest) and later by having a doctor make him a removable body cast, complete with throat protection. He survives the attacks, but just barely.

* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'', the level 50 armorer quest has Merlwyb test the efficacy of the Warrior's cobalt haubergeon by shooting at it while one of her own men is wearing it. Luckily for the Maelstrom soldier, it's well-made enough that the bullet pings harmlessly off the chainmail. Unfortunately for the soldier wearing Blanstyr's armor, the bullet goes right through it.

In [[CombatTropes military or combat fiction]], the bulletproof vest goes hand-in-hand with the Kevlar helmet. Any character who removes his helmet when a gunfight has seemingly stopped automatically takes a round in the head, unless that character is a [[HelmetsAreHardlyHeroic hero]], and needs to [[FacelessGoons show his face]] for some dialogue. A common way for the military RedShirt to bite it.

* The primary function of the full-body desert suits most characters in ''Manga/DesertPunk'' wear are to protect from the weather, but they provide decent protection from bullets and fragmentation as well. One mook's vest let him take about a half dozen rounds from Kosuna's handgun at very close range and Kanta's helmet on two separate occasions protected him from ''sniper rifle'' fire. Basically, every part of the suits are stated to be made of some kind of Aramid (a classification of strong, heat-resistance material that Kevlar belongs to), even the ''[[NiceHat hats]]''.

* ''Film/RawDeal''. A mafia hit squad decides to murder a rival mob boss by running their car off the road. When Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger (playing an undercover cop posing as a ProfessionalKiller) points out the limo is heavier than their vehicle, the leader replies: "Not if you shoot the driver." Cue an OhCrap moment when the bullets are seen bouncing off window glass marked BULLET RESISTANT.

* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'': Bang is furious when she realizes that [[https://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20131122 Martellus' shirt is somehow armored.]] Which helps expain how he survived getting shot point blank in the chest with a giant clank gun a few pages earlier.

* V in ''Film/VForVendetta'' wears a steel breastplate under his clothing when confronting [[TheDragon Creedy]] and his men. He lets them unload their magazines into him and then proceeds to slaughter them all while they're reloading with his [[KnifeNut knives]]. However, steel armor has its limits, and [[spoiler:that many bullets is enough to make sure V doesn't live long after winning]].

* ''Literature/SnowCrash''. [[PunnyName Hiro]] [[MeaningfulName Protagonist]] has a full set of motorbike "leathers" made of Arachnofiber, which appears to be Kevlar InSpace. While wearing them, he is hit in the back by a volley of small arms fire, which he describes as like being massaged with several ball-peen hammers. And, of course, there is Raven, whose monomolecular-edged glass daggers and spears slice right through kevlar armor.

** In ''Film/BackToTheFuture'', Doc Brown gets shot up at the beginning of the movie. After Marty {{time travel}}s back to the 1955, he keeps trying to warn him, but Doc refuses, citing the integrity of the space-time continuum. Marty travels back to the present... just in time to see Doc get shot again. Marty runs over, mourning him... but, of course, Doc finally took the warning, and was wearing a Bulletproof Vest, which he probably modified to stop rifle fire (this type of vest won't do so in real life).
** In ''Film/BackToTheFuturePartII'', Tannen watches a movie set in the Wild West where a man survives gun shots thanks to this, as {{foreshadowing}} for the next sequel; In ''Film/BackToTheFuturePartIII'', Marty hides a stove door under his shirt just in case, and being GenreSavvy, acts out a scene from ''Film/AFistfulOfDollars'' with Mad Dog Tannon.

* Most modern incarnations of Franchise/{{Batman}} have him wear batsuits that are essentially advanced suits of lightweight armor that also allow him to be as nimble as he ever is. Furthermore, in the classic comic, ''ComicBook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns'', the yellow ellipse bat chest symbol is explained as a psychological lure for criminals to shoot at his heavy chest armor and away from his head. Why he tends to wear a similarly bright yellow belt has never been explained.

* Marvel's ComicBook/{{Punisher}} originally used a similar trick, wearing heavy body-armor with a white skull that drew attention - and fire -- away from his head (not to mention that the symbol's "teeth" section is a handy place to have ammo clips). Later incarnations are simply too badass to die.

*** The stove piece is actual Truth in Television. During the era of the Wild West outlaws and sheriffs would occasionally don makeshift vests, and "iron shirt" if they heard an enemy was in town. The armor was typically the strongest flattest piece of steel or iron around, the back plate of a stove happened to be the perfect shape for this.

* In the ''Film/RichieRich'' movie, one of Professor Keenbean's inventions is a spray that makes clothes bulletproof (not to mention stain-proof and waterproof). Which comes in handy for Richie when the BigBad tries to shoot him near the end of the film (which naturally [[FamilyUnfriendlyViolence freaks his parents out]] -- [[RefugeInAudacity Richie simply tanks it and quips with an impressed "Cool!"]]).

* In ''Film/SuperTroopers'', one of the troopers insists on testing a bulletproof '''jockstrap'''. ''[[GroinAttack While wearing it.]]''

* In the ''Literature/AlexRider'' book ''Snakehead'', Ash reveals that his entire team was wearing bulletproof vests, and the mission completely went wrong because when Yassen shot him in the chest, he got back up. Yassen, being smarter than the average bear, then proceeds to shoot the rest of the team in the head. And then Ash screwed up the mission even more.

* In ''Literature/ArtemisFowl: The Eternity Code'', Butler is shot point-blank while wearing a Kevlar vest. [[spoiler:He dies. But he gets better.]] Justified, since as Artemis' bodyguard he has to be constantly prepared for danger. Also, the I printed on the inside (As in FBI) imprints on his chest.
** And played straight in a new way, as saving him caused the Kevlar fibers from the vest end up replicated through his chest - which are ''immediately'' pointed out by the medic to provide practically no value as armor, and will in fact for the rest of Butler's life permanently hamper his breathing and movement.

** Speaking of Ms. Carpenter, in ''Death Masks'', there's some discussion between her husband Michael and fellow Knight of the Cross Sanya, about the latter's use of a Kevlar tactical vest and an [=AK47=], and the former relying on his platemail and sword exclusively. Later on, Michael takes several bullets to the chest and falls out of sight, apparently dead. Later on, he explains that Charity had gone the extra mile on his armor.

* Literature/HonorHarrington has to wear specially reinforced clothing because her [[BondCreature Sphynxian Treecat]] tends to ride around on her shoulders, using his rather long and sharp claws to maintain his grip. The special fabric, while strong, ''won't'' stop a Pulser Dart, the standard ammo used in modern sidearms in that universe (At least, not in anything above the smallest calibers). However, for several of the earlier books, Pulsers are ''not'' [[AbnormalAmmo common]] [[CoolGun weapons]] on the planet [[SpaceAmish Grayson]], and the clothing turns out to be at least moderately ''bullet'' resistant when an assassin attempts to kill her--and it helped that [[TakingTheBullet the bullets were slowed down]] [[HeroicSacrifice by someone else's body]] before they hit her. She still looks like hell when she makes it to a very important meeting soon after, but that has slightly more to do with her being in an aircar crash ''before'' she was shot.
** In addition, various more robust forms of armor are seen, ranging from the protective [[LatexSpaceSuit skinsuits]] to PoweredArmor, and also including robust, low-tech "clamshell" torso armor.

** So, basically, she [[NeverBringAKnifeToAFistFight brought a gun to a knife-fight]], eh?

** Spider silk is impressive stuff. Bulletproof vests woven from almost any sort of silk-like material would put steel and kevlar to shame... but such materials are still totally impractical to make in bulk at the moment.

** Which even averts GameplayAndStorySegregation, given that a bolter round is AP5 and thus ignores the 5+ save from Flak Armor, but not the 4+ save from Carapace Armor.
*** Would still need a 3+ to wound, though...

* The sequence in ''[[Series/TwentyFour 24]]'' where Jack was forced to shoot Nina. She had fortunately been given a bulletproof vest before hand. Tony Almeida's line asking why this had happened (when he saw the giving on CCTV) was one that many a fan would ask when she was revealed to be TheMole. She did receive some bad bruising from being shot, though, giving the writers a reason for her to examine herself and thus a LingerieScene. In addition, Jack was shot while wearing a vest in season four, where he and Secretary Of Defense James Heller are trapped behind a vehicle while terrorists are shooting at them. Once hit (in the shoulder), Jack exclaims that he's fine, and then keeps shooting.

* Richard Series/{{Castle}} has one, as do the NYPD cops he hangs out with, but nobody's been shot while wearing one. [[TemptingFate Not yet]] anyway.

* In the third season of ''Series/{{Farscape}}'', it's revealed that [[MagnificentBastard Scorpius]], on top of being MadeOfIron, wears body armour under his gimp suit. This leads to a rather interesting scene in which Crichton uses him as an [[BulletproofHumanShield invincible human shield]] while trading smartass remarks with him:

* ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' plays this one just about to the letter. During a gunfight in the pilot the second in command goes down hard from what looks to be a shotgun blast and is out for awhile, but later comes to and manages to shoot a fleeing villain. As she's getting up she grunts "Armor's dented" but shows no ill effects and is able to ride a horse back to their ship just fine.
** The [[TheMovie Big Damn Movie]] plays with this later on. When Mal confronts the Operative, the Operative tells him that he's unarmed. Mal shoots him, turns around to leave, and is jumped from behind. The Operative is of course wearing full body armor; he is ''not'' a moron.
* Played realistically in ''Series/{{Flashpoint}}'': [[spoiler:Jules]] gets shot by a sniper and the bullet penetrates her vest, and she nearly dies. The team then uses heavy ballistic shields to cover them while they get her to safety, which do stop the sniper's fire (it had actually been stated earlier in the episode that "shields are safe, but that [ammunition] will crack body armor). Averted again in the Season 3 finale, when [[spoiler:Ed]] is shot several times while wearing a vest and has to be hospitalized.

* Subverted in the finale of season six of ''Series/HomicideLifeOnTheStreet'', in which Det Bayliss is shot ''through'' his vest.
** Subverted earlier, when Detectives Bolander, Felton, and Howard were all seriously wounded despite their vests, by an insane gun-nut conspiracy theorist who "probably used Teflon bullets".

* In ''Series/LawAndOrder'', the featured detectives usually don vests when they have time to prepare for a raid, or a similar dangerous situation on the job.
** The series also subverts it in an episode where a defective military vest that failed to protect its user is a key plot point.
* Right after Charlotte is introduced in the ''Series/{{Lost}}'' episode "Confirmed Dead," Ben shoots her. Because AnyoneCanDie, the audience believes she's dead, but then it turns out she was wearing a vest. A few lines are dedicated to her resulting pain and nausea.

*** He was still pretty fucked up by it, whereas Charlotte is no worse for wear.

* ''Series/{{NCIS}}'' uses this, one hopes, in combination with a big ol' pack of fake blood, to convince a suspectedly traitorous agent that a militia leader is well and truly serious. [[spoiler:But only the most bastardly of writers would [[LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt dare to kill off Leroy Jethro Gibbs]] in so ignominious a fashion. Though admittedly, it was shocking.]]
** Also toyed with in the season 2 finale when Kate [[TakingTheBullet takes a bullet]] for Gibbs, protected by her bulletproof vest. The characters spend some time joking about it, [[spoiler: until Kate is shot in the head]].

* ''Series/NCISLosAngeles'' is very good about characters wearing their vests, as well as showing the limitations. When Kensi is shot in "Blye, K Part One", she's in a lot of pain and with obvious bruising through the next episode. She also makes reference to the shot being off-center (she was running) or the sniper bullet would have torn through the vest and killed her.

* Mocked on ''Series/Reno911''. The ladies are all issued new vests in the form of Kevlar [[OfCorsetsSexy corsets]]. Pleased with the amount of attention they're getting, they just pin their badge to the vest itself and go out on patrol. They're loving it until, on a drunken dare, Junior shoots at Kimball and it goes right through the vest like butter.
** Parodied another time where the department is testing new bulletproof vests. Suffice it to say, the shot landed elsewhere.

* ''Series/StargateSG1'' In "Smoke and Mirrors," when Senator Kinsey is shot by a sniper. Anticipating the attack, he was wearing a bulletproof vest that saved his life... though the shot still dropped him like a sack of hammers, and necessitated that he be hospitalized and operated upon.
** "Heroes Part 1" had Sgt. Siler demonstrate new body armor made to resist Jaffa weapons (the regular sort don't- in fact making it worse). A test shot blasts him clear off his feet and lightly sets him on fire, but he's able to get back up with help. The new armor saves Col. O'Neill when he's shot later on, but he still gets knocked out, and has to spend quite some time in the infirmary afterward.
*** It also saves Mitchell, when they are ambushed by the Sodan Jaffa.

** The demons were working for Abaddon, who they had previously defeated by carving a devils trap into the bullet and shooting it into her. She was taking precautions to make sure it didn't happen again to either her or her followers.

* Kind of subverted in ''Series/WalkerTexasRanger'', where any main character who wears a bulletproof vest will take the shot, recoil, then continue, while any secondary character or redshirt will either have the round penetrate the vest anyway via "cop killer" armor piercing bullets or just get shot in the head instead.
** Played straight (and more realistically) in the last episode of the Chairman arc, when Trivette actually goes down from a shot to the chest. After about a minute of appearing to be dead, he manages to recover and get up. Body armor to the rescue!

** In the RPG ''TabletopGame/DarkHeresy'', guardsman flak is actually one of the best armours that can be obtained regularly. Mesh armour is a little worse, but weighs around 2kg for a full-body suit (and is ridiculously hard to get without the right connections), carapace armour is heavier and a little stronger (and about equally hard to get) and PoweredArmour finally means pretty much nothing short of anti-vehicle/anti-materiel even can touch you - if you can get your hands on a set and are not too distraught about the civilian capacitors only lasting for between one and five hours of operation... Still, against normal weapons (autoguns and lasguns), flak armour works pretty well.

* ''7.62 High Calibre'' has several types of armor and helmets available. The first one available, the M200 Concealable Vest, is stated as being suitable for stopping small caliber ammunition. Unfortunately, 50% of the bandits you're likely to run across are carrying sawed-off Mosin Nagants, which fire a (admittedly slower velocity) 7.62x54mm rifle round, meaning the vest is almost worthless. Later vests are slightly better at stopping higher caliber ammunition, and can include ceramic or titanium inserts for better protection (ceramic is stronger, but breaks after a few shots, while titanium is weaker, but more durable). There's also a game setting that can be toggled on so that vests actually provide full body protection. Otherwise, in addition to considering how heavy and protective a vest is, you also have to take into account just how much of your body that vest actually covers.
** Vests are also depicted very realistically: they can only protect from a handful of shots, some damage can still get through, and even if they protect you from any damage you'll still get stunned by the impact. The concealable vests without the ability to accept plates are especially weak, and typically they're only good enough to protect the victim from being instantly killed or incapacitated. And since they don't last forever, your mercs will need to constantly buy, find, or scavenge new vests (hope you missed the armor when you killed that soldier!).

** Not an issue, as ''Army Men'' is about the little green plastic kind of army men (Who shoot the little tan, red, and blue plastic kind of army men) and never pretends to be any more accurate about details than a toy would be.

* Just like in real life, kevlar armors in ''VideoGame/CounterStrike'' do little more than increasing your firefight life expectancy from 2 seconds to 3 seconds. Kevlar helmets, meanwhile, are only effective against pistols and ''maybe'' against 5.56 mm rifles.
** See [[http://www.schuzak.jp/other/dmgchart.html this list]] for all weapons stats. Basically, every weapon has a pre-assigned damage value for each part with and without armor. Against grenades and most sub-machine guns, shotguns, and pistol it can reduce damage by 40-50%, but only reduces damage from rifles by about 20-30% and does basically nothing against sniper rifles.
** Armor does however prevent aimpunch (meaning you crosshair isn't randomly thrown off when you get shot) making it a crucial buy.

* In ''VideoGame/GoldenEye1997'', ''VideoGame/{{Nightfire}}'', ''VideoGame/TimeSplitters'', and ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRenegade'' you can pick up a bulletproof vest that essentially acts as a second health bar. Headshots still hurt, though.
** ''VideoGame/PerfectDark'' uses an energy shield that has the same effect, except that it does block head shots.
** Additionally, ''Nightfire'' plays it with surprising realism. It's only durable against handguns and small semi-automatics like the Storm M32. One sniper round or shotgun blast is enough to wipe out half the armor; another shot will erase it completely ''and'' take some of your regular health with it. Obviously, you're ''dead meat'' against explosives and grenades.

* The ''VideoGame/JaggedAlliance'' games come with a range of body armour, helmets and, in Jagged Alliance 2, armoured trousers, as well as handy chemicals with which to reinforce them. These range from the common or garden flak jacket and steel helmet, which is about as effective as putting on an extra T-shirt, to full-body [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultra_high_molecular_weight_polyethylene Spectra]], which will let you survive a point-blank burst from an M16 with only multiple flesh wounds (and sudden severe exhaustion on account of having the wind knocked out of you). There's also a kevlar-reinforced leather biker jacket, which is the only body armour upgrade one character will agree to wear.

*** Note that all body armour bring stat penalties for wearing it. Heavier armour, use of chemicals, ceramic or titan plates increase the effect.

* ''VideoGame/PAYDAY2'' has several tiers of body armor, ranging from the classic bulletproof vest to a fully decked-out suit of ceramic-plated armor. Heavier armor offers more protection, while lighter armor lets you move faster and possibly [[DodgeTheBullet dodge bullets]]. Like in real life, armor offers little protection from melee attacks and is vulnerable to high-caliber sniper fire; ''unlike'' real life, [[RegeneratingShieldStaticHealth it can repair itself after a few seconds in cover]].
** On the cops' side, Maximum Force Response units have ceramic chestplates that are completely invulnerable to normal gunfire. Their helmets, however, [[BoomHeadshot are not so bulletproof]].

* ''VideoGame/SyphonFilter'' plays this fairly realistically. The player always comes equipped with a flak jacket which will completely protect you from bullets until destroyed, with headshots being the only exception. Armored enemies, on the other hand, can be damaged by shots to the extremities, and can be taken down with headshots. This is usually how you want to kill them, since you can take their flak jackets to restore your armor.

* In the ''VideoGame/{{XCOM}}'' games unarmoured soldiers will [[RedShirtArmy die with disgusting ease]]. Personal Armour and even Power Armour is available but by the time it's in use, most aliens are packing weapons which will still inflict lethal damage no matter how heavy the armour, and mobile nightmare objects the [[DemonicSpiders Chryssalids]] ignore armour anyway.
** Primarily because the RNG is horrible/evil, and your soldiers can take up to ''200%'' of the listed damage shown in the [=UFOpaedia=]. On the other hand, they can also take ''0%'' of the listed damage, depending on what the RNG rolls. So your troopers can literally survive a point blank headshot without taking a single point of damage. Sometimes, the RNG only ever rolls 200s or 0s. This can lead to interesting situations where a soldier survives half a dozen heavy plasma shots only to get pinged to death by a plasma pistol shot the next turn.

* Black Monday Blues, the "Cleaner" from ''Webcomic/DeadWinter'' wears [[http://www.deadwinter.cc/page/351 one underneath his shirt]]. [[spoiler:Which is somehow strong enough [[http://www.deadwinter.cc/page/332 to save his life]] from [[http://deadwinter.cc/page/330 a point blank shotgun blast]] courtesy of Ron. Leaving Monday dazed and bruised yet still kept on trucking on because he's just that badass.]]
** Alongside Monday some of the soldiers from the Army/National Guard wear these as well. One of them protecting the soldier from Monday's Mauser C96.

* Riff from ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'' wears one during the "Dangerous Days" arc. Since he took the blast from a ''shotgun'', however, it [[http://www.sluggy.com/daily.php?date=020706 still hurts like hell]].
** Later on there's a [[http://sluggy.com/daily.php?date=061108 bit of discussion]] about the difference between "bulletproof" and "knife proof" vests.

** Cyril wears one regularly, so Archer occasionally shoots him to shut him up.
*** At one point, Pam reveals she's wearing one of Cyril's used vests. This confuses Archer since the fibers break upon being used. [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome She admits it hurts a lot]].

* The phrase "bulletproof vest" is often a misnomer. Many military vests or helmets, particularly those made before the modern era, are actually intended to prevent injury from the fragmentation cast about by explosions. Some observers have commented that helmets or vests were "useless" because they did not stop rifle ammunition. This is a fallacy, as most injuries in warfare are caused by fragmentation, against which helmets and armor were rather effective.
** The term "proof" historically referred to being tested (as in proof reading), not being invulnerable -- indeed, it is so statistically difficult to say that any piece of armor is guaranteed to stop a given bullet that vests usually report what test loadings the vest has a 50% chance of stopping. The shift in meaning has led to conscientious makers and writers calling the vests "bullet resistant".
** Like any other type of armor, ballistic armor is not supposed to prevent you from being hurt; it's to prevent you from being ''killed''.

* Speaking of which, bulletproof vests and ''stab''-proof vests require a rather different Kevlar weave, which can be a problem if you're wearing the sort that's not optimal for the weapon you're being attacked with: A stab vest will do very little to protect against even small-calibre bullets, and ballistic Kevlar only offers as much resistance to a sharp blade as the equivalent thickness of dense cloth by itself.

** The Soviet Union did perhaps more than any other nation in the development of the modern military body armor, especially thanks to the development of three specific pieces. The 6B2 (6Б2) was introduced in March of 1979. While it used the traditional flack jacket formula of metal plates and aramid fibres, it set the style for future armors, vests, and plate carriers by having solid front and rear sides, and being donned over the head and adjusted by straps on the shoulders.
*** The [[http://ra.spetsnaz.su/wiki/6B3 6B3]] (6Б3) and [[http://ra.spetsnaz.su/wiki/6B4 6B4]] (6Б4) were introduced in the summer of 1979, and were revolutionary advances in body armor. These were the first widely-used systems to offer more than just protection. They came with integrated pockets for magazines, grenades, and other items. They had projections on the shoulders to allow soldiers to comfortably sling weapons and equipment over their shoulders without it falling off, the vests could be adjusted from both the shoulders and sides, and they were modular, with a baseline amount of soft armor integrated into the vests, with the option for soldiers to add more or less armor as they wished, thanks to using smaller plates housed in internal pockets, meaning that protection could be precisely tailored and taking a hit did not necessitate replacement of all the armor. The supplemental armor plates were also made of materials which would become global mainstays. The 6Б3 used titanium plates and the 6Б4 used ceramic plates. Lastly, the 6Б3 was the first vest in the world to be widely supplied with camouflage covers which could easily be added and removed as needed in the field.

*** This is just formalizing what some soldiers have jerry-rigged for decades. Many US Army helicopter crews in Vietnam were issued flak jackets. Since helicopters were mostly shot at from below, the jackets were often used as seat cushions rather than worn conventionally. Bomber crews during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII would often do the same with ''their'' flak jackets for similar reasons.

* People who make chainmail as a hobby can make good money not only by making costume-armor for Renaissance fairs but also selling mail vests to police officers looking for greater knife-protection than what their standard-issue body armor provides. However, according to research carried out by the British army in UsefulNotes/WW1, chainmail will actually make a gunshot worse. It's not strong enough to stop a bullet and will actually fragment, carrying more shrapnel into the body, as well as making it hard to reach the wound for treatment. Additionally, any stabs that do get through the chainmail will drive part of the mail into the wound, which can easily lead to infection. Also, while high quality chainmail coupled with effective padding is effectively knife proof, lower grade chain is not.
** Chainmail is also pretty heavy and cumbersome as it hangs from the shoulders. Thin steel panels are much lighter and provide comparable knife protection.
*** Modern aluminum alloys are stronger than low-grade steel and weigh one-third as much. Titanium weighs 2/3rds as much as steel and is stronger by weight but not volume; however, unlike aluminum, which can be reasonably priced, titanium is ludicrously expensive.
*** The popular UsefulNotes/SocietyForCreativeAnachronism song "I'll See Your Six" tells of Sir Trude, the first of the Lady Knights, who wore her SCA armor home through the streets of New York City. She was accosted by a mugger and his three cronies...whose switchblade failed to so much as faze her due to the heavy chain-mail she wore. All four were chased off when she responded by drawing and brandishing a three foot broadsword at them that they hadn't noticed her carrying earlier. MuggingTheMonster at its finest as well as an example of how chain-mail can at the very least reduce damage from blade slashes.
*** A very similar story is told about an early 90s Russian LARP enthusiast who wore a chainmail shirt under his jacket. Only in that case, the story has a punchline: the muggers thought that the "victim" was Duncan [=McLeod=] the Immortal because of the guy's immunity to knives and him carrying a sword.

** A new method of making [[https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/676644/thai-university-develops-silk-bullet-proof-vest bulletproof vests with layers of silk]] was adopted by the Thai police, in an effort to reduce costs in having to import kevlar by using their own Thai silk instead.
*** Thailand is a rare case of a country using silk because it is cheaper for them to do so, since they have a thriving silk production industry.

* During the 1920s/30s, a typical bulletproof vest worn by a bank robber or bootlegger was just a vest with thick layers of cotton padding and cloth. These vests, up to 20 layers of cotton, with a few thin steel plates, were still quite effective against the standard issue .38 Special revolvers used by most police officers at the time. One rather well known hitman was killed while wearing one by a officer using a BAR, essentially a light machine gun.
** These vests had a very unfortunate consequence for the criminals wearing them: to not lose the police market to Colt and a M1911 pistol variant chambered for the proprietary .38 Super round (that ''could'' pierce those bulletproof vests), Smith & Wesson and Winchester developed the .357 Magnum round (including armour-piercing variants) with the Registered Magnum revolver, renamed the Model 27 in 1957. The bulletproof vest disappeared very quickly.
** Also worth noting, many types of ammo were less powerful than their modern-day counterparts, due to newer guns being made of stronger materials. Very important if you buy a vintage gun and try loading it with modern ammunition, which can easily overpressurize the firing chamber and cause the gun to explode.

* Bulletproof armor is much OlderThanTheyThink, and [[OlderThanSteam than steam]]. Back in the Middle Ages, the invention of firearms didn't immediately end the use of armor. Blacksmiths actually shot their own armor, showing their customers that the armor would protect them -- The marks left by the bullets being deflected off the plate would be the 'proof' of the armor's ability to stop bullets. However, the steel plating used in typical infantry armor did get almost twice as thick up until about 1600. This still wasn't enough to keep pace with the developments in musket power, so in the 17th century infantry slowly began abandoning armor altogether. Even for cavalry, a full suit of knight-style armor got too heavy and expensive to be practical. But as they could take a heavier loadout with them than infantry heavy cavalry compromised on slowly decreasing the amount of armor being worn, and armor survived in the form of breastplates worn by heavy cavalry (and cuirassiers in particular) in many countries throughout the 19th century and into UsefulNotes/WW1. While it was vulnerable to medium and short-range musket fire during the Napoleonic Wars, it was effective against swords, lances, and bayonets, and also had a great psychological effect on both cuirassiers and the enemy.
** Also note that throughout this period, the armor had exactly the same problems the modern variant does: it was more often than not ineffective at stopping a musket ball at short range, but with some luck protected against attacks at larger ranges, or with pistols or non-firearm weapons.

[[caption-width-right:350:It's not enough to stop shrapnel[[note]] Shrapnel is usually going at rifle speeds, which makes it hard for what is presumably a lv2 or 3A vest stop it.[[/note]] - notice the bloodstain - but it's better than nothing.]]

** The identity-stealing SerialKiller in 'Proteus' mentions wearing body armour at one point. After Carter [[BigDamnHeroes saves Finch]] by shooting the killer, Finch mentions how good the man was at impersonating an FBI agent and [[OhCrap realises]] that included the armour. Cue the man getting to his feet, ''immediately'' followed by Beecher shooting him in the head.

--->'''Cowley:''' At twenty yards, in poor light with a handgun?

* ''Series/TheProfessionals''. In "Kickback", [=CI5=] have to fake the assassination of a British government official. He's shown putting on the vest and being surprised that it's not as heavy as he expected, but when he's struck by a couple of rifle bullets he convulses in agony, which only helps maintain the illusion.

* ''Series/TheProfessionals''. In "Kickback", [=CI5=] have to fake the assassination of a British government official. He's shown putting on the vest and being surprised that it's not as heavy as he expected, but when he's struck by a couple of rifle bullets he convulses in pain, which only helps maintain the illusion.

* ''Series/AlteredCarbon''. Because the only way to [[KilledOffForReal Real Death]] someone is to destroy their [[BodyBackupDrive cortical stack]], body armor includes a panel that covers the neck where the stack is implanted.

* In ''Webcomic/GrrlPower'', Maxima lets Sydney know on no uncertain terms that they have bullet ''resistant'' armor, not bullet ''proof'' armor. A powerful enough bullet ''will'' penetrate her armor, no matter how tough it is. Sydney takes this lesson to heart.

* ComicBook/{{Batwoman}} gets a more high-tech bulletproof costume out of her "partnership" with the D.E.O.

*** Modern aluminum alloys are stronger than low-grade steel and weigh one-third as much. Titanium weighs 2/3rds as much as steel and is stronger by weight but not volume; however, unlike aluminum, which can be reasonably priced, titanium is ludicrously expensive--until the FFC Cambridge process enters the public domain in 2018, soon after which the bottom will drop out of the titanium market. We may be due for a maille-armor re-renaissance.