History Main / ColorCodedEyes

* On ''Franchise/Transformers'', most Autobots have blue eyes and most Decepticons have red eyes.

For instance, someone who is very peaceful or innocent might have blue eyes, or someone who is sinister or supernatural might have yellow eyes. While there are general patterns as to what colors mean, these aren't absolutes. It's up to the authors what certain eye colors mean in context.

'''Recurring patterns include but are not limited to''':

* '''BlackEyes''': If black eyes aren't supposed to be very dark brown eyes, then it's usually a sign of [[BlackEyesOfEvil evil]] or [[BlackEyesOfCrazy craziness]], especially if it's the sclera that is black.
* '''{{Red Eyes| Take Warning}}''': Red, the color of fire and blood, is usually a [[TurnsRed sign]] [[RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver of danger]]. In other cases, it may just point out otherness, or some sort of deficiency, as albinos may have naturally red eyes.
* '''Blue Eyes''': Depends on the shade;
** ''IcyBlueEyes'': Sharp icy blue eyes may show someone who is emotionally distant or lifeless. Sometimes even given to robots.
** '''[[InnocentBlueEyes Baby Blue Eyes]]''': Bright light blue eyes usually signify purity or innocence. Often complimentary to natural [[HairOfGoldHeartOfGold Blonde hair]], and carries many similar connotations.

* '''{{Yellow Eyes|OfSneakiness}}''': As an eye color more often associated with reptiles, on human characters they may denote some type of sinister intent or sickness. Sometimes seen when characters are DrunkOnTheDarkSide.
* '''GrayEyes''': Often used to portray purity of spirit. Whitish eyes are used to show people who are beyond the normal ken of human understanding. They may have sight beyond sight or be blind with no vision at all. Gray eyes can also characterize a cold, strong-willed and unapproachable character often with an "ideas above people" mentality.
* '''[[PurpleEyes Violet/Purple Eyes]]''': Often a telltale sign of a MarySue in fanfiction, Violet or Purple eyes are far out of the range of 'normal' eye colors and typically only appear in fantasy shows or fantastic characters. Here it's important to note that the character must be special in ways that many other characters aren't. If everyone is special and has fantastic eye colors, you may just be in a TechnicolorEyes design style. Orange, pink, and other bright saturated colors are similar.

SuperTrope to ElementalEyeColors when eyes specifically denote certain ElementalPowers. Please do not list such examples here.

!!Examples

** Kyouya has gray eyes and considering he's the "Cool" type, it's fitting.

* The gray-eyed, pupil-less Hyuuga family from ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' fit the seer — they can see a lot more than normal, including through matter or behind their backs. They have the unapproachable, "ideas above people" mentality of the second gray eye type. Neji Hyuuga, who was a hardened fatalist before his Warrior Therapist session with Naruto certainly fits. Hinata Hyuuga though has the eyes but her personality is the absolute opposite.

* ''Manga/TsubasaReservoirChronicle''

[[folder:Mythology]]
* Athena, the [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Greek goddess of wisdom]], has gray eyes. A frequent epithet in Homer's The Odyssey even refers to her as the "gray-eyed goddess".
[[/folder]]

* ''TheSimpsons'': Marge's eyes are revealed to be hazel; a lot of episodes focused on her revolve around some sort of identity crisis stemming from feeling unfulfilled or unappreciated. She also borrows cues associated with both brown and green eyes; she's (usually) the most [[OnlySaneMan emotionally grounded in the family]], but she has moments when she veers into exotic and wild behaviors (generally during one of the aforementioned identity crises).
* In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', Fluttershy has soft blue-green eyes, probably indicating her connection with nature and healing, as well as her innocence and gentleness. Twilight and the Great and Powerful Trixie have purple eyes. Twilight is the embodiment of the Element of Magic itself and ultimately become an alicorn. Trixie's talents are also magical in nature, albeit magician magic rather than more practical stuff, but the color still shows her as having a more magical nature than other ponies. She picked up teleportation pretty quickly after all.

* '''{{Red Eyes| Take Warning}}''': Red, the color of fire and blood, is usually a [[TurnsRed sign]] [[RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver of danger]]. In other cases it may just point out otherness, or some sort of deficiency, as albinos may have naturally red eyes.

** ''[[InnocentBlueEyes Baby Blue Eyes]]'': Bright light blue eyes are usually sign of purity or innocence. Often complimentary to natural [[HairOfGoldHeartOfGold Blonde hair]], and carries many similar connotations.
* '''Green Eyes''': Characters with this may be wilder, display more uncontrollable tendencies and enjoy being outdoors. Since green is rare eye color it's often seen as exotic and sexy. Often complimentary to [[SignificantGreenEyedRedhead natural Red hair and carries some similar connotations]].
** However if your eyes turn green, its often a sign of enhanced power, or literal GreenEyedMonster jealousy.

* '''GrayEyes''': Often used to portray purity of spirit. Whitish eyes are used to show people who are beyond the normal ken of human understanding. They may have sight beyond sight, or be blind with no vision at all. Gray eyes can also characterize a cold, strong-willed and unapproachable character often with an "ideas above people" mentality.

** Honey-senpai has light brown eyes, which not only helps him look even more innocent and childlike, but gives him heartbreakingly adorable [[PuppyEyes puppy-dog eyes]] when he chooses to wield them. However, don't make him mad, because those typically adorable eyes can also be TERRIFYING.

* The gray-eyed, pupil-less Hyuuga family from ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' fit the seer — they can see a lot more than normal, including through matter or behind their backs. They have the unapproachable, "ideas above people" mentality of the second gray eye type. Neji Hyuuga, who was a hardened fatalist before his Warrior Therapist session with Naruto certainly fits. Hinata Hyuuga though, has the eyes but her personality is the absolute opposite.
* All Manga/{{Claymore}}s have silvery-gray eyes. In fact, their eye color is what most commonly gives them away when they go undercover. Needless to say they are mostly very stoic (except for [[PsychopathicManChild Psychopathic Woman Children]]).

* Different characters in ''Manga/YuGiOh'' have different eye colors (and [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair different hair colors]], too, even though most of them are Japanese), but what's notable is the differences in the shine of the eyes. Characters who are [[TertiarySexualCharacteristics female]] (Anzu, Mai, Ishizu, Isis, Kisara) or childlike (Mokuba, Bakura, except Yugi himself) have more shine (one area at the top and one area at the bottom of the iris), while evil ones have no shine at all. Marik only has the shiny area at the bottom, while most other male characters have the large shiny area at the top that cover most of the pupil. Also, during the Duelist Kingdom and D.D.D. arcs, male characters that are characterized as strong shounen don't have shine, or except Ryuuji Otogi's case, not even pupils. Other minor characters have very small irises and usually no shine.

** Among the many [[SignificantGreenEyedRedhead green-eyed redheads]] from the Marvel universe, Mary Jane Watson from ''Franchise/SpiderMan'' is given these to make her not only more attractive, but giving her a safely exotic yet still familiar girl-next-door flair.
** [[ComicBook/IncredibleHulk The Hulk]] is often shown with green eyes, which are more of reflection of the gamma radiation that turned his hair and skin green too. In the past they've been red for the associations of danger. Bruce Banner, on the other hand, is more often shown with brown (muggle mode indicator) or blue eyes (more gentle than his alter ego), with the change to green being the signal that [[YouWouldntLikeMeWhenImAngry running might be]] a good idea.
* Oliver Queen, a.k.a. ComicBook/GreenArrow, a modern-day RobinHood, has green eyes, which he has passed on, somewhat improbably, to both of his sons, including the adopted one. The sexy-connotations certainly apply as well, just ask Black Canary, or one of his other love interests.

* In Disney's ''Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast'', when the Beast is restored to his original human form, Belle does not recognize him until she looks into his deep blue eyes, the exact same shade they were while he was the Beast, and then recognizes him immediately. WordOfGod confirms that his eyes are specifically designed to tell viewers that there really is a fundamentally good man trapped inside his monstrous form.

* Mother Gothel from ''Disney/{{Tangled}}'' was cold, manipulative and filled with steely determination to keep her youth and eternal life no matter what, and was given gray eyes to show this. Rapunzel, an earthy young woman who becomes a bit wild (at least for the time, and compared to what she was before) with her first taste of freedom, has green eyes, and also runs around barefoot.

* The eyes of a Sith from the Franchise/StarWars franchise turn yellow when closest to his original programing of sneaky creature that infiltrates large cities so he can "back-up sewage, reverse road signs, and steal everyone's left shoe."

** In one of the early books, Pratchett states that Lancrastrians, emigres often becoming very successful witches and wizards among other things, are very down to earth, saying that only those who are firmly grounded can build castles in the sky. One could say this reflects magical power, until you realize that Granny Weatherwax has ''blue'' eyes. Though this could have something to do with the fact that she tends to ignore expectations.

** Gray eyes are a genetic trait of the Stark family line, reflecting their stoic nature and the [[GrimUpNorth hard life]] up in the North. Ned Stark and his [[HeroicBastard illegitimate]] son Jon's eyes are frequently focused on. Jon and Arya are the only two kids out of the six Stark children to have inherited the Stark look -- including the eyes -- and Arya is the only one of Catelyn's children not to inherit the blue-eyed Tully look, as Robb, Sansa, Bran and Rickon have.

** Alaric Morgan has gray eyes and blond hair. He serves as a mentor for Kelson, and he's actually innocent of the evil motives (and most of the deeds) ascribed to him. Danger and ruthlessness also factor into it, however, since he actively cultivates a dangerous reputation, and he has plenty of martial and magical skills to back it up. To top it all off, he's a devoted servant of the House of Haldane, so having the same colour eyes serves to point up that association.
* Senna Wales, of the ''Everworld'' series, has "the color of rainclouds" and a personality to match. Her mother, who briefly appears in the ninth book, also has gray eyes, but doesn't really fit any of the personalities associated with it.

** Percy has sea-green eyes, because he is the son of the sea god Poseidon.
** In similar fashion, Annabeth has the same storm grey eyes as her mother, Athena.

* Creator/NKJemisin's ''Literature/InheritanceTrilogy'': Yeine's "faded" green eyes mark her in several ways. To her native Darre people, they're a reminder that she's half-descended from the hated Arameri dynasty; to the intensely green-eyed Arameri, the shade is a sign that she's not truly one of them. They're also the precise eye colour of the dead goddess Enefa, [[spoiler:whose soul Yeine carries]].

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'': In one of many, ''many'' associations with the water-element, Tidus has deep blue eyes. Yuna has a green eye and a blue one, and suffers quite the identity crisis half-way through the game [[spoiler: due to being half-Al-Bhed]]. The most [[TheStoic mentally stable]] and [[OnlySaneMan down to earth]] party members -- Auron and Lulu -- have deep brown eyes.

** Wally West, Barry's nephew, original sidekick, and successor, has GreenEyes, which coupled with his hair make him a SignificantGreenEyedRedhead. He's got a wilder, feistier temperament than his uncle, too.

* Loki, from ''Film/{{Thor}}'' was given artificially bright, almost glowing GreenEyes for the promotional posters, both to highlight his unpredictable mischievousness and to lampshade his [[GreenEyedMonster envy]] of Thor. In the actual film his eyes are blue, which is probably a racial trait for frost giants, but it also fits how cold and ruthless he can be.

* '''GreenEyes''': Characters with this may be wilder, display more uncontrollable tendencies and enjoy being outdoors. Since green is rare eye color it's often seen as exotic and sexy. Often complimentary to [[SignificantGreenEyedRedhead natural Red hair and carries some similar connotations]].

** Oliver Queen, a.k.a. ComicBook/GreenArrow, a modern-day RobinHood, has green eyes, which he has passed on, somewhat improbably, to both of his sons, including the adopted one. The sexy-connotations certainly apply as well, just ask Black Canary, or one of his other love interests.

** Among the many [[SignificantGreenEyedRedhead green-eyed redheads]] from the Marvel universe, Mary Jane Watson from SpiderMan is given these to make her not only more attractive, but giving her a safely exotic yet still familiar girl-next-door flair.

* ''Franchise/Discworld''

* Different characters in ''Manga/YuGiOh'' have different eye colors (and [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair different hair colors]], too, even though most of them are Japanese), but what's notable is the differences in the shine of the eyes. Characters who are [[TertiarySexualCharacteristics female]] (Anzu, Mai, Ishizu, Isis, Kisara) or childlike (Mokuba, Bakura, except Yugi himself) have more shine (one are at the top and one area at the bottom of the iris), while evil ones have no shine at all. Marik only has the shiny area at the bottom, while most other male characters have the large shiny area at the top that cover most of the pupil. Also, during the Duelist Kingdom and D.D.D. arcs, male characters that are characterized as strong shounen don't have shine, or except Ryuuji Otogi's case, not even pupils. Other minor characters have very small irises and usually no shine.

* Different characters in ''Manga/YuGiOh'' have different eye colors (and [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair different hair color]], too, even though most of them are Japanese), but what's notable is the differences in the shine of the eyes. Characters who are [[TertiarySexualCharacteristics female]] (Anzu, Mai, Ishizu, Isis, Kisara) or childlike (Mokuba, Bakura, except Yugi himself) have more shine (one are at the top and one area at the bottom of the iris), while evil ones have no shine at all. Marik only has the shiny area at the bottom, while most other male characters have the large shiny area at the top that cover most of the pupil. Also, during the Duelist Kingdom and D.D.D. arcs, male characters that are characterized as strong shounen don't have shine, or except Ryuuji Otogi's case, not even pupils. Other minor characters have very small irises and usually no shine.

* In a setting that is filled to the brim with blue, green and yellow eyes, the only two original characters that have brown eyes in the ''KingdomHearts'' series are Hayner and Pence, who are, fittingly, a pair of Ordinary High School Students.

* '''BlackEyes''': if black eyes aren't supposed to be very dark brown eyes, then it's usually a sign of [[BlackEyesOfEvil evil]] or [[BlackEyesOfCrazy craziness]], especially if it's the sclera that is black.

* In ''Literature/{{Moonflowers}}'', the leader of TheWildHunt is aptly-titled as the Hunter. His green eyes are frequently referred to as "cat's eyes" or catlike, alluding to both his literal job as a hunter and how [[TheFairFolk he loves to yank humans around for amusement]]. In an [[{{Grimmification}} extremely dark twist]] on the "green eyes = nature" connotation, it's revealed that he's the Horned Hunter of Myth/CelticMythology and [[AnthropomorphicPersonification a literal force of nature.]] The force he represents? ''[[NatureIsNotNice Predators.]]''

* ''Manga/OuranHighSchoolHostClub''

* Fakir from ''Anime/PrincessTutu'' has green eyes to match his hair. He definitely fits the "exotic and sexy" implication of the trope...[[spoiler:and he inherited Drosselmeyer's Rewriting Reality powers, so he fits the magical implications as well.]]

* Creator/MarvelComics

* Athena, the [[Myth/GreekMythology Greek goddess of wisdom]], has gray eyes. A frequent epithet in Homer's The Odyssey even refers to her as the "gray-eyed goddess".

* On ''WesternAnimation/{{Transformers}},'' most Autobots have blue eyes and most Decepticons have red eyes.

->''"In her eyes I see the sky and all I'll ever need''\\
''In her eyes time passes by and she is with me."''

'''Recurring patterns include but are not limited to:'''
* Black or Brown Eyes: As the most common RealLife eye colors, these are often given to {{Muggles}} or down to earth, grounded characters. Since the majority of people have these eyes, take more note of those with other eye colors to know if color symbolism is at play.
* '''{{Red Eyes| Take Warning}}:''' Red, the color of fire and blood, is usually a [[TurnsRed sign]] [[RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver of danger]]. In other cases it may just point out otherness, or some sort of deficiency, as albinos may have naturally red eyes.
* '''Blue Eyes:''' Depends on the shade:
** ''IcyBlueEyes:'' Sharp icy blue eyes may show someone who is emotionally distant or lifeless. Sometimes even given to robots.
** ''[[InnocentBlueEyes Baby Blue Eyes]]:'' Bright light blue eyes are usually sign of purity or innocence. Often complimentary to natural [[HairOfGoldHeartOfGold Blonde hair]], and carries many similar connotations.
* '''GreenEyes:''' Characters with this may be wilder, display more uncontrollable tendencies and enjoy being outdoors. Since green is rare eye color it's often seen as exotic and sexy. Often complimentary to natural Red hair and carries some similar connotations.

* [[YellowEyesOfSneakiness Yellow Eyes]]: As an eye color more often associated with reptiles, on human characters they may denote some type of sinister intent or sickness. Sometimes seen when characters are DrunkOnTheDarkSide.
* '''[[GrayEyes Silver Eyes]]:''' Often used to portray purity of spirit. Whitish eyes are used to show people who are beyond the normal ken of human understanding. They may have sight beyond sight, or be blind with no vision at all. Gray eyes can also characterize a cold, strong-willed and unapproachable character often with an "ideas above people" mentality.
* '''[[PurpleEyes Violet/Purple Eyes]]:''' Often a telltale sign of a MarySue in fanfiction, Violet or Purple eyes are far out of the range of 'normal' eye colors and typically only appear in fantasy shows or fantastic characters. Here it's important to note that the character must be special in ways that many other characters aren't. If everyone is special and has fantastic eye colors, you may just be in a YouGottaHaveBlueHair design style. Orange, pink, and other bright saturated colors are similar.

If you're seeing a bunch of eye colors that don't fall into the above, then it may just be a [[ColorMotif design]] [[ColorCodedCharacters choice.]] Some artists slap around eye color like [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair hair colors,]] with no storytelling purpose at all. In that case, don't list it here.

* In ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'', Commander Miranda Keyes from ''VideoGame/{{Halo 2}}'' and ''[[VideoGame/{{Halo 3}} 3]]'' has gray eyes, and is portrayed as being extremely calm and controlled.

[[folder:Webcomics]]

* In ''{{Literature/Moonflowers}}'', the leader of TheWildHunt is aptly-titled as the Hunter. His green eyes are frequently referred to as "cat's eyes" or catlike, alluding to both his literal job as a hunter and how [[TheFairFolk he loves to yank humans around for amusement.]] In an [[{{Grimmification}} extremely dark twist]] on the "green eyes = nature" connotation, it's revealed that he's the Horned Hunter of Myth/CelticMythology and [[AnthropomorphicPersonification a literal force of nature.]] The force he represents? ''[[NatureIsNotNice Predators.]]''

* On ''[[WesternAnimation/{{Transformers}} Transformers]],'' most Autobots have blue eyes and most Decepticons have red eyes.

---

* ''Literature/LordOfTheRings'': since stoicism is the norm for heroes in the [[Tolkien]] universe, gray eyes (said to be a racial trait of, among others, the Noldor elves and the Númenóreans) take up a very large chunk of the good guy population. The fact that Tolkien's beloved wife Edith was gray-eyed is probably also pertinent.

** ''Bright Blue Eyes:'' Bright light blue eyes are usually sign of purity or innocence. Often complimentary to natural [[HairOfGoldHeartOfGold Blonde hair]], and carries many similar connotations.

** ''Icy Blue Eyes:'' Sharp icy blue eyes may show someone who is emotionally distant or lifeless. Sometimes even given to robots.

* Niles Crane on ''Series/Frasier'' in contrast to his brother's Blue Eyes — while he is more rigid, neurotic, and fussy than Frasier, he is more down-to-earth and practical, (not to mention Woobieish), and often plays StraightMan to his brother's overblown, self-deluding shenanigans.

* Train from ''Manga/BlackCat'' has yellow/gold eyes. In the anime, both [[DisposableWoman Saya]] and [[StalkerWithACrush Creed]] tell him repeatedly that his eyes are so beautiful. And they both [[EvenTheGuysWantHim fell for him]].

** Tamaki, the Host King, has ''purple'' eyes. It's also very fitting for his personality.

** Fai from has blue eyes that are on the lighter side, which go with his gentle and sensitive nature, and further contrast with partmember Kurogane. [[spoiler: He ultimately losses the blue color because they were the source of his magic, which was stolen. Then they turn into YellowEyesOfSneakiness from turning into a vampire. This reflects all the secrets he was keeping from the group, and how he was a spy the whole time for the BigBad.

* In a subversion, River Tam of Firefly has brown eyes, which typically display stability, when River is anything ''but'' stable -- mentally or emotionally.

* Glitch of [[Creator/{{Syfy}} Sci Fi Channel]]'s Tin Man has big brown eyes. They're a sign of his trustworthiness and bravery, since he's [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} anything]] [[MeaningfulName but]] [[GeniusDitz stable]].
* Lucas Wolenczak of Series/SeaQuestDSV is an oceanography and computer genius who has a connection to dolphins and has lived most of his life at sea. Naturally, they went to great length to show off his shocking sea-blue eyes.
* Neil and Mike of ''Series/TheYoungOnes'' both have brown eyes. Out of the four flatmates, their personalities are the most low-key and down-to-earth — well, as down-to-earth as you can get on the show — and contrast wildly with those of the noticeably younger, HotBlooded Rick and Vyvyan (who both have blue eyes).
* Hurley of ''Series/{{Lost}}'' has brown eyes and is one of the most stable of the Losties. Jack, the physician and leader, also has brown eyes.

* In ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'', Caliborn states that after he curses [[CreepyDoll the puppet Lil' Cal]], gazing into its eyes will allow those he deems worthy to see into his soul.

* ''WebVideo/EpicRapBattlesOfHistory'': When UsefulNotes/JosefStalin raps against UsefulNotes/{{Rasputin|TheMadMonk}}, who has the reputation of hypnotizing people and seeing their souls through the eyes, Stalin challenges him to do so:
-->''Look into my eyes you perverted witch.''
-->''See the soul of the man who made Mother Russia his bitch.''

* ''TheSimpsons''
** Lisa, in , has gray eyes. She is probably closest to mentor, though does tend to think herself smarter than everyone else. No one would ever know it from the pupil-less animation; we only know because Milhouse says her eyes match his gray safety belt.
** Marge's eyes are revealed to be hazel; a lot of episodes focused on her revolve around some sort of identity crisis stemming from feeling unfulfilled or unappreciated. She also borrows cues associated with both brown and green eyes; she's (usually) the most [[OnlySaneMan emotionally grounded in the family]], but she has moments when she veers into exotic and wild behaviors (generally during one of the aforementioned identity crises).

* Esméralda from the Disney adaptation of ''Disney/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'' possesses the positive, exotic qualities, and her name even means emerald.
** She, despite being the film's heroine was actually also modeled after several female villains from earlier Disney films, who all have green eyes, so that she will actually be portrayed as being evil by Frollo, the film's real BigBad, while to the viewers, she's actually on the side of good. This is actually done to show the fact that she is hated by the villain because he thinks that she is evil even though she really isn't.

* Loki, from ''Film/{{Thor}}'' was given artificially bright, almost glowing GreenEyes for the promotional posters, both to highlight his unpredictable mischievousness and to lampshade his [[GreenEyedMonster envy]] of Thor. In the actual film his eyes are blue.
* The eyes of a Sith from the Franchise/StarWars franchise turn yellow when closest to the dark side.

* ''Literature/HarryPotter'': The fact that Harry Potter and his red-haired mother Lily both have vivid green eyes is emphasized repeatedly. With [[ChekhovsGun good reason]].

** Hermione Granger has brown eyes, showing that she is one of, if not ''the'' most down-to-earth character in the series, grounding the rest of her group and often being the mediator between Ron and Harry's scuffles.
** Ginny, Ron's little sister and Harry's LoveInterest. She is the only romantic interest Harry has had who has been a solid, consistent and lasting presence in his life.
** Luna Lovegood has protruding silver eyes, probably meant to be reminiscent of a full moon (hence lunacy), although Fanon often makes them silvery blue.
** Draco and [[IncrediblyLamePun Luscious]] Malfoy both have gray eyes of the cold, steely variety.
* Discworld's Tiffany Aching and Agnes Nitt are both sensible and brown-eyed.
** Something of a subversion in that sensible, down-to-earth people often make for talented witches such as Agnes and Tiffany.
*** In one of the early books, Pratchett states that Lancrastrians, emigres often becoming very successful witches and wizards among other things, are very down to earth, saying that only those who are firmly grounded can build castles in the sky. One could say this reflects magical power, until you realize that Granny Weatherwax has blue eyes. Though this could have something to do with the fact that she tends to ignore expectations.
* Since stoicism is the norm for heroes in the [[LordOfTheRings Tolkien]] universe, gray eyes (said to be a racial trait of, among others, the Noldor elves and the Númenóreans) take up a very large chunk of the Lord of the Rings good guy population. The fact that Tolkien's beloved wife Edith was gray-eyed is probably also pertinent.

* SherlockHolmes possesses Gray ( or 'steely') eyes of the piercing variety. His brother Mycroft's are of a "peculiarly light, watery gray".

** Gray eyes are a genetic trait of the Stark family line, reflecting their stoic nature and the [[GrimUpNorth harder life]] up in the North. Ned Stark and his [[HeroicBastard illegitimate]] son Jon's eyes are frequently focused on. Jon and Arya are the only two kids out of the six Stark children to have inherited the Stark look -- including the eyes -- and Arya is the only one of Catelyn's children not to inherit the blue-eyed Tully look, as Robb, Sansa, Bran and Rickon have.

* Gregori from the Dark series is a healer with an unapproachable personality and the ideas-above-people mentality. A great deal is made about his silvery eyes.
** Incidentally, Xavier, the main villain of the series, shares the eye color. It is implied that silver eyes are a consequence of experimenting with darker or forbidden forms of magic.

* The Haldane kings in the Deryni novels all have gray eyes.
** Not just the kings. Prince Nigel (Heir Presumptive and frequent Regent), his sons, even cousin (and Queen by marriage) Araxie. In Conall's case, the cold and strong-willed aspects of his character could be signaled by this.
*** Also, Alaric Morgan has gray eyes and blond hair. He does serve as a mentor for Kelson, and he's actually innocent of the evil motives (and most of the deeds) ascribed to him. Danger and ruthlessness also factor into it, however, since he actively cultivates a dangerous reputation, and he has plenty of martial and magical skills to back it up. To top it all off, he's a devoted servant of the House of Haldane, so having the same colour eyes serves to point up that association.
* Senna Wales of the Everworld series. Solidly type 2 eyes, "the color of rainclouds" and a personality to match. Her mother, who briefly appears in the ninth book, also has gray eyes, but doesn't really fit any of the personalities associated with it.

* Percy from ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians'' has sea-green eyes, because he is the son of the sea god Poseidon.

* In ''Literature/TheChildrenOfMan'', a person's eye color indicates which of the six color magics he can access. Yellow mages have gold eyes, purple mages purple eyes, green mages have green eyes, etc. The most powerful mages, those who can use multiple colors, have brown eyes. And then there are Grays, whose magic has been stripped of its color by making a HeelFaceTurn, and who are forever marked by their reflective silver eyes.
* This is the basis for [[GogglesDoSomethingUnusual Oculary]] in the ''Literature/AlcatrazSeries''. The eyes are the windows to the soul, so Lenses either affect what's going in (Things like Truthfinder's Lenses, Tracker's Lenses, or the mythic Translator's Lenses) or what's coming out (Firebringer's Lenses, Bestower's Lenses, Windstormer's Lenses, etc).
* After swearing the Third Ideal in ''Literature/WordsOfRadiance'', Kaladin discovers that his eyes turn from dark brown to sky-blue (the color of the Windrunners), whenever he uses his Surgebindings or summons his Shardblade. At the level of the Third Ideal, his eyes turn back to their original color after a few hours, but it's implied that by the time you swear the Fifth Ideal, the change has become permanent (it's speculated that the lighteyes rule humanity because they're descended from the Lost Radiants).

* Djaq from the BBC's RobinHood had large brown eyes, was a wise and stabilizing force in the outlaw camp, and had a [[PuppyDogEyes wounded puppy-dog look]] that could tear your heart out. Notable mainly because almost everyone else in the cast had Blue Eyes.

* Hurley of Lost has brown eyes and is one of the most stable of the Losties. Jack, the physician and leader, also has brown eyes.
* Niles Crane on Frasier in contrast to his brother's Blue Eyes — while he is more rigid, neurotic, and fussy than Frasier, he is more down-to-earth and practical, (not to mention Woobieish), and often plays StraightMan to his brother's overblown, self-deluding shenanigans.

* In ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'', Commander Miranda Keyes from ''VideoGame/{{Halo 2}}'' and ''[[VideoGame/{{Halo 3}} 3]]'' has gray eyes as well, and is portrayed as being extremely calm and controlled.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'': In one of many, ''many'' associations with the water-element, Tidus has deep blue eyes. Yuna has a green eye and a blue one, and suffers quite the identity crisis half-way through the game. The most [[TheStoic mentally stable]] and [[OnlySaneMan down to earth]] party members -- Auron and Lulu -- have deep brown eyes.

** The "to the soul" part is literally true of [[RedEyesTakeWarning tainted]] characters, since it shows that they've merged their aura with a [[OurDemonsAreDifferent nether being]], willingly or unwillingly.

* In ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', there are numerous examples:
** Katara and most other Waterbenders or members of the Water Tribe have deep blue eyes.
** Most Earthbenders or members of the Earth Nation have either green or brown eyes.
** Firebenders or members of the Fire Nation usually have gold eyes.
** Though we didn't see many airbenders in the series (what with them all being dead) they appear to have typically had gray or light blue eyes, as Aang had gray eyes.
* Lisa, in ''TheSimpsons'', has gray eyes. She is probably closest to mentor, though does tend to think herself smarter than everyone else. No one would ever know it from the pupil-less animation; we only know because Milhouse says her eyes match his gray safety belt.

* [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Fluttershy]] has soft blue-green eyes, probably indicating her connection with nature and healing, as well as her innocence and gentleness, while Twilight and the Great and Powerful Trixie have purple eyes, Twilight being the embodiment of the Element of Magic itself, Trixie's sole talents appearing to be magical in nature, the color thus showing their far more magical nature among all the other ponies.

SuperTrope to ElementalEyeColors when eyes specifically denote certain ElementalPowers.

* Honey-senpai from ''Manga/OuranHighSchoolHostClub'' has light brown eyes, which not only helps him look even more innocent and childlike, but gives him heartbreakingly adorable [[PuppyEyes puppy-dog eyes]] when he chooses to wield them. However, don't make him mad, because those typically adorable eyes can also be TERRIFYING.

** And Tamaki, the Host King, has ''purple'' eyes. It's also very fitting for his personality.

* Both L and Near of Manga/DeathNote have gray eyes, though L is arguably a more apt example of this trope.
** However, it should be noted that L's eyes are only gray in the anime; they are black in the manga.
* Fakir from Princess Tutu has green eyes to match his hair. He definitely fits the "exotic and sexy" implication of the trope...[[spoiler:and he inherited Drosselmeyer's Rewriting Reality powers, so he fits the magical implications as well.]]
* Rina of ''Manga/MermaidMelodyPichiPichiPitch'' has these eyes while in mermaid form or her MagicalGirl form. In normal human form, she has Gray Eyes.
** By extension, all Green mermaids like her have these eyes, but they are just a racial trait, as mermaids are ColorCodedForYourConvenience.

* Fai from Manga/TsubasaReservoirChronicle has blue eyes that are on the lighter side. He is early on shown to be a wind-type and his whistle is also a kind of wind-magic. He can also be associated with ice as he comes from a very, ''very'' cold, [[PhenotypeStereotype scandinavian looking]] world.

* ComicBook/{{Storm}} of the ''ComicBook/XMen'' is often portrayed with eyes that are Silver/Icy Blue -- either constantly or only when she is using her powers to control the weather.
* Comicbook/DoctorStrange from Creator/MarvelComics officially has gray eyes. They're often depicted as [[OccultBlueEyes blue]] or even green, however.
* Among the many [[SignificantGreenEyedRedhead green-eyed redheads]] from the Marvel universe, Mary Jane Watson from SpiderMan is given these to make her not only more attractive, but giving her a safely exotic yet still familiar girl-next-door flair.

* Leetah from ''ComicBook/ElfQuest'' has green eyes. Also quite a few other elves, including the plant-shapers Redlance, Goodtree and Kaslen, fitting the "natural magic" bit.
* Oliver Queen, a.k.a. ComicBook/GreenArrow, a modern-day RobinHood, has green eyes, which he has passed on, somewhat improbably, to both of his sons. Including the adopted one.

* [[ComicBook/IncredibleHulk The Hulk]] is often shown with green eyes, especially in recent years, though in the past they've been red. Bruce Banner, on the other hand, is more often shown with brown or blue eyes, the change to green being the signal that [[YouWouldntLikeMeWhenImAngry running might be]] a good idea.

** With respect to different artists, SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker is often portrayed with green eyes (the shade varies) when a close-up of them is shown. This is going more with the "untrustworthy" and "spitfire" aspects of his personality, since he doesn't technically have any superpowers [[PowerBornOfMadness besides insanity]] (or sometimes, "super-sanity"). It could also be to match his hair color or to tie him into his chemical bath-based origin...

If you're seeing a bunch of eye colors that don't fall into the above, then it may just be a [[ColorMotif design]] [[ColorCodedCharacters choice.]] Some artists slap around eye color like [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair hair colors,]] with no storytelling purpose at all. In that case, don't list it here.