History Main / ColorMotif

** [[Characters/TheOwlHouseAmityBlight Amity Blight]] frequently associated with {{pink|MeansFeminine}} -- her Abomination Track uniform, her leggings and necklace in her casual outfit, her [[spoiler:[[PlayingWithFire fire]] spell]], her [[spoiler:Grom]] dress, her [[spoiler:Grudgby uniform]] and [[spoiler:letterman jacket]], etc.

* [[Creator/DanteAlighieri Dante]]'s ''Literature/VitaNuova'' makes use of red to represent love, most strikingly in the crimson dress of Beatrice. She wears it at age nine when he experiences LoveAtFirstSight and in a vision after [[TheLostLenore her death]] to remind him what true beauty is.

** [[LittleRedFightingHood Ruby]] always dresses in red, and dyes her hair the same colour. Given that she's a passionate idealist and the protagonist, the symbolism is clear.
** Weiss's name translates into 'White Snow', the colour of her hair. She's an intellectual perfectionist who likes everything to be in order.
** Blake has black hair and wears black. She's not evil by any means, but she's not exactly friendly or chatty, and [[spoiler:her troubled past, her status as a former terrorist]], and her more cynical outlook on the world, make her the team AntiHero.
** Yang has flowing blonde hair and loads of yellow in her clothing. The polar opposite of Blake, she is extremely warm and friendly, but she has a ''hell'' of a temper.

* A common motif in comic books is for the heroes to be dressed in [[PrimaryColorChampion primary colors]] (Franchise/{{Superman}}, ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}, ComicBook/SpiderMan, Franchise/WonderWoman, ComicBook/CaptainAmerica, the ComicBook/FantasticFour) and the villains in [[SecondaryColorNemesis secondary colors]] (ComicBook/LexLuthor, ComicBook/TheJoker, [[Characters/MarvelComicsDoctorDoom Doctor Doom]], ComicBook/GreenGoblin).
%%* Almost every character from ''ComicBook/{{Democracy}}'' has one. %%zero-context
* The color spectrum plays a heavy part in the ''Franchise/GreenLantern'' franchise. Each color of the individual Lantern Corps corresponds to an emotion: the green light of [[HeroicResolve willpower]], the yellow light of [[NightmareFetishist fear]], the blue light of [[HopeBringer hope]], the red light of [[TheBerserker rage]], the orange light of [[ThereCanOnlyBeOne avarice]], the violet light of [[PowerOfLove love]], and the indigo light of [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower compassion]]. As of the ''ComicBook/BlackestNight'' event, there is also the black light of [[EnemyToAllLivingThings death]] and the white light of [[LightEmUp life]].
* ComicBook/LoisLane is often associated with the color purple. She wears purple clothing and sometimes drawn with purple eyes.

* There's a lot of yellow on ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}''.
* In ''ComicBook/WhiteSand'', white and black for Daysiders and Darksiders respectively. Daysides wear bright clothes, have pale skin and live in a white desert in a land of EndlessDaytime, whereas Darksiders are black-skinned, wear dark colours and live on the side of the planet with dead -- black -- sand and no sunlight.
* Creator/DCComics has published a variety of miniseries {{Anthology Comic}}s based on their characters with themes of two colors: ''ComicBook/BatmanBlackAndWhite'', ''ComicBook/SupermanRedAndBlue'', ''ComicBook/WonderWomanBlackAndGold''.
* ''Franchise/TheDCU'' rogue [[Characters/TeenTitansCheshire Cheshire]] has the color Green as a major motif:

** In ''VideoGame/PersonaQ2NewCinemaLabyrinth'', while the rest of the cast is represented by the colors of their respective games (blue for the cast ''3'', pink for ''Portable’s'' female protagonist, yellow for the cast of ''4'', and red for the cast of ''5''), new characters Hikari, Nagi, and Doe are represented by the color orange.

* '''[[BlueTropes Blue]]''' is the most common favorite color and can create [[BlueIsCalm calmness]], serenity, and [[BlueIsHeroic heroism]], although darker blues are associated with a feeling of melancholia. It is also symbolic of [[BlueBoyPinkGirl masculinity]] and, interestingly, also [[TrueBlueFemininity femininity]], the latter due to the Virgin Mary often being depicted with blue robes. The association with calmness can also extend to [[BlueMeansSmartOne intellect]] and through intellect to magic. Light blues are associated with freedom and hope, due to the colour of the sky. With blue pigments being rare in nature, it is associated with unattainable beauty and rarity, such as in the concept of the blue rose. Its association with cool-headed seriousness leads to it being used in politics to represent conservativism and authority, and is specifically the colour of sailors and police, but it can also represent laborers and the working class due to association with the traditional colour of denim workwear. In America, however, it's associated with the liberal-leaning Democratic party.
* '''[[GreenTropes Green]]''', in an odd duality, represents both [[GreenMeansNatural the natural]] and the unnatural. It has the obvious association with nature, plant life, and environmentalism, but is also commonly the color of [[TechnicolorToxin poison]] and [[SicklyGreenGlow radiation]] (especially when mixed with yellow), and is often the color of the [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch]] or the strange and alien. Similarly, it is associated with both health (the colour of hospitals, healing magic and healthy plants and foods) and sickness (the colour of puke, snot and nausea). Bright green can mean "good/correct/positive" (especially in opposition to bright red as bad/incorrect/negative), playing off the idea of it meaning safety. Green is the colour of the military, since camouflage is usually in shades of green. Green is also the colour of money in America, and (especially in HipHop) marijuana. Green is heavily associated with the religion of Islam.

* '''[[PurpleIsTheNewTrope Purple]]''' is the color of royalty and wealth, but also of wisdom. It is often associated with spirituality, [[PurpleIsPowerful power]], exoticism, or poisonousness. In Japan, purple is one of two colors associated with death, the other being white. Due to being both a powerful masculine colour (the colour of kings) as well as regarded as a feminine colour (a more tomboyish alternative to pink) -- and in fact, being a mix of red and blue -- it has a connotation of flamboyance and gender ambiguity. In addition to this, it has an association with psychedelia, so purple is a popular colour with gender-bending and funky rock stars, from Music/JamesBrown to Music/JimiHendrix to Music/{{Prince}}. Politically, purple represents monarchy, and (in a red/blue two-party system) 'third option' political tendencies.

* '''[[PinkTropes Pink]]''' is associated with romance, love, [[PinkIsErotic sex]], and [[PinkMeansFeminine femininity]]--though this wasn't universal until the mid-to-late twentieth century, before which pink was sometimes seen as [[RealMenWearPink masculine]] due to red's association with blood. In Japanese media, pink can be associated with a CherryBlossomGirl and by extension spring and rebirth. Pink also has a calming effect. Pink is frequently associated with LGBT people. Some moderate left groups (especially ones with social democratic leanings) have adopted pink.

* '''[[GrayTropes Grey]]''' is used for mourning, humility and repentance. It can also represent depression, plainness, and lack of life or joy. Like brown, grey is common in nature, particularly rock and metal which gives it a similar connotation of strength. While usually a sombre colour that can represent seriousness and austerity, inclement weather often involves a grey sky, giving grey a connotation of rage and drama similar to storms and tornados. Independent politicians are often associated with the color.

* ''Manga/HappySugarLife'': Satou is represented by the color pink while Shio is represented by the color blue. It’s their respective hair and eye colors (with Shio also wearing a blue SailorFuku) and their “love” is commonly symbolized by a jar full of pink and blue candies. [[spoiler:After they hold a makeshift wedding, Satou wears a ring with a blue gemstone while Shio wears a ring with a pink gemstone. It’s also shown in the manga that Shio developed a love for all things pink after Satou’s death due to them reminding her of Satou.]] Satou is a Main/{{Yandere}} that is [[PsychoPink willing to do anything to keep Shio to herself]], while Shio is an [[InnocentBlueEyes innocent]] little girl that is [[HeavenlyBlue frequently compared to an angel]].

* Creator/DCComics has published a variety of miniseries [[AnthologyComic Anthology Comics]] based on their characters with themes of two colors: ''ComicBook/BatmanBlackAndWhite'', ''ComicBook/SupermanRedAndBlue'', ''ComicBook/WonderWomanBlackAndGold''.

* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire''

* In the [[KoreanPopMusic K-Pop]] {{Girl Group}} Music/{{LOONA}}, every one of the twelve members have a signature color of the {{Colour Coded Characters}} and a number of the members heavily feature that color in their solo music video. The reason behind the color associations aren't clear, but the color line up for the revealed members looks like:

* Nagito Komaeda of ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair'' always wears red and green somewhere on his outfit, sporting these colors on his jacket in ''Goodbye Despair'', his sweater in ''VideoGame/DanganronpaAnotherEpisodeUltraDespairGirls'', and his vest in ''Anime/Danganronpa3TheEndOfHopesPeakHighSchool''. Given that red and green oppose each other on the color spectrum, it possibly alludes to his [[BlueAndOrangeMorality contradictory nature]] with red representing his WellIntentionedExtremist tendencies and green being his [[UnluckilyLucky supernatural luck]].
* In ''VideoGame/{{Drakengard}}'', the dragons are colored differently. In the first Drakengard, Angelus, Caim's dragon, is red. She starts out as a bright red, turns pink in her second form, and then goes to a deep red in her third form. Her chaos form is a deep, purplish red. In ''VideoGame/{{Drakengard 2}}'', Legna, Nowe's dragon, starts out as being a rich blue. He then turns to a darker, almost midnight blue, and finally goes to black. In Drakengard 3, Mikhail, Zero's dragon, is white with a black underbelly.

** The Black Eagles, Edelgard, and the Adrestian Empire are, despite the name of the house, associated with red more than black. With their leader Edelgard wearing primarily red, the Adrestian Empire's territory is shown with red and the flag of both the country and the house are red, representing Edelgard's passion and determination towards reaching her goals. [[spoiler: It along with their secondary black motif represent the fact that she and the country are the primary antagonists of 3 of the 4 routes]]

* ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys'':

* In Mio's route in ''VisualNovel/LittleBusters'', the colors blue and white are given special importance due to their association with a poem Mio loves: 'the seagull/wonder if she is sad/untouched by either the blue of the sky or the blue of the sea'. [[spoiler:Later, Mio writes about her flying someone 'in blue's embrace', and in the end it's made clear that Mio is the white bird and Riki is the blue.]] Therefore it's a hint of foreshadowing when a character named [[MeaningfulName Midori]] is introduced [[spoiler:as there's no room in the poem for green.]]

** ''VideoGame/Persona3'' has a dark blue motif, fitting for the depressing, somewhat dreary atmosphere of the game. The [[UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable PSP]] remake has the same blue motif when using the male main character, and pink when using the newly-added female main character.
** ''VideoGame/Persona4'' uses a cheery, bright yellow motif, indicating how upbeat the game is in comparison to other ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' games and, especially, ''Persona 3''. The [[UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita Vita]] UpdatedRerelease is called ''Persona 4 Golden''.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* ''Series/TheCryOfMann'':
** Orange is associated with "supernatural" elements, including the phones, Ghost Lady, and [[spoiler: Jouglat's funeral clothes]].
** Blue is associated with happy things, such as Trool Day and [[spoiler: Tank Mann's return, as his vest is blue.]]

* In ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'', all of the kids and trolls have a particular shade that they are associated with. For the kids, this color just relates to their text color and the color of the symbol on their t-shirt, but for the trolls is actually has plot-significance: Alternian society is run based on a color-based caste system, with [[BlueBlood blue]], purple, and pink at the top and red, orange, and yellow at the bottom. Also, Skaia is represented by blue and white, representing the sky and thus nature, while the Felt, Green Sun, Doc Scratch, and Lord English are associated with an unnatural green, and the opposing planets Prospit and Derse are almost entirely composed of golden and purple colors respectively. And, each player character possesses an in-game Class and Aspect, the latter of which is associated with a certain combination of shades, meaning that some characters have two associated colors. These motifs are very prevalent in the fandom, with it being common to draw fanart in which a character is entirely drawn in their color, or [[IdiosyncraticShipNaming Idiosyncratic Ship Names]] based on them, e.g., PBJ for Gamzee/Tavros, whose colors are purple and brown.

* In ''VideoGame/IcarusNeeds'', this is used to help instill the atmosphere.

* In ''Webcomic/KoanOfTheDay'', green is often used to symbolize the tortoise, whose words are occasionally [[http://www.koanoftheday.com/126/ in green]].

* In ''[[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender Avatar: the Last Airbender]]'', each nation has colors and seasons symbolic of it. People of the Fire Nation wear reds, golds, and reddish brown, and their season is summer. Earth Kingdom residents wear greens, yellow, and browns, and their season is spring. The Air Nomads wore yellow, orange, reds, and blue came in in the color of their tattoos, with their season being fall. The Water Tribes wear blues, white, and purple and their season is winter.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse''

*** Is consistently associated with [[PurpleIsPowerful purple]] -- her hoodie, her grom outfit, her grudgby uniform, her [[spoiler:AntiMagic cape]], etc.

** [[Characters/TheOwlHouseAmityBlight Amity Blight]] frequently associated with [[PinkMeansFeminine pink]]--her Abomination Track uniform, her leggings and necklace in her casual outfit, her [[spoiler:[[PlayingWithFire fire]] spell]], her [[spoiler:Grom]] dress, her [[spoiler:Grudgby uniform]] and [[spoiler:letterman jacket]], etc.

* VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses each titular house, their leaders and the countries they are associated with have a specific color assigned to them.
** The black eagles, Edelgard and the Adrestian Empire are despite the name of the house associated with red more than black. With their leader Edelgard wearing primarily red, the Adrestian Empire's territory is shown with red and the flag of both the country and the house are in red. Representing Edelgard's passion and determination towards reaching her goals. [[spoiler: It along with their secondary black motif represent the fact that she and the country are the primary antagonists of 3 of the 4 routes]]
** The blue lions, Dimitri and the Kingdom of Faerghus are as the house name suggests blue. Representing their [[BlueIsHeroic dedication towards upholding chivalric values.]] Although Dimitri himself also has a black motif [[spoiler: [[TimeSkip in part 2]] representing his fall from grace and status as {{mirror|Character}}ing Edelgard]].
** The golden deer, Claude and the Leicester Alliance are yellow. Representing Claude being much more cheerful and stable than the other two lords. Though it also represents the alliance's less savory qualities, mainly its habit of political backstabbing and cowardice.