History Main / Cowboy

'''Ram Ranch Cowboy:''' A GayCowboy, more often than not ManlyGay. He is likely to exhibit many traits associated with machoism, such as [[{{Hunk}} a muscular physique]] and a tendency to [[WalkingShirtlessScene spend a considerable amount of time shirtless]]. Count on his partner to be just as masculine as he is, and when's he present, especially in RuleThirtyFour works, expect him to [[ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything not actually partake in any ranch work or gunslinging]] in favor of getting into sexual escapades.

'''Ram Ranch Cowboy:''' Take a wild guess.

* The ''ComicBook/AstroCity'' story "Confessions" features a cowboy-themed supervillain named "The Gunslinger", though interestingly he is half-American and half-Vietnamese, his father having been a soldier during the Vietnam War [[spoiler:whose murder the Gunslinger is avenging by killing the corrupt unit who had killed him]]. In addition to the cowboy-themed outfit, he also has a pair of laser pistols and rocket cowboy boots.

** Terra-Man, a ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'' villain, has a cowboy theme, but all of his equipment is actually extremely high-tech alien gear, and [[{{Pegasus}} his (flying) horse has wings]].
** Greg Saunders, the first ComicBook/{{Vigilante}}, is a singing cowboy-turned-masked crimefighter.
* In ''ComicBook/TheLifeAndTimesOfScroogeMcDuck'', the titular AntiHero works as a regular Working Cowboy for a few years in his late teens under the alias "Buck Mcduck". While he's late to really cash in on the cowdriving industry in the middle west, he manages to TakeALevelInBadass during his stay and decides to go north to begin creating his own wealth as his own boss as a result of this.
* The first black character who headlined his own (short-lived) series was Lobo, a post-civil war cowboy who became a [[TheDrifter drifter]].
* In ''ComicBook/LoveEverlasting'', an assassin styled as a cowboy with six-shooters, a cowboy hat and jacket with fringes, shows up to kill main character Joan whenever she pushes back too hard against the current romance story she's living through.
* The eponymous hero of ''ComicBook/LuckyLuke'' fits the Rodeo Rider type (and being TheAce, he rides horses for whole minutes and ties up calves in seconds).

** The Two-Gun Kid stands out from [[Characters/MarvelComicsWesternCharacters the other Western characters Marvel has featured]] (the Rawhide Kid, Gunhawk, etc.) in that he wears a mask and has a SecretIdentity rather than merely a colorful nickname. He also has a far wider scope of adventures: he has time-traveled to the modern era twice and is a reserve [[ComicBook/TheAvengers Avenger]]. He was {{retcon}}ned as being the inspiration for the Angel (he tells Dr. Halloway, who he knew will become the Angel, about the coming age of superheroes). The Angel was among the first [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] Marvel characters, so the Two-Gun Kid is by extension the first masked hero and the foundation of the era of superheroes with secret identities. Since he's [[CrusadingLawyer a lawyer by profession]] and takes on a cowboy persona to fight crime, he falls mostly into the category of the Philosopher Cowboy (though more likely to quote Jefferson or Washington than Plutarch or Aristotle).
** "Le Cowboy" of Le Heroes des Paris is a French appropriation of American stereotypes, in homage to TheWildWest.

Some say that the Cowboy is the third faction in the war between the {{Pirate}} and the {{Ninja}}, but the Cowboys work for a living, thank you kindly. Besides, they're more concerned with their traditional enemies: [[CowboysAndIndians Indians]], [[DeterminedHomesteader farmers]], [[AcceptableTargets shepherds]] and [[TheRustler rustlers]].

* ''Series/HaveGunWillTravel'' often featured cowboys as guest characters. In one particularly memorable episode, Paladin befriends a lone cowboy who happens to be Native American--then accepts a fee from [[SmallTownTyrant a big spread rancher]] to force the small rancher to sell his land. [[spoiler:Paladin had spotted that metal deposits on the land were slowly poisoning the cattle, making the spread worthless for ranching.]]

* On ''Series/MalcolmInTheMiddle'' Francis worked as a dude ranch cowboy for a while. One episode had Francis and Otto (the ranch's German owner) run afoul of a pair of working cowboys who kept tearing down the Grotto's fence to let their cattle through.

* Cowboy Andy from ''Anime/CowboyBebop'' is a bounty hunter (called "Space Cowboys" InUniverse) with a cowboy theme, including using a horse for locomotion and carrying a six-shooter. This is really out of place in the 23rd century, and the crew of the ''Bebop'' at first refuse to believe Spike after he runs into him.

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[[folder:{{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]
* Being a {{Western}}, the manga ''Manga/{{Miriam}}'' has its share. Douglas and Miriam both work on a ranch, as do Douglas' friends Card and Joel.

* Richie Merced from the ''Manga/YuGiOhR'' manga uses a deck with this theme.
** The theme is also very prevailent in the Crashtown arc of ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds'', tending to lean towards the {{outlaw}} side.

* Cowboy Andy from ''Anime/CowboyBebop'' is a bounty hunter (called "Space Cowboys" InUniverse) with a cowboy theme, including using a horse for locomotion and carrying a six-shooter. This is really out of place in the 23rd century and the crew of the ''Bebop'' at first refuse to believe Spike after he runs into him.

[[folder:ComicBooks]]
* There have been numerous Western comic books over the years, naturally.
* "Le Cowboy" of Le Heroes des Paris in the Franchise/MarvelUniverse is a French appropriation of American stereotypes, in homage to TheWildWest.
* Greg Saunders, the first ComicBook/{{Vigilante}} from Franchise/TheDCU, was a singing cowboy turned masked crimefighter.
* Terra-Man, a ''{{Franchise/Superman}}'' villain, had a cowboy theme, but all of his equipment was actually extremely high-tech alien gear, and his (flying) horse had wings.

* [[http://www.redmeat.com/redmeat/meatlocker/theoldcowboy.html The Old Cowboy]] from ''Webcomic/RedMeat'' is the Ranch Owner type.
* ComicBook/LuckyLuke fits Rodeo Rider type (and being TheAce, rides horses for whole minutes and ties up calves in seconds).
* The ''ComicBook/AstroCity'' story "Confessions" features a cowboy-themed supervillain named "The Gunslinger", though interestingly he is half-American and half-Vietnamese, his father having been a soldier during the Vietnam War [[spoiler:whose murder the Gunslinger is avenging by killing the corrupt unit who had killed him]]. In addition to the cowboy-themed outfit he also has a pair of laser pistols and rocket cowboy boots.
* In ''ComicBook/TheLifeAndTimesOfScroogeMcDuck'', the titular AntiHero works as a regular Working Cowboy for a few years in his late teens under the alias "Buck Mcduck". While he's late to really cash in on the cowdriving industry in the middle west, he manages to TakeALevelInBadass during his stay and decides to go north to begin creating his own wealth as his own boss as a result of this.
* Creator/MarvelComics has the ComicBook/TwoGunKid. He stands out from the other Western characters Marvel has featured (Rawhide Kid, Gunhawk, etc.) in that he wore a mask and had a secret identity rather than a colorful nickname. He also had a far wider scope of adventures: he has time-traveled to the modern era twice, and was a reserve Avenger. He was retconned as being the inspiration for The Angel (he told Dr. Halloway, who he knew would become the Angel, about the coming age of superheroes). The Angel was the first Golden Age Marvel character, so the Two-Gun Kid was by extension the first masked hero and the foundation of the era of superheroes with secret identities. Since he was a lawyer by profession, and took on a cowboy persona to fight crime, he would fall mostly into the category of the Philosopher Cowboy (though more likely to quote Jefferson or Washington than Plutarch or Aristotle).

[[folder:FanFic]]
* The Black Wrangler of the ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' fic [[FanFic/TheBlackWrangler of the same name]] dresses like one, complete with a Stetson cowboy hat, spurred boots, and a ScarfOfAsskicking. She even carries a pair of revolvers.
* Houston from the ''Videogame/KanColle'' fic ''Fanfic/PacificWorldWarIIUsNavyShipgirls'' dresses as a cowgirl, complete with stereotypical Southern accent, HandCannon revolver, and Texas-themed cowboy boots.

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[[folder:VideoGames]]

* ''VideoGame/DiscoElysium'' manages to romanticize and deconstruct the concept simultaneously. Talk to Paledriver, and she will sing you a tragic ballad of a woman who loves a ''boiadero'' (the local equivalent), and waits for him while he drives cattle, and when he returns, she asks him to marry her. He promptly strangles her and [[RidingOffIntoTheSunset heads off for the wild plains again]]. Paledriver then calls the woman a stupid girl, and claims that she should have known that nothing, even love, will ever tie down the heart of a ''boiadero''.

[[folder:WebOriginal]]
* A cowboy appeared as a villain in the ''WebVideo/{{lonelygirl15}}'' episode "The Cowboy". He did not appear again, most likely because the rights to the character are owned by Glenn Rubenstein.
* ''Series/TheWeather'': "Snow" had a cowboy character venturing through the snow with their horse.

[[folder:WebComics]]
* Several of the characters in ''Webcomic/ZombieRanch'' fit the working cowboy type -- even if they're technically no longer wrangling cows.
* Cowboys are common in the wilder areas of Mars as depicted in ''Webcomic/CwynhildsLoom''.

[[folder:WesternAnimation]]

* ''Series/HaveGunWillTravel'' often featured cowboys as guest characters. In one particularly memorable episode, Paladin befriends a lone cowboy who happens to be Native American--then accepts a fee from [[CorruptHick a big spread rancher]] to force the small rancher to sell his land. [[spoiler:Paladin had spotted that metal deposits on the land were slowly poisoning the cattle, making the spread worthless for ranching.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory'' has Woody, and ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory2'' introduces his DistaffCounterpart Jessie, the Yodeling Cowgirl.

* Glen Campbell's "Rhinestone Cowboy" compares his attempts to become famous via his music to a rodeo rider.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtVeDaZxAXo Amarillo by Morning]]' is a song about the Rodeo Rider and his lifestyle. 'Everything that I've got is just what I've got on ... '

-->-- ''Music/MartyRobbins'', ''Big Iron''

* Marvel comics has the Two-Gun Kid. He stands out from the other Western characters Marvel has featured (Rawhide Kid, Gunhawk, etc.) in that he wore a mask and had a secret identity rather than a colorful nickname. He also had a far wider scope of adventures: he has time-traveled to the modern era twice, and was a reserve Avenger. He was retconned as being the inspiration for The Angel (he told Dr. Halloway, who he knew would become the Angel, about the coming age of superheroes). The Angel was the first Golden Age Marvel character, so the Two-Gun Kid was by extension the first masked hero and the foundation of the era of superheroes with secret identities. Since he was a lawyer by profession, and took on a cowboy persona to fight crime, he would fall mostly into the category of the Philosopher Cowboy (though more likely to quote Jefferson or Washington than Plutarch or Aristotle).

Big iron on his hip''\\

* No two men are more iconic as Cowboys than Creator/JohnWayne and Creator/ClintEastwood. [[WhatCouldHaveBeen Although they were never in a film together.]]

Some say that the Cowboy is the third faction in the war between the {{Pirate}} and the {{Ninja}}, but the Cowboys work for a living, thank you kindly. Besides, they're more concerned with their traditional enemies: [[CowboysAndIndians Indians]], [[DeterminedHomesteader farmers]], [[AcceptableTargets sheepherders]] and [[TheRustler rustlers]].

'''Cowgirl:''' The DistaffCounterpart of the Cowboy. Generally a PluckyGirl in Western garb, who can ride and shoot as well as any man (except the protagonist), but who is seldom seen doing any of the filthier ranch chores. In fiction, almost always the love interest for the protagonist, or the young man the protagonist is helping this week. May be a plentiful source of titillation (though to be fair, cowboys can be that too.) and can overlap with FarmersDaughter. [[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant Not to be confused with]] females who are a LittleBitBeastly and bovine-based, or the result of mixing CuteMonsterGirl and ALoadOfBull. Of course, nothing's stopping you from making a cow-girl a cowgirl, or vice versa.