History Main / EyepatchOfPower

* Goro Majima of the ''VideoGame/LikeADragon'' series has an eyepatch over his left eye. It does little to stop him from being one of the series' canonically best fighters and consistently hardest bosses to fight. [[VideoGame/Yakuza4 The fourth game]] shows that he got it due to [[spoiler:refusing to sell out his {{Blood Brother|s}} and had it stabbed out by the tanto he now carries]].

* Rooster Cogburn, Creator/JohnWayne's [[TheRemake (or Jeff Bridges')]] anti-hero from ''Film/TrueGrit''. Though the Rooster in the 2010 film is still an excellent shot with one eye, the film points out his difficulty aiming, and [[spoiler: it's why he accidentally hits [=LaBoeuf=] in the arm during a shootout.]]

** Female examples from ''ComicBook/XMen'' -- Callisto and [[http://www.angelophile.co.uk/pictures/max0021.jpg this]] Danger Room simulation zombie pirate version of Characters/{{Emma Frost|WhiteQueen}}.

* ''WebVideo/PiratesSMP'': {{Invoked|Trope}} for Graecie, who started wearing her eye-patch because "that's how she earns respect around here", rather than being actually unable to see out of that eye. She also constantly lies about why she wears the eye-patch to everyone else. It's likely that she did so because while her faction, the Nightingales, get along with the other factions without much issue, they are also often overlooked for being "softies".

* Goro Majima of the ''VideoGame/{{Yakuza}}'' series has an eyepatch over his left eye. It does little to stop him from being one of the series' canonically best fighters and consistently hardest bosses to fight. The fourth game shows that he got it due to [[spoiler:refusing to sell out his {{Blood Brother|s}} and had it stabbed out by the tanto he now carries]].

** ''Series/HouseOfTheDragon'': Aemond Targaryen wears one after the childhood brawl against his Velaryon nephews over his claiming of Vhagar that cost him an eye. He grew up a fearsome swordsman regardless.

* Saul Tigh, as of S3 of ''Series/BattlestarGalactica2003''. He's always been somewhat of a PyschoSupporter, almost a ManipulativeBastard, but perhaps not coincidentally, he becomes a significantly more formidable character at more or less the exact same point at which he loses his eye. In what may count as a subversion, Tigh forgoes a classic black eyepatch for a distinctly more medical flesh-colored patch with transparent cords. Moreover, he spends several episodes beforehand with a very uncool chunk of gauze taped to his face. It's also worthy of note that there was an episode where he was having a great deal of difficulty putting his "uncool chunk of gauze" on by himself, subverting the "no loss of depth perception" addendum above.

** A (slightly) more straight example can be found in Knight Of One Bismarck Waldstein, who has his left eye sewn shut. [[spoiler: This is to seal his always-on Geass, which allows him to predict an opponent's movement.]]

** A later chapter shows that [[spoiler: Danzo has it too.]]
** In fact, there are a lot of minor ninja with eye patches/coverings including Kuromaru (who for the uninformed is ''[[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/naruto/images/6/6e/Kuromaru.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/300?cb=20150130144408 a dog]]'') and [[http://naruto.wikia.com/wiki/Tonbo_Tobitake Tonbo Tobitake]], who has a covering for ''both'' eyes. [[spoiler: The above revelation]] has started a [[MemeticMutation joke among the fandom]] that anyone who is covering their eye ([[spoiler:or more recently, an arm]])(doesn't even need to be with an eye patch; it can just be with hair) they must be hiding a Sharingan. Humorously, just a couple chapters ''earlier'' Ao, a newly introduced character from the Mist village revealed that his eyepatch hides [[spoiler: not a Sharingan, but a ''Byakugan''. Since the Byakugan grants XRayVision, he doesn't ever ''need'' to take off the eyepatch.]]

* UsefulNotes/HannibalBarca lost his eye while on the march from pink eye. Not long after this he launches a massive ambush on [[UsefulNotes/RomanRepublic Roman]] forces in the [[UsefulNotes/PunicWars Battle of Lake Trasimene]].

* Hannibal Barca lost his eye while on the march from pink eye. Not long after this he launches a massive ambush on Roman forces in the Battle of Lake Trasimene.

* Warbow in ''ComicBook/CrystarCrystalWarrior''. He lost his eye fighting a wizard and had to be changed to crystal to save his life. The process couldn't restore his eye and he notes that his lack of depth perception makes aiming his bow a bit more difficult.

* Wrestling/{{Naomi}} Knight after having her orbital bone broken by Wrestling/{{Aksana}}.

* ''LetsPlay/PiratesSMP'': {{Invoked|Trope}} for Graecie, who started wearing her eye-patch because "that's how she earns respect around here", rather than being actually unable to see out of that eye. She also constantly lies about why she wears the eye-patch to everyone else. It's likely that she did so because while her faction, the Nightingales, get along with the other factions without much issue, they are also often overlooked for being "softies".

* Doofenshmirtz-2's eyepatch in ''WesternAnimation/{{Phineas And Ferb The Movie Across The 2nd Dimension}}''.

* Number Two in ''Film/AustinPowersInternationalManOfMystery'' neatly takes the second version: hidden in his eyepatch is a sight-enhancing camera, allowing him to cheat at blackjack.

* Wolf O'Donnell of ''VideoGame/StarFox'' goes through several variations of this. In the prototype ''Star Fox 2'', he is depicted with a scar over one of his eyes, while in ''Star Fox 64'', he sports an eyepatch (over the opposite eye) and from ''Star Fox Assault'' onwards, he wears a cybernetic eyepatch. Although some have assumed that his left eye is missing, his ''Assault'' model shows that it is still there, and can even be seen during certain cutscenes. He's even seen without the eyepatch in his concept art.

* Lord David from ''VideoGame/TheLastRemnant'' takes this to a particularly literal level. In battle, he wears an eyepatch that appears to be tied into the aiming or activation of the remnant Gae Bolg -- an enormous energy cannon.
** Yep. It even has a name- "Kellendros" and is described as the "Trigger device of the Gae Bolg" Though I'd be inclined to believe Kellendros and Ex Machina (his uber gun) are dual triggers for it since both are used to summon the extra uber cannon.

* Zasalamel from ''VideoGame/SoulCalibur 3'' has a golden left eye, which is rumored to contain his immortal soul.

* In ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'', [[EmotionlessGirl Nu-13]] has an Eyepatch Of Power that is replaced by a [[CyberCyclops visor]] whenever she [[PoweredArmor activates the angelic-looking Murakumo unit]]. Disturbingly, the eyepatch in question has a design akin to a [[RedEyesTakeWarning red sphere]] with a [[HellishPupils thick black stripe]] running down the middle at an angle. Note the similar design on the back of protagonist Ragna's [[EyesDoNotBelongThere right hand]]. In case it isn't obvious, Nu is ''dangerous''.
* ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'': Mitsuru's father, Takeharu, who runs the omnipresent Kirijo Group corporation.

* ''VideoGame/{{Persona 5}}'': The Twins, who serve as the game's ultimate {{Superboss}}, each wear an eyepatch on the opposite eye. [[spoiler:Their true form, Lavenza, does not have one.]] Party member Ryuji Sakamoto's FightingSpirit, a badass skeletal pirate, also wears an eyepatch, despite not having physical eyes anymore, because it goes with his pirate motif.

* [[ColonelBadass Heidern]], [[FemmeFatale Mature]] (in [=KoFXII/XIII=] only) and [[MaskedLuchador Ramon]] from ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters''

* While it's not technically an eyepatch, your chances of badassness go way up in ''{{Transformers}}'' if you have one optic sensor rather than two. Shockwave is probably the most obvious of these.

Something covers one of the character's eyes. It might be an eyepatch, [[HidingBehindYourBangs a particularly concealing haircut]], or a tilted [[MartialArtsHeadband hachimaki]]. Whatever it is, and however it came to be, through FashionableAsymmetry it neatly conveys the fact that the wearer is either 1) an experienced combatant or 2) secretly a badass.

** Kakashi hides a [[MagicalEye special eye]] behind his {{Hachimaki}}. [[spoiler: In fact, he had to ''switch out his old eye for it''...]]

* ''Literature/TalesOfTheSunderedLands:'' One-Eyed Ryan, as his name suggests, has only one eye. He is also very experienced.

* Xinjao O'Reilly in ''TabletopGame/TechInfantry'' wears one after being tortured by having a soldering iron thrust into one eye. This also comes shortly after he TookALevelInBadass and went from comic-relief engineer with a PornStash to resourceful leader of a guerrilla band of engineers and admiral of his own private mercenary space fleet.

* ''Webanimation/CampCamp'' has cases in both Snake, whose name that doesn't hide [[Film/EscapeFromNewYork who]] he is a parody of, and Tabii 'with two Is' after she becomes [[EyeScream Tabii with one eye]]. Both are quite badass children, even if the latter is also quite dumb.

* [[RetiredBadass Sarge]] in ''WebVideo/AgentsOfCracked'' has one of these, although it's probably only for looks since it [[RunningGag keeps switching eyes]].
* Creator/ApolloZHack. No reason is given for why he wears it; [[RuleOfCool it just looks badass]].
* Colonel Blitzer from ''WebVideo/CoyleCommand'' has one. You may notice it switches eye from time to time.
* Lord Commander Mason Garrilac of ''WebVideo/DeathFromAbove'' sports one. Presumably he lost his eye in battle, being a mech warrior. In one episode where he's piloting a mech and misses terribly he mentions lack of depth perception as the reason.

* ''Webanimation/CampCamp'' has Flower Scout Tabii, who starts wearing an eyepatch (caused by being hit in the eye by a fork... thrown by herself) in the same episode where she and her friends become drug lords that can even take down the Mexican cartel.

** Dr. Serizawa, the man who killed Godzilla in the original ''Film/{{Gojira}}''.
** Akikito Hirata played an eyepatch-wearing villain in ''Film/EbirahHorrorOfTheDeep''.

** Also in the ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' series, Riku spends a long period with a blindfold on so as "not to deceive himself". It is never made clear whether he can see through it, although the fact that he has lifted it on occasion suggests that he can't. Some of his more badass moments involve the blindfold. As Roxas found out the hard way, if he takes it off, you're on for a major beatdown [[spoiler: courtesy of Xehanort's Heartless.]]

Something covers one of the character's eyes. It might be an eyepatch, [[HidingBehindYourBangs a particularly concealing haircut]], or a tilted {{hachimaki}}. Whatever it is, and however it came to be, through FashionableAsymmetry it neatly conveys the fact that the wearer is either 1) an experienced combatant or 2) secretly a badass.

These characters rarely experience any problems with depth perception or suffer from the resulting reduced field of vision. In fact, sometimes the Eyepatch of Power covers a perfectly functional--or [[MagicalEye specially functional]]--eye instead of the empty hole one might suspect. This is sometimes a technique of TheTrickster. Main characters will often gain an eyepatch as a FutureBadass or EvilTwin.

{{Pirate}}s often have eye patches as a {{Stock Costume Trait|s}}, which is a separate thematic concept--see DressedToPlunder--but the overlap of badassery and piracy is significant enough to mention. This is partially TruthInTelevision, pirates in real life did often wear eye patches regularly, but mainly because on sailing ships in the 18th century there were over a thousand different ways one could lose body parts, including eyes (this is also the reason why hooks for hands and peg legs are commonly associated with them as well, seeing as such items could easily be improvised using materials already on a ship to compensate for missing limbs). In this case, sailors didn't wear eye patches to look tough so much as they did because on average people have an easier time looking at a piece of cloth over one eye than at the scarred tissue where the eye used to be. Furthermore, even pirates (and other seamen) with two functioning eyes were wont to wear eyepatches: since it's so dark belowdecks, having one eye always in darkness made it easier to adjust.