History Main / FourthWallObserver

The {{Fourth Wall}} can be [[NoFourthWall a fragile thing]], but some are more fragile than others. Oft times, it stands just outside the sight of the characters, completely unnoticed, even though we all know it's there. But sometimes, even when everyone else can't see, there's one character who notices that there happens to be a script, or that someone's watching them, or that they're living life on a set.

* An ''entire clan'' are made up of these in [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5514187/1/Unsung-Story-of-the-Inconspicuous The Unsung Story of the Inconspicuous]]. They're all aware of the fact that they're living in a story and make it a point to do their absolute best to stay out of the way of the plot.

* Kaitlyn Werhner, from the story ''Literature/DarkRedMind'', [[BreakingTheFourthWall is well aware that she is fictional,]] [[RageAgainstTheAuthor knows she's being written,]] [[LampshadeHanging points out certain tropes that occur,]] [[NoFourthWall and even tries to hurry dialogue along so the reader doesn't become bored.]] She's not just a fourth wall observer. She's a fourth wall ''manipulator''.

* Effy from ''Series/{{Skins}}'' does this quite often, most noticeably in the final shot of the finale of series two.

* One visitor in ''Film/TheCube'' is a film critic who tells the man that he's just a character in a teleplay, and produces a TV to show him the ending.

* The [[JerkAss Scout]] in ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' refers to himself as a [[ClassAndLevelSystem class]], the battlefield as a map, and taunts people by telling them to RageQuit.

* In ''VideoGame/DeadRising 2'', player character Chuck Greene, always says something relevant when you have him put on new clothes. Get him to {{crossdress|er}}, and he'll express discomfort, saying things like "Um...Seriously?", "Uh..." "If you say so..." and "[[Franchise/StarWars I got a bad feeling about this.]]" These seem to be his only moments.
* ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} carries his MediumAwareness into video games with him. You fight him in ''VideoGame/MarvelUltimateAlliance2'' because he declares that it's time for an "obligatory [[MiniBoss mini-boss]] fight". In ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'' he [[{{Nerdgasm}} geeks out]] over meeting ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' characters (and thinks that [=KOing=] them means he gets the cover of ''Street Fighter V''), makes "[[VideoGame/XMen Welcome to Die]]!" and "[[VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom2 Curleh mustache]]" jokes upon seeing Magneto, criticizes [[VideoGame/BionicCommando Spencer's]] [[YouDontLookLikeYou redesign]], beats opponents with their own health bars, grabs the camera to address the player... long story short, he knows he's in a video game. And wait until you see what he gets up to in [[VideoGame/{{Deadpool}} his own video game]]...

* ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'': "Don't worry. Your friend on the other side of the screen will remember all this."

* Just about every single character in ''[[http://www.jaydenandcrusader.com Jayden and Crusader]]''.

* In ''WebComic/OkashinaOkashi'' (Strange Candy) Eri-chan does this [[http://www.strangecandy.net/d/20130131.html]] (or maybe this is just part of the multiverse).
* Everyone in ''Webcomic/OneOverZero.''

* In the [[InteractiveComic Interactive]] TextAdventure ''Webcomic/TheMotleyTwo'', Rambar Devito has this attribute as part and parcel of his PsychicPowers. Other characters can "hear" the extradimensional voices telling them what to do (I.E. the readers), but only Rambar can talk back to them.

* In WebVideo/HalfLifeButTheAIIsSelfAware Dr. Coomer grows to learn that he lives in an artifical world. While at first he takes to attacking Gordon as a means to access the "world in his dreams" (the real world) he later grows to accept the reality he lives in. In Main/TheStinger he suggests that Gordon takes his data along with the rest of the Science Team along with him to the next game he plays so that their adventures may continue.

* James in WebVideo/TVTropesWillRuinYourLife tends to apply his knowledge of tropes to his life, with varying degrees of success.

-->'''Alaina (Angelo's sister):''' [ranting about fashion]\\

* [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] with Jonny 2x4 from ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy''. While Jonny is unaware of the fourth wall, every other character is.

* While ''Westernanimation/TheMask'' could taken for a TalkativeLoon speaking to himself, more often than not he's actually talking to the audience. While there's at least one good case in [[Film/TheMask the movie]], where the Mask shushes the audience before attempting to sneak by his landlady's apartment, it's mostly in the cartoon where he's always commenting on the situation.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' episode "Beyond This Earthly Realm", Ice King is hinted to be this as he stares into the static on Finn and Jake's TV set (and eventually at the audience) while rambling:

** Archer himself has been implied to be this a few times. In "Scorpio", Lana asks him "where'd you get that grenade?" to which he irritably replies "[[LampshadeHanging Hanging from the lampshade!]]". In "Skytanic" Archer recognizes that the bomb is a metaphor for Cyril and Lana's relationship problems. In the Season 2 finale, he comments that one fight scene is "not the explosive climax I was expecting". In "The Man From Jupiter", he notices that there are two identical sequences and asks "was that the same footage?". In one episode, he shouts "Trope alert!" after the Pope and Woodhouse are noted to be InexplicablyIdenticalIndividuals. After a montage of scenes in "White Elephant" foreshadowing events of the fifth season, Archer whispers "Archer ''Vice''!", the title of the fifth season, and no one else knows what he's taking about. In "Achub Y Morfilod", he looks into the camera for no apparent reason and says "Glenngoulie. For the best of times."
* The Joker in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' occasionally becomes this:

* Stewie from ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' frequently breaks the fourth wall; talking directly to the audience or being one of the most heavy abusers of ToonPhysics. It helps that most of the characters don't seem to understand him so his fourth wall breaking wouldn't seem odd to them anyway.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'' has the main protagonist, Lincoln Loud, sometimes talk directly to the audience. Often narrating his daily life and situation. The sisters to a lesser extent sometimes give the audience a AsideGlance and sometime speak to them. Though it's not as frequent as Lincoln's narrations.

** {{Downplayed|Trope}} with Pinkie Pie. Unlike popular {{fanon}}, the show doesn't show her having real MediumAwareness, only moments of breaking the fourth wall. However, she's allowed to break the fourth wall way more strongly than any other character (and use more ToonPhysics). She's interrupted the IrisOut multiple times, [[CameraAbuse shaken the camera]], and directly addressed the audience. Her friends dismiss all her odd behavior as "Pinkie just being Pinkie" -- it never gets to the point that they have to ask AudienceWhatAudience -- with one episode's moral directly resulting from Twilight deciding to no longer question how the character works. WordOfGod says that Pinkie is allowed to do almost anything [[RuleOfFunny as long as it's funny]].
** Discord, unsurprisingly: he ''is'' a MadGod who's title is "Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony", after all. While Pinkie Pie usually sticks to making heavy use of toon physics, Discord regularly shows even greater MediumAwareness with his mischief, gives the odd AsideGlance or two, and occasionally addresses the audience directly. Still {{downplayed|Trope}} for the same kind of reasons, though: if he has real MediumAwareness, he refrains from showing definite proof of it.

* Rick from ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'' regularly addresses his own antics as if he's a fictional character (such as referencing his "catch phrase" as such), mentions things like character arcs and show seasons, and of course takes Jerry on a [[IncomingHam "RICK AND JERRY EPISODE!!!"]]. One fan theory has it that he's aware that, in all the infinite parallel universes, he'd logically be a fictional character in half of them.

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