History Main / Goth

* Queen Chrysalis and King Sombra the prominent Villains of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipisMagic'' an example of both an extroverted goth and an introverted goth. The proof of why they qualify here is rather obvious, both have rather sinister, eerie and (in Chrysalis' case) broken appearances that makes them "sore thumbs" in a usually cheerful cartoon.

-->'''Milhouse''': What are you now, Lisa? An Oakland Raiders fan?
-->'''Lisa''': It's called "Goth," eternally clueless one. My new name is "[[DarknessVonGothickname Ravencrow Neversmiles]]."
-->'''Milhouse''': Cool. We could be goth together.
-->[Milhouse gets off the Jungle Gym].
-->'''Milhouse''': We'll go to the cemetery and summon the dark Lord by kissing and junk.
-->'''Lisa''': Okay... But first you must apprentice, by kissing the Goddess Ironica. Who lives in this rock.
-->[Lisa picks up a rock. And hands it to Milhouse. Lisa sneaks away].
-->'''Lisa''': Do it for an hour, hour and a half.
-->'''Milhouse''': Yes, my mistress.

* The WWF had the Brood, with the exception of [[Wrestling/DavidHeath Gangrel]], who was an outright vampire. [[Wrestling/{{Edge}} The]] [[Wrestling/JeffHardy rest]] [[Wrestling/MattHardy were]] just a bunch of black wearing goofs who hung out with him and [[CheapHeat mocked local sports teams]]. They started as part of the satanic Ministry of Darkness but turned on the larger group for mistreating [[Wrestling/{{Christian}} one of their own]].

* ''{{Series/Dates}}'': Kate has the look, complete with all of her actress's piercings and RavenHairIvorySkin. She wears dark clothing include leather, with her hair pulled back in a style that resembles a mohawk too.

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* ''Franchise/EmilyTheStrange'', anyone?

* ''Fanfic/UnbreakableRedSilkenThread'': Cody mentions Nikki is one.

* Four of the five ''Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet'' novels by Creator/BlackFlame featured them as main characters.
* ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians'': Thalia Grace, of the EmoTeen variety. [[BalefulPolymorph She's]] [[WeUsedToBeFriends got]] [[ItSucksToBeTheChosenOne her]] [[HeroicSacrifice reasons.]]
* Raven of ''Literature/VampireKisses''.

For those barbarians infamous for their RapePillageAndBurn ways originating largely from the area we now call UsefulNotes/{{Germany}}... you're out of luck, as the UsefulNotes page doesn't quite cover that period of Germanic history. Maybe you should try Wiki/TheOtherWiki [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goths instead]]...

* Something to be shunned; again this stereotype only praises or enjoys demonic and dark interests. It doesn't make them real for all you religious types.

Most goths in fiction will be presented as a EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette who wear [[ColourCodedForYourConvenience only black]], [[HellBentForLeather leather]] [[EvilCostumeSwitch getups]], [[{{Moonburn}} suntan at night]] and listen to loud depressing music. It's worth noting that goth is neither a skin tone nor a fashion statement, so most media tend to treat goth characters almost as if it were a fashion or fad for a darker [[TheCutie Cutie]] to go after. Of course, thanks to Hot Topic and its ilk, goth ''has'' been hijacked by a large number of people who think it's nothing but a fashion statement, making for a sort of TruthInTelevision that [[BerserkButton utterly infuriates]] (or nihilistically amuses, see above) "true" goths, though extending a hand to "baby bats" who may genuinely be interested in digging deeper is generally viewed as a necessary duty (that fifteen-year-old kid in a Blackcraft shirt and ripped black skinny jeans with a fake grill who mostly listens to Soundcloud rap and Marilyn Manson very well could become a good friend of yours in five years, after all), and gatekeeping behavior is heavily frowned upon (though it does unfortunately happen). There is also a tendency to equate goths with [[VampireVannabe vampire wannabes and the vampire-obsessed]]. While, like BDSM, there is some overlap between the two subcultures, and the post-[[UsefulNotes/VictorianBritain Victorian]] vampire can be considered a goth icon, equating the two in the presence of a goth can be [[BerserkButton hazardous to your health]].

* Tibetan Buddhism takes death imagery to UpToEleven. They have a ritual called chöd in which one symbolically turns one's flesh into karmic food to be devoured by demons to ensure them a better reincarnation. A ritual drum is used, as well as a kangling, an trumpet-like instrument made out of a human femur. Tibetan Buddhism is full of wrathful deities like Mahakala, lord of death, who is adorned with skulls and flames. Buddist monks are instructed to picture people dead and decaying in order to avoid temptations of the flesh.

* While Asakim from ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsZ'' doesn't ''quite'' have the goth personality, he grabs hold of every goth-related trope and takes it UpToEleven. His "dark angel" themed mecha has attacks ranging from launching crows at the enemy to ''cutting itself'' and using the "blood" to create GeometricMagic that summons gothic artwork to MindRape the enemy. Not to mention that he's an [[WhoWantsToLiveForever immortal]] DeathSeeker who wears what fans refer to as "vampire bondage gear."

* ''{{Series/Dates}}'': Kate has the look, complete with all of her actress's piercings and RavenHairIvorySkin.

* Sunako in ''Manga/TheWallflower'' is an example of the Lone Psycho Goth and an example of playing with a trope. She does [[LonersAreFreaks Lone Psycho]], she occasionally tries to kill people [[{{Yandere}} she's attracted to]], she [[PerkyGoth can be really nice and happy]], she loves the [[NightmareFuelStationAttendant macabre]], she can be a badass, she can be [[{{Gonk}} ugly]], she can [[SheCleansUpNicely be beautiful]], [[{{Bifauxnen}} even to girls]], she [[SupremeChef cooks, cleans]] and she [[KnifeNut juliennes]].

* The goth subculture began with a certain genre of music, which we now recognize as GothRock but was originally considered no different than other PostPunk before Gothic Rock became its own music style with its own subgenres. Listening to goth rock is a basic requirement for participation within the subculture. Examples of goth rock bands include Music/{{Bauhaus}}, Music/TheSistersOfMercy, Music/FieldsOfTheNephilim, and Music/TheCure. Gothic Rock has four subgenres which include Deathrock, Cold Wave, Dark Wave, and Ethereal Wave. Certain other groups are sometimes seen as being goth, such as Music/MarilynManson or Music/{{Evanescence}}, but these bands do not do Gothic Rock or any of it’s four subgenres.

[[folder:Comics]]
* Sam of ''Comicbook/DeathVigil'' runs afoul of a group of these in the first issue, likening them to poseurs in the face of the ''real'' enemy, the Necromancers and their EldritchAbomination allies.

* Death of the Endless from ''ComicBook/TheSandman''; though she qualifies as a PerkyGoth, she's a favorite of the entire community. Her brother Dream is much more of a Gloomy Goth. Her appearance was based on the late Cinamon Hadely, a acquaintance of comic book artist Mike Dringenberg.

* Death of the Endless from ''ComicBook/TheSandman''; though she qualifies as a PerkyGoth, she's a favorite of the entire community. Her brother Dream is much more of a Gloomy Goth. her appearance was based on the late Cinamon Hadely, a acquaintance of comic book artist Mike Dringenberg.

* The late Cinamon Hadely was the real-world inspiration for Niel Gaiman's visual depiction of Death as a goth in the sandman comics.

* Death of the Endless from ''ComicBook/TheSandman''; though she qualifies as a PerkyGoth, she's a favorite of the entire community. Her brother Dream is much more of a Gloomy Goth.

* ''WesternAnimation/CloneHigh'' has Joan of Arc. She became like this after cracking from the pressure to live up to the original UsefulNotes/JoanOfArc, who was royal to Rome (which the original Goths sacked in 410 AD).

->''"My life is a big, dead rose..."''
-->-- Seen as graffiti in an art school classroom

%% Image kept on page per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=059khvdca9wzbiy27y1bx0yg
%% Please do not change or remove without starting a new thread.

[[quoteright:261:[[Website/DeviantArt https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/The_Good_Girl_by_Lady_Dementia.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:261:''The Good Girl'' by [[https://www.deviantart.com/lady-dementia Lady Dementia]]]]

-->--Seen as graffiti in an art school classroom

[[caption-width-right:261:''The Good Girl'' by [[https://www.deviantart.com/lady-dementia Lady Dementia]]]]]]

* Wrestling/{{WCW}}: Also gave us the glory that was Crow! Wrestling/{{Sting}}, sternly looking down on us all while hanging in the rafters. Crow Sting would make a reappearance in Wrestling/{{TNA}} but eventually be phased out for Joker! Sting, who was not an example.

* Parodied on ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'''s recurring "Goth Talk" sketch, starring Creator/ChrisKattan as Azrael Abyss, Prince of Sorrows, and Creator/MollyShannon as Circe Nightshade. The show's sponsor was a store called "The Gloom Room"... "It's an orgy of the macabre... Located right next to the Pizza Hut on Hibiscus Road."

** [[DarthVaderClone Hanzo the Salamander]] wears rather dull clothing mixing with an industrial theme which in turn symbolizes the Hidden Rain. The Hidden Rain itself is basically the Ninja World equivalent of a "Goth Country." Gloomy? Yes. Creative? Very, but somehow willing to change if it means improving its image.

A handy guide to different (stereo)types of goths can be found [[http://www.blackwaterfall.com/viewall.php here.]]

* The ''Series/BloodTies'' TV show has Coreen, a fairly well adjusted goth, as assistant to the main character Vicki. She even has an episode where she gets Vicki to solve murders at her goth club.

* In the Creator/HilaryDuff film ''Film/RaiseYourVoice'', a gloomy goth girl (Creator/KatDennings) and a HollywoodNerd (Creator/JohnnyLewis) were paired as the BetaCouple.