History Main / PurpleIsPowerful

[[AC:Real Life]]

This is purple being used to [[RuleOfSymbolism symbolize]] the power and/or coolness of a character, whether the character is {{Badass}}, of RoyalBlood, or something else.

Some time later, purple became associated with either femininity, or fell on the evil side of GoodColorsEvilColors (like [[{{Batman}} The Joker]]). But for those that thought EvilIsCool, it just helped purple be seen as a cool color. Then it became a stereotypical color for pimps, and it was definitely cool again.

This trope comes into play if it's clothing or an item on the cool or powerful character, whether it's a hat, weapon, or BadassCape.

Now purple is also seen as one of the "girly" shades. If that comes into play, then this trope overlaps with RealMenWearPink.

Compare GoldTooth, GracefulLadiesLikePurple (and can overlap with some {{Action Girl}}s), PurpleIsTheNewBlack, PurpleEyes.
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!!Examples:

* SamuelLJackson requested, and got, a purple lightsaber when ''AttackOfTheClones'' was filmed.

** Inverted in the Sardar Mountains, the lair of the Priest-Kings (the gods of Gor), it is the slaves who wear purple.
--->"Why do the slaves wear purple?" I asked Misk. "That is the color of the robes of a Ubar."
--->"Because it is a great honor to be the slave of Priest-Kings," said Misk.

* Complains Of Names from ''{{Goblins}}'' has purple IME. It becomes really badass after [[spoiler: he becomes part demon and his IME contains a huge purple demon tail]].

* In ''StormHawks'', ActionGirl Starling has a purple-glowing weapon, making her stand out visually; most [[PowerGlows weapon colours]] in the series tend to be blue or red.

* SamuelLJackson requested, and got, a purple lightsaber when ''AttackOfTheClones'' was filmed.
* Purple is the gang color of the Third Street Saints in the ''SaintsRow'' series.
* In ''{{Transformers}}'', [[BigBad Galvatron]], and a number of other Decepticons.
* ''EVERY'' piece of technology built by [[{{Halo}} the Covenant]] [[ScaryDogmaticAliens Empire]] is purple, from their vehicles to their starships.
* The Purple Dragons are the valiant knights of Cormyr in the ForgottenRealms DungeonsAndDragons Campaign Setting.

* When Rarity plays a princess in a play in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', she wears a [[RequisiteRoyalRegalia purple royal gown]].
** The main character Twilight Sparkle is a purple unicorn who's a magic user who won the SuperpowerLottery and isn't limited to a specialized discipline like other unicorns; her discipline is magic itself.
* The coronation robes of the UnitedKingdom are purple.
* ActionGirl Virginia's fuchsia PimpedOutDress in ''{{Wild ARMs 3}}''.
* In {{Gor}} only Ubars (city rulers) and their family may wear purple.

* The Administrator and Miss Pauling in ''TeamFortress2''. This is especially [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience significant]], given that the mercenaries all belong to RED or BLU and wear the appropriate colour - The Administrator and Miss Pauling control both of them, and so wear a combination of both colours.
* Purple is the signature colour of {{Prince}}, and he has typically associated it with being cool. He even has the FanNickname "His Purple Badness".

* Skeletor of ''HeManAndTheMastersOFTheUniverse'' wore purple clothing and a purple hood over his skull-face, certainly falling on the evil side of the trope.

* [[OlympusMons Mewtwo]] from {{Pokemon}} is colored purple, as opposed to Mew's (the Pokemon scientists used to create him) pink.

* The Star Sapphire Corps of GreenLantern is an all-female band of Lanterns who use Love as their defining emotion and violet as their color.
* The Huntress, a part of the {{Batman}} comics' Bat Family, is almost always depicted wearing purple. She's one of the only members of the Bat Family that doesn't wear black, as well as one of the only females.
** The third Batgirl, Stephanie Brown, also has purple on her costume, and as Spoiler it's the primary color. She seems to fit the "feminine" aspect of this trope.
** Catwoman occasionally wore purple as a part of her SpyCatsuit.
** Talia al Ghul, similar to Catwoman, is an on-again, off-again lover of Batman who is a sometimes a hero and sometimes a villain, and occasionally wears purple as the primary color of her costume.
* Starfire of the TeenTitans wears bejeweled purple leotards and monokinis.
* In ''StormHawks'', ActionGirl Starling has a purple-glowing weapon, making her stand out visually; most [[PowerGlows weapon colours]] in the series tend to be blue or red.
* The eponymous hero of ''DarkwingDuck'' wears a purple outfit. Although it seems to be more of an InvokedTrope, as he only follows this trope about half the time.
* The final and most powerful weapon in ''Quake 4'' is the Dark Matter Gun, whose ammo and shots glow with a purple aura.

* In ''KamenRiderOOO'', the purple Core Medals power both the hero's SuperMode and the series' BigBad, and are the only thing capable of destroying the other Core Medals.
* In ''TheLegendOfZelda: SkywardSword'', the Master Sword has a purple hilt and is much more powerful than its previous Goddess Sword forms.

* In ''{{Transformers}}'', Galvatron, and a number of other Decepticons.

* Blaze the Cat from the ''SonicTheHedgehog'' series.

* Mewtwo, one of the most powerful {{Pokemon}} ever, is colored purple, as opposed to Mew's (the Pokemon scientists used to create him) pink.

* The eponymous hero of ''DarkwingDuck'' wears a purple outfit.

* In {{Mass Effect}} biotic powers are usually purple.

* Starfire of the TeenTitans wears bejeweled purple leotards and monokinis.

* The XMen's Psylocke, a former supermodel whose motifs are butterflies, and is often depicted as a elegant LadyOfWar, wears a purple leotard.

* When Rarity plays a princess in a play in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', she wears a [[RequisiteRoyalRegalia purple royal gown]].

* Blaze the Cat from the ''SonicTheHedgehog'' series.

* The Purple Dragons are the valiant knights of Cormyr in the ForgottenRealms DungeonsAndDragons Campaing Setting.

* The Announcer and Miss Pauling in TeamFortress2.

* In Japanese Kabuki, purple make up is used to indentify the character as a royal or a nobleman.
* Blaze the Cat from the SonicTheHedgehog series.

This trope existed at least as far back as AncientRome, where only [[ColorCodedPatrician the Patrician class]] was [[DressCode allowed to wear]] the color [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyrian_purple Tyrian Purple]]. Then purple became a common color for [[RequisiteRoyalRegalia royal robes]] in Europe.

Compare GoldTooth, GracefulLadiesLikePurple (and can overlap with some {{Action Girl}}s), PurpleIsTheNewBlack.