History Main / ShirtlessCaptives

* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' season 7 has The First kidnap Spike and chain him up shirtless. It's quasi-justified in that it needs Spike's blood to drip on the seal. But not fully, since the only thing stopping them from taking the blood from his arm rather than his chest seems to be James Marsters's physique. This is lampshaded by the First, who has taken the form of Buffy, Spike's LoveInterest at the time. "She" mentions that the original plan was to use geeky BigBadWannabe Andrew, "but you look better with your shirt off."
** A partial example in the season 2 finale. Giles is captured by Angel and has had his jacket, waistcoat and tie removed and his shirt unbuttoned. For torturing purposes presumably.

This is almost [[AlwaysMale entirely a male character trope]] for [[NippleAndDimed obvious reasons]]. Compare GoGoEnslavement.

* ''Anime/PsychoPassTheMovie'': When Kogomi is captured he's held up in chains sans his shirt.

* ''Anime/PsychoPass'' Movie: When Kogomi is captured he's held up in chains sans his shirt.

* ''Film/FlashGordon'': Flash, Dale and Dr. Zarkoff go to the great hall where they meet the Emperor and watch tribute from his galactic Empire flow in. Then, Ming decides he wants Dale. He starts a football-esque fight, but an inopportune pass [=KOs=] the hero. He gets hoisted by six guards, and Ming, not amused and thankfully despite his daughter's pleas, says the following great line: "This one here has defied us before our subjects, we order him disposed of tonight, by public execution." The next time we see Flash, all of his clothes are gone except a very skimpy pair of black shorts. His hands are in binders lifted up high and he is in an iron mask. After his last request, a final talk with Dale, he is escorted to drumbeat to the gas chamber.

* In the "Painted Black" arc of ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', Elliot was [[http://www.egscomics.com/index.php?id=464deprived of his shirt and tied to a post]] after being kidnapped by Hedge. The comic never explains why they took his shirt, and the author [[WordOfGod claims that he can't remember the reason.]]

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* Psycho Pass Movie: When Kogomi is captured he's held up in chains sans his shirt.
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* ComicBook/{{X-Men}}

* ComicBook/{{Teen Titans}}

* ComicBook/FantasticFour

* ComicBook/{{Brath}}

* ComicBook/{{Legion of Super-Heroes}}

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* ''Action Jackson'' (1988): Jericho "Action" Jackson (Carl Weathers) is captured by the bad guys when his girlfriend is taken hostage. The next time we see him, his shirt is off and his wrists are tied to the ceiling of a car factory. His chief captor explains they plan to stage a car accident, and need to burn him alive to make it look convincing. He is saved at the very last minute. No explanation ever given even in the grand explication for why it is necessary for him to be bare-chested.

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[[AC:LiveActionTV]]

* ''{{Series/Arrow}}'': The Season 1 finale begins with Oliver having his arms held up with chains, at the mercy of the BigBad, in one of his numerous [[ShirtlessScene Shirtless Scenes]]. He escapes in a sequence reminescent of his WorkoutFanservice scenes.

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[[AC:VideoGames]]

** Happened twice in the first ''MetalGearSolid'', and [[JustifiedTrope justified]] in both cases. The game takes place on an island in the Arctic Ocean during a blizzard, so without his shirt, Snake wouldn't get very far. In the second time, Liquid wanted to challenge Snake to a one-on-one fistfight, and Snake's suit has built in body armor, giving him an advantage.

** Also happens in ''MetalGearSolidPortableOps'', in proud Metal Gear tradition.

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[[AC:WesternAnimation]]

* ''Webcomic/Niels'': Whenever Agent 300 is captured by Niels (which is alarmingly frequently), they indulge in an ongoing contest where whoever captures the other gets to keep their hostage's outfit. This routinely results in 300 being shown in his boxers and undershirt. The fact that Niels is a DepravedBisexual and 300 [[ArmouredClosetGay is bisexual but refuses to admit to being so]] may have something to do with it.

** Happens to both the player character ''and'' an NPC in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker''. In the latter case, she was stripped to her underwear, and jusitifed in-universe that it wasn't because for FanService reasons (said NPC is quite attractive), but rather because they were in an outpost in the middle of a Central American jumgle. Without clothes, gear, or supplies, she'll die of exposure long before she could make it to civilization should she escape. She did escape, and thankfully for her, she bumped into Big Boss's faction.

** "The Demon's Quest Part II": Batman is stripped of his shirt by Ra's al-Ghul's henchmen and put in chains in the dungeons after his capture attempting to sneak into the Lazarus Pit compound.

It can be a prelude to, if not an integral part of: WorkingOnTheChainGang, MadeASlave, GalleySlave, and GladiatorGames.

* In the film version of ''[[Film/TheLordOfTheRings The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King]]'', Frodo is shirtless during his capture in Cirith Ungol's tower before Sam rescues him and they both don on [[DressingAsTheEnemy orc armor]] to pass the army unharmed.

* In the film version of ''[[Film/TheLordOfTheRings The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King]]'', Frodo is shirtless during his capture in Cirith Ungol's tower before Sam rescues him and they both don on [[DressingAsAnEnemy orc armor]] to pass the army unharmed.

[[quoteright:237:[[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/demonsquestshirt_4665.jpg]]]]

* In the "Painted Black" arc of ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', Elliot was [[ http://www.egscomics.com/index.php?id=464deprived of his shirt and tied to a post]] after being kidnapped by Hedge. The comic never explains why they took his shirt, and the author [[WordOfGod claims that he can't remember the reason.]]

Inexplicably, captors often find it necessary to [[ShirtlessScene relieve male prisoners of their shirts]] and characters whose [[WalkingShirtlessScene regular attire requires them to be shirtless]] are often imprisoned, chained, shackled or otherwise restrained and there's some question as to whether this phenomenon is due to the need to prevent them from hiding a means of escape, a [[ShamefulStrip form of humiliation or punishment]], or if the captors enjoy providing [[MrFanservice fanservice]] or maybe [[HomoeroticSubtext something else entirely]]. Or, alternatively, VillainessesWantHeroes.

* ''Film/CasinoRoyale'' has James Bond stripped completely naked and tied to a chair. This turns into FanDisservice as Le Chiffre repeatedly whacks James's balls with a rope.

* ''Hondo'':

** Taken a step further in ''MetalGearSolid2'', where Raiden is stripped completely naked. Also justified here, in that Raiden has a lot of advanced technology wired directly into the suit, and that it's quite cold inside Arsenal Gear where he was being held.
** Also happens in ''MetalGearSolid3''.

Inexplicably, captors often find it necessary to [[ShirtlessScene relieve male prisoners of their shirts]] and characters whose [[WalkingShirtlessScene regular attire requires them to be shirtless]] are often imprisoned, chained, shackled or otherwise restrained and there's some question as to whether this phenomenon is due to the need to prevent them from hiding a means of escape, a [[ShamefulStrip form of humiliation or punishment]], or if the captors enjoy providing [[MrFanservice fanservice]] or maybe [[HomoeroticSubtext something else entirely]].

* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' season 7 has The First kidnap Spike and chain him up shirtless. It's quasi-justified in that it needs Spike's blood to drip on the seal. But not fully, since the only thing stopping them from taking the blood from his arm rather than his chest seems to be James Marsters's physique, which is lampshaded by his captor.