History Main / StealthExpert

** Even da Orks have their own stealth experts -- the Kommandos. [[LeeroyJenkins Yes]], [[BoisterousBruiser really]]. One of the most famous examples of this kind of Ork is Boss Snikrot of Armageddon, who is said to be better than ''most Eldar'' at sneakin' about. Because sneaky Orks [[ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy distinctly lack the aiming ability for one-shot sniping techniques]] and are often physically weaker than most of their kin, they tend to prefer to ThrowDownTheBomblet. Spookums from ''VideoGame/DawnOfWar II: Retribution'' is a Kommando Nob who specialises in grenades and explosives -- [[CrazyAwesome imagine being a Guardsman at a fortified checkpoint or position, when suddenly an Ork jumps out of bush shouting at the top of his voice "I AM SNEAKY!" and showering the area around you with grenades and rockets]].

* Kari Byron manages to fool a heat-detecting motion sensor [[CrazyAwesome using a bedsheet]] in ''Series/{{Mythbusters}}''.

* Inej in ''Series/ShadowAndBone'', a former acrobat who now works for the criminal gang The Crows. In "Otkazatsya" during the Kribirsk Archives heist, she's walking directly behind a suspicious guard, deftly turning every time he turns so she's always behind him.

** Spartan-[=IIIs=] are part this. Instead of the super-expensive MJOLNIR PoweredArmor, they are handed out the much cheaper (and unshielded) Semi-Powered Infiltration armor that gives them some stealth capability, although that becomes useless if the Covenant uses active sensors.

This ability often enables them to infiltrate areas while dressed in [[Technicolor Ninja a ridiculously conspicuous costume]], rather than using camouflage like a [[strike:normal]] sane human being. If done too much, it may break the WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief. Some stealth experts are also [[MasterOfDisguise Masters Of Disguise]], although they do not use this skill as often as the audience might expect. They're often capable of StealthHiBye and OffscreenTeleportation.

This ability often enables them to infiltrate areas while dressed in [[HighlyVisibleNinja a ridiculously conspicuous costume,]] rather than using camouflage like a [[strike:normal]] sane human being. If done too much, it may break the WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief. Some stealth experts are also [[MasterOfDisguise Masters Of Disguise]], although they do not use this skill as often as the audience might expect. They're often capable of StealthHiBye and OffscreenTeleportation.

* Franchise/{{Batman}}. [[ComicBook/{{Nightwing}} Dick Grayson]] and [[ComicBook/RobinSeries Tim Drake]] also fit this, being two of his sneakier protégés. Tim was able to follow Batman and Robin (Jason) around and take photos without being caught before he ever received any Bat training.
* Comicbook/BlackWidow is a stealthy girl.
* ComicBook/BlackPanther is one of Marvel's stealthiest heroes, often being able to get the drop on his foes.
* ComicBook/{{Nightcrawler}} is a flamboyant swashbuckler at heart, but when he needs to be sneaky he's ''very'' good at it. The fact that he can cling to walls and vanish into the shadows at will certainly helps, but beyond his powers there's the fact that he is quite good at moving in complete silence.

-->'''Lady Roberta:''' "I understand, Havelock, that you scored zero in your examination for stealthy movement? ... And you never attended his lessons, he said."\\
'''Vetinari:''' "Oh, I did. Religiously."\\
'''Lady Roberta:''' "He says he never saw you at any of them."
-->'''Vetinari:''' "And your point, Madam, is...?"
-->-- ''Literature/NightWatchDiscworld''

* Laffitte from ''Manga/OnePiece'' is capable sneaking into Mariejois with three Warlords of the Sea on the grounds... ''while wearing tap shoes.''

* ''Comicbook/BlackWidow'' is a stealthy girl.

* Batman in [[Film/Batman1989 most of his]] [[Film/TheDarkKnight movie adaptations]]. This is shown subtly in Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy. Whenever Batman is onscreen, the sound of his footsteps is simply not heard. Even at the end of ''Film/TheDarkKnight'', [[spoiler:when Batman has been shot and most likely has an injured leg, and the area is silent enough to hear his ''cape'' flutter, there is only one set of footsteps -- from Gordon's young son running down the steps]].

* In ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' Lord Vetinari was so much of one at the Assassins' Guild School that he failed his classes in stealth ''for nonattendance'' despite being there the whole time.

[[folder:Theater]]

** In-Universe, the [[UnevenHybrid Bretons]] are considered among the greatest masters of stealth, seamlessly blending their propensity for Illusion magic with their race's talents in [[CloakAndDagger espionage]] to make for fantastic Nightblades (a "Magic Rogue" play on the MagicKnight trope). Brings with it elements of GameplayAndStorySegregation, however, as the Bretons are outclassed in terms of pure stealth ability in-game by the likes of the [[CatFolk Khajiit]], [[OurElvesAreBetter Bosmer (Wood Elves,), and Dunmer (Dark Elves)]] throughout the series.

Compare TheSneakyGuy, who might or might not use stealth. {{Ninja}}s are Stealth Experts, [[HighlyVisibleNinja or not]]. Contrast the stealth expert's mortal enemy, TheAnticipator. StealthyColossus is this taken to its logical extreme.

** In "The Impossible Box", the Romulan guards don't notice at all that Elnor is on the ceiling above them until he leaps down and lands just behind them, taking them by surprise. He carves up all three of them with his tan qalanq before they can fire single shot from their disruptors.

-->'''Lady Roberta:''' "I understand, Havelock, that you scored zero in your examination for stealthy movement? ... And you never attended his lessons, he said."
-->'''Vetinari:''' "Oh, I did. Religiously."
-->'''Lady Roberta:''' "He says he never saw you at any of them."

-->-- Literature/NightWatch

[[quoteright:350:[[VideoGame/SplinterCell https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/splinter_cell_chaos_theory13.jpg]]]]

->''"People call me a backstabber. Hell, I'll stab you in the front if you want."''
-->-- '''Phantom''', ''VideoGame/DirtyBomb''

* ''Series/StarTrekPicard'': In "Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2", Elnor can out-stealth two spies. Narissa and Narek, who are Zhat Vash operatives, aren't aware that Elnor is listening to their conversation off-screen, and when Narek departs from the Artifact, he's clueless that Elnor is tailing him. Later, Elnor sneaks into a room on ''La Sirena'' and startles Rios, Raffi and Narek; they don't notice Elnor's presence until his tan qalanq is right next to Narek's throat.

* Sqweegel from ''Series/{{CSI}}''. This creepy serial killer in full-body latex suit can and will live inside the houses of his victims, without the victims noticing him.
* Because she spent her childhood undergoing classified military training that simultaneously broke her psychologically and gave her amazing abilities, River Tam from ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' is gifted at stealth. Sometimes it's plot relevant and sometimes it's just used to emphasize how damaged and weird she is, or played for comedy. There's even a scene where she glues herself to the ceiling and watches her brother and a crew member having sex.

* ''VideoGame/DeadByDaylight'' has [[Franchise/{{Halloween}} Michael Myers]], who uses a unique Evil Within system that radically alters how he plays compared to other killers. At Evil Within I, Myers is slower than other killers and has a pitiful lunge range... but his Terror Radius is reduced to a tiny ''6'' meters; most killers have a radius of 32 meters. He is also immune to all survivor detection perks. You can even use certain perks and addons to reduce the Terror Radius to ''zero'', for a game loaded with ParanoiaFuel and a ton of {{Jump Scare}}s. Even in Evil Within II which puts Michael physically on par with other killers, his Terror Radius is a still reduced 16 meters. That said, you are a big guy in a bright white mask, so stealth will only get you so far.

For obvious reasons, the protagonist of a StealthBasedGame will usually be one of these.

** Some 4th Edition monsters have similar abilities. Most of these are "lurkers".

* In the Franchise/StarTrekNovelVerse, Garak. His identity in the Obsidian Order was "Agent Regnar" (a Regnar being a small animal capable of changing colour and texture so as to blend into its surroundings). Garak achieves his stealth through a meditative technique that allows him to "blend" his personal energy signatures into the background energy fields. It's hinted that all Cardassians could in theory learn the technique - if they were paying attention and weren't conditioned into ignoring the deeper realities of life around them. This is an important plot point in ''Literature/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineAStitchInTime''.

-->"I fear you are underestimating the sneakiness, sir."

* Because she spent her childhood undergoing classified military training that simultaneously broke her psychologically and gave her amazing abilities, River Tam from ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' is gifted at stealth. Sometimes it's plot relevant and sometimes it's just used to emphasise how damaged and weird she is, or played for comedy. There's even a scene where she glues herself to the ceiling and watches her brother and a crew member having sex.

* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': Due to how naturally quiet she is, a couple of times [[Characters/FriendshipIsMagicFluttershy Fluttershy]] has been the one chosen on a stealth mission (to defeat Trixie with the Alicorn Amulet, and later to bring down Starlight Glimmer). Both time she succeeds with flying colors.