Line #17 Main/BlackDotPupils


1	[[quoteright:250:[[WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/8a1b3aae_dd05_4afb_84c8_ffe96190c540.png]]]]
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3	A basic building block of cartoon character design, one of the most common ways of drawing characters' pupils in {{Comic Strips}} and WesternAnimation is to make them little black dots, completely black and iris-free, with no discernible eye color or often no gloss. Left on their own, they're BlackBeadEyes; put them in a couple of white circles and you get SphereEyes; add some eyelids and brows without the whites and you have SkintoneSclerae. Take a slice out of the side of any of the above and the character becomes PieEyed.
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5	It has its roots in a simple shortcut for ease of animation and cranking out multiple panels of a comic day after day, yet having become so entrenched in cartoon art, it shows up even now in long-form works and on occasion it even crosses dimensions into {{CGI}}.
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7	Contrast this with the more realistic eyes of most {{Superhero}} ComicBooks, or the [[BigAnimeEyes huge, shining eyes]] of {{Anime}} and {{Manga}}. Extreme close-ups could result in a temporary SuddenEyeColor; ArtEvolution and a move into 3D could make it permanent.
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9	Not to be confused with BlackEyesOfEvil or BlackEyesOfCrazy.
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11	'''As this is an OmnipresentTrope in certain styles of art/animation, this page only lists cases where [[PlayingWithATrope the trope is somehow played with]].'''
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13	!!Administrivia/NoStraightExamplesPlease.
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15	[[foldercontrol]]
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17	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
18	* L, Near, and Mello in the ''Manga/DeathNote'' manga have this style of eyes, in contrast to the shiny, detailed eyes of other characters. This gives them an unnervingly intense expression. This style of eyes is also used in distance shots, as well as for Light when he's at his most villainous.
19	* ''Webcomic/MobPsycho100'' uses these as the "default" eyes for characters within the anime, with some characters like Teru having colored pupils to indicate eye colors other than brown. There are four exceptions to this standard: Toichiro and Shou Suzuki, who have IcyBlueEyes with pinprick pupils to make them look especially menacing; and Tsubomi and [[SexierAlterEgo 100% Courage Mob]], who are just too pretty not to give big shiny anime eyes.
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22	[[folder:Comic Book]]
23	* ''{{ComicBook/Norby}}'': The characters' eyes [[SuddenEyeColour shift]] from [[SkintoneSclerae tiny black dots with skin-coloured sclerae]] to black dots with white sclera when the characters are closer, to fully-coloured irises when closest to the "camera". The absence of irises is only for the first adaptation, as the second one tries to preserve eye details even at a distance.
24	* ''ComicBook/YorickAndBones'': The characters' eyes, while usually BlackBeadEyes, become this when they get scared from seeing [[DemBones Yorick]].
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27	[[folder:Literature]]
28	* ''Literature/HurrayForTheDorchester'': If not in the book, then at least on the cover, the Dorchester's eyes are drawn this way.
29	* ''Literature/LillyAndFinAMermaidsTale'': All the characters in the book have their eyes drawn this way due to the book's art style. The one exception is the picture of the Snorkels, which have a white dot in the black pupils.
30	* ''Literature/TheProudestBlue'': All of the characters in the book have their eyes drawn with black pupils.
31	* ''Literature/RockoTheChristmasBat'': Rocko has little black dots as pupils.
32	* ''Literature/StickDog'': As part of the series' StylisticSuck aesthetic, all of the dogs have black dot pupils.
33	* ''Literature/TaroAndJiroTheSiblingLocomotives'': The titular sibling locomotives have their eyes drawn with black dot pupils, whereas all the human characters have BlackBeadEyes. This is likely because, being larger characters, Taro and Jiro's design allow them to have more facial details.
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36	[[folder:Live-Action [=TV=]]]
37	* ''Series/GroundlingMarsh'': The whole cast have their eyes done in this fashion.
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40	[[folder:Video Games]]
41	* The original flock in ''VideoGame/AngryBirds'' has them, with the sole exception being Stella, who has InnocentBlueEyes. This carries over to her spin-off game, where every bird has an eye color that isn't black.
42	* ''VideoGame/JoumeeTheHedgehog'': [[PlayerCharacter Joumee]] sports a pair on the title screen.
43	* Of the cast of ''VideoGame/NinjaBattleHeroes'', Saizo Kirigakure and Seikei Miyoshi have the best examples.
44	* The early, classic depiction of ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' series has the casts sporting black pupil eyes compared to their later modern appearance where they have their pupil colored.
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47	[[folder:Web Animation]]
48	* On the ''WebAnimation/BrainDump'' episode about ''WesternAnimation/SausageParty'', Max G. likes how the characters are given these as opposed to the usual extra-detailed eyes seen in most AllCGICartoon movies.
49	* ''WebAnimation/HappyTreeFriends'': Lumpy, Lifty and Shifty have these eyes while most of the other characters are PieEyed. Nutty is a unique case in that his left eye with the green iris is PieEyed whereas his right eye is this trope.
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52	[[folder:Webcomics]]
53	* ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'': While eyes are usually animesque here, Dan is fond of using this trope for [[https://www.egscomics.com/comic/party-099 amusing reactions.]]
54	* ''Webcomic/MaxwellAndFriends'': Averted with Snowball, who has large blue pupils, and Amber, who has brown pupils.
55	[[/folder]]
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57	[[folder:Western Animation]]
58	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'': The vast majority of characters have these eyes. However, some of the frogs and other amphibians have more ExoticEyeDesigns.
59	* A CGI example would be ''WesternAnimation/BlazeAndTheMonsterMachines'', where all the vehicle characters' eyes are black, with the only exception being the eponymous monster truck whose are blue.
60	* ''WesternAnimation/BunsenIsABeast'' is a rare TechnicolorEyes example; while some characters' eyes are colored, characters like Mikey and Amanda have standard black eyes.
61	* Any character in ''WesternAnimation/{{Daria}}'' that doesn't have SkintoneSclerae.
62	* ''WesternAnimation/DenisAndMe'': All of the animal characters in the show, like Sir Meows-A-Lot, have their eyes drawn in this manner.
63	* Most of the main cast of ''WesternAnimation/TheDogAndPonyShow'' have their eyes like this.
64	* In ''WesternAnimation/DoraTheExplorer'', all animal characters and anyone who has SphereEyes are given black eyes with no pupils. Most human characters have colored eyes with no irises, but they're usually a color close to black, like brown.
65	* If a character in ''WesternAnimation/{{Doug}}'' doesn't have BlackBeadEyes, then they'll have this instead.
66	* In a CGI example, Every character on ''WesternAnimation/FanboyAndChumChum'': has standard black eyes. Janitor Poopatine averts this, having SupernaturalGoldEyes, and Man-Arctica has BlankWhiteEyes.
67	* All of the characters in ''WesternAnimation/FredTheCaveman'' hase little black dot pupil eyes.
68	* Most of the characters in ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' have these, with exceptions being the some of the creatures, such as members of Sev'ral Timez and the cursed wax figures.
69	* Most characters of ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' have black ovals for eyes. The sole exceptions would be Granny and Tweety, whose are blue.
70	* These are the standard eyes for characters from ''Franchise/TheLoudHouse'', with the ones who don't having either BlackBeadEyes or EyesOutOfSight.
71	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Mamemo}}'': All the anthropomorphic cow characters on the show have black dots for their pupils.
72	* Snips, Snails and Featherweight on ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' have black eyes, while all the other pony characters' eyes are colored.
73	* Almost every character in ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife'' have these, though on occasions, [[SuddenEyeColor they are shown with irises]], usually during freak-outs.
74	* {{Lampshaded}} on one episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', where Marge is angry at Homer for not remembering what color her eyes are, despite the fact that, like all characters in the show, her eyes are just black pinpoint dots. When the camera finally zooms in on her eyes, her irises are just a thin [[spoiler:hazel]] ring around the pupil, invisible from a distance. Simpsons characters in general seem to have eye colors in-universe; Homer's driver's license in "Duffless" lists his eye color as blue, and Lisa is also established as having blue eyes in "Bart Carny." ''Very'' occasionally, a guest character is drawn with colored eyes: Lurleen in "Colonel Homer" has brown eyes, while Paul and Linda [=McCartney=] have brown and blue eyes, respectively, in "Lisa the Vegetarian."
75	* Some characters on ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'', such as Patrick, Sandy, Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, as well as other minor fish characters. [=SpongeBob=], Squidward and Gary are exceptions, and Mr. Krabs has a variant of these with pale green sclerae. Patrick also often has a SuddenEyeColor in certain events (they turn blue, for example, when cleaned off in "The Battle of Bikini Bottom").
76	* ''WesternAnimation/SummerMemories'': The majority of the show's cast have their eyes drawn this way.
77	* Wander and Sylvia in ''WesternAnimation/WanderOverYonder'', have regular black eyes, with the former's sometimes changing color depending on the scene (they turn green when hypnotized by Little Bits, for example). Peepers and the Watchdogs avert this with red [[FacelessEye faceless eyes]], and Lord Hater has a variant with sickly green sockets.
78	* Professor Utonium, Mojo Jojo, HIM, Fuzzy Lumpkins, The Greengang Gang, The Mayor of Townsville and the citizens of Townsville from ''Franchise/ThePowerpuffGirls'' have black dot pupils. But the titular girls, Miss Keane and Sedusa only have TechnicolorEyes.
79	* All of the characters in ''WesternAnimation/VeggieTales'' have black eyes.
80	** But, the titular character in "[[Recap/VeggieTalesEpisode14EstherTheGirlWhoBecameQueen Esther.. The Girl Who Became Queen]]" only had brown eyes.
81	** [[MemeticMutation The Hope of Easter]] from "[[Recap/VeggieTalesEpisode20AnEasterCarol An Easter Carol]]" only had blue eyes.
82	** Khalil the Caterpillar also had brown eyes.
83	* In ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'', the Wattersons started off with large pill-shaped eyes for the male characters and ovular eyes for the female characters, each with huge black pupils matching their eye shape. In Season 2, the ArtEvolution led to all their eyes becoming ovular, though they sometimes alternated to the more traditional circular eyes with smaller dot pupils, usually when the characters were surprised. From Season 3 onwards, the circular eyes were adopted full-time as the Watterson family's finalised designs. Other characters follow or avert this trope depending on [[MediumBlending their respective designs]].
84	[[/folder]]

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