Line #157 Main/BaldOfAuthority


1	%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1643486659024373900
2	%% Please do not replace or remove without starting a new thread.
3	%%
4	[[quoteright:350:[[Film/ExodusGodsAndKings https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pharoah_1.jpg]]]]
5	[[caption-width-right:350: Nothing says "[[GodEmperor God King]]" quite like a smooth head.]]
6	%%
7	Across works, bald people, in the rare times they even appear in a work, will often occupy a leadership position. Perhaps it's because [[BaldMystic bald people seem wiser]] than their full-head-of-hair-having counterparts, making them naturally come off as a ReasonableAuthorityFigure. Or, and this would especially be the case when AsskickingLeadsToLeadership, maybe it's due to [[BaldHeadOfToughness baldness being perceived as inherently tough]], with bald people naturally embodying the kind of resilience and fortitude desired from an effective leader.
8
9	Most likely this is just [[TruthInTelevision art imitating reality]], given that older people tend to occupy positions of authority in society (due to having more experience) and older people (men in particular) are more likely to be bald than younger people. It also seems likely to have come from, in part, the practice of ancient Egyptian pharoahs to shave their head bald when they ascended the throne. Even still, there are quite a few fictional leaders across genders and ages that are bald because of this trope.
10
11	[[TropesInAggregate Whatever the reason]], the proof is in the examples: if they show up in a work and there's a group, team, or organization to be led, a bald character will often be TheLeader of it. And by bald, we do mean bald: no "balding" or partial baldies here, complete chrome domes, only.
12
13	This can apply to ''any'' kind of leader, whether they are a leader of [[PresidentAction an entire country]], [[TheCaptain a battalion]], [[DaChief a precinct]], or are the head manager of a home goods store. What matters is not just the formal position they occupy in a group or organization, but also that they are treated by those around them as the main person to defer to for leadership, direction, agenda setting, and commands. Bald leaders who have AuthorityInNameOnly are subversions of this trope. And remember: leaders can be morally and ethically good, evil, neutral, and everything in-between; this trope can and often does overlap with BaldOfEvil.
14
15	For bald characters who don't necessarily lead a group, but use their wisdom and enlightenment to provide guidance and advice in a more MentorArchetype way, see BaldMystic. For headwear that serves a similar purpose, see HatOfAuthority.
16
17	'''Administrivia/NoRealLifeExamplesPlease, as this is a characterization trope.'''
18	----
19	!!Examples:
20
21	[[foldercontrol]]
22
23	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
24	* Joker in ''Manga/{{Akira}}'' is bald, black, huge, and the leader of the motorcycle gang known as The Clowns. It's not exactly a democracy, but it still works.
25	* ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'':
26	** Dot Pixis is the completely bald commander responsible for the entire Southern territory within Wall Rose. Despite his [[BunnyEarsLawyer eccentric personality]], he's one of the few people [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure willing to listen to Eren]] instead of killing him on the spot after Eren transforms publicly for the first time.
27	** Keith Shadis is the bald instructor of the Southern Branch of the Trainee Corps and former commander of the Survey Corps. Despite his stint as commander ending disastrously, no one seems to hold it against him besides Hange, who criticizes his defeatist attitude.
28	* ''Manga/BlackCat'': Nizer Bruckheimer is the bald leader of Chronos' Cerberus commando team.
29	* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'':
30	** Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto is the [[spoiler:late]] Captain of the First Squad and Captain-Commander of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads and the uncontested most powerful person in Soul Society, having gotten his position centuries ago by simply [[AsskickingLeadsToLeadership destroying all rival factions]]. His baldness is in part justified by his old age, as in his younger days, he did have hair. But even then, it was styled such that the top of his head was completely bald with the hair only growing on the sides.
31	** Ichibe Hyosube is the bald leader of [[spoiler:Squad 0, also known as the Royal Guard, which is tasked with protecting the Soul King, the Royal Palace, and the Royal Family. He was the one who gave everything related to shinigami and Soul Society its names. In line with his position as an authority figure, he has the power to manipulate and control people and objects once he learns their true name]].
32	* ''Anime/BNABrandNewAnimal'': Barbara Rose is the wise and intelligent mayor of Anima City. She appears as a bald woman most of the time; this is because she's really a naked mole-rat, a completely hairless type of animal.
33	* ''Manga/{{Crows}}'': Hana is [[DelinquentHair bald]] and TheLeader of his faction the Hana Gumi [[spoiler:and later, the Whole SUZURAN as its first Boss]]. He is the [[TheAce best fighter]] in the group, cementing his position through RankScalesWithAsskicking.
34	* ''Manga/FullMetalAlchemist'': Basque Grand is the bald, [[FourStarBadass Brigadier General]] during the Ishval War. He's shown to be a ReasonableAuthorityFigure, [[KlingonPromotion killing the former Brigadier General Fessler]] and taking his spot when it became clear Fessler was a GeneralRipper who didn't care about the high deaths of his own men and was about to call for the slaughter of surrendering Ishvallan civilians. Mind you, in the [[Anime/FullmetalAlchemist2003 2003 anime]], he himself was a General Ripper.
35	* ''Manga/{{Gamaran}}'': In the sequel series ''Shura'', Ise Ramon is the bald leader of the Genkai Tenpei, a team of natural born martial artists serving the Bakufu and trained in exotic fighting styles, and easily one of the strongest fighters in the setting.
36	* ''Manga/KenganAshura'': Gen Shikano is the bald CEO of Gandai, a smaller company under the sprawling umbrella that is the Kengan Association. This also overlaps somewhat with BaldHeadOfToughness, as Gen is a former Kengan fighter himself, given the epithet "The Good Fight Making Machine."
37	* ''Manga/{{Nana}}'': Yasu shaves his head completely bald after going PrematurelyBald and is TheLeader of the Black Stones, handling almost all of the business decisions the band makes. He is shown to be the most responsible and level headed of the group. This not only doubles as DelinquentHair given the band's punk rock aesthetic, but helps to further emphasize Yasu as a {{Foil}} for Takumi, the JerkWithAHeartOfJerk leader of rival band Trapnest, who has long black hair.
38	* ''Literature/SwordArtOnline'': Agil is tall, bald, black and has a goatee. He's one of Kirito's trusted friends while trapped in Sword Art Online and fights as well as he looks with a large battle-axe. In real-life, he owns a bar. He was once the de-facto leader of a group of tank players who fought on the front lines separate from the Aincrad Liberation Squad and Dragon Knights Brigade, in the earlier days of SAO.
39	* ''Manga/TalesOfWeddingRings'': Marse's father, the Emperor of Giseras, is the bald, stern, uncompromising leader of the mightiest nation in the world of Arnulus.
40	[[/folder]]
41
42	[[folder:Card Games]]
43	* Teferi, from ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering''. His baldness only becomes clear during Time Spiral; previously, his hairstyle was unknown due to his hat.
44	[[/folder]]
45
46	[[folder:Comic Books]]
47	* In the comic series ''ComicBook/{{Stormwatch}}'', [[BaldOfEvil bald white guy]] Henry Bendix is technically the leader, but for the most part, field commander and bald black guy Jackson King (Battalion) calls the shots. He takes over for Bendix as Weatherman, too.
48	* Across most ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' works, his ArchNemesis Lex Luthor is almost universally a bald, [[TheChessmaster highly intelligent]] VillainWithGoodPublicity. In fact, be it coincidence or [[RedRightHand deliberate]], his hair is often a measure of his morality -- Lex Luthors like the one from ''ComicBook/SupermanEarthOne'' and LaResistance member from ''[[ComicBook/{{Superman}} Superman Vol 2 #21]]'' are good guys and have heads full of hair, while Lex from ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' lost his hair at the beginning of his StartOfDarkness. He is also the CEO of his own company, Lexcorp, and in many versions, practically has half of Metropolis under his control, as he has built many of the establishments, and countless citizens work for him whether they know it or not. He also was briefly President of the United States.
49	* ''ComicBook/UltimateMarvel'': Ultimate ComicBook/NickFury, who was explicitly based off of Creator/SamuelLJackson with his permission, and played by him in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse. (Fury is white and has hair in mainstream continuity, although a version of Samuel L. Jackson's Fury was later introduced as his son.) Fittingly, the artists [[ArtEvolution started depicting him with a shaved head]] around the same time that he became the leader of ComicBook/TheUltimates; in his first appearance in ''ComicBook/UltimateXMen'', when he was still a S.H.I.E.L.D. field agent, he had a fade haircut.[[note]] Surprisingly enough, [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness he wasn't always modeled after Samuel L. Jackson]][[/note]]
50	* ''ComicBook/TheWalkingDead'': Alpha is the bald, female leader of the Whisperers, the main faction that Rick and his crew face off against [[spoiler: after the time skip]]. She is portrayed in part as a ReasonableAuthorityFigure in comparison to her followers who are much more bloodthirsty and willing to kill on sight.
51	* ''ComicBook/XMen'': Charles Xavier is a ChromeDomePsi and the original founder and first leader of the eponymous group. As the leader of the X-men and the [[PuttingThePalInPrincipal headmaster]] of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, he's idealistic, empathetic, paternalistic, and a perennial MentorArchetype to every student. Depending on the adaptation, how he became bald changes, but most describe it as a consequence of him developing his abilities as a teenager.
52	[[/folder]]
53
54	[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
55	* ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch'': The Grand Councilwoman is the level-headed [[BigGood leader of the United Galactic Federation]] who has no hair on her head, seemingly in part because she is an alien.
56	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobSquarePantsMovie'': King Neptune, ruler of the entire ocean,[[note]]not the same Neptune that appears on the show, by the way[[/note]] is completely bald... and completely [[BaldnessAngst in denial of it]], claiming despite all evidence to the contrary that he just has a slightly thinning bald spot. It's heavily implied that this is the main reason he's so upset about his crown being stolen, and wears a paper bag over his head until he gets it back.
57	[[/folder]]
58
59	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
60	* ''Film/AustinPowers'': Dr. Evil is a parody of ''Film/JamesBond'' villains and is similar in terms of appearance of the often depicted as [[BaldOfEvil bald]], frequent Bond antagonist, Blofeld.
61	* ''Film/BlackHawkDown'': Bald [[TheCaptain Captain]] Mike Steele leads a Ranger rifle company.
62	* ''Film/DoctorStrange2016'': Overlapping with BaldMystic due to her [[SquishyWizard supernatural abilities]] and role as MentorArchetype to Stephen Strange, The Ancient One is depicted as the completely bald leader of Masters of the Mystic Arts in the film.
63	* ''Film/EndOfWatch'': The [[DaChief police captain]] is bald and seems to be a very respected ReasonableAuthorityFigure. Taylor, a lower ranked officer and one of the two leads, is a bit of a fanboy.
64	* ''Film/ExodusGodsAndKings'': Pharaoh Ramses II is completely bald, as was custom for pharaohs at the time, and has a major [[AGodAmI god complex]], thinking and acting as if he was the true sole authority in AncientEgypt.
65	* ''Film/{{Excalibur}}'': Downplayed. The bald Sir Leondegrance, played by Creator/PatrickStewart, gets his shot to [[ExcaliburInTheStone pull Excalibur from the stone]] and become king at the start of the film and fails. [[Myth/KingArthur Arthur]] successfully tries afterwards. While everyone debates whether or not to make Arthur king, Leondegrance immediately pledges his allegiance to Arthur. However overwhelmed by the fighting, Arthur falls into a deep sleep. When he awakens, Leondegrance is king, but Arthur soon replaces him after he helps Leondegrance in battle and marries his daughter Guinevere.
66	* ''Film/TheFifthElement'': The President of the Federated Territories is both bald and black, played by former wrestler Tom 'Tiny' Lister.
67	* In the ''Film/JamesBond'' films, SPECTRE leader Ernst Stavro Blofeld is portrayed as chrome-domed in ''Film/YouOnlyLiveTwice'', ''Film/OnHerMajestysSecretService'', and ''Film/ForYourEyesOnly'' overlapping with BaldOfEvil. In all other films where the character shows up, this trope is averted.
68	* In ''Film/LandOfTheDead'', a big, bald, black zombie leads the other zombies to march on Fiddler's Green.
69	* In ''Film/TheLastQueen'', Emir Salim al-Toumi, a 16th century ruler of UsefulNotes/{{Alg\|eria}}iers, is bald.
70	* ''Film/TheLastSamurai'': Katsumoto is the bald leader of the Samurai and also [[RankScalesWithAsskicking their strongest warrior]], who personally leads them into every battle.
71	* ''Franchise/TheMatrix'': Morpheus is the bald, [[TheCaptain captain]] of the ship "Nebuchadnezzar", a ship named after King Nebuchadnezzar II of the Neo-Babylonian empire, who is considered the empire's greatest leader, underscoring how great of a leader Morpheus is. Morpheus's great leadership comes primarily from his [[BaldMystic wisdom, spirituality]], and unwavering faith in Neo being "The One".
72	* ''Film/{{Primal}}'': Supervising Marshal John Ringer is the black bald leader of an elite USMarshal team, escorting an extremely high-risk prisoner back to the U.S. He has a 'take no shit' attitude and immediately clashes with GreatWhiteHunter Frank Walsh; a civilian who refuses to respect his authority.
73	* ''Film/TheRock'': General Hummel, the leader of the terrorists holding tourists hostage at Alcatraz and threatening to launch deadly nerve gas into San Francisco, is bald. He also subverts BaldOfEvil, as Hummel is at worst an AntiVillain, who is firmly unwilling to kill innocent people [[spoiler:and is bluffing about using the gas]].
74	* ''Franchise/StarTrek'':
75	** General Chang and the Borg Queen, the respective {{Big Bad}}s of ''Film/StarTrekVITheUndiscoveredCountry'' and ''Film/StarTrekFirstContact''.
76	** ''Film/StarTrekNemesis'': The leader of the Reman rebels, and later the Romulan empire is Praetor Shinzon, a clone of [[Characters/StarTrekTheNextGenerationJeanLucPicard Captain Jean-Luc Picard]], one of the franchise's primary {{Reasonable Authority Figure}}s who also sports a BaldOfAuthority. Shinzon is shown to be completely bald, having been artificially born and experiencing accelerated development.
77	** ''Film/StarTrek2009'': Played with Nero, captain of the Romulan mining vessel ''Narada'', who sports a bald tattooed head along with every other crewmember.[[note]]The ''Star Trek: Countdown'' prequel comics [[ItMakesSenseInContext explain of a Romulan tradition]] that, when a loved one dies, Romulans tattoo themselves. As the ink fades over time, so does their grief. However, in this case, after Romulus was destroyed, the ink was deeply embedded so that it never fades and they never forget everyone they've lost.[[/note]] Played straight with Captain Robau of the USS ''Kelvin'' in the prologue.
78	* ''Film/TheTenCommandments1956'': Pharaoh Rameses is shaved bald, as was his father Sethi, when he ascends to the throne as a symbol of his rank (as the son of the still-living Pharaoh, Rameses has a shaved head but sports a ponytail in back).
79	* ''Film/Underworld2003'': Vidar is the bald leader of the Nordic Coven. Notably, he is the only bald vampire among his coven, where everyone else was blonde or silver-haired.
80	[[/folder]]
81
82	[[folder:Literature]]
83	* ''Literature/TheGuildOfSpecialists'': Master Aa is the LargeAndInCharge bald leader of the Sujing Quantou, a Chinese military order.
84	* ''Literature/InheritanceCycle'': Ajihad, who has a beard but no hair, is the leader of [[LaResistance the Vardan]].
85	* ''Literature/MaiHimeDestiny'': Rei Kanzaki, Reito's older brother, is the principal of Fuuka Academy and his baldness is his [[FlatCharacter most defining characteristic]].
86	* Creator/IsaacAsimov and Creator/JanetAsimov's ''Literature/TheNorbyChronicles'': Admiral Boris Yobo is head of Space Command, which puts him in charge of Space Academy, where SpaceCadet Jeff Wells is in training. Initially it appeared that Fargo had left the service, but the first book reveals that he'd actually become a secret agent working with Yobo to discover the secret identity of the first book's villain. So aside from being the highest-ranked person that we meet in the Solar Federation, he takes a personal interest in the Wells family and is directly responsible for Jeff having [[WeWillSpendCreditsInTheFuture enough credits to purchase Norby]] in the first place. The novels tend to describe him as the descendant of African kings, emphasizing his skin-tone and leadership skills at the same time. His baldness is emphasized in ''Literature/NorbyAndTheCourtJester'' because the planet Izz insists on everyone wearing braids, and since his natural baldness prevents him from having any other hair, he has to grow a mustache and braid that instead.
87	* ''Literature/RecordOfGrancrestWar'': [[TheCaptain Captain Gluck]] is completely bald. This overlaps with BaldHeadOfToughness as he has the ability to turn his [[ChromeChampion entire body into metal]], which gives him SuperToughness.
88	* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'':
89	** We have Lord of the Westerlands and Hand of the King to Aerys [[AbusiveParent Tywin Lannister]] who use to have long curly locks like his children and grandchildren. When at the first sign of hairloss Tywin ordered his barber to shave his head.
90	** Janos Slynt Commander of the City Watch has a shiny scalp.
91	** Ser Jeor Mormont who was the head of his house and is now Lord Commander of the Nights Watch lost most of his hair except for his impressive beard.
92	** Lord of Horn Hill Randyll Tarly who doubles as BaldofEvil due to being an AbusiveParent.
93	** Lord of Dragonstone Stannis Baratheon who has no hair on top of his head.
94	* ''Literature/TheHandsOfTheEmperor'': Since the fashions of court (and probably century-old rules) dictate it, the [[GodEmperor Emperor]] of Astandalas keeps a completly shaved head.
95	[[/folder]]
96
97	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
98	* In ''Series/TheAdventuresOfSinbad'''s second season, Rongar, who had been bald and black all along, was revealed to be a prince (technically, exiled ex-prince) in his home realm.
99	* ''Series/Babylon5'': The Centauri emperor Turhan is bald and is characterized as a ReasonableAuthorityFigure, having dedicated his life and reign as emperor in fixing the damage his family and the Centauri has inflicted, with his last act being a public apology for those crimes. This is emphasized by his character not wearing the traditional Centauri peacock wig, which is used to denote power and status, instead [[ModestRoyalty laying his bald head bare]].
100	* ''Series/BlackSails'':
101	** Played with. Gates is the most senior member of the crew and serves as the ''Walrus's'' Quartermaster, i.e. the elected representative of the crew's interests for practicality, understanding of the crew's needs; he'd arguably be the better choice for TheCaptain. However, he is not and he remains deeply loyal to Captain Flint, while still acting as a check on Flint's authority.
102	%%** Flint himself becomes this after he shaves his head between the second and the third seasons.
103	* ''Series/TheBookOfBobaFett'': Five years after being thrown into the Sarlacc Pit in ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', the completely bald, former bounty hunter Boba Fett seizes control of Jabba the Hutt's criminal empire and becomes Daimyo of Tatooine.
104	* ''Series/TheCallOfWarr'': Inverted. Gravesite is TheCaptain of a unit of soldiers and is initially depicted as a wise commander with long, flowing hair. However, when he [[spoiler: has his position usurped by Prince]], it is revealed that his hair is just a wig and he is actually bald underneath. So while Gravestite was technically always bald, his baldness is mostly associated with the loss of authority in the show and the wig is associated with having authority, to the extent that when [[spoiler:Prince becomes the new leader]], ''he'' starts wearing the wig.
105	* In ''Series/{{Chuck}}'', "Big Mike" Tucker is the bald, black manager of the Buy More—though he's [[AuthorityInNameOnly really more of a figurehead]] as he's about as interested in doing any work as the rest of the staff (i.e. not very) and so it's Chuck who ends up doing most of the actual leading, in between saving the world, or the series of evil assistant managers.
106	* ''Series/{{Heroes}}'': The President is black and bald. He is played by Creator/MichaelDorn.
107	* ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'': Captain Cragen was the completely bald [[DaChief police chief]] that led the eponymous Special Victims Unit. [[spoiler:He later retires and appoints the very much not bald Olivia Benson as the new head of the unit.]]
108	* ''Series/{{Outlander}}'': Dougal [=MacKenzie=], the War Chieftain, is the only bald Highlander in the fighting force of Clan [=MacKenzie=]. In addition to being in charge of the fighting men, he serves as the right-hand of and enforcer for his brother, Colum, the Clan's Laird, going where Colum's disabled legs don't allow him to travel, imbued with full authority to act in the best interest of the Clan.
109	* ''Series/Numb3rs'': Even though he is mainly Don's second-in-command, David Sinclair does become leader of the team on several occasions, particularly when Don was injured in "The Fifth Man".
110	* ''Series/{{Oz}}'': Simon Adebisi is a bald thug who initially is just another member of the Homeboys. However, after the two previous leaders are killed, Adebisi takes over via AsskickingLeadsToLeadership and quickly becomes TheDreaded thanks to [[AxCrazy being a brutal psychopath]]. He eventually manages to take over Em City through sheer cunning, in exchange for preventing any deaths from happening within the cell block.
111	* ''Franchise/StarTrek'':
112	** ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': Jean Luc Picard is one of the most iconic examples of the trope as the bald, [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure diplomatic]], [[AFatherToHisMen compassionate]], [[TheCaptain captain]] of the ''Enterprise''-D. It is indicated that he has undergone male-pattern baldness somewhere in his late-twenties to early-thirties as he is depicted with hair in his younger years as an Ensign, when he was much more brash and arrogant. His present baldness helps to underscore how he has grown considerably OlderAndWiser over the years.
113	** ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'': Starting with season 4 of the series [[TheCaptain Captain]] Benjamin Lafayette Sisko is very much this when he also goes completely bald.[[note]]He would have been much sooner had studio executives allowed him to.[[/note]]
114	* ''Series/StargateSG1'': George Hammond is the [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure stern, but accommodating]] Major General that issues orders down to the main crew in this series and is completely bald.
115	* ''Series/TotalRecall2070'': DaChief Martin Ehrenthal, both bald and black, is the head of the local division of the CPB. He's an incredibly competent administrator, not afraid to stand up to any [[MegaCorp Consortium]] representative or someone from the [[JurisdictionFriction Assessor's Office]] trying to browbeat him or his agents to back away from their investigations.
116	[[/folder]]
117
118	[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
119	* In the 1970s and 80s, the bald, black "EvilGenius" Lightning Hernandez was the unofficial leader of all the {{rudo}}s on the Dominican Republic television program "International Wrestling", making this overlap with BaldOfEvil.
120	[[/folder]]
121
122	[[folder:Roleplays]]
123	* In ''Roleplay/TheGamersAlliance'', Ismail is a bald, black man who becomes the captain of the Black Guard of Vanna.
124	[[/folder]]
125
126	[[folder:Theatre]]
127	* ''Theatre/TheKingAndI'': Invoked. The King's original Broadway actor, Yul Brynner, had his head shaved at the makeup artist's recommendation. Brynner carried this trope on into the movie, and bald kings are featured in several of the revivals for the musical and adaptations in other mediums.
128	[[/folder]]
129
130	[[folder:Video Games]]
131	* ''VideoGame/ArcanaFamiglia'': Dante is the bald director of the Arcana Famiglia, a group tasked with protecting the island of Regalo. He's also the head of intelligence for the group due to his ability to alter memories. His leadership role is invoked by the arcana he controls and derives power from: The Emperor, which in traditional tarot symbolizes wisdom and is the ruler of the world.
132	* ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaLordsOfShadow'': Roland de Ronceval is a [[spoiler:FakeUltimateHero]] who believes himself to be TheChosenOne to defeat Dracula. Naturally, he was a Paladin of the Brotherhood of Light, for which he shaves his head bald, and commander of the greatest army ever brought to destroy Dracula.
133	* Kane from ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer'' is the bald, charismatic leader of the Nod faction.
134	* ''VideoGame/{{Destiny}}'': Zavala is a bald, well respected Vanguard commander who leads the City's standing forces and is portrayed as a ReasonableAuthorityFigure, acknowledging and rewarding the Guardians who complete missions for the Vanguard.
135	* ''Franchise/DragonAge'':
136	** Shartan, the leader of the elves that aided Andraste in her rebellion against the Tevinter Imperium in the franchise's lore. His Temple of Sacred Ashes spirit appears bald, and in ''Inquisition'' the player can find some murals that depict him as bald, as well as codices that imply he modeled himself off of ancient elvhen freedom-fighting folk heroes who also had bald heads. [[spoiler:Likely the legacy of Fen'Harel, or Solas.]]
137	** Clarel de Chanson is the bald Warden-Commander of Orlais who appears in the Adamant Fortress missions in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition''. She's a deconstruction of TheUnfettered nature of most Wardens, with a single-minded determination to oppose the Blight, [[spoiler: even if that means [[WellIntentionedExtremist sacrificing her subordinates]] to summon demons to fight them]].
138	* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'': [[TheEmperor Emperor]] [[TheGoodKing Uriel Septim VII]], a ReasonableAuthorityFigure and BigGood throughout the series, has a shiny bald head in his ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIDaggerfall Daggerfall]]'' appearance.
139	* ''VideoGame/ElevatorActionEX'': Guy is the main player character's bald boss who directs the spies, as well as a playable character himself.
140	* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'': Cid is bald, TheCaptain of his own airship, and the leader of the Al Bhed ethnic minority group. In the sequel, ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2'' when Yuna, Rikku, and Payne become the captains of their own airship, Cid becomes a LeaderWannabe once let aboard, barking orders as if he was in charge again.
141	* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'': Fuga is the wise, serious chief of the Wind Tribe who has no hair on his head (save for his eyebrows).
142	* ''VideoGame/FireFight'': Your Commanding Officer in the military airplane shooter is bald.
143	* ''VideoGame/GrandSummoners'': Ganan has no hair on his head and is the Reigard branch guildmaster.
144	* ''VideoGame/GuildWars'': King Jalis Ironhammer of Deldrimor is the completely bald king of the dwarves who is characterized as being patient, thoughtful, and [[TheGoodKing wise]] and a ReasonableAuthorityFigure.
145	* ''VideoGame/HotlineMiami2WrongNumber'': The Colonel is the bald, commanding officer (later Lieutenant General) of an elite spec-ops unit called the "Ghost Wolves", and is depicted as [[AFatherToHisMen caring deeply for the members of his unit]].
146	* In ''Videogame/{{Overwatch}}'' Doomfist is a leader of the terrorist group Talon. He is not only bald and charismatic, but is a dedicated brawler.
147	* ''VideoGame/Persona5'':
148	** The BigBad of the main game, [[spoiler:Masayoshi Shido]] is a dark take on this, combining it with BaldOfEvil. He's a [[spoiler:politician who's running to become the next prime minister of Japan so he can rule the country [[AmbitionIsEvil with an iron fist]] and shape it to fit his distorted vision. He believes [[ControlFreak he and he alone]] is the only one with the will capable of steering Japan in the right direction and is willing to [[DespotismJustifiesTheMeans cheat, lie, and kill]] his way to ensure power. He also will abuse his power to ruin the lives of anyone he perceives as challenging his authority and will to do what he pleases as he pleases, something Joker (and the player) learns immediately as Shido is the one who [[EvilIsPetty fabricated a false assault charge]] against Joker when Joker tried to keep Shido from sexually assaulting a woman in the street. Put simply, he's a proto-authoritarian leader in need of the position to fully exercise the authority he believes is his right. Ironically, Shido is just an UnwittingPawn for the GreaterScopeVillain who's ''really'' pulling the strings that put the game in motion.]]
149	** The [[{{Gonk}} egg-head shaped]] Principal Kobayakawa is a subversion, since despite being the one in charge of the school, he's a lower ranked member of the [[spoiler:Antisocial Force that's trying to get Shido elected]], and as such he takes his orders from [[spoiler:the SIU Director, who's taking his orders from Shido. Naturally, when Kobayakawa fails to uncover the identity of the Phantom Thieves who very obviously started at his school, Shido shows just how little authority Kobayakawa has by [[YouHaveFailedMe having him killed]].]]
150	* ''VideoGame/QueenAtArms'': Played with since Berin, while bald, is only the ''Assistant-Commander.'' That said, he's a HypercompetentSidekick to Commander Bryce, who in contrast, is a GeneralRipper and exhibits possible signs of dementia, making Berin the actual ReasonableAuthorityFigure between the two.
151	* ''VideoGame/RadiataStories'': Dynas is the head of the Radiata Knights and his cue ball is as shiny as his helmet.
152	* ''VideoGame/SplinterCellDoubleAgent'' has Emile Dufraisne, the bald leader of the JBA.
153	* ''VideoGame/StarWarsJediSurvivor'' shows Cere Junda has shaven her head since the [[VideoGame/JediFallenOrder last game]], and is overseeing the reconstruction of a Jedi archive in a secure location.
154	* In the ''VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}}'' games, "Representative Helmer", the leader of Second Miltia, is both bald and black.
155	[[/folder]]
156
157	[[folder:Webcomics]]
158	* Roy in ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' is black in a family of bald men and the leader of his team, although he's a bit [[LargeHam more hammy]] and ''much'' [[DeadpanSnarker more snarky]] than usual examples of this trope. The King of Nowhere also qualifies, from what we see of him in a flashback panel (which is among the reasons Roy was confused with him at one point).
159	[[/folder]]
160
161	[[folder:Web Videos]]
162	* ''WebVideo/PreludeToAxanar'' has Admiral Marcus Ramirez, Chief of Starfleet. He's bald, black, and fearless against the Klingon Empire.
163	[[/folder]]
164
165	[[folder:Western Animation]]
166	* ''WesternAnimation/AngelWars'': Swift is higher-ranked than the main characters, on top of being LargeAndInCharge. Downplayed in that Michael and Arianna both outrank him.
167	* ''WesternAnimation/BattleTech1994'': The bald Aleksandr Kerensky was the greatest general of the Star League Defense Forces and remains one of the most [[BigGood beloved figures]] in the entire universe, whose UndyingLoyalty to the Star League led him to buck the rules if it meant doing what he believed was just and right.
168	* ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'': Numbuh One is a completely bald child and the leader of the Sector V branch of the eponymous Kids Next Door, an international organization of kids that combats adult tyranny and villainy. He is the most level-headed of the group (apart from his ProperlyParanoid and ConspiracyTheorist ways) and [[{{Determinator}} has a will of titanium]] when it comes to taking on the grown-ups. His baldness was [[JustifiedTrope actually caused]] by the group's arch rivals, the Delightful Children from Down the Lane, in a NoodleIncident.
169	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'': Save for a few strands of hair, Tommy Pickles is completely bald and the de facto leader when he and the rest of the babies go on adventures in the show, often deciding what the plan is for each episode. He's also shown to be the [[FearlessInfant bravest of the group]], being the first to charge into the unknown or stand up against Angelica, who often bullies them. His baldness is [[JustifiedTrope justified]], as he's a literal baby who has yet to fully grow hair, but it remains noteworthy since he's the only one (until [[spoiler:his younger brother Dill is born]]) of the kids to be bald.
170	[[/folder]]

Context Main / BaldOfAuthority