Basic Trope: A badass character cries, and no one complains.
- Straight: Hot-Blooded Humongous Mecha pilot Bob cries when his sister Alice dies.
- Exaggerated:
- Bob sheds Manly Tears at every single emotional moment in the story.
- Bob is literally crying over spilled milk, and his reaction is so over-the-top, that if it was taken out of context, you'd swear that he was reacting to his family getting murdered in front of him. Everyone notices, and no one cares.
- Downplayed: Bob sheds a Single Tear through the story.
- Justified:
- Something really bad has just happened, is happening, or is about to happen. And, yes, men have feelings too.
- Alternatively, something really joyous or heartwarming has just happened, and men have feeling about those too.
- Bob is so big and badass that nobody would be stupid enough to mock him for crying.
- Inverted:
- Subverted:
- Bob's eyes are watering from seasonal allergies.
- Someone laughed at Bob crying.
- Double Subverted:
- ...at least, that's what he says.
- Only to get called out harshly by his peers.
- Parodied: Someone asks "What's wrong?" and it's shown that Bob is chopping onions.
- Zig Zagged: He cries while performing an incredibly badass feat.
- Averted: Bob doesn't cry.
- Enforced: It's done to convey the full-impact of the tragic event, as the otherwise collected and level-headed Bob reacts to it with a display of genuine emotion.
- Lampshaded: "Look what you did! Even Bob's crying!"
- Invoked: Alice, the love of Bob's life, dies suddenly, just when Bob was going to ask her to marry him.
- Exploited: The Big Bad uses the Post-Rape Taunt ploy to make Bob too upset and emotional to fight him properly.
- Defied: Bob doesn't want to be seen as a wuss, so he holds back his tears and feelings, no matter what.
- Discussed: "Oh no, Bob's sister has been gone. I hope he won't cry."
- Conversed: "Why did Bob just cry? I thought he was manly." "You don't want to know."
- Implied: When Bob's sister dies, the screen suddenly fades to black, without any Inelegant Blubbering.
- Deconstructed:
- Alice sees Bob crying and thinks him less of a man because of it.
- Bob crying creates a stereotype that all Badasses cry, and ones who don't are not Badass.
- Reconstructed:
- ... but Carol likes him more because he can express his emotions.
- Bob gives Alice "The Reason You Suck" Speech for mocking his tears, making it clear that he's still a badass and she's a jerk.
- Played For Laughs: Alice knew Bob before he Took a Level in Badass. When he cries, she says, "It's good to have the old you back, Bob."
- Played For Drama: Alice and Carol think that Bob was faking his manliness all this time. As a result, the Power Trio splits and The Bad Guy Wins.
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