Basic Trope: A tough character doesn't have sleeves on their top, showing off their arms.
- Straight: The local Barbaric Bully and Big Guy Flash Young tends to wear a tank top, showing off his powerfully built arms, from deltoids to forearms.
- Exaggerated: Flash takes this to the point that his arms are never covered, even during ''winter. In fact, his "winter jacket" is a huge one that had its sleeves ripped off. By Flash's bare hands, of course.
- Downplayed: Flash wears a tank top most of the time, though he does wear longer sleeved shirts on special occasions (such as formal events).
- Justified:
- Flash just got a good pump out and wants to show his muscled arms.
- Flash is the kind of guy that habitually gets into fights and wants to get rid of the restrictions that a long sleeved shirt might bring.
- Flash wears tank tops because he wants to use an Intimidation Demonstration on anyone who thinks of messing around with him or his friends.
- Flash's arms are too big to fit any sleeves, or are often restricted by the sleeves. Might as well use a tank top since they're much freer and more maneuverable.
- Inverted:
- Flash wears a Badass Longcoat.
- The local brain and Lovable Nerd Pete Perkins is a Dork in a Sweater.
- Sleeves Are For Badasses: Eddie Roque, who wears a tank top, is a Paper Tiger Miles Gloriosus.
- Gender Inverted: The local Barbaric Bully and Big Gal Felicia Long tends to wear a midriff tank top, showing off her powerfully built arms, from deltoids to forearms, and her chiseled abs.
- Subverted:
- Flash doesn't seem to be so tough...
- Flash actually prefers wearing long sleeved shirts...
- Double Subverted:
- ...But that's because he was holding back.
- ...But he rips the sleeves off (or otherwise flexes his arms hard enough to tear up the sleeves) when he decides that it's time to get dangerous.
- Parodied:
- Vest and/or tank top wearers and Badass Longcoat wearers get into a petty argument on which is more badass. It gets so bad that people kill each other over it.
- Forces conspire to absolutely ensure that Flash's huge biceps are always on display; Often by having them flex hard enough that the sleeves get shredded apart.
- Zig-Zagged: Flash wears a Badass Longcoat on top of his sleeveless vests; When it's time to get dangerous, The Coats Are Off.
- Averted:
- Flash isn't really that tough even with a sleeveless shirt.
- Flash is a badass even with a long sleeved shirt.
- Enforced: Wearing a tank top or other sleeveless shirts shows off the muscled, brawny arms of the actor playing The Big Guy.
- Lampshaded: "Damn, Flash, you really wanna show those muscles off today, huh?"
- Invoked: Flash just got bulked up, and wants to show off his muscles. Time to get a tank top!
- Exploited: Flash often does a Badass Armfold or otherwise does something to flex those biceps of his while in his tank top as part of his Intimidation Demonstration.
- Defied: Flash wants to have his strength and physique be Hidden Depths, so he doesn't wear a tank top.
- Discussed: "Y'know, tank tops are a way of showing off that you ain't afraid to get down and dirty. Look at Flash, he wears a tank top and he's got 25 inch biceps!"
- Conversed: "Flash reminds me of that one Muscle Beach Bum I met back in Summer with that sweaty tank top. He looks so much like a douchebag!"
- Implied: Flash often wears a Badass Longcoat, but whenever his girlfriend Alicia P. Navarro holds his arm, she remarks that there's nothing under his jacket, and his arms are extremely big, dense, tightly wound, and hard.
Sleeves Are for Wimps, so come get your tank tops today! Just make sure your arms are pumped.
