Belphegor, among other things, was the title of a French cartoon from the early 2000s. Set in modern-day Paris, it featured the titular character, a mysterious masked criminal, as the antagonist, up against a pair of journalists, Jacques and Sara, and Sara's father, a police inspector, who tried to thwart his numerous plots.
Tropes found in this cartoon:
- Antagonist Title: The title character is the Big Bad.
- Badass Normal: Aside from using a Ring of Power as his only weapon (and the occasional smoke bomb for escape purposes), Belphegor has no superpowers to speak of. He uses said ring only to tranquilize people. How does he always get away without guns? Well, he's strong, smart and always has an escape plan or a Batman Gambit ready. Many times, he doesn't even make use of his underlings' help, but handles the most dangerous situations himself.
- City Noir: Paris is presented as a dark, brooding metropolis, especially when Belphegor is on the move. In the opening sequence, the city gets covered in the shadow of a giant effigy of Belphegor, towering above.
- Classy Cat-Burglar: Belphegor certainly evokes the imagery when he steals a necklace from the Louvre, although he misses any obvious cat appearance.
- Diabolical Mastermind: Belphegor fits this trope very well. Unlike most diabolical masterminds, however, he gets in on the action just as much as his mooks and underlings, if not more so.
- Dramatic Unmask: Subverted many times. Each time the protagonists corner Belphegor to unmask him or come close to uncovering his identity, it turns out either that the unmasked man isn't really him or he manages to destroy the evidence of his identity before they get to it.
- Elaborate Underground Base: Belphegor's Evil Lair is a high-tech complex, richly decorated in Baroque or Roccoco style.
- Evil Sounds Deep: Belphegor speaks in a deep, reverberating voice.
- The Faceless: Belphegor is only ever seen with his gold mask on, which doesn't even have a mouth. One episode has the characters tracking down an old film, as they discover that a boy acting in it is the man himself. The audience is shown a cutscene of the film... with Belphegor's face obscured in shadow.
- Malevolent Masked Men: Belphegor, as usual. This time he's wearing a mouthless golden mask covering his face.
- Ominous Music Box Tune: The main theme. It's played as a music box owned by Belphegor is being activated, with a dancing figure spinning on top.
- Ring of Power: Belphegor's ring is capable of emitting a flash that transfixes enemies, leaving them paralyzed.
- Sigil Spam: Belphegor loves the symbol of Tanit (a real-life symbol heavily featured in Phoenicia and Carthage). He wears a ring with it and loves to display it in his lair.
- Sinister Surveillance: Belphegor is seen having cameras installed all over Paris. He uses them for spying purposes, which helps him a lot in his plans and is often the reason he's one step ahead of the protagonists.
- Trap-Door Fail: A non-comedic example is used in one episode. An old general Belphegor is after tries to use a trap door on him as the man confronts him in his own office. However, the minute he presses the button, Belphegor proceeds to inform him that the trap door is disabled, much to the general's surprise and horror.
