History Franchise / Tarzan

* EarthyBarefootCharacter is often used for natives and the Ape Man himself to demonstrate how distant they are to modern society and how much they embrace the jungle. IT’s especially useful for Tarzan with his enhanced senses and time in the trees. It was however dropped for his live action television series in the 90s (Similar to his distaff counterpart Sheena, who is also barefoot in most media accept for her 90s series) Jane is occasionally also a barefooter as well after embracing a more primal lifestyle, but she is usually depicted in flats or sandals in many adaptations.

* {{Flanderization}}: Book!Tarzan is not only a wild jungle man, but fiercely intelligent (he taught himself to read and write two languages in spite of being unable to speak either), an avid prankster with a well-developed if somewhat morbid sense of humor, and (even in his jungle days) a snappy dresser with a dandy-ish streak. None of these traits have, as of yet, made it into any adaptations.

* TribalCarry

** ''Film/TarzanTheApeMan''

** ''Tarzan on the Franchise/PlanetOfTheApes''

* EvilPoacher: A GreatWhiteHunter may threaten Tarzan and his animal friends at one point.

* CrucifiedHeroShot: This was not only done in Tarzan’s Fight For Life (1958), but it was also used all over the promotional art.

* HulkSpeak: In the various movies, the ape man talks like this. Adaptations that hew closer to the books depict him becoming fluent in English (and other languages) in the years after his contact with civilization. In addition, beginning with the 1959 film ''Tarzan's Greatest Adventure'' starring Gordon Scott, and continuing through the Franchise/JamesBond-influenced late-60s films starring Mike Henry and the 1960s TV series, Tarzan was depicted as literate and spoke normally, averting the trope completely.

* Because Tarzan is technically only a highly skilled human with peak human strength, AwesomeByAnalyses usually functions as his primary power, especially in the books. He taught himself how to read from books and can determine exactly what happened in a scene by observing. His tightened senses of sight, hearing and smell help him hunt, and his keen sense of touch is invaluable for the acrobatics he uses to get around the jungle. Copying him, other TarzanBoy or JunglePrincess characters often have heightened senses like smell, touch or sight.

* WildChild: Tarzan as a child. His own adopted son, Boy, also counts.

First created by Creator/EdgarRiceBurroughs in 1912, Tarzan has since swung through dozens of books, films and TV series, both straight and parodied. [[FolkHero Tarzan]] is the quintessential [[NatureHero jungle hero]]; [[MightyWhitey white but at home]] in DarkestAfrica. Often seen in a leopard LoinCloth. Usually somehow [[FridgeLogic clean shaven]] as well.

** Outside of the above crossovers, Dark Horse's Tarzan series featured Tarzan meeting Frankenstein'sMonster, Literature/ThePhantomOfTheOpera, Mr. Hyde and even travelling to the future to fight the Moon Men.

* FurBikini: Jane often wears a variety of this after settling down in the jungle with Tarzan. Most often it's a one-piece minidress, though in the more {{Fanservice}}-y examples it's a [[BareYourMidriff midriff-baring]] two-piece. The Creator/BoDerek version went even further, showing Jane [[NippleAndDimed topless]] in a tiny {{loincloth}}.

* VaporWear: Jane's jungle dress, especially the BareYourMidriff version.

[[folder:Film - Live Action]]

[[folder:Film - Animated]]

* SignatureRoar: Tarzan's yell, described in the book as "the victory cry of the bull ape" but never written out. By far the most famous version is Creator/JohnnyWeissmuller's Tarzan yell in [[Creator/MetroGoldwynMayer MGM]] films, so that most later Tarzan adaptations still use the actual recording or a variant or imitation (this includes the [[WesternAnimation/{{Tarzan}} Disney]] version); it is so well-identified with the character that different roars heard in some films (including those pre-dating Weissmuller, or made by other studios) just sound ''wrong''. The Tarzan yell of pop culture is trademarked by MGM, and thus Tarzan films from other studios (some competing with MGM's, or made after) had to use different yells.

** ''[[ComicBook/GrooTheWanderer Groo]]] meets Tarzan''

* 1981's ''[[Film/TarzanTheApeMan1981 Tarzan, the Ape Man]]'' starred Creator/BoDerek and Creator/RichardHarris in a more adult look at the Tarzan mythos, focusing mostly on Jane and featuring a large supply of {{Fanservice}}. This is also the first film to treat ''Tarzan'' as a late-Victorian-to-Edwardian PeriodPiece, which is followed by almost all subsequent adaptations.

* 1981's ''[[Film/TarzanTheApeMan1981 Tarzan, the Ape Man]]'' starred Creator/BoDerek and Creator/RichardHarris in a more adult look at the Tarzan mythos, focusing mostly on Jane and featuring a large supply of {{Fanservice}}.

** ''Film/GreystokeTheLegendOfTarzanLordOfTheApes'' had "RAAH! RAAH! RAAH!", going for more of a roar and entirely forgoing the familiar pattern.

** ''Film/GreyStokeTheLegendOfTarzanLordOfTheApes'' had "RAAH! RAAH! RAAH!", going for more of a roar and entirely forgoing the familiar pattern.

* 1998's ''Tarzan in the Lost City'' starring Creator/CasperVanDien and co-produced by Stanley S. Canter, one of the producers of ''Greystoke The Legend of Tarzan Lord of the Apes''. Filmed on a modest budget and aiming to be a throwback to the serials of the 30s, it was a BoxOfficeBomb which made 2 million back from its 20 million budget and irreparably damaged Casper Van Dien's career as a leading man in Hollywood.

* SignatureRoar: Tarzan's yell, described in the book as "the victory cry of the bull ape." Later Tarzan adaptations still use Creator/JohnnyWeissmuller's Tarzan yell, or a variant; it is so well-identified with the character that different roars heard in some films (including those pre-dating Weissmuller or made by other studios) just sound ''wrong''.

* After Dell, Creator/DCComics took over. Gone was the taint of Weissmuller at long last and in came original stories as well as new adaptations of ''Tarzan of the Apes'', 'The Return of Tarzan'', ''Jungle Tales of Tarzan'', ''Tarzan the Untamed'', ''Tarzan and the Lion Man'' and ''Tarzan and the Castaways.'' The DC run lasted from 1972-1977 with 52 issues.

** ''Superman/Tarzan: Sons of the Jungle''
** ''Batman/Tarzan: Claws of the Catwoman''
** ''Tarzan versus Predator at the Earth's Core''
** ''Tarzan on the Planet of the Apes.''
** ''Groo meets Tarzan''