History Main / Bloodknight

** Even later, he went as far as training the reincarnation of the most destructive being in the Universe ''just so he could fight him again''.

A Blood Knight can be of any morality whatsoever, the most intense ones put their love of fighting AboveGoodAndEvil. If heroic, they will frequently be TheBigGuy in an ensemble, the character most likely to solve his problems by force of arms, they might make the less violent members of the crew a little nervous, especially if they go off on a [[BerserkButton hair trigger]]. If an antagonist, he has a good chance of being a WorthyOpponent, since he doesn't want to defeat the heroes, necessarily, just fight them. He might undergo a HeelFaceTurn if he can find someone [[DefeatMeansFriendship tough enough to beat him]] and join the hero's team, or simply betray his boss to [[StalkerWithACrush pursue and obsess]] over his [[FoeYay foe]] on [[HitmanWithAHeart his own terms]]. However, sometimes, less pleasant characters with this trait may exist, especially if they are also the {{Big Bad}} or their [[TheDragon right hand men]] who will do [[MoralEventHorizon do all kinds of horrible things]] to trigger his opponent's BerserkButton enough to fight seriously and give them a challenge. This type of BloodKnight overlaps heavily with PsychoForHire. If the heroic, anti-hero, or anti-villain type of BloodKnight encounter this later type they may be inspired to say [[EvenEvilHasStandards EvenEvilHasStandards]] or become a DefectorFromDecadence over the evil BloodKnight's perceived lack of honor.

A Blood Knight can be of any morality whatsoever, or for the most intense ones put his love of fighting AboveGoodAndEvil. If heroic, he will frequently be TheBigGuy in an ensemble, the character most likely to solve his problems by force of arms, and he might make the less violent members of the crew a little nervous, especially if he goes off on a [[BerserkButton hair trigger]]. If villainous, he has a good chance of being a WorthyOpponent, since he doesn't want to defeat the heroes, necessarily, just fight them. He might affect a HeelFaceTurn if he can find someone [[DefeatMeansFriendship tough enough to beat him]], or simply drop everything to [[StalkerWithACrush pursue and obsess]] over his [[FoeYay foe.]] However, sometimes, this trait may not be so positive as some {{Big Bad}}s and their [[TheDragon right hand men]] or villains in general are either [[CardCarryingVillain your devoted villain]] or worse who will do [[MoralEventHorizon do all kinds of horrible things]] to trigger his opponent's BerserkButton enough to fight seriously and give them a challenge.

Personality-wise, he can be a FlatCharacter (and quite possibly DumbMuscle) which just shouts [[TabletopGame/{{Warhammer40000}} "Maim! Kill! Burn!"]], or, if he's a little more sophisticated/developed, he can be a WarriorTherapist, WarriorPoet or even a GeniusBruiser, but the latter cases are more rare. He might be a [[BoisterousBruiser normal, jocular guy]] when he's not brawling, or he might take the fight so seriously that [[TheStoic he blocks out everything else]] [[TheUnfettered and will therefore live only for battle]]. In some cases, the Blood Knight fights because he's [[DeathSeeker looking for a way to die with meaning]]. Many Blood Knights WouldNotShootACivilian, though often, it's because a civilian will not give a good fight. This is not always the case though; if the person is less moral they will specifically target the innocent in order to make their real target want to fight them.

** Eldar Aspect Warriors. Actually... Eldar themselves. It's the only reason they're still hanging around in the galaxy.

* In ''WesternAnimation/Ben10UltimateAlien'', Ben and Gwen's cousin Sunny only decides it's fun being around them once she gets to fight. Ben is also eager to get into fights for him to go alien, and beat up bad guys.

* Historians believe that one of the reasons (among a few others) why Toyotomi Hideyoshi lead the recently united Japan to war and invasion against Korea in the 16th century was to keep the ''samurai'' from killing him and each other. Considering that this age of unification and peace was relatively brief, his worry was probably not misplaced.

* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khalid_ibn_al-Walid Khalid ibn al-Walid]], one of best military commanders period (as he is among the few historical generals who ''never'' lost a battle). According to A.I. Akram, one of the motivation for his conversion to Islam is because the Muslims of that time were busy conducting military campaigns across Arabia and he felt that his missing out the glory. Somewhat of a DeathSeeker too, considering that he spent his last days lamenting that he will die of old age instead of battle. No wonder his [[TheMagnificent sobriquet]] was "the Drawn Sword of God".

* John Basilone won the Medal of Honor at Guadalcanal in 1942, manning a machine gun (alone) to hold off Japanese troops. When that stopped working he used his pistol. After he was sent home he was uncomfortable with civilian life and re-enlisted to fight at Iwo Jima, where he took over a blockhouse full of Japanese soldiers single-handedly and fought until he was killed by mortar shrapnel.
* UsefulNotes/WinstonChurchill himself was a particularly crazy Blood Knight. He and the British chiefs of staff formed [[http://www.cracked.com/article_18722_5-unfought-wars-that-would-have-changed-everything_p2.html Operation Unthinkable on May 22nd 1945]] which would have started a preemptive war by the United States and Great Britain against the Soviet Union. The fact that the Soviets outnumbered Britain and America two to one is the main reason why the plan was abandoned.
* Likewise General DouglasMacArthur was gearing up after UsefulNotes/TheKoreanWar to [[http://www.cracked.com/article_18722_5-unfought-wars-that-would-have-changed-everything.html start a nuclear war with China]] by dropping 30 to 50 atomic bombs on mainland targets, and was nearly granted the authority to do so by the joint chiefs of staff until President Truman fired him.

* UsefulNotes/AndrewJackson suffered from having a [[HandicappedBadass bullet in his lung]] and is said to have dueled at least 100 times and loved scalping Indians. Although this might just be because he's [[CrazyAwesome nuts.]] There was an assassin who tried to kill Jackson while he was in office. On a misty day the man drew two pistols and tried firing them at Jackson. Both guns jammed. Jackson meanwhile was busy rushing the gunman over 100 feet and [[AwesomeYetPractical beat him into unconsciousness with his cane.]] Jackson was asked why he rushed the man when he was facing two guns. He replied "I would rather have a closed casket (funeral) than get shot in the back, fleeing like a coward."
* JackChurchill was an allied commander during WWII and volunteered for commando duty. He carried a [[{{BFS}} claymore]] into every battle and is credited with capturing 42 Germans and a mortar squad using only his sword. He was finally captured by Germans after the rest of his squad was killed by a mortar shell. The Germans cautiously approached him as he played "Will ye no come back again?" on his bagpipes, which he also carried into every battle. He was sent to a concentration camp, which he promptly escaped. He was soon recaptured and sent to another concentration camp, which he also escaped. He finally made it back to Britain to find that the war had ended. He was quoted as saying, "If it wasn't for those damn Yanks, we could have kept the war going another 10 years!" He is also the only man to have got a kill with longbow in World War II.
* Ronald Speirs of ''Series/BandOfBrothers'' fame. Would turn up wherever there was fighting whether his unit was engaged or not, chose to stay with his company after European hostilities ended in the hopes of getting transferred to the invasion of Japan, then stayed with the army to serve in the Korean and Vietnam wars.
* Child soldiers are raised to show no mercy and are only praised and given food when they kill. They will ruthlessly murder innocent civilians, or kill mothers and kidnap the children so they will be raised as child soldiers. Many of these children have a hard time fitting in with normal society, as their empathy has been suppressed for so long.

* Bobby Fischer was sort of a chess version of this-leaning way over into SociopathicHero territory. It was said he liked humiliating players as well as beating them. According to one legend he visited a harlot and when he left said that Chess was more fun.

SubTrope of InHarmsWay. SisterTrope to CombatSadomasochist, TheRealMan, and BoisterousBruiser. Compare CavalierCompetitor. May be from a MartyrdomCulture and will nearly always believe that WarIsGlorious. If he (or she, though it's much rarer) is in the military, then he would almost inevitable be a ColonelKilgore. A MonsterKnight has a high chance of being one. If this person fights for the side of good while sating his urges along the way, then he is a SociopathicHero.

* Wrestling/{{CHIKARA}}'s Eddie Kingston turned into this after his FaceHeelTurn in 2007, declaring his desire for a "warrior's death" and pledging to take all of his hatred and misery stemming from an industry that he felt didn't respect him out on anyone who got in his way.

* Hircine, the [[PhysicalGod Daedric Prince]] of the hunt, is basically a BloodKnight God of the ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' universe. He has a particular interest in HuntingTheMostDangerousGame, and you can even take part in one of his hunts in ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind'' expansion, ''Bloodmoon.''

* UsefulNotes/WorldWarII general George Smith Patton. He expressed a bizarre fascination with warfare from a young age, which contributed heavily to his famous hard-nosed personality. He gleefully volunteered for any combat assignment offered to him and loved warfare, despite being badly wounded as a tank commander in WWI. In between the World Wars, he and his friend Creator/DwightDEisenhower spent their free time driving around in a civilian car with guns hoping bandits would try and rob them. Although he believed that he had been reincarnated repeatedly so he could fight and die again, his odd worldview made him one of the Allies' best generals. He once said, "''An entire world at war and ''I'm'' left out of it?! God will not permit this to happen! I'm going to be allowed to fulfill my destiny!" Fittingly, he died in a car accident four months after the end of [=WW2=], as a world at peace was no world for him. After VE day and before his fateful car crash, Patton was fully prepared and eager to fight the Russians next.
* If you believe [[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2005/is_1_33/ai_56027317/pg_1 the accounts]], the "factions" of Ireland that were common in the latter half of the nineteenth century were a pleasurable variation on this trope. The closest fictional example to the attitude behind it would be the frequent FightClubbing between the Gauls from ''Comicbook{{Asterix}}'''s village. The reasons were frequently trivial or nonexistent; they fought for the fun of it and if someone died, well, as long as it was a fair fight, it wasn't meant in malice. Sticks and stones were the WeaponOfChoice, women and children could "join in" and the larger brawls were prearranged for meetings such as fairs. From the article:

** [AntiHero Guts]] sometimes has a reason to fight, but most times he does it just because he enjoys it, good guys or bad guys be damned. To make it even more obvious, he gets a SlasherSmile every time he is about to go into combat. He reaches absurd levels in the "Lost Children" Arc, when his inner beast takes a definite shape and starts haunting him.

* ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}''
** [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation Depending on how you view his character]]. Alucard is either a bloodthirsty killing machine who relishes his existence as a non-living weapon, or [[DeathSeeker a bored immortal who fights everything he can in hopes of finding someone who can kill him once and for all]]. Or ''both''. In any case, he's always looking for a new challenge and becomes obviously upset when an opponent doesn't live up to his expectations.
** [[BigBad The Major]], from the manga and OAV version is an completely unambiguous example of this. He even makes [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUB9QGKCNmI an utterly awesome speech on how much he loves war for its own sake]], which lasts for more than five minutes and can have the most unambiguous pacifist raging out for blood.

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* Wrath, a.k.a. [[spoiler: President-Fuhrer King Bradley]], from ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' (the manga and second anime). Near the end of the story, he's fulfilled his part in the BigBad's plan and is bleeding to death with no chance of getting healed anymore. He challenges the good guys to a fight just because.

* ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'''s Yusuke Urameshi. Jin and Chu are equally fight-happy (unless it's a cute girl for Chu, at least) Jin, Chu, and Yusuke quickly become best buddies.

* Kotaro from ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'' is a self-admitted example... mostly because, as he admits, fighting is really the only thing he knows. Once he does a HeelFaceTurn this is turned more into a love of testing his strength, while fighting for his friends.
** In this respect, as in many others, Kotarou is a GenerationXerox of Negi's father's [[TheRival rival]], Jack Rakan. [[spoiler: When Rakan dies, his last words are to tell his killer that it was fun, and he should really learn to enjoy this sort of thing more]].

* It can be argued that nearly every single character in ''Manga/VinlandSaga'' is a Blood Knight to one degree or another. After all, they are Vikings.
** Thorkell the Tall takes the cake though, as his entire reason for choosing a side was who would provide the better fight. And when he sees an even better fight, he changes sides immediately. He looks kind of like a Danish Kenpachi as well.

* Similar to Mugen is Revy from ''Manga/BlackLagoon'', as they both have almost the exact same personality (though Mugen may be slightly more nihilistic). Revy is a SociopathicHero who gleefully indulges in the carnage that she finds herself in, often sporting a SlasherSmile and becomes obsessed with an enemy if they are shown to be particularly deadly or skilled.

* Cyberdramon of ''Anime/DigimonTamers''. Just to drive the point home, his {{catchphrase}} is "Are you my enemy?" and his ImageSong is "Dead or Dead". For a guy with [[spoiler: multiple personalities]], he seems to have his priorities sorted out.

* [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation Depending on how you view his character]], ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}'''s Alucard is either a bloodthirsty killing machine who relishes his existence as a non-living weapon, or [[DeathSeeker a bored immortal who fights everything he can in hopes of finding someone who can kill him once and for all]]. Or ''both''. In any case, he's always looking for a new challenge and becomes obviously upset when an opponent doesn't live up to his expectations.

* ''Anime/CodeGeass'': [[http://codegeass.wikia.com/wiki/Carine_le_Britannia Carine le Britannia]]
** Luciano Bradley, anyone? The guy who become a Knight of Rounds only because this is one of the few places where you can kill people with extreme prejudice in unusual ways and not be branded a criminal?

* The [[SuperpoweredEvilSide "Nanaya" side]] of ''[[VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}} Shiki Tohno]]'' shows this. His assassination skills are meant for non-humans only, but he [[EvilFeelsGood really loves his job]]. Whenever he [[VideoGame/MeltyBlood physically manifests]], he is always depicted as a {{Badass}} murderous sociopath, although technically that's the manifestation of Shiki's fear of his [[SuperpoweredEvilSide "Nanaya" side]] rather than the personality itself, so its exaggerated.

* Lordgenome of ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'' may count. Granted, many [[spoiler: centuries]] of his life he just sits on his throne while surrounded by an infinite supply of consorts as RULER OF THE ENTIRE EARTH. However, if there's a rebellion that manages to get to him [[spoiler: not counting the only one ever shown (now doubt others happened before this one) by the Dai-Gurren Brigade]], he gets off his lazy ass and defeats them himself. Oh, and his head catches on fire in the heat of battle from his pure, raw manliness.
** Granted, he was [[spoiler: defeated by Simon in the end, he did it in style. After some fighting, his mech is destroyed. What does he do? He scolds himself for relying on that stupid robot and destroys his opponent's mech bare handed.]]

*** After winning against Vegeta in ''Anime/DragonBallZ'', who was responsible for the deaths of several Goku's friends and almost destroyed the Earth not long ago, Goku (who's in just as bad shape as Vegeta) tells Krillin to let him live so they can have a rematch. This works to the world's advantage, as Vegeta ends up becoming TheLancer two arcs later.
*** Even later, he went as far as training the reincarnation of the most destructive being in the Universe ''just so he could fight him again''.
*** Gohan became one briefly when he transformed into a Super Saiyan 2 in the fight against Cell. He prolonged the fight just to make Cell suffer, but it bit him in the ass as well.

* A few ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' characters could be mentioned, as famous [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam Char Aznable]] and [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing Zechs Merquise]] are dedicated warriors, finding their only true purpose in battle. Even better examples are [[Anime/MobileFighterGGundam Domon Kasshu and Master Asia]], though they don't seek to kill their opponents, their main purpose to live is to fight and therefore show their feelings. Domon in particular admits that the only way he knows to express his feelings is by punching people.

* [[AntiHero Guts]] from ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' sometimes has a reason to fight, but most times he does it just because he enjoys it, good guys or bad guys be damned. To make it even more obvious, he gets a SlasherSmile every time he is about to go into combat. He reaches absurd levels in the "Lost Children" Arc, when his inner beast takes a definite shape and starts haunting him.
** Also see Nosferatu Zodd, who loved combat so much he became a demon in order to continue raising the stakes. It goes beyond saying that their encounters have been insanely rough.
** On the other hand there were times Zodd has saved Guts from a certain death in the hands of ''other'' demons, because [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou he doesn't want to lose his favorite opponent]].

* Gaoh from ''Manga/{{Eyeshield 21}}'' is LargeAndInCharge (the biggest person on the entire cast) and so tough he has to wear a '''titanium''' mouthpiece because he'll chew through anything weaker. Doesn't feel any need to hold back his incredible strength because he expects his opponents to give it their all as well. Despite that, and the fact that he's caused several career-ending injuries, he's actually a pretty decent guy.

* Kirihara Akaya from ''Manga/ThePrinceOfTennis'' takes this as far as the refs are willing to go. In the anime, he gets a bit nicer and less violent, but in the manga he stays just as psychotic... [[CharacterExaggeration if even more so]]. It doesn't help that his team [[KnightTemplar condones that, to some degree]]

** Also, the Higa players seem to enjoy injuring their rivals if they can. To be fair, it's done per instructions of their SadistTeacher of a coach, but they still do it with a smile -- specially Kai Yuujiro.
** What, no Akutsu Jin?

* Sechs from ''[[Manga/{{Gunnm}} Battle Angel Alita: Last Order]]'' fits this trope. Her/his only reason for joining Alita's Team in the big ZOTT Tournament is to not miss any action which might make Alita stronger, to become stronger him/herself and to have to another fight to death with Alita after the tournament (Alita spared her/his life in their first battle). Sechs shows no interest in any political or personal events behind the ZOTT, unlike Alita who for example gets a HeroicBSOD after refusing to fight a team which stands in for children rights (which are unwanted in the dark future of that manga).

* Let, the dragon dude from ''Manga/RaveMaster''. He won't even use Shadow Stones when he was one of King's [[QuirkyMiniBossSquad elite guard]].
** Also Uta an embodiment of this trope, Megido as well as Beryl.

* In ''Manga/HajimeNoIppo'', Ryuuhei Sawamura doesn't fight to win, he fights to ''torture his opponents''. Only after his fight with Ippo does he start wanting to win.
** A good case can be made for Ryo Mashiba too. He might be ''slightly'' less blood-oriented, but still more than enough to qualify.
** No Bryan Hawk?

* ''Manga/BakiTheGrappler'' has Yujiro Hanma. He once fought and beat [[spoiler: the entire American Military in Vietnam as a teenager JUST for something to do, only to walk away disgusted when America surrendered to him]]. Unfortunately for him he is so far beyond the other characters in strength he belongs in a higher tier series and the mangaka has had to go GO VERY far to find a potential worthy opponent in Pickle.

* Kisame from ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' is a rare mix of this and AffablyEvil: he may be polite, but he also has a great love of fighting and mutilating his opponents. When he was told that he needed to capture Naruto alive, he suggested cutting off his legs so he couldn't get away and would be easier to carry. While the databooks mention who characters want to fight, his entry says "anyone".
** However, we do eventually find out that [[spoiler: he's also somewhat of an AntiVillain who's in Akatsuki primarily because he wants to see Tobi's "world of truth"]].

* Both Nanoha and Signum of ''MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha'' absolutely ''love'' fighting. It's reassuring to know that both of them are good guys, but that won't stop either of them from enjoying a good fight. Adding to that is the fact that the two are generally seen as the two strongest mages of the cast. In the manga, we even get to see a flashback glimpse of a time where they actually fought each other. Let's just say that both of them had extremely over-the-top bloodthirsty looks on their faces.

*** His "sibling", [[SmugSuper Cypha]], also tends to flash out [[Manga/{{Bleach}} Grimmjow]]-esque grins whenever fighting, harming, and/or killing something. Unsurprisingly, she and Signum are slowly developing a sort of rivalry.

* Surprisingly for TheHero, Natsu from ''Manga/FairyTail'' has undertones of this, though it depends on the situation. While his more serious and plot-important battles are to protect his TrueCompanions, the rest are mostly for fun. He even shows plenty of SlasherSmile and picks fights with stronger guild members for apparently no reason other than this, and he's the most destructive member of Fairy Tail.

* [[spoiler: Saeko Busujima]] from ''Manga/HighschoolOfTheDead'' turns out to be one. Takashi also has hints of becoming one.

* Nothing makes [[Anime/CowboyBebop Spike Spiegel's]] eyes light up like a decent fight.
** And Vicious is just as boisterous, if not even more considering the REALLY bloody way in which he massacres [[spoiler: the higher ups of the Red Dragons.]]

** And the second ''Anime/{{Rebuild|OfEvangelion}}'' movie gives us Mari. "POINT BLANK, SHITHEAD!"

* ''Manga/DeadmanWonderland'' gives us Senji. [[http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110327142823/deadmanwonderland/images/a/a9/Senji_kills_Mozuri_and_Shinagawa.png Dear Lord, Senji]].
** And Karako, who literally attacks Ganta as soon as she meets him simply because she'd heard he was strong and wanted to fight him. There's also [[spoiler: Minnatsuki, who gets off to seeing people in pain]]. Naturally, in a series like this, all three of these characters are good guys.

** Another similarly named (and much older) card Black Knight, the former page quote, also has FlavorText fitting the Blood Knight's basic philosophy: ''"Battle doesn't need a purpose; the battle is its own purpose. You don't ask why a plague spreads or a field burns. Don't ask why I fight."''

* Why does Comicbook/ThePunisher kill? 33% justice, [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge 33% revenge]], 33% because he likes it, and the other 1% [[DependingOnTheWriter depends on the writer]]. This quote from ''Welcome Back, Frank'' is a good example.

* Overlord from ''ComicBook/TransformersLastStandOfTheWreckers'' never cared about rank, glory, or the advancement of the Decepticon cause... he was happy as long as he had the opportunity to fight and slaughter as many Autobots and bystanders as he could. Megatron, however, wasn't happy with that -- [[TheStarscream upstart subordinates]] had given him too much experience with ChronicBackstabbingDisorder to take it on faith that someone with that much power wouldn't make a power grab. So when Megatron tried to tighten the leash and take more control over Overlord's actions, Overlord re-purposed [[TheAlcatraz Garrus-9]] into a planetwide spectacle of violence and chaos to provoke Megatron into the one fight that Overlord has always wanted. [[spoiler: He has a VillainousBreakdown and surrenders when he finds out Megatron is (apparently) dead.]]
** And in the Marvel Transformers comics, Bludgeon probably qualifies. He talks about a grand dream for the Decepticons conquering the universe but when they actually conquer a world... he's bored out of his mind and wondering when the Autobots are going to show up to stop them. And again when he invades planet Earth, he's bored out of his skull (no pun intended) because Optimus Prime doesn't show up to fight him like he hoped he would. One suspects that if there were no Autobots he really wouldn't give a damn about the Decepticons or their plans to take over the world.
** In ''ComicBook/TransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye'', [[spoiler: Overlord immediately breaks out of the VillainousBSOD he was stuck in after ''Last Stand of the Wreckers'' when he finds out Megatron isn't dead after all, meaning he might just get his fight after all.]]

* [[Comicbook/SuicideSquad Dead]][[SecretSix shot]], oh so much.
** Lampshaded by his then-lover Jeanette when she says that one of her previous husbands was "A mad dog killer who pretended it was for money" and goes on to say that he was probably a bit LESS single minded than Deadshot.

* ''FanFic/TheImmortalGame'' has [[TheDragon General Esteem]], whose main purpose in life is warfare -- hell, it's his ''Cutie Mark.'' He's so in love with war that he's disgusted by Celestia's peaceful regime, to the point that he willingly [[SealedEvilInACan releases]] [[BigBad Titan]], knowing that the latter shares his [[TheSocialDarwinist beliefs]], and will enable him to fight and kill as many ponies as is needed to enforce Titan's rule of Equestria.

* ''Fanfic/AceCombatTheEquestrianWar'' has Night Raven, a griffon soldier obsessed with fighting and killing ponies not because of hatred, but for ''fun''.
** Interestingly, while Night Raven comes off as borderline AxCrazy for most of the fic, he shows a bit of honor when [[spoiler: Fluttershy]] [[GracefulLoser defeats him]], managing to congratulate her on a "good kill" before he dies.

* In several of the later ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' books she narrated, Rachel expressed fear that she might be slowly becoming like this.
** Too bad she WAS this soon after acquiring her grizzly bear form. Seriously. She and Zaraki up top would make a lovely couple.

** In ''Literature/TheBelgariad'', many [[BoisterousBruiser Mimbrates]], [[HornyVikings Chereks]], and [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Murgos]] fall into this trope. Taur Urgas, King of Cthol Murgos, is an [[AxCrazy especially]] [[TheCaligula scary]] [[TheBerserker example]]. He sleeps in his armour, is always at war with someone, and dies screaming at the man who killed him to come back and fight.
* The Nac Mac Feegle in the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novels are clans of "[[FantasyCounterpartCulture pictsies]]" who live primarily for drinking, fighting, and stealing, preferably at the same time. Each clan also has a Gonagle or WarriorPoet, though in this case the poetry itself is a weapon of war. Taken to extreme when it's explained that a Feegle left all by himself may very well kick himself in the nose just to keep himself occupied.

* Several characters in ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' see combat as an end to itself. Jaime Lannister hardly feels alive unless he's fighting (or [[{{Twincest}} with Cersei]].) Strong Belwas, a former pit fighter, delights in showing off his prowess to the point that he always allows his opponents to get one slash in before he kills them. House Clegane has spawned two--Sandor Clegane lives for little other than fighting and believes that "killing is the sweetest thing there is", and he's the ''good'' brother. Gregor Clegane managed to make a career out of raping and murdering his way across Westeros, referred to as "foraging" in polite conversation.

* [[{{Badass}} Mace Windu]] struggles with this in the ''Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse'' novel ''Literature/{{Shatterpoint}}''. You don't get to be second-in-command of the Jedi Order by going to town on everyone with a lightsaber, and Windu loves the stability the Republic provides, but he likes fighting anyway. He develops the dangerous lightsaber style known as Vaapad as a way to channel this aggression for good purposes.

* Ralan Bek from Raymond Feist's ''[[Literature/TheRiftwarCycle Dark War]]'' trilogy. Since it turns out he is really [[spoiler: the Dasati God of War.]]

* ''Series/TokusouSentaiDekaranger'' has Bisque, a one-off villain with a history to TheMentor Doggie Kruger. An out-of-control berserker charged with 999 counts of illegal dueling to the death (all of which he won); he was so bad that he was passed over by his father for control of his family's dojo in favor of Doggie.

* ''GenerationKill'' has Lance Corporal Harold James Trombley, who only seemed excited by killing people, even civilians.

* Paige from ''Series/{{Charmed}}'', who's the most vocal about killing Cole in Series 5 and often the first one to suggest resorting to violence to solve a problem. Her tendency to do this lead ''Television Without Pity'' to jokingly [[FanNickname refer]] to her as "[[AxeCrazy Raige]]".
** "[[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext Paige is proposing violence against the monkey!]]"
** Fittingly, she wound up becoming the Goddess of War in the Titans two-parter.

*** Notably, the quote is interpreted differently DependingOnTheWriter. [[BlackCrusade Those]] trying to make Chaos a bit less of a mustache-twirling ForTheEvulz villain go for the full trope, "from whence the blood flows" meaning the particular ''faction'', not the skill level of your opponent. Decapitating a fellow Chaos Champion is just pleasing to Khorne as slaying an Imperial hero, while killing a lowly cultist or citizen barely gets His attention.

*** Which says nothing of the Minotaurs, a chapter that actually specializes in fighting other Space Marines. Because what is a worthier opponent for a Space Marine, than another Space Marine?

* Karel from ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemElibe Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword]]'' is a wandering, half-crazed swordsman whose only goal is to seek out the most powerful fighters on the continent and cut them into tiny little pieces. He joins the protagonists because he's curious as to whether they'll help him find stronger opponents, killed his parents, threatens to kill both [[http://www.rpgclassics.com/shrines/gba/fe7/karel_karla.shtml his younger sister Karla]] and [[http://www.rpgclassics.com/shrines/gba/fe7/guy_karel.shtml his apprentice Guy]] if they ever grow strong enough to make for a decent fight, and [[http://www.rpgclassics.com/shrines/gba/fe7/dart_karel.shtml bribes Dart the pirate]] for gossip about the toughest fighters in the land, only to discover he's already beaten them all. This characterization actually came about as a result of Karel's appearance in the previous game, ''Sword of Seals'' (which follows ''Blazing Sword'' chronologically). The designers wanted the young Karel to contrast the saintly WarriorPoet personality he sported in the latter game as much as possible. It's implied that he was mellowed by the death of Karla to illness during the timeskip between the two games -- he finally found an opponent he couldn't defeat with strength alone.

* Canderous from ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' is a perfect example of this trope. (He does eventually decide he needs some kind of cause to fight for, but doesn't seem to care very much what that cause ''is''.) In fact, most of the Mandalorians seem to be that way.

* Both Yuber and Luca Blight from the ''VideoGame/{{Suikoden}}'' series are arguable examples (arguable in that while they both love battling strong opponents, [[PsychoForHire they love torturing and killing everyone else more]]).

* Kelgar Ironfist from ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights2'' loves nothing more than beating the crap out of things, and seeks to join the Monks of the Even-Handed so he can beat even ''more'' crap out of things. Try to explain to him that Monks Don't Work That Way and he'll completely miss the point.
** Interestingly, if/when he actually earns membership in the monk order, he becomes far less of a Blood Knight. So much so that in the ExpansionPack, ''Storm of Zehir'', he is actually the steward of Crossroad Keep, and ''refuses to join you in fighting bad guys'' because he knows he has a more important duty.

* The Channel 4 News Team in ''VideoGame/UrbanDead''. They're usually rather polite to other survivors though, focusing on zombies, and are responsible for many of the notable survivor victories in the game, so they may count as {{Proud Warrior Race Guy}}s instead.

* Mitsurugi from ''VideoGame/{{Soul|Series}}calibur''. While he initially seeks Soul Edge in the hopes that the sword will make him powerful enough to defeat a rifle, he ends up strong enough to do so anyway, so he just keeps fighting for the sake of fighting. Even in his ''Soulcalibur IV'' ending, when offered the option to absorb the power of the BigBad, he ignores it, because he says: "I don't need it." In his backstory, it's revealed that Mitsurugi used to deliberately offer his services to vastly outnumbered armies so that he could fight as many foes as possible.

* Sword Dancers in the ''Franchise/TalesSeries'' are like this. They only exist to fight (but not kill [[{{Mon}} unless they're fighting for]] fellow Blood Knight [[VideoGame/TalesOfSymphoniaDawnOfTheNewWorld Emil Castaginer]]) strong opponents.

** [[spoiler: Super Hero Aurum from ''VideoGame/Disgaea3AbsenceOfJustice'' spent 200 years raising an Overlord just so he would have a worthy opponent to fight.]]
** [[spoiler: Priere]] seems to have turned into this in her more recent appearances.

** ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'' is ''flooded'' with this. It is the only reason for the bosses of the first two to four stages to even be fighting the heroines (who are little better, going by the dialogue). In the fighting games, it's the only reason anyone but the BigBad fights.

* Big Boss, protagonist of ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'' and ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPortableOps'' and antagonist of ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' and ''VideoGame/MetalGear2SolidSnake'', originally founded Outer Heaven because he only ever felt truly alive when he was on the battlefield, and wanted to create his own independent warrior nation of mercenaries that would participate in conflicts all over the world. It is not so much that Big Boss wanted a world of eternal conflict; in his mind soldiers would always be needed and wars will always be fought so long as there are people. He simply wanted to create a system where soldiers are respected for their talents and not manipulated by corrupt political forces in the government as he had been (as well as The Boss had been). True warriors like them have no allegiances to nations or ideologies; war is their home and what they believe in.

* Minsc from ''VideoGame/BaldursGate'', sort of.
--> "Swords, not words!"
** Korgan from Baldur's Gate II; nearly every line he espouses is about burying an axe in someone or something. Not to mention he's well-known for killing off his own comrades for showing any sign of weakness. Even his ending [[spoiler: has him start an all-out war against the Drow simply because, even after slaying hundred at your side, he's not done yet.]]
* Garland, the TinTyrant from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyI'', is given a more philosophical take of this characterisation in ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy''; he believes that all existence is a repetition of "the cycle of battle", and that all attempts to bring peace to the world are futile. He actually gets offended when his nemesis, [[TheHero Warrior of Light]], promises to rescue him from the Cycle. Later on its shown that the reason Garland loves fighting is because the cycle of the war of Chaos and Cosmos has gone on for so long, he's lost all hope of it ever ending and has resigned himself to an eternity of fighting. Taking delight in doing so is Garland's way of adapting to the GroundhogDayLoop he's stuck in.

* Soldier and Heavy from ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2''.
** Well, everyone except the Sniper and the Spy (the "professionals").
* ''Franchise/MassEffect'': The krogan are a living, breathing, walking and talking example of this trope. It even carries over to krogan multiplayer characters, who can often be heard laughing in the midst of a heated battle. In the second game a crew member, Grunt, born via test tubes has a good laugh over brutal imagery from his tank and cites that there's no joke to what he's seen only that, "It was a good fight."

* Fawkes of ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'' is like this, but only in combat. After blowing away an enemy with his {{Gatling|Good}} [[FrickinLaserBeams Laser]], he'll laugh and shout, "'''Too fun!'''" But outside of combat he's surprisingly gentle and polite; also, he will only be your follower if you have high [[KarmaMeter Positive Karma]].
** Also, [[TheDragon Legate Lanius]] of ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas''. He openly mocks [[BigBad Caesar's]] Frumentarii (the intelligence and assassination division of their forces) as cowardly and underhanded, preferring direct and spectacular action, and is correspondingly viewed with wariness by both Caesar and Vulpes (the head of said Frumentarii). In [[MultipleEndings all but one]] of the games endings, he serves as the FinalBoss. And he is ''[[LightningBruiser tough]].'' He also claims that his ideals will "free people in ways they can't see". His proof? [[spoiler: You]].

* Sgt. Avitus from ''VideoGame/DawnOfWar 2''. "He wields his wrath as his most powerful weapon". Granted, the 100-caliber heavy machine gun probably helps.
** How khornish of him. [[spoiler: Canonically, his bloodlust caused him to become corrupted and fall to Chaos, betraying Commander Vanilla Ice.]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Starcraft}}'': When his home planet is overrun by aliens, Fenix is actually excited to be fighting a stronger enemy than ever before. Even after he's killed and brought BackFromTheDead, he doesn't mind being part machine, as long as he can still fight.
** This may be a common trait with Protoss. The Zealots seem to be using melee weapons only because it's more 'honourable' and gives them a better battle, for instance. Some Protoss in the second game say that they are looking forward to doing battle with Raynor's forces.

* Shale of ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' is a definite Blood Knight. When her true past is revealed as a dwarven woman, she suggests that she would like to do something "girlish" like smashing something soft and squishy and then watch it fountain blood.

** [[spoiler: This bites her in the ass in her last battle with Luka. Luka wins the match, but only because Granberia is so obsessed with beating strong warriors that she intentionally wastes four turns so Luka can use his normally-useless Quadruple Giga attack, not realizing in advance that Luka's Quadruple Giga is much stronger than Granberia's Vaporizing Rebellion Sword.]]
** [[spoiler: However, the player will have most likely already used Quadruple Giga multiple times prior to fighting Granberia. She probably knew that the attack would knock her out in one hit, but still waited for him to charge it up because she wanted to taste its power firsthand. She did wish to see how ]]

* Chains in ''VideoGame/PAYDAYTheHeist'' is portrayed as one, living on the rush of adrenaline.
** It's implied the whole group becomes blood knights after the initial bank heist, as one of them says they have enough money to live comfortably for the rest of their lives, but they want to do other heists.

* Lancer in ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' embodies this trope. He has no interest in the Holy Grail, only in beating the crap out of the other heroes in a good fight. Unfortunately, his Master does not share his Blood Knight tendencies, so there are only few moments he can fight on his fullest and enjoy the fight.
** And in the same series, Assassin. Only interested in sparring with other Servants. His drawback is that he is stuck on only one place and can't move freely. So he had to wait for the other Servants to come at him.

* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' got the Jägermonsters: Blood Knight {{Super Soldier}}s frequently slipping into {{Cloudcuckoolander}} territory. With {{Nice Hat}}s.

* Belkar, the TokenEvilTeammate, is this in ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick''. Just [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0439.html look!]]

* Jack Noir from ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' is implied to be this. He's compelled by general bloodlust, but he seems invariably drawn to fights that will challenge him most.

* In the ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse'' stories, there's Counterpoint. He's a power mimic, among other powers, so whatever you've got, he's got too (within limits). He's regarded around campus as pretty psycho, since all he wants to do is find worthy opponents and fight them. If he loses, he comes back and tries again. And again. And... He isn't interested in killing people, just beating them.
** Now it looks like Counterpoint might be the avatar (or something) of the Greek god Ares, so that actually makes sense.

* In the web serial [[http://stonesoulserial.blogspot.com/ Stone Soul]] there are several characters that fit this trope, all of whom are from the Ovleni culture.
** However, they do not simply love to fight. The Ovleni culture is quite fixated on experienced the most amazing and intense sensations that can be found. In the serial, the "ultimate experience" they are usually after involves battle-axing people in the face. However the use of psycho-active plants is also featured heavily, and battle and hallucinogens are also combined in some instances in pursuit of the ultimate experience.

* In ''WesternAnimation/Ben10UltimateAlien'', Ben and Gwen's cousin Sunny only decides it's fun being around them once she gets to fight.
** Ben is also eager to get into fights for him to go alien, and beat up bad guys.

** Historians believe that one of the reasons (among a few others) why Toyotomi Hideyoshi lead the recently united Japan to war and invasion against Korea in the 16th century was to keep the ''samurai'' from killing him and each other. Considering that this age of unification and peace was relatively brief, his worry was probably not misplaced.

* ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}'' : Oh, where to begin: Alucard, Anderson, basically all of the members of Millenium as well as several additional members in both the Hellsing and Iscariot organizations, the list goes on and on. Pick any random character in Hellsing, and he or she is probably a blood knight (except Seras Victoria).
** The Major, in particular, has an entire speech about how much he absolutely loves war that goes on for five minutes.

* ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}'' : Oh, where to begin: Alucard, Anderson, basically all of the members of Millenium as well as several additional members in both the Hellsing and Iscariot organizations, the list goes on and on. Pick any random character in Hellsing, and he or she is probably a blood knight (except Seras Victoria aka Police Girl isn't, at least according to the manga. I haven't seen the anime yet).

** Once the Saiyans are introduced, it's established that [[PlanetOfCopyHats they're all Blood Knights too]]. An obsessive desire to fight, particularly strong opponents is innate to Saiyans. In fact, baby Saiyans are sent to planets in need of depopulation, since it's in their nature to happily fight and kill until there's no one left. Saiyans are practically made to fight. That is why [[OlderThanTheyLook they age]] ''[[OlderThanTheyLook very slowly]]'' because they need their youthfulness to fight as long as they live.

* ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}'' : Oh, where to begin: Alucard, Anderson, basically all of the members of Millenium as well as several additional members in both the Hellsing and Iscariot organizations, the list goes on and on. Pick any random character in Hellsing, and he or she is probably a blood knight.

* Girge from ''Manga/BreakBlade'' is a unique case. While being clearly an [[AxCrazy ax-crazed]] BloodKnight in the battlefield, he mantain [[FauxAffablyEvil polite]] attitude outside of it. His appearance alone played this trope straight; [[EvilRedhead red hair]], red uniform (despite being his standard uniform as a soldier), and [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience red golem]]. Not to mention [[FourEyesZeroSoul the glasses]], and his reputation for [[TeamKiller killing his teammate]] in the past. Makes you wonder if he's a reincarnation of something evil...

** Takeshi Sendo is the one BloodKnight that isn't a sociopath, chanelling the trope into [[BullyHunter hunting down delinquents]] and protecting the weak instead. The guy lives to fight and in fact was brought into boxing by his trainer after street fights proved too boring. Hilariously, he even ''tries'' to explain to Ippo once that he's this trope ''without'' sounding like a dumb brute - He doesn't exactly succeed.

** Veyron. His introductory chapter in ''Force'' has him constantly laughing and generally enjoying himself as he trades blows with Tohma in a ChurchShootout.

** And Karako, who literally attacks Ganta as soon as she meets him simply because she'd heard he was strong and wanted to fight him. There's also [[spoiler: Minnatsuki, who gets off to seeing people in pain]]. Naturally, in a series like DeadmanWonderland, all three of these characters are good guys.

* ComicBook/LadyShiva, from Franchise/TheDCU, has been [[WildCard both protagonist]] [[HeelFaceRevolvingDoor and antagonist]] depending on the storyline. The only constant to her character is that her life revolves around becoming and remaining the best martial artist she possibly can -- and proving it over the unconscious or dead bodies of as many other "A-List" DC martial artists she can possibly pound on. Recently had a brief fling in trying to be a Mentor figure for BlackCanary.

* ''Franchise/GreenLantern''. Mongul II is merely one of these at his very best. The arrogant, fight-loving asshole side, however, is almost always supplemented with some of the most [[ManipulativeBastard disgusting]] behavior in the DCU. [[TheStarscream He bit off more than he could chew]], however, [[spoiler: and holy shit did SelfDemonstrating/{{Sinestro}} make him pay for it.]]

* Franchise/{{Batman}} shows Blood Knight tendencies at times. He often tries to make himself ''not'' enjoy the violence he inflicts upon criminals, but some pleasure does seeps through as this quote from ''War Crimes'' shows:

* Ben Grimm from the ComicBook/FantasticFour is obviously both TheBigGuy and this trope. "It's Clobberin' Time!". Need we say more?

* The ''{{Thunderbolts}}'' once featured ''two'' of these as members: Scourge, [[spoiler: formerly Nuke]], a battle-crazed lunatic whose worst nightmare is a world without war, and Mr. X, whose empathic powers cause him to experience incredible bliss every time he kills. Mr. X reveled in the chance to go to Asgard during the ''Comicbook/{{Siege}}'' event -- he wanted to prove he could kill a god. [[spoiler: He could.]]

* In {{Fanfic/Uplifted}} Otto Skorzeny and Jack Churchill. Churchill once famously lamented the end of World War II, and Skorzeny was his counterpart on the German side.

* * Agent Diamond, from [[FanFic/AkatsukiKittenPhoenixCorporationOverhaul Akatsuki Kitten Phoenix Corporation Overhaul]], is halfway between this and completely AxCrazy. The main point is that a person's death doesn't mean quite the same thing to her as it does to everyone else, but she loves the sight of blood spilling. She is, however, more likely to enjoy a fight than she is to simply kill weaklings for sport.

* In The FanFic AFathersWrath, Lu Xiaong who refers to himself as a Warrior instead of a ninja is this as even though he sides with [[BigBad The Jashinists]] He makes his intentions known that he plans on challenging the Leader soon enough. When Kakashi calls him out on using his strength to fight for them he laughs him off and claims he doesn't fight for good or evil he just fights.

** In ''Literature/{{Belgariad}}'', many [[BoisterousBruiser Mimbrates]], [[HornyVikings Chereks]], and [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Murgos]] fall into this trope. Taur Urgas, King of Cthol Murgos, is an [[AxCrazy especially]] [[TheCaligula scary]] [[TheBerserker example]]. He sleeps in his armour, is always at war with someone, and dies screaming at the man who killed him to come back and fight.

* ''Literature/PeterPan''. No, really. [[LighterAndSofter The various adaptations have gentled him down]] but the book version, in RobinWilliams' words is "a ''lethal'' boy who never grew up." He switches sides when fighting Indians if he feels the fight is too easy, kills thirteen pirates in a pitch black room and the whole rivalry with Hook? [[ButForMeItWasTuesday He doesn't even]] ''[[ButForMeItWasTuesday remember]]'' [[ButForMeItWasTuesday Hook after he kills him.]]
* Literature/TrappedOnDraconica: All Leondians love fighting. This means their Prince, Kalak, will always choose fighting over any other solution.
* Literature/WildCards. Billy "[[MeaningfulName Carnifex]]" Ray is this, displaying increased strength, speed and healing abilities to get him back in the fight. This is a man who once pursued an opponent with half of his face cut off, and seems to revel in combat. Considering that he's an {{Expy}} of {{Wolverine}}, it's not surprising.

* Most of the Career tributes in TheHungerGames, who are trained from childhood to fight and to treat the Games like a ''game'' and an honorable tournament. They usually proudly volunteer at the reapings, something most kids from the lesser districts would never consider doing.

* ''Literature/OfFearAndFaith''. While Kavik is just a straight up BloodKnight, finding joy in fighting and destroying the LegionsOfHell, North is a cross between this and a MartialPacifist. He doesn't want to resort to violence but if he believes it's necessary to bring down an evildoer, he'll enjoy every moment of the subsequent slaughter. And then he'll [[WarriorMonk pray for their souls to go to heaven]].

* ''Series/{{Blackadder}}'': King Richard IV (played by {{BRIAN BLESSED}}) is a comedic example, as a man who utterly revels in slaughter, orders his troops to attack his allies (telling them to just dress up as Germans), and goes on Crusades, not so much for religious reasons, as because he really likes to kill Turks using small pieces of cutlery. His attitude is best shown by his RousingSpeech before the Battle of Bosworth Field:

* Spike from ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' is an arguable case. Violence isn't the ''only'' thing he lives for, but it's one of his very favourites.
** A flashback tells that he enjoyed fighting more than killing, and loved to go against the odds, infuriating the more "sophisticated" serial killer vampire Angelus, who much preferred to pick his victims carefully, and ensure their helplessness before he got to work.

** It's implied that all slayers are this to some extent.
*** More than implied. In a Season 4 episode, Buffy was unable to sleep. So, she got out of bed, went on a hunt, chased down and killed a vampire, then returned to bed, finally able to sleep. As we also saw that season, a vigorous fight and kill makes her horny.

* Phantom Zone escapee Titan in ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' is an alien SuperSoldier and ProudWarriorRaceGuy, portrayed by Wrestling/{{Kane}}. Having arrived on Earth he fights his way through biker bars, and criminal hangouts, eventually participating in underground gladiator-style competitions with Meteor Freaks, before finding the ultimate WorthyOpponent in [[Franchise/{{Superman}} Clark]]. Think of him as a {{Nigh Invulnerab|ility}}le wrestler with an attitude problem and you've got him.

-->'''Clark Kent''': [[BringIt That all you got]]? (''[[Awesome/{{Smallville}} punches Bizarro into space]]'')

* In ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'', we see a Blood Knight in the least expected place: Leck, a [[ProudMerchantRaceGuy Ferengi]] "Eliminator" (read: assassin, he "eliminates competition") who is in his chosen profession for the thrill of a good fight, not for the profit - something that would be unthinkable for most Ferengi (though being in demand certainly doesn't hurt).

* The Asura of [[HinduMythology Hindu]] and Buddhist religion. They loved to fight, and would seize on any opportunity to do so, whether it's for a good cause, an evil cause, or just for the hell of it. Which is why the race's name is often translated to ''warring deities''. In Buddhism, people who loved to engage in battle were often reborn as this. The Aesir, the Norse pantheon of sky gods, derive their name from the same Indo-European word that the name ''Asura'' came from.[[note]]Oddly, the [[{{Zoroastrianism}} Zoroastrian]] angelic Ahuras and supreme {{God}} Ahura-Mazda also derive from the same root; however, Zoroastrianism flips the Indian and Norse system, with the Ahuras being good and peace-loving, and the ''Daevas'' (equivalent to the "good" ''Devas'' of Hinduism; the word is related to the Latin ''divi'' "diety" from which we get "divine") are evil, chaotic demons.[[/note]]

* An unusually calm version of this trope is Ryu from ''Franchise/StreetFighter''. He'll only fight those who are willing, and (save for the "Evil Ryu" arc) conducts each fight respectfully and never to the death. Nonetheless, he's not in the tournament for the glory, just the next fight. The flip side of the coin is Akuma, who seems to exist only to fight and grow stronger, and will explore {{Dangerous Forbidden Technique}}s, kill his opponents, and generally do ''anything'' he can do in order to fight and gain power. The similarities in their motivations serves as a source of dramatic tension between them, as Ryu shows a considerable level of angst over whether he'll eventually end up like Akuma.
** There is at least one {{adaptation|Distillation}}, ''Ryu Final'', where Ryu and Akuma's path are explored down to their final destination and outcome. It is first implied, then explicitly stated, that the path of the True Martial artist is a journey of self-betterment, with each fight (hopefully) making both warriors learn and grow as people, [[spoiler: and where the ultimate outcome is to realize the futility of the fight, next to nurturing and protecting the next generations to come. More particularly, Akuma's search for power and willing submission to the Satsui no Hadou is done entirely for the benefit of Ryu, so the latter would have the guidance needed to overcome it]].

** [[ArrogantKungFuGuy Adon]] is a Blood Knight as well. He enjoys fighting and savagely beating his opponents while attempting to prove to the world that he is the self-proclaimed "god" of Muay Thai.

* Rugal Berstein, Gato, and Shen Woo from ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters''. To be more specific about Rugal, he holds the tournament in the first game because he was BORED about not having any strong enemies. As for the others, Gato has left everything [[spoiler: including his little sister]] to dedicate himself to fighting, and Shen is extremely boisterous and always ready for a fight.
** For a female example, look no further than Rugal's ex-SexySecretary and membress of the Orochi clan, Vice. Leona can come up as such sometimes, but she's more of a {{Sugar and Ice|Personality}} girl.

* Mitsurugi from ''VideoGame/{{Soul|Series}}calibur''. While he initially seeks Soul Edge in the hopes that the sword will make him powerful enough to defeat a rifle, he ends up strong enough to do so anyway, so he just keeps fighting for the sake of fighting. Even in his ''Soulcalibur IV'' ending, when offered the option to absorb the power of the BigBad, he ignores it, because he says: "I don't need it."
** In his backstory, it's revealed that Mitsurugi used to deliberately offer his services to vastly outnumbered armies so that he could fight as many foes as possible.
** Algol as well: "Fighting is my all. It is my existence!" Same for Olcadan and bonus charater Shura.
* Haohmaru from ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown'', who, just like Mitsurugi, is just on the scene looking for a good fight. Almost everyone he encounters, especially bosses, will get this kind of response from him: "Hey, you gotta be strong, huh? All right, this is gonna be a good fight!"
** He's a bit less extreme than Mitsurugi in that he takes on all comers but doesn't actively seek out massive conflicts (for the most part, he doesn't have to), and he just wants to ''be'' the strongest fighter around. If Amakusa gets flattened by a boulder, well, dead is dead. Definitely on the heroic side of the equation (he couldn't have formed working relationships with the likes of Nakoruru and Charlotte otherwise), whereas Mitsurugi is resoundingly amoral.

* Franchise/MegaMan

* Captain Falcon's theme song in ''VideoGame/{{F-Zero}} GX'' seems to be from the point of view of a Blood Knight that idolizes Captain Falcon.

** How could we forget Korgan from Baldur's Gate II? Nearly every line he espouses is about burying an axe in someone or something. Not to mention he's well-known for killing off his own comrades for showing any sign of weakness. Even his ending [[spoiler: has him start an all-out war against the Drow simply because, even after slaying hundred at your side, he's not done yet.]]

* Ichigo from [[{{WebVideo/OmniBleachAbridged}} Omni Bleach Abridged]].

* UsefulNotes/WorldWarII general George Smith Patton. He expressed a bizarre fascination with warfare from a young age, which contributed heavily to his famous hard-nosed personality. He gleefully volunteered for any combat assignment offered to him and loved warfare, despite being badly wounded as a tank commander in WWI. In between the World Wars, he and his friend DwightDEisenhower spent their free time driving around in a civilian car with guns hoping bandits would try and rob them. Although he believed that he had been reincarnated repeatedly so he could fight and die again, his odd world view made him one of the Allies' best generals. He once said, "''An entire world at war and ''I'm'' left out of it?! God will not permit this to happen! I'm going to be allowed to fulfill my destiny!" Fittingly, he died in a car accident four months after the end of [=WW2=], as a world at peace was no world for him. After VE day and before his fateful car crash, Patton was fully prepared and eager to fight the Russians next.

* WinstonChurchill himself was a particularly crazy Blood Knight. He and the British chiefs of staff formed [[http://www.cracked.com/article_18722_5-unfought-wars-that-would-have-changed-everything_p2.html Operation Unthinkable on May 22nd 1945]] which would have started a preemptive war by the United States and Great Britain against the Soviet Union. The fact that the Soviets outnumbered Britain and America two to one is the main reason why the plan was abandoned.
* Likewise General {{Douglas MacArthur}} was gearing up after the Korean war to [[http://www.cracked.com/article_18722_5-unfought-wars-that-would-have-changed-everything.html start a nuclear war with China]] by dropping 30 to 50 atomic bombs on mainland targets, and was nearly granted the authority to do so by the joint chiefs of staff until President Truman fired him.
* Hitler was probably the most famous Blood Knight of the modern age. He wanted to go to war even in 1938 to take the Sudetenland. There was testimony from surviving Nazis that Hitler loved the idea of enormous battles with enormous casualties even when it made no sense to lose so many German troops needlessly.
* AndrewJackson suffered from having a [[HandicappedBadass bullet in his lung]] and is said to have dueled at least 100 times and loved scalping Indians. Although this might just be because he's [[CrazyAwesome nuts.]] There was an assassin who tried to kill Jackson while he was in office. On a misty day the man drew two pistols and tried firing them at Jackson. Both guns jammed. Jackson meanwhile was busy rushing the gunman over 100 feet and [[AwesomeYetPractical beat him into unconsciousness with his cane.]] Jackson was asked why he rushed the man when he was facing two guns. He replied "I would rather have a closed casket (funeral) than get shot in the back, fleeing like a coward."
* JackChurchill was an allied commander during WWII and volunteered for commando duty. He carried a [[{{BFS}} claymore]] into every battle and is credited with capturing 42 Germans and a mortar squad using only his sword. He was finally captured by Germans after the rest of his squad was killed by a mortar shell. The Germans cautiously approached him as he played "Will ye no come back again?" on his bagpipes, which he also carried into every battle. He was sent to a concentration camp, which he promptly escaped. He was soon recaptured and sent to another concentration camp, which he also escaped. He finally made it back to Britain to find that the war had ended. He was quoted as saying, "If it wasn't for those damn Yanks, we could have kept the war going another 10 years!"
** He is also the only man to have got a kill with longbow in World War II.

* Most gamers, after all 90% of games are about [[GottaKillEmAll killing the enemy]]. Because video games are completely virtual and there are no permanent consequences, they can enjoy fighting without their Blood Knight attitude necessarily translating to real life violence. This is why games like ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'' and such are so popular, but this large gaming demographic has been criticized for enjoying games that are said to be vapid and simplistic compared to the more "intuitive" ideas.

* The Mongols led by Genghis Khan, under his leadership he has united the scattered tribes of Mongolia, and transformed them into a unified Empire that had conquered half the world. Genghis Khan always made sure that his armies have some enemies to fight against, so they don't have to fight each other all the time. The Mongols have ravaged everything in their path, they burn down cities, massacred its inhabitants, and piled their corpses in massive heaps. In their run, they have conquered China, decimated Persia, ravaged Russia, and would have over ran Europe if they could.
* The Vikings. Valhala was exclusive for warriors who fell in battle and consisted of fighting all day and feasting all night.

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SubTrope of InHarmsWay. SisterTrope to CombatSadomasochist, TheRealMan, and BoisterousBruiser. Compare CavalierCompetitor. May be from a MartyrdomCulture and will nearly always believe that WarIsGlorious. If he (or she, though it's much rarer) is in the military, then he would almost inevitable be a ColonelKilgore. A MonsterKnight has a high chance of being one.

** Another similarly named (and much older) card Black Knight also has FlavorText fitting the Blood Knight's basic philosophy, as can be seen in the page quote.

** Ironically subverted for Karkat, whose Sgrub title is ''Knight of Blood''. He's [[TheMessiah anything but this]]. The title is still appropriate, just not by human standards. His entire species has been in perpetual conflict because [[FantasticRacism they use blood color to define their caste system]], so anything related to blood without specifying color has to do with the unity of the race.

* ''Manga/DoubleArts''. It has Sui, a female pureblood humanoid who follows the protagonist [[TheMessiah Kiri]] to fight the strong people who are after him. She has a slasher smile and an iron hula hoop to help as well. Oh yes, and she seems to run on canned cherries.

** Omega-Xis in ''VideoGame/MegaManStarForce'' can be like this. He wants nothing more than to cut loose and 'go buck-wild' on assorted viruses, villains, and so forth, and his default response when presented with any piece of human technology he doesn't immediately recognize is to ask "Is it a weapon?" In the backstory, the Zerker tribe from ''2'' are described as "living only for battle".

[[caption-width-right:350:... HAVE AT THEE!]]