History Main / HelmetsArehardlyHeroic

* ''Series/{{Willow}}'': {{Zigzagged}}. The corrupted knights sent after the heroes all wear helmets (usually putting the visors down just before fighting). Meanwhile the heroes are bareheaded, except for Jade putting on a dueling helmet briefly before she fights Bellantine. It's quickly knocked off though.

* Inverted with the [[PraetorianGuard Custodian Guard]] from ''WebAnimation/IfTheEmperorHadATextToSpeechDevice'' (with the exception of Kitten, who just wears TwentyFourHourArmor). They always wear their helmets, but everything else (with the exception of loincloths) they left behind long ago. Supposedly it was in mourning of the Emperor's interment on the Golden Throne, but considering [[CampGay how they act]] and how they outright ignore any of the Emperor's orders to PleasePutSomeClothesOn, that's up for questioning. [[AluminumChristmasTrees Notably, this was, at one point, canon]] -- back in the Rogue Trader days, the Custodes were said to have given up their armor in shame for having failed to protect the Emperor. Modern depictions of the Custodes have them wearing their clothes, however.

* In ''Film/ClashOfTheTitans1981'', Perseus is given a magic helmet with the power to make him invisible. He uses it a few times early in the movie, then loses it during a fight about a quarter of the way through and never bothers using any sort of headgear for the rest of the film.

--> '''Dredd:''' [[DeadpanSnarker Think a bullet might interfere with them more]].

* In ''Film/GIJoeTheRiseOfCobra'', the hero gets a lot of flak during training for removing his head gear, but does the same thing later when wearing PoweredArmor. In the second instance, at least, it might be justified by it having been damaged, as you can see large gash through the viewscreen just before he takes it off. Also in a flashback. Duke is seen to be helmet-less whilst all his troops have them during a particularly intense fire-fight.

** It's been noted that on the theatrical posters for ''[[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/37/Captain_America_The_First_Avenger_poster.jpg Captain Americ: The First Avenger]]'', ''Film/{{The Avengers}}'' and ''[[http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20140516163035/marvelmovies/images/f/f8/GuardiansoftheGalaxyTheatricalPoster.jpg Guardians of the Galaxy]]'', none of the characters wear their masks or helmets. Even Iron Man, who wears a suit of PoweredArmor, goes helmetless so that the audience can see Creator/RobertDowneyJr's mug.

* The ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' wear full costume for 90% of their fights, but if a ranger enters a battle without their helmet for whatever reason, you can bet it's going to be the most epic fight of the season.
** Same with it's origin source, Super Sentai. In the last 15 years or so it became standard for every team to begin the final battle wearing their suits but not having their helmets on initially, as a way to allow the actual actors (as opposed to the stunt people that typically portray the characters in suit) to wear the costumes and do the characters iconic poses at least once.

* In ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', helmets are usually purely for flavor. Whether or not you wear one makes no difference to Armor Class, barring enchantments. One exception exists in the ''Complete Fighter's Handbook'' for AD&D's 2nd edition, which discusses a more detailed treatment of helmets as an optional rule...by which they mostly provide penalties to sight and hearing in exchange for some minor side benefits and ''still'' don't affect overall armor class. An attacker could in theory, using another optional rule, make an attack specifically against an unarmored head's "natural" armor class rather than that of the actual body armor they're wearing, but said rule then itself penalizes head shots sufficiently that it'd take a pretty extreme contrast to actually make that worthwhile.

* In their PaintballEpisodes, ''Series/{{Community}}'' plays this straight. It is generally somewhat justified by the fact that all of the paintball games are unplanned, but it is still rather foolish that the characters even lack eye protection most of the time. In [[Recap/CommunityS2E24ForAFewPaintballsMore "For a Few Paintballs More"]], it is played completely straight when the [[spoiler: Community College]] stormtroopers appear wearing full face masks and armor in contrast to the complete lack of protection used by the [[LaResistance Greendale Resistance]]. It also allows [[spoiler: Pierce]] a victory via DressingAsTheEnemy.

** In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS20E1ArcOfInfinity "Arc of Infinity"]], the commander of the Gallifreyan Chancellery Guard, Maxil, is almost always shown ''carrying'' his large and ridiculously plumed helmet under his right arm instead of wearing it ([[http://colinbakerstreet.tumblr.com/post/41317409548/whatthefoucault-maxils-just-like-soon seen here]]). In interviews the actor, Colin Baker, revealed that this was not so much directly because of this trope as because when he was wearing the helmet the plumage was too tall for the doorways and he would have to awkwardly duck under the doorheaders on every entrance, so he carried the helmet instead. During taping he decided that the helmet was a chicken named Esmerelda.
** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E4TheSontaranStratagem "The Sontaran Stratagem"]]/[[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E5ThePoisonSky "The Poison Sky"]]: This is handwaved as being due to Sontaran honour -- it's a sign of bravery for this ProudWarriorRace to face their enemy unprotected. After seeing his commander has taken off his helmet so he can [[WorthyOpponent look the Doctor in the eye]], his NumberTwo requests permission to do likewise. However his mooks keep their helmets on; as they're all supposed to be identical clones, this saves on special effects.

* {{Enforced}} in the video for Music/{{Sabaton}}'s [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4vj_WB5w_k "The Unkillable Soldier."]] According to singer Joakim, the director wanted the band members, who were playing German soldiers repeatedly trying and failing to kill Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart (played by Indy Neidell from ''WebVideo/SabatonHistory''), to all wear Stahlhelms for historical accuracy. The band replied that [[AnachronismStew hardly anything else happening in the video was historically accurate]] and went helmetless.

[[folder:Mythology]]
* Myth/ClassicalMythology: Athena was frequently portrayed as having a face-concealing Corinthian helmet, but she's also rarely ever shown wearing it down - instead, it was tipped up and off her face, as was common for actual warriors who were wearing the helmet out of combat. However, when she was portrayed with another style of helmet (that would be pretty likely to not be face-concealing), she would instead wearing it normally.

[[folder:Pinball]]

* Subverted in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pD-f45TbvEw "A helmet has always been a good idea,"]] which has a Viking chieftain about to go to war when his son brings him his helmet. He tries to avoid wearing it despite his men's recommendations because it makes his scalp itch, but gives in when his wife shows up. [[JustifiedTrope The final scene has him bump his (helmeted) head on a wooden beam.]] The whole thing is a PSA for wearing bicycle helmets.

* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsCloneWars'':
** It inverts this by having all the clone troopers have their helmets on at all times, and their faces are always covered, save one moment when you see the back of Alpha-77 (a.k.a. Fordo)'s head. The key clones are distinguished instead by color markings; specifically, if they're red, chances are they're badass.
** Obi-wan Kenobi wears full armor, with a helmet, in one battle. Naturally, a blow to the head knocks the helmet off so we can see his face. On that ocasion, he was disguised as a trooper until the helmet loss.
* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'':
** Clone troopers always keep their helmets on in battle, but always take them off to have conversations, presumably for the benefit of the audience (even if they all have the same face, it's still human nature to want to see individuals). A good example of this occurs when Commander Rex gives a defiant speech to [[GeneralRipper Pong Krell]] during the Umbara arc, first expressing his grievances with the Jedi general while still wearing his helmet but taking it off partway through to reinforce that, while he and the other clones ''are'' genetically-engineered supersoldiers who were grown in vats from a single base genome for the sole purpose of fighting in a forthcoming war and who all look virtually identical to one another, that doesn't mean that they aren't people.
** Discussed by Cad Bane in the Season 4 episode [[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsS4E16FriendsAndEnemies "Friends and Enemies"]]:
--->'''Rako Hardeen:''' For trying to blend in, your hat makes you stand out.\\

** [[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsS5E16TheLawless "The Lawless"]]: Mandalorian warrior Bo-Katan, who was previously a villain, has an effective HeelFaceTurn as she fights against her planet's takeover by [[spoiler:Darth Maul]] and, among other things, assists in Duchess Satine's attempted rescue before later rescuing Obi-Wan. She also wears her helmet very little despite having worn it during all combat scenes she was in in previous episodes.
* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels'': Sabine actually wears a Mandalorian helmet and armor, though a somewhat reduced version, as she relies on agility over durability. It actually saves her when Darth Vader reflects her own shots back into her face, [[HypocriticalHumor yet she still refers to stormtroopers as bucketheads]].
* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheBadBatch'' opens immediately prior to Order 66, and the only time in the pilot that any Regular troopers show their face is in the commissary. The fact that Crosshair keeps his bucket on far longer than the rest of the titular squad is obvious foreshadowing.
** Chapter 11 features a clone named Howzer who is still loyal to the Empire, but still seems to retain his individuality. He lets young Hera Syndulla off with a warning after catching her spying on an imperial outpost and [[spoiler: is visibly shaken when Admiral Rampart has Senator Taa incapacitated by Crosshair]].

[[caption-width-right:350:"[[Machinima/FreemansMind WHERE'S MY HELMET?!]]" is not what he's yelling, though it probably should be.]]

* A RunningGag in ''Machinima/FreemansMind'' is Gordon complaining about his lack of a helmet, which he quite correctly believes would be very useful for him to have. He ''used'' to have one, but somebody apparently stole it prior to the series. Thankfully, the bright orange colour of the HEV suit apparently makes it such an irresistible target that enemies can't help but shoot at it instead of his completely unprotected head. By the time he finally comes across a helmet he can take, its on a rotting body that's been stuck in Xen for god knows how long, and he refuses to take it since its very likely inundated with germs.

* It became a runningGag throughout ''Machinima/FreemansMind'' and into its sequel that Gordon Freeman would always be without a helmet, and keenly regretful of this fact. There are meta-reasons for this portrayal: partly a commentary on the official art in ''VideoGame/HalfLife'' (see above), and partly a justification to disable the in-game HUD, which would be distracting to a viewer. Based on Freeman's commentary, we can infer that he acquires a lot of lacerations and other facial wounds throughout the series as a result. When Freeman DOES finally find a helmet for his [=HEV=] suit, its worn on a corpse that's been rotting on Xen for who knows how long, so he decides the potential germs aren't worth putting it on.

* Erza of ''Manga/FairyTail'' has many, many suits of InstantArmor. Though most have some sort of headwear, only ''one'' has an actual helmet (fittingly, it's also the one [[StoneWall that is purely defensive in nature]]), and even that one doesn't actually cover her face. It's {{justified|Trope}}, because she's wearing ''magic'' armor. Some suits protect her from magic attacks while others boost her physical abilities and yet others give her different magical abilities to work with. So, the helmet is decorative. As are [[MsFanservice legplates, armbands]], [[AbsoluteCleavage a chestpiece]] sometimes...

** In ''Film/{{Thor}}'', the eponymous character keeps his incredibly cool helmet on for maybe three seconds at a ceremony. Apparently this was due to tests that they did where they determined that the helmet was too heavy for Hemsworth to wear on a consistent basis. His devious brother Loki wears his helmet far more frequently, though he goes without it for large stretches of ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}''. He doesn't wear it at all in ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld''. According to Creator/TomHiddleston, it weighed about seven pounds, and he channeled the frustration into his performance.

* Played straight throughout the entirety of the UsefulNotes/WorldWarI serial ''ComicBook/GoldenEyesAndHerHeroBill''. Golden Eyes, an ambulance driver, is never shown with a helmet [[note]]though the standard ambulance driver's uniform of the time was as likely as not to include a helmet for protection[[/note]]. Bill, an actual soldier, is only ever depicted in his helmet ''once'' throughout the series' run, and that's when he storms the German trenches to rescue Golden Eyes. Other members of the allied force are [[http://cartoons.osu.edu/digital_albums/nellbrinkley/5.php#anchor intermittently]] [[http://cartoons.osu.edu/digital_albums/nellbrinkley/6.php#anchor depicted]] [[http://cartoons.osu.edu/digital_albums/nellbrinkley/7.php#anchor in their helmets]], while the villainous German officer who captures Golden Eyes is [[http://cartoons.osu.edu/digital_albums/nellbrinkley/8.php#anchor introduced]] wearing a [[UsefulNotes/PrussiansInPickelhauben prominent picklehaube]], and wears a hat for the majority of his other appearances.

* {{Discussed}} in the ''LightNovel/TheRisingOfTheShieldHero'' fanfic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12451409/1/The-Hero-Melromarc-Needs-and-Deserves The Hero Melromarc Needs and Deserves]]'', where one of [[spoiler:Deathmask]]'s recommendations to the other Heroes is that "wearing no helmet when you can do so isn't heroic, it's stupid". At least Ren listened, as when he's seen again he's indeed wearing a helmet.

** The one time the Wolf wears any kind of head protection, it's not a helmet but kind of spiked coronet ([[spoiler:while it's not explicitly stated, one item of wargear is a CrownOfThorns that regenerates wounds]]). Possibly justified given his fighting style, which involves taunting the enemy into attacking in blind rage, and the fact that he's usually a good foot or two taller than them.

** It's been noted that on the theatrical posters for ''The First Avenger'', ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'' and ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'', none of the characters wear their masks or helmets. Even Iron Man, who wears a suit of PoweredArmor, goes helmetless so that the audience can see Creator/RobertDowneyJr's mug. [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/37/Captain_America_The_First_Avenger_poster.jpg]][[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f9/TheAvengers2012Poster.jpg]][[http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20140516163035/marvelmovies/images/f/f8/GuardiansoftheGalaxyTheatricalPoster.jpg]]

* {{Enforced}} in the video for Music/{{Sabaton}}'s [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4vj_WB5w_k "The Unkillable Soldier"]]. According to singer Joakim, the director wanted the band members, who were playing German soldiers repeatedly trying and failing to kill Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart (played by Indy Neidell from ''WebVideo/SabatonHistory''), to all wear Stahlhelms for historical accuracy. The band replied that [[AnachronismStew hardly anything else happening in the video was historically accurate]] and went helmetless.

** Another of the justifications, for the Space Wolves, is that much of their method of fighting as well as communication between each other is derived from their amazing senses of smell and hearing (Even compared to other marines), and producing helmets with auto-senses precise enough to avoid losing information is incredibly challenging[[note]]So much so that, in the case of smell, the few helmets that are modified to allow them to take advantage of their senses just use a small air chamber which takes in small amounts of the surrounding air when needed.[[/note]]. Also justified among the Space Wolves because they are [[FantasyCounterpartCulture Space Vikings]], [[BoisterousBruiser with all that implies]] -- it's not enough to just ''say'' you killed an alien beast the size of a tank in single combat, ''somebody has to see you do it''.

* The "we need to recognize the characters" reason is inverted in ''Toys/{{BIONICLE}}'': Thanks to the wonders of standardized toy parts, most if not all characters in any given story arc will have the exact same face. So a character's unique headgear more or less ''is'' his face, and serves as a major way to tell people apart. (In the occasional movie where characters need to actively emote, there are various workarounds, like removing a mouthplate or using an ExpressiveMask). It's also worth noting that there's an in-universe practical reason to keep faces covered, too: some races have "losing your mask" as a WeaksauceWeakness.)

* In ''Webcomic/ExterminatusNow'', it's custom for officers not to wear helmets. When [[http://exterminatusnow.comicgenesis.com/d/20070803.html asked]] "how many of them were killed by a [[PinkMist sniper bullet to the brain]]", the answer was "Ooph. Well, I mean, y'know... a ''few''...".

* Subverted in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pD-f45TbvEw "A helmet has always been a good idea"]], which has a Viking chieftain about to go to war when his son brings him his helmet. He tries to avoid wearing it despite his men's recommendations because it makes his scalp itch, but gives in when his wife shows up. [[JustifiedTrope The final scene has him bump his (helmeted) head on a wooden beam.]] The whole thing is a PSA for wearing bicycle helmets.

* Inverted by ''WesternAnimation/AvengersAssemble''; when Red Skull steals Iron Man's {{Power Armor}} he scraps the helmet so his face is seen.

** It inverts this by having all the clone troopers have their helmets on at all time and you never see their faces, save the back of Alpha-77 (a.k.a. Fordo)'s head. The key clones are distinguished instead by color markings; specifically, if they're red, chances are they're badass.

* This trope, played straight, may have actually saved the army for [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrrhus_of_Epirus Pyrrhus of Epirus]] at the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Heraclea Battle of Heraclea]]. During the battle, he was knocked off his horse and badly shaken, so he had his armor and helmet taken up by Megacles, who was of similar build to him. A Roman horseman manages to kill Megacles and sever his head, holding it up and riding down the lines to show that he had killed the Epirote king. The Epirote army began to falter, until Pyrrhus took up a horse and started riding along the lines without a helmet, showing his men he was alive.

* The Chinese People's Liberation Army Marine Corps. While half of them wear the standard black helmet with goggles on the helmet, the other half [[http://i1125.photobucket.com/albums/l597/Cifyra/PLA/PLAN/U135P200T1D207292F16DT20081225172132.jpg wear wool/fleece tuques with goggles on their tuque caps]]. Justified for the tuques keep their head warm at sea and the fact that they are mainly a peace keeping force escorting vessels near the Gulf of Aden.

* Inverted in the video [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9yL5usLFgY I Love Helmets]], in which a helmet-wearing skateboarder gets up totally unhurt despite wiping out and hitting his head on the pavement. He gleefully declares, "I love helmets!"

* Subverted in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pD-f45TbvEw A helmet has always been a good idea]], which has a Viking chieftain about to go to war when his son brings him his helmet. He tries to avoid wearing it despite his men's recommendations because it makes his scalp itch, but gives in when his wife shows up. [[JustifiedTrope The final scene has him bump his (helmeted) head on a wooden beam.]] The whole thing is a PSA for wearing bicycle helmets.

* Downplayed in ''Film/TopGun'': all pilots do wear helmets, but none of the named characters ever have their sun-visors down over their eyes while flying (not even "by the book" pilots such as Jester or [[spoiler:Viper]]). Conversely, the helmets of all the unnamed [=MiG=] pilots cover the entire head. The sequel, ''Film/TopGunMaverick'', would avert this, showing all the pilots wearing sun-visors while flying.

* Downplayed in ''Film/TopGun'': all pilots do wear helmets, but none of the named characters ever have their sun-visors down over their eyes while flying (not even "by the book" pilots such as Jester or [[spoiler:Viper]]). Conversely, the helmets of all the unnamed [=MiG=] pilots cover the entire head.

* ''LightNovel/RebuildWorld'': Justified. When Akira asks about getting a helmet for his PoweredArmor, he gets told how it’s uncommon to wear helmets, of which a full head covering ones with sensors is the standard. It's avoided out of superstition that it will weaken your senses and intuition, with such helmets being proven to disable the special ability of a certain type of PsychicRadar having DifferentlyPoweredIndividual. The gang Akira supports eventually gets a sponsorship deal with a company that makes armor like this, resulting in them wearing such helmets as part of their tests and trial runs of equipment.
* It usually doesn't last long in ''Manga/SaintSeiya'' before the main heroes start losing their helmets early in the battle for the rest of the arc.

* ComicBook/LexLuthor's standard PoweredArmor stops at the neck to show off his trademark BaldOfEvil (His head is protected by a force field, so this is not as stupid as it sounds). Then again, he's not exactly a hero, just a narcissist who can't stand to hide his face.
--> '''Deathstroke:''' ''(Pointing a gun at Luthor's unprotected head)'' You spend billions on this suit of armor but you leave out the helmet... I'm guessing because you can't stand the thought of of people not knowing it's you.
* [[Comicbook/StarLord Star-Lord's]] trademark helmet is technically just a glorified mask, since it still leaves his hair open for some reason.

* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'' [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Vol 1]]: The Amazons have helmets, but even when Diana, Mala or other named Amazons are donning more armor and protective gear they never grab a helmet. The exception to this is ComicBook/{{Nubia}}, who is a named recurring Amazon who usually wears a helmet.
* ''ComicBook/XMen'':
** In the well-known story ''ComicBook/GodLovesManKills,'' Magneto is acting as a good guy at a time it was ''far'' from expected of him, though he'd been established as a WellIntentionedExtremist by this point. His helmet is not worn for most of the story. It's seen in two panels: a ''distant'' shot of him attacking the bad guy has him wearing it. The very next panel, a closer shot as he speaks, has the helmet in the process of being knocked away, leaving his face mostly uncovered in that panel.
** Also, throughout the Genoshan ''Excalibur'', Magneto wears a less-armored black version of his usual outfit. It's helmetless. He also had a helmetless outfit during much of the time when he was leading the X-Men while Xavier was in Shi'ar space. (These days, though, Mags' outfit doesn't change no matter how nice he's playing.)
*** It should be noted that the primary use of Magneto's helmet is to protect his mind from telepathic intrusion from the likes of Charles Xavier and Jean Grey. He has far less need of it when they are his allies.
** Discussed in ''[[ComicBook/{{X23}} All-New Wolverine]]'', when Laura utilises a stolen suit of ComicBook/IronMan armour:

* Athena from ClassicalMythology was frequently portrayed as having a face-concealing [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corinthian_helmet Corinthian helmet]], but she's also rarely ever shown wearing it down - instead, it was tipped up and off her face, as was common for actual warriors who were wearing the helmet out of combat. However, when she was portrayed with another style of helmet (that would be pretty likely to not be face-concealing), she would instead wearing it normally.

* In ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'', Gilgamesh Wulfenbach reveals he has been shot in the side but he was wearing full body armor. One of the Jaegers points out he wasn't wearing a helmet. He justifies it by saying they had to know it was him. Being Jaegers, they suggest a giant hat for that purpose. They provide one. [[BrickJoke Years later,]] [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20120113 it's the only way for many people to recognize him.]]

* From roughly the 16th to 18th centuries, wearing any kind of protective mask in fencing practice was frowned upon. Not only was it considered unmanly to fear hits to the face, but it also insulted one's fencing partner by implying you didn't trust them to exercise proper control. Foiled swords at least had blunted tips covered with tennis-ball-sized pads in order to reduce the chances of poking someone's eye out, but such accidents still happened from time to time. Fencing masks as we know them didn't start to catch on until the 19th century.

* The trope was practically enforced in private duels and in fencing practice with foiled rapiers or smallswords from roughly the 16th-18th centuries in Europe.
** Medieval judicial duels--in which an accused and accuser got legal permission to fight to the death to see who had God and the truth on their side--were customarily fought in full armor and helmets if both duelists had access to them. But during the Renaissance most authorities were reluctant to grant such permission or outlawed the practice altogether, leading many people to instead fight private and illegal "duels of honor." Some encounters retrospectively classified as duels could have just as easily been called assaults or street fights, meaning that everyone was in civilian clothes when they happened. However, it was customary even in formally-arranged duels for the fighters to agree to use civilian weapons (such as swords and daggers) and wear no protection beyond their civilian clothes: they might have worn hats in some cases, but certainly not helmets. The idea was to show bravery by relying on only parrying or dodging to protect against the opponent's weapons, and the lack of armor or face protection increased the chance that any hits that landed could be decisive.
** During this same period, wearing any kind of protective mask in fencing practice was frowned upon. Not only was it considered unmanly to fear hits to the face, but it also insulted one's fencing partner by implying you didn't trust them to exercise proper control. Foiled swords at least had blunted tips covered with tennis-ball-sized pads in order to reduce the chances of poking someone's eye out, but such accidents still happened from time to time. Fencing masks as we know them didn't start to catch on until the 19th century.

** Medieval judicial duels--in which an accused and accuser got legal permission to fight to the death to see who had God and the truth on their side--were customarily fought in full armor and helmets if both duelists had access to them. But during the Renaissance most authorities were reluctant to grant such permission or outlawed the practice altogether, leading many people to instead fight private and illegal "duels of honor." Some of these engagements were basically assaults or street fights, meaning that everyone was in civilian clothes when they happened, but it was also customary in formal, mutually-negotiated duels for the fighters to use civilian weapons (such as swords and daggers) and wear no protection beyond their civilian clothes. They might have worn hats in some cases, but certainly not helmets. The idea was to show bravery by relying on only parrying or dodging to protect against the opponent's weapon, and the lack of armor or face protection increased the chance that any hits that landed could be decisive.

* The trope was practically enforced in private duels and in fencing practice with foiled rapiers or smallswords from roughly the 16th-18th centuries. Foiled swords had blunted tips covered with tennis-ball-sized pads in order to reduce the chances of poking someone's eye out (it still happened), but wearing any kind of fencing mask was considered unmanly and they really didn't catch on until the 19th century.

* ''Film/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'': In ''Literature/PrinceCaspian'', when Peter and [[EvilUncle King Miraz]] are dueling, both start out wearing their helmets, and Peter's even saves him from a few blows. After their brief intermission, Peter takes his off to breathe more easily and keeps it off when they restart; the villain's helmet stays on a few minutes more before he decides to remove it, as well.