History Main / OurOrcsAreDifferent

** Within the ''TES'' universe, the Orcs are another race of [[OurElvesAreDifferent Mer (Elves)]], known as the "Orsimer" or "Pariah Elves/Folk," and to say that they have undergone CharacterizationMarchesOn is an understatement. As with most of the races of Mer, their split with the [[{{Precursors}} Mer Precursor "Aldmer"]] was over [[OurGodsAreDifferent religious differences]], though in the case of the Orcs, it was not voluntary. They were originally the worshipers of the Aldmeri spirit Trinimac, but Trinimac was "[[GodEating eaten]]" by the [[OurGodsAreDifferent Daedric Prince]] Boethia and later excreted. Trinimac's remains became the Daedric Prince Malacath, while his Aldmeri followers, who continued to worship him as their central diety, were transformed into the Orcs. The Orcs possess strong, muscular builds and green skin. They are known for their [[TheBerserker ferocity and courage]] in battle, as well as their skill as [[TheBlacksmith armorers and smiths]] (especially with the rare metal [[FantasyMetals Orichalcum]]), making them some of the [[StoneWall finest heavy infantry]] on all of Nirn. The are a ProudWarriorRace who believes that AsskickingEqualsAuthority, which leads to their chieftains gaining that position via KlingonPromotion. They exhibit a number of other BloodKnight and DeathSeeker traits as well, having a MartyrdomCulture. They've long been victims of FantasticRacism due to their bestial appearance and perceived barbaric culture, and have been FightingForAHomeland (or fighting to ''keep'' their homeland) for ages. Details per game:

** [[CharactersWarhammerBeastsOfChaos The Beastmen]] are arguably closer to Tolkien Orcs than the actual Orcs of the franchise. They're an AlwaysChaoticEvil race of mutants born from humans corrupted by the dark magic of Chaos, usually brown or red skinned and physically identifiable by their animal-like traits like hooved feet, horns, and fangs; size is variable, but averages around "broad human." They are omnivores but particularly prefer human flesh, and organize in simple, primitive, hyper-violent societies with a great deal of intraspecies FantasticRacism, with the larger and more mutated Beastmen treating the weaker ones as slaves. Their "culture" is entirely based around the BlackMagic of the shamans, raiding, and reverence for the Chaos Gods, and while they can reproduce among themselves they also depend on infecting (or raping) human women to replenish their numbers. They are incapable of building true civilization and actively detest any kind of technology beyond the bare minimum of needed to equip their Iron Age war bands. Functionally they're total CannonFodder for the hordes of Chaos, and considered inferior to humans in every relevant way, even by the gods they worship, but their sheer numbers make them threatening to the protagonists regardless. Also in keeping with the Tolkien inspiration, the [[OurElvesAreDifferent Wood Elves]] consider them their ArchEnemy.

*** Saruman's Uruk-hai of Isengard are more-or-less explicitly created from crossbreeding Orcs and Men and created by Saruman as elite soldiers. They're larger than other Orc types, and more upright and humanoid -- the other Orcs are usually described as hunched over and apelike. They do not fear the sun (most of Sauron's and Morgoth's creatures can't stand sunlight and do not travel by day) and are usually described as being better-organized and more dangerous foes than "common" Orcs. These characteristics, along with their ProudWarriorRaceGuy attitude, foreshadows the "revisionist" portrayal, but ultimately they aren't shown as having any culture beyond fighting and serving their evil overlord.

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfSpyroDawnOfTheDragon'' features Orcs as the main servants and army of [[BigBad Malefor]] in a pure Tolkenian role. They however differ in appearence, being a race of grotesque lizard-like humanoids with elongated heads, gangly limbs and bodies made of earth, grass and rock and armed with either axes or crossbows attached to their arms. Stronger and bigger variants known as Orc Heroes also exist. Other creatures in Malefor's army include the goblinesque Grublins and the humongous Trolls, all made from earth and vegetation like the Orcs.

* In ''Franchise/SpyroTheDragon'', there are the Gnorcs, which are mostly green, have protruding teeth that look like fangs or tusks, and vary in size (the BigBad Gnasty Gnorc and some of the mooks are very large, but most Gnorcs aren't much bigger than Spyro). Their name is supposedly a combination of "gnome" and "orc" but they're much more like orcs than like [[OurGnomesAreWeirder gnomes]].

* ''VideoGame/EldenRing'' Demi-Humans are the closest equivalent to classical orcs, being a race of sapient but savage humanoid creatures that tend to form tribes of bandits and murderers and have a MightMakesRight mentality; Boc, the only positive Demi-Human encountered, was cast out of his tribe for being well-spoken, weak and wanting to be a seamster instead of a fighter. They come in four forms: low-ranking demi-humans have resemble more humanoid pale-furred chimpanzees, 'brutes' that are more classically orc-like, Chiefs that are bigger and more lupine in appearance, and finally Queens, gigantic lupine matriarchs of their tribes.

** Prior to the introduction of Orcs proper, the earlier, pure fantasy, novels in the Discworld series had ''gnolls'' to fill the necessary space for a humanoid chaotic-evil Other. These are described in a way very reminiscent of Orcs, both in look and manner. however, as the Central Continent is developed, explored and rebuilt by humans and the weildernesses shrink, the last of the gnolls, a defeated race, find their way to Ankh-Morpork in much the same way Reservation Indians emerged as North America ceased to be a wilderness. in the manner of debased and defeated native Americans, the gnolls now form a sub-group at the bottom of the social pyramid, doing the filthiest and dirtiest jobs which are disdained by humans and dwarfs and trolls.

** The art book for ''Fallout 3'' puts even more emphasis on the Tolkien part as well as the [[OurOgresAreHungrier "ogre"]] aspect as they are shown to make their own cobbled-together armor and guns, as well as forge melee weapons such as [[AnAxeToGrind axes]], [[{{BFS}} swords]], [[CarryABigStick maces]], and [[EpicFlail flails/meteor hammers.]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' has the Super Mutants. They're big, they're green, a few of them eat humans, and all of them can kick ass. Regardless of whether they're portrayed sympathetically or not, they're usually portrayed as more aggressive and warlike than other in-game factions (as they indeed are created to serve as SuperSoldiers in Pre-War times) and are rarely very bright. [[WasOnceAMan They all start out as humans]], becoming Super Mutants after being exposed to the Forced Evolutionary Virus, a mutagen that turns their skin green, massively increases their muscle mass, [[OneGenderRace eliminates their secondary sexual characteristics]], drops their IQ a notch or three and, as an unintended side-effect, turns them sterile as mules.

* Are a {{Proud Warrior Race|Guy}} with an extensive honor system partially inspired by the Japanese, the Norse, or other "warrior" cultures. They've been referred to as "green [[Franchise/StarTrek Klingons]]" in the past.

* Are far more likely to have a more fully fleshed-out culture than Tolkienesque orcs. But unlike other races, they rarely have a direct [[FantasyCounterpartCulture real-world counterpart]], but are instead a mishmash of various tribal cultures, although most can be summed up as ProudWarriorRaceGuys.

* Following the rules of the original source, ''Fanfic/DungeonKeeperAmi'' has pink orcs with white hair. They're a [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Proud Warrior Race]] who live only to fight and serve under Keepers or live as [[BarbarianTribe Barbarian Tribes]] on the overworld.

* ''Literature/ChroniclesOfSiala'': The orcs combine elements of the "Tolkien" and "Blizzard" types, with a few twists. They're a {{Proud Warrior Race|Guy}} with a strong emphasis on personal honor, but are also high militarized with a bit of a fascist bent and consider themselves the MasterRace because they are the "Firstborn", meaning the oldest intelligent race on the planet[[note]]They're not; the ogres are older, nameless horrors are older still, and the elves are roughly the same age, but for the love of the gods don't tell them that[[/note]]. They're very closely related to the elves, and unusually look very similar (both races have grey-brown skin, yellow eyes, and fangs -- orcs are generally bulkier and have longer fangs, but it's often hard for outsiders to tell them apart at a glance). They're allied with [[BigBad the Nameless One]], not because they're particularly loyal to him (after all, he's not an orc) but because they think he's their best bet for destroying their enemies, the elves and humans.

* In ''Literature/APracticalGuideToEvil'', orcs are a {{Proud Warrior Race|Guy}}, but it's hard to tell how much of that is biological. They do have millennia of interspecies hostility to blame for their fixation on conflict, but they're also obligate carnivores with a still-current tradition of eating the dead of their enemies. Recently they've gained more acceptance, and shown themselves quite capable of peace and discipline.

** The Parshendi who form the antagonists of ''Literature/TheWayOfKings'' are of the {{Proud Warrior Race|Guy}} variety mixed with BlueAndOrangeMorality, with skin that is marbled red-and-white or red-and-black. They are ferocious warriors who are physically stronger than humans and grow natural armor, and are attuned to naturally-occurring music and rhythms native to the planet of Roshar. Much of the series' plot is kicked off by them having the king of Alethkar assassinated and admitting to the act and then fighting an extended defensive siege on the Shattered Plains for seven years against the massed armies of Alethkar. Though their initial portrayal shows them as a Tolkien-like orc -- savage and merciless -- as the books progress it is shown that they are a mixture of both the Blizzard and Tolkien takes. They are largely honorable and driven to protect themselves, and have the ability to change their bodies to different "forms." One of which, warform, is the typical orc-like shape, while other forms include intelligent scholar forms or stout and squat worker forms. They are also revealed in the third novel, ''Literature/{{Oathbringer}}'' to have been [[{{AntiVillain}} anti-villains]], as the reason that they assassinated King Gavilar was [[spoiler:that one of them learned that he was planning to bring back the Parshendi's "old gods" who had enslaved and controlled them in the past.]] Furthermore, [[spoiler:they were manipulated by the god [[GodOfEvil Odium]] into their position as part of his long-term plan to restart the [[RegularlyScheduleEvil Desolations]].]]

** ''Literature/HonorHarrington'': Scrags are genetically engineered Tolkien Orcs working for Mesa, except for one AmazonBrigade who are [[DefectorFromDecadence Defectors From Decadence]] and slip into ProudWarriorRaceGuy mode.

** The Klingons have gone through a similar arc as orcs have, from the Tolkien-orc-like nearly-AlwaysChaoticEvil antagonists of ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' through their softening and fleshing-out in various films and ultimately to the Blizzard-orc-like sympathetic {{Proud Warrior Race|Guy}} of ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' and later.

** Orcs in ''TabletopGame/{{Eberron}}'' are somewhat "Blizzard orcs," but somewhat fulfill the role of elves in other settings (Eberron elves are a {{Proud Warrior Race|Guy}}). They have little actual conflict with the other races, are the best druids in the setting (despite a fullblooded orc getting a Wisdom penalty) and actually have a sort-of company that finds Dragonshards -- [[AppliedPhlebotinum crystals]] that are ''essential'' to create magic items. The shamanistic culture of the orcs of the Shadow Marches is responsible for keeping one type of CosmicHorror from causing TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. However, there are also other orcish cultures - the Jhorash'tar orcs of the eastern mountains, separated from the Marches by hundreds of miles of land occupied by other cultures, don't have much in common with them and are closer to "Tolkien orcs" - although they're still generally portrayed as people whose long-running enmity with the dwarves of the Mror Holds is just an awkward result of two cultures in close proximity but without much in common, and not just generic enemies to stab for money.

* ''TabletopGame/RuneQuest'' has the Tusk Riders, who are pretty much traditional orcs, down to riding boars and having a culture of evil that really loves to torture. What makes them different, is that they were a one-time experiment made from crossbreeding trolls and humans. Unlike orcs of any other variety, they aren't prolific - in the bestiary, it says there's only at most 10,000 Tusk Riders in the world.

* ''VideoGame/{{Gothic}}'': Orcs are intelligent, nomadic members of a {{Proud Warrior Race|Guy}}. They attack Myrtana (the land of the Humans) to capture slaves and perform archeological excavations on the sites that bear religious importance to Orc Shamans. Also, unlike many other games, they aren't low-level mooks -- they're among some of the more powerful enemies in the game.

* ''WesternAnimation/VoltronLegendaryDefender'': The Galra are basically Blizzard orcs InSpace. They're large, proud, purple-skinned [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy warriors]] with appearances that range from shaggy and brutish to ruggedly attractive. On their homeworld, they were just one of many tribes, but rose to prominence on their planet and beyond through martial conquest. They also display an ability to breed with other species[[note]]Keith, one of the heroes, is [[HalfHumanHybrid half-Galra]] on his mother's side. Likewise, Prince Lotor is half-[[SpaceElves Altean]].[[/note]] that is either unique to them, or simply more prominently shown with them because of the vast scope of their empire. On the more noble side, the Blades of Marmora are a secretive faction of Galra who oppose the empire and assist the heroes. Even King Zarkon, ruler of the empire, was once a true hero before he was [[FallenHero corrupted]] into a genocidal monster.

* The ''Webcomic/DaughterOfTheLilies'' orcs are green, hunky, occasionally axe-wielding and inexplicably Russian-accented, but besides that, they're just another sapient species, and fairly friendly. They do have a history of warfare with elves, but note that ''the elves started''.

The word ''orc'' comes from [[UsefulNotes/AngloSaxons Old English]] and shares linguistic roots with ''[[OurOgresAreHungrier ogre]]'', borrowed from French. Both terms are related to the Latin word Orcus, the name of an Etruscan/Roman god of TheUnderworld which came to denote the place itself (like Greek ''Hades''). Later, ''Orcus'' was [[EverybodyHatesHades glossed as a term for a]] [[HijackedByJesus demon or hell itself]]. Thus, the Old English word ''orc'', as attested by medieval glossaries -- as well as cognates in other languages like French ''ogre'' and Italian ''orco'' -- denoted a kind of demon or monster. However, the only appearance of ''orc'' in surviving Old English literature comes from ''Literature/{{Beowulf}}'' in the form ''orcnéas'', "demon-corpses", sometimes translated as "living dead" -- [[OurGhoulsAreDifferent ghouls]], perhaps? ''Orcnéas'' are said to be evil creatures descended from [[TheDescendantsOfCain Cain]], together with ''eotenas'' ([[OurGiantsAreBigger giants]]), ''ylfe'' ([[OurElvesAreDifferent elves]]) and ''gigantas'' (giants, again, so ''eotenas'' is sometimes translated as ogres or [[AllTrollsAreDifferent trolls]]). [[note]]Confusingly, a homonym of ''orc'' also exists in Old English with the meaning of "cup" or some other sort of "vessel", with the plural ''orcas'' appearing in ''Beowulf''. This is also derived from Latin, but is completely unrelated to ''Orcus'' since it comes from ''urceus'', much later ''orca'' -- which itself has a homonym meaning "whale", hence killer whales are called orcas.[[/note]]

* ''TabletopGame/{{Heroscape}}'': The local orcs are Tolkien style, but are bright blue. [[EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs And they ride dinosaurs]].

* ''TabletopGame/{{Talislanta}}'s'' Kang are Blizzard style, but are bright red. [[EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs And much like Heroscape's orcs, they ride dinosaurs]].

* Are more likely to have females portrayed, gender equality or even female leaders. Although sexual dimorphism ''does'' exist, Orcish women are expected to fight to exactly the same degree as men, and [[ActionGirl usually also have the same degree of martial ability]]. More fearsome females may exemplify the {{beastess}} trope.

* ''WesternAnimation/XMen'': ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} is predictably depicted as a Blizzard variant (though he's referred to as a troll), in a fairytale told by Jubilee in one of the series' later seasons.

Orcs typically share a close relationship with [[OurGoblinsAreDifferent goblins]], and indeed Tolkien originally used the words "orc" and "goblin" more or less interchangeably. Modern fantasy typically separates them into distinct species, with goblins usually being smaller and more lightly built. Orcs are also frequently associated with other monstrous humanoid races. See: OurOgresAreHungrier, AllTrollsAreDifferent and OurGiantsAreBigger, as well as StandardFantasyRaces. The trope often overlaps with PigMan, though the pun on "pork" is linguistically coincidental. They are often the "adopting" parent when a child is RaisedByOrcs. In many cases, SpaceOrcs will literally be fantasy orcs InSpace, although it's somewhat more common for them to be an original species with a Tolkienian orcish personality added on.

** Within the ''TES'' universe, the Orcs are another race of [[OurElvesAreDifferent Mer (Elves)]], known as the "Orsimer" or "Pariah Elves/Folk," and to say that they have undergone CharacterizationMarchesOn is an understatement. As with most of the races of Mer, their split with the [[{{Precursors}} Mer Precursor "Aldmer"]] was over [[OurGodsAreDifferent religious differences]], though in the case of the Orcs, it was not voluntary. They were originally the worshipers of the Aldmeri spirit Trinimac, but Trinimac was "eaten" by the [[OurGodsAreDifferent Daedric Prince]] Boethia and later excreted. Trinimac's remains became the Daedric Prince Malacath, while his Aldmeri followers, who continued to worship him as their central diety, were transformed into the Orcs. The Orcs possess strong, muscular builds and green skin. They are known for their [[TheBerserker ferocity and courage]] in battle, as well as their skill as [[TheBlacksmith armorers and smiths]] (especially with the rare metal [[FantasyMetals Orichalcum]]), making them some of the [[StoneWall finest heavy infantry]] on all of Nirn. The are a ProudWarriorRace who believes that AsskickingEqualsAuthority, which leads to their chieftains gaining that position via KlingonPromotion. They exhibit a number of other BloodKnight and DeathSeeker traits as well, having a MartyrdomCulture. They've long been victims of FantasticRacism due to their bestial appearance and perceived barbaric culture, and have been FightingForAHomeland (or fighting to ''keep'' their homeland) for ages. Details per game:

* In ''Manga/InterspeciesReviewers'' Orcs are the ruling political party of the setting due to the fact that they apply their lifestyle of "Eat, Sleep and Fuck" to politics (a focus on agriculture, low taxes, public support for sex industry). Otherwise aside from looking like pig men and a high sex drive/stamina there's little separating them from other species.

* ''ORCS!'' and its sequel ORCS! THE CURSE has a tribe of orcs who are fun loving and always eager for a dance party. They are also extremely fierce fighters in defence of their own, and their tribal witch is an very powerful magician. The characters are drawn in a rounded cartoonish style with a wide variety of body sizes, skin and eye colours, and clothing.

* ''ComicBook/ORCS!'' and its sequel ORCS! THE CURSE has a tribe of orcs who are fun loving and always eager for a dance party. They are also extremely forever fighters in defence of their own, and their tribal witch is an extremely powerful magician. The characters are drawn in a very cartoonish style with a wide variety of body sizes, skin and eye colours, and clothing.

Orcs typically share a close relationship with [[OurGoblinsAreDifferent goblins]], and indeed Tolkien originally used the words "orc" and "goblin" more or less interchangeably, though modern fantasy typically separates them into distinct species. Orcs are also frequently associated with other monstrous humanoid races. See: OurOgresAreHungrier, AllTrollsAreDifferent and OurGiantsAreBigger, as well as StandardFantasyRaces. The trope often overlaps with PigMan, though the pun on "pork" is linguistically coincidental. They are often the "adopting" parent when a child is RaisedByOrcs. In many cases, SpaceOrcs will literally be fantasy orcs InSpace, although it's somewhat more common for them to be an original species with a Tolkienian orcish personality added on.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Eon}}'': Orcs (three different sub species: Gûrd, Tirak, Trukh), while being based in a culture of might-makes-right, are not evil, though they are often brutish. One clan of these ''Orcs'' is even assimilated into human culture and behaves like the culture they're part of. The barbarian might-makes-right clans, while being brutal, are also among the forefront opposers to all things demonic.

** Orcs seem to ''look'' more like the Blizzard variety. However, to say that they act like the Tolkien variety would be to [[UpToEleven vastly underestimate]] their [[AxCrazy sheer batshittery]].

* ''Webcomic/{{Goblins}}'': Orcs are large humanoids with gray-green skin and part of the traditionally "evil" races alongside ogres, goblins, kobolds and so on. One of the few orcs who's appeared so far, "Biscuit", ''is'' a big hulking brute... who speaks politely and takes TheStoic personality up to eleven: tribe been dead for 200 years? "Meh." His people, the Roak, made a very big deal about rising above loss and personal attachments.