History Main / RedArmbandOfLeadership

[[caption-width-right:250:[[HitlerAteSugar Sieg Heil!]].]]

* During the [[FestivalEpisode summer festival]], ''MahouSenseiNegima'''s Evangeline wears an armband as "Honorary Advisor" to the [[TrueCompanions Ala Alba]].

* Medaka Kurokami, at the start of ''MedakaBox'', wears one as the Student Council president. She also wears ''all the other armbands'' (none of which are red) because at the beginning she's the only member of the Student Council. Later she starts giving out the rest as she recruits new members.

* The creepy old teacher in ''PaniPoniDash'' always wears one. What it says changes every time it's seen.

* ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'': In the beta, several of the classes wore their class symbols on such headbands. Presumably Valve realized this would result in UnfortunateImplications, especially the Medic, who is German and probably old enough to have served in WorldWarTwo, so eventually they went with shirts/jackets that have the class symbol on the sleeve instead.

For westerners, associations might come out wrong. [[UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler Very]] [[HitlerAteSugar wrong]]. Except for Russians, who used similar armbands quite innocently during the Soviet period. Plain black armbands have a much different connotation - they indicate that the wearer is either mourning a lost comrade, or that they're [[BombThrowingAnarchists an anarchist]].

* Seen on the leader of the Tokyo University ''Oendan'' Naru joins briefly in ''LoveHina''.

* ''TengenToppaGurrenLagann'''s Simon wears a red armband which used to be part of Kamina's cloak. [[spoiler:He didn't become a leader until rebooting from his Heroic BSOD, but after that point, it was incredibly appropriate.]]

* Genma in ''Anime/FutureCardBuddyfight'' is the leader of the Seifukai, a minor gang that [[FriendlyNeighborhoodGangsters that don't really act like a gang.]] Because of that, his Core Gadget looks like one of these, even though it does mean he has to hold his arms above his head whenever he draws a card.

* Mikan wears a red armband to take the stage to run the student council meeting in the first episode of ''Anime/ManabiStraight''.

* Genma in FutureCardBuddyfight is the leader of the Seifukai, a minor gang that [[FriendlyNeighborhoodGangsters that don't really act like a gang.]] Because of that, his Core Gadget looks like one of these, even though it does mean he has to hold his arms above his head whenever he draws a card.

For westerners, associations might come out wrong. [[AdolfHitler Very]] [[HitlerAteSugar wrong]]. Except for Russians, who used similar armbands quite innocently during the Soviet period. Plain black armbands have a much different connotation - they indicate that the wearer is either mourning a lost comrade, or that they're [[BombThrowingAnarchists an anarchist]].

* AdolfHitler and the Nazis were quite fond of the red armband. The armband was usually made in the same style as the Nazi flag, with the white circle and black swastika adorning it.

[[caption-width-right:250:[[StealthPun Worship it]].]]

In Japanese society, a method for identifying the leader of a group - be it the leader of an ''Ouendan'' or a club or group president - is to look for the red armband on the upper arm. The armband has the name of the group printed on it.

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]
* Haruhi Suzumiya (pictured), leader of the "S.O.S" Brigade in the anime ''[[SuzumiyaHaruhi The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya]]''. She wears several of these, declaring her as Chief, Ultra Detective, or whatever her current role is. She also makes an orange one for her deputy chief...Koizumi. [[CosmicPlaything You didn't serious think she'd actually give Kyon a promotion, did you?]]
* Mikan wears a red armband to take the stage to run the student council meeting in the first episode of ''ManabiStraight''.
* Spoofed in ''{{Jubei-chan}} 2'', when the former [[TheRival rival]] now comic relief Shiro Ryujoji has a red armband that states he's ''not'' the leader; he recently got into High School so isn't in charge anymore. He assures everyone including the audience that the armband will be real next year, really.
* Mendo in ''UruseiYatsura'' leads the "Shadow Scholastic Life Leaders", a group of teachers' pets that use red armbands when trying to apprehend students trying to sneak out to buy lunch during school.

In Japanese society, a method for identifying the leader of a group - be it the leader of an ''Ouendan'' or a club or group president - is to look for the red armband on the left or right arm. The armband has the name of the group printed on it.

* Haruhi Suzumiya (pictured), leader of the "S.O.S" Brigade in the anime ''[[SuzumiyaHaruhi The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya]]''. She wears several of these, declaring her as Chief, Ultra Detective, or whatever her current role is. She also makes an orange one for her deputy chief.

* One of the best accessories in ''{{Persona 4}}'' is a "Paper Armband".

* From Apollo 13 onwards, {{NASA}} gave the mission commander's spacesuit red bands on the arms to make it easier to distinguish the two moonwalkers in photographs.

* In ''PhoenixWright 3'', Larry wears one of these while working as a security guard. In the localized versions, it's removed.

* When they thought Superman had been killed, the members of the [[WesternAnimation/Justice League]] took to wearing black armbands with their uniforms.

* AdolfHitler and ThoseWackyNazis!

* Els Tasmin of ''Manga/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaVivid'' wears one as part of her school uniform since she's the [[SchoolCouncilPresident head student representative]] of her school.

** Same goes for the captains of field hockey teams.

For westerners, associations might come out wrong. [[CommieNazis Very]] [[HitlerAteSugar wrong.]] Except for Russians, who used similar armbands quite innocently during the Soviet period. Plain black armbands have a much different connotation - they indicate that the wearer is either mourning a lost comrade, or that they're [[BombThrowingAnarchists an anarchist]].