History Main / ShouldersOfDoom

* The fully armored X in ''VideoGame/MegaManX1''.
* [=FlashMan.EXE=] from ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork 3''. He had an attack that ''was'' removing the orbs on his shoulders, raising them up, and releasing a blinding, paralyzing light from it. Metal Man from the same also stored his giant Metal Wheel Boomerangs on his (already huge) shoulders.
** Special mention goes to Punk. In both his ''Battle Network'' appearances and his place in the older ''VideoGame/MegaManClassic'' games his shoulder pads were shells that could ''enclose his entire body''. A similar design is used by Shield Sheldon from ''VideoGame/MegaManX6''. In both cases the shoulders are used for protection and performing special attacks so they're not exactly superfluous.
* Mega Man Geo-Omega from ''VideoGame/MegaManStarForce''.

* ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}''

* Subverted with Darkrai from ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'', who appears to be sinister-looking but only does its job if it is threatened. Played straight in the ''VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeon'' series games, however.

* Heavy armor in ''[[{{VideoGame/Tribes}} Tribes: Ascend]]''. Previous games had this to a lesser degree, but ''Ascend'' takes it to [[http://i.imgur.com/TMkhQ.jpg a whole new level]]. The shoulders are even ''bigger'' in-game.



* Now possible in ''VideoGame/WarFrame'' due to the introduction of armour customisation, with shoulder plates.
* In ''[[{{VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic}} Star Wars: The Old Republic]]'', one of the indicators of rank among the Sith appears to be the size, ornamentation, and unwieldiness of your shoulder pads.
* In ''Videogame/PlanetSide 2'', the [[TheEmpire Terran Republic]] and [[MegaCorp New Conglomerate]] get in on the doominess. TR Heavy Assault troopers have large circular shoulder guards, and both the TR [[PoweredArmor MAX suit]] and NC MAX have doomy shoulders; the TR have huge circular guards, and the NC have armor plating which crosses into VerticalMechaFins
* ''Videogame/MechWarrior'' carries over much of ''Tabletopgame/BattleTech'''s doomy shoulders; the ''Atlas'' assault mech has its [[SkeleBot9000 white skull-shaped cockpit]] complimented by enormous shoulder plates.
* Many of Ghaleon's designs in the ''VideoGame/{{Lunar}}'' series (and he gets rather a lot of costumes) have big shoulder guards. [[spoiler:The Magic Emperor armor]] is an obvious example, but his [[spoiler:final boss]] design in [[VideoGame/LunartheSilverStar Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete]] takes it to a whole other level -- it almost looks like some sort of architectural model sprouting off of him.
* The second and third installments in the ''VideoGame/{{Patapon}}'' trilogy allow the Tondenga class to equip these. Fittingly, considering they're the patapon type with the largest physique.

* The various armors worn by the protagonists and antagonists of ''VideoGame/{{Darksiders}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Darksiders II}}''
* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy''
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'' - Golbez has the biggest, pointiest shoulder armour in the series, hands down. Although Exdeath of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'' comes a close second.
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'': Two of the heroines, Terra and Celes, possess shoulder pads of admirable size. So does the knight Cyan, but shoulder pads are standard for his knight armor. As does Edgar, but he is a king and wears a cape as well.
** Sephiroth from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII''. A notable mention goes to Cloud, who only has a (rather big) shoulder pad on his left shoulder. ''Crisis Core'' seems to show that shoulder pads are the only constant in the uniforms of 1st Class [=SOLDIERs=]. Sephiroth and Genesis both seem to have kept the pants underneath their {{Badass Longcoat}}s.
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2'': The Alchemist Job class has shoulderpads very reminiscent of the ones Samus has in her suit--Rikku especially looks like she's wearing the Varia suit, but with TooManyBelts on top of that.
* ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'':
** ''VideoGame/HaloReach'': Some of the Spartans in Noble Team have some rather prominent shoulder pads.
** Some Forerunners had ''floating'' shoulder armor. There's subtle hints that such seemingly-pointless additions are signs of age or growing influence/rank; the Didact lacks them in his younger years before the Human-Forerunner war, and gains two later on in the war. [[spoiler: In ''VideoGame/{{Halo 4}}'' he sports a floating collar/shoulder-pad combo that is perhaps the most prominent piece of his Combat Skin.]]
* M. Bison/Vega/"Dictator" from ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' has massive shoulder pads. They hold a cape, which is apparently [[FlungClothing tear-away]].
* Zio from ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarIV'', whose pads could each double as a chest plate. Shoulders are really important: lots of enemies have huge shoulder armor (or just shoulders), as do some of the [=PCs=]. The trope is played straight, though: the more evil someone is, the bigger their shoulders. The final form of the final boss? Two-thirds of its mass is stuff on its shoulders.

* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'', with [[PoweredArmor Power Armor]] - and Advanced Power Armor, which actually has a smaller helmet ''and'' bigger shoulders. Not to mention most of the other armor's shoulder spikes (metal, tesla). ''And'' [[https://fallout.fandom.com/wiki/Frank_Horrigan Frank Horrigan]].
** ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'' has this most prominently with the Enclave Tesla and Hellfire armors.
** Interestingly, in ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'', the strength of a power armor is apparently inversely proportional to the doominess of its Shoulders of Doom -- the T-45d, with its ridiculous duck fin shoulderpads, is the weakest; the T-51b Power armor is the middle of the road, with oversized Knight Armor shoulderpads; the Enclave Remnants (Advanced) Power Armor and [[spoiler:Gannon Family]] Tesla Armor are the strongest, and the shoulders themselves are fairly small. Though in the case of the Advanced and Tesla armors, it has traded the Shoulders of Doom for a massive hunchback.
*** The non-powered combat armors also have rather bulky shoulders, with the Reinforced Mark II, NCR Ranger, and Riot Gear armors making both genders look like linebackers. Ditto the Reinforced Leather Armor.
*** Some folks, dissatisfied with Creator/{{Obsidian|Entertainment}}'s "skinny tin can" rendering of the Remnants Power armor[[note]]since the ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 2}}'' sprite looked at least as bulky as the T-51b power armor[[/note]], have made [[https://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/47681/ a]] [[https://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/42867/ few]] [[https://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/41298/ mods]] that give it back the bulk, and put the doomy size back in the shoulders. Creator/{{Bethesda}} themselves brought back the doominess with ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 4}}'''s equivalent, the X-01.
** Heck, the primary purpose of most [[PoweredArmor power armor]] seems to be giant shoulders.
** [[SpaceRomans Caesar's Legion]] also have giant shoulder pauldrons, as their armor is made from [[ImprovisedArmour football pads]]. The result, however, is more {{Narm}} than intimidating.
** After power armor got an overhaul in ''Fallout 4'', the shoulders are now bulkier than ever. Especially the T-60c.

* Just about every Juggernaut in ''[[VideoGame/UnrealTournament2004 Unreal Tournament 2003]]'' and ''2004'' sports these.
* The Alt Eisen from ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsCompact2'' brings new meaning to the "Doom" part, as they're actually HumongousMecha-sized titanium ball bearing launchers, the same kind of ball bearings used in Claymore mines. Still, it averts the "evil" part, as it's the male protagonist's mecha.
** Its AlternateUniverse equivalent Alt Eisen Nacht of ''[[VideoGame/EndlessFrontier Super Robot Wars OG Saga: Endless Frontier]]'', however, plays this straight.
*** [[spoiler:Until it joins the heroes as an [[FunWithAcronyms SRW]], anyways]].
** ''Everyone'' in the SRX Team of ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsAlpha'' takes this and runs with it, due to their LatexSpaceSuit. The AscendedFanboy's shoulder pads are large enough to hide countries in.
* The costume editor in the MMORPG ''VideoGame/CityOfVillains'' has all the big shoulderpads you would ever want, many complete with SpikesOfVillainy.
* The gods of ''VideoGame/SoulNomadAndTheWorldEaters'' all have highly ornamental shoulder pads that hover above their true shoulders. Out of the ones you meet, the only one who isn't directly evil is the one who's taken human form and therefore doesn't show them.
* The ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' series. Not villains ''per se'', but the [[MightyGlacier General]] class has shoulder armor ''larger than the helmet''. Several baddies are Generals, since it's the most physically durable class and the lack of mobility doesn't matter when the enemy has to come to you.
** Especially the Black Knight from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance'', who [[spoiler:is a good guy in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn''... kind of.]]
** 9's villain, Ashnard, has these, complete with SpikesOfVillainy!
** In [[VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening Awakening]], the shoulder pads that come standard with Knights and Generals are [[http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130507232102/fireemblem/images/2/24/Kjelle_%28FE13_Artwork%29.png actually shown to be detachable from the rest of their armor]], making them more practical than most other examples.
*** The pauldrons of generic enemy knights are [[ExaggeratedTrope especially pronounced]], forming a [[InTheHood large, metal hood]] [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/fireemblem/images/2/26/Enemy_Knight_Male.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20130119132552 over their heads.]]
* Lord Nasher in ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights2'' has disproportionately big shoulderpads as part of his armor, [[TwentyFourHourArmor which he wears throughout the entire game, even when sitting on his throne]].
** Then again, considering how much crap Neverwinter is generally involved in: If you were the ruler of that city, would you leave your bedroom ''without'' your pauldrons? He was attacked in his own throne room last game. Now he's just CrazyPrepared. [[spoiler:And it comes in handy when he is again attacked in his own throne room.]]
* The fully armored X in ''VideoGame/MegaManX1''.
* [=FlashMan.EXE=] from ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork 3''. He had an attack that ''was'' removing the orbs on his shoulders, raising them up, and releasing a blinding, paralyzing light from it. Metal Man from the same also stored his giant Metal Wheel Boomerangs on his (already huge) shoulders.
** Special mention goes to Punk. In both his ''Battle Network'' appearances and his place in the older ''VideoGame/MegaManClassic'' games his shoulder pads were shells that could ''enclose his entire body''. A similar design is used by Shield Sheldon from ''VideoGame/MegaManX6''. In both cases the shoulders are used for protection and performing special attacks so they're not exactly superfluous.
* Mega Man Geo-Omega from ''VideoGame/MegaManStarForce''.
** In ''VideoGame/MegaMan6'' Rush can turn into a huge pair of shoulder pads that turn Mega Man into Power Mega Man.
* Some mid-game enemy EliteMooks in ''[[VideoGame/LegacyOfKain Blood Omen 2: Legacy of Kain]]'' had truly epicly sized shoulderpads. Those actually served a purpose, making the wearers immune to instakill decapitation attacks. Incidentally, they were the only enemies to carry weapons capable of decapitation...
* Some of the armor sets in ''VideoGame/{{Fable}}'' fit the trope. Especially if the player character is evil.
* Luca Blight from ''VideoGame/SuikodenII'' has these.
* ''VideoGame/SoulCalibur''[='s=] Nightmare has a mutated arm with bio-spikes, and sometimes even a mouth with big nasty teeth. It gets better: in ''Soul Calibur 4'', Zasalamel's 2nd costume's shoulders aren't as big as Nightmare's, but they are freaking ''skulls''. And then there's Siegfried, who has giant spikes made of ice, and even then, there's a character creator with several styles of giant shoulders.

* Most of the non-grunt enemy soldiers, as well as the player character, in the ''VideoGame/{{Crusader}}'' games have shoulder pads.
* ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' villains Shao Kahn and Quan Chi have major SpikesOfVillainy on their Shoulders of Doom.
* Completely averted in ''VideoGame/HalfLife2''. The Combine Overwatch's transhuman soldiers wear very realistic body armor with protective inserts, along with somewhat more-advanced gasmask-helmets. They have no frills or un-necessary parts to their combat armor aside from armbands denoting their rank- after all, if the Overwatch are attacking something, they don't 'need' to intimidate it. It'll just be 'dead'. This is also carried by the sociopathic Metrocops; though in their case, their thuggish brutality, black uniforms, and State Sec-esque look is more than intimidating.
* ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}''
** Samus Aran's Power Suit. The giant shoulders appear starting with the Varia Suit in ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'', which has increased shielding as well as the ability to function perfectly in more extreme temperatures, [[{{Fanon}} causing many players to suggest that some of the components for these features are housed in the shoulders]]. The giant shoulders came to be because in ''VideoGame/MetroidIIReturnOfSamus'', the Game Boy didn't have color, so the developers drew the Varia Suit with big shoulder pads to show the player that they got a new suit.
** In ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime3Corruption'', the shoulders are the housing for the Hazard Shield upgrade, visibly changing after that upgrade is acquired. They make her PED Suit's shoulders have a larger profile.
** ''VideoGame/MetroidDread'' plays with the trope, at least for the [[FanNickname Dread Suit]] variations of this game's Power, Varia, and Gravity suits. Though the shoulders are somewhat large, they're not obtrusively so, letting Samus still have enough space to view whatever's on either side of her. It's most apparent with the Power Suit. The Gravity Suit's shoulders are noticeably larger, playing the trope straighter.
* Daos, of the ''VideoGame/{{Lufia}}'' games. The other male Sinistrals too, but Daos especially.
* ''VideoGame/Jak3Wastelander'' - The Wastelanders' shoulder pads: so big they probably need SuperStrength just to wear them. Several come with SpikesOfDoom.

* ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'' - This is basically all that Mu-12 is wearing in battle...
** [[spoiler: Susanoo]] in ''Central Fiction'' has huge fanged mouths for shoulders.

* The Arishok in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII''.
** And in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'', just about anyone wearing [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin massive armor]]. One shoulder tends to be bigger than the other, but either way, those are some seriously massive shoulders.

* ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar''
** COG armor has prominent shoulder pads, the biggest example being Tai Kaliso's armor in Gears 2, which has an inexplicably huge shoulder guard on the right side. Largely averted in Gears 3 because very few characters have any armor on their arms at all.
** Notably averted with Cole, who is actually the only character that would have serious tackling skills, being a former thrashball player. His arms are so beefy that apparently they don't need any armor.
** Many Locust soldiers, particularly the Theron/Palace Guards, feature some very large shoulder armor.
* Several champions in ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'' have quite ''epic'' pauldrons, most notably Garen, Darius, Riven, Sion, Mordekaiser, Kayle, Xin Zhao, Jarvan IV and (rather oddly) Swain, who unlike the other listed champions is a mage rather than a fighter (although not a SquishyWizard) though his case it is enhanced by his CoatCape.
* Batman from the ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamAsylum'' series has shoulders the size of his own (and everyone else's) head.
* ''VideoGame/BloodySpell'' have one of the last armor upgrades you can equip yourselves with, golden ''spiked'' pauldrons.

* ''Franchise/StarCraft'':
** ''VideoGame/StarCraftI'', and its many flavors of CMC armor. The armor's strength and shoulder size are positively correlated.
** In [[VideoGame/StarCraftII the sequel]], contrary to the page quote, Tychus ''does'' actually make two attempts at tackling people. One successful, one not as much.

* In ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'', epaulets appropriate to a character's level get progressively bigger. Presumably, this is supposed to make more experienced characters look intimidating. However, the usual result is slim characters who look off-balance and bulkier characters who just look ''[[http://i39.tinypic.com/124k20m.jpg excessive]]''.
** When a bug was introduced that reduced the size of the epaulets on the ( otherwise excessive ) Male Orc model to something more benign, there was a gigantic uproar of displeasure. When the bug was fixed, it was fixed to make them larger than the pre-bug state. The addition of more SpikesOfVillainy and bigger shoulder pads is on the way to becoming an EnforcedTrope in ''World Of Warcraft'' development. As seen from the picture, a number of people requested the option to hide the shoulderpads as they can their cloaks and helmets.
** As of the new Transmogrification system introduced in ''Legion'', shoulder armor can now be hidden.
** Shaman class cosmetic gear [[http://i.imgur.com/LKoPl.jpg beats them all]] in the shoulder department.
** There's also [[http://i.imgur.com/OIb2Cg5.jpg this]].

* Several champions in ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'' have quite ''epic'' pauldrons, most notably Garen, Darius, Riven, Sion, Mordekaiser, Kayle, Xin Zhao, Jarvan IV and (rather oddly) Swain, who unlike the other listed champions is a mage rather than a fighter (although not a SquishyWizard).
* ''Diablo''
** The necromancer from ''VideoGame/DiabloII'' has a rather iconic pauldron in the shape of a horned demon skull on one shoulder. In D3 there are [[spoiler:three necromancers who wear an updated version of the same costume, including the pauldron]].
** The archangels Imperius and Tyrael both have this. Tyrael loses one when he becomes mortal. When he reforms the Horadrim, they all have a single, large shoulder pad each, most likely out of respect for Tyrael.

* [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]] in ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}''. Both Pharah and Reinhardt have PoweredArmor with large shouderpads, but in each case the shoulder pads are still somewhat proportional to the rest of the armor; Pharah has jetwings attached to hers, and Reinhardt is a giant anyway.

* The armor of Don Krieg from ''Manga/OnePiece'' has Shoulders of Doom, which conceal some of his huge assortment of [[MoreDakka built-in guns]], and also are removed and used as components for the [[BladeOnAStick Mighty Battle Spear]].

* Subverted in ''Roleplay/RecordOfLodossWar'', where Deedlit is the one with arguably the biggest shoulder-wear. (Of course, ''everyone'' in Lodoss has huge shoulder guards.)
* ''Anime/YuGiOh'' - Seto Kaiba has these weird pointed-shoulder things for his cape. Here, [[http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs42/f/2009/137/3/f/Seto_Kaiba_demotivational_by_randomgibberish.jpg take a look]].

* A given in ''Manga/{{Eyeshield 21}}'' since all the major characters are football players. If anything, many of the antagonists appear to have ''smaller'' shoulder pads, because their bigger builds make the shoulder pads stand out less. As the extras best put it, "Shoulder pads make even our scrawny hero look like a man!"

* ''Anime/{{Patlabor}}'' - The police-modified AV-98 Ingram Labors driven by the Tokyo Police Dept. Special Vehicles Units had giant shoulders, but no one's doom was involved - turns out the shoulders on a HumongousMecha make a great mounting point for a pair of emergency lights.

* Naraku in ''Manga/InuYasha''. After re-forming into a bigger BigBad, he gets what could be called big SpikesOfVillainy holders on shoulders.

* In Creator/OsamuTezuka's ''Phoenix Future'', the villain, Rock usually wears a very business-like outfit consisting of black dresspants, a necktie and a white collared shirt... with apparently superfluous pointy shoulderpads which are nothing more than a vain attempt to look futuristic. Worse yet he actually complains about people who don't dress in ludicrously {{Zeerust}}-y clothes because he sees it as a sign that people have given up hope for humanity's future & have retreated into nostalgia. Note that this may actually be a subversion, as Rock & the society he represents are portrayed as being quite unbalanced.

[[quoteright:349:[[TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/IronSnake.jpg]]]]

* ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'' - The humanoid villains have huge shoulder pads. Also spoofed with Lina's rival, Naga:
-->'''Lina:''' Don't tell me that you just pricked your cheeks with the spikes on your own shoulder pads.

* ''Lightnovel/FullMetalPanic'' - Let's just say that both the Arbalest and the Codarl has well-pronounced shoulders. Doesn't know if it counts but [=M9Es=] has two vertical armor plates mounted onto the upper arms.

* At the end of the ''LightNovel/TrinityBlood'' anime, when [[spoiler: Cain is rampaging through Londinium]], his costume features some impressively spiky shoulder...thingies. And at the ''very end'' of the last episode, [[spoiler: Abel]] apparently decides that the only way to properly combat [[spoiler: his EvilTwin]] is by acquiring some Shoulders of Doom of his own.

%%* ''LightNovel/{{Overlord}}'''s Lord Ainz sports an impressive set.

* ''VideoGame/StarCraft'':

*** Come to think about it, a great chunk of the Retribution wears them. [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking Vyros]] (justified as he's the leader of the Dawnguard), ''all'' their [[MiniMecha Warjacks]], but is more noticeably in the heavy ones. The [[PowerFloats Artificer]] could have them, but it's more like an ''upper body's armor'' of doom. The biggest ones (in proportion, but in size also counts) are worn by their [[HumongousMecha colossals]], the Hyperion and Helios. Just [[http://battlecollege.wikispaces.com/file/view/Hyperion.jpg/352935034/Hyperion.jpg look]] at [[http://i.imgur.com/Q7FgqaX.png?1 them.]]

* Franchise/{{Superman}}'s nemesis Dooms''day'' , however, has possibly the most impressive Shoulders of Doom anywhere in comicdom, despite the fact he doesn't even ''wear'' armor - the ginormous, razorsharp crystalline spikes that sprout from his shoulders are part of his skeleton.

* Wrestling/{{Mistico}} had large shoulders has part of his entrance gear, each curving into a single point, making them look sort of like horns.[[/folder]]

** ''[[Anime/TransformersRobotsInDisguise Robots in Disguise]]'' Scourge has giant shoulders that actually make up the front of his truck mode, a design [[PaletteSwap inherited]] from the ''Generation 2'' Laser Optimus Prime toy he was based on.

* Subverted in ''Roleplay/RecordOfLodossWar'', where TheChick Deedlit is the one with arguably the biggest shoulder-wear. (Of course, ''everyone'' in Lodoss has huge shoulder guards.)

* At the end of the ''LightNovel/TrinityBlood'' anime, when [[spoiler: Cain is rampaging through Londinium]], his costume features some impressively spiky shoulder...thingies. And at the ''very end'' of the last episode, [[spoiler: Abel]] apparently decides that the only way to properly combat [[spoiler: his EvilTwin]] is by acquiring some ShouldersOfDoom of his own.

* ''ComicBook/IronMan'' - When Iron Man first got his iconic red-and-gold armor, he only had rings around where the sleeves connect to the chestpiece. With the introduction of the Silver Centurion armor in 1985, though, he got big triangular ShouldersOfDoom... which he even once used ''against a building'' (to provide a distraction for Ant Man to hack into the building's computers at Tony's behest). Shoulder armor has been incorporated into many subsequent designs, including Comicbook/WarMachine.
** Iron Monger had massive ShouldersOfDoom. TheEighties version of Crimson Dynamo and the Gremlin version of Titanium Man also had pretty doomy shoulder armor. [[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture Iron Man 2020]] features a spiked version of the original red-and-gold's shoulder rings.
** Actually, while the Silver Centurion armor is the most well-known version of Iron Man's ShouldersOfDoom, it was back during the ComicBook/SecretWars1984 (when Jim Rhodes was subbing for Tony Stark) that first gave him his shoulder pads. His armor was damaged in a fight against the villains and Reed Richards had to rebuild it for him with the technology from their base. Richards decided that as long as he was fixing up the armor, why not give it moar powah?

* Every single infantry trooper from ''TabletopGame/MutantChronicles'' is guilty. One of the hero units, [[ScaryBlackMan Big Bob Watts]] even has a pair of {{BFG}}s strapped to his. [[DemonicInvaders Dark Legion]] commanders also have ShouldersOfDoom, adorned with SpikesOfVillainy for the quintessential Evil Look. Some models even have shoulder pads the size of European cars and no other armor to attach them to.
* Major Q9 in ''TabletopGame/HeroScape'' is a soulborg with pauldrons that are the size of his freaking body and tower over his head, almost like the forbidden love child between ShouldersOfDoom and VerticalMechaFins. Deathwalker 9000 has some pretty wicked shoulders going on, too.

** Interestingly, in ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'', the strength of a power armor is apparently inversely proportional to the doominess of its Shoulders of Doom -- the T-45d, with its ridiculous duck fin shoulderpads, is the weakest; the T-51b Power armor is the middle of the road, with oversized Knight Armor shoulderpads; the Enclave Remnants (Advanced) Power Armor and [[spoiler:Gannon Family]] Tesla Armor are the strongest, and the shoulders themselves are fairly small. Though in the case of the Advanced and Tesla armors, it has traded the ShouldersOfDoom for a massive hunchback.

* ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' villains Shao Kahn and Quan Chi have major SpikesOfVillainy on their ShouldersOfDoom.

** In ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime3Corruption'', the shoulders are the housing for the Hazard Shield upgrade, visibly changing after that upgrade is acquired.

* ''LightNovel/{{Overlord}}'''s Lord Ainz sports an impressive set.
* [[MesACrowd Muraki]], one of the Scar bosses from ''Manga/MobPsycho100'' wears these as part of his "super villain" aesthetic and for guarding his shoulders. [[OnlySaneMan Reigen]] flat out states what they're really for.
-->'''Reigen:''' [[BrutalHonesty They're fashion accessories.]] [[ArmorPiercingResponse They don't serve any real purpose.]]

* ''Webcomic/TheNoob'' gives us [[http://www.thenoobcomic.com/index.php?pos=355 this]].

* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' likes this trope, to the point that it's joked that you can measure a model's importance either by the quality of his [[NiceHat hat]] or the size of his [[https://1d4chan.org/wiki/Pauldrons pauldrons]]. [[http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/File:The_Emperor.jpg#.T5RRsNW9Hpc For example...]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* Canadian Infantry armour features some nice shoulder pads, which indeed increases the level of badass nicely.
** Russian [[http://ohrana.ru/upload/img/Leonid/Broniki/.thumbs/48e75525becbfc31a21b451688fb5618_500_0_0.jpg 6B43 body armor]] was explicitly nicknamed "[[TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}} Imperial Guard]]'s t-shirt" by the [[ArmchairMilitary Internet military buffs]] as soon as its photos appeared.
* American football players, though they're not considered evil. (Although the ones that do a lot of tackling—mostly defense positions—have a reputation for psychopathy, e.g. [[Series/{{Farscape}} "Oh, we call them linebackers. Or serial killers, depends on if they're professional or amateur."]]) Ice hockey players, too, as evidenced by their protruding pads in their uniforms, and that the sport is also full-contact like American football.
* Many European armours from the first half of the 16th century feature "Haute Pieces," vertical guards added to the pauldron (shoulder armour) to protect the neck and head. They can get pretty ridiculous.
* TheForties and TheEighties. Exaggerated shoulder-padding on womens' suits was even ''called'' ''power-dressing''.
* The Roman [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorica_segmentata ''lorica segmentata'']] features small but incredibly iconic shoulder guards.
** These were beefed up and made far larger and heavier in the second century AD, after Emperor Domititian's first failed campaign in what is now modern-day Romania. The super-heavy Dacian sword was just ''too'' effective at lopping off whole sword-arms at the shoulder. Heavier armour was introduced, at least on the sword-side shoulder and upper arm, to defend against this.
** Which actually inspired the shoulder pieces of [[StateSec Inquisitorial]] PowerArmor in [[TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}} 40K]].
* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epaulette "Epaulettes"]] were specifically made to invoke this.
* Japanese {{Samurai}} armor included some often rectangular and ''excessive'' looking shoulderguards, called ''Sode'', [[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a6/Samurai_on_horseback0.jpg at their most distinctive around 1100 AD.]] They were meant for extra protection against arrows [[HorseArcher on horseback while keeping a hand free for firing a longbow]], which was the primary combat method of samurai for early Japanese warfare.
* Some stegosaurs, like ''Kentrosaurus'' and ''Tuojiangosaurus'' had long horns growing out of their shoulders. This made it harder for predators to take a bite out of them.
* Earlier, a Triassic archosaur distantly related to dinosaurs called ''Desmatosuchus'' had also evolved horns growing just above the shoulders.
[[/folder]]

--> '''Wheeljack:''' Who put Shoulderpads in charge?

-->'''Leonardo:''' Maybe all that hardware is for making coleslaw.

* ''Animation/HappyHeroes'': In the first two episodes, main series villain Big M.'s armor has two shoulder pads with spikes on them, a feature that none of the other non-MonsterOfTheWeek villains have. [[EarlyInstallmentCharacterDesignDifference They don't appear from episode 3 onwards.]]

* Prince Vladimir Tzepesci of the ''TabletopGame/IronKingdoms'', a Khadoran warcaster based on [[{{Dracula}} Vlad Tepes]], has very large shoulder pads on his armor; his more experienced Epic version takes this to ridiculous extremes. This has given him the FanNickname of "Captain No-Peripheral Vision".

* [=FlashMan.EXE=] from ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork 3''. He had an attack that ''was'' removing the orbs on his shoulders, raising them up, and releasing a blinding, paralyzing light from it. There's a reason Reynard named him [[FanNickname Shoulder Man]]...Metal Man from the same also stored his giant Metal Wheel Boomerangs on his (already huge) shoulders.

The overall psychology behind this is TruthInTelevision. Broad shoulders are associated with power and strength, and are considered an attractive physical trait in men. During the [[TheEighties 1980s]], shoulder pads worn beneath clothing was a popular fashion trend among women, as it was a time when they began becoming commonplace in formerly male-dominated roles and activities; the broad shoulders (along with [[PowerHair shorter, yet not fully androgynous hair styles]]) allowed them to blend in with the traditional image of professionalism and authority.

* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epaulette "Epaulettes"]] were specificly made to invoke this.

Also known as [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pauldron pauldrons]]. Be it pads, armor, or epaulets, the BigBad and TheHero have the biggest shoulder-wear.

** After power armor got an overhaul in ''Fallout 4'', the shoulders are now bulkier than ever. Especially the T-60.