History Main / SleevesAreForWimps

* One episode of ''Series/{{Wishbone}}'' had Joe, in an attempt to fit in with some teenage basketball players, take scissors to his T-shirts while Wishbone commented, "Okay, ''why'' don't we like sleeves anymore?"

* ''ComicBook/BatwomanRebirth'' villain Knife wears what is essentially a sleeveless SpyCatsuit.
* Namor the Comicbook/SubMariner and Thing from ComicBook/FantasticFour often [[MonsterModesty only wear speedos]] but when they do wear costumes with shirts, their arms will be bare.

* Comicbook/{{Hawkeye}} from ''ComicBook/TheAvengers'' and ''Comicbook/{{Thunderbolts}}'', usually had sleeveless costumes, as did his alternate reality counterpart in ComicBook/TheUltimates. ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes'' lampshaded this in a ShirtlessScene, where he has a very prominent farmers tan.
* A number of Gary Frank's redesigns for the ''ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes'' lack sleeves. This has been pointed out by the fans.
* The original costume worn by Comicbook/TheMightyThor invoked this trope, as did the alternate costumes he wore in the '90s while he was mortal. His current costume covers his arms with chainmail.

* Badass bad guy version (GenderBlenderName notwithstanding): Jody from ''Comicbook/{{Preacher}}''.
* Comicbook/TheSavageDragon often wears tank tops and has even worn trench coats and police uniforms with the sleeves ripped off. Sometimes, it is the result of ClothingDamage but sometimes, it's because [[LampshadeHanging he's too big for normal-sized clothes]].
* Comicbook/SheHulk often goes sleeveless as well.

* ComicBook/WonderWoman, [[ComicBook/WonderGirl Donna Troy]], and ComicBook/{{Artemis}} go sleeveless.
* Some of Comicbook/{{X 23}}'s costumes expose her arms.

* ''Fanfic/SOE2LoneHeirOfKrypton'': In this crossover Rei is ''Comicbook/WonderGirl''. Her costume lacks sleeves, and she only wears bracers on her arms.

** ''Film/XMenOriginsWolverine'': Pre-transformation [[Creator/RyanReynolds Wade]] [[ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} Wilson]] kicks ass in a red sleeveless shirt.

** ''Film/{{Deadpool}}'': Colossus again. His default outfit is a sleeveless tank top. In both this movie and the sequel.

* Several ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' characters, including [[MakingASplash Aqualad]], Red Arrow, [[FlyingBrick Wonder Girl]] and [[Franchise/GreenLantern Guy Gardner]]. In Aqualad's case, it also shows off the {{Power Tattoo}}s on his arms; he usually wears a long-sleeved jacket when he needs to be inconspicuous.

* Music/{{Eminem}} wore them in his youth as part of his [[LowerClassLout trailer-trash]] persona. He mostly stopped wearing them as he got into middle age, but he frequently references them in his lyrics ("used to wear wifebeaters, [[FetishizedAbuser now I let your wife beat me]]").

* [[Creator/DonLaFontaine Coming this summer]], ''Creator/BruceWillis'' plays an angry man in a dirty tank top.
** It's so much his trademark that in ''Film/TheFifthElement'', Willis is at the opera wearing a tux that gets severely damaged in the ensuing battle, resulting in a ''sleeveless tux''!

-->'''Johnston:''' [[CatchPhrase "Badasses don't wear sleeves!"]]

* Both used and averted by Ben Reilly from ''Franchise/SpiderMan''. His ComicBook/ScarletSpider costume consisted of a red spandex suit covering his entire body - including his arms - and a blue hooded top with the arms ripped off.
* ''ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}''. Several of his costumes have involved a full-body spandex suit, which leaves bare only the lower half of his face...and his arms.

[[folder:Pro Wrestling]]
* Too many wrestlers to name, including Wrestling/HulkHogan. Face it, you're lucky if they wear a shirt at all, let alone sleeves.
** [[MrFanservice Right... Lucky.]]

* Capcom from ''Webcomic/{{Consolers}}'' has the [[FashionableAsymmetry left sleeve]] of her MartialArtsUniform ripped off.

** {{Inverted|Trope}} with [[RatedMForManly Kirishima]]: His hero outfit [[WalkingShirtlessScene lacks a shirt]], but he eventually adds sleeves so that his Quirk (which makes his skin as hard as stone) won't hurt people when he rescues them.

* Most ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' female characters. Expect some of them to also [[BareMidriffsAreFeminine bare their midriff]].
** [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Cloud Strife]] too.
** [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII Squall Leonhart]] wears a black sleeveless shirt as one of his alternate outfits in Dissidia 012. Also comes with a [[ChainedByFashion badass chain]] wrapped around his left arm.
** Oddly enough, in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'', Ashe, Penelo, and Fran all have some sort of sleeves, while the sleeveless ones are Vaan and Basch. Ashe doesn't have anything covering her shoulders, but she does wear sleeves covering the top of her arms. Many NPC wear sleeveless tops.
*** ''VideoGame/CrisisCore'' has fun with this since the standard SOLDIER uniform has a sleeveless turtleneck as the top. Zack certainly made it work.
* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts''
** Riku very, ''very'' rarely wears sleeves, and never by choice. His "[[EvilCostumeSwitch Dark]] [[SuperMode Mode]]" is a bodysuit that includes sleeves, but considering it looks like muscle tissue, it's arguable if it counts. He doesn't modify his [[BlackCloak Organization cloak]], which means it covers his arms, but that's mostly because he's posing as an Organization member and NonUniformUniform is not a thing with those guys. His [[Film/TronLegacy Grid]] outfit comes with sleeves, but he didn't have a say in that one. His current outfit as of ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'' does have the shortest T-shirt sleeves you've ever seen, but it's a darkness-protection outfit made by [[OldMaster Master]] [[RetiredBadass Yen Sid]], so you don't exactly say 'no' to that.
** Kairi has a similar aversion to sleeves. Her school uniform in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'' has the sleeves visibly rolled up, and her darkness-protection outfit in ''III'' gets to be sleeveless as well.
* Lewis, lead singer in an electric punk band in ''VideoGame/{{Primal}}'' wears a white tank top, [[spoiler:even when he's a demon]].
* Purge in ''VideoGame/SpaceChannel5 Part 2'' is found to have a Sleeveless Purple Disco Suit underneath his Cloak.
* Apollo Justice, of the ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' franchise, wears a sleeveless vest over a sleeveless shirt. He's on a quest to end injustice ''and'' sleeves.
* The protagonist of ''VideoGame/CaveStory'' wears a tank top. Humorously enough, he appears a bit on the scrawny side, but he's much stronger than he looks [[spoiler:seeing as he's a robot]].
* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'':
** Sonic's flesh-coloured arms that contrast with his blue fur gives him this effect, though he does have [[AdaptationDyeJob blue arms that give the effect of sleeves in other adaptations]] such as ''WesternAnimation/SonicBoom'' and the ''[[Film/SonicTheHedgehog2020 Sonic]] [[Film/SonicTheHedgehog22022 Film Universe]]''.
** Another FunnyAnimal with flesh-coloured arms is Mighty the Armadillo, a character who cumulates SuperStrength and SuperToughness.
* [[BadassDriver Torn and Sig]] in ''[[VideoGame/JakAndDaxter Jak X: Combat Racing]]'' both wear sleeveless shirts. [[AntiHero Jak]] himself had his sleeves removed in the beginning of ''VideoGame/{{Jak 3|Wastelander}}''.
* Carver in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' and Hawke (if played as a mage) adhere to this in the opening act.
* Billy and Jimmy Lee from the ''VideoGame/DoubleDragon'' beat-em-ups both wore sleeveless vests and shirts. Curiously, in [[Film/DoubleDragon1994 the movie]], where Billy wore a blue long-sleeve sweatshirt and Jimmy wore a red t-shirt, they spent most of the movie screaming and running away from the bad guys, making it a literal example of this trope.
* Being a ninja, ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden'' main character Ryu Hayabusa almost completely covers his body, but still leaves his sculpted arms on display.
* Rick exhibited this trope in the original ''VideoGame/{{Splatterhouse}}'' trilogy. In the 2010 game, he's instead a WalkingShirtlessScene.
* More or less justified about half-way through ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersiaTheSandsOfTime''. Due to ClothingDamage, the prince's full shirt eventually degrades to a sleeveless shirt, then [[ShirtlessScene nonexistent]]. It's shown that he is [[FromDressToDressing using the scraps of cloth as bandages]].
* In ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara'' we have Kuroda Kanbe and his ragged, sleeveless jacket. While he may not be the most badass character in the series, but needs no excuse to showcase those arms of his.
* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':
** In ''VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire'', specifically Emerald Version, the female player character does not wear sleeves. Seeing as she has just recently gone through puberty and [[ActionGirl saved her country from being destroyed by a]] YinYangClash, she definitely qualifies. Her ''Manga/PokemonAdventures'' counterpart [[WildChild also qualifies]]. She also ditches the sleeves in her ''Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire'' outfit. [[SpearCounterpart Brendan]] is a partial example, as his sleeves are significantly shorter in his ''Emerald'' outfit.
** The female player character of ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'' wears the tank-top plus vest variant and takes down legendary and pseudo-legendary alike with little difficulty.
** For an example that involves an actual Pokémon, Incineroar has some black tufts of fur around its shoulders that gives it the impression of it having ripped sleeves. This is especially fitting as its torso is supposed to resemble a tank top.
** Another Pokémon example: Cinderace's fur patterns are supposed to evoke a soccer uniform, and the blue neighboring its shoulders evokes the sleeveless top variant.
* ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou'': [[EmoTeen Neku]] [[IneffectualLoner Sakuraba]] and [[EmbarrassingFirstName Daisukenojo]] [[BoisterousBruiser "Beat"]] [[BigBrotherInstinct Bito]].

* The Fire Clan from the ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'' games tend to go sleeveless. It's justified by the fact that they have scales and spikes on their shoulders, which would make clothing in those areas difficult. Karst also plays up the {{fanservice}} aspect with a pair of long gloves.
** Played straight by Eoleo in ''Dark Dawn'', to the delight of [[MrFanservice fangirls everywhere]].
* When [[TheCoatsAreOff discarding his greatcoat]], Adam Jensen from ''VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution'' wears an armored vest that leaves his biomechanical arms exposed.
* Ulysses from ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' manages to combine this with BadassLongcoat and BadassBandolier when he finally shows up in Lonesome Road. After the DLC, you get both his coat and your own version with a [[WearingAFlagOnYourHead symbol based on your chosen faction]].
* Inverted in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'' by the people of Ordon, where sleeves are apparently only worn by trained warriors like Rusl. Link, his understudy at the beginning, only wears one sleeve, while the other farmers and young boys go sleeveless.
* [[VideoGame/{{Strider}} Strider Hiryu's]] ninja getup puts his nicely toned arms on display.
* Kyle VideoGame/{{Blackthorne}}.
* Makoto of ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'' only wore sleeves as part of the Military Academy's dress code - her combat outfit and her Amane-induced makeover are both sleeveless.

* Ranger Ken in ''VideoGame/TyTheTasmanianTiger'' wears a khaki shirt with the sleeves torn off.
* ''Franchise/{{Doom}}'':
** [[VideoGame/{{Doom}} In the]] [[VideoGame/DoomII original]] [[VideoGame/Doom64 trilogy]], Doomguy wears a protective armor, but [[https://doom.fandom.com/wiki/B.J._Blazkowicz?file=MarineDoom1Ending.jpg his arms are]] [[https://doom.fandom.com/wiki/B.J._Blazkowicz?file=Doom64endingscreen.jpg plainly exposed]]: you can see it when he punches an enemy in first-person view.
** All the space marines of ''VideoGame/Doom3'' wear uniforms with exposed arms, including [[https://doom.fandom.com/wiki/B.J._Blazkowicz?file=Doom3Ending.jpg the playable character]]. While he's not considered as impressive as the original Doomguy, he's still a OneManArmy who stops a demonic invasion almost all by himself, which is at least as noticeable when you consider the demons in question are even closer to {{Eldritch Abomination}}s than your usual ''Doom'' demons.
** While ''VideoGame/Doom2016'' [[https://doom.fandom.com/wiki/Doom_Slayer?file=DoomSalyerQuakeWebBio.png averts this]], part of the Doom Slayer's redesign for ''Videogame/DoomEternal'' [[https://doom.fandom.com/wiki/Doom_Slayer?file=3692FCC3-B4DD-4DE9-B57C-7E7569BF0154.png removes the upper arm area in his otherwise perfectly protective armor]], while also giving him the sort of demon-throttling biceps that wouldn't fit in ''any'' armor. As a side bonus, [[MythologyGag it makes him look even more like the original Doomguy]]. You can also unlock the original Doomguy outfit to wear in the game for good measure too. [[spoiler:[[CanonCharacterAllAlong There's a reason for that.]]]]
* In VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}, Zarya's default outfit is armor that covers her entire body except for her head and biceps. Some of her alternate skins (like her [[TheEighties Totally '80s]] outfit) are also sleeveless.
* Inverted with V from ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry5''. He wears a long sleeveless coat without a shirt on, which shows off his [[PowerTattoo Power Tattoos]], but his scrawny arms helps exemplify how physically weak he is.
* In ''VideoGame/BarrySteakfries'' series of games, a titular character has a "shirt-ripping decease": if he gets [[HotBlooded too excited]], he will rip the sleeves off his shirt, which means that his default appearance is a blue work suit with jagged edges.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}'', both [[TheSmartOne Kris]] and [[TheBigGirl Susie]], who usually cover their arms with a sweater and a jacket, lose them for sleeveless knight and barbarian outfits: while Susie is the strong one, she and Kris an incredible determination to save light and {{dark world}}s, and unlike [[TheCutie Ralsei]] (the sensitive guy of the trio, who wears CuteOversizedSleeves), they don't mind resorting to violence to accomplish this goal.
* The default outfit of ''VideoGame/DukeNukem'' is rangers, blue jeans, [[CoolShades sunglasses]], suspenders attached to a belt for his ammo, and a red-tank-top that leaves his big arms and the top of his torso exposed.

* VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc has the Ultimate Martial Artist, [[HugeSchoolgirl Sakura Oogami]] who wears a [[SailorFuku sailor uniform]] with jagged edges where the sleeves should be, which is understandable given how huge her biceps are.

* As does Dinosaur Soldier from ''Webcomic/AxeCop''. But ''only'' in that form, otherwise he's wearing a shirt or tie or essentially naked.

* In ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', the djinn in the MUD [[AuthorAvatar Dan]] plays [[http://www.egscomics.com/egsnp.php?id=96 wears a vest with jagged arm holes]] suggesting it was a jacket that had its sleeves cut off.
* Capcom from ''Webcomic/{{Consolers}}'' has the [[FashionableAsymmetry left sleeve]] of her MartialArtsUniform ripped off.

* Part of monster hunter Kelly's partially armored hunting duds in ''Webcomic/HereThereBeMonsters'' involves a sleeveless vest over a tank top, all the better to expose her toned biceps.
* ''Webcomic/ModernMoGal'': Dino always wears a sleeveless shirt, adding to his FaceOfAThug look. It doesn't help that at least one of them looks like it's had its sleeves torn off.

* ''Literature/TheRoadToHell'': Shurrmvin Colmz wears an open vest and trousers whenever he's not out on the battlefield wearing armor.

* In Fight of the Living Dead, Tré decides to rip off the sleeves of his expensive shirt. It's never really explained why.
* In the second campaign of ''WebVideo/CriticalRole'', Beau prefers to wear sleeveless outfits befitting her Monk class. Her player, Creator/MarishaRay, is known for the motto "Sleeves are bullshit" and tends to wear tank tops and other sleeveless clothing almost all the time.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'':
** Korra shows off well-toned arms with a sleeveless outfit. She even tries to roll up the sleeves and cape on her airbending training uniform. She doesn't even usually wear sleeves in the winter or at the South Pole (except when she's wearing her coat), her season two outfit has detached sleeves that still show her shoulders, and even her formal wear is sleeveless.
** When Bolin is [[spoiler: saving the president at the Pro-Bending arena]], he tears of the sleeves of his jacket ([[CoincidentalAccidentalDisguise inadvertently matching the character he plays]], Nuktuk, Hero of the South, who NEVER wears sleeves despite living at the South Pole) before kicking some [[spoiler: serious Northern Water Tribe]] ass.
** Wei and Wing, Suyin's two metalbending sons, have yet to wear sleeves on their shirts. Considering that they're always fighting or playing a Pinball-esque metalbending game, it's practical. It also [[IdenticalTwinIDTag helps show the bracelet on their biceps. Wei wears his on his left arm, Wing on his right.]]

* [[TheAhnold Jorgan Von Strangle]] from ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'' enjoys showing off his muscles, so naturally sleeves are a pet peeve of his.
* ComicBook/TheWasp goes sleeveless in ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes''. Thor used to go sleeveless during the first season.
* As his Movie and Comic counterpart, Hawkeye goes sleeveless in ''WesternAnimation/AvengersAssemble''
* The title character from ''WesternAnimation/MajorLazer.'' [[JustifiedTrope Somewhat justified]] since [[ArmCannon one of his arms is a frickin' laser cannon.]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/StaticShock'', after Static [[CostumeEvolution swaps the white t-shirt he wears under his jacket for a black sleeveless shirt]], he often forgoes the jacket in warmer weather; when he visits Africa in one episode, for example.
* In ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'', both Aquaman and Hawkman are mostly shirtless, while Wonder Woman wears her usual strapless outfit, Hawkgirl wears a strapless suit and later a tank top during the series.
* The Gems in ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' all have default outfits with either very short sleeves (for example: Garnet, Sapphire, and Steven) or no sleeves; which possibly fits them into this trope since Gems are generally physically much stronger than humans.
* ''WesternAnimation/CleopatraInSpace'': In episode 2, Cleo personalizes her school uniform to something closer to what she was used in Egypt, which essentially consist in removing the sleeve parts, baring her shoulders and arms.
* WesternAnimation/KimPossible [[InvertedTrope inverts this trope.]] She usually wears a sleeveless tank top as part of her civilian outfit, but her mission outfit has a shirt with full-length sleeves. Although there have been times that she has had to engage in combat when still dressed in her everyday clothes.

* Franchise/{{Rambo}} - [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a3/Rambo3poster.jpg one of the archetypal examples of the tank top version]]

* Creator/CharlieSheen's character in ''Film/MajorLeague'' has to be reminded that "we wear sleeves in the majors." Later, when the team does an American Express ad, he's wearing a Tux, with the sleeves ripped off.
** When his catcher takes Vaughn out to dinner, he chooses a place that requires ties. He shows up with his regular outfit...plus a tie. His first line? "I feel like a banker."
* Captain Picard [[http://home.nvg.org/~lene/startrek/picard_borg_queen_spine.JPG busts out the guns]] near the end of ''Film/StarTrekFirstContact'' to emphasize how ''done'' he is with all these Borg.
** Lampshaded in the parody ''Sev Trek: Pus in Boots''
-->'''Lt. Beta:''' Captain, what happened to your uniform?\\
'''Cptn. Pinchhard:''' It's the Captain's prerogative to strip down during action scenes.
* Cameron Poe from ''Film/ConAir'' is recognizable from his wifebeater and bandaged arm. [[http://kellobear.deviantart.com/art/NICOLAS-FUCKING-CAGE-213948547 Even for female cosplayers.]]
* The Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse has a few examples of sleeveless badasses. Thor, Sif, and Hawkeye usually go without sleeves. There are several scenes in ''Film/IronMan'', showing Tony Stark working in his lab without sleeves. Thor goes without sleeves at the beginning of ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'', but gets them back when things get serious.
* During his training with Yoda in ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'', Luke wore a tank top to [[http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_btPLpTZdSHQ/S8nT64eRPZI/AAAAAAAABeY/SttetG4SLZw/s1600/Luke-Yoda.jpg show off his physique.]]
* [[Film/EscapeFromNewYork Snake Plissken]] whenever he loses his BadassLongcoat.
* Burt Reynolds in ''Film/{{Deliverance}}''.
* In ''Film/ShowdownInLittleTokyo'' Kenner (Dolph Lundgren) takes off his jacket several times to walk around in a tank top and show off his arms.
* Patrick, the cult leader in ''Film/MarthaMarcyMayMarlene'', is often shown wearing just a tank top.
* As with her comic and Animated counterpart, Wonder Woman wears a strapless battle armor in the ''Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse''
* Played with in ''Film/{{Spiders}}'', in where the lead character Marci Eyre loses layers of shirts during the second act, that the only shirt she has left is a white tank top, it is after she's left in her tank top that she [[TookALevelInBadass takes a level in badass]].
** John Murphy also wears a sleeveless shirt when he and Marci team up.
** In the sequel ''Film/SpidersIIBreedingGround'' after taking off her black shirt, the lead character Alexandra is wearing a gray tank top when she fights off the spiders, free's Jason, messes up with the lab and fights off Grbac.
* Angela Vidal in the fourth ''Film/{{REC}}'' movie wears a tank top after she ditches her long-sleeved shirt before she takes out an axe as she tries to escape the ship she's at.
* In ''Film/{{Curve}}'' after Mallory Rutledge manages to escape her car which she was stuck on, she takes off her hoodie, wearing her white tank top as she heads out to confront the man that put her in her current situation.
* In ''Film/TheDescent'' as Sarah tries to save herself from one of the creatures that live in the cave she's stuck in, she takes off her shirt and remains in her tank top as she tries to escape and combat the creature that is attacking her.
* ''Film/TheWarriors'': The title gang mostly wear shirtless vests, and several other gangs wear tank tops as part of their uniform.
* ''Film/{{Hunk}}'': After O'Brien tells him "true hunks don't follow trends, they start them", Hunk rips the sleeves off all his shirts: [[YouAreTheNewTrend starting a look that is immediately copied by all of the other yuppies]].

* In ''Literature/StarWarsAllegiance'', Mara Jade's black combat jumpsuit has removable sleeves. She takes them off in this book because the freighter where she is is overwarm. Also, her signature costume is a sleeveless SpyCatsuit.

* ''Literature/DestinedToLead'': All the characters in the first book are this containing both male ''and'' female examples, particularly notable is Kajiya, the main character. Justified in that her left shoulder shows the mark of magic, marking her as the next leader of their tribe.

* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': The Unsullied's armor doesn't cover their arms.
* Ash from ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' wears this all the time, and has a mullet to go along with it. Though Ash doesn't do any actual ass-kicking in the show, he gets Badassery by pure [[TheSmartGuy brains]] and Memetic Mutation; and for bonus points, there's a sign on his door which says "Dr. Badass is... IN/OUT".

* One episode of ''Series/{{Wishbone}}'' had Joe, in an attempt to fit in with some teenage basketball players, take scissors to his T-shirts while Wishbone commented, "Okay, ''why'' don't we like sleeves anymore?"

* Here's a female example: In ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|2003}}'', number Six always dresses appropriately for whatever she's doing. When she's being a badass she wears a tank-top.

* Mac, the wanna-be tough guy in ''Series/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'' often wears sleeveless shirts (to the point of cutting the sleeves off of almost any shirt, including polos and other collared shirts). One of the other castmembers calls him on it.

* Mike, a bully on ''Series/{{Community}}''.
* Percival from ''Series/{{Merlin|2008}}'', the largest of the Knights of the Round Table, has sleeveless ''armour''.
* Tearing the sleeves off of the work uniform seems to be in the employee manual at [[Series/AmericanRestoration Rick's Restorations]]
* When Creator/StephenColbert is about to rock out on the guitar, he knows that the first thing you do is [[http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/061221/061221_colbertContest_hmed_12p.grid-6x2.jpg rip the sleeves off your suit.]]

* White sleeveless muscle shirts gained the nickname "wifebeaters" due to their frequent appearance on domestic violence suspects on ''Series/{{Cops}}''.
* Hawkman and White Canary in ''Series/LegendsOfTomorrow''.
* In ''Series/TourOfDuty'', Anderson rarely wears his uniform shirt when out in the field, preferring to wear his equipment harness over a tank top, so his well-muscles arms are on full display.
* On ''Series/TheCosbyShow'', Theo cuts the sleeves off an expensive sweatshirt Cliff bought him. [[note]]Cliff tells him that, someday, somehow, he is going to wear those sleeves.[[/note]]

* Everyone in ''Pinball/LaserWar'' wears identical sleeveless spandex jumpsuits, differentiated only by their Army's color.
* In ''Pinball/FlashGordon,'' Flash is always shown with his muscular arms bared.

%% (ZCE) * ''[[VideoGame/SoulSeries SoulCalibur]]'': Xiba.
* CJ from ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas'' starts out wearing a white tank top, though it's played with in that he starts out rather scrawny and only plays this straight after hitting the gym.

* ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'': Francis [[MemeticMutation doesn't hate vests]].
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfTianding'' has two of the bosses, the Japanese mercenary powerhouse Nakamura and the elite assassin Chen Liang-jiou, whose outfits forgoes sleeves so their muscles are on full display during battle.

* Over in SNK's territory, [[VideoGame/ArtOfFighting Ryo and Yuri Sakazaki]] (Robert varies between this and long sleeves) and [[VideoGame/FatalFury Terry and Andy Bogard]] appear to have shared the same paper cutter when it comes to their fashion sense. One of them then lent it to [[VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters Shen Woo]].

* Quattro in ''Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam'' (although he doesn't look as big as most of the other examples here)

* All of [[WolfMan Zafira's]] clothes in ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' are like this, from the black wife-beater he wore on his first meeting with Hayate to the Knight Clothing that he uses now.
* In the anime version of ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'', (apart from an early pastel orange shirt with a cutesy bow-tie) Ranma's "trademark" Chinese shirt has no sleeves and he's usually shown wearing arm bracers. In the manga, the closest equivalent shirt had short sleeves -- in fact, there was also a manga version that had long sleeves (particularly when Ranma was in female form), but the anime, most likely due to budget reasons, suffered from something of a LimitedWardrobe. Though that didn't prevent both of the aforementioned manga shirts popping up on occasion. Ryoga Hibiki also occasionally wore a tattered, sleeveless shirt, which looked as though the sleeves were ripped off, but he's somewhat better known for a long-sleeved shirt.
** The long sleeves version shows up in the first movie and [=OAV=]s at the very least
** [[EmbarrassingFirstName Pantyhose Taro]] always wears a vest with a snakeskin pattern, with no shirt underneath.

* ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'''s Archer, whenever he takes his skirt-coat off. He never does this in the original game, but it's almost his default outfit in ''Hollow Ataraxia''.
* In ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'', [[AntiHero Guts]] is almost always gloriously without sleeves. His scrawny young companion [[KidSamurai Isidro]] also has his trademark sleeveless jacket, probably because he's trying to look tough.
* Although not quite as all-encompassing as many of the other examples, Kaidou Kaoru from ''Manga/ThePrinceOfTennis'' wears sleeveless shirts whenever he's not in school uniform.
* Ryoma has the cut-off variant in ''New Manga/GetterRobo''
* Phoenix Ikki, Cygnus Hyoga, Unicorn Jabu, and Pegasus Seiya from ''Manga/SaintSeiya'''s civilian clothing include sleeveless shirts. In Hyoga's case, it looks like they were torn off.
* Well, [[Manga/GameXRush Yuuki]] ''does'' seem pretty badass, and he seems to avoid sleeves whenever possible.
* Manga/FullmetalAlchemist Edward Elric typically wears a black jacket, a long, red coat, and white gloves, but frequently invokes this trope either via AdrenalineMakeover or to lecture someone on why human alchemy is bad. His automail arm [[https://www.deviantart.com/weregesu/art/FMA-WP2-68689184 increases this trope's intended effect exponentially.]]

* In ''Anime/NinjaScroll'', Jubei prepares for the final showdown with the BigBad. It's all or nothing now, no more kid gloves, it's all come down to this. What's the very first thing Jubei does to prepare for the greatest fight of his life? ...He rips off his sleeves.
* In ''Manga/KiniroMosaic'', Karen comes to school once with her vest over a shirt that she has ripped the sleeves off of, leaving jagged edges. She insists she can get away with it because it's super cool, but quickly gets out a normal shirt when it's suggested her parents will find out.
* In ''Literature/KyoKaraMaoh'', Jozak only ever seems to wear sleeves when he's [[WholesomeCrossdresser in women's clothes]], and not always then, either -- much to Yuuri's horror when he sees the huge biceps on the "lady" flirting with him when Jozak is first introduced. Although he's not the ''best'' physical fighter of the cast, he is the CombatPragmatist, and the one who spends the most time on the front lines/roaming the wilderness, since he's a spy and most of the rest of them are aristocrats of some kind.
* If a shirt isn't sleeveless when Manga/{{Toriko}} puts it on, it will probably become so shortly.
* Kojiro Hyuga in ''Manga/CaptainTsubasa'' always plays with his sleeves rolled up. Even out of the matches it's pretty rare to see him with his arms covered.
* Inverted in ''Literature/{{Katanagatari}}'' Shichika wear sleeves but only sleeves, no shirt. His torso [[WalkingShirtlessScene remain uncovered]].
* Spoofed in Gintama, when Katsura is sent in prison. The resident tough guy Shachi sport the torn sleeves style to look more badass and intimidating, but [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Katsura]] try to warn him that there is a problem with his shirt and someone [[ComicallyMissingThePoint ripped off his sleeves]]. Shachi then becomes self-conscious about it.
* ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'':
** [[TheRival Bakugo]]'s hero costume. Also [[CombatTentacles Shoji]], [[NonUniformUniform even in his school clothes]], but in this case because of his weird anatomy.
** {{Inverted|Trope}} with [[RatedMForManly Kirishima]]: His hero outfit [[WalkingShirtlessScene lacks a shirt]], but he eventually adds sleeves so that his Quirk (which makes his skin as hard as stone) won't hurt people when he rescues them.

* Yami Sukehiro from ''Manga/BlackClover'' wears a white tank top that shows off his muscled arms, and he's a tough swordsman who wields powerful Dark Magic.
* ''Manga/AyakashiTriangle'': Matsuri's exorcist ninja suit has a sleeveless vest and fingerless gloves that go up past the elbow, emphasizing his biceps and shoulders. Humorously, he also rolls his shirt sleeves up in gym class.
* Dark Yugi in ''Manga/YuGiOh'' is significantly likelier than his [[SymbioticPossession other self]] to throw off their jacket, revealing bare arms... and, at best, the ''tiniest'' hint of muscle definition, because he's basically one scrawny nerd inhabiting the body of another. In Ancient Egypt, back when he was alive, he also had a sleeveless outfit... and may have been ''slightly'' more athletic.

* ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}. Several of his costumes have involved a full-body spandex suit, which leaves bare only the lower half of his face...and his arms.
* Badass bad guy version (GenderBlenderName notwithstanding): Jody from ''Comicbook/{{Preacher}}''.
* Both used and averted by Ben Reilly from Franchise/SpiderMan. His ComicBook/ScarletSpider costume consisted of a red spandex suit covering his entire body - including his arms - and a blue hooded top with the arms ripped off.
* A number of Gary Frank's redesigns for the ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes lack sleeves. This has been pointed out by the fans.
* The original costume worn by Comicbook/TheMightyThor invoked this trope, as did the alternate costumes he wore in the '90s while he was mortal. His current costume covers his arms with chainmail.
* Comicbook/{{Hawkeye}} from ComicBook/TheAvengers and Comicbook/{{Thunderbolts}}, usually had sleeveless costumes, as did his alternate reality counterpart in ComicBook/TheUltimates. ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes'' lampshaded this in a ShirtlessScene, where he has a very prominent farmers tan.

* [[ComicBook/MsMarvel Carol Danvers]] during her Binary/Ms. Marvel years went with her arms bare.
* ''ComicBook/XWingRogueSquadron'': Plourr Illo, past a certain point, is usually shown sleeveless. Even during a briefing when the other Rogues are in their [[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/New_Republic_dress_uniform dress uniforms]], Plourr [[http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/8443/blz07.jpg gets to go without the jacket]]. May be excused as this was after the arc in which she left the squadron to rule Eiattu VI; she came back, but it was clear that she didn't have to stay with the same rules.

* ''ComicBook/BatwomanRebirth'' villain Knife wears what is essentially a sleeveless SpyCatsuit.

* ''Fanfic/TheSmurfetteVillage'': Hefty in the third story "How Things Smurf" starts wearing a black sleeveless top when he awakens from his CrystalPrison sleep in the early 21st century.
* In ''Evangelion''/''Street Fighter'' crossover ''Fanfic/NeonGenesisEvangelionSenshiNoMichi'', Asuka and Shinji wear sleeveless fighting outfits, showing they are more ripped than your usual teenager.
* [[Franchise/BlazBlue Ragna and Jin's]] default attire in ''Fanfic/BlazBlueAlternativeRemnant'' is the same as from when they were teenagers (In Jin's case, from the ''Spiral Shift'' novels), and as such, both of them lack sleeves.]]
* In ''Fanfic/HarryAndTheShipgirls'', this trope is {{Enforced}} by Johnston. Since her captain lost his sleeves in the Battle Off Samar, she believes that no badass should wear sleeves.
-->'''Johnston:''' [[CatchPhrase "Badasses don't wear sleeves!"]]
* In ''Webcomic/NaruHinaChronicles'': Sasuke dons a sleeveless vest for everyday wear. It does a fantastic job of showing off [[HeroicBuild his surprisingly powerful figure]].

[[folder:Films -- Animation]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]

* ''Film/JoeDirt''

* In ''Film/CantBuyMeLove'', Cindy rips the sleeves off of Ronald (Creator/PatrickDempsey)'s shirt as part of his extreme makeover as a cool kid.
* [[Film/ThisIsSpinalTap Nigel Tufnel]] is wearing one during the "these go to eleven" scene, among others.
* [[Creator/DonLaFontaine Coming this summer]], ''Creator/BruceWillis'' plays an angry man in a dirty tank top.
** It's so much his trademark that in ''Film/TheFifthElement'', Willis is at the opera wearing a tux that gets severely damaged in the ensuing battle, resulting in a ''sleeveless tux''!
* Creator/GinaGershon as Corky in ''Film/{{Bound 1996}}'' is a TankTopTomboy, in contrast to the glamorous Violet.

-->-- ''Series/{{The Flash|2014}}'', "[[Recap/TheFlash2014S2E8LegendsOfToday Legends of Today]]"

* In ''LightNovel/KyoKaraMaoh'', Jozak only ever seems to wear sleeves when he's [[WholesomeCrossdresser in women's clothes]], and not always then, either - much to Yuuri's horror when he sees the huge biceps on the "lady" flirting with him when Jozak is first introduced. Although he's not the ''best'' physical fighter of the cast, he is the CombatPragmatist, and the one who spends the most time on the front lines/roaming the wilderness, since he's a spy and most of the rest of them are aristocrats of some kind.

* Inverted in ''LightNovel/{{Katanagatari}}'' Shichika wear sleeves but only sleeves, no shirt. his torso [[WalkingShirtlessScene remain uncovered]].

* In ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia,'' [[TheRival Bakugo]]'s hero costume. Also [[CombatTentacles Shoji]], [[NonUniformUniform even in his school clothes]], but in this case because of his weird anatomy.
** {{Inverted}} with [[RatedMForManly Kirishima]]: His hero outfit [[WalkingShirtlessScene lacks a shirt]], but he eventually adds sleeves so that his Quirk (which makes his skin as hard as stone) won't hurt people when he rescues them.

* Most ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' female characters. Expect some of them to [[BareYourMidriff bare their midriff]].

** [[VideoGame/{{Doom}} In the]] [[VideoGame/DoomII original]] [[VideoGame/Doom64 trilogy]], Doomguy wears a protective armor, but [[https://doom.fandom.com/wiki/B.J._Blazkowicz?file=MarineDoom1Ending.jpg his arms are]] [[https://doom.fandom.com/wiki/B.J._Blazkowicz?file=Doom64endingscreen.jpg plainly exposed]]: you can see it when he punches an enemy.
** All the space marines of ''VideoGame/Doom3'' wear uniforms with exposed arms, including [[https://doom.fandom.com/wiki/B.J._Blazkowicz?file=Doom3Ending.jpg the playable character]].

** [[VideoGame/Doom In the]] [[VideoGame/DoomII original]] [[VideoGame/Doom64 trilogy]], Doomguy wears a protective armor, but [[https://doom.fandom.com/wiki/B.J._Blazkowicz?file=MarineDoom1Ending.jpg his arms are]] [[https://doom.fandom.com/wiki/B.J._Blazkowicz?file=Doom64endingscreen.jpg plainly exposed]]: you can see it when he punches an enemy.

** [[VideoGame/Doom In the]] [[VideoGame/DoomII original]] [[VideoGame/Doom64 trilogy]], Doomguy wears a protective armor, but [[https://doomwiki.org/wiki/File:OriginalDoom-marineFrontView.png his arms are]] [[https://doomwiki.org/wiki/File:Doom64PlayerNew4-D64ex.jpg plainly exposed]].
** All the space marines of ''VideoGame/Doom3'' wear uniforms with exposed arms, including [[https://doom.fandom.com/wiki/Marine_(Doom_3)?file=MarineD3covertart.png the playable character]].
** While ''VideoGame/Doom2016'' [[https://doomwiki.org/wiki/File:Codex_artifacts_doommarine.bimage.png averts this]], part of the Doom Slayer's redesign for ''Videogame/DoomEternal'' [[https://doomwiki.org/wiki/File:Praetor_suit_Doom_Eternal.jpg removes the upper arm area in his otherwise perfectly protective armor]], while also giving him the sort of demon-throttling biceps that wouldn't fit in ''any'' armor. As a side bonus, [[MythologyGag it makes him look even more like the original Doomguy]]. You can also unlock the original Doomguy outfit to wear in the game for good measure too. [[spoiler:[[CanonCharacterAllAlong There's a reason for that.]]]]

* ''Videogame/DoomEternal:'' Part of the Doom Slayer's redesign for this game removes the upper arm area in his otherwise perfectly protective armor, while also giving him the sort of demon-throttling biceps that wouldn't fit in ''any'' armor. As a side bonus, [[MythologyGag it makes him look even more like the original Doomguy]]. You can also unlock the original Doomguy outfit to wear in the game for good measure too. [[spoiler:[[CanonCharacterAllAlong There's a reason for that.]]]]

* In ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}, both [[TheSmartOne Kris]] and [[TheBigGirl Susie]], who usually cover their arms with a sweater and a jacket, lose them for sleeveless knight and barbarian outfits: while Susie is the strong one, she and Kris an incredible determination to save light and {{dark world}}s, and unlike [[TheCutie Ralsei]] (the sensitive guy of the trio, who wears CuteOversizedSleeves), they don't mind resorting to violence to acomplish this goal.

* The Fire Clan from the ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'' games tend to go sleeveless. It's justified by the fact that they have scales and spikes on their shoulders, which would make clothing in those areas difficult. Karst also plays up the {{fanservice}} aspect with a pair of OperaGloves.