History Main / TinMan

* Some fans maintain that Yuki Nagato from ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'' is the conceptual opposite of this trope: rather than a clearly emotional character who either claims or believes to not have emotion, there's evidence that she has a perfectly normal (if subdued) personality, and simply doesn't display outward emotions. This is largely due to her being an artificial life form who wasn't programmed to display the emotions she feels (another artificial construct in the series appears always happy, even when such an emotion is wildly inappropriate).

* Father Tres Iqus (aka HC-IIIX) from ''LightNovel/TrinityBlood'' is a [[TheGunslinger gun-toting]] [[DeceptivelyHumanRobots robotic]] [[ChurchMilitant priest/killing machine]] who was programmed to be [[TheSpock without emotions]]. However despite this there are several instances when it is implied he really DOES have feelings and could be a really nice guy behind-the-scenes... maybe.

* In ''LightNovel/{{Durarara}}'' [[spoiler:Heiwajima Kasuka's reason for becoming an actor in the Light Novels is because he wanted to feel the emotions that other people feel through his roles. Outside of that he doesn't actually feel emotion.]]

* ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'': A big part of the Sisters' development was outgrowing this mindset. They were "programmed" not to put any kind of value on their own lives and usually carry out their assigned tasks with a deadpan, frozen expression. When they are shown interacting with people outside of their "work", though, it becomes clear that they do have emotions, just as strong as any other human: it's just not immediately obvious (even to themselves) because they never learned how to emote.

** This might be explained in-universe. An NPC mentions that Pawns are indeed capable of "showing" emotional cues, such as laughter or crying. However, these supposed emotions come across as hollow and illusory to actual humans, which tends to make the Pawns seem [[UncannyValley rather unnerving]] to most people.

* In ''LightNovel/{{Durarara}}'' [[spoiler: Heiwajima Kasuka's reason for becoming an actor in the Light Novels is because he wanted to feel the emotions that other people feel through his roles. Outside of that he doesn't actually feel emotion.]]

* Jeremy from ''Manga/ACruelGodReigns'' is this with an element of the StoicWoobie. After [[spoiler: not being believed when he admits he was sexually abused]] and [[spoiler: working as a prostitute in Boston]], followed by Ian then bringing him back to England, Jeremy actively denies feeling any towards sex, pain, love, or really any emotional attachment. Luckily though he seems to be on the [[BecomeARealBoy path to recovery]].

** Let's not forget many characters, including the main character's superior [[spoiler: who is revealed to actually be feeling and not taking his prozium dosage]] regularly exhibit anger and mirth. The dragon is particularly bad for this, spending much of the time smiling and shouting in outrage.

* The TropeNamer from ''Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz''. Nick Chopper was an ordinary Munchkin woodcutter who was trying to earn enough money to run off with his fiancée and be a proper husband. Her family didn't approve of him, so they went to the Wicked Witch of the East and had her curse his axe. He ended up a cyborg when a tinsmith (who was likely working for the Witch) replaced his mutilated body parts with tin. His entire goal of getting a heart was to go back to his girlfriend. Of course, by the time he ''does'' find her, [[spoiler: not only does he find out that she was seeing another fellow on the side (who was cursed in the same way and acts as a [[SubvertedTrope subversion]], as he's delighted to not have a heart any longer), she's married to a Frankenstein-style creation the tinsmith made from the parts of both suitors!]]

* Paul Redeker of ''Literature/WorldWarZ'' constantly complained that human emotions were weaknesses, making him the perfect person to design worst-case scenarios for anti-Apartheid Rebellions and ultimately the ZombieApocalypse. [[spoiler: However, having his scenario implemented against the zombie apocalypse - and feeling compassion -- breaks his brain. He develops an alternate persona, as a direct result of being hugged by Nelson Mandela.]]

* ''Literature/JohnCarterOfMars'' by In Creator/EdgarRiceBurroughs's: In ''The Master Mind of Mars]]'', both Ras Thavas and Toonolians appear to have reached this state from excessive desire to be TheStoic. They profess to be above such things as sentiment, but when they manifest it, and Ulysses Paxton calls them on it, they are in complete denial.

* Wyatt Cain of the [[Creator/{{Syfy}} Sci Fi Channel]] miniseries ''Series/TinMan''. The human version of the original Baum character, his heart hardened by his family's deaths and his imprisonment in what is dubbed 'The Tin Suit.' He's called "Tin Man" by various characters because [[CallARabbitASmeerp it's the Outer Zone's term for police officers]]. Once released, his one and only goal in life is to take revenge on the man who he blames for the destruction of his life. [[spoiler: By the end of the miniseries, he has been reunited with his lost son, who actually wasn't dead.]]

* [[RobotGirl Cameron]] of ''Series/TerminatorTheSarahConnorChronicles'' is an odd variation on this. She outright admits that she is incapable of feeling happiness, but at the same time she expresses behavior indicative of fear and desperation whenever John is in serious danger. At one point she even seems saddened and confused when she puts off a friend she's made at a library, and later on, she becomes deeply concerned with whether or not she'll "go bad" again and actually [[spoiler: wires up an explosive to her processor]].
* Castiel from ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' is this. Angels are said not to have emotions or act on them, but there are several times when Castiel has shown emotion. After Dean [[spoiler: had seen his mother make a deal with the yellow-eyed demon]], Castiel laid a hand on his shoulder, giving him a look of compassion. When speaking to Dean in "It's The Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester", he expressed doubt. In another episode, "Heaven and Hell", he was reluctant and apologetic towards Anna, when he had orders to kill her. And in "The Rapture", he showed gentleness with Jimmy Novak when [[spoiler: he got shot by demons]].
** Gabriel and Lucifer, dear God. Gabriel's blended in with humans since he went AWOL, and even Lucifer, the goddamn Devil, looks distraught after [[spoiler: killing his little brother, Gabriel. Creator/MarkPellegrino and Creator/RichardSpeightJr. broke hearts in that scene]]

* ''{{Series/Lexx}}'': Kai, last of the Brunnen-G is quick to respond to [[CatchPhrase nearly every question]] with "the dead do not _____." Despite claiming to have absolutely no desire for anything whatsoever, to the point of usually refusing to give an ''opinion,'' he does have a rigorously thorough intellectual understanding of right and wrong, at least as defined by the people he trusts on such matters. He [[TrueCompanions values his friendship with Stan and Xev]], harbors what ''could'' be a [[CantHaveSexEver purely hypothetical]] attraction to Xev, and on one occasion makes a really, really stupid decision for the sake of a shot at the one thing he admits he wants, [[spoiler: a genuine life or death]].

* Organization XIII (human-appearing [[TheSoulless Nobodies]]) from ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' were initially ambiguous examples but ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance Dream Drop Distance]]'' settles the debate once and for all. [[spoiler: At the very least Axel, Roxas and Xion have become canon examples, with Axel, believing to the very end that he had no emotion, being the most obvious one. After experiencing Roxas's memories, Sora concludes that he must have had a heart to grieve for his friends. Xemnas reveals that Nobodies ''can'' manifest new hearts, in the same way the puppet Pinocchio did - he just kept this secret so he could manipulate the rest of the Organization and try to turn them all into his [[SoulJar Soul Jars]].]]

* Aigis from ''VideoGame/Persona3'' fits this trope. She initially acts robotic but [[spoiler: she has to have a personality and emotions, otherwise she couldn't summon Personas, which are physical manifestations of emotions and personality traits. She slowly and subtly starts outwardly displaying such emotions over the course of the game and starts asking all the questions that come with realization of such things.]]

* The game itself in ''VideoGame/YouFindYourselfInARoom'' is a negative example, being convinced it's incapable of emotions (and that this makes it superior to humanity), despite showing constant hate and anger. [[spoiler: Toward the end of the game, you get the opportunity to indirectly point out to it that hate and anger actually are emotions, sending it into a VillainousBSOD. It releases you, finding no meaning in tormenting you any longer if it's not the superior emotionless being it believed, and you win the game.]]

* Wolfgang Grimmer, from ''Anime/{{Monster}}'', seems to believe that the abusive experimentation he experienced as a child destroyed his emotions, to the point that he couldn't even [[spoiler:grieve at the death of his own son]]. Objectively, he's a FriendToAllChildren who gets ''really intense'' at [[BerserkButton any suggestion that they're being hurt]] and has a serious UnstoppableRage problem. He's pretty clearly one of the "out of touch" ones.

* Olga from ''Fanfic/TheNightUnfurls'' is often said to have a stoic/expressionless facade, but she is more proud and passionate than she thinks she is, especially regarding the well being of her kind, the dark elves. Celestine, [[WeUsedToBeFriends once a close friend of hers]], noted that Olga "had always been a passionate creature" in the remastered version. Given that she has to [[TheWomanWearingTheQueenlyMask put on a brave face as queen]] of the dark elves, this is [[JustifiedTrope understandable]].

TruthInTelevision: What's usually being depicted here is someone who is ''out of touch'' with their emotions, [[WhatIsThisFeeling experiencing them without being aware of them]]. This is not so uncommon in real life! Reasons can include machismo, denial, some mental illnesses (depression!), or certain cognitive abnormalities (''e.g.'', the autistic spectrum). There's also a personality trait known as [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexithymia alexithymia,]] which is defined by the mind having great difficulty in identifying feelings, distinguishing between feelings and the bodily sensations of emotional arousal, and in describing feelings to other people. Lastly, anger is heavily influenced by a different part of the brain from other emotions, which can explain why a person can be angry, but not know ''why'' they're angry, or lash out in a particular way and unaware that anger is fueling their actions.

* The Weather Heads from WesternAnimation/Ben102016 constantly denies feeling emotions, usually combining it with IWouldSayIfICouldSay (ex. "I would be happy our plan is progressing this well, if I could fell happiness), but they aren't fooling anyone. Subverted in "The 11th Alien", where they admit to be angry at Vilgax for planning to betray them.

** Similarly, her father Anthony deals with uncomfortable emotional situations by [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=1015 acting completely aloof]], even though he lets more feelings slip out [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=1013 in private]].
** [[spoiler:Jones]] claims to have no desires or dreams, yet seeks human companionship and seems a bit sad that [[spoiler: despite recently evolving to resemble her, human beings are very different: fragile, short-lived, and emotional]]. Also claims to have a perfect, photographic memory, but keeps a photo album.

* Red Tornado in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'', especially in the episode "Hail the Tornado Tyrant!".

Compare FrozenFace, where he cannot show the emotions in his face even if he feels them on the inside. Compare and contrast with TheStoic and the EmotionlessGirl, who unlike the TinMan ''do not'' emote, regardless of whether they [[BeneathTheMask have feelings]] or [[EmotionlessGirl not]]. Not to be confused with the Creator/{{Syfy}} [[Series/TinMan miniseries]].

--> '''Data''': You know I cannot grieve for you.\\
'''Soong''': You will. In your own way.

** Heck, '''[[AC:Death]]''' is quite possibly the most compassionate character in the series, '''[[AC:What can the harvest hope for if not the care of the Reaper Man]]?'''

** Maybe? [[spoiler: In the single episode I can recall him being a major part of, he was ordered to kill the mind controlling little girl(or whatever she did to peoples heads), near the end he points his gun at her and clicks it stating he is out of ammunition. Cue the villain of the episode lunging from the pile of collapsed tower that fell on her. Tres Iqus then unloads what appears to be hundreds of round of ammunition into the stupidest vampire in the series. If it wasn't emotions, the it was some contrived loophole logic that kept him from turning the kid into Swiss cheese.]]

* Limstella from ''Videogame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade'' is an {{Emotionless|Girl}}... [[AmbiguousGender Thing]] given the ArtificialHuman status. Yet the death quote is “I am not human. This body and this heart are constructs. Yes, as is this sorrow.”

** Annie [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=1005 Antimony seems to revert to]] EmotionlessGirl after her father calls her, but [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=1006 Mr. Donlan picks out that she's actually feeling quite strongly.]]

[[folder:WebOriginal]]

** TheDragon Incarose also appears to be a cold, emotionless assassinbot on the surface, but as the heroes catch up to her power level, she becomes more and more desperate to fulfill her master's mission, and her TrueColors begin showing. Right after the very final showdown, Kunzite himself tells her, "At least your feelings for [[spoiler:Creed]] are genuine."

* Mr. Freeze in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' claimed that his emotions had been frozen dead within him. Sure, his voice tone [[CreepyMonotone doesn't portray any emotion]] , but [[TearJerker the things he actually]] ''[[TearJerker says]]'' are another matter entirely.

[[folder:Other ]]

** The T-800 in ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay''. He is cybernetic robot assassin who can not feel pain or emotions. However when Sarah and John Connor turn on the T-800's learning chip, he is able to understand the value of a human life and emotions, yet he's doomed to never be able to express them. This can all be summed up in one phrase: "I know now why you cry, but it is something I can never do," as he [[FinalFirstHug lovingly hugs John like a father]] before going to his death.
** In ''Film/Terminator3RiseOfTheMachines'' when the T-800 growls "Desire is irrelevant, [[PunctuatedForEmphasis I. AM. A MACHINE.]]"

* In ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'':

* In ''Webcomic/{{Sinfest}}'', [[http://www.sinfest.net/archive_page.php?comicID=4218 Baby Blue professing indifference to Fuchsia's leaving, but the Nerf pitchfork she cuddles was Fuchsia's, and the butterfly painting a gift.]]

* ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'' has the RobotGirl Chachamaru telling everyone this in SpockSpeak. Subverted in that nobody believes her as she's one of the friendliest people in the cast from the beginning. Even her own MadScientist creator realizes right away that she's different. This is because one of the programmers of her operating system was from a lesser-known work of the writer, ''Manga/AILoveYou'', where he had designed an artificial intelligence program fully capable of emotions. This is only alluded to in [[ShoutOut one offhand comment]] in the manga.

* In ''{{LightNovel/Durarara}}'' [[spoiler: Heiwajima Kasuka's reason for becoming an actor in the Light Novels is because he wanted to feel the emotions that other people feel through his roles. Outside of that he doesn't actually feel emotion.]]

* Creator/MarvelComics' ''{{ComicBook/Livewires}}'' miniseries inverts this. Nanomachine construct and massive [[TheWoobie Woobie]] Stem Cell is activated with accurate, perfectly-simulated human emotions, being based on a RidiculouslyHumanRobot Life Model Decoy. By the climax, she's nearly paralyzed with fear and, in a last-ditch effort to finish her mission and save her team, physically hacks her own control system to turn herself into a surreally optimistic robot badass. The other Livewires constructs had actually already done so in the series backstory.
* Also in Marvel Comics, the [[Comicbook/TheAvengers Avenger's]] member ComicBook/TheVision started as an "inhuman vision", an android sent to kill the Avengers. And throughout his time with the team, he developed more and more human feelings, to the point where he fell in love, got married, and had kids (too long to explain).

* In ''Franchise/MassEffect'', The Geth teammate Legion has shades of this. Despite having a robotic manner and being an aggregate of 1183 VI programs, he often talks about morality, purpose, and the meaning of life. His opinions on freedom sound suspiciously [[{{Transformers}} familiar]]. Occasionally, his "I'm an emotionless robot" facade cracks, such as when confronted with betrayal or unpleasant revelations, when asked pointed questions about his illogical behavior, or when playing [[http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Shadow_Broker_Dossiers/Legion video games]] (a 3-day suspension for taunting in ''Galaxy of Fantasy'' and buying a charity edition of a game he didn't play).

[[folder:WebComics]]

* In ''[[{{Literature/Takotsubo}} Takotsubo: The story of a superhero,]]'' Cord Cai [[InvokedTrope invokes this]] when he uses "Tin Man" as his gang alias. PlayedForDrama since like the original Tin Man, [[BreakTheCutie he lost his fiance,]] and he starts a gang because [[TragicVillain he thinks he's not good enough for anything else]]. Hearts are a big motif, especially broken hearts--"Takotsubo" means "broken heart syndrome," Cord has a broken-heart tribal tattoo and wears a giant red heart pendant as the Tin Man, and [[BatSignal the city uses his magical broken-heart graffiti tags to call for help]].

** Gabriel and Lucifer, dear God. Gabriel's blended in with humans since he went AWOL, and even Lucifer, the goddamn Devil, looks distraught after [[spoiler: killing his little brother, Gabriel. Mark Pellegrino and Richard Speight, Jr. broke hearts in that scene]]

* Data on ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' often claimed he was incapable of emotion, which was a source of curiosity and debate among both the crew of the ship and the fans of the show. In an instance of him telling Doctor Crusher that he was incapable of giving love to Lal, his child, she looked skeptical and said she found that hard to believe. Not long after, he expressed what appeared to be a subdued form of anger at the idea of Admiral Haftel judging him to be an unfit parent while judging him by different standards from a human. By the end, even the Admiral who originally wanted to take the daughter away for study was convinced they shared an emotional connection. When he actually uses the chip that his creator made to give him emotions, he tends to behave rather poorly. In general, the series supports the idea that perhaps he already has something like emotions without it; he simply doesn't quite recognize them for what they are, because he doesn't experience them the way humans do and the only other android he's ever met is his EvilTwin Lore (who does have human-like emotions but is also a psychopath). For example, he cannot "miss" people, but his subroutines become used to the presence of certain persons and their absence can affect him.

* Data on ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' often claimed he was incapable of emotion, which was a source of curiosity and debate among both the crew of the ship and the fans of the show. In an instance of him telling Doctor Crusher that he was incapable of giving love to Lal, his child, she looked skeptical and said she found that hard to believe. Not long after, he expressed what appeared to be a subdued form of anger at the idea of Admiral Haftel judging him to be an unfit parent while judging him by different standards from a human. By the end, even the Admiral who originally wanted to take the daughter away for study was convinced they shared an emotional connection. When he actually uses the chip that his creator made to give him emotions, he tends to behave rather poorly. In general, the series supports the idea that perhaps he already has something like emotions without it; he simply doesn't quite recognize them for what they are, because he doesn't experience them the way humans do. For example, he cannot "miss" people, but his subroutines become used to the presence of certain persons and their absence can affect him.

* On ''Franchise/StarTrek'' Vulcans (such as Spock) pride themselves on being completely without emotion (''that alone'' says it all, but their friends are too polite to call them on it) but clearly have them, while understated. The truth is more that they work hard to be controlled by logic rather than emotion, lest they turn into HotBlooded Psychopaths. However, being the ''Franchise/StarTrek'' universe's [[SpaceElves answer]] to [[OurElvesAreDifferent elves]], they do irritation and pride ''reeeeeealy'' well. Spock, like the trope namer, is actually the crew member most prone to things like TenderTears.
* Data on ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' often claimed he was incapable of emotion, which was a source of curiosity and debate among both the crew of the ship and the fans of the show. In an instance of him telling Doctor Crusher that he was incapable of giving love to Lal, his child, she looked skeptical and said she found that hard to believe. Not long after, he expressed what appeared to be a subdued form of anger at the idea of Admiral Haftel judging him to be an unfit parent while judging him by different standards from a human. By the end, even the Admiral who originally wanted to take the daughter away for study was convinced they shared an emotional connection. When he actually uses the chip that his creator made to give him emotions, he tends to behave rather poorly. In general, the series supports the idea that perhaps he already has something like emotions without it; for example, he cannot "miss" people, but his subroutines become used to the presence of certain persons and their absence can affect him.

* On ''Franchise/StarTrek'' Vulcans (such as Spock) pride themselves on being completely without emotion (''that alone'' says it all, but their friends are too polite to call them on it) but clearly have them, while understated. The truth is more that they work hard to be controlled by logic rather than emotion, lest they turn into HotBlooded Psychopaths. However, being the ''Franchise/StarTrek'' universe's answer to [[OurElvesAreBetter elves]], they do irritation and pride ''reeeeeealy'' well. Spock, like the trope namer, is actually the crew member most prone to things like TenderTears.

TruthInTelevision: What's usually being depicted here is someone who is ''out of touch'' with their emotions, experiencing them without being aware of them. This is not so uncommon in real life! Reasons can include machismo, denial, some mental illnesses (depression!), or certain cognitive abnormalities (''e.g.'', the autistic spectrum). There's also a personality trait known as [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexithymia alexithymia,]] which is defined by the mind having great difficulty in identifying feelings, distinguishing between feelings and the bodily sensations of emotional arousal, and in describing feelings to other people. Lastly, anger is heavily influenced by a different part of the brain from other emotions, which can explain why a person can be angry, but not know ''why'' they're angry, or lash out in a particular way and unaware that anger is fueling their actions.

* The game itself in ''You Find Yourself In A Room'' is a negative example, being convinced it's incapable of emotions (and that this makes it superior to humanity), despite showing constant hate and anger. [[spoiler: Toward the end of the game, you get the opportunity to indirectly point out to it that hate and anger actually are emotions, sending it into a VillainousBSOD. It releases you, finding no meaning in tormenting you any longer if it's not the superior emotionless being it believed, and you win the game.]]