History Main / WhoEvenNeedsABrain

* A variation on Type III is Billy in TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy. Billy is very much TheDitz at all times and it is revealed in ''Little Rock of Horror'' that he doesn't have a brain at all. That makes him a literal example of this trope: he never had a brain to begin with.

* In the beginning of the episode "Dollar Day" of ''FanboyAndChumChum'' Fanboy's brain falls out when he trips, as a part of a BrickJoke. Later in the episode, when he and Chum Chum are trying to figure out how to get a dollar, he exclaims "We've got to THINK!", after which Chum Chum leaves the screen for a second to return with Fanboy's brain and places it back in his head. Throughout the episode, there's no difference in the brainless Fanboy's behaviour from his brain-equipped self (but he does make up a plan once he has his brain).

* Rare dramatic example: New ''{{Batman}}'' villainess "The Absence" has an enormous hole in her forehead and extending all the way through, with no visible brain, yet functions just fine, and may be smarter than before the hole happened. It appears to be a combination of a freak medical condition and Gotham City's water supply being seriously tainted.

* The ''{{Futurama}}'' episode "Roswell That Ends Well" has Bender's brain (a collection of computer chips) being mistaken for food and eaten. Bender isn't ''happy'' but he suffers no ill effects.

* ''{{SpongeBob Squarepants}}'' tends to use this type. On the multiple occasions where a character's brain gets removed, they tend to stand around and drool until it is replaced.

** This is somewhat justified, as one (unaired) episode established that the Irken's (Zim's race) PAK (backpack-looking thing) is the actual "brain" of the organism, the body serving as something to carry the PAK around. Another episode, Dark Harvest, plays this trope straight. Zim, in an attempt to gain human organs (ItMakesSenseInContext), replaces a secretary's brain with a can of beans. Nothing happens immediately, but when the phone rings, she holds it up to her face and foams out the mouth.

* The ''{{Futurama}}'' episode "Roswell That Ends Well" Bender's brain (a collection of computer chips) is mistaken for food and eaten. Bender isn't ''happy'' but he suffers no ill effects.

* Hard to say what category Eddie from TheRockyHorrorPictureShow falls under as we are only given hints of his behavior prior to having half his brain removed. (We know he had a criminal record and thought "head" was spelled "hed".) He still knew how to operate a motorcycle, but tended to drive it indoors with reckless abandon. (He was a bit of a rebel to start with.) He only says the word [[BigNo "NOOOOOOO!"]] when Frank comes after him with a pick ax, which is one word more than Rocky says. (Not counting their songs.) So, he theoretically could talk and knew crazy guy with ax=bad. Not bad for someone with half a brain.

* Hard to say what category Eddie from TheRockyHorrorPictureShow falls under as we are only given hints of his behavior prior to having half his brain removed. (We know he had a criminal record and thought "head" was spelled "hed".) He still knew how to operate a motorcycle, but tended to drive it indoors with reckless abandon. (He was a bit of a rebel to start with.) He only says the word [["NOOOOOOO!" BigNo]] when Frank comes after him with a pick ax, which is one word more than Rocky says. (Not counting their songs.) So, he theoretically could talk and knew crazy guy with ax=bad. Not bad for someone with half a brain.

* In ''[[TheAddamsFamily Addams Family Values]]'' Gomez and Fester are cheerfully reminiscing about all the (violent) pranks they pulled on each other as kids. Fester casually mentions that one time he waited til Gomez was asleep, then opened his his head and removed his brains. Gomez is surprised and sort of impressed by this revelation.

* A sketch on ''[=~You Can't Do That On Television~=]'' had a mother getting far too enthusiastic about cleaning out her child's ears, and cleaning out everything between them as well. It had no noticeable effect on the child.

-->'''Mr Burns''': Oops. That stays in. ''(pops brain back into his ear)''

* In an episode of ''TheSimpsons" Mr Burns, having survived being buried under a landslide, is trying to get the dust and grit out of his ears by tilting his head and banging on the opposite ear. His walnut sized brain shoots out of his ear and lands on the floor.

* In ''[[JohnnyTheHomicidalManiac I Feel Sick]]'', Devi reminisces about a particularly bad date she went on. A mongoose ate her date's brain, but he was so stupid to begin with that it took her a while to notice.

* An unusually violent (by the standards of the trope) Type III example in ''SouthPark'': in 'Die Hippie, Die' Mayor [=McDaniels=] attempts suicide by shooting herself in the head. Just before she pulls the trigger the 'camera' pans to the side, we hear the gunshot and see blood and bits of brain matter hit the wall. Later in the episode she turns up alive and completely unfazed by blowing her brains out, with only a bandage wrapped around her head (with bloodstains on ''both'' sides of her head) indicating she'd shot herself.

Not to be confused with BrainlessBeauty.

* In the MIB cartoon series, Zed had his brain stolen and spent most of the episode running into walls and failing simple tasks, but no one bothered to explain why he wasn't dead.

''Type III - No Change:'' This is most likely to happen to a character who is already TheDitz ([[RalphWiggum or worse]])). Brain falls out, is stolen or whatever and the de-brained character acts exactly the same (and may not even notice their brain is gone.)

* A sketch on ''[=~You Can't Do That On Television~=]'' had a mother getting far too enthusiastic about cleaning out her child's ears, and cleaning out everything between them as well. It had no noticeable effect on the child.

* Rare 'serious' example: the infamous ''StarTrekTOS'' episode "Spock's Brain." [[TitleDrop Spock's brain]] is stolen by aliens who use it as a computer to run their planet's infrastructure. For some reason, his autonomic functions still work, but he is completely unconscious. Kirk has to get the brain back quickly, because Spock's Vulcan physiology is especially dependent on that tremendous brain. (While a brain-dead human could be kept "alive" easily for quite some time) So that they can restore the brain quickly when they find it, [=McCoy=] rigs up a device that fits on Spock's head and allows his lifeless body to walk around, manipulated by a remote control.

'''Examples:'''

* Rare 'serious' example: the infamous ''StarTrekTOS'' episode "Spock's Brain." [[TitleDrop Spock's brain]] is stolen by aliens who use it as a computer to run their planet's infrastructure. For some reason, his autonomic functions still work, but he is completely unconscious. Kirk has to get the brain back quickly, because Spock's Vulcan physiology is especially dependent on that tremendous brain. ([[FridgeLogic Whereas, apparently, a human would be fine if his brain were removed?]]) So that they can restore the brain quickly when they find it, [=McCoy=] rigs up a device that fits on Spock's head and allows his lifeless body to walk around, manipulated by a remote control.

In real life having your brain physically removed from your body pretty much means you are dead. In comedy however the results can be a little different, leading to one of three outcomes (besides the fatal realistic one that is):