History NationalStereotypes / Asia

* In (beat 'em up) videogames, for whatever reason, there are a number of ''ambiguously'' Middle Eastern characters. That is, their design evokes the look of the region, and a few cultural clues may be mentioned, but mention of actual nationality is [[PartsUnknown outright avoided]]. Examples include Zafina, from ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'', who's background and cut-scenes hint at an Egyptian origin, but who has "unknown" listed against birthplace on her official bio. WordOfGod states that she is of "Middle Eastern" origin, but no more information has been provided. The newcomer in ''7'', Shaheen (explicitly said to be Saudi Arabian), might be a more stereotypical example. Algol from the VideoGame/SoulSeries is another example - his name is clearly Arabic (literally ''"the ghoul"''), as well as his move-list, and his story is an homage to the Sumerian (modern day Iraq) [[Myth/MesopotamianMythology Gilgamesh epic]], but his origin is never confirmed outright. Zasalamel, also from the Soul Series, is similarly ambiguous, with a look that references Egypt (his ibis-head scythe especially) and a movelist named after several Babylonian gods. The incongruently name Sinclair from ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting'' has an unmistakably Arabic look, complete with harem-pants, head scarf and a scimitar, although her country of origin remains unknown. Why the country of origin of these "Middle Eastern" characters remains unknown isn't clear, but it could be to avoid UnfortunateImplications in a sensitive global region, or simply to enhance the mystery of certain characters.

* Kyrgyzstan has a name that is so hard to spell, it became a popular country in the trivia website Sporcle solely because of how many people struggle to spell its name in country quizzes.

* In Professional Wrestling, video games, sometimes comics and anime but almost never in live action film or TV, there will be a giant South Asian, usually a Punjabi Wrestler as seen with most Indian Wrestlers like The Great Khali, Jinder Mahal, Satnam Singh, Guvinder Singh, etc. Fictional examples include Zingh, one of the Mandarins henchmen, 6'6" vampire hunter Taj Nital from the Blade Comics, Darun Mister from EX Fighting Layer, Abubo Rao from SNK fighting games, and Haru from Tengan Ashura (a Ghurka from Nepal instead, rather than a Punjabi Indian).

* Recent years many South Asian (and West Asian) women are being cast as either badass ActionSurvivor, ActionGirl or MrsFanService or a combo of the three. More so than Male actors from the same backgrounds. While in the past they are typically portrayed as being repressed/oppressed by family, religion and culture. They also used to be portrayed as desiring escape or in need of rescuing from their conservative upbringing usually by falling for a white guy. If they're a Hijabi, expect them to stop wearing it when they fall for a non-Muslim man (this trope also applies to Muslim characters of West Asian and African heritages but has been increasingly criticized by female Muslim viewers)

** In (beat 'em up) videogames, Filipino characters are described as above. Example is Talim in ''[[VideoGame/SoulSeries SoulCalibur]]'' or Josie Rizal from ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}''.

* In (beat 'em up) videogames, Chinese characters are [[AllChinesePeopleKnowKungFu unsurprisingly numerous]]. Both sexes are nearly ''always'' clad in period costume -- Mao collars, UsefulNotes/{{Qipao}} (for the women) and {{Odango}} -- double for females, single for males. Chinese female characters are nearly always portrayed as heroic, [[AnimeChineseGirl alluring, either very sexy or very cute]] and highly proficient at the more [[SheFu acrobatic, elegant forms of Kung Fu]], a depiction no doubt inspired by the original, pioneering video games ActionGirl, [[FollowTheLeader Chun Li]] of ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' fame. Other female examples who follow this theme include Xianghua and her daughter Leixia from the VideoGame/SoulSeries, qipao-clad Leifang from ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'', Li Xiangfei from ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'' (who's a little "wackier" than previous examples but still fits), Litchi Faye-Ling from ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'' and kung fu movie actress Pai Chan and English-named Eileen from ''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter''. Also prevalent is the Chinese-born but Japanese-raised Ling Xiaoyu from ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'', who's a hybrid of this and the Japanese schoolgirl character.
** Chinese male beat 'em up characters generally come in one of two flavours. There's the wise, bearded OldMaster type, who's ancient age hides his incredible skill, with examples including Gen of ''Street Fighter'' fame, [[DrunkenBoxing drunken]] fighters Shun Di and Chin Gentsai from ''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter'' and ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'' respectively, Tung Fu Rue from ''VideoGame/FatalFury'', Gen Fu from ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'', and Wang Jinrei from ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}''. Lau Chan, Pai's father from ''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter'' also somewhat fits although he is younger than the others. The other popular Chinese male depiction is the straight up BruceLeeClone, as seen with Fei Long of ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' fame, Marshall Law and his son Forest (who are actually American) from ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'', Liu Kang from ''Franchise/MortalKombat'', a medieval version with Li Long from the ''VideoGame/SoulSeries'' (his protege Maxi, however, is Japanese) and Jann [[MeaningfulName Lee]] from ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive''. You also may see the occasional Shaolin monk (Like [[VideoGame/VirtuaFighter Lei Fei]], [[VideoGame/SoulSeries Kilik]], or [[VideoGame/{{Tekken}} Feng Wei]]) or a hot-blooded youngster ([[VideoGame/StreetFighterIII Yun, Yang]], [[VideoGame/{{Tekken}} Lee Chaolan, Lei Wulong]], [[VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters Sie Kensou, Shunei]], and [[VideoGame/DeadOrAlive Brad Wong]]).

* In (beat 'em up) video games, Japanese characters run the full gamut of character types (unsurprisingly, seeing as how most series have multiple Japanese characters), but the most ''popular'' depictions include the [[TheStoic stoic, brooding]] hero type (often wrestling with some sort of inner turmoil) -- as seen with ''Franchise/StreetFighter''[='=]s Ryu, ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters''' Kyo Kusanagi, ''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter''[='=]s Akira Yuki, and ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}''[='=]s Kazuya Mishima and Jin Kazama; various [[BoisterousBruiser boisterous bruisers]] (often Sumo wrestlers), as seen with ''Street Fighter''[='=]s E. Honda, ''Tekken''[='=]s Ganryu and ''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter''[='=]s Taka-arashi; and finally the archetypal [[GenkiGirl spirited]], [[PluckyGirl plucky]] [[OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent school girl type]], as seen with Sakura Kasugano of ''Street Fighter'' fame, Hinata Wakaba from ''VideoGame/RivalSchools'', Asuka Kazama of ''Tekken'' fame and school-girl turned MagicIdolSinger Athena Asamiya from ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters''.
** Another popular archetype for Japanese characters in beat 'em up games are ninja. Male ninja typically wear dark outfits and a mask that covers half of the face, as seen with Ryu Hayabusa from ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'', Eiji Kisaragi from ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting'', Kage-Maru from ''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter'' and [[UsefulNotes/HattoriHanzo Hanzo Hattori]] from ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown''. Female ninja (or ''kunoichi''), on the other hand, are almost always MsFanservice characters with either skin-tight outfits or special suits that show a huge amount of cleavage [[note]]This is likely because real life kunoichi are said to use their attractiveness to distract opponents[[/note]], as seen with Taki from the ''VideoGame/SoulSeries'', Kasumi and Ayane from ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'', Ibuki from ''Franchise/StreetFighter'', and of course, Mai Shiranui from ''VideoGame/FatalFury'' and ''Franchise/TheKingOfFighters''. Common moveset elements for ninja characters include throwing shurikens, teleportation, and the [[SpinningPiledriver Izuna Drop]].
** Similar to the ninja above, samurai and ronin characters are also popular choices. If such, the character will wield a katana and be hot-blooded, looking for a worthy opponent to spar with. Such characters include Heishiro Mitsurugi from ''VideoGame/SoulSeries'', Haohmaru from ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown'', and Bishamon (a ghost in samurai armor) from ''VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}}''. Yoshimitsu from ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'' and the ''VideoGame/SoulSeries'' is a unique example that combines elements from ninja and samurai - his moveset is reminiscent of ninja characters such as teleportation, whilst he is typically seen wearing samurai armor, and wields a katana.

* In (beat 'em up) video games, South Korean characters tend to be HotBlooded and cocky Taekwondo practitioners with a wide range of kick attacks, with the most famous ones being Hwoarang (and Baek Doo San) from ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'', Kim Kaphwan (and his many, many proteges from ''Franchise/TheKingOfFighters'') from ''VideoGame/FatalFury'', and Juri Han from ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' (who is downright evil). This is especially true in more obscure fighting games that have one Korean representative in them (except maybe Kang Jae-Mo from ''VideoGame/RageOfTheDragons''). In the ''VideoGame/SoulSeries'' instead of Taekwondo, the Korean representative use weapons (duh); Hwang Seong-gyeong and Hong Yun-seong use Chinese swords, while Seong Mi-na uses a longpole that resembles a [[NaginatasAreFeminine naginata]]. Oddly, only one of those three characters (Yun-seong) have the hot-blooded persona that most Taekwondo characters have - Hwang and Mi-na are more on the patriotic side.

* The oldest traditional stereotypes associated with the Middle East are derived from 8th to 18th century history and feature sultans, caliphs, [[GrandVizier grand viziers]], shahs and sheiks dressed in turbans and long robes, typical of these centuries. Most common are images borrowed from ''Literature/ArabianNights'', including a FlyingCarpet, dreamy palaces, story telling princesses, waterpipes, [[HaremGenre harems]] full of [[BellyDancer sexy belly dancing women]], eunuch guards, thieving gangs with daggers and/or scimitars, people hiding inside giant jars, caves full of treasure, the giant bird Roc, people climbing on an erect rope and [[GenieInABottle djinns fulfilling wishes]]. (See also ArabianNightsDays).

* Arab women are either overdressed to the point of being nothing more than a burka or Niqāb, or will be scantily clad and sexy [[BellyDancer belly dancers.]] They carry vases on their heads, wear henna or special piercings.

* In (beat 'em up) videogames, for whatever reason, there are a number of ''ambiguously'' Middle Eastern characters. That is, their design evokes the look of the region, and a few cultural clues may be mentioned, but mention of actual nationality is [[PartsUnknown outright avoided]]. Examples include Zafina, from ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'', who's background and cut-scenes hint at an Egyptian origin, but who has "unknown" listed against birthplace on her official bio. WordOfGod states that she is of "Middle Eastern" origin, but no more information has been provided. The newcomer in ''7'', Shaheen, might be a more stereotypical example. Algol from the VideoGame/SoulSeries is another example - his name is clearly Arabic (literally ''"the ghoul"''), as well as his move-list, and his story is an homage to the Sumerian (modern day Iraq) [[Myth/MesopotamianMythology Gilgamesh epic]], but his origin is never confirmed outright. Zasalamel, also from the Soul Series, is similarly ambiguous, with a look that references Egypt (his ibis-head scythe especially) and a movelist named after several Babylonian gods. The incongruently name Sinclair from ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting'' has an unmistakably Arabic look, complete with harem-pants, head scarf and a scimitar, although her country of origin remains unknown. Why the country of origin of these "Middle Eastern" characters remains unknown isn't clear, but it could be to avoid UnfortunateImplications in a sensitive global region, or simply to enhance the mystery of certain characters.
** [[BellyDancer Pullum Purna]] from the ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' series, who hails from Saudi Arabia, is one of the few Middle Eastern characters with an actual nationality, and of course they gave her a stereotypical background (belly dancers and Oil Sheikhs and all of that)... in ''V'', they have another Arabian fighter that looks more like a sheikh: Rashid, though as per the examples listed above, he is only ever described as "Middle Eastern", and his actual country of origin (albeit likely the UAE) has yet to be confirmed.

* Kyrgyzstan has an unpronounceable name for a country, making it a favorite country of the website Sporcle.

* In (beat 'em up) video games, Japanese characters run the full gamut of character types (unsurprisingly, seeing as how most series have multiple Japanese characters), but the most ''popular'' depictions include the [[TheStoic stoic, brooding]] hero type (often wrestling with some sort of inner turmoil) -- as seen with ''Franchise/StreetFighter''[='=]s Ryu, ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters''' Kyo, ''VirtuaFighter''[='=]s Akira, and ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}''[='=]s Kazuya and Jin; various [[BoisterousBruiser boisterous bruisers]] (often Sumo wrestlers), as seen with ''Street Fighter''[='=]s E. Honda, ''Tekken''[='=]s Ganryu and ''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter''[='=]s Taka-arashi; and finally the archetypal [[GenkiGirl spirited]], [[PluckyGirl plucky]] [[OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent school girl type]], as seen with Sakura of ''Street Fighter'' fame, Hinata from ''VideoGame/RivalSchools'', Asuka Kazama of ''Tekken'' fame and school-girl turned MagicIdolSinger Athena Asamiya from ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters''.

* South Korean fighting game characters are always Taekwondo practitioners who only kick, like [[VideoGame/FatalFury Kim]] [[VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters Kaphwan]], [[VideoGame/{{Tekken}} Baek Doo San and his student Hwoarang]], [[VideoGame/SoulSeries Hwang and Yun-Seong]], and [[Franchise/StreetFighter Juri]], to name a few.

** The infamous [[AsiansEatPets dog eating stereotype]] is usually assigned to Guangdong in particular, though they tend to be portrayed as {{ExtremeOmnivore|s}} in general.

** The infamous [[AsiansEatPets dog eating stereotype]] is usually assigned to Guangdong in particular, though they tend to be portrayed as ExtremeOmnivores in general.

** Civilizations such as Arameans, Amorites, and many others flourished in Syria.

* [[WidgetSeries Japanese popular culture often baffles other countries]]:

The largest continent on Earth with the largest percentage of the global population. Famous for their rich cultural traditions and the first civilizations in history. Also the birthplace of the major religions: UsefulNotes/{{Hinduism}}, UsefulNotes/{{Buddhism}}, UsefulNotes/{{Confucianism}}, UsefulNotes/{{Taoism}}, UsefulNotes/{{Judaism}}, UsefulNotes/{{Christianity}}, UsefulNotes/{{Islam}}, UsefulNotes/{{Sikhism}}, UsefulNotes/{{Zoroastrianism}}, UsefulNotes/{{Manichaeism}}, etc. Roughly, Asia can be divided into six large chunks: West Asia (UsefulNotes/TheMiddleEast and UsefulNotes/TheCaucasus), Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan), South Asia (Afghanistan and the Indian Subcontinent), North Asia (Asian Russia), Southeast Asia (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar/Burma, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam) and East Asia (China, Japan, Korea and Mongolia). Of course, this is a political categorization. UsefulNotes/{{Russia}} is usually considered to be a Eastern European country, bolstered by the fact that the majority of its population is densely concentrated in the European half, but geographically it stretches across the entirety of North Asia including part of UsefulNotes/TheFarEast and in terms of land-mass, Asian Russia is the largest country in Asia, and the largest country on Earth. Turkey is another transcontinental state, with European and Asian sections and being a great power in Southern Europe and the Middle East. Its largest city UsefulNotes/{{Istanbul}} is a major world city on both continents. Likewise, the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt is in West Asia and thus Egypt is considered a transcontinental country in both North Africa and West Asia, and the Caucasus region is considered both Eastern European and West Asian. Cyprus is geographically a part of the Middle East, but is culturally a part of Southern Europe and a member of the European Union. Of course, by and large in Anglophone media, Asia is mostly associated with the Far East, with China and Japan being the shorthand for exotic Asian cultures.

!'''Central Asia'''
Often nicknamed "The Stans", due to every country in this region having a name that ends with -stan. Usually does not exist in popular culture, but whenever its existence is acknowledged, Central Asia is an extension of CommieLand, since all of them are ex-Soviet republics, and most of them still retain Soviet-style governments in one form or another. If depicted in pre-Soviet times, they will be HordesFromTheEast who invade Europe and destroy and plunder settlements there, due to being the former homeland of the Scythians and Huns with Turkic peoples later becoming the dominant population of the region as well. They are also predominantly Muslim, though Tengrists, Zoroastrians, Orthodox Christians and other religious minorities exist. With the exception of Tajikistan, they are usually described as "Muslim Mongol Russian Turks", a stereotype that is partially untrue but not far off either.

[[folder:Kazakhstan]]
'''{{UsefulNotes/Kazakhstan}}'''
* Kazakhstan will be portrayed exactly like in the film ''Film/{{Borat}}'' despite the many things the movie gets wrong about the country. For this reason, the people are also stereotyped as taking offense at the slightest Borat joke despite its [[MexicansLoveSpeedyGonzales surprising popularity in the country]].
* Other Central Asians, on the other hand, [[SlobsVersusSnobs see Kazakhs as arrogant snobs]] for being the richest country in the region and looking down at them for their less developed economies and getting less attention on the world stage. Kazakhs, in turn, stereotype the other Central Asians as wretched slobs undeserving pity.
* Kazakhstan hosts the post-Soviet Baikonur cosmodrome, and might appear in contexts of Soviet or Russian space programs.

[[folder:Kyrgyzstan]]
'''{{UsefulNotes/Kyrgyzstan}}'''
* Kyrgyzstan has an unpronounceable name for a country, making it a favorite country of the website Sporcle.
* It is also regarded as a poor man's Kazakhstan because both countries share a nomadic culture, speak closely related languages, and their titular ethnicities look similar. At the same time, however, Kyrgyzstan has the misfortune of being mostly mountainous, experiencing much political turbulence, and having a less developed economy largely dependent on remittances from much of its workforce working abroad.
* On the bright side, Kyrgyzstan is considered to be freer and more democratic than the other Central Asian countries thanks to a traditionally strong democratic tradition among the Kyrgyz. Unfortunately, this is losing ground because of restrictions on civil liberties happening from time to time, resulting in its first two presidents kicked out of power to uprisings.
* The country is also infamous for its bride kidnapping.

[[folder:Tajikistan]]
'''{{UsefulNotes/Tajikistan}}'''
* Tajikistan is the oddball: they are a people related to Iranians and Afghans and speak a language related to them, hence their HufflepuffHouse status in the region. In Russia, they are considered to be the equivalent of stereotypical Mexicans. In Afghanistan, the Tajiks are considered to be rather timid by the majority Pashtun population.
* Tajikistan was a very vital part of the Silk Road, with cities such as Khujand flourishing.
* Its government is totalitarian, like many Central Asian republics, and has laws that [[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/07/tajikistans-beard-ban-facial-hair-emomali-rahmon ban beards]], [[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/tajikstan-muslim-hijabs-stop-women-law-headscarfs-central-asia-islam-a7923886.html hijabs]], and other things to “combat extremism”.
* Tajikistan is often nicknamed "the Roof of the World" due to being extremely mountainous and high in elevation, with more than 90% of the country being mountains and 50% of the country being 9,800 ft above sea level.

[[folder:Turkmenistan]]
'''{{UsefulNotes/Turkmenistan}}'''
* Turkmenistan is basically the resident North Korea on the block, with the deification of their first president (who died in 2006) abound, from the months of the calendar being changed to bread being named after his mother, who died in an earthquake when he was young. Even Turkmenbashi became a city. Golden teeth and other things were once banned. Unlike North Korea, these antics were widely seen as [[TooFunnyToBeEvil funny rather than horrid]], though one figures it still wasn't funny for those who had to live there.
** They are also fond of shishkebab.
* Turkmen people are sometimes thought of as having [[SpeechImpediment speech impediments]], mainly because some Turkmen dialects, particularly the northern ones, pronounce ''s'' and ''z'' as the ''th'' in ''thing'' and ''this'', respectively.
* Turkmenistan, like Tajikistan, was also a very vital part of the Silk Road, with cities such as Merv flourishing.
* Turkmenistan is known as one of the most difficult countries in the world to gain entry into, even moreso than North Korea.
* Turkmenistan is also known for the Darvaza gas crater, AKA the [[IDontLikeTheSoundOfThatPlace Door to Hell]], a large flaming hole in the ground that is the result of a natural gas field having collapsed into a cavern before being ignited, and has been burning for more than 50 years.

[[folder:Uzbekistan]]
'''{{UsefulNotes/Uzbekistan}}'''
* Uzbekistan was a very vital part of the Silk Road, with many cities such as Samarkand, Bukhara, and many others flourishing. It was vital to AncientPersia.
* Uzbekistan is considered to be more conservative and laid-back than the other Central Asian countries while still being a CommieLand, having one of the most repressive regimes in the world, although it is a bit more relaxed as the first president Karimov died in 2016. In Russia, they tend to be equated with immigrants. The Uzbeks also are fond of jewelry.

!'''South Asia'''
* South Asia is known for its native fauna. The mountainous areas of Bhutan, India and Nepal will be home to yaks, wolves, possibly a snow leopard, and likely a [[BigfootSasquatchAndYeti yeti]] in more fantastical works. The jungles will typically feature tigers, Asian elephants, monkeys (usually macaques -- or, more likely, [[MisplacedWildlife capuchins]]), black and spotted leopards, peafowl, cobras, giant pythons and crocodiles (don't ever count on seeing India's endemic, thin-snouted gharial instead). Orangutans might appear, either in their native Borneo and Sumatra or as far northwest as [[WesternAnimation/TheJungleBook1967 India]]. Komodo dragons are infamous, but are rarely seen in their natural range outside of documentaries. The environment brims with archipelagos, volcanoes and bamboo. Typhoons, tornadoes, floods, monsoon rains and earth quakes will frequently ravage the land.
* Most fictional or iconic South Asian Characters are almost always Indian with extremely little specification to their exact ethnicity (I.E are they Assamese? Bengali? Gujurati? Tamil? Punjabi? Most works don't even bother to distinguish the many Indian ethno-linguistic groups). Most of these characters will have a sliding scale of Informed/Ambiguous Hinduism in their portrayals. It is only in recent years other South Asian ethnicities have been getting represented in fiction with Pakistani Muslims being the most likely after Indians. You'd struggle to even find a South Asian fictional character that was explicitly Afghan, Bangladeshi, Nepalese, Sri Lankan, etc. Even less so if your looking for a character that is Sikh, Christian, Zoroastrian or Buddhist.
* Economically, the area has been known internationally for centuries for the trade of spices like pepper, ginger, cloves and nutmeg. Rice, tea and rubber are also prominent export products.
* South Asians are typically depicted in media as dark brown-skinned people with black hair and bindis on their foreheads, often with matching facial hair if they are male and adults.
* South Asian characters are almost always portrayed as Bollywood Nerds. If they are kids or teenagers they are the maths, science or computer nerd or part of the nerd group, if not they maybe an extreme doormat to their friends or parents. If they are adults expect them to be in a profession that requires high academic standards like Doctor or Lawyer or Technology. Expect them to have little to no athletic or physical abilities (unless Cricket comes up). If they are not overtly nerdy, then they'd be a meek, submissive, or overly kind and eagerly helpful nice guy as opposed to mean lovable jerks/rogues.
* Jobwise South Asians come in two types. The successful and academic types are typically Doctor, Scientists, Tech Nerd, Lawyers sometimes classy business tycoons or Politicians. If they are on the lower end of the economic ladder, expect them to be the AsianStoreOwner, a call-center worker, taxi driver (sometimes other types of driver) or restaurant/cafe/food worker.
* If the character are religious, expect them to be Hindu (especially if they're Indian, Sri Lankan or Nepalese) or Muslim (especially if they're Afghan, Pakistani or Bangladeshi). If they're Hindu expect them not eat beef or be vegetarian to an extent. For Muslims they typically wont eat Pork or Drink Alcohol. Thus they'd avert AsiansEatPets or other weird animal eating stereotypes associated with the Far East of Asia.
* South Asian male actors are almost always known for comedy roles or playing the clown/butt monkey character even if the production itself isn't necessarily a comedy. Not so much for South Asian Female actresses, who may or may not fall into a comedy cliche role.
* One cliche that typically comes up is a South Asian character (usually female, but males too) being under the thumb of their strict, religious and conservative family. Usually having to hide their interracial relationships or their secret non-traditional career prospects be it football (Bend it like Beckham) or music.
* In Professional Wrestling, video games, sometimes comics and anime but almost never in live action film or TV, there will be a giant South Asian, usually a Punjabi Wrestler as seen with most Indian Wrestlers like The Great Khali, Jinder Mahal, Satnam Singh, Guvinder Singh, etc. Fictional examples include Zingh, one of the Mandarins henchmen, 6'6" vampire hunter Taj Nital from the Blade Comics, Darun Mister from EX Fighting Layer, Abubo Rao from SNK fighting games, and Haru from Tengan Ashura (a Ghurka from Nepal instead, rather than a Punjabi Indian).
** Conversely this character archetype is extremely rare in live action TV and almost non-existant in Live Action Films with many tall, imposing or muscular South Asian male actors being reduced to minor tv roles or supporting roles in mini-series, prime examples include 6'4" British Indian Rahul Kohli, 6'3" Anglo-Indian Silas Carson (best known for Star Wars), 6'3" Indian American Gerrard Lobo, 6'3" Indian American Sachin Bhatt (Legends of Tomorrow) 6'3" British Pakistani Muzz Khan, 6'2" British Indian Jaz Deol, 6'1" British Indian Dev Patel, 6'1" British Russian/Indian Staz Nair, 6'1" British Bangladeshi Jan Uddin, etc. Don't expect to see them in leading roles for a big budget A-List Hollywood film.
* In the UK, since South Asian make up the largest visible minority,[[note]]There are almost double the number of British South Asians than British Blacks[[/note]] a South Asian bad boy/rebellious character does occasionally show up. Don't be surprised if they're a Smoker or casual drug user too. Truth in Television for Young Muslims in the UK (most of which are British Pakistani or British Bangladeshi) preferring to smoke Shisha (sometimes Cannabis) over drinking alcohol. Some South Asian rebels/bad boy types in UK media would include British Pakistani Tariq Siddiqui in Waterloo Road, British Pakistani Anwar Kharrel in Skins UK, British Indian Gujurati Kirin Kotecha in Emmerdale, British Indian Punjabi Ram Singh in Dr Who spin off Class, British Bangladeshi Twin Brothers Magid and Millat Iqbal in White Teeth, the Punjabi Panesar/Gulati men in Eastenders (all except two have been in Prison) and British Pakistani Raza in Informer. Outside the UK there are rare American examples like Skins US Bangladeshi American Abbud Siddiki and Twisteds Anglo-Indian American Danny Desai. (Both American examples are Canadian South Asian Actors)
* Some UK music bands generally have a token South Asian/Brown boy member who typically stands out either due to their unique personality or minority status. See British Pakistani-English/Irish Zayn Malik for One Direction, Irish-Sri-Lankan Siva Kaneswaran for the Wanted, British Bangladeshi Schelim Hannan for Worlds Apart (the Ur-Example for the UK), British Indian/Russian Staz Nair for Times Red, British Iranian Bobak Kianoush for Another Level and British Indian Parsi Freddie Mercury for Queen. The last two being sort outliers but fits the spirit of it.
* In fact South Asians are usually associated with their own music and dance of their own cultures due to Bollywood and their own sub-culture of music in the western diaspora like the UK's Asian Underground which gave rise to the likes of Jay Sean. So don't be surprised if a South Asian character has a Bollywood-esque imagine spot throw in somewhere. (Aladdins harvest dance, DC Legends of Tomorrow's Bollywood Dance with Zari and Sunjay, Rajesh Koothrapali's fantasy if Bernadette in The Big Bang Theory, Marvel Eternals had Kingo's Bollywood scene and few imagine spot scenes of Ackley Bridge does this as well
* Many Negative portrayals of South Asian men are usually portrayed as being wimpy, emasculated, misogynistic or domestically abusive towards their women/children and generally unattractive or sexually undesirable. Add in Physically unathletic or unskilled too. There are however invertions of this cliche in modern works where a South Asian male actor/character is considered attractive by fans or in-universe. They generally comes in 3 achetypes.
** 1) Long Haired Pretty Boy/Bishonen (think Avan Jogia, Naveen Andrews, Jimi Mistry or Jan Uddin). For some reason a South Asian man with long hair or a manbun/topknot is considered the perfect pretty boy look for a young brown guy.
** 2) Charming suave, smart guy. Bonus points if they are British accented (Sendhil Ramamurphy's characters) or played by a British Asian actor (think Rahul Kohli, Naveen Andrews, Riz Ahmed, Jay Ali, Dev Patel). These actors play characters who are usually the sexy scientist guy, or hospital hottie/team medic and sometimes are TallDarkAndHandsome or just cutiepies if they are short/average height. Expect them to typically be clean shaven/neatly stubbled, short haired and generally very Westernised.
** 3) A rarer type is a beautiful bearded man. As South Asian men are typically bearded in real life. Then dont be surprised in cases where a more masculine portrayal of a South Asian male has a full thick beard. (Again see Rahul Kohli, Jaz Deol, Avi Nash, Aaron Thiara, Raymond Ablacke and Ray Panthaki).
* Recent years many South Asian (and West Asian) women are being cast as either badass ActionSurvivor, ActionGirl or MrsFanService or a combo of the three. More so than Male actors from the same backgrounds. While in the past they are typically portrayed as being repressed/oppressed by family, religion and culture. They also used to be portrayed as desiring escape or in need of rescuing from their conservative upbringing usually by falling for a white guy. If they're a Hijabi, expect them to stop wearing it when they fall for a non-Muslim man (this trope also applies to Muslim characters of West Asian and African heritages but has been increasingly criticized by female Muslim viewers)

[[folder:Afghanistan]]
'''UsefulNotes/{{Afghanistan}}'''
* War, war, and more war. Everyone is either a terrorist, a victim of terrorism, a victim of a foreign army, or an oppressed woman. The Taliban's draconian rules will have been in place for untold centuries, never mind that the Taliban have only existed since the 1990s. Every great empire in history feels the need to invade, only to get burned by Afghanistan's sheer unconquerableness. Invading armies range from [[UsefulNotes/AlexanderTheGreat Alexander]]'s Greeks, to Mongols, to [[UsefulNotes/TheBritishEmpire Victorian Brits]], to [[UsefulNotes/SovietInvasionOfAfghanistan Russian commies]], to [[UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror the present-day NATO forces]].
* Afghanistan is also known for the production of opium and heroin, which are exported to the rest of the world. While it would be easy to blame people there: the locals who farm it don't really have a choice and only earn a small part of what Western drug dealers earn from this trade.
* The country has a rich history, being vital to the Silk Road and the Persian empire. It is known as the graveyard of empires.
* Like Iranians, Afghans are also often mistaken for being Arabs in the West. Pashtuns make up the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan, the second largest in Pakistan (including their Prime Minister) and their homeland is divided between Afghanistan and Pakistan, and the Hazaras are also a significant minority in both Afghanistan and Pakistan.

[[folder:Bangladesh]]
'''UsefulNotes/{{Bangladesh}}'''
* Being a part of India and later Pakistan, some of the stereotypes concerning these countries also apply to Bangladesh.
* Bangladesh has an unfortunate reputation to be repeatedly struck by natural disasters such as the 1971 Cyclone.
* Also a place where many sweatshops are located.
* Also the place where George Harrison mentioned for his "Concert for Bangla Desh."
* Indians and Pakistanis usually those of Punjabi or Northwest Indian backgrounds tend to stereotype Bangladeshis as short, meek, nerdy and physically unathletic. This is due to the British Raj excluding the Bengalis from military after their failed rebellion and the area being economically neglected as a result.
* Bangladeshis are also stereotyped by Indians and Pakistanis as eating Fish or prefering Fish over other meats. (Similar to how the Anglo-sphere stereotype the French as Frog Eaters).
** On a positive note, Bangladeshis are sometimes considered to have the best sweets/confectionary of South Asia.
* Extraction portrays Bangladesh's capital Dhaka as a lawless gangland full of Child Soldier, Mastaan (Gangsters), corrupt but ineffective police and RAB officers.
* Some Girls has Captain Bones summarise Bangladesh as a "Mosquito infested shit-hole with a lot of man power and absolutely no skill" which fits the desciption of the Bangladeshis in Extraction.
* In extremely rare cases when Bangladeshis do show up as characters, they are general young teenagers or adults struggling with their Muslim upbringing, strict parents and incompatibility with Western Society. In some cases theyll be having a "Haram" romance with a non-muslim (Magid and Millat Iqbal in White Teeth Abbud Siddiki in Skins US, Phaim in Bangla).

[[folder:Bhutan]]
'''UsefulNotes/{{Bhutan}}'''
* Bhutanese people are typically depicted as bald Buddhist monks who wear orange robes and live in monasteries. Basically, it is a mini-Tibet.

[[folder:India and Pakistan]]
'''UsefulNotes/{{India}} and UsefulNotes/{{Pakistan}}'''
* Indians are often confused with Native Americans as a pun.
* Both countries are often depicted as if they're more or less the same. With one important stereotypical distinction: All Indians are Hindu, all Pakistanis are Muslim. Sometimes Indian Muslims are acknowledged (although mostly in works dealing specifically about Hindu-Muslim tension), but Sikhs rarely are, despite one of the most stereotypical depictions of Indians (guys with turbans and big beards) being very much based around Sikhs -- to say nothing of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh being Sikh. Jains, Buddhists, and Christians are almost never mentioned (this despite there actually being more Indian Christians than Sikhs).
* India and Pakistan are also known for being stereotypically poor. [[DevelopingNationsLackCities People live in slums or rural backwaters]], where they farm with oxen. They will all travel by train since they can't afford any other way. And even then most train passengers will simply climb or hold on to themselves on top or on side of the train. Essentially, it's still UsefulNotes/TheRaj but without so many upper-class British people.[[note]]While slums are indeed a reality, the country has the largest, progressive middle-class in the world. The economy is among the fastest-growing and government programs, relics of the socialist economy India had until the late '80s, are becoming more efficient. While the rupee (not to be confused with the currency from the ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' series) pales in terms of strength against the American dollar or the Euro, it also attracts a ton of foreign investors seeking to capitalize on a rapidly growing youth population. India's notorious corruption has stagnated overall (while it remains rampant, but confined, in certain provinces), and Indians have begun to trust the government more while investing in the economy. People climbing on trains will never go out of style due to urban sprawl, but there's a lot more to India than just cities of slums. However, this isn’t necessarily true, as South Asia is a bustling economy.[[/note]]
* MysticalIndia: The countries also bring up images of very devout gurus, yogis, swamis, fakirs, snake charmers and other people who seem to be a cross between a philosopher, a Messiah, a cult leader, an illusionist or just someone who's difficult to understand from a Western perspective. Usually these people spent their time chanting mantras or spouting off wise aphorisms, in search of enlightment. They will be able to do all sorts of magical tricks like hypnotizing people, fly on a carpet, levitate, meditate, walk barefoot on burning coals, climb on an erect rope [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_rope_trick (Indian rope trick)]], stick knives inside their body, make cobras "dance" to the sound of their flutes or go without food for months! Sometimes they bury themselves underground with only their head or hands sticking out- or- in even more bizarre antics: with just their head stuck underground while the rest of their body remains above the ground in a stiff and upright position. They're able to twist their arms and legs in all kinds of seemingly uncomfortable positions. When they sit down or lie down they'll use a bed of nails.\\
Indian and Pakistani religions and cults are usually hardly distinguished from each other (and often mixed in with New Age stuff). In the end they all worship the most well known Hindu deities in the Western World: Shiva, Brahma, Kali, Vishnu or Ganesha. They all practice yoga and veganism, believe in reincarnation and worship holy cows. They're usually two perspectives in Western popular culture. Either it's treated as being more deep, meaningful, spiritual and philosophical than other religions, or it's just dismissed as mindless scary brainwashing.
* Many images of India are derived from the ancient mysterious exotic days, usually overlapping with Middle Eastern ArabianNightsDays imagery.
* Other stereotypes are derived from 19th and 20th century British colonial times, for example: people going tiger hunting while riding an elephant. ''Literature/JungleBook'' also did a lot to create the Western idea about India: jungles, bamboo, tigers, panthers, Indian elephants and rhinoceroses, cobras, wolves, monkeys, feral children,...
* Indian or Pakistani men all wear turbans. A long thick beard may be mandatory, but a moustache will do too.
** Indian or Pakistani women are all young, slim, long black haired women with a gopi dot on the forehead, dressed in saris. Expect a big deal to be made of their innocent/virginity; if they have a romantic partner, chances are it will be forbidden. And if they marry they will be child brides.
** When Indian couples have sex it's all kinds of AnatomicallyImpossibleSex positions learned from the ''Literature/KamaSutra''. Or instead of sex, they go dancing in various exotic locations like they do in movies.
** There are also a few very offensive stereotypes of Pakistani men as a whole, particularly in the UK following media coverage of incidents where several large gangs of Pakistani men have groomed and sexually abused young white girls. The high profile nature of these cases, and the fact that the media mentions statistics like ''"Asian men make up 3% of the British population and 25% of all sex crimes"'', encourages belief that Pakistani men are all paedophile rapists.
** In recent times, a number of high profile rape cases in India, some of whose victims are foreign tourists, has also lent India a reputation for sexual repression especially among lower classes. On a related but milder note, in the late 2010s there was also a spate of memes about Indian men pestering women online.
* All Indians and Pakistanis eat rice, hot spices and curry [[FireBreathingDiner which will burn your throat.]]. No miracle they sometimes go without food for months or simply starve to death.
* Modern stereotypical images of Indians and Pakistani depict them as shopkeepers, taxi drivers, workers in the "Indian" food industry (generally but not always Bangladeshi) or supermarket store clerks. Cf, Film/TheDeparted.
* Another modern image is the BollywoodNerd or OperatorFromIndia.
* All Indian movies are, of course, UsefulNotes/{{Bollywood}} movies. They will all be made in Bombay and feature a lot of young Indian men and women singing and dancing to a catchy and hypnotizing beat. The stories are usually romances, but the musical numbers are more important. In fact: the couples hardly every kiss each other! Usually the woman will sing in a very high pitched voice. Everything always has a bad acoustic echo to it and seems to be recorded on a scratchy soundtrack.
** Apart from Bollywood soundtracks most music in India will be sitar music, usually by Music/RaviShankar. It will usually drone on for hours and bring the listener into a spiritual trance.
* No visit to India is complete without showing the Taj Mahal!
* The Ganges river will also be shown, when Hindus are washing themselves in the ''"holy"'' river.
* The monsoon seasons are also a point of reference, with either not enough rain or too much of it for months!
* A characteristic of British people contemplating former colonies in the East is that they'll stick to the old names and wonder why the natives had to go around confusing everybody by ''changing'' them. Perhaps younger Brits are more likely to use terms like ''Mumbai, Kolkata, Madras, Sri Lanka''; but many (perhaps older) people think "Stuff ''that'', they've always been Bombay, Calcutta, Chennai, Ceylon, and I'm not changing for change' sake!"
* Currently, Indian women are viewed as being oppressed and [[WhiteMansBurden in need of rescuing]] from her so-called 'patriarchal' culture.
* All Indians have an OverlyLongName.
* India has also become infamous for its stereotypical free-defecation zones (the streets) and lack of toilets.

[[folder:Maldives]]
'''UsefulNotes/{{Maldives}}'''
* The Maldives are usually seen as a big tropical island resort full of coconut trees and beautiful beaches with crystal-blue water and pure white sand, basically Asia's equivalent to the Caribbean or Hawaii.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Nepal]]
'''UsefulNotes/{{Nepal}}'''
* Nepalis are typically depicted as badass mountaineers who always carry [[KukrisAreKool Kukris]] with them, primarily thanks to the [[UsefulNotes/NepaliWithNastyKnives Gurkhas]].
* Nepal is home to many mountains in the Himalayas, including Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the World. A Nepalese who isn't serving in some foreign army at the moment is probably hauling stuff up the Everest, acting as HypercompetentSidekick for some clueless Westerner with delusions of living in an adventure story.

[[folder:Sri Lanka]]
'''UsefulNotes/SriLanka'''
* Mostly known for the civil war between the Sinhalese and Tamils.

The largest continent on Earth with the largest percentage of the global population. Famous for their rich cultural traditions and the first civilizations in history. Also the birthplace of the major religions: UsefulNotes/{{Hinduism}}, UsefulNotes/{{Buddhism}}, UsefulNotes/{{Confucianism}}, UsefulNotes/{{Taoism}}, UsefulNotes/{{Judaism}}, UsefulNotes/{{Christianity}}, UsefulNotes/{{Islam}}, UsefulNotes/{{Sikhism}}, UsefulNotes/{{Zoroastrianism}}, UsefulNotes/{{Manichaeism}}, etc. Roughly, Asia can be divided into six large chunks: Western Asia (UsefulNotes/TheMiddleEast and UsefulNotes/TheCaucasus), Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan), South Asia (Afghanistan and the Indian Subcontinent), North Asia (Asian Russia), Southeast Asia (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar/Burma, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam) and East Asia (China, Japan, Korea and Mongolia). Of course, this is a political categorization. UsefulNotes/{{Russia}} is usually considered to be a Eastern European country, bolstered by the fact that the majority of its population is densely concentrated in the European half, but geographically it stretches across the entirety of North Asia including part of UsefulNotes/TheFarEast and in terms of land-mass, Asian Russia is the largest country in Asia, and the largest country on Earth. Turkey is another transcontinental state, with European and Asian sections and being a great power in Southern Europe and the Middle East. Its largest city UsefulNotes/{{Istanbul}} is a major world city on both continents. Likewise, the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt is in West Asia and thus Egypt is considered a transcontinental country in both North Africa and West Asia, and the Caucasus region is considered both Eastern European and West Asian. Cyprus is geographically a part of the Middle East, but is culturally a part of Southern Europe and a member of the European Union. Of course, by and large in Anglophone media, Asia is mostly associated with the Far East, with China and Japan being the shorthand for exotic Asian cultures.

!'''Western Asia'''
* Western Asia is just one large desert. Not entirely true, as Turkey, Israel, Iraq (primarily Iraqi Kurdistan), Syria, Lebanon, Iran, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia have forests and mountains.

* All Middle Eastern countries are of course {{Qurac}} cities, ruled by sheikhs, sultans, shahs, califs, vizirs or evil wizards, or for a more modern take, by sunglasses-wearing dictators suffering from delusions of grandeur. The names of the fictional countries in this region all end in "''-stan''", even though all of the real countries with such names are in Central and South Asia, although some regions in Russia and Western Asia do have -stan in their names (ever heard of UsefulNotes/{{Kurdistan}}?). The word ''stan'' ("land") comes from the Indo-Iranian languages, such as Persian and Urdu, although ironically, four of the seven independent 'Stans are Turkic[[note]]Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, while those that are predominantly Indo-Iranian are Afghanistan, Pakistan and Tajikistan[[/note]]. It may be mentioned that this Qurac's place is ''"between Persia and Iran"''.

* In (beat 'em up) video games, Japanese characters run the full gamut of character types (unsurprisingly, seeing as how most series have multiple Japanese characters), but the most ''popular'' depictions include the [[TheStoic stoic, brooding]] [[TheHero hero type]] ([[HurtingHero often wrestling with some sort of inner turmoil]]) -- as seen with ''Franchise/StreetFighter''[='=]s Ryu, ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters''' Kyo, ''VirtuaFighter''[='=]s Akira, and ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}''[='=]s Kazuya and Jin; various [[BoisterousBruiser boisterous bruisers]] (often Sumo wrestlers), as seen with ''Street Fighter''[='=]s E. Honda, ''Tekken''[='=]s Ganryu and ''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter''[='=]s Taka-arashi; and finally the archetypal [[GenkiGirl spirited]], [[PluckyGirl plucky]] [[OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent school girl type]], as seen with Sakura of ''Street Fighter'' fame, Hinata from ''VideoGame/RivalSchools'', Asuka Kazama of ''Tekken'' fame and school-girl turned MagicIdolSinger Athena Asamiya from ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters''.

** Chinese male beat 'em up characters generally come in one of two flavours. There's the wise, bearded OldMaster type, who's ancient age hides his incredible skill, with examples including Gen of ''Street Fighter'' fame, [[DrunkenBoxing drunken]] fighters Shun Di and Chin Gentsai from ''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter'' and ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'' respectively, Tung Fu Rue from ''VideoGame/FatalFury'', Gen Fu from ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'', and Wang Jinrei from ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}''. Lau Chan, Pai's father from ''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter'' also somewhat fits although he is younger than the others. The other popular Chinese male depiction is the straight up BruceLeeClone, as seen with Fei Long of ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' fame, Marshall Law and his son Forest (who are actually American) from ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'', Liu Kang from ''Franchise/MortalKombat'', a medieval version with Li Long from the ''VideoGame/SoulSeries'' (his protege Maxi, however, is Japanese) and Jann [[MeaningfulName Lee]] from ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive''. You also may see the occasional Shaolin monk (Like [[VideoGame/VirtuaFighter Lei Fei]], [[VideoGame/SoulSeries Kilik]], or [[VideoGame/{{Tekken}} Feng Wei]]) or a hot-blooded youngster ([[VideoGame/StreetFighter Yun, Yang]], [[VideoGame/{{Tekken}} Lee Chaolan, Lei Wulong]], [[VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters Sie Kensou, Shunei]], and [[VideoGame/DeadOrAlive Brad Wong]]).

** '''Kansai''': There's the stereotype of TheIdiotFromOsaka. It takes several different "shapes", but is usually a LowerClassLout framed as the negative contrast to [[TokyoIsTheCenterOfTheUniverse people from Tokyo and by extent the Kanto region]]: an Osakanite can be seen as either [[ThePrankster an obnoxious prankster]] who never takes anything seriously, a BoisterousBruiser who will punch first and ask what's going on next, a [[MoneyDearBoy money-grubbing]] {{workaholic}}, or as a person who's [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} somewhat]]... [[Manga/AzumangaDaioh odd]]. There's also the common visual of middle-aged ladies in tiger print clothes. They also speak with a [[KansaiRegionalAccent funny accent]].

* And, to conclude, in the English language Turkey cannot be mentioned without making an IncrediblyLamePun about turkey birds.

* Recent years many South Asian (and West Asian) women are being cast as either badass ActionSurvivor, ActionGirl or MrsFanService or a combo of the three. More so than Male actors from the same backgrounds. While in the past they are typically portrayed as being repressed/oppressed by family, religion and culture. They also used to be portrayed as desiring escape or in need of rescuing from their conservative upbringing usually by falling for a white guy. If they're a Hijabi, expect them to stop wearing it when they fall for a non-Muslim man (this tropes also applies to Muslim characters of West Asian and African heritages but has been increasingly criticized by female Muslim viewers)

* Afghanistan is also known for the production of opium and heroin, which are exported to the rest of the world. While it would easy to blame people there: the locals who farm it don't really have a choice and only earn a small part of what Western drug dealers earn from this trade.

* Like Iranians, Afghans are also often mistaken for being Arabs in the West. Pashtuns make up the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan, the second-largest in Pakistan (including their Prime Minister) and their homeland is divided between Afghanistan and Pakistan, and the Hazaras are also a significant minority in both Afghanistan and Pakistan.

* Indians and Pakistanis usually those of Punjabi or North West Indian backgrounds tend to stereotype Bangladeshis as short, meek, nerdy and physically unathletic. This is due to the British Raj excluding the Bengalis from military after their failed rebellion and the area being economically neglected as a result.

** '''Tohoku''': People there speak [[TohokuRegionalAccent a language that sounds similarly funny to Kansai but even less intelligible]]. Usually depicted as [[LowerClassLout poor, uncultured, inbred yokels]]. The Japan equivalent of SweetHomeAlabama, or The DeepSouth in unflattering examples.

** Since the 1920s the world knows at least one historically important Turk: Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey and also modernizer of its culture and society. He is still seen as a hero by the Turkish population and [[UnacceptableTargets someone who should not be criticized at all.]]

* Uzbekistan was a very vital part of the Silk Road, with many cities such as Samarkand, Bukhara, and many others flourishing. It was vital to Ancient Persia.

!'''West Asia'''
* West Asia or as most people call it the Middle East is just one large desert. Not entirely true, as Turkey, Israel, Iraq (primarily Iraqi Kurdistan), Syria, Lebanon and Iran have forests and mountains.

* A typical positive portrayal of an Arab, Turkish, Iranian or otherwise West Asian Muslim character (South Asians get this too) in a Western country is to make them the Team Medic or the kind hearted religious Doctor. Compare the Walking Dead comics version of Siddiq who is a towering musuclar construction worker who is the big guy, but then his TV equivalent is a average height slim helpful doctor who is only medicore at combat.

* Most fictional or iconic South Asian Characters are almost always Indian with extremely little specification to their exact ethnicity (I.E are they Assamese? Bengali? Gujurati? Tamil? Punjabi? Most works dont even bother to distinguish the many Indian ethno-linguistic groups). Most of these characters will have a sliding scale of Informed/Ambiguous Hinduism in their portrayals. It is only in recent years other South Asian ethnicities have been getting represented in fiction with Pakistani Muslims being the most likely after Indians. You'd struggle to even find a South Asian fictional character that was explicitly Afghan, Bangladeshi, Nepalese, Sri Lankan, etc. Even less so if your looking for a character that is Sikh, Christian, Zoroastrian or Buddhist.

* South Asian characters are almost always portrayed as Bollywood Nerds. If they are kids or teenagers tbey are the maths, science or computer nerd or part of the nerd group, if not they maybe an extreme doormat to their friends or parents. If they are adults expect them to be in a profession that requires high academic standards like Doctor or Lawyer or Technology. Expect them to have little to no athletic or physical abilities (unless Cricket comes up). If they are not overtly nerdy, then theyd be a meek, submissive, or overly kind and eagerly helpful nice guy as opposed to mean lovable jerks/rogues.
* Jobwise South Asians come in two types. The successful and academic types are typically Doctor, Scientists, Tech Nerd, Lawyers sometimes classy business tycoons or Politicians. If they are on the lower end of the economic ladder, expect them to be the AsianStoreOwner or a taxi driver (sometimes other types of driver) or Resturant/cafe/food worker.
* If the character are religious, expect them to be Hindu (especially if theyre Indian, Sri Lankan or Nepalese) or Muslim (especially if theyre Afghan, Pakistani or Bangladeshi). If theyre Hindu expect them not eat beef or be vegetarian to an extent. For Muslims they typically wont eat Pork or Drink Alcohol. Thus theyd avert AsiansEatPets or other weird animal eating stereotypes associated with the Far East of Asia.

* One cliche that typically comes up is a South Asian character (usually female, but males too) being under the thumb of their strict, religious and conservative family. Usually having to hide their interracial relationships or their secret non-traditional career prospects be it football (Bend it like beckham) or music.
* In Professional Wrestling, Videogames, sometimes comics and anime but almost never in live action film or TV. There will be a giant South Asian, usually a Punjabi Wrestler as seen with most Indian Wrestlers like The Great Khali, Jinder Mahal, Satnam Singh, Guvinder Singh, etc. Fictional examples include Zingh one of the Mandarins henchmen, 6'6" vampire hunter Taj Nital from the Blade Comics, Darun Mister from EX Fighting Layer, Abubo Rao from SNK fighting games, Haru from Tengan Ashura (a Ghurka from Nepal instead rather than a Punjabi Indian).
** Conversely this character achetype is extremely rare in live action TV and almost non-existant in Live Action Films with many tall, imposing or muscular South Asian male actors being reduced to minor tv roles or supporting roles in mini-series, prime examples include 6'4" British Indian Rahul Kohli, 6'3" Anglo-Indian Silas Carson (best known for Star Wars), 6'3" Indian American Gerrard Lobo, 6'3" Indian American Sachin Bhatt (Legends of Tomorrow) 6'3" British Pakistani Muzz Khan, 6'2" British Indian Jaz Deol, 6'1" British Indian Dev Patel, 6'1" British Russian/Indian Staz Nair, 6'1" British Bangladeshi Jan Uddin, etc. Don't expect to see them in leading roles for a big budget A-List Hollywood film.
* In the UK, since South Asian make up the largest visible minorty. [[note]] there are almost double the number of British South Asians than British Blacks [[/note]] A South Asian bad boy/rebellious character does occassionally show up. Dont be surprised if theyre a Smoker or casual drug user too. Truth in Television for Young Muslims in the UK (most of which are British Pakistani or British Bangladeshi) prefering to smoke Shisha (sometimes Cannabis) over drinking alcohol. Some South Asian rebels/bad boy types in UK media would include British Pakistani Tariq Siddiqui in Waterloo Road, British Pakistani Anwar Kharrel in Skins UK, British Indian Gujurati Kirin Kotecha in Emmerdale, British Indian Punjabi Ram Singh in Dr Who spin off Class, British Bangladeshi Twin Brothers Magid and Millat Iqbal in White Teeth, the Punjabi Panesar/Gulati men in Eastenders (all except two have been in Prison) and British Pakistani Raza in Informer. Outside the UK there are rare American examples like Skins US Bangladeshi American Abbud Siddiki and Twisteds Anglo-Indian American Danny Desai. (Both American examples are Canadian South Asian Actors)

* In fact South Asians are usually associated with their own music and dance of their own cultures due to Bollywood and their own sub-culture of music in the western diaspora like the UK's Asian Underground which gave rise to the likes of Jay Sean. So dont be surpeised if a South Asian character has a Bollywood-esque imagine spot throw in somewhere. (Aladdins harvest dance, DC Legends of Tomorrow's Bollywood Dance with Zari and Sunjay, Rajesh Koothrapali's fantasy if Bernadette in The Big Bang Theory, Marvel Eternals had Kingo's Bollywood scene and few imagine spot scenes of Ackley Bridge does this as well
* Many Negative portrayals of South Asian men are usually portrayed as being wimpy, emasculated, misoginistic or domestically abusive towards their women/children and generally unnattractive or sexually undesirable. Add in Physically unathletic or unskilled too. There are however invertions of this cliche in modern works where a South Asian male actor/character is considered attractive by fans or in-universe. They generally comes in 3 achetypes.

** 2) Charming Suarve, Smart guy. Bonus points if they are British accented (Sendhil Ramamurphy's characters) or played by a British Asian actor (think Rahul Kohli, Naveen Andrews, Riz Ahmed, Jay Ali, Dev Patel). These actors play characters who are usually the sexy scientist guy, or hospital hottie/team medic and sometimes are Tall Dark and Handsome or just cutiepies if they are short/average height. Expect them to typically be clean shaven/neatly stubbled, short haired and generally very westernised.

* Recent years many South Asian (and West Asian) women are being cast as either badass ActionSurvivor, ActionGirl or MrsFanService or a combo of the three. More so than Male actors from the same backgrounds. While in the past they are typically portrayed as being repressed/oppressed by family, religion and culture. They also used to be portrayed as desiring escape or in need of rescuing from their conservative upbringing usually by falling for a white guy. If theyre a Hijabi, expect them to stop wearing it when they fall for a non-muslim man (this tropes also applies to Muslim characters of West Asian and African heritages but has been increasingly criticised by female Muslim viewers)

* South Asian characters are almost always portrayed as Bollywood Nerds. If they are kids or teenagers they are the maths, science or computer nerd or part of the nerd group. If they are adults expect them to be in a profession that requires high academic standards like Doctor or Lawyer. Expect them to have little to no athletic or physical abilities (unless Cricket comes up). If they are not overtly nerdy, then theyd be a meek, submissive, or overly kind and eagerly helpful nice guy as opposed to mean lovable jerks/rogues.
* Jobwise South Asians come in two types. The successful and academic types are typically Doctor, Scientists, Lawyers sometimes classy business tycoons or Politicians. If they are on the lower end of the economic ladder, expect them to be the AsianStoreOwner or a taxi driver (sometimes other types of driver) or Resturant/cafe/food worker.
* If the character are religious, expect them to be Hindu (especially if theyre Indian, Sri Lankan or Nepalese) or Muslim (especially if theyre Afghan, Pakistani or Bangladeshi). If theyre Hindu expect them not eat beef or be vegetarian to an extent. For Muslims they typically wont eat Pork or Drink Alcohol. Thus theyd avert AsiansEatPets or other weird animal eatinng stereotypes associated with the Far East of Asian

* In Professional Wrestling, Videogames, sometimes comics and anime but almost never in live action film or TV. There will be giant South Asian, usually a Punjabi Wrestler as seen with most Indian Wrestlers like The Great Khali, Jinder Mahal, Satnam Singh, Guvinder Singh, etc. Fictional examples include Zingh one of the Mandarins henchmen, 6'6" vampire hunter Taj Nital from the Blade Comics, Darun Mister from EX Fighting Layer, Abubo Rao from SNK fighting games, Haru from Tangan Ashura (a Ghurka from Nepal instead rather than a Punjabi Indian).
** Conversely this character achetype is extremely rare in live action TV and almost non-existant in Live Action Films with many tall, imposing or muscular South Asian male actors being reduced to minor tv roles or supporting roles in mini-series, prime examples include 6'4" British Indian Rahul Kohli, 6'3" Anglo-Indian Silas Carson (best known for Star Wars), 6'3" Indian American Gerrard Lobo, 6'3" Indian American Sachin Bhatt (Legends of Tomorrow) 6'3" British Pakistani Muzz Khan, 6'2" British Indian Jaz Deol, 6'1" British Indian Dev Patel, 6'1" British Russian/Indian Staz Nair, 6'1" British Bangladeshi Jan Uddin, etc are typically reduced to play supporting TV Roles.
* In the UK, since South Asian make up the majority visible minorty. A South Asian bad boy/rebellious character does occassionally show up. Dont be surprised if theyre a Smoker or casual drug user too. Truth in Television for Young Muslims in the UK (most of which are British Pakistani or British Bangladeshi) prefering to smoke Shisha (sometimes Cannabis) over drinking alcohol. Some South Asian rebels/bad boy types in UK media would include Waterloo Roads Tariq Siddiqui, Anwar Kharrel in Skins UK, Kirin Kotecha in Emmerdale, Ram Singh in Dr Who spin off Class, Magid and Millat Iqbal in White Teeth, the Panesar men in Eastenders (all except two have been in Prison). Outside the UK there are rare American examples like Skins US Abbud Siddiki and Twisteds Danny Desai.
* Some UK music bands generally have a token South Asian/Brown boy member who typically stands out either due to their unique personality or minority status. See Zayn Malik for One Direction, Siva Kaneswaran for the Wanted, Schelim Hannan for Worlds Apart (the Ur-Example for the UK), Staz Nair for Times Red, Bobak Kianoush for Another Level (Though he is Iranian) and Freddie Mercury for Queen (Though Ethnically he was Parsi).
* In fact South Asians are usually associated with their own music and dance of their own cultures due to Bollywood and their own sub-culture of music in the weatern diaspora like the UK's Asian Underground which gave rise to the likes of Jay Sean. So dont be surpeised if a South Asian character as a Bollywood-esque imagine spot throw in somewhere.
* Many Negative portrayals of South Asian men are usually portrayed as being wimpy, emasculated, misoginistic or domestically abusive towards their women/children and generally unnattractive or sexually undesirable. There are however invertions of this cliche in modern works where a South Asian male actor/character is considered attractive by fans or in-universe. They generally comes in 3 achetypes.

** 2) Charming Suarve, Smart guy. Bonus points if they are British accented (Sendhil Ramamurphy's characters) or played by a British Asian actor (think Rahul Kohli, Naveen Andrews, Riz Ahmed, Jay Ali, Dev Patel). These actors play characters who are usually the sexy scientist guy, or hospital hottie/team medic and sometimes are Tall Dark and Handsome or just cutiepies if they are short/average height. Expcct them to typically be clean shaven/neatly stubbled, short haired and generally very westernised.
** 3) A rarer type is a beautiful bearded man. As South Asian men are typically bearded in real life. Then dont be surprised in cases where a more masculine portrayal of a South Asian male has a full thick beard. (Again see Rahul Kohli, Jaz Deol, Avi Nash, Aaron Thiara, Raymond Ablacke).
* Recent years many South Asian (and West Asian) women are being cast as either badass ActionGirls or MrsFanService or both. More so than Male actors from the same backgrounds. While in the past they are typically portrayed as being repressed/oppressed by family, religion and culture. They also used to be portrayed as desiring escape or in need of rescuing from their conservative upbringing using by falling for a white guy.

!'''The Middle East'''
* To most people the Middle East is just one large desert. Not entirely true, as Turkey, Israel, Iraq (primarily Iraqi Kurdistan), Syria, Lebanon and Iran have forests and mountains.

* Most fictional or iconic South Asian Characters are almost always Indian with extremely little specification to their exact ethnicity (I.E are they Assamese? Bengali? Gujurati? Tamil? Punjabi? Most works dont even bother to distimguish the mant Indian ethno-linguistic groups). Most of these character will have a sliding scale of Informed/Ambiguous Hinduism in their portrayals. It is only in recent years other South Asian ethnicities have been getting represented in fiction with Pakistani Muslims being the most likely after Indians. You'd struggle to even find a South Asian fictional character that was explicitly Afghan, Bangladeshi, Nepalese, Sri Lankan, etc. Even less so if yoir looking for a character that is Sikh, Christian, Zoroastrian or Buddhist.

* Many Negative portrayals of South Asian men are usually portrayed as being wimpy, emasculated, misoginistic or domestically abusive towards their women/children and generally unnattractive or sexually undesirable. There are however invertions of this cliche in modern works where a South Asian male character is considered attractive by fans or in-universe generally comes in 3 achetypes.

* Most fictional or iconic South

* South Asia and Southeast Asia are known for their native fauna. The mountainous areas of Bhutan, India and Nepal will be home to yaks, wolves, possibly a snow leopard, and likely a [[BigfootSasquatchAndYeti yeti]] in more fantastical works. The jungles will typically feature tigers, Asian elephants, monkeys (usually macaques -- or, more likely, [[MisplacedWildlife capuchins]]), black and spotted leopards, peafowl, cobras, giant pythons and crocodiles (don't ever count on seeing India's endemic, thin-snouted gharial instead). Orangutans might appear, either in their native Borneo and Sumatra or as far northwest as [[WesternAnimation/TheJungleBook1967 India]]. Komodo dragons are infamous, but are rarely seen in their natural range outside of documentaries. The environment brims with archipelagos, volcanoes and bamboo. Typhoons, tornadoes, floods, monsoon rains and earth quakes will frequently ravage the land.

* In facy South Asians are usually associated with their own music and dance of their own cultures due to Bollywood and their own sub-culture of music in the weatern diaspora like the UK's Asian Underground which gave rise to the likes of Jay Sean.

** 2) Charming Suarve, Smart guy. Bonus points if they are British accented (Sendhil Ramamurphy) or played by a British Asian actor (think Rahul Kohli, Naveen Andrews, Riz Ahmed, Jay Ali, Dev Patel). These actor play characters who are usually the sexy scientist guy, or hospital hottie/team medic and sometimes are Tall Dark and Handsome or just cutiepies if they are short/average. Expcct them to typically be clean shaven/stubbly, short haired and generally very westernised.
** 3) A rarer type is beautiful bearded man. As South Asian men are typically bearded in real life. Then dont be surprised in cases where a more masculine portrayal of a South Asian male has a full thick beard. (Again see Rahul Kohli, Jaz Deol, Avi Nash, Aaron Thakar, Raymond Ablacke).


* South Asian

** Conversely this character achetype is extremely rare in live action TV and almost non-existant in Live Action Films with many tall, imposing or muscular South Asian male actors being reduced to minor tv roles or supporting roles in mini-series, prime examples include 6'4" British Indian Rahul Kohli, 6'3" Anglo-Indian Silas Carson (best known for Star Wars), 6'3" Indian American Gerrard Lobo, 6'3" Indian American Sachin Bhatt (Legends of Tomorrow) 6'3" British Pakistani Muzz Khan, 6'2" British Indian Jaz Deol, 6'1" British Indian Dev Patel, 6 6'1" British Bangladeshi Jan Uddin, etc are typically reduced to play TV Roles.

* In the UK, since South Asian make up the majority visible minorty. A South Asian bad boy/rebellious character does occassionally show up. Dont be surprised if theyre a Smoker or casual drug user too. Truth in Television for Young Muslim in the UK (most of which are British Pakistani or British Bangladeshi) prefering to smoke sisha over drinking alcohol. Some South Asian rebels/bad boy types in UK media would include Waterloo Roads Tariq Siddiqui, Anwar Kharrel in Skins UK, Kirin Kotecha in Emmerdale, the Panesar men in Eastenders (all except two have been in Prison). Oitside the UK there are rare American examples like Skins US Abbud Siddiki and Twisteds Danny Desai.
* Some UK music bands generally have a token South Asian/Brown boy member who typically stands out either due to their unique personality or monority status. See Zayn Malik for One Direction, Siva for the Wanted, Schelim Hannan for Worlds Apart (the Ur-Example for the UK), Staz Nair for Red Alert, Bobak Kianoush for Another Level (Though he is Iranian) and Freddie Mercury for Queen (Though Ethnically he was Parsi).

* Many Negative portrayals of South Asian men are usually portrayed in negative way, being emasculated, misoginistic or domestically abusive towards there women and generally unnattractive or sexually undesirable. There are however invertions of this cliche in modern works generally comes in 3 achetypes.

** 2) Charming Suarve, Smart guy. Bonus points if they are British accented (Sendhil Ramamurphy) or played by a British Asian actor (think Rahul Kohli, Naveen Andrews, Riz Ahmed, Jay Ali, Dev Patel). These actor play characters who are usually the sexy scientist guy, or hospital hottie/team medic and sometimes are Tall Dark and Handsome or just cutiepies if they are short/average.
** 3) a rarer type is beautiful bearded man. As South Asian men are typically bearded in real life. Then dont be surprised in cases where a more masculine South Asian male has a full thick beard. (Again see Rahul Kohli, Jaz Deol, Avi Nash, Aaron Thakar, Raymomd Ablacke).

The largest continent on Earth with the largest percentage of the global population. Famous for their rich cultural traditions and the first civilizations in history. Also the birthplace of the major religions: UsefulNotes/{{Hinduism}}, UsefulNotes/{{Buddhism}}, UsefulNotes/{{Confucianism}}, UsefulNotes/{{Taoism}}, UsefulNotes/{{Judaism}}, UsefulNotes/{{Christianity}}, UsefulNotes/{{Islam}}, UsefulNotes/{{Sikhism}}, UsefulNotes/{{Zoroastrianism}}, UsefulNotes/{{Manichaeism}}, etc. Roughly, Asia can be divided into six large chunks: Western Asia (UsefulNotes/TheMiddleEast and UsefulNotes/TheCaucasus), Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan), South Asia (Afghanistan and the Indian Subcontinent), North Asia (Asian Russia), Southeast Asia (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar/Burma, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam) and East Asia (China, Japan, Korea and Mongolia). Of course, this is a political categorization. UsefulNotes/{{Russia}} is usually considered to be a Eastern European country, bolstered by the fact that the majority of its population is densely concentrated in the European half, but geographically it stretches across the entirety of North Asia including part of UsefulNotes/TheFarEast and in terms of land-mass, Asian Russia is the largest country in Asia, and the largest country on Earth. Turkey is another transcontinental state, with European and Asian sections and being a great power in Southern Europe and the Middle East. Its largest city UsefulNotes/{{Istanbul}} is a major world city on both continents. Likewise, the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt is in the Middle East and thus Egypt is considered a transcontinental country in both North Africa and the Middle East, and the Caucasus is considered both Eastern European and Asian. Cyprus is geographically a part of the Middle East, but is culturally a part of Southern Europe and a member of the European Union. Of course, by and large in Anglophone media, Asia is mostly associated with the Far East, with China and Japan being the shorthand for exotic Asian cultures.

* In the UK, since South Asian make up the majority visible minorty. A South Asian bad boy/rebelliois character does occassionally show up. Dont be surprised if theyre a Smoker or casual drug user too. Truth in Television for Young Muslim in the UK (most of which are British Pakistani or British Bangladeshi) prefering to smoke sisha over drinking alcohol.

** 1) Long Haired Pretty Boy/Bishonen (think Avan Jogia or Jan Uddin). For some reason a South Asian man with long hair or a manbun/topknot is considered the perfect pretty boy look for a young brown guy.
2) Charming Suarve, Smart guy. Bonus points if they are British accented (Sendhil Ramamurphy) or played by a British Asian actor (think Rahul Kohli, Naveen Andrews, Riz Ahmed, Jay Ali). These characters are usually the sexy scientist guy, or hot doctor.

* South Asian characters are almost always portrayed as Bollywood Nerds. If they are kids or teenagers they are the maths, science or computer nerd or part of the nerd group. If they are adults expect them to be in a profession that requires high academic standards like Doctor or Lawyer.