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1[[quoteright:300:[[VideoGame/{{Warcraft}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Illidan1_7440.jpg]]]]
2[[caption-width-right:300:[[CharacterCatchphrase You are not prepared.]]]]
3
4->''"He knows my every move, yet, he cannot see. \
5As my mind fights to make sense of the impossible,\
6he has turned my sight into a liability."''
7-->-- '''Huey''' musing about Zatoichi the Blind Swordsman, ''WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks'', "[[Recap/TheBoondocksS1E4GranddadsFight Granddad's Fight]]"
8
9They hold their staff (or other weapon) like they know what they're doing, but since they're completely without sight surely they aren't that dangerous, right? Wrong. The Blind Weaponmasters are some of the most deadly adversaries a character can face. In possession of [[DisabilitySuperpower supernatural senses born from blindness]] or just BadassNormal enough to compensate for the weaponmaster's loss with other natural senses, the Blind Weaponmaster will surprise any overconfident character and make heroes push their skill to its limits. A blind weaponmaster may invoke YourEyesCanDeceiveYou by fighting in a visibly challenging location such as fog or total darkness which would even out the drawback or even reverse it on the weaponmaster's opponent instead. The Blind Weaponmaster's weapon of choice is stereotypically a staff, but other blunt weapons have been used as well. Blades are rare but not unheard of.
10
11A subtrope of HandicappedBadass. See also the aforementioned YourEyesCanDeceiveYou for when normally-sighted characters would have to fight without the use of their eyes.
12----
13!!Examples:
14
15[[foldercontrol]]
16
17[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
18* ''Manga/{{Basilisk}}'':
19** Gennosuke's uncle and BigBrotherMentor Hyouma Muroga has severe eyesight problems, though the exact source and effects vary per media. In any case, he's still not to be trifled with.
20** Koushirou Chikuma falls victim to EyeScream halfway through the series, but learns to use his hearing to compensate. [[spoiler:That lets him defeat and kill the aforementioned Hyouma, a man who can only open his eyes briefly to use his powers... which ''don't'' work on blind opponents like Koushirou.]]
21* DownplayedTrope in ''Manga/{{Berserk}}''. Guts has only lost his right eye, [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome which still affects his depth perception and leaves him with no field of vision on his right side]]. Guts has learned to use his hearing to compensate.
22* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'': Kaname Tousen was a master of Zanjutsu, [[spoiler:up until his Hollow transformation, which not only discards his Zanpakutou, but also gives him functional eyesight. Ironically, it was gaining sight that led to his downfall.]]
23* ''Anime/CardfightVanguardOverdress'' has Mirei Minae, a Blind ''Card Game'' Master. She's been blind since birth, yet is an amazing Cardfighter and the leader of Team Daybreak, the main villains of Seasons 1 and 2. This is portrayed rather realistically, as in order to play Vanguard her deck has each card marked with stickers so she can tell them apart, and she frequently has an aide with her when playing who tells her what cards her opponent uses as well if they don't announce each one themselves.
24* Dario Montoya from ''[[Anime/GaroTheAnimation GARO: Divine Flame]]'', also known as ZEM the Obsidian Knight, is extremely skilled with his lance despite having blinded himself.
25* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'':
26** ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders'': N'Doul is blind, but it doesn't hamper how skilled and outright dangerous he is with his Stand Geb's [[MakingASplash water-manipulating powers]] in the slightest. He has also learned to sense the presence of who and what is around him through the ground and his cane.
27** ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureStoneOcean'': Johngalli A. is blind thanks to cataracts, but that doesn't stop him from being a dangerous opponent with his Stand, Manhattan Transfer, whose main utility is positioning itself to [[BizarreAndImprobableBallistics ricochet shots]], allowing him to take down targets at improbable angles.
28* ''Manga/HellsParadiseJigokuraku'' has Shion, who is blind since birth, but is one of the best fighters among the cast due to his ability to perceive "waves" (later defined in-story as "Tao").
29* ''Anime/KillLaKill'': [[spoiler:Uzu Sanageyama]] sews his own eyes shut when he finds himself relying too heavily on them, becoming even more badass in the process. He gains HyperAwareness and becomes virtually impossible to hit or to dodge. In the penultimate episode, [[spoiler:he has them reopened. His intentional handicap has been taken away, AND he's still got his proficiency with his other senses, making him insanely dangerous. Thankfully, the Devas have well undergone a HeelFaceTurn by this point.]]
30* In ''Manga/MoriartyThePatriot'', Von Herder is a blind engineer as he was in the original ''Literature/SherlockHolmes'' canon, but he is seen handling a gun prepared to shoot despite the fact that he can't see where it would hit.
31* ''Anime/NinjaScroll'': One of the QuirkyMinibossSquad is a blind swordmaster. He can feel out the location of the sun and reflect it off his sword as a blinder, turning the tables on his seeing enemy. [[spoiler:He loses when his attack is deflected by a knife that got stuck in bamboo earlier in the fight which he can no longer track by hearing, giving Jubei an opening.]]
32* ''Manga/OnePiece'': Issho, a.k.a. Admiral Fujitora is a blind swordsman and clearly based on ''Franchise/{{Zatoichi}}''. On top of his swordsmanship and Haki, he's a GravityMaster. Fujitora's lack of eyesight is compensated by his strong Observation Haki.
33* ''Manga/PandoraHearts'': [[spoiler:Xerxes Break]] eventually loses his eyesight. Doesn't stop him from being (arguably) the most badass character in the entire manga/anime.
34* ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'': Mousse is not blind, per se, but so short-sighted that even with coke-bottle glasses he cannot distinguish between people and objects, fights with a range of deadly bladed weapons. Interestingly enough, while he's been known to mistake a ''bicycle'' for a long-haired Chinese girl, he has absolutely no problem fighting even deadly, fast-moving adversaries in the night and without his glasses.
35* ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'': Usui, literally known as "The Blind Sword".
36%%* ''Manga/SaintSeiya'': Shiryuu, at least for part of the series.
37* ''Anime/SamuraiChamploo'': Sara, a beautiful, barefoot blind musician whom the trio encounters near the end of their journey, turns out to be frighteningly skilled with a spear. She fights with an eerie elegance while using her senses to compensate for her lack of eyesight.
38* ''Manga/{{Shigurui}}'':
39** Grandmaster Iwamoto Kogan blinds Irako Seigen using his secret sword cut ''nagare boshi'' (shooting star), as punishment for sleeping with his concubine Iku. Irako and Iku are rescued by a swordsman named Tsukioka Yukinosuke, who takes them to a village in the Hida Mountains. There, with the help of Iku and Yukinosuke, Irako goes through the painful and difficult process of adjusting to his blindness, and ultimately develops the ability to sword fight as efficiently as he did before. He goes beyond that, however, by inventing a technique called ''mumyou sakanagare'' ("lightless reverse flow"): it's a modification of and a counter to Kogan's ''nagare boshi'', which is even more powerful because Irako sticks the point of his sword into the earth instead of gripping it in his other hand as Kogan did, so that he can use his whole body to charge up the sword with energy and release it like a slingshot in a vertical ascending strike as he dives toward his opponent. With this technique, Irako comes back and starts killing highly skilled members of Kogan Ryuu one after another. He eventually earns the favor of the shogun's brother, Tokugawa Tadanaga, and his fearsome reputation as the Blind Dragon spreads far and wide.
40** Later on the trope is [[DiscussedTrope discussed]] between several characters. After three members of the Kogan school are murdered in succession, each killed by an unknown swordsman using an ascending vertical strike, the remaining members get together and discuss what to do. Protagonist Fujiki Gennosuke states he suspects Irako Seigen may be the culprit, and others back him up by pointing out that each of the victims' corpses was arranged in a way that referenced Seigen's grudge against each of them. When senior instructor Ushimata Gonzaemon points out that Irako is blind, the others argue that it's possible Irako could have defeated them because Munakata and Yamazaki both faced him in the pitch black of night, while Suzunosuke was an immature pupil. Gonzaemon, however, tells them about a certain swordsman of the Sengoku era named Toda Seigen. Toda was a master of Chuujou Ryuu, who specialized in using a sword of less than two feet to subdue an opponent using a blade over three feet in length. One of his disciples was the famous UsefulNotes/SasakiKojiro. In 1561, Seigen was commanded by his lord to fight a match with a disciple of Shinto Ryuu named Umezu, wielding a staff three and a half feet long. This was despite the fact that Seigen had gone blind froma disease. Using a club barely more than a foot long, he won by lunging through Umezu's defense and wildly beating to a pulp at close range. Gonzaemon observes that this was how Toda had to fight, because he could not see; that is what a blind swordsman is like. In contrast, each of the warriors of Kogan Ryuu were killed by a single, incredibly precise strike. That's why at this point Gonzaemon doesn't believe it could have been Irako himself, but as they will soon find out, Irako has surpassed what a blind swordsman ought to be capable of.
41%%* ''Teiden Shoujo to Hanemushi no Orchestra'': Haibane.
42* In ''Manga/TokyoGhoul[=:Re=]'', [[spoiler:Kishou Arima]] turns out to be a downplayed version of this trope. Glaucoma has robbed him of the sight in his right eye, and his left is beginning to fail as well....but he manages to conceal this from all but the most observant enemies. Other than a slowing in his movements and a slight favoring of that side when fighting, he seems to have compensated enough to remain a nigh-unstoppable killing machine.
43* ''Manga/UntilDeathDoUsPart'': Mamoru is a master of the katana to the point that he uses it as his only weapon IN ACTUAL MILITARY COMBAT and owns everyone's asses. And yes, he's blind without the special glasses that Igawa made which show him where objects are as wire frames on a perspective grid. He's almost as skilled without them, though.
44[[/folder]]
45
46[[folder:Comic Books]]
47* King Snake, in the ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'' family of comics, was blinded by gunfire at an early age, but became one of the best martial artists in the 'verse in spite of it. He's so good that on one occasion where his sight was restored, it actually threw him off his game enough that Tim Drake's ComicBook/{{Robin}} could hold his own against him.
48* ''ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}'':
49** The title character, fighting with his [[SwissArmyWeapon cane/Escrima Stick/grappling hook]].
50** Also his teacher, Stick.
51** And Stick's teacher, Master Izo ("Master" seems to be part of his name, he's that badass).
52* The Blind Master from Creator/MarvelComics' ''[[ComicBook/GIJoeARealAmericanHeroMarvel G.I. Joe]]'' series.
53* Best Tiger from ''ComicBook/{{Invincible}}'' is a subversion...he can see perfectly well, but chooses to fight blindfolded because that's the only way combat is any kind of challenge to him.
54* In ''ComicBook/TheWastelands'' universe, an elderly ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}} has lost his sight. However, as long as he can hear his target, his aim is just as deadly as ever, as shown in ''ComicBook/OldManLogan''.
55* ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'':
56** In ''Vader's Quest'', Luke is [[TemporaryBlindness blinded, temporarily]], but that doesn't slow him down, at least at first - a dozen or so people immediately try to kill him, and he beats them all without killing any of them. It's only later, when he's not fighting, that he has trouble.
57** A variant in the Expanded Universe are the Miraluka species who, at best, have vestigial eye sockets. Their "sight" is entirely Force-based. They're usually pacifists, but if you see [[VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords one]] [[VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic packing]] [[VideoGame/JediKnightDarkForcesII a lightsaber]], you're better off running the other direction.
58** ''ComicBook/StarWarsMarvel1977'' subverts this with Baron Tagge. He's a blind man with no Force sensitivity who trained himself to wield a lightsaber like a pro, but only by relying on a cybernetic visor which lets him see. Take away that visor, as Luke did during their duel, and the baron becomes helpless.
59* Zato Ino, "The Blind Swordspig", in ''ComicBook/UsagiYojimbo'', can "see" things thanks to his sense of smell.
60* ComicBook/{{Cyclops}} of the ComicBook/XMen has two options when he loses his [[SunglassesAtNight glasses]]: Keep his eyes open and [[EyeBeams kill]] [[PowerIncontinence everything in sight]], or keep them shut and ''beat the living hell out of his opponents'' while counting his footsteps so he can find his way back to where his glasses landed.
61* ''ComicBook/XMen'' villain Destiny is a BlindSeer who fights with a crossbow, her precognitive power giving her perfect aim.
62* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'':
63** ''[[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Volume 1]]'': Bellerophon was blinded by Zeus in antiquity for having the temerity to question whether the Olympians were gods and trying to fly to Olympus on Pegasus. He's still winning his fight with Wonder Woman until she brings her robot plane close enough to mess with his hearing.
64** ''[[ComicBook/WonderWoman1987 Volume 2]]'': After blinding herself in her fight with Medusa Franchise/WonderWoman is not much hindered by her new blindness in a fight, because she's trained blindfolded and has enhanced senses she's still a better fighter than most of the Justice League.
65[[/folder]]
66
67[[folder:Fan Works]]
68* ''Fanfic/CodexEquus'' has one in Prince Crimson Star, an Alicorn demigod who is based on [[TabletopGame/Warhammer40000 Primarch Magnus the Red]]. Despite being completely blind, he was able to become a really good crackshot with long-range {{Magitek}} weapons such as crossbows, though he's no slouch with fighting in close quarters, either, as he can fight with a giant-bladed glaive through which he can channel his PsychicPowers for elemental status effects.
69* ''Fanfic/RWBYReckoning'' has this in one of the story's original characters, Professor Kor. He's the teacher of weaponry at Beacon Academy, and is described as having bandaged eyes. It's later revealed that he was blinded due to a [[WarElephants Goliath]] attack.
70* Fox from ''Fanfic/RWBYScars'' is a hunter-in-training who is blind. However, [[spoiler:he's killed before he can graduate Beacon]].
71* ''Fanfic/ThoughABirdCantFlyThatDoesntMeanItNeverWill'' chronicles Kuina (Zoro's childhood friend from ''Manga/OnePiece'') and her struggles with becoming this.
72* ''Fanfic/WarriorsRewrite'': Willowpelt is an adept warrior who has very minimal vision and can only see blurry shapes.
73* ''Fanfic/XMenEvolutionSeason5'': When Cyclops' visor is taken from him he is still able to target the Reavers by sound and continue fighting them.
74[[/folder]]
75
76[[folder:Film -- Animated]]
77* ''WesternAnimation/QuestForCamelot'': Garrett is blind and wields his quarterstaff expertly nonetheless, thanks to his training as a knight. He relies heavily on his seeing-eye hawk signaling him, though, and Kayley [[NiceJobBreakingItHero distracting him]] at the wrong moment gets him shot.
78[[/folder]]
79
80[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
81* Tony Leung's character, the Blind Swordsman, in ''Film/AshesOfTime''. Being stripped of his sight doesn't stop him from single-handedly taking on a horde of desert marauders and killing at least 40 of them with ease.
82* Ray Charles in ''Film/TheBluesBrothers''. Fires a couple of warning shots at a would-be guitar thief.
83* The title character from ''Film/{{Blindman}}'' is basically a SpaghettiWestern version of Zatoichi.
84* Rutger Hauer's character in ''Film/BlindFury'' is a blind modern day swordsman who manages to singlehandedly destroy a crime syndicate. It's essentially a Western take off on ''Zatoichi''.
85* Walter in ''Film/BlindsidedTheGame'' wields his white cane, a knife, and a sword cane within the course of the film.
86%% Needs context * [[spoiler:The titular Eli]], from ''Film/TheBookOfEli''.
87* One of the four titular characters from ''Film/CrippledAvengers'' is a blind swordsman. One of the other three is deaf and mute, another has prosthetic legs and the last is a man who acts as if they're playing a game while fighting.
88* Being blind himself, Matt Murdock in ''Film/Daredevil2003'' uses this trope throughout, though he technically cheats by using echolocation to see.
89* The Blind Man in ''Film/DontBreathe''. He may be blind, but being a Gulf War veteran means that he has the training to ensure his skills weren't dulled by this setback.
90* Parodied in ''Film/DinnerForSchmucks'', where one of the eponymous "schmucks" fancies himself a blind MasterSwordsman. He isn't.
91* Peter [=LaFleur=] uses this technique in the climax of ''Film/DodgeballATrueUnderdogStory'' to defeat White Goodman. Even though he blindfolded himself, he somehow gains supernatural senses thanks to his training by "Patches" O'Houlihan that allow him to dodge White's ball by less than an inch and throw his own ball back to hit White right in the face.
92* Soca Indrakusuma from the second ''Film/JakaSembung'' film, a blind-but-lethal swordsman and an expert wielding his ''golok''.
93* ''Film/JohnWickChapter4'' has Caine, who fights with a CaneSword as well as a handgun. In the case of the latter, his typical tactic is to fire recklessly at a general direction to draw enemies out and return fire at wherever he hears them from. He's also shown making use of motion sensors that alert him to nearby enemies.
94* The titular ''Film/MasterOfTheFlyingGuillotine,'' who's also an ImprobableWeaponUser.
95* Zig-zagged in ''Film/MuppetTreasureIsland'' with Old Blind Pew. When he enters the Admiral Benbow Inn he is shown blindly flailing around, and when he grabs Jim Hawkins, he mistakenly identifies Jim as a girl because of his long hair. However, when Billy Bones cocks the hammer on his pistol, Pew hears it, and goes flying across the room using his walking stick to knock the pistol aside and get right into Billy's face to threaten him about the treasure. Later he is shown blindly wandering around the inn during the pirates' attack blissfully unaware that the entire building is on fire.
96* The Harpists pair in ''Film/KungFuHustle'' are at least one-half blind (the other half is at least legally blind) and definitely a weaponmaster, as they are [[MusicalAssassin Musical Assasins]] whose guzheng (Chinese harp often used in operas) is their instrument by which they fling RazorWind attacks at their targets.
97* [[spoiler:Sheldon Sands]] in the last third of ''Film/OnceUponATimeInMexico''.
98* ''Film/OnceUponAWarrior'' revolves around a blind swordsman who works in a circus, who must save his surrogate sister from an EvilSorceress who wants the child for a HumanSacrifice ritual. The blind hero effortlessly wipes out legions and legions of the sorceress' cultists as well in plenty of {{sword fight}}s and extensive battles.
99* ''Film/OrcWars'': Whitefeather, a blind swordsman who kills a whole bunch of orcs.
100* Parodied in ''Film/RobinHoodMenInTights'': During a fight scene in the Sheriff's castle, Robin's blind manservant Blinkin is shown furiously swinging his sword... the camera then pans away to reveal his "opponent" is actually a wooden pillar. In a later scene he snatches an arrow out of the air just as its about to pierce Robin's heart, claiming "I could hear that comin' from a mile away!" When Robin thanks him a second later, he cluelessly blurts out "What's that? Who's talkin'?!"
101* The Taiwanese {{Wuxia}} movie, ''Film/TheSeisureSoulSwordOfABlindGirl'', has the titular blind swordswoman who can take on legions and legions of baddies.
102* In ''Film/ScentOfAWoman'' blind retired Army Ranger Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade shows his nephew Randy that you don't insult Slade's caretaker Charlie. When Randy does so, Slade manages to get up from the dinner table, grab Randy by the throat, and slam him against the nearest wall and demonstrate a chokehold he learned in the Army.
103* ''Franchise/StarWars:''
104** ''Film/ANewHope:'' Luke's initial lightsaber training aboard the ''Millennium Falcon'' has Obi-Wan putting a flight helmet on Luke with the blast shield fully down. When Luke complains about not being able to see Obi-Wan explains that your normal senses can fool you and is trying to get Luke to rely on the Force instead.
105** ''Film/AttackOfTheClones:'' When Obi-Wan seeks out Yoda's help in finding the planet Kamino, he interrupts Yoda in the middle of teaching a class of younglings who are deflecting blaster bolts from training remotes while wearing helmets with blinding visors on them.
106** ''Film/RogueOne:'' Former Guardian of the Whills Chirrut Îmwe is blind, but his connection with the Force allows him to takes down stormtroopers five at a time with his staff. In another fight he uses an energy bow to shoot a dogfighting TIE Fighter in flight in the exact way to make it crash into an anti-aircraft gun.
107-->'''Chirrut Îmwe:''' I am one with the Force, and the Force is with me.
108** ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker:'' The flashback scene with Luke and Leia dueling with their lightsabers while wearing helmets with the blast shields down.
109%%* One of the title characters in the Wuxia film ''The Warrior and The Blind Swordsman''.
110* Old Blind Pew in ''Film/{{Yellowbeard}}'' has a sword concealed in his walking stick which he uses to dispatch an entire room full of pirates.
111* Ichi from ''Franchise/{{Zatoichi}}'' (and the [[Film/Zatoichi2003 2003 version]]), is a master of limited-yet-deadly movement fighting with his sword, which he hides within his cane.
112* In ''Film/Mandy2018'', Skratch's face is covered by a leather sack without eyeholes. It doesn't stop him from riding a motorcycle, and he starts a fight against Red with his back turned. He may or may not be some sort of demon.
113[[/folder]]
114
115[[folder:Literature]]
116* Maestro Killian, the trainer of Cursors in the ''Literature/CodexAlera'' book ''Academ's Fury''. He compensates for his blindness through his furycrafting.
117* Drizzt in ''Literature/TheDarkElfTrilogy'' meets and learns from Montolio "Mooshie" Debrouchee, who is an expert with the sword, shield, and bow (His pet owl helps him aim).
118* In ''Literature/EaCycle'' [[spoiler:Atara becomes a combination of this and BlindSeer after she gets blinded by the BigBad.]]
119* The ''Literature/FightingFantasy'' series has Alkis Fearslicer, a member of the blind Sensewarriors, sightless warriors of the Gaddon People who lives in the deep chasms beneath Gorak. He may be blind, but he's an expert swordsman who can effortlessly defeat a platoon of goblins with ease. He shows up in two books in the series (''Literature/ChasmsOfMalice'', ''Literature/DaggersOfDarkness'') where he plays a supporting role, teaching the hero skills like fighting in the dark and sharpening their hearing.
120* See No Evil in ''Literature/ALullabySinister.'' His eyes are closed shut by rusty cables but he somehow manages to maneuver through the halls of the Surrogate School with little difficulty as he slaughters his way through students. Furthermore, trigger him by making the slightest noise and he will make a beeline straight towards you.
121* ''Literature/MortalEngines'': The {{Cyborg}} Stalker Fang becomes one of these in ''A Darkling Plain'', as, after being heavily damaged, she is found and repaired by a child named Fishcake, but he makes a point of not replacing her damaged eye crystals as he fears that if her sight was restored, she'd decide he was useless to her and abandon him. She remains a competent fighter regardless, effortlessly snapping the necks of some thugs who threaten Fishcake's life and being able to hold her own against two fully-sighted combat stalkers.
122* In ''Literature/{{Neuromancer}},'' Hideo is able to use Zen archery to hit a target in complete darkness, [[spoiler:or after being blinded by a laser.]]
123* ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'' has the Miraluka. They appears human, but living on a planet with infrared light has left them blind. They can use the Force to sense and "see", but were otherwise blind and usually wear dark glasses or a blindfold. Inquisitor Jerec is one notable character who fits this trope. A Jedi turned Dark Jedi, he was referenced first as a blind human, but was retconned to being Miraluka. There were a few Miraluka Jedi, but they also had their own Force tradition.
124* Two of them in ''Literature/{{Swordspoint}}''. One of them Richard is regretfully forced to kill, the other one [[spoiler:''is'' Richard. Later in life, anyway]].
125* One of the stories in ''Literature/WorldWarZ'' details the life of a blind Japanese gardener who becomes a one-man zombie-killing army.
126[[/folder]]
127
128[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
129* The blind assassin girl in the ''Series/{{Angel}}'' episode "[[Recap/AngelS01E21BlindDate Blind Date]]". She made herself blind living in a cave, but her infrared ability will still let her kick your ass.
130* On ''Series/CovertAffairs'', Auggie is a former Special Forces soldier who was blinded on a mission in Tikrit. He can also fight better than any sighted person in the entire series.
131* In Season 6 of ''Series/GameOfThrones'', Arya draws on her experience having to fight the fully-sighted Waif while previously temporarily blinded to [[YourEyesCanDeceiveYou gain an advantage over her]] by putting out the candle in her cell when the Waif comes to kill her in "No One". She's next seen putting the Waif's face in the stores at the temple of the Many-Faced God.
132* In one episode of ''Series/HerculesTheLegendaryJourneys'', an evil version of King Arthur is sent back to Hercules' time to learn to not be evil by Merlin (long story). When he arrives he immediately challenges a barbarian king for his throne by dueling with knives while Arthur is blindfolded. Arthur manages to kill the barbarian by throwing the knife directly into the man's forehead, killing him. His companion asks how he was able to do that and Arthur says he just smelled the man's breath from all of the raw onion he had been eating.
133* When not smilingly speaking wisdom, Master Po from ''Series/KungFu1972'' swings a pretty mean staff.
134* In ''Series/{{See}}'', pretty much the whole of humanity has gone blind due to ThePlague. Baba Voss (Creator/JasonMomoa) is easily the most skilled warrior in the setting, be it with his cleaver weapon or with katanas.
135* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration:''
136** Played straight in the episode "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS2E14TheIcarusFactor The Icarus Factor]]", which introduces the 24th century martial art "Anbo-jyutsu", which requires the fighters to wear blindfolds and fight using staves that contain proximity sensors to allow them to sense their opponent.
137** Subverted in the episode "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS7E14LowerDecks Lower Decks]]" when Worf blindfolds a martial arts student as part of a test and tells her to anticipate his attacks. He kicks her ass until she quits, saying that the test is unfair. Worf admits ''of course'' you'll lose a fight if you're blind. [[SecretTestOfCharacter The real test was getting the nerve to say that to his face]].
138[[/folder]]
139
140[[folder:Music]]
141* The Knight in Leslie Fish's "Cripple's Shield Wall." He cannot see, and must know his ground in a fight, but that's compensated for, he is scary good with the sword and unhampered by "dark, fog, or rain"
142* The Pinball Wizard from Music/TheWho's rock opera ''Music/{{Tommy}}'' was a deaf dumb and blind kid who was the champion pin baller.
143* ''The Ballad Of Bill Thaxton'' by Marty Robbins relates the story of a retired Texas Ranger who didn't bother to tell his experienced foe that he had this handicap. It didn't do his foe any good.
144[[/folder]]
145
146[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
147* Most fantasy or martial arts settings will have some way to build this character type.
148* ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}''
149** The Swordmaster's Blindfold blinds the wearer to everything beyond their weapon's reach, but does nice things for critical hits.
150** The Blind-Fight feat chain removes most of the impairments associated with blindness in combat, and the Blinded Blade Style feat chain gives combat-related benefits when blinded. While this only helps in melee combat and offers little benefits against ranged attacks, it's still pretty good to render [[NoEyeInMagic gaze attacks]], concealment and invisibility useless.
151** The [[CelestialParagonsAndArchangels empyreal lord]] Vildeis is said to have [[EyeScream torn out her own eyes]] at the sight of evil, and wears a red blindfold as she roams ceaselessly through the planes [[GoodIsNotNice seeking evildoers to kill]]. Some of her followers emulate her in this mutilation, or were already blind before entering her service, but either way are expected to be good fighters.
152* In ''TabletopGame/LegendOfTheFiveRings'', Phoenix Champion Shiba Tsukimi is blinded by the sunlight off her opponent's blade in a duel toward the end of a war between her clan and the Scorpion. However, her connection to the Soul of Shiba and, possibly more importantly, to the Void allows her to see without seeing. As a result, she's still a powerful fighter and skilled duelist.
153* Eltharion the Grim from ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' was briefly (c. 2001-2006) changed from his usual "grim Griffon-riding High Elf hero" persona and turned into a blind sword master (after Malekith, the Witch King of the Dark Elves, had his eyes put out as punishment for his unprecedented success in leading armies against Dark Elf cities). His original stylings were eventually reinstated, however, and the blinding incident retconned out of existence.
154* Mr Fixer in ''TabletopGame/SentinelsOfTheMultiverse'' has been blind since birth, but ridiculously intense martial arts training has left him as, per WordOfGod, the single most technically skilled fighter in the world (there are more dangerous fighters, but those tend to rely upon powers rather than technique and many actually fight fairly sloppily), trained to use an aura vision that is ''usually'' very helpful, and able to kung fu so effectively he can create radiant light to destroy vampires using only his martial art skill. He's so skilled with weapons that replacing his old bo staff and nunchaku with random wrenches and crowbars from around his garage did little to prevent him from waging war on an entire crime syndicate by himself and doing very well.
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157[[folder:Video Games]]
158* Adkin Chambers in ''Videogame/{{Arcanum}}'', despite having had his [[EyeScream eyes cut out]] by [[ArrogantKungFuGuy Garrick Stout]] after losing a duel with him, remains a competent martial artist and the continent's foremost expert on dodging and defensive techniques.
159* Augus from ''VideoGame/AsurasWrath'' is apparently one of these. Albeit hard to notice at first because he and Asura tend to have white glowing eyes regardless, Asura's threat to "Rip out those blind eyes" and his lack of pupils makes it obvious.
160* The Flash game [[http://www.kongregate.com/games/evildog/blind-swordsman The Blind Swordsman]] lets you play as one. The game shows a blank screen, you use audio cues to determine the location and actions of your enemies.
161* ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsI'' has the legendary Hawkeye Gough, one of Gwyn's Four Knights who shot down countless dragons with a bow and arrow (it helps that he's a giant as big as a house and his bow is as big as he is). When you meet him in ''[[DownloadableContent Artorias of the Abyss]]'', he has gone blind and [[RetiredBadass now spends his days making wood carvings]], but is still a good enough shot that he can snipe the dragon Kalameet out of the sky on his first attempt, incapacitating him enough so that you can finally have a ([[OptionalBoss somewhat]]) fair fight with him.
162-->'''Gough:''' [[BadassBoast Now watch... and see how Gough hunts dragons.]]
163** However, if you kill Gough and take his stuff, the FlavorText on his helmet says that a bunch of {{Fantastic Racis|m}}ts who didn't like giants stuffed the eyeholes full of pine resin to screw with him, so he might not actually be blind and only ''thinks'' he is because he can't see out of his helmet and hasn't tried removing it.
164** In ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'', neither of the Twin Princes can see all that well: Lothric is afflicted with terrible cataracts, while Lorian's CoolCrown covers his eyes (for bonus points, [[HandicappedBadass Lorian can also barely walk]]). Doesn't stop them from combining Lothric's magic and Lorian's swordplay to kick your ass [[ThatOneBoss over and over and over again]].
165* The Old Hero from ''VideoGame/DemonsSouls'' is either blind or [[WillfullyWeak wearing a blindfold]] and fights you entirely based on sound and will start pushing your shit in once he finds you. While typically an interesting boss with a neat mechanic, wearing the Thief's Ring (which completely eliminates any sounds you make) trivializes this boss to [[AntiClimaxBoss an almost pathetic degree]].
166* ''VideoGame/Disgaea2CursedMemories'' has Fubuki, Yukimaru's older brother. When the False Zenon attacked Snow Melody 15 years prior to the game's events, the attack struck Fubuki blind, and he presumably gets around this with AuraVision. In battle, he prefers to wield an axe as his primary weapon, but axes in-game do suffer an accuracy penalty.
167* The Asura subclass of the Slayer from ''VideoGame/DungeonFighterOnline''. Purchases powerful SwordBeam spells by selling his eyes to a demon parasite in his left arm.
168* ''VideoGame/EldenRing'': The demigod [[Characters/EldenRingMalenia Malenia]] is infected with [[TheCorruption Scarlet Rot]] that has been eating at her body since birth, eventually consuming her right arm, both legs below the knee, ''and'' both of her eyes. While her brother Miquella was able to replace her limbs with magical prosthetics of unalloyed gold, he could not restore her eyes[[note]]or they have been separated before she had lost them[[/note]]... which did nothing to hinder Malenia from [[MasterSwordsman mastering the sword]], earning the title of the WorldsBestWarrior, defeating her only real challenger, her half-brother Radahn, in the Shattering[[note]]if only by [[BatmanGrabsAGun tapping into the Scarlet Rot]], which also knocked her out for weeks[[/note]], and then becoming one of the toughest {{Superboss}}es in the ''[[SoulsLikeRPG Soulsborne]]'' history. Scattered item descriptions indicate that she learned it from a blind swordsman who managed to [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu seal away the Scarlet Rot]] with the help of a fairy.
169* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'':
170** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'' has retired members the Cult of the Ancestor Moth (commonly known as "Moth Priests"). Their order is based around divining the information contained within the [[TomeOfEldritchLore Elder Scrolls]], using a ritual known as the Ritual of the Ancestor Moth. Even with their special protective training, repeated readings of the Scrolls will render them blind. Blinded Moth Priests are sent into retirement, but despite this handicap, are still quite capable of defending themselves in combat. A group fought during the ThievesGuild questline are some of the only characters in the game to use [[KatanasAreJustBetter Akaviri Dai-Katana]]s other than the Blades.
171** ''[[Videogame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'' has the Falmer, a [[TheMorlocks Morlock]]-like race of devolved former Snow Elves. Blinded in ancient times after being forced to ingest poisonous mushrooms by their [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame Dwemeri]] cousins, they are every bit as capable of archery and sword-fighting as the other elven races thanks to their excellent hearing.
172* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'':
173** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV'': Around the halfway point of the game, [[spoiler:Ignis]] is permanently blinded. He spends the next few chapters at subpar, though he gets an AttackItsWeakPoint technique and some improved dodgeability at the end of the first dungeon he spends in this state. After the TimeSkip for the endgame, he's back to fighting as well as (if not ''better'' than) he was before.
174-->'''[[spoiler:Ignis]]''': I don't need sight to sense what's around me.
175** According to the lore of the ''VideoGame/IvaliceAlliance'' games, the Bangaa have bad eyesight and some wear blindfolds as a result. One of the Bangaa classes in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsA2'' has them wearing a blindfold and using cards as projectile weapons and causing a variety of status effects. Their accuracy is just as good as other characters with normal eyesight.
176* Sirhan Dogen from ''VisualNovel/GyakutenKenji2'' is a blind [[ProfessionalKiller assassin]]. It helps when you've [[RightHandAttackDog trained your seeing-eye dog to kill for you]], but he is also quite deadly with a knife.
177* ''VideoGame/HogwartsLegacy'' has Ominus Gaunt, a teenage wizard who was born blind and has his MagicWand guide him. In spite of this, he's no less capable of performing magic and defending himself in combat should the need arise.
178* Riku spends the majority of ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2'' wearing a blindfold. This is because if he were to open it, he would physically turn into Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness. He stops wearing it after capturing Roxas, [[HeroicSacrifice because it took Ansem to overpower Roxas]].
179%% ZCE * Xiao Long from ''VideoGame/MaceTheDarkAge''.
180* Kenshi Takahashi from ''Franchise/MortalKombat''. However, he makes up for it by using his telekinesis to manipulate objects he can't physically see (including his sword, [[NamedWeapons Sento]]).
181%% Needs context * Hangan in ''VideoGame/Onmyoji2016''
182%%-->'''Hangan:''' Though my eyes don't reflect, my heart feels.
183* Xachariah in ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'' was a former companion of [[PlayerCharacter The Nameless One]] and an expert marksman who could sense things hidden to others, despite being both blind and [[TheAlcoholic perpetually-drunk]].
184* ''VideoGame/{{Rengoku}}'': Lycaon in the second game has his eyes burned and allegedly can't see, yet he can jump right onto the player with his heating swords and turn invincible.
185* ''VideoGame/ScarletNexus'': The FutureBadass version of Yuito that Kasane meets in her story fights like this. It’s not explained, but he does have MindOverMatter powers in the first place and the setting is rife with BrainComputerInterface technology.
186* ''VideoGame/ShadowGambitTheCursedCrew'': Theresa is an [[GhostPirate undead pirate]] with no eyes and wearing a blindfold, but she is the team's sharpshooter.
187* Gaichû in ''VideoGame/ShadowrunReturns: Hong Kong'' is a [[OurGhoulsAreCreepier ghoul]], and therefore blind. He was also a highly accomplished swordsman before his ghoulification, and being suddenly struck blind slowed him down for a few weeks at most before he was able to compensate with his new senses.
188* Oddler from ''VideoGame/ShiningForce'' seems like more like a BlindSeer until late in the game, when he reveals he is one of these as well. [[spoiler:And is also a demon.]]
189* Voldo from the ''VideoGame/SoulSeries'' is a blind man who wields a pair of katars with great skill. Also, [[FanDisservice he might cause you to go blind yourself just by looking at him]].
190* In ''VideoGame/SpeedKills'', Ahriman is a variant, being a driver rather than a fighter. He has a sort of tightly-buckled hood across most of his face, but still seems to be able to win races just fine.
191* ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'':
192** Visas Marr from ''VideoGame/StarWarsKnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords''; since the Miraluka are all blind but "see" with the Force, any Miraluka could be this. Also, Kreia has let her eyes "atrophy from disuse", using [[SentientCosmicForce the Force]] to see instead. This does not limit her combat abilities.
193** ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'' has the Miraluka as a playable species and, once unlocked with either cartel coins or through the Legacy system, is available to all classes. Have fun playing as a blind sniper!
194** Jerec, the BigBad of ''VideoGame/JediKnightDarkForcesII'', is also a Miraluka[[note]][[{{Retcon}} originally stated to be a blind human]][[/note]], depicted with a thin ribbon covering his eyesockets. He is the most powerful of the Dark Jedi Kyle faces.
195** Master Rahm Kota in ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheForceUnleashed'', once he snaps himself out of his HeroicBSOD enough to rouse himself from his drunken stupor, that is. He shows this more in the sequel.
196%% ZCE * Haborym, from ''VideoGame/TacticsOgre''.
197* ''VideoGame/TheiaTheCrimsonEclipse'': Asura gouges out Rudra's eyes, but the latter is still able to fight due to his training allowing him to sense his surroundings. As GameplayAndStoryIntegration, Rudra is immune to the blur ailment, preventing his accuracy from being debuffed.
198* Demon hunters in the ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'' franchise, the most notable of which is Illidan (seen in the page picture), don't just wear blindfolds - their eyes are ''burned away by demonic energy'', and they use AuraVision instead. In the ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' expansion pack ''Legion'', they became a playable hero class. Note, however, that since the release of ''Literature/WorldOfWarcraftIllidan'', they are (in addition to aura vision) far from blind, as it was {{retcon}}ned that they can adjust their Spectral Sight, which allows them to see like any other normal living being.
199* [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep Hunter]] from ''VideoGame/ZenoClash'' is a crack shot with a sniper rifle and explosive squirrels. Later, when you fight him in hand-to-hand combat, he starts the fight [[IAmNotLeftHanded literally holding one hand behind his back]]. When he gets bored of that and starts using both hands, the fight turns into a HopelessBossFight.
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202[[folder:Webcomics]]
203* ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'': Terezi is very handy with her [[CaneFu cane]], though she's not entirely blind (she can see synaesthetically via smell and taste).
204* Dame Goodlaw from ''Webcomic/RustyAndCo'' always closes her eyes when she's fighting. Nobody's really sure why.
205* ''WebComic/NoNeedForBushido'' has Ryoku, a blind swordsman, (he's essentially an evil version of ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}, if Daredevil was a samurai assassin) and Cho, a blind martial arts master with a preference for using a MartialArtsStaff who claims to be guided by the Tao itself and may be the best fighter in the series despite being not only blind but also a first class CloudCuckoolander. The unlikeliness of there being more than one man like this is parodied at one point, when Ken, one of the main characters, is knocked out, and while he's unconscious Ryoku kidnaps Ina. When he comes to Ken is told that "the blind fighter guy" took Ina, and immediately turns on Cho and demands to know why Cho betrayed them. When told that it wasn't Cho but someone else, Ken is completely dumbfounded at learning that there are (at least) ''two'' such "blind fighter guys" in the country.
206[[/folder]]
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208[[folder:Western Animation]]
209* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': Toph Beifong's blind and uses her earthbending abilities to "see" via the vibrations she feels through her feet (also known as "Seismic Sense"). She's only 12 ([[OlderThanTheyLook and is also kind of small for her age]]), [[ChildProdigy but is easily the most powerful non-Avatar earthbender]] ''[[ChildProdigy ever]]'', to the point of improving on the art by ''inventing'' metalbending (which was previously thought to be impossible). At age 86, she shows how much she's progressed by casually dodging ''airbending'' (admittedly, sight wouldn't be that useful against it, but it's something she can't sense via earthbending either). By this time, with her pilgrimage added in, she is without question the greatest earthbender who ever lived.
210* Subverted in ''WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks'' with Stinkmeaner. In his first confrontation with granddad he kicked Robert's butt and Huey assumes it's because of this trope. Turns out he just got lucky and wasn't a good fighter at all. He literally died due to this misunderstanding.
211** Played straight in the same episode with Huey's dream of "The Blind Nigga Samurai." Which is a clear homage to the ''Anime/NinjaScroll'' example above.
212** Averted, afterward [[spoiler:he went to hell, and learned [[TookALevelInBadass martial arts and weapons combat becoming a master]] in both, from the devil himself just so he could kill the Freeman family. Though really he was just doing it for ForTheEvulz.]]
213* ''WesternAnimation/{{Castlevania}}'': Dracula's vampire general, Cho, easily defeats a samurai vampire hunter with her eyes closed throughout their duel.
214* In the BadFuture episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'', Broadway is blind but can "see" using an echolocation collar invented by Lexington, allowing him to fight.
215* In ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'', Kagami's mother Tomoe Tsurugi is both blind and a world champion fencer.
216* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'' contained three blind, dog-like demons, [[spoiler:or rather men who were possessed by a magic well,]] who were able to use arrows with supernatural accuracy and speed due to their incredible hearing. Jack trains himself to fight blindfolded in order to combat them.
217* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels'':
218** Inquisitor [[TheBrute the Fifth Brother]] is implied to be this, as he looks like he has cataracts. WordOfGod confirmed it.
219** In [[Recap/StarWarsRebelsS2E19TwilightOfTheApprentice "Twilight of]] [[Recap/StarWarsRebelsS2E20TwilightOfTheApprenticePartII the Apprentice"]], [[spoiler:Kanan gets blinded by Darth Maul. He proceeds to hand Maul's ass to him in a lightsaber duel and [[DisneyVillainDeath casually toss him off a tall building]] (which he survives).]]
220* ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2003'': There is one episode where Donatello is sent to a ''BadFuture'' where the [[BigBad Shredder]] has enslaved the earth. This future Leonardo is heavily-scarred and wears dark, round shades instead of his mask, implying that he is blind. It doesn't stop him from being an excellent swordsman and [[spoiler:nearly killing Karai]].
221* In ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012'' Shredder's right hand man, Hattori Tatsu, is a blind ninja swordsman and an expert at combat. He is able to hold his own against seven opponents at once. The turtles and crew are only able to beat him by taking away the only thing that lets him fight, his hearing. Leo, Raph, and Donny use Casey Jones's explosive pucks to cover Karai's footsteps as she runs towards Tatsu and deafens him with a head strike before taking him down. When Tatsu is deafened the entire world looks like a WhiteVoidRoom letting Karai take him down with little trouble.
222[[/folder]]
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224[[folder:Real Life]]
225* [[http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,504854,00.html This guy,]] a champion of blind judo who beat up a mugger.
226* One of ''Website/{{Cracked}}'''s [[http://www.cracked.com/article_20653_5-people-whose-major-disabilities-only-made-them-stronger.html 5 People Whose Major Disabilities Only Made Them Stronger]] is a blind sharpshooter. That he's not a ''rara avis'' but just a very noticeable example of a whole sport (carbine shooting for the blind, using acoustic "sights") doesn't make it ''less'' but '''''more''''' awesome.
227* King [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_the_Blind John the Blind]] of Bohemia -- blind (or almost blind) for a decade -- lost eyesight in 1336 but was still fighting in tournaments, before being killed in the [[UsefulNotes/TheHundredYearsWar battle of Crécy]].
228* The ''whole'' point of the Spanish-origin martial art [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFLV1oqH_FI [=DisFiSen=]]] (from ''Dis''minuidos ''Fís''icos y ''Sen''soriales, "physical and sensory disabled persons"), tailor-designed for people with disabilities, specifically blindness.
229* The (Spanish) description of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtudRct2Rjw this video]] states it's a sparring session of a blind woman fighting with ''medieval flail'' before her actual combat at a reenactment event. [[spoiler:It also states ''she won'' the actual fight, to the surprise of some {{jerkass}} in the public who thought the fight was a comedic one.]]
230* Termites of the subfamily Nasutitermitinae utilize a specialized structure, the fontanellar gun, to project [[StickySituation glue-like sticky projectiles]] that immobilize or kill attackers. They can fire these guns with great accuracy, despite being completely blind. It's something of a mystery as to how the termites can not only orient themselves towards their enemies, but fire with such precision, though it's theorized that they can [[SuperSenses sense the position of their targets through scent or hearing.]]
231* As seen in ''Film/{{Dealt}}'', Richard Turner didn't let his blindness prevent him from becoming a karate master. For his black belt test, he had to fight ten fresh fighters in full-on brawls and passed, despite breaking his arm in the process.
232[[/folder]]

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