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6%% This list of examples has been alphabetized. Please add your example in the proper place. Thanks!
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13[[quoteright:200:[[UsefulNotes/SimoHayha https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/badass_simo1t.jpg]]]]
14[[caption-width-right:200:Some take this [[VisualPun more literally]] than others.]]
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16->''"(1) Emotional balance. The sniper must be able to calmly and deliberately kill targets that may not pose an immediate threat to him. It is much easier to kill in self-defense or in the defense of others than it is to kill without apparent provocation. The sniper must not be susceptible to emotions such as anxiety or remorse. Candidates whose motivation toward sniper training rests mainly in the desire for prestige may not be capable of the cold rationality that the sniper's job requires."''
17-->-- '''U.S Army Field Manual 23-10: Sniper Training'''
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19%% One quote is sufficient. Please place additional entries on the quotes tab.
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21If you find TheStoic deployed by the military in the field and killing your dudes while remaining undetected, he or she may be this: the cold, silent, camouflaged hunter with a scope, a [[SniperRifle rifle]], [[ImprobableAimingSkills a very good eye]] and [[StrawVulcan near-zero emotions]], who can [[BoomHeadshot shoot you in the face]] from a mile away and not lose a wink of sleep over it.
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23A trope commonly applied to a lot of snipers, mostly the loners, what with [[LonersAreFreaks loners being eerie]]. Prevalent due to the allure and popularity of the idea of a lone, stealthy, emotionless, and mysterious "lone wolf" prowling invisible in the nights of the jungle, in search of prey. May also overlap with a HunterOfMonsters. While overlaps with PsychoForHire and SociopathicSoldier are possible, they are very rare due to the stereotype that sociopaths are less on the emotionless and more on the [[AxCrazy totally bonkers]] side.
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25Among the [[FourTemperamentEnsemble Four Temperament Ensemble]] expect these characters to be Melancholic or especially Phlegmatic. Both temperaments are renowned for their patience, and keeping focus on the task at hand. Choleric and Sanguine generally lose their cool quickly, which can easily happen whenever they miss their targets. Something even the most skilled snipers, have to deal with eventually.
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27Subtrope of WeaponBasedCharacterization. AloofArcher is the mood simile in medieval and fantasy settings, and may or may not overlap with MasterArcher. Likely to find work as a ProfessionalKiller. A common subversion is the FriendlySniper, who is not only much more personable but also usually saner (and is more likely to be depicted as a good guy). To tell them apart, check out if the character is portrayed as evil or eerie/sinister -- or at least it is shown that those aspects of the job have an adverse and/or dehumanizing impact on their psyche.
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30!!Examples:
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34[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
35* ''Manga/Area88'': In one episode of the TV anime, a sniper terrorizes the entire base. He's never seen from anything beyond his own first-person perspective, and never says anything, at any point. Cold's a good word for it.
36* ''Manga/AssassinationClassroom'': Ryunosuke Chiba and Rinka Hayami are the most stoic and serious students in Class E, and they stand out as the class's best marksmen (the former for long-range shots and the latter for moving targets).
37* In ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'', a flashback reveals that Bertolt Hoover was this early on in his training. [[spoiler: Marley chose him to become a Warrior because of his skill as a sniper, and trained him to become the nation's FantasticNuke by carrying out precise, stealth-based attacks on key targets using the Colossal Titan]]. He isn't cold or unfriendly, so much as soft-spoken and a follower that is ''very'' good at detaching himself long enough to do whatever is asked of him. Beneath his stoic mask, he's a traumatized mess that hates himself and suffers nightmares about the people he's hurt.
38* ''Manga/BlackButler'': When [[spoiler:her glasses come off, Mey-rin]] goes from [[spoiler: a clumsy Meganekko]] to a sniper easily capable of blowing your brains out. And with her extreme farsightedness, she needs only the iron sights to snipe.
39* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'': While Quincies are primarily long-distance fighters to begin with, Lille Barro has the power to shoot through anything between himself and his designated target, [[ArmorPiercingAttack penetrating any substance]]. To that end, whereas other Quincies use bows and arrows, he uses a modified sniper rifle and picks off his opponents from a much greater distance than other Quincies. True to this trope, he keeps his cool much better than most of his HotBlooded comrades, even when an enemy gets within melee range. When sent to deal with the invading Soul Reapers, he opts to conceal himself atop city buildings and pick them off one by one instead of confronting them head-on. This cold pragmatism successfully incapacitates almost all of the lieutenants and forces the Captain Commander to play his hand.
40* ''Manga/ChoujinSensen'': Baron Saijou has been a killer since he was 18, recalling how his first kill was in Vietnam, and then followed by Somalia, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
41%%* Author Hiroki Endo '''loves''' this trope, as demonstrated by ''Manga/EdenItsAnEndlessWorld''.
42* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'': Simultaneously Justified and Subverted by Riza Hawkeye. She's the resident [[TheStoic stoic]], and expert sniper. When her old friend Roy Mustang is reunited with her after she saves his life during the war, Mustang notices that she has acquired the eyes of a killer. However, it's shown that her stoicism is a [[ShellShockedVeteran reaction against the horror of war]]. When [[SociopathicSoldier Kimblee]] taunts her with the intent of getting her to admit to loving the moment of killing, she can't admit that and is horrified. The reality is that under the stoic exterior, Riza is actually an extremely [[SugarAndIcePersonality warm-hearted]] character.
43** She even mentions how guns detach one from the act of killing. Though, as a sniper, it's the exact opposite of detachment.
44--->'''Riza:''' I like guns. Because they're not like swords and knives, the sense of death doesn't linger on the hands.\
45'''Roy:''' That's self-deception. Are you lying to yourself so that you may continue to soil your hands?\
46'''Riza:''' Yes, sir. We soldiers should be the only ones with blood on our hands. No one else should have to go through what we did in Ishbal. If the world can be expressed through equivalent exchange as the alchemists claim, then for future generations to be happy, as payment, we must carry corpses on our back across a river of blood.
47** She later explains to Ed that while a rank and file soldier can get away with firing wildly at the enemy hoping they hit something, Hawkeye sees as a sniper every person she shoots at, and whoever she shoots at dies.
48* ''Franchise/GhostInTheShell'': Saito, although he's more 'professional' than 'psychotic' and appears to be no less mentally healthy than [[BlackandGreyMorality the rest of Section 9]]. He also doubles as TheQuietOne, though he is occasionally sarcastic and openly breaks out in laughter in one of the novels. Granted, he's laughing at how pathetic someone is, so it doesn't really earn him any points towards FriendlySniper. He even has [[DayInTheLimelight an episode for his own]] in which he tells about the only time someone managed to get past him and made him scared for his life. In the end, however, it seems quite likely that he just made it all up with a completely straight face, just to show someone how unbelievably good he is at bluffing... or did he?
49* ''Manga/Golgo13'': The titular character is one of the coldest in the business. So cold, the temperature of the room goes down when he walks in.
50* ''Manga/HonooNoAlpenRose'': Tarantula [[spoiler:a.k.a. Lundi's brother Jean Jacques Cortot]]. He works for Count George de Germont, who is associated with ThoseWackyNazis. However, after the Count orders him to [[spoiler:kill General Guisan, he refuses to work with the Count and almost ''shoots him to death'']] after he finds out of his plan.
51* ''Manga/HunterXHunter'':
52** Ikalgo appears to be this at first, shooting [[AbnormalAmmo fleas]] out of his SniperRifle embedded into his arm from a tall cliff. He calmly analyzes the three-dimensional space around his target in the form of a grid, determines the exact coordinates of that target, takes aim, and shoots. He reveals his true personality as a FriendlySniper once Killua saves his life, however. That said, Ikalgo can revert back to being a very collected individual if the situation requires it.
53** The Ortho Siblings are another subversion, but in a different way: They ''do'' have the psychopathy and killing intent standard for this trope, and their ability from the victim's perspective, in which dart-like fish impale the victim's body from out of nowhere, comes across like that of a sniper. The subversion is how the powers actually work--the brother of the duo isn't actually "shooting" the fish as much as the fish materialize right next to the victim at a high speed then penetrates them immediately; the sister provides the beacon attached to the victim from which the fish materialize next to. One of these victims is Killua, who has SuperSpeed but is unable to dodge those fish; he realizes they're not actually being shot from a long distance because of that.
54* ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureStoneOcean'':
55** Johngalli A is a blind sniper who [[HandicappedBadass gets around his disability]] with a tiny satellite Stand that lets him detect air movements, granting him ImprobableAimingSkills on top of it. He can also use his Stand to ricochet bullets off of [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid Revolver Ocelot]]-style.
56** Also earlier, in ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureDiamondIsUnbreakable Part 4]]'', there is Bug-Eaten, a rat with a Stand that shoots darts infused with [[BodyHorror flesh-melting poison]]. By the time Jotaro and Josuke identify it and track it down, Bug-Eaten has become this trope, finding high ground and taking cover, aiming the darts at the boys down below with the Stand's scope while taking every precaution to avoid giving away its location. Using these skills, Bug-Eaten has eliminated every rival rat in the area, as well as some nearby humans. Bug-Eaten has good enough aim and prediction skills that it can repeatedly hit Jotaro even with his [[spoiler:[[TimeStandsStill time-stopping abilities]]]]. And with Bug-Eaten being a rat, it doesn't care one bit about anyone or anything but itself and is completely comfortable killing anything in its way. The only emotion it displays is a combination of anger and fear when Josuke attempts to snipe back and barely misses, enraging it enough to aim its crosshairs at Josuke instead of Jotaro.
57* ''Franchise/LupinIII'': Daisuke Jigen is a sardonic DeadpanSnarker outside of battle, but during missions, he's entirely goal-focused and silent like a snake. He spends half of ''Anime/LupinIIIEpisode0FirstContact'' being a cold sniper, trying to kill Lupin. When both are prisoners of the main villain, Lupin's latest way to humiliate their captor is forcing Jigen to try and stifle a laugh before cracking up.
58* ''Anime/{{Madlax}}'': Limelda Jorg starts off as a professional sniper, but gradually descends into the PsychoLesbian zone due to her bitter rivalry with the show's eponymous lead (who is also a formidable sniper but [[FriendlySniper in no way a cold one]]).
59* ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikers'': {{Subverted|Trope}} by Dieci. She's introduced as a sniper as emotionless as some of her [[QuirkyMinibossSquad cyborg sisters]], but she's later revealed to be not as cold as she appeared, having second thoughts about their goals [[spoiler:when she sees the six-year-old Vivio in pain from being used to activate the Saint's Cradle]], and showing hesitation when shooting down Nanoha [[spoiler:as she arrives to rescue her daughter]].
60* ''Manga/{{Monster}}'': Zig-zagged when Nina asks for advice from a sniper. He tells her that in order to kill someone she had to "forget the taste of sugar": the man in question retired specifically because he found himself empathizing with one of his targets (namely he started wondering how the man's coffee must be tasting because he'd poured so much sugar in it) and found that he couldn't be a sniper anymore because of it.
61* ''Manga/MonsterMusume'': Averted by [[{{Cyclops}} Manako]]. While on the job, she's a formidable shot thanks to her big eye, but she's not cold, though she's not a FriendlySniper, either. Her everyday personality is that of an insecure, fragile, extremely shy young woman.
62* ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'': Mana Tatsumiya is a slightly lighter version of this; she never actually kills anyone ([[ChildSoldiers maybe]]), but she's entirely unapologetic about using ammo that paralyzes people for days, even if it's the guy that she has a crush on.
63* ''Manga/OnePiece'':
64** Van Auger, a member of Blackbeard's crew, is extremely cold and obsessed with fate, armed with a sniper rifle, and is able to pick off seagulls from a distance that the island isn't even visible from.
65** ''Completely'' inverted with the main sniper of the series, Usopp, who is a loud, CowardlyLion fighting with a [[BratsWithSlingshots slingshot]] and usually a hammer. His secret identity, Sogeking, however, is portrayed as a cool-headed hero who officially declared war on the world government without so much as a split second of hesitation... but in battle, he's usually just as cowardly.
66** Jean Ango is a sniper with the typical distant attitude and lack of words to say but a highly unusual method: Because he also has amazing swiftness, he's able to pickpocket weapons off of nearby fighters and uses them against his targets. If it's a close-range weapon, like swords or maces, he will ''[[ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks throw]]'' them with blinding speed and accuracy. He is said to be one of the most skilled bounty hunters in the world, able to regularly turn in criminals with nine-digit bounties and operates in the New World, the most dangerous region of the planet, whereas most other bounty hunters operate elsewhere, where the criminals are substantially weaker and thus their bounties smaller.
67** Vander Decken IX is another odd case, not fitting cleanly into either the "Cold" archetype in that he's energetic and loud; nor the "Friendly" archetype in that he's a nasty, evil individual, but he does have the pragmatism and lack of empathy to fit this trope. Like the example above, he is also not an ordinary sniper; having the power of the Target-Target Fruit, he can cause anything in midair propelled through his own energy to home in on his targets, giving him uncanny accuracy for someone who doesn't even bother to aim.
68** Charlotte Katakuri, one of Big Mom's Sweet Generals, prefers to fight at long distance by [[AbnormalAmmo flicking jelly beans]] at his targets. He is good enough to send those beans right through people's heads at a distance too far for even skilled bystanders like Capone Bege to notice.
69* ''Manga/{{Trigun}}'': Caine the Longshot is a prime example of this trope, having without a doubt, the longest sniper rifle ever conceived by anyone's imagination. While some of the other Guns occasionally display emotions, Caine doesn't -- [[TheVoiceless he doesn't even speak]]. When he is found by Vash, he [[spoiler:calmly draws his backup piece and shoots himself]].
70* ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'' offers an interesting twist with the villain Kaname "Sniper" Hagiri. Per se, he doesn't actually ''use'' a real sniper rifle (he ''does'' use a pistol), but he can flick objects (marbles, dice, ''[[AbnormalAmmo a tank truck filled with fuel]]'') with ''insane'' force and accuracy. Moreover, his "territory" lets him imprint enemies with bulls-eyes that attract anything he throws with deathly speed. That said, personality-wise he fits the bill of this trope quite well -- out of all the Sensui Seven, he's the least emotional and crazy, and fights purely methodically. (Though he can also be NotSoStoic, and after Itsuki he is the most unfalteringly loyal to their leader Sensui.)
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73[[folder:Comic Books]]
74* In ''ComicBook/ABCWarriors'', there is Joe Pineapples, a robot who is a strong contender for both the universe's greatest sniper and coolest dude, achieved by being cold-hearted even by the standards of a robot. He's described as being a robot acting like a human acting like a robot.
75* Cloud 9 of ''ComicBook/AvengersTheInitiative'' is jittery, compassionate, and easily shaken, in an almost complete inversion of this trope... but she becomes a straight example later on as she is forced to be more violent more often.
76* ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'':
77** The mercenary Gunhawk doesn't care who his target is. The only person he shows any affection to is his spotter and girlfriend Bunny.
78** Gotham City SWAT cop Billy Pettit (better-remembered for his role in ''ComicBook/BatmanNoMansLand'') is introduced in a three-part story that he spends trying to take out the mutant Man-Bat with a sniper rifle. Pettit seems to care more about making the kill (and finding out just what Man-Bat is) than ending the crime spree, tries to shoot Man-Bat while he's carrying an innocent woman who could fall to her death if Man-Bat dies, and spends a lot of time yelling at his spotter.
79* ''ComicBook/{{Crossed}}'': In ''Wish You Were Here,'' Elisa, the survivor colony's best sniper, is a relatively heroic character, but she's hotheaded, humorless, and a borderline BloodKnight.
80* ''Franchise/GIJoe'':
81** Lowlight in the comic books is always there to make the little blue dots stop moving.
82** His COBRA counterpart Black Out also qualifies, though he has a sadistic streak and an extremely sour disposition. His motivation comes from being turned down by G.I. Joe due to some red flags popping up in his psychological evaluation.
83* ''ComicBook/GreenLantern'': Bedovian from ''ComicBook/SinestroCorpsWar'' is a Sinestro Corps member who had been numbed of all emotions after centuries of isolation and can snipe targets from ''three space sectors'' away. His shell also acts as an armor. John Stewart, the badass former Marine turned architect turned Green Lantern, [[BeatThemAtTheirOwnGame beats Bedovian at his own game]] by using his ring to construct a sniper rifle and firing back -- presumably non-lethally, since Green Lantern Rings can't kill anyone [[spoiler:(at the time)]]. Nevertheless, Bedovian is still active and proving he's the best sniper out of any Corps. How, you ask? Well, [[spoiler:Kyle and Munk wrap Dove up in a Green bullet, which Bedovian promptly shoots out of his construct rifle, then she is energized by the light of six corps, and she goes straight through the BLACK LANTERN ANTI-MONITOR'S head]]! That crustacean is HARD-CORE!
84* ''ComicBook/KidColt2009'': The main antagonist is BountyHunter Sherman Wilks, who's a very accurate shot when he's using a rifle and sight at long range. He's also a cool headed tactician, a NobleConfederateSoldier whose [[IGaveMyWord word is his bond]]. He only gets to show off his sniper skills during his first clash with Colt, though, as the plot then forces them into closer quarters.
85* ''ComicBook/TheKiller'': The protagonist kills a lot of his targets with a sniper rifle; he notes that he would probably have made a good army sniper if he didn't hate following orders.
86* ''ComicBook/ThePunisher'':
87** During one of Frank Castle's tours of Vietnam, he served as a counter-sniper, and occasionally puts those skills to use during his vigilante career. To say he's not emotional [[TranquilFury is an understatement]].
88** During ''ComicBook/ThePunisherBorn'', his company take down a female sniper who is plainly inspired by the one from ''Film/FullMetalJacket'', thus being a subversion.
89* Little Sure Shot of ''Comicbook/SgtRock'''s Easy Company is an antisocial Native American who tends to eschew teamwork in favor of working alone.
90* ''ComicBook/SinCity'':
91** ''Hell and Back'' has a sniper assassin going after the main character. The man is very calm and collected, although apparently unbalanced, considering that he had just killed a woman simply so he could use her apartment as a stakeout.
92** Miho also counts as a bow and arrow Cold Sniper. Being TheVoiceless, she never changes her blank expression, and her aiming skills are second to none.
93* Inverted in ''ComicBook/{{Sturmtruppen}}'': the resident sniper becomes so obsessed with scoring kills that he starts to shoot other soldiers and officers until the Sergeant is forced to [[OffWithHisHead behead him with a machete]].
94* ''ComicBook/SuicideSquad'' operative Deadshot claims not to care if anyone lives or dies, including himself.
95* In ''ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW'', Perceptor becomes one after a brush with death convinces him that he needs to be more combat effective. He adds multiple upgrades to himself that give him superior targeting and weapon stability, then [[AttackItsWeakPoint snipes the vulnerable spots]] on [[CombiningMecha Monstructor]].
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98[[folder:Fan Works]]
99* Lieutenant (JG) K'lak of ''Fanfic/{{Bait and Switch|STO}}'' isn't exactly unfriendly, but he does have a very dour demeanor.
100* In ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'', the Winter Soldier shows no emotion about his kills. Mind, he's TheVoiceless and doesn't show emotion about ''[[TheStoic anything]]''. He's also confirmed as the man who killed Kennedy.
101** The Cold part changes as we get more and more of a look inside his head and his brainwashing begins to wear off - though even post HeelFaceTurn, he's a quiet and collected individual who'll take a killshot without blinking.
102* In ''Fanfic/CissneisPath'', a ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' fanfic, Tseng during the events of Costa del Sol. He put a sniper round through Crimson (Cissnei) without a second thought and was aiming for her head. The only reason it hit her in her abdomen and wasn't instantly fatal was that she was warned, and he was still prepared to follow through with a second shot to ensure the kill, if not due to outside intervention.
103* ''Fanfic/HarryAndTheShipgirls'' has Delilah Naomi de Breuil, a [[AnimateInanimateObject Tsukumogami]] of a revolver. As said revolver contains [[PublicDomainArtifact Muramasa]] steel, she has a SuperpoweredEvilSide that turns her into a HeroicSociopath. Oh, did I mention that she has a massive amount of guns that she has purchased, and is hands down one of the best snipers in the entire setting?
104* The [[MemeticMutation legendary]] FanFic "Love Can Bloom" emphasizes this. In it, the central character, a Vindicare assassin, falls in love with his target, an Eldar Farseer... and has absolutely no idea what he's feeling, short of "I can't kill her".
105* One of the antagonists in the Gligarman sidestory of ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines'' is a professional hitman called the Pride Sniper, who was hired to kill an important Johto politician. He quickly establishes himself as a dire threat not only in the use of firearms, but also in planning ahead and is more than a match for the titular hero in melee combat despite Gligarman using an exosuit that increases his physical strength.
106* Nack from ''Fanfic/PrisonIslandBreak'' talked about his job as a [[PunchClockVillain professional assassin]] as if it was a day job.
107* In ''Fanfic/ProjectIgnition'', there's Kroitchov, BFF's current top sniper. He's dark, somber, and does not care who or what he shoots. He hardly says anything, either in his NEXT or not. Curiously, he's a former Silent Avalanche pilot, trained for NEXT piloting during the course of For Answer and is the catalyst for the 72AN project (which is simply to retrain surviving Silent Avalanche Snipers into NEXT pilots). Contrasting him is Aerilynn, who's full-on FriendlySniper.
108* ''Fanfic/{{SAPR}}'': Ciel is just as calculating and efficient as she is in canon ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'', but here she's also totting a seven-foot-long anti-materiel rifle.
109* Fanfic/TarkinsFist: EZ-6758, a stormtrooper under the command of Sergeant SF-4738, serves as Third Platoon's sniper during the Empire-Earth War and racks up a high kill count during the platoon's time on the American front.
110* ''Fanfic/ThisBites'': Domino, the Vice Head Jailer of [[TheAlcatraz Impel Down]], gets this treatment in this fic; she's no powerhouse like her fellow executives, so she focuses on stealth and psychological torture. Her contribution to stopping the big jailbreak in the end is shooting Luffy from the rafters...with a poisoned crossbow, the better to actually damage the RubberMan. It only slows him down, but then, that was the intention.
111* In the Literature/{{Discworld}}-themed fanfic ''Fanfic/ThePriceOfFlight'', combat pilot [[UsefulNotes/FinnsWithFearsomeForests Kiiki Pekisaalen]] believes in going higher than any other combat air witch, waiting up there for long enough, ideally putting the sun behind her and any perceived target - and then, wham.
112[[/folder]]
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114[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
115* ''Film/ActOfValor'': Weimy, who's completely silent except to confirm kills during a mission.
116* The resident sniper of the Wild Seven in ''Film/BattleRoyale II'' never speaks a word and is shown as mostly blank. His character's expanded on a bit more in the movie's novelization -- and is still mostly cold and emotionless.
117* The sniper from the film ''Film/TheCaller'' is a sadistically cold example of this trope.
118* ''Film/DragonSquad'' stars Creator/MaggieQ as Yuet, a former Vietcong sniper-turned-mercenary and a ruthless DarkActionGirl who racks up quite a bodycount throughout the film
119* Erwin König in ''Film/EnemyAtTheGates'' the ruthless sniper who duels Russian hero Vasily Zaytsev. The film was [[VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory loosely based]] on the real-life Zaytsev's [[UnreliableNarrator memoirs (mixed with Soviet propaganda), which are now considered apocryphal]].
120* ''Film/FemaleAgents'': Louise. She is introduced methodically killing several German soldiers as one and later tries to kill Heindrich this way too.
121* ''Film/TheFightingSeabees'': Japanese snipers frequently sport {{Slasher Smile}}s while gunning down heroes.
122* In the South Korean UsefulNotes/KoreanWar film ''Film/TheFrontLine'', a North Korean sniper is given the nickname "Two Seconds"[[note]]the time taken for the gunshot to be heard after someone gets shot at[[/note]] and has over 30 kills of ROK officers and personnel since the start of the battle for Aerok Hill. [[spoiler:''Her'' frigid persona is seen slowly cracking, and she does break down crying eventually right before the final battle for the hill.]]
123* Played with in ''Film/FullMetalJacket'', when the drill instructor exalts the marksmanship of two murderers, Charles Whitman and Lee Harvey Oswald, who were both Marines. The trope is ultimately subverted when a VC sniper turns out to be a teenage girl using a basic assault rifle without even a scope fitted.
124* ''Film/HornetsNest:'' Partisan leader Scarpi is a skilled rifle shot who ruthlessly snipes one of his own men for talking under torture.
125* ''Film/TheHunter'': Martin takes a sniper rifle with him on his hunts for the tiger, and is a reserved man taking a morally ambiguous job. [[spoiler:The hunter who is sent to replace him plays the trope even straighter, as he’s willing to threaten humans and lacks the qualms Martin develops about the hunt.]]
126* In ''Film/{{Jarhead}}'' Swoff is drifting into this trope, and repeatedly references his need for 'the red mist'.
127* ''Film/JoeKidd'': One of Harlan's gunfighters, Mingo, is an expert with a scoped rifle and guns down revolutionaries with cold detachment.
128* Dragan, TheDragon of the Serbian gangsters in ''Film/LayerCake'', turns out to be a cold sniper. Expecting to get the drop on Dragan, the "heroes" arrive early at a meeting spot and hide out, ready to shoot the Serbian as he arrives. [[spoiler:Turns out Dragan had arrived even earlier and scoped the place out, allowing him to snipe the sniper.]]
129* ''Film/TheMarksman'': Jim is a good man but usually gruff and distant to others. A veteran [[SemperFi Marine]] scout sniper who had [[TheVietnamVet served in Vietnam]], he's still quite good at sniping (thus the film's title) and shows his skills during the film multiple times while fighting dangerous cartel members.
130* ''Film/MysteryRoad'': The climax features three characters who display shades of this in different ways (notably it's the only long-distance shooting scene in the film).
131** Pete, The HotBlooded [[TheDragon dragon]] is ruthlessly firing at cops while letting himself show a little hate, and jumpiness when shots hit near him.
132** CreepyGood Johnno sits out in the open, smoking a cigarette while firing at Pete (and other henchmen) with a sense of detached calmness even as some of Pete’s bullets strike closer and closer to him, while his enemy zeroes in.
133** CowboyCop Jay, while clearly disturbed by any death he does see across the movie, is willing to show a little righteous anger as he fires at Pete.
134* ''Film/PhoneBooth'''s sniper does have feelings -- but not exactly the expected ones. He has no problems [[spoiler:killing a random pimp to provoke his target and a perfectly innocent pizza guy to avoid suspicion]].
135* ''Film/Sabotage2014'' features the married sniper team of James "Monster" Murray and wife Lizzy.
136* ''Film/SavingPrivateRyan'' has Daniel Jackson, who is a mix of this and FriendlySniper. He believes that he is God's agent of justice, praying as he fires and sleeping like a baby every night. On the other hand, he socializes pretty well with the rest of the squad.
137%%* Ex-colonel Sebastian Moran is this in ''Film/SherlockHolmesAGameOfShadows''.
138* ''Film/ShootToKill:'' In the opening hostage standoff, Stantin is accompanied by an FBI sniper who is very grim and focused on his job (although he never fires his gun due to concern for the hostage's life).
139* Bob Lee Swagger in ''Film/{{Shooter}}'' showed no remorse over anyone or anything he ever shot at, not even innocent cans of soup. He has ''plenty'' of emotions; he simply does not regret killing people. He was rather attached to his dog though.
140* ''Film/{{Sniper}}'': Thomas Beckett is the stoic loner type. He's shunned on the base he's stationed at both for being a sniper among regular soldiers, and for being rather notorious for losing partners in the field.
141* In ''Film/TheSniper'', Eddie Miller calmly and dispassionately dispatches his targets. However, when he is not on a rooftop with his carbine, he is a emotional wreck.
142* Tom Bishop in ''Film/SpyGame'' (before he becomes a spy).
143* The antagonist of ''Film/TwoMinuteWarning'' is one particularly creeping and frightening example. The only time he shows an emotion is when he is wounded and cornered by the police at the end and he screams in rage.
144* ''Film/TheWall2017'' has an Iraqi sniper whose MO is to let the coalition forces radio for backup and take them out as well.
145* ''Film/WolfCreek'' has its antagonist. Once you realize he's not so [[FriendlySniper friendly]], Mick Taylor (not the [[http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mick_Taylor Rolling Stone]]) proves that guns can be just as scary as knives. That goes double for the sequel. In the opening scene, he manages Cold and FriendlySniper ''at the same time''.
146-->'''Mick:''' Shot!
147* Zero from ''Film/XMenOriginsWolverine''. [[spoiler:He even cracks a smile after he had just murdered two innocent people and watched their barn blow up.]]
148
149[[/folder]]
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151[[folder:Literature]]
152* ''Literature/SixteenThirtyTwo'':
153** Julie Sims: Cheerleader, county champion shooter, and aspiring biathlon candidate turned sniper. She has piled up kill totals well into three figures without any apparent emotional affect. By comparison, she cried like a baby when she shot her first deer. But as she says, "That deer hadn't done anything to anyone". Near the end, some of Gustav's Finnish troopers run into her at the end of a long sniping streak, believe she is an incarnation of the goddess Loviatar "Maiden of Pain", and give her a WIDE berth.
154** Mentioned in the training by Dr. James Nichols, who trained as a Marine sniper. When asked about it, there is a whole conversation Julie has with her spotter where they discuss the reasons why they are so cold: if these guys win, they'll rape us, so we kill them.
155* ''Literature/AriaTheScarletAmmo'': Reki, who is [[EmotionlessGirl completely unperturbed]] by her acts. Further emphasised at one point when the protagonist muses to himself over rumours that she had once engaged in black ops for an organisation with a ThouShaltNotKill policy.
156* The two German snipers in Wolfgang Borchert's novella ''[[http://uhrwerk-und-eisen.tumblr.com/post/66783709027/the-bowling-alley-wolfgang-borchert The Bowling Alley]]'' (''Die Kegelbahn'').
157* ''Literature/TheBoyOnTheBridge'': The missions two snipers, Foss and [=McQueen=] are both fairly reserved and methodically efficient while gunning down zombies, and are fairly distant from the civilian scientists they escort, although [=McQueen=] has some HiddenDepths and Foss gradually undergoes a case of DefrostingTheIceQueen.
158 * Arrow in ''The Cellist of Sarajevo'' at the very least, ''tries'' to be this.
159* Maxim Sorel, a sniper from the Valhallan 301st in the first ''Literature/CiaphasCain'' novel, ends up stabbing a man to death simply "because he didn't see any reason not to". Following the court-martial for the above infraction, he is sentenced to death by taking on a suicide mission alongside the protagonist. In a subversion, he not only saves the protagonist's life but is one of two convicts who do not go rogue or are subverted by the enemy, despite (or perhaps, given that this is 40k, due to his) being an obvious sociopath.
160%%* ''Literature/CityOfThieves2008'': Vika, although she warms up a bit.
161* Aleksander Hemon's short story "A Coin" describes the brutal reality of surviving in a war-torn Sarajevo, and features a bit about snipers who shoot at people trying to cross the street because they're bored.
162* ''Literature/DamselsOfDistress'': Tsubaki the tengu definitely qualifies for this trope. She is cold, callous, stoic, and a crack shot with her bolt-action sniper rifle.
163* The titular Jackal from ''Literature/TheDayOfTheJackal''. Forsyth repeatedly mentions that the emotions he displays on his face never reach his eyes, and his frostiness intimidates the underworld members he gets his supplies from. Arguably one of the most "classical" examples. Once flaws start showing up in his plan, however, he gets emotional and careless, going into VillainousBreakdown.
164* Jared Kincaid in ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'', an honorable mercenary gunman (he doesn't skip out on a contract; on the other hand, it is implied that he does horrible things to people who don't pay up) with ImprobableAimingSkills. This is the key to Harry working out that he isn't entirely human. He is seen using a very powerful sniper rifle to blow the heads off multiple demons. [[spoiler: He also uses what is probably the same gun to kill Harry on Harry's orders as part of a (failed) ThePlan against Mab]].
165* Mack Bolan, the {{vigilante|Man}} [[OneManArmy super-soldier]] of ''Literature/TheExecutioner''. In the prologue of the first novel an army psychiatrist is quoted as saying that while most soldiers can be a successful sniper ''once'', it's the ability to continue to do so (to see the difference between killing in the course of duty and murder) that separates Bolan from other men. He is described as "a man who can [[TranquilFury command himself]]".
166* ''Literature/FullMetalPanic'' introduces one in the person of Wilhelm Casper, [[spoiler:who trained Kurz and is now a member of the villain organization called Amalgam]]. The ending of ''Approaching Nick of Time'' reveals that after Casper [[spoiler:chose to take a kill-shot which also critically injured an uninvolved eight-year-old girl]], Kurz [[spoiler:made up his mind that he didn't want to be a "real sniper" if it meant becoming a monster like Casper, and]] thereafter seems to have exerted himself to be a FriendlySniper instead.
167* ''Literature/GauntsGhosts'':
168** Quickly subverted with Larkin once it's revealed that he's twitchy and occasionally suffers from fits. He's also extremely paranoid and possibly a bit of a coward. Nevertheless, he's so far managed to pull through and get the job done, albeit once he needed the help of a possibly fantasized Imperial Angel not to run away.
169** While Larkin may be a couple of lasrounds short of a full clip, the Ghosts have plenty of other snipers. Interestingly, most of them seem to come with the influx of female Vervunhivers after ''Necropolis''.
170** Saul, the Blood Pact sniper from ''Sabbat Martyr'' is this trope played straight. As a member of the Blood Pact, he is very much a CardCarryingVillain, but his pride in his skill means he prefers focused, clean kills rather than maniacal brutality. Saul does fall into HonorBeforeReason at one point when he does reckon he can kill St Sabbat with his shot -- but he would have to fire through Brin Milo to do it, which wouldn't be "clean". Moving to re-sight [[spoiler:costs him his target and his head]].
171** Vindicare assassins are the epitome of cold snipers, enhanced with a few extra handy organs and cybernetic implants and trained to be emotionless so as to be maximally effective killers.
172* Michael Corleone in ''Literature/TheGodfather'' is an example. It's mentioned in the book that he was a Marine sniper during World War II, and he's as callous about killing family enemies as he was killing Japanese soldiers.
173* ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'':
174** Linda-058 is known as the foremost sniper specialist of the Spartan-[=IIs=], with ImprobableAimingSkills taken up a notch, and has been since about the age of twelve. She takes sniping as a challenge, even being shown to shoot pilots out of Banshees while hanging upside down by a single cord wrapped around her foot. And that was a day after she had been brought BackFromTheDead. Once she gets into position, her mind enters a Zen-Buddhist state and her kills are reported in an icy-cold voice. She works better without a spotter, and fits the lone wolf description better than any other Spartan, with a very detached and quiet personality. Several of her fellow Spartans have noted that she makes sniping an art.
175** Spartan-III Jun-A266 of Noble Team normally comes across as a FriendlySniper in ''VideoGame/HaloReach'', as he has quite the mouth on him. However, he's at heart a loner, with his psychiatrist expressing concern that he has "an unhealthy emotional detachment in regards to the consequences of his actions"; Noble's commanding officer Colonel Holland considers this assessment to be faulty, and Jun has had to be treated for PTSD before. That said, one of his quotes is "I kill the enemy, but do not hate them".
176* Gerald Seymour's novel ''Holding the Zero'' is about a civilian target shooter who goes to (pre-invasion) Iraq to help the Kurds. The book goes into detail on the history of sniping and the mentality needed.
177* Snake from ''Literature/IceStation''. It also helps that he's [[spoiler:TheMole]].
178* ''Literature/InDeath'': [[spoiler:Willow Mackie]] from ''Apprentice in Death'' combines this with TeensAreMonsters and TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior.
179* ''Literature/JackRyan'':
180** Inverted completely in Creator/TomClancy's early novels, most particularly ''Literature/TheCardinalOfTheKremlin'', which features the rescue of a kidnapped Army scientist from Russian spies by an FBI Hostage Rescue Team. The training and mentality of the FBI snipers is thoroughly explored, up to and including the emotional trauma that results from shooting another human being in cold blood. In a ContinuityNod, the same team shows up in ''Literature/TheSumOfAllFears''.
181** Clancy plays the trope much straighter in later novels, possibly a result of ProtectionFromEditors. ''Literature/WithoutRemorse'' has John Clark [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge coldly assassinating]] drug dealers, including a memorable final shootout (to be fair, he's usually nice when he ain't killing drug dealers or on black ops); ''Literature/RainbowSix'' has at least two snipers as part of a BadassArmy counterterrorist team formed from the elite of their nations' respective military forces who are generally professional (with one notable exception where [[spoiler:one of them shoots a terrorist in the liver so he would die as slowly and painfully as possible after he killed a wheelchair-bound ten-year-old girl on live TV earlier]]); and ''Literature/TheBearAndTheDragon'' features an old Russian sniper who [[RetiredBadass comes out of retirement]] to kill some Chinese officers.
182* ''Literature/JoePickett'': Jimmy Sollis from ''Breaking Point'' likes to portray himself as this. A competition long-distance shooter, he joins [=McLanahan=]'s manhunt simply because he wants to have the opportunity to shoot a man, and Farkus notes that he and [=McLanahan=] discuss killing a man as if they were talking about hunting an elk. His reserve breaks down quickly when they are captured by their intended target, however.
183* Discussed in the ''Literature/JohnRain'' series. Former Marine sniper Dox is good at what he does but was shunned by some in the Marines because his jovial, outgoing personality didn't fit their idea of how a sniper should act.
184* ''Literature/TheLostRegiment'': Minor regiment member Patrick Butler is a rude, unsentimental, tobacco-chewing man who relishes the chance to shoot officers no matter what side they're on, but he is put to good use killing enemy leaders.
185* In John Foley's wartime memoir ''Literature/MailedFist'', there is the German sniper who ignored the fact that all an infantry officer's body was in view so that he could focus on the challenge of the tank commander who was only showing his head above the cupola. The German still managed to inflict a flesh wound before tank fire destroyed his hide.
186* Lasko from the ''Literature/PaladinOfShadows'' series is one of these. In one book, his response to having his spotter shot in the face right next to him is to target the enemy sniper and shoot him while mentally considering the time and effort it will take to train another spotter. He is also [[ImprobableAimingSkills ridiculously skilled at his job]].
187* ''Literature/PleaseDontTellMyParentsImASupervillain'': While one of his Judgment's high profile victims (Deadly Flame) is killed with a pistol, both ''Literature/PleaseDontTellMyParentsImAGiantMonster'' and the short story "Summer of Lob" say Judgment is notorious for shooting people from a distance with a rifle.
188* The protagonist of ''Literature/RogueMale'' believes that his only motive in stalking a dictator with his rifle was the pleasure of the hunt. [[spoiler: he was kidding himself]]
189* In the J.A. Johnstone western novel ''Savage Texas: A Good Day to Die'', the two highest scoring competitors in the town's most recent turkey shoot are placed in a "combination observation post and sniper's nest" in a clock tower when the town of Hangtree is attacked by Comanche warriors. One of them is a sixteen-year-old with "the clear cold gray eyes so often found in sharpshooters," and the other is an old war veteran who starts cackling with delight while shooting fleeing Comanches as the war party is routed.
190* Pleasantly averted in the ''Literature/{{Sharpe}}'' series, about a team of, ahem, sharp-shooters during the Napoleonic Wars, who are mostly treated as affable, fun-loving guys. The best shot in the regiment, Dan Hagman, is a cheery old poacher from OopNorth who loves to sing.
191* Colonel Moran, TheDragon to Professor Moriarty of the ''Literature/SherlockHolmes'' stories, was a decorated soldier before turning to crime, and Holmes refers to him as "one of the best shots in the world." In one story, he baffles the police by killing a man [[ImprobableAimingSkills with a revolver bullet fired through a partially opened window by an air rifle]].
192* Werner Waltz from ''Literature/SixChances'' is this to such a degree that he's earned the moniker "Kaltes Auge" ("Cold Eye").
193* ''Literature/SnowCrash'': Hiro instantly pegs a mafia tough as a sniper due to the man's detached and calm personality. The sniper proves to be very mellow and generally sits by himself, contentedly reading a paperback novel when he's not picking people off.
194* ''Literature/SwordArtOnline'': Sinon is known as "The Ice Sniper" in ''Gun Gale Online'', and she generally does act fairly stoically in battle. Part of this is {{justified|Trope}} by ''GGO's'' game mechanics, in which a player's accuracy increases the slower their heartbeat, so she deliberately keeps herself icy calm when sniping to maximize effectiveness. Out of battle, though, Sinon is much warmer in personality, at least around her friends, and especially once she starts making some progress on her psychological hangups.
195* Subverted in the ''Literature/TommyAndTuppence'' adventure ''N or M?'' by Mrs. Sprot, a normally timid lady who pulls off a near-impossible headshot on a kidnapper to save her daughter Betty from being thrown over a cliff; she immediately breaks down in tears while embracing her child afterward. [[spoiler:{{Double subver|sion}}; Mrs. Sprot was acting. She's a spy and trained shot, and took out the kidnapper to prevent anyone from finding out that the poor woman was Betty's real mom, trying to take her daughter back from Mrs. Sprot.]]
196* Jayt in ''Literature/WarsOfTheRealm''. The only difference is that his weapon of choice is the throwing knife rather than the sniper rifle.
197* Myn Donos from the ''Literature/XWingSeries'' seems like this at first. However, this has less to do with him being the Wraith sniper and more to do with him having some ''serious'' emotional issues stemming from having a squadron under his command obliterated. Still, after he gets CharacterDevelopment and starts to get over those issues, he's still generally the most reserved Wraith.
198** Also, while he sniped three people out of the blue in his sniping career, he felt uneasy about not giving his enemies a fair fight or any warning, so he transferred to the starfighter corps and did well enough to be put in charge of a brand-new squadron. When they died he [[ItsAllMyFault blamed himself]] and [[HeroicBSOD became cold]] -- so he was a poor Cold Sniper when he '''was''' a sniper, a better one as a pilot-sniper, and then he [[DefrostingIceQueen defrosted]].
199--->'''Donos:''' Did I ever shoot someone in cold blood? Without giving him a chance? Yes. Three times I did that. I didn't much care for it; if I did, I'd probably still be doing it. But better to have dead enemies than dead innocents.
200** Most of the time, given his reputation and his behavior, you would think Wes Janson is a FriendlySniper. But when he's killing people, whether in the cockpit or with his sidearm (it's not special--but every sidearm he has becomes a SniperPistol), he goes cold and emotionless. At least, if you're lucky and he's not [[BewareTheNiceOnes angry]].
201* In the [[WorldWarIII alternative history]] novel series ''The Zone'', the British sniper Clarence fits the trope of the cold, methodical sniper with personality problems (he is killing Russians to avenge his dead family, and suffers from a chronic phobia of body contact). The [[SociopathicSoldier psychotic German beauty Andrea]] sticks with him only long enough to pick up his skills, but she kills out of sheer sadistic pleasure.
202[[/folder]]
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204[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
205* In the ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'' episode [[Recap/AgentsOfSHIELDS2E3MakingFriendsAndInfluencingPeople "Making Friends and Influencing People"]], May is training Skye on using a sniper rifle, and stresses the importance of remaining calm and control, even giving Skye a [[ProductPlacement FitBit]] to measure her heart rate while shooting. At the end of the episode, Skye shoots the VillainOfTheWeek with the sniper rifle, ([[NeverFoundTheBody possibly]]) her first kill and her pulse doesn't raise one bit.
206* Ernest Cobb from ''Series/{{Alcatraz}}'' is one who uses his abilities for random killings.
207* ''Series/BetterCallSaul'': There is a heavy implication that [[{{Deuteragonist}} Mike Ehrmantraut]] was a Marine Sniper during [[UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar The Vietnam War]]. In the series itself, he puts his skills to good use [[spoiler: in a complicated scheme to bust Hector Salamanca's men, involving putting a bullet directly through a shoe hanging from a power line.]]
208* Richard Harrow from ''Series/BoardwalkEmpire'', a UsefulNotes/WorldWarI veteran with [[FacialHorror a horrible facial injury]], befriended by Jimmy Darmody. Proficient with all kinds of firearms and an excellent marksman. At first he comes across as a likeable, kind-hearted fellow (his physical appearance notwithstanding) but then all of a sudden there's this little bit of dialogue between him and Jimmy as they discuss how to get rid of [[SiblingsInCrime the d'Alessio brothers]]:
209-->'''Richard:''' Chalky -- Mr. White --- heard back from his men in Philadelphia. Mrs. D'Alessio, the mother, is there; their sisters and another brother.\
210'''Jimmy:''' Which one?\
211'''Richard:''' Adrian.\
212'''Jimmy''': Never heard of him.\
213'''Richard:''' He's a dentist. (...) I could go there, to Philadelphia.\
214'''Jimmy:''' What good is that? They're lying low. Somewhere else.\
215'''Richard:''' ''[in his usual [[CreepyMonotone dispassionate voice]]]'' I could kill the mother. The sisters. And the dentist. That would make them stick their heads up.
216** His coldblooded nature is shown in his first episode when he kills a guy as his first job for Jimmy. He does not know the target and he only met Jimmy a few days earlier. He wasn't even a criminal up to that point. Jimmy simply offered him a chance to do what he is good at. After making that shot he packs up his rifle without showing any emotion.
217** Over the course of the series, Richard undergoes a lot of CharacterDevelopment and regains his humanity, turning into a deconstruction of the HitmanWithAHeart.
218* Somewhat subverted with Seeley Booth in ''Series/{{Bones}}''. He was a sniper and it's implied he was a very good one but he doesn't really enjoy talking about it and went into the FBI to save as many people as he had killed. Might be [[spoiler: played straight later in season 6. Some spoilers mention a sniper killing people.]]
219** The cold sniper in Season 6 turns out to be [[spoiler: a former mentor of Seeley]]. The sniper himself points out that Seeley certainly isn't a cold sniper: as he sees it, Seeley's weakness is that he refuses to pull the trigger if there's any question about the target's guilt.
220** Booth does come perilously close in season 10, though. After being framed for murder by the FBI and seeing Sweets killed, he breaks out his sniper rifle and is ready to go kill the guys himself until Brennan talks sense into him.
221* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': Faith after her FaceHeelTurn.
222* All three main characters on ''Series/BurnNotice'' are capable of this, with either [[ObfuscatingStupidity Sam]] or [[AxCrazy Fiona]] usually taking on the role while [[TheChessmaster Michael]] shows off his hand-to-hand or undercover skills.
223* ''Series/{{Chicago PD}}'': Subverted with Halstead. Despite serving in this capacity with the military and now the Chicago police, he is very feeling. He simply knows it's the only way.
224* John Casey on ''{{Series/Chuck}}'' is a Cold Sniper beginning to defrost. How bad-ass of a sniper is he? He once took down about a dozen mooks converging on his ''exposed'' position at close range (he had a fallen tree for cover) while protecting an injured Sarah Walker, every one of them were one shot, one kill. And then to one-up ''that'', in a later episode he cleared a room of bad guys in an office building from a rooftop across the street. Doesn't sound that impressive? ''The blinds were closed'', and his only visual on the targets was the hidden camera fit in the eyeglasses worn by his partner trapped in the room. He then wiped them out ''without looking through his scope'' and relying solely on the visual feed through a computer. All but one were clean one-shot kills, and the last was only because the target was trying to use his partner as a human shield.
225* ''Series/CriminalMinds'' had Philip Dowd, a sniper also called a "Long Distance Serial Killer". He started off in the military, but was discharged dishonorably, then kicked out of the police, and finally became a doctor who sniped people and then saved them later. He used an M4 with .223 caliber rounds (which fragment on impact), shooting from the back of his van equipped with a retractable license plate.
226* An episode of ''Series/CSIMiami'' had the typical cold emotionless sniper serial killer. So cold that the investigator didn't care what his reason was when the sniper asked if he wanted to know. Thanks a lot, Horatio.
227--> "Don't you want to know why?"
228--> "I don't care. You're evil, you enjoy death, I hope you enjoy yours."
229* ''Series/Daredevil2015'': Benjamin "Dex" Poindexter is an FBI SWAT sniper. His natural talent as a sharpshooter makes him the perfect candidate for Wilson Fisk to groom into an assassin.
230* ''Series/DeadMansGun'': Ruthless BountyHunter John Pike's EstablishingCharacterMoment in "Death Warrant" is him setting up on a hilltop, adjusting the sights on his [[{{BFG}} buffalo rifle]], and then using it to pick off the man driving a wagon along the road far below. He then rides down to the body, ignores the justified attacks and accusations of the man's widow, loads the body onto his horse, and rides off without a backwards glance.
231* ''Series/FBIMostWanted'': In "[[Recap/FBIMostWantedS01E05 Invisible]]", Lt. Weitzen is highly decorated sniper famous for his ability to become 'invisible'. When he snaps, he chooses his victims to send a message, but dispatches them in a totally dispassionate way.
232* Subverted frequently in the Canadian-made police series, ''Series/{{Flashpoint}}'', beginning in its very first episode which follows the aftermath (emotionally and professionally) when a police sniper is forced to kill a man. The series continues to subvert it by establishing that use of deadly force in this fashion is considered a failure, and by a sympathetic female character as one of the snipers (played by the actress who used to play Pink Ranger in ''Power Rangers'', yet). However, the trope is slightly supported by having one police sniper character being a seasoned war veteran with no qualms about pulling the trigger.
233** Even that character is hardly cold. He does have the military history, but from the beginning, he's clear that he sought out SRU because he wanted to save lives instead of taking them. And he's just as devastated as the rest of the team when they have to kill someone, especially when it's his finger on the trigger.
234* ''Series/GameOfThrones'':
235** Ygritte goes into this mode in Season 4, remaining cold and focused with no qualms about shooting unarmed peasants. In "The Watchers on the Wall" she even argues she's killed ''more'' peasants than the ObviouslyEvil CannibalClan leader Styr.
236** While Ramsay is only seen wielding a bow a few times, he's at his coldest and calmest while using it. He finally uses it again in "Battle of the Bastards", where he plays a "game" with Rickon, telling him to run to his brother Jon while he fires at him. As Jon and Rickon rush toward each other, Ramsay deliberately misses Rickon multiple times. As Jon is just about to save Rickon, Ramsay finally kills Rickon when he's mere feet from Jon. Later in the episode, after Ramsay has lost the battle, he "reconsiders" Jon's offer to duel one-on-one. Instead of using a sword though, his idea of a duel is trying to snipe Jon from a distance with his bow. His coolness finally begins to defrost as Jon manages to advance, deflect all of his arrows with a shield, and get close enough to smash his face in.
237* Averted in ''Series/GenerationKill'': after one of the company's snipers scores (rather bloody) headshots on a couple of targets, he is seen looking visibly disturbed.
238* ''Series/{{JAG}}'': In "High Ground"; when a promise by his former CO not be deployed to Bosnia is reversed by the new Colonel; Gunnery Sergeant Ray Crockett shots the rear mirror of the Colonel’s car when moving at 1 000 yards distance, as a warning before he takes off to the hills.
239** But he's also at the same time a FriendlySniper because he felt he was unjustly treated and never meant to harm anyone.
240* ''Series/{{Justified}}'' has Deputy US Marshall Tim Gutterson, a sniper who was with the Rangers in Afghanistan. He is a very friendly guy who likes to joke around but when he aims his sniper rifle at someone he is deadly calm and has no qualms about pulling the trigger. His boss is even concerned that Tim might like killing too much. However, it is strongly implied that Tim is suffering from PTSD and might be an alcoholic as a result of having to kill so many people.
241* ''Series/TheKillPoint'' features one working for a SWAT team. He also fancies himself something of a WarriorPoet.
242* ''Series/MajorCrimes'': The team chase a cold sniper (with his loner status being continually highlighted) in the episode "Long Shot".
243* Averted/played straight (depending on your interpretation) on an episode of ''Series/{{NCIS}}'', when [[spoiler: Ari kills Kate with a perfectly aimed shot between the eyes. As he lowers the rifle, he simply says "Sorry, Caitlin"]]
244** Gibbs is/was this too (he was a sniper in the Gulf War and he still has the ability), and Ziva is capable of being one too.
245*** Both, however, are much nicer, more caring, and at least in Ziva's case, [[FriendlySniper more personable]].
246** A VillainOfTheWeek was an aspiring sniper who was rejected from the Marines because he showed signs of sociopathy. Gibbs grudgingly admits that he was one of the best and most resourceful snipers he had seen.
247* ''Series/{{Numb3rs}}'': In most of his appearances, Agent Ian Edgerton is the embodiment of this idea. Occasionally his lighter side shows, as in the finale, but not often. In an almost Batmanesque manner, he appears to value justice over law.
248* ''Series/RizzoliAndIsles'': The killer in "Bite Out of Crime". Korsak even mentions that snipers prefer to work alone when Frankie suggests he might have a partner.
249* Subverted in ''Series/TheSandbaggers''. Sandbagger three starts to crack after being forced to kill [[spoiler: Sandbagger two]] in an early episode.
250* ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'': Sebastian Moran, in contrast to [[FriendlySniper John.]]
251* ''Franchise/SuperSentai'':
252** The Blue Rangers, either RedOniBlueOni or TheLancer, is often the Cold Sniper. Dekaranger's Hoji is THE personification, being blue, obnoxiously cool and collected, and the team's resident sniper. Paralleled by [[Series/MahouSentaiMagiranger Tsubasa]], [[Series/GoGoSentaiBoukenger Souta]] and [[Series/EngineSentaiGoOnger Gunpei]].
253** None of the above are particularly emotionless or sociopathic, though. The best Sentai example is [[CyberCyclops Cyclops]], one of the Ten Infershia Gods, who spends two episodes shooting at the team from the comfort of a pocket dimension. Once Tsubasa finds his own way there, the two have a very satisfying snipe-off, with [[SuperMode Legend MagiYellow]] one-shotting him. Unlike most examples, Cyclops has a nasty temper, but whenever it flares up his eye starts flashing in warning and he composes himself by stroking his chin.
254* ''Series/{{Tujurikkuja}}'' parodies this trope in one of their clips where a sniper shoots everyone his instructor mentions.
255* Koch from the German UsefulNotes/WorldWarII drama ''Series/UnsereMuetterUnsereVaeter'' is a subversion. He's initially presented as cold and trigger-happy -- at one point he's about to shoot a [[KickTheDog cute little kitty]], prompting Friedhelm to snidely remark, "You like shooting, don't you?" Turns out the reason he goes after animals is that it reminds him of time spent hunting with his father as a child, and in any case, the first time we see him point his gun at a human is when [[spoiler: he attempts to protect a Jewish girl from the ''Sicherheitsdienst'']].
256[[/folder]]
257
258[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
259* ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}} Tactical Shooting'' goes over gun fighting styles just as ''Martial Arts'' covers martial art styles. It lists Callous (you are merciless, if not cruel) and Loner (you hate being in close proximity to other people) as typical disadvantages for the Sharpshooter style.
260* ''TabletopGame/IronKingdoms'': Warmachine and Hordes each have their own cold snipers. Kell Balioch is a mercenary assassin who asks no questions and gives no quarter, while the Khadoran Empire employs ''squads'' of emotionally detached snipers called Widowmakers. Grim Angus is an ex-bounty hunter who decided to leave his old life to help his old kinsmen. He was once feared for his preference to take more bounties in dead than alive with his long-ranged rifle, Headhunter. Now he is just feared for never leaving anyone alive.
261** A subversion comes in the form of Kara Sloan, who only acts cold around her troops out of guilt over the fact that she's in a relationship with one of her junior officers.
262* The Chem.IMN from ''TabletopGame/MutantChronicles''. Cybernetic assassins with long-range rifles and [[WalkingWasteland chemical weapons]] who get [[ItsRainingMen dropped from orbit]] and look like the Franchise/{{Terminator}}. Uh huh, THAT one.
263* ''TabletopGame/SentinelsOfTheMultiverse'': Parse does her long-distance killing with arrows rather than bullets, but she otherwise fits the character archetype, using her AwesomenessByAnalysis skills to spot weaknesses and then putting arrows into them. She's one of the few heroes with reliable access to irreducible damage, representing her ability to punch through armour by hitting the weak points, and personality-wise she's an extremely cold and calculating character whose introduction to Sentinel Comics was her straight-up murdering Spite ([[SerialKiller not that anyone particularly mourned him]]).
264* The canon NPC Stanley Chang in ''TabletopGame/UnknownArmies''[[note]]he's in the Lawyers, Guns and Money sourcebook[[/note]] is a painfully shy, timid man; the only time other people don't make him nervous is when he's looking at them through his scope from a good distance away.
265** In the opening fiction of the ''Weep'' sourcebook, one of his "co-workers" recounts one time where Chang backshot a pregnant woman without so much as blinking.
266* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'':
267** The Vindicare are [[PlanetOfHats born]] [[TheSpartanWay and raised]] to fulfill this trope. According to the fluff, their entire vocabulary consists only of words needed in the field. They are molded from childhood to kill without thought or feeling.
268** While many 40K armies sport snipers (and the Vindicare are the best), some mention must go to the SpaceMarine version -- specialized Scouts. This doesn't sound too impressive until you realize that Scouts are ''teenagers'' who have yet to be promoted (and augmented) into full [[SuperSoldier genetically-modified]] [[KnightTemplar warrior-monks]], but have already passed the trials... which tend to be extremely lethal.
269** Necron Deathmarks were formal assassins employed by the ancient necrontyr dynasties, and millennia later they continue to fulfill their purpose as emotionless [[SkeleBot9000 skeleton robots]]. They are so named because they "mark" their intended targets with [[SicklyGreenGlow ethereal green halos]], which allow the Deathmarks to unerringly track their prey for miles via the signal. Special mention must go to their weapons, which are [[CruelAndUnusualDeath specifically keyed to fry their victims' brains while leaving the body unharmed]]. By ancient law, the Necron Overlords are absolutely forbidden from employing Deathmarks against each other or honorable enemies... However, this provision does not extend to those enemies the Necrons consider "dishonourable", [[CulturalPosturing and since no other intelligent race could hope to grasp the intricacies of Necron war etiquette]], Deathmarks see frequent use against aliens.
270[[/folder]]
271
272[[folder:Video Games]]
273* It is possible to become this in ''VideoGame/ApexLegends'' by playing as Ash or Wraith and using a sniper rifle. Caustic and Revenant make very convincing examples as well. One can even protect his blind spots, with gas canisters while the other could snipe from hard to reach angles.
274* ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}'':
275** [=Zer0=] from ''VideoGame/Borderlands2'' is a BloodKnight who cares most about finding worthy opponents to defeat.
276** Aurelia from ''VideoGame/BorderlandsThePreSequel'' is more of an EgomaniacHunter, but she's a literal example of this trope: she's great with sniper rifles and has an entire skill tree dedicated to [[AnIcePerson Cryo damage]].
277* Sgt. Reznov of ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyWorldAtWar'' is implied to have been a cold sniper before you meet him in the aftermath of a massacre. Due to a hand injury, he can't aim his Mosin-Nagant anymore, so he gives it to you. As the Soviet campaign progresses, Reznov becomes more AxCrazy.
278* The two-man Sniper squads of GDI in ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberiumWars'' are sane, but quite professional, putting them in this category.However, if one man on the sniper team is killed, when you click on the unit, the voice will sound more strained and panicky.
279* Sir Francis T. Woolridge aka "Duke" of the ''VideoGame/{{Commandos}}'' series.
280-->'''Sniper:''' At least ''someone'' on this team's doing their ''job''.
281* The sniper trio from ''VideoGame/DeadRising'' subvert this, as Roger comes across as one of these to the core, but in their short appearance, one of his sons instead seems potentially HotBlooded and the other like a ShrinkingViolet.
282* ''VideoGame/DeltaForceLandWarrior'' features [[http://www.novalogic.com/games/dflw/characters_longbow.html Sergeant Daniel "Longbow" Lonetree]], a taciturn and eternally scowling Navajo counter-sniper. While all of the playable characters have voiceover responses in the game, Longbow's are uniformly brief to the point of bluntness.
283* The snipers from ''VideoGame/DirtyBomb'' are generally a lot less hammy than the other mercs, which isn't saying that much considering [[WorldOfHam everyone is really hammy.]] This isn't to say they're like that for no reason. Vassili is being hunted by the government because of a failed political assassination, Red Eye is taking mercenary work because he was refused pension, and Aimee watched her idol die in front of her [[spoiler: before finding out she was supposed to be killed instead.]]
284* ''Franchise/{{Doom}}'':
285** The Doom Slayer himself can become this in ''VideoGame/Doom2016'' with the Heavy Assault Rifle's Tactical Scope mod. Of course, since his targets are all demons, they shouldn't garner much sympathy. There's also the Precision Bolt, a mod for the Gauss Cannon which makes it an actual sniper ''[[{{BFG}} cannon]]''.
286** The Tactical Scope returns ''as'' the Precision Bolt in ''VideoGame/DoomEternal'', and the Heavy Assault Rifle is now the Heavy Cannon. As its name implies, it shoots more slowly but also more powerfully.
287* ''Franchise/{{Fallout}}'':
288** Craig Boone of ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'', a companion character who takes this trope to GameBreaker levels.
289** Also, Bitter-Root and Betsy from ''First Recon''. To be fair, they all three have their reasons. [[spoiler:Boone was at the massacre of Bitter Springs, and reluctantly picked off his share of innocent women, children, elderly, and sick Khans, as well as mercy killing his wife when she was sold to the Legion as a slave, when there was nothing else he could do. Bitter-Root was at Bitter Springs when he was younger, and, despite him feeling that the Khans had it coming, is still obviously haunted by it, and Betsy was raped by Cook-Cook of the Fiends.]]
290* {{Subverted|Trope}} in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'' with Irvine. He talks up how much of a cold sniper he is, and is in fact an efficient shooter, but when he's faced with actually having to kill [[spoiler:the sorceress Edea, he clams up and almost doesn't shoot]] -- he is the only one of the gang who remembers that [[spoiler:he and the gang all grew up in the same orphanage and that Sorceress Edea used to be their Matron. He is essentially being asked to blow his mother's head off by his brothers and sisters]], so he hesitates at first and tries to pass it off as nervousness, but eventually he takes the shot -- [[spoiler:knowing fully that he's about to execute his mother figure]] -- as is demanded of him. It's unclear in the game whether [[spoiler:she would have sensed the bullet and put up her magical shield even if he had shot when he was supposed to]].
291* ''Franchise/FireEmblem'':
292** Shinon from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance'' and ''VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn'' is the bow-wielding variant of this trope. Even in the end, when the character roll call comes up and every unit congratulates you for winning the war, he calls you a "snot-nosed whelp".
293** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'':
294*** Shamir Nevrand has the Sniper class when she first joins you and is one of the most aloof characters in the game. At least one of her Supports (with Alois) delves into her psyche and explores the emotional toll that her mercenary career has taken on her.
295*** Bernadetta von Varley shuts herself away in her room at all times, but otherwise subverts the trope in that she's a ShrinkingViolet with severe childhood trauma who will ''run away screaming'' if you look at her the wrong way, and only wants to be a sniper so she can fight from a safe distance.
296* ''Franchise/{{Hitman}}'': Agent 47 is a stoic, detached man with a frosty demeanor, and while his main weapons are his Silverballers and fiber wire, he's also an excellent sniper and has multiple sniping kills to his name.
297* ''VideoGame/JaggedAlliance 2'' has two noteworthy ones. Reaper is a creepy BloodKnight fatalist, while Shadow simply never talks above a whisper, always keeping as quiet as possible. Shadow also is the only character in the game that has a permanent camouflage, perfect for his profession.
298* In ''VideoGame/TheJourneymanProject'', Mercury, one of Elliot Sinclair's robots, is sent back in time to be this to his rival, Enrique Castillo during the conference on alien contact. Naturally, you have to stop Castillo from being killed. [[spoiler: Subverted with Elliot Sinclair himself, who is more of a paranoid sniper than cold.]]
299* An interesting variant is shown in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'', with Organization XIII's gunslinger Xigbar, who can merge his two guns into a sniper rifle to take aim at Sora from a (relatively) safe distance. While he's far from cold at first glance, being rather cheerful and talkative in fact, [[FauxAffablyEvil it's all just an act]] as Nobodies are incapable of actual emotion. [[spoiler:While that's later disproven, he's still a willing participant in Xehanort's schemes and utterly self-serving who leave him to his own ends after Xehanort is defeated.]]
300* Thane Krios from ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' was trained to be a sniper who killed for the greater good. He is rather personable and spiritualistic, if a bit quiet, when not on the job. Of the other sniper rifle users in the game, Garrus is a FriendlySniper (but oftentimes plays this trope straight whenever he becomes overzealous and showcasing his pragmatic side, particularly in his [[ItsPersonal loyalty mission]]), Zaeed is a borderline PsychoForHire, Ashley is an energetic CoolBigSis but prefers [[MoreDakka her assault rifle]], [[spoiler:and Legion is a robot and can't be judged by human or organic standards]].
301* ''VideoGame/TheMatrixPathOfNeo'' has one or two of these, most particularly the one on the factory level.
302* ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' subverts this trope a lot.
303** Sniper Wolf in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' tends to get obsessed with her targets and would not think about anything else until she killed them. At the same time, she's by far the nicest member of Foxhound and became friends with Otacon before they took over the base and the staff as hostages. He claims that she was always very nice to him and defends her as a good person because she just adores dogs and wolves.
304** The End in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'', who is over a hundred years old and just wants to spar off against Naked Snake in a climactic sniper duel before he kicks the bucket. He has an almost symbiotic relationship with his surroundings, and can also go for ages without drinking or eating. He's nourished by sunlight instead. And he's a surprisingly fast runner for a 100-year-old man. Justified in the sense that he allegedly ''invented'' sniping. Again, he's the least unsympathetic member of the team, in large part because he only uses tranquilizer rounds when fighting Snake, and when he does knock Snake out, just sticks him in a shed and waits for him to wake up to resume the battle. All he wants from that confrontation is the best fight he can have before his death.
305** And there's Crying Wolf in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots''. Naturally, her name is meant to be a CallBack to Sniper Wolf, to the point that they use similar tactics and is fought in the same area, a snowfield. She's anything but a cold sniper, constantly being tormented by the memories of her past and apparently unable to ever stop crying. For more than the last 10 years.
306** ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain'':
307*** Lastly, we have Quiet. She is very attractive and [[MsFanservice wears the bare minimum of clothing]]. For the most part, she definitely fits the trope, but she eventually warms up to Snake as the story progresses, bonus points as well for being featured in one of the game's most difficult boss battles.
308*** On a meta note, ''you yourself'' [[InvokedTrope can play]] [[PlayerCharacter Venom Snake/Big Boss]] this way, what with the multiple available sniper rifles available to develop, and the relative in-game freedom of either using tranq snipers to simply put your enemies to sleep, or using high-powered ones to cave their heads in (and, if you're good enough, destroy vehicles/choppers too).
309* Trace from ''VideoGame/MetroidPrimeHunters'' serves this role among the hunters. His Imperialist can zoom in on targets, has the longest range in the game, and kills in one shot if it [[BoomHeadshot hits the target right]]. Personality-wise, he's an assassin who doesn't give a damn about empathy or allies.
310* Countershade, AKA No. 8, from ''VideoGame/MightyNo9'', holes himself deep within the United States' Capitol building. Once Beck makes his way in, Countershade relentlessly shoots at Beck without saying a word, using his bullets' ricocheting abilities to be able to catch Beck no matter where he might be in the building, Beck dodging only due to Countershade's laser sight [[CrosshairAware showing where the shots will go]]. He only starts talking once Beck reaches his room, though he still has a more subdued, quieter way of speaking than any of his comrades.
311* Averted with the Sniper in ''VideoGame/MondayNightCombat'', who is a complete and utter loon. Since he's a response and gag to the Sniper from ''Team Fortress 2,'' it's RuleOfFunny.
312* ''VideoGame/NintendoWars'': Gage/Trak from ''Advance Wars: Days of Ruin'', although technically an army commander, is an artillery specialist and is commonly depicted with a sniper rifle. His Japanese/European {{Leitmotif}} is even called "Ice Warrior". While he is a prime example of TheStoic, he appears otherwise sane -- his professionalism just leaves him [[SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism more cynically slanted]] than the rest of team good.
313* ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes'': Speed Buster uses a WaveMotionGun in this way. It's extremely flashy, but with a weapon like that, she didn't become the #3-ranked assassin for nothing. Travis Touchdown is the only person who does not die from her first hit due to catching on to what she can do, and she is an inconspicuous bag lady who disguises her laser cannon as a shopping cart when not in combat.
314* ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes2DesperateStruggle'': Margaret Moonlight uses more ordinary weaponry (and is incapable of one-shotting Travis, unlike Speed Buster), but she has the ability to teleport, thus allowing her to aim at Travis and whittle his health down and warp elsewhere if he ever gets too close for comfort.
315* ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroesIII'': Sniping Lee is capable of killing his enemies with his highly advanced rifle from any distance, and plans to kill Travis his way without even fighting him directly... and then gets killed by one of Travis' supporters.
316* ''VideoGame/NoOneLivesForever'' casts the player in the role of female agent Cate Archer who, on her first mission, is tasked with sniper duty, and shoots down multiple targets without batting an eyelash. It's a possible parody of the trope, however, as the game is intended to be a parody of 1960s spy movies.
317* Widowmaker in ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}'' is not only a figurative example but also a ''literal'' one, as her body was modified to slow her blood circulation to extreme levels, resulting in her having purple skin.
318* Strix from ''VideoGame/{{Paladins}}'' is an old sniper who is stoic, distant, and [[TheQuietOne doesn't talk much]]. He is also the mentor to Kinessa who, unlike him, is a FriendlySniper.
319* Inteleon in ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' combines this trope with TuxedoAndMartini due to its calm and collected demeanor and a color pattern resembling a tuxedo. Whereas other Water-type Pokémon shoot large amounts of water at their foes, this lizard prefers to use its [[FingerFirearms fingertips]] to shoot small but extremely precise blasts of water. This trope is taken further when it [[LimitBreak Gigantamaxes]], upon which it can use the move G-Max Hydrosnipe, in which it uses its extremely long tail as a makeshift perch and generates a rifle-shaped blob of water attached to a fingertip from which it can pick off targets from above. In addition, Inteleon is the only Pokémon to [[BoomHeadshot aim for the targets' heads]] rather than their centers.
320* You play as one in the ''VideoGame/ProjectIGI'' series, an ex-SAS Operative sent on covert missions, and an expert sniper who mows down enemies without batting an eye.
321* Eagle of ''VideoGame/Reverse1999'' is a mage who has sniper-based spells, marking enemies and shooting them with intense blasts of magical energy like a sniper shot. She's also very serious, curt, and acts like an adult career military serviceman, rather than the preteen Boy Scouts hopeful she is.
322* Maya, the team's sniper, in ''VideoGame/ShadowWatch'' is notably quieter and more laconic than the other team members.
323* Karl Fairburne, the PlayerCharacter in the ''VideoGame/SniperElite'' games, is an extremely unemotional man, behaving almost like a robot in cutscenes. Though there are some parts across the series where he does show some level of emotion.
324** One cutscene in ''VideoGame/SniperEliteV2'', he inquires about [[spoiler:Dr. Schweiger's injuries after taking fire from a German Assault Squad when he was defecting to the Allies in a more concerned manner than his stoic disposition throughout the course of the game. Despite sounding a little more panicked, Fairburne was concerned about him because of his information about the Nazi's V2 project]].
325** In ''VideoGame/SniperEliteIII'', he breaches this trope when [[spoiler:his comrade Brauer gets blown up by a Tiger tank]].
326* Downplayed by Marie of ''Franchise/{{Splatoon}}'''s Squid Sisters. She isn't evil, or even unfriendly, but her use of a Charger matches her personality as the more reserved, cool-headed member of the duo.
327* In ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'', the Imperial Agent can specialize as a Sniper who stays in the back and deal massive damage to enemies and can be played as a ConsummateProfessional who gets the job done no matter what they need to do.
328* ''Franchise/StarCraft'': Ghosts are psionics trained as assassins, and their iconic weapon is a type of sniper rifle known as the canister rifle. Those trained under Arcturus Mengsk's reign of [[TheEmpire the Dominion]] underwent a memory wipe as part of their graduation ceremony, which erases their personality and render them cold, efficient killers for the regime. The most notable example is November Annabella "Nova" Terra of ''VideoGame/StarCraftIINovaCovertOps''.
329* Sev from ''VideoGame/StarWarsRepublicCommando''. This cloned special-ops soldier revels in this trope, making such remarks as "Nothing better than a jungle hunt... hiding in the bush, putting a plasma bolt through a hostile's cranium... makes me feel alive." This remark was made in response to Scorch complaining how the jungle in question is giving him creeps. After that, he quickly changed his opinion to ''Sev'' giving him creeps.
330%%* Clive and Elza in ''VideoGame/{{Suikoden}}''.
331* ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'':
332** Latooni Subota in ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsOriginalGeneration''. She goes through a lot of CharacterDevelopment to become better-adjusted and more outgoing, so naturally, in the sequel, she's lost all her sniping-specific skills (though she's still pretty good at it) and gets a melee-focused [[SuperPrototype Ace Custom]].
333** Calvina Coulange from ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsJudgment'' is a variation. She specializes in swift long-range skills, but instead of emotionless, she's an aloof, unfriendly BrokenBird prone to anger outbursts due to mental trauma and often breaks protocol in a single-minded hunt for revenge. Like Latooni, she gets better via CharacterDevelopment, but unlike Latooni, she's still keeping her sniping skills and only so much discarding the unpleasant aspects of her personality, she's still aloof.
334* Mr. Mick Mundy -- a.k.a. The Sniper -- from ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' flip-flops between being this and a FriendlySniper. Normally, he'll cheerily taunt opponents after scoring a kill and take pride in being a "professional with standards". When he's scoped in, however, his entire demeanour changes; to the point where [[TranquilFury he'll venomously growl his previously upbeat taunts]] while shooting his opponents dead.
335-->'''Sniper:''' ''[quietly]'' Here's a touchin' story... once upon a time, you ''died'', and ''I'' lived happily ever after. '''The End'''.\
336'''Sniper:''' ''[quietly]'' I reckon you're gonna get ''real'' used to lookin' up at me.\
337'''Sniper:''' ''[quietly]'' I'm not done yet, mate. Not by ''a long shot''.
338* ''VideoGame/ValkyriaChronicles'':
339** Marina Wulfstan, one of the recruitable snipers, isn't quite evil, but very anti-social -- to the extent that she gets a stat bonus for not having any friendly troops nearby. She does seem to have [[CutenessProximity a weakness for cute animals]] though.
340** Conversely, Cezary is more similar to a [[{{Jerkass}} Jerkass Sniper]] than entirely "Cold".
341* ''VideoGame/{{Valorant}}'' has Sova, a coolheaded Russian hunter with little regards for his prey. He is a FriendlySniper to his allies, however.
342* Jade Face of ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1'' is this all over. He prefers using his laser weapon more than other Faces seem to, especially at long distances. In fact, the first boss fight against him starts with a CorridorCubbyholeRun because he's shooting at you from so far away. As for the "Cold" part, [[spoiler:all of his emotions and memories were stripped from him when he was turned into a Face against his will. He used to be Friendly Sniper Gadolt]].
343* Harridans, an alien race from ''VideoGame/{{Xenonauts}}'', are the epitome of this trope: they are genius marksmen, but also completely oblivious to not only morality but seemingly even reality itself.
344[[/folder]]
345
346[[folder:Visual Novels]]
347* Sola di Ryuvia from ''VisualNovel/{{Sunrider}}'' is a quiet and unemotional [[AMechByAnyOtherName Ryder]] pilot whose weapon of choice is a [[{{BFG}} mecha-scale sniper rifle]] that can hit an enemy from any distance with near-perfect accuracy, especially when she goes into her SuperMode.
348[[/folder]]
349
350[[folder:Web Animation]]
351* ZigZagged in ''WebAnimation/{{Lackadaisy}}''. Marigold Gang's Mordecai Heller, BeleagueredBoss of {{Overzealous Underling}}s Nico and Serafine, has a very low tolerance for their BloodKnight antics, but they interpret his reluctance to partake as possible evidence he's "gettin' sentimental about [[WeUsedToBeFriends old times]]." As if to dispute the point, he soon mutely lines up a shot at SnipingTheCockpit of the rival Lackadaisy gang's fleeing car, switching on a dime from irritable nebbish CommanderContrarian to ConsummateProfessional in a scene that's PlayedForHorror as Lackadaisy's [[VenturousSmuggler booze runners]] are only saved by their panicked unpredictability. He continues to receive a horror villain's framing in scenes anchored to the Lackadaisy runners' perspectives, (they remain oblivious to his underlings' defiance, or his comical reaction to [[CatsHateWater water]]) and in turn, he shows merciless willingness to kill the runners from his former gang. That is, until he gets a perfect opportunity to once more snipe through the rear window of their now much slower car, and cannot bring himself to shoot a frightened [[spoiler: Ivy, the runner's young getaway driver, suggesting that his minions may have been ''right'' about him after all.]]
352[[/folder]]
353
354[[folder:Webcomics]]
355%%* [[spoiler: Old]] RED Sniper in ''Webcomic/CuantaVida''. Oh so much...
356* Finland in ''Webcomic/ScandinaviaAndTheWorld'', as seen [[http://satwcomic.com/coffee-thief here.]] [[spoiler: He shot a key out of Aland's hand when Aland tried to break into his house...from ''Switzerland''.]] This is a reference to the famous RealLife Finnish sniper Simo Häyhä.
357-->'''Switzerland:''' Nice shot.
358* Irving in ''{{Webcomic/Phantomarine}}'', at least at first. He seems pretty emotional when it comes to food.
359[[/folder]]
360
361[[folder:Web Original]]
362* There's an [[http://9gag.com/gag/4116306 image macro]] with a still shot from the music video from Jason Derulo's "Breathing" with a caption that quotes the line "I only miss you when I'm breathing." Immediately below it is a U.S. Marine Corps sniper in the desert looking downrange through the sight on his anti-materiel rifle, with another caption stating "[[GeniusBonus I know that feeling, bro]]."
363[[/folder]]
364
365[[folder:Web Videos]]
366* Private Skittles in ''WebAnimation/{{Tankmen}}'', and it's implied that this is since Skittles has a reputation for doing poorly in close combat.
367[[/folder]]
368
369[[folder:Western Animation]]
370* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'':
371** It's made clear that a [[PlayingWithFire firebender]] specializing in [[HavingABlast combustion]] is essentially a human cannon. Now fast-forward to Book 3 of SequelSeries ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', and pair the above with [[DarkActionGirl P'Li's]] ruthless, standoffish demeanor and [[ImprobableAimingSkills uncanny]] [[{{Roboteching}} aim]].
372** The Yu-Yan Archers from the first season count as well. Always silent, unfazed by pressure, with [[ImprobableAimingSkills legendary accuracy]] and extremely effective. They only use bows and arrows instead of rifles.
373* "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DW3dg9VURMU Our Newest Member, Calvin]]", a ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken'' sketch, plays with this. Calvin, a new highly-trained recruit for WesternAnimation/GIJoe, starts out [[FriendlySniper extremely light-hearted]], but ends up receiving an embarrassing codename (Fumbles) from Duke after he humiliates himself by slipping on some soda. The humiliation prompts him to join COBRA for the mere sake of getting back on his former mates, revealing himself to be a brutally effective sniper by quickly killing the entire Joe team -- [[CruelMercy except for Duke, whom he intentionally leaves alive to suffer all the pain and loss]] -- in cold blood and with absolute precision.
374-->'''Cobra Commander''': (''visibly disturbed and impressed'') I... uh... good job there, Trouser Snake.
375-->'''Calvin''': [[BondOneLiner It's Fumbles]]. (''nonchalantly'') [[WhosLaughingNow It was]] ''[[WhosLaughingNow always]]'' [[WhosLaughingNow Fumbles]].
376* In the ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'' episode "Hostage Crisis", a group of bounty hunters led by Cad Bane take over the Galactic Senate building. One of them, Aurra Sing, first takes out most of the Senate guards outside with a long-range sniper rifle from a nearby building.
377** In "Duchess of Mandalore", a Mandalorian warrior is assigned to assassinate the Duchess Satine on Coruscant and stalks her in the lower levels of the city-planet. He misses her the first time but manages to kill an informant giving her important information.
378** The Clone Wars spin-off ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheBadBatch'' gives us Crosshair, who is a lethally gifted sniper and colder than Hoth could ever be.
379[[/folder]]
380
381[[folder:Real Life]]
382* Real-life example ''and'' subversion: UsefulNotes/SimoHayha, the deadliest sniper in history, who killed more than ''two hundred and fifty'' Soviet soldiers in the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_War Winter War]] between the Soviet Union and Finland, and also bagged another two hundred with his submachine gun, all over a war that lasted only a hundred and five days. He aptly earned the nickname "''Belaya Smert'' ("[[RedBaron The White Death]]") thanks to that -- despite counter-snipers and ''artillery strikes'', the Soviets just couldn't kill him. However, it turns out that Häyhä was actually a small, quiet, and unassuming Finnish farmer who [[IDidWhatIHadToDo "did what he was told as well as he could"]] and was [[FriendlySniper quite an amiable guy outside the battlefield]]. During his career, he avoided using a telescopic sight to present a smaller target and avoid revealing reflections from a scope lens and kept snow in his mouth to keep his breath from being seen. In the end, he was shot in the head (with an exploding round) and lost a chunk of his face, but still went on to live to the age of 97. He also shot the guy who shot him in the face, shot the rest of the countersniping team, and walked back to base on his own before slipping into a coma from his injuries. The Winter War ended on the very day he woke up from that coma. This is probably a coincidence, and not that the Soviets [[TheDreaded were terrified of having to face him again]]. ''Probably''.
383* There's a probably apocryphal (but humorous) exchange between a sniper and a reporter regarding this trope. The reporter, understandably trying to get the sniper's insights into the emotional state needed to do the job, asked him, "When you see your target and pull the trigger, what do you ''feel?''" The sniper shrugged and said, "Recoil."
384** This is also referenced in ''ComicBook/SecretWarriors'' issue No. 4 where [[spoiler: ComicBook/NickFury is asked what he'll feel about killing former SHIELD agents who transferred to HAMMER in part because they have to take care of their families. As he pulls back the bolt on a sniper rifle he says "Recoil."]]
385** A similar apocryphal story has a somewhat more sociopathic interviewee reply to the question "How can you shoot unarmed women and children?" with "They don't run as fast, so you have to [[LeadTheTarget lead less]]." A fictional depiction of this is given -- nearly verbatim -- in ''Film/FullMetalJacket'', however, instead of a sniper, the sociopath there is an H-34 door gunner.
386* Discussed in the book ''One Shot, One Kill'' by Charles W. Sasser and Craig Roberts (Roberts is himself a former sniper). The U.S. military originally simply issued sniper rifles to the soldiers with the best aim, but they're now selected for their mental state and personality, with aim being a secondary concern. It's easier to teach an even-keeled soldier better-aiming skills than it is to teach the wrong soldier how to cope with the psychological demands.
387* There was a History Channel special on snipers, which included a somewhat famous bit of rifle marksmanship that occurred during the Vietnam War. On St. Valentines Day, just before midnight, 20 Vietcong soldiers were crossing a river, holding their rifles over their heads because the water went up to their necks. On the other side of the river was an American sniper who killed them all with one headshot apiece in about 30 seconds. An unpleasant, but necessary, part of war. We see a recreation of the shooting narrated by the original sniper. After the recreation, he discusses the shooting a little bit more before saying, "Yeah, that was my St. Valentine's Day massacre present to the Vietcong" and ''laughing''.[[note]]A similar feat is attributed to a German sniper who served with the French Foreign Legion in Vietnam; the FFL made a point, immediately post-war, of recruiting from German [=PoW=]s, offering anonymity and amnesty to those who might otherwise have to account for certain recent actions. The sniper responsible had spent four years in the Waffen-SS, perfecting his trade on the Russian Front.[[/note]]
388** On the same special, there was a United States sniper from the Iraqi War. The main point of the segment was him killing an enemy sniper who had been terrorizing a town. At the beginning of the segment, he appeared to be reasonable. However, as the segment continued, he began to give off a decidedly... sociopathic vibe. He repeatedly referred to using fellow Marines as "bait" for the enemy sniper without informing them of this. He also was talking about how he regarded the entire population of the town as possible terrorists, to the point where he would cover them with his rifle if he saw them doing anything "suspicious". When he finally found the sniper (after waiting for him to shoot ''twice'' at friendly troops to pinpoint his location), he wanted to use an airstrike in the middle of a populated town to kill the sniper. He said that his commanders (obviously) denied this, and proceeded to mock their rationale that it would lead to civilian casualties.
389* Aside from the examples given able, in general snipers, at least military snipers, are trained in the "one shot, one kill, no remorse" philosophy and numerous media stories have been done on how snipers feel no remorse for killing other people. It may not be to the extent of the "would-be serial killer" described in the introduction to this trope but nonetheless, the very concept of a sniper requires cold-bloodedness. It helps that many snipers believe, often correctly, that their role in eliminating key targets quickly and precisely from a great distance is vital to protecting their fellow soldiers and is actually reducing total casualties for both sides.
390** There's also the fact that often, the sniper will see his target's face, and then snuff his life out. It's a very different thing from shooting someone in the heat of battle, It's simply killing someone, holding the power of life and death over someone else, and having to pick death because it's the sniper's job. These days most modern armies don't pick who's the best at shooting, they pick the ones who won't be mentally scarred from it.
391* Finnish Army Sniper Manual states that those conscripts who are trained to become snipers must be of higher than average intelligence, psychologically stable, and not easily scared. Sniper trainees are usually selected amongst those college students who refuse reserve officer training. Shooting skills can be practised, but innate abilities not.
392* Canadian Sniper Rob Furlong got a 1.5 mile kill shot on a Taliban soldier. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2knT8RwxKA Just watch this video. ]]
393* Chris Kyle came off as this in his book, at least concerning shooting insurgents. Contrary to myth, he didn't go down to New Orleans and shoot looters. By most accounts, when dealing with his family and teammates, he was a very nice guy but took no shit.
394* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyudmila_Pavlichenko Lyudmila Pavlichenko]], the deadliest female sniper in history, might have been this. She was certainly a CombatPragmatist, shooting dogs that could sniff her out and men in the legs so their cries would lure out their companions. She would stay 18 hours in harsh conditions for a target, fell 12 feet out of a tree once, and pulled a VictoryByEndurance on every countersniper she came across, at one point dragging a SniperDuel out for three days ("Finally, he made one move too many"). Propaganda generally painted her as ruthless and brutally efficient. On the other hand, she and UsefulNotes/EleanorRoosevelt had a warm friendship, and she was personable enough to go on propaganda tours. Music/WoodyGuthrie even wrote [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHKjOl9ocR0 a song about her]].
395-->In 1957, 15 years after Eleanor Roosevelt accompanied the young Russian sniper around America, the former first lady was touring Moscow. Because of the Cold War, a Soviet minder restricted Roosevelt’s agenda and watched her every move. Roosevelt persisted until she was granted her wish—a visit with her old friend Lyudmila Pavlichenko. Roosevelt found her living in a two-room apartment in the city, and the two chatted amiably and “with cool formality” for a moment before Pavlichenko made an excuse to pull her guest into the bedroom and shut the door. Out of the minder’s sight, Pavlichenko threw her arms around her visitor, “half-laughing, half-crying, telling her how happy she was to see her.” In whispers, the two old friends recounted their travels together, and the many friends they had met in that unlikeliest of summer tours across America 15 years before.
396* Pope Urban II perpetuated this image in 1096 when he declared that using a crossbow would get you a one-way ticket to {{Hell}}. Not that he needed any help in getting knights to see it as a demonic weapon; with its ability to attack from the safety of a castle tower with almost no risk to the wielder, rock-bottom learning curve especially compared to a longbow, and ability to pierce plate armor, [[HonorBeforeReason there was no chivalry in it]]. Of course, this did almost nothing to stop its use.
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