Line #17 Main/EarNotch


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5	%% This list of examples has been alphabetized. Please add your example in the proper place. Thanks!
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11	[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/TheLionKingIISimbasPride https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kimmy_293.jpg]]]]
12	[[caption-width-right:350:An ear piercing GoneHorriblyWrong?]]
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14	->'''Girl:''' All cats look like that. Quite a lot do anyway.\
15	'''Sister:''' Not as large as that, and not with such a big, fluffy tail, and not with that frightening angry expression on their faces, and not with half an ear missing.
16	-->-- ''Literature/Stray1987''
17
18	Say that your [[SlidingScaleOfAnthropomorphism anthropomorphic]] character is from the wrong side of the tracks -- a true scrapper from the bad side of town. How do you show this easily? Add some notches to their ears for that tried and tested "been through it all" indicator. The ol' 'circular chunk out of the ear' character design trick has been around for some time and most commonly appears on animated animals. It acts as a simple indicator of a character's [[CharacterAlignment alignment]] or [[FourTemperamentEnsemble temperament]] if within a group, usually denoting tough or evil traits or simply to denote badassery.
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20	On the SlidingScaleOfAnthropomorphism this can apply to almost all points from NearlyNormalAnimal to BeastMan, though they can even appear on LittleBitBeastly as long as the ears are still large enough and/or discernible as non-human. Even humanoid species with large or long ears like elves can have ear notching too. Just don't expect it on a human as it'll be almost entirely invisible, though humans with ear notches are not unheard of--like slit earlobes for instance. Some are fixable, some aren't.
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22	Sometimes can be used for added character in a CuteLittleFangs sense where the character isn't at all gritty and/or bad. Tangentially related to GoodScarsEvilScars.
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24	----
25	!!Examples:
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27	[[foldercontrol]]
28
29	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
30	* ''Manga/DeliciousInDungeon'': The elves [[TradingBarsForStripes recruit adept criminals]] into the {{Badass Crew}}s that subdue magical dungeons. These members' ears are notched as a warning to the public.
31	* The rough-and-tumble Boss in ''Anime/{{Hamtaro}}'' has an ear notch.
32	* ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureDiamondIsUnbreakable'' has a Stand-using rat with a chunk missing from one ear. As such, Jotaro nicknames him "Bug-Eaten".
33	* A non-animal version occurs in ''Manga/TokyoGhoul''. Naki, one of the members of [[TheSyndicate Aogiri]], has several large chunks missing from his left ear. He's from the infamously violent [[ThirteenIsUnlucky 13th Ward]] and WordOfGod states the chunks were ''bitten'' out by his CoolBigBro Yamori. It stands out since their HealingFactor means Ghouls almost ''never'' scar, and hints at his childish and violent nature.
34	[[/folder]]
35
36	[[folder:Asian Animation]]
37	* In ''Animation/PleasantGoatAndBigBigWolf'', a tiny part of Wolffy's ear is missing. Makes sense since he's been beaten up a couple hundred times.
38	* In addition to Stitch (as mentioned in the animated films folder), ''Animation/StitchAndAi'' has Scratch, who is introduced to [[ItMakesSenseInContext become Stitch's new "brother"]] and has a whopping ''six'' ear notches, three on each ear.
39	[[/folder]]
40
41	[[folder:Comic Books]]
42	* In ''ComicBook/{{Chlorophylle}}'', [[BigBad Anthracite]] has a triangular notch in his left ear.
43	* Franchise/MonsterVerse: In the ''Kingdom Kong'' graphic novel, [[Characters/MonsterVerseKaiju Camazotz]] has the horn variation in the form of a broken left horn.
44	* Azrael in ''ComicBook/TheSmurfs'' has one. In the [[Film/TheSmurfs live-action movie]], it is even shown how he gets it.
45	* Gen in ''ComicBook/UsagiYojimbo'' has a broken horn.
46	[[/folder]]
47
48	[[folder:Comic Strips]]
49	* In ''ComicStrip/FootrotFlats'', Major the pig dog -- who hunts feral pigs -- is missing the tip of one ear.
50	* In the comic strip ''ComicStrip/{{Outland}}'' by [[ComicStrip/BloomCounty Berke Breathed]], Mortimer Mouse (a parody of [[Franchise/MickeyMouse Mickey]]) has a bite taken out of one ear -- supposedly the result of a scuffle with Disney exec Michael Eisner.
51	[[/folder]]
52
53	[[folder:Fan Works]]
54	* ''Fanfic/OldWest'': The left ear of Ramirez Arvenga, a [[ThoseWilyCoyotes coyote]] mercenary and TheDragon of the BigBad, is torn in a shape that resembles a bullet hole.
55	* ''Fanfic/{{Pawprints}}'': Blake has a torn ear to go along with her DarkAndTroubledPast as a member of a persecuted race.
56	* ''Fanfic/UnderTheNorthernLights'': The reindeer do ear notching as a mark of status and clan affiliation as well as for cosmetic reasons. It's mentioned that by the time of the story this has fallen out of practice, and is only done by the very old-fashioned and the very hard (a good comparison might be a modern Maori who opts for a full facial ''moko'' and insists on having it done the traditional way).
57	[[/folder]]
58
59	[[folder:Film -- Animated]]
60	* Protagonist Charlie Barkin in ''WesternAnimation/AllDogsGoToHeaven'' has two notches on his right ear to show that he's had a tough life on the streets.
61	* Ronno, the tough deer ''WesternAnimation/{{Bambi}}'' has to fight to defend Faline and his rival in the [[WesternAnimation/BambiII midquel]].
62	* Mittens in ''WesternAnimation/{{Bolt}}'' is a stray cat who had a tough life on the streets, showcased by her ear injury.
63	* The moose Rutt from ''WesternAnimation/BrotherBear'', to distinguish him from his brother Tuke.
64	* Fidget the bat from ''WesternAnimation/TheGreatMouseDetective''. He also has a peg leg, indicating he has had a very tough life.
65	* Buck from ''WesternAnimation/IceAgeDawnOfTheDinosaurs''.
66	* Ed the hyena from ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994'' is one of Scar's evil hyena lackeys. As befits his BewareTheSillyOnes status, he has several.
67	* Zira from ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKingIISimbasPride''. She's an Outsider and the BigBad. She's very cruel and sadistic towards her enemies.
68	* The ever-mischievous Stitch from ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch'' has two notches, one near the tip of his right ear and one near the base of his left ear, [[OffModel although they sometimes appear either mirrored in the wrong spots or as being symmetrical to one another]]. A few of [[Characters/LiloAndStitchExperiments his fellow mischief-making cousins]] in [[Franchise/LiloAndStitch the franchise]] also have notches on their ears.
69	* ''Franchise/{{Madagascar}}'':
70	** Melman the giraffe has a small slit on his right ear.
71	** ''WesternAnimation/MadagascarEscape2Africa'': Alex's father Zuba has a huge notch in his left ear. It's explained how he got it in the prologue. When he discovered that his son had been cub-napped by poachers, Zuba chased after the truck and tried to free his son, only to get part of his left ear shot off by the poachers. By the time Zuba's vision clears from the blow, he doesn't notice that Alex's crate had fallen off the truck and into the river and continues to chase it. Fade to the present where Alex and the gang crash land in Africa, and Alex reunites with his parents, setting the second part of the plot in motion.
72	* The Mouse King from ''WesternAnimation/TheNutcrackerPrince'' has one on his left ear.
73	* From ''WesternAnimation/OliverAndCompany'', [[http://www.flickr.com/photos/disneyfreaksam/3924487470/ Ignacio Alonzo Julio Federico de Tito.]]
74	* Giro, the villainous wolf leader from ''Anime/OneStormyNight'', due to him having one of his ears bitten off by Mei's mother before telling her son to run away as he and the other wolf maul her to death.
75	* Mebh from ''WesternAnimation/{{Wolfwalkers}}'' is a non-anthropomorphic example; she has a notch in her left ear as a human, which is an indicator of her rough lifestyle as a WildChild. Notably, she doesn't have it [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent as a wolf]], since the graphic novel states that [[{{Synchronization}} injuries to a Wolfwalker's wolf form will transfer to their human form]] but not vice versa.
76	[[/folder]]
77
78	[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
79	* Alvin in the live-action adaptation of ''Film/AlvinAndTheChipmunks'' has a notch in his ear, perhaps to identify him as the most reckless, slyest, and rebellious member of the group.
80	* Tsu'tey from ''{{Film/Avatar}}''.
81	* ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'': [[Characters/MonsterVerseKingGhidorah King Ghidorah]] has a variation in the form of a horn notch. [[MultipleHeadCase The right head (Ni)]] has a distinguishing chipped horn, to denote his BloodKnight personality and him being [[FearlessFool slightly rasher than the middle head]].
82	* ''Film/TheHobbit'': [[Characters/MiddleEarthFilmIndependentVillains The dragon Smaug]] also has the horn variation. One of the larger spurs on the right side of his head is broken or worn down, compared to its counterpart on the other side, fitting with the filmmakers' intention to make Smaug look like he'd led a life of battle before attacking Erebor.
83	* Splinter from ''Film/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1990'' had one from when he was still a regular rat in the live-action films. In the computer-generated sequel ''WesternAnimation/{{TMNT}}'', he doesn't, prompting one of the directors to joke in the commentary that he's had some work done between films.
84	* The mother tiger from ''Film/TwoBrothers2004''.
85	[[/folder]]
86
87	[[folder:Literature]]
88	* Cunning, one of Titan's two lackeys, in ''Literature/{{Bravelands}}'' is described as a tough-looking lion with a torn ear.
89	* Several of the cats in the no-good Over the Hill Gang in ''Literature/CatPack'' have ear notches (or in one case, half of an ear missing), including the CoveredWithScars leader Steak Knife.
90	* In the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'', abstract conceptual artist [[Creator/TraceyEmin Daniellerina Pouter]] has these due to the fact Lord Vetinari expressed his criticism of her art by nailing her to a sturdy wooden post by the ears. She wears her ear notches with pride and continues to produce avant-garde art.
91	* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' has Harry's dog Mouse with a notched ear. When Harry first gets the puppy he notes that it's probably a sign the pup is either more brave or more stupid than the rest of the litter.
92	* ''Literature/TheEagleOfTheNinth'''s Esca the (human) ex-gladiator has a cropped ear as his SlaveBrand. This is ArtisticLicenceHistory and he's heavily characterised with AnimalMotifs.
93	* In ''Literature/GodsAndWarriors'', Lykonian Outsiders such as Hylas and Issi are marked by having a nick cut out of their left ears. By the time of ''The Burning Shadow'', Hylas has cut off the bottom of his earlobe to hide the fact he's an Outsider.
94	* In ''Literature/OldPossumsBookOfPracticalCats'', the description of Growltiger ("a bravo cat") states, in pertinent part, "One ear was somewhat missing, no need to tell you why...."
95	* The protagonist of ''Literature/Stray1987'' is a stray cat called Pufftail. One of his defining traits is his ear notch.
96	* In ''Literature/TalesFromDimwoodForest'', [[CatsAreMean Graybar]] is a rough alley cat with a notch in his ear that he received from a fight against three cats, which he won.
97	* In ''Literature/TerraIgnota'', people can easily determine Mycroft's identity if they see the telltale, coin-sized notch in his ear, which doesn't seem to mesh well with him being both an ActualPacifist and a convicted criminal. But then it's revealed what his crime was and how the EarNotch came to be: [[spoiler:He's a serial killer and was scarred when he and his lover and co-killer experimented with cannibalism. On each other.]]
98	* The protagonist of a memorably weird children's book series called ''Tough Ted''[[note]]by the creator of ''101 Uses Of A Dead Cat''[[/note]], an [[FunnyAnimal anthropomorphic bear]] who's a former merchant seaman and apparently a bit of a RetiredBadass, sports one of these.
99	* In the ''Literature/WarriorCats'' series, there's large groups of fighting cats, so someone's bound to get a ripped ear. Particularly notable are the minor character Tornear, who is ''named'' after this, and the BigBad, Tigerstar; it's one of his more frequently noted physical characteristics. Longtail is left with one of these as well, after provoking "the poor lost kittypet" who will eventually become Firestar.
100	[[/folder]]
101
102	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
103	* Several animals in ''Series/SavageKingdom'' have torn ears due to fights, but the shining example is a leopard named "Torn Ear". She is an old leopard with very torn-up ears.
104	[[/folder]]
105
106	[[folder:Music]]
107	* [[WebAnimation/TheGummyBearShow Gummibär]] sports a bite in his right ear, indicating his crazy personality. Given he's a living gummy bear, it's also likely a result of somebody trying to eat him.
108	[[/folder]]
109
110	[[folder:Video Games]]
111	* In ''VideoGame/AnimalJam'', all wolves, arctic wolves, and bunnies have a notch in their right ear. They aren't evil, though wolves and arctic wolves are considered more "edgy" than most other animals.
112	* One of the options in Episode 5 of ''VideoGame/BatmanTheTelltaleSeries'' resulted in this [[spoiler:if Batman complies with Lady Arkham/Vicki Vale's demand for him to unmask, it results in her blasting part of his right ear off.]]
113	* During the last [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown fight]] with [[BigBad Higgs]] in ''VideoGame/DeathStranding'', Higgs can attack [[PlayerCharacter Sam]] and chew a piece of his ear off. The ear stays damaged until the end of the game, but it's only cosmetic.
114	* ''VideoGame/KirbyAndTheForgottenLand'': Elfilin has a notch in his right ear, though he's [[RidiculouslyCuteCritter far more cute and cuddly]] than you'd expect from the trope description. [[spoiler:Possibly given to him in [[EscapedFromTheLab the lab he escaped from]], though nothing's confirmed.]]
115	* In ''VideoGame/ManOfMedan'', Conrad can have this inflicted upon him if you choose to have him constantly antagonize the pirates that have kidnapped him.
116	* Mae from ''VideoGame/NightInTheWoods'' has a couple small nicks in her left ear, which is appropriate given her history of violence (though she claims it was from a [[FurryConfusion dog bite]]). Two of Germ's friends (the ones who ''have'' ears; the third is a bird) have more prominent ones.
117	* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':
118	** The Spiky-eared Pichu, otherwise known as "Notch-eared Pichu", has a left ear with three spikes coming out of it. She has a unique game sprite, knows Pain Split (a move that Pichu or any other member of the line cannot learn normally), is unable to be transferred outside of the ''Heart Gold and Soul Silver'' games, and cannot evolve.
119	** It may not be on the ears, but a male Garchomp has a notch on his back fin, while the female has no notch. It's unknown if it is natural or received through fighting.
120	** The cover Legendaries of ''VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield'' Zacian and Zamazenta have ear notches in their Hero of Many Battles forms. It's an early clue that [[spoiler:they were owned by another trainer in the past]].
121	* Shanty from ''VideoGame/ThemsFightinHerds'' has an unexplained notch in her left ear. (Well, it's [[AmbidextrousSprite supposed]] to be her left.) The fact that she's a rough PirateGirl might have something to do with it.
122	* ''VideoGame/WatchDogs'': Mob boss Dermot "Lucky" Quinn lost a large chunk of his ear in a gang shootout in his youth. The fact that he was the SoleSurvivor of that shootout is also how he earned his nickname.
123	* Jibanyan from ''VideoGame/YokaiWatch'' died by getting hit by a car and got a notch during the crash. He keeps it even after becoming a yo-kai.
124	[[/folder]]
125
126	[[folder:Webcomics]]
127	* Ariel in ''Webcomic/AngelDown'' has two notches in her left ear.
128	* ''Webcomic/{{Avania}}'': Una Pennrose has one on her right ear and two on her left. Major [=MacIntyre=] has several, and is missing a substantial portion of his left ear.
129	* Renowned spacer Ace from ''WebComic/CommanderKitty sports'' one. [[http://www.commanderkitty.com/2009/08/16/listen-up-crew/ CK even contemplates getting his own ear notched.]]
130	* In ''Webcomic/TheIntrepidGirlbot'' the [[http://www.intrepidgirlbot.com/2009/12/30/big-bad/ Big Bad Raccoon]] -- but not ''BigBad'' -- has an ear notch.
131	** After [[spoiler:Raccoon #1 'splodes the family home]], there are a lot more notches to be had amongst the rest of the raccoon population.
132	* ''Webcomic/KevinAndKell'': Subverted a little, Rudy tries to convince Kell to let him get a designer ear notch. Of course, she is less than enthusiastic about the notion.
133	* ''Webcomic/{{Lackadaisy}}'': Rocky has a notch on his ear - which he got [[IJustShotMarvinInTheFace playing with a gun]] [[http://lackadaisy.foxprints.com/exhibit.php?exhibitid=19 because he thought it made him look dashing.]]
134	* Brutus from ''WebComic/PixieAndBrutus'' has a notch in his right ear [[spoiler: received from a gunshot wound while serving in the Middle East]].
135	* ''Webcomic/{{Scurry}}'': Protagonist Wix has two notches in his right ear, implied to be the consequences of his reckless nature.
136	* Buwaro in ''Webcomic/SlightlyDamned'' has ear notches. He's got CuteLittleFangs too, for what that's worth.
137	* Albion Alabaster, one of the three Basitin generals in ''Webcomic/{{Twokinds}}'', is missing half of his left ear. He received this wound when he [[spoiler: murdered Keith's mother Cathleen. She tried to defend herself with a knife and cut off Alabaster's ear, who responded by smashing a bottle into her face]]. Basitin ears are incredibly sensitive, so that one must have ''hurt''.
138	[[/folder]]
139
140	[[folder:Web Original]]
141	* All Kougras from ''Website/{{Neopets}}'', but not all of them have the prerequisite attitude.
142	* From the ''Website/FurryBasketballAssociation'', Buck Hopper, Shane Rufus, Cheeto Wolfote, Bruce Bounder (who's missing half an ear). In a universe filled with Badass Furry characters, this is inevitable.
143	* Caleb the Squire from ''WebAnimation/TrueTail''. So far, how he got it has not been explained.
144	[[/folder]]
145
146	[[folder:Western Animation]]
147	* ''WesternAnimation/OneHundredAndOneDalmatianStreet'': The Dimitri Trio each have a notch on one of their ears.
148	* In ''WesternAnimation/Animaniacs2020'', Julia (a RecurringCharacter in the ''WesternAnimation/PinkyAndTheBrain'' segments) has part of her left ear missing.
149	* ''WesternAnimation/BikerMiceFromMars'': Modo has one. It's presumably one of the injuries inflicted when [[MadScientist Dr. Karbunkle]] tortured him and his bros.
150	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Binka}}'':
151	** Ollie is a mangy-looking stray cat who is missing part of an ear.
152	** Spit has a chunk of ear gone and he also has a large scar on his back. It's fitting that he's always fighting with Binka and Ollie.
153	* ''WesternAnimation/BooBoomTheLongWayHome'': Aurelia, the cat, has a notch in her left ear, and is completely missing the top half of her right ear.
154	* Stewie from ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' gets one when Brian tried to pierce his ear (they were both drunk at the time).
155	* Ratty from ''WesternAnimation/MrBogus'' actually has two of these, one in the middle of his right ear, and one on the tip of his left ear.
156	* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' episode [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E25TheCutieRemarkPart1 "The Cutie Remark Part 1"]]: Rainbow Dash in the King Sombra BadPresent timeline is shown fighting in the frontlines with a portion of her ear cut off along with having an artificial wing.
157	* ''WesternAnimation/TheOctonauts'': Kwazii has a nick in his ear, fitting his reckless pirate nature.
158	* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse''
159	** The Golden Guard has a triangular notch in his [[PointyEars elf-like]] left ear.
160	** [[spoiler:Emperor Belos]] has a similar notch in his left ear, and his ears as a whole are significantly scarred and misshapen. [[spoiler:"Hollow Mind" reveals why this is -- Belos is human, and ''cut his ears into points'' to blend in better with witches.]]
161	* ''WesternAnimation/PawPatrol'': Rocky has a small yet noticeable notch on one of his ears.
162	* ''WesternAnimation/RockyKwaterner'': Rocky's left ear is notched. It must have happened while he was still living in prehistoric times as he's had it since the start of the show, but how it happened is never addressed, nor does anyone ever call attention to it.
163	* ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekLowerDecks'': Dr. T'Ana is missing a piece of her right ear, which suggests that she survived a very dangerous mission as a CombatMedic sometime in the past.
164	%%* ''WesternAnimation/TaleSpin'': Don Karnage.
165	* ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'': Furrball has a circular chunk taken out of his right ear to go with his broken, bandaged tail. Which makes his consistent characterization as an alley cat leading a tough life all the more appropriate.
166	[[/folder]]
167
168	[[folder: Real Life]]
169	* If you ever see a stray cat with an ear tip that looks like it was cut off or a V-shaped nick at the tip of its ear, that means the cat was caught, spayed or neutered, and then released.
170	[[/folder]]

Context Main / EarNotch