Line #13 Main/FearlessUndead


1	->''"I don't know who to pity more: those who flee from my presence or the damned who can withstand it."''
2	-->-- '''[[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=190575 Dread Warlock]]''' flavor text, ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering''
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4	Being dead sucks. On this most people agree. However, there are perks and this particular perk derives from the fact that there is very little imaginable that can happen to you that has not already happened. In works of fiction, TheUndead are usually depicted as being without fear and immune to supernatural attempts to inflict it. Other works justify it by having certain undead types being mindless meat automatons, so they have no will of their own. For undead who are intelligent and capable of independent operation, it might just be the realization that "I am already dead/know what dying feels like -- what anyone could anyone possibly do or threaten to do to me that is worse than that?"
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6	TurnUndead, however, tends to be a way to get around this.
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8	See also ImmortalLifeIsCheap. Contrast FearlessFool, where a mortal character acts without fear in cases where they ''really'' should be afraid. For when this manifests itself as physical immunity instead of a psychological one, see YouCantKillWhatsAlreadyDead.
9	----
10	!!Examples:
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12	[[foldercontrol]]
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14	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
15	* This is Ayumu's view on ''his'' unlife in ''Literature/IsThisAZombie''. [[{{Necromancer}} Eu]] will simply patch him up after action, what's to worry?
16	* The Ghosts in ''Manga/SgtFrog'' aren't particularly shocked when they come across the alien frogs. In one case, they come across the spirit of a dead pilot and the wreck of his plane, and they just sit down and make pleasant conversation for the rest of the night.
17	* The girls of ''Anime/ZombieLandSaga'' regularly reassure themselves when undertaking risky action that they're already dead so it's not like they'll be any worse off if things don't work out.
18	[[/folder]]
19
20	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
21	* In ''Film/{{Dogma}}'', Rufus (the 13th Apostle) states that the dead have few things to worry about besides decay and necrophiliacs.
22	* One of the things that makes Creator/GeorgeARomero's zombies from ''Film/NightOfTheLivingDead1968'' and its sequels a threat is that despite being slow and having very poor reaction time, the zombies aren't capable of anything other than mindless hunger, and will relentlessly keep going after human prey, no matter how many of them are killed. When there are no humans around, the zombies will simply wander around aimlessly until they find more. Like in ''Literature/WorldWarZ'' below, the zombies only became a real threat because the humans' idiotic reaction to an unconventional enemy.
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25	[[folder:Literature]]
26	* In ''Literature/TheDeathGateCycle'', there are two kinds of undead -- Cadavers (who are unable to properly perceive anything) and lazar (which are sentient). Both are completely fearless -- cadavers because they are barely aware of what's going on around them, and lazar because they are aware of the agony of their undead condition and know for a fact that nothing is worse. Fireballs, sword thrusts, decapitation, arrows through the heart -- none of it matters to something that's that far beyond our meager understanding of "pain".
27	* Reg Shoe and many other undead from ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'', along with the Igors. Although if ''Literature/{{Night Watch\|Discworld}}'' is any indication, Reg was pretty fearless while alive, too. He does complain about this idea in ''Literature/{{Jingo}}'' though. Just because the ship sinking doesn't ''kill'' him doesn't mean he's not worried by it. Especially if a shark decides to eat him. The recently deceased, after a brief moment of disorientation, are usually rather calm and optimistic about what lies before them. Partly this is because they left their glands with their bodies, and without all those panic-inducing hormones it's easy to see things rationally. And partly it's because the worst has already happened -- things can only go up from here ([[AssholeVictim the exceptions usually deserved it]]).
28	* The Cauldron-Born in Lloyd Alexander's ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfPrydain'' have no emotions at all, including fear.
29	* The High Seekers in the ''Literature/{{Emberverse}}'' are an odd case. When they are killed, they are possessed by a fearless dark power until such time as the bodies are no longer useful -- but then again, when they're alive, they're possessed pretty regularly too, to similar results.
30	* ''Literature/WorldWarZ'':
31	** This becomes a plot point because, as one of the interviewed soldiers points out, normal human warfare isn't about killing every last one of the enemy, it's about breaking the enemy's will to continue fighting. Zombies never get scared however, so at the Battle Of Yonkers, when the US Air Force lets loose some DeathFromAbove that would make any normal enemy run for the hills and the millions of zombies streaming out of New York City just keep coming, it begins breaking the will of the human troops on the ground instead. That, combined with other difficulties and ammunition shortages, winds up turning the battle into a rout and massacre of the army.
32	--->''You don't have to be Sun freakin Tzu to know that real fighting isn't about killing or even hurting the other guy, it's about scaring him enough to call it a day. ..."[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shock_and_awe Shock and Awe]]"? Perfect name, "Shock and Awe"! But what if the enemy can't be shocked and awed? Not just ''[[TheDeterminator won't]]'', but biologically ''can't?'' That's what happened that day outside UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity, that's the failure that almost lost us the whole damn war. The fact that we couldn't shock and awe [[NotUsingTheZWord Zack]] boomeranged right back in our faces and actually allowed Zack to shock and awe us! They're not afraid! No matter what we do, no matter how many we kill, they will never, ever be afraid!''
33	** Later, this is used against the zombies. When the Army changes tactics, they lure zombies into a prearranged kill zone and calmly mow them down one after another. The zombies, unable to be deterred by the fact that thousands upon thousands of their fellow creatures have been killed without even getting ''close'' to the troops, keep coming, and keep getting mowed down. Essentially, the Army turned them into {{Fearless Fool}}s, and made them pay the price for it.
34	** By extension, this is a constant theme in ''Literature/TheZombieSurvivalGuide'', by the same author (which features the exact same kind of zombies and describes the same universe ''Literature/WorldWarZ'' is set in). In this book, most defense, escape, and combat advise and tactics revolve around zombies not feeling any fear (or any emotion, for that matter) at all. Things that would at least somewhat intimidate humans, like gunfire or loud noises, just attract the attention of more zombies. Potential survivors are advised to be as silent as possible at all times, restrict the use of guns to situations when the alternative is certain death, and to make every shot count (which means full automatic fire, which in real life battlefields is used to choke the movement of enemies, is to be avoided entirely).
35	* [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]] by ''Literature/BlackTideRising''. The [[TechnicallyLivingZombie Technically Living Zombies]] ZergRush armed soldiers because they're too brain-damaged to make the connection between gunshots and their fellow zombies falling down. But run over a few dozen with a [[TankGoodness tank]], and the rest of the zombies in the area will [[Series/{{Mythbusters}} de-ass the area with the quickness]].
36	* Subverted in ''Literature/TheDraculaTape'', in which the Count indeed claims to be literally fearless (if, as he also admits, not necessarily ''brave'')...but gives credit for that to simply having already used up a lifetime's supply of fear while in Turkish captivity in his still-breathing youth, not to his later undead status.
37	* This is stated to be one of the advantages of Hallendren's army of [[ArtificialZombie Lifeless]] in ''Literature/{{Warbreaker}}''. Lifeless are no stronger or tougher or more skilled than living soldiers, but being fearless in battle is nevertheless a huge advantage against living soldiers.
38	* Feral humans in ''Literature/JanitorsOfThePostApocalypse'' are {{Technically Living Zombie}}s that cannot feel pain, are almost unkilleable, and are generally not intelligent enough to evaluate a situation, though loud noises may spook them. [[UpliftedAnimal Cured humans]], while they have some of their intelligence back, still don't really feel pain and are very hard to kill. Fearfulness varies from individual to individual but their reputation as shock troops emphasizes a lack of it.
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41	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
42	* ''Series/{{Being Human\|UK}}'':
43	** It often has the ghost character, Annie, reminding herself or others that she is a ghost and thus has no reason to be afraid of any physical danger.
44	--->'''Annie:''' ''[terrified while exploring a creepy hospital wing]'' I'm already dead. I'm already dead. I'm already dead...
45	** Later seasons show that ghosts ''do'' have things to fear, namely exorcisms or being forced into Hell. [[spoiler:Annie remains trapped in a rather frightening (if uneventful) afterlife temporarily, after an evil priest banishes her.]]
46	* On ''Series/DeadliestWarrior'', this was actually listed as an X Factor in the Vampires vs. Zombies episode. [[spoiler: The Zombies received the higher number due to being physically incapable of fear (unlike vampires).]]
47	* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': This trope is put painfully on display when the [[BigBad Night King]] marches his undead army south and the cast initially attempts to fight them as if they were a normal army: Crushing them under a huge cavalry charge. The main strength of horses is that it makes your enemy afraid to get trampled, (see more under UsefulNotes/MountedCombat) so while this might have broken the ranks of a conventional army, the mounted soldiers of the Westeros Alliance essentially tried to plough their horses right into a sea of rotting flesh, hungering mouths, and swords pointed directly at them, with [[CurbStompBattle predictable results]].
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50	[[folder:Pro Wrestling]]
51	* Parodied in Wrestling/JuggaloChampionshipWrestling (the Music/InsaneClownPosse-owned wrestling federation), where one of the commentators notes about wrestling dead guy Evil Dead:
52	-->"Evil Dead is just that guys, he's dead. But the benefits to death are as follows: Nothing hurts him, nothing scares him, he's dead."
53	* Wrestling/TheUndertaker, especially during his earliest days. One thing that made him so dangerous to fight was that it was impossible to intimidate him or make him lose focus. He didnt respond to anything other than direct force, and even then all it did was make him mad.
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56	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
57	* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', to a varying degree in different editions.
58	** Undead are typically immune to all fear spells, and if morale is a factor, undead are unshakable. The only thing that will set undead running for the hills is holy power, such as that unleashed by the Cleric's ability to TurnUndead.
59	** It is also averted as far as intelligent undead are perfectly capable of a TacticalWithdrawal, and indeed will do so when a battle turns against them since they know firsthand just how much their situation beats the NothingAfterDeath. They just can't be forced to by anything short of TurnUndead. Even then, many undead, such as vampires, liches, or ghosts, are extremely hard to kill permanently and have no problem with fighting to the last so long as their coffin or SoulJar is safe.
60	** Also averted in the fourth edition. Undead are immune to things that specifically affect only living creatures and don't need to breathe or sleep, but that's it; the blanket immunity against mind-affecting spells and effects from previous editions is gone. (In fact, two undead of the exact same type equipped with charm or fear powers might plausibly affect ''each other'' with them if those powers aren't specifically limited to working only on the living. A mummy's despair aura comes to mind.)
61	* Averted in ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'', where the undead have fear normally (although Mindless Necrotech automatons don't). Abyssal exalted have fear and so on too, but the virtues (including Valour) are warped by their association with the Neverborn.
62	* In another White Wolf example, this is steadily averted in both ''TabletopGame/VampireTheMasquerade'' games. Vampires have the Beast, the predatory half of their vampiric nature that has a tendency to hijack their bodies in certain circumstances. One of those is mortal fear (such as when sunlight or fire make an appearance), in which case the Beast might grab hold and make the vampire run screaming into the night.
63	* In ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}'', the templates for most undead include Unfazeable and Indomitable, making them disregard all reaction rolls and fear effects.
64	* Referenced in ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'', where several black creatures (many of which are undead) have the fear ability, which prevents creatures other than black creatures and artifact creatures (i.e. robots) from blocking them. Another great example is the black spell Terror, which instantly destroys a creature, provided they are not black or an artifact.
65	* Undead in ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' are immune to all morale effects, including [[EmotionBomb magical fear]] and attempts to demoralize them through intimidation. Intelligent undead are not blind to threats and might well flee when FearIsTheAppropriateResponse, but it is a logical rather than an emotional reaction when they do.
66	* In ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'', undead units never have to make leadership tests. The undead mooks don't feel anything at all (including fear). No emotions means the Chaos gods can't control them, which is why one WellIntentionedExtremist vampire count's plan was to convert the entire world population into zombies, starving the Ruinous Powers. Strangely enough, most people not even associated with Chaos objected to this plan.
67	** Those same undead in ''TabletopGame/WarhammerAgeOfSigmar'' [[DownplayedTrope aren't quite immune to fear, but they might as well be]]. Most, if not all, units in the Death Alliance have a bravery of 10, meaning that they'll only need to take a battleshock test if they lose a gigantic number of troops in a single battle round.
68	* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'':
69	** Averted with the Necrons, who are basically Zombie Robots:
70	*** The old fluff explains that while they do ignore fear (comes with having your soul eaten by your gods and your entire body transferred into a machine), they can still judge when it would be advantageous to flee if in presence of a stronger enemy, and so must still take morale tests.
71	*** The later fluff says they can still feel fear: While their BrainUploading, of varying quality depending on rank, eroded their ability to feel emotions, it didn't completely remove it. Lords can feel the whole range the Necrontyr of old could (such as anger), whereas for mooks, fear is the only emotion strong enough to sometimes break through the haze.
72	** Played straight with the Plague Marines, who are described as being so rotten they can barely sense what's going on around them and are completely immune to pain. Perfectly represented on the tabletop in that they're far more durable than the standard marines, have the actual FeelNoPain rule, is slower than the average marines, and is completely and utterly fearless. Small wonder why they're one of the best units in the book.
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75	[[folder:Video Games]]
76	* ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' ghosts can fear loved ones coming to harm but don't need to worry about any repercussions of their own, [[spoiler: something Dahlia Hawthorne uses quite skillfully.]]
77	** [[spoiler: Until Mia decides to [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech show her otherwise]]. Once dead, redemption is no longer an option.]]
78	* ''VideoGame/BattleNations'' the Black nanopod units (basically zombies) have a bravery rating of 500, which is the ''absolute highest value in the game'' at two-and-a-half times the next highest bravery rating of 200, which belongs to the HeroUnit Sgt. Ramsey. In game terms, that means they'll never get the suppressed debuff, which decreases accuracy.
79	* Most undead in ''VideoGame/{{Dominions}}'' have a morale of 50, a purely symbolic value meaning that they are completely unbreakable.
80	* ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'':
81	** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIII'': After being killed off by the Hero, Baramos' skeleton is reanimated by Zoma to fight the Party for the last time. Baramos' bones have zero Defense and no special skills whatsoever, much less any defensive or supportive ones. All they do is attack repeatedly until you strike them down.
82	** The Undead monster family in one of two types (machine is the other) that cannot be intimidated in ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVIII''.
83	* Skeletons in ''VideoGame/DungeonKeeper 2'' are immune to [[EmotionBomb fear traps]] and will never retreat in battle... which can cause them to show SuicidalOverconfidence against vastly stronger opponents. They also suffer {{Permadeath}} rather than the usual NonLethalKO for living creatures. Fortunately, they're implicitly free CannonFodder.
84	* Bizarrely averted in ''VideoGame/{{Gladius}}''. Undead aren't immune to ''any'' stats effects. Skeletons can bizarrely be effected by the "bleeding" condition.
85	* In the ''VideoGame/HeroesOfMightAndMagic'' games, undead are immune to both good and bad morale.
86	* ''VideoGame/TheSecretWorld'' features this heavily in [[{{Mummy}} Säid]], who not only spends his off-hours lounging around at a ghoul-infested hotel, but responds to a gun pointed at his face by ''insulting the wielder and nonchalantly pushing it out of the way.'' Lore entries state that this is pretty common when it comes to Säid's faction, the Kingdom, who freely do business with just about anyone regardless of the risk to themselves, knowing that there's not much more that can befall them, given that YouCantKillWhatsAlreadyDead.
87	* ''Franchise/{{Warhammer}}'' LicensedGame[=s=]:
88	** Averted in ''VideoGame/DawnOfWar'', where the Necrons have morale bars like everyone else, and become less effective in combat if broken (except the Pariahs, who are immune). The in-game explanation is that while they don't feel fear, they can still recognize when the situation is against them, and when to run and regroup.
89	** ''VideoGame/MordheimCityOfTheDamned'': One schtick of the Undead faction is that all of their units (minus the [[TheRenfield Dreg]] and the {{Necromancer}}) are immune to Fear, Terror and All Alone effects. Zombies can bog down enemy heroes for round after round, while Vampires and Vampire Thralls stare down enemy Impressives and overwhelm them.
90	** ''VideoGame/TotalWarWarhammer'': In the game, undead (along with daemons who have a similar system) are immune to fear and terror effects, and never flee from combat unless the player orders them to retreat. In spite of this, attacking the morale of an undead army is highly effective and a major concern for undead players. Undead units that are reduced to low leadership that would cause living enemies to break and flee (through damage, flanking, spells, etc.) will begin to crumble, taking damage over time as the spells that hold them together fail. If reduced to low enough leadership that living units would shatter (flee and never rally) they will disintegrate, taking damage so fast only the battle ending within moments can save them. Where heavily damaged living units often flee but survive the battle, undead units tend to be entirely destroyed, so non-expendable undead need to be kept well protected by their more easily replaced allies. The sole way this trope can be {{Averted}} is through the Warriors of Chaos Legendary Hero Harald Hammerstorm, who has a unique ability that allows him to instill fear into the normally unwavering undead and cause them to rout.
91	** Varies in ''VideoGame/WarhammerDarkOmen''. Zombies are easy to throw into panic, and doing so breaks the necromancer's hold over them and return them to the grave. Ghouls no longer fall apart but they are still quite cowardly. Wights, wraiths and mummies can ''theoretically'' be scared, but good luck with that. "True" skeletons are not only completely fearless but also strike fear into the hearts of their enemies.
92	* Averted in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft''. While the Forsaken Undead gain a bonus against fear abilities, it is implied to be willpower rather than an innate ability. Played straight with the rest of the Undead Scourge.
93	** This is something of GameplayAndStorySegregation. In the original alpha, Forsaken were treated as undead and had all the benefits that came with, including immunity to fear. They also had the downsides, which allowed priests and paladins (the latter being then exclusive to the opposing faction, the Alliance) to utterly dominate them. In ''Warcraft's'' TabletopRPG companion, they ''are'' treated as undead and are immune to fear.
94	** The ''Will Of The Forsaken'' racial ability that all Undead players get is essentially this trope in ability form. Activate it and it will negate any Fear, Charm or Sleep debuff the player is currently suffering from (it's not ''immunity'' per se, as it needs to be activated by the player, and then you won't be able to do it again until it's cooled down).
95	** As mentioned, this is still played straight with the undead mobs, which is immune to most fears. (Pallies can still turn them, through).
96	[[/folder]]
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98	[[folder:Web Comics]]
99	* [[NoNameGiven The zombie]] in ''Webcomic/HannaIsNotABoysName'' has a touch of this ability: he's infamously cool-headed and very little can scare or shake him.
100	[[/folder]]
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102	[[folder:Western Animation]]
103	* Averted with High Five Ghost in ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow''. While he can pass through things and cannot die, he is still very much afraid of things that can risk losing his job or his friends.
104	[[/folder]]

Context Main / FearlessUndead