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8[[quoteright:350:[[Film/TheAdventuresOfRockyAndBullwinkle https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/narrator3_4524.jpg]]]]
9[[caption-width-right:350:"With speed and dexterity astonishing for a woman of her advancing years, Mother bastes the turkey, tosses the salad, and mashes the potatoes!"]]
10%%
11->''"How d'you do and hello, I'll be running the show, I'm your host and emcee."''
12-->-- '''The Cat in the Hat''', ''Theatre/{{Seussical}}'', "Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!"
13
14"''[[JustForFun/DescribeTopicHere I want you to describe me.]]''"
15
16[[SelfDemonstratingArticle That's what the sign had said, anyway.]] And so, [[JustForFun/TVTropesWillRuinYourLife as if compelled to do so]], [[VideoGame/TheStanleyParable Stanl-]] I mean the Troper sat down at [[TroperDemographics their]] computer screen and began to type...
17
18A character, [[CharacterNarrator sometimes part of the story proper]] and sometimes completely external to it, who acts either as the storyteller or as a framing device. A Narrator by definition breaks the FourthWall by addressing the audience to tell them the story. Sometimes, the Narrator is also responsible for presenting AnAesop to the audience at the end of the story (as in ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'' and its [[FollowTheLeader imitators]]).
19
20To be a Narrator, the individual must directly relate to the story in some way, if only as the person telling it. For example, Creator/AlfredHitchcock was ''not'' a Narrator for ''Series/AlfredHitchcockPresents'', because his footage was independent of and had no bearing on the story or stories it appeared with. Creator/RodSerling ''was'' a narrator, because he specifically introduced each story individually, often provided a lead-in to set them up, and provided a closing after the story footage ended; (okay, and in one episode he actually ''was'' assumed to be present in-universe, since an in-story character erased him from existence as a closing joke).
21
22Sometimes the Narrator can also take on aspects of a GreekChorus or be [[LemonyNarrator otherwise weird]], but a pure Narrator does not offer their own opinion on the action; he just lays it out -- and occasionally delivers a punchline or moral. A Narrator is one of the primary ways of providing {{Exposition}}.
23
24One way of subverting this trope is to [[InteractiveNarrator have one or more in-story characters able to hear the narrator]] (as in most instances, the characters do not hear the narrations), and refuse to do what the narrator describes. Another is to [[UnreliableNarrator make the narrator a complete liar]].
25
26See NarratorTropes for specific types of narrators.
27
28----
29!!Examples:
30[[foldercontrol]]
31
32[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
33* ''Anime/DeliciousPartyPrettyCure'': The series has a narrator introducing the viewers to Oishina City. She even states in the first episode that she's keeping her identity a secret for now. Interestingly enough, Rosemary and the [=PreCures=] actually hear her speaking in Episode 12.
34* The ''Manga/DragonBall'' series has a narrator who recaps the previous episodes, previews the next, occasionally narrates in the middle of episodes, and closes the final scene. In the Japanese version, Creator/JojiYanami was the narrator for all of the series until Naoki Tatsuta replaced him, both sounding like an elderly man telling a folk story. In the Funimation dub, Brice Armstrong narrates ''Dragon Ball'', Creator/KyleHebert does ''Z'', Andy Chandler does ''GT'' and Doc Morgan does ''Kai'' and ''Super''. The second one is rather infamous for his gravely-voiced delivery of "Last/next time, on Dragon Ball Z!"
35* ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'' had an interesting variation on this: in the first two seasons, most episodes began with the previous one being recapped by a character and ended with narration by a generic narrator. However, the third season begins a new-year-is-new-universe format similar to ''Franchise/SuperSentai'', and from then on, episodes are narrated by one of the previous year's characters!
36** Of course, this is just for the dub...which is somewhat abandoned in ''[[Anime/DigimonDataSquad Data Squad]]'' in favor of a next episode preview. One of the characters still recap the previous episode, but only when it's needed.
37** For ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'' and ''Anime/DigimonAdventure02'' the generic narrator (who does more of the narration in the original Japanese, including the recaps, which makes more sense as sometimes the characters end up talking about things they can't possibly know about) is in the epilogue revealed to be [[spoiler:Takeru (TK in the dub) who's become a novelist writing about their adventures in the digital world.]]
38* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'': The series has a narrator occasionally dropping in to provide exposition on characters backstories and explaining [[ShownTheirWork real life facts]] at pivotal moments.
39* The unnamed Narrator from ''Manga/BoboboboBobobo'' frequently acts as goofy and strange as the rest of the characters, such as when he decides to speak in a bad western accent for an entire episode or when he's forced by the producers to [[RhymesOnADime say everything in rhyme]]. Due to the NoFourthWall nature of the show, both he and the characters sometimes get on each others' nerves.
40* Who could forget the narrator from ''Anime/SpeedRacer''? Unknown to Speed, Racer X is secretly his older brother, Rex, who ran away from home years ago!
41* ''Anime/PrincessTutu'' begins every show with a Narrator telling the audience a fairy tale. Sometimes it's from the (fictional) fairytale that one of the characters is from, sometimes it concerns a character's backstory, and sometimes it's a story that's somehow related to the episode. Drosselmeyer also serves as an odd narrator in some scenes, appearing on-screen to question details about the characters and the scene, and to occasionally tell the characters (who can rarely hear him) what they ''should'' do. [[spoiler:Considering he's actually writing the story, it makes sense for him to be the narrator.]]
42* Judging by [[YouLookFamiliar sharing voice actors]] the narrator for the openings of ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'' may possibly be [[spoiler:Simon at the age in the epilogue]].
43* Alphonse Elric in the [[Anime/FullmetalAlchemist2003 2003 anime adaptation]] of ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist''. In ''Brotherhood'', it's implied to be [[spoiler:Father]].
44* ''Manga/{{Kaiji}}'' has a particularly popular narrator, due to his overly [[SeriousBusiness serious]] tone and use of [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic overblown metaphors]] to describe what's going on.
45* ''Anime/ShinMazinger'''s Narrator may be THE MOST [[HotBlooded HOT BLOODED]] Narrator. EVER! Oh, and he's also a LargeHam as well.
46* The ''Anime/GaoGaiGar'' narrator explains all the scientific Keys to Victory without really letting emotion into it. He doesn't need to - explaining ''how'' the MonsterOfTheWeek will be getting its ass(es) handed to it in through what is basically the Japanese version of Creator/MorganFreeman is enough.
47* ''Literature/OkamiSan'' has Shirai Kuroko as a LemonyNarrator who also makes frequent observations about the main heroine's [[ACupAngst lack of endowments]].
48* The narrator of ''Manga/SgtFrog'' is a typical narrator, usually summing up the episode with a little piece of wisdom at the end of each segment. However, everyone is aware of his existence. He even appears on screen [[TheFaceless (wearing a mask) ]] and is sometimes called upon by the characters. He's offered Natsumi fashion advice, tried to keep a stranded Keroro company, and even [[ItMakesSenseInContext provided his voice for a fake invasion video]].
49** He's only a typical narrator in the Japanese version. In the dub, he openly hates his job and tries to separate himself from the insanity. In one episode, he actually quit his job because the series recycled a plotline too many times, and a new British narrator replaces him until he comes back at the end. He also only does the show because he's deep in gambling debts, apparently.
50* The narrator in ''Anime/CodeGeass'' appears to be [[MaleGaze C.C.]], based on also being voiced by Creator/{{Yukana}}. She primarily narrates the opening to an episode, recounting important past events or narrating important pieces of information.
51* ''Manga/KimbaTheWhiteLion'' sometimes uses a narrator who would set up the premise of the episode or go over plot points that the audience may have missed from previous episodes.
52* ''Manga/OnePiece'' uses one occasionally. Especially notable once in the Skypiea arc, where they each managed to individually go in entirely different directions than they were [[NoSenseOfDirection supposed to]], he gave up on them.
53* ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'': The narrator appears to be [[TheSmartGuy Armin]], based on also being voiced by Creator/MarinaInoue in Japanese, and Creator/JoshGrelle in English. He primarily narrates the opening to an episode, recounting important past events or narrating important pieces of information.
54* ''Manga/FairyTail'':
55** Lucy Heartfilia becomes this from time to time, especially after every arc, as if she's writing the events of the story in a book, a diary, or a letter. Appropriate, as she's an aspiring novelist with a habit of writing letters to her deceased mother.
56** In the first TimeSkip, Levy [=McGarden=] becomes the narrator in the BadFuture that was supposed to happen after the disaster that would have plagued Fiore.
57** In the Japanese version of the anime, Creator/HidekatsuShibata is the narrator. In the English version, Bob Magruder narrated the series until his death, after which he was replaced by Jim White.
58* ''Manga/HunterXHunter'' has a narrator who typically speaks at the ending of the episode and later on, particularly in the Chimera Ant arc, extensively explains the characters' powers, mental states, and miscellaneous information important for the story.
59* ''Anime/SpaceDandy'' has a narrator, voiced by Masaaki Yajima, who interacts directly with the heroes despite not being physically present, and sometimes forces them to act when their [[IdiotHero stupidity]] would otherwise prevent the plot from advancing. [[spoiler:In the final episode, it's revealed that the narrator is {{God}}.]]
60* ''Manga/GingaTeikokuKouboushi'': The original works constantly use an omniscient third-person narration to establish character thoughts and body language, but this adaptation greatly restricts its use (not counting the ''[[EncyclopediaExposita Encyclopedia Galactica]]'' entry at the start of each storyarc). When there is narration, the text is rendered in a rectangular box.
61* ''Manga/CellsAtWorkBacteria'': In the only appearance by any of the original ''Manga/CellsAtWork'' gang, White Blood Cell U-1146 presents relevant biology facts via narration boxes throughout the series.
62[[/folder]]
63
64[[folder:Asian Animation]]
65* ''Animation/PakdamPakdai'' has an off-screen narrator named Nana, but only in the original Hindi version of the show. International localizations get rid of Nana entirely.
66[[/folder]]
67
68[[folder:Comic Books]]
69* ''ComicBook/KingdomCome'': Subverted. Norman [=McKay=] has been chosen by the Spectre, embodiment of {{God}}'s vengeance, to be the one who witnesses the downfall of the world. As they look, separate from reality but able to observe it, upon the members of the Justice League debating the ethics of what they've done, suddenly the Flash, who exists on all dimensional levels at once, turns around and plucks a very surprised Norman [=McKay=] out of the air.
70* ''ComicBook/{{Invincible}}'' usually doesn't use a narrator, but sometimes makes an exception. A perfect and funny example was when two characters were going to have sex, and the story [[SexyDiscretionShot jumped to another person]], with a narrator explaining that they deserved a little bit of privacy.
71* ''ComicBook/TheSandman1989'' occasionally makes use of narration. Sometimes it would be by one of the series' characters, and other times it would be anonymous but fairly poetic.
72* ''ComicBook/{{Nextwave}}'' has some fairly odd narration.
73-->''Nextwave is in your room and touching you stuff''
74* ''ComicBook/SevenSoldiers'': For the Frankenstein fragments, the narrator was also overly dramatic.
75[[/folder]]
76
77[[folder:Fan Works]]
78* In ''Fanfic/TheGoldenBoysLastTemptation'', ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} plays the role of storyteller who is telling a little kid a history which nobody has ever heard before.
79[[/folder]]
80
81[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
82* The Creator/AdamSandler flick ''WesternAnimation/EightCrazyNights'' had narration as well.
83* Kuzco in ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewGroove'' narrates much of the first two acts of the movie. Eventually, the ''onscreen'' Kuzco [[HeelRealization gets fed up with his "past self" trying to convince the audience he's a blameless victim]] and tells him to shut up, and the rest of the movie continues without any narration.
84* ''WesternAnimation/{{Ratatouille}}'': The movie starts with Remy crashing through a window. The action is paused and he starts narrating a few early scenes until the end of the film.
85* In ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'', Mei narrates the opening scene and the epilogue.
86[[/folder]]
87
88[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
89* ''Film/ThreeHundred''. At the end of the film, the narrator turns out to have been [[DirectLineToTheAuthor relating the entire tale]] to his fellow Spartans.
90* ''Film/FiveHundredDaysOfSummer'' features a particularly [[LemonyNarrator citrusy]] one.
91* ''Film/AllMyLovedOnes'': The beginning and ending is narrated by adult David Silberstein who is a boy and one of the the central characters in the story depicted in the film.
92* ''Film/BigShotConfessionsOfACampusBookie'': Creator/DavidKrumholtz, who plays Benny Silman, also narrates as the character.
93* It's entirely possible to just listen to ''Film/{{Casino}}'' from another room and understand almost everything that's going on because of the detailed narration.
94* ''Film/AChristmasStory'' is narrated by the adult Ralphie.
95* ''Film/{{Click}}'', in which the main character's life becomes a DVD of sorts. The narrator is James Earl Jones.
96* The Wizard in ''Film/ConanTheBarbarian1982'' [[DirectLineToTheAuthor explains much of the story]] while it's happening on screen. Then again, it's [[CompellingVoice Mako's voice]], so it's not that bad.
97* ''Film/TheDarkCrystal'' features Creator/JosephOConor as the narrator.
98* The first two movies of Creator/LarsVonTrier's American trilogy, ''Film/{{Dogville}}'' and ''Manderlay'', feature Creator/JohnHurt as the narrator.
99* ''Film/ErinsGuideToKissingGirls'': Laura Barrett narrates the movie.
100* Creator/NickOfferman narrates ''Film/FrancesFerguson''.
101* Parodied until the break of dawn by the ''Film/GeorgeOfTheJungle'' [[TheFilmOfTheSeries movie]]. The narrator not only narrates the action, he talks to the audience (at one point assuring them "[[NeverSayDie Nobody dies in this movie]]... they just get really big boo-boos"), corrects the actors when they mishear his description and at one point gets into an argument with one of the {{Mooks}} over how he's describing him, even rewinding the movie just to give him a hard time.
102* ''Film/{{Godmothered}}'': Agnes is the narrator. At the beginning of the story, she explains what it's like to live in Motherland in a voiceover.
103* PlayedForLaughs in the short film ''Film/{{The Gunfighter|2014}}'' (2014). The unnamed gunfighter walks into a Western saloon, only to find a mysterious voice describing everything that's about to happen, such as an impending gunfight. When the gunfighter urges everyone not to listen to the voice because he has no intention of killing anyone, the narrator starts describing embarrassing secrets everyone in the bar is hiding until the gunfight breaks out anyway.
104* ''Film/TheHallelujahTrail:'' Veteran western character actor John Dehner provides an ongoing commentary on the supposed historical context surrounding events, sometimes including maps and arrows to help the viewer keep track of just where everyone is.
105* In the documentary ''Film/HeartsOfDarknessAFilmmakersApocalypse'', which chronicles the TroubledProduction of ''Film/ApocalypseNow'', Eleanor Coppola (the wife of director Creator/FrancisFordCoppola) narrates by reading excerpts from her diary in voiceover.
106* ''Film/TheKillerThatStalkedNewYork'', a 1950 film {{Very Loosely Based|OnATrueStory}} on the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1947_New_York_City_smallpox_outbreak 1947 New York City smallpox outbreak]], features one of these. The beginning and end of the movie, as well as some other moments in the movie such as key points in the public health response, are narrated by an unidentified man who tells us that he lived in New York City at the time of the smallpox outbreak.
107%%* Harry Lockheart in ''Film/KissKissBangBang''.
108* ''Film/LittleChildren'' plays this oddly straight, with a narrator explicitly saying what the characters are thinking at a given moment. It's surprisingly effective, though frequent PBS viewers will be rather weirded out, as the narrator they use is Will Lyman, the voice of ''Frontline'' and many an episode of ''Nova''.
109** And then for the football game near the end, it turns into an AffectionateParody of NFL Films, with Lyman doing a great impression of the late John Facenda, who narrated just about everything they put out while he was alive.
110* ''Film/TheNeverendingStory'' suddenly sprouts a narrator only at the very, very end. It would be all too easy to construct a lofty critical reason for this, such as, "It's to emphasize thematically that the real story is only beginning etc..." but in all likelihood it was just because of earlier scenes being cut or a sloppy mistake in the film's writing or editing.
111* The Criminologist fulfills this role in ''Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow''.
112** "I would like ([[AudienceParticipation You would, wouldn't you?]]), if I may (No, you may not), to take you on a strange journey (So strange they made a movie out of it!)."
113* ''Film/{{Sleepers}}'': Shakes narrates the entire movie.
114* ''Film/{{Val}}'': Creator/JackKilmer, Creator/ValKilmer's son, narrates the film of Val's writings due to Val not being able to do so due to complications of throat cancer.
115* Subverted in ''Film/WrongIsRight'' which opens with Creator/SeanConnery's voice WaxingLyrical about the SpySatellites orbiting the Earth before the TitleDrop. A bit later we see a sailboat being driven through the desert of Hagreb while his character talks in narrative fashion about how he's an old friend of the country's king, only to get a RevealShot that [[ProsceniumReveal he's being followed by camera cars and he's actually doing a live report]] for the TV network he works for.
116[[/folder]]
117
118[[folder:Literature]]
119%%* Chaucer's narrator in the ''Literature/TheCanterburyTales''.
120* Mike Hanlon in Creator/StephenKing's ''Literature/{{It}}''. Between every section of the book there is an interlude where Mike narrates the history of It in the form of a documentary journal.
121* ''Literature/ProfessorMmaasLecture'' is written down by an "impartial chronicler" who supposedly has witnessed all events first-hand, which doesn't explain how could he know the characters' private thoughts, or know what happened in places where the characters were explicitly alone.
122* ''Literature/QualiaThePurple'' has Hatou narrating every now and again, increasingly so after a certain point when she is the only person who can observe the story being told.
123[[/folder]]
124
125[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
126* Creator/RodSerling in ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959''.
127* Creator/RonHoward's voiceovers in ''Series/ArrestedDevelopment''.
128* Creator/CharlesMartinet serves as narrator for ''Series/HighScore''.
129* Creator/RichardDeanAnderson sometimes serves as a narrator in ''Series/{{MacGyver|1985}}'', either to reveal a chunk of backstory or to describe the principles of his BambooTechnology.
130** Creator/LucasTill does the same thing in the [[Series/MacGyver2016 reboot series]].
131* Waylon Jennings as the Balladeer in ''Series/TheDukesOfHazzard'', though his narration was usually restricted to a QuipToBlack along the lines of, "Them Duke boys are in a whole heap of trouble."
132** Or "In case you're wondering what's going on, so. Am. I."
133* Likewise George, of ''Series/DeadLikeMe'', who narrates from a distance, sometimes showing omniscience and talking directly to the audience, and sometimes just within her head.
134* Classic example: ''Series/TheUntouchables'' was narrated by famous columnist/political commentator Walter Winchell. His distinctive, urgent, sharply voiced, melodramatic announcements became a television icon, selling corny set up lines similar to this: ''"As Al Capone and his henchmen talked of murder over steaks and bootleg champagne, Eliot NESS and his UNTOUCHABLES made plans to topple his empire of crime!"''
135* ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "The End Of Time" has a [[ManBehindTheMan character]] known as The Narrator, who even helpfully fills us in on the plot so far in the middle of the first half. [[spoiler:He's also known as [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence Lord]] [[PresidentEvil President]] [[OmnicidalManiac Rassilon]], possibly using an alias.]]
136* Jim Dale in ''Series/PushingDaisies''.
137* Creator/QuentinTarantino narrates the first season of ''Series/SuperPumped The Battle for Uber''.
138* JD of ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'' narrates his own life in his head, as well as the lives of nearly everyone he has regular contact with, so he is essentially the narrator of the show. Lucy Bennett takes over this role in the last season.
139* Future-Ted Mosby (from the year 2030) in ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'', like JD above, is practically omniscient from the viewers' perspective, so he qualifies as a narrator too.
140* Most ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' series have a narrator to handle recaps of previous episodes and OpeningNarration, but Creator/ToshioFurukawa's work in ''Series/TokusouSentaiDekaranger'' deserves an honorable mention. Anything, from the mechanics of the TransformationSequence to Jasmine's PsychicPowers and Sen's thinking pose would be explained ''every time''. Up to and including TheMovie and the GrandFinale. Most probably tuned him out around the middle of the series.
141** The most notable example for ''Dekarangers'' is probably the Judgment system. ''Every time'' the judgment system is activated, Furukawa explains how it works, even in the finale and special movies.
142** ''Series/NinjaSentaiKakuranger'' should get bonus points here, because the narrator is ''an actual character on the show'' who explains who the MonstersOfTheWeek are and occasionally interacts with the rest of the cast.
143** ''Series/EngineSentaiGoOnger'' is unique in that it has no fixed narrator. Rather, the [[SentientVehicle Engines]] themselves all take turns narrating episodes, relating them like a story in the life of their Go-Onger partners
144* Most ''Franchise/UltraSeries'' have a narrator whose usual purpose is to fill in gaps in the narrative with his exposition, explain the [[HourOfPower why the Colour Timer is flashing]] for the first few episodes, and occasionally make a few musings related to an episode's themes. In some series, the protagonist will be the narrator, but only do the narration for the start and/or end of an episode.
145** ''Series/UltraQ'' had Koji Ishizaka, who can be considered Creator/RodSerling's Japanese counterpart and carries similar status in Japan. He also did the first 19 episodes of ''Series/{{Ultraman}}'' and several movies. Hikaru Urano maintains similar status for doing the remainder of ''Ultraman'', as well as ''Series/UltraSeven'' and a handful of ''Ultra Q'' episodes.
146* Earl Hamner Jr. is the voice of the older John-Boy Walton in ''Series/TheWaltons.''
147* Creator/JasonBateman narrates ''Series/GrowingUpFisher'' as Future Henry Fisher.
148* ''Series/BurnNotice'' has its main character, Michael, narrate a lot of the story. Most likely this was to allow him to explain the clever tricks he was doing without the need of [[TheWatson a Watson]] hanging around all the time. It also serves as the gimmick of the show.
149* Main character Zack Morris did this at least once in every episode of ''Series/SavedByTheBell''. Unlike many examples, instead of narrating over the activity, he would actually talk directly to the camera.
150* Creator/WilliamConrad's omniscient narrator on ''Series/TheFugitive''.
151* ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'': The Narrator was the only voice on the show until season 13 and provided all the voices for all the characters. When season 13 arrived, all the characters got their own voices, but the narrator remained.
152* Mary Alice Young (an omnipresent [[PosthumousCharacter dead]] character), on ''Series/DesperateHousewives''.
153* Stefan Salvatore of ''Series/TheVampireDiaries''. Although Elena is the central character and protagonist, Stefan is the one who is telling the story about Elena and the other characters through his eyes and his point of view. This was established in the series Pilot.
154* Lucas Scott of ''Series/OneTreeHill''. He would always begin and end each episode with a literary reference.
155* ''Series/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy1981'': Peter Jones.
156* Several ''Series/{{MASH}}'' episodes feature a character narrating a letter to someone back in the States.
157* The titular character Plop serves as the narrator for each episode of Series/KabouterPlop by Creator/Studio100.
158* Shawn Spencer on ''Series/{{Psych}}'' tries to do this in the middle of a case. Gus quickly shuts him down.
159* Gonza, the butler of the Saejima clan, serves in this role in ''Series/{{Garo}}: Makai Retsuden''.
160* ''Series/GoodOmens2019'': The narration from [[Literature/GoodOmens the book]] is provided by Creator/FrancesMcDormand, voicing God Herself.
161* Time personified narrates the opening and occasionally narrates mid-scene in the Indian TV show ''Series/{{Mahabharata}}''.
162* ''Series/{{Narcos}}'' has a rotating cast of narrators, each of whom is also a main character. For the first two seasons, Agent Murphy narrated and in the third season, his partner Peña takes over. [[spoiler:Walt Breslin]] narrates ''Narcos: Mexico'' seasons one and two. Andrea Nuñez takes over for season 3.
163* ''Series/TheToysThatMadeUs'' is narrated by Donald Ian Black.
164[[/folder]]
165
166[[folder:Music]]
167* Burl Ives' Snowman character in the ChristmasSpecial ''WesternAnimation/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer'' is a hybrid of Narrator and GreekChorus.
168** Creator/FredAstaire fills the same role in ''WesternAnimation/SantaClausIsCominToTown''.
169[[/folder]]
170
171[[folder:Pinballs]]
172* Creator/DataEast's ''Pinball/TheAdventuresOfRockyAndBullwinkleAndFriends'' brings the entire cast of ''WesternAnimation/RockyAndBullwinkle'' along, including the Narrator.
173[[/folder]]
174
175[[folder:Podcasts]]
176* In ''Podcast/WelcomeToNightVale'', public radio host Cecil is always the narrator (we rarely even hear other characters speak), often a bystander to events, and occasionally a protagonist in them. And hoo boy, is he [[LemonyNarrator Lemony]] at times, although he tries to maintain at least the pretense of journalistic distance.
177* Corin Deeth the III acts as this for the ''Podcast/KakosIndustries'' shareholder announcements. He is also the main character and him playing this part only seems to be one of his many job requirements.
178* In ''Podcast/TheMagnusArchives'' Jonathan the archivist serves as narrator for the series as a whole, reading out each statement about an alleged supernatural encounter and giving his comments. Through him, each statement-maker is also the first-person narrator of their own story (occasionally we instead hear it in their own voice, when the archivist makes a recording of a new statement instead of one he found in the archive, though Jonathan still adds comments of his own).
179[[/folder]]
180
181[[folder:Puppet Shows]]
182* The obscure Canadian kids show ''Series/ChickenMinute'' had Ulysses, an [[EggshellClothing eggshell-clothed]] chick, as the narrator.
183[[/folder]]
184
185[[folder:Radio]]
186* ''Radio/AdventuresInOdyssey'': In the early days of the show, Chris had a good deal more air-time and personality, and occasionally interacted with the characters as well as introducing the story and setting the scene. By now, though, she has spent the better part of the series briefly introducing the show, then showing up at the end to explicitly state the moral of the day and relevant Bible verses before moving on to the credits.
187* The gangster parody ''Radio/DickieDickDickens'' has two narrators who tell the story in tandem, with the one often adding additional tidbits to the other's stated information. Occasionally they'll disagree with one another about what's relevant to the narrative, or contradict each other on minor details, but both tend to over-dramatize the events and nearly worship the titular character.
188* ''Radio/DimensionX'''s "[[Recap/DimensionX50Nightfall Nightfall]]": To quote the {{Epigraph}} and to describe the various settings, an announcer is added to the cast. They primarily help with scene transitions and character {{exposition}}.
189* ''Radio/TheFoundationTrilogy'': The ''[[EncyclopediaExposita Encyclopedia Galactica]]'' is read by a narrator with [[StockSoundEffects a teletype machine in the background]] and in a [[ComputerVoice monotone voice artificially adjusted to sound more computery]]. The original work's third-person narration is removed, [[NarratingTheObvious leaving characters to comment on each other's actions]].
190* ''Radio/OurMissBrooks'': On the radio, a narrator introduces the show and gives a brief introduction. Often enough, the introduction passes to Miss Brooks who gives comments of her own on her role and reaction to the upcoming events. Sometimes, the narrator or Miss Brooks give another short narration after the message from the the sponsor.
191* ''Radio/APrairieHomeCompanion'': Garrison Keillor provides the narration for most of the segments, including Guy Noir's PrivateEyeMonologue, and the show's signature "News from Lake Wobegon".
192* ''Radio/XMinusOne'''s "Recap/XMinusOneE028Nightfall": To quote the {{Epigraph}} and to describe the various settings, an announcer is added to the cast. They primarily help with scene transitions and character {{exposition}}.
193[[/folder]]
194
195[[folder:Theatre]]
196* The Narrator from ''Theatre/JosephAndTheAmazingTechnicolorDreamcoat''. Though the play would be fine without her (with her lines distributed to the other characters), it seems that [[Creator/AndrewLloydWebber ALW]] wanted to have [[TheSmurfettePrinciple at least one woman]] in the show who actually had a part.
197** Except that the original narrator was actually portrayed by a man until it premiered on Broadway more than decade after [[Creator/AndrewLloydWebber ALW]] and Tim Rice wrote it.
198* The Stage Manager of Thornton Wilder's play ''Theatre/OurTown'', who routinely addresses the audience and offers commentary on the characters' actions.
199* The Narrator of the Music/StephenSondheim musical ''Theatre/IntoTheWoods'' [[spoiler: becomes a more tangible character in the second act and gets sacrificed to the giant's wife]].
200* The Narrator of ''Theatre/PassingStrange'', who is meant to be the grown-up version of the Youth the story revolves around, and who was [[OriginalCastPrecedent originally played on Broadway]] by one of the show's co-writers, [[OnlyOneName Stew]].
201* The Cat in the Hat in ''Theatre/{{Seussical}}''.
202* In ''One Slight Hitch'', PB Coleman, Courtney's younger sister, serves as the narrator in the opening and closing scenes.
203* Adam narrates in ''Theatre/LikeDyingThingsDo''
204* The Narrator in ''Theatre/{{Finale}}''.
205[[/folder]]
206
207[[folder:Video Games]]
208* ''VideoGame/AgeOfEmpiresII'': In each campaigns, a narrator tells the story about the focal character and their exploits in history to the player. Several of the campaigns often has twist of [[AndThatLittleGirlWasMe revealing themselves of being part of that history]].
209** ''Age of King'' campaign:
210*** The ''William Wallace'' campaign is narrated by a Scotsman rallying his warriors in fighting against Longshanks's conquest of Scotland.
211*** The ''Joan of Arc'' campaign is narrated by Guy Josselyne, who tells the exploits of Joan and her battles in the Hundred Year War. Interestingly, he appears in the last scenario as a hero and though his survival is optional, he will still be the narrator even if he dies in the same scenario.
212*** The ''Saladin'' campaign is narrated by an anonymous Norman knight who follows the Saracen leader Saladin in his jihad against the Crusaders.
213*** The ''Genghis Khan'' campaign is narrated by the anonymous Mongolian author of the "The Secret History of the Mongol," and describes how Genghis Khan leads the horde in an attempt at forming the largest empire in the world.
214*** The ''Barbarossa'' campaign is narrated by a local customer in a German bar, telling the player about the reign of Barbarossa as he ruled the Holy Roman Empire. At the end of the campaign, the narrator is revealed to be [[spoiler:Henry the Lion, a German prince that fought both alongside and against Barbarossa throughout the campaign.]]
215** ''The Conquerors'' campaign:
216*** The ''Attila the Hun'' campaign is narrated by a Frankish monk listening to the account of Father Armand, who reminiscences about the destruction and death brought about by Attila's reign.
217*** The ''El Cid'' campaign is narrated by a woman in the city of Valentia. In the second scenario, she reveals herself as Jimena, El Cid's wife, who tells the player about her husband's accomplishments.
218*** The ''Montezuma'' campaign is narrated by Cuauhtémoc, a warrior of the Aztec empire [[spoiler:who would succeed Montezuma as the (last) emperor of the Aztec empire]].
219*** The Battle of the Conquerors is a collection of battles that couldn't be made into a story-based campaign. Therefore, the story is narrated by a generic historian.
220** ''The Forgotten'' campaign:
221*** The ''Alaric'' campaign in the HD version was originally narrated by a wife of Alaric, but in the ''Definitive Edition'', she is replaced by Athaulf, Alaric's brother-in-law.
222*** The ''Dracula'' campaign was narrated by a young soldier who meets an old man in the ancient stronghold of Vlad Dracula who gives him and his comrades shelter and tells them a story of Vlad the Impaler. At the end of the campaign, where the young soldiers were planning to go to the monastery at Snagov to pay respect to Dracula's grave, asking the old man if he wished to accompany them, which he accepts. In the HD version, the old man reveals himself as [[spoiler:Istvan, one of Dracula's companions]], but this was omitted in the ''Definitive Edition'', changing the old man to be one of Dracula's loyal soldiers.
223*** The ''Bari'' campaign was narrated by Andreas Nautikos. He tells a story of how his Byzantine family, starting with his ancestor Panos, has defended the city of Bari for 200 years from Lombards, Normans, and Muslims.
224*** The ''Sforza'' campaign was narrated by an old Condottiero who remembers Francesco Sforza's rise from mercenary to [[spoiler:Duke of Milan]]. In the HD edition, this Condottiero tells Sforza's story to an university student at Florence, in which in the epilogue reveals himself to be [[spoiler:Niccolò Machiavelli, who was writing "The Prince" at the time]]. However, in the ''Definitive Edition'', the Condottiero reveals himself to be [[spoiler:Micheletto, Sforza's cousin, both of whom were working for Venice until Sforza betrayed him while Milan and Venice were at war with each other. Machiavelli was omitted, as he wasn't even born around Micheletto's time]].
225*** The ''El Dorado'' campaign in the HD version was narrated by a conquistador who accompanied UsefulNotes/FranciscoDeOrellana's expedition in finding the lost city of gold deep within the Amazon rainforest.
226*** The ''Prithviraj'' campaign was narrated by Chand Bhai, a Brahman of the caste system, telling about reign of King Prithviraj.
227*** The Battle of the Forgotten has a generic historian tells the story of each scenarios.
228*** The Pachacuti campaign in the ''Definitive Edition'' is narrated by an old man who tells the player of Pachacuti's reign. The epilogue reveals that the man is [[spoiler:Apo Mayta, Pachacuti's general during his reign, who retired after the end of the fighting]].
229** ''African Kingdom'' campaigns:
230*** The ''Tariq ibn Ziyad'' campaign was narrated by an anonymous Berber warrior, who details the conquest of Europe under Tariq ibn Ziyad [[spoiler:and his successor, Abd ar-Rahman al-Ghafiqi]]. At the end of the campaign, [[spoiler:the Berber warrior closes his story with the Moors needing to defeat one Frankish king before they can conquer all of Europe. That king is Charles Martel, the protagonist of the "Tours" scenario in the Battle of the Conquerors, who defeated the Berbers and ended their conquest]].
231*** The ''Sundjata'' campaign was narrated by a griot named Bala Faséké Kouyaté, who tells the Epic of Sundjata to the player. At the end of the campaign, [[spoiler:he mentions stealing Sumanguru's magical balafon before the Battle of Kirina (which was the fourth scenario in the campaign), allowing Sundjata's army to be victorious]].
232*** The ''Francisco de Almeida'' campaign begins with Francisco already dead, and the narrator, an anonymous Portuguese soldier in Francisco's expedition, recalls [[HowWeGotHere events that lead up to his death]].
233*** The ''Yodit'' campaign is narrated by an Ethiopian trader, who tells Yodit's story to his son during their travel to Aksum. Incidentally, in the final scenario, another older trader named Tariku joined in to tell how [[spoiler:Yodit overthrew her nephew Gidajan in a bloody battle]].
234** ''The Rise of the Rajas'' campaign:
235*** The ''Gajah Mada'' campaign was narrated by the eponymous character in his old age. He tells the player of his glory day in the Majapahit empire [[spoiler:before his downfall at Battle of Bubat]].
236*** The ''Suryavarman I'' campaign was narrated by Sangrama, general of Suryavarman's successor Udayadityavarman II. He gathers his captains to tell Suryavarman's tale so that they can inspire their men in quelling a rebellion.
237*** The ''Bayinnaung'' campaign was narrated by the eponymous character. He tells his life story [[spoiler:until the last outro of the campaign, where it is narrated by his son, due to Bayinnaung dying during the last scenario.]]
238*** The ''Le Loi'' campaign in the HD version is narrated by an old man who tells the player about the Lam Son rebellion, which was under the leadership of the Dai Viet rebel leader, Le Loi. The old man would reveals himself to be [[spoiler:Wang Tong, the Ming general that fought against Le Loi]]. However, this is altered in the ''Definitive Edition'', replacing the narrator with a younger Vietnamese man.
239** ''The Last Khan'' campaigns:
240*** The ''Tamerlane'' campaign is narrated by a Lithuanian nobleman who gives sanctuary to a man escaping Tamerlane's wrath. [[spoiler:The man is none other than Tokhtamysh Khan, who was Tamerlane's companion until he betrayed him and tried to take total control of the Horde. Tamerlane defeated Tokhtamysh Khan in retaliation, and he was forced into exile to escape his pursuer. Although the nobleman's name is never revealed, it is likely to be Grand Duke Vytautas]].
241*** The ''Ivaylo'' campaign is narrated by a woman, who tells her unnamed daughter about the short reign of Tsar Ivaylo of Bulgaria. The woman is revealed to be [[spoiler:Maria Palaiologina, Ivaylo's wife after he killed her first husband, Tsar Konstantin Tikh]].
242*** The ''Kotyan Khan'' campaign is narrated by a Cuman chieftain who follows Kotyan Khan's journey to escape the Mongolian invasion [[spoiler:until the Hungarian nobles assassinates Kotyan, after which the chieftain assumes leadership]].
243** ''Lord of the West'' campaigns:
244*** The ''Edward Longshanks'' campaign is narrated by his son, Edward II, who studies his father's accomplishment so that he can learn to become a good king of England. [[spoiler:Studying on his father's life left him indecisive about how he should follow his example. If you read up on Edward II's reign, you will learn that he became a failure of a king]].
245*** The ''Grand Dukes of the West'' campaign begins with a Burgundian nobleman showing his son the execution of Joan of Arc. He retells the Hundred Year War in [[PerspectiveFlip the perspective of the Burgundians]].
246*** The ''Hauteville'' campaign is narrated by a Muslim tutor of the young Frederick Roger. The tutor tells his young lord the story of his ancestors, starting with Roger Guiscard of Normandy, to inspire him into greatness. [[spoiler:The young boy, in history, would become the Holy Roman Emperor as Frederick II]].
247** ''Dawn of the Dukes'' campaigns:
248*** The ''Algirdas and Kestutis'' campaign is narrated by a prisoner who tells a foreigner of Algirdas and Kestutis's struggle against the Teutonic Knights. [[spoiler:The prisoner is revealed to be Jogaila, Algirdas's son who was imprisoned by Kestutis for negotiating with the Knights.]]
249*** The ''Jadwiga'' campaign is narrated by the eponymous character, who writes about a memoir of her reign and marriage of the Lithunian Jogaila. [[spoiler:In the final scenario, the narrator is, once again, Jogaila, because [[TheHeroDies Jadwiga]] [[DeathByChildbirth died in childbirth]].]]
250*** The ''Jan Zizka'' campaign is narrated by the eponymous character, who started his exploits as a mercenary before becoming a Hussite leader, leading the Hussites against Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund's crusades.
251** ''Dynasties of India'' campaigns:
252*** The ''Babur'' campaign is narrated by the eponymous character, who writes a memoir of himself, beginning his story from his time as lord of Ferghana Valley to [[spoiler:becoming the first Emperor of the Mughal Empire.]]
253*** The ''Devapala'' campaign is narrated by Veeradeva, Devapala's personal Brahman and friend.
254*** The ''Rajendra'' campaign is narrated by Rajendra Chola himself, who details his account of succeeding his father in ruling the Chola Empire.
255** ''The Mountain Royals'' campaigns:
256*** The ''Thoros'' campaign is narrated by a crusader knight who is telling the story of Thoros to a young squire. The third mission of the campaign reveals the narrator to be none other than [[spoiler:Reynald de Chatillon, the first ArcVillain of the ''Saladin'' campaign]].
257* ''VideoGame/Inked2012'': There's a narrator in the game who describes the events taking place. He is established as a separate entity from The Artist.
258* ''VideoGame/PaperMario'': The first three games have opening introductions from a narrator explaining the main focus of each story.
259* ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersiaTheSandsOfTime'' put an interesting twist on this, that the Prince himself was the narrator, and at save points would say, "Would you like to take a break for now?" and if he got killed would say, "Wait, no, that's not how it happened..." In the end, [[spoiler:It's revealed that he's telling the story to Farah, his love interest from the game, after undoing the game's events via time travel. Naturally, she doesn't believe a word of it. Later, in ''[[VideoGame/PrinceOfPersiaTheTwoThrones The Two Thrones]]'', after having prevented any of the events of the first game by changing the flow of time in the second (bear with me here...), the game ends with the Prince, once more with Farah, beginning the same narration that opens The Sands of Time.]]
260* A very similar conceit is used in ''VideoGame/{{Sacrifice}}'' where the wizard Eldred is telling the story of why the world is ending to the seer Mithras.
261* ''VideoGame/{{Wizardry}} VII: Crusaders of the Dark Savant'' featured an active narrator describing the game world to the party, frequently offering a cynical view of what the party's uncovered.
262* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'':
263** Tidus is technically the narrator of the entirety of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX;'' the introduction actually takes place [[HowWeGotHere near the end of the game]], and Tidus tells us "his story". Yuna narrates the sequel.
264** Marquis Ondore narrates, via his memoirs, several key points in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII.''
265** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'': Count Edmont de Fortemps narrates the introduction of each location introduced in ''Heavensward''. Lyse Hext fills the role of narrator for ''Stormblood'' locations. Ardbert narrates ''Shadowbringers'' location introductions. Emet-Selch narrates ''Endwalker'' locations.
266** Alazlam is technically the narrator of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics.'' Though he doesn't get involved in the actual story scenes, his "Brave Story" menu allows you to replay any of them, and gives his description of what happens. Plus, he has the final words in the ending, not counting the last "bonus" scene. Daravon, who runs the Tutorial menu, appears sneakily in the game via the Mediator skill "Mimic Daravon" -- which puts enemies to sleep. It's also implied Alazlam Durai is getting this information from the "Durai Reports", written by his ancestor Olan Durai (who hangs around at the periphery of the plot through much of the game, only actually appearing in battle once).
267* In the 2004 version of ''VideoGame/TheBardsTale'', the events of the game are narrated by the man who's reading the tale (as voiced by the late Creator/TonyJay). He and the eponymous Bard (as voiced by Cary Elwes) frequently bicker throughout the game, discussing issues like [[KleptomaniacHero the morality of claiming items from chests for one's self]], or [[MoneySpider the absurdity of finding money]] [[RandomlyDrops or sellable goods from killing various creatures]].
268* ''VideoGame/JennyLeclue'' is told by the author of the story, who's not fond of being told to make the story DarkerAndEdgier and argues with his supervisor against publishing it.
269* ''Franchise/DragonAge'':
270** In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins,'' the voice of Duncan provides narration at the very beginning, explaining how the Grey Wardens first began to fight the darkspawn, and again near the end, announcing the heroes' victory and the joy of the people at the coronation of whomever the {{player character}} chose to rule Ferelden.
271** After his successful tenure as one in ''Dragon Age II'', Varric becomes the franchise's official narrator, as his voice actor Brian Bloom provides the narration in ''Dragon Age Keep''.
272** The FramingDevice of ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' features The narrator, Varric Tethras, being interrogated by a person who is after the true story of Hawke, the PlayerCharacter and Varric's old friend/rival. Notably, every now and then Varric lapses into {{Tall Tale}}s, making the interrogator interrupt him and demand to return back to the truth. [[UnreliableNarrator How much more exaggeration Varric manages to sneak in without her noticing remains open.]] He even, at one point during the game, narrates Hawke's actions ''to Hawke,'' prompting him/her to remind him how much s/he hates it when he does that - suggesting he does it a lot. Unsurprisingly, Varric's voice actor Creator/BrianBloom was drafted to reprise this role when Creator/BioWare established the ''Dragon Age Keep.'' After the player establishes the choices they made (or wish they had made) in the first two games, they have the option of sitting back and listening to Varric narrate their adventures.
273* In ''Franchise/TheWitcher'' games, Dandelion is the main narrator. The in-game journal and most cutscenes are narrated from his perspective. Also, Geralt himself narrates the flashbacks that reflect the world-changing decisions he's made, and Vesemir narrates the first game's opening.
274* ''VideoGame/{{Bastion}}'' has Rucks, an old man who narrates your adventures as you go through the game. [[spoiler: The ending subverts this, as it turns out that Rucks's narration is him telling the story to Zia, and at the very end he doesn't know what the Kid will decide to do.]]
275* ''VideoGame/TheStanleyParable'' is narrated like a novel, and said narrator describes the actions and choices of the player before they even happen. If you [[OffTheRails don't do whatever it is he is narrating]], he gets increasingly irate. In some endings, he even kills Stanley- sometimes he crosses the line when he does so, sometimes he doesn’t.
276* Like many children's point-and-click adventure games at the time, ''VideoGame/OlloInTheSunnyValleyFair'' has one. Actually, it featured two: one for the storyline and one that describes certain objects, events, and activities when they are clicked on.
277* ''VideoGame/UncleAlbertsAdventures'':
278** Every cutscene about Uncle Albert is narrated by Albert's grandnephew.
279** InUniverse. Uncle Albert loves to narrate his adventures to children.
280* ''VideoGame/{{XenoGears}}'': Much of Disc 2 is narrated by Fei, Elly, and Citan with them [[ExpositionBreak explaining]] key-events of their journey.
281* ''VideoGame/ZettaiHeroProject'' has a narrator telling the game endings.
282* The opening prologue of ''VideoGame/SakuraWars2019'' is narrated by Creator/ShowHayami, the voice of Tekkan Amamiya.
283[[/folder]]
284
285[[folder:Web Animation]]
286* ''WebAnimation/RecessReindeer'' is narrated by Dan Bright.
287* ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'' had Donut narrate his play to explain how the Reds and Blues would up in the future. He calls his role as "a faceless voice used by poor writers".
288* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': The pilot episode kicks off the story and the setting with a female narrator giving a brief overview of the history of humanity and the world, ending on a dark, bitter, pessimistic note that foreshadows a coming darkness. Her speech is concluded by a male narrator who strongly implies her bitterness is connected to a fall from grace and that the solution to the coming darkness can be found in a "smaller, more honest soul". The male narrator is quickly revealed to be [[BigGood Professor Ozpin]]; the female narrator isn't revealed until the Volume 3 finale [[spoiler:and is in fact the GreaterScopeVillain [[HumanoidAbomination Salem]]]].
289* ''WebAnimation/SonicForHire'': A RunningGag is Tails constantly stating [[CaptainObvious obvious details]] after they already happened, with Sonic getting tired of his narrating.
290* Internet Example: the "[[http://www.videosift.com/story.php?id=707 Flash animation]] "It's WebAnimation/DrTran" ({{NSFW}} for language) has a a movie trailer narrator harass and fluster a small child.
291* [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin The Epic Narrator]] is {{implied}} to be taking on this role in ''WebAnimation/TheMostEpicStoryEverToldInAllOfHumanHistory''.
292[[/folder]]
293
294[[folder:Web Comics]]
295%%* ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'':
296%%** Spoofed in a [[http://www.sluggy.com/daily.php?date=060722 summer 2006 installment]].
297%%** spoofed again [[http://www.sluggy.com/daily.php?date=080714 in the summer of '08]]
298* ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'' has two narrators. Antimony does the bulk of the narration from some unspecified point in time (according to [[WordOfGod Tom Siddell]], [[DirectLineToTheAuthor she's telling the whole story]], even the bits without narrator-text boxes). And Tea (that white-haired girl) serves as a fourth-wall-breaking [[MrExposition Miss Exposition]] on a few of the end-of-chapter bonus pages.
299* ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'' has a narrator who sometimes interacts with the characters.
300* In ''Webcomic/GoldCoinComics'', Lance complains about having to narrate about his past.
301* The BLU Spy in ''Webcomic/CuantaVida''.
302* Jamie in ''Webcomic/{{Distillum}}'' is the occasional narrator.
303* ''Webcomic/LeagueOfSuperRedundantHeroes'' has Narrator, a crazy young woman who thinks she's a narrator, but is really schizophrenic.
304* The introduction for the first print volume of ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' has a narrator, who's revealed to be a guy with a microphone who was up until the reveal always off-panel. The Order uses him as monster bait, and after a couple last comments as he's running away, there's no more narration.
305* In ''Webcomic/PennyBlackfeather'', the ghost of Penny's grandfather provides the narration. Several characters can hear him, and wonder why he sometimes says things like "The next day" or "Meanwhile" out of the blue.
306* In ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', Justin briefly [[https://www.egscomics.com/comic/2003-01-02 has]] this role before he goes off on a ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' tangent.
307[[/folder]]
308
309[[folder:Web Original]]
310* ''Literature/BabeRuthManTankGladiator'' is narrated by a priest, 2000 years after the events supposedly took place.
311* A weird example is the Narrator from [[http://chimerabazaar.blogspot.com/ The Chimera Bazaar's]] spin-off [[http://nightmareabyss.blogspot.com/ Nightmare Abyss]] who is a main character.
312* In ''Blog/CrossingKevinsCrossing'', the blog is narrated by the main character who tells stories feacturing the misadventures of themselves and others.
313[[/folder]]
314
315[[folder:Web Videos]]
316* Some {{ASMR video}}s feature a scripted off-screen narration accompanying what the creator is doing on-screen. One particular instance is "clothing haul" videos, where the creator models clothes they have recently acquired while the narration talks about each item as it's shown.
317* ''WebVideo/TheBritishRailwayStories'': All the episodes[[spoiler:, except the last one,]] were narrated. Originally it was intended to be Stephen as the narrator, before it was changed to a railyard foreman, and then the concept of one of the characters being the narrator was just dropped altogether.
318* ''WebVideo/LocomotivesOfBritishRailways'': The show has an unnamed narrator who talks about the events of the show and tells historical facts about Great Britain and British Rail.
319* In ''LetsPlay/{{Mahu}}'' always uses a series of different narrators for his narrative let's plays.
320* In ''WebVideo/{{Smosh}}'' video "The Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Master", when Anthony declares he'll catch all the Pokemon, a random person appears in the living room narrating his progress until Ian asks who is he, causing the man to run out.
321[[/folder]]
322
323[[folder:Western Animation]]
324* ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck'': Darkwing, a couple times. He is usually an InteractiveNarrator, as well - most prominently "Inside Binkie's Brain" and "The Haunting Of Mr. Banana Brain," which are both centered around narration having just as much going on (to the point of cutting away from the action at several points) as the plot.
325* The habit of Creator/MorganFreeman playing narrators was taken to its logical conclusion in a ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' sketch, where Morgan Freeman stars in a show called ''The Narrator'', and each episode is nothing but him talking.
326* The narrator is parodied with in the old ''WesternAnimation/GeorgeOfTheJungle'' cartoons, including one point where he makes a character in the cartoon crash his plane into the top of the mountain with the warning, "Let that be a lesson to you: never monkey around with a narrator."
327* The narrator in ''WesternAnimation/RockyAndBullwinkle'' (as well as the two spin-off movies) was not only a narrator but often a character. The cast frequently spoke to him, the characters talked about him, and at one point the villains robbed him. And, in TheMovie, being reduced to moving in with his mother and narrating his own life when the show was cancelled, as shown above.
328* The narrator of ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls1998'', starting out every episode with, "The City of Townsville," and ending every episode with a variation of, "[[SoOnceAgainTheDayIsSaved So, once again, the day is saved, thanks to the Powerpuff Girls!]]" In the FreakyFridayFlip episode, the Narrator ended up sounding like Bubbles at the end.
329* The Storyteller in ''WesternAnimation/DaveTheBarbarian''.
330* In the ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' episode "Woodland Critter Christmas", the narrator of the story [[NarratorAllAlong turns out to be Cartman]] telling it to the class.
331* Parodied in one episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddparents''. Timmy wishes for Super Friends, to replace his old boring friends. He then begins to hear a voice over about his new buddies. Wanda promptly explains the Narrator comes with the Super Friends package.
332* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' has a French-accented narrator inspired by Jacques Cousteau, who seems to be "studying" [=SpongeBob=] and friends. He rarely interacts with the characters, save for one memorable moment where, as he was narrating, [=SpongeBob=] [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou ran over him.]] One OverlyLongGag has him waiting so long that he quits, and a new narrator is hired.
333* ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers'' has a narrator who introduces everything in an OpeningNarration in the first episode and pops up every now and then afterwards. He also introduces the {{eyecatch}}es. Starting from Season 3, he recaps lore and characters at the end of every episode.
334* The narrator of ''WesternAnimation/SheepInTheBigCity'' has so little fourth wall that he regularly appears on-camera in a recording studio. He interacts with the characters so often it's more noteworthy when they ''can't'' seem to hear him, has been fired, physically attacked...the list goes on.
335* The narrator for the British cartoon ''WesternAnimation/DangerMouse'' tended to break the fourth wall; sometimes complaining about the direction of the story or making atrocious puns (only to receive a phone call from the show's producers, telling him to cut it out). In "Once Upon A Timeslip" he developed reality warping powers: "It is now 12:15 as they..." (The landscape transforms into medieval England) "Look, I said 12:15 I didn't mean 1215 AD." The remainder of the episode became a Robin Hood parody. Another typical narration line from one episode:
336--> "Meanwhile... Look, is that all I have to say in this bit, 'meanwhile'? Well, I was on my tea break..."
337* A ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' cutaway shows Peter narrating his own life, ''aloud'':
338-->'''Peter:''' I walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table. I looked with a grimace at the questionable meal Lois had placed in front of me. Of course I would never tell her how disgusted I was with her cooking, but somehow I think she knew. Lois had always been full of energy and life, but lately I had begun to grow more aware of her aging: the bright exuberant eyes that I had fallen in love with were now beginning to grow dull and listless with the long fatigue of a weary life. ''(Lois knocks him out)'' I awoke several hours later in a daze.
339* In ''WesternAnimation/WordGirl'', other than opening and closing each episode, the disembodied narrator oftentimes interacts with the titular hero to help her and sometimes the villains, also.
340* ''WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks'' was narrated by Huey Freeman, though mainly in the first season [[OutOfFocus due to his diminished role in later seasons]]. Later on in the series, other characters occasionally took the narrator role in certain episodes, such as his brother Riley, his grandfather Robert, Uncle Ruckus, and even Colonel Stinkmeaner.
341* ''WesternAnimation/WordParty'' has an interactive one that can converse directly with the viewer.
342* ''WesternAnimation/{{Kaeloo}}'': Episode 139 featured a narrator, who the cast found so annoying that [[BlackComedyBurst Stumpy got Mr. Cat to shoot him with a bazooka at the end of the episode.]]
343* ''WesternAnimation/SimonInTheLandOfChalkDrawings2002'' is narrated by Ernie Coombs.
344* ''WesternAnimation/SummerMemories'': [[TheProtagonist Jason]]. Not in a CharacterNarrator way, but rather in voiceover format.
345* The four ''Franchise/WinnieThePooh'' featurettes feature a narrator, who regularly interacts with them. In ''Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too'', when Tigger is stuck in a tree, he asks the narrator to "narrate" him down, while in ''Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore'', they listen to him explain how Eeyore got stuck in the river.
346[[/folder]]
347----
348-> And so, on that note of -- triumph? ends our description. I hope you'll join me again for our next episode of ''Website/TVTropes.''
349-> [[AC:(cue end credits)]]

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