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[[quoteright:300:[[ComicBook/{{Carnage}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/carnage_by_soul_drawer_d39uff3.png]]]]

Many monsters appear in media, and they all take on different forms. Their mouths are no exception. A creature's mouth can make it disturbing or scarier than it would be if it had a normal mouth. One simple way to do that is to represent a creature's mouth as a zig-zag line. This is a good way to show how twisted a creature is, unless the monster turns out to be nice, in which case it is DarkIsNotEvil. This sort of mouth can be drawn in a few ways.

# A simple zig-zag line, hinting at an animal-like nature (i.e. many Heartless from Franchise/KingdomHearts). Often includes GothSpirals at either end of the mouth.
# The mouth is very sharp looking or very long, hinting at insanity. Much like Type 1, may include GothSpirals at either end of the mouth.
# A zig-zag mouth appearing on a character's shadow or silhouette. This shows how sinister they are while they are in the shadows, or to reveal that someone unassuming-looking is secretly evil or sinister; it is used a lot with GlowingEyesOfDoom. When it appears on a character's shadow, it can also be part of [[CastingAShadow shadow magic]]. This is usually done with characters that don't have jagged mouths in the first place.
# A Jagged Mouth on a character who is neither evil nor animalistic, as part of their normal design. The character has intelligence, humanity etc., and is not sinister or insane. This is often used to mislead the protagonists (or the audience) into initially thinking that they are insane, animal-like, or evil.

Compare with SlasherSmile, which has the same effect, but is an expression rather than the way the mouth is contructed, and may be represented by this in particularly cartoonish works. Not to be confused with MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily, where the character's teeth could be serrated, but the mouth line outside is straight. Compare and Contrast BizarreAlienBiology, where the mouth line could be serrated or zig-zagged for instance, but could have a different function or place on the body, sometimes mixing this trope with BellyMouth. Subtrope to ScaryTeeth.
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!!Examples :

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder: Anime & Manga]]
* Manga/OnePiece villain Gekko Moriah uses shadows that have these kinds of mouths using his Shadow-Shadow fruit powers.
* Many monsters in ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'' sport this sort of mouth type.
* Late in ''Manga/LandOfTheLustrous'', [[spoiler:after Sensei puts Phos back together, her mouth becomes this when her mind fully breaks and becomes a villain.]]
* Some ''Franchise/YuGiOh'''s monsters use this trope
* The V2 Tailed Beast Shrouds in ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' have this type of mouth.
* In ''Manga/MissKobayashisDragonMaid'' Tohru manifests one when she is using her BreathWeapon or showing off her feral side in human form.
* ''Anime/GodzillaPlanetOfTheMonsters'' sees its version of Godzilla with his teeth as part of his jaw.
* Shrianui from ''Manga/MedakaBox'' has this in the form of her power, Real Eater.
* Baikinman from ''Literature/{{Anpanman}}'' has his mouth constantly in a zig-zag shape.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' villain ComicBook/{{Carnage}} is often depicted with black teeth that blend into his mask, as are several other symbiotes.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* ''Fanfic/AbraxasHrodvitnon'': In their first form, [[TwoBeingsOneBody San and Vivienne Graham]] ([[AdaptationalHeroism Monster X]]) have this trope's first and fourth types (hinting at animalistic nature and also hinting at a horrific-looking but ultimately benevolent creature). Vivienne's head has ingrown serrated teeth on either side of her jaws, whilst the author's art depicts San's head with a jagged mouth-shape.
* ''Fanfic/ADiplomaticVisit'': In the fourth story, ''The Diplomat's Life'', as in canon, [[spoiler:Rabia's form as the Pony of Shadows has fangs that blend into the rest of his face, giving him a serrated silhouette of a mouth.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film]]
* ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'': The "teeth" within [[Characters/MonsterVerseRodan Rodan]]'s beak seem to look more like spiked protrusions jutting out of his jaws, while the previous incarnations were [[ToothyBird toothy birds.]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/IceAgeContinentalDrift'', there is a GiantEnemyCrab with this sort of mouth.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theme Parks]]
* [[spoiler:King Ghidorah]] in ''Ride/GodzillaVsEvangelionTheReal4D'' at [[Ride/UniversalStudios Universal Studios Japan]] is depicted with this trope, [[spoiler:his fangs blending into each of his jaws and mouths]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:VideoGames]]
* Nearly all Heartless from ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'', as well as some Nobodies have these. In particular, some Dream Eaters from ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance'' exhibit this, such as the [[DemBones Skelterwild and Fishbone]], who go for this look instead of having exposed teeth.
* The Dark Bats from VideoGame/SonicUnleashed.
* Various ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' enemies
* The dragons in the ''Franchise/{{Disgaea}}'' series have this sort of mouth, as do their more humanoid cousins, the Entei.
* ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'': The Brachydios and Gore Magala from ''[[VideoGame/MonsterHunter3Tri 3 Ultimate]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/MonsterHunter4 4]]'' both sport this sort of mouth. Closer inspection will reveal that they have proper teeth that are mostly obscured by the jagged edges.
* ''VideoGame/DoctorLautrecAndTheForgottenKnights'' has Treasure Animatis that sport these. mostly in their feral forms.
* Chillion From ''VideoGame/ZackAndWikiQuestForBarbarosTreasure''
* Water Glaboros from ''VideoGame/KirbysReturnToDreamland''
* A few ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' feature this sort of mouth, such as Swampert and Dusknoir.
* The LivingWeapon Soul Robber from VideoGame/TheNightmareBeforeChristmasOogiesRevenge has this mouth in most of its artwork.
* Kitsunoh of the VideoGame/CreateAPokemon project wears {{Cool Mask}}s with jagged, smiling mouths, befitting the design of a Ghost-type Pokemon.
* Flowey of ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' features a jagged mouth for some of his more ominous faces. The fact that you're seeing this on a tiny plant should hint at what kind of character Flowey ''really'' is.
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[[folder:Web Animation]]
* Shiromori from ''WebAnimation/MysterySkullsAnimated'' has serrated lips and shark-like teeth behind them.
* ''WebAnimation/TheGrosseryGang'':
** Egghead, being a [[EggFolk living egg]], has a mouth made up of a jagged line that is meant to be a crack in his shell.
** Surge, a living battery, has a jagged mouth to represent his [[ShockAndAwe electric abilities]].
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[[folder:Webcomics]]
* ''Webcomic/{{Unsounded}}'': Smoke eels are malevolent ghosts that manifest in the physical world by possessing and shaping particulate, like smoke, dust or blood, into the shape of an eel with a jagged mouth and glowing eyes.
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[[folder:WebOriginal]]
* ''WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall'' has the Entity [[spoiler:Missingno]] portrayed with this sort of mouth in Manga/TheElectricTaleOfPikachu title card.
* ''Webcomic/DeviantsOfArt'' has a few characters sporting this kind of mouth.
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[[folder:Web Video]]
* ''WebVideo/CriticalRole'': In Campaign 3, DM Creator/MatthewMercer describes the character of [[TheFairFolk Ira Wendagoth]], [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast The Nightmare King]] as having one of these, to go with his [[BlackEyesOfEvil dark eyed]], [[TheNoseless noseless]], HumanoidAbomination appearance.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Western Animation]]
* Bulkhead from ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated''.
* Turu the ''Pteranodon'' from ''WesternAnimation/JonnyQuest''.
* Starbox from ''WesternAnimation/Animaniacs2020''.
* Some of the Corrupted Gems from ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse''.
* Orthax from ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfVoxMachina'', also manifesting as a SlasherSmile on [[DemonicPossession Percy]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder: RealLife]]
* ''Dunkleosteus'' was a prehistoric armor-plated fish that had these in the form of sharpened extensions of the plates on it's face, having evolved before true teeth did.
[[/folder]]
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