->'''Michael Corleone:''' My father is no different than any powerful man, any man who's responsible for a lot of people, like a senator or a president.\\
'''Kay Adams:''' Do you know how naïve you sound, Michael? Presidents and senators don't have men killed!\\
'''Michael Corleone:''' Oh. Who's being naïve, Kay?
-->-- ''Film/TheGodfather''

''Nice wiki you got here, it'd be a real [[ShameIfSomethingHappened shame if something bad happened]] to it.''

''We represent all sorts of [[TotallyNotACriminalFront legitimate businesses]], from youth clubs to international interests, [[LampshadedDoubleEntendre if you know what I mean]].''

''What? You want in on TheCon? How do you know about that? Have you been comparing with TerrorismTropes or contrasting with CopsAndDetectives?''
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!!Tropes:
[[index]]
[floatboxright:
'''Media indexes:'''
* GangsterFiction
* HoodFilm

'''UsefulNotes:'''
* UsefulNotes/TheMafia (real life)
]
[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder: Criminal groups (by ethnic/national origin) ]]

* TheCartel: Latin American gangsters and mobsters, who are usually specialized in drug trafficking.
* {{Gangbangers}}: At least in the United States, these guys are often (though not always) depicted as being black or (mestizo) Hispanic[[note]](in other countries, just substitute them for any local ethnic group that is mostly concentrated in poor urban ghettos)[[/note]]. Unless they're {{white|Gangbangers}} (see below).
* GenericEthnicCrimeGang: Criminal groups tend to be mostly or entirely composed of people from the same ethnic background.
* TheIrishMob: Irish gangsters and mobsters.
* KosherNostra: Jewish gangsters and mobsters.
* LondonGangster: British gangsters and mobsters.
* TheMafia: Italian gangsters and mobsters.
* TheMafiya: Gangsters and mobsters from Russia (or other nations of the former Soviet Union).
* MetroSpecificUnderworld: Certain types of gangs tend to dominate the local underworld in particular geographic regions.
* RuthlessForeignGangsters: Newcomer immigrant criminals who are more fearsome than the preestablished local crooks.
* ThoseWackyNazis: Neo-Nazi skinheads and other [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain white supremacist]] prison/street gangs.
* TheTriadsAndTheTongs: Chinese gangsters and mobsters.
* WhiteGangBangers: Street gangsters of (non-Hispanic) white European descent, often depicted in contrast to {{gangbangers}} of color.
* {{Yakuza}}: Japanese gangsters and mobsters.
* TheYardies: English gangsters and mobsters.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Criminal groups (other types) ]]

* AllBikersAreHellsAngels: [[BadassBiker Biker gangs]] (or outlaw motorcycle clubs) are criminal groups whose [[CaptainObvious preferred mode of transportation are motorcycles]].
* BanditClan: A rural {{outlaw}} gang which specializes in robbing people traveling through remote areas of the countryside.
* CaperCrew: A gang of thieves who plan [[TheCaper complicated heists and robberies]].
* CriminalFoundFamily: When a gang of thugs and outlaws [[FamilyOfChoice treat each other like brothers]].
* TheFamilyForTheWholeFamily: [[HarmlessVillain Humorously]] [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain incompetent]] [[MinionWithAnFInEvil mobsters]].
* {{Gangbangers}}: Street gangs from poor urban neighborhoods, usually smaller than fully-fledged [[TheSyndicate crime syndicates]].
* GangOfHats: A criminal gang which has a gimmicky motif (like matching uniforms).
* HumanTraffickers: These criminals illegally smuggle live human beings (especially [[TheIllegal undocumented migrants]]); often selling them into [[MadeASlave forced labor]] or even [[SexSlave involuntary prostitution]].
* MurderInc: An entire gang of [[ProfessionalKiller hitmen]].
* NebulousCriminalConspiracy: An evil secret society that rules over the criminal underworld.
* NeighbourhoodFriendlyGangsters: Mobsters who at least try to come off as being [[AffablyEvil charmingly genial]] towards (non-criminal) people in their local communities.
* RuralGangsters: Criminal organizations from rural areas.
* RuthlessModernPirates: A gang of marauders who rob people traveling by sea, just like historical {{pirate}}s of the distant past. But as they live in modern times, they also tend to have connections to a more contemporary criminal underworld.
* TheSyndicate: A large and powerful criminal organization, definitely bigger and badder than any of the minor [[GangBangers street gangs]].
* ThievesGuild: When all illegal activity in a particular area is strictly controlled and regulated by a local criminal organization.
* TotallyNotACriminalFront: A criminal organization hides behind a [[PaperThinDisguise paper-thin]] business front.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Individual criminals (and other characters) ]]

* ArmsDealer: A {{black market}} merchant who sells illegally smuggled weapons to the criminal underworld.
* BanteringBaddieBuddies: A pair of hired guns engaging in witty banter while committing crimes.
* TheConsigliere: The Don's closest advisor and second-in-command.
* TheDon: A crime lord, gang leader, or mob boss. This man is the head honcho of any particular criminal organization.
* FriendInTheBlackMarket: Someone who has direct connections to the {{black market}}, whether as a merchant or deliveryman of illegal goods.
* FromCamouflageToCriminal: An ex-military veteran who became a professional criminal. Their combat training or wartime experiences tend to make them very deadly and effective for {{gang war}}fare.
* {{Gayngster}}: UsefulNotes/{{LGBT|Community}} gangsters and mobsters.
* TheInformant: A criminal who feeds confidential information about his accomplices' activities to [[CopsAndDetectives the]] [[TheCourtroomIndex authorities]].
* KingOfThieves: A crime lord who's so influential and powerful, that all other local crooks in the area are expected to submit to him.
* LoanShark: Mob-affiliated moneylenders who charge predatory loans to their clients. Failure to repay one's debts to them will likely result in a very painful punishment.
* MafiaPrincess: A mobster's daughter, niece, sister, wife or girlfriend; who's spoiled and pampered thanks to all the ill-gotten wealth she's been gifted with.
* TheMobBossIsScarier: A crime lord who's very well-feared by other criminals.
* MumblingBrando: A lot of mob bosses are parodies of Creator/MarlonBrando's portrayal of Vito Corleone from ''Film/TheGodfather''.
* ProfessionalKiller: Hired assassins, contract killers, or hitmen. These guys are often paid by the mob to eliminate specific people whom they really want dead.
* TheQueenpin: A [[DistaffCounterpart female]] mob boss.
* TheRat: A character whose criminal dealings make them a valuable source of information... for the right price.
* ShadyLadyOfTheNight: A prostitute who is hired to be an informant, a hitman, or to do criminal activites other than sex.
* TheStoolPigeon: A character who sells out their associates to the authorities.
* SuperMobBoss: A crime lord who's (physically) powerful enough to also be described as a {{supervillain}}.
* TattooedCrook: Many criminals have skin tattoos, which often display their membership in a particular gang.
* VenturousSmuggler: Someone who makes a living by covertly transporting various illegal goods for sale on the black market, such as drugs or weapons.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Other tropes ]]

* AssassinationAttempt: A specific individual (such as a high-ranking mobster) gets targeted for murder.
* BlackMarket: A term referring to various types of illegitimate underground businesses, in which criminals engage in the sale and trade of illegal products or services.
* CementShoes: A method of murder/body-disposal occasionally used by gangsters, in which a (live or dead) victim gets tied up with concrete so that they'll sink down to the bottom of water.
* CriminalConvention: A social gathering for gangsters or other criminals.
* DamnItFeelsGoodToBeAGangster: [[EvilFeelsGood Organized crime is fun and exciting]]!
* ExternalCombustion: Car bombs are occasionally used by gangsters to try and blow up their enemies into smithereens.
* FellOffTheBackOfATruck: A common excuse for explaining possession of illicit goods.
* GangInitiationFight: A gang requires its new recruits to prove themselves through physical combat.
* GanglandDriveBy: Gunmen riding in a motor vehicle pull up in front of their target to spray bullets at them.
* {{Gangsterland}}: Many major cities in the United States are stereotyped as [[WretchedHive crime-ridden, gang-infested hellholes]].
* HonorAmongThieves: Gangsters tend to expect loyalty from fellow members of their organization and are always ready to kill those suspected of being snitches or traitors.
* IllegalGamblingDen: An underground casino that is owned and operated by the mob.
* InLoveWithTheGangstersGirl: Falling in love with someone who's already dating a dangerous criminal.
* JustAGangster: A gangster or member of a criminal organization who resists attempts to go legit or have their organization do so.
* MobBossSuitFitting: An important person (e.g., a mob boss) continues conducting his business while being fitted for a suit.
* MobDebt: A sympathetic person(s) owes money to a criminal entity.
* MobWar: When violent armed conflict erupts between two or more rival criminal factions.
* NoHonorAmongThieves: On the other hand, being a gangster is an inherently dishonest profession, so you can't really expect their claims of honor and loyalty to really mean much.
* AnOfferYouCantRefuse: When the consequences of refusing are worse than just giving the villain what they want.
* OrganizedCrimeSidequest: Optional missions for the Mob in games outside the crime genre.
* PrisonRiot: Many (though not all) prison riots manifest in the form of rival inmate gangs fighting with each other.
* ProtectionRacket: A classic extortion method, in which gangsters force local businesses to pay money to "protect" them from thieves (i.e., the racketeers themselves).
* RealStitchesForFakeSnitches: When a criminal gets attacked after being [[FrameUp falsely accused]] of being a [[TheInformant dirty]] [[TheRat little]] [[TheStoolPigeon tattletale]].
* RiseAndFallGangsterArc: A story arc that depicts a gangster rising to, and then falling from, power.
* RobbingTheMobBank: A thief doesn't realize that the person they robbed is part of a criminal syndicate.
* ShameIfSomethingHappened: A villain subtly threatens a victim's loved ones or livelihood to get what they want.
* ThievesCant: Code words used by criminals whenever they discuss their business with each other.
* TotalitarianGangsterism: Life in a gang-controlled neighborhood is harsh and oppressive for law-abiding people who reside there.
* TrappedByGamblingDebts: If you bet too much money here, then expect bad consequences if you fail to give back however much is owed.
* {{Yubitsume}}: {{Yakuza}} members who dishonor themselves and/or their superiors are expected to [[{{fingore}} cut off one of their own fingers]] as punishment.
[[/index]]
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