[[EscapeFromNewYork http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/plissken.jpg]]

->You can't spell ''warrior'' without ''one I''.
->-- RiffTrax: StarTrek VI

Something covers one of the character's eyes. It might be an eyepatch, [[PeekABangs a particularly concealing haircut]], or a tilted {{Hachimaki}}. Whatever it is, it neatly conveys the fact that the wearer is either 1) an experienced combatant or 2) secretly a badass.

Perhaps both.

These characters rarely experience any problems with depth perception or suffer from the resulting reduced field of vision. In fact, sometimes the EyepatchOfPower covers a perfectly functional - or [[EvilEye specially-functional]] - eye instead of the empty hole one might suspect. This is sometimes a technique of {{Trickster}} types.

{{Pirate}}s often have eye patches, which is a separate thematic concept, but the overlap of badassery and piracy is significant enough to mention.

In TheFuture, rough and tumble outlaws will often have a single, obvious [[ArtificialLimbs cybernetic eye,]] which will give them some sort of special holdout ability or SuperSenses.

When the [[NorseMythology Norse god]] Odin traded an eye for a drink from Mimir's well of knowledge, he made this trope OlderThanDirt.

Related to BlindSeer - power gain through the loss of an eye is a repeating motif in literature.

See also: EvilEye, MaskPower, EyesAlwaysShut, and if you're masochistic, EyeScream. May result because ScarsAreForever.
----
!!Examples

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder: Anime ]]

* Kakashi in ''{{Naruto}}'' hides a [[EvilEye special eye]] behind his {{Hachimaki}}. [[spoiler: In fact, he had to ''switch out his old eye for it''...]]
**A recent chapter shows that [[spoiler: Danzo has it too]]. Given [[spoiler:what happened to the Uchihas because of him]], it makes you wonder how he got it.
*** He took it from [[spoiler: Shisui Uchiha]] who is best remembered for [[spoiler: being the guy who got killed so that Itachi could get the Mangekyo Sharingan]]
** In fact, there are a lot of minor ninja with eye patches/coverings including Kuromaru (who for the uninformed is ''[[http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/naruto/images/7/75/Kuromaru.jpg a dog]]'') and [[http://naruto.wikia.com/wiki/Tonbo_Tobitake Tonbo Tobitake]], who has a covering for ''both'' eyes. [[spoiler:The above revelation]] has started a [[MemeticMutation joke among the fandom]] that anyone who is covering their eye (doesn't even need to be with an eye patch; it can just be with [[PeekaBangs hair]]) they must be hiding a Sharingan. Humorously, just a couple chapters later a newly introduced character from the Mist village took off his eyepatch to reveal [[spoiler:not a Sharingan, but a ''Byakugan'']].
* Syaoran's Ultimate Eyepatch Of [[DarkerAndEdgier We're Edgy Now]] in TsubasaReservoirChronicle.
* Ginko of Mushishi is missing one eye, but the hole is usually covered by his hair.
* Kenpachi Zaraki from ''{{Bleach}}'' hides one (functioning) eye under an eyepatch made from a creature that eats his BattleAura, which allows him to fight at a lower power-level so as not to crush lesser opponents and ruin all the fun so quickly.
** Kenpachi's evil counterpart [[spoiler:5th Espada Nnoitra Jigura]] also has an eyepatch, which conceals [[spoiler:his Hollow hole and the remants of his mask]].
** Starrk's release gives him what's either an eyepatch or a scouter. When he does this, he goes from BrilliantButLazy to NotSoHarmless.
* Fuhrer King Bradley in the ''FullMetalAlchemist'' uses a patch [[spoiler: to hide his "Ultimate Eye", his left eye which holds his Ouroboros that gives him the foresight to see all possible outcomes of a given situation, allowing him to predict the moves of any opponent before they happen. His original eye rotted out when he was turned into a Homunculus.]]
* Lucia Nahashi from ''VenusVersusVirus'' wears an eyepatch in order to hide her glowing left eye.
* Jiyu Nanohana from ''{{Jubei-chan}}'' received a "Lovely Eyepatch" that turned her into a super swordswoman. Her [[TheRival Rival]] Freesia in the second season had a similar one.
* One episode in ''{{Yu-Gi-Oh GX}}'' featured Don Zaruug/Don Zaloog, a Duel Monster spirit wearing a gold eyepatch that allowed him to manifest in the physical world and bring his fellow "Dark Scorpion" gang members with him. Jim also has bandages constantly covering his magic eye.
* Thorkell of ''VinlandSaga'' has just recently come into possession of an eye patch after losing an eye in a battle. As if he wasn't BadAss enough already, if this trend continues he'll soon be wearing a longcoat regardless of how anachronistic that might be to the period.
* Ryomou from ''IkkiTousen'', a.k.a. ''Battle Vixens'', wears a medical bandage over her left eye. [[spoiler: it's eventually revealed that the eyepatch is there to help Seal Evil (a "dragon" berserker spirit) In A Can.]]
** Later when [[spoiler:Kakouton Genjou]] has an eye gouged out saving [[spoiler:Sousou]] from [[spoiler: Koushaji's fatal needles]] he starts sporting a rather spiffy patch with a skull and bones motif. This is a ShoutOut to and/or GenerationXerox of [[spoiler:his past incarnation Xiahou Dun]] of ''RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms'' fame, seen below under "RealLife".
* In ''{{Shura no Toki}}'', two characters use this trope. Takato keeps one eye closed while the legendary Yagyuu Juubei wears a tsuba (sword guard) over one eye. In both cases they have perfectly functional binocular vision but close one eye for the sake of "training". They instantly {{power up}} when they use both eyes.
* In ''BlackCat'', Sven Vollfied wears an eyepatch over his right eye, which has the ability to see a few seconds into the future. If he uses it extensively, it can cause extreme exhaution. He has the eye from [[spoiler:his old partner Lloyd who had these powers of seeing the future. Foreseeing Sven's death, Lloyd went to intervene and was consequently killed himself. Sven lost an eye in the process but was given a transplant from Lloyd who had registered as an organ donor not long before.]]
* Itsuki Iba of ''RentalMagica'' always wears an eyepatch, though even with it, he still feels a bit of pain when he's around too much magical pollution.
* ''{{Trigun}}'''s Dominique the Cyclops has what she calls the Demon Eye. Hidden by a metal shutter over her right eye, the fake eye can temporarily put all who are near in a trance for a few moments.
* Lavi from ''[[DGrayMan D.Gray-Man]]'' wears an eye patch over his right eye. Under it he hides a secret "only known to Bookmen". Nobody know what it is. Yet. [[SeriesHiatus And God knows how long til we find out]].
* In ''ShuraNoToki'', the main character Yamato keeps one eye closed as a self-inflicted handicap. So does his son.
* Cinque of ''MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha''. She once fought against an [[RankInflation S-Rank mage]]. [[{{Redwall}} She lost her eye, he lost his life. ]]
* Irvine from ''[[{{Zoids}} Zoids: Chaotic Century]]''. Though his eyes are completely normal, the eyepatch he wears effectively functions as combination camera, camcorder, and binoculars.
*Somewhat subverted by Dragon Shiryu in ''SaintSeiya''. [[spoiler: Shiryu either blinds himself or loses his eyesight in the peak moments of his fights, then emerges much more powerful.]]
** [[spoiler: His companion Cygnus Hyoga]] wears a more traditional one.
* Barasuishou of ''RozenMaiden Traumend'' wears a flowery eyepatch over her left eye, acting as a seal over her emotions. [[spoiler:Kirakishou, the doll she was based on, appears to have an identical one over her right eye, but it was revealed to be an actual rose growing from the socket.]]
* Akito from ''AirGear'''s eyepatch acts as an indicator as to which half of his SplitPersonality is in charge: if over the right eye, sweet and innocent Akito is in control. Over the left eye, violent and brash Agito takes over. Without the eyepatch, Agito ''still'' has control, but with more power.
* Hellsing has two examples, the first being the mercenary Pip Bernadotte and the second being Integra after her eye was damaged in the final battle.
* An odd and extremely {{narm}} version of this is combined with MaskPower in ''DragonautTheResonance''. When Kazuki, the RivalTurnedEvil, returns from a NoOneCouldSurviveThat moment, he's wearing an eyepatch...as a mask. It makes it look like he has a thong on his head.
* Makiko Nagi of ''TenjhoTenge'' wears one, and it covers a pretty freaky scar. She got it [[spoiler: after her lover decided to try creating an ultimate weapon out of someone else and removed the eye in question in order to give his new experimentee the abilities she'd already absorbed from other people.]]
* Nice Holystone of ''[[{{Baccano}} Baccano!]]'', who conceals a small but functional ''bomb'' within the empty eye socket covered by her eyepatch.
* Saito from ''GhostInTheShell'' has a cybernetic implant that resembles an eyepatch. His left eye was replaced with the "Hawkeye", a prosthetic eye that interfaces with satellites to allow for shots of incredible accuracy.
* Kind of subverted in ''{{Gundam 00}}'' as the while the eyepatch Lockon Stratos receives later in the series does make him look more badass (if this is even possible for [[StupidSexyFlanders stupid, sexy Lockon]]), [[spoiler: it gives Ali an advantage in the final fight causing Lockon to lose their fight and ''die''.]]
* Bel Peol, a leader of the villain group Bal Masque from ''ShakuganNoShana'', actually has three eyes, but her normal right eye is covered by an eyepatch. This only makes her look even more badass.
* Lelouch Lamperouge of CodeGeass has a variation in the second season of the show, as now that his geass in his eye is on ModeLock, he has to wear a special contact lens over it to hide that power in civilian life.
** A (slightly) more straight example can be found in Knight Of One Bismarck Waldstein, who has his left eye sewn shut. [[spoiler:This is to seal his always-on Geass, which allows him to predict an opponent's movement]].
** When Jeremiah Gottwald opens his left eye, he can nullify any Geass power. Being a badass already, it made it easy for him to deal with Rolo and Lelouch when they were unable to use their Geass on him.
* Senri from ''[[PlusAnima +Anima]] uses an eyepatch to control his +anima form.
* Gantai from ''KoiKoi7'' has one to conceal her mechanical eye. Fitting to the trope, she's incredibly dangerous when she goes berserk.
* Eyepatches and concealing hairdos abound in LeijiMatsumoto's works (Harlock, Emeraldas, Star Blazers).
* ''NeonGenesisEvangelion'' goes this route with bandages. Rei starts the series with an eyepatch, Asuka ends the movie with one (given that she's skinny, likes to wear red, and German, she should look for work in the next Matsumoto movie).
* In ''TheDaughterOfTwentyFaces'', [[spoiler:Ken gets one after losing an eye and turns DarkerAndEdgier as a result]].
* Natose, one of the more powerful characters in ''TheyAreMyNobleMasters'' (which is saying something), has an eye patch which is a direct reference to her tragical past.
* Mio Sakamoto of ''{{Strike Witches}}'' wears a patch over her right (magical) eye. It allows her to see the cores of Neuroi.
* [[CoolOldGuy Retsudou]] from ''LoneWolfAndCub'' got his after the hero tried to kill him by means of an arrow through the eye. It didn't work.
* Ciel Phantomhive of ''{{Kuroshitsuji}}'' has one to hide his EvilEye pentagram; the sign of his DealWithTheDevil contract.
* [[spoiler: André Grandier]] from ''RoseOfVersailles'' has one [[spoiler: after losing his left eye rather messily]].
* Chigusa Tsukikage from ''GlassMask'' uses her [[GoodHairEvilHair long and messy black hair]] to cover the scars on her face after a terrible on-stage accident.
* In MÄR, the Chess Piece Candice has one of these ''in addition'' to a [[MaskPower mask]]. The eyepatch conceals a magic stone instead of an empty socket, which she uses as a Dimension Ärm.
* Shirow Watari from ''RahXephon'' has one. Fitting for the commander of a small army.
* [[SamuraiGun "I...am Samurai Gun."]] Or as they say in the GagDub DVD extra: "I...have only one eye."
* ''OnePiece'', a manga about ''pirates'', has to date '''averted''' this trope over a length of over 550 chapters. WordOfGod is that the Eyepatch Of Power is being saved for someone special.
** In a straight, but less literal, example of this trope, [[ChefOfIron Sanji's]] left eye is perpetually covered by his hair.
* BigO: [[BattleButler Norman]] has one, along with a BadassMustache.
* The Genbu Seishi Hikitsu from ''[[FushigiYuugi Fushigi Yuugi: Genbu Kaiden]]'' wears an eyepatch over his right eye, which he calls "Shikyokan". It forces the person looking into it to remember their worst memories, and lets him see these as well.
* In the {{Berserk}} [[WhatCouldHaveBeen prototype story]], Guts has an eyepatch. He gives it away as a souvenir at the end.
* For some unexplained reason in {{Bludgeoning Angel Dokuro-chan}} her younger but older looking sister Zakuro wears an eye patch.
* Moritsugu Reiji's Machina Verdant in ''LinebarrelsOfIron'' has one eye destroyed, odd considering that like other machina it can heal given time, and Kouichi actually does try to use to use this to his advantage imagine his shock when [[spoiler: Verdant suddenly heals its right eye after he took notice of the blind spot, Reiji goes on to state that verdant deliberately left the eye permanently damaged as a means of testing opponents]]
*In UminekoNoNakuKoroNi, Siesta 00, the commander of the Siestas (bunny-girl soldiers), has one of these.
* Lord Darcia III from ''WolfsRain'': He uses a patch on his left side to hide his gold-colored wolf's eye. While its appearance in itself isn't anything special or useful, it's the result of a family curse and [[spoiler:being descended from wolves]].
* ''{{Gintama}}'' has Kyuubei (based on Yagyu Jubei in the Real Life examples below) and Takasugi.
* Elder Kaede from ''Inuyasha'' wears one because she lost her eye during an attack of demons when she was a little girl.
*In 11Eyes protagonist Kakeru has a [[EyesOfGold blind right eye]], covered by an an overly large eyepatch, which grants him the power of precognition.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Comic Books ]]

* Cyclops from the Comicbook/{{X-Men}} has a Visor of Power to keep his uncontrollable [[EyeBeams mutant ability]] in check.
* NickFury, Agent of SHIELD, in the MarvelUniverse. He started as the hard-charging Sgt. Fury during WWII.
* ''The Phoney Pages'', a 1980s-vintage parody "history" of comic books, included the "cover" of an issue of "Brooke Shields, Agent of F.U.R.Y.", which depicted the title character with ''two'' eyepatches - one on each eye.
* ''Pete Wisdom'' wore an eyepatch, but later revealed that he has full functionality in both eyes and did it just so he could pick up chicks.
* Wolverine wore an eyepatch for a short time - and went by the name Patch - as a disguise.
* Avoided in the funny pages: Beetle Bailey and his nephew Chip Flagston (from ''Beetle Bailey'' and ''Hi & Lois'', respectively) have their eyes covered by various hats and hair (again respectively). Avoided as neither are [[{{Badass}} badass]], and Beetle is even specifically incompetent. And let's not forget Andy Capp, a cheerful layabout whose eyes are always obscured by his near-namesake cloth cap.
* Jolly Roger of ''TheInvisibles'' is an anarchist with a pirate-themed alter-ego and has a closely-shaved head and an eyepatch. Also, she's a lesbian.
* One-Eye of ''ElfQuest'' has a very prominent eyepatch, having lost an eye to humans. In the novelization Leetah offers to heal it, but finds that there's nothing left of the missing eye to heal. In any event his missing eye turns out to be a liability [[spoiler:because when the elves and trolls are fighting he can't see a troll sneaking up on his blind side and is killed]].
* The badass assassin [[TeenTitans Deathstroke]] from TheDCU wears an eyepatch over his missing eye; his mask is split into two colors, with featureless black over his missing eye. In addition, his daughter wears an eyepatch after taking out her own eye in order to prove herself to him.
** Deathstroke's missing eye is even more Badass when you consider he lost it when his wife, standing right behind him, tried to shoot him in the back of the head. He heard her cock the gun and dodged. Well mostly. Also keep in mind that his wife was the one who initially trained him as a Special Forces operative, so she knew how to kill someone.
* In the Top Cow comic ''Just A Pilgram'', by Garth Ennis, we are introduced to two Eyepatch Badasses. The pilgram does not have an eyepatch as such, but he did burn out one of his own eyes, leaving a cross-shaped scar across his face. He seems to be the baddest dude on the planet. Till he meets the pirate king, who has TWO eyepatches, TWO hooks for hands, and TWO peglegs. "This be MY killing floor, mate!"
* Jesse Custer, the BadAss star of ''{{Preacher}}'', acquires an eyepatch towards the end of the series, after his eye is ''bitten out by [[GodIsEvil God]]''.
* ''YTheLastMan'': Rose Copen is not only an eye-patched modern pirate [[spoiler:though she turns out to be working for the Australian navy]] she also manages to explode a depth charge by hitting the primer with a single bullet from an AK47. When asked how she managed this with no depth perception the deafened Rose can only reply: "WHAT?"
*In ''Comicbook/SonicTheHedgehog'', the {{mirror universe}} version of Antoine wears one. When Evil Sonic decides to get rid of him by swapping him for the good version, he makes fun of Evil Antoine for only wearing an eyepatch to look cool. Later, when Evil Sonic becomes Scourge, and king of the mirror universe, he becomes determined to make all the evil counterparts more unique than just mirror versions, including actually cutting out Antoine's eye.
* Averted by ''The Goon'', who lost the sight in one eye after getting [[spoiler: clawed in the face by a dragon]]. He just pulls his hat down over his eyes.
* Future incarnations of Raphael, from the ''TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'' invariably have this.
* Female Examples - Callisto and [[http://www.angelophile.co.uk/pictures/max0021.jpg this]] AU zombie!pirate version of Emma Frost.
* Tallulah Black from ''JonahHex''.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Film ]]

* Rooster Cogburn, John Wayne's anti-hero from ''TrueGrit''.
* Snake Plissken (pictured above) of ''EscapeFromNewYork'' and ''Escape From LA'' fame. Captain Ron... not so much.
* Angelina Jolie's character in ''SkyCaptainAndTheWorldOfTomorrow'' (2004).
** All the more so, because she's a ''pilot''.
* Benedict, the BigBad in ''LastActionHero'', has a collection of unique glass eyes, most of which have special functions, like explosives.
* General Chang in ''{{Star Trek VI}}: The Undiscovered Country'' doesn't ''wear'' an eyepatch -- he's such a badass that he actually has a metal plate riveted to his face.
** In homage or (more likely, given the tone of the film) parody of the above, BigBad Sarris from ''Galaxy Quest'' has a metal plate bolted over his damaged right eye after surviving having his ship blown up by ''atomic mines''. He's a sadistic bastard, but that's pretty badass.
* Dilios, the sole survivor in the film ''[[ThreeHundred 300]]''. By definition (given his peers) a badass, he is perhaps more so because, with his one eye and his talent for storytelling, he is ordered to do the hard thing (for a Spartan): escape and live, to tell their story.
* Towards the end of the third ''PiratesOfTheCaribbean'' movie, Ragetti (a PluckyComicRelief character) gives up his wooden eye for an eyepatch since it turned out [[spoiler:his wooden eye was one of the pieces of eight of the Pirate Lords]]. He doesn't really become more badass, but it does mark a shift into a more serious tone of the film.
* Dr. Serizawa, the man who killed ''{{Godzilla}}''.
* Number Two from the first ''AustinPowers'' film neatly takes the second version: hidden in his eyepatch is a sight-enhancing camera, allowing him to cheat at blackjack.
* DarkActionGirl and EvilCounterpart of the protagonist, Elle Driver from ''KillBill'' has one due to getting her eye plucked out by HermitGuru Pai Mei prior to the the film. Tarantino got the idea from a '70s exploitation film ([[AuthorAppeal no surprise there]]) called ''They Call Her One-Eye'', about an eyepatch-wearing prostitute going on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge. Unfortunately for Driver, getting her remaining eye plucked out makes her defenseless.
** Unless there's a sequel where she's learned to fight completely blind, which would make her both a ''HandicappedBadass'' and a ''Disabled Hottie''.
* Captain Typho, who replaces Captain Panaka in between Episodes One and Two of the ''StarWars'' prequels as the head of Amidala's guard. The two captains look very similar besides the eyepatch, causing some viewers to mistake Typho for Panaka with battle damage.
* In ''Pagemaster'', Adventure (Patrick Stewart) looks like a pirate, complete with eyepatch. There's nothing wrong with the eye under it - so when he needs to get a better look at something he just lifts it up.
* Emilio Largo in ''{{Thunderball}}''. It helps that he's one of the most charismatic Bond villains ever.
* The main badass in ''Gangs of New York'' cut out his own eye because he once flinched from the protagonist's father.
* The aptly named Kid Blink from ''{{Newsies}}''.
* In ''The Mummy Returns'', the character Izzy is first seen wearing an eyepatch. Subverted when he openly admits that he wears it to look good; Rick pulls it off afterwards.
* [[ActionGirl Major Eden Sinclair]] in ''{{Doomsday}}''. She also has a fake eye, but half the time it's being bounced around and used as a spy camera.
* "Big" Dan Teague from ''[[OBrotherWhereArtThou O Brother, Where Art Thou?]]'' wears an eyepatch when he is introduced and a one-eyed Ku Klux Klan hood later. This is a ShoutOut to the Cyclops and the Greek mythology underpinning the story.
* Inspector Kemp from ''YoungFrankenstein'' sports one of these, along with wooden arm (either the left or the right depending on context and [[RuleOfFunny funniness]]) and monocle (on the same eye as the eyepatch).
* Many of the publicity photos and posters for the {{Terminator}} movies show Arnie with one human-like eye and one glowing red machine eye, showing the bad-assedness of having one normal eye and one weird high-tech eye.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Literature ]]

* Lampshaded with jollity in Garth Nix's ''KeystotheKingdom'' series, in which Arthur encounters a band of savage looking sailors. When it's revealed that their appearances are all for show, one of them insists that he can not only have one but two eyepatches, if one-way leather is used.
*Professor Mad Eye Moody in the ''HarryPotter'' books has a magical glass eye.
*Mr. Teatime in the {{Discworld}} novel ''Hogfather'' is a sociopathic and highly-skilled assassin with one good eye. Many characters in the book think his glass eye (which is blank, and rumored to be made from the same glass used for crystal balls) isn't nearly as scary as his good eye (which has an unnervingly narrow pupil). Of course, considering that Discworld magic is more than a little unstable, it proves how insane he is if he ''put a magic prosthetic in his eye socket''.
** Nevertheless, in ''Night Watch'' Vimes has to act briefly as his one-eyed mentor John Keel. He is no more badass than he normally is, which is still pretty damn badass.
* ''ForgottenRealms'' antagonist/antihero [[http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Jarlaxle Jarlaxle]] has two good eyes, but sports a magical eyepatch with powers including including x-ray vision and protection against psionics, depending on which eye the patch covers. Jarlaxle [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking leads]] a prestigious mercenary company and is something of a MagnificentBastard, glorying in chaos and favored by the drow's evil spider goddess.
* Titular character Hawk of Simon R. Green's ''HawkAndFisher'' fantasy-mystery series has an eyepatch over one eye, as well as several scars along his face. Unusually enough, he does have depth perception problems, at least to the point where he prefers to fight with a short-handled axe rather than a sword. He's almost over-the-top in levels of 'experienced badass combatant', though, even with this handicap. How Hawk lost his eye is [[spoiler: revealed in ''Beyond the Blue Moon'', which confirms that Hawk is Prince Rupert from Blue Moon Rising where he lost the eye in battle against a {{Big Bad}}.]]
* Honor Harrington wore an eyepatch in one book after her left eye was damaged, before she had it replaced with a cybernetic eye (with telescopic vision). Later, she also acquired a synthetic arm.
* Captain William Fredrickson from the ''Sharpe'' series is missing an eye (and his two front teeth). When he enters combat, he removes his eyepatch and false teeth to frighten the enemy.
* Euron Greyjoy from ''ASongOfIceAndFire''. Called the Crow's Eye, Euron is a vicious MagnificentBastard with serious issues. His brother [[KnightTemplar Aeron]], describes Euron's uncovered eye as his "smiling eye" and makes vague, fearful references to [[EvilEye what he hides beneath the patch]].
* Corum in MichaelMoorcock's novels is given the Eye of the missing god Rhynn to replace his lost eye. This allows him to see into - and summon the assistance of creatures from - other realms whenever he raises his jeweled eyepatch. Later on he has to give (the no-longer missing) Rhynn his eye back, and thereafter wears a conventional eyepatch.
* About half the men in the ''WheelOfTime'' series manage to lose an eye in some way or another, but the binocular vision of the women remains perfectly intact.
* [[{{Neuromancer}} Molly/Sally's]] lens-covered eyes may count as both ScaryShinyGlasses "and" a dual {{Eyepatch of Power}} in William Gibson's books. Not only are they the cherries on her {{Badass}} sundae, they're also functional enhancements.
*The Divine Fratery of Dan Abnett's novel ''Ravenor Returned'' are an organization that dedicates their efforts to ruining the Imperium by scrying out possible futures and working to manifest the ones that would do the most harm. In order to become a full member, the supplicant must put out one of their own eyes and receive no medical treatment for any reason until they have completed fashioning the silver mirror they will use to divine the future. Constructing the mirror can take years. Those who are successful are given an augmetic eye to replace the one they sacrificed, and henceforth hide their remaining real eye behind an eye patch when not actively scrying.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

* ''{{Mythbusters}}'' did a segment exploring the possibility that a person with two good eyes might wear an eyepatch over one so as to be able to move from a well-lit area into a darkened room and function without having to wait for both eyes to adjust to the lower light, as the covered eye would already be dark-acclimated. Their tests showed that switching an eyepatch from one eye to the other in a darkened room made navigating an obstacle course significantly easier.
** This is because the pigments in the eye are depleted by light and take time to replenish. It takes about 30 minutes for the pigment in the rods (black and white vision, also more sensitive to light) to fully replenish and about six minutes for the cones (color vision).
** It should also be noted that this test was done specifically with respect to pirates, as the myth/theory suggests that many of them wore eye-patches to easily adjust to the dark conditions below deck on a sailing vessel, as opposed to having actually lost an eye.
* Saul Tigh, as of S3 of ''BattlestarGalactica''. He's always been somewhat of a PoisonousFriend, almost a MagnificentBastard, but perhaps not coincidentally, he becomes a significantly more formidable character at more or less the exact same point at which he loses his eye. In what may count as a subversion, Tigh forgoes a classic black eyepatch for a distinctly more medical flesh-colored patch with transparent cords. He also spends several episodes beforehand with a very uncool chunk of gauze taped to his face.
* Subverted in ''FlightOfTheConchords'': David Bowie appears to Bret in a dream and tells him that he'd become more famous as a musician if he started wearing an eyepatch. Bret wears one for a while but stops after he complains about his poor depth perception causing him to miss chairs and run into walls.
* In the same way goatees are commonly used to depict [[EvilTwin evil]] AlternateUniverse versions of characters in parodies (after Spock grew one in the ''StarTrek'' episode "Mirror Mirror"), eyepatches are used for the same purpose, because the evil version of the Brigadier wore one in the ''DoctorWho'' serial "Inferno". And as we all know, [[EvilIsCool Evil is Bad Ass]], therefore, this counts as a variation on this trope.
** Ironically, unlike the "real" one, the alternate-Brigadier ''didn't'' have a mustache.
*** He was however a cowardly fascist thug, so I guess losing an eye didn't make him BadAss enough.
** ''TheMiddleman'' also uses this, probably in a ShoutOut in "The Palindrome Reversal Palindrome." In the alternate universe, the one sporting the EyepatchOfPower is the alt!Middleman himself. He's a BadassBiker to boot, but still a good guy.
* Mikhail from ''{{Lost}}''. The man survived many injuries (such a sonic fence-induced brain hemorrhage and being shot in the chest with a harpoon) relatively unscathed. It took the WordOfGod to convince fans that he ''could'' die.
* General Martok, of ''[[StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'', was already badass as a Klingon. Add to that the removal of his eye, the scar tissue that covered up the socket in a ''natural'' eye patch, and his becomming the winningest Klingon commander of the war and eventually the new Chancellor, and you have a true badass.
** And on top of all that, in the ExpandedUniverse he becomes the ''Klingon King Arthur''!
* Humorously subverted in the Ferengi episode of ''StarTrekVoyager''. While Paris and Chakotay visit an alien planet, they're approached by a 'prophet' (read: con-man) who gives interpretations of sacred legends for a 'small fee'. This all works very well (though neither of them are actually fooled), until Paris dryly points out that his EyepatchOfPower was on the ''other'' eye the last time they spoke with him. Said con-man then switches the patch to the 'correct' eye right in front of them, and holds out his hand for payment.
* Lily Charles of ''PushingDaisies'' is missing an eye due to an incident while cleaning cat litter and is definitely bad-ass, [[spoiler:blowing her erstwhile assassin out the window with her shotgun after he thought her choked to death.]] Her lack of an eye is dealt with realistically, if a bit comedically, in that she [[FailedASpotCheck misses the fact]] that Chuck, her niece[[spoiler:/daughter]], is back from the dead despite Chuck standing right in front of her. You see, Chuck just happened to be in her blind-spot at the time...
* Travis in ''BlakesSeven'' has a skinlike eye patch. Plus a laser-firing artificial arm.
* "Archangel" loses one eye after the Evil Dr. Moffett's attack on the control tower in the pilot of ''{{Airwolf}}''. From then on, he wears glasses with [[http://awmod.uni.cc/info/Archangel.jpg one black lens]], as well as a white eyepatch on occasions he can't wear the glasses.
* In the pilot for ''{{Firefly}}'', [[spoiler: Lawrence Dobson gets his eye shot out by Mal. Though he survives, he harbors a massive grudge in the tie-in comic ''Those Left Behind'', and, as a nifty bonus, he gets a ''seriously'' mean-looking cybernetic eye implant grafted onto the side of his head.]] This goes hand-in-hand with his boosted [[BadAss badassness]] by that point.
* Subverted in the Disney series ''WizardsOfWaverlyPlace'' during the ''HarryPotter'' spoof school for magic (where everyone must wear a bathrobe over their clothes and a pair of glasses just like Harry's to accessories the bathrobes) the rude upperclassman who acts as Justin's rival wears an Eyepatch over a functioning eye, not to make himself better but just to get out of wearing the dorky glasses.
* [[{{Babylon5}} G'Kar]] was badass even before losing the eye, but gets downright messianic afterwards. Also, his eye was part of a prophecy involving Londo - [[spoiler: "saving the eye that does not see" is one of three actions that would save Londo from bad, bad things. He doesn't. [[GrandTheftMe Then the Drakh put a Keeper on him]].]]
* [[spoiler: Xander]] from ''{{Buffy the Vampire Slayer}}'' got considerably more {{Bad Ass}} after [[spoiler: Caleb takes out his eye during Season 7]].
* In the ''SpinCity'' episode "Grand Illusion", bumbling press secretary Paul Lassiter (Richard Kind) is forced to wear an eyepatch for several days because of an accident with his new toaster. Almost immediately, it starts taking effect: Women start finding him attractive, he's able to hold his own with the people who insult him, he makes sure the press have no questions at all, and is even able to order his boss around a little. At the end of the episode, he decides he doesn't need the eyepatch in order to be confident, and pitches it. Needless to say, it doesn't go as planned, and he ends up trying to find it again.
* The [[MagnificentBastard magnificent]] Catalina Craal from ''Cuna de Lobos'', EvilMatriarch who uses her eyepatch to inflict guilt over her [[TheUnfavourite unfavourite son]] for the acident who leave her blind on that eye. She also overdoes every {{telenovela}} villan ever. Her eyepatch is so vital to her that [[spoiler:the first murder we see she does, in the very first chapter, is her husband's, because he discovered that the eye under that patch is ''healthy'', and he wanted to uncover the truth]].
* Richard "Yin Yang Man" Branden on ''WMACMasters'' wore an eye patch with a yin yang symbol on it however his is legitimately blind in that eye and sometimes during exhibitions he would actually use a glass eye with the symbol on it instead.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Music ]]

* The music video for TheyMightBeGiants' song ''Hollywood House of Blues'' involves an innovative alternative rock band called The Lads, whose lead singer wears an eyepatch. The eyepatch is also key to the greater success of Lads rip-off band The Blokes.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Mythology ]]

* Odin, the chief god in ''NorseMythology'', is said to have plucked out an eye to gain wisdom from a magic well. (see BlindSeer) The theme of personal sacrifice to gain knowledge is actually a recurring thing for him.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Tabletop Games ]]

* In ''{{Deadlands}}'', one of the canon {{NPC}}s is a [[BadassNormal grizzled veteran of a dozen wars and conflicts with the supernatural]] who sports just such an eyepatch. The story goes like this: Hank Ketchum was laying in the surgeon's tent at the Battle of Gettysburg when his surgeon-to-be snapped. He had already lopped body parts off of a few other men before gouging out Ketchum's eye with a scalpel. What did the gruff Texan do? He ''chased the surgeon away'', presumably with violence real and threatened. And that's why they call him One-Eye.
** Based off the John Wayne character Rooster Cogburn (see Movies above.)
* There's a magic item in one ''DungeonsAndDragons'' sourcebook called the Corsair's Eyepatch, which is transparent to the wearer so as not to impede vision. Depending on which eye it's worn over, the wearer can activate it to See Invisible, or gain the Blind Fight feat.
** And don't forget the Eye of Vecna. A cursed relic of an infamous arch-mage that requires the user to put out one of their own eyes and place the Eye of Vecna in the empty socket.
* Commissar Yarrick of ''[[{{Warhammer40000}} Warhammer 40,000]]'' replaced a missing eye with a bionic implant that could fire a laser in order to live up to ork stories that he could kill with a glance. An assortment of other characters in the setting, human and otherwise have bionic implants, though most of them lack the laser.
** [[strike:High Admiral]] 'Lord Prince' Yriel (self-styled) also has eye implant. Rather more powerful than Yarrick's.
*** Known as the Eye of Wrath... kinda says it all really. Helps that he's also a BadAss Eldar Space Pirate.
*** His superiors wisely restored his High Admiral status after his BigDamnHeroes moment during the battle for Iyanden when he was able to drive off Hive Fleet Kraken.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]

* Kano from ''MortalKombat'' had a red cyber-eye in a metal plate. Ironically, he's a bit of a jobber.
* Sagat from ''StreetFighter'' has an eyepatch, and embodies this trope to an extent.
* Zasalamel from ''Soul Calibur" 3 has a golden left eye, which is rumored to contain his immortal soul.
* From ''KingdomHearts II'', Xigbar, of [[QuirkyMinibossSquad Organization XIII]], plays this trope to the hilt. Not only does he have an eyepatch, but several [[GoodScarsEvilScars scars running across his face.]] Of all the Organization, he carries himself most like a seasoned warrior. At one point, he even hints to Sora that he has fought and defeated several Keyblade Masters before him. Except for [[NietzscheWannabe Xemnas]] and [[AntiVillain Roxas]], that's probably the closest any member of the Organization gets to having an actual backstory.
**No, he doesn't. All he mentions is other Keyblade Masters existing. And those that he met or knows of is most certainly Aqua, Terra, and Ven, who very likely weren't taken down by Braig (Xigbar's original self).
* Subversion: when Naked Snake of ''MetalGearSolid 3'' gets his eye shot out and is rewarded with an eyepatch, he has quite a touching scene in which he attempts to catch a moth, but fails because of his poor depth perception. The lead female expresses pity, but he shrugs it off. The first person view for the player goes a bit funny, too - the lost eye was his dominant one, so that's what he habitually aligns his gunsights to.
** Later in the game, however, he is wiring a base up with plastic explosive. He moulds it into the shape of a moth, throws it up into the air, and catches it - "Got you this time," he tells it, then attaches it to the detonator.
*** Which was the basis for a hilarious "outtake" where he attaches it too hard and makes the whole thing go off early.
** Strangely, in a later scene, the player needs to fire an RPG with his standard pinpoint accuracy - which normally would be fine, except the sight is on the right side and cannot be moved. Guess which side his eyepatch is on. And the kicker? You can still see down the sight of the RPG in First-Person View.
** One of his sons, later in the series's chronology, is actually happy to lose his eye in a plane crash - now he looks like his father. However, this is subverted, as an easy way to defeat him in the final boss battle is to approach him from the side of his missing eye, where he has a small blind spot.
** In the final game of the series, the surviving son has an advanced monocular display mounted in an eyepatch. Combat advantage? Definitely. Looks cool? Possibly enough to balance out the Dick Van Dyke moustache. In any case, it makes him look exactly like his father.
*** Not exactly. [[spoiler: as shown in the mid-credits ending, Big Boss has the eyepatch on the other eye. In addition, Solid Snake actually loses the bitchin' eyepatch when it ''explodes''. On his ''eye''. Thankfully, no loss of vision.]]
* Illidan Stormrage, an AntiHero''/''WellIntentionedExtremist''/''BigBad from the ''{{Warcraft}}'' universe, has ''no'' eyes - a blindfold covers both the burned-out sockets where they were seared away. Nonetheless, he has magical vision that is actually superior to the naked eye, is quite happy with his new ability (despite its hideous adjustment to his appearance), and even appears to have a sense of humor about it - one of his default responses in the campaign is "I'm blind, not deaf."
** He also states in the opening cutscene of ''The Frozen Throne'', "Now my blind eyes see what other cannot!".
** It is revealed in [[AllThereInTheManual extra material]] that the other demon hunters, seeking to emulate Illidan's life, ritualically bind a demon's soul into a knife and slice their eyes out with it to gain a magic-o-vision like him. Ouch.
** In ''World of Warcraft'', one of the items on Illidan's loot table is his blindfold, and there are also several eye-patch items that can be found in the game, the Eye of Rend being one of the oldest examples.
** Similiarly in the novels, the Highborne Lord Xavius traded his eyes for magic crystals which can see magical energies and other things normal eyes can't.
** In early ''WorldOfWarcraft'' one of the most potent pieces of leather armor was an eyepatch, which rather counter intuitively increased your [[CriticalHit critical strike]] chance. Eyepatches still show up occasionally, where they provide just as much armor as a full helm of the same type.
* Jerec from ''Star Wars:Jedi Knight:Dark Forces 2'' is much the same. No eyes, but he's such a strong dark Jedi that this doesn't slow him down at all. The Extended Universe has him as being of the Miraluka species; his eyes, therefore, are present, but atrophied like others of his species, who see using the Force.
* Garrett of the ''{{Thief}}'' series of [[StealthBasedGame stealth-based video games]] had his eye yanked out of his head during the events of the first installment, and had it replaced with a mechanical one that allows him to telescope his vision. While more of an extraordinarily skilled DeadpanSnarker than an out-and-out badass, he's still not someone you'd ever want to mess with.
* Since the Yagyu Jubei from the ''SamuraiShodown'' games is supposed to be the one from real life, he wears an eyepatch. Notable for him and Sagat earlier ... the nature of the graphics means the patch switches from one eye to the other when the character changes which way he's facing.
* Sion from ''TreasureOfTheRudras'' not only has an EyepatchOfPower but said eyepatch hides the CosmicKeystone that got embedded in his eye after a battle against [[spoiler:Surt]]
* Zato-1 from ''GuiltyGear'' is blind and blindfolded (his name is a homage to BlindSwordsman Zatoichi). He's supposedly able to access better senses than with his eyes, which probably means that his shadow, the sentient bioweapon Eddie, sees for him. He ''is'' reasonably {{Badass}}...[[spoiler:for a dead guy (though Eddie's also pretty badass itself]].
* Georg Prime in ''SuikodenV'' wears an eyepatch over his left eye. Even with the handicap, he's considered the greatest swordsman around, with a reputation for defeating all foes with his first attack. He eventually tells the main character that in his youth, he was careless in a battle and was slashed in the face, only surviving because the main character's father rescued him. [[spoiler:Still later, he reveals that the slash actually missed his eye, and that he wears the eyepatch as a reminder not to get too #####. At that point he discards the eyepatch, deciding he doesn't need it anymore.]]
** Geddoe from ''SuikodenIII'' also wears one of these.
* James "Paladin" Taggart is depicted with an eyepatch in ''Super Wing Commander'', though in the other WingCommander games featuring the character, he has the use of both eyes. He gains no special powers or abilities from missing an eye (indeed, as an AI wingman he is somewhat mediocre, even compared to other AI wingmen), but he is an experienced combat pilot whose career spans several decades.
* ''FireEmblem'' has Lawrence (first and third games) and Haar (ninth and tenth games). Nailah (tenth game) doesn't have an actual eyepatch but does cover her eye with various scarves. Interestingly enough, there have been no bad guys with an eyepatch.
** [=FE7=]'s antagonist, Nergal, has one eye covered by his loose turban-like wrap, but that's as close as it gets.
*** At least until the finale, when he takes it off to reveal some badass scars.
* Auron of ''FinalFantasyX'' has one missing eye, partially concealed with sunglasses. Not quite an eyepatch, but it should be noted that after losing his eye, he [[TookALevelInBadass took levels exclusively in badassery]].
*Likewise, in ''{{Gungrave}}'', Grave lost his left eye when he was murdered. He wears glasses with the left lens blacked out and a white cross on top of that to conceal it, although sometimes his [[PeekABangs hair]] has the same effect. Like Auron above it's not quite an eyepatch but Grave did take several levels of badass after being resurrected.
* General Beatrix of ''FinalFantasyIX'' has a badass metal eyepatch, and the first fights against her cannot be won. The goal is only to survive.
* Forcystus from ''TalesOfSymphonia'' has both an EyepatchOfPower and an ArmCannon that completely replaced his left arm.
* The Demoman from ''TeamFortress2'' wears one, and is actually quite bitter about having lost his eye, referring to himself as a 'black, scottish cyclops'. His lack of an eye has no impact on the player's vision when playing as him, however, and he still performs quite adequately considering his weapon of choice is a grenade launcher.
** He seems ''really'' bitter.
-->''...prancin' aboot with yer heads full of eyeballs!''
* Genshin from ''NinjaGaiden II''.
* Drachma of ''{{Skies of Arcadia}}'' has a literal Eyepatch of Power. The accessory he starts with is an eyepatch that increases his attack power slightly when he has it equipped.
** Vyse has an eyepatch-like lens over one eye - he has two good eyes, although the equipped lens is supposed to increase his accuracy. It gives him telescopic sight in that eye, too. The original lens is also replaced with one that allows him to see Moonfish in the remake.
* Gippal of ''{{Final Fantasy X-2}}''. [[spoiler:The {{Mexican Standoff}} kind of forces that point home, too]].
* Lucian of ''[[{{Boktai}} Lunar Knights]]'' has an eyepatch. He's also [[spoiler: former prodigy member of the Three Gunslingers Sartana.]]
* Wolf O'Donell of ''StarFox'' goes through several variations of this. In the prototype Star Fox 2, he is depicted with a scar over one of his eyes, while in Star Fox 64, he sports an eyepatch (over the opposite eye) and later games give him a cybernetic eye, although it still comes with metallic straps as if it were still an eypatch, raising questions about whether or not he can take it off.
** It's actually more of a futuristic eyepatch than a cybernetic eye.
* Interesting example from the ''EmpireEarth'' opening movie. You see four warriors in four dramatically different epochs (stone age, British imperial age, second world war and the future). The stone age warrior has a white (blind) left eye, the imperial sea-captain has a cloth in front of his, the WWII commander has a standard black eyepatch and the futuristic warrior has a cyborg left eye.
* Lord David from ''{{The Last Remnant}}'' takes this to a particularly literal level. In battle, he wears an eyepatch that appears to be tied into the aiming or activation of the remnant Gae Bolg -- an enormous energy cannon.
** Yep. It even has a name- "Kellendros" and is described as the "Trigger device of the Gae Bolg" Though I'd be inclined to believe Kellendros and Ex Machina (his uber gun) are dual triggers for it since both are used to summon the extra uber cannon.
* Alfred Woden of the ''MaxPayne'' series wears a special pair of glasses which are shaded over his right eye. This was meant to evoke Odin, as was his last name, since Oden himself wore an eyepatch, and thus establishes himself as the one running the show. Max himself notes "In the Land of the Blind, the One-Eyed man is King"
* [[AristocratsAreEvil Baron Praxis]] in ''[[JakAndDaxter Jak II: Renegade]]'' has a highly visible bionic eye. His [[TheDragon Dragon]], Erol, ends up with only half his head semi-intact with a mechanical body, giving him his very own bionic eye (and face, and torso, and legs...). For a more heroic example, Sig has yet another bionic eye. Yeah, Naughty Dog Software seem to enjoy this one.
* In ''[[RatchetAndClank Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction]]'', the Smuggler has an eyepatch. It's probably just for show though, since in his first scene he lifts up the eyepatch and glares at Ratchet with the eye underneath (which appears normal). Also, the eyepatch switches sides between scenes . . . and this ''isn't'' a [[AmbidextrousSprite sprite game]].
* In ''BlazBlue'', [[EmotionlessGirl Nu-13]] has an EyepatchOfPower that is replaced by a [[CyberCyclops visor]] whenever she [[PoweredArmor activates the angelic-looking Murakumo unit]]. Disturbingly, the eyepatch in question has a design akin to a [[RedEyesTakeWarning red sphere]] with a [[HellishPupils thick black stripe]] running down the middle at an angle. Note the similar design on the back of protagonist Ragna's [[EyesDoNotBelongThere right hand]]. (In case it isn't obvious, Nu is [[NietzscheWannabe really]] [[{{Understatement}} fairly]] [[OmnicidalManiac dangerous]].)
* ''SengokuBasara'' has Date Masamune (who is also down there in the Real Life examples) and Chosokabe Motochika. Masamune's eyepatch of power is so badass that it's a tsuba. [[GratuitousEnglish You see]].
* ''{{Pokemon}}'' has one in the form of Johto Gym Leader Falkner. He doesn't have an eye patch but that blue hair never seems to move from in front of his right eye.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Webcomics ]]

* Nimmel Feenix from ''[[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/ Dominic Deegan]]'' had his right eye slashed to uselessness, so he combed his previously slicked-back hair in such a way as to cover it up. Curiously, The Infernomancer from who inflicted this injury ''also'' sported an eyepatch of power — a blindfold with long spikes on the inside, that concealed magically ever-bleeding eyes (the mark of the demonic pact that gave him his powers).
** At one point, Dominic was recovering from temporary blindness and had only gotten back his sight in one eye. He wore an eyepatch until his vision recovered; combined with his artificial leg, this gave rise to at least one [[http://dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2005-09-19 pirate joke]].
* In ''[[http://www.itswalky.com It's Walky!]]'', Penny Worthington was ''double'' the BadAss for wearing the eyepatch she took from her predecessor, Dargon Chesterfield, after assassinating him.
* This is parodied in ''AModestDestiny''; Maureen's younger brother wears an eyepatch to impress new thieves guild members, because he thought Maureen's looked cool.
* Also parodied by ''TheOrderOfTheStick'' strip: Elan, after the TimeSkip, [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0501.html is shown sporting an eyepatch]]... but [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0502.html one comic later]] it's revealed that [[GenreSavvy he started wearing it]] because [[InvokedTrope it made him look mysterious]].
** Right-Eye, Redcloak's little brother, and [[spoiler: Redcloak himself]] sport an eyepatch as well, although it actually covers a missing eye.
* In ''TheWotch'', there's [=DeFrain=] the {{Pirate}} - a member of LaResistance, whose piratey eyepatch hides a magical eye capable of seeing through anything, as well as detecting magical auras - handy for checking out whether a ship contains anything worth stealing. He also appears to be a [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot Ninja Pirate]].
* Viktor Vasko of ''[[LackadaisyCats Lackadaisy]]'' presumably lost his eye during his career as a whiskey and gin runner.
* Agent Jim of Mayu Zane's ''Siege'' is nearly shot down in one scene because of a gunner on his left-and he's blind in his left eye, which he neglected to mention to anyone previously.
** There were previous references to his hidden face being badly hurt or burned, however.
* The First Mate, Marge, of ''IWasKidnappedByLesbianPiratesFromOuterSpace'' sports an eyepatch.
* Tony the Tiger in ''BreakfastOfTheGods''
* The Suicide Girl from ''SexyLosers''.
* In ''{{The KAMics}}'', [[http://www.drunkduck.com/The_KAMics/index.php?p=147204 Ratatosk (self-proclaimed) god of the squirrels]] wears one to seem more Odin-like. Since both eyes are good he occasionally switches which eye it covers.
* Chief from ''{{Goblins}}'' has a riveted-on eyepatch bearing his clan symbol (which was originally tattooed on near his lost eye. It doesn't make him markedly more badass, though. Most of the time.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* Dr. Director from ''KimPossible'', and her [[EvilTwin evil (fraternal) twin brother]] have eye patches, and are some of the most competent fighters in the series. Dr. Director is primarily a parody/homage to Nick Fury.
** An extra in "A Sitch In Time" [sic] showed a future Kim as Dr. Director's successor. She also wore an eyepatch.
* Somewhat subverted in ''RockosModernLife'', with the Sea Captain Crappy Jack (yes that is his name).. He can't walk too well. Two wooden legs. Can't steer too well. Two wooden arms. Can't see too well. Two wooden eyes.
* While it's not technically an eyepatch, your chances of badassness go way up in ''{{Transformers}}'' if you have one optic sensor rather than two. Shockwave is probably the most obvious of these.
** ''TransformersAnimated'' shows it off well. [[spoiler: Compare Longarm Prime to Shockwave.]]
* Matrix, the [[PlotRelevantAgeUp grown-up Enzo]] from ''{{Reboot}}'''s third season, has a golden cybernetic eye that provides super targeting abilities, which he received after the original was cut out. By SCORPION from Mortal Kombat! Or reasonable facsimile thereoff.
** Rejected. Enzo had rebooted AS a Scorpion look-a-like. He got his eye cut out by a devil like character called Zaytan.
* Gutierrez, Ricardo Montelban's character on ''{{Freakazoid}}'', had an eye patch. When he transformed into his "super freak" form, it had an eye painted over it, and an energy weapon behind it.
**Subversion: His eye is perfectly normal before he mutates, and this eyepatch is important to his painful defeat.
* Falcon 7, Birdman’s boss in ''Birdman and the Galaxy Trio'' has an eyepatch. That, of course, becomes a source of many jokes in ''HarveyBirdmanAttorneyAtLaw'', where Falcon 7 becomes Phil Ken Sebben.
** Ha ''ha!'' Power!
** In the "New Year's Eve Party at Brak's House" series of bumps, [[{{Sealab2021}} Hesh]] doesn't believe that Phil needs the patch, calling it 'Your Bum Eye And How It Doesn't Exist'.
* Hudson, from ''{{Gargoyles}}'', has only one good eye due to a wound that either stayed with him due to its magical origin or didn't heal properly before sunrise. In either case, throughout the series it's implied that while he might be getting a little old and slow and even his good eye is starting to fail, he's a canny warrior whose insight is invaluable.
* The Pirate Captain from ''Mike, Lu & Og'' has ''two'' eyepatches (as well as two wooden legs). This doesn't seem to slow him down much, although he's not very badass because he and his men are always being defeated by a bunch of kids.
* {{Popeye}}, while not wearing an eyepatch, misses one eye. He just keeps eyelids permanently closed.
* DangerMouse. [[BetterThanItSounds Bad Ass mouse]]!
* Subversion during the pirate episode of ''TheBackyardigans:'' Uniqua has an eyepatch, but she only wears it to show she's a pirate. In other words, [[GogglesDoNothing Eyepatch Does Nothing]] during the episode.
* Parodied in ''TheTick'' episode "That Moustache Feeling", where the Tick meets Jim Rave, Agent of S.H.A.V.E.. Rave is a Nick Fury lookalike, down to the eyepatch-but at the episode's end, the Tick realizes Rave isn't a ''real'' special agent because he still has both eyes-the eyepatch is just ther to make him look cool.
* Tako from ''SushiPack'' wears a fake eyepatch that does not diminish his fighting prowess in the least. Then again, considering that his main attack is flinging paint at enemies, direct aim may not be crucial.
* Suzi X from TheHauntedWorldOfElSuperbeasto.
* Pariah Dark in ''DannyPhantom''. Probably doesn't suffer any depth perception since he's a ghost.
**The once useless Box Ghost will eventually become a FutureBadass who can fight on par with any of the major villains. His secret? An eyepatch.
***How does a ghost lose an eye?
* ''TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'' gives us resident BadAss, Hoss Delgado. Complete with SwissArmyAppendage.
* Gibbs in TitanMaximum, who's both the main villain and probably [[OnlySaneMan one of the smartest characters]] in the series.
* In StreetSharks, big bad villain Dr. Paradigm wears an eyepatch for no explained reason. He starts off the show as an implied college lecturer. It's somewhat BadAss in context.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Web Original ]]

*Paul Smith of ''SurvivalOfTheFittest'' has an eyepatch, having lost one eye after a freak barbecue accident (no, seriously). He is shown to be a more than competent fighter, being (as of the end of the 2007 school year) the second best fighter in the school and certainly something of a {{Badass}}.
* Xinjao O'Reilly in ''TechInfantry'' wears one after being tortured by having a soldering iron thrust into one eye. This also comes shortly after he TookALevelInBadass and went from comic-relief engineer with a PornStash to resourceful leader of a guerilla band of engineers and admiral of his own private mercenary space fleet.
* Tom from ''RubyQuest'' [[spoiler: has his right eye ripped out early on; he's left with an empty socket until he and Ruby find some gauze and bandages to make an eyepatch. Eventually, this is augmented with a "DO NOT OPEN" label. In this case it only serves as an apropos emblem of his supreme badassery, as his MANLY PHYSIQUE and inclination towards smashing things prove valuable assets throughout the course of the story]].
*In ''IAmNotInfected'' Amanda sports one in her first appearance. She quickly stops wearing it, and with it her status as a badass.
*Parodied in BillyVsSNAKEMAN, where Billy's power is proportional to how many eyepatches he's wearing. When he reaches his highest level, he puts on a third eyepatch.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Real Life ]]

* Though he didn't wear an eyepatch, Horatio Nelson lost the sight in his right eye. He later went on to be arguably the most famous Admiral in history. He famously ignored a signal not to engage a Danish fleet by holding his telescope to his blind eye and asserting that he could not see the signal to hold back. He went on to decisively win the Battle of Copenhagen. This event is considered the origin of the idiom "to turn a blind eye."
** As [[{{Aubrey-Maturin}} Captain Jack]] put it, "Lord Nelson is [[HistoricalInjoke a man of singular vision.]]"
*Hannibal Barca lost his eye while on the march from pink eye. Not long after this he launches a massive ambush on Roman forces in the Battle of Lake Trasimene.
* Date Masamune, a general during the Japanese Warring States period, lost an eye as a youth and had to wear an eyepatch. It didn't hinder him much, as he went on to defeat Japan's prominent strategists of the time. The story goes that he ripped it out himself when it was rendered useless by smallpox. It earned him the nickname of One-Eyed Dragon; though it started off as a comment on his reckless nature, it later in his life became a term of respect. He, like Xiahou Dun below, is almost always portrayed with an eyepatch in fictional appearances.
* Another historical example: Xiahou Dun, a Chinese general serving under Cao Cao during the late Eastern Han Dynasty. Reputedly, he was such a {{Bad Ass}} that, when an arrow shot him in the eye, he plucked it out and ''[[EyeScream swallowed it to instill fear in his enemies.]]'' In most literary and pop culture depictions of him (read: ''RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms''), he's wearing either an eyepatch or a bandanna around his eye.
* YagyuJubei, one of the most famous and romanticized samurai of all time, is a somewhat more ambiguous case. Although portraits from his own time show him with two eyes, somewhere along the line of centuries spent telling and retelling his story it became traditional to depict him wearing an eyepatch. Whether the historical Jubei ever wore one or it comes from Kabuki exaggerations is open to debate, but it has become a traditional part of his character, usually with the explanation that he lost it as a child while training. Other movies show him being wounded by a cut to the face as an adult, but developing his skill to greater degrees afterwards.
* Moshe Dayan, Israeli General and Defense Minister, lost his left eye while infiltrating Syria in WWII; the binoculars he was looking through were shot and the glass and metal destroyed his eye socket. He didn't like his black eyepatch, but it did make him look pretty badass.
** [[OrSoIHeard Supposedly true story]] : He was once driving at forty kph over the speed limit with Shimon Peres on the passenger side when they got stopped by a police officer. The officer of course didn't give them a ticket, but asked him how he could risk his and Peres's lives like that. Dayan's answer? "I can either look at the road or at the speedometer -- which would you prefer?"
* Jan Zizka had already lost an eye, either in battle or due to a childhood accident depending on the source, by the time he became the leader of the Czech rebel faction in the Hussite Wars. He soon lost the other one as well but continued to lead his troops into battle personally despite being ''completely blind''. As is fitting for a man of his stature, he is the subject of the world's tallest equestrian statue in Prague.
* John Pendlebury, a famous archaeologist lost one eye, and made a point of being better at athletics because people assumed he couldn't. He later became a war hero in WWII, fighting Nazis in a critical battle on Crete.
*Canadian Léo Major during WWII lost an eye in Normandy. He refused to be brought back home, saying that he "only needed one eye to aim at Germans". He went on to liberate a village in Holland from an entire German squad ''on his own'' by firing multiple rifles and throwing grenades, making the Germans rout as they believed they were being attacked by an entire platoon. He was actually awarded three [=DCM=]s, but turned the first one down because he thought General Montgomery, the man awarding it to him, was too stupid to be handing out medals. He died in 2008, and the Netherlands Ambassador to Canada was present as his funeral. The village he liberated held a vigil.
* Director Raoul Walsh lost an eye in a car accident, and took to wearing a very large black eyepatch. Opinions on his films remain pretty mixed (a common statement is that he "never let the truth get in the way of a good story," due to films like ''Gentleman Jim'' and ''They Died With Their Boots On'' taking significant historical liberties) but he's certainly one of the toughest looking directors ever. He also directed ''The Roaring Twenties'', ''High Sierra'', ''They Drive By Night'', ''White Heat'', and many other famous gangster films. ''White Heat'' in particular was the most violent film at the time of its release, broke the censorship code completely, and caused several revisions to the Code, ultimately leading to its downfall twenty years later. ''High Sierra'' was also one of Humphrey Bogart's first not-completely-villainous roles, and led to his general stardom.
** According to a 1976 interview, ''White Heat'' received general release because Warner Brothers sent several studio heads to strongarm the censor board into passing it. Walsh's awesomeness cannot be denied.
** He also played John Wilkes Booth in ''Birth of a Nation''. Wrap your brain around ''that'' one!
* The pirate stereotype may have come from pirate captains who, needing to go above and below decks constantly, would put an eyepatch over one eye above deck to avoid losing their dark-vision in that eye (see ''{{Mythbusters}}'').
* Crime novelist and child protection lawyer [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vachss Andrew Vachss]].
* Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg, a German soldier and aristocrat who lost his left eye, right hand, and two fingers from his remaining hand during an Allied air raid. As portrayed in the film ''Valkyrie'', he healed up enough to come closer than anyone to assassinating Hitler.
* Steve Watt, a Wyoming State Trooper, was shot five times by a bank robber, one bullet of which came within about a paper's width of damaging his brain. Fortunately, [[{{Understatement}} he got better]] and while he isn't a State Trooper anymore, his eyepatch now undoubtedly adds to his presence as a D.A.R.E. instructor and ordained minister.
* As an aside, losing an eye would have very little, if any, effect on long-range rifle accuracy such as sniping - in fact, USMC recruits (at least as of the early 90's) would be taught to close the eye opposite the one being used to sight with, and even issued an eyepatch to cover that eye until they could break the habit of trying to use both eyes. At ranges over about 100 meters (give or take), human eyes simply aren't far enough apart to contribute greatly to depth perception, and visual references (the car or doorway the opponant is standing near, for example) are much better for use in estimating distance.
** Actually, if shooter loses the sight in an eye he used to shoot most often with (right-handed shooters usually use right eye) it may take some time to regain previous skill. Conversely, loss of the opposite eye should have negligible effect on sniping.
* Lieutenant-General Adrian Carton de Wiart was an Anglo-Belgian aristocrat, soldier and diplomat, was wounded seven times during the First World War, losing both left eye and his left hand. He went on to win a Victoria Cross at La Boiselle, afterwards saying, "Frankly I enjoyed the war." He went on to join the British military mission to Poland, fighting off Red Army cavalry with a revolver at Warsaw, and at 60 years of age led a descent on the Norwegian coast during World War Two, before being sent as Churchill's personal representative to China. He did all this looking much like Brigadier Lethbridge-Stuart's evil counterpart, with a black eyepatch and a black moustache. A badass mofo in anyone's book.
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