'''Basic Trope''': Humanity's [[PlanetOfHats hat]] is war and conquest.
* '''Straight''': Humans as a whole fight more than other races and usually wins.
* '''Exaggerated''':
** Every human gets into a brawl at the slightest provocation no matter who they're facing.
** Every human is a SuperSoldier.
** The humans we see are [[ProudWarriorRace from]] [[BarbarianTribe a tribe]] that starts [[TheSpartanWay training at war]] when they are [[ChildSoldiers five]], regularly prays to a WarGod to bring them {{Plunder}}, wears necklaces made of the [[CreepySouvenir body parts]] of their victims, regularly attends rites of [[CannibalTribe ritual cannibalism]] of slain enemies and [[VirginSacrifice sacrifice of captured virgins]]. All other humans despise them for their pacifism.
* '''Downplayed''':
** Every species fights, but humans are better at it.
** Humans aren't the ''greatest'' warriors in the galaxy, but they're the most militaristic culture in TheFederation. All the more war-like cultures have made themselves galactic pariahs, which makes humans the Federation's de facto "bad cop".
** Humans are the {{Martial Pacifist}}s of the galaxy; they consider war a last resort, but they won't hesitate to remind other species that they ''are'' pretty good at it [[GunboatDiplomacy if that's the fastest way to keep peace]].
* '''Justified''':
** [[HadToBeSharp Humans have been killing each other for thousands if not millions of years]].
** Humans are the only race that came up with the idea of [[ConsummateProfessional making a science]] out of war.
* '''Inverted''': HumansAreDiplomats
* '''Subverted''':
** Humans are fighting a war against an alien race, but try to establish peace talks.
** Despite all their talk about "thousands of years of war", humans are outmatched by TheEmpire militarily.
* '''Double Subverted''':
** ...Only to unleash a surprise attack on the unsuspecting enemy.
** Humans seem outmatched by TheEmpire... at first. TheEmpire expected humanity to fold after a short, harsh blitzkrieg; we don't, and are better able to keep fighting the long, brutal war that follows.
* '''Parodied''':
** A group of aliens are making a reality show, and in order to ensure a proper amount of conflict, turn to the most violent species they know... humans.
** Only the the humans all turn on the guards, wipe them out, exterminate the crowd, then proceed to a bloody GladiatorRevolt and found an [[TheEmpire Empire]] of their own. All six of them. When they start inviting more humans from Earth to share in their good fortune all the aliens are so frightened that they have a heart attack.
* '''Zig Zagged''':
** At first, it seems that all humans do is fight with other races. But then, we see that those humans are actually a band of outcasts; the rest of humanity are [[ActualPacifist pacifists]]. Unfortunately, the entirety of the pacifists are killed off, meaning that the warring humans are the only humans left.
** Humans are considered cyclic between this and HumansAreDiplomats. They are violent when they feel threatened but tend to burn themselves out on long-term conflicts or it [[KnowWhenToFoldEm will lead to certain and complete destruction]].
* '''Averted''': Humans are not particularly violent.
* '''Enforced''': "How can we make humans Badasses?" "Let's make them always want to kick ass!!!"
* '''Lampshaded''': "Now, as ambassador of the [[Franchise/StarTrek Klingon]]-I mean, ''Human'' Federation..."
* '''Invoked''': Aliens show up on Earth and [[TrainingThePeacefulVillagers teach humans how to fight interstellar wars]].
* '''Exploited''':
** An alien species has [[AliensStealCable monitored humanity's broadcasts]] and suspects them to be warlike, so they enlist the humans in fighting a war for them.
** A politician from a conquered alien race cunningly convinces TheEmperor to add to his glory by attacking a newly-discovered race called...humans.
** The PerfectPacifistPeople can't fight themselves so they recruit humans as mercenaries.
* '''Defied''': "Not all humans want to fight."
* '''Discussed''': "Our next target for conquest shall be Earth." "Something tells me that might be easier said than done..."
* '''Conversed''': "You know, for a [[Franchise/StarTrek "peaceful mission of exploration,"]] our heroes sure get into a lot of fights, don't they?"
* '''Deconstructed''':
** Humans' violent tendencies make other races avoid them, refusing all trade agreements with humans. Humanity's economy collapses.
** The Humans realize this trope and pretty soon they start a war of conquest through the universe, leaving much death and destruction behind them.
** Just because humans are very good at war doesn't mean that they enjoy it. While humans are the best overall from smart tacticians, disciplined soldiers, and being eminently practical and [[TheUnfettered willing to do whatever it takes to win]] doing so comes with a steep psychological cost. [[ShellShockedVeteran PTSD]] and SurvivorGuilt abound among victorious humans. [[ProudWarriorRace Obligate carnivore descended aliens]] don't have that problem, giving them one major advantage over humans.
* '''Reconstructed''': The other races have respect for humans' resolve and battle prowess and know that it's much better to have humanity as a friend than an enemy.
* '''Played For Laughs''':
** Although belligerent, human technology is so laughable that they come across as overeager kids rather than bloodthirsty warriors.
** An alien invasion lands near a school and tries to TakeOverTheWorld. The [[BadassBookworm chess-club geeks]] go over and brutally slaughter thousands of them in one hour. The [[LovableJock jocks]] stand aside to let the geeks enjoy themselves. Then the geeks politely get out of the way and the jocks have their turn. The [[ActionGirl cheerleaders]] in the meantime, swarm around the aliens' flanks, grabbing a number of them and strangling them with their pom-poms. Someone suggests calling the police, but everyone agrees that this would be unsporting and the whole school was enjoying the slaughter way too much to end it. Then the [[BadassTeacher teacher]] decides that he has had enough of the aliens interrupting his class, so he goes up to the alien army [[OneManArmy kills every one of the aliens personally]] and says to his students, "Ok, you've [[BloodKnight had your fun]], now get back to work. We have a test tomorrow."
* '''Played For Drama''':
** The humans' war-mongering ways [[AntiHumanAlliance cause the other races to gang up against humanity]], attempting to wipe all humans out once and for all.
** Humanity's war-mongering ways cause all the other races to gang up against humanity, and humanity wins out through genocide.
** Humans are known and respected by other races for their skill-at-arms and are prized as mercenaries.
** Humans are the hatchet men for an alien [[TheEmpire Empire]]. PlanetTerra is given favorable treatment in return for humans to keep the rest of TheEmpire in line.
** Humans TakeOverTheWorld in the face of other [[ProudWarriorRace ferocious races]], enslave other races and hold rule over the world by force...[[TruthInTelevision Oh, wait]].
** Humans, lead by a [[GalacticConqueror charismatic leader]], swarm into space on a fanatical quest to fulfill their glorious destiny. They form an [[TheEmpire empire]] which holds the galaxy in subjection. TheEmpire grows soft and decadent but soldiers from PlanetTerra are still feared by all others for their [[BadassArmy skill-at-arms]], [[TheUnfettered ruthlessness]] , and [[{{Determinator}} relentlessness]]. Then a Terran soldier, having seen the tyranny of TheEmpire first hand, convinces his fellows to join him in a war of liberation against the oppression of TheEmpire.
** A [[TheEmpire ruthless alien empire]] threatens to conquer the galaxy, and the imperiled species call upon humanity to fight and save them. The ruthless aliens in question see Earth as nothing but an InsignificantLittleBluePlanet full of backwater goofballs, but soon learn that they've [[UnderestimatingBadassery sorely underestimated humanity]].
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%% Optional items, added after Conversed, at your discretion:
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%%* '''Implied''': ???
%%* '''Plotted A Good Waste''': ???