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The Fastest Gun in the West has the ultimate Quick Draw. Nobody can draw and fire a gun faster than this guy. As a result, he wins every duel he ends up in, and others tend to be reluctant to fight him.
However, this fearsome reputation tends to bring unwanted attention. Every two-bit varmint in the state wants to take a piece outta this guy to make themselves more badass. Hence, the Fastest Gun in the West tends to have to keep travelling to try and find a place where nobody wants to fight them.
This character can be a hero or a villain. The heroic type won't bring out his guns unless absolutely necessary, and then only to bring down an outlaw or bandito. The villain is a sneaky bastard who just loves shootin' an' killin', but may be brought low by The Hero's resourcefulness.
If this character ever loses a duel, his mantle passes on to the one that killed him, who must then endure the same curse that the former fastest gun put up with.
It should also be noted that in a cynical or realistic scenario, being the fastest gun in the west is rarely much help if said character is somehow caught off guard. It hardly matters if one can draw faster than one can blink, it's of no use if one never sees the threat coming. Many a lightning fast gunslingers meet their end by a bullet to the back of the head rather then at high noon.
A subtrope of The Gunslinger.
Examples:
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Anime & Manga
- Vash the Stampede from Trigun. He is able to fire three shots so fast, that they sound like just one.
- A football example is featured in Eyeshield 21. The best quarterback in Kanto is Musyanokoji Shien, otherwise known as "The Quick-Draw Kid", due to having the quickest passing ability among all the players.
- His team's name is "The Wild Gunmans" and they, of course, have a cowboy theme. Kid himself has the typical attitude of a heroic gunslinger; calm, wise, and non confrontational.
- The series later explains his speed and accuracy is due to being a former competitive pistol shooter.
Comic Books
Film
Literature
- Matthew Stark in Cloud Of Sparrows is the fastest, most accurate shooter in Texas. He gained notoriety after defeating Jimmy So Fast, and immediately started training hard to be able to beat anyone who might try to take him out for the prestige. His speed and reflexes are superior to those of the ninjas he runs into.
- Roland in The Dark Tower is also a famously quick draw.
- Jon Shannow, The Jerusalem Man from the David Gemmell books.
- Note, however, that while incredibly fast, Shannow meets several men who are faster. When these men fight him, they die anyway - they may be faster, but he's far more badass (and businesslike; one man rides up to him, tells Shannow his death has been ordered, and asks if he has anything to say. Shannow shoots him, then says no).
- It's also notable that Shannow has a way of drawing that whilst not strictly as fast as some of his enemies, is smooth, calm, unhurried and easy to overlook. He basically draws without his opponents noticing. Think Han Solo when he shoots Greedo.
- Morgan Kane, from Louis Masterson's book series. To the point that when other famous (outlaw) gunslingers such as John Wesley Hardin or Johnny Ringo start trouble, the authorities send Kane after them, knowing the outlaws will not be able to resist the challenge.
- Shane, obviously.
- Dusty Fog from The Floating Outfit novels of J.T. Edson.
Live Action TV
- Mal from Firefly has a quick gun hand. In the pilot, he guns down a man who has a gun to River's head without breaking his stride. In the Big Damn Movie, he outdraws a professional assassin and shoots the gun out of the guy's hand. And the whole crew repeatedly outguns opponents who already have the drop on them.
- JD Smith from The Dakotas has this reputation. It causes him some heartbreak when he is quicker to the draw than his one time mentor
- In the 1950s series Lawman, Marshall Dan Troop (to his surprise) finds himself outdrawn by a professional gunfighter. While recovering from his wounds, the Marshall realises that while the gunman is faster, he doesn't have time to aim correctly, so he must goad his target into coming closer. Marshall Troop confronts the gunman again and this time keeps his distance, winning the fatal shootout.
- The main characters of Red Dwarf enter a western virtual reality game, complete with special powers. As a result, Cat becomes so fast, he can draw after the outlaws have fired and shoot their bullets out of the air!
- "Wild" Bill Hickock in Deadwood has this reputation, and we see him (along with Bullock) shoot an outlaw before he can get his gun out of its holster. Doesn't help him much when a jealous poker rival shoots him in the back of the head.
Music
Radio
- The Lone Ranger is also noted for being a faster draw than any one opponent, and a big fan of Blasting It Out of Their Hands. However, the radio and early TV series kept it somewhat plausible by not having him try to outdraw multiple people at once.
Video Games
- Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist was trying for this title, until his defeat at the hands of Kenny the Kid (which cost him his ear) made him give up gunfighting in favor of pharmacology.
- John later, Jack Marston, the player character in Red Dead Redemption In the dueling sequences, you can either shoot your opponent in the face, or shoot the gun out of his hand. You get the most honor points if you can shoot your opponet's gun and hat without killing him.
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