History Main / GateGuardian

[[folder: Film-Animated]]

[[folder: Film-Live Action]]

Supertrope to AngryGuardDog, and not to be confused with ThresholdGuardians, although a gate guardian can also be one of those. A gate guardian often invokes YouShallNotPass by nature of his job. Related to NPCRoadblock. Compare and contrast LockedDoor and KillEnemiesToOpen.

* In ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' novel ''Literature/TheFellowshipOfTheRing'', The Watcher in the Water was a water monster with CombatTentacles that guarded the door into Moria.

** [[{{Hell}} Tartarus]], the deep abyss of Hades, used to be guarded by a female dragon, Campe, before [[TopGod Zeus]] killed it to free the giants imprisoned there. Later the hundred-armed giants, Hecatonchires, became the new guardians. In ''Roman'' mythology, however, Tartarus was actually guarded by [[OurDragonsAreDifferent a hydra]]. Tisiphone of the Erinyes (also known as the Furies) was also said to keep guard on the top of a turret, [[WhipItGood slashing the prisoners with her whip]].

* Hong Meiling from ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'' guards the gate of the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Fandom has [[{{Flanderization}} flanderized]] her as spectacularly inept at her job, often depicting her as sleeping all day long and being punished for it by [[NinjaMaid Sakuya]]. Canon actually states that she's fairly good at her job, except she's massively outclassed by Marisa, who ''nobody'' can keep out.

[[folder: Web Comics]]
* In ''WebComic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', the Order of the Scribble established guardians at each of the five magical gates that prevent the Snarl from reemerging and destroying reality.

[[folder: Film]]

* ''Film/{{Stardust}}'': Like in the book, the town has a man guarding the portal to the fairy world, although he's alarmed to realize the danger of things getting in when he's always focused on keeping people out from his side.

* ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'': In the ''Sixth Singularity: Divine Realm of the Round Table: Camelot'', Gawain acts as the gatekeeper of the Holy City, along with several Enforcement Knights. The gate itself cannot be destroyed by attacks that mean harm, so only someone as benevolent as the Buddhist monk Xuangzang Sanzang is capable of opening the giant gate with her RapidFireFisticuffs. Gawain, who also becomes three times stronger under sunlight which he can summon all the time thanks to his Gift he's blessed with, is just the cherry on top.

* In ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry 3'', [[HellHound Cerberus]] is the guardian of the entrance of the [[EvilTowerOfOminousness Temen-ni-gru]] who prevents humans from getting in. [[RedOniBlueOni Agni & Rudra]] guard a specific door inside temen-ni-gru to prevent further progress of anyone who got past Cerberus.

[[folder: Anime And Manga]]

* ''Literature/MovingPictures'', a pastiche of film history, has the golden man, an obvious ShoutOut to [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAward the Oscar]], who is at first is taken by the characters to be some kind of dangerous god sealed away behind a gate. Then they realise that the text with this information should be read right to left, and he is in fact standing in front of the gate, i.e. as a guard against the {{Eldritch Abomination}}s on the other side.

* ''Film/GingerSnapsBackTheBeginning'': Cormac is positioned at the forts gate with a rifle, examining anyone outside through the peephole before deciding if they should come in.

* ''Film/{{Stardust}}'': Like in the book, the town has a man guarding the portal to the fairy world, although he's alarmed to realize the danger of things getting in when he's always focused on keeping people out form his side.