History Main / GogglesDoNothing

** Well, every lead character aside from [[Anime/DigimonDataSquad Masaru/Marcus]], but that's probably because he's [[BadassNormal too manly for them]]. However, [[Anime/DigimonFusion fans prefer goggles]]. Note that Masaru doesn't look like Elementary / Junior High school student, [[YoungerThanTheyLook despite the fact that he is the latter]].

* ''VisualNovel/AceAttorneyInvestigations2'''s [[AmoralAttorney Blaise]] [[ObstructiveBureaucrat Debeste]] wears a pair of biker goggles. Their only purpose seems to be damming his [[CrocodileTears endless supply of tears]]. [[spoiler:During his VillainousBreakdown, [[HumiliationConga having accidentally set himself on fire]], they don't even shield his eyes properly]].

* ''WebOriginal/JennyEverywhere'': aviator goggles are part of her basic character design, even though she's not necessarily an aviatrix in most stories. That Jenny is keen on adventure does leave open the ''potential'' for subversion, though...

[[folder:Comic Strips]]
* In the Malaysian 4-panel comic strip ''Lawak Kampus'', the main character Vanness seems to have goggles permanently glued to his forehead for no reason, including a comic where he's having a CucumberFacial. The comic's artist Keith Chong is a huge manga nerd, and appears to be lampooning the "useless goggles" common in anime.
[[/folder]]

* Wrestling/BeckyLynch wears goggles as part of her "steam-punk" persona, but they serve no real purpose in the ring.

[[folder:Film]]

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'':

* In ''LightNovel/{{Bakemonogatari}}'', Oshino Shinobu wears a motorcycle helmet and goggles, despite appearing to be maybe six or eight years old and spending most of her time sitting around in the shade.

* Basque Ohm from ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundam0083StardustMemory Gundam 0083]]'' and ''Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam'' literally wears goggles that seem to serve no purpose. However, it's possible that they cover an injury of some sort as it was hinted he was tortured by Zeon during the One Year War.
* Quatre Raberba Winner of ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing Gundam Wing]]'' has a pair of goggles. The practical way to use them would be for crossing the desert -- the only time he does wear them is inside his Gundam.

* Rin-rin in ''LightNovel/SisterPrincess'' habitually wears a pair of goggles pushed up on top of her head. Given that she's a maker of robots and other technotoys, they may be welding goggles or other similar eye protection, but she's never seen with them actually over her eyes.

* In ''Anime/WeissKreuz'', both Ken and Omi wear goggles as part of their mission clothes. Averted in the last episode (and lampshaded in the accompanying [[HilariousOuttakes outtakes]] for this and an earlier episode), when Omi actually uses his to see the infrared beams.
--> '''Omi''': Finally a use for these goggles I've been wearing for 24 episodes.
** Played straight with the nonsensical orange jacket Ken wears around his waist as well.

* ''VideoGame/ShadowHearts'': Covenant has Yuri, wearing a small satchel on his back (with trailing buckle-straps). While one could argue that's [[HammerSpace where the millions of random items you collect or buy over the course of the game]] end up stashed, you never see Yuri use it. Seems he took a few traveling tips from [[Franchise/TombRaider Lara Croft]].

* Subverted with Kidou from ''VideoGame/InazumaEleven''. [[spoiler:In the third season Kageyama explains through a flashback that he gave him his goggles to concentrate on the field, because they narrow his vision, allowing him to predict where the ball will land at all times]]. He also keeps the goggles because they're his trademark. Dylan, on the other hand, wears goggles with no explanation, while Amagi from the sequel wears his goggles ''on his chin''.

* ''Franchise/TheFlash'': Wally West and Bart Allen both wore lenses in their masks for some time, despite it being shown by other speedsters (or themselves when out of costume) as unnecessary as their speed aura protects them. This was more pronounced with Bart, who had wide lenses while Wally's were small and just part of an ExpressiveMask. For Wally, it just seemed to be RuleOfCool and later to distinguish him from Barry Allen, while Bart. Subverted with Jesse Quick, who ''also'' wore this for a while, but it was shown she was actually short-sighted and occasionally wore glasses outside of uniform, so the goggles were probably for corrective reasons.

* Averted in ''ComicBook/{{Starman}}'', where the hero's goggles protect his eyes from the odd conditions of flying at high altitude with an extremely bright staff.

* Doctor Watts is annoyed by Faba's seemimgly pointless googgles in ''Fanfic/BoldoresAndBoomsticks''.

* In F. Bondarchuk's ''[[Creator/StrugatskyBrothers Inhabited island]]'' the gear of an alien guardsman includes fa-abulous pink (!) ski goggles. They almost never put them on, even during shooting practice, obstacle courses (with fire barriers) and actual combat raids against insurgents.

* Selina sports goggles on top of her head in ''Series/{{Gotham}}'', in a nod to ComicBook/{{Catwoman}}'s 2000s redesign by Darwyn Cooke. Those are night vision goggles, which serve a purpose.

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'': Goggles are an equipable item, which prevent blindness. Unfortunately, a glitch with the Evasion stat in the game made it so blindness doesn't affect the accuracy of physical attacks as it's supposed to, making them useless. The Goggles, quite literally, do nothing. This was fixed in the remake. Sadly, the goggles aren't actually drawn on your character. Ironically, the Blind status effect (rendered irrelevant by the above-mentioned glitch aside from preventing Strago from [[PowerCopying learning enemy spells]]) ''does'' make a character look like they're wearing goggles.

** Also, Dom has a gigantic Ka-Bar-esque knife strapped to his chest. Guess when he actually pulls it out? [[spoiler:The knife at least gets some use in ''Gears of War 3'': Dom lends it to Marcus who needs it to help move a rusty lever. He dies before he can get it back, but Marcus holds onto it and uses it to kill Queen Myrrah]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Paladins}}''

* ''Videogame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert3'': The actual quote is said word-for-word during the Mount Rushmore mission in the Allied campaign, when [[spoiler:President Ackerman activates the various laser cannons installed in Mount Rushmore to attack your forces]].
--> '''Peacekeeper''': My eyes! The goggles do nothing!

** ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog1'': There are goggle sprites in the original game. See them [[http://info.sonicretro.org/Game_Secrets:Sonic_the_Hedgehog_%2816-bit%29 here]]. They were [[DummiedOut removed from the game]] before being programmed to do anything. It's speculated that they were intended to be SCUBA gear.

** Another story has it that she was Amelia Earheart's daughter, and inherited them.

* MadScientist ''[[WebVideo/DoctorHorriblesSingAlongBlog Dr. Horrible]]'' wears goggles on his forehead; he does no more than adjust them until the end, when he [[spoiler:becomes a true villain]].

* ''Website/ThatGuyWithTheGlasses''.com has That Chick with the Goggles.

* ''Bucky O' Hare'' sported a pair of snazzy aviator goggles that seemed to serve no purpose other than to look cool. While he might be excused considering most of his adventures took place in space, the goggles stayed up even when he was piloting the Toad Croaker inside planetary atmospheres that had just been turned to swamps.

* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels'': Hera Syndulla has a pilot's headgear and goggles [[FridgeLogic despite the fact that her cockpit is shielded against the vacuum of space, which has no wind to begin with]].
** She finally used the goggles in [[Recap/StarWarsRebelsS4E10WolvesAndADoor "Wolves and a Door"]], when she was riding a Loth-wolf.

*** The PlayerCharacter gets an outfit of their own known as the "Scion Adventurer's Outfit" which boasts the same aetheric-detecting goggles the rest of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn use, but they are a decoration, thus fit into this trope. This goes the same for the Mogstation-purchased outfits based on the other Scions.

* ''VideoGame/DangerGirl'' have a new character, JC the teenaged Canadian WrenchWench introduced to the team, whose outfit has a pair of goggles that doesn't seem to serve any purpose other than identifying her as the gadget expert. Even during a cutscene when she attempts to fix a submarine, her goggles are ''above'' her eyes.

* ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'':
** The protagonist, Simon, averts this trope by actually wearing his goggles to protect his eyes and provide illumination while digging underground tunnels. It is worth mentioning, however, that Simon wears the goggles on his forehead at all times, even when not underground, and even [[spoiler:in space]]. He is also the only one to wear them even though he is by no means the only one who digs tunnels.
** Kamina is a better example, as he is shown always wearing his CoolShades. Nevermind that they don't do anything since he's spent a good part of his life underground with no natural light source that he needs them for, but something like that isn't going to stop him.

* ''VideoGame/DangerGirl'' have a new character, the teenaged Canadian WrenchWench introduced to the team, whose outfit has a pair of goggles that doesn't seem to serve any purpose other than identifying her as the gadget expert. Even during a cutscene when she attempts to fix a submarine, her goggles are ''above'' her eyes.

''VisualNovel/AceAttorneyInvestigations2'''s [[AmoralAttorney Blaise]] [[ObstructiveBureaucrat Debeste]] wears a pair of biker goggles. Their only purpose seems to be damming his [[CrocodileTears endless supply of tears]]. [[spoiler:During his VillainousBreakdown, [[HumiliationConga having accidentally set himself on fire]], they don't even shield his eyes properly]].

* Flak in ''[[VideoGame/NintendoWars Advance Wars]]'' wears goggles and a helmet. No-one's quite clear on why ''[[DumbMuscle Flak]]'' would need head protection. Also [[AcePilot Eagle]], who always wears his goggles around his neck. Apparently they're his lucky goggles. He IS a pilot, though.
* Beaux from ''VideoGame/{{Atelier Annie|Alchemists of Sera Island}}'' wears a pair of goggles on his head that he's never actually seen using as protective eyewear. One of his alchemy requests is for you to make a Glass Sphere to help him repair one of the lenses, which makes one wonder...what exactly ''does'' the boy use the goggles for, anyway?
* Inzaghi in ''VideoGame/BlazeUnion'' and ''VideoGame/YggdraUnion''.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}'', Patricia Tannis, an archaeologist, constantly wears aviator goggles. Gaige of ''Videogame/{{Borderlands 2}}'' also wears a pair of goggles on her head that she never puts on.

* ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'': Coco Bandicoot wears a pair of goggles on her head in ''VideoGame/CrashOfTheTitans'', ''VideoGame/CrashMindOverMutant'', and ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot4ItsAboutTime''. Justified, considering Coco's [[WrenchWench mechanical aptitude]], but for the most part, her goggles are merely cosmetic.
** Subverted in ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot3Warped'', where both Crash and Coco wear aviator goggles over their eyes...albeit only in the airplane levels.
* In the ''VideoGame/DarkForcesSaga'', we see Jan Ors actually use the goggles she wears on her head twice. Somehow, both the Empire and Jabba the Hutt let her keep them on after she was captured by them.
* Much like with the anime and manga, if you're a protagonist in a Franchise/{{Digimon}} game, odds are that you're wearing a pair of useless goggles.
** Keisuke manages to avert it however in ''VideoGame/DigimonStoryCyberSleuthHackersMemory'', as his goggles (though more of a visor really) are actually his Digivice, and he needs to put them on to log into [[CyberSpace Eden]]. He is shown with them on while using an item in battle.
* Oddly enough, in ''VideoGame/DragonQuestII'' both the Prince of Lauraisa and the Prince of Cannock wear goggles as part of their headgear. While this may be justified by the fact both live close to small patches of desert, they're never shown actually ''using'' them. (The Princess, meanwhile, doesn't get any goggles of her own.)
* A variant: The Leather Armor in ''VideoGame/{{Fable}}'' has a dagger in a sheath attached to the sleeve. You can't do anything with it, but it looks cool.
* ''None'' of the many goggles in ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'' have a stat bonus other than armor class, and they're both harder to find replacement components and no better as armor than glasses that do have stat bonuses. In addition, some of the costumes and headgear in the game feature goggles. This means that if a player wants he can have one pair on a helmet, one pair around his neck (as part of the costume) and at the same time wearing a pair.

** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'', Goggles are an equippable item, which prevent blindness. Unfortunately, a glitch with the Evasion stat in the game made it so blindness doesn't affect the accuracy of physical attacks as it's supposed to, making them useless. The Goggles, quite literally, do nothing. This was fixed in the remake. Sadly, the goggles aren't actually drawn on your character. Ironically, the Blind status effect (rendered irrelevant by the above-mentioned glitch aside from preventing Strago from [[PowerCopying learning enemy spells]]) ''does'' make a character look like they're wearing goggles.
** In ''Videogame/FinalFantasyVII'', while Cid never uses his goggles in the intended manner, despite actually being a pilot, they do provide a nice place for him to stick his pack of cigarettes. Reno also boasts a pair, except without cigarettes, [[AllThereInTheManual seeing as he's a very competent helicopter pilot.]]
** Rikku from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' wears a pair of goggles in her swimwear. When she takes it off, there's ''another'' pair of goggles around her neck as part of her normal outfit, but she doesn't actually don them. The actual reason most Al Bhed have goggles ''is'' safety, technically -- but it's got more to do with safety from FantasticRacism than sparks and metal shavings, as they specifically wear opaque lenses that hide their spiral eyes. For whatever reason, Rikku elects not to do this when she becomes Yuna's guardian.

*** Cid Garlond wears a pair of goggles up on his forehead, not because as an engineer he may need them at any time, but to hide the ThirdEye that marks him as a pure-blooded [[TheEmpire Garlean]].

* The male PlayerCharacter from ''[[VideoGame/FossilFighters Fossil Fighters: Champions]]'' wears oversized goggles over his hair. The setting has a plausible reason to have them -- keeping dirt of the eyes while cleaning fossils. However, this is never seen, and when the other major charcters don't have goggles either, including the female PlayerCharacter, they never amount to more than an accessory.
* Baird from ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar'' has goggles that seem to serve no apparent purpose... but being the squad's self-proclaimed [[TheSmartGuy Smart Guy]] and MrFixit, they would seem to have a potential use for him. Averted in ''Gears of War 2'', as in the part where [[spoiler:Delta Squad rides Reavers]], he puts the goggles over his eyes, since [[spoiler:they are flying]].

%%* Velgas in ''VideoGame/GloriaUnion''.
* Used as an achievement in ''VideoGame/GuildWars2'', the player character must don a pair of goggles (and nothing else but their underwear), and proceed to dive into a pool of lava from an immense height. As the fall will kill the player character due to the height before the lava even does any damage, the goggles really didn't help at all.
* The main character of ''VideoGame/IzunaLegendOfTheUnemployedNinja'' wears a pair of strange triangular goggles that are never used.
* Both titular characters (even though one is an otter-weasel hybrid) in the ''VideoGame/JakAndDaxter'' series wear goggles around their heads. In Jak's case this trope is averted: his goggles are useful in [[VideoGame/JakAndDaxterThePrecursorLegacy the first game]] for sniping out enemies and Dark Eco crystals using yellow Eco; in [[VideoGame/Jak3 the third]] he wears them while out in the desert. Played straight with Daxter in most games, until he eventually puts them to use while being flung through the air to dismantle planes in ''VideoGame/JakAndDaxterTheLostFrontier''. He also wears his goggles over his eyes in an early cutscene in ''VideoGame/JakXCombatRacing''.
* In ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'', Cid and Goofy wear goggles. Though it's possible that Cid may use the goggles while working on Gummi ships, it's hard to imagine what use they would serve for a Captain of the Guard who uses shields as weapons.

* In ''VideoGame/LegoStarWars II'', some of the [=NPCs=] in the Mos Eisley Cantina and in the Tatooine levels are wearing what appear to be bucket hats with goggles around the crown. This hat can also be chosen in the character builder. These have no effect on gameplay, but boy, do they ever look cool.
* In ''VideoGame/NostalgiaRedEntertainment'', Melody's [[RobeAndWizardHat pointy witch hat]] sports a pair of goggles for some reason. She never wears them.

* The protagonist of ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'' has an [=MP3=] player around his neck, with headphones hanging on his chest. Except for the opening cutscene, he never uses them onscreen. Although [[spoiler: Fuuka upgrades the headphones at the end of her Social Link, and the upgraded headphones unlock the Scathach persona]]. The player is then referenced in a bit of a MythologyGag in which [[TheLancer lancer]] and ButtMonkey Yosuke (voiced by the [[Creator/YuriLowenthal same voice actor as P3's protagonist]]) is shown to also be wearing an [=MP3=] player. He's actually shown wearing them in battle, even ''tapping his foot'' (Though not quite in-time to the battle music, sadly.) And shown taking them off post-battle.

* ''{{VideoGame/Portal 2}}'': The [[http://theportalwiki.com/wiki/Goo_Gear_Snorkel Goo Gear Snorkel item]] from summer 2011 for the co-op robots don't really help much against the deadly goo in the test chamber levels.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}'', Raz lowers his goggles over his eyes before entering a person's mind... for no apparent purpose. In "The Milkman Conspiracy," this becomes {{lampshade|Hanging}}d by the interrogative [[TheMenInBlack Men In Black]]: "Who are you?" "Who is the Milkman?" "What is the purpose of the goggles?" It's then {{subverted|Trope}} when the [[BossBattle boss]] threatens to pluck out his eyes:
--> '''Razputin''': Ha, you can't! [[BrickJoke ''That'' is the purpose of the goggles.]]
* In ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankRiftApart'', Rivet has a pair of goggles that she never wears over her eyes. They're mainly there to [[SceneryPorn show off the ray-traced reflections in the lenses]].
* The actual quote is said word-for-word in ''Videogame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert3'' during the Mount Rushmore mission in the Allied campaign, when [[spoiler:President Ackerman activates the various laser cannons installed in Mount Rushmore to attack your forces]].

* Okay, so it's not goggles, but ''VideoGame/ShadowHearts'': Covenant has Yuri, wearing a small satchel on his back (with trailing buckle-straps). While one could argue that's [[HammerSpace where the millions of random items you collect or buy over the course of the game]] end up stashed, you never see Yuri use it. Seems he took a few traveling tips from [[Franchise/TombRaider Lara Croft]].

** There are goggle sprites in the original ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog1''. See them [[http://info.sonicretro.org/Game_Secrets:Sonic_the_Hedgehog_%2816-bit%29 here]]. They were [[DummiedOut removed from the game]] before being programmed to do anything. It's speculated that they were intended to be SCUBA gear.
** In ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'', Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik wears not only goggles that never leave the top of his head, but also spectacles. So he couldn't wear his goggles even if he wanted to. The only time he actually wears his goggles in one scene in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'', where he dons them for dramatic purposes. Of course, they're back on top of his head in all of the scenes immediately following. Being the MadScientist he is, Eggman probably uses them when welding his MechaMooks together... it's just that we never ''see'' him doing it.
** The Heroes in ''VideoGame/SonicRiders'' wear goggles even before they know they're going to compete in a hoverboard competition, and once they start competing, they never put their goggles over their eyes. This isn't so for the antagonistic Babylon Rogues. Amusingly, in addition to not being used, their sunglasses/goggles are far too small to actually ''be'' worn.
%% ** You can buy a replica pair in ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed'', and their description points out that [[LampshadeHanging "wearing them has no effect."]]
* Both played straight and averted in the ''Franchise/{{Splatoon}}'' games. Googles are among many pieces of headgear in the game, with some only worn on the forehead, while others are actually put on by the character. Not that shielding your eyes does anything gameplay-wise.

* Rita, of ''VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia'', has a pair worn on her forehead that do absolutely nothing. She also apparently has a pair of glasses tucked into the collar of her shirt that are never used.

* The goggles Hwoarang from the ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'' series wears but never puts over his eyes. There is a cutscene in ''VideoGame/Tekken5'' (and ''Dark Resurrection''), where Hwoarang is riding his motorbike... with the goggles still up on his hair.

* Captain Rush of ''VideoGame/TimeCrisis'' wears a pair of orange goggles around his neck. Being a US Army soldier and all, you'd think they'd come in handy...
* The Alchemist from ''VideoGame/{{Torchlight}}'' wears them proudly in the loading screen and other art. All classes can wear helms that show up as just goggles, and in the case of the Vanquisher the goggles strap ties up her ponytail as well.
* In ''VideoGame/VacantSky'', there's a tombstone that literally reads:
--> RIP Jiroriseth Moss
--> The goggles did nothing
* ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII'' has an ending credits movie, in which Archimonde is "filming" a movie, complete with several takes. In one take, there's a dragon attack, and while running away, someone says "The goggles! They do nothing!!"
** One of the new quests in ''[[VideoGame/WorldofWarcraft Cataclysm]]'' gives a pair of safety goggles. It's pretty obvious what they do. (They ''do'' have armor, but less than a helmet (which occupies the same slot) would generally give.)
** [[http://us.media1.battle.net/cms/gallery/YRKA6UMGLQ701315846622103.jpg The mage Tier 13 set]] has what looks like a pair of glowing goggles -- on the forehead. They are meant to just look cool as the particular set has been dubbed "Technomage."
* In the ''VideoGame/WarioWare'' series, Wario wears his goggles when riding his motorcycle but Mona doesn't wear hers on her scooter. Her ''monkey'' even wears his goggles.
* Luka Allen Smithee of ''Videogame/TheWonderful101'' has a pair of goggles that are more or less just decoration. [[spoiler:Subverted in the epilogue, in which he becomes "Wonder Goggles", and they fire laser blasts.]]

* Both played straight and averted in the ''VideoGame/{{Splatoon}}'' games. Googles are among many pieces of headgear in the game, with some only worn on the forehead, while others are actually put on by the character. Not that shielding your eyes does anything gameplay-wise.

* The aptly named Goggles from the ''Manga/{{Splatoon}}'' manga wears the goggles item from [[VideoGame/{{Splatoon}} the game]] on his head. Like in the games, he never pulls it down.