History Main / NotSoStoic

* [[NotSoStoic/AnimeAndManga Anime & Manga]]

* [[NotSoStoic/LiveActionTV Live-Action TV]]

* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10686253/2/Mission-Report-Impossible Mission Report: Impossible]]'' as Nova Prime attempts to get through an insane report that the [[Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2014 Guardians]] sent in, she keeps trying to stay calm, stoic, and in control like normal before giving up and instead laughs until she starts crying.

** In Chapter 13 of the original, he keeps his annoyance towards [[spoiler:the rumors claiming he slept with Maia]] inside, until he reaches his RageBreakingPoint due to a parchment alerting him that the refugees in the Church are getting kicked out. This is a {{downplayed}} example -- he is visibly seething rather than exploding or yelling, but his display of anger, which differs from the calm menace he generally exudes, still comes across as extremely terrifying.

** As serious and composed as [[Characters/JoJosBizarreAdventureJotaroKujo Jotaro Kujo]] is, he finds it a sore spot that [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders former enemy Hol Horse]] [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureCrazyDiamondsDemonicHeartbreak technically knew his uncle Josuke longer than he did]].

** Celestia Ludenberg in ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc'' usually presents herself as a stoic, pragmatic, ElegantGothicLolita. However, she does have some BerserkButton and if pressed, her expression changes into a deranged, screaming lunatic. [[spoiler:She's the culprit of the third case, and when about to be exposed, she pretty much puts on the deranged self all the time, until she's exposed and decided to be a GracefulLoser]].

When PlayedForLaughs or [[CharacterDerailment poorly written]], it's an OutOfCharacterMoment. Always a SubTrope of TheStoic (non-stoic characters are expected to display emotion whereas a Stoic character displaying an emotional reaction demonstrates a crack in their normal personality). Sometimes overlaps with AlternateCatchphraseInflection.

[[quoteright:312:[[ComicBook/{{Batman}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sorry_batman.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:312:Even the Dark Knight can't keep brooding forever.]]

** He sometimes can actually be creeped out by his villains. A memorable example comes from ''Batman: Gothic'', from ''ComicBook/LegendsOfTheDarkKnight''. After he saw [[spoiler: Mister Whisper being run-over by a train [[SuperToughness and still being alive,]] [[HealingFactor slowly healing from his wounds]]]] he screams in horror and is visually scared.

* Stoick, aptly enough, in ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'' is very much this trope, dropping his cool demeanor when he fears for the safety of his tribe or his son Hiccup. Also in the sequel, when he is reunited with his long-lost wife Valka. Valka lampshades this at one point, saying, "Stop being so stoic, Stoick." when Stoick walks up to her without saying a word.
* ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'': Tigress is cold and emotionless throughout most of the film, especially toward Po, whom she regards as an unworthy interloper. When Po starts making goofy faces after she tells him about Master Shifu and Tai Lung, she loses her temper and is about to take him down, until Mantis assures her that Po's goofy face was the result of his hitting the wrong nerve with his acupuncture.

!!Examples:

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* ''Manga/The100GirlfriendsWhoReallyReallyReallyReallyReallyLoveYou'': Uto typically presents herself as a philosophical WanderingMinstrel with all the coolness of a cucumber. Though since the reality is that it's part of a {{Chuunibyou}} act, she's highly prone to {{Freak Out}}s if she's taken off guard by someone else either sneaking up on her or doing something unexpected.
* ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'':
** [[EmotionlessGirl Annie Leonhart]] starts [[LaughingMad laughing]] and [[SlasherSmile grinning]] insanely when [[spoiler:she is correctly accused of being the Female Titan.]] WordOfGod says this is mostly out of [[spoiler: relief that she's been exposed and can briefly be a normal teenage girl.]]
** Levi is visibly affected by [[spoiler: the death of his squad.]]
** Bertolt [[spoiler: seems to hold himself together much better than the other two spies even after TheReveal, but it all comes crashing down when he's confronted by his former teammates and breaks down crying because he truly feels horrible about what he's done and really did see them as his friends.]]
* In ''Manga/BeautyAndTheFeast'', Yamato is fairly quiet and straight-laced most of the time with a perpetual "I'm beat" look on his face, but even he can be taken by surprise or reduced to a sputtering mess of embarrassment, particularly when something happens between him and Yakumo or Rui. He freaks out in particular when he bumps into Yakumo in the dark and believes he groped her by accident.
* Guts is stoic to point of lacking emotions in ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' until he becomes a member of the Band of the Hawk. He finally begins to open up, but his emotions are mainly limited to mirth and anger, never showing anything tender. Then, during a touching scene when he and [[spoiler: Casca]] make love, he breaks down completely and despairs over his abusive relationship with his stepfather. The following night, he has another NotSoStoic moment when he finds Griffith in the dungeon and sees the horrible suffering that had been inflicted on his friend.
* Ciel Phantomhive from ''Manga/BlackButler'' hits this trope when he has a panic attack in the manga.
* ''Manga/BlackJack'':
** Just one chapter in the ''Manga/BlackJack'' manga, but the "Black Queen", a female surgeon known for her cool, unemotional efficiency in amputations. Even her fiance is freaked out by how cold she is about her work. But then she has a drunken emotional outburst all over Black Jack -- and later learns that she'll have to amputate her lover's leg, which sends the woman into complete emotional collapse. [[spoiler:Black Jack sedates her and manages to save the leg]].
** [[TheRival Dr. Kiriko]] is quite capable of turning the otherwise collected Black Jack himself into an [[DrJerk incoherent bundle of petty rage]].
* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'':
** Ulquiorra Cifer becomes more and more infuriated with Ichigo during their battle in Hueco Mundo, to the point where he actually starts to yell. It's only as he dies that he finally understands the truth about emotion and the value of the heart.
** Byakuya Kuchiki had a HairTriggerTemper as a kid and, as an adult, his temper is hidden, not cured. He's furious when he learns Ichigo's method of learning bankai has violated shinigami tradition and becomes pure TranquilFury when Zommari tries to kill the almost-dead Rukia. However, it's only when he fights [[EmotionBomb As Nodt]] that his stoic mask shatters completely and the consequences are so devastating it leads to the most [[FamilyUnfriendlyViolence brutal defeat]] in this story's history.
* Jo from ''Anime/BurstAngel'' starts the first few chapters deeply troubled by one of Meg's [[FauxActionGirl frequent]] kidnappings.
* Tooya from ''Manga/CeresCelestialLegend'', who even took the BadassLongcoat to stride, breaks away from his poker face for the first time when the subject of his relationship with Aya is brought up.
** Taken even further in one episode where he cries, fearing Aya may die.
** And taken even further than that towards the end of the series when he learns that [[spoiler:Aya is carrying his child]], and he cries again. This time, fangirls swoon.
* Deneve, Clare, and Miria from ''Manga/{{Claymore}}'' were all devotedly stoic up until the Pieta battle, when all three experienced emotional breakdowns over the deaths of their comrades.
* ''Anime/CodeGeass'':
** C.C. is generally a rather stoic character, but the facade is broken when [[ByronicHero Lelouch]] [[spoiler:calls her real name]] and she smiles happily.
** The GrandFinale has C.C. shedding tears just as Lelouch [[spoiler:[[ThanatosGambit stages his own public assassination]].]]
* Vicious from ''Anime/CowboyBebop'' usually seems [[PerpetualFrowner stoic and composed]]. But in combat, he is very prone to [[SlasherSmile slasher smiling]]. Lord, is he ever.
** Faye Valentine appears at first to be calm, collected, and manipulative. However, [[spoiler: seeing a tape she made as a child (which she can't remember) and not having a home anymore clearly affected her deeply. The last we see of her is her crying her eyes out after Spike has gone to fight Vicious.]]
* ''Anime/Danganronpa3TheEndOfHopesPeakHighSchool'': Izuru, due to undergoing a DeathOfPersonality, is completely stoic and finds everything and everyone around him boring. However, [[spoiler: watching Chiaki, his OnlyFriend and ImpliedLoveInterest back when he was Hajime, die causes his feelings for her to resurface and he cries.]]
* All over the place in ''Anime/DarkerThanBlack'', since while Contractors are generally [[LackOfEmpathy pragmatic sociopaths]], they're ''perceived'' as [[TinMan emotionless]]. Thus, they act {{stoic}} most of the time, but there's usually that ''one'' [[BerserkButton thing]] that gets a rise out of them. Particularly memorable moments included Hei completely flipping out at the mention of his sister and the time when [[EmotionlessGirl Yin]] started crying.
** Hei's character tends to play around with this trope. Compared to other contractors, he's extremely empathetic towards the people around him and is known to act irrationally based on his feelings.
** For a human example, [[FairCop Kirihara]] starts crying when she hears her team laughing and talking about how they'll support the chief and catch the villain without realizing that [[spoiler: their section has been disbanded.]]
* ''Manga/DeathNote'':
** L, who usually often shows low to moderate levels of outward emotion, freaks out when he watches the second Kira's videotape, and they mention Shinigami. The author stated that this is because he was startled/indignant at the idea that he was supposed to just believe that Shinigami exist and throw all of his logic so far out the window. Also because they "just wanted to include a scene where L butt-hurts into the floor, so that's another reason."
** When L tries to reason with an increasingly panicked and furious Aizawa after [[spoiler:Ukita's death]] in the middle of the second Kira's first broadcast, Aizawa angrily grabs L's shoulder, demanding to let him go out there and help his friend, and immediately goes quiet when he realizes that L is trembling with fear despite the near-absolute calmness in his voice and the impassive expression on his face. He's just as upset about the situation as Aizawa, but hides it and refuses to let it cloud his judgment.
* The super-stoic Amasawa Yuuko from ''Anime/DenNohCoil'' breaks down crying when it is revealed that [[spoiler:her brother has been DeadAllAlong, and all her efforts to revive him from his "coma" have been for nothing]].
* In TheMovie version of ''The Disappearance of Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya'', Yuki transforms from TheStoic into a WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds, who's just shy. The scene where she (non-verbally) begs Kyon to stay for dinner is just {{moe}}!
* ''Manga/DragonBall'':
** Piccolo is one of the most {{Stoic}} characters in the series. He rarely shows emotions outside of annoyance, especially at the start of ''Z''. However, he has several moments of showing true anger or sadness to the point of tears, especially around Gohan. He loses a lot of his stoic personality after merging with Kami.
** Tien is even more of a stoic than Piccolo. It becomes somewhat of a joke that he has no sense of humor. But he becomes visibly flustered when Launch flirts with him and when training with King Kai when he was forced to chase Bubbles.
** Filler character Pikkon, which is fitting since he's based on Piccolo. His demeanor breaks several times as he fights Goku during the Otherworld Tournament.
* Tsukasa in ''Manga/DrStone'' is often cool-headed and in control. Though he reacts to Taiju's stupidity (these are removed in the anime). After he's revived a second time later on, he immediately asks Senku "what's the situation". Everyone comments that Tsukasa always keeps his cool. Senku tells him that they're going to the moon, causing Tsukasa to lose his cool.
* ''Manga/ElfenLied'':
** Kurama spends his early appearances as a professional, businessman, and BenevolentBoss. After chasing Lucy for a while, his facade breaks down, as she starts to destroy his life, [[spoiler: dismembering his adopted daughter and getting his biological daughter killed, and several members of his staff]]. By the end of this, his mind snaps, he grows a BeardOfSorrow and lives disheveled in a hut on the beach with one of his hitmen. His mind continues to break down after [[spoiler: seeing the dying clone of his biological daughter]], and being taunted by Lucy over it. [[spoiler: he eventually recovers]].
** The Agent is also a stoic character, hanging around in the background, and fighting off numerous Diicoloni while keeping a calm demeanor. She saves a scientist from an Army of them and sacrifices herself to get her to safety. Once the scientist is gone, she begins crying, afraid to die, as the creatures advance towards her.
* Erza from ''Manga/FairyTail'' has had quite a few moments, both comedic (the play episode) and dramatic ([[spoiler:the Tower of Heaven arc, anyone?]]).
* Louise of ''Literature/TheFamiliarOfZero'' gets this during the rescuing of the Staff of Destruction in the first season. When Louise tries to defeat the giant golem and is more of a hindrance than anything what with her spells not doing any damage and Saito having to push her out of the way of an attack by the golem, Saito tries to get her to leave and run to safety, which she absolutely flat out refuses to do and tells Saito to let her continue, despite both of them knowing she's doing nothing to help. After a wake-up slap, Saito tells her that her life isn't worth anything if she throws it away on pride, where upon Louise immediately breaks down and admits the reason she doesn't want to quit is that all the bullying due to the lack of talent and constant explosions from failed spells really has gotten to her deep down, and in reality, she is outwardly tough but inwardly she's emotionally damaged from verbal bullying, name-calling, and her own failings as a mage, and doesn't want to be labeled a coward on top of already being labeled as a no-talent mage, and even admits that in reality the name Louise The Zero "hurts (her) feelings" despite her visually brushing it off until this point. This doesn't change her personality in the slightest, however, but at least the audience has an explanation for some of it.
* ''Franchise/FullmetalAlchemist'':
** Riza Hawkeye when she thinks Roy is dead in the [[Manga/FullmetalAlchemist manga]] and ''Brotherhood''.
--->'''Riza:''' "So... when you said that you already killed someone... You didn't. You ''couldn't.'' You... You... '''YOU ''BIIIIIIIIITCH!!'''''"
** In ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemist2003'', Riza breaks down when she [[spoiler:sees Roy bleeding out and injured]] in the final episode.
* ''Literature/FullMetalPanic'':
** Sagara Sousuke: after being a nigh-perfect [[TheStoic Stoic]] for the entire first season, he is [[spoiler:subjected to a BreakingSpeech by Gauron, [[ShutUpHannibal beats him up]]]] and finally snaps.
** This happens again through Second Raid. Beginning when he was ordered to [[spoiler: immediately cease guarding Kaname]] and ending with [[spoiler: ''another'' BreakingSpeech from Gauron]], he spiralled downhill into a TenMinuteRetirement and a full-blown HeroicBSOD.
** Interestingly enough, in the anime, he ''never'' cries. However, in the novel, he ''does'' break down crying and showing vulnerability... ''not'' over Kaname, ''not'' over any of his comrades dying... but over his shame and hurt pride that the hostage situation (during the Behemoth Arc) failed to go the way he planned.
** On a smaller scale, he also unintentionally breaks his [[TheStoic stoic]] image by, amazingly enough, acting like a {{Tsundere}} in regard to Kaname. During the party on the Tuatha De Dannan, Kurz tells Sousuke, "She's pretty, cute, and has a nice sense of style. ''Any'' man would fall for her in an instant." Sousuke quickly and coldly responds, "[[SheIsNotMyGirlfriend I wouldn't know. I'm not interested.]]" Certainly a response very unlike his normal stoic, clueless attitude.
** ''Fumoffu?'' has several examples, PlayedForLaughs. Sousuke's [[BlueWithShock immediate reaction]] on realizing he's forgotten Kaname's notes at home spring to mind, as does his entire DrillSergeantNasty persona during the Rugby episode, complete with an extremely HotBlooded RousingSpeech that he admits to repeating from a book that Mao gave him.
** And then there's [[http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f71/Sil_Screenies/RUN.png this]] [[SarcasmMode picture of tranquility]] when he was under the impression that someone was torturing Kaname. Luckily for the "kidnapper" in question, he was wrong.
** A massive example comes right at the end of the series: [[spoiler:Sosuke is stranded at ground zero of an incoming [[NukeEm nuclear missile]] and has accepted his fate. But then his HumongousMecha receives a transmission: a video message from his high school classmates, thanking him for saving their lives and reminding him of his promise to return to school along with Kaname. This makes Sosuke break down crying and declaring that he wants to live, which leads to his mecha's AI trying something that ends up saving them both.]]
** ''The Second Raid'' has Sousuke show his trust towards Kaname by letting her cut his hair. Let's review it: a teenage {{Child Soldier|s}} conditioned to perceive everyone as a potential enemy is letting another person handle scissors near his head and behind his back (falling asleep in the process). More so, he actually gets aroused by her proximity even though he is TheStoic. It doesn't make him any less of a badass, though. That's just some good character development.
* ''[[Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C: 2nd GIG]]'':
** Batou is riding in a vehicle with Gohda when the latter starts questioning Batou about his [[SubordinateExcuse relationship with the Major]], openly asking if he's in love with her. Batou (who clearly ''is'' in UnrequitedLove with his female superior) keeps his usual stoic expression until Gohda turns to look out the window, whereupon Batou's face twists with anger and he snarls over his comlink: "This guy's a real comedian!"
** The Major herself falls into this category as well. She usually is a complete [[IceQueen hardened super-woman]] with a rather [[DeadpanSnarker dark sense of humour]], but she can and WILL break face if you push her far enough. She goes [[spoiler: into a murderous rampage against a mech-operator in season one after he nearly broke her body and cries at certain points in season two, mostly involving her feelings towards Kuze]].
** She normally shoots once to incapacitate and kill, dealing with her missions calmly and coolly. At least, until she meets the guy who shot Togusa and damaged her body. Then she got scary.
--->'''Motoko:''' FORK OVER THAT GUN!
* In ''Manga/{{Gintama}}'', the first time [[EmotionlessGirl Imai Nobume]] displays any semblance of emotion is when [[{{troll}} Sougo]] eats [[TrademarkFavoriteFood donuts]] in front of her while she's locked up in a prison cell. She reacts [[GroinAttack rather violently]] (and is possibly being egged on by Kagura, who herself has a rivalry with Sougo). [[PlayedForDrama A much more serious example]] takes place in the [[RescueArc Farewell Shinsengumi arc]] after [[spoiler:[[ParentalSubstitute Isaburo's]] death]]: [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness she outright]] ''[[BrokenTears cries]]''.
* ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' has times when even the most hardened characters can crumble...
** Paptimus Scirocco of ''Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam'' is in almost all of his appearances the very model of TheStoic, with only two incidents breaking his icy calm. The first is when his most devoted follower, Sarah Zabiarov, is killed TakingTheBullet for him. This notably causes the cool and collected Scirocco to go absolutely ''berserk'', completely forgetting about the psychic duel he was fighting with rival BigBad Haman Kahn just seconds earlier to go after her killer. [[spoiler:As for the second time, that comes at the very end of the series when his mobile suit is paralyzed and he sees the main hero's mobile suit rocketing straight at him. But that one's a little more understandable]].
** Speaking of Haman, in her role as the BigBad of ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamZZ'' she is normally made of [[IronLady lunar titanium]]. However, when Judau Ashta erupts into a Newtype-powered rage after [[spoiler: his sister is shot]], she completely loses her composure and runs for her life. Interestingly, this leads to her developing somewhat of an obsession with Judau, constantly making him WeCanRuleTogether offers and trying to be his EvilMentor. Judau never once takes the bait.
** ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam00'' gives us TheStoic hero Setsuna F. Seiei screaming his lungs out of grief over a certain comrade '''[[spoiler:"[[SayMyName LOCKOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNN!!!!!]]"]]'''
** Aila Jyrkiäinen from ''Anime/GundamBuildFighters'' is introduced as an icy, detached [[SuperSoldier super sportsgirl]] who [[CurbStompBattle curbstomps her opponents]] with her Qubeley Papillon model. Later episodes, however, show her as anything ''but'' detached when it comes to food and those who come between her and food. This is especially the case whenever she bumps into fellow BigEater Reiji.
** [[Anime/GundamBuildDiversReRise Hiroto Kuga]] suffers an emotional breakdown [[spoiler:in Episode 20 after he finishes sharing his DarkAndTroubledPast about Eve (an EL Diver and his close friend whom he was [[MercyKill forced to kill]]) and his run-in with the original Build Divers with his BUILD [=DiVERS=] teammates. It takes a CooldownHug and a kiss from May for him to [[ManlyTears finally let out his grief]].]]
--->'''[[BrokenAce Hiroto]]:''' I trampled on people's feelings and wishes. There's no way someone like me could ever help anyone!\\
'''May:''' ''(kisses and embraces Hiroto)'' Don't hold back. If you want to cry, you should cry as much as you like.
** In ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamTheWitchFromMercury'' Elan is nicknamed the Ice Prince for his indifferent and emotionless affect. It starts to break down when he learns [[spoiler: Suletta doesn't suffer from piloting the Aerial]], acting gratuitously cruel in his anger, and by the end of their duel he's screaming in rage.
* Van of ''Anime/GunXSword'' has a sort of breakdown after facing a particularly powerful enemy. Not only does he show real fear for what may be the only time in the series, but the breakdown leads him to finally talk to his closest companion about his horrible past and his love for his dead fiancee. During this conversation, his voice shakes, his hand trembles, and he covers his face in a gesture more heart-wrenching than tears would have been.
* Ai Emna of ''Anime/HellGirl'' is usually the picture of stoic, bordering on being emotionless. Then the season one finale rolls around, when she confronts Hajime and his daughter about [[spoiler: being descendants of the boy who betrayed her and got her killed.]] Let's just say an angry Ai is something you ''definitely'' don't wanna meet.
* ''Literature/IWantToEatYourPancreas'': The protagonist is usually an unemotional, aloof DeadpanSnarker. However, as the story grows darker, there are three moments where the protagonist breaks down:
** [[spoiler:The protagonist slams Sakura to her bed in a show of anger after one prank too many and doesn't let go until she starts crying.]]
** [[spoiler: After Sakura is killed, [[HeroicBSOD he is so visibly distraught]] he refuses to attend her funeral and doesn't recover enough to visit her family home until days later. The animated adaptation amplifies this by showing him walking out of the living room after seeing the news broadcast announcing her death and stumbling on the stairs to his room, unable to get up.]]
** [[spoiler: After reading Sakura's farewell message, the protagonist finally sobs in front of her mother.]]
* In ''Manga/{{Inuyasha}}'', there is actually an episode entitled "Inuyasha Shows His Tears for the First Time" in which the title character believes his friends are dead and almost breaks down. He fully starts crying in relief when he finds out they survived. Later, Inuyasha cries again, this time in grief when [[spoiler: Kikyo dies in his arms]].
* ''Anime/{{K}}'':
** Kuroh is usually TheStoic when compared to Shiro, but he gets agitated a few times. A good example is when Shiro procrastinates on proving his innocence, or when he calls Kuroh his wife. The only time his calm facade really derails, though, is at the end of episode 3 when he shows off his tape recorder, which has all of his old master's quotes on it. He gets a big smile, giddy fanboy sparkles, and a LuminescentBlush.
** An even better example is Munakata, who spends basically the entire show cool and unruffled, even when he's in combat...until [[spoiler: Mikoto]] pisses him off one too many times and Munakata shoves him to the ground in a rage. He also makes a ''heartbreaking'' face when he realizes he [[spoiler: has to kill Mikoto]].
* [[EmotionlessGirl Mai]] from ''VisualNovel/{{Kanon}}'' is very much TheStoic at first, and seems pretty much emotionless up until the middle of her story arc. Sayuri gets attacked when Mai is not around, and Mai's reaction to this is absolutely heart-wrenching. She [[spoiler:first collapses in shock at the sight of the wounded Sayuri. Once Sayuri is admitted to the hospital, Mai then tries to kill herself, feeling guilty for not having been able to protect her friend. When her suicide attempt is foiled by Yuuichi, she breaks down into tears.]] And if at first you don't succeed...
* ''Manga/KimiNiTodoke'' has an example in Ryu: [[spoiler: in a flashback to his mother's death, little Chizu starts to bring him onigiri as his mother used to make. When he finds her leaving it on the doorstep, both of them break down crying.]] He ''was'' only around eight years old at the time, but it's still a shock, and very heartwrenching.
* Throughout 90% of ''Literature/KinosJourney'', Kino is the definition of TheStoic. Then, in the last episode ([[AnachronicOrder which takes place before the first]]), she stops in a town, befriends an adorable little girl, and is welcomed warmly by the rest of the people. She comes to love it so much that she considers settling down and living there. Eventually, however, the townspeople begin insisting that she leaves, to the point that they all but force her to. Reluctantly, she complies, only to end up [[spoiler:watching from a safe distance as a volcano erupts, completely destroying the town and killing everyone in it...including the aforementioned adorable girl. Made even worse when a letter she was given before she left reveals that they ''knew'' it was going to happen, but loved their town so much they decided to stay regardless.]] Quite understandably, Kino ''flipped out''.
* ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAs'':
** Chrono in the second Sound Stage. His usual stoic expression of professionalism gives way to a lot of spluttering, spatial disorientation, and general bewilderment when going-to-be-adopted Fate blind-sides him with an awkward attempt to address him as "Onii-chan (brother)".
** At the end of Season 1, [[LuminescentBlush he turns purple]] after Nanoha suggests that he's quite nice despite his stoic exterior for suggesting that the TSAB will be lenient with Fate by taking her circumstances into account, and immediately claims that what he said isn't necessarily his opinion.
** Signum gives us two more examples from the same season:
*** She loses her cool and punches the wall when the Wolkenritter find out that Hayate's illness is life-threatening.
*** She sheds a tear after this exchange:
---->'''Signum:''' [[WorthyOpponent Had we not met like this... we may have been really good friends]].\\
'''Fate:''' There's still time for that!
* Crown Prince Kouen in ''Manga/MagiLabyrinthOfMagic'' is normally very emotionless, even when his stepmother Gyokuen flirted aggressively with him, when [[spoiler:Gyokuen succeeded his father before him]] and when half of his body was burned away by [[spoiler:the Medium]]. However, he would occasionally show emotions such as [[http://www.mangahere.co/manga/magi/v12/c190/6.html getting angry]], [[http://www.mangaeden.com/en-manga/magi---labyrinth-of-magic/208/9/ chuckling]] and [[http://www.mangaeden.com/en-manga/magi---labyrinth-of-magic/210/9/ laughing]] at Alibaba.
* ''Manga/{{Monster}}'': Johan loses his DissonantSerenity exactly two times in the entire course of the series. Both times become memorably creepy for it.
* World Champion Most from ''Anime/MonsterRancher'' is almost a WarriorPoet, with a Jedi-like detachment and calm. Although the heroes are forced to fight him in order to win the cup he doesn't hold this against them, actually helping his rival Mocchi improve his skills and trying to persuade him to forfeit the match as Most was worried about hurting him. This last scene subtly displays a patronising and arrogant side, and indeed when Mocchi [[MinorInjuryOverreaction actually knocks him down he clearly loses his temper and roughly shoves the referee aside as he starts to count]]. He quickly recovers his composure.
* ''Manga/NabariNoOu'':
** Miharu is adorable, and loves to use his sweet smiles and ability to blush at will to his advantage; still, unless it's just to [[MindScrew mess with someone]], he's extremely apathetic towards basically everything. ...And then he meets [[EnigmaticMinion Yoite]], whom Miharu finds impossible to ''not'' care about. Miharu has a few good outbursts here and there concerning Yoite, and even laughs genuinely, but the turning point is his not-so-stoic breakdown, which leaves him openly sobbing. It's... yeah.
** Yoite himself counts. He shows almost no emotion when first introduced, but over the course of the story he has more and more emotional moments, usually concerning his [[YourDaysAreNumbered impending death]], his desire to be erased, or Miharu.
* Used in ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' to the point where pretty much ''every'' developed character who tries to be emotionless (as {{ninja}} are expected to be) fails at some point:
** Shino tries to be cool and calm, but on several occasions is irritated by being left out or unrecognized. Zabuza spent the entire StoryArc priding himself on being an emotionless killing machine, but in spite of himself flat-out ''[[ManlyTears cried]]'' when [[spoiler:Haku died]]. Danzo's policy is that emotions just cause trouble, but he outright flies into a rage when it's suggested [[spoiler:Kakashi be promoted to 6th Hokage ahead of him]]. Itachi gives what appears to be a raging VillainousBreakdown but states that is really ''how he always feels'' [[spoiler:then [[GoodAllAlong it turned out]] he was actually a former pacifist feeling so horrible for being NecessarilyEvil that [[GoOutWithASmile he's rather happy]] when he thinks it's all over.]] [[MasterofIllusion Subverted,]] [[spoiler: Itachi had such a powerful grip on his emotions that his believable act of hysteria may fool any character and even the viewer. Sasori claimed to be as emotionless as his puppets, but at several points when fighting seemed anything but calm. During the present storyline, Konan avoids expressing herself, even the entire time she fought her former master, but is vocally upset several times when Nagato]] starts pushing his body beyond its limits. I think I'm sensing a theme.
** Gaara gets a special mention. When he's first introduced, he speaks in a dull monotone and barely shows any reaction to, well, anything. This seemingly impenetrable stoicism is shattered spectacularly when he wakes up Shukaku for his fight with Rock Lee, and later, Sasuke and Naruto; and also when he tries to deal with Might Guy's defense of Rock Lee and his horrible emotional background (thank you, Yashamaru). Sasuke making him bleed for the first time got quite the reaction. He's also had his moments post-TimeSkip, such as when [[spoiler:he broke down in tears when his temporarily revived father told him that his mother ''did'' love him, contrary to what he was told.]]
** And Pain in Episode 167 of ''Shippuden'', what with some of the [[OffModel bizarre]] facial expressions he pulled.
** Sasuke, calm and cool in almost any situation, even when all the other characters are panicking, laughing uncontrollably, or cheering. But push his BerserkButton (the Uchiha and their fate) and [[UnstoppableRage look out.]]
** Kakashi is for the most part very stoic, never really shedding tears at the mention of his dead father and closest friends, but read/watch the Kakashi Gaiden special, especially the end where he breaks down crying at the death of Obito. It's truly heartbreaking to see that. In Chapters 599 and on [[spoiler: Kakashi discovers just who Tobi actually is -- his old teammate Obito -- which leaves him completely shocked to the point where]] Guy actually has to shake him back to the real world. Cue Chapter 608, where he barely even tries to defend himself [[spoiler:from Obito's attacks...]] The poor guy is completely out of it.
** Can't leave Hiashi out, either -- beneath that icy demeanor is a man who will get on his knees to beg his nephew to reconcile with him.
** Chapter 518 has [[spoiler:Sai]] finally lose his ever-present control over his emotions and fly into a rage when [[spoiler:Zombie!Deidara blows up Sai's zombified older brother, threatens to do it again and again after the guy reforms, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking insults Sai's art]]]].
** [[spoiler:Madara]] remained fairly cool and level-headed despite being in the middle of a massive war where his side consists of two people and a barely-controlled monster. Then [[spoiler:Hashirama]] shows up and [[spoiler:Madara]] slips into BloodKnight mode. He soon goes back to his normal personality, only for it to slip twice when [[spoiler:he goes mad with power on being resurrected and then joy when realizing Guy is a WorthyOpponent]].
* Princess Arika of ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'' mostly acts like TheStoic, but finally shows some emotion after [[spoiler: Nagi rescues her from execution and tells her he loves her.]]
** In a LotusEaterMachine that showed Negi what life would have been with his parents, Arika remains extremely distant and aloof even to her own son. It is very obvious that she cares about him though, and she holds his hand while walking down the street with him and Nagi.
*** Rather than "distant and aloof", she was more nervous and awkward having absolutely no idea how to treat her own child. Regardless, this still underlines her graduation from TheStoic.
** Also, Tsukuyomi managed to send Fate in a fit of rage by threatening to [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou "steal his kill"]].
* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'':
** Rei is heavily implied to have fallen in love with Shinji by the end. Either that, or developed motherly feelings for him since [[spoiler: she's partially a clone of his mother, and is choosing him over his father Gendo to become the "Messiah" of instrumentality in ''End'']].
** Gendo himself does this twice in the series proper. The first is when Rei's Eva goes berserk, and he severely burns his hands in his rush to get to her afterwards (opening the superheated release mechanism for her entry plug). The second time is when he orders the activation of Unit-01's dummy plug (autopilot) when his son's life (as well as the Eva, which contained the soul of his wife) was threatened by the 13th Angel. The look on his face shows it in the Japanese version, but the English dub has him swearing and yelling at his subordinates.
*** An interesting instance, as in the Rebuild, Gendo still orders the activation of the dummy plug but as the frenzied Evangelion proceeds to tear the Angel/Evangelion-03 to gibs, we see a satisfied smirk from Gendo in spite of the carnage that forces Maya to turn away and bury her face in her hands, and the others on the bridge to watch in silent horror. It is also one of the few (or possibly the only) time Gendo has ever really smiled since Yui died.
*** In ''End of Evangelion'' Gendo flat out ''panics'' on a level not seen before when Rei [[spoiler:absorbs [[ItMakesSenseInContext the Adam embryo in his hand]] into herself and initiates Third Impact on her own]] with both actors in English and Japanese making it clear from their tones of voice just how ''screwed'' Gendo knows he is now that [[spoiler:his LaserGuidedTykebomb slash surrogate daughter slash clone of his dead wife has effectively told him to fuck off and die]]. And in his final scene [[spoiler:he flat out states that the reason he has been so distant to Shinji is that he was afraid he'd only hurt him.]]
** Rei meanwhile looks at what happens with the dummy plugs, and she looks pretty freaked out [[TheStoic (for her)]], at least as much as she does when she sees Shinji rip apart an Angel and it's hinted that she would find the truth about them horrifying enough to turn on Gendo.
** Let's not forget Ritsuko's breakdown in the Dummy Plug Plant, where she starts screaming and crying for her mother. Bear in mind she's somewhere between Rei and Gendo on the scale of stoic-ness. Ironically, her reaction upon realizing that [[spoiler:Caspar, the Magi who represents her mother as a woman, has chosen Gendo over her when she attempts a TakingYouWithMe by blowing them all up]] is tearful but fairly composed after the initial shock wears off, with her simply stating "[[ThatLiarLies Liar]]" in response to what Gendo tells her[[note]]the exact words of which have only ever been revealed to the actress playing Ritsuko[[/note]] [[spoiler:before shooting her dead]].
* ''Manga/OnePiece'':
** The biggest example is Robin. She showed little to no emotion from the first time she was introduced as TheDragon and continues being stoic even after [[HeelFaceTurn joining the Straw Hats]]. Then comes the [=CP9=] saga, the majority of which is ''dedicated'' to this trope; when Robin's TearJerker past comes to bite her, she starts showing genuine fear, anger, and sadness. The apex comes after seeing her companions [[YouAreWorthHell declare war on the World Government for her sake]], after which she tearfully screams "I WANT TO LIVE!" She goes back to being The Stoic at the arc's conclusion, though, as though nothing had ever happened...though she's gradually started showing more and more emotion since then.
*** And it seems that she's slowly slipping into a lesser Stoic status as of the Dressrosa arc: after several hundred chapters of being the calmest person in the world, she has finally adopted her crewmates' habit of showing overreactive faces. [[spoiler:Those dwarves just don't get it. And she has another, even ''bigger'' WildTake a bit later in the same arc when talking with some [[LivingToys toy soldiers]].]]
*** Without saying a word, sometimes what she's thinking is shown to us through thought bubbles and the results usually range from goofy, odd, or cute. It's as though she says morbid things to throw people off about [[CloudCuckooLander how lighthearted she actually is]].
*** During the beginning of the Zou Arc, Kanjuro the samurai draws a pathetic-looking dragon and brings it to life. The Straw Hats dub it "Ryuunosuke" and in her mind, Robin refers to it as "cute" 3 times, all while ''blushing''. Ryuunosuke had the task of climbing up to a very high destination with the Straw Hats and Law on its back. When they finally make it, Robin is driven to tears by the dragon's efforts to help them as it slowly bonds with the surface, reverting back into a drawing.
*** The Wano arc takes this to a new level when Robin makes the same expression as Franky and Usopp when learning Luffy is in Wano (and already a wanted criminal). [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/enh8osnwoaaipoz.jpg As seen in here.]]
** [[TheLancer Zoro]] has only cried about three times thus far in over 700 chapters, and two of them were when he was a kid. This is because Zoro is SO STOIC that he can make a TearJerker out of standing there, staring off into the distance, and saying "Nothing happened!" While covered in blood. Though as stoic as he is, he's had his fair share of [[WildTake wild takes]] alongside the other Straw Hats...except for Robin, of course.
** Marco, the first Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, usually maintained a stoic reaction throughout the battle. However, he visibly lost his cool when [[spoiler: Whitebeard was stabbed by one of their allies, when Ace dies, and when Whitebeard himself dies.]]
** Jimbei is usually one of the most focused characters in the series. But he lost his cool in regards to [[spoiler: Ace's death]] and cried ManlyTears when [[spoiler: Nami forgave him]]. On a lighter note, he got a WildTake when he saw [[spoiler:Princess Shirahoshi and an injured Hachi with Luffy.]]
*** He got another Wild Take when Luffy is more concerned about food than the important information Jimbei was telling him. After getting angry with Luffy who cheerfully tells him that he likes to leave things to chance, Jimbei then goes into a minor depression.
** In Chapter 597, [[spoiler:Dracule Mihawk]] thinks that training the man who wants to take his life in battle is hilarious, so he ''[[http://www.mangapanda.com/103-56928-4/one-piece/chapter-597.html actually laughs]]'' when [[spoiler:Zoro]] begs him for training.
*** On the next page, it shows [[spoiler:Mihawk]] agreeing to train [[spoiler:Zoro]]. The look on [[spoiler:Zoro's]] face also falls into this trope. [[http://www.mangapanda.com/103-56928-5/one-piece/chapter-597.html He looks so happy and bright-eyed]], like a little kid that got ''exactly'' what he wanted during the holidays.
** Doflamingo is always seen smirking, and almost never stops pre-TimeSkip. Even then, it was only due to puzzlement. However, [[spoiler:when Law cuts the SAD, Vergo, and practically the entire island of Punk Hazard, all while giving a NewEraSpeech to him,]] Doflamingo actually ''shows frustration'' for the first time ever.
*** But that's merely the prelude of a massive symphony, the first movement of which comes when [[spoiler:Law gives him a SadisticChoice after taking Caesar Clown hostage. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place: either he would give up his position as a Warlord and get Caesar back, or keep the position and be unable to produce [=SMILEs=]. If he takes the former, the Admirals won't stand idly by anymore and hunt him down. But if he takes the latter, he'll anger '''''Kaido of the Four Emperors''''' and get wiped out. After being given this choice, Doflamingo loses it and starts going on a rampage on Punk Hazard, slaughtering G-5 marines and giving Smoker a ''severe'' NoHoldsBarredBeatdown, all while demanding the heads of the Straw Hats and Law.]]
*** The next movement comes many chapters later when Doflamingo finds out that in spite of how smart he was, he severely underestimated exactly how massive of a SpannerInTheWorks the Straw Hats could be. [[spoiler:Sugar, one of his crewmates whose Devil Fruit powers are the linchpin to maintaining his {{Masquerade}} over his kingdom, is knocked out, reversing her powers and exposing Doflamingo as the devilish man he is. His expression as everything he had worked for over the past decade comes crumbling down around him screams this trope, and the apex comes when he's taken by surprise and ''[[OffWithHisHead decapitated]]'' by Kyros... or rather, his doppelgänger is.]]
*** And the third movement comes when [[spoiler:Luffy and Law]] confront him. At first, he's taking it as easily as he can under the circumstances; that is, he's gotten so frustrated that [[LaughingMad he's just laughing it off]]. But then [[spoiler:a lengthy fight commences, and he finds himself victimized by a few sneak attacks before Law takes out his last and most powerful crewmate, and then he begins a fight with Luffy one-on-one. They're evenly matched for a while…up until Luffy unleashes his trump card, Gear Fourth, and turns it into a CurbStompBattle. And in the end, despite Doflamingo revealing all of the trump cards ''he'' had hidden, he loses.]]
** Trafalgar Law is seen as a lesser example of The Stoic; he's smug, smiling, takes battles casually, and is not above showing emotion at times. However, he is unmistakably serious in all aspects, which leaves him rather bothered by the Straw Hats' quirks [[spoiler:after they form an alliance. Examples include tying Chopper to his head, Luffy not following his plans, and the Straw Hats' absurdly nonchalant behavior in the calm before the storm. The first instance of this trope is shown after their victory on Punk Hazard when instead of fleeing, they throw a party. Law is shocked but ultimately joins in, albeit [[http://www.mangahit.com/one-piece/696/18 managing to keep his Stoic appearance intact]]. Four chapters later, however, when he realizes that he's grown too used to the Straw Hats' casual pace, [[http://www.mangahit.com/one-piece/700/11 he is FLABBERGASTED.]]]]
* ''Manga/OuranHighSchoolHostClub'':
** When Kyouya first meets IdiotHero Tamaki he takes all of his strange antics and outbursts relatively well... until he blows up at Tamaki and unloads all of the pent-up rage and insults he had been keeping inside. [[spoiler:It turns out Tamaki was (at least part of the time) [[ObfuscatingStupidity deliberately playing up]] his IdiotHero side, in order to [[InvokedTrope force Kyouya into this]] so that he could find out what Kyouya was really like BeneathTheMask.]] After the outburst, they're closer than ever, and Kyouya knows he's free to occasionally tell Tamaki how stupid he is without ruining their friendship... just like everyone else does.
** Mori is also quite stoic, but when the moments where he truly {{Face Fault}}s are few and far in between, but when he freaks, he ''freaks''.
* Vincent Nightray of ''Manga/PandoraHearts'' usually manages to keep up his [[FauxAffablyEvil cheerful disposition]] quite flawlessly, even while ''torturing and killing'' people. The first time his facade slips, which is PlayedForLaughs, is when [[ThePollyanna Ada]] introduces him to her [[NightmareFetishist special collection]]. The second time is much more serious: [[spoiler:Vincent confronts Duke Nightray after Elliot's death and loses his temper when the duke doesn't express any remorse over his son's death. Vincent beheads Duke Nightray along with his two bodyguards, thereby ending the legitimate Nightray bloodline. He {{Lampshades}} this trope when he comments that it isn't like him to lose control like this.]]
* In ''Anime/Persona4TheAnimation'', Yu is usually comically stoic, casually remarking that he feels like dying when Teddie bites his hand and having a blank expression when he and Yosuke are shoved into a river by Chie and Yukiko during a school camping trip, for instance. Later in the series, though, [[spoiler:when his cousin and surrogate younger sister Nanako is kidnapped, he loses his shit. Worse still, when she ([[DisneyDeath temporarily]]) dies, while the rest of the Investigation Team is debating whether to stick the suspect into the TV World for revenge, Yu silently drags the suspect to a nearby hospital TV and nearly shoves him in, himself!]]
* ''Manga/PingPong'': Smile, in spades. His demeanor hasn't changed since elementary school, and he barely shows any emotion throughout the series…that is, until he surpasses Mr. Koizumi. After that, OOCIsSeriousBusiness.
* ''Franchise/{{Pokémon}}'':
** Silver from ''Manga/PokemonAdventures''. Cool and composed, except for the one time he got a HeroicBSOD when he found out who daddy was. The one moment that really sticks out though, is when he falls over when he sees his wanted poster.
** ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'':
*** Paul normally has a scowl as his trademark expression with a condescending smirk or intense concentration thrown in during a few battles. The one time that he has ever flipped out completely is in ''A Pyramiding Rage!'' when he battled Brandon and Brandon kept knocking out his Pokémon with no sign of his even taking damage.
*** Nando the Pokémon minstrel, in his early appearances, was so calm and polite that even getting arrested and framed for robbery failed to rile him. Then came the Grand Festival, where when Zoey begins shutting down his combinations, he drops the facade and gets even ''more'' intense than she is.
*** Hun from ''Anime/TheLegendOfThunder'' likewise. Usually he remains calm and blah, including telling his partner to stop joking around. Then the fighting starts and he gets, shall we say, [[AxCrazy into it]].
* Genichirou Sanada from ''Manga/ThePrinceOfTennis'' tries to act as TheStoic leader of his team, but he loses his temper ''far'' too often.
* Shows in small pieces earlier, but in Episode 8 of ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' Homura breaks down crying over how [[spoiler:Madoka refuses to understand that others like her the way she is.]]
** Episode 10 puts all of that into heartbreaking perspective. [[spoiler:Homura was once a cute, glasses-wearing, dorky ShrinkingViolet. Four time loops (possibly more) of seeing Madoka die or turn into a witch (one of which involved ''[[MercyKill killing Madoka herself]]'') [[BrokenBird later]]... It's clear that she's crying on the inside.]]
** A lesser example, also from Episode 10. Mami, who is second only to Homura in the stoic department, snaps into a sobbing mess when [[spoiler: the Sayaka of that timeline turns into a witch. She so breaks from the revelation that they'll all eventually become witches, that she shoots Kyoko's soul gem, killing her, and would have killed Homura too, had Madoka not killed her first.]]
* Also could count in ''Anime/SailorMoon'' when the typically hardass Sailor Uranus [[spoiler: witnesses her lover, Sailor Neptune get her heart stolen and die in front of her,]] while Uranus doesn't break down or cry, for the first time in the series she looks truly heartbroken. She then [[spoiler: attempts to kill herself. (Whether that action was performed due to anguish and desire to follow her girlfriend into death, or purely for the sake of the mission is never fully clarified]]
* Hotaru from ''Manga/SamuraiDeeperKyo'' possesses an aloof demeanor that often breaks when an interesting fight or opponent stirs his inner BloodKnight.
** Hishigi from the same series is a very strong example of TheStoic. He loses his cool very rarely, such as when Fubuki's suffering is trivialized. When he does get angry...''run''.
* In ''Manga/SchoolRumble'''s later chapters, we learn that [[spoiler:Karasuma]]'s lack of facial expressions was all an act. Once he ''does'' start showing emotions, he becomes ''almost unrecognizable''.
* Ken Washio on ''Anime/ScienceNinjaTeamGatchaman'' is extremely controlled. Except when it involves his father. [[spoiler: Who was undercover for most of Ken's life. Then killed for real before the two could develop any sort of relationship. And angered Ken enough that he dragged the entire team into an enemy trap.]]
* Langa of ''Anime/SK8TheInfinity'' is stoic for the majority of his screentime, but as the series goes on, he shows the depths of his emotions, despite it still being his default state. He'll smile incredibly gently [[ImpliedLoveInterest at Reki]], sport an unnerving GrinOfAudacity in the face of danger, grin excitedly around friends he skates with, and even look crushed as [[spoiler:his closest friend decides to leave him behind]].
* While Zelgadis Graywords of ''{{Literature/Slayers}}'' isn't entirely stoic -- he enjoys good company and can occasionally be as mischievous as Lina and Amelia -- he certainly never lets himself be vulnerable, and his default mood is a mix of stoicism and [[DeadpanSnarker condescending snark.]] Come the fifth season of the anime, he learns that [[spoiler:he can never turn his chimeric body back to its original human state, ever]], from his great-grandfather, a man he loathed, he starts to openly weep and yell.
* ''Manga/SoulEater'':
** This is used to comedic effect. Normally, Death the Kid is a quiet, observant, and intelligent young man. That is, [[ObsessivelyOrganized until he notices something that isn't symmetrical]].
** The Shinigami/Reaper is a quirky example. While not exactly stoic, he usually brushes off any and all situations by being/looking/talking/acting goofy, putting him firmly in comic relief territory. That is, until the Kishin gets loose. Just as the BigBad is about to flee outright, the Reaper shows up. There's some brief banter, where the Kishin calls the Reaper out on his goofiness, to which the Reaper offers some terse explanation and cuts loose. His voice drops to a low growl, his goofy mask takes on a thoroughly pissed-off expression (which is actually more effective than his previous "scary face"), he actually starts swearing at the Kishin and shows everyone exactly why he's the boss.
** To be reminded that the Cloudcuckoolander and the usually low-key boy are father and son, just point out something (significant) which goes against their sense of order. Kid also counts for the moments when his calm, matter-of-fact attitude towards being a god is broken by his occasionally hysterical concerns over not being a '[[WellDoneSonGuy 'good enough'']] god.
* Haku from ''Anime/SpiritedAway'' is normally calm and emotionless, even when Yubaba was breathing fire inches away from his face and wrapping her hair around his neck and body. But when he is around Chihiro, he reveals many more emotions, such as concern, [[DeadpanSnarker a hint of snarkiness]] and [[WhenSheSmiles happiness.]]
* Barnaby of ''Anime/TigerAndBunny'' is normally a very restrained individual, but after the discovery and subsequent loss of a lead on the organization responsible for [[spoiler:his parents' murder]] he completely loses it -- physically attacking his partner Kotetsu, snapping at everyone who talks to him, and briefly going AWOL before his mentor manages to get a hold of him and calm him down. Likewise, any mention of his [[spoiler:parents' killer]] makes him almost unrecognizable in his fury.
** From Episode 18 onwards the story is littered with such moments on Barnaby's part -- so much so that it counts as a complete subversion of the StoicSpectacles archetype he previously represented; {{the scream}}ing in TheStinger of Episode 18, a number of crying (nay, ''sobbing'') scenes in Episode 19, and the TenderTears in Episodes 20, 24, and 25.
* Thorfinn of ''Manga/VinlandSaga'' tries to be TheStoic, but the mask slips more often than not.
* Takayama from ''Anime/{{Witchblade}}'' [[spoiler: kisses Masane after she visits him following his forced resignation from Doji.]]
* Haguro Dou from ''Manga/WolfGuyWolfenCrest'' is an unsmiling and absolutely gigantic middle-schooler who, as the violent son of a Yakuza boss, serves as werewolf protagonist Inugami's main enemy for the first arc. When Inugami shows him just how powerless he really is, Haguro starts busting out [[SlasherSmile Slasher Smiles]] like nobody's business and goes on a psychopathic rampage that still shows no signs of stopping, all to regain his original image as a "monster."
* ''Anime/WolfsRain'':
** A particularly heart-wrenching example is when resident tough guy Tsume breaks down and openly weeps after [[spoiler: Toboe]]'s death.
** In the same series we also have Darcia, the cool, quiet, and enigmatic noble who completely loses it when [[spoiler:he returns home with Cheza, (she of the HealingHands) to save his ill fiancee, only to find that his fiancee was murdered shortly before his return. [[FreakOut He doesn't take it well]]]].
* Karasu from the Dark Tournament saga of ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'' initially seems to be the calmest and most reserved member of Team Toguro. During his battle with Kurama however, he turns out to be much more malicious and brutal than expected.
** Kurama tends to be calm most of the time, but after [[spoiler:winning a game against [[CreepyChild Amanuma/Game Master]] that costs the poor kid his life]], he becomes enraged under his stoic facade, [[spoiler:instantly decapitating Makihara/Gourmet with his Rose Whip and setting up a plan to defeat Elder Toguro (who was controlling Makihara's body after killing him) while he is ''still unable'' to read his thoughts through his rage]]. [[BewareTheNiceOnes Hoo Lee Shit]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* ''Film/AnimalKingdom'' has Joshua, who carries a dull, blank expression through most of the movie, including when his mother dies at the beginning, and barely seems to react to anything. However, after his girlfriend is killed, he finally breaks down and cries alone in the toilet.
* ''Film/Blade1998'': While in the climax there's a SayMyName moment where the typical GutturalGrowler title character emotes more, earlier the trope is hilariously PlayedForLaughs when two hospital guards fire at Blade and their bullets bounce off against his body armor prompting him to yell "MOTHERFUCKER, ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR DAMN MIND???" with a more high-pitched voice.
* In ''Film/BridgeToTerabithia'' (the FilmOfTheBook), Mrs. Meyer is the typical SternTeacher, very uptight and severe. She breaks into sobs while she explains to Jess [[spoiler: and that she understands how he feels because of Leslie's death]] since she had a very harsh time after her husband's death.
* Zus Belieski in ''Film/{{Defiance}}'' is a cold-hearted bastard. When his younger brother was sobbing helplessly over the recent deaths of their parents, Zus shook him roughly and shouted at him to stop crying. The one heartwrenching moment when his armor cracks comes after he learns that the wife and son he'd left in a then-safe city had been killed by the Germans.
* Matt King in ''Film/TheDescendants'' is usually completely stoic, especially around his kids. It makes the few moments when he breaks and finally gets angry or cries extremely effective.
* ''Film/DieHardWithAVengeance'' has two female examples:
** ActionGirl Connie Kowalski is pretty hard-boiled -- as are almost all of the NYPD cops -- but during the evacuation of the elementary school (when it's believed that a bomb has been planted there) she confesses that she might "pee [her] pants."
** Katya, Simon Gruber's DarkActionGirl, never smiles, never speaks, never even makes a sound throughout all her scenes...until the film's climax, when she and Simon are interrupted by John [=McClane=] and Zeus Carver at a ''very'' inopportune moment -- and she completely loses her cool, firing off a machine gun and [[SuddenlySpeaking screaming in rage]].
* ''Film/{{Dredd}}'' drops his usually unflappable demeanor when he's faced with rotary cannons and runs like hell. Though, being Dredd, he still manages to flee in a fairly composed (given the situation!) and manly way.
-->'''Dredd:''' Oh, ''shit''.
* ''Film/FirstMan'':
** At a funeral, Neil imagines seeing his dead daughter, and promptly leaves, banging his car into another in the process. Earlier on in the film, at his daughter's wake, he keeps his cool until he heads alone into his study, at which point he promptly bursts into tears.
** Janet, who is as stoic as her husband is, completely loses it when she realizes Neil intends to leave for the Apollo 11 mission without preparing their sons for the possibility of him not making it back.
* Richard Kimble in ''Film/TheFugitive'' is a StoicWoobie the entire film, but very clearly almost breaks when [[spoiler: Sam calls out to him that he knows he's innocent.]]
* Egon in ''Film/Ghostbusters1984'' is the calmest and least emotional of the four... until Peck does something Egon specifically told him not to do and blames the resulting explosion on the Ghostbusters. Then Egon screams "Your mother!" and attempts to throttle him.
* In ''Film/TheGodfather'' movies, Michael Corleone is generally TheStoic, even when someone is threatening him, except when Kay gets him angry, such as when she asks him about his business, or when she tells him [[spoiler: she had an abortion, not a miscarriage]], in the second film.
* ''Film/GrizzlyMan'': While listening to an audio recording of Timothy Treadwell and his girlfriend being ripped apart by a grizzly bear, the famously stoic and unflappable Creator/WernerHerzog shows obvious emotional distress at what he's hearing. After pulling the headphones from his ears, the haunted director earnestly advises the owner of the tape to destroy it without listening to it.
* Done in a particular heartwrenching way in ''Film/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows Part 2'' during Snape's flashback sequence. [[spoiler: First he's weeping when asking Dumbledore to protect Lily, then he's bawling as he cradles her dead body.]]
* Will Kane in ''Film/HighNoon'' is a calm, collected, responsible former marshal who needs deputies to help him fight Frank Miller, who's arriving into town on the noon train, but no one is willing to help him. Finally, when the marshal realizes he's utterly alone, he hides his face away, near tears, in the solitude of his office.
* In ''Film/InglouriousBasterds'',
** Nazi colonel Hans Landa has a cordial talk with a French farmer about the Jews he's hunting. The farmer is hiding the Jews beneath his floorboards but keeps up an impenetrable poker face throughout until Landa reveals that he already knows about them, at which point tears start streaming down the poor man's face.
** Another, slightly [[BerserkButton more]] [[AxeCrazy disturbing]] example is Landa himself. Throughout most of the movie, he is AffablyEvil, almost never wavering in his soft-spoken cordiality...until he [[spoiler: calls out Von Hammersmark on being a spy for the Allies, then strangles her to death]].
** Landa has another NSS moment at the end when Aldo Raine shoots the German soldiers they were escorting along with him. His reaction is most likely the initial shock of the unexpected gunshots giving way to growing realization that the Basterds have just broken the same contract that protects his own life.
* Forms part of the plot of ''Film/TheInvisible'': Nick resented his mother's stoicism, especially after his father died, thinking she had no actual feelings. While he's missing and presumed dead, he finds her still keeping the facade and rants furiously (and uselessly) at her. She can't see or hear him. Then she upsets a teacup and abruptly breaks down sobbing...
* SilentBob's outburst in ''Film/JayAndSilentBobStrikeBack''.
** And before that, when he weeps (silently but heartwrenchingly) over [[spoiler:Bethany's death]] in ''Film/{{Dogma}}''.
*** And even before that, when he laments the tale of his [[TheOneThatGotAway one true love whom he rejected]] in a fit of indignation brought on by fear and feelings of inadequacy, in ''Film/ChasingAmy''.
* ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings''
** Éomer is a mix between TheStoic and TheBerserker, depending on whether he's in battle or not. But in the extended edition of ''[[Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheReturnOfTheKing The Return of the King]]'', when he finds [[spoiler: Théoden dead and Éowyn nearly dead]], he runs over to them screaming wordlessly in horror and grief. It's so at odds with his normal persona that it's actually quite effective.
** Legolas reacts to most things with DullSurprise. Orcs? No problem at all. Oliphaunt? He's a bit awestruck by the sight of it but he brings it down anyway. [[Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheFellowshipOfTheRing The Balrog]]? He's not just scared, he's absolutely flat ''terrified''.
** In ''Film/TheHobbitTheDesolationOfSmaug'', Legolas takes on Bolg in hand-to-hand. Not only does he fail, but the Orc gives him a bloody nose, finally {{avert|edTrope}}ing BeautyIsNeverTarnished. [[MinorInjuryOverreaction Legolas' face has barely contained rage all over it]].
** Thorin in ''Film/TheHobbit'' has lost his cool a few times. During [[spoiler: the stone giants' battle]], he started frantically calling his nephew's name when he believed Fíli had died. And after [[spoiler: Bilbo saved him from Azog and his orc mook]], he [[AngerBornOfWorry furiously yelled at the latter]] for putting himself in danger before [[spoiler: pulling Bilbo into a hug.]]
** There are a few times that [[WhenSheSmiles Thorin smiles]].
* In ''Film/TheMagnificentSeven2016'', Billy Rocks. Billy's companion Robicheaux, a [[ShellShockedVeteran PTSD-addled]] veteran of the Civil War, directly states he relies on Billy to keep him steady, and with Billy's stonefaced calm, it's easy to see how. But when Robicheaux himself [[spoiler:freaks out and abandons the group the night before the final battle]], it turns out the LivingEmotionalCrutch aspect of their relationship goes both ways, as Billy shuts himself away and hammers down a bottle of whiskey. It's the first and only time in the movie he appears out of control of himself, and even the other members of the group steer clear of him.
* Solo in ''Film/TheManFromUNCLE2015'' briefly loses his casual cool to a bit of nervousness and fear when [[spoiler: he was about to be tortured by Uncle Rudi]].
* When Agent Kay is forced to relive a devastating memory in ''Film/MenInBlackII'', there's a brief but powerful shot of him quietly crying.
* Franchise/MonsterVerse:
** When [[Characters/MonsterVerseFamilies Ford Brody]] sees the dead body of his father in ''Film/Godzilla2014'', he tears up.
** [[Characters/MonsterVerseEmmaRussell Emma Russell]] in ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'' clearly tries to be TheUnfettered, but the facade cracks when her daughter or ex-husband angrily calls her out on responding to her son's death by [[spoiler:committing to an EcoTerrorist plan to dabble with {{Eldritch Abomination}}s she doesn't fully understand and attempt to effectively commit mass genocide upon humanity]].
** Although [[Characters/MonsterVerseMonarch Dr. Serizawa]] for the most part is presented as TheStoic, there have been a couple instances where something pushes him too far for him to not show emotion: he has a ThousandYardStare response to the aftermath of Hokmuto's devastating escape in the 2014 film, and in ''King of the Monsters'', he is visibly distraught after [[spoiler:Vivienne Graham is murdered by Ghidorah]] and he's practically shell-shocked when [[spoiler:Godzilla is seemingly killed due to the military's stupidity]].
* In the Franchise/SherlockHolmes vs UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper movie, ''Film/MurderByDecree''. In it Holmes (played by Christopher Plummer), who remains characteristically Stoic after watching the first four corpses the Ripper leaves behind, starts to show signs of this when he sees what the Ripper did to Mary Kelly, whom he swore to protect moments before her death and finally breaks down in front of Watson over the realization that even though he has figured it all out, the cold bastards behind it will never be punished and all the people they have wronged will keep suffering.
* Harmonica in ''Film/OnceUponATimeInTheWest'' remains calm for the most part, and even when he is annoyed it comes off as mild. [[spoiler: But he's crying in the flashback of his brother's death.]]
* Marshall Pentecost raises his voice three times in ''Film/PacificRim'': first to shut up Hermann after Newt Drifts, then a short moment while chewing out Raleigh (before going back to his calm), and finally, raising his voice for the RousingSpeech.
* ''Film/{{Predator}}'' The MagicalNativeAmerican Billy is portrayed as TheStoic, but he out-of-character guffaws at a vagina joke in a LateToThePunchline moment. He then screams (offscreen) as [[spoiler: the alien is killing him]].
* Downplayed in ''[[Literature/{{Ripliad}} Ripley's Game]]''. When Jonathan asks Ripley if he's afraid while they're waiting for a bunch of mooks to come and try to kill them, he replies "No...I'm fucking terrified." Even then, his veneer of calm only cracks slightly.
* [[TheSmartGuy Maurice the orangutan]] from ''Film/RiseOfThePlanetOfTheApes'' is typically much less physically expressive than his fellow apes and usually has the same look on his face all the time, however he loses his composure twice. In the first movie, he gets an [[ItsPersonal enraged expression]] after witnessing a chimpanzee get shot and fall off a bridge, and again in the [[Film/WarForThePlanetOfTheApes third movie]] he [[ManlyTears cries]] when [[spoiler:[[TheHero Ceaser]] dies of his injuries]].
* In ''Film/SavingPrivateRyan'' In the first ten minutes, Captain Miller sends a dozen of his men to their deaths on the beach at Normandy without blinking an eye. [[TheChainsOfCommanding He's had 94 men under his command die since the war began.]] One of his lieutenants is blown in half while Miller tries to drag the wounded man to safety, a squad member dies after ignoring an order to leave refugees where they are, and he watches his medic die painfully, bleeding out crying for his mother and it only registers a scowl with Miller. After all that Miller angrily tells the squad's rookie to help the German who shot the medic bury the bodies after the inexperienced soldier begs for Miller to spare the German's life. Miller then stalks off to sit at the edge of a bomb crater to check his map and, while out of sight, bursts into uncontrollable sobbing as the horrors he and his men have endured come crashing down on him.
* The famous scene from ''Film/SchindlersList'' when Oskar Schindler breaks down in front of all of the Jews that he saved. As the TearJerker page will attest, many tropers found this moment to be more than they could bear.
* In ''Film/{{Serenity}}'', when [[NoNameGiven The Operative]] realises [[spoiler: ''who'' Mal has [[SummonBiggerFish brought with him]] to get past the blockade]], he drops the calm, soft-spoken demeanor that he has exhibited throughout the movie and screams in terror:
-->'''Operative:''' Target [[spoiler:the Reavers]]! Target [[spoiler:the ''Reavers'']]! Target ''everyone!'' ''SOMEBODY '''FIRE!'''''
* A disturbing example in ''Film/SherlockHolmesAGameOfShadows'' is Moriarty cheerfully enjoying [[spoiler:his chilling torture of Holmes.]]
* ''Film/StarTrekVITheUndiscoveredCountry''. When the killer turns out to be a protégée of Spock's, he smashes the phaser out of her hand in a brief burst of anger after she refuses to shoot him. The feelings of pain and betrayal are written all over Spock's face.
** There's also the fact that she refuses to do the logical action and kill him.
* ''Film/StarTrek2009'': Spock proves to be NotSoStoic after [[spoiler: Vulcan is destroyed]].
** ...And even then, he's still pretty composed. It's not until [[spoiler: Kirk says he didn't love his now-dead mother]] that he '''''FLIPS HIS SHIT'''''.
** An indirect example, but after the same events mentioned above [[spoiler: Old Spock]] as part of a mind meld, transfers his emotions to Kirk. Kirk, visibly shaken, says, "You do feel."
* In ''Film/StarTrekIntoDarkness'', Spock makes it clear to Kirk and Uhura early on that he ''does'' feel; it is a conscious effort of his to not feel fear, doubt, etc. His emotional control is worn down over the course of the film, culminating with him not being able to contain himself when [[spoiler: he and Kirk are having (what he thinks is) their last conversation]] then ''[[UnstoppableRage completely]]'' losing it when [[spoiler: Kirk dies and Khan is still alive]].
* A major aspect of Darth Vader's personality in ''Franchise/StarWars''. His helmet and tendency to only speak when he needs to give the illusion of stoicism and rationality. In reality, his power in Dark Side of the Force [[ThePowerOfHate comes from the fact that he's in near-perpetual anger and depression]]. Thus when someone manages to really push his buttons, he proceeds to absolutely ''lose his shit''.
* 1st Sgt. Welsh in ''Film/TheThinRedLine'' is normally aloof, indifferent, and composed, yet he sheds some ManlyTears at [[spoiler:Witt's grave]].
* ''Film/UncutGems'': In a film [[ClusterFBomb filled with vulgar profanity]] and [[RealisticDictionIsUnrealistic characters talking over each other]], a stand-out scene involves a posh-accented English woman on the phone with Howard who starts out as clipped and professional until Howard starts getting rude, in which case she starts hurling insults and profanity with the best of them.
* Myra from ''Film/WaterlooBridge'' keeps a stoic facade in her dire situation as a prostitute. But she completely loses this facade when Roy proposes marriage and invites her to meet his family. She's so ashamed of her situation and fears Roy finding out this secret that she tries her best to get rid of him and has a mini-meltdown.
* In ''Film/{{Zathura}}'', when Lisa sees Walter and Danny stoking a fire in the kitchen, she delivers this gem:
--> '''Lisa:''' YOU GUYS ACTUALLY SET THE HOUSE ON FIRE?!!

[[folder:Literature]]
* ''Literature/OneQEightyFour'': Ushikawa prides himself on being detached from connections with others and emotions, but the narrative makes it clear that he deeply misses his ex-wife and two daughters. [[spoiler:His last thoughts are of when the four of them lived in Chuorinken.]]
* [[spoiler:Berg Katse]] from ''Literature/AiNoKusabi'' was TheStoic, until [[spoiler: Riki and Isaon are TogetherInDeath]]. Then, he broke down crying for them.
* In the second book of the ''Literature/ArtemisFowl'' series, the usually stoic protagonist has a small emotional breakdown after hearing that his father is still alive. In the third book, after [[spoiler:Butler is (temporarily) killed]], Artemis openly weeps in front of him.
* Creator/ChinaMieville's ''Literature/BasLagCycle'': In ''Literature/TheScar'', sequel to ''Literature/PerdidoStreetStation'', the main character Bellis hardly ever shows any outward emotion, except for the scene where she suddenly breaks down and starts crying upon the realization that she won't be able to get a message to her home [[spoiler: warning them of an invasion]], much less be able to return there. The character who discovers her breakdown is completely stunned.
* The inquisitor Amberly Vail of the ''Literature/CiaphasCain'' series has an easygoing, lighthearted, confident attitude, spending a lot of her appearances shooting conspiratorial winks, quips, and occasionally lots of bullets. There are several, several moments throughout the series, however, when her reactions reveal that she's far more stressed than she cares to let on. She is particularly prone to angrily snapping at her companions when something goes particularly badly, and once completely lost her composure and wound up in a shouting match with Cain after a tunnel collapse nearly killed them both.
** PlayedForLaughs in ''The Traitor's Hand''. Cain is being talked through a WireDilemma by a Techpriest, who, like most Techpriests, plays up the "unemotional machine" angle as much as he can. When the Techpriest tells Cain to cut the red wire, Cain reports that all the wires are purple. The Techpriest immediately begins ''swearing''.
* In Creator/RobertEHoward's Literature/ConanTheBarbarian story "Literature/ThePhoenixOnTheSword", Thoth-amon has one, bursting out with the truth to Dion -- who isn't listening.
-->''For all his iron self-control, he was near bursting with long pent-up shame, hate, and rage, ready to take any sort of a desperate chance. ''
* ''Literature/ACourtOfThornsAndRoses'': Anger Azriel enough and he'll snap.
* "Literature/CuriousGeorge Goes to the Hospital": A sad little girl, hospitalized for the first time with an undisclosed illness, is very stoic ... until George snaps her out of her depression with his antics. At first, it is gradual ... but the real breakthrough comes near the end of the story when George takes another young boy's wheelchair for a wild ride. (The boy, whose leg had been broken in a car accident, was undergoing physical therapy when George decides to take the wheelchair for a ride.)
* Happens to Griboyedov in ''Literature/TheDeathOfTheVazirMukhtar'', as he does sometimes confide some of his many worries and anxieties to particularly close friends.
* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'':
** [[MagnificentBastard Lord Vetinari]] is one of the most emotionless people in fiction, to the extent that he actually has to [[ThatMakesMeFeelAngry tell people when he's furious.]] The one thing that really seems to break his facade, though, is questioning his devotion to Ankh-Morpork and her people, as Vimes does in ''Literature/{{Jingo}}''. Upon being accused of buying and selling the lives of his citizens in order to play politics, Vetinari ''kicks over his chair'' before angrily pointing out that his actions stopped a war and saved potentially thousands of lives.
--->'''Vetinari:''' And you say bought and sold? All right. But not, I think, needlessly spent.
** ''Literature/TheShepherdsCrown'' has another; the Elf King, who normally speaks in a voice ‘like chocolate’ and is effectively smarminess personified, becomes ''[[BewareTheNiceOnes spine-chillingly furious]]'' with the elf that murdered his Queen. He then breaks every bone in the elf’s body with a single backhand.
** Throughout the "Lancre Witches" subseries, Granny Weatherwax has been a coldly invincible bastion of pride and self-confidence, who actively revels in being TheDreaded. Then comes ''Literature/CarpeJugulum'', where she becomes convinced that she has been snubbed from being invited to the christening of former coven-mate Magrat's daughter, which causes her to basically take off to a cave in the high mountains to sulk. Even when coaxed back to civilization to deal with the threat of the invading vampires, she is uncharacteristically vulnerable and unsure of herself for much of the book. It culminates in her being quite obviously embarrassed when she learns that she ''was'' invited to the christening, but a magpie stole the invitation, even though she tries to cover it up with her usual bluster.
* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'':
** An uncommon take in that we get to see everything from his point of view, so we know what decisions he makes to make him appear as [[TheStoic The Stoic]]. As we find out, however, he is absolutely lethal when he [[UnstoppableRage loses it.]]
** On the other hand, Michael Carpenter, Knight of the Cross, holy warrior, and devout believer in God, has a moment when he finds out a severely misguided priest has taken one of his children hostage.
--->'''Michael:''' The son of a bitch hurt my little girl.
** Another instance at the end of ''Literature/BattleGround2020'', where [[spoiler: after learning that Harry has been kicked out of the White Council, Michael drops a PrecisionFStrike, shocking Harry so much he loses his balance. Michael then proceeds into a [[ClusterFBomb several minute-long tirade of angry swears in over a dozen different languages]].]]
--->[[spoiler: '''Michael:''' I'll be happy to do penance, Lord. But some things need to be said.]]
* In ''Literature/FateZero'', Kiritsugu displays two personalities: loving father and husband, and remorseless CombatPragmatist. As he had sunk into the latter, much to his wife Irisviel's dismay, she can't help but wonder about him. While she ponders, Kiritsugu breaks down and offers to give up his dream and run away, world be damned. He thought that if they participated in the Grail War any longer, they would quickly reach the point of no return. Of course, since ''Fate/Zero'' is a prequel to the original series, [[HarsherInHindsight the point of no return is long past.]]
* Aaron in ''The Fire's Stone'' by Creator/TanyaHuff. He's so scarred by his lover's death that he forces himself to feel nothing. It's not until the last third of the novel that he finally breaks down and cries.
* Franchise/HarryPotter: Severus Snape has four during the series: When Sirius [[spoiler: whom Snape believes betrayed Lily to Voldemort]] escapes, when Harry accidentally dives into his memories, [[BerserkButton "DON'T CALL ME COWARD!"]], and [[spoiler: his reaction to the news of Lily's death]]. Other than that, he's just another teacher with a [[SadistTeacher sadistic slant]].
--> "Give me a reason to do it, Black. Give me a reason and I swear I will."
** Oh, and one other occasion.
---> '''Dumbledore:''' "After all this time?"
---> '''Snape:''' ''"Always."''
** The main shtick of Professor [=McGonagall=], who spends most of her time being a stoic SternTeacher and the rest weeping unashamedly.
*** Or gleefully egging on Peeves, the poltergeist, in his quest to make Umbridge's life hell (though she does try to hide it from the students). Or yelling apoplectically at the students who tried to sabotage her house's Quidditch team players (which she doesn't try to hide at all).
* The ''only'' time in ''Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya'' when Yuki Nagato showed a significant emotion was [[spoiler:in the AlternateUniverse she created, where she was a normal girl. She gave a definite smile to Kyon, which dazzled him quite a bit.]]
** She also averts having a NonSingingVoice like you wouldn't believe.
* The talking sword Need in ''Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar'' is, when her personality is "awake", sardonic and reserved with NervesOfSteel. She's both more irritable and openly kinder than a classic stoic character but remains very steady and careful. When other characters panic, Need stops and thinks things through and does not commit resources without care. She takes Nyara, an abused girl mutilated by an [[ParentalIncest evil father]], under her wing and teaches her independence while trying to undo the damage. Offscreen, Need discovered that one of the changes wrought on Nyara was to go into a state of near-animalistic lust when hurt and became ''furious'', too incoherent to speak for days as she recklessly spent all her available power on neutralizing that "feature".
** This actually helps link Need's waking personality to how she acts when asleep - when she's dormant she's often enforcing ChronicHeroSyndome by driving her bearers to [[RoaringRampageOfRescue save]] or [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge avenge]] women in peril, stirring in a rage at injustices visited on them. Clearly awake or asleep she's outraged by that kind of abuse.
* In ''Literature/TheHungerGames'', the bloody Games are presided over by the booming, impassive voice of announcer Claudius Templesmith, who kicks them off and makes announcements as appropriate to make sure everything goes smoothly... until the climax of the first book, [[spoiler:when, as the last ''two'' Tributes both prepare to commit suicide at the same time, he screams, "Stop! Stop!"]]
* Literature/JaneEyre wasn't stoic as a child, but by the time she gets to Thornfield she is pretty emotionally reserved until Rochester[[spoiler: threatens to send her away to Ireland once he has married Blanche Ingram]]. In fact, Rochester is trying to elicit this trope from Jane.
* ''Literature/JourneyToChaos'': Siron Esrah's first scene is when he's clad in armor, complete with helmet, and acting out courtly rules. When the Joust turns into a monstrous blood bath, he quickly turns into a teenager worried about his dad.
* ''Literature/LegacyOfTheDragokin'': Lydia normally acts like she's the same age as her grandfather but has an emotional outburst when [[spoiler: Benji awakens his dragokin powers]]. She cheers him on in a manner normal for a fifteen-year-old and everyone looks at her in shock. She blushes and then she repeats herself in a more subdued and grown-up manner.
* Dally from ''Literature/TheOutsiders'' hardly cares about anyone or anything. But when [[spoiler: Johnny dies]], he visibly loses it.
* Williams in ''Literature/PortraitInSepia'' never loses his BritishStuffiness in San Francisco as [[GrandeDame Paulina Del Valle]]'s [[TheJeeves perfect butler]] or in Chile as her consort in a MarriageOfConvenience. The only moment Williams ever loses his composure is when he is driven to tears at the sight of Paulina looking helpless and vulnerable after her surgery.
* Zal of ''Literature/QuantumGravity''. He is completely [[TheStoic cool]] in battle situations, and can keep that together for as long as he needs to...usually. Then he hears that/how [[spoiler:Dar]] died and can't keep it together.
* In ''Literature/RedeemingLove'', the heroine is a cynical BrokenBird who regularly tends to shrug off (or laugh off) both physical and emotional trauma (and romantic overtures from her LoveMartyr husband that would have many other women melting into goo at his feet). Before it wears off entirely, her façade splinters twice: once, when she simultaneously realizes that she does care about Michael and yet thinks she isn’t worthy of his love, and again when she experiences real lovemaking for the first time (in contrast to [[LieBackAndThinkOfEngland thirteen unhappy years as a prostitute]]) and finds herself weeping as she’s coming down from her climax.
* ''Literature/SenseAndSensibility'': Elinor Dashwood spends much of the novel putting tremendous effort into maintaining a calm, sensible, and levelheaded exterior no matter what turmoil is going on in her personal life -- until the end, when Edward informs her that no, he did ''not'' marry [[RomanticFalseLead Lucy Steele]], and would really quite like to marry her, thank you very much. At which point she loses it. Spectacularly. See [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DmOcpMzwxk Hattie Morahan]] in the 2008 version or [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ukiw2tg95Sw Emma Thompson]] in [[Film/SenseAndSensibility the 1995 version]] to see how it's done.
** Elinor also provides another example, when her calm demeanor finally breaks after Marianne observes that she (Elinor) [[spoiler:"must not feel much"]] for not showing her emotional devastation from learning months earlier of [[spoiler:[[RomanticFalseLead Lucy Steele]]'s secret engagement to Edward]]. Elinor's emotional outpouring immediately afterward makes the above events all the more sweet in comparison.
* Literature/SherlockHolmes very occasionally has moments of losing his cool. The most dramatic one is in "The Three Garridebs" (quoted above) when Watson gets shot by the villain of the week, and Holmes practically has a panic attack over it before declaring he would have [[{{Revenge}} murdered the shooter himself]] if Watson had died. Watson even comments that it was worth getting shot just to see Holmes acting so uncharacteristically emotional.
** A more comedic example occurs in "The Man With The Twisted Lip": Holmes has been hired to find a woman's missing husband and all the evidence points to the man having been murdered. He breaks the news to his employer in the most sympathetic yet professional manner... and the woman replies that her husband can't be dead because she's just received a letter from him. Holmes springs out of his chair and shouts "[[BigWhat WHAT?]]"
** In "The Devil's Foot," Holmes makes the rather unwise decision to find out whether an unknown substance is poisonous by testing it on himself and Watson. They both nearly die, only escaping thanks to some quick action on Watson's part. Afterward Holmes rather emotionally thanks Watson for saving his life and apologizes for subjecting him to such a stupid experiment. Once again, Watson seems to feel the whole thing was worth it just to see Holmes acting human for once.
** At the [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments heartwarming]] end of "The Yellow Face" Holmes (after one of the rare cases where he got the solution wrong) is notably touched and humbled by the unexpectedly wholesome conclusion to the situation that he had almost made much worse with his mistake. As they leave he notes to Watson that any time he gets too arrogant Watson is to remind him of this failure.
* Although Holo from ''Literature/SpiceAndWolf'' may not seem stoic at first glance, her [[TheTrickster trickster]] and teasing antics cover serious issues. It's almost impossible to tell what she's really thinking... unless she's shocked into dropping her act, and as Lawrence quickly learns, what she's usually thinking is something along the lines of "PleaseDontLeaveMe."
* ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'':
** Hoole, in ''Literature/GalaxyOfFear'', is profoundly affected seeing the wraiths on Kiva - he, who would always shapeshift to vigorously defend himself and protect his charges, went to his [[ShapeshifterDefaultForm own form]], fell to his knees, and covered his face. [[spoiler: He held himself responsible for [[ApocalypseHow what killed them]].]]
* Roofshadow from ''Literature/TailchasersSong'' is normally a somewhat aloof and quiet cat but there are scenes where she isn't so stoic. TagalongKid Pouncequick tends to bring out the playful side in her. She's also understandably afraid of [[CompleteMonster Hearteater]] and his minions.
* In Creator/JamesSwallow's ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' ''Literature/HorusHeresy'' novel ''The Flight of the Eisenstein'', Sendek has a not-so-stoic moment of sheer surprise at TheReveal.
** One of Dan Abnett's contributions, ''Know No Fear'', had the otherwise controlled Roboute Guilliman react to Lorgar's betrayal with fury, vowing to rip the Word Bearers primarch apart and throw the pieces into hell.
** In Creator/JamesSwallow's novel ''[[Literature/BloodAngels Deus Encarmine]]'', Arkio accuses his [[DespairEventHorizon dispirited]] companions of being afraid. Producing a moment where they confess, passionately, to their fear: they had seen most of their comrades attacked by witchery and turned into [[TheBerserker berserkers]] who [[FriendOrFoe had fallen on each other]] and perished miserably. Sachiel tries to rebuke them -- it had been an honor to die for the Emperor -- but Arkio agrees -- what would they be, to see that and feel nothing?
* In ''Literature/TheWestingGame'', Judge J.J. Ford consciously ''decided'' to stop smiling when she began her law career, the better to maintain a serious, dignified demeanor, conserving her upbeat facial expressions for when they were really needed. It worked, too: she's so good at appearing as TheStoic that when she realizes a mistake she's made and starts chiding herself aloud, everyone present is shocked at this out-of-character display of emotion.
* Demandred of ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' is a villain so consumed with hate for [[TheChosenOne the Dragon]] (Lews Therin Telamon or his reincarnation [[TheHero Rand al'Thor]], he doesn't care) that most people who know him have only seen him show one emotion- cold-blooded determination to see the Dragon dead, no matter the cost. It's explicitly noted that he never laughs or so much as smiles. Then, during the final battle in the last book, Demandred finally thinks victory is in his grasp, and he basically rampages around the battlefield wielding a ''massively'' powerful ''[[AmplifierArtifact sa'angreal]]'', effortlessly destroying almost everyone in his way, bellowing at the top of his lungs for Rand to come and face him while describing all the horrible things he'll do if Rand fails to show, and generally being the LargeHam HeroKiller he was born to be. Not unexpected when you keep hate locked up inside you for centuries and finally have the chance to let it out.
* ''Literature/WorldWarZ'': Todd Wainios tells a story about one of the biggest badasses on his team (an enormous ex-pro-wrestler who once [[GrievousHarmWithABody used a zombie to beat other zombies]] into non-existence) be reduced to an inconsolable sobbing heap by the scent of cheap perfume on the wind. Todd's best guess was that it reminded him of a woman he knew before the war.

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* Lexa from ''Series/The100'' believes that feelings are a weakness and has deliberately repressed her emotions. After spending enough time with her, Clarke is able to tell that Lexa's not as emotionally numb as she'd like people to believe, and pushes her to admit her feelings. Lexa responds, first with anger at Clarke for dredging up her emotions, then by finally admitting that she's developed feelings for Clarke, and kisses her.
* ''Series/{{Angel}}'':
** The stoic and controlled Angel has had a few episodes of this. He nearly smothered Wesley to death for betraying him and costing him his son, completely blew up one time on Buffy after she dealt him some very harsh words, and later with Connor after he locks him in a safe and lets him starve in the bottom of the ocean for 3 months. Season 2 and Season 5 in particular were nothing but a non-stop [[BrokenBird sliding scale of undoing for him]], pushed to the very edge by Wolfram & Hart.
** Wesley, famed for his rationality and calm, had two cases of CynicismCatalyst. First, torturing a woman after being exiled and isolated from Angel's team. Second (and most famous), Fred's death where he stabbed Gunn, shot Knox, and shot a Wolfram & Hart employee.
* ''Series/{{Bones}}'': Temperance "Bones" Brennan is sometimes accused of being an IceQueen, due to her emotionally distant manner and lack of social skills. When Tempe loses it, you get to see the BrokenBird inside.
** In one of the early episodes her uncaring attitude was being used against her in a court case. Booth has the attorney bring up her vanished parents in order to show this trope to the jury.
--->'''Brennan:''' How I feel doesn't matter. My job doesn't depend on it.\\
'''Levitt:''' But it's informed by it. Or are you as cold and unfeeling as you seem?\\
'''Brennan:''' ''[in a raw emotional tone]'' I see a face on every skull. I can look at their bones and tell you how they walked, where they hurt. Maggie Schilling is real to me. The pain she suffered was real. Her hip was being eaten away by infection from lying on her side. Sure, like Dr. Stires said, the disease could contribute to that if you take it out of context; but you can’t break Maggie Schilling down into little pieces. She was a whole person who fought to free herself. Her wrists were broken from struggling against the handcuffs. The bones in her ankles were ground together because her feet were tied. And her side, her hip, and her shoulder were being eaten away by infection. And the more she struggled, the more pain she was in. So they gave her those drugs to keep her quiet. They gave her so much it killed her. These facts can't be ignored or dismissed because you think I'm boring or obnoxious, because I don't matter. What I feel doesn’t matter. Only she matters; only Maggie.
** It's especially jarring in an episode where she begins to associate herself with a dead woman who was, like her, a loner with no friends outside of work and a LoveInterest she spurned. She even keeps hearing the woman's recorded voice as her own and seeing herself in all the pictures of the victim. She realizes that she has screwed up her one chance to be happy with Booth. This episode is all about her stoicism slowly slipping.
** Interestingly played with in the season 7 finale when Brennan is being framed for the murder of the victim of the week. Brennan remains hyper-logical throughout, while other characters fall apart. It's pretty predictable that Booth and Angela will get emotional, but when Cam starts crying because she doesn't want to turn over evidence that will get Brennan arrested, you know the situation is serious.
* ''Series/BreakingBad'':
** Mike is an extremely professional associate for Gus' drug empire, and [[BeingPersonalIsntProfessional doesn't let his emotions interfere with his work]], including not even blinking an eye when he's told to kill any number of people that might endanger their operation. However, there's a few moments where even he gets rustled, such as when [[spoiler:Gus suddenly slits Victor's throat, which was so unexpected that Mike instinctively pulls his gun ''on his own boss'']].
** Gus himself, who holds himself to a high standard and gives off a very polite, unwavering background, even when he's murdering people. However, there are two major moments in the show when he's legitimately shocked: the first is a flashback where his former partner is gunned down right next to him, he's so shellshocked and enraged he runs at the killer to try and kill him with his bare hands without a second thought. The second moment is [[spoiler:when he realizes Hector has a bomb under his wheelchair that he's just triggered. He screams and jumps up, but he regains his composure after the blast just long enough to step out of the room and straighten his tie before slumping over dead.]]
* ''Series/TheBridge2011'': After experiencing a TraumaCongaLine in series 3, Saga has one of these moments [[spoiler: when she collapses in tears after almost committing suicide.]]
* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'''s Oz is famed for his utter lack of emotional response to pretty much any intense situation, reacting to both realizing he's [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent a werewolf]] and finding [[spoiler: a submarine]] on his doorstep with a mere "huh". Push him over the edge, though, and things will get broken. Or [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown beaten up]]. Or possibly [[BadGuysDoTheDirtyWork killed]]. For most seasons, this BerserkButton consisted of Willow--either seeing her threatened, hurt or faced with the prospect of losing her. And after he did lose her, there were [[ManlyTears tears]]. Both times. Later on this focus shifts to [[spoiler: his [[PapaWolf wife and son]].]]
* ''Series/CrisisOnEarthX'': When Professor Stein dies of wounds getting the team back to Earth-1, Sara Lance, a League of Shadows-trained assassin, gives him a quick kiss goodbye in the [=WaveRider=] med bay. Later, she is almost crying at his funeral and thanking him for placing his trust in her as leader of the Legends.
** At the funeral, Mick Rory sheds a couple of manly tears, which Earth-X Snart tells him, "It's ok, let it out, big guy." Mick then claims it was allergies.
* Aaron Hotchner of ''Series/CriminalMinds'' is usually the embodiment of stoicism, which makes the events of the episode "[[WhamEpisode 100]]" all the more heart-wrenching.
* ''Series/{{Dallas}}'': The Season 7 episode "Swan Song" was supposed to be Patrick Duffy's swan song in the series, for good, when Bobby Ewing is struck by a speeding car (driven by the homicidal maniac Katherine Wentworth). At the hospital – in one of the cheesiest-in-retrospect "death scenes" in TV history – the entire cast is in tears ... including Bobby's older brother, that monster J.R.! (Incidentally, tears are seen rolling down J.R.'s cheek, but otherwise shows very little emotion in the final scene, where everyone is gathered around Bobby's bedside as he mumbles his final words.)
* After JT is KilledOffForReal on ''Series/DegrassiTheNextGeneration'', the usually stoic Liberty is in shock at first and Mia even calls her a robot because she had yet to shed any tears. She finally breaks down at the school's memorial service for JT (which just happened to be right after she learned that he still had feelings for her and was on his way to tell her when he was killed).
* Bree van de Kamp from ''Series/DesperateHousewives'' shows her emotions very rarely, but when she does that, she usually breaks into painful sobs ([[spoiler: like when her husband Rex dies]]) or has sudden bursts of anger.
* ''Series/{{Dexter}}'''s title character very rarely shows emotion, genuine or otherwise. This makes the very rare outburst all the more interesting.
** Particularly shocking was in the Season 5 premiere, when [[spoiler: while grieving Rita's murder, he flies into a rage and savagely beats a man to death in a restroom]]. Much like the example with Vulcans in ''Star Trek'', this is a small glimpse into what he would be like without the careful control provided by the Harry Code.
* ''Series/DocMartin'': [[spoiler: Martin after hearing the news about Joan's death. Despite outwardly remaining his typical aloof self, as he walks around her empty house, his eyes betray how utterly heartbroken he is.]]
* Used to devastating effect in the ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "Dalek." The titular alien creature comes from a race of [[OmnicidalManiac omnicidal maniacs]] long considered the ArchEnemy of the Doctor that [[FantasticRacism despise and try to kill all other life forms]] simply because they aren't Daleks. They have absolutely no capacity for emotion beyond [[ThePowerOfHate blind hatred for the unlike]] and view any sort of feeling or compassion as sins against their kind. This Dalek, though, is quite old and has been held on Earth for years, leaving it unable to function. It manages to trick Rose Tyler into touching it with a WoundedGazelleGambit; that touch restores its energy and gives it the power to seek deadly revenge on its tormentors (along with hundreds of other innocent people). However, Rose's touch also fundamentally alters its DNA and gives it the capacity to feel, which drives the alien into an existential crisis--it wants freedom and a purpose beyond thoughtless rage, but also knows that it is no longer a "pure" Dalek and, thanks to centuries of mental conditioning, immediately decides to kill itself for this "crime." Since it [[ICannotSelfTerminate can't kill itself without being ordered to do so]], it demands that Rose command it; when she does, it chokes out a heartbreaking set of last words:
-->'''Dalek''': '''ARE YOU...''FRIGHTENED'', ROSE TYLER?'''
-->'''Rose''': ...yeah.
-->'''Dalek''' '''...SO...AM...I. EX-TER-MIN-ATE...'''
** Earlier in the episode, the revelation that this Dalek is, to the best of both its and the Doctor's knowledge, the [[LastOfHisKind last of its kind]] is enough to genuinely devastate the alien, as it realizes that it's completely alone in the universe. The sadness doesn't last--it falls back on the "default" Dalek programming of killing and destroying every living thing in sight--but the brief flash of emotion proves that there is more to the creature than meets the eye, and [[{{Foreshadowing}} foreshadows]] the future developments of the episode.
* ''Series/TheDukesOfHazzard'': Despite their villainous ways, Boss Hogg grows genuinely worried every time Lulu or even his avowed enemies from the Duke family are in serious trouble. However, Rosco has outright cried when Boss, the Duke boys, or his beloved basset hound Flash were in trouble. (Rosco's emotions are spelled out perfectly in the Season 2 episode "Granny Annie" and the final episode, "Opening Night at the Boar's Nest" – both times, when Boss was in serious trouble and the villains had every intent to kill him.)
* ''Series/{{Elementary}}'': Sherlock is usually calm and collected about everything, but he has his moments of shock, anger, and sadness. For example, when [[spoiler:Irene turned out to be Moriarty]] or when [[spoiler:his father was murdered]].
* ''Series/{{Farscape}}'': Aeryn Sun, though originally TheStoic on Moya, gradually moves away from this as her relationship with Crichton blossoms. When she and Crichton are fighting for whatever reason, she usually reverts to TheStoic as a defense mechanism.
** In an episode, this gets flipped, when they are on break from their relationship. Crichton seemingly takes something that Noranti gives him for pain and is very cold and uncaring towards Aeryn, while she is the one who is pleading with him. It turns out to be an act to prevent Scorpius from using Aeryn against him. [[spoiler: It fails.]]
** Scorpius himself has a few of these moments, most of them revealing that he has a downright ''vicious'' temper underneath his cool, calm exterior.
* In ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' Simon is always doing this with River.
* ''Series/GameOfThrones'':
** When Ned Stark is around friends and family, he's a lot more relaxed and cheerful.
** Once TheChainsOfCommanding start tying Robb down harder, his stoic demeanor begins to slip on occasion when his men harm the war effort or commit despicable acts. When he finds out Ned has been killed, he also ruins a sword by smashing a tree in pure rage.
** The normally reserved Jon Snow breaks down after burning Ygritte's body in the forest.
** Brienne generally keeps her calm, even when slicing down a gang of murdering rapists. However, when she witnesses Renly's murder or is dragged off to be raped by some Bolton bannermen, she starts to scream.
** Roose Bolton is visibly caught off-balance by the news of Bran and Rickon Stark being still alive.
** Stannis Baratheon:
*** He loses it once he realizes his men are retreating. He also loses his steely resolution when alone with Melisandre in the leadup to his offensive, admitting to her that he cannot succeed without the soldiers his brother Renly stole from him.
*** His mouth visibly twitches as if suppressing a smile, when he realises that Davos did not die at the Battle of the Blackwater.
*** In the Season 3 finale, he's enraged by Davos's treason and later ''laughs'' when Melisandre is the one who saves his life by acknowledging Davos as a needed ally.
* ''Series/TheGreatBritishBakeOff'': Paul loves to play doubt-instilling mind games with the contestants, and will often pause meaningfully after receiving a contestant's reply to a specific question about their bake, or stand still at the end of their workbench and silently watch them carry out the challenge. In the series 6 finale, he tries to do this to Nadiya by asking her if she's happy. Nadiya responds that she is, and then asks Paul the same question back--to which he just bursts out giggling and walks off.
* ''{{Series/Hanna}}'': Hanna, who usually shows no emotion and acts unruffled by things, begins to cry when a Utrax member pretends that they're her dad over chat as part of socialization training, remembering losing her real one.
* ''Series/{{JAG}}'': Sarah [=MacKenzie=] is mostly portrayed, as part of the [[SemperFi Marine persona]], as TheStoic. However, in "Second Sights" when finding her estranged father in a coma at a hospice, and at the same time meeting her even-more-estranged self-centered white trash mom, she turns out to be NotSoStoic. But it turns out to be a ''DoubleSubversion'': after her father has passed away, Mac coldly tells her mother that she never wants to see her again -- because it was she, not her father, who once abandoned her.
* ''Series/KamenRiderExAid'':
** Taiga Hanaya started out as selfish, [[TheStoic apathethic]] {{Jerkass}}. Then he was stuck with [[ManicPixieDreamGirl Nico]] [[TheThingThatWouldNotLeave Saiba]], who proved to be skillful at provoking this reaction in him. Getting him [[AngerBornOfWorry so mad]] at her that he had to be [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness dragged]] out of the room definitely takes the cake.
** Hiiro Kagami established himself as an extremely aloof PragmaticHero who goes through everything in a precise, nearly mechanical way. First thing he does upon seeing Taiga is a rushed attempt at punching him.
* ''Series/{{Letterkenny}}'': Played for laughs whenever the hyper-masculine and stoic Wayne has to speak in public settings. When hosting a public access show, he mutters and stammers his way through the show's introductions. Seasons later, when hosting an intervention seminar for local youth hoodlums, he repeatedly clears his throat with awkward, hacking coughs each time he steps up to speak.
* Juliet Burke from ''Series/{{Lost}}'', [[HeelFaceTurn originally of the Others]], was first seen as having a cold and expressionless demeanor and carried out her orders from [[TheChessmaster Ben]]. [[EstablishingCharacterMoment She even aimed a gun at Kate's head when Sawyer didn't do what she asked]]. Sawyer commented that she would have actually shot Kate "No problem." Then another one of the Others was shot and Juliet rushed to save her life with Jack, which sparked her NotSoStoic persona. Juliet panicked the whole time when she and Jack were removing the bullet and trying to stitch her up. When they failed in saving her, Juliet broke down in tears and explained that being a fertility doctor she still hasn't gotten used to death. Which, based on her {{Flashback}}s of her work with the Others, is quite surprising.
** Actually it has been shown that any time Juliet deals with death or her sister she gets very emotional. The rest of the time she's the token [[TheStoic Stoic]].
** This comes to define her at the end of Season 5. Throughout the finale, she acts as though she has a strategy in place regarding the Jughead and the Island until she breaks down completely and confesses that [[spoiler: she's only going along with Jack's plan because she can't bear to lose Sawyer.]]
* ''Series/LoveAndDestiny'': Jiu Chen is very stoic, but he does have his moments, such as when Ling Xi is repeatedly blowing up her medicine room or when Si Ming is being annoying.
* Prince Arthur from ''Series/{{Merlin|2008}}'' is quite good at keeping his cool, save on two occasions: once when he learnt the truth about his mother's death ([[spoiler:his father was responsible]]) and again when his father sentences his beloved Guinevere to be [[BurnTheWitch burnt at the stake]].
* ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'' has this in the last part of the three-part pilot for Season 2, when BigBad [[LargeHam Rita Repulsa]] is replaced with her master, [[KnightOfCerebus Lord Zedd]], who [[SealedEvilInACan locks Rita back in her space dumpster]] [[YouHaveFailedMe for failing her mission to conquer earth.]] Once the Rangers have, with difficulty, defeated Lord Zedd's first MonsterOfTheWeek, they wonder what happened to Rita. Using the [[CrystalBall Viewing Globe]], they see her in the dumpster, drifting aimlessly through space, and singing "99 Bottles of Slime on the Wall". Zordon, ZORDON, starts singing.
* While not exactly stoic ''per se'', Joel of ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' pretty much always took his captivity with [[MellowFellow a certain laid-back good nature]]. So when Joel loses his cool and even gets angry, you ''will'' notice:
** During ''[[Film/TheEyeCreatures Attack of the The Eye Creatures]]'', he apologizes on behalf of the male sex and berates one character:
--->'''Joel:''' ''(angry)'' You know what? You are one ''sick mamma-jamma.''
** In ''Film/ManosTheHandsOfFate'', during one particular drawn-out LeaveTheCameraRunning scene:
--->'''Joel:''' ''DO SOMETHING!! GOD!!!''
** Shortly after admonishing the Bots for yelling at the endless rock climbing sequence from ''Film/LostContinent'':
--->'''Joel:''' Who are you? Where are we? ''Can we get a FRAME OF REFERENCE, please?!''
* ''Series/NCISLosAngeles'': Hetty and Callen are normally very cool and collected. Then Callen notices an alarming trend of Hetty recruiting lonely orphans and training them to be lonely operatives. He gets increasingly agitated when he confronts her about it. They end the conversation shouting and near tears.
-->'''Callen:''' How many were there?\\
'''Hetty:''' ''[quietly]'' This conversation is over.\\
'''Callen:''' How many?\\
'''Hetty:''' ''[exploding]'' '''A LOT!''' ''[pause; she fights tears; more quietly] There were... a lot. Is that what you wanted to hear?
* ''Series/OddSquad'': Otis is often stoic and very rarely shows emotion, but when he does, it's usually a sign that things have taken a turn, for better or for worse.
** In "Extreme Cakeover", when Olympia dies by way of performing a HeroicSacrifice and willingly letting the cake-itis virus infect her until it "kills" her (read: makes her turn fully into a cake), Otis gives a grief-stricken BigNo. Luckily, it ends up being a DisneyDeath -- the virus is successfully contained in the vial attached to the helmet Olympia was carrying at the time, causing her to come back to life and turn back into a human. Otis is quick to rush to her side and worriedly asks if she's all right.
** A more dramatic example occurs in the first part of the Season 2 finale, "Who is Agent Otis?" When Otis is suspected of [[spoiler:still being a villain]] and put on trial in Odd Squad Court, he is forced to spill his {{Backstory}} to everyone, much to the chagrin of Oprah, who wished to keep it secret as part of an unexplained deal. While he tries to remain stoic, that facade gradually breaks and he begins to get emotional. In the backstory, he isn't portrayed as stoic as a child but does start to grow emotionless as he gets older. However, he starts to lose his composure when [[spoiler:he betrays his villainous duck family and rats them out to Odd Squad,]] at which point sadness and regret is clearly shown in his actions and facial expressions, to such an extent that he is on the verge of crying when [[spoiler:Oprah and a team of Security agents capture the ducks.]] It only gets worse when [[spoiler: he is found guilty and is fired from Odd Squad as a result, along with Oprah,]] as he gets struck by despair.
* ''Series/PersonOfInterest'':
** Reese broke his stoic façade precisely once: when an infant child was about to die from freezing.
** [[TheSociopath Shaw]] holds it together as best she can, but even she can't hide how much [[spoiler: [[TheyReallyDoLoveEachOther Root]]'s death]] [[HeroicBSOD utterly breaks her]]. She doesn't manage to pull herself together until she helps the team save the world and she personally [[spoiler: [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge executes Root's killer]]]].
* Mark Antony warns Vorenus about this in ''Series/{{Rome}}''. Averted as Vorenus is the only one who does not turn to debauchery in the Egyptian Palace and stays a true Roman.
-->'''Antony:''' You won't turn to drink will you? You stoic types often do when disappointed in life.
* Takeru of ''Series/SamuraiSentaiShinkenger'' has such a moment in episode 18, when he's reunited with his old friend, [[SixthRanger Genta]], and has to step out of the room to make sure his "[[HeroSecretService retainers]]" can't see him when he starts cracking up at Genta's antics.
%%* ''Series/{{Scandal}}'': Abby Whelan.
* In the BBC mini-series, ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'', the title character is never shaken in the face of violent crime - up to and including murder - but has a general tendency to lose his cool when someone he is fond of is being seriously threatened -- notably, [[ParentalSubstitute Mrs Hudson]] and [[OnlyFriend John]].
** Lampshaded by Molly during a conversation in ''[[WhamEpisode The Reichenbach Fall]]'' :
--->'''Molly:''' You remind me of my father [...] He always pretended like everything was fine, but whenever he thought nobody could see him, he'd look really sad. ''You'' look sad...when you think he [John] can't see you.
** He also doesn't want [[OnlyFriend John]] to lose faith in him and, ironically, even though he [[AwesomeByAnalysis calculates how to get to John]] in the first episode of series 3, he's the only one that [[UndyingLoyalty saves John's life by physically getting into and pulling him out of a bonfire.]]
** Plus, he's not so stoic when he shoots Magnussen, the rage in his face is ''scary''.
* Ronnie Gardocki from ''Series/TheShield'' was always the most impassive member of the Strike Team; even when attempting to kill [[spoiler:Shane]] out of revenge he never lost his cool... [[spoiler:until the final episode when he found out how thoroughly he was betrayed by Vic. He was dragged kicking, screaming, in a violent rage, out of the courthouse.]]
* ''Series/SiliconValley'' has an underplayed example. Jack announces during a board meeting that Laurie's responsibilities to look at nothing beyond the bottom line when casting her vote means that she "can't do a goddamn thing about" his latest gambit. Laurie agrees and votes to support his gambit. When circumstances change, however, the seemingly emotionless Laurie promptly fires Jack for so brazenly telling her what she can and can't do.
* ''Series/SmallWonder'' had an episode where the usually stoic Vicki had grown attached to a problematic computer. When the computer is deactivated, a tear trickles down Vicki's cheek.
* Teal'c from ''Series/StargateSG1'' had a couple of moments where he shows big emotions (example: 6x01 "Redemption Part 1"), despite normally being TheStoic.
** The first time this happens, in "Bloodlines" when he tells his team that he left a family behind on Chulak, is especially moving.
** Or "Meridian". Teal'c's goodbye to Daniel Jackson is a TearJerker in itself as the ProudWarriorRaceGuy fights his own tears on the last sentence:
--->'''Teal'c:''' If you are to die, Daniel Jackson, I wish you to know that I believe that the fight against the Goa'uld will have lost one of its greatest warriors. And I will have lost one of my greatest friends.
** Even better when you realize it also illustrates his CharacterDevelopment. He gives Daniel one of the highest compliments he can both in his own culture ("one of its greatest warriors") and in his adopted one ("one of my greatest friends").
** And it continues into the next episode with this exchange:
--->'''Carter:''' We were a ''team'', Teal'c. No one can even begin to understand what we went through together, what we mean to each other. So maybe Daniel ''has'' achieved something of great cosmic significance, I don't know. And to be honest with you, right now, I don't really care. I'd rather have him back.\\
'''Teal'c:''' ''[with obvious emotion]'' As would I.
** It is very subtle, but in "Cor-Ai", when Teal'c and Jack are arguing over whether or not he should defend himself while being tried for the many horrible things he did for the Goa'uld, you can see Teal'c's jaw trembling with suppressed anger at himself.
** Teal'c's façade actually cracks a little in the very first episode. O'Neill sees that Teal'c is struggling to carry out the vicious acts demanded of him by the Goa'uld. This prompts O'Neill to seek Teal'c's help in escaping, and kicks off the rest of the show.
* The classic ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' example would be "[[Recap/StarTrekS2E1AmokTime Amok Time]]", where [[Characters/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Spock]] showed his relief that Kirk wasn't KilledOffForReal. "Jim!" It is notable for coming genuinely from Spock himself, and not being a result of mind control, drugs, or a strange phenomenon.
** Spock again in "[[Recap/StarTrekS1E4TheNakedTime The Naked Time]]", although that ''was'' the result of a strange phenomenon. At least he was able to duck into a room before he fell to pieces.
** In the ending of "[[Recap/StarTrekS2E11FridaysChild Friday's Child]]", Spock is visibly shocked to learn that the newborn Teer of Capella IV has been named Leonard James Akaar in honor of Bones and Kirk, and expresses dismay that the two gentlemen will be "insufferably pleased with [them]selves for at least a month... ''sir''."
** Vulcans developed their culture of tightly controlled emotions to deal with the fact that they are really ''very'' emotional, and without strict discipline, they tend to overreact to everything. Indeed, before Surak proposed his philosophy of strict self-control, Vulcan society was about to completely destroy itself. Under sufficiently extreme circumstances, a Vulcan's self-control can be broken (usually only temporarily), and everyone around will be reminded that under that stern calm face lies a turbulent sea of emotions that would drive the less-disciplined completely mad.
*** They also get really violent and horny during Pon Farr, basically Vulcans in heat.
*** Also, Spock is only half-Vulcan, as his mother was human.
*** If you want to imagine what Vulcans would be like if they gave in to their emotions, one need look no further than the highly paranoid and extremely dangerous Romulan Empire, which spawned at least one planet-destroying and truly AxeCrazy psychopath, Nero.
*** Romulans serve more as evidence that the Vulcan emotional problems may be something of a self-fulfilling prophecy, as Romulans don't suppress their emotions and few of them are shown to be any more volatile than an average human (possibly even less so).
*** Vulcans and Romulans being much stronger than the average human does not help matters either. Kirk has had to provoke Spock into an emotional display in both the original series and the new movie continuity, and both times Spock nearly killed him. Even [[spoiler:Khan]] is no match for a pissed-off Spock in a straight-up fistfight, and he ''knows'' it, running away as soon as Spock shows up.
* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration''. Data's lack of emotion is a frequent plot point in the series. With a few notable exceptions. In "The Most Toys", he was almost driven to murder (and then ''lied'' about it to his commanding officer) and again in "Descent: Part I", when manipulated by his more emotional brother, causing him to kill a Borg drone in rage. Even he seems rather bewildered by this just afterward: "I got angry."
** One of the subplots of ''[[TheMovie Generations]]'' is Data deciding to reinstall the emotion chip given to him in the above episode, and dealing with the resulting outbursts. At the end, he discovers that his pet cat is still alive and [[TearsOfJoy begins to cry]], which he assumes must be a malfunction of the chip. Troi assures him with a smile that "it's working just fine."
** The episode "Sarek" dealt with this with the eponymous character (Spock's father, of course), whose emotional control was breaking down due to a rare illness. Determined to finish his last mission, he melds with Picard, who is normally very emotionally controlled in his own right, allowing Sarek to be himself again long enough to finish the negotiations. But we also see the effects of Sarek's illness in Picard.
*** Part of the effects of the mind meld with Picard are to subject an unprepared human mind to the powerful raw emotions of a Vulcan. Having not been raised from birth to learn to control those emotions, Picard spends the duration of the experience practically rabid, suggesting what pre-Surak Vulcans were like.
*** Look at Sarek in ''[[Film/StarTrekIIITheSearchForSpock The Search for Spock]]''. He's downright pissed off when he thinks [[spoiler:Kirk has Spock's ''katra'' and screwed up by leaving Spock's body on Genesis]]. He's so overtly emotional it seems to surprise Kirk quite a bit.
** Picard has his moments as well, particularly in "Family", ''[[Film/StarTrekGenerations Generations]]'' and ''[[Film/StarTrekFirstContact First Contact]]''. "Chain of Command, Part II" could be a case of Breaking The Stoic.
* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'': in "Take Me Out to the Holosuite," the crew successfully demonstrate that Captain Solok is definitely NotSoStoic. Although Solok was pretty blatant about it from the first, with a permanent air of smug superiority and barely constrained sarcasm more like a typical Romulan than anything. Apparently he built his entire academic career around bullying Ben Sisko.
** A more frequent example might come from the character Odo, particularly concerning his initially unrequited love for Kira.
* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' gives us Tuvok (another Vulcan) and Seven of Nine (a former Borg). The best way to piss off the former is to either endanger Captain Janeway or put him with Neelix for any length of time. As for the latter, disturbing her sense of efficiency or calling her "imperfect" usually does the trick.
* Castiel in ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' starts off completely unemotional, and while he gradually picks some up from Dean and Sam he stays as the calm, stoic, ComicallySerious StraightMan. When he [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown catches up with Dean]] after Dean [[spoiler:angel-sigils him and goes to say 'yes' to Michael]], it comes as quite a surprise.
* ''Series/{{Taken}}'' has Jacob, a quiet, bookish kid with incredible psychic powers. He reacts to everything, from being kidnapped to being bullied with calm logic. When he has to [[spoiler:live away from his mother]], he breaks down crying.
* In ''Series/TerminatorTheSarahConnorChronicles'', [[RobotGirl Cameron]] is almost ''always'' an [[EmotionlessGirl emotionless]] and cold machine, except in a very few select moments where she does show hints of anger or fear. In particular, one scene in the episode "Mr. Ferguson Is Ill Today" shows her moving through a police station, frantically (in a disturbingly calm way) looking for John, or her pleading for her life in "Samson & Delilah".
** And then it gets ''completely'' flipped in "Allison From Palmdale," where she is shown crying, acting terrified, and in one scene [[TranquilFury being very angry, very calmly]].
** Then there's Derek, DeadpanSnarker and seen-it-all cynic. Stone cold, to the point of having more in common with a machine like Cameron than either would be comfortable to admit. ...And then moved to ManlyTears at the sight of her doing ballet by herself.
* Captain Jack in ''Series/{{Torchwood}}'', especially when you realise the happy-go-lucky flirt act is a defense mechanism and a mask for his true feelings. The major moments are when Ianto and Steven die.
* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1985'': The opening episode of the revival, "A Little Peace and Quiet", during the climactic scene -- nuclear war breaking out between the United States and the Soviet Union -- features a newscaster trying to keep his emotions in check as he reads an [[EmergencyBroadcast EBS alert]] live over the air, but his voice is trembling as the threat of the missiles becomes more imminent. (For instance, the alert is supposed to provide instructions for going to the nearest shelter, but he says, "What's the point? It's over! We're finished!" A few seconds later, he begins trembling when he notes that "Soviet missiles have entered U.S. airspace."
* ''Series/{{Victorious}}'': One episode had Jade breaking up with Beck. Initially, she acts as if she doesn't care and says she's fine with him seeing other girls. However, this facade is broken when she shows up at Tori's door crying and asking for her help in getting back together with Beck.
* At the start of the March 4, 2016 edition of ''Washington Week'', moderator Gwen Ifill betrayed some stress as she introduced the program in an unusually snarky manner following the announcement of the sponsors[[labelnote:Full list]]Boeing, Prudential, Newman's Own Foundation, Ford Foundation, Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and public television viewers[[/labelnote]].
-->'''Gwen Ifill:''' Good evening. OK. Deep breath, everybody. We're gonna try to keep it classy here. But it's hard, especially when [[Creator/DonaldTrump the leading candidate for the Republican nomination]] keeps testing us.
* In ''Series/TheWire'''s later seasons, Marlo Stanfield is the ruthless kingpin of the entire Baltimore drug market. He and his team kill people at whim and 'disappear' them, hiding the bodies in disused vacants, so as to avoid police attention. Marlo is completely professional at all times - even when he and his team have [[spoiler: been arrested and he faces a lengthy prison term]] he barely seems to care. However, when he learns that a stick-up artist has been insulting and challenging Marlo on the street, he shows true emotion for the first time in the series. "My name is my name!"
** He shows emotion for the second, and final time, in his last-ever scene. [[spoiler: After taking back a corner single-handedly]], he expresses [[BloodKnight genuine happiness]].
* In ''Series/WolfHall'', Mark Rylance portrays Thomas Cromwell as hardly ever betraying his emotions except occasionally around his apprentices, and even anger is expressed as TranquilFury. When his wife and daughters die in the first episode, however, he looks as though he's been hollowed out and becomes distracted in his work. In the fifth episode, he reacts calmly at the moment when Henry explodes and publicly accuses him of treason -- after he extracts himself, however, Cromwell's hands shake visibly as he tries to grasp a cup of wine.
* ''Series/TheXFiles''' Scully was always portrayed as the stoic, especially compared to Mulder, who freely showed his feelings and wasn't afraid to cry. Very few times does she break down, until season 8. She is pregnant and alone, Mulder having been abducted by aliens. Add to that the fact that she is reassigned to an agent who thinks Mulder is insane, has to train her new partner, has to head a task force to find Mulder pretty much on her own, then [[spoiler: finds Mulder dead and has to bury him, sees him come back to life and be distant from her]]. It is pretty much a stress-filled, non-stoic season for Scully. And never was there anyone more entitled to break down.

[[folder:Music]]
* Music/RandyTravis has two songs exploring this theme:
** "The Box" is about a box that the narrator finds, containing sentimental memorabilia from his father, including a poem about his children and a faded leather Bible. The narrator then concludes that "We all thought his heart was made of solid rock / But that was long before we found the box".
** Also done in "A Man Ain't Made of Stone":
--->I was supposed to be the rock that you could stand on\\
Stronger than an old oak tree\\
But all you ever wanted was the one thing\\
I never let you see\\
The tender side of me\\
I tried to be a mountain, solid and strong\\
All it took was your leaving to know I was wrong\\
A man ain't made of stone…
* "Cry" by Music/MandyMoore describes a woman becoming interested in a normally stoic peer after seeing him cry.
-->''You were always the cold one\\
But I was never that sure\\
You were all by yourself staring up at a dark, grey sky\\
I was changed\\
In places no one would find\\
All your feelings so deep inside\\
It was then that I realized that forever was in your eyes\\
The moment I saw you cry''

[[folder:Podcasts]]
* In ''Podcast/TheHiddenAlmanac'', Reverend Mord generally reacts with stoicism, even DissonantSerenity, no matter how strange things get. However, he's had his moments.
** He becomes audibly frustrated when dealing with the antics of Pastor Drom.
** He is also displeased by the advent of a cat living in the garden, eating songbirds. Very. Displeased.
** A sponsor message claiming that [[TheCaligula the Librarian Prince]] was a misunderstood hero has Mord stopping and refusing to read it because this is the Librarian Prince they're defending.
** He is even ''more'' displeased by the temporal-warp-induced discovery that Drom is going to be a saint.
** The takeover of the Fathers, who warped everyone's memory but his, tried him sorely. Especially when Drom mentions that they have [[BerserkButton a yearly book burning]].
** When Drom is [[spoiler:seemingly mortally injured at the end of the Inquisitor Ingrid arc]], Mord grows increasingly insistent that she will not die.

[[folder:Pro Wrestling]]
* On the ''[[Wrestling/WWERaw WWF Monday Night Raw]]'' episode following Owen Hart's death in May 1999, several of the normally ranting, raving, dastardly villains were offering genuine, heartfelt thoughts and condolences to the Hart family... many of them through very real tears.
* Wrestling/TheUndertaker, outside of his Biker years, is pretty stoic, but ruthless in battle with his occasional [[RageBreakingPoint breaking point]] when [[BerserkButton pushed too far]]. In 1997 there were two specific scenes where he displayed a level of grief & emotion that we hadn't seen from him up to that point, and haven't seen again since. Even to this day, many fans are still surprised to see him in that light.
** The more famous of the two scenes involves him telling everyone the true story about the death of his (kayfabe) family in response to Paul Bearer's accusations. The entire scene is filled with emotion from Taker's body language, voice, and expressions. But there were certain points where he almost seemed to be on the verge of tears.
** A lesser-known scene shows Taker at his parents' grave, speaking to them about Kane, his path in life, and how he has no choice but to fight his brother. He's almost as emotional as the previous scene, but this time he's speaking to his parents rather than about them & at the end, he sadly tells them both that he loves them.
* Wrestling/HulkHogan was shown on very rare occasions to get emotional (in kayfabe), the most notable experience being on the February 3, 1989, episode of ''The Main Event'', where Hogan and Wrestling/RandySavage were facing the Twin Towers (Akeem and Big Bossman) in a tag team match. Midway through the match, Akeem threw Savage onto his beautiful valet, Miss Elizabeth, and Elizabeth crumpled to the floor in an unconscious heap. Hogan immediately ran to Liz's side (as a woozy Savage struggled to regain his bearings) and immediately lost his composure. In tears, he cried, fearing that [[ILetGwenStacyDie Elizabeth had been killed ... or worse]]! Hogan's decision to leave Savage at ringside and instead be at Elizabeth's bedside ([[{{Kayfabe}} prepared for when the medic would give the official word that Elizabeth was ... DUM-DUH-DAAAA!!! ... DEAD!!!]]) ... set off a series of events later in the match that led to Savage [[FaceHeelTurn turning on Hogan]] and a match set up for [=WrestleMania=] V, in which Hogan defeated Savage to reclaim the World Heavyweight Championship.

[[folder:Theatre]]
* At the end of Gillette's ''Theatre/SherlockHolmes'', Holmes, after having replied indifferently to Alice's asking whether he cares for her at all, takes her hand gently, confesses that he does care for her, and is finally moved to embrace her protectively.
* Invoked by Leonato in ''Theatre/MuchAdoAboutNothing'', as he grieves over the slanders against his daughter Hero:
-->''"I pray thee, peace. I will be flesh and blood;\\
For there was never yet philosopher\\
That could endure the toothache patiently,\\
However they have writ the style of gods\\
And made a push at chance and sufferance."''

[[folder:Toys]]
* Toa of Ice characters from ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'' tend to be both [[TheQuietOne the quiet ones]] and stoic, until CharacterDevelopment kicks in, the most famous example being Kopaka. When not making all sorts of nasty, sarcastic remarks to people that annoy him (as in, people who express emotions freely), he keeps his thoughts to himself and would like to finish his duties as quickly as possible. But when his friend Pohatu recovered from a DisneyDeath, he softened up quite a bit. Later, in another story, after having been beaten, weakened, and looted, a group of innocent villagers mistook him and his team for a bunch of villains and attacked them. This angered Kopaka so much that he lashed out with what little power he had left, with the intention of ''killing'' the villagers!

[[folder:Video Games]]
* Es, from ''VideoGame/AlterEgo2018'', seems stoic on the surface, but begins to express more and more emotions as you advance in the story and get each of the three endings. She begins to express rage and violence in the "impulse" ending, depression in the "conformity" ending, and is truly happy in the "Alter Ego" ending.
* Jon Irenicus in ''VideoGame/BaldursGateII'' remains stoic for most of the plot, at most displaying a kind of icy annoyance... Until a scene right before the end when he finally cracks.
-->'''Jon Irenicus:''' Once my lust for power was everything but now I hunger ONLY for revenge! AND I. SHALL. HAVE IT!
* In ''VideoGame/BendyAndTheInkMachine'', Henry's normally calm voice becomes distraught when discovering that Boris got ReforgedIntoAMinion.
* ''Franchise/BlazBlue'':
** Jin Kisaragi is mostly a [[TheStoic stoic]] [[{{Jerkass}} asshole]]. However... if he ever comes across Noel Vermillion, his stoicism kinda fades and he becomes a screaming lunatic hell-bent to kill Noel. And if he meets Ragna The Bloodedge, the stoicism transforms into [[{{Yandere}} something... uh... more questionable]].
** Likewise with Nu-13, a RobotGirl who speaks in a mechanical monotone...except when she's squaring off against Ragna. Then she goes full {{Yandere}}.
* ''VideoGame/DanceCentral'': Oblio tends to show little emotion, keeping his face in a neutral expression and voice an even monotone, so it's a surprise when, upon meeting him in ''Dance Central (2019)'', he's so upset that he's actually raised his voice and throws his phone to the ground.
* The Bounty Hunter in ''VideoGame/DarkestDungeon'' is usually either silent or offers little more than a short sentence. If he becomes afflicted and gets fearful, however, he gives in to panic and starts begging to leave.
* Notable with the Chosen Undead in ''VideoGame/DarkSouls''. Their personality is up to the player, but one of the few times an NPC reacts to them is with the Fair Lady, who's mistaking them for her sister [[spoiler:whom you just murdered.]] Her dialogue implies that the Chosen Undead is ''crying''.
* JC Denton from ''VideoGame/DeusEx'' isn't completely emotionless, but certainly very stoic. There are a few times his voice breaks, however, such as [[spoiler:when he meets his brother Paul after the latter had defected from UNATCO and who was dying]]. Unfortunately, his most emotional outburst is a very {{narm}}y cry of "A BOMB!" when Jock discovers a bomb on his helicopter.
* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'': Vergil has several moments when his stoic persona is broken:
** Vergil is pretty cold for most of the time in ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry3DantesAwakening'', but has a brief VillainousBreakdown when his attempt to fully open Temen-ni-gru doesn't work (Arkham [[spoiler:deliberately]] left out a few steps). Then he gets pissy: "''Why isn't this working?!''", indeed. He cracks a few more times later on, especially as Dante starts beating him in the final boss fight. Vergil's fighting style starts off as calm and collected as ever. By the halfway point, as he uses his souped-up Devil Trigger, he starts spamming Helm Breakers, roaring with rage as he struggles to kill Dante.
** [[spoiler:''VideoGame/DevilMayCry5'' has quite a few moments where Vergil lets down his stoic facade.]]
*** [[spoiler:After Vergil returns following V and Urizen's SplitPersonalityMerge, he turns to Nero and gives him a "thank you" in a tone that's almost appreciative.]]
*** [[spoiler:The ending to Mission 19 has him briefly reminiscing about the one-night stand he had in Fortuna during the events of ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry4: Special Edition''.]]
*** [[spoiler:His appearances in Nico's van post-game paint him as something of a socially awkward person, especially around Nero. His EX Provocation taunt in ''5:SE'' cements this further, which features his doppelganger dancing a jig in circles around him to the tune of "Dies Irae", much to his embarrassment.]]
* In ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea 4| A Promise Unforgotten}}'', Fenrich usually serves as the calculating, TallDarkAndSnarky {{Chessmaster}} who's usually one step ahead of his enemies and even his own allies. However, slighting his master Valvatorez proves to be an effective BerserkButton, and when Judge Nemo [[spoiler:reveals that he's taken steps to blow up the moon, both a source of power for werewolves and a symbol for the oath Fenrich swore to Valvatorez]], Fenrich loses any semblance of composure and spends the entire chapter in a frothing rage.
* [[LadyOfBlackMagic Morrigan]] of ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' is one of the calmest and most collected individuals you will ever meet, except for a few scenes during her romance arc.
** [[TheBigGuy Sten]]: calm, stoic, sarcastic...then complete his personal mission, and you get to see him crack a smile.
* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'':
** The Arishok. In most of his appearances, he is TheStoic, but it's pretty obvious that being stuck in Kirkwall is getting on his nerves. In the aftermath of "Blackpowder Courtesy" when confronted by Hawke about why he doesn't just leave the city, he reveals, with barely contained fury, that it's because ''someone'' stole a Qunari relic and was last seen in Kirkwall. He calms down after this rant, but as Varric notes, he's like an ox waiting to charge. [[spoiler:And at the end of Act II, he does.]]
--->'''Arishok:''' Let them rot. Filth stole from us. Not now, not the saar qamek. Years ago. A simple act of greed has bound me. We are all denied Par Vollen until I alone recover what was lost under my command! That is why this elf and her shadows are unimportant. That is why I don't simply walk away from this pustule of a city! Fixing your mess is not the demand of the Qun! AND YOU SHOULD ALL BE GRATEFUL!
** Fenris, whose stoicism is usually accompanied by a tranquil fury, will absolutely lose it if [[HatesBeingTouched he is touched]] or if a [[BigNo romanced Hawke falls in battle]].
* ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind'': The BigBad Dagoth Ur is an [[PhysicalGod immortal god]] in the seat of his own power, so he's quite {{affabl|yEvil}}e about chatting with the PC and reminding them that they literally cannot kill him. Then the PC starts to do the one thing he [[EvilCannotComprehendGood couldn't imagine]]: destroy the magic that sustains his divinity rather than try to [[GodhoodSeeker become a god]] themself.
-->'''Dagoth Ur:''' ''What are you doing? [[OhCrap WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!]]''
* In ''VideoGame/Fallout4'', Preston Garvey is a strict but kind soldier type who almost never raises his voice. This changes only once, notably, in the ''Nuka-World'' [=DLC=], where [[WhatTheHellHero he furiously shouts at you if you]] [[spoiler:side with one of the raider gangs and enslave one of the Minutemen's settlements.]]
** X6-88 likes to advertise himself as a merciless Courser, unflinching and ruthless in his mission to hunt down rogue synths and bringing them back to [[BigBad The Institute]], but if you get him in a vertibird or on top of a tall building, his fear of heights kicks in -- his voice gets small, he starts cursing, and he emphatically makes it clear that he does not appreciate the current setting.
* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'', Squall Leonhart starts out as TheStoic, but his stoicism breaks down spectacularly as his coping mechanisms prove increasingly inadequate, starting with the short meltdown he has over [[spoiler:the way people talk about Seifer after his supposed death]]. When [[spoiler:Rinoa ends up in a coma]], he breaks down completely.
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'': Auron, after [[spoiler:Kinoc's death]], gets ''very'' pissed about it, and Lulu's [[DeadpanSnarker deadpan demeanour]] cracks badly upon [[spoiler:learning the teachings of Yevon were lies]].
** Auron also loses it when he sees a memory preserved by the pyre-flies [[spoiler:of the moment he failed to prevent Braska and Jecht from going through with the Final Summoning.]] He furiously attacks the image of his past self, [[IHatePastMe enraged at his helplessness.]]
** More light-heartedly, Auron chuckles and joins the others in playfully ribbing Yuna over her [[InformedFlaw apparent bed-hair]], as she is frantically apologizing for oversleeping at the Djose Temple. Much to her surprise.
* Balthier in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'' is full of [[DeadpanSnarker snark and wit]], even when he has a sword pointed directly at his neck. Nothing ever makes the man flinch and he always keeps his cool. The moment someone brings up nethicite or the laboratory within the empire's home city, Balthier drops the act and becomes more upfront and direct, which surprised everyone when he started to act as such towards Larsa after the kid mentioned the subject. [[spoiler: At the Phon Coast, he becomes very open with Ashe and tells her how his father became extremely obsessed with nethicite to the point that it was all the scientist cared about. Balthier quit his job as a Judge and became a sky pirate to run away from his past. He tells Ashe, who was becoming obsessed with using nethicite to fight TheEmpire, to not follow the same path as his father did. When Balthier does meet his father again, he becomes very serious.]]
* The player character in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' is pure stoic and pure badass. He/she doesn't express much emotion beyond a simple head nod (which other characters lampshade repeatedly) and they [[HeroicMime never say anything]] except for what is chosen by the player in a dialogue prompt. However, the Heavensward 3.0 expansion has the player character slowly showing off more emotions like sadness and anger and is a lot more blunt in their response choices, showing that they may not be as stoic as everyone thought at first.
* ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar2'' has several moments where [[TheComicallySerious Marcus Fenix]] shows some form of emotion other than seething, barely-contained fury. In particular, when [[spoiler: Dom has to [[MercyKill euthanize]] Maria]], he looks like he's going to break down into tears -- for just a moment.
** Also exhibited when [[spoiler:Ben Carmine dies, as it seemed that he was developing a certain amount of respect and attachment to the rookie.]]
** In the third game, he becomes quite frantic when [[spoiler:Dom sacrifices himself to save the rest of the squad]], before going into a HeroicSafeMode that lasts until the Stranded leader Griffin refuses to let up on trash-talking the COG, resulting in Marcus totally flipping his shit:
--->'''Marcus:''' [[spoiler:I JUST LOST MY FUCKING BROTHER! YOU HEAR THAT?! '''MY BROTHER'''!!! YOU, YOUR TOWER, AND ALL THIS FUCKING IMULSION CAN '''GO TO HELL'''!!!]]"
* Kratos in ''VideoGame/GodOfWarPS4''. When [[spoiler:Atreus falls deathly ill]], he rushes to Freya and all but begs her to help heal him, and when he [[spoiler:puts on the Blades of Chaos]] to traverse Helheim to get an ingredient she needs to cure him, he's visibly uneasy with the reminder of his past. Also seen in the sequel, ''VideoGame/GodOfWarRagnarok''. After he sees a mural left by the giants showing him [[spoiler:being worshipped as a God of Peace,]] he comes close to breaking down in tears.
--->'''Kratos:''' Freya! Open the door! We need your help! Woman, do you hear me? It is urgent!
* The G-Man in ''VideoGame/HalfLife2: Episode One''. He's been completely in control of everything so far, but the Vortiguants preventing him from taking Gordon causes him to become very angry. Even so, the only emotion he displays is slightly annoyed, "We'll see about that."
* ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'':
** The Master Chief is unflappable. Though in the original trilogy, certain things weigh on him (such as [[spoiler:Keyes and Johnson's deaths]]), he generally remains stoic and gets the job done. Come ''VideoGame/{{Halo 4}}'', and [[spoiler:he stays in denial over the severity of Cortana's rampancy, assuming that it can be fixed, and when she sacrifices herself to get himself off the Didact's ship as he blows it up, he's audibly upset and can't even look her in the eyes.]] He even [[ManlyTears sheds a tear afterwards]], as seen on his visor. ''VideoGame/Halo5Guardians'' has him sounding legitimately pissed when he hears [[spoiler: Cortana's]] plans for galaxy domination. [[spoiler: He also sounds heartbroken begging her not to do it.]]
** Similarly, [[BigBad the Prophet of Truth]]. In ''VideoGame/Halo2'' he never showed any form of emotion, even with the facts of Halo 04's destruction and the discovery of Halo 05, but in ''VideoGame/Halo3'' it's revealed that his stoic personality was just a facade to hide his psychopathic, sadistic personality and ''extremely'' high temper.
* ''VideoGame/HitmanBloodMoney'':
** Agent 47. [[spoiler:Diana's apparent betrayal]] causes him to become visibly angry, and even prompts his first, [[TheQuietOne and so far only]], outburst of verbal aggression.
--->'''Agent 47:''' Bitch!
** Also in the [[AllThereInTheManual supplemental material]], the young 47, normally just as cold as his adult self, starts crying when a runaway lab rabbit, he adopted as a pet, died and was buried, much to Dr. Ort-Meyer's surprise.
* The titular protagonist of ''VideoGame/{{Ib}}'' is a HeroicMime [[TheStoic Stoic]] despite only being nine years old in a horrifying surreal maze of living art. She manages to hold it together pretty well, but there are two occasions where it slips a little; first, when she sees a portrait of her parents, the implications and stress of what has already happened drive her to faint and have nightmares. The second time is if [[spoiler:Garry fails the Doll Room event, and is driven insane. [[MultipleEndings Depending on circumstances]], it'll either be a heart-warming hug when Ib manages to [[GetAHoldOfYourselfMan snap him back to reality]], or she'll rocket past the DespairEventHorizon fast enough that her [[DeathByDespair will to live shatters like glass]] when she realises he's past saving]].
* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'':
** Saïx is ''very'' stoic and unemotional for the most part, not bothering to pretend to have emotions like other Nobodies. When he's fought, however, he becomes boisterous and angry ("BE GONE!" "MOVE ASIDE!" "ALL SHALL BE LOST TO YOU!").
** ''Kingdom Hearts II'' also possesses a unique example of this trope regarding Tron, a program. After the defeat of the Master Control Program, Tron is suddenly all playful and full of emotion. [=KH3D=] confirms that programs are not so different from Nobodies, in that they don't possess hearts either, [[spoiler: but since the same game confirms that Nobodies can grow hearts over time. Add to this the fact that a computer program of a different origin gained a heart in the previous game, ''coded'', it's quite easy to say that anything can grow a heart if it has friends, so Tron likely gained a heart through his friendship with Sora]].
** Yen Sid, the usually composed BigGood of the series, ''freaks the hell out'' late in ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance'', when [[spoiler:he realizes Xehanort is executing a plan set up all the way back in the ''first'' game]].
* ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords'' has the Handmaiden, who is calm almost to the point of being icy until you approach her about the possibility of [[spoiler:training her as a Jedi]].
* ''Franchise/MassEffect'':
** In the first game, [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Wrex]] is cynical and almost devoid of emotion the entire playthrough until he nearly suffers his HeroicBSOD when he learns that the villain, Saren, is making a cure for a sterility plague infecting his people and it has to be destroyed.
** And in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', [[spoiler: should Wrex survive Virmire]] he greets Commander Shepard with a hearty greeting, some suspicious-sounding throat-clearing noises, and a heartfelt ''"Shepard! My friend!"'' before going back to his normal DeadpanSnarker self.
** In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', if Shepard [[spoiler: sabotages the genophage cure by killing Mordin or Padok]], Wrex's response is to [[spoiler: storm onto the Citadel and try to blow Shepard's head off with a shotgun]]. If Shepard tries to talk him down, telling Wrex that no one was killed by [[spoiler: the genophage sabotage]], Wrex's response is an absolutely furious "No one, [[spoiler: ''EXCEPT FOR MY UNBORN SON!''"]]
** The Geth teammate Legion also has shades of this. Occasionally, its "[[MindHive We]] are an emotionless robot" facade cracks, such as when confronted with betrayal or unpleasant revelations, when asked pointed questions about its illogical behavior, or when [[http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Shadow_Broker_Dossiers/Legion playing Galaxy of Fantasy]].
** Paragon Shepard in the ''Overlord'' {{DLC}}. Shepard is absolutely ''furious'' upon learning of the experimentation going on inside. You know it's serious when a character that WouldNotShootACivilian outright [[PistolWhipping clubs]] someone... as a ''paragon'' interrupt.
** When you have a drink with Liara at the end of the ''Lair of the Shadow Broker'' {{DLC}}, she asks you how you're really doing. One of the options is to admit that you're just as worried and afraid as everyone else.
** Commander Shepard in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3''. For the first two games, s/he kept his/her emotions subdued but they are really shown here with dreams showing extreme SurvivorGuilt and even becoming a borderline DeathSeeker. A [=FemShep=] romancing Garrus will literally be on the edge of tears when talking to Garrus right before the final push-this war has beaten her to the bone, and what little left of her is ''depending'' on her friends and the [[InterspeciesRomance Turian]] she loves to see this through to the end.
** In the ending of the Tuchanka arc, when Mordin is confronted about trying to cure the [[SterilityPlague Genophage]] despite having formerly upgraded it, he will loudly exclaim ''"I made a '''MISTAKE!'''"''. This is doubly poignant because Mordin previously used passive voice and clinical language to downplay his own guilt in the genophage upgrade, so it's a big surprise to hear him take ''personal'' responsibility for it. Normally, he would say something like ''"Mistakes were made"'', but he doesn't -- it was ''his'' mistake, ''he'' did it, and he knows it.
** Legion has a much more dramatic NotSoStoic moment in 3 compared to his emotional reactions in 2 if you refuse to risk the lives of the attacking Quarians by letting him upload the Reaper Code to save the Geth. The first refusal has Legion attempt to appeal to Shepard's reason with real desperation in their voice, saying ''"This is not justice!"''. If Shepard refuses, however, Legion nearly ''kills'' them in a fury equal to Wrex's.
--->'''Legion:''' ''NO.'' We will ''not'' let you decide our fate. '''UPLOADING THE CODE!'''
* The first two ''VideoGame/MaxPayne'' games had Max running mostly on TranquilFury and stoicism. However, ''Max Payne 3'' features a Max that, after discovering a [[spoiler:horrifying organ harvesting ring]], completely loses his shit and fully indulges in UnstoppableRage.
* Victor of ''VideoGame/{{Medabots}}'' prided himself on his totally professional, detached approach to battling and expressed little save cold distaste for the rest of the world. He managed to keep this up when the family of one of his opponents invited him round for dinner but we get to hear his internal monologue for the first time, and during their actual match, he [[VillainousBreakdown completely loses it when his opponent refuses to give up]]. At the end of the series, his Medabot is destroyed protecting him and his mask breaks noticeably, leading to him actually giving the main character a smile at the end.
* The titular character in ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' has a reputation for never emoting. Ever. No matter what kind of BadassBoast his opponents give or how insanely tough the godlike robot of the game is, Zero faces it with a calm look and a sword in his hand, even crossing into DeadpanSnarker territory on occasion. At the very end of the series, [[spoiler: he knows he's on a suicide mission against the BigBad Dr. Weil and has no way of saving his own life. When Ciel pleads with him to come back and save himself, Zero breaks his stoic attitude and raises his voice, asking for her to "believe in me" before giving an impassioned speech against Weil. The copious amounts of ShipTease between Zero and Ciel make his final words to her even more impactful]].
* In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4'', Raiden appears to become very much TheStoic... until his tearjerking breakdown in the latter part of the game, when Raiden declares he has NOTHING left to live for except for following Snake and his vision for freedom for themselves. Snake, knowing he'll die soon tries to discourage Raiden from following him, but the badly injured Raiden drags himself along the floor and desperately clutches Snake's leg, begging him not to leave him alone after having lost his parents, his innocence due to his child soldier days, his love and his child.
* Chika Itou from interactive romance novel ''VideoGame/{{Moonrise}}'' is infamous for her stoicism. But she has a soft spot for the player character, and the player character can enjoy DefrostingTheIceQueen. If the player joins the Masquerade faction, [[spoiler: Chika will break down in public and beg the player to reconsider]].
* The Batter in ''VideoGame/{{Off}}'' is shown to be cold, determined, and unfaltering in his mission to purify the world...but he does rather enjoy roller coasters, as seen in a photo from Zone 2.
* Abe no Seimei of ''VideoGame/{{Onmyoji|2016}}'' has always been perfectly calm and rational even as he is repeatedly accused of shit he didn't do [[spoiler: until he goes absolutely batshit ''furious'' just before his duel against his [[EvilCounterpart evil]] LiteralSplitPersonality who is the real person fucking everything up in the first place.]]
* ''VideoGame/Persona4'' has Naoto Shirogane, a young genius hired by police to assist in finding Inaba's serial killer. She maintains a cool, confident air most of the time, but once confronted with her Shadow or [[spoiler:falsely pointing out Namatame as the killer solely because he kidnapped Nanako]], it starts to become extremely difficult for her to remain calm...
* [[OmnicidalManiac Cyrus]], no matter how emotionless he claims to be, gets pretty pissed off in the Distortion World in ''VideoGame/PokemonPlatinum''. And earlier, when he first ''told'' you that he'd rid himself of emotions, he does so during a fairly intense rant, complete with many exclaimation points.
** In ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'', gym leader Elesa acts like an EmotionlessGirl, but is overwhelmed by excitement when you beat her, immediately becoming embarrassed over it. In the sequels, ''[[VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2 Black 2 and White 2]]'', her Memory Link scene with Skyla reveals that she felt she had to act stoic as a model and gym leader, and that she wants people to see her as more sociable by telling puns... which, according to Skyla, [[LamePunReaction still need some work]].
** Oleana in ''VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield'' spends the majority of the game with a flat, almost disinterested expression on her face and speaking in a very concise manner until she [[spoiler:is personally trying to prevent you from interfering with the plans of Chairman Rose]] and goes absolutely ''berserk''.
* [=GLaDOS=] in ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'' is a stoic, if quirky, AI that instructs you on the test chambers. Once you start going off the rails after she tries to dump you in a fire pit, her stoicism starts to crack as she tries to beg you to come back while hurling passive-aggressive remarks at you. She also breaks down further in her boss fight when you rip out her cores one by one. In ''VideoGame/Portal2'', [=GLaDOS=] has a mixture of DeadpanSnarker with passive-aggressiveness towards you throughout your journey by constantly reminding you of what you did to her in the last game. Once you start the program that [[spoiler: forcibly removes her from her main body]], she completely freaks out and lets out a BigNo. Meeting with her again later on has her being much more open and emotional.
* VideoGame/ProfessorLayton is usually the very definition of StiffUpperLip, but in ''Unwound Future'' [[spoiler:when he discovers that the woman he loved was not killed but rather thrust forward into the future, and has to return and die to preserve their timeline, he breaks into tears and begs her to stay -- even going so far as to remove his hat!]]
** And earlier in the same game, we saw him get angry for the first time ever.
* ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption2'': Arthur Morgan is about as stoic a man as they come, with his more eloquent and articulate side [[HeroicSelfDeprecation deliberately kept private because he sees himself as just a cruel thug]], and any negative emotions usually expressed with brooding or angry griping, only occasionally voicing his inner thoughts to a few people like Karen and Mary Beth. [[spoiler:Even in Chapter 6, after receiving a fatal tuberculosis diagnosis, he's refusing to open up to others and focusing on keeping the gang safe over dwelling on the inevitable -- until, in an optional conversation with the nun Sister Calderón, he hesitantly murmurs "I'm afraid". In that moment, the quiet terror in his voice, and [[https://i.redd.it/sxeic6jy2me71.jpg the sadness in his face]], show just how scared he really is to die, with a lifetime's worth of sins on his conscience.]]
* ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'':
** Leon turns into a DeadpanSnarker stoic after events of [=RE2=], but the few times after surviving Raccoon City that we see Leon ''genuinely'' lose his calm are when he thinks [[spoiler:Ada is dead]], when he discovers and is forced to shoot the zombified [[spoiler:President Adam Benford]], and (to a lesser extent) when he [[SayMyName shouts allies' names if they're killed]].
** Ada plays her cards close to her chest, and it's hard to pinpoint what, if anything, she is feeling at any given moment other than a cool interest in whatever her employer is having her track down. So the two moments where she does lose her facade are all the more prominent.
*** In ''Anime/ResidentEvilDamnation'', she was visibly irritated during her fight with [[spoiler:Svetlana]], given that her opponent actually had the upper hand over ''her''.
*** At the end of her campaign in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil6'', Ada is furious as she [[spoiler:destroys Carla's lab research and experiments, fed up with the horror and the personal anguish Carla caused her]]. [[spoiler:She unloads three clips of SMG ammo into it all, laying waste to it in a hail of gunfire and explosions]].
** Chris is fairly stoic during events of ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilVillage'', but cracks begin to form in his soldier mind by the final act. [[spoiler:After witnessing Ethan's cruel death to Miranda, he's composed, but you can tell his voice is ''dripping'' with venom after promising to avenge his friend. By the end of it, after [[WhatTheHellHero Mia reads him the riot act]], he ''slams his fist into the wall'' and you can tell he's on the verge of ''crying'']].
* Agent Superball in the ''[[VideoGame/SamAndMaxFreelancePolice Sam & Max]]'' Telltale Games is an unflappable Secret Service agent who spends the whole series speaking in a flat monotone (except for one [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment impromptu musical number]]). However, at the end of the series, [[spoiler: the death of Max]] is too much for him.
--> '''Superball:''' ''[still deadpan]'' I'd just like to offer my-- I can't do this now. I just can't. ''*runs off sobbing*''
* VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog has always been the unflappable hero with a grin and a joke, never letting anything or anyone stop him. However, ''VideoGame/SonicLostWorld'' heavily tests that as the Deadly Six's actions lead to a DwindlingParty, the lowest Sonic goes is jabbing one of Tails' devices and shaking his head in defeat when no one answers, knowing ''no one'' is going to.
* ''Strange Flesh'': The Bartender may be an unflappable, stone-cold fighter, but he is shown to be quite expressive [[InVinoVeritas when he gets drunk]].
* ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'': Kyosuke Nanbu is generally the mascot for [[TheStoic Mr. Grumpy]] amongst his peers. Even when he's completely mad when his girlfriend Excellen is being threatened with death, all that comes out was a TranquilFury. But this man literally broke down to tears when he thought that it was his fault that his other friend (read: OTHER FRIEND, not girlfriend) Lamia is dead (turns out she [[NotQuiteDead didn't, quite]]). Likewise, although he doesn't jump up and down in joy when his [[TheRival rival]] [[HeelFaceTurn turn good]] Axel eventually saved her, he was expressive enough to let out a genuine, grateful smile.
** And that is not even counting the time when he piloted a [[LargeHam Gespenst]] [[DivingKick [=MkII=]]] [[ScreamingWarrior Type S]].
** Also from ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'' is Raidese F. Branstein, he usually plays the cool [[TheLancer lancer]] to hothead [[AscendedFanboy Ryusei]] but when he comes across [[spoiler:Archibald Grims, the man responsible for the terrorist incident where his adored sister in law was killed, he goes [[LeeroyJenkins completely]] [[BerserkButton berserk]] and gets shot down (and almost killed) for his trouble.]]
* Richard of ''VideoGame/TalesOfGraces'' is usually quite a calm, stoic man, even when he was younger. In the main part of the story though, he has the tendency to go batshit insane over rather minor things. While his sudden violent outbursts could be viewed as rather {{Narm}} at times, Asbel is usually left gaping in disbelief at him. [[spoiler: It's a result of him being possessed by an OmnicidalManiac.]]
** And then the future arc in Graces f shatters that stoic personality altogether. Keep in mind this is after [[spoiler: Lambda releases him and moves on to Asbel.]] He's more prone to rampant [[{{Troll}} trolling]] and [[LargeHam explosive moments of ham]] than stoicism. Mask of Barona, anyone?
* In ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'', Kratos Aurion rarely shows anything beyond mild annoyance in the time you spend traveling with him. This makes it rather startling when Kvar starts badmouthing Anna, Lloyd's mother [[spoiler:[[LukeIAmYourFather and Kratos' dead wife]]]], and it's Kratos who angrily snaps at him [[NeverSpeakIllOfTheDead not to speak ill of the dead]].
** And then he stabs Kvar to death after the boss fight later on.
--> [[PunctuatedPounding [stab]]] [[PunctuatedForEmphasis "Feel the pain..." [slash] "Of those inferior beings..." [sheathes sword] "As you burn in hell!"]]
* In ''VideoGame/WolfensteinIITheNewColossus'', towering AxCrazy Nazi-killer B.J Blazkowicz has by this point watched the deaths of many, ''many'' friends and comrades-in-arms, the destruction and subjugation of his country and the horror of a world ruled by Nazis and ([[DeathSeeker for the most part]]) endured it quietly. And then [[spoiler:he's reunited with his (by this point long since deceased) mother in an ImagineSpot before his execution and he ''blubbers and cries like a baby''. [[EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas It's an incredibly powerful scene]].]]
* [[TheBaroness Konishi the "Iron Maiden"]] from ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou'' [[spoiler:hides in Beat's shadow for a week. When she decides he's even more stupid and unpredictable than she already thought, she flips out.]]
* ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2'': Mórag Ladair maintains an air of professional calm no matter what's going on normally. There are only two instances in which that mask slips: when she sees her nation's navy gearing up for a full-scale attack on the Urayan forces, an action that would certainly lead to a devastating war; and when she witnesses [[spoiler:the apparent death of Emperor Niall, whom she loves like a brother]].
-->'''Mòrag''': What!? ''[[PrecisionFStrike Shit!]]'' Who gave that damned order!?
* ADA in ''VideoGame/ZoneOfTheEnders'' is an emotionless computer, and at one point Leo even calls out her attempts to show emotion as being proof that she doesn't feel anything at all. However, she has a very tender moment with Leo after Celvice gets shot, and, right at the end, her voice cracks as if she is crying while she tells Leo, "[[HeroicSacrifice This]] is what we live for -- those of us who have no life".
* In ''{{VideoGame/Homeworld}}'', both [[SpaceshipGirl the Mothership]] and [[MissionControl the Fleet Command]] are very composed individuals, relaying strategic and tactical information to you in a calm, controlled voice. Not so much [[TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive in the Return to Kharak mission]]. The Mothership describes the destruction of Kharak with a tone of disbelief in her voice. The Fleet Command, meanwhile, audibly struggles against breaking down. The fact that they both pull themselves together quickly only makes this slip all the more jarring.

[[folder:Visual Novels]]
* ''VisualNovel/AceAttorneyInvestigations'' gives us [[spoiler:Shih-na, a hyper-competent EmotionlessGirl who speaks with zero inflection in her voice. As evidence piles up that she's a criminal, her normally blank expression changes to a PsychoticSmirk and then to a particularly creepy SlasherSmile, before [[LaughingMad finally breaking down completely.]]]]
** Inverted and then played straight in ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyDualDestinies''. [[spoiler: Bobby Fulbright, a goofy, over-the-top bumbling detective is revealed to be "the phantom", a sociopathic monster who experiences no genuine emotions (though with enough concentration he can fake them accurately enough to fool even the various gadgets and magic powers used specifically to see through people like him) and has literally [[ShapeshifterIdentityCrisis no personality]]; a large part of the trial has him mocking "the masses controlled by emotions" and bragging about how his lack of humanity makes him unbreakable. It turns out he isn't completely without emotions, however, as the risk of having one's cover blown and getting assassinated on the spot is enough to make even the phantom feel afraid. [[VillainousBreakdown And as that scenario becomes more and more likely...]]]]
* ''Franchise/{{Danganronpa}}'':
** Celestia Ludenberg in ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc'' usually presents herself as a stoic, pragmatic, ElegantGothicLolita. However, she does have some BerserkButton and if pressed, her expression changes into a deranged, screaming lunatic. [[spoiler:She's the culprit of the third case, and when about to be exposed, she pretty much puts on the deranged self all the time, until she's exposed and decided to be a GracefulLoser]].
** ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'':
*** The culprits of Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 both show the depths of their true personalities after having carefully guarded public faces. [[spoiler:Kirumi Tojo, the killer in Chapter 2, initially comes off as very refined and polite, to the point that her personal motto is "duty before self" and that she's an ExtremeDoormat. But she does not take it well when she's exposed as Ryoma's killer [[SoreLoser (even voting for Shuichi out of spite)]] and completely loses her stoic personality when she tries to escape the school, screaming about how [[{{Determinator}} she refuses to die and that she'll live for the sake of Japan]]. Korekiyo, the Chapter 3 killer, gives off apathetic and aloof airs (but can be dramatic from time to time) and [[VillainousBreakdown has an extremely violent breakdown when he gets caught during the trial]], [[MadnessMantra repeatedly insisting that Shuichi apologizes to him.]]]]
*** Maki Harukawa. She normally doesn't express much emotion apart from annoyance, [[spoiler: but when Kaito is found guilty in the fifth trial, she loses it and angrily threatens to kill Monokuma until Kaito convinces her not to. She starts crying afterwards, both before and after his execution.]]
*** Himiko Yumeno initially doesn't express her emotions because she thinks it's "tiresome". [[spoiler: After Kokichi gives her a WhatTheHellHero rant during the third trial and she remembers Tenko's final words telling her that it's okay to show emotions, Himiko bursts into tears after Korekiyo's execution. She starts expressing herself regularly from Chapter 4 on.]]
* Sakazaki Yuuya of ''VisualNovel/HatofulBoyfriend'' wouldn't immediately appear to be a stoic. He's friendly and cheerful, or he's professional, or a little cruel, or he's a mix, depending. However he is a ''huge'' StepfordSmiler whose attitude doesn't change even in enormously stressful situations [[spoiler: such as [[TakingTheBullet when he's dying]]]] and he always seems relaxed and careless, giving away nothing of what's happening inside. Now and then his mask cracks for a moment but he's always able to repair it... however, during a side story in ''Holiday Star'' he finds out that his brother's [[spoiler: butler is actually an assassin]] and just ''loses it'' with fear and worry, even making [[{{ILLKILLYOU}} bald-faced threats]].
* Hisao from ''VisualNovel/KatawaShoujo'' instantly knows that something is terribly wrong with Lilly when she accidentally trips due to another kid being careless (mind you, she's blind) and mutters "damn" under her breath while getting up. Think about it: Lilly has such nigh-inhuman levels of self-control and politeness that she can say what most people wouldn't even consider a real swearword these days, and people would get ''worried''.
* ''VisualNovel/LittleBusters'':
** On your first playthrough, Kengo will come across as totally serious and immune to the wild antics of his friends, dedicating all his time towards playing Kendo and not even participating in the baseball game in the end. In all future games, though, halfway through the common route a scene will play where Kengo [[InterruptedSuicide saves his friend from committing suicide]] and breaks his arm in the process...and from then on becomes downright giddy, smiling all the time and making himself look just as silly as everyone else. The others are clearly unnerved by the transformation.
** And from a different direction, [[spoiler:when Riki beats him in the baseball match in Refrain, he bursts into tears outright over how much time he wasted on Kendo for nothing. Later as they're disappearing, he's noticeably teary-eyed, and Kyousuke comments that in fact, he's the biggest crybaby of the five of them.]]
* While Akira from ''VisualNovel/SpiritHunterNG'' is a generally stoic person who responds to deaths with disbelief more than anything else, the potential death of his companions at Kubitarou's hands causes him to completely flip out, screaming curses while chasing her down.

[[folder:Web Animation]]
* ''WebAnimation/{{The Champions|2018}}'': Lionel Messi generally is TheStoic, and in the instances where he does show his true emotions it's generally through his [[HandPuppetMockery snarky profane puppet]]. However, he has shown genuine emotion a few times in the series, such as sharing a fearful glance with Cristiano Ronaldo during Eric Cantona’s SuddenMorbidMonologue, laughing at his puppet's suggestion that they move back to his old bed in Argentina, or his AlternateUniverse counterpart crying over Messi explaining why he had to leave Barcelona for PSG.
* In ''WebAnimation/IfTheEmperorHadATextToSpeechDevice'', Magnus is pretty snarky and chilled during Karamazov's raid... up until Emperor's "reveal" prompts a FlatWhat.
* In ''WebAnimation/{{Interface}}'', Henryk is perpetually unphased and usually hard to get a rise out of, but he [[spoiler:utterly collapses when he has a flashback of his late daughter in Episode 6.]]
* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'':
** Lie Ren starts off highly stoic and calm, but over the course of Volume 4 he begins emoting more and more as the team travels further into Anima and keep encountering villages that have been destroyed by bandits or the Grimm. [[spoiler:When the team finally reach Ren's home, they confront the Nuckelavee that has been destroying local villages. Ren sinks to his knees in horror and shock but his hatred and anger grow throughout the fight until he loses all control against the monster that killed his home town and family. In the seventh and eighth volumes, the stress of the situation the heroes are under sees Ren struggling to contain his emotions throughout, resulting in increasing outbursts of anger or tears whenever situations hit him particularly hard, such as when he's forced to fight Neo at the end of Volume 7 while she's disguised as Nora or in Volume 8 when Oscar is taken away by the Hound and he isn't able to stop it.]]
** Winter Schnee believes in controlling her emotions and swallowing her personal feelings in the interests of maintaining professionalism at all times. However, her temper makes this difficult for her to do. The first time she's introduced, Qrow successfully baits her into brawling in front of the school while the Atlesian council meeting leaves her tapping her finger with increasing impatience until she finally explodes at her father's criticism of Ironwood's trustworthiness. When she complains later to Penny that she succumbed to her feelings and sounded like a petulant child, Penny tells her she was speaking from the heart and that there's nothing wrong with that. [[spoiler:She and Penny later debate whether it's a good thing to suppress personal feelings or embrace them when they debate Ironwood's decisions over protecting Mantle and the Winter Maiden. Later when she confronted Weiss, she was shown to sound angry at her due to believing that she betrayed Ironwood. Eventually, Winter starts losing her composure more during Volume 8 as she sees how far gone Ironwood was, her friendship with Penny making her kindness more obvious and seeing her sister fall into the void causing her to scream in terror.]]
** While Vine Zeki is shown to be the most stoic member of the Ace-Ops, even he has moments where he loses his composure. [[spoiler:One of which is when he sees Winter Schnee pretending to arrest Marrow Amin with a shocked expression in his face and later in the same scene he was shown afraid when General James Ironwood threatened to kill the remaining Ace-Ops if they would defect like Marrow just tried to do.]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* White Pearl in ''Webcomic/AskWhitePearlAndStevenAlmostAnything'' is normally totally without emotion and acts as little more than a robot. However, their are moments when her true self does manage to break through. She might only be able to speak by repeating bits and pieces of Steven's sentences, but she is the one choosing to speak them, and when she first did it, it was clearly difficult or distressing her to do so. When Steven finally found out her name was Pearl, she cried a tear of relief. She also cried a single tear when she saw how much it hurt Steven after he found out she was just acting as his puppet ''before'' he has severed the connection between them and allowed her to be free again.
* Naal'suul of ''Webcomic/{{Drowtales}}'' is TheWoobie extraordinaire and surprises people by even being alive after being tainted by a demon so badly and acknowledges that she doesn't have much time left in [[DeadpanSnarker the driest manner possible]] [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=6786 until this scene]] where she finally breaks and admits that she's afraid.
* A Patreon-only strip of ''WebComic/DumbingOfAge'' shows Dina's normally reserved parents express joy when Dina tells them that she has a girlfriend. [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments And then go right back to being stoic.]]
* In ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', Charlotte's near-emotionless veneer cracks in the fifth part of "So a Date at the Mall." When Diane casually [[http://egscomics.com/comic/2016-01-06 dismisses]] Tara's intuition that [[spoiler:she has vampire-hunting potential]] as nonsense, and instead focuses on her own romantic prospects or lack thereof with Elliot, Charlotte is genuinely appalled and castigates her for her priorities. Then, when Diane [[http://egscomics.com/comic/2015-01-08-2 counters]] with an angry jab at her introversion and thoughtlessly asks whether she's ever dated, Charlotte shows her hurt feelings so visibly, if silently, that Diane realizes she's gone too far.
* Higgs from ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'', when [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20101018 Zeetha]] [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20101025 is wounded]]. And later, after Tarvek tells Higgs to "threaten me properly" in order to bank on a hunch he has, and he decides to [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20180706 go with it]] and get ''very'' threatening about it. [[spoiler:And thus we see part of his stoic facade is because showing most emotions clearly would [[GameFace give him away]]]].
* Edith of ''Webcomic/{{Godslave}}'' is usually bordering on EmotionlessGirl, but she has her moments:
** OhCrap when the jar breaks.
** He war-face when she goes full-{{Kiai}} on Turner.
** Her rage at realizing what Anpu did to her.
* ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'':
** Moments with the EmotionlessGirl Antimony:
*** Chapter 6 where, seemingly out of nowhere, Antimony starts bawling her eyes out over her mother's death. This marked a turning point for Antimony -- since then, she's opened up to her close friends, while maintaining a stoic façade to the rest of the world.
*** She loses her cool near the end of chapter 19 when [[spoiler:"Kat" is disintegrated by Gamma]]. A weakness isn't normal, child. That Place poisons you.
*** At the start of Chapter 37, we get Antimony's emotionless monologue as [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1003 everyone worries over her]] - and, then, after ushering everyone out of the room, Kat's dad [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1004 offers her a glass of water]]...
** [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=814 Anthony]], if we'll believe Annie's {{flashback}}y dream.
** In Chapters 51 and 52, Annie is shown retreating completely into an emotionless shell in response to [[spoiler:her father's unexpected return]]. Then in Chapter 53, we get a [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1540 flashback]] of just how she reacted in private to it. It is very, very NOT emotionless.
* ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'':
** Dave Strider generally makes a point of being at least half facetious about everything and never allowing a crack in his deadpan expression. However, he does become obviously upset when he thinks that Rose is about to go on a suicide mission. (Later, during Act 6, he gradually gives up the cool-guy act and becomes more emotionally open.)
** Rose Lalonde's demeanor was cracked [[spoiler: with the death of her mother]] where she immediately blamed herself. Her level of sanity after she goes Grimdark is questionable, but she was fairly stable until Jack [[spoiler: killed John]] where she then attacked him in an eldritch rage. [[spoiler: During the Meteor intermission she begins drinking]] she's less guarded but also falls into an inept stoop. When she snaps out of it, she expresses regret at having fallen into that rut.
** Doc Scratch is always polite and composed, be it when serving guests, beating them up, narrating, [[FauxAffablyEvil or abusing a child]]. When he finds out that Vriska has his cue ball, he has an outburst so powerful that it screws with reality. Another example would be when he's talking to Gamzee, where he drops his attitude and declares all of them to be suckers as he's won.
* Ozy from ''Webcomic/OzyAndMillie'' nearly breaks down upon hearing about his birth mom.
* In ''Webcomic/{{Pacificators}}'', EmotionlessGirl [[BlowYouAway Taffe Torbern]] freaks out whether her big sister [[TheDitz Larima]] [[MakingASplash Torbern]] gets hurt. This is the ''only'' thing that could shatter Taffe's composure.
* ''Webcomic/StandStillStaySilent'':
** In Chapter 4, observe [[TheStoic Mikkel]]'s [[http://www.sssscomic.com/comic.php?page=218 reaction when Sigrun considers going to Copenhagen at night]]. Doubles as a FunnyBackgroundEvent.
** Mikkel again in Chapter 10, [[http://sssscomic.com/comic.php?page=498 when Sigrun gets dunked into icy water and doesn't come back up again.]]
** [[http://www.sssscomic.com/comic.php?page=626 Lalli at the end of Chapter 12]], when he realizes just how close the mixed horde of trolls and ghost following the crew has gotten. And that the sun is close to setting...
* Phonsekal Lauroe from ''Webcomic/TowerOfGod'' usually appears as a very reserved, lazy but kind of high and mighty guy. Turns out he is one of the most childish whenever it concerns his Safety Blanket and CompanionCube.
* Gray Yeon from ''Webcomic/WeakHero'' is normally very stoic and reserved, which places great emphasis on the moments when he loses his cool:
** After he beats down Teddy in front of the whole class, Eugene is the only one to notice that, despite how fearless Gray seems, his hands shake violently after the fight. The realisation that Gray was fighting in spite of his fear, rather than not experiencing it at all, makes Eugene feel awful for giving in to his own cowardice and prompts his CharacterDevelopment.
** When Stephen is hospitalised, Gray first appears to be as emotionless as ever. He stays at Stephen's side for an hour, watching over him with a blank expression. Then, on his way home, he collapses in the middle of the pavement and cries uncontrollably.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* Daichi in ''Literature/GreekNinja'', and even Sasha to an extent, although she's not as much of a stoic character as him to start with.
* In ''Literature/{{Worm}}'', Taylor notes that Revel never loses her cool. Except when [[spoiler:Scion does a FaceHeelTurn and begins wiping out humanity,]] which makes it hit Taylor even harder.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Videos]]
* WebVideo/FightingLeaf loses his temper when he sees someone or something upsets him.
* The Shadow in ''WebVideo/KateModern'' is a calm, wordless badass BattleButler... until [[spoiler:his mistress]] gets murdered, [[AvengingTheVillain that is]]...
* ''LetsPlay/{{Mahu}}'': In "Frozen Flame", prince Arius is often calm and collected...that is, until he hears the faintest of praise towards the man who practically killed his whole family.
* Ystos from ''Series/{{Noob}}'' acts more or less like TheStoic most of the time, but [[spoiler:Fantöm's absence]] in Season 3 has caused him to burst into tears while he was obviously overjoyed when [[spoiler:Sparadrap reached level 100]].
* WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick (who tries so valiantly to be an EmotionlessGirl) gets a lot of these in
* Diabetus is a calm DeadpanSnarker in WebVideo/{{Retsupurae}} videos, his co-[=LPs=] with LetsPlay/{{Slowbeef}} and in ''most'' of his own [=LPs=]. His VideoGame/{{Battletoads}} LP has a few moments of rage, but not as many as you might expect from that game. His LP (started out as just a recurring commentator but was eventually handed the reins) of the infamous, sadistically difficult ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'' RomHack ''Parallel Worlds'' however, is [[ClusterFBomb another]] [[SanitySlippage story]] [[DespairEventHorizon entirely,]] ''especially'' when he takes up a challenge to [[WhatWereYouThinking do the final dungeon with no save-states.]] Eventually goes into TranquilFury when after an hour-long video, he [[spoiler: accidentally hits the load-state button.]]''WebVideo/ToBoldlyFlee'', but the most extreme moment is when she sees [[ItMakesSenseInContext the state of her soul]] in WebVideo/ToddInTheShadows's face. [[ScreamingWoman Hope you weren't wearing headphones]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfTheGalaxyRangers'': Zachary is a very quiet, steady, and stoic fellow, especially in contrast with the more colorful crew he's commanding. It makes it all the more powerful when it slips.
* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'':
** Mai comes across as the EmotionlessGirl most of the time but blows up in the episode "The Beach", where she actually shouts.
** "The Beach" is the one time in which Azula is caught off the battlefield and she's a colossal dork.
** ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'': In Season 2, Eska's reaction to Bolin's break-up shows her true possessive and horrifying nature.
** In Season 4, Kuvira seems genuinely broken up [[spoiler: by her decision to ShootTheHostage and nuke the building where her fiance and the Avatar are hiding]].
** PlayedForLaughs (most of the time) with Tenzin; he tries his best to appear as the stoic, wise Airbending Master. When Korra's acting too much like a BrattyTeenageDaughter, or his older siblings start picking on him, or when he's run ragged by his young children, that composure fractures.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' film ''Return of the Joker'', what the Clown Prince does to [[spoiler: Tim Drake]] and the resulting retaliation taint the entire Bat Family's demeanor forever.
* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'':
** [[Recap/BatmanTheAnimatedSeriesE5PrettyPoison "Pretty Poison."]] It's rare to see Batman startled, but the vine he used to swing out of Ivy's trapdoor cacti pit suddenly coming alive and wrapping itself around his wrist, revealing sharp, chomping fangs too, does the trick.
** In the episode "Harlequinade", Harley Quinn [[WhatDoesThisButtonDo pushes a button]] in the Batmobile, thinking it will turn on the radio. Instead, it deploys the drag parachute, causing Batman to lose control of the Batmobile as it swerves left and right. Batman hits the brakes... [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IJi_Vj4_-k loses his cool and gives Harley a well-deserved scolding]].
** [[Recap/BatmanTheAnimatedSeriesE25TheClockKing "The Clock King"]]. Even before his StartOfDarkness, Temple Fugate was TheStoic. It's justified because he is TheSociopath whose only interest in life is to be a ScheduleFanatic. But there is a theme that makes him emote:
--->'''Counselor Hill:''' Do you take a coffee break?\\
'''Fugate:''' Of course. Every day at 3 on the dot.\\
'''Counselor Hill:''' [[AdviceBackfire Then take it at 3:15.]]\\
'''Fugate:''' (''he grinds his teeth while the subway wheels grind by slowly stopping, [[EmpathicEnvironment giving the illusion that the noise is caused by Fugate]]'') [[SeriousBusiness But my schedule!]]
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Cellbound}}'' has the [[https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FQ28hD3gkMQ/hqdefault.jpg ever-serious jail warden,]] who nevertheless begins doing an [[http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j-lWHkJnBDk/UQUtE6fLW1I/AAAAAAAAgj0/LsSElXb_thw/s1600/DANCING%2BWARDEN%2B2.png incredibly goofy dance]] upon hearing some Dixieland jazz (then goes back to serious and stoic within a single animation frame).
* On his earliest cartoons, the typically unemotional WesternAnimation/{{Droopy}} would suddenly explode in an exuberant display of emotion at the end, only to revert to his usual composure and calmly state [[ThatMakesMeFeelAngry "I'm happy."]]
* A comedic example during the ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' DVD special, "Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story." Tricia Takanawa, TokenMinority news reporter for Channel 5 goes to interview Music/DavidBowie on the red carpet. It takes one sentence from Bowie to turn Tricia from deadpan reporter to shrieking, leg-humping fangirl.
-->'''Tricia:''' Oh, make love to me, Ziggy Stardust! I take you home, I make you fishball soup! Fishball!\\
'''Tom:''' ''[{{beat}}]'' Thank you, Tricia, for setting your people back 1000 years.
* ''WesternAnimation/FinalSpace'':
** [[Characters/FinalSpaceTheTeamSquad Avocato]]. He's one of the tougher and more serious members of the Team Squad, but he has his emotional spots when it comes to his son Little Cato. He'll freak when his son is in danger, his HeelFaceTurn away from willingly serving the Lord Commander was even jump-started by him refusing to kill his own son to prove his loyalty, and [[spoiler:the truth about Little Cato's parentage and the deaths of his birth-parents is implied to be one of Avocato's greatest, if not his single greatest shame]]. Darkly enough, Invictus exploits Avocato's weak spots for Little Cato to make him go psycho when Invictus possesses him.
** Nightfall ultimately turns out to be this in "[[Recap/FinalSpaceS2E7TheFirstTimesTheyMet The First Times They Met]]". She's been presented throughout most of the series as a Stoic Woobie, hardened by twenty years of traveling through hundreds of {{Alternate Timeline}}s and watching Gary and all her friends die in every one, but in this episode, she implicitly hits the DespairEventHorizon when she uses the ship's virtual simulator to create a duplicate of her world's Gary from her memories, even though this is heavily draining the ship's power and will likely kill her and the rest of the squad.
* Scruffy the janitor ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' rarely shows emotion, even once showing no concern to ''dying''. However, in "The Prisoner of Benda," his washbucket (who is in Amy's body) confesses her love for him. While he reciprocates, he turns her down on the basis that she's a robot. After she leaves, he breaks down in tears.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'', Mandy is normally emotionless, but in the episode featuring Pandora's Box, upon realizing that she had unleashed it, she is overwhelmed with fear/shock. Also, the episode when her nerve is stolen from her.
** And the episode "Heartburn", when she finds out she may actually like Irwin.
** In "My Fair Mandy", [[AlphaBitch Mindy]] makes her feel bad by calling her ugly, and she looks sad over the thought of losing a beauty pageant.
** "Billy And Mandy's Big Boogey Adventure" features no fewer than three examples of this. First, when the Boogey Man puts her to sleep and turns her dreams into a PsychologicalTormentZone. Second, she brushes tears from her eyes when she thinks the Kraken has eaten Billy, despite knowing and stating that he was always fine, no matter what happened to him. And third, Horror's Hand causes her to experience her greatest fears. She was confident that nothing could scare her…as were many of the viewers. But when she comes face to face with the adult version of herself, a plump [[ThePollyanna Pollyanna]], and sees her kissing a grown-up Irwin, she ''runs away screaming.''
* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' has yet another example of Batman breaking his stony expression, in the episode "For the Man who has Everything". Batman gets attacked by an alien parasite that presents you with a vision of your greatest desire but leaves you catatonic - a classic LotusEaterMachine. Batman sees [[spoiler:a vision of the night his parents were shot by Joe Chill, except this time Thomas Wayne goes PapaWolf, rushes and overpowers Chill, and begins beating the crud out of him.]] This is the only time you see the caped crusader with a look of sheer unbridled ''bliss''. Of course, [[TearJerker it doesn't last...]]
* Quack Quack from ''WesternAnimation/{{Kaeloo}}'' has shown real emotions at times when necessary, like when he sees Mr. Cat [[BerserkButton destroying his precious yogurt]]. However, this is extremely rare, as in one case he was completely stoic when Kaeloo was about to ''die''.
* ''WesternAnimation/KipoAndTheAgeOfWonderbeasts'': When Kipo confronts Wolf [[spoiler:over hiding a clue from her Dad]], Wolf [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness breaks down crying]] and admits that she really doesn't want to lose Kipo, having come to accept her as a friend.
* ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'': The Roadrunner is a PerpetualSmiler who is usually unfazed by most of Wile E. Coyote's attempts to catch him, but the titular machine in ''WesternAnimation/TheSolidTinCoyote'' manages to genuinely spook him.
* This applies to Wind-Whistler from ''Franchise/MyLittlePony''. "I do have feelings -- I merely refrain from expressing them at the drop of a hat," as she says.
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'':
** Towards the end of "Lesson Zero", after all the brainwashed characters are cured and give up fighting over the Smarty Pants doll, we see the normally [[TheStoic stoic]] Big Macintosh grin childishly and run off with it complete with little love-hearts around his head.
** He gets another one in "The Last Roundup": we see [[TheQuietOne quiet]] [[GentleGiant giant]] Big Macintosh's lip quivering when he gets the note that Applejack's not coming home.
** Done for a humorous role reversal in the episode "Ponyville Confidential". The town is mad at the Cutie Mark Crusaders for their gossip rag. They try seeking forgiveness from Applejack and Big Mac, but Applejack only responds in Macintosh's usual "yep" and "nope"s, while Macintosh chews them out for what they did.
** In the episode "Maud Pie", Pinkie's eponymous sister spends most of the episode as a drab, monotone EmotionlessGirl, until Pinkie is in danger of being crushed by a boulder. This causes Maud to run faster than any of the other ponies with a determined expression, punch the boulder to dust with her bare hooves, and after bringing Pinkie down from the rock slide, hug her out of relief and raise her voice when scolding her. She also smiles at the end of the episode, saying she loves Pinkie Pie.
* ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'': Ferb is one of the most stoic cartoon guys you ever hope to meet. The look on his face is 99% of the time, entirely blank, and he speaks, on average, [[TheQuietOne once an episode]]. He does, occasionally, get moments of emotion, but his first true Not So Stoic moment happened in [[WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerbTheMovieAcrossThe2ndDimension his first]] [[TheMovie movie]]: When he and his brother meet their other-dimension counterparts, the alternate Phineas sees Perry and immediately hugs him, thinking he's ''their'' Perry, finally come home. When Phineas tells him that it's the wrong Perry, he then asks "Wait...can I hold him a little longer?". Cut to Ferb, along with ''his'' other dimension counterpart, shedding a [[SingleTear single]], [[ManlyTears small tear]]. Another instance occurs in [[WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerbTheMovieCandaceAgainstTheUniverse his second movie]], where he's visibly sad and hurt after being told by Candace that she's better off without him and Phineas.
* ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'' has Jack himself, who is usually a calm and composed individual. The two things that have made him lose his temper were the Scotsman and Ashi. Notably, in both instances, he finally lost his temper after being insulted for an extended period of time.
* Craig from ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' briefly loses his temper during an argument with Tweek in "Put it Down". He lampshades it himself right afterwards.
-->'''Craig:''' Well, I'm sorry that I'm actually in control of my goddamn emotions, you baby! *{{Beat}}* Oh, see? Now you made me lose control of ''my'' emotions. Goddammit.
* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels'':
** It transpires that ISB Agent Kallus has a tendency towards InopportuneVoiceCracking when he's [[OhCrap scared]], injured, or ''very'' angry.
** Grand Admiral Thrawn is a very calm and collected man, playing his cards so close to the chest that they're under his jacket. When Slavin suggests destroying the Syndulla family's Kalikori--an extremely important heirloom to Twi'lek families and culture--Thrawn grabs him by the collar and snarls in his face for a moment before releasing him and apologizing for his outburst, making Slavin look as scared as if he'd just insulted Darth Vader's mother to his face. As practically the only non-human officer in the very speciesist Imperial military and an art lover besides, Slavin's suggestion hit two of Thrawn's [[BerserkButton Berserk Buttons]] at once.
* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'':
** Garnet tends to be unfazed by most things. She becomes more expressive as the series progresses, ranging from desperation (when Steven nearly ages himself to death in "Too Many Birthdays", or when he endangers himself during "Future Vision" because of something she told him), to unrestrained joy (seeing that [[spoiler:Steven and Connie have pulled off a successful FusionDance]] in "Alone Together", or [[spoiler:fusing back together herself]] in "Jail Break"), to rage (after [[spoiler:Pearl]] violates her trust in "Cry For Help", or when [[spoiler:Peridot]] squanders what little goodwill she had in "It Could've Been Great"). The most dramatic case comes in "Keeping it Together"; confronting [[spoiler:the artificial gem [[BodyHorror assembled from the shards of fallen comrades]]]] elicits absolute ''horror''.
** Sapphire, [[spoiler:one of Garnet's component gems]], is always calm and emotionless to the point of appearing apathetic, a side effect of [[{{Seers}} being able to look into the future]]. This comes back to haunt her in "Keystone Motel"; when she and Ruby are upset by [[spoiler:Pearl]]'s actions in the previous episode, she refuses to acknowledge her own present emotional state, as well as Ruby's. When she realizes how much it's affected the pair (as well as Steven), she breaks down:
--->'''Sapphire:''' I keep looking into the future when all of this has already been solved. As if it doesn't matter how you feel in the present. ''(voice cracking as she starts crying)'' No wonder you think I don't care!
*** When she (as part of Garnet) learns that [[spoiler:Rose Quartz was actually a shapeshifted Pink Diamond for all the millennia she had known and followed her]], Sapphire understandably, yet rather uncharacteristically, [[spoiler:'''flips out in rage and warps out of the temple,''' leaving Ruby and the other Crystal Gems behind]].
---->'''Sapphire:''' [[spoiler:SHE ''LIED'' TO US!!! SHE LIED ABOUT EVERYTHING!]]
** In a different vein, Peridot is introduced as a technician on a routine assignment, and her inflections and expression border on mechanical. In subsequent appearances, she gets rather amusingly flustered when others meddle in her business ("I'M REPORTING THIS!"), and she becomes slowly unhinged [[spoiler:after being stranded on Earth]], ending up a nervous wreck by the time the Crystal Gems finally track her down.
** When Peridot's finally able to contact her leader, [[spoiler:Yellow Diamond]] reprimands her for falling behind schedule, [[spoiler:losing her ship and her escort]], and using an emergency contact rather than proper channels, but then goes on to calmly thank her for completing her report, and offers to arrange transport to bring her home. Only after Peridot stumbles across her BerserkButton ([[spoiler:suggesting they spare Earth from the DoomsdayDevice they'd planted, and questioning [[RevengeBeforeReason her motives]] when she dismisses the idea]]) does her [[EvilIsPetty vindictive streak]] become apparent. By the end of their conversation, after [[spoiler:[[ShutUpHannibal Peridot denounces her]] in a moment of desperation]], she is ''furious''.
* ''WesternAnimation/StormHawks'': {{Discussed}} by Piper in "Best Friends Forever", who indicates that for all of [[Characters/StormHawks Cyclonis]]' efforts to be a merciless dictator devoid of empathy, at heart she's more vulnerable. There have been a few hints over the series that Piper is right.
-->'''Piper:''' You can't hide who you really are. A lonely girl who desperately wants a friend!
* In ''WesternAnimation/SymBionicTitan'', Lance starts out as quiet, serious, and aloof, but goes through this trope as more of a gradual change as opposed to facing consequences that briefly put him into this. Octus, a robot, is stoic throughout most of the show, but when all organic life becomes still due to a [[MonsterOfTheWeek Mutraddi]], he attempts to use his electricity to bring Ilana and Lance "back to life." When it does work, he actually smacks his hand across this face, making this pained expression as if he was going to cry.
* Charlie of ''WesternAnimation/SmilingFriends'' is mostly a DeadpanSnarker and OnlySaneMan of the group, doesn't stop him from reacting like a normal person would to certain situations like someone springing out from the TV or being overjoyed that a magic potion worked to cure his hangover.
* Raven of ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003'' strives for utter calm and control over her emotions--making it that much more frightening when she lets her temper show. The episode "Nevermore" begins with Raven torturing a villain, and the fourth season's [[HalfArcSeason Trigon arc]] features her angrily attacking and yelling at both Slade and Trigon.
** Justified, though, because it was mentioned once in a FreakyFridayFlip episode "Switched" that her powers are controlled by her emotions. Cue [[LoveFreak Starfire]] exploding things without noticing when she had Raven's body, or Raven accidentally kidnapping all other Titans and creating an army of monsters when she was scared by a horror movie.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'' Noah was an emotionless, sarcastic DeadpanSnarker, however, in ''World Tour'' he gets some CharacterDevelopment and focus that reveals that he's quite enthusiastic and friendly when he wants to be. Evenly as early as ''Island,'' he seems quick to start dancing when the team is celebrating their first victory.
** ''WesternAnimation/TotalDramaPresentsTheRidonculousRace'' also shows that he gets ''very'' goofy [[LoveMakesYouStupid when he has a crush]].
* ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'':
** Very few things can make Prowl of ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'' lose his composure. Unfortunately for Prowl, one of those things is his annoying teammate [[KidAppealCharacter Bumblebee]], who can provoke uncharacteristic displays of frustration in Prowl without even trying.
** It is rare to see Optimus Prime from ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'' show any sort of emotion. He only really loses it twice: once when Raph is injured by Megatron, and once when Starscream steals the Omega Keys.
* In ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice2010'', Batman is still TheStoic, but he shows a lot more emotion around Dick and the rest of the team, at least moreso than most of his other appearances. The most heartwarming is the moment after Dick gets jealous of Aqualad, he "trains" Dick by playing a one-on-one game of basketball with him.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* Newscasters are supposed to be stoic, and Dan Rather has been exceptional in this regard, reporting on everything from the assassination of John F. Kennedy (as CBS's Dallas correspondent) up to the events of 9/11--at least in his own newscast. However, he was very humanly emotional when he was David Letterman's first guest as the show returned after 9/11.
** Bosses and other authority figures are also supposed to be stoic and not let others -- particularly their subordinates -- into their private lives, particularly the more traditional ones. But every once in a while, even the most traditional of superiors will let their iron-clad facade fall.
* The TropeCodifier for OhTheHumanity is an earlier case of this. After calmly narrating the Hindenburg's approach to the mooring tower, newsreel announcer Herbert Morrison was horrified and at a loss for words when it caught fire.
* Walter Cronkite briefly lost his composure on the air when he reported the official statement that John F. Kennedy had died. (Video [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuxLSY_xNwA here]], the composure slip starts at just about 5:00)
** His facade also briefly parted during liftoff and ascent of John Glenn's Mercury space-capsule flight. And when the Apollo 11 astronauts landed on the moon, he was positively giddy.
* Creator/HideoKojima's reaction to the question of whether Creator/UweBoll would be making a ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' movie was supposedly...spirited, to say the least.
* Henry VII Of England is seen as a serious faced stoic guy who rarely showed much emotion in public unless angry, surprised his courtiers by his intense grief and sobbing at his son Arthur's death.
* Two-time UsefulNotes/FormulaOne champion Mika Hakkinen, like many Finnish drivers, was considered to be stoic to a fault...until the 1999 Italian Grand Prix when, in the midst of a fierce championship battle, Hakkinen selected the wrong gear and span off, losing the lead. In full view of the TV cameras, the normally ice-cool Finn threw his steering wheel at the ground and ran off to cry in the bushes.[[note]]Hakkinen did win the championship that year, by just two points.[[/note]]
* UsefulNotes/{{Tennis}} player Andy Murray has a reputation as being quite stoic and serious...until he lost in the finals of Wimbledon 2012, and had to fight tears most of the way throughout his final speech.
** Roger Federer has an even more established reputation as a cool and unflappable maestro who never lets a strand of his hair get out of place on court, but he occasionally does things like breaking down in tears after losing the 2009 Australian Open final and [[http://tennis.si.com/2012/06/05/roger-federer-french-open-crowd/ yelling at the French Open crowd to "Shut up!"]] while on the brink of getting eliminated by del Potro that remind you that he's just as human as the next player.
* ABC News anchor Peter Jennings was known to be as charismatic as possible without losing his journalistic cool. He'd been in the business since the mid-1960s so he knew to be a consummate pro. But when he told his viewing audience about his cancer diagnosis (of a cancer that would eventually take his life in 2005) and needed to retire, you could hear his voice cracking and see that his eyes were full of sadness.
* The head of the stoic school, Chrysippus, was an example: He died in a fit of uncontrollable laughter.
* MMA fighter Ronda Rousey is always extremely cold and composed in the lead-up to her matches, complete with [[DeathGlare death glares]]. Once she has won, she instantly becomes much more relaxed and shows more personality. How she would react if she lost is unclear as of yet.
** As of her November 15, 2015 loss to Holly Holm, we now know that she reacts poorly. Rousey has yet to return to competition.
* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Sarcasm_is_really_helpful This]] essay about sarcasm. Who wrote it? ''Website/ThatOtherWiki''.
* Real-world BritishRoyalGuards have a reputation, not helped at all by their depictions in pop culture, of being completely stoic and standing like statues, regardless of whatever is going on around or to them. In truth, however, they take their jobs as protectors of Buckingham Palace and the royal family ''very seriously'': trying to pester them will result in them SuddenlyShouting warnings to stop immediately, as well as drawing their rifles (which are loaded with live ammo).
* UsefulNotes/ElizabethII was known to be quite stoic in public, but then again loads of people have seen her smiling. Usually when someone says something funny to her, she cracked a smile, and may even laugh.
* US President Richard Nixon has a reputation not only as a SleazyPolitician but also as a stony-faced guy. Whatever else you may say about him, he also [[PetTheDog adored his wife Pat]], and when she died in 1993, he broke down completely at her funeral. The people next to him were surprised to see him [[InelegantBlubbering sobbing openly, profusely, and at times uncontrollably during the ceremony]].
[[/folder]]

* Abe no Seimei of ''[[VideoGame/{{Onmyoji}} Onmyōji]]'' has always been perfectly calm and rational even as he is repeatedly accused of shit he didn't do [[spoiler: until he goes absolutely batshit ''furious'' just before his duel against his [[EvilCounterpart evil]] LiteralSplitPersonality who is the real person fucking everything up in the first place.]]

* While not exactly stoic ''per se'', Joel of ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' always took his captivity with a certain laid-back good nature. ''Film/ManosTheHandsOfFate'' was one of the very few movies that made him noticeably angry, to the point of him snapping at the screen.
-->'''Joel:''' '''''DO SOMETHING!! GOD!!!'''''

* [[spoiler: Berg Katse]] from ''Literature/AiNoKusabi'' was TheStoic, until [[spoiler: Riki and Isaon are TogetherInDeath]]. Then, he broke down crying for them.

* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}:

* ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'':
** Paul normally has a scowl as his trademark expression with a condescending smirk or intense concentration thrown in during a few battles. The one time that he has ever flipped out completely is in ''A Pyramiding Rage!'' when he battled Brandon and Brandon kept knocking out his Pokémon with no sign of his even taking damage.
** Nando the Pokémon minstrel, in his early appearances, was so calm and polite that even getting arrested and framed for robbery failed to rile him. Then came the Grand Festival, where when Zoey begins shutting down his combinations, he drops the facade and gets even ''more'' intense than she is.
** Hun from ''Anime/TheLegendOfThunder'' likewise. Usually he remains calm and blah, including telling his partner to stop joking around. Then the fighting starts and he gets, shall we say, [[AxCrazy into it]].
* Silver from ''Manga/PokemonAdventures''. Cool and composed, except for the one time he got a HeroicBSOD when he found out who daddy was. The one moment that really sticks out though, is when he falls over when he sees his wanted poster.

* ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'':

** Commander Shepard in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' is the definition of a HurtingHero. For the first two games, s/he kept his/her emotions subdued but they are really shown here with dreams showing extreme SurvivorGuilt and even becoming a borderline DeathSeeker. A [=FemShep=] romancing Garrus will literally be on the edge of tears when talking to Garrus right before the final push-this war has beaten her to the bone, and what little left of her is ''depending'' on her friends and the [[InterspeciesRomance Turian]] she loves to see this through to the end.