History Main / BadassBystander

* The "Bike Thrower" in China. He was parking his bicycle when he saw a lady being mugged by two assholes on a motorbike. He just picked his bike up and tossed it on the robbers when they are getting away. Then the hero just pickes up his bike(trashed by the throwing) and walked away carrying it.

** "The thing I don't get is why everyone acts like he prevented a load of people from getting hideously burnt. THESE WERE SCOTTISH PEOPLE WAITING FOR FLIGHTS TO SPAIN. - Frankie Boyle

* An OlderThanRadio example from ''KingLear'': When Cornwall is [[spoiler: brutally gauging out Glauchester's eye]] on stage, one of his servants challenges him to a sword fight, and actually delivers a wound that would eventually kill him. The only way he's beaten is to be stabbed by Regan when his back was turned.

* One is played for laughs in the ''Hyper Dolls'' manga when she appears; one of the titular LovelyAngels duo teases the other that the BadassBystander is a possible SixthRanger... one of many to come... "Just like ''SailorMoon''..." "[[BigNo NOOO!]] (Knocks out bystander)"

* Will Turner of the ''PiratesOfTheCarribean'' series starts off as this. Jack Sparrow initially underestimates him as simply being a Black Smith. He also happens to be a Self Trained Swordsman.

** Said Random guy was badass grandpa Fred Williamson of 70s exploitation movie infamy. His war story about how he chopped up an entire enemy platoon with a bayonet ''(after getting his face blown off by a land mine)'' probably sheds a bit of light on how he could rip vampire Tom Savini's heart out, bare handed and throw him through an oak door. Meanwhile, the named characters still needed to use weapons to slay their vamps.

* ...which may be a reference to Sailor Jupiter's debut in the ''SailorMoon'' anime. She initially appeared to be just some random HugeSchoolgirl who held her own against of the QuirkyMinibossSquad with just her bare hands.

* In the SoBadItsGood early 90s CyberPunk film ''Nemesis'', protagonist Alex Rain is fleeing some heavily-built, cyborg assassins on the streets of Shang Loo, "a low-tech Asian shithole". After he ducks around a corner, one of his pursuers runs into an old lady crossing the street and tries to muscle her out of the way. She mutters, "goddamned cyborg!", produces a Desert Eagle from her handbag, and shoots the assassin dead.

* Somewhat subverted in the ''JusticeLeagueUnlimited'' finale. Wonder Woman, Shining Knight, Vigilante, and Sapphire are having a difficult time fighting an army of Parademons when one of the Chinese bystanders stops running, tells his wife goodbye and runs to help. Wonder Woman tries to talk the old man out of it, until he one-hit K.O.s not one, not two, but THREE parademons, ''turns into a dragon'', and whups several more, much to the heroes' surprise. The subversion comes in when the old man turns out to be the retired J'onn J'onz, aka MartianManhunter.

This is a subtrope of BadassNormal, related to HeroicBystander. See also IKnowKungFu and LetsGetDangerous.

* Blue in Red's quest in SaGaFrontier. When the CoolShip gets attacked by pirates, Blue easily takes out the one who charges into his room. But because he's [[JerkAss kind of a dick]], he refuses to help Red because he doesn't like his name. In fairness, it differs only in language from his EvilTwin.

* In [[MafiaII]], if you rob a store there's a distinct possibility (which increases, the rougher the neighborhood) that some civilian will pull a gun and try to take you down. They just might, too, if you're not quick enough getting into cover or shooting them down.

* Not really an example because they're the main characters, but a lot of Luffy's (and to a lesser extent the rest of his crew) [[DoomMagnet trouble magnet status]] initially came from the fact that he is easily mistaken for an innocent bystander who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Later this goes away as Luffy's wanted status makes him instantly recognizable.

* The whole plot of ''Shoot 'Em Up''.

* Not really an example because their the main characters, but a lot of Luffy's (and to a lesser extent the rest of his crew) [[DoomMagnet trouble magnet status]] initially came from the fact that he is easily mistaken for an innocent bystander who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Later this goes away as Luffy's wanted status makes him instantly recognizable.

* Not really an example because their the main characters, but a lot of Luffy's (and to a lesser extent the rest of his crew) [[DoomMagnet trouble magnet status]] initially came from the fact that he is easily mistaken for an innocent bystander who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Later this goes away as Luffy's wanted status makes him instantly recognizable.

* [[{{FireEmblemTellius}} 3-13 Archer.]]
** PleaseElaborate