History Main / BadassMustache

* From ''[[ModernWarfare Modern Warfare 2]]'' we have General Shepherd, who manages to single-handedly take on two SAS operatives in unarmed combat (and very nearly win), as well as [[spoiler: being the BigBad responsible for nearly ''all'' the major events that occur within the game, including the invasion of the United States.]]

* Steve Prefontaine *[[http://www.clt.astate.edu/wnarey/Honors%20Seminars_files/America%20Between%20the%20Wars/America%20Between%20the%20Wars%20Pix/Britons,%20Kitchener%20Wants%20You,%20Alfred%20Leete,%201914.jpg Lord Kitchener]] has the archetypal WWI officer mustache, made famous though this popular British WWI recruitment poster

* Steve Prefontaine [[http://www.clt.astate.edu/wnarey/Honors%20Seminars_files/America%20Between%20the%20Wars/America%20Between%20the%20Wars%20Pix/Britons,%20Kitchener%20Wants%20You,%20Alfred%20Leete,%201914.jpg Lord Kitchener]] has the archetypal WWI officer mustache, made famous though this popular British WWI recruitment poster

* [[TheAddamsFamily Gomez Addams]] -- in the films, at least, his moustache is a harbinger of boundless badassery. It is pretty epic in the sitcom, too.

* The Knights of Solamnia in ''{{Dragonlance}}'' are known for their distinctive mustaches, and are all badasses.

* ''LazyTown'' - Sportacus is a subversion of the long, pointy, "villainous" mustache, as he's ''{{LazyTown}}'''s hero, and an all-around good guy. Robbie Rotten suspects his mustache is the reason everyone listens to him in "Sportafake."

* ''MythBusters'' - Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman. Jamie also combines this with BaldOfAwesome to great effect.

* In a slight subversion of this, Bill Adama from Battlestar Galactica grew a mustache after the Fleet settled on New Caprica, pointedly to show off how lax and laidback he'd gotten. However, he retained the mustache while leading the extremely badass assault on New Caprica to rescue humanity from Cylon occupation, so perhaps it was more in the vein of an extremely long-lived playoff beard.

* BlackCatDetective - Black Cat: Badass Whiskers. When Hei Mao twists his whisker like a pimp, you know shit is about to go down. It is an allegorical mustache.

* Fuhrer King Bradley, Major Alex Louis Armstrong, Brigadier General Basque Grand, Lieutenant General Grumman, Fu, and Heinkel from ''FullmetalAlchemist''. Golden age of the mustache indeed.

* Richard Moore/Kogorou Mouri from ''DetectiveConan'' also has a neatly-trimmed mustache. [[CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass His "badass" status tends to come in sporadic bursts,]] granted, but it does happen.\\
\\
Also: Inspector Joseph Meguire/Juzo Megure and Dr. Agasa.

* While the mustached [[DragonBallZ Hercule/Mr. Satan]] is far less powerful than DBZ's main cast, he's still absurdly strong for an ordinary human.
** Vegeta grows a mustache for a little while as well, but most people tend to think he's more badass without it.

* [[SonicTheHedgehog Dr. Eggman's]] signature 'stache. Ditto for his psychotic double Eggman Nega, and his grandfather Professor Gerald Robotnik.

* Dudley from the StreetFighter series deserves a special a mention in that his BadassMoustache is a rare example of non-villainous ''twirly'' moustache.

* We can't forget DextersLab Dexter from ''DextersLaboratory''. After watching a cartoon takeoff of ''{{Shaft}}'', he hypothesizes that the character's Badassery derives from his rugged beard, and proceeds to build a machine to give himself a beard as rugged. He instantly becomes exactly as badass as the CaptainErsatz of Shaft.
** Don't forget the bad guys who used their respective facial hairs as a whip, a mace, and ''a sword''.

* In TheAnimalsOfFarthingWood, Sinuous. If there's any way you can work a moustache onto a snake's schnozzle, there you go!

* DrNonami: Dr. Alfred Mechano has a magnificent handlebar mustache.

* Jamie Hyneman from ''{{Mythbusters}}''.

[[TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/5p6.gif]]
[[caption-width:255:Behold The Mustache of Leadership! +10 to Badassness]]

->''If you can look at this picture and tell me that this isn't one of the sweetest photos of a dude with a 'stache that you've ever seen, then you obviously need to learn a little something about facial hair and being awesome.''
-->'''BadassOfTheWeek''', on [[http://badassoftheweek.com/nansen.html Fridtjof Nansen]]

Few things say {{Badass}} the way a well groomed mustache does. Well, [[AlwaysMale unless you're a woman]].
Also works as an easy and quick way for an established character to TakeALevelInBadass.

Did I mention it [[ChickMagnet helps with the ladies]]?

Not to be confused with the BeardOfEvil, although a BadassBeard may also be present. The BadassMustache is smaller and more defined and does not inherently bring with it villainous intent. Not all mustaches are {{Badass}}; there's a fine line between this and the PornStache, which these days is more likely to inspire mockery than respect, and of course the toothbrush mustache (also known as the Hitler mustache) just looks silly. Also beware the MoustacheOfFailedHeterosexuality.

* From ''{{Batman}}'', both Commissioner Gordon and Alfred apply.
** Hell, even [[MemeticMutation THE GODDAMN BATMAN]] had one (albeit breifly) in {{The Dark Knight Returns}}

* The Corinthian gets one of these briefly in the {{Sandman}} spinoff ''Death In Venice''. It's either ridiculously [=BAMFy=] or... well, ridiculous.

* {{Asterix}} has a fantastic mustache, yellow, droopy, and above all badass. (This could apply to all the Britons from 'Asterix in Britanny' : they all have beautiful mustaches and are all badasses.)
** Most of the Gauls have moustaches. Of course, most of the Gauls are badasses. There's their huge, muscular [[TheBlacksmith blacksmith]], their chief who rarely travels on foot but instead on shield, their bard, who can, as of recent books, [[DreadfulMusician summon rain and storms by striking only a few chords...]] it's easier to count the folks who ''don't'' have these.
* {{Sinestro}} has a pencil thin evil Mustache reminiscent of DavidNiven.
* [[IronMan Tony Stark]], all the way. Later evolved into a Badass Van Dyke.
** [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_van_Dyck Anthony]] Edward Stark.
* In Comicbook/{{X-Men}} Cyclops' father, Corsair, is a badass SpacePirate with a seriously badass moustache. Cyclops worked out that Corsair was his father when he had to go without shaving for a couple of weeks, and realised that his new moustache was exactly as badass as Corsair's.

* [[TheAddamsFamily Gomez Addams]] -- in the films, at least, his moustache is a harbinger of boundless badassery.
** It's pretty epic in the sitcom, too.
* Bill TheButcher from {{Gangs of New York}}. He could have kicked Leonardo Di Caprio's ass with his mustache alone.
* KurtRussell's Wyatt Earp in ''{{Tombstone}}''.
** Man, ''everyone'' in ''{{Tombstone}}''. Just look at the poster on the page.

* Jules Winnfield in PulpFiction.

* No mention of {{Borat}}?
** He don't compare with [[MarxBrothers Groucho Marx]].
* Colour Sergeant Bourne from ''Zulu'', who's [[http://fabulousblueporcupine.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/bourne-hitch-and-allen.jpg 'tash and sideburn combo]] is so awesome is simultaneously [[BadassMustache Badass Mustache]] and [[BadassBeard Badass Beard]]!
* John Mallory in "AFistfulOfDynamite".

* Nai Chan Nuad Khe, the Thai resistance leader in BangRajan.

* [[ManosTheHandsOfFate The Master]]

* [[SherlockHolmes Dr. John H. Watson]].

* [[LazyTown Sportacus]] is a subversion of the long, pointy, "villainous" mustache, as he's ''{{LazyTown}}'''s hero, and an all-around good guy. Robbie Rotten suspects his mustache is the reason everyone listens to him in "Sportafake."

* [[MythBusters Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman.]] Jamie also combines this with BaldOfAwesome to great effect.
* While his [[GrowingTheBeard beard]] may get more press, [[StarTrekTheNextGeneration Commander Riker's]] moustache is pretty badass.

* Though [[{{Firefly}} Shepherd Book's]] hair is the stuff of legends, his mustache is undeniably badass, as well. Simon jokes about growing the villainous equivalent after the events of "Ariel", but sadly the series ended before we could find out what he'd look like if he went through with it.
** Wash's own 'stache, as seen in flashback, was probably trying for this. [[{{Understatement}} He couldn't pull it off.]]
* Walter White of BreakingBad is [[BaldOfAwesome bald from chemo]], save his awesome mustache.

* While several of the denizens of the town of {{Deadwood}} are fond of facial hair, Seth Bullock's is the nicest. He is also the most likely to deliver a [[ExtremeMeleeRevenge richly deserved]] [[CurbStompBattle beating]] to someone.

* The title character from BlackCatDetective... okay, admittedly, cats don't have mustaches. But there's no "Badass Whisker" trope. When Hei Mao twists his whisker like a pimp, you know shit's about to go down. It's an allegorical mustache.

* Richard Moore/Kogorou Mouri from ''DetectiveConan'' also has a neatly-trimmed mustache. [[CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass His "badass" status tends to come in sporadic bursts,]] granted, but it does happen.
** Inspector Joseph Meguire/Juzo Megure and Dr. Agasa, from the same show.

* Kabapu from ''ExcelSaga'', though (in the anime at least) his mustache is actually fake.
** [[BattleButler Space Butler]] too, and his 'stache is real.
** In the manga Kabapu's mustache is real, but part of his hair is prosthetic, since he needs to have it balanced to stand up straight.
* ''PorcoRosso'', a mustached pig who flies a plane.

* ''KenichiTheMightiestDisciple'': James Shiba, who also supports it with an EyepatchOfPower. Ma Kensei's mustache might count as well.
** In a rare show of vanity, [[WarriorPoet Kouetsuji-sensei]] is convinced that his own is more than a match for Shiba's. But we know better.
* Just like everything else about him, [[GGundam Master Asia]]'s mustache is completely awesome.
** Subverted with Gentle Chapman, who ''used'' to be badass but is plagued by illnesses and old age when we get to see him. [[spoiler: And he later CameBackWrong.]]
** Speaking of Gundam, there are many badasses with mustaches, especially [[{{Gundam 00}} Sergei Smirnov]] and [[MobileSuitGundam Ramba Ral]].
* ''TurnAGundam'': Fans (and detractors), and even people in the series, often attribute this to the titular [[HumongousMecha mecha]] itself, and considering how it's the strongest of all Gundams, it fits the "Badass" part pretty well.
* [[CromartieHighSchool Freddie]] practically defines badass in a very unusual way.
* OldMaster Yupa from ''NausicaaOfTheValleyOfTheWind'' has quite a big bushy mustache.
* Captain-General Yamamoto from {{Bleach}}. Possibly the strongest human in the series, and his moustache ''blows in the wind'' whenever he releases his zanpaku-to. Bad. Ass.
* [[OsamuTezuka Osamu Tezuka's]] [[StarSystem character design]] Higeoyaji (aka Shunsaku Ban) was a double subversion. A running thread through most iterations of the character was a comic overreaction to danger, followed by an awesome comeback.
** Shunsaku Ban imitator Dr. Reichwein from ''{{Monster}}'' is another example.
* When [[{{Hellsing}} Alucard]] has his final release state activated, it causes his appearance to revert to his original form as Vlad Tepes, complete with mustache (see RealLife examples). Seras finds herself [[CrowningMomentOfFunny unable to focus on anything else]].
* Although (very) minor characters, in ZeroNoTsukaima both Louise's father and General Poitier have quite the mustaches. Louise's father's mustache is reminiscent of Kabapu's from ExcelSaga.
* [[YuGiOh Gozaburo Kaiba]] has [[http://photos-060.friendster.com/e1/photos/06/01/92921060/1_917095093l.jpg a nice 'stash]], to go with his GoNagaiSideburns and BigOlEyebrows.

* Jon attempts to grow one in a series of Garfield strips; being Jon, he, of course, fails miserably.

* [[SuperMarioBros Mario]] and his brother Luigi are perhaps the most iconic mustached heroes of all time.
** And to that end, the lightning bolt-shaped mustache of [[WarioLand Wario]] precedes his over-the-top badass persona. Waluigi has a distinguished pointy mustache as well.

* [[Game/MegaMan Dr. Wily]], who plays a similar role(with a similar mustache) to Eggman's.

* Blaine from ''{{Pokemon}}'', who compliments the look with some CoolShades.
** Lampshaded in the PokemonSpecial manga, where Blaine's mustache is a fake, because apparently [[{{CrowningMomentOfFunny}} he singed his real mustache completely off.]]
* [[CallOfDuty Captain]] [[ModernWarfare Price]], whose PornStache is the thing of legends.
** It is also hilariously old-fashioned, even when the series was set in World War II.
* [[SuperRobotWars Kai Kitamura]] is your only pilot with facial hair in the games he appears in, and an epitome of [[BadassNormal Badass Normal]].
** There's also Axel Almer's Soulgain, which sports a ''steel mustache''. In fact, when it stranded into the OG world for the first time, it's nicknamed ''Mustache Man''. And yes, Axel and Soulgain are just about as {{Badass}} as they get.
* Toyed with and gender-reversed(!) very briefly in Lunar: Eternal Blue Complete. During the anime cutscene where the girls are changing Lucia's outfit, one of the costumes has a gigantic, fantastic mustache. It is markedly more badass than the other costumes Lucia tries on during the sequence, but the mustache falls off. Lucia may have been more BadAss with the mustache on, but the actual chosen outfit was probably for the better.
* Rugal Bernstein, villain from ''[[TheKingOfFighters The King of Fighters]]''. Also, Clone Zero from KOF 2000.
* [[TheVonTropeFamily Von Kaiser]] from ''PunchOut''. Soda Popinski, too, to a lesser extent.
** Don't forget Bald Bull! Seriously, don't, OR HE WILL EEEAT YOU! GRAAAUGH!!
* Cyan in ''FinalFantasyVI''. It makes him kind of look like FrankZappa.
** I always thought it made him look like Sean Connery as Ramirez from {{Highlander}} myself.
* Solid Snake in ''MetalGearSolid'' 4.
** A Badass Mustache is part and parcel of the "Big Boss" heritage, as demonstrated previously by the original (of course) and Solidus. [[EvilTwin Liquid]] didn't have one because he wasn't a true Boss. [[TheRival Revolver Ocelot]] isn't eligible for Bosshood, but he has one anyway, because [[EnsembleDarkhorse he's just that awesome]].

* In ''BattalionWars 2'', a handlebar mustache is a matter of regulation among Anglo Isles veteran infantry, and by gum do they wear it with pride (though it's noted that a bazooka veteran should be careful to not grow his mustache longer than 4 1/4 inches or it's likely to be singed by his weapon's exhaust).

* Ragnar McRyan and Torneko Taloon in ''DragonQuestIV''
** Pankraz in ''DragonQuestV''.
* TeamFortress2 - Saxton Hale, while unfortunately not a playable character, [[http://tf2wiki.net/wiki/Saxton_Hale demonstrates his mastery of the]] BadassMustache.
* FireEmblem has several examples, such as Tauroneo and Moulder.
** Who can forgot [[http://media.photobucket.com/image/Oifey/caoduy/Oifey.gif Oifey]], his mustache is the reason he's the first [[CrutchCharacter Jeigan character]] to actually still be a good character at the end of the game making all future generations of Jeigans follow his example. And as Phee shows its popular with the ladies..
* From ModernWarfare 2 we have General Shepherd, who manages to single-handedly take on two SAS operatives in unarmed combat (and very nearly win), as well as [[spoiler: being the BigBad responsible for nearly ''all'' the major events that occur within the game, including the invasion of the United States.]]
* Mike Haggar of FinalFight. Mayor of Metro City, who ''personally'' wipes out the entire criminal element with his fists, dropkicks, suplexes, and Spinning Pile Drivers.

* Chef Mung Daal in ''{{Chowder}}'', pretty much played straight there as he always boasts about how it helps him with- THE LADIES.

* Let's just say that [[DrMcNinja Dan McNinja]] has more than enough evidence around him to validate this trope. His mask was partially destroyed during a duel for leadership of his ninja guild, and once it was exposed, the guild ''immediately'' proclaimed him their new leader (with one onlooker asking, "Why would he cover that up?"); he has since cut a hole in his mask to let it show. The 'stash made him what he is today.
** Also, Gordito would be nowhere as badass were it not for his extremely premature mustache. (He grew it out of ''force of will'' after his father died.)
** It's been implied that Dan and Gordito's mustaches are actually related somehow...

* AxeCop. That is all.
** [[http://axecop.com/index.php/acask/read/ask_axe_cop_32/ Now with powers of its own]], it is literally a BadassMustache.
* The Las Vegas Tsunami from [[http://www.thedugs.com The Dugs]] features a GM with a mustache. It has been seen to [[http://thedugs.com/?p=549 curl when he gets angry]].

* ItalianSpiderman

* Burt Reynolds' mustache destroys all.

* Kaiser Wilhelm II.
** Kaiser Wilhelm badass? You're kidding, right?
*** He ''did'' lead Germany through a Golden Age (well, until [[WorldWarOne September 1914]] ...) and was incredibly popular (well, until [[WorldWarOne September 1914]] ...), so much that a lot of German men copied his mustache.
** OTOH, MagnificentBastard [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_146-2005-0057,_Otto_von_Bismarck.jpg Otto]] [[TheVonTropeFamily Von Bismarck]] had a particularly big 'stache, coupled with a BaldOfAwesome.

* FrankZappa freakin' [[http://zoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/beardtypes1.png INVENTED]] a whole new style of facial hair!
** Actually, Zappa grew that because waaaay back when he was coming up through the LA R&B scene, he thought it looked good on bandleader [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/52/Johnny_Otis.jpg Johnny Otis]].

* AlbertEinstein. It's a little known fact that his incredulous mustache was the source of his incredible intellect.
** Incredulous?

* Jamie Hyneman
* [[CheechAndChong Cheech Marin]]

* Da Coach himself, Mike Ditka. (Ditka could wear pink hair and a tutu and make it look totally badass.)

* [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f3/Vercingétorix_Alésia.jpg Vercingetorix]], the Gaulish chieftain who briefly united the many tribes of Gaul in one last attempt to thwart Caesar's invasion. Badass enough to surrender by riding right up on his horse to where Caesar was, facing the end with dignity.
** If Julius Caesar is to be believed, ''all'' of the Britons had mustaches. Given that in the work that he mentions this he's also trying to portray them as a nation of {{Barbarian Hero}}s to make himself look all the more badass for defeating them, this probably counts as this trope.

* However, the [[MostTriumphantExample absolute grand prize has to go to the emperor tamarin.]]
** I mean, look at [[http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&source=imghp&biw=1229&bih=547&q=emperor+tamarin&gbv=2&aq=0&aqi=g3g-m2&aql=&oq=emperor+tam&gs_rfai= this intimidating mofo!]] That's the sort of menacing grin you put on only after you haul your badass mustache out of a self-destructing supervillain lair!

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* While several of the denizens of the town of {{Deadwood}} are fond of facial hair, Seth Bullock's is the nicest. He is also the most likely to deliver a richly deserved beating to someone.

* However, the [[CrowningMomentofAwesome absolute grand prize has to go to the emperor tamarin.]]
** I mean, look at [[http://www.spectacularplanet.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/emperor-tamarin-5.jpg this intimidating mofo!]] That's the sort of menacing grin you put on only after you haul your badass mustache out of a self-destructing supervillain lair!

Not to be confused with the BeardOfEvil, although a BadassBeard may also be present. The BadassMustache is smaller and more defined and does not inherently bring with it villainous intent. Not all mustaches are {{Badass}}; there's a fine line between this and the PornStache, which these days is more likely to inspire mockery than respect, and of course the toothbrush mustache (also known as the Hitler mustache) just looks silly.

* In [[XMen X-Men]] Cyclops' father, Corsair, is a badass SpacePirate with a seriously badass moustache. Cyclops worked out that Corsair was his father when he had to go without shaving for a couple of weeks, and realised that his new moustache was exactly as badass as Corsair's.

* The Knights of Solamnia in ''Dragonlance'' are known for their distinctive mustaches, and are all badasses.

* While several of the denizens of the town of Deadwood are fond of facial hair, Seth Bullock's is the nicest. He is also the most likely to deliver a richly deserved beating to someone.

* The title character from {{Black Cat Detective}}... okay, admittedly, cats don't have mustaches. But there's no "Badass Whisker" trope. When Hei Mao twists his whisker like a pimp, you know shit's about to go down. It's an allegorical mustache.

* ''MiamiGuns'': Chief Amano has a mustache and a [[FunnyAfro huge afro]].

* Although (very) minor characters, in ZeroNoTsukiama both Louise's father and General Poitier have quite the mustaches. Louise's father's mustache is reminiscent of Kabapu's from ExcelSaga.

* [[{{CallOfDuty}} Captain]] [[{{ModernWarfare}} Price]], whose PornStache is the thing of legends.

** Most of the Gauls have moustaches. Of course, most of the Gauls are badasses. There's their huge, muscular [[TheBlacksmith blacksmith]], their chief who rarely travels on foot but instead on shield, their bard, who can, as of recent books, [[DreadfulMusician summon rain and storms by striking only a few chords...]]it's easier to count the folks who ''don't'' have these.
* [[GreenLantern Sinestro]] has a pencil thin evil Mustache reminiscent of DavidNiven.

* The title Character from {{Black Cat Detective}}... okay admittedly, cat's don't have mustaches. But there's no "Badass Whisker" trope. When Hei Mao twists his whisker like a pimp, you know shit's about to go down. It's an allegorical mustache.

** In manga Kabapu's mustache is real, but part of his hair is prosthetic, since he needs to have it balanced to stand up straight.

* ''Miami Guns'': Chief Amano has a mustache and a [[FunnyAfro huge afro]].

* Captain-General Yamamoto from [[Bleach]]. Possibly the strongest human in the series, and his moustache ''blows in the wind'' whenever he releases his zanpaku-to. Bad. Ass.
* OsamuTezuka [[StarSystem character design]] Higeoyaji (aka Shunsaku Ban) was a double subversion. A running thread through most iterations of the character was a comic overreaction to danger, followed by an awesome comeback.

* Although (very) minor characters, in ZeroNoTsukama both Louise's Father and General Poitier have quite the mustaches. Louise's Father's mustache is reminiscent of Kabapu's from ExcelSaga.

* [[NickCave Nick Cave]] has recently adopted this since Grinderman, perhaps to compensate for a receding hairline. Does not disappoint.

* Is it worth [[AdolfHitler mentioning]]... no. [[GodwinsLaw No it's not]].

[[/folder]]

[[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f3/Vercingétorix_Alésia.jpg Vercingetorix]], the Gaulish chieftain who briefly united the many tribes of Gaul in one last attempt to thwart Caesar's invasion. Badass enough to surrender by riding right up on his horse to where Caesar was, facing the end with dignity.
[[/folder]]

* Don Frye is quite possibly the manliest [[UsefulNotes/MixedMartialArts MMA fighter]] there has ever been, and that's saying a lot. His mustache has been speculated to gain him an extra two points per round [[RatedMForManly for just being awesome]].

* Kurt Russell's Wyatt Earp in ''{{Tombstone}}''.

* Omni-Man in ''{{Invincible}}'', who comes from an entire race of mustachio'd supermen.

* VincentPrice