History Main / DesertBandits

* ''VideoGame/AfrikaKorpsVsDesertRats'': the game's very first mission (which is also a ForcedTutorial) has the German and British {{hero unit}}s briefly team up to have a chance of staying alive against some DesertBandits who are out to kill them.

Life out in the desert is really harsh. With barely any rain or soil to grow crops, and a lack of other natural resources, tiny desert villages can be really terrible places to live.

[[folder:AnimeAndManga]]

* In the world of ''Manga/DesertPunk'' after a nuclear war turns the entire globe into a desert planet, many are forced to make their living as mercenaries with a few operating as bandits in order to prey on travelers.

* Jane Buxton, her guide Sabri and her butler Chambellan in ''Anime/SecretOFBlueWater'' nearly get robbed and murdered by a couple of these bandits ''cum'' treacherous drivers. Jane manage to appeal to the good nature of the acolyte of the chief robber to save the skins of her team.

Because of this, many people living out in the desert only have the choice of thievery as a way of living. They prey on unsuspecting travelers crossing through the desert: hiding behind dunes planning an ambush, then making a quick strike to grab the loot. In most media, they're dressed in turbans and veils that both protect their faces and conceal their identities. They mostly appear either in [[ArabianNightsDays Arabian-style stories]], or as a FantasyCounterpartCulture of Arabian cultures. The western variation is also fairly common; they tend to wear black hats and bandannas around their mouths for the same reason as Arabian veils. Guaranteed to show up in any DesertPunk story.

* The Gerudo race from ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'', starting in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]''. They are a vaguely Arabian-style race of women (and one man) who live out in the desert and work as thieves. In ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker The Wind Waker]]'', this actually forms part of Ganondorf's stated motivation to take the Triforce, as he believed that it would give his people a better life, but his lust for power eventually got in the way. By the time of ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild Breath of the Wild]]'', they have abandoned their thieving ways and are now a tribe of merchants instead.

[[folder:{{Film}}]]

* The bandits in ''WesternAnimation/TheThiefAndTheCobbler'' live in the desert and wait for caravans to drive by. However, the caravans are so uncommon in their area that when they see one, they have to consult a special book that describes what to do in different situations that occur. For example, when a caravan comes, the instructions say "CHARGE!"

* The Taiwanese action film ''Film/TreasureHunter'', set in the Mongolian desert, has legions of raiders, clad in skull-faced masks and riding horses, antagonizing the main characters for most of the first half. They dissappear around the beginning of the second act after the actiom shifts to an underground mausoleum.

* The bandits in ''WesternAnimation/TheThiefAndTheCobbler'' live in the desert and wait for caravans to drive by. They even have a special book that describes what to do in different situations that occur. For example, when a caravan comes, the instructions say "CHARGE!"

* In ''Webnovel/ColdObsidian'', a multiracial group of desert bandits ambushes caravans on the runestone road.

Because of this, many people living out in the desert only have the choice of thievery as a way of living. They prey on unsuspecting travelers crossing through the desert: hiding behind dunes planning an ambush, then making a quick strike to grab the loot. In most media, they're dressed in turbans and veils that both protect their faces and conceal their identities. They mostly appear either in Arabian-style stories, or as a FantasyCounterpartCulture of Arabian cultures. The western variation is also fairly common; they tend to wear black hats and bandannas around their mouths for the same reason as Arabian veils. Guaranteed to show up in any DesertPunk story.

* ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI'' features Bandits, Fat Bandits, and Luna Bandits, all styled in a stereotypical fashion to look like classic desert bandits, complete with scimitars in their hands and turbans around their heads. Naturally, they'll only found in the desert world of [[{{Disney/Aladdin}} Agrabah]].

** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'', there are a bunch of thieves in Claude's paralogue, "The Sleeping Sand Legends." They are seen robbing the desert of its treasure when they were dragged into a fight by Claude and its guardian, the Wind Caller aka [[spoiler:Saint Macuil]]. Killing them before the Wind Caller's phantom guardians will net you their contents.

* The D'regs from the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' series (who feature prominently in ''Discworld/{{Jingo}}'') are bandits who harass the merchants in the deserts of Klatch. Although they're [[SacredHospitality honourable]] enough to provide a BedouinRescueService to anyone who's ''lost'' in the desert (rather than simply travelling the roads) and pragmatic enough to avoid killing the merchants or robbing them too often (if they force them out of business, who would they rob?).

* In ''VideoGame/AfrikaKorpsVsDesertRats'', the German and British {{hero unit}}s briefly [[EnemyMine team up]] to have a chance of staying alive against some desert bandits who are out to kill them.

* ''Videogame/KingdomHearts'' features Bandits, Fat Bandits, and Luna Bandits, all styled in a stereotypical fashion to look like classic desert bandits, complete with scimitars in their hands and turbans around their heads. Naturally, they'll only found in the desert world of [[{{Disney/Aladdin}} Agrabah]].