History Main / GratuitousNazis

* The English version of ''VideoGame/BionicCommando'' accidentally becomes this trope, as Hitler's appearance during the ending was not edited out like the rest of the game. Averted in the original, as the Empire was a Neo-Nazi organization all along.

Compare GratuitousNinja (ninjas in a work that's not about ninjas), InstantAwesomeJustAddMecha, (HumongousMecha in a work that's not about giant robots), and EverythingsDeaderWithZombies (zombies in a work not about zombies or TheUndead). Contrast NoSwastikas (Nazis are removed from a work about them) and UsefulNotes/NonNaziSwastika (where unrelated things may look Nazi). For gratuitous comparisons to Nazism in debates, see GodwinsLaw. [[noreallife]]

* In ''Anime/TheMysticalLaws'', The Godom Empire's emblem is a tilted swastika on a red background to emphasize it's status as a fascist superpower, and the government is explicitly referred to as a "Nazi power" in several summaries, likely because EverythingsEvilerWithNazis.

** While dying her hair blonde could simply be written of [[JapaneseDelinquents as delinquency]], wrestling with a swastika painted on her forehead pushed [[Wrestling/AllJapanWomensProWrestling Zenjo]] legend Dump Matsumoto into this territory.

[[caption-width-right:350:Heil Dino-Fuhrer!]]

* ''Series/RedDwarf'': TheTeaser of "Stoke Me a Clipper" where [[TheAce Ace]] Rimmer fights Nazis and wrestles an alligator on board a Nazi airplane. This is in a show set 3 million years into the future.

* ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' episode "Patterns of Force" uses a deliberately recreated Nazi party on an alien planet as antagonists. Our heroes spend the episode trying to find out how this came about.
* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager''. In the two-part episode "The Killing Game", the Hirogen have seized Voyager and brainwashed the crew into thinking they are characters in their own holodeck games. Although there's mention of other eras being used, the major emphasis is on a holodeck program set in Nazi-occupied France.

* In the ''Series/TheXFiles'' episode "F.P.S.", a virtual-reality video game has ONE Nazi character in it, who just watches and never actually does anything.

* The ''Manga/KekkoKamen'' OVA had Ms. Gestapoko, an insane Nazi dominatrix from the Auschwitz Academy and the first of [[BigBad Toenail of Satan]]'s [[MonsterOfTheWeek Punishing Teachers]] brought to defeat the eponymous heroine.

** Also, several early ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' [[BigBad Big Bads]] had the title "Führer", despite not being German or having any apparent connection to the National Socialist Party, such as the [[Series/HimitsuSentaiGoranger Black Cross Führer]] and [[Series/TaiyouSentaiSunVulcan Führer]] ''[[Series/TaiyouSentaiSunVulcan Hell Saturn]]'', in case "Führer" wasn't enough indication that [[ObviouslyEvil he's evil]].

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[[quoteright:350:[[ComicBook/MajorBummer https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/reich01.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Heil Dino-Fuhrer!]]

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* A bunch of Neo-Nazis are a throwaway, single-arc group of villains in ''Manga/BlackLagoon''.

* The {{Big Bad}}s of ''ComicBook/SupermanAtEarthsEnd'' are [[YouClonedHitler twin clones of Hitler]]...for some reason.
* In ''Comicbook/SinCity'' bad guys sometimes have swastika tattoos, apparently identifying them as Nazis (even when they work for/with non-white bad guys).
* In the Creator/MarvelComics universe, the first Hate-Monger turned out to be UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler...in 1963! Later {{Ret Con}}ned into being a ''clone'' of Hitler, but he had the first Hitler's consciousness inside, as the original turned out to be a {{Body Surf}}er.

* The parody comic ''ComicBook/MajorBummer'' features a villain in two issues called Tyrannosaurus Reich, a Nazi T-rex and the current page image. He even came from a dimension full of Nazi dinosaurs.
* In the DenserAndWackier 2017 run of ''ComicBook/{{Vampirella}}'', in the post-apocalyptic future, the Third Reich just randomly pops up out of the ground again.

* Played with in the [[http://www.doheth.co.uk/funny/exam-answers/Essay_-_Jimmy_McPerson Jimmy McPerson essay.]] It ''is'' about UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, but it's set in ''Japan.'' This still doesn't stop Hitler from showing up directly behind the hero somehow.

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* ''Film/InvasionOfTheNeptuneMen'' has the infamous [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsYYnwhn4g4 "Hitler Building"]] which is blown up during the final battle. It was so sudden and out of place, it earned a BigWhat from [[Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000 Mike and the Bots]].
* ''Film/TheSpirit'' gives us The Octopus, who * has "theme" days. Some days he's dressed as a {{cowboy}}. Some days he looks like a {{samurai}}. And one day, when he has the Spirit tied up, it's Nazi day and he dresses himself, his assistant and his base up in a Nazi theme. The Octopus is played by Creator/SamuelLJackson, by the way.

* ''Film/MontyPythonsLifeOfBrian'' has a deleted scene involving a Nazi Jewish suicide squad (as in, they kill themselves with swords).
* Among the outlaws gathered by Hedley Lamarr to attack Rock Ridge at the end of ''Film/BlazingSaddles''[[note]]a ''[[TheWestern western]]'', mind you[[/note]] is a group of Nazi soldiers. Who keep saluting with the wrong arm. Chalk it up to RuleOfFunny. Remember, this is a movie where the horses sometimes have handlebars.

* ''Film/RatRace'' has a scene where the (Jewish) Pear family, on a road trip through Nevada, sees a sign for the Barbie Museum and decides to visit. It turns out to actually be the ''Klaus Barbie'' Museum, and it's staffed entirely by Neo-Nazis. This serves to set up an OverlyPrePreparedGag where Randy Pear (played by John Lovitz) gets mistaken for a very tasteless Hitler impersonator by a convention of WWII veterans.

* Even though the original Star Wars trilogy already had the Empire sport allusions to the Nazis, ''Film/TheForceAwakens'' apparently decided that that first batch of Space Nazis just weren't Nazi-ish enough. Whereas the Empire mostly just had similar looking uniforms to the Reich to go with their ruthless authoritarian agenda, the First Order took the liberty of doing ''that'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPhHl2DpD4E along with making grandiose speeches in front of long red and black banners in vaguely German-esque accents while their soldiers give a one-armed salute.]]

* The ''Series/DoctorWho'' story "Silver Nemesis" adds a bunch of neo-Nazis led by an elderly Third Reich fugitive (an overt NoCelebritiesWereHarmed for Martin Bormann) to a 1980s-set story which already has two other villainous factions, for no particular reason. This was the only 1963-89 ''Doctor Who'' story to feature actual Nazis, although a lot of stories feature evil alien cultures with [[ANaziByAnyOtherName a suspicious resemblance]].
* ''Franchise/KamenRider'':
** In the Showa-era ''Series/KamenRider'' TV series, it's heavily implied by WordOfGod that Shocker (and its successors) were created by Nazi officials after they escaped capture from the Allied Forces by the end of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII.
** ''Series/KamenRiderX'' has ''Starfish'' Hitler[[note]]it's a pun on the Japanese word for starfish, ''hitoru''[[/note]]. as a MonsterOfTheWeek. He even comes with Nazi {{Mook}}s!
* ''Franchise/SuperSentai''
** Similar to the ''Series/KamenRiderX'' example above, an episode of ''Series/JAKQDengekitai'' features a Nazi-themed monster named Führer Crocodile as a MonsterOfTheWeek.
** Also, several early ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' [[BigBad Big Bads]] had the title "Führer", despite not being German or having any apparent connection to the National Socialist Party, such as the [[Series/HimitsuSentaiGoranger Black Cross Führer]] and [[Series/TaiyouSentaiSunVulcan Führer]] ''[[Series/TaiyouSentaiSunVulcan Hell Saturn]]'', in case "Führer" wasn't enough indication that [[ObviouslyEvil he's evil]].
* ''Series/RedDwarf'': TheTeaser of "Stoke Me a Clipper" where [[TheAce Ace]] Rimmer fights Nazis and wrestles an alligator on board a Nazi airplane. This is in a show set 3 million years into the future.
* ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' featured a skit in which a bunch of high-school dropouts discussed UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar. Creator/ChrisFarley's character seems to think that [[ArtisticLicenseHistory the Union had Nazis on their side]].
-->"''Wham! Wham.. wham!'' And then this southern [man] plugged this ''Nazi'' guy in a ''headlock!'' And started ''pounding'' him! ''Bam! Bam bam bam bam!''"

* In the ''Series/TheXFiles'' episode "F.P.S.", a virtual-reality video game has ONE Nazi character in it, who just watches and never actually does anything.
* Radio/GlennBeck imagines WorldWarIII will feature Muslims, Russians, Chinese, and Nazis all fighting to destroy the western way of life. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kL-RU1XtnUo Seriously.]]

* In ''VideoGame/MedalOfHonorRisingSun'', the mission "Singapore Sling" has you attacking a secret meeting between Nazi and Japanese officials. In reality, Germany never had a significant presence in Southeast Asia, and Singapore was under total Japanese rule from 1942-1945 with nary a Nazi in sight in the country.

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* In a ''Webcomic/VGCats'' strip, [[WesternAnimation/{{Pinocchio}} Jiminy Cricket]] has to revise his song about wishing upon stars when he suddenly runs into Hitler.

* ''Webcomic/BobTheAngryFlower'' has a one-shot comic about "Good Hitler," a revived Adolf Hitler who wants to atone for his crimes. But because he's, well, ''Hitler'', things don't end well for him.

* The original version of GodwinsLaw stated that this trope will eventually happen to any discussion, usually via HitlerAteSugar. The popular version discourages people from derailing a debate with this trope.
* The [[http://ignorehitler.tumblr.com/ Ignore Hitler]] meme. The creator even describes it as adding "gratuitous Hitlers in the drawing with no relevance to the actual answer..."

* Website/{{Cracked}}:
** The Quick Fix article entitled "[[http://www.cracked.com/quick-fixes/4-baffling-ways-continent-asia-loves-hitler/ 4 Baffling Ways the Continent of Asia Loves Hitler]]," which showcases bizarre appearances by the Third Reich in Asian businesses. Besides the Hitler Fried Chicken example above, the article features an Indian clothing store named "Hitler," magnets and key rings of a [[{{Ghostapo}} vampire Hitler]] in Taiwan, and an SS-themed cake shop in Indonesia.
** An article about incredibly offensive weddings features [[http://www.cracked.com/article_20584_the-5-most-absurdly-offensive-theme-weddings-ever-planned.html a Chinese couple having a Nazi-themed wedding]], complete with the groom in an SS uniform and saluting.
** Creator/{{Seanbaby}}'s banner on Website/{{Cracked}} features him kicking Hitler in the face for some reason. As of this time, he only has one article that has anything to to with UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, and it contains no actual Nazis.
* This is a common feature of bad {{Creepypasta}}s, whose authors like to explain the existence of some immoral experiment by saying Nazis are running it, even if set in the PresentDay.
* Notoriously, some "[[YouTubeKidsChannel Finger Family Videos]]" feature Hitler for no apparent reason.

* Cartman dressing up like Hitler for Halloween in ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark''.

* One of the early villains in ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'' was "Girl Hitler", a female character who dressed like Hitler and had a toothbrush mustache.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Kaeloo}}'': In the episode "Let's Play the Quest for the Wholly Gruel"[[note]]The episode parodies Franchise/IndianaJones[[/note]], [[CatsAreMean Mr. Cat]] dresses as a Nazi to look more "evil".

* ''ComicBook/{{Preacher}}'': Miss Oatlash, [[CorruptHick Odin Quincannon]]'s AmoralAttorney, moonlights as a Nazi-themed dominatrix who worships Adolf Hitler, whom she maintains was a peace-loving individual who had absolutely nothing to do with anything that may or may not have happened in Germany in the 30s and 40s.

* Taken UpToEleven with ''Series/{{Danger 5}}'', an AffectionateParody of 1960's/1980's SpyFiction, except [[RuleOfFunny for some reason]] they're fighting Adolf Hitler and the rest of the Third Reich decades after [=WW2=] ended.

* Lampshaded by [=E350=] in ''Fanfic/HalloweenUnspectacular: Watchmeh'', who discusses how he has a habit of using Nazis as villains in pretty much every fic he writes and takes the time to sort his usage of them into three categories: [[ButtMonkey the Breathtakingly Incompetent Nazis]], [[CardCarryingEvil the Moustache-Twirlingly Evil Nazis]] and the Gratuitous Backstory Nazis.

* Among the outlaws gathered by Hedley Lamarr to attack Rock Ridge at the end of ''Film/BlazingSaddles''[[note]]a ''[[TheWestern western]]'', mind you[[/note]] is a group of Nazi soldiers. Who keep saluting with the wrong arm. Chalk it up to RuleOfFunny.

--> '''Elwood:''' Illinois Nazis.

Compare GratuitousNinja (ninjas in a work that's not about ninjas), InstantAwesomeJustAddMecha, (HumongousMecha in a work that's not about giant robots), and EverythingsDeaderWithZombies (zombies in a work not about zombies or TheUndead). Contrast NoSwastikas (Nazis are removed from a work about them) and NonNaziSwastika (where unrelated things may look Nazi). For gratuitous comparisons to Nazism in debates, see GodwinsLaw. [[noreallife]]

* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'':
** Cleveland complains about shows that derail their own plots for random "bullcrap." Cut to a brief scene of Hitler juggling fish on a unicycle while calliope music plays. [[spoiler: A moment later, Peter knocks Hitler off his unicycle, punches him in the face, and tells the audience they had a plan for that all along.]]
** In the first episode, Lois claims that all of the world's problems are caused by poor self image. We immediately cut to Hitler trying to work out in a gym and getting jealous of a Jewish bodybuilder.
** The guys try to fake Quagmire's death, which involves him being shot (with a Nerf gun) by a Nazi (Cleveland, who is black).

** In one episode, Lois claims that all of the world's problems are caused by poor self image. We immediately cut to Hitler trying to work out in a gym and getting jealous of a Jewish bodybuilder.

* ''Film/TheSpirit'' gives us The Octopus, who has "theme" days. Some days he's dressed as a {{cowboy}}. Some days he looks like a {{samurai}}. And one day, when he has the Spirit tied up, it's Nazi day and he dresses himself, his assistant and his base up in a Nazi theme. The Octopus is played by Creator/SamuelLJackson, by the way.