History Main / NominalImportance

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan'' had an interesting variant, where the creators decided that any character important enough to be named was important enough to be taken from some previous version of ''Franchise/SpiderMan'' canon. That being said, the number of named characters was probably more than strictly necessary (though at least some would have probably been important if the show hadn't been LeftHanging).

* ''VideoGame/AmazonGuardiansOfEden'' consistently inverts this trope in a very odd manner: with the exception of secondary protagonist Maya and minor antagonist Tony Martin, ''every'' important, speaking character introduced after the third chapter will go unnamed, while non-speaking and unimportant background characters will be given both full names ''and'' strangely elaborate backstories that the player character really has no way of knowing in the first place. This comes to a head with the shopkeeper Arturo Ascension in chapter six, who sells you items you need to finish the game - since they gave him a name, they go out of their way to ThirdPersonPerson all of his interactions with you in an incredibly awkward fashion, rather than just letting him talk to you. Even Hans Stroheim only actually has a name because the game tells you it way back in the second chapter or so; by the time you actually meet and converse with him several chapters later, because he has voiced lines and points you in the right direction to continue the game he's been downgraded to just "Archaeologist".

* In StealthSequel ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels'', the named Imperial officers tend to get their importance highlighted by having a unique character model. The one glaring exception is the {{Jerkass}} cargo ship captain from [[Recap/StarWarsRebelsS2E17TheForgottenDroid "The Forgotten Droid"]], who is unnamed despite said unique character model and being [[CreatorCameo voiced by Dave Filoni]].

* ''Creator/StephenTobolowsky'' has talked on the Tobolowsky Files podcast about the difference between having a first and last name, only a first name, a last name and title, or just something generic in films/television.

* ''VideoGame/AmazonGuardiansOfEden'' consistently inverts this trope in a very odd manner: with the exception of secondary protagonist Maya and minor antagonist Tony Martin, ''every'' important, speaking character introduced after the third chapter will go unnamed, while non-speaking and unimportant background characters will be given both full names ''and'' strangely elaborate backstories that the player character really has no way of knowing in the first place. This comes to a head with the shopkeeper Arturo Ascension in chapter six, who sells you items you need to finish the game - since they gave him a name, they go out of their way to ThirdPersonPerson all of his interactions with you in an incredibly awkward fashion, rather than just letting him talk to you.

* {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d in ''VideoGame/DragonQuestMonsters: Joker'', where someone in the main town claims he is your rival, but then muses that you probably think of him as "some random blue-haired NPC."

** A subversion is the Gatekeeper from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses''. This guy is a generic little guard with no unique character portrait other than the same one every Soldier class uses and has NoNameGiven rather than "Gatekeeper." He isn't pivotal for the plot, but his {{Catchphrase}} ("Greetings, profesor! Nothing to report.") helped him become a memetic sensation among the fandom that it's thanks to said fandom that he was PromotedToPlayable in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemHeroes.''

(The henchman falls down.)

* Count Olaf's henchmen in ''Literature/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents'' are usually referred to with descriptive terms like "the white-faced women" and "the bald man"(they sometimes use pseudonyms derived from [[SignificantAnagram anagrams of "Count Olaf"]], though). However, at the time the hook-handed man gets some CharacterDevelopment and a backstory in Book the Eleventh, we learn that his name is Fernald.

* Zigzagged in ''Literature/VampireAcademy'', in most of the series several extras receive names. In Strigoi of 'Blood Promise'', those not named tend to play no importance in the overall plot. Those few that receive names are all involved with Dimitri's new existence as a Strigoi.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'': Inverted with the Monarch's henchmen. While the members of the Fluttering Horde have a very low survival expectancy, Henchman #21 and Henchman #24 manage to stay alive while also taking note of the fact that they've survived in a world where henchmen are as expendable as tissues. The two henchmen who receive names, Speedy and Scott Hall (Henchman #1), are killed in their first episode. #21 and #24 even lampshade the fact that the series does not ascribe to this trope, while managing to invoke HeHadAName at the same time. [[spoiler:Eventually, this trope ends up getting played straight: We learn #21's full name (Gary Fischer) and he's since become the Monarch's top enforcer, Scott Hall ''did'' survive his Brock Samson beating, while #24, who mocked Scott's "inevitable" death, dies in the season 3 finale without the audience ever learning his name.]]

* ''Amazon: Guardians of Eden'' consistently inverts this trope in a very odd manner: with the exception of secondary protagonist Maya and minor antagonist Tony Martin, ''every'' important, speaking character introduced after the third chapter will go unnamed, while non-speaking and unimportant background characters will be given both full names ''and'' strangely elaborate backstories that the player character really has no way of knowing in the first place. This comes to a head with the shopkeeper Arturo Ascension in chapter six, who sells you items you need to finish the game - since they gave him a name, they go out of their way to ThirdPersonPerson all of his interactions with you in an incredibly awkward fashion, rather than just letting him talk to you.

** Once the character has been used in the story, however, they may [[BackForTheDead show up only to get killed for dramatic effect]]. An example of this is [[spoiler:Botar, who first teleported in to arrest someone who had done FaceHeelTurn in the past. He later showed up for the same person's HeelFaceTurn in order to teleport a MacGuffin, but after that event Botar was only mentioned in passing as [[DroppedABridgeOnHim having been killed]] by one of the villains]]. Seeing as the series has been canceled as a toyline, and judging by the number of previously important characters that have died unceremoniously, fans began wondering what would happen to their beloved main characters once the list of new names ran out...

* ''Webcomic/DarthsAndDroids'' does this with Anakin, the GM clearly not having named this minor NPC. This is an inversion since Anakin will become the central character as time goes on.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'': Inverted with the Monarch's henchmen. While the members of the Fluttering Horde have a very low survival expectancy, Henchman #21 and Henchman #24 manage to stay alive while also taking note of the fact that they've survived in a world where henchmen are as expendable as tissues. The two henchmen who receive names, Speedy and Scott Hall (Henchman #1), are killed in their first episode. #21 and #24 even lampshade the fact that the series does not ascribe to this trope, while managing to invoke HeHadAName at the same time. [[spoiler: Eventually, this trope ends up getting double-subverted: We learn #21's full name (Gary Fischer) and he's since become the Monarch's top enforcer, Scott Hall ''did'' survive his Brock Samson beating, while #24, who mocked Scott's "inevitable" death, dies in the season 3 finale without the audience ever learning his name.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'':
** Inverted with the Monarch's henchmen. #21 and #24 are recurring characters, while the two henchmen who receive names, Speedy and Scott Hall (Henchman #1), are killed in their first episode.
** Played straighter later on, when we ''do'' eventually learn that 21's name is Gary. [[spoiler: And 24 dies without us ever learning his]]
** #21 and #24 even lampshade the fact that the series does not ascribe to this trope, while managing to invoke HeHadAName at the same time:
--->'''Henchman 24:''' Hey, here; what's your name?\\
'''Henchman 1:''' Henchman number 1.\\
'''Henchman 24:''' See, you are nameless.\\
'''Henchman 1:''' I'm Scott Hall, my name is Scott Hall. Okay?\\
'''Henchman 24:''' No, won't help.\\
'''Henchman 21:''' Yeah, now it's just pathos. So you're dying in my lap and I'm all "Scott! Scott don't you quit on us! Don't you dare!!"\\
'''Henchman 24:''' You just made your inevitable death ''more pathetic.''
** Ironically, it's revealed that [[spoiler: Scott Hall ''did'' survive his Brock Samson beating, while 24, who mocked Scott's "inevitable" death, dies in the season 3 finale.]]

* In ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'', if anyone has a name, s/he will get involved in a plot in someway or another. If anyone has a full name, watch that character, because without exception, they will have a supernatural power. Notably, we never learn the narrator's name--"Kyon" is [[OnlyKnownByTheirNickname just a nickname that everyone uses]].

* Defied in ''LightNovel/{{Maoyu}}'', where ''none'' of the characters, not even the protagonists, are referred to by anything other than their position and/or occupation.

* ''LightNovel/Overlord2012'': Climb, Brain and an unnamed thief go to rescue Tsuare from the Eight Fingers. Surprisingly enough, the thief doesn't die, he's even an important factor in Climb beating Succulent and gets his name dropped at the very end (Lockmeyer).
* ''LightNovel/ThatTimeIGotReincarnatedAsASlime'': Part of the world. Monsters don't normally have names, but powerful monsters can give them names for a small amount of magic power. Rimiru discovers that this small amount adds up quickly, though, and passes out halfway through trying to name every goblin in a village. When he wakes up, he finds out that everyone he has named is much stronger and healthier than they were before.

** PlayedStraight in the remastered version. The "if you're not named, you don't matter" rule applies to the Black Dogs. Named members of the Black Dogs include: Kyril (TheProtagonist and new recruit), Vault (head honcho), Vault's lackeys Kin and Hicks[[note]]who aren't relevant to the plot, but have closer ties to the head honcho than other members[[/note]], and the ones who turn out to be [[DefectorFromDecadence Defectors From Decadence]] (Boris, Oliver, Soren and Fredrick).

* {{Downplayed}} in ''Fanfic/TheNightUnfurls''. Occasionally, the story includes named {{mooks}} or relatively minor characters with no bearing to the plot to be killed off, yet receiving a bit of characterisation beforehand. Two particular examples of how this trope is played with are shown below. Note that both characters are original-exclusive.
** Chapter 10 has Genji the Slicer, an enforcer of the Mundus Crime Family. Receiving little characterisation (the narration informs how he is a former warrior banished for his violent actions against women and children), his purpose in the story is to show how the Good Hunter's conducts his investigation in the WretchedHive of Ansur. And to [[spoiler:show off his tendril-power.]]
** Chapter 11 has Black Dog recruit Anders Bleu. Like many of his peers, he is offed by the Good Hunter (by a backstab-visceral attack no less!) merely four paragraphs after his introduction. Right before his untimely demise, however, his narration characterises him as a HaremSeeker eager to be part of the [[SexSlave Sex]] [[TheEmpire Empire]], so he could take any woman he pleased. His P.O.V. in the story is to be a representative of the many [[{{Mook}} Black Dog mercs]].

* ''VideoGame/ShadowHearts'' ''everyone'' has a name which is also a capsule description of them. Not an actual name from the game, but an example of what this means would be "Nervous Man Monterey".

* ''VideoGame/DwarfFortress'': All the dwarves have names, as do any visiting humans and elves. But for the monsters to have names they have to slaughter enough dwarves to become important. As creatures which start out with names (dwarves, goblins, humans, etc.) rack up kills, they eventually gain an extension of their original name. Because of this, one can often tell who the local badasses are by looking at who has the longest name(s).

** Chapter 11 has Black Dog recruit Anders Bleu. Like many of his peers, he is offed by the Good Hunter (by a backstab-visceral attack no less!) merely four paragraphs after his introduction. Right before his untimely demise, however, his narration characterises him as a HaremSeeker eager to be part of the [[SexSlave Sex]] [[TheEmpire Empire]], so he could take any woman he pleased. His purpose in the story is to be a representative of the many [[{{Mook}} Black Dog mercs]].

* [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]] in ''Fanfic/TheNightUnfurls''. Occasionally, the story includes named {{Mooks}} or relatively minor characters with no bearing to the plot to be killed off, yet receiving a bit of characterisation beforehand. Two particular examples of how this trope is played with are shown below. Note that both characters are only present in the original version.
** Chapter 10 has Genji the Slicer, an enforcer of the Mundus Crime Family. Receiving little characterisation (former warrior banished for his violent actions against women and children), his purpose in the story is to show how the Good Hunter's conducts his investigation in the WretchedHive of Ansur. [[spoiler:And to show off his tendril-power.]]
** Chapter 11 has Black Dog recruit Anders Bleu. Like many of his peers, he is offed by the Good Hunter (by a backstab-visceral attack no less!) merely four paragraphs after his introduction. Right before his untimely demise, however, his narration characterises him as a HaremSeeker eager to be part of the Sex Empire, so he could take any woman he pleased. His purpose in the story is to be a representative of the many P.O.Vs of typical [[{{Mook}} Black Dog mercs]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'': Even though it's easy to miss her name, as the PlayerCharacter Chell survives (and beats) [=GLaDOS=] twice, has several depictions of her appearance and has the {{canon}} character traits of being [[{{Determinator}} insanely tenacious]] and a HeroicMime by choice.
** ''VideoGame/{{Portal 2}}'': At the end of the co-operative campaign, Atlas and P-Body discover [[spoiler: a vault containing ten thousand more human subjects in suspended animation]]. But in the "Peer Review" DLC [[spoiler: [=GLaDOS=] says she killed them all trying to make them as indestructible as Chell. Clearly, they weren't important to the plot.]]

* Played straight in the first ''VideoGame/TimeSplitters'' game, where only the player characters and a few of the joke characters get names, but averted in ''VideoGame/TimeSplitters2'' and ''[[VideoGame/TimeSplittersFuturePerfect Future Perfect]]'', where almost every random human {{Mook}} you fight in the story missions is given a name, and a few of them even get backstories and established personalities (although they can only be seen after unlocking them as playable characters). ''Future Perfect'' [[{{UpToEleven}} even gave the zombies names]].