History Main / StepIntoTheBlindingFight

* In an episode of ''Series/{{Monk}}'', fought a killer who struck during power outages with a pair of night-vision goggles. When the police came in and turned on the lights, he demanded the turn the lights back out because he was winning.

* Dr. Mid-Nite of the JusticeSocietyOfAmerica and Dr. Midnight of InfinityInc both used blackout bombs to get a drop on their foes.

* In an episode of ''Series/Monk'', fought a killer who struck during power outages with a pair of night-vision goggles. When the police came in and turned on the lights, he demanded the turn the lights back out because he was winning.

* For Robin in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' he went on a quest and one of the trials was to fight a blind snake in his own element, a dark cave with zero light. He eventually has to learn to try and stop seeing his enemy and start hearing and ''feeling'' where the master is.

* In ''WesternAnimation/UltimateSpiderMan'', Spider-Man and White Tiger turned off the lights and used night-vision to get an advantage over Taskmaster. Taskmaster boasted that he could easily navigate the room with his PhotographicMemory, only to find that the two heroes moved everything in the room after turning off the lights.

* ''TheSilenceOfTheLambs'': Jame Gumb turns off the lights and stalks Agent Starling while wearing night-vision goggles.

* In ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'', the [[IronicName Illuminator]] Heartless assists Captain Barbossa by shrouding the area in darkness. This not only conceals them, but makes Barbossa invincible because he can only be killed in the moonlight.

* Cleverly used in the ''SamuraiJack'' episode "Samurai Vs Ninja": Jack matches an assassin's mastery of the dark by using identical tactics, [[BlindedByTheLight only wearing stark white and hidden in the glare of sunlight.]]

* Cleverly used in the ''SamuraiJack'' episode "Samurai Vs Ninja": Jack matches an assassin's mastery of the dark by using identical tactics, [[BlindedByTheLight only wearing stark white and hidden in the glare of sunlight.]]

[[AC:RealLife]]
* Flash-Bang grenades were designed for this purpose.

* There's a scene in ''Film/TheChroniclesOfRiddick'' where Riddick is accosted by two soldier, and responds by extinguishing the two candles in the room, plunging it into darkness. Riddick has the ability to see in the dark thanks to his 'eye-shine'. The soldiers don't, and get completely owned in the fight that follows.

Often invoked by the [[HandicappedBadass blind master]] to teach his pupil to not rely so much on his visual senses .A frequent occurrence in the StealthBasedGame genre, as well as many video games with a stealth mechanic and a specialty of the {{ninja}}.

* There's a scene in ''Film/TheChroniclesOfRiddick'' where Riddick is accosted by two necromongers, and responds by extinguishing the two candles in the room, plunging it into darkness. Riddick has the ability to see in the dark thanks to his 'eye-shine'. The necromongers don't, and get completely owned in the fight that follows.

* Inverted in an episode of ''Series/{{Angel}}'' where a blind assassin can sense motion including heartbeats and breath-falls. Angel, being a vampire lacks both a pulse and the necessity to inhale or exhale, so when he stands completely still, the assassin is incapable of seeing him.

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]
* The Blind Master Training occurs in a book of the ''Literature/{{Pendragon}}'' series. Bobby is blindfolded and asked to ''feel'' his trainers' presences.

* Also in ''Manga/FullMetalAlchemist'' there's a fight scene in the dark that renders the heroes unable to fight very well. Gluttony solves the problem by using his sense of Smell.

* ''ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}'' invokes this trope despite being [[HandicappedBadass blind]] himself. His [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower superb hearing and "radar" senses]] allows him to "see" in the dark much to the disadvantage of the criminals who can actually see. While they're paranoid and distracted he's calm and controlled and kicks their asses.

* Also in ''Manga/FullMetalAlchemist'' there's a fight scene in the dark that renders the heroes unable to fight very well. Gluttony solves the problem by using his sense of Smell

* Justified by the weeping angels in ''Series/DoctorWho''; they become 'quantum-locked' and completely incapable of moving when being observed by other living things, so they've developed abilities that let them drain power from light sources when in statue-form, making it easier to approach their prey.

[[AC:Real Life]]

* OnePiece - [[InvisibleJerkass Absalom]] uses this against Sanji while the latter tries to protect an unconscious Nami.
* In ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' one forbidden ninjutsu that the Second Hokage uses on the Third causes darkness that blinds the target.

* ''Film/TheGoldenVoyageOfSinbad''. At the end Sinbad must fight Koura while Koura is invisible after being granted a "shield of darkness".

* The ultimate skill of the [[HornyDevils Succubus]] class in ''VideoGame/Disgaea2CursedMemories'' is called 'Nightmare', and it involves surrounding the enemy with darkness and launch an unseen beatdown. Can be seen [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ilgik3s0tY4#t=03m03s here]]
* Rumia the youkai of darkness in {{VideoGame/Touhou}} can create spheres of darkness around herself so as to blind enemies. Too bad ''she'' can't see in the dark either...
** Another example from ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'' is the Night Sparrow {{Youkai}}, Mystia Lorelei, who can [[BrownNote cause night-blindness with her songs]]. In the boss fight against her, this is implemented as [[InterfaceScrew you being unable to see anything except a small area around your character]].

[[AC:{{Webcomic}}]]
* In ''Webcomic/{{Goblins}}'', Thaco attempts to exploit the fact that he can see in the dark by luring Dellyn into a sewer before fighting him, and blocking off all the manholes so the sewer is pitch black. Dellyn, however, subverts this by casting a spell that provides him with a light source, rendering Thaco's advantage moot.

* Justified by the weeping angels in ''Series/DoctorWho''; they become 'quantum-locked' and completely incapable of moving when being observed by other living things, so they've developed abilities that let them drain power from light sources when in statue-form, making it easier to approach their prey.

If the method of blinding an enemy is to throw sand, a chemical, or some other foreign substance into their eye, than that's AHandfulForAnEye, a subtrope of this one. If brightness is used to defeat a character, they've been BlindedByTheLight.

* In ''Webcomic{{Goblins}}'', Thaco attempts to exploit the fact that he can see in the dark by luring Dellyn into a sewer before fighting him, and blocking off all the manholes so the sewer is pitch black. Dellyn, however, subverts this by casting a spell that provides him with a light source, rendering Thaco's advantage moot.

TheHero is cannot see do to the villain's use of magic or technology to shut off, put out, or destroy light sources, thus pitching an area in darkness. Sometimes a character literally [[CastingAShadow summons darkness]] [[WeatherManipulation or a mist or fog]] with magic or superpowers in order to invoke this. For the most disturbing applications, the hero's eyes are damaged, or worst yet: [[EyeScream removed.]] In any case, this trope is when one character cannot view another character as they fight. From one direction a punch flies and hits their left cheek. From another direction a kick slams into their rightknee. Uppercut to the chin; knee to the gut; roundhouse kick to the back. The hero gets his ass kicked.

TheHero is cannot see do to the villain's use of magic or technology to shut off, put out, or destroy light sources, thus pitching an area in darkness. Sometimes a character literally [[CastingAShadow summons darkness]] [[WeatherManipulation or a mist or fog]] with magic or superpowers in order to invoke this. For the most disturbing applications, the hero's eyes are damaged, or worst yet: [[EyeScream removed.]] In any case, this trope is when one character cannot view another character as they fight. From one direction a punch flies and hits their left cheek. From another direction a kick slams into their rightknee. Uppercut to the chin; knee to the gut; roundhouse kick to the back. The hero gets his ass kicked.

* In ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' one forbidden ninjutsu that the Second Hokage uses on the Third causes darkness that blinds the target.
* Also in ''Manga/FullMetalAlchemist'' there's a fight scene in the dark that renders the heroes unable to fight very well. Gluttony solves the problem by using his sense of Smell

* In one of the ''StarWars'' movies, Jedis train The Younglings to fight blind/using only the Force by using the special darkness helmets.

* An episode of ''Series/{{Grimm}}'' had a [[AnimalMotif fly]] [[MonsterOfTheWeek Wesen]] capable of spewing a certain parasite into his victims' eyes which blinded them (and after a while the parasites would completely [[EyeScream eat out their eyes]]). After he blinds Nick, the Wesen later tries to use this to his advantage in an attack, but Nick's developed [[SuperSenses enhanced hearing]] and ends up winning.

The enemy uses magic or technology to shut off, put out, or destroy light sources, thus pitching an area in darkness. Sometimes a character literally [[CastingAShadow summons darkness]] [[WeatherManipulation or a mist or fog]] with magic or superpowers in order to invoke this. For the most disturbing applications, the hero's eyes are damaged, or worst yet: [[EyeScream removed.]] In any case, this trope is when one character cannot view another character as they fight. From one direction a punch flies and hits their left cheek. From another direction a kick slams into their rightknee. Uppercut to the chin; knee to the gut; roundhouse kick to the back. The hero gets his ass kicked.

If the method of blinding an enemy is to throw sand, a chemical, or some other foreign substance into their eye, than that's AHandfulForAnEye, a subtrope of this one.

* In ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' one forbidden ninjutsu that the Second Hokage uses on the Third causes darkness that blinds the target.
* Also in ''Manga/FullMetalAlchemist'' there's a fight scene in the dark that renders the heroes unable to fight very well. Gluttony solves the problem by using his sense of Smell

* In one of the ''StarWars'' movies, Jedis train The Younglings to fight blind/using only the Force by using the special darkness helmets.

* An episode of ''Series/{{Grimm}}'' had a [[AnimalMotif fly]] [[MonsterOfTheWeek Wesen]] capable of spewing a certain parasite into his victims' eyes which blinded them (and after a while the parasites would completely [[EyeScream eat out their eyes]]). After he blinds Nick, the Wesen later tries to use this to his advantage in an attack, but Nick's developed [[SuperSenses enhanced hearing]] and ends up winning.

* Cleverly used in the ''SamuraiJack'' episode "Samurai Vs Ninja": Jack matches an assassin's mastery of the dark by using identical tactics, only wearing stark white and hidden in the glare of sunlight.