History RedBaron / AnimeAndManga

* Very common in ''LightNovel/AccelWorld''. The Seven Kings of Pure Colour all have one, as do other burst linkers who have become notable for exceptional skills or unique abilities. The main exception is actually the main character who is extremely famous for being the only flight capable burst linker but is generally known by variations of the his Duel Avatar name rather than any title.

*** Franky's epithet is "Cyborg", for obvious reasons.

** The (original) Seven Warlords of the Sea: "Hawk-Eye" Dracule Mihawk, "Sir" Crocodile, "Tyrant" Bartholomew Kuma, "Heavenly Demon" Donquixote Doflamingo (son of a former World Noble, hence the 'heavenly' part), "Pirate Empress" Boa Hancock, "Knight of the sea" Jinbe. (Gekko Moriah does not have one, oddly enough.)

The final two white whistles have yet to appear in the story, but have similarly extravagant names; The Sovereign of Guidance, Wakuna the Chosen and The Sovereign of Mysteries, Srajo the Obscure.

** And Lelouch, or more accurately, Zero, is "the Man Of Miracles".
*** Lelouch is also referred to as the "Black Prince". In contrast, his formidable brother Prince Schneizel is known as the "White Prince".

** In ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED'', Mu La Flaga is known as the "Hawk of Endymion" while Andrew "The Desert Tiger" Waltfeld is probably a ShoutOut to Erwin Rommel below.

** Shinjyo is usually nicknamed "The Young Japanese Warrior", but after suffering from bad luck, Henri gives him a more embarrassing one, "The Fallen Warrior".[[note]]"Ochimusha"[[/note]]

** Other characters have their nicknames as well, Gudelhian and "High-Tech Cowboy", Heinel and "Precision Machine Driver", Bootsvorz and "The One-Eyed Dragon" and Ohtomo and "Nature Boy of the Circuit".

** Shinjyo is usually nicknamed "The Young Japanese Warrior", but after suffering from bad luck, Henri gives him a more embarrassing one, "The Fallen Warrior.[[note]]"Ochimusha"[[/note]]

** Shinjyo is usually nicknamed "The Young Japanese Warrior", but after suffering from bad luck, Henri gives him a more embarrassing one, "The Fallen Warrior"[[note]]"Ochimusha"[[/note]].

* Kenshin from ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'' was known as the Hitokiri Battousai (or Battousai the Man-Slayer, for those who are into English dubs) during the Bakumatsu, as a reference to his profession (assassin) and his sword fighting style.

** In the first deeply serious fight in the series, versus the psycho assassin Jin'e Udo ([[NomDeGuerre Kurogasa]]), he gets into trash-talk mode and says, "let me show you the meaning of the name, ''Battousai''." (Apparently it means he is the ''best damn IaijutsuPractitioner in Japan''. Hiten Mitsurugi Style has a lot of battojutsu, or ''iai'' techniques.)

** Giving a {{seme}} a badass nickname is very common in {{yaoi|Genre}}. Sometimes the {{Uke}} will have one, too.

** Tatsuya Yuuki of ''Anime/GundamBuildFighters'' briefly had the name "the Crimson Comet" prior to becoming [[Main/CharClone Meijin Kawaguchi]] [[Main/LegacyCharacter III]]. Since then, none of the named charcters had refered to him by the former title.

** One random pilot refers to Kallen as "The Ace of the Elevens", but it's unclear if this is an actual nickname or merely a statement of fact. Her codename in Lelouch's cell phone is [[ChessMotifs Q1]]. [[FanNickname Fans tend to call her]] "Crimson Lotus", which is the translation of her SuperPrototype's name, Guren.

*** Even Princess Euphemia gets a nickname. [[spoiler: After she orders (and personally partakes in) the murder of thousands of Japanese people after being accidentally Geassed into doing so by Lelouch, she comes to be derisively known as "Princess Massacre".]] [[FanNickname As for the fans]], she's known as [[spoiler:"the Euphinator"]] as a result of this incident.

** Nanoha earns the title "[[WorldsBestWarrior Ace of Aces]]" from her military peers during the TimeSkip between ''A's'' and ''[=StrikerS=]''. Her FanNickname is the "[[ShoutOut White Devil]]"...

** Jack Rakan has his own collection of nicknames: "The Thousand Blades", "The Man Who Cannot Die", "The Immortal Fool", [[OverlyLongName "That Damn Guy Who You Can Stab With Swords All You Like And It Won't Do A Thing, Dammit!"]]

%% This page has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in the correct order.

* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' is a remarkable example, going so far as to having the Amestris government actually issue every State Alchemist a similar moniker. The series occasionally [[SatireParodyPastiche spoofs]] the problems of this trope, with the people [[ExpectingSomeoneTaller being more familiar with the fearsome alias than the person behind it]] - resulting in them frequently mistaking Edward Elric's walking armor brother, Alphonse, for the eponymous Fullmetal Alchemist.

* In ''Franchise/GhostInTheShell'', Maj. Motoko Kusanagi is always referred to as "the Major" over 2 seasons and a movie, her first name is used about five times, and her surname appears about as often, although it appears in writing a few more times. In the manga, it's used about as often. It's common among fans to just refer to her as the Major. Some fans forget her real name, because it's so obscure. Oh, and it might not be her real name at all; in the manga, when the narrator introduces her, it is as "a woman calling herself Major Motoko Kusanagi (an obvious alias)". Additionally, while "Motoko" is a rare female name, "Kusanagi" is a mythological sword; an equivalent English name would be Brittany ''Excalibur''. If you still believe that's the {{cyborg}} super-agent's real name, I've got a bridge to sell you. [[RecycledInSpace On Mars]].

* Sakata Gintoki of ''Manga/{{Gintama}}'' was known as the "Shiroyasha (White Demon)" during the Joui War. Heck, all of the four most powerful Joui warriors have these titles - Katsura was dubbed "Nobleman of Terror", Takasugi was the "Demon Army General", and Sakamoto was called "[[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers Loud]] [[OddNameOut Person]]" (though, to be fair, he was also known as the "Dragon of Katsurahama").

* It's easier to list the characters in ''Manga/{{Jackals}}'' who ''don't'' have killer nicknames, though this may have something to do with the fact that the cast is primarily made of up, you know, killers. The main hero and his rival are "Alligator" Nichol Heyward and Huya "Requiem" Godfrey. Many of the others sound a little goofy when translated into English... but then again, "the Flying Monkey" is probably an improvement over "Jasper Tennessee" anyway. Richard Domingo takes the cake here, having ''multiple'' nicknames - Lightning, the Bolt, and the Virtuoso of Firearms.
* ''Anime/{{K}}'' combines this with AnimalMotifs ''and'' ReligiousAndMythologicalThemeNaming- Misaki Yata is called "Yatagarasu", a mythological crow (note that his [[FoeRomanceSubtext love interest]], ''Saru''hiko Fushimi resembles a crow, while Misaki resembles a monkey).

* ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'': Simon [[ThisIsADrill The Digger]]. Interestingly, this wasn't initially supposed to a badass title - back in the village where he was born, he was given this nickname because, well, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin he was really good at digging]].

* ''Manga/{{Trigun}}'' - Vash the Stampede is such a WalkingDisasterArea that he gets dubbed the "Humanoid Typhoon" (and actually gets reclassified as an "Act of God" by the planet's biggest insurance company so it doesn't have to pay out damages incurred in connection with him).

** Manjyome "Thunder", which stems from his CatchPhrase. Whenever anybody calls him "Manjyoume", he insists "It's [[UsefulNotes/JapaneseHonorifics Manjyome-san!]]" - in Japanese, "Manjyome-'''san da'''!". Since that would be a real bear to adapt into English, the dub drops the whole thing in favor of him calling himself "''[[SpellMyNameWithAThe The]]'' [[DubNameChange Chazz]]".

*** "Devil Child" Nico Robin is a bit of the subversion, because she ''didn't'' get the name because of her combat prowess (which, to be fair, is formidable) or her personality, but because she can read the Poneglyph language and thus is a threat to the World Government's revisionist history.

* In the ''Manga/OnePiece'' universe, it seems like everyone will be given a badass epithet once acquiring the first bounty. Below are some notable examples.
** The Straw Hat crew: "Straw Hat" Luffy, "Pirate Hunter" Zoro, "Cat Burglar" Nami, "Devil Child" Nico Robin, "King of the Snipers" Sogeking (also known as Usopp), "Black Leg" Sanji, "Cyborg" Franky, and "Humming/Soul King" Brook. ("Cotton Candy Lover" Chopper doesn't really count though.) Usopp was later known as "God" Usopp and got a drastic bounty increase to match. Luffy is an [[InvertedTrope inverted]] case in that the phrase "Straw Hat" would not innately bring fear to people, but in-universe, Luffy's actions have been so bold and so terrifying to those who'd cross him that Luffy has unintentionally ''made'' "Straw Hat" into a fear-inducing pair of words.
** The Worst Generation: "Captain" Eustass Kid, "Massacre Soldier" Killer, "Magician" Basil Hawkins, "Red Flag" X. Drake, "Surgeon of Death" Trafalgar Law, "Roar of the Sea" Scratchmen Apoo, "BigEater" Jewelry Bonney, "Gang" Capone Bege, and "Mad Monk" Urouge.
** The (original) Seven Warlords of the Sea: "Hawk-Eye" Dracule Mihawk, "Sir" Crocodile, "Tyrant" Bartholomew Kuma, "Heavenly Demon" Donquixote Doflamingo, "Pirate Empress" Boa Hancock, "Knight of the sea" Jinbe. (Gekko Moriah does not have one.)

*** Whitebeard pirates Division Commanders: Marco "The Phoenix", "Fire Fist" Ace, "Diamond" Jozu, "Flower Sword" Vista.

** Here's more miscellaneous ones: "Foxfire" Kin'emon, Cavendish "of the White Horse" (He's also known as the "Pirate Prince"), Bartolomeo "the Cannibal" (not literally), Rebecca "the Undefeated Woman" (She's also known as [[spoiler:"the Phantom Princess"]]), Buggy "the Clown" (Later upgraded to "the ''Star'' Clown"), Oars "The Devil" (Also known as "The Continent-Puller"), "The Adventurer" Fisher Tiger, [[CanonImmigrant Ryuma "The King"]], Van Augur "the Supersonic", "Death God" Doc Q, "Corrupt King" Avalo Pizarro, "Evening Shower" Kanjuro, "Wet-Haired" Caribou, "Blood-Splatterer" Coribou, "Thunder Soldier" [[spoiler:Kyros]], Shiryu "of the Rain", and "Demon Sheriff" Lafitte.

*** Though, given the reputation the battle of Ishval has in the world of FMA and Roy's actions in it, the title "Hero of Ishval" may also double as TheButcher. The soldiers in his company who initially bestowed the title on him meant it to be an honor, but many of his foes (especially the homunculi) often invoke it to claim that they are NotSoDifferent and the title is sure to come up in any HannibalLecture. Roy himself seems to hold the latter view, Case in point being that a homunculi bringing it up in conversation with Roy is an indicator that he/she/it is about to be [[PlayingWithFire terminated]] [[BerserkButton with]] [[CurbStompBattle Extreme Prejudice]].

* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'': The Yellow Flash of Konoha[[note]]Minato Namikaze[[/note]], The White Fang of Konoha[[note]]Sakumo Hatake[[/note]], The Demon of the Hidden Mist,[[note]]Zabuza Momochi[[/note]] The God of Shinobi,[[note]]Hiruzen Sarutobi, The Sage of Six Paths, ''and'' Hashirama Senju[[/note]] The Professor,[[note]]Hiruzen Sarutobi again[[/note]] The Legendary Sannin (The Toad Sage,[[note]]Jiraiya[[/note]] The Slug Princess[=/=][[UnfortunateNames The Legendary Sucker,]][[note]]Tsunade[[/note]] and The White Snake,[[note]]Orochimaru[[/note]]) the Zombie Combo,[[note]]Hidan and Kakuzu[[/note]] The Copy Ninja/Kakashi of the Sharingan,[[note]]Kakashi Hatake[[/note]] The God of Amegakure[[note]]Pain[[/note]]...

** Each of the "seven sins" homunculi get one. We have Lust "the Lascivious", Gluttony "the Voracious", Envy "the Jealous", Sloth "the Indolent", Wrath "the Furious", Greed "the Avaricious", and Pride "the Arrogant".

* Basically everybody who is anybody in ''LightNovel/{{Overlord}}'' has some kind of badass title, [[AllThereInTheManual usually given in the character's profile]]. Main character Momonga has the rather long and unwieldy "[[TheArchmage The Strongest Magic Caster]], [[DemBones With The Appearance Of A Skeleton]]", though within the New World, he eventually acquires a much more condensed and widely used title: "[[SorcerousOverlord The Sorcerer King]]".

* ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'': Simon The Digger.

** [[ThrillSeeker The Sovereign of Destruction, Lyza the Annihilator]] is a fearless adrenaline junkie with a fascination for powerful weapons. She also has a terrifying temper, as we're also told that she once went after the people responsible for her busband's premature death and murdered every single one of them.
** [[MadScientist The Sovereign of Dawn, Bondrewd the Novel]] is a genius scientist devoted entirely to research and progress at any cost, even being perfectly fine with sacrificing his own life, well-being and sanity to make strides forward.

* In ''LightNovel/HighSchoolDXD'', if a character has a nickname, then it's likely they're very strong, especially if it's a [[InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons dragon]].

*** Anime/DragonBallZBrolyTheLegendarySuperSaiyan turns the "Legendary" Super Saiyan into its own form, a variant of the original transformation. As the user of this form, Broly himself is referred to as the Legendary Super Saiyan. The character was given a canon counterpart in Anime/DragonBallSuperBroly, but this version has not been referred to in-universe by any nickname.

* In ''LightNovel/HighSchoolDxD'', if a character has a nickname, then it's likely they're very strong, especially if it's a [[InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons dragon]].

* ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima''
** Evangeline A.K. [=McDowell=] has many of these including ''Maga Nosferatu'', ''Feared Queen of the Night'', and ''Apostle of Destruction''. Her least favorite is "Kitty". Very few people can get away with using that one. The others, though? She loves hearing them, especially if the person saying them is doing so fearfully.
** Jack Rakan has his own collection of nicknames: "The Thousand Blades", "The Man Who Cannot Die", "The Immortal Fool", [[OverlyLongName "That Damn Guy Who You Can Stab With Swords All You Like And It Won't Do A Thing, Dammit!"]]
** ''Negima'' is full of these; there's "Death Glasses" [[StoicSpectacles Takamichi]], Nagi the "Thousand Master", etc. Nagi is an interesting one because unlike a lot of the other titles, it's actually never made clear why he's called that. There are a few theories suggested, but they're both patently false: He barely knew five spells, let alone a thousand and he mostly certainly did not have a thousand ministra. Even if he had, the only confirmed two we ever saw were both with adult men, not young pretty girls like the joking explanation suggested.
** Negi himself eventually gained title of "Lightning God", quite appropriate for someone who is not only able to use lightning magic to great effect but also turn his whole body into it.
* The highest-ranked Otome in ''Anime/MaiOtome'' have nicknames that match that of their [=GEMs=]. For instance, Shizuru is known as the "Bewitching Smile Amethyst", and her [[TheRival rival]] Haruka holds the secondary title of "Continental Orb Topaz". Some of these tend toward the "odd" end of the WordSaladTitle scale.

* ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline''

* ''Manga/TriGun'' - Vash the Stampede is such a WalkingDisasterArea that he gets dubbed the "Humanoid Typhoon" (and actually gets reclassified as an "Act of God" by the planet's biggest insurance company so it doesn't have to pay out damages incurred in connection with him).

* Basically everybody who is anybody in ''LightNovel/{{Overlord}}'' has some kind of badass title, [[AllThereInTheManual usually given in the character's profile]]. Main character Momonga has the rather long and unwieldy "[[TheArchmage The Strongest Magic Caster]], [[DemBones With The Appearance Of A Skeleton]]", though within the New World, he eventually acquires a much more condensed and widely used title: "[[SorcerousOverlord The Sorcerer King]]".