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4[[quoteright:350:[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lets_go_jojo_6.png]]]]
5[[caption-width-right:350:Thanks to that conveniently cast shadow, there's no possible way to tell what's in Jotaro's mouth. Is it a lollipop? A straw?]]
6
7->''"I told her she would remain a beautiful silhouette against the warm light coming in through the curtains."''
8-->-- '''Creator/DavidLynch''' on how he convinced [[Creator/LauraElenaHarring Laura Harring]] to do the nude scene in ''Film/MulhollandDrive''
9
10A character (male or female) is full-on naked, but the artist doesn't want to reveal all. Yet an outright CensorBox will be just horrible (unless this was a comedy). This is a dilemma. What to do? Eureka! Just add some crafty shading and ''voila''! A convenient shadow! Now we can keep those private parts, well, private.
11
12The shadow can be worked to fit in the scene naturally, or just inexplicably be there on a bright sunny day.
13
14Not only used for nudity, it's often used as a result of ExecutiveMeddling last-minute censorship of something gory, causing a random dark slash covering half the screen and the {{Gorn}} behind it. Almost like a GoryDiscretionShot, only a bit sloppy.
15
16See also CensorSteam, GodivaHair, SexySilhouette, and SceneryCensor. For the opposite effect, hiding nudity behind ''light,'' see LensFlareCensor.
17----
18!!Examples:
19[[foldercontrol]]
20
21[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
22* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' uses this several times, including [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wonderweiss_6553.jpg with Wonderweiss]] with his privates conveniently obscured.
23* Covered nicely in ''Manga/ACruelGodReigns''; the manga often pans away when Jeremy is raped, and when it does show any of what is happening, it is shadowed out or left blank.
24* ''Manga/FireForce'': The anime initially didn't had this, but after the arson attack on Creator/KyotoAnimation in 2019, most scenes were {{bowdlerise}} and covered with shadow, especially the first ending theme, to tone down the fire effects.
25* ''Manga/JunjouRomantica'' used this during the more explicit scenes. The shadows were removed for the DVD.
26* ''Anime/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'': The murder scenes and aftermath were shrouded in shadows for the TV broadcast. The [=DVDs=] were uncensored.
27** Lampshaded in [[GagDub Higurashi Parody Fandub]] 8.
28--> '''Rena:''' 'Cause if you do, you'll [[DisproportionateRetribution be killed.]] [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking And then you'll be censored]]!
29* ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'''s anime adaptation uses this to censor the gore.
30* ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann''. During the prison fight episode risky angles were covered by shadows.
31* ''Manga/BlackCat'' does it, when Creed is naked and having nanomachine treatment to make him immortal. The camera pans extremely low, but his crotch is blacked out by the shadow of some of the machinery.
32* ''Manga/{{Kaiji}}'' uses these in [[spoiler:the losers' room on the Espoir]].
33* ''Manga/Change123'' uses a bit of shadow to hide the fact that Fujiko isn't wearing panties during her dance competition in chapter 4.
34* ''Manga/DeadmanWonderland'' uses it to hide {{gorn}}.
35* ''Manga/SoulEater'' puts a shadow under [[spoiler:Giant Asura]]'s robes, as well as when Weapons are naked in, well, Weapon Mode.
36* ''Anime/BloodC'' does a number of shadows during incredibly violent scenes.
37* ''Manga/FairyTail'':
38** Lisanna when she is captured, stripped naked and thrown in a prison cell, since unlike Erza and Mirajane (who were also captured) [[GodivaHair she doesn't have long hair that can cover her breasts]], and there are no [[SceneryCensor conveniently-placed candles or bubbles]] that can cover her genitals.
39** Wendy has a panel of this to censor an upskirt shot when she fights a demon guarding the Face statue [[spoiler:in that area]].
40* ''Literature/{{Another}}'': This is used for several death scenes, but most noticeably the death of [[spoiler:Yukari Sakuragi]] in Episode 3, where the most gory shots are noticeably darker than the reaction shots of onlookers, and a wide-shot showing her corpse has a conspicuous dark spot, right where the wound is.
41* The AnimatedAdaptation of ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'' uses the {{Gorn}} version, as well as to [[NoSmoking censor smoking]] by [[Manga/StardustCrusaders Jotaro]] because he's a teenager. The latter lead to fans joking that Joseph and Polnareff should have been able to SpotTheImpostor instantly, since [[IdentityImpersonator Oingo-as-Jotaro]] ''didn't'' get censored when he smoked. [[TooHotForTV Naturally, the DVD and Blu-ray releases remove them.]]
42* In ''[[Anime/Danganronpa3TheEndOfHopesPeakHighSchool Danganronpa 3: Despair Arc]]'', these are used to cover up the gorier parts of [[spoiler:[[DeadlyGame the first Mutual Killing Game]]]] in Episode 7, as well as the scene in Episode 9 in which a Reserve Course student decapitates himself with a chainsaw. The Blu-ray removes them.
43* In the ''Manga/BlueExorcist'' anime, [[BadassBookworm Yukio]] has this when he's [[OutOfClothesExperience shown naked]][[note]][[FridgeLogic except for his glasses]][[/note]] during a BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind.
44* Despite the many moments of FanDisservice and {{Gorn}}, ''Manga/{{Innocent}}'' avoids explicitly showing genitals by using the white blur.
45[[/folder]]
46
47[[folder:Comic Books]]
48* In the ComicBook version of ''ComicBook/AnitaBlake'', a wererat's genitals are covered this way.
49* In ''ComicBook/{{Elektra}}'' Vol. 2 #3, Elektra's nudity was covered in shadow and obscured by panel borders. A reprint issue further added [[DigitalBikini lingerie]] to her body.
50* In a StoryArc in the AnthologyComic ''Comicbook/MarvelComicsPresents'' showing the origin of ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} (running away from Project X), he's nude the entire time, but for shadows. The one time the artist couldn't justify any shadows, [[DigitalBikini he was suddenly in a pair of tighty-whitey briefs]].
51* ''ComicBook/ElfQuest'': In "Siege at Blue Mountain Part 1" Leetah and Nightfall dance in the moonlight. In the first panel, a shadow covers Nightfall's genitalia.
52** In "Hidden Years Part 1", we get a full-frontal shot of Strongbow, with a shadow obscuring the (in)appropriate bits.
53* For a female example, in ''X-Men Versus the Fantastic Four,'' Susan Storm momentarily becomes extremely fed up with her husband, Reed, because [[ReedRichardsIsUseless Reed is balking at using a machine to cure Kitty of permanent phasing]]. (It's complicated.) When in private, Sue uses her forcefield to [[ClothingDamage blast off her entire uniform]] and most of her body is conveniently in shadow, but not so much you can't tell she's nude.
54* In an early issue of ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk'', Betty Ross is transformed into the Harpy sans culottes, with her breasts and genitals hidden by shadows.
55** The ComicBook/UltimateMarvel version of the Hulk lacks MagicPants, so he usually wears shadows instead.
56* The ''Literature/MercyThompson: Homecoming'' comic uses anything -- even shadows -- to cover up Mercy's breasts and genitals.
57* This happens quite frequently in ''ComicBook/{{Hellboy}}'' with Hecate, the Baba Yaga, and the occasional demon. Partially justified thanks to Mignola's black-on-white {{Chiaroscuro}} art style. Sometimes Mignola chooses to show nipples, so it must be a stylistic choice.
58* Frequently happens to Wolverine when he ends up naked, especially in Weapon X flashbacks.
59* Used in ''ComicBook/TheSmurfs'' comic book story "The Smurf Threat", depicting the Smurfs who gave up their...uh, pants to create a BedsheetLadder for Papa Smurf, Jokey, and Hefty to escape the Grey Smurfs prison camp.
60* In the ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogIDW'' comics, there's just a black shroud under Amy Rose's dress, instead of the underwear shown in [[Franchise/SonictheHedgehog the games]].
61* Averted like the dickens in the first issue of ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}: Damned'', which had Batman nude in the Batcave in very deep shadows that did nothing to conceal the outline of his penis. The result: a very severe controversy and the first run of this issue being subsequently recalled by DC so it could be replaced with a second run that didn't had this detail.
62* ''ComicBook/RulahJungleGoddess'': In her OriginsEpisode, Jane Dodge has her [[ClothingDamage clothing destroyed]] in a plane crash. She is left butt-naked with her modesty preserved only by shadows and [[SceneryCensor strategically-placed vegetation]] until she fashions a FurBikini from the hide of the giraffe killed by her crashing plane.
63[[/folder]]
64
65[[folder:Fan Works]]
66* ''Fanfic/VowOfNudity'': Invoked by Spectra in one story, when she's hired by a goblin hunter to take his son's virginity. By the time she realizes the son is secretly gay they've already got an audience of his friends and hunting mates, so she casts ''minor illusion'' to create a small cloud of darkness to hide herself before shapeshifting into a masculine form to service him.
67[[/folder]]
68
69[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
70* ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid1989'' briefly does this to Ariel ,when she's in the shadows before she leaves Ursula's lair. However,[[https://www.deviantart.com/joshuaorro/art/Ariel-s-Butt-496510797 you can see her butt in a few frames]].
71* ''Westernanimation/{{Mulan}}'' has Yao, Ling and Chien-Po undressing with their bodies reduced to shadows, and the three are also like that when forced to share a rock (Mushu biting Ling's butt made them think there were snakes in the lake).
72[[/folder]]
73
74[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
75* Used in ''Film/GoneWithTheWind'' to depict a woman in labor, as back in the days of UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode, showing pregnancy and a woman going into labor was considered too risqué.
76* When Rita unrobes in the bedroom in ''Film/MulhollandDrive'', we see little more than just her silhouette against the light coming in through the window behind her.[[note]]Blurring had to be added to the actress' front part for the DVD release.[[/note]]
77* ''Film/Lifeforce1985'' presents a remarkably inconsistent use of this trope. The main antagonist of the movie, an otherworldly female vampire only known as Space Girl, is played by an incredibly hot Mathilda May and remains totally naked like 90% of her screen time. Shadows are used to censor some of the nudity, like when she's going up some stairs after escaping the autopsy room. Yet the rest of the movie doesn't bother and she's shown with her assets in full display. More jarring as this happens in the same sequence.
78* ''Film/{{Watchmen}}'': Dr. Manhattan's genitals are often obscured by a nimbus of light. Not always, though.
79[[/folder]]
80
81[[folder:Literature]]
82* ''Literature/TheSongOfHiawatha'' has an unusual example in print and in-universe: When Minnehaha blesses the cornfields by running naked around them at night, the darkness literally wraps around her so that no one watching will be able to boast about seeing her.
83[[/folder]]
84
85[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
86* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' episode "Chain of Command": Picard would show his butt, and have [[strike:five lights]] FOUR LIGHTS cast shadows, preventing anything from being seen.
87[[/folder]]
88
89[[folder:Video Games]]
90* In ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor'', Astaroth is depicted as a nude man riding a giant snake; there is a shadow concealing his crotch.
91* The "Anubis" enemy in the FirstPersonShooter ''VideoGame/PowerSlave'' (''Exhumed'' in Europe) has shadows under his kilt. Good thing too, because he does not know how to sit politely.
92* ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros''
93** The trophies depicting [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Peach, Daisy,]] and [[Franchise/TheLegendofZelda Zelda]] (their bases are translucent) from ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl'' actually did this to avoid showing a potential {{panty shot}}.
94** In ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosForNintendo3DSAndWiiU'', this was [[https://kotaku.com/princess-peachs-underwear-is-protected-from-your-gaze-1634782027 applied]] to a majority of the trophies as well as the in-game character models. For example, Rosalina’s dress has a cosmic texture underneath.
95* Applied to Duke Nukem's [[ManInAKilt kilt]] in the Medieval levels of ''VideoGame/DukeNukem: Time to Kill'' (except in a ''Film/{{Braveheart}}''-inspired EasterEgg, where he [[{{Mooning}} moons the camera]]).
96* Used when Female Shepard is wearing her little black dress in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', due to the fact that they kept the body language identical between male and female Shepards, resulting in what would be a complete upskirt shot when she sits down if not for this trope.
97* ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'': Snake is fully nude during the prologue briefing segments, with the camera cutting [[ShouldersUpNudity just above his waist]] or with a shadow on his crotch.
98* Used in ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'' with some of the shorter skirt [[VirtualPaperDoll options]] for a female PC to prevent {{panty shots}}.
99* Similarly, due to being fifteen years old, Reynn from ''VideoGame/WorldOfFinalFantasy'' has this ''and'' MagicSkirt for both her large and small forms.
100* [[BarbarianLonghair Necalli]] from ''VideoGame/StreetFighterV'' appears to have [[GoingCommando nothing but shadows]] under his LoinCloth.
101* ''VideoGame/TormentedSouls:'' When Caroline gets out of the bath in a dimly-lit room, we see her breasts, but everything below the waist is hidden by shadows.
102* ''VideoGame/YakuzaLikeADragon'': Several female characters wear a short skirt, either by default or for their {{Job|System}}. On the rare occasions that the camera lets you look up there (usually after falling awkwardly in a fight), you will only see shadows.
103* ''VideoGame/YandereSimulator'' was given an update that inserted a key-command that covers the girls' panties in shadow while keeping the {{panty shot}} mechanic in place.
104[[/folder]]
105
106[[folder:Visual Novels]]
107* Several instances in ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc'' place the camera in the position to look up Kirigiri's skirt, with this trope coming into play (such as [[SkirtsAndLadders climbing a ladder]] or squatting down to look for clues). In the UpdatedRerelease that includes a What-If side-story called School Mode, this gets lampshaded by the game with each character's School Mode ending including a pair of their underwear as a prize: apparently hers are so dark that it's virtually impossible to see anything anyway. The same applies to [[spoiler:Celestia Ludenberg]]'s dress during her execution.
108* [=ClockUp=]'s ''Fraternite'' and ''Maggot Baits'' use this for {{Gory Discretion Shot}}s, if you disable the {{Gorn}} CG variants.
109[[/folder]]
110
111[[folder:Web Comics]]
112* Used in ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja'' to cover for a catastrophic failure of MagicPants [[http://drmcninja.com/archives/comic/13p39 here.]]
113* Used in ''Webcomic/{{Erfworld}}'' to [[http://archives.erfworld.com/Book%201/36 discreetly depict]] the aftermath of Wanda's sexually charged torture and interrogation of Jillian.
114* Laampros in ''Webcomic/TheYoungProtectors'' is always naked, but his demon-parts are obscured by this most of the time (the rest of the time, a character or special effect just happens to be in the way).
115* One ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' strip features Elliot climbing out of bed wearing nothing but a pair of boxers after having [[PowerIncontinence accidentally]] [[GenderBender turned himself into a woman]] in his sleep. [[http://www.egscomics.com/index.php?id=928 The lack of lighting]] is the only thing protecting Elliot's modesty.
116[[/folder]]
117
118[[folder:Web Original]]
119* [[WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall Linkara]] laughed at such shadow in "Hardcore Station #1" for being so small that one could conclude that "Space Stalin has a tiny penis."
120[[/folder]]
121
122[[folder:Western Animation]]
123* The beginning episode of the 3rd season's plot in ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'' includes [[QuirkyMinibossSquad the Enforcers]] going through a TransformationSequence into [[SuperpoweredMooks Dark Chi Warriors]]. The last part of it has Ratso being stripped out of all of his clothes, but his modesty is preserved by some covering shadows.
124* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'': In "Sadie Killer", Sadie biting into a jelly donut is made to look like something from a horror movie by showing her heavily shadowed figure chomping shark teeth into a mass of [[ABloodyMess red goo]].
125* In ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfVoxMachina'', when Scanlan sneaks into Vedmire's house to create a distraction, the window he picks turns out to be the privy toilet... and Vedmire is there [[ToiletHumour taking a poop]]. Vedmire's penis is censored by Scanlan himself being in-between the camera, the camera then cuts to behind Vedmire after he stands up and one of his falling poops is not fully blocked from view but is obscured by a censored shadow.
126[[/folder]]

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