Line #133 Main/TombstoneTeeth


1	[[quoteright:350:[[Manga/{{Bleach}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nnoitra_jiruga_3.jpg]]]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:Smile for the camera!]]
3
4	->''I'm a fright with my tombstone smile''\
5	''All the children run away from me.''
6	-->-- ''Music/TheyMightBeGiants'', "Cyclops Rock"
7
8	Most human mouths have roughly 32 teeth of an assortment of different shapes, but not in this case. These teeth are unnaturally large, straight, and uniformly rectangular -- bearing a striking resemblance to white bricks or the ivory keys of a piano, and sometimes not even distinguishing where the one jaw's teeth end and the other's begin.
9
10	Depending on how it's used this trope can be either PlayedForHorror or PlayedForLaughs -- and sometimes both at the same time -- but is always meant to look weird and offputting. When used for comedic purposes, this trope is chiefly a form of SuddenAnatomy cueing the audience in that the character -- specifically one that doesn't usually have block-shaped teeth -- is up to something; and usually sets up some form of [[TheToothHurts dental retribution]]. In cases where it's played for horror, this trope is used to indicate at the very least that something is... off... about the person these teeth belong to. This trope is popular with the MonsterClown archetype and is often paired with a SlasherSmile, some yellowing, and a bit of crookedness -- all the better to better show them off while highlighting how uncanny the person who possesses them is.
11
12	A Subtrope of ScaryTeeth that often overlaps with MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily. This style of teeth is often used as a sister trope to ToothStrip due to its simplicity, but characters just having block-shaped teeth as part of the artistic style -- without connotations of looking creepy -- doesn't count as this trope.
13
14	----
15	!!Examples:
16
17	[[foldercontrol]]
18
19	[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
20	* ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'': Several Titans have mouths sporting an abnormal number of identical rectangular teeth of varying sizes, further amping up their UncannyValley features. However, some Titans stand out in this regard:
21	** The aptly named Smiling Titan has a mouth drawn back in a disturbing rictus-like grin, exposing every single one of her several dozen identical rectangular teeth.
22	** The Attack Titan — when held by Eren Yeager — has no lips or cheeks, just a massive number of identical teeth set directly into its jaws; which prevents it from talking but comes in very handy for biting. [[spoiler:As the series progresses, the Attack Titan becomes an antagonistic force, as Eren turns on his friends, tries to claim the other Titan powers for himself, and instigates the Rumbling]].
23	** The Colossus Titan -- who literally kicks off the series' plot -- has dozens of identical rectangular teeth, though, while enormous, they're comparatively small to the rest of its body -- amping up the UncannyValley already dialed up to eleven by its lack of skin.
24	* ''Manga/AssassinationClassroom'': Koro-sensei sports a brick-toothed grin that only adds to his cute-but-creepy Smiley Face-with-tentacles appearance, and is the cherry on top of him being a borderline EldritchAbomination with enough power to destroy the planet. When he gets angry, however, his teeth turn into fangs. [[spoiler:Even when he was human, he'd sport a brick-toothed grin for comical effect when he was being perverted.]]
25	* Unlike other characters in ''Manga/BlackClover'', Magna's teeth are sometimes portrayed as this when he smiles. He's also the ButtMonkey of the Black Bulls for comedic purposes.
26	* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'':
27	** Mayuri Kurotsuchi, Soul Society's resident MadScientist, is completely unfettered and more than happy to conduct horrific experiments on not only himself but also anyone unlucky enough to catch his attention and/or exist within 50 feet of him. Likely as a result of his self-experimentation, his teeth are uniformly rectangular in shape and are ''far'' too long -- and are usually exposed in a gruesome SlasherSmile. At one point, he even paints them yellow.
28	** Shinji Hirako is the enigmatic leader of the Vizard -- a group of Hollowfied Soul Reapers. Initially introduced as a creepy figure who is spying on Ichigo and unaligned with either Soul Society or Aizen's Arrancar army, he has long rectangular teeth with zero indication as to where his upper jaw's dentition ends and his lower jaw's begins -- adding to his unsettling appearance. However, he eventually reveals himself to unambiguously be on the side of good, having been the former Captain of Squad 5 -- a post he resumes after Aizen's defeat.
29	** Nnoitra Gilga is a sadistic and misogynistic Arrancar and 8th member of the Espada, and is drawn with teeth like the ivory keys of a piano. One of the villains fought during the Hueco Mundo Invasion arc, he gleefully brutalizes his fellow Espada Grimmjow, Ichigo, and Orihime, and is revealed to have attempted to assassinate former Tres Espada Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck largely out of spite at her outranking him.
30	** When Szayelaporro Granz, the resident MadScientist of the Espada, eats one of his Fraccións to heal himself, his teeth are shown to be abnormally long and uniform in shape.
31	** A one-eyed spider-like Huge Hollow encountered by Ryūnosuke Yuki at the beginning of the [[Recap/BleachTheThousandYearBloodWarArc Thousand Year Blood-War arc]] has a mask with huge rectangular teeth, which it more-than happily uses to try to eat him.
32	* ''Manga/{{Boruto}}'': Unlike the first form of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's Ten-Tailed Beast, which had hundreds of fangs, [[spoiler:Jigen's Ten-Tailed Beast has a large mouth lined with two rows of uniformly-shaped humanoid teeth -- setting it apart from its predecessor and making it all the more unnerving.]]
33	* ''Manga/BattleAngelAlita'': Desty Nova, a MadScientist who is [[TheUnfettered completely unfettered]] when it comes to the depravity of his research, often sports this kind of teeth in a SlasherSmile when he talks about his favourite topics: Karmatron Dynamics and [[TrademarkFavoriteFood flan]].
34	* ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'':
35	** Numemon is a grotesque slug Digimon that has an enormous mouth with block-shaped teeth and a massive tongue, and is HatedByAll due to attacking by flinging its own feces at its enemies.
36	** Sukamon and its variants are cartoon poop monsters with massive mouths and crooked block-shaped teeth, and are HatedByAll due to their grotesque behaviour.
37	* ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}'': [[ChurchMilitant Alexander Anderson]] frequently sports a SlasherSmile replete with huge square teeth, the better to contrast with the shark-like ones sported by most of the series' vampires. It's especially evident in the ''Ultimate'' [=OVAs=].
38	* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'': Oddly, in their [[OneWingedAngel giant reptilian true form]], Envy has a mouth filled with ridicolously rectangular teeth.
39	* ''Manga/KeepYourHandsOffEizouken'': Hard-nosed producer Sayaka Kanamori is typically shown gritting her perfectly straight teeth. Her constant toothy grimace underlines her position as the least idealistic and the most unscrupulous of the main trio (as well as her occasional exasperation at the other two's antics), only helping with the production of Asakusa and Mizusaki to make a profit and willing to use questionable means like half-lies and intimidation to get what they need.
40	%%* ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'': PerpetualSmiler and resident ButtMonkey Hanta Sero, whose teeth -- unlike those of the rest of the cast -- are long and rectangular. His optimism and upbeat attitude ensure that they're almost always being shown whenever he's around.
41	* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'': Kraft Work, Sale's Stand, has teeth like the ivory keys of a piano, contrasting with just about every other Stand in the series.
42	* ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'': While normally depicted with fangs, the Sludge Villain is depicted with uniformly-shaped block-like teeth when taking over the body of Katsuki Bakugo and [[spoiler:when he returns in Chapter 341]].
43	* ''Literature/TheRisingOfTheShieldHero'': Beloukas, better known by his occupational title of the Slave Trader, is a short, rotund man who styles himself after a [[RepulsiveRingmaster ringmaster]] -- running a circus-themed SlaveMarket -- and constantly sports a too-wide grin of unusually rectangular teeth. His [[AffablyEvil theatrically cheerful attitude belies a deeply sinister nature]] and serves mainly as a lure for potential customers and victims alike: he initially intended to enslave Naofumi; and eagerly offered to pay a significant amount to buy Raphtalia back upon seeing how much she'd grown, with the implied intent of selling her into prostitution due to him upping his offer when informed she was still a virgin.
44	* ''Manga/OnePiece'': The pirate Scratchmen Apoo is a comical figure whose Devil Fruit ability lets him turn his body parts into musical instruments. As a result, his teeth look like piano keys and he can even produce musical notes by pressing them.
45	* ''Manga/SetonAcademyJoinThePack'': Pan Saruhama, the [[ManiacMonkeys conniving chimpanzee-girl]], is shown sporting too-long brick-like teeth whenever she's scheming something... which is all the time.
46	* ''Manga/VoicesInTheDark'': Sōichi Tsujii is introduced as an 11-year-old boy who goes out of his way to be as creepy as possible, often sporting a nightmarish grin with his eyes in shadow and too many teeth that look like a piano's ivory keys.
47	* ''Manga/YowamushiPedal'': The antagonistic Midosuji Akira is the only character who always has individually drawn teeth. He takes special pride in how perfect they are, and is often seen gnashing and clacking them together alongside his other uncanny body language. Unfortunately, this habit backfires on him during the second day of the Interhigh when [[spoiler: he snaps his teeth together too hard and accidentally cracks one of them - the shock throws him off-balance for long enough that the other riders are able to pass in front of him]].
48	[[/folder]]
49
50	[[folder:Comic Books]]
51	* ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'': The Joker is often drawn with too many too-long teeth as part of his trademark rictus grin, highlighting his nature as a psychotic and sadistic killer.
52	* ''ComicBook/TheMask'': Big Head -- who is very much a horror figure in the comics -- usually sports a mouth full of massive brick-shaped teeth, though their exact number varies randomly due to his chaotic nature.
53	* Creator/RobLiefeld has a habit of drawing characters with ''far'' too many uniformly-shaped teeth. But the one that fits the most with this trope is Comicbook/YoungbloodImageComics's [[https://comicvine1.cbsistatic.com/uploads/scale_large/5/56044/1630023-youngblood__1992_1st_series__05.jpeg Bedrock]], who also has them very long.
54	* ''ComicBook/{{Spawn}}'':
55	** In his humanoid form of The Clown, the demonic Violator is often drawn with these as an indicator that he's a) not human, and b) evil -- whenever he's not just drawn with straight-up fangs.
56	** Billy Kincaid, a pedophilic child murderer, is often depicted sporting a depraved grin with way too many uniform teeth -- particularly in the animated series.
57	* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': Norman Osborn is frequently drawn sporting a ghoulish grin as the Green Goblin, as are the other members of the Goblin clan. His rival, the Hobgoblin, stands out in particular, especially when drawn by Creator/ToddMcFarlane.
58	* ''ComicBook/{{Venom}}'':
59	** The titular symbiote-augmented supervillain-turned-antihero was originally drawn with these before quickly transitioning into fangs, and some artists go back to this look for the sheer creepiness factor.
60	** In [[ComicBook/VenomRemenderAndBunn Rick Remender and Cullen Bunn's run]], Agent Venom briefly amalgamated the Venom symbiote with a derelict car to create the Venom Mobile, turning its hood into a mouth lined with far too many block-shaped teeth.
61	** [[ComicBook/{{Carnage}} Cletus Kasady]] is sometimes drawn sporting a SlasherSmile with these -- not counting his JaggedMouth and/or fanged MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily as Carnage -- to highlight his maniacal and nihilistic bloodlust.
62	[[/folder]]
63
64	[[folder:Comic Strips]]
65	* Comicstrip/{{Garfield}} frequently employs these for comedy (specially when it's admittedly a fake smile), yet there are [[https://scontent.fplu9-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/65656839_10156540579995847_8864884358041829376_n.jpg?_nc_cat=109&_nc_ohc=BatNtE_EutgAX8_tFPY&_nc_ht=scontent.fplu9-2.fna&oh=076c18ec1dd901c2ef9229ba7004554d&oe=5EB68DBA a]] [[https://assets.amuniversal.com/a40ba4e05f6f012ee3c100163e41dd5b few]] [[https://d1ejxu6vysztl5.cloudfront.net/comics/garfield/1980/1980-04-11.gif cases]] intended to be unnerving. Even by [[https://assets.amuniversal.com/037836900ca60133f499005056a9545d his owner Jon!]]
66	[[/folder]]
67
68	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
69	* ''WesternAnimation/TheBraveLittleToaster'': The firefighter MonsterClown seen in Toaster's nightmare has a vertically too-wide SlasherSmile that bares not just his disturbingly long teeth, but a grotesque amount of gum tissue. Further amping up the nightmare fuel, he speaks without opening his mouth, just moving his lips around his teeth.
70	* ''WesternAnimation/MeetTheRobinsons'': Bowler Hat Guy has a mouth full of too many too-long slightly crooked rectangular teeth, adding to his stereotypical DastardlyWhiplash appearance.
71	* [[VileVillainSaccharineShow The Coachman's]] NightmareFace from ''{{WesternAnimation/Pinocchio}}''.
72	-->'''The Coachman''': They never come back... as BOYS!!!
73	* ''Animation/TreasureIsland1988'': In this 1988 Soviet cartoon adaptation of ''Literature/TreasureIsland'', Dr. Livesey is depicted with long rectangular teeth and is almost-constantly grinning. In several scenes, his mouth doesn't open as he speaks, with him instead moving his lips around his teeth. Tellingly, most of the fanart of him focuses on his grin and is unsettling at best and straight-up horrifying at worst.
74	[[/folder]]
75
76	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
77	* ''Creator/LaurelAndHardy'': The butler from ''The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case'' -- played by Frank Austin -- smiles ghoulishly at the main characters after bidding them goodnight, with his teeth seeming to extrude as he grins at them. And when he closes his mouth his smile becomes all the more disturbing.
78	* ''Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheReturnOfTheKing'': The Mouth of Sauron is a man who -- as his moniker suggests -- serves as the mouthpiece for the Dark Lord Sauron, confronting and being killed by Aragorn before the final battle in the extended edition of the movie. As part of his grotesque appearance, his lips have been cut off to reveal yellowed teeth that are far too long and look on the verge of rotting out of his head.
79	* ''Film/TheMask'': In a comedic case, then-masked Stanley has the same oversized brick-shaped teeth from the comics, which make him more cartoonish and zany (Creator/JimCarrey even made an effort to learn to talk with the dentures so they'd appear full-time).
80	[[/folder]]
81
82	[[folder:Literature]]
83	* ''In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories'': In "The Teeth", a boy is walking home at night and meets three strangers one-by-one who grin at him, showing increasingly longer teeth. At the sight of the third man, with his too-long, yellow teeth, the protagonist just runs.
84	[[/folder]]
85
86	[[folder:Music]]
87	* {{Music/Ween}}'s mascot and logo, the Boognish, sports a nice big set of rectangular chompers.
88	[[/folder]]
89
90	[[folder:Video Games]]
91	%%* ''VideoGame/DuckHunt'': The dog has distinctly un-doglike block-shaped teeth that he exposes while snickering at you for letting a duck get away.
92	* ''VideoGame/DragonMarkedForDeath'': The Ogres fought as {{Giant Mook}}s have lip-less mouths lined with blockish teeth, accentuating their hideous appearances. The first boss of the game -- the Ogre Prince, and his father the Ogre King -- are particularly cruel and sadistic, with their introductory cutscene being the former chowing down on a helpless villager while the latter laughs.
93	* ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'': Rider of the Resistance -- aka Christopher Columbus -- is a depraved and sadistic NeutralEvil conquistador who has a number of sprites that show him sporting a "daring smile" -- that is to say, distorting his whole face into a nightmarishly grotesque vertically-wide grin that exposes blockish teeth; a trait his SuperDeformed artwork exaggerates for comical effect.
94	* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'': The [=ReDeads=] in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'', ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'', and ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' are zombies with large rectangular teeth -- in the former made all the creepier by the coffin-wood masks they wear.
95	* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':
96	** As opposed to Gastly's CuteLittleFangs and Haunter's JaggedMouth, Gengar has large uniformly rectangular teeth that give it a creepy grin -- befitting a sadistic ghost that, according to its later Pokédex entries, delights in cursing and draining the life force of everyone around it.
97	** Cetitan has uneven but rectangular teeth resembling the baleen plates that baleen whales are named after.
98	* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil3Remake'': Nemesis' updated design features a lipless mouth with an abnormal number of grotesquely long, narrow teeth.
99	* ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'': Sans the skeleton has a big Gengar-like grin with always shut teeth.
100	* VideoGame/{{Wario}} has large block-shaped teeth that accentuate his comically grotesque appearance, and even [[ManBitesMan puts them to use]] in the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' series.
101	[[/folder]]
102
103	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
104	* ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc'': The villainous mascot Monokuma sports these on his black half, alongside a jagged red eye. Turns out, [[spoiler:it's a trait shared by his creator, Junko Enoshima; whenever she's thinking of something devious, she develops a Monokuma-like grin.]]
105	[[/folder]]
106
107	[[folder:Web Comics]]
108	* ''Webcomic/CharbyTheVampirate'': Zeno has tall, uneven rectangular teeth.
109	* ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'': Grace while in her full squirrel form has 2 pairs of rectangular buck teeth.
110	[[/folder]]
111
112	[[folder:Web Original]]
113	* ''WebAnimation/AlphabetLore'': A has these teeth as part of his design.
114	* ''WebAnimation/HappyTreeFriends'': While most of the cast sport these in addition to cutesy buck teeth owing to the simplistic art style, Flippy the Bear stands out as an example given that he's a timid war veteran... until something happens to set off his PTSD and his AxCrazy split personality Fliqpy -- who has [[FangsAreEvil fangs]] instead -- takes over to brutally slaughter everyone he comes across.
115	* ''ARG/TheNoedolekcinArchives'': In his true form, Kirk Odd has a unnaturally wide smile with large, yellowing teeth.
116	* WebAnimation/WeeblAndBob: The animated song ''[[http://weebls-stuff.com/toons/ive-seen-things-scampi-animated-music-video-mrweebl/ Scampi]]'' stars a rather paranoid man with red hair, an oddly-shaped cleft chin... and enormous yellow teeth that take up most of his face and don't move as he sings.
117	[[/folder]]
118
119	[[folder:Western Animation]]
120	* ''WesternAnimation/CourageTheCowardlyDog'': The aptly named "Freaky Fred" was a PerpetualSmiler, always showing off his long, flat, white teeth, emphasizing his creepy nature.
121	* ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes''
122	** This style of teeth is commonly used for artistic simplicity and comedic effect, and is often shown being used as doors, being [[TheToothHurts shattered like panes of glass]], and for other CartoonPhysics-laded slapstick gags. However, characters who don't normally have teeth like this -- such as Sylvester the Cat, Wile E. Coyote, Daffy Duck (who [[ToothyBird shouldn't even have teeth in the first place]] and usually doesn't), and Taz (who is usually depicted with massive fangs) -- are often depicted spontaneously sporting this style of teeth while being conniving or attempting to conceal a wrongdoing they committed or are about to commit. This [[OffModel sharp departure from their usual appearance]] is frequently used as a cue that they're up to something and sets up the aforementioned dental horror gags as comeuppance.
123	** In the banned World War II propaganda cartoon ''WesternAnimation/TokioJokio'', Japanese people are depicted with massive rectangular teeth as part of a racist caricature.
124	* ''WesternAnimation/TheMask'': Almost everyone who wears the Mask gets a set of large white block-shaped teeth (the exceptions being both Pretorius and Fish Guy having their teeth become [[FangsAreEvil sharp fangs]]).
125	[[/folder]]

Context Main / TombstoneTeeth