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Anime and Manga
Don't you lowlifes forget... that I have the authority and the power to execute every one of you right here if I see fit...!!!
— Chief Gaoler Magellan, One Piece
Comic Books
"You wanted the Dark Elves to stand together, remember? And so they have. Who do you think they would elect? A peacemaker? Have you met my people before? Dark Elves aren't weak little children, locking for a mother to love and cuddle us. We only follow the leaders we fear. And as for now... Svartalfheim fears no one more than me. "
—Malekith the Accursed, The Mighty Thor
Fan Works
Kyril moved in silence. He fought and killed in silence, and the men who were nominally under his command knew that he was not to be messed with but followed him regardless of their feelings on the matter. Truth to be told, he was irritated at this situation. He did not lead men into battle, he was not a true soldier. Kyril was a killer, yes, but not a soldier. He did not know his flank from his foot, or the words required to rise men up.
Hunters did not consider battle lines, the experience of the troops under their command, or what supplies they needed to wage war. Hunters killed, and that was it. What was Vault playing at, putting him in charge of these men? There were better options in his company for troop leaders.
— The Night Unfurls, lampshading this trope
Film — Animated
"Did you forget who I am? How I get to be the boss of bosses? I'm here because I'm the baddest of the bad. Anybody who ever stood in my way is dead. Everybody."
—Ultraman, Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths
Film — Live-Action
Captain America: You need men in these buildings! There are people inside and they're gonna be running right into the line of fire. You take them through the basement, or through the subway; you keep them off the streets. I need a perimeter as far back as 39th.
Police Sergeant: Why the hell should I take orders from you—
(three Chitauri leap down, but Captain America beats them senseless in seconds)
Police Sergeant: I need men in those buildings! Lead the people down and away from the streets. We're going to set up a perimeter all the way down to 39th street....
Police Sergeant: Why the hell should I take orders from you—
(three Chitauri leap down, but Captain America beats them senseless in seconds)
Police Sergeant: I need men in those buildings! Lead the people down and away from the streets. We're going to set up a perimeter all the way down to 39th street....
Apes seek strongest branch.
— Caesar, Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Literature
Join, hide, or die. That's all you can do when The Wild Hunt comes to call. Well, tonight, the Hunt is joining me.
— Harry Dresden, The Dresden Files
No man recognizes leadership without the challenge of combat.
— Stilgar, Dune
Force, my friends, is violence, the supreme authority from which all other authority is derived.
I receive, in Alethkar, only what I have demanded. In taking the throne by force, we implied — no we screamed — that strength is the right of rule. If Sadeas thinks he is stronger than I am, then it is his duty to try to take the throne from me. These are the fruits of my youth, Wit. It is why we need more than tyranny, even the benevolent kind, to transform this kingdom. That is what Nohadon was teaching. And that is what I've been missing all along.
— Dalinar Kholin deconstructing the trope, Words of Radiance (book two of The Stormlight Archive)
Weaver: You hurt people. And the way you reacted to me, on that night where the Undersiders kidnapped you, trying to slash my throat... you've killed.
Shadow Stalker: Yes. So have you. You might have a body count higher than mine.
Weaver: I might.
Shadow Stalker: You hurt people too.
Weaver: I did.
Shadow Stalker: A lot more than I did.
Weaver: Probably.
Shadow Stalker: And you weren't even subtle about it. Taking over a city, robbing banks, attacking the fundraiser, attacking the headquarters...
Weaver: Extorting the mayor. Unlawfully imprisoning people, a lot of other stuff.
Shadow Stalker: Yet you're out there and I'm in here. Funny how that all works out. It all comes down to strength in the end.
Shadow Stalker: Yes. So have you. You might have a body count higher than mine.
Weaver: I might.
Shadow Stalker: You hurt people too.
Weaver: I did.
Shadow Stalker: A lot more than I did.
Weaver: Probably.
Shadow Stalker: And you weren't even subtle about it. Taking over a city, robbing banks, attacking the fundraiser, attacking the headquarters...
Weaver: Extorting the mayor. Unlawfully imprisoning people, a lot of other stuff.
Shadow Stalker: Yet you're out there and I'm in here. Funny how that all works out. It all comes down to strength in the end.
— Worm
Live-Action TV
Do you understand what the chain of command is? It's the chain that I go beat you with until you understand who's in ruttin' command here!
— Jayne Cobb, Firefly
K'Temang: I'm confiscating your ship and its cargo.
Dukat: On whose authority?
K'Temang: (slasher smile) On the authority of the Klingon Empire, and the disruptors I have pointed at your vessel.
Dukat: On whose authority?
K'Temang: (slasher smile) On the authority of the Klingon Empire, and the disruptors I have pointed at your vessel.
— Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, "Return to Grace"
Ransom: What is the protocol in this situation? We have two captains and two ships. Who gets the last word?
Janeway: Starfleet Regulation 191, Article 14. "In a combat situation involving more than one ship, command falls to the vessel with tactical superiority."
Janeway: Starfleet Regulation 191, Article 14. "In a combat situation involving more than one ship, command falls to the vessel with tactical superiority."
— Star Trek: Voyager, "Equinox, Part I"
Music
They try to poison me in my wine
They try to kill me in my chambers at night
But I was a MAN before a king!
By this axe I rule!
They try to kill me in my chambers at night
But I was a MAN before a king!
By this axe I rule!
Tabletop Games
He has the biggest bashing stick, so it's a safe bet he's the leader.
"Here's a story for you, maybe help you understand. Orks got a hierarchy, like us, but it's not about what medals you got or how many stripes're on your shoulder. It's about the size of your tusks and how many other greens you can kick to crap. First firefight I was ever in, we saw this deformed bugger down in their trench. Nothing major: half his face had no skin, so his skull's showing through. We often saw him, so we called him Boneyface.
That day we watched old Boneyface get lucky. Killed a Space Marine all on his tod, then grabbed the poor bastard's melta and wasted another four when their backs were turned. Nasty stuff.
The point is, a couple of days later we're back on watch, and who should we see? Boneyface, shouting and yelling - but now he's bloody huge. Like, extra body mass, darker skin, bloody great tusks. That's the orks all over, see? They don't need intellect: when they do well their bodies reward them, bulking them up, filling them out. Like a promotion. And when they don't do well, they're dead."
That day we watched old Boneyface get lucky. Killed a Space Marine all on his tod, then grabbed the poor bastard's melta and wasted another four when their backs were turned. Nasty stuff.
The point is, a couple of days later we're back on watch, and who should we see? Boneyface, shouting and yelling - but now he's bloody huge. Like, extra body mass, darker skin, bloody great tusks. That's the orks all over, see? They don't need intellect: when they do well their bodies reward them, bulking them up, filling them out. Like a promotion. And when they don't do well, they're dead."
— Armageddon: A Trooper's Memoir by Sergeant Aggamem Breska, Warhammer 40,000: Xenology
"You buncha worthless grot-lovers wanna know why I'm da boss, do ya? I'm da boss cos I'm da biggest! I'm da boss cos I'm da meanest, and da loudest, and da 'ardest! I'm killier than any of yooz lot and I could kick all of yer teef in at once in a fight, then rip yer faces off fer good measure! So unless any of ya wanna 'av a go right now, den I'm da boss! No? Didn't fink so..."
—Ork Warboss Grukk Face-rippa, Warhammer 40,000
Video Games
Oy! You boyz folla me, or I'll give ya a thump!
— Ork Big Mek, Dawn of War
Dem orks got a Mek fer a boss! Dat's jus' sad, dat is.
— Kaptin Bluddflagg, Dawn of War II: Retribution
By the rite of Rak'shir, I am Highlord!
— Alarak, Heroes of the Storm
Mercy is weakness. If your leader shows weakness, it is your duty to kill him and show true authority... true power. That is why the Sith are strong.
— Shaardan, Knights of the Old Republic
Grunt: Nothing in the tank imprint indicated that humans could be so forceful. You command as though you've earned it.
Shepard: My enemies threaten galaxies. Everyone on my crew has earned their place.
Shepard: My enemies threaten galaxies. Everyone on my crew has earned their place.
Garrus: (to Wrex) Figured you'd gone soft sitting on your throne, forgot how to hold a gun.
Javik: He wouldn't be King then, would he?
Javik: He wouldn't be King then, would he?
"There was a time I was forbidden from fighting students... so I defeated the principal. Now I can do whatever I want!"
— King, Namco High
Megatron: You forget, Starscream! It was in this gladiatorial arena I proved myself worthy to lead!
Starscream: That day has long passed, Megatron!
Megatron: That day will live forever!
Starscream: That day has long passed, Megatron!
Megatron: That day will live forever!
"Right, I'm da boss, cos I got ma spellz, so wot's yer terms?"
— Goblin Great Shaman, Total War: Warhammer
Webcomics
Frans Rayner: I shall kill the President... thereby becoming the president...
Gordito: That's... uh... not how our government works.
Frans Rayner: I know. But by that point, I'll be dangerously close to convincing them that it is.
Gordito: That's... uh... not how our government works.
Frans Rayner: I know. But by that point, I'll be dangerously close to convincing them that it is.
"You smoked my boss... where I'm from, that puts you at the top of the food chain."
— Qarr, The Order of the Stick
MAXIM 69: Sometimes rank is a function of firepower
"See, that's the thing, kid. We're princes of the world. We take what we like. We break. We kill. We conquer. Imagine, if you will, actually trying to rule."
— Incubus on his fellow God-Emperors, Kill Six Billion Demons
Undine: I guess [Tessa] is the leader because she has the most raw power.
Sally: Yeah, not because she earned it or anything. How nice for her!
Sally: Yeah, not because she earned it or anything. How nice for her!
Web Original
Every time I punch something, the world gets a little different. One of these days I'll punch something really really big, and you'll want to be there to see it happen.
Western Animation
You asked before what gives me the right to rule? Because no one can STOP me!
— The Leader, The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, "Gamma World, part 2"
"Optimus is most certainly scrap...and I, as the most powerful of the group, shall replace him. Anyone who disagrees...may challenge me- now."
— Dinobot, Beast Wars, "Chain Of Command"
Being smart won't help you win this Gauntlet! It was designed for a big, strong dragon to win, because it takes a big, strong dragon to lead!
— Dragon Lord Torch, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, "Gauntlet of Fire"
"Me Sludge follow strongest leader. Always."
— Sludge, The Transformers, "War of the Dinobots"
