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{{trope}}Black and red. In the western world, these are the two most sinister colors, as red typically conveys the meaning of blood and black of [[Dark Is Evil|darkness]] or death. Sticking to these two colors is common for designers who want to create something as sinister as possible.
{{trope}}
 
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[[File:black-and-red-and-evil-all-over_3758.jpg|link=Star Wars: The Clone Wars|frame|The [[Spikes of Villainy|horns]], snarl and [[Red Eyes, Take Warning|red-gold]] eyes should help, in case this example is [[Obviously Evil|too subtle]].]]
 
   
 
The favorite colors for villains to dress in. Most [[Ominous Opera Cape]]s are a case of this: black on the outside, red on the inside. Also common for the covers and credit sequences of [[Horror]] books, films, and games, to show that a work is [[Darker and Edgier]]. It's not uncommon for cases of this to be juxtaposed with a group of characters represented by blue and white.
   
 
[[Dark Is Not Evil]] can also apply with [[Anti-Hero|Anti Heros]] and even [[Villain Protagonist]]s heavily using a red and black color scheme as a visual reminder that these people, no matter how much we are supposed to identify with them, are not "good guys".
Black and red. In the western world, these are the two most sinister colors, as red typically conveys the meaning of blood and black of [[Dark Is Evil|darkness]] or death. Sticking to these two colors is common for designers who want to create something as sinister as possible.
 
 
The favorite colors for villains to dress in. Most [[Ominous Opera Cape|Ominous Opera Capes]] are a case of this: black on the outside, red on the inside. Also common for the covers and credit sequences of [[Horror]] books, films, and games, to show that a work is [[Darker and Edgier]]. It's not uncommon for cases of this to be juxtaposed with a group of characters represented by blue and white.
 
 
[[Dark Is Not Evil]] can also apply with [[Anti-Hero|Anti Heros]] and even [[Villain Protagonist|Villain Protagonists]] heavily using a red and black color scheme as a visual reminder that these people, no matter how much we are supposed to identify with them, are not "good guys".
 
   
 
See also [[Good Colours Evil Colours]], [[Dark Is Evil]], [[Dark Is Not Evil]], and [[Red Filter of Doom]]. Contrast [[Gold and White Are Divine]].
 
See also [[Good Colours Evil Colours]], [[Dark Is Evil]], [[Dark Is Not Evil]], and [[Red Filter of Doom]]. Contrast [[Gold and White Are Divine]].
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** Darth Maul, who made full-body, red-and-black, Sith tattoos popular. You'll find them on lots of Extended Universe characters.
 
** Darth Maul, who made full-body, red-and-black, Sith tattoos popular. You'll find them on lots of Extended Universe characters.
 
* [[The Vamp|Poison Ivy]] in ''Batman & Robin'' adopts this color scheme instead of her regular red-and-green motif in a final effort to seduce Robin into sharing a [[Kiss of Death|kiss]] with her, [[Blatant Lies|for love]]. It works. {{spoiler|Though not as she expected.}}
 
* [[The Vamp|Poison Ivy]] in ''Batman & Robin'' adopts this color scheme instead of her regular red-and-green motif in a final effort to seduce Robin into sharing a [[Kiss of Death|kiss]] with her, [[Blatant Lies|for love]]. It works. {{spoiler|Though not as she expected.}}
  +
 
{{quote| '''Robin:''' "Is your thumb the only part of you that's [[Lampshade Hanging|green]]?"<br />
 
{{quote| '''Robin:''' "Is your thumb the only part of you that's [[Lampshade Hanging|green]]?"<br />
 
'''Poison Ivy:''' "You will just '''[[Giving Someone the Pointer Finger|have]]''' [[The Tease|to find out]]!" }}
 
'''Poison Ivy:''' "You will just '''[[Giving Someone the Pointer Finger|have]]''' [[The Tease|to find out]]!" }}
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** Course, the good guys are colored black as well, but they have blue or green lines.
 
** Course, the good guys are colored black as well, but they have blue or green lines.
 
* The Master's robes in [[Manos: The Hands of Fate]] are black with a red hand motif.
 
* The Master's robes in [[Manos: The Hands of Fate]] are black with a red hand motif.
  +
* The thugee cult in ''[[Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom]]'' wear red and black to match their underground volcanic lair.
  +
*''[[The Phantom of the Opera]]'' in the movie musical.
  +
*Thana from ''[[Ms. 45]]'' starts wearing black clothes and red lipstick to signify her gradual [[Heel Face Turn]].
  +
*The Black Knight from ''[[Monty Python and The Holy Grail]]'' wears black armor with a red emblem.
   
 
== Literature ==
 
== Literature ==
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* The seventh room in [[Edgar Allan Poe]]'s ''Masque of the Red Death'' is black with red stained-glass windows.
 
* The seventh room in [[Edgar Allan Poe]]'s ''Masque of the Red Death'' is black with red stained-glass windows.
 
* In ''The Spiral Labyrinth'' by Matthew Hughes, the magic system is colour-coded; each wizard has a major and a minor colour. The [[Big Bad]] uses black and red.
 
* In ''The Spiral Labyrinth'' by Matthew Hughes, the magic system is colour-coded; each wizard has a major and a minor colour. The [[Big Bad]] uses black and red.
* Red and black are the colors of [[The Caligula|House Targaryen]], former ruling house of [[A Song of Ice and Fire|Westeros]].
+
* Red and black are the colors of [[The Caligula|House Targaryen]], former ruling house of Westeros in [[A Song of Ice and Fire]].
  +
** It's cadet branch House Blackfyre inverts it's heraldry; a three headed black dragon on red.
 
* [[Our Demons Are Different|Raksha]] in [[Tales of Kolmar]] are always red and black.
 
* [[Our Demons Are Different|Raksha]] in [[Tales of Kolmar]] are always red and black.
   
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* All of [[Wrestler/Kane|Kane]]'s outfits throughout his tenure in the [[WWE]] prominently feature this color combination.
 
* All of [[Wrestler/Kane|Kane]]'s outfits throughout his tenure in the [[WWE]] prominently feature this color combination.
 
* ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]''. Villain turned [[Anti-Hero]] Spike often wears a black [[Badass Longcoat]] with a red shirt underneath. [[Complete Monster|Angelus]] also uses these two colors.
 
* ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]''. Villain turned [[Anti-Hero]] Spike often wears a black [[Badass Longcoat]] with a red shirt underneath. [[Complete Monster|Angelus]] also uses these two colors.
  +
* The shadow monster of ''[[Stranger Things]]'' is a black [[Eldritch Abomination]] surrounded by a red aura.
  +
* ''[[Game of Thrones]]''
  +
** House Targaryen. Thanks to House Blackfyre's absence, the their colors can sometimes be inverted.
  +
** House Lannister's colors are red and gold but black seems to be preferred because gold is gaudy.
  +
*These are Regina's colors in ''[[Once Upon a Time (TV series)]]''.
  +
*The gun-toting right wing citizens of Vulcan in ''[[American Gods]]'' wear black clothes with a red armband in a not so subtle [[Putting on the Reich|comparison to fascism]].
   
 
== Music ==
 
== Music ==
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* The Brotherhood of Nod in ''[[Command and Conquer]]'' wear black and red uniforms.
 
* The Brotherhood of Nod in ''[[Command and Conquer]]'' wear black and red uniforms.
 
** Similar to the above example, Soviets in ''[[Red Alert]]'' also often wore these colors.
 
** Similar to the above example, Soviets in ''[[Red Alert]]'' also often wore these colors.
* [[Sonic the Hedgehog]]'s [[Shadow Archetype]] Shadow has primarily black fur with streaks of red.
+
* [[Sonic the Hedgehog]]'s [[Shadow Archetype]] Shadow has primarily black fur with streaks of red.
 
* Zekrom from [[Pokémon Black and White]] is a black dragon with red eyes. [[Subverted Trope|But it's not really an evil Pokemon]], being at worst [[The Dragon]] to an [[Anti-Villain]], and if you're playing [[One Game for the Price of Two|the White version]] it's on your side.
 
* Zekrom from [[Pokémon Black and White]] is a black dragon with red eyes. [[Subverted Trope|But it's not really an evil Pokemon]], being at worst [[The Dragon]] to an [[Anti-Villain]], and if you're playing [[One Game for the Price of Two|the White version]] it's on your side.
 
* Golbez of ''[[Final Fantasy IV]]'' has his attire vary [[Depending on the Artist]], the color of his armor and cape ranging various shades of blue, but he's also commonly depicted wearing black armor and a black cape with a red lining.
 
* Golbez of ''[[Final Fantasy IV]]'' has his attire vary [[Depending on the Artist]], the color of his armor and cape ranging various shades of blue, but he's also commonly depicted wearing black armor and a black cape with a red lining.
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* Ultimecia of ''[[Final Fantasy VIII]]'' wears a red dress with black edgings on the bottom with black wings and a black feather ruffle.
 
* Ultimecia of ''[[Final Fantasy VIII]]'' wears a red dress with black edgings on the bottom with black wings and a black feather ruffle.
 
* All the Judges Magister in ''[[Final Fantasy XII]]'' wore a (red) Archadian seal on their (black) capes. Suitably imposing? Oh yes.
 
* All the Judges Magister in ''[[Final Fantasy XII]]'' wore a (red) Archadian seal on their (black) capes. Suitably imposing? Oh yes.
* ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'', Master Xehanort and Ansem Seeker of Darkness wear black longcoats with red linings, while Xemnas wears a black cloak and wields red [[Laser Blade|Laser Blades]] as his weapons. Ansem furthermore features the Heartless symbol as a [[Chest Insignia]], the Heartless symbol being universally associated with the creatures and appearing as a black heart with a red lining and cross over the center.
+
* ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'', Master Xehanort and Ansem Seeker of Darkness wear black longcoats with red linings, while Xemnas wears a black cloak and wields red [[Laser Blade]]s as his weapons. Ansem furthermore features the Heartless symbol as a [[Chest Insignia]], the Heartless symbol being universally associated with the creatures and appearing as a black heart with a red lining and cross over the center.
** Vanitas, Master Xehanort's apprentice, wears a red and black outfit looking disturbingly like exposed muscle matter, and his Void Gear Keyblade is red and black.
+
** Vanitas, Master Xehanort's apprentice, wears a red and black outfit looking disturbingly like exposed muscle matter, and his Void Gear Keyblade is red and black.
 
** In his [[Evil Costume Switch|Dark Mode]] Riku wears a variation of Vanitas's attire, but features blue and white more prominently. When possessed by "Ansem", the Keyblade he wields is an [[Evil Counterpart]] to Sora's Kingdom Key, with a black shaft and red handguard. Before he completed his [[Heel Face Turn]] and became a [[Yin-Yang Bomb]], Riku's normal weapon was the Soul Eater, a sword shaped like a black and red bat wing. [[Subverted Trope|Subverted]] in that in ''[[Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories]]'', Riku can switch to his Dark Mode despite [[Dark Is Not Evil|having learned his lesson from dabbling in evil]].
 
** In his [[Evil Costume Switch|Dark Mode]] Riku wears a variation of Vanitas's attire, but features blue and white more prominently. When possessed by "Ansem", the Keyblade he wields is an [[Evil Counterpart]] to Sora's Kingdom Key, with a black shaft and red handguard. Before he completed his [[Heel Face Turn]] and became a [[Yin-Yang Bomb]], Riku's normal weapon was the Soul Eater, a sword shaped like a black and red bat wing. [[Subverted Trope|Subverted]] in that in ''[[Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories]]'', Riku can switch to his Dark Mode despite [[Dark Is Not Evil|having learned his lesson from dabbling in evil]].
 
** While not evil, Terra is an [[Anti-Hero]] and thus two of his unique keyblades that symbolize his darker tendencies, the Darkgnaw and Chaos Ripper, are prominently black with red markings.
 
** While not evil, Terra is an [[Anti-Hero]] and thus two of his unique keyblades that symbolize his darker tendencies, the Darkgnaw and Chaos Ripper, are prominently black with red markings.
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** {{spoiler|Also The Black Knight's Alter Ego Zelgius wears a full suit of Red Armor. So it can be said that the character is both a Red and Black Knight.}}
 
** {{spoiler|Also The Black Knight's Alter Ego Zelgius wears a full suit of Red Armor. So it can be said that the character is both a Red and Black Knight.}}
 
* Although he himself is colored green, many of [[Super Mario Bros.|Bowser's]] insignias are a red face on a black background.
 
* Although he himself is colored green, many of [[Super Mario Bros.|Bowser's]] insignias are a red face on a black background.
* In [[Lego Adaptation Game|Lego Adaptation Games]], red and black objects can only be manipulated by evil characters.
+
* In [[Lego Adaptation Game]]s, red and black objects can only be manipulated by evil characters.
 
* [[Proud Warrior Race Guy|Split Dynasty]] ships in the ''[[X (video game)|X]]-Universe'' games have rust-red armor panels with gray/black unarmored sections. The Split aren't particularly ''evil'', but they have a [[Fantastic Racism|burning hatred]] for the peaceful Boron Kingdom. The Xenon fleet, a bunch of [[AI Is a Crapshoot|rogue terraforming robots]], have pitch black hulls and exposed internals glowing blood red.
 
* [[Proud Warrior Race Guy|Split Dynasty]] ships in the ''[[X (video game)|X]]-Universe'' games have rust-red armor panels with gray/black unarmored sections. The Split aren't particularly ''evil'', but they have a [[Fantastic Racism|burning hatred]] for the peaceful Boron Kingdom. The Xenon fleet, a bunch of [[AI Is a Crapshoot|rogue terraforming robots]], have pitch black hulls and exposed internals glowing blood red.
 
* The Phantoms in ''[[Star Ocean the Last Hope]]''.
 
* The Phantoms in ''[[Star Ocean the Last Hope]]''.
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* ''[[Blaz Blue]]'': Ragna the Bloodedge wears his black vest and pants on his red jacket. He's a [[Good Is Not Nice|Type 3]] [[Anti-Hero]] who wields the power of life-sucking darkness... and is a [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold]] at best. And he actually has no qualms of killing innocent people who get in his way.
 
* ''[[Blaz Blue]]'': Ragna the Bloodedge wears his black vest and pants on his red jacket. He's a [[Good Is Not Nice|Type 3]] [[Anti-Hero]] who wields the power of life-sucking darkness... and is a [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold]] at best. And he actually has no qualms of killing innocent people who get in his way.
 
** Also in the same game, there's Litchi Faye-Ling whose color scheme are majorly red with black tints around. This is instead a subversion as she is instead a sweet, motherly, kind and compassionate woman who is only concerned in helping those in need. Double subverted that eventually {{spoiler|she joined the enemy group, NOL}}, but then triple-subverted that {{spoiler|[[Forced Into Evil|she was forced and still retained her kind personality]] rather than [[Face Heel Turn|tossing them away and becoming a majorly evil person.]]}}
 
** Also in the same game, there's Litchi Faye-Ling whose color scheme are majorly red with black tints around. This is instead a subversion as she is instead a sweet, motherly, kind and compassionate woman who is only concerned in helping those in need. Double subverted that eventually {{spoiler|she joined the enemy group, NOL}}, but then triple-subverted that {{spoiler|[[Forced Into Evil|she was forced and still retained her kind personality]] rather than [[Face Heel Turn|tossing them away and becoming a majorly evil person.]]}}
  +
*Kano, Sektor and Reiko in the ''[[Mortal Kombat]]'' games.
   
 
== Web Original ==
 
== Web Original ==
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* In ''[[Drowtales]]'', the resident [[Living Doll Collector]], [http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?id=627 Kharla], seems to like the Red/Black combo.
 
* In ''[[Drowtales]]'', the resident [[Living Doll Collector]], [http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?id=627 Kharla], seems to like the Red/Black combo.
 
** These are also the colors most often worn by Syphile, Ariel's [[Abusive Parents|abusive caretaker]].
 
** These are also the colors most often worn by Syphile, Ariel's [[Abusive Parents|abusive caretaker]].
** And [http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?order=chapters&id=1832 Luliane] switches to this outfit after the timeskip, {{spoiler|because she's been possessed by Khaless, also qualifying this for [[Evil Costume Switch]]}}.
+
** And [http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?order=chapters&id=1832 Luliane] switches to this outfit after the timeskip, {{spoiler|because she's been possessed by Khaless, also qualifying this for [[Evil Costume Switch]]}}.
 
** In the last two cases, a more innocuous reason for the colors are because they are the Sarghress clan colors, along with this trope.
 
** In the last two cases, a more innocuous reason for the colors are because they are the Sarghress clan colors, along with this trope.
 
* [[Order of the Stick|Rich Burlew]] uses red/black word balloons for several demonic characters.
 
* [[Order of the Stick|Rich Burlew]] uses red/black word balloons for several demonic characters.
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* Cruella DeVil, the villain of ''[[101 Dalmatians|One Hundred and One Dalmatians]]'', primarily wears a white fur coat with a red underside over a black dress and red gloves. Her car is also colored red and black.
 
* Cruella DeVil, the villain of ''[[101 Dalmatians|One Hundred and One Dalmatians]]'', primarily wears a white fur coat with a red underside over a black dress and red gloves. Her car is also colored red and black.
 
* Kabuto, the villain of [[Pixar Shorts|''Tokyo Mater'']], is a mean Japanese racecar who sports mainly black and red paint. His paint [[Defeat by Modesty|gets stripped off his body]] after losing to [[Cars|Mater]] at the end of the short, but [[Series Continuity Error|for some reason reobtains it]] in ''Cars 2''.
 
* Kabuto, the villain of [[Pixar Shorts|''Tokyo Mater'']], is a mean Japanese racecar who sports mainly black and red paint. His paint [[Defeat by Modesty|gets stripped off his body]] after losing to [[Cars|Mater]] at the end of the short, but [[Series Continuity Error|for some reason reobtains it]] in ''Cars 2''.
* In ''[[Teen Titans (animation)|Teen Titans]]'', [[God of Evil|Trigon the Terrible]] is the most evil villain on the show, and is a gigantic red demon with black stripes on his arms, legs, and torso. Season 3's [[Big Bad]], [[Psychic Powers|Brother Blood]], normally [[Light Is Not Good|wears white and gold robes]], but the fighing outfit he wears underneath is red and black (with some silver) as is his whole body after he's [[Cybernetics Eat Your Soul|upgraded himself with cybernetics]].
+
* In ''[[Teen Titans (animation)|Teen Titans]]'', [[God of Evil|Trigon the Terrible]] is the most evil villain on the show, and is a gigantic red demon with black stripes on his arms, legs, and torso. Season 3's [[Big Bad]], [[Psychic Powers|Brother Blood]], normally [[Light Is Not Good|wears white and gold robes]], but the fighing outfit he wears underneath is red and black (with some silver) as is his whole body after he's [[Cybernetics Eat Your Soul|upgraded himself with cybernetics]].
 
* [[Big Bad|XANA]]'s primary colours in [[Code Lyoko]] are red and black.
 
* [[Big Bad|XANA]]'s primary colours in [[Code Lyoko]] are red and black.
  +
*President {{spoiler|evil Morty}} from ''[[Rick and Morty]]'' wears a black dress shirt and a red tie.
  +
* Hordak, [[Arch Enemy]] of ''[[She-Ra: Princess of Power]]'', has a red and black emblem on his chest.
  +
*Syndrome's giant robot in ''[[The Incredibles]]'' is colored black topped with a red eye.
  +
* Mr. Freeze in ''[[Batman: The Animated Series]]'' wears black goggles with red visors.
  +
*The "Hash Slinging Slasher" from ''[[SpongeBob SquarePants]]'' is cloaked in black silhouette except for his red eyes.
   
 
{{reflist}}
 
{{reflist}}

Revision as of 04:28, 3 January 2019

WikEd fancyquotesQuotesBug-silkHeadscratchersIcons-mini-icon extensionPlaying WithUseful NotesMagnifierAnalysisPhoto linkImage LinksHaiku-wide-iconHaikuLaconic

Black and red. In the western world, these are the two most sinister colors, as red typically conveys the meaning of blood and black of darkness or death. Sticking to these two colors is common for designers who want to create something as sinister as possible.

The favorite colors for villains to dress in. Most Ominous Opera Capes are a case of this: black on the outside, red on the inside. Also common for the covers and credit sequences of Horror books, films, and games, to show that a work is Darker and Edgier. It's not uncommon for cases of this to be juxtaposed with a group of characters represented by blue and white.

Dark Is Not Evil can also apply with Anti Heros and even Villain Protagonists heavily using a red and black color scheme as a visual reminder that these people, no matter how much we are supposed to identify with them, are not "good guys".

See also Good Colours Evil Colours, Dark Is Evil, Dark Is Not Evil, and Red Filter of Doom. Contrast Gold and White Are Divine.

Examples of Red and Black and Evil All Over include:


Anime And Manga


Comic Books

  • Deadpool's red suit with black stripes and matching red and black hood. Subverted in that he's not evil. He's just fucking nuts.
  • Superboy (Conner Kent) uses this color scheme in regards to Superman's trademark "S". This is especially true for his DCnU incarnation, where his costume is completely red-and-black. While Superboy is a hero, the opening issue of his comic (as well as the rebooted Teen Titans comic) uses the color scheme to make him seem sinister.
  • Seems to be popular with Batman-spinoff characters these days. While Batman and his protege are heroic, they use the color scheme to appear sinister and intimidating or to achieve Villain Cred when they need to, making this an Invoked Trope.
    • Nightwing has donned a red-and-black outfit after the reboot to reflect the new, grittier Nightwing.
    • Tim Drake (known as "Robin" or "Red Robin" depending on the time period) uses this color scheme.
    • Batwoman also has black-and-red digs.
    • The Joker's sidekick Harley Quinn wears a black and red playing card motif.

Film

  • Azazel from X Men First Class wears black, because he's a member of the Black Hellfire Club. His naturally red skin compliments his suit.
  • The uniforms, flags, and other props used in Ian McKellen's excellent 1995 film adaptation of Richard III are like this, due to the film's use of parallels to Nazi Germany in its 1930s-era Setting Update.
  • The Norsefire Party in the film version of V for Vendetta uses a black and red logo, specifically in order to imply a similarity to the Nazi party.
  • The basic color scheme of the neo-Nazis in Pink Floyd's The Wall? Black with red detail.
  • Most Sith Lords in Star Wars dress in black and wield a red lightsaber.
    • In Return of the Jedi, The Emperor's guards wear these colors.
    • Emperor Palpatine himself wears black and has red eyes and deathly pale skin.
    • Darth Maul, who made full-body, red-and-black, Sith tattoos popular. You'll find them on lots of Extended Universe characters.
  • Poison Ivy in Batman & Robin adopts this color scheme instead of her regular red-and-green motif in a final effort to seduce Robin into sharing a kiss with her, for love. It works. Though not as she expected.
Cquote1

 Robin: "Is your thumb the only part of you that's green?"

Poison Ivy: "You will just have to find out!"

Cquote2

Literature

  • The Custodes Fidei [1] order in the Deryni works have black robes with red belts and trim. Officially, the red is supposed to suggest allegiance to and protection for the House of Haldane. Guarding the Faith from what? From Deryni and their sympathizers, of course.
    • The order's name can also call to mind the famous Latin question, "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?"[2] Since they are an aspect of the corruption in the church, this is justified.
  • In The Lord of the Rings, Sauron's forces use black banners and an insignia marked with a red eye.
  • In Heathers, these are the school colors. This makes the antagonistic cheerleaders wear red and black.
  • The seventh room in Edgar Allan Poe's Masque of the Red Death is black with red stained-glass windows.
  • In The Spiral Labyrinth by Matthew Hughes, the magic system is colour-coded; each wizard has a major and a minor colour. The Big Bad uses black and red.
  • Red and black are the colors of House Targaryen, former ruling house of Westeros in A Song of Ice and Fire.
    • It's cadet branch House Blackfyre inverts it's heraldry; a three headed black dragon on red.
  • Raksha in Tales of Kolmar are always red and black.

Live Action Television

  • This Terran Empire logo in Star Trek.
    • Black and red are dominant colors of Klingon culture. They use it in buildings, flags, decorations, weapons, ships...basically everywhere!
  • All of Kane's outfits throughout his tenure in the WWE prominently feature this color combination.
  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Villain turned Anti-Hero Spike often wears a black Badass Longcoat with a red shirt underneath. Angelus also uses these two colors.
  • The shadow monster of Stranger Things is a black Eldritch Abomination surrounded by a red aura.
  • Game of Thrones
    • House Targaryen. Thanks to House Blackfyre's absence, the their colors can sometimes be inverted.
    • House Lannister's colors are red and gold but black seems to be preferred because gold is gaudy.
  • These are Regina's colors in Once Upon a Time (TV series).
  • The gun-toting right wing citizens of Vulcan in American Gods wear black clothes with a red armband in a not so subtle comparison to fascism.

Music

Religion and Mythology

  • Satan, in most of his modern depictions, is usually colored this way. The closest thing to this description in The Bible is a red dragon, but even then said depiction is not "dark" per se.

Video Games

  • Artix Entertainment has some examples
    • In Mechquest when becoming a vampire the player character dressed in red and black fancy vampire cloths
    • Gravelyn from Adventure Quest Worlds has a black cape and red armor
  • The cover of the PC version of Resident Evil 4.
  • The Brotherhood of Nod in Command and Conquer wear black and red uniforms.
    • Similar to the above example, Soviets in Red Alert also often wore these colors.
  • Sonic the Hedgehog's Shadow Archetype Shadow has primarily black fur with streaks of red.
  • Zekrom from Pokémon Black and White is a black dragon with red eyes. But it's not really an evil Pokemon, being at worst The Dragon to an Anti-Villain, and if you're playing the White version it's on your side.
  • Golbez of Final Fantasy IV has his attire vary Depending on the Artist, the color of his armor and cape ranging various shades of blue, but he's also commonly depicted wearing black armor and a black cape with a red lining.
  • Final Fantasy VI, in keeping with Putting on the Reich, Gestahl wears a red and black robe and the imperial banners are red with a black emblem.
  • Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII, Genesis wears a red longcoat with black pants and a shirt.
  • Ultimecia of Final Fantasy VIII wears a red dress with black edgings on the bottom with black wings and a black feather ruffle.
  • All the Judges Magister in Final Fantasy XII wore a (red) Archadian seal on their (black) capes. Suitably imposing? Oh yes.
  • Kingdom Hearts, Master Xehanort and Ansem Seeker of Darkness wear black longcoats with red linings, while Xemnas wears a black cloak and wields red Laser Blades as his weapons. Ansem furthermore features the Heartless symbol as a Chest Insignia, the Heartless symbol being universally associated with the creatures and appearing as a black heart with a red lining and cross over the center.
    • Vanitas, Master Xehanort's apprentice, wears a red and black outfit looking disturbingly like exposed muscle matter, and his Void Gear Keyblade is red and black.
    • In his Dark Mode Riku wears a variation of Vanitas's attire, but features blue and white more prominently. When possessed by "Ansem", the Keyblade he wields is an Evil Counterpart to Sora's Kingdom Key, with a black shaft and red handguard. Before he completed his Heel Face Turn and became a Yin-Yang Bomb, Riku's normal weapon was the Soul Eater, a sword shaped like a black and red bat wing. Subverted in that in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, Riku can switch to his Dark Mode despite having learned his lesson from dabbling in evil.
    • While not evil, Terra is an Anti-Hero and thus two of his unique keyblades that symbolize his darker tendencies, the Darkgnaw and Chaos Ripper, are prominently black with red markings.
    • For his cameos in the series, Sephiroth of Final Fantasy VII gets red linings added to his trademark black coat.
  • In Runescape, red and black are the colors of Zamorak, the evil god of chaos.
  • In The Last Story, the Gurak have a black-and-red theme going on, as opposed to the Human's white-and-blue color scheme.
  • Legacy of Kain, Villain Protagonist Kain wears numerous outfits over the course of the series, but many of them are prominently black with some red bits. His iconic attire for the series is black leather pants with a red cape wound over his chest like a sash.
  • Associated colors of the Inferno faction from Heroes of Might and Magic V were black and red.
  • The Vampiric Ghouls from the online RPG Dragon Fable have corrupted evil versions of the heroic Guardian armor of the "good guys" with Spikes of Villainy and a black and red color scheme instead of the normal white/silver and gold.
  • The Saboteur: all Nazi controlled areas are in black-and-white, except for the red from the blood or the swastikas.
  • Impossible Thief extraordinaire Carmen Sandiego frequently pairs her striking red coat and Nice Hat with an all-black getup underneath.
  • As part of being a Char Clone, Elzam of Super Robot Wars paints his robots black with red bits (along other tweaks). He eventually gets his own robot, the Aussenseiter, which is also in this costume. He eventually does a Heel Face Turn, though.
  • Team Rocket from Pokémon is often associated with the colors red and black. Their logo is even a red "R" on a black background.
    • Team Magma is also associated with Red and Black. In contrast, Team Aqua is Blue and White.
      • Darkrai, despite only being evil in some continuities, is completely black with a massive red collar.
  • The Black Knight from Fire Emblem Tellius wears Black armor and a Red Ominous Opera Cape. In the sequel, he gets a Red Inside/Black Outside Opera Cape instead. The Hero Ike is typically associated with Blue and White, in his Vanguard Costume.
    • Also The Black Knight's Alter Ego Zelgius wears a full suit of Red Armor. So it can be said that the character is both a Red and Black Knight.
  • Although he himself is colored green, many of Bowser's insignias are a red face on a black background.
  • In Lego Adaptation Games, red and black objects can only be manipulated by evil characters.
  • Split Dynasty ships in the X-Universe games have rust-red armor panels with gray/black unarmored sections. The Split aren't particularly evil, but they have a burning hatred for the peaceful Boron Kingdom. The Xenon fleet, a bunch of rogue terraforming robots, have pitch black hulls and exposed internals glowing blood red.
  • The Phantoms in Star Ocean the Last Hope.
  • The Terran Dominion of Starcraft, which despite the name is The Empire, is a stylized arm holding a whip. Sometimes the arm is red on a black background, other times it's black on a red background.
  • The opening and ending credits of the first Gabriel Knight game are in red text over a black screen. I you use higher resolution settings, you get illustrations in the style of old wood carvings, also in black and red. This is used to make the credits more ominous, as it is a horror game.
  • Bayonetta: Both Bayonetta herself and Jeanne have this color motif. Each is also Anti-Hero. Meanwhile, the Angels use Gold and White Are Divine, but are definitely not good.
  • Shin Megami Tensei: Black and Red are associated with the Chaos faction while Law takes White And Blue. Subverted since neither side is that much worse than the other.
  • Blaz Blue: Ragna the Bloodedge wears his black vest and pants on his red jacket. He's a Type 3 Anti-Hero who wields the power of life-sucking darkness... and is a Jerk with a Heart of Gold at best. And he actually has no qualms of killing innocent people who get in his way.
  • Kano, Sektor and Reiko in the Mortal Kombat games.

Web Original

  • In Drowtales, the resident Living Doll Collector, Kharla, seems to like the Red/Black combo.
    • These are also the colors most often worn by Syphile, Ariel's abusive caretaker.
    • And Luliane switches to this outfit after the timeskip, because she's been possessed by Khaless, also qualifying this for Evil Costume Switch.
    • In the last two cases, a more innocuous reason for the colors are because they are the Sarghress clan colors, along with this trope.
  • Rich Burlew uses red/black word balloons for several demonic characters.
    • Redcloak's most distinguishing features are his, well, red cloak and black armor.

Western Animation

  1. "Guardians of the Faith"
  2. "Who watches the watchmen?"