The archetype of the black knight. Variation of Knight.
Also Called[]
- Dark Knight
Properties[]
The black knight is a literary stock character who masks their identity and that of their liege by not displaying heraldry. Black knights are usually portrayed as villainous figures who use this anonymity for misdeeds.
An enigmatic warrior, clad head to toe in armor as black as night, which he is never seen without. Usually ridiculously powerful, he is feared by all who know of him. Wielding a sword, speaking in a low monotone or sinister growl, and looking totally badass while doing it, he is almost always a major antagonist.
The name comes from the black knights of feudal Europe, men who would paint their armor and shields black for several reasons. One reason for doing this was because they had no liege lord, making them analogous to Rōnin Samurai. The black paint prevented the armor from rusting, which made life moderately easier for knights without a squire. A more sinister motive for the paint was to disguise their identity. A knight could move freely and serve his lord's wishes without bringing him blame by painting over his coat of arms, one of the few ways to reliably identify someone in full armor and a helmet. This is older than print, going back at least to Arthurian legend. Note that, in its original usage, a Black Knight was not necessarily villainous, though he was dishonorable, which in the Middle Ages was barely a step up.
Although being a black knight, this character is still a “knight”. This places them rather high among the list of potential candidates for Dark Is Not Evil, or at least a sympathetic form of villainy. While that can take a variety of forms, they rarely are the Knight in Shining Armor. More likely, they can be anything from a Knight in Sour Armor to a Noble Demon. This character very rarely is a total villain, but also only rarely The Hero. If they are villainous and end up fighting another bad guy, the chances that they are A Lighter Shade of Black in that situation are extremely high. They might also be the holy, chosen guardians of The Sacred Darkness or a Magic Knight who uses that power alongside their sword or the use of advanced magic mainly of a dark nature.
Associated Powers[]
- Dark Arts (varies; only if possess magical training)
- Fallen
- Honor Empowerment
- Inner Darkness Externalization
- Peak Human/Enhanced /Supernatural Body
- Riders Aptitude
Associations/Relationships[]
- Anti-Hero/Villain
- Avenger
- Berserker
- Dark Magician
- Knight
- All Black Knights are Knights.
- Magic Knight
- Rebel
- Black Knights have often rebelled against their liege for power.
Examples Characters[]
- Lancelot (Arthurian Legends)
- Guts (Berserk)
- Skull Knight (Berserk)
- Black Knight Golem (Castlevania: Lords of Shadow)
- Dark Choco Cookie (Cookie Run series)
- Fright Knight (Danny Phantom)
- Sparda (Devil May Cry series)
- Vergil (Devil May Cry series); as Nelo Angelo
- AxeKnightmon (Digimon)
- ChaosGallantmon (Digimon)
- SkullKnightmon (Digimon)
- Golbez (Final Fantasy IV)
- Zelgius (Fire Emblem)
- Dimitri (Fire Emblem)
- The Kurgan(Highlander)
- Meta Knight (Kirby)
- Dane Whitman/Black Knight (Marvel Comics)
- Black Knight (Megami Tensei)
- Tristan de Bois (Merlin)
- Fizzlepop Berrytwist/Tempest Shadow (My Little Pony series)
- Black Knight of Worcestershire (Phineas and Ferb)
- Black Knight (Power Rangers Time Force)
- Black Lance (Power Rangers Mystic Force)
- Koragg (Power Rangers Mystic Force)
- Black/The Black Knight (A Practical Guide to Evil)
- SCP-5151 - The Black Knight (SCP Foundation)
- Sandor Clegane/The Hound (A Song Ice and Fire)
- Black Knight (Scooby-Doo, Where are You!)
- Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader (Star Wars)
- Ben Solo/Kylo Ren (Star Wars)
- Knights of Ren (Star Wars)
- Arturia Alter (TYPE-MOON)
- Lancelot (TYPE-MOON)
- Undyne (Undertale)
- Dark Blade (Yu-Gi-Oh!)
- Dark Flare Knight (Yu-Gi-Oh!)
- Ignoble Knight of Black Laundsallyn (Yu-Gi-Oh!)
- Ignoble Knight of High Laundsallyn (Yu-Gi-Oh!)
- Morpheus, The Dream Mirror Black Knight (Yu-Gi-Oh!)