"Private military companies are best known for their bodyguard work. It's a big part of their business, but it's not the only part. For a big enough check, they'll rain hot lead down wherever you want. It's not work that attracts "service-with-a-smile" types."
Also known as mercenaries (mercs for short), soldiers of fortune, and a dozen other names. These characters can have a wide range of personalities, some with honor, or codes, or limitations, and others who will kill anybody to get the job done. The only common thread is that whatever they're into, it's a job, and they're getting paid. If it's a fantasy world, then they're Hired Swords/Wands/Bows/Axes/Whatever (you got the idea), but most commonly still Hired Swords. This is a Super-Trope of many, many tropes surrounding people who are hired to kill people or engage in other violent jobs in exchange for payment, from experienced Bounty Hunters and Professional Killers to lowly Mooks and anything else in between, as mentioned below:
Tropes:
Related Indexes:
- Adventure Guild
- Ambiguously Trained
- Army of Thieves and Whores
- Assassins Are Always Betrayed
- Assassin Outclassin'
- Bantering Baddie Buddies
- Battle Butler: A hired servant is also a proficient fighter.
- Bodyguard Babes
- Bodyguarding a Badass
- Bounty Hunter
- Bringing Back Proof
- Bringing in the Expert
- Bumbling Henchmen Duo: A pair of comedically stupid henchpeople.
- Cadre of Foreign Bodyguards
- Carnival of Killers
- Consummate Professional
- Contract on the Hitman
- Corporate Samurai
- Corporate Warfare
- Demanding Their Head: Commanding the hired killer to bring back the severed head of the mark.
- Elite Mooks
- Evil Debt Collector
- Evil Minions
- The Expy With No Name
- Former Regime Personnel
- From Camouflage to Criminal: A military veteran becomes a criminal.
- Hero Secret Service
- Hired by the Oppressor
- Hitman with a Heart
- Holy Hitman
- Hunter of Monsters
- Immortal Assassin
- Indispensable Scoundrel
- Inexperienced Killer
- The Informant
- In Love with the Mark: A hired killer falls in love with their target.
- Knowledge Broker
- Law Enforcement, Inc.
- Legion of Lost Souls
- Lovable Rogue
- The Magnificent Seven Samurai
- Mercenary Units
- Mooks: A villain's numerous underlings.
- Murder, Inc.
- Mysterious Mercenary Pursuer
- Ninja Maid
- Nothing Personal
- Not in My Contract
- The One with a Personal Life
- Only in It for the Money: Someone who doesn't enjoy their job, and only does it to get paid.
- Pinkerton Detective
- Price on Their Head
- Privateer
- Private Detective: A detective hired to investigate a crime.
- Private Intelligence Agency
- Private Military Contractors
- Professional Killer
- Psycho for Hire
- Punch-Clock Hero
- Punch-Clock Villain
- Recruiting the Criminal
- Rogue Agent
- Rogue Soldier
- Rōnin: A rogue samurai bound to no lord.
- Shady Lady of the Night
- Sociopathic Soldier
- Street Samurai
- Superbeing Soldier of Fortune
- To Catch Heroes, Hire Villains
- Venturous Smuggler
- "Wanted!" Poster
- We Help the Helpless
- Who You Gonna Call?