Barbarian

The term "barbarian" comes from the ancient Greek "Barbaroi," and is used to designate an uncivilised person or a person of an inferior culture. In reality, practically all foreigners or those who did not speak Greek were deemed to be "barbaros" and sometimes the term was used even for Greeks from other states. Later on, the term came into used mostly to designate the migrating tribes that conquered Rome during the dark ages and after that it referred to Goths and Vikings more specifically. In the pre-modern chinese view of the world, their was the middle kingdom, the center of human civilization which was surrounded by Barbarians which got more barbaric the further away you got from china.

Barbarian characters have been a staple of fantasy at least since Conan the Barbarian (ie. since the beginning) as "noble savages" who impress with their might and courage. Today, barbarians in fantasy retain this image of a savage warrior, clad in simple or primitive clothing that rely more on brute strength and chaotic violence than any precise fighting style or cunning. Seriously, when was the last time you saw a barbarian with more than 10 INT in D&D ? Derp.

Barbarians are usually the subjects of the best fantasy movies. Conan the Barbarian and The Barbarians as well as Fire and Ice are excellent examples of awesome, cheesiness, and awesomeness and gayness, respectively.

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  The comics dumbed down the original Conan, who was not a stupid muscle-man but also a thief and a wise ruler. Though still he was primarily a man of action, rather than a man of thought.
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  A modern day barbarian activating his Rage.
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  Turning people into barbarians since 1982.

GARRRRRR!!!! I SMASH YOU WITH GREATAXE FOR 1d12+STR*1.5 DAMAGE! (interestingly, great axes and 1d12 weapons weren't in Dungeons and Dragons 2e and 1e horrible, isn't it? You could only deal 1d12 or better if you were attacking a size Large creature.)

Barbarians in D&D 3.5

d12 hit points, uncanny dodge, illiteracy, and can fly into a rage for some stat bonuses at the expense of AC and passes out when the fight is done. Unless you get Tireless Rage... They mesh well with Frenzied Berzerker as a prestige-class. Too bad Frenzy sucks (Bullshit, with Frenzy you can keep on fighting even when your hit points are like negative thirty billion as long as the frenzy hasn't ended yet.) Supreme Cleave and Supreme Power Attack are must haves though. See for yourself. While the Frenzied Berserker attacking your allies due to a class feature seems bad, a successful calm emotions spell should prevent conflict (provided it is cast before the Berserker has a chance to turn on his friends, and it lasts long enough enough that the frenzy runs out of turns). Hopefully the DM will even allow you to voluntarily fail your saving throw against it.

Barbarians in Pathfinder

A lot like 3.5 barbarians, with the loss of illiteracy (unless your archetype forbids reading), the addition of more trap sense (pfffffff), a "rounds of rage per day" mechanic that went up with level an constitution modifier (good thing!) and, the major new feature and draw, rage powers.

That's right, every two levels your barbarian bro learns a new way that getting really fucking angry can give him superpowers. These powers range from the useful (making combat maneuvers in place of regular attacks) to the impractically awesome (beating an opponent with another opponent) to the outright supernatural (sprouting claws and horns before gaining a pounce attack) to the hilarious (gaining big bonuses on swim checks).

...That last one makes sense mechanically (rage buff strength, after all, and strength is the stat used in swim tests), but the mental image is never not funny. ("FUCK YOU WATER! WRAAAAAAAA!")

Not necessarily top-tier even among its fellow beatstick classes, but fun as hell and much more customizable than before. Lost a lot of its draw in 2014 when the Bloodrager class was released. Why play a guy who fights by getting angry when you can play a guy who fights by getting angry, grows claws, wings, and fangs when he gets angry, and can cast spells like a weak sorcerer? Shoot, with the "this really shouldn't exist" Primalist archetype, you can even get enough rage powers to make it practically obsolete. The only draws left are basically the few archetypes that can do things it can't, like the Invulnerable Rager for Damage Reduction shenanigans. Also the Bloodrager's rage is classed as a supernatural(Su) ability and so is affected by anti-magic. Whether it some how stops him being angry all together or just cancels the magical effects is down the GM.

Barbarians in D&D 4th Ed

Barbarians are Primal Strikers. The Berserker is a barbarian subtype that is a Primal/Martial Striker/Defender. Notably missing from the original PHB of this edition, causing fa/tg/uy Raeg. The Barbarian was added in the PHB2, and the Berserker comes from 'Heroes of the Feywild'.

Barbarians in D&D 5th Ed

Barbarians in 5th edition D&D are largely unchanged from 3.5 barbarians, except their rages are better (1/2 damage from all nonmagical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing attacks, as well as damage bonuses) and can get their Con bonus to AC if they don't wear armor, meaning that you can now be a truly manly berserker and charge into battle without a shirt on (and not die putting heavy armor users to shame. Seriously, with Con 18 and Dex 18 your AC is 18, the same as a full plate). They choose one of two paths at third level: the raging berserker, which was based of a prestige class from 3.5 and turns the Barbarian into a rage warrior of death, or the totem warrior, which makes the Barbarian a little more druid-like, allowing him to commune with the animal spirits and channel the Wolf, Bear or Eagle to gain powers. Wolf makes you a great team player and pack hunter, giving you better tracking and stealth during travels, the ability to knock enemies prone instantly after attacking, and giving advantage to your friends when you are surrounding your enemy. Bear is the tankier choice, making you resistant to all damage (minus psychic, because GET OUT OF MY HEAD, CHARLES) and forcing enemies to focus fire on you whilst raging , and making you better at pushing and carrying stuff. Eagle has the best utility ones, giving the barbarian eagle vision (he can literally see something a mile away without a problem) and eventually allowing the barbarian to fly whilst raging... but not allowing him to maintain himself on air after his turn. So essentially, it's just the ability to jump your speed whilst raging. Oh, and they are also the only class that gets to go over the hardcap of 20 for Strength and Constitution, gaining +4 to both at level 20.

The Classes of Pathfinder 1st Edition
Core Classes:	Barbarian - Bard - Cleric - Druid - Fighter - Monk Paladin - Ranger - Rogue - Sorcerer - Wizard
Advanced Player's Guide:	Alchemist - Antipaladin - Cavalier Inquisitor - Oracle - Summoner - Witch
Advanced Class Guide:	Arcanist - Bloodrager - Brawler - Hunter - Investigator Shaman - Skald - Slayer - Swashbuckler - Warpriest
Occult Adventures:	Kineticist - Medium - Mesmerist Occultist - Psychic - Spiritualist
Ultimate X:	Gunslinger - Magus - Ninja - Samurai - Shifter - Vigilante

Barbarians in other Things

Warhammer Fantasy - Warriors of chaos

Warhammer 40K - World Eaters, Space Wolves, White Scars