An unstoppable collection of the most hardcore figures who ever strapped on chain mail and ran screaming into battleThroughout history-from the bone-crushing age of antiquity to the sack-tearing modern era-there have been larger-than-life ass-kickers with a natural talent for unleashing their epic bloodlust on anyone who crossed them. They built empires, smashed armies, and ravaged civilizations for wealth, glory, and ultimate supremacy. Sometimes villains, sometimes heroes, sometimes criminally insane, they had one thing in common: They were all . . . Badass!Chandragupta MauryaAn Indian warlord who commanded an army of drunken war elephants and employed an elite detachment of highly trained female bodyguardsPeter FranciscoAn unsung hero of the American Revolution, this powerful giant battled the British with a massive five-foot-long broadswordWolf the QuarrelsomeA mysterious barbarian leader who only appears in history twice-and both times he's kicking someone's assBhanbhagta GurungA fearless Gurkha who won the Victoria Cross by clearing out six Japanese foxholes with nothing more than grenades, a bayonet, and a knifeFrom Alexander the Great to George S. Patton, from Genghis Khan to Bruce Lee, this pantheon of ass-kicking awesomeness should inspire you to quit your stupid job and dive headfirst into a new career as a professional badass.