History Main / DecapitatedArmy

* During [[UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar The Vietnam War]], one of the most daring operations carried out by the North Vietnamese during the infamous Tet Offensive was the storming of the US embassy in Saigon[[note]]now Ho Chi Minh City[[/note]], where a team of 19 North Vietnamese sappers attacked the embassy with the aim of breaking in and taking the diplomatic personnel hostage and use them as a trump card against the U.S. military by first blowing a hole in the perimeter wall and then blowing a hole in the embassy building itself to gain access. Most analysts today agree that they could've easily accomplished their objectives and perhaps made the whole ordeal even more of a PR mess for the Americans, had it not been for the sapper team's [[EpicFail horribly bad luck of losing both commanding officers in the opening seconds of the operation]]; disorganized and leaderless, the sappers took too long to gain entry into the main building, which gave time for the more numerous security personnel to properly respond. As a result, the attackers were surrounded and eliminated after a one sided gunfight, despite still having the equipment and weaponry to carry out their mission.

** Averted in ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith''. Early in the film General Grievous immediately takes command after Dooku is slain by Anakin and the Republic is fully aware Dooku's death isn't enough to end the war. Furthermore, the Separatist forces on Utapau keep fighting even after Obi-Wan kills Grievous. Afterward, Palpatine goes as far as to have Vader execute ''all'' the remaining Separatist leaders to ensure no loose ends.
*** The {{Novelization}} also shows that even after the droid-control center is destroyed, the battle droids don't shut down; instead, they default to pre-programmed orders.
----> "Standing Order Number One was, apparently, Kill Everything That Moves."

* Subverted in Episode 52 of ''WebVideo/CriticalRole''. Though the [[BanditClan Herd of Storms]] stops fighting after Kevdak's defeat and death, this is only because Grog - who had previously challenged him to an honor duel - had dealt the final blow. According to the DM, the herd would have continued fighting if anyone else had killed Kevdak, which would have surely resulted in a TotalPartyKill.

* ''[[Franchise/AvatarTheLastAirbender Avatar]]'':

*** As [[{{Necromancer}} Kabuto]] [[EvilGloating kindly points out]] to Itachi and Sasuke, the Edo Tensei technique he used to [[AnimateDead resurrect multiple dead ninja]] to fight on his behalf will ''[[DefiedTrope not]]'' come undone with his death. After a lengthy battle in which the Uchiha brothers work hard to not kill him, Itachi places Kabuto in a powerful illusion in order to [[MoreThanMindControl force him]] to undo the jutsu.

* Subverted and Deconstruced in ''Literature/{{Maoyu}}''. TheHero attempted to assassinate the Demon King, believing he could end the war immediately. After finding that the demon ruler [[SamusIsAGirl is really a Demon]] ''[[SheIsTheKing Queen]]'', she points out to him that a war will not truly end just because the authority figure on one side is killed and that his/her killer would be an assasin, not a Hero; amd if he did kill her, the human rulers would cover it up because [[WarForFunAndProfit the war benefits them]] and the demons would simply choose a new ruler in no time, rendering such an action moot. After finding that she is not evil, Hero realizes the better option for ending the war is to work with her.

* Subverted in ''Literature/{{Maoyu}}''. TheHero attempted to assassinate the Demon King, believing he could end the war immediately. After finding that the demon ruler [[SamusIsAGirl is really a Demon]] ''[[SheIsTheKing Queen]]'', she informs him that if he did kill her, the human rulers would cover it up because [[WarForFunAndProfit the war benefits them]] and the demons would simply choose a new ruler in no time. After finding that she is not evil, Hero realizes the better option for ending the war is to work with her.

* In the third level of ''VideoGame/ScottPilgrimVSTheWorldTheGame'' (the club level), a few bouncers usually lead the charge against your characters. Once they go down, the current wave of mooks panic and book it instantly.

* In the third level of ''VideoGame/ScottPilgrimVsTheWorld'' (the club level), a few bouncers usually lead the charge against your characters. Once they go down, the current wave of mooks panic and book it instantly.

* Used on a small scale in the movie ''Film/TheFifthElement''. Encountering a HostageSituation, Bruce Willis takes a moment to figure out which bad guy is the leader, then offers himself as a "negotiator", turns the corner [[AggressiveNegotiations and immediately shoots the leader between the eyes]]. This works because Mangalores are honor-bound not to fight if their leader is killed. One even complains "no fair".

** Even earlier, the Canim attempt this to the First Aleran legion, the only legion in place to resist the unexpected invasion. A [[TheMole mole]] alerts the Canim to a general staff meeting, allowing them to obliterate the First Aleran's entire command structure in a magical attack. The only survivor is a Third Subtribune Logistica, the most junior officer imaginable, who was outside the tent on a quick errand. Fortunately, that Subtribune is [[TheHero Tavi]], a GuileHero who's fully capable of taking command.

* ''WebOriginal/HamstersParadise'': Averted. Pi-Pipipupu was able to use her charisma and [[TheDreaded reputation]] to unite the previously scattered [[TheHorde Bruterider tribes]] on a campaign of conquest. After she is fatally injured by a [[TechnologicallyAdvancedFoe Rockcooker]] artillery strike, the tribes do fall into infighting but they also still attack the Rockcookers and this ends up being a massive problem for them since instead of coordinated assaults that they could form a strategy against, the Bruteriders would instead attack randomly from all sides, which was something that the highly calculating Rockcookers weren't able to counter, leading them to become severely weakened.

* ''VideoGame/WatchDogsLegion'': Averted and played straight together. By the end of the story, the London [=DedSec=] [[spoiler:has eliminated both Nigel Cass, leader of the paramilitary organization Albion that's turned London into a police-state and Mary Kelley, head of the notorious crime syndicate Clan Kelley]]. As it's pointed out in-game, [[spoiler:both organizations have a clear and active line of succession that ensures that their activities, whether governing over London or sucking the life of it, will be continuing for the foreseeable future]]. On the other hand, during the original purge of [=DedSec=] after a series of bombings used to frame them, their headquarters was raided by Albion with most of the senior members either being executed or imprisoned, then executed, from which Albion initiated the purge that marked every member of [=DedSec=] as a terrorist to be hunted down. Few managed to escape and were forced to go underground, even leave London entirely, and by the time of the story, [=DedSec=]'s only able to rebuild by recruiting completely new members.

* In ''Literature/WarriorCats'', after Firestar kills Scourge, the leader of [=BloodClan=], one of the [=BloodClan=] cats notices and yowls that Scourge is dead. The fight goes out of all the [=BloodClan=] cats and they flee, pursued all the way to the edge of Clan territory by [=WindClan=], just to add insult to injury. [[TheRemnant They make several subsequent attempts to re-organise over the following months and years]], but ultimately no one who could replace Scourge was left, and they eventually splinter into multiple factions, some of which leave the area. A few even end up as pets!

* In ''Literature/WarriorCats'', after Firestar kills Scourge, the leader of [=BloodClan=], one of the [=BloodClan=] cats notices and yowls that Scourge is dead. The fight goes out of all the [=BloodClan=] cats and they flee, pursued all the way to the edge of Clan territory by [=WindClan=], just to add insult to injury. They make several subsequent attempts to re-organise over the following months and years, but ultimately no one who could replace Scourge was left, and they eventually splinter into multiple factions, some of which leave the area. A few even end up as pets!

** The main endgame threat in ''[[VideoGame/TotalWarWarhammerII Warhammer II's]]'' Mortal Empires campaign consists of a massive invasion of the civilized world by the forces of Chaos, led by Archaon the Everchosen. Multiple full stacks of some of the strongest infantry in the game start marching down from the Chaos Wastes, with more spawning over time to replace defeated armies. The only way to stop the invasion for good is to kill Archaon and his followers, whereupon the remaining Chaos armies simply disappear from the game.
* Subverted in ''VideoGame/{{Starcraft}}'', twice. First in Protoss Mission 2, "Into the Flames", Tassadar destroys a Cerebrate in hopes it will disable (or at least disorganize) the forces it controls. It does neither. Then in the finale, the Protoss with help from the Terrans go after the Overmind itself, figuring this should render the Zerg swarm helpless. Cue the expansion: ''Brood War.''

* In ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', after Roy throws Xykon into the Gate, his remaining goblin underlings attempt to surrender (giving the reason that because Xykon's dead, no one's paying them, though "Recap/StartOfDarkness" [[TrappedInVillainy provides some alternate possibilities]]), but Belkar kills them anyway.

[[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant This trope is not about]] an army of [[HeadlessHorseman Headless Horsemen]] or otherwise undead without heads.

'''As a {{Death Trope|s}} and {{Ending Trope|s}}, [[Administrivia/HandlingSpoilers all spoilers on this page are unmarked]].'''

* In ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' ''Anime/FusionReborn'', a fairly large group of old villains are wreaking havoc after escaping Hell. Son Gohan takes out their de facto leader, Frieza, ''in one punch''. Immediately, the rest of the army scatters and flees.

** Invoked to tear-jerking level in FireEmblemThreeHouses. [[spoiler:As Byleth and their team storm Edelgard's stronghold in Verdant Wind and Silver Snow routes, she insists that Byleth finishes her off. In her own words, her men won't stop fighting as long she lives. Byleth complies, though visibly pained doing so.]]

* Subverted in ''LightNovel/{{Maoyu}}''. TheHero attempted to assassinate the Demon King, believing he could end the war immediately. After finding that the demon ruler [[SamusIsAGirl is really a Demon]] ''[[SheIsTheKing Queen]]'', she informs him that if he did kill her, the human rulers would cover it up because [[WarForFunAndProfit the war benefits them]] and the demons would simply choose a new ruler in no time. After finding that she is not evil, Hero realizes the better option for ending the war is to work with her.