History Main / KnifeNut

* DualWield: For characters who use ''two'' knives, one on each hand, in combat.

If a direct wick has led you here, please correct the link so that it points to the corresponding article.

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[[quoteright:235:[[ComicBook/TheSandman https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/corinthian_with_knife.png]]]]

->''"A little bit o' pain never 'urt anybody... if you know what I mean. Also, I think knives are a good idea. Big, 'fuck-off' shiny ones. Ones that look like they could skin a [[NeverSmileAtACrocodile crocodile]]. Knives are good, because they don't make any noise, and the less noise they make, the more likely we are to use 'em. Shit 'em right up. Makes it look like we're serious. Guns for show, knives for a pro."''
-->-- '''Soap''', ''Film/LockStockAndTwoSmokingBarrels''

There are two things about knives that make them special in movies and television. First, they are badass, since there is nothing more humiliating than being beaten with a blade shorter than your palm. Second, they are ''scary'', as a single glimmer from its profile in AxCrazy hands has been known to provoke screeches of horror (that and the possibility that they're more painful than any gunshot will ever be). And sometimes, it is both.

Finally, they're generally easier to obtain and own legally than guns. Not to mention being significantly easier to conceal. In many countries, even in the modern day, pocket knives are perfectly normal to carry and barely garner a second glance. Laws abound about carrying knives, but generally, if the blade is less than 5 inches long, and there's no spring involved anywhere, it can be carried without worry. This is because knives are extremely useful everyday tools, for cutting tape, ties, or apples. Speaking of, knives made for cutting or preparing food are found in pretty much every home on the planet, so this trope can be pulled off with a simple steak knife.

Knives have been a common tool since [[OlderThanDirt for all of human history]] and very well might have been the first thing humans invented. Prehistoric knives made of stone or natural glass have been found all over the world. Obviously, since they've been in our hands for pretty much forever, they've been used as weapons for just as long.

In {{Fantasy}} settings, knives are the iconic weapon of the [[FighterMageThief Thief]], the FragileSpeedster, or the CombatPragmatist and are typically [[DualWield Dual Wielded]]. The latter has some basis in reality, as historically, daggers have been used as off-hand weapons alongside a rapier or tomahawk, but mainly for utility or defensive purposes such as parrying where a shield couldn't be carried.[[note]]A shield would be more effective in 99.9% of circumstances for this purpose, and the Buckler was used around the same time as parrying daggers in Europe, but daggers were easier to carry.[[/note]] Knives are typically also associated with PoisonedWeapons, despite the fact that a knife makes a poor poison applicator.[[note]]Stabbing someone makes them bleed, a ''lot''. Any poison that got inside from the blade would get carried out by the rampant bleeding. Arrows and darts are much more effective with poison.[[/note]]

Also common in the hands of a {{Cowboy}}, in which case the knife in question is probably a big Bowie knife that may as well be a small sword, and the {{Ninja}}, where it is likely a kunai. Often found in the hands of the BadassNative as well, being probably the first invention and all. You can also typically find them as a sidearm for any martial character; medieval knights carried daggers as a last resort weapon alongside their massive polearms.

In more modern settings, especially in action-oriented ones, all kinds of tactical fighting/combat knives are especially popular in the hands of soldiers, action heroes, assassins, etc. Usually said knives are all colored completely black (from blade to handle) to appear more tactical or stealthy and such. They are also made from modern materials. Another popular knife in modern settings is all sorts of kitchen knives, from chef's knives to butcher's knives, hell even bread knives can come to use. These ones are usually a tool for self defense for civilians or a murder tool for most slasher killers.

In video games, knife-wielding playable characters tend to fit into at least one of the following categories: the blade's ability to slip through cracks in armor is often exploited by a CriticalHitClass, and its short reach makes it most effective in the hands of a StealthExpert or FragileSpeedster, who can use either the element of surprise or superior agility to close the distance.

Overall, the vast majority of characters who wield a knife as their primary WeaponOfChoice fall somewhere on the "Chaotic" and/or "Evil" sides of the CharacterAlignment grid. The nicest you can expect is a ChaoticGood LovableRogue. Lawful Knife Nuts are practically unheard of.

For those wondering - a '''knife''' is any short instrument with a sharpened edge and point intended to slice or puncture. A '''dagger''' is a type of knife, but with an edge on both sides instead of just one. So if it has one edge, it's just a knife, but if it has two, it's a dagger, which is a type of knife. A knife is also a tool with many uses and purposes, so while knives designed specifically for combat do exist, they often double as tools for soldiers and warriors in the field (which is why most modern combat/tactical knives include serrated sections on the blade and glass-breakers or storage compartments on the hilt), while utilitarian knives intended for mundane tasks, like food preparation or craftsmanship, make for excellent weapons in a pinch. Likewise, daggers are exclusively designed with combat and murder in mind, but can just as easily be used to cut through cloth, string or brush, with the right application. A subcategory of daggers is made up of implements like the Stiletto or Poignard, which are intended almost exclusively for thrusting and stabbing, some even lacking a cutting edge at all, though these are rare in modern times, especially in civilian settings.

Throwing knives are also a very popular ranged weapon in fiction, despite not being very well-suited for combat: in RealLife, it's very hard to get them to [[TheBladeAlwaysLandsPointyEndIn hit tipped-end-first]] when aiming at a moving target. But at least they were made for throwing compared to normal knives, which have a higher chance of actually not landing on the pointy end.

Many knife nuts do the FiveFingerFillet to showcase their dexterity and/or their insanity.

Subtrope of WeaponOfChoice. Contrast with NeverBringAKnifeToAFistFight. May lead to a KnifeFight. Related to KukrisAreKool, MacheteMayhem, SinisterSwitchblade, and BayonetYa.

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!!Examples:
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[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
%%* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37mPoKQijj8 Wonderfully ridiculed]] in ''Manga/AzumangaDaioh''. (Administrivia/WeblinksAreNotExamples)
* Despite the fact that nearly everyone else uses machine guns and other firearms, Chane Laforet of ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}'' uses small throwing knives as her weapon of choice. She's skilled enough to deflect bullets and throw them with pinpoint accuracy.
* ''Manga/{{Basilisk}}'' has Akeginu, Hotarubi (from the Iga) and Kagerou (from the Koga) using knives as their [[WeaponOfChoice Weapons of Choice]], in addition to their own powers.
* In ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' Judeau's weapon of choice is throwing knives. They're later incorporated into [[spoiler:Guts]]'s arsenal following [[spoiler:his death in the Eclipse]].
* Shenhua of ''Manga/BlackLagoon'' is as good with knives as [[SociopathicHero Revy]] is [[TheGunslinger with guns]].
* After being [[BreakTheCutie blackmailed and broken]] by her teacher, Chizuru Honda of ''Manga/{{Bokurano}}'' started to carry a knife with her at all times. She threatens Kako with it when he's about to rape her in her house, and [[spoiler:in the manga, she stabs him in the neck and slits his jugular with it when he [[FreakOut freaks out]] during his battle. And before dying, she passes it down to Kirie, who later uses it to injure Hatagai.]]
* PlayedForLaughs in ''Anime/CarnivalPhantasm'' with [[JerkassGenie Grail-kun]], whose response to ''everything'' is to give people a kitchen knife and tell them to stab their problems.
* In ''Manga/CellsAtWork'', this is the WeaponOfChoice for Neutrophils like U-1146. Each of them possesses both smaller knives to be thrown at enemies and six larger combat knives strapped to their legs and hips.
* ''Manga/CityHunter'': Saeko may be a good shot with a gun, but it's with her scalpel-like knives that she's really dangerous.
* ''Anime/CodeGeass'':
** Kallen has a knife disguised as a wallet that she ends up pulling on several of the main characters. The only reason it doesn't show up more is that she's also TheAce.
** [[spoiler:Rolo Lamperouge]]'s [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lqzh76IbmQ weapon of choice]] tends to be a switchknife that [[spoiler:he uses combined with his Geass]].
* ''Manga/CountCain'': Godchild's Cassian is a fan of throwing knives. He's actually a rather calm person, though.
* Hei from ''Anime/DarkerThanBlack'' mostly uses knives and a retractable steel wire (used sort of like a cross between a [[WhipItGood whip]] and a GrapplingHookPistol). The knives are usually attached to said wire so even if a thrown knife doesn't kill someone (which is usually the case), he can still use it to [[ShockAndAwe zap them]].
* ''LightNovel/{{Durarara}}'':
** Izaya is quite fond of using a switchblade (hidden under his sleeve) as his main weapon of choice. He even uses it to shave a man half bald at one point!
** [[spoiler:[[{{Yandere}} Haruna Niekawa]], while possessed by [[EvilWeapon Saika]], uses one to stab people with in order to [[TheVirus spread Saika's "children"]] before she snaps out of it.]]
* Throwing knives are Ken's specialty in ''Manga/TheDaughterOfTwentyFaces''. It's worth noting that he isn't very "nutty" about it, however, just very good with throwable sharp objects.
* In ''Anime/{{Endride}}'', both Felix and Mischa are [[TheQuietOne intense]], dangerous people and quick with the knives, both magical and mundane.
* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'':
** Maes Hughes uses [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Push_knife push knives,]] adding to his status as EnsembleDarkHorse. His skill makes him the fastest to [[spoiler:kill a homunculus]], and he even does it ''twice''. Of course [[spoiler:DeathIsCheap... [[KilledOffForReal for them at least]].]] He can ''throw'' his knives, which are not in any way suited toward throwing, to impale skulls. They're called ''push'' knives for a reason.
** Barry the Chopper likes to cut up helpless people for fun, so he carries a giant meat cleaver and a couple of carving knives to help with the process.
** Lan Fan and Fu are both adept in their use of knives, particularly kunai.
** Fully justified for Mei Chang, because kunai are necessary for alkahestry. She can throw them five at a time with enough precision to create remote transmutation circles.
* ''Lightnovel/FullMetalPanic'':
** Xia Yu Lan likes machetes, at one stage battling Melissa Mao with one in each hand. Even though Mao was armed with a rifle she was lucky to escape with her life.
** Yu Lan's skill can be traced back to its origins: Gauron. After all, he was the one that took her in and trained and raised her. It's revealed in the novels that Gauron's WeaponOfChoice and specialty is knives. Sousuke learned this the hard way during his first fight with him.
* ''Manga/FutureDiary'''s Yuno Gasai is a knife nut, which makes sense, because she's [[{{Yandere}} nuts]] [[MurderTheHypotenuse in]] [[CuteAndPsycho general]].
* ''LightNovel/TheGardenOfSinners'': Ryougi Shiki, despite her main ability being with swords, favours knives for the convenience of being able to carry them around unnoticed in public. The sixth movie pokes fun at this trope when Shiki steals a school dining hall knife only to be discovered by Azaka, who immediately takes it away from her. Shiki looked pretty sullen after losing it. In the novel, she then subverts this by pulling out the ''other'' knife she stole, once Azaka locks up the first one in her cabinet. She then reveals that the real reason she was sullen was that she wanted one to use, and one for a souvenir... not that a mere lock would have kept her away from it if she really wanted it, but still.
* [[SpellMyNameWithAnS Kuro(u)do(u)]] Akabane (aka Dr. Jackal) from ''Manga/GetBackers'' pulls off {{Diagonal Cut}}s in rapid succession with his (wait for it) scalpels, when he's not throwing them [[FlechetteStorm en masse]] [[CallingYourAttacks ("Deadly Rain!")]]. And you don't want to know where he [[BodyHorror stores them]]...
* The NightmareFetishist narrator in ''Manga/{{Goth}}'' becomes one of these over the course of the series. He gets his first set of knives from a collection left behind in a home that a SerialKiller had abandoned and quickly becomes proficient with them, his own homicidal urges being a strong source of motivation.
* Colice from ''Manga/GunBlazeWest'' has throwing knives as her weapon of choice.
* ''Manga/GunslingerGirl'''s Pinocchio (particularly the manga version) cites knives to be his favorite weapon.
* ''Manga/GunsmithCats'': ProfessionalKiller Natasha Radinov uses a Spetznaz knife that shoots its spring-loaded blade.
* [[WholesomeCrossdresser Lin Xianming]] of ''LightNovel/HakataTonkotsuRamens'' prefers knives, and even uses a knife pistol at one point.
* Asakura Ryouko, the GirlWithPsychoWeapon in ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya''. Worse yet, it's a combat knife with nasty spikes on the backside. And Asakura can be scary. [[UncannyValleyGirl Very scary.]]
* Alexander Anderson from ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}'' could be considered a Knife Nut, if you just replace knife with holy socket [[BayonetYa bayonets]]. Much like Akabane, he can shoot countless amounts of these blades with deadly accuracy and slice entire subway cars in half with them easily. In one author's note section, Hirano goes so far as to say that the reason Anderson can produce so many out of HammerSpace is because he's actually fourth-dimensional.
%%* Palm Siberia from ''Manga/HunterXHunter'' definitely qualifies. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample)
* Bell of ''LightNovel/IsItWrongToTryToPickUpGirlsInADungeon'' uses daggers.
* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'':
** Dio Brando of ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders'' is famous for his use of throwing knives. He can also [[TimeStandsStill stop time]] to make sure that they hit their target. He actually only used the knives during one fight, after just sort of finding them lying around, but they eventually became a symbol of the character. [[https://imgur.com/a/fHLoAuk This clip]] visually sums up this trope so well, particularly the "[[AxCrazy nut]]" part.
** ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureGoldenWind'' gives us [[Main/BrattyHalfPint Narancia Ghirga]], who - despite having a stand that is best suited for long-range combat - is rather fond of threatening people with his trusty switchblade, mainly because of his HairTriggerTemper.
* Valmet from ''Manga/{{Jormungand}}'', while not gun shy in the slightest, seems to enjoy opportunities to do some knife work. In fact, her solution to taking out a bullet-proof van chasing her car in the first chapter is to draw her blade and tell her driver to get closer.
* Kino of ''LightNovel/KinosJourney'' is in one episode ordered to disarm at gun-point, and proceeds to spend [[ExtendedDisarming a considerable amount of time pulling knives out of her clothes]]- and this from a character who also carries two pistols at all times. Said knives include one with a blade surrounded by four .22 firing chambers (an actual design, though without the LaserSight). In the novels, Kino is shown to buy knives from nearly every shop she visits, often just because they "look pretty."
* ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'':
** Cinque comes equipped with an EyepatchOfPower and a set of exploding throwing knives, and had killed an [[RankInflation S-Rank mage]] on one of her earlier missions. Generally not someone you want to mess with.
** Corona's [[EmpathicWeapon Intelligent Device]], Brunzel, takes the form of a knife, though she never actually uses it as a bladed weapon. Instead, it acts as a MagicWand to help her summon her ImprovisedGolems, and she fights barehanded whenever she gets at close range.
* Rin from ''Anime/{{Mnemosyne}}'' is virtually a [[DistaffCounterpart female version of Hughes]], barring the fact that she's immortal. StoicSpectacles? Check. Investigative line of work? Check. ObfuscatingStupidity? Check. And of course, push knives? Check.
* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED'' and the Cosmic Era works in general:
** The Strike Gundams' and Impulse Gundam's standard armaments include a pair of anti-armor combat knives stored in the hip portions of their armor. A pair of rocket-propelled ballistic knives (the "Stiletto") can be found in the same place on the Earth Alliance's mass-produced Dagger-L's and Windams, and a trio of those can be found on the shoulders of the Blu Duel. As the Strike Gundam's pilot, Kira makes use of the knives numerous times, while Mu La Flaga, as the BrainwashedAndCrazy Neo Roanoake, uses a Stiletto to destroy the shield of Kira's Freedom Gundam a few years later.
** For a specific example we have Gai Murakumo, the badass [[PrivateMilitaryContractors mercenary]] from ''Manga/MobileSuitGundamSEEDAstray''. One of the plot points of the ''SEED'' universe is that mecha run off of finite batteries (rather than fusion reactors as in most other ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' works), so many pilots prefer to have a non-powered weapon to preserve energy. While GadgeteerGenius Lowe Guele prefers his [[KatanasAreJustBetter "Gerbera Straight" katana]], Gai's mecha almost always wield combat knives. His Astray Blue Frame takes it even further with its upgrades, with Blue Frame Second L gaining [[ArmedLegs blades in its feet]] and the most recent iteration, [[http://gundam.wikia.com/wiki/MBF-P03D_Gundam_Astray_Blue_Frame_D Blue Frame D]], being ''literally'' covered with {{Attack Drone|s}} knives with varying functions.
* Louis James Moriarty of ''Manga/MoriartyThePatriot'' favors knives as his WeaponOfChoice and finds himself in more than one KnifeFight. He's scary with them, too.
* ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'' has a few examples:
** The villain Stain, known as the "Hero Killer", uses several different types of knives in addition to his [[KatanasAreJustBetter katana]]. {{Justified}} in that [[spoiler:he has to cut his opponents and taste their blood in order to use his Quirk against them]].
** The villain Himiko Toga mainly fights with a switchblade, and in her costume she has ''more'' knives. Again {{Justified}}, as [[spoiler:she too needs to drink blood to use her Quirk]].
** Spinner initially has a sword made up of knives. No reason here beyond [[RuleOfCool him likely thinking it was cool]] and being a Stain fanboy, and after this sword gets destroyed he switches to a normal sword.
* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'':
** Throughout the series, mass-produced, disposable ''kunai'' are commonly used by ninja.
** Ten Ten carries ''thousands'' of knives and knife variants in her scroll which she summons and throws at high speed from ''midair''.
** Suigetsu is an AxCrazy rogue ninja who sees it as his goal in life to [[GottaCatchThemAll collect all seven blades]] of the Seven Shinobi Swordsmen.
* Chloe and [[MafiaPrincess Lady Silvana]] in ''Anime/{{Noir}}'' and Nakhl in ''Anime/{{Madlax}}'' (almost) never use any weapons other than ritual daggers in combat and are nigh undefeatable with them.
* ''Manga/OnePiece'':
** Dracule "Hawk Eye" Mihawk kicks Zoro and his three sword technique's butt with a 4-inch manicure knife.
** Not half the badass Mihawk is, but we briefly meet a villain named "Big Knife" Sarquiss because... well, his knife is really big.
** Buggy the Clown has also shown a tendency to use knives.
* ''Anime/PopeeThePerformer'' is shown in several episodes, such as "Knife Thrower", to have extreme accuracy with knives... and by accuracy, it means he always ends up killing whatever is on the receiving end of that knife, including himself. In the aforementioned "Knife Thrower", Popee can't hit the apple on Kedamono's head, but he always hits Kedamono, and when Popee gets tired, he misses Kedamono and the knife bounces right into his own body.
* ''Manga/Reborn2004'': Belphegor. He's a knife-wielding psychopathic assassin in the Varia.
* Tomonori Komori from ''Manga/ShadowStar'' not only carries a knife of his own, but his [[{{Mon}} shadow dragon]], aptly named Push Dagger, is also shaped like a giant knife.
* Obi of ''Manga/SnowWhiteWithTheRedHair'' has a dagger Zen gave him hanging sheathed from his belt, along with as many hidden throwing kunai and other smaller knives as he can fit in his current outfit on him at all times. He even sleeps with his knives.
* In ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'', [[spoiler:Sugou Nobuyuki fights Kirito in the real world outside the hospital where Asuna just woke up from using a combat knife, but is ultimately defeated and is arrested by the police]].
* ''Manga/TokyoGhoul'':
** Juuzou Suzuya. As a child, he was trained to butcher people for the amusement of upper-class Ghouls, and he carried those knife-skills into his work as a Ghoul Investigator. His original Quinque is Scorpion 1/56, a mass-produced knife, and this leads to a scene where he flips open his jacket to reveal he's been [[StickyFingers collecting]] the whole set. He proceeds to make a HumanPincushion out of his opponent using all 56 knives. In the sequel, ''Tokyo Ghoul:re'', [[spoiler:his prosthetic leg]] includes a compartment for hiding these blades.
** '':re'' has Mutsuki, who was trained by the aforementioned Juuzou. [[spoiler:Emphasize "nut". Especially in the second half of the manga.]]
* ''Manga/{{Toriko}}'':
** Lady Chiyo is known for her delicacy when wielding kitchen knives. In fact, she's so delicate she can cut an animal (or person) to pieces [[YouAreAlreadyDead and they don't even notice]].
** Komatsu possesses a knife forged from the tooth of a [[OurDragonsAreDifferent Derous Dragon]] and sharpened with Melk Stardust, making it [[AbsurdlySharpBlade so sharp that it can cut through mountains]].
* ''VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}}'':
** Shiki Tohno is the prime example. Early in the story, he uses a fruit knife to cut someone into 17 pieces over the course of... one second. This isn't even touching his main ability; he can see the "concept of death" on anything [[FunctionalMagic under Gaia]]. Cutting the lines causes irreversible (and often dismembering) damage; striking the very center of something's "meaning of existence" ends its lifespan, destroying it so completely only memory remains. He could actually cut the lines or points with anything from a pencil to a corkscrew, because it's just a matter of tracing lines with something sharp for him. But since Shiki prefers his knife over everything else, and because of [[SecretLegacy certain sides of himself]] [[LockedOutOfTheLoop that he's not initially aware of]], he's the ultimate example. Despite being a carefree, somewhat-irresponsible goof. Shiki even mentions that, for him, there can be no other weapon than the knife. Fortunately, the knife suits his fighting style very well and his ability to erase anything with a single precise stab.
** When trapped in a dreamworld, Shiki's swisscheesed and patchwork memories, [[SuperpoweredEvilSide unique heritage]], and personal fears of himself lead to the creation of an [[EnemyWithin evil reflection of himself]] called "Nanaya", with whom he has some crazy knife-fights in ''Kagetsu Tohya''. In ''VideoGame/MeltyBlood'', "Nanaya" later makes a [[EnemyWithout reappearance, but in the real world]], thanks to The Night of Wallachia's [[AllMythsAreTrue rumor-materializing power]].
** [[BigBad Roa]] also fights with a knife... mainly because [[DemonicPossession his host]] wants to. Roa, having gone through [[spoiler:reincarnation so many times]], can actually see the "life" in living things, similar to how Shiki sees "the end" in anything.
* ''Manga/VinlandSaga'': Daggers were Thorfinn's WeaponOfChoice for close combat pre time-skip, but he is good at throwing knives too.
* ''Manga/ViolenceJack''. Due to not remembering his name, he named himself after his [[WeaponOfChoice signature]] jackknife. [[spoiler:His real name is [[Manga/{{Devilman}} Akira Fudo]].]]
* ''Anime/YuGiOh'': Yami Malik/Marik has a fondness for using the concealed dagger in the Millennium Rod.
%%** Yami Bakura.
* HumongousMecha that rely largely on Humongous Combat Knives include [[Lightnovel/FullMetalPanic Arm Slaves]], [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion EVA units]] (especially Asuka and Unit 02), [[Anime/EurekaSeven Terminus-Class LFOs]], and [[Anime/MartianSuccessorNadesico basic Aestivalis frames]]. Mecha with combat knives demonstrate all the fun melee tropes you see in {{Super Robot|Genre}} {{Sword Fight}}s while being more "realistic". All of these examples also come with machine guns, however, the guns are mostly [[GunsAreWorthless useless]] unless fighting {{mooks}}.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* In ''ComicBook/{{Asterix}}'', Brutus is usually seen playing with a knife as foreshadowing to [[Theatre/JuliusCaesar a certain event between him and Caesar]]. Caesar, at one point, tells him to put it away before he hurts himself.
* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'':
** Victor Zsasz. His signature weapon is a carving knife.
** Dagger, a minor member of Batman's RoguesGallery, who once disabled the Batmobile with a single well-aimed thrown knife.
** In ''ComicBook/BatmanRIP'', the Joker makes frequent, [[NightmareFetishist borderline fetishistic]] use of twin switchblades to mutilate not just enemies and loose allies, but himself.
** Knife, an assassin from ''ComicBook/BatwomanRebirth'', uses throwing knives as her primary weapon (as if her name didn't give it away).
* ''ComicBook/{{Blade}}''. Seriously, he's called that for a pretty good reason. He isn't crazy, but he's plenty scary and deadly accurate in throwing blades, not to speak of his swordsmanship.
* Mack "Clownface" Delgado in ''ComicBook/BodyBags'' doesn't need a gun, because he's "learned how to throw a knife at a velocity that makes its impact like a mortar round." In addition to that trick, he's been shown to perform a DiagonalCut on two guys in one swipe and cut a gun in half.
* Corporal "Smiler" Dawson from ''ComicBook/{{Commando}}'''s "Convict Commandos" series. He has any number of knives up his sleeves which he can throw by means of spring-loaded feeders. He's an expert shot with his De Lisle carbine, too.
* Zolo of ''ComicBook/{{Copperhead}}'' has a large, curved knife he uses to menace captives that's clearly his signature weapon, if not the one he uses most commonly.
%%* Natalia Kassle from ''ComicBook/DangerGirl''. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample)
* Here's some obscure ones from Creator/DCComics: The assassins Hellhound, Brutale, and Lady Vic all make use of a variety of knives, as does the serial killer Murmur. Franchise/WonderWoman occasionally ran into a mercenary who called herself Moot, who favored a stiletto she called "The Moot Point". On the heroes' side, Nightblade and Black Condor II are both noted as skilled knife throwers.
* Examples from ''ComicBook/{{Diabolik}}'':
** The namesake VillainProtagonist. {{Justified|Trope}} by his preference and ''need'' for stealth (why he DoesntLikeGuns) and being so good at throwing it he rarely miss and can brag that nobody will stand back up after being hit by his thrown knife (In fact, the one time someone survived without wearing armour was when he had to use a ''paper knife''. It still brought down the victim, as it ''did'' reach the heart, the wound just wasn't deep enough to kill him on the spot [[spoiler:until the victim's son arrived and ''pushed it down'']].). Also note that Diabolik carries custom knives that in-universe are extremely good as tools, melee weapons, and projectiles (even when [[TrickArrow shot by a crossbow]]). Sometimes the knives also contain a strange gadget, including one to ''shoot the blade'' ({{Justified|Trope}} again: [[ProperlyParanoid He's been held at gunpoint by enemies and got away with this]]).\\\
Knives are so associated with Diabolik that the second reprint collection uses [[WrittenSoundEffect the thrown knives' "Swiisss"]] in the title, and [[MilestoneCelebration part of the celebration for the first fifty years of publications]] was Italian knife-maker Maserin producing Diabolik's iconic knives ([[TruthInTelevision fans have verified they're really good for throwing]]).
** Ronin, the world's greatest smuggler, was one. How good was he? He once hit a bullseye ''without aiming'', and [[LampshadeHanging when the guys he was teaching how to throw knives expressed their admiration]] he simply asked them if they needed to take aim to pick up something with their hands. He was one of Diabolik's {{Evil Mentor}}s, and under him the future [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast King of Terror]] became as good as he is (He was already pretty good, just nowhere in the same league as Ronin. Now he's just as good if not better.), and copied the style of his knives.
* Many members of the ''Franchise/GIJoe'' team (as well as Cobra) are skilled with knives, but Snake-Eyes has ''collections'' of them. His spike-knuckled trench knives get mentioned more than a few times during the [[ComicBook/GIJoeARealAmericanHeroMarvel Marvel Comics run]] alone, and his third costume (assembled from parts taken from his Cobra interrogators) has a pair of knives mounted ''right on his chest''.
* Slice from the [[InNameOnly revival]] of ''ComicBook/HarlemHeroes'' favours knives and carries a ridiculous number of them around at any one time. When a rival gang holds the Heroes up and gets them to drop their weapons, [[ExtendedDisarming Slice starts chucking dozens of knives out of his pockets]].
-->"He's heeled with more blades than a cutlery store!"
* Johnny C. from ''ComicBook/JohnnyTheHomicidalManiac is'' this trope. The guy detests guns, and twin daggers are his trademark weapon of choice (though he does use a taser occasionally).
* Hit-Girl from ''ComicBook/KickAss'' adores butterfly knives and swords, although she is a pretty good shot as well.
* Laal Khanjeer, a Pakistani BadassNormal superhero who makes occasional guest appearances in ''ComicBook/MsMarvel'', has a hero name that actually translates as "Red Dagger". Although he's an expert knife thrower, he doesn't appear to be crazy or mean (actually, he's written as a NiceGuy), and he hasn't actually yet been shown to use his blades on a living target. His ImprobableAimingSkills do make for intimidating entrances and are effective on inanimate objects, though.
* The Corinthian, in his first appearance as a villain in ''ComicBook/TheSandman'', seems very fond of knives. This is both for creepy purposes (menacing a victim with one in his hand, [[MuggingTheMonster taking a felled mugger's switchblade]] and opening it in front of his face while commenting on how nice a knife it is...) and for [[EyeScream much more practical ones]].
* Hondo Karr of ''ComicBook/StarWarsLegacy'' is a Stormtrooper that favors twin vibrodaggers.
* ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'':
** In ''ComicBook/NewKrypton'', both [[GeneralRipper General Zod]] and his [[UnholyMatrimony equally insane wife]], [[ColonelKilgore Ursa]], carried knives with Green Kryptonite blades for use against [[Franchise/{{Superman}} their]] [[ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} fellow]] [[ComicBook/{{Superboy}} Kryptonians]].
** In ''ComicBook/TheStrangeRevengeOfLenaLuthor'', Greg Gilbert is attacked by a mobster's enforcer who readily pulls a switchblade out as threatening him.
* Raphael of the ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'' uses sais as his WeaponOfChoice. Well, he ''calls'' them sais, [[ArtisticLicense but real life sais aren't]] ''[[ArtisticLicense sharp]]''.
* Van Grote, a Hessian TortureTechnician from ''ComicBook/{{Tomahawk}}'' #112 who fancies himself the finest knife thrower in Europe.
* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman'':
** ''ComicBook/SensationComics'': Mimi Mendez's weapon of choice is a massive amount of throwing knives, which she enjoys tossing near her prisoners until she gets bored of them and lands one in their eye or heart.
** ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1987'': P'Q'Rort Antar Ftt B'Jan hides throwing knives up his sleeves that he's always eager to use in addition to the knife at his belt.
* ''Franchise/XMen'':
** Warpath [[DualWielding dual-wields]] knives made of vibranium as his signature weapons in ''ComicBook/XForce''. Noteworthy in that he is ''not'' AxCrazy at all.
** Short-time X-Man and heroic sociopath Marrow almost always uses bone knives which grow from her own body as weapons. She is drawn with them on nearly each cover she appears on.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Strips]]
* Saxon Kenchu in ''ComicStrip/{{Candorville}}'' collects knives, and at one point gives a speech about how they were the first weapons ever developed and they allowed humanity to triumph over a world full of hostile predators. He initially seems AxCrazy, but this is partially subverted--[[spoiler:having to survive as a {{Dhampyr}} has left him ProperlyParanoid and somewhat hardened, but he's a FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire and is trying to keep the main character alive]].
* Willie Garvin in ''ComicStrip/ModestyBlaise'', who is a horrible shot with a handgun but a dead aim with thrown knives.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* Judge Rawne in the ''Film/{{Dredd}}'' fanfic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10489971/1/Aegis Aegis]]''. Teaches knife fighting at the Academy of Law, has a display of knives in his office, and is the best knife fighter in the city. WordOfGod is that he is named after the Major in ''Literature/GauntsGhosts''. [[spoiler:Makes the mistake of [[NeverBringAKnifeToAFistFight bringing a knife to a fist fight]].]]
* Jago from ''Fanfic/AhArchfall''. He generally has at least four on him (and he prefers his khukuri to his sword as a primary weapon).
* The Teacher Creature becomes this after [[spoiler:being unmasked]] in ''Fanfic/AttackOfTheTeacherCreature''.
* In the Italian remake of ''Fanfic/BattleFantasiaProject'', [[Franchise/SailorMoon Michiru Kaioh]] is noted in training to be extremely good with a knife, even if she never used it in combat ([[JustifiedTrope after all, it wouldn't have done much to what she usually fights]]). [[InexplicablyAwesome Nobody dares to ask her where she learned.]]
* In ''Fanfic/BetweenMyBrotherAndMeMorsOmnibus'', Yvonne Maxa's WeaponOfChoice is a knife. She uses a variety of them, each of them depending on her attire: She uses two barbed daggers when dressed as Caiha, a stiletto as Jason the Toymaker, and her main knife is a switchblade that just so happens to be the one used by the mob boss that wanted to murder her.
* Peggy Carter, apparently, in ''Fanfic/BuckyBarnesGetsHisGrooveBackAndOtherInternationalIncidents''. The prequel short story reveals that she's into knifeplay, and she has a grand old time dragging the flat of her knife across Bucky's face and watching it turn him on.
* In ''Fanfic/{{Coveralls}}'', [[Series/TheXFiles Scully]] acts a lot more unhinged than normal and has a "knife office".
* In ''Fanfic/FateParallelFantasia'', False Assassin's main weapon is a knife. It's not actually the weapon she's most skilled with, but rather the weapon which is most closely associated with her legend.
* Bucky Barnes in ''Fanfic/InfiniteCoffeeAndProtectionDetail'' loves knives. Their ease of concealment may have something to do with this, since he's trying to blend in with the civilian population but he isn't about to go unarmed.
* ''Fanfic/{{Kage}}'': Jade has gained the ability to summon an apparently limitless number of kunai and shuriken from {{Hammerspace}}.
* Indigo Jack, one of the main protagonists of ''Fanfic/AMoreFlawedGem'', uses a simple butterfly knife in contrast with his classmates' more exotic weaponry.
* In ''Fanfic/{{Nightblade}}'', Rythin chooses a dagger when he first logs in to ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline''. It's only after he gets the titular Nightblade that he truly embraces this trope, however.
* In ''Fanfic/OldWest'', two of the antagonists, Ramirez Arvenga and Kepper, fight with knives. The former is fond of using his knife in collecting {{Creepy Souvenir}}s, while the latter is unhinged and carries with him every kind of knife imaginable. He's even known by the trope name.
* ''Fanfic/ThePiecesLieWhereTheyFell'': Xvital the ahuizotl always carries a knife on her, which she wields with her [[PrehensileTail tail hand]].
%%* Shinji Ikari in ''Fanfic/PointsOfFamiliarity''. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample)
* While not a psychotic example, Crow from ''Fanfic/TheSagesDisciple'' uses a married pair of magical knives as his main armament. Made from a stag's antlers and imbued with the concept of "purification", they work similarly to a low-powered combination of Black Keys and an Origin Bullet.
* In ''Fanfic/StormOnTheHorizon'', Max makes a knife into her WeaponOfChoice instead of a spear like Aloy's after she winds up in the future. Aloy is impressed after she manages to take down a Scrapper using only a knife and her time travel powers.
* Snow White in ''Fanfic/SoRotVieBlut'' frequently toys with a knife and is into unsafe knifeplay during sex. Even from a young age she showed an interest in the weapon.
* In ''Fanfic/AThingOfVikings'', both Alvin and Heather are Knife Nuts, in contrast to their characterization from the [[WesternAnimation/DragonsRidersOfBerk TV series]], but justified as Alvin is more of a credible threat, and he trained Heather. At one point, Alvin visits a former ally and notes that he has a dozen knives hidden around the room when he gets up to leave, and Heather performs an ExtendedDisarming as proof of her martial skills and for comedy, showing that she's carrying at least half a dozen knives on her person (excluding the last one, strapped someplace where only her lover usually sees it).
* ''[[http://kleinerkiller.deviantart.com/gallery/41037509 Yognapped]]'''s Minecraftia is filled with swords carved from solid diamond, yet Sben still insists on using his personal dagger. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in that it's stated to be diamond-edged.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
* Blackburn the ProfessionalKiller from ''WesternAnimation/{{Boogie}}'' is an expert wielding his twin curved knives, which he uses to massacre an entire hotel full of people. His flashback also shows him killing rival mobsters with this very weapon, including a few [[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe he halved from the waist]].
* [[FeatheredFiend Lord Shen]], the BigBad of ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda2'', is dangerously skilled in the use of feather-shaped throwing knives that he conceals in his own feathers.
* A non-villainous example is [[MotherRussiaMakesYouStrong Vitaly the tiger]] from ''WesternAnimation/Madagascar3EuropesMostWanted'', who also uses throwing knives, although he is skilled with any sharp, pointy object. He uses them to threaten the main characters early in the movie and later throws them as stepping stones to help another circus animal escape [[BigBad Captain DuBois]].
* ''WesternAnimation/PeterPan'' consistently wields a dagger, and is able to match the rapier-wielding Hook in combat with it.
* Colette in ''WesternAnimation/{{Ratatouille}}'', revealed when she "briefs" Linguini. She's never killed anyone (so far as we know), but is a bit disarmingly comfortable around knives. Well, she ''is'' a professional chef.
* Mother Gothel in ''WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}}'' is shown using knives to threaten people and actually uses it on [[spoiler:Flynn]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* ''Film/{{Avatar}}'': [[ColonelBadass Colonel Quaritch]] doesn't go in for half-measures; he outfits his [[MiniMecha AMP Suit]] with a freakin' huge combat knife.
* ''Film/{{Barbarella}}'': The insane Black Queen of Sogo wields two double-bladed knives quite adeptly, and she drives them through Barbarella's attackers.
* ''Film/BerkshireCounty'': The intruders tend to use knives as their primary weapons.
* ''Film/BeyondSherwoodForest'': Will Scarlet is a butcher by trade, and an expert with knives of all kinds.
* ''Film/CherryFalls'': The killer has all sorts of knives, including ballistic knives where the blade can be fired out of the handle.
* ''Film/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'': Lucy Pevenise’s dagger (a gift from Father Christmas) is given much more prominence than its [[Literature/TheLionTheWitchAndTheWardrobe literary]] counterpart.
** ''Film/TheLionTheWitchAndTheWardrobe'': At Aslan’s Camp she’s shown using the dagger as a throwing weapon, easily hitting the bullseye on a target.
** ''Film/PrinceCaspian'': Lucy carries the dagger with her throughout her adventure, wielding it against the rebellious dwarf Nikabrik and as a show of intimidation against the Telmarine army.
** ''Film/TheVoyageOfTheDawnTreader'': The dagger is returned to Lucy when she arrives onboard the Dawn Treader. Pulled in defense against an invisible foe (later revealed to be dufflepuds) but is quickly disarmed.
* ''Film/TheChroniclesOfRiddick'': Kyra and Riddick use ''a lot'' of knives throughout the film. though they're not above using guns if necessary.
* ''Film/{{Circus}}'': Troy and Roscoe favour knives for threatening their victims. When threatening Leo, Roscoe opens his jacket to show the inside is lined with knives.
* ''Film/ConanTheDestroyer'': Malak, Conan's thief sidekick and [[TheLancer lancer]] is skilled with knives, able to both throw them accurately and cleanly slit a man's throat from behind.
* ''Film/CrocodileDundee'': The eponymous character always carries a gigantic hunting knife around with him as a trademark. When a New York mugger tries to menace him with a switchblade, Dundee is famously unimpressed and presents his own, saying, "That's not a knife! ''That's'' a knife!" in his [[UsefulNotes/AustralianSlang Broad Strine]].
* ''Film/TheCrow'': Tin-Tin, whose predilection for knives is so great that he's the only gangster in all of Detroit who doesn't carry a gun. In a bit of cruel irony, Eric uses these same knives to take Tin-Tin's life ([[BattleTrophy and his jacket]]) after beating him in a fight.
* ''Film/{{Cyborg 1989}}'': Van Damme awesomely uses dozens of knives as he carves his way through gangs and bandits in an AfterTheEnd setting.
* ''Film/TheDarkKnight'': The Joker carries a number of knives on him. He states that they're his preferred weapon because he can [[ColdBloodedTorture savor]] his victims' subtle changes in expression as they die. He even carries a [[NoodleImplements potato peeler]].
* ''Film/TheDesolationOfSmaug'': When the Company is taken into custody by the Mirkwood elves and searched for weapons, Fili is shown to be carrying an improbable number of knives concealed on his person.
* ''Film/DickTracyDetective'': Splitface hacks his victims to death with a surgeon's knife stolen from an undertaker.
* ''Film/DustDevil'': It's the Dust Devil's weapon of choice when he cuts up his victims.
* ''Film/ElDorado'': Mississippi (Creator/JamesCaan) is brilliant with throwing knives ([[spoiler:in his first scene he goes face to face with a gunman across a table and kills him before can bring his gun up]]).
* ''Film/{{Elysium}}'': Aside from being a fan of katanas, Kruger has a big combat knife strapped across his chest, plus explosive shurikens. He also uses a shard of broken glass to [[spoiler:kill Delacourt]].
* ''Film/TheExpendables'':
** Christmas, who gets into occasional discussions with Stallone's character over the age-old "guns vs. knives" debate.
** Gunnar also uses a huge bowie knife, but it doesn't get much usage until the end.
* ''Film/FromBeyondTheGrave'': In "The Gatecrasher", the ghost that confronts Edward in his vision is carrying half a dozen knives in his belt, and uses one of them to stab Edward. Later, under his influence, Edward commits all his murders with a knife.
* ''Film/GameraVsGuiron'': A rather unusual example is Guiron. His own head is a giant knife which he uses to slice his enemies to pieces.
* ''Film/GangOfRoses'': Maria is inordinately fond of throwing knives and uses them instead of a handgun.
* ''Film/GangsOfNewYork'': Bill "TheButcher" [[MeaningfulName Cutting]], who is a gang leader and a professional butcher who practices knife-fighting on meat. The character was based on a real gang leader/[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin butcher]] called Bill "The Butcher" Poole.
* ''Franchise/{{Halloween}}'': Perhaps the greatest example of a knife-wielding murderer in film history is Michael Myers. Sure, tons of movie murderers use knives, but none as iconic as Myers.
* ''Film/TheHobbit'': Throughout the film trilogy, Fili carries a ridiculous amount of blades and knives.
* ''Film/HoodedAngels'': PsychoLesbian Ellie is obsessed with knives. She starts the massacre of the {{Posse}} by stabbing one of the deputies with a stiletto she keeps in her boot. Afterwards, she makes certain they are all dead by slitting their throats with a Bowie knife. She takes her time over the first one, obviously relishing it, until Hannah tells her quit wasting time and get on with it.
* ''Film/{{Hostile}}'': Juliette flags down a vehicle by blaring her van horn at it. When the guys in the van come for her, one of them comes at her with a knife.
* ''Film/HouseOfFlyingDaggers'': Throwing knives are the signature weapon of the eponymous underground rebel group, and feature in some very impressive camera shots.
* ''Film/HudsonHawk'': Alfred the BattleButler has spring-loaded knives hidden under his sleeves, which eventually lead to his death.
* ''Film/TheHungerGames'': Clove, the female tribute from District 2, is highly skilled with throwing knives and becomes one of Katniss Everdeen's fiercest opponents in the arena.
* ''Film/TheHunted2003'': Could be more appropriately titled "Ode to Knife Nuts". For the final fight, the two fighters subconsciously agree to stop the chase just long enough to chip/sharpen their own. Then they rip each other to freaking shreds.
* ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheKingdomOfTheCrystalSkull'': Mutt and his switch-blade, which he can be seen playing around with in a couple scenes.
* ''Film/InglouriousBasterds'': Lt. Aldo Raine and Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz ''love'' their knives. Stiglitz's knife even has the phrase "My Honor is Loyalty" engraved on it, which is [[{{Irony}} ironic]] since [[spoiler:he is a German traitor who killed thirteen Nazi officers]]. Presumably it's an SS-issue dagger.
* ''Film/{{Intruder}}'': The killer is fond of using huge kitchen knives.
* ''Film/JoshuuSasori'': Matsu favours a common kitchen knife generally, or on occasion a tanto or a scalpel.
* ''Film/KickAss'': Has a scene where Mindy (aka Hit-Girl), when asked what she wants for her birthday, replies (after first worrying her father by pretending to want a puppy and a doll) that she'd love "a Benchmade Model-42 Butterfly Knife". On the day in question, she receives a matching set of them and is overjoyed. She even proceeds to demonstrate just how good she is with them in a display of twirling.
* ''Film/KillBill'': Vivica A. Fox's character "Copperhead" is apparently a knife nut. The Bride seems to know this about her and chooses to face her in a knife fight rather than bring along her CoolSword. Once they reach an impasse, they make plans to square off in a second knife fight. Although Copperhead ultimately [[spoiler:tries to shoot the Bride with a hidden gun, she's apparently a terrible shot and misses her at point blank range. Shoulda stuck with the knives.]]
* ''Film/KnifeForTheLadies'': The Ripper's weapon of choice is a large hooked knife.
* ''Last Flight to Hell'': Creator/RebBrown's character is a heroic example, but [[ScreamingWarrior about as sane as any Reb Brown character]].
-->'''[[WebVideo/TheSpoonyExperiment Spoony]]:''' It's not quite as fun as watching Reb [[ShoutingShooter loudly]] massacre people with a [[{{BFG}} heavy machine gun]] hefted under one arm, but you can't complain about Reb murdering people with knives.
* ''Film/LifeGamble'': Has two AntiHero protagonists whom are both knife nuts skilled in throwing knives, and the climax involves both of them in a throwing-knife duel.
* ''Film/TheLocals'': [[HillbillyHorrors homicidal farmer Bill]] favours the knife, and all of his kills are made with one.
* ''Film/LockStockAndTwoSmokingBarrels'': Soap reveals that he has a collection of large knives ("big fuck-off shiny ones"), and delivers a speech about how they're more practical than guns because they're quiet, concluding, "Guns for show, knives for a pro." The rest of the gang is creeped out. As the sole member of the group with an honest trade, this is both ironic and fitting. His job as a cook would presumably make him comfortable with knives and butchering.
* ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'': When his bow isn't practical (which, given his skill, isn't often), Legolas [[DualWielding brings out a pair of fine elven knives]].
* ''Film/TheLosers'': Roque is the resident knife man, first confirmed when, while the others are betting their various souvenir weapons, he continues to bet bigger and bigger knives. It reaches a rather ridiculous zenith when they even task him with cutting loose tied up people he'd rather not merely because he's "the knife guy".
* ''Film/{{Machete}}'': Creator/RobertRodriguez often casts Creator/DannyTrejo with these types of roles, most famously in this film.
* ''Film/TheMagnificentSeven1960'': Britt's (Creator/JamesCoburn) weapon of choice is a throwing knife. His introduction to the audience is him being forced into a face-off against a guy who fancies himself a gunslinger: his gun against Britt's throwing knife. Britt wins. This isn't to say that he's not also a very good marksman with a gun.
* ''Film/TheMagnificentSeven2016'': Billy Rocks has dozens of knives on him. He kills more people with them than he does with his guns. His attempt to instruct the townsfolk in the basic principles of knife-fighting does not go so well.
* ''Film/TheMatrixReloaded'': The Twins initially fight with straight razors.
%%* ''Film/{{The Man with the Iron Fists}}'' provides Zen Yi.
* ''Film/TheMenWhoStareAtGoats'': Ben Echmeyer briefly demonstrates his "shock and awe" knife technique with [[DualWielding two bayonets]] from his [[WallOfWeapons knife collection]]. [[ShareTheMalePain Among other skills.]]
* ''Film/NearDark'': Diamondback is a serious knife enthusiast and ace knife thrower. She's useful to her gang, as vampirism in this movie is hard, messy work.
* ''Film/{{Nightbreed}}'': The serial killer [[PsychoPsychologist Dr. Decker]] prefers to use huge carving blades to kill his victims, often appearing with one in each hand. He's briefly seen in his apartment with an entire collection of knives and blades laid out in front of him on a conference-style table.
* ''Film/NightSchool1981'': The killer's weapon of choice is a [[KukrisAreKool kukri]].
* ''Film/PacificRim'': Hannibal Chau has his butterfly knife, which he's quite proud of and adept with.
%%* Nadia from ''Film/{{Pandorum}}'' is this. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample)
* ''Film/PrinceOfPersiaTheSandsOfTime'': Saso, though he doesn't limit himself solely to knives.
* ''Film/TheProfessional'': Leon explicitly postulates that the better you are, the closer you can get to your victim: sniper rifles are for beginners, and only a real pro uses a knife.
* ''Film/{{Psycho}}'': In the scary category, the shower scene of Creator/AlfredHitchcock's masterpiece involves a screaming woman, a big knife, and [[PsychoStrings scary music]].
* ''Film/PulpFiction'': Mia Wallace describes her character from ''Fox Force Five'' as the knife nut of the group.
%%* Betty [=McCullough=] in ''Film/{{Purgatory}}'', though her victim deserved it. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample)
* ''Franchise/{{Rambo}}'': Rambo just can't live without one. He actually makes a knife himself in [[Film/RamboIV the fourth film]].
* ''Film/RazorsTheReturnOfJackTheRipper'': Jack the Ripper uses a box set of knives, each of which has a special meaning to him. The knives are so much a part of him that they constitute an EvilWeapon and allow his spirit to return to Earth.
* ''Film/RepoTheGeneticOpera'':
** Luigi Largo. He's known to have sex with the stab wounds he's inflicted, among other delightful things.
** The Repo Man himself, though his "companion" technically makes him a Scalpel Nut.
* ''Film/RipperLetterFromHell'': The killer's WeaponOfChoice is a large butcher's knife.
* ''Film/{{Scream}}'': Every killer that takes the mantle of Ghostface. Has almost always used a rather unique Buck 120 hunting knife, although how they appear usually changes quite a bit. An interesting fact about the Buck 120 is that it was seen on the film posters of ''[[Film/FridayThe13thTheFinalChapter Friday the 13th 4]]'', ''[[Film/FridayThe13thPartVIITheNewBlood 7]]'' and ''[[Film/FridayThe13thPartVIIIJasonTakesManhattan 8]]''. The knife's appearance on these iconic horror film posters may be why it was chosen as Ghostface's primary weapon.
* ''Film/{{Se7en}}'': Detective Somerset is a completely sane heroic example, always carrying a switch blade wherever he goes and practicing throwing it at night.
* ''Film/TheSentimentalswordsman'': Li the "Flying knife", who alway carry up to a dozen throwing knives which always find their mark, fitting his nickname.
%%* Most Creator/StevenSeagal characters. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample)
* ''Film/ShaPoLang'':
** Jack, the psychotic Triad assassin played by Creator/WuJing, does most of his killings with his tanto knife.
** Ah Zai, the evil [[NoBrows browless]] assassin from [[Film/ShaPoLangIIATimeForConsequences the sequel]], does knives as well. His weapons of choice are folding knives that he uses both for melee and for throwing. He ultimately faces down Chan Chi-Kit, who is played by Wu Jing, in a furious duel that is reminiscent of Jack's final battle with Ma Kwun from the first movie.
* ''Franchise/SherlockHolmes'':
** Holmes poses as one infiltrate Moriaty's gang in ''Film/SherlockHolmesAndTheDeadlyNecklace''. When Charles pats him down, he pulls a large number of knives out of his pockets.
** In ''Film/TheReturnOfSherlockHolmes'', Beppo is an expert with the switchblade he carries.
* ''Film/{{Sockbaby}}'': Though initially he might seem to be a wacky ninny, Davis The Grey is still deadly with a switchblade. [[spoiler:He uses one to murder Burger in the car and steal Sock Baby while Ronny is distracted, and very nearly defeats Ronny with it.]]
* ''Film/SpecialFemaleForce'': TheDragon Lung is a deranged {{Sadist}} that favors using a wicked-looking serrated knife as his weapon. Right in his first scene in the ActionPrologue, he's seen practicing his skills by scattering a box of cockroaches all over the road he's sitting on, and then using his knife to skewer roaches. Later his HandStomp method on the heroine who's HangingByTheFingers is to gleefully drive his knife underneath [[{{Fingore}} her fingernails]], slowly tormenting her until the pain gives away, causing her to fall to her death.
* ''Film/SummerCampNightmare'': Stanley Runk (a.k.a. Runk the Punk) is rarely seen without his hunting knife, which he uses throughout the movie, including when he accidentally murders the Camp North Pines director Mr. Warren with it.
* ''Film/SuspectZero'': SerialKiller O'Ryan uses a long, curved dagger as his WeaponOfChoice, both for killing his victims and his signature of removing their eyelids.
* ''Film/{{Swashbuckler}}'': Cudjo, a knifethrowing rogue who helps the main character stage a revolution against the BigBad Governor Durant.
%%* The Dagger Debs in ''Film/SwitchbladeSisters''. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample)
* ''Film/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2014'': Shredder, as per usual. His PoweredArmor has several retractable blades per arm, and he can even pull them out to make a double-edged blade. The suit can also fire the blades, and bring them back with magnets...
* ''Film/{{Thor}}'': Loki is able to throw small knives with unerring aim (also displayed in ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'').
** In ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld'', ''Film/ThorRagnarok'', and ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'', he fights with longer daggers that he sometimes holds in ReverseGrip and/or {{Dual Wield}}s.
* ''Film/{{Versus}}'': The Yakuza leader wields switchblades.
* ''Film/VForVendetta'': V carries an arsenal of knives under his cloak.
* ''Film/VisitingHours'': Colt Hawker prefers using his trusty switchblade to kill his female victims.
* ''Film/{{Wanted}}'': The Butcher is the knife instructor for the Fraternity, pointing out that knives don't jam or run out of ammo. His words are backed up beyond all expectation when he shows his ability to ''[[RuleOfCool deflect bullets by slicing them in midair]]''.
%%* Lynne from ''Film/TheWarriorsWay''. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample)
* ''Film/XMenFilmSeries'':
** Azazel from ''Film/XMenFirstClass''. Add the teleporting, and it's a deadly combination.
** Warpath from ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast'' wields two knives.
* ''Film/YamatoTakeru'': [[WarriorMonk Oto Tachibana]] is heroic, but still maybe a bit too quick to throw a knife at someone if she thinks they deserve it. In addition, her main weapon (besides PlayingWithFire) is a couple of longer knives that [[BifurcatedWeapon lock together]] to form a BattleBoomerang.
* ''Film/YouMightBeTheKiller'': The killer's weapon of choice is a jagged knife which appears to have been fashioned from a crocodile jaw.
* ''Film/ZombieStrippers'': Rincon.
-->'''Rincon:''' I like knives.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Gamebooks]]
* In ''Literature/DeathtrapDungeon'', one of the contestants is an Elf who wears a bandolier of daggers and those are her only weapons, which leads to her downfall.
** Your character is a bit knifey. He's so enamored with a dagger of reddish metal and opal-studded hilt that he plunges his hand in a pit of large maggots to get it (it is a very pretty dagger). Also if he tries to save the dying Elf from getting crushed by a giant snake, he'll take one of her daggers as a TragicKeepsake.
* In ''Literature/WizardsWarriorsAndYou'', while the Warrior has the Sword of the Golden Lion as his main - he's also a master with a knife. One of his weapons is the Devil's Dagger which no one knows if it's magical or not because he's that skilled with it. Against a troll swordsmaster with an enchanted sword, the Warrior will die if he uses the Sword of the Golden Lion, but he'll win if he uses the Devil's Dagger. Later in the series the Warrior gets a dagger made from a dragon's tooth.
* In ''Spire Ablaz''e by Jeffrey Dean and Greek Winter Media, this print version of the video game book has your character able to use knives. The odd thing is that he only uses knives as throwing weapons, including a survival knife that he can requisition from the Technomancer Guild. Not once does he ever slash someone with his knives, it's all about tossing them and then pulling out a gun.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
%%* The eponymous character of ''Literature/TheActsOfCaine''. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample)
%%* Several show up in ''Literature/AllForTheGame'': Andrew Minyard, Riko Moriyama, the Butcher of Baltimore... (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample)
* ''Literature/AllTomorrowsParties'':
** The Taoist assassin [[spoiler:Konrad]], who takes meticulous care of his tanto, practices an Argentine school of knife fighting considered mythical within the setting, and is ridiculously deadly with his blade.
** While not knife nuts per se, Rydell and Chevette wind up carrying a ceramic switchblade and a knife with a pattern-welded blade made from the drive chain of a 1952 Vincent Black Lightning, respectively. Both are used at crucial points in the plot.
* ''Literature/AngelsOfMusic'': Rollo is the knife-thrower in ''Le Théâtre du Grand-Guignol'' in "Guignol" who is dismissed for collaborating a little too willingly with the horrors. He returns in "Deluge" equipped with dozens of blades and looking to extract vengeance on the Angels by skinning them.
* ''Literature/TheApprenticeRogue'': Black Knights prefer short weapons like daggers and short swords to a {{BFS}} because it would conflict with their fighting style.
* In ''Literature/TheBelgariad'', Silk, Liselle, Sadi, Relg and Beldin all have a fondness for knives in combat. Silk usually carries at least three or four, Sadi [[PoisonedWeapon poisons]] his, and Relg's has all sorts of sticky-out bits [[note]]That's a technical term.[[/note]] that do all kind of nasty things both on the way in and on the way out again. Beldin's have ''hooks''. Liselle is straightforward and discreet about hers, at least compared to the others. She only carries a couple of small, simple daggers.
* Each member of the ''Literature/BlackDaggerBrotherhood'' gets a custom-made, matched-to-the wielder set of black knives, perfect for stabbing the [[{{Mooks}} Lessening Society]] members back to the [[BigBad Omega]]. They are hand forged (literally) by Vishous.
* Creator/IsaacAsimov's "Literature/BreedsThereAMan": Inspector Darrity always carries a switchblade. He uses it to clean underneath his fingernails and to have something to play with in his hands.
* In ''Literature/ABrothersPrice'', it's said of the Whistlers going to court that Summer carries one six-shooter and three knives, Corelle carries no knives but two six-shooters and a derringer, and Eldest matches Summer with knives, Corelle with guns, and also carries two pairs of brass knuckles and a wire garrote. Even [[NonActionGuy Jerin]] has a knife.
* In Creator/AndrewVachss's Burke books, Michelle is said to be very fast with a straight razor.
* ''Literature/TheCampHalfBloodSeries'':
** Annabeth from ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians''. Knives are used by clever fighters according to [[BigBrotherMentor Luke]], and since she is a child of Athena, she uses one as her weapon of choice.
** Piper from ''Literature/TheHeroesOfOlympus'' takes Katoptris, the knife once owned by Helen of Troy, as her WeaponOfChoice. The knife has prophetic powers (it can predict future events when looked at) and is supposed to be used for scrying, but can be used as a weapon just as much.
* ''Literature/{{Circleverse}}'': Former thief Briar Moss always has a few daggers on him. Seems to be Creator/TamoraPierce's [[WeaponOfChoice favorite weapon]] for commoners.
* Alex from ''Literature/AClockworkOrange'' carries a straight razor, or as he terms it, his "fine starry horrorshow cut-throat britva".
* [[WingedHumanoid Osprey]] in ''Literature/DevilsCape'' uses special knives strapped to her fists as her primary weapon.
* Creator/TerryPratchett's Literature/{{Discworld}} series features a multitude:
** Jonathan Teatime is a knife-wielding, [[PsychopathicManchild psychopathic]] [[PsychoForHire assassin]] in ''Literature/{{Hogfather}}''.
** Carcer Dun is a knife-wielding, psychopathic SerialKiller who always has an extra one.
** Pteppic is a certified assassin and Pharaoh of Djelibebyi. When he finds out that his "companion" feels naked without her many bracelets, he has to admit that he feels naked without his knives.
** Assassins in general are known to conceal so many knives on their person that they could qualify as a live-in kitchen.
** In ''Literature/{{Jingo}}'', Carrot runs across a knife nut boy. After a brief interview, Carrot discovers that the boy does not have enough gum to share with his playmates, but has more than enough knives for everyone.
** Lord Vetinari keeps a drawer full of sharp, pointy greetings for rude callers.
** In ''Literature/CarpeJugulum'', [[OneManArmy Shawn Ogg]] is in charge of development of the [[SwissArmyWeapon Lancrastian Army Knife]]. Mainly PlayedForLaughs here.
* Amy in ''Literature/DorothyMustDie'' uses this as her WeaponOfChoice.
* In ''Literature/{{Dracula}}'', Quincey Morris carries around a large bowie knife as part of his characterization as an American cowboy. Later he's upstaged by Arthur Holmwood, who busts out a kukri from his days in the military.
* In ''Literature/{{Dragaera}}'', the knife is often the preferred weapon of Jhereg assassins, such as Vlad Taltos, who keeps a small arsenal of them hidden about his person. He uses quite a bit of throwing knives, but they're mostly useful as distractions: they hit hilt first, make the other guy flinch, or just make a minor wound. His wife Cawti is a fellow assassin who is known as "The Dagger of the Jhereg".
* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'':
** [[MagnificentBastard "Gentleman" John Marcone]] seems to materialize them from thin air and is very good with them.
** Vittorio Malvora also uses them. Harry points out that when you've had centuries to practice and can launch them at a hundred miles per hour, you make up for the fact that thrown knives aren't particularly good weapons. Hell, even when one misses the hit from handle causes Harry's hand to go numb.
* The Fremen of [[DeathWorld Arrakis]] from the ''Franchise/{{Dune}}'' series are a society of knife nuts. Every man, woman, and adolescent wields a curved crysknife made from the tooth of a 400 meter-long {{sandworm}}, and they train their lives to become impossibly deadly with it. They practically worship their knives. For instance, their knives are never allowed to leave the planet, anyone who owns one cannot leave the planet without their permission, and any outsider who sees the blade of a crysknife must either be cleansed or killed. Their obsession comes in surprisingly handy given that shields have made melee combat the standard for infantry soldiers.
* In ''Literature/TheEdge'', Declan is quick with his blades and has a canvas roll of knives he cleans regularly. The little boy Jack is awed by the display. Later Declan baits a trap for Jack with a particular knife he'd been eyeing, and then bribes him into cooperating with the knife.
* Blade from the ''Endworld'' series carries a pair of Bowie knives that he loves obsessively on his person at all times.
* In the ''Literature/{{Fingerprints}}'' series, one villain says the memorable lines, "I wonder how many cuts it will take you to die? I bet thousands and thousands..."
* A number of characters from Joe Abercrombie's ''Literature/TheFirstLaw'' series fall into this category, most notably Logen Ninefingers and, to a lesser degree (or, at least, to a less obsessive degree), Ferro Maljinn. One of Logen's many {{Catch Phrase}}s is, "You can never have too many knives."
* The Ysabel Kid from Creator/JTEdson's ''Floating Outfit'' series is an expert with the Bowie knife.
* Almost everyone in the titular unit of the ''Literature/GauntsGhosts'' books is able to use a knife well. In particular, Rawne's skill with them is demonstrated through the conspicuous aversion of ThereWillBeToiletPaper when using his straight silver to shave in ''Ghostmaker''.
* The original novel version of ''Manga/{{Goth}}'' has several of these.
** The café owner uses a case of knives to carry out his murders. After deducing the café owner's identity, Itsuki takes the knives for himself. [[spoiler:He later lends one knife to a little girl so that she can kill her abusive stepfather with it.]]
** Mr. Shinohara uses a meat cleaver to cut off the hands of his victims.
* Creator/NeilGaiman's ''Literature/TheGraveyardBook'' plays this trope, ahem, to the hilt in its very first line, using it to draw the reader in and establish a frightening mood.
* ''Literature/{{Hannibal}}'' by Thomas Harris: Doctor Lecter knows his knives. He engages a knife-dealer at a fair, where they discuss blades before he settles for a serrated Spydecro, used for gutting a deer.
* During his adventures, Will Parry from ''Literature/HisDarkMaterials'' receives the subtle knife, a magic knife that can easily cut through any material. It can even cut windows into other worlds. After Will gets this weapon, he almost always fights with it.
* Sopy Kratides in ''Literature/TheHoundOfTheDurbervilles'', a Greek assassin who works for variously the Greek government, the Department of Supplies, and Moriarty's Firm. She mentions that she prefers knives because you get to look into the eyes of your victim as you kill them.
* Clove's preferred weapons in ''Literature/TheHungerGames'' are a jacket full of knives. And she never misses.
* ''Literature/IBecomeShadow'': Ren can fight with many weapons, but her favorite is daggers. She has a pair of trench knives that she's very fond of.
* Chisel of ''Literature/IllegalAliens'', who carries hundreds of them at any given point in time. [[spoiler:He survives being stomped by a giant robot due to the sheer number of knives providing impromptu armor.]]
* In ''Literature/{{Insurgent}}'', Tris can't bring herself to use a gun, but has no problems using a knife.
* ''Literature/KingsOfTheWyld'': Matrick uses two dangerous, [[NamedWeapons named knives]]. At first he appears to subvert the stereotype, but it turns out that when he gets going, he's a wickedly cruel fighter who can give [[TheBerserker Ganelon]] a run for his money.
* Although Legolas in ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' prefers bow and arrows, he also has a long knife for when he runs out of arrows, such as at Amon Hen.
* In the ''Literature/MalazanBookOfTheFallen'', knives are the WeaponOfChoice of most assassins, and there's a bunch of them running around:
** Long-knives are [[ProfessionalKiller assassin]] Kalam Mekhar's favourite weapons. He usually has two on him and in ''Literature/HouseOfChains'' he acquires two Wickan-style long-knives, one of which is alloyed with [[AntiMagic Otataral]].
** Crokus Younghand, who later [[MeaningfulRename renames himself]] Cutter, starts out as a thief who is rather inefficient in combat, but learns the trade of an assassin from his LoveInterest Apsalar and becomes scarily competent with knives. Competent enough that he catches HitmanWithAHeart Rallick Nom by surprise.
** Rallick Nom's beloved [[WeaponOfChoice weapons of choice]] are two oversized, hooked knives which Cutter calls "pig-choppers" and which are instantly recognizable as his.
** Knives are also Apsalar's favourite weapons. Quick Ben and Kalam recall an incident from when she was still named Sorry in which instead of killing a man, she basically mutilated him until even the seasoned killer Kalam could not watch any longer and had to step in and put the poor sod out of his misery. Apsalar retains her preference for knives even after her [[DemonicPossession possession by the Patron God of Assassins]] ends.
** Smiles is obsessed with her knives. Though she's a soldier and is supposed to use her shortsword in close combat, she prefers to fight with her knives and [[InLoveWithYourCarnage gets off on watching Koryk kill enemies]]. Her squad mates consider her an AxeCrazy would-be assassin who cuts people out of boredom.
* Bèbelle from ''Literature/{{Malevil}}''. A CreepyCrossdresser [[DisguisedInDrag who pretends to be a woman]] to get close enough to cut throats.
* One minor villain from ''Literature/MemorySorrowAndThorn'' not only always carries at least one knife, but seems intent on seizing every opportunity to tell people as much, to the point where he's earned the nickname "Avi Stetto" (which means "I have a knife" in the local ConLang). He's nowhere near as scary as he thinks he is, though, and he eventually makes the mistake of trying to take [[CoolOldGuy Duke Isgrimnur]] prisoner while warning him not to make any trouble because "I have a knife." Isgrimnur promptly demonstrates the superiority of GoodOldFisticuffs by laying the villain out with a single punch.
* ''Literature/MistbornTheOriginalTrilogy'': Both good and evil Mistborn use obsidian knives as their WeaponOfChoice, since metal ones are vulnerable to Allomancy.
* The ''Literature/{{Nightside}}'' books:
** Razor Eddie, Punk God of the Straight Razor, who unsurprisingly wields an [[AbsurdlySharpBlade absurdly sharp straight razor]]. It's mystically bonded to his very being.
** Bad Penny carries a brace of silver daggers, one blessed, the other cursed. When she uses both simultaneously, it's noted that some gods would die from such a blow.
* Vivian from ''Literature/OrbitalLily'' will attack large man-eating space-bugs with only her pocket-knife.
* In ''Literature/ThePrincessSeries'', Talia is skilled in hand to hand combat and can use many weapons well, but knives tend to be her primary weapon of choice.
* Cavanaugh in the novel ''The Protector'' gushes at length about the construction and abilities of the Emerson CQC-7 folding knife, at one point using it to tear through a car door. This is fitting, as the author, David Morrell, is most famous for creating another [[Franchise/{{Rambo}} well-known knife nut]].
* There's about one every other Literature/{{Redwall}} book.
** Ferahgo in ''Salamandastron'' is notorious for his knife collection and skill with using them. He even has different knives assigned to different tasks, such as "the killer" and "the skinner". [[FlayingAlive It varies in which order he uses them.]]
%%** Oilback in ''Martin the Warrior''. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample)
** Rasconza in ''Pearls of Lutra'' is never seen without at least ten knives on his person.
%%** Sawney Rath in ''The Taggerung''. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample)
%%** Tazzin in ''Triss''. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample)
* In ''Literature/RiverOfTeeth'', Adelia spends most of the time she is with the gang with polishing and sharpening her knifes, of which she is extremely fond and which she uses exclusively when fighting, despite having access to guns. {{Justified}}, since she is a known [[ProfessionalKiller contract killer]], so nobody is particularly surprised.
* ''Literature/TheSaint'': Simon Templar prefers knives to guns; his ability with his favorite throwing dagger, "Anna", saves his and others' lives numerous times.
* Roderick Whittle, aka UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper, from Creator/RichardLaymon's ''Literature/{{Savage}}''.
* Multiple people in ''Franchise/TheShadowhunterChronicles'':
** Will Herondale and Jem Carstairs from ''Literature/TheInfernalDevices'' prefer throwing knives in combat. But if necessary, they also fight with other weapons.
** Isabelle Lightwood from ''Literature/TheMortalInstruments'' carries knives under her clothes everywhere so she won't be unarmed if she gets into a fight.
* Lots in Creator/TerryBrooks' ''Literature/{{Shannara}}'' series. Brooks seems to view the knife as a nice, lightweight weapon, and many characters, heroic and villainous, carry them in addition to (or in some cases in favour of) heavier blades. This leads to an awesome KnifeFight between one of the heroes and TheDragon in the climax of ''Literature/TheVoyageOfTheJerleShannara''.
* In ''Literature/SnowCrash'', Raven, named by Hiro Protagonist as "the baddest motherfucker in the world", is an Aleut from a tribe that perfected the art of making glass knives with [[AbsurdlySharpBlade monomolecular edges that cut right through kevlar]]. Raven carries an arsenal of them, using them for throwing and fighting. Before the story begins, he steals a nuclear warhead from a submarine after slaughtering the entire crew with his knives. Uncle Enzo, the leader of the Mafia as well as an ex-commando, always carries a straight razor in his pocket. In the end, [[spoiler:the two have themselves a knife fight. Enzo manages to shatter Raven's knives, but gets the worst of the exchange.]]
* Sergeant Zim in Creator/RobertAHeinlein's ''Literature/StarshipTroopers''. Not only does he train the boot-camp recruits in knife fighting and throwing, he likes to make and balance his own rather than use the perfectly good service-issue knives.
* Sonia Steiglitz, the beautiful and sadistic daughter of the ex-CIA chief/archaeologist villain of ''The Takers'', a modern TwoFistedTales homage by Jerry Ahern. She uses guns when necessary, but prefers a knife.
* Franchise/{{Tarzan}} is defined by his hunting knife, to the point that those who only know the character from adaptations can be forgiven for not knowing that he's also a gifted marksman.
%%* ''Literature/TimeScout'' includes Sven Bailey, UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper, and his mad cultists. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample)
* ''Literature/TortallUniverse'': This seems to be a [[InTheBlood Cooper family specialty]]. First, [[Literature/SongOfTheLioness George Cooper]] — the King of Thieves — uses knives as his WeaponOfChoice and has several on his person. His daughter [[Literature/TrickstersDuet Aly]] wears at least half a dozen hidden in her clothes at any given time. And their ancestor Literature/BekaCooper did the same, being a cop who was often in dangerous places with other Knife Nuts.
* ''Literature/TreasureIsland'':
** Israel Hands is a ruthless pirate, who, in an infamous scene, chases Jim Hawkins around the ship wielding a dagger.
** Long John Silver, one of the most feared pirates in the book, slits an honest crewman's throat with a knife.
** In one scene, pirate Billy Bones threatens Dr. Livesey with a knife and later uses it against Black Dog.
* Mary in ''Literature/{{Twig}}'' prefers throwing knives to guns, enjoys figuring out new ways of hiding them on her person (sometimes without sheathes, which seems to make her feel more secure), and delivers a LoveConfession to a boy she likes while holding a knife to his throat.
* Creator/DavidGemmell's ''Waylander'' is best known for his trademark two-shot crossbow, but carries a crapload of knives for use when he's fired both bolts. He's specifically described as a capable swordsman, but a brilliant knife-fighter.
* A large number of the characters in the ''[[Literature/TheWheelOfTime Wheel of Time]]'' series seem to be knife nuts, as Mat, Thom, Min, Faile, and many Aiel, at the least, are all experts at wielding and throwing knives, usually [[HyperspaceArsenal pulled from all around their person with no explanation how so many weapons could fit on them]].
* Much, in ''Literature/WillInScarlet'', is known for always carrying, and wielding, multiple knives. This is in part because, as the SweetPollyOliver of the Merry Men, she can't rely on strength of arm to defend herself.
%%* Physsil in ''Literature/WisePhuul''. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample)
* ''Literature/{{Worm}}'':
** Jack Slash -- his power allows him to extend the cutting range of any bladed weapon apparantly indefinitely, hitting distant or even multiple targets with a knife. That he's more dangerous as a TheChessmaster and does almost no direct fighting in the series.
** Contessa's WeaponOfChoice is a stiletto no longer than a finger, although she's got no prolbems with using other weapons when needed.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'':
** There's Faith and her large knife.
** Willow attacks Glory with a bag of knives as part of a RoaringRampageOfRevenge.
** During a nightmare Faith has about bring hunted and killed, Buffy becomes this.
** Not to mention class psycho/revived corpse Jack O'Toole.
--->'''Xander:''' You gave your knife a girl's name. How very serial killer of you!
* ''Series/BurnNotice'': Larry prefers to use knives.
* ''Series/{{Chuck}}'':
** Sarah Walker embodies this trope. In [[Recap/ChuckS1E01Pilot the pilot episode]] alone, she manages to take down three NSA agents in a crowded nightclub ''while dancing'', and follows this up by stopping an NSA SUV by throwing a knife into a one-and-a-half-inch button [[ImprobableAimingSkills from twenty feet away]]. A later episode reveals that this is a skill she already had before the CIA recruited her. In another episode, she hurls a knife through her beeping alarm clock instead of simply pressing the snooze button. So clearly she ''really'' likes knives.
** The [[LegacyCharacter Greta]] played by Creator/SummerGlau has a tendency to get out her switchblade for everything.
* ''Series/DeadliestWarrior'':
** ''Apache vs. Gladiator'': Used to lethal effect at both medium and close range by the Apache.
** ''Yakuza vs. Mafia'': Yakuza break out the sai for both attack and defense.
** ''Green Beret vs. Spetznaz'': With a spring-loaded blade that can launch out of the hilt, the Spetznaz can stab at a distance.
** ''Willam Wallace vs. Shaka Zulu'': Wallace wields the quintessential Scottish dirk in combination with the targe spiked shield.
** ''Jesse James vs. Al Capone'': James wields a large Bowie-style knife that can be used for stabbing and throwing.
** ''Aztec Jaguar vs. Zande Warrior'': Both parties wield traditional blades as ceremonial execution tools.
** ''Comanche vs. Mongol'': The Comanche deploys a small, pocket-sized knife that can be used for multiple stabs in quick succession (as well as scalping).
** ''Navy Seal vs. Israeli Commando'': The NAVY Seal Rob Roy... [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPM1TO_al84 goes a little crazy]]. Just a little.
* ''{{Series/Deadwood}}'': Al Swearengen is a skilled knife-fighter who cuts a number of throats through the series. He is a self-confessed terrible shot with a gun, and at one point curses himself for sticking with knives rather than learning to shoot properly.
* ''Series/{{Defiance}}'': Irisa is both shown and stated to have a fondness "for edged weapons".
%%* Alpha in ''{{Series/Dollhouse}}''. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample)
* ''{{Series/Firefly}}'': Jayne Cobb has a number of large, heavy, nasty-looking hunting knives in addition to his collection of guns.
* ''Series/ForgedInFire'': Almost all the blades made for the first two rounds are knives, because they're simple to make and fit the weapon parameters set out for the round. Most of the bladesmiths also make knives in their day-to-day life.
* ''Series/GameOfThrones'':
** When not using Needle - her signature sword - Arya Stark has used knives and daggers to kill enemies [[spoiler: When facing down the White Walkers, she kills the Night King with a dagger of Valyrian steel- the same one used in an assassination attempt on her brother Bran in Series 1]].
** Through the generations, House Bolton has passed down not an ancestral sword, but an ultra-thin knife used in their traditional flaying practices. Their motto "Our Blades Are Sharp" applies to this and other knives as much as their swords. If you think Ramsay was sadistic with his mind-games, wait until he brings out the knives...
** As a minor lord managing the court's books, Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish wears a dagger instead of a full-length sword.
** Night's Watch deserter and cutthroat Karl Tanner learnt to fight in the slums of Flea Bottom. He uses two knives to devastating effect during his mutiny. Apparently, he always fights with knives rather than a sword.
** Locke's main WeaponOfChoice before joining the Night's Watch was a rather huge knife (which he used to sever Jaime's hand).
* ''Series/{{Harrow}}'': In "Finis Vitae Sed Non Amoris" ("The End of Life, but not of Love"), a former soldier suffering from PTSD has a huge collection of knives, which makes him the primary suspect when a body is discovered in his backyard.
* ''Series/{{Heroes}}'': Season 4 character Edgar mainly uses knives with his SuperSpeed combat skills.
* ''Series/KingdomAdventure'': One character is actually ''named'' [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast "Dagger"]], so it's not surprising he's eventually revealed to be this. Downplayed, though, as Dagger is a messenger, infiltrator, and spy, and doesn't often fight or kill, but he does pull a knife when he needs to.
* ''Series/LegendOfTheSeeker'': Kahlan Amnell uses two daggers in battle.
* ''Series/{{Leverage}}'': Eliot can edge up on this sometimes. Justified as he's also a chef when he's not killing people.
-->'''Eliot:''' Hold a knife like this ''[holds a knife normally]'', cuts through an onion. Hold a knife like this ''[switches to a backhand grip]'', cuts through, like, eight yakuza in four seconds. Screams, blood, carnage. People are like knives. Everything's in context.
* ''Series/{{Lost}}'': Locke boarded the plane for a survivalist adventure in spite of his handicap and brought a bag filled to bursting with various knives. When Locke shows off his collection, the other survivors are creeped out, which goes along with the way the first few episodes tease Locke as some sort of psycho-killer. He later proves adept at hunting and butchering wild boar with only his knives.
* ''Series/LostInOz'': The Wicked Witch of the West is this, even wearing knives over her hands.
* ''Series/Lucifer2016'': Mazikeen is a perfect example, often carrying her blades (and knowing how to use them).
* ''Series/{{Merlin|2008}}'': Morgana carries a knife with her at all times in Series 4.
* ''Series/{{NCIS}}'': The team follows Gibbs' Rule No. 9: "Never go anywhere without a knife." [[BadassIsraeli Ziva David]] is especially enthusiastic, with an extensive collection. In one episode she holds a knife-throwing class for the team, naturally hitting the target over the heart in her demonstration. [[ObfuscatingStupidity Tony]] hits the stomach, [[HollywoodNerd McGee]] doesn't even get the knife to the target, and [[NonActionGuy Lee]] lets the knife slip out of her hand, almost hitting [[MemeticBadass Gibbs]] in the face. Mostly averted in the end though, as they simply use their knives as tools.
* ''Franchise/PowerRangers'':
** ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'':
*** Trini Kwan and her successor Aisha Campbell wield twin daggers known as the Power Daggers.
*** Tommy Oliver's Dragon Dagger, which is also a flute.
** ''Series/PowerRangersWildForce'': Jindrax wields an apparently endless supply of small, wavy throwing knives, which he can turn into longer swords at will. He also qualifies for the "nut" part ''early'' in the series before his voice actor is changed, and he goes from "what if ComicBook/TheJoker were a ''Power Rangers'' character?" to, well, what you think he always sounded like if you haven't watched the series recently.
* ''Series/StargateAtlantis'': Ronon has as many knives on him as you need concealed in various places, including in his hair. Sheppard jokes that he must have a hell of a time getting through airports.
* ''Franchise/StarTrek'':
** Everyone in the MirrorUniverse, although the women seem to be the only ones who actually use them.
** ''Series/StarTrekPicard'': In "[[Recap/StarTrekPicardS1E07Nepenthe Nepenthe]]", Narissa digs the tip of her large dagger into Hugh's neck, causing him to bleed. She carries at least two knives during her confrontation with Elnor, and she [[spoiler:murders Hugh by throwing one into his neck]]. In "[[Recap/StarTrekPicardS1E10EtInArcadiaEgoPart2 Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2]]", she grabs an intruder from behind and places her knife against the man's throat, although he turns out to be her brother.
* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'': Joe Harvelle likes to play with a knife that used to be her father's.
* ''Series/TerminatorTheSarahConnorChronicles'': Cameron, despite being an [[RobotGirl emotionless cyborg]], seems to have a [[{{Squick}} thing]] for large hunting knives. She also carries what looks like an Exacto knife on her for when she suddenly has the need for cutting things, as opposed to punching them through walls.
* ''Series/TopGear''': In the Bolivia special in 2009, the normally [[BewareTheNiceOnes even-tempered]] James May seems quite pleased to get his hands on a machete.
-->'''James:''' I'll cut your ***ing head off; you will need to beep that, BBC 2.
* ''Series/YancyDerringer'': Yancy's sidekick Pahoo carries a SawedOffShotgun which he wields in emergencies, but most of the time he uses a throwing knife sheathed on his back.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]
* Rob Cantor's "Music/{{Shia LaBeouf|Live}}" portrays Creator/ShiaLaBeouf as a hermit murderer who goes after his victims with a knife and [[ImAHumanitarian eats the bodies]].
* Music/JimCroce:
** Based on what Slim does to Big Jim in "You Don't Mess Around With Jim", he likely qualifies. To clarify, "And when the cuttin' was done the only part that wasn't bloody was the soles of the big man's feet. Yeah he was cut in about a hundred places..."
** The guy "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" tangles with at the end:
--->''Well, the two men took to fighting\\
And when they pulled them from the floor\\
Leroy looked like a jigsaw puzzle\\
With a couple of pieces gone''
%%* The Flash Girls' song "A Girl Needs A Knife" is pretty much made of this trope. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample)
* While the Music/InsaneClownPosse are more associated with hatchets, Violent J has a solo track on ''The Amazing Jeckel Brothers'' titled "I Stab People". He follows up with a song called "Still Stabbin'" on the later album ''Bizaar''.
* "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLMuv5dc-rQ The Sentinel]]" by Music/JudasPriest: Knife Nut [[JustForFun/XMeetsY +]] ColdSniper.
%%* ''Music/LemonDemon'' wrote a song that fits the trope, "Knife Fight". (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample)
%%* "Fun With Knives" by Velvet Acid Christ. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample)
* Music/TomWaits has an instrumental song called "Knife Chase" on his ''Music/BloodMoney'' album. It comes from the musical ''Theatre/{{Woyzeck}}'', where it's the backing music to... well, ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Pinball]]
* Some of the animations in Creator/SternPinball's ''[[Pinball/BatmanStern Batman]]'' shows the Joker flashing his knives.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Podcasts]]
* Fourvel from ''Podcast/ComedyBangBang'' is an orphan who stabs people to death over [[HairTriggerTemper perceived insults]], and often carries an array of knives with him.
* Sid from ''Podcast/{{Sequinox}}'' has a knife on her at all times, even when dreaming. Even when transformed. ''It's not her actual MagicalGirl weapon.'' She even does her eyeliner with a knife! And her mom is the same way.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
* At a 2009 Apache Army show, Gosaku concealed a knife and used it to cut Mammoth Sasaki and Yoshihito Sasaki during a match.
* The Briscoe Brothers generally don't bring knives to the ring, but have been seen fighting with concealed knives off ring. Mark is more of a gun nut, but he's not afraid to "cut you deep."
* {{Subverted|trope}} with Dementia D'Rose, who carries a [[CutlassBetweenTheTeeth shiny knife in her teeth]] because it looks pretty but doesn't want it to scare anyone. She is a wrestler, more than capable of making people bleed without a weapon.
* Wrestling/IvelisseVelez was left to fend for herself when Madison Eagles pulled out a {{fork|fencing}} at the start of their SHINE 22 match, but the referee finally decided to intervene when Eagles was disarmed by Velez, only to produce a knife in its place.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Radio]]
* ''Series/DeadRingers'': Brian Perkins, gangland boss of BBC Radio 4, has a large knife he likes to use on those who incur his displeasure. He also occasionally uses it to help people in non-deadly ways, like opening lunchboxes. While calmly recounting his murder victims screaming like "stuck pigs".
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Roleplay]]
* ''Roleplay/DarwinsSoldiers'': Dr. Kerzach's WeaponOfChoice is his amorphous metal switchblade. He is quite proficient with its use as a weapon too.
* In ''Roleplay/TheGamersAlliance'', several assassins and thieves like using knives and daggers in their line of work. Sinlarine shamans have ceremonial daggers which are mostly for show but with which they can focus their innate powers to travel between the [[VoidBetweenTheWorlds Void]] and the Land of the Living by shifting from one plane of reality to another.
* Rhianna von Adolph from ''Roleplay/OpenBlue'' uses a [[NighInvulnerability diamond-coated]] combat knife, which she tends to playfully toss into the air and catch whenever she's talking to somebody. She can either chuck this at people with alarming accuracy, or cut them up seven times before they hit the ground.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* One possible Madness Talent from ''[[TabletopGame/DontRestYourHead Don't Lose Your Mind]]'' grants you a knife that can kill ''anything''; Automata, ghosts, [[ImmortalBreaker immortals]], up to and including ''[[YouCannotKillAnIdea ideas]]''. Fall over the deep end with this power, and you turn into The Knifeman, a Nightmare whose goal is to create a beautiful world, by "cutting off all the flaws".
* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'':
** ''Dungeons & Dragons'' 3.5:
%%*** The Invisible Blade prestige class. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample)
*** The Soul Knife is a Psionic Class. Their mind is a weapon, and that weapon is a '''knife'''.
*** The prestige classes Daggerspell Mage and Daggerspell Shaper, arcane caster/rogue and druid/rogue hybrids, respectively, that gain special abilities when wielding daggers.
*** The Whisperknife is a halfling-only prestige class that specializes in light thrown weapons, usually daggers.
** Many rogues in Fourth Edition use daggers as their WeaponOfChoice. One Paragon Path, Daggermaster, even allows the rogue to specialize in using them to deadly effect.
* Merisiel, the iconic Rogue from ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'', carries double-digit numbers of throwing daggers on her person.
* Creator/GamesWorkshop games:
** ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'':
*** Wickedly sharp and barbed knives are the most common close combat weapons used by the Dark Eldar with Lelith Hesperax, the leader of the Wych Cult of Strife, being the most proficient with a blade. Lelith takes great pride in her skill and is capable of killing any foe she faces with nothing but a pair of simple knives.
*** [[Franchise/{{Rambo}} Catachan]] [[Franchise/{{Predator}} Jungle Fighters]] [[http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Catachan_Knives forge their own knives]], which can reach up to twenty inches long for Catachan Fangs and four feet long for Devil's Claws. Even ''orks'' find them impressive, and their basic weapon is a five-foot-long axe/machete/backscratcher.
** In ''TabletopGame/{{Inquisitor}}'', characters with the Blademaster talent, such as the twin Death Cult Assassins Severina and Sevora, are masters of knife fighting, able to cause more damage with a knife than other characters can cause with a sword.
** ''TabletopGame/{{Mordheim}}'' has the special mercenary character Johann the Knife, the most famous assassin in the Empire, whose skill with knives is legendary. In-game he counts his knives as swords when fighting in close combat and has a special rule called Knife Fighter Extraordinaire that allows him to bypass the usual limit of three knives thrown during his turn.
* Knives are part of standard Al Amarjan dress in ''TabletopGame/OverTheEdge''. They're mostly used to open up chip packets and the like.
* Arimite Knife=Fighters in ''TabletopGame/{{Talislanta}}'' are masters of the throwing knife.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theatre]]
* Billy Bigelow in ''Theatre/{{Carousel}}'' uses a knife in the robbery-gone-wrong that results in his suicide.
* After she is rescued from the Wolf, Little Red Riding Hood in ''Theatre/IntoTheWoods'' is rarely if ever seen without her knife. It's implied that she becomes rather obsessed with hunting down wolves for her [[spoiler:fur cloak, with which she replaces her red cloak (taken by the Baker)]].
* The ''Theatre/MrsHawking'' play series: Mrs. Hawking's preferred weapons are knives of all kinds, from a thin, sharp letter blade to throwing knives to a plain sturdy Bowie.
* ''Theatre/SweeneyToddTheDemonBarberOfFleetStreet'': Sweeney Todd's weapon of choice is the straight razor. Between him and UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper, the razor soon developed a reputation as a murder weapon.
%%* [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Mack the Knife]] in ''Theatre/TheThreepennyOpera''. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample)
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theme Parks]]
* [[Ride/UniversalStudios Universal's]] ''Theatre/HalloweenHorrorNights'':
** As you might expect from such a classic horror weapon, scareactors wielding these have shown up quite a bit over the years, including horror icons like Michael Myers and Norman Bates.
** Chance is often seen with knives, be it throwing knives or her own personal switchblade.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Toys]]
* Dark Hunter Lariska in ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'' uses poison-tipped throwing knives.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* Used for melee by the Cajun Cutthroat enemy and thrown by boss Lighting Rod in ''VideoGame/TheAdventuresOfBayouBilly''.
* ''VideoGame/AlphaProtocol'':
** Konstantin Brayko is a both a nutter and a knife fanatic. A [[{{Pun}} Knife Nutjob]], if you will.
** Michael uses a knife for stealth kills.
* In ''VideoGame/AmericanMcGeesAlice'', a knife called the "Vorpal Blade" is Alice's primary weapon. It gets deadlier in ''VideoGame/AliceMadnessReturns''.
* [[MeaningfulName Stiletto Anyway]] in ''VideoGame/{{Anachronox}}'' uses plenty of throwing knives.
* One of the [[RuleOfFun most fun]] parts of ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'' is to kill as many people as possible with your hidden blade. This is particularly fun with the beggars, who constantly harass you for coins, or the lepers, who are apparently well enough to push you two metres back whenever you get remotely near them.
** Altair from ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedI'' carries a sword, a long knife for close combat, a whole bunch of throwing knives, and, of course, the traditional [[BladeBelowTheShoulder Hidden Blade]]. He is also the only assassin in the series to only use blades and no other long range weapons like a crossbow or a gun until he builds one a good seventy years later.
** Ezio Auditore packs a [[DualWielding couple of them]] in ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII'', with [[SwissArmyWeapon extra features]] included. Along with a [[WallOfWeapons collection]] of knives (also [[CoolSword swords]] and [[DropTheHammer hammers]]) in his home, a couple of which border on {{BFS}} (BFK?) territory. The same assortment of knives are favored by NPC courteseans, friendly thieves, and FragileSpeedster enemies.
* Several mooks in ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamAsylum'' and [[VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity its sequel]]. Zsasz definitely counts in both games as well, being a SerialKiller who carries a knife whenever he shows up and uses it to cut a tally mark on his body for each of his victims.
* The GameMod ''VideoGame/BatmanDoom'' replaces ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'''s Demons with "Strakes", muscled thugs armed with knives.
* Players are encouraged to use the knife in ''VideoGame/Battlefield2142'', as it is always a one-shot kill. Although lag will sometimes require you to make a second swipe, despite the "stab" noise.
* Peketo from ''VideoGame/TheBlackHeart''. All his specials and some of his normal attacks involve the use of knives.
* ''VideoGame/BlameHim'': The first enemy you encounter in the game will stab you to death with a knife if she catches you.
* Hazama in ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'' uses twin butterfly knives in combat, and has several more hidden within his pockets.
* In ''Bloody Wolf'', you're forced to use your knife in several sections, which is typically justified in the limited narrative (the boss destroyed your gun, you're just trying to incapacitate a brainwashed friend, etc). But at one point, a boss named Knife Guy appears and you put aside your gun seemingly out of shared enthusiasm. When you re-encounter Knife Guy as a midboss in the final stage, your character hilariously shoots him in the face, killing him instantly.
* ''VideoGame/{{Commandos}}'':
** The Green Beret character is something of a Knife Nut, even quipping that they should help an isolated group of Allied soldiers by "offering a hand. Or a knife."
** The Diver can throw knives from the second game on.
* Knife kills in ''VideoGame/CounterStrike'' are a particularly badass CherryTapping. Not the case of a backstab, however, which is a one hit kill.
* ''VideoGame/CrushCrush'': Ayano repeatedly tries to {{Murder the Hypotenuse}}s with knives and cleavers, although she does use other methods like TamperingWithFoodAndDrink.
--> '''Ayano:''' ''[describing her new knife]'' Guaranteed not to slip, even when covered in... milk.
:: : Like with Pamu:
--->'''Pamu:''' Wow! Some broad has been stalking me with a knife! She's so disturbed and adorable - I love her!\\
'''Ayano''': I think that Pamu might not be human... She laughs when she's stabbed... [[OrSoIHeard I hear.]]
:: : And Alpha:
--->'''Alpha:''' My handlers told me that I received some poisoned chocolates.[[note]]This could be a possible reference to the game ''VisualNovel/LongLiveTheQueen''[[/note]] I wonder if by accident?\\
'''Alpha:''' I think someone tried to hack my servers today. And by "hack" I mean with a meat cleaver.
:: : And Quill:
--->'''Quill:''' Are Cat-Catchers allowed to use steak knives for their jobs? Because the one that's chasing me sure is.
:: : And regarding Elle:
--->'''Ayano:''' I heard people with narcolepsy sometimes slip and fall and stab themselves with knives 20 or 30 times. How awful!
* ''VideoGame/CrisisBeat'' has the Sharp-type mooks, enemies who attacks exclusively with knives, either by throwing or by stabbing. There's also the boss, Riot, who uses exclusively knives. These knives are collectable by the players, so the players can become this trope themselves.
* In ''VideoGame/CultistSimulator'', knives are a common symbol of Edge, the aspect of struggle and strife. Particularly the case for one Edge-aspect cultist, Elridge, "an elegant man of [[AxCrazy inelegant habits]]". He becomes better at hiding the tools of his hobbies and [[BloodSplatteredWarrior other telltale signs thereof]] as he progresses within the cult, but at first:
-->''He has almost learnt not to pick his teeth with his knife. He has not yet learnt to keep his knife in his boot.''
* The Ancestor in ''VideoGame/DarkestDungeon'' was good with a knife. [[BadassNormal Preternaturally good.]] Even before ever getting involved in ThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow, he managed to [[spoiler:defeat an arch-vampire in combat -- normally an impressive feat even for someone fully armed and armored -- using only a mundane knife]].
* ''VideoGame/{{Destiny}}'':
** The Hunter class is filled with Knife Nuts, especially the Blade Dancer subclass. However, only their Gunslinger subclass can throw knives.
** Some Titan armors have knives strapped on them, but only for aesthetics, as their primary means of dealing melee damage comes from the lampshaded [[GoodOldFisticuffs punching]] of their enemies with their PowerFist.
* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'':
** Lucia, the {{Deuteragonist}} of ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry2'', uses throwing knives as ranged weapons. However, she is a kind and soft-spoken person.
** ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry4'' has Trish using a small, curved dagger in her "Gloria" disguise.
* In ''VideoGame/DivineIntervention'', the little girl comes with a pair of knives and will stab you to death if she can.
* Riki the Stealth Assassin from ''VideoGame/Dota2'' uses a dagger for his weapon and prefers striking from the back for extra hurt. And he can easily do it by sneaking behind your back without being seen, or he jumps straight at your back.
* In the ''VideoGame/DoubleDragon'' series, the knife is one of the most lethal weapons, and is most often wielded by Williams. In ''VideoGame/DoubleDragonNeon'', it can [[OneHitPolykill stab through multiple enemies at once]].
* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' has many characters who wield knives, but three named characters shine above the others.
** The first is [[PlayerCharacter Hawke]], who can be turned into one if played as a rogue and specced in DualWielding.
** The second is Isabela, whose specialty is fighting battles of attrition against multiple enemies.
** The most notable example of this trope in the game is DLC-only Tallis, who not only has two daggers that cannot be un-equipped for use in hand-to-hand combat, but also has a seemingly infinite supply of throwing knives, making her the only party member in the game who uses thrown weapons outside of cutscenes.
* ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'':
** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestII'': The Princess of Moonbrooke can equip a Magic Dagger, although it is only her second weakest weapon.
** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIII'': Wizards and Thieves can equip knives and daggers.
** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIX'': Morag, a demonic witch, wields one knife during her Boss Battle.
** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestXI'': Knives are one of Erik's weapons of choice, which have low attack power but deal status-altering effects.
* The Elf of ''VideoGame/DragonsCrown'' has this as a potential build, being able to equip a dagger at any time with the Holdout Dagger skill. While fighting with a dagger limits her range and attack options, she can deal a lot of damage with it using the BackStab skill, and she can add poison and fire properties to her dagger with the Toxic Extract and Salamander Oil skills.
* Although Lucas Kane in ''VideoGame/{{Fahrenheit}}'' never uses a knife outside the opening sequence, he is depicted holding a bloody blade on every box art to underline the psychosis surrounding him throughout the game.
* ''VideoGame/FallenLondon'' has Jack-of-Smiles, an {{Expy}} of Jack The Ripper. [[spoiler:Actually, Jack-of-Smiles ''is'' his knives, which explains his plentiful bodies to use. The knives are alive, have a mind of their own, and will take over yours if you hold one for too long.]]
* Quite a number of characters in ''VideoGame/FarCry3'' use knives as close combat weapons when they're not using guns.
** [[ProudWarriorRace The Rakyat]] have a legend about a warrior cutting off a giant's head with a knife to create their island.
** [[DepravedHomosexual Bambi]] [[PsychoForHire "Buck"]] [[AwesomeAussie Hughes]] makes Jason Brody go on a FetchQuest to obtain a rare Chinese knife for him -- and he seems [[WickedCultured pretty interested in the history behind said knife]] as much as the weapon itself. [[spoiler:And then Jason [[DeathByIrony kills him with that same knife]].]]
** [[AmoralAfrikaner Hoyt Volker]] is [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking pretty gifted at knife combat himself]], as we see when he [[spoiler:stabs Jason's friend Sam to death at a poker table, [[{{Fingore}} cuts off Jason's ring finger]], and then gives Jason the hardest KnifeFight he's ever faced throughout the game]].
* Ryuji Yamazaki from ''VideoGame/FatalFury'' and ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'' always carries a knife around wherever he goes. Just try not to get too close to him.
* In ''Fighting Fantasy Legend'' by Nomad Games, your character can buy up to 2 throwing knives, one from the Port Blacksand market and the other from the Tall Man in the Black Tower. These knives are one use only, but they can be repurchased and used often. Both evil wizards, Balthus Dire and Zagor can get hit with a pair of knives. Meanwhile the abomination Zanbar Bone requires that the character use a Silver Throwing Knife on his heart before actually killing him. Your character can also gamble at a game called Pinfinger which involves a knife and your fingers...
* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'':
** Kiros in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'', double armed knives. His standing battle pose even makes him look like an AxCrazy assassin at the first grace.
** Rem from the game ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyType0'' dual wields daggers.
** Tonberries, just Tonberries. These enemies always carry knives and can OneHitKill a character.
* ''VideoGame/FinalFight'': Unlike the other two characters who would just throw a knife at enemies, as a skilled knife fighter, Cody can retain a knife and use it in place of his combo. Or he could just throw it.
** Enemy boss, Rolento also likes to come at you with a knife.
* ''VideoGame/FireEmblem'': Thief/Assassin/Rogue characters. In the early games, these are just swords animated as knives (particularly cool for the assassins). In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance'', knives became their own weapon type, which thieving characters use exclusively and Sages can also use (though they have to forgo staves to do so), although this latter feature is no longer in effect in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn''. Knives return in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'' as the weapon of choice of Ninjas, their promotions (Master Ninja and Mechanist), Dread Fighters, and oddly enough, Maids and Butlers.
* ''VideoGame/FuntimeWithBuffy'': If Buffy catches you, you're treated to a cutscene of him pulling out a knife and stabbing you.
* In the original ''[[VideoGame/GoldenEye1997 Goldeneye 007]]'' for the N64, one level opens up with James Bond in a jail cell within a Russian satellite facility. Naturally he has no guns, but he can use the electromagnet in his watch to get some throwing knives from a drain(?). Said knives can be used to great effect, and re-used if retrieved. There's also a "hunting knife" available as a melee weapon via a cheat code.
* The ''Franchise/GuildWars'' franchise:
** The Assassin class from ''VideoGame/GuildWars''. Even though the dagger is the lowest-damage weapon in the game, Assassins use them to great effect, often drawing out huge amounts of bonus damage from their skills. They also have a few skills that allow them to throw knives for different effects.
** ''VideoGame/GuildWars2'' features two classes that can dual-wield knives: elementalists and thieves. However, only thieves make ''actual use'' of the knives themselves. Aside from a super-fast attack rate, Dagger Thieves can throw daggers to damage and cripple a target, leap at an enemy with a quick strike, stack copious amounts of bleeding on enemy groups, and even turn invisible -- which sets up a devastating Backstab move for at least double damage. Heck, even their normal auto-attacks will poison enemies continuously. Thieves can also use daggers in their offhand with a sword, and can dual-wield a dagger/pistol combo in either hand for different results. A favorite trick among players is to use the pistol skill Black Powder Shot and leap through the cloud with the dagger skill Heartseeker. This renders the player instantly invisible and sets up a backstab. Suffice it to say, knives are at the heart of any good thief's offense.
* ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'':
** Warrant Officer Emile-[=A239=] from ''VideoGame/HaloReach'' is never seen without his signature kukri, and is introduced while sharpening it on his armour. [[MutualKill He only uses it once.]]
** The expanded universe establishes that Fred-104 is the best knife-user among the Spartan-[=IIs=].
* In the card game ''VideoGame/HearthstoneHeroesOfWarcraft'', the Rogue class from ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' is represented by Valeera Sanguinar, who dual wields fel-powered daggers and can infinitely summon them each turn (for 2 mana) for her heroic power. She can also equip various dagger-like weapons if they're in her deck and many of her spells are based on how one uses a knife, as many of them depict someone putting a knife in someone else (Eviscerate and Shiv are such examples). There's also Fan of Knives, where she throws a lot of knives at any enemy minion on the board. Valeera herself, while not appearing much in the main game, has always been fighting using knives during her comic debut.
* ''VideoGame/HotlineMiami'':
** Choosing Dennis the Wolf as your mask lets you start off with a knife.
** The Biker's primary weapons are a butcher's cleaver and three throwing knives.
* ''VideoGame/JaggedAlliance 2'':
** You can make a custom Knife Nut character. Stealth and night ops specialties plus throwing knifes equals one-hit death for everyone on the opposing team.
** One recruitable mercenary, Bill "Razor" Lamont, is ''crazy'' about knives, and talks about cutting throats or how knives "never run out of ammo" with disturbing regularity.
* Kevin Smith in ''VideoGame/Killer7'' uses throwing knives as his primary weapon and a larger knife for close quarters combat.
* ''VideoGame/KillerInstinct'' has Maya, a monster hunter who fights with a pair of enchanted daggers [[NamedWeapons known as "Temperance" and "Vengeance"]]. They have given her a telepathic link to the sorcerer Kan-Ra, who once possessed them himself.
* ''VideoGame/{{Kindergarten}}'':
** Cindy is a kindergarten-aged AlphaBitch who will stab the protagonist in the head with a knife if he makes her angry enough. [[DisproportionateRetribution For example by not playing house well enough.]]
** Buggs carries a knife on his person due to paranoia of authority figures trying to kill him. Considering the principal's idea of expelling a child is shooting the offender in the head, [[ProperlyParanoid his paranoia isn't misplaced]]. It gets confiscated in [[VideoGame/Kindergarten2 the sequel]], and his mission revolves around getting it back.
* Larxene, the PsychoElectro DarkActionGirl of ''Franchise/KingdomHearts''. Though the way she holds them make the knives look like WolverineClaws, reminiscent of [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3 Volgin]].
* As of a class revamp in October 2013, Disco Bandits in ''VideoGame/KingdomOfLoathing'' have a number of skills involving stabbing their foes with knives, as artfully represented in the skill description of Disco Shank: "There are very few problems that cannot be solved with the judicious application of a very, very sharp knife."
* As with almost every weapon-to-personality trope,[[note]]well, except for WhiteMagicianGirl[[/note]] ''VideoGame/LastScenario'' completely averts this--the knife-using party member is the closest thing available to a ScienceHero.
* Katarina from ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'' is known for dual-wielding daggers that really hurt when thrown or slashed with. She's capable of wiping the whole enemy team with a few accurate dagger throws.
* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
** The weakest grade of enemy soldiers in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'' carry knives.
** Shad from ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'' carries a dagger in his book, although he's a noncombatant and leaves the fighting to his better-armed groupmates.
** TheHeavy of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'', Ghirahim, can magically summon and levitate daggers in conjunction with his saber.
* In the ''VideoGame/{{Marathon}}'' [[GameMod scenario]] ''Courier 11'', the Hunting Knife replaces the bare knuckles as the player's melee weapon. One level has hostile BOB's with DeflectorShields who can only be killed with the knife.
* ''Franchise/MassEffect'':
** While Kai Leng appears in the games for the first time in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' where he's gunning for [[PlayerCharacter Shepard]], he first appeared in the book ''Literature/MassEffectRetribution'', where he kills a ''[[ProudWarriorRaceGuy krogan]]'' with a knife and later kills ''six'' turians by himself with just a knife. In ''[[Literature/MassEffectDeception Deception]]'', he also [[spoiler:kills the most powerful biotic in the galaxy (basically an individual with a bunch of very powerful psychokinetic powers, and the ability to summon miniature black holes and energy balls at will) with... [[ImprovisedWeapon a sharpened toothbrush]]]].
** In ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda'', we have the Firaan, a small dagger made by the Angara that has the highest attack speed of any melee weapon in the game. There's also an electrified version of the Firaan that has a chance to stun enemies.
* ''VideoGame/MetalGear'':
** Vamp in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2'' has a signature knife and is obviously quite nuts. He apparently has kind of a knife fetish.
** See also [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater Naked Snake]]/[[VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker Big Boss]] in games where he's the protagonist. Notably, he carries a special CQC knife that he holds along with his pistols at the same time, so he can switch from shooting to close-quarters combat in an instant. Sometimes he'll also have a separate survival knife.
** Gene from ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPortableOps'' is pretty good with a knife.
* Daggers are the WeaponOfChoice of the Miis from the Thief class in ''VideoGame/{{Miitopia}}''. Granted, they do not all ''look'' like daggers (there are some that are shaped like [[ShamuFu fishes]] or [[EenieMeenieMinyMoai Moai statues]]), but the difference is purely aesthetical.
* Subverted and played straight with ''VideoGame/MitadakeHigh''. The knife is the weakest weapon in the game except for the dead taser and the empty can of paint, but that doesn't stop people from enjoying them. This may have something to do with the fact that, besides the Hammer and the weaker Nanatsu Yoru, the Knife is one of the only weapons that can kill without draining all of your energy.
* ''VideoGame/MitsumeteKnight'':
** One of your eventual enemies, [[spoiler:the [[CircusOfFear Circus's]] [[KnifeThrowingAct Knife Thrower]] Pierrot]], uses them in battle.
** The Eight General, [[HotBlooded Corkilneipha]] [[RedBaron the Swift Thunder]], is another enemy Knife Nut, but of a different variety: rather than knives, he uses [[ShockAndAwe thunder-imbued]] needles.
* ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare 2'':
** A popular class combination in is an honourable mention. Using the "Tactical Knife" pistol attachment (holding a knife and a pistol out at the same time to strike faster), the "Marathon" perk (to sprint forever), the "Lightweight" perk (to move faster) and the "Commando" perk (to be able to strike with the knife from farther away), you get a class that even Webcomic/PennyArcade [[http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2009/11/30/ notes its effectiveness]].
** In the single-player campaign, you fight the BigBad with nothing but your knife, [[spoiler:but you seem to drop it when he stabs you into the chest with his own. After passing out for a minute or two, you pull that very same knife out of your own chest and [[ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks throw it]] [[EyeScream through his eye]]]].
* ''VideoGame/MogekoCastle'': Moge-ko is seen wielding a knife on several occasions, and doesn't use any other weapon. It's heavily implied that she uses them in torture sessions, and possibly during sex.
* From the ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' series:
** [[PsychoForHire Kano]] and [[AnIcePerson Frost]] both dual wield knives.
** [[DarkActionGirl Mileena]] uses paired sais (which aren't actually sharp in real life).
* In ''VideoGame/{{Murder}}'', the murderer is given a knife, with the ability to both sprint and throw it at their opponents (as well as stab them with it).
* ''[[VideoGame/MysteryCaseFiles Mystery Case Files: Broken Hour]]'' introduces Meredith Huxley, a psychopathic woman who murders people with an ornate dagger.
* ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'':
** Koromaru in ''VideoGame/Persona3''. He wields them in his mouth due to [[TeamPet being a dog who lacks opposable thumbs]].
** Yōsuke Hanamura in ''VideoGame/Persona4'' uses knives in battle.
** [[HeroesPreferSwords Contrasting his sword-wielding predecessors]], ''VideoGame/Persona5''[='s=] "Joker" prefers knives, as befitting a PhantomThief.
* The Twin Daggers weapon type in ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarOnline'' and [[VideoGame/PhantasyStarUniverse its]] [[VideoGame/PhantasyStarOnline2 successors]] averts the usual connotations surrounding daggers. They aren't any more "scary" than any of the other weapons. (It helps that they often look flashier than the usual knife; many look like wings.) You're more likely to find a badass ActionGirl[[note]]Or VainSorceress in [=PSO2=]'s case[[/note]] using one than an AxCrazy character.
** ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarUniverse'' has an exception that, oddly enough, cannot be used by the players. Some criminals use more standard-looking photon knives to mug people.
* ''VideoGame/Psych2021'': The killer holds a knife in his left hand.
* Aht in ''VideoGame/RadiantHistoria'' dual wields daggers as her weapon of choice. Most of her non-trap special abilities involve her throwing them, as well.
* ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' has its fair share:
** ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'''s Leon is a knife fighting expert who uses his knife for everything from breaking locks to taking down giant mutants, but his AxCrazy WorthyOpponent Krauser cements his status as the game's Knife Nut by having a design on it, and a little notch so he can twirl it. Leon then ''gets'' Krauser's knife when you beat him in the [[PressXToNotDie knife fight sequence]]. Ironically, Krauser's weakness in his boss battle is Leon's knife.
** ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil5'':
*** While calling her a nut would be an insult, Sheva stabs [[spoiler:Wesker]] seventeen times with a knife.
*** [[spoiler:Jill]] is portrayed as stabbing with her knife when other characters swipe.
** Claire's opening video for ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilTheDarksideChronicles'' has her throwing a special forces knife into a zombie.
* In ''VideoGame/RiseOfTheKasai'', while Tati does have access to other weapons, including a huge axe, a deadly spear, and a supply of exploding toxic mushrooms, her favorite weapon is a pair of twin knifes that she especially uses to maul Kasai warriors.
* There's a reason Edge from ''VideoGame/RivalSchools'' chose his nickname. He loves to play with knives and uses them frequently in his arsenal of dirty tricks.
%%* Sichte Meister from ''VideoGame/{{Rosenkreuzstilette}}'' is an {{Expy}} of Sakuya Izayoi from ''Franchise/TouhouProject''. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample)
* The main character from ''VideoGame/RushNAttack'' squares off against an army of soldiers, all clearly holding rifles (although few of them actually use them), but other than the occasional bazooka, he fights solely with his knife. In the HD remake, most of the enemies also fight with knives or punch knives.
%%* Ratchet Altair from ''VideoGame/SakuraWarsSoLongMyLove''. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample)
* Kyrie of ''VideoGame/SandsOfDestruction'' uses knives for his basic attack. All his attack spells involve either knives or throwing several knives. His LimitBreak can throw up to ''sixteen'' knives that, due to lazy programming, hit ''every enemy''.
* The 1982 Creator/SynapseSoftware ''VideoGame/{{Berzerk}}''-style computer game ''VideoGame/{{Shamus}}'' has the titular robot detective fight his enemies by throwing Ion SHIVS at them, rather than use a gun. These LaserBlade knives stand for Short High Intensity Vaporizer and they're effective against your enemies, who are all fellow robots.
* ''VideoGame/{{Shank}}'' uses two knives as his main melee weapons, if you couldn't tell by his name.
* [[Myth/NorseMythology Loki]] as portrayed in ''VideoGame/{{Smite}}'' comes with two daggers he hides on sight (they don't even appear in his hand if he's being idle), and he can go invisible, and sneak up to an unknowing enemy, and strike at their back for massive damage. Or just plain teleport behind them and strike.
* Danette of ''VideoGame/SoulNomadAndTheWorldEaters'' uses two of them.
* In ''Spire Ablaze'' by Jeffrey Dean and Greek Winter Media, this 2nd video gamebook of ''A Road Less Traveled'' series has your character able to use knives. The odd thing is that he only uses knives as throwing weapons, including a survival knife that he can requisition from the Technomancer Guild. Not once does he ever slash someone with his knives, it's all about tossing them and then pulling out a gun.
* ''VideoGame/StarCraft'':
** Sarah Kerrigan in ''VideoGame/StarCraftI'', before and after her transformation. Before her transformation she likes killing with knives (no in-game ability, but in the novel ''Liberty's Crusade'' she takes out a room of guards on Antiga Prime), and after her transformation, she not only has knives on the end of each fingertip, but has wing-like appendages growing out of her back which end in, you guessed it, more knives. It's no wonder she got the moniker of "Queen of Blades".
** ''VideoGame/StarcraftII'' presents Gabriel Tosh, who flips around an oversized butterfly knife. And also uses it on Voodoo dolls.
* ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'': Imperial Operatives specialize in knife attacks, and all Imperial Agents get an equipment slot for them. They are always used more like daggers, though gigantic daggers.
* Dolph in ''VideoGame/SuikodenV'' could carve out your liver and hand it to you, despite having one of the goofiest fighting stances ever.
* The ''VideoGame/TalesSeries'' has a few examples of characters using knives, but given the series' love of playing with tropes, it avoids most of the usual implications; It's most common for the knife-wielder to be the group's ''healer'':
** ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'' has knives that can be used by Kratos or Zelos. They're treated as swords with a smaller hitbox.
** ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss'' has [[SugarAndIce Tear Grants]]. She uses throwing knives for her physical attacks and in cutscenes, although her equipped weapons are staves.
** Ange Serena of ''VideoGame/TalesOfInnocence''. For a character whom most would dismiss as a WhiteMagicianGirl, she sure has some impressive melee combos with that knife of hers.
** ''VideoGame/TalesOfGraces'' has Cheria Barnes, party healer and TeamMom who fights with magic-infused throwing knives.
* ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'':
** The Spy wields a variety of butterfly knives that, in addition to any number of other abilities, can be used for a [[OneHitKill one-shot kill]] backstab.
** The Sniper is an AwesomeAussie with an even ''bigger'' knife (though in-game it's usually used in extreme emergencies only).
* [[FragileSpeedster Ayame]] from the ''VideoGame/{{Tenchu}}'' series uses a pair of knives. Specifically, [[http://xa7.xanga.com/458d247bd2c3788283849/z61046668.jpg kodachi]].
* Sherudo Garo, the Stage 2 boss and BigBad of ''VideoGame/TimeCrisis''. Given how annoying knives are in the ''Time Crisis'' series, this also has the effect of making him into ThatOneBoss.
* Sakuya Izayoi from the ''Franchise/TouhouProject'' series fights by throwing a seemingly infinite number of knives that she actually recovers between volleys by [[TimeStandsStill stopping time]]. It's speculated that she can do more than just stop time, and that her many knives are actually ''the same'' knife. Of course, it is mentioned that she carries many knives as well. Best exemplified in her conversation with Alice in Perfect Cherry Blossom:
--> '''Alice''': So, far what reason do you worry? About yourself.\\
'''Sakuya''': Because I'm carrying only three changes of clothes. For myself.\\
'''Alice''': Ah, good reason.\\
'''Sakuya''': That, and a spare set of knives too.\\
'''Alice''': Ah, I- [[OhCrap KNIVES?!]]
* Hawkeye of ''VideoGame/TrialsOfMana'' demonstrates DualWielding with knives. One of his techs, the "Flying Swallow Toss", involves tossing a barrage of knives at every target on the screen. One wonders where he keeps them all...
* An option for traitors in ''VideoGame/TroubleInTerroristTown'' is to buy a knife, which can cause a OneHitKill if used to stab an innocent or a detective in the back. To prevent it being too broken, the knife can only be used to kill one person.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'':
** In the encounter with the Mad Dummy, after you hit it with its "dummy bot" attacks a certain number of times, it fires them, angrily declares "I DON'T NEED FRIENDS!!! I'VE GOT KNIVES!!!", and pulls out a knife to throw at you. [[spoiler:Too bad it only has one knife, which it wastes with its first attack.]]
** Take the genocide path, and your character will start to show a fondness for knives. And the last weapon you get, instead of being a stick or ballet shoes, is the Real Knife. [[spoiler:However, by the time you get it, the only enemy whom you can actually fight, Sans, is smart enough to just dodge your attacks, so it's really just for show.]]
--->''[[AxCrazy Here we are!]]''
** For a more benevolent example, you can also find a toy knife early in the game. [[spoiler:Which belonged to the human who possessed the Light Blue heart. Appropriately they are represented by spinning knives during the Photoshop Flowey battle.]]
* Archduke Maximilian Von Reginrave, BigBad of ''VideoGame/ValkyriaChronicles'', has a collection of thousands of knives, and often carries several hidden on his person. He can use them ''very'' well. This is yet another manifestation of his raging paranoia, the result of him growing up as the hated bastard child of the Imperial royal family whose brothers constantly tried to get rid of.
* Seether from ''VideoGame/WingCommanderIVThePriceOfFreedom'' uses a double-bladed knife, first threatening Blair with it, then [[spoiler:slitting Captain Paulson's throat]].
* The Rogue class in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' is a good example of this trope. All three of its specializations have been able to make use of them at some point in the game's history:
** The Assassination and Subtlety specializations require using daggers. Some of their strongest moves can only be used with daggers while others are adjusted when wielding a dagger to compensate for the weapon's low damage per hit. The dagger's fast speed also makes it good for triggering poisons and other effects.
** Before ''Cataclysm'', Combat rogues who take the Close Quarters Combat (dagger and fist weapon spec) talent get a bonus while using daggers and fist weapons that they won't if they use other weapon types.
%%* Canaan in ''VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}} Episode III''. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample)
* Becoming a Knife Nut is actually the BoringButPractical choice for Yandere-chan in ''VideoGame/YandereSimulator''. Sure, it's not as cool as a katana, but Yandere-chan can easily hide it on her body (even, ahem, [[BellisariosMaxim when she's nude]]) until an opportune moment to commit murder presents itself. Besides, there are just ''more'' knives to use than any other possible weapon -- the kitchen knife in the Cooking Club (and if she ''joins'' the Cooking Club she gets the added bonus of not being seen as suspicious if she carries it openly), the ritual knife in the Occult Club ([[spoiler:which can become a [[FlamingSword flaming knife]]]]), and the box cutter in the Art Club. It should be noted that update videos demonstrating game mechanics usually have her wielding a knife.
* Madotsuki from ''VideoGame/YumeNikki'' is frequently depicted as one because of a widespread PlayerTic which involves killing everyone, with the knife being the only weapon available.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Visual Novels]]
* Min from ''VisualNovel/ButterflySoup'' is a fan of butterfly knives. When she is asked to hand over the rest of her knives, she takes her jacket off and several knives fall to the floor.
* ''VisualNovel/DokiDokiLiteratureClub'': [[spoiler:Yuri is one. If you go down the Yuri route in Act 1, it's revealed that she has a large collection of knives at home, and the one she brings over to the MC's home is [[AbsurdlySharpBlade so sharp that gently touching its tip causes bleeding]]. Yuri even says it "[[FridgeHorror cuts through skin like paper]]". Her SelfHarm tendencies are hinted at, as well, creating a real UncannyValleyGirl feeling about her. This is brought to full light in Act 2, where Yuri basically goes full on {{Yandere}}, courtesy of Monika's MindRape combined with HostileShowTakeover, which takes her obsessive traits and self-harm tendencies UpToEleven. You end up with some indiscretion shots of Yuri cutting herself (both of which are hijacked by Monika; one is rewound and the other has her physically manifest over the entire GUI), as well as the climactic ending of Act 2, where Yuri stabs herself to death, either as a show of [[DrivenToSuicide pure despair at the player refusing her confession]], or a show of [[EroticAsphyxiation pure ecstasy at the player accepting it]]. [[ButThouMust Either way, she dies.]]]]
* The mysterious killer in the ''VisualNovel/{{Yarudora}}'' game ''VisualNovel/DoubleCast'' primary uses a knife, giving much tension in the scenes where he assaults the protagonist and/or his friends.
* ''VisualNovel/TheFruitOfGrisaia'': Yumiko always carries a box cutter with herself, usually only to scare off her classmates when they get on her nerves, but she actually tries to attack protagonist Yuuji with it after he makes a particularly bad first impression on her.
* [[InUniverseNickname Guilio The Knife/Knifer]] from ''VisualNovel/LuckyDog1'' is extremely skilled with a knife, citing that it's his favourite weapon - Ivan comments that he's practically useless without one. It becomes very useful when he needs to do knife tricks so the team can pretend to be performers after escaping prison.
* The [9]th Man of ''VisualNovel/NineHoursNinePersonsNineDoors'' threatens Clover with a knife at the start of the Game. [[spoiler:Ace later takes a knife (either his or finds his own) and kills Clover in the "Safe" ending, and the rest of the cast in the "Knife" and "Submarine" endings.]]
* When sweet little [[spoiler:Kotonoha Katsura]] from ''VisualNovel/SchoolDays'' snaps after all the BreakTheCutie and [[{{Yandere}} her own emotional instability]], she grabs a cleaver and shows how well she can use it. Seeing the kid [[spoiler:[[SlashedThroat slash Sekai's throat]] open with it in one of the bad endings is... horrifying]]. In TheAnimeOfTheGame, it's even worse. [[spoiler:Sekai fatally snaps on Makoto via stabbing him repeatedly in the chest with a kitchen knife, and then Kotonoha stabs ''and cuts Sekai's stomach open'' afterwards with another ''huge'' knife... after revealing that she beheaded Makoto's corpse. [[AlasPoorYorick And then she carries the head with her.]]]]
* Souji in ''VisualNovel/{{Suika}}'' always carries a silver knife in his pocket, but isn't actually a murderer or anything. But he does consider using it at several points and appears to have a fairly violent side that he suppresses. [[spoiler:It's finally justifiably used near the end, but he doesn't kill anyone.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Animation]]
* [[ColonelBadass Colonel]] [[GameBreaker 100]] from ''WebAnimation/BattlefieldFriends''. So much that he doesn't use any other weapon, not counting the C4. In later episodes he [[GameBreaker attaches bipod to it. In even later episodes he unlocks a bipod]] ''[[GameBreaker for]]'' [[GameBreaker the bipod.]]
* ''WebAnimation/HappyTreeFriends'':
** Flippy's murderous SplitPersonality Fliqpy can and will kill people with [[ImprovisedWeapon just about anything he can get his hands on]], but he also has a bowie knife he uses when it suits him.
** The far less bloodthirsty good Flippy also seems to be quite handy with knives, considering he [[spoiler:briefly holds his evil side at knifepoint]] in "[[Recap/HTFAutopsyTurvy Autopsy-Turvy]]". He's skilled enough to ''perfectly sharpen a pencil'' with a ''machete'' in "[[Recap/HTFRandomActsOfSilence Random Acts of Silence]]".
* ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'':
** Felix favors combat knives alongside his other weapons. He uses them up close and also throws them.
** Washington proves himself quite handy with knives too, as seen in his fight with the Meta and with Felix.
%%* Melody from the original version of ''WebAnimation/TrueTail''. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample)
* [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Mr. Stabby]] from ''WebAnimation/WeeblAndBob''. True to his [[MeaningfulName name]], he has a penchant for stabbing people (and drowning puppies). Oh, and his theme song has [[SoundtrackDissonance such a serene-sounding tune]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* Black Mage in ''Webcomic/EightBitTheater'' carries a dagger, which he most frequently employs against his nominal teammates, Fighter and Red Mage.
%%* ''Webcomic/{{Achewood}}'': [[MemeticMutation Oooh, these]] [[http://achewood.com/index.php?date=12072001 knives!]] (Administrivia/WeblinksAreNotExamples)
* In ''Webcomic/BasicInstructions'', Scott friend [[http://basicinstructions.net/basic-instructions/2010/1/24/how-to-accept-creative-input-from-a-friend.html Rick]], which directly led to the inclusion of a superhero (of sorts..) named [[http://basicinstructions.net/basic-instructions/2010/6/9/how-to-be-kind-to-the-least-among-you.html the Knifeketeer]].
%%* The Purple Shirted Eye Stabber of ''Webcomic/CyanideAndHappiness'' fame. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample)
* In ''Webcomic/TheFancyAdventuresOfJackCannon'', Jack's mother. Since she was also in charge of his TrainingFromHell, this means he is very good with knives as well. You should see [[http://fancyadventures.com/2012/01/16/page-357/ his smile]] when someone throws him some.
* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'': [=DuPree=] is ecstatic about getting to kill and torture and her implements of choice for both are the many little knives she keeps on her person at all times.
* ''Webcomic/TheFoxSister'': Yun Hee's [[http://thefoxsister.com/index.php?id=97 weapons of choice]] are blades of various sizes. She is quite proficient with them.
* Chapter 29 of ''Webcomic/FurryFightChronicles'' has Kalita fight a knife wielding cat lady outside an alley. She still wins [[OneHitKill with a single punch.]]
%%* John Burke in the now abandoned comic ''Games of the Mad''. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample)
%%* Jack Noir/Spades Slick of ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}''. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample)
%%* Elnor in ''Webcomic/ImpureBlood''. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample)
* Vekken va Kapo from ''Ley Lines'' is definitely a knife nut. It's plain to see and confirmed by WordofGod. He carries at least four knives, hidden in his shirt.
%%* Carver "The Knife" Stucco of ''Webcomic/{{Lovesyck}}'' is, obviously, this trope. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample)
* Quinsy [[MeaningfulName Sharps]] in ''Webcomic/TheMotleyTwo''. He's literally described by the author as a "knife nut".
* [[HeroicComedicSociopath Belkar "The Sexy Shoeless God of War" Bitterleaf]] in ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' is DualWielding his knives.
* The hero has his trusty knives in ''Webcomic/ProblemSleuth''.
-->'''PS:''' [[{{Pun}} Hate to cut and run...]]
%%* Williams from ''Webcomic/{{Remus}}'' is one, with heavy emphasis on the "nut" part. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample)
* A battle of the badasses occurs in ''Webcomic/RiceBoy'', when T-O-E and Angel Eye fight, both using knives.
* "[[http://rustyandco.com/comic/level-4-1/ Stabs]]" Doogan from ''WebComic/RustyAndCo'', notable for having more knives on her [[http://rustyandco.com/comic/level-5-6/ at any time]] than most monsters have HitPoints.
* [[TheVoiceless Finland]] of ''Webcomic/ScandinaviaAndTheWorld'' is always seen with a knife in his hand.
* ''Webcomic/{{Shadownova}}'''s Cameron Hunter. He's a BloodKnight and the AltText implies that [[ICallItVera he names them]] to boot.
* ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'':
** [[KillerRabbit Bun-]][[HairRaisingHare bun]]'s weapon of choice is usually the switchblade, with its signature ''ka-CLICK'' sound when he flips it open.
** Oasis might use {{Improvised Weapon}}s or [[EnergyWeapon laser cannons]] on occasion, but her favorite weapons are definitely knives. Whenever she comes BackFromTheDead, she always seems to bring a few dozen knives along with her. That's all she needs to kill trained assassins, small armies, and chocolate ice cream.
* From ''Webcomic/StringTheory2009'', we have Professor Phineas Armastus, the resident [[SerialKiller psychopathic murderer]] of [[HellHolePrison Nevada State Penientiary]], who can clear a room of guards armed with automatic rifles in a matter of seconds with nothing but a pair of prison shanks. [[ArsonMurderandJaywalking And then take their gummy bears.]]
* ''Swageon and Glacigeon'' has Swageon, who uses knives to kill people. [[GoodIsNotNice She's one of the main protagonists.]]
* The Jakeskin cultists in ''Webcomic/TemplarArizona'' are armed with giant razor sharp knives from an early age.
* ''Webcomic/TowerOfGod'': Khun likes to use knives. How many knives? [[spoiler:Many knives.]]
* Flush from ''Webcomic/{{Waterworks}}''. {{Subverted|Trope}} in that, despite liking knives, he has ''[[http://mspfanventures.com/?s=43&p=234 no clue]]'' what to do with one in a fight. But things get dangerous once he uses his SpinAttack...
* Changhui from ''Webcomic/WeakHero'', especially notable when most other fights in the series are bare-knuckle. When a mook slashes at his cheek, leaving him with his distinctive scar, Changhui's only reaction is to smile, take the knife away, and reveal that he's ''also'' good with blades. In the present day he keeps a knife hidden on his body, and attacks [[BigBad Donald]] with it in an attempt to turn the tables.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* In ''Literature/AshAndCinders'', Thavian has yet to be seen with any less than six knives looped through his belt. He's quite fond of using them for intimidation.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/user/cutlerylover Cutlerylover]] has a channel (as you can tell from the title) primarily focused on blades, knives in particular.
* Vadiir in ''ARG/DarkDreamChronicle'' has racks of knives, including a [[KukrisAreKool kukri]] [[MacheteMayhem machete]] as his WeaponOfChoice.
* ''Kat and Mouse - Guns for Hire'': Mouse is fond of all things sharp and stabby and carries an arsenal from throwing knives to her favorite wakizashis.
* WebOriginal/JeffTheKiller [[CreepyPasta is]] [[SelfmadeOrphan known]] [[GlasgowGrin to]] [[AxCrazy like]] [[NightmareFace his]] [[NeverSleepAgain knives.]]
* ''WebOriginal/ProtectorsOfThePlotContinuum'': Many agents use knives, or bladed weapons in general.
* [[ProfessionalKiller Ato]] of ''Literature/TheQuestportChronicles'' smuggles knives into the Questport Temple, where weapons of any kind are absolutely forbidden.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Videos]]
* Part of Ryan Haywood's TokenEvilTeammate shtick in Creator/AchievementHunter videos is that he ''loves'' knives and his first objective in games is to murder. He also keeps a cup filled with them at his desk.
-->'''Ryan:''' Why do I need a cup full of 37 knives? I don't, ''but I like it''!
* ''Series/TheCallOfWarr'' has Prince. He's quick to pull out his knife at any moment, and is just as willing to kill anyone who even so much as startles him.
* Evan of ''WebVideo/EverymanHYBRID'' is an absolute fiend for knives, switchblades, cleavers, daggers, and knife gloves a la [[Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet Freddy Krueger]]. He's rarely seen without some kind of cutlery in his hand, which is getting increasingly worrisome, as he seems to be on a [[SanitySlippage greased slide to]] [[AxCrazy Ax Craziness]]. Oh, and [[spoiler:he's occasionally possessed by a disembodied homicidal maniac]].
--> EMERGENCY. MACHETE.
%%* WebVideo/TheGamingPixie in her review of ''VideoGame/{{Eversion}}''. Also in her "gaiden review" of ''VideoGame/YumeNikki''. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample)
* PlayedForLaughs in the WebVideo/GusJohnson sketch "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAD0a6wWFrI your friend who always has a knife]]". The friend doesn't use his knife as a weapon, but he seems convinced it's always the best answer. One of his friends gets sick of it, but tensions soon rise after that friend has to make a sandwich and realizes there are no knives in the drawer.
* ''WebVideo/MortalKombatLegacy'': Shirai Ryu commander Hanzo Hasashi's talents with the kunai were so well-known that they earned him his nickname (later, his codename): Scorpion.
* WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick had some LickingTheBlade action when she tried to stab Creator/AllisonPregler.
* Defied in the case of sword reviewer and HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts) practitioner WebVideo/{{Skallagrim}}, who makes it clear that while he is enthusiastic about bladed weapons, he only advocates safe, responsible weapon collecting and handling.
* The nameless interviewee in the "TerribleIntervieweesMontage" episode of Trope of the Week from WebVideo/EchoChamber makes Tom rather uncomfortable with his knife play.
* LetsPlay/VenturianTale: [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Jimmy Casket]] really, ''really'' likes stabbing people.
* Yami Bakura from ''WebVideo/YuGiOhTheAbridgedSeries'' is this even more than his canon self. "I like knives. They make me feel all tingly."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', Mai uses throwing knives as her WeaponOfChoice.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheDragonPrince'' has Rayla. She has two large knives, which are loosely based on real butterfly knives, which she uses in almost every fight. With these knives, she can switch between the blade and the hook, thus adapting her [[FragileSpeedster combat tactics]] to it.
* Roberto, a mentally unstable robot from ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'', has an obsession with stabbing things with his trusty "Stabbing Knife".
* An AntiHero example is Razer from ''WesternAnimation/GreenLanternTheAnimatedSeries'', who seems to keep an unsettlingly large number of knives on his person at all times. Considering he has a Red Lantern ring on his finger, one wonders why he does so.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Kaeloo}}'': Mr. Cat. While he sometimes uses more dangerous weapons like a bazooka or [[ChainsawGood a chainsaw]], he uses knives fairly often. Usually he just throws them at people.
%%* Razorback in ''WesternAnimation/SpiralZone''. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample)
* Early Cuyler from ''WesternAnimation/{{Squidbillies}}'' seems to have an [[HammerSpace infinite supply]] of identical buck knives along with his SawedOffShotgun.
* Brock Sampson of ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'' carries a large knife [[DoesntLikeGuns instead of a gun]]. Tim-Tom and Kevin, the Murderous Moppets, also show a particular fondness for stabbing things with their switchblades.
-->'''Tim-Tom:''' We could take out his tongue.\\
'''Kevin:''' With a knife!\\
'''Tim-Tom:''' Remove his heart.\\
'''Kevin:''' Yeah, with a knife!\\
'''Tim-Tom:''' A bigger knife!\\
'''Kevin:''' Fucking knife!
* Frances from ''WesternAnimation/TheWeekenders'', judging by her catchphrase "I like pointy things!"
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* A Philippine {{Urban Legend|s}} warns that ''Batangueños'' (people of Batangas province in Southern Luzon) all carry a ''[[ButterflyKnife balisong]]'' and will use it to settle matters of honor. While the Filipino martial art of Eskrima is well-known for teaching its practitioners to DualWield a pair of rattan sticks, or to put MacheteMayhem into practice, it ''does'' have forms specifically for knives of any type, including the aforementioned balisong.
* Getting one's first ''puukko'' is a ritual of coming to an age in rural areas of Finland. ''For both boys and girls.'' The knife doubles as a handy tool, a dining utensil and a close combat weapon in the Finnish Army. A knife is actually the only civilian item (besides eyeglasses) the Finnish conscripts may carry while in uniform. Most Finnish conscripts bring their own knives with them from home when entering the service.\\\
The Finnish Army also produces ceremonial ''puukko'', which are awarded in the same way other armies award ceremonial swords and daggers. Finnish soldiers had a history of not bothering to carry their issued [[BayonetYa bayonets]], feeling their ''puukko'' is a better close-quarters weapon and more useful out of combat as well. After World War II, the Finnish Army clued in and started issuing a bayonet that basically is a ''puukko'', even having a scabbard similar to the ones that are normally hand-made for ''puukkos''. Basically, a fighting knife that just happens to also fit on the end of a rifle, whereas with most bayonets it's the other way around.
* Spanish people of Renaissance times developed straightforward -- and often dirty -- swordfighting techniques for street brawls, which developed into knifefighting techniques as the decades passed. This produced a strong knife culture throughout Spain, with the Andalusian [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navaja navaja]] becoming ubiquitous. Latin American countries seem to have developed strong knife cultures in the past as well, likely from both Iberian and native influences; the ''gauchos'' of the South American grasslands are commonly identified as both good horsemen and deft hands with knives.
* Tony Atlas had [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78eudgH6l74 this much to say]] when asked about why it took so long for Wrestling/BruiserBrody to get medical treatment after he was stabbed by Invader #1.
-->'''Tony:''' So I get Brody to the hospital and I told them that I got a friend that got a stabbing. Now one thing about Puerto Rico that a lot of people don't know, a stabbing in Puerto Rico is like a cold in America. They don't take it seriously because they get stabbed, it's a common thing there. You may be in San Juan, a nice area, but once you get out of San Juan, let me tell you, Puerto Ricans believe in stabbing people, maybe not in American but over there stabbing is very very common...\\\
...so I told it was stabbing, he opened up the door, he showed me a bunch of people standing there with stab wounds, but not as severe as Brody's.
* Everyone in medieval Europe. ''Everyone.'' Daggers were ubiquitous across most European cultures throughout the early and late middle ages - how else were you going to cut your food and do a million other little tasks throughout the day? Everyone carried a knife almost everywhere. Medieval dining etiquette, according to some researchers, evolved partly because literally everyone at the table had to trust everyone else when all of them were armed. [[note]]Other factors included out-classing each other at court as central states grew in power over time and greater education as the middle ages progressed.[[/note]]\\\
Special mention goes to medieval Scandinavian and Finnish women, who regularly owned daggers as part of their clothes. [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy One would suppose it figures.]] The symbols of the lady of the house were knife and keys on belt. As a matter of fact, the seax is a knife even Scandinavian children were given... mostly to use as a tool.\\\
Knives were so ubiquitous that Europeans horrified the Chinese. [[https://books.google.com/books?id=187ZjMxNGXwC&pg=PA124&lpg=PA124&dq=the+europeans+eat+with+swords&source=bl&ots=Y8VLxe1rHp&sig=ACfU3U3FC17g6suoLoZBqBKF0fohAyWYfA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiUnZPowJbqAhUNKawKHXs9BIgQ6AEwCXoECAcQAQ#v=onepage&q=the%20europeans%20eat%20with%20swords&f=false The Chinese considered having a knife at the table gauche]]; the cooks were expected to cut the meat up beforehand into tiny pieces so no knives would be needed at the table.
-->When the Chinese first saw Europeans eating food with knives, they were aghast. "The Europeans are barbarians," they would say. "They eat with their swords."
* Jim Bowie is the namesake of a particular type of large hunting knife that he carried and used in several knife fights.
* A few notable designs were made around WWII:
** The [[ThoseWackyNazis Nazi]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sturmabteilung SA]] were famous for their use of knives in street conflicts during the UsefulNotes/WeimarRepublic, as opposed to the [[DirtyCommunists Communists]], who preferred [[GrievousBottleyHarm beer bottles]], [[BatterUp bats and chair legs]], and other [[CarryABigStick clubs]]. It was said at the time said that if you went to the hospital you could tell who won the latest street brawl just by the type of injuries: crushed skulls and blunt-force trauma meant that it had been the Communists, while mostly stab wounds meant that it had been the Nazis. After the Nazis rose to power, the SA celebrated its knife-fighting roots with ceremonial daggers (copied from a Swiss design) with "Alles für Deutschland" ("All for Germany") inscribed on the blade. The Schutzstaffel (SS), which started out as a branch of the SA, used the same dagger except with the inscription "Meine Ehre Heisst Treue" ("My Honor is Loyalty").
** During their time in the Shanghai Police, William E. Fairbairn and Eric A. Sykes would create a modern dagger that would be heavily associated with the S.A.S., and a fighting style to go with it: the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairbairn-Sykes_fighting_knife Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting Knife]]. Most people will remember it as the knife Bishop uses to play FiveFingerFillet with Hudson in ''{{Film/Aliens}}''.
** Because the [[SemperFi USMC]] found that the Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting Knife was too specialized as a weapon (its needle point profile was too fragile for anything else), they never adopted it for widespread use in WWII. What they got in 1942 was a knife that would be heavily associated with the USMC: the iconic [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ka-Bar KA-BAR knife]], a design that was useful both as a weapon ''and'' a tool.
* The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sicarii Sicarii]]. You don't get a [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast name]] that means "dagger-men" without trying.
* UsefulNotes/HongKong [[TheTriadsAndTheTongs Triad gangs]] most commonly wield knives and machetes due to the difficulty of obtaining firearms in the city.
* There are a fair number of self titled "Knife knuts" scattered around the internet on various forums and the like. In a distinct subversion of this trope, they tend to be well spoken, gentle, and good-humored individuals that just happen to collect knives and enjoy talking about them. They have their own magazines, conventions, and are generally a friendly sort like any other group of hobbyists.
* The story goes that John Henry "Doc" Holliday once literally brought a knife to a gunfight -- and used it successfully. It wasn't the one he's ''most'' famous for participating in, of course, but he ''did'' make short work of an obnoxious and dishonest poker player who barely got his gun out of his holster before Holliday took up his blade and lay him out dead.
* Much like the middle ages, knives were ubiquitous in antiquity; they were just as useful then. Copper daggers predate Sparta's heyday by over ''two millennia''. Speaking of which, prior to the Scandinavians, all Spartan women carried a small, easily accessible knife on their person, and were trained in its use. The primary purpose of this blade was cutting an abusive husband across the face. That way, the moment he stepped foot on the street, ''everyone'' would know ''exactly'' why she was divorcing him.
* [[Creator/ValveSoftware Gabe Newell]] has a very large knife collection in his office. He has at least one knife for every month that ''VideoGame/HalfLife 3'' [[VaporWare hasn't come out]].
* Medieval German laws prohibited serfs from carrying swords. Since swords were defined as having a double-edged blade and pommeled-handle, knife makers made meter-long, two-handed blades that [[LoopholeAbuse were still legally knives]] by being single-edged and riveted-handle. To ensure that they were still not referred to as swords, they were known as the Kriegsmesser or the Großesmesser, effectively giving the German peasantry the European variant of [[KatanasAreJustBetter katanas]].
* During World War 1, the Italian Army created some of the world's first shock troops called the "Arditi" meaning "daring ones". Their main armament was their daggers, and their most valuable use in battle was to charge enemy lines during artillery bombardment, and leaping into trenches just as the shells let up. Most Arditi didn't even bother carrying carbines or pistols, their knives were all they needed to secure victory and hold it Untilt he main italian force arrived. The Arditi training regimen was so harsh that many recruits actually died just during basic. [[/folder]]

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** Some Titan armors have knives strapped on them, but only for aesthetics, as their primary means of dealing melee damage comes from the lampshaded [[GoodOldFashionedFisticuffs punching]] of their enemies with their PowerFist.

* ''Franchise/{{Rambo}}'': Rambo just can't live without one. He actually makes a knife himself in [[Film/{{Rambo}} the fourth film]].

* Annabeth from ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians''. Knives are used by clever fighters according to [[BigBrotherMentor Luke]], and since she is a child of Athena, she uses one as her weapon of choice.

* ''Series/KingdomAdventure'': One character is actually ''named'' [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast "Dagger"]], heavily implying him to be this. Downplayed, though, as Dagger is a messenger, infiltrator, and spy, and doesn't often fight or kill, but he has pulled a knife on at least one occasion when it was his assignment to do so.

** ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureVentoAureo'' gives us [[Main/BrattyHalfPint Narancia Ghirga]], who - despite having a stand that is best suited for long-range combat - is rather fond of threatening people with his trusty switchblade, mainly because of his HairTriggerTemper.

** ComicBook/TheJoker becomes very much one of these in ''ComicBook/BatmanRIP'', in which he makes frequent, [[NightmareFetishist borderline fetishistic]] use of twin switchblades to mutilate not just enemies and loose allies, but himself.

* ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'': Post-Crisis, both [[GeneralRipper General Zod]] and his [[UnholyMatrimony equally insane wife]], [[ColonelKilgore Ursa]], carried knives with Green Kryptonite blades for use against [[Franchise/{{Superman}} their]] [[ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} fellow]] [[ComicBook/{{Superboy}} Kryptonians]].

** Maes Hughes uses [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Push_knife push knives]], of course adding to his status as EnsembleDarkHorse. His skill makes him the fastest to [[spoiler:kill a homunculus]], and he even does it ''twice''. Of course [[spoiler:DeathIsCheap... [[KilledOffForReal for them at least]].]] He can ''throw'' his knives, which are not in any way suited toward throwing, to impale skulls. They're called ''push'' knives for a reason.

In {{Fantasy}} settings, knives are the iconic weapon of the [[FighterMageThief Thief]], the FragileSpeedster, or the CombatPragmatist and are typically [[DualWield Dual Wielded]]. The latter has some basis in reality, as historically, daggers have been used as off-hand weapons alongside a rapier or tomahawk, but mainly for utility or defensive purposes such as parrying where a shield couldn't be carried[[note]]A shield would be more effective in 99.9% of circumstances for this purpose, and the Buckler was used around the same time as parrying daggers in Europe, but daggers were easier to carry[[/note]]. Knives are typically also associated with PoisonedWeapons, despite the fact that a knife makes a poor poison applicator[[note]]Stabbing someone makes them bleed, a ''lot''. Any poison that got inside from the blade would get carried out by the rampant bleeding. Arrows and darts are much more effective with poison.[[/note]]

%%** [[http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Tonberry Tonberries.]] [[DemonicSpiders Behold the evil!]] (Administrivia/WeblinksAreNotExamples)

** Tonberries, just Tonberries.
%%* ''VideoGame/FinalFight'':
%%** Never in short supply for's El Gado and orange Holly Wood[[note]]As opposed to the red one, who throws [[MolotovCocktail molotovs]][[/note]]. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample)
%%** Rolento, military madman from the ''Final Fight'' and ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' games. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample)