History Main / KnockoutAmbush

When this happens in video games, the player's weapons and items are usually taken away. In some games, there will be an opportunity for the player to get their items back shortly after the Knockout Ambush, in others the game might give different items to replace the ones lost.

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* Happens to Vanessa and Madlax in ''Anime/{{Madlax}}'', when they are captured by Enfant.
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* Happened in an old issue of ''Series/TheBionicWoman'' comic. Thugs shot Jamie Sommers, apparently killing her. Then the thugs mention that she was shot with "medicated wax pellets", drugging her into unconsciousness.
* Regularly happens to Franchise/{{Tintin}}, via TapOnTheHead.

* The four are ambushed by [[spoiler: Brox and Co. and the Raleka]] in [[GhostCity Ehndris]] in ''Fanfic/WithStringsAttached'' in an ambush where none of the four are meant to be killed, though only one of them (John) is actually knocked out (well, he's put to sleep). Paul is mind-controlled and led away, George is briefly paralyzed so they can take his RingOfPower and render him harmless, and the ambushers do nothing to Ringo because they know he can't do anything to anyone at that point.
** [[spoiler: Brox]] lampshades this a bit when [[spoiler: he/she asks Grunnel]] why they didn't just kill Ringo and George. [[spoiler: Grunnel]] basically admits to being too fond of them to kill them, and also that [[ForTheLulz it's funnier to have them watching helplessly while the others are being put to use]].

* ''WesternAnimation/MonstersVsAliens'': "Is he talking about [[{{Area51}} Area fifty...]]" *zip!* *thud!*

* ''Literature/GoblinsInTheCastle'': Played with -- while William and Igor are on their way to see Granny Pinchbottom, they get ambushed twice by goblins. The second time, William is briefly knocked out, awakens in time to see Igor get carried away, then gets hit from behind and is knocked out ''again''. The goblins, not realizing who William is at the time, are only interested in carrying Igor away though.
* Happens constantly in ''Literature/ThePerilsOfEnhancegirl''. The main character's super-senses make her very vulnerable to chloroform, so she's often captured and subdued in this fashion. It's not limited to her. At one point [[LightEmUp Spectra]] is knocked out by being konked on the back of the head by a semi-crooked cop.
* At the beginning of ''Literature/WingsOfFire: The Hidden Kingdom'', everyone in the main group except for Glory and Starlight gets ambushed and hit by tranquilizer darts courtesy of the [=RainWings=]. Later done to one of the villains [[spoiler: under Glory's command]], but [[spoiler:Icicle]] stays awake long enough to realize that [[spoiler:she's going to have to face [[DreamWalker Queen Scarlet]] and possibly find out that she is going to kill her brother for failing her.]]

* Happened to [[TheCaptain Sheridan]] on Mars in an episode of ''Series/BabylonFive''. {{Subverted}} in that rather than just go down for the count, Sheridan is able to fight his attackers for a short time before succumbing to the tranquilizer patch that had been slapped on him by [[spoiler:[[FaceHeelTurn Garibaldi]]]].
* Frequently used in ''Series/{{Heroes}}'' when taking down superhumans.
* Happened on ''Series/{{Lost}}'' when Michael leads Sawyer, Kate, Jack, and Hurley to the Others' camp. The Others ambush them from the trees using tranq darts, then gag them and put bags over their heads.

* In ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' 'Swap Meat' this happens to Sam.

* ''Series/{{Bones}}'': Zach does this to Bones, because he's no match for her in a fair fight and he knows it.

* In ''VideoGame/Fallout3'' you are [[spoiler: knocked out by a stun grenade from nowhere after recovering the G.E.C.K]].

* In ''VideoGame/MedalOfHonorVanguard'' at the end of '[[{{Trapped Behind Enemy Lines}} Behind Enemy Lines]]', Keegan is knocked out with a [[{{Pistol Whip}} Buttstroke]] from a Karabiner 98K by a [[{{Its Raining Men}} Fallschirmjager]].

* ''VideoGame/VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines'': Overlaps with CutsceneIncompetence when the vampire player character gets clubbed unconscious by an enemy as they climb out of a cab, requiring them to be rescued before they're dealt a CruelAndUnusualDeath. Why a TapOnTheHead affects the character more than a bullet through the brain does is [[GameplayAndStorySegregation left unexplained]].

* Happens constantly in ''Literature/ThePerilsOfEnhancegirl''. The main character's super-senses make her very vulnerable to chloroform, so she's often captured and subdued in this fashion. It's not limited to her. At one point [[LightEmUp Spectra]] is knocked out by being konked on the back of the head by a semi-crooked cop.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'', Mr. Incredible is taken down by cannons shooting expanding globs of a mysterious substance that eventually immobilize him.

A group of characters is suddenly ambushed, but they're either knocked out with concussive force or shot with {{Tranquilizer Dart}}s, KnockoutGas, {{Static Stun Gun}}s or something with a similar effect, and not lethal weapons, because the ambushers want them alive.

*** The {{PC}}s are at an audience with the Mandrill when he decides to capture them. He and his soldiers open fire on them with [[StunGuns neurostunner pistols]] that cause unconsciousness.
*** While the {{PC}}s are escaping from Mandrill's base, one of his soldiers wearing PoweredArmor attacks them. She uses a [[StunGuns neurostunner]] built into her armor to knock them out.

A group of characters is suddenly ambushed, but they're either knocked out with concussive force or shot with {{Tranquilizer Dart}}s, KnockoutGas, {{Static Stun Guns}} or something with a similar effect, and not lethal weapons, because the ambushers want them alive.

A group of characters is suddenly ambushed, but they're either knocked out with concussive force or shot with {{Tranquilizer Dart}}s, KnockoutGas, StunGuns or something with a similar effect, and not lethal weapons, because the ambushers want them alive.

* In ''WesternAnimation/Madagascar3EuropesMostWanted'', Alex, Marty, Gloria, Melman and King Julien are ambushed with tranquilizer darts by Captain DuBois and her team of animal control officers.

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', module A3 ''Assault on the Aerie of the Slave Lords''. If the {{PC}}s will be playing in module A4, at the end of A3 the entire {{PC}} party will rendered unconscious by a green gas and captured by the Slave Lords.

*** While the {{PC}}s are escaping from Mandrill's base, one his soldiers wearing PoweredArmor attacks them. She uses a [[StunGuns neurostunner]] built into her armor to knock them out.

* ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork5TeamColonelAndTeamProtoMan'': In the first chapter, Lan and his friends visit his dad's office as the latter is going to show something. Suddenly, gas grenades roll from outside and burst, knocking them all out. Then some GasMaskMooks enter the room to confirm the gas concentration before their boss, Dr. Regal, walks in and orders them to kidnap Lan's dad and confiscate Lan's friend's PET devices. Lan himself, meanwhile, escaped notice because he's in a closed part of the room (in his dad's personal work space, as he's told to take something from there).

When this happens in video games the player's weapons and items are usually taken away. In some games there will be an opportunity for the player to get their items back shortly after the Knockout Ambush, in others the game might give different items to replace the ones lost.