History Main / LiteralDisarming

* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesHajimariNoKiseki'', [[spoiler:[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesZeroNoKiseki Arios MacLaine]] does this towards Emperor Dogma after Nadia notes that they need to separate the [[ArtifactOfDoom Heavenly Regalia]], which is attached to his shoulder, from his body at the climax of [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsOfColdSteel Rufus']] chapter 4 in his [[BreakoutCharacter route.]].]]

* This is a relatively common tactic among ''VideoGame/DwarfFortress'' players; hacking off an opponent's hand deprives them of not only a weapon, but parrying capabilities, as well, leaving them open for a potentially fatal blow. [[RealityEnsues Or just leaving the option of having them bleed out.]]

->''"The enemy cannot push a button if you disable his hand."''
-->-- '''Sergeant Zim''', ''Film/StarshipTroopers''

* ''Film/TotalRecall1990'': Quaid disposes of Donovan when he tried to hang on to his dear life at the end of their ElevatorActionSequence but didn't notice that they are entering another floor until it was too late. His arms were torn off and fell to his death.

* In ''Anime/DragonBallZ'', when Nappa is battling the Z-Fighters, he surfaces his energy, charges Tien, and punches his left arm. Vegeta snidely noted of Tien, "he's been disarmed."

* ''Film/AvengersEndgame'': When the remaining Avengers corner and restrain [[spoiler:Thanos in his retirement garden]] a couple of weeks after the finger snap, Thor cuts his [[spoiler:Infinity Gauntlet-wearing]] arm off for good measure so he won't be able to use it. Turns out [[spoiler:Thanos destroyed the stone, meaning the Gauntlet is now useless.]]

* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesHajimariNoKiseki'', [[spoiler:[[TheLegendOfHeroesZeroNoKiseki Arios MacLaine]] does this towards Emperor Dogma after Nadia notes that they need to separate the [[ArtifactOfDoom Heavenly Regalia]], which is attached to his shoulder, from his body at the climax of [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsOfColdSteel Rufus']] chapter 4 in his [[BreakoutCharacter route.]].]]

* In ''webComic/DarthsAndDroids'', there's a RunningGag that attempting to disarm someone with a laser sword ends up cutting off their hand thanks to bad dice rolls.

* In the final battle of ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'', PM disarms Jack by cutting off the arm on which he's wearing the Queen's ring, thus de-powering him.

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* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1987'': Hippolyta cuts the arm off of one of ComicBook/{{Darkseid}}'s brainwashed victims in order to get him to let go of [[ComicBook/WonderGirl Donna]]. Donna does not appreciate the level of violence her mother brings to the fight as she was hoping to take him out of the fight without causing permanent damage, but it does allow them to move forward with uncovering Darkseid's plot.

* ''Film/AvengersEndgame'': When the remaining Avengers corner and restrain [[spoiler:Thanos in his retirement garden]] a couple of weeks after the finger snap, Thor cuts his [[spoiler:Infinity Gauntlet-wearing]] arm off for good measure so he won't be able to use it. Turns out [[spoiler:Thanos destroyed the stone, meaning the Gauntlet is now useless.]]
* ''Film/TotalRecall1990'': Quaid disposes of Donovan when he tried to hang on to his dear life at the end of their ElevatorActionSequence but didn't notice that they are entering another floor until it was too late. His arms were torn off and fell to his death.
* ''Film/SympathyForLadyVengeance'': When one of Mr. Baek's assassins uses Geum-ja's daughter as a HumanShield, she closes [[ShootTheHostageTaker blows the hand holding the knife off at the wrist]].

* The WebGame ''Sands of the Coliseum'' (where limbs can be individually targeted) has some variations: a fighter with a two-handed weapon can't attack at all, but if they have a shield they can still perform a ShieldBash attack, and use the other weapon if they were DualWielding. Destroying a leg makes every fighter except polearm wielders (who can throw their weapon) unable to attack, though they can still [[ManaBurn intimidate opponents]] and hold out longer if they have shields. Taking the torso or head is insta-death.
* It's entirely possible for you to do this in ''VideoGame/{{Postal 2}}'' with the ''Apocalypse Weekend'' expansion (or if you have the game on Steam). Attacking an opponent with an edged melee weapon allows you to sever their limbs (or [[OffWithHisHead heads]], if you are so inclined), which renders them utterly incapable of fighting back, as they'll drop whatever they were holding and run around in a blind panic, basically nullifying the theat that they pose. Enemies with two-handed weapons will block your blows, but this doesn't stop you from cutting their legs off and leaving them collapsed on the floor.
* In the ''Videogame/MechWarrior'' series, shooting the arm off of an enemy HumongousMecha will destroy any weapons mounted there, and on mechs that have entirely arm-mounted arsenals such as the ''Rifleman'', a dangerous enemy can be turned into a hapless walking target. In ''Mechwarrior Living Legends'', this is also permanent - damaged weapons in the torso can be repaired, but a lost limb or external weapon pod cannot. Pilots of lighter mechs may go straight for the arms of heavier enemies they cannot (directly) defeat to spite them.

* ''Film/AvengersEndgame'': When the remaining Avengers [[spoiler:corner and restrain Thanos in his retirement garden]] a couple of weeks after the finger snap, Thor cuts his [[spoiler:Infinity Gauntlet-wearing]] arm off for good measure so he won't be able to use it. Turns out [[spoiler:Thanos destroyed the stone, meaning the Gauntlet is now useless.]]

* ''Film/AvengersEndgame'': When the remaining Avengers [[spoiler:corner and restrain Thanos in his retirement garden]] a couple of weeks after the finger snap, [[spoiler:Thor cuts his Infinity Gauntlet-wearing arm off for good measure so he won't be able to use it. Turns out Thanos destroyed the stone, meaning the Gauntlet is now useless.]]

!!Examples

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* In ''Roleplay/WeAreAllPokemonTrainers'' Tagg slices off Tokarev's pistol hand with an Aura blade to prevent him from shooting him while the latter is trying to beat him to death.

[[folder:Films — Animated]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/SherlockGnomes'', Irene Adler rips the arm of Big Boy Gorilla while arm-wrestling him.
[[/folder]]

** In ''Film/AttackOfTheClones'', Obi-Wan slices off the forearm of bounty hunter Zam Wesell as she tries to pull a blaster on him, in an InternalHomage to the barfight scene in ''Film/ANewHope''.

*** That is now what happens. Mace Windu cut Jango's gun in half, and then beheads him.
** In ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'', this happens to Count Dooku in his rematch with Anakin, costing him both his hands (and a few seconds later, [[OffWithHisHead his head]]).

** Luke Skywalker loses his hand during a duel with Darth Vader in ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'', which leaves him helpless for the duration of the now-famous "LukeIAmYourFather" scene.
*** Luke also slices off the right arm of the wampa as it attacks him, though it doesn't have a weapon and is just an animal. Mark Hamill disapproved of the scene for that reason and thought it was out of character for Luke to do so.

* ''Series/DoctorWho'': In [[Recap/DoctorWho2005CSTheChristmasInvasion "The Christmas Invasion"]], during the duel between the [[TheNthDoctor newly regenerated Tenth Doctor]], the Sycorax cuts off the Doctor's right hand which was holding the sword. However, thanks to the Doctor being within 15 hours of his regeneration he is able to [[HealingFactor regrow his hand]] with a stronger better ''fighting hand'', where he proceeds to overwhelm the Sycorax leader and knock him down.

* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'', [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20070910 Revenge of the Weasel Queen]]:

'''Agatha:''' ...I didn't say anything about weapons. ''(Bzzzrip!)''\\

* In ''SherlockGnomes'', Irene Adler rips the arm of Big Boy Gorilla while arm-wrestling him.

[[quoteright:298:[[ComicBook/CaptainAmerica https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/captain_america.png]]]]

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[[quoteright:350:[[Film/AttackOfTheClones https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lightsaber_arm_off.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Anakin [[{{Pun}} hands]] Count Dooku an easy victory.]]