History Main / LiteralDisarming

* ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'': Kirito and Eugeo are forced to do this to defeat Raios and Humbert. The latter loses his right arm, while the former loses both hands and ends up bleeding to death.

* ''Literature/TheBookOfMormon'': Ammon defends himself from a gang of club-wielding robbers by "smiting their arms with the edge of his sword". He apparently cut all the way through, because his fellow servants then proceed to gather up the fallen arms, to present to the king as evidence of his achievement.

->''"''Cho moi'' translates as ‘to cut off the weapon hand.’ Because this strike instantly ends an opponent’s ability to use a weapon but does not kill, ''choi moi'' is a preferred move in combat."''

* ''Series/TheWheelOfTime'': The Questioner had cut off the hands of the Aes Sedai before burning her.

** After Samurai Sword's Devil power had run dry, he still has a handgun to use against Kobeni's knife. She dodges his bullets, slice off his forearm, snags the firearm it was holding, and [[UseTheirOwnWeaponAgainstThem shoots him with it]]--all in one motion.

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

[[folder:Web Comics]]

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

** ''ComicBook/{{Sword}}:'' During the events of ''King in Black'', Frenzy tears off Kid Cable's artificial limb and clubs him with it, also depriving him of his bodyslide tech, which he'd been using to TeleportSpam.

* In ''Videogame/{{Rimworld}}'' it's possible to capture a raider, replace their healthy limbs with {{Seadog Peg Leg}}s and/or {{Hook Hand}}s, and release them. Your doctors will get experience from performing the amputations and the raider will be significantly less threatening if they ever attempt to attack your colony again.

* ''LightNovel/ReignOfTheSevenSpellblades'': At the climax of Oliver and Nanao's battle with [[spoiler:Vera Miligan]] in volume 1, their opponent reveals a [[DeadlyGaze basilisk eye]] grafted to the back of her hand. That should have ended it, except [[spoiler:Nanao spontaneously invents the eponymous seventh Spellblade and cuts everything between her and Miligan's wrist with sheer force of will, [[AbsurdlySharpBlade including the space between them]]]], sending that hand flying. For her part, [[spoiler:Miligan]] later reanimates the severed appendage to serve as her familiar.

* 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. [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome Or just leaving the option of having them bleed out.]]

* In ''VideoGame/ThePunisher'', Frank Castle tears off Bushwacker's ArmCannon before killing him with it.

* In ''Fanfic/ABrighterDark', Corrin finishes her duel against Kaze by slicing off his sword-wielding hand moments before executing him and Rinkah.

* In '''Fanfic/ABrighterDark', Corrin finishes her duel against Kaze by slicing off his sword-wielding hand moments before executing him and Rinkah.

** The "Judgement War" ''ComicBook/XFactor'' storyline culminates in [[ComicBook/JeanGrey Marvel Girl]] absorbing the energy of the alien factions of the planet where the story took place, and transfering it to ComicBook/{{Cyclops}} to stop the Celestials' judgement. A cosmic symbol imprited on Arishem's hand could start the judgement process if his verdict was negative, so Cyclops destroyed the hand with a powered-up optic blast.

* ''Film/TransformersDarkOfTheMoon'': During their climactic duel, [[spoiler:Sentinel Prime]] knocks Optimus Prime's ax out of one hand and tears off the other sword-wielding arm.

* ''Film/ZombiesZombiesZombies'': When Pamela transforms into a zombie, she rips an arm of one of her fellow whores and starts eating it.