History Main / OneHitKill

** Despite how badass and unique Darth Maul is in the otherwise lame ''[[Film/ThePhantomMenace Phantom Menace]]'' many forget he is the ''only'' major film antagonist to be taken out ([[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe sliced in half]]) in one slash by Obi-Wan. Kylo Ren (BigBadWannabe) in ''Film/TheForceAwakens'' in contrast got up again after taking a slash to face from Rey's Lightsaber strike.

* A rare real-life example outside a military context is ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commotio_cordis commotio cordis]]''. If [[PrecisionCrash a blow strong enough strikes a small region of the chest between the 2nd and 4th ribs during a 15-millisecond window in the heartbeat cycle]], the heart rhythm will be disrupted and cardiac arrest will ensue. While this probably can't be induced during a real fight due to the coincidences involved, it has happened to hockey, lacrosse[[note]]the reason defensemen in that sport are no longer allowed to step into the crease and play goalie when the actual goalie and his mandatory chest protector are elsewhere[[/note]] and baseball players who have been hit by shots or hits. Lacrosse players [[https://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/11/sports/lacrosse-a-ball-strikes-a-chest-on-the-field-and-a-young-life-is-lost.html have]] [[http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2004-03-19/sports/0403190136_1_lacrosse-chest-commotio-cordis died]] from this.

* Wrestling/{{Umaga}}'s [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awG8ZNPm4pk Samoan Spike]].

** Cat Blank, being a villainous version of Cat Noir, has unlimited uses of his signature Cataclysm, which have been powered up to the point he can destroy [[spoiler:the entire Milky Way Galaxy]].

* In the finale of ''Life'', [[spoiler: Crews kills Roman with one blow to the throat]].

* In the ''Fanfic/TamersForeverSeries'', [[spoiler:Chaos easily kills Doumon by crushing her skull in his hand]].
* "[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/9060802/1/Days-of-Futures-Past-What-Does-That-Mean-It-Kinda-Sounds-Sexy Days of Futures Past What Does That Mean It Kinda Sounds Sexy]]", [[spoiler:Naruto knocks out Superboy by throwing a cake laced with Kryptonite at his face]].
* ''Fanfic/SeventhEndmostVision'', rather terrifyingly, this is how [[spoiler: Lucrecia fights. She kills four people in Barret's seven-person group, as well as a non-combatant, during their fight, and it only takes her one move for each kill, emphasizing her precision and deadliness]].
* In ''Fanfic/SugarPlums'' this is how most of Ume's fights end. It's noted this is because she's [[WeakButSkilled weaker than most shinobi by default]], thus unlike other shinobi who will prod and test opponents to conserve energy in case they have to run away or fight other opponents she will go [[CombatPragmatist all out immediately]]. It's only because of this trait she's able to kill objectively stronger opponents at all and even then it'll usually come at a [[HeroicRROD cost.]]
* In ''Fanfic/CelestiasRocketAdventures'', Team Rocket's Robo Mega Meowth had been successfully tanking everything that could be thrown at it without any sort of damage. This streak comes to an end when it tries to attack Team Flare's ultimate weapon, with a single low-powered blast ripping the mech apart.

* In the ''Saveage Realms'' series by Brian Henson and Troy Anthony Schermer, your character(s) can find "epic" weapons such as the Death Bringer Blade. These are {{Limited Use Magical Device}}s that instantly kill enemies that have a maximum health of 50 or have health that's been reduced to 50 and some especially potent epic weapons will [[SmartBomb kill every foe of 50 or lower health in an encounter]]. Unfortunately epic weapons won't have any effect on the [[ContractualBossImmunity Boss monster]] regardless of their health.

* The [[HiveQueen Vord Queen]] in ''Literature/CodexAlera'' has become powerful enough by First Lord's Fury that, when an [[WorldOfBadass Aleran]] [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking High Lord]] [[BigDamnHeroes takes the field at the battle of Alera Imperia]], [[NegatedMomentOfAwesome she blasts him out of the sky with one hit]]. ''When he's protected by dozens of Citizens and knights.'' Cue the MassOhCrap.

** ''Series/TicTacDough'': The "red box" "Bonus Category," which immediately allowed the contestant another turn if he/she answered a three-part question correctly. The categories were moved to other boxes after the question, and the "Bonus Category" always appeared in an adjacent box or other space that allowed him/her to set up and eventually complete a tic-tac-toe. Played correctly –- and it often was – a tic-tac-toe was completed without the opponent getting a chance to play (although he/she was always invited back to play the next game). Eventually, in the interest of fair play, the category was retired, in lieu of the modified "Double-or-Nothing."

* ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'' Season 5; Jack most likely kills one of the Daughters of Aku with a single punch to the face, snapping her neck in the process.

* In ''Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk'' when Indy is searching for [[OldFlame Marion]] the crowd parts to reveal a black swordsmen with scimitar showing off his skill ready to fight, but Indy casually [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YyBtMxZgQs pulls out his gun and blows him away]]... making it's place in movie history. [[CombatPragmatism Hilarious practicality]] aside, this scene originally was gonna have Indy face the swordsmen for real in choreographed fight scene which would've taken three days to film and blown the studio over budget. Until Harrison Ford (who was suffering from dysentery) wisely suggested to Spielberg that he just "''shoot the son of a bitch''".

[[folder:Film]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TransformersTheMovie'': Galvatron [[spoiler:kills Starscream with one shot]].
* In ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'', Mei ends the fight with [[spoiler:her mother's kaiju-panda form]] by headbutting her once in the forehead.

* ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'':

* Hydrogen-filled Zeppelins in UsefulNotes/WorldWarI were surprisingly resilient to being brought down by machine gun fire,[[note]]but ''not'', as popularly told, invulnerable to it; before incendiary ammunition was developed, several zeppelins were brought down by [[DeathOfAThousandCuts riddling the envelope and gas cells with bullet holes until it eventually lost too much lifting gas to stay airborne]][[/note]] though they could be downed with just one burst of incendiary ammunition or a single explosive shell in the right place. This was, in a roundabout way, also the cause for the Hindenburg disaster... The US, seeing UsefulNotes/NaziGermany gear up for a war, refused to sell helium to them, forcing the Nazis to use hydrogen as lift gas.

* In both armoured and naval warfare, a well-aimed or lucky hit in the opposing tank/ship's magazine can lead to that unfortunate target being blown up by its own ammunition. This is what happened to three British battlecruisers at the battle of Jutland in 1916 and to the ''HMS Hood'' in 1941. It doesn't even have to be in the main magazines! At least one of the hits at Jutland (on the HMS ''[[{{Irony}} Invincible]]'') penetrated the roof of a main battery turret, which wouldn't have been a problem except that the Royal Navy battlecruisers' gunners were [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique bypassing safety protocols for the sake of rapid fire]] and leaving a nice, flammable chain of cordite leading all the way to the magazines. That, and the fact that the cordite stock hadn't been sufficiently rotated and the stuff was a bit old and chemically twitchy, added up to cause disaster. This is how the ''Bismarck'' may have sank the HMS ''Hood'', managing a plunging hit straight into the ''Hood's'' magazine.
* Japanese cruisers in general were vulnerable to this. This was because they carried highly volatile "Long-Lance" torpedoes, which were the most advanced torpedoes in the world by the 1940s but powered with pure and ''flammable'' oxygen. Even glancing hits from low-caliber shells could cause them to quickly cook-off and destroy or cripple the ship. In particular, during the Battle Off Samar, the USS ''Johnston'' managed to land a crippling hit onto the Japanese Heavy Cruiser ''Kumano'' completely taking it out of the battle with just one torpedo hit (the hit ''blew the ship's entire front end off'').
* In UsefulNotes/WorldWarI the SMS ''Szent István'' was torpedoed in the aft boiler room, killing the power needed to use the pumps and throw the water out. In fact a direct hit from a well-placed torpedo will sink most warships, with only the biggest capable of surviving. Modern torpedoes, which all use proximity fuses rather than needing to strike the target, ideally detonate a short distance below the keel of a vessel "breaking its back" under the target's own weight, causing the ship to split in two and sink relatively rapidly. The "back breaking" effect happened to one US ship during World War II from a kamikaze aircraft instead of a torpedo. The aircraft crashed in front of the ship, the ship ran over it, and was destroyed by an airplane which had already been shot down.
* In general, aircraft are extremely susceptible to being brought down by a singular cause, whether intentional or accidental. A propeller strike on a single-engined plane for instance, can effectively render a plane uncontrollable. In air-to-air combat, a direct hit by a single missile will generally suffice to bring down any aircraft.

* Similarly, anything that penetrates the armor of a [[TankGoodness tank]] will kill it, or at best take it out of action for the duration of the battle. This is because tanks are very compact vehicles, so anything that gets through the armor is going to hit something important. Increasingly, this “something important” is the crew itself.

* ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'':

* You could make a drinking game for how often the host of walkthrough channel ''U Can Beat Video Games'' says "instant death" when describing hazards.

* In ''Film/BackToTheFuture'', skinny wimp George McFly hits his long-time tormentor [[BarbaricBully Biff Tannen]] with a single left hook after he [[BerserkButton shoves Lorraine to the floor]]. Biff spins over on the spot, falls back against the car behind him, and slumps to the pavement completely out cold. One of the most satisfying moments in film.

Often, the One-Hit Kill isn't humble enough to just kill, instead [[TakenForGranite petrifying]], [[BalefulPolymorph permanently polymorphing]], or banishing its victim to the PhantomZone. At times, it's not even content with a single target, becoming a OneHitPolykill.

* The title character possesses the "Spiral Ray" in a few of his later incarnations, a supercharged, red/orange-colored variant of his normal light-blue atomic BreathWeapon. It proved capable of annihilating some of Godzilla's most powerful foes ever (such as Super Mechagodzilla, Spacegodzilla, and Kaiser Ghidorah) within seconds. The one and only time it did not provide an immediate victory was when used against Destoroyah -- and that was when it was being used for the duration of the entire climactic battle -- which [[TheWorfBarrage demonstrated how amazingly dangerous Destoroyah really was]].

* ''Film/GodzillaAgainstMechagodzilla'': Kiryu (AKA "Mechagodzilla 3") possessed a weapon called the [[FreezeRay Absolute-Zero Cannon]] which could [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin instantly freeze anything it hit down to absolute zero.]] The devastating effects of the weapon are seen when Kiryu accidentally freezes several skyscrapers during a battle with Godzilla. Said skyscrapers collapsed into dust almost immediately after freezing. The lethality of the weapon is subverted when used against Godzilla himself ''twice''. The first time, Kiryu had gone berserk from hearing Godzilla's roar and was rampaging across Tokyo before they could fire the weapon. And, the second time, the Absolute-Zero Cannon was badly damaged and could only ''very'' temporarily trap Godzilla in ice.
* In ''Film/{{Godzilla 2014}}'', Godzilla performs one on the male [=MUTO=], by way of a TailSlap into a skyscraper. Amusingly, the way Godzilla turns around to deliver said attack looks almost casual.
* Franchise/{{Godzilla}} possesses the "Spiral Ray" in a few of his later incarnations, a supercharged, red/orange-colored variant of his normal light-blue atomic BreathWeapon. It proved capable of annihilating some of Godzilla's most powerful foes ever (such as Super Mechagodzilla, Spacegodzilla, and Kaiser Ghidorah) within seconds. The one and only time it did not provide an immediate victory was when used against Destoroyah -- and that was when it was being used for the duration of the entire climactic battle -- which [[TheWorfBarrage demonstrated how amazingly dangerous Destoroyah really was]].
* ''Film/TheHobbitTheBattleOfTheFiveArmies'': [[spoiler:as you may know after reading the book, the [[DiskOneFinalBoss dragon Smaug]] gets instantly killed by Bard after being pierced by the Black Arrow on the [[AchillesHeel scaleless skin spot of its chest]]]].

** Thanks to Characters/{{Superman|TheCharacter}}'s near-unstoppable SuperStrength, anytime he's [[BewareTheNiceOnes serious]] or [[BerserkButton enraged]] almost ''all'' his confrontations becomes this. The WhatIf scenarios with Supes fighting Batman, [[https://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/11/118094/3085898-9536688289-super.jpg tend to end quickly]] unless Batman is [[TheStrategist crazy prepared]] prior to facing Superman. There's also [[Characters/BatmanTheJoker The Joker]]'s death in [[ComicBook/InjusticeGodsAmongUs Injustice]] aka the [[https://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-81e946a6a61df77300d10218a7824620 "Superman high five"]]. Or Superman punching [[Characters/SupermanBrainiacCharacter Brainiac]] out [[ComicBook/SupermanBrainiac after the latter has gotten him real mad]]. However, if it's a reversal and it's Superman going down in one attack, it's usually an "DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu" moment or at worst TheWorfEffect.

* ''ComicBook/LaQueteDeLOiseauDuTemps'', this is a favorite of legendary warrior Le Rige, who tends to kill his prey with just one swift and powerful blow of his axe.

*** In ''[[Comicbook/UltimateSpiderMan The Death of Spider-Man]]'', the Human Torch does this to the Green Goblin. Keep in mind, that in [[ComicBook/UltimateMarvel this universe]], the Goblin is a nigh-invincible hulking beast with the ability to throw fireballs and ''not'' a guy in a suit as he is in most media. Though this then shifts into BrokeYourArmPunchingOutCthulhu, when Goblin -- who's fire-powered in the Ultimate universe -- comes back from this bigger and stronger than ever, allowing him to fulfil the name of the arc. Later in that same arc, Peter Parker shows up, bleeding from a gunshot wound, and takes the Vulture out for a while with one web.

** In ''Comicbook/UncannyAvengers'', [[Characters/MarvelComicsRogue Rogue]] accidentally does this to Grim Reaper after absorbing ComicBook/WonderMan's strength. She was unprepared for just how much more powerful she'd become, and ended up snapping the villain's neck with one punch. ''While still holding back''.

* ''[[FanFic/AceCombatEquestriaChronicles Ace Combat: Wings of Unity]]'' has ''Fluttershy'' of all ponies get this in the third chapter: when the villains launch a "burst missle" that destroys a fleet of Equestrian ships, she enters a FreakOut and [[DisneyVillainDeath knocks an enemy Pegasus out of the sky to his doom]] with ''one punch'', screaming in rage the whole time. Even her friends are startled, with Firefly remarking on how she'll avoid making Fluttershy angry at all costs.
* ''{{FanFic/Gather}}'' features this as Taylor's ultimate attack. As part of her AU powerset, she can instantly kill any parahuman she makes skin contact with, [[PowerCopying stealing their powers]] and [[MookMaker turning them into a nearly indestructable minion]].

* In the ''FanFic/TamersForeverSeries'', [[spoiler:Chaos easily kills Doumon by crushing her skull in his hand]].

* In ''FanFic/SugarPlums'' this is how most of Ume's fights end. It's noted this is because she's [[WeakButSkilled weaker than most shinobi by default]], thus unlike other shinobi who will prod and test opponents to conserve energy in case they have to run away or fight other opponents she will go [[CombatPragmatist all out immediately]]. It's only because of this trait she's able to kill objectively stronger opponents at all and even then it'll usually come at a [[HeroicRROD cost.]]

* A staple of Literature/ChooseYourOwnAdventure books are the no-escape dead ends, though gamebooks (e.g. ''Literature/LoneWolf'') fit the trope best with instant death if you're lacking the right skill/item or just plain unlucky -- being not only accepted, but ''expected''.

* In Creator/FredSaberhagen's Literature/BookOfSwords series, Farslayer can kill anyone (including demons and gods) anywhere as long as they don't have Shieldbreaker or Woundhealer to save them.

** Every single [[OurVampiresAreDifferent vampire]] without PlotArmor goes down ([[NoBodyLeftBehind turns to dust]]) with one stab of a wooden stake (or sharp wooden object) to the heart. ''Usually'' there's a drawn out fight at the very least to showcase vampires as powerful foes, then at other times they get staked instantly, and some don't even make it out of their own graves before Buffy dusts them. [[WeakenedbytheLight Sunlight]] also ends vamp-fights quickly e.g. Russel Winters in the first episode of ''Series/{{Angel}}'' who [[DestinationDefenestration is pushed out]] a skyscraper's window by the titular hero and doesn't make it to the ground.

* In Webcomic/{{Noblesse}}, Raizel has the ability to take out any opponent with one strike of his blood magic, but it shortens his life span the more he uses his powers.

* In ''[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic]]'', the main characters use [[AllYourColorsCombined the Elements of Harmony]] twice: [[spoiler: once to take down Nightmare Moon, the evil ruler of the moon, and again on Discord, the omnipotent dark god of chaos]].

* In ''ComicBook/{{Amulet}}'', [[spoiler:the Amulet spirit kills Chronos the Mountain Giant by crushing him under a massive boulder. Keep in mind Chronos is a ''giant'' winged half-spider, half-beast creature, providing a horrifying demonstration of how strong the Amulet spirit is]].
* Franchise/TheDCU:
** In ''ComicBook/JusticeLeagueInternational'' #5, [[ComicBook/GreenLantern Guy Gardner]] challenges Characters/{{Batman|TheCharacter}} for leadership of the League. [[https://i.pinimg.com/originals/e1/b4/fe/e1b4fe023fc5f3445e00586daf30f170.jpg Bats ends]] the fight with [[MemeticMutation one punch!]]
** Done [[ShoutOut again]], in ''ComicBook/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'' with [[Characters/HellblazerJohnConstantine John Constantine]] taking Gardner's place... [[https://comicnewbies.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/batman-takes-out-constantine-with-one-punch-4.jpg on the floor]].

** Superman's cousin [[Characters/SupergirlTheCharacter Kara]] doesn't fall far from the tree, as proved in [[ComicBook/Supergirl2005 "Girl Power"]] when she knocks [[Characters/GreenLantern1941 Solomon Grundy]] out cold with one single punch.

*** In the WhatIf version of "Back in Black", Kingpin's sniper killed MJ. When Spidey finally corners him, Kingpin has Aunt May as hostage and tries to use her to have him stand still while he beats him to death... Except Spider-Man has realized he plans to kill her next to avoid having a witness, and [[https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2wPaELAB8GU/XJROjRW3U-I/AAAAAAAAfTc/-MpvTTN-SN4RWCJ2DSKE-XWat5JV3FX9QCLcBGAs/s1600/051_023.jpg tears his heart out]]. As he dies, Kingpin realizes that Spider-Man had been pulling his punches ''immensely'' the entire time because he didn't want to kill him, and