History Main / SecretStabWound

* Quill Kipps in ''Literature/TheEmptyGrave'' is stabbed just before entering the Other Side. The injury doesn't affect him during the journey - in fact, he's even more at home on the Other Side because he's dying - but once the skull asks about it he and Lucy realise how bad it is. He still decides to go back to the real world, though, even though it could kill him. Somewhat subverted in that he knew he was injured, but didn't realise how bad it was.

* Quill Kipps in ''Literature/TheEmptyGrave'' is stabbed just before entering the Other Side. The injury doesn't affect him during the journey - in fact, he's even more at home on the Other Side because he's dying - but once the skull asks about it he and Lucy realise how bad it is. He still decides to go back to the real world, though, even though it could kill him.

* In the second season finale of ''Series/{{Leverage}}'', [[spoiler: Nate gets shot in the side by Kadjik and hides it from the crew until they're safely away and he's turned himself in.]] [[JustAFleshWound It's probably not life-threatening,]] but...

* Lina from ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'' gets a stab injury early on, and doesn't tell Gourry about it. She casts a gradual healing spell on herself and relaxes in the sun, waiting for the wound to heal, and Gourry misunderstands that she's just being lazy. Until he grabs her by the arm and finds out that she was hurt; after apologizing to Lina, he grabs her in a BridalCarry [[{{Tsundere}} much to her dismay.]]

* Quill Kipps in ''[[Literature/LockwoodAndCo The Empty Grave]]'' is stabbed just before entering the Other Side. The injury doesn't affect him during the journey - in fact, he's even more at home on the Other Side because he's dying - but once the skull asks about it he and Lucy realise how bad it is. He still decides to go back to the real world, though, even though it could kill him.

[[folder:Film]]

* Franchise/FireEmblem has a couple of these in more recent installments:
** [[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheSacredStones Seth]] receives one of these at the very beginning of the game, though it doesn't affect his battle performance in-gameplay. He recovers well enough, though Eirika remains quite worried. Their Support Conversations talk about this injury as well.
** [[spoiler:Greil]] in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance''. Unique in that it was self-inflicted.
* In ''VideoGame/XMenNextDimension'', described in the page quote, Wolverine had received ''several'' battle wounds, [[GoodThingYouCanHeal as could likely be expected]]. The problem is, one wound taken was a PowerNullifier, stopping his healing and letting him take damage from future fights, which he was about to charge into, as the situation mandated it.

* ''LetsPlay/AScotsmanInEgypt'': A young prince suffers what his comrades think is a minor injury early on during a battle, and is seemingly still fighting fit and continues to lead his troops... except that he keeps absently muttering, [[ImColdSoCold "Why is it so cold?"]] He'd taken a much worse hit than anyone had realised, [[MajorInjuryUnderreaction including himself]] thanks to shock, until blood loss finally caught up with him and he lost consciousness and fell from his mount. By then it's too late, and he's dead before his men can get his armour off to bind his wounds.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* [[spoiler: Otonashi]] in ''[[Anime/AngelBeats Angel Beats!]]'' [[spoiler: After the train he was on is derailed, and the survivors are stuck underground, [[TheMedic Otonashi]] spends the next week helping everyone, despite the fact that he was badly injured. He kept this a secret so that no one would freak out. He dies seeing everyone getting rescued.]] Luckily [[spoiler:he was able to donate his organs.]]
* Tsume in ''Anime/WolfsRain'', probably. It's possible he just didn't realize he was ''that'' badly hurt until the adrenalin wore off since he seemed rather surprised to see a pool of his own blood. In any case, [[spoiler:he doesn't get better.]]
* Lina from ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'' gets a stab injury early on, and doesn't tell Gourry about it. She casts a gradual healing spell on herself and relaxes in the sun, waiting for the wound to heal, and Gourry misunderstands that she's just being lazy. Until he grabs her by the arm and finds out that she was hurt; after apologizing to Lina, he grabs her in a BridalCarry [[{{Tsundere}} much to her dismay.]]
* In ''Manga/GreatTeacherOnizuka'', Onizuka is shot while rescuing a girl from kidnappers, but still turns up to an exam that he must take in order to keep his job. His injury is not revealed until the girl wakes up in hospital and asks why Onizuka isn't there too, and a pool of blood is seen under Onizuka's desk.
* Ban in ''Manga/GetBackers'' did a sort of DivingSave (without the diving) for Ginji who was about to be stabbed by Akabane's Sword. Afterwards, he led Ginji to believe that it was an illusion caused by his MagicalEye. He didn't reveal it till later.

* [[Manga/{{Trigun}} Vash the Stampede]] duels Brilliant Dynamites Neon to stop a runaway train (a huge runaway train ...). After his first clever maneuver, however, Vash accidentally rips concealed and previously bandaged wounds open and can't keep up his normally calm demeanor, falling down. Neon, fortunately, is a man of his word and [[HeelFaceTurn helps stop the train]].
* In ''Anime/TenchiUniverse'', Ryoko suffers one of these while fighting [[BigBad Kagato]]. The injury lingers through the penultimate episode, being further aggravated when Ryoko is attacked while disabling Jurai's planetary defenses. She holds out just long enough to pilot Ryu-Ohki to the landing docks of the Jurai Royal Palace and deliver Tenchi before passing out in front of a very worried Ryo-Ohki. We're led to believe that she died, but she didn't.

* ''Manga/GunslingerGirl''. Hilshire gets shot in the gut during an assassination he carried out himself instead of leaving it to his cyborg. Triela notices something's wrong on his return to the hotel room and is so upset (she's conditioned to protect him at the cost of her own life) that she runs out on Hilshire despite his efforts to play down the injury.
* ''Manga/OnePiece'' has Roronoa Zoro. When the Straw Hat Pirates attack Arlong Park, Zoro's injured state WAS pretty clear, but his bandages hid just how serious those wounds are. When Arlong himself takes a peek, he's horrified by the fact that Zoro was still STANDING with a wound like that, and decided right there that this was someone he did NOT want to fight healthy.
* ''Manga/CaptainTsubasa'': In the World Youth arc, Tsubasa suffers an abdominal wound the night prior to the Japan vs. Mexico match in the first round while practicing the Skydive Shoot, when he accidentally stabs himself with a . Despite how grave it is, Coach Gamo allows him to play because he knows the team will be gravely demoralized without their captain, and even though the wound ends up opening halfway through the game and he bleeds heavily, [[{{Determinator}} Tsubasa continues until the very end to ensure his team's victory]].

* In [[ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW Spotlight: Hoist]], Swerve intentionally uses his MotorMouth tendencies to distract the others and keep them from noticing his nearly fatal wound.

* Nicholas is stabbed at the end of ''Film/TheReckoning'' when Lord de Guise gives him a hug, and he hides that fact in order to follow de Guise out of the Church so that the crowd can see what he did. This fact is also hidden from the audience until that point.

* Shaun's mum in ''Film/ShaunOfTheDead'' hides the fact that she's been mortally bitten by a zombie and will shortly become one so that Shaun wouldn't worry.
* LJ also hides a zombie bite in ''Film/ResidentEvilExtinction''.

* Andre the thug hid the fact that his wife was zombie-bitten in ''Film/DawnOfTheDead2004''.

* In the final scene of ''Film/ChildrenOfMen'', Kee sees blood on the bottom of the boat and assumes it's her own (she'd given birth a short time earlier), but Theo assures her he'd been shot minutes ago and just paid it no mind in the heat of the situation. [[spoiler:Theo survives long enough to help Key escape before succumbing to his wound.]]
* Also in ''Film/BloodDiamond'', where [[spoiler: Danny Archer receives a fatal gunshot wound to the lungs.]] He survives long enough to help Solomon and Dia escape before peacefully dying from his wounds.
* A rare self-inflicted example forms the climax of ''Film/BlackSwan''.
* In ''Film/{{Victoria 2015}}'', the character of Sonne receives a gunshot wound during the shootout with the Police, but it's only revealed to the audience much later when the drugs and adrenaline have worn out and he collapses at the hotel.
* ''Series/KamenRiderRyuki'': In the film ''Kamen Rider Ryuki: Episode Final'', Miho Kirishima (Kamen Rider Femme) suffers a fatal wound from Kamen Rider Ryuga, but hides the extent of it from Ryuki (who'd come to her aid), only dying after he leaves her to go home.
* In ''Film/TheEscapist'', Frank seems not to pay his any mind, at least not until [[spoiler:the timelines converge]].
* ''Film/SevenYearsInTibet'': While climbing with a team in the beginning in the movie, Heinrich conceals the severity of an injury, which leads to someone nearly dying when he is unable to support their weight.

* ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings''. After Frodo is pinned against a wall in Moria by an orc chieftain's spear, he says he can walk (and does so). After the Fellowship escapes, Frodo feels more pain with every step and is gasping for breath but doesn't tell anyone. Eventually, Legolas notices them falling behind the others and Aragorn treats Frodo's injury. (Frodo was wearing a mail-shirt, so the injury was a horrible blow with bruising and the rings driven into the flesh, but all in all not as bad as could have been.)
* One section in a ''Literature/ForgottenRealms'' book describes a dwarven legend who got his belly cut open in a battle, but quickly tucked his innards into his shirt to prevent any of his men from noticing, and continued fighting.
* Pulled off very darkly in Terry Pratchett's ''Literature/MonstrousRegiment'': The soldiers coming home from the war have their red coats buttoned up tight, even in the summer's heat... because they don't have any bandages.

* In Creator/JohnMoore's ''Literature/TheUnhandsomePrince'', the title character wins a tournament with an enchanted sword ... except that when he struck the winning blow, his opponent's dagger slipped beneath his breastplate and gravely wounded him. (The judges didn't see it.) Since the winner had bet on himself (at 100-1 odds), he couldn't reveal his injury or he'd lose the tournament (and his winnings, which he needed to keep his family from going bankrupt).
* In ''Literature/CatchTwentyTwo'' when Yossarian's plane is hit [[spoiler: with flak, his crewmate Snowden has a minor injury and appears to be in shock. We see snippets of Yossarian comforting Snowden all through the novel, thinking Snowden's injuries are minor - but Yossarian finally discovers "Snowden's secret" - an untreatably massive trauma that means Yossarian can only hold Snowden's hand and watch him die.]] This could almost be a trope namer, as it's a pretty famous example.
* In Creator/JamesSwallow's ''[[Literature/BloodAngels Black Tide]]'', when [[spoiler:Vetch]] [[TakingTheBullet takes a bullet]] for Rafen, Rafen [[MoreHeroThanThou calls him a fool]], and he chides him as disrespectful and reveals that the wound he took in the fight before that one had been poisoned.
* OlderThanPrint: Sir Gareth of [[Myth/ArthurianLegend Arthurian legend]] jousted with a BlackKnight. Both knights were thrown from their horses on impact, but while Gareth was unharmed, the BlackKnight's armor was penetrated and he abruptly fell dead during the ensuing swordfight.
* ''Literature/TheSagaOfThePeopleOfVatnsdal'': When the aged Ingimund chastises the villainous Hrolleif for unlawfully fishing in Ingimund's fishing waters, Hrolleif throws a spear at him which hits Ingimund mortally. Ingimund, who still wants to prevent bloodshed, especially as he himself has formerly offered his protection to Hrolleif, does not tell anyone and rides home hiding the wound under his cloak. Ingimund's serving-boy is the first to notice the wound when he helps Ingimund dismount, and when his sons come home in the evening they find Ingimund sitting dead in his high seat.

* In the first season episode of ''Series/{{Xena}}'' titled "Prometheus" (crossover with Hercules), Prometheus is captured and bound by the Olympians as in the legend. This results in mankind losing the gifts he gave them- including fire and the ability to heal, so even a scratch is deadly. Xena, Hercules, and Iolaus have to fight off Hera's soldiers more than once. Iolaus receives a sword wound to the side in one battle. Knowing the implications, he hides the injury for as long as possible. Gabrielle is the first to find out, but he still presses on until he finally collapses.
* In the 2006 BBC version of ''Series/RobinHood'', Marian is stabbed by Guy while in her Night Watchman disguise, and doesn't reveal this to Robin, until she collapses in the woods after their escape.

* Charles Westmoreland / D.B. Cooper from ''Series/PrisonBreak''. He got stabbed in a fight with Bellick and hid it until he broke down during the great escape. [[spoiler:He died, but not before leaving his wish in Michael's hands.]]
* In an episode of ''Series/{{Farscape}}'' D'Argo managed to outrun the bad guys with Crichton before collapsing from a gunshot to the back.
* Kirk did this after being stabbed in the ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' episode ''Journey To Babel'' so that Spock would acquiesce to giving blood to his ailing father, but Kirk had to stick it out for the climactic battle anyway.

* In the epilogue scene of ''Series/ChoujinSentaiJetman'', [[spoiler:Gai, a.k.a. Black Condor]] is stabbed and hides it from his friends until he actually dies of his wounds.
* ''Series/HoratioHornblower'': In "Retribution", Archie Kennedy hides from everyone that he was shot in the fight aboard the ''Renown'' with their escaped Spanish prisoners. He tries to keep it secret from his friend Horatio when they talk after. When Horatio notices his blood, he insists that it's just a scratch. He doesn't do a very good job of it, though, since Horatio rips his uniform coat open which leads to a very sad MortalWoundReveal moment.

* In the Season 2 finale of ''Series/{{Chuck}}'' Bryce Larkin is in a gunfight with several Ring agents at the Intersect facility while using another as a HumanShield. A closeup shows what looks to be a bullet striking the human shield, but when Chuck arrives it's revealed that it was Larkin, wearing a similar jacket, who was hit.
* In the ''Series/RedDwarf'' episode "Stoke Me a Clipper", [[TheAce Ace Rimmer]] returns to recruit this universe's version of Rimmer as his replacement. He reveals that he is a hard-light hologram, and has been concealing an energy leak from his fatally-damaged holographic projector under his jacket. He survives long enough to convince our universe's Rimmer that he has what it takes to become the new Ace.

* "Romeo is Bleeding" by Music/TomWaits from the album ''Music/BlueValentine''

See also HidingTheHandicap.

* In 1898 Empress Elisabeth, better known as ''Sisi/Sissi'', of Austria was stabbed by Luigi Lucheni, who pretended to have simply fallen against her. She didn't realize it at first and made it back to her hotel (losing consciousness several times) before her companion noticed a brown stain on her chest. They only realized what had actually happened after she was already dead. Although the needle file used in the stabbing had penetrated her heart, the pressure from her corset slowed the process of her bleeding out. It’s believed that she might have survived or lived longer had they not removed the corset when trying to determine what had happened.

* OlderThanPrint: Sir Gareth of [[KingArthur Arthurian legend]] jousted with a BlackKnight. Both knights were thrown from their horses on impact, but while Gareth was unharmed, the BlackKnight's armor was penetrated and he abruptly fell dead during the ensuing swordfight.

* There was some battle in which one side took ''over 100% casualties'', meaning that a significant portion of the force was injured, missing, or captured, returned to fighting, and became casualties ''again''. Might have been Iwo Jima or Fallujah... someplace with less than pleasant weather, and a rather lengthy battle, more than a few days...

'''Skitter:''' No.\\
* ''LetsPlay/AScostmanInEgypt'': A young prince suffers what his comrades think is a minor injury early on during a battle, and is seemingly still fighting fit and continues to lead his troops... except that he keeps absently muttering, [[ImColdSoCold "Why is it so cold?"]] He'd taken a much worse hit than anyone had realised, [[MajorInjuryUnderreaction including himself]] thanks to shock, until blood loss finally caught up with him and he lost consciousness and fell from his mount. By then it's too late, and he's dead before his men can get his armour off to bind his wounds.

[[folder:Fanfiction]]

** This is [[ShoutOut referenced]] in ''Film/ShaunOfTheDead'', where [[spoiler:Barbara]] hides the fact that she was bitten by a zombie.

* In ''King of Attolia'', the third entry of ''Literature/QueensThief'', Eugenides is attacked and wounded. He proceeds to make a huge stink about it, loudly cursing with every step and melodramatically declaring that his insides will soon become his outsides as he limps along with Costis' help, holding his side. His obnoxious complaining exasperates or amuses everyone around him, and Costis thinks that a man seriously wounded would never be able to ham it up this much. Only when they reach his room does everyone see that the wound goes all the way across his stomach and he's lost a great deal of blood--and that the big, extended tantrum was a ''much'' more effective smokescreen than stoically denying the pain would have been.

* Pulled off very darkly in Terry Pratchett's ''Discworld/MonstrousRegiment'': The soldiers coming home from the war have their red coats buttoned up tight, even in the summer's heat... because they don't have any bandages.

* In 1898 Empress Elisabeth, better known as ''Sissi'', of Austria was stabbed by Luigi Lucheni, who pretended to have simply fallen against her, but didn't realize it at first and made it back to her hotel (losing consciousness several times) before her companion noticed a brown stain on her chest. They only realized what had actually happened after she was already dead, and despite the fact that the needle file used in the stabbing had penetrated her heart the pressure from her corset slowed the process of her bleeding out, and it's believed that she might have survived or lived longer had they not removed the corset when trying to determine what had happened.

* Vista in ''Literature/{{Worm}}'' recounts that she once took a stab wound from the Nazi supervillain Hookwolf, and out of a combination of wanting to avoid being seen as the "team baby" (she was twelve at the time) and wanting to avoid being taken off of patrol duty, she avoided telling anyone about it and stitched it up herself, leaving an ugly, puckered scar on her collarbone.

A SisterTrope to ClothingConcealedInjury.

A subtrope of ClothingConcealedInjury, which is when clothing has to be used to hide the wounds.

* ''Film/{{Gladiator}}'': Maximus being stabbed by Commodus, before their public DuelToTheDeath. His praetorians just use it as another reason to turn against him as soon as Commodus starts losing the fight.

* [[{{Film/Gladiator}} Maximus]] being stabbed by Commodus, before their public DuelToTheDeath.