History Main / SmackOnTheBack

* ''Franchise/HarryPotter'': Hagrid has knocked Hermione to her knees, and buried Harry up to his shins in soft dirt.

* In ''ComicBook/ThePunisherPresentsBarracuda'': 'Cuda himself doesn't know his own strength sometimes when he delivers these. [[spoiler: After spending the entire series working to keep Oswald "[[MeaningfulNickname Hemo]]" Angelone alive, all it takes is one of these to cause Oswald to [[ShaggyDogStory cough up blood and die within seconds.]]]]

* ''WesternAnimation/{{The Hunchback of Notre Dame|Disney}}''. Phoebus winces from Quasimodo slapping him on the back, no doubt aggravated by his recent arrow injury.

'''Will:''' (''grins and hugs him back'')\\

* ''Franchise/HarryPotter''. Hagrid has knocked Hermione to her knees, and buried Harry up to his shins in soft dirt.

* ''Literature/{{Temeraire}}''. Despite his size, Temeraire is not immune to these. A head-rub from Maximus makes him stagger.

* ''Series/FawltyTowers'': In ''Basil the Rat'', Basil claps Manuel on the back to try and cheer him up. Manuel, who is used to being hit and slapped around on a regular basis, screams "Don't hit me! Always you hit me!"

** In ''{{VideoGame/The Legend of Zelda Oracle|Games}} of Seasons'', Impa does this to link during the end-credits.

A character wants to congratulate another, and slaps him on the back. However, due to his size, powers, or occasionally the recipient's injuries, he uses a little too much force, causing the recipient to wince, fall down, etc.

-->-- ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles''

* ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'': Mr. Incredible's back-slaps are painful. At one point he slaps Frozone on the back and Frozone comments on how much it hurts.

* One issue of ''ComicBook/SheHulk'' has Mallory Book try and prevent Hercules from getting sued after beating the Constrictor so badly that the guy needed extensive reconstructive surgery and rehabilitation. At one point, she manages to convince the Constrictor to settle for Herc paying his medical bills. Herc is so pleased that he gives Constrictor a good-natured smack on the back. The next panel shows them all back in court, with Constrictor now even more bandaged than he already was.

* ''ComicBook/{{Tintin}}'': In ''The Crab with the Golden Claws'', Tintin meets the Thompsons in a bar. Just while he's drinking each of one of them hits him on the back in a friendly gesture: "How good to see you again!", causing Tintin to spill his drink. He later does the same to them, causing them both to spill their drinks at the same time.

* ''Series/BabylonFive'' In the episode [="GROPOS"=], Lt. [[AcePilot Keffer]] gets stuck with a couple of marines in his quarters. Though initially standoffish, he endears himself to them, particularly CigarChomper Pvt. Large, who sticks a cigar in his mouth and sits him down to listen to war stories, which he punctuates with a slap on Keffer's back that knocks the cigar right out of his mouth.

* ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' episode "Day of the Dove". At the end of the episode where the characters are laughing together to drive out the alien, Kang slaps Captain Kirk on the back so hard that he's staggered.

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* In ''Anime/DragonBallZ'', Yajirobe slaps Goku on the back to congratulate him for successfully landing a hit on Vegeta. He wasn't worried because Goku [[CantCatchUp far outclassed him a long time ago]], but Goku's body is [[HeroicRROD so damaged by that point]] that it sends him into a screaming fit.
** PlayedForLaughs when Goku having just returned to Earth from space gives his wife Chi-Chi a friendly pat on the back while she was fuming blowing her out of the house and into a rock as a result. Goku was very apologetic afterward and helped Gohan patch her up.
** In ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'' Yamcha [[MemeticLoser of all people]] does this to PhysicalGod Beerus and ''[[https://youtu.be/EneFn2qslUk?t=17 it actually hurts Beerus making him totter forward in surprise.]]'' The justification is probably because Beerus was relaxed around the "mortals", meaning Yamcha's SuperStrength got him off guard.
* ''Anime/PokemonRangerAndTheTempleOfTheSea''. May says that she can't believe that Meredith is Elizabeth's mother: from their appearance, she thought that they were sisters. Meredith is so pleased by the compliment that she slaps May on the back, knocking her to the ground.
* In ''Manga/OnePiece'' Luffy gives Nami too many friendly smacks on the back in Zou when she's being praised, causing Nami to yell that he's hurting her and beat him up.
* Occurs twice in the Anime series ''Anime/GirlsUndPanzer'': the first instance occurs when AbsurdlyPowerfulStudentCouncil president Kadotani Anzu smacks reluctant Nishizumi Miho for joining the Ooarai tankery team. Though ostensibly done as a "welcome aboard" gesture, it also carries the subtext of "we can hurt you if you cross us." The second instance occurs when Takabe Saori smacks her teammates Miho and Yukari with too much enthusiasm while the Anglerfish team visits Reizei Mako's grandmother in the hospital room. Saori is the excitable type.
* Makoto does this to Ami in an episode of ''Anime/SailorMoon''.

* At the end of a crossover event between the ComicBook/TeenTitans and the ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica, ComicBook/{{Aquaman}} gives his former teen sidekick Tempest several affectionate smacks on the back, much to the latter's increasing annoyance.
* ''ComicBook/MortadeloYFilemon'' once met a character (a circus strongman) whose friendly slaps on the back were strong enough to send the recipient flying from Spain to the Arctic, India or Egypt. After this happened several times, Mortadelo got fed up with it and created a spring-loaded device that had enough force to return the favor manifold, sending the guy to the rings of Saturn!

* ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles''. Mr. Incredible's back-slaps are painful. At one point he slaps Frozone on the back and Frozone comments on how much it hurts.

* Happens in ''Film/SkyHigh2005'' when Will has just gotten his powers and his super-strong dad hugs him.

* ''Film/GuysAndDolls''. After his fellow gangsters sing "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" to Nathan Detroit, Big Julie slaps Nathan on the back so hard that he staggers forward.

* At one point in ''Literature/TheElenium'', Sparhawk delivers several "friendly" slaps to Martel's shoulder ... knowing that the shoulder in question is sensitive due to an old injury.
* In ''Literature/{{Protector}}'', human-Protector Jack Brennan gives Elroy Truesdale a friendly backslap, which Creator/LarryNiven describes as "like being hit with a sack of walnuts".
* Inverted in ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings''. After giving Frodo the mithril chainmail, Bilbo gives him one of these and immediately goes "Ow! You are too hard to slap now."

* ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' episode "Day of the Dove". At the end of the episode where the characters are laughing together to drive out the alien, Kang slaps Captain Kirk on the back so hard that he's staggered.

* ''Series/GilligansIsland''. A [[MethodActing Method actor]] appears on the island preparing for his upcoming film role as Tongo the Ape-Man. The island regulars think he really is an ape-man. Ginger tries to teach him to speak a la "Me Tarzan You Jane."

* In ''Series/FamilyMatters'', Steve is spending a few days over at the Winslows' while at the same time, Carl agreed to look after his friend's pet goldfish. The fish ends up getting sucked up in the vacuum cleaner (long story), and Steve is desperately trying to suck it out of the hose. He succeeds, but at that moment, Carl comes in and unknowingly slaps him across the back, causing him to swallow it.

* ''VisualNovel/KatawaShoujo'': In one route, Kenji greets Hisao by slapping him on the back. Hisao gets ''extremely'' angry about this, telling Kenji in no uncertain terms to never, ''ever'' do that again. The reason being that Hisao has a weak heart, and that good-natured slap very nearly caused a heart attack. (Kenji, for his part, had no idea and is very apologetic.)

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* In ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'', Doctor Rakethorn tanks ''two'' explosions with his back while protecting Agatha from them. He then assures her that he is all right, but when Oggie congratulatory pats him on the shoulder, Rakethorn winces in pain.

[[folder:Web Original]]
* In ''Franchise/{{Noob}}'', the two friendliest warrior-class players, Golgotha and Abraham, have displayed this. Golgotha's childhood friend Gaea has complained about almost being killed by Golgotha's greetings at least once.

* The ''WesternAnimation/BettyBoop'' cartoon "Judge for a Day" has Betty launching a crusade against "public pests" who carelessly burden people with their antics, this being one of them.

* ''WesternAnimation/HouseOfMouse'': In "The Mouse Who Came to Dinner", Mortimer Mouse is the subject of a roast, and one joke leads to [[WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast Gaston]] giving him a smack at his expense. He then receives one from [[WesternAnimation/FunAndFancyFree Willie the Giant]] that sends him flying.

->'''Mr. Incredible:''' Just like old times -- just like old times. ''[slaps Frozone on the back]''\\
'''Frozone:''' Yeah. Hurt then too.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame''. Phoebus winces from Quasimodo slapping him on the back, no doubt aggravated by his recent arrow injury.

* In ''Anime/DragonBallZ'', Yajirobe slaps Goku on the back to congratulate him for successfully landing a hit on Vegeta. He wasn't worried because Goku [[CantCatchUp far outclassed him a long time ago]], but Goku's body is [[HeroicRROD broke down by that point]] that it sends him into a screaming fit.

** In ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'' Yamcha [[MemeticLoser of all people]] does this to PhysicalGod Beerus and ''[[https://youtu.be/EneFn2qslUk?t=17 it actually hurts Beerus making him totter forward in surprise]]''. The justification is probably because Beerus was relaxed around the "mortals", meaning Yamcha's SuperStrength got him off guard.

** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleOfSeasons'', Impa does this to link during the end-credits.

* Oftentimes, when someone is knighted, the superior giving the knighting punches him or strikes some other kind of blow, the last such blow that the new knight is expected to take without some form of retribution. A variant of this may happen during the dubbing, when the person is hit with the flat of the sword almost hard enough to be winded or knocked over.

[[folder:Music]]

[[folder:Theater]]

* In the ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987'' episode [[Recap/DuckTalesS1E12TopDuck "Top Duck"]], Ripcord (Launchpad's father) slaps Scrooge playfully on the back. Given that Ripcord is a TopHeavyGuy, it nearly knocks Scrooge over.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/FantasticFourWorldsGreatestHeroes'' episode [[Recap/FantasticFourWorldsGreatestHeroesTrialByFire "Trial by Fire"]], Ben slaps Reed on the back when he tells him that, "You've got the harder job... keeping Suzy from tying you in knots." Reed winces.

* ''Disney/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame''. Phoebus winces from Quasimodo slapping him on the back, no doubt aggravated by his recent arrow injury.

* ''WesternAnimation/HouseOfMouse'': In "The Mouse Who Came to Dinner", Mortimer Mouse is the subject of a roast, and one joke leads to [[Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast Gaston]] giving him a smack at his expense. He then receives one from [[Disney/FunAndFancyFree Willie the Giant]] that sends him flying.

** In ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'' Yamcha [[MemeticLoser of all people]] does this to PhysicalGod Beerus and ''[[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EneFn2qslUk it actually hurts Beerus making him totter forward in surprise]]''. The justification is probably because Beerus was relaxed around the "mortals", meaning Yamcha's SuperStrength got him off guard.

** In ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'' Yamcha [[MemeticLoser of all people]] does this to PhysicalGod Beerus and ''[[https://youtu.be/86c6vIqJ5ss?t=17 it actually hurts Beerus making him totter forward in surprise]]''. The justification is probably because Beerus was relaxed around the "mortals", meaning Yamcha's SuperStrength got him off guard.

* One issue of ''ComicBook/SheHulk'' had Mallory Book try and prevent Hercules from getting sued after beating the Constrictor so badly that the guy needed extensive reconstructive surgery and rehabilitation. At one point, she manages to convince the Constrictor to settle for Herc paying his medical bills. Herc is so pleased that he gives Constrictor a good-natured smack on the back. The next panel shows them all back in court, with Constrictor now even more bandaged than he already was.