History Main / TisOnlyABulletInTheBrain

* ''VideoGame/MaxPayne'' is shot in the head [[spoiler:by Vladimir]] in [[VideoGame/MaxPayne2TheFallOfMaxPayne the second game]] but survives. Also, Mona Sax takes a bullet to the head in [[VideoGame/MaxPayne1 the original game]]. Both cases are {{lampshade|Hanging}}d several times in ''[=MP2=]''. Both times it seems that the bullet just grazed them. Mona, though, is vague about how she survived; the game, however, is not. Essentially pure luck. She was shot in the head, and while the bullet didn't kill her at that time, it remained lodged in her head.

* ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagicaTheMovieRebellion'': Homura's BatmanGambit to release herself from Mami's ribbon is to shoot herself in the head. Of course, since the magical girls in this series can survive anything as long as their soul gem is unharmed, Homura's only on her knees and panting for several seconds before being able to move around properly again.

* At one point in ''Literature/{{Oathbringer}}'', Shallan gets shot in the head by a crossbow bolt. While her Stormlight keeps her alive, she does have trouble thinking straight and cannot speak intelligibly until she gets the bolt back out, allowing the brain damage to heal.

** A bullet resistance ubercharge from the vaccinator will reduce a fully charged headshot to a mere 38 damage. Every class in the game is capable of surviving that, even a spy wielding the kunai which has the lowest maximum hitpoint total possible.

* ''VideoGame/DeadToRights'' Downplayed, but in the first game Jack survives getting shot across the temple, leaving him with a distinct scar, by Patch, who lampshades how much skill was required to pull off a shot like that ''without'' blowing his brains out.

In RealLife, in relatively rare cases people actually ''have'' survived a bullet to the brain, though it usually comes down to luck and the poor velocity of the bullet, rather than badassery. Slightly more common are cases where a bullet has lodged in the skull. It's actually very rare for someone to survive with their abilities and/or personality intact -- most with brain injuries are left with disabilities and/or personality changes.

* During the Pacific War, Japanese Fighter Pilot [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saburō_Sakai Saburō Sakai]] suffered this while ''flying his Zero Fighter-Plane''. In the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guadalcanal_campaign Battle of Guadalcanal]], Sakai was leading an attack against the American-Controlled Airfield and tried to shoot down an American Dive-Bomber, but the enemy plane's rear gunner fired back, hitting Sakai in the head with a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.30-06_Springfield .30 caliber MG bullet]]. The bullet severely injured his skull, temporarily paralyzed the left side of his body, and blinded him in one eye, and he began to descend into a freefall, but Sakai managed to stabilize his plane and fly back to base. The Return Flight took ''Nearly Five Hours over a distance of 1040km/640mi'' all while in excruciating pain. He was then sent back to Japan and had several cranial surgeries, where he regained his eyesight & recovered from paralysis, and returned to service nearly two years later. After the war, Sakai lived a full life and died in 2000 in his 80s.

* Japanese Fighter Pilot [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saburō_Sakai Saburō Sakai]] during the Pacific War suffered this while ''flying his Zero Fighter-Plane''. During the Battle of Guadalcanal, Sakai was leading an attack against the American-Controlled Airfield and tried to shoot down an American Dive-Bomber, but the enemy plane's rear gunner fired back, hitting Sakai in the head with a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.30-06_Springfield .30 caliber MG bullet]]. The bullet severely injured his skull, temporarily paralyzed the left side of his body, and blinded him in one eye, and he began to descend into a freefall, but Sakai managed to stabilize his plane and fly back to base. The Return Flight took ''Nearly Five Hours over a distance of 1040km/640mi'' all while in excruciating pain. He was then sent back to Japan and had several cranial surgeries, where he regained his eyesight & recovered from paralysis, and returned to service nearly two years later. After the war, Sakai lived a full life and died in 2000 in his 80s.

* Japanese Fighter Pilot [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabur%C5%8D_Sakai Saburo Sakai]] during the Pacific War suffered this while ''flying his Zero Fighter-Plane''. During the Battle of Guadalcanal, Sakai was leading an attack against the American-Controlled Airfield and tried to shoot down an American Dive-Bomber, but the enemy plane's rear gunner fired back, hitting Sakai in the head with a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.30-06_Springfield .30 caliber MG bullet]]. The bullet severely injured his skull, temporarily paralyzed the left side of his body, and blinded him in one eye, and he began to descend into a freefall, but Sakai managed to stabilize his plane and fly back to base. The Return Flight took ''Nearly Five Hours over a distance of 1040km/640mi'' all while in excruciating pain. He was then sent back to Japan and had several cranial surgeries, where he regained his eyesight & recovered from paralysis, and returned to service nearly two years later. After the war, Sakai lived a full life and died in 2000 in his 80s.

* Japanese Fighter Pilot [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabur%C5%8D_Sakai Saburo Sakai]] during the Pacific War suffered this while ''flying his Zero Fighter-Plane''. During the Battle of Guadalcanal, Sakai was leading an attack against the American-Controlled Airfield and tried to shoot down an American Dive-Bomber, but the enemy plane's rear gunner fired back, hitting Sakai in the head with a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.30-06_Springfield .30 caliber MG bullet]]. The bullet severely injured his skull, temporarily paralyzed the left side of his body, and blinded him in one eye, and he began to descend into a freefall, but Sakai managed to stabilize his plane and fly back to base. The Return Flight took ''Nearly Five Hours over a distance of 1040km/640mi''. He was then sent back to Japan and had several cranial surgeries, where he recovered his eyesight & recovered from paralysis, and returned to service nearly two years later. After the war, Sakai lived a full life and died in his 80s.

In fiction, dismissing a BoomHeadshot as OnlyAFleshWound is exclusively the domain of a badass and shows just how much of a {{Determinator}} or MadeOfIron a character is. Sometimes the injury will be {{Handwave}}d as a lot less serious than it looked, and sometimes it will merely be implied that the character is just that tough.

May be defied with a DoubleTap or MultipleGunshotDeath.

'''This trope only applies to people who have [[BadassNormal no special powers]] other than the RuleOfCool.''' If they can [[HealingFactor regenerate]] or have [[NighInvulnerability some other]] [[ImmuneToBullets bullet-defying]] superpower, it belongs elsewhere.