Two characters get into a fight of some kind, be it a knock down drag out fight, a playful bit of sparring between friends, or even some form of mental match.
But when it's all over, the dust settled, a clear winner has emerged, and the audience is treated to a ringside sounding bell as one character goes down for the count, while another stands triumphant.
Some works will even have a bell sound at the beginning of a fight, as one might expect for the rounds in a proper boxing match. In those instances, a single bell will announce the start of a fight between characters, while it will typically be three bells that signal someone's victory.
In some works, someone may even hold up the victor's hand and declare, "The winner!" (occasionally followed by "and still cham-peen!")
This does not apply to actual sporting events such as wrestling or boxing, where an actual bell would sound.
This tends to be played for almost exclusively for comedic moments. If the focal character is the one who loses, the emphasis is on their defeat, while if the focal character wins, the emphasis is on their victory.
Not to be confused with For Doom the Bell Tolls. Subtrope of Stock Sound Effect.
Examples
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Anime & Manga
- Amagami SS: During Miya's A Day in the Limelight episode of the OAV, Juniichi and Kaoru get into a bit of a playful fight, and Kaoru utterly dominates, with a bell sounding her victory as their mutual friend Umehara declares "The winner is Kaoru Tanamachi!"
- My-HiME: episode 10, "Cake Wars", Natsuki and Nao have been put on a team together for a baking contest. Both snipe at each other as they each fail to crack an egg, and then a bell sounds as they launch at each other, grappling for dominance. Sister Yukariko intervenes before they can come to actual blows, though.
- School Rumble: During the preparations for the School Festival, all the girls in class prepare rice balls with the challenge of the guys trying to figure out which girl made which set of rice balls. Harima is determined to find Tenma's rice balls. He's Genre Savvy enough to know that Tenma is probably a Lethal Chef, but is determined to tell her that hers are the best to earn her affection. He finds a set that look awful, and tries them, finding them to be awful. Then he learns that Eri Sawachika made that set. Then he's presented with Tenma's, which are somehow cube shaped, and taste so awful that he is left on the floor in pain. Then Eri and Tenma ask him to take care of the leftovers (i.e., all the ones they made). After finishing off Tenma's, he's lying on the floor, hearing a bell, declaring Tenma the winner, as he imagines her in boxing garb doing practice jabs.
Films — Animated
- The Emperor's New Groove: A bell is heard when Kuzco and Pacha begin fighting while dangling precariously over a ravine.
Pacha: Let's end this!
Kuzco: Ladies first.
Films — Live-Action
- Played for Laughs in Film Nineteen Forty One 1979. Groups of U.S. military personnel (Army soldiers, Marines and Navy sailors) are squaring off to fight. A fight bell sounds and the groups attack each other.
Literature
- In one Doctor Dolittle story, a Boxing Kangaroo goes on a rampage around London after it mistakes a doorbell ringing for a fight bell, boxing everyone in its path. Doctor Dolittle only succeeds at stopping it by ringing the bell on a boy's bicycle, causing it to think that the round is over.
Live-Action TV
- Castle: In the pilot episode, Castle is being held hostage by the killer, who is going on a Motive Rant about why he murdered his sister (in an effort to get in a parting cut at his dying father, as he was The Unfavorite), when Castle, seeing an opening and noticing the safety was on, cold cocks the guy, to the very loud sound of a bell when the punch lands. Castle triumphantly calls to Detective Beckett, "Tell me you saw that!"
- Count Arthur Strong: Early on in the episode, Arthur mentions how he used to be a boxer in his youth, but suffered from a case of Crippling Overspecialization, in that he had to defeat his opponent in a One-Hit KO the moment the bell rang, otherwise he'd lose. At the same time, Bulent, the irascible cafe owner, mentions that he's thinking of getting a bell installed so he can keep the attention of his customers and staff. Both of these become important later on, when Arthur ends up running for parliament to get rid of imaginary roadworks noise. The leader of the opposition comes into Bulent's cafe for a photo shoot with Arthur, then suggests taking a photo where they look like they're both squaring off for a bout. As soon as both men take up their poses, Bulent shows off his new bell to the customers by ringing it. The moment the bell goes off, Arthur immediately punches his opponent down, thereby ruining any chance he had of becoming a politician.
- El Chavo del ocho: Whenever Don Ramón bops Chavo on the head for annoying him, a bell is heard in the background.
- Invoked a lot on Jerry Springer to egg on fights between the guests.
Video Games
- Cuphead: A bell sounds at the start and end of a boss battle, with the latter being accompanied by an exuberant cry of "KNOCKOUT!".
- Hades: Asterius the Minotaur is a possible Mini-Boss for Zagreus to fight while traversing Elysium. Unlike most bosses in the game, he yields after being damaged for 3/4 of his health bar, and a bell sounds shortly before he declares Zag the victor and stomps out of the arena.
- Team Fortress 2: the taunt for certain Heavy melee weapons like the Killing Gloves of Boxing and Gloves of Running Urgently has a bell ring as the Heavy performs some uppercuts.
- The Wonderful 101: A bell can be heard at the beginning of the boss battle against the Wallgah-Goojin. Since the entire battle is a giant Punch-Out!! send-up, it's very appropriate.
Western Animation
- Looney Tunes: "Sock a Doodle Do" gives us a variation in Kid Banty, a Pinfeatherweight fighting rooster who has been conditioned to get punchy whenever he hears a bell ring, which becomes yet another point in the tit-for-tat antics between Foghorn Leghorn and The Dog. Foghorn notes that Banty is "more punchy than a drill press". And to demonstrate Banty's talents early on, when a cow lifts its head to look at him and it's bell rings, Banty knocks it across the field into a tree with one punch.
