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Haints: You mean Vincent and Hopkins? I wouldn't be adverse to letting some of my boys handle them.
Radinov: That will not be necessary. You won't have to pay me, either.
Haints (chuckling): So it's gotten personal, has it?
Radinov: Nyet. This is a matter of pride!
Radinov: That will not be necessary. You won't have to pay me, either.
Haints (chuckling): So it's gotten personal, has it?
Radinov: Nyet. This is a matter of pride!
"Who said I would kill you as a Shinigami? The only reason I killed you, was the fact that you pointed your sword at my pride."
— Byakuya Kuchiki, Bleach
You only made one mistake. One that got you killed. DIO, this whole thing might've ended differently, but...you went and pissed me off. Was it worth it?
— Jotaro Kujo, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders
Lulu's played her last dirty trick on me! This time, I'm just really fed up! This time, the worm is gonna turn!
— Tubby, Little Lulu
Comic Books
"Because once you do, Pete, it'll just be me and you. Like it should've been all along. Then we can face the truth together. The truth of what you did."
— Kindred, The Amazing Spider-Man Vol 5 #24
Constantine: You know me?
The First Of The Fallen: Of course. I've made your father's acquaintance too, actually.
Constantine: Dad?
The First Of The Fallen: Oh yes, Mr Constantine, "Dad" is condemned by his hatred for his own son. He's in hell.
Constantine: [Inner Monologue] That is it. You're not getting away with this, you smug bastard. One way or another. You got my friends, and you got my dad, but... not Brendan. Not this one. This one deserves to get away, and he will. Drunk as I am, I'll see to it. You'll be sorry you pissed me about, you piece of shit.
The First Of The Fallen: Of course. I've made your father's acquaintance too, actually.
Constantine: Dad?
The First Of The Fallen: Oh yes, Mr Constantine, "Dad" is condemned by his hatred for his own son. He's in hell.
Constantine: [Inner Monologue] That is it. You're not getting away with this, you smug bastard. One way or another. You got my friends, and you got my dad, but... not Brendan. Not this one. This one deserves to get away, and he will. Drunk as I am, I'll see to it. You'll be sorry you pissed me about, you piece of shit.
— Hellblazer: A Drop Of The Hard Stuff
"You made it personal, Cavella. But all that buys you is a little more pain than most."
— Frank Castle, The Punisher MAX
How could anyone make it their mission in life to murder whole worlds? Can you imagine what an abomination that is to an orphan from a dead planet? [...] This world-killing stuff... it hits a nerve. It makes me furious, and the ring just fans the flame!
From what you've told me, I'm willing to bet that it was the Female Furies who killed Harbinger... and made off with your cousin. That makes it personal for me too.
— Big Barda, The Supergirl from Krypton (2004)
"Shut up, you contemptible cowards— You think I can't dispose of garbage like you? If you've killed [my father] the best man on this planet, then there's no place in the universe you can hide from my wrath!"
— Supergirl, Strangers at the Heart's Core
Fan Works
"The thing you gotta realize about her is that she really hates the ‘crons. And I'm not talking like proper Imperial hatred for the heretic, neither. I mean she can get real fugging obsessive about hurtin' 'em. Somethin' keeping her from dishing out pain on the metal bastards and she goes a bit crazy, starts getting' real vicious on whatever's between them and her. I've been with her for years, I know these things."
—Titus, Of Xenos and War
Screw thinking like that. This Angel made it personal by hurting Shinji; it's the one in for a world of hurt.
— Asuka, Thousand Shinji
I’ve been through hell and a half in this last week. I’ve fought Blackstarr, Eclipso, the Zoners, Kralik, the Golem, and I’m probably leaving some out. I almost got zombified because of you. Now you’ve hurt the man I love, and my cousin, and my friends. I didn’t want to do this. I didn’t want to do any of it. I hate fighting. But I promise you, Darkseid, if you don’t restore them and surrender, you’re never getting up from this floor in one piece. I swear it!
ADAM: I REMEMBER YOU.
Misato: Good. Because I sure remember you too.
ADAM: WHAT ARE YOU?
Misato: My name is Misato Katsuragi. Lieutenant Colonel of NERV. Daughter of Shiro Katsuragi, the stupid son of a bitch who woke you up. I am the daughter of a murdered man and the only human being to look on you with their own eyes and live to tell about it. I am the right hand of retribution and the last human being you will ever see, you glow in the dark mother f_er. Now smile asshole. Because this... (throws the 'fire' switch on the positron cannon) is my seventeen years of f_ing payback!
Misato: Good. Because I sure remember you too.
ADAM: WHAT ARE YOU?
Misato: My name is Misato Katsuragi. Lieutenant Colonel of NERV. Daughter of Shiro Katsuragi, the stupid son of a bitch who woke you up. I am the daughter of a murdered man and the only human being to look on you with their own eyes and live to tell about it. I am the right hand of retribution and the last human being you will ever see, you glow in the dark mother f_er. Now smile asshole. Because this... (throws the 'fire' switch on the positron cannon) is my seventeen years of f_ing payback!
A small smile crossed Renfeld’s face, though the emotion in her eyes was anything but sanguine. “He was interviewing humanitarian aid workers in Iraq when he died. Rioters beheaded him after some idiot American shot a kid.”
By the time that Matt realized just what she was referring to, Renfeld had already halved the distance between them with her sword held high.
At this point, I suppose I should be telling you something appropriately neutral and law enforcement-esque. But I've already used 'you're under arrest', and frankly speaking I'm not neutral towards you at all. Fate... did you see her, after your encounter? Did you look at that girl, broken in the dirt after what you did to her? Because I did, I saw my little girl lying half-dead in a hospital bed, and I saw the burns on my son's body from when he tried to save her and you tried to kill him for it. What mother could possibly be neutral after that? You tried to kill my children. Did you think I wouldn't take it personally?
—Lindy Harlaown, Infinity
Cipher chuckled nastily. "Oh yeah, you're not the only one who does a pretty good impression of your brother, ARE YOU?" At those final two words, his voice became a yell of outrage, and his eye flashed from white to red. Then his eye faded back to white, and he shifted into a reclining pose, still floating in front of the human, who slowly got to his feet.
The stallion blinked in confusion. "Disassemble my- wait how would that even work? You don't have a body anymore, remember?"
Cipher's eye narrowed. "Yes... I remember... In fact-" He suddenly grew in size, eye blazing red again as he flew back in front of the stallion, blinding red light from his eye forcing the human to look away. "-IT'S THE ONLY REASON YOU'RE STILL ALIVE!"
Cipher's eye narrowed. "Yes... I remember... In fact-" He suddenly grew in size, eye blazing red again as he flew back in front of the stallion, blinding red light from his eye forcing the human to look away. "-IT'S THE ONLY REASON YOU'RE STILL ALIVE!"
The blonde girl was there again, investigating. With Supergirl. He never suspected she had such connections. But that only made it more gratifying.
Like all those who came from where he did, he had a grudge against the cursed El family. The only one they hated more than Supergirl was Superman. She’d be a fine appetizer, and the blonde would be a chaser.
Like all those who came from where he did, he had a grudge against the cursed El family. The only one they hated more than Supergirl was Superman. She’d be a fine appetizer, and the blonde would be a chaser.
This moment, right here; I have waited so long for this chance. You, Whiplash, who are the source from which all of the grief and tragedy in my life stems. You are the thief who stole my life from me and left me a mad pony capable of hearing your voice wherever I went. I have killed hundreds in my life, but never before, through all of those deaths, have I actively wanted somepony dead; except for you. Today, Whiplash, you will die, and my suffering will finally be at an end. With you dead, I will no longer hear your incessant prattling in my head and I will have at least one moment of piece before my days end!
It took him over a minute to die, but he finally did. His body caved in while his skin melted. Still, Amy kept up her attack. Even as she lay surrounded by nothing but goop of what had been the monster who murdered her father and so many others, she kept ordering the separate cells to kill each other and themselves.
Soon, there was nothing left.
Soon, there was nothing left.
— Amy Dallon, Atonement
"You shouldn't have killed her. Maybe you wouldn't have lost so much, if you hadn't. Or maybe I would've found another reason to hate you. It's not like you make it hard."
— Izuku Midoriya (to All For One), Yesterday Upon The Stair
Olga: Do you... hate me for what I have done?
Kyril: Hatred has nothing to do with it anymore. You have wronged my retainer, a personal grievance that I cannot and will not act upon seeing that you are still a Queen and royalty. Logically speaking, what you did was a crime against your own people. A horrendous, cruel sin that logically would have had you assassinated.
Olga: You... You would have killed me had it happened to you?
Kyril: Depends. I'm not over a hundred years old. Neither am I a ruler of a country at war, all I know is that you made a choice and you are now suffering with the consequences of that choice. It truly only depends on you if you can live with it or not.
Kyril: Hatred has nothing to do with it anymore. You have wronged my retainer, a personal grievance that I cannot and will not act upon seeing that you are still a Queen and royalty. Logically speaking, what you did was a crime against your own people. A horrendous, cruel sin that logically would have had you assassinated.
Olga: You... You would have killed me had it happened to you?
Kyril: Depends. I'm not over a hundred years old. Neither am I a ruler of a country at war, all I know is that you made a choice and you are now suffering with the consequences of that choice. It truly only depends on you if you can live with it or not.
Film — Live-Action
Alec Trevelyan: For England, James?
James Bond: No. For me.
James Bond: No. For me.
"Have you ever killed someone? Your training will tell you that when the adrenaline kicks in you should compensate. But, part of you's not going to believe the training; because, this kill is personal. Take a deep breath. You only need one shot. Make it count."
— James Bond to Camille Montes, Quantum of Solace
Saint Clair: Please understand...it was all business. It wasn't personal.
Bryan: It was all personal to me.
Bryan: It was all personal to me.
— Taken
"Hello!. My Name Is Inigo Montoya. You Killed My Father. Prepare to Die."
— Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride
Gideon: You want to fight me for her?
Scott: No. I want to fight you for me.
Scott: No. I want to fight you for me.
You killed my brother Georgie, you bastard! Let’s see you now.
— Bill Denbrough, It (1990)
Remember Matthew Jonas? You thought you'd be safer if he died, right? But he had a daughter.
In all my years of conquest, violence, slaughter...it was never personal. But I'll tell you now: what I'm about to do to your stubborn, annoying little planet... I'm gonna enjoy it. Very, very much.
— Thanos, Avengers: Endgame
You killed my father, motherfucker. Now you burn in Hell.
— Brent, Saw VI
"We're both professionals. This is personal."
— Karl, Die Hard
Tom Hagen: Even the shooting of your father was business, not personal, Sonny!
Sonny Corleone: Well then, business will have to suffer, all right?
Sonny Corleone: Well then, business will have to suffer, all right?
"Look, you gotta stop and think about this, alright? When you came here tonight, is this what you wanted to happen? What, you wanted to make me eat fish? To shoot me? Look, if you come in here, you beat up on me, you trash the place, I understand, I get it, it's part of the job, I accept it, alright? But what did you do? You did something different from that, didn't ya? You pissed me off. You made an enemy. Now, even if I knew something, I wouldn't tell you, kid."
— Jackson Healy, The Nice Guys
"I'm not a cop tonight, Rog. It's personal."
— Martin Riggs, Lethal Weapon 2
Green Goblin: Poor Peter... too weak to send me home to die!
Peter: No... I just wanna kill you myself.
Peter: No... I just wanna kill you myself.
Literature
The personal, as everyone’s so fucking fond of saying, is political. So if some idiot politician, some power player, tries to execute policies that harm you or those you care about, take it personally. Get angry. The Machinery of Justice will not serve you here – it is slow and cold, and it is theirs, hardware and soft-. Only the little people suffer at the hands of Justice; the creatures of power slide from under it with a wink and a grin. If you want justice, you will have to claw it from them. Make it personal. Do as much damage as you can. Get your message across. That way, you stand a better chance of being taken seriously next time. Of being considered dangerous. And make no mistake about this: being taken seriously, being considered dangerous marks the difference - the only difference in their eyes - between players and little people. Players they will make deals with. Little people they liquidate. And time and again they cream your liquidation, your displacement, your torture and brutal execution with the ultimate insult that it’s just business, it’s politics, it’s the way of the world, it’s a tough life and that it’s nothing personal. Well, fuck them. Make it personal.
— Quellcrist Falconer, Altered Carbon
"American observers thought the Poles to be close to an elite force, with every battalion in constant competition with their fellows for bragging rights. The division’s armored regiment consistently scored among the best in gunnery and availability, admiring inspectors often spoke of 'engines you could eat off'. Most importantly the 2nd’s troops were not engaged in the same war as their allies; they were engaged in a Holy Crusade against those who had massacred their entire people. British commanders had expressed some concern regarding the 2nd, mainly fearing that the unit would be unmanageable in combat so deep was the collective hatred for 'the Huns', but the unit had shown no tendency to lose discipline or be overzealous in pursuit of SS units. What the 2nd had demonstrated instead was an almost frightening level of professional detachment to casualties, both their own and the enemies, and an iron discipline."
Samuel Vimes: He killed Angua. Doesn't that mean anything to you?
Carrot Ironfoundersson: Yes. But personal isn't the same as important.
Carrot Ironfoundersson: Yes. But personal isn't the same as important.
Live-Action TV
"You know what I said earlier about this not being my fight? I don't know if it was before, but it sure as hell is now."
— Clarice Fong/Blink, The Gifted (2017)
Doyle: This is personal, sir.
Cowley: Nothing is personal, Doyle. When you joined CI5, I made that perfectly clear. The department owns you—I own you! I can sell your body to Science if I want, while it's still alive!
— The Professionals, "The Female Factor"
Special Agent Jordan Shaw: You can't take this personally.
Detective Kate Beckett: The hell I can't, he just blew up my apartment! I think that's pretty damn personal.
Detective Kate Beckett: The hell I can't, he just blew up my apartment! I think that's pretty damn personal.
— Castle
Sylvie: You treated real people's lives like some kind of game.
He Who Remains: It's not personal, it's practical.
Sylvie: It was personal to me.
He Who Remains: It's not personal, it's practical.
Sylvie: It was personal to me.
— Loki
Tim: He's made this personal.
Mike: I thought he made it personal when he slept with your girlfriend.
Tim: Well, he's made it more personal.
Mike: I don't think it gets much more personal than sleeping with your girlfriend, Tim.
Mike: I thought he made it personal when he slept with your girlfriend.
Tim: Well, he's made it more personal.
Mike: I don't think it gets much more personal than sleeping with your girlfriend, Tim.
— Spaced
"This time, it's personal."
— Oz, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Hector: That hacienda? I paid for it! And you treat us like dogs?!
Bolsa: Hector, this isn't personal!
Hector: It is! It is personal! (He proceeds to have a stroke.)
Bolsa: Hector, this isn't personal!
Hector: It is! It is personal! (He proceeds to have a stroke.)
"Whenever anyone says it's not personal, that's exactly when it's very personal."
—Kay Freestone, Columbo
"I'm gonna kick your ass because no one messes with my friends."
—Monkey D. Luffy to Arlong, One Piece (2023)
Professional Wrestling
"Four years I've been waiting to get your ass!"
Video Games
"I would like to say it isn't personal, but it is personal."
—Devin Weston regarding Michael after the latter accidentally gets his Number Two killed, Grand Theft Auto V
Mattias: I'm used to people trying to kill me, but this is something personal.
Chris: Yeah! No one shoots him in the ass and gets away with it!
Chris: Yeah! No one shoots him in the ass and gets away with it!
— Mercenaries 2: World In Flames
The cardinal rule in going after someone with an intention to kill was not to make it personal — which it almost always ended up being anyway. It did with me.
— Max Payne, Max Payne
"We met this postman on the island, and from what he told us, it was that kid in green that saved Miss Tetra. And apparently the bird that kidnapped Miss Teta mistook this poor kid's sister for our young Miss, and kidnapped her instead. So this kid tells us pirates he wants a ride from us so he can go save his sister..."
— Gonzo talking about Link, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker instruction manual
Makarov: Who is this?
Price: Prisoner Six-Two-Seven. I'm coming for you, Makarov.
Makarov: Haven't you heard, Price. They say the war is over.
Price: My war ends with you.
— Modern Warfare 3
People of Pandora... my daughter is... dead. Murdered. By the Vault Hunter. So I've decided — I am rescinding the bounty on the Vault Hunter. If you should kill that child-killing sunuvabitch before I do, I will find you, and you will regret denying me my vengeance.
—Handsome Jack, Borderlands 2
"The only currency left in this world is power. You... you made us look weak. That ends now! We are gonna take everything you hold dear... starting with your home."
Fisher: You don't understand what's happening here, do you? Morgenholt — your goons tortured him to death and I'm holding you responsible.
Lacerda: Oh! No! It's not my fault!
Fisher: The only thing worse than a coward is a liar. You gave the order, and now you're gonna die for it.
Lacerda: Oh! No! It's not my fault!
Fisher: The only thing worse than a coward is a liar. You gave the order, and now you're gonna die for it.
"Now who do we have here? Why, if it isn't my old pal Luigi! Or is it Baby Luigi? I can't tell the difference. Hey, remember that time when you trapped me in a painting for all eternity? Good times. But guess what? I got out! And now I'm painting the town red! Yes, it was I who broke the Dark Moon! This power-enhancing jeweled crown of mine made it easy. And now that all the ghosts of Evershade Valley are under my control... it's time to take my rightful place as the supreme ruler of your world! You, that annoying scientist, and all your friends will look great hanging from the wall of my throne room!"
—King Boo, Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon
"This isn't a battle anymore; it's a mother fucking war!"
— Travis Touchdown, No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle
Hero King Richard: I see you're planning a journey.
Duran: Your Majesty! It was my weakness that allowed the enemy to escape. I wish to atone for my mistakes. I cannot forgive the wizard for what he did. He not only defeated me, he insulted you, my king. I do not plan to return home until I have made him pay.
Duran: Your Majesty! It was my weakness that allowed the enemy to escape. I wish to atone for my mistakes. I cannot forgive the wizard for what he did. He not only defeated me, he insulted you, my king. I do not plan to return home until I have made him pay.
— Duran discussing his plans for a journey for revenge against the Crimson Wizard with Hero King Richard in Trials of Mana
Michael Zeppelin... Your reasons mean nothing to me. There will be no mercy. You shall pay for this with your life.
— Grolla Seyfarth, about the revival of her late grandfather Raimund, RosenkreuzStilette
I, the daughter of Arwig, a heretic!? Impossible! This must be some kind of mistake! Have I not been fighting in the name of God!? What could I have done to deserve this indignity!? Could someone be conspiring against me!? What about the others? Where are Eifer and Schirach? Why is no one coming to my aid!? I need to calm down... If I could just have an audience with His Holiness, we could clear up this misunderstanding... Yes... I will expose those behind this conspiracy... And I will make them pay. Dearly. For those who would tarnish my good name, there are fates far worse than death!
— Pamela Arwig, RosenkreuzStilette Freudenstachel
"I don't care who thinks I'm right. And I've got cause enough for killing you."
— Raiden, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
Salvatore: Torini... it figures. Give him up! The mayor is mine! THIS CITY is mine!
Torini: Salvatore... Sicily never wanted questo schifo di citta. But, when tribute dried up, what could we do...? It was nothing personal.
Salvatore: Nothing personal? After what you put me through! I'm gonna tear your fuckin' heart out!
Torini: Salvatore... Sicily never wanted questo schifo di citta. But, when tribute dried up, what could we do...? It was nothing personal.
Salvatore: Nothing personal? After what you put me through! I'm gonna tear your fuckin' heart out!
Web Animation
"I just went along with orders and hoped that everything would work out for me. But after all that has happened, you know what I learned? It's not about hating the guy on the other side because someone told you to. I mean, you should hate someone because they're an asshole, or pervert, or snob, or they're lazy, or arrogant, or an idiot, or a know-it-all. Those are reasons to dislike somebody. You don't hate a person because someone told you to. You have to learn to despise them on a personal level. Not because they're Red, or Blue, but because you know them, and you see them every single day, and you can't stand them because they are a complete and total fucking douchebag."
— Church, Red vs. Blue
Luigi: I was a half of the most recognizable family in-a the business. Back when that meant something. Our enemies knocked us from the top of the mountain and never looked back. We had come to terms to the fact that our time has passed. But they did something nobody expected. They made things personal. They killed my brother.
Web Original
Quackity: Technoblade, I'm gonna tell you one thing. One thing I went through was death.Context When you killed me, you think I was just gonna forget about it? Think I was...
Techno: I mean, yeah, kinda.
Quackity: ...just gonna walk away– you think I was just gonna walk away and forget about it?
Techno: That was the hope, yeah.
Quackity: I'll tell you something, Techno, I'll tell you something, alright? In the same way you did it– (switches to a diamond pickaxe and chuckles) I have a pickaxe.
Techno: Oh, wait... OH, WAIT... WHA-WHAT? HOLD ON!
Quackity: And I'll put it. THROUGH YOUR FUCKING TEETH, TECHNO! I'LL PUT IT THROUGH YOUR FU–
Techno: (runs away from Quackity) HOLD ON! NONONO– (is teleported out using the Ender Pearl Stasis Chamber; disappears from the cell)
Techno: I mean, yeah, kinda.
Quackity: ...just gonna walk away– you think I was just gonna walk away and forget about it?
Techno: That was the hope, yeah.
Quackity: I'll tell you something, Techno, I'll tell you something, alright? In the same way you did it– (switches to a diamond pickaxe and chuckles) I have a pickaxe.
Techno: Oh, wait... OH, WAIT... WHA-WHAT? HOLD ON!
Quackity: And I'll put it. THROUGH YOUR FUCKING TEETH, TECHNO! I'LL PUT IT THROUGH YOUR FU–
Techno: (runs away from Quackity) HOLD ON! NONONO– (is teleported out using the Ender Pearl Stasis Chamber; disappears from the cell)
Webcomic
Batman: Maroni was going to kill you just to get to me?
Duke: Well, yeah. I guess. I don't think he really cared about that, though.
Batman: I do.
Duke: Well, yeah. I guess. I don't think he really cared about that, though.
Batman: I do.
Western Animation
"And this time, it's personal! *funny looks* What? It is personal! He's got our underpants!"
— Alec Baldwin, The Simpsons
Numbuh 4: Well, we'll meet him all right. Only this time, it's personal.
Numbuh 2: How can it be personal? You've never even met the guy.
Numbuh 4: I know. I just always wanted to say that. This time, it's personal.
Ron: Taking over the world is one thing, but you ruined Bueno Nacho! You’re gonna pay!
Drakken: You can't be serious!
Ron: Note serious face.
Hey look at me. TURN AROUND AND LOOK AT ME, YOU ONE-EYED DEMON! You're a real wise guy, but you made one fatal mistake: You messed with my family.
— Stanley Pines, Gravity Falls
Lisa: All right, Bob, now it's personal!
Bart: Uh, he did try to kill me...
Bart: Uh, he did try to kill me...
— The Simpsons, "Sideshow Bob Roberts" (after Lisa found out that Bob used the name of Lisa's dead pet cat as part of his voter-fraud scam)
Cyborg: No more chances.
Starfire: No more trust.
Raven: And no more mercy.
Beast Boy: She's just another criminal.
Robin: And we're going to stop her. No matter what it takes.
Starfire: No more trust.
Raven: And no more mercy.
Beast Boy: She's just another criminal.
Robin: And we're going to stop her. No matter what it takes.
— Teen Titans, Aftershock: Part One, when the Titans realize Terra isn't on their side anymore
Megatron: Do not make this personal, Soundwave!
Soundwave: It already is.
Ruff: Now this is an important challenge because it has to do with my psyche. Convince your host he's being ridiculous about hospitals.
