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Cutlass Between the Teeth: Difference between revisions
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[[File:zoro.jpg|link=One Piece|frame| Even when gnawing the hilt of his sword, [[Talking Is a Free Action|no sentence is a mouthful]] for Zoro.]]
{{quote|''"Yes, this lad'd seen the idea in a book, and he swung across into the other ship's rigging with his cutlass clenched, as you say, between his teeth. ... 'Topless Harry', we wrote on his coffin. ... I don't know if you've ever seen a soft-boiled egg after you've picked up your knife and sliced?"''|''[[
Taking disregard for the old saying "[[Runs with Scissors|Don't run with scissors]]" to a whole new level, the
▲{{quote|''"Yes, this lad'd seen the idea in a book, and he swung across into the other ship's rigging with his cutlass clenched, as you say, between his teeth. ... 'Topless Harry', we wrote on his coffin. ... I don't know if you've ever seen a soft-boiled egg after you've picked up your knife and sliced?"''|''[[Discworld/Jingo|Jingo]]'', [[Terry Pratchett]]}}
A frequent tactic of [[Pirates]], who often need their hands free for swimming or climbing the rigging.
▲Taking disregard for the old saying "[[Runs with Scissors|Don't run with scissors]]" to a whole new level, the [[Cutlass Between the Teeth]] is the tendency for usually Badass characters to run around with the handle (or blade, if they're feeling really tough) of a sword or knife clenched between their teeth. Can have its uses, at most earning a free hand, but its true purpose is to make the character doing it [[Rule of Cool|look even cooler]]. One would think you'd only attempt this on something with a blade with an edge on just ''one'' side...
▲A frequent tactic of [[Pirates]], who often need their hands free for swimming or climbing the rigging.
Rarely a [[Truth in Television]] as it takes much discipline and exercise to fight the gagging reflex down which inevitably comes into play when you've got something between your teeth, still breathe through your mouth and wont swallow the damn thing.(And considering how big sword hilts are your whole face would hurt too soon enough)
Compare [[Now That's Using Your Teeth]].
{{examples}}
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
* Kyuzo does this twice in ''[[Samurai 7]]''. With two swords, it's easy to run out of hands.
* The pirate-themed anime ''[[One Piece]]'' takes this to extremes. Roronoa Zoro, a bounty hunter who eventually becomes Luffy's swordsman, utilizes the powerful techniques of Santôryû, a fictional fighting style that involves wielding three swords, one in each hand and one ''in the mouth''. Somehow, [[Talking Is a Free Action|he can even talk while doing this]]: the creator said that [[It Runs on Nonsensoleum|it is his heart that allows him to speak]].
** Although in the [[FUNimation]] dub, his voice ''is'' muffled (albeit still quite coherent) when using it.
*** However in the original Japanese voice over he amusingly rolls his r's like a yankee with sword clenched in teeth. Now that's talent.
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* Just about every other promotional image for ''[[Naruto]]'' features the title character posing with a kunai in his mouth. Laughed at in [http://risachantag.deviantart.com/art/Naruto-Occupational-Hazards-12026964 this] fanart.
** A more extreme example takes place in the series' Land of Waves arc climax. Deprived of the use of his arms, a [[Unstoppable Rage|really pissed off]] Zabuza is able to [[Foe-Tossing Charge|plow through]] a bridge full of armed criminals to get at the [[Big Bad]] who tried to double cross him while armed with just a single kunai held in his mouth, whipping it around with his ''tongue'' whenever he needed to change direction. In the manga he even cut his target's head off.
** Similarly, the mouth is just ''one'' of the improbably places Killer Bee [https://web.archive.org/web/20130212085305/http://naruto.wikia.com/wiki/File:Seven_Swords_Dance_Technique.PNG holds his 7 swords]. Note that none of the seven are actually in his ''hands''.
* ''[[Full Metal Panic!]]'' has the protagonist's [[Humongous Mecha]] Arbalest, which has a spare dagger stored on its "mouth", specifically designed to be evocative of a ninja holding a scroll between his teeth. Rather than a sheathe, however, the dagger is held by a pair of clamps which pop open when Sosuke needs it.
* Kotarou of ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima]]'' does this with {{spoiler|Asuna's ''[[BFS]]''}} in the Magic World tournament. Not that he had much of a choice since {{spoiler|he had transformed into his [[Big Badass Wolf|monster wolf form]]}}.
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* Guts from ''[[Berserk]]'' is not only big on using his teeth to stop enemy attacks, but he also uses them so that he may use his own weapons when his own two hands are incapable of doing so.
* The ARX-7 Arbalest from ''[[Full Metal Panic!]]'' stores a spare [[Absurdly Sharp Blade|monomolecular cutter]] in a special grip on its faceplate; [[Word of God]] is it was inspired by the image of a ninja holding a scroll between his teeth. However, the Arbalest only stores the blade like this, and will fight with it in hand like normal.
* ''[[Crossbone Gundam]]'' combines this with [[Barehanded Blade Block]] and [[Humongous Mecha]]. The final duel between Kincaid and Zabine starts with their [[Laser Blade|beam zanbers]] and, as they damage each others' weapons ends up with their [[Hot Blade|heat daggers]]. In the final clash, Kincaid catches Zabine's knife in the X-1's "mouth",<ref>Actually a heat vent in its faceplate</ref>
== [[Comic Books]] ==
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== [[Literature]] ==
* Parodied in ''[[
* In ''[[The Hundredth Man]]'', Carson Ryder is trying to swim to the other side of the Mobile River during a flood. He's had to cut the scabbard and his holster loose before, and he can't clench his knife in his teeth while swimming. So what does he do? He '''jams it into his thigh and keeps swimming.''' Fuck yeah.
* There's a famous magazine cover by Kelly Freas for Murray Leinster's story "The Pirates of Ersatz" depicting a [[Space Pirate]] climbing aboard a rocket with a ''[[Zeerust|slide rule]]'' in his teeth. [http://michaelmay.us/09blog/06/0605_piratesersatz390.jpg See it here.]
* Referenced in ''[[Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas]]'' when Raoul Duke describes a particularly bad trip in which you might see your grandmother climbing up your pantleg with a knife between her teeth.
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* Shows up in [[The Pyrates]], of course. Most of the characters are too [[Genre Savvy]] to actually try it, except for [[The Brute|Firebeard]]. Fortunately for him, he gets distracted trying to remember whether the sharp edge is supposed to face in or out.
== [[Live
* In the ''[[Lost]]'' episode "All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues", Kate climbs a tree with a knife between her teeth in order to cut Charlie down.
* ''[[Kamen Rider Kiva]]'' features a particularly extreme example, with the eponymous hero's [[Our Werewolves Are Different|werewolf-themed]] [[Fragile Speedster]] form uses a [[Playing with Fire|fire-elemental]]
* Will Ferrell teaming up with Bear Grylls in ''[[Man vs. Wild]]'' puts his knife between his teeth for showing off while "watching the perimeter".
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* Koromaru in ''[[Persona 3]]'' does this. Of course, he is a dog.
* Repede in ''[[Tales of Vesperia]]'' does this too. He is also a dog.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130212085306/http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/10/103231/1868769-vlcsnap_2011_08_24_20h24m39s209.png Great Gray Wolf Sif] in ''[[Dark Souls]]'' does this as well. He is a wolf.
* Pikachu does this in ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' when picking up a beam sword (or anything else, for that matter), since he runs on all fours (walking is done upright).
** ''Brawl'' changes things a bit. The forepaws have use as a grip for held weapons; swinging with the Homerun Bat and firing with the Super Scope, for example. Pikachu is even forced to carry the Cracker Launcher outside of its jaws, it's that damn big.
** Ditto with Ivysaur and Squirtle in ''Brawl''.
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* Raiden's [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]] near the end of ''[[Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots]]''.
* In ''[[Tsukihime]]'', Shiki does it during Ciel's route. The writer probably didn't do this to try to be cool; Shiki probably realizes that doing that is completely impractical and just plain dumb. However, {{spoiler|since he lost both his arms and the situation really called for him to do something, it was do it or die.}}
* Sora in ''[[Kingdom Hearts II]]'' carries his keyblade in his mouth while in his Lion form in the [[The Lion King|Pridelands]].
* The [https://web.archive.org/web/20080503024133/http://www.azeemalim.co.uk/portfolio/big/foxhound.png FOXHOUND logo] from ''[[Metal Gear]]'' incorporated this design, having a fox hold a combat dagger in its mouth.
* Also used in ''[[Shinobi]]'' (the [[PlayStation 2]] remake); one variety of enemy is essentially an [[Goddamned Bats|armored ninja dog]] that holds a two-bladed sword in its mouth.
* In ''[[Phantom Brave]]'', four-legged phantoms (called beasts) use this in a non-badass way because they have no arms to hold items with.
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== [[Western Animation]] ==
* Similarly, in the first appearance of the Freedom Fighters on ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'', Smellerbee is seen with one stolen sword in each hand and her own kuhkri in her [https://web.archive.org/web/20130212085306/http://www.piandao.org/screencaps/ep10/ep10-277.png mouth].
* The old [[Disney Animated Canon|Disney]] ''[[Peter Pan]]'' had some fun with this by having a boy whack a pirate doing this on the head so hard, he bites clean through the blade before collapsing.
* After the first bloodless sword fight scene that took place near the beginning of ''[[Sinbad]]: Legend of the Seven Seas'', one straggler mananges to get to his feet and make one last charge at Sinbad's first mate Kale. Not only is Kale able to catch the blade in his teeth, but is able to lift and heave the man over his head off the ship. All without so much as a scratch on his lip.
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{{reflist}}
[[Category:
[[Category:Pirate Tropes]]
[[Category:Sword Fight]]
[[Category:Sword Tropes]]
[[Category:Teeth Tropes]]
▲[[Category:I Like Swords]]
[[Category:Weapons and Wielding Tropes]]
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